Top 10 Ways to Prepare Kale

by Mary Crimmins

My body has been deprived of leafy greens this summer. It has been so hot here in Nashville, that no greens stood a chance to grow in the blazing heat. Last week, I saw a familiar friend at the Market – KALE! I couldn’t believe it. For me this marked the end of the summer, and the promise of cooler temperatures to come.

Image: eatlocalgrown.com

So I over zealously bought 5 bunches, which set me back about $15. I didn’t care, I had kale.

Once I got home I realized that I couldn’t really fit all 5 bunches in my refrigerator, so I needed to deal with it in the next day or so. So I decided to make up a big batch of kale pesto that I could freeze. (Recipe)

After receiving lots of messages via twitter about what else people could do with kale, I figured I’d better help ya’ll out and offer a few ways to prepare it. It’s no secret that kale is one of nature’s super foods, and getting it into your diet is worth the effort.

 10 Ways to Prepare Kale

Kale Chips – This simple preparation of kale will have you begging for more. A crispy salty treat that is better than popcorn or potato chips.

Kale Pesto – More flavorful than basil pesto, this is a great addition to pizza, pasta, or in an omelet.

Sauteed Kale – For a hearty side dish, this is a classic preparation. I saute onions and garlic before I add the kale, and add a couple dashes of hot sauce for an added kick.

Kale Quiche – You can substitute any spinach quiche with kale and it offers the same great taste with the added health benefits.

Kale Soup – A classic kale soup is made with white beans and ham or sausage, however I like this recipe of using acorn squash and kale to create a sweet and savory winter favorite.

Kale Lasagna – The perfect “make ahead” recipe for a hearty dinner is a dish the whole family can enjoy.


Kale Juice – If you own a juicer, kale is quite possibly the healthiest thing to juice. Mix it with apples, carrot and a little lemon for a drink that is better for you than liquid gold.

Kale Slaw – You can substitute raw kale for raw cabbage in this recipe.

Kale Pasta – One of my favorite ingredients to add to pasta. Goes with just about anything from spaghetti to sausage pasta to baked macaroni and cheese.

Kale Pizza – One of the joys I’ve found with eating seasonally is changing up my grilled pizza toppings. One of my favorite combinations is sauteed kale, caramelized onions, strong white cheeses, and some crispy bacon.

Overall, kale is a delicious and hearty green. Treat it like spinach and you can substitute it in just about any recipe. Experiment and enjoy!

How to make Kale Chips



Source: eatlocalgrown.com

12 things you didn't know about the labels on your food

Image: www.maximizedliving.com

Are you confused about food label claims and what they really mean? That’s part of the strategy of the global food giants, of course: confuse you with so much noise that you give up trying to make sense of it all.
That’s why I wrote this article: to demystify food label claims and give you the low-down on what they really mean. Most of these points will probably surprise you…

#1) “Kosher” does not mean non-GMO
Genetically engineered ingredients are openly allowed in Kosher-certified foods. The Kosher certification does not involve testing for GMOs, and Kosher certifications are routinely found on foods containing GMOs.

#2) “Organic” does not mean low in heavy metals
The USDA certified organic certification process does not test for heavy metals. Foods that are very high in lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and even aluminum are openly allowed to be labeled USDA certified organic.

#3) “Non-GMO” does not mean organic
Just because a food is certified non-GMO doesn’t mean it is organic. Even conventionally-raised crops such as corn, soy and canola can be certified non-GMO if they are grown without genetically engineered seeds.
There are several snack chips on the market right now which use non-GMO ingredients grown with chemical pesticides.

#4) “All Natural” doesn’t mean anything at all
The phrase “All Natural” is not regulated in any way by the FDA. Any foods, including foods made with artificial colors, chemical sweeteners, chemical preservatives and GMOs, can be labeled “all natural.”
“All natural” is the trick used by large food corporations to try to mislead consumers into thinking their junk food products are somehow organic.

#5) “Trans-Fat Free” does not mean free from trans fats
The FDA currently allows foods containing up to 0.5g of trans fats per serving to claim ZERO grams of trans fats per serving.

The FDA, you see, has been completely hijacked by food and drug corporations, and they have convinced the FDA to allow food labels to blatantly lie to consumers about what the food really contains. Everywhere else in the world, 0.5 does not equal zero. Even in high school math class, it’s rounded up to one. But at the FDA, 0.5 somehow means zero.

#6) “Non-GMO” does not mean certified non-GMO
There are many foods, superfoods and even nutritional products currently claiming to be “non-GMO” but failing to provide any certification of that status. A company that self-proclaims its products to be “non-GMO” is most likely trying to pull a fast one on you unless it can back up that claim with certification.
Only certified non-GMO means something. The next time you see a label that claims “non-GMO,” ask yourself, “Certified by whom?” “Where’s the proof?”

#7) “Gluten-free” foods are often GMO
Beware of GMOs in gluten-free foods. Because gluten-free foods are often based on corn, they are usually made with genetically modified corn containing BT toxin, a deadly insecticide.
Avoid gluten-free unless it’s also certified non-GMO.

#8) “Organic” foods can still contain a small amount of GMO
GMOs are so widespread that they have now contaminated virtually the entire food supply. Foods that are certified organic can still contain trace levels of GMOs.

How much are they allowed to contain? “there aren’t specific tolerance levels in the USDA organic regulations for GMOs,” says the USDA. “National Organic Program policy states that trace amounts of GMOs don’t automatically mean the farm is in violation of the USDA organic regulations. In these cases, the certifying agent will investigate how the inadvertent presence occurred and recommend how it can be better prevented in the future. For example, they may require a larger buffer zone or more thorough cleaning of a shared grain mill.”

Even though certified organic foods can still contain trace levels of GMOs, they are still far healthier for you than conventionally-grown foods, by the way.

#9) “Organic” foods are now being routinely grown in heavily polluted countries such as China
An increasing percentage of “organic” foods, superfoods and raw materials used in nutritional supplements are being imported from China. Natural News has found that these raw materials are consistently higher in heavy metals than competing products grown in North America.

But because they are significantly lower in case, they are being increasingly used in nutritional products or sold at health food stores after being labeled “organic.”

Organic certification standards openly allow organic farms in China to grow produce in fields that are heavily polluted with cadmium, lead and mercury. There is no limit on the heavy metals levels in soils used to produce USDA certified organic foods.

#10) The FDA currently has no limit on the amount of heavy metals allowed in foods, either
The FDA does, from time to time, conduct food contaminant tests on imported foods. However, the FDA does not publish or set any official limits on heavy metals in imported foods.

