Ahhh, the beginning of Spring. This time of season is so wonderfully refreshing! Everything and everyone starts to come out of hibernation; leaves start to grow on trees, flowers bloom and people start gardening. March usually marks the beginning of the gardening season. The weather is starting to warm up and the days are getting longer, which means more sunlight; perfect for planting. Gardening is a great way to know exactly where your fruits and vegetables are coming from, because let’s face it, who knows what kinds of chemicals and bacteria are on things these days. Plus, it’s a great hobby and stress reliever. There’s always a great fulfillment knowing that what you’re eating is what you just harvested from your own garden.

As fun as gardening in March is, not every vegetable or fruit should be planted now. Some should be planted as the weather gets warmer, depending on your location. March friendly vegetables and fruits consist mainly of; asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce (many types), onions, peppers, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries and tomatoes… just to name a few.

Now, I don’t know about you, but my thumb isn’t exactly green. In fact it’s at the total opposite spectrum. The only thing I can actually suggest is to go completely organic and start your own compost pile. Now that’s what I call knowing EXACTLY where your produce comes from!

Here’s the Q&A with Michael Pollan, Robert Kenner, Eric Schlosser and Elise Pearlstein:

How did this film initially come about?
Kenner: Eric Schlosser and I had been wanting to do a documentary version of his book, Fast Food Nation. And, for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. By the time Food, Inc. started to come together, we began talking and realized that all food has become like fast food, and all food is being created in the same manner as fast food.

How has fast food changed the food we buy at the supermarket?
Schlosser: The enormous buying power of the fast food industry helped to transform the entire food production system of the United States. So even when you purchase food at the supermarket, you’re likely to be getting products that came from factories, feedlots and suppliers that emerged to serve the fast food chains.

How many years did it take to do this film and what were the challenges?
Kenner: From when Eric and I began talking, about 6 or 7 years. The film itself about 2 ½ years. It has taken a lot longer than we expected because we were denied access to so many places.

Pearlstein: When Robby brought me into the project, he was adamant about wanting to hear all sides of the story, but it was nearly impossible to gain access onto industrial farms and into large food corporations. They just would not let us in. It felt like it would have been easier to penetrate the Pentagon than to get into a company that makes breakfast cereal. The legal challenges on this film were also unique. We found it necessary to consult with a first amendment lawyer throughout the entire filming process.

Who or what influenced your film?
Kenner: This film was really influenced by Eric Schlosser and Fast Food Nation, but then as we were progressing and had actually gotten funding, it became very influenced as well by Michael Pollan and his book Omnivore’s Dilemma.

And then, as we went out into the world, we became really incredibly influenced by a lot of the farmers we met.

What was the most surprising thing you learned?
Kenner: As we set out to find out how our food was made, I think the thing that really became most shocking is when we were talking to a woman, Barbara Kowalcyk, who had lost her son to eating a hamburger with E. coli, and she’s now dedicated her life to trying to make the food system safer. It’s the only way she can recover from the loss of her child. But when I asked her what she eats, she told me she couldn’t tell me because she would be sued if she answered.

Or we see Carol possibly losing her chicken farm … or we see Moe, a seed cleaner who’s just being sued for amounts that there’s no way he can pay, even though he’s not guilty of anything. Then we realized there’s something going on out there that supersedes foods. Our rights are being denied in ways that I had never imagined. And it was scary and shocking. And that was my biggest surprise.

So, what does our current industrialized food system say about our values as a nation?
Pollan: It says we value cheap, fast and easy when it comes to food like so many other things, and we have lost any connection to where our food comes from.

Kenner: I met a cattle rancher and he said, you know, we used to be scared of the Soviet Union or we used to think we were so much better than the Soviet Union because we had many places to buy things. And we had many choices. We thought if we were ever taken over, we’d be dominated where we’d have to buy one thing from one company, and how that’s not the American way. And he said you look around now, and there’s like one or two companies dominating everything in the food world. We’ve become what we were always terrified of.

And that just always haunted me – how could this happen in America? It seems very un-American that we would be so dominated, and then so intimidated by the companies that are dominating this marketplace.

How has the revolving door relationship between giant food companies and Washington affected the food industry?
Pearlstein: We discovered that the food industry has managed to shape a lot of laws in their favor. For example, massive factory farms are not considered real factories, so they are exempt from emissions standards that other factories face. A surprising degree of regulation is voluntary, not mandatory, which ends up favoring the industry.

What have been the consequences for the American consumer?
Kenner: Most American consumers think that we are being protected. But that is not the case. Right now the USDA does not have the authority to shut down a plant that is producing contaminated meat. The FDA and the USDA have had their inspectors cut back. And it’s for these companies now to self-police, and what we’ve found is, when there’s a financial interest involved, these companies would rather make the money and be sued than correct it. Self-policing has really just been a miserable failure. And I think that’s been really quite harmful to the American consumer and to the American worker.

Pearlstein: The food industry has succeeded in keeping some very important information about their products hidden from consumers. It’s outrageous that genetically modified foods don’t need to be labeled. Today more than 70% of processed foods in the supermarket are genetically modified and we have absolutely no way of knowing. Whatever your position, you should have the right to make informed choices, and we don’t. Now the FDA is contemplating whether or not to label meat and milk from cloned cows. It seems very basic that consumers should have the right to know if they’re eating a cloned steak.

Is it possible to feed a nation of millions without this kind of industrialized processing?
Pollan: Yes. There are alternative ways of producing food that could improve Americans’ health. Quality matters as much as quantity and yield is not the measure of a healthy food system. Quantity improves a population’s health up to a point; after that, quality and diversity matters more. And it’s wrong to assume that the industrialized food system is feeding everyone well or keeping the population healthy. It’s failing on both counts.

There is a section of the film that reveals how illegal immigrants are the faceless workers that help to bring food to our tables. Can you give us a profile of the average worker?
Schlosser: The typical farm worker is a young, Latino male who does not speak English and earns about $10,000 a year. The typical meatpacking worker has a similar background but earns about twice that amount. A very large proportion of the nation’s farm workers and meatpackers are illegal immigrants.

Why are there so many Spanish-speaking workers?
Kenner: The same thing that created obesity in this country, which is large productions of cheap corn, has put farmers out of work in foreign countries, whether it’s Mexico, Latin America or around the world. And those farmers can no longer grow food and compete with the U.S.’ subsidized food. So a lot of these farmers needed jobs and ended up coming into this country to work in our food production.

And they have been here for a number of years. But what’s happened is that we’ve decided that it’s no longer in the best interests of this country to have them here. But yet, these companies still need these people and they’re desperate, so they work out deals where they can have a few people arrested at a certain time so it doesn’t affect production. But it affects people’s lives. And these people are being deported, put in jail and sent away, but yet, the companies can go on and it really doesn’t affect their assembly line. And what happens is that they are replaced by other, desperate immigrant groups.

Could the American food industry exist without illegal immigrants?
Schlosser: The food industry would not only survive, but it would have a much more stable workforce. We would have much less rural poverty. And the annual food bill of the typical American family would barely increase. Doubling the hourly wage of every farm worker in this country might add $50 at most to a family’s annual food bill.

What are scientists doing to our food and is it about helping food companies’ bottom line or about feeding a growing population?
Schlosser: Some scientists are trying to produce foods that are healthier, easier to grow, and better for the environment. But most of the food scientists are trying to create things that will taste good and can be made cheaply without any regard to their social or environmental consequences.

I am not opposed to food science. What matters is how that science is used … and for whose benefit.

Can a person eat a healthy diet from things they buy in the supermarket if they are not buying organic? If so, how?
Pollan: Yes, the supermarkets still carry real food. The key is to shop the perimeter of the store and stay out of the middle where most of the processed food lurks.

How are low-income families impacted at the supermarket?
Kenner: Things are really stacked against low-income families in this country. There is a definite desire of the food companies to sell more product to these people because they have less time, they’re working really hard and they have fewer hours in their day to cook. And the fast food is very reasonably priced. Coke is selling for less than water. So when these things are happening, it’s easier for low-income families sometimes to just go in and have a quick meal if they don’t get home until 10 o’clock at night. At the moment, our food is unfairly priced towards bad food.

And, in the same way that tobacco companies went after low-income people because they were heavy users, food companies are going after low-income people because they can market to them, they can make it look very appealing.

What can low-income families do to eat healthier?
Schlosser: As much as possible, they can avoid cheap, processed foods and fast foods. It’s possible to eat well and inexpensively. But it takes more time and effort to do so, and that’s not easy when you’re working two jobs and trying to just to keep your head above water. The sad thing is that these cheap foods are ultimately much more expensive when you factor in the costs of all the health problems that come later.

Pollan: It’s possible to eat healthy food on a budget but it takes a greater investment of time. If you are willing to cook and plan ahead, you can eat local, sustainable food on a budget.

If someone wanted to get involved and help change the system, what would you suggest they do?
Pearlstein: I hope people will want to be more engaged in the process of eating and shopping for food. We have learned that there are a lot of different fronts to fight on this one, and people can see what most resonates with them. Maybe it’s really just “voting with their forks” – eating less meat, buying different food, buying from companies they feel good about, going to farmers markets.

People can try to find a CSA – community supported agriculture – where you buy a share in a farm and get local food all year. That really helps support farmers and you get fresh, seasonal food. On the local political level, people can work on food access issues, like getting more markets into low income communities, getting better lunch programs in schools, trying to get sodas out of schools. And on a national level, we’ve learned that reforming the Farm Bill would have a huge influence on our food system. It requires some education, but it is something we should care about.

What do you hope people take away from this film?
Schlosser: I hope it opens their eyes.

Kenner: That things can change in this country. It changed against the big tobacco companies. We have to influence the government and readjust these scales back into the interests of the consumer. We did it before, and we can do it again.

Pollan: A deeper knowledge of where their food comes from and a sense of outrage over how their food is being produced and a sense of hope and possibility of the alternatives springing up around the country. Food, Inc. is the most important and powerful film about our food system in a generation.

Get it at Amazon (It’s on sale right now for $9.99)

“A higher intake of vitamin E can cut the risk of lung cancer by more than half, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has found.

In a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers used the National Cancer Institute’s Health Habits and History Questionnaire and Food Frequency Questionnaire to assess the dietary intakes of 1,088 lung cancer patients and 1,414 healthy participants. Participants were further surveyed about various lifestyle factors, including smoking.

The average age of the healthy participants was 60.8, while the average age of the lung cancer participants was 61.7.

Vitamin E occurs in two main groups, the tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these groups, in turn, contains four varieties, named alpha, beta, gamma and delta. For the current study, the researchers analyzed participants’ dietary tocopherol intake, dividing it up based on which form it occurred in.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare dietary intakes of the different forms of tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma and delta-tocopherol) and lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.

The researchers divided participants into groups based on intake of tocopherols in general and the four different varieties individually, then compared the rate of lung cancer between the groups.

Participants with the highest tocopherol intake were found to have a 55 percent lower risk of lung cancer than participants with the lowest intakes. The average intakes of the two groups were more than 12.95 milligrams per day and less than 6.68 milligrams per day, respectively.

A powerful protective correlation also showed up for alpha-tocopherol, with those consuming the most having a 53 percent lower risk of lung cancer than those with the lowest intake. The highest alpha-tocopherol intake averaged more than 7.73 milligrams per day, while the lowest averaged less than 4.13 milligrams per day.

Higher consumption of beta-, gamma- or delta-tocopherol alone, however, appeared to have no influence on cancer risk.

“We found consistent independent associations for increased dietary alpha-tocopherol intake and risk reduction but did not find independent associations for gamma-, beta- and delta-tocopherol in lung cancer risk,” the researchers wrote.

The European diet typically contains vitamin E in the form of alpha-tocopherol, while the U.S. diet tends to contain it in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Vitamin pills contain mostly alpha-tocopherol.

The study was not designed to analyze by what mechanism tocopherols in general or alpha-tocopherol in particular might act to reduce cancer risk.

“Our data should be useful in stimulating additional epidemiologic and basic science research in the relationship of different forms of vitamin E and cancer,” the researchers wrote.

Foods high in vitamin E include asparagus, avocado, green leafy vegetables, nuts, olives, seeds and wheat germ. A variety of vegetable oils, including canola, corn, cottonseed, red palm, sunflower and soybean are also high in the vitamin.

The new study is not the first to link vitamin E with cancer protection. The vitamin is well known to function as an antioxidant, meaning that it plays an important role in removing particles known as free radicals from the body. These electrically charged molecules are believed to be responsible for some of the cell damage that leads to cancer, other diseases, and the symptoms of aging.”

