Just How Organic Are Those Organic Eggs?

Just How Organic Are Those Organic Eggs?

Beef's Dirty Secrets (VIDEO)

Beef's Dirty Secrets (VIDEO)

Spices and Herbs: Their Health Benefits

Everyday herbs and spices may do more than enhance the flavor of food.

By Elizabeth M. Ward, MS, RD
 

WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Common herbs and spices may help protect against certain chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Herbs, including basil and parsley, are from plants and plant parts. Spices often come from the seeds, berries, bark, or roots of plants.

Seasonings, such as cinnamon, often lead lists of commonly eaten foods with the highest levels of measured antioxidant activity.

“Studies show that many different herbs and spices offer health benefits,” says David Heber, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, and director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Most of the evidence exists for cinnamon, chili peppers, turmeric, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, Heber tells WebMD.

Polyphenols, a type of plant compound, provide one of the main health benefits associated with herbs and spices. Polyphenols are also abundant in certain fruits and vegetables, tea, and red wine.

Certain herbs and spices curb inflammation in the body, which may give rise to heart disease and cancer. For example, antioxidants in cinnamon have been linked to lower inflammation, as well as reductions in blood glucose concentrations in people with diabetes.

Savor the Flavor, Reap the Rewards

Liberally seasoning your food with herbs and spices may also help if you use them in place of other flavor boosters.

“Using herbs and spices expands your palette without extra calories and may decrease the amount of salt, fat, and sugar you use without sacrificing flavor,” says Kate Geagan, MS, RD, author of Go Green,Get Lean: Trim Your Waistline with the Ultimate Low-Carbon Footprint Diet.

The proposed Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 suggests that adults limit their sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams a day to manage high blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing the condition. If the guidelines are adopted, nearly all Americans will need to find alternatives to salt and other sodium-based additives.

Seasonings may even play a part in weight control.

“Tastier foods are more satisfying than bland ones, which you tend to eat faster, and with less fulfillment,” Heber says. If you’re not satisfied, you’re more likely to overeat.

According to Heber, dihydrocapsiate, a compound in chili peppers, boosted fat-burning capacity when people ate it three times a day during a study. And a recent study in Cell Metabolism showed that consuming capsaicin, the ingredient in chili peppers that provides heat, lowered blood pressure in lab animals.

Maximize the Health Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Research about the therapeutic effects of herbs and spices is enticing, but how does it translate to what you eat every day? 

Quite easily, as a matter of fact. It turns out that relatively small amounts of dried and fresh herbs and spices may have health benefits.

For example, Heber says it’s reasonable to expect benefits from 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Spread it throughout the day to make it most palatable.

“Use herbs and spices at their peak to get the most out of them,” Geagan says. “The active compounds in herbs and spices degrade with time.”

Capitalize on the potency of dried herbs and spices by purchasing brands with “Best By” dates on them, and storing them in airtight containers away from heat, moisture, and direct sunlight.

Using fresh herbs or spices? Double the amount to get the same levels of active substances in their dried counterparts, Heber says.

Herbs and Spices: A Little Goes a Long Way

You don’t need to make drastic changes in your eating plan to benefit from seasonings. Here’s how to incorporate more herbs and spices into your favorite foods.

Ground cinnamon:

• Add 1.25 teaspoons to prepared oatmeal; 1 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 2 teaspoons molasses or honey, or artificial sweetener; and French toast batter.
• Sprinkle half a teaspoon of cinnamon over ground coffee before brewing.
• Top a fat-free latte or hot cocoa with ground cinnamon.

Chili peppers: Add chopped peppers to chili, burgers, soups, stews, salsa, and egg dishes.

 

Turmeric: 

• Sprinkle on egg salad.
• Mix half a teaspoon turmeric with 1 cup Greek yogurt and use as a dip or sandwich spread.
• Add to chicken or seafood casseroles, and to water when cooking rice.

Garlic: Add fresh chopped or minced garlic to pasta dishes, stir-fry dishes, pizza, fresh tomato sauce, and meat and poultry recipes. 

Oregano:

• Add 1/8 teaspoon dried to scrambled eggs, salad dressings, and store-bought or homemade marinara sauce.
• Sprinkle some on top of pizza, and stir into black bean soup.

Basil: Make a sandwich with low-fat mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves; add fresh leaves to green salads.

Thyme:

• Sprinkle dried thyme onto cooked vegetables in place of butter or margarine.
• Add 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme to two scrambled eggs, and to salad dressings.
• Use it in a rub when cooking salmon.
• Add fresh thyme to chicken salad and chicken soup.

Rosemary: Add dried crushed rosemary to mashed potatoes and vegetable omelets.

Parsley: Add chopped flat leaf parsley to meatballs and meat loaf, and to bulgur salad.

