Salubrious Seeds

This is a follow-up (to previous posts) with more evidence against fluoride. Can Adding Fluoride to Milk Help Improve Children’s Dental Health? (Mercola)

The Life-Changing Habit Every Woman Has Time For… may be worth trying…

Cosmetics contain plenty of chemicals – a few very dangerous such as lead (neurotoxin causing learning, language and behavioral problems such as lowered IQ), formaldehyde (carcinogen linked to several cancers, including leukemia), phthalates (hormone disrupter affecting the reproductive system), triclosan (linked to changes in hormone levels and increased risk of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancers), and mercury (harms reproductive and cardiovascular systems). Some Women take on cosmetics industry and they need your support.

What if Everything You’ve Been Told about How to Eat Is Wrong (AlterNet) and real fat is really good for you?

Top 10 Healthy Nutrients for Brain Development (Cheeseslave) to stay sharp, focused and stave off dementia.

In a brilliant interview, Wendell Berry, Poet & Prophet (Moyers & Company), this distinguished farmer and writer discusses a plan to save the Earth from the environmental catastrophe.

Have you said NO to the GMO (NaturalNews) yet? It is time that we start eating real food, isn’t it?

Take a step further and think organic, especially when it comes to these 7 Best Foods (BuiltLean) to avoid long-term low level exposure to hazardous pesticides. Children, pregnant women and nursing mothers are especially vulnerable.

European Environmental Agency states that People must pay the full cost of water (Euractiv) to forestall waste and preserve this precious resource. Should we, in the US, also be serious about water and its conservation?

Eating too much and not moving enough may not be the only contributors to the obesity epidemic. What Makes People (and Our Animals) Fat? (TheDailyGreen) explains that there is much more to the story.

Human body heavily relies on vitamin D to function well. View Top 10 Best Sources of Vitamin D (Cheeseslave) to obtain your daily dose.

According NUTRiLiving, here are 14 of the Best Vegetables.

This is unbelievable! The Sad State of School Lunch in the US. (Huffington) How can we be astounded that kids are not performing well in school?

What’s Wrong with Store Bought Honey? (Cheeseslave) Some highlights:

Evidence suggests that there is a correlation between the spraying of pesticides and the outbreak of diseases such as polio and pertussis as Are Polio and Whooping Cough Caused By Pesticides? (Cheeseslave) explains. It is certain that we will continue to see many more disastrous health and other side effects of pesticides as time goes on. Not that there is not enough already now to cease or drastically reduce their use. However, for numerous companies, large corporations and some individuals, the planet would have to disintegrate to notice the damage the pesticides are causing.

The collapse of bee colonies is well established but what/who shares the responsibility for this devastating state is still under investigation in many parts of the world. Much points to chemicals used today. For second year in the row Health Canada data show that bee deaths are linked to pesticides. (TheStar)

Why U.S. Health Care Is Obscenely Expensive, In 12 Charts. (Huffington) Based on my practice and research, there are more reasons for the pricey healthcare in the US but the most important include: lack of emphasis on prevention, too few primary care providers in many areas, underutilization of primary care when available and insufficient education on what’s involved to maintain well-being. That should start early on, but judging by The Sad State of School Lunch in the US and what we feed our children as an example, the country has a long way to go.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) may not be the panacea of the broken healthcare system but it will help to insure millions of people who would otherwise not be able to see a primary care physician and obtain preventive care. Read and share 15 Myths The Media Should Ignore During Obamacare Implementation. (Media Matters)

A well-known, regarded food writer and environmentalist, author of Tomatoland, Barry Estabrook lists five things that he absolutely refuses to eat.

The CDC has just published the results of research on antibiotic resistance. It provides information on how the resistance affects us all. The use of antibiotics in farm animals must be restricted to therapeutic purposes only and not used to promote growth.

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Reports Another Radioactive Water Leak. (Huffington)

On the GMO front, The Food Industry Is Intentionally Keeping You in the Dark About How Much Genetically Modified Food You’re Eating. (AlterNet) As we learn about the potentially calamitous health consequences of GMOs, we should have a choice as to what ends up on our plates.

Just in time for the season – 9 Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds. (Mercola)

Delay reading this section if you are just consuming your lunch of chicken sandwich; otherwise, be aware that New USDA rule allows hidden feces, pus, bacteria and bleach in conventional poultry. (Natural News)

Top Ten Energy Tools from Around the Web from GRACE.

