Mornings benefits

Moringa oleifera tree has been considered as one of the most nutritious plants ever discovered with most of its benefits concentrated in its small green leaves. As is evident from its name, moringa powder is made from the freshly harvested leaves of the moringa oleifera tree. Fresh moringa leaf powder is deep green in color and has a rich nutty smell. This powder is prepared by drying the moringa leaves at low temperature such that the plant tissue reaches a fine powdered consistency. The powder is then screened to remove impurities and then made into capsules and sealed in bags. The most amazing part is that once packed, this powder remains fresh for several months, retaining its nutritional value of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, chlorophyll and complete amino-acids.

The reason why dried leaf powder is preferred over fresh leaves is that it is more nutritious and in some cases, contains even ten times more specific nutrients in comparison to fresh moringa leaves. Moreover, it is comparable to all the common fruits and vegetables in terms of its nutritional value. Being pure and organic, this soft and fluffy powder has no side effects and is easy to store and use. It is easily soluble in water and can be used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes.

Health Benefits of Moringa Powder:

While talking about the health benefits of this versatile supplement, the list is simply unending. It contains around 20 types of amino-acids, 46 antioxidants, 36 anti-inflammatory compounds and more than 90 nutrients which make it one of the best nutritional supplements. It is an excellent source of minerals like iron, calcium and vitamins A, B, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E as well as macro minerals, trace minerals and phytonutrients. Besides, it is a good source of quality protein and dietary fiber.

How to make Garlic powder no preservatives

Many homes across the world use garlic powder

But most store brands have chemicals in it to prevent caking

Here is a #diy recipe for garlic powder naturally 

Making garlic powder at home is very easy and definitely healthier than store-bought. They often taste better with no preservatives and additives.

You can substitute garlic powder for recipe which calls for fresh garlic, or vice versa. Remember to start with small amount; a little goes a long way. 1 clove of garlic = 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder.

Tips: To make garlic salt, combine 1 part of garlic powder to 3 part of fine salt.

 

Steps in Making Garlic Powder

• Slice garlic into thin slices.
• Place evenly on baking paper or silicone baking mat.
• Dry garlic slices until brittle at 230 °F (110 °C) for about 90 minutes.
• Allow garlic to cool. Grind or blend using food processor/grinder into powder consistency.
• Place in airtight container and store in fridge. They last quite a while in the fridge.
• For all natural spice blends visit 
• Our website at
• www.rozzyqueenofsheaandspice.com

Gum and the hidden truth

Gum 

People do not typically ingest gum, so they pay very little attention to its ingredients. The assumption is that if the gum is not swallowed, then the ingredients should not be a concern. However, the ingredients in gum travel into the blood stream faster and in higher concentrations than food ingredients, because they absorb directly through the walls of the mouth, and these ingredients do not undergo the normal filtration process of digestion.

Gum is typically the most toxic product in supermarkets that is intended for internal use, and it is likely to kill any pet that eats it. Commercial gum products contain roughly the same list of toxic ingredients, with differing labeling, which is virtually always designed to mislead.

Common Ingredients of Gum

After looking at several different brands of chewing gum, we found that these were the most common ingredients:

Sorbitol
• Gum base
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Xylitol
• Artificial and natural flavoring
• Acacia
• Acesulfame potassium• Aspartame
• BHT
• Calcium casein peptone-calcium Phosphate
• Candelilla wax
• Sodium stearate
• Titanium  

Titanium dioxide is so cancerous that external skin contact is enough to cause cancer. Be reminded that all of these ingredients absorb directly into the blood stream through the walls of the mouth. Some of these ingredients are explained in-depth, because it is prudent to correct the myth that chewing gum is harmless and even good for you (e.g. “it strengthens the teeth )

