Vote YES on 522

Did you get your ballot yet?  I'm talking to you, Washingtonians.  Monstanto has dumped over 14 million dollars into defeating this initiative, we can't let that happen.  Who doesn't want to know what's in their food?  Who wants to eat frankenfood?  Nobody.  That's why Monsanto is trying so hard to stop this.  And they succeeded in California, with over 45 million dollars going toward stopping labeling.

Under 522, your food will be labeled, and you will know if you are eating genetically modified foods.  Starving Haitians had the wisdom to reject Monsanto's seeds, surely we can get together and at the very least get this stuff labeled.  Why it's not banned, as it is in so many other countries, is a disgrace.  Why don't we want to consume GMOs?  Have a look at these rats.

That's just for starters. We want and need bees, right?  Colony collapse disorder is heavily linked to GMOs and pesticides.  There is absolutely no scientific consensus that GMOs are safe, and I truly think it's a matter of common sense.  Do we want poisoned frankenfood or not?  At the very least, we should have the right to know what we're buying, right?  For more information, go HERE, and please vote YES on 522. 

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The One Resolution I Wish Everyone Would Make

Okay I know I've posted a lot about New Year's Resolutions.  I just love them, I love making lists and goals and I guess I'm just nerdy that way.  I get excited that we all have this wonderful opportunity to set forth intention and go after our goals with a shiny new year in hand.  The last thing I shall say about this is that there is one resolution I wish everyone would make, and I believe this would change the world.

GO ORGANIC.  Just buy organic food, that's all.  This seems so simple and so intuitive to me that I cannot believe there is still the option--do you want your food with or without poison?  By purchasing organic food you are making a statement, you are voting, and you are insuring the most precious thing you have, your health and that of your family.  What is more important than that?

Not only is buying organic food benefiting you, it's doing something positive and necessary for the whole planet, people, and animals that live here.  Buying organic is protecting the farmers who often are forced to handle food laden with dangerous chemicals and suffer tremendous health consequences.  It's protecting our rivers, our oceans, our air quality.  It's voting against dangerous GMOs--when you buy organic, you buy GMO free.

"We can't afford it," is the excuse I hear most for why people don't buy organic.  This makes me a little crazy because the folks I hear this most from are people with bank accounts that I can only aspire to.  If I had to move my family into a one room efficiency apartment to be able to buy organic, I would, that's how important I think it is.  Of course, that is not necessary because organic food does Not cost that much more than conventional food and in some cases it's the same and even cheaper.  You just have to shop smart.  You buy what is in season, you buy in bulk, you buy local. Also, I firmly believe that you either pay now, or pay later in the form of hefty hospital bills and poor health.  You can't afford Not to buy organic.

Eating healthy is Not expensive!  There is nothing cheaper than beans and rice.  Throw in a little kale (which you can grow on a balcony year round for pennies) and you have yourself a hearty stick-to-your-ribs meal on the cheap.

The only reason not to eat organic is because it's not available.  I've been there before, living in a region where it was really hard to find.  If you are in this position, demand it.  Ask your grocer to carry it.  Be proactive, grow it, make it a priority.  For the last six years, I have eaten all organic food at home.  I have a major thing for Thai food and I know my take out is not organic, but as more and more people ask for it, it will become more and more available.

You can still eat whatever you want--cookies and junk food even, just make it organic and you are quantum leaps ahead. We are swimming in chemicals that are killing us and our planet.  If that sounds extreme, just have a look at the EWG and the ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION to get your passion ignited.  I believe that going organic is possibly the easiest and most powerful change people can make and it can start today.

I may be singing to the choir posting this here, but if anyone is reading this that has not made the switch, I hope you will consider it.  Good health to all in 2011!

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Non GMO Day Today and all Month

October is now National Non GMO month and today is Non GMO day. With the alarming spread of genetically modified foods and seeds, concerned retailers got together to create awareness of this crucial issue.

