Why is it cheaper to buy a Twinkie than to buy a carrot? How do food subsidies and agricultural policies affect the foods we eat? How is that tied to food-related diseases? Why is it that a bunch of roots you can pull from the ground cost more than a package of Twinkies -- which have 40 ingredients? The reason is that the government is helping the Twinkie makers and not the carrot growers. Most of our food tax dollars are subsidizing the growers of specialty crops and whole foods. Journalist Michael Pollan explains. - See more at: http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/the-food-industry/twinkie-vs-carrots.html#sthash.JFgm8GW7.dpuf
(NaturalNews) California's Proposition 37, an initiative proposed in 2012 that would've required the mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), set the precedent for other states attempting to pass similar legislation.
Prop 37 failed because of illegal, unethical and snake-like tactics carried out by the biotech industry, not because people didn't want it. Even though it failed, the people still won, because it drew massive awareness and support to the issue of the Right To Know what's in our food.
Since then, more than 60 bills in 20 states have introduced GMO-labeling laws! Two more states will be added to that list this year, with Colorado and Oregon considering measures to require GMO labeling. Voters in both states will get the chance to vote "yes" or "no" on this November's ballot, according to a report by PBS.
Colorado and Oregon are the next states to try passing mandatory GMO-labeling laws
In Colorado, 19 voters sat on a citizen review panel tasked with hearing both sides on the matter. After three days of debate, the panel voted 11 to nine in favor of labeling GMOs.
Oregon didn't have such luck. Citizens on a similar panel voted the opposite way, 11 to nine opposing labeling, with some commenting that such a measure is unnecessary if GMOs pose no risk to the public. Unfortunately, the Oregonians must have not done their research.
For those of us who have, we know that GMOs have not been proven safe. In fact, multiple studies support the theory that consuming genetically engineered food causes adverse health effects in humans.
While eating organic is essential for a healthy lifestyle, purchasing organic food from brands that support the Right To Know what's in your food is equally as important.
Unfortunately for the consumer, keeping up with the brands that support GMO labeling isn't easy, especially when some of our favorite organic brands, such as Annie's, have been bought out by corporations that want nothing but to harm us with their toxic food products (Annie's was recently bought out by General Mills).
Opposition to GMO-labeling is spearheaded by Monsanto, a company that relies on misleading you about the presence of GMOs in their products. DuPont, Dow and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a national business lobbying association, accompany them in their plight to hide the presence of GMOs from their customers.
Learn which brands to buy and which ones to divorce
"Many consumers will likely be surprised to learn that owners and management of some of their favorite organic and natural brands are fighting against the right of consumers to know what is in their food," said Mark Kastel, co-director of The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group.
"We want to spotlight this issue so that consumers can vote in the marketplace for manufacturers and brands that reflect their personal values."
Nature's Path, America's largest organic breakfast foods provider, is an excellent brand to purchase, as they actively promote and fund the Right To Know campaign.
"Nature's Path USA has supported citizens' fundamental right to know if their food contains GMOs, with a simple label declaration. Then they can choose whether or not they want to buy it," said Arran Stephens, the company's CEO and cofounder.
Another great brand to support is Bob's Red Mill, a company that's donated $715,000 to states' Right To Know campaigns. Other pro-GMO labeling brands include Amy's, Applegate, Organically Grown Co., Nutiva, Clif Bar, So Delicious, Lundberg Family Farms and Back to Nature, among many others.
Some companies you may have thought were moral but are secretly funding anti-GMO-labeling laws include Horizon Organic, Silk, Ocean Spray, Sweet Leaf Tea, Naked, Santa Cruz Organic and Kashi.
Here is a complete list of companies for and against GMO labeling. Print a couple out, perhaps keeping one on your fridge and one in your wallet to serve as a reminder for who to support the next time you vote with your dollars.
(NaturalNews) It seems that the world is finally waking up to the consequences of pharmaceutical pollution, a phenomenon that's single-handedly shaping our planet into an unnatural environment with grotesque repercussions.
Low-level yet active concentrations of pharmaceuticals are saturating the earth, causing ecological transformations that are poorly understood by scientists. Very little research has been performed on the effects of pharmaceutical contamination in the soil, lakes, rivers and oceans, or the wildlife that depends on those habitats.
