Preheat oven to Bake-350
•1 Lbs unsalted cashews

• 2 Tbs maple syrup
• 3 Tbs honey
• 1 tsp pink salt
• 2 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl except nuts. Heat on low until mixture is melted and stirred then add cashews. Pour total ingredients evenly onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 27 minutes, stirring the nuts every 9 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, cashews burn easily. Enjoy!!

 

Chickpea Salad
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John's Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs dryed chickpeas, slow boiled until done, approximately 2 hrs let cool, then add
  • 1 1/2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 whole garlic
  • 1 bundle parsley
  • 3 bundles basil approximately 30-40 leaves
  • 1 extra large cucumber
  • 5-6 celery sticks
  • Handful of kalamata olives
  • 6 tbsp cumin powder can add more
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
  • 4 tbsp oregano can add more
  • 4 tbsp pink Himalayan salt try 4 but may need more. It's not too much, it's a lot of food.
  • 1/2 cup real olive oil usually found at your closest middle eastern store. Check the harvest date, not sell by date.

Instructions

  • Chop peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, basil, cucumber, celery, and olives
  • Mix all ingredients together well and refrigerate.

Notes

Best after 12 hours of refrigeration. This recipe makes a large amount of extremely delicious and healthy food that will last several days and feed many. A great lunch (or any other) meal. Goes great with raw goat or feta cheese.
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Tomato Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion very thinly sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves smashed
  • 5 cups canned whoel tomatoes in their juice from three 14-ounce cans
  • 1 cup water
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the onion & garlic in the oils until tender
  • Add the tomatoes, water and spices and heat through
  • Blend in small batches until smooth
  • Add cream and stir
  • Serve with crusty French bread
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Fall Farmers Market Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 4 large cloves fresh garlic
  • 1 small cabbage
  • 1 bunch carrots
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard
  • 2 cups cubed cooked pork
  • 1 quart homemade beef broth
  • 1/2 cups red wine
  • 4 tbsp coconut aminos
  • to taste hot (charapita) or favorite chili pepper
  • 1-2 large fresh stems of rosemary & oregano
  • 2-3 tsp salt to taste

Instructions

  • Chop and cook onion, celery, and fresh garlic in 3 tbsp of lard until tender
  • Combine remaining ingredients and simmer for a couple of hours or more on low heat
  • Garnish with cheese as desired

ARE THE VACCINES REALLY GOING TO KEEP ME SAFE?

Is it back?  Did it ever leave?  Who has it?  Who doesn’t?  And will it ever be gone? Did the vaccine work or not? Will we all die? 

Why didn’t the great scientists of the medical field know the vaccine wouldn’t work for everyone? Why didn’t they know about the new strains that keep coming?  

Maybe it’s no fault of their own, because worldwide pandemics usually do catch the medical professionals off guard, as they do anyone. Either way, this virus is extremely dangerous and not to be taken lightly. 

Are we ever going to be protected? Are these the questions you are currently asking yourself? And what about the medical experts–are they hiding anything that could be of value to our lives?  

It seems no one can give us a clear and reasonable answer. That’s all we’re asking for, right? 

As of this writing, infections and re-infections are filling the hospitals in your neighborhoods, once again!! 

Viruses have the capacity to do two things:  they can sicken you and they can kill you.  So most common sense folks were naturally somewhat uneasy when it showed up in their hometown the first time.  But now it’s back, with a vengeance, and ready to kill again! 

Did you become even more uneasy as you again started witnessing packed hospitals? Our friends and families are dying and we are feeling helpless.  No one has really convinced us they know what to do, even the experts.  And still after all these months, nothing from the medical field seems clear. Everywhere we turn, there’s a different answer.  It’s blowing our minds and quickly draining our energy…and health! 

This dreaded virus seemed to show up in our communities much like any other seasonal flu virus…with a couple of exceptions:  it was/is highly contagious and no vaccine was available. Communities, cities, states and even countries shut down (boarded up) and temporarily disappeared as though they never existed. 

It seemed everyone had a plan for how to solve this dreaded disease. Every so-called expert (and non-expert), medically and politically, had an opinion as to how to solve this massive worldwide epidemic. Some suggested wearing masks, washing our bodies in sanitizers, cleaning our furniture and even locking up little fluffy (pets) so they wouldn’t magically get the virus and carry it back into our houses. 

Looking back to 2020, some may have been right, some wrong, but it seems in late 2021 we now have a much larger problem:  it’s back, with a vengeance!  

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for the good people of this world, medical companies worldwide banded together and miraculously created a medical miracle in warp speed to help prevent the spread of the virus. Problem solved. Millions everywhere anxiously waited to get vaccinated through the opened window while sitting in their cars.  Belief was with the hoped for comforting thought that covid would no longer be in their presence. 

Little did we know that the vaccine wouldn’t work for 100% of the recipients who received it and that new strains of the virus would make their way around the globe faster than the original virus. 

What is going on here? That’s the big question people keep asking, but It seems that no one knows where to turn for an honest answer. 

The medical experts are where we should be able to look for answers, but they don’t seem to have them. Of course we aren’t blaming anyone, because this virus is something new to them also. Scientists and doctors have worked at ending this worldwide catastrophe for endless months now, trying to make life safe for us. I applaud their efforts, but there seems to be much more to the story here. 

It seems the vaccination only worked for some of those who took it.  At the same time, several different variants of the disease quite suddenly became present in our lives…killing many, just like before!  This is extremely scary and not something to ignore.  It’s very real, and deadly! 

So just what is going on and what do we do?  How and when do we do it? Are these questions you have in the back of your mind? Now that you have had your big dose of reality, you should be hopelessly scared, and rightfully so.  Close friends and loved ones are dying, with no sure salvation in sight!!!  

Maybe your first thoughts are to stock up on more sanitizers, get new face masks, hoard toilet paper, groceries and lock ourselves up again. I’m not so sure these measures did as much good as you might think. Ask those who died! These are not political or anti-social ideas but just the facts. People are “scared to death” and don’t know where to turn for answers. 

