#what are the health benefits of carrots

[accesshealthcarephysicians]

Benefits of Carrots in Your Daily Diet - Access Health Care Physicians, LLC

Learn about the carrot benefits, uses of carrots, and the potential side effects of their over-consumption. Read our blogs.

[getulearn]

The Power of Carrots: The Surprising Health Benefits of This Superfood

[midwestbramble]

Foraging in Witchcraft

I'm a big fan of working with the land, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by gathering your own plants. This is also free! No having to stop at an occult/metaphysical shop to pick up that random plant you forgot you needed. I will be making individual posts on different plants that can be foraged in my own bioregion, but first we should go over a few tips and housekeeping notes about foraging and witchcraft.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Contents:

Natural Isn't Always Safe

Laws and Foraging

Invasive vs. Native vs. Naturalized

Animistic Foraging

Conclusion

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Natural Isn't Always Safe

First thing I want to get out of the way is that not everything you find outside is going to be safe to put in your body or even touch. On top of that, not everything that is safe for someone else is going to be safe for you. We each have different bodies and how we react to something will not always be the same. When you first start foraging, it's important to have a guide book that will tell you of any safety measures to take when dealing with a plant. Some will interact with medications in ways that are not healthy, some have fluid that can make your skin photosensitive, and some... some people are just allergic to.

When it comes to medications, you can find contraindications (when not to ingest something) with a quick google search of "[plant name] contraindications." Generally this will give you a safe answer, however always check with your doctor if you are unsure. Better to pay for a consultation than a hospital visit.

Some risks come from the environment that the plant grew in. If you are foraging near train tracks or buildings that could leach lead into the soil, the plants will pick that up as well. Contaminated soil and pesticides sprayed onto the plants can also lead to health risks. Be very mindful of where you are foraging.

Some plants that are safe will also have toxic look-alikes. A famous look-alike is wild carrot and poison hemlock (thank you Oregon Trail video game). Unless you know what characteristics you are looking for, it's very easy to confuse the two plants. One is a delicious snack, while the other is highly toxic (the poison hemlock), to the point of causing muscle death and kidney failure. This isn't to scare you away from foraging. Only to drive home the importance of making sure you know what you are gathering.

*credit to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Laws and Foraging

I am a resident of the United States so these will be more geared towards that country. It would be to your benefit to look into the foraging laws of your own country/state anyway, as it can still differ. The majority of states in America prohibit foraging on public lands, which makes it really hard for those who don't own their own property. If you live in Alaska and Hawaii, however, congratulations your local government allows it. Even among those states that do allow it, there can be designated areas where it's not allowed such as a nature preserve. Breaking these laws tends to come with a hefty fine and possible jail time, if caught. Though these laws are hard to find with a quick google search, especially for a specific area.

The laws in the United States prohibiting foraging are generally colonial, imperial, classist, and racist (surprise, surprise). Foraging was protected by law well into the 1800s (except for Native Americans who were pushed off their ancestral hunting and gathering grounds), even when doing so on another person's private property. After the Civil War, many newly-freed African-Americans would sell their foraged and hunted goods for an income, while also using the practice to become self-sufficient. The southern plantation owners needed this system to go away so they could chain what used to be their "property" to their old line of enslaved work. Starting with criminal trespass laws. Eventually anti-foraging laws spread to the average white rural American. Outside elites began to believe that the "backwards" people of the countryside, who made a subsistence living off the practice of foraging, fishing and hunting, could not be trusted with the stewardship of the land; using "conservation" as a way to "protect" it from the people who lived there (Linnekin, "Food Law Gone Wild: The Law of Foraging" p.1008-1014).

I do believe we need to protect our resources and lands. However, foraging can be regulated, not outright outlawed as it is. Learning about the plants and animals that live around us and can help us in our lives, leads us to learn more deeply about their role in the environment and just WHY we should protect them...

All this to say, look into your local foraging laws (and how local law enforcement actually enforces them, if they do at all) and then you can decide if you want to follow them or not. At your own risk.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Invasive vs. Native vs. Naturalized

There is a lot of talk in foraging communities about invasives vs. natives. Sometimes even bringing in naturalized plants. So let's talk a little bit about what these words mean in ecology and how this may effect your foraging habits.

Invasive and naturalized plants have one thing in common; they are both transplanted outside their natural ecosystem. A plant that is invasive in one place, can be naturalized in another. What matters is the impact the plant has on the ecosystem it has been transplanted into.

Invasive =  plants or animals that harm regional ecosystems.

Naturalized = plants that have successfully established and reproduced in a new environment, integrating into their new home without inflicting ecological harm.

To make things a bit more complicated, let's introduce the 10% rule. According to the Huron River Watershed Council, "the '10% rule' postulates that of all species introduced to a region outside of their native range, only 10% will survive to reproduce in their adopted environment. This 10% of non-native survivors are often called 'naturalized' plants. Of that 10%, another 10% (or 1% of the original non-native transplants) may thrive to such an extent that they dominant their new home, out competing their native neighbors. These prolific competitors are known as invasive species."

So what makes a native plant? The US Forest Service defines a native plant as "plants [that] are indigenous terrestrial and aquatic species that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat. Species native to North America are generally recognized as those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement."

Some native species can be endangered due to habitat loss from agriculture and/or competing invasive species. It's good to have a list (many state DNR (Department of Natural Resources) will have a list available on their website) printed so you know which ones should be cultivated in your garden if you wish to work with them. Avoiding these and working with invasive species can help with conservation efforts as well. Native species can still be worked with in the wild if they are not endangered.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Animistic Foraging

You'll often see witches giving advice about asking the plants permission before harvesting. This is from the belief that the plant has a spirit, an animistic belief. Asking permission to harvest isn't the only way we can forage mindfully and with respect to the plant. The way that I do this is by following the Honorable Harvest set out by Robin Wall Kimmerer (a Potawatomi botanist, and the director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry) in her book "Braiding Sweetgrass."

Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so you may take care of them.

Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.

Ask permission before taking and abide by the answer.

Never take the first, never take the last.

Take only what you need.

Take only what is given.

Never take more than half. Leave some for others.

Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.

Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.

Share.

Give thanks for what you have been given.

Give a gift in reciprocity for what you have been given.

Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.

The first rule really helps you to follow the rest of them. Know the plant. Walk by it several times, offer water even if you aren't taking something, say hello. These plants are our neighbors and when we harvest we are asking for their help.

⸙༄𓆤𓆩𓆪❁𓇢𓆸🏵

Conclusion

Each plant will have it's own method of harvest to minimize the harm done to it. Some you have to pull the whole thing up, but there are ways to repopulate it. It's so individual that I couldn't add it to this post. Hopefully what's written here can help you keep a few things in mind when going out and learning about your local flora.

Foraging can be a great way to connect with your land and learn about it. Getting your hands dirty and making you feel as if you are a part of the landscape. Hopefully the first couple of sections didn't scare you off. Get a couple of good guidebooks for your region (the local library is a good place to start) and you're good to get out there and start identifying plants you want to work with!

[colebabey888]

15 Day Green Juice Detox | IT GIRL DIARIES ✨

Hello my pretty pink diva's !!! 🩷

- Recently, I've been noticing a downward shift in my energy, mental state and overall health. I know the reason behind it, in all honesty, I have not been taking care of myself in the past few weeks. Previously, in order to break myself out of this negative cycle, I implemented a number of strategies in my lifestyle ( listed here ) , but the main step I will always remember, that helped my overall health, was my green juice detox. I had done it for 30 days previously but because I haven't hit rock bottom this time fortunately, 15 days should be enough to put me on track again.

- This time, I want to share my journey and ask that you pretty pink diva's join me ! Keep in mind, that this is not just a green juice detox, but a cleansing, for our body and mind, with that being said, I will be journaling all my thought processes and breaking into my sub consciousness, learning more on where specific thoughts stem from. This is a journey I'm taking, not only to cleanse my body, but my mind aswell. Throughout this 15 days, I will recording what I did and how I feel at the end of the day and I would enjoy hearing the thoughts and feelings from those who will be joining me on the journey so send me a message or hit the Q&A 🎀🩷

Ingredients I add in my green juice 🎀 🩷

- Celery, Kale, Spanich, Carrots, Green Apple, Ginger and Lemon

( you can choose the measurements on your own, everyday I put in a little more or less of specific ingredients eg, if i want my green juice a bit more sweet rather than sour, I put in more apple and less lemon, alter it to your tastebuds )

This green juice is something that I began drinking last year during my transformation and it became like my morning coffee and it could do the same for you. It provided me with so much benefits like clearing my gut and helping my acne 🎀

Happy Green Juicing Ladies 🩷🎀

[breannasfluff]

Multicolored Rabbits

Flufftober 3: You love me?