Are certain foods a new tobacco and the food industry a new tobacco industry? Food Is the New Tobacco (The Environmental Magazine) shines some light on the issue.

In the dark – at least that’s where a consumer is today when it comes to GMOs. Recently, Senators Warren (MA) and Udall (CO) sent a joint letter to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration urging the agency to Finalize GMO Labeling Guidelines. However, according to OCA, it appears that Senators Angle for Monsanto-Friendly FDA Voluntary GMO Labeling Guidance. Instead of voluntary, it should read mandatory. Don’t we just have the right to know?

Two Things Monsanto hates: This Video, and WA I-522.

Meanwhile, one for us – In a major victory brought upon by serious activism and public outrage, new legislation changes will shut down the Monsanto Protection Act rider that granted Monsanto protection from legal action and was set to renew on September 30th. (Natural Society)

Better Than Big Pharma: 5 Herbs You Can’t Do Without (AlterNet). I can personally vouch for lemon balm, ginger, turmeric and elderberry. Especially the last one does wonder when a cold or a flu is on a horizon.

If you like indoor plants, have time and patience, here are 10 House Plants That Will Clean and Purify the Air Inside Your Home. Just remember to water them, once in a while at least. Put it in your calendar or a list to do in case if needed.

Even though more research is needed, the fact that Cinnamon Could Benefit Diabetes Patients (The Huffington Post) is very promising.

Did you realize/do you know that Half of China’s Antibiotics Now Go to Livestock? (MotherJones); meanwhile, in the US, livestock industry is now consuming nearly four-fifths of the antibiotic.

Should we forget vaccines and Fight Pandemic Disease with Herb Power? (Natural Society)

Autism is on the rise. And more research provides evidence that environment plays a huge role such as exposure to air pollutants and insecticides used in the home. (The Environmental Magazine)

If possible, help to Stop SB 633, Oregon’s Monsanto Protection Act that will hurt Oregon’s farmers and local food and agriculture!

Here are a few means to diminish a possibility of cancer:

For details, read 6 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer.

A recommendation for this book emanated from the least expected source – a person who I would never think of as someone for whom the preservation of the natural environment and resources matters. Hope Beneath Our Feet comprises of essays written by people from all walks of life – educators, advocates, activists, philosophers, historians, politicians, religious figures, community leaders and many more.  They are all answering to one question: In a time of environmental crisis, how can we live right now?

This astonishing book opens eyes to the reality of what the human species has created, stupefies with its wisdom, disturbs and overwhelms with its boldness (we need it), greatly inspires for action (we crave it), but above all brings hope (we deserve it)…

You Can’t Have It All, but You Can Have Cake. Asides from the fact that “all” can have so many meanings (as Delia Nephron points out), even if we could have all, do we really need it? Why would we want it? Even if it is a cake from your favorite bakery…

Find out What Happens to Your Body When You Exercise (The Huffington Post). Not every type of exercise is good for all and in each circumstance. Learning what works for your schedule,  body/mind and situations may take some sweats but the payoff outweighs the efforts.

Is this really happening? EPA Quietly Withdraws Two Proposed Chemical Safety Rules. One concerns Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in many water bottles and other plastic products and linked to risks of hormonal disruptions, obesity, anxiety, problems with a reproductive system and cancer (brain and breast) amongst others. A second rule that [the] EPA withdrew would have forced companies to disclose to the public the chemicals used in products and the health and safety studies the companies have conducted on those chemicals — much of which companies have been allowed to protect as “confidential business information.”

As the GMO labeling debate continues, two United States Senators, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mark Udall (D-CO), urge FDA to Finalize GMO Labeling Guidelines (RSN).

In the meantime, we learn that Herbicide-Resistant Monsanto GMOs [were] Planted Before USDA Approved (OrganicAuthority).

Are blueberries, apples and grapes better for you than other fruit? Uncover in Some Fruits Are Better Than Others (NYT).

To continue discussion about mental health and disorders, The New Science of Mind explains how our limited knowledge of the biological foundation of complex mental activity is beginning to really expand. To give us new insights into who we are as human beings. And to provide more effective treatments when needed.

At times when obesity is on everyone’s mind, Overweight But Anorexic Teens Are Often Overlooked By Doctors (The Huffington Post).

