How Toxic Are You?

Ever wonder how much the chemicals in your environment effect you? Here is a short video from MSN news about the chemicals that showed up in the blood of a National Geographic reporter. http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=2E039392-54ED-4E36-899A-79FA61AA9041&f=00&fg=RSS

And remember that you do have control over the foods you eat and the body care products you use. You can limit your exposure to chemicals by going organic. To find out more about the problems of chemicals in body care check out my website www.blissfullyorganic.com and while you are there check out the MiEssence line of certified organic and organic cosmetics, skin and body care products

Health Freedom at Risk

Do you know about Codex? It is the attempt by multinational corporations to limit our access to supplements and natural remedies and make our personal health care dependent on Big Pharma controlled drugs and regulated supplements. The video "We Become Silent" is a must watch video on this issue.

Also if you think it couldn't happen here, consider that recently our all powerful FDA threatened to confiscate cherry crops. Because cherry farmers were posting published scientific studies on the benefits of eating cherries on their websites, the FDA was claiming that cherries were being sold as unregulated drugs. More info here:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/mar2006_awsi_01.htm

Wear Your Greens and Eat Them Too

Happy belated St Patrick's Day! Many of you probably put careful thought into which article of green clothing you wore yesterday but did you also give careful consideration as to which greens you included in your food choices - And I don't mean green jello. Most people do not know that green leafy vegetables are rich sources of minerals including calcium and magnesium. And because of the balance of these minerals the calcium is more bioavalable then the calcium in dairy products. The darker the green the more nutrient dense the vegetable. Think salad greens like romaine, spinach and red leaf (forget the nutrient poor iceberg lettuce) Think cooked greens like kale, spinach, collard greens, bok choy and fennel. Think green stems and flowers like broccoli and asparagus And don't forget the green herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill, oregano and thyme. Besides providing minerals these plant foods also provide, vitamins, antioxidents and other phytonutrients. Parsley considered by many to be just a pretty garnish and breath freshener is reallya powerhouse of nutrition. Consider getting a rotary herb grater and adding parsley sprinkles to things like soup and spaghetti sauce.

John McDougall MD on the Perils of Dairy Products

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2348910096409126100&q=john+mcdougall&hl=en

The Everlasting Burger

Think all burgers are created equally? Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic

Gardasil - More Information To Be Aware Of

I have just found out some interesting facts about the new HPV vaccine that I wanted to pass on

1) Merck outsourced some of its Gardasil trials to Contract Research Organizations (CROs) in the developing world,including JayaJan Pharmaceutical Research in India. CROs are part of a $14 billion industry that recruits subjects and runs trials for BigPharma. Conflicts of interest can arise when CROs are paid royalties only after a drug is approved rather than getting a set fee independent of results, or when CROs believe favorable findings will lead to future contracts. Merck spokesperson Amy Rose refused to specify how, or even if, the company oversees CROs.
This information comes from the article HPV vaccine: Betting on a Mercky record by Terry J. Allen

2) Gardasil contains Polysorbate 80, which is linked to infertility in mice

3) Gardasil contains sodium borate (a common roach killer) In 2005 the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health noted that sodium borate “is now known to be a dangerous poison, it is no longer commonly used in medical preparations.”

4) Anyone receiving the full set of 3 vaccines would be receiving 675 mcg of aluminum. Aluminum is a toxic metal when injected into our bloodstreams and can adversely affect muscles, tissues, nerves and brain. There are also associations of Alzheimers with aluminum.

How dare they try to mandate this toxic soup into the arms of our little girls!

The Big C - It is Not What You Think

The word cancer is equated with the word tumor according to Western Medicine. So Western Medicine treats the cancer by trying to eliminate the tumor by surgery, radiation and chemo (the cut, burn and poison method). The idea of chemo is that the poisons will affect fast growing cells first like cancers and the goal is to rid the body of the tumor before the chemo kills the patient. Often times these methods will work to shrink the tumors initially and put the patient into remission but the cancer then reappears with a vengeance some time later. If the tumors do not grow back in the first five years the remedy is considered to have worked even if the tumors reappear at five years and one day. And it doesn't matter to Western Medicine that their treatments greatly diminish the quality of life for patients using these techniques.

