PLASTICS IN FOOD AND BLOODSTREAM (ISSUE 166) FEBRUARY 17, 2015

By Diane Gold

Most of us consume plastics in food. We don’t set out to do it, but some of our plastic technology disintegrates into our food and, therefore, into our blood.

We buy cellophane wrapped produce which leaches into our food. We warm take-out dinners in plastic containers which leach some of their composition. Almost every can we use is coated with plastic-like substance to protect us from toxic aluminum. Bottles from beverages leach toxins. And then, there is plastic dinnerware that is easier to use than any other. Sadly, it allows for plastics in food.

BISPHENOL A (BPA)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that has been studied to find that it can disrupt estrogen. It is found as one of the ingredients in many plastics.

Anila Jacobs, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, says,

“Although most of the chemicals making the culinary crossing are considered safe, it’s not because they’ve been proven safe; it’s because no one has proven them unsafe.”

Laura Vandenburg, post doctoral fellow, biology, Tuft U, Boston, mentions the amounts of BPA that leach are small and says,

“Almost any plastic container can be expected to leach trace amounts of plastics into food,”
and

“The levels of BPA in people frequently exceed the levels shown to have effects in rodents in these studies.”

She also mentions that BPA can be found in the linings in cans.

The National Congress Of Legislatures lists the following:

FDA has “expressed some concern” about BPA.
FDA bans BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups as of July, 2012.
The following states have banned BPA in plastic bottles or baby food containers that are intended for young, ages and exact items varying by state:
CA, CT, DE, IL, ME, MA, MN,NV,NY,VT, WI.
Washington prohibits sale, distribution and manufacture of empty bottles that contain BPA.
DC has banned BPA empty bottles if they are to be filled with liquid.
3 years earlier, Suffolk County, Chicago and Canada had banned baby bottles containing BPA.

Another 2 notes on BPA: the U.S. Senate has banned use of thermal receipt and cash register receipt paper because its BPA absorb into the skin at high levels.

According to a Journal of Environment Int’l. March, 2014, issue; BPA disrupts endocrine function and may change signals in feeding behavior. This may directly be related to obesity as neural circuits do not tell the body it is full.

BISPHENOL S (BPS)

As a result of pressure to remove BPA from many of our plastics; on some occasions, we have substituted BPS, bisphenol S. People are just hearing about BPA, so companies know that advertising BPA free on items plays on the public’s ignorance.

According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science study , published January 12, 2015; both BPS and BPA have caused abnormal brain development in zebrafish, a species deemed to be a good medical models for studying prenatal brain development to relate it back to humans. It also caused hyperactivity later in the growth cycle.

Unfortunately, BPS may be no better than BPA. So beware of the next chemical that arrives and know its safety first.

PHTHALATES

Phthalates are chemicals used in plastic to make it softer or more pliable. Picture one of those IV bags up on a pole that we see on TV or have received in the hospital to get fluids or medicine. The ones in the hospital contain DEHP, diethylhexyl phthalate. It makes the plastic less stiff so bags can be made with thickness to insure non-breakage.

Although the substance does not leach a great amount if the bag is used right away, for those of us who use the 1000 ml sterile bag 100 ml at a time, as many of us do for our animals’ kidneys; DEHP free is always best and poses no phthalate danger.

So, in humans, phthalates can disrupt hormones, particularly testosterone.
They are found in PVC pipes, perfumes, glue, detergent, paint, kids’ toy packaging, shower curtains, food containers, liquid soap, milk, butter, meat. It leaches into our food.

It is banned in the EU as well as Japan, Argentina, Mexico and 6 more.

ESTROGENIC ACTIVITY – VERY IMPORTANT

Plastics can contain chemicals, like BPA and BPS, that cause estrogenic activity. These chemicals mimic estrogen and have effects on reproduction and health.

George Bittner, professor of neuroscience and CEO of two plastics companies, warns very clearly that consumers shouldn’t settle for products that were merely free of BPA. They should demand products that were free of any chemical with estrogenic activity.

LEACHING OF OTHER CHEMICALS INTO OUR FOOD

Although this article is about plastics, it may be worthwhile to research aluminum leaching from pans, a variety of chemicals getting into our food from the non-stick pans we use. Ceramic coated pans break down quickly and toxify, whereas pure ceramic pans last a long time. Glaze on porcelain is probably passing lead into your food and, therefore, your bloodstream.

I looked into buying an all ceramic pan to replace my $30 wok from the discount store. It retailed for $135.

PLASTICS IN FOOD RESEARCH

Why would no company or agency do research on whether or not plastics are safe? The answer has to do with, you may have guessed it, profit. If companies did research about plastics in food, chances are, someone would hear about it and publish the results The big D companies and the conglomerate cookware companies don’t want to do any research that might show their products are dangerous. They also discourage others from doing them.

How? They don’t donate money to any entity doing this type of study; and, even if they were to commission a study, they have full rights to the information done in every study so that the researchers MUST share findings with these study donors and approve or disapprove publishing the finds.

Or they may make a donation to a research firm, entity, school so that the team does research on some other project. This is perfectly legitimate though not ethical. But the game of business sometimes chooses money over the greater good.

If it happens that some brave soul funds the project herself or gets a benefactor for the research; these mega companies will somehow promise ongoing donations to the university research lab or government agency research lab so that results from the independent study do not go poorly in favor of how unsafe plastic is for our food because the lab wants its money for next year and next year and the next.

CONCLUSION

Plastics in food are a reality. Our super solutions, like water bottles with BPA, BPS or our canned goods with phthalates were great ideas. Testing them did not go on long enough. Telling the public did not go on at all. And educating the public to how to choose utensils, cookware, drinkware is just starting to happen.

We are responsible for the knowledge. We are also responsible to know that manufacturers’ labels are put there to sell product, not educate us. Therefore, for everything we buy, it’s always a good idea to do the research first.

ACTION STEPS

1) Research containers that hold your water. Make sure you don’t research from the seller. Research the entire class of bottle for which you show interest, and see what the most current papers say. Again, make sure they are not authored by the manufacturer or on the manufacturer’s website.

2) Know that it is not enough to ask your friendly, neighborhood mall worker what’s in the cookware. Most people have no idea other than that someone said BPA was bad and the manufacturers’ sign says BPA free. Do the reading so you can help educate that mall worker and buy the best product for you that is certified Estrogen Activity free. And be on the lookout for the next chemical replacing BPS that may, again, be unsafe.

3) Pass on what you learn. Someone will be grateful.

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition step and scertificate course, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She broke her last bowl the other day, Melamine, made in China. She says,

“I was graced to have broken my melamine bowl. In looking for another bowl for salad/dinner/etc., I realized there is very little out there that is leach free. When something says BPA free, it’s probably true. The formulation does not, however, tell me what it’s not free of, meaning what replaced the BPA.

“It’s probably time to replace the dishes; its definitely time to buy a few pots. All the new information has me doing research as to what might be the least harmful of each, with eye appeal and low enough price. It’s a fun adventure I look forward to sharing.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves, because we are so worth it!”

NUT MILK MADE EASILY (ISSUE 165) FEBRUARY 10, 2015

By Diane Gold

Nut milk made easily is a fantastic discover. It is tasty, full of nutrients and loaded with fiber and phytochemicals. Yum.

NUT MILK

Nut milk is one of the most delicious, nutritious foods I have ever had the pleasure of ingesting, and, of late, of preparing. Until about a week ago, I had always bought nut milk: almond milk, flax milk, soy milk. The process began when I no longer chose to drink flax milk that was not organic. I had been happily buying this wonderful flax milk whose manufacturers promised they were working on putting out an organic version.

So, I switched to organic almond milk. Through researching the gum ingredients present in both the old flax milk and the new organic almond milk, I came to a conclusion. I no longer wanted to eat xantham gum and gellan gum. More than these gums’ being genetically modified, they were made from bacteria which I no longer chose to buy in my food. (True, when I go out to eat, I get all sorts of GMOs, bacteria and non-organics. But the socialization is worth it!)

TAKE ONE STEP

As with anything to succeed, we have to take one step, only one. With this in mind, I went back to the health food store representative who had talked to me about the ease of making nut milk. She was from that health food store that carries (on average) 70% genetically modified products but has many organics and fair trade principles and is one of not too many choices for consistent organics, some non-GMO certification and fair trade.