Ginger:

• Grate fresh ginger into quick bread batters and vinaigrette.
• Add chopped ginger to stir-fries. Sprinkle ground ginger on cooked carrots.

Cloves: Sprinkle ground cloves on applesauce, add to quick bread batters, and add a pinch to hot tea.

Source:  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/spices-and-herbs-health-benefits

Wellness Revolution Telesummit

Did you know that many “incurable”diseases, including some cancers, are now being cured using the new “Complementary Medicine”?

It’s true.  There is a health revolution taking place that puts the power to heal directly in YOUR hands.

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Save the dates: June 16th - July 16th. The Opening Speaker on June 16th is Dr. Christiane Northrup.

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Wash., Ore. ban sales of phosphate-laden dishwasher detergent

by Associated Press

KING5

BREMERTON, Wash. - Washington and Oregon are banning the sale of phosphate-laden dishwasher detergent starting Thursday. 

Familiar brands are still available but they will have lower levels of phosphates.

Experts say phosphates promote plant growth and may degrade water quality in lakes and streams.

"It's more effective and less expensive to decrease what goes down the drain than it is to treat it at the plant. This way, we're all part of the solution," said Washington Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, told the Kitsap Sun. Ormbsy sponsored the 2006 bill to limit phosphates in dishwasher detergents.

The ban has already been in place in Spokane and Whatcom counties in Washington state since 2008. The Oregon Legislature passed a law in 2009 that lowered the phosphorous limit for automatic dishwasher detergents from 8.7 percent to 0.5 percent.

Dennis Griesing, vice president of government affairs for the American Cleaning Institute, said low-phosphate formulas available in 2008 did not work as well in hard water, so some shoppers in Spokane, Wash. had been crossing into Idaho to buy dishwasher soap with phosphates.

But there are new detergents on the market, and they're getting better reviews.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37976095/ns/local_news-seattle,_wa

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Anyone that knows me well knows that I am fanatical about green tea. If I had a way to convert everyone I know to become green tea lovers I would. I am living proof of the health benefits of green tea. I have significantly lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol, and minimized my risk of strokes. Exercise -- walking -- and eating low fat and low sodium and organic food also helps lower your risk of disease.

I have thoroughly researched the subject and understand the scientific evidence of the health benefits of green tea. Here is an article from WEB MD on the health benefits of green tea. Green tea has antioxidants specifically  chemicals known as catechins, particularly "epigallocatechin-3-gallate" or "EGCG". Apparently, EGCG regulates and inhibits cancer growth and kills cells that are growing inappropriately.

Please read the article, drink more green tea and share with your family and friends -- they will love you for it!

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Experts explain green tea's potential benefits for everything from fighting cancer to helping your heart.

By Julie Edgar
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

 

It's difficult not to gush about green tea.

More than a decade's worth of research about green tea's health benefits -- particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease -- has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea's role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia.

"I believe in green tea based on everything written about it," says Katherine Tallmadge, RD, LD, a nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "Green tea, white tea, black tea -- I like all of them."

Still, real-world evidence is lacking; most of the consistent findings about green tea's health benefits have come out of the lab.

The few large-scale human studies that have focused on green tea's impact on heart disease and cancer are promising, but many of those were conducted in the East, where green tea is a dietary mainstay. The outcomes are likely influenced by other lifestyle factors such as high consumption of fish and soy protein, says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association and medical director of the New York University Women's Heart Center.

But Goldberg agrees with other health professionals: green tea has important antioxidants and compounds that help in maintaining good health.

Green Tea's Powerful Antioxidants

Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis. Grapes and berries, red wine, and dark chocolate also have potent antioxidants.

Because of green tea's minimal processing -- its leaves are withered and steamed, not fermented like black and oolong teas -- green tea's unique catechins, especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), are more concentrated.

But there's still a question of how much green tea you need to drink to reap its health benefits. EGCG is not readily "available" to the body; in other words, EGCG is not always fully used by the body.

"We must overcome the issue of poor bioavailability [and other issues] in order to get the most out of their benefits," says Tak-Hang Chan, PhD, professor emeritus in the department of chemistry at McGill University in Montreal. Chan has studied the use of a synthetic form of EGCG in shrinking prostate cancer tumors in mice, with success.

Green Tea vs. Cancer

Marji McCullough, ScD, RD, the American Cancer Society's strategic director of nutritional epidemiology, says human studies haven't yet proven what researchers like Chan have discovered in the lab: green tea's EGCG regulates and inhibits cancer growth and kills cells that are growing inappropriately.

"Epidemiologically, one of the challenges is finding populations that drink enough green tea and have for a long time," she says. "With cancer, it's always difficult to find the exposure time," or the point at which cancer cells begin to develop.