Alternative medicine views the tumor as a cancer symptom rather than the actual disease. There are several alternative theories about the causes of cancer and how best to treat the body. One of the most widely accepted alternative views is that cancer is a disfunction of the immune system and by boasting the immune system the body will rid itself of the tumors. Many alternate remedies such as intravenous Vitamin C and herbal tonics are designed to do just that. Another alternative theory is that cancer is a Vitamin deficiency (which could also tie into the first theory because if we don't give our bodies everything we need our immune system can not function properly).

Modern Western Medicine makes huge profits from their cut, burn and poison treatments of cancer. They do not want you to have knowledge of alternative treatments because it deeply cuts into their pockets It is therefore up to you to seek out the information regarding your own health. I highly recommend that your check out the website http://www.cancertutor.com/ to educate yourself.

Also if you doubt that Western Medicine will do everything in its power to limit your access to successful treatments check out the video "Hoxsey - How Healing Becomes A Crime"

Gardasil-Sex, Lies and Videotapes

Merck the infamous maker of Vioxx is attempting to inject their new vaccine Gardasil into the arm of every preadolescent girl in the US. The series of 3 shots which costs over $900 total is said to be effective against some forms of HPV (human papillomavirus) that may cause cervical cancer in some women. (Notice the words some and may).

Merck was desperate to find a cash cow on the heals of the many lawsuits against Vioxx (Lie #1- Vioxx is a safe and effective drug for arthritis pain. According to internal documents Merck was fully aware of its potential to cause heart problems when it went to market). Merck attempted to go the mandatory vaccine route – a proven cash winner.. Merck used an initial one- two punch to both gain acceptance of its vaccine and assure that lawmakers would add it to the list of mandatory vaccines. Steps 1 (from Basic Marketing 101) create a need and desire for the vaccine. This was done through a massive advertising campaign including frequent TV commercials (videotapes) appealing to our emotions to save all our girls from the fate of cervical cancer. Step 2 (a proven Big Pharma technique) use lobbyists to bribe politicians to make the vaccine mandatory in their state. The governor of Texas bypassed .the legislature and issued an Executive order making the vaccine mandatory in his state. Merck was thrilled as several more states were due to follow. Then their plan backfired. For one thing parents called foul as they declared their right over the state to decide whether a vaccine that protected against sexually transmitted disease could be forced upon their daughters. And secondly the money trail behind the lobbying effects in Texas and other states became public knowledge. Merck retreated with its tail between its legs and promised to be good – no more payoffs.

Things were quiet for about a week or so and then coincidently a study came out that stated that 27% women between 18 and 59 were infected with HPV (I wonder who sponsored this research – is this .another attempt at Marketing 101- create a need and desire for a product and people will come knocking on your door). While the 27% figure sounds dire, the news headline and two minute news report on the TV which hyped the information failed to report the full facts of the story. The truth being that that the most important risk factors for cervical cancer are age, marital status and number of sexual partners. Also although 27% of women were shown to carry this virus it is believed that 90% of all HPV infections clear on their own in two years. Further only 2% of the women were infected with the type of HPV associated with cervical cancer and only 3% had one of the four types of HPV that Gardasil was designed to prevent. For more information please see http://www.aapsonline.org/alerts/alert-3-1-07.php

Gardasil has only been tested short term. Since the main risk factor for cervical cancer is risky sexual behavior, why should we mandate injecting all of our girls with this vaccine? No one knows the long term effects of this vaccine which may include sterility. I don’t know about you but I do not want my daughter to be a guinea pig in Merck’s vaccination program. Besides they lied about Vioxx – who knows what lies they are hiding about Gardasil.

The Future of Food - Video

This is a must watch video. It was previously hosted on Google videos but has been removed. It can now be found on YouTube. The first part is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvLBMXC_D0Q - there are seven parts in all.

Peace and love to all!

Great Beginnings

On my last post I promised to provide you with some of my favorite breakfast recipes so here they are. A few notes: 1) make your breakfast nutrient dense by including whole grains, healthy fats and also fruit and/or vegetables. 2) Make sure your whole grains are 100% whole grain (or at least are more whole grain than processed flour). 3) I do not use dairy products for a variety of reasons to be discussed in a later post (for information now check out http://www.notmilk.com/) 4) I frequently add cinnamon to my breakfasts as there is some scientific evidence that cinnamon helps control blood sugar levels 5) Citrus fruits will help you absorb minerals in your foods more easily. Also there is some research suggesting that grapefruit will better help you metabolize the fat in your diet.

