We’re so excited about the upcoming Guide to Bread: Unlocking the Mysteries of Grains, Gluten and Yeast that we decided to give away another pre-order!

From the back of the book: Research reveals that bread provided between 53% and 75% of the daily intake for ancient civilizations. It nourished and literally sustained many generations. Yet bread is now considered to be unhealthy and is even harmful for many. Ever wonder what happened?

Explore the truth about one of our oldest and most loved dietary staples in the Guide to Bread. In this eye-opening book, Jessie Hawkins explains how scientists have produced wheat bread using ancient methods that is gluten free and safe for celiac patients, how specific additives and alterations have been directly linked with the rise in gluten intolerance, and why the real solution to bread isn’t found in freshly milled wheat or soaking grains. You’ll also learn how real bread can help alleviate what the World Health Organization calls the most common nutrient deficiency, why most store bought gluten free foods are unhealthy, and how you can produce your own healthy, real bread – effortlessly – in your own home! / 288pgs / March 20,2012

To enter: For the first entry, leave a comment below telling us what you’re most excited about learning in the new book. For additional entries, share the post on your facebook wall, twitter feed or blog, letting your friends know what part of the book you can’t wait to read! Be sure to leave a separate comment for each share so you get all of your entries!

Details: Giveaway ends at midnight Saturday, Jan 21. The winner will be notified by email, and we’ll also notify you when the book is ready to ship.

Update: The giveaway is now finished; thanks for entering! Congrats to Christine for winning comment number 10!

So I post this every year around the this time. Food coloring can lead to an assortment of health issues and natural dyes are a fun alternative for healthy kids.

Taken from The Vintage Remedies Guide to Real Foods
Chapter 10 – Real Foods for Kids

These are fun and easy to make, requiring just a little additional time collecting the materials, and they result in beautiful, natural hues that liven up any spring table.

Natural dyes will appear more vibrant when applied to white eggs. Contrary to popular belief, there is no nutritional difference between white and brown eggs. The color of the egg is determined by the breed of the chicken and the nutritional benefits of an egg are determined by the health of the chicken.

vinegar
distilled water
herbs for colors (see below for a guide)
boiled eggs

For each color, mix 4 cups of water with 4 T of the herb powder or 3/4 cup of the whole herb and 3T vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 – 25 minutes. Strain and cool. Soak eggs for 10 – 15 minutes in the dye. Dry in egg cups, then store in the fridge.

Color Guide:
Blue – red cabbage or blueberry concentrate
Brown – ground tea or coffee
Burnt Orange – red chili powder
Green – spinach powder or parsley powder
Red – cranberries
Orange – curry powder
Pink – beet powder
Purple – beets, purple onion skin, grape juice
Yellow – calendula petals, turmeric or saffron

Enjoy!

Its finally here! Our newest program is now available and we’ve already begin registering Natural Living Educators! Our brand new Essential Series is designed to address the massive confusion and misinformation that abounds regarding natural living, public health and real foods.

The United States spends over $6,000 annually per person on health care. That’s nearly 3 times more than the next highest country’s health care costs in the world. What does that get us? Embarrassing life expectancy and infant mortality rates that don’t even begin to measure up to other countries. Our children are the first generation in over a hundred years to face a lower life expectancy rate than their parents enjoyed. Much of this is preventable, due to obesity, lifestyle and simple bad habits. When the rates are already sub-par, that’s a highly disturbing trend.

We want to see that trend reversed, and we know it’s possible through basic lifestyle changes and evidence based prevention. We also know it can be fun and enjoyable to implement new habits; there’s no reason for it to be a chore. So, our new essentials series is designed to do just that – promote the essentials of wellness across the globe. We’re training and certifying Natural Living Educators to take the real foods and natural health programs into homes, churches, physician’s offices and community centers in their local own cities and towns. They’ll provide 4 week classes that are packed with practical information, tips and tools to implement these changes. Each class will feature DVD clips from me, with essential health information for these new habits, and hands on sessions with the Natural Living Educator where participants will learn how to make simple natural remedies at home, how to transform family favorite recipes to feature real foods, how to save money on real foods and so much more! (Supplies for these projects are included in the participant kit, which the Natural Living Educator obtains from us, packaged in a convenient reusable shopping bag!)

If you’re already passionate about real foods and natural health, and already have essentials habits in your home, you’d make a perfect Natural Living Educator! The program is brand new, so you have a special opportunity to be one of the very first in your area to offer these classes! AND, the first 25 educators to purchase training kits will save $100 on their costs! We’ve already begun registering educators, so that won’t last long!

Before I send you over to the website, there’s also one more important aspect of this program. When you attend a Vintage Remedies Essentials Class, you make it possible for us to support health education in less wealthy nations. We’re sponsoring pre-natal and child development classes in Haiti that teach women life saving skills such as malaria prevention, healthy pregnancy and breastfeeding support. Don’t forget to click on the Giving Back tab when you head over to the website.

And of course, we will be posting the next giveaways soon. Today’s are big! To get a head start, you can go ahead and like our brand new Essentials facebook page and follow us on our new Essentials twitter account. Then subscribe to our Essentials newsletter and share us on your social networks.  That will give you bonus entries once the contest is posted!