The rep I spoke with was raised as a plant-based, raw food eater and makes her own nut milk. She reiterated how easy it was to make it and said that a good proportion of filtered water to nuts or seeds is probably 4:1, that is, 4 measures of water to 1 measure of nuts or seeds. I had a framework and a simple instruction of what to do.

The instruction included the use of some type of straining cloth as for tofu or gauze which I didn’t have so I haven’t been using, plus my smoothies are always very thick and full of seed fiber. Another interesting thing is that it is not very common to find organic cotton tofu cloth. This means the alternative would somewhat defeat the idea of using organically grown, non-GMO, nuts or seeds, since most cotton is genetically modified and would have the distinction of being certified non-GMO if it were organic. So I had hesitated in the past.

But, since my morning breakfast consists of whole seeds, ground seeds and liquid; I have a very un-smooth smoothie and decided straining was unnecessary. And so, I was ready.

By the way, there are phytochemicals in the skin of some nuts that help the body with many functions; therefore, straining them out may reduce their effect.

I put 2 cups of filtered water in a glass with a little more than a half cup of almonds, fulfilling my ratio of 4 to 1 for nut milk. I found some chlorine-free parchment paper and covered the glass. I still haven’t figured out a way to stabilize the covering, but I put the glass in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, I put the water and the almonds in the blender and blended for about a minute. What I got was thicker than the store bought variety nut milk, was a lovely organic, perfectly fresh nut milk and did not contain any of the gums or supplements possibly made from the synthetics that are allowed by the Organic Board. And, look, Mom and Dad, I made it myself.

I was excited, and I hope you are getting excited. Because nut milk is easy. And, if we use vanilla, cacao, raspberry or any other plant flavors, we can make it exciting for flavor buffs, newcomers and kids.

HEALTH

There’s one great reason to drink nut milk: we love ourselves and care about our health. According to the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, 75% of the world (25% in the US) is lactose intolerant. This is true because most of us lose our lactase enzyme (present in babies and toddlers) which allows us to successfully break down milk for use by the bloodstream. So, some of us, after age 3, cannot break down milk and notice difficulty in drinking it.

(For my mental health, I prefer not to enslave cows, when we have alternate sources of food.)

There’s a lot of research done on the association of the protein in cow’s milk, casein, and the development of cancer. According to T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study and other research by other academic, dietary and cancer institutions; a modest level of casein can activate cancer cells that might otherwise have just lived quietly in our body til the end of time.

CONCLUSION

Aside from the health aspects, nut milk made easily is a supreme convenience for me. It means I can make nut milk as long as I have nuts and a blender.

If we use flax seeds, we can extend our money by 3 times the store bought variety, and there is no organic flax milk I know of without those gums about we spoke. Although I wanted to learn how to make flax milk, I switched from almonds so that I didn’t use up all my money. To make organic almond milk from my rough calculation and dependent upon where we shop the organic almonds) costs about the same as the store bought variety or 25% more, but the almond milk tastes amazing and fresh.

I am going to calculate the cost of flax milk, since that is what I’ve been drinking. I’m using a ratio of 5:1 since flax is thick.

1 bag of organic golden flax seeds costs $4.29 and contains 24 oz, 48 tbsp.

I use 1/2 cup of seeds, which has been turning out to be about 5 tbsp. to my 2.5 cups of water.

If I keep it very rough for math ease, this means I get (almost) 10 servings per bag. (It would be exact if I had 50 tbsp.)

Each serving is 20 oz. (2.5 cups of water).

A container of flax milk (or organic almond milk) at 64 oz. is about $4.29.

Again being rough for math ease, that means I get 3 1/4 servings from the store container.

But I get just under 200 oz. (20 X 10) with my home-made variety. That’s equivalent to just under 3 X the amount of milk.

For people who are watching wallets (and that’s most people), flax milk is the way.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FLAX

I soak flax seeds overnight, and then, I grind them to break open the hulls. This is a mess. But, I like it. It’s less money than buying the high speed machine that devours every part of every food so grinding is not needed.

The reason that grinding wet flax seeds is messy is because their consistency turns into gelatinous substance. Fascinating, but it’s hard to clean out the grinder.

ACTION STEPS

1) Get some organic nuts or seeds.

2) Soak them overnight to break down their walls for easier absorption and to rid them of their natural toxins.

3) If they have hard hulls, grind them first. Then, after grinding or for those hulls that don’t need grinding; put them in the blender, along with their water.

4) Strain the solids out and/or drink them with the milk.

5) Enjoy!

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

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Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition in certificate course, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She finally took a step toward nut milk. She says,

“I am always talking about talking one step. I have been considering making nut milk and finally took the one step. I have only made flax seed milk and almond milk, but I am excited about making more. I also drank the water that was left from cooking my organic chick peas. Because of its deliciousness, I am being stimulated to do more experimenting with foods.

“Many things come from just one step. I will keep everyone posted on the nut milks, and I hope I hear about your adventures, too.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves, because we are so worth it!”

OLIVE OIL SCIENCE (ISSUE 164) FEBRUARY 3, 2015

By Diane Gold

Olive oil science is much more elusive than discussions about how great olive oil is. There is lots of vague discussion about how it is bad for us when it smokes. Much like treated wood when it burns, the olive oil spits out toxins which produce free radicals, nasty suckers that cruise the body for a place to move in and couple. My goal in writing his article was to find the science behind all the generic verbiage about what happens to olive oil at smoke point.

MISINFORMATION?

We learned from someone’s grandma that sauteing garlic in olive oil is great for us to activate flavor and activate enzymes. True enough. But, there may be concern about the heat required to do this. And the browning of the garlic may not tell us we have smoked the oil. And what about lovely olive oil when baking vegetables in an oven higher than 350 degrees Fahrenheit?

THE BIG DEAL

Free radicals cause chronic disease, decay, damage, cancer as they change our DNA. So we have a duty to know about the cooking/heating process and what can happen to us, our friends, our wards, our customers and our families when we heat food. We have to be thoughtful to bake veggies at no more than 350 degrees and consider using other oil for stir fry veggies, grilling veggies, sauteing and roasting over the maximum temperature which is around 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

VERIFIABLE SOURCES

During my olive oil science search, I read about many TV chefs who use extra virgin olive oil for sauteing, roasting and grilling and lots of consumer opins about how, if the TV chef says it, it must be right.

This led to my personal search for whether or not I should I have soaked flax seeds, ground them, grind after soaking for flax milk. I came across this quote about verifiable, scientific reference,

“Nutrition mavens tend to recommend […]but never give any valid, verifiable, scientific reference(s) for their preference. If I can’t find independent research that supports their claims, why should I trust them?

“If you can enlighten me – especially if you can give me references to solid articles in peer-reviewed journals that I can access on the web – I’d love to hear from you (subfuscpersona, a member of the fresh loaf blog put out by the Federated Media Publishing Food channel).”

And there it is!

OPINION OR SCIENCE?

I found a 2007 online entry where someone from a university answered a query about olive oil smoke point. I would have much preferred it if, as business director of his university’s nutrition division, he had acknowledged that he is knowledgeable by training even though he raises money now since guessing is rampant.

Mary Flynn, PH.D., RD, Associate Professor, Clinical Medicine, Browns U., says that high quality extra virgin olive oil can be heated to 420 degrees F before it reaches its smoke point. If this is true, roasting at 400 degrees would be safe.

Canadian Center For Science & Education, article 21763-14350 says olive oil is

“resistant to oxidation because of its low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the presence of natural antioxidants.” That gives a piece to the puzzle.

Mark Sisson, a pop blogger with a BS in Biology, says that oil, when it’s overheated, literally deteriorates chemically. The rate of the breakdown (and total formation of toxic compounds) is dependent on the type of oil and temperature. To this, I say that so many unsubstantiated, vague comments are out there. (Please keep reading for the reference Mark has brought us.)

SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION

Happily for all of us, Mark goes on to cite an article that explains what is produced and what is toxic about it, for which I thank him. It is from Science Daily’s June 17, 2005 article, sourced from Elhuyar Fundazioa (translated to Language Foundation), from U of the Basque Country Pharmacy Faculty.
Their studies explain that decomposition results in creation of hydroperoxides and, eventually, increasing levels of aldehydes. These structures are marked as toxic compounds because they have oxidized.

The article talks about how the oxidation process causes free radicals, incomplete anatomical structures, which don’t just hunt for chemical balance through theft. That would be bad, but they do more. They cause a chain reaction of “stealing” from previously healthy structures, altering DNA, causing chronic conditions (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050617065306.htm).

