Cancer risk higher among people who eat more processed meat, study finds

March 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by: Danis Campbell. The Guardian

Unknown-1Biggest consumers of food such as ham, bacon and sausages are 44% more likely to die prematurely, according to research

Those who ate high levels of meat such as bacon had a 72% higher risk of death from heart disease and 11% higher risk of death from cancer.
People who eat a lot of processed meat such as ham, bacon, sausages and burgers run a greater risk of premature death and developing conditions such as cancer and heart disease, research shows.

The study, which included data from 448,568 people in 10 European countries, including the UK, found that the biggest consumers of processed meat were 44% more likely to die prematurely from any cause than those who ate little of it. High levels of consumption increased the risk of death from heart disease by 72% and cancer by 11%.

If everyone ate no more than 20g a day of processed meat – about one rasher of bacon, chipolata sausage or thin slice of ham – then 3% of all premature deaths could be avoided, according to an estimate by the authors, led by Professor Sabine Rohrmann from the University of Zurich. Their results are published in the journal BMC Medicine.

But a small amount of red meat also seems to benefit health, because it contains important nutrients and minerals, they add. Risks rise in line with the level of consumption, the researchers found. The results are in line with previous studies. Dr Rachel Thompson, deputy head of science at the World Cancer Research Fund, said the research bore out its own findings in 2007 – disputed by the meat industry at the time – about the health risks of processed meat.

It has found that consuming bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami and some sausages heightened the risk of bowel cancer. The charity estimates that 4,100 fewer Britons a year would be diagnosed with the disease if everyone ate no more than 10g of processed meat a day, though advises avoiding it altogether.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, a nutritionist who sits on the meat industry-funded Meat Advisory Panel, said the study’s findings were not robust enough to justify changing public health advice. The fact those who consumed the largest amounts of processed meat also displayed other unhealthy habits meant it was hard to confidently ascribe risk of death to meat eating alone, she said.

“The occasional bacon butty isn’t going to do you much harm. People shouldn’t avoid bacon or salami because they think it’s going to kill them, because it won’t. We can’t say that from this study. But we do know that processed meat has a higher salt and fat content, so having bacon or salami in moderation, and switching to lean red meat products, is a good idea,” Ruxton added. Tracy Parker, a heart health dietitian with the British Heart Foundation, said people who ate a lot of processed meat should try to eat a more varied diet, such as chicken, fish, beans or lentils.

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE, WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEWS, World News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Toxic Nation Guide to Bisphenol A | – Environmental Defence

December 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

From Environmental Defence

Photo by Flickr user TheGiantVermin

 

 

The Guide to Bisphenol A 

What is Bisphenol A? Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical compound used in a wide range of consumer products, including hard, clear plastic reusable water bottles and baby bottles, dental sealants and the linings of some food cans. It is classed by the government of Canada as a hormone disruptor.

Who is exposed to Bisphenol A? Everyone. Bisphenol A is found in many everyday products including food cans, plastic water containers and baby bottles. A study in the US found that 95% of people tested had been exposed to BPA.

Why is it a concern? Bisphenol A is a hormone disruptor. Studies have linked BPA exposure with such effects as: increased risk of heart disease and diabetes; permanent changes to genital tract; increase prostate weight; decline in testosterone; breast cells predisposed to cancer; prostate cells more sensitive to hormones and cancer; and hyperactivity.

Where is it used? BPA is primarily used to make polycarbonate plastic food and beverage containers and epoxy resins that are used to line metal cans for food, such as cans of soup. Polycarbonate plastic food and beverage containers that contain BPA will be labeled recycling symbol #7. However, not all recycling symbol #7 containers will be made with BPA.

In May 2010, Environmental Defence released a study tested food from 50 cans for BPA contamination. Over 90% of the food from the cans had detectable levels of BPA, some at higher levels than have been detected in previous studies. Read the study at www.environmentaldefence.ca. 

How can I be exposed? The BPA in products can leach out and be subsequently ingested by people.

What are alternatives to Bisphenol A? Until there is a ban on bisphenol A, the best alternative is to avoid food and beverage containers that contain the chemical. Use glass or stainless steel refillable drinking bottles, instead of hard plastic ones. For juice or other drinks, it’s best to use lined aluminum bottles. Stainless steel bottles are great for water.

For baby bottles, choose glass or look for companies that make hard plastic bottles without bisphenol A. They are often available at health food stores, organic markets and grocery stores and some baby stores.

Avoid eating canned food when you can. Instead of canned vegetables or fruits, choose fresh or frozen ones (they’re healthier for you that way, too!). You can also buy many different kinds of May 2010

soups and beans in reusable glass jars. And, instead of buying soft drinks in cans, choose glass bottles.

What are hormone disruptors? Hormone or endocrine disruptors are substances that can interfere with the normal functioning of the hormone system of both people and wildlife in a number of ways to produce a wide range of adverse effects including reproductive, developmental and behavioural problems.