Usually, when the FDA does find metals in foods (such as arsenic in rice), it declares the contaminant “too low to cause short-term health risks” while blatantly ignoring the long-term health risks.

As long as the food is dead and not carrying e.coli or salmonella, there is almost no food too polluted for the FDA.

#11) The use of “organic” ingredients does not automatically make the whole product organic
Some products sold today are being described as “organic” when only a fraction of their ingredients are organic. This does not qualify a product to be called organic.

Unlike the phrase, “all natural,” the term “organic” is highly regulated by the federal government and carries a specific meaning. The mere presence of organic ingredients in a product is not sufficient to be able to claim the entire product is organic.

Interestingly, even if ALL the ingredients used in a product are certified organic, the product itself still needs to be separately certified to be accurately called “organic.”

By the way, sometimes the cleanest product in a particular category is not the one that’s certified organic, as we discovered in our heavy metals tests of chlorella superfoods.

#12) “Low calorie” almost always means it is sweetened with a chemical sweetener
Look on the ingredients labels of “low calorie” foods or beverages, and you’ll almost always find sucralose, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, aspartame or other chemical sweeteners. The presence of such chemical sweeteners is almost ubiquitous on foods sporting the “low calorie” label.

And yet “low calorie” does not mean it’s healthier for you in any way whatsoever. In fact, low-calorie foods such as diet sodas can still contain extremely damaging ingredients such as phosphoric acid, a potent chemical that can eat away your teeth and bones.

What is the ultimate food, then?The ultimate commercially-available food would be certified organic, certified non-GMO, grown in your local country, certified Kosher and lab tested to be very low in heavy metals

But if you just grow it in your own garden, you don’t need all those labels and certifications in the first place. You’ve got real food right from your own yard.

That’s why I encourage everyone to grow what you eat and eat what you grow. The answer to pollutants, GMOs, pesticides and heavy metals in foods is found when you get on your knees and put some seeds in the ground.

Everything else in the marketplace — including quadruple-certified premium food — is vastly inferior to food you grow yourself.

How do you know you can trust me on this point? Because I sell superfoods and I’m still telling you to grow your own instead. In my vision of a perfect world, the Natural News Store wouldn’t even exist because everybody would be growing their own foods and superfoods in their own yards or greenhouses.

Source: Natural News

Study: Can organic agriculture feed the world better than GMOs?

For years now, the most-asked question by detractors of the good food movement has been, “Can organic agriculture feed the world?” According to a new United Nations report, the answer is a big, fat yes.

The report, Agro-ecology and the Right to Food, reveals that small-scale sustainable farming would even double food production within five to 10 years in places where most hungry people on the planet live.

Image: organicwins.com

“We won’t solve hunger and stop climate change with industrial farming on large plantations,” Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food and author of the report, said in a press release. “The solution lies in supporting small-scale farmers’ knowledge and experimentation, and in raising incomes of smallholders so as to contribute to rural development.”

The report suggests moving away from the overuse of oil in farming, a problem that is magnified in the face of rising prices due to unrest in the Middle East. The focus is instead on agroecology, or eco-farming. “Agroecology seeks to improve the sustainability of agroecosystems by mimicking nature instead of industry,” reads a section.

The report shows that these practices raise productivity significantly, reduce rural poverty, increase genetic diversity, improve nutrition in local populations, serve to build a resilient food system in the face of climate change, utilize fewer and more locally available resources, empower farmers and create jobs.

Of 57 impoverished countries surveyed, for example, yields had increased by an average of nearly 80 percent when farmers used methods such as placing weed-eating ducks in rice patties in Bangladesh or planting desmodium, which repels insects, in Kenyan cornfields. These practices were also cost effective, locally available and resulted from farmers working to pass on this knowledge to each other in their communities.

While the report admits that agroecology can be more labor-intensive because of the complexity of knowledge required, it shows that this is usually a short-term issue. The report underscores that agroecology creates more jobs over the long term answering critics who argue that creating more jobs in agriculture is counter-productive. “Creation of employment in rural areas in developing countries, where underemployment is currently massive, and demographic growth remains high,” states the report, “may constitute an advantage rather than a liability and may slow down rural-urban migration.”

Mark Bittman put it aptly in his column on the UN report at the New York Times, saying:

Agro-ecology and related methods are going to require resources too, but they’re more in the form of labor, both intellectual—much research remains to be done—and physical: the world will need more farmers, and quite possibly less mechanization.

This is not the first time such a report has declared more productive ways to feed the world other than leaving that important task to large corporations. In April 2008, the IAASTD report (the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development)–which was supported by the World Bank, the UN Food & Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, among others, with the participation of over 60 world governments and 400 experts–found that not only would industrial food production not be able to feed the world in the long term, but the practices being employed are actually increasing hunger, exhausting resources and exacerbating climate change. However, the U.S., under the Bush Administration, was one of the countries that decided not to endorse the findings.

Though agroecological farming has benefits for industrialized countries too, both reports focus largely on what to do in the least-developed nations on the globe. The status quo for U.S. foreign policy in agriculture up until now has been to leverage our political muscle to force countries to except our subsidized crops, even if it meant destroying local agricultural economies. (Former President Bill Clinton apologized for this policy last year, saying that it has “failed everywhere it’s been tried,” and “we should have continued to work to make sure [Haiti] was self-sufficient in agriculture.”) Will the Obama Administration be more receptive to these findings and could there be a change in the way we work with other countries in our support for agriculture?

Looking back at this (proudly pro-business) administration’s follies in hiring a pesticide lobbyist as our Agricultural Trade Representative, maintaining the USDA in the confusing role of promoting and regulating agriculture, and focusing on “improved seeds,” which usually means funding for the development of genetically modified crops for poor countries and you might be discouraged.

But De Schutter argues that real change to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers requires governments to be on board. “States and donors have a key role to play here,” he said. “Private companies will not invest time and money in practices that cannot be rewarded by patents and which don’t open markets for chemical products or improved seeds.” In other words, feeding the worlds hungry should not be left to the market alone.

