With all the wisdom I have to provide, I simply cannot think of anything else but the weekend getaway. When dating someone working in restaurants (and formerly doing so myself) your weekends typically do not fall on Saturday or Sunday. Instead, in this house, they fall on Tuesday & Wednesday.
Thus, my lover and I are escaping out of LA for a few days and heading up to the Central Coast. Mustard seeds blossoming on the bluffs of Santa Barbara. The fresh breeze of the ocean on your skin. I simply can't wait to absorb it all.
However, I will appreciate one thing before I go. Cooking. Yes. Everything about it. Making my own food with my own ingredients, spices, attention and love is one of the most fulfilling parts of my day. Sure, sometimes and it can seem like another project on the to do list. But at the end of the day, it seems to calm me in a way like no other. It gives me time to reflect. I breath, smell, slow down. It is very soothing. It wasn't always so and is not always the case. I've burned plenty of rice and pans - the clean ups have been dreadful. But for the most part, I've gotten the hang of it. There is just something so much more appreciative and fulfilling about eating home cooked food. Especially when it's your own and made with love.
Off to cook and pack my bags.
In good health,
Rebekah
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Who needs spring cleaning anyway?
After much excitement and time consumption. My live-in boyfriend, also known as Paul, and I finally have a washer and dryer in our apartment. Please hold your applause. If you're not a city dweller than you may not have any idea how much this can be taken for granted. But if you are, then YES! Isn't it exciting?!
Well, I haven't been so happy to do laundry in quite some time. And with all the spring cleaning involved. (We basically have been using the laundry room as our garage for the past year and a half... You are wondering how we put it off purchasing a washer and dryer for that long, but somehow we did.) We managed to clear all of our stuff out of the laundry room, sweep, mop, and dust it clean. And not just the laundry room. It sparked the urge to detail other rooms of the house as well. Our place was sparkling by the time our washer and dryer were delivered. It was very gratifying.
Then, I realized that all the stuff we moved out from the "garage"/laundry room, we (temporarily) moved into the office. Which has somewhat compromised my ability to manuever around in there. I couldn't really get to my laptop for 3 days or reach the cord I use to upload my ipod. Suddenly the novelty of "spring cleaning" and 3 days of glorified laundry are wearing off. Not only do I have 5 loads of laundry to fold, but I can't even get through my office without tripping over six inch platform heels, bar stools, dry cleaned duvet covers, and couch pillows that no longer match our newly painted living room. I didn't realize how much work this was going to provoke.
On a lighter note, Friday (when the W&D arrived) I was still feeling very inspired. The cleansing of our apartment, with all the dust blowing into my nostrils, was in turn very inspiring for me to cleanse my body. The feeling of spring in the air. Flowers blooming. Birds singing and bees humming. Allergies are in full affect! It is natural for us to have the desire to cleanse our living spaces, minds and bodies.
So what does cleansing mean to you? Does it mean an extreme, such as a juice fast or a master cleanse? Does it mean solely eating whole foods, nothing processed, for a week? A few days? No alcohol? No caffeine? No dairy? No gluten?
Cleansing can often seem overwhelming when viewed as "I should not have this", or "I cannot have that". We tend to set our standards a little too high... Which in turn sets us up for what we view as "failure".
How about looking at it like this: What "good for you" foods can you ADD into your daily meals this week? Which in turn will help crowd out the stuff you are seeking to limit. Don't look at it as deprivation. Look at it as opportunity. A chance to give your body a break from toxins. To be energized by whole foods: Fruits, vegetable, beans, legumes, greens, grains. Don't think, "What am I not allowed to have?" Instead ask, "What delicious nutritious foods can I ADD in today?"
Good luck! Feel free to share any ideas or things that worked for you.
Check out my website for links to more recipe ideas: fullerhealth.net
Well, I haven't been so happy to do laundry in quite some time. And with all the spring cleaning involved. (We basically have been using the laundry room as our garage for the past year and a half... You are wondering how we put it off purchasing a washer and dryer for that long, but somehow we did.) We managed to clear all of our stuff out of the laundry room, sweep, mop, and dust it clean. And not just the laundry room. It sparked the urge to detail other rooms of the house as well. Our place was sparkling by the time our washer and dryer were delivered. It was very gratifying.