The “Sugar-Free” Sugar Alcohols

Sorbitol, maltitol, and mannitol are sugar alcohols. These are usually made from sugar, and they frequently increase the blood sugar just as much as eating sugar. However, manufacturers make deceptive “sugar-free” claims about sugar alcohols, since these ingredients are not puresugar anymore. While such sugar derivatives are technically“sugar free” when the manipulative word games are employed, they nonetheless remain dangerous for diabetics, who are the very audience that these gums are marketed to. Let us not forget that the sugar alcohol containing gums are also marketed to improve our dental health. The sugar alcohols are even more chemically processed than white sugar is; and thus much more foreign to the body by virtue of its artificial nature, so we have reason to believe that these forms of chemical industry sugars will stimulate even moreweight gain and inflammation than regular sugar. All of the evidence points in this direction. These chemically-extracted sugar alcohols are documented to cause abdominal pains and diarrhea, whilst aggravating various health conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, the immune system takes a huge hit from exposure to them. This immune suppression will in turn cause greater yeast development in the body, which will lead to cavities and allergies.

Gum Base

Instead of telling customers what they are really chewing, the phrase “gum base” is used to generalize a list of ingredients that is never actually published. As the name implies, it is the foundation agent of chewing gum. We have tried exhaustively to find exactly what modern “gum base” is made from. We found the following babble repeatedly regurgitated by all of the major gum companies. It was obviously meant to derail serious research:

Aspartame is one of the most controversial additives of all time, and sits alongside MSG and saccharin in terms of both consumer distrust and poor safety. Its presence in foods has nothing to do with safety, but everything to do with politics and money. Aspartame has been linkedto just about every health condition known, from seizures to brain tumors. Some epileptic patients have recovered from their condition simply by eliminating this toxin from their diets. It is found in diet foods, diet drinks, and sugar-free products as an alternative to sugar. Aspartame is a solution that remains worse than the problem. Aspartame is an excitotoxin, which means that it over-excites the neurons in the brain, until they burn out, causing lowered intelligence and a host of neurological problems. Aspartame causes diabetes, fibromyalgia, lowered I.Q., obesity, multiple sclerosis, asthma, insomnia, muscle spasms, and a total of 92 known symptoms.

Acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K) has similar properties to aspartame, and it is believed to be a carcinogen. The Center for Science in the Public Interestpetitioned the F.D.A. for a stay of approval, due to the lack of testing done on this substance. Studies on animals have shown a correlation between acesulfame potassium and various tumors.

While we would love to be able to provide information about calcium casein peptone (calcium phosphate), we cannot. We simply do not know. Its only appearance is in Trident gum (the worst brand), and we were unable to find studies or any other information about it. It might be a whitening agent. It is important to note that casein is a milk extract that was linked with the Chinese baby formula poisonings. Trust this ingredient at your own risk, but we would never encourage the use of something that has its research censored from the public. That tends to be a bad sign.

BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is a preservative that has been linked to cancer. It was banned in the United Kingdom and Japan. It is unbelievably sold as a “dietary supplement”, and some people believe that it has anti-viral effects. So do gasoline and rat poison. We do not recommend it, because of the safety implications. It causes kidney and liver damage. Benjamin Feingold(creator of the Feingold Diet) linked it to hyperactivity in children in the 1970’s, as a large component of A.D.H.D.

For the sake of brevity, we shall discontinue examining the ingredients in chewing gum. Chewing gum is easily one of the most toxic products available, and it is difficult to ever know exactly what it contains due to vague terms such as “gum base” and “artificial flavors”. These reflect trade secrets, and the ingredients probably are made of hundreds of other ingredients that they are unwilling to disclose. Manufacturers maintain that customers have no right to know.

Natural gum is available, which is made from chicle, a tree that is native to Central America. There was a time when all chewing gum was made from it, but using it incurs more manufacturing expense. Natural gum can be purchased online or from health food stores.

I blogged about this some time around the first of the year 

I quit buying gum 

I don't miss it at all

Fennel seeds rosemary and Mint are just a few natural  ingredients to freshen breath

Come on over to the natural life to keep updated on the latest health news 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rozzynaturalweightlosssupportgroup/ 

For natural products herbs and spices visit 

www.rozzyqueenofsheaandspice.com

Read the full article on gum visit  http://www.getholistichealth.com/41068/why-a-stick-of-chewing-gum-is-more-harmful-to-your-health-than-anything-you-eat/

Sincerely

Rozzy Queen of Shea and Spice 

Moringa

Moringa the super food

The Miracle of Moringa Tree Leaves and powder

Moringa is one of the most powerful health-enhancing plants. While many things found in Nature can have one or two health benefits, Moringa has many. India's ancient tradition of ayurveda medicine sites 300 diseases that are treated with the leaves of the Moringa tree. Recent scientific research has proven that these humble leaves are in fact a powerhouse of nutritional value.

