Time to SLOW down and relax.....!

Hello everyone- Sorry, I have been MIA for a a week or so. I was running circles and jumping through hurdles trying to accomplish all of the usual holiday preparations, shopping, cooking, decorating, parties. Now, my body has given me some pretty loud signals to SLOW down.I wish it would seriously keep its opinions to itself--BUT, it is speaking too loud with a few body aches and a throat that feels like I have gargled razor blades. So, with this is mind---I plan to relax this week and catch up on reading. I wanted to share a trailer of a new book that intrigued me recently. I have a kindle on my phone and have just downloaded Tim Ferris's "4 Hour Body"! VERY cutting edge and this author has a brilliant mind. I will let you know my final review this week as I plan to finish the book within a day or so. Check it out......



If you have read the book, please share your opinion with me- please! Have an AMAZING day. Be back soon <3

Another Primitive Beauty tip Inside and out.....Coconut Oil!

You guys know how much I love my Coconut oil......I eat it and wear it! I had a friend send me a message that she needed some advice on Coconut Oil.I am planning to share alot of information in my book.However,I would like to touch on a few of the numerous health and immune supporting benefits of my favorite oil.

Coconut oil has received a bad rap through the years because it is THE most saturated of all the oils (at 92% it is nearly solid at room temperature- this is the difference between saturated and unsaturated, FYI)Of course if you have listened to me EVER--you know that Saturated fats offer amazing health benefits. Coconut oil has been proven to normalize blood lipids, nourish Thyroid function and protect the liver from damage associated with alcohol and other toxins. It has wonderful anti-inflammatory and immune supporting properties. It is anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial, naturally. So, you can see how beneficial it can be to use internally and externally.

BEAUTY:I use the coconut oil exclusively on my skin and at almost 45, its keeping the wrinkles away and leaving soft, smoothe and supple skin. My husband uses it as a hair gel-no more flakes or product build-up.

COOKING: I use it as my primary cooking oil- as it is very heat stable offers great flavor to any dish from eggs to my sons favorite gluten free brownies!

Here is a bit more information: Oh and by the way....my favorite brands are Nutiva and Tropical Traditions. Enjoy!

1. How much coconut oil should one ingest daily to receive its benefits?

The benefits of coconut oil are mainly from the nutrient value of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). The best comparison in nature as to the percentage of MCFAs being consumed in a diet is human breast milk. To equal the amount of MCFAs a nursing infant would receive in one day, an adult would need to consume about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil a day according to researchers. Since coconut oil in nature is packaged inside the coconut meat, it is recommended to consume this amount throughout the day with food high in fiber and protein. However, for those not used to coconut oil in their diet, it is best to start out with an amount far less than this first, to see how your body reacts.

2. Are there “side effects” to Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil is a food, not a medication, and therefore it does not have “side effects.” Since individuals vary, there could be adverse reactions, especially if your body is used to a low-fat diet regimen. The most common reaction is diarrhea. While 3.5 Tbsp. is recommended as the daily intake by some researchers, it is probably best not to start with that amount, or eat it all at once. Spread it out over the course of the day, and reduce the amount you ingest if there are unwanted effects. Like any food, some people could possibly have allergic reactions to coconut oil as well, although it does NOT contain any appreciable amounts of protein as the meat of the coconut would, and most food allergies are related to proteins. Traditionally coconut oil has nourished millions, if not billions, of people throughout Asia for thousands of years.

3. How does one use Coconut Oil?

There are many ways to use coconut oil and incorporate it into one’s diet. Since it is a stable cooking oil, one can simply replace unhealthy oils in their diet with coconut oil. Since it is a solid most of the time at room temperature or when refrigerated, it can be a butter or margarine substitute for spreads or for baking. Any recipe calling for butter, margarine, or any other oil can be substituted for coconut oil. It is popularly mixed in with “smoothies.” Many people do eat it simply by the spoon full. If you refrigerate or freeze Virgin Coconut Oils the taste changes completely, and some describe it like a “candy” or “white chocolate.” Some people fill up ice cube trays with coconut oil and then store them in the freezer. Some people use it as a spread, and a lot of people put it into their coffee or tea.



4. Does Coconut Oil need to be kept in the refrigerator, and how long does it last?

No, coconut oil does not need to be kept in the refrigerator. In the Philippines and other tropical climates, where the ambient air temperature is much higher than North America, people traditionally have not refrigerated coconut oil. Virgin Coconut oil is very stable since it is unrefined and mostly saturated. The expiration dates on our Virgin Coconut Oils are for two years, and on our Expeller-pressed coconut oils they are 18 months, but they will usually be fine much longer than the expiration dates. We do recommend you store the oil out of direct sunlight. In the tropics coconut oil is almost always a liquid, since it’s melting point is about 76 degrees F. In North America it will usually be a solid, butter-like consistency. It can be stored in either form.

5. Is Coconut Oil a liquid or a solid?

Coconut oil is liquid above 75 degrees F. (25 C.), and below that it will be a solid fat. It can be stored in either form, and it can be liquefied easily by applying low level heat.


6. Is Coconut Oil safe for pregnant women?

Since coconut oil is a food and is a staple for many living in Asia, it is considered safe for anyone. In coconut producing countries it is considered normal and good food for pregnant and lactating women, since it contains lauric acid which is also present in breast milk. However, the cautions of reactions as stated above should be noted. Many in Western countries are used to a low-fat diet, and it is best NOT to begin experimenting with coconut oil while pregnant if your body is not used to it. If, however, you have been consuming coconut oil regularly without any adverse reactions, there is no reason to discontinue while pregnant, and many good reasons to continue consuming it.


7. Will cooking with Coconut Oil cause it to become hydrogenated and toxic like hydrogenated oils?

No. Hydrogenation is an industrial process where hydrogen molecules are introduced to the oil to make it solid at room temperatures. It chemically alters the oil and creates harmful trans fatty acids. Cooking with coconut oil does NOT introduce hydrogen into the oil or hydrogenate it. Coconut oil is a very stable oil even at higher temperatures. However, it is best not to cook beyond the smoke point of coconut oil, as this will begin to deteriorate the oil and turn it yellow. Once it has turned dark yellow, the oil should be discarded and no longer used. The smoke point of coconut oil can be increased by combining it with Palm Shortening or Virgin Palm Oil. Both of these oils have a much higher smoke point, and are suitable for high heat, such as deep frying.

A very intriguing and informative book on the many benefits of Coconut Oil....



My Favorite Coconut Oil.....

Primitive Kids~ Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Several years ago, I read a book titled Last Child in the Woods by, Richard Louv. It had such a profound impact on my parenting style. As I was organizing notes for Primitive Kids this week--trying to focus ALL of my spaghetti noodle brain on my DIVA book first-hmmmm....?(for those who know me personally-you know thats impossible, haha)I came upon this well loved, dog-eared book. I could not wait to share it with you. I found a nice description from the authors website (I could have not said it any better). I highly suggest this book if you are a parent, know a parent, or for any educator. It is a new foundation for many progressive educational institutions. If I could go back in time, I most certainly would have placed my youngest son in a school without walls.It has encouraged alot of my advocacy on letting my kids be barefoot, get in the mud, climb trees, pick up bugs and just be KIDS! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Use the link below to purchase directly through my bookstore- If you would like to support my blog and research.

An Overview of Last Child in the Woods

In this influential work about the staggering divide between children and the outdoors, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation—he calls it nature-deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and depression.
Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard.
This new edition reflects the enormous changes that have taken place since the book was originally published. It includes:
◦100 actions you can take to create change in your community, school, and family.
◦35 discussion points to inspire people of all ages to talk about the importance of nature in their lives.
◦A new progress report by the author about the growing Leave No Child Inside movement.
◦New and updated research confirming that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder has spurred a national dialogue among educators, health professionals, parents, developers and conservationists. This is a book that will change the way you think about your future and the future of your children.




Here is another little jewel that I bought before our Colorado trip last year:

Primitive Kids~ Food or Fodder?

By now, you all realize that I have a very energetic passion for sharing and empowering others to take charge of their lives and make positive changes that will give them many healthy options for vibrant longevity. But,as a mother, nothing can get me as excited and/or ranting as the state of our world and the future of our children. A record number of American children are being diagnosed with Asthma, Diabetes, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia and Bipolar Disorder this year. Along with surging food, medical and pharmaceutical costs. We must come to a grips with a harsh reality----IF we do not make drastic changes in our childrens lives, we WILL have a serious decline in life expectancy from all current and future generations to come.

Food manufacturers market the craziest of the "Franken-Foods" to our children!Those that are loaded with chemicals, preservatives, dyes, additives and Fodder. Yes, I said Fodder. Lets look at the definition of Food -vs- Fodder!

Food: 1)Material consisting of protein,carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and aid vital metabolic processes, to supply energy. 2)Something that nourishes, sustains or supplies.



Fodder: 1)Something fed to domestic animals; coarse food for cattle, horses or sheep. 2) Inferior or readily available material used to supply a heavy demand.