Then, I realized that all the stuff we moved out from the "garage"/laundry room, we (temporarily) moved into the office. Which has somewhat compromised my ability to manuever around in there. I couldn't really get to my laptop for 3 days or reach the cord I use to upload my ipod. Suddenly the novelty of "spring cleaning" and 3 days of glorified laundry are wearing off. Not only do I have 5 loads of laundry to fold, but I can't even get through my office without tripping over six inch platform heels, bar stools, dry cleaned duvet covers, and couch pillows that no longer match our newly painted living room. I didn't realize how much work this was going to provoke.
On a lighter note, Friday (when the W&D arrived) I was still feeling very inspired. The cleansing of our apartment, with all the dust blowing into my nostrils, was in turn very inspiring for me to cleanse my body. The feeling of spring in the air. Flowers blooming. Birds singing and bees humming. Allergies are in full affect! It is natural for us to have the desire to cleanse our living spaces, minds and bodies.
So what does cleansing mean to you? Does it mean an extreme, such as a juice fast or a master cleanse? Does it mean solely eating whole foods, nothing processed, for a week? A few days? No alcohol? No caffeine? No dairy? No gluten?
Cleansing can often seem overwhelming when viewed as "I should not have this", or "I cannot have that". We tend to set our standards a little too high... Which in turn sets us up for what we view as "failure".
How about looking at it like this: What "good for you" foods can you ADD into your daily meals this week? Which in turn will help crowd out the stuff you are seeking to limit. Don't look at it as deprivation. Look at it as opportunity. A chance to give your body a break from toxins. To be energized by whole foods: Fruits, vegetable, beans, legumes, greens, grains. Don't think, "What am I not allowed to have?" Instead ask, "What delicious nutritious foods can I ADD in today?"
Good luck! Feel free to share any ideas or things that worked for you.
Check out my website for links to more recipe ideas: fullerhealth.net
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tasty Salad Dressing
Tomato Red Pepper Salad Dressing
Description
This rosy, zesty salad dressing is great on a bed of leafy greens, sliced cucumbers and fresh mozzarella cheese. It is virtually fat free and therefore very low in calories. It also keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Ingredients
1 small (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 whole roasted red pepper or pimento from a jar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.
-From Dr. Weil's Integrative Medicine website: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00200/tomato-red-pepper-dressing-dr-weil.html
Description
This rosy, zesty salad dressing is great on a bed of leafy greens, sliced cucumbers and fresh mozzarella cheese. It is virtually fat free and therefore very low in calories. It also keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Ingredients
1 small (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 whole roasted red pepper or pimento from a jar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.
-From Dr. Weil's Integrative Medicine website: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00200/tomato-red-pepper-dressing-dr-weil.html
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Women's Health Group
You nurture your husband, lover, children, employer and community. Are you focusing on everyone else first? How about some nourishing and caring for yourself as a woman?
Learn how to eat healthy, share & receive recipe ideas, don’t feel like food or lack of it controls you, learn what feeds you, reduce cravings, simply understand your body better, feel balanced and reduce stress. Get support and be surrounded by women with similar interests.
Be apart of Fuller Health: Women’s Health Group
Held and hosted by yours truly:
Rebekah Fuller
Health Counselor in Nutrition
Two Tuesdays a Month: April 13 – August 24
6:30-8 p.m.
Melrose/Fairfax Area
LA, CA 90046
For details please email me: rebekah@fullerhealth.net
Check me out at fullerhealth.net
Learn how to eat healthy, share & receive recipe ideas, don’t feel like food or lack of it controls you, learn what feeds you, reduce cravings, simply understand your body better, feel balanced and reduce stress. Get support and be surrounded by women with similar interests.
Be apart of Fuller Health: Women’s Health Group
Held and hosted by yours truly:
Rebekah Fuller
Health Counselor in Nutrition
Two Tuesdays a Month: April 13 – August 24
6:30-8 p.m.