The report makes these specific recommendations for governing bodies:

making reference to agroecology and sustainable agriculture in national strategies for the realization of the right to food and by including measures adopted in the agricultural sector in national adaptation plans of action (NAPAs) and in the list of nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) adopted by countries in their efforts to mitigate climate change; reorienting public spending in agriculture by prioritizing the provision of public goods, such as extension services, rural infrastructures and agricultural research, and by building on the complementary strengths of seeds-and-breeds and agroecological methods, allocating resources to both, and exploring the synergies, such as linking fertilizer subsidies directly to agroecological investments on the farm (“subsidy to sustainability”); supporting decentralized participatory research and the dissemination of knowledge about the best sustainable agricultural practices by relying on existing farmers’ organizations and networks, and including schemes designed specifically for women; improving the ability of producers practicing sustainable agriculture to access markets, using instruments such as public procurement, credit, farmers’ markets, and creating a supportive trade and macroeconomic framework.

The report also gives recommendations for donors seeking to decrease hunger and improve rural livelihoods and for research organizations.

You can read the full report here [PDF]

Source: civileats.com

howstuffworks.com

Over 75 Million Americans are now eating organic. Here are 10 reasons why:

Organic Consumers Association

Image: Organics.org

Organic foods and products are the fastest growing items in America’s grocery carts. Thirty million households, comprising 75 million people, are now buying organic foods, clothing, body care, supplements, pet food, and other products on a regular basis. Fifty-six percent of U.S. consumers say they prefer organic foods.

Here are 10 reasons why you should buy organic foods and products:

1. Organic foods are produced without the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Consumers worry about untested and unlabeled genetically modified food ingredients in common supermarket items. Genetically engineered ingredients are now found in 75% of all non-organic U.S. processed foods, even in many products labeled or advertised as “natural.” In addition, the overwhelming majority of non-organic meat, dairy, and eggs are derived from animals reared on a steady diet of GM animal feed. Although polls indicate that 90% of Americans want labels on gene-altered foods, government and industry adamantly refuse to respect consumers’ right to know, understanding quite well that health and environmental-minded shoppers will avoid foods with a GMO label.

2. Organic foods are safe and pure. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, nano-particles, and climate-destabilizing chemical fertilizers. Consumers worry about pesticide and drug residues routinely found in non-organic produce, processed foods, and animal products. Consumer Reports has found that 77% of non-organic produce items in the average supermarket contain pesticide residues. The beef industry has acknowledged that 94% of all U.S. beef cattle have hormone implants, which are banned in Europe as a cancer hazard. Approximately 10% of all U.S. dairy cows are injected with Monsanto and Elanco’s controversial genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone, banned in most industrialized nations. Recent studies indicate that an alarming percentage of non-organic U.S. meat contains dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

3. Organic foods and farming are climate-friendly. Citizens are increasingly concerned about climate-destabilizing greenhouse gas pollution (CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide), 35-50% of which in North America comes from our energy-intensive, chemical-intensive food and farming system. Organic farms and ranches, on the other hand, use far less fossil fuel and can safely sequester large amounts of CO2 in the soil (up to 7,000 pounds of CO2 per acre per year, every year.) Twenty-four billion pounds of chemical fertilizers applied on non-organic farms in the U.S. every year not only pollute our drinking water and create enormous dead zones in the oceans; but also release enormous amounts of nitrous oxide, a super potent, climate-destabilizing greenhouse gas.

4. Organic food certification prohibits nuclear irradiation. Consumers are justifiably alarmed about irradiating food with nuclear waste or electron beams, which destroy vitamins and nutrients and produce cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde. The nuclear industry, large food processors, and slaughterhouses continue to lobby Congress to remove required labels from irradiated foods and replace these with misleading labels that use the term “cold pasteurization.” The USDA and large meat companies have promoted the use of irradiated meat in school lunches and senior citizen facilities. Many non-organic spices contain irradiated ingredients.

5. Consumers worry about rampant e-coli, salmonella, campylobacter, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and fecal contamination in animal products coming out of the nation’s inhumane and filthy slaughterhouses. The Centers for Disease Control have admitted that up to 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning every year. Very few cases of food poisoning have ever been linked to organic farms or food processors.

6. Consumers are concerned about billions of pounds of toxic municipal sewage sludge dumped as “fertilizer” on 140,000 of America’s chemical farms. Scientific evidence has confirmed that municipal sewage sludge contains hundreds of dangerous pathogens, toxic heavy metals, flame-retardants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, pharmaceutical drugs and other hazardous chemicals coming from residential drains, storm water runoff, hospitals, and industrial plants. Organic farming categorically prohibits the use of sewage sludge.

7. Consumers worry about the routine practice of grinding up slaughterhouse waste and feeding this offal and blood back to other animals, a practice that has given rise to a form of human mad-cow disease called CJD, often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Animals on organic farms cannot be fed slaughterhouse waste, manure, or blood – daily rations on America’s factory farms.

8. Consumers care about the humane treatment of animals. Organic farming prohibits intensive confinement and mutilation (debeaking, cutting off tails, etc.) of farm animals. In addition to the cruel and unhealthy confinement of animals on factory farms, scientists warn that these CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) produce enormous volumes of manure and urine, which not only pollute surface and ground water, but also emit large quantities of methane, a powerful climate-destabilizing greenhouse gas.

9. Consumers are concerned about purchasing foods with high nutritional value. Organic foods are nutritionally dense compared to foods produced with toxic chemicals, chemical fertilizers, and GMO seeds. Studies show that organic foods contain more vitamins, cancer-fighting anti-oxidants, and important trace minerals.

10. Consumers care about preserving America’s family farms, world hunger, and the plight of the world’s two billion small farmers. Just about the only small farmers who stand a chance of making decent living these days are organic farmers, who get a better price for their products. In addition study after study has shown that small organic farms in the developing world produce twice as much food per acre as chemical and GMO farms, while using far less fossil fuel and sequestering large amounts of excess CO2 in the soil. Yields on organic farms in the industrialized world are comparable to the yields on chemical and GMO farms, with the important qualification that organic farms far out-produce chemical farms under extreme weather conditions of drought or torrential rains. Of course, given accelerated climate change, extreme weather is fast becoming the norm.

For all these reasons, millions of American consumers are turning to organic foods and other organic items, including clothing and body care products – part of an overall movement toward healthy living, preserving the environment, and reversing global warming.

Source: Organic Consumers Association & RealFarmacy.com

8 Ways To Eat Healthy On A Budget!

Image: HomemakersCottage.blogspot.com

by Carly Fraser

I am often asked how individuals and their families can eat healthy when they have to stick to a monthly budget – when a container of organic lettuce costs 3 times as much as an easy pop-me-in-the-microwave dinner, it is often much more convenient (and cheaper) to go for the latter than the former.

