A few October updates...

When you become a FIG member you receive weekly email updates of what’s happening, produce tips, etc, however this week we simply had too much to share! Once again there is information and also some events happening which Figgies like to know about, so here are a few of them, in this, the National Organic Week! (Updated Friday evening 8th Oct)

The co-op is not in the business of telling anyone what and how to eat! 

However, we do encourage the eating of more vegetables and fruit, grown, of course, minus the chemicals! Whether you’re a vegan, raw foodie, you eat meat twice a day or twice a year, or prefer cooked food and only eat an occasional salad, the consensus amongst many in the health profession seems to be that the more fresh plant food we can consume, the better. We’re finding all sorts of information, all the time, and even found this: a short clip of former USA President, Bill Clinton, whom has experienced heart problems in the past with by-pass surgery highly reported in the media world-wide and more to insert some stents, and who has now been following the advice of two medical doctors, Esselstyn and Ornish, and eating a diet rich in plant-based foods.

We encourage you to make your own enquiries about your health and to learn what’s best for YOU and your family.

One FIG member is a Naturopath and she has given us the following information on detoxing for Spring...

A Spring clean!
I wonder if you would like to inform your people, through your newsletter, of the importance of this spring season to start cooking up their organic garlic and lemons... The formula is 30 cloves of organic garlic and 5 whole lemons: chop as small as possible or use a food processor, then add 1 litre water; bring to the boil and turn off. You may eat as is or strain off. 30 Mls for adults to consume daily and 10-20 mls for children. Keep in the fridge once cold, and take a dose each day anytime. In 3 weeks, one''s blood and arteries may be unblocked and as well the lungs being clearer of mucus as the liver also gets assistance of blood purifying from the sourness combined with the pungent, to clean us out. Repeat this process again in Autumn.

Three weeks is usually enough however, if you wish to do again, break a week after the 3 weeks and cook up again another batch for another 3 weeks, especially if you are suffering from high cholesterol.. This detox does not interfere with any medication, nor does it leave any bad odour or garlic smell as the boiling process with the lemons skins and all make it taste rather nice, with no after taste or smell of the garlic on the breath.

From your friendly local naturopath, Catherine.

(Note: FIG has ordered extra garlic and lemons for this coming Monday if you want to try this, and will do so in future weeks on request).

Permaculture Central Coast, Tuesday, 19^th October
Ecological Thinking and Action - Healthy Living Soils = Healthy Living People

Peter Rutherford will be talking about the health of soils and the food we grow in those soils directly in relation to the health of us. Promises to be a fabulous talk, and begins at 7pm in the Tuggerah Hall, 9 Anzac Road, Tuggerah. Entry by donation.

The topic for next week's Insight program on SBS will be on Organic produce – 7.30pm on Tuesday 12th October, repeated at 1.30 Friday.

The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance presents two lively and thought provoking Q&A style forums as part of the Sydney International Food Festival!

When food systems collide

When Food Systems Collide is a Q&A style forum, moderated by Daily Telegraph restaurant critic Simon Thomsen, that will explore the costs and benefits of our current food system and examine the value of alternative models of production and distribution. The audience is invited to ask challenging questions of a panel of experts including CEO of Garden Organic UK, Myles Bremner; new Green member of the NSW Legislative Council, Cate Faehrmann; Woolworths Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Andrew Hall; and Founder of the Organic Traders' and Consumers' Network, Catriona Macmillan.

When: 6.30pm on Wednesday 13 October 2010

Where: Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. 

Cost: $15 or $10 for members or concession (cash only on the night)

RSVP: info@sydneyfoodfairness.org.au

Helping Ourselves

Restaurant critic for the Daily Telegraph Simon Thomsen will moderate this Q&A style forum that will explore the innovative ways that people are providing for themselves and debate how to best work to foster access to enough, healthy food for all Sydneysiders. Audience members are invited to asks questions of a panel of experts including The Reverend Bill Crews from The Exodus Foundation; Ronni Kahn from Oz Harvest; and Simon Gregory from Food For Life community supermarket.

When: 6.30pm on Thursday 21 October 2010 

Where: Sydney Mechanics School of the Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney. 

