Straw, Annie Laurie McDowell is one of the most beautiful roses in my opinion. I love that type of bloom. I am so glad to get this info about her growth habits and preferences because I plan to have her someday. She comes from my old home town in zone 10. Does she climb at all for you?

It's time to start the annual weed patrol. The shallow rooted ones pop up fast. I start by pulling them, move on to vinegar and covering them with newspaper in areas I'm clearing for new beds. They set seed in the blink of an eye! I have not tried using lime, so that will be in my arsenal this year. Most are in the pathways, so I don't care what it does to the pH. Mulch in the beds does a good job of keeping weeds down. My problem is living in an area where the seeds blow in from surrounding fields and meadows, and from my own untamed areas.

Thank you for starting this thread. Perhaps I'll put any recipes here so they won't be deleted.

Floweraremusic: Just saw your comment, Annie L. McDowell rose DID NOT CLIMB since it's a tiny bush in my zone 5a. That rose survived 2 winters, then died since I didn't winter-protect it, plus it was a dry-winter. It needs tons of rain water to thrive, and Annie died instantly for my sister in dry Mission Viejo, CA .. she has VERY ALKALINE tap-water (high in hydrated quick lime).

The shallow-root & tiny leaves weeds exploded with acidic granules like Scott's Weed & Feed (has many chemical acids). These shallow-root weeds went beserk with acidic rain (pH 4.5 in my Chicagoland). I'm going to throw lime (pH 11) instead.

Bob's Mill ORGANIC oats are not sprayed with glyphosate prior to harvest, found that on their website. Below is a popular granola recipe with 672 good reviews from Allrecipes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25794/easy-granola-bars/

EASY GRANOLA BAR RECIPE

3 cups quick-cooking oats & 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tbs. butter (melted) & 1 cup flaked coconut & 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup almonds (sliced) & 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, mix everything with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

1. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/25794/easy-granola-bars/

Here's a 10 minutes-recipe and it's the BEST-TASTING dish that I made in 2018. Start a pot of boiling water, put MAMA-vermicelli-noodle, stir constantly for less than 2 mins. Check if a fork can cut a strand easily. Drain, let cool.

In a pot, fry some onions & garlic, then put 1 carton of chicken-broth, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, chopped FRESH ASPARAGUS, chopped yellow zucchini. Cook for 8 minutes. Add shrimp last, and cook for 2 more minutes. Let stand for 3 more minutes.

My kind of food, Straw!!! We have a big Asian store here called CAM and it stocks all sorts of wonderful whole-grain noodles. I love the soba and black rice noodles, but now I have a new one to try.

Husband has been warning me about feeding my daughter Ramen noodle (only 10 cents), but I COULD NOT find a fast-alternative until I tried MAMA-whole-grain-rice-vermicelli. We had a friend who complained loudly of headache every time he ate at Chinese restaurant (laden with MSG). See excerpt from below link:

https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/ramen-noodles-lovers-beware/

"The findings published last week in the peer-reviewed Journal of Nutrition, warned that those who consume ramen noodles as little as two times per week are at skyrocketing odds of developing metabolic syndrome with its host of prominent symptoms: obesity (particularly abdominal), diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Women are at an increased risk. A total of 10,711 adults (54.5% women) ages 19-64 years of age were analyzed.

The study bolsters previous research on rats which showed that MSG consumption caused blindness and obesity and studies on mice that demonstrated that MSG intake caused brain lesions on the hypothalamus.

BPA in Ramen Noodles Packaging a Huge Issue

Studies have shown that BPA is an estrogen mimicker and endocrine disruptor as it interferes with hormone messaging within the body."

I was chewing up to 6 sticks of sugar-less gum a day (with aspartame, same as NutraSweet or Equal) and that's when I was 20 lbs heavier back in 2014. So glad that I kicked the gum-habit, now I use a piece of ginger for dry-mouth.

https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/41033/title/Sugar-Substitutes--Gut-Bacteria--and-Glucose-Intolerance/

Elinav and Segal’s team observed that mice given a 10 percent solution of one of three types of commonly consumed commercial artificial sweeteners—saccharin, sucralose, or aspartame—in place of regular drinking water had elevated blood-glucose levels after 11 weeks compared to mice given either a 10 percent glucose solution or water alone.

J. Suez et al., “Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota,” Nature, doi:10.1038/nature13793, 2014.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/20/stroke-and-dementia-risk-linked-to-low-sugar-drinks-study-finds

Stroke and dementia risk linked to artificial sweeteners, study suggests

“Drinking at least one artificially sweetened beverage daily was associated with almost three times the risk of developing stroke or dementia” according to the American researchers who carried out a study published in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association."

http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2017/04/20/STROKEAHA.116.016027

Methods—We studied 2888 participants aged >45 years for incident stroke (mean age 62 [SD, 9] years; 45% men) and 1484 participants aged >60 years for incident dementia (mean age 69 [SD, 6] years; 46% men).

Another problem I'm solving is acne for my teenager daughter. She's having braces for a year, so she had to cut out nuts, and that resulted in BIG IMPROVEMENT of her skin. Then she had oral surgery and went on a high-fat ice-cream binge, and acne came back. Cut out ice-cream, and skin cleared up.

