By the time this article goes public, some positive changes will have been made for getting our nation back to normal—or, at the very least, a semblance of normality. It is now late May, and the warm spring weather is more than welcome after the harsh reality of everything that transpired over the cold winter […]
03
Jun
Jun
Ask Chef Phyllis My family loves a good chicken dish. They demand chicken breasts, although my mother always bought whole chicken and used every part. I usually make chicken breasts in the slow cooker, and though it’s good, the breasts get too dry and lack flavor after six hours in the pot. I have a […]
02
Jun
Jun
“How’s your digestion?” Without fail, this is a question I get asked whenever I see a healthcare provider who takes a more holistic approach to things. My automatic response is always, “It’s good.” And then we move on. However, because I also work at a traditional Chinese medicine clinic, I hear this question asked of […]
28
May
May
The hardest thing about being an alternative healthcare provider isn’t that the natural methods in use for thousands of years have been replaced by drugs and surgery—although that is definitely a bitter pill to swallow (pun intended). No, the hardest part is when people tell us with complete sincerity and certainty, “I don’t believe in […]
27
May
May
Here’s a novel idea: a sumptuous dessert from your already depleted pantry. And it’s easier than you ever imagined. Did your mom ever make fruit cobblers? Or perhaps a baked apple with cinnamon and raisins in the middle? Nothing is easier than a baked apple, and in my opinion, nothing appeals to the senses quite […]
26
May
May
Every once in a while, I like to browse through the SRP Historical Archives looking for a random article to read. It’s inevitable that I’ll find some little gem of information that makes me go, “Now that’s interesting!” And that’s exactly what happened the other day. These articles date back more than 80 years, but […]
Tips from the Traditional Cook
Conscious Autosuggestion:
How to Reset Your Negative Thought Patterns
21
May
May
For those of you already acquainted with the idea of “autosuggestion,” this blog post may be old news. On the other hand, it may be a good opportunity to pass this on to someone who is sick, unsuccessful, and/or depressed. If you’re not familiar with autosuggestion but still identify with these negative emotions, I invite […]
Ask Chef Phyllis
Food in a Troubled World:
New England Clam or Fish Chowder from the Pantry or Freezer
20
May
May
Practice is “the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it.” What can you put into practice? If you are of Italian, French, or Greek ancestry, perhaps you were raised as I was, with your conversations revolving around food—good food, fresh from the garden, and the […]
19
May
May
Whether we like it or not, most of us have been spending more time indoors lately. So it seems like the perfect occasion to consider the air inside your home—is it healthy, or could it use a little help? Indoor air quality can be impacted by a variety of dangers. Some of these we bring […]
15
May
May
A long time ago—more than 20 years—I gave up wheat and gluten for health reasons. A few years later, I discovered the work of Weston A. Price and how using traditional cooking techniques such as lacto-fermentation can make food more easily digested by the body. My next level of learning was how I could use […]
14
May
May
Ask Chef Phyllis What can you tell me about whipping cream that I’ve already opened and has been in my fridge a little past its “best use” date? In this time of stay at home, I do not wish to waste anything. It smells fine, but it’s thicker than when I opened it. Can I […]
07
May
May
Who among us wouldn’t want to look more youthful or have a more beautiful smile? Well, maybe I’ve found a bit of the fountain of youth, and you can too in just a few easy steps. So let me introduce you to a product that can teach you some effective facial movement exercises. I will […]
06
May
May
According to Chinese medicine, every season corresponds to both an organ and an organ meridian. In the spring, this is the liver. Traditionally, spring is the season when we clear out. We spring clean our closets, our drawers, the garage, the flower and garden beds. But it can also be a time to spring clean […]
05
May
May
With Mother’s Day being this Sunday, I’ve been thinking a ton about my own mom. Kind is the first word that comes to mind when I describe her to someone, always in some variation of “my mom is the kindest person on this planet.” And I mean it. Every. Single. Time. I would challenge you […]
01
May
May
Want to stay well—now and always? Eat your sauerkraut! Whether it is just another day in your neighborhood or you are in the middle of a health crisis, fermented cabbage is “health food extraordinaire.” Yep, the humble cabbage. If you know this already, I would hope that you eat sauerkraut (or some other fermented vegetable) […]
29
Apr
Apr
I woke up Wednesday morning with the notion that all was well. But then in a New York minute, I remembered that I’m living through a pandemic—never before known by my generation or, for that matter, anyone I know. (My dad talked of the Great Depression, and to this day my memory of him hoarding […]
23
Apr
Apr
At the beginning of the year we started a fitness challenge with my husband’s family. There were four daily metrics: a minimum step count, a water intake goal, a 20-minute workout, and no refined white sugar in any form—no fructose (combination of fructose and glucose), no fructose corn syrup, no brown sugar (made by adding […]
22
Apr
Apr
This year of 2020 is a particularly difficult time in the world. Indeed, it’s a time of crisis. Just a few months ago, this hysterical news would have sounded like Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” did back in 1938. My friends, not knowing what the future holds touches all of us. We all need […]
21
Apr
Apr
The other day a good friend reached out to say she wished we could spend some time together. She said that she’d been feeling down, which at first took me by surprise (she’d never expressed feelings of sadness to me before). But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. She’s a […]
16
Apr
Apr
I have known about castor oil packs for as long as I can remember, and I’ve used them from time to time. However, I never knew the real story of castor oil—until I encountered in my pile of new but unread health books a bright purple cover with a title that was just too intriguing […]