However, once you begin to realize how much you might be spending on food items outside of the foods you buy at a grocery store (say, a lunch bought at work, or going out to eat a couple times a week for dinner) you start to realize that you could be saving pocketfuls of cash.

When I switched my diet, I actually managed to save money because I stopped eating out, I gave up alcohol, I don’t smoke cigarettes, and I live a simplistic life with minimal materialistic possessions. Even choosing organic foods didn't budge the bills – I came to realize that much of the organic produce was similarly priced as the non-organic produce, and that shopping around was my best bet to getting good deals.

Here are some tips and tricks so that you can work toward consuming a healthy, high raw and organic lifestyle on a budget!

Farmer’s Markets
Farmer’s markets are one of the best ways to get the most for your money. The produce is fresh, local, and instead of supporting corporate giants, you are supporting individuals in your community which leaves a sense of fulfillment and gratitude. If you are concerned about pesticides and herbicides, you can often find vendors which are certified organic, or, you can simply ask the farmers if they spray their farms. You can make the decision as to whether you trust their sincerity, I often take their word (and individuals who cannot afford certified organic labelling, but do not spray, usually have cheaper produce too!).

Store Swapping
Shopping between stores for the best deal is a must for helping save money. I often find that the same produce distributors at one store might be 2-3 dollars cheaper at another (which can save a lot of money, especially if you are buying per pound or kilogram). Getting to know stores and which are more pricey than others is also useful in ensuring your money isn’t spent ruthlessly.

For example, I often shop between a few different stores in my area. There is Organic Planet, Organza, Vita Health, Superstore, Safeway, Mondragon, and of course farmer’s markets in summer. The prices between these places vary, and so I shop between them weekly to find the best deal on organic produce.

Sprouting
Sprouting is incredibly easy, and they are packed with a variety of nutrients. Eating nutrient rich foods help satiate the hunger signals in your brain, and also help mineralize your body (meaning that you don’t need to eat as much food and thus save money). If you are fond of sprouts but can’t afford them, sprouting is also an excellent way to save money.

Buying bulk sprouting seeds and sprouting them in an old jar with a sprouting lid (or even a rubber band and some clean pantyhose) is inexpensive and one of the best ways for introducing organic micro-greens into your diet. My favourites to sprout are sunflower seeds and broccoli seeds (all organic of course!).

Bulk Buying
Buying in bulk is an excellent way to save money, especially if you want to go in on it with a couple other friends or households nearby. You can also ask your local health food store if they sell items in bulk, and if so, if you can get a discount (for example, an organic grocer in my city gives a 10% discount on items when you buy in bulk).

Going to your local health food store and buying your nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruit or grains (if you consume grains) from bulk bins is a sure way to save money on the same product that might be in a fancy package but priced at double the cost.

On Sale Produce
A lot of stores have discounted produce shelves where they put produce out that can no longer be sold because they are not in perfect condition. Usually this means that all of the ripe, ready to eat fruit will be in these discounted sections, which is great because that is the condition we should be eating our fruit in – RIPE!

Wholesalers are also a great way to save money on produce, although finding organic wholesalers is a little more difficult (especially where I live). Whenever I buy produce, if I find some fruit or vegetable that looks a little bruised or battered up, I will ask the produce people or someone up front if I can get it for a discount price. More often than not, their answer is yes, and I end up getting a 50% discount on my produce!

Eat at Home
Preparing food and eating at home is one of the most important lifestyle changes to help save money. Eating out is expensive, no matter what way you look at it. I can stay at home and make the most delicious, satiating, massive salad for under $7, OR, I could go out and get a bland, boring salad which is 1/8th of the size of the ones I make at home for $10. It only makes sense not to eat out when you can.

Eat Seasonally
Seasonal eating is another great money saver. Seasonal produce is much cheaper, because it is much more abundant and readily-available (opposed to something being grown under less-than-optimal conditions during a time when nature did not intend for it to be grown). Eating seasonally is also much healthier too! In-season produce is more nutrient dense, and also more flavourful. This also works out well for people who do not want to eat vegetables or fruit, because in-season produce that tastes better will be eaten more often.

Ditch Supplements (& other non-necessary expensives)
If you are consuming vitamin and mineral rich fruit and vegetables, supplements are not really necessary. Protein powders and daily vitamins are taken to supplement an already deficient diet. If you are eating healthy, and consuming adequate quantities of fresh, organic, mostly local produce then your body doesn’t need supplementation. The same goes for superfood blends which can be bought for so much cheaper in bulk at health food stores, separately, and mixed yourself.

Supplements are a $25-billion-a-year industry, because so many people think they need supplements to have a balanced body chemistry. Nutritionists and medical professionals argue that supplements are necessary because most people don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables and rely more on processed foods which lack essential nutrients. When I went raw vegan I removed all supplements from my diet and my blood work still comes out great every year (and I have been raw for 3.5 years!).

It might also be the case that the soil in which our food is grown is depleted and thus lacks essential minerals. If you have reason to believe that your food may not be mineral rich, then look into buying a quality mineral supplement such as those provided by Mother Earth Minerals.

Source: Live Love Fruit

How to Naturally Protect your Teeth from Cavities

by Derek Henry | Natural News

Image: wellnessmama.com

The world is slowly waking up to the fact that, when you give the body what it needs, it can heal things we previously thought were impossible. A fine example of what is often deemed as an incurable health problem is dental cavities, but extensive research is now becoming more public about the true nature of tooth decay and the fact that there are proven remedies that can remedy it.

The lies perpetrated about tooth decay

According to the American Dental Association, the reason we have tooth decay is as follows:

“[Tooth decay] occurs when foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) such as milk, pop, raisins, cakes or candy are frequently left on the teeth. Bacteria that live in the mouth thrive on these foods, producing acids as a result. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.”

There are a few problems with this theory, including:

• Groups of indigenous people who had fermentable carbohydrates stuck on their teeth all the time that did not brush or floss were mostly or completely free of tooth decay.
• Bacteria do not consume processed sugar or flour because of the lack of nutrients in them.
• Foods that bacteria like to eat, such as milk, vegetables, meat, fish and fruit, are not commonly implicated in causes of tooth decay.

So if the modern explanation of tooth decay is not accurate, what is actually the cause of tooth decay?

What actually causes tooth decay

Tooth decay, as researched by Dr. Weston Price and other dental pioneers, boiled down to three factors:

• Not enough minerals in the diet.
• Not enough fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) in the diet.
• Nutrients not being readily bioavailable, and your intestinal system not properly absorbing them. The presence of phytic acid largely influences this factor.