Recently I switched from soy-milk to high-fat-almond-milk (home-made). I broke out in pimples immediately. This happened at least a dozen times in my life, when I consumed too much nuts. Did some research and found that HIGH-FAT is linked to excess oil-production of skin, be it ice-cream or nuts.

Found this excellent answer from Acne.org, by cvd

"I was told by one derm and have read on numerous sites (...read Dr McDougall's info on high-fat foods and acne) that if you have acne prone skin that nuts are not good. The reason why is that anything that adds fat to the diet also increases sebum production ... Nuts are a very high fat food and in addition can be difficult to digest. Acne prone people often have digestive problems and nuts can inflame the gut.

It is also helpful to avoid all processed oils since they are added fats and are not a part of the diets of cultures that have little acne. " cvd in Acne.org

From Straw: Agree with CVD as well as Dr. McDougall's site (see below) that other cultures with low-fat & zero dairy diet don't have acne, that's the case with Vietnam where I grew up. Dr. McDougall wrote below "Some evidence exists, too, that acne becomes a problem for black Africans who move from the villages to the cities and there adopt a diet with higher fat content that is more similar to the richer American diet."

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/common-health-problems/acne/

Went through all the sites on how to lower androgens (testosterone), and found other tips: Reduce red meat (pumped with steroids), cut down on fat, UP flax-products (3 times more estrogen than soy). More tips from below:

http://selfcarer.com/how-to-reduce-testosterone-in-females/

Exercise - According to a 12-month study conducted by Anne McTiernan at the Cancer Prevention Research Program, data shows that loss of body fat in conjunction with moderate intensity exercise causes greater decline in androgen, testosterone and free testosterone.

Beer - That’s because the hops of which the beer is made from are highly estrogenic, containing up to 300,000 IU’s of estrogen per 100 grams of hops. Hops are actually so estrogenic that the women who pick them up by hand are suffering from whacked up menstrual cycles.

Lima Beans - They’re filled with a phytoestrogenic fiber called inositol, which lowered testosterone levels in this study. They’re also filled with phytoestrogenic lingans, which reduced serum testosterone levels and inhibited dihydrotestosterone in this study.

Reduce Sugar Intake - Higher levels of insulin stimulate the ovaries to produce more male hormones.

https://www.wikihow.com/Lower-Androgen-Levels-in-Women

Try anti-androgen herbs like licorice, peony, and saw palmetto. These herbs can keep your testosterone levels low.

Have spearmint tea 2-3 times a day. Spearmint can help to decrease your testosterone levels and increase your luteinizing hormones, a hormone commonly found in women with normal levels of androgen.

Go for foods rich in omega-3. Omega-3 helps to keep your androgen levels low. Add foods like flaxseed, salmon, walnuts, sardines, and chia seeds to your diet to keep your omega-3 levels up.[6]

So glad to see peaches as rich in magnesium & helps with progesterone-level. It's known that the ovaries of PCOS sufferers are 1.5 to 3 times larger than normal ovaries. That reminds of enlarged uterus of pigs fed with Genetically-modified corn and soy.

https://pcos.com/pcos-and-cancer-what-are-the-risks/

PCOS symptoms include high levels of insulin that stimulate the ovaries to produce large amounts of the male hormone testosterone. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can cause disruptions to the normal menstrual cycle-irregular menstrual periods and the absence of ovulation cause women to produce estrogen, but not progesterone. Studies have shown that women who have never been pregnant have up to three times the risk of developing endometrial cancer, as compared with women who have had a successful pregnancy.

Another troubling statistic is that women who are 21 to 50 pounds overweight run three times the risk of endometrial cancer, while women who are more than 50 pounds overweight have a ten-fold higher risk. In post-menopausal women excessive abdominal fat doubles the risk of breast cancer, regardless of overall weight.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090825813012778

"Preventing endometrial cancer risk in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) women: Could metformin help?" That's the title for the above link, but Metformin has many side-effects, such as B12 deficiency. Thank God my daughter has regular period & skinny, and below link describes how progesterone is important in endometrial-cancer prevention.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/uterine-cancer/pcos-and-endometrial-cancer-risk.aspx

"Progesterone is the hormone responsible for the monthly "shedding" process of the endometrium — or the lining of the uterus. This process results in monthly menstruation, which many women with PCOS don't have because of insufficient progesterone levels. Without progesterone and monthly periods, the endometrium becomes thick and the cells may become altered, leading to a precancerous condition called endometrial hyperplasia. Eventually, endometrial cancer may develop if PCOS is left untreated."

https://www.livestrong.com/article/539170-foods-that-naturally-increase-progesterone/

Japanese researchers conducted a small pilot study ... results published in January 2009 in the "Journal of Ovarian Research" showed that 67 percent of women taking daily vitamin E had improved peak luteal phase progesterone levels, as did 71 percent in the group taking L-arginine, an amino acid. By comparison, only 18 percent in the untreated control group showed improvement. Vitamin E sources include wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts.

High concentrations of L-arginine are found in low-fat sesame seed flour, unsweetened gelatin, poultry (esp. turkey), and pumpkin seeds.

