Raw almonds may just be the perfect snack. They are abundant with protein, good fats and cancer-fighting antioxidants, not to mention nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, potassium, iron and calcium (to name a few).

Almond milk would seem like a good choice for many vegan and lactose intolerant people, offering the look and feel of actual milk, with the health benefits of almonds. Almond milk has been around for at least several hundred years, and was a staple in the medieval kitchen.

However, the almond milk found in modern grocery stores bears little resemblance to this historic foodstuff.

It is typically sweetened, thickened with substances like carrageenan, and often fortified with vitamins A, E and D. Research suggests that only a handful of almonds goes into a carton of typical store-bought almond milk, the rest is water and additives.

According to Business Insider: “Based on these numbers, to get the nutritional value of a handful of almonds, you’d have to drink not just a few cups of the almond milk but an entire carton of it.”

In addition, buying prepared almond milk is simply not a cost-effective choice for the average consumer. In the U.S., almond milk now comprises about 2/3 of the market share for alternative milk, and producers are making a killing from it. According to Mother Jones: Continue reading →

It is obvious that time can distort history. We know this, yet still cling to some whopping lies that have been perpetuated, sometimes for hundreds or thousands of years. Check it out:

1. Jesus Was Not A White Guy With Long Flowing Locks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Christianity has been the religion of choice for Western culture for well over a thousand years now, the most important figure in that religion, Jesus of Nazareth, has come to be popularly depicted as a white guy with flowing, sandy hair.

We know, of course, that Jesus was of Middle Eastern origin.

Moreover, scholars agree that he was a common man, and would have looked like a common man of his place and time. The above picture is an artist’s rendering, but Jesus would have looked more like the guy on the left than the guy on the right.

2. The Pyramids At Giza Were Originally White.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous ancient Egyptian Pyramids at Giza are a marvel, there is no question. However, they are a marvel that has endured erosion for millennia. If you can imagine, these monuments were much more awe-inspiring back when they were first built.

The original outside of these structures was white limestone that had undergone a laborious smoothing process by workers to remove the tool marks. The sandy bricks we see now are merely the base structure. The original limestone casting stones that must have caused the pyramids to shine brightly for miles have been looted, weathered, and borrowed for other nearby structures. Few originals actually still exist on the pyramids today.

3. The Statue Of Liberty Was Modeled After The Colossus Of Rhodes.

The history of the Statue of Liberty far predates the typical assumption: that it was built to represent American freedom from colonial rule.

While the history about the statue being a gift from France celebrating American freedom is true, the statue was meant to be a near-likeness of the Colossus of Rhodes, which watched over the Mandraki Harbor in Greece. The scale of the two monuments is even the same.

4. Velociraptors Had Feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popular depictions of the fierce velociraptor show them with a typical scaly lizard skin. This visual was burned into the collective idea of what the predator looked like by the movie Jurassic Park, particularly.

While the creatures could not fly, we know now that they did have a coat of feathers. This discovery was made in 1998 by paleontologists at the American and Field Museums of Natural History. Of course, the damage had been done already five years earlier by Spielberg and his army of movie animators.

5. The Ancients Knew The Earth Was Round.

It is a popular Western cultural myth that Columbus not only discovered the Americas, but debunked the idea that the Earth was flat in the process. We now know that Columbus deserves credit for neither of these discoveries, as scientists have uncovered evidence of ancient knowledge on both subjects.

In addition to Thales up in the graphic there, we know that ancient scholars such as Pythagoras and Aristotle knew that the Earth is round. Indeed, educated Europeans in Columbus’ time also knew that the Earth is a sphere. They did underestimate the circumference of our world, explaining why he thought he had arrived in Asia when he landed in the Caribbean.

6. Ninjas Looked Like Average Folk.

 

 

 

 

 

Movies and other forms of pop culture portray the esteemed ninja as a guy in the distinct mask and comfy black clothes.

However, to be a ninja was an art form. Skilled mercenaries are trained to be lethal, and to be lethal you have to be stealthy. Therefore, they dressed much like ordinary farmers, monks, merchants, and so on. After all, if you were trying to track the enemy, you wouldn’t want to wear clothes that screamed ‘Hey, I’m a ninja!’

7. Greek Statues Were Once Brightly Painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archaeologists have gathered enough evidence from ancient texts to be able to draw a reasonable conclusion that the iconic ancient Greek statues once sported bright colors. Some of these texts even include illustrations of painted statues.

