Swine Flu vaccine….safe? USA – Vaccine obsessed?

I know… all the pro-vacciner’s are probably already pissed from   the  title.

I’m not here to say whether they are good or bad.

Although personally I feel there are entirely too many given to our children.  ESPECIALLY when they are given 3 and 4 shots at once!

I feel this way through personal experience when my daughter received 4 at once and within a week developed a 105 degree fever.  After a work up in the emergency room I was told “there is nothing wrong with her.”

After this she developed Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Huh, coincidence.  I think not.  Even medical doctors today who are for vaccine’s have no qualms about her NOT getting anymore – which says something in this day and age.

A friend of mine recently took her son to the doctor and they wanted to give him 3 shots at once.  When she heeded my advice  to

• have one at a time
• months apart
• and when he was healthy.

Well her previously well-mannered doctor had a fit. (talking down to her with irritation and annoyance)

So WHY is it that doctors are so angered by parents wanting to be “safe” in this day and age of extraordinary amount of diagnosis – autism, ADHD, bipolar, and many more?

I mean – these were so rare when i was a kid. And yes they were rare, even if a few were undiagnosed.

No i don’t believe that vaccines are evil. I believe too many, to soon, together, along with dangerous preservatives is wrong.

But put together the so called food most people eat these days – artificial this and that – nothing alive like fresh fruits and veggies.  (Even those are so much less healthy because of overworked soil and pesticides) Along with the amount of vaccines we receive and pollution.

Mix it all together and what do we get – tons of childhood illness that were almost unheard of 30 years ago.

So – it now seems that the powers that be who push this ridiculous amount of vaccines are even scaring some of the medical community.  Take a look at this –

Contains Thimerosal? That lovely mercury preservative so disputed these days….if you still haven’t gotten clear on what it is and why it is so bad, here you go….

Thimerosal

Thimerosal is the preservative of choice for vaccine manufacturers. First introduced by Eli Lilly and Company in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the company began selling it as a preservative in vaccines in the 1940s. Thimerosal contains 49.6 percent mercury by weight and is metabolized or degraded into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Mercury, or more precisely, ethylmercury, is the principle agent that kills contaminants. Unfortunately, mercury also kills much more than that.

The Department of Defense classifies mercury as a hazardous material that could cause death if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Studies indicate that mercury tends to accumulate in the brains of primates and other animals after they are injected with vaccines. Mercury poisoning has been linked to cardiovascular disease, autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia and many other nervous system conditions. That’s why the FDA rigorously limits exposure to mercury in foods and drugs. Some common sources of mercury include dental amalgam fillings, various vaccines and certain fish contaminated by polluted ocean waters.

The toxicity of mercury has never been in question. The real question is precisely how much mercury-laced thimerosal is toxic, and what are the possible consequences for our children at low doses?

Eli Lilly and Co. supposedly answered this question for us back in 1930. Concluding thimerosal to be of “a very low order of toxicity . . . for man,” the company hired its own doctors to perform thimerosal experiments in Indianapolis City Hospital on meningitis patients during a severe outbreak in 1929. This 60-year-old evidence was still quoted on the company’s brochures as recently as 1990. Andrew Waters, who is involved in a lawsuit against Eli Lilly, claims that most critical studies on the toxicity of thimerosal were suppressed by the company until now.

Banned around the world, but not in the United States

That might explain why thimerosal was eliminated in many countries 20 years ago. In 1977, a Russian study found that adults exposed to ethylmercury, the form of mercury in thimerosal, suffered brain damage years later. Studies on thimerosal poisoning also describe tubular necrosis and nervous system injury, including obtundation, coma and death. As a result of these findings, Russia banned thimerosal from children’s vaccines in 1980. Denmark, Austria, Japan, Great Britain and all the Scandinavian countries have also banned the preservative.

Eli Lilly stuck to its “scientific” facts, but the truth began slipping between the cracks in 1999. After the number of immunizations rose to 12 to 15 per child, the public finally became privy to the possible dangers of thimerosal. One 1999 study revealed that some infants, due to a genetic or developmental factor, lack the ability to eliminate mercury. Trace amounts of mercury in these infants, when accumulated over several vaccines, could pose a severe health risk. Some vaccines, such as vaccines for hepatitis B, contained as much as 12.5 micrograms of mercury per dose. That’s more than 100 times the EPA’s upper limit standard when administered to infants.