It’s even more frightening when our trusted medical leaders don’t know where to turn for answers. Again, no fault of their own.  This little horror show just blew in without warning, and the professionals are working around the clock to take out this mutating monster as fast as they can.

So look at it this way:  unfortunately for us, this whole disaster will be around for a while, and more than likely will be knocking on your door soon. When it does, what’s your plan?  Do you even have one? I certainly hope so, because this time around this plague is coming with a vengeance…and with no end in sight! 

That’s right.  The experts have recognized more than one variant of this dreaded disease, even though one was quite enough for all of us!! The new variant is even hospitalizing children, unlike the first round.   

If you were not scared enough when this extremely dangerous flu came around the first time, you might want to sit down, buckle-up and hold on because this ugly monster isn’t going away anytime soon! 

Do you know of anything different and better you can do to protect yourself now that you didn’t know before? Is your only defense still a mask, some toilet paper and a spray bottle? If that is your only plan to save yourself from one of the worst worldwide pandemics in history, then your odds may not be so good. Hand sanitizers just didn’t seem like enough. All of the scrubbing in the world didn’t prevent the virus from attacking. I personally know two people who scrubbed everything for months and still died of covid. Interesting fact we will discuss further:  both had pre-existing autoimmune issues due to a bad diet. 

Constant breathing of alcohol vapors into your lungs and scrubbing healthy skin cells and live bacteria to oblivion with chemical compounds is not my idea of building a healthy immune system. Chemical poisoning is not something to mess around with, especially when the flu is invading your body! These chemicals can actually lower your immune system at a time when you need it the most. So then how do the sanitizers work in your favor? They don’t! Then why did the whole world clean the store shelves of this product? Marketing is usually that answer.  But I’ll give the chemical bath products a thumbs up for what they are–bacteria killers. 

The problem is that these chemical killers don’t know good bacteria from bad bacteria, so they kill both. When you kill healthy bacteria on the human body, you invite disease through a lowered immune system. This would be the same immune system you need to prevent the virus! 

Sometimes we just need to think things out on our own and use good common sense. And believe me, this should be one of those times. What do you think is more dangerous:  the flu, or scrubbing your body from head to toe with synthetic industrial chemicals? My lifetime of healthy research and experience has proven to me that there’s absolutely no synthetic chemical that should be introduced to a healthy red-blooded human body living on mother nature’s beautiful earth.

The human body, the earth and our food are naturally holistic.  So why would you believe that any chemical-laden product can heal and create a healthy body?  It is my belief that quite the opposite is true. You and your loved ones scrubbed for over a year, and the virus is coming back for round two. 

Are you ready?  Did you scrub too much?  If so, do you have enough time to rebuild your bacteria or are you thinking there might just be a better way to prevent illness? 

I may just have that way.  So keep reading.   

Another round with this virus just might be more than some people can take! It’s a very sad time in history.  This world pandemic has caused suicide rates to soar to new highs. So many good people (just like you) are depressed to the point they are taking their own lives just to escape reality, the reality of a killer virus! 

Just a short time ago our world seemed to be on top of its game.  The economy was booming and everyone seemed to be content and happy. And now our society has plummeted into a lot of mental illness. Some are even turning to or back to drugs and alcoholism, and unfortunately dying from both. Twelve good people commited suicide in my own little hometown just this past weekend. These are the facts, and people are scared and need answers! 

There are many causes of depression. We must ask ourselves if the flu is worth crippling our mental health, or even worse, losing our lives. Of course it isn’t. Hopefully I can help you see the way to leaving these issues in the past…and quickly. 

Unfortunately those of you who already had depression when this killer hit town now have a double whammy of depression. Your concerns are very real, but hopefully you can move through them if you follow my way of creating the defense that works best, by building your immune system the John Rankins Way. 

I believe many medical experts would agree with me.  That’s why people are currently being treated with immune therapies for numerous diseases. Here is the reality my friends: the flu (according to experts) is here to stay for a long time, so you are going to need to get yourselves a great survival plan. 

Personally I have a very easy and practical answer for this unfortunate ailment that so many are suffering, many endlessly. Did you know the stress hormone cortisol is closely associated with depression? Higher cortisol levels in our bodies have been proven to actually be the cause of depression and disease. Lower cortisol levels can have quite the opposite effect, giving us a sense of well-being for everything in life, including good health. 

There are those of you who think you can’t change your lifestyle. Some believe you don’t have the energy to drive to the gym, much less do any real exercise there. Remember the old story about whether the chicken or the egg came first? With depression you can’t exercise, but with exercise you can beat depression.  So what will you do? I suggest you don’t worry that exercise will be hard. The effort required to clear out depression quickly will take far less time than all of those trips for medications, surgeries and therapy.

Almost everyone has gained a considerable amount of weight during the pandemic. Weight gain is also closely related to disease caused by inflammation. In this writing and also in my profoundly detailed return to excellent health book, Healed by Farm, I explain how to combat the issues that concern this dangerous reality. 

Before this tragedy entered our lives, America already had an out of control obesity rate of over 40% in adults and over 20% in children. My professional guess from observation is that the real numbers are much higher. And I believe that the numbers of obesity will rise dramatically after the issues surrounding this pandemic are over. Some may have the mindset that they’ll just lose the weight after things get back to normal. News flash:  life doesn’t work that way! 

The real problem is that excess weight almost always leads to chronic diseases–heart disease, colon, breast and prostate cancer, dementia and type 2 diabetes–just to name a few. Isn’t it sad to think all of this destruction of health could come from a flu season, even if you don’t get the flu?  

And just because you can lose weight every summer like a post-hibernation bear doesn’t mean you are healthy. You’re not an animal, and the human body works a little differently.  An animal fattens on plants, nuts and fruits for winter hibernation whereas most humans fatten-up eating inflammatory chemicals, processed sugars and trans fats. Waiting until weed-pulling season could possibly be too late. Disease starts when you are overweight, and doesn’t care what date it is! 