AO3 link

Legend and the rest of the Chain return to the house where the Ravio colors have taken over. This time, it seems like they are settling in to stay for a while—at least longer than the scant hour of last time.

Gold is in the shop, helping a customer when Legend tromps in, followed by the other heroes. “Hi, Ravio—why is your robe yellow?”

“It’s gold.” He turns back to his customer. “Apologies, sir. Now this fine wand will save you time lighting fires! It’s not so powerful that it will damage an enemy, but candles, fires, and cookware alike will benefit from its steady stream of flame!”

The man frowns at the small rod. “I guess my wife would like it.”

“Yes, yes! Think how happy she’ll be when she saves time making you dinner!”

Legend edges closer and tugs on Gold’s sleeve. “Hey. The robe. It’s different.”

Gold rolls his eyes and pushes the vet away. “I’m busy! And I like this color!” He aims a blinding smile at the customer. “This can be yours for a steal! Just 299 rupees! If you buy the ice wand as well, I’ll throw in a discount!”

“299!” The man shoots him a look. “This isn’t worth more than 50!”

“50!” Gold doesn’t have to feign his horror. “I’m an honest salesman! I need to put food on the table for my family!”

“You’re just trying to scam me!”

Legend edges around the two, waving the other heroes to follow him. “I call the bath and then I’m taking a nap. The rest of you, get settled. Ravio, mind finishing that sale and putting on something for dinner? The other heroes went to Kakariko for supplies, but they will be back later.”

Gold ignores him. “I don’t scam! I have fair prices! It’s called supply and demand, and I have the only supply.” His smile has the customer taking a step back. “Where else are you going to buy a fire wand?”

The customer finally leaves and Gold counts his rupees before carefully noting them in the book. Purple may owe him for watching the shop for the afternoon, but Lolia, it is always good to make rupees.

~

Purple hums as he hefts his bag of goods. Kakariko is a nice place to visit and it’s good to get out of the shop for the day. Gold will probably complain about how much he spent, but there was a good deal on carrots! Combined with the honey saved in the pantry, they can make some nice roasted carrots for dinner.

“Ravio!”

Purple fixes his smile in place on pulls on the Ravio persona—mostly himself with Gold’s wheedling. It’s good enough to make it through short conversations without arousing suspicion.

However, the people approaching are not customers. Are those…the heroes that stopped by before? The youngest waves energetically. “Mr. Rabbit! You’re Ravio, right? We met last time we stopped by!”

Does this mean Link—Legend is back? Purple hurries over. “Hello, heroes! Are you heading back to Mr. Hero’s house?”

“Yeah! We’re stopping in town to restock on supplies and then heading back.”

“Oh, what do you need? Maybe I have it?” Purple pulls open his bag and looks at them expectantly.

“Ah—” Warriors waves the offer away. “I don’t think we want to make a deal—”

“A deal!” Purple clutches the bag to his chest. “If you need something, I want to help you! It wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of you!” Gold’s voice screeching about rupees echoes in his ears. “I, ah, save that for the…customers?” It comes out a question more than a statement.

Warriors gives him a squinty look but shrugs and lets it go. “Okay, we need to pick up some health and stamina potions.”

Purple dives into his bag, pulling out the bottles he’d picked up to restock their supplies. “Here you go! Now, what else do you need?”

~

Cyan stares at Four. The smith stares back. Their sword, almost a replica of the one Ravio found gleams from its sheath.

“You seem…different.” Four squints at him. “Weren’t you wearing a yellow robe earlier?”

Cyan blinks at him. Gold would be disappointed to hear them get the color wrong.

“Did you change?”

When will the others get back? Actually, where’s Gold? Wasn’t he in the front shop?

“Is this some sort of item? Can you…duplicate?”

Cyan would like to see the sword, but logically it makes more sense to wait for everyone before explaining. No need to do it multiple times.

“Did something curse you from talking?”

Where does the hero come up with these theories?

“Can you understand me? Do you know hylian? Sign? …words? Speaking? Anything?”

The color blinks slowly and continues to stare at the small hero. Throwing up their hands, Four stomps out of the room, muttering about weird rabbits under their breath.

~

Pink comes inside after finishing organizing the cellar to find strangers in their house. Two of them are hiding in the hallway, peering into the kitchen. This is strange—besides the fact that they are strangers—so Pink pauses to watch for a moment.

There’s a rhythmic thud in the kitchen where Pink left Gleam chopping vegetables.

White cape nudges wolf pelt. “Twilight. Why is Ravio in the kitchen angrily chopping a carrot?”

“I’m more concerned about the fact that he’s glowing. But sure, Sky, let’s focus on the carrot.”

“The glowing is weird but, you know, potions and stuff.”

Silence as they watch. Pink watches them. They seem nice, even if their names are odd. Purple mentioned those names before when he told them about the heroes. Maybe they’re back? Oh, Legend must be back as well!

Sky nudges Twilight again. “How long has he been done with that carrot?”

“A good couple of minutes.”

Pink edges closer so he can see past the heroes. Gleam is where he was left and, after dutifully finishing his pile of vegetables, continues to chop the air on the empty board. Well, Pink did promise to come back with more veggies and he did get caught up organizing the cellar…

“It’s creepy!” Sky hisses.

Gleam isn’t creepy! Sure he’s…odd, but he just needs a friend. And directions. Very clear directions.

Twilight’s ears flick back at a particularly loud chop. “Do you think he’ll murder us before dinner?

Well! That’s enough of that! Pink pushes past them with a sniff. “Gleam is perfectly nice.” Then he turns his attention to Gleam. “Hi, Gleam! Sorry it took me a while to get back, I got distracted in the cellar.”

He dumps his armful of supplies and vegetables on the counter. “I got some potatoes—no!” He slaps Gleam’s hand away when he reaches for them. “Remember, we need to wash them first. In water.” A pause. “Without soap.” See? Pink learns from experience! And the complaints of three colors about soapy food.

“Ravio?” comes a tentative voice behind him. It’s Sky, edging into the kitchen.

“I’m Pink!” he offers before scooping the potatoes into the sink.

“I can…see that.”

He passes a potato to Gleam and turns to smile at Sky. “No, I mean you can call me Pink. This is Gleam.”

Sky looks between the two, then turns back to Twilight. “You got anything?”

“Don’t look at me. Magical weirdness is Legend’s domain.”

Pink perks up. “Is Mr. Hero back with you?” Gently, he nudges another potato into Gleam’s hand and takes the clean one before the skin is rubbed off.

Twilight doesn’t answer, but he leans back into the hallway and bellows, “Legend! Sky is stealing your stuff!”

“No, I’m not!”

For a second, there’s silence. Then, a door slams, and the vet pounds down the hall and barrels into the room. “Don’t touch my—Ravio! Multiple Ravio’s! Din’s Tits, did you get into the cursed rings?”

Sky looks from one to the other. “You have one that does that?”

“I’ve got one that does everything. Seriously, Rav, what’s going on? And why are you…glowing?”

Before Pink can answer, Gleam turns and chucks a wet potato at Sky, who squawks and ducks. “What was that for?”

Gleam stares. “Don’t. Steal.”

“I’m not stealing! I’m not touching anything!”

Gleam points to where Sky’s feet are on the floor.

“That doesn’t count!”

Before the situation can devolve further, the front door bangs open. “Hey Ledge!” Wind shouts. “We met Ravio out shopping and brought him back with us!”

“Did you now.” Legend’s brows are scrunching in so much Pink wants to smooth it away. “Funny. Because Ravio is already here.”

“What? No, he’s right…here.” Wind trails off as Purple bumps into his back.

“Oh.”

The vet is seething as he rounds on Purple, who likely looks the most like Ravio. “Why are there clones of you? What did you do?”

“Hey now—”

Gleam throws another potato at Legend. “Don’t yell.”

“It’s my house!”

Pink pries the rest of the potatoes away from Gleam and nudges him further from the knives. Just in case.

From down the hall, comes Four’s voice. “I know you can hear me! I see your ears twitching! I heard you talk early!”

Blue squeezes past Legend to grab a glass from the cabinet, ignoring the tension in the room. Pink is in front of the sink but takes the cup with a smile and fills it.

