It seems like the subject of genetically modified foods is being brought up more and more these days as more and more people who have never heard of this are now being informed.  

Genetically modified (GM) food is to say the least a very controversial subject. Many foods on the market contain ingredients derived from these foods and of the most concern to me is infant formula and baby food and foods.  The highest percentage of GM foods are corn, soybeans, canola, sugar beets, rice, papayas, farmed raised salmon, aspartame, dairy and cotton.   If you do not buy organic dairy products then the products will most likely have been injected with the GM growth hormone and the animal possibly fed GM grains and hay.   You may think you are safe with cotton but cottonseed oil and canola oil are used in margarine and processed foods.  If you live in Europe, avoiding GM foods is easier since laws require labeling, but in the US and Canada food manufacturers are not required to label GM foods.  

Here is something I did not know until doing research for this post.  Produce will have a PLU (price look up) number (that little sticker you find on fruit and vegetables).  A 4 digit number means it is conventionally raised (not organic and sprayed with chemicals and pesticides), a 5 digit number will mean that it is either organic or genetically modified.  If the number begins with an 8 it is GM but this cannot be always counted on since this labeling is optional.  If the number begins with a 9 it is organic.   Be aware that foods labeled "made with organic ingredients" can contain up to 30% GMOs so the best buy would be a label that says "100% organic."
Examples
4139: Conventional Papaya
94139: Organic Papaya
84139: GMO Papaya 

Doesn't it just leave your head spinning?  Isn't it hard enough to come up with the money to purchase these foods, let alone trying to get an education as to how to buy them?

Organic crops must be grown in safe soil, have no modifications, and must remain separate from conventional products. Farmers are not allowed to use synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes (GMOs), petroleum-based fertilizers, and sewage sludge-based fertilizers.   That last phrase "sewage sludge-based fertilizers" does not sound appetizing at all.  No wonder this country's hospitals are full and ill health abounds.  The curse placed upon us was that it would be hard to grow our crops and by the sweat of our brow we would produce them and eat.  I think man has placed an additional curse upon himself by all the toxins he puts in his foods and especially how he has of late been genetically modifying his foods.  

What exactly is genetically modified foods?   Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals whose DNA has been altered. For instance the gene of a bacteria can be taken and placed within the gene of corn to produce a certain desirable trait.  These products have undergone only short-term testing to determine their effects on humans and the environment so we do not know the long term effects.   

If you purchase corn it is most likely genetically modified.  The corn has a gene that expresses a protein that is toxic to corn earworms.  This is the type of corn that is produced commercially on a wide scale in the U.S.  The bacteria that was used in the gene splice is naturally found in the soil and many organic farmers use this to spray on their gardens for insect control.  The insect dies but the vegetable can be washed and rid of it so you won't be eating it  This natural insecticide is called BT (bacillus therigiensis). 


 It is one thing to use it organically as a spray but it is a whole different thing for it to be combined with an entirely different organism like corn, thus the name BT Corn.  Corn is no longer corn but a cross between a bacteria and a corn.  

Why should you be concerned about GM foods?  Genetically modified foods have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. The effects on humans of consuming these new combinations of proteins produced in GMOs are unknown and have not been studied.

In all fairness I will say that there are many who take the stance that GM foods are safe and that we should not worry at all about it.  Personally, I don't think we need to be gene splicing different species together.  Who knows where this will lead.  And I do not like that there are no long term studies.  I think it would be best to leave each species of organisms to themselves and not tamper with cutting and pasting their genes.

Genesis 1:12 - "And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good."

God created everything and placed within His creation the certain genes that would always reproduce after their kind.  This is reason enough for us to leave His creation as it is.  There may be long term ill effects of this gene tampering.  

What combinations have been tried?

It is now possible for plants to be engineered with genes taken from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Scientists have worked on some interesting combinations:

• Spider genes were inserted into goat DNA, in hopes that the goat milk would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests.
• Cow genes turned pigskins into cowhides.
• Jellyfish genes lit up pigs' noses in the dark.
• Artic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost.

