An Anthology

b-sama:

Wonder Welders art in central Dar es Salaam

Wonder Welders have provided the central part of Dar es Salaam, the keepilefti where India Street meets Bridge Street, with sculptures made of metal scrap.

(via feelingmoody)

What should we have for dinner?” To one degree or another this simple question assails any creature faced with a wide choice of things to eat. Anthropologists call it the omnivore’s dilemma. Choosing from among the countless potential foods nature offers, humans have had to learn what is safe, and what isn’t—which mushrooms should be avoided, for example, and which berries we can enjoy. Today, as America confronts what can only be described as a national eating disorder, the omnivore’s dilemma has returned with an atavistic vengeance. The cornucopia of the modern American supermarket and fast-food outlet has thrown us back on a bewildering landscape where we once again have to worry about which of those tasty-looking morsels might kill us. At the same time we’re realizing that our food choices also have profound implications for the health of our environment. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is bestselling author Michael Pollan’s brilliant and eye-opening exploration of these little-known but vitally important dimensions of eating in America.

Pollan has divided The Omnivore’s Dilemma into three parts, one for each of the food chains that sustain us: industrialized food, alternative or “organic” food, and food people obtain by dint of their own hunting, gathering, or gardening. Pollan follows each food chain literally from the ground up to the table, emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the species we depend on. He concludes each section by sitting down to a meal—at McDonald’s, at home with his family sharing a dinner from Whole Foods, and in a revolutionary “beyond organic” farm in Virginia. For each meal he traces the provenance of everything consumed, revealing the hidden components we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods reflects our environmental and biological inheritance.

We are indeed what we eat-and what we eat remakes the world. A society of voracious and increasingly confused omnivores, we are just beginning to recognize the profound consequences of the simplest everyday food choices, both for ourselves and for the natural world. The Omnivore’s Dilemma is a long-overdue book and one that will become known for bringing a completely fresh perspective to a question as ordinary and yet momentous as What shall we have for dinner?

A few facts and figures from The Omnivore’s Dilemma:

• Of the 38 ingredients it takes to make a McNugget, there are at least 13 that are derived from corn. 45 different menu items at Mcdonald’s are made from corn.
• One in every three American children eats fast food every day.
• One in every five American meals today is eaten in the car.
• The food industry burns nearly a fifth of all the petroleum consumed in the United States—more than we burn with our cars and more than any other industry consumes.
• It takes ten calories of fossil fuel energy to deliver one calorie of food energy to an American plate.
• A single strawberry contains about five calories. To get that strawberry from a field in California to a plate on the east coast requires 435 calories of energy.
• Industrial fertilizer and industrial pesticides both owe their existence to the conversion of the World War II munitions industry to civilian uses—nerve gases became pesticides, and ammonium nitrate explosives became nitrogen fertilizers.
• …

(description via amazon)

meditateandmedicate:

1. There are times when your body fills up with heat-induced toxins. This causes the Ph levels in the deeper digestive system to fall, leading to severe hyperacidity. That is when coconut steps in to heal. Because it’s anuloman in nature, capable of getting all the toxins downward and helping to purify the digestive system of it tender coconut balances acid levels and cools the system. This makes it superior to other herbs and fruits which can cool down hyperacidic toxins, but do not flush it out of the system.

2. Ayurveda considers coconut a natural stress-buster.

3. Coconut cools a sub-energy called sadhaka pitta, which is associated with emotions.

4. Combined with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, garlic cumin, coriander, and turmeric, coconut is not only delicious and versatile, but also heals the digestive system and promotes better metabolism.

5. The juice of tender coconut has been billed the world’s safest natural soft drink, for being a nutritious thirst-quencher.

6. Combined with poppy seeds and ghee, coconut can help you sleep better!

7. Coconut has keshya properties. It improves hair quality. In Southern India, women apply coconut oil to their hair every day, which gives them long, lustrous locks.

8. Coconut is good for curing diarrhea related to aggravation of the blood tissues.

9. Due to its soma-enhancing or nurturing value, coconut heals hot flashes and restores emotional stability in menopausal women.

10. Coconut improves complexion. You can make coconut-based skin packs at home. Vaidya Mishra suggests mixing coconut oil with oatmeal powder and a little bit of lavender flower powder to make a soothing facial pack.

11. A burning sensation in hands and feet is cooled down by drinking coconut water/milk. All you have to do is, make a paste of crushed middle aged coconut and apply it on hands and feet.

12. Coconut is an excellent wound healer, especially effective on scars.

13. Hiccups due to heat imbalance are also eased by coconut water.

14. If you have urine retention from heat, then coconut water helps. Similarly, liver problems, hepatitis or inflammation are also soothed by drinking tender coconut water.

15. There is a word called karshan meaning that which supports the body to stay slim by enhancing fat metabolism. Vaidya Mishra says recent research suggests that coconut is good for burning fat and lowering cholesterol. It is clearly written in Ayurveda that the oil has karshan properties.

16. Coconut helps detoxify.

17. It is delicious!.

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(Source: shyzielikesphotos, via keekeers)

Benefits of Pineapple

Bromelain

Bromelain is a powerful enzyme, which is extracted from pineapple cores. (Most pineapple cores are inedible, but you can find some that are soft enough to eat). Once the enzyme is collected, it’s often turned into supplement tablets. Bromelain is a popular supplement for athlete’s, and also for people who just want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The pineapple enzyme helps with the digestive system to break down our foods, and clean blood by removing debris and toxins from the blood stream. Bromelain enzyme contains anti-inflammatory properties that benefits our internal organs. The enzyme also speeds up recovery after external injuries and reduces swelling. Eating pineapple fruit has also been known to reduce ‘ulcerative colitis’.

Manganese

Manganese is a vitamin that our body can’t produce on its own. We need to find daily sources of manganese from food we eat. Pineapple is agreat source of Manganese. Manganese is responsible for bone formation, healing wounds, and keeping skin healthy. It regulates blood sugar levels, and helps with the immune system to fight off disease. Regularly eating pineapple will ensure you’re consuming enough manganese in your diet.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a ‘water soluble vitamin’, which means it doesn’t store in the body. We need to take Vitamin C every day in order to replenish its levels. Pineapple is a great source to find a daily dose of Vitamin C. It helps in the formation of collagen, collagen is a protein that grows new skin and blood vessels. The benefit of taking vitamin C is also believed to keep away the common cold.

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is partly responsible for the development of energy in the body, turning carbohydrates into the daily energy we need. Vitamin B1 is important for the nervous system and muscle functions. Vitamin B1 also goes by the name ‘thiamine’ . As well as being found in Pineapples, thiamine can be found in meat, whole-grain foods, leafy vegetables and egg yolks. (x)

(via keekeers)