Read more:  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea?ecd=wnl_can_051110

For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder

For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder

By MELANIE WARNER
Published: April 30, 2010

FOR much of 2009, Michael Locascio, an executive at ConAgra Foods, watched with concern as the bad news about high-fructose corn syrup kept coming.

Many consumers think of high-fructose corn syrup as industrial, and see sugar as natural. 

Mary F. Calvert for The New York Times
Audrae Erickson of the Corn Refiners Association, which has an ad campaign for corn syrup. 

In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.

But it was pleading comments like this one, from a devoted ConAgra customer, that finally persuaded Mr. Locascio, president of the meal enhancers category at ConAgra, to take action: “Hunt’s is by far the best ketchup ever, but please start making a variety without the high-fructose corn syrup,” wrote Jennifer from New Hampshire. 

Early this year, she got her wish when ConAgra decided to reformulate one of its biggest brands, replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in Hunt’s ketchup with old-fashioned sugar. This month, new bottles featuring a banner proclaiming “No high fructose corn syrup” arrive in stores. 

Hunt’s ketchup is among the latest in a string of major-brand products that have replaced the vilified sweetener. Gatorade, several Kraft salad dressings, Wheat Thins, Ocean Spray cranberry juice, PepsiStarbucks, to name a few, are all now made with regular sugar.  Throwback, Mountain Dew Throwback and the baked goods at

What started as a narrow movement by proponents of natural and organic foods has morphed into a swell of mainstream opposition, thanks in large part to tools of modern activism like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and movies like “Food, Inc.” and “King Corn.”

As a result, sales of the ingredient have fallen in the United States. Charlie Mills, an analyst at Credit Suisse, says that the combined United States sales of high-fructose corn syrup for Archer Daniels Midland, Tate & Lyle and Corn Products International were down 9 percent in 2009, compared with 2007. A further decline is expected this year, he says. 

This is happening even though many scientists say that high-fructose corn syrup is no worse for people than sugar, which costs some 40 percent more.

“Manufacturers are tired of hearing about the e-mails, the 800-number calls and the letters,” says Phil Lempert, editor of the Lempert Report, which focuses on supermarket trends. “People don’t want it, so why fight them?” 

The Corn Refiners Association, which represents makers of the syrup like A.D.M., Cargill and Corn Products Internatiional, has spent the last six years trying to convince Americans that high-fructose corn syrup is a natural ingredient — made from corn! — that’s really no different from sugar.

High-fructose corn syrup is singled out because it is still one of the biggest sources of calories in our diet and because it is made from corn — a lavishly subsidized crop that appears, in one way or another, in so much of our food. 

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business&src=me

What I have learned from Two Successful Change Agents

To psyche myself up to accomplish all the goals I have set for myself, I have been studying some successful change agents to learn their methods and how they set about to achieve excellence.

Two change agents that I have found particularly intriguing are interestingly both professional chefs: Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay. They are both very driven Type A personalities but their personalities are also totally different. However, when they both set out to achieve change they do so with excellence.

From Gordon Ramsay, I have learned about creating detailed plans, being thoroughly organized, and then executing to perfection. I watched several episodes from his two shows Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares to learn how he trained talented chefs to become excellent chefs; and how he set about turning around what were almost hopeless and failing restaurants into success stories. 

For Gordon Ramsay, it is all about process -- having a game plan, executing it to perfection, and maintaining consistency and quality. Another thing, Gordon does not tolerate fake and phony people and deadweights -- under any circumstance!

From Jamie Oliver, I have learned about conviction and fortitude in the face of negativity, doubts and other challenges. When Jamie said he could get 1,000 people in Huntington, W. Virginia, to learn cooking within a week as part of his Jamie Oliver Food Revolution program, I doubted him. However, he used the most creative ways to get masses of people to take cooking classes at the same time. With lots of publicity, tenacity and determination he pulled it off! He did not let the naysayers get in his way, instead he kept asking "How can we work together to make it happen." Whenever, he tripped he learned from his mistakes -- he just dusted himself off and tried again! Best of all, he won over all his biggest skeptics!

One of the things that I have learned from both chefs is to pursue your goals and dreams with tenacity, execute your game plan to perfection, learn from your mistakes, and do not tolerate negative people, naysayers and distractions.

Each of us can be a change agent. Here are some tips for change agents from Fast Company.

So right now, I have Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver running through my head! Watch out!

Cell Phones and Brain Cancer Link

According to the California Brain Tumor Association (CABTA), San Francisco is the first city in the world to require warning labels on cell phones. Also, CABTA states that cell phones have never been tested on children.

In May 2011, the WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use. The Working Group did not quantitate the risk; however, one study of past cell phone use (up to the year 2004), showed a 40% increased risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day over a 10‐year period). The IARC concluded that there could be some risk, therefore, they need to keep a close eye on the link between cell phone use and cancer risk. The IARC also recommends that it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands‐free devices or texting.