Scientists now know enough about the long-term consequences of ingesting these powerful chemicals to advise that we minimize our consumption of pesticides.

What’s the Difference?
EWG research has found that people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables ingest fewer than 2 pesticides daily. The Guide helps consumers make informed choices to lower their dietary pesticide load.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all the studies used to create these lists assume that people rinse or peel fresh produce. Rinsing reduces but does not eliminate
pesticides. Peeling helps, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the skin. The best approach: eat a varied diet, rinse all produce and buy organic when possible.

How Was This Guide Developed?
EWG analysts have developed the Guide based on data from nearly
87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce conducted between
2000 and 2007 and collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You can find a detailed
description of the criteria EWG used to develop these rankings and
the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested at our dedicated
website, www.foodnews.org.

Avocados are loaded with monounsaturated fat, healthy fats. They help lower LDL cholesterol levels while raising the amount of HDL cholesterol in your body. They allow for the absorption of other carotenoids, particularly beta carotene and lycopene, which are absolutely essential for heart health.

Berries – Raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are full of anti-inflammatory ingredients, which reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Berries in general are important for vascular health. Be sure to only choose organic berries, as non-organic fruit tend to contain dangerous amounts of pesticides, chemicals and other toxic ingredients.

Beans Fill up on fiber with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) lentils, kidney beans and blac, beans. They have lots of omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and soluble fiber.

Nuts Walnuts, almonds and macadamia nuts are all chock full of omega-3 fatty acids and mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Almonds are super rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts contain fiber, very important and a good source of healthy fat.”

Garlic contains allicin, which reacts with red blood cells and produces hydrogen sulphide. This relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing easily.

Salmon is extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is known to reduce blood pressure and keep clotting to a minimum. Salmon contains an ingredient called, carotenoid astaxanthin, which is a very powerful antioxidant. Important note: Choose wild salmon over farm raised salmon (or farm raised fish in general), which is proven to be packed with pesticides, insecticides and heavy metals.

Olive Oil is packed with monounsaturated fats. It has a tendency to lower bad LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing heart disease. It’s best when used in salad dressings.

Oranges – Rich in Vitamin C, oranges protect arteries from free radicals, highly damaging molecules that cause our cells to oxidize. Oranges also contain folate, which processes the amino acid homocysteine in our bodies. Without folate, your risk of a heart attack is greater. Potassium in oranges play a key role in heart functions and muscle contractions. The calcium in oranges help maintain normal blood pressure, and magnesium helps your heart maintain a steady rhythm and normal blood pressure.

Spinach – helps keep your heart in top shape thanks to its stores of lutein, folate, potassium, and fiber.

Flaxseeds – Full of fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, a little sprinkling of flaxseeds can be incredibly beneficial for your heart. Add it to yogurt or cereal for a healthy start in the morning.

Oatmeal is full of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, and potassium. This fiber-rich superfood is able to lower levels of LDL (or bad) cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. Choose coarse or steel-cut oats over instant varieties—which contain more fiber. Remember to add some flaxseeds and blueberries.

Don’t be a lazy bastard.
Gah, you might be thinking, you don’t have to be such a biatch. Sorry. I can’t help it when it comes to important things. So many people I know ALWAYS use the excuse, “I don’t have enough time in the morning to prepare anything, so we (or my kids) eat cereals or protein bars. It’s easy, fast and…” – let me finish that line for you, “CRAPPY FOR THEM.” You can’t argue with me; it’s true. Now, get a conscience and get caring about you and your kids’ health! I just can’t believe I have to tell you this.

Make a yummy nutritious meal for breakfast.
Ok if you HAVE to use that stupid, lame excuse of not having enough time in the morning, then prepare some things the night before so you have little to prepare the next day. Here’s one example (but DO search online for a variety of ideas) Make some whole wheat or multi-grain scones the night before, then in the morning eat them with organic almond butter and some organic jam. Or simply with fruit. Make a quick side of scrambled eggs and voila. Yummy and healthy meal.

Be more organized – Plan for the whole week and vary meals.
This also relates to the previous idea, “don’t be a lazy bastard.” If you plan for the week, your breakfast life will be smooth as peanut butter. During the weekends, plan your meals for every week day. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something different every single day, depending on the tastes of you and your family members, but it should vary to an extent. This is important so your bodies receive a variety of nutrients instead of the very same ones day after day. For example, if you have kids love their home-made organic muesli, allow it Tuesday and Thursday one week, then for the next week allow it Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Vary the kinds of fruit and nuts you add to the muesli. Maybe once in a while add yogurt instead of whole, raw organic milk.

Make Pancakes better.
If you and your family likes pancakes once in a while, instead of using just white flour, add more hearty and healthy flours into the mix like whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour. Also, make sure if you do use white flour, that it is non-bleached and organic. Use organic ingredients as much as possible including eggs, sugar and milk.

Offer all kinds of different spreads for toast.If there’s a die-hard, “gotta have” toast in the a.m., offer different things to spread on it: Peanut butter, coconut butter, almond butter or other kinds of nut butters, tahini, organic butters and cream cheese, organic fruit and jams. Or something completely different: pickled herring, organic cheeses, a poached egg, veggies. How ’bout some organic maple syrup?

The organic tortilla is your friend for breakfast.
I’ve been recently been liking brown rice tortillas but there are many kinds that are good for your health. Tortillas are champions in convenience and you can put all kinds of things into them. Breakfast burritos, veggies and scrambled eggs, bean and cheese, fruity wraps…you will only be limited by your imagination. And if you run out of ideas, look online for more ideas! You don’t have to be alone in this breakfast dilemma.

Let smoothies rule.
There’s nothing more healthy than throwing some fruit, plain yogurt or juice into a blender and make a refreshing, scrumptious and satisfying smoothie. Add some flax seed meal into it and you may become addicted to this excellent meal in a glass. Make sure to vary fruit and ingredients for your smoothies!

Related: Why you shouldn’t eat popular breakfast cereals, More reasons to give up Cereal, especially Corn Flakes! Healthy Organic Breakfasts

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While some unfortunately uninformed people do not relate health to what they eat, the more informed and educated people know better. By eating the 14 super foods highlighted in Dr. Steven Pratt’s instant bestseller, you can actually stop the incremental deteriorations that lead to common ailments and diseases. Really. Don’t believe me? Try it and find out. What harm could it possibly do to give it a try? Here are the super foods to focus on and why:

* Beans — reduce obesity
* Blueberries — lower risk for cardiovascular disease
* Broccoli — lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
* Oats — reduce the risk of type II diabetes
* Oranges — prevent strokes
* Pumpkin — lowers the risk of various cancers
* Wild salmon — lowers the risk of heart disease
* Soy — lowers cholesterol
* Spinach — decreases the chance of cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration
* Tea — helps prevent osteoporosis
* Tomatoes — raise the skin’s sun protection factor
* Turkey — helps build a strong immune system
* Walnuts — reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer

* Yogurt-promotes strong bones and a healthy heart

SuperFoods includes recipes created by Chef Michel Stroot of the Golden Door Spa and teaches you how to incorporate SuperFoods and their sidekicks into your diet. SuperFoods Rx is an indispensable guide to a healthy, long, and energetic life.

Read SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life

“Fruits, vegetables and animals can be 100 percent organic. What about people?

In a fascinating experiment — on himself — Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author in Danville, Calif., decided to find out. For the last three years, Dr. Greene has eaten nothing but organic foods, whether he’s cooking at home, dining out or snacking on the road.

He chose three years as a goal because that was the amount of time it took to have a breeding animal certified organic by the Department of Agriculture. While food growers comply with organic regulations every day, Dr. Greene wondered whether a person could meet the same standards.

It hasn’t been easy.

“This isn’t a way of eating I could recommend to anybody else because it’s so far off the beaten food grid,” said Dr. Greene, 49, the founder of a popular Web site about children’s health, drgreene.com. “It was much more challenging than I thought it would be, and I thought it would be tough. There were definitely days where there was nothing I could find that was organic.”

Other writers have ventured off the traditional food grid, notably Barbara Kingsolver in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and Michael Pollan in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” But what makes Dr. Greene’s experiment remarkable is the length of time he devoted to it, and his effort to incorporate organic eating into the routines of everyday living. His findings offer new insight into the challenges facing the organic food industry and those of us who want to patronize it.

Organic farmers don’t use conventional methods to fertilize the soil, control weeds and pests, or prevent disease in livestock.

Organic methods often lead to higher costs, and consumers can pay twice as much for organic foods as for conventional products. Last week, the financial advice Web site SmartMoney.com reported that to feed eight people an organic meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods, a shopper would pay $295.36 — a premium of $126.35, or 75 percent, over a nonorganic holiday spread.

To cut back on the cost of an organic diet, Dr. Greene said he had to cut back on meat. “Whenever you go up the food chain, the costs pile up,” he said. “If you don’t eat meat at every meal, if meat becomes more of a side dish than a centerpiece, you can fill the plate with healthy organic food for about the same price.”

Questions remain about whether organic foods are really better for you. The data are mixed. This fall, researchers from the University of Copenhagen reported on a two-year experiment in which they grew carrots, kale, peas, potatoes and apples using both organic and conventional growing methods. The researchers found that the growing methods made no difference in the nutrients in the crops or the levels of nutrients retained by rats that ate them, according to the study, published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

But other research suggests that organic foods do contain more of certain nutrients — almost twice as many, in the case of organic tomatoes studied for a 2007 report in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Dr. Greene said he was inspired to go all-organic after talking to a dairy farmer who noted that livestock got sick less after a switch to organic practices. He wondered if becoming 100 percent organic might improve his own health.

Three years later, he says he has more energy and wakes up earlier. As a pediatrician regularly exposed to sick children, he was accustomed to several illnesses a year. Now, he says, he is rarely ill. His urine is a brighter yellow, a sign that he is ingesting more vitamins and nutrients.

At home, he said, the organic routine was relatively easy. Organic food is widely available, not just at stores like Whole Foods but at traditional supermarkets. He also shopped at farmer’s markets and joined a local community-supported agriculture group, or C.S.A. Because he bought less meat, the costs tended to balance out. And his family (two of his four children still live at home) largely went along with the experiment.

On the road, though, life was more challenging. In corporate cafeterias and convenience stores, he looked for stickers that began with the number 9 to signify organic; stickers on conventionally grown produce begin with 4.

When dining out, he called ahead; high-end restaurants were willing to accommodate his all-organic request. He also found a few lines of organic backpacking food that he could carry with him.

Dr. Greene reached the three-year milestone in October, but his diet is still organic. He hasn’t decided whether to keep going full tilt or to ease up in the interest of cost and convenience. In his latest book, “Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby Care” (Jossey-Bass), he advocates a “strategic” approach, urging parents to insist on organic versions of a few main foods, like milk, potatoes, apples and baby food.

The biggest surprise of the whole experience, he says, was that many people still don’t know what “organic” means.

“It’s surprising to me how few people know that organic means without pesticides, antibiotics or hormones,” he said. “In stores or restaurants around the country, I would ask, ‘Do you have anything organic?’ Half the time they would say, ‘Do you mean vegetarian?’ ”” [source]

Backyard Hobby Greenhouse, Green, 8 By 12 Feet

Though she freely admits she’s neither a nutritionist nor a doctor, more than 400,000 subscribers rely on author Lillien’s “Hungry Girl” e-newsletter for healthy eating tips. In this congenial compilation, most of which is new to the book, she gives dieters a breakfast-to-dinner approach to eating lighter with scores of easy to prepare dishes. Lillien’s recipes enlist low-cal substitutes for traditional ingredients; diet lemon-lime soda and sugar-free powdered lemonade drink mix, for example, go into her Magical Low Calorie Margarita. In some cases, such as her Rockin’ Restaurant Spinach Dip, Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla and Dan Good Chili, she approximates high-calorie dishes without sacrificing too much in terms of flavor or texture. Unfortunately, those are the exceptions-the Ice Creamless Banana Split and Cheery Chocolate Cheesecake Nuggets (which calls for diet hot cocoa mix, Splenda, fat free cream cheese and sugar free chocolate syrup) taste more like punishment than dessert. Salads are well represented, though few are served with any kind of dressing, and meat dishes can run sky high in sodium. Tips for smart eating at the office, holiday parties, trips and the movies are appreciated, but the book would have benefited from the input of a licensed nutritionist or dietician.

