Tag Archives: natural

What Are Wolfberries? An Ancient Chinese Tradition

Ningxia Wolfberries are one nature’s best kept secrets. Ningxia Wolfberries, also known as goji berries, are one of the most antioxidant rich fruits on the planet. Wolfberries grow on vines in such locals as Mongolia, Tibet and Ningxia, China. The berries have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over 2,000 years. One could say that wolfberries are a true Ancient Chinese Secret.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCIB), which is a part of the United States Library of National Medicine (NLM), has the following to say about biomolecular and clinical aspects of the wolfberry:

The wolfberry has been used in TCM for over 2,000 years.
It’s use was first recorded in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, the oldest book on Chinese herbs.
The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing classifies herbs into three categories: top, middle, and low. Wolfberry is one of the 120 herbs assigned to the “Top” grade.

Wolfberries have been traditionally used in Chinese medicine to treat yin deficiency in the kidney and liver. Wolfberries have been praised by the TCM community for it’s potential anti-aging and cancer fighting properties. As one of the most popular TCM herbs, wolfberries have found their way into everything from food and supplements to beverages and cosmetics. Personally, I enjoy consuming the dried wolfberries on my morning oatmeal or with a protein shake for a hint of sweetness. They also make a great addition to any trail mix. Dried organic wolfberries contain 7 grams of sugar, 10 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein per serving.

Organic wolfberries are used in TCM by those looking to support their immune system, slow down the aging process, and to protect eyesight. Wolberries also contain betain, which is known to protect the liver. The berries are nutrient rich and also contain beta-carotene, zeaxanthin (both carotenoids) as well as vitamins E, C, A, B1, B2, B6, omega-6 and omega-3, protein, and 21 trace minerals including iron, zinc, copper, selenium, calcium, germanium, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese as well as others.

Although no official scientific studies exist to prove or disprove the efficacy any health benefits, it’s use in TCM for over 2 millennia is quite an endorsement in my book and enough for me to consume the berries on a daily basis.

If you have any further questions or to order yourself USDA organic wolfberries today, simply visit www.essentialoilsignup.com. Just click on the “Ordering Instructions” at the top of the page and follow the instructions to order a single product. Don’t worry, you wont’ be enrolled into any automatic shipments or monthly memberships. Become a member and save 24% on all orders (again, there’s never any monthly minimums or automatic shipments. Order only what you want, when you want.)

I hope you found this blog post on wolfberries helpful. I’m sure you will enjoy adding them to your diet as well. Have you tried wolfberries, either in dried form or in Ningxia Red? Comment below and leave your experience.

Courage and Community

A Celebration of Courage

At our son’s school on Friday we had the pleasure of observing and participating the Michalemas festival, which is a celebration of courage, reflection and conquering fears. Also known as the festival of strong will. We watched a magical play that depicted the slaying of the dragon by St. George. There was a slight deviation from the story as this version had the 1st graders taming the dragon as opposed to actually slaying the creature. It was quite an adorable adaptation. After the theatrics, we were treated to “dragon bread,” organic handmade bread baked at the school. Then came time for the games! Children challenged themselves on the wooden obstacle course with such challenges as a teeter totter balance beam and varying balancing and crawling obstacles. On the hillside children could be observed chasing hula hoops while running between through the center. Fresh organic fruit kabobs provided refreshing nourishment between the challenges. It truly was a joyous festival. If you would like to read more about Michaelmas, click here. If you would like to learn more about Waldorf education, click here.

