"So you're being told organic food is no more nutritious than conventional and it's not worth your extra money. Well I'm here to say that it is worth the investment. Why do I say that? Pesticides." - - Dr. Oz, Oct. 19, 2012
Less than two months after telling millions of TV viewers that organic food is "worth the investment," America's most popular TV doctor is singing a different tune. In the December issue of Time magazine, Dr. Oz described organic foodies as "elitist" -- part of the 1% - and claimed that conventional foods are nutritionally equivalent to organic foods. According to Dr. Oz:
The rise of foodie culture over the past decade has venerated all things small-batch, local-farm and organic - all with premium price tags. But let's be clear: you don't need to eat like the 1% to eat healthily.
Suddenly, the pesticides Dr. Oz was so concerned about a couple of months ago, the ones he warned viewers were "one of the greatest threats to your kids' health," no longer matter. What's more, if you're spending extra money to avoid them, you're a food snob -- instead of a responsible, health-conscious parent.
Dr. Oz's flip-flop is just the latest in a series of highly-publicized mass media attacks on organic food and farming. It follows on the heels of a much-ballyhooed, controversial Stanford University study, released in September. The Stanford study concluded that fruits and vegetables labeled organic were, on average, no more nutritious than their conventional -- and far less expensive -- counterparts.
Ironically, it was this same study that Dr. Oz bashed on his October 19 television showfor ignoring the obvious: Conventional food is loaded with toxic pesticides, which makes it not only less healthful, but downright dangerous. Especially for children.
At a time when the health of Americans is rapidly deteriorating -- skyrocketing obesity, childhood diabetes, ever-increasing cases of asthma, allergies, autism, and cancer -- there appears to be a concerted and insidious effort to smear organics, to convince consumers that there's no connection between their poor health and the low-grade chemical food on their plates. Food routinely grown in nutrient-deficient soil, sprayed with toxic pesticides, pumped full of antibiotics and hormones, and genetically modified in Monsanto's laboratories.
Instead, anti-organic forces are pushing the message that cheaper food is better for your wallet. And just fine for your health. Both the Stanford Study and Dr. Oz's Time article focus on cost to consumers at the checkout counter. Neither addresses the long-term cost of poor health caused by toxic chemicals, or the long-term cost to the planet of chemical-intensive, climate-disruptive, unsustainable agricultural practices.
That Stanford study, which was highlighted by major media outlets including the New York Times , Associated Press, and CBS News, didn't address pesticides and their proven link to health problems, especially in children. It didn't address waterways polluted by tons of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The study was limited to fruits and vegetables, so it didn't have to address the growing public health crisis of antibiotics and hormone residues in meat and dairy, nor the millions of annual food poisoning cases attributed to filthy meat and animal products coming out of the nation's factory farm feedlots and slaughterhouses.
The Stanford study also completely ignored the horrendous damage to the environment by non-organic industrial farms and feedlots, including the devastating consequences to the planet of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions from chemical fertilizers and huge factory farm operations. Recent statistics indicate that the direct (greenhouse gas pollution) and indirect (tropical deforestation) impacts of industrial food and farms are the largest contributor to global warming.
What the Stanford study did, thanks to a huge public relations push, was spread the message that organic fruits and vegetables are expensive, and conventional fruits and vegetables are just as good but cheaper. No doubt, the authors hope that consumers will carry over that message from fruits and vegetables, to all things organic.
It's no surprise that the Stanford study would focus on cost. As it turns out, the study was produced by Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute, which gets millions in funding from agribusiness giant Cargill, the world's largest agricultural business enterprise, and foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which have deep ties to agricultural chemical and biotechnology corporations like Monsanto. These giant corporations are all part of the same cabal that contributed at least half of the $46 million spent between October 1 and November 6 to defeat Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act. Just a coincidence that the Stanford study and the mass media propaganda barrage that accompanied it was released during the election season, when voters were still weighing their options on the high-profile California GMO labeling law that was making national headlines?
The motives behind the Stanford study and the Freeman Spogli Institute are obvious. What caused Dr. Oz to flip-flop is anyone's guess -- and just might make for a good story someday. Informed sources behind the scenes have told us that Dr. Oz is under tremendous pressure from the biotech industry after airing a segment earlier this fall that supported GMO labeling. He's also getting pressure from Big Pharma and federal regulatory agencies for his previous exposures of industry malpractices.
Consumer demand for organics is rising steadily. Last year, organic foods accounted for $31.4 billion in sales, according to a recent Obama administration report. Compare that with just $3.6 billion in 1997, and it makes sense that multinational junk food companies, like Pepsi, General Mills, Coca-Cola and others, are buying up organic brands. But these companies also know that there's more money in the $50-billion "natural" foods market, an unregulated market with higher profit margins and lower barriers to entry, than there is in certified organics. That explains why these same multinational companies pitched in the other half of the $46 million to defeat Prop 37. After all, if passed, the initiative would have banned the use of the word "natural" on any product containing genetically modified foods. That would have forced companies to use more expensive, certified organic ingredients in their highly profitable "natural" products.
Estimates are that if Prop 37 had passed, it would have triggered a multi-billion dollar increase in the sales of organic and non-GMO foods, and a corresponding decrease in the sales of so-called "natural" foods. Could it be that Big Ag and Big Pharma, who supply the drugs for non-organic factory farms, are feeling threatened by the fact that the market for organics is growing ten times faster than the market for conventional foods? The bottom line is that the real 1%, America's giant food processors and supermarket chains, are alarmed by the fact that consumers are wising up -- and rising up -- in greater numbers than ever before to demand transparency in labeling, and greater access to organic, locally-sourced, humanely-produced, nutritious food.
In a struggling economy, the quickest way to grab the attention of consumers is to promise them short-term savings. Messages like the ones transmitted by the Stanford study and Dr. Oz's recent article grossly oversimplify the issue of organics versus conventional foods, while propping up an unsustainable but highly profitable factory farm and processed food industry. They miss the point, intentionally, that pesticides, drug residues, and filthy factory farms damage public health and raise U.S. medical costs, which are already the highest in the world.
But no matter how hard Big Ag and the mass media try to misinform consumers, they are fighting a losing battle. There is mounting scientific evidence that genetically engineered foods are hazardous to human and animal health, and are severely damaging the environment and the climate. This is the reason why millions of Americans are turning to certified organic food, which bans GMOs, synthetic pesticides, and animal drugs. The big lie is that cheap chemical and GMO food isn't really cheap, if you take the long view.
Shame on you Dr. Oz, and the rest of the mass media for perpetuating this big lie.
No matter how many universities pump out however many studies, no matter how many famous TV personalities -- including those wearing scrubs -- try to tell us otherwise, our current systems of food and agriculture are unsustainable. That's why the organic food and farming movement is growing by leaps and bounds. That's why organic foods and agriculture will soon become the norm, just as they once were for thousands of years, not just the alternative.
About the authors:
Katherine Paul is director of development and communications at the Organic Consumers Association.
Ronnie Cummins is founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association. Cummins is author of numerous articles and books, including "Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers" (Second Revised Edition Marlowe & Company 2004).
Friday, December 7, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Boycotting the Pharmaceutical Industry
In my previous blogs, I’ve covered the dangers of GMO’s/conventional non-organic foods, harmful chemicals in conventional hygiene products, the toxins and chemicals in the tap water and a range of other things that can lead to deteriorated health conditions. It’s important to acknowledge what all of these things have in common: Consistently using and consuming these things over long periods of time causes a high potential for developing major illness. Cancer being a common factor. And what happens when most people develop cancer, or other major illness? They go to the doctors and are prescribed several prescription medications that often lead to further side effects and can even make things worse. The ones that seem to treat the symptoms proficiently aren’t actually curing or healing, and in a lot of cases, you’ll need to depend on these medications for years, or possibly the rest of your life.
This part might border on “conspiracy theorist” territory, and if that’s not your thing, you can feel free to stop reading, but if you have an open mind and care about your health, please continue. There’s a high possibility that all of these industries that cause illness and degraded health, and the pharmaceutical companies that “treat” those symptoms as a result, are all interconnected in one way or another. The banks, corporation owners, GMO industries, pharmaceutical industries, if you get to a high enough level it seems like they’re all connected and they all benefit monetarily. I know it’s scary to think that there are people who are purposefully trying to harm your health, but even if that’s not the case, it’s still highly important to choose healthy alternatives to everything. And luckily, those alternatives are out there and easy to find, as listed in my previous blog posts. A little bit more expensive, yes, but like I always say: either pay a little bit extra now for good health, or possibly pay a lot more later to combat illness/disease. And if you stick to as much of an organic lifestyle as possible, as well as developing a loving, positive, grateful, and blissful emotional state, you’re body will remain healthy and radiant, and provide adequate defense against any disease and illness.
The pharmaceutical industries and their buddies don’t want to promote real health, and they don’t want their products to actually cure disease, because they know that if those were the case, they would lose at least hundreds of billions of dollars a year. They’ve put the desire for profits far above their concern for people’s health. And they know that healthy people = a lot less money for them. I’m sorry if these views have caused any fear or anxiety, that’s certainly not my intention. But I feel like it's important for people to know these things, and to know of the right choices that they can make in life, so that they can feel empowered and confident about managing their health.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Recommended Material
I just wanted to share some really helpful websites that I've found to be of tremendous value. First up is Nick Good's website:
http://www.nickgoodpersonaldevelopment.com/index.html
Nick specializes in spirituality and health. He overcame cancer and has written a lot of material about how to overcome that and other diseases as well. He offers a lot of great nutritional tips on how to get and stay healthy as well. A lot of that material can be found in the PDF documents here towards the bottom of the page:
http://www.nickgoodpersonaldevelopment.com/Meditative_Yoga_Conscious_Living_Kilauea_HI.html
The other parts of his site that have to do with spirituality are very inspiring and helpful. I've always found it to be incredibly beneficial to read or listen to his material.
The other website belongs to Michael Mackintosh and can be found here:
http://michaelmackintosh.com/
A lot of his material has to do with mixing spirituality with business, but he also has a lot of other great articles in videos relating to other things of high interest as well. I've found his material to be incredibly helpful and beneficial as well.
http://www.nickgoodpersonaldevelopment.com/index.html
Nick specializes in spirituality and health. He overcame cancer and has written a lot of material about how to overcome that and other diseases as well. He offers a lot of great nutritional tips on how to get and stay healthy as well. A lot of that material can be found in the PDF documents here towards the bottom of the page:
http://www.nickgoodpersonaldevelopment.com/Meditative_Yoga_Conscious_Living_Kilauea_HI.html
The other parts of his site that have to do with spirituality are very inspiring and helpful. I've always found it to be incredibly beneficial to read or listen to his material.
The other website belongs to Michael Mackintosh and can be found here:
http://michaelmackintosh.com/
A lot of his material has to do with mixing spirituality with business, but he also has a lot of other great articles in videos relating to other things of high interest as well. I've found his material to be incredibly helpful and beneficial as well.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Simple, Yet Effective Life Advice
"Primum non nocere" (First, do no harm).
1. Give unconditional love and respect to everyone you interact with. This will be reciprocated to you.
2. Remember to respect yourself.
3. Be kind and compassionate.
4. Listen with your complete attention to what someone is saying and seek to understand them from their point of view. Let go of the filter of your opinions or judgments.
5. If you make promises, keep them. Don’t make any you can’t keep.
6. Clarify your expectations and stay on the same page as the other person.
7. Develop a mentality of abundance: there is plenty for everyone.
8. Be kind, be generous; do no harm to any living being. Be true to yourself! Make time and space for creative expression. Your actions are like seeds, of which you will reap the crop.
