Saturday, December 29, 2012

Homemade Granola

This homemade granola is delicious, easy, and very healthy! Full of fiber, and the incredible benefits of coconut oil, hemp seeds and flax seeds, this granola tastes better than the box of Organic Granola cereal I usually get at the store. Plus it's way cheaper and oh so much better for you. Not to mention it will leave your house smelling amazing!!


Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

2 C rolled oats
1/2 C hemp seeds
1/2 C flax seeds
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp organic coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C raisins

TIP: Buy the oats, hemp seeds and flax seeds in bulk from your local health food store for half the price!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except raisins. (You may need to melt the coconut oil first. I put it in a small glass in the oven for a few minutes.)

2. Spread out mixture on a cookie sheet in a thin layer.

3. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn granola and flatten back into a thin layer. Bake for 15 more minutes.

4. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet, then add raisins.  Eat with milk, as a topping for icecream or yogurt, or in handfuls as a little snack! Store in a glass container in the fridge.

Note: Feel free to get creative with this granola. Add in whatever nuts, seeds, and dried fruit you prefer. Enjoy!

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

GMO Part 2: How To Stop Eating GMOs

How do we stop eating these hazardous, harmful genetically modified foods, or GMOs? Well, the first step is knowing what the major foods are that have been genetically modified. The 4 most commonly GM foods are:

1. Corn
2. Soybeans
3. Canola
4. Cottonseed

Most GM foods are products made from these 4 GE foods.They are mostly used in processed foods as the following ingredients:

Corn:
    - Corn flour, corn meal, corn oil, cornstarch, gluten, and corn syrup (High Fructoce Corn Syrup!)
    - Sweeteners such as fructose, dextrose, and glucose
    - Modified food starch*

Soybeans:
    - Soy flour, soy lecithin, soy protein, soy isolate, and isoflavone
    - Vegetable oil* and vegetable protein*

Canola:
    - Canola oil (also called rapeseed oil)

Cottonseed:
    - Cottonseed oil

*May be derived from other sources.


So now we know what the most common offenders are. The First step is to avoid eating these foods.
 



The Second step is to eat organic food whenever possible. Look for the USDA Organic Seal.






The Third step is to look for foods that have been verified non-gmo by a third party such as the Non-GMO Verified Project.





The Fourth step is to download a GMO-free shopping guide.These guides have brands listed in each food category that are GMO-free, and possible GMO offenders. They also provide helpful tips and other guidelines for how to shop GMO-free. Some even have a super helpful app you can download on your phone and take with you to the grocery store. This saved my life when I first started trying to eat GMO-Free! Look up the True Food Network app, or others on the following sites.

GMO Brochure

http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/


As of now, no GE animals have been approved for human consumption, but many are eating GM crops, which means you're still getting GMOs' harmful effects in your meat and/or eggs. Coming up we will talk about what to look for when shopping for meat and eggs.


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Real Food: Where to Start? GMO Part 1

The quest to eat good food, or "real" food is one that can sometimes seem overwhelming or discouraging. The doctors and scientists are saying completely different things than they said twenty years ago. The nutrition advice you've always followed has now been disproved. There are all sorts of new words coming up in the food discussion that you never used to hear, like GMO and nitrates, and BPA-free. But what do we do with all this information. At times it may seem like there is nothing healthy left to eat.  Or it's too hard to even discover what food is still healthy. So we may want to just give up. But I'm here to tell you that the answer is simple. As in every other worthy endeavor, the answer is simply: Baby Steps. Learn about real food one step at a time. And then incorporate what you learn into your diet one step at a time. It's your decision what the first step will be for you. But I suggest that the most vital place to start is eliminating GM-food, or GMOs from your diet RIGHT AWAY!!! If you do nothing else on your quest to eat real food, or even eat "healthier" food, you will be MUCH better off by just eliminating these genetically modified "foods." In this post we will outline the dangers of GMO food, and in the next post discuss how to STOP eating them!

