Eat Pray Live

Organic Foods – The Next Endangered Species?

March 25th, 2011

 

When genetically modified crops were first introduced to the market it was on the promise of reducing costs and need for pesticide use, and  increasing yields.  A decade later these promises have come up short and the truth is even more difficult to swallow.

  • Seed and plant patent requests by biotech corporations continue to escalate, but in 2007 alone the price of corn and soy doubled and cotton yields were down.
  • In 2009 one of Monsanto’s GM corn crops failed to produce kernals, devestating hundreds of farmers.
  • With the spawning of pesticide resistant superweeds (think antibiotic resistant “superbugs”), GM crops increased pesticide use by a 50 million pounds from 1996-2003.

According to an article posted by Dr. Mercola, there are 5 major biotech corporations controlling access to seeds and making it difficult for organic farmers to find  non-GMO seed sources. With these companies in the driver’s seat, and with cross contamination of  wild seed becoming more widespread, organic foods may be the next endangered species.

 

In his book “Seeds of Deception”, Jeffrey Smith presents mind-boggling evidence of  the health and environmental threats of GM foods. Smith documents at least 65 serious health risks from GM products of all kinds, including:

  • Offspring of rats fed GM soy show a five-fold increase in mortality, lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce
  • Male mice fed GM soy have damaged young sperm cells
  • The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice have altered DNA functioning
  • Several US farmers have reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs and cows fed on GM corn varieties
  • Investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions, premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products
  • Animals fed GM foods have developed bleeding stomachs, potentially precancerous cell growth, damaged organs and immune systems, kidney inflammation, problems with blood and liver cells, and unexplained deaths
  • Soy allergies have skyrocketed after the introduction of GM soy
  • Genes from GM crops transfer to human gut bacteria, which might transform your intestinal flora into a “living pesticide factory”

So what can you do to protect yourself?  For starters support your local farmers. Avoid buying processed foods 75% of which contain GM ingredients.  Don’t buy pesticides!  Research natural alternatives to pest control and utilize companion planting.  Garden’s Alive (www.gardensalive.com) offers many great products. Do your part as a consumer and avoid buying genetically engineered and modified foods!  Download the non GMO shopping guide here. Take it a step  further and voice your concerns to your elected officials in letters or telephone calls, or  sign petitions and boycott the companies that are poisoning our food supply and monopolizing patents on seeds and plants.

The 4 main ways to avoid GM foods:

  1. Buy Organic
  2. Only buy those products carrying “non GMO” label
  3. Only buy those products listed in the “non GMO Shopping Guide”
  4. Avoid the known offenders
  • corn
  • soy
  • cotton
  • canola

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, GMO's, Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Planet | No Comments »

Tough Break: Rare Fractures Linked to Osteoporosis Medications

March 3rd, 2011

In an all too familiar trend of dangerous side effects from pharmaceuticals, a news article on NPR this week has disclosed the startling incidence of rare fractures which can occur as a result of the very medications intended to protect bones.  Since 2006, there have been documented cases of these unusual fractures in patients taking bisphosphonates (Fosomax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast) , but in spite of the mounting evidence, these drugs are still viewed as a necessary preventative for hip fractures.  A recent study performed in Canada and published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that subjects taking bisphosphonates for longer than 5 years had 3 times the risk of  these unusual fractures.

 

Oddly, there has been little research on the potential influence of diet on development of osteoporosis.  Dairy products, long touted as necessary to build strong bones, are highly acidic in the body, creating an acid pH which requires the body to rob bones of calcium in order to bring pH into balance!  Could reducing dairy product consumption offer protection from osteoporosis?  Certainly seems worth the effort. Many women are instructed to take calcium supplements to protect their bones, but the body is not able to adequately process these mineral supplements and they often deposit in organs and joints causing conditions like arthritis, gallstones and kidney stones to name a few.  Plant medicines on the other hand contain bone-building minerals like silica.  Silica is transmuted by the body into calcium, in the way nature intended. The best minerals for increasing bone density are silica, magnesium and phosphorous, not calcium.  Not surprisingly, these minerals are readily available in plant sources.  A daily bone-remineralizing tea beverage can easily be made from the following herbs and seeds:

  • Boneset
  • Nettle
  • Comfrey
  • Horsetail
  • Chia or Hemp seed (for phosphorous)

Plants provide all the healing properties the body requires, without the harmful side effects!  Now there is a lucky break.