Melrose/Fairfax Area
LA, CA 90046
For details please email me: rebekah@fullerhealth.net
Check me out at fullerhealth.net
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Genetically Modified Foods - Say No To GMOs
GM Food: A Guide for the Confused
Our thanks to UK campaigner and lecturer Luke Anderson, geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou, and Prof Joe Cummins, Professor Emeritus of Genetics at the University of Western Ontario, for helping us through the maze.
Q: What are genes?
A: Genes are the inherited blueprints for the thousands of proteins that form the building blocks of all life, from bacteria to humans. Proteins make enzymes, which carry out all the bodily processes, like digestion of food, that keep us alive.
Q: What is genetic engineering?
A: Genetic engineering involves taking genes from one species and inserting them into another. For example, genes from an arctic flounder which has "antifreeze" properties may be spliced into a tomato to prevent frost damage.
Q: Is genetic engineering precise?
A: No. It is impossible to guide the insertion of the new gene. This can lead to unpredictable effects. Also, genes do not work in isolation but in highly complex relationships which are not understood. Any change to the DNA at any point will affect it throughout its length in ways scientists cannot predict. The claim by some that they can is both arrogant and untrue.
Q: Isn't GM just an extension of traditional breeding practices?
A: No - GM bears no resemblance to traditional breeding techniques. The government's own Genetic Modification (Contained Use) Regulations admit this when it defines GM as "the altering of the genetic material in that organism in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination or both".
Traditional breeding techniques operate within established natural boundaries which allow reproduction to take place only between closely related forms. Thus tomatoes can cross-pollinate with other tomatoes but not soya beans; cows can mate only with cows and not sheep. These genes in their natural groupings have been finely tuned to work harmoniously together by millions of years of evolution. Genetic engineering crosses genes between unrelated species which would never cross-breed in nature.
Q: Could this be dangerous?
A: Potentially, yes. In one case, soya bean engineered with a gene from a brazil nut gave rise to allergic reactions in people sensitive to the nuts. Most genes being introduced into GM plants have never been part of the food supply so we can't know if they are likely to be allergenic.
More seriously, in 1989 there was an outbreak of a new disease in the US, contracted by over 5,000 people and traced back to a batch of L-tryptophan food supplement produced with GM bacteria. Even though it contained less than 0.1 per cent of a highly toxic compound, 37 people died and 1,500 were left with permanent disabilities. More may have died, but the American Centre for Disease Control stopped counting in 1991.
The US government declared that it was not GM that was at fault but a failure in the purification process. However, the company concerned, Showa Denko, admitted that the low-level purification process had been used without ill effect in non-GM batches. Scientists at Showa Denko blame the GM process for producing traces of a potent new toxin. This new toxin had never been found in non-GM versions of the product.
Q: Former UK government Cabinet Enforcer Jack Cunningham said, "Those GM foods on the market are as safe as the equivalent [non-GM] foods." Is he right?
A: Dr Cunningham is talking about the concept of "substantial equivalence". Substantial equivalence is a legal concept invented by the biotech industry. The industry claims that a GM food or food supplement is "substantially equivalent" to, or the same as, the non-GM version and therefore does not require labels or extensive testing.
Regulators have blindly accepted the substantial equivalence doctrine without backing up their belief with independent scientific research.
Showa Denko was not required to test the GM version of L-tryptophan because of the assumption that it would be the same as the non-GM version.
The doctrine of substantial equivalence means that there is nothing in the regulations to prevent another tragedy like the L-tryptophan case from happening again with new GM foods.
Naturally, when it comes to patenting, the rules change. The "substantially equivalent" GM food magically becomes completely different from its non-GM equivalent. It transforms into a unique product which remains the sole property of the patent holder, and woe betide anyone who infringes the patent.
Q: Are GE foods more dangerous to allergy-prone people?
A: The problem with GM foods is their unpredictability. A person may prove unexpectedly allergic to a food he has previously eaten safely. For this reason, people who are hyperallergenic or environmentally sensitive may want to avoid GM foods.
Q: UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "There is no GM food that can be sold in this country without going through a very long regulatory process." Does that mean there's nothing to worry about?
