Carcinogen in your Milk Substitute? VERY likely.

Many people are using milk substitutes as a "healthy" alternative to dairy.

And some of you might even be thinking "what's wrong with dairy now?" In my opinion, dairy milk is not necessarily bad- ideally, if we could drink it in its raw form it might even be beneficial, but since our laws don't allow it in most states, we have to do with pasteurized milk, which depletes a lot of the necessary enzymes in milk that help digest its proteins.  This leads to many more people being intolerant or sensitive to dairy.

So now you are probably drinking coconut, rice, soy, almond or hemp milk.

Better for you, right?

According to a new report – WRONG!

Before I get into it, if you’re drinking any sort of milk substitute, go grab it and look for this ingredient: Carrageenan.

What Is Carrageenan?
Carrageenan is a common ingredient in the majority of milk substitutes, baby formulas, cottage cheese, and even some flavored coconut waters! It’s used as a stabilizer and/or emulsifier.

There are 2 “classes” of Carrageenan: "food safe" and approved and "non-food-safe" or non-approved.

The Research Studies and Its Findings
There has been plenty of published, peer-reviews literature in the scientific community for decades showing that non-food-safe carrageenan is inflammatory and carcinogenic in lab animals.  In fact, non-food safe carrageenan was listed as a “possible human carcinogen” by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1983.

While it is well established that non-food-safe carrageenan is harmful, there have also been concerns with food-grade carrageenan dating back to the late 1970s! In fact, there are studies (including industry-funded studies) showing food-grade carrageenan is also linked to colon inflammation and colon cancer in animals. What?!?!

Additionally, some studies are reporting that “food-grade” carrageenan can degrade in the gastrointestinal tract to the same molecular weight/structure as non-food-grade carrageenan.

Lastly and sadly... it doesn’t matter whether the product is organic or not (Carrageenan was approved for use in organics in 1995 and re-approved in 2008). !@#$%???

How is a Known Carcinogen Allowed in Organic Food?
Recently, the Cornucopia Institute released a Video as well as a PDF Report outlining some upsetting practices between the USDA and NOSA (National Organic Standards Board (the agency regulating
organic food)).

The report shows the timeline of events, lack of regulation, and down right shadiness that all led up to carrageenan’s approval. They show you the series of situations where companies that profit from these ingredients were some of the only reviewers involved in the decision. It’s easy to understand how this can happen, now that organic food companies are being bought by major conventional food companies left and right.

So, What is One to Do?
It just seems like there is too much controversy around carrageenan, and too much risk that it could cause colon inflammation and colon cancer, so I am steering clear of carrageenan.

Check out these major brands that use Carrageenan:

Blue Diamond
Carnation
Horizon
Pacific
Silk (Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk does not have it)
So Delicious
Starbucks
Tempt
Zico

So read your ingredients list closely and stay away from carrageenan, or better yet?

Make it yourself!! 

Next week I will give you the SUPER simple recipe to make your own Almond Milk- it turns out SOOOO delicious, you'll never want store bought again! :)

Stay tuned!!!

What I Learned...

Many of you know that 2 years ago my husband and I bought a farm in Wisconsin.  We are currently working on it and our goal is to have an organic, humane, grass-fed beef operation, some time in the next 5 years, with some diversity of plants, fruit trees, and other animals.

This weekend we went to the 25th Annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, WI. We spent three days learning in workshops, listening to inspiring keynote speakers, making new friends, checking out exhibitors, and the best... having delicious, organic meals! :)

I wanted to share some of what I learned.  It is so extremely important and when it comes to our food, there is SO MUCH we just don't know; so here it is.

This weekend I learned....

#1- that government tests of meat found ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA in:

• 81% of ground turkey (and you were once told turkey was "healthy", right?)
• 69% of pork chops
• 55% of ground beef
• 39% of chicken breasts, wings, and thighs.

Sick animals may need antibiotics (although if raised humanely and with proper, organic feed, chances are much lower).  But most conventional producers give healthy animals unnecessary antibiotics to encourage growth or prevent diseases caused by crowded or unsanitary conditions.

According to the CDC, 2 million American adults and children become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least 23,000 die as a direct result of infections. Consuming antibiotics daily through animal products is to blame.