Can Public Health unite the Good Food Movement? In an excerpt: Although the Farm Bill comes before Congress every five years, fundamental changes to the legislation emerge only in response to crisis. […] The anti-hunger, food justice, environmental justice, buy-local and labor communities are responding to bad fiscal, economic, and social policy (including structural racism) that has allowed persistent poverty and is now quickly shrinking the middle class. The environmental and sustainable agriculture communities are responding to degradations caused by industrial farming, fossil fuel production, and consumption. The anti-obesity, school food, locavore, animal welfare, Slow Food communities, natural food entrepreneurs, and sustainable farmers and ranchers are responding to the effects of industrial agricultural production and industrial (fast) food consumption, but for different reasons. For the food movement to place unstoppable pressure on policymakers and industrial food producers, it needs a very focused set of goals that emerge from a single root crisis that binds us all. Public health is that crisis.

Read Toxic chemicals will make you fat to appreciate how they (Formaldehyde, Parabens, Triclosan, Imidazolidinyl Urea, SLS) may negatively impact your weight and health in general.

While the FDA concludes rice to be low in arsenic and therefore safe to eat (NPR), the toxic cancer-causing arsenic is being found even in organic rice products (NaturalNews). Consumer Reports (CR), a very well-known and highly respected nonprofit organization that research safety of consumer products and services, finds that a real need for federal standards for this toxin is critical and long overdue. Follow this link to find out how much arsenic is in rice/rice products of your choice.

If possible, head to Washington, DC, for The Green Festival Experience. The Green Festival, a project of Green America (one of the best resources of green news and products) and Global Exchange, also takes place in other location. Visit their website for more information.

Dr. Marion Nestle affirms in her post titled FDA study: Do added nutrients sell products? (Of course they do) that food marketers know perfectly well that nutrients sell food products.

On a related topic, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Introduces Bill Ending Subsidy for Marketing Unhealthy Foods to Children.

Fukushima in Free-fall: Radioactive Water Filters Taken Offline, Tepco in Desperation as Leaks Just Won’t Stop (Natural News). As awful as the situation is, hopefully, this will pressure governments, communities and individuals to reconsider nuclear power. Mark Bittman continues the discussion in The New Nuclear Craze (NYT) by further clarifying safety and economic viability of nuclear power.

But as Japan plans to spend $470 million on a subterranean ice wall in a desperate attempt to stop leaks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, Radiation Levels Spike Around Contaminated Tanks At Fukushima Nuclear Plant.

Origin conducted a remarkable interview with Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, one of the best, well-known researchers on vulnerability. Her TEDx Houston talk, The Power of Vulnerability, has become one of the most watched talks on TED.com, with over 8.5 million views.

With the healthcare overhaul law and more evidences that healthcare cost are declining explained in  More Good News on Health Care: Medicare Costs Are Down, Down, Down (Mother Jones), the future [in this country] may be brighter than we think.

The newest update on fluoride – Fluoridating Water Supplies Keeps Us Dumb, Docile, and Sick – Let’s End It (Natural Society).

That Food Dyes are Linked to Cancer, ADHD, Allergies (Food Safety News) is not news but a good reminder as so many edible items around us today contain them.

Due to overdiagnosis of psychiatric disorders, medical treatment of normal behaviors, Big Pharma exploitation of psychiatry and the adverse effects of psychiatric medications, Our Society Breeds Anxiety, Depression and Dysfunction (AlterNet).

As more and more evidences suggest that pesticides used to treat crops are making honey bees susceptible to a fatal parasite and contributing to recent declines in bee populations, Florida Citrus Grower That Killed Millions of Bees With Pesticide Gets $1,500 Fine. In fact, honeybees are on a verge of collapse; Mother Jones’ article, The Mystery of Bee Colony Collapse, shines more light on the issue.

Before reaching for the next cup of your favorite tea, read Do You Know What’s Really In Your Tea? to learn if some of the heaviest pesticides are ending up in your mug/cup.

If possible, please, Tell Coke: Stop Running Ads Claiming that Diet Coke and Aspartame are Healthy.

An astonishing Jon McGoran’s new novel, Drift, is an ecological thriller about a small farming community invaded by a genetic engineering-focused crime ring. As David Morell , New York Times bestselling author of Murder as a Fine Art, expresses, “You’ll think twice about the food you put into your mouth after you read Drift. This thriller isn’t only compelling—it’s about something hugely important.”