The color takes a sip and looks around. “Looks like everyone’s here now. Four has a sword that looks identical to the one we found.”

“You do talk!” Four, for all he’s short, manages to gain inches in height. “Why were you ignoring me—wait.” He deflates and rocks back on his heels. “What do you mean about my sword?”

More heroes crowd into the doorway and everyone shuffles, trying to accommodate the extra people.

Time puts down the supplies he was carrying. “Four? What’s going on with your sword?”

“I don’t know!”

Legend points at all the colors. “Which one of you is Ravio?”

Silence.

Then, from the hallway, Gold bellows, “Did you fucking forget about me?”

Blue blinks placidly. “We’re missing Gold.”

~

By the time everyone is sat down and explanations are traded, Four is clutching his head and Legend is banging his on the wooden table.

“Four. This feels like your fault.”

“I’m not dealing with this again! Especially not—him!” He points at Gleam.

“Hey!” Pink moves next to the color and squeezes him in a hug. “Gleam is nice!”

Sky edges behind Twilight. “He threw a potato at me.”

“And me,” Legend says.

“Yeah? Well, he didn’t throw knives!”

The vet’s head meets wood again. “The bar is so low.” Then he glares at the colors. “Figure out how to fix this. I’m not living with multiple Ravio’s.”

Four seems truly miserable as he raises a hand. “I can probably…help with that.”

“Cyan,” Purple says, “why don’t you go talk to Four? The rest of you can help me make dinner.”

The color goes, as does the smith, even if he is hissing like a tea kettle.

Pink shifts. The tension in the room makes him itchy. Why can’t everyone get along? All he wants to do is give Legend a hug. He’s missed him! And if Pink misses him, everyone else does, too.

The heroes file back out of the room and spread through the house, but Legend stays. “What were you thinking? Cursed swords in Lorule? That’s your idea of treasure?”

Purple steps forward. “Where do you think your items came from, Mr. Hero?”

“Don’t you ever learn? You could have gotten hurt! You are—split! What if it’s not reversible?”

“That’s a risk we took when we went looking for treasure! We can’t change it!”

“Well, I wish you did! Of all the idiotic, truly goddess-blasted things to do, you had to do this while I was gone! Wait—” He steps forward and nearly snarls at Purple. “You were acting weird when we visited last.”

Purple shrinks back slightly. “Ah…the others were gone and, well…there wasn’t a good time to tell you?” It ends in a squeak.

“You lied? You lied about being a person?!” The vet is yelling now, face flushed red.

“We are people!”

Pink whimpers and burrows into his scarf. Why is everyone so angry? This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

Gleam looms behind Pink and wraps his arms around him, pulling him into an awkward hug. Pink pats his arm in thanks.

The yelling continues. Purple is at the end of his rope and Legend long ago lost his. Pink watches the back and forth, cringing with each cutting word.

“You should never have left!” Legend shouts.

“Stop it! Just stop!” Pink’s scream silences the room and they all turn to stare at him. He’s crying, but it doesn’t matter because everyone is mad and he never got a hug. “I’m sorry you h-hate us, but don’t yell at Purple!”

Legend opens his mouth, closes it, and then tries again, softer. “Hate you?”

With a nod, Pink rubs his sleeves against his eyes. “I’m sorry Mr. Hero. We can…well, Cyan will fix it.”

The vet is still stuck on the previous words. “I don’t hate you, Ravi. Any part of you. I love you, even if you're a freeloading pain. I’m just worried! And I don’t…deal with worry well.”

Pink stares. “Wait, you love us?”

“I always have. Jeez, you think I’d let you crash here otherwise?”

Purple picks up the conversation, but Pink tunes out. Legend…loves them. He loves Ravio. He loves…all of them?”

Something warm settles in his heart at the thought. He’ll need to discuss it with the Colors later—or maybe they’ll be Ravio again. Legend loves them.

Maybe he’ll get his hug after all.

[darkmaga-retard]

Monday September 16 ,2024 Truth Bomb

Karen Bracken

Nationwide school choice bill clears committee, moves to House floor - THIS IS NOT GOOD - PLEASE contact your US Representative and demand they vote No. Anything the government touches the government destroys. TOTALLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL and all of you constitutionally illiterate Americans need to read, research and understand our founding documents. The truth not the lies fed in our schools and by our government. The federal government has ZERO power or authority over education. Art. 1 Sec. 8 lists the 18 enumerated powers delegated to the federal government when the STATES created the federal government. Do you see any mention of education?? Do you see anything about marriage or health or environment listed? If it is not on the list the federal government has no constitutional power or authority and that goes for the Supreme Court as well. What choice in education do parents not have today? Every state in America already has “school choice.” What they now want is for the taxpayer to not only pay for public education but to now pay for private education too. If people understood the truth behind this movement they would not support it. The agenda is to eventually suck ALL school choices into the federal indoctrination system. Whatever they say school choice is today they can and will change it tomorrow. When they implemented Common Core globally one of the goals was to have ALL children under the same education system. That goal is still in effect today. There could be no outliers. What are the outliers? They are home educated children, religious school and private school children. So how do we get those students into the system? Oh I know.......lets offer a carrot to parents and call it school CHOICE……everyone wants choice, right??? Then we will force the taxpayer to pay for it and then eventually we can move the outliers under the same umbrella as the public/charter school students. One day in the future parents will be very sorry when they realize they got snookered again into yet another federal scheme (lie). Our failing education system needs to be fixed but school choice (taxpayer funded) is not the answer. At one time this country was 98% literate. Today we are at about 30%. What happened? What happened is that the federal government got involved and started dictating what schools will teach......oh not directly because that would violate their authority but they did it through funding and grants holding states hostage by the power of the purse. Want the money; you will do what we dictate. We need to get back to what made education great in this country many decades ago but that is not now and never was the goal of education because highly educated people threatens their power. Knowing how to read threatens their power. Dumbed down citizens are easier to deceive and control. WAKE UP PEOPLE this government NEVER does anything that will benefit you or your children - ARTICLE

SOVEREIGNTY SUMMIT TO EXPOSE BIDEN-HARRIS’ STEALTH IMPOSITION OF WORLD GOVERNMENT - Don’t forget to tune in to the Sovereignty Summit TODAY from 11:00am to 1:00pm ET - PRESS RELEASE

Bombshell ABC News affidavit released, exposes disturbing pro-Kamala debate scheme - ARTICLE

ABC Shocks Viewers: Breaks Its Own Rules Less Than 30 Minutes Into Heated Debate - ARTICLE/VIDEO (10 secs.)

Casey Means, M.D.: Why The Rise in Cancer in The Young? - If you have never heard a full interview with Dr. Means and her brother you really need too. The best one I have seen so far is the interview they did with Tucker Carlson. Here is a snippet of an interview Dr. Means did on Children’s Health Defense. 2 min. VIDEO

This is the interview with Carlson and the Means (brother and sister). It is long but worth every minute. I guarantee you will look at a lot of things differently after watching this interview. VIDEO

The disaster that is the Pact for the Future - I have read the 29 page document and it is everything Dr. Nass says and more. By the time the WHO and the UN/WEF get done it will perfectly coincide with the steal of yet another election in order to drive in their one world government because that is what these documents spell out for those that can read between the lines and have been reseaching this stuff for 20 years now. One thing I found in this document was that the implementation must be TURBO CHARGED - ARTICLE

[foodandfolklore]

Magical Recipes; how to approach an established recipe as a Kitchen Witch

Art by forestfolke on Deviant Art I think one of the most confusing things for new, or even experienced, kitchen witches is how to expand their recipe catalogue for their practice. A lot of new kitchen witches think you need to follow a recipe that has been written special for Witchy Cooking. That the regular recipes they find or use just won't have any magical purpose. But that's just not the case.

You don't need to buy special cook books with recipes exclusively for Kitchen Witches. You can take any recipe that already exists and apply it to your wants or needs. To help explain this process, I'm going to take a recipe I found online then reverse engineer it into a Kitchen Witch Recipe.

The Recipe

My Partner often donates blood, so eating foods that keep his Iron up is important to us. But I also want this dish to be emotionally satisfying Vs just eating a Steak, which neither of us find particularly appealing. I thought I'd try a Cottage Pie (also called Shepperd's Pie) because I want to find a new recipe that will help use up ingredients. Don't get me wrong, soups are awesome; but I tend to go a little light on the meat/alternatives. I tend to keep a good supply of ground meat in the freezer, so know I'll have most of the key stuff.