Why is mercury toxic in all ways except through vaccines? Enough said.

But…

The other thing that confuses me is this – if our vaccines are so great and our health care powers that be are so enlightened then why –

According to the World Health Organization,
those of us in the USA have the most
expensive health care in the world with
results at 72nd.

HHHmmmmm……

Are the Chemicals in Your Facial Moisturizer Harming You?

Don’t you love that fresh clean feeling just after you wash your face?

Then you may put on a moisturizer (especially if you are maturing like myself (:)

It makes your skin feel smoother and it may even give you a glow?

We are doing this so our skin is healthy and moisturized to keep it looking young and less wrinkled.

But do you know what chemicals you may be putting in your body? Do you know they may be doing you more harm then good?

Before getting into learning about health – I never thought about it.  I used whatever lotion I had, thinking I was doing my skin a favor.  What I didn’t know was how awful for me the chemical filled lotions were.

Here are a few examples of common ingredients in moisturizers:

• Propylene Glycol (PG) & Butylene Glycol. These are petroleum plastics that easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. PG is a solvent so powerful it dissolves through a stainless steel tank in 48 hours so it has to be stored in plastic drums. The EPA considers PG so toxic that it requires workers to wear protective gloves, clothing and goggles. However, Propylene Glycol is used in some products in concentrations of up to 20%. It is also the main ingredient in certain types of Antifreeze. How’s that for good skin care?

• Mineral Oil. A petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. It interferes with the skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders. It slows down skin function and cell development. Note: Baby Oil is 100% Mineral Oil!

• DMDM Hydantoin. Just one of the many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which may cause joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep.

• Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast cancers. Do you really want to take the chance that they might do so? In the July 2002 issue of the Archives of Toxicology , Dr. S. Oishi of the Department of Toxicology, Tokyo Metropolitan Research Laboratory of Public Health reported that exposure of newborn male mammals to butylparaben “adversely affects the secretion of testosterone and the function of the male reproductive system.” If that is not enough to avoid a product that can easily be avoided, I don’t know what is! There are a lot of other reports available all over the internet, but most of them are all related to reproductive health in some way or another. Not really something to mess with, huh?

Does this information surprise you? Remember the primary reason a cosmetic company is in business is for profit. These synthetic ingredients are plentiful and inexpensive therefore allowing more room for profit. Even products claiming to be natural often bury the few natural ingredients in a long list of synthetic chemicals. There is no legal definition for the word natural, so don’t be fooled. Read the labels carefully and verify for yourself.

Why does the FDA allow ingredients like these in products that are applied to the largest organ we have – our skin?

Most consumers would be surprised to learn that the government does not require health studies or pre-market testing for cosmetics and other personal care products before they are sold. According to the government agency that regulates cosmetics, the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, “…a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA” (FDA 1995).

Lovely!  Any ingredients.

The toxicity of product ingredients is scrutinized almost exclusively by a self-policing industry safety committee, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel. Because testing is voluntary and controlled by the manufacturers, many ingredients in cosmetics products are not safety tested at all. Environmental Working Group’s analysis of industry and government sources shows that:

*  Eighty-nine (89) percent of the 10,500 ingredients FDA has determined are used in personal care products (FDA 2000) have not been evaluated for safety by the CIR, the FDA, or any other publicly accountable institution (FDA 2000, CIR 2003).

The absence of government oversight for this $35 billion industry leads to companies routinely marketing products with ingredients that are poorly studied, not studied at all, or worse, known to pose potentially serious health risks.

Well they wouldn’t knowingly add harmful ingredients – right?

One of every 120 products on the market contains ingredients certified by government authorities as known or probable human carcinogens, including shampoos, lotions, make-up foundations, and lip balms manufactured by Almay, Neutrogena, Grecian Formula, and others. An astonishing one-third of all products contain one or more ingredients classified as possible human carcinogens.