Moringa leaf is best known as an excellent source of nutrition and natural energy booster. This energy boost is not based on sugar, and so it is sustained. Moringa is also soothing. It helps lower blood pressure and is a sleep aid. Its detoxifying effect may come from Moringa's ability to purify water. Moringa acts as a coagulant attaching itself to harmful material and bacteria. It is believed that this process is taking place in the body as well. 

While the continued use of Moringa for food and medicinal purposes by cultures in separate and distant parts of the world attest to its beneficial effects, Moringa is a recent “discovery” of modern science. The leaves of Moringa Oleifera are nature's multi-vitamin providing 7 x the vitamin C of oranges, 4 x the calcium of milk, 4 x the vitamin A of carrots, 3 x the potassium of bananas, and 2 x the protein of yogurt. On top of that, science is proving Moringa to be a power house of nutrients; 90 are known to date, with the possibility of more yet to be identified. If that were not enough, Moringa has no known impurities, with no adverse reactions ever recorded.

I just got a direct source for organic Moringa and will have a website up soon

Until then email or inbox me

For more information 

Queenofspiceandherbs@gmail.com

Sincerely 

Rozzy 

www.facebook.com/rozzyjerkspice 

www.facebook.com/queenofsheabutter 

How to increase testosterone if your vegetarian or vegan

You can use a number of simple nutrition methods to boost testosterone levels, and you don't need meat to do so. Nutrition is not the only factor in increasing your testosterone levels, either -- lifestyle factors such as training with weights, getting enough sleep and sunshine and making sure you are at a healthy weight are all important as well.

Add Some Zinc

Zinc is a vital mineral for testosterone production. Adult men need around 11 milligrams of zinc per day, while women need about 8 milligrams. If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you can get a good amount of zinc each day from raw milk and cheese and kefir. If you tend more toward veganism, you might prefer to stick to beans, such as Lima or pinto, or you can eat nuts and oatmeal. You might consider taking a zinc supplement as well.

Don't Be Scared of Fat

Research published in the June 2005 edition of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" found that a low-fat diet was associated with decreased testosterone production. Including the recommended servings of polyunsaturated fats in your daily food intake will help your body preserve protein, in turn allowing for more stable hormone production. You can get healthy fats from nuts, particularly unsalted almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts and walnuts. Other sources of healthy fats are eggs, avocados and olive oil.

Snack on Seeds

Many seeds are high in polyunsaturated fats and essential vitamins and minerals. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds are all easy to find in health stores and can be added to other meals for a convenient boost. They have good amounts of protein and energy, which means they can also be useful if you don't have a large appetite: Long-term low-calorie diets -- in which you consume 80 percent or less than the amount required to maintain your current weight -- have been associated with low testosterone counts.

Seek Out Protein

Protein sustains muscle mass and allows your body to recover from strenuous activities like exercise. Eating sufficient protein is also important for maintaining healthy testosterone levels. While eating enough protein tends to be easy for meat-eaters, it can be trickier for vegetarians. Eggs and seeds have good amounts, as do tofu, pea protein powder and rice protein powder. Powders are not the ideal source of any nutrient, but they can be a very useful supplement if your low protein intake is affecting your testosterone production.

Courtesy of

http://www.livestrong.com/article/412024-how-do-vegetarians-increase-testosterone/#page=1 

Sincerely 

Rozzy Queen of Spice

www.facebook.com/rozzyjerkspice

The History of Spices

The history of spices

The Importance of Spices in World History

When you walk into the section of your local grocery store that houses spices, you see an array of bottles of brownish or reddish powders. Some spices look relatively fresh, while other spices look like they were scooped out of the deserts on Mars and bottled. Unfortunately, this is the only view many people have of spices - mostly uninteresting, used only because recipes call for them.