The "Interphone Study" is the name that was given to a series of multi-national case-control studies to assess whether radiofrequency (RF) exposure from mobile phones is associated with cancer risk. The International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) coordinated the study. Other potential environmental and endogenous risk factors were also examined. The types of cancer studied were acoustic neuroma, glioma, meningioma, and tumours of the parotid gland. It is the largest epidemiological study to date and should help resolve some of the questions about an association between cell phones and cancer. Participating countries were Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. Results of national studies have been published since 2004.

The Interphone study group is currently working on detailed analyses for future publications such as precise localization of brain tumours using 3-dimensional radiological grid, the health effect of RF exposure at the exact location of the tumor by using a gradient of radiofrequency. Determinants of mobile phone output power from a software-modified phone (SMP) study is also in progress. Results from both the studies and also data obtained from the simulation study will help make any adjustment for exposure measurement errors on cancer risk related to mobile phone use.

I have no need of statistical evidence and results of studies. I know about quite a few people who were early users of cellphones who have had brain tumors or died from brain tumors. When cell phones first became available, very few ordinary people could afford to own one. Most of the early users were corporate executives, sports administrators, and military personnel. Some of the early users ended up with brian tumors. One such person is the late marketing executive Chris Elliot who together with his wife Dellann established the Chris Elliot Fund (CEF) before he passed away from gliobastoma, a rare brain cancer. Funds raised by CEF support Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Other famous people that have died from brain cancer are Senator Ted Kennedy and Reginald Lewis, former CEO of Beatrice Foods.

Hands-Free Devices: While we wait patiently for further scientific proof, it is best to exercise caution and safety by using hands-free devices which not only reduce the risk of RF exposure but also help to mitigate other risks such as accidents caused by cell phone use and texting.

Here is a good article on RF exposure from use of cell phones and how you can mitigate the risk.

====================================================

Wellness: Cell-ing Out Our Health?

Before you make your next phone call, read this.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

By Stephanie Kraft

It's been one of the most visible technological revolutions since the coming of the automobile: the liberation of telephones from stationary land lines to mobile models; the proliferation of hand-held phones in workplaces, in homes and on the street; the explosion of enhanced versions to send texts, take pictures, play music, guide people through their day. By now an estimated four billion people around the world use cell phones.

Undergirding the wild success of these products has been something less explicit than a guarantee, just a trust—for would enlightened governments allow corporations to put something dangerous on the mass market?—that the devices were safe to use. Study after study, usually industry-funded, said there was only minimal risk. So the image of the millennial city is an image of people walking along streets and in and out of buildings with miniaturized phones to their ears, and laws are in the making to keep us from crashing our cars while we're talking or texting.

Now that cell phones are a fixture in our lives, new information—and old information breaking out after years of enforced silence—suggests that we need to rethink the matter of their safety. Consider this:

*Findings of Swedish researchers published in 2007 in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine showed "a consistent pattern of increased risk for acoustic neuroma [a benign tumor of the nerve connecting the brain and the ear] and glioma [a tumor originating in the brain's glial cells]."

*In Israel, a study published in 2008 found that cell phone users had a 50 percent greater chance of developing benign or malignant tumors of the salivary gland than non-users.

*Also in 2008, the Royal Society of London published findings that people who begin using cell phones before age 20 were five times more likely as non-cell phone users to have brain cancer by age 29.

But it's not only information that's surfaced within the last few years that's given impetus to new cautions about cell phone use. Investigation of the health effects of electromagnetic radiation goes back decades—and for decades there have been moves to downplay if not suppress it.

In 1975, neuroscientist Allan Frey went public with research showing that microwaves could cause breaching of the blood-brain barrier. That's dangerous because the barrier protects the brain from many toxins and bacterial infections. Eventually Frey, who had received research funding from the Navy since he had begun experimenting with radar waves in the 1960s, was told he would lose his funding if he continued to publish his findings on the blood-brain barrier. (In those days, the military thinking on electromagnetics was based on the idea that only the thermal effects of the radiation were potentially harmful.)

In 1986, Carl Blackman, a highly credentialed physicist working for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, was ordered to stop his research on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation, which built, in part, on Frey's findings. Blackman told GQ reporter Christopher Ketcham he suspects that "a decision was made to stop the civilian agencies from looking too deeply into the nonthermal health effects from exposure to EM fields." Ketcham also quotes an unnamed EPA physicist as saying, "The Department of Defense didn't like our research because the exposure limits that we might recommend would curtail their activities." (Ketcham's article, "Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health," in the February, 2010 issue of GQ and available on the Web, should be required reading for all cell phone users.)

In the 1990s, Henry Lai, a bioengineering professor at the University of Washington, found that electromagnetic radiation damaged DNA in the brains of lab rats. His findings stopped short of proving conclusively that the DNA damage would produce cancer, but cancer was seen as a possible result of it. Motorola and other mobile phone companies mounted such a campaign to discredit findings of this nature that research efforts were muted for years to come.