Nearly 70 percent of all products contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other health problems. Studies by FDA and European agencies show that these impurities are common, in some cases occurring in nearly half of all products tested (FDA 1996, DTI 1998). Some manufacturers buy ingredients certified by an independent organization called United States Pharmacopeia (USP). These ingredients may contain lower levels of harmful impurities, but the criteria for certification are not public. There are no federal standards for ingredient purity. While it seems likely that some companies purchase or manufacture refined, purified ingredients, it is equally likely that many do not. Consumers and government health officials have no way to know.

Facial moisturizers are put on your face 1-2 times a day!  I know I don’t want to take the chance….

For woman who are thinking of having children, according to this study,  will most likely affect your unborn children.

Look at this study:

World Wildlife Fund (UK)

• 30 new-born babies
• Blood tests taken from the umbilical cord
• Analyzed for the presence of 35 chemicals
• Every baby tested positive for chemicals
• Chemicals found have suspected links to birth defects, genital abnormalities, and certain types of cancer
• All babies contained at least 5 of the 35 chemicals
• Some contained as many as 14 of the 35 chemicals

If you want something that moisturizes and much more and it only contains three ingredients that are so natural you eat them – give Sateen Facial Oil a try!

Sateen is a proprietary, organic, and all-natural citrus blend of Orange and Lemon Oils in a base of Sweet Almond Oil that works as an effective all-in-one facial product.

You are worth it.  Your face deserves it.  Your skin will thank you.

To Your Health!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Is Fish or a Can of Tuna REALLY THAT Bad for You? Your Kids?

If you are a 140 lb woman eating 1 6 oz can of Albacore Tuna = you are getting 140% of the EPA limit of Mercury exposure!  For a 65 lb. child eating 3 oz. = 150% of the EPA limit of ‘safe’ mercury exposure.

In other words, there is way too much mercury to consider it “SAFE” to eat in my opinion. (Which sucks because I love tuna. And so does my daughter – which was something different to give her besides the daily PB & J.)

So about 4 years ago when I got into eating ‘organic’ & ‘healthy’ foods – I quit buying tuna and most foods from the typical grocery store.  I am delighted to see that a lot of stores these days at least have a small section with organic choices, although I look forward to a time when that is how most food is sold!

At first, I thought the can of Tuna on the shelf in the ‘healthy’ whole food store must be OK, Right?

It made me wonder what the difference was.  So I did a little searching online.

My first great discovery – a website called GOT MERCURY? – (very cute.. )  It has a ‘Mercury Calculator‘ so you can put in your weight and the type of fish (even differentiating between albacore, yellow fin, and light tuna) to find what your mercury exposure is.

There is even an ‘Advanced Calculator’ for people who consume more than 1 serving a week!  Brace yourself – you will be shocked at how much mercury you may be consuming!

Here is what I found for myself and the fish I like –

• Tilapia –  0%
• Salmon – 0%
• Scallop – 20%
• Flounder – 20%
• Crab/Shrimp – 20%
• Cod – 30%
• Light Tuna – 50%

Now the NOT so good list –  (I ate occasionally and will now be avoiding!)

• Mahi Mahi – 60%
• Halibut – 90%
• Lobster – 110%
• Yellow fin Tuna – 120%
• Albacore Tuna – 130%
• Orange Roughy – 200%

I did find this interesting the sight about Tuna –

How do I know if my tuna is chunk light or albacore? Most tuna cans are labeled as either albacore or chunk light. Albacore tuna, according to recent testing by the FDA, contains 3 times as much mercury as does chunk light. You should avoid albacore tuna if you wish to keep your blood mercury level low. There are exceptions, however. Some companies sell albacore that is troll-caught. These species are younger fish and therefore contain lower levels of mercury. According to a recent study from Oregon State University, troll-caught albacore mercury levels are similar to chunk light levels (on average. 0.14 parts per million). Data for troll-caught data in the mercury calculator above is from the OSU study. Cans of chunk light tuna typically contain skipjack tuna which is a smaller species of fish and therefore contains lower mercury levels (on average. 0.123 parts per million). You can compare the mercury levels between the two in the mercury calculator above.

For some reason – I always thought Albacore was the good one to get  – wow was I wrong!