Over a period of time, if your diet lacks vitamins and minerals from a poor diet and/or contains high levels of phytates (from grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes), the blood chemistry and the ratio of calcium and phosphorous become out of balance, which results in minerals being pulled from bones, causing tooth and bone loss.

So, the long-standing belief that sugar causes tooth decay is true, but as a result of it depleting nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid that ruins your teeth.

The food remedies that can heal cavities and tooth decay

In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond to our teeth, it is not enough to just avoid eating too many sweet or processed foods. We must also eat health-building foods, containing copious amounts of minerals and vitamins that will build a glassy hard tooth structure.

Foods to focus on are:

• Coconut oil, grass-fed organic dairy (especially butter), grass-fed meats, seafood and bone broths.
• Organic cooked vegetables (soups with bone broth are ideal).
• Organ and gland meats, like liver.

Limit foods that are high in phytic acid, like grains, beans, nuts and seeds, as well as limiting processed food intake full of processed flours and sugars that upset blood sugar balance.

Supplements to consider are:

• Fermented cod liver oil – very high in fat soluble vitamins A, D and K.
• Magnesium – required to use calcium and phosphorous effectively.
• Gelatin – if you don’t have time to make bone broth, this is a good alternative and is great for gums and digestion.

Source: naturalnews.com

Los Angeles may become largest GMO-free area in the US

via RT.com

A Los Angeles March Against Monsanto protester
 making his sign. Image: AFB

Los Angeles City Councilmen Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell introduced Friday a motion to curb growth proliferation of GMO seeds and plants within the city. The councilmen said the proposal aims to protect local gardens and city-grown food from future contamination from GMO seeds. The motion would not impact the sale of food containing GMO ingredients, however.

GMO seeds are mostly used only by large-scale farming operations, of which none exists in Los Angeles city.


"The pending ordinance would be symbolic more than anything else, but we do feel it's an important step to have the second-largest city in the nation declare itself as against genetically modified seeds," said head of Learning Garden and Seed Library of LA David King, who assisted in creating the motion.

King told The Huffington Post that if GMO seeds begin to be marketed to smaller farmers, the ban would be in place to protect home-grown food.

O’Farrell said suspicions that powerful new pesticides - incorporated into plant DNA via genetic engineering - have devastated worldwide honeybee populations by 40 to 50 percent in 2012 is the“canary in the coal mine” for GMOs. California’s almond crop, which supplies 80 percent of US almonds, has fallen on tough times given almonds rely so much on bees.


“A growing number of problems are being traced to GMOs," Koretz said in a statement. He cited examples like "the evolution of 'superbug' insects which are growing immune to the pesticides engineered within GMO crops" and "'seed drift' (for example the recent finding of GMO-pollinated wheat growing in an Oregon farmer’s field)."

Some smaller US localities have banned the cultivation of GMOs, but LA would be by far the biggest US city to do so.

Genetic engineering on plants, for example, occurs when a gene from another plant species, bacterium or virus is inserted into the organism's DNA.

An international group of over 90 scientists, academics and physicians released a statement early this week saying there is no scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs for humans, as proponents likeMonsanto attest, and that any GMO cultivation should take internationally-approved precautions.


“The claim that it does exist is misleading and misrepresents the currently available scientific evidence and the broad diversity of opinion among scientists on this issue,” the statement said.
“Moreover, the claim encourages a climate of complacency that could lead to a lack of regulatory and scientific rigour and appropriate caution, potentially endangering the health of humans, animals, and the environment.”

A public effort to require all GMO foods and seeds to be labeled as such throughout the entire state of California failed a year ago. Opponents of Proposition 37 - like Monsanto and Kraft - helped donate around $46 million to the cause against labeling. Supporters of labeling raised just over $9 million in that defeat.
Voters in Washington State will consider a labeling requirement next month. Opponents of Initiative 522 - led by questionable fundraising tactics by industry trade group Grocery Manufacturers Association - have pumped $17 million into the effort to defeat labeling. Supporters have raised over $5 million.

A lawsuit filed by the state against the GMA claimed that the group violated campaign disclosure laws, and forced it to reveal donors to its “Defense of Brands Strategic Account.”

Out of the 34 companies who doled out over $7.2 million into the initiative the top three were PepsiCo, which contributed $1.6 million, and Nestle USA, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co., which spent over $1 million each.

Source: RT.com

Protesters Successfully Delay Monsanto Plant from Opening in Argentina

Image: rt.com

Community organisations and locals blocked off roads late on Wednesday in a new manifestation against the establishment of a Monsanto seed plant in the city of Malvinas Argentinas.

Earlier this month, a court in Córdoba province ruled that the agricultural giant could continue with the construction of the controversial plant in Malvinas Argentinas. Building had been temporarily suspended by the company due to continued protests taking place outside the plant.

In fresh demonstrations yesterday, groups of individuals blocked off portions of the A88 route in Malvinas Argentinas in front of the contested plant. In another area, around 50 people blocked off Route 9 and dozens others on Route 36.

Protesters are also demanding greater environmental protection policies. Earlier in the day, demonstrators stood in front of the provincial Ministry of Water, Environment, and Energy to demand answers from local government on alleged malpractice.

An official report was presented yesterday for alleged abuse of authority by Federico Bocco, provincial environment secretary. The complaint was brought forth by Raul Montenegro and has been passed onto the anti-corruption fiscal department for further investigation. Montenegro is the president of the Foundation in Defence of the Environment and he is accusing Bocco of irregularities in the selection process of commission members that evaluated the Monsanto plant project. Simultaneously, legislators from the Frente para la Victoria (FpV) political party asked for clarifications on the Monsanto situation to Bocco.

Due to the investigation, residents of Malvinas Argentinas asked the Ministry to annul Monsanto’s authorisation to begin construction works.

Protesters have blocked off certain routes between Malvinas Argentinas, Candonga, Barrio Inaudi, and Juarez Celman.

Source: thefreethoughtproject.com via argentinaindependent.com

Hawaii Advances First in the Nation Bill to Ban GMOs

"BREAKING NEWS: The Big Island of Hawai'i Council passed the first reading of Bill 113, to BAN NEW GMOs from being grown on the island. The Bill will go to a second reading during the first week of Nov. and on to the Mayor for final approval. There is strong support in the council, currently enough to override a potential veto by the Mayor if that should happen. Hawai'i shows us how it's done. These amazing citizens have exerted relentless pressure on their elected officials to represent the will and the interests of the people, and not corporate interests. Today will go down in history. First Kaua'i and now The Big Island of Hawai'i."

