Is your pretty food killing you?

Food Dye is in so many of our food products. Its sole purpose is to make food look pretty; it does not alter the taste of the food at all. The foods that contain the most dyes are marketed directly to kids. Children like most of us are drawn to bright colors and many consumers even think, incorrectly, that the brighter food tastes better.

We've all heard before that food dye can make some kids ADHD, but that is only some kids’ right? Food dyes don't affect us all badly, right? WRONG.
 
Many of the food dyes have devastating long term effects on our health. Safety tests were conducted by the same companies that profit from sale of dye laden foods. These studies were conducted only for 2 years and have not looked at the long term effects of dye consumption. To make matters worse the FDA’s guidelines for acceptable levels of dye in food were created for adults, not children. This is especially upsetting because the products that contain the most dye are marketed directly to the younger population, whose bodies and brains are still growing.

·         Red 40 – Common – causes cancer, ADHD, Rhinitis and asthma

·         Yellow 5 – Common – ADHD, blurred vision, anxiety, migraines, asthma, panic attacks and temper tantrums

·          Blue 1 – Common - causes cancer, ADHD, Rhinitis, and asthma

·         Yellow 6 – Adrenal gland & kidney tumors

·         Green 3 – bladder cancer & allergies

·         Orange 3 – allergies, ADHD, Kidney damage

·         Red 3 – Chromosomal damage & thyroid tumors

 

European countries have already put bans in place, forcing the food manufacturers to change the chemicals they put in the food. Unfortunately our FDA has been bought and paid for by the food industry, so we cannot rely on them to keep our food supply safe. It is up to us to make sure our children are given dye and preservative free food. The only way to change the food industry is to affect the profit margin. When more people choose not to buy their products, a change will be made.


To see just how dangerous food dyes are take standard food coloring and put it on any plant that is being eaten by bugs. You will see that those pretty colors work as a pesticide as well. Imagine what it is doing to our bodies on a daily basis.

Pasture raised meat vs Factory raised meat

We recently moved to Colorado from Maryland leaving behind a 5 acre mini farm where we raised our own beef and pork. We ate our own meat for 8 years and while I was grateful for the ability, I didn't fully appreciate what we had.

Our animals were pasture raised without the use of antibiotics and were fed a natural diet. Our cows were pasture raised without gorging them on corn. Our pigs were allowed to root in the ground and were fed a steady diet of fruits and vegetables. To say our meat was delicious is an understatement. Although the beef was a little tough in comparison to store bought meat, the flavor was much richer and didn’t need drastic seasoning. Our pork was incredible and had little fat. Even frying the bacon didn’t create grease. Traditionally raised pork typically is high in fat and not recommended for a healthy lifestyle.

We couldn’t take a freezer full of meat across the country so before we moved to Colorado we sold off the meat that remained. We arrived in Colorado and I was shocked at the price of grass fed, organic meat. I regrettably had to make the decision to buy factory farmed meat. I knew the taste would be a little different, but I was shocked at the differences I discovered.

·    The smell was different. While preparing food for my family I found myself almost gagging at the decay smell the came off the meat.

·  The texture of the burger was mushy and fatty even when I bought ground chuck.

·  The amount of meat that remained after cooking was MUCH less. I was use to cooking a piece of meat and in the end losing only 20% to cooking (water, fat). With factory farmed meat I was losing almost half! I found I was buying larger cuts of meat, spending more, just to counteract the amount lost in the cooking process.

·  The biggest thing I noticed is the effects on the family’s digestion.  Since eating factory raised meat we have all had stomach aches, bouts of diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, and even nausea.  The amount of gas that my family is producing right now is unbelievable and quite disgusting.

 
There are articles and studies that claim no real benefits in eating pasture raised meat. I for one can tell you that they are full of it…literally. Unless you have had the privilege of eating grass-fed meat for a significant time, you wouldn’t be able to feel the difference that quality food makes. All the additives in factory raised meat: hormones, antibiotics, and poor quality feed take a toll on those eating it.

We are now in the market for pasture raised beef and pork in Colorado. Though it will be more expensive and put a dent in our budget, it will more than pay for itself with the health benefits.  When you have to stock up on tums, Pepto Bismal, and Mylanta just to digest your food, there is a problem. I for one will be glad when the air after dinner is fresher as well.

 

Dandelions - more than a weed

Before you spray weed killer or dig out those Dandelions, see if you can put them to use. It is so much more than an annoying weed. Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are rich in Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Foliate, Iron, & potassium.