A: Health-risk assessment of GM foods compares only a few known components (e.g., certain nutrients, known toxins and allergens) between GM and non-GM equivalent varieties. If things match up then all is assumed to be well. Short-term animal feeding trials are conducted in some cases. All the research is done by the biotech companies themselves. Then government approval committees judge whether they believe that the evidence of safety is convincing.
No evidence from human trials for either toxicity or allergy testing is required. No independent checks of the company's claims are required. The fact that the L-tryptophan tragedy would repeat itself by these criteria highlights the inadequacy of the system.
Geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou says, "At the very least, long-term animal feeding trials followed by tests with human volunteers of the type required for GM drugs should be mandatory."
Prof Joe Cummins, professor emeritus of genetics at the University of Western Ontario, believes there is a cynical agenda behind the lack of proper testing: "The failure to test may provide some protection in the courts against lawsuits by those maimed or crippled by the foods. Most ill effects from food and allergies are not easily quantified until after the disaster. At best, there may be a small but marked increase in autoimmune disease and allergy associated with the foods. At worst, major outbreaks of illness could be observed and will be difficult to trace to the unlabelled foods."
Q: What will the impact of GM crops be on the environment?
A: Last year, 71 percent of all GM crops grown were genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant. A field can now be sprayed with chemicals and everything will die except for the resistant crop. The sales of one of the herbicides being used are predicted to rise by $200 million as a result.
Graham Wynne, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, says: "The ability to clear fields of all weeds using powerful herbicides which can be sprayed onto GM herbicide-resistant crops will result in farmlands devoid of wildlife and will spell disaster for millions of already declining birds and plants."
There are also GM virus-resistant crops. Prof Joe Cummins says: "Probably the greatest threat from genetically altered crops is the insertion of modified virus and insect virus genes into crops - genetic recombination will create virulent new viruses from such constructions. The widely used cauliflower mosaic virus (present in the GM soy and maize currently on supermarket shelves in the UK) is a potentially dangerous gene. It is very similar to the Hepatitis B virus and related to HIV. Modified viruses could cause famine by destroying crops or cause human and animal diseases of tremendous power."
Q: What is genetic pollution?
A: Genes engineered into plants and animals can be transferred to other species. For example, genes from GM oilseed rape, salmon or micro-organisms may move into the gene pools of wild relatives. The introduction of GM organisms into complex ecosystems may bring knock-on effects that we are unable to control.
Q: Which foods are not GM?
A: Presently certified organic foods are the best bet for the anti-GM consumer. However, even with the best intentions, companies attempting to exclude GM ingredients from their products have found contamination from GM crops. De Rit recently had to recall a batch of organic tortilla chips after tests showed that they contained GM maize. The company believes that cross-pollination of crops was to blame. Iceland, the only supermarket chain to try to ban GM ingredients from its own-brand products, recently wrote to its suppliers acknowledging that some GM contamination is unavoidable, because of cross-pollination of crops. The Linda McCartney range of vegetarian meals has also been discovered to be contaminated with GM soya.
Meanwhile, organic farming is under threat from the biotech companies. In the U.S., lawyers from the biotech companies are trying to force the government to require that GM crops can be declared organic. Some U.S. states have succumbed to Monsanto's pressure and banned GM-free labels on food. Monsanto has successfully sued dairy farmers who labelled dairy products as free or Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.
Due to so-called free trade agreements established by the World Trade Organisation, it may become illegal for individual countries to maintain higher organic standards than the U.S. So what happens in the U.S. has a direct knock-on effect on Europe.
Q: Why are genes being patented?
A: Patents give a huge incentive to the biotechnology industry to create new GM organisms. Since most patents last for 17-20 years, the companies are keen to recoup any investment quickly, often at the expense of safety and ethics. There are currently patents approved or pending for over 190 GM animals, including fish, cows, mice and pigs. There are also patents on varieties of seeds and plants, as well as unusual genes and cell lines from indigenous peoples. Scouts are sent around the world to discover genes that may have commercial applications. Over half the world's plant and animal species live in the rainforests of the south and the industry has been quick to draw upon these resources.