And from Natural Remedies Blog:

"Hawaii is the home of Genetically Engineered Paypaya, Pineapple, Summer Squash, etc. so this IS BIG news!! 

GMO Free Canada announced: “The Big Island of Hawaii County Council Committee passed a GMO prohibition Bill by a vote of 6-2. Bill 133 moves forward to the full Council later this month. The Bill will ban open air cultivation of GMOs, with the exception of the GM Papaya already being grown on the island. Hawaii island is the last without GMO experimentation and the least contaminated island in the state of Hawaii. The future is looking volcanically bright for Hawaii to remain in this pristine state. Sending much Aloha to our amazing food warriors who are fighting hard and doing an incredible job. Good will triumph over evil."

Rumors about Hawaii banning GMOs are untrue for now, but that could change in the very near future if this bill is approved, and it seems that it likely will. Hawaii has been actively opposing GMO crops on all of the islands because they are a threat to the vast bio-diversity on the islands. This news is no doubt a huge win for Hawaiians and food activists. From GMO Free Canada:

Colorado Public Park to be Turned into Edible Food Forest

By Luke Runyon

Imagine turning a public park into a free-for-all of community plants – and snacks. Food forests have been likened to Garden of Eden revelry, or the blissful sampling in Willy Wonka’s chocolate waterfall room.

It’s like a community garden on steroids. The concept is pretty simple: planners recreate a forest ecosystem with edible plants and trees in a public space. Then, in a deviation from most community garden models, they open it up and allow people to forage for food for free.

Image: awesomenator.com

“It is a forest. It is a park. But it’s all edible, so the whole community can come in and sit under the apple tree and eat from the apple tree,” said Stephanie Syson, manager at the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute.

There are only a few food forests already up and running in the country, with the highest profile projects in Seattle, Wash. and Western Massachusetts. Planners of a new food forest in the tiny mountain town of Basalt, Colo., hope to join their ranks soon enough.

As with any public project, it has hit a snag. Some residents don’t want the park surrounded by a fence, a necessary measure to keep hungry deer and wandering bears from gobbling up all the fruits and vegetables, and causing trouble in town in the process. Officials hope to have approval soon.

In the meantime, they are experimenting with the concept now, trying to figure out how to make a publicly-owned food project work.

Basalt’s food forest is the brainchild of Syson, a plant expert at CRMPI, and the town’s Parks Department staff. Both groups will pay for and maintain the forest, at least until it’s up and running and volunteers start lining up for shifts.

Planted on a half-acre plot on the town’s Ponderosa Park, the forest will mimic a forest ecosystem, with fruit and nut trees, mushrooms, native edibles, a compost pile and a seed-saving garden, meant to stock the public library’s seed lending program.

Basalt serves as a small bedroom community for the affluent ski resort in nearby Aspen. The town’s horticulturalist Lisa DiNardo says she hopes the food forest can serve as common ground within the community.

“This is where we need to go,” DiNardo said. “This is one way to build bridges in communities is through a food network, a healthy food network.”

That robust network plays into the food forest’s location, within walking distance to the town’s elementary, middle and high schools, and across the street from a predominantly Latino trailer park community.

DiNardo says up in the mountains, food security is a huge issue, and that has people thinking about what they eat.

A couple of years ago, a blizzard, and subsequent avalanches, cut off road travel. Produce trucks couldn’t make it into the isolated mountain towns in this small valley of less than 50,000 residents.

“There was a big storm. I went into City Market and literally the shelves were empty,” DiNardo said. “And I think that was an impetus for growers to really start thinking about it, you know, ‘What can we do locally to bridge the gap?’”

Once fruit trees begin bearing apples, plums, nectarines and lemons, Syson hopes town residents will take the Garden of Eden mindset on a walk home from the nearby bus stop and pick what they need, leaving some for their neighbors. Compare that to a community garden which gives growers the mindset of personal ownership.

“The thought in a community garden traditionally is, ‘This is my row, my tomatoes. I tend it. I take care of it. I harvest it. I take it home,” Syson said. “This is just everyone’s.”

Another benefit is the ability to save seeds from native plants and regrow them. Several years from now, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots will be regionally adapted to Basalt’s short growing season and alkaline soil, Syson said.

The forest represents a shift in the way towns and cities think about their public spaces, not just in Basalt but across the country. But it’s still an experiment.

“Trees take a long a time to establish and get both looking nice and producing food,” said Dawn Thilmany, an agricultural economist at Colorado State University who studies local food systems.

“I think that’s why they’re taking a different tact and not having individual owners, but seeing it truly as a community asset to share, similar to a parks system or a trail system or streets and roads,” Thilmany said.

Thilmany says she can’t help but be cynical about the idea of opening up the forest completely. What happens when someone picks all the apples at once? Or teens trample all the tomato plants?

“I do think there will be some challenges from people who wonder, ‘How much of that fruit crop do I own?’” Thilmany said.

The forest’s main proponent, Stephanie Syson, says she’s not worried about the park being overrun by ambitious harvesters. The park will be open 24-7, but Basalt is a small town, and people in small towns talk.

“The more open we are, we can kinda combat the one or two people that might have some malicious intent,” Syson said. “It just won’t be cool. And if it’s not cool, they probably won’t do it. It’ll be cool to come here and eat.”

Plus, Syson says, the trees won’t be bearing fruit for a couple of years. Plenty of time to educate scofflaws about how this food forest actually works.

“Like everything else, it’s an evolving model,” Syson said. “We’ll take it one year at a time and see how it works and adapt if we need to.”

Source: kunc.org

How to Make Gutter Gardens for Under $40

Image: www.servicecentral.com.au

Check out this cool and creative way top make the most out of any space you have. Set up an herb garden or an organic veggie grow in these low cost vertical gutter gardens, all for under $40. You can even put something like this on your apartment balcony or go indoors with it. DIY video below:

Check out another cool use of pallets to make a vertical garden that we have posted about: No space for a garden? No problem. Grow vertical with an inexpensive pallet garden

Here are some other creative ways to start taking control of your food supply and ensure you're not ingesting GMOs or poisonous pesticides: This is how you can be sure that your food is non-GMO

Four Proven Natural Cancer Treatments

Over the last 100 years many natural cancer treatments have been successfully used to treat patients in the US and other countries. Many of the physicians and researchers who reported these findings were professionally ruined for “defying” the medical system. This day in age, anyone who speaks of “natural methods” of curing cancer are regarded as “quacks,” which has essentially become a synonymous term with “competition” in regards to the medical industry.