Be aware that American children under the age of 10 years old are having type-2 diabetes for the first time in history.  This is most likely happening as they consumed the kinds of so-called foods that you probably fed your children during the lockdown. No fault of your own, as I’ll explain later. I imagine you are giving your 100% best and really trying to keep your family healthy, but what if in the process you end up fatter? What will you do then? 

As you follow me on this and other healthy topics, just keep in mind like I mentioned earlier, fat is more often than not a precursor to disease, especially diabetes. Most likely you’ve been doing home exercises and even cooked more meals than you ever have in your life, only to get fatter and less healthy. Confused at your results? Even your spouse, kids and the family pet gained weight! You tried your best so just what do you think went wrong, and do you think you’ll simply lose weight when all of the homebound madness is over? 

Most likely escaping quarantine and rushing out to enjoy eating again at your favorite restaurants and fast food drive-ins, consuming those processed meals is not the answer you’re looking for either.   

Let’s take a close look at what might have gone wrong for you during this everlasting flu season. Some homebound folks are very frustrated at the fact they actually cooked meals everyday for the first time in years, just to watch their waistlines grow larger. Some even got sick, or just lazy. You may be thinking everyone in the house must have just eaten too much of those home-cooked meals (even little fluffy). Yep, the meals you cooked! 

Well don’t throw grandma’s kitchen apron away just yet. It’s not so much the amount of food your family has consumed as it is the kind of food they have eaten. Now I’m sure there are a few of you who are saying, “no way John.  I am not going to eat salads and diet food all the time”. But once you learn my way of excellent food choices, the same way our ancestors ate, you will soon be very surprised. I eat the same flavorful greasy-cheesy foods that you eat but with totally different and perfectly good results. So then diet alone can help with the flu? Absolutely!  Keep reading! 

I sincerely want to teach you how to eat for yourselves and how to train your children to eat healthy. Without a doubt, this will be the best gift you can ever give them! 

I’m fairly certain that during this time of pandemic mayhem, most of you good folks have been feeding yourselves and your families the same old standard American fare of meat, white potatoes and veggies with salt and pepper. These foods are not necessarily bad for you. It’s the source of your food that matters most. Is your food pre-packaged before you cook it?  If so then you might want to start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, and visit a nearby farmers market. Or better yet, grow your own! 

Because people didn’t like the fearsome reality of empty grocery store shelves, more gardens were started and grown during the pandemic than anytime in the last 50 years. You might want to remember that and actually visit a healthy plant nursery yourself, since this killer is coming back for round 2, or 3, 4, 5…who knows how many! It’s extremely dangerous, so let’s be prepared for it, and be able to eat delicious food at the same time. There’s much satisfaction in growing your own food and eating it 15 minutes after picking it. 

The major problem with packaged foods is that most have hidden MSG, sugar and other excitotoxins and neurotoxins that are processed in a chemical factory, not what is made by mother nature!  Believe me when I say that these toxins are a major cause of weight gain. Ingesting herbicides and pesticides on a daily basis can be a disaster for your thyroid gland, not to mention all the other glands and organs in your body. 

It just so happens that chemically-induced thyroid problems have been rampant in America, and now in most of the rest of the world as the American diet is becoming the trend. We all know what a slow thyroid causes. Yes, you got it–weight gain. 

We also know from statistics that the majority of people who have died with this virus were overweight people. Again, no fault of their own, but it’s time for a healthy change, the John Rankin Way!  

It may be that something good can actually come out of this pandemic. Use this time to take notice of the reality of your family’s diet and its results. I suggest you learn from this experience, discovering that most of the ways you have been eating and dieting for years are not providing good health results for you and your children. Isn’t that what you have been in fact finding out year after year when the newest greatest diet didn’t actually work?   

       This is a wake-up call folks. I am offering you the answers to help you get it right this time. John Rankin’s Way isn’t a diet at all. It’s all real food, and delicious. I teach truths that will open your mind and your life to a whole new way of living. I take you to the way the food world was before politics and science and greedy monopolys entered our lives, a world where food was real and very few were sick. I have spent the last 4 ½ decades researching that beautiful time in history when all was natural and safe.  And it is my passion and my heart’s intent to share my knowledge with you.  

So don’t you dare give-up now, keep reading! And remember this: if you don’t make some dietary changes now, nothing about your health will change for you.

There are a lot of sick children from all of this mayhem. No, not from the virus but the effects of the lockdown.  As per much study and observation including social media, it seems (courtesy of covid) most children have been doing just that: being locked indoors, out of the sunlight, breathing and touching bleach and/or alcohol products daily (for months)…all while eating mostly highly poisonous processed food! 

Loving, intelligent parents know that this is not a healthy way to protect your children from danger, and especially from the dangers that may be greater than the threat of a deadly virus. I will explain. 

We may soon discover that the effects of the virus have been minor compared to the consequences of the resulting quarantined lifestyle happening to children worldwide. Humans were created on this earth with bodies of very good health-promoting, life-saving bacterias. We were meant to mingle with other unhealthy bacteria and viruses throughout our lives. Everytime we step outdoors we breathe into our bodies billions of these (so-called) bad guys. Breathing these little bugs only serves to build a healthy immune system similar to building muscles when working out. If we don’t ‘work out’ our immune system by being exposed to viruses and bacteria, the immune system gets weaker–just like muscles! 

Sitting in the house for months only takes us away from one of the strongest immune-building medicines on earth–the sun. Endorphins and vitamin-D from the sun serve to build a healthy immune system. It’s one big factor to why older folks in nursing homes are more susceptible to disease. No sun, no immune system. I recommend getting those vulnerable grandparents outdoors more often. 

