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Category: A Better Way

Why Not Try These? Some Are Safer, Some Are More Beneficial.

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SOMETIMES THERE IS A LITTLE UNCERTAINTY HOW TO KEEP FRUIT WELL SO IT STAYS FRESH ENOUGH DAYS BEFORE WE GO SHOPPING AGAIN. LOTS OF PEOPLE SIMPLY USE A FRUIT BOWL, PLACING ALL THE FRUIT IN THERE, HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THAT ISN’T SUCH A GOOD IDEA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW WHY? AND ALSO THE BEST WAY TO KEEP ALL YOUR FRUITS – WHAT CONDITIONS THEY PREFER TO BE KEPT IN? THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR THE TASTE FACTOR TOO. LET’S GO!

Why Your Fruit Bowl May Not Be Keeping Your Fruit Fresh

ABC Everyday / By Patrick Wright

If you keep all your fruit in a bowl or on the kitchen table, you're not alone.

What you might not know is the humble fruit bowl is unlikely to be the best way to store a variety of different fruits.

"Keeping all your fruit in one bowl isn't the best way to keep fruit fresh," says Thanh Truong, a fruiterer and cook based in Melbourne.

Different fruits, he says, have "competing interests".

Some fruits, like apples, are best kept cool in the fridge.

Others, like bananas, need warmer temperatures to ripen and are best stored at room temperature.

But when you keep different fruits together there can be problems, and potentially food waste.…

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ABC Everyday / By Zoe Kean

Longer, warmer days are causing plants all over Australia to spring into new growth. But with this welcome growth comes every gardener's nemesis — weeds.

Amanda Sigler, 38, grew their "first ever garden" last summer and has been gaining new skills to keep weeds at bay.

Here are their tips, along with advice from a horticulturalist. 

Prevention is key and cardboard can help

The strongest advice Amanda has for new gardeners is to stop the problem before it starts through weed-wise planning.

"Lay a good foundation," they say.

When Amanda moved into a rental in Moonah, a Hobart suburb, they were faced with an expanse of lawn. After getting the go-ahead from their landlord, they decided to replace the lawn with veggie beds.

They dug up their lawn then lay flattened cardboard over the dirt to stop the grass regrowing. They topped it all off with fresh, premium, weed-free soil.

This strategy gave their new veggies the best chance of growing without competition.

Louise Sales, horticulturalist at the Botanical Institute, a garden run by the Museum of Old and New Art's (MONA) 24 Carrot Garden Program, endorses this method. 

"If you've got lots of weeds [laying cardboard down] is a really good way of suppressing them," she says.…

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By Janet Vargas - Owner Of This Website

DID YOU KNOW THAT 75% OF FOOD WORLDWIDE IS LIMITED TO 12 PLANT CROPS (and 5 animal foods) AND THAT WESTERN COUNTRIES......... MORE INTERESTING FACTS IN THIS POST, PLUS WHICH FRUITS AND VEGGIES THE AFORE MENTIONED ARE AND SOME INSIGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ENCOURAGING BIODIVERSITY HERE IN AUSTRALIA. ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I WILL ALSO MENTION SOME IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE HAD IN OUR FOOD CULTURE IN RECENT DECADES AND RECENT TIMES, TO WHAT WE HAD YEARS AGO. I HOPE YOU READ THIS POST.

According to TheFutureMarket.Com  we only grow a small percentage of Plant Food Crops in Western Countries that does not allow for much Food Diversity in our Diet or our Health. As mentioned, they state that 75% of the World’s Food comes from 12 Plants (and 5 Animals).

In this order, the highest turnover of Plant Foods produced are 1. Sugar, 2. Corn, 3. Rice, 4. Wheat, 5. Potatoes,  6. Soya Beans, 7. Cassava, 8.Tomatoes, 9. Bananas, 10. Onions, 11. Apples and 12. Grapes. We eat only 150 out of 30,000 edible plant species (worldwide). For example, the USA has lost 90% of it’s Fruit and Veg varieties since 1900.…

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By Heather McKern From Diggers Garden Club Magazine Late Spring Edition 2020. Heather encourages us to increase our intake of dietary plant foods.