Get it now by clicking on the link below.

Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

Much more than recipes, The Self-Healing Cookbook gives fresh, heartwarming support to anyone aiming to prevent or recover from diet-related moods and health symptoms. A starter shopping list, food-mood charts, self-healer’s workbook, and healing foods glossary are included. Along with a wealth of wisdom on how to eat locally, think globally, cook with the seasons, lose weight naturally and nourish growing kids.

Word-of-mouth has carried this book to Great Britain, Canada, Singapore, Israel, and Australia. Over 21,000 copies have sold in the Japanese edition. In April, 2002, it will be published in Brazil, in a Portuguese edition. We’d love to hear from international readers where else it has found a home in your kitchens.

Get it now: The Self-Healing Cookbook: Whole Foods To Balance Body, Mind and Moods

Since then it has been used to detoxify the body, enhance the immune system, fight fatigue, and soothe an upset stomach. This special healing formula is made with organic green tea (camellia sinensis), which is organically grown and, unlike other green teas, has a delicate flavor with no bitterness.

Green Tea has excellent antioxidant properties. This tea contains a concentrated and purified extract of kombucha-pure, which is produced without the use of refined sugar or black tea, and is made from kombucha grown in a unique medium of 32 supporting Chinese herbs.

The recipe is complemented with organic spearmint, which can help to relax the body and aid digestion; organic licorice root, to support the adrenals and enhance the effects of other healing herbs; and dong quai root, a well-known tonic. Once the benefits of these ingredients are released by hot water, you are ready to enjoy a delicious, delightful and soothing cup of tea and one that is naturally rich in antioxidants and other health-supporting qualities.

Yogi Tea Defense, Green Tea Kombucha, Tea Bags, 16-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

Find out what you can do with all those apples

Amaranth flour. Its milled from the seeds of the amaranth plant, this flour boasts a higher percentage of protein than most other grains, and has more fibre than wheat and rice. It is also higher in the amino acid lysine, which some food scientists believe makes it a more complete protein than flour made from other grains. Amaranth flour can be used in cookies, crackers, baking mixes, and cereals.

Arrowroot flour: The rootstalks of a tropical plant are the source of this flour, often used as a thickener for sauces and desserts; the finely powdered arrowroot turns completely clear when dissolved (giving gloss to sauces), and adds no starchy flavor. Because of its easy digestibility, it is also an used as an ingredient in cookies intended for infants and young children.

Barley flour: This mild-flavored flour made from barley grain contains some gluten.

Buckwheat flour: A common ingredient in pancake mixes, buckwheat flour is also used to make Japanese soba noodles. It is available in light, medium, and dark varieties (the dark flour boasts the strongest flavor), depending on the kind of buckwheat it is milled from. You can make your own buckwheat flour by processing whole white buckwheat groats in a blender or food processor.

Chestnut flour: This tan flour is made from chestnuts, the meaty, lowfat nuts that are often served as a vegetable. The flour is a little sweet and is traditionally used in Italian holiday desserts.

Chick-pea flour (also called chana, gram flour or besan): This protein-rich flour is made from dried chick-peas or chana dal. This flour is used commonly throughout India, and in parts of the Mediterranean as well, in pancakes, pizzas, dumplings, soups and stews.

Corn flour: This is made from whole cornmeal, ground to a floury consistency.

Cornstarch: This silky ingredient is made from only the endosperm (starchy part) of the corn kernel. Avoid wheaten cornflour. It is used to thicken sauces and to create baked goods with a particularly fine texture.

Gluten-free flour mix: Some health-food stores carry this three-grain mixture of rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour. It can be substituted for 100% of the wheat flour in many recipes.

Millet flour: This yellow flour is high in protein and easy to digest. It may make baked goods somewhat coarse-textured and dry. Substitute it for no more than one-fifth of the wheat flour in a recipe.

Oat flour: Milled from either the entire oat kernel or the endosperm only, oat flour is frequently used in ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. You can make your own to use in baking by grinding rolled oats in a food processor or blender (1-1/4 cups rolled oats will yield 1 cup oat flour).

Potato flour (potato starch): Steamed potatoes are dried and then ground to a powder to make this gluten-free flour, which is commonly used in baked goods for Jewish Passover (when wheat flour may not be used).

Quinoa flour: Higher in fat than wheat flour, quinoa flour makes baked goods more moist. You can make your own quinoa flour by processing whole quinoa in a blender; stop before the flour is too fine – it should be slightly coarse, like cornmeal.

Rye flour: In combination with wheat flour, rye flour, which contains some gluten, is most commonly used in breads. Rye can be used alone for a substantial-textured bread. Light, medium, and dark varieties (with dark having the strongest flavour) are available.

Sorghum flour: A staple grain in many parts of the world. Sorghum flour works well in breads when combined with bean flours.

Soy flour: Another useful alternative.

Tapioca flour: Milled from the dried starch of the cassava root, this flour thickens when heated with water and is often used to give body to puddings, fruit pie fillings, and soups. It can also be used in baking.

Water-chestnut flour (water-chestnut powder): This Asian ingredient is a fine, powdery starch that is used to thicken sauces (it can be substituted for cornstarch) and to coat foods before frying to give them a delicate, crisp coating.

[source]

Check it out here.

The book has quite a bit going for it:

1. Beautifully made, illustrated and laid-out, this book is meant to last and be used readily and often. Typical Dorling Kindersley quality.

2. An eye-friendly typeface and bright, semi-gloss pages make this easy reading.

3. The shear breadth of the information here is outstanding. Packed into 306 letter-sized pages are the following chapters:
*The Meaning of Self-Sufficiency
*Food from the Garden
*Food from Animals
*Food from the Fields
*Food from the Wild
*In the Dairy
*In the Kitchen
*Brewing & Wine-making
*Energy & Waste
*Crafts & Skills
*Things You Need to Know

4. Good specifics on all the categories of info listed above. You should be able to get started on your way to being people of the soil. Need to know how to kill, gut, and prepare your cattle? It’s in here. Got a hankering to get off the electrical grid altogether? Helpful windmill buying advice is here. Can’t tell rye from barley? You will after reading this book.

5. A helpful list of contacts and companies that can get you started on your dream are included.

This is a fine primer on self-sufficiency. Anyone looking to escape the rat race could hardly do better than to pick up a copy of “The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It.”

[source: amazon]

Get it now

20: Saltiest Side Dish
Denny’s Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice
1,700 mg sodium, 85 calories
Calorie for calorie, this is the saltiest dish in America.

This side is steeped in salty brine before it’s smoked, soaking up 70 percent of your daily sodium intake.

19: Saltiest Dessert
Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone
1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories
This fruit scone packs the same sodium load as seven servings of bacon at Atlanta Bread Company. If you need a sweet fix, opt instead for the pumpkin bread, which has a tenth of the sodium (160 mg).

18: Saltiest Soup
Baja Fresh Chicken Tortilla Soup
2,760 mg sodium, 320 calories
Soup and salt are nearly synonymous in the food world, but Baja takes it to the extreme, sinking more than a day’s worth of sodium into a single serving. Start with a bowl of stewed black beans with a scoop of fresh salsa instead; a serving has an eye-popping, belly-filling 26 grams (g) of fiber, with less than half the salt of the soup.

17: Saltiest Burger
Hardee’s 2/3 lb Monster Thickburger
2,770 mg sodium, 1,420 calories, 108 g fat
More than 100 percent of your daily sodium allowance is trapped inside this burger’s bun. And the three slices of processed American cheese are oozing with 780 mg sodium. Try the Low-Carb Thickburger–you’ll shave 1,000 calories and 1,700 mg sodium.

16: Saltiest “Healthy” Food
Chili’s Guiltless Grill Chicken Platter
2,780 mg sodium, 590 calories, 85 g carbs
Beware the bait and switch. Many restaurants and packaged-food producers advertise their dishes as being low in calories and fat, only to jack up the sugar and salt content. Case in point: This platter actually has more sodium than Chili’s 1,890-calorie Country Fried Steak with sides, toast, and gravy. Stick with the Guiltless Salmon, the best choice on Chili’s sometimes-healthy special menu.

• 15: Saltiest Pasta
Fazoli’s Rigatoni Romano
3,180 mg sodium, 1,090 calories, 54 g fat, 101 g carbs
Salt is one of the top ingredients in Italian sausage, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese, the three items that serve as this dish’s backbone. Simply order your noodles topped with marinara sauce and peppery chicken. The chicken has just 1 g fat and less sodium than the other toppings you can order for your pasta.

14: Saltiest Chinese Entrée
P.F. Chang’s Beef with Broccoli
3,752 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 65 g fat
Like many Chinese dishes, this ubiquitous entrée sounds deceptively healthy. Also like many Chinese dishes, this meal is swimming in a murky brown sauce made mostly of soy sauce and oil. Skip the fried rice (it can contain up to 2,700 mg sodium on its own) and send out an SOS (“sauce on the side”) to your server.

• 13: Saltiest Breakfast
Arby’s Sausage Gravy Biscuit
3,754 mg sodium, 961 calories
Yes, cured meat and lard-riddled biscuits are found in this troubled Southern staple, but the coat of gravy carries 2,600 mg sodium on its own, making it the primary offender.

12: Saltiest Beef Entrée
Bob Evans Steak Tips and Noodles
4,131 mg sodium, 822 calories, 43 g fat
Bob lubricates his take on beef stroganoff with a huge ladleful of gravy, damning this dish before you even poke your fork into it. Try your steak without the salt bath: The regular sirloin has half the calories and a commendable 638 mg sodium.

11: Saltiest Frozen Dinner
Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey
4,480 mg sodium, 1,360 calories, 70 g fat
Yes, the nutrition data on the back suggests that the package contains two servings, but the label proudly proclaims the 1 1/2 pounds inside, and besides, how many guys are going to share their frozen dinner?

10: Saltiest Bread
Dunkin’ Donuts Salt Bagel
4,520 mg sodium, 320 calories, 62 g carbs
This bagel is more like a giant salt-encrusted pretzel, delivering 188 percent of your recommended daily sodium intake.

9: Saltiest Sandwich
Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing
4,670 mg sodium, 1,120 calories, 49 g fat, 116 g carbs
First, skip the large sandwich. At Quiznos, few come in under 1,000 calories and 3,000 mg sodium. Next, abandon mozzarella for Swiss, which has a tenth of the sodium. Finally, choose one of the low-calorie subs at Quiznos–the Tuscan Turkey, or better yet, the Honey Bourbon Chicken.

8: Saltiest Pizza
Pizza Hut Meat Lover’s Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices of the 14” large)
5,070 mg sodium, 1,560 calories, 87 g fat, 114 g carbs
A good rule of thumb: Never order a pizza with more than a single meat topping. Because if the calories don’t get you, the salt will. This problematic pie has six meats and 4,000 mg sodium too much.

7: Saltiest Comfort Food
Denny’s Meat Loaf Dinner (with Mashed Potatoes and Corn)
5,080 mg sodium, 1,210 calories, 69 g fat, 97 g carbs
There’s nothing comforting about a dinner that carries the same sodium load as 27 strips of bacon. Trade the salty loaf for the Steakhouse Strip Dinner, which has just 460 mg sodium and 390 calories (before sides).

6: Saltiest Salad
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Florentine
5,460 mg sodium, 840 calories, 53 g fat
Salads are often the biggest blood-pressure boosters on the menu, since the innocent leaves play perfect host to a flurry of briny toppings and dangerous dressings. Here, salt-laden olives, capers, and Parmesan collide with Macaroni Grill’s massive portions and its cooks’ affinity for the saltshaker.

The only reasonable insalata on the menu is the Mozzarella alla Caprese: It has 450 calories and 760 mg sodium.

5: Saltiest Mexican Entrée
Chili’s Buffalo Chicken Fajitas
5,690 mg sodium, 1,730 calories, 107 g fat, 143 g carbs
Here are a few offenders to choke on: fried chicken, Buffalo sauce, blue cheese, smoked bacon, ranch dressing, and sour cream. All make this the sodium equivalent of single-handedly downing three and a half baskets of Chili’s bottomless tostada chips. Add rice and beans and you’ve just ordered 3 days’ worth of sodium and an entire day of calories. If you’re salt-sensitive, avoid fajitas–any kind of fajitas–at all costs.

