Vitamins and Minerals for the day

I am a firm believer in eating the right things to keep us well.  I am also a believer in preventative methods of health care.  I know that nothing will keep all illness at bay or will prevent bad diseases from happening no matter what, but I know that with the right start, it can matter in the long run. 
I am starting by something I found on the internet today that I sent to help a friend.  I am going to post the informational link here for a reminder for my part.  B Vitamins 
http://www.drpernell.com/b%20vitamins.htm

B VITAMINS

VITAMIN B-1 (Thiamine)

IMPORTANCE: Plays a key role in the body's metabolic cycle for generating energy; aids in the digestion of carbohydrates; essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system, muscles & heart; stabilizes the appetite; promotes growth & good muscle tone.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May lead to mental depression & constipation; weakness & feeling tired; nervous irritability; insomnia; the loss of appetite; paralysis & loss of weight; vague aches & pains; heart & gastrointestinal problems.

VITAMIN B-2 (Riboflavin)

IMPORTANCE: Necessary for carbohydrate, fat & protein metabolism; aids in the formation of antibodies and red blood cells; maintains cell respiration; necessary for the maintenance of good vision, skin, nails & hair; alleviates eye fatigue; promotes general health.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May result in sluggishness; itching and burning eyes; cracks and sores in the mouth & lips; bloodshot eyes; purplish tongue; dermatitis; retarded growth; digestive disturbances; trembling; oily skin.

VITAMIN B-6 (Pyridoxine)

IMPORTANCE: Necessary for synthesis & breakdown of amino acids, the building blocks of protein; aids in fat and carbohydrate metabolism; aids in the formation of antibodies; maintains the central nervous system; aids in the removal of excess fluid of premenstrual women; promotes health skin; reduces muscle spasms, leg cramps, hand numbness, nausea & stiffness of hands; helps maintain a proper balance of sodium & phosphorous in the body.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May result in nervousness, insomnia, skin eruptions, loss of muscular control, anemia, mouth disorders, muscular weakness, dermatitis, arm & leg cramps, loss of hair, slow learning, and water retention.

VITAMIN B-12 (Cobalamin)

IMPORTANCE: Helps in the formation & regeneration of red blood cells, thus helping prevent anemia; necessary for carbohydrate, fat & protein metabolism; maintains a healthy nervous system; promotes growth in children; increase energy; needed for Calcium absorption.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May lead to depression, tiredness, nervousness, pernicious anemia, poor appetite, growth failure in children, brain damage, neuritis, degeneration of spinal cord, lack of balance.

NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B-3)

IMPORTANCE: Improves circulation and reduces the cholesterol level in the blood; maintains the nervous system; helps metabolize protein, sugar, & fat; reduces high blood pressure; increases energy through proper utilization of food; prevents pellagra; helps maintain a healthy skin, tongue & digestive system.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May result in mental depression, nervousness, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, pellagra, gastrointestinal disturbance, headaches, vague aches & pains, loss of appetite, skin disorders, muscular weakness, indigestion, bad breath, canker sores.

PANTOTHENIC ACID (VITAMIN B-5)

IMPORTANCE: Participates in the release of energy from carbohydrates, fats & protein, aids in the utilization of vitamins; improves the body's resistance to stress; helps in cell building & the development of the central nervous system; helps the adrenal glands, fights infections by building antibodies.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May lead to restlessness, painful & burning feet, skin abnormalities, retarded growth, dizzy spells, digestive disturbances, vomiting, stomach stress, muscle cramps.

FOLIC ACID (VITAMIN B-9)

IMPORTANCE: Necessary for DNA & RNA synthesis, which is essential for the growth and reproduction of all body cells; essential to the formation of red blood cells by its action on the bone marrow; aids in amino acid metabolism.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May result in gastrointestinal disorders, anemia, Vitamin B-12 deficiency, pre-mature gray hair.

BIOTIN

IMPORTANCE: Aids in the utilization of protein, folic acid, Pantothenic acid, and Vitamin B-12, promotes healthy hair.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May lead to depression, extreme exhaustion, drowsiness, loss of appetite, muscle pain, grayish skin color.

PABA (Para Amino Benzoic Acid)

IMPORTANCE: Aids healthy bacteria in producing folic acid; aids in the formation of red blood cells; contains sun screening properties; aids in the assimilation of Pantothenic acids; returns hair to its natural color.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: May cause depression, nervousness, extreme fatigue, irritability, eczema, constipation , headaches, digestive disorders, hair turning prematurely gray.


I need this as a reminder to myself as I have gotten very lax about taking my supplements of my B-Complex myself. 

I found a great source for all the nutritional values of vitamins and minerals for many of the foods we eat. minerals     vitamins 




I find that if I listen to my body, it tells me when there are things I am not getting enough of.   For instance, I have been "in a mood" where I cannot get enough onions at the moment.  Looking up on the chart, I find that onions have potassium in them in an amount that I am probably needing in the heat and with the sweating I have done this summer, there are also antibiotic properties to onions and I have been fighting NOT to get a cold most of the summer.. I guess they are working.  I have also been eating all the swiss chard I could get my hands on from the farmers markets... guess what... over 900 mg of potassium... whoo hooo....

If we would just pay more attention to where our food comes from, and what our bodies need to be healthy.. let me think.. we would be healthy......

