New Food Bill Threatens to Destroy Small Farms

The Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749) which was scheduled for Congressional consideration the week of July 30 threatens the existence of small farmers everywhere. I don't think (wait, I KNOW) the government doesn't get it. They are just reacting out of fear to recent events where our food supply has been compromised. From the E. Coli in the California spinach to the Salmonella in the Georgia peanut butter plant, food practices are getting lazy and people are getting sick. So instead of punishing the ones who are guilty, the government is trying to impose new regulations for ALL farms. But in this situation, the smaller, cleaner, more sustainable farms will be put out of business.

According to the bill, the FDA will have the power to regulate all farms and farm produce to purge America of the food borne E. Coli bacteria.

"Under the terms of the bill, crops must be grown in sterile areas, surrounded by 450 foot buffers, so that they are not exposed to other vegetation, runoff water, birds, beasts, or wildlife of any kind. To create such sterile farms, ponds will be poisoned; wetlands drained; and streams re-routed to safeguard the crops from untreated water. Trees will be bulldozed from agricultural corridors to protect the fields from bird droppings. Fields will be lined with poison-filled tubes to kill rodents. All children under five will be prohibited from stepping foot on farmland or tilled soil for fear of leaking diapers. A crow landing in a cornfield will mandate the destruction of the entire corn crop."

"If passed, the Act will grant the FDA the authority to regulate how crops are raised and harvested; to quarantine a geographic area; to make warrant-less searches of business records; and to establish a national food tracing system. It will impose annual registration fees of $500 on all facilities holding, processing, or manufacturing food. Farmers who fail to comply with the new regulations will be subjected to fines and criminal prosecution."

The small farmer will not be able to comply with these protocols. The small farmer does not need militant sterilization but will be subjected to it and in turn will lose half their crop due to natural occurring circumstances. If they don't subscribe to this ridiculous level of sterilization, they will be put out of business. I ask WHY? When the outbreak of all these food borne diseases is the fault of BIG AGRA and their reckless abandonment of safe and humane farming practices!! Doesn't the government see that? Are they Blind? I guess so and its truly sad.

There are opinions on the other side as well:

"Several scientists suggest that many of the protocols in the new legislation – such as the removing vegetation near field crops –could make food less safe. Vegetation and wetlands are a landscape's lungs and kidneys, filtering out not just fertilizers, sediments and pesticides, but also pathogens. Researchers from the University of California found that vegetation buffers can remove as much as 98 percent of E. coli from surface water. They also warn that rodents often prefer cleared areas for their picnics."

So let me put it this way, our freedoms are being stripped away when it comes to how we eat. Our choices will become more limited if this Act gets passed in the House (which its supposed to). Only the very wealthy will be able to afford fresh organic produce and pastured meats. The rest of us will be forced to eat mass produced, canned or processed foods. If this concerns you, call your local congressman and voice your opinion. Too many of us think that our opinion doesn't matter but the government is SUPPOSED to serve the people. Lets try and make it work that way. Call your state congressman and tell them that this Act will wind up making our food supply more dangerous. Its amazing to me how little we know about the legislation that is being passed right under our noses. Legislation that will have far reaching effects is virtually under the radar and we will wind up paying the price.

Exerpts taken from www.familysercuritymatters.org

Food Inc.

The movie is out now and is playing at many movie theaters nationally. You can most likely find it at a theater that usually carries independent and foreign films but some mainstream theaters are showing it too. This movie is a must see. If you read my BLOG and are getting something out of the posts I write, then go see this movie. It puts visuals to the things I have been talking about. You will see with your own eyes what a CAFO looks like. How the animals are treated, what they are fed, injected with and how short their pathetic lives are. You will see how strong big Agra's lobby is in Washington and how they are in bed with the FDA (who is supposedly out to protect us - right). Big Agra (Cargill and a couple of others) own the CAFO's, the corn elevators and the corn processing plants. They have even gotten into the fake sugar business (Truvia) as if they didn't have their hands in enough already. Cargill is one of the largest (if not the largest) privately held companies in the world. It wields a lot of power in this country, more than we are privy to. You will be witness to the extinction of the small farm and the proliferation of monoculture and corn/soy crops that wind up as the main ingredients in all processed foods. Food Inc. is an eye opener and will hopefully change the way we think about our diets. If enough people see this movie and actually do something about the way we eat, the horrible farming/herding/CAFO practices may become obsolete. Of course this will take time but we as the main consumers have the power. The power truly rests with us. If we choose not to eat this food, there will be less demand for it and eventually less supply. Be an activist (as a friend put it so nicely) and go see the movie. Then please share your comments about it on my BLOG. I would appreciate it!