However, current research on the impact of drug contamination has produced some pretty grim results, including significant destruction to birds and aquatic life. Just recently, Natural News reported on the 2014 Living Planet Report that documented a 52 percent decline in animal populations since 1970.
Freshwater fish struggling the most to survive
Of the 3,000 species surveyed, freshwater habitats took the biggest hit, with fish and amphibians declining by an alarming 75 percent. While the exact cause is not definitive, researchers believe that pharmaceutical pollution is a likely contributor.
Biologically active concentrations of man-made drugs are entering our environment through human excretion, animal waste, drug manufacturers, hospitals and pharmaceutical-contaminated sludge used for fertilizer.
Published in a special issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, the study's recent findings disclose what may be happening to our ecosystems following exposure to pharmaceutical drugs.
One concept that's important to understand is that, although many experts have denied the impacts of pharmaceutical pollution based on the fact that they're introduced in such low concentrations, these drugs are designed to have "biological actions" at low concentrations, meaning their potency in the environment is still relevant and concerning.
"With thousands of pharmaceuticals in use globally, they have the potential to have potent effects on wildlife and ecosystems," said the report's editor, Kathryn Arnold of the University of York.
"Given that populations of many species living in human-altered landscapes are declining for reasons that cannot be fully explained, we believe that it is time to explore emerging challenges," she noted, referring to pharmaceutical contamination.
Some studies have been able to definitively conclude that drug pollution is directly to blame for some species' deaths and strange, unnatural behavioral transformations in others.
For example, The Guardian that three species of vultures native to India nearly became extinct after feasting on the carcass of livestock that had been treated with the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, which is used to treat arthritis and migraines in people. The drug's side effects include stomach and intestinal bleeding, which can be fatal, according to Drugs.com.
Pharmaceuticals have also been proven to change physical behavior as well as the biological makeup of some fish species, leading to extinction in some cases
One study showed that synthetic oestrogen used in birth control pills eliminated fathead minnows in lakes used for experiments in Ontario. The loss of the minnow contributed to other ecological disruptions including up to a 42 percnet decrease in the lake's top predator, trout, which feeds on the tiny fish. Without minnows, the insect population multiplied as their primary predator disappeared.
Because fish mate in the water, further research suggests that estrogen-containing drugs have feminized male fish and altered female-to-male ratios, as well as created intersex fish, creatures with both male and female characteristics.
Another example of man-made drugs inflicting changes in wildlife include a shift in starlings' feeding behavior, leading the birds to forage less during peak times, such as at sunrise and sunset, following exposure to low levels of the antidepressant fluoxetine.
In addition to changes in innate species behavior, the emergence of drug-resistant microorganisms is an increasingly imminent concern that could have "global consequences," said professor Joakim Larsson, of the University of Gothenburg.
While Big Pharma continues to get richer, Earth's wildlife struggle to maintain their natural processes, striving to stay alive in the wake of industrial pollution. Only through research, understanding and regulatory enforcements can we begin to reverse this critical problem before it's too late.
(NaturalNews) Nearly 15 years ago, European and African scientists knew that the Ebola virus could infect a person without them knowing about it, meaning they can walk around with the virus in their system and never show any symptoms.
In 2000, The New York Times (archived here), cited the findings of a study published in a prestigious medical journal, reporting:
The possibility of asymptomatic infection was only suggested in earlier studies, they said in last week's issue of The Lancet, a medical journal published in London. Now they said they had documented such infections for the first time. They found that the Ebola virus could persist in the blood of asymptomatic infected individuals for two weeks after they were first exposed to an infected individual. How much longer the virus can persist is unknown.
The Times went on to report that the virus "usually spreads" from someone who is infected via contamination "in clinics or hospitals," generally through contact with materials contaminated with infected bodily fluids. At that time, however, based on the "new finding" at the time, "some" Ebola "cases may result from healthy carriers," though "[h]ow often is unknown."
The 13 percent
Fast-forward to the present. In the largest study of the current outbreak, scientists have further discovered that more than 1-in-10, 13 percent, of Ebola patients don't exhibit a fever or other symptoms. As reported by the Los Angeles Times:
The study, sponsored by the World Health Organization and published online late last month by the New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed data on 3,343 confirmed and 667 probable cases of Ebola.