So I'm starting with this recipe since I don't have my own Cottage Pie recipe. Here are the Ingredients: Filling

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean pork sausage)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small yellow onion , chopped

2 ribs celery , chopped

1-2 carrots , chopped (about 1 cup)

3  cloves garlic , minced

1/4  cup  all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth

2  tablespoons  tomato paste

1  cube beef bouillon

2  tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce

1  teaspoon  fresh thyme , chopped (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary , chopped (or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary)

2  bay leaves

½ cup frozen corn

½ cup frozen peas

Topping

2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes , Yukon gold or russet potatoes

¼ cup  sour cream

½ cup milk

4  tablespoons butter

salt and pepper , to taste

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese , for topping

So let's start with the topping since it has less ingredients to worry about. For those unfamiliar with cottage pie, the base of the pie is mostly meat and Veggies, and then it's topped with some mashed potatoes before baking. It's common to just use leftover mashed potatoes. So, I'll just use my mashed potato and cauli recipe. In short, it's half potato and half cauliflower with roast garlic and seasonings. Both Potatoes and Cauliflower have protective properties. Since this is the protective top layer of the Pie, I thought the symbolism carried itself further. The Cauliflower will also work well together with the Garlic to Banish any negativity from the pie, as well as from those who consume it.

Now let's break down the filling. Starting with the largest Ingredients. Ground Beef and Ground Sausage. Ground meats in general are fantastic for grounding energy. I'll probably sub the ground beef for whatever ground meat I have on hand, so the grounding aspect is what I'll focus on for now. Potatoes are also good for grounding. This is over all is going to be a very down to earth, hearty meal. Next, the vegetables. Onion, Celery, Carrots, Peas, and Corn. Corn is not something I use on the regular, but it's has a good use in Kitchen Magic as a power multiplier. Similar to Rice. Carrots have heath and energy properties, something I want in a dish for improving Iron Levels. Though I never particularly enjoyed peas, I'll use them for their health and abundance benefit. Green Peas are also high in Iron. Celery is great ingredient to add to a dish to add lasting happiness and satisfaction. Which I defiantly want so when the dish is consumed, you don't feel disappointed. Onion will add onto the Protection and Health. But Onion also has good cleansing properties, so I have the habit of adding it to my pan first to cleanse my cooking station. I'll probably cook some or all of the onion with the meat. Now the Seasonings. Not everything used in your cooking needs to have a magical purpose. It can just be there to enhance the taste of your food. I use Worcestershire sauce often in my cooking with no thought to it's magical abilities. I use it all the time when I want to add some extra umami or savory flavour. But there are some things we can add to help enhance the magic. Thyme, Rosemary, and Bay. All three of these herbs are good for health and healing. I can feed this to my SO before a donation to make sure his Iron is up. Then I can feed it to them after when their body is recuperating. Though I may forgo the Bay leaf. I tend to worry I'll leave it in my food when it's not supposed to be eaten XD But that said, I think I'll add a few of my own. Marjoram seems like it will go well in this, which will add to the Happiness and Comfort of my meal. I wanna add some Basil and Cayenne to this. The Basil I'm hoping will help stop long term fatigue, so my SO's mind is not affected by the donation. Cayenne for a blast of extra energy. I'll also add some extra Garlic and Parsley. I'll also make a few other personal tweaks like swapping the Flour for Cornstarch. I prefer using corn starch in my sauces, and I already have corn as an ingredient anyway, so it should mesh together better on their property levels. Cooking/Assembling Now that I have the magical properties of all my ingredients established, I simply need to assemble them according to the recipe directions. The only difference is, when I add something to the dish, I know what I'm adding not only on a Mundane level, but also the magic properties of the food. I'm adding ground meat to ground my dish and the people consuming it. I add Celery to help the food be emotionally satisfying. I'll add peas to enhance health and healing. Ect.

Also note, you don't need to do as big of a dissection every time you want to cook a recipe as a Kitchen Witch. If you come across an ingredient or two you are familiar with the magic properties for (Or the ingredient just has a spiritual meaning to you personally) You can add it to your meal with that meaning in mind. Like adding a little honey to your tea to sweeten and brighten your day. Also note, most ingredients have multiple magical uses. Just as they have multiple culinary uses. You can add honey to tea for happiness, or may may choose to add it help heal and get over a cold you have. Or you can add it for both reasons! Or neither reason; maybe you just want some honey. You are the Castor, the Decider, the Kitchen Witch!

Eat well and be well 💜💜💜

[loominggaia]

What fancy and decadent dishes do the Great Kingdom leaders and their families love to eat? Do they secretly eat food that’s more “plebeian” as they might say?

Good question! I think it would be tedious to go through every single character's tastes, so I'll just talk about the most notable ones.

FOLKVAR: Juvella loves traditional Folkvaran fudge bars. It's her biggest weakness. This woman tries so hard to stay in shape, attending aerobics classes every day, turning down so many junk foods at the royal feasts, keeping track of everything she eats to stay healthy...then every night, she hides in a closet while she secretly scarfs down a plate of these damn fudge bars. She's deeply ashamed and hides this behavior from Gultopp, believing he would think her weak for having so little self-control. In reality, he'd just be like "o shit u got fudge?? pass me some of those! :D"

MATUZU: Marghan has a taste for exotic cuisine, and it must be authentic! He has every meal imported from faraway lands, and he does so in the most impractical, expensive way possible. Of course he's not using his own allowance money for this, oh no...he's using Matuzan tax dollars for his cross-continental DoorDash orders, the little prick.

LAMAI: Chua hates gruju, but pretends to love it because it's synonymous with Lamaish culture. They force themselves to chug that crap at every gala to keep up appearances. Every one of their conjoined siblings has their own likes and dislikes, which makes dinner time a complicated ordeal. One sibling has an addiction to xamali and sneaks this alcoholic beverage whenever Chua isn't looking. Of course, Chua suffers the consequences of whatever their siblings consume...on more than one occasion, Chua has found themselves randomly drunk or on the verge of shitting themself because of things their siblings ate.

YERIM-MOR: Roz brews his own kombucha, believing it has all kinds of crazy health benefits. He drinks this stuff all day long and encourages his son Jaq to drink it too, but Jaq thinks it's gross and his dad is weird. Roz is also a fan of yogurt, cheese, and all things probiotic. This is a guy who tries to nurture life wherever he goes, but that's hard to do when his kingdom is such a pit of death. If he can't breathe life back into his kingdom, at least he can nurture microbial life.

ZAREEN: Qara and her husband are junk food junkies, but Qara is particularly fond of sweetpork burgers. In fact, her love of these burgers is so well known that she endorsed a Zareenite burger chain, appearing in their ads for many years. This chain quickly became the most popular fast food joint in the empire. Some would say it's unprofessional and uncouth--perhaps even unethical--for an empress to advertise such unhealthy slop to her people. But this deal scored Qara a lifetime supply of free burgers, and she regrets nothing. Her endorsement of such plebian cuisine won her points with blue collar Zareenites, convincing them that she was ~*~relatable~*~. Other people think her tastes are just as trashy as she is.

EVANGELINE: Indiga strikes me as the type of woman who eats the exact same things every day. A traditional blue breakfast, meat pie for lunch, blue dinner, and a couple cookies for dessert. Every day. For decades. She's so xenophobic, she doesn't trust any sort of foreign cuisine.

MOGDIR: Oberon has a thing for mushrooms, especially truffles. He demands only the finest specimens, no matter their cost. After snorting a long line of pink sugar off a hooker's ass, he washes it down with some silk milk tea, his favorite drink. His daughter, Winnie, is a bugs rights activist who refuses to eat any bug-based dishes. This is hard to do in a place like Mogdir Kingdom, as its traditional cuisine is based almost entirely around bugs. That's because in this culture, farming animals for meat is forbidden, but bugs are not considered animals here. Winnie is like a Mogdiri super-vegan who subsists on scrap rice and carrot mash. She won't even consume bug byproducts such as honey or silk milk.

ETIOS: Hethor loves to eat grass. She's a typical Etiosi grass snob who insists that different types of grass have completely different tastes. Other than that, she enjoys quite a bit of Folkvaran cuisine, which is shipped to her regularly by her pal Gultopp as an act of good diplomacy.