-Michael Mackintosh, Co-founder of Success Ultra Now
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Recommended Superfoods
Here's a quick post to list some beneficial superfoods that I highly recommend:
The first one is called Raw Cacao, which is chocolate in its most pure and natural form. It's one of the most nutrient-rich and complex foods known to man. It's also one of the most powerful and highly ranked antioxidants in the world. The ancient mayans regarded this to be the food of the Gods. It can be quite energizing (a healthy replacement for coffee), and mood elevating. Be sure to only have a little bit at a time though and not too late in the day, otherwise, it might be difficult to fall asleep that night. The majority of natural healthy-living markets should carry atleast one brand of raw cacao and most are sure to be organic. The specific brands that I personally recommend are:
and
Up next is Chia Seeds. These are full of things like fiber, protein, antioxidants, and lots of vitamins and minerals. These are also very good and efficient at assisting with weight-loss. The directions to preparing them are: Add a couple tablespoons of the seeds to a waterbottle, fill it with about 8 ounces of water or so, and mix really well. Wait about 20 minutes, or however long it takes for the water to become jelly-like, and then drink and enjoy. If the water fails to turn jelly-like, try adding more seeds and/or decreasing the amount of water used for the next time. Most natural markets carry these as well, perhaps in the bulk section, but here are the brands that I recommend:
and
And lastly, if you're interested in detoxing, I highly recommend Parsley and Cilantro. Perhaps used as a topping for salads or other vegetables.
Monday, October 8, 2012
My Highest Recommended Books
This is probably the best book I’ve ever read in my life. And I’d go as far as saying the most important one, as well. Reading it in full, this book has the potential to be completely life saving and changing. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s the perfect introduction for anyone who is looking to develop a sense of spirituality, and to gain advice about taking better care of yourself, and the world in general. I believe that most personal problems can be resolved and fixed by reading this and applying the contained information. And it’s completely possible to change your life into something amazing and graceful. If it was mandatory reading for everyone, I believe we really could live in the best world ever.
This is the recommended follow-up book. It focuses mainly on nutrition, health, and how to make the best and wisest decisions regarding all of that. It’s one of my highest recommended nutrition books. It’s very good for natural healing as well as it can tell you the recommended foods, herbs, supplements etc. to take for whatever kind of ailments you may be experiencing. Anyone who’s interested in learning to live a healthier lifestyle, not only for just themselves, but the planet in general, will really appreciate this book. It promotes a very Earth-friendly nutrition that’s also the most beneficial for the body as well.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Karma: The Good, The Bad, and What You Can Do About It
So far in my life, one of the things that I’ve learned I can be certain about is the existance of karma. There’s been so many instances that I’ve experienced by now, both big and small, that even the most hardpressed skeptics would be forced to stand down and agree that it’s most likely real. It’s just way beyond coincidence by this point. I’ve found that even having to kill a bug or insect (one of the thing’s I’ve vowed to never do again) resulted in several small bad things happening to me over the rest of the day. And oppositely, doing good and positive things for people, animals, the world, etc. results in good things and experiences. I’m not saying that doing good things and being a good person will help you to win the lottery and become a millionaire, but you can certaintly expect peace and things that will make your life atleast a little bit easier and better. And over time, perhaps some big good things as well.
So if karma is in fact a universal law that no one is exempt from, what would you choose to do with that newly found information? Hopefully you’d let it inspire you to live your life in a more positive and caring way. If you live a life that consists of a lot of bad things and experiences happening to you, that might mean that you’re stuck in the negative wheel of karma. Focus on the things you say and the actions you take. If you can recall getting caught up in negative behaviors, that could explain a lot. All you have to do is shift your behaviors and intentions to more positive and helpful ways. Find the strength and willpower to never say or do bad things to anyone. That can be tough at first for some, especially if negativity has become a habit in your life, but you’ll be surprised to see how quick that actions of good and kindness can become habit as well.
I understand that there’s tons of influences in the world that condone and inspire negative behavior, especially the mainstream media promoting all of their corruption. As well as lots of other people caught up in negative behaviors and actions, and sometimes, people can be inspired by their peers in those circumstances unfortunately. So the most important thing becomes rising above all of that, commiting yourself to goodness and grace, and not caring if others have any kind of a problem with that.
In conclusion, if you live your life based on negative intentions, behaviors, and actions, you can expect negative things to happen to you and your life as a result. Little by little (or quickly and big in some instances), things will happen that will make your life harder, add hassles to deal with, and cause unpleasantness in general. I wouldn't call karma a punishment, I think it's just a way for the universe to help you learn and grow. Oppositely, if you shift your attitudes and intentions and base them on positivity, kindness, and being helpful, you’ll see a lot of improvements in your life situations. Good things will come easier, and it’s just much more rewarding in general. Plus, there seems to be a lot of evidence to suggest the possibility of reincarnation, in which your karma gets carried over to any further lives you live. So if you were to devote your present life to negativity, ill treatment of others and the world, etc. then you might be in for a rude awakening in your next life. Something to atleast consider.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Another Letter From The Organic Conumers Association Regarding Prop. 37 and GMO's
Dear Organic Consumer,
People in other countries are dumbfounded when they learn that here in the U.S., for more than 15 years, we've allowed the biotech industry and the FDA to feed us a line about the safety of genetically modified foods - and worse yet, deny us the basic right to know which foods we buy contain GMOs and which don't.
If you live in this country, you should be more than dumbfounded. You should be outraged.
You can help pass this country's first GMO labeling law, Prop 37 The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, by making a donation today.
Last week French scientists published the results of the first ever long-term study on the health effects on lab rats of Monsanto's GMO corn and its best-selling herbicide, Roundup. According to the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, rats fed a lifetime diet of GMO corn and the herbicide-tolerant GM corn, or given water containing Roundup in amounts considered safe in drinking water and GM crops in the US, suffered tumors, multiple organ damage and premature death.
The study drew some criticism for its methodology. But it highlighted the fact that we know very little about the long-term health consequences of a GMO-laden diet. It also raised this critical question: Why are GMOs allowed in our food, without our knowledge, when it's clear that they have not been proven safe?
Here are 8 reasons you want Prop 37 to pass, and why we're asking for your support.
1. GMOs have never been proven safe. The FDA conducts no independent testing of GMOs, but instead claims that they are "not substantially different" from non-GMO foods.
2. The biotech industry is not required to conduct long-term safety studies on GMOs, and it keeps researchers from conducting those tests by claiming the right to protect its patented seeds and technologies.
3. GMOs are everywhere. Today, most non-organic US corn, soy, cotton and sugar beets - which are used in most of the sweeteners and additives used by food processors - are genetically engineered. So is the feed fed to the animals you eat. In fact, 75 - 85% of the processed food in your grocery store contains unlabeled GMOs.
4. The companies who want you to believe GMOs are safe are the same ones who lied to you about Agent Orange and DDT.
5. GE crops are responsible for super weeds and super bugs, soil degradation, and lack of diversity - which makes crops and humans more susceptible to disease.
6. The only folks who don't want you to know what's in your food are huge corporations like Monsanto, Dow AgriScience, BASF and food conglomerates like Pepsi and Coca-Cola - who along with other biotech, pesticide and processed food manufacturers have donated nearly $33 million to defeat Prop 37.
7. This is our best - and perhaps only - shot at labeling GMOs and ending Monsanto's monopoly of our food supply and destruction of our health and environment. Nineteen other states have tried - and failed - to get a GMO labeling law through the state legislative process. Prop 37 takes GMO labeling direct to the voters so Monsanto's lobbyists can't kill it.
8. If this law passes in California, food manufacturers have admitted that it may as well be a national law. They won't want to put 'this product contains GMOs" on their labels, so they will reformulate their products. And if they reformulate for California, they may as well do it for all of their products.
Early voting on Prop 37 begins on October 9. By November 6, this historic initiative will have passed or failed.
Please help OCA, OCF, and our allies raise $1 million by Sept. 30 to pass this country's first mandatory GMO labeling law. You can donate online, by phone, or by mail.
This is a David versus Goliath fight that we must win. Let's join the nearly 50 other countries in the world who already require mandatory labeling of GMOs.
For an Organic Future,
Ronnie Cummins
Director, Organic Consumers Association and Organic Consumers Fund
People in other countries are dumbfounded when they learn that here in the U.S., for more than 15 years, we've allowed the biotech industry and the FDA to feed us a line about the safety of genetically modified foods - and worse yet, deny us the basic right to know which foods we buy contain GMOs and which don't.
If you live in this country, you should be more than dumbfounded. You should be outraged.
You can help pass this country's first GMO labeling law, Prop 37 The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, by making a donation today.
Last week French scientists published the results of the first ever long-term study on the health effects on lab rats of Monsanto's GMO corn and its best-selling herbicide, Roundup. According to the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, rats fed a lifetime diet of GMO corn and the herbicide-tolerant GM corn, or given water containing Roundup in amounts considered safe in drinking water and GM crops in the US, suffered tumors, multiple organ damage and premature death.
The study drew some criticism for its methodology. But it highlighted the fact that we know very little about the long-term health consequences of a GMO-laden diet. It also raised this critical question: Why are GMOs allowed in our food, without our knowledge, when it's clear that they have not been proven safe?
Here are 8 reasons you want Prop 37 to pass, and why we're asking for your support.
1. GMOs have never been proven safe. The FDA conducts no independent testing of GMOs, but instead claims that they are "not substantially different" from non-GMO foods.
2. The biotech industry is not required to conduct long-term safety studies on GMOs, and it keeps researchers from conducting those tests by claiming the right to protect its patented seeds and technologies.
3. GMOs are everywhere. Today, most non-organic US corn, soy, cotton and sugar beets - which are used in most of the sweeteners and additives used by food processors - are genetically engineered. So is the feed fed to the animals you eat. In fact, 75 - 85% of the processed food in your grocery store contains unlabeled GMOs.
4. The companies who want you to believe GMOs are safe are the same ones who lied to you about Agent Orange and DDT.
5. GE crops are responsible for super weeds and super bugs, soil degradation, and lack of diversity - which makes crops and humans more susceptible to disease.
6. The only folks who don't want you to know what's in your food are huge corporations like Monsanto, Dow AgriScience, BASF and food conglomerates like Pepsi and Coca-Cola - who along with other biotech, pesticide and processed food manufacturers have donated nearly $33 million to defeat Prop 37.
7. This is our best - and perhaps only - shot at labeling GMOs and ending Monsanto's monopoly of our food supply and destruction of our health and environment. Nineteen other states have tried - and failed - to get a GMO labeling law through the state legislative process. Prop 37 takes GMO labeling direct to the voters so Monsanto's lobbyists can't kill it.
8. If this law passes in California, food manufacturers have admitted that it may as well be a national law. They won't want to put 'this product contains GMOs" on their labels, so they will reformulate their products. And if they reformulate for California, they may as well do it for all of their products.
Early voting on Prop 37 begins on October 9. By November 6, this historic initiative will have passed or failed.
Please help OCA, OCF, and our allies raise $1 million by Sept. 30 to pass this country's first mandatory GMO labeling law. You can donate online, by phone, or by mail.
This is a David versus Goliath fight that we must win. Let's join the nearly 50 other countries in the world who already require mandatory labeling of GMOs.
For an Organic Future,
Ronnie Cummins
Director, Organic Consumers Association and Organic Consumers Fund
Monday, September 24, 2012
Practice Compassion and Kindness
One of the more unfortunate aspects of our society has to deal with the large amounts of disrespect and poor treatment of others that takes place so often. It doesn’t seem to be immune to any age groups, either. It seems like bullying exists even amongst little children that are just barely learning to speak. It also seems like bullying in general is getting more common and intense, especially now that we have things like social media and smart phones. Even people that are more aligned with being good can fall in the trap of judging and hating on others. Even some of the nicest people I’ve known have judged and hated on people behind their backs at one point or another.
