12 Organic or Pesticide-Free Foods Worth Buying (well.......maybe)

From : SquawkFox.com 

Organic and pesticide-free foods are not cheap.
They can cost double the price of conventionally grown foods and can make you wonder if paying the price for fewer pesticides or better farming practices is worth it.

Image From:
http://www.answer-my-health-question.
info/advantages-of-organic-food.html

It’s hard to ignore the increased availability of organic food on the grocery shelves these days. Just walk into your local produce store to see that foods boasting the “organic” label are quickly taking over the shelves with bright marketing campaigns, pretty green logos, and fat price margins. So it’s fair to wonder if you get what you pay for considering the added premium for pesticide-free and organically grown foods. The answer isn’t simple. Sorry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that even after you vigorously wash certain fruits and vegetables, they still contain much higher levels of pesticide residue than others because they absorb and retain these chemicals. I’d love to know if using special produce cleansing soaps helps to remove these chemicals, but I’m no scientist and I doubt that an environmentally-friendly organic liquid soap can remove all pesticide residue.

So in some cases, if you’ve got some extra dollars in your pocket, it could make sense to opt for certain organic foods because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides, even after washing. Here are 12 fruits or vegetables worth buying to decrease your exposure to pesticides:

12 Organic Foods Worth Buying

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

If you’re looking to save on your grocery bill, then consider passing on the organic versions of these 12 fruits and vegetables since they tend not to absorb or retain as many pesticide residues as other produce.

12 Organic Foods Not Worth Buying

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Peas
• Pineapples

Knowing when to splurge on organic food and when to save on conventionally grown produce is an excellent (and simple) shopping tactic for staying on budget at the grocery store (shopping with the Printable Grocery Shopping List (above)  helps too!) Generally, in some cases, paying double for certain organic foods may be worth the added cost if you’re looking to limit your exposure to pesticides. In my case I always try my best to buy what’s local, in season, and pesticide-free.

Are you Rusting from the inside out?

From UltraPrevention


Many of you may be taking antioxidants, but do you know why? The reason is to reduce rust, or oxidation. This concept is confusing; oxygen is good, or isn't it? Yes, it’s true we need oxygen to live and breathe........

................... and yet oxygen itself can be damaging. What does our body use oxygen for? - to make energy. In the process of making this energy, however, oxygen molecules temporarily are changed into highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can cause damage to our cells. 

Our bodies normally produce their own natural antioxidants to protect us from these free radicals. The higher the amount of these free radicals, the more antioxidants are required to protect us from this damage. If our body’s natural antioxidants are depleted, oxidative damage occurs to our cells. Some everyday examples of oxidative damage include the rusting of metal (oxidation of iron), or the browning of a bitten apple when exposed to air.

When oxidation occurs in our cells, the result is damage to the structure and as a result, impairment of the function of these cells. Many disorders are characterized at least in part by oxidation including heart failure, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, liver and kidney disease, arthritis, cystic fibrosis, scleroderma, and even aging itself.

We can protect ourselves against oxidative damage in two main ways:

• 1) Reduce oxidative stress
• 2) increase our antioxidant stores.

There are several processes which lead to oxidative stress. This includes foremost the processing of food and energy production. This is the likely explanation for why several animal studies have shown that by simply reducing the calories eaten (not reducing the nutrients) substantially increases lifespan while greatly reducing the incidence of diseases typically associated with aging. A lower caloric intake results in less oxidative stress.

Another process which leads to oxidative stress is the process of detoxification and elimination of foreign substances from our bodies. This takes place to a large extent in our liver, although almost every organ is involved in detoxification at some level. Detoxification of even over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and acetaminophen can place added oxidative stress on organs such as the liver.

Although moderate exercise stimulates our bodies own antioxidant systems, excessive exercise can place additional oxidative stress on our system and may require additional antioxidant support.

Antioxidant supplements are not the final answer. Foods contain many natural antioxidants that work together in combination. Simply giving a single antioxidant in a vitamin capsule is not as effective as eating foods that contain many antioxidants, which work in concert together. Antioxidant-rich foods should supply the majority of our antioxidant needs. In cases of increased oxidative stress additional supplementation may be required. In that instance, these supplements should probably be given in combination. These supplemental antioxidants include Vitamins A, C, D, E, Co-Q-10, carotenoids and flavonoids, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper, glutathione and N-acetyl cysteine among others. New testing is also available to gain insight into your own levels of oxidative stress and antioxidant status.