Meanwhile, the industry funded a multimillion-dollar, six-year study that brought some unwelcome surprises. It confirmed that cell phone radiation caused breaching of the blood-brain barrier, interfered with normal DNA repair, and increased the risk of tumors in the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord.

Now studies by Dariusz Leszczynski at Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority also add to the body of information indicating that mobile phone radiation can damage the blood-brain barrier.

And experts are waiting for the result of a 13-country investigation of the health effects of cell phone use called the Interphone study (the 13 countries are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K.; the U.S. did not participate). Some preliminary results of that study have been released; one finding incorporating information from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the U.K showed a 40 percent increase in tumor incidence in adults who use cell phones for more than 10 years, though fewer than 10 years' use was not found to cause significant risk.

But the results of the ambitious study, though they are nearly four years overdue, have not been released. In the U.S., the National Toxicology Program ( a program of the National Institutes of Health) is investigating the health effects of mobile phones, but results are not expected until 2014 at the earliest.

The fragmentary nature of the available information about cell phones (which also applies to land-based cordless phones) and human health presents a daunting conundrum. What should users do until more definitive information is available? Experts aren't suggesting that people throw away their cell phones, but that they use them in more safety-conscious ways.

Think twice before getting rid of your land line and its phones with cords; use those for your longer, leisurely conversations at home. When you buy a cell phone, read the manual that comes with it; some manuals warn users to keep the phones at least an inch away from their heads. 

The Federal Communications Commission limits the so-called specific absorption rate (SAR)—the amount of radiation the phone feeds into your body—at 1.6 watts per kilogram, but there's debate about how much that really protects you. Nonetheless, the SARs of different models vary, and you might as well choose one with a lower rather than a higher SAR (to get the SAR of the phone you're considering, check the packaging, ask the seller, or visit the FCC's website, www.fcc.gov/cgb/sar/).

Don't carry your cell phone near your body (in your pocket, for instance). A study from Hong Kong last year showed that even very low-level EMR fields affect sperm, and cell phones worn around the neck are suspected of causing heart attacks. Women, who usually stow the phones in their pocketbooks, probably incur lower risk. 

National Institutes of Health associate director Jon Bucher recommends using earpieces instead of holding the phones close to the head. Encourage children not to use cell phones except for emergencies, to major on texting rather than talking, and not to keep the phones under their pillows.

Source: http://www.valleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=11552

Source: Press release -- "IARC CLASSIFIES RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AS POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS"

15 foods you don’t need to buy organic!

This article caught my eye and I thought I should share it with you.

If you are like me and you want to reduce your exposure to pesticides, chemical fertilisers and other toxic substances, but still want to save money at the grocery store -- you are always torn between taking advantage of good bargains -- those alluring specials -- and staying true to your need to reduce your exposure to toxins.

Guess what? The article below provides a summary of food items that you can buy conventional and those whose organic version is so much better. Now I can do my grocery shopping without worrying about my "green' credentials.

The bottomline is that the choices that we make do affect our health, the environment and future generations so it does really matter even if there is no "green police" watching every choice that you make.

15 foods you don’t need to buy organic

Although I enjoy the grocery store (maybe it’s because I’m a dietitian that I love checking out new products and comparing food labels), lately my husband is doing our grocery shopping. 

His budget-friendly buys are great for our bank account. But they don’t always align with my interest in eating organically. We don’t buy everything organic, but pesticides can be absorbed into fruits and vegetables, leaving trace residues, and I’d prefer to not eat pesticides. 

Long-term exposure to them has been associated with cancer, infertility and neurologic conditions, such as Parkinson’s. (Here are 4 ways to reduce your exposure to pesticides.)

Anyway, one day he called me from the produce aisle. Andy wanted to know what on the list he truly needed to buy organic and what he could skimp on and buy conventional. (Does organic produce have more nutrients? Find out here.)

Fortunately, the Environmental Working Group (EWG, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization) has identified 15 fruits and vegetables that are least likely to be contaminated with pesticide residues. I told him to save money and buy those conventional:

1. Asparagus
2. Avocado
3. Broccoli
4. Cabbage
5. Eggplant
6. Kiwi
7. Mango
8. Onions
9. Papaya
10. Pineapple
11. Sweet corn (frozen)
12. Sweet peas (frozen)
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Tomatoes
15. Watermelon

EWG also identified 12 fruits and vegetables that are most likely to have higher trace amounts of pesticides. (If your budget allows, buy these 18 foods organic too.) We buy organic:

1. Apples
2. Carrots
3. Celery
4. Cherries
5. Grapes (imported)
6. Kale
7. Lettuce
8. Nectarines
9. Peaches
10. Pears
11. Sweet bell peppers
12. Strawberries

Do you buy organic? What foods do you think it’s worth to save on and which do you spend more on for organic?