RECIPES:

French Toast: 1 egg (look for organic, high omega 3 eggs) ¼ cup orange juice, 2 T cinnamon, 3 slices of whole wheat bread. Dip bread in a mixture of other ingredients. Fry in a pan coated with coconut oil. Serve with real maple syrup.

Baked Apple: Core a whole apple. Put the apple in a bowl. Add raisins and nuts to the whole were the core was. Pour apple juice into the bowl to equal about one inch. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until apple is soft. Serve with coconut milk

Whole Wheat Couscous: Heat 1/3 cup of almond or soy milk until boiling. Add in 1/3 cup couscous and a handful of raisins. Let this sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle on cinnamon and serve. NOTE - this also makes a nice dessert.

Seven Grain Kashi: Boil 2 cups of apple juice or apple cider. Add in one package of Kashi seven grain pilaf and some raisins. Cook for 40 minutes. Add cinnamon and serve. Serve with coconut milk if desired.

Vegetable Frittata: Stir fry a handful of vegetables. Whisk 2 eggs (look for organic, high omega 3 eggs) with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over vegetable and fry until set

Until next time – Happy eating!

Off to a healthy start

Good morning sunshine! Are you off to a healthy start today? Most of us were raised eating the Standard American Breakfast – cold cereal, a muffin, pancakes or a donut, a glass of milk and maybe a glass of juice. As an adult we probably added coffee to this mix. Because we were indoctrinated into this type of breakfast at a young age (cheerios were most likely one of your first foods) and because this breakfast was mom approved, we probably never questioned its nutritional value. While we may have figured out that processed cereal, muffins, donuts and pancakes are of limited nutritional value, few of us realize the full impact that this type of breakfast has on our daily food choices. You see foods that consist mostly of white flour and sugar quickly break down into glucose and cause our blood sugar to rapidly rise. This causes our body to put out massive amounts of insulin (the put it away hormone) which removes the sugar from our blood and stores it as glycogen in our muscles and triglycerides in our fat cells Our blood sugar levels then dip below normal levels and we become hungry. Note that caffeine in coffee speeds up this whole process. Typically we than take a morning break of coffee or soda and more simple carbohydrates. So we repeat the high blood sugar/low blood sugar/insulin cycle and set ourselves up to be on this insulin roller coaster all day.

So what foods should we eat to start off our day and properly nourish our bodies? Consider that the foods that you choose should contain a natural supply of nutrients to contribute to your daily nutrient needs and also provide you with long lasting sources of energy. Here are some guidelines:. 1) Choose whole grains (organic when possible) and avoid white flour products. The carbohydrates in whole grains are intermingled with fiber so the body requires more time to break down and unlock the energy values in these foods. Glucose is released slower so insulin levels do not peak as high or crash as low (in effect whole grains offer a time release energy supply). Also whole grains contain more protein and more vitamins and minerals. 2) Eat whole fruits and limit juices. Again the fiber in whole fruits slows down the release of energy. Fruits contribute vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other healing essentials. 3) Add healthy proteins and/or fats to your breakfast. These have the effect of allowing carbohydrates to be absorbed more slowly and moderating the insulin cycle. Avoid processed meats such as bacon or sausage as these contain nitrates and other chemicals that have been shown to be carcinogenic. Healthy fats contain fat soluble vitamins as Vitamins A, D, E and also may include essential fatty acids .Some healthy fats are butter, nuts, nut butters, eggs (a source of protein and fat), coconut and coconut oil (note while coconut oil is a saturated fat it is a medium chain saturated fat and is metabolized differently than the long chain saturated fats found in animal proteins – more on this is a future post). Avoid margarines as these contain unhealthy trans fatty acids. 4) Consider a beverage other than coffee. One of my favorites is teechino. I also enjoy herbal, green and white tea. 5) Stay away from artificial sweeteners. These trick your body into thinking you are giving it sugar causing it to release insulin and start you on the insulin roller coaster. They can also cause many health problems (see www.dorway.com for information on aspartame (nutrasweet) and also www.mercola.com for information on both aspartame and splenda). Stevia is a herbal sweetener used in South America for centuries and is a better choice if you are looking for a no caloric sweetener. 5) If you must use a sweetener consider less refined choices as sucanut, maple syrup, molasses, and raw honey. These contain naturally present vitamins and minerals that are striped away in the refining of white sugar and the processing of corn syrups.

Well, I can’t believe it is already 11 am and with my good start breakfast I still am not hungry. I had hoped to include some recipes today but my post is already much too long. Look for recipes tomorrow.