Antioxidants, like vitamin C, help neutralize free radicals. In a study of 122 women with LPD and a fertility problem, blood progesterone levels increased with daily supplements of 750 mg of vitamin C. The report, published in the August 2003 issue of "Fertility and Sterility," showed a significant improvement in progesterone levels and a higher pregnancy rate in the women who took vitamin C. Vitamin C sources include orange, grapefruit and tomato juice, broccoli, guava, kiwi and sweet pepper.

Study findings reported in the February 2013 "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" showed a significant rise in progesterone levels among a group of 31 postmenopausal women who included fermented soy in their diet for 6 months. Miso, natto and tempeh are examples of fermented soy foods.

Below is an excellent link on how to increase progesterone. I always sleep well & lose weight fast with turkey & pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds after menopause. The turkey which I roasted during Christmas? I froze that and it's still delicious 3-months later in March. Those foods are also high in magnesium & tryptophan. Click on chart to enlarge:

https://blog.ayda.co/hormonal-health/naturally-increase-low-progesterone-levels/

" If pregnancy does not occur after ovulation, progesterone levels drop and you will start to menstruate. Other symptoms of low progesterone can include mood swings, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, and in severe cases depression and PCOS.

In a 1981 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that women with a progesterone deficiency had a 540% greater likelihood of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer than women without low progesterone levels.

Between the ages of 35 and 50 estrogen levels reduce by 35 percent, but progesterone levels plummet by as much as 75 percent. It is this estrogen dominance that causes pre-menopausal symptoms like stomach pains, hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain. 16 Ways to Increase Progesterone Levels:

Foods High in Magnesium: Dark Leafy Greens (Raw Spinach) – 79mg per 100g of Spinach Nuts and Seeds – 534mg per 100g of Pumpkin Seeds

• In a 2003 study, women who took Vitamin C had a significant increase in progesterone levels and higher pregnancy rate than those who did not. Women who took 750 mg of Vitamin C increased their progesterone levels by as much as 77 percent. Research has also shown that women with high levels of Vitamin B6 have lowered their chances of miscarriage by 50% and improved their fertility by 120%.
• 
  
• Like Vitamin C, B6 is also water soluble and is very sensitive to heat.
• Sunflower Seeds –35mg per 100g Pistachio Nuts – 1.12 mg Fish – 1.04 mg

In the January 2009 issue of the “Journal of Ovarian Research”, a study showed that 100% of the women had improved corpus luteum blood flow and 71% had improved progesterone levels when they took 6 grams per day of L-arginine, also in meat.

Turkey – One turkey breast contains 16 grams of L-arginine

Chicken – One chicken breast contains 9 grams of L-arginine

• Pumpkin Seeds – One cup of pumpkin seeds contains 7 grams of arginine.
• Journal of Ovarian Research study, it found that women treated with 600 mg of Vitamin E per day improved corpus luteum blood flow in 83% of patients and improved progesterone in 67% of the women.
• Foods High in Vitamin E Nuts (Almonds) – 2mg per 100g of Almonds
  • Sunflower Seeds – 3mg per 100g of Sunflower Seeds
  • https://blog.ayda.co/hormonal-health/naturally-increase-low-progesterone-levels/
  • 
    Click on pic. to enlarge, note that the blue-line is progesterone level which fluctuates widely with menstruation, but testosterone doesn't drop as a woman ages. Estrogen (dark-green) drops as a woman ages. Steady decline in DHEA as one ages.

https://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Progesterone-Levels

Vitamin C, vitamin E, L-arginine, vitamin B6, selenium, and beta carotene have all been shown to increase progesterone level.

• Consume 750mg of Vitamin C per day increased progesterone by 77%.
• Consume 600mg of Vitamin E per day Increased progesterone by 67%
• Take 6gm per day of L-arginine improved serum progesterone in 71% of patients
• Take 200mg to 800mg per day of vitamin B6 (reduces blood levels of estrogen and improves concentrations of progesterone)
• Add selenium to your daily vitamin doses
• Consume more beta-carotene (studies in animals showed improvement in progesterone levels and fertility)
• *** From Straw: Increase progesterone is important, since it reduce cancers (breast and endometrial). Below chart shows how estrogen far exceeds progesterone at menopause, thus elevated cancer-risk. Click on pic. to enlarge, see a 75% reduction in progesterone from age 35 to 50, but only a 35% reduction in estrogen at age 50:
• 
  
  

To decrease testosterone, here're the tips from Wikihow:

https://www.wikihow.com/Lower-Testosterone-Levels

Lignans are also able to reduce total and free testosterone levels in your body ... flaxseed is the richest source of lignans by far, with sesame seeds a distant second.[14]

Diets rich in saturated fat tend to trigger increased testosterone production.[15] Diets high in monounsaturated fat (avocados, most nuts, olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil) boost testosterone levels also. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are the only fats associated with reduced testosterone levels.

Most vegetable oils (corn, soy, rapeseed/canola) are rich in omega-6 PUFAs. Healthier forms of PUFAs (rich in omega-3) include fish oils, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring), flaxseed, walnuts and sunflower seeds.

Avoid refined carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates are high in easily digested sugar (glucose), which spikes insulin levels and triggers the ovaries to produce more testosterone.