So what is causing all of this hate and disrespect in not only just our society, but the world as a whole? I’m afraid there aren’t any simple answers. And I’m not going to pretend that I know all of the science and sociological reasoning’s behind it. But I do have some very simple and easy to follow advice on how to stop experiencing those attitudes and actions, if you have them, and how to hopefully inspire others to stop them, if you don’t.
I think that the most important step is to gain at least a little bit of spirituality as you walk through this life. Most people are already affiliated with some type of religion and that’s a start, because I’d say that the majority of religions contain parts of their holy scripts that teach people to be kind and loving towards one another. And any church or temple that you attend will most likely have religious officials and leaders promoting those concepts as well. So if you align yourself with any religion and take it seriously, you should feel motivated to follow those parts of the teachings.
When you develop a strong sense of spirituality, you’ll learn that the best advice is to love everyone and to respect everything. Try to never judge anyone, no matter how different they are from you. I know there‘s millions of things that make people different from each other and separate us into different groups, but instead of focusing on differences, try to see everyone else as eternal spiritual beings who are also connected to God. Everyone deserves love and respect.
There will always be mean people out there unfortunately, and when confronted by them, the best bet is to ignore them and avoid them in the future. Once you are brought down to their level and become mean as well, it only leads to bad karma. So always try to take the high road.
For all the atheists out there, well, just try to find it in your hearts to do the right thing and treat people right at all times. You can use science to look at this issue as well. For example; the brain is such a complex and intricate thing with billions of cells, synapses and all kinds of things doing a trillion things every second. When you say or do bad things to a person, you’re causing a great deal of disharmony to that whole system and it results in pain that can degrade the brain, at least temporarily, but could do long-lasting permanent harm if done enough times. And the resulting hurt feelings could greatly degrade a person’s life if intense enough.
So the question becomes; do you really want to do that kind of harm to someone else? I hope that the answer is no. Otherwise, just try to remember the golden rule. Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Would you want anyone yelling at you, insulting you, spreading rumors about you or doing any other kinds of mean and disrespectful actions towards you? I’d be willing to bet that the answer is no. It would probably cause you hurt and pain. So keep that in mind before ever doing anything bad to anyone and let it motivate you to treat people with kindness and compassion.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
A Quick Post About the Importance of Daily Exercise
In addition to things like good nutrition and proper hygiene practices, one of the most important aspects to a healthy lifestyle is daily exercise. Fitness is a very broad topic and there are endless sources to look into, but I’ll try to keep things simple for this post.
The ideal exercise schedule should include 6 days a week, with each session lasting anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on what your goals are. But never anything less than 30 minutes. In my opinion, the most important kind of exercise is intense cardio, which I believe should be done with every work out session. Spending 30 minutes doing cardio is ideal for maintaining a healthy weight. 45-60 minutes of cardio a day is good for a weight-loss routine.
In some cases, cardio is all a person needs or wants to do, and that’s perfectly fine. If you choose to add further activities into your workout session, you could look into things like weightlifting to build either strength or muscle, and perhaps find a suitable abs routine as well. If money is an issue, you don’t need to join a gym. All you’ll need is some running shoes (these are the ones I recommend: http://www.patagonia.com/us/
In conclusion, Daily exercise is an extremely important part of healthy living. Here’s a link that goes over some of the best benefits that you can expect from incorporating that into your life:
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Prop. 37 Letter from the Organic Consumers Association
Dear Organic Consumer,
We are entering the home stretch of the most important food policy fight in your lifetime. Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, is a November 6 grassroots-powered, citizens’ ballot initiative that has huge implications for the future of food in this country.
This is a battle that pits the people – you, me, moms, dads, rich, poor, young, old - against fat-cat pesticide, biotech, and junk-food corporations who for years have shamelessly manipulated science, the political system, and the truth in order to rack up obscene profits at the expense of your health and safety.
This is a battle that has nothing to do with partisan politics. National polls show that 91% of Americans – republicans, democrats, independents, libertarians - want GMOs labeled.
This is a battle that began on the ground in California and has caught fire, garnering national and international media attention, drawing donors and volunteers from all 50 states.
This is a battle that we must win . . . if we are ever going to have what citizens in nearly 50 other countries already have: the basic right to know if our food contains pesticide-injected, bacteria and virus-laced genetically modified ingredients. Ingredients that, according to a growing number of scientists, are making us sick with everything from allergies and obesity, to cancer and organ failure.
In a few short weeks, early voting begins in California. By Nov. 6, this battle will have been won or lost.
If you eat food, this is your fight. If you haven’t joined in, now is the time.
You take the risks, Monsanto gets the benefits
Would you knowingly feed your family foods that are linked to cancer and organ failure? Absolutely not. Monsanto knows this. Monsanto knows that the FDA has given it a free ride for more than 15 years, allowing its bioengineers to concoct laboratory experiments using you as their lab rat. Between 75% - 80% of all non-organic processed foods contain GMOs. Unless those foods are labeled, you are most likely a human lab rat in a vast genetic experiment.
You take all the risks, Monsanto gets all the benefits.
Scientists point to a growing body of evidence to support claims that GMOs are linked to a host of health concerns. Why didn’t we know this 15 years ago? Because without labels, it’s impossible to trace specific health concerns to their food origins. The FDA conducts no pre-market safety testing on GMO foods, instead relying on Monsanto, DuPont, and Dow chemical to vouch for their safety.
Yes, believe it or not, the FDA allows the same companies that lied to us about the safety of DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs and bovine growth hormone to conduct their own dubious safety testing on GMOs, and then use those tests as ‘proof’ that GMOs are safe.
If genetically modified foods are so safe, why is Big Ag afraid to label them? If genetically engineered foods are safe, why are biotech companies, food manufacturers, and supermarket chains spending millions of dollars to deny you your right to know?
Prop 37 is our best hope – maybe our only chance
It’s not a stretch to say that if we lose the GMO labeling battle in California, we may never get another chance to force Big Biotech and Big Food to come clean about what they are doing to the food that you and I feed to our families. While some argue that we should be focused on a national GMO labeling law, those in the know understand that without this win in California, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of passing a nationwide GMO labeling law.
In the past two years alone, more than 19 states have attempted to pass GMO labeling legislation. Yet despite overwhelming bipartisan public support, every one of those efforts has failed. Why? Because powerful agribusiness lobbyists have corrupted the political process.
A federal bill? Forget it. More than a million people signed a petition to the FDA demanding it act on GMO labeling – more than any other FDA petition in history – yet your guys and gals in Washington have failed to act. As long as former Monsanto guns like Tom Vilsack and Michael Taylor hold key government positions and powerful influence, there will be no federal GMO labeling law.
As California goes, so goes the nation
Major food companies have already conceded that if we pass Prop 37 in California, we may as well pass a national GMO labeling law. If this law passes, food manufacturers will take GMOs out of their products, rather than risk losing sales by slapping a label proclaiming “This product contains GMOs” on every package. They admit that from a production standpoint, it makes no sense to reformulate only the products they sell in California, the eighth largest economy in the world – they’ll be forced to reformulate all of their products for all US markets.
If this law passes, we’ll finally see GMOs disappear from products in all 50 states, just as they’ve disappeared from foods in nearly 50 other countries that already have mandatory GMO labeling laws.
The opposition knows what’s at stake. That’s why they’ve amassed a war chest of more than $32 million – so far - to kill this initiative. Monsanto alone has kicked in $7.2 million. DuPont and its subsidiaries have dumped in $4.2 million, Dow and Bayer CropScience $2 million each, and the Kings of Junk Food, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, have contributed a combined $2.8 million. The biotech and junk food processing industries are running scared because, finally, GMO labeling is going to be decided by the people – not politicians or industry lobbyists.
The battle for GMO labeling relies on you
The Organic Consumers Association and our allied lobbying organization, the Organic Consumers Fund, have been a key player in Prop 37 from the very beginning, spending countless hours, serving on the campaign’s steering committee, and raising funds. OCF has pledged $1 million – money we’ve raised from people like you who are outraged that our elected officials have ignored pleas from the overwhelming majority of their constituents to require mandatory labeling of GMOs.
Today, I ask for your continued support in this monumental David-versus-Goliath fight for what ought to be a guaranteed, basic right – a right we’ve been denied for far too long. The more money the opposition throws at this fight, the more obvious it is that for the first time ever, they believe their science experiments and huge profits – at your expense - may be at risk.
The polls show us leading in California, despite being behind in terms of raising money. But money alone won’t win this battle. It will take a herculean effort by tens of thousands of volunteers to overcome the opposition’s massive advertising campaign, a campaign of lies meant to frighten and intimidate voters into thinking a few extra words on a label will somehow be more dangerous than being a lab rat for Monsanto.
If you haven’t already, please pitch in today using our secure online donation system, by sending a check, or by calling our office to help with the ongoing mobilization of volunteers, printing of leaflets and signs, and outreach to the media to keep this issue at the forefront of voters’ minds.
If you have already donated all you can, please reach out to your friends. Forward this letter. Share it on Facebook and Twitter.
If we win this battle in California, we win it for all of us. If we lose? Monsanto will grow larger, more powerful, more arrogant, more dangerous. And the quality of your food – and most likely your health – will deteriorate.
This is your fight. And time is running out. Thank you!
Organically yours,
For an Organic Future,
Ronnie Cummins
Director, Organic Consumers Association and
Organic Consumers Fund
We are entering the home stretch of the most important food policy fight in your lifetime. Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, is a November 6 grassroots-powered, citizens’ ballot initiative that has huge implications for the future of food in this country.
This is a battle that pits the people – you, me, moms, dads, rich, poor, young, old - against fat-cat pesticide, biotech, and junk-food corporations who for years have shamelessly manipulated science, the political system, and the truth in order to rack up obscene profits at the expense of your health and safety.
This is a battle that has nothing to do with partisan politics. National polls show that 91% of Americans – republicans, democrats, independents, libertarians - want GMOs labeled.
This is a battle that began on the ground in California and has caught fire, garnering national and international media attention, drawing donors and volunteers from all 50 states.
This is a battle that we must win . . . if we are ever going to have what citizens in nearly 50 other countries already have: the basic right to know if our food contains pesticide-injected, bacteria and virus-laced genetically modified ingredients. Ingredients that, according to a growing number of scientists, are making us sick with everything from allergies and obesity, to cancer and organ failure.
In a few short weeks, early voting begins in California. By Nov. 6, this battle will have been won or lost.
If you eat food, this is your fight. If you haven’t joined in, now is the time.
You take the risks, Monsanto gets the benefits
Would you knowingly feed your family foods that are linked to cancer and organ failure? Absolutely not. Monsanto knows this. Monsanto knows that the FDA has given it a free ride for more than 15 years, allowing its bioengineers to concoct laboratory experiments using you as their lab rat. Between 75% - 80% of all non-organic processed foods contain GMOs. Unless those foods are labeled, you are most likely a human lab rat in a vast genetic experiment.
You take all the risks, Monsanto gets all the benefits.
Scientists point to a growing body of evidence to support claims that GMOs are linked to a host of health concerns. Why didn’t we know this 15 years ago? Because without labels, it’s impossible to trace specific health concerns to their food origins. The FDA conducts no pre-market safety testing on GMO foods, instead relying on Monsanto, DuPont, and Dow chemical to vouch for their safety.
Yes, believe it or not, the FDA allows the same companies that lied to us about the safety of DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs and bovine growth hormone to conduct their own dubious safety testing on GMOs, and then use those tests as ‘proof’ that GMOs are safe.