In other words....Fodder would be the corn, wheat and soy that make up 80% of todays market available foods.This is exactly what we use to fatten livestock quickly for butchering-not to sustain their health!!!! We are feeding our children Fodder, laced with toxic chemicals, engineered petrochemicals and genetically mutated cells! Seriously, people- wake up- Its not a complicated choice!

In my upcoming Primitive Kids edition book(Spring/Summer 2011), I will share loads of advice, tips and recipes. But in the meantime, the first step to educating yourselves about what your kids are eating is to just READ the labels.....is it a real FOOD? or is it TOXIC Fodder.

You can begin to empower your kids for change by having them read the labels also. Talk about a great science lesson. They will soon discover that foods requiring a label, usually are not foods at all. I am preparing for an upcoming grocery store for a specialized childrens diet that I have promoted for several years and I just keep coming back to one simple rule....the tour could be over and done in a few seconds if you just use this magic formula......ready.....****drum roll*****! Okay, here it goes

EAT REAL FOOD

Ta Da!


Okay, so maybe it is not completely simple....Yes, you may experience a few meals that your children will not eat. There will be a few tears shed IF your household is anything like mine. There may even be a few nights where your kiddo's go to bed hungry. It will simply be a battle of wills....your kids will NOT starve, I repeat- they will NOT starve. There will not be a news story at 10pm saying; "Parent convicted of witholding Hot Dogs and Chicken Nuggets". OR "Lack of pizza or fast food happy meal contributes to starvation of local children". My favorite...."Evil mother forces children to drink water instead of soda"!

So, educate and empower yourself and your children.....you have a right to feed your family FOOD not FODDER!

Be healthy Be Primitive~
Melissa

Primitive Pumpkin Poblano Chili

So are you looking for a new way to use the pumpkins left over from a fall harvest? Most people think of Pumpkin Bread, Cookies and Cakes. Here is a savory spin that will warm you heart. I picked some beautiful poblanos from my garden to give the sweet fruit a nice warmth. We enjoyed this Fireside watching a football game last night- I hope you do as well!

Primitive Pumpkin Poblano Chili

2 lbs Grass Fed Beef or Bison (ground)
32 oz (1 quart) of Beef broth/stock
1 small Pumpkin (peeled and diced-about 4 cups)
1 Onion (diced)
4 cloves Garlic Diced)
4-6 Poblano peppers (seeded, roasted and julienned)
1 Tablespoon Organic Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Brown the meat on medium high, in a large cast iron skillet. When browned add onion and garlic and reduce heat. Continue on low heat until the onion and garlic are softened with the beef fat. Now add the diced pumpkin to the mixture along with spices and stir for 2-3 minutes, adding the Poblanos as you stir. Transfer mixture to an iron pot and add the broth/stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat for 5 minutes. Serve with Diced Avocado and Green Onions.

A gift to cherish......."Naked Beauty"

There are rare moments in our journey through life that we encounter something or someone that will forever be imprinted on our soul. This experience is such a gift to cherish like a beautiful and wondrous jewel. Naked Beauty reintroduced me to my feminine strength that I was so searching for. The gratitude that I feel from my heart is overwhelming. There are so many beautiful nuances in Shakayas perspective that she shares in this inspirational work on health, beauty and living your most celebrated self. This is a guide on how to be beautiful from the inside out. If you want to “feel your beauty, know your worth and celebrate your power” You must know the Earth Empress and her beautiful creation~ “Naked Beauty”!



Visit: http://earthempress.com/nakedbeauty/ you will love yourself for this gift <3


Much Love and Many Blessings~
Melissa, The Primitive Diva

Primitive Beauty Secret: Dry Skin Brushing

Okay Divas....I have a brief quiz before I give you one of my most favorite beauty secrets.....
What is the largest organ in the body?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

What organ is responsible for ¼ of the body’s detoxification each day?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

What organ eliminates two pounds of waste acids daily?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

What is one of the most important elimination organs in the body?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

What organ receives one third of all the blood that is circulated in the body?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

When the blood is full of toxic materials, what organ will reflect this with problems?
ANSWER: THE SKIN!

What organ is the last to recieve nutrients in the body, yet the first to shows signs of imbalance or deficiency
ANSWER: THE SKIN!



A Primitive Approach to Healthier Skin

The practice of dry skin brushing may be old news to those who practice the daily routine, but with all the skin care products and hypes out there, we thought it important to re-introduce a process that is not only a great way to maintain healthy skin, but also helps you to maintain a healthy body. The ability of the skin to excrete toxins is of paramount importance to you.

Dry skin brushing is one of the healthier self-help methods available to us today.And has been around for thousands of years. Stimulation of the skin sets in motion natural healing pathways within your body. Additionally, it encourages nerve beds within its structure that in turn increases normal healing processes throughout the body.

There are several automatic systems contained by the body including healing processes. Your heart beats by design—you breathe automatically—and your body’s “automatic healing process”, is another. It is set in motion when your body generates an itching response to the required areas. You will obviously scratch that area, and in turn, the area turns red with a fresh blood supply and the natural healing process has now been set in motion. This is the same healing process that will follow a skin brushing session.

Your skin is the primary sign of an internally toxic body. As soon as your internal body becomes toxic, it will spread out into your skin causing your skin to become irritated and itchy. There are numerous ports of elimination of the skin including your mouth, face, and arm pits, the inside of your upper thigh region, feet, and toe nails. Did you know that body odor is also an additional indicator of toxic build-up and is eradicated through the same channels. Let’s not forget your tongue, which builds up a plaque and is yet another gauge of toxins in the body.

Our skin is permeable or porous, and can absorb toxins directly from the environment. According to Jacqueline Krohn, MD, “Caustic chemicals, such as alkaline solutions, can also penetrate the skin. Once a chemical has penetrated the stratum corneum (the most superficial layer of the skin), it moves through the epidermis and into the dermis. Skin brushing will enhance your health significantly. You may wonder how this is accomplished using, “skin brushing”. It is a fact that the skin is one of the optimal ways to getting to the endocrine system and all the glands it reaches very quickly. In addition, at the same time, it triggers them to react successfully. The instantaneous result from a brushing session is a feeling of increased physical well being.



The Benefits Of Dry Skin Brushing


• Dry skin brushing helps to shed dead skin cells, which can help improve skin texture and cell renewal.


• Dry skin brushing increases circulation to skin, encouraging your body’s discharge of metabolic wastes, which greatly aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. When the body rids itself of toxins, it is able to run more efficiently in all areas.


• Dry skin brushing also helps to tighten the skin because it increases the flow of blood. Increasing the circulation to the skin can also help lessen the appearance of cellulite.


• Dry skin brushing stimulates the lymph canals to drain toxic mucoid matter into the colon, thereby purifying the entire system. This enables the lymph to perform its house-cleaning duties by keeping the blood and other vital tissues detoxified. After several days of dry brushing, you may notice the gelatinous mucoid material in your stools.


• Dry skin brushing helps with muscle tone and more even distribution of fat deposits.


• Dry skin brushing also rejuvenates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin.


• Dry skin brushing helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.


• Individuals who sit at a computer screen all day long will particularly take pleasure in the benefits of skin brushing. People who have inactive lifestyles or jobs usually experience stiff and sore necks and shoulders that reach even into their arms and down their spines and into their lower backs. Increased blood flow begins entering the areas brushed and you will experience an increase in electromagnetic energy that permits you to feel energized and invigorated.


• LADIES—Cellulite is toxic. Cellulite is toxic materials that are accumulated in your body’s fat cells as they are unable to be eliminated. So, rather than liposuction surgery, how about utilizing the “dry skin brushing” techniques coupled with an alkaline diet program and a great exercising routine. It will break down the unwelcome toxic body deposits and send them scurrying out of your body through the elimination channels we discussed above.



How to Get Started With Your Skin Brushing Regimen

1. Purchase a natural, NOT a synthetic, bristle brush. (vegetable bristle)


2. Purchase a brush with a long handle, so that you are able to reach all areas of your body. Best-case scenario would be one that had a removable head with a strap for your hand.


3. Skin brushing should be performed once a day, preferably first thing in the morning. If you are feeling ill, please do it twice a day until you feel better.


4. Skin brushing should be performed prior to your bath or shower and your body dry and naked.


5. Begin brushing your skin in long sweeping strokes starting from the bottom of your feet upwards, and from the hands towards the shoulders, and on the torso in an upward direction. Always brush towards the heart. Try and brush several times in each area, over-lapping as you go.


6. Avoid sensitive areas and anywhere the skin is broken.



7. After brushing your skin, rinse off in the shower. Paavo Airola, author of Swedish Beauty Secrets, recommends alternating temperatures in the shower from hot to cold. This will further invigorate the skin and stimulate blood circulation, bring more blood to the outer layers of the skin.