Oxidative stress is one of several biochemical imbalances which can eventually lead to cellular and organ damage and ultimately aging or disease.

Please click on more of the Five Forces of Illness to learn more about the biochemical imbalances that represent the key to true prevention. 


Read more here

15 yr old teen hospitalized after 15 years of Chicken Nuggets and no fruits or vegies

From Natural News>From Natural News
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

If you ate only McDonald's chicken McNuggets every day for practically every meal, what do you think your health condition would be like in 15 years? One British girl, 17-year-old Stacey Irvine, recently found out the hard way that such a diet severely destroyed her health when she was rushed to the hospital after collapsing and having severe difficulty breathing.

Yahoo! Newsreports that the young factory worker had been eating practically nothing else besides McDonald's chicken McNuggets since she was about two years old. Shockingly, Stacey has also never once eaten a single fruit or vegetable, according to the same report, which has left her grossly deficient in practically every single vitamin and mineral in existence.

This horrific diet finally caught up with Stacey, however, when she fell over at work and had to be rushed to the emergency room. Doctors discovered severely-swelled veins on the young girl's tongue, and quickly diagnosed her with anemia. They subsequently put her on an "emergency vitamin regimen," according to reports, and warned her that if she does not change her dietary habits, she will soon die.

But Stacey's addiction to fast food nuggets is so severe that she still apparently refuses to eat anything else besides them, except for the occasional piece of toast or potato chips. And Stacey's mom, Evonne, has apparently tried everything to get her daughter to eat other foods, including starving the girl at one point, but to no avail.

"She's been told in no uncertain terms that she'll die if she carries on like this," Evonne is quoted as saying byCBS News. "But she says she can't eat anything else. I'm at my wit's end. I'm praying she can be helped before it's too late."

McDonald's chicken McNuggets, of course, are made from a so-called food product called "mechanically separated chicken," which is created from chickens that have been "stripped down to the bone, and then 'ground up' into a chicken mash, then combined with a variety of stabilizers and preservatives, pressed into familiar shapes, breaded and deep fried, freeze dried, and then shipped to a McDonald's near you."

Here are some horrifying picture of mechanically separated chicken

McDonald's chicken McNuggets also contain dimethylpolysiloxane, an antifoaming agent composed of the same silicone chemicals used in cosmetic products (http://www.naturalnews.com/032820_Chicken_McNuggets_ingredients.html). A federal judge put it well back in 2003 when he called McNuggets a "McFrankenstein creation of various elements not utilized by the home cook."

15 Companies Whose Products Contain ‘Wood Pulp’ Ingredient

From: NaturalSociety  By: Anthony Gucciardi
Cellulose can be found in popular products ranging from crackers and ice cream to pizza sauce and barbecue sauce.  What many do not realize, however, is that cellulose is actually wood pulp. Unable to be digested
`by humans due to the lack of necessary enzymes needed to break the ingredient down, cellulose has been deemed ‘safe for consumption’ by the FDA.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured for different functions, such as its prime use throughout the food supply. Cellulose can be found in products under ingredient listings such as cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, and more. Shockingly, the FDA sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products despite the USDA limiting the use of cellulose to 3.5% in meat since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

Cellulose increasingly popular as cheap filler with no nutritional value

Food manufacturers use cellulose as an extender, meaning it provides structure and reduces breakage. In addition to food, cellulose is used in the creation of plastics, cleaning detergents, welding electrodes, pet litter, automotive brake pads, glue and reinforcing compounds, construction materials, roof coating, asphalt and even emulsion paints, among many other products.

Cellulose is also much cheaper than ‘real’ food ingredients that perform the same jobs and actually add nutritional value to the product. In fact, manufacturers are increasingly adding cellulose to their products to slash costs and fill up their products.

“As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue,” Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors,told TheStreet.