The finding that 87.1% of those infected exhibited fever - but 12.9% did not - illustrates the challenges confronting health authorities as they struggle to contain the epidemic.
That finding has been echoed by a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, as he voiced support for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's recent (now vacated) order to quarantine anyone returning from West Africa for 21 days. As reported by NJ.com:
Dr. [Bruce] Beutler, an American medical doctor and researcher, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 2011 for his work researching the cellular subsystem of the body's overall immune system - the part of it that defends the body from infection by other organisms, like Ebola.
In voicing support for Christie's quarantine, Dr. Beutler -- current director of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas -- told the website, "I favor it," adding, "I favor it, because it's not entirely clear that they can't transmit the disease." He was referring to currently asymptomatic healthcare worker Kaci Hickox, a Doctors Without Borders nurse who recently returned to New Jersey after treating patients in Sierra Leone and was quarantined in the state for 65 hours. She was eventually taken to her home state of Maine.
'There's a lot of variation with viruses'
"It may not be absolutely true that those without symptoms can't transmit the disease, because we don't have the numbers to back that up," Dr. Beutler continued in his NJ.com interview. "It could be people develop significant viremia [where viruses enter the bloodstream and gain access to the rest of the body], and become able to transmit the disease before they have a fever, even.
"People may have said that without symptoms you can't transmit Ebola. I'm not sure about that being 100 percent true. There's a lot of variation with viruses," he added.
Despite the massive WHO study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to insist that the virus is not communicable in people without symptoms.
"There's some imperative to prevent panic among the public," Dr. Beutler said. "But to be honest, people have not examined that with transmissibility in mind. I don't completely trust people who'd say that as dogma."
Since Ebola came to the U.S., the CDC's chief, Dr. Thomas Frieden, has put out so much conflicting information that any reasonable person would conclude that's all it is: dogma.
Learn all these details and more at the FREE online Pandemic Preparedness course atwww.BioDefense.com
Heart attack, stroke, instant death or long term disability...
For hundreds of millions of people, this is their destiny.
It doesn't have to be and you can turn it around - right now.
Dr. Esselstyn isn't the only medical doctor who believes the eating animal products is the leading cause of heart disease. Nor is he the only one who believes heart disease can be reversed by changing to a plant-based diet.
Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. John McDougall have both researched and written about this approach. - See more at: http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/heart-disease/no-more-heart-attacks.html#sthash.SNvfPbdF.dpuf
Several studies have shown garlic to have natural anti-cancer properties. Garlic is also known to be antibacterial and antimicrobial. Some even call it "Russian penicillin" because it is so effective in treating wounds and skin disorders. And if that weren't enough, studies show that garlic may lower blood pressure. But wait, there's more: garlic has been linked to lower overall blood cholesterol levels and higher rates of HDL "good" cholesterol
In antiquity, Homer called salt a divine substance. Plato described it as being especially dear to the gods.
Salt was once so precious it was literally a currency. In fact, that's where we get the word salary from.
Salt is considered a villain by mainstream medicine... being blamed for everything from high blood pressure to type II diabetes to obesity. However, there is no real evidence to support the claims that salt is evil.
The key is to consume the right kind of salt.
Conventional table salt, the one found in processed foods and contributing to health problems, is a nasty substance. Mined from the earth and then scorched at high heat striping all of the trace minerals, table salt is essentially sodium chloride. It is then blended with a cocktail of chemicals including anti-caking agents, some made with aluminum, added iodine, sugar and sometimes even bleach.
What are some healthy options?
Celtic Sea Salt It's hand-harvested from seawater and then dried by the sun and wind, retaining the ocean's moisture and vast array of trace minerals. It's a coarse, moist salt that has a light grey hue from clay banks it's harvested from. This salt has an earthy, hearty flavor that's delicious in just about everything.
Himalayan Sea Salt This salt has spent millions of years buried under extreme pressure where toxins and pollutants can't invade. Since there is no such thing as "organic" salt, this is the next best thing. Himalayan sea salts contain up to 84 minerals and has a sweet, salty taste with a cleaner finish than conventional salt.
