When I was growing up, the health of the environment was far from top of mind. The world I knew and played in every day was taken for granted. When I had my own children, I became a little more environmentally astute. I started with recycling, hoping that engaging my children in that practice, might have an impact. As my awareness evolved, I realized the important role parents play in educating their children on ways to preserve their future and their world.

Environmental educator David Sobel said, “One transcendent experience in nature is worth a thousand nature facts.” Studies have shown that when children are connected to nature between the ages of 5 and 10, they’re more likely to develop more compassion about their environment, a compassion they’ll likely carry throughout their lives. So what can you do to help your child develop an interest in environmental preservation? The following steps show how easy it can be!

Create a Nature Trip

Go for a nature walk, picking up cans, bottles, paper along the way, all of which can be recycled. This exercise will raise awareness about the damage from littering and encourage personal responsibility for keeping the earth clean. A nature field trip is also a great way to motivate children to ask questions about flowers, birds, trees, and more. The more children know about the life cycle, the more interested they will become in preserving it.

Start a Garden

Getting kids involved in the food that comes into the house naturally improves their food choices, thus reducing the risk of obesity. Further, teaching kids to garden and allowing them to choose what vegetables they would like to grow, encourages healthy eating habits and a dedication to locally grown, seasonal foods.

Visit a Recycling Plant

Try taking your children to a recycling plant where they can witness the recycling process from garbage to product. Many plants offer tours, so check your local community.  Kids will find it fascinating, and they will better understand the importance of recycling.

Create a Compost Bin

Composting is an ideal way to instill a sense of environmental advocacy in children. No matter where you live, you can compost. Plus, kids love it! Composting is such a great exercise for kids because they can witness the entire cycle of the food off their plate (that would normally go into a landfill) into useful soil that is garden ready. By composting, children will learn to value organic wastes as a resource instead of thinking it is useless garbage. Composting is a great way to empower your children by helping them understand how their actions can have a positive effect on the environment.

Turn Off Lights and Preserve Water

Kids are notorious for leaving lights on, and as they advance into the junior high years, showers go on forever. The best way to teach children the value of saving resources is to make a game of it. For example, every time a light is left on or a shower goes beyond a certain limit, they have to put 5 cents in a jar for each slip-up. Conversely, if they haven’t left any lights on and have honored the water limitation, 5 cents goes in to the family jar. At the end of the month, the family can select a fun way to spend the money, maybe even donate it to an environmental effort.

Remember, children want to help. And if they can do something that grownups do, they’re in.  Not only will you be teaching by example, you’ll be allowing them to get involved and connected to Mother Earth. They’re never too young or too old to for you to teach them about the value of preserving their planet for their future.

Bring up the subject of being able to heal yourself and you often will get looked at like you are either clinically insane or have just been dropped off by Alf. People are not yet ready to believe that the body is indeed capable of healing itself, which shows a complete lack of gratitude for the infinite intelligence it contains and the daily actions it completes for us. You know, the heart beating, lungs breathing, organs functioning, muscles twitching, neurotransmitters firing…all those things we don’t need to know how to do because our body takes care of it. So how can the body complete all these tasks, but not be able to heal itself? The answer lies between your ears, and it’s time for some rewiring. To be clear, I’m referring to your beliefs. The things that guide your actions, bring about your reality, and are backed up by your opinions. Sometimes we need to question our beliefs, in order to grow and expand. This is an opportunity to do just that.

#1 – Belief You Are Healthy (when you are not)

As long are you have the belief that you are already healthy, you will NEVER be able to heal.

Since definitions will vary, for the sake of this article, let’s assume that healthy is a body free of any disease or discord. Disease includes chronic lack of energy, sleep, aches, pains, headaches, digestion issues, skin issues, libido problems, and nagging coughs, colds, flu’s, sore throats, and general stomach upset. Unfortunately, this eliminates 97% of the population.

Even if you have managed to stop the disease process, and have eliminated toxins from your diet and are eating clean and healthy food, you still have to uproot the deep seated challenges that are holding you back from true health. Otherwise, your body is still circulating contaminants often rooted in your digestive system through blood circulation that ends up infecting your organs, muscles, tissues, and bones on a daily basis.

In other words, you may have cleaned up your engine and are using premium fuel, but as long as really old, dirty oil keeps circulating through it, your vehicles performance will always be compromised.

I have seen many people claim that they are healthy, but their actions, body signals, and general appearance often say the opposite. This is not to say that these people are not doing a great job of currently feeding their system and that they are very passionate about their health (which I applaud), But if we do truly want to be healthy we need to look in the mirror and be straight with ourselves (and not stress out about it) and evaluate our true level of health.

Once we have done this, and we realize that we are indeed not as healthy as we would like, then the door opens and allows the right information to flow in as the body anxiously awaits for you to feed it the potent nutrition and right mindset to uproot your deeply seated challenges.

Until that moment, you will put a block on any healing process.

#2 – Belief in the Conventional Medical System

Another major stumbling block to healing is the belief that the answers lie within the conventional wisdom of doctors, scientists, and pharmaceutical companies.

The painful truth, which is self evident by the state of people’s health, is that they have done a poor job of increasing people’s vitality and removing the root cause of any disease process already present in the body. What they have done a good job of is diagnosing, labelling, enslaving, and managing people’s symptoms which creates lifelong customers, but unhappy ones at best.

Only in a system where you feel you have no other choice would people keep coming back to it. This is the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The stark reality of our current system is that it is a sickcare system, not a healthcare system. It does not promote healing…it promotes hiding, managing, and applying bloody bandages on a day-to-day basis to the sores that do not get better.