8. After getting out of the shower, dry off vigorously and massage your skin with pure plant oil, such as almond, jojoba, sesame or coconut. We like to use a small amount of Euro Organic Oil which is a blend of sunflower, almond, apricot, avocado, and jojoba oils.

9. Don’t forget to clean your skin brush using soap and water once a week. After rinsing, dry your skin brush in an open, sunny spot to prevent mildew.


10. For a thorough lymphatic cleansing, perform skin brushing daily for a minimum of three months.


Caution: Do not brush on or over skin rashes, wounds, cuts, infections, poison oak or poison ivy.

Note: Any well designed program will take about 30 days to see and experience the changes. Please be patient and keep up the program! Before long you will have healthy glowing diva like skin....!

Primitive Diva in The Kitchen....

Working on a few recipes that will be in the upcoming book and I wanted to share one with you. This delicous and decadent dessert is made with ALL raw ingredients, NO sugar, NO dairy, NO grains(gluten free)A great way to entertain guest, get more veggies and nuts into your diet and still maintain DIVA'ish healthy figure ~!

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

(Double layer base of cake)

8-10 Organic Carrots
1 1/2 Cup of Walnuts
1 1/2 Cup of Medjool Dates(soaked)
1 Cup of Organic Raisins
2 Inch slice of Ginger or 2 tsp dried Ginger
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Cup of Shredded Coconut

(Frosting)
2 Cups Natural/Raw Cashews (soaked overnight and rinsed)
Juice from one(1) Orange
**Optional: 3 Tbsp of Raw Local Honey OR 3 Medjool Dates

Blend the cake ingredients in a food processor until mixture is mealy but formable. Form 2 equal layers for your cake and set aside. Now blend the frosting ingredients in a blender (I use my amazing Vita-mix for this- it is the best a DIVA can have, right?) You need to blend this until it is creamy smooth and no lumps. This requires alot of stirring, tamping and blending---be patient the creamy results are sooooo worth it! Once frosting is done, spread between the cake layers on your serving platter and then frost as you would a conventional cake. Decorate with carrot curls, coconut shreds and a few raisins. Chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours before slicing and serving. This is a big hit EVERY time I serve it. Let me know how you like it!

Empower our youth to steward the earth....!

As a parent and an advocate for reclaiming our health through sustainable farming and healing our earth/soil. I often discuss with others the devastation that could occur if we are not teaching our children and youth how to steward the earth. Will they learn from our mistakes? One of the principles that I have laid out on being a Primitive DIVA is based on a native american quote:“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”

Well, this 11 year old and the wisdom he shares in the below video- shows that these parents have empowered him with the ability to offer hope to the future generations.

Embracing the 10 Principles for a Primitive DIVA Lifestyle…….

1) Hunt and Gather ~(at your local farmers market, girls!) quality sources of pastured, grass fed or wild caught protein (all forms of meat, fowl, fish), lots of colorful organic vegetables, some select fruits (mostly berries), and healthy fats (nuts, avocados, olive oil). Eliminate grains, chemicals, dyes, preservatives, sugars, trans- and hydrogenated fats, Starbucks and “Franken-Foods” from your diet.

2) SUN~ Vitamin D - Contrary to the scare tactics of the media and sunscreen manufacturers (who suggest you shun the sun), the Primitive philosophy would suggest that you get some direct sunlight every day. Certainly not so much that you come close to burning, but definitely enough to prompt your body to make the all-important vitamin D and to support the mood-lifting benefits. A slight tan is a good indicator that you have maintained adequate Vitamin D levels. Natural sunlight also has a powerful HAPPINESS effect.

3) PLAY~ Throw off those high heels and go barefoot! Spend some time out doors in the fresh air each week involved in active play. In addition to efficiently combining your fitness to a real-life situation, play helps dissolve some of the negative effects of the chronic stress hormones you’ve been creating in your ever hectic and crazy, stress filled life. Do some form of intense anaerobic sprint bursts several times a week (playing chase with your kiddo’s or the dog). This could be as simple as a few short sprints up a hill, on the grass, at the beach… or repeated intense sessions on a bicycle (stationary, road or mountain bike). These short bursts also increase HGH release (HGH is actually released in proportion to the intensity (not the duration) of the exercise).

4) SLEEP~ Ahhhhh.....nothing is more important to a girl than ”beauty sleep”! Our lives are so hectic and full of things to do after the sun goes down that it’s often difficult to get enough sleep. Yet sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining good health, vibrant energy, a strong immune system and balanced hormones.

5) WATER~ Pure fresh hydration. Staying hydrated is THE basic principle for all of the bodies metabolic processes. It keeps our energy and metabolism humming, cleanses waste from our cells and keeps our skin plump and wrinkle free!

6) SLOW DOWN~ Take a walk, clear your mind, practice YOGA or Tai Chi, and meditate. Take time daily to quieten your mind and listen to your soul. Stress can wreak havoc on all of your attempts at living a healthy and primitive life- Let IT Go!

7) Strong BODY ~Build physical strength with functional fitness. Resistance exercises will keep your bones strong and your metabolism fired up. Did our primitive ancestors have gym memberships? They hunted, gathered, foraged, wandered, scouted, migrated, climbed and crawled. The women carried their babies much of the time (hey, no nannies in those days), as well as bundles of firewood, or whatever they had gathered. Remember “Lift like a man BUT look like a GODDESS” So throw off those Nikes, find something heavy to lift and Just do it!

8) Strong MIND~ Build mental strength. Keep your mind healthy, strong and sharp. Put your tiara’s away on the shelf and grab some interesting books. Expand your knowledge of anything you can dream. It’s VERY empowering!

9) Naked Beauty~ Beauty starts from the inside out with healthy living. However, we must keep the same primitive philosophy on pure, chemical free, natural and indigenous ingredients when it comes to skincare. Read the label-would you eat it? If not, don’t put it on your skin!

10) HEAL The EARTH~ Give back to the earth...Recycle, Compost and Reuse. Remember, if our ancestors had trashed the world before us-we would not be reading this book. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~Native American Proverb

Where's the BEEF?

Sorry, I had to pull a silly line from a childhood commercial for a well known fast food chain. And to to to use another famous quote..... "If I knew then what I know now", I would have NEVER eaten that particular BEEF. There has been alot of new research available in the past 5+ years that have brought beef back into its much deserved celebrity status. It had been given such a bad rap over the years simply because of how we chose to factory farm and raise these animals in this country.It is for this very reason, I became a vegan years ago! For those of you who have sworn off RED meat in fear of its fatty content and potential threat to heart disease, PLEASE take a moment to revisit this nutrient dense superfood. It does a body good.

So why the passionate promotion and what is there to like about beef? To its credit, beef offers among the biggest boost of protein per ounce of any traditional food. (Yes, insects and other underappreciated delicacies in some cases offer more. But, Divas do not eat bugs! To boot, beef is an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6, B12, K2, phosphorus, selenium, as well as iron, potassium, and riboflavin. In its best form (and we’ll get to that), it also serves as a good source of conjugated linoleic acid (do you realize that CLA is one of the leading weight loss supplements on the market, ladies!) and omega-3 fatty acids. (See why I am so compelled to defend red meat’s honor?)

The inevitable caveat, however, is this: not all beef is created equal. Most of the beef consumed today is not, by any stretch, what your great-grandparents (let alone our primitive ancestors) would’ve eaten. Modern day CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) do a real number on the nutrition of today’s beef cattle. Forget the happy cow image of relaxed, casual grazing on healthy, nutrient-rich grasses. CAFO cows are fed a diet of grains typically mixed with soy product and, honestly, whatever the farmer sees fit. (I read an article that interviewed a beef farmer who fed his cows those orange jelly candies. Why? Because he got an enormous load of them cheap from the local candy manufacturer since they were “defective.”) But there’s so much more. Let’s break it down….

Grass vs. Grain FedWhat is the big deal with grass-fed beef anyway? Well, for one, the conjugated linoleic acid content. As mentioned in yesterday’s cheese post, CLA is believed to offer anti-cancer properties. It can also help decrease the risk of insulin resistance. Another big difference? A pastured diet results in a nearly 1:1 ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. This is the ratio believed to characterize our hunter-gatherer ancestors (you know, Grok and company). What does a grain-fed ratio look like? Try 6:1. A skewed ratio is a prescription for inflammation and possible precursor/risk factor for chronic disease.

Finally, there’s the E-Coli issue. With all the concern about food safety in the last decade or so, one fact doesn’t get enough if any real press: grass fed (and finished) beef is considerably less likely to be infected with E-Coli (abstract), particularly acid resistant E-Coli that cannot be effectively “disarmed” by our digestive systems.

It’s worth noting that many cattle start off grass-fed early on in their lives but are nearly always switched to grain in the months before slaughter. Most of the initial omega-3 stores and other nutritional benefits are lost during that time. Grass-fed and –finished are not synonymous.

