A Journey into Herbal & Natural Healing

Here are some links to organic resources on the internet. It’s a starting point for more information and associations on organic farming and sustainable agriculture.

• ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
  Managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service. It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States.
• Organic Consumers Association
  Our website, publications, research, and campaign staff provide an important service for hundreds of thousands of consumers and community activists every month. Our media team provides background information, interviews, and story ideas to television and radio producers and journalists on a daily basis - from national television networks to the alternative press.
• The Organic Center
  To generate credible, peer reviewed scientific information and communicate the verifiable benefits of organic farming and products to society.
• Eatwild: The Clearinghouse for Information about Pasture-Based Farming
  Eatwild.com features comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate information about grass-fed and organic beef, pork, lamb, bison, dairy products, and poultry. It also features the country’s most extensive list of suppliers of pasture-raised products.
• Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA)
  A resource for organic dairy farmers, organic milk producers
  and consumers interested in organic dairy farming and products. Among the information offered: organic dairy news, northeast events, farmer classifieds, business directory, guidance on transitioning to organic, grazing management and soil health.
• NorthEast Organic Network (NEON)
  An innovative consortium of farmers, researchers, extension educators and grassroots nonprofits working together to improve organic farmers’ access to research and technical support.
• The Organic Trade Association (OTA)
  OTA is a membership-based association that encompasses all sectors of the organic industry, from farm to retail. OTA represents the industry’s interests to regulators, policymakers, the media and the public.
• Save Our Seed 
  A free certified organic seed sourcing service.
• Organic Farming Research Foundation
  To sponsor research related to organic farming;
  To disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems; and
  To educate the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues.
• USDA National Organic Program
  The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards.
• Organic Trade Association
  OTA’s mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
• Rodale Institute / New Farm

Many people contemplate becoming a vegetarian at one point or another. Some consider a meatless diet because they feel sorry for the animals. Others think a vegetarian way of eating will improve their health.

However, out of those well-intentioned people very few actually follow through and change their way of eating. The idea of completely giving up meat forms a big stumbling block for most.

For some reason, when it comes to vegetarian cooking, most people only see the “extremist” approach: either give up meat completely or you might as well include the meat in every meal. This “all or nothing” thinking becomes a mental barrier that keeps a lot of people from eating more vegetarian meals.

How about finding a happy medium? Drastic changes to one’s diet never last. Do not beat yourself up for eating meat. There is no need to give it up completely. Just try eating a little less of it, that’s all.

Start right now by making one meatless dinner every week. Keep everything else the same. Eating just one vegetarian dinner every week is definitely doable and easy. It will be just a nice change instead of deprivation!

If you think going meatless one day a week would not make a big difference, consider these simple numbers: if everyone ate vegetarian meals just one day a week, it would save one out of seven animals. Out of 92 million animals that are consumed in the United States alone every year, over 13 million animals would be spared. This is a huge impact!

In addition to doing good for our planet, you’ll enjoy great health benefits by including more fruits and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, nutrients, anti-oxidants and fiber - all the things that are good for us. They can help with weight loss and prevent diseases. Numerous studies show that diets high in fruits and vegetables reduce the risks of deadly diseases such as cancer, heart attack and stroke.

Also, by trying out new dishes, you will break your food routine and discover new tasty recipes and food combinations. It’s really nice to eat something different once in a while instead of being stuck in a food rut.

This simple shift of mindset from “all or nothing” to a happy middle ground will do wonders. Vegetarian eating does not need to be a full-time commitment, sacrifice and strive for unattainable perfection. Just do what you can to eat a little less meat, have fun trying new vegetarian meals and enjoy the benefits.

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About The Author

Melanie Mendelson is the author of “Vegetarian Main Dishes - Yummy Recipes That Even Meat Eaters Will Love”.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melanie_Mendelson

Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition) by Paul Pitchford is by far one of the most comprehensive books on nutrition and healing. At 753 pages, it covers everything. Health and healing of the body involves all facets of the individual: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual; healing the whole, holistic. This book discusses nutrition and healing from the holistic viewpoint.

“The rise in nutritional awareness occurring at a rapid pace in the West has elements of Far Eastern traditions, in which a balanced diet has been integral to health and enlightenment practices for millennia. This book is a synthesis of vital elements of Eastern and Western food practices and philosophies. Experiencing such an East/West union brings one into fresh areas of awareness and can lead to renewal in all areas of life.” ~Paul Pitchford

Food is energetic, it can effect our bodies either in a negative or positive way. We’ve all heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” Processed foods, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, artificial flavorings, fats, and meats are not energetically “alive” and thus effect our bodies in a negative way, leading to eventual dis-ease. Whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables still have their life force energy and by eating these foods, are bodies absorb their vibrant energy.

The same theory applies to the preparation of the food as covered in the chapter “Vibrational Cooking.”

“There is an invisible energy imparted to the food by the cook that effects everyone who partakes of it. It is helpful to be aware of what your intentions are. The appearance, taste, balance, and presentation of food and the way everyone feels after eating are reflections of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state.” … “Cooking can be a time of self-reflection. When you feel yourself becoming unbalanced, you have an opportunity to change your condition simply through the cooking process. Just be mindful of what you want to accomplish and concentrate on the food and how you want to prepare and serve it. Most likely, you will change and enjoy cooking, and the meal will be quite pleasurable.”

Living in the present, the Now.

From the back cover:

“Healing with Whole Foods brings together authentic traditions of Asian medicine with current Western research and nutrition to create the most detailed sourcebook available on planning and preparing an optimal diet. This comprehensive reference work features:

• Current guidelines on nutrition basics, such as the protein/vitamin B12 group, fats and oils, sugars and sweeteners, water, salt, seaweeds, “green foods” (micro-algae and cereal grasses), calcium, oxygen, and other nutritional concerns.
• Clear discussions of the Chinese healing arts applied to physical and emotional conditions, including the Eight Principles (Six Divisions of Yin and Yang), Five Elements, and syndromes of the internal organs.
• Information on making a gentle transition from a diet based on animal products to one centered on whole grains and fresh vegetables. Over 300 hearty, purely vegetarian (vegan) recipes, as well as the healing properties of plant and animal foods.
• Sections on weight loss, heart and vascular renewal, female health, digestive problems, candida yeast infections, root canals, food combining, fasting, children, pregnancy, and aging. Includes insights from Ayurvedic medicine of India.
• Detailed “Regeneration Diets” and herbal treatments for cancer, arthritis, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, AIDS, and other degenerative conditions. Also features a “Parasite Purge Program” tailored to specific body types.”

This is a fascinating and easy to read book for anyone interested in bringing their body back to a state of wholeness.