Then I found in a Dr. Mercola article  – that Mercury is NOT the only worry–

Other Contaminants include:

• PCBs
• Radioactive substances like strontium
• Toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, chromium and arsenic

Think that Farm Raised means cleaner healthier fish?  Think again!

Factory-Farmed Fish

If you eat fish in a restaurant, it most likely came from a fish farm. Almost half of the salmon, 40 percent of the mollusks, and 65 percent of the freshwater fish consumed today are raised on fish farms. Not surprisingly, fish farming, a multimillion-dollar industry, has become one of the fastest-growing sections of the food production market.

What many people don’t know is that farmed fish face many of the same health issues as factory-farmed animals. In order to be profitable, fish farms must raise large quantities of fish in confined areas, and the overcrowding leads to disease and injuries to the fish. The fish are given antibiotics and chemicals for the parasites like sea lice, skin and gill infections and other diseases that commonly affect them.

The fish are also given drugs and hormones, and sometimes are genetically modified, to accelerate growth and change reproductive behaviors. Farmed salmon are also given chemicals, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, to turn their flesh pink in order to make them more marketable. Wild salmon eat a diet of shrimp and krill, which contain natural chemicals that make the salmon pink. Farm-raised salmon do not eat a natural diet, so their flesh would be gray if they were not given the additives.

Unfortunately, my fish consumption is rare because of this information which is a shame because it is so good!

I didn’t realize how unhealthy Tuna was so I wanted to share what I’d learned.  We all hear that our oceans are contaminated but I was shocked at how badly.

Why this continues to happen?  Another blog….

To Your Health!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Will the Swine Flu Get You?

I sure hope not … there are some steps you can take to help lower your risk.

A really easy one that I heard President Obama say last night on TV

WASH YOUR HANDS! And like I told my daughter, DON”T PUT YOUR HANDS IN YOUR MOUTH, NOSE, Or EYES! Easier said then done I know… you get an eyelash or something in your eye – that goes out the window unless you are very conscientious about it.

Plenty of rest, eat healthy (omit sugar), drink plenty of water, and take quality supplements like KRILL OIL (for omega 3’s), and PROBIOTICS (for the ‘good’ gut flora which is a natural anti-viral)!

Sound familiar?  Same thing you hear when it is the winter ‘flu’ season.

If you’d rather not try the natural ways to avoid it and if you do end up with the Swine Flu – Plan on getting some Tamiflu?

Per Dr. Mercola’s article –

Remember, Tamiflu went through some rough times not too long ago, as the dangers of this drug came to light when, in 2007, the FDA finally began investigating some 1,800 adverse event reports related to the drug. Common side effects of Tamiflu include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Cough

All in all, the very symptoms you”re trying to avoid.

More serious symptoms included convulsions, delirium or delusions, and 14 deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections (which led Japan to ban Tamiflu for children in 2007). And that”s for a drug that, when used as directed, only reduces the duration of influenza symptoms by 1 to 1 ½ days, according to the official data.

But making matters worse, some patients with influenza are at HIGHER risk for secondary bacterial infections when on Tamiflu. And secondary bacterial infections, as I mentioned earlier, was likely the REAL cause of the mass fatalities during the 1918 pandemic!

I think I’d rather try to avoid getting it if possible.

Hoping for a vaccine in the near future?  You might not ever want a flu vaccine again after you watch this!– What Ingredients are in Your Flu Shot? You’ll Be Shocked!

So all this media coverage got me thinking… Where the heck did this come from?

Supposedly, they don’t know…. but the Health Freedom Alliance has stated –

“It appears this strain was created in a lab and “escaped.” Take necessary action now to boost your immune system.

Wondering more about this “escape” – I found more about this in Mercola’s special report –

The UN expert believes that Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the current A-H1N1 swine flu virus are biological warfare agents.

In addition, Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick — the same Army research lab from which the 2001 anthrax strain was released, according to a recent article in the Fredrick News Post.¹³ In February, the top biodefense lab halted all its research into Ebola, anthrax, plague, and other diseases known as “select agents,” after they discovered virus samples that weren”t listed in its inventory and might have been switched with something else. (click here to ready the full theory.)

Wow, what a mess…

I’ll be ordering extra Vitamin C, Probiotics, and drinking a lot of water after washing my hands and not touching my face!