Here is the link to the trailer - enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0

The New (H1N1) Swine Flu Vaccine

Remember the media frenzy over the H1N1 virus? We were headed for a pandemic and could possibly be at risk of dying if we were to contract it. It was scary for sure but was it as serious as they claimed it to be? Yes, people did die from it but they were not privy to advanced antiviral drugs like Tamiflu or Relenza. Every year about 100 people die from the 'regular' flu and we aren't sent into a panic over it. So why all the craziness over H1N1? I don't seem to get it but I do want my kids to be protected nevertheless.

The big pharma companies (one I used to work for) are scurrying to put together a vaccine for this fall so that millions of kids can receive a dose of H1N1 and hopefully become immune. Is this the right thing to do for our kids? I did some research and the rush to make this vaccine available to millions is causing the pharma companies to add an adjuvant called squalene that could potentially harm your kids. Squalene (like aluminum in other vaccines) stimulates the immune system to overreact to the virus and produce a 'turbo charged' result. The reason the drug companies add the adjuvant is so that they can lessen the dose of the viral antigen needed to cause an immune reaction and be able to produce more vaccines in a shorter period of time. Don't be surprised when your pediatrician strongly suggests you give your kids this vaccine to protect them this fall/winter.

The problem with squalene is how its delivered to the body. If ingested normally it acts as a beneficial antioxidant in the form of an oil molecule. But if injected, it causes your body to recognize it as a foreign body and attack ALL the squalene in your body not just the vaccine adjuvant squalene. Your body will attack naturally occurring squalene that is vital to the health of the nervous system. This can create a devastating autoimmune effect. I just don't trust it.

I am going to protect myself and my kids naturally by making sure they get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is the likely cause of seasonal flu viruses. Getting an optimal level of vitamin D will help you fight infections of all kinds. Make sure you and your kids get plenty of sleep and exercise and stay away from processed foods which are high in sugar and lack nutrients vital for immune health.

Just this morning on the news I heard that up to 9% of American kids are deficient in vitamin D. This can be easily remedied by giving your kids cod liver oil. I give my boys a teaspoon everyday. Its flavored like berries and they don't mind it at all. It has plenty of vitamin D and A as well as omega 3,6, and 9 fatty acids. We happen to live in a sunny climate where vitamin D is naturally abundant by stepping outside but for people who don't have that luxury, cod liver oil or fish such as salmon and sardines are high in it. Try to consume it naturally before going to enriched or fortified foods with synthetic forms of vitamin D. Your body absorbs it more efficiently if vitamin D is in its natural food state.

So just think about the flu this fall and if its truly necessary to give your kids this new and fast tracked vaccine. I don't personally ever get the regular flu vaccine nor do my kids and I will not be giving them the H1N1 either. But do the research for yourself. If there was a true and serious threat to our health and safety maybe I would think more deeply about it but the facts aren't presenting themselves that way.

Check out http://www.mercola.com/ for more information on the new H1N1 flue vaccine. You will probably have to register for free but his website is a wonderful treasure trove of health facts. Here is the direct link to the article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx

Beating Environmental Allergies Naturally

Allergens are everywhere and are specific to each region of the country. When I lived in NY I never had any allergies but living in GA for the past 4 years has provided me with more than enough exposure to many highly allergenic types of pollen. Down here we see something every year called the "yellow death". Its when the pine pollen blooms and covers everything in sight. Seriously, this yellow pollen coats my front porch, my driveway, my back deck and any cars that may be parked on the street. The yellow death lasts for about a week and is unavoidable. However, that pollen is not as highly allergenic as some of the others that bloom simultaneously (birch, oak, sweet gum and sycamore). Atlanta is one of the cities where allergies run rampant due to the thick flora in the city. Atlanta has more trees than almost any other major American city and its even sometimes called the city of trees.

I can tell when my allergies are starting up because I feel like I am getting sick only I never do. My eyes get itchy and my nose becomes stuffed up and itchy, sometimes a cough presents too. Its extremely uncomfortable and I can understand why people run to the pharmacy to get relief. But there really is no need to. A teaspoon full of honey a day can help ease your allergies and keep you away from pharmaceuticals.