The Neem tree, for instance, has been used for thousands of years in India for its antiseptic and insecticidal properties. Following in the well-trodden footsteps of Christopher Columbus, western corporations have filed a number of patents on these attributes.
Q: Are GM crops grown in the UK?
A: There are several hundred "deliberate release sites" in the UK where GM crops are being grown experimentally. In addition, this spring, a number of large-scale GM crop trials will be planted in order to assess their effect on wildlife. The first commercial crops could be planted within a year.
If commercial planting goes ahead, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for organic farming to stay free from contamination due to cross-pollination from GM crops.
Q: Are we eating GM food?
A: GM soya is in about 60 percent of all processed food as vegetable oil, soya flour, lecithin and soya protein. GM maize is in about 50 percent of processed foods as corn, corn starch, cornflour and corn syrup. GM tomato puree is sold in some supermarkets and GM enzymes are used throughout the food processing industry. Government regulations on labelling exclude 95-98 percent of the products containing GM ingredients because they ignore derivatives.
Q: Who is regulating the industry?
A: The lack of political will to scrutinise the industry is clear in this statement from Douglas Hogg: "Some estimates have predicted a £9 billion market by the year 2000. We cannot jeopardise this by over-regulating initiative and enterprise."
US trade representative, Charlene Barshefsky, told EU leaders to expect punitive action through the World Trade Organisation if they allow domestic concerns over biotechnology to interfere with US trade.
Most of the people sitting on supposedly independent government advisory bodies have direct links to biotech companies. Should people whose careers are tied to the development of the technology be trusted to carry out impartial risk assessments?
When she was asked whether she felt that people should be given the choice of whether they eat GM food or not, Janet Bainbridge, chair of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, replied that we should not because "most people don't even know what a gene is." She added: "Sometimes my young son wants to cross the road when it's dangerous. Sometimes you just have to tell people what's best for them."
The European Commission has set up the "European Federation of Biotechnology Task Group on Public Perceptions on Biotechnology" to promote the "public understanding of biotechnology".
EuropaBio, a consortium of all the biotechnology companies with interests in Europe, was taken by surprise at the resistance in Europe and sought the advice of Burson Marsteller, past masters in crisis management. (Previous clients included Exxon after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Union Carbide after the explosion of their chemical plant in Bhopal.) EuropaBio was advised that "Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe - all the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions . . ." Marsteller told them to refrain from participating in any public debate and leave it to "those charged with public trust, politicians and regulators, to assure the public that biotech products are safe."
Once released, genetically engineered organisms become part of our ecosystem. Unlike some other forms of pollution which can be contained or which may decrease over time, any mistakes we make now will be passed on to all future generations of life. With governments capitulating to commercial interests, it is up to citizens to respond.
Article from website: http://www.saynotogmos.org/avoiding_gmos.htm
Our thanks to UK campaigner and lecturer Luke Anderson, geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou, and Prof Joe Cummins, Professor Emeritus of Genetics at the University of Western Ontario, for helping us through the maze.
Q: What are genes?
A: Genes are the inherited blueprints for the thousands of proteins that form the building blocks of all life, from bacteria to humans. Proteins make enzymes, which carry out all the bodily processes, like digestion of food, that keep us alive.
Q: What is genetic engineering?
A: Genetic engineering involves taking genes from one species and inserting them into another. For example, genes from an arctic flounder which has "antifreeze" properties may be spliced into a tomato to prevent frost damage.
Q: Is genetic engineering precise?
A: No. It is impossible to guide the insertion of the new gene. This can lead to unpredictable effects. Also, genes do not work in isolation but in highly complex relationships which are not understood. Any change to the DNA at any point will affect it throughout its length in ways scientists cannot predict. The claim by some that they can is both arrogant and untrue.
Q: Isn't GM just an extension of traditional breeding practices?
A: No - GM bears no resemblance to traditional breeding techniques. The government's own Genetic Modification (Contained Use) Regulations admit this when it defines GM as "the altering of the genetic material in that organism in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination or both".
Traditional breeding techniques operate within established natural boundaries which allow reproduction to take place only between closely related forms. Thus tomatoes can cross-pollinate with other tomatoes but not soya beans; cows can mate only with cows and not sheep. These genes in their natural groupings have been finely tuned to work harmoniously together by millions of years of evolution. Genetic engineering crosses genes between unrelated species which would never cross-breed in nature.
