With the holiday season just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share a guest post on some tasty herbs and "super-spices" that you can use to spice up your holiday meals - AND stay healthy this winter!

Most of us think of herbs and spices simply as something to flavor our food, but many of these ingredients may actually have powerful health benefits. Not only can they make your food taste great, but they are also great for you!

Herbs and spices actually contain some of the most potent antioxidants of any food - even higher than some of the most touted "superfoods" such as kale, broccoli, or berries. These antioxidants have been shown to help protect against diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and more. What's more, they not only contain their own healthy compounds, but they also can actually enhance the nutritional benefits of other foods when eaten in combination.

But it's not just about antioxidants; these "super-spices" also have properties that may help to stabilize and regulate blood sugar, boost metabolism, reduce inflammation, and help the body ward off pathogens - including viruses, bacteria, and even some fungal diseases. All of this without creating issues like antibiotic resistance or other side-effects created by many conventional medications.

This month's guest post lists 10 amazing herbs and super-spices that you'll want to include in your cooking on a regular basis. Check it out below to learn about the healing properties of these common natural flavoring agents, as well as ideas for including more of them in your meals.

As we move into the winter months and the pandemic rages on, many families are concerned about not only health, but also food security. Based on the shortages of some foods that we experienced back in the spring, it is reasonable to expect that if things shut down again, we may face the same - or perhaps worse - before things improve.

Let's face it: these are some crazy times we are living in, and it is important to be prepared for anything.
Fortunately, those of you who follow the holistic living way - growing your own food, taking responsibility for your own health, etc. are better prepared than most. Whether you're growing your own produce, or buying fresh, healthy foods from local farmers through a farmer's market or CSA program, learning to preserve your favorite fresh vegetables and herbs is one way to stock up so that you can enjoy healthy meals without going to the grocery store all the time - and ensure that you have plenty of food if the grocery stores run short.

There are so many amazing healthy foods out there that boost your immunity - and most of them can be easily grown in your own backyard. Imagine being able to preserve these foods to enjoy whenever you want them...

Today, more than ever, this is a game-changer.

And let’s face it, store-bought pasta sauce is just NEVER as good as fresh and homemade! When you make your own, you know it’s chock full of nutrients without all the crazy weird preservatives, sugars, and other additives.

So are you ready to learn how to start preserving fresh food for yourself… all the basics like pasta sauce, salsa, hot sauce, pickles, dried herbs, sauerkraut and more?

If so, you're in the right place!  My colleague, Stacey Murphy, is a "garden guru" who provides mentorship to thousands of people so they can nourish their loved ones with fresh, organic food. And now she’s released a brand new webinar to help you stock your kitchen with fresh goodies so you can enjoy fresh and healthy foods year-round!

Fall is the perfect time to make sure you are prepared for the winter months with plenty of healthy foods to keep your immune system strong.

Click here to register for the FREE webinar on preserving the harvest, or learn more below...

It's no secret that we are living in an epidemic of modern disease caused largely by the foods we consume. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are rampant - yet so much of this disease could be prevented simply by eating better... So why don't we?

There are many answers to this question, but one that we may not often consider is that "Big Food" actually doesn't want us to! In fact, many processed foods are actually created to be addictive. (To learn more about this insidious practice, as well as how food companies actually market their products specifically to your children to get them addicted early in life - as well as to lower-income minority communities, where obesity and disease are especially high, check out the eye-opening book, Food Fix, by Dr. Mark Hyman.)

Besides eating addictive foods packed with sugar and artificial ingredients, we are also eating many ingredients that are actually banned in other countries due to their health effects.

In this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Mark Hyman chats with author and food activist, Vani Hari, about her experiences with Big Food, including how these massive and powerful food companies manipulate nutrition research to their benefit, hide the ill effects of their food, and make us sick without our knowledge. She also talks about ways to take back control of your health by making smart choices in the kitchen, and educating yourself about what eating healthy really means.