Who is most at risk? Foetuses, infants and children around puberty. Young children are especially vulnerable because endocrine disruptors affect how their bodies grow and develop. Kids have immature organs, high metabolic rates, relatively low bodyweight, and are going through rapid physical development.

Animal studies show that even low levels of bisphenol A exposure, below the allowable intake set out by Health Canada, can have a range of adverse effects and can interfere with healthy, normal body function and growth. In fact, the average levels reported in people living throughout the developed world are higher than the levels sufficient to cause harm in animals.

What is Canada doing about Bisphenol A? The Canadian government reviewed BPA to determine if it posed a risk to human health or the environment in 2008. After their review, the federal government set an international precedent by concluding that it poses a risk to both human health and the environment. It also set a precedent by proposing that BPA be designated as “toxic” in Canada, that there be reduction targets for the amount that can be found in infant formula, and that it be banned in baby bottles. To date, only a ban from its use in baby bottles has been put in place.

Although BPA can be passed from pregnant women to their fetuses, and although fetuses are particularly vulnerable to its potential health effects, there is currently no proposal for BPA to be banned or restricted in all food and beverage containers in Canada.

BPA is being monitored in 5,000 Canadians as a part of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, the results of which are expected to be published sometime in 2010.

What can I do to help? 

 Sign up for Toxic Nation e-news (www.toxicnation.ca)

 Tell your friends and family about bisphenol A and our Toxic Nation campaign. Let them know to register for our Toxic Nation e-newsletter.

 Check out the “news articles”, “chemicals and health”, and “Bisphenol A” sections on our website (www.toxicnation.ca) and read all our latest blog, newest research and important news about Bisphenol A.

 Go online or call our office at 1(877) 399-2333 or (416) 323-9521 to support our work today. Our campaign depends on your generous donations. Thank you. Brought to you by www.environmentaldefence.ca 

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Eco-Friendly Products, Food and Healing Recipes, Sign A Petition

5 Delicious Ways To Eat Vegetables For Dessert

December 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by: Kristina Chew. Care 2

Could it be the answer to every parent’s dream, a way to get vegetables into a growing child? NPR reports that chefs are adding vegetables to dessert. The trade magazine Food Technology describes dishes such as “celery sorbet with celery salad, goat cheese mousse balls, macerated figs and balsamic vinegar at Del Posto in New York; sweet corn crème brulée with popcorn shoots and candied bacon at Tilth in Seattle; and a candy cap mushroom ice cream sandwich.”

It sounds like just another fashionable food trend but, as Food Technology‘s associate editor, Karen Nachay, notes, chefs who are cooking with seasonable goods from local farms are trying to use up excessive supplies of one ingredient or another, rather than consigning them to the dumpster.

Even more, there are nutritional benefits to eating vegetables for dessert that go beyond getting some extra zucchini into your little ones. Mary Ann Johnson, a nutrition professor at the University of Georgia and a spokesperson for the American Society for Nutrition, tells NPR that eating vegetables with some fats actually helps the body to better process vitamins called carotenoids. Indeed, a study cited in The Atlantic noted that using a richer, fat-containing salad dressing can actually enhance the nutritional value of your greens.

Johnson emphasizes that “moderation is key” in offering vegetable-laden desserts to children. The goal should be to help them “develop a taste for vegetables” and not to be some sort of sneaky chef-parent trying to sneak a few more nutrients into a child. That is, a dessert “totally overpowered by the sugar and fat” (carrot cake weighed down by gloppy cream cheese frosting) might not really do the trick.

Carotenoids are found in vegetables including carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, bell peppers and tomatoes.  Here are five suggestions (some inspired by a Wall Street Journal article) for getting your cake (but not too much) while eating your vegetables (and not so thoroughly pulverized in that you can’t detect them) too.

1. Tomato Basil Mille-feuille

A mille-feuille is another name for the French pastry, the Napoleon — three layers of puff pastry and cream. A Tokyo chef layers tomatoes with basil ice cream, tomato gelee (basically, tomato “jello”) and cream cheese to make a “dessert version of a pizza margherita, topped off with candied thyme.” In other words, not only vegetables for dessert, but pizza.

Or, how about beetroots for the millefeuille layers?

2. Guacamole, the Dessert Version

Avocados can also be made into a mousse with a ginger syrup. Who needs the chocolate kind?

3. Sweets From Sunchokes

Sunchokes — a species of sunflower cultivated for its tubers and with a consistency like the potatoes that are also known as Jerusalem artichokes — can be made into mousse (with white chocolate and blood orange-beetroot jelly) as well as a cake with Asian pears.

4. Celery Sherbet With Celery Salad

Celery is definitely one of those vegetables that requires the chef to have some imagination if she or he wants a picky eater to try it. Here’s a celery sorbet that pays heed to its vegetable-ness by being served with a side of, very appropriately, celery salad.

5. [Name Your Vegetable] Ice Cream

Let’s face it. If you can mash vegetables to the right consistency and combine them with something creamy and churn and freeze the results, you’ve got “name your vegetable” ice cream, whether with mushrooms, spinach or kale. It has been said before: who doesn’t scream for ice cream, vegetables and all?