If genetically modified foods are so safe, why is Big Ag afraid to label them? If genetically engineered foods are safe, why are biotech companies, food manufacturers, and supermarket chains spending millions of dollars to deny you your right to know?
Prop 37 is our best hope – maybe our only chance
It’s not a stretch to say that if we lose the GMO labeling battle in California, we may never get another chance to force Big Biotech and Big Food to come clean about what they are doing to the food that you and I feed to our families. While some argue that we should be focused on a national GMO labeling law, those in the know understand that without this win in California, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of passing a nationwide GMO labeling law.
In the past two years alone, more than 19 states have attempted to pass GMO labeling legislation. Yet despite overwhelming bipartisan public support, every one of those efforts has failed. Why? Because powerful agribusiness lobbyists have corrupted the political process.
A federal bill? Forget it. More than a million people signed a petition to the FDA demanding it act on GMO labeling – more than any other FDA petition in history – yet your guys and gals in Washington have failed to act. As long as former Monsanto guns like Tom Vilsack and Michael Taylor hold key government positions and powerful influence, there will be no federal GMO labeling law.
As California goes, so goes the nation
Major food companies have already conceded that if we pass Prop 37 in California, we may as well pass a national GMO labeling law. If this law passes, food manufacturers will take GMOs out of their products, rather than risk losing sales by slapping a label proclaiming “This product contains GMOs” on every package. They admit that from a production standpoint, it makes no sense to reformulate only the products they sell in California, the eighth largest economy in the world – they’ll be forced to reformulate all of their products for all US markets.
If this law passes, we’ll finally see GMOs disappear from products in all 50 states, just as they’ve disappeared from foods in nearly 50 other countries that already have mandatory GMO labeling laws.
The opposition knows what’s at stake. That’s why they’ve amassed a war chest of more than $32 million – so far - to kill this initiative. Monsanto alone has kicked in $7.2 million. DuPont and its subsidiaries have dumped in $4.2 million, Dow and Bayer CropScience $2 million each, and the Kings of Junk Food, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, have contributed a combined $2.8 million. The biotech and junk food processing industries are running scared because, finally, GMO labeling is going to be decided by the people – not politicians or industry lobbyists.
The battle for GMO labeling relies on you
The Organic Consumers Association and our allied lobbying organization, the Organic Consumers Fund, have been a key player in Prop 37 from the very beginning, spending countless hours, serving on the campaign’s steering committee, and raising funds. OCF has pledged $1 million – money we’ve raised from people like you who are outraged that our elected officials have ignored pleas from the overwhelming majority of their constituents to require mandatory labeling of GMOs.
Today, I ask for your continued support in this monumental David-versus-Goliath fight for what ought to be a guaranteed, basic right – a right we’ve been denied for far too long. The more money the opposition throws at this fight, the more obvious it is that for the first time ever, they believe their science experiments and huge profits – at your expense - may be at risk.
The polls show us leading in California, despite being behind in terms of raising money. But money alone won’t win this battle. It will take a herculean effort by tens of thousands of volunteers to overcome the opposition’s massive advertising campaign, a campaign of lies meant to frighten and intimidate voters into thinking a few extra words on a label will somehow be more dangerous than being a lab rat for Monsanto.
If you haven’t already, please pitch in today using our secure online donation system, by sending a check, or by calling our office to help with the ongoing mobilization of volunteers, printing of leaflets and signs, and outreach to the media to keep this issue at the forefront of voters’ minds.
If you have already donated all you can, please reach out to your friends. Forward this letter. Share it on Facebook and Twitter.
If we win this battle in California, we win it for all of us. If we lose? Monsanto will grow larger, more powerful, more arrogant, more dangerous. And the quality of your food – and most likely your health – will deteriorate.
This is your fight. And time is running out. Thank you!
Organically yours,
For an Organic Future,
Ronnie Cummins
Director, Organic Consumers Association and
Organic Consumers Fund
Monday, September 17, 2012
Healthy Energy/Meal Bars
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be common to miss a meal every day. Or at least miss one every couple days. I myself can never wake up with enough time for breakfast during the work week. Although the perfect breakfast would be made up of things like several organic fruits, organic orange juice, and perhaps some cage-free organic eggs and organic cereal, luckily there are some alternatives out there for those of us on the go that don’t have time to put together such a meal before heading out for the day. They come in the form of meal (or sometimes“energy”) bars. This has been a fast growing field with immeasurable countless options available, most of which are not nearly as healthy and beneficial as they claim. A lot of these bars are probably more harmful if anything. So I just wanted to make this quick post to share with you some of the ones I’ve found to be more on the healthy and beneficial side:
Organic food bar – http://www.organicfoodbar.com/
Easily the best and healthiest one in my opinion. And my personal favorite.
ProBar – http://theprobar.com/
Very healthy, and the best tasting brand in my opinion.
Pure Bar – http://thepurebar.com/
Another really good one. Just be sure to get the flavors that are certified organic, as some of them aren’t.
Raw Revolution – http://rawrev.com/
Most of the products that come from those companies are organic, vegan, gluten free, and made with raw ingredients. I’m sure there are other healthy and beneficial meal bar companies out there, but these are the ones in my personal top-choice list. When looking at other brands to consider, make sure that they’re organic (the most important thing), not too high in calories, and perhaps certified as vegan, gluten free, and using raw ingredients.
Beware of the brands that label themselves as “All-Natural” and that don’t have any kind of organic certification. These will contain GMO’s and other harmful ingredients, and will overall be more harmful than beneficial.
Organic food bar – http://www.organicfoodbar.com/
Easily the best and healthiest one in my opinion. And my personal favorite.
ProBar – http://theprobar.com/
Very healthy, and the best tasting brand in my opinion.
Pure Bar – http://thepurebar.com/
Another really good one. Just be sure to get the flavors that are certified organic, as some of them aren’t.
Raw Revolution – http://rawrev.com/
Most of the products that come from those companies are organic, vegan, gluten free, and made with raw ingredients. I’m sure there are other healthy and beneficial meal bar companies out there, but these are the ones in my personal top-choice list. When looking at other brands to consider, make sure that they’re organic (the most important thing), not too high in calories, and perhaps certified as vegan, gluten free, and using raw ingredients.
Beware of the brands that label themselves as “All-Natural” and that don’t have any kind of organic certification. These will contain GMO’s and other harmful ingredients, and will overall be more harmful than beneficial.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The Importance of a Substance-Free Lifestyle Part 2
Part 2 of this post will focus on the heavier drugs aspect of substances. These aren’t as prevalent as cigarettes and alcohol, but they are out there, and it’s just as important to know to stay away from these things as well. The main problem is that, even though smoking and drinking cause health problems, using drugs will also cause a ton of health problems, but at a much faster rate. With smoking and drinking, it might take years or even a decade to develop serious health problems, but with drugs it’s a lot quicker. In some cases it only takes a few months for massive damages to be done.
I wouldn’t consider marijuana to be a huge risk, as long as it’s not laced with anything, because it’s a natural plant. But I wouldn’t suggest doing it a lot because it’s been shown to decrease motivation and can also impact the brain in negative ways. It has also been linked to lung cancer if done frequently enough.
When it comes to all of the other drugs though, it’s important to stay away from them at all costs. Avoid them like the plague; drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, meth, heroin, etc, etc. There’s a long list of all kinds of other pills and substances that fall under this same category. Do yourself a favor and stay away from all of them. These things will not only ruin your health quickly, but they’ll also ruin your life and possibly end it (drug overdoses).
Sometimes, it can seem like drugs are the cool thing to do, because celebrities are doing them, and they’re available at parties and their made out to be this fun and pleasurable experience. You might feel peer pressure to do them, but anyone who would negatively judge you for not using is someone who isn’t worth being friends with anyways. It’s really important to keep your guard up and not let these things tempt you to use. It’s also important to mention that, unlike cigarettes and alcohol, these things are very illegal and can get you sent to jail and possibly get put on your permanent record, making it hard to get a job. They can also get you fired if your place of work participates in drug testing.
It would take a long time to go over the huge amounts of health consequences that drugs can do to your brain and body, but you can learn more about them from these links: http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/medical-consequences-drug-abuse, http://alcoholism.about.com/od/sa/a/drug_effects.htm. And for more motivation to stay away, check out http://planetoddity.com/faces-of-meth-addicts/. Not only will drugs ruin the inside of your body and mind, but they will take a horrendous toll on your physical appearance as well. With most drugs, you can expect them to cause such effects as hair loss, teeth loss, scabs, increased aging and wrinkles, just to name a few.
In conclusion, there’s really no reason to be using any of these substances, and every reason not to be. Don’t let the media or other people think for you. The truth is, we’re born with only one body. We need to treat it with the utmost care and respect, because if any intense harm is done to it, it can be extremely difficult, or sometimes even impossible, to reverse such damage. And our bodies do so much for us, trillions of things per second, every single cell. The least we can do is show our respect to them by treating them with the care and nurture that they deserve so that they can keep functioning optimally.
I wouldn’t consider marijuana to be a huge risk, as long as it’s not laced with anything, because it’s a natural plant. But I wouldn’t suggest doing it a lot because it’s been shown to decrease motivation and can also impact the brain in negative ways. It has also been linked to lung cancer if done frequently enough.
When it comes to all of the other drugs though, it’s important to stay away from them at all costs. Avoid them like the plague; drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, meth, heroin, etc, etc. There’s a long list of all kinds of other pills and substances that fall under this same category. Do yourself a favor and stay away from all of them. These things will not only ruin your health quickly, but they’ll also ruin your life and possibly end it (drug overdoses).
Sometimes, it can seem like drugs are the cool thing to do, because celebrities are doing them, and they’re available at parties and their made out to be this fun and pleasurable experience. You might feel peer pressure to do them, but anyone who would negatively judge you for not using is someone who isn’t worth being friends with anyways. It’s really important to keep your guard up and not let these things tempt you to use. It’s also important to mention that, unlike cigarettes and alcohol, these things are very illegal and can get you sent to jail and possibly get put on your permanent record, making it hard to get a job. They can also get you fired if your place of work participates in drug testing.
It would take a long time to go over the huge amounts of health consequences that drugs can do to your brain and body, but you can learn more about them from these links: http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/medical-consequences-drug-abuse, http://alcoholism.about.com/od/sa/a/drug_effects.htm. And for more motivation to stay away, check out http://planetoddity.com/faces-of-meth-addicts/. Not only will drugs ruin the inside of your body and mind, but they will take a horrendous toll on your physical appearance as well. With most drugs, you can expect them to cause such effects as hair loss, teeth loss, scabs, increased aging and wrinkles, just to name a few.
In conclusion, there’s really no reason to be using any of these substances, and every reason not to be. Don’t let the media or other people think for you. The truth is, we’re born with only one body. We need to treat it with the utmost care and respect, because if any intense harm is done to it, it can be extremely difficult, or sometimes even impossible, to reverse such damage. And our bodies do so much for us, trillions of things per second, every single cell. The least we can do is show our respect to them by treating them with the care and nurture that they deserve so that they can keep functioning optimally.
The Importance of a Substance-Free Lifestyle Part 1
In some of my earlier posts, I talked about using certain nutritional and hygienic practices to maintain quality levels of health. In this post, I’m going to address another strategy of equal importance; living a substance-free life. The term “substance-free” means to live a lifestyle abstaining from alcohol, smoking, drugs, and any other harmful and unethical substances.
I’ll start off with addressing cigarettes and alcohol. The problem with these two things are that not only are they perfectly legal and easy to gain access to, they’re also heavily advertised to people of all ages and walks of life. Also, a big percentage of people smoke,and almost everybody drinks alcohol, so this sends a message that might as wellsound like “The media is always advertising these things, and tons of people use them, so they must be perfectly alright. I might as well fit in and join the crowd.” However, parts of the media have been addressing how unhealthy cigarettes are and the damage that they cause, so that’s a step in the right direction.