The conventional medical system is good at critical care and life threatening situations. It’s terrible at promoting quality of life and a healthy lifestyle.

So if you still believe in the conventional medical system in that it can create a reasonable quality of life and have largely shunned all other possibilities, you have created a permanent barrier to healing.

#3 – Belief in the Industrialized Food System

Our food system is not what it was 50 years ago, and if you believe you can heal yourself through it, you are in for a rude awakening.

The current mode of production and distribution has helped eliminate a large amount of nutrients in our food, and to add insult to injury, has laced them with toxic chemicals to leave them a fraction of the nutrient value that they would be coming from your own garden, or someone else’s who has made it a priority to produce clean food in gently tilled, nutrient rich soils.

Perhaps you need a refresher on how our food is produced, why it is harming you, and can rarely if ever heal you. This article is a great start.

The industrialized food system will provide some sustenance and nutrients for your body, but it can’t reverse any damage incurred over your lifetime. To do that, you require potent nutrition and supplementation so the body is given the power to heal itself.

As long as you believe that the current food system is good enough to help you become truly healthy, you will always have a barrier to healing.

#4 – Disbelief Your Body Can Be Healed

I understand, everyone’s situation is different. You have tried everything and nothing works. You’ve lost hope or have completely blocked the idea that your body is capable of becoming healthy again. Don’t continue tell your mind or body that. That is counterproductive.

Realizing that all situations are more acute than others, I can boldly say that healing is always possible. Now, this doesn’t mean it won’t be extremely difficult for some of you, and it doesn’t mean that the answers and protocols are easy to find, but I can say that whatever the body creates, it can eliminate.

I empathize with those who have found themselves in precarious situations. It’s not enjoyable, nor is it easy. I know this from personal experience…having gone through debilitating pain, doctors visits, and prescriptions that solved nothing.

However, the one thing they couldn’t take away from me was my faith. I believed that the answers were somewhere and that I just needed to keep moving forward until my persistence paid off and I found them. Fortunately, I did find these answers and put them in place over a period of 8 years, until I managed to give my body what it needed to completely heal itself (and the reason why I can now help others do it in a mere fraction of the time).

So if you don’t believe you can be healed, you are sure to not find the answers to true healing.

#5 – Disbelief You Can Find Someone Who Can Help Your Body Heal

If you do overcome the disbelief that your body can heal itself, then you need to overcome what is often the biggest trap of all, the belief you cannot find someone who can help your body heal.

Now, no one should describe themselves as a healer. The only thing that can take credit for healing is the body. It in the only thing that has the infinite intelligence required to govern effective healing, and actually put the processes into action that will ultimately lead to real healing.

A healer should be thought of more as a broker or facilitator. They recommend or provide the tools, the advice, and in some cases broker the kind of energy required for the body to overcome its disease through direct contact. Regardless of the method, they understand how to ‘translate’ the body’s signals and provide the things it requires to take care of itself.

However, if you are inherently skeptical about finding this type of person, one will never come into your midst, as you have created a monumental barrier to your own healing.

Your Beliefs Are Most important

Sure, there are plenty of other barriers to healing, like improper food and supplementation choices, doing things at the wrong time and in the wrong order, and ingesting toxic ingredients. However, the most debilitating barrier is a closed mind, because it leads to nothing but closed doors. This will never lead to an opportunity to heal the body.

Don’t make the mistaken assumption your body is not intelligent enough to heal itself. It could be the most costly mistake you ever make.

Superfoods are natural foods that have an array of nutrients that synergistically work to together to exponentially expand the individual nutritional components.  Many raw, organic vegetables fall into this category.  One of the world’s favorite superfoods is cucumbers.

Cucumbers are the 4^th most cultivated vegetable in the world.  Cucumbers are in the same botanical family as melons and squashes.  They are considered one of the absolute best foods for the health of the skin, joints, liver and  kidneys.  They are also a natural energy tonic with their rich array of phytonutrients and electrolytes.

Cucumbers are Rich in Silica

Cucumbers are loaded with the mineral silica, which is an essential component for healthy connective tissue (muscles, ligaments, cartilage, bone, & skin).  They are also full of ionic potassium, magnesium, and  vitamin C, which gives them a powerful alkalizing effect within the body.  Additionally, cucumbers are particularly rich in fluids that hydrate the skin, joints, and tissues.

More recently scientists have begun studying the unique lignans found in cucumbers.  These lignans include lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol.  New research is linking these lignans with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease as well as breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancer.

Cucumbers Inhibit Cancer Cell Signaling

Cucumbers also contain the triterpene phytonutrients cucurbitacins A, B, C, D & E.  These phytonutrients have been the major focus of some extensive research looking deeply into their abilities to inhibit cancer cell signaling pathways.

Fresh cucumbers have been shown to improve anti-oxidant levels within the body and inhibit pro-inflammatory substances such as COX-2 and nitric oxide.  The combination of alkalizing elements, electrolytes, and fluids make it one of the world’s best foods for enhancing energy levels.  Cucumbers are also great for stabilizing blood pressure and stimulating the body’s natural detoxification process.

Cucumbers Make For Beautiful Skin

Cucumbers are often used topically to enhance skin function.  The natural ascorbic acid and caffeic acid within the cucumber act to prevent water retention in the skin.  This reduces swelling under the eyes and helps the skin heal from sunburn, inflammation, and eczema.