Q: Could this be dangerous?
A: Potentially, yes. In one case, soya bean engineered with a gene from a brazil nut gave rise to allergic reactions in people sensitive to the nuts. Most genes being introduced into GM plants have never been part of the food supply so we can't know if they are likely to be allergenic.
More seriously, in 1989 there was an outbreak of a new disease in the US, contracted by over 5,000 people and traced back to a batch of L-tryptophan food supplement produced with GM bacteria. Even though it contained less than 0.1 per cent of a highly toxic compound, 37 people died and 1,500 were left with permanent disabilities. More may have died, but the American Centre for Disease Control stopped counting in 1991.
The US government declared that it was not GM that was at fault but a failure in the purification process. However, the company concerned, Showa Denko, admitted that the low-level purification process had been used without ill effect in non-GM batches. Scientists at Showa Denko blame the GM process for producing traces of a potent new toxin. This new toxin had never been found in non-GM versions of the product.
Q: Former UK government Cabinet Enforcer Jack Cunningham said, "Those GM foods on the market are as safe as the equivalent [non-GM] foods." Is he right?
A: Dr Cunningham is talking about the concept of "substantial equivalence". Substantial equivalence is a legal concept invented by the biotech industry. The industry claims that a GM food or food supplement is "substantially equivalent" to, or the same as, the non-GM version and therefore does not require labels or extensive testing.
Regulators have blindly accepted the substantial equivalence doctrine without backing up their belief with independent scientific research.
Showa Denko was not required to test the GM version of L-tryptophan because of the assumption that it would be the same as the non-GM version.
The doctrine of substantial equivalence means that there is nothing in the regulations to prevent another tragedy like the L-tryptophan case from happening again with new GM foods.
Naturally, when it comes to patenting, the rules change. The "substantially equivalent" GM food magically becomes completely different from its non-GM equivalent. It transforms into a unique product which remains the sole property of the patent holder, and woe betide anyone who infringes the patent.
Q: Are GE foods more dangerous to allergy-prone people?
A: The problem with GM foods is their unpredictability. A person may prove unexpectedly allergic to a food he has previously eaten safely. For this reason, people who are hyperallergenic or environmentally sensitive may want to avoid GM foods.
Q: UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said, "There is no GM food that can be sold in this country without going through a very long regulatory process." Does that mean there's nothing to worry about?
A: Health-risk assessment of GM foods compares only a few known components (e.g., certain nutrients, known toxins and allergens) between GM and non-GM equivalent varieties. If things match up then all is assumed to be well. Short-term animal feeding trials are conducted in some cases. All the research is done by the biotech companies themselves. Then government approval committees judge whether they believe that the evidence of safety is convincing.
No evidence from human trials for either toxicity or allergy testing is required. No independent checks of the company's claims are required. The fact that the L-tryptophan tragedy would repeat itself by these criteria highlights the inadequacy of the system.
Geneticist Dr Michael Antoniou says, "At the very least, long-term animal feeding trials followed by tests with human volunteers of the type required for GM drugs should be mandatory."
Prof Joe Cummins, professor emeritus of genetics at the University of Western Ontario, believes there is a cynical agenda behind the lack of proper testing: "The failure to test may provide some protection in the courts against lawsuits by those maimed or crippled by the foods. Most ill effects from food and allergies are not easily quantified until after the disaster. At best, there may be a small but marked increase in autoimmune disease and allergy associated with the foods. At worst, major outbreaks of illness could be observed and will be difficult to trace to the unlabelled foods."
Q: What will the impact of GM crops be on the environment?
A: Last year, 71 percent of all GM crops grown were genetically engineered to be herbicide resistant. A field can now be sprayed with chemicals and everything will die except for the resistant crop. The sales of one of the herbicides being used are predicted to rise by $200 million as a result.
Graham Wynne, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, says: "The ability to clear fields of all weeds using powerful herbicides which can be sprayed onto GM herbicide-resistant crops will result in farmlands devoid of wildlife and will spell disaster for millions of already declining birds and plants."