4: Saltiest Kids’ Meal
Cosi Kid’s Pepperoni Pizza
6,405 mg sodium, 1,901 calories, 93 g fat, 190 g carbs
Kids under 13 should max out at 1,900 to 2,200 mg sodium a day, according to American Heart Association. This pizza serves up nearly three times that much, plus an entire day’s worth of calories. You could feed your child 50 turkey sandwiches at Cosi for the same sodium price tag. (But stick to just one.)

3: Saltiest Seafood Entrée
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Grilled Teriyaki Salmon
6,590 mg sodium, 1,230 calories, 74 g fat, 79 g carbs
Think you’re playing it smart by opting for fish? The slather of teriyaki, which is essentially highly sweetened soy sauce in concentrated form, sinks that strategy fast. The grilled halibut, topped with a fresh tomato-basil relish instead, has just a quarter of the sodium.

2: Saltiest Appetizer
Papa John’s Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce
6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs
If you were to split this appetizer with two friends, you’d still be close to downing your daily sodium allowance before you even reach for the pizza. Each stick packs the same amount of sodium as a small slice of cheese pizza, and that’s without dipping. Your best bet? Cheese pizza. Thin crust.

1: The Saltiest Dish in America
Romano’s Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello
7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat
With three items on our top 20 list, plus a slew of dishonorable mentions, Macaroni Grill earns its title as America’s saltiest chain restaurant. But what makes this the saltiest dish in America? One word: demi-glace, a fancy French name for the viscous salt slick that blankets this disastrous dish. You would have to eat 32 cups of potassium-rich broccoli to compensate for this sodium avalanche. [source]

“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California signed a bill banning trans fats in restaurant food, making California the first U.S. state to ban the use of the cooking oils linked to artery-clogging cholesterol.

The new law, modeled after a ban implemented in New York City, prohibits the use of partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, by the state’s 87,000 restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods sold in the state starting in 2011.

Trans fats, found in processed and fried food, candies and cookies, are vegetable oils that are treated with hydrogen to extend the shelf life of products. The oils have been linked to LDL cholesterol that clogs the arteries. New York began a ban on trans fats in all restaurants in December 2006.

“Consuming trans fat is linked to coronary heart disease, and today we are taking a strong step toward creating a healthier future for California,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Diets high in trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Web site.

Restaurant companies including McDonald’s and KFC already use cooking oils in the U.S. that are free of trans fats.”

Marital Strife
Research has shown that married people tend to have fewer sleep problems than those who are divorced. But it turns out the quality of the marriage is important, too. New research out of the University of Pittsburgh indicates that happily married women had fewer troubles falling asleep, staying asleep, fewer early morning awakenings and more restful sleep compared with unhappily married women.

Being With Baby
Most new parents lose shut-eye waiting for their babies to learn to sleep through the night. But new research from Penn State University shows that parents’ sleep and their satisfaction with the infant’s night-time behavior was worse when the infants spent any part of the night with parents vs. those who slept apart. This was true even of parents who endorsed the concept of co-sleeping with their babies.

Health Concerns
Are worries about cancer keeping you up at night? New research out of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Long Island University in Brooklyn shows that a significant number of women worried about cancer, none of whom had a history of a physician-diagnosed cancer, had trouble sleeping.

A Sleep Disorder
In cases of sleep apnea, the throat is blocked during sleep, preventing sufficient air flow to the lungs. The blockage may be caused by the relaxation of the throat muscles, too much fatty tissue in the throat–an obesity-related problem–or a naturally small airway. The condition leads people to snore as well as temporarily stop breathing during sleep, causing them to momentarily awaken.

Father Time
Sleep patterns change as we age. Health experts say that between the ages of 50 and 60, people tend to sleep lighter and wake up more frequently. More trouble falling asleep is also a common complaint. Some sleep disruption is also due to the pain or discomfort of chronic illnesses, such as arthritis, that affect the aging population.

Heart Disease
While poor sleep can contribute to heart disease, poor heart health also can upset your night’s sleep. According to research reported in the Harvard Heart Letter in 2007, people with heart failure may wake up due to breathing troubles, a result of fluid buildup in the lungs. Some people may also experience angina or chest pain, atrial fibrillation and palpitations at night, which can disturb sleep.

Too Busy
A hectic daily schedule can wreak havoc on your ability to get a good night’s sleep, particularly if you don’t make time to decompress for a half hour or an hour before climbing into bed. Most people need to spend some time processing what’s happened during the day and planning for the next to help them wind down.

Depression And Anxiety
It’s estimated that 40% to 50% of people with insomnia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. New research out of the Centers of Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the University of Rome La Sapienza shows the connection is present in children, too. A study looking at more than 100 children ages 7 to 11 who had a major depressive disorder and 200 of their healthy peers showed that 82% of the depressed, medication-free children had trouble sleeping, vs. 5% of the control group.

Medication
One option for people dealing with depression is to take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants that affect serotonin levels. But the medications can cause insomnia, a double whammy considering that many people who face depression already have difficulties sleeping. If you’re having trouble sleeping, it might be worth it to talk to your doctor about your prescriptions.

Environment
Whether we’re just born that way or it’s a side effect of insomnia, some of us are more sensitive to noise at night than others. The temperature of your bedroom can also have an impact on how many winks you get. It’s also believed to be better to have a cool rather than warm bedroom. Some studies have shown that it’s the cooling off effect you experience after drinking warm milk or taking a warm bath that helps you feel sleepy.

You’re A Woman
Women tend to have higher rates of insomnia than men. Research suggests a host of reasons. Certain phases of a woman’s period, pregnancy and menopause all cause hormonal changes that can cause sleeping problems, not to mention the discomfort associated with pregnancy for many and the sleep deprivation often associated with child rearing.

Too Much Napping
You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by taking a nap after a restless night’s sleep. Think again. Experts say that napping during the day decreases your overall drive for sleep, which builds throughout the day, and may make it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night.

Staying In Bed
If you’re trying to sleep but having no luck, do yourself a favor and get out of bed. People tend to think that by sticking it out in bed, rather than getting up and doing something, they at least have a chance of falling asleep. But lingering can increase performance anxiety. After a while you may begin to associate lying in bed with your struggle to fall asleep rather than a restful snooze.

Late Night Eating
Eat a big meal before bedtime and you’re asking for a restless night’s sleep. Your body may be too focused on metabolizing your meal to relax. If the meal happened to be a big plate of pasta you could wind up waking up hungry in the middle of the night. Experts recommend eating snacks throughout the day so you don’t overload at dinner and making sure you don’t hit the hay until at least three hours after dinner.

[source]

The juice of the beet is high in vitamin B1, B2, C, natural sugar, sodium, sulphur, copper, chlorine, iodine and bioflavonoids. Many health professionals believe that beet juice combined with other juices like carrot and cucumber restore the health of the kidneys and gallbladder. It’s considered excellent for cleansing these organs. Finally, because the beet is a fibrous root it’s wonderful for eliminating constipation.

Now, what can you do with beets:

1. shred or roast beets then and throw them into salads.
2. slice the roasted beets and put them in sandwiches, maybe on a nice baguette with goat cheese, arugula, and salt and pepper.
3. make borscht.
4. Make your standard risotto and throw in roasted beets at some point during the cooking process. Or dice raw beets and put them in right at the beginning. They turn the grains a beautiful color. I might serve this with simple grilled fish, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with lots of fresh herbs. This meal might be a good way to get rid of the beet greens, too — they’d be nice sauteed and served on the side with the fish and risotto. (What to do with beet greens would take up a blog entry of its own!) If you can get your hands on the nutty, chewy grain farro, you can make a fantastic risotto-style beet farro.
5. chop beets and make a pseudo tabbouleh with bulgur, chopped mint and parsley, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, and plenty of s&p. Couscous (not a grain, but that’s OK) tossed with beet chunks, liberal chopped basil, feta, olive oil, vinegar, and s&p is a nice side.
6. Am I crazy for imagining that beets might be good rolled in nori with brown rice, creamy goat cheese, wasabi, and chives for a beet maki?
7. Beets are also good in pasta. Caramelize some onions and toss them with spaghetti, some Greek yogurt, chunks of beets, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle lots of grated pecorino on top.
8. raw beet salad – Peel beets and grate them (a food processor will keep the juice contained). Add pistachios or hazelnuts; dress with orange zest and juice, and olive oil. Add bits of goat cheese and chopped parsley.
9. beet tart with phyllo, feta, and herbs.
10. Beets are so versatile, because they pair well with so many things: herbs such as mint, greens peppery and mild, cheeses soft and hard, citrus, creamy things, cumin.

[source]

It can prevent and treat a wide range of health problems, it cleans and purifies the home, and adds zest and nutritional value to food. Find out everything you wanted and needed to know about The Healing Powers of Vinegar. This fascinating book traces the origins of vinegar to ancient Greece and Egypt and follows its history to the present day. You’ll read advnice from leading alternative health practitioners as well as medical researchers. There’s great detail about the healthful ingredients found in two of the most important vinegars: apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar, explaining the benefits of their vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids. Here, you’ll find the latest research about cutting-edge nutrients found in these two vinegars, including a new class of antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and protect against heart disease.

You will also see beauty tips and household hints as well as over 100 recipes that team-up vinegar with other nutritious foods for a healthier and longer life.

Read other people’s review of this book and find out more about the power of vinegar.

Eat This:
1 Cup of Low-Fat Yogurt or 2 Tbsp of Mixed Nuts

Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids — lysine and arginine — or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid–fortified public speakers were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack tons of arginine.

Don’t have…
A Can of Soda

A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 20 ounces of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink less.

2. When You Want to Increase Your Metabolism

Drink This:
Green Tea

Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to stoke your metabolism, making it burn hotter and torch more calories. A study by Japanese researchers found that participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body-mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than tea-totalers (i.e., they avoid the stuff).

Don’t have…
Nothing

Skipping meals lets your body’s calorie-burning furnace go cold. Spread out snacks throughout the day. Try a cup of yogurt with fresh fruit or almonds between breakfast and lunch, and a hard-boiled egg or hummus with vegetables in the afternoon.

3. When You’re Low on Energy

Eat This:
A Handful of Trail Mix

Raisins provide potassium, which your body uses to convert sugar into energy. Nuts stock your body with magnesium, which boosts metabolism and improves nerve and muscle function. (When magnesium levels are low, your body produces more lactic acid — the same fatigue-byproduct that makes your muscles ache at the end of a workout.)

Don’t have…
Espresso-Based Drinks

Sure, the caffeine will perk you up, but the spike in blood sugar that follows — with anywhere from 16 grams (latte) to 59 grams (white chocolate mocha) of sugar coursing through your veins — will ultimately launch your own personal energy crisis. Stick to brewed coffee with one packet of sugar, max.

4. When You Need a Brain Boost

Eat This:
Blueberries

Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage, which could decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and improve cognitive processing. Wild blueberries, if you can find them (or grow them!), have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety.

Don’t have…
Ice Cream

Sugary foods incite sudden surges of blood glucose that, in the long term, cause sugar highs and lows, and make you as distractable as a toddler in the Disney store. And foods high in saturated fat can clog blood vessels and slow the flow of nutrients and blood to the brain.

5. When You’re Under the Weather

Drink This:
Ginseng Tea, Hot or Iced

In a Canadian study, people who took 400 milligrams of ginseng a day had 25 percent fewer colds than people who popped a placebo. Ginseng helps kill invading viruses by increasing the body’s production of key immune cells.

Don’t have…
Caffeinated Beverages and Energy Drinks

Excessive caffeine messes with your sleep schedule and sabotages key immune agents. And insufficient sleep opens the door to colds, upper respiratory infections, and other ills. What’s more, caffeine can dehydrate you, and hydration is vital during illness: Fluids not only transport nutrients to the problem zones, but also carry away toxins.

6. When You Need to Wake Up and Go

Eat This:
Eggs and Whole-Wheat Toast

Eggs are a great source of protein, and having them for breakfast sets you up for a perfect day of eating. Saint Louis University researchers found that people who eat eggs for breakfast consume 264 fewer calories the rest of the day than those who eat bagels and cream cheese.

Don’t have…
Bagel and Cream Cheese

At 500 calories and 20 grams of fat, this deli disaster is one of the worst ways to start your day. Sixty grams of fast-burning carbohydrates will cause a dip in energy and a spike in hunger, long before lunchtime. The same goes for croissants, danish, donuts, and pancakes.

7. When You Want to Get ”In the Mood”

Eat This:
Dark Chocolate

The cocoa in chocolate contains stimulants that increase your body’s sensitivity. Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that can give you a slight natural high. And Italian researchers found that women who often eat chocolate have a higher sex drive than those who don’t. Make sure your chocolate has at least 60 percent cacao.