The old saying "variety is the spice of life" may be truer than ever. Studies into health are showing that eating at least 30 different plant foods a week  is critical to gut health and considered key to a healthy diet.

Eating a  broad variety of different plants not only increases the amount of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we consume. That supports our immune system and lowers our risk of diseases like certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes and mental health issues.

There are six different categories of plant foods that are counted towards our weekly total, and excluding any specific Dietary restrictions we want to include a variety from each group. They are fruit, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and legumes.

To get the most benefit. We want our plants to be as close to their original state as possible. And to be mindful of what we or others do to prepare them before they are eaten. There is little benefit if you are having a large variety of greens in salads everyday but smothering those greens in oil.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Best Ways To Take Childrens Learning Outside, According To An Outdoor Play Expert

Bountyteam  MSN

I LOVE THIS ARTICLE BECAUSE I THINK CHILDREN TODAY SPEND FAR TOO MUCH TIME INDOORS. EVEN LITTLE KIDDIES AND TODDLERS GROW UP BEFORE THEIR TIME WITH SOME OF THE TV PROGRAMS THEY WATCH AND SO MUCH PLAY WITH TECH DEVICES. SOME OUTDOOR LIVING IS HEALTHY FOR KIDS - AND PARENTS TOO. LET'S TAKE SOME GOOD TIPS FROM SOMEONE WHO RELATES WELL WITH CHILDREN, HEY?

While we all know homework is necessary for a child’s valuable education, spending time outside is just as essential to children’s physical and mental wellbeing.

But the majority of Aussie kids prefer indoor play despite the many benefits of playing outside on their mood, feelings of satisfaction, creativity and development.

With the school holidays right around the corner and the challenges of lockdowns and restrictions continuing to impact many Australians, Penny Whitehouse, educator and outdoor play expert, shares her tips to take learning outside.

As a working mum, I know it’s easy to slip into an indoor routine and let the kids stay glued to the screen. However, the published research – and my professional experience through 12 years as a wildlife and environmental education officer working to cultivate joy from outdoor play – confirm there are major benefits to kids learning and playing outside during their development years.…

Published on Leave a comment on Spring Has Sprung: It’s Time To Build Your Organic Veggie Garden And Reap The Rewards

By Becky Searles, Family Garden Life

If you want to turn a house into a home then a garden is going to be your best move. And if you want to really improve the value of your home, it’s a productive garden where you can harvest nutrient-dense food that’s going to make the biggest impact.

When you think about a family’s basic needs, food and shelter at at the top of the list, and if your food garden is operating well, it can provide a family with food for most of the year.

Even better, if your family adopts organic gardening principles, you’ll have home-grown organic food that will leave money in your back pocket.

Some advantages to growing your own organic food include:

  • Saving serious money
  • Your family will enjoy freshly harvested food
  • Reducing your family’s carbon footprint
  • Your food will be packed full of nutrients
  • Your harvest will be free of the baddies like synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and chemicals
  • You’ll be helping the environment on so many levels
  • Mindfulness, connecting with nature and family at the same time

Planting the right foods at the right time will yield you delicious results all year round.…

Published on Leave a comment on Returning To REAL FOODS From Our Creator And Nature – They’re Good For Us!

By Janet Vargas - Independent Natural Health Researcher 30+ Years

YES, THEY PROMOTE OUR HEALTH RATHER THAN DEMOTE IT. FOOD MANUFACTURERS HAVE THOUGHT OF ONE CLEVER DEMISE AFTER THE OTHER, PROMOTING SYNTHETIC AND PSUEDO FOODS WE ARE NOT MEANT TO INGEST - INFLUENCING GOVERNMENT HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND ALL, MAKING THEIR ARGUMENTS SOUND LEGIT, MAKING THE PUBLIC SICK. AND BIG PHARMA WITH THEIR MEDICAL AGENTS HAVE BEEN ONLY TOO HAPPY TO RAKE IN THE PROFITS. BUT AN AWAKENING IS STIRRING THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DISCOVERING THE BENEFITS OF REAL FOODS: YES OLD THINGS BECOME NEW. THIS IS INSTIGATED BY PROFESSIONAL NATURAL HEALTH ADVOCATES AND MANY HEALTH SCIENTISTS ALIKE WHO ARE NOW SIDING WITH NATURE, PROMOTING IT'S MERITS AND IT'S WAYS.

