Monday, May 30, 2011

Top 7 Supermarket Foods to Avoid

Emma Sgourakis
Food Matters

In a recent article, seven experts in the fields of both food and the environment (scientists, doctors and farmers) were asked just one simple question: “What foods do you avoid?” Their responses had nothing to do with calories or nutrient-density, but all to do with their insider knowledge on how certain seemingly “healthy” foods that they closely work with are produced and packaged. The findings are scary.

If the farmer who grows the food won’t eat it himself, then I won’t touch it either.

Here’s a summary of the findings. You can add these seven to your ‘Foods to Avoid‘ list:

1. Canned Tomatoes

An endocrinologist and expert on the topic of the synthetic oestrogen bisphenol-A (BCA), linked to heart disease and infertility, won’t go near canned tomatoes. Tin cans are lined with a resin containing BCA which is especially a problem with canning tomatoes, as the acid in tomato breaks this down in dangerous amounts. This is a serious health concern for everyone who loves a Spag Bol, especially children. My advice: if you still want the convenience of stored, ready-to-cook tomatoes, opt for sauces and passata in glass bottles.

2. Conventional Beef

For fat cows (and fat people) feed them grain, corn and soy. This is what farmers do to increase profits. The end product is meat that is nutritionally inferior. Cows were meant to eat grass. Studies show that grass-fed beef (compared to corn-fed) is higher in important vitamins, minerals and the heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory fats. Then there’s also the issue of all the antibiotics used on those inappropriately-fed, sick cows… My advice: Look for “grass-fed” or “pasture-fed” organic beef from strong healthy beasts.

3. Microwave Popcorn

Another poisonous packaging issue: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) lines the bags of those popcorn bags, and the heat in the microwave leaches this straight onto your movie munchies. The UCLA links this compound to infertility. My advice: Corn kernels + butter + sea salt + plus a big pot (with a lid!) Simple.

4. Conventional Potatoes

More than any other vegetable, non-organic potatoes are heavily sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides throughout every stage of their growth, harvesting and storage. So much so that potato growers never eat the potatoes they sell and grow their own separate plots without all the chemicals. My advice: Organic or Bio-dynamic potatoes only.

5. Farmed Salmon

This is particularly scary considering that in Australia, the only fresh Salmon we have access to is farmed; all farmed, this includes “Atlantic” Salmon. These fish are crammed in pens and fed all manner of junk from soy and hydrolyzed chicken feathers and pellets. A scientific study on fish contamination showed high levels of DDT and PCB’s (carcinogens). So serious were the findings that the director for the Institute for Health warns that any more than one salmon meal every 5 months increases your cancer risk. Not to mention that fact that the levels of Omega 3 and Vitamin D are devoid in these poor factory-versions that their wild, up-stream-swimming ancestors contain. My advice: For fresh fish, choose small & wild varieties wherever available. For salmon in Australia, your only wild option is out of a tin. Look for brands like Paramount Wild Alaskan Salmon, or other brands form Norway and Canada are often wild too. Even still, eat these only occasionally.

6. Conventional Milk

Dairy cows today are fed growth hormones to maximize milk production. Not only does this make for a potentially breast/prostate/colon cancer milk shake, but it also leads to increased incidence of udder infection for the poor cow, leading to pus in the milk. My advice: if you do drink cows’ milk, make sure it states clearly on the label that it is produced without artificial hormones, and ideally choose organic whole milk from pasture-fed cows.

7. Conventional Apples

There’s no coincidence that farm workers have higher rates of many cancers. Of all common fruits, apples are the most heavily and frequently doused with pesticides. Pesticide reside on conventional fruits is also linked to Parkinson’s. To limit exposure, be wary of apples especially. My advice: Organic. Or at the very least, wash and peel. •

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ABSOLUTELY... Say No to GMOs !

There are plenty of reasons to avoid and beware of genetically modified (GM) foods. As you may know, genetic modification of foods is a process that takes genes from a completely different species and places them into the DNA of a plant or animal. That alone is a reason to avoid them, but new research reinforces previous findings that GM foods lead to organ disruptions in rats and mice. Scientists reviewed 19 studies and discovered certain parameters—including blood and urine biochemistry, blood cells, and organ weights, including the kidneys, liver, heart and spleen—were significantly disrupted in GM-fed animals.