AntibioticsIn the age of so-called “super bugs,” bacteria resistant to even our most powerful drugs, you’d think the routine use of antibiotics for livestock would be scaled back if not outlawed. Not so. The majority of antibiotics in this country is administered not to sick humans or even sick animals but to basically healthy but unnaturally confined livestock. Because of the unnaturally crowded CAFO conditions (in addition to the poor diets), sickness is more common. However, instead of fixing the problem and changing the environment, all cattle are given a steady “preventative” dose of antibiotics to keep the herds clear of disqualifying disease. In response to growing antibiotic resistance, the European Union has outlawed the routine use of antibiotics in livestock, and debate is firing up in this country as well. Check out these websites for more information on the threat of CAFO antibiotic use to public health: Keep Antibiotics Working and The Pew Charitable Trusts: Human Health and Industrial Farming.

HormonesHeard of hormonal implants? (Not the human contraceptive kind…) We mean growth hormone implants placed in young cattle that will continue to administer hormone supplements for the long term (designed for continual “re-implanting”). Check out the internet for not only an explanation of the implant procedure but the dizzying array of hormone versions used in American livestock. Hmmm. So, that’s what’s for dinner….

Concern over hormone use has grown considerably over the last decade. Though the debate continues over the exact effects widespread use of these “natural” and synthetic hormones have on human consumers, the thinking tends to center around “how much” impact rather than “if.” The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health (a real mouthful, yes) conducted a review of relevant studies as well as subsequent follow ups on additional research. Their findings revealed legitimate human impact in the areas of human hormonal disruption and cancer risk.

Other IssuesHow about toxic pesticides (hormone disruptive, cancer-causing substances) used in growing feed and the prevalence of genetically modified grain feed? If you have reasonable access to organic, we suggest it. No one wants to be a guinea pig for Big Agra’s latest chemical or genetic concoction.

In addition to the pile of health issues, many consumers take issue with the ethical concerns and environmental impact of conventionally raised beef. Among them… Because of the extreme, unnatural confinement, CAFO cattle show significant signs of anxiety. The disposal of hormone-laden waste is an increasing controversy in certain regions of the country. Additional pesticide use for grain feed adds to our environmental chemical soup. It’s a sad existence for the cattle and an enormous burden on the land and waterways.

It’s true that meat as a whole is a resource-intensive food commodity. But humanely raised, grass-fed cattle from organic (or as close to it as possible) farms offer all the health benefits with a more sustainable farming approach.

Times are tough, we know. Nonetheless, from a purely health-focused, informative perspective, grass-fed (and –finished), organic beef stands as the ideal – the gold standard, albeit financially or logistically unattainable for many. The bottom line is this. As I always suggests, go for the cleanest meat you can find- there is such a price to pay with your health in making the INEXPENSIVE choice.

I have a local Texas resource for rotationally grazed beef. They are cowpooling! For those outside of Texas or unable to visit Starhaven Farms in Bedias, Texas. Please visit U.S.Wellness Meats by clicking on the link I have posted on my site.


Here is a Summary of Important Health Benefits of Grassfed Meats, Eggs and Dairy


Lower in Fat and Calories. There are a number of nutritional differences between the meat of pasture-raised and feedlot-raised animals. To begin with, meat from grass-fed cattle, sheep, and bison is lower in total fat. If the meat is very lean, it can have one third as much fat as a similar cut from a grain-fed animal. Grass-fed beef can have the same amount of fat as skinless chicken breast, wild deer, or elk Research shows that lean beef actually lowers your "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.


Because meat from grass-fed animals is lower in fat than meat from grain-fed animals, it is also lower in calories. (Fat has 9 calories per gram, compared with only 4 calories for protein and carbohydrates. The greater the fat content, the greater the number of calories.) As an example, a 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished steer can have 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grain-fed steer. If you eat a typical amount of beef (66.5 pounds a year), switching to lean grassfed beef will save you 17,733 calories a year—without requiring any willpower or change in your eating habits. If everything else in your diet remains constant, you'll lose about six pounds a year. If all Americans switched to grassfed meat, our national epidemic of obesity might diminish.

In the past few years, producers of grass-fed beef have been looking for ways to increase the amount of marbling in the meat so that consumers will have a more familiar product. But even these fatter cuts of grass-fed beef are lower in fat and calories than beef from grain-fed cattle.

Extra Omega-3s. Meat from grass-fed animals has two to four times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from grain- fed animals. Omega-3s are called "good fats" because they play a vital role in every cell and system in your body. For example, of all the fats, they are the most heart-friendly. People who have ample amounts of omega-3s in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat. Remarkably, they are 50 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack. Omega-3s are essential for your brain as well. People with a diet rich in omega-3s are less likely to suffer from depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder (hyperactivity), or Alzheimer's disease.

Another benefit of omega-3s is that they may reduce your risk of cancer. In animal studies, these essential fats have slowed the growth of a wide array of cancers and also kept them from spreading. Although the human research is in its infancy, researchers have shown that omega-3s can slow or even reverse the extreme weight loss that accompanies advanced cancer and also hasten recovery from surgery.

Omega-3s are most abundant in seafood and certain nuts and seeds such as flaxseeds and walnuts, but they are also found in animals raised on pasture. The reason is simple. Omega-3s are formed in the chloroplasts of green leaves and algae. Sixty percent of the fatty acids in grass are omega-3s. When cattle are taken off omega-3 rich grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on omega-3 poor grain, they begin losing their store of this beneficial fat. Each day that an animal spends in the feedlot, its supply of omega-3s is diminished.

This is not true of just beef- but also of chickens. Are they living a life that nature intended?


When chickens are housed indoors and deprived of greens, their meat and eggs also become artificially low in omega-3s. Eggs from pastured hens can contain as much as 10 times more omega-3s than eggs from factory hens.

It has been estimated that only 40 percent of Americans consume an adequate supply of omega-3 fatty acids. Twenty percent have blood levels so low that they cannot be detected.[10] Switching to the meat, milk, and dairy products of grass-fed animals is one way to restore this vital nutrient to your diet.

The CLA Bonus. Meat and dairy products from grass-fed ruminants are the richest known source of another type of good fat called "conjugated linoleic acid" or CLA. When ruminants are raised on fresh pasture alone, their products contain from three to five times more CLA than products from animals fed conventional diets.[11] (A steak from the most marbled grass-fed animals will have the most CLA ,as much of the CLA is stored in fat cells.)

CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer. In laboratory animals, a very small percentage of CLA—a mere 0.1 percent of total calories—greatly reduced tumor growth. [12] There is new evidence that CLA may also reduce cancer risk in humans. In a Finnish study, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet, had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Switching from grain-fed to grassfed meat and dairy products places women in this lowest risk category.13 Researcher Tilak Dhiman from Utah State University estimates that you may be able to lower your risk of cancer simply by eating the following grassfed products each day: one glass of whole milk, one ounce of cheese, and one serving of meat. You would have to eat five times that amount of grain-fed meat and dairy products to get the same level of protection.

Vitamin E. In addition to being higher in omega-3s and CLA, meat from grassfed animals is also higher in vitamin E. The graph below shows vitamin E levels in meat from: 1) feedlot cattle, 2) feedlot cattle given high doses of synthetic vitamin E (1,000 IU per day), and 3) cattle raised on fresh pasture with no added supplements. The meat from the pastured cattle is four times higher in vitamin E than the meat from the feedlot cattle and, interestingly, almost twice as high as the meat from the feedlot cattle given vitamin E supplements. In humans, vitamin E is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. This potent antioxidant may also have anti-aging properties. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin E.

A day without chocolate is like a day without sunshine!

So what would be a PERFECT topic for a Primitive Diva to write about.....? Maybe a primitive elixir and magical food of the gods? Of course,Cacao!

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE ~Linda Grayson, "The Pickwick Papers"


Cacao beans were so revered by the Mayans and Aztecs that they used them instead of gold as money!

When political turmoil caused Cortez to return to Spain in 1528, he brought with him precious minerals, agricultural goods and Cacao beans. Cortez was probably the first to bring Chocoloate to Europe. The world would never be the same! About the Cacao drink- he wrote it was: " A cup of this precious drink will build up resistance and fight fatigue. A cup of this magical elixir permits a man to walk a full day without food"

While I would never suggest you go a day without food to test this theory I will say-I would NEVER go a day without Chocolate. Nor would Ms. Sherman author of Divine Indulgences; Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate!~ Elaine Sherman, Book of Divine Indulgences

Early colonial records indicate how cacao was used as a medicine and acted as a carrier in the administration of other remedies in the 1500's. The medicinal value of cacao was in its ability to treat weak patients with a variety of dis-ease. It was particularly known to improve digestion and stimulate kidney and bowel function. Additional diseases that responded to treatment using cacao was anemia, fatigue, fever, low sex drive, respiratory troubles, poor appetite and low breat milk production. In addition to the cacao bean, the oil/butter was used in the treatment of skin problems including eczema, psoriasis and burns. Today, cacao oil is considered a beauty aid in its use as a skin moisturizer, lubricating agent and when combined with the cacao bean, is used to make the chocolate confectionery we're familiar with. All chocolate is derived from the cacao bean/seeds. Nicknamed 'black gold' by the Spanish, it's no mystery that chocolate continues to captivate our taste buds with its rich bittersweet dance on our palette.