DAMIJANA: Serafeen regularly visits different Damijani restaurants and eats their food as a PR stunt. In reality, she can't stand her empire's native cuisine and much prefers Mogdiri food. Of course she can't possibly let her people know this, and they would flip their lids if they saw their god-like leader put a bug in her mouth. Most foreign cuisine is viewed as "dirty" and "uncivilized" in Damijana. Serafeen must endorse only the sterile, hyper-processed cuisine of her native land.

SEELIE: There is a cup of chocolate coffee within arm's reach of Titania at all times. It's one of the few little joys she has left in her grueling, never-ending life. She has grown sick of all flavors, having tasted them all too many times...but there's something about that chocolately coffee that never gets old to her.

UNSEELIE: Morgause enjoys pickled squid. She'll sit on her throne and eat it straight from the jar with her fingers, she doesn't give a shit. She seems to have a taste for bitter, vinegary things in general.

AQUARIA: Sovereign is infamous for eating live baby dolphins, considering them a delicacy. He insists they must be alive until the moment he bites into them for peak freshness. This makes him sound like a picky guy, but in reality he's a total glutton who will eat damn near anything you put in front of him. He'll even eat stuff he hates as long as it's convenient. Bro has a pretty bad eating disorder, to be honest...It's less about enjoying food and more about the act of consumption for him, which fits his greedy nature.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[aaenvs3000w24]

Plant chemicals are so cool! Unit 9

The most amazing thing I know about nature is the ability of plants to produce compounds that serve incredible health benefits to humans. I think it is other-worldly that the flora that has existed alongside humans for so many years can provide us with so many cures to various ailments. Getting personal, I have a very unfortunate family history containing cancer, diabetes, and immune deficiencies that has taken a lot from me. These devastating occurrences have made me all-too-aware of the impacts that lifestyle and food have on human health, and in many ways being in science does not ease my anxieties. However; learning about plant secondary metabolites that serve as phytonutrients in the human body has made me hopeful and inspired to learn more, not just for interest, but to serve my health as well. Buckle up for many science terms and lots of plant facts that I have stored in my brain through my academic career!

Throughout my summary on plant phytonutrients (plant compounds that serve proven health benefits in humans), I will strive to present this information as a whole by connecting plants to human health to satisfy some of Tilden's Principle's of Interpretation (Beck et al. 2018, p. 84). Did you know that the colour of the fruits and vegetables you eat actually correlate to their nutrition? The different pigments produced in plants, such as your orange carrots and red peppers, are caused by secondary metabolites. Orange colouring is caused by the production of beta-carotene, this is then utilized by our body to make vitamin A, making it crucial to our health because we cannot synthesize this on our own. Colours such as purple and dark reds are caused by anthocyanins, these are compounds that aid in our bodies ability to fight tumour producing cells. Actually many plant metabolites, such as glucosinolates from Broccoli, aid in tumour-suppression and have anti-inflammatory properties. Spices such as turmeric have been used for centuries as a treatment for inflammation and diabetes due to the compound 'curcumin'. This bioactive molecule has been increasingly applied to modern medical studies due to its efficacy in improving glucose regulation and suppressing various cancer cell formations.

I won't add in too much more, as I know that was a lot of information. One more area I do want to touch on is the use of genetic engineering to increase yields/improve taste, but decreasing health benefits in the process. An example of this is removing the class of compounds "cucurbitacins" from common cucumbers due to the bitter taste it gives them. These compounds provide various health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, and through the removal of these it has made cucumbers far less beneficial to our health.

I believe much of what our bodies need is provided by nature, not to say I disprove of modern medicine in any way, but our values in food as a society has been greatly impacted due to prices/availability. I want to work plants to improve nutritional concentrations of food, and helping humans be healthier through what has already been granted to us by nature.

Thanks for reading!

Alleeya

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Cultural and Natural Heritage: For A Better World. Sagamore Publishing.

[madebymandyla]

Donut County Trashopedia Starters

"Coffee rules. It burns your tongue and makes you go to the bathroom."

"Do not try to wash cotton candy in the pool. This tip will save your life."

"It's a rock. Don't try to eat it."

"How many birds are you willing to fight for a bag of chips?"

"It's one thing to own a chicken, but two chickens...that's two things."

"If your chicken doesn't have a swing...wow "

"DO NOT get spotted."

"Press the buttons on top to select your flavor."

"You can tell a fish secrets, they won't remember anything."

"Tennis balls only grow in hard to reach places."

"Tell me how to get ate by a bird. Tell me."

"Someday everything will be made of corn."

"Rocks were given to us by aliens."

"This is probably the worst place to pour milk into."

"Try washing yourself with soup. You might feel good."

"If you make a crow mad, it will steal your credit card number."

"Carrots grow underground and are therefore extremely untrustworthy."

"Imagine loving carrots so much you wanted to live inside one."

"Bunnies love to chew on stuff because of their evil nature."

"Bunnies want to destroy everything and they don't know why."

"There's no taste like fresh dirt."

"Kinda weird how large and perfectly shaped these boulders are..."

"It's like the aliens are mocking us."

"Everyone is weak to fire."

"Cliffs are a type of trap created by aliens."

"This corn has white stuff on it and spicy stuff. It's really good."

"You can't make me read. I'm not gonna do it."

"99% of seagulls are criminals."

"You can use fireworks to remove hair."

"Seagulls love french fries because it's the main crop of their homeland."

"The only good bird is a fake bird."

"The human ear can hear over 100 songs."

"Imagine if your feet were sticky all day."

"If I had sticky feet I'd walk on the ceiling and scream."

"I'm going to get sticky feet. I'm going to do it. And you can't stop me."

"I won't bow down to a chicken. Ever."

"Eggs saved my life. True story."

"Walking under a ladder isn't just bad luck, it's embarrassing to the ladder."

"This thing goes from zero to sixty in sixty seconds."

"Who will invent the next strawberry?"

"Bees are very hyper and they like to kiss their mom's butt."

"If you sleep in your shed, no one will steal your tools."

"Bees are always making dessert."

"Bees rent apartments from their mom."

"You can predict the weather based on the time between a frogs croak. Sometimes it's wrong."

"Pinecones make no sense. It's not a good fruit."

"It's out of gas."

"Soup has many health benefits if you sit in the pot long enough."

"So many houses aren't made of candy."

"Candles get better the more you have. At least 1000 is a good starting point."

"Use salt to make food taste like the ocean."

"Add pepper if your food tastes too good."

"You can let a bird cook...but don't let it feed you."

"Honk if you wish you were a goose in your past life."

"Some apartments don't allow pets but you can keep bats if you pretend to be upset about it."

"Dogs act like they own the sidewalk...they don't."

"If you get poked by a cactus you become a cactus."

"I would switch bodies with a cactus no questions asked."

"Do laptops dream of their keys falling out?"

"People aren't meant to sit at a desk all day. They're meant to sit on a horse."

"Keep your tablet charged so you don't get bored and go outside."

"Bones are like gears, but for animals. It makes them work."

"The drawers are stuffed with MREs and fake IDs."

"If you tell a scary story without a flashlight, it comes true."

"Masks are the safest way to communicate emotions."

"Pretend to be someone cool."

"Everybody wears a mask...except for me."

"Ever think about all the other types of flumes besides log? I don't."

"It's funny how we need water to live...but also to slide."

"Water balloons are like normal balloons filled with spite."

"Signs are a great way to tell people what to do without actually talking to them."

"Balloons are rude to earth's gravity."

"The secret to good coffee? Scare the beans. You gotta tell at those beans."

"I'm looking for investors to fund my drive-thru haunted house."

"Honestly I think cars are scared of everything, we just can't hear them scream through the mufflers."

"Rich people use their cars only once before throwing them away."

"Scientist may look like they're taking notes, but they're just drawing cool skulls."

"Frogs do a few questionable things but they're otherwise perfect."

"The hacker's code requires that when you hack into a mainframe you gotta say 'I'm in.'"

[the-haunted-office]

I was thinking about how the Tethering Effect might affect children who find themselves in the midst of the Office, and since I really dislike the idea of the Office capturing children in such a way, I say it doesn't affect them.

The idea and symbolism behind the Tethering Effect is sort of like how working at an actual office job feels. At least, how it feels to me. It feels like this soul-sucking thing. Like once you start working there, you can't get out. You're stuck there forever at this desk job where you slowly waste away until you die. You feel like you can't leave because hey, it's a source of stability, you get paid "better" than other places, you get "better" benefits, you always have this promise of promotion and opportunity waved in front of your face like a carrot on a stick, but you can never quite reach it. It's just a... very dead end feeling that leaves you feeling like you're already dead even though you're still living, while your soul is slowly withering away, and you're just bound to this space that hates you.