Field trials have included:

• Corn engineered with human genes (Dow)
• Sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research Center)
• Corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University)
• Tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii)
• Rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics)
• Corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene)
• Potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering.
• Human genes were inserted into corn to produce spermicide

Sources:  http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics/the-ge-process
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Genetically-Modified-Foods 
http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/04/how-to-decode-plu-stickers-on-produce.html 

"WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately."   
This is the warning label that you will find on all toothpastes containing fluoride.   

One of the little-known facts about fluoride toothpaste, is that each tube of toothpaste - even those specifically marketed for children - contains enough fluoride to kill a child. 

 Did you know that 97% of western Europe has chosen fluoride free water and that fluoride is the only chemical added to drinking water for the sole purpose of medication (to prevent tooth decay).   Fluoride has nothing to do with water treatment. 

Is it right for someone to add medication to our water without our approval? 

Ingestion of fluoride has little benefit and many risks with possible damage to the brain with adverse effects on IQ, reduction of thyroid function, increased risks of bone fracture and bone cancer especially people with impaired kidney function since the kidneys cannot excrete the fluoride so the fluoride accumulates in the bones.  Other side effects are dental fluorosis, joint pain and skin rash.  

The main fluoride chemical added to water (hydrofluorosilicic acid) is an industrial by-product from the phosphate fertilizer industry (toxic waste is barreled up and sold, unrefined, to communities across the country). Communities add hydrofluorosilicic acid to their water supplies as the primary fluoride chemical for water fluoridation.


Even if you don't live in a community where fluoride is added to water, you'll still be getting a dose of it through cereal, soda, juice, beer and any other processed food and drink manufactured with fluoridated water.  I especially kept seeing many sources saying that infant formula was a big source of fluoride for babies.  Children are at a greater risk of fluoride overdose than adults. Unlike the fluoride used in toothpaste, hydrofluorosilicic acid is not pharmaceutical-grade quality. It is an unpurified, industrial-grade, corrosive acid which has been linked, in several recent studies, to increased levels of lead in children’s blood. 

I called my local water company to inquire if fluoride was added to our drinking water.  The answer was no but since that time I  found a website listing the water systems and the fluoride levels in the water and found that my water company does indeed add fluoride to the water system.  I was very disappointed.  I urge you to find out about your water system and hopefully have some influence to get your water supply free of added fluoride.  Here is a website that you can use to look up your specific water supply and find out whether you have fluoride added to your water.    http://thyroid.about.com/library/articles/blfluoridefinder.htm 

Other than reducing your fluoride intake, it will be important to maintain a healthy diet. The importance of a healthy diet has been suggested by the repeated observation that humans/animals with poor nutrition are more severely impacted by fluoride toxicity than those with adequate nutrition. 

See this latest post from Fox News:  In a surprising reversal, last month EPA’s announced that it intends to lower the maximum amount of fluoride in drinking water because of growing evidence supporting the chemical’s possible deleterious effects to children’s health.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/22/epa-reverses-fluoride/#ixzz22yI8HBek 

Here are the 10 top tips for reducing fluoride from the Fluoride Action Network:  See their website for more information on each tip.  I have the abbreviated version here.

1) Stop Drinking Fluoridated Water:  Tap water consumption is, on average, the largest daily source of fluoride exposure for people who live in areas that add fluoride to the water. Avoiding consumption of fluoridated water is especially critical for infants.  Click here to get their advice about water filters.

2) Don’t Let Your Child Swallow Fluoride Toothpaste

3) Do NOT Get Fluoride Gel Treatments at the Dentist

4) Eat More Fresh Food, Less Processed Food.  When water is fluoridated, it is not just the water that is fluoridated, but all beverages and foods that are made with the water. As a general rule, therefore, the more processed a food is, the more fluoride it has.

5) Buy Organic Grape Juice and Wine.  In the United States, many vinyards use a fluoride pesticide called cryolite. As a result, the levels of fluoride in U.S. grape juice and wine (particularly white grape juice and white wine) are consistently elevated.  Also if you are a heavy consumer of raisins, then buy organic.