With over 300 identifiable chemical compounds, cacao is one of the most complex and pleasurably satisfying foods on the planet. In its raw form, cacao contains anandamide (a euphoric substance), arginine (a natural aphrodisiac), neurotransmitters that stimulate and balance brain activity, tryptophan (an anti-depressant), antioxidants and other beneficial compounds known to have rejuvenating and anti-ageing elements. Cacao is high in the mineral magnesium, essential for helping the heart to pump blood efficiently, building strong bones, and lowering blood pressure. In fact, the strong desire for chocolate during the female menstrual cycle may be related to cravings for magnesium, a mineral with calming qualities. Cacao is a good source of the beauty mineral sulphur, responsible for healthy skin, nails and hair. In todays culture, chocolate is used as a gift for occasions such as St Valentines Day, Easter, Birthdays and Christmas etc. Many of us are likely to consume a little chocolate everyday for its mood boosting effects in an attempt to escape from the stress of working life. Chocolate satiates our appetite for pleasure like no other substance. Is it any wonder that 50% of women prefer chocolate to sex? The portability and availability of chocolate makes it the perfect private pleasure to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

With the revival of films like 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' and 'Le Chocolat', chocolate lovers everywhere got to indulge their fantasies, inspired by the film industry.

A symbol of sensuality, any male suitor is wise to offer a gift of chocolate to any prospective female; a delightful box of dark edibles all wrapped in decorative gold foil will put a smile on any chocolate-loving females face. Cacao has always been associated with fertility and love by PRIMITIVE cultures.

The versatility of chocolate has allowed us to expand our repertoire of how we can engage ourselves with its intense flavours and textures. From mouth-watering rich cream gateaux to the velvety texture in truffles, there is nothing we can't do with chocolate; it inspires us to create more and more mouth-watering variations to satisfy our appetite. In fact, one can devote one's whole life to becoming a chocolate 'creative' of distinction.

Chocolate will always be an affordable luxury that almost anyone can indulge regardless of class or stature. We can all taste what the Aztecs and Mayans tasted and we will always be grateful for their cultivation of the revered and sacred cacao bean. Long may we continue our passionate, blissful affair with this divine gift from the cacao tree.





FatCocoa beans contain approximately 50% fat. It is primarily comprised of two saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids) and one mono-unsaturated acid (oleic acid). Cocoa butter and chocolate do not raise blood cholesterol. However, when consuming milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate where a part of the total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat, the cholesterol level might be adversely affected.

SugarThe cacao bean contains quite a lot of carbohydrates, but most of it is starch, soluble dietary fibers, and insoluble dietary fibers. A very small proportion is simple sugars. Sugar is added during the manufacture of chocolate.

AntioxidantsCocoa beans contain polyphenols (similar to those found in wine) with antioxidant properties which are health beneficial. These compounds are called flavonoids and include catechins, epicatechins, and procyandins. The antioxidant flavinoids are found in the nonfat portions of the cocoa bean. The flavinoids also reduce the blood's ability to clot and thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Theobromine
Theobromine is a very mild stimulant with a mild diuretic action (increases the production of urine). Theobromine can be toxic to animals like dogs, cats, parrots and horses.

CaffeineCocoa beans contains a very low amount of caffeine, much less than found in coffee, tea and cola drinks.

PhenylethylaminePhenylethylamine is a slight antidepressant and stimulant similar to the body's own dopamine and adrenaline.

SerotoninCocoa and chocolate can increase the level of serotonine in the brain. Serotonine levels are often decreased in people with depression and in those experiencing PMS symptoms.

Essential mineralsCocoa beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese.

VitaminsA, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid.

So, Diva's indulge in this magical food in moderation daily....its a first step to being PRIMITIVE!

And a great read while you are savoring this mood elixir is NAKED Chocolate....!

Becoming Primitive....

In my research for the Primitive DIVA book, I have spent countless hours reading blogs, books, magazines and research around Natural Health, Wellness, the promotion of living a more Green primitive lifestyle and all things related to sustainable living. One thing became very predictable in most of the authors message(s).
Doom and gloom, and lots of negative and fear based writing.

In the past several years I have intentionally limited my exposure to serious environmental issues in the media. Mainly because as a super sensitive empathetic person, I could not deal with all the negative information without having the solution to share. It seems that having the knowledge is one thing, but the power comes in knowing how to make concrete steps towards leading a more natural life, not just being bombarded with all the realistic understanding of chemical and industrial hazards that are out there.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do consider it imperative that we need to be aware of any danger associated with knowing where our food comes from, be able to know what to look for in your household cleaners, skin care products along with being mindful of the impact we leave on this beautiful blue/green globe of ours…. However, The challenge is balance. Knowing what to DO about it, practical steps towards better living. This reflects in my own Primitive Diva philosophy that will be explained in more detail in the book.
For instance, knowing which foods are the best to eat organically really helps me prioritize choices in the grocery store. I am continually quoted as answering questions during a nutrition consult with “Well, in a PERFECT world, we would choose…..” Guess what? We do not live in a perfect world! Realistically, I cannot optimally sustain my health and that of my family IF I refuse to consume anything else but local, organically grown foods that I have personally confirmed their individual farming practices. The Diva side of me lives in the real world with busy’ness and stressful family activities and schedules. So finding my way to being primitive has empowered me with information and practical advice of long lost traditional wisdom to share.

I have devoted much time over the past 20 years studying data in both nutritional clinical /science (the Future) and nutritional anthropology (the Past). The two directions have allowed me a much deeper understanding of natures intended nutritional guidelines. My own nutritional experiences (success’s and failures) have ranged from RAW vegan, Macro-biotic, Yeast Free, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Carb to Raw Paleothic… Whatever the diet dictocrats were promoting as the lastest and greatest. You name it and there is a book selling it.---and people hoping for a magic bullet, buying it! All in trying to understand our physical makeup and what allows the body to heal itself---“let food be thy medicine”, right? I have a sincere passion to understand the how and why’s of our traditional pillars of health wisdom. With the ludicrous statements and theories that I have seen, read or heard from the gurus through the years— and a strong mistrust of anything to do with corporately founded/funded science (Big Pharma, Big Agra, Food Scientist, the AMA, the FDA, the USDA or any other government or corporate agency) I began a very important evolutionary quest to get past the hype, confusion and political posturing of our food industry that surrounds our experts in dietary/nutrition arena. I searched for facts that could be evidenced through several generations. I discovered my most profound truth for health and wellness by looking back---by looking at generations of our ancestors. Societies who thrived by hunting wild animals and fish and gathered wild fruits and vegetables. We commonly refer to their lifestyle today as “hunter-gatherer”. I have studied research material of the world’sPioneers of nutrition, leading evolutionary biologist, paleontologists, geneticist, nutritional anthropologist and researchers devoted to the historical study of the human body and health.
Through the professional research support and education from these experts I have embraced the learning of forgotten food preparations and traditions of generations before us. Methods that seemed to have been tossed away with each new technological advance, preservative and flavor/color enhancer. What people have eaten and more importantly how they prepared it has helped humans for many ages of time be free of diseases- such as diabetes, cancer, hypothyroidism, heart disease, auto-immune diseases ,dental disease obesity and many other serious health problems. Their diets not only influenced their health but for a large extent---determined it! History reveals that the healthiest people in the world were/are the most primitive people as well! Our ancestors rarely died from diet or lifestyle related illnesses that kill most modern people before their time. Our ancestors foraged for wild game, fresh caught fish from the sea or inlands, wild berries, nuts and plant foods. They had more active lifestyles in every day physical demands. They did not have health clubs and gyms.
While I readily admit that we cannot go back to the old ways of our primitive ancestors completely, we can learn from their wisdom and make our bodies strong, healthy and disease resistant. So, over the next few months I will share some principles for maintaining optimal health in a very primitive way.

Lets explore the definition of the original hunter gatherer primitive diet:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

First popularized in the mid 1970s by a gastroenterologist named Walter L. Voegtlin, this nutritional concept has been promoted and adapted by a number of authors and researchers in several books and academic journals. A common theme in evolutionary medicine, Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and therefore that an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet. Proponents of this diet argue that modern human populations subsisting on traditional diets allegedly similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers are largely free of diseases of affluence, and that two small prospective studies of the Paleolithic diet in humans have shown some positive health outcomes. Supporters point to several potentially therapeutic nutritional characteristics of allegedly preagricultural diets.

The Vegetarian Myth

I have several books that have been quite profound in my own quest to understand the mystery of nutritional science and nutritional anthropology.However,as a former moral/ethical vegan, The Vegetarian Myth, by Lierre Keith,strongly resonated with me from the very first chapter.

