Are You GMO Savvy? You Need To Be

Author: Susan J. Wojcik

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's) are as usual a hot topic in the natural food and natural medicine world. But what are GMO's and why should the general population be concerned about them?

GMO is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides, drought tolerance, pest resistance, ect. For this reason, GMO's have gained popularity in the farming community. The down side is the effects that GMO's have on the human population and other organisms.

The dangers associated with eating GM foods are increased allergenicity, increased toxins, carcinogens, the formation of new diseases, antibiotic-resistant diseases and nutritional problems. Food allergies are on the rise, soy allergies in particular have sky rocketed by 50% in the UK after GM soy was introduced there.

Milk from rBGH-treated cows contains an increased amount of the hormone IGF-1, which is one of the highest risk factors associated with breast and prostate cancer.

One would believe that before GM foods were FDA approved, several research studies would have proven GM foods to be safe. Unfortunately, the only feeding study done with humans showed that GMOs survived inside the stomach of the people eating GMO food. No follow-up studies were done.

Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy or increased density of the liver, odd shaped cell nuclei and other unexplained anomalies, false pregnancies and higher death rates.

Soy, cotton, canola, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, zucchini and yellow squash are currently commercialized GM crops in the US. Other GM products include: dairy from cows injected with rbGH, food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet®), meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed.

I urge all of you to really take a look at what you are eating. 60-70% of the food in the US contains GM ingredients and the FDA currently does not require it to be labled as GMO (although President Obama did make a campaign promise that he would change this). Print out the "Non-GMO Shopping Guide" and do what to can avoid these genetically modified foods.

References: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm

Lakeshore Wellness Center: Naturopathic Holistic Medicine and Acupuncture in Chicago.
http://www.lakeshorewellnesscenter.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/are-you-gmo-savvy-you-need-to-be-894447.html

About the Author:
Susan J. Wojcik is a Naturopathic physician and board certified acupuncturist in private practice at Lakeshore Wellness Center in Chicago, Illinois.

She has been practicing Naturopathic and Integrative medicine at Foothills Neurology in Phoenix, Arizona since 2002 and has only recently settled down in Chicago to begin her own private practice. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin—Madison, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture. She is also affiliated with such organizations as the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), the Illinois Association of Naturopathic Physicians (ILANP), the Naturopathic Academy of Therapeutic Injections (NATI), the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the Homéopathe International (HI).

The modalities employed in her Naturopathic practice include: clinical nutrition, homeopathy, functional medicine, botanical medicine and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Slowcooker Recipes for Easy, Tasty, and Economical Meals

Author: Linda Wilson

Busy lives! Aren't we all busy, busy, busy? Bring out the crockpot or slow cooker and you can
make some tasty, economical meals for your family and cut down your kitchen time too. For these recipes, all you have to do is add a salad, perhaps a bread, and you've got dinner. Dessert can be elaborate or as simple as sugar-free cookies or a bowl of sugar-free ice cream.

PORK ROAST WITH ONIONS AND POTATOES

This recipe requires a 4-quart slowcooker for best results.

Approximately 3 lb boneless pork loin roast, trim off fat

1 large garlic clove, sliced

5 medium potatoes, washed, cubed, unpeeled

1 large onion, sliced

3/4 cup water (or tomato juice, if desired)

1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp cold water

Make slits in roast in insert slices of garlic. Place roast under broiler to brown. Put potatoes in slow cooker. Add 1/2 the onion slices. Place roast atop vegetables and cover with remaining onions. Combine water or juice with soy sauce and pour over roast. Place lid on slowcooker and cook on low about 8 hours. When ready to serve, remove roast and vegetables from cooker. Combine cornstarch and cold water. Add to the liquid in the slow cooker. Turn cooker to high until liquid is thickened. Slice meat and serve thickened liquid over the meat and vegetables.

This recipe has a few more protein grams than carbs so it is excellent for diabetics who want to enjoy some good old "meat and potatoes".

COWBOY CASSEROLE

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/4 lbs 90% lean ground beef

6 medium potatoes, unpeeled, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

16 oz can kidney beans

15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef, rinse with hot water and drain. Mix flour into diced tomatoes, stir until flour is smooth.

Layer into slow cooker in the following order; onion, beef, potatoes, garlic and beans. Pour tomatoes over all and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/crockpot-recipes-articles/slowcooker-recipes-for-easy-tasty-and-economical-meals-528172.html

About the Author:
A grandmother with diabetes along with other autoimmune diseases, Linda likes to share with others what she has learned about dealing with her health issues. For more of her writings and recipes, go to her website at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

Healthy Cooking- Starting With Organic Ingredients

Author: Craig Stanford

These days there are stories almost every day on the TV news and in the newspapers about food that has been recalled because of E. coli or some other contamination. This has spurred many of us to shop and cook more carefully for our families. If you want to take a step beyond buying just safe ingredients for your family's cooking, then you'll investigate truly healthy cooking with organics.