Herbs most commonly used for their anti-androgenic properties include saw palmetto, chaste berries, black cohosh, licorice, spearmint and peppermint teas, and lavender oil.[17]
https://www.wikihow.com/Lower-Testosterone-Levels

To UP estrogen level, Wikihow recommended Chasteberry (Vitex). Although a few Amazon reviewers testified that Chasteberry made them gain weight. Soy & flax & coffee are recommended to UP estrogen level.

• https://www.wikihow.com/Increase-Estrogen
• Dong quai: this herb may reduce symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.
• Red clover. Red clover contains isoflavones, which may help reduce symptoms of menopause or premenstrual syndrome.[25]

Here's a granola-bar that has nuts to balance female hormones (esp. flax, sunflower seeds):

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/granola-bars-12303?photo=73012
4 cupsoats (old-fashioned)½ cupsunflower seeds½ cupcoconut½ cupflax seed meal½ cupoat bran½ cupdates (chopped, or a combination of both, or 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit, or a combination of both)½ cupnuts (chopped, almonds, walnuts, whatever you prefer)¼ cupmargarine¾ cupbrown sugar (firmly packed)2 tablespoonsflour½ cuplight corn syrup¼ cuphoney½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a large bowl combine oats, sunflower kernels, coconut, flax seed meal, oat bran or wheat-germ, dates/fruit and nuts. In a small sauce pan, melt margarine over medium-low heat. Add corn syrup, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and honey; stir to combine.
2. Increase heat to medium and stir occasionally. Meanwhile spray a 13x9 baking pan with non-stick spray. Measure out a sheet of foil large enough to cover pan.
3. Spray foil with non-stick spray and set aside. Cook corn syrup mixture until it comes to a full boil; let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and pour over oat mixture. Transfer mixture into prepared pan. Cover with prepared foil and PRESS FIRMLY.
4. Remove foil& let mixture cool. Cut into bars.

Since my daughter has dental braces, I look for a soft-flax-bar recipe, but will use sunflower-seed butter to boost progesterone.

http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2014/01/07/soft-and-chewy-protein-granola-bars/

2 cups (160 g) quick oats & 1/2 cup (40 g) vanilla protein powder

2 Tbsp (14 g) ground flax & 1 tsp ground cinnamon & 1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup (64 g) almond butter (or any nut butter)

• 1/4 cup (80 g) honey & 1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare an 8x8 (20x20cm) baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, protein powder, flax, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine almond butter, honey, almond milk, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Pour wet mix into dry mix and stir until fully incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.

1. Pour into prepared baking pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread the mixture evenly in the pan, pressing down firmly. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes before cutting into bars.

Below is a soft-bar, but I'll sub. crushed sunflower-seeds for almonds to reduce testosterone & boost progesterone:

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/21462/soft-and-chewy-granola-bars-recipe/

2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats ½ cup almonds (coarsely chopped)

⅓ cup honey ¼ cup unsalted butter ¼ cuplight brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cupdried cranberries (coarsely chopped) ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (plus 2 tablespoons).

• TOAST OATS AND NUTS

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Add oats and almonds to a small baking sheet then bake 5 minutes, stir and bake another 3 to 5 minutes until lightly toasted.

• MAKE BARS

Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and the salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until dissolved.

Pour butter mixture in to bowl with toasted oats and almonds. Mix well. Let cool about 5 minutes then add cranberries and a 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips.

Transfer oat mixture to lined pan then use a rubber spatula or damp finger tips to firmly press HARD for 1 minute only.

Scatter remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips over pressed granola mixture then use a rubber spatula to gently press them into the top. Cover then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove block of granola mixture from pan then peel away aluminum foil. Cut into 12 bars. Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week.

Oooh, you're making me hungry! I haven't had breakfast yet. My husband loves granola bars, so I will have to try that one for him.

I used to make granola all the time, but I was the only one eating it, so I stopped. It's expensive to buy, so I should start making it again. I like it on yogurt. My daughter makes it regularly and keeps it in a big glass canister on the counter.

A good thing about making your own is you can control the sweetness. I don't like it really sweet like most store bought granolas.

Thank you for those recipes. I copied and pasted and saved them in my recipe file.

Agree with you that granola-bars and granola-cereal are TOO SWEET.

Kashi-granola-bars have 6 to 8 g of sugar, except Kashi has a bad-rep of using Genetically-modified ingredients despite Organic-label. If anyone try the above granola-bar recipes, please inform how they turn out. Thanks !!

Yesterday I made sunflower-seed cookies for my family. I didn't eat any, but they really like it. Here's the recipe, which I modified to include flax-meal & plus replace sugar with honey so the dry-ingredients stick together, rather than crumbly.

COCONUT SUNFLOWER SEED COOKIES

¼ cup melted butter & ¼ cup coconut oil (Nutiva Organic is best)

1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/2 cup honey & 1 large egg & 2 teas. vanilla

1 cups all-purpose flour & 1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 cups oats & 1/2 cup flax-meal & 1/2 cup shredded coconut

& ½ cup to 3/4 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seed (lightly crushed)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add oil, egg & vanilla and mix. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, flax-meal, baking soda, baking powder. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix, then stir in oats, shredded coconut, and crushed seeds. Spoon out in tiny-lumps onto cookie-sheet, press down & bake for 10 min.

http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20975593,00.html

"One study in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed that having an extra five cups of pulses (beans) per week is about as effective at reducing waist circumference as cutting 500 calories a day. The pulse eaters also experienced a boost in protective HDL cholesterol. The high fiber content of legumes is another boon: Previous research has shown that increasing daily fiber intake by about 16 grams leads to a loss of 4.4 pounds over 20 months."