George taming the dragon

Farm Fresh Eating

Last week, my wife and I decided to sign up for a couple of local CSA’s (community sponsored agriculture.) We signed up with J.R. Organics for our produce and SonRise Ranch for our meat. We were already purchasing a good portion of our produce from J.R. Organics from the farmers market, so they seemed the most fitting and logical when decided on which farm to go with. We like SonRise Ranch because their animals are all pastured, including the pigs and we agree with their farming practices and methods which includes not engaging in the use of GMO feed, pesticides, antibotics. They also use sustainable methods which is refreshing in this age of resource depletion. We signed up for the weekly CSA box and the veggies provided will be enough for our family for the week, along with what we can supplement from our garden. The meat totaled 14lbs, 7lbs beef and 7lbs pork. If you eat organic or clean, then you know how hard it is to fine pastured, grass-fed pork. We received various cuts from pork chops, roast and pork ribs to New York steak and ground beef. I haven’t had ribs or pork chops in at least 2 years since I committed myself to eating a GMO free diet. Needless to say, I am stoked and we are cutting our grocery bill almost in half. If you would like to locate a CSA in your region, click here. Below are some pictures of our CSA treasures:

The Turning of the Wheel – A New Cycle

The Turning of the Wheel

As the wheel of the year turns, the Fall equinox finds us again as we gather our Autumn harvest. The Earth bulges with gifts of life as we prepare ourselves for a period of reflection. In this spirit I have started this blog in hopes to share my human experience with those who are so interested in learning more of the way of life for yours truly, The Crunchy Dad.

Being that this is a brand spanking new blog, I will use this first entry as an opportunity to introduce myself. I am a 32 year old father two a 5 yr. old boy and 3 yr. old girl. I have a beautiful wife and have been married for 12 years to my high school sweet heart. All in all, we lead a pretty unconventional lifestyle. We by no means judge negatively those folks who lead a more conventional lifestyle, much as we do not want to be judged. It is my hope to bridge some of the gaps between the two worlds.

What does “crunchy” mean?

You may be wondering, what does “crunchy” mean and why would I call myself The Crunchy Dad? Crunchy has been defined by urban dictionary by the following:

Crunchy – Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

I never really considered myself crunchy, liberal or a hippie. I never cared for labels and stereotypes. It wasn’t until others would start to address me as such that I decided to embrace that which I am, The Crunchy Dad.

Lifestyle

As this first post is intended to introduce myself to you and bring you into my world, I should give a synopsis of our lifestyle and see if you think it fits with the spirit of “crunchy.”

Completely organic diet. This includes taking into account factors such as brand selection.
No restaurants. We will occasionally eat at Haggo’s Organic Taco or the organic salad bar at Jimbo’s
No GMO’s. This should go without saying.
Meat must be from grass fed pastured animals or supplement with certified organic feed.
Buy local. We purchase our meat from the CSA provided by SonRise Ranch and our produce from J.R. Organics.
We have a whole house water filtration system that removes all the fluoride and chloromines among other chemicals.
We have a growing garden that we use to supplement our weekly CSA shares.
We haven’t touched seafood since the Fukushima disaster unfolded.
We don’t watch television. Our kids can watch one movie on Saturday’s. Computers and video games are out of the question.
I don’t use deodorant! Don’t worry, lime works just as well so I don’t walk around smelly!
I brush my teeth with fluoride free clay.
I use herbal remedies and concentrated herb oils to treat various ailments.
Our son attends a Waldorf school which develops the whole child as opposed yo focusing on academia.
We celebrate the festivals of the seasons.
We are against plastic toys for our household.
It doesn’t bother me when my son puts on his sisters fancy shoes to play dress up or when my daughter decides to play with toys for boys.
We sing, dance and play games daily for entertainment.
Last but no least, we sacrifice. There’s a lot we do without to afford our simplistic lifestyle. What we lack in personal possessions, we hope to make up for with riches from the heart.

So ends another day

There you have it, a brief intro to the Crunchy Dad. I’m sure there’s a ton I left out that you’ll get to see as we grow to know one another. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I tried to link to information that I felt would be useful, please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of the mentioned businesses. It’s merely me doing my part to spread the word of the places I trust my family too and to increase consumer awareness. Until we meet again, stay blessed and speak from your heart and in the language of love.

– The Crunchy Dad