This is such an inspiring interview - you owe it to yourself and your health to watch this now!

While most of us don't usually think of food as medicine, in fact, at one time, all medicine originally came from edible food sources. In recent years, a resurgence in interest in natural medicines and herbal remedies has brought healing foods back to the forefront of health and wellness.

All kinds of foods have healing properties, from roots, to leaves, fruits, and seeds. Healing foods can be as simple as your grandmother's chicken soup, or as complex as a homemade cough syrup or healing tincture made from roots, berries, and spices. (However, even the more complex remedies are often easier to make at home that you may think.)

This month, I'm excited to share with you a wonderful resource filled with healthful recipes that will help you harness the healing power of food! This 7-day meal plan is available for a limited time only, in preparation for the upcoming Home Medicine Masterclass. If you're interested in learning to make your own home medicines and herbal remedies, be sure to check it out!

I may have mentioned before that I am reading Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet--One Bite at a Time, by Dr. Mark Hyman, this summer.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book (yes, I'm a slow reader - but it's also not a book you can speed through), and I have to say that it's the most eye-opening book I have read in a long time. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is THE most important book about food and health of our time!

I do have to put it down once in a while, as learning the truth about the food and agriculture industries just makes me so MAD I sometimes need a little break. (Seriously - if you think you know shady, you have NO idea...) But I love that every chapter - no matter how depressing, scary, or infuriating - includes "food fixes" with suggestions for taking action for positive change - both individually and as citizens en masse.

It's hard for me to describe just how impactful this book truly is, but it breaks down all of the many, many problems of our current food system in real ways - demonstrating the impact of food on our physical health, our mental health, our economy, the environment, social justice, and just about every other important issue facing our world today. And yes, the food you eat really does impact all of those things!

It also offers meaningful solutions that we all can implement in our own lives, as well as tips for pushing for government action and needed reforms.

When I finish the book, I may write a full review, but for now, I wanted to share this quick clip from CBS news, where Dr. Hyman discusses some of the issues covered in the book. Check it out below for some of the highlights, but I HIGHLY recommend reading the book for yourself!

I am currently reading a very interesting and thought-provoking book called Food Fix, by Dr. Mark Hyman. This book details the massive problems with our current food system, which Hyman contends (and I agree) is the central reason for our current epidemic of modern diseases such has heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and more.

However, rather than simply being all "doom and gloom," every chapter of the book details a number of specific "food fixes" for each issue that needs to be addressed.

From positive incentives for food companies making healthier foods, to taxes on unhealthy ingredients, to subsidizing healthy foods instead of junk, to ideas for getting healthier foods into schools and hospitals, and much more, the book is filled with positive solutions and ideas to help us turn our modern health crisis around and build healthier, happier, and more productive lives for everyone.

The short video below contains parts of two interviews that Dr. Hyman held with food experts who discuss aspects of the current "Big Food" system, and share their ideas for creating a healthier food system.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you are probably aware that I am slightly obsessed with fermentation. :-) This is rather interesting to me, given my natural penchant for control, as fermenting things so often has unpredictable results!  Case in point: my recent experiment with making homemade dandelion wine for the first time.

Always an adventure, this fermentation foray has been especially eventful - including explosions, spewing jugs, yeasty lessons, and more. Read on to find out how to make your own dandelion wine - as well as what NOT to do, as I learned the hard way!  :-)

After a fun break last week to visit with family, I'm back to work and summer is in full swing! It's the season for grilling on the back deck, lying in the hammock in the shade, and enjoying all sorts of fresh summer fare...

It's funny to think about, but doesn't summer also seem like the season for condiments? From burgers, brats, and other grilled foods, to creamy coleslaw and potato salad, it just seems like summer provides the perfect occasion for enjoying lots of your favorite condiments.

Unfortunately, many of these popular toppings are packed with unhealthy ingredients that can increase inflammation, lower your immunity, increase weight gain and cravings, and more. The good news is, there are also a number of delicious condiments that are quite good for you and will add lots of tasty flavor to your favorite summer meals.