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, Herbal Medicine, Plant-Based Nutrition | No Comments »

Fast Food Travel Blues

February 26th, 2011

I am a self – professed nomad; I love to travel.  But, since revamping my lifestyle to a healthier diet, I find myself especially challenged when traveling by air.  For starters, airplane food is simply abysmal.  And where can you find healthy food in an airport??  It is difficult to pack enough healthy, unprocessed foods to carry aboard flights when you are traveling light, yet I feel it is essential  to have some fresh, organic fruit and healthy snacks available.  My frequent travels have offered opportunities to explore this conundrum and ,still, I come up short on healthy options.  It seems our culture is simply too focused on convenience, and on soothing our food addictions, especially when stressed by the rigors of travel.  To illustrate, here is a brief “travelog” from a recent trip I made:

  • 6:30 a.m. – The plane has just leveled off and I am dozing when I hear my seat-mate order “coffee with Baileys”  Seriously??
  • 6:45 a.m. – I open my eyes to observe the flight attendant serving the man across from me a double cheese omelet with greasy hash browns.  His fruit goes untouched.  Breakfast of Champions? Not!
  • 8:30 a.m. – I head to the food court seating area at Chicago’s O’hare airport to enjoy my breakfast of a grapefruit (from home) a banana and herb tea (from the airport Starbucks).  As I eat I am confronted with an interesting phenomena….I am surrounded by a sea of McDonalds bags!  I’ve never before paid attention to my surroundings in the food court, but now I am curious. I have never seen so many golden arches before.
  • 8:40 a.m. – A crew of employees from McDonalds sit at the table next to me.  I carefully inventory the contents of their breakfast bags…Smokey bacon, egg and double cheese breakfast sandwiches, a “Big Breakfast” plate , with hot cakes,scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscquit and sausage (see the calorie and nutrient info here),  apple turnovers…all washed down with milkshakes and coffee!  I suppose it’s only natural to eat the company food when it is a fringe benefit of your work shift. The Mickey D’s employees get  to eat up to $6.30 each meal (I asked one of them).  Anything over that is on their dime.  One other  observation… these employees were overweight.  Could it be genetics?? Hmmmmm…

I have discovered that it is usually possible to find an orange, banana or apple in an airport vendor. Starbucks is always a good bet.  They also offer a veggie and dip tray.  I toss the dairy and preservative-laden ranch dip and enjoy the fresh carrots and celery.  I enjoy flying Virgin American Airlines because they offer some healthy snacks on their onboard menu.  My favorite has fresh vegetable sticks with a hummus dip.

Fortunately, for the second leg of my journey  I have packed fresh veggie sticks, crunchy sprouts and a snack mix including nuts and berries which is a far cry from the “for purchase” sugar and fat laden snack boxes and cookies being offered by the airline.  I skip the soft drinks which are loaded with sugar (at least 6 teaspoon per can!)  and choose water or club soda instead.  With the overwhelming numbers of convenience and fast foods available, it is easy to see why travelers are drawn to the fast, and cheap, unhealthy food options.  Too bad those options are contributing so significantly to the pandemic of obesity and ill health in our country.  I have to wonder what it will take to break from the grips of fast food nation.  One thing is certain….the health of Americans depends upon it!

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, Plant-Based Nutrition | 1 Comment »

Can Food Heal You?

February 16th, 2011

America is a land of opportunity, wonderful freedoms, resources, and ….fast food.  Lots of fast food!  America is also leading the world in chronic disease rates.  Obesity has quadrupled in less than 2 decades with 1/3 of all American adults now obese. 246 million Americans suffer from diabetes. Heart disease kills one in three Americans every 30 seconds.  And, cancer overtook heart disease last year as the leading killer in the U.S.  Our government spends 1.4 trillion dollars per year on health care and 75% of that is spent on treatment of chronic diseases.  Modern medicine treats the symptoms of chronic diseases using surgery and pharmaceuticals, but overlooks the importance of prevention.  The most promising approach to preventing and reversing chronic diseases in my opinion:

  • Taking personal responsibility for our own health
  • Reducing our exposure to toxins (in our environment and in our food sources)
  • A Plant-Based Diet!