That's what the whole Tethering Effect is about. It's about the idea that once you get in, you can't get out, not without some kind outside help, or a strong sense of bravery. It is an act of bravery to just up and leave any job, because once you leave, you really don't know what your next job is going to be like, or if you're going to get a next job. There goes your stable paycheck, your benefits, and in the USA, your health insurance! It's a truly miserable, scary experience!

But I imagine it's not like that for children. After all, they don't know what it's like to work at an 8-5 office job. I say 8-5 instead of 9-5 because I have never seen a 9-5 office job - they're all 8-5 now, with an hour unpaid lunch in the middle.

In any case, the fact that a child can't work at an office job would reflect in the Office and the Tethering Effect. Their souls can't become captured by the Office. They're free, they don't have the concept of being stuck in a place. Not yet. But it can be learned. It can be ground into them. They can be indoctrinated.

If a child starts to believe that this is all life is, that they have no freedom outside of working in an office, well, then that's what they will believe. Their minds are shaped by the adults around them. For Mae, I think she's going to have some challenges ahead of her. She needs an outside influence to keep her from growing up and becoming Tethered to the Office too!

Right now, though, she gets good old-fashioned, extra thick Plot Armor, ordained just for her by the Author. So she is safe from all harm. x3

[azaan2002]

The Ultimate Keto Meal Plan: A Beginner's Guide to Healthy Eating and Weight Loss

The ketogenic diet, sometimes referred to as the "keto diet," has gained popularity as a means of promoting weight loss, increasing energy, and enhancing general health. Eating a lot of fat, moderate quantities of protein, and very little carbs is part of this diet. The idea is to get your body into a state known as "ketosis," when it burns fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. This article offers a comprehensive overview for anyone wishing to begin the keto diet, along with a simple and efficient meal plan to assist them reach their health objectives.

 What is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that has been demonstrated to help with blood sugar regulation, weight loss, and cognitive performance. When you cut back on carbohydrates significantly and replace them with fat, your body goes into a condition of ketosis. Your body becomes extremely adept at burning fat for energy when it is in ketosis. Additionally, it causes the liver to produce ketones from fat, which are a fantastic source of energy for the brain.  

 Get The Ultimate Keto Meal Plans Buy Now 

Here’s a breakdown of the standard keto diet:

- **70-75% Fats**: The keto diet's mainstay is healthy fat. They aid in the ketosis process, provide you energy, and keep you full. - **20–25% Protein**: Maintaining and repairing muscle requires a moderate protein intake. - **5–10% Carbohydrates**: Your body is encouraged to burn fat for energy by consuming less carbohydrates.

Get

 Benefits of the Keto Diet

There are benefits to the keto diet beyond weight loss. It provides a number of health advantages: 1. Weight reduction: Your body must burn fat reserves for energy when you consume fewer carbohydrates, which causes weight reduction. 2. Enhanced Mental Clarity: The brain uses ketones as a potent fuel source, which helps with attention and concentration. 3. Stable Energy Levels: A lot of people report having consistent energy levels all day long without the highs and lows brought on by sugar and carbohydrates. 4. Reduced Appetite: Because high-fat foods are highly satisfying, they may help cut down on overall calorie consumption and appetite. 5. Better Blood Sugar Control: People with type 2 diabetes can benefit from the keto diet's ability to control and stabilize blood sugar levels.

Items to Take and Leave Out of Your Keto Diet Knowing what foods you may and cannot eat on a ketogenic diet is essential for successful ketogenic eating.

 which to avoid.

#### Foods to Eat

- **Meats**: lamb, turkey, pig, chicken, and beef. - **Fat Fish**: Sardines, mackerel, trout, and salmon. - **Eggs**: Whole eggs, ideally free-range or organic. - **Healthy Fats and Oils**: butter, ghee, avocado, coconut, and olive oils. **Nuts and Seeds**: Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and almonds. Leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, and mushrooms are examples of **Low-Carb Vegetables**. - **Cheese**: Goat cheese, mozzarella, brie, cheddar, and more. **Avocados**: Low in carbohydrates and high in good fats. - **Berries**: Blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (partially).

#### Foods to Avoid

-**Delicious Foods**: Candies, ice creams, cakes, cookies, and sodas. Cereals, bread, rice, and pasta are examples of **Grains and Starches**. Fruits high in carbohydrates include bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes. **Legumes & Beans**: Peas, kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils. **Root Vegetables**: parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, and potatoes. - **Dangerous Fats**: trans fats, processed vegetable oils, and margarine. - **Alcohol**: Sweet wines, beer, and mixed drinks with added sugar. - **Processed Foods**: crackers, chips, and quick cuisine.

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 The Ultimate 7-Day Keto Meal Plan

Here is a comprehensive 7-day keto meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks to make things easy. These tasty, easy-to-make meals will support your continued ketosis.

#### **Day 1: Monday**

- **breakfast**: Butter-cooked scrambled eggs with feta cheese and spinach. - **Lunch**: A Caesar salad made with grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, avocado, and Caesar dressing. - ** Dinner**: Lemon- and olive oil-dressed baked fish served with a side of asparagus. - **Snack**: An avocado or a handful of macadamia nuts. **Tuesday** is Day 2 - **breakfast**: Almond flour-based keto pancakes garnished with a few fresh berries and sugar-free syrup. - **Lunch**: Grilled shrimp and creamy Alfredo sauce served on zucchini noodles, or "zoodles." - **Dinner**: Stir-fried beef with bell peppers, broccoli, and coconut aminos, a low-carb substitute for soy sauce. - **Snack**: Celery sticks dipped in cream cheese or cheese sticks.

#### **Day 3: Wednesday**

- **breakfast**: Almond milk without sugar, chia seeds, and a few blueberries combined to make a chia seed pudding. - **Lunch**: A bed of lettuce topped with tuna salad, chopped celery, mayonnaise, and boiled eggs. - **Dinner**: Sautéed green beans served over roasted chicken thighs flavored with garlic and rosemary. - **Snack**: A few almonds or walnuts.

#### **Day 4: Thursday**

- **breakfast**: An omelet prepared in olive oil with spinach, cheese, and mushrooms. - **Lunch**: Rice dish made of cauliflower topped with avocado, salsa, sour cream, and ground beef. - **Supper**: Roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon pieces served with pork chops. - **Snack**: A couple salami or pepperoni slices.

#### **Day 5: Friday**

- **Breakfast**: Avocado, spinach, unsweetened almond milk, and a scoop of protein powder combined in a keto smoothie. - **Lunch**: A mixed greens dish with an egg salad dressed with mustard, mayonnaise, and fresh herbs. - **Supper**: Roasted zucchini on the side and lamb chops with garlic butter. - **Snack**: Keto fat bombs or dark chocolate with at least 85% cocoa content.

#### **Day 6: Saturday**

- **breakfast**: Waffles made with coconut flour, butter, and sugar-free syrup. - **Lunch**: Blue cheese dressing, grilled chicken, bacon, avocado, and boiled eggs atop a Cobb salad. - **Supper**: Sautéed shrimp in butter with a side order of mashed cauliflower. **Snack**: Chips made with kale or pork rinds.

#### **Day 7: Sunday**

- **breakfast**: Eggs and baked avocado with bacon bits and cheese on top. - **Lunch**: lettuce wraps with turkey, cheese, avocado, and mustard. - **Dinner**: Bell peppers, mozzarella, and pepperoni are on a cauliflower crust keto pizza. - **Snack**: A couple cheese slices or a handful of nuts.

### Tips for Sticking to Your Keto Meal Plan

1. **Plan Ahead**: The keto diet requires careful meal planning to be successful. To stave against temptation and make sure you have keto-friendly options on hand, prepare your meals in advance. 2. **Remain Hydrated**: Throughout the day, sip lots of water. In addition to being beneficial to general health, being hydrated helps lessen feelings of hunger. 3. **Include Electrolytes**: Make sure your diet has adequate salt, potassium, and magnesium since the ketogenic diet can lead to increased water and electrolyte loss. Think about consuming bone broth or seasoning your food with a little salt. 4. **Track Your Macros**: Record the amount of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates you consume each day using a food journal or app. This will assist you in adhering to your keto

5. **Be Creative with Recipes**: Try out various keto dishes to add some variety and prevent boredom with your meals. There's no reason the keto diet has to be monotonous or boring.