Learn about how You Can Afford Wholesome and Organic Food from Mother Earth News.

Food scraps make up the largest percentage of waste in landfills—21% (followed by plastics at 17% and paper at 16%). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that in 2010, more than 34 million tons of food waste was generated—and only 3% was diverted from landfills. The greenest city in the US keeps an astonishing 80% of solid waste out of landfills. Can your city do it? Trash lessons from E – The Environmental Magazine may help to answer some questions.

What are Four Questions You Should Never Ask at a Farmers Market?  (Civil Eats)

Unfair Share: How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties provides another example of how landowners from Pennsylvania to North Dakota have been promised a better life and generous compensation by big oil/gas companies when allowing them to drill for natural gas on their land. [However] manipulation of costs and other data by these companies is keeping billions of dollars in royalties out of the hands of private and government landholders.

Fukushima leaks 300 tons of radioactive water into the ocean daily (NaturalNews). Japan’s nuclear watchdog has declared the situation a “state of emergency” and it appears that it will only get worse –  the entire Northern hemisphere has been placed at risk by a bunch of corporate bureaucrats who thought building a nuclear facility in the path of a sure-to-happen tidal wave was a fantastic idea.

Lemons may be considered another little miracle of nature. View 9 Awesome Facts About Lemons You Should Know.

If there is too much salt, sugar and/or fat in your diet, Mark Hyman, MD offers 10 Ways to Ditch Your Cravings for them.

Picking Organic Produce from E – The Environmental Magazine provides useful information about buying organics at the supermarket while being on a budget. The Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s just-released 9th annual “Dirty Dozen” list documents pesticide contamination for 48 popular fruits and vegetables.

Three-soda-a-day sugar habit could be toxic, Utah study finds. In a new study out of University of Utah, researchers have discovered that even a small amount of refined sugar consumption results in catastrophic consequences. Male mice fed a diet with 25 percent extra sugar — equivalent to about an additional three cans of soda a day in humans — were less likely to defend their territory and reproduce, while female mice on the same diet died at twice the normal rate.

The harmful effects of pesticides and fertilizers are slowly but surely becoming evident, more every day. They have a negative impact on all of us, but especially farmers and farm workers who are directly exposed to the toxic chemicals as described in Pesticides Taking Toll on Farmworkers (Civil Eats).

Recall being a child. Although as the article points out – wisdom comes with age – 6 Childhood Habits To Take Into The Real World offers little pearls to be followed faithfully for a more content living.

Let’s Keep the Pressure on to Save the Bees! Please, help the bees and our future!And another plead.

Please, Tell the FDA: GMOs Aren’t Natural.

24 servings

An easy summer party delight! This cake is quick to make and absolutely delicious when served with a tablespoon of plain yogurt!

9 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups flour
3 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut (if sweetened is used, reduce sugar to 1 1/3 cup)
2 cups milk
3 eggs
2 cups of blueberries and 2 large peaches or any combination of fruit to yield about 4 cups in total

Turn oven to 350 F degrees. Butter or oil a rectangular baking dish, about 10 x 14 inches, preferable heat-proof glass. Melt butter on low heat. Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add coconut. In a separate bowl, slightly whisk the eggs. Add milk to eggs. Turn on the mixer on slow speed. Add milk/egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix only until well combined. Do NOT overmix. Place the batter into the baking dish and spread evenly. Spread the fruit mixture on top. Place into the warm oven and bake for about 45 – 50 minutes or until a cake tester (knife or wooden pick, etc.) comes out clean.

Let it cool before serving. If possible…

A follow up article on the topic of fluoride (see my previous post for the initial entry) – Some non-organic foods contain upwards of 180 times the fluoride level of tap water, says expert (The NaturalNews Network) – confirms previously stated concerns and adds more.

Hear how to reverse the ongoing Corporate Coup d’Etat from Chris Hedges aired on Alternative Radio.

The issue of fracking has occasionally appeared on this blog and the news seems to be moving in the right direction. Food & Water Watch reports that Fracking Bans Spread Across Argentina, Global Resistance Grows.