Why plant foods?  Simple….they provide a wide variety of macro and micronutrients and antioxidants without the cholesterol  and saturated fats so prevalent in animal foods and processed foods.  Four food groups contribute significantly to chronic diseases in our country;  Saturated and Trans fats, refined sugars, simple carbohydrates (refined and processed flour, grains and sweeteners) and sodium (also prevalent in processed foods).  Most Americans consume the same 10 foods repeatedly, depriving themselves of many essential vitamins and minerals. According to Colin Campbell, PhD, author of  ”The China Study“, we should be eating a variety of colorful plant foods every day for optimum health.  Variety provides a wide range of nutrients which work together  to support optimum health.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has studied cardiac patients for 20 years and, using his plant-based, no-oil diet, has reversed heart disease in hundreds of patients. The evidence is clear, a healthy diet can promote health and reverse disease!

When we consume large quantities of animal foods we clog our arteries with cholesterol plaque, which can cause heart attack, stroke, dementia, impotence and even wrinkles!  Processed foods and fast food, which Americans spend nearly 90% of their food money on, are laced with toxic chemicals (flavor enhancers and preservatives) and completely devoid of nutrients and dietary fiber.  These foods create a toxic dump inside our bodies which takes days, even weeks, to clean up.  It’s time for Americans to step up and take control of their health.  Just say “no” to ultra-processed foods!  Reduce animal foods in your diet, even one meat-free day per week can positively impact your health.  Make the pledge to Meatless Monday! Head to the produce department for your medicine!

The movie Forks Over Knives will be released  on May 6, and will offer Americans an up-close look at the significance of diet, specifically a plant foods diet , on health. Look for  it in a theater near you.  Meanwhile, visit your local organic produce department and stock up on the best possible prevention for disease….fresh fruits and veggies!

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, Plant-Based Nutrition | 1 Comment »

They’re Here….The New Dietary Guidelines

January 31st, 2011

The USDA has finally released the all new, improved, dietary guidelines.  Last revised in 2005, the guidelines aim to address the nation’s escalating obesity and chronic disease rates.  While these new guidelines certainly surpass the last revision, there is still room for improvement.  In my opinion, the following guidelines still fall short of what should be our national goal to prevent and reverse disease:

  • “Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible” How about eliminate trans fats from the diet altogether.  Trans fats are found exclusively in processed foods that Americans can do without, but our greedy food industry profits wildly from.
  • “Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars” should be eliminate solid fats and added sugars, which are poisons to the body!
  • “Increase intake of low fat and fat-free milk and milk products” Why?  These products are processed, increase acidity and mucous production in the body and are not the best source of calcium anyway.

Here is where the USDA got it right:

  • “Increase fruit and vegetable consumption” Amen to that.
  • “Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark green and red and orange vegetables and beans and peas” Affirmative!  A colorful variety of vegetables in the diet is necessary for health promoting micronutrients and antioxidants.

Will these revamped guidelines bring Americans to a greater state of awareness about health?  That remains to be seen., but drawing attention to the benefits of healthy eating is definitely in everyone’s best interest.

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle | 2 Comments »

Spirit of the Season

December 31st, 2010

This holiday season has been intense in a new and beautiful way.  A full moon lunar eclipse on the eve of the winter solstice and Christmas, all in the span of a few days.  There can be no doubt that big shifts are in process as we welcome the return of the sun and celebrate the light of the 12 days of Christmas.  And, the new year greets us with a new moon solar eclipse on January 4!  Ahhh, what opportunities for manifesting good things in the coming year!

I celebrated the Winter Solstice with a traditional Andean Despacho ceremony.  In the Peruvian Andes, a despacho, a reverent offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the Apus (mountain spirits), is created to offer ayni (sacred reciprocity) to spirit in appreciation for the beauty and gifts nature and the spirit realms provide us daily.  On this celebration of the return of the light, a despacho offering seemed fitting. This year, with the full moon and a total eclipse of the moon aligning with the solstice, there was a powerful theme around balance.  The full moon is a time of activation, yet the eclipsing of the moon offers a time for releasing, shedding what no longer serves us and inward journeying to mine those aspects of ourselves that are on the threshold of transformation.