My friend who owns the host house for our farm coop is also a bee keeper. She harvests local raw honey every year. I never knew about the powerful effects that honey can have on allergies until I did some research. We know that bees (and the wind) are essential for keeping our flowers, plants and trees naturally repopulating. Without honey bees many species of plants would simply become extinct. In fact we are seeing a mysterious decrease in the world's honey bee population that can not be explained (this is another story entirely - and a scary one at that!). These little bees take with them microscopic pieces of the pollen they are transporting from one tree to another and it becomes a part of the honey they produce. Honey has strong immune boosting properties due to all the natural allergens it contains. It may seem odd that straight exposure to pollen often triggers allergies but that exposure to pollen in the honey usually has the opposite effect. But this is typically what we see. In honey the allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses and the effect over time is very much like that from undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections. The major difference though is that the honey is a lot easier to take and it is certainly a lot less expensive.

The best way to see results is to go out and buy local raw honey. It must be raw and it must be local. The reason being is that local honey will contain the specific pollens that are in your area and will boost your immune system to protect itself from those very allergens! You may be asking, how local is local? Well, as close as you can get. I am lucky to have a bee keeper friend less than 2 miles from my house. But if you can get honey from less than 50 miles away, you should be OK. Raw, local honey will most likely be sold at your farmers market.

I am taking a teaspoonful a day now in preparation for fall allergies. The key is to preempt the allergy season to build up your immune system. Try it out and see what happens, I bet you will wind up throwing out your Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra and saving money while you do it!!

Is 'BPA Free' Really Living Up to its Name?

When my twins were born I had already gotten a boat load of bottles from my baby shower. I actually registered for the Avent infant starter kit and received two of them plus additional packs of 3 and 6! I had enough bottles to last them till they were in kindergarten. I was able to avoid using these bottles for 2 months as I breast fed and pumped milk into Medela BPA free containers. I had never heard of BPA (Bisephenol A) and didn't know it was found in any of the bottles I had until I read the reports, studies and stories on the news. Apparently BPA (found in hard plastics) mimics hormones in the human body and in even very small amounts over time can cause chronic toxicity. The funny thing is we have suspected that BPA is harmful since the 1930's and nothing has stopped the plastics industry from using it. By the time I found out, my boys were 6 months old and I had been using the bottles for 4 months. I immediately threw them all out. Garbage. I then went back to glass bottles and what we now see advertised as "BPA Free" bottles. In fact, Avent makes a BPA free bottle and it turned out that one of my twins really liked this bottle so I stuck with it. My other twin uses Born Free which is not made with BPA. Its interesting how quickly the industry responded to all these studies and threats. It was like over night, the BPA was mysteriously removed and all the bottles were now deemed safe. Too good to be true? I bet.

Here is an article that was just passed on to me from a good friend. It substantiates the fears I have that we are again being duped by the big corporations that have deep pockets and lobby our federal government. Don't think the FDA isn't in on this because they are. The FDA is not out to protect us and that is the major point of my post.

Please read below: Taken from the Journal Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/52128182.html

Canadian regulators have found that baby bottles marketed to parents as "BPA free" may actually contain the chemical bisphenol A. Two of nine bottle brands tested by Health Canada, Canada's public health agency, showed "high readings" while "traces" were found in the others. The test results were released to the Canwest News Service under the country's Access to Information Act. The results have been published in Food Additives & Contaminants, a scientific journal. The report did not specify which brands had the higher levels. The names of the companies were blacked out of the report, the news service reported.

Hundreds of studies in recent years have linked the chemical to medical problems, including breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Canada has banned the sale and advertising of BPA in baby bottles. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, has ruled that BPA is safe for use. That finding was based on two studies, both of which were paid for by the chemical-makers. Last year, the FDA's own science advisory board found that the ruling improperly ignored hundreds of studies that found that the chemical caused harm, even at low doses. It recommended that the FDA reconsider the ruling. A new opinion is expected in the next few weeks.

The Journal Sentinel has reported extensively on the U.S. government's safety assessments of BPA. The newspaper has found that government regulators allowed chemical industry lobbyists to write sections of the government assessment draft. Last year, the Journal Sentinel paid for 10 items, marked as "microwave safe," to be tested for the presence of BPA. Toxic levels of the chemical were found to leach from all 10 items when they were heated. BPA, used to make hard, clear plastic, has been found in the urine of 93% of Americans tested. According to the news service, documents indicated that government scientists were surprised at the findings.

