food

What is Happening To The Bees? Rodents, Climate or Pesticides? 1

What is Happening To The Bees? Rodents, Climate or Pesticides?

Posted by on May 7, 2013 in eat for health, food

The honey bee population is shrinking, this is putting our food supply in danger. Bees are vital to the pollination of the flowers that produce fruit and veggies, without the bees, the produce in our gardens may not grow.

As far back as 2006 scientist have discovered a dwindling bee population, they started looking for a reason for the decline, and even then, pesticides were suspected. Look at the post I found on CenterForBetterLife.org

“Despite its apparent lack of marquee appeal, a decline in pollinator populations is one form of global change that actually has credible potential to alter the shape and structure of terrestrial ecosystems,” stated May R. Berenbaum, Ph.D., professor and head of the entomology department at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in a 2006 National Academy of Sciences’ report Status of Pollinators in North America. Berenbaum’s research on chemical interactions between insects and the plants they pollinate makes her uniquely qualified to consider pesticide effects on honey bees. “It’s a double-edged sword. From a grower’s perspective, it’s hard to imagine achieving the level of productivity we have achieved without some way to assist plants in fending off their enemies even if you grow organically. The problem we have is prophylactic use; people tend to use a chemical before there’s really a need . . . the American idea that if a little is good, then more is better,” says Berenbaum.

Chemical misuse is just one of the stressors causing pollinator disappearance. Another is global climate change. “Global climate change appears to be contributing to a mismatch between pollinators and plants. European data shows there have been shifts in distribution of pollinators, especially bumble bees. And the plants that depend upon them are also undergoing shifts,” says Berenbaum.

But really, why are bees so important? As I stated above, without the bees, flowering plants will not produce. Fruit trees, corn, green beans, almost any plant the produces fruits or veggies need bees to pollinate the flowers that will produce. No bees, no food, simple as that.

Others are finding different things that may or may not be killing the bees, like this New York Times article states.

WASHINGTON — The devastation of American honeybee colonies is the result of a complex stew of factors, including pesticides, parasites, poor nutrition and a lack of genetic diversity, according to a comprehensive federal study published on Thursday. The problems affect pollination of American agricultural products worth tens of billions of dollars a year.

The report does not place more weight on one factor over another, and recommends a range of actions and further research.

Honeybees are used to pollinate hundreds of crops, from almonds to strawberries to soybeans. Since 2006, millions of bees have been dying in a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. The cause or causes have been the subject of much study and speculation.

The federal report appears the same week that European officials took steps toward banning a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, derived from nicotine, that they consider a critical factor in the mass deaths of bees there.

But officials in the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency and others involved in the bee study said that there was not enough evidence to support a ban on one group of pesticides, and that the costs of such action might exceed the benefits…

Are our bees being killed by GMO‘s? That may be part of the problem, but how will they fix that part? GMO bees?

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Can You Solve Your Health Problems By Eating A Better Diet?

Posted by on Apr 16, 2013 in ADD, ADHD, eat for health, food, loose weight

A better diet is not a miracle cure for all of your problems but it can help reduce the symptoms or risk of many health problems like diabetes or heart disease. The cliché “you are what you eat” isn’t literally true, but it is correct in identifying the connection between your diet and your health. Your health and diet are clearly related issues, so if you want to solve any of your major problems, you will need to fix your diet. Here are a few ways a better diet can help you.

Lowering Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

Keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure levels in check with a proper diet are both good ways to reduce your chance of significant heart problems. People today are eating far too many processed foods that are rich in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. This kind of diet combined with a largely sedentary lifestyle can lead to high cholesterol and a build-up of plaque in your arteries. High cholesterol is a problem that affects up to one third of Americans; so changing your diet is more important than ever.

A healthy diet and exercise plan is the best way you can try to keep your cholesterol problems in check and minimize your chances of heart problems. Your doctor may recommend medication to reduce your cholesterol levels, but the pills will work more effectively when combined with other strategies. Complex carbohydrates that are rich in fiber will help decrease your levels of bad cholesterol. Not all types of cholesterol are bad for your heart health, so your nutritionist may recommend eating foods like omega-3 fatty acids or olive oil, which are high in good cholesterol. Good cholesterol will actually reduce your chance of heart problems.