My best to you!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Money Is Tight so What Fruits & Veggies Should I Buy Organic & Which Can I Buy Conventionally Grown?

In today’s economy you may be feeling the pinch.  Even if you aren’t, you may be more aware of how much you are spending.  Either that is what is happening to me, or food prices just continue to climb!  Probably both.

But I am a believer in eating organically.  It is a fact that organically grown food has a higher vitamin/mineral content than conventionally grown produce.

Besides that I prefer to eat my fruits & veggies without all the pesticides and insecticides that conventionally grown produce offers you.  If you want to know why it is better to NOT consume these dangerous chemicals – that is a whole other blog!

So what to do when my shopping list is bigger than my budget and I’m out of coupons?  Buy some stuff that isn’t organic.  It doesn’t thrill me but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

What then is the ‘must have’ organic produce?  Which are OK to buy non-organic?

Announcing a new update to an old favorite: it’s the 5th edition of EWG’s classic Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides, now with the latest government data. This handy guide shows you the fruits and veggies with the most and least pesticides, so you know which to always buy organic and which are pretty clean even when conventionally grown.

The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peach	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	93
3	Sweet Bell Pepper	83
4	Celery	82
5	Nectarine	81
6	Strawberries	80
7	Cherries	73
8	Kale	69
9	Lettuce	67
10	Grapes – Imported	66
11	Carrot	63
12	Pear	63
13	Collard Greens	60
14	Spinach	58
15	Potato	56
16	Green Beans	53
17	Summer Squash	53
18	Pepper	51
19	Cucumber	50
20	Raspberries	46
21	Grapes – Domestic	44
22	Plum	44
23	Orange	44
24	Cauliflower	39
25	Tangerine	37
26	Mushrooms	36
27	Banana	34
28	Winter Squash	34
29	Cantaloupe	33
30	Cranberries	33
31	Honeydew Melon	30
32	Grapefruit	29
33	Sweet Potato	29
34	Tomato	29
35	Broccoli	28
36	Watermelon	26
37	Papaya	20
38	Eggplant	20
39	Cabbage	17
40	Kiwi	13
41	Sweet Peas – Frozen	10
42	Asparagus	10
43	Mango	9
44	Pineapple	7
45	Sweet Corn – Frozen	2
46	Avocado	1
47 (best)	Onion	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Note: We ranked a total of 47 different fruits and vegetables but grapes are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported samples.

GET THE GUIDE

Find out what changed about bananas, carrots, and spinach (among others), and get a printable version of the wallet-sized guide.

Hope this helps you in making decisions when shopping!

To Your Health!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Could Taking A ‘GREENS SUPPLEMENT’ Help You?

For most people – DEFINITELY!

Why?

Because Western diets that are typically high in meat [protein] and carbohydrate consumption are highly acidic [because acid is needed to break down proteins and carbohydrates]. Greens food are plant based so they help keep the body’s sensitive pH balance in an alkaline and healthy state.

Unless most of your diet consists of vegetables and fruits with an emphasis on eating them raw – you are probably lacking some of the nutrients your body wants!

Less than 11 percent of all Americans meet the USDA minimum recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption.

With our hectic lives, it’s never easy to squeeze in all of those servings of fruits and vegetables, but getting balanced whole food nutrition is vital for optimal health!

Diets high in fruits and vegetables have been shown to reduce the risk of obesity and some chronic health diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Are you missing out on the health benefits of a nutritionally-rich diet?

It’s easy to increase your daily consumption of nutritious whole foods with our amazing Green Garden formula.

If you are looking for a raw vegetable blend to super-charge your diet look no further!

One of the best parts about Frequency Foods Green Garden Formula is that it comes in both powder & capsules!

There are quite a few Greens on the market – yet it is hard to find them in Capsule form for those who prefer it – especially kids!

Another reason you should choose Green Garden from Frequency Foods….

Green Garden contains NO fillers, flowing agents (many manufacturers use talcum powder…ugh!), and absolutely no synthetic additives or preservatives. All the raw materials used in Green Garden are analyzed for purity and vitality before AND AFTER manufacturing. The product quality is unsurpassed!