From Straw: Above link "weight-loss" superfoods listed beans, jackfruit, sorghum, kiwi, and fermented cauliflower as most effective in weight-loss. I tried all, except fermented cauliflower.

Sorghum is a fantastic gluten-free grain, except there's risk of cyanide-poisoning if it's harvest AFTER frost, thus its sprayed "pre-harvest" with Round-Up (glyphosate) at a rate of 22 to 32 fl oz/acre, which translate to 0.17 to 0.25 gallon per acre.

http://www.aganytime.com/Sorghum/Pages/Article.aspx?article=155

Compared the above to FREQUENT Glyphosate spraying of wheat at 3 to 5 gallons per acre http://www.nurselovesfarmer.com/2014/08/how-much-glyphosate-is-sprayed-on-our-crops/

Sorghum is sprayed LESS due to injury and reduced yield with Round-up spray, plus sorghum is a much taller crop than wheat. Below is from Texas A & M Agrilife Research:

https://lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/disciplines/weeds/other-crops/sorghum-response-to-simulated-drift-rates-of-glyphosate/

Sorghum Response to Simulated Drift Rates of Glyphosate

"At both locations, increasing glyphosate rate increased sorghum injury, especially early season. Young sorghum was more susceptible to lower rates of glyphosate than older sorghum, although higher glyphosate rates on older sorghum interfered with grain production. Glyphosate rates as low as 1/16X of 0.75 lb ae/A reduced sorghum yield at the 4-inch, 12-inch, and boot stages, while sorghum tolerated rates up to 1/4X at bloom. "

My previous weight-loss in August 2017 (down to 118 lb) was with FiberOne cereal, which provides 14 g of fiber per 1/2 cup. Except it gave me stomach distress for the past decade. I thought it's just me, until I checked on-line: others also have stomach distress.

FiberOne cereal has genetically modified corn, plus Sucralose, plus their wheat is sprayed with Round-Up. I found a better substitute: Barbara Hi-fiber Medley & better tasting with 14 g of fiber and 8 g of sugar per serving. The flax-granola combo is tasty. My kid also likes Barbara's Puffin rice-cereal.

http://grainberry.com/products/cereals/

Thanks for that info. The Barbara high-fiber medley looks yummy. I've been eating the Ezekial cereals lately and really like them sometimes just over yogurt and cooked berries. I don't think they have any added sugar, so maybe not to everyone's taste. I've never added sugar to cereal except sometimes to hot shredded wheat. The high protein peanut granolas are also delicious, but I prefer to avoid the sugar as I could eat the whole bag. I eat a lot of fiber.... I should be skinny!!!! Too many nuts is my problem, although I'm getting better. : )

As a hot cereal or dinner grain I've been liking Kashi's Seven Grain mix. It takes about 25 minutes to cook and is so good. I like the mix and while I could do my own cheaper, it's nice to just open the bag and add it to boiling water.

Googled "high-testosterone" didn't yield as many results as "high androgens". The latest from Susan G.Komen site on breast cancer: "A pooled analysis of data from 5 studies found higher levels of blood testosterone increased breast cancer risk in premenopausal women [1]. Studies show higher blood levels of testosterone may increase the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women."

In another thread, I posed on how soy and oats have Round-Up residue of 20, wheat of 10, corn of 1, and rice of 0.1 (lowest in glyphosate residue). Since my daughter has been consuming soy-milk since she's a toddler, I switched to 1/2 soy and 1/2 flax milk recently. That HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT on her high-testosterone: acne is gone & less body-hair. Here's a scientific abstract, entitled:

The Effect of Flaxseed Supplementation on Hormonal Levels Associated with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Case Study"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2752973/

This clinical case study describes the impact of flaxseed supplementation (30 g/day) on hormonal levels in a 31-year old woman with PCOS. During a four month period, the patient consumed 83% of the flaxseed dose. Heights, weights, and fasting blood samples taken at baseline and 4-month follow-up indicated the following values: BMI (36.0 vs. 35.7m/kg2); insulin (5.1 vs. 7.0 uIU/ml); total serum testosterone (150 ng/dl vs. 45 ng/dl); free serum testosterone (4.7 ng/dl vs. 0.5 ng/dl); and % free testosterone (3.1% vs. 1.1%). The patient also reported a decrease in hirsutism at the completion of the study period. The clinically-significant decrease in androgen levels with a concomitant reduction in hirsutism reported in this case study demonstrates a need for further research of flaxseed supplementation on hormonal levels and clinical symptoms of PCOS.

There are many conflicting studies on the role of soy and breast cancer. Japan in the past was known for low-rate of breast cancer and high soy-consumption, prior to GM soy. Also glyphosate (round-up) has been linked to hormones disruption and breast-cancer. More soy is genetically-modified now, compared to 2009.