Minimizing Diabetes Symptoms and Preventing Diabetes

One of the most important strategies for treating or preventing diabetes is managing your diet. Diabetes prevents the body from effectively moderating blood sugar levels on its own. Doctors will prescribe a course of treatment that combines a low sugar diet with medication to help manage the problem. Eating the right foods is key to keeping your blood sugar level stable throughout the day to prevent the negative symptoms of diabetes.

Diabetics have to be careful not to eat foods that are going to cause their blood glucose levels to spike and bottom out. Foods that are rich in fat, salt, cholesterol, and sugar can all increase the risk of diabetes and make the symptoms of diabetes much worse. You can manage your condition better by eating a balanced diet with reasonable portions. Foods that have too many simple carbohydrates or sugars are the worst foods that you can eat because they will lead to spikes in your glucose levels.

Managing Food Intolerances

Food allergies are quite common, but many people also suffer from non-allergic reactions to certain kinds of foods such as dairy or gluten. With both of these types of illnesses, it is very important for you to avoid eating certain types of foods in order to prevent your body from suffering from the negative symptoms of intolerance. Common symptoms range from mild digestive discomfort to serious nausea and illness that can lead to more significant problems like dehydration. People who have Celiac disease cannot eat any type of gluten products. There is also a similar condition where people suffer from intolerance to wheat, not unlike lactose intolerance. In any of these cases, people with food intolerances should be sure to avoid the foods that make them sick. They may be able to eat small quantities of dairy or wheat, but if they start becoming ill, it is important to back off.

Dr. Michael Barakate is a pediatric and adult otolaryngologist located in Sydney, Australia offering health and wellness information at ENTWellbeing.com.au.

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The Health Costs Of Microwaving Your Food

Posted by on Apr 8, 2013 in ADD, ADHD, childrens health, eat for health, food, Womens Health

This “convenience” can have a truly profound impact on the quality of your and your family’s food and health.

Microwaves heat food by causing water molecules in them to resonate at very high frequencies and eventually turn to steam. They quickly heat the food you eat, but they can also cause a change in the chemical structure of your food.

Toxins Can Leach Into Your Food When You Microwave It

Microwave ovens were first introduced to the public more than four decades ago. Numerous food and health issues have emerged since them, including how uneven the heating of your food is.

“Hot spots” in microwaved food can be hot enough to burn, or build up to a steam explosion. This resulted in advice for new mothers to not use the microwave to heat up baby bottles – there have been cases of babies who’ve been burned by undetected super-heated formula.

Another concern with microwaves is carcinogenic toxins leaching out of plastic and paper containers or covers and into the food you eat.

When you microwave fatty foods in plastic containers, there also occurs the release of dioxins (carcinogens) and other toxins into your food.

Bisphenol A or BPA is among the worst offenders. BPA is an estrogen-like compound widely used in plastic products – dishes created specifically for the microwave oven often contains it.

Microwave Radiation Is a Real Threat

There are also a number of dangers of microwaves escaping from your oven while it’s operating, especially in earlier models. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to five milliwatts per square centimeter at around two inches from the oven surface.

With all the tests and regulations, you would believe you and your children are safe, but according to Powerwatch, even when your microwave oven is working correctly, the microwave levels within your kitchen are probably significantly higher than those from any nearby cell phone base stations. If the microwave oven is against an inside wall, the microwaves may travel through walls as well.

Given the uncertainty over the safety of current regulations, you might have to consider buying a testing device to check the radiation inside your home. You should also keep your children (or yourself, if you’re pregnant) away from the microwave when it’s running, as standing a foot away from it while it’s operating can expose you to upwards of 400 milliGauss. Just four milliGauss has been associated with leukemia.

A recent study also found “unequivocal evidence” that microwave frequency radiation affects your heart at non-thermal levels well below federal safety guidelines.

Clear and Simple: Microwaving Depletes Your Food of Nutrients

For the most part, microwaving food damages its nutritional value. It transforms your organic vegetables into “dead” food. Heating food itself can result in a certain nutrient loss.

Some excellent scientific evidence points to this, including a Japanese study by Watanabe showing that just six minutes of microwave heating turned 30 to 40 percent of the vitamin B12 in milk into an inert or dead form.

Microwaving has also been seen to destroy the essential disease fighting agents in breast milk that offer protection for your baby. In a 1992 study, it was found that microwaved breast milk lost lysozyme activity and antibodies, and gave way for the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria.

What Can You Do?