Possibly the simplest explanation I saw was one by Henrik Hallberg Jensen, Master of Science at an oil filtration company, C.C. Jensen, in Denmark. I caution that he is talking about the oxidation of crude oil, but the process seems to be the same,

“Oxygen is reacting with the free radicals of the hydro-carbons, which, in turn, form hydro-peroxides. Hydro-peroxides are unstable and [are] soon broken down into ketones and water The ketones oxidize further, forming aldehydes or organic carboxylic acids.”

Jensen goes on to say that the acid causes corrosion, the sludge increases the viscosity and blocks valves as well as other system components. Can we compare his mention of blocked valves to clotting in our arteries caused by oxidation?

VITAMIN C PROTECTS AGAINST TOXIC CONDITIONS

A study published in the Proceeds of the National Academy of Sciences, Dec. 28, 2004, shows that Vitamin C can create a conjugate substance that will bind to the toxins mentioned in olive oil breakdown and render them benign. This process is, at least, one of the reasons Vitamin C is a great antioxidant.

CONCLUSION

The search for olive oil science has been educational and, I hope, ends up being informative. From vagaries to credentialed discussions; it has been a fun journey.

Although I do not have the credentials of the following commenter, she refers to credibility in commenting, and offers an unverified opinion,

“You cannot test oil for its smoking point on your stove. The so-called ‘smoking point’ is actually the point at which the molecules of your oil start falling apart. This happens long before there is any visible smoke above the pan. At the point where you can see the smoke, it is already too late.” (rumtscho at stackexchange.com)

So the conclusion to this article does not conclude olive oil – safe temperature for cooking. It does, happily, describe what happens to olive oil at breakdown. I would love to believe that I can continue to saute garlic for one minute and roast veggies at 400 degrees. But the jury is still out.

THE CASE FOR ELIMINATING OIL

I just finished a chapter by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, who recommends we remove oil from our diet because it interferes with the endothelial cells’ production of nitric oxide without which our blood vessels do not stay dilated and with which our cells get sticky and blood more easily clots. I am considering this science.

ACTION STEPS

1) If you know a dietician, nutritionist, chef, natural doctor; ask about extra virgin olive oil and its smoke point. More than one answer may surface, but it’s always good to do the work.

2) Write back to us and tell us what you find about olive oil science.

3) Look for olive oil that is organic, with a recent harvest date that is cold pressed (that signifies no chemicals used during extraction, done by mechanical means while controlling the temperature.

4) Keep your Vitamin C levels up.

5) Follow a raw vegan diet for a day or a week. Obviously, when no heat is applied to food, the original nutrients and phytonutrients remain. Pick a favorite vegetable and search a free raw vegan recipe including it.

Article inspired by a discussion I had with my friend, Chef Collin Cook.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

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FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

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You can also follow us on Twitter: @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition in certificate course, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She is fascinated by our habits with food and is happy to correct mistakes she and others have passed on due to misinformation. She says,

“I’m still not certain about the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed and organic. What I do know is that there is enough information telling me that heating it past a certain point is definitely unhealthy. With this ammunition in hand, I will make better choices when using it.

“Researching this article was fabulous. It took a lot of opinion reading before I actually got to some science for my sake and the health of others.

“Let us all take good care of ourselves, with this information, because we are so worth it!”

WHO PAYS? OUR HABIT OF NOT PAYING FOR OUR FOOD (ISSUE 163) JANUARY 27, 2015

By Diane Gold

Our habit of not paying for our food is common. Since most of us are basically moral and would not thoughtfully take food without growing it or compensating the grower for it, this statement needs further discussion. We’ll start with the upfront premise that it is our duty to preserve our humanity and whatever else lives on our planet with good food.

DEFINING “PAY”

To start, let’s consider what we mean by “who pays.” To pay is to compensate or trade someone for a product or service. One of the ways we pay is through consequence for an action, or through some type of suffering, which is the focus of this article.

WHO PAYS FOR OUR FOOD?

Who pays for the land, oceans, water, soil, pollution of our resources used to produce our food? We may think that all is well because the farmer legally buys the land or section of ocean from the state or previous owner in/on which to cultivate; s/he then pays to prepare the topsoil or the ocean area; s/he then pays the water company for all the water needed for growing and slaughter (for non-plant farms); s/he then pays the workers to work the land or ocean. Neat and tidy, right?

It seems as if it’s OK that no one is paying for all the resources because we work hard and pay a price at some market for the end result. We probably think that the cost of resources is included in the price.

Newsflash! Currently, no one pays a monetary price for this. Everyone’s grandchildren will pay for it.

Strange as it may seem, the farmer doesn’t pay money to deforest forests or to desertify land or to dead zone oceans or dirty rivers. Nor does s/he pay money for lack of water which occurs due to overuse. Nor does s/he pay money to place carbon, nitrous oxide or methane emissions produced from the farm or for depletion of oxygen and marine life due to the fishing/fish farming industry.

This means no one pays financially for the circumstances we create, and no one pays to clean what we dirty.

So, who pays? Our grandchildren pay. They pay by being handed our situation multiplied by a great deal. Not a nice gift, even if we are able to gift them money to begin to clean up our mess.

Because species are obliterated, our air supply is not clean, our land has been stripped of its usefulness, our rivers are polluted and our oceans have become sick or dead zoned, money we give to our grands cannot fix everything.

(If we wanted to look from a health perspective, we also pay because eating meat, fish, fowl and dairy cause health issues. So, we pay with our health.)

EDUCATION

And why aren’t we fixing it now? I choose to believe we don’t know any better. That’s where education comes in.

Miseducation is a way not to pay for our food. But, someone pays. When we are not teaching about how farming overuses land, soil, air, oceans, water and deletes certain species (that we have not yet even discovered); we contribute to deforestation. We are going around as if we have the right to continue the way we are. If we’re breaking our original edict, to preserve humanity, uh-oh.

If we don’t educate ourselves because we listen to Big News which is close friends with Big Agro which miseducates us or omits how agriculture drives global depletion fueled by our gluttony; we are closing our eyes and failing to learn. Many teachers are not yet aware of the vast differences in land, oceans, air, soil used to farm animals or plants. Even if we don’t mean to do it, if we don’t investigate how we are not paying, we perpetuate the hurt.

LAND, OCEANS, SOIL, AIR, WATER AND SPECIES

We use up our land, oceans, soil, air, water through farming. It is even approximated that we use up species by using rainforest for farming.

There are 8 million estimated world species of which we have catalogued about one-eighth. Many of these species are in the rainforests. Western medicine gets as much as 25% of our wonder drugs from the rainforest. So, it might be fair to say we are throwing away a hefty amount of potential cures by making extinct about 100 species a day for deforestation which works out to 1-2 acres per second for agriculture.

NOT PAYING: ANIMAL-BASED AGRICULTURE VS. PLANT-BASED AGRICULTURE

Unless we are in one of the agriculture businesses or are investigating the topic, we might be surprised to know that animal agriculture (including fish, fowl, dairy) and plant agriculture have different environmental and health effects. Here are some facts that might be eye opening:

1) The U.S. Government subsidizes the cost of meat, fish, poultry, dairy; so we don’t really know its real cost, even excluding global depletion costs. If the demand does not provide livelihood and we are finding severe health issues with this type of consumption, why are we subsidizing these industries?

2) If we had to pay for the depletion of land, soil, water and oceans; we would only be able to afford to buy the lettuce, tomato, pickle and hamburger bun that goes with the hamburger at the fast food restaurants around the world. And this wouldn’t include paying for endangering or making extinct any species from deforestation. Aren’t species priceless, though? (Comfortably Unaware, Richard Oppenlander, p. 108)

3) 1.5 acres produces 37,000 pounds of plant-based food but only 375 pounds of meat. That’s about 1,000 times as much plant-based food as animal-based food on the same land. (Food Choice & Sustainability, 2013, Richard Oppenlander)

According to http://cowspiracy.com/facts’ compilation,

4) It costs 18 times as much land to farm animal food as it does to farm plant food.

5) Plant-based eaters use 50% as much carbon dioxide, 9% as much oil (for manufacturing and processing), 8% as much water and 6% as much land as meat-based eaters.

6) It is estimated that plant-based dieters save one animal’s life daily.

