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Why am I not surprised….
….that food labels don’t necessarily tell the whole truth. “Food fraud” has become big business, and bigger with the introduction of what we’d like to believe is healthier foods. Big Ag, of course, has moved in to corrupt labels such as “natural” and “organic” and just about every box or bag of processed foods contains stuff that’s not on the label and is not good for you. Food blogger Dr. Joseph Mercola has the story here. Important reading but I’m at a loss as to how to protect ourselves. Oh, right. Buy from a local farmer you know. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/04/food-fraud.aspx Anyone who still believes the government is protecting you from this…
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To the barricades….
….there are times when I think I could be a revolutionary. Mostly those are times when I hear about the latest outrage perpetrated by chemical giant, Monsanto. It’s hard to imagine a more powerful, more destructive company on the planet. Their genetic engineering—all government-sanctioned—and their ability to skirt any real scientific review is without parallel. We’ve detailed many times their influence in Washington (and it has made no difference whether a Republican or Democrat is in charge). While other countries have been careful to keep a lid on genetically engineered foods, Monsanto has had free reign with its willing accomplices in the government and universities. One of the articles of…
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Our government, here to protect us….
….The New York Times discovers the antibiotic menace. Of course, years after the problem first surfaced. This article is revealing on several accounts: First, the most recent warning from the FDA was published in February but no one noticed until a public service group publicized it. The government didn’t do much to spread the word. Second, the inevitable professor of agriculture at a major university—Minnesota—jumps in to defend Big Ag. Third, the prof lets the cat out of the bag. The antibiotics are used to “keep cows healthy”…not to cure a sick cow. A cow on pasture is as healthy a creature as there is. It is only when you feed…
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The antibiotic menace….
….is real and growing. Antibiotics are not used primarily to treat sick animals, but as a weight enhancer. They’re at least as effective as growth hormones but, just to be sure, commercial producers of meat use both. In fact, antibiotics are used more in farming than among humans. Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, recently said this about the practice. “While the F.D.A. can see what kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are coming out of livestock facilities, the agency doesn’t know enough about the antibiotics that are being fed to these animals,” he writes. “This is a major public health problem, because giving healthy livestock…
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Well, I’m banking on it….
….there’s a study out that says that if you stay away from the typical “western” diet, you have a better chance not only of living longer but in better shape. There’s the usual “scientific” warning about limiting red meat (no recognition that grass fed beef is a cow of a different color altogether). Still, for what it’s worth: http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=130281&CultureCode=en
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The “whole” truth….
….about fat-free skim milk. I’m still surprised that some parents continue to feed their kids skim milk, or use it themselves for weight control. The literature is pretty complete on the subject: skim milk actually will cause you to gain weight…it is usually combined with powdered milk in processing to get rid of its natural blue color and that injects toxins (and the government does not require they note that on the label)…and that Vitamin D they add, has no value at all. Skim milk is, in fact, a waste product that Big Ag discovered they could market as a health food after they had removed the fat to make butter. …
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An ancient saying….
…which I translated from the original Sanskrit overnight: When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need. Ayurveda proverb The picture is of Dhanvantari….incarnation of Krishna, Lord of Ayurveda. Okay, our farm manager Duane Ard, came across the quote and knows I’m a sucker for this sort of thing. The rest is from Wikipedia. While I like the quote, I’m not so sure about Ayurveda, a forerunner of what we now call alternative medicine. Seems to be that “the lord” and his followers prescribed a lot of questionable medicines, things that were somewhat heavy on the heavy metals.
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Well, if Harvard says it….
….it must be true. Get plenty of Omega 3 and us old folks will live a lot longer. Not sure if the world really needs that but… The article recommends fish as the Omega 3 source but you get just about as much from grass fed beef. Thistle Hill grass fed beef. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-fish-dying-older-adults.html#nwlt Note the companion links about Omega 3s benefit in combatting Alzheimers.
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In praise of fat – 2….
….as a late convert to the joys of bacon, I find it a bit strange that one could be classified as “in a rut” if he eats bacon and eggs every morning. What a rut! But one of the Paleo bloggers is worried about it and so offers three other options for your breakfast menu. https://www.paleotrail.com/blog/2013/04/healthy-paleo-breakfast-ideas-without-eggs
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In praise of fat….
….not the kind we carry around, but the kind we eat. For years, and particularly when I pretended I was dieting, I would try to eliminate fatty foods and butter from my meals. That included carefully trimming the fat off the steaks I ate, even Thistle Hill steaks. I have concluded that, for me at least, it was wasted effort. Fat, according to the latest research, is good for you. The right kind of fat. Here’s a recent article that provoked outrage in the comments section from people still wedded to the propaganda rammed down our throats by Big Ag and Big Government for at least 70 years. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323393304578358681822758600.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories#articleTabs%3Dcomments Now…