Filed Under: Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Tagged With: , ,

How to Be an Ethical Egg Eater

November 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by: Jan Cho. Care 2

It’s hard to argue with vegans’ reasons for excluding eggs from their diet. To start, laying hens are crammed into wire cages that allow each hen a living space less than the size of an 8 ½” x 11″ sheet of paper. Virtually every natural behavior is thereby thwarted, including nesting, scratching, foraging, preening, dust-bathing and simply flapping their wings. Disease runs rampant, the stench of ammonia from feces saturates the air inside the shed and carcasses are left lying among the surviving hens. At only two years of age, after being forced to produce more eggs in that time than their bodies are designed to handle, these hens are “spent” and so sent to the slaughterhouse for processing.

There’s also the horrifying fact that for every laying hen subjected to this systematic abuse, there is a male chick — more than 200 million of them every year – that’s killed the day it’s born, tossed into a trash bag to suffocate or ground up by a macerator while it’s still alive. Why? Because it can’t lay eggs (being male) and won’t grow fast enough to be profitably raised for meat (having been born as a layer versus a broiler chick). These are the widespread practices of an egg industry focused on maximizing profits at any cost to animal welfare and ethical responsibility.

Nonetheless, ethical egg eating can be done under the following circumstances:

1. The Egg Comes from a Free and Happy Hen

A happy hen has a comfortable place to live and is free to engage in every natural behavior that occurs to her, including broodiness (see #4 below). As she would in the wild, she lives among several other hens and a rooster. She’s well cared for and raised by a local farmer you trust or by yourself in your own backyard, in which case she can be considered part of your family, a beloved pet like any other.

2. The Egg Is Unfertilized

This addresses the fundamental moral issue of taking a life to satisfy one’s appetite. As explained by Umbra on Grist, “It is not my opinion but rather a fact that if a hen’s egg has not been fertilized by a rooster, no embryo or chick will form.” So no life will be taken by eating an unfertilized egg. A hen will lay eggs regardless, and “in the wild,” according to Library Index, “the hen would leave infertile eggs to rot or be eaten by predators.”

You can “candle” eggs, or hold them up to a light, to figure out which are fertilized and which are not, according to LocalHarvest.org. The ones that appear opaque are fertilized.

You can ensure that hens will lay only infertile eggs by keeping roosters off the premises, away from the hens, but would that be ethical? I spoke with one farmer, Nigel Waters of Eatwell Farm in the Sacramento Valley, who produces pasture-raised, free range, organic eggs, and he believes that his hens could easily do without any roosters around. But another farmer, Stephanie Alexandre of Alexandre EcoDairy Farms in Crescent City, California, argued that her roosters are integral to the social order on the farm, helping to protect the hens and keep them in line, and of course sounding the wake-up call for all. “In natural conditions,” as explained on Library Index, “chickens tend to live in small groups composed of one male chicken… and a dozen or more female chickens.”

At any rate, while well-meaning eaters may choose to eat only infertile eggs, they are nonetheless also implicated in whatever becomes of the eggs with actual prospects for life. So let’s consider that next.

3. Chicks (Male and Female) Are Nurtured, Free and Happy

Not all fertilized eggs hatch. They have to be incubated by a broody hen (see #4 below) or an artificial incubator, and even then there’s no guarantee. But what about those that do hatch? What becomes of the chicks — male or female — born on better farms?

At Alexandre EcoDairy Farms, the chicks simply become members of the flock, including the males that get to grow up to be roosters. The same goes for the chicks born on Eatwell Farm, though Mr. Waters adds that very aggressive roosters are no longer tolerated there, following an incident involving one of his young sons.

Yet, it should be noted that even those farmers who go out of their way to provide plenty of pasture, good shelter and the highest-quality diet for their chickens and who also welcome newly born chicks on their farm — even those farmers get their chicks from hatcheries that routinely discard most of the males. So you may also want to look for a farmer that sources his or her chicks from heritage chicken breeders (see below), or you might at least inquire about the practices at the hatcheries he or she uses.

4. (Optional) The Egg Is Laid by a Heritage Breed

The eggs supplied by factory farms as well as many small, local farms come from hens that have been bred not to brood — i.e., not to want to sit on, incubate and hatch their eggs with a view to mothering a brood of chicks. The behavior, after all, is an inconvenience to commercial farmers who want their hens to be as productive as possible laying eggs rather than warming them.

Out of his flock of 3,000 hens, Mr. Waters says that only 1 will hatch 5 or 6 eggs every year. Most of Ms. Alexandre’s hens, likewise, don’t go broody, but she also keeps a small flock of heritage breeds that do. (The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), which works to conserve rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock, maintains a list of heritage chicken breeds.)

This is where we enter a grayish area of right and wrong. Is it enough that the very hen who laid the infertile eggs you’re about to eat was raised humanely? Or is it wrong to eat eggs laid by a hen — however she was raised — of any breed that was explicitly created to be exploited?