7) For every pound of fish caught, it’s estimated that 5 pounds of unintended fish are caught and thrown away plus 650,000 whales, dolphins and seals and are killed accidentally each year by fishing boats.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

8) “Of the top 15 causes of death, a plant-based diet can prevent nearly all of them, can treat more than half of them and in some cases even reverse the progression of disease, including our top 3 killers.” (Michael Greger, M.D.of NutritionFacts)

CONCLUSION

Based on these concepts, our habit of not paying for our food is hurting us (most of all in the health department), because who pays? We all do. Most of us, even in the food industry, are not concerned for what we don’t pay. We are interested in what we do pay and look for ways to reduce this. Here are some action ideas to consider. It is true, when we do anything, we affect something. Thus, it’s our responsibility to act.

ACTION STEPS

1) TAKE COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY

John Perkins told a story about the Shuar Tribe in Ecuador. One of the community came back to the elders with news that a plant along the trail was healthy when he went by, but 72 hours later, when he came back, the plant was sick. The elders had a council meeting, conferring with a wise one who said the plant gave a sign that the path was overused. They decided to take community responsibility and ruled to close the path.

Sounds right to me.

2) PAY THE PERCENTAGE

Everyone could join in paying for the resources. The farmer and finishing company or slaughterhouse/processor would have to pay for the percentage of destruction or global warming caused. The end user/consumer would pay a higher price for the product.

3) REQUIRE EDUCATION run by a team that can never work in any of the industries or a government position on which the education focuses, so there’s less chance to slant the truth.

4) REQUIRE TRANSPARENT, ONGOING STATISTICS configured by scientists who can never work in government, farming, lobbying, consulting so their stats are not swayed by bonuses or future opportunities.

5) CREATE PERCENTAGE ENFORCERS who get paid extra for finding violators.

6) EAT PLANTS,
for health and planet.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition in certificate course, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She loves talking about our habits with food. She says,

“So much of the way we eat has to do with the education process. Whether from our families or in school, it has influenced us greatly. We would never suspect that either of these places could misinform us.

“We now know that a lot of our family foods may not be healthy for us. We know more than previous generations, including how our bodies interact with food sources and what, from the past, is untrue. As with every generation, our parents or grandparents did not have what we have, nor the speed with which to share it.

“It’s our responsibility to investigate what’s nutritious, whether the stories that meat, fish, fowl, dairy are unhealthy and whether eating plants can stop starvation and preserve us. It is ours to care for ourselves, our planet, our sisters and our children. The perfect reasons to run right out and do research for ourselves on everything I’ve said in this article.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND MINE IN 2015 (ISSUE 161) JANUARY 13, 2015

By Diane Gold

5 Ways To Improve Your Health And Mine will pick areas that are commonly important to us all. How can we go wrong with these options? Feeling healthy makes us feel happier, be more self-sufficient, be stronger on a daily basis, build our body’s foundation and position ourselves for a longer life. So, let’s consider whatever of these ways makes sense and add one to our lives for the new year.

1) BREATHING

 Obviously, we are involved in breathing all day. The body regulates this action automatically, if we don’t. But we can pay deliberate attention to it for extra health. When we slow down and pay attention to the air that goes in and the air that comes out, we build up life energy, almost as if we are storing valuables in a vault. Not much time is needed here, either. Just consistency.

ACTION STEP – EXERCISE (1)

For, at least, one moment during each day, for a minimum of a week, but, hopefully, for each day to follow yesterday ; agree to take a moment out of each day. This can be a 5 second interval up to 60 seconds, sitting or standing. It’s best to be alone, in silence, with minimal smells around, with no artificial light.

Close the eyes and watch the air as you breathe in through the nose.
Keeping the eyes closed, watch the air as you breathe out through the nose.

That’s it. The valuables you will be storing will make you strong of will, strong of body, strong of mind. The longer number of days you continue to do this action, the better it is for a balanced and increasing quality of life.

2) WATER

Water is crucial. The more fruits and veggies we eat, the more water we have to drink as water. As long as we keep our body’s water balanced, 65% of our body mass, we will be in good shape. The body has water inside our cells, called intracellular fluid. It also has water outside the cells, extracellular fluid, such as water in blood, spine, stomach, both of which have to be kept balanced. Food and salt intake concentrate the “out of cell” fluid while less dilute it.

Drinking more isn’t the answer. Drinking well is.

ACTION STEP – EXERCISE (2)

Drink one extra glass of water a day. But, for this glass, let’s focus our attention on the water as it travels down from the mouth to the stomach, rather than mindlessly gulping it. At least, one time a day, we will drink slowly and thoughtfully, for health.

3) STRETCHING

The great news about stretching is that we can do it almost anywhere. We have joints that move while we are stationary, so we can think of a body part and begin to move it. Moving it brings heat, blood with life-sustaining oxygen, and flexibility. We do not need any special exercise.

ACTION STEP – EXERCISE (3)

All we have to do is to move a joint, the head, the hands, feet, limbs, butt, belly button as far as possible in any one direction and then the opposite of that. An example of this would be pointing the toe downward and then flexing it or bringing the elbows as high as possible in front of the body and then as high as possible behind the body. Every movement requires care and focused attention on the body part of choice.

4) SUPERFOODS

In the past several decades, in the United States, there has been talk about superfoods. The word, superfoods, has been so overused by the nutritional supplement industry that it’s hard to know what’s marketing and what’s science.

My definition of superfoods is those plant-based foods that single-handedly have a huge supply of one or more nutrients and/or phytonutrients.

All of these substances have been used by indigenous people for nutrition and healing, such as maca (for the immune system and vital energy), cacao (for mood stabilizing and bones), spirulina (for vast nutrition), goji berries (for protein and high in anti-oxidants), and, recently, the mainstream media has caught on.

ACTION STEP – EXERCISE (4)

Add one serving of one superfood on a daily basis for one month or to follow from yesterday. I became fascinated with these foods as my energy soared. Maybe you will, too.

5) PRE-SLEEP THOUGHTS

Whether we sleep alone or together, taking a short moment to put a smile into ourselves before we fall asleep will cause relaxed mind and muscles and make for good dreams and restful sleep.

ACTION STEP – EXERCISE (5)

Before getting into bed, or, if you were there already, before deciding to go to sleep, decide to take a moment of time to think about happy sleep, putting worries aside, any heated arguments aside. This moment can take as little as 15 seconds. This is enough.

CONCLUSION

Improving your health takes a moment. Improving my health takes that same moment. I am ready. Are you? I look at it this way: every effort on behalf of our health gives us an extra day or week or month to create, learn or just sit. We have that extra moment that it would take to do any of these 5 exercises. They can only help.

Let’s be proactive to improve your health and mine in 2015, starting now.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to warriorsofweight consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on
Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition in certificate course, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She is grateful to be able to write and spread the word about so many great topics. She says,

“We have great opportunity to care for ourselves. Small efforts on our part make a huge difference in our lives if done consistently. Let us consider one small move on behalf of what our parents would want for us, and take one step to improve our health.

“This step takes good care of us, and we are so worth it!”

OUR FOOD HABIT OF NOT ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTION (ISSUE 151) OCTOBER 21, 2014

By Diane Gold

Our food habit of not asking questions is pretty common. We believe our grocers would never lead us astray, that they know more than they do about the foods they supply.

Prior to the year 2000, we were not taught to take responsibility for our foods. We were taught to budget enough for a meat-and-dairy-oriented pyramid of food that recommended too much protein, not from healthy sources, not enough plant-based phytonutrients and not enough raw food.

Schools after the second millennium are, at least, offering programs where students grow food in the school garden or in pots, for lack of land or portability and are conscious of too much fat, sugar and salt.

There are documentaries such as Lunch Hour that reveal how bad meat and dairy food may be offered in school because it is government subsidized. And, to reduce the amount of this type of food would require using school money that was earmarked elsewhere.

Here are a few questions we should have been asking all along and didn’t.

1) WHY IS MY FOOD SHINY AND WHY DIDN’T I KNOW ABOUT IT?

When we went to buy tomatoes, we never thought about why they were shiny. We just thought they came that way. To this day, most people don’t know that most produce, including that which is certified organic, is sent to the finishing plant after the grower and before the retailer. It gets packaged for resale using lots of different questionably safe plastics. Plus, it often gets a coating that keeps the moisture in that we commonly refer to as vegetable or fruit wax.

(Then, there’s the paraffin wax that makes candy all sparkly and shiny. Although it’s food grade, so edible, it’s not digestible; it goes in one end and out the other, like produce wax – although some of the chemicals in the produce wax may be absorbed. Don’t we deserve to know which chemical foreign bodies are taking rides through our digestive tract, especially since some may stay in us?)

