FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, RAISING SOCIAL AWARENESS, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog, THE ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT

Resources for the Middle Class Poor

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social justice advocate

Are you part of the Middle Class Poor? We are. How did it happen? What are we doing about it? These are the two questions I will answer in this blog post.

photo of Randi Shubin Dresner
Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO of Island Harvest
I’d like to make a few points about being Middle Class Poor. We are not alone. The problem is increasing. The government plans to have less involvement in helping to solve this problem. For example, as illustrated in her article, Hunger is all around us, yet it doesn’t have to be, Randi Shubin Dresner, President and CEO of Island Harvest explains what is going on. Her post starts with the following statement, “The recent vote by Congress to cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the food stamp program known as SNAP — over the next 10 years is alarming. If these cuts become law, those who are already struggling to afford food will be thrust into further hardship, increasing hunger across America and right here on Long Island.”

Because the problem is increasing and the government will have less to do with solving it, we will have to find alternative resources to solve it ourselves. That is a big part of the reason for the title of this post and the creation of a Facebook group, Resources for the Middle Class Poor. There are many private donors and nonprofit resources, like the Island Harvest Food Bank that are currently helping people.

Island Harvest website
Island Harvest website

Right now, I would like to go back to the question, how did it happen? For us, the answer is simple, ‘2008’. In the same week, my husband was laid off from his job and the stock market crashed. The fallout from that led to my own crash, physically and emotionally. I was hospitalized and became unable to work. Our lives have changed dramatically in the last five years. We had savings, we had security and we thought we had stability. The rug was completely pulled out from under us. We went from being middle class to being middle class poor.

The upside of having our lives turned upside down is that our new lives have brought us extraordinary challenges and opportunities that we never imagined experiencing. Sometimes it has been terrifying. But the more we go through, the more miracles we have received and the stronger we become. Our fear has been replaced with faith. We are inspired to pass on to others what we are learning as we help ourselves navigate our new path as part of the Middle Class Poor.

For more resource information, refer to my facebook page and group shown below.

My husband volunteers working with others and is actually studying to become credentialed in a helping field. I have gone completely wild applying my years of social media marketing studies to using social media as a communication tool for this serious, real life issue. I have created numerous facebook pages including, The Middle Class Poor and the companion group, Resources for the Middle Class Poor. As we help ourselves to grow into our new state of existence, we are working to help others who are in situations similar to ours. Together we will change the world. It may only be our world. But as Ghandi is credited with saying, ‘Be the change in the world you want to see’.

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10 Healthiest Foods on The Planet

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Ten (of the) healthiest foods on the planet, according to a Banoosh.com article, are salmon, eggs, berries, bananas, spinach, brocolli, shitake mushrooms, sweet potato, tumeric and tomatoes. Here is a visual sampling of the article. The image above and the slideshow images are all from the Banoosh.com article.

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There are many other resources about healthy food and, of course, many other equally as healthy foods to choose from.

For more information, explore the resources mentioned in ‘Ten Healthiest Foods’, as well as on Alison*s Art FOOD page. The food page of this website offers some background into my personal journey and evolution in the way I eat.

Visit the HEALTHY FOOD category of this website for lots more articles about healthy eating. The link is above this article. It is the green bar labeled HEALTHY FOOD. Here is what the three category bars look like with a link on each bar.

category bars
The three category bars: ART & DESIGN | HEALTHY FOOD | HOLISTIC HEALING

You can also visit our three facebook pages about food and eating. Pictured below, they are as follows, Alison*s Eat Free Earth, Alisons FOOD Heirloom Project and The Food rEvolution, a food journey from personal to political.

Alison's 'Eat Free' Earth fb page
Alison’s ‘Eat Free’ Earth: How It All Began
Alisons Food Heirloom Project
Alisons Food Heirloom Project: Where Things Are Now
the food rEvolution
The Food rEvolution: A Personal Food Journey That Has Become A Political Nightmare

We welcome your questions, insights and suggestions about this article and the topic of food in general. Looking forward to hearing from you, soon.

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Natural Painkillers in Your Kitchen

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natural painkillers

These are kitchen ingredients that we consume normally as food, condiments and teas. But did you know, that when used properly, they can also be natural painkillers?