I’m inclined to argue that it’s okay to eat eggs from any breed of hen as long as they were produced under otherwise happy circumstances. But for anyone who isn’t so inclined, your best bet is to get your eggs from a farmer who raises heritage breeds.

So as far as I understand, one can eat eggs without abandoning one’s ethics. The problem is that the more than 6.5 billion table eggs (i.e., eggs intended for human consumption) that are produced in this country every month are of the unethical type. So for many ethically-minded eaters, it’s simply easier to exclude eggs from their diet altogether rather than try to track down “good” eggs. But they are in fact out there for those who want them.

 

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE, WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEWS Tagged With: ,

Food MythBusters — Do we really need industrial agriculture to feed the world?

November 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

WATCH VIDEO 

How can we feed the world—today and tomorrow?

The biggest players in the food industry—from pesticide pushers to fertilizer makers to food processors and manufacturers—spend billions of dollars every year not selling food, but selling the idea that we need their products to feed the world. But, do we really need industrial agriculture to feed the world? Can sustainably grown food deliver the quantity and quality we need—today and in the future? Our first Food MythBusters film takes on these questions in under seven minutes. So next time you hear them, you can too.

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Featured Video, Food and Healing Recipes, WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEWS Tagged With: ,

World water Crisis Demands Diet Change

October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by:David Steele. Earthsave Canada.

Global warming, it seems, is upon us with a vengeance. Most of North America baked in record heat this summer. Arctic sea ice reached its lowest level in recorded history. NASA reports that the year July 2011-July 2012 was the warmest on record. Worse, a major drought struck much of the most productive farmland in the United States and Canada. Corn and soy were hit hard. Grain prices are up 30% since May and it looks like they’re going to keep going up for quite a while yet.

The good news is that – if we and our governments act quickly and intelligently- this does not have to be a disaster for the world’s poor. If we don’t, though, the consequences could be dire. As the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the World Food Program jointly noted on September 4th, “We need to act urgently to make sure that these price shocks do not turn into a catastrophe hurting tens of millions over the coming months…We are vulnerable because even in a good year, global grain production is barely sufficient to meet growing demands for food, feed and fuel – this, in a world where there are 80 million extra mouths to be fed every year. We are at risk because only a handful of nations are large producers of staple food commodities, and when they are affected, so is everyone else.”

The UN is asking first and foremost that our governments rethink their biofuel policies, that they prioritize food for humans over fuel for automobiles. The request makes sense. Over 30% of the Canadian corn crop and 40% of the US corn crop now go to biofuels. Much of soy, too, is being similarly diverted. Clearly, in this time of imminent famine, this has to stop. If we follow the UN’s advice, this action alone will likely be enough to prevent mass famine in the coming year. In the long run, though, it won’t be nearly enough.

Biofuels are only part of the problem. Animal agriculture is similarly wasteful. About the same amount of corn goes into the mouths of farm animals as goes to biofuels. For soy, something likely 80% is fed to the animals. This is tremendously inefficient. On average, about 6 pounds of plant protein are required for every single pound of animal protein we get back.

As scientists at Cornell University and elsewhere have shown, we could feed hundreds of millions more people on U.S. grain alone if it was fed directly to humans instead of to farm animals. With the world population trending towards 9 billion by mid-century, it seems awfully unlikely that we’re going to be able to feed ourselves if we insist on making biofuels, meat and other animal products out of the grain we grow. And it’s not just the grain we’re wasting. It’s precious water, too. All of this diversion of grain and soy to animals and biofuels is putting enormous stress on the world’s water supplies.

Scientists at this year’s World Water Conference put the problem in stark perspective: “There will not be enough water available on current croplands for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations,” the report from the Stockholm International Water Institute said.

The scientists pointed out that animal-based foods consume 5 to 10 times as much water as do vegetarian foods. “With 70% of all available water being [used] in agriculture, growing more food to feed an additional 2 billion people by 2050 will place greater pressure on available water and land,” the Stockholm scientists said. Newspaper reports around the world flashed their prediction: Food shortages will likely force the world to go vegetarian by 2050.

The good news is that if we were to collectively drop animal products from our diets, we could feed our burgeoning population with ease – from a lot less land than we’re using now. So why not do it? It’s easy. And it’ll save many, many lives. There are lots of resources available to help you. Check out our website,www.earthsave.ca and check out some of the excellent vegan recipe sites out there. Google the Vegan Feast Kitchen, Mouthwatering Vegan or the Post Punk Kitchen for starters.

Please remember that we are fortunate enough to live in a democracy, and that your voice matters. Write the Prime Minister, your local MPs and other levels of government. Lobby them to take emergency action this year on biofuels and other issues that concern you. There is so much at stake, we cannot afford to stand by and watch. We must act now.

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Climate Change, Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE, WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEWS Tagged With: ,

Organic Food Debate

September 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by: Cathryn Wellner. Care 2

 Headlines are screaming: “Organic food no more nutritious than non-organic,” “Organic food is not healthier,” “New study finds scant evidence of health benefits.” Big Ag must be rubbing its collective hands with glee. They shouldn’t.