Over time, weathering events and natural wear and tear eroded the paint from the stone. However, Renaissance artists idealized this perceived minimalism, which echoed their own ideas on purity and strength. The oft-imitated austere white ‘Greek style’ was burned into consciousness from that point.

Himalayan pink salt is widely regarded for its numerous health benefits. This salt is way better for you than regular old table salt. It contains calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium too. It truly is the king of salts!

But not only is it good for your health when consumed, it’s good for your health to simply have around too. Chunks of pink salt have been popularized as small lamps that can help people with migraines, allergies, insomnia, some skin conditions, and other disorders.

G. S. Rahi, an assistant professor of Physical Science at Fayetteville State University has concerns about the relationship between ions and human health.

“As all living systems (including human beings) are bioelectric in nature, the electrically charged particles affect the way we feel and act,” says Professor Rahi.

“In natural setting a balance of positive and negative ions contribute to one’s sensations and perceptions. Atmospheric ions can affect health, well-being, efficiency, emotions, and mental attitude of human beings.” Continue reading →

We all love crystals but what do you actually DO with them, how do you use them, and how do you choose? These are some ways of using crystal power to enhance your life…

1) FIRST GET THE PERFECT MATCH

Generally a crystal that will be beneficial to you will feel right to you even though you may not be able to describe the sensations it creates. Sometimes a crystal may give off a regular pulse of energy; you may feel others as being very cold in your hand, or even warm.

2) CLEANSE YOUR CRYSTAL

Crystals can collect various forms of energy from emotions, thought, touch and many other sources. When other people handle your crystal, they leave their energy imprint on the crystal.

This isn’t “bad” however, in order to make your crystal truly yours, we suggest that you remove the stored vibration.

This is known as clearing the crystal. Take your magical gem and imagine a golden light radiating and filling your item. Or simply give your crystal sunlight or moonlight for 8 hours. Use your own instincts as you develop the methods that work best for you.

3) PROGRAM YOUR CRYSTAL

Your thoughts, visualizations, and feelings have an energetic charge; when you program a crystal to assist you in manifesting your desires and dreams you put that energetic charge into your crystal. Continue reading →

Reflexology has been used since ancient times, in Egypt, India, China and even among the American Indians. It was introduced to the West by Dr William Fitzgerald who developed “Zone Theory” in which areas on the feet, hands and head were linked to other areas and organs of the body within the same zone.

From 1913 to about 1920 three Medical Physicians: Dr. William H. Fitzgerald, Dr. Edwin F. Bowers and Dr.George Starr White were developing the foundations of Zone Theory.

Dr. Joseph Riley became interested in the subject and tried it on a great number of his patients contributing its development and whilst Dr. Fitzgerald created the Zone Therapy body chart we still use today, Riley created a Face map of body reflexes.

The face was always included, however in the 1930’s Eunice Ingham, who further developed Zone Theory into what we know as Reflexology was passionate about the feet. Therefore she focused on this aspect of Reflexology.

What’s involved?

You usually will take a brief consultation, the treatment starts with a simple cleansing and preparation of the face. The therapist then gently stimulates a series of points on the client’s face using special Reflexology techniques with a healing intent. The quality of touch is very important, and this combines with the techniques to make the client feel really looked after. The Reflexology sequence is accompanied by a unique face massage that incorporates the most effective natural facelifting techniques. Continue reading →

Couples will sometimes look to find ways of creating intimacy. A study conducted this year may point the way to a remarkable finding: all you have to do is stare into your partners eyes.

The research, published in Neuroimage, found that prolonged eye contact actually synchronizes brain activity between two people.

The scientists conducting the study had the intent of examining what happens in the brain during face-to-face eye contact, such as the attention given to a conversation participant in the work or school-related world.

They matched up 96 strangers and had them hold eye contact for extended periods of time while MRIs scanned the subjects’ brains for activity.

What they found was that blinking became synchronized and that a portion of the brain known as the right inferior front gyrus lit up with activity in both people. According to the authors, this finding suggested that mutually-held eye contact bound people into a “singular connected system.”

“Based on the enhancement of behavioral and neural synchronization during mutual gaze, we now know that shared attention is hard to establish without eye contact,” Norihiro Sadato, senior study author, told Psych Central.

This research has implications not only for our work lives, but also for our love lives. It’s often been said that people can fall in love when gazing into another’s eyes.

This was reinforced by a story found in the Modern Love column by Mandy Len Catron. The author replicated an experiment by psychologist Arthur Aron, which went something like this: Continue reading →