Beware of salts claiming to be sea salt when they are dried and processed similar to conventional salt and simply dyed to look more natural. Also, know that Kosher Salt does not equate to sea salt.
But what if you can't tolerate even sea salt? Don't despair. There is a wonderful salt substitute called kelp. This seaweed is truly a super food. High in iron, calcium, potassium and iodine, kelp is low in sodium and yet has a salty flavor. It's a delicious replacement to salt in recipes. Note, it does get a bit gelatinous when mixed with liquids so be cautious with amount used.
References available at http://mamanatural.com/healthy-salt-substitutes/ - See more at: http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/healthy-foods/please-pass-the-salt.html#sthash.c9TYvrLN.dpuf
Variety is the spice of life. When it comes to spices, eating a good variety may be a potent ally in the fight against cancer. Herbs and spices have been used for thousands of years in cooking and as medicine. With cancer at record rates, it may be more important now than ever to incorporate these herbs and spices into a healthy diet. - See more at: http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/videos/healthy-foods/cancer-fighting-spices.html#sthash.rNVEeSb1.dpuf
(NaturalNews) Lately, it seems that every supermarket has a hand-sanitizing station prominently displayed near the doors. In fact, the trend of using hand sanitizers has really ramped up in recent years, with more people carrying around their own personal-size versions of the stuff around with them.
And why not? Hand sanitizers seem like the perfect way to stay clean and disinfect on the go and don't seem to have any downside. Unfortunately, there are some hidden down sides lurking in supposedly "clean" hand sanitizers that could lead to trouble with regular and repeated use. As you'll see below, finding out the real truth about products we use daily is vital, especially when matters of health and well-being are concerned.
Triclosan
Triclosan is antibacterial chemical agent added mainly to soaps and personal care and cleaning products. Strangely, it's also found in clothing, cookware, furniture and toys in an attempt to reduce bacteria levels. Research on triclosan has raised questions about potential hazards to human health. Triclosan has been shown to disrupt hormone regulation, disrupt immune system function and contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (i.e. superbugs). Indeed, the use of triclosan is contributing to an epidemic of antibiotic resistance. This happens when bacteria are regularly exposed to antibacterial agents; the bacteria adapt and grow stronger, more resistant and more immune.
Parabens
Parabens are ubiquitously found in many personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soaps, hand sanitizers and lotions for the purpose of discouraging the growth of microbes. If you look at the label of personal care products, you'll see one or more of these names: ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben. Unfortunately, parabens are linked to endocrine disruption, skin irritation, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity and cancer. Parabens also mimic estrogen by binding to estrogen receptors on cells, and they increase the expression of genes regulated by estradiol, a natural form of estrogen. Because parabens are used to kill microbes in water-based products, they inherently contain toxicity for cells in general.
Chemically synthesized artificial fragrances
Most hand sanitizers have a fragrance, and that means that they are very likely to be full of toxic chemicals. Because fragrances are considered to be "trade secrets," companies aren't required to disclose what ingredients they contain. That means that they can be created from just about anything -- including hundreds of dangerous chemical compounds. Artificial and chemical fragrances have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, hormone disruption and potentially negative effects on the reproductive system. The solution here is to look for unscented hand sanitizers to avoid chemically synthesized fragrances. But even unscented hand sanitizers may still contain triclosan and parabens; if you look at the label and see the word antibacterial, it means that your hand sanitizer likely contains triclosan and you should inspect the ingredients label to make sure.
Better options and solutions
While not as convenient or trendy, getting back to basics and just using soap and water is really a better, time-tested way to clean your hands. But there are also natural hand sanitizers appearing on the market which don't contain yucky chemicals. It's always nice to support companies that create products that have ingredients in them that you can actually pronounce...
About the author: Zach C. Miller was raised from an early age to believe in the power and value of healthy-conscious living. He later found in himself a talent for writing, and it only made sense to put two & two together! He has written and published articles about health & wellness and other topics on ehow.com and here on NaturalNews. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Science.
(NaturalNews) The first step in eliminating an overgrowth of candida is to stop feeding it. Sugar is your worst enemy. This means eliminating all forms of sugar including simple carbohydrates that the body turns into sugar as well as yeast and moldy foods. Also, avoid all allergens. You need your immune system focused on the task at hand, so don't challenge it with any foods or environmental substances that have caused you problems in the past.