Image: www.mexicohealth.com

With the exorbitant amounts of money bottle-nosed into cancer research today, you would think that survival would be higher than the two out of three cancer patients who die within 5 years of receiving standard cancer treatment (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy). This isn’t surprising. After all, only one of these three standard cancer treatments is non-toxic (aka. surgery), with the other two being carcinogenic themselves. Studies have actually shown that chemotherapy is only useful in about 1 in 20 cases (aka. 5% chance of success).

It should be noted that pharmaceutical companies have no interest in making drugs from natural agents because they cannot patent nature. This means that these companies try to protect themselves (and their profits) at all cost by preventing the truth about effective natural treatments from reaching the public. You think these companies are protecting YOU? Better think twice – they are simply protecting themselves, and the medical monopoly as a whole. Thanks to PDUFA, the FDA is now primarily funded by drug companies and so ANY competition via natural cancer treatments are put to shame and shoved under the rug. Meanwhile, 1.66 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2013.

Here is a list of four natural cancer treatments, and 12 preventative strategies you can take to help prevent yourself from developing cancer.

12 Preventative Strategies To Prevent Cancer:

1. Avoid GMOs & Choose ORGANIC
GMOs are modified foods which were not meant to be consumed in the first place – modified foods are unrecognizable by the body and thus are treated as “foreign” and toxic. Remove these from your diet and replace them with natural organic foods.

2. Eat high-raw (at least 50-70% raw)
Eating a high raw diet will help alkalize your body and reduce the acidic environment which cancer thrives in.

3. Eliminate processed/junk food
Processed foods and junk food do not nourish our body, and create an environment for cancer growth. This includes things like soda, donuts, candy, chocolate bars, fast food joints, chips, etc.

4. Reduce or eliminate eating animal products
Animal products are extremely acidic to the body. Trying to reduce these or minimize them in your diet is a good step toward maintaining an alkaline state, which cancer cannot thrive.

5. Consider enzyme therapy
Enzymes are critical to how our body processes nutrients and strengthens our immune system. Eating mostly raw foods will ensure enzymes in the food are not broken down – taking a good quality enzyme is a must for most individuals consuming an SAD (standard american diet).

6. Exercise (high intensity and low intensity)
Studies have shown that exercise helps alter immune cells into more potent-fighting disease cells which helps beat off cancerous growths.

7. Vitamin D from sunlight (or supplement if you must – aka. those who live in Northern winter climates)
There is evidence that if you optimize your vitamin D levels with more sun exposure then you can reduce your risk of cancer by more than HALF!

8. Proper sleep
Poor sleeping patterns can lead to reduced melatonin production and an overall reduction in your immunity (melatonin is one of the body’s most important antioxidant!)

9. Stress reduction techniques
Stress is a major cause of disease and illness. In fact, over 85% of diseases are driven by stress.

10. Breathing exercises
This one relates to point #9 – learning to sit still for even 10-15 minutes a day and focus on your breathing will help reduce stress and increase oxygen levels in your body (something cancer HATES!)

11. Reduce toxin & radiation exposure
Reduce your exposure to cell phone towers and bases, x-rays, CT scans, pesticides, herbicides, household cleaners, toxic cosmetics and the like.

12. Learn to LOVE
Remove all barriers and learn to LOVE – be vulnerable, be open, and open your heart space!

Cannabis
There is much controversy amongst cannabis curing cancer, mainly because of it’s label as an “illegal drug.” Aside from this label, the evidence is clear that this plant has outstanding power at fighting cancer – many individuals have cured themselves of the disease using cannabis as a natural treatment. The main theme of these articles is that cannabis shrinks tumours and selectively targets cancer cells making them undergo apoptosis (cell death).

Being able to cure cancer completely, without having to use any harmful chemotherapy or radiation (which literally make the body even more sick, and increase our risk of death), is something cannabis has been routinely shedding light on (and is proven in a majority of articles). In fact, over 34 medical studies have proven that cannabis cures cancer. The list below proves just that (list sourced from the lovely website www.wakingtimes.com – I suggest you go check out their blog!):


Cures Brain Cancer
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v95/n2/abs/6603236a.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11479216
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/21/17/6475.abstract
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/308/3/838.abstract
http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/10/1/90.abstract

Cures Mouth & Throat Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20516734

Cures Breast Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20859676
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18025276
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21915267
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2006/05/25/jpet.106.105247.full.pdf+html
http://www.molecular-cancer.com/content/9/1/196
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22776349
http://www.pnas.org/content/95/14/8375.full.pdf+html

Cures Lung Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22198381?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21097714?dopt=Abstract
http://www.nature.com/onc/journal/v27/n3/abs/1210641a.html

Cures Uterine, Testicular, & Pancreatic Cancers
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/13/6748.abstract

Cures Prostate Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12746841?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339795/?tool=pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22594963

Cures Colorectal Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22231745

Cures Ovarian Cancer
http://www.aacrmeetingabstracts.org/cgi/content/abstract/2006/1/1084

Cures Blood Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12091357
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16908594
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijc.23584/abstract
http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/70/5/1612.abstract

Cures Skin Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12511587

Cures Liver Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475304

Cures Biliary Tract Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19916793

Cures Bladder Cancer
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803983

Cures Cancer in General
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12514108
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15313899
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15313899

Soursop
In 1976, the anti-cancer activity of graviola leaves (soursop’s alternate name is graviola) was first noted by the National Cancer Institute, stating that “The NCI, or the National Cancer Institute did some research on the guanabana cancer cure [sic] and came up with some interesting results. The study…showed that the leaves and stems of the plant were incredibly efficient at destroying certain cancerous cells in the body.” This study was not publicly released, however, subsequent research on graviola conducted at Purdue University has proven promising results.

Much of Purdue’s research focused on the anti-tumour properties of annonaceous acetogenins. Oberlies, Chang, and McLaughlin found that tumour cells that are resistant to chemotherapy treatment, or, multi-drug resistant (MDR) cells, were effectively destroyed by acetogenins. MDR cells develop resistance to all chemotherapy treatments, leaving the patient at a dead end. MDR cells require incredible amounts of cellular energy (Adenosine triphosphate; ATP) in order to rid themselves of these chemotherapeutic drugs. This made MDR cancer cells prime targets for acetogenins that were found to effectively block ATP transfer into these cells, inhibiting their function in a way that eventually leads to cell death.