Our despacho offering was created with prayerful intention using a mixture of traditional Andean elements (incense, sweets, crackers, silver and gold threads and sprinkles) as well as items symbolic to North America (tobacco, local herbs and seeds, bay leaves), thereby weaving together the two traditions.  Overlaying this living mandala was a blanket of flower petals; red on the left side (feminine) and white on the right (masculine),  creating a yin/yang depiction of balance and harmony of opposites.  The offering was burned to release the gifts and prayers to the spirit realms.

A poignant example of reverent appreciation for the natural cycles and rhythms of the Earth, the despacho ceremony brings ritual and ceremony to this season which is otherwise marked by a focus on the material.  As  Jillian Davis, Profit From Your Passion Specialist, commented in her blog “I felt enough to know that this is the way to go: Notice the earth, smell the seasons, mark the openings, the solstices, the rotation of the moons, the tides.”

To experience this season as a celebration of the natural world is a departure from the normal focus on gifting, wrapping, and shipping, all of which strain the environment and are not sustainable.  Having experienced a Solstice despacho ceremony, I find myself more concerned about offering love than presents.  More concerned with protecting the environment than burdening it with more waste. Next year I vow to approach this holiday in a different way by considering more environmentally friendly options such as:

  • Sending e-cards instead of paper cards
  • making gifts that are practical and useful, and can be used right away  (like homemade food, preserves, teas, etc)and “wrapping” them in recycled boxes or gift bags
  • Instead of sending gifts to distant relatives and friends, making donations to a charity instead.  Global Giving has many options to choose from
  • Buying a potted Christmas tree to plant after the holiday, instead of using a cut tree

However you celebrate this season of light, be sure to take notice of the powerful astrological shifts occurring.  Find an opportunity to be in stillness to witness and appreciate all around you through a new lens!

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Posted in Ceremony, Events, Holistic living, Spirituality | No Comments »

Got Cheese?

November 26th, 2010

In typical fashion the Government has been promoting reduction of dietary fat, specifically dairy fat, while simultaneously supplying millions of dollars worth of “product development” and marketing to the likes of Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.  In an article published by the New York Times, Dairy Management, a marketing arm of the USDA, was cited as the largest of 18 Agriculture Department programs that market beef, pork, potatoes and other commodities. While the non-profit Dairy Management’s budget is largely paid by levies imposed on farmers, it also also received $5.3 million last year from the Agriculture Department to promote dairy sales overseas.

Let’s see if I have this straight. The USDA is actively promoting an anti-obesity campaign while at the same time partially  funding the marketing efforts of  the Dairy Management organization, whose goal it is to increase consumption of the very foods the USDA is recommending Americans consume less of?  So that means our government is using our tax dollars to fund promotion of high-fat dairy products AND then using our tax dollars again for health care and research on the growing epidemic of obesity in this country!   Interesting……..

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Coconut Oil-Friend or Foe?

November 26th, 2010

You’ve heard the great reviews.  Not only is coconut water incredibly hydrating with it’s plethora of electrolytes and a structure similar to human blood plasma, but coconut oil has also received rave reviews.  Coconut oil has more than 90% saturated fat, 66% of which is medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s), fatty acids which are easily digested and absorbed by the body.  Medium chain triglycerides are easier to assimilate and require less work by the body to convert, as opposed to the long chain triglycerides found in animal fats. MCT’s passively pass from the GI tract to the liver and do not require modification, bile salts or additional energy to process.  They reduce liver production of LDL (bad cholesterol), provide quick energy and reduce insulin resistance.  Because MCT’s help burn excess calories, they are believed to be helpful in weight loss.  The MCT’s in Coconut Oil include caprylic and capric, myristic and palmitic acids and, most noteably, lauric acid (over 40%).

