When shopping for fruits and vegetables, have you ever been disappointed with the taste? Have you ever wondered what happened to the delicious taste that you remember from days in the past of a cucumber, a zucchini or tomato?
The Impact of Farming on Food
The local organic farmers can tell you why things have changed. For commercially raised food, natural principles of soil restoration are not followed. If the soil is in an area where certain nutrients are not in the soil, it takes a lot of labor to improve the soil with compost. The essential pH and nutrients are needed to create the most wonderful alchemy to provide a vital plant and subsequent food vitality. If crops are not rested or rotated, the earth is not restored for the following seasons.
We need the various vitamins, minerals, major, minor and trace compounds and essential oils that are found in root vegetables, leafy greens, herbs, fruit, sea vegetables and seeds that are grown in rich, fertile soils.
However, depleted soil is not the only way plants are depleted in the modern world. Improper cooking techniques, high temperatures, microwaves, and not chewing properly also cause deficiencies in the human body.
The Connection Between Poor Quality Food and Mental Health
At one point in my life, I did volunteer work in some of the prisons in the United States. One of the things that I wondered about was how people ended up in prison. For the most part, it takes a lot out of alignment states to get yourself into a prison. One of the things I learned was that most of the people incarcerated were eating sugar.
Unfortunately, sugar takes nutrients from the bones, causes addictions and in many cases is a factor in mental and emotional health problems. What the prisoners needed was vital, colorful food. They also needed to chew sufficiently so that their stomach could properly digest the food. Many behavioral problems are exacerbated by nutritional lack, but this lack can be healed with healthy, vital food.
Why Canada Views Essential Oils as Food
Did you know that Health Canada registered Young Living Essential Oils as a food? Young Living essential oils carry nutrients and oxygen. Essential oils are in a concentrated form of food because of proper processing and distillation. The correct temperature for each plant must be utilized. Essential oils have been used since ancient times. Gary Young studied the methods used in Egypt, Greece, Arabia, France and China. He integrated those techniques into the methods that Young Living uses today.
Using Essential Oils in Food and Beverages
Why not supplement your food choices with essential oils? One of the easiest ways is an Aroma Drink. I love a drop of Young Living peppermint oil and one drop of lavender oil in a tall glass of water. Young Living offers a line of food grade oils called the Vitality Oils. The Vitality Oils include many favorites such as Thieves, lemon, cinnamon, peppermint or spearmint.
Experiment with food according to your taste. Some oils are very potent. In some cases where you only need a very small amount, you may want to use a toothpick and dip it into the essential oil bottle. Then swirl the toothpick in your beverage or food. Or try blending more than one oil! This is a great way to enhance the nutritional value of your food or beverages and enhance your health. Here are a couple of my favorite summer recipes.
No Bake Coconut Chocolate Cookies
· 2 cups chocolate or carob chips
· 1 cup finely shredded coconut
· 1/2 cup finely chopped dates
· 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
· 1/4 cup tahini or almond butter
· 2 tablespoons maple syrup
· 1 – 2 drops of Young Living Cinnamon Bark Oil
Place chocolate chips in a saucepan and melt on low. Once melted allow to cool slightly. One by one, add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Fill a bowl with an additional ½ C shredded coconut. Once the cookie mixture is sufficiently cooled, scoop out heaping tablespoons of the mixture. Drop into the shredded coconut. Coat with coconut and shape into balls. Put on a waxed paper pan in the refrigerator to set up before serving.
Lemon Hummus
· 10 oz cooked garbanzo beans
· ½ C tahini or pumpkin seed butter
· 3-4 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil
· 2 garlic cloves, pressed
· 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
· 1 tablespoon of tamari or sea salt to taste
Drain garbanzo beans well, reserving the liquid. Place garbanzo beans, lemon oil, garlic, and parsley in food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add the reserved liquid a little at a time, pulsing between each addition until your hummus has reach the desired consistency. Adjust taste with salt and pepper.
For more recipes visitessentialoilskitchen.com.
For more information about essential oils visit essentialdropsofjoy.com.
Consider obtaining a wholesale account to order products at a 24% discount. Use enroller number #10279 and sponsor number #1043288 on the Young Living website at youngliving.com. Contact Maria Low at 406-551-6684 or yleo.aspirations@gmail.com or Kathleen Karlsen at 406-599-3235 or kathleenkarlsen@msn.com for more information or to receive our educational newsletter each month.