2) HOW CAN THE FDA ALLOW WAX, ANYWAY?

The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for the safety of food and drugs. Unfortunately, they are given information by industry giants aka Big Food, that may force them to allow certain chemical processes whose studies were not extensive enough to show the long-term risks. The FDA cares about protecting us from pathogens, like clostridium botulinum. Big Food & Chemical companies show them expensive studies where such and such a product, be it plastic wrapping or modification of the air used in packaging and storing or transporting, are safe for the consumer; the FDA approves this “finishing” process because they have seen the studies. Too bad the studies don’t go far enough.

Many of us know that bananas are gassed with ethylene when they are close to market. This allows the grower to harvest the banana before fully ripe and get it to market before it rots. This is a method of MAP, modified atmosphere packaging.

The FDA is swayed by companies with big studies. They are not, however, so quick to rescind regulations when cases of renal failure or accelerated growth of bacteria come to pass.

Dude, That Isn’t Wax On Your Apple!

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodScienceResearch/SafePracticesforFoodProcesses/ucm091368.htm

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: PIG JUICE ON MY PRODUCE

What both my children and I would find amusing, is that, vegans, of which I am one, work happily but hard at reducing harm to animals by not eating them. The amusing thing, if we see it that way, is that, if we are not investigative and conscientious; the veggies and fruits we use, may have cow, pig, casein and insect emulsion or laminate.

True, there is more control over knowing what wax is used on organic produce; but there is, at least, as much beeswax or lac beetle wax as vegetable grade wax on organics. So, vegans, know thy wax because it is rarely labeled.

3) WHAT’S THAT LITTLE BAG MADE OF?

We know that in some of our bags, even in the super food bags with my maca or my cacao, there are little bags of alien origin in them to absorb moisture. Why isn’t the contents of this desiccant made known to us? We have heard it’s made of silicon which is supposed to be food safe, according to the current research, but what about the covering? How many sets of fingers have been on that little bag, or how many kinds of oils were on the conveyer belt it rode down?

CONCLUSION

This is just one of the many mysteries that are part of our world of food. No one thinks to ask about it. And no manufacturer is going to volunteer to identify the product so as not to scare the consumer.

After all, what we don’t know won’t hurt us, right? Wrong. There are so many new facts that show what we thought were advances of the past 50 years that are showing to be tragic miscalculations on our part: genetically modified seeds, modification of air on produce and chemical mixtures that make up, oh, so many plastics, paints, adhesives and pesticides. The negatives for our health may, sadly, outweigh any benefits we might have thought we received.

Our food habit of not asking the right question prevails. We are asking more, though.

We may be fooled into thinking that the word “natural” has something to do with the word “organic” or the word “vegan” or the words “non-GMO.” And very often, people mistake the word “vegan” for the word “organic.” It is quite common, although not at all surprising, when I ask a grocer, by phone or in person, about a product and hear,

“Oh, this must be vegan because it says ‘all natural,'”

or

“It’s ‘certified organic,’ so it must be ‘vegan.’

Even though candles are not food, we use a food to make them. I wanted to include the following comment which refers to this food.

“These soy wax candles are so lovely; they must be good for the environment.”

Unfortunately, the major manufacturers of soy wax for candles (in the United States) are made from genetically modified soybeans.

ACTION STEPS

1) NOTICE THE CHEMICALS you are eating.

2) LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING LABELS which conscious people are beginning to request:

eco friendly, gluten-free, cruelty free, organic, paraben-free, vegan, vegetarian, fair trade, kosher, halal, chemical-free, hexane free, B corporation, bpa-free, non-GMO.

3) NOTICE WHICH SUPPLIERS ARE BEING TRANSPARENT through labeling and are beginning to realize consumers have the right to know what’s in our food, even if our food habit of not asking the right question prevails.

4) NOTICE THE TERMS “CRUELTY FREE” or “GRASS FED.” It’s great when animals are treated with kindness or without testing and with free grazing before slaughter. But slaughter is cruel and companies that slaughter are not “cruelty free.”

5) BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR FOOD AND ITS PACKAGING.
Co-Create
In the end, the more we ask, the more we get to know. The more we teach, the more we learn. The more we team, the more we co-create. Let’s be conscientious about asking the right question so we can care for our health and our planet and our species.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

If you need habit help, go to http://warriorsofweight.com/warriorsofweight-consulting.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment.

Please LIKE us on the website

and on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes we can notice our habits the more we notice ourselves. She says,

“There are so many things that go on in our lives that we do over and over again, and we don’t even question them. They may not be in our best interest. They may not mesh with our own philosophy. Until we investigate and become aware.

“It is up to each of us to take enough time to realize what consumer goods we utilize and where they come from. Do we just buy without thinking about the ethics of the company that makes the product? Do we just eat with no regard for how the food has been grown, packaged, processed?

“Each of us decides the answers to these and our comfort level with each. Some people do not have enough food to consider whether a seed is modified genetically. Others don’t care. And others buy according to their philosophy of not supporting genetic modification because it is unhealthy and impoverishes the poor farmer, in the end.

“Whichever way we think, it is important to be aware of what is going on with our food. It will serve us well.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

COMPOSTING: HOW AND WHY (ISSUE 149) OCTOBER 7, 2014

By Diane Gold

Composting, how and why discusses how easy it is for us to replenish the soil using our raw kitchen waste and why it benefits us to do it.

So, let’s define composting for those not familiar. It is a method of gathering decayed and decaying plant matter for the purpose of replenishing and fertilizing the soil so that something new has lots of nourishment from which to grow.

Nature composts through the decay of falling leaves, windblown seeds, seed casings, branches, the growth of fungi and microbes. We compost by mixing our vegetable waste with certain carbon-based products to cause the very same process.

WHY COMPOST?

According to Lynn Russell, composter, small garden enthusiast and new friend,

“The main reason to compost is to make your soil alive with all the bacteria and the fungi and beneficial microbes the plant needs and exchanges energy with into the soil. The second reason is that you are imitating nature by using your waste to go back into the soil to make something good rather than just disposing [of] it. Constant recycling… It’s the way the world works. It’s the way nature works.”

Just a note, by imitating nature, we are using waste and turning it into usable goods, nutrients for the food we grow.

WHO CAN COMPOST?

For those of us who have a garden, we probably have some land on which to place containers in which to compost. For those in suburban apartments, we might have a terrace or outside dumpster next to which to keep a container. For those in urban apartments, like Jen Doll did for 10 days last year while writing a compost article, she put hers in the freezer. She concluded that composting could reduce rats because garbage cans would no longer be overflowing, and monitoring our compostable goods in the freezer could make us more aware of how not to buy more than we can use during the week.

Some people choose to do the whole process. Many people, either through choice, lack of space or location circumstance choose to give their waste to a local farmer.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

According to a 2011 report by epa.gov on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, composting food waste rather than putting it in the land fill has a significant greenhouse gas emission reduction and is a great way to reduce each of our carbon footprints.

PREPARATION FOR PLANT-BASED MATERIALS

So how do we do it? When I asked Lynn about what materials to use, she outlined the process easily. Although I’ve heard this before, I think I got it this time because she broke down the process into the simplest of steps.

CONTAINER PROCESS

1) For those who want to complete the entire composting process starting with a bin and finishing with composted materials, we can follow Lynn’s system:

a) the 2 container system.
This consists of 2 – 20 gallon flexible
garbage cans with lids that cost around $14.

b) A $10 shovel to turn the materials.

c) AERATION

On the bottom of each garbage can, drill 8 to 10 – 5/16 inch holes.
10 inches up, drill 8 to 10 (or 1 hole every 8 inches or so) 5/16 inch holes around the circumference of the can.
10 inches up, do the same as the previous step.

2) For those who want to give food waste to a farmer or drop compost at a city or county composting site, all we need do is place the scraps in a container that belonged to some empty produce container, either a shaped plastic container from pre-cut wheatgrass or a pliable plastic bag or paper bag from market and place it in the refrigerator or the freezer. I put mine in the refrigerator. Lynn puts hers in the freezer.

THE 2 CATEGORIES OF STUFF WE USE

There are 2 types of items we use for our compost.

1) The first is GREENS which provide NITROGEN. These consist of fruits, vegetables, maybe uncooked bread with no spreadable food on it. If any food is rotted from a microorganism, Lynn has recommended to leave it out so the soil is purer. Raw food is best. It also attracts less vermin, if it is outside.