The report stirring so much interest is a survey published in the September 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. Stanford University scientists reviewed 237 studies in an attempt to answer the questions patients were asking the lead author, Dr. Dena Bravata: are organic foods better for me? Are they worth the extra cost?

Since no one had done a meta-analysis of the studies comparing conventional and organic produce, Bravata and her team set out to sift through thousands of papers in search of answers. They settled on the 237 most relevant.

What They Found: A Little Poison Is Okay

Stanford School of Medicine’s Michelle Brandt summarizes their findings: “After analyzing the data, the researchers found little significant difference in health benefits between organic and conventional foods.”

Overall, the studies found both kinds of food had similar vitamin content. Organic had more phosphorous, but few people have a deficiency in that nutrient. Protein and fat content of organic and conventional milk was similar, though the organic product delivered more omega-3 fatty acids. Organic produce contained less pesticide residue, organic meat less antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, whether or not that was clinically significant was not clear.

None of the studies were long term, so the question of health benefits or detriments remained virtually unanswered. Those using human subjects ranged from two days to two years. Nor is it clear any of the studies compared the effects of a solely conventional or solely organic diet.

Organic produce was found to have less pesticide contamination than conventional, but none of the produce was pesticide free. Given the amount of pesticide contaminating land, water and air, that is hardly surprising.

The studies were the proverbial apples and oranges, and the researchers admit that “publication bias may be present” in some of them. That bias is what creeps in when those undertaking the study have organizational, corporate and/or monetary interest in a particular conclusion.

What They Did Not Find: Health Hazards of Conventional Systems

You can just hear the anti-organic crowd crowing and the chemical companies counting their profits. The problem is those headline writers are pouncing in ways that stretch the survey’s tepid findings all out of proportion. They are also overlooking the authors’ caveats about things they did not address, such as animal welfare, environmental impact and even the taste of organic food (unaided genetic engineering).

Those factors are huge. After all, we do not have another planet to live on once we ruin this one, and we can no longer pretend farm animals are unfeeling cogs in the wheels of industrial farming.

However, the main focus of the survey was health, so I will set those aside for this post. The survey cited in all the media reports is not a rigorous study. It is an analysis of reports that are all over the map in terms of their methodology, execution and bias.

More reliable findings can be found in the 2008 study published by the Organic Center: “New Evidence Confirms the Nutritional Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods.” Unlike the Stanford work, this report only referred to studies that were carefully designed and conducted. Their thorough analysis found, in part:

Yes, organic plant-based foods are, on average, more nutritious in terms of their nutrient density for compounds validated by this study’s rigorous methodology.

The average serving of organic plant-based food contains 25% more of the nutrients encompassed in this study than a comparable-sized serving of the same food produced by conventional farming methods.

Another, more rigorous study is the Rodale Institute’s 30-year Farming Systems Trial, published in 2011. They looked at soil health, yields, economics, energy and human health. Conventional systems came up short. The toxins they rely on (such as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides) accumulate in our bodies and lead to such things as:

  • Lower math and reading skills in children
  • DNA damage, infertility, low sperm count, prostate or testicular cancer in rats
  • Brain/central nervous system disruption, breast, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, kidney, testicular, and stomach and other cancers

The Cornucopia Institute Responds to the Stanford Survey

Mark A. Kastel is Senior Farm Policy Analyst for The Cornucopia Institute, a non-profit that provides some of the most reliable information on sustainable and organic agriculture. He suggests the Stanford survey overlooked some essential pieces needed for an in-depth analysis:

They discounted many of the studies, including by the USDA, that show our conventional food supply’s nutritional content has dropped precipitously over the last 50 years. This has been attributed to the declining health of our farms’ soil, and healthy soil leads to healthy food. Organic farming’s core value is building soil fertility.

Furthermore, there are many externalities that impart risk on us as individuals and as a society, which the physicians failed to look at. For example, eating organic food protects us all from exposure to agrichemicals contaminating our water and air.

Additionally, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become ubiquitous in processed food with an estimated 80%-90% contaminated with patented genes by Monsanto and other biotechnology corporations. The use of GMOs is prohibited in organics.

Charlotte Vallaeys, Director of Farm and Food Policy, added:

For dozens of different types of fruits and vegetables, the USDA has found pesticide residues above the EPA’s threshold for children on conventionally grown samples, but not on organic samples.

These included foods that are very popular with young children, including apples, peaches, plums, pears, grapes, blueberries, strawberries and raisins. The pesticides found as residues on these conventional fruits have been linked to higher rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a study by researchers at the University of Montreal and Harvard.

How Do You Choose?

We balance a lot of factors when we stand in the grocery store aisles or wander the stalls at the farmers’ market. A compromise-free life is not an option. We consider taste, nutrition, family preferences, and price. Into the mix go environmental costs, farm workers’ rights and animal welfare.