GMOs are created in a laboratory by combining genes from different plants, animals, viruses, bacteria and who knows what.   They are designed to tolerate heavy application of herbicides and pesticides or create their own. Have you heard of Roundup?  This is Monsanto's star pesticide, and the gmo plants withstand heavy doses of this very dangerous pesticide.  Roundup is known to  cause cell disruption even in very low amounts leading to a host of serious health risks.  You can find detailed studies with a quick google search and the chilling fact is that the dangers of Roundup have been known for years.

Monsanto is also responsible for engineering Terminator Seeds.  Seeds that produce plants with no viable seeds!  So you have to go back to them to get more seeds, the plants can't reproduce.  Destroying our food supply is not smart.  Animals won't eat these plants. Other countries don't allow GMOs.  It seems all common sense and reason goes out the window in the US where money is concerned.

For me, this is beyond bizarre.  That we are even having this discussion--it's madness.  The GMO issue reminds me of cartoons or comics I saw as a kid.  There was the mad scientist who had come up with a crazy way to control the masses or a major resource to Rule The World.  Luckily, Spiderman or some other benevolent force would foil the plan and save the day.  Well, the mad scientist is real and it's Monsanto, and there's no Spiderman to save the day.   The whole thing is surreal.

Approximately 80% of processed foods in American grocery stores contain GMOs.  And you don't even know it because they are not required to label their food.  This is yet another reason to buy ORGANIC FOODS ONLY.

Labeling GMO foods was in the works, but Mosanto, armed with millions in lobbying funds is not in favor of this.  Of course not, at least a few people would be turned off by frankenfood if they knew what they were eating.  The FDA recently stated that GMO foods do not need to be labeled with disclosure.

The Non-GMOP roject has come up with a new labeling system stating that the product is GMO free, with the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal.  From what I understand, the FDA also opposed the notion of declaring foods GMO free, so I'm not sure how this will pan out.  Whole Foods Market is in the process of having their 365 brand certified by the Non-GMO Project, so maybe they have found a way around the FDA who clearly is not serving the interest of the people.

So far, only 300 retailers and co-ops are participating in the Non-GMO Project.  This seems like a low number to me, but I suspect by next year that number will be much bigger.  Corinne Shindelar, Independent Natural Food Retailers Assoc. CEO says, "We have a responsibility to consumers to ensure the integrity of our food system, and among shoppers who value safe, healthy food, there is a strong desire to avoid GMOs.  Non-GMO month is a fantastic opportunity to give people the information and non-GMO choices they are looking for."


Image Credit:  Uncyclopedia Commons

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Need Inspiration for Your New Year's Resolution? Food Matters now on DVD.

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Where the Boys Aren't: The Disappearing Male

The other day, a dear friend and I were talking about chemicals in sunscreen. "If you don't use the sunscreen with chemicals," she said, "then you get skin cancer and have to endure a whole lot more chemicals--chemo." But I want sunscreen without the dangerous chemicals period. You might avoid skin cancer by using sunscreen only to end up with breast cancer from the parabens in it. I don't like the skin cancer--breast cancer choice, how about no cancer at all? Let's get out of this damned if you do, damned if you don't cycle.

While it's true that if you get skin cancer you might be subjected to harsh chemicals, it's also true that those chemicals in sunscreens and fragrances and shampoos and laundry detergent are quietly destroying our bodies, our environment and our species.

Pesticides, BPA, Dioxins, Phthalates, PCBs, etc. are having a dire effect on the human species. Sperm counts are down 50% in 50 years, and over half of that is abnormal. Cancers, fetal abnormalities, genital deformities, infertility, are all consequences of living in our chemical drenched world. It doesn't have to be this way! Please watch the CBC documentary, THE DISAPPEARING MALE for a sobering look at the consequences of chemical use.

Unfortunately government regulation hasn't worked to protect us. But we are not helpless. There are two things that can change this--we all get educated about dangerous chemicals and which products contain them (and I'm talking about things you find in your grocery store and hardware store), and we stop buying them. I know we don't have a lot of options right now on the green market, but if we keep buying what is available, the market will respond.

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