Ultimately, one may need to seek medical attention for the cause of the pain. But for pain relief, they can be very helpful. Let’s take a look at some of them in detail.

FOOD ITEMS

pain relief
Some common kitchen ingredients that are natural painkillers, too

NATURAL PAINKILLERS IN YOUR KITCHEN:
OATS can be used to end endometrial pain.
PEPPERMINT can be used to relax sore muscles.
GRAPES are good for giving the back some TLC.
HORSERADISH can help heal sinus problems.
GINGER is good for muscle and joint pain.
CLOVES relieve toothache pain (until you get that emergency dental appointment).
GARLIC can erase earaches.
TUMERIC is good for chronic pain.

CONDIMENTS

pain relief
Some common kitchen ingredients that are natural painkillers, too

kitchen painkillers
good for an earache
In looking over the above (fairly) common kitchen ingredients, I have to admit that I am not sure how these foods are supposed to be applied to work their magic. Do you stick the garlic in your ear to ease the ache? I doubt it. Do you eat these ingredients, make teas or poultices out of them, or eat them raw or cooked?

Clearly more research needs to be done to see how these ingredients are applied and how they work as natural painkillers. I do know from experience that sucking on some cloves does relieve a toothache temporarily. I have used ginger tea for an upset stomach but do not know about joint pain.

natural painkillers
good for the back
I am glad to hear that grapes are good for the back. I love grapes. But I hope the application does not involve putting the grapes on my back and then crushing them the way wine is made.

natural painkillers
alleviates chronic pain
Tumeric has gained attention lately as a condiment that has all kinds of healing properties. It is supposed to be good for stiff joints. But the amount that needs to be consumed for it to have any effect is far greater than one can eat. Therefore it supposedly need to be taken in supplement form or by putting the powder in a capsule and swallowing it. I would still rather eat Indian food since it is a frequent ingredient in the dishes I find delicious.

A GRAIN OF SALT
All this information must be taken with a grain of salt. No, I do not know what adding salt would do. It is a manner of speaking. It means to not take this too literally or seriously without knowing what you are doing. I still can’t figure the garlic/earache relationship. But there is a wives tale about hanging a clove of garlic around a child’s neck to prevent them from getting sick in school. I am just not sure if the garlic actually keeps germs away. Or if the smell keeps all the other children away thus keeping the germs away.

natural painkillers
relaxes muscles
Speaking of smells, the last item on our list is peppermint. It smells great and makes a tummy soothing tea that can’t be beat. In fact, its fragrance is used in many food and dental items.

IN CONCLUSION
In all seriousness, there are some wonderfully helpful food items that can act as natural painkillers and even help heal us. (They can even look nice as decoration like the mint shown here. I also love the color of tumeric. It reminds me of autumn). But to stay on subject, let me end by saying that just like any prescription, one needs to read the directions, using as prescribed. So, good luck, feel better and send me your comments in the morning.

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FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog, THE ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT

The Story of a Heart Healthy TV Commercial

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heart healthy cereal

Watch this recent heart healthy TV commercial from Cheerios as a YouTube Video.
Or click on the video arrow. Then answer the questions below the video.


• How did you feel after watching this commercial? (I thought it was very funny and sweet.)
• Did you notice anything unusual about it?
• Was there anything that you especially liked or disliked about it?
• Or would you say, ‘it was just another commercial’ giving you time to go to the kitchen to nuke the popcorn before the show resumed?

Did you know that this heart healthy TV commercial about Cheerios has caused a lot of controversy and attention? It is not about Cheerios and the pros and cons about their health benefits. It is about the bi-racial couple and the girl portrayed as their child.
Here’s a TV interview with the real life family of the girl in the commercial.


There was such a strong reaction to the commercial that YouTube had to shut down the comments section even though 95% of people had reacted favorably. But those who did not had the final word on YouTube. But then The Fine Brothers decided to use this commercial as a teaching opportunity. They interviewed a bunch of youngster about the commercial. This is what they had to say.