By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.

Brierley's interest in nutrition and food come together in her position as an associate editor at EatingWell. Brierley holds a master's degree in Nutrition Communication from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. A Registered Dietitian, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Vermont.

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/whats-fresh-trying-to-save-money-15-foods-you-don-t-need-to-buy-organic-999969/

“Go for the Green” with $1 Memberships!

The $1.00 membership enrollment is back! We are inviting you to “Go for the Green” with $1 Memberships! You can enjoy all the benefits of being a Preferred Customer for ONLY $1.00! (U.S. and Canada residents only.)

What can you get for just one dollar? Not much these days. How about if one dollar could lead to a new beginning for you or someone you know? We can help people reach financial freedom, give you more time to do the things you love, help he environment or help a mom stay at home with her children while contributing to the finances. Take advantage of this deal now through March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day.

Call or email me to set up your membership to become a preferred customer and if you wish to a Marketing Executive. Contact me via email or call me to set an appointment for an online presentation, if you want to take advantage of our promotional $1.00 membership enrollment available through St. Patricks Day - March 17, 2010.

It is very unusual to have the $1.00 enrollment be repeated during the year (regular membership is $29.00) so take advantage now to build a second income or just try the wellness products (60 day money back guarantee on products -- no questions asked). I use the products and I now have my list of personal favorites that I cannot do without.

So I am inviting you to join me so you can enhance your life!

What Plastics Do to Your Body

Looks like there is no rest for the weary! Everywhere we turn we find that there is something that is not good for us. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming especially when we have a material that is as pervasive as plastic. So what is one to do.

Here is an article from the Care2.com website that summarizes the problems caused by plastics and what they do to your body and how you can minimize your exposure to the toxic effects of plastic through the choices that you make.

What Plastics Do to Your Body

posted by Kelly Magill Apr 18, 2009 11:14 am

By Martha Miller Johnson, Positively Green

News of possible health threats associated with plastic bothered Jeanne Haegele of Chicago so much that she has quit using plastic. The 28-year-old marketing coordinator chronicles her efforts online at www.lifelessplastic.blogspot.com. “Plastic is absolutely everywhere–our food is packaged in it, our clothes are often made out of it, and even baby toys are made of plastic,” Haegele says. “It was scary that something that was such a big part of my life might be dangerous.”

Scientists are mostly worried about bisphenol-A or BPA. “It’s an endocrine disruptor and in numerous animal studies it’s been linked to cancer, infertility, obesity and early puberty,” says Anila Jacob, M.D., M.P.H., a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit research and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. “The CDC has found this chemical in 93 percent of people they have tested,” she says.

BPA is a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic or items marked with the number 7 on the bottom. Some plastic dishes, cups, reusable water bottles and baby bottles are made out of polycarbonate. Heating foods in polycarbonate plastic increases the amount of BPA that leaches into food, Jacob says. Frances Beinecke, president of the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental action group, worries about BPA’s possible role in breast cancer. Beinecke, a breast cancer survivor, says BPA is a synthetic form of estrogen, and doctors know estrogen feeds breast cancer. “It ramps up cell division in pre-cancerous cells and it can prompt tumors to metastasize,” she says. “In animal studies, BPA has been found to cause the early onset of puberty and stimulate mammary gland development in females. The estrogen-like properties in BPA are so strong that even when male rodents were exposed to it, they had an increased risk of mammary tumors.” The studies done to date have all been on animals, Jacob says, because it’s difficult to study in humans as we have already been exposed via multiple routes. “We think the animal data is convincing enough that it warrants concern,” Jacob says.

BPA also is used to line the inside of metal food and soda cans and can leach from the can liner into the food. Acidic foods like tomato sauces and soda absorb more BPA. Other plastic containers–like those made with polyvinyl chloride or PVC and marked with the number 3 concern scientists for health and environmental reasons. PVC contains phthalates, softeners need to make the plastic bend and they have been found to interfere with hormonal development. The production of and burning of PVC plastic releases dioxin, a known carcinogen, into the atmosphere.

All food plastic wraps used to be made with PVC, but many large name brands have quit using PVC. However, the cling wrap used for commercial purposes, such as the meat department of your grocery store, often contain phthalates. Gina Solomon, M.D., M.P.H., a senior scientist with the NRDC, suggests checking the date when you buy food wrapped in cling wrap. Buying something recently wrapped is your safest bet, she says.

For its part, the FDA agrees that substances used to make plastics can leach into food. But the agency says it has studied them and found “the levels to be well within the margin of safety based on information available to the agency.”

Safer Plastics
#1 PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate)–used for most clear beverage bottles, such as 2-liter soda, cooking oil bottles and peanut butter jars. One of the most commonly recycled plastics on the planet.