It is important to note as well, that researchers who have explored the mechanisms used by graviola are only  specific to cancerous cells, and not healthy cells. Why? Because cancer cells have a consistently higher level of cellular activity, and thus produce a much higher level of ATP, and is better recognized and targeted by the acetogenin molecules. This is of benefit to the user since chemotherapy targets BOTH normal (such as stomach and hair cells) and cancerous cells, causing the often devastating side effects of nausea, weight loss, hair loss, and overall low quality of life for cancer patients. Graviola only targets cancerous cells, thus our other cells are left untouched.

One study conducted at the Catholic University of South Korea and published in the Journal of Natural Products stated that graviola was 10,000 times more effective against cancer than the popular chemotherapy drug, Adriamycin. A second study from South Korea showed that graviola had no negative activity on healthy cells (unlike the devastating effects Adriamycin has on the body), as we saw previously.

Lei Gong Teng
This plant’s ability to cure cancer only recently came into light when researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Centre found that compounds from this plant wiped out pancreatic tumours in mice, and showed no signs of tumours after 40 days or after discontinuing the treatment.

The natural compound, triptolide, found in lei gong teng, has been shown in numerous studies to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancerous cells. In one study, the apoptosis induced by triptolide was mediated by up-regulating the expression of a gene associated with apoptosis called caspase-3 and bax, making triptolide a potential treatment for cancers of the pancreas.

“This drug is just unbelievably potent in killing tumour cells,” said Ashok Saluja, a vice chairman of research at the Masonic Cancer Centre. “You could see that every day you looked at those mice, the tumour was decreasing and decreasing, and then just gone.”

Unfortunately, researchers have now found a way to isolate triptolide into a new drug called minnelide, which is a modified form of the diterpenoid compound triptolide, isolated from the thunder god vine. Under normal circumstances, Big Pharma would not be able to make any money off the thunder god vine, since you cannot patent nature. With this new drug, minnelide, however, Big Pharma will get a big FDA stamp of approval which will allow the newly patented, nutritionally ruined triptolide to be sold for hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Instead, just take the herb itself! There is no need for isolating compounds from a plant, when you can simply purchase the plant itself and consume it fresh and un-tampered.

Mangosteen
The variety of phytonutrients in mangosteen are plenty. In fact, the mangosteen is one of the only fruits that contain high levels of xanthones (xanthones are found in small amounts throughout nature, however it is most concentrated in the mangosteen rind). What are xanthones? They are a class of plant derived nutrients that hold tremendous nutritional value – there are over 20 varieties of them, however, the most widely studied are Alpha Mangostin and Gamma Mangostin.

Many Laboratory studies have conclusively found the ability of xanthones to eradicate and destroy cancer cells. Xanthones both destroy cancer and stop tumour development at each stage of the cancer forming process.

Click HERE for access to a few of the many performed studies on this fruit’s amazing cancer curing abilities!

Sources:
http://www.wakingtimes.com/2013/07/27/34-medical-studies-proving-cannabis-cures-cancer/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/03/natural-cancer-treatment.aspx

Oberlies, N., Chang, C., & McLaughlin, J. (1997). Structure-activity relationships of diverse Annonaceous acetogenins against multidrug resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma (MCF-7/Adr) cells. Journal of Medical Chemistry, 17, 84-90.

Taylor, L. (2005). The Healing Power of Rainforest Herbs. Square One Publishers

Hingorani, S., & Potter, J. (2012) Pancreas cancer meets the thunder god. Science Translational Medicine, 4, p.156ps21

Zhou, G., Ding, X., Huang, J., Zhang, H., Wu, S., Cheng, J., & Wei, Q. (2008) Apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cells induced by Triptolide. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14, 1504-1509.

Article source: livelovefruit.com

How to wash the pesticide from produce

Organically farmed produce is better than conventionally farmed produce. This statement has been backed variously by scientific studies and empirical evidence to that effect. However, organically farmed crops are not everybody’s cup of tea for all sorts of reasons, including that the wallet factor is high.The least we can do then, to help ourselves is thoroughly wash our fruit and vegetables, thereby making them cleaner and safer to consume. Some old fashioned cleaning materials either combined or used by themselves are known to reduce the impact of eating sprayed produce.

Image: Natural News

Practical and cheap

Hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar put separately into dark spray bottles and sprayed at the same time but separately on the fruit and vegetables, and subsequently rinsed in water is meant to render them clean.

Another simple and effective way to clean produce is by soaking it in water and adding sea salt or rock salt with lemon juice and letting it sit for ten minutes before rinsing out and using.

A slightly more ingredient and labour intensive cleaning mix is created by using vinegar, baking soda, grapefruit seed extract and one cup of water. Mix the lot and put the solution into a spray bottle. Spray the fruit and vegetables and leave for an hour before rinsing and using. Vinegar is a great bacteria killer and can be used just by itself to clean the produce, especially if you consider how much it would have been handled before you eat it.

Everything is energy

Finally, if we go by the theory that everything in the manifest world is ultimately energy, then why not change the energetic basis of the food we eat? Offering gratitude before eating and asking the food to enhance your health is one way – this is called using intention to change the nature of things. This is possible say the spiritual teachers and enlightened masters. For as the old saying goes: if you change the way you observe a thing, the thing that is being observed will change.

NaturalNews.com

Here's Where to Get Non-GMO Certified Food

Image: www.thesleuthjournal.com

Purchasing organic and certified organic products means your buying foods that cannot intentionally include any GMO ingredients. Buying organic is key and another great way is to look for retailers supporting the “Non-GMO Project” verified seals. Shopping at retailers supporting this project will help you avoid GMO ingredients.

The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building the non-GMO food supply, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices. They believe that everyone deserves an informed choice about whether or not to consume genetically modified organisms.

They’ve created a searchable database of food retailers that are participating in the NON-GMO project.

The retailers and non-profits listed in this list are committed to informed choice when it comes to GMOs, and endorse the Non-GMO Project’s approach to ensuring the sustained availability of non-GMO options.

List of Non-GMO certified Foods: http://www.nongmoproject.org/find-non-gmo/search-retailer-endorsers/

This is Why GMOs Were Created by Monsanto

Jeffrey Smith is an expert in genetically modified foods. In this video he explains how and why the practice started and what some of the potential dangers are of GMOs. This short video explains exactly why GMOs were created by Monsanto. He explains that the Roundup Ready patent was about expire so Monsanto had to do something to keep a stranglehold on the world’s food market and protect their profits.

Related: Join the March Against Monsanto on Oct 12th: http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/p/blog-page.html

Image: iHealthTube/YouTube