This is a TV commercial with the primary goal of selling a product. But it turns out to be much more than that. It is a commentary or a mirror of the current cultural make up of this country. It is also a sociological test. Did Saatchi & Saatchi have that in mind when they made the commercial?

Inter-racial families are becoming more typical of the American landscape. This commercial is merely a reflection of that. When complaints were made about the commercial’s family make-up, Cheerios did not withdraw the commercial from television. The company simply closed the comments section on YouTube.

Good for Cheerios. Not only is their cereal heart healthy physically but their company also has an emotional heart. That is the way I prefer to see the situation. How about you?

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GOOD Wants to Be More

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good wants to be more.

Good wants to be more, like in the footsteps of Ghandi whose magnificent example was to “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Easier said than done. But somehow the inspiration on these pages helps alot.

This is thanks to the curated posts and photos on today’s issues of Alison*s Art Online Magazines. They appear under the blogs link. From them, one draws inspiration to create original material accompanied by the feeling that good can be more. Organizations like GOOD also help remind us that there are many people with minds and hearts like ours.

Good wants to be more
Give A Damn and Act Accordingly
Image Credit: Josh McManus

GOOD: Give A Damn and Act Accordingly
One of my favorite publications is GOOD. It is all about doing good. Good that wants to be more. It is so refreshing, an inspiration for me, especially when I wonder what it’s all about.

And check out these images of Scheldt, a 700 year old deserted town in Belgium. How can these buildings be torn down now that they are works of art? Once again, good wants to be more. The source of these photos is oddstuffmagazine.com.

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See how many things you can think of that are good and want to be more. Your comments, suggestions and questions are always welcome.

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FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog

Words of Wisdom, Information About Weight Loss and Nutrition

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Words of wisdom, information about weight loss and nutrition are the major topics of Alison*s Art Blog today. All are essential to feed the body and the soul.

Words of Wisdom from Deepak Chopra:

Information about the Raw Food Diet and Weight Loss Surgery:

Raw Food Diet
Raw Food. Photo Credit: http://www.huliq.com/13314/

Presenting the Diet That Makes You Lose Too Much Weight.
Weight Loss Surgery Options Explained.

Some of the content of this blog post so far may come as a surprise to those of us who lean more towards what is holistic and away from what is considered medically invasive. A good rule of thumb is to take the least invasive action first, in chronic situations. That is a balanced practice.

Annemarie Colbin, My Food and Healing Mentor:
I learned this over two dozen years ago from my ‘food and healing’ mentor, Annemarie Colbin the founder of what started out as the Natural Gourmet Cookery School. It is now The Natural Gourmet Institute and is celebrating 35 years as the innovator in the field. I had studied with her at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY around 1988 and later lectured on nutrition at her school in NYC.

Our Mission:
My mother’s words of wisdom were, “Everything in moderation”. This is also a good rule of thumb for non-acute circumstance. But sometimes situations do call for extreme measures. When they do, it is very important to become as informed and educated as possible. This means knowing about options, holistic and mainstream medical ones. This is a major piece of the mission of Alison*s Blog: to inform and educate as well as to awe and inspire.

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Read more issues and stories related to our mission about ART | FOOD | HEALING on Alison*s Art Online Magazine published by RebelMouse and paper.li. Both are a feature of Alison*s Blog and appear in the right hand column.

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FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog

Some Thoughts from the Aspen Idea Festival 2013

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some positive notes of the Aspen Ideas Festival 2013

It’s fair to say that from the name of today’s blog, Some Thoughts from the Aspen Idea Festival 2013, that there will be some positive notes to share on Alison*s Blog post. There are quite a few features that confirm this.

Although the Aspen Ideas Festival 2013 is over, the swag bag designed by Tory Burch, is the biggest status symbol of the event. It is also the envy and curiosity for those who did not get one to wonder what was in it, according to the article written by LinkedIn Editor, Chip Cutter. My favorite item is Steve Case’s Message in Chocolate Form.

some positive points
Steve Case’s Message in Chocolate Form. Photo credit: LinkedIn

“Entrepreneurs, Steve and Jean Case emphasized Thursday that Americans need to take more risks — in both business and philanthropy. Hence, their gift of a ‘Fearless’ chocolate bar to attendees. This one, produced by a Berkeley-based chocolatier, combines organic dark chocolate with ginger and hibiscus flowers to create what the company describes as ‘playful proclamations upon your palate.'”