If the appearance of spices were to reflect their real importance in the history of the world, the bottles of spices would be filled with bright glittery substances, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and gold. When you opened the bottle, a poof of vibrantly colored, mystically fragrant, magical smoke would slowly billow softly throughout the room. Spices have been the inspiration for trade, exploration, war, and poetry since the beginning of civilization. That ground pepper you shake on your salad was once worth its weight in gold; the nutmeg you grate onto holiday eggnog once fueled a war that gained Long Island for England.

Spices have been important to mankind since the beginning of history. They are mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamaesh, the Bagavad Gita, and the Old Testament. Archeologists discovered spices in Egyptian tombs as early as 3000 BC. The strong preservative quality of many spices made them ideal for embalming. Many of the spices had strong connections or affiliations with different Gods. Therefore in addition to the embalming qualities of the spices, their fragrance was also thought to curry (no pun intended) the favor of the Gods, offering one a better chance of celestial help in travels into the afterlife. Throughout many periods of history, spices have claimed attention for their mystical properties, either through ingesting or smoking. What mankind has done throughout time to creatively enhance or elevate the perception of his existence is a fascinating subject. 

We know that as soon as man understood the importance of preserving and recording the complex existence of his life, and his intelligence developed to a level of rudimentary picture making, he left us a pathway to the past. Spices are evidenced from the beginning of hieroglyphic practice. A wall in the palace of Knossos, in Crete, shows a monkey/man picking saffron, one of the most precious of all spices. The carving dates back to 1700 BC. As civilization progressed, so did the complexity of record keeping. A fascinating document called the Ebers Papyrus, dating 1550 B.C., details information about the practice of surgery and medicine at the time. Present is a listing of a vast array of cures formed from herbs and spices, many of these exactly the same herbs and spices we commonly find in our own spice racks for our everyday cooking. So it is most likely that the most important aspect of spices in history was their ability to heal and perpetuate life.

An obvious factor of the importance of spices is their role in the exploration of our planet . We were no longer happy with the spices growing in our own back yards, and wanted to explore uncharted territories. While the peril of adventurous travel was great, the rewards came in rare and beautiful forms, gold, silver, ivory, ebony, spices, rare animals and new plant forms. As man’s ability to travel grew, so did his discovery of new and exotic lands. Man seems to have always sought after the unobtainable, and those lucky enough to have these precious commodities were wealthy men, men of nobility, royalty, high ranking church officials and a few very shrewd and clever merchants and businessmen. Again, it is important to remember, even though spices were exotic and flavorful and sure to open new culinary worlds, the primary reason spices were sought after was their use as medicine. Even as recently as the 1500s, when the “Spice Wars” were shaking out between the Portuguese and the Dutch and later the Dutch and the English, one of the most sought after spices on the wish list was nutmeg. And it was not because the Queen desired a new dessert, rather, nutmeg was highly touted as a miracle cure for the plague, which killed more than 35,000 people in London in 1603.

Not only were many men’s fortunes made in the pursuit of spices, spices at many periods throughout history literally served as currency. Pharisees in Judea paid tithes in cumin seeds. When Alaric the Visigoth held Rome under siege in the fifth century, the ransom included 3000 pounds of peppercorns. During the fourteenth century, in Germany, one pound of nutmeg could be traded for seven FAT oxen. At other points in history, rent would be paid in peppercorns, and a pound of pepper would serve to buy the freedom of a serf in medieval France.

In researching the history of spices, we find a recurring theme in that virtually every spice was considered a strong aphrodisiac. The famous English herbalist Culpepper prescribed ginger for his patients “weak in the sports of Venus.” After vanilla was discovered by Cortez in Mexico and brought back to Europe, a German doctor conducted an extensive several year study to conclude very scientifically that vanilla cured impotence in men (an early viagra). Spices throughout time also seem to have been touted for their help in dieting. (Apparently mankind has been dieting since the beginning of time) One must remember that clever marketing has also been evident since the beginning of time!

