I Wanna Know What's in My Food and Body Care Products.

Lately events, commercials and articles have driven me to write this post. It's very simple, I want to know what is in my food and body care products!

1.) To recently find out that Aspartame is going to be called a "Natural Sweetener" and that "Wood" is a common ingredient in much of our processed foods that we are feeding our children.

2.) To know that Johnson and Johnson is selling their baby care products in the USA with toxic ingredients while they have removed the ingredients in Europe because those countries demanded it.

3.) The FDA and USDA have decided that labeling genetically modified foods somehow implies that there is something wrong with the food and therefore refuse to pass regulations for labeling.

I recently read Micheal Pollen's book "In Defense of Food". The government has known since the 1970's that our diet was unhealthy and killing us, but has not done anything to change it. A Senate Select Committee led by George McGovern recommended that we eat less meat and dairy. After pressure from the Meat and Dairy industry that recommendation was reworded to less fat and cholesterol in our diets.

There are movements in America at present for the Right to Know. Follow the link to  Vermont Right to Know for more information.

Information about Safe Cosmetics can be found at http://safecosmetics.org/
 

It's really up to us to make sure we have healthy, nutritious food. It is getting more difficult to find it with factory farming and large conventional agriculture filling our supermarkets. Our conventional food has less omega 3's and natural vitamins because the soil has been stripped of its nutrients and they are not being replenished.

Whenever possible we should be buying grass fed beef, free-range chickens and eggs and local or organic fruits and vegetables.

I also highly recommend buying USDA organic body care products.

Labels for Liberty

Many of us do not realize it but most of the food we eat and drink has been genetically modified or adulterated in some way. The government in their infinite wisdom thinks that we as consumers do not need or want to know this information. I am appalled that as a parent, thinking that I was feeding my children healthy nutritious food; I was actually feeding them toxins and carcinogens and cancer causing ingredients.

 Becky and I fighting the good fight

At this time, many states have legislation pending the would require genetically modified foods to be labeled. In Vermont it is H.367. Contact your representatives and let them know that you want to know what is in your food! Do it today!

Living Foods, Enzymes, Raw Food, Acidic or Alkaline

During my Acid Reflux distress I had read Natural Cures"They" Don't Want You to Know About. It was a stepping stone to where I am today. In the book he says that we do not eat enough living food or foods with active enzymes. Most of the food we eat today is processed, microwaved, pasteurized or cooked until there is nothing left that is living in the food. In Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life Brendan Brazier touches on the same subject and speaks of sprouting nuts, seeds, beans and grains and eating them in their living raw form. He also talks about the pH of food and our bodies. Our bodies should be more alkaline to operate properly and most of us have bodies that are in an acidic state. This interests me, but I have only begun to investigate and educate myself on the subject.

Lately, I have been adding more raw foods and fermented foods into my diet. Stores like Healthy Living in South Burlington have a whole section dedicated to raw foods. Here are a few of my favorite raw food brand names Lydia's Organics, Lulu's Raw Chocolate, Brad's Raw Chips, Ruth's Hemp Foods and Vega. They all make excellent products that are good for the body. Another website that has the most amazing raw recipes is Raw Amazing. I will let you know how things are as time goes on and who knows? You may be eating some of my "raw" recipes soon!

Acupuncture, Holistic Health Coach and Camping

For a healthy person it seems that I have a lot going on in my life as far as preventive maintenance. Last week, I went to my naturopathic physician for a check-up and a seasonal acupuncture. After checking my pulses she found that the pulses were finally balanced, but a little weak. The acupuncture this time was to strengthen my spleen qi. The needles followed my lower rib cage and my lower legs. I felt really good after it was completed. Dr. Miller-Lane provided me with a tincture to strengthen my digestive tract and spleen qi. Per her direction I have also been avoiding fruit at night, gluten and processed corn while adding green tea and lemon water to my daily beverages.

This week I had my third visit with the holistic health coach. We talked about some of the changes that I have made in diet, energy levels, weight loss and exercise. One of my challenges has been eating healthy snacks at work. I continue to struggle with this and have traded the nightly bag of Fritos or brown rice chips for barbecue potato chips. I want to break this habit of eating commercial chips. One of the ideas that I had overlooked from the previous session was fresh vegetables with hummus. Instead of hummus I have brought fresh vegetables with horseradish mustard and also an Indonesian dipping sauce. Another idea that I came up with is dehydrated sweet potatoes; they are drying as I type. I continue to make dehydrated kale chips and eat them faster than I can make them! The fresh greens I chose for this week was Swiss chard; sauteing it the same way I did the collard greens last week. Very good! Lindsay provided me with a book to read, of my choosing. I chose Food Energetics by Steve Gagne'.

Another step in the "Journey to a Healthy Life" is to just get out and have fun. Last weekend, I went camping with a friend. We shared laughs, good food and a love for the outdoors. Sunday morning was a perfect Vermont day with blue skies and a cool breeze. 

We could have stayed in the woods all day, but had to pack up camp and return to reality. We had one last brownie and cup of peppermint tea It was an exceptionally good time.

For the Love of Dirt: For the Love of Dirt

This is a blog I am following. I have often thought that I would enjoy living a life off the grid and away from people. Would it be a healthier way of life?

For the Love of Dirt: For the Love of Dirt: "When I began to tell people that I’d be spending part of my summer living in a cabin with a composting toilet and no running water, ..."

Holistic Health Coach

Some may think I am CRAZY! And that may be true. After a lifetime of gaining weight and losing weight while staying active in outdoor activities, plus the myriad of ups and downs; I decided to hire a professional to help guide me in choosing the right foods and exercise. My goal is to achieve a constant weight and manage my state of mind and health efficiently. Get Healthy with Lindsay

ANGRY about our National Food System

As a parent I always tried to feed my children healthy foods and snacks. Now I find that I have been filling them full of toxic, pesticide laden, genetically modified, corn saturated, adulterated foods.

We are being used as guinea pigs by corporate America and the FDA to test  unknown food sources. Monsanto's Round Up ready crops and Genetically Engineered fish will soon be or are the norm on most tables in America. Our conventional food system is a travesty. Animal abuse in factory farms is commonplace. The living conditions are so unsanitary that the animals have to be injected with antibiotics just to keep them alive long enough to slaughter them.

CNN just pulled meat off the shelf in stores across America and found that 47% had Strep when tested and several of those were resistant to 3 kinds of antibiotics.

There is a movement to get GMO (genetically modified organisms) labeled in food. The corporations do not want to label GMO foods because they know it will reduce their sales. The FDA is protecting their right to keep GMO's unlabeled and go as far as telling others that they cannot label their food GMO-free.

Please post comments on how you feel about this. There are petitions going around now that are trying to get foods labeled so that you know what you are eating. Please sign is they come your way.