Then there’s the amazing curated story story about how a man lost over 100 lbs in a laboratory experiment. “The researchers, who were microbiologists, had simply put the man’s gut microbes on a diet”.

some positive points
The Flower Essence, Mimosa. Photo credit: http://www.flower-essence.co.uk/
If that is not enough positive notes, there’s the flower essence Mimosa, introduced by Channel Island Flower Essences. The company reports that it “carries the vibrational energy of empowerment. It resonates with the solar plexus chakra. It supports a feeling of personal power and belief in one’s own ability. It enables a very rounded approach to all life issues and promotes warmth of personality and persona.”
There are still some positive points to explore. But you get to browse them on you own. In the right hand column are today’s Alison*s Art Online Magazines published by RebelMouse and a feature of Alison*s Blog.

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FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY, PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND ART & DESIGN, The ALISON D. GILBERT Blog, THE ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT

Indigenous Cultures: The Kara Women of Ethiopia

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Indigenous cultures represented by this young Karan woman

Indigenous cultures are rare, precious, fragile, and quickly becoming extinct. Is this progress or a form of genocide? Is this the price we pay for planetary technological advancements? What happens when there are no civilizations left who dance to the rhythms of the earth and thrive on a daily, intimate relationship with nature?

A story in the current issue of the Global Oneness Project Magazine, photographed and told by Jane Baldwin (the above and other photos), is about an indigenous culture, the Kara Women of Ethiopia. Her photographs and the interview of her encourage readers to ponder these questions. Ms. Baldwin’s story is about her eight year developing relationship with the Kara women.

indigenous cultures are impacted by the Omo River dam projects
Map of the Omo River with dam projects highlighted in red
They are inhabitants of Ethiopia’s Omo River Valley and the Omo River-Lake Turkana watershed. The areas that they and other groups have inhabited for hundreds of years are threatened by the continuing dam building of the Omo River dam project. This one is Gibe III.

The residents of the river valley have had no say in these projects. The projects clearly do not benefit these agro-pastorialists, the indigenous people who have lived in harmony with their river. They are its victims and will be the casualties again, of this half finished project, Gibe III. The dam will benefit those whose priorities differ drastically from theirs. Their flowing relationship with the Omo River will stop. The lives of about a half a million people will be impacted and their traditional way of life will be affected. The consequences will be a disaster.

These people do not read or write. Marriages have traditionally been arranged although that is changing. The women’s lives are based primarily on child bearing and telling their stories through oral tradition. This is current life of the Kara Women. They are subservient in every way to the patriarchy they live in except for one essential responsibility. They are the keepers of their culture’s stories.

They make up songs that they sing to their children from the time they are babies. This is part of how they pass on their stories. What will become of their lives in the river valley when they crash, head on with Gibe III? They will still have their stories. But they will be bloody nightmares not happy memories.

At right, discover more about the Kara Women and other stories about ART | FOOD | HEALING in today’s issues of Alison*s Art Online Magazine, a feature of Alison*s Blog and published by RebelMouse and paper.li.

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Developing Food Growing and Selling Trends

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Present day food growing and retailing trends are resulting in some fascinating, untraditional farming and distribution systems

Developing food growing and selling trends are resulting in some fascinating, untraditional farming and distribution activities. These movements are making food more available and more affordable.

GROWING
Eat the City: The Art of Urban Farming reintroduces farming into the city is a truly unique way. The ‘truck farm bed’ feature photo is a creative example of this idea. Urban farming, other types of local farming and local farmers markets have created a new class of eaters, locavores.

Food Farming and Selling Trends
Deciding between organic or locally grown food. Photo Credit: Flickr Corey Templeton
They believe that eating locally grown food is the best way to go for several reasons. This food tastes the bests. Food can be freshest when eaten. There is a huge savings in transportion and distribution costs. It has even been said that locally grown food can be just as beneficial as organic food. In a variety of situations, each has advantages.