Don’t have…
The Third Glass of Wine

The alcohol in wine affects your prefrontal cortex, which can decrease inhibition and up your sexual appetite. But only for the first glass or two. Beyond that, the toxic affects of alcohol in your system take over and are as likely to make you sleepy as they are to make you sexy. The more pouring, the more snoring.

[source]

All I can say is: DON’T DO THAT!

Why? Because anything processed and canned is treated with chemicals such as sodium nitrites (to keep its color and to preserve it) and salt. That’s why it can live in your cupboard for…ever! (I’m not kidding, you can keep spam indefinitely. That’s gotta tell ya something.) Anyway, in spam, these dangerous ingredients are included in high doses. There’s also a lot of FAT in it.

Try to replace meat with more healthful options. Here are some suggestions:

1. Beans (legumes) / Lentils & Sprouts – kidney beans, black beans, soy beans, chickpeas, peas, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, lima beans, to name just a few.

2. Organic Eggs and Cheese and yogurt – eggs are fortified with omega 3 fatty acids and protein. Organic dairy products are rich in protein and calcium.

3. Tofu / Seitan / Tempeh – Seitan and Tempeh are extremely high in protein while tofu contains about 1/4 of the protein of seitan and tempeh, but still a good source.

4. Vegetables! – Eat a variety of veggies and you will get a variety of nutrition. For example, the leafy parts of some veggies are really great for you: beet leaves, carrot stems, pumpkin leaves, mustard green, etc. Some other vegetables to explore are: broccoli, spinach, carrots, beets, kale, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, bamboo shoots, bok choy, chard, etc.

5. Whole Organic Milk – great source of calcium, protein, vitamin a, d, b6, b12, potassium, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, magnesium, zinc. Make sure to get some natural sunlight for vitamin d, which helps your body to absorb the calcium.

6. Nuts & Seeds – Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. and their “butter” form, i.e., peanut butter, almond butter, walnuts, hazelnuts etc. (*make sure you are not allergic to these nuts and seeds)

7. Protein rich grains – bulgar, quinoa, amaranth, oats, whole wheat, brown rice, millet, etc.

8. Supplements – B12 is an important vitamin in meat and can be found in vitamins and fortified foods. (Check with your health care provider.)

9. Real Grass Fed Meat once a week – If you do not want to be a vegetarian, limit your meat intake to once a week. You really do not need more than this. This is relatively easy on the wallet and better for you. Eat grass fed meats (chicken, beef) or organically raised pork.

10 – Seaweed – is high in protein and very nutritious – and is great with sushi maki.

The combination of grains and legumes give a complete amount of protein, i.e., brown rice and beans. Make certain you eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, and a variety of those. Never overeat and never eat excessive amounts of one thing.

Notes: Make sure you’re not allergic to anything of these things and be sure to consult a doctor before making changes to your diet, to verify you are getting the right amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.

“Whether genetically modified (GM) foods are safe or beneficial is still controversial, but some people would prefer to avoid them until the evidence is clear. Most foods we eat may contain ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)–everything from baby formula and food to our dairy to even our meat. If you live in Europe, avoiding GM foods is easier since laws require labeling. However in the US and Canada food manufacturers are not required to label if their food is genetically modified or not. As such, here are some guidelines for steering clear of GMs in your diet, if that is your choice.

Become familiar with the most common applications of genetic modification. These are the products (and their derivatives) that you have to be the most careful with:

Soybeans – Gene taken from bacteria and inserted into soybeans to make them more resistant to herbicides. See How to Live With a Soy Allergy for more information on avoiding soy products.
Corn – Gene added/transferred to make crop more resistant to pesticides. May be present in high fructose corn syrup which is prevalent in a wide variety of foods in America.
Tomatoes – Genetically modified to limit production of substances that cause rotting
Rapeseed (canola) – Gene added/transferred to make crop more resistant to pesticides
Sugar cane – Gene added/transferred to make crop more resistant to pesticides
Sweet corn – Gene taken from bacteria and inserted into corn so they produce an insecticide

Rice – Genes implanted from daffodils and bacteria for higher amounts of Vitamin A; also known as “Golden Rice”
Canola – oil from rapeseed.
Cotton – Used for making cottonseed oil.
Dairy – Cows injected with GE hormone rBGH/rBST; possibly fed GM grains and hay.

Buy food labeled 100% organic. The US and Canadian governments do not allow manufacturers to label something 100% organic if that food has been genetically modified or been fed genetically modified feed. However, you may find that organic food is often expensive. Also, just because something says “organic” on it does not mean that it does not contain GMs. In fact, it can still contain up to 30% GMs, so be sure the labels say 100% organic.

This applies to eggs, as well. Eggs labeled “free-range”, “natural”, or “cage-free” are not necessarily GE-free; look for eggs to be 100% organic.[1]

Purchase beef that is 100% grass-fed. Most cattle in the U.S. are grass-fed, but spend the last portion of their lives in feedlots where they may be given GM feed. If you’re looking to stay away from GMOs, make sure the cattle 100% grass-fed or pasture-fed (sometimes referred to as grass-finished or pasture-finished). The same applies to meat from other herbivores such as sheep. There is also the slight possibility that the animals were fed GM alfalfa, although this is less likely if you buy meat locally. With non-ruminants like pigs and poultry that cannot be 100% grass-fed, it’s better to look for meat that is 100% organic.

Seek products that are specifically labeled as non-GM or GMO-free. However, it is rare to find products labeled as such. You can also research websites that list companies and foods that do not use genetically modified foods.[2]

Shop locally. Although more than half of all GM foods are produced in the US,[3] most of it comes from large, industrial farms. By shopping at farmers’ markets, signing up for a subscription from a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, or patronizing a local co-op that stresses GM-free food, you may be able to avoid GM products and possibly save money at the same time.

More and more small farms are offering grains and meat directly to customers, in addition to the usual fare (vegetables, fruit, herbs).

Shopping locally may also give you the opportunity to speak to the farmer and find out how he or she feels about GMOs and whether or not they use them in their own operation.

Buy whole foods. Favor foods that you can cook and prepare yourself, rather than foods that are processed or prepared (e.g. anything that comes in a box or a bag, including fast food). What you lose in convenience, you may recover in money saved and satisfaction gained, as well as increased peace of mind. Try cooking a meal from scratch once or twice a week–you may enjoy it and decide to do it more often.

Tips
If you have the land, time, and resources, grow your own food. As long as you make sure you’re not buying GM seeds, you’ll know for sure that the food which comes from your garden is not genetically modified.

At chain and non-chain restaurants, you can ask which, if any, of their foods contain GMs, but the wait and kitchen staff are not likely to know.”

From wikihow

“Products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered ‘natural’ and should not be labeled as such, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

The decision is likely to cause a massive stir in the food and beverage industry, where a discreet battle has been raging over the status of the controversial sweetener.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn, and used primarily to sweeten beverages. The trade group Corn Refiners Association and numerous industry members have long maintained that HFCS is a natural sweetener.

However, the sugar industry is more critical, as HFCS comes into direct competition with sugar as a sweetener. Industry group Sugar Association, as well as consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest categorically maintain that HFCS cannot be considered natural because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in the manufacturing process.

The debate raged on for one simple reason: FDA does not define the term ‘natural’, and it has therefore been left open to different interpretations.

However, in response to an inquiry from FoodNavigator-USA.com, the regulatory agency examined the composition of HFCS, which it said is produced using synthetic fixing agents.

“Consequently, we would object to the use of the term ‘natural’ on a product containing HFCS,” the agency’s Geraldine June said in an e-mail to FoodNavigator-USA.com. June is Supervisor of the Product Evaluation and Labeling team at FDA’s Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements.

FDA on ‘natural’

FDA has received two petitions to define the term ‘natural’ – one from the Sugar Association, and one from bakery firm Sara Lee.

Although the agency had not provided a formal response to these petitions, it told this publication that it has no plans to define the term in the near future, due to limited resources. “We’re not sure how high of an issue it is for consumers,” it said.

Nevertheless, FDA does have a longstanding policy regarding the use of the term. This states that a ‘natural’ product is one that has not had any artificial or synthetic substances added to the product that would not normally be expected to be in the food – including artificial flavors or color additives, regardless of source.

FDA also does not currently restrict the use of the term ‘natural’ except on products that contain added color, synthetic substances and flavors as provided for in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 101.22.

FDA on HFCS

Although FDA provides no definition or detailed guidelines for the use of the term ‘natural’, it said it has a system in place for manufacturers with doubts to approach it and ask for guidance on the use of particular ingredients.

Under this system, FoodNavigator-USA.com submitted an inquiry about HFCS.

FDA responded that HFCS is prepared from a high dextrose equivalent corn starch hydrolysate by partial enzymatic conversion of glucose (dextrose) to fructose using an insoluble glucose isomerase enzyme preparation.

The glucose isomerase enzyme preparation is fixed (rendered insoluble) using safe and suitable immobilization/fixing agents, it said.

“The use of synthetic fixing agents in the enzyme preparation, which is then used to produce HFCS, would not be consistent with our (…) policy regarding the use of the term ‘natural’,” said Geraldine June.

“Moreover, the corn starch hydrolysate, which is the substrate used in the production of HFCS, may be obtained through the use of safe and suitable acids or enzymes. Depending on the type of acid(s) used to obtain the corn starch hydrolysate, this substrate itself may not fit within the description of ‘natural’ and, therefore, HCFS produced from such corn starch hydrolysate would not qualify for a ‘natural’ labeling term,” she concluded.

HFCS and industry

Although FDA’s conclusion may not be welcome by some industry members, who would have liked to have promoted their HFCS-containing products as ‘natural’, it will at least prevent any future misinterpretations.

Last year for example, both Cadbury Schweppes and Kraft faced lawsuits after making ‘natural’ label claims on beverages that contained high fructose corn syrup. Both companies changed the labeling of their products before any legal action was taken.

The market for ‘natural’

The quest for natural foods and beverages has burgeoned on the back of an overall consumer move towards healthier nutrition.

According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, ‘All Natural’ was the third most frequent claim made on food products launched in the US in 2007, appearing on 2,617 products. It ranked fourth most popular claim for beverages, used on 542 items.

In Europe, 878 ‘All Natural’ food products and 509 beverage products were launched last year.

Additionally, the Natural Marketing Institute reported in 2004 that 63 percent of US consumers have a preference for natural foods and beverages. In 2006, a Harris Interactive survey found that 83 percent of people wanted a government definition of the term.”

“How long has it been since you really enjoyed a glass of water?

Odds are, any number of things in your H2O (both better and worse for you than just regular water in its unspoiled state) have tainted your chance to experience this life-giving liquid at its best.

I recently had the chance to taste water at its most pure – straight from an iceberg – and it changed my outlook on it forever.

Inspired by that eye-opening glass, here – in my opinion – are the five best glasses of water on Earth:

5. Waste water never tasted so good

Folks in Sweden are so into water purification that Stockholm even has an annual water wastewater reclamation prize, offered up to the most deserving innovators. The city boasts a global reputation for doing things right when it comes to the environment.

From an area of the city that gets rid of its garbage and recycling through giant vacuum tubes and incinerators, to systems that recycle waste water to drink (from sinks, not the other place waste water comes from) the city has made some tough decisions to stick to a green agenda.

Having tasted this water (in regular and snazzy “sparkling” form), I can tell you it’s tastier than anything I’ve ever had out of a tap before – Hints of charcoal, but that’s maybe my reaction to a complete lack of fluoride or the bottled water I usually drink in Europe.

4. Tap water that doesn’t offend

According to the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Awards (legitimately acknowledged as an authority on water taste), Clearbrook (near Abbotsford), British Columbia has the best-tasting tap water on Earth.

The BC town won the Virginia spa’s annual world-wide water taste-off for 2008, along with the water district of Southern California.

3. Best spring water on Earth

Though some die-hard environmentalists consider bottled water a big no-no, we’re talking taste here – and I can tell you that U.S.-based Tumai bottled water is the best-tasting liquid I have ever guzzled from a 500 ml prison of polycarbonate…

Gathered from a spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this Martinsburg, West Virginia-based company has won several top prizes for taste in 2008. Its water is 100 per cent free of sodium and it shows in the taste.

What’s more, the company donates 15 per cent of its proceeds to programs that better the quality of life for impoverished communities in Sub-Saharan-Africa.