Cucumbers are also very effective when eaten and applied topically for removing unwanted cellulite.  Cucumbers act to draw out excess fluids and tighten collagen which has the effect of a natural cellulite reduction.  Simply eat some cucumber, juice it and/or place the cucumber on the regions of water retention.

Get Your Cucumbers Organic

Cucumbers are typically highly sprayed with pesticides so it is necessary to get organic varieties.  If conventional is the only option, it is best to scrape off the green skin rather than washing.  Many of the chemicals are waxy and do not come off easy when washing.

Try dicing up cucumbers and adding some apple cider vinegar, oregano, and pink salt.  This makes a quick, electrolyte and enzyme-rich snack to boost energy levels.

Sources For This Article Include:

• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=42
• http://www.naturalnews.com/028923_superfoods_nutrition.html
• http://www.naturalnews.com/032143_pH_levels_natural_remedies.html

There are a variety of things people do to food. Some of the most common practices are baking, grilling, frying, deep frying, and microwaving. However, if you are a true health nut, you cut back on the heat and destruction of food and focus on processes that leave it raw or lightly cooked so real healing can begin in the body. Here are the top 5 things health nuts do with their food.

Blending

One of the first things you will see in a health nut’s home is a high quality blender. It’s not uncommon to see a lot of affection towards it, including winks, smiles, and gentle rubbing.

Seriously though, a blender gets a serious work out in a health nut’s home for 3 main reasons: smoothies, soups, and dips.

A common staple in any health nut’s diet is a smoothie. Nothing wakes up a thirsty, hungry, and acidic body first thing in the morning more than a delicious, alkaline, and satisfying superfood smoothie. Not only that, but you can pack more nutrition in a single smoothie than most people can pack in for an entire day, which results in incredible healing benefits. It makes getting in your daily fruits, vegetables, super foods, fiber, protein, and healthy fats, incredibly easy.

Get some ideas with these fun smoothie recipes.

Another great use for a blender is making cold and hot soups. Blending your ingredients and making a smooth textured soup greatly assists in the digestion and assimilation of nutrients so that you are absorbing as many of the beneficial vitamins, minerals, and enzymes as possible.

Finally, another major use for blenders is making fresh and savoury dips.  Whether it’s an award winning almond hummus or a healthy mayonnaise, blenders make it incredibly easy to whip these dips up in a fraction of the time and with flavourful results.

In terms of staying fresh in the refrigerator, smoothies will typically last only 1-3 hours before they go “bad” (if no preserving agent is added), and soup and dip will last up to a week.

Juicing

Another important component to preparing healthy food is juicing. Health nuts will spend more time preparing a fresh juice in the morning than most people spend preparing dinner. True story.

Juice is a great idea because it allows you to maximize your intake of fruits and vegetables (you can often get 3-4 pieces of fruit into a 12 to 16 oz glass of juice), create superior and maximum absorption of nutrients and enzymes, and put little to no stress on the digestive system in the process. This is where some real healing can begin when done properly.

Not only that, juicing can create drinks that are simply amazing. The freshness combined with your creativity can result in an unlimited amount of recipes, and you can feel good about it knowing that the nutrients and enzymes are still largely in place, with no extra ingredients required!

In terms of staying fresh, juice should be consumed immediately after it has been rendered to enjoy the nutrients and enzymes at their highest value. However, it can last a couple days, depending on your juicing method and ability to store it in airtight jars.

Fermenting

Another popular thing health nuts do with their food is fermentation. Although not as prevalent as some of the other methods, it is perhaps the most important of all.

Fermentation is the art of taking a food medium, adding a probiotic culture, and placing it in airtight containers to allow the bacteria to replicate to create an end product teeming with probiotics, vitamins, enzymes, and other beneficial nutrients.

It’s very important to note that since we have 10 times more bacteria than cells in our body and  80% of our immune system lies within our digestive system, fermented foods are one of the most important things you can do for your health. True healing does not begin until you get these foods into your diet. And fermenting foods is a very cheap method of preservation. Done correctly, fermented foods can last as long or longer than that jar of pickles in the cold room, with way more health benefits.

To learn more about the benefits of fermented foods, check out this article.

Dehydrating

Many health nuts prepare their foods in a way that results in a lot less heat, leaving them much more “‘raw”, keeping delicate enzymes and nutrients intact for consumption.

A dehydrator essentially allows you to create food that would traditionally be baked at much higher temperatures, such as breads, crackers, granola, and crusts, and allows you to gently heat them at levels that keep the delicate nutrients intact. It also allows you to create dried fruit, “chips” (kale chips are outstanding) and other treats that can last much longer than their fresh counterparts.

Dehydrating can preserve food for an indefinite amount of time and is a great choice for hiking or long trips. I can assure you, carrying a dozen apples in your backpack is much bulkier and heavier than carrying 12 dehydrated apples. Dehydrating definitely has its benefits.

Soaking/Sprouting

A sure sign you are in a health nut’s house is various bowls on the counter (right beside the jars of fermented and dehydrated foods) with standing water, filled with nuts, seeds, and grains. There is a method behind their madness.

Nature has set it up so that the nut, grain, and seed may survive until proper growing conditions are present. Nature’s defense mechanism includes nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances that can be removed naturally when there is enough precipitation to sustain a new plant after the nut, grain, or seed germinates. When it rains the nut, grain or seed gets wet and can then germinate to produce a plant. So we are mimicking nature when we soak our nuts, grains, and seeds.

Nutritional inhibitors and toxic substances found in nuts, grains, and seeds can be minimized or eliminated by soaking. These inhibitors and toxic substances are enzyme inhibitors, phytates (phytic acid), polyphenols (tannins), and goitrogens.

