Monday, January 30, 2012

The Hidden Toll of Lawns on "Naturally Vibrant Living"

I was really pleased to speak with Liz Primeau on "Naturally Vibrant Living," my radio show (currently on Web Talk Radio, but moving to Blog Talk Radio in March). (www.vibrantlivingradio will take you to my host page, where you can listen to the show.) Liz is a master gardener and Founding Editor of Canadian Gardening Magazine.

Liz has a wonderful book out, entitled Front Yard Gardens, and this is what we discussed.

Did you know the impact that lawns have on our environment? Well, just consider all the watering and pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. We may not want to hear it, but lawns are generally not very good at all for the environment. They're also an example of what is called "monoculture," which has its own downside, but just listen to the show to learn about what that is.

Have you ever seen a house with a garden of some type in the front yard in place of a lawn? Well, you may have done a double-take the first time you saw one. I know I did. And, of course, a house with a garden in place of a lawn can really set the neighbors' tongues wagging. But, in spite of the unconventionality of this, you may be surprised to learn that this is a trend that has been slowly developing, at least in the United States and apparently in Canada.

Having a garden in your front yard instead of a lawn, as it turns out, benefits the environment. And, depending upon how you go about it and what you plant, you could also benefit your local ecosystem and fauna.

I love this idea and learned some useful things from Liz. Just consider this idea. If you'd like more information on it, just tune into this week's episode (by going to www.vibrantlivingradio.com) and consider getting a copy of Front Yard Gardens.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Avoiding Gluten for Diabetics Too?

It's no secret that the quality of our food supply these days isn't the greatest. There's a seeming epidemic of diabetes and increasing numbers of people with gluten intolerance. Years ago, I knew very few people with allergies or diabetes, not to mention gluten intolerance. However, these days I continually run into people with at least one of these conditions. I've had allergies myself for years, which didn't develop until I was in my twenties.

Our immune systems have certainly been stressed by the omnipresence of toxic chemicals in our environment -- in our air, water, soil, food, clothing, furniture, toiletries, cosmetics, etc. People who are informed are well aware of this problem, but are toxic chemicals the culprit in higher incidence of diabetes?

I used to read that what was implicated in Type 2 Diabetes was eating too much sugar, along with lack of exercise. Well, I was surprised to read an article also implicating wheat. As it turns out, eating wheat can raise your glycemic index more that eating sugar can. Did you know that? I just read an article, "The Wheat Belly, " at http://www.fitnessgoop.com/2011/12/the-wheat-belly-diabetes-and-accelerated-aging/

So wheat is now implicated in gluten intolerance and diabetes, as something to be avoided in one's diet.

The article cites Genetically Modified (GM) wheat as the culprit. However, I suspect that our modern version of wheat, through hybridizing, was already causing the digestibility issue -- and that GM wheat has managed to tip the scales for those sensitive to gluten -- and also for diabetics and those prone to it.

If you suffer from diabetes, it may be helpful for you now to avoid eating wheat. (Rye and barley also contain gluten.)

The good news is that there are other alternatives. For example, spelt is an ancient version of wheat that some people are now turning to. Spelt flour is fairly easy to find, especially on the internet.

Unfortunately, I've learned through the research I've done for my radio show, "Naturally Vibrant Living," that we have a lot of problems in our modern world that can pose a threat to our health. We have to take our health, including diet, into our own hands and sometimes go out of our way to find healthful food. It now looks like wheat falls into that category.