So what are GMOs? And why are they so dangerous? Well, I am definitely not an expert, but I do know a few things.

1. GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms were introduced into the food supply in 1996 by Monsanto.
2. There are 2 main ways that food has been genetically modified. One way is that a pesticide called BT is inserted into the gene of the plant in a lab. Then when insects take a bite of this plant, this inserted BT literally rips open the stomach of the insect and kills it. If it has this effect on insects, what could it be doing to YOUR insides?
The second way is to alter the genes of the plant to be able to withstand being sprayed with Round-up, a chemical that kills plants. So a field a crops can be sprayed with Round-up and then YOU eat those crops! So you are eating Round-up, a harmful poison. What could this poison be doing to your organs and cells?
3. The FDA has decided no testing or research is necessary to ensure that these genetically engineered foods are safe.(!!!)
4. Not only do you eat these crops, but you also eat animals that are fed these crops.
5. Monsanto has created and patented seeds that are unable to reproduce. Which means, potentially a complete monopoly on seeds, food production, and therefore, the lives of every person on this planet.

 Now for what the experts say....

Here is an article written by Dr. Mercola (mercola.com) that includes results from a 10-year Norwegian study just published (July 2012) on the dangerous effects of GM foods. In the next post we will discuss what we can do to stop eating these mutant foods!