Since nuts and seeds provide a wide array of healthy fats, protein, trace minerals, and nutrients it is a good idea to include them in your diet. Just make sure you soak them to ensure they provide the most benefits, with minimal side effects.

So if you are not a full blown health nut yet, and haven’t used a lot of these methods, what’s holding you back?

Approximately 200 synthetic industrial chemicals interact with our cells every single day.

Autism now affects one in 50 children.

Cancer is the leading cause of death (after accidents) in children younger than 15 years in the United States.

In the last twenty years, the rates of asthma, allergies, and ADHD are on the rise:

• 400 percent increase in allergies
• 300 percent increase in asthma
• 400 percent increase in ADHD

$2.6 trillion of the GDP is spent on treating disease every year.

These are facts. Unacceptable facts.

And Ed Brown wants to do something about it.

Moved by his wife’s two unexplained miscarriages and a nasty tasting glass of water at work, Ed (now father of two healthy children) was determined to uncover the possible cause of these and other health issues. With camera in hand, he traveled the country seeking insight from the top minds in the fields of science, advocacy, and law.

The result: an award-winning documentary, Unacceptable Levels.

The film poses challenges to our companies, our government, and our society to do something about a nearly unseen threat with the inspired knowledge that small changes can generate a massive impact.

You don’t have to take on the world to change it. Just pick one thing in your life. Water, food, regulations—it doesn’t matter. Just pick something. Become curious about it and start asking questions. Find the answers just like I did.

“And know that of all the people out there, you finally found someone that can truly make a difference. That person is—and always has been—you.” ~ Ed Brown

His documentary dissects the ways chemicals saturate our homes and environment amid a backdrop of a glaring lack of regulation. It chronicles the results of the post-WWII chemical boom and details common avenues of exposure, from food to fluoride to toxic sludge. The film brings together 47 non-profit organizations and 91 companies to support the overwhelming need for chemical reform in the United States.

Unacceptable Levels opens the door to conversations about the chemical burden our bodies carry so that we can make informed decisions now and in the future.

Screening in San Francisco July 11th and Chicago July 24th (with special guest actress/eco activist Mariel Hemingway), the film will hopefully reach beyond the typical environmentally conscious audience… and empower all viewers to make better decisions for their children and themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/PVB6XSyBTVE

Please help spread the word about the film by sharing this post and liking their facebook page here. You can also follow them on twitter @UnacceptableLev.

If you live near San Francisco or Chicago, please come out for the screening! Both will be followed by a panel discussion led by Ed Brown. I’ll be attending the Chicago event and hope to see you there!

Are GMOs Safe?

While many studies claim no correlation to any health issues with GMO consumption, there are a number of studies that do show frightening correlations including multi-organ damage and reproductive disruption. The serious health risks are becoming harder to dismiss.

How to Avoid GMOs

It’s not easy. It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of processed food contains a GMO ingredient, according to the Colorado State University Extension.

As for produce, buying organic is one very good way to avoid GMOs. There are times when organic crops have been contaminated, but for the most part, buying organic keeps you free of genetically modified foods. We prefer to purchase most of our food from local farmer’s markets where we can get to know the farmers. Besides growing it yourself, local farmer’s markets are typically the best way to get the freshest, healthiest produce. And buy heirloom produce as much as possible! It’s funny looking, but much healthier and much tastier! Read The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs for more information on heirlooms.

Another way to avoid GMOs is to avoid the foods that are most often genetically modified.

What Foods are Genetically Modified?

The foods most likely to be GMO are corn, soybeans, cotton (for oil), canola (also a source of oil), squash, papaya,  and sugar beets, which are refined into sugar. There’s also GMO alfalfa, but that is used for animal feed, not for sprouts that people eat. That leaves quite a lot of your garden untouched.

GMO versions of tomatoes, potatoes, and rice have been created and approved by government regulators, but they aren’t commercially available.

GM Corn

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 70 percent of corn grown in the United States has been genetically engineered. The two most common genetically modified corns are BT corn and herbicide resistant corn. BT corn is genetically altered to contain the bacterial Bt toxin, an insecticide. Herbicide resistant corn varieties are resistant to glyphosate herbicides, Liberty and Roundup. Now fourteen countries grow herbicide-resistant GM corn.

Corn hybrids have been marketed with tolerance to imidazoline herbicides under the trademark “Clearfield.” Not to be confused with GMOs, the herbicide-tolerance trait was bred into the corn by using a tissue culture selection and the chemical mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate.

For those who eat a conventional, modern diet, GM corn seems to be in everything! It’s prevalent in most processed foods. Look out for the following ingredients which are either made directly from GM corn or are processed using GM corn:

• Artificial Sweeteners (many are derived from corn in one way or another)
• Artificial Flavors
• Ascorbic Acid (most vitamin C is made from GMO corn)
• Caramel Color
• Citrate (Calcium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate)
• Corn Meal
• Corn Oil
• Corn Starch
• Corn Syrup
• Decyl Glucoside (body care products like shampoo)
• Dextrin
• Glucose
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Honey (High fructose corn syrup is often fed to bees to increase production. In addition, honey is often mixed with corn syrup by unscrupulous companies). Lactic Acid (often made using corn fermentation)
• Maltodextrin
• Modified Food Starch
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) (often made from corn)
• Natural Flavors
• Sodium
• Vitamin E (Tocopherols)
• Xanthan Gum
• Xylitol

And believe it or not, this is an incomplete list. As you may have figured out, this means breads, cereals, baby foods, baby formulas, sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc.) veggies burgers, soy cheese, protein powders, supplements, candies, instant dinners, peanut butters, pastas, and even hospital IV’s are likely to contain genetically modified corn. Almost anything packaged! This is one of many reasons to prepare your own food and avoid anything processed.