Why Not Give it a try – see how you feel!

To Your Health!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Is the High Fructose Corn Syrup Ad Right – Is it Harmless?

A few friends had mentioned seeing a commercial stating that High Fructose Corn Syrup was natural and harmless.  I finally saw it myself this weekend.  Wow, what I was most amazed about was the lack of information that was given.  I guess when you are trying to promote a unhealthy product, less is more.

If you haven’t seen it – a man and woman are picnicking and the woman is holding a red Popsicle.  She offers it to him and he declines because it has high fructose corn syrup in it.  When she asks him Why that is a ‘bad’ thing, he is unable to respond.  This is the crux of the commercial, he can’t verbalize WHY it has a negative effect on his health.  Because of this, she tells him that it is made from corn and it is natural.  Then finishing with something about it being OK in moderation.

The sad fact is unless you have a PhD in natural health and /or nutrition, it is hard to articulate what you’ve read and believe. I know… I still have trouble sometimes and it has been my main reading/hobby/interest/career for the last 5 years!

Having a massive interest in ‘natural’ food and ‘alternative’ health, spawned by my daughter’s miraculous recovery from JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) using these methods, I’ve removed High Fructose Corn Syrup from my family’s diet.                                                                                                                                                                   

I’m not surprised that this commercial is out… I mean the organic food movement is getting larger.  When I began eating all organic food years ago, there was not an organic piece of produce or anything in the ‘regular’ grocery store.  Now most stores at last have some sections designated for organic products.  Most of these labels state NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, which is one of the ingredients informed consumers look to avoid.  The corn syrup producers must be very unhappy about this and are trying to fight their demise.

After watching the commercial I thought about what I would have said when asked WHY is HFCS bad?

Well, what I know is that High Fructose Corn Syrup is unhealthy because it is a sweetener which raises insulin levels, which has negative effects on the body.  Just like it is a well known fact today that sugar does this and it is best to minimize or omit it from your diet.

So what makes HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP so bad?  You can read many different articles that give you the scientific breakdown of what HFCS is and why is is unhealthy.  To read specifics, check out – What is High Fructose Corn Syrup or  Six Reasons Why Corn is Making You Fat by Joseph Mercola.

But the overall picture is this.  High Fructose Corn Syrup was created by Japanese Scientists in the 70’s. (which back before this obesity rates were very low, coincidence?)

HFCS is now the prevalent sweetener used in the US for many reasons, but mostly money.  It is cheaper. (surprise surprise)

It isn’t natural because it is modified.  High Fructose Corn Syrup is made by adding enzymes to cornstarch to change the make up.

I could go on and on, but why?  You’ll forget and it really isn’t important.  Why? Because it is just as bad for you as sugar and is more prevalent in the American diet than sugar.  And no one is arguing that we need to cut back on sugar.

I mean every knows and doesn’t fight the fact that:       

Here is a list of ways sugar can affect your health:

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• Sugar can upset the body’s mineral balance.
• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
• Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
• Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
• Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
• Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
• Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
• Sugar can promote tooth decay.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
• Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
• Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
• Sugar can cause hypertension.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind’s ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
• Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

So it seems kind of silly that this is the Pro’s list for High Fructose Corn Syrup –

The Pro-High Fructose Corn Syrup people, namely those involved in its sale, and hhmm money, say that –

• The American Medical Association (AMA) recently concluded that “high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.” (Well, great they all contribute so it is not worse than sugar, that is saying something)

• Research confirms that high fructose corn syrup is safe and nutritionally the same as table sugar. (Wow, it is as nutritional as sugar, great! We just read all of the great benefits of eating sugar)

• High fructose corn syrup has the same number of calories as table sugar and is equal in sweetness. It contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients

• High fructose corn syrup offers numerous benefits. It keeps food fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments (these are all so important to the consumer, lets have moist stuff that lasts a long time so we can be fat and sick)

Pretty silly argument huh?

My last point – if you are serious about omitting the High Fructose Corn Syrup – become a label reader. Yes, it is a pain in the ass – but your body will thank you by feeling better.  You will be amazed that all it is in.  Some examples –

bread, cereal, candy, beverages, condiments, jelly, salad dressing, sauces, snacks, soups.