Below is a pdf file from Cornell University by Barbour Warren, Ph.D. and Suzanne Snedeker, Ph.D., published Oct. 2009:

https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/14416/brief_Soy.pdf?sequence=2

They found that the risk of breast cancer was weakly to moderately decreased in the Asian women with the highest consumption of soy foods.

In western women who consumed low levels of soy foods, no relationship was found between intake of soy and breast cancer risk. None of these long-term studies reported any effect of soy intake on mammographic density, suggesting that soy phytoestrogen intake does not increase or decrease breast cancer risk.

Several of the laboratory animal studies of exposure to soy phytoestrogens before puberty have shown a decrease in mammary tumors. Two human studies of Asian women living in China and California have observed a lower breast cancer risk in those who ate higher levels of soy foods before and during puberty. The girls who ate the most soy foods during these periods had an adult breast cancer risk that was about half of those who ate the least amount of soy food.

One study of western women in Canada has also been conducted. Although these women ate much smaller amounts of soy phytoestrogens during adolescence, they also had reduced breast cancer risk. These studies suggest a beneficial effect of soy food consumption during adolescence on reducing breast cancer risk." By Barbour Warren, Ph.D. and Suzanne Snedeker, Ph.D. Oct. 2009. Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors (BCERF) • http://envirocancer.cornell.edu •

Got curious about phytoestrogen (occur naturally in plants) versus chemical hormones added to cow milk .. found this article from Cornell University: "A diet rich in phytoestrogens has been proposed as a way to decrease breast cancer risk. Some, but not all studies show that women with a diet high in phytoestrogens have lower rates of breast cancer.

Why is this so? Most phytoestrogens are not stored in the body, but are quickly broken down. Phytoestrogens are weak estrogens, and may prevent stronger human estrogens from binding to the estrogen receptor. If the weaker estrogens bind to the receptor instead of the stronger ones, there may be less breast cell division. Women with diets rich in phytoestrogens also excrete more estrogens into their urine, and have lower blood estrogen levels. Some studies have shown that women with a diet rich in phytoestrogens have longer, and hence fewer, menstrual cycles. All of these factors may contribute to reduced breast cancer risk."

http://www.envirocancer.cornell.edu/FactSheet/General/fs10.estrogen.cfm

Below excerpt is from Oncology nutrition - Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics " Animal studies have shown that both flaxseed oil and lignans can reduce breast tumor growth and spread, even for ER- cancer cells. This result suggests that flaxseeds may have anti-cancer benefits that are unrelated to any type of effect on estrogen or estrogen metabolism."

https://www.oncologynutrition.org/erfc/hot-topics/flaxseeds-and-breast-cancer/

Phytoestrogen is DIFFERENT from chemical hormones injected into cow to make them produce milk longer. An excerpt from below link: "new study out of Harvard University showing that pasteurized milk product from factory farms is linked to causing hormone-dependent cancers. It turns out that the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) model of raising cows on factory farms churns out milk with dangerously high levels of estrone sulfate, an estrogen compound linked to testicular, prostate, and breast cancers.

Dr. Ganmaa Davaasambuu, Ph.D., and her colleagues specifically identified "milk from modern dairy farms" as the culprit, referring to large-scale confinement operations where cows are milked 300 days of the year, including while they are pregnant. Compared to raw milk from her native Mongolia, which is extracted only during the first six months after cows have already given birth, pasteurized factory milk was found to contain up to 33 times more estrone sulfate.

http://www.naturalnews.com/035081_pasteurized_milk_cancer_dairy.html#ixzz3uj5y7wGc

Havard-trained doctor Andrew Weil, M.D. stated "Among women, milk consumption has been associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer in both the Nurses' Health Study and in a 2005 study from Sweden's Karolinska Institute. My advice: cut down on dairy products. Substitute soy milk for cow's milk when possible." Andrew Weil, M.D."

From Physicians committee for responsible medicine "In international and interregional correlational studies, dairy product consumption has been consistently associated with prostate cancer mortality."

http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-topics/milk-consumption-and-prostate-cancer

Dermatoendocrinol. 2009 Jan-Feb; 1(1): 12–16. F William (Bill) Danby

Acne, dairy and cancer - The 5α-P link

"Acne, breast cancer and prostate cancer have all been linked epidemiologically to dairy intake. Although mechanisms postulated here remain to be accurately defined, the likely link involves Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 as a general stimulant, synergized by the steroid hormones present in milk.

That took me to an article in Time magazine, published several years before Dr. Darling's discovery, which described work done by Dr. Jerome Fisher of Pasadena, California.4 He had interviewed over 1000 consecutive acne patients and had drawn the same conclusion, that dairy intake paralleled the acne severity of his patients.

The epidemiological evidence linking dairy and prostate is fairly strong; that linking dairy and breast cancer is still widely debated."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2715202/

Great info, straw, especially that on tea and ovarian cancer! I'm a tea drinker so that makes me happy. I know coffee has acrylamides, but I choose my battles and coffee isn't one of them! I should look up the studies, but there are also many showing ill effects just from frying as the oil oxidizes. This is one of the problems with reusing oil and the reason it gets goopy after frying. I've read suggestions of adding Vit. E to the oil to help prevent this, but just choose to rarely eat fried food.