Even organic corn has been shown to be contaminated by pollination. The farther away non GMO corn is from GMO corn fields, the less likely it will be contaminated, but it seems to be spreading.

GM Soy

The first genetically modified soybeans were planted in the United States in 1996. Now, more than 93% of  soybeans the United States produces are genetically modified, according to the USDA. GM soybeans are planted all over the world. The most commonly used GM soybeans are Roundup Ready soybeans. Soybeans have natural protection against pests. But weeds are a major problem for farmers growing soy. Roundup Ready soybeans possess a gene, agrobacterium sp. strain CP4, a bacteria, that causes the soybean to be herbicide resistance. Now the farmers can spray massive amounts of herbicides onto the crop fields without harming the soybeans.

Fortunately, since soy is well known to cause severe allergic reactions in people (and we suspect that the number of people allergic to soy is on the rise partly due to the GM soy), it’s fairly common for packaged foods to be labeled as having soy, or labeled to show they were processed in facilities that also process soy. But there are lots of food manufactures who do not label soy or that use soy and label it under a different name. Below is a list of both common names for soy and ingredients that are often derived from or contain soy. So watch out for these ingredients:

• Daidzéine
• Edamame
• Estrogène Végétal
• Fermented Soy
• Flavoring (including natural and artificial)
• Génistéine
• Glycine
• High Protein Flour (possibly)*
• Hydrolyzed Plant, Soy or Vegetable Protein*
• Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
• Isoflavens
• Isoflavone
• Isolated Soy Protein
• Isolated Soybean Protein
• Kinnoko Flour
• Kyodofu (freeze dried tofu)
• Lecithin
• Legume
• Many vegetable broths
• Miso
• MSG
• Natto
• Phytoestrogen
• Phytosterol
• Plant Esters
• Plant Estrogen
• Shoyu
• Shoyu sauce
• Soja
• Soya
• Stanol
• Sterol
• Tamari
• Tempeh
• Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
• Tofu
• Vitamin E
• Xanthan Gum

GMO soy is found in pastries, infant formulas, supplements, protein powders, cereals, vitamin E, bread, cheese, dough, candy… Once again, pretty much anything and everything processed and packaged as convenient food.

Meat, Dairy, and Eggs

While scientists are beginning to genetically modify animals, the current problem with GMOs from meat comes from the foods we feed our livestock.

Chickens, cows, and pigs (as well as many “free range” livestock) are fed genetically modified corn and soy. You are what you eat (and drink, and are injected with). So conventional meat, eggs, and dairy are essentially made up of GMO corn and soy.

Farmers who want to avoid genetically modified feed can purchase corn and soy feed that is labeled GMO free. But the feed is often contaminated with GMOs. Even organic animal feed is not free from contamination! In 2006, Albert Straus, owner of the Straus Family, wanted to make sure the food he was producing was completely free of genetically modified foods. He made the decision to test the feed he used for his 1,600 cows and found that nearly 6% of the corn feed he used, labeled organic, was contaminated by GMOs (read the Times article, When Organic Isn’t Really Organic).

While dairy shares the same problem as meat and eggs, as it is essentially created in large part from genetically modified animal feed, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, also known as RBGH, is another problem with conventional milk. This Monsanto hormone artificially forces cows to increase their milk production by 15 percent.  While not a genetic modification, it’s worth mentioning that this is nasty stuff that should be avoided at all costs.

The easiest way to avoid meat contaminated with GMOs is to go vegan or to know the farmer that raised the meat so you can be assured that precautions are taken. Regardless of where one’s ethics are when it comes to eating meat, animals should be allowed to roam freely and eat what nature intended. This produces healthier meat that is generally completely GMO free. But with the spread of genetically modified pollen, it may eventually become harder and harder to insure animals don’t eat GM plants.

GM Beets/Sugar

More than 50% of sugar sold in America comes from sugar beets. Genetically modified, Roundup Ready sugar beets account for more than 90 percent of the crop. This figure is likely to increase since the USDA granted non-regulated status for genetically engineered beets just last year, and the FDA approved them to be to be sold on the market under the name “sugar.”

If the ingredients say “cane sugar,” there should not be GM beet sugar in the food.

GM Papaya

The only currently commercially-produced GM fruit is the Hawaiian papaya. In the late 1980s, the University of Hawaii developed a papaya genetically engineered to be resistant to Papaya Ringspot Virus. They did it by transferring viral genes encoded with capsid proteins into the papaya genome. The capsid proteins cause something similar to an “immune response” from the plant. The genetically modified papaya plants are no longer susceptible to infection, allowing farmers to cultivate the fruit even when the virus is widespread. The GM papaya is often held up by GMO proponents as proof of how genetically engineering food can benefit us.
The first GMO papayas were grown in Hawaii commercially in 1999. Now these Transgenic papayas account for more than three quarters of Hawaiian papaya crops and they are contaminating the organic crops. NW Resistance Against Genetic Engineering reported that independent laboratory testing results showed widespread GM contamination.

Nearly 20,000 papaya seeds from across the Big Island, 80% of which came from organic farms and the rest from backyard gardens or wild trees, showed a contamination level of 50%.”

Fortunately GM papayas can be avoided if you buy  the large Caribbean or Mexican red papayas, which are not genetically modified.