Click here if you'd like to join me in TAKING ACTION about this.

#2- that DIRTY SOIL is contributing to DEAD ZONES in our lakes and oceans.

It all starts with a healthy soil. I must have heard this in every single workshop I went to; of completely different topics. (Remember?...."just as it all starts with a healthy GUT".  :) )

The use of fertilizers and pollution of discarded manure from big factory farms, has contributed heavily in the creation of "dead zones" in our lakes and oceans. In contrast, in small grazing farms, manure  is used as natural fertilizer for the soil, creating a healthy soil with much less runoff to our
waterways.

There are two main dead zones around the US- the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with some others around the world. Dead zones are low-oxygen areas in the world's oceans and large lakes, caused by "excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water." 

Let's do our best to protect our oceans, lakes and marine life by buying ORGANIC products, 100% GRASS-FED and/or PASTURE RAISED animal products.

#3- that pesticides are TOXIC and ORGANIC IS INDEED IMPORTANT.

Regardless of what the media tells you (ALWAYS check your sources!) there are thousands of studies on how pesticides are toxic, (especially for children and pregnant women) and lead to diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, harm reproductive health, allergies, asthma and other autoimmune diseases..among others. Here is a link for more information on studies for each pesticide-induced disease. 

Recently, newer studies are talking about the "disease inheritance" phenomenon, where we are passing on diseases to our future generations!

Basically, synthetic pesticides account for one in three known endocrine disruptors (chemicals that interfere with the hormone system). Studies are suggesting these chemicals may, before a child’s first breath, set the stage for autism, ADHD, obesity, and cancer.

Yet another reason to BUY ORGANIC!

#4- that BIO-DIVERSITY is KEY.

You might have heard we are losing the bees thanks to GMO's and the increased use of pesticides. You might not care.  And say, you don't even like honey (although I doubt that!) but like it or not we need them. Just as we need proper diversity in our farms.

Most of the small organic farmers I met have diversity in their farms, because they understand the importance.  Bees, butterflies and insects pollinate. Chickens eat the bugs and worms that might damage other plants.  Grasses in the land provide nutrients to the soil.  Manure from cows create a healthy soil.  Goats eat the weeds! etc.. etc.. etc..  It's all interconnected.

By diversifying crops, mixing plants and animals, planting trees- which provide not only fruit but shelter for birds, shade, fertility through nutrient recycling, and more- small landholders can produce more food (and more kinds of food) with fewer resources and lower transportation costs (which means a lower carbon footprint), while providing greater food security, maintaining greater biodiversity, and even better withstanding the effects of climate change.

Support small, bio-diverse, local farmers.

#5- That GMOs are NOT good.  NEVER.  Ever will. 

And that there IS indeed enough food to feed the world.  I know their little (evil) media brainwash "with GMOs we will feed the world". The skeptic and logical part of me always thinks... "have you ever been to a Cheesecake Factory?"

Get this!!!

40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. This not only means that Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165  billion each year, but also that the uneaten food ends up rotting in landfills as the single largest component of U.S.  municipal solid waste where it accounts for a large
portion of U.S. methane emissions.

Reducing food losses by just 15% would be enough food to feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables.

According to the ETC Group, a research and advocacy organization based in Ottawa, the industrial food chain (Big Ag/Biotech) uses 70 percent of agricultural resources to provide 30 percent of the world’s food, whereas what ETC calls “the peasant food web” (small farmers) produces the remaining 70 percent using only 30 percent of the resources.

Get educated on GMOs, support labeling and buy GMO free.

_____________________________________________________

So, I know... this all sounds kind of depressing, and I was getting there at the conference... until I looked around me....

A conference that started 25 years ago with only 90 farmers has grown to 3,328 in attendance this year. 

We were surrounded by the old pioneers that didn't sell out to BigAg, Amish people that continue their traditions, and lots and LOTS of young people (with LOTS of dreadlocks! ; ) ), giving us hope and inspiration for better, healthier times to come for ourselves and our planet!

The movement is growing!  And you can be a part of it by voting with your $$$, getting educated on these issues, and taking action and speaking up to government on critical issues.

Why Buy Organic? (In a nutshell...)