SELLING
A novel idea in a weekend only, makeshift outlet supermarket in the Netherlands has caught on like wild fire. Nearly ‘expired’ packaged foods are sold at a huge discount. One often sees this on certain perishable items in US supermarkets. But in the case of this ‘past its prime’ concept, the entire store is filled with these items.

Food Growing and Selling
Willem Jan Stamm, the owner of Outlet Stam in Schagen,The Netherlands. Photo credit: Christopher F. Schuetze

A recently discovered facebook page shines a light on a new way of selling and distributing food. It is reminiscent of the food co-op. It is called WholeShare. According to their facebook page, “Wholeshare is a website that helps you get access to good quality, affordable local food by organizing group purchases. www.wholeshare.com”.

food growing and selling
Wholeshare, the facebook page
Another fascinating concept is something called, Pay It Forward. It is practiced by a restaurant called Karma Kitchen. The staff are volunteers. The customers pay whatever they want. In other words, they pay the bill for the next group of people who come to eat. They ‘Pay It Forward’.

food growing and distribution
Karma Kitchen practices, ‘Pay It Forward’. Photo credit: www.goprojectfilms.com

CONCLUSION
Due to personal choice, as a political statement about food waste, or out of necessity, some people have taken to off the beaten path to obtain food. These include food foraging, dumpster diving, food banks, food kitchens and food stamps and bread lines. However one acquires one’s food, it is important to be conscious of the the choices we can make. Some people in this country do go hungry. The options discussed here are intended to help everyone find resources to have enough to eat.

Continue to read other posts about ART | FOOD | HEALING on Alison*s Art Online Magazines from RebelMouse and paper.li, a feature of Alison*s Blog.

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FOOD & HEALING JOURNEY

Bless Bhutan

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Blessings from Bhutan in becoming 100% organic production

Bless Bhutan, a tiny nation in the the mountainous amphitheatre of the Himalayas. Bhutan Prime Minister, Jigmi Thinley has declared that Bhutan is to become the first 100% organic agricultural producing nation on the planet. This is a blessing, an outstanding example and hopefully a motivation for the rest of the globe to follow suit.

 

Bless Bhutan thanks to Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley
Bhutan Prime Minister Photo Jigmi Thinley. Photo credit: thesolutionsjournal.anu.edu.au

To quote an article from Banoosh.com, “Last month the Prime Minister, Jigmi Thinley told his government he is developing a National Organic Policy because the country’s farmers are increasingly convinced that ‘by working in harmony with nature, they can help sustain the flow of nature’s bounties.’”

Bhutan is a producer of rice, corn, beans, potatoes and oranges. It’s red beans are distributes to Whole Foods, one of the largest US health food retailers. The term, made in Bhutan, may soon become synonymous with 100% organic. In frightening contrast to this uplifting news, is what is going on in the US with the increasing number of ‘frankenfoods’. This is a nickname for the nightmare of GMO foods that have been shown to cause cancer in rats. It is only a matter of time before the detrimental human effects will be able to be proven.

Bless Bhutan for not allowing GMO soybeans
GMO Soybeans Image Credit: Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock

The increasing death rate in the bee population is of grave concern to environmentalists. This is an indicator of an imbalance in nature that threatens the process of pollination, natures way of producing its bounty. Nature’s ability to reproduce is being threatened by the take over of GMO food and pesticides. GMO food is at war with nature. The goal of this war is two-fold: to make natural, healthy production of food extinct and for corporations to control food production and food characteristics.

Bless Bhutan
Bhutan Prime Minister Thinley being received by other world leaders. Photo credit: philosophicalanthropology.net

Who knows how long it will take for Prime Minister Thinley’s plan to become a reality. How much benefit can the food stuffs from a nation of 700,000 have on a planet of 7.093 billion people who need to be fed? The primary considerations are, will other nations follow suit? If they do, will we be able to stop the growing Global (food producing) Monster Organizations? Only time will tell.

Read more about this topic along with other food, art and health issues at right on Alison*s Art Online Magazines, a feature of Alison*s Blog and published on RebelMouse and paper.li.

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