Some people will just start out smoking one or two cigarettes here and there if they’re with friends who smoke. But even that’s a problem because the tobacco companies purposely fill cigarettes with nicotine and other extremely addictive chemicals. So even if you just start out small, it won’t take much time until you’re craving cigarettes more and more to the point where it becomes a full on addiction. Here’s a website that offers a quick summary of the health consequences of smoking: http://doingyoudamage.com/. Also, long-term smoking will cause permanent harm to your voice making it sound very raspy and unhealthy and will increase the rate at which you age. Overall, the tobacco industry is filled with greedy corrupt murderers. Think really carefully before making the choice to support them while harming your body and health in the process.
Next we have alcohol, which is even more highly advertised than cigarettes. I believe that advertising, as well as how it’s displayed in the media, have caused it to be almost a mandatory part of life and part of the general culture. People are usually in shock and disbelief when I reveal that I don’t drink, because it’s so rare to find people this day and age who don’t. I’ll start out by saying that light social drinking every now and then is alright, perhaps some organic wine at a special event. But in my opinion, things like liquor and beer should never be used. I know it’s a way for a lot of people to have fun and feel good. But it’s not worth the potential risks and the health consequences. The biggest risks for drinking include drunk-driving car accidents, which rank high on the list of leading causes of death in this country. And also, the risk of sexual assault, which is also a very common occurrence, especially amongst college-aged people. The media will sometimes talk about those risks, but it often fails to list the health consequences. To learn more about the health consequences of alcohol, check out these links: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/alcohol/l-2/04-health-effects-alcohol.htm,http://alcoholism.about.com/od/health/Effects_of_Alcohol_Health_Effects_of_Alcohol.htm,and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000281.htm. And also, don’t forget all of the empty calories. Drinking frequently, especially beer, is a quick way to gain excess weight.
I know that it can seem tempting to drink because of all the media advertisements and the fact that almost everyone else is doing it, but you don’t have to listen to that. And it pays off a lot if you don’t.
I’ll start off with addressing cigarettes and alcohol. The problem with these two things are that not only are they perfectly legal and easy to gain access to, they’re also heavily advertised to people of all ages and walks of life. Also, a big percentage of people smoke,and almost everybody drinks alcohol, so this sends a message that might as wellsound like “The media is always advertising these things, and tons of people use them, so they must be perfectly alright. I might as well fit in and join the crowd.” However, parts of the media have been addressing how unhealthy cigarettes are and the damage that they cause, so that’s a step in the right direction.
Some people will just start out smoking one or two cigarettes here and there if they’re with friends who smoke. But even that’s a problem because the tobacco companies purposely fill cigarettes with nicotine and other extremely addictive chemicals. So even if you just start out small, it won’t take much time until you’re craving cigarettes more and more to the point where it becomes a full on addiction. Here’s a website that offers a quick summary of the health consequences of smoking: http://doingyoudamage.com/. Also, long-term smoking will cause permanent harm to your voice making it sound very raspy and unhealthy and will increase the rate at which you age. Overall, the tobacco industry is filled with greedy corrupt murderers. Think really carefully before making the choice to support them while harming your body and health in the process.
Next we have alcohol, which is even more highly advertised than cigarettes. I believe that advertising, as well as how it’s displayed in the media, have caused it to be almost a mandatory part of life and part of the general culture. People are usually in shock and disbelief when I reveal that I don’t drink, because it’s so rare to find people this day and age who don’t. I’ll start out by saying that light social drinking every now and then is alright, perhaps some organic wine at a special event. But in my opinion, things like liquor and beer should never be used. I know it’s a way for a lot of people to have fun and feel good. But it’s not worth the potential risks and the health consequences. The biggest risks for drinking include drunk-driving car accidents, which rank high on the list of leading causes of death in this country. And also, the risk of sexual assault, which is also a very common occurrence, especially amongst college-aged people. The media will sometimes talk about those risks, but it often fails to list the health consequences. To learn more about the health consequences of alcohol, check out these links: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/alcohol/l-2/04-health-effects-alcohol.htm,http://alcoholism.about.com/od/health/Effects_of_Alcohol_Health_Effects_of_Alcohol.htm,and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000281.htm. And also, don’t forget all of the empty calories. Drinking frequently, especially beer, is a quick way to gain excess weight.
I know that it can seem tempting to drink because of all the media advertisements and the fact that almost everyone else is doing it, but you don’t have to listen to that. And it pays off a lot if you don’t.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sweatshop-free Clothing
Clothing is a basic need and necesseity for everyone. Unfortunately, there's a dark side that the clothing industry hides from it's customers, and it's something that you'll hardly see the media cover or hear most people even talk about for that matter. This is the issue of sweatshops and the exploitation of poverty-stricken workers in under-developed countries. A lot of the time, these factory sweatshops provide extremely sub-par work environments, and adhere to unethical practices such as employing young children and providing extremely low pay. In a lot of cases, workers at these sweatshops can expect to make a couple of dollars per day, or sometimes even less, for ten or twelve hours of work each day while being horribly mistreated. This is why the majority of the clothing companies have moved their factories outside of the U.S. because they know that they can exploit the people of these other countries by hardly paying them while adding huge percentages of increased profit to their own pockets as a result. A lot of the retail stores are set up so nicely and fancy looking and provide very inviting atmospheres for people to come in and spend their money, but I believe that if most people realized the ugly origins of these clothes and the companies that produce them, they would not want to be supporting such brands. Unfortunately, most brands participate in using sweatshops and exploited workers. Whether it's cheap clothes at a retail store or high end brands at an outlet mall, chances are there's a lot of corruption behind the company and the practices they partake in. It would seem logical to believe that the more expensive brands would have better and safer working environments with properly paid workers, because those companies could easily afford that set-up, after all, but that's never the case. Here are a few resources to learn more about sweatshops from:
http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-sweatshops
http://www.ourfuture.org/progressive-opinion/2009104319/stunning-facts-sweatshop-conditions
http://www.waronwant.org/overseas-work/sweatshops-and-plantations/china-sweatshops
And just in case you thought celebrity brands were any different... http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/12/kardashian-products-made-sweatshops-child-labor-investigation-underway
Fortunately, there are good brands out there that don't get involved with such practices. These brands usually go the extra mile to make sure that they're as polarly opposite as their sweatshop counterparts as possible. A lot of the time they use organic cotton (cotton that hasn't been exposed to harmful chemicals during preperations), and donate a percentage of their profits to environmental orginazations. Here is a list of some of the companies I've found that choose to use ethical practices and are sweatshop free:
http://www.patagonia.com/us/home
http://www.rawganique.com/
http://www.gaiam.com/category/apparel.do
http://maggiesorganics.com/
http://www.americanapparel.net/
And a ton of other ones listed here... http://www.greenpages.org/listing/guide/clothing
As well as all of the cruelty-free links I posted in my previous post.
If enough people stop spending money on sweatshop-using companies, and instead, choose to support ethical companies like these, we could put an end to the practice of sweatshops because the corrupt companies would eventually go out of business, or at the very least, be forced to make all of the necessary ethical changes after losing their customers to ethics-based companies.
http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-sweatshops
http://www.ourfuture.org/progressive-opinion/2009104319/stunning-facts-sweatshop-conditions
http://www.waronwant.org/overseas-work/sweatshops-and-plantations/china-sweatshops
And just in case you thought celebrity brands were any different... http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/12/kardashian-products-made-sweatshops-child-labor-investigation-underway
Fortunately, there are good brands out there that don't get involved with such practices. These brands usually go the extra mile to make sure that they're as polarly opposite as their sweatshop counterparts as possible. A lot of the time they use organic cotton (cotton that hasn't been exposed to harmful chemicals during preperations), and donate a percentage of their profits to environmental orginazations. Here is a list of some of the companies I've found that choose to use ethical practices and are sweatshop free:
http://www.patagonia.com/us/home
http://www.rawganique.com/
http://www.gaiam.com/category/apparel.do
http://maggiesorganics.com/
http://www.americanapparel.net/
And a ton of other ones listed here... http://www.greenpages.org/listing/guide/clothing
As well as all of the cruelty-free links I posted in my previous post.
If enough people stop spending money on sweatshop-using companies, and instead, choose to support ethical companies like these, we could put an end to the practice of sweatshops because the corrupt companies would eventually go out of business, or at the very least, be forced to make all of the necessary ethical changes after losing their customers to ethics-based companies.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A Quick Post on Leather (And Other Animal-Product Fashion)
This will just be a quick continuation of my last post. Whereas my previous post dealt with the problems of killing animals for food, this post will deal with the problems of killing animals for leather, fur, etc. In my last post, we learned about the horrors of the factory-farming slughterhouse industy and all of the torture, brutal conditions, and killing that take place at those factories. That's something that needs to be remembered for this post. The animals that are killed for their skins to make clothes/accessories out of are treated just as bad and have to go through all of those same experiences.
Luckily, there are tons of alternatives out there for everything that's made from animals that you can buy instead, so that you won't be supporting the companies that represent the cruelty and killing of animals. Here are just a few of the many examples:
http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/cruelty-free-clothing-guide.aspx
PETA lists a bunch of companies and products that are free of animal skins.
http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/index.aspx
This is a really great leather-alternative company.
Those links alone provide animal free-alternatives for everything you can think of that are usually made from leather/animal skins. And more good news is that if you don't like any of their options, you can go to any search engine or amazon and type in vegan belts, vegan wallets, vegan shoes, vegan purses, or vegan anything and there's tons of other options that come up. Also, when searching, you can use other keywords such as "cruetly-free", "animal-free", "fake leather", etc.
If enough people out there choose this type of consumerism, we can end the concept of killing animals for fashion and apparel. The companies that kill animals to use real leather will either run out of business, or be forced to switch to animal-free products. Because, after all, it's we that have the power to control the markets.
Luckily, there are tons of alternatives out there for everything that's made from animals that you can buy instead, so that you won't be supporting the companies that represent the cruelty and killing of animals. Here are just a few of the many examples:
http://www.peta.org/living/fashion/cruelty-free-clothing-guide.aspx
PETA lists a bunch of companies and products that are free of animal skins.
http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/index.aspx
This is a really great leather-alternative company.
Those links alone provide animal free-alternatives for everything you can think of that are usually made from leather/animal skins. And more good news is that if you don't like any of their options, you can go to any search engine or amazon and type in vegan belts, vegan wallets, vegan shoes, vegan purses, or vegan anything and there's tons of other options that come up. Also, when searching, you can use other keywords such as "cruetly-free", "animal-free", "fake leather", etc.
If enough people out there choose this type of consumerism, we can end the concept of killing animals for fashion and apparel. The companies that kill animals to use real leather will either run out of business, or be forced to switch to animal-free products. Because, after all, it's we that have the power to control the markets.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The Issue of Eating Meat/Finding an Ethical and Healthy Way
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.
-Paul McCartney
"Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to murder of one's own kind only, but to all living beings.
-Leo Tolstoy
"Nothing will benefit human health or increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
-Albert Einstein
In a perfect world, there'd be no such thing as eating meat. Or at the very least, we'd be able to fully go without it while remaining in optimal conditions of health. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. I myself have experimented with veganism and vegetarianism with negative outcomes. At worst, I was getting really sick every couple of weeks. At best, I'd feel completely fatigued every day. I understand that it's possible to live that lifestyle healthily if you're a genius about supplementation, or have the proper genetics for it, but I'm not quite there yet.