You can eat and survive without using the microwave oven. First, plan ahead – take your dinner out of the freezer in the morning or the night before for you not to rush defrosting a chunk of meat before dinner. You may also create soups and stews in bulk, freeze them, defrost them in a sink of water until thawed, and put it into a pot to be reheated.

Use a toaster instead of a microwave oven to heat leftovers, keeping it at a low temperature (like 200 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit).

Prepare your meals in advance, and try to eat more organic raw foods! These wholesome food choices can improve your and your child’s health in the long run.

Katrina Pascual writes for Mercola.com. She emphasizes the importance of nutrition, and keeping your levels of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals at optimal levels.

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Regaining Your Health 0

Regaining Your Health

Posted by on Mar 27, 2013 in childrens health, eat for health, food, Womens Health

As a country, many people are overweight and out of shape. The hit television show Biggest Loser, which usually only focuses on adults even had children on the show this season to help bring awareness to the issue of childhood obesity. For many people getting back in shape simply means eating right and becoming as active as our bodies will allow us to be. However, for some exercise and eating right just aren’t enough. In these instances more significant measures must be considered, such as being placed on a bariatric diet or undergoing surgery.

Do you qualify?

The first question a potential patient for this type of surgery needs to ask their physician may seem like a bit of an odd one. Do you qualify for the surgery? Yes, there are specific criteria patients must meet before the procedure can be considered. For example, you qualify if your Body Mass Index or BMI is 40 or above. You may also qualify if your BMI is 30-39 and you have a serious weight related health issue such as type 2 Diabetes.

Pre-Surgery Diet

Once you qualify for the surgery, your surgeon may place you on a strict pre-surgery diet. This regimen will help prepare you mentally and physically for life after your surgery.  Changing your diet prior to surgery can also have an impact on the success of the surgery itself as it will help shrink the size of your liver making it easier for the surgeon to see. Your pre-surgery routine will typically begin one to two months before your scheduled procedure. The diet will be high in protein and low in calories, approximately 800-1200 a day.

Post-Surgery Recovery and Diet

Recovering from any major medical procedure takes time. No two people recover exactly the same way, so do not be discouraged if you are not seeing the results a friend did as soon as they did. The results will come in time. Your diet post-surgery will change through a course of five stages from liquid to pureed and finally regular foods. Your medical team will advise you as you work through the recovery process on what to eat and when.

A bariatric diet and both pre and post-surgery are important to ensure the success of which ever procedure the patient and their medical team deem right. Think of this lifestyle change as a chance to regain your health and get begin a new active life.

Featured images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=weight%20loss&ex=2#ai:MP900401300|

Samantha Wideman is part of a team of writers and specializes in writing about current news events.

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Processed Food Industry Cover Up? 0

Processed Food Industry Cover Up?

Posted by on Mar 15, 2013 in ADD, ADHD, eat for health, food, Heart Healthy Products, Live Green

poision prosessed foods

Processed Foods

Honestly, I believe the processed food industry does not promote health. Looks like others are seeing the same thing. Why do we need so many over processed food products? Really, I cook a lot from scratch. It really isn’t that hard. Home made snacks are a healthier alternative to processed and artificial ones that are so readily available. You are more likely to know what is in your snacks and goodies by making your own. DIY and replace your processed food intake, Who knows, you just might loose that last 10 lbs, or even start feeling good again. Check out these facts that the processed food industry does NOT want you to know!

1. Processed Foods Are Addictive and Can Cause You To Overeat

Whole foods are made up of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber and water. When foods are processed the components of these foods are modified (for example, fiber, water and nutrients are removed) and in other cases, components are concentrated. In each case, processing changes the way they are digested and assimilated in your body.
Eating highly processed or highly concentrated foods can artificially stimulate dopamine (the pleasure neurotransmitter), which plays a role in addiction. In this way, you are eating foods that lack nutrients and fiber, but create a pleasurable feeling. A food addiction starts because you feel good when you are eating these foods and they make you think they taste better. You crave that pleasurable feeling again and again and voilà…this is what starts a food addiction.

2. Processed Foods Are Linked to Obesity

Additives in processed foods, like high fructose corn syrup, sugar and MSG have been linked to weight gain and obesity. 
Dr. Mercola recently reported about a new study that showed childhood obesity could be reduced by 18 percent, simply by cutting out fast food advertisements during children’s programming. The Australian government is clearly more concerned about their children’s health as television advertisements to children were banned several years ago.