This past weekend we were at the MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, WI and I learned SOOO much! I am writing a post about it... but there is SO MUCH information I will finish and post later this week.  It will be a good one, so stay tuned...

In the meantime, I leave you with this to inspire you to BUY MORE ORGANIC!

Super Eggs: Debunking the Great Myth

Let’s cut to the chase: Eggs are not bad for your cholesterol, nor are they bad for your health.

There, I said it…phew… I almost cry every time I see boxes of “Egg beaters” (or any egg whites for that matter). Why eat them this way?? The egg yolk is one of the most nutrient dense food out there!

But, aren't eggs high in cholesterol?

Yes, eggs contain a high amount of cholesterol. One large egg has about 200mg of cholesterol, mostly in the yolk. Despite this, researchers note that only one-third of the body's cholesterol comes from dietary sources; the rest is produced by the liver. The whole "egg-cholesterol-heart disease" myth is old school, new research says a sedentary lifestyle or smoking have greater effects on cholesterol levels or the risk of cardiovascular disease than egg consumption does. It’s also important to remember that total cholesterol levels are not the great predictor of heart disease they were once thought to be.

By the way, Cholesterol is Vital To Your Body. 
You actually need cholesterol for the production of steroid hormones like testosterone and also to build and repair cells (which is a perpetually occurring process in the human body).

What about the saturated fat?

Yes, eggs are also fairly high in fat. Roughly 5g of fat per egg to be precise. About 2g of that fat is saturated fat, however, which of course means that the other half is unsaturated. Many people cut the yolk to cut the calories, but I invite you to re-think that.  Egg yolks are a super rich source of nutrients that actually may play a role in preventing heart disease, while egg whites offer minimal nutritional value aside from protein. Cut calories in sodas, candies, breads, and cookies that offer very little or no nutrients and add back the eggs!

Eggs-The Great Nutrition Facts.

Eggs have significant amounts of vitamin D, E, A, B vitamins, calcium, some iron and zinc but is also rich in important trace minerals and nutrients like tryptophan, selenium, and iodine, as well as omega 3-fats.

Eggs are one of the best sources of CHOLINE! 
Choline helps keep your cell membranes functioning properly, plays a role in nerve communications, and reduces chronic inflammation.  In pregnant women, along with folic acid, it helps prevent neural tube defects and plays a role in brain development. When it comes to cardiovascular disease, choline is essential to allow transport of fat and cholesterol from the liver to the cells of the body. If you don’t take in enough choline, it can lead to fatty liver and liver dysfunction. Choline also plays a role in preventing elevated levels of homocysteine, which are also associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. So, these eggs might actually be good for your heart?? Yes!! They are!

Shopping for Eggs.

Good: Organic. Organic standards help lower risk of contaminated feed and organic eggs usually have higher nutrient quality. However, remember that organic by itself does not guarantee a natural lifestyle for the egg-laying chickens and a natural lifestyle (eating bugs and worms from the ground) adds nutrients.

Better: Pasture-Raised. A natural lifestyle, but be careful with the confusing array of labeling terms. You probably find "pasture-raised," "pastured," "free-range" and "cage-free" on egg packaging, but labeling laws allow products to display these terms even if the egg-laying chickens spend little or no time outdoors in a pasture setting. (I know, it’s crazy!!) Talk to your grocer and find out how the chickens were actually raised. I personally like Vital Farm eggs, completely pasture raised.  I like supporting them! for a big production farm, they are doing it right! Of course, for this you pay, they are pricey.

Best: Local, pasture-raised. Organic, pasture-raised eggs may be available from local farms with small flocks and a natural lifestyle for their chickens. Check your farmer’s markets, small grocery stores, or better yet… have a backyard? consider a chicken coop!! 

Remember…

Eating and being healthy is much more than finding "low-fat", "low-calorie" foods; it is about nutrient-dense foods, exercise, and stress-management… it also means that what's good for one might be poison for another.  If you find eggs causes you discomfort or sensitivity, then please don't eat them! there are plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other foods full of these nutrients. Just keep exploring what feels good to you!

But if you can...then move a little, relax, cut the processed foods, and add back those eggs in the diet!   My favorite? Scrambled Eggs Super! with veggies like kale, mushrooms, onions and garlic, yum!!