This brings us to another revelation, which is that throughout time there have been honest, scrupulous businessmen, and others on the wrong side of our code of ethics. We are in possession of some antique spice merchant recipe books which give standard ingredients to use to dilute valuable spices. For example one might cut pepper with dirt and stones, while ginger powder could be cut with pinewood sawdust. However, there is a period of time in which spice merchants who were caught selling false saffron were actually burned at the stake - with their imposter saffron. 

One other, less lofty, need spices have filled is based on their strong scent. While we take for granted the good hygiene habits of most of our fellow Americans, throughout periods of civilization, people did not necessarily have free access to water. In other words, a gathering of your fellow men would not be the most pleasant experience for the olfactory sense. Spices served as a way to perfume a room and the people in it. When knights would return from battle to have an audience with their king, they would sit on ground strewn with fresh rosemary of thyme. If you were indeed a wealthy king, you would have beautiful maidens sprinkling you with the most expensive of spices, saffron, on the stairway of the palace event. 

So the next time you go to shake a little black pepper on your steak, perhaps you will pause and reflect a moment on how you came to be eating what you are. It may come from a plastic bottle on the supermarket shelf, but it took a long, convoluted route to get there.

Rozzy Queen of Spice 

 I encourage using spices daily for over all wellness

Our mission  is to provide Premium products of fresh spice for the modern chef and food lovers without chemicals Msg preservatives  iodine salt or proceeded white sugar 

Rozzy carries a full line of fresh herbs and spices 

Inquire about your needs 

Our sole proprietors blends 

Include 

Rozzy's Caribbean Jerk Spice Blend

Rozzy's Amazing Curry Powder   

Spice it up for wellness and flavor 

Sincerely 

Rozzy 

Rozzybjerkspice.com 

What is Seitan?

What is seitan?

A definition of seitan: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, "wheat protein", “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute.

Seitan is also high in protein, making it a popular protein source for vegetarians. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices and other vegetarian meat substitutes.

What does seitan taste like?

Seitan can have lots of different flavors, just like chicken can be hot and spicy as in chicken wings (See: Seitan hot wings recipe), or savory in a succulent Indian or Thai curry (See: Seitan Massaman curry recipe).

See Also: How to Make Seitan

It has a savory taste, somewhat mild on it's own, probably close to a bit bland chicken or a portobello mushroom.

But the real reason seitan is so popular is more because of it's texture than it's taste, especially when compared to other alternatives, such as tofu or tempeh,which don't really have a "meaty" texture. 

See also: The best vegetarian meat substitutes to try

Where can I find seitan?

Seitan can be prepared by hand using either whole wheat flour (which is a very labor intensive process) or vital wheat gluten (which is a much simpler process) and is made by rinsing away the starch in the wheat, leaving a high-protein gluten behind.

Although not as common as tofu, seitan is quickly gaining popularity, particularly in vegetarian restaurants, due to its ability to take on the texture and flavor of meat. You'll find it thinly sliced as a meat substitute on vegetarian sandwiches, turned into saucy and succulent wings or "ribs" and I've occasionally seen it as a vegetarian pizza topping. At Asian restaurants, it's often just called "gluten" on the menu.

Prepared seitan can be found in the refrigerated section of most health food stores, usually in a tub similar to the way tofu is sold, or sometimes in sealed plastic inside a box, but always in the refrigerated section, or occasionally with the frozen foods, or you can try making your own. Here's how.

How to cook seitan

Once you've made your seitan (or purchased it), seitan always needs to be cooked in one way or another, in order to turn it into a delicious vegetarian or vegan meal. A quick pan-fry with a splash of soy sauce or tamari is one way to quickly cook your seitan, and I also like to simmer it with a bit of curry powder and top it off with nutritional yeast if I'm not doing something fancy with it. 

Need more ideas? Seitan is great on an outdoor grill or on an indoor grill pan - just slap on some jerk spice or barbecue sauce and heat it on up. Toss some seitan into the pan to get it lightly browned before you add vegetables to make a vegetable stir-fry, add to just about any Thai curry or really any dish vegetarian curry recipe, or add bits to a soup or stew for a plant-based protein boost.

Author Credits 

 http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Seitan.htm

To get spice and more recipes visit 

www.facebook.com/rozzyjerkspice

www.rozzyqueenofsheaandspice.com