GM Canola/Rapeseed

Accordning to Wikipedia, “A genetically engineered rapeseed that is tolerant to herbicide was first introduced to Canada in 1995. In 2009, 90% of the Canadian crop was herbicide-tolerant. As of 2005, 87% of the canola grown in the US was genetically modified. A 2010 study conducted in North Dakota found glyphosate- or glufosinate-resistance transgenes in 80% of wild natural rapeseed plants, and a few plants that were resistant to both herbicides.”

If it’s not labeled Organic or certified GMO free, canola oil is almost definitely genetically modified.

GM Squash

Summer squash and zucchini were genetically modified to become more resistant to viruses and bacteria. But there was a problem. Cucumber cockroaches love GMO squash. They wound the leaves, leaving open holes in them. The cockroaches’ feces get absorbed into the stem causing bacterial diseases.

Some experts say that genetically modified squash have blended with wild squash species.

Farmers generally do not want to use GMO squash seeds for the aforementioned issues, and most experts say that conventional store bought squashes are very unlikely to be GM squash.

GM Fish

The AquAdvantage salmon has been created by adding a growth hormone regulating gene from a Pacific Chinook salmon and a promoter gene from an ocean pout to the Atlantic salmon’s genes. These genes enable the salmon to grow all year (as opposed to growing only during the spring and summer). The AquAdvantage salmon grows much faster than wild salmon and matures to twice the size of regular salmon. Many environmentalists and scientists are worried that GMO salmon could have negative impact on the environment and mutate over time.

The application for FDA approval requires land-based tank cultivation. There are no sea-based pens under discussion at this time. But if there was ocean contamination, consider the ramifications. The contamination would be impossible to stop once it starts, and the changes to the salmon population, as well as any species that foods on the salmon,, would be irrevocable.

The good news is that as of this writing AquAdvantage salmon has not been approved by the FDA. The bad news is that it is likely to be approved very soon.

Whole Foods and Trader Joes have vowed that they will not sell genetically modified seafood.

It would seem that farm raised seafood would be good for the environment, considering the toxins such as mercury in the seafood and the deviational effects our fishing industry has had on our oceans. But with the way fish are farmed, there are significant environmental and health concerns. From dyes being used in the feed, to much higher levels of toxins in farm raised fish, we cannot recommend consuming any farm raised seafood at this time. For more information on these environmental and health concerns read Top 10 Problems from Food and Water Watch.

Artificial Sweeteners, Preservatives, Artificial Flavors, and Artificial Colors

Many of these additives are derived from genetically modified organisms, as if we need another reason to stay away from them.

GM Cotton

Like corn and soy, cotton has been genetically engineered to handle pesticides. At least half of the cotton grown in the world has been genetically modified to resist pests and pesticides. GM cotton has been blamed for many farming issues in India including soil infertility and a rise in farmer suicides.

Cottonseed oil is used to make vegetable oil and margarine, but cotton itself has gossypol, a toxin that makes it inedible. But scientist have recently been able to silence the gene that produces the toxin, so cotton  may end up being a food crop for more than just oil.

To avoid wearing clothing made from GMO cotton, buy organic cotton clothing or look for a GMO free label.

Wheat

Recently an Oregon farmer sprayed a patch of wheat with Roundup. Some of the wheat survived. The farmer then sent samples to be analyzed by a laboratory. The wheat was a genetically engineered Monsanto Roundup Ready wheat that had never been approved anywhere in the world.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/WSrcq912DOI

But there are many other reasons to avoid wheat. Artificial selection over many years has changed the proteins in wheat, which is causing massive health issues. Check out 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Gluten for more information.

GM Potatoes

There are no transgenic potatoes marketed for human consumption at this time. That may soon change. BASF requested cultivation and marketing approval in 2011 for its Fortuna potato, genetically modified to be resistant to late blight.

Many consumers concerned about GMO foods believe that conventional potatoes will not sprout because they are genetically modified. But this is not the case.

Potatoes are treated with fungicides while they grow, then they are sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines for easier harvesting. Finally, after the potatoes are extracted from the ground they are treated on order to prevent them from sprouting. It’s been said that many farmers have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without the chemicals.

UPDATE (5/1/2015): Genetically Modified Potatoes are not on the market. Avoid any potatoes that are not organic for the GMO issue and other reasons.

GM Tomatoes

In 1994, the transgenic Flavr Savr tomato was approved by the FDA for marketing in the U.S. The modification allowed the tomato to delay ripening after picking. But these GM tomatoes have disappeared. Transgenic tomato (FlavrSavr) had a “deactivated” gene (Antisense approach). This meant that the tomato plant was no longer able to produce polygalacturonase, an enzyme involved in fruit softening. The premise was that tomatoes could be left to ripen on the vine and still have a long shelf life, thus allowing them to develop their full flavor. These GM tomatoes, however, did not meet  expectations. Although they were approved in the US and several other countries, tomatoes with delayed ripening have disappeared from the market after peaking in 1998. At this point, no genetically modified tomatoes are being grown commercially in North America or in Europe.

The nearly perfectly round and bright red tomatoes you see in the grocery stores, lacking in flavor and nutrition, are hybrids. For more information, check out The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs.

GM Peas

Australian scientists genetically modified peas with genes from kidney beans, creating a protein that functions as a pesticide. Studies have shown strong evidence that these genetically modified peas may create significant health issues including immune system disruption. The good news is that these genetically modified peas are not approved for human consumption and are not available.

GM Rice

Currently, there is no large scale production of genetically modified rice. Bayer has developed a strain of rice they call LL62 with increased tolerance to glufosinate-containing herbicides. This genetically modified rice has been approved in the United States, but farmers are not yet using it.