There are also GM virus-resistant crops. Prof Joe Cummins says: "Probably the greatest threat from genetically altered crops is the insertion of modified virus and insect virus genes into crops - genetic recombination will create virulent new viruses from such constructions. The widely used cauliflower mosaic virus (present in the GM soy and maize currently on supermarket shelves in the UK) is a potentially dangerous gene. It is very similar to the Hepatitis B virus and related to HIV. Modified viruses could cause famine by destroying crops or cause human and animal diseases of tremendous power."
Q: What is genetic pollution?
A: Genes engineered into plants and animals can be transferred to other species. For example, genes from GM oilseed rape, salmon or micro-organisms may move into the gene pools of wild relatives. The introduction of GM organisms into complex ecosystems may bring knock-on effects that we are unable to control.
Q: Which foods are not GM?
A: Presently certified organic foods are the best bet for the anti-GM consumer. However, even with the best intentions, companies attempting to exclude GM ingredients from their products have found contamination from GM crops. De Rit recently had to recall a batch of organic tortilla chips after tests showed that they contained GM maize. The company believes that cross-pollination of crops was to blame. Iceland, the only supermarket chain to try to ban GM ingredients from its own-brand products, recently wrote to its suppliers acknowledging that some GM contamination is unavoidable, because of cross-pollination of crops. The Linda McCartney range of vegetarian meals has also been discovered to be contaminated with GM soya.
Meanwhile, organic farming is under threat from the biotech companies. In the U.S., lawyers from the biotech companies are trying to force the government to require that GM crops can be declared organic. Some U.S. states have succumbed to Monsanto's pressure and banned GM-free labels on food. Monsanto has successfully sued dairy farmers who labelled dairy products as free or Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone.
Due to so-called free trade agreements established by the World Trade Organisation, it may become illegal for individual countries to maintain higher organic standards than the U.S. So what happens in the U.S. has a direct knock-on effect on Europe.
Q: Why are genes being patented?
A: Patents give a huge incentive to the biotechnology industry to create new GM organisms. Since most patents last for 17-20 years, the companies are keen to recoup any investment quickly, often at the expense of safety and ethics. There are currently patents approved or pending for over 190 GM animals, including fish, cows, mice and pigs. There are also patents on varieties of seeds and plants, as well as unusual genes and cell lines from indigenous peoples. Scouts are sent around the world to discover genes that may have commercial applications. Over half the world's plant and animal species live in the rainforests of the south and the industry has been quick to draw upon these resources.
The Neem tree, for instance, has been used for thousands of years in India for its antiseptic and insecticidal properties. Following in the well-trodden footsteps of Christopher Columbus, western corporations have filed a number of patents on these attributes.
Q: Are GM crops grown in the UK?
A: There are several hundred "deliberate release sites" in the UK where GM crops are being grown experimentally. In addition, this spring, a number of large-scale GM crop trials will be planted in order to assess their effect on wildlife. The first commercial crops could be planted within a year.
If commercial planting goes ahead, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for organic farming to stay free from contamination due to cross-pollination from GM crops.
Q: Are we eating GM food?
A: GM soya is in about 60 percent of all processed food as vegetable oil, soya flour, lecithin and soya protein. GM maize is in about 50 percent of processed foods as corn, corn starch, cornflour and corn syrup. GM tomato puree is sold in some supermarkets and GM enzymes are used throughout the food processing industry. Government regulations on labelling exclude 95-98 percent of the products containing GM ingredients because they ignore derivatives.
Q: Who is regulating the industry?
A: The lack of political will to scrutinise the industry is clear in this statement from Douglas Hogg: "Some estimates have predicted a £9 billion market by the year 2000. We cannot jeopardise this by over-regulating initiative and enterprise."
US trade representative, Charlene Barshefsky, told EU leaders to expect punitive action through the World Trade Organisation if they allow domestic concerns over biotechnology to interfere with US trade.
Most of the people sitting on supposedly independent government advisory bodies have direct links to biotech companies. Should people whose careers are tied to the development of the technology be trusted to carry out impartial risk assessments?
