On April 27, 2014 Sister Franziska Pedersen welcomed all the visitors to the health seminar and introduced our guest speaker, Sister Rose Powell. After a prayer from Brother Morris Lowe, Sister Rose began her PowerPoint presentation on Celiac disease. Celiac sufferers cannot tolerate gluten. There are difficulties in detecting the disease, and many doctors misdiagnose the symptoms as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, leaving the patient to eat foods that contain gluten and continue to suffer. Sister Rose alerted the audience to the various foods that contain gluten and in-depth information regarding celiac disease. The audience was well-informed and surprised at the information they received on this topic.

Brother Jerry Eaton spoke about various different subjects regarding nutrition, such as excito-toxins which are flavour enhancers which fool the brain into thinking that the quality of food consumed is better than it actually is. He also mentioned that carob is a good substitute for chocolate because chocolate contains caffeine which is very problematic for health.

Many delicious vegan recipes were then demonstrated.  Sister Franziska demonstrated a nice Zucchini Pie with Tofu. She then mentioned the wonderful coleslaw she brought which was made with a variety of vegetables. Her last recipe was a demonstration of making Millet Milk.

Sister Esther Garcia demonstrated Pimento Cheese recipe with agar and red peppers, much to the surprise and delight of the audience.

Sister Alina Anca talked of making a Rice and Kale dish which she did at home to save time. She showed everyone how easy it is to make Quinoa Flax crackers. Everyone was pleased and amazed at the simple, but wholesome meals.

Sister Anita Quicuca demonstrated a Bean dish using white navy beans, and she also made Hummus.

A question was asked regarding the effects of beans on the system and Brother Jerry stated that if the beans are rinsed a few times, this will aid in eliminating the effects of gas after consuming beans.

Sister Rose demonstrated Mung Bean Sprouts and Alfalfa Sprouts, and talked of the benefits of sprouting.

Fresh vegetable juice made from carrot, celery and beet was offered to the audiences, as well as celery and carrot juice. They were told the benefits of juicing and eating raw foods. The juices were quite a delightful treat to all.

After the cooking demonstration Brother Jerry concluded with some healthful tips on remedies for pain and cleansing of the body.

Brother Errol Fletcher had the blessing for the food before everyone sampled the delicious recipes, and other dishes that were not demonstrated.

We were blessed with thirteen visitors and a total of thirty-six people in all. We pray that all in attendance received a rich blessing from what they saw and heard.

Blessings in health to all,

Maurine Gerald

Hamilton Church Secretary