Herbs and supplements to fight candida
There is an arsenal of natural herbs and supplements at your disposal to fight Candida and other fungi. Here are some of the top contenders.
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera lowers pH levels creating an inhospitable environment for Candida. It also helps detoxify the liver. The liver filters the byproducts of Candida and deals with toxins from the die off process, as the Candida is destroyed. Aloe Vera juice can be consumed on a daily basis (no more than 1/4 a cup) or capsules can be taken.
Garlic
Raw garlic is a powerful anti-fungal that does not destroy beneficial bacteria in the gut. It does, however, kill bad bacteria while killing 24 out of 26 strains of Candida. It can also be rubbed on fungal skin infections. It can be eaten raw, taken in softgel capsules, or taken as an oil. Warning: can be a blood thinner. Do not use garlic if you plan to undergo surgery or if otherwise contraindicated.
Clove Oil
Clove oil is a powerful anti-fungal that also boosts the immune system. Use 15-30 drops in water, 3 times daily.
Coconut oil is a strong anti-fungal with many beneficial properties. Take one tablespoon 1-2 times a day.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Use 15-30 drops in water, 3 times daily.
Oil of oregano
Oil of Oregano is a strong anti-fungal and antimicrobial. You can take 5 or more drops under the tongue or dilute in water 2-3 times a day. It can also be taken by capsule or oregano leaves can be steeped for a medicinal tea. Oil of oregano is also very high in antioxidants.
Colloidal silver
Take 1 teaspoon up to 3 times a day, but do not take it long term. There are many claims that colloidal silver is amazing. We haven't had any luck with it when treating topical bacteria or fungi and there is a lot of controversy about its effectiveness and use, though there are also many claims that it is very effective.
Olive Extracts
Olive oil and olive leaf extract doesn't directly kill fungi; it disrupts the reproductive cycle. It also stabilizes and lowers blood sugars to help starve Candida. It is also an amazing antioxidant that stimulates the immune system. It can be taken in capsule form, as a tonic, or as a tea.
Undecenoic Acid
Undecenoic acid is a very effective broad-spectrum antiviral that is taken in capsule form.
Grapefruit seed extract?
Grapefruit seed extract is effective against 100 strains of fungi as well as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. It works well with undecenoic acid and does not harm beneficial bacteria. Add 10 drops to water, 3 times a day.
Please note the warnings for pregnant and lactating women for the following remedies:
Black walnut
Black walnut has been shown to be more effective against Candida than any antiviral drug. It can be taken in capsule form or as an extract.
Warning: it should not be used by pregnant or lactating women.
Pau D'Arco?
Pau d'arco is highly effective against Candida; it both inhibits and destroys Candida. It also stimulates the immune system as well. Use as a tea, as capsules, or as a tincture.
Warning: it should not be used by pregnant or lactating women.
Berberine
Barberry and goldenseal are both recommended for Candida. Berberine is the alkaloid they both contain, which is highly effective in fighting Candida. It also boosts and stimulates the immune system.
Warning: it should not be taken by pregnant women. And limit use to 7 days for adults--3 days for children.
About the author: Kali Sinclair is a copywriter for Green Lifestyle Market, and a lead editor for Organic Lifestyle Magazine. Kali was very sick with autoimmune disease and realized that conventional medicine was not working for her. She has been restoring her health by natural means and is interested in topics including natural health, environmental issues, and human rights.
Today, the magazine Consumer Reportsreleased a report on independent laboratory tests that found inorganic arsenic – a known carcinogen – in some 200 rice products purchased in grocery stores across the United States. The admitted point was to pressure the U.S. Food and Drug Administration into setting a safety standard for arsenic in the American food supply, something the FDA has been embarrassingly reluctant to do.
In a neatly choreographed response, the FDA promptly released its own sample results from – yes – some 200 rice products which turned up a comparable amount of inorganic arsenic in the selected foods, which ranged from baby cereal to rice cakes to bagged rice. As The Washington Post reported, the agency also reiterated that it is still testing another 1,000 rice samples and plans to release a more complete report by the end of the year.