By Dr. Mercola
Scientists in Norway have released results from experimental feeding studies carried out over a 10-year period, and the verdict is in: If you want to avoid obesity, then avoid eating genetically engineered (GE) corn, corn-based products, and animals that are fed a diet of GE grain.
As reported by Cornucopia.org1, the project also looked at the effects on organ changes, and researchers found significant changes that affected weight gain, eating behaviors, and immune function.
How Genetically Engineered Corn and Soy Can Wreak Havoc on Your Health
According to the featured article2:
“The results show a positive link between GE corn and obesity. Animals fed a GE corn diet got fatter quicker and retained the weight compared to animals fed a non-GE grain diet. The studies were performed on rats, mice, pigs and salmon, achieving the same results.
… Researchers found distinct changes to the intestines of animals fed GMOs compared to those fed non-GMOs. This confirms other studies done by US researchers. Significant changes occurred in the digestive systems of the test animals’ major organs including the liver, kidneys, pancreas, genitals and more.”
Their findings (which were published July 11, 2012 in Norway by Forskning.no, an online news source devoted to Norwegian and international research3) showed that animals fed genetically engineered Bt corn ate more, got fatter, and were less able to digest proteins due to alterations in the micro-structure of their intestines.
They also suffered immune system alterations. The impaired ability to digest proteins may be of particular concern as this can have far-reaching implications for your health. If your body cannot digest proteins, your body will be less able to produce amino acids, which are necessary building blocks for proper cell growth and function.
As noted by Cornucopia.org:
“This not only may relate to a rise in obesity, but to increases in many modern diseases. These diseases include diabetes, digestive disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (ADD), autoimmune diseases, sexual dysfunction, sterility, asthma, COPD and many more.
…[Lead author] Professor Krogdahl explains: “It has often been claimed that the new genes in genetically modified foods can’t do any damage because all genes are broken down beyond recognition in the gut. Our results show the contrary; that genes can be taken up across the intestinal wall, is transferred to the blood and is left in the blood, muscle and liver in large chunks so that they can be easily recognized… The biological impact of this gene transfer is unknown.”
Bt Toxin Found in Blood of Women and Fetuses
This is not the first time scientists have revealed significant biological impacts and related health problems as a result of eating a diet of genetically engineered foods. More often than not, unless the research is tainted by industry ties, studies into the effects of genetically engineered foods demonstrate that it is anything but safe. This isn’t so surprising when you consider that simple logic will tell you it’s probably not wise to consume a plant designed to produce its own pesticide, for example.
So-called “Bt corn” is equipped with a gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces Bt-toxin—a pesticide that breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them. This pesticide-producing corn entered the food supply in the late 1990′s, and over the past decade, the horror stories have started piling up.
Monsanto and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) swore that the toxin would only affect insects munching on the crop. The Bt-toxin, they claimed, would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and would not have any impact on animals and humans. The biotech companies have doggedly insisted that Bt-toxin doesn’t bind or interact with the intestinal walls of mammals, and therefore humans.
The featured research proves all such claims false.
Prior findings have already shown that Bt corn is anything but innocuous to the human system. Just last year, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood4 of:
  • 93 percent of pregnant women tested
  • 80 percent of umbilical blood in their babies, and
  • 67 percent of non-pregnant women
Bt-toxin breaks open the stomach of insects. Could it similarly be damaging the integrity of your digestive tract? If Bt-toxins can damage the intestinal walls of newborns and young children, the passage of undigested foods and toxins into the blood from the digestive tract could be devastating to their future health. Scientists speculate that it may lead to autoimmune diseases and food allergies. Furthermore, since the blood-brain barrier is not developed in newborns, toxins may enter the brain causing serious cognitive problems. Some healthcare practitioners and scientists are convinced that this is one mechanism for autism.
If Bt genes are colonizing the bacteria living in the digestive tract of North Americans, we might expect to see an increase in gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and childhood learning disorders since the advent of Bt crops in 1996, and that’s exactly what’s being reported. For example, between 1997 and 2002 the number of hospitalizations related to allergic reactions to food increased by a whopping 265 percent. One out of 17 children now has some form of food allergy and allergy rates are rising.
Genetically Engineered Foods Trigger Adverse Immune System Responses
There’s plenty of evidence showing that the Bt-toxin produced in genetically modified Bt crops like corn and cotton plants is toxic to humans and mammals andtriggers immune system responses. For example, in government-sponsored research in Italy5, mice fed Monsanto’s Bt corn showed a wide range of immune responses, such as:
  • Elevated IgE and IgG antibodies, which are typically associated with allergies and infections
  • An increase in cytokines, which are associated with allergic and inflammatory responses. The specific cytokines (interleukins) that were found to be elevated are also higher in humans who suffer from a wide range of disorders, from arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, to MS and cancer
  • Elevated T cells (gamma delta), which are increased in people with asthma, and in children with food allergies, juvenile arthritis, and connective tissue diseases.
Rats fed another of Monsanto’s Bt corn varieties called MON 863, also experienced an activation of their immune systems, showing higher numbers of basophils, lymphocytes, and white blood cells6. These can indicate possible allergies, infections, toxins, and various disease states including cancer. There were also signs of liver and kidney toxicity.