Lierre Keith spent almost twenty years as a dedicated vegan, “succumbing to weakness” by eating fatty dairy products only on rare occasions. Her book is a moving account of how that diet destroyed her body and how she came to realize that vegetarianism was not the answer to the problems of environmental destruction, animal suffering or Third World starvation.

She did not come to this knowledge easily. Despite her catastrophically failing health, she was certain it could not be due to her diet. Didn’t everyone know that animal foods with their saturated fat and cholesterol, not to mention their growth hormones and antibiotics, were the cause of all our modern health woes? And wasn’t it obvious that CAFOs (Confinement Animal Feeding Operations) and slaughterhouses are institutions of torture, as well as environmental disasters, that the grain and water used for animals should feed the starving masses instead? Wasn’t it morally wrong to kill a sentient creature for food, when it was clearly unnecessary?

So she dragged her weary body through each day, her life a testament to her desperate, noble commitment to life, justice and compassion. As she struggled to find answers to her deteriorating health, she also took another step along her path as an environmentalist and began trying to grow her own food. As she puts it, these two quests led her to an adult knowledge of the world that she had never learned before. It’s that knowledge that she shares in her beautifully written book, which is organized into three main sections addressing moral vegetarians (those who are vegetarian because they believe that killing/oppressing animals is wrong), political vegetarians (those who believe that the grain fed to animals should feed starving humans), and nutritional vegetarians (those who believe that animal food is detrimental to human health). These chapters are bookended by an introduction (“Why This Book?”) and a conclusion (“To Save the World”).

Moral Vegetarians
In addressing the argument that it is wrong to kill animals for food, or even to oppress them for their milk or eggs, Keith makes it clear that she is in no way excusing the horrors of factory farming. But there are humane ways to raise animals for food. And what’s more, just because there is no dead animal on your dinner plate doesn’t mean many animals (and birds, insects, microbes, prairies, rivers) didn’t die so that you could have that plate of rice, beans and tofu. The worldwide expansion of grain-based agriculture has destroyed ecosystems, drained wetlands, caused extinctions, killed the life in the soil. Several hundred small animals die in or under the machinery every time a field of grain is harvested. And insects, and bacteria, and the plants themselves. Death is inherent in every bite of food that keeps each of us alive.

As Keith tried to raise her own food, she became aware of and involved in nature and its cycles, and learned that plants eat, and that what they eat is animals—whether in the form of fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers or today’s blood and bones. The soil eats too, a million tiny organisms in every spoonful of topsoil, all doing the producing and degrading that make life possible for the rest of us. The insects needed to eat, and if she was to rescue any of her vegetables from them, she had a choice between chemicals and birds. Could she bear to “exploit” some chickens, even if she didn’t eat them in the end, by putting them to work eating bugs in her garden? Would she personally be culpable for the death of those insects, having put the chickens in proximity to them herself? Adult knowledge dawned in her, that “predators” and “prey” could apply equally to all life forms, depending on when. All life forms fit into a circle of producers, consumers and degraders. We all need to eat and in the end we all need to be eaten.

Political Vegetarians
Political vegetarians argue that it’s unethical to wastefully feed animals tons of grain that could feed hungry humans throughout developing nations. Keith exposes the ignorance of this argument on several counts. First, we shouldn’t be feeding animals grain in feedlots; they should be eating grass on pasture and returning nutrients in the form of urine and manure to build the soil. Second, much of the world isn’t suitable for intensive grain cultivation and we’ve almost tapped out the topsoil in the places that are suitable. Even with increasing crop yields, we’ll run out of oil to make synthetic fertilizer and transport the grain around the world. Third, a grain-based diet will only keep these people malnourished (see the “Nutritional Vegetarians” chapter).

Finally, the argument about human starvation is simply a smoke screen for Big Ag. Hungry nations don’t need our food aid; they need us to stop the subsidized exports and strong arm trade negotiation tactics that demolished their native food systems and caused the starvation in the first place. Monsanto, Cargill, ConAgra, Archer Daniels Midland—these are the companies that give us GMO corn and soybeans, promote junk food dressed up as “nutraceuticals,” and set grain prices below the cost of production—and which, with the oil companies and other big businesses, own almost all the small organic labels (Hain, Cascadian Farms, Muir Glen, etc.), too. They’re happy to take more money selling organic food to well-meaning yuppies while simultaneously doing all they can to erode organic standards so they can produce more cheaply yet still command a premium price. They do not have the wellbeing of the world’s hungry foremost in their mind, despite disingenuous “corporate pledges” that claim otherwise (see monsanto.com, cargill.com, and adm.com for some truly outrageous rhetoric about their “values,” which are in complete opposition to their behavior).

Monsanto is buying up seed companies and patenting every seed it can, thus stealing for their own intellectual property the work of generations of farmers worldwide over the centuries. They sue poor farmers who try to save patented seed from year to year. Do we really think it’s a good idea to make the entire world dependent on a handful of plants owned by a handful of utterly ruthless companies?

Nutritional Vegetarians
This chapter will be thoroughly familiar to regular readers of this journal. Keith learned through hard experience that her animal body needed the food it evolved to eat. Nutrient-dense animal foods rich in complete protein, saturated fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals allowed our brains to increase in size while our digestive tracts shrank millions of years before we domesticated grains. We are no longer vegetarian primates like the gorillas.

Keith also discusses the damage the grains wreak throughout our bodies. Their opioids addict us and so we keep pulling down whole ecosystems to spread them, but their sugars, starches, lectins, phytates, enzyme inhibitors and phytoestrogens cause blood sugar swings, insulin resistance, gut and joint inflammation, autoimmune diseases, mineral deficiencies, digestive disorders, hormonal disruptions and many more medical problems. As other researchers and writers have shown, the last century’s exponential increase in consumption of modern agribusiness's refined carbohydrates, manufactured fats, and isolated plant proteins coupled with the decrease in consumption of traditional nutrient-dense foods, is responsible for most of the chronic illness that plagues us today.

To Save the World?
If I have any major criticism of this book, it's that the final chapter is pretty grim. And yet, I can’t even really fault her for that. Keith has done her research, crunched the numbers, and thinks that the planet can’t truly sustain even one tenth of our current numbers for the long term. Many will bristle at her first recommendation: "Don't have children." But as she points out, a large portion of humanity wouldn’t be around today if it weren’t for the Green Revolution, which accelerated the loss of our topsoil and the destruction of ecosystems even as it provided a starvation diet for billions more humans (with the profits going to a very few corporations). If we don’t decrease our numbers voluntarily, and soon, we may see them decrease rapidly and involuntarily through starvation, environmental collapse and warring over the last of our resources.

Keith seamlessly weaves arguments against grain agriculture with indictments of patriarchy, religion and the cult of masculinity. Many of these themes will unsettle or turn off readers who otherwise agree with her main points against vegetarianism. But she persuasively links the spread of agriculture to the spread of slavery, imperialism, militarism, and class divisions—on the whole, the agricultural experiment has meant a net loss in freedom and individual rights.

I don’t know whether she’s right about how truly desperate the situation is. But even if reality will not be quite so grim as she paints it, to mitigate the danger we must increase our vigilance and our activism in pursuit of grass-farming, not grain-farming. And we must be ever more active and vocal in politics and in the protection of individual rights. If global food crises do come when petroleum-based ag fails, can we imagine that governments under pressure wouldn’t seize the remaining fertile land from the grass-farmers, “for the public good”?

Keith's bibliography is filled with names that will be familiar to readers of this journal: Eades, Enig, Fallon, Price, Purdey, Ross, Salatin, Schmid, Taubes. But don’t think that if you’ve read all of these authors and you’re eating meat that you have nothing to learn from this book. Keith will also introduce you to some fascinating voices you may not yet know: I’ve already ordered my copies of Derrick Jenson’s Endgame and Stephen Buhner’s The Lost Language of Plants.

Part of the brilliance of her book is its astonishing readability; the grace and ease with which she weaves lay-reader-friendly scientific explanations about plant chemistry and nutrition with heartbreaking narrative about her personal journey. And I was astonished at how much I learned about life cycles, soil, plants, animals, wetlands and politics (the nutrition I already knew) in a mere 274 pages of seamlessly flowing text. Keith bares her soul for us ... a soul that aches for so much we’ve already lost. I wept at several points, not only on my first read through, but again on my second. Her book is a plaintive cry for us to wake up from the fantasy of endless consumption and entitlement that we’ve been playing out for far too long, and from the pernicious corollary that if we just recycle and “buy organic” and replace our incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents that it will all be okay.

The Vegetarian Myth is an eloquent and utterly persuasive argument against vegetarianism. Keith pulls no punches, but she does address vegetarians with empathy and love. She has been there; she knows the prayer in the vegan heart. Few vegans truly stick it out for twenty years, so Keith has earned her soapbox. And she realizes that for those who have built an entire identity around their diet, all three of the main vegetarian arguments must be thoroughly dealt with before another way can be considered. Mass vegetarianism would not save the world, but in fact would hasten its destruction.