As readers of this blog know, there’s nothing incredibly new in these results; scientists have been publishing studies on arsenic in rice for more than a decade. You can find links to some of that research, in an earlier post, The Arsenic Diet. And as I wrote back in February, there’s a straightforward reason for this. Of all the commercially grown grains, the rice plant is best designed to uptake arsenic – a widespread and naturally occurring element – from the soil, using the same mechanisms that allow it to store minerals like silicon that help strengthen the rice grains. It’s not surprising that Consumer Reports found that inorganic arsenic levels in rice cereals were “at least five times more than has been found in alternatives such as oatmeal.”
Still there are a few points from these latest findings that are definitely worth repeating. As the magazine also notes, “White rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, which accounts for 76 percent of domestic rice, generally had higher levels of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in our tests than rice samples from elsewhere.”
What does this mean?
Well, first, “total arsenic” refers to the fact that the tests look at two forms, or species, of the poison – organic and inorganic. Organic, of course, refers to an arsenic compound that includes the element carbon. Inorganic arsenic – as an example, the very poisonous compound arsenic trioxide (As2O3) is notably carbon free. And this matters because, as it turns out, the human body does a very reasonable job of metabolizing organic arsenic. In other words, it’s not nearly as risky to us as arsenic in its inorganic forms. As I wrote in a post titled, “Is Arsenic the Worst Chemical in the World?”, inorganic arsenic is basic bad news.
Second, why is rice from the American south popping here? One of the leading theories is that in these states, rice is now growing in fields that used to be home to cotton. For a large part of the 20th century, the primary pesticides used to beat back insects like the boll weevil were lead arsenate compounds, which have left a long-lasting residue in southern soils. There’s another theory – which the magazine Mother Joneshas been arguing – that this is related to runoff from nearby chicken farms, thanks to the use of arsenic additives in chicken feed. (Use of these organic arsenic additives has been temporarily suspended due to the finding that they may convert to inorganic arsenic.)
Third, although Southern states produce primarily white rice, recent testing found that arsenic levels overall tend to be higher in brown rice species. This is because as white rice is processed, much of the rice hull is removed and that tends to be a place where the mineral is concentrated. The Dartmouth College toxic metals program offers a very helpful FAQ regarding its own findings on arsenic contamination of brown rice products.
Finally - and this is where the FDA has left all of us hanging – do the levels of inorganic arsenic found in rice pose an actual health threat? So far the agency and, not surprisingly, the USA Rice Federation, insist not – that these are only trace amounts in a product generally considered a healthy food. And that’s a valid point although it’s unclear what the agency, at least, bases those assurances on as, so far, the only government safety standard comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is aimed at well water.
Drinking water standards aren’t a reliable measure for food safety – we just don’t consume food and water in the same way. So while, the EPA drinking water standard is 10 ppb in a liter of water and while the rice readings are higher than that – roughly between 20 and 400 ppb total arsenic load per serving - they can’t be measured against each other in a meaningful way. Yes, the EPA standard tells us that we should be wary of low levels of arsenic. But intake of water – which tends to be a steady, all-day consumption – is very different from the on-and-off, usually varied way we consume food.
Of course, this also suggests that we should avoid a rice-rich diet and that some groups who more frequently consume rice – Asians, Latinos, those on a gluten-free diet – may be at more risk. And it’s on this note, I think, that our government is letting us down on the consumer protection front. The general assurances and advice that we eat a varied diet which seems to the current FDA approach is not really a substitute for the very specific answers needed.
Here’s commissioner Margaret Hamberg in an AP story today: “Our advice right now is that consumers should continue to eat a balanced diet that includes a wide variety of grains – not only for good nutrition but also to minimize any potential consequences from consuming any one particular food,” And this is what I call a statement on “one particular food” that raises questions rather than answers them.
As I said, Consumer Reports is largely doing these studies (it focused last year on arsenic in fruit juice) to pressure the FDA into setting a reasonable standard on arsenic in the diet. That end of the year FDA report I mentioned was supposed to be out this spring – I’ve asked about it so many times that the FDA press office has quit answering my e-mails. So let’s hope this tactic actually works. No one – not rice producers, not consumers, – is served by an agency that continues to add confusion rather than clarity to a question of public safety.