There is a wide variety of genetically modified rice not yet approved in any country. GM research for rice includes making rice resistant to herbicides, diseases, and pests; increasing nutritional value; eliminating rice allergies; producing human blood protein; increasing yield; improving tolerance to drought and salinity; and enhancing nitrogen use efficiency.

GM Yeast

Genetically modified yeast is approved in the United States for making wine.

In the United Kingdom genetically modified yeasts were approved a few years ago. The yeasts are a bakers’ yeast that displays a shorter rising time and a brewers’ yeast that is used in diet beer. Neither of the GM yeasts are used commercially on a large scale at this time.

Bananas

Despite what you read online in many uninformed websites, bananas are not genetically modified. The bananas we eat are a result of selective breeding. Wild bananas have a large, woody seed in the middle of the fruit. They also have much less edible fruit.

GM Alfalfa

In January of 2007 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that he would authorize the unrestricted commercial cultivation of genetically modified alfalfa developed by Monsanto and Forage Genetics.

Experts who are not in the pockets of Monsanto agree that massive GM contamination of alfalfa, more so than any other GM crop, is only a matter of time.

GMO alfalfas are treated with Monsanto’s Roundup ready that have been related to many health problems and crop failures, including a mysterious unknown organism discovered last summer in Midwestern fields that is connected to seemingly healthy fields are suddenly littered with yellowed leaves and dead plants (check out More Details on the Strange Organism That Could Destroy Monsanto).

From my research, alfalfa is the most freighting GMO on the market (though I would pick salmon if it were on the market today). It’s a shame. Alfalfa is an amazing plant with awesome health benefits (Read more about alfalfa and its health benefits).

GM Contaminated Honey

Canadian honey was banned by Europe after it was found that the honeybees in Canada were feeding off of genetically modified canola.

Bees are often fed high fructose corn syrup to increase their honey production. In addition, testing has shown that conventional honey imported into the U.S. is sometimes mixed with high fructose corn syrup and is usually processed to filter out the pollen or heated, which destroys its nutrients.

Only use organic raw honey, and do not cook with it (it destroys the health benefits).

Other Ways to Avoid GM Foods

A common myth is that you can tell which produce is genetically modified by its bar code. Five-digit numbers that start with a “9″ signify that the product is organic, while a five-digit number starting with “8″ implies that it is a GMO. The problem is that there are no labeling requirements for GM foods. And since consumers have shown that they don’t particularly want GMOs in their diets, the companies don’t want to label as such.

But there will be a way we can tell which foods are GMO and which are not regardless of whether or not we get labeling laws passed.

A handheld device that detects pesticides, heavy metals, and genetic modifications will soon be available. We are very excited about this and cannot wait for it to hit the market!

In the not too distant future, consumers will be able to run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, GMOs, pesticides, food safety, and more with their smartphones and other hand-held devices.”

Check this article for more information

In closing…

There is a lot of misinformation about GMOs. I’ve tried to dispel some of it, but there are a few other issues that should be addressed that don’t fit into the scope of this article. Please do take the time to check out Top Five Myths Of Genetically Modified Seeds, Busted, an NPR article by Dan Charles.

We need to label genetically modified foods. Personally, I feel that organic foods should be our staple. Organic food is real food. It should be the food that doesn’t require labeling, while everything else should. But then again, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t even have GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, etc.

The truth is, if we take time to cultivate nutrient dense soil and look at growing food from a long term perspective, toxic chemicals aren’t needed at all. And we would all be healthier for it. But with the way things are now, we can’t rely on big business to do this. Organic standards are consistently dwindling. And whether or not GMO foods get labeled, we need to take back our health, stand up to big agriculture business, and start growing our own food and supporting small local farmers we know and trust. Marching on the streets against Monsanto is great. It needs to happen. But money talks. Vote with your wallets. And spread the word. I do believe that we are on the cusp of some radical changes with our food system. I’m just not yet sure which way the change is happening.

Recommended Supplements (These supplements help detoxify GMOs):

• Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula
• FloraMend Prime Probiotic – Thorne Research
• Fundamental Sulfur Powder (MSM Powder) – Douglas Labs
• Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse Formula
• Shillington’s Intestinal Detox

Further Reading:

• How to Avoid GMOs
  
• The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs
• The Unspoken Link Between GM-Foods and Cancer
• GMO-Bananas are Going Into Human Trials

At some point in our lives, we have all been under the illusion that if we are sick, the conventional medical profession has all the answers to our pain. There has been little questioning or second guessing on using the hospital as our primary form of treatment, and as a result, it has become filled with procedures and treatments that are profitable to the industries that provide them, but not to the actual end user of those services. In fact, many of these procedures could very well be considered to do more harm than good, once people fully understand the carnage they cause, and the natural options that were available to them without the collateral damage. With that said, lets look at 5 hospital procedures that are doing more harm than good.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy has been widely used as a treatment for cancer with one or more cytotoxic drugs, in hopes that this deadly poison will kill off rogue cancer cells and leave the patient with enough healthy cells to regain their health. Unfortunately, this “kill all” approach is akin to burning down your house when you discover you have a rodent problem. Sure, it gets rid of the rodents, but it also leaves you with nothing but a smouldering foundation in which to rebuild, which will prove to be much more costly than a safer and more targeted approach.