### Delicious and Easy Keto Recipes

Here are a few simple keto recipes you can try at home:

#### **1. Keto Egg Muffins**

- **Ingredients**: Eggs, cheese, bacon bits, bell peppers, and spinach. - **Directions**: In a bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, and bacon pieces. After filling a muffin tin, bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350°F/175°C.

#### **2. Cauliflower Mac and Cheese**

- **Ingredients**: Garlic powder, butter, heavy cream, cheddar cheese, and cauliflower. - **Directions**: Cauliflower should be steamed until soft. Melt butter, heavy cream, and cheese in a another pot and whisk until melted. Drizzle over the cauliflower and bake for ten to fifteen minutes at 375°F (190°C).

#### **3. Keto Chicken Salad**

- **Ingredients**: grilled chicken, cucumber, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings. - **Directions**: Combine diced cucumber and avocado with grilled chicken. Pour in some lemon juice and olive oil. Add pepper and salt for seasoning.

### ConclusionThe keto diet is a lifestyle shift that can assist you in reaching your health and weight loss objectives. It's more than just a diet. You can simply stay on track and take advantage of the many advantages of the keto diet with the correct meal plan, delectable dishes, and careful preparation. Always pay attention to your body, drink enough of water, and keep trying out different recipes. Whether you're new to keto or want to improve your experience, this comprehensive.

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[nimupates]

What is the Alkaline Diet? A Complete Guide for Beginners

The Alkaline Diet: A Healthy Eating Plan for Optimal Wellness

The alkaline diet has become an increasingly popular way of eating that promotes overall health and wellness. This eating plan focuses on foods that help balance your body's pH levels to create an environment that supports healthy cells and tissues.

What is the Alkaline Diet?

The alkaline diet is based on the principle that the foods you eat can alter your body's pH balance and impact your health. The ultimate goal is to create an internal environment that has a pH ranging from 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly alkaline. Foods are categorized as either acidic, alkaline, or neutral: Alkaline foods - Fruits, nuts, legumes, and vegetables Acidic foods - Meat, dairy, eggs, grains, alcohol, and processed foods Neutral foods - Natural fats, starches, and sugars By emphasizing alkaline foods and limiting acidic foods, proponents of this diet believe it can help neutralize chronic low-grade acidosis linked to inflammation, fatigue, and increased disease risk.

Benefits of an Alkaline Diet

Following an alkaline diet offers impressive benefits: Promotes pH balance Reduces inflammation Boosts immunity Increases energy Aids weight loss efforts Improves cardiovascular health Strengthens bones Detoxifies the body The diet focuses on nutrient-dense whole foods that provide antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water to help neutralize acids and remove toxins from the body. Balances pH Levels One of the main goals of the alkaline diet is to balance the body's pH levels. Chronic low-grade acidosis happens when acidic wastes accumulate in the body faster than they can be neutralized. This causes the body's pH to drop into unhealthy ranges. The alkaline diet counteracts this acidity and helps: Regulate fluids and electrolytes Filter out toxins and wastes Transport nutrients into cells Together this provides an ideal environment for cells and systems to function properly. Reduces Inflammation Acidosis creates an environment inside the body that promotes inflammation, a key factor in many chronic diseases. The anti-inflammatory foods emphasized on the alkaline diet can help reduce acidity and calm this internal fire. Some examples include: Fruits high in vitamin C Green leafy vegetables Nuts like almonds and walnuts Plant-based proteins like lentils and beans Lower levels of inflammation helps people feel better day-to-day. But even more importantly, it lowers the risk for disorders caused by chronic inflammation. Other Key Benefits Some other top reasons to follow the alkaline diet include: Increased Energy Levels - A balanced pH provides cells with ideal conditions for producing energy. Healthy Weight - The diet emphasizes low energy-density foods that support weight loss. Strong Bones - The diet provides bone-building nutrients often lacking in modern diets. Detoxification - Alkaline foods help remove acidic waste products and toxins. Together this creates an internal terrain that discourages damaged cells and chronic diseases from taking root.

The Best Alkaline Foods to Eat

Focus your diet around these alkaline superfoods: Fruits Fruits are packed with alkaline-promoting nutrients. Choose fresh or frozen organic when possible. Top picks include: Lemons Watermelon Apple Grapefruit Kiwi Berries Papaya Pears Vegetables Aim for eating a variety of organic vegetables each day. Great options include: Spinach Kale Cucumbers Celery Carrots Sweet potatoes Broccoli Sea vegetables Nuts and Seeds Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats. Soak nuts before eating to boost nutrients. Try: Almonds Flaxseeds Pumpkin seeds Sunflower seeds Chestnuts Chia seeds Herbs, Spices and Oils Boost flavor and pH with these additions: Lemongrass Ginger Turmeric Cinnamon Garlic Cold-pressed olive oil Coconut oil Avocado oil

Foods to Avoid on the Diet

To balance your pH effectively, you’ll also want to avoid or limit these acidic foods: Red meat Poultry Seafood Eggs Dairy products Processed grains Sugar Packaged snacks Soda Alcohol Coffee Even whole grains and beans - two staples of healthy diets - should be eaten sparingly since they skew acidic.

Additional Tips for Success

Follow these suggestions to make the most of an alkaline diet: Stay well hydrated with alkaline water Enjoy herbal teas Reduce stress through yoga, meditation, etc. Exercise at least 30 minutes daily Add more raw foods slowly Focus on how you feel As with any significant change to your diet, implement this eating pattern gradually. This gives your body time to adjust its complex systems. Pay attention to the signals your body is sending about the changes. Over time, you should feel less internal "discomfort" and more vibrant energy. Chronic issues you learned to tolerate could show improvement or fade away completely.

The Bottom Line

The emerging research shows an alkaline diet may be an extremely healthy way to prevent damage from modern diets and lifestyles. While studies continue, adjusting your eating pattern to favor alkaline foods poses little risk and offers tremendous potential. It provides a sustainable, nutrient-dense approach to eating that fights inflammation and encourages good health starting on the inside! Doctor Sebi Cell Food Diet Explained: Components, Purported Benefits, Controversy & Safety Reviewed Read the full article

[cherryrazz]

AMAZINGG ARTICLE OF HOW TO NOT TURN TO FOOD WHEN STRESSED !!! (found on MyNetDiary app)

Healthy ways to deal with stress so it doesn’t sabotage your weight loss

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RDN Registered Dietitian

Healthy ways to deal with stress

What happens if you don’t find healthy ways to deal with stress?

Do you find that you eat unhealthy foods or snack more often when stress levels run high? If so, you are not alone! If left unchecked for too long, chronic stress can result in weight gain. A newsletter from Harvard Medical School says that we often deal with stress in ways that can be harmful to our health. This includes activities such as binge-watching Netflix™, sleeping too much (or not enough), or drinking alcohol as ways to cope with increased pressure and life’s demands. These avoidant behaviors might provide temporary relief or a distraction from the pain or anxiety associated with stress. Consequently, they can also sabotage your efforts to lose weight and keep it off or result in unforeseen addiction and other challenges.

Consider instead, some healthy ways to deal with stress

There are lots of different ways to manage stress in a healthy way. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Reconnect with nature

Forest bathing (or deliberately immersing oneself in nature) has been shown to decrease anxiety and have a relaxing effect on the mind. A traditional nature outing might include a walk in a park or bike ride along a creek. However, making a concerted effort to direct your attention to the sounds, trees, sky, and trail keeps you in the moment, allowing you to connect with your present surroundings. That is what the Japanese call “forest bathing.” In addition to the mental benefits, time in nature helps boost the immune system, lowers blood pressure, and helps regulate sleep. Finding different ways to build activity into your week will help make weight loss that much easier. When’s the last time you made it outside to enjoy nature?

The power of support

Whether you are someone who feels better after venting to a friend or simply enjoys the accountability that comes with having a walking buddy, social support is powerful! Having someone to connect with, whether over text, phone, or in-person, may improve your ability to cope with stressful situations. In addition, research shows that people with a strong social network have a lower mortality risk. In fact, one study found that people with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival than those with weaker social relationships.

