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Organic Food – Information on the Benefits of Organic Food

Keith — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:27:55 +0000

It is normal, and indeed, necessary, for you to have sound reasons for taking different actions in your life. This applies to switching to organic foods as well. This is a significant change and you should know the reasons for making the shift. What makes organic foods better than the traditional ones? What benefits will you gain? What are the drawbacks? Let us discuss some of the reasons you may wish to change. Firstly, you should be aware of how to recognize an organic food. Organic foods have a label which says Certified Organic. It is easy to find on the label and you should look for this before you buy. If it is hard to find then it probably is not there. Do not be fooled by products that say organic but are not certified or products that use the word natural or other variations of the word organic. The preparation of organic foods is highly regulated. Not just anyone can go out and sell organic food. There are strict standards in order for the organic foods to be certified by Quality Assurance International. Truly organic foods are of the highest standards. The genuine products have the QAI labels, certifying them as fit for human consumption. Organic food products are often better tasting, helping us to overcome our slavery to food additives. Try buying some organic vegetables and steam them. Steaming as well holds the flavor of vegetables. You will find you need less butter and salt on organic vegetables. You will be very surprised at how good they taste and how much longer they stay fresh. Of course you will pay more for organic foods but as they become more popular you will find that the prices will come down. I think this is one of the main drawbacks. A lot of people want to go organic but just do not feel they can afford it. A good suggestion is to buy organic when you can afford them so you get times when you are obtaining more nutrition. Supporting the organic growers in this manner will ensure that the price will eventually go down as more and more people make a point of buying them. Remember that some grocery stores give up on supplying organic vegetables because people do not buy them. The improved taste is largely due to the fact that these fruits and vegetables are free of chemicals. The soil on which organic food is grown cannot contain chemicals as well. The naturally grown foods are also known to counter a number of diseases. For example, the products tend to lessen the chances of getting cancer. The chemicals used in a number of pesticides are said to have elements that increase the risk of getting cancer. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is hidden from many people. The chemicals used for a variety of tasks such as killing weeds and insects are considered to be harmful. However, they are still used pretty widely, and their baleful effects are well packed within most of the farm products that are still largely on sale. Imagine, you go out and see those beautiful fresh vegetables at the supermarket and they all contain many chemicals. You think you are eating healthy but you really are not. You can easily do a search on the web as to what the standard chemicals are in a particular vegetable. Different vegetables contain different chemicals sometimes over 10 chemical in a single type of vegetable. It actually is sickening to think about. You would not get the chemicals in organic vegetables. Because organic foods carry less toxic chemicals they also can help prevent many illnesses that are connected to the chemicals we obtain in our foods. As we have seen briefly, eating organic foods comes with a lot of benefits to your personal health. However, many people are put off by the high cost of maintaining such a natural diet. The other side of it is that once you are sick you end up spending more money on your healthcare anyway. Starting now with organic foods will reduce the need for medical expenses later on. While organic foods are usually more difficult to get, you can make your purchases relatively easily from a company that delivers organic food. This will give you a simple way of getting your nutritional requirements. But first of all, you need to be familiar with the delivery companies and how you may find them. It is the purpose of this article to shed some light on this issue. One of the best ways for you to zero in on a company that delivers organic food is by using the Internet. When you make such an online purchase, your order will be brought up to your house. Given that the companies involved are interested in delivering your organic food in a fresh state, the orders are processed quite fast. Hence most of them carry next-day deliveries. It is not just vegetables that are sold as well. There are many products that have been certified organic some of which have a long shelf life. I personally buy organic Apple Cider Vinegar which actually lasts five years in the bottle. There are a variety of choices open to you when you purchase your organic foods online. Some organic food shops sell several different types of brands. In addition, a number of manufacturers opt to sell their organic food products entirely online. Regardless of the type you choose, you should shop around first and make necessary comparisons. This will not only help you to find a rich variety of organic foods but also cheaper deals. You may also arrange for organic food delivery offline, from local organic food stores. So far, this is the method that the majority of organic food consumers use. Here too there are different options open to you. For example, you may place an order at a time when you are not going home. In such a situation, you can make arrangements for your order to be delivered to your home at a later time. A number of local stores provide this type of organic food delivery service. An increasing number of local organic food stores currently provide both local and online services. As a result, you can simply place your order via your local organic food store’s website. Your organic food is usually delivered to you in a matter of hours. The only difference to full-fledged online shopping is that these stores have a restriction on the distance they operate within. You should inquire from your local store as to whether they have such a service. Organic food is sold in the larger cities and as well in the smaller towns since it is in the rural area where these products are often produced. As you can see, there are different ways through which you can find an organic food delivery company. And you may even play a part by suggesting the above option to your local store in case they do not yet have such a service. Having your organic food delivered to your door is a convenient method, which is especially useful to those with disabilities. Give organic food a try. You will not be sorry.