I Will Show You Some Real Health Promoting Foods That Are So Beneficial For Our Health That Have Been Drastically Altered Or Replaced (they now clash with our natural body chemistry) In Western Countries Like Australia, And A Few Really Beneficial Foods that are Very Nutritious for our Families!

Through the years in Australia – and Western Countries – we have been buying foods that are so different to food staples our Great Grandparents had and our Great Greats.…

Published on Leave a comment on How Blue Light Affects Your Sleep And What You Can Do

 By Maureen Salamon from WebMd.Com 2020

Have you ever woken up to bright morning skies feeling energized? A big reason for your mood is the high-intensity blue light coming from the sun. Among the visible light spectrum, blue wavelengths have the most powerful effect on your sleep-wake internal body clock.

Both natural and artificial blue light can boost your alertness and mental sharpness. But too much of it may keep you awake when your body needs to wind down.

Sunlight

Need help waking up in the morning? Open the blind or get outside to feel more alert.

Light From Screens

Their “blue” light has a powerful effect on your brain. Turn them out about 2hrs before bed.

Artificial Light

Bright lights after dark signal our brain to wake up. In the evening. In the evening. Use dim light, and block outside light.

Block Out Light To Get Good Sleep

How Blue Light At Night Hurts Sleep

Your eyes aren’t good at blocking blue light. So almost all of it passes straight through to the back of your retina, which helps your brain translate light into images.

Exposure to all colors of light helps control your natural sleep-and-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.…

Published on Leave a comment on How Do Sleep And Weightloss Relate? A Wise Strategy We Should Put Into Practice!

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE I FOUND ON THE NET THIS WEEK MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND MOST OF IT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED AT DIFFERENT TIMES. I THINK THIS WILL BENEFIT MANY OF YOU WHO HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING RESULTS WITH VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND SUCH BECAUSE THIS COULD BE THE MISSING ELEMENT IN YOUR ROUTINE. PLUS SOME OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN GOING TO GYMS HAVE NOT HEARD THAT STRENUOUS EXERCISE THAT MAKES YOU PRETTY MUCH EXHAUSTED CAUSES THE ADRENAL GLAND TO MAKE TOO MUCH CORTISONE (a stress hormone) THAT IS ANOTHER HIDDEN CAUSE FOR KEEPING ON THE WEIGHT - EVEN GAINING EXTRA, BELIEVE IT OR NOT - SO NOT ALL GYM INSTRUCTORS ARE WISE, PLUS SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT IS DAMAGING TO YOUR BODY IN CERTAIN WAYS ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

Sleep And Weight Loss Connection: How Sleeping Well Can Actually Help You Feel Less Hungry, And Lose Weight

By Kirti Pandey

We must stop treating sleep hours as a waste or an optional exercise. Adequate sleep is the key to everything our body does.

Several studies show that sleep deprivation (regularly less than 7 hours of sleep a night) is a risk factor for obesity.…

Published on Leave a comment on No More Weeds!!! Heres My Secret To Weed-Free Gardening!

By Candi from FarmFreshForLife.com

Weed-Free Gardening. Is It Just A Dream?

I have some serious experience in gardening.  I’m not your average “salad” gardener.  I grow most of what I eat…. all year…   For the 101 days I was on The Homesteaders Food Challenge I grew everything I ate.   Which is tricky.  When you decide to grow your entire diet you need to know how to grow things.  Or you’ll starve.

Mulch Is A Must If You Want No Weeds - Plus Advantages

I didn’t starve and I had a massive garden.  Last year I had 3 massive gardens actually.  When you have several gardens you learn a thing or two about weeding.

Like how much you hate it.

So, I became an expert at preventing weeds because I wanted to go to the pool and not weed my garden every day of my life.

If you want to ditch weeding and don’t know how – this is for you!!!!!

Of all the tricks, systems and methods I tried – this one is my favorite.

MULCH

My mulch of choice is:  STRAW

  1. Straw is easy to find.
  2. Straw is cheap.
…