 

It was suggested to me by someone close to me that I might include scanned versions of the original.  Since I dont have a lot of technological experience and it scares me flat to death to be perfectly honest,  I did what I do know how to do.  Take photos of the pages and upload them here.  It is almost readable this way and I will continue to work at it until I get it better.

My Grandmother's Cookbook 1

The Beginning:
Desk Equipment
Top Drawer:  wooden spoon, Tablespoon, Teaspoon, measuring spoon, fork, pearing knife, case knife, spatula, salt and pepper shaker, biscuit cutter, glass cup, aluminum cup
Lower Drawer:  rolling pin, hot pad, strainer, soup dish, scrub brush
Large Drawer: front-double boiler, stew kettle, pie pan
                         back- 2 bread pans, frying pan, service plate, egg ------, mixing bowl,

When I think of all the gadgets in my own kitchen and I dont have many of the things I would like to have, I dont have many of the "dreamy items" that every "well stocked American kitchen" should have.  Were these truly the ONLY items that were needed in the kitchen in 1928? 


The next page details the method of grading for this class.  When you look at the standards and compare them to grading points of today?  Quietness?  Attitude?  Speed?  And look, neatness was different than cleanliness.  Can you imagine what would happen today if our students were given grades for their ATTITUDE in class?  Or Quietness?  Gee, we might have a whole different standard of behavior in class.

Points of grading
Accuracy-
Neatness-
Quietness-
Attitude-
Speed-
Cleanliness- 

Keep in mind as we go that this was a HOME EC class.  Again, not what we think today of being a Home Ec class in the least.  Each recipe or set of notes in her book were formed in terms of EXPERIMENTS.

FORM of EXPERIMENTS

Aim: ---------------

Method: ---------------

Conclusion: -----------------

What would happen today, if we looked at what goes on in our kitchens around the country, and what gets served on the diningroom table as proveable science experiments, instead of something just thrown together to keep people from whining?  

The next page lists more Equipment  I am gathering that maybe they had to bring these things from home. 

Equipment
2 dish towels
2 tea towels
2 hand towels
2 lifters
2 White aprons
1 large notebook

RULES
1 Wash your hands when you come into the labatory.
2 Rings and bracelets should not be worn.
3. Do not lay handkerchiefs, hats, or books on labatory table.
4.  Keep desk in order while working
5. Always wear your apron and hand towel.
6. All waste water should be oured through sink strainer.
7. Put all dry garbage in garbage pail.
8. Wash each tea towel at end of each lesson, fold and hang up.
9.  Put all equipment in order for checking at end of each lesson.

I think these are enough things to think about for one night.  What can we say about the differences in the past and present?  I so much more understand the way my Grandmother was around her home. 

Blueberry Muffins the old way

This is the text book that my
Grandmother used when she was in high school.  She was born
in 1912 and spent her adult life as a home economist for her
family.  After I found her text books, sadly after she passed
away, I understood so much more about the way she lived her
life. 

 

Can you see that this book was published in 1927, 

This if you can read it is the recipe I used tonight for the blue berry muffins that I decided to make for my family for breakfast.  I was able to purchase fresh blueberry's at the store. 

The recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, (I used whole wheat unbleached), 1 cup of milk or liquid.  ( I didnt have any plain white milk but I did have butter milk so we will see how that works)  It was thick enough that I DID have to add some water to get it all mixed together well. 

1 egg, (which was fresh) 

2 T of sugar

2 t. of baking powder

2 T of melted butter for the fat. 

To that mixture I added about 3/4 cup of the blueberries because I like a lot.. the recipe called for 1/2. 

Bake in a "medium" oven.. which for us would be around 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

I think they will be yummy.

Ready to go into the oven, yum yum!!!!

 OUT of the oven.... Can't wait till morning.  A cup of coffee, a muffin and a container of greek yogurt.  What a great thing to look forward to!!! 



Now, what do we do with the rest of the blueberries?  Make FACES Of Course!!!!!

How the quarry began.

I have begun to be very concerned about the foods that my family eats in the last few years.  It has amost become an obsession for me.  It all started, actually with the big pet food recall of a few years ago.  The one that involved over 100 different brands of pet food.  I became very aware of where pet food came from and how it was made, which then of course led me to our own human food. 
Since then, my family has become concerned about our weight.  My husbands father has been diabetic for many years and recently his brother has also become.  My husband had a stint put in his heart about 4 years ago and this April he had a heart attack and another stint put in.
I have researched the terms Organic, and Natural and what they mean in reality. Our small community finally has access to locally grown foods from two farmers markets, which I frequent each week during the summer.  I have begun to study my grandmothers cook book and the text book that she kept from her high school Home Ec class that is dated 1927,  and now, I am reading what the Bible says about food. 

I chose the word quarry for the search I am after because of the variety of meanings. 

quar·ry/ˈkwôrē/

Noun:

A place, typically a large, deep pit, from which stone or other materials are or have been extracted. An animal pursued by a hunter, hound, predatory mammal, or bird of prey. A diamond-shaped pane of glass as used in lattice windows.

Quarry is also a synonym for food in general. 
I love to find words that we can use ways that speak to us. 
So this blog will be a compilation of ways I find to feed my family in the best possible ways for our Mind, Body, and Spirit.  Join me, if you please.