Hope this helped clear some of it up for you!

To Your Health,

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Healthy Hot Chocolate!

Love Hot chocolate?  Me too!  What I didn’t like was all the junk that is added to instant hot chocolate.

For example here are the list of ingredients for Nestle’ Instant Hot Cocoa Mix –

Product Ingredients

SUGAR, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, VEGETABLE OIL (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COCONUT OR PALM KERNEL AND HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN)**, DAIRY PRODUCT SOLIDS, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, AND LESS THAN 2% OF CELLULOSE GUM, NONFAT MILK, SALT, SODIUM CASEINATE, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, GUAR GUM, ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS.

Yum? After reading that list, it makes me want to pass on the cup of cocoa even on a cold day!

Fortunately, there is an EASY & most importantly a HEALTHY Hot Chocolate recipe that even your kids will love.

With No Sugar, No Hydrogenated Oils, and No chemicals you can’t pronounce!

(Yes, it passed my 12 year-old-daughter’s test!) She even said, “It is the best hot chocolate ever!”

So here it is –

• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder with 70% or more cacao.
• 1 packet of Stevia powder (or 1/4 tsp. liquid)
• 1 cup of raw milk  (Click here to learn more about the benefits of raw milk)
• For special times – add a dollop of whip cream (Natural by Nature uses organic cream and only 1 gram of sugar from cane sugar with no hydrogenated oils)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently (DO NOT let boil) stirring frequently until cocoa is just beginning to steam.  Pour into a mug and enjoy.

*Heating on low will allow the antioxidants to release from the cocoa and will not destroy all of the beneficial ingredients in the raw milk.

To save time and allow my daughter to make it, I mixed the cocoa and stevia together in a glass jar so when it is time to make it, it is a little quicker and neater.

Enjoy!

www.GreenLifeSaver.net!

Are You Going to Be a Scientific Experiment by Eating Cloned Food?

That seems to be what the US government is doing by cloning animals.

What is this?

Cloning is an attempt to create a new animal using the DNA from an existing adult animal. The FDA, while noting that livestock cloning produces many malformed or ill newborn animals, said cloned animals that survive for several months after birth can be healthy. They can reproduce normally and produce healthy young, the FDA said. The agency said it found no signs that food from healthy clones is harmful to humans, and predicted that sickly clones would be excluded from the food supply.

I’d love to know who performed these studies and who paid for them.

Even worse –

No public system is in place to alert food sellers when products from animal lines that include clones could reach their shelves – whether in the form of a rib-eye steak, a quart of low-fat milk, a can of beef minestrone or a wedge of sharp cheddar.

I mean how is it that they can put cloned food in our food supply without any labels?

Silly question – I know – what drives most of the insanity in this day and age – money.

More money for the powers that be from the cloning companies who want money from the farmers for these prized animals, who (the farmers) want more money for their scientific experiments.

What price do we and our children pay for this?

I suppose we are suppose to just wait some years and find out? That is what the FDA would like us to do.

Cloning is a relatively new technology and its impacts are still not well understood. According to a number of scientific studies the vast majority of cloning attempts fail. Even “successful” clones can have severe health problems, such as metabolic or cardiopulmonary abnormalities, that can result in death or the need for euthanasia. There are concerns that food safety could be impacted if cloned animals or animal products derived from them are used for food. Indeed, there have been limited studies on the safety of cloned animal products for consumption.

Aside from the inhumane treatment to animals (which is a whole other subject) Shouldn’t the mere fact that most cloning attempts fail and if they do work, there are severe health problems enough to tell us that it isn’t right?

I think so and anyone I’ve ever talked to is at least uncomfortable with the idea and they want to know more.

Thank Goodness for the people like The Center For Food Safety who keep us informed of what is trying to be put through without our knowledge. Also because of great people like them – they allow our voices to be heard.

In one of their latest articles they said-

Your voice is being heard – don’t stop now. We need your help in sending a strong message to food producers, restaurants and grocers that consumers do not want foods from cloned animals or their offspring.

Twenty of America’s leading food producers, restaurants, and retailers have said that they will not use cloned animals in their food in response to surveys sent by the Center for Food Safety and Friends of the Earth.