Cost: $15 or $10 for members and concession (cash only on the night)

RSVP: info@sydneyfoodfairness.org.au

Refreshments from Agape Restaurant, Iggy's Bakery and B-d Paris Creek Farm will be served at both these functions.

Think Global, Eat Local

TAFE Outreach, Wyong, is holding a 6 week course from Thurs 28th Oct until 2nd Dec, 9.30 - 2.00pm. Learn more about Permaculture, and how it can provide some solutions to living more sustainably. Have you always wanted to grow your own vegies? The focus will be on local food production, and developing practical skills to create your own vegie and herb garden. For bookings in this FREE course, ring 4350 2370.

Woytopia Festival
Woy Woy's festival of Sustainability, Arts, Music & Community
Where: Woy Woy South Primary School - Woy Woy - Entrance via Waterloo Avenue
Date : Sunday 31st October 2010
Time : 10am - 4pm

Junkbusters!

The marketing of unhealthy food to children has been recognised as a probable causal factor in childhood overweight and obesity. With one in four Australian children and adolescents either overweight or obese it is time to take action. Cancer Council NSW has launched Junkbusters, a one stop shop to help parents navigate the complex food marketing regulations. Junkbusters helps concerned people take action against inappropriate food marketing targeting children. The Junkbusters website will collect information reflecting public concern about food marketing to children, and record outcomes from formal complaint processes. This information will provide an independent indicator of the effectiveness of current regulations and identify if there's a need for national statutory regulation to reduce children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing. Be a Junkbuster!

Aussie kids aren't guinea pigs, label GM Now

Independent testing conducted by Greenpeace has discovered that some of Australia's leading brands of infant formula are contaminated with traces of genetically modified (GM) organisms. These GM organisms have never been proven safe for people to eat; and have certainly never been proven safe for babies to eat. Because these products carry no GM label, Australian parents currently have no idea they are feeding GM to their babies. Please help stop this from happening. Demand that all GM foods be labelled. Visit http://www.greenpeace.org.au/gmbaby and take action now!

Vegie growers concerned about imports:

See here for full article: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/vegie-growers-worried-about-imports-20100929-15wmm.html Not to mention the questionable growing methods in some other countries or the spraying of produce upon arrival in Australia!

Organic farmers try to get a bite of the apple

“Rural Australia is really hurting. And the cuts to services really hurt. Health services are cut, banks close, schools close, farmers suicide. Areas have 21% unemployment. We are bleeding people in the country… Yet organic farming is a sunrise and success story going against the trend,” said Andre Leu, a tropical fruit farmer from northern Queensland, chair of the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA) and vice-president of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). Read the full article here, http://blogs.crikey.com.au/rooted/2010/08/27/organic-farmers-try-to-get-a-bite-of-the-apple/  which also includes: “Moving from conventional to organic farming takes a few years, but results in more drought hardy soil with better water absorption, thanks to increased humus content. Carmel Righetti, a Victorian sheep farmer who supplies organic wool to luxury fashion labels Metalicus and Gorman, says “conventional farmers need to be freed from the burden and oppression of big multinationals”, who often control supply, debt and pesticides used by conventional farmers. Australia has more hectares of land used for organic production than any other nation in the world. Global organic sales are worth $50 billion annually, and the beggest markets are the US and Europe, although the Asian market is growing 15-20% annually.

Free workshops in the Lake Macquarie district

New Waste Not Want Not Workshop

Find out ways to reuse and recycle in more ways than you thought imaginable! Create something new from reclaimed items

When: Friday 15 October 2010

Where: Charlestown Mulit-purpose Centre

Time: 11am - 2pm

Cost: Free

Delightful Decomposition

Come and learn how to break things down with worms and compost, only to build things up again in a no-dig vegie patch

Workshop 1

When: Wednesday 3 November 2010

Where: Charlestown Swim Centre

Time: 8:30am -11:30am

Cost: Free

Workshop 2

When: Saturday 13 November 2010

Where: St Luke's Church Belmont

Time: 8:30am -11:30am

Cost: Free

Last but not least, a few words from Dr Max Gerson: ‎"Our modern food, the 'normal' food people eat is bottled, poisoned, canned, color added, powdered, frozen, dipped in acids, sprayed--no longer normal. We no longer have living, normal food, our food and drink is a mass of dead, poisoned material, and one cannot cure very sick people by adding poisons to their systems.” 