As I mentioned, It seems that due to this pandemic most parents are scrubbing, mopping and spraying their houses down (daily) with bleach and other kinds of hazardous chemicals. Some (if not all) of these noxious chemicals are meant for outdoors only and while wearing protective clothing and breathing equipment. Yet I’m guessing most of the time very young children were/are sitting nearby breathing in the hazardous lung tissue dissolving chemicals as you apply them. I personally know of parents who are washing little Suzy’s hands, face, arms and more with a diluted formulation of these same industrial cleaning agents. 

Remember what I said about the good bacteria on our skin. Be extremely careful my friends!  A 20-year study conducted by scientests at the University of Bergen in Norway found that using cleaning products was almost as harmful as smoking 20 cigarettes a day.  A holistic human body was never meant to be exposed to these (possibly deadly) chemicals. Your whole endocrine system can be irreversibly damaged from the physical application and inhalation of these poisons. Whether you breathe it in or wipe it on, it can (with a high likelihood) damage glands and organs such as your liver, heart, lung tissue, reproductive hormones, thyroid, adrenal glands and brain cells…just to name a few.   

According to most health organizations, a sneeze from a person with a flu virus can navigate its way across a large room and into another person’s nose, eyes or mouth. That’s why the world is wearing masks, right? So when your sweet little 2 year old baby is sitting on the floor watching you fumigate the house, just where do you think the little droplets and fumes from your spray bottle are going? That’s right: into their nose, eyes, mouth and lungs. 

Remember this: your children also have an immune system, but if you help them destroy it, then they will be susceptible to just about any virus or disease that comes along. You love your children more than that to let this tragedy happen, right?  

And there are more to the damages being done by the average family being quarantined from their so-called normal lifestyle. Besides the aforementioned everyday internal and external chemical baths, many families are feeding their children highly inflammatory (cancer causing) foods. I have witnessed most people in the stores these days pushing extra large carts loaded with what most people call comfort food. Well folks, there’s nothing comfort-able about childhood leukemia, obesity, diabetes or even death. 

I get it. Most parents just intend to keep their children calm and out of their way by giving them all the tutti frutti junk food they want during this (supposedly short time) of arrest. 

The hard truth is that when a kid is sugared-up and inflamed with these snacking and processed so-called foods, things only become worse. Inflammation causes a child to become irritable, attention deficit, and restless while awake and sleeping. Just what you don’t want when you’re on a year-long campout with the kids!

Some parents have been getting into their liquor cabinets much more often and earlier in the day–even staying smashed for months, using the excuse of the madness of a house full of rambunctious kids! A recent New York Post article says day-drinking for mothers with young children increased 323% after the lock down started. This is serious stuff! Unfortunately those months of day-drinking will turn into a lifetime of addiction, alcoholism and disease for many good folks, while the resulting neglect of their children’s needs leads to a whole other list of terrifying situations.

While this is a horrible result of the reality of life these days and hard to believe, this result is actually happening all over the world. It’s obviously not a good time in history for children and by no fault of their own of course.

It’s not just my highly observant opinion but also according to social media, children are not living a normal physically-active or brain-stimulating lifestyle. They are just sitting around the house getting poisoned, allowed and paid for by their parents. And again parents, no blaming here. You just happen to be living in a country that allows the promotion of dangerous disease-causing (so-called) food products with the constant bombardment of extremely seductive marketing. 

Many parents I know tell me they are bored and frustrated and don’t want to cook. The most often heard excuses I hear are that they don’t have enough time and resources. These are the same parents that just spent the last year repainting the house, power-washing the driveway and remodeling everything but the neighbors kitchen, all while being quarantined from the flu. If you don’t believe me, check out the masses shopping at the local home-improvement stores. They look like a mall at Christmas.

Now might be a good time to learn to cook healthy meals for your family while you have a captive audience. The right foods are the vital ingredient in keeping your children safe. You might observe that kids always seem to look healthy no matter what you feed them. But it’s usually a few years later when your dietary offerings come back to haunt them. 

You better hope those results are still a few years away because this flu is deadly, and it’s not going away anytime soon. Always remember, you reap what you sow! Seventy-five million kids sitting in dark rooms watching TV while eating sugar-loaded cold cereal, candy and donuts, breathing and wearing toxic chemicals?  That can only equate to a recipe for disaster…one that if you don’t personally intervene now is coming to your neighborhood soon!  So it just might be a perfectly good time to wake-up and pump-up your children’s immune systems, and quickly! 

The child obesity rate in America is nearly five million, with 14% of them being two to five year olds. America already has approximately two hundred thousand children with type-1 diabetes and for the first time in history, an explosion of type-2 diabetes in children under the age of ten. In 2020 the CDC predicted that one in three children born in the year 2000 will suffer with type-2 diabetes in their life unless they make vital changes in diet and exercise. My prediction is, unfortunately, much higher numbers.  

Remember this: the majority of the deaths from covid are from overweight sick (diabetic) people.

Here’s where it’s going to get tricky. As all of your caged-up children flow out into the wild blue yonder without (their normal) immunity from exposure to the usual bacteria and viruses, things are going to get ugly–real ugly.  It is my concern that these children will be wide open to disease. Everything from the common cold to childhood cancer will be knocking at their door.  Just like with the old folks in nursing homes, disease from low immunity has no age preference. Old or young, it matters not if your child’s immune system has bottomed out.

So even with the medical profession working overtime, no one seems to have a clear answer as to why millions are dying worldwide from a virus that should be gone by now. Not only is it not gone, it’s mutating into multiple strains that already have and are killing our loved ones, again, and again! What are we going to do?  

I know what I would do if I were you. That’s right:  get your immune system running on all cylinders, and just maybe you will put this thing behind you. 

Have you given much thought as to why the major medical companies are now looking into immune system cures for everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease? I totally agree with them.  A healthy human immune system will cure a lot of ills. We were just built that way, or humans wouldn’t still exist on the planet. Every man, woman and child has a natural defense system, just like every living critter from animals to insects.

It’s very obvious that pre-20th century human health was much better than it is today. Most American diseases did not exist in our society until after the introduction of un-natural and man-made food additives such as hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, monosodium glutamate (MSG), food dyes, preservatives and many more inflammatory ingredients. Read your labels!