2. Simulating a mineral spring in your kitchen

For years, I’d guzzled water from the cooler jug. Tastier than our rural tap water run though a filter, I was content to drink from the cooler at home and (ironically) from the tap at work (Toronto tap water is “quality filtered 300,000 times a year”, after all.)

A few months ago, I was introduced to one of these new gravity water filtration systems, which allow clean water from any source to trickle through a series of mineral and ceramic filters, producing tasty, pathogen-free water.

What’s most impressive is the taste, though – smooth with a hint of what tastes like a combination of clay mixed with mild vanilla – Totally weird but once you have a glass, you can’t get enough.

A note on some of these gravity water systems – ours is a water-cooler-top model from Nikken: Some of these have been heralded lately as eco-snake-oil, offering few of the health benefits their packaging claims. However, none make the water any less safe than it started out and for taste alone, many are worth the price.

One of the more sensible and proven models is the British Berkefeld gravity water system from DoultonUSA. The sting of its $230 US price tag is softened a bit by the fact that it doesn’t need any filters replaced for years at a time.

1. An iceberg in your glass

Early in the day, staff from The Norseman on Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula receive their regular chunk of ice from the north Atlantic, and allow some of it to melt into pitchers, with a few still-frozen chunks thrown in to keep things cold.

A meal at the restaurant is a tasty mix of local seafood and diner-theatre-style historical re-enactments courtesy of the kitchen staff.

All fine fare. But the water was the real show-stopper:

Never before had I wondered if water was supposed to taste different than the fluoride-sanitized stuff that flows from your tap, or the mineral-overtones of spring water. Until I tried iceberg water

This was “just” water – or about as close to just water as water had been since it first came into being during the formation of our solar system: Tasteless but somehow still satisfying.

Contrary to what you might think, there is absolutely no taste of salt in iceberg water. That’s because ice freezes slowly enough to prevent any inclusion of salt in its complex crystal structure.

A life-changing experience to put on your wallet to-do-in-life list.”

Now’s your chance to inspire the world and make the planet a greener place.

Are you under 18 and thinking green? Show us what you’re doing to be a part of the Whole Earth Generation. Are you recycling at your school? Planting trees? Forcing your parents to go green? Get in front of the camera and tell us about it.

Sing a song, rap, shoot a documentary, whatever – just send us a short video response showing how you’re making a difference. If we pick yours it’ll be featured leading up to Earth Day. You might even get to co-host one of our Whole Earth Generation Podcasts sponsored by Whole Foods.

Whole Earth Generation Details:
* Keep your video under two minutes.
* Be original and express your green self – we just want to see you being you.
* Keep it clean. No violence, profanity or direct attacks on individuals.
* Your video must be original and cannot infringe on any third party rights.
* Your video cannot have been previously published, broadcast, or otherwise publicly distributed.
* Winners will become “Green Ambassadors” and be featured as hosts in upcoming Whole Earth Generation podcasts.
* Make sure you follow YouTube’s Terms Of Service: http://www.youtube.com/t/terms

How to submit your video:
* Log in to YouTube. If you don’t have an account already, it’s easy and only takes a minute or so.
* Go to the YouTube video where our host is introducing the contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpGoOwRC1uU
* Under “Comments and Responses” click on “Post a video response”.
* If you haven’t uploaded the video you’d like to submit for the contest to YouTube yet, do so by going to “Upload a Video”.
* If you have uploaded the video already, select it by going to “Choose a Video”.

OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

ELIGIBILITY
Contestants must be between 8 years and 17 years of age and a legal resident of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada at the time of their audition to be eligible. All submissions become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Officers and employees of Whole Foods Market, their respective affiliates, subsidiaries and agents, and the immediate family members of the foregoing, are not eligible to enter. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, destroyed or misdirected entries. Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received. Each entry must be submitted with a Submission Agreement to be eligible.

Full rules and regulations:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/weg_rules.html

To see a video about what you need to do to enter the contest, click here.

“In 1968 a Chinese-American physician wrote a rather lighthearted letter to The New England Journal of Medicine. He had experienced numbness, palpitations and weakness after eating in Chinese restaurants in the United States, and wondered whether the monosodium glutamate used by cooks here (and then rarely used by cooks in China) might be to blame.

The consequences for the restaurant business, the food industry and American consumers were immediate and enormous. MSG, a common flavor enhancer and preservative used since the 1950s, was tagged as a toxin, removed from commercial baby food and generally driven underground by a new movement toward natural, whole foods.

“It was a nightmare for my family,” said Jennifer Hsu, a graphic designer whose parents owned several Chinese restaurants in New York City in the 1970s. “Not because we used that much MSG — although of course we used some — but because it meant that Americans came into the restaurant with these suspicious, hostile feelings.”

Even now, after “Chinese restaurant syndrome” has been thoroughly debunked (virtually all studies since then confirm that monosodium glutamate in normal concentrations has no effect on the overwhelming majority of people), the ingredient has a stigma that will not go away.

But then, neither will MSG.

Cooks around the world have remained dedicated to MSG, even though they may not know it by that name. As hydrolyzed soy protein or autolyzed yeast, it adds flavor to the canned chicken broth and to the packs of onion soup mix used by American home cooks, and to the cheese Goldfish crackers and the low-fat yogurts in many lunchboxes.

It is the taste of Marmite in the United Kingdom, of Golden Mountain sauce in Thailand, of Goya Sazón on the Latin islands of the Caribbean, of Salsa Lizano in Costa Rica and of Kewpie mayonnaise in Japan.

“It’s all the same thing: glutamate,” said Dr. Nuripa Chaudhari of the University of Miami, who was part of the first research team to identify human glutamate receptors.

In September Dr. Chaudhari will take part in the University of Tokyo’s centenary celebrations honoring Prof. Kikunae Ikeda’s 1908 discovery of glutamate flavor. The Japanese company Ajinomoto turned that discovery into crystalline powder form, MSG, and patented it in 1909.

“Just like salt and sugar, it exists in nature, it tastes good at normal levels, but large amounts at high concentrations taste strange and aren’t that good for you,” Dr. Chaudhari said.

If you live in the United States and like spicy tuna rolls, Puerto Rican roast pork or Thai noodles, there is a good chance you are eating, and enjoying, MSG. And if you are the kind of cook who likes to keep a globe-trotting kitchen, well, then, some of these MSG-laden ingredients may deserve a place in your cupboard.

“I don’t cook with MSG because that’s not my training, but it definitely has its place,” said Zak Pelaccio, a New York chef whose ride to fame has been greased with Kewpie mayonnaise. One of the dishes that put him on the map was a sandwich of roasted salmon on pumpernickel bread slathered with wasabi aioli: wasabi from a tube and the mayonnaise.

In regions where meat and meaty flavors have been out of reach for most cooks, MSG has long filled the gap.

“My father called Maggi sauce la segunda venida, the second coming, because he was not a very good cook and it saved him,” said Irma Cecilia Sanchez, a home health aide from Puebla, Mexico, who was waiting in line at a taco truck on the Upper West Side. Maggi sauce is a 19th-century Swiss creation, a general flavor enhancer now made with MSG, sweeteners and extracts.

Her mother died when …”

Continue

From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the oil fields in China, Twinkie, Deconstructed demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients— where they come from, how they are made, how they are used—and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they’re often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder—all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake.

An insightful exploration of the modern food industry, if you’ve ever wondered what you’re eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter a food-grade equivalent of plaster of paris), this book is for you.

Find out more about the book

“Most Utah consumers want to know what’s in their food and how it is produced. Some prefer vegetables and fruit that are grown without pesticides, and milk and meat that are produced with no growth hormones.
Food grown under those conditions and other federally mandated standards can be labeled “certified organic.” with a description of the required production standards.
That’s not to say non-organic food is unsafe or inferior. The two are simply produced differently, and consumers have a fundamental right to make a choice. To do that, they have to have the information contained on food labels. But a Utah House member who is also a non-organic dairy farmer wants to restrict labeling for organic foods, keeping important information out of the hands of consumers.
Rep. Kerry Gibson, R-Ogden, says that labeling milk as having been produced without the use of the bovine growth hormone rBST is “misleading” and implies that non-organic products are not as safe as those labeled organic.
That’s bunk. And self-serving bunk at that.
Gibson and others, including Monsanto, the company that produces rBST and makes a lot of money selling it to farmers, are proposing a Utah Agriculture Department rule change. The new rule would prohibit milk being labeled “rBST-free” or any food labels or ads that make any claim, true or otherwise, that can’t be proven by an “analytical test.”
That’s bunk, too.
The label “Made in Utah” would be prohibited, since such a claim cannot be verified by an analytical test. A sentence on a soup can reading “just the right herbs and spices in a flavorful broth” would have to be verified by an analytical test.
The rule would allow milk to be labeled…”

Read the full article

Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods – “When I worked at Monsanto, I warned both scientists and executives that our GM foods may cause disease, but no one was even willing to listen, let alone investigate the unpredicted side effects. For them, it was all about profit. Now our whole population is threatened by the serious dangers described in Genetic Roulette.” —Kirk J. Azevedo, DC

The Gmo Trilogy And Seeds of Deception Set – DVD 1: Unnatural Selection: This stunning, award-winning documentary by Bertram Verhaag and Gabriele Kröber reveals harsh consequences of genetic engineering on three continents. Vandana Shiva, Andrew Kimbrell, Percy Schmeiser and others, describe uncontrollable, self-replicating GM contamination, failed crops, farmer suicides, and new GM animals that threaten natural populations. DVD 2: Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals: Genetically Engineered Foods: Shocking research results, inadequate regulations and warnings from eminent scientists explain why GM foods are dangerous and should be removed from kids’ meals.

Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating – Recent news headlines have focused on the disagreement between the U.S. and Europe over genetically modified foods: the U.S. exports them, but the European Union doesn’t want to import them, believing their safety remains unproven. Are genetically modified foods safe? Longtime anti-GM foods campaigner Smith presents the “opposing” case. He offers cases where GM produced results that were at best unexpected (increased starch content in potatoes), at worst grotesque (pigs without genitals). He describes how one corporation reportedly tried to bribe Canadian government scientists into approving genetically engineered bovine growth hormones they deemed unsafe; how some scientists have reported their careers were threatened as a result of their refusal to approve certain GM products in the U.S.; and how “conflicts of interest, sloppy science, and industry influence” can distort the approval process. The cases Smith presents are scary and timely, but he explores only one side of the story. Readers looking for a balance consideration of genetically modified foods will want to look elsewhere.

Beware of the Coming Food Apocalypse! GMOs – GMOs – Beware Of The Coming Food Apocalypse! — is such a warning. Our food supply is being threatened by a new and highly controversial technology that is being unleashed upon us whether we like it or not. Unless a massive protest against this radical new science arises from the people, it may very well be too late for the human race. This book will make you angry; this book will get you mad, but it is a story that must be told. Please share it with everyone you love.

Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food – More than half of America’s processed grocery products — from corn flakes to granola bars to diet drinks — contain genetically altered ingredients. They are unlabeled and untested, and we are eating them. Your Right to Know is a complete, full-color reference guide outlining how unmarked genetically modified foods go from the factory to the family dining table, and what consumers can do about the health risks they present. This accessible guide is for concerned parents — as well as anyone concerned about genetically altered foods — who want to know more about the potential health risks, the organic alternatives, and the methods available to counter the corporate takeover of the food we eat

Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers – The 1995 outbreak of “mad cow” disease in Europe provoked public attention to genetically engineered or modified food, a concern that has spread to the U.S. Cummins and Lilliston, food safety advocates, examine the scientific, political, economic, and health issues. With billions of dollars in profits at stake, the biotech food industry promises that new technology will end world hunger and improve public health and the environment. Cummins and Lilliston weigh those promises against the unpredictability of the new technology, and the fact that much of it hasn’t been adequately tested for safety and that its products are being distributed without labeling. Genetically modified organisms are so common that they are part of the average consumer’s daily intake in food from breakfast cereals to infant formula to margarine. The authors include information on what consumers can do, from smart shopping to grassroots lobbying, to reduce the threat of genetically engineered food. This is a thorough and well-researched look at an issue of growing public concern.

Researchers at Toronto’s University Health Network found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, both prevents and dramatically reverses enlargement of the heart in mice.

Enlarged hearts can lead to cardiac failure, a common and often fatal condition where the organ is unable to pump enough blood to keep the body functioning properly.