USDA Clears Roundup Ready Sugar Beets
So-called “Roundup Ready” crops are another type of genetically engineered crops. While Bt crops contain a gene that produces a pesticide inside the plant itself, Roundup Ready crops are designed to withstand otherwise lethal topical doses of glyphosate—a broad spectrum herbicide, and the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup as well as hundreds of other products.
This way, the crop survives while all weeds are theoretically eliminated from the field. I say ‘theoretically’ because the overuse of the herbicide has led to the rapid development of glyphosate-resistant superweeds. It’s estimated that more than 130 types of weeds spanning 40 U.S. states are now herbicide-resistant, and the superweeds are showing no signs of stopping.
Roundup Ready crops have also been linked to serious health problems—particularly relating to fertility and birth defects—as has glyphosate itself, which is why the latest news regarding the deregulation of Roundup Ready sugar beets is all the more disappointing.
A number of organizations challenged the USDA approval of Roundup Ready (RR) sugar beets in 2008, arguing that the beets would contaminate related organic and non-GE crops such as table beets and chard. Further, they said that the pesticide-resistant beets would increase pesticide impacts on the environment and worsen the current epidemic of pesticide-resistant superweeds.
A lawsuit was filed against the USDA in 2009 for failure to complete an Environmental Impact Study. A federal judge agreed, temporarily suspending all planting of RR sugar beets. The suspension was later overridden by the USDA, ostensibly to prevent a sugar shortage. After a number of additional legal twists and turns, the USDA has now announced its decision to deregulate Monsanto’s Roundup Ready genetically modified sugar beets7. According to a July 19 press release by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)8:
“After completing both a thorough environmental impact statement and plant pest risk assessment, holding three public meetings and considering and analyzing thousands of comments regarding its analyses, APHIS has determined that, from the standpoint of plant pest risk, Roundup Ready sugarbeets are as safe as traditionally bred sugarbeets.”
GM Companies Threaten Food Security and Sovereignty
A landmark speech delivered during the 2011 SEMEAR conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on how genetically modified (GM) seed companies threaten food security and food sovereignty has resulted in a call to action by an unlikely source who is a key player in the soy industry. Pierre Patriat, President of APROSMAT, the association of seed producers of Mato Grosso, Brazil, does not oppose genetically engineered (GE) crops, but he does recognize the unprecedented threat to food security that GM seeds pose.
Saying that the GM industry is rapidly taking away Brazilian farmers’ freedom of choice, he asked for “immediate mobilization and action on the part of concerned industry members, government, lawmakers, farmers, and civil society to avert the threat to food sovereignty posed by the GM industry’s control of markets through their patented seeds,” according to a recent report by GM Watch9.
In his speech, which I recommend reading in its entirety to learn more, Patriat wisely says:
“… [T]oday, people think everything can be resolved through the seed. If soybean rust occurs they say, “Just wait, this can be resolved with genetic engineering!” A problem with nematodes? – “We’ll change the seed directly!” They want to solve all problems that way… But as long as we have alternative solutions we don’t need genetic engineering to get rid of all problems.
Today we have a big problem with nematodes for a simple reason, not least because of the lack of a medium-term agricultural policy. There is a solution known to every agronomist: Crop rotation! That is how weeds and pests are weakened. It is so simple! Another way is soil management and measures to correct the soil – fundamental things nobody pays attention to anymore because everything has to be resolved through the seed.
No one does rotation any more – everyone does succession [planting same crop in succession]. These are problems that are not resolved by biotechnology. The man who is going to spend 150-200 Brazilian dollars per hectare would do much better to invest it in the [quality of the] land. The profitability in the medium term will be much better for sure. This does not mean that constant seed improvement will not bring solutions. But we ought to cooperate and define the base for new regulations, so that everyone may collaborate harmoniously without abusing their economic power.
Because today there are no brakes on the abuse of economic power over seed, and even worse, this affects the sovereignty of a country, because it is a matter of food security and food security is national security.”
The issue of food sovereignty is certainly not restricted to Brazil. It’s becoming a serious threat to every nation on this planet as genetically engineered crops spread. These seeds are owned by private companies, and it’s imperative to understand that once a country allows GE crops to monopolize their agricultural sector, it becomes completely beholden to and dependent upon a corporation for the ability to grow food and feed its citizens!



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What Is Real Food?


The human body needs many essential elements to function. Many of these come from the food we eat.  But the problem today is that most "food" that is available or offered to us is not actually food. It is fake "food." It's actually not food at all, but poison, and is not only not good for us, it's TOXIC to our bodies.
A lot of people are under the myth that when they are eating these fake "foods", that they are just eating food that's not AS good for you as some other food. But that is a lie. You are actually not even eating food at all. You are eating a genetically modified, or chemically modified substance that is not food at all, or a refined substance that perhaps used to be food, but is now literally a poison to your body. So you're not eating food that is "less good" for you, you are not eating food at all. You are eating poison.
So, how do we eat real food?Join us as we discover what real food is, what toxins we are regularly consuming, and how to stop eating the poison!
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