Greens from the lawn can be used if it’s our own lawn (called soft waste). We must be sure there are no pesticides on the lawn greens. Lynn suggests that it’s better to leave it out if the green clippings are sprayed with contaminants of any kind.

2) Then we have our BROWNS WHICH are CARBONS. This would consist of shredded newspaper and plain brown cardboard. (Sawdust can be used if the wood has not been treated, which is doubtful.) We have to wet the cardboard. Then we need to break it into small pieces which makes it easier for the microbes to get at it.

THE LAYERS

Now comes the good part: the layers, which do not have to be so exact, according to Lynn. She says,

“Some say use more carbon, but it can also be 50-50.”

We start with 1 garbage can which we can label as “BIN #1.”

1) We begin with a carbon layer, 6 inches high in the bottom. We just place it in there, no special way.
2) Next, we put our layer of fruit and vegetable waste, 3 to 6 inches.
3) Then, there’s another layer of newspaper and brown cardboard, if we have it.
4) If we do have more, we add another layer of 2) and then 3).
5) Now, it gets exciting. We let it sit, covered for a few days.
6) When it starts decomposing, we use the shovel to turn it.

7) Now, the interesting part. We let it sit and stir it for about 8 weeks, noticing how it changes.
8) When it looks too wet, we add carbons. When it looks too dry, we add greens.
9) When we have 3/4 of a bin full, we can either dump it out into the second bin so that we get to mix what’s on the bottom OR we can start layers in the second bin.

10) When the compost in the bin has broken down and is starting to look like soil, we stop adding to it. We just turn it, let it get dark and finished.

THE SURPRISE

Worms will make their way into the compost pile through the holes that we drilled. Their waste (called castings) is some of the best fertilizer for any soil. They also turn and aerate the soil.

CONCLUSION

I am very respectful of composters. When we have land, it’s not such a big thing to compost. When we have not much more than a terrace, I think it’s courageous. Since I don’t really have a backyard that I can monitor, I give my fruit and veggie waste to Lynn. I am grateful because I have somewhere for my greens to go, other than the garbage can. She is grateful because she can depend upon my weekly layer of greens. And, an added bonus that was not part of the deal, we are becoming friends.

ACTION STEPS

Here are some action steps that you may find rewarding.

1) Buy a tiny 8 ounce can and put holes in it for aeration.

2) Put 3 layers into the can: bottom browns (carbon), about 2 inches, middle greens, about 2 inches, top browns, about 2 inches.

3) Nurture it on the windowsill or near the garbage cans.

4) Stir regularly.

5) When it’s finished,
plant something into that soil.

6) Decide today to do one of the two: start composting regularly or give your food waste to a farmer.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

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and at WarriorsofWeight .on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She believes in the power of sustainable education. She believes in educating youth so that future generations can live well. She says,

“Any time we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is good, even if we impact a small bit at a time through composting. The very act of composting shows us life cycle. Being close to this cycle makes us close to understanding. I have no doubt that being close to understanding can bring us peace.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are so worth it!”

BIG FOOD AND DRUG DONATE TO CANCER RESEARCH (ISSUE 148) SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

By Diane Gold

BIG FOOD AND DRUG DONATIONS

It’s no surprise that big food and drug donations to cancer research are common. In fact, it might be fair to say that a hefty chunk of annual fundraising revenue comes from this. Why? Well, think about this. If I give you a million dollars a year to live because I believe in your cause, you will be careful not to enrage me, if you want me to continue giving you a million dollars. In the same way, big food gives money to organizations who, in turn, go out of their way not to anger their donors.

This means that organizations who are the recipients of Big Food and Big Drug donations go out of their way not to speak poorly about the bad nutrition in that very company’s product or any new studies that might shed negative light on Big Food or Big Drug for fear of losing a donation. So these so-called advocates for a specific disease are in bondage and cannot advocate and get their funding.

HONESTY FOR HEALTH

Most of us know at this point that anyone in business who wants to stay in business is going to have a hard decision to make if she finds bad in her business. If I discover my food product is causing tired blood or fat in the arteries, I have 2 choices: be ethical and tell everyone and work on fixing my product or tell no one so that I don’t lose my house, my car, my plane and my power.

Because we never know when a food is going to be found to be medically harmful and we never know who is withholding information, we have to know we are responsible for vetting our food. The industry is responsible, in its eyes, for making money and not getting sued, not keeping us as safe and healthy as possible.

Bruce Bradley, food advocate and author, in an interview known as Confessions Of A Former Big Food Executive, says,

“Think critically. Most claims and advertising by Big Food companies are meant to manipulate you, not educate you. Read your labels and do your research.”

Having done food and label research since 1971, I know this to be true. We are at the mercy of companies that do not disclose scientific truth about their ingredients so that they can manipulate people into thinking the ingredient is harmless. They don’t label carcinogens, animal products, what’s in the natural or genetically modified products YET. Most of us are too busy to research these things themselves so depend upon transparency which is not.

PINKWASHING AND THE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

We all know the expression greenwashing. I’ve even seen it professionally in consulting for energy efficient lighting. It means everybody is using the word green to entice people to consume.

In the cancer space, there is pinkwashing. That means people are being blinded by the fact that a company produces something pink and connects to a breast cancer walk, march, DVD, pair of scissors, razor, dish, tennis ball. The connections I have just mentioned seem harmless enough. There are more, some whose parent companies produce food that is known to promote cancer.

Do we realize that the pink branding and donating to the cause may have nothing to do with health, especially when meat and dairy industries’ basic foods are known to cause vulnerabilities to cancer, chronic disease, environmental pollution through agricultural livestock?

We see a nice beautiful pink color on a pen with a breast cancer symbol, or a tennis ball. These items are not food, so there must be no evil in this. Unless the company that makes the pen is, in some way, connected to a food giant or other company that uses carcinogens or toxins.

DONOR RELATIONSHIPS

Here’s a good way to see the relationship between donations and future profits, reported by Samuel Epstein, M.D., in his report as Chairman, The Cancer Prevention Coalition, U Illinois, School of Public Health. One of the large pharmaceutical companies has made multi-million-dollar donations to the richest cancer society we have.

For its first 10 years, one of its divisions was a major producer of pesticides, known to cause cancer. Of course, the cancer society did not report this. The same drug company also makes the top breast cancer drug. Because it wants the cancer society to recommend it to its constituents, the drug company continues to donate, and the society continues to recommend the drug.

The same drug company also owns a bunch of cancer centers. Since it has given money to the society, the society recommends these centers. The millions of dollars in donations from the drug company gets the drug company hundreds of millions of dollars in return. And the society keeps getting its funding. These facts show monumental conflicts of interest, which would be happy capitalism (which I support) if it weren’t doing harm. Unfortunately, the society does not talk about nutrition as cancer preventer. The reason for this is obvious: the society does not want to speak out in any way that could jeopardize donations.

PERPETUATING THE PROBLEM

During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we see pink cheese food products, carcinogenic, artificially colored and flavored beverages, pink baked goods companies, gmo breakfast cereal companies (which most breakfast cereals are) that are donating to the breast cancer cause. This would be wonderful if the manufacturers of these foods would, for that 1 month, remove any ingredient that was known to be or was suspected of causing the problem in the first place.

It’s no secret that a large fried chicken company donates to a breast cancer campaign. The former executive director of Breast Cancer Action said,

“They are raising money for women’s health by selling a product that’s bad for your health…it’s hypocrisy.”

THE RESEARCH

It will come as no surprise that the “research” that is done through our hard earned donated dollars and the dollars that come from the Big Food and Drug corporations very much support research to create the next best pill, rather than research on nutrition that may prevent a disease from happening at the root level from the food we eat. This is not to say that we don’t need research for pharmaceuticals. It does say that, at least, as much money, if not more research needs to be funneled to see how we can prevent or cure our ills through nutrition.

T. Colin Campbell says, in his book, Whole,

“Rather than preventing cancer, the NIH’s (National Institute Of Health) approach actually serves as a psychological inoculation against true health. There’s no need to change your diet. You can if you want. But it’s much easier and cheaper to take a pill. And, don’t worry, we’ve practically solved the problem by identifying the liver cancer gene. Just give us a few more years, and we’ll have a cure.”

In this statement, Dr. Campbell is talking about the mega industries’ working together with governmental agencies and popular disease organizations that interact with the public and the patients. These organizations often send their donations straight to pharmaceutical companies and leave out nutrition research which he and I believe to be where the research needs to be.