There's several problems I have with eating meat. Mostly, I've always been highly against the idea of factory farm slaughterhouses and all of the torture, killing, horrible living conditions, and overall brutality that take place at those factories. What we're doing to these animals is nothing short of being equal to genocide and like a neverending holocaust. Watch this video to get just an idea of the atrocities that go on behind the scenes of where our meat comes from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJfY5CXTM0
And keep in mind that these arn't just animals for us to do with as we please. But instead, try to see them for what they really are; conscious, living, breathing beings that experience emotions and feel pain, exactly like us. Just because they lack the ability to communicate and build things, that doesn't mean we should view them as lesser than us.
And then there's the issue of how unhealthy conventional processed meat is. Keep in mind that most of these animals have been pumped so full of growth hormones, antibiotics and fed with GMO feed and other poisonous food. A lot of these animals have become genetically modified themselves. By the time any of it is ready to eat, it's extremely unhealthy.
Most meats lead to extreme health problems such as clogged arteries, high cholesterol, heart-attacks and even cancer: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm
So what are the solutions? Fortunately there's a lot of them that are easy to figure out and add to your life. For starters, you could decide to try out veganism or vegetarianism and see if you're able to live that lifestyle healthily.
For everyone else, you can remember this tip: The ONLY meats I've found to be healthy and beneficial are free-range organic chicken, cage-free organic eggs, and natural wild caught fish. Those are the only ones that I've found to be low in fat, high in nutrients, and overall, safe and healthy to eat. The brand I recommend for fish is http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/. This way, you can fully avoid supporting slaughterhouses and unnecessarily harsh treatment of animals.
Although it's true that meat in general will always have high protein, when you're dealing with conventional meat, especially meats that come from cows or pigs, there's always going to be much more harm than good.
In conclusion, try to look out for not only the animals and the planet, but your health as well. If you're going to eat meat, please try to make sure that it's free-range and organic.
-Paul McCartney
"Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to murder of one's own kind only, but to all living beings.
-Leo Tolstoy
"Nothing will benefit human health or increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
-Albert Einstein
In a perfect world, there'd be no such thing as eating meat. Or at the very least, we'd be able to fully go without it while remaining in optimal conditions of health. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world. I myself have experimented with veganism and vegetarianism with negative outcomes. At worst, I was getting really sick every couple of weeks. At best, I'd feel completely fatigued every day. I understand that it's possible to live that lifestyle healthily if you're a genius about supplementation, or have the proper genetics for it, but I'm not quite there yet.
There's several problems I have with eating meat. Mostly, I've always been highly against the idea of factory farm slaughterhouses and all of the torture, killing, horrible living conditions, and overall brutality that take place at those factories. What we're doing to these animals is nothing short of being equal to genocide and like a neverending holocaust. Watch this video to get just an idea of the atrocities that go on behind the scenes of where our meat comes from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJfY5CXTM0
And keep in mind that these arn't just animals for us to do with as we please. But instead, try to see them for what they really are; conscious, living, breathing beings that experience emotions and feel pain, exactly like us. Just because they lack the ability to communicate and build things, that doesn't mean we should view them as lesser than us.
And then there's the issue of how unhealthy conventional processed meat is. Keep in mind that most of these animals have been pumped so full of growth hormones, antibiotics and fed with GMO feed and other poisonous food. A lot of these animals have become genetically modified themselves. By the time any of it is ready to eat, it's extremely unhealthy.
Most meats lead to extreme health problems such as clogged arteries, high cholesterol, heart-attacks and even cancer: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm
So what are the solutions? Fortunately there's a lot of them that are easy to figure out and add to your life. For starters, you could decide to try out veganism or vegetarianism and see if you're able to live that lifestyle healthily.
For everyone else, you can remember this tip: The ONLY meats I've found to be healthy and beneficial are free-range organic chicken, cage-free organic eggs, and natural wild caught fish. Those are the only ones that I've found to be low in fat, high in nutrients, and overall, safe and healthy to eat. The brand I recommend for fish is http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/. This way, you can fully avoid supporting slaughterhouses and unnecessarily harsh treatment of animals.
Although it's true that meat in general will always have high protein, when you're dealing with conventional meat, especially meats that come from cows or pigs, there's always going to be much more harm than good.
In conclusion, try to look out for not only the animals and the planet, but your health as well. If you're going to eat meat, please try to make sure that it's free-range and organic.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Importance of Raw Nutrition
One thing that's easy to overlook is the importance of food to be consumed in its raw, or uncooked, state. I'd go so far as to say that atleast 80% of the diet should consist of raw foods, specifically organic fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Fruits are usually served in raw form anyways, so that parts easy. A mistake that a lot of people make is cooking and/or steaming their vegetables, and it's important not to do that, but to eat them raw instead. And lastly, a lot of nuts are sold in "roasted" form, so when buying any nuts or trailmix, make sure that they're in raw and organic form.
The reason why Raw is important is because when you're cooking/roasting/steaming foods, especially vegetables and nuts, it kills the majority of the vitamins and nutrients that were originally contained within those foods.
David Wolfe, one of the world leading nutritionists, has this to say about Raw Foods:
"A 100% Raw-Food Diet is the greatest secret in the world today. What we eat deeply and radically affects the way we think, feel, and behave. It radically affects the entire life process of planet Earth. 90% of the Earth's abundance is being burned up in the kitchen fire. Ann Wigmore did a study which demonstrated that 83% of the food's nutritional value is lost in the process of cooking. That means that 83% of the TIME, LABOR, and RESOURCES which went into creating that food are also destroyed by cooking. This idea affects everything! It affects all agriculture, all politics, all business, all economics, all over the world! The global impact of humanity's eating habits prompted me to dedicate myself to this message of physical and planetary rejuvenation. A 100% raw plant food diet IS the greatest discovery in the history of the world. It is THE path which will lead humanity out of the present chaos into a bountiful future.
I have always been health conscious, being the son of two medical doctors. I saw ill people my whole life and naturally wanted to avoid going down the same path. So, I stopped taking medicine at 10 years old against my parents' wishes, and stopped dairy products at 19. Then I gradually cut out the dead animal muscle (meat) and was a vegan for a time, until exposed to the raw-food idea by reading Bircher-Benner's Nutritional Diseases which we had in my home. After which, I became a raw-foodist overnight"
This article goes into good detail as well... http://www.naturalnews.com/037037_raw_food_diet_chemical_agriculture_antioxidants.html
The reason why Raw is important is because when you're cooking/roasting/steaming foods, especially vegetables and nuts, it kills the majority of the vitamins and nutrients that were originally contained within those foods.
David Wolfe, one of the world leading nutritionists, has this to say about Raw Foods:
"A 100% Raw-Food Diet is the greatest secret in the world today. What we eat deeply and radically affects the way we think, feel, and behave. It radically affects the entire life process of planet Earth. 90% of the Earth's abundance is being burned up in the kitchen fire. Ann Wigmore did a study which demonstrated that 83% of the food's nutritional value is lost in the process of cooking. That means that 83% of the TIME, LABOR, and RESOURCES which went into creating that food are also destroyed by cooking. This idea affects everything! It affects all agriculture, all politics, all business, all economics, all over the world! The global impact of humanity's eating habits prompted me to dedicate myself to this message of physical and planetary rejuvenation. A 100% raw plant food diet IS the greatest discovery in the history of the world. It is THE path which will lead humanity out of the present chaos into a bountiful future.
I have always been health conscious, being the son of two medical doctors. I saw ill people my whole life and naturally wanted to avoid going down the same path. So, I stopped taking medicine at 10 years old against my parents' wishes, and stopped dairy products at 19. Then I gradually cut out the dead animal muscle (meat) and was a vegan for a time, until exposed to the raw-food idea by reading Bircher-Benner's Nutritional Diseases which we had in my home. After which, I became a raw-foodist overnight"
This article goes into good detail as well... http://www.naturalnews.com/037037_raw_food_diet_chemical_agriculture_antioxidants.html
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Recycling
Just a quick post on this, as the word speaks for itself more or less. But always remember to recycle when possible. It's definetely a positive and effective hobby that's helpful for the Earth. Anything ranging from plastic, to glass, to paper. If you're not sure whether something's recyclable or not, just put it in the recycle bin just to be safe. The recycling centers sort out everything over there.
The Earth's resources are finite, so when something's gone, it's gone for good. But with all of our efforts to recycle, we won't have to worry about running out. And it also results in less of a toll being taken on the Earth. For example; if everyone recycles enough paper, it reduces the amount of trees that need to get cut down to make more paper.
The Earth's resources are finite, so when something's gone, it's gone for good. But with all of our efforts to recycle, we won't have to worry about running out. And it also results in less of a toll being taken on the Earth. For example; if everyone recycles enough paper, it reduces the amount of trees that need to get cut down to make more paper.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Activism
But what can just one of us do? Against all that money and power trying to crush us into roaches?
- Jello Biafra
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.
- Margaret Mead
It's my belief that political, social, and environmental activism are some of the most effective things that we, the common citizens, can be doing that will cause real positive change in the world. With all of the countless corporations, banks, and politicians causing harm to the world, in one way or another, it's up to us to stop them. We have to be the big obstacle for them, because nothing else will. The good thing is that we can make a difference, especially when joined together in large numbers. I know there's a lot of important issues to cover and try to fix in the world, but luckily, every one of them has atleast one large activist organization working tirelessly for the cause and attempting to create as positive a change as possible. And even better, the presence of the internet has made it easier than ever for anyone to actively become involved with any of these organizations and to help join the fight and make positive changes in the world. It's great to get out and find live activist protests and demonstrations in public to join, but when location or work schedules get in the way of that, it's still just as effective, and convenient, to join the organizations "Action Alerts" teams and work from home (just follow the "Take Action" links). Most of the organizations make this as quick and easy as possible for their participants. So without further ado, here is a list of organizations that I strongly recommend getting involved with:
GreenPeace - http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - http://www.peta.org/
Sierra Club - http://www.sierraclub.org/
Environmental Defense Fund - http://www.edf.org/
Flouride Action Network - http://www.fluoridealert.org/
Global Exchange - http://www.globalexchange.org/
Organic Consumers Association - http://organicconsumers.org/
Right to Know GMO - http://www.carighttoknow.org/
Green America - http://www.greenamerica.org/
Answer Coalition - http://www.answercoalition.org/national/index.html
Natural Resource Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org/
Oceana - http://oceana.org/en
World Wildlife Fund - http://worldwildlife.org/
United For Peace and Justice - http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
The Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/
War Resisters League - http://www.warresisters.org/
Center for Biological Diversity - http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Clean Water Action - http://www.cleanwater.org/
Earth Justice - http://earthjustice.org/
Conservation International - http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx
Healthy Child Healthy World - http://healthychild.org/
Eco Health Alliance - http://www.ecohealthalliance.org/
Clean Clothes Campaign - http://www.cleanclothes.org/
This is just a small example of the many organizations that are out there. If you'd like, you can join any one of those, as well as searching for other ones that focus on the main issues that you care about. Consider the quote "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something." The world needs our help right now, and I hope you'll join the effort.
- Jello Biafra
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.