I'm catching up on reading and think I'm up to date, now. Yes, I agree, good news that tea is helpful against cancer, but I have to drink decaf or herbal tea because of a little heart problem. Herbal tea probably doesn't have the same protecting effect. I did just find a certified by QAI organic herbal chai tea I love. NUMI Rooibos Chai. I add a tiny bit of vanilla flavored coconut creamer and it's dessert. There is a little sugar in the creamer, but I only use a few drops.

I wish I could acquire a taste for macha tea. I think it has a lot of health benefits, but it's just too earthy for me.

My mother saved bacon grease in a coffee can on the counter to use and reuse for frying. It didn't seem yukky at all back then, but I can hardly stand to think of it now. I guess we all do the best we can with the knowledge we have at the time. In those days, economizing was uppermost and they did what they had to do.

I remember that too FrM. However, some oils are more prone to this. I actually have some vintage containers specifically for saved grease! I thought it was a nice casserole when I bought it! LOL! The studies are just on true tea as in Camellia Sinensis. I'm not sure about decaf. Coffee is also anti-ovarian cancer and with it the more caffeine the better. I'm sure the other teas are good in moderation. I love having my Lemon Balm tea cold in the summer. I don't really drink much green tea unless it's with mint. Did you know that it interferes with immunosuppressants as it uses the same pathways? I find that so interesting.

I grew up in Vietnam drinking green tea daily for over a decade with ZERO problems. That was back in early 1960's. Fast forward to 2000's in America, that's when I started drinking Chinese green Jasmine tea. After a few months that resulted in awful stomachache & nausea, lasting for more than 4 hours. At the same time, a friend went to China to adopt a baby, and she reported the WORST stomachache from drinking tea in a Chinese hotel. Then the news came out about the increasing dosage of pesticides in tea.

After Round-up patent expired in 2000, China became the largest producer of pesticides. A Canadian agency tested several brands of tea, reported in March 2014:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pesticide-traces-in-some-tea-exceed-allowable-limits-1.2564624

CBC tested black and green teas including Canada’s most popular brands: Lipton, Red Rose, Tetley and Twinings. Other popular brands tested included No Name, Uncle Lee’s Legends of China, King Cole and Signal. Full test results can be found here.

Using an accredited lab, CBC used the testing method employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to test pesticide residues in dry tea leaves. Half of the teas tested contained pesticide residues above the allowable limits in Canada. And eight of the 10 brands tested contained multiple chemicals, with one brand containing residues of 22 different pesticides.

Some of the pesticides found — including endosulfan and monocrotophos — are in the process of being banned from use in some countries because of dangers to the environment and to workers.

Of the 10 brands tested, only Red Rose came back free of pesticide residues.

Speaking of tea - I like the taste of Trader Joe's bottled water, which is supposed to be alkaline, but it doesn't say anywhere on the bottle if the plastic is free of BPA. As far as electrolytes (in Trader Joe's bottled water), I think that is hype. Don't we get enough electrolytes to replace those lost through perspiration with food and especially plain water?

I'm having no bad effects with the Rooibos in the Numi Chai tea I'm currently using, thank goodness! The allergic reactions sound horrible.

The last time I grew lemon balm, I never used it for tea or cooking because deer had their noses and mouths all over it. I'd like to grow it again now that deer are not a problem.

It's good to hear Red Rose tea tested free of pesticides! I can't drink black tea, but most people in my family do, and that's the brand they drink. It should be more widely known how much pesticide is in Lipton. Red Rose should be sold in the Health Food section of supermarkets.

Gee, maybe that's what first attracted the deer to my garden. : (( Straw, be careful with the LB... it can take over your garden in the wink of an eye. I'll have to read the tea link in a bit. Thanks.

Lemon-balm stays as a bushy clump in my garden, but it's the regular mint that are invasive. One year I spent 4 hours killing spearmint. I have lemon-balm for the past 5 years and my zone 5a winter keeps it under control.

Floweraremusic: Lemon balm is slow to start, but it's absolutely delicious in hot tea, and very potent sleep-inducer as RAW smoothie.

Years ago I drank at least 40 cups of Rooibos tea (Celestial) which progressively worsened my ragweed allergy, then the Stash rooibos finally gave me a scariest allergic reaction.

Allergic reaction DOES NOT HAPPEN the 1st time, but it's REPEATED EXPOSURE .. I got that question wrong on my microbiology test in college, so I remember that for life. Same with peanut-butter, if I resume that again, the 1st week eating peanut-butter is OK, but after a few times, I break out in rashes.

One more reason to avoid fortified cereals, esp. the ones with genetically modified ingredients & high in Round-Up residues. Here's the news on April 16, 2018:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321515.php

"A new study finds that two iron compounds, which are used in supplements and food additives, raise levels of a cancer biomarker — even when consumed in low amounts. The study revealed that even in low amounts, both ferric citrate and ferric EDTA raised cellular levels of a cancer biomarker called amphiregulin and its receptor. By contrast, ferrous sulfate had no such effect on the cells. "But, speaking personally, if I needed an iron supplement, I would try to avoid ferric citrate," she concludes."

Here's from WebMD, June 2017:

https://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20170620/could-certain-hair-dyes-relaxers-raise-breast-cancer-risk#1

"A study of more than 4,000 women: Use of dark brown or black hair dyes by black women was tied to a 51 percent greater risk of breast cancer. And whites who used hair relaxers had 74 percent higher odds."

