World Food Day 2010: Sign the Petition to End Hunger

World Food Day 2010 is this Saturday, October 16.

A worldwide event to raise awareness about hunger, World Food Day provides a great opportunity start alleviating hunger in your own community--share info about holistic nutrition, plan a food garden, be active. Education makes a difference!

Sign the petition to end world hunger here: http://www.1billionhungry.org/

To find a World Food Day event in your area, visit the World Food Day USA website here: http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/CMS/2950/18971.aspx

How will you help raise awareness? Here are 5 simple things you can do year-round to help alleviate hunger:

1. Make a YouTube video and send the link to everyone you know.
2. Organize an outreach project on your college campus.
3. Use the World Food Day curriculum (or develop your own!) and lead a discussion with kids in your local community.
4. Plant a community food garden.
5. Share information about World Food Day and healthy nutrition with everyone you can. Talk to people!

Have an event to suggest for World Food Day? Share it with our ACHS and greater holistic health community and post a response. We’d love to hear from you.

The American College has several downloads you can use to start planning your own World Food Day event. Download them here:

1. ACHS Wellness Guide: http://www.achs.edu/news/news-detail.aspx?nid=225
2. YouTube Videos (ACHStv), Diet and Lifestyle Choices for Health, Part 1-5: http://www.youtube.com/achstv#p/u/17/ELimj5QlFfY
3. Organic Gardening Guide: http://www.apothecary-shoppe.com/product_info.php?cPath=45&products_id=1602

If you like this post, help us spread the word. Post a link to your Facebook. Digg it. Stumble it. Tweet it. And ... thanks!

Herb spotlight: Coleus forskohlii in the News for Its Potential Effect on Reducing Body Fat

Coleus forskohlii is an herb with a long tradition of use in the Ayurvedic tradition. In fact, Coleus is the Ayurvedic name of the herb. Some of the common Western names for this herb are blue spur flower and false boldo. The Latin name is Plectranthus barbatus.

In the Western herbal tradition its claim to fame is in supporting healthy blood pressure and the cardiovascular system. Recently there has been some interest in this herb’s effect on reducing body fat. A study in rats showed Coleus forskohlii extracts reduced body weight, food intake, and fat accumulation[1]. A small double-blind and randomized 12-week-long study concluded that Coleus forskolii mitigates weight gain but without causing any significant changes in fat mass or blood lipids. The Coleus group did report a decrease in fatigue and in hunger[2].

The active constituent in Coleus is forskolin, which increases the levels of the secondary messenger cAMP. The wide ranging effects of this include: bronchodilation, vasodilation, decreased platelet aggregation, lipolysis, a decrease in histamine release, and increased thyroid hormone secretion[3].

Coleus may be a helpful botanical addition to a diet and lifestyle plan to support health weight. However, it should be used in caution in those taking blood pressure or blood thinning medications, or with high stomach acid. Coleus should not be used in those that are pregnant or nursing.

References
[1] Han LK, Morimoto C, Yu RH, Okuda H. (2005). Effects of Coleus forskohlii on fat storage in ovariectomized rats. Yakugaku Zasshi. May;125(5):449-53.
[2] Henderson S, Magu B, Rasmussen C, Lancaster S, Kerksick C, Smith P, et al. (2005). Effects of coleus forskohlii supplementation on body composition and hematological profiles in mildly overweight women. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Dec 9;2:54-62.
[3] Coleus forskohlii. Monograph. [No authors listed] Altern Med Rev. 2006 Mar;11(1):47-51.

Image (c) http://www.flickr.com/photos/mauroguanandi/3197358136/sizes/z/in/photostream/

ACHS donates to Oregon Food Bank to help combat local hunger

In this past year, Portland, Oregon, home of ACHS, has experienced increased demand for food donations. Like many cities in the U.S., people have been displaced by economic challenges and to maintain good health, need a stable food source for themselves and their families.

To help battle hunger in our local community, ACHS collected canned food at some of our 2009 Open House events, in our Apothecary Shoppe College Store, and from our faculty and staff. All donations were deposited with the Oregon Food Bank to help feed families during the holidays.

But hunger knows no season. The Oregon Food Bank, and similar organizations, need donations year-round to help support the health and vitality of your local community. We encourage you to seek out the local food bank or donation center in your community and see what kinds of donations they are in need of. Maybe you could organize a New Year food drive in your neighborhood, among your co-workers, or even just among your friends and family. Every donation helps to make a difference.

You can use this link to find a food bank in your community: http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

Image (c) http://www.flickr.com/photos/robhowells87/3632207340/sizes/l/#cc_license

Plant a Row for the Hungry: gardening for the greater good

Take the pledge and grow a garden for the greater good. As you start your spring planting, ask yourself, "What would it cost to plant one more row? One more container? One more vegetable, fruit, grain?"

According to the Plant a Row for the Hungry website, there are more than 84 million households with a yard or garden in the U.S., and if "every gardener plants one extra row of vegetables and and donates their surplus to local food agencies and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger."

CLICK HERE to find the fresh produce donation center nearest to you and to take the GrowGood pledge.

History
PAR was founded in Anchorage, AK, in the garden column of Jeff Lowenfels, former Garden Writers Association president. Lowenfels asked his readers to Plant A Row of vegetables for Bean’s Cafe, an Anchorage soup kitchen. The program was so successful, he introduced it to GWA as a national program.

It took five years to reach the first million pounds of donated produce. The next million was reached in only two years, and in the next eight years, more than a million pounds of food was donated each year. This is a significant contribution considering that each pound of produce supplements four meals.

Since 1995, over 14 million pounds of produce providing over 50 million meals have been donated by American gardeners.

CLICK HERE to learn more about holistic nutrition.