Dairy is not a part of a healthy diet. Dr. Mark Hyman counts down the reasons dairy doesn't make sense--and what's wrong with the food pyramid. Very few people are willing to tell the truth about dairy. There are many ill effects documented from eating dairy. The USDA's food pyramid is a bunch of lies that are not based on strict science. It reflects industry interests, not public interests.
Many of us already know that soda is terrible for us: empty calories, cavities, and links to a host of health problems. A new study of 5,000 people shows that soda ages DNA. Diet soda doesn't have the same effect, pointing to sugar as the culprit. (Diet soda may cause cancer, so we don't recommend it as an alternative.) The good news is, soda consumption in the US has been going down for years - good riddance!
(NaturalNews) You make a resolution. You are going to eat your five servings of fruits and veetables a day. No more junk food. And then it hits--those cravings. You have to have chocolate. You'll die without a chocolate!
Chocolate's my thing. So is pasta. For many it's breads, cookies, white rice, yogurt, sugary smoothies, and/or alcohol.
There is no doubt that your blood sugar has a lot to do with sugar cravings, but blood sugar is not the only metabolic process driving you. If you are living with an overabundance of Candida in your system, it wants to be fed. And it's preferred food is sugar. The relationship we have with Candida can create much stronger cravings for sugar and alcohol than blood sugar or other known factors.
Our bodies contain 10 times as many microbes as human cells. Many of these microbes are beneficial. We actually enjoy a symbiotic relationship with many of the bacteria (they help digest food, create serotonin, create B vitamins and more), but other microbes can cause disease, especially when they are out of balance.
In today's bacteria phobic world, we use antibacterial soaps, we pasteurize milk and juice, and we kill as many bacteria as possible in an attempt to create an antiseptic environment with no regard to the healthy bacteria we destroy. In addition, we take antibiotics without considering the indiscriminate destruction of the healthy bacteria we need for optimum health.
Candida is opportunistic. Whenever it sees an opening, like when we consume refined foods, Candida increases its numbers. It flourishes. And when it does, it wreaks havoc on its host. It doesn't just live inside of us, it feeds off of us. It changes from a one celled yeast to grow filaments that bore through our tissues--not only in the gut, but in other organs as well. Enzymes are released from these filaments that digest our tissues. Then the Candida soaks up nutrition from the cells it destroys as well as the food we eat.
The balance of Candida to beneficial flora is ever changing. Beneficial bacteria vie for dominance in the gut. As the balance shifts (like when we aren't eating foods that feed it) and Candida die off, the dying Candida releases 79 different toxins into our system. These toxins make us feel ill. As it continues to attack us from the inside, we eat a little sugar (or a lot of sugar) and we feel better because we have just fed the Candida and ended the die off process. Candida flourishes again (along with bad bacteria, which also likes sugar). You eat a little better, Candida dies off. You feel bad. You eat sugar. The cycle continues.
When the level of Candida rises to the point it causes ear infections, gum infections, sinus infections, vaginal infections, tooth infections, or skin infections, we may put two and two together and realize there is a cause and effect every time we eat sugar because we feel the negative results almost immediately. This is due to a low level of chronic infection that flares every time we feed the Candida.
Foods that feed Candida include concentrated sugars (corn syrup, sugar, agave, fruit juice, etc.). and other refined foods (sugars, flours, bread, pasta, white rice, etc.). Alcohol also indirectly promotes Candida growth. For those with particularly bad Candida, even a lack of sleep and other things that weaken the immune system actually can feed Candida (they feed off of our weakest cells, sleep deprivation depletes individual cell health).
You can rid your body of Candida naturally and get of the sugar roller coaster ride, but it will take time and discipline.
There are a number of herbs and supplements that will boost your immune system, kill off the Candida, and increase your beneficial bacteria.
Once that's over, you'll have no excuses. If you eat that chocolate, it's on you. Check out How to Kill Candida and Bullet Proof Your Immune System. If you're consuming sweets and other refined foods over the holidays, be sure to have a good probiotic and a couple of other items on hand to kill excess yeast. Garlic works great too (see the first source below for more on that amazing herb).