Here's from The dailymail.com, April 2018:

"Nearly 80 percent of hair products aimed at black women contain chemicals linked to cancer, infertility and obesity, new research suggests. Up to 78 percent of relaxers, which are used to permanently straighten hair, contain hormone-disrupting chemicals, known as parabens, a US study found.

Past studies suggest parabens, which are used as preservatives, mimic oestrogen and may cause cancer, weight gain and reduced muscle mass.

Up to 78 percent of hair products, including leave-in conditioners, also contain phthalates, the research adds.

Phthalates are added to prolong products' shelf lives and have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer, as well as early menopause.

Out of the 18 products analysed, 11 contain chemicals that are banned under the EU cosmetic regulations due to their links to cancer and female infertility."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5660253/Nearly-80-hair-products-aimed-black-women-contain-chemicals-linked-cancer.html#ixzz5E4yafknG

Re-post info. from above: "The Million Women Study in the United Kingdom (which included more than 28,000 women with breast cancer) provided a more recent, and slightly higher, estimate of breast cancer risk at low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption: every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day was associated with a 12 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer (8)."

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/alcohol/alcohol-fact-sheet

*** From Straw: 10 grams is equivalent to 2 teaspoons in measure. It's shocking that only 2 teaspoons of alcohol is enough to UP the risk of breast cancer by 12%.

I know this is not the smoothie thread, but thanks to you all I am starting to drink smoothies in an effort to improve my health.

Straw, am I to understand from a comment above that your Auntie Laura McDowall died? Or when you indicating it just did not do well overwinter as compared to Evelyn?

My 1st Annie L. McDowell died after 2 winters, but my 2nd Annie is still ALIVE since I put in a wet spot (right below the rain-spout). Annie is almost thornless so it NEEDS CONSTANT MOISTURE. I bought Annie for my sister in DRY Mission Viejo, CA (near Los Angeles), and Annie DIED instantly on her, since it doesn't get enough rain. Annie needs acidic rain or acid-fertilizer to do well. Annie is VERY TINY, like a mini-rose with tiny flowers. Evelyn gives me 20 times more blooms than Annie, and the blooms are MUCH LARGER. See pic. below of Evelyn, a must for any garden, is vigorous after 8 winters in my zone 5a.

Thank you straw. That gives me hope that mine will grow to at least 5'+ to swag over and stick out from a 5' metal fence. I have them, so I might as well try it and keep a back-up in a pot. Evelyn is a beauty that I hope to have someday soon! Great enabling with that picture! : ))

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You sound like a fantastic nursery, but I'm not sure this is the place for ads. Straw, I'm sad to say my ALMcD died due to too cold conditions where I kept her over the winter. Hopefully, I'll get another cutting someday to try again.

Vaporvac: My 2nd ALMD is still alive after this winter 2020 and it doubled in size after I gave it cheap Walmart fertilizer (with chicken manure). This rose needs constant moisture, so glad that I put it near the rainspout. Folks in hot climate succeeded with Annie when it's grown in a pot.

Back in 2012 If I had known that Annie L. McDowell rose with tiny leaves prefer loamy soil and acidic rain, I would not have given that to my sister in alkaline clay & less rain Southern CA. It died on her quickly. Re-post the tips that I gave to Lavenderlace in 2015: " Evelyn with large & dark green & glossy foliage blooms great with my alkaline soil & water for the past 6 years as own-root.

Received 8 roses today 6/15 from Roses Unlimited Summer sale: Madame Earnest Calvat (pale & large leaves), James Galway (pale & large leaves), The Dark Lady (small leaves, medium-green), The Squire (large & DARK GREEN leaves), Marie Daly (PALE tiny leaves), Anna's promise (medium-green & large & glossy leaves), Twilight Zone (almost thornless, medium-green, large & thick leaves), Sutter's Gold (very large, glossy leaves).

Marie Daly and the Dark Lady both have small & pale leaves, which means I have to make my soil loamy & fast-draining. Marie Daly is an Earthkind & drought-tolerant rose and The Dark Lady has Rugosa heritage.

My code for OWN-ROOT roses in regard to leaves: PALE leaves prefer acidic rain. DARK-GREEN prefer heavy/alkaline clay. GLOSSY: best in partial shade & need constant water & best with alkaline minerals. TINY leaves prefer loamy and fluffy soil. Large leaves = vigorous & big root. THICK leaves = heat tolerant.

SOLUTION: the pale leaves with zero blooms need added sulfate of potash & gypsum to fix alkaline tap water, or else tons of acidic rain. Tiny leaves is best in loamy/sandy soil. The large leaves also have large & chunky roots that can go through heavy & dense alkaline clay. But the tiny leaves have more cluster & shallow roots that prefer loamy & fluffy soil. The dark-green leaves The Squire likes alkaline soil & alkaline tap-water.

I menat to say ll my little ALMcD cutting died from being exposed to cold while still in tiny pots that froze the little roots. They had all rooted successfully, so very disappointed in my stupidity. I need to watch the weather forecast closer, but in my defense, I didn't realize my glass vestibule got so cold at night. Live and learn. Those are good observation concerning leaves.