Further to that, some research suggests that when chemotherapy damages healthy cells, they secrete a protein that actually accelerates the growth of cancer tumours! So now you not only have severely damaged your immune system with toxic chemotherapy and rendered it highly ineffective in healing your body of the damage, BUT it can also further accelerate the growth of the cancer tumours you are trying to eliminate! Has chemotherapy saved lives? In some people’s definition, yes it has saved many lives. However, for those who undergo chemotherapy treatment, their lives are often compromised with extreme nausea and vomiting, hair loss, weight loss, ‘”chemo brain”, immune system dysfunction, and general malaise. Not only that, but they appear to be at a higher risk for it to return using this method, so in the end they may not be saved at all, and are only delaying the inevitable – a vengeful return of the cancer cells.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation is the medical use of ionizing radiation, often used as part of a cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells. It uses very high energy and is often referred to as the “burn” method when treating cancer patients. Although this method takes a more targeted approach to the body and the cancer cell tumour location, it still subjects the body to high levels of radiation, which creates additional damage to healthy cells as well.

Furthermore, some recent published data on radiation exposure suggests that approximately 25,000 Americans develop cancer every year as a result of radiation, and not only through cancer treatments, but from other medical imaging procedures such as CT scans, PET scans, MRI’s, and x-rays. In addition to that, a study from the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that women undergoing radiation for breast cancer treatments are putting themselves at serious risk of developing heart disease later in life. Has radiation saved lives? Again, in many people’s definition, yes. However, the area being treated with radiation can cause further problems such as infertility, heart disease, thyroid issues, infections, and ironically other cancers due to the mutation of the DNA of healthy cells.

Surgery

Recently, Angelina Jolie informed the media that she had both of her breasts removed due to her concern over her predisposition to breast cancer with the BRCA1 gene. Although this may seem a bit of a radical move to many, people all over the world are having surgeons cut out pieces of their body that are considered mutated, a liability, or otherwise useless. Various surgeries being utilized start at birth with circumcision, and extend to other parts of the body including the appendix, tonsils, gall bladder, testicles, ovaries, breasts, kidneys, sections of intestinal tract, and more.  As a fully functioning unit that interacts with all other organs and systems of the body, one has to wonder what health issues can arise from these surgeries, as well as the psychological damage incurred.

Has surgery helped save lives? Sure. Has it also given people a false sense of security that cutting out the “problem” will result in no recurrence of other or similarly related issues? I believe so. We have to be careful about the surgeries we undergo and their actual perceived end benefit. We were given body parts for a reason, and cutting them out when other more natural methods could rectify the problem can be doing far more harm than good.

Antibiotics

An antibiotic is a treatment often prescribed by doctors to inhibit bacterial growth or kill bacteria altogether. Unfortunately, antibiotics prescribed in modern medicine today do not distinguish between good and bad bacteria, and as a result, they seek to clear out all bacteria in its path. There are over 100 trillion good bacteria in our bodies (10x more than cells) that play a critical role to our overall health and well being. They dramatically assist in digestion and immune system function (of which 80% is in the gut), so if compromised, those two vitality important functions become severely compromised.

So when your doctor indiscriminately prescribes antibiotics for bacterial infections, you are effectively compromising your inner ecology, destroying the bad weeds and good seeds, which is going to leave your lush ecosystem dead and bloated. Are antibiotics able to save lives? Yes, and in some VERY acute emergency situations they may be required. However, in 95% of cases they are likely unnecessary, and more natural means can be much more effective, while doing no harm. Killing the very organisms that have a positive effect on your overall health can easily be argued as doing more harm than good.

Instead of a round of hospital prescribed antibiotics, consider natural antibacterial solutions like garlic, colloidal silver, and Pau D’Arco, and make sure to continually colonize your gut with healthy bacteria through kefirs and other fermented foods.

Vaccines

Vaccines have been a hot debate for a few years now, and the heat is definitely being placed on vaccine manufacturers and doctors to prove that they actually work as intended and don’t create additional damage that makes them more risky than the disease they are trying to defend against. Unfortunately, we have been led to believe that vaccines are the answer to warding off various diseases, when in actuality, our safest and best line of defense is our immune system.

The problem is we have not been educated on how to avoid immune system disruptors and how to strengthen our immune system through proper nutrition, so we fall back on the medical profession for answers. As a result, we have 3-4x more vaccinations now than we did 30 years ago. In the same period, a number of health issues have grown (such as allergies) and the ever growing link between vaccines and autism continues to gain strength. Not only that, but there is research that suggests that major declines in life threatening infectious diseases either occurred without or in advance of vaccination efforts. In addition to that, the list is LONG when it comes to the ingredients vaccines contain. As many as 44 chemicals, excipients, preservatives, and fillers have bee identified, with commonly cited ones being aluminum, animal tissues and organs, animal embryos, formaldehyde, gelatin, mercury thimerosal, MSG, and sorbitol. See a complete list here. So in the effort to control disease, we end up injecting children (and adults) with several toxins that actually hinder the very system we need to defend against the diseases we are concerned about.

In can definitely  be argued that vaccines are doing far more harm than good. Download this Physicians Warranty of Vaccine Safety if you are still unsure of avoiding vaccines, and get the answers you need from the doctor directly. Vote For The System You Want To See In The Future As scary as it may be when faced with a cancer diagnosis, recommended surgery, bacterial infections, and protecting our children and ourselves from “outbreaks”, we have to find the courage and open mind to educate ourselves and closely watch the effects of the current medical system and their questionable ways. Only then can we be ready to accept change and consider alternatives that not only do no harm, but also treat the body in a humane way that facilitates greater healing. While in that process, ensure you consume the most potent and healing super foods and herbs, that support immune function and nourish your body. You body will take care of the rest.