Lauric acid is converted by the body into monolaurin which is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic. It has a high nutrient value and the only other source of lauric acid that rivals the amounts found in coconut oil is human breast milk.  Additional health benefits of coconut oil include:

  • Promotes healthy skin and hair
  • Improves immunity
  • Helps heal infections
  • Aids in absorption of minerals – helpful for teeth and bones

With all these health-building qualities, you might wonder what could possibly be wrong with coconut oil?  Well, it is oil, after all.  100% oil, and primarily saturated fat.  For those with heart disease or high blood pressure, fats in the diet, and especially oil, can have serious deleterious effects.  As Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn points out in his book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, high levels of fats and oils in the diet impair the production of nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide is an important chemical in vascular health; it keeps blood vessels relaxed, prevents “stickiness” of platelets and white blood cells and diminishes plaque formation in vessels. This information lends new light to the incidence of  high blood pressure, previously thought to be primarily associated with high sodium levels. With even young children at risk of high blood pressure these days, it behooves us to exercise caution with the amount of fats and oils consumed in our diets

For those with low risk of heart disease, fats used in moderation can have health benefits and coconut oil certainly stands out as a winner.  Along with it’s many health benefits,it is stable and can tolerate high cooking temperatures without oxidizing.  The same is not true for olive oil, which has a chemical structure that is highly susceptible to oxidation. Olive oil also contains chlorophyll which accelerates decomposition, meaning it can become rancid quickly! Unlike coconut oil, olive oil should be used cold and never heated.

Organic, virgin (unrefined) coconut oil definitely gets my vote as a healthy fat and the best choice for cooking.  As with all fats, it should be used in moderation.

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Curious About Shamanism?

November 14th, 2010

If you have always wanted to learn more about Shamanism and the history of this ancient spiritual and healing practice, listen to my recent interview with Jillian Davis (www.jillianjdavis.com):
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jillibex/2010/11/03/tamara-grenier-sacred-medicine-and-shamanism

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The Toxic Soup We Live In

November 11th, 2010

It is shocking to think that our three most important resources for survival are also seriously toxic: Air, Water and Food. Because we usually can’t smell, see or taste the toxins in our environment, we forget that they even exist.  Our threatened health and the rise in chronic disease is a powerful reminder that we have created an environment that leaves us swimming in toxins.  This past year cancer overtook heart disease as the leading cause of death in the U.S. and ,according to Dr. Mark Merriman , up to 97% of cancers are related to environmental carcinogens.  Dr.  Merriman identifies 2 classes of dangerous toxins:

  • Heavy Metals and Aluminum
  • Man-made (such as pesticides, herbicides, industrial and food processing chemicals)

Consider that anything you inhale is delivered immediately to the blood stream.  The same is true for products applied to the skin, the largest organ of the body!  Fluoride in public drinking water supplies, long heralded as important for dental health, is now recognized as a poison to the body. Combine fluoride with a continual leaching of chemicals  and even pharmaceuticals into groundwater and the result is extreme toxicity of our drinking water supply.

Another culprit is the food we consume.  Fast food and processed food have become the norm in our country.  These foods are not only devoid of nutrients, but are laced with chemical additives, preservatives and “add-in” synthetic vitamins, none of which are recognized by the body as “normal”.  Is it any wonder then that auto-immune diseases such as Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Scleroderma are on the rise?  Even the healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables are highly contaminated.  Recent research has also targeted food packaging as a source of carcinogenic chemicals, yet another reason to avoid processed and packaged foods!

So what can we  do about cleaning up our environment, food and water?  For one, we should be vocal in contacting our Representatives and Congressmen about our dissatisfaction with the  chemical toxins allowed in our drinking water and food supplies. As individuals, we should exercise vigilance with what we consume and what products we use on our bodies. Here are 5 important changes you can make today:

  • Install a water filtration device at home, or drink spring water (not from plastic bottles,please)
  • Eat organic food – yes it is worth the price!!
  • Eat more veggies! Fiber in the diet is critical for removing toxins
  • Eliminate processed foods and fast foods
  • Pay attention to what products you use on your body, starting from the head down

Many health experts now agree that drinking pure, clean water is the first, and most important, step in detoxing the body.  Dr. Merriman believes the second most important step in detoxing to be cleansing of the colon.  When digestion is poor or sluggish,  waste in the colon becomes stagnant allowing toxins to be reabsorbed.  What contributes to poor digestion?  A diet high in animal and processed foods.  The average American consumes 40% of their diet as animal products and another 51% as processed foods….a certain recipe for toxicosis.

With a few simple steps you can make big strides in detoxing your body today.  Drink more pure water.  Eat more fresh, organic vegetables and fruit.  Drink fresh vegetable juices.  Read the labels on everything and avoid health and beauty products with sodium laurel sulfate, fluoride and aluminum.

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