3. Processed Foods Often Contain Ingredients That Do Not Follow The Principle of Food Combining

This can lead to low energy, poor digestion, illness, acidic blood and weight gain. An example would be a frozen meat and cheese pizza. Cheese (a dairy product), meat (an animal protein) and pizza crust (a grain product) make a terrible food combination that can wreak havoc on your digestive health.

4. Processed Foods Contribute to An Imbalanced Inner Ecosystem

This can lead to digestive problems, cravings, illness and disease. Beneficial microflora cannot survive in your digestive tract when you are poisoning them. Like us they thrive on foods that are made by nature not by man.

5. A Diet High in Processed Foods Can Lead to Depression, Memory Issues and Mood Swings

Ingredients in processed foods are often the lowest cost and sub-par, nutritionally. For example, the fats and oils used in processed foods are refined, which means they are stripped of the essential fatty acids necessary for healthy blood sugar levels, moods and memory. Your heart, hormones and brain suffer when you choose to eat these fats and oils. Instead choose organic, unrefined or “virgin” fats and oils.

6. Processed Foods Often Go Hand In Hand With “Eating on the run” or Multitasking

Most people will choose convenience if they are on the run and in today’s busy lives, who of us isn’t? Unfortunately, multitasking while eating causes people to lose touch with their natural appetite, often leading to weight gain. Additionally, multitasking sends the wrong signals to your digestive system, which needs to be in a restful mode to digest properly.

7. Nutrition Labels on Processed Foods Are Often Misleading and Have Harmful Health Effects

Many labels say “sugar free,” but contain other sweeteners like agave, which is like high fructose corn syrup. 
Additionally, product labeling may hide ingredients like GM (genetically modified) foods and harmful additives like MSG. (These are hidden behind words on the label like “natural flavorings” or “approved spices”).

8. Diets High in Processed Meats (like hot dogs and deli meats) Have Been Linked to Various Forms of Cancer

One of the reasons for this link to cancer is thought to be because of the preservatives used in processed meats. Clare Hughes, Australian Cancer Council nutrition program manager, says a number of studies have linked processed meat to cancer and the problem is multi-fold. ”Processed meats are high in salt and fat. In addition, chemicals such as nitrites are added to many processed meats to maintain their colour and to prevent contamination. Nitrites can be converted in the stomach to carcinogenic nitrosamines.”

9. Eating Too Many Processed Foods Can Lead to Infertility and Malnutrition

Processed foods, like cereal, are stripped of important vitamins and nutrients that your body truly needs. You could be eating a large amount of calories and still be malnourished if your diet is high in processed foods. Animal studies have shown that over three generations, a deficient diet causes reproduction to cease. Today, infertility is on the rise, affecting 7.3 million people in America.

10. Processed Foods are Made For Long Shelf-life, Not Long Human Life!

Chemicals, additives and preservatives are added to processed foods so that they will last for a long time without going rancid or affecting the taste of the food. Food manufacturers spend time, money and research on beautiful packaging and strategies to lengthen shelf-life, with little attention on how the foods will lengthen your life or create lasting health.

Source Link: http://bodyecology.com...

 

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Natural Remedies for Common Ailments 0

Natural Remedies for Common Ailments

Posted by on Mar 13, 2013 in eat for health, food, heart health

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I must say, Indiana is a great place to live if you love the season change. It is mid March and it seems like everyone I know is ill. Stuffy noses, chest colds, flu bugs, and the list could go on. This got me wondering, why am I not catching all these germs? Well, I work at home for one, I do not go out in public much at all in the winter, but I do enjoy the season, just close to home.

As the allergy medicine commercials start bombarding the air waves, I tend to look for more natural remedies for combating common sniffles and tummy aches. Medicine is so costly, and as long as it is nothing serious, natural works just as well, or better than most OTC medication.

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 These are a few natural remedies medications that can aid in fighting infection, much like antibiotics that cost less, and may have nasty side effects. I have heard that some un natural antibiotics side effects can be just as bad as the infection itself. This puts so much extra strain on our bodies. Mother Nature provides healing for us. We just have to know where to find it.

This photo has just a short list of natural infection fighters. Some are easily grown right in your own garden. Some are not as available. None have health threatening side effects. Simply a better way to go.

Heck, I bet you use garlic and onion a lot. I know I do. Great to know that it is good for the body as well. The others might not be in your kitchen, but now that you have the names, you should be able to find them.

It is important to treat our bodies as naturally as possible for the best results.

What other natural remedies are there that really work?

 

 

 

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