Most people know that Vitamin C is great for colds, but did you also know that it plays a tremendous role in heart health? With our focus this month on healthy hearts I thought it would be fun to share a few facts regarding this incredible supplement.

- Vitamin C helps prevent arterial inflammation and plaque.

- It helps enhance the body’s level of natural glutathione (glutathione is a potent free-radical scavenger known to prevent coronary artery disease.)

 - Vitamin C is crucial for the synthesis of collagen, a part of the connective tissue that strengthens your blood vessel walls. When these walls become irritated they are more likely to allow plaque build-up, permitting noxious toxins to cause inflammatory reactions in the vascular lining.

- Helps repair connective tissue and cartilage thereby contributing to healthy blood vessels.

- At higher doses Vitamin C can help patients coping with arterial fibrillation (AF), the most common kind of arrhythmia.

So, how much Vitamin C is safe to take on a daily basis?

- Most research supports Vitamin C intake of around 200 to 300 mg per day, which for the average person is definitely in the safe zone. In fact, for many people doses below 1,000 mg are probably safe although the research is not as conclusive for this intake level.

- Some researchers, such as the great Linus Pauling, suggest 10,000 mg or more daily for optimum health.  For instructions on determining your own need see our blog on the Vitamin C Flush.

Excellent food sources of vitamin C include: parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts. Marilyn Farms also offers Vitamin C in a variety of formulas including chewable, powder, and Vitamin C 1000. tablets. Visit our website to learn more and take advantage of our February special on this heart-healthy supplement.

For those of you who didn’t get to participate in our last webinar, Immunity and Your Immune system: Unleash the Natural Killer in You, I thought I would share one of the tips Jessica presented for working with your immune system to help protect against flu and the H1N1 virus.
 
One of the ways a virus can enter your body is through your nasal passages or mouth, so irrigating your sinuses or gargling with salt water can help ensure that nothing takes hold if you are exposed to the flu virus.  I can personally vouch 100% for the neti pot!  Like many of us, I sometimes push myself a little too much and put my immune system to the test, but time and time again the neti pot has come to the rescue and turned what could have morphed into a full blown sickness to a brief inconvenience.
 
Here are some simple instructions for nasal irrigation. It’s a quick and easy remedy and well worth the time.  Make it part of your daily health routine!  And, if you don’t have a neti, Marilyn Farms sells several styles, now 10% off!  Click here to view.

1. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of finely ground non-iodized salt with 8 oz. of water. Use the purest salt available because impurities in the salt can be irritating. 
2. Lean forward and turn your head to one side over the sink, keeping the forehead at the same height as the chin, or slightly higher.
3. Gently insert the spout in the upper nostril so it forms a comfortable seal.
4. Raise the Neti gradually so the saline solution flows in through your upper nostril and out of the lower nostril.  Breathe through your mouth.
5. When the Neti is empty, face the sink and exhale vigorously without pinching the nostrils.
 6. Refill the Neti and repeat on the other side. Again, exhale vigorously to clear the nasal passages.

Iowa Gardens are in full production and a group of us recently had a great opportunity to work with Annie and learn a new way to preserve produce from our gardens and local markets. While enjoying a warm summer day, surrounded by friends, we made fermented or cultured veggies and not only learned a great new way to preserve food, but also how to enhance the nutritional value of winter veggies such as cabbage and root vegetables.

Most of you are probably aware of one  popular cultured vegetable, sauerkraut.  But the art of fermenting veggies goes way beyond cabbage, enabling you to create your own colorful and delicious masterpiece.   Here are a few fun facts to consider as you prepare to make your own first batch.

• Cultured foods have been used since ancient times for their medicinal benefits.
• Captain Cook sailed with large barrels of sauerkraut which supplied his crew with vitamin C and prevented scurvy.
• When vegetables are cultured, the Lactobacillus acidophilus and other beneficial bacteria break down the sugars and cell walls in the vegetables making them much easier to digest.
• Our gut is directly connected to our immune system. When we consume cultured veggies on a regular basis, we strengthen our immunity by enhancing the flora of our gut. This beneficial flora not only fights off dangerous invaders such as microbes and pathogens, but also produces vitamins and converts nutrients into neurotransmitters such as serotonin.
• Cultured veggies are said to have hundreds of times the amount of nutrients as veggies that have not been cultured. Simply eating a few bites of something fermented with your meals will not only help you digest your meals, but will also promote good energy and health.