Consider a hobby as a healthy way to deal with stress

Have you ever been curious about how to distract yourself from stress? Research shows that healthier distractions such as spending time engaged in a hobby can help decrease chronic stress. When’s the last time you allowed yourself a few hours to dust off that old hobby? Find a leisure-time activity that provides you with something positive in return for your time and effort. For example, gardening is a perfect way to get outside in the fresh air and burn calories.

For other hobby ideas check out: https://daringtolivefully.com/hobbies-to-improve-your-life.

A healthy way to deal with stress when it comes to snacks

Finally, if you know you tend to snack when stress levels rise, keep your refrigerator stocked with low-calorie vegetables. Almost all non-starchy veggies fall into this category–e.g., baby carrots, celery, peppers, green leafy veggies, broccoli, etc. They are so low in calories that you can munch without incurring real caloric damage. Plus, you'll rack up lots of vitamins and minerals with such colorful, crunchy, and healthy snacks. Just watch what you put on the veggies–many dips and dressings are high in calories, while herbs and spices are essentially calorie-free.

Need some inspiration when it comes to snacking? MyNetDiary has you covered with these healthy immune-boosting snack ideas.

Stress is a natural part of life. Yet, chronic stress has been correlated with weight gain. Experiment with getting outside, connecting with friends, or reconnecting with an old hobby or starting a new one are just a few of the many healthy ways to deal with stress. You are worth it!

[suzieb-fit]

Holding on to my own principle -

I have to work for this, but this has to work for me!

I'm an active person. Fitness is a massive priority in my life, and neglecting it recently isn't doing me any good at all.

So I'm getting that part of "me" back. Partially, at least. Seriously, I was a machine only a year or so again. That's not healthy, but neither is being the opposite. So I'm meeting somewhere in the middle. Different days will go different ways!

Yesterday, I did literally nothing. I was miserable and totally knocked flat by the continuing mucus problem.

But meh, onwards. I got up determined, this morning.

My usual breakfast outside, half hour walk in the fresh, morning air, a resistance band workout, a load of washing done and hung out to dry, dusted the whole house (ok, it's a tiny house, but still...), then a HIIT strength/cardio workout.

Lunch soon. And yes, the mucus is still very much there, but I feel better inside.

Active mornings give me good days!

Avocado and grated carrot omelette, made with EVOO. I mixed the oil into the egg, rather than just put it in the pan. Salad and strawberries on the side. Lovely!

But the mucus is terrible. Had now I'm genuinely worried it's the olive oil, or just olives themselves. It's hit hard after each time I've used it since yesterday.

That will be a knock, as I just got my delivery!

Anyway, even though I really don't have the disposable income to make it comfortable, I've ordered an allergy test. I've done two (pretty cheap) hair strand intolerance tests before, with no benefit. This is a blood (not hair) test for allergies, not intolerances.

Have to find out if I am actually allergic to anything. Can't carry on like this. It's seriously affecting every aspect of my health - physical, mental and emotional.

Anyway, I made sure to have the best day possible, including a second little walk after that delicious (but potentially damaging) lunch!

Dinner was beef, mixed veggies, olives, fresh ginger, mixed herbs (that's what's in the little bag), psyllium husk powder and fresh cherries. And a good spray of that extra virgin olive oil!

I logged my food for the first time in a while, to see how my macros are looking, and yep, with just a few minor telesales, to bring them into a better balance for me, they're bang on target!

My symptoms are not in my control until I find out what's causing them. But one thing that IS in my control? How I react to them!

[tinyreviews]

Rabbit Hole: Fiber and Health

The difference between soluble and insoluble fiber

Soluble and insoluble fibers are both essential components of a healthy diet, particularly for gut health, but they differ in their properties and how they function in the digestive system.

Soluble Fiber:

Dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance.

Fermentable by gut bacteria.

Benefits for Gut Health:

Feeds Gut Bacteria: Acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Regulates Blood Sugar: Slows down digestion, leading to a more gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream.

Lowers Cholesterol: Binds with bile acids, helping to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Improves Digestion: Softens stool, making it easier to pass and helping to prevent constipation.

Insoluble Fiber:

Does not dissolve in water.

Adds bulk to stool.

Benefits for Gut Health:

Promotes Regularity: Adds bulk to stool and helps it pass more quickly through the intestines, reducing the risk of constipation.

Prevents Diverticulitis: Helps prevent small pouches from forming in the colon, which can become inflamed or infected.

Supports Weight Management: Adds bulk to the diet without adding calories, which can help with feeling full and reducing overall food intake.

What are good common sources of fiber?

Soluble Fiber: Oats, barley, nuts, seeds (e.g., chia seeds, flaxseeds), beans and legumes (e.g., lentils, chickpeas), fruits (e.g., apples, oranges, pears), vegetables (e.g., carrots, Brussels sprouts).

Insoluble Fiber: Whole grains (e.g., whole wheat, brown rice, bulgur), nuts and seeds (e.g., almonds, sunflower seeds), vegetables (e.g., cauliflower, green beans, potatoes with skin), fruits (e.g., apples with skin, berries, bananas), bran (e.g., wheat bran, corn bran).

Do gut bacteria break down fiber to produce beneficial compounds like vitamins? What other beneficial compounds do they produce?

Vitamins

Vitamin K: Certain gut bacteria synthesize vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting and bone health.

B Vitamins: Some gut bacteria produce B vitamins, such as biotin (B7), folate (B9), and riboflavin (B2), which are crucial for energy metabolism and overall cellular function.

Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)

Acetate, Propionate, and Butyrate: These SCFAs are produced when gut bacteria ferment soluble fiber. They have numerous health benefits:

Butyrate: Acts as a primary energy source for colon cells, helps maintain the integrity of the gut barrier, and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Propionate: Metabolized in the liver and can help regulate glucose production.

Acetate: Used in various metabolic processes and can influence fat storage and appetite regulation.

Other Beneficial Compounds

Gases: Such as hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, which are normal byproducts of fermentation and usually harmless.

Phenolic Compounds: Fermentation of polyphenols (a type of antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables) by gut bacteria can produce bioactive phenolic compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Conjugated Linoleic Acids (CLAs): Produced from the fermentation of certain fats, CLAs have been shown to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Health Benefits

Improved Gut Health: SCFAs, particularly butyrate, nourish the cells lining the colon, reducing the risk of gastrointestinal disorders.

Enhanced Immune Function: A healthy gut microbiome can help modulate immune responses, reducing inflammation and protecting against infections.

Metabolic Health: The production of SCFAs can influence metabolic health, helping regulate blood sugar levels and reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Mental Health: There is emerging evidence that SCFAs and other metabolites produced by gut bacteria can influence brain function and mood, potentially impacting conditions like anxiety and depression.

Specific benefits of SCFAs

Digestive Health

Nourishment of Colonocytes: Butyrate serves as the primary energy source for colonocytes (cells lining the colon), promoting a healthy gut lining and reducing the risk of gastrointestinal disorders.

Gut Barrier Function: SCFAs enhance the integrity of the gut barrier, preventing the leakage of harmful substances from the gut into the bloodstream, which can lead to systemic inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory Effects: Butyrate has potent anti-inflammatory properties, helping to reduce inflammation in the gut, which is beneficial for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Metabolic Health

Blood Sugar Regulation: Propionate can help regulate blood glucose levels by influencing gluconeogenesis (the production of glucose) in the liver.

Lipid Metabolism: Acetate and propionate are involved in lipid metabolism, which can influence cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Appetite Regulation: SCFAs can influence the release of hormones that regulate appetite and satiety, such as peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), potentially aiding in weight management.

Immune Function

Immune Modulation: SCFAs play a role in modulating the immune system by influencing the activity of various immune cells, including T cells and macrophages, which helps maintain immune balance and reduce chronic inflammation.

Anti-carcinogenic Properties: Butyrate has been shown to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancerous cells in the colon, reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.

Brain Health and Mental Well-being

Neurotransmitter Production: SCFAs can influence the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is involved in mood regulation.

Blood-brain Barrier Integrity: Butyrate can enhance the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, protecting the brain from harmful substances.

Anti-inflammatory Effects on the Brain: By reducing systemic inflammation, SCFAs can help protect against neuroinflammatory conditions, potentially lowering the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

General Health Benefits

Reduction of Systemic Inflammation: SCFAs help reduce systemic inflammation, which is linked to numerous chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.

Bone Health: Propionate may have a role in calcium absorption and bone health, although more research is needed in this area.

The above is the result of my curiosity going down the rabbithole with ChatGPT. I post my rabbithole curiosities to this blog.