Foraging for these beautiful plants is a great activity for kids too. It’s a great way to teach them about edible and nutritious plants found wild in nature. Plus if the kids are involved in finding, picking, & washing; they just might eat it!

All parts of the plant can be used:

Leaves:  Great tangy addition to your salad. It has more nutrients than spinach! It is used as a blood purifier, kidney tonic, and to stimulate digestion. It helps with gout, arthritis, and rheumatism.

Stems:  The white sap that comes out of the broken stem can be applied directly to warts to help get rid of them.

Flowers:   Can be made into wine or beer. They are also great treats for bearded dragons!

Roots:   Roots can be used for weight loss as it helps aid in the digestion of fatty meals. A tonic can be made from the roots that help with liver, jaundice, & gallbladder problems.  It is rich in organic iron and helps with anemia.

Tea:   Dandelion tea is great to use as a mild diuretic, it helps with excess fluid retention.  Brew tea 2 to 3 times daily for a few days. You can purchase Dandelion tea from your local health store or the internet.

**As with all herbal remedies, check with your doctor first.**

Regrow Your Celery

Celery growth after 3 weeks

There is a neat trick that you can do with celery, you can Regrow it. This is a great project for kids too. It can teach them just how amazing nature is; it perseveres and never gives up.

Here are the easy steps.

1. Buy a whole celery stalk, with the root bottom still intact. Cut the bottom off leaving 2 inches of stalk attached.

2. Place the bottom in a bowl of water. Don't completely cover the stalk.

3. Place in a sunny spot and wait approx a week. You will begin to see the middle of the stalk sprout.

4. When your stalk is well established, you can either plant it in a pot indoors or you can start it outside once the danger of frost has passed.

You can keep your own supply of celery growing all year.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

You Are What You Eat.

 Just for a minute, let's take a step back and imagine what life as a beef cow must be like...

Imagine being born on a beautiful farm with rolling pastures. Life is decent; you have your mom's milk and grass or hay to eat. The worst thing that has happened is that your testicles are banded so that they wither and fall off due to lack of blood flow. In general you spend the first year of your life eating grass, regurgitating it and chewing it all again. You have space to move, pasture to graze, and shade when you need it. You have grown big and tall, but not yet bulky. Then you turn one.

You are then shipped off to a feed lot where cows are "finished" prior to butchering for human consumption. The feed lot is crowded with other steers, there is little room to move, and you're standing in a foot of mud and poop. There is no shade from the sun or cover from the snow and rain. The bright spot in your day is that you are given hay and grain. Good, yummy corn. It tastes sweet like candy and it's easy to eat lots of it. Hay takes time to chew.

Before long, you don't feel so good. Your stomach burns and churns. There is no place to lay down because of the muck, so you are forced to stand even though you feel bad. You are not sure why your stomach hurts like never before, so you continue to feed hoping that something will make you feel better. Nothing really does.

Over the next 6 months you are moved to different lots to the final one where only grain is given. The stomach pain or acidosis is at its peak. Your stomach has ulcers and your entire immune system is struggling to keep you upright. Antibiotics are given in the grain to keep you alive, not that you care anymore. You worry that if you lay down, you will be trampled by other steers. The elements you are exposed to are brutal; the hot sun, stinging rain, and unbearable cold. The conditions of your life are so terrible that death is a blessing. If you are lucky when it comes time to go to the packaging plant you will be dead before you are skinned....

If the saying "You are what you eat" is true, then there is little doubt why Americans are so sick. Cattle are supposed to be eating grass or hay. Their systems make them the perfect lawn mowers. When a cow is given too much grain to "fatten" them up, it creates major stomach issues called acidosis. Acidosis can be fatal if left untreated so their feed is laced with antibiotics. Not only is this creating antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria such as Staph, but it also introduces the problems of E-Coli. When a cow is grass fed only the instances of E-Coli being found in their feces is low. A corn fed steer however is an E-Coli petri dish due to their malfunctioning stomach.

Grass fed beef is more flavorful and much healthier too. Some complain that the texture is tougher in comparison to grain fed cattle; however in most taste tests grass fed beef win hands down. The factory farming industry is all about speed, the amount of time from birth to slaughter with the cheapest cost. Those in favor of continuing the feed lot practice contend that beef would cost too much if only grass fed was available. Maybe so, but most doctors feel that we eat too much meat and isn't the karmic price too high?

What they want you to think....



The Truth