If similar results were one day duplicated in humans, the widely available spice could repair heart damage in a way no drug is able to do now, say researchers behind the study, to be published Friday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Curcumin has the added benefit of causing virtually no toxic side effects in even relatively large doses.

Despite their earlier hopes for the ingredient, researchers were taken aback by the scope of the improvement it actually made to the mice hearts.

“That was quite a surprise,” said Dr. Maral Ouzounian, a research fellow at the network’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. “It was quite dramatic.”

The next step is to try to ….”

Read more

“College students, increasingly concerned about the source and quality of food they’re eating, are demanding that schools purchase regional produce. That’s forced major food-service companies to scramble for grass-roots alternatives — and allowed some nimble regional rivals with good local connections to elbow their way into the $5 billion on-campus-dining market…”

continue reading

There was an experiment with three groups of rats: one group ate corn flakes and water; another group ate a cardboard box (the cereal box but no cereal) and water; and the third group ate regular rat chow.

You are gonna love the results: As would be predicted, the rats that ate rat chow were in perfect health throughout the experiment. The rats that ate the box and water eventually died of malnutrition. Duh. And the most shocking result: the rats that ate corn flakes and water developed
schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions and died. But they died BEFORE the rats that died from malnutrition! See??!

Do you think that eating processed food causes violent behavior in people?

That’s a rhetorical question.

[source]

Garlic – Probably best not to eat this just before your Valentine’s date. However, garlic contains allicin, which is an active ingredient that increases blood flow to both your sexual organs, resulting in a stronger erection in guys and better orgasms for guys and girls.

Damiana Tea for him – Damiana tea contains a South American herb that will stimulate his nether regions. with an active ingredient called gonzalitosin. This induces a feeling of mild euphoria and a tingling sensation in the penis. So what if your man doesn’t drink tea, tell him about this and he’ll be saying, “put the kettle on. right. now.”

Cinnamon for him - Cakes and buns with cinnamon will actually repel my sweetie because he HATES cinnamon but usually (for normal guys) the smell of cinnamon is one of the most arousing smells for men. I’ve heard that the smell arouses the guy and sends that much needed blood flow to the penis.

Coffee for her - I normally am so against coffee but once in a while might be good for your sex life! Scientists discovered that coffee boosts the female libido. This works best for girls that don’t drink coffee regularly. Yay me!

Chocolate - Lucky for us we LURRRRVE chocolate to bits! Forget the white or milk chocolate, and instead, head for the decadent, dark rich yummy bar with at least 70 percent cocoa solids. Cocoa contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that is known to boost arousal and enhances your mood.

St. John’s Wort – This herb really needs to be renamed because don’t most people NOT want to consume the wort of St. John? I don’t! Back to this herb. It’s commonly known to lift a sad mood, but did you know it can also do wonders for a lowly libido?

Gingseng - Ancient Asian secrets do not tell a lie. Gingseng enhances the libido now and has for more than 7,000 years. It gets blood flow to the genitals, as well as perking up your mental and physical energy.

Ginkgo Biloba for him - Taking Ginkgo Biloba will boost the blood flow enough to help maintain an erection, if you’ve been having issues with that.

Other aphrodisiacs: The following foods will get your body GOING: asparagus, cucumbers, onion, garlic, leeks, oysters, ginger, chives, scallion, black pepper, honey, cinnamon, avocado, cayenne pepper, carrots, cardamom, fennel, bananas, anise, horseradish and tumeric.  Lastly, foods containing high concentrations of essential omega 3 fatty acids can boost your body’s sex drive.

May the best vegetable win.

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First, here is a general rule of thumb of what to avoid and what to eat:

Avoid
1. Sugar – Definitely avoid foods and drinks containing sugar (high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, sugar). If possible replace sugar with organic honey.
2. Processed/Refined foods (cookies, biscuits, cakes, processed breakfast cereals, white bread and even industrially processed whole wheat breads and muffins)
3. Artificial additives and preservatives (commonly used in sweets, chips, biscuits, ready meals, soft drinks)
4. MSG
5. Caffeine (tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks)
6. Margarine and anything else with hydrogenated fats. (trans fats)
7. Milk and dairy products that have hormones and chemicals.

Eat
1.Try to buy organic and local when possible.
2. Organic fresh fruits and vegetables – vary your selection each day.
3. Organic whole grains – such as wholemeal breads, oats, brown rice, wholemeal pasta
4. Organic whole foods – foods that are not processed are better for you.
5. Lean sources of protein – uncured meats, poultry or vegetable sources such as beans or nuts
6. Hormone-free and chemical-free milk, yogurt and other dairy products.

Here are some healthy breakfast ideas. Some take longer to prepare; some are quick meals for people on the go.

1. Homemade Cereals – If you must have your breakfast bowl of champions, do it the organic way: easily throw together a mix of organic rolled oats, barley and rye flakes, seeds, nuts, dried fruits and berries.
2. Breakfast Smoothies or Juices – mix your favorite fruit and maybe add a little milk or yogurt, pack a handful of nuts to crunch on while drinking your yummy breakfast smoothie.
3. Organic Oatmeal – If you’re into a warm, soft and comforting bowl of oatmeal, go for it. Mix in fruit like raisins, bananas, cherries or whatever fruit you like.
4. Fruits – Eat a fruit or more. I love eating fresh fruit salads for breakfast (don’t eat those canned ones) and top it with a dollop of plain yogurt and also sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
5. Egg dishes – contrary to popular belief, eggs are good for you. They just have to be organic eggs (from grass-fed chickens). It’s the industrial eggs that are bad for you. Never overindulge in eggs, however. 1 or 2 should be adequate for breakfast. A little bit about eggs fyi: eggs are rich in protein, and vitamins A, B12, D and E. Also they are a rich source of calcium and zinc. There are 9 types of essential amino acids that the body cannot produce itself and has to get it through food. Eggs are one of the few foods that have all 9 types of essential amino acids.
6. Veggie Omelette (mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc. – add cheese if desired)
7. French Toast - instead of drenching your FT in maple syrup, try organic honey or just eat it with fresh fruit.
8. Whole wheat crepes with fruit – ‘nuf said.
9. Breakfast Burrito – salsa, potatoes, scrambled eggs, cilantro, cooked pinto or black beans wrapped in an organic whole wheat tortilla.
10. Yogurt with fruit – choose a plain yogurt, add your favorite fruit and seeds or nuts and maybe a splash of organic honey.
11. Egg and veggie sandwich-scrambled egg (or however you like your eggs) with sauteed veggies and some melted cheese in between organic whole wheat bread.
12. Veggie egg wrap – like a breakfast burrito but with cooked veggies and cheese wrapped in an organic whole wheat tortilla.
13. Organic Kashi with fruit and soy or regular organic milk – crunchy goodness.
14. Organic muesli – add some fruit and nuts and milk and voila!
15. Grilled cheese and tomato on organic whole grain bread
16. Organic rice cakes or rice crackers spread with organic peanut butter, Vegemite, a boiled egg (crushed), eggs, veggies or cheese.
17. Organic whole wheat or bran muffins with fruit.
18. Roasted pecan whole wheat pancakes with honey or fruit.
19. Whole wheat scones with blueberries or other fruit
20. Organic whole wheat bagel with cream cheese.
21. Leftovers – eat some leftover dinner for breakfast! Like, say you made whole wheat pasta primavera for dinner and there’s a serving left. Eat that! Etc.

Those popular breakfast cereals are industrially processed and have high levels of salt, sugar, preservatives, dyes and fat – which can dramatically increase a person’s risk of developing serious health problems in later life. Processed cereal, cereal bars, bread and cookies contain large amounts of salt, sugar and hydrogenated fats. Oftentimes people are unaware of the amounts they are actually eating, which can be very dangerous for their health.

Let’s see. What are some potential problems with eating these breakfast cereals. Shall I count the ways?

1. Strokes – Consuming large amounts of salt, sugar and hydrogenated fats increases the risk of having a stroke.

2. Teeth Problems – All that sugar can lead to serious dental issues, and we know what that means. Do you want yourself and your kids to have false teeth for the rest of your/their lives?

3. Preservatives – BHT, BHA, and TBHQ are common preservatives found in in beverages, ice cream, candy, baked goods, soup bases, potatoes, breakfast cereals, dry mixes, enriched rice, animal fats and shortenings containing animal fats. They may also be listed as “anti-oxidants” because they prevent the fats in food from oxidizing or spoiling. These preservatives cause allergic reactions and are known to affect kidney and liver functions, brain function and may also convert other ingredients into cancer-causing substances.

4. MSG is not a good message to the body – MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, is linked to infertility and brain damage lab animals and people who’ve eaten MSG complain of headaches, chest pains and numbness.

5. Sugars, (high-fructose) Corn Syrup , refined starches and sweeteners (NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet’n Low, Sucralose, Acesulfame-K) rob your children of their health, and artificial sweeteners have been linked to brain damage, MS, Lupus and other central nervous disorders.

6. Pesticides – pesticides, hormones and synthetic food additives have been known to affect brain development, behavior and learning abilities in kids.

So, what SHOULD you eat? Stay tuned. I’ll write about that in another blog post…

Since we’re all in agreement that a good night’s sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health and mood, pick three of these tips to follow each night until you get the night’s sleep you so desperately crave.

New Video on Factory Farming From The Humane Society – The Humane Society of the United States just released a new video documenting the horrible truths behind America’s factory farming industry and our incessant hunger for meat (I know, only some of us). The video, narrated by James Cromwell, is certainly an eye-opener.

Cash carrot for obese people to lose pounds – The government in England plans to pay obese people to lose weight!

The 247 lb. Vegan – NFL star Tony Gonzalez is out to answer a question: Can a football player live entirely on plants?

Guys, that should be a great incentive to NOT get fat.   [source]

“Efforts continue to ban this deadly excitoneurotoxic carcinogenic drug that is addicting the public and triggering so many symptoms and diseases from MS and lupus and seizures to Parkinson’s, diabetes and obesity and even blindness and death. An aspartame documentary, Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World, explains how Don Rumsfeld got this marketed when the FDA said no. Masquerading as an additive it’s a deadly drug that interacts with other drugs and vaccines.

No one can forget the gallant efforts of Senator Gerald Ortiz y Pino who sponsored the Senate bill to ban aspartame in New Mexico. One picture that remains in my mind is addressing the Senate with Senators sipping Diet Coke. Dr. Ken Stoller said “It’s hard to believe we are going to get anywhere with you drinking this but consider the children.” Aspartame is a teratogen triggering birth defects and mental retardation, reducing IQ, and triggering all types of behavioral and psychiatric problems….”

Read more

Learn how aspartame affects pregnancies (this is a .mov file, a movie clip)

First off, let’s define hemorroids as best as we can. Basically, it’s a swollen anus due to inflamed veins in your anus and rectum. Sometimes, they can be very uncomfortable and itch or bleed.

Hemorrhoids can develop from any increase in pressure in the veins in the lower rectum. Common sources of pressure and hemorrhoid causes include:

• Constipation and the accompanying straining
• Diarrhea and the continuous expulsion of loose stools
• Sitting or standing for a long time, especially sitting on the toilet
• Obesity
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Genetic tendency to develop hemorrhoids

You may be asking, “Why talk about this???!” Sorry if it’s a bit embarrassing, really. While this condition is known to affect older (50+) people, that sad news is that today, more and more younger people are afflicted with it because of obesity, which is increasing at an epidemic speed, and because of the all the tech people now, who spend hours upon hours sitting down in from of their computers. Face it, hemorroids are here, whether you like it or not.

When should you see your doctor about these pesky critters?
Generally speaking, go seek medical attention if your hemorrhoids do no improve with self-care, or if they cause pain, or bleed frequently or excessively.

If your poo is black, tarry or maroon in color, see your doctor immediately. These types of stools can indicate more extensive bleeding elsewhere in your digestive tract. Lastly, go to emergency care if you feel faint and lightheaded and notice large amounts of rectal bleeding.

How to treat the problem
If you have a mild case, your doctor might prescribe over-the-counter medications. Otherwise, more intense treatment might be called for: infrared treatment cuts off the circulation to small blood vessels, which will shrink the hemorroids. Surgery is the last resort treatment when all else has failed.

More natural treatments and prevention

Eat foods high in fiber – Eat meals loaded with vegetables, fruits, grains. Later, when you pass your stools, you will not need to strain.

Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time – take frequent breaks and move around.