In fact, some products are now removing as much as 50% of the fat from products such as cookies, biscuits, cakes, and brownies, and adding cellulose in as a filler instead.

It is important to read food labels carefully to avoid any unwanted ingredients, but here are a number of popular products that contain cellulose — mainly to a significant degree:

Its "Go Red for Women" Day, wear your Red and promote awareness of deadly heart disease

From:  Women's Health Blog

Mind-numbing fact: More women die of cardiovascular disease than from all forms of cancer combined, according to the American Heart Association.

Eye-opening fact: 80 percent of cardiac events in women—which include heart attacks and strokes—could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking, according to the AHA. And nearly half of American women have no idea that heart disease is their number 1 killer.

The American Heart Association wants to change that. Its Go Red For Women campaign educates women about their heart disease risk, how they can reduce their risk, and how to identify the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke (check out the info below). Today, February 3, is National Wear Red Day and women are encouraged to don something red to raise awareness that heart disease is not an “old man’s disease.”

Women’s Health staffers are going to get decked out in red and we invite all of you to join us. But simply wearing crimson won’t accomplish much—you’ve got to tell other women why you’re doing it. Our suggestion? Post a picture of yourself wearing red to your blog or Facebook or Twitter profile, along with a link to this story. (Twitter-ers: The hashtag is #GoRedForWomen.) Who knows? One of your friends might learn something that could save her life.

How to Protect Your Ticker
“It’s important to take care of your heart even before you have any symptoms,” says Arthur Agatston, M.D., a Miami cardiologist and author of The South Beach Heart Program. “Quite simply, the earlier you start, the easier it is to prevent heart disease.” The best ways to reduce your risk for heart disease:

1. Eat More Plants and Fish: Certain fruits and vegetables are good sources of heart-protecting antioxidants and potassium, which regulates blood pressure. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish decreasing your blood pressure and triglycerides.
2. Cut the Fat: Reduce your intake of saturated fat and trans fat; the latter can raise levels of bad cholesterol and also lower levels of good cholesterol.
3. Know Your Risk: have your physician to check for high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and signs of diabetes. Know your family’s medical history.
4. Be Active: The AHA recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week
5. Quit Smoking: Besides the fact that cigarettes cause cancer, are expensive, and just plain smell bad, they could very well kill you.

Warning Signs
What exactly does a heart attack look like? Actress Elizabeth Banks, who graces the March cover of Women’s Health, teamed up with Go Red For Women on a 3-minute video in which she plays a mom having a heart attack. “This little film is about a super mom who takes care of everyone except herself and learns the lesson that she better look at herself as well,” Banks says.

Heart attacks are no laughing matter, but Banks manages to make viewers smile when her son in the video looks up heart attack symptoms on her iPhone and hands it to his chest-clutching mom, who previously insisted that she was fine. Banks finally calls 911. Study up on the signs of heart attack and stroke from the AHA so you know when to make that important call. Read more about Signs of a Heart Attack and Signs of a Stroke

Who Knew There Was Glue in Your Meat?

From: Discovery Fit & Health


Normally today would be Tasty Thursday but I decided to do a "Not so Tasty" article find............While meat glue seems a fitting name, the substance used to hold small pieces of meat together isn’t actually glue, it’s called transglutaminase and it’s a family of enzymes used as clotting agents. It’s used to hold smaller pieces of meat together so that the price can be hiked up. Though meat glue itself isn’t considered dangerous by most, there is a larger fear of food borne illness when small pieces of meat, sourced from different places, are held together.

“The amount of bacteria on a steak that has been put together with meat glue is hundreds of times higher,” said microbiologist Glenn Pener reported on Future in Vegan. 

It's a question of truth in advertising, considering that your flank steak could actually be 1,000 tiny bits of meat. It’s been called the meat industry’s dirty little secret, a way of using up the scraps too small to sell. 

Take a closer look at meat glue.

he powder can be made from a bacteria enzyme or the coagulant that causes blood to clot in both cows and pigs. Though most sources say that it’s a family of enzymes, as mentioned above. 

The powder is added to meat and rolled up in plastic wrap. The meat is refrigerated for 6 hours and the result is a solid piece of meat that’s seemingly impossible to tell from the real thing. The practice is done to pork, lamb, chicken, and fish. 