Why is nutrition research left out of grant allocations? Follow the money. There is no way to make money if a company discovers that turmeric can alleviate cancer. There is no way a pharmaceutical company can make a drug from maca root. So the study money goes to the companies who gratefully take it in to research mechanisms that can outcome a hugely profitable product.

Dr. Campbell also talks about the American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as providers of education, networking and leadership to professionals. He says,

“Their donations and PR, their awards and fundraisers just reinforce the system in which they are embedded, a system that lauds reductionist* research and ignores nutrition. The sad fact is that too many of these organizations are more likely to be found shilling for pharmaceutical companies and the food industry than advocating for patients or sharing scientific truths.”

*Reductionist refers to believing that studying 1 part of the body at a time gives the whole answer, rather than looking at how all systems work together in an integrative process.

CONCLUSION

Why do Big Food and Drug donate to cancer research and others and what’s problematic here?

As mentioned above, most people don’t have the time to study food. This coupled with the idea that food has never been taught in school on the level that is needed means that most of us are at the mercy of Big Food. This goes for Big Drug, also. We believe the commercials we have seen all our lives, even when we know they are created to sell rather than to give us knowledge. We believe our doctors about diet, even though most of them have never had but one single nutrition class in medical school.

Most of all, we trust the organizations that hand out millions of dollars to research to have our best interest in mind. We don’t question that their hands are tied from speaking about the evidence against their donors. We don’t question why the research that meat and dairy cause cancer is not pursued heavily. We don’t question that so much research money goes to screening disease rather than to educating students and consumers to prevent disease in the first place through good nutrition. We look at organizations one at a time, so we don’t see that every powerful entity is donating money to push a power agendas.

Each of us can make some effort on behalf of human health; we can all take a step to make our health matter to everyone, even more than money.

ACTION STEPS

Here are several simple action steps to effect change. It might be most practical to pick one and do it.

1) PICK ONE HEALTH CHARITY

Call them and ask them to point out their list of donors that are public. Notice which companies are involved. donations. Unfortunately, many donors remain anonymous. One might think that the call for anonymity would be because someone is humble and doesn’t want her name publicized. More often than not, anonymity protects association between donors and agendas they have just helped push.

2) CALL YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

Find out what type of ongoing nutrition program they have for children starting in pre-K through high school. Encourage the school to speak with you about it and to enhance the program if it exists or install one, if it does not. If you don’t feel comfortable calling within your local district, call another one. There’s no harm in asking questions since they plant seeds.

3) CALL YOUR MOST LOCAL MEDICAL SCHOOL

Ask whether nutrition is in the curriculum, how many hours the courses are. If there is 1 course or less, urge them to make 1 course per semester the standard during all 4 years of school.

4) ASK YOUR MOST LOCAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIAN WHAT
RESEARCH TOOLS S/HE HAS

Sometimes, librarians have to be pushed to help. Don’t be afraid to do so.

5) GO TO FOUNDATIONCENTER.ORG AND SEE HOW MUCH
INFORMATION THERE IS ABOUT GRANTS

Most of their information is about foundations whose information is open to the public. They do have some information for free and much information for pay about the private sector.

6) WRITE TO YOUR REP OR PRESIDENT TO CREATE A DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPARENCY FOR FOOD, PHARMA STUDIES, DONATIONS AND RESEARCH

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DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has been researching relationships among the powerful. Today she looks at Big Food and Big Drug and Cancer Research Donations.She says,

“It’s wonderful when someone donates to much needed research, whether the research is reductionist or holistic. It is not wonderful when the research concern omits information because of its dependence on its donor.

“What I’ve been finding in every power sector is that power giants give money to create cheer leading teams. And, again, this would be OK if recipients of money, the cheerleaders, were not keeping valuable information from the public as a result.

“We may not be taught about power relationships in school because a powerful company may be giving money to the school board, before college, and to the university endowment fund of the institution we attend after secondary school.

“We may not be taught about nutritional strategies to disease because there is so much money to be made after we get sick: from surgery, procedures involving medical machinery and prescription drug therapy.

“I am not maligning donations; or surgery, medical procedures and pharmaceuticals. Hail to them all. I am asking each of us to be aware that each power sector has an agenda to complete. With open eyes, we can see it and learn how it affects transparency.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”

WHAT’S ON YOUR PRODUCE? (ISSUE 147) SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

By Diane Gold

What’s on your produce is a huge question for many of us, especially if we are brought up believing what we see on our fruits and vegetables. For those of us who know full well that we are eating pesticides and wax, there are still surprises. For many, we are not aware of any of the standard ways the fruit and vegetable supply chain works. We are also confused about why organic food matters and what all this talk has to do with our health.

WHAT’S ON OR IN OUR PRODUCE

We have probably considered the fact that some of our produce has pesticides, even organic product. That’s confusing enough. Now, we have to think about wax which is the generic name for a variety of coatings that are placed on our fruits and vegetables that are put on at the finishing processor.

And if we care about eating a plant-based diet or the ethics of saving the planet, what about the animal products that are used in the soils of the nicest organic fruits and vegetables? Do we even want to consider this?

RESPIRATION AND ETHYLENE

In order to understand why we use wax, it’s important to know about plant behavior. Plants are living organisms, so they breathe or respirate. I am humbled by this fact and am working on accepting how sacred this makes plants. This happens after they are harvested at different rates for different plants.

Fruits and vegetables produce a ripening hormone called ethylene. Plants are categorized into two categories: those that ripen after harvest (climacteric species), such as avocados or peaches, and those that do not like oranges or spinach (non-climacteric plants). The ripening process produces a hormone called ethylene, commonly known, not surprisingly, as the ripening hormone. All plants off-gas this substance, but some (the climacteric plants) produce more.

There are a variety of different waxes that we put on fruits and vegetables. The most important function is to keep the plant’s moisture in so it looks good, doesn’t ripen too quickly.

JUST A NOTE ON BANANAS

Most of us have heard about artificially ripening bananas (citrus and kiwis, too, by the way). For those who have not, synthetic ethylene is used so that when bananas get to market, they are the right amount of ripe. Bananas are harvested green. Because they are not ripe yet, the process of off-gassing ethylene, which is natural, has not started yet. What companies do is once the bananas arrive at the processing plant or toward the end of their journey inside the truck that is transporting them, they are gassed. This process causes the bananas to be almost ripe upon delivery and perfectly yellow for the consumer. This process emulates the natural process with synthetics but speeds it up at will.

Go to:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5084611&acct=nosb

for the list of synthetics allowed by the National Organics Program, including ethylene. Depressing.

WAX ON PRODUCE

So, when a fruit or vegetable is harvested, it goes through a cycle of maturation, or ripening, and then begins senescence, which is its final stage of life. We might wonder about this wax and its safety, but we should be aware that it exists.

Happily, I just went in to a national retailer that typically buys from the very same producer on a regular basis. This would mean any info about the waxes on produce would be consistent since the producers stayed the same.

The store had a list of what produce had what wax. I was shocked, and I was doing a happy dance that they even bothered. I’ve been contacting producers, retailers, manufacturers since the 1970s, and this is the first time a list existed without my having had to have them create it. Wax information is now visible to consumers.

Score 1 for transparency.

IS IT PLANT-BASED WAX?

Lots of my food gathering revolves around discerning whether the food I am going to eat has harmed an animal in the process of cultivating it or manufacturing it if I get a packaged good like rice pasta, whether it be in a package (like rice pasta) or grown (like carrots). What the great list (above) that the retailer had compiled did not specifically say whether some of the waxes were vegan. When the list said lac or beeswax, I knew one was from the lac beetle, and the other was from bees. Very helpful in making an informed decision to use or not to use animals in this way. When the list said the word “yes” delineating that wax was used, it was not helpful.

Fortunately, a very ambitious associate at the store is going to do research further. I have never had an employee or company be this cooperative on an issue that should be commonly displayed, as I see it.

IS THE WAX ORGANIC?

Again, referring to the list referenced above, many synthetic products or combinations, unfortunately, are permitted to be used as listed. This means they are man-made and NOT ORGANIC, although they may be Certified USDA Organic products.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEEDS?

Where did the seeds come from?

Are the seeds genetically modified? If the produce is organic, the seeds are supposed not to have been modified. The soil is supposed to have a history of three years after the last synthetic pesticides were used.

But what if the farm next door uses GM seeds? Well, this is debatable and is problematic.

WHAT’S IN THE SOIL?

As those of us who are gardeners may have realized, farmers use various things to make the soil richer. Nitrogen (protein) is one of the biggest things.