Exercise – Exercise is best whether you have hemorroids or not but if you do have hemorroids, exercise helps you to have regular stools and also helps you avoid sitting for too long.

Drink plenty of fluids – a sufficient amount of water and juices keep your body hydrated and healthy.

Don’t strain – When you “go” #2, try not to push too much because it puts excessive strain and pressure on your veins in your lower rectum.

Keep that area clean – wash well there and dry!

Now, that wasn’t too horrible for you, was it? Thank me for NOT including a photo on this post.

“Edible antifreeze developed by a US researcher could keep ice cream tasty and smooth, and prevent other frozen foods from being ruined. The antifreeze contains proteins similar to those that help “snow flea” insects survive winter without freezing solid.

The taste of good ice cream depends on a blend of flavour, temperature, and texture – what food scientists call “mouth feel”.

The formation of tiny ice crystals, each around 15 to 20 microns wide, is crucial to making smooth ice cream. But if ice cream is subjected to sudden temperature fluctuation – when transported home from the store, for example – these crystals can grow to 40 microns or larger, as water melts and refreezes.

This can ruin the texture of good ice cream, making it gritty to eat. It can also damage frozen soft fruits.

Gum-like carbohydrates are used by manufacturers to restrict the movement of water molecules and prevent big ice crystals from forming in ice cream. However, as anyone who has tasted crunchy ice cream will know, these carbohydrates do not work perfectly….”

Continue reading

“Ms. O’Brien encourages people to do what she did: throw out as much nonorganic processed food as you can afford to. Avoid anything genetically modified, artificially created or raised with hormones. Don’t eat food with ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Once she cleaned out her cupboards, she said, her four children started behaving better. Their health problems, which her doctor attributed to allergies to milk and other foods, cleared up.

“It was absolutely terrifying to unearth this story,” she said over lunch at a restaurant in Boulder, Colo. “These big food companies have an intimate relationship with every household in America, and they are making our children sick. I was rocked. You don’t want to hear that this has actually happened.”

But has it?

Record numbers of parents are heading to doctors concerned that their children are allergic to a long list of foods. States are passing laws requiring schools to have policies protecting children with food allergies. But no one knows why the number of allergies seems to be on the rise, or even if they are rising as fast as some believe…”

Read the full article

Related: Industrial Food is really, really bad

What you eat is so very important, which is why this blog starts with “Diet” – obviously, not having anything to do with “dieting” per se but focusing on eating right.

When you eat real organic fruit and vegetables, you body doesn’t take in any of the toxic pesticides that get sprayed on non-organic produce. (In most cases, the chemicals stay underneath the skin.) If you haven’t heard, pesticides were not meant to be consumed AND they are not good for your health.

Another effect you might notice when switching to organic food is that some of your illnesses might disappear. For example: psoriasis , depression, allergies, sinusitis, constipation, asthma, congestion, rashes – to name just a few, are some of the many, many maladies caused by unheathful foods, the worst culprits being processed foods, and factory farm meats.

All this isn’t to say you shouldn’t exercise and adopt healthy lifestyle options (like quitting smoking) it’s just a hypothetical, “If you had to choose one thing…”

This subject is just the tip of the iceberg, and you’ll find me blogging more specifically about the dangers of bad food, as well as the benefits of Real Food. Stay tuned, readers!

Related: Wired’s “Healthy Habits Can Mean 14 Extra Years“

Around holiday time, a common comment I hear is, “I cooked for 6 hours and we ate everything in 20 minutes.” Well, aside from the fact that there must be zero socializing at that holiday table, it seems to me that eating a couple thousand calories in 20 minutes is a little fast. Could you enjoy the food just as much by slowing down?

Taste and …

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About In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto from Publishers Weekly:

In his hugely influential treatise The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan traced a direct line between the industrialization of our food supply and the degradation of the environment. His new book takes up where the previous work left off. Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” But as Pollan explains, “food” in a country that is driven by “a thirty-two billion-dollar marketing machine” is both a loaded term and, in its purest sense, a holy grail. The first section of his three-part essay refutes the authority of the diet bullies, pointing up the confluence of interests among manufacturers of processed foods, marketers and nutritional scientists—a cabal whose nutritional advice has given rise to “a notably unhealthy preoccupation with nutrition and diet and the idea of eating healthily.” The second portion vivisects the Western diet, questioning, among other sacred cows, the idea that dietary fat leads to chronic illness. A writer of great subtlety, Pollan doesn’t preach to the choir; in fact, rarely does he preach at all, preferring to lets the facts speak for themselves. (Jan.)

So whether you want to lose weight, improve energy, or just eat more nutritiously, Eating For Life can help you reach your goals.

100 Healthful Recipes

Apples – I’m not going to write that saying… BUT! Apples kick butt in reducing the risk of developing serious diseases. Apples contain pectin that helps lower cholesterol levels and moderate blood sugar and is filled with large amounts of boron, a mineral believed to boost alertness and help nip calcium losses that lead to osteoporosis.

Blueberries – this teeny tiny adorable fruit packs a wholop in anti-oxidants, vitamin C and fiber. It’s fat free (you know those magic words) and well, are yummy. Blueberries are part of the power foods, but more specifically, part of the SUPER DUPER power foods. (minus the “duper” but that sounds fun anyway) They really boost your immunity.

Broccoli – contains Indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane, which help protect against breast cancer. Broccoli also has lots of vitamin C and beta-carotene. One cup of chopped broccoli has 25 calories, 0 fat and 3 grams of fiber. Don’t overcook broccoli – instead, steam lightly to preserve phytonutrients. Squeeze fresh lemon on top for a zesty and taste, added nutrients and some vitamin C.

Watermelons – pack a bunch of active cancer-fighting compounds called, lycopene, which is crucial in preventing prostate cancer. They also block the plaque buildup in your arteries that can lead to heart attack, and help to offset some of the cellular damage caused by environmental pollutants, bad diet, and even aging—which may lead to cancer, as well as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and arthritis.

The holidays are here, ready or not. For some, it’s a festive, merry time of year and all is neato and chill, in an endless happiness. For others, unfortunately, it’s the dreaded time of the year filled with sugar plum psycho madness with a ginormous slice of hell and anguish and a side of stress attack.

This post is for the latter group, those of you who find this time of year the Grumpy Solstice, the “I’d rather be under a rock” holiday season and well, “I wish I wish I wish it was over!” kind of folks.

Many things can lift your mood so here is a quick suggestion:

Mood Lifting Gift Basket contains tasty organic and natural treats (popcorn, ginger chews, fruit leather, chocolate chip granola bar, vegetarian chicken flavored noodle soup, peppermint water), Yogi Calming herbal medicinal tea, Kava Kava and Ginko Biloba supplements, organic lemonade lip balm, tissue to wipe away the tears, and a teddy bear. How can this NOT lift your mood? Get this gift for yourself or for someone you know, who might appreciate its purpose.

Sure, watching the news can be extraordinarily upsetting and you might’ve been a million times better had you not seen it, in general, it’s a good thing to know what’s going on in the world, the environment and your health. More specifically, you have to know that it is, in fact, essential to know what you’re doing to your body: what are you eating? Is that low-fat product good for you? How is it good for you? They are saying that obesity is going to shorten the lifespan of the next generation and beyond. Is it really OBESITY or is the real reason in the actual food they are eating. Do you know what’s in mac n cheese (the box version)? A bunch of chemicals, that’s what. And what about all the junkfood? You know, as time goes on, there are more and more toxic, and detrimentally hazardous ingredients in food that is making everyone fat and prone to disease, including your kids (and if you don’t have kids, other people’s kids, you know, the future) The food industry is the real culprit in the obesity issue that is plaguing the U.S. To eat more healthfully consult other sources like books. Learn how to read between the lines on the ingredient lists. If you can’t monitor the dangerous elements your kids are eating, who is going to do that for them? No one. Teach them what is good and bad. Sometimes it’s hard to know, but you have to find out.

Keep yourself informed; learn which companies are unethical and downright evil in the name of money. You really must know what’s going on: it’s your life at stake and it’s the future at stake.

Check out these sources:
The Ominvore’s Dilemma
Food for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health
Real Food
What to Eat
Monsanto
The End of Food: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Food Supply
The Untold Story of Milk
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
The Story of Corn
In Defense of Food
The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children
An Unnatural Order: Roots of Our Destruction of Nature
Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat
Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry

Back to the subject: Eat foods that boost and reinforce your immune system. The best part of winter is that you eat more. During colder months, your body naturally wants more and well, while you shouldn’t overdo it, you can focus on foods that will help you, not hurt you. What are they?

Iron – Especially for women (but men need it as well), iron is essential for stimulating your immune defenses, helping to bring oxygen to the blood. Lentils, broad beans, real licorice, chick peas, blood sausage (if you can get into that) among others help if you’re having an iron deficiency. Some signs of iron deficiency are fatigue and paleness.

Garlic – Rich in vitamins A, B1, C – and in minerals: potassium, magnesium, and zinc, garlic is a king of healthful foods. It’s considered a natural antibiotic, an antiseptic and an antiinflammatory. It helps a bout of flu, angina or bronchitis. Always remove the inside sprout and remember that garlic is most effective raw. Your body will appreciate it even though those around you might not.

Zinc – plays a huge role in the development of white blood cells. Zinc helps reduce the chance of catching viruses. You’ll find zinc in seafood and poultry. For a great boost of zinc, try eating 6 raw oysters (Don’t say EWWW!), which sufficiently covers your daily allowance of zinc!

Vitamin C – Eating foods with lots of vitamin C is a must as it is an amazing antioxidant. Eat citrus fruits like clementines, tangerines, grapefruits, oranges, and also other fruits like kiwis. On the vegetable front, you should be eating broccoli and beets, which are packed not only with vitamin C but omega 3 fatty acids.

Yogurt with Fruit at the Bottom – too much dangerous corn syrup in them.
Baked Beans – too much brown and white sugars.
California Roll – packed with fast-digesting carbohydrates and almost no protein.
Granola Bars – oats are basically glued together with ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and barley malt — all of which quickly raise blood sugar.
Pasta Salad – white-flour pasta, a close relative of white bread, which is not good for anyone. Also has too much mayo.
English Muffins – raise blood sugar significantly and are nearly devoid of fiber, protein, and vitamins. This makes them a great example of a food that provides only empty calories.
Croutons – usually made with the same refined flour that’s used in white bread, a food with a higher glycemic index than sugar.
Fat-Free Salad Dressing – removal of fat reduces your body’s ability to absorb many of the vitamins found in a salad’s vegetables.
Fruit Cocktail – packed in heavy syrup.
Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter – Many commercial brands are sweetened with “icing sugar” — the same finely ground sugar used to decorate cupcakes. In fact, each tablespoon of Skippy contains half a teaspoon of the sweet stuff. Reduced-fat versions are the worst of all, because they contain less healthy fat and even more icing sugar.
Pretzels – have one of the highest glycemic indexes of any food. In fact, they rank above ice cream and jelly beans in their ability to raise blood sugar.
Corn Oil – Corn oil has 60 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, the type of healthy fats found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseed. Studies suggest that a high intake of omega-6 fats relative to omega-3 fats increases inflammation, which boosts your risk of cancer, arthritis, and obesity.

[Source]

Be You TV

2. Soy Milk Maker – Make delicious fresh organic milks for just pennies per quart using the easy to operate, fully automatic SoyQuick Soymilk Maker! It makes fresh soymilk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, raw milks, and more in just 13-15 minute.

3. Organic Club Chair Made from Hemp – Natural latex foam rubber is an environmentally friendly renewable resource is naturally harvested from rain forest rubber trees, actually the sap collected from the “Hevea BrasiliensesColors Fabric” and will outlast all toxic synthetic petroleum based urethane foams, often 20 years or more at which time the cushions and batting can the be safely biodegraded in a landfill. We use a natural hemp or jute covering for our steel base springs and tight back springs, then a layer of natural latex foam rubber and then layers of pure organic cotton and natural wool batting, then secure everything with a barrier wrap of organic cotton sheeting. Finally the piece is tightly upholstered with our special heavy Hemp fabrics, Eco-option designer fabrics or customer provided fabric then precise natural core welting accents the piece.

4. Omega Juicer – This is the new single gear, masticating juice extractor that is also a great multifunction juicer for Wheatgrass, Fruit and Vegetables. Powerful motor chews the plant fibers and penetrates membrane to extract vitamins, enzymes and mineral content. UL and cUL approved Omega juicer has a reverse feature to prevent clogging. It is easy to assemble, operate and clean.