I hope that this book will help vegetarians and vegans who are struggling to maintain their diet despite its effect on their health, to see that while their compassion and fervor for justice are honorable and noble, they are mistaken about the solution.

What is Yerba Mate?

I have been drinking Guayaki Yerba Mate for about 10 years. So sometimes I am perplexed when I mention it and find so many others who have never experienced it. Originally, I used it as an endurance aid for working out or cycling- it has become such an enjoyment for an afternoon pick me up while writing. Let me share some of the wonderful benefits and a bit of history to this exciting drink.

Yerba mate was discovered centuries ago by the indigenous people in South America and has been revered as the “drink of the gods” and consumed to enhance, vitality, clarity, and well-being. With 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, 11 polyphenols, caffeine, and is high in antioxidants, yerba mate triumphs as nature’s most balanced stimulant.

Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world--yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana--yerba mate is the healthiest, delivering both energy and nutrition.

•Helps Stimulate Focus and Clarity*
•Boosts Physical Energy*
•Traditionally Used to Support Weight Loss Programs that Include a Balanced Diet and Exercise*
•Aids Elimination*
•Contains Antioxidants*



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Legends of Yerba Mate


Yerba mate is the legendary infusion from South America that is luring people away from their daily coffee fix. Yerba mate first caught the attention of world-class athletes and health-conscious people, but now mate is becoming a favorite healthful daily ritual for all people taking their well-being seriously. Grown in the sub-tropical rainforests of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, yerba mate has long been revered as the “drink of the gods”.

The legendary vitality beverage!


For centuries, South America’s Ache Guayaki tribe have sipped yerba mate from a traditional mate gourd for its rejuvenative effects. These rainforest people find tremendous invigoration, focus, and nourishment in yerba mate. The leaves of the rainforest mate tree naturally contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants. In fact, The Pasteur Institute and the Paris Scientific society in 1964 concluded "it is difficult to find a plant in any area of the world equal to mate in nutritional value" and that yerba mate contains "practically all of the vitamins necessary to sustain life."


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Yerba mate is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil where it is consumed 6 to 1 over coffee. In Argentina, over 90% of the people drink yerba mate with a gourd and bombilla.


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Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a small tree native to the subtropical Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. This evergreen member of the holly family was introduced to modern civilizations by the indigenous Guarani of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Yerba mate naturally contains 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, abundant antioxidants, and is generally consumed for vitality, clarity, and well being. Of the six commonly used stimulants in the world: yerba mate, coffee, tea, kola nut, cocoa, and guarana, yerba mate triumphs as natures most balanced stimulant, delivering both energy and nutrition. Yerba mate is the uplifting and nourishing choice of health-minded individuals.

There are many legends surrounding yerba mate, and it's known to the Argentine Gauchos (cowboys) as their "liquid vegetable", and to the native forest peoples who have survived periods of drought and famine by drinking yerba mate as the “Drink of the Gods”.

The icon for yerba mate is the unique gourd from which it is consumed and shared, the Mate Gourd. “Yerba” means herb. “Mate” is derived from the quichua word, "matí," which is the name of the gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) traditionally used to drink yerba mate. So, literally, yerba mate means “herb cup”. For centuries people have sipped yerba mate using a gourd and bombilla - a filter like straw. It is believed that drinking yerba mate from the gourd is a joyful way to receive the healthful and invigorating properties of yerba mate. The mate gourd is offered as a symbol of hospitality and is peacefully passed from hand to hand around a circle of friends while ideas are shared, stories are told, and a sense of community is created. Yerba mate lifts the spirit.

In Paraguay, yuyeras (herbalists) have been using yerba mate for centuries as the base of herbal medicine mixtures called “remedios” or remedies. It is common to make “remedios” with yerba mate by steeping medicinal herbs in the water used to prepare mate in the gourd. It is believed that by improving circulation and promoting balance, yerba mate acts as a catalyst to enhance the healing powers of other herbs.

Yerba mate contains caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine, well-known stimulants also found in tea, coffee and chocolate. The caffeine content varies between that of green tea and coffee. Unlike tea, yerba mate has a low tannin content so it can be strong like coffee with out becoming extremely bitter. Unlike coffee, yerba mate is not oily and acid forming, so it is less likely to cause stomach acid and jitters.

Yerba mate is very versitile and can be prepared a variety of ways, from a tea infuser or French press to a coffee machine, even an esspresso maker. It can be consumed hot, or cold, and served with with milk and honey or with lemon and mint.

You can find my favorite brand of Yerba Mate....Guayaki at most large grocers and wholefoods. It is available in tea bag form or loose for brewing in a french press~ENJOY!

Kombucha Baby.....!

Okay, for the past few months I have been busy breeding "Scobys" (AKA- Kombucha Babies)! Before you get concerned, a Scoby stands for "symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts". After investing a great portion of my childrens college fund trying to support my Kombucha drinking habit. I am a "Booch" addict, I admit. I got my starter culture and I have mastered making my own Kombucha, I wanted to shed light on this mysterious and magical ~Elixir.

Today we will discover what Kombucha is, where it's from, and exactly what the heck is in this stuff once fully prepared.

Kombucha is a living health drink made by fermenting tea and sugar with the kombucha culture. The result can taste like something between sparkling apple cider and champagne, depending on what kind of tea you use. It's not what you'd imagine fermented tea to taste like.

The origins of Kombucha have become lost in the mists of time. It is thought to have originated in the Far East, probably China, and has been consumed there for at least two thousand years. The first recorded use of kombucha comes from China in 221 BC during the Tsin Dynasty. It was known as "The Tea of Immortality".

It has been used in Eastern Europe, Russia and Japan for several centuries. It's from Japan in 415 AD that the name kombucha is said to have come. A Korean physician called Kombu or Kambu treated the Emperor Inyko with the tea and it took his name, "Kombu" and "cha" meaning tea. Russia has a long tradition of using a healing drink called "Tea Kvass" made from a "Japanese Mushroom".

From Russia it spread to Prussia, Poland, Germany and Denmark but it seems to have died out during World War Two. After the war Dr Rudolph Skelnar created renewed interest in kombucha in Germany when he used it in his practice to treat cancer patients, metabolic disorders, high blood pressure and diabetes.



The Kombucha Culture

The Kombucha culture looks like a beige or white rubbery pancake. It's often called a 'scoby' which stands for ' symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts.The culture is placed in sweetened black or green tea and turns a bowl full of sweet tea into a bowl full of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and health-giving organic acids.

As the Kombucha culture digests the sugar it produces a range of organic acids like glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, malic acid and usnic acid; vitamins, particularly B vitamins and vitamin C; as well as amino acids, enzymes. And of course there are all the benefits of the probiotic microorganisms themselves. The Kombucha culture is a biochemical powerhouse in your kitchen.

You might wonder if fermenting tea with yeasts would produce an alcoholic beverage. It's a good question. The yeasts do produce alcohol but the bacteria in the culture turn the alcohol to organic acids. Only minute quantities of alcohol, typically .5% to 1%. That means that drinking an entire gallon of kombucha is the equivalent of drinking a half can of beer. To put it another way, kombucha tea has the same amount of alcohol as a fermented piece of fruit (leave an orange out in the sun for a day).

Though this small amount of alcohol will not get you intoxicated, it is a wonderfull attribute to the tea, as it achieves many beneficial results. Besides aiding in circulation in our bodies and, helping with our lymphatic system alcohol works as a preservative allowing your tea to brew and ferment continuously, with out ever requiring refrigeration as long as the kombucha culture is in contact with it and the brewing container has a breathable cloth on top. In fact, this is one of the great benefits we took to create the concept of the continuous brewing system.

With every brew you make the kombucha forms a new layer or scoby on the surface of the liquid. These can be left to thicken the scoby or can be divided, giving you spare cultures that you can store in some sweet tea in the fridge in case something should happen to your active culture. Or you might want to pass on spare Kombucha cultures to friends or use a new scoby to start another batch of kombucha.

Kombucha and Health

Many health claims are made for kombucha. It has certainly been shown to have exceptional antibiotic, antiviral and anti fungal properties in lab tests. In rats it’s been shown to protect against stress and improve liver function. There is a lot of experiential evidence from people who have been using kombucha over many years. Many of the benefits reported include improvements in energy levels, metabolic disorders, allergies, cancer, digestive problems, candidiasis, hypertension, HIV, chronic fatigue and arthritis. It ‘s also used externally for skin problems and as a hair wash among other things.