Updates and more facts on GMOs and Monsanto:

– “Reacting to the dangerous escalation of chemical farming, toxic residues on foods and environmental pollution,” millions of people have taken (literally and figuratively) to the streets in a global “March Against Monsanto.” Read Millions Against Monsanto: On the Road to Victory (OCA) for an update

– Learn how NOT to comply with Monsanto and stand up for your health and well-being in Top Ways to Flip Monsanto the bird daily

– Center for Food Safety has develop an interactive Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Laws Map showing that more than sixty countries have strict GMOs laws

– Appreciate The 10 GMO Myths That Monsanto Wants You To Believe

Another study, from France this time, provides evidence that common food contaminants like dioxin, PCB, bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates may be causing dangerous metabolic changes as explained in the Food Contaminants Worsen Metabolic Problems in Obese Mice article (Mercola.com).

Health problems linked to some of the most common food contaminants include:

• BPA: Plasticizing chemicals like BPA, found in plastics and canned food linings, disrupt embryonic development and are linked to heart disease and cancer.
• Phthalates: Phthalates dysregulate gene expression and cause genital anomalies, especially in baby boys, that may pass down several generations. Found in vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soap, shampoo, deodorants, fragrances, hair spray, nail polish, plastic bags, food packaging, garden hoses, inflatable toys, blood-storage bags, and intravenous medical tubing.
• Dioxins: Dioxins, a byproduct of industrial processes, such as chlorine bleaching of paper products and the manufacturing of some pesticides. […] they accumulate in the food chain and more than 90 percent of human exposure is through foods like meat, dairy products and fish. […]are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.”
• PCBs: Like dioxins, PCBs are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that persist in the environment and resist breaking down, accumulating in the food chain and posing serious risks to human health and the environment. PCBs and other POPs have caused birth defects and other abnormalities among wildlife, along with damage to virtually every human bodily system.

Read Nutrition, Inc. by C. D. Cook from The Progressive to find out how The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics lets Kellogg and Pepsi give advice on how kid can eat right. STUNNING!

10 Things the Processed Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know. Say no more.

It is becoming apparent that fluoride poses many risks.  Top 10 Dangers of Fluoride (from Cheeseslave) summarize some of the most widely recognized. A MUST see short movie, Fluoride: The Hard to Swallow Truth provides information not to frighten but to educate.

Chocolate will never cease to amaze me that in this one food, there can be so much goodness. View the NaturalSociety’s article 7 Dark Chocolate Health Benefits for details.

In Breeding Bacteria on Factory Farms, Mark Bittman (NYT) reviews and recapitulates the current studies and evidences “that keeping animals in confinement and feeding them antibiotics prophylactically breeds varieties of bacteria that cause disease in humans…” often very hard to treat diseases.

Will US trade negotiators seek the elimination of GMO restrictions in Europe? Will European Requirements for Labeling GMO Foods Survive New Trade Negotiations? Cornucopia offers some insights.

Carole Bartolotto (The Huffington Post) advices on How to Avoid Genetically Modified Foods – And Take Your Power Back. And her interview with a renowned scientist, Michael Hansen, PhD, Is the Movement to Label GMOs Anti-Science? renders answers to some of the more unsettling issues regarding GMOs.

Are you concerned about the lack of labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods? From Just Label It, read 8 Things You Can Do and how to access additional information.

In the Health Letter article, July 2013, Public Citizen recommends to Protect Others by Reporting Your Child’s Problems with Medical Products (the case will make You think twice before taking ANY medication next time).

In order to answer some of my friends’ and colleagues’ questions, the article 7 Foods You Should Never Eat is being reposted.

Organic certification verifies that products meet all requirements in the USDA organic regulations from farm to market. See the definitions, regulations and resources for additional information in in this brief document.

[…] food companies have known for decades that salt, sugar and fat are not good for us in the quantities Americans consume them, and yet every year they convince most of us to ingest about twice the recommended amount of salt and 70 pounds of sugar – up to 22 teaspoons a day. Is junk food the new tobacco? Read here to find some answers.

The Food Revolution Network’s The Truth About Soy is an excellent article about detriments and benefits of soy. Worth reading, especially by those who consider soy a miracle or at very least a safe alternative to cow’s milk.

Consider helping The Cornucopia Institute with a new scorecard to rate brands of organic chicken. Following the link: Help Us Separate Factory Farm Brands of “Organic” Chicken from the Real McCoy.

And finally, following the instructions to make the best ricotta cheese: Homemade Ricotta A La Il Buco Alimentari Is Amazing, Surprisingly Easy To Make. Make sure to use good quality “unpasteurized” or at most, just “pasteurized” milk.