- Margaret Mead
It's my belief that political, social, and environmental activism are some of the most effective things that we, the common citizens, can be doing that will cause real positive change in the world. With all of the countless corporations, banks, and politicians causing harm to the world, in one way or another, it's up to us to stop them. We have to be the big obstacle for them, because nothing else will. The good thing is that we can make a difference, especially when joined together in large numbers. I know there's a lot of important issues to cover and try to fix in the world, but luckily, every one of them has atleast one large activist organization working tirelessly for the cause and attempting to create as positive a change as possible. And even better, the presence of the internet has made it easier than ever for anyone to actively become involved with any of these organizations and to help join the fight and make positive changes in the world. It's great to get out and find live activist protests and demonstrations in public to join, but when location or work schedules get in the way of that, it's still just as effective, and convenient, to join the organizations "Action Alerts" teams and work from home (just follow the "Take Action" links). Most of the organizations make this as quick and easy as possible for their participants. So without further ado, here is a list of organizations that I strongly recommend getting involved with:
GreenPeace - http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - http://www.peta.org/
Sierra Club - http://www.sierraclub.org/
Environmental Defense Fund - http://www.edf.org/
Flouride Action Network - http://www.fluoridealert.org/
Global Exchange - http://www.globalexchange.org/
Organic Consumers Association - http://organicconsumers.org/
Right to Know GMO - http://www.carighttoknow.org/
Green America - http://www.greenamerica.org/
Answer Coalition - http://www.answercoalition.org/national/index.html
Natural Resource Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org/
Oceana - http://oceana.org/en
World Wildlife Fund - http://worldwildlife.org/
United For Peace and Justice - http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
The Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/
War Resisters League - http://www.warresisters.org/
Center for Biological Diversity - http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Clean Water Action - http://www.cleanwater.org/
Earth Justice - http://earthjustice.org/
Conservation International - http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx
Healthy Child Healthy World - http://healthychild.org/
Eco Health Alliance - http://www.ecohealthalliance.org/
Clean Clothes Campaign - http://www.cleanclothes.org/
This is just a small example of the many organizations that are out there. If you'd like, you can join any one of those, as well as searching for other ones that focus on the main issues that you care about. Consider the quote "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something." The world needs our help right now, and I hope you'll join the effort.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Conscientious Consumerism Can Save the World
I believe that one of the most important things that we can do to promote real positive change for the planet, both on an individual and collective level, is to be much more careful and conscientous about where we spend our money and what we spend it on. For example, I mentioned earlier how important it is to buy organic food. Let's say hypothetically that overnight, everyone decided to buy only organic food from here on out. This would activate a huge positive change. Within a month or so, you'd see all of the fast food restaurants closing and going out of business. You'd see industries like Monsanto panicking and running out of money. Most people don't realize that it's us, the consumers, who hold the real power, rather than the corporations. It's a matter of demand and supply. So if everyone switched over to only organic food, those would be the only food companies that would survive, and all of the companies that use GMO's, pesticides, herbicides, etc, would run out of business, and there'd be no market for new ones to start up.
Another good example is: let's say that everyone stopped buying hygiene products from companies that partake in animal testing. Within a matter of months, all of those companies would be going out of business, and there'd be no more animal testing in the world.
The best thing about this strategy is that it works the same for every industry. If everyone in the country only spent money on environmentally responsible, health promoting, and ethical companies, then it would be the downfall for every company that stands for the opposite of those things. All of the companies that stand for greed and corruption, and who care more about money than the welfare of the planet and all of its inhabitants, they'd all be gone and out of business in a matter of months if we, the common people, stopped supporting them by buying their products. Imagine a world with only caring, positive, and healthy companies that had good morals, and who cared about the planet and its people and animals. That sounds like a world I'd want to live in. And the good news is that we, the people, have the power to make that happen. The only hard parts are initially learning about this issue in the first place, and also learning about which companies are the positive ones to be spending money on and supporting. Luckily, there are some sources out there that can help direct us to finding out which companies are good (worth spending money on) and bad (completely avoiding). These websites are probabaly the best of those sources that I've found so far....
http://www.betterworldshopper.com/rankings.html
I wouldn't consider it to be 100% completely accurate, but it's definetely a good step in the right direction, and a good starting point in general.
Another really good one is... http://www.greenpages.org/
Fortunately, most companies that are ethical, caring, and environmentally responsible go out of their way to advertise those things on their websites, especially in their Frequently Asked Questions sections, so if you're ever questionable about any company/corporation, just check their website and it should be easy to figure out where they stand.
And just remember; the corporate world is dependent on us, the common citizens, even more so than we're dependent on them. We control the market with our spending habits. Their destinies lay in our hands. So since we're the ones with the power, let's use it wisely and really make it count.
Another good example is: let's say that everyone stopped buying hygiene products from companies that partake in animal testing. Within a matter of months, all of those companies would be going out of business, and there'd be no more animal testing in the world.
The best thing about this strategy is that it works the same for every industry. If everyone in the country only spent money on environmentally responsible, health promoting, and ethical companies, then it would be the downfall for every company that stands for the opposite of those things. All of the companies that stand for greed and corruption, and who care more about money than the welfare of the planet and all of its inhabitants, they'd all be gone and out of business in a matter of months if we, the common people, stopped supporting them by buying their products. Imagine a world with only caring, positive, and healthy companies that had good morals, and who cared about the planet and its people and animals. That sounds like a world I'd want to live in. And the good news is that we, the people, have the power to make that happen. The only hard parts are initially learning about this issue in the first place, and also learning about which companies are the positive ones to be spending money on and supporting. Luckily, there are some sources out there that can help direct us to finding out which companies are good (worth spending money on) and bad (completely avoiding). These websites are probabaly the best of those sources that I've found so far....
http://www.betterworldshopper.com/rankings.html
I wouldn't consider it to be 100% completely accurate, but it's definetely a good step in the right direction, and a good starting point in general.
Another really good one is... http://www.greenpages.org/
Fortunately, most companies that are ethical, caring, and environmentally responsible go out of their way to advertise those things on their websites, especially in their Frequently Asked Questions sections, so if you're ever questionable about any company/corporation, just check their website and it should be easy to figure out where they stand.
And just remember; the corporate world is dependent on us, the common citizens, even more so than we're dependent on them. We control the market with our spending habits. Their destinies lay in our hands. So since we're the ones with the power, let's use it wisely and really make it count.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
General Hygiene: Healthy and Conscientious Choices
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
-Mahatma Ghandi
In my last post I went over the do's and don'ts of dental hygiene, and for this post I'll try to go over the rest of the hygienic needs and my recommendations for healthy, beneficial, and ecologically responsible products that can meet those needs. Much like with the dental products, the main things to keep in mind are to find products that contain mostly organic, harmless ingredients, and are cruelty free/not tested on animals. Such products can easily be found in any natural health market, and even in the natural health section of most supermarkets.
The company I most recommend for shower and facial products is Sea Chi Organics http://seachi.com/. Especially
http://www.seachi.com/lime-body-wash-4oz120ml-p-99.html for body wash, http://www.seachi.com/peppermint-shampoo-8oz240ml-p-102.html for shampoo, and
http://www.seachi.com/leave-moisturizing-treatment-hair-growth-formula-8oz240ml-p-44.html for conditioner. They have a number of other products that cover all kinds of things, all of which are worth looking into. Dr. Bronner's Soaps is definetely another highly recommended company http://www.drbronner.com/ and they have products that cover almost all hygienic needs. Giovanni Cosmetics is another wonderful company that offers very reasonable prices for all of their products http://www.giovannicosmetics.net/.
For deoderants, it's really important to get a brand that doesn't contain any aluminum (and all the other chemicals the mainstream brands use, for that matter). Aluminum-containing deoderants have been linked to causing many health problems, even cancer. Read more about that at http://suite101.com/article/aluminum-in-deodorant-a45498 and http://www.naturalnews.com/027624_deodorant_aluminum.html. My preferred brand is Alba Botanica http://www.albabotanica.com/body/deodorants.html.
For hand soap, I really like the antibacterial soap by Clean Well http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/our-products/hand-soaps/.
For body lotion, I recommend the MSM lotion by Sun Star Organics http://sunstarorganics.com/msmberryvanillalotion.aspx.
Here's a site that list's a huge amount of hygiene companies that don't partake in animal testing... http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php
And of course any of the body and skin care products approved by healthy-living expert David Wolfe and featured on the Longevity Warehouse site at http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/category-s/156.htm.
Those are some of the brands and products that I recommend, but when choosing for yourself, always consider these two main things to keep in mind: No harmful and toxic chemicals, and no testing on animals.
-Mahatma Ghandi
In my last post I went over the do's and don'ts of dental hygiene, and for this post I'll try to go over the rest of the hygienic needs and my recommendations for healthy, beneficial, and ecologically responsible products that can meet those needs. Much like with the dental products, the main things to keep in mind are to find products that contain mostly organic, harmless ingredients, and are cruelty free/not tested on animals. Such products can easily be found in any natural health market, and even in the natural health section of most supermarkets.
The company I most recommend for shower and facial products is Sea Chi Organics http://seachi.com/. Especially
http://www.seachi.com/lime-body-wash-4oz120ml-p-99.html for body wash, http://www.seachi.com/peppermint-shampoo-8oz240ml-p-102.html for shampoo, and
http://www.seachi.com/leave-moisturizing-treatment-hair-growth-formula-8oz240ml-p-44.html for conditioner. They have a number of other products that cover all kinds of things, all of which are worth looking into. Dr. Bronner's Soaps is definetely another highly recommended company http://www.drbronner.com/ and they have products that cover almost all hygienic needs. Giovanni Cosmetics is another wonderful company that offers very reasonable prices for all of their products http://www.giovannicosmetics.net/.
For deoderants, it's really important to get a brand that doesn't contain any aluminum (and all the other chemicals the mainstream brands use, for that matter). Aluminum-containing deoderants have been linked to causing many health problems, even cancer. Read more about that at http://suite101.com/article/aluminum-in-deodorant-a45498 and http://www.naturalnews.com/027624_deodorant_aluminum.html. My preferred brand is Alba Botanica http://www.albabotanica.com/body/deodorants.html.
For hand soap, I really like the antibacterial soap by Clean Well http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/our-products/hand-soaps/.
For body lotion, I recommend the MSM lotion by Sun Star Organics http://sunstarorganics.com/msmberryvanillalotion.aspx.
Here's a site that list's a huge amount of hygiene companies that don't partake in animal testing... http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php
And of course any of the body and skin care products approved by healthy-living expert David Wolfe and featured on the Longevity Warehouse site at http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/category-s/156.htm.
Those are some of the brands and products that I recommend, but when choosing for yourself, always consider these two main things to keep in mind: No harmful and toxic chemicals, and no testing on animals.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Dental Hygiene/The Flouride Issue
One of the most important aspects of taking care of oneself is dental hygiene. The strategy that I was always taught was to just brush and floss a couple of times per day, and maybe use some mouthwash as well, without much more detail than that. It was pretty straight forward and to the point, and it worked good enough. I never had any cavities or any other dental problems. But eventually, I learned that there was a danger from not having enough detailed information. A danger that was hidden in the background the whole time and that wasn't causing any harm that I was consciously aware of. The danger that I'm talking about is flouride, which is an ingrediant found in almost every mainstream toothpaste and mouthwash brand sold in supermarkets. It's also used during dentist visits and promoted by many dentists themselves, which is very misleading. And because all of the mainstream brands, and many dentists, promote this ingredient, it's very easy to not pay much attention to it, and to believe that it's healthy and perfectly safe to be using.
The main harm that flouride causes is that it calcifies the pineal gland over time. The pineal gland alone is a huge topic but the following article is a good starting point on learning more about it... http://miraclesandinspiration.com/pinealgland.html. In short, it's a very important gland located in the brain. Some ancient cultures considered it to be the third eye, and even referred to it as the seat of the soul. (Also note that it's important avoid drinking tap water, as most of it is flouridated, and contains many other nasty elements).
The harm doesn't stop there though. Many scientific researchers have come to the conclusion that it lowers IQ, including a few at Harvard... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/24/idUS127920+24-Jul-2012+PRN20120724. When there's an article from Reuters and it consists of people at Harvard telling you this kind of information, it should be difficult to ignore by now. The following are also some great sources for learning more about the dangers and consequences of flouride... http://www.nofluoride.com/ which includes a good amount of quotes from Dentists, Doctors, etc. and http://www.fluoridealert.org/.