Health Canada spokesman Gary Scott Holub said Thursday that the agency could not distribute the study. According to the news service reports, the bottles were tested last year, soon after Canada announced a proposed ban on polycarbonate baby bottles. Canada has since banned the sale and advertisement of baby bottles made with BPA. In the United States, bans have been passed in Chicago, Long Island, Connecticut and Minnesota. Federal lawmakers are considering a ban, too. Sonya Lunder, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, called results of the Health Canada tests "curious." She said parents should still feel comfortable buying BPA-free bottles for their children because the levels are so low compared with bottles made with BPA. "Parents can make a dramatic and immediate reduction of BPA in their child's blood levels by switching from polycarbonate bottles" to bottles labeled as "BPA free." "This is still a huge relief," she said.

The American Chemistry Council, the lobbying group for the plastics industry, declined to comment on the Health Canada results. According to Canwest, the Canadian news service, bottle manufacturers are concerned that something was wrong with the analysis conducted.

I do believe that its a matter of time before BPA is banned nationwide but why are we still hearing about BPA in plastic bottles? Why are we still at risk? All I can say is that if you are still using bottles made of hard plastic, stop. Move to glass or stainless steel so that you know what you are getting. Make sure the stainless steel is not lined with any plastic either. BPA finds it way into so much product packaging and it leeches into the foods that its supposed to be protecting. Another reason not to eat processed foods!! If you must use plastic make sure its a BPA free manufacturer - not one that suddenly went "BPA Free". Here is a partial list of some of the companies I know to be BPA free:

Born Free
Boon
Nuby
Kleen Kanteen
Dr. Browns
Lansinoh
Medela

This article was scary and yet not surprising to me. Once the media flurry was over, I am sure these plastics companies went right back to cutting corners and knew that the FDA was there to protect them!

Buyer Beware!

The organic movement is under attack by the big corporations. I am not going to name names because I used to work for one of these corporations. However, I have much respect for this company and the knowledge I gained from working there but I do not agree with the tactics that are being employed to "get a piece of the organic pie". We all know that organic food is not cheap but there are reasons for this. Usually the farms are smaller scale and it costs more to protect the food from animals when not using pesticides. Many of these organic farms use manual labor to uproot weeds and keep out the critters. But its all worth it for our health.

Big companies are now using "marketing terminology" to fool the consumer into believing they are getting healthy organic food and are charging a premium for these products too!! You will see how your neighborhood grocery store may now have a "green aisle" that for the most part will have only true organic products stocked there. Names like Amy's, Applegate Farms, Ians, Horizon Organic, Dr. Praegger's and more. But mixed into the regular aisles you will find processed food with names like "all natural" or even "organic" on the labels. This is diluting the organic message and putting our health at risk. Don't be fooled. These products have high fructose corn syrup, GMO's, pesticides and many other synthetic and toxic chemicals in them. They think that just because they deiced to use 'natural flavoring' instead of 'artificial flavoring' they have the right to call it all natural. Well news flash people!! Natural flavoring is nothing but synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like fruits or vegetables that are naturally occurring (ie. orange flavor). Artificial flavors are synthetic chemicals engineered to taste like something that does NOT occur in nature (ie. BBQ flavor). I know it must make you feel good to know that Cheetos has now gone "natural" but don't buy it!! It was and still is a garbage processed food made almost entirely out of corn and chemicals. And let me tell you, its not by chance that the word natural is the biggest word on the package. These marketers know that while you are rapidly scanning the aisle for healthy alternatives, words like these will pop out at you and lure you in to buy. We put this word on a pedestal and would never think that the product labeled with this name is anything but!

Other words are being abused as well. Misleading corporate strategies now include redefining the term “local” to mean not locally owned, grown or produced, but just something “close by,” or worse yet, local through association with something else. This is just wrong and unsuspecting consumers will fall prey to tactics like these. This is why I suggest supporting a local farmers market. There you can actually speak to the people growing the food and understand how their farming practices affect the food you eat.

Now is the time that we must get vigilant. The reason why health care costs are out of control is because we are not HEALTHY. We are obese, we have diabetes, cancer, autoimmune and chronic diseases and its mainly due to our DIET. We need to read the ingredients of everything we buy. High fructose corn syrup should not be an ingredient in anything that is deemed to be "organic". If it is then you know you are being duped. If the product has ingredients with more than 4 syllables you can raise your eyebrow as well because 9 out of 10 times it a corn derivative. Words like maltodextrin, dextrose, lecithin, xanthan gun, gum arabic, high oleic safflower oil, etc. Most processed foods contain these and organic impostors will as well.