As you might suspect, these findings could translate into a warning for human health, since GM foods are mainstream. In the past, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has publicly condemned genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply, saying they pose “a serious health risk.” AAEM has even called on the U.S. government to implement an immediate moratorium on all genetically modified (GM) foods and has urged physicians to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients.

The AAEM reveals a long list of disorders associated with GMOs: “Several animal studies indicate infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, [faulty] insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system,” they say. These newer findings will no doubt reinforce their stance.

The problem with GM foods, however, may hit closer to home than you think. Unfortunately, you probably have eaten GM foods or are currently eating them—perhaps unknowingly. GM corn and soy make up more than 80 percent of all GMOs available and are found in nearly every processed food in the U.S. What’s worse is that GM food manufacturers don’t have to say on the label that a food contains GMOs. The truth is that if you don’t see the Certified 100% Organic Seal, then chances are that the food is filled with GMOs.

Not only are GM foods prevalent, but GM foods are also patented inventions protected under copyright and proprietary information laws. Therefore, corporations who control GM seeds will allow them to be studied only under highly limited conditions and timelines—usually 30 to 90 days. Typically, it’s the USDA—who doesn’t see the need to conduct in-depth, long-term studies—that is solely allowed to study GM seeds and foods.

You’ll be interested to know that there are a few biotechnology companies who create GM foods, but one stands out: Monsanto. For years, this biotechnology has been pumping GM foods into mainstream America, and it shows no signs of letting up. For example, Monsanto has recently genetically modified soybeans to produce omega-3 fats. They plan to get this manufactured soybean oil in all the conventional, mainstream food products possible, including milk products, meat products, puddings and fillings, nut and nut products, baked goods, baking mixes, cereals, grains, fats an oils, fish products, cheese, frozen dairy desserts, pasta, gravies and sauces, fruit juices, snacks and soups. Monsanto is only one FDA approval away from this becoming a reality. Like other GM foods, this GM soybean oil may not make it to the label, but be on the lookout for it. It goes by “stearidonic acid (SDA) soybean oil.”

GM food invasion doesn’t stop there. Now these biotech companies are further messing with Mother Nature and trying to get their wares to infants. Scientists have introduced human genes into the DNA of 300 Holstein dairy cows in order to create a product with the same properties as human breast milk. The reason? When it’s market-ready, they want to make this available as an alternative to breast-feeding or formula.

Jeffrey M. Smith, best-selling author of Seeds of Deception, is on the leading edge of uncovering what GM foods really are. He says, “There are two primary reasons why plants are engineered: to allow them to either drink poison or to produce poison. The poison drinkers are called herbicide tolerant. They’re inserted with bacterial genes that allow them to survive otherwise deadly doses of toxic herbicide. Biotech companies sell the seed and herbicide as a package deal, and U.S. farmers use hundreds of millions of pounds more herbicide because of these types of GM crops. The poison producers are called Bt crops. Inserted genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produce an insect-killing pesticide called Bt-toxin in every cell of the plant. Not surprisingly, both classes of GM crops are linked to dangerous side effects.”

You may be wondering what you can do to protect yourself from GM foods. Learn everything you can about them, avoid conventional, processed foods and be sure to purchase Certified 100% Organic Seal foods or organic produce, meat and dairy from local farmers using non-GM seeds.

Say No to GMOs—before it’s too late.

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What is a body mass index, anyway?

it is:
an index for assessing overweight and underweight, obtained by dividing body weight in kilograms by height in meters squared: a measure of 25 or more is considered overweight. Abbreviation: BMI


Calculate Your Body Mass Index:





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Hello Everyone! I just thought I'd pass on that information. It might help you stay healthier and make you feel great! It seems during this time of year I always (more than usual) want to look even better than ever!
I figured maybe some of you were the same as me.

Have a wonderful week friends! Blessings!-Missygirl* !





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