#2 HDPE (high-density polyethylene)–used to make most milk jugs.

#4 LDPE (low-density polyethylene)–used in food storage bags, some cling wraps and some squeeze bottles.

#5 PP (polypropylene)–used in opaque, hard containers, including some baby bottles and some cups and bowls. Drinking straws and yogurt containers are sometimes made with this.

Avoid These

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride)–used in commercial plastic wraps and salad dressing bottles.

#6 PS (polystyrene)–used in Styrofoam cups, meat trays and “clam-shell”-type containers.

#7 Other (these contain any plastic other than those used in #1-6. Most are polycarbonate which contain BPA)–used in some water bottles, Nalgene water bottles, some baby bottles, and some metal can linings.

Easy Tips
• Using plastic water bottles? Go for a metal or stainless steel container instead.
• Using a plastic spatula? Try using a wooden spoon instead.
• Using Tupperware? Try pyrex glass containers that go straight from the fridge to the oven.
• Buying ready-to-drink juices? Frozen concentrate stores longer and is typically packaged in paper.
• Using plastic cutting boards? How about a bamboo cutting board?
• Using a plastic lunch box? A stainless steel laptop lunchbox provides a sturdy, elegant alternative.

For more information, go to positivelygreen.com. Positively Green magazine launched in 2008 as a quarterly women’s magazine that covers every aspect of green from eco-friendly vacations to green fashion to green health. With articles that don’t just explain the problems, they outline solutions for busy people who want to make the change but don’t have the time to research solutions. 

Back to Blogging!

I am back to blogging again after the storm of dealing with a sanitation and land encroachment mess at the high school that I attended in Ghana. The historic School -- Achimota School (comprising Achimota Secondary School and Achimota Primary and Junior Secondary School and formerly known as the Achimota School and College or the "Prince of Wales College") was built in the 1920s and is seriously in need of infrastructure upgrades and academic improvement.

I hope that when the sanitation crisis is resolved, the School will consider an ecological sanitation solution.

You can learn more about it at: http://www.ac2010.org/health-crisis/main.html

How Many Chemicals are You Wearing?

 Most of us are worried about what we eat. However, what we put on our bodies is just as important. You should take time to read the ingredient list of your bath and beauty products. 

If you are not sure what a particular chemical name represents, check out the ingredient on the FDA and US Department of Health and Human Services websites:

FDA: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/default.htm

US DHHS Household Products Database:  http://hpd.nlm.nih.gov/

The most important thing is to buy products made with natural non-toxic ingredients!

Source: WEBMD.com

Read more:  How Many Chemicals are You Wearing?

Slideshow: 15 Immune Boosting Foods

Slideshow: 15 Immune Boosting Foods

Petition regarding EPA Testing of Household Products!

Hi Audrey, Just yesterday UC Berkeley released a study showing that certain flame-retardant chemicals in many household items may reduce a woman's ability to become pregnant. The study showed that women with high levels of chemicals known as PBDEs were 30 to 50 percent less likely to become pregnant! That is a staggering figure. Act Now! Chemicals MUST be tested before being allowed into your home. >> PBDEs are found in sofas, fabrics, electronics, drapes and plastics -- many items that remain in your home for years. The offending PBDEs are set to be phased out of use in 2013, but why were they allowed to be used in the first place? It is a disgrace to allow chemicals to be used that are not properly tested and proven to have no negative affect on human health. For years PBDEs have been present in our homes, and now we learn that they are affecting fertility - this has to stop. Stop the cycle of poorly tested products. Insist that the EPA properly test new flame-retardant chemicals BEFORE they allow them to be distributed. Act now! >> Thank you for taking action. Sincerely, Emily Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

We Can't let the EPA Give the go-Ahead to Toxic Chemicals in our Homes! About 97 percent of Americans have traceable amounts of PBDEs in their blood - 20 times higher than Europe and Asia. Forward to a friend >>

Household chemicals linked to reduced fertility

In a study published today, a decreased likelihood of pregnancy is linked to flame-retardant chemicals in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics and more. Californians may have higher exposures compared with residents of other states.

LA Times

By Shari Roan

January 26, 2010 | 9:00 a.m.

Flame-retardant chemicals found in many household consumer products may reduce fertility in women, researchers reported today. Their study joins several other papers published in the last two years suggesting that the chemicals, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, affect human health.


PBDEs have been used as flame retardants for four decades and are found in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets and plastics. The chemicals are being phased out nationwide, and certain PBDEs have been banned for use in California. But they are still found in products made before 2004. Californians may have higher exposures compared with residents of other states because of the state's strict flammability laws, according to the study authors, from UC Berkeley.


Most of the previous research on the chemicals has been in animals. But a 2008 study linked the chemicals to disrupted thyroid levels in men, and a study published this month tied PBDE exposure in pregnancy to neurodevelopmental delays in young children.