Wouldn’t you like it that by simply changing a few things in your way of eating, you could prevent this plague or any other disease in your bodies?  And what if you could actually lose unwanted body fat (along with the diseases it causes) during the same simple process? Does this sound too easy? It might be possible to reach this state of excellent health by building a healthy immune system on your own, without chemical additions loaded into your once healthy food.

Nowadays it is becoming more widely known that a healthy immune system begins in the gut. That’s right, the food you eat can determine a healthy immune system, or not! Fairly new science has discovered that approximately 80% of the human immune system originates in the gut.  So the old saying, “you are what you eat” is actually a reality.

So how does this immune system thing work? Is it hard to achieve? It involves such things as shopping for fresh organic produce at farmers markets, growing, cooking, fermenting and consuming live food. One of the extra benefits of my way of eating is that you will enjoy extremely tasty food while shedding unwanted dangerous body (disease) fat at the same time! 

This wonderful lifestyle plan has worked for me and given me back my perfect health as evidenced in my very low body fat percentage, extreme energy like a kid again, and very youthful blood tests results. My successful discoveries are what inspired me to share my healthy living program (30-day meal plan included) with as many true health seekers as possible. 

My book Healed by Farm explains all the tools you need to get started on your own healthy journey, so begin now!! 

The lessons of my incredible life journey which have given me perfect health are all explained in my book.  And I believe without a doubt that they will work for you too!

Here’s a big bonus to get you started–a few of the truths shared in my book, Healed By Farm.

Fortunately for you, if you follow these guidelines, much more good health (including preventing a deadly virus) will come your way. Some of my recommended advice may seem new or unorthodox at first, but just follow me and reap the good fortune. What do you have to lose?  You will be very wise to learn and implement these 10 essential and priceless components to help prevent and heal covid and other diseases.

1. Raw Dairy is one of the fastest ways on the planet to help build the human immune system. Yes, I said it: unpasteurized milk, cheese, butter and yogurt! 

When you drink a glass of raw milk, your gut flora becomes saturated with billions of healthy bacteria. This is great news for those with Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel disease. The extremely healthy probiotics in raw dairy could possibly be the only relief you’ll ever need to help with those intestinal problems. 

Basically, drugs and bad foods can (and usually do) kill healthy gut flora–and raw dairy restores it! I know this from personal experience as well as that of many others who have followed me.  The real enzymes in raw dairy that mother nature put here on earth are for human consumption, and wonderful health has been achieved through the consumption of it for thousands of years. 

Things like higher testosterone levels to excellent thyroid health have occurred in my own body from drinking raw milk.  And for those of you who are concerned about E. coli, you are 18 times more likely to come in contact with it from store bought spinach!

State-by-state you will find different laws for the distribution of raw dairy. Most states allow it to be sold from private farmers (see realmilkfinder.com).  

Don’t be afraid to search for good health from a super immune system builder such as raw dairy.  Check out my raw milk kefir miracle story @johnrankinswayback.com.    

2. Fermented foods such as homemade salt-brine kimchi will certainly give your body some extremely healthy probiotics and prebiotics. Just the word kimchi intimidates some westerners because it’s thought to be some ancient, weird, hard-to-make Asian food. Well it is Asian and it’s ancient, but it’s easy to make and should definitely be in your arsenal against disease. I personally consume some daily and enjoy extremely good gut health (immune system) from it. 

Fermented foods are also well known for their superior weight loss benefits as well as better heart health, less cancer, lower cholesterol and less infections through the resulting lowered inflammation. 

You will naturally have better overall wellness when you have healthy bacteria and probiotics in your body, basically slowing down the aging process. There’s a reason all of those Asian folks are still walking around at 100 years of age! 

Salt brine fermentation is simple. Chop up veggies and place them in a quart jar with pure water (no chlorine or fluoride) and 1 1/2 Tbls. of pink Himalayan salt, put a lid on it and let it sit on the counter top fermenting for approximately 3 weeks. The end result will be a lifetime of excellent health for you and your loved ones. 

Watch my how-to video @johnrankinswayback.com to learn more about how easy it is to make this life changing food.   

3. Fruits are great for your immune system and have tons of hydration, fiber and healthy polyphenols and flavonols (antioxidants). They are full of healthy nutrients like vitamin-C, potassium, manganese, magnesium, zinc, B-vitamins, folate and of course fiber. These are all immune system builders and are necessary for the prevention of disease and most importantly at this time in history covid-19!  

I’m not the biggest fan of juicing simply because most so-called juice experts recommend way too much fruit for one meal. Your body does have a glycemic index and the whole fruit tree is just too much for one sitting. And yes I’m aware juicing helps with weight loss, but it’s the temporary kind of weight loss and not really a good long term alternative.  Plus most juicing machines strip away and dispose of the insulin-lowering, cholesterol-lowering, cancer-fighting fiber. Now just why would you want to do that? 

Most people don’t consume a sufficient amount of fruit on a daily basis, and some of you are just eating it at the wrong time of day. If an orange gives you energy then it obviously wouldn’t be something you would eat at bed time. Breakfast seems to be the time to eat oranges, but I like to save my citrus for later in the day when sugar cravings start knocking on the door. Simply eat the orange and no more cravings!  

Breakfast should be loaded with other energy producing fruits such as strawberries, bananas, blueberries and my favorite, grape muscadines. The skin of a muscadine is known by many as having the most antioxidants of any fruit skin in the world. Talk about virus protection! I buy them in bulk in September and freeze them for my winter smoothies. And the best part, I purchase them for $1.25 per pound from a local farmer friend. 

Real organic food can actually be cheaper to purchase than the gut destroying crop dusted kind sold in most stores. You just need to familiarize yourself with your local farmers markets and most importantly, the farmers themselves. This process won’t take long, probably less time than a trip to the doctors office. 