6) Reduce Your Tea Consumption (and/or Drink Tea with Younger Leaves)  Be careful of drinking too much tea, particularly bottled and instant varieties. The tea plant accumulates high levels of fluoride, and excess intake of tea is known to cause a painful bone disease called skeletal fluorosis. Some teas though contain high levels of health-boosting anti-oxidants. Not only are anti-oxidants good for health in general, they also help to protect you from fluoride toxicity.  
If you love tea, therefore, try to purchase varieties that are made from young leaves (e.g., “White tea”). This will allow you to maximize tea’s known benefits, while reducing its known harm.  
Another option is to drink yerba matte – a caffeinated herbal tea from South America that contains very low levels of fluoride (< 0.2 ppm) 

7) Avoid Cooking with Teflon Pans

8) Don’t Take Cipro and Be Mindful of Other Fluorinated Pharmaceuticals.  Many pharmaceuticals are fluorinated, which means they contain something called a “carbon-fluorine bond.” Although the carbon-fluoride bond is strong enough to resist breaking down within the body, this is not always the case.

9) Minimize Consumption of Mechanically-Deboned Chicken:  Since bone is where fluoride is accumulated thus mechanically processed chicken will contain greater quantity of bone in the product.

10) Avoid fluoridated salt.  If you live in a country which allows fluoridated salt to be sold, make sure that the salt you buy is unfluoridated. 

I have been in the market myself for a water filter to remove fluoride.  I checked Amazon filters for this and found some that I have listed in this post but I do not have experience with them.  Here is an in depth review of filters from the Fluoride Action Network.  Many food bloggers recommend the Big Berkey Filtering system. 

Sources:   http://www.fluoridealert.org/   Picture credit:  Flickr

If you are looking for an excellent book to help you learn more about fermenting and how to use all that whey that you will get from milk kefir then I can say without a doubt that you will love these books.  It receives a high stamp of approval!  You won't be disappointed and it makes a great gift for your fermenting buddies.  Other helpful kefir supplies here. 

Contact me if you are in the East Alabama area - we can come to your town.

Click here to view upcoming Milk Kefir Classes.

High levels of this vitamin will help detoxify the body, rebalance intestinal flora, and strengthen the immune system.  Our bodies cannot produce this vitamin so we need to replenish our supply daily.  

When I started my treatments for my spine, my chiropractor put me on this vitamin, because without it, our bodies cannot make collagen, and collagen is what is needed to maintain strength and flexibility of joints.  

The picture of the cherries has given you a hint.  I'm talking about Vitamin C and the ascerola cherry is packed with vitamin C. 

 In her book, Digestive Wellness, Elizabeth Lipski, (Ph.D., CCN, CHN), describes a technique called Vitamin C Flush that she has used with herself and her children, and with her clients for the past 20 years.  Vitamin C has been well researched to help detoxify bacterial toxins, drugs, environmental toxins, and heavy metal toxins. 

If your immune system is weak, or you have a cold or infection, or you've been exposed to a lot of toxins, you may want to do a Vitamin C Flush once a week for a month or two.  On days when you are not doing a vitamin C Flush, take a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 mg.   I personally have done the Vitamin C Flush several times, and I'm currently taking the recommended amount of 3,000 mg. daily.  I have found an added benefit to taking this recommended dose, it keeps your system regulated.  

To do a Vitamin C Flush, take Vitamin C to the level of tissue saturation.  You'll know you have reached it because you will have watery diarrhea.  You may want to purchase powdered mineral ascorbate C (instead of the ascorbic acid C)  which is easily tolerated by most people, because it doesn't change your pH balance.  Take about 1500 mg. of Vitamin C powder, mix with water or fruit juice, and drink.  Repeat in 15 minutes.  Keep taking 1500 mg. every 15 minutes until you have watery diarrhea.  As soon as watery diarrhea is produced stop taking the Vitamin C. 

 Keep track of how much Vitamin C you have taken.  This will help determine your optimal dosage.  In divided amounts, take daily one-half to three-quarters of the amount it took to produce the Flush. 

Over time your needs may increase but then substantially decrease as repair occurs.  Adjust your dosage accordingly.

I met Dr. Lipski and have a signed copy of her book, Digestive Wellness.  I highly recommend it since it gives a great understanding of how the gut works and ways to optimize quality of life.  Many digestive problems are addressed with recommendations of how to bring about a cure.
Source:  http://www.innovativehealing.com/
Picture credit:  Flickr