Another really big issue is that the majority of the mainstream dental hygiene brands that are featured in supermarkets participate in animal testing. These practices are highly cruel and harmful for the animals being used. They often live short lives with little or no quality. The question that everyone should ask themselves and meditate on is "Do I really want to be supporting this? Do I really want to be providing the companies that partake in this with money?" The longer that such companies get funded by customers, the longer they're in business for. The longer they're in business for, the longer they'll be able to continue with unconscionable animal testing.
The good news is that it's very easy to avoid pitfalls such as these. All one has to do is go to any natural health market to find dental hygiene products. The majority of them don't contain any flouride and they don't come from companies that partake in animal testing. They clearly state these facts on the labels and they show the little bunny symbol with "Cruelty Free" written right under it. The great things about products from natural health markets are that they not only lack all of the harmful chemicals and ingredients that the meanstream brands have, but they're also much more effective, and of course, beneficial. My personal favorites are the Theraneem products http://organixsouth.com/theraneem/oral-care/toothpaste-mint.html and http://organixsouth.com/theraneem/oral-care/herbal-neem-mouthwash.html for toothpaste and mouthwash. Terradent makes a really good toothbrush http://www.amazon.com/Eco-dent-Terradent-Replaceable-Head-Toothbrush/dp/B006L9SDDU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344881383&sr=8-5&keywords=terradent. Any product from Dr. Tung's is highly recommended http://www.drtungs.com/. And of course any products from the Longevity Warehouse dental section, which have all been approved by healthy-living expert David Wolfe http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/category-s/128.htm.
After reading this, there might be a few skeptics out there that still believe that flouride is mandatory in order to have adequate dental health. But I've been flouride-free for over a year now and my teeth have never looked and felt stronger and healthier.
The main harm that flouride causes is that it calcifies the pineal gland over time. The pineal gland alone is a huge topic but the following article is a good starting point on learning more about it... http://miraclesandinspiration.com/pinealgland.html. In short, it's a very important gland located in the brain. Some ancient cultures considered it to be the third eye, and even referred to it as the seat of the soul. (Also note that it's important avoid drinking tap water, as most of it is flouridated, and contains many other nasty elements).
The harm doesn't stop there though. Many scientific researchers have come to the conclusion that it lowers IQ, including a few at Harvard... http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/24/idUS127920+24-Jul-2012+PRN20120724. When there's an article from Reuters and it consists of people at Harvard telling you this kind of information, it should be difficult to ignore by now. The following are also some great sources for learning more about the dangers and consequences of flouride... http://www.nofluoride.com/ which includes a good amount of quotes from Dentists, Doctors, etc. and http://www.fluoridealert.org/.
Another really big issue is that the majority of the mainstream dental hygiene brands that are featured in supermarkets participate in animal testing. These practices are highly cruel and harmful for the animals being used. They often live short lives with little or no quality. The question that everyone should ask themselves and meditate on is "Do I really want to be supporting this? Do I really want to be providing the companies that partake in this with money?" The longer that such companies get funded by customers, the longer they're in business for. The longer they're in business for, the longer they'll be able to continue with unconscionable animal testing.
The good news is that it's very easy to avoid pitfalls such as these. All one has to do is go to any natural health market to find dental hygiene products. The majority of them don't contain any flouride and they don't come from companies that partake in animal testing. They clearly state these facts on the labels and they show the little bunny symbol with "Cruelty Free" written right under it. The great things about products from natural health markets are that they not only lack all of the harmful chemicals and ingredients that the meanstream brands have, but they're also much more effective, and of course, beneficial. My personal favorites are the Theraneem products http://organixsouth.com/theraneem/oral-care/toothpaste-mint.html and http://organixsouth.com/theraneem/oral-care/herbal-neem-mouthwash.html for toothpaste and mouthwash. Terradent makes a really good toothbrush http://www.amazon.com/Eco-dent-Terradent-Replaceable-Head-Toothbrush/dp/B006L9SDDU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344881383&sr=8-5&keywords=terradent. Any product from Dr. Tung's is highly recommended http://www.drtungs.com/. And of course any products from the Longevity Warehouse dental section, which have all been approved by healthy-living expert David Wolfe http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/category-s/128.htm.
After reading this, there might be a few skeptics out there that still believe that flouride is mandatory in order to have adequate dental health. But I've been flouride-free for over a year now and my teeth have never looked and felt stronger and healthier.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Supplements
It is possible to stay completely healthy without the use of supplements, especially if you're sticking to a diet filled with healthy organic food and drinks and exercise, but sometimes certain supplements can definetely provide that extra boost and improve upon an already healthy status. It can get really confusing though, because there's millions of supplements out there that cover every possible variety. A lot of them can be unhealthy, especially when mixing too many different kinds together. And a lot of them don't deliver the kind of results that they promise. I've always believed in the "Less is Best" approach when it comes to supplements and I wanted to share the ones that I've found to be really healthy and beneficial.
Multivitamin:
When looking for a multivitamin, it's very important that you make sure it's a whole-foods based one and that it contains mostly organic ingredients. If it's not whole-foods based, it might as well be a placebo. The one that I've found that works best for me is http://www.gardenoflife.com/ProductsforLife/LivingNutrients/LivingMultisupsupMens/tabid/668/Default.aspx (the directions say to take 6 pills per day, but I think that must be for extreme cases because if I take anymore than 1 a day, I feel I've taken too much). In fact, I strongly recommend Garden of Life in general. You can view all of their other products at http://www.gardenoflife.com/Home/tabid/1974/Default.aspx and drag down the list from the "Products for Life" option.
Protein:
When you work out on a regular basis, taking a protein powder can be very beneficial. Finding a good one can be extra tricky though because there's a lot of very unhealthy brands out there and they all promise amazing and almost unrealistic results. The one that I've found to be the best is http://www.sunwarrior.com/product-info/classic-protein/. I like Sunwarrior protien because it's raw, vegan, and doesn't contain any GMO's. I've found it to be safe and effective and the chocolate flavored one tastes really good. From what I understand, the Warrior Blend option is just as good as the classic one, but I havn't tried that one yet.
MSM:
A supplement that many people recommended to me, and one that David Wolfe highly promotes, is called MSM. This supplement is really beneficial as it helps to improve a lot of things ranging from joints, skin, hair, cartilage, and a number of other things. I've heard it referred to as an anti-aging supplement before, and that seems to be the case. The one that I've found to be the best is http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Omica-Organics-Non-Petroleum-MSM-Crystals-1-lb-p/msmcrystals1lbomica.htm. It's organic and comes in the form of a powder. MSM has no known toxicity, so you can take a lot of it without worrying, but I'd recommend mixing 1 tablespoon with water or juice twice a day.
Those are the only supplements that I currently take, but for anyone who is interested in looking around to add more supplements to their regimen, I strongly recommend the website http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Default.asp. Everything for sale on that website has been approved by and meets the standards of nutritional expert David Wolfe.
Multivitamin:
When looking for a multivitamin, it's very important that you make sure it's a whole-foods based one and that it contains mostly organic ingredients. If it's not whole-foods based, it might as well be a placebo. The one that I've found that works best for me is http://www.gardenoflife.com/ProductsforLife/LivingNutrients/LivingMultisupsupMens/tabid/668/Default.aspx (the directions say to take 6 pills per day, but I think that must be for extreme cases because if I take anymore than 1 a day, I feel I've taken too much). In fact, I strongly recommend Garden of Life in general. You can view all of their other products at http://www.gardenoflife.com/Home/tabid/1974/Default.aspx and drag down the list from the "Products for Life" option.
Protein:
When you work out on a regular basis, taking a protein powder can be very beneficial. Finding a good one can be extra tricky though because there's a lot of very unhealthy brands out there and they all promise amazing and almost unrealistic results. The one that I've found to be the best is http://www.sunwarrior.com/product-info/classic-protein/. I like Sunwarrior protien because it's raw, vegan, and doesn't contain any GMO's. I've found it to be safe and effective and the chocolate flavored one tastes really good. From what I understand, the Warrior Blend option is just as good as the classic one, but I havn't tried that one yet.
MSM:
A supplement that many people recommended to me, and one that David Wolfe highly promotes, is called MSM. This supplement is really beneficial as it helps to improve a lot of things ranging from joints, skin, hair, cartilage, and a number of other things. I've heard it referred to as an anti-aging supplement before, and that seems to be the case. The one that I've found to be the best is http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Omica-Organics-Non-Petroleum-MSM-Crystals-1-lb-p/msmcrystals1lbomica.htm. It's organic and comes in the form of a powder. MSM has no known toxicity, so you can take a lot of it without worrying, but I'd recommend mixing 1 tablespoon with water or juice twice a day.
Those are the only supplements that I currently take, but for anyone who is interested in looking around to add more supplements to their regimen, I strongly recommend the website http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Default.asp. Everything for sale on that website has been approved by and meets the standards of nutritional expert David Wolfe.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Positive Sources of Influence and Insperation
Success Ultra Now:
Michael Mackintosh, Nick Good, and occasionaly David Wolfe really know their stuff. These guys are experts on nutrtion, spirituality, positive living, etc, and they've really influenced me in a big way. They have a lot of great material on their Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/successultranow and even more on their free advanced training website at http://mysuperherotraining.com/basecamp/intro-with-nick-michael/.
David Wolfe:
This guy is without a doubt the authority on truly healthy nutrition and lifestyle in my opinion. This guy's information and knowledge has benefited me in huge ways and I'm forever in debt to him. First I'd recommend a few of his books as a good place to start. Amazing Grace http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-Principles-Living-Natural/dp/1556437307 is easily one of the best and most important book I've ever read. It's a huge life changer filled with invaluable information. And then one of his books that focuses primarily on nutrtion, Eating for Beauty http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Beauty-David-Wolfe/dp/1556437323/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343706093&sr=1-1&keywords=david+wolfe+eating+for+beauty is extremly informative and invaluable as well. You can also see him speaking about nutritional tips a lot on the Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Longevitydvds. And his website http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Default.asp is a place where you can find all of the health enhancing products that he recommends and produces. Anything ranging from superfoods, to supplements, to hygiene products.
His additional websites are http://www.davidwolfe.com/ and http://www.thebestdayever.com/bde-david-wolfe.html.
Michael Mackintosh, Nick Good, and occasionaly David Wolfe really know their stuff. These guys are experts on nutrtion, spirituality, positive living, etc, and they've really influenced me in a big way. They have a lot of great material on their Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/successultranow and even more on their free advanced training website at http://mysuperherotraining.com/basecamp/intro-with-nick-michael/.
David Wolfe:
This guy is without a doubt the authority on truly healthy nutrition and lifestyle in my opinion. This guy's information and knowledge has benefited me in huge ways and I'm forever in debt to him. First I'd recommend a few of his books as a good place to start. Amazing Grace http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Grace-Principles-Living-Natural/dp/1556437307 is easily one of the best and most important book I've ever read. It's a huge life changer filled with invaluable information. And then one of his books that focuses primarily on nutrtion, Eating for Beauty http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Beauty-David-Wolfe/dp/1556437323/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343706093&sr=1-1&keywords=david+wolfe+eating+for+beauty is extremly informative and invaluable as well. You can also see him speaking about nutritional tips a lot on the Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Longevitydvds. And his website http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Default.asp is a place where you can find all of the health enhancing products that he recommends and produces. Anything ranging from superfoods, to supplements, to hygiene products.
His additional websites are http://www.davidwolfe.com/ and http://www.thebestdayever.com/bde-david-wolfe.html.
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