According to the video, unless you’re a vegetarian, you could be eating meat glue on a regular basis. It’s another reason to think about what's really in the foods you’re eating. I initially stopped eating meat because I feared the hormones, additives, and antibiotics that were added to the proteins I chose. And with time, I’ve seen my fears realized in all the reporting I’ve done on the subject. It’s difficult to be mindful about the foods you eat when you’re misled about what's in them.

Read the rest at: Discovery Fit & Health

Snake Oil in Your Snacks - Wacky Food Masquerades

It's "Wacky Wednesday" and boy is
this WACKED!! Foods masquerading
as drugs have become a $160 billion business.

From Forbes

ProBugs, a yogurtlike beverage for kids, is tasty, fun and good for your child's digestive system, if claims from its maker, Lifeway Foods, near Chicago, are to be believed. Sold at high-end stores like Whole Foods, it comes in flavors like Sublime Slime Lime and contains a hefty dose of 7 billion to 10 billion good bacteria that "inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria" in the gut, according to Lifeway's website. The label promises ProBugs will give bad germs "a time-out" and adds: "You can never have too many good bugs."

You'd never guess from the breathless marketing that when Lifeway tested ProBugs in a clinical trial, it failed spectacularly. In the study a daily dose of ProBugs did nothing to reduce the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in 125 young kids. Nor did it impact measures like stomach pain or missed days of school, according to the results published by Georgetown University researchers in a medical journal last August. Only the sickest kids showed a hint of a benefit.

When a drug flops doctors prescribe it less and insurers stop paying. But Lifeway continues to tout ProBugs' digestive benefits as if nothing has happened. It put out a press release about the failed study, claiming ProBugs "may have a positive effect on reducing antibiotic-associated diarrhea."

"Probiotics can help so many children," swears Lifeway Chief Executive Julie Smolyanski, referring to products containing protective bacteria. Her company, with $58 million in annual sales, doesn't have enough money to do another trial, she says. She accuses Georgetown of botching the study by confusing which patients got ProBugs and which got a placebo. Lifeway has refused to pay any more bills for the study. Georgetown stands by the findings and says Lifeway had no complaints until the results came in.

Foods masquerading as drugs are the hot spot in the packaged-food business. The world's biggest food companies are stuffing ostensibly beneficial bacteria, omega-3 fatty acids and other additives into packaged foods. They are funding clinical research in order to justify health claims--often deliberately vague--that blur the line between nutrition and medicine. The foods promise to boost immunity, protect your heart and digestive system or help you sleep. In some cases, like the ProBugs kefir, manufacturers aren't adding new ingredients but merely repackaging old foods with bold new health claims.

More than 2,000 so-called functional food brands generated $31 billion in U.S. sales in 2008, up 14% from 2006, according to the market researcher Packaged Facts. Globally, it is a $160 billion business. Sales are growing at a 7% annual clip. This includes $4 billion spent on yogurt with high doses of "probiotic" bacteria; $1.8 billion on breads and other foods with added omega-3 fatty acids; $1.5 billion on fortified cereals and snack bars; $900 million on "energy" (i.e., stimulant-containing) drinks with additives like the amino acid taurine or the herb guarana.

"We're going through a revolution in food," says Thomas Pirko, president of Bevmark consulting, whose clients include Coke, Kraft and Nestlé. "It's a whole new consciousness--every product has to be adding to your health or preventing you from getting sick." If you find the perfect additive, he adds, "you get rich."

But most of the claims "are completely unsubstantiated," says Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. "Medical attention does not come from a Cheerios box." Designer foods can be a way for clever marketers to lure people away from real health foods--fresh fruits and vegetables. "It plays on our psychology," says Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma. "We want to consume sugar; we want to consume fat; we want to consume salt. These products give us an excuse to binge."

Added omega-3 fatty acids don't make Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Plus white bread into a health food. Extra bacteria don't cancel out the sugar in the yogurt. "People should be getting nutrition from real foods, not from foods that are artificially modified to give supposed health benefits," says University of Wisconsin cardiologist James Stein. Read the rest at Forbes.