Obama and Romney Both Say Let Them Eat GMO Cake

Photo Credit:Robert Swartwood

'Presidential elections are a time to pay homage to the idea that the candidates represent a real choice. But at least in the area of our food, this season’s candidates appear woefully alike — the actions of both revealing a double standard that strikes at the heart of the notion that all men are created equal. When it comes to what’s on the table, Obama and Romney have one standard for themselves and other elites, and quite another for the people they are supposed to represent.'


Read more...

Read more »

Why I Switched to Organic Wine (& How to Buy Organic Wine)

'I love wine. For me, it’s one of life’s great pleasures, right up there with raw milk cheese. But I recently switched to organic wine.

In this article, I’ll explain why I switched to organic wine, and how to read labels when buying organic wine.

I’ve also created a How to Buy Organic Wine infographic that you can use to decode the wine labels.

Why I Switched to Organic Wine

“A bottle of conventionally produced wine may contain up to 250 different types of chemicals,” according to EcoVine Wine, a Santa Barbara-based wine club specializing in organic wines.'


Read more...

Read more »

EWG’s dirty dozen and clean 15 guide to food safety

'Eat your fruits and vegetables! The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure. Use EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides™ to reduce your exposures as much as possible, but eating conventionally-grown produce is far better than not eating fruits and vegetables at all.

The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.'

Read more...

Read more »

Top Ten Cancer Fighting Foods

Read more »

Beta-Carotene: Why Most of Your Vitamins Should Come From Food, Not Supplements

'One mantra we often hear from the natural health industry is "take your supplements." While a high quality supplement may provide you with some vitamins and minerals that you may be deficient in, it will never replace a well balanced diet and the delivery system that nature intended. A perfect example is the dark side of beta carotene intake.

 Consumption of high amounts of beta-carotene could pose a health risk to people by blocking the action of vitamin A rather than enhancing it, according to new research.

"The kind of dosages of beta-carotene we see in health supplements could be harmful, especially since most people believe that more is better," said nutritionist Albert Meades. "However, even natural foods containing high-amounts of beta-carotene can also cause harm if consumed in excess, for example juicing carrots multiple times per day...everyday," he added.'

Read more... 

Read more »

Caveat Emptor:Organic Food Industry Bought Up by Corporations Like Coca-Cola

'You may be wondering why some supposedly ‘healthy’ and ‘environmentally conscious’ companies deceive unknowing consumers into purchasing products with hidden additives and fillers. Perhaps one of the main reasons is that a large number of these pseudo-organic brands are owned by their very unhealthy ‘competitors’, such as Coca-Cola and General Mills. In fact, some of your favorite “All Natural” and organic companies may be owned by a corporate giant.'

Read more...

Read more »

Is [Organic] Popcorn The Perfect Snack Food: Scientists Report It's Very High In Antioxidants

'Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a pioneer in analyzing healthful components in chocolate, nuts and other common foods, explained that the polyphenols are more concentrated in popcorn, which averages only about 4 percent water, while polyphenols are diluted in the 90 percent water that makes up many fruits and vegetables. 

In another surprising finding, the researchers discovered that the hulls of the popcorn -- the part that everyone hates for its tendency to get caught in the teeth -- actually has the highest concentration of polyphenols and fiber. 

 "Those hulls deserve more respect," said Vinson, who is with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. "They are nutritional gold nuggets."' 

Read more...

Read more »

Gamma-Irradiated, Virus-Sprayed Frankenfoods

 

'There is a profound misunderstanding in the mass market today about the value of certified organic food.  The question is not whether the 30% or more you pay at the register for an organic product is really worth the added vitamin, mineral and phyto-nutrient content you receive.

Even though organic food does usually have considerably higher nutrient density, it is not always the positive quality of what it contains that makes it so special. Rather, it is what you know the organic food does not contain, or what has not happened to it on its journey to your table, that makes buying organic a no-brainer to the educated consumer.  Let me explain.'


Read more...

Read more »

Occupy the Food System!

'In the past few weeks, the U.S. Food Movement has made its presence felt in Occupy Wall Street. Voices from food justice organizations across the country are connecting the dots between hunger, diet-related diseases and the unchecked power of Wall Street investors and corporations (See Tom Philppot’s excellent article in Mother Jones).


This is very fertile ground.

On one hand, the Food Movement’s practical alternatives to industrial food are rooted at the base of our economic system. Its activities are key to building the alternative, localized economies being called for by Occupy Wall Street. On the other hand, Occupy provides a space for the Food Movement to politicize its collective agenda and scale-up community-based solutions by changing the rules that govern local economies.'

Read more...

Read more »

Going Organic on a Shoestring Budget

'Recently, someone wrote to me at Farm Wars and asked the following question: “How do you go organic on a shoestring budget when you both work?”

This is a very good question, and one that needs to be addressed. Is there some way for we the people who live on a fixed income that is well below the national poverty line to eat healthy, or is eating healthy only for the rich?'

Read more...

Read more »

Charges NOT Dropped For Growing Garden

Ed. Note: Years ago, Cuba faced food shortages imposed from sanctions by allowing everyone to grow organic veggies anywhere the land wasn't being used. Now they thrive on organic foods more than any other nation. But that can't happen here in the land of the free?!

'While it only appears that the City of Oak Park, MI dropped charges toward Julie Bass for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard,  she wants to clarify that charges have not been dropped. She may not be spending 93 days in the slammer for growing veggies, but she faces similar punishment - for her dogs! But the garden fiasco is not over, more on that below.'

Read more ...

Read more »