I highly recommend organic fruit! Fruit with glyphosate (herbicide) doesn’t mix well with your healthy gut flora and basically lowers your immune system. If you need to save money for the family budget, I suggest saving it on something other than your life saving food. Just remember, food is cheaper than disease. And yes, bad food=disease!  

4. Vegetables are loaded with healthy immune system vitamins and nutrients. They are low in fat and calories and rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins. Vitamin-C and potassium are a powerhouse result of fresh organic garden vegetables. I read a dozen articles per day about how important C and potassium are and that we should take a supplement for it. NEVER! If you eat vegetables of all colors in most meals then your body won’t need a fake supplement. I’m not saying all supplements are bad or unnecessary but most of them just create what I like to call “expensive urine”. 

Consuming most green leafy vegetables, colored peppers and foods that are orange, yellow, red, green and of course my favorite–purple–will certainly boost your immune system, fight disease much easier and potentially turn you into a very healthy human being. On the flipside, eating chips, crackers and inflammatory processed snacks will only open a whole world of problems for you. Remember, you are what you eat!  

5. Honey is undoubtedly one of mother nature’s finest creations when it comes to great health! As a beekeeper myself, I know this well. Honey is chocked full of natural antiviral and antibacterial properties (antioxidants). 

Honey is a very stable food that never goes bad. It has been used for thousands of years throughout ancient times as a healing immune building source and was even found in King Tut’s tomb. He died in 1325 BC, and the honey was still edible hundreds of years later! Wow, a big difference from a food or medication with a lifespan of only a few weeks. 

Honey will not make you fat as some unfortunate misguided people may think, or even told so by a health care professional. When eaten in moderation It can even be consumed by most diabetics with superior health benefits. 

Honey is a daily go-to energy food for me.  It has been studied for generations to give  wonderful life-saving results–everything from better heart health to a great natural cough syrup. Some studies even suggest lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and lower triglycerides. 

Be aware that just because some foods are good for you doesn’t mean more is better. Honey is a good example of just that and can actually raise triglyceride levels if eaten in excess of 6-7 Tbls. daily.  And don’t worry–it is not inflammatory, but in fact quite the opposite! 

For an absolutely delicious recipe to use your honey, check out my high energy protein bars @johnrankinswayback.com. These are a treat you do not want to miss. I promise you won’t be sorry when you bite into these powerfully delicious immune system builders.        

6. Spices are one of the most powerful ways to build a healthy immune system. The kind of spices I’m talking about are not just the American originals of salt and pepper. One of the additions that has personally supercharged my immune system was the adoption of the spices in the Ayurvedic diet. This diet consists mostly of whole foods, no processed foods, and is based on Hindu Indian wellness that dates back for thousands of years–with wonderful results. 

Some of these powerful immune building spices that I eat daily (and you should too) are ginger, turmeric, pink Himalayan salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, cardamom, fennel, cumin, coriander, mint, fenugreek, garlic, onion and cayenne (or hotter) pepper. 

Don’t let this list overwhelm you. It’s simple. You don’t need to be a famous chef to use healthy life saving herbs and spices. Without necessarily changing your whole menu, slowly start adding these ingredients into the mix and a whole new world of delicious flavors will grace you with some very powerful immune system benefits. All of these herbs and spices have similar health benefits such as anti-inflammatory effects, which in turn help to prevent disease. 

Pink Himalayan salt alone is known to be the most alkalizing food in the world. Just so you know, an alkaline body is usually a disease free body! Dr Otto Warburg won a Nobel Peace prize in 1931 for this finding. 

Another fun fact is that garlic alone saved my father’s life. You can read this very true but sad story in my book Healed by Farm. 

Don’t forget to use healthy oils when cooking with these fabulous spices. My suggestion is to throw out those nasty chemically induced processed vegetable oils and start cooking only with organic extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, butter and lard.  

7. Exercise is also a great immune system builder. Physical activity (especially cardio) is a great way to lower the stress hormone known as cortisol. We just happen to be living in a time in history where there is an abundant amount of stress going around, and we all know stress lowers our immune system. When left unchecked this hormone will certainly open the door for inflammation and just about any disease. 

Besides the fact that exercise can and will boost your energy, it will help with heart health, arthritis, diabetes and especially depression and much more. One thing it improves that I don’t speak of much is your sex life. And yes, both sexes! 

  If you are an avid fan of the gym then you know how well exercise kills stress in its tracks. At this time in history most of the gyms are closed nationwide due to the covid pandemic, so I highly recommend doing just as I do. Besides spending time working in my garden, I make time each week for some hiking. If the parks are closed then just hike on a quiet country road, just as I do!  Push ups, squats, running, walking, curls and even bicycling are all exercises that you can do at home. 

If you just sit on the couch during this time off then you will only lower your immunity–not something I would recommend! The point I’m making here is the very true fact that if you get your heart rate up and push a few muscles, your body will have a much greater chance of defending itself from everything from the common cold to cancer!  

8. Vitamin-D3 is one of the best immune (anti-flu) builders available, anywhere, period! And just so you know, D-3 is not a vitamin, but actually a hormone.  

You know how you always feel better after spending a day in the warm sun? Well there’s a reason for that good feeling! The earth was created as a totally holistic planet with the sun being a hot ball of fire (a star) that gives us light. Through the latest studies we find there’s much more to this light than we ever imagined. The sun breathes pure health and energy into our bodies by activating our immune system. I marvel at the way the earth was created to naturally protect its inhabitants from disease–just by standing outside! 

Now here’s where it gets tricky. Notice how many more health problems arise in the winter than in summertime. Not just the flu but many more illnesses. It’s simple math folks. No sun = more illness. More sun = less illness. In the winter most areas in the Northern Hemisphere won’t give you enough sun to even tan, much less keep our D-3 in a healthy range. 

Actually most of us have levels at the bottom of the range every winter and aren’t even aware of it. Simply have your blood tested in both summer and winter. Do this a couple of times and from then on you can usually estimate fairly correctly how much you will need to supplement. The range for D-3 is approximately 30-95.  I keep my level somewhere around 85 year-round. The only D-3 supplement I recommend is organic liquid drops that are fairly easy to find. I personally take 10,000 to 15,000 units per day in the winter. 

