“While we are blinded by carnal desires, the commands of God will appear rigorous; and we shall labour more to explain them away, than to obey them: but if once we adopt them as the rule of our conduct, their beauty and excellence will manifestly appear; and we shall be convinced that, to obey them is, to be truly happy?”
Simeon, C. (1832-63). Horae Homileticae Vol. 15: Romans (474). London.
I’ve started reading an excellent book called “Omnivours Dilema” by Michael Pollen. He traces the history and path of several common foods.
He recently wrote an article that appeared in New York times that talks about the problems with our industrialized and centralized agriculture and the further complifications of regulations. Vegetable-Industrial Complex
Here’s a short article that will summarize some key things to know for making a decision to buy Organic milk, or at the very least, milk that is from cows that were not fed the rBGH growth hormone. Be careful of some of the deceptive labelling practices. Some milk is labelled “Does not contain rBGH”, however, that’ is misleading. The problem isn’t with the milk containing rBGH, it’s with the cows being fed the rBGH.
Read this article and learn a little more. Click Here
Here’s an exerpt of the list of reasons not to drink rBGH milk.
# rBGH makes cows sick. Monsanto has been forced to admit to about 20 toxic effects, including mastitis, on its Posilac drug label.
# rBGH milk is often contaminated with pus, due to mastitis commonly induced by rBGH, and also with antibiotics used to treat the mastitis. This poses risks of nationwide antibiotic resistance to life threatening infections.
# rBGH milk is chemically, and nutritionally different than natural milk. These differences include increased levels of milk fat, posing cardiovascular risks.
# Milk from cows injected with rBGH is contaminated with the hormone, traces of which are absorbed through the gut into the blood, and provoke foreign antibodies.
# rBGH milk is supercharged with high levels of a natural growth factor (IGF-1), which is readily absorbed through the gut. These levels are further increased following pasteurization.
# In numerous published scientific studies over the last two decades, excess levels of IGF-1 have been incriminated as causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers.
# IGF-1 blocks natural defense mechanisms, technically known as apoptosis, against the growth of early submicroscopic cancers.
Perhaps more shocking, is that in 1999 the European Commision report, with a body of well recognized international experts concluded that avoiding the rBGH milk in favor of organic milk “would appear to be the most practical and immediate dietary intervention to . . . achieve the goal of preventing cancer.”
Unfortunately, with Monsanto, the maker of rBGH, also deeply intrenched in the FDA, the power to make a change is in the hands of consumers instead of policy makers. So I encourage everyone to make the choice to buy organic milk.
As a side note, in California, Clover Stornetta farms makes an Organic brand ($6.00/gallon) and a regular brand of milk ($3.50 /gallon). Both are from cows not raised on rBGH, however, the regular brand is much cheaper. The organic brand goes one step further and completely organically certifies each step of the process and uses a different farm for that process. Currently we purchase the regular brand of Clover Stornetta since we usually drink about 2 gallons a week and couldn’t justify purchasing the organic brand.
Read the labelling carefully and make sure that the cows are not fed rBGH. Preferrably the cows should come from a farm that treats the cows humanely and allows them to graze in pastures. Clover Stornetta farms allow for the cows to graze during the months that the grasses are available and it’s not too wet (4-5 months of the year). Clover Stornetta Farms
Experts are saying that less that 20 percent of kids get enough sleep. They recommend 9 hours of sleep for a healthy body and mind. This directly translates to good grades. Kids who get less sleep are more likely to have lower grades in school.
House of representative just passed a bill that threatens to undue decades of state level food safety protections. The bill proposes to centralize food safety regulation to the federal level and take the power away from the states and disallowing the states to have their own refulations. This bill is opposed by many environmental, health and consumer rights organizations, 39 state Attorneys General, 7 state Governors, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the National Conference of State Legislators, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and me.
There’s a myriad of half-truths and deceptions from supporters of this bill. The Consumers Union has a list of these, with answers. Click Here
The bill already passed in the House of Representatives. I had emailed my congresswoman Zoe Lufgren. She supported my position and voted no. Nevertheless, it passed through the House of Representatives. It hasn’t passed the Senate. So please send an email to your Senators and let them know you care about the future of your food and your health. Click Here to Send an Email to Your Senator
Recent discovery showed cancer causing levels of Benzene in soft drinks. This is happening because of a reaction between sodium benzoate (a preservative) and absorbic acid (Vitamin C). The reaction between the two causes the formation of benzene. Interestingly, Vitamin C was added for health benefits. However, it’s result is the opposite. Why can’t people just eat fruit!
See the entire article at Organic Consumers Association: Click Here