And he said that a few decades ago! Time to revert to a natural way of eating, methinks...

Thanks to our members who have submitted some of the information and links for this post today… See you at the co-op! 

Alkalising

We recently attended a wonderful evening presented by Khannah and Raimunda from ‘Footprint of a Windhorse’. Footprint of a Windhorse is a health village centre in Wamberal offering Holistic Pulsing, Colon Hydrotherapy and Health Awareness gatherings. The topic for their Health Awareness gathering was ‘Acid/Alkaline balance’. Khannah and Raimunda are both extremely knowledgeable, inspiring and nurturing folk. The evening offered all those in attendance a wonderful understanding of how to be mindful of alkalising our bodies and also opened our eyes to the effects that an over acidic state in our body can cause on other areas of the body. When the body is acidic, it automatically tries to restore balance and alkalise itself. When we have an acidic environment in the body, our body will draw the minerals needed to alkalise from other areas of the body, hence depleting those areas. This is when we see unexpected chronic illness in our population effecting a vast array of folk, of all ages. Obviously, this illustrates the importance of keeping an ideal acid/alkaline balance in our bodies so that our body is in harmony.

The gathering commenced with the serving of miso soup. A very alkalising soup, ideal to start a meal with, especially after a day of what could well have been acid forming activity and food/drink. We each introduced ourselves around the circle and then our inspiring leaders shared with us some general information about alkalising; how we eat, what we eat and even our state of being - these all have an effect on the acid/alkaline balance in the body. It was briefly revised about the importance of chewing and how with this very simple, but highly effective action, we can actually change an acidic food into having an alkalising effect on the body - if we mindfully and skilfully chew our food. Yes - chewing is a real art, that in our modern day, busy lives - we are fast loosing the ability to undertake this very important action in a skilful and effective way. Digestion begins in the mouth and this very subject was the entire topic of the previous Health Awareness gathering - that’s just how important CHEWING is!

We were all invited to share a loving prepared, nourishing vegan meal which demonstrated to us the balance of a meal that offers an alkalising effect on the body. Whilst Khannah and Raimunda are both themselves vegan, they do not insist that everyone must be vegan or vegetarian to create alkalinity. However, the reality is that meat and animal products are highly acidic on the body and therefore if one does choose to eat these food products, it is necessary, if one is mindful of the acid/alkaline balance - to create balance with the other portions of the meal. Out of this, stemmed some interesting discussions around the group on how one finds all the minerals and vitamins necessary to provide the body with all it needs when eating a diet excluding meat and animal products. Amongst many other suggestions, one main recommendation was the inclusion of sea vegetables daily in the diet - not only for their alkalising effect, but because of the minerals contained in these amazing foods.

Briefly, the evening touched on the importance of salt in our diets - and not just any type of salt, but one very particularly nourishing type of pure, unrefined salt. Not only is it important that we use this salt in our diets, but also HOW we use it is extremely important. With such an interesting and somewhat controversial subject being presented, I am sure this next Health Awareness gathering will fill up quickly once the date is announced. If you would like to join this gathering, then be sure to email Khannah on inana(@)activ8(.)net(.)au (with the brackets removed in the email address) and ask to have your name added to the Health Awareness Gathering email alert, so that you may be notified of the next thought provoking and inspiring evening these talented ladies will be presenting. You may notice from Khannah’s email address, that Khannah is also one of the very passionate folk at the nourishing bush retreat community Inana, which is located on 300 remote acres in the Watagan Mountain Range just at the top of our Central Coast Mountain Region, in Bucketty.

The evening closed with us all enjoying an alkalising dessert and sipping mugs of freshly brewed Bancha tea. (Bancha tea is also known as Kukicha tea). This tea has quite an alkalinising effect on the body and was a lovely way to close a very inspiring and uplifting evening.

* The two books referenced in the evening were; “This works, crutches don’t” and “Alkalise or Die”


Edited to add: A list of alkalising foods can be found here or here...