What I didn’t realize was that 25% of the nitrogen used in the soil of US farms comes from Trinidad & Tobago, and the toxicity from the island facilities as well as those in the United States is huge.

Organic farmers don’t use nitrogen which is synthesized in ammonia plants using natural gas or gasified coal. They do use fish from restaurant left over pieces or prepared foods markets throw aways. This means that all my vegan fruits and vegetables, save a few, are not vegan.

There is no label for the soil additives, including for urea which is used a lot. And lots of farms use manure which supports the animal industry.

There are a few vegan farms to whom I raise my glass.

WHAT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?

So, there are toxic chemicals being off-gassed from the fertilizer industry which is used on fruits and vegetables that don’t call themselves organic. There’s lots of methane from using cow waste in the soil and from cow waste that sits stagnantly.

Some of the waxes (palm and carnauba) used on fruit and vegetables use oil palm trees, which are cultivated by biomass burning to clear the land which emits CO2. According to a report by Mark Jacobson in Journal Of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, oil palm deforestation accounts for premature deaths as well as 18% of greenhouse gas emissions of CO2.

OUR HEALTH

Is what’s on your produce and what’s on my produce healthy? Although something may be deemed not to cause a disease, it may do harm. We all need to do our own research. How good could wax be for us anyway? And how great can the soil used for farming be if areas that house petrochemical plants are named Cancer Belts due to higher rates of cancer?

The wax on the fruit or vegetable has not been found to cause a body malfunction, but that may be because it would be hard to isolate which factor is causing which problem of the many.

CONCLUSION

To find out what’s on my produce and your produce is very much a maze. If we are not professional growers, we don’t actually know about many of the items mentioned above. To find out the information is usually no one’s job but our own.

Here’s hoping the ideas in this article make us think so that we can better eat what’s healthy and know that believing what we see is not always prudent.

ACTION STEPS

If you buy at a local large store, go to the produce department and ask what kind of wax is on your favorite fruits and vegetables. Be persistent since the grocer, most likely, will not know and will say she has no way to find out that information. To cut the process down for you, get the phone number to the store’s regional warehouse. There, ask for the produce buyer. This will start the process of someone’s doing some research for you.

Once you get your answer about the wax, ask the local store produce manager whether she can post the information publicly so that everyone knows what kind of wax there is.

If you get your food from a local market, ask the same way. The process will probably be shorter, since the owner may have a more personal relationship with a grower.

Good luck. May we, together, make a more transparent supply chain, which will lead to purer, safer and more delicious food.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

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Please LIKE us on the website and at

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You can also follow us on Twitter: @warriorsoweight.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has been researching what we don’t always consider with fruits and vegetables: wax, seed origin, soil contents, fertilizer, global warming from the soil. She says,

“What if we really measured the negative impact we had on others and on the land? What if we didn’t settle for mysterious wax, unknown seed origin, undisclosed soil composition on our produce? What if we all asked our grocers to start putting up wax signs?

“We each impact each other and the earth in so many ways, constantly. We think we can “cheat” being responsible, but we can’t. It’s important to see the big picture.

I am the first to say,

‘Go relax, and take a break. And I will say this to every person every day,’

“But there’s no way to relax ethics. There’s no way to be half ethical. You know what comes next. That’s like being half pregnant. It’s not possible.

“So, let’s be diligent about increasing wax awareness, reading about what chemicals we might be eating. And let’s improve our health and have fun doing it.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”

NUTRIENT COMPOSITION, AS PER T. COLIN CAMPBELL (ISSUE 146) SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

By Diane Gold

Nutrient composition, as per T. Colin Campbell, is far more important than looking at the amount of one nutrient quantity alone. The amount of calories we ingest is not as important as what type of calorie we take in.

When I was preparing to interview Dr. Campbell, the author of The China Study, Whole, grand researcher of 58 years and father of plant-based nutrition; I asked about his own diet, using the word “vegan.” He very astutely answered me in a way that gave me a much fuller understanding of how we eat and what is the right way for us to eat, the crux of this article. He said,

“Average dietary fat [when speaking about vegans and vegetarians as one group] is about 30% of total calories—not very different from omnivores—and 90% of vegetarians still use dairy and have relatively high fat diets. Therefore, the nutrient composition of the ‘V’ diets is not that different from the average American diet; and

“it is nutrient composition that is the best estimate of the health value of foods.

“The WFPB [whole food plant-based] diet is more like 10-10-80 (fat:protein:carbohydrate) and is all whole food and is plant-based. This is a very big difference from most vegan and vegetarian diets.”

According to the National Academy of Science, Food and Nutrition Board, which is used by the US Department of Agriculture for statistics, the ratio is 20-35/10-35/45-65 (fat:protein:carbohydrate). This is quite different from the words of this great researcher whose words and studies I trust and respect.

MACRONUTRIENTS

As has been mentioned in http://warriorsofweight.com/food-labels-the-next-generation-in-nutritional-data, macronutrients refer to the large divisions of food including fats (including an additional breakdown for saturated fats), proteins and carbohydrates.

MACROMINERALS

There are certain minerals that we need in large quantities for our bodies to function well, build bones, make hormones, etc. In humans, these are sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and chloride.

Although the FDA Food Labeling Guide 14, Appendix F, January, 2013, shows that we need 3500 mg of potassium; the Institute of Medicine, 2011 Dietary Reference Intakes summary indicates that the optimum amount is 4700 mg per day.

Just for fun, and because I really wanted to know; I added up my intake for the day which was only 3063. I think I will add a head of broccoli or a double serving of spinach to my selection of other plants. That will put me around 4700.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064928.htm

FACTORS THAT CHANGE OUR NEEDS

The following factors can change the amount of a macronutrient (like a carb), a micronutrient (like vitamin A), a macromineral (like calcium), a micromineral (like copper), a phytochemical (like quercetin) that we need on a particular day. When just 1 change occurs in our lives, the body goes through the domino effect, where every system’s connection to every other system in the grand infrastructure we call the human body is affected.

Hopefully, we take care of ourselves so that we have a functioning immune system that can protect these changes.

1) over use or under use of a particular organ

2) body size

3) amount of physical activity

4) emotional state

5) compromising organism (bacteria, virus, fungus, cancer cell), diagnosed or not

6) the weather and our a change in altitude

7) hydration and nutritional changes

CONCLUSION

To date, we are not “yet” teaching nutrition throughout our school systems. The fact that we are left to nourish our bodies by trial and error is ludicrous. The fact that we don’t “yet” teach a full course in nutrition to everyone who passes through the doors of medical school is ridiculous. We are technical geniuses, artistic geniuses. Where’s our common sense?

Understanding nutrient composition is crucial to our lives. Shouldn’t we give ourselves, our children and our grandchildren their best chance at having healthy lives? As T. Colin Campbell says,

“It’s never too late to start eating well.”

ACTION STEP

Since not all of us are going to run right out and get interested in the nutrient composition of our diets, here is a 3-stage action step that will suit many different interest levels.

STAGE 1)

Pick up a chart that tells the difference between a fat, a protein and a carbohydrate so that you become familiar which of your foods is which.

STAGE 2)

After completing STAGE 1), estimate how much of your food is in each of those categories.

STAGE 3)

After completing STAGE 2), specifically write down how many grams of each of fat, protein and carbohydrates you eat on an average day. Add up the grams, making sure not to confuse grams, milligrams and
Micrograms (that funny symbol) micrograms.

If you wish to share your story, please hit reply in your email program to be contacted.

FEEDBACK

We value your feedback very much.

Please leave a comment below.

Please LIKE us on the website and at

WarriorsOfWeight on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @warriorsoweight.

Thanks.

DIANE GOLD, PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR

Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Turning Habits Into Health, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert, dedicated mom, studying plant-based nutrition, peaceful conflict resolution and habit replacement.

She has been experimenting with plant-based food for only about 5 years. Prior to that, she included dairy. As she evolved in understanding the importance of the plant-based diet, she made more recipes of her own. She says,

“It’s pretty interesting to realize all the wonderful ways we can combine nutrients and to realize how vast the overview of nutrition is.

“I have never looked at the percentages of macronutrients that make up my food. But now I am determined to match the nutrient ratios that Dr. Campbell mentions for optimal health in my own diet. And to tell people about this conclusion by one of the world’s medical nutritional greats.

“I’m very excited to have this nutrient composition formula to go by and will start to use it to maximize my life.

“Finally, let us all take good care of ourselves because we are worth it, even if we don’t feel it!”