Companies include Kraft Foods; General Mills; Gerber/Nestle; Campbell Soup Company; Gossner Foods; Smithfield Foods; Ben & Jerry’s; Amy’s Kitchen; California Pizza Kitchen restaurants; Hain Celestial; Cloverland, Oberweis, Prairie, Byrne, Plainview, and Clover-Stornetta Dairies; and grocers PCC Natural Markets, Albertsons, SUPERVALU, and Harris Teeter.  The move by these companies represents a growing industry trend of responding to consumer demand for better food safety, environmental, and animal welfare standards. We need more to follow suit to protect our food supply since FDA refuses to do so.

I for one do not want to eat or drink any cloned or genetically modified foods.  It is already a shame that most of what fills a typical grocery store shelf is boxes of chemicals.

If this has hit a chord with you go here and sign the petition that our stores will see telling them that we don’t want cloned food!

If enough people do this – we can make a difference for ourselves and our children.

It is worth the try. And thank you to the True Food Network!

To Your Health,

www.GreenLifeSaver.net

Milk … Why Your Kids Don’t Want to Drink it. Are They On to Something?

My daughter would NOT drink milk from about 4 years old until last year at 11.

Did her taste buds change – No, not really.

Before getting into learning about health – I tried to give her regular, pasteurized skim milk. It is said to be healthy for her, but she would not drink it (except to put on her cereal and throw what was left away after eating).

It didn’t really make sense to me since she was not a finicky eater and she ate just about any vegetable I put in front of her and she loved fruit. So why wouldn’t she drink this healthy drink? What was the problem?

Maybe (as most kids do) she instinctively knew what her body needed. What I found after researching milk was that pasteurized, homogenized milk is NOT ‘healthy’ as advertised. Even though some of the stars look kind of cute with the white mustache and the slogan “GOT MILK?”

So what changed at 11 years old that she began drinking it?

I gave her raw milk. One sip, then she finished the glass, then she asked for more!

Where did I get it? At – Sunset View Pastures Farm, an Amish farm in Cochranville, PA. They are located at –

Steve and Katie Stoltzfus
751 Saw Mill Road
Cochranville, PA 19330

610-299-6726

Not only do they have the most amazingly delicious dairy, eggs, and beef products, they are wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable.

How did I find them? Online on www.LocalAmishFarms.com

It is a site dedicated to farms, and farmer markets in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area that offer locally raised, organic and pesticide-free produce, dairy, meats.

I know, if this is new to you, you might be thinking that can’t be safe, or that has to be fattening, if it was so much better for you, than why is there only pasteurized, homogenized milk in the grocery store?

I know, I wondered that as well.

Safety – There are many sites out there that talk about the differences between raw and pasteurized milk. The main consensus is this – raw milk from organic grass fed cows in a cleanly facility is better than pasteurized milk.

Why? Because pasteurized milk is heated which kills all bacteria (the good and bad) leaving it without the digestive enzymes, and nutrients that are the ‘good’ for you part. Here is a blurb from a Dr. Mercola newsletter on raw milk –

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that raw milk can carry disease-causing bacteria, what they completely overlook is the fact that these bacteria are the result of industrial farming practices that lead to diseased animals, which may then in turn produce contaminated milk. You never want to get your raw milk from a feed-lot cow.

Drinking raw milk produced by grass-fed cows from clean, well-run farms, however, is far LESS dangerous than drinking pasteurized milk.

In fact, not only does raw milk contain good bacteria that are essential for a healthy digestive system, raw milk also offers protection against disease-causing bacteria!

The big determining factor about the safety of milk is what the cows are fed and the facility it is produced at. I found this youtube video at another great informative site – www.raw-milk-facts.com.

As nature does in making things with a purpose, raw milk fat actually has multiple purposes – like assisting with the absorption of calcium, and in Dr. Mercola’s newsletter he says that it also assists in the development of muscle and supporting the thyroid.

Check out all three of these sites to learn more about the benefits of raw milk! It really is eye opening … then you can make your assumption on why most groccery stores only offer pasturized milk.

I will continue to drive to the Sunset View Pasture’s Farm to get my milk, eggs, and more.

I can now say that my daughter loves her milk!