In the guest post below, nutrition specialist and personal trainer, Mike Geary, shares 5 healthier condiments you can enjoy with your summer meals this season - as well as 4 of the most popular ones that are best avoided if possible:

Most of us don't think much about the food we eat beyond what's for dinner. In fact, until recently, many people probably didn't even think about that. We live in a fast food nation, and millions of Americans eat out more often than they eat at home - at least, up until the recent pandemic hit and forced everyone to stay home and start cooking for themselves... 

Growing up on a farm, we thought about food a LOT. Since we grew and raised most of what we ate, thinking about food was a long-term proposition. In the summer and fall, we thought about how much of our garden produce we needed to can and preserve for the winter. When chicks hatched or baby goats were born in the spring, we thought about when and how to butcher and store the meat, and how long it would last our family of 5. Most of the foods we bought at the store were purchased in bulk (whole wheat, beans, dried fruit, oil, and animal feed), so we thought about how much to buy at a time to save the most money possible and make every purchase stretch as far as we could. In the spring, we tapped maples and boiled and bottled maple syrup. In the fall, we harvested honey from our bee hives and poured the thick golden sweetness into jars to last throughout the year.

When you raise your own food, your life becomes about food in many ways. This is a far cry from how most people in modern society approach food, and as we have shifted to a mindset of convenience over substance, speed over source, this has been considered "progress." But in a very real sense, distancing ourselves from our food has caused more problems than it has solved.

The truth is, no matter how much we deny or ignore it, how and what we eat impacts our entire world in many important ways.

By making conscious food choices and choosing to learn and care about where our food comes from, we can not only improve our own health, but the health of the entire world - from the farmers who grow our food, to the animals, plants, and soil that support and/or comprise our food, to the environment at large - including water, air, and wildlife.

As the video below explores, food impacts everything, which is why changing the way we eat and working towards a new food system can be so powerful and far-reaching.

The guest on this episode, Mark Bittman, is the author of more than 20 books on cooking and food, including the acclaimed How to Cook Everything series. His new cookbook, Dinner for Everyone, shares how simple and delicious it can be to cook at home, no matter what your dietary preferences are. It's the perfect cookbook to add some easy and tasty variety to your home cooking - which many of us could use right about now!

Watch the interview below to learn why the food we eat can be a solution to many of the issues facing our world today...

Strawberries are usually the first fruit of the season, and even if you don't grow your own, you can often find organic berries for a very reasonable price (conventionally grown strawberries have some of the highest concentrations of harmful pesticides, so you should always choose organic). We look for them to go on sale every spring or early summer, and usually buy a whole bunch and make a nice big batch of jam to last us through the winter. While I love all jam (who doesn't?), strawberry is one of my favorites...BUT - only if I make it the right way.

Freezer jam is my favorite as it is not really cooked, so you get that full, fresh, strawberry flavor. However, it does take up room in the freezer, and of course you have to wait for it to thaw before eating, so I do like to can most of our strawberry jam.

However, I discovered several years ago that I really don't care much for canned jams that contain pectin - especially strawberry. Pectin seems to change the color and flavor to make it much less appealing. Plus, you have to use more sugar than fruit to get it to gel properly, which makes no sense to me. I want to taste the strawberries - not a mouthful of sugar!

Since I started making the old-fashioned kind of jam without pectin, I have re-discovered my love for strawberry jam. Not only does it taste better, but it's a lot healthier for you as it uses less than half as much sugar! I actually haven't used pectin for years now in any kind of jam. I have found that just about any kind of fruit will gel up nicely if you cook it long enough.

Below is an excellent recipe for homemade low-sugar strawberry jam without pectin. If you're not feeling up for canning (which is easier than you may think - especially for jams), you can certainly also refrigerate this jam for up to 6 weeks, or freeze it for longer-term storage.