Staying away from GMOs (genetically modified foods) is harder to do because the ingredients will not tell you if it has been genetically altered. GMOs have only been around since the 1990's and are causing many health problems and unforeseen illnesses and the government is not doing anything about it. The FDA actually supports this type of farming. There are environmental risks too. Scientists are concerned that GMOs will reduce biodiversity which is essential to our long term sustainability on this planet. So check the PLU code on your food to see if it is a GMO.
Here’s what you should look for:
• A four-digit number means the produce is conventionally grown
• A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic
• A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM
Check out this website for a list of GMO free foods http://www.geaction.org/truefood/shoppersguide/

Please don't be fooled by the sneaky marketing tactics of these big companies that are trying to reap the rewards of "being organic". They are still cutting corners and putting our health at risk. Its up to you to take charge of your health and your lifestyle. Taking the time to buy truly local and organic is a form of activism in itself!

Eating Local = Eating Seasonal

I have a post that touches on this topic already but I wanted to dive a little deeper. We have become a culture of convenience. There isn't a second thought about getting strawberries or tomatoes in the winter or pears in the summer. The American population demanded this type of selection so big business supplied it. But is it right? Do those strawberries in the winter look or taste as good? I highly doubt it and even if they did, where do you think they came from? Somewhere in South America I suppose where our winters are their summers. The amount of fossil fuel it takes to get that produce into our grocery store is unimaginable. Its definitely more than the cost we pay for the fruit itself. So if the price doesn't reflect the actual cost of getting it into our hands off season then who is paying? The environment. Every time we waste fossil fuels we are depleting a finite natural resource and adding to climate change. These fruits and veggies coming from South America are shipped in special cooling units to keep them as fresh as possible and this way of air travel is extremely energy intensive and expensive.

In California they grow a lot of "out-of season" produce but they do so in heated greenhouses which deplete a lot of energy. They also use much more water to irrigate than would be necessary if it were just grown in season. This not only depletes energy but also depletes water which as you must know is also become a scarce resource - especially in the west. We live in a new world. We must conserve if we expect to live without some detrimental impact on our future. Eating in season is just one of the many ways to make this change. Its not about us as individuals anymore.

If summer fruits and vegetables are so important to your diet that you can't live without, there are more "ethical" ways around this. Simply freezing what you want to eat in the winter can suffice. Frozen fruits and veggies keep really well. There are winter varieties of the same fruits and veggies that seem to grow better in colder climates. Long keeping tomatoes are one type. You can grow them at home or look for them at your farmers market. Most likely your farmers market will offer only whats in season but you can ask about winter varieties of summer produce.

Eating a seasonal diet means different things, depending on which part of the world you live in. By adding seasonal foods to your plate, you ensure that you are getting essential vitamins and minerals including important antioxidants that protect the body from disease. This is the way our ancestors ate for thousands of years. Its only been recent (last 40 years) that advanced industrialization has allowed us to eat whatever we want whenever we want. Besides being unhealthy, its also boring. We tend to eat whatever our favorite is and never waver. Eating seasonally forces us to get the variety we need in our bodies.

The best way to incorporate seasonal eating into your life is to join a community supported agriculture group (CSA). These local groups purchase a portion of a small farm's produce before the season begins. By becoming a member and paying a fee you get fresh produce right off the farm delivered to a local pick up spot once a week! The variety of fruits and vegetables you get depends on where you live and what the farm grows. An added bonus is not knowing what you will receive and simply getting an opportunity to try something new. The only guarantee with becoming part of a CSA is that you will have a steady supply of fresh, nutrient dense produce from late spring until early winter. You also get the opportunity to meet other people in your community who have the same interest in creating a happier and healthier planet and lifestyle through supporting local farmers and organic farming. The Weston A. Price Foundation, http://www.westonaprice.org/ can help you find a farm that offers this in your area.

Please see the attached annual harvest calendar for information on whats in season throughout the year. This calendar is specific for Georgia (where I live) but I can help you find a local one for your area if you email me. I don't think it will change significantly for areas like New York but there may be some variations in duration of specific fruits or veggies. http://www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com/pdfs/georgiaharvestcalendar.pdf