BARBARA'S PEARLS

FALL 2014

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Fall 2014Fall is here

All summer when I worked in the garden I watched my backyard squirrel bury seeds and nuts under piles of dead grass and bits of bark. His hard work and preparation reminds me of the importance of nourishing our reserve energy and deep roots so we can draw on this strength during fall and winter.

One of the most nourishing dishes is bone broth. It is loaded with collagen, amino acids and glucosamine. If you add vinegar to the cooking water, calcium and magnesium are leeched into the water.

4 quarts of filtered water
1 1/2-2 lbs of bones (choose any type you prefer. Bones can be purchased at the health food store)
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons of sea salt

squirrelIt is best to roast the bones in the pot before adding water. Add water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Broth experts recommend skimming off the froth at the beginning of the boiling because it has a weird taste. If you are home, simmer on the stove for 6-8 hours. Otherwise a crock pot is the safest method.

Allow the broth to cool and scrape off the fat that rises to the surface. When the broth is chilled it should be gelantinous (wiggle when you shake it). This can be frozen in small containers and used as needed. Gelatin benefits gastro-intestinal diseases, muscle diseases and diabetes. (I have often joked about the lime green jello salads found in the midwest. Perhaps there is something to them after all.) I highly recommend visiting The Westin Price Foundation website: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/

This is a good time to notice your mood and general sense of wellness. Do you bend and flow easily with the shifting weather or do you feel brittle, uneasy or fragile? The cause of the brittle feeling generally stems from having weak kidney energy. At this time of year the kidney pulse often grows slightly weaker and deeper, as if the body is drawing its energy close to the core.

Adaptogenic herbs are a great resource for benefiting the kidney energy. The herbs rhodiola, ashwaganda, eleuthero and some types of ginseng all help restore the resilience of the body.

Another important aspect of healthy mood turns out to be having healthy gut bacteria. Practitioners of natural medicine have been speaking about the importance of these bacteria (dare I say shouting into the wind) for a very long time, but now there are multiple funded initiatives behind studying the relationship between our bacteria and our health.

Some interesting information is emerging from the American Gut research project. This initiative is being advanced by a group of scientists tracking the human microbiome (the bacteria, yeasts and other organisms that live in symbiosis with our bodies) and how different diets influence these bacteria.

Based on data collected from stool samples received from all over the world some trends are emerging. We all know vegetables, especially deeply colored varieties, benefit our bodies, but it turns out many of our beneficial bacteria need vegetable fiber to live. This is such a beautiful symbiosis. What is indigestible to us feeds the bacteria in our guts. Good fibrous vegetables include celery, onions, leeks, and the woody parts of asparagus and broccoli. This recommendation comes with a caveat. If you have a history of GI issues you may need to go on a type of diet that eases into fibrous vegetables. (In fact a good way to start is by drinking broth.) Also if you are not accustomed to eating vegetable fiber, it is best to add these foods in gradually.

There is much more information including a blog written by one of the scientists from this project. For a donation of $99.00 you can have a full analysis of all the species of bacteria and other organisms (micobiome) that live in your intestines. For more information please click on this link: http://humanfoodproject.com/americangut/

In this season it is also important to take preventative measures against colds and flus. For more information online I recommend reading my 2013 Fall Newsletter at barbaraamahler.com

“Good Broth Can Resurrect the Dead”

~ an old South American proverb.


The information in this newsletter is not intended to replace the relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge from research and experience of B. Mahler, LAc.


Barbara A. Mahler, LAc has practiced
Traditional Oriental Medicine and
Nutrition since 1987 and happily continues today.
For information go to barbaraamahler.com.

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