The Stanford survey feels like a flawed assessment of whether or not organic and conventional are comparable. Still, those involved in it sifted through mounds of papers and settled on those they considered most relevant. There are too many holes in their findings to influence my thinking, but I acknowledge I am already in the organic camp and intend to stay there. For me, the impact of conventional farming on the environment is unacceptable. Besides, I’ve been a farmer, and I am grateful to the people who are working so hard to provide me with high quality, sustainably grown food. I am willing to pay more to support them.

Filed Under: Agriculture & Food Sources, Food and Healing Recipes, Good News, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE, WHAT'S NEW IN THE NEWS, World News Tagged With: , ,

7 Unexpected Ingredients You Might Be Eating For Lunch Today

September 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy by: Judy Mollan. Care 2

Have you enjoyed any juice from a beaver’s butt lately? If you’ve been drinking any fruit-flavored drinks, then the chances are that you have. Castoreum, which is extracted from a beaver’s anal glands, is used to make artificial raspberry flavoring. Products using this flavoring include cheap ice cream, Jell-O, candy, fruit-flavored drinks, teas and yogurts.

In a recent fascinating segment of 60 Minutes entitled “The Flavorists: Tweaking tastes and creating cravings,” Morley Safer examined the multibillion dollar flavor industry, whose scientists create natural and artificial flavorings that make your mouth water and keep you coming back for more.

Specifically, he looked at Givaudan, a Swiss company that employs almost 9,000 people in 45 countries, providing tastiness to just about every cuisine imaginable. Food companies know that flavor is what makes repeat customers. So they commission Givaudan to create what they hope will be a taste that people love, but that doesn’t linger too much, so that consumers will keep coming back for more.

As Dr. David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says to Safer:

“We’re living in a food carnival. The flavors are so stimulating, they hijack our brains.”

And he goes on:

“We’re eating fat on fat on sugar on fat with flavor. And much of what we’re eating with these flavors, you have to ask yourself, ‘is it really food?”

In addition to beaver butt juice, here are seven other flavorings and additives you may want to know about:

1.  Aspartame: More popularly known as Nutrasweet and Equal, aspartame is found in foods labeled “diet” or “sugar free.” Aspartame is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives and flavorings combined. Aspartame is a neurotoxin and carcinogen.

Found in: diet or sugar free sodas, diet coke, coke zero, jello (and other gelatins), desserts, sugar free gum, drink mixes, baking goods, table top sweeteners, cereal, breathmints, pudding, kool-aid, ice tea, chewable vitamins, toothpaste.

2. Estrogen: Did you know that regular milk is full of hormones used by the milk industry to keep the cows knocked up and lactating all year round? So when you drink regular milk, you take a shot of hormones with it.

Found in: All non-organic dairy.

3.  Sodium nitrate (or sodium nitrite): This is used as a preservative, coloring and flavoring in bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish and other processed meats. This ingredient, which sounds harmless, is actually highly carcinogenic once it enters the human digestive system.

Found in: hotdogs, bacon, ham, luncheon meat, cured meats, corned beef, smoked fish or any other type of pro,cessed meat.

4.  Spinach dust: In case you think you’re getting your daily serving of vegetables when you eat that green sheen on those veggie snacks, you might want to know that this is powdered spinach dust: spinach that has been dehydrated and sucked dry of any nutritional value.

Found in: So-called “healthy” vegetable-flavored snack foods.

5. TBHQ (butane): Tertiary Butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ as it is more commonly referred to as, is in fact a chemical preservative which is a form of butane. It is used in foodstuffs to delay the onset of rancidness and greatly extends the storage life of foods. So instead of your chicken nuggets being fresh, butane keeps them “fresh.”

Found in: Frozen, packaged or pre-made processed foods with long shelf lives such as frozen meals, crackers, chips, cereal bars and fast food.

6. Trans fat: Trans fat is used to enhance and extend the shelf life of food products and is among the most dangerous substances that you can consume. Found in deep-fried fast foods and certain processed foods made with margarine or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, trans fats are formed by a process called hydrogenation.

Found in: margarine, chips and crackers, baked goods, fast foods

7. Vanillin (wood pulp): Most vanilla flavoring is either made from petrochemicals or derived from a by-product of the paper industry. Ester of wood rosin, which comes from pine stumps, is in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the citrus flavor evenly distributed through the can.

Found in: Artificially flavored yogurt, baked goods, candy and sodas.

And in case you’re wondering about artificial flavors and natural flavors: both artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists” in a laboratory by blending either “natural” chemicals or “synthetic” chemicals to create flavorings.

Artificial flavors are human-made chemical concoctions.  Unlike artificial flavors, natural flavors are created from natural products – fruits, beef, chicken, spices – and transformed into chemical additives. So though it might make you feel better to see “natural flavoring” on a label, it isn’t necessarily better for you. Indeed, it’s a signal that the real thing is not included in the product.

Filed Under: Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

5 Food-Medicines That Could Quite Possibly Save Your Life

August 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

Some of the most powerful medicines on the planet are masquerading around as foods and spices. While they do not lend themselves to being patented, nor will multi-billion dollar human clinical trials ever be funded to prove them efficacious, they have been used since time immemorial to both nourish our bodies, and to prevent and treat disease.  So valued were these in ancient times that they were worth their weight in gold, and entire civilizations either rose to great power or collapsed as a result of their relationship to them.