"These are association studies. You can't show cause and effect," said Dr. Hugh Taylor, an expert on endocrine-disrupting chemicals at Yale University who was not involved in the new study. "But we have cause-and-effect studies in animals, and we have association studies in humans. I think that is fairly convincing."

Read more: Household chemicals linked to reduced fertility

Wellness Starts with Good Eats!

One of the things I really like to do is cook! Afterall, wellness is all about and starts with good eating! 

I have my favorite food websites and recently I discovered the Chow website. I particularly love the short videos with tips on how to do stuff that any cook, no matter how experienced, will find particularly helpful. 

For example, did you know that storing a cut avocado with chopped onions will keep the avocado from browning? Well, now you know!

Visit the Chow website to learn more: http://www.chow.com/

Eye on Haiti and back to my focus on wellness matters!

Hello all,

The past week has been an incredible experience for me. Due to the tremendous amount of pain that I tend to internalize regarding disasters, I decided to remain detached from the Haiti tragedy so that I would not suffer from the inevitable post-traumatic stress syndrome. Wrong number -- not for long!

An article regarding comments made by a certain preacher regarding the Haitians got me out of detachment mode. Being the history buff that I am, I researched Haiti's history to have a better understanding of the endemic poverty of Haitians and this island nation that has suffered for so long. 

For the first time ever, I have a better understanding of Haiti -- the first independent black nation in the Western Hemisphere. A nation of mostly poor but proud people with a rich history based on a quest for freedom, liberty, equality and racial justice.

While watching the CNN news report on Haiti, I noticed that survivors had camped at a central park in Port-au-Prince which whatever little possessions they had left. People at the park appeared to be calm despite the trauma that they had just been through. I noticed a lot of youth roaming about aimlessly, and I could not help thinking that this was probably the calm before the storm! I also noticed the lack of sanitation facilities and this raised an alarm in my mind so I decided to get involved.

I contacted my Ecosanres Yahoo Discussion Group to determine the disaster relief procedures are in place in the event of disasters; and to find out the possibility of training Haitians to install Ecosan dry toilets. I was connected with Prof. Dr-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl, a professor of civil engineering and wastewater management expert at Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Germany who immediately connected me with one of Engineers Without Borders students Andrew Larssen, who is based in Salt Lake City. Andrew contacted me immediately, connected me to Permaculture-Haiti -- a group that was put together to coordinate Permaculture's relief and restoration work. We got to work immediately to contact sanitation experts that could fly to Haiti to teach the Haitians to build and install dry toilets.

Andrew, Rodrigo Silvio -- a sanitation expert from Portugal -- and others left for Haiti last Saturday. We will keep track of their progress and developments through the Permaculture-Haiti website.

Audrey Quaye - Background on BrightFuse - A Talent Community

Audrey Quaye - Background on BrightFuse - A Talent Community

Your Health and the Environment: Protecting Your Piece of the Planet

By Matthew Hoffman, MD
WebMD Feature provided in collaboration with Healthy Child Healthy World

Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Think your home is pretty green? Maybe it is. But take a look at the darker corners of your basement, garage, and backyard shed. You'll likely find a miniature toxic waste dump, getting larger by the year.

Americans generate more than 1.5 million tons of hazardous household waste every year. Anything that has a label with the word poison, danger, warning, or caution is considered hazardous household waste and all of them pose potential risks to your health and the environment. If your home is like most, you could easily have 100 pounds of toxic junk lurking in the basement, garage, and closets.

More Lawn and Garden Tips

Biting Bugs

See More Rooms

• Yard
• Garage
• Child's Room
• Bathroom
• Bedroom

• Laundry Room
• Family Room
• Kitchen
• Index

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• 10 Affordable Ways to Make Your Home Safer
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© 2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

When it's time for the next cleaning (spring or otherwise), do it in a way that makes your home and the environment safer, says Kathy Shay, water quality education manager for Austin, Texas and its Grow Green program. "Your home has its own environmental protection agency, and it's you," says Shay. "There are dozens of ways you can go a little greener at home that are simple, but also powerful."

Go Green: Plan, Don't Just Pitch It

In a garage overpopulated by cans of crusty paint, sludged oil, half-full pesticide sprayers, and cemented caulk tubes, the solution can seem easy. Put them down the storm drain or into the trash bin -- anything to be rid of the stuff.

Experts warn against ever pouring suspect chemicals down the drain, into storm sewers, or backyard dirt. "A single can of oil can travel through acres of soil," says Paul McRandle, deputy editor for National Geographic's Green Guide. "And water treatment plants aren't set up to process petrochemicals. They end up in the water, in the fish -- and eventually back on your plate."

Read more:

Your Health and the Environment: Protecting Your Piece of the Planet