Most people need the extra supplement in wintertime but I also highly recommend absorbing as much as possible from organic whole foods. Some of the best sources besides the sun are cod liver oil, home rendered lard, mushrooms, fish, eggs, orange juice (sugar free) and raw grass fed dairy including cheese. 

Your levels may need more supplementing, thus the need for a simple blood test. You’re probably going to read some guidelines that tell you not to take that much D-3, but it’s your body type and the location on the map where you live that determine how much you need, not a one size fits all order from your doctor. And to make my point, most doctors will tell you you’re just fine if you are at a level of 31 because it’s in the range. In my personal opinion the bottom of the range of anything is simply not where you want your health to be.  The bottom level of normal is just not acceptable for the building of a lean, mean, disease-fighting immune system.    

9. Drinks–lots of fresh spring water is essential.  Most people stay dehydrated and hurt all the time because of it.  Adults should be drinking 3-4 quarts a day. 

There are also many good drink choices that curb the sweet tooth while building the immune system.  Be sure to only sweeten with honey or real stevia if needed.  Everything listed here is a strong antioxidant that will actually heal your body & help fight disease.

Green Tea–organic varieties only, and be careful to read the labels–look for and avoid anything that says ‘natural flavors’, which only means hidden sugars.

Some of the following recipes can be used all day long, but these also really work their magic on a virus trying to take you down.  When you feel a sore throat or a chest infection coming on, take a lot of these warm drinks all day long:

Tonic Tea

1 gallon water in large kettle

4 cinnamon sticks

2 T coriander seeds

1 T cardamom seeds

3 whole allspice

6-8 peppercorns any color

1” fresh ginger knob, sliced thin

Simmer for an hour or more until the color is rich and dark golden.  Strain into your tea cup and sweeten with 1 t honey per cup.  This is a great tonic for any kind of respiratory ailment.  It’s been known to wipe out a really bad flu in less than a day.

Keep reserved amounts in glass quart jars in the refrigerator and heat it up in a saucepan as needed.  Add the honey just at time of serving.

Simple Ginger Tea

Grate 1” knob of fresh ginger.  Pour 2 c very hot water over.  Steep for a few minutes.  Strain into a tea cup and sweeten with honey.  This burns anything out of your chest.

Medicine Tea–’emergency formula’

Fill a teacup or insulated canister with very hot water.  

Add: 

1” piece grated ginger 

1 T apple cider vinegar (label must say “with the mother”)

Juice of ½ fresh lemon 

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Strain and serve with honey to taste.

Golden Milk

2 c raw milk

1 t turmeric powder or slices of fresh

1 t cinnamon powder or 2 small sticks

Pinch black pepper

¼ t ground ginger or ½” fresh ginger sliced thin

Pinch cayenne pepper

Honey to taste

Warm all in a small saucepan over low heat.  Do not boil, as this kills the probiotics in the milk.  Strain and serve warm.

Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Milk

In small saucepan put: 

4 T raw cacao powder

2 T raw organic honey

½ c water

Simmer on low until well dissolved.  

Add 2-4 c raw milk until desired richness.  Do not allow to simmer…stop heating just when warm enough to enjoy, saving the enzymes and probiotics!

Drink warm whenever you’re craving chocolate.  Put leftover in a glass bottle and refrigerate.  Drink as a snack…a huge antioxidant boost during the day.

Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice

Have a little every afternoon!

10. Sleep–Loss of sleep is definitely an immune system killer. There are dozens of reasons most people don’t sleep well, and most of you are clueless as to why. Unfortunately most doctors, sleep clinics, and so-called scientific studies can’t fix your sleep problems. 

I personally once had a fairly serious sleep deprivation problem. It just happened that it was for most of my life–56 years and 8 months to be exact, and I fixed it myself! Read Healed By Farm for more unbelievable but true details of this story.  

Sleepless nights can wreak havoc on our health, or is it the other way around? More often than not, insomnia is an underlying health issue related to either diet, stress (cortisol) and/or physical or mental issues. Besides making you irritable, sleeplessness can cause extremely bad health effects to your body including almost everything from decreased cognitive skills to heart disease. 

The same foods you eat that make you fat and sick are the same foods that are keeping you from sleeping well. #1 on your list is to remove processed sugar from your diet. #2 is to remove all monosodium glutamate (MSG). And before you respond to this just take a quick look at yourself in the mirror. If you see your body looking much heavier than when you were 20 years old, then you are more than likely getting a fair amount of these dangerous inflammatory chemicals into your diet. 

You may think these products are not in your food, but unless you are a professional at reading food labels, you are totally unaware how these poisons are hidden into processed foods. The word alone (processed) should give a hint about its inability to be healthy. 

When you have inflamed knuckles or swollen legs, it becomes impossible to get a good night’s sleep. Companies have made billions of dollars selling gut-destroying medications for a fake so-called disease called restless leg syndrome. The only syndrome in this scenario are the guys making the billions, over and over again all while you suffer physically, mentally and more than likely, financially! Restless leg syndrome is quite simply caused by inflammation from eating the wrong foods. 

If you are eating boxed, bagged or canned products, it is most likely you are being misled. Several university studies agree that processed sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine, and MSG is an excitotoxin and a neurotoxin. Both are extremely dangerous, cause total inflammation, and keep you awake and miserable at night. 

I have a very healthy sugar-free protein bar recipe and a pure chocolate recipe available for free @johnrankinswayback.com.  Both are out of this world delicious and will help you steer away from the foods that are causing your insomnia and lowering your immune system. You know, the immune system that will help keep viruses away, like covid-19!  

I honestly taught myself how to quit eating the horribly addictive ingredients.  I got a clear mind and great health back, and now sleep like a baby. I can teach these truths to you too. 