What is even more amazing is that many of these “plant allies” are found growing in our backyards, and often sitting there in our refrigerators and spice racks, neglected and under appreciated.  In fact, many of us use these daily unaware that this is why we don’t get sick as often as those who do not incorporate them into their diet. Let’s look at a few examples….

1) Garlic – with the increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria and the failure of the conventional, drug-based model to develop effective solutions against them (nor accepting responsibilityfor creating them), spices have regained their once universal reign as broad spectrum infection-fighters with sometimes life-saving power. Garlic, in fact, has several hundred therapeutic properties, confirmed by a growing body of scientific research, which you can view directly on GreenMedInfo.com.[i]  One quick example of garlic’s power, is in killing multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which the mainstream media has termed the “white plague,” roiling the masses with a fear of drug-resistant (but not plant-extract resistant) they are made to believe they are defenseless against.  Last year an article was published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal showing that garlic was capable of inhibiting a wide range of multiple drug resistant tuberculosis strains.[ii] The authors concluded “The use of garlic against MDR-TB may be of great importance regarding public health.”  Garlic’s anti-infective properties do not end with MDR-TB, as it has been demonstrated to inhibit the following pathogens as well:

  • Amoeba Entamoeba histolytica (parasite)
  • Cholera
  • Clostridium
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Dermatophytoses (a type of topical fungal infection)
  • Haemophilus Influenzae
  • Helicobacter Pylori
  • Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1
  • Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2
  • Klebsiella
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus A. (MRSA)
  • Parainfluenza Virus
  • Peridontal Infection
  • Pneumococcal Infections
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Streptococcus Mutans
  • Streptococcus Infections: Group A
  • Streptococcus Infections: Group B
  • Streptococcus pyrogenes
  • Thrush (oral fungal infection)

This amazing list underscores how important it is to keep a supply of garlic close by!

2.)  Honey – bees produce a wide range of therapeutic substances beyond honey, e.g. propolis, bee venom, royal jelly, beeswax, bee pollen, etc., but this sweet, sticky stuff that we all love to dip our paw into occasionally, is the most well-known and most copiously consumed of them all – and for good reason, it tastes great!  But did you know that this sweet treat is one of nature’s most powerful healing agents, as well? Here is just a smattering of some of honey’s more scientifically researched health benefits and/or applications:

  • Aspirin-Induced Gastrointestinal Toxicity  (honey  coats the delicate linings of the stomach, preventing aspirin-induced lesions and bleeding)
  • Bacterial Infections
  • Burns
  • Candida infection (despite the fact that honey contains sugar, it demonstrates anti-fungal properties)
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Dental plaque (a recent study showed that Manuka honey was a viable alternative to chemical mouthwash in dissolving dental plaque)[iii]
  • Dermatitis
  • Diabetic Ulcer
  • Herpes-related ulcers
  • MRSA (especially for Manuka honey)

There are many more uses for honey than covered here. Needless to say, replacing synthetic sweeteners or highly processed sugars or high fructose corn syrup with a moderate amount of honey may be a great preventative health step to take.

3) Apples – an apple a day does in fact keep the doctor away, especially cancer specialists it would seem.  For instance, one of the most well-established health benefits of consuming apples is to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. The more apples you consume, the less likely you are to develop this potentially fatal disease.  To view the 5 studies that reference this relationship, go to the GreenmedInfo.com apple research page where you will also find 50 other health benefits of apple or apple byproducts (e.g. apple vinegar) consumption which include:

  • Aging, Reduce Rate
  • Allergies
  • Allopecia (Hair Loss)
  • Diarrhea
  • Insulin Resistance
  • Liver Cancer
  • Radiation Induced Illness
  • Staphylococcol Infection

4) Sunlight – this one may throw some of you off, but sunlight possesses both energy and information with real, metabolic value and is therefore a source of usable energy for the body – and so, in a very real sense it can be considered a form of food that we consume through our skin by way of its built in, melanin-based “solar panels.”  Not only does adequate sunlight exposure result in the production of vitamin D, a hormone-like substance that regulates over 2,000 genes in the human body — and as a result prevents or ameliorates hundreds of vitamin D deficiency associated health conditions – but sunlight exposure itself has a unique set of health benefits not reducible to simply vitamin D production alone.  One of the more interesting studies performed on sunlight exposure, based on data gathered from over 100 countries and published earlier this year in the journal Anticancer Research, showed that there was “a strong inverse correlations with solar UVB for 15 types of cancer,” with weaker, though still significant evidence for the protective role of sunlight in 9 other cancers. Here are some additional benefits of sunlight exposure:

  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Depression
  • Dopamine Deficiency
  • Dermatitis
  • Influenza
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Psoriasis

5) Turmeric  - quite possibly the world’s most important herb. Named “Kanchani,” or literally “Golden Goddess,” in the ancient Indian healing tradition, its healing properties have been deeply appreciated, if not revered for countless centuries. Turmeric has been scientifically documented to have over 500 applications in disease prevention and treatment. It also has been shown to modulate over 150 distinct biological and genetic/epigenetic pathways of value in health, demonstrating a complexity as well as gentleness that no drug on the planet has ever been shown to possess.