When she was asked whether she felt that people should be given the choice of whether they eat GM food or not, Janet Bainbridge, chair of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, replied that we should not because "most people don't even know what a gene is." She added: "Sometimes my young son wants to cross the road when it's dangerous. Sometimes you just have to tell people what's best for them."
The European Commission has set up the "European Federation of Biotechnology Task Group on Public Perceptions on Biotechnology" to promote the "public understanding of biotechnology".
EuropaBio, a consortium of all the biotechnology companies with interests in Europe, was taken by surprise at the resistance in Europe and sought the advice of Burson Marsteller, past masters in crisis management. (Previous clients included Exxon after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and Union Carbide after the explosion of their chemical plant in Bhopal.) EuropaBio was advised that "Public issues of environmental and human health risk are communications killing fields for bioindustries in Europe - all the research evidence confirms that the perception of the profit motive fatally undermines industry's credibility on these questions . . ." Marsteller told them to refrain from participating in any public debate and leave it to "those charged with public trust, politicians and regulators, to assure the public that biotech products are safe."
Once released, genetically engineered organisms become part of our ecosystem. Unlike some other forms of pollution which can be contained or which may decrease over time, any mistakes we make now will be passed on to all future generations of life. With governments capitulating to commercial interests, it is up to citizens to respond.
Article from website: http://www.saynotogmos.org/avoiding_gmos.htm
Monday, March 22, 2010
Why does the goal always have to be skinny?
So what the fuss? – Stevie Wonder
In this appearance driven society, it is hard to maintain the perfect image. It is particularly hard for women and their figures. To be a certain size, shape, height, weight, have the right hair color, skin type, be in the right age range, etc. When is it ever enough? And who’s judging this contest anyway?
What about being healthy on the inside?
Do we have to judge and not love each time we look in the mirror?
Have you ever looked at a photograph from a year, 2, 5 or 10 years ago and thought, “Wow, I looked amazing!” Yet at the time, you remember thinking, “I need to be skinnier.” Or perhaps thought your shoulders were too broad or narrow. Or you needed to be more toned. To be taller. Shorter. Have longer hair. Shorter hair. Any hair at all. To be tanner or fairer. So on and so forth.
Why can’t we be content in the now? Better yet, how do we be content in the now? How do we accept and love ourselves in the moment?
This is something I work on with clients in my program. This is also something I work on with myself. Because I too am human and by no means perfect. I make mistakes, eat fried food, think I should look like the models on the fashion magazines and believe it when they tell me I should look a certain way in order to be… To be what? Accepted? Attractive? Successful? Happy? Confident? Healthy? I think NOT.
What about being healthy on the inside? I can’t tell you how many women I hear about dealing with these same or similar struggles on a daily basis. “How come that girl at the bar can come in every night and eat all the pasta in the world and never gain a pound?” “How do I become like that girl?” I’ve thought that same thing before. But what about being healthy on the inside? What about nourishing our bodies instead of judging them? Loving them instead of hating them.
Who is anyone to judge me? Including myself? Who is anyone to judge you? So what the fuss? Why should I feel that my confidence is compromised because I don’t fit the model dress sizing?
I make a choice each day, each meal, with each breath. Sometimes it is a choice that serves me and sometimes it is not. But I know I always feel better when I make the choice to be healthy. Not necessarily the choice that has fewer calories. But the choice that is going to be best serve me. Nourish me.
Listen to your body. It has all the answers. Not the voice in your head but trust that feeling in your body. Believe in yourself. That you are amazing, beautiful, balanced and talented. Because you are! That is the only way you are going to lower down the volume of those negative thoughts that do nothing for you but hold you back from what you want to be. Be healthy on the inside and let it flourish on the outside. By believing and practicing that each day, you’ll flood the white noise away.
Your feedback is so appreciated. Thanks to everyone who responds to my emails. It is so inspiring to me to “hear” your voice and kind words.
If you feel you’d like some support this spring in getting your mind and body to a better place of balance, health, and ease, please hit me up. I’m here to support, help and inspire you to make the best choices for your body.
In GREAT health,
Rebekah
Health Counselor in Nutrition
Fuller Health
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