I invite you to read my book Healed by Farm to learn much more. It’s a fascinating, sad, funny and true story that I wrote after four and a half decades of research and a life changing experience you would never want to relive. My sincere passion in all that I do is to help others achieve the excellent health that you once had when you were young. Please follow me on this journey and let me help you. It’s what I do best!    

GET AND STAY HEALTHY AMERICA!

~John Rankin~

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Peach Mango Japaleño Sauce

Servings 12 pint jars

Ingredients

  • 15 fresh peaches peeled and pitted
  • 4 large mangoes peeled and pitted
  • 20 japaleño peppers remove seeds and stems
  • 1 1/2 large sweet onion
  • 10 cloves fresh garlic
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 cup honey
  • 4 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  • Chop peaches, mangoes, japaleño peppers, onion and garlic into small pieces, no larger than 1" cubes.
  • Place chopped ingredients into a large cooking pot and add salt, honey, vinegar, and water.
  • Cook on medium heat until everything is tender, approximately 10-12 minutes.
  • Pour hot cooked mixture into a blender (preferably a Vita-mix), being careful not to scald yourself.
  • I like mine mixed just to the point where everything is well blended but you still see tiny pieces of green jalapeños.
  • Pour into pint jars, put on lids, and store in refrigerator up to 6 months, or process in canner for longer shelf life.
Pizza Crust
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John's Best Tasting Pizza Crust

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup hot water 105-110 degrees
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp quick-rising yeast
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp pink himalayan salt or any unrefined salt
  • 1 1/2 cup organic all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cup organic bread flour

Instructions

  • Beat water, olive oil, yeast, honey and salt together with a mixer for about 2 minutes until combined. Add flour slowly while mixing by hand with a wood spoon until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Knead the dough with your hands like an italian grandma, until soft. Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil then place the dough in and roll the dough to coat with oil. Let the dough rest for 10-12 minutes or longer if desired.
  • Preheat oven to bake 400. Roll dough onto pizza stone or baking pan. Add your favorite organic (hopefully from your garden) sauce and toppings. I highly recommend against most pre-made refined sauces with hidden inflammatory ingredients, sugar, MSG, hydrolyzed yeast, celery powder etc. Bake pizza until dough is golden brown and toppings are cooked, 20-30 minutes.
  • Enjoy the best homemade pizza ever!
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Chocolates

Ingredients

  • 2 c cacao butter
  • 1 c honey
  • 1 c milk powder
  • 1 c cacao powder

Instructions

  • Melt cacao butter in double boiler (measure after melted for accuracy)
  • Mix all ingredients in a bowl with hand mixer until well blended and pour into silicone molds
  • Leave for a few hours to harden before removing to serve or store in sealed container

Notes

For dark chocolate use only cacao powder and no milk powder.
These chocolates are room temperature stable as opposed to the chocolates you make with coconut oil.  Refrigeration is not required.
You can also put nuts and raisins in the molds first and then pour the chocolate mixture for a variety.

Just seeing the words home-brewed on a food product makes one automatically assume the product is something that is probably healthy. If you are one who seeks to eat wisely, this might give a sense of comfort, thinking that by partaking you will be further down the road to greater health.

Truth in labeling and truth about really great health can be miles apart. When it comes to becoming or staying well, you need to know the difference.

How many times have you had an illness that no matter what natural products you ingested, applied, sprayed, etc., you were still sick days later? Well no more, as I have a remedy for you!

Brewing your own remedy might just be the easiest, cheapest and healthiest way to take care of your family during flu and virus season, without any side effects! (And with a bonus of not having to stand in a drug store line with dozens of other sick people, coughing!)

When the flu infects your body, it usually hits fast. One of the major complications of that infection is inflammation. Sinus cavities, esophagus, lungs and all your airways shrink. Breathing becomes a chore. Your heart beats under higher pressure. And your liver struggles to empty your body of the toxins that have invaded it.

Would you like to naturally and permanently rid your body of these problems? Live the John Rankin’s Way where prevention is the cure! Being well is a much nicer and easier way of living than being sick and having to fight off infections and diseases.

I know this is true for myself. I haven’t been sick in many, many years, not since discovering the way to excellent, consistently great health and faithfully living by these truths. So do what I do, and skip right past all the usual misery of the flu season!

I have many healthy recipes in my wellness arsenal. For the flu/virus infections, I invite you to try something that works great for my family and friends, and that should help you too.

My first tip is to stay away from other sick people. Then drink lots of this home-brewed anti-inflammation tea. Lastly, get ready to feel much better. This is a simple (but proven) tasty medicinal drink to help get you up and going when you’re down with the flu.

JOHN’S VIRUS/FLU-FIGHTING TEA RECIPE

Place a gallon of spring water in a large pot. Add ½ # ginger root sliced thin.

Add ½ # turmeric root sliced thin.

Add cardamom seeds from 10-12 cardamom pods, crushed. (or use the whole crushed pod too, since we will strain this when done.) Add 5-cinnamon sticks.

Add the juice of 2 lemons.

Add a small handful of fresh mint leaves. My favorite is spearmint.

Place the lid on the pot and cook this brew on low heat for up to 2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

You will need 3 or 4 quart jars. Add 6-8 tablespoons (about ½ cup) of local honey (know the beekeeper) to each of your jars.

Pour your fresh pot full of wonderful tasting home-brewed elixir through a strainer into each jar while still warm.

Cap and shake until honey is dissolved. Drink warm or refrigerate.

Drink at least a cup full in the morning and again in the evening. Drinking it all day long is not a problem if needed.

I have 4 ½ decades of research and a life experience that has allowed me to be extremely healthy and to help others find and stay on the right path to excellent health as well. I sincerely care about you and the health of your family.

I hope this message will help you and your family to use a more holistic approach to health. Start right now, and never stop living as close as possible to the natural gifts of our beautiful earth.

You can find more of my healthy recipes along with the exciting story of my journey…all available now in my new book “Healed by Farm’’ @johnrankinsway.com. Be well!