As there are too many health conditions that turmeric may benefit to list, we are listing the top 10 as determined by the GreenMedInfo algorithm which calculates both the evidence quantity (number of articles) and evidence quality (human study valued higher than animal, and so on). Also, the number in parentheses denotes the number of studies on the database demonstrating the beneficial relationship.

  • Oxidative Stress (160)
  • Inflammation (51)
  • DNA Damage (48)
  • Lipid Peroxidation (34)
  • Colorectal Cancer (24)
  • Breast Cancer (60)
  • Colon Cancer (52)
  • Chemically-Induced Liver Damage (34)
  • Alzheimer’s Disease (34)
  • Tumors (23)

For a more in depth look at the 1500+ studies on our site on Turmeric (and its primary polyphenol Curcumin), watch the video below and please share it with others if you find the information compelling.

Filed Under: Food and Healing Recipes, Good News

Raw Food Support!! 50 Ways to Support Yourself with Raw Food.

July 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The following post came from Penni of Raw Food Rehab and  TheGardenDiet.com

Share your additional ideas in the comments below!

50 Ways to Support Yourself with Raw Food 

1. Clean out your kitchen! Throw away all your processed, boxed, packaged, chemical-laden, junk food & non-health promoting food items
2. Save your $$ and invest in buying a Vitamix, Blendtec or other high-speed blender
3. Get & stay inspired by watching films & documentaries that support your lifestyle – see our Media Room for ideas
4. Find, connect or begin a raw Meetup in your area
5. Experiment with new recipes – check the Culinary Center and Kitchen for ideas
6. Start sharing your journey with the community by adding blog posts or vlogs here at Raw Food Rehab
7. Invite friends over for a totally raw food meal (ask everyone to bring something)
8. Read Small Town Raw – BIG CITY TASTE by Paul Risse
9. Join a weekly farm box (CSA) program like Rawfully Organic - check what’s happening in your area at http://LocalHarvest.org
10. Google search for, visit and support organic, raw, vegetarian, vegan food restaurants in your area or when you travel
11. Find answers, learn and share from one another in our Wellness Center
12. Do the 28 Days Total Reset Cleanse outlined in the book Raw Food Cleanse
13. Make staying super-hydrated a priority for vibrant health & weight loss!
14. Attend a raw food related event (& add yours to our Events section!)
15. Work at creating beautiful looking and tasting food for yourself and others
16. Walk barefoot on the earth and enjoy meals outside in the sun
17. Dry brush your skin daily to help clear your lymphatic system
18. Get a daily shot of raw inspiration by stopping by our Facebook Page daily
19. Inspire your best friend or a co-worker to do a raw food cleanse with you
20. Move your body every day & find motivation in our Fitness Room
21. Wait 5 minutes for cravings to pass before decided to act on them
22. Remember - Nothing Tastes as Good as Eating Raw Feels!
23. Don’t criticize others or be dogmatic about being 100% raw
24. Be committed to the diet that works best for you & lead by your actions more than your words
25. Buy a Magic Bullet or Tribest Personal Blender to keep at your office & to use when you travel
26. Save your $$ to buy a rebounder (mini-trampoline) & bounce everyday!
27. Educate yourself about what is going on with food systems and corporations in this country
28. Become an Intuitarian - tuning into your own gut level intuition about what to eat daily
29. Drink more green juice & find ideas for what to juice in our Liquid Lounge
30. Make friends with farmers in your area
31. Read Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko
32. Know how to answer the question - Where Do You Get Your Protein?
33. Start sprouting (see our Greenhouse) and consider starting a Garden!
34. Get serious about breaking food addictions & make a commitment to love yourself enough to heal your body
35. Fine-tune the raw diet to suit your lifestyle and your needs
36. Put photos of beautiful raw fruits on your wall, desktop and kitchen & share your photos here!
37. Postpone giving in to your non-raw cravings until “tomorrow”
38. Turn off the TV and go to Pinterest and indulge yourself in raw food eye candy!
39. Find raw comfort foods by visiting blogs and reading raw food books – see our Library for ideas
40. Find a farmer’s market near you at http://LocalHarvest.org
41. Make a menu plan you can stick with – to get or share ideas – scroll through our Core Menu post
42. Be inspired by & support people, like Bill Barlow, who have transformed their life & who lead by example
43. Read Going Raw by Judita Wignall
44. Get your leafy greens in every day
45. Get extra protein from hemp or almond milk
46. Get additional protein from adding chia seeds into your smothies or as porridge
47. Enjoy raw cacao wisely, as it can tax your adrenals in high doses
48. Watch Average Joe on the Raw
49. Eat a big epic salad every day
50. Don’t EVER quit or give up!

Filed Under: Food and Healing Recipes, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
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