The Organic Acids

Glucuronic acid
The body's most important detoxifier. When toxins enter the liver this acid binds them to it and flushes them out through the kidneys. Once bound by glucuronic acid toxins cannot escape. A product of the oxidation process of glucose, glucuronic acid is one of the more significant constituents of Kombucha. As a detoxifying agent it's one of the few agents that can cope with pollution from the products of the petroleum industry, including all the plastics, herbicides, pesticides and resins. It kidnaps the phenols in the liver, which are then eliminated easily by the kidneys. Kombucha can be very helpful for allergy sufferers. Another by-product of glucuronic acid are the glucosamines, the structures associated with cartilage, collagen and the fluids which lubricate the joints. It is this function that makes Kombucha so effective against arthritis.

Lactic Acid
Essential for the digestive system. Assist blood circulation, helps prevent bowel decay and constipation. Aids in balancing acids and alkaline in the body and believed to help in the prevention of cancer by helping to regulate blood pH levels.

Acetic Acid
A powerful preservative and it inhibits harmful bacteria.

Usnic Acid
A natural antibiotic that can be effective against many viruses.

Oxalic Acid
An effective preservative and encourages the intercellular production of energy.

Malic acid
Helps detoxify the liver.

Gluconic Acid
Produced by the bacteria, it can break down to caprylic acid is of great benefit to sufferers of candidiasis and other yeast infections such as thrush.

Butyric acid
Produced by the yeast, protects human cellular membranes and combined with Gluconic acid strengthens the walls of the gut to combat yeast infections like candida.

Types of Tea for Kombucha
Kombucha requires tea for its fermentation (Camellia Sinensis). That's real tea not herbal tea. It can be also be sensitive to strong aromatic oils. A tea like Earl Grey that contains Bergamot oil, can sometimes kill or badly affect the culture. There are several different kinds of tea that give different results from lighter tastes to stronger more cider like tastes.

Black Tea
Black tea is made from leaves that have been fully fermented. The leaf is spread out and left to wilt naturally, before being fired, producing a deep, rich flavour and an amber brew.

Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is half way between green tea and black tea. It's gently rolled after picking and allowed to partially ferment until the edges of the leaves start to turn brown. Oolong combines the taste and colour of black and green tea.

Green Tea
Green tea is withered then steamed or heated to prevent oxidation and then rolled and dried. It is characterized by a delicate taste, light green colour. The Japanese tea Sencha makes an especially fine kombucha.

White Tea
White Tea is the rarest and most delicate of tea. Plucked forty-eight hours or less between the time the first buds become fully mature and the time they open. Unlike black and green teas, white tea isn't rolled or steamed, but simply aired dried in the sun, this preserves more of its antioxidant properties. White tea has about three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green. White tea represents the least processed form of tea.

Yeast....Candida?

I have recieved alot of questions on this.I will address the specific concern regarding drinking kombucha for Candida and/or yeast infections. Many of you have read that kombucha is a wonderful cure for Candida and yeast infections, however, concern was raised when you discovered with my instructions during the workshop that kombucha actually contains live yeast and bacteria. If that's the case, how can ingesting yeast actually help get rid of it?

In a nutshell (a very small nutshell, like a pistachio), the yeast found in kombucha IS NOT the same as the unwanted yeast your body excretes through Candida and yeast infections . In fact yeast overgrowth is the result but the reason is often due to too much sugar in ones diet. So, regarding sugar:

Most of the sugar found in kombucha is converted after ten to fourteen days from brewing. This means with the continuous brewing method, the more you wait, the less sugar there will be present when you drink. If you constantly want to have less sugar you will need to bottle your tea to last you for about 5 days BEFORE you add a new batch of your sweet tea.

So there ya go. Kombucha could be beneficial in resolving Candida but make sure your kombucha has been fermented for at least 10 days if you want to cut down on the sugar levels!


I have new grown SCOBY's available for anyone in the Houston area who would like to become a Kombucha Alchemist too. Drink up!

In Health,
Melissa
The Primitive Diva




References
The Ubiquitous Co-Enzyme UDPGlucuronic Acid Detoxifying Agent in Kombucha Tea? By Norbert Hoffmann.
The History and Spread of Kombucha By James Roche.
Kombucha Tea for Your Health and Healing.
The Fascination of Kombucha by Günther W. Frank

Seeds of Deception

I have been very empowered by the information that he has written in his book and shared in his interviews.Looking forward to reading his book....ordered today!

Where did we go wrong....?

As a society, especially in the past 50 years, we have focused somewhat in a blind fashion on FUTURE growth, change and exponential progress of our world. I often reflect at the vast number of changes in technology that I have personally experienced in my own mere 45 years. The advent of the Microwave Oven, the VCR/DVD player and Video Game Systems, Computers, Internet, Cell Phones…… we have sped our lives up and expect instant gratification at a faster and faster pace, year after year. We are racing ahead to solve all of the worlds’ problems without once looking back and contemplating the foundational wisdom of those before us. Combine this pace of technology with our food supply and we have leapt forward in the corporate agenda led -food sciences industry . We now have bigger breasted chickens, the “perfect” pork chop, insecticide resistant soybean seeds, fluffier loaves of bread, and even genetically modified tomatoes that will not go bad on the extended trip across the globe to the supermarket shelf. We have flavor enhancers that cause brain lesions, Food dyes that are directly related to neuro transmitter disturbance, Sweeteners that alter our brain chemistry and hormones. If that’s not enough in super progressive scientific developments , we have NEW fats/oils that come with a risk of gas, bloody stools, nausea and the inability to control bowel movements(scary). We can buy magic bullets (supplements) that make outrageous claims for curing the incurable without changing our eating or physical activity. Currently,doctors prescribe more medications that offer serious lethal side effects than provide actual treatment. Lastly, we have skin care products that contain petro-chemicals that are also found in anti-freeze. Seriously, who could possibly think this is okay?

And yet with all of these advancements and at no other time in the history of the world, have we ever been more concerned about the subject of diet and nutrition. If we accept the premise that-- what we eat determines our health--, then we must add the current (statistically evidenced) observation of how poorly we eat in this country alone must result in how poorly we feel.

Although heart disease and cancer were rare at the turn of the century, today these two diseases strike with increasing frequency, in spite of the billions of dollars spent on research, prevention and methods to combat them through amazing advances in diagnostics and surgical procedures. In America, one person in three dies of cancer, one in three suffers from allergies, one in ten will have ulcers and one out of five pregnancies will result in mis-carriage. One quarter of a million babies are born with birth defects each year. Other degenerative diseases—arthritis, multiple sclerosis, digestive disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis, alzheimers, epilepsy and chronic fatigue—afflict a significant majority of our country. This is draining the energy and very lifeblood from our nation. Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hyperactivity afflict several million young people. These diseases and disabilities were extremely rare only a few generations ago. Today, chronic illness afflicts nearly half of all Americans and causes three out of four deaths annually. Most tragically, these diseases that were only experienced in the aging population are now striking our children—younger and younger each year.

Americans spend one dollar out of every fourteen for medical services, or over $800 billion yearly---more than the national deficit, the food bill and the profits for of all US corporations combined—yet we have little resources to show for this drain on our economy. Medical science has not been able to lengthen our life span. Fewer persons alive at 70 today survive until 90 than forty years ago. Even with our improved sanitation and the reduction in infant mortality. Clearly something has gone very wrong, even though many Americans have been concientous about following their doctors and government agencies (American Heart Associations) advice on their dietary intake and exercise guidelines. Many have stopped smoking and increased their consumption of vegetables and fruits, reduced consumption of red meat and salt. But none of these measures have made a dent in the ever-increasing toll of degenerative disease.

It is our only hope for survival to slow down and revisit the legacy of our ancestors just a few generations ago. A more PRIMITIVE way of living, away for the chemistry experiment that we have conducted on our nations and families health all in the name of progress.

The REAL Cost of Convenience…..?

Most of what we take for granted in our comfortable lives is NOT what nature intended. However, in the name of protecting and saving our most promoted precious commodity(s) of time and money—we have spent our most fragile/invaluable commodity…. our health.

This year alone this country will spend more on fast food than higher education—Not to mention the increased money required for the resulting expense of healthcare, pharmaceutical and disease process. If we tabulate the actual cost to life and culture (food borne disease, near global obesity and its related disabilities, animal abuse in the many CAFO’s and out of control political corruption) We soon realize the health of this country is founded on the premise and promise of cheap lab created franken-foods and with a proper perspective---even the richest of us all cannot afford the $1.99 value meal.

Put profit ahead of health is the steadfast corporate mantra! Independent producers (local farmers) of REAL food (i.e. grass fed beef, free range chickens/eggs, fresh raw milk/butter/cream and local chemical free produce—have the lowest profit margin in the industry. The junk food manufacturers and creators of “franken-foods” have the highest profit margins---create cheap, sell high.The bottom line is..... it is a great return on their investment!

Don’t give up hope! There are so many seeds of social change being sprouted by way of several mind expanding movies,books (like Primitive Diva, wink!) shocking investigative journalism and extreme social movements------ that are laying a foundation for awareness of the consumer.

You have a vote against this practice- do you know what it is…? Your buying dollar!


So become a bit more primitive and get back to the past and don’t be afraid to try something old!