When I talk about organics, some people think that I'm just talking just about produce. That's not true; there are now organic versions of many animal products available also.

I advocate switching to organic ingredients for your cooking because most produce is sprayed with pesticides and grown with chemical fertilizers, Animal foods can contain growth hormones and antibiotics.

The hormones can cause premature maturing of children. Also, it's a fact that bacteria are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics. Scientists say that one of the reasons that bacteriia have become so resistant to antibiotics is because of all the antibiotics in our food.

Before buying organic ingredients, it's normal for people to ask one or more of the following questions;

1) How can I replace my whole menu with organic ingredients overnight?

2) Won't I pay a premium for organic ingredients?

3) How can I determine that an ingredient that I'm looking at is a genuine organic?

The short answer to question #1 is, "you don't have to". I recently read a book by Kevin Trudeau called," Natural Cures (they don't want you to know about)". In it, Kevin recommends changing one ingredient in your meals at a time to organic until eventually all of your cooking is with organic ingredients. I experimented with this technique and discovered that the my family made the transition to organics a lot more easily then I expected. So far, everything that I eat for breakfast is organic and my other meals are made up of more than half organic ingredients.

The answer to question #2 is that unfortunately, organic ingredients usually will cost more. The number of people that buy organic products has increased, but the numbers haven't increased enough to cause economies of scale in the production and sale of of organic ingredients.

Even though organic ingredients cost more, there are ways to bring these costs down.

A good way to save money is to do as much shopping as possible at a farmer's market. Almost every town has a seasonal farmer's market. Some big cities even have a year round farmer's market. Prices are lower because you are buying directly from the farmer. Usually, you can only buy fruits, vegetables, spices and eggs at these markets, but you should be able to beat the non- organic prices in the supermarkets.

Another way to get your costs down is to shop at discount chains because many of them now have organic departments. Even the big guys like Wal-Mart have jumped on the organic bandwagon.

Another sure way to cut costs of your healthy cooking is to scratch cook more often. A good example is soup. Canned soup in the store usually has a lot of salt and other non- organic ingredients. Don't buy the package of chicken thighs. Buy an organic bird and cut it up yourself. Don't buy the salad in the bag. Whenever possible, don't cook your vegebles, instead steam them if you have a recipe that says that they should be cooked. Steaming them will leave in more of the vitamins and minerals than high heat cooking.

Remember, every time someone touches your food, it will cost more.

The answer to question #3 is simple. To know if an ingredient you're looking at is organic look for the label that says, " USDA Organic ". This means that the food has been certified by the USDA as being organic in origin.

This article has been meant to show you the logical starting point in your quest to provide healthy cooking for yourself and your family. In follow up articles I shall talk about such things as more reasons why you should buy organic ingredients and how to get refined sugar out of your cooking.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/healthy-cooking-starting-with-organic-ingredients-230788.html

About the Author:
Craig Stanford suffered a stroke in 1994. This event has caused him to research how he can achieve better health. He has put some of his research into the Healthy Cooking Guide. To read the Guide and read about other kinds of cooking, check out his website at:http://cooking-party.com/healthy

Changing Your Fridge to a Healthy Fridge

Author: Jude Simons

You don't have to give up all the foods you're used to eating to become more healthy and to start eating raw, organic and live foods. You know the best place to start changing your life and your diet? It's at the grocery store, of course. Even if you're at a good weight and pretty healthy, take a tip from dieters. Go shopping with a list and don't go to the grocery store hungry. Make sure this shopping trip you can resist those Oreos and potato chips.

Clean out your refrigerator and your cabinets. Throw out the half-empty bags of snack foods. Put any microwaveable foods in a dark bag and stash them somewhere in the back of the freezer. Out of sight, out of mind.

Do stock up on dried fruits and nuts for snacking. Transform your kitchen from a processed food haven to a healthy kitchen. Invest in a good juicer. Clean out those crisper drawers to get them ready for an influx of new organic and raw foods.

Load up on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. If you can't give up meat and fish, consider getting super fresh tuna that you can just sear and serve with sesame seeds and a small amount of soy sauce. (I'm getting hungry just thinking about this!)

Make eating this way fun. Invest in those big, white square dishes that are good for serving sushi. It's easier to arrange small portions of different foods that way. And getting new white dishes will be symbolic of this new, purer way of eating. Get some good chopsticks so you can take your time eating. This is really fun!

Go to a bookstore and get a cookbook or a food book so you can learn about eating raw foods. Buy a big vase and a bunch of sunflowers to symbolize letting the sun into your diet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/changing-your-fridge-to-a-healthy-fridge-642841.html

About the Author:
Read about alphonso mango and mango tea at the Mango Fruit website.