Okay, time to get started! Click here for the ingredients and instructions – it’s easy and fun!

Annie is MFC’s expert on ways to save money with natural and safe homemade products, and has taught us that making our own laundry soap is very easy.  We no longer have to worry about toxic ingredients or the high cost of natural store bought detergent.

Try your hand at making your own, it’s simple and fun.

• 3 pint water
• ½ bar of grated Kirks Castile Soap
• 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
• 1 cup Borax
• 2-3 Gallon Bucket to mix in

Instructions

1. Mix Kirks castile soap in a saucepan with 3 pints of hot water and heat on low until dissolved
2. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat.
3. Add 1 quart of Hot water to the 2 gallon bucket.
4. Add soap mixture and mix well.
5. Fill bucket completely with additional hot water and mix well.
6. Set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens. You may add additional hot water if the mixture becomes too thick.

Mix well before each use. Use ½ cup per load. You may add ¼ cup of Borax to heavily soiled loads. For a fabric softener use distilled white vinegar.

Did You Know…
1 cup Borax and 1 cup Washing Soda makes  great inexpensive automatic dishwasher soap. Use distilled white Vinegar in your rinse compartment.

In late December Marilyn Farms held our first Ask the Nutritionist Webinar with Jessica Forbes, MS CCN.  We had many great questions on a variety of topics including food allergies, blood type diets, bone health, saturated fats, and cholesterol just to name a few.

If you weren’t able to join us live in December, or if you did join us and want to review the information again, you now have the opportunity to download the webinar file and listen to our hour long session of questions and answers. We know you’ll find Ask the Nutritionist chocked full of amazing bits of education and knowledge to help you take continued steps in your journey for health.

Happy listening!

2008-12-20 Ask the Nutritionist.mp3

I’m sure many, if not most of you, have either tried or are now using the SuperForce herbal tincture.  I have been surprised over the years to hear of its many uses – from sprinkling on popcorn (it really is good!), to flavoring soups, spicing up a salad dressing and even using topically  – I’m sure the list goes on and on.  And these uses are in addition to how it’s “normally” taken internally to fight bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.  It really is an all-purpose tonic!

Do you have any special ways you use Superforce?  We would love to hear your ideas.

Here’s a link to the MFC web site for SuperForce, and it’s on sale!

http://www.marilynfarms.com/index.php?main_page=mfc_product_edible_info&cPath=65&products_id=62

Hi everyone -

Many of you have probably already received the e-mail announcement about our upcoming Webinar, Ask the Nutritionist.  It’s such a great opportunity that the details bear repeating, and just in case you haven’t heard, following are the details.

Marilyn Farms is pleased to present our newest series in Webinars, “Ask the Nutritionist”.  During these one hour sessions you will have the opportunity to log in and participate in a live question and answer period with Jessica Forbes, MS CCN.  Jessica has a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry, a Master’s in Human Nutrition, and over six years of experience in private practice.  She is ready to take your nutrition and product questions and provide valuable information to help you create and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Marilyn Farms is sponsoring “Ask the Nutritionist” free of charge.  Our first session is scheduled for Saturday December 20th at 3 PM CT.  Registration is limited so sign up today!

If you have problems with this link just go to our website at www.marilynfarms.com and click on Webinar under the What’s New section on the front page.

Hi everyone –
 
Marilyn Farms is in the process of making some changes to our website.  Our goal is not only to provide incredible educational information and products, but make it easy for you to access that information and find the products you need. We know the best input comes from you, our customers, so we have a favor to ask.
 
Would you please take a few moments to add a comment below about things that you both like and dislike about our existing site?  Don’t worry, we won’t be offended! You could also include topics for us to cover or products that we don’t currently provide but you believe would be a good fit to our current offerings of “Products for Health, Health for Life”.
 
We can’t promise that we’ll make every change and add every product, but we’ll certainly listen and seriously consider all of your input.
 
Thanks in advance for your time and on-going support of Marilyn Farms!