Holly Crosgrey owns the website entitled: Organic Food which outlines a substantial amount of information and resources on organic food.

Genetically Modified Food: The Benefits and the Risks

Keith — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:28:24 +0000

Background Genetically modified foods or GM foods for short, also go under many different names, including transgenic food, genetically engineered food or biotech food. So what are GM foods? Although different people and groups have different definitions, GM foods can broadly define as foods that “are produced from crops whose genetic makeup has been altered through a process called recombinant DNA, or gene splicing, to give the plant a desirable trait. ” The modification is usually done in the lab using molecular techniques or genetic engineering although there are others who would argue that crops produced through conventional breeding can also be considered as GM food. The first GM food crop, a tomato developed by Montsanto was submitted for approval to the US FDA in August 1994 and came into market in the same year. As of September 9, 2008, a total of 111 bioengineered food products have completed the US FDA “consultation procedures” on bioengineered foods. In addition to the tomato, the range of products includes soybean, corn, cotton, potato, flax, canola, squash, papaya, radicchio, sugar beet, rice, cantaloupe, and wheat. According to estimates by the Grocery Manufacturers of America, “between 70 percent and 75 percent of all processed foods available in U. S. grocery stores may contain ingredients from genetically engineered plants. Breads, cereal, frozen pizzas, hot dogs and soda are just a few of them. “The benefits of GM foods. Support for GM foods come from different sectors: scientists, economists, and understandably from the agricultural and food industries. GM foods can fight world hunger. The world population has reached an all-time high of over 6 and a half billion. Over 20% of these are suffering from poverty and hunger. That GM foods can stop hunger is one of the noblest motivations behind the development of GM foods. GM foods supposedly are easier to grow and bring higher yields. In poverty-stricken parts of the world, higher yields can save millions of lives and bring much-needed economic benefits. In a review, Terri Raney of the United Nations says “. . . the economic results so far suggest that farmers in developing countries can benefit from transgenic crops. . . “GM crops are better. GM crops are designed to be sturdier and more robust than their non-modified cousins. They are meant to be resistant to drought, diseases, and pests. The Hawaiian papaya industry, for example, only managed to survive a virus epidemic after the introduction of more resistant transgenic varieties. GM foods have been with us for hundreds of years. The wide variety of many plants that we see today came about through natural as well as traditional man-made plant cross-breeding that took thousands of years. That is peppers come in different shapes, colors, and taste, from the very spicy hot to the sweet types. That is why we have more than 1000 different types of tomatoes. GM foods can fight malnutrition. In a world suffering from malnutrition, GM foods can answer the need for more nutritious food. To cite an example, Swiss research strove to create rice strains that contain large amounts of beta-carotene and iron to counteract vitamin A and iron deficiency. Malnutrition can refer to both undernutrition and wrong nutrition. People in rich and developed countries may have more than enough food but not the proper nutrition necessary to keep them healthy. For this reason, researchers at the European-funded FLORA project have developed strains of fruits and vegetables with enhanced content of antioxidants. Through genetic engineering, FLORA oranges have higher than normal flavonoids and phenolics. The FLORA purple tomatoes have three times the amount of the antioxidant anthocyanins compared to normal tomatoes. GM foods are good for the environment. The damage to the environment that insecticides such as DDT bring about is well-known. The use of synthetic fertilizers in the farmlands led to the eutrophication of rivers and lakes all over the world. GM foods translate into less use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, and therefore less pollution. GM foods can help medicine. GM foods can be used in producing pharmacological products in the so-called “medical molecular farming: production of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines in plants. ” FLORA stands for “flavonoids and related phenolics for healthy living using orally recommended antioxidants” and it sees it self as “a player in the future of medicine. ” As early as 2005, Indian researchers reported the potential use of transgenic bananas in carrying vaccines against hepatitis B. In the same year, the biotech company GTC Biotherapeutics based in Framingham, Massachusetts has developed a herd of genetically modified goats that produce milk which contains a human anticoagulant called anti-thrombin. GM foods are safe. The creators of GM crops are quick to assure that GM foods are safe and pose no threat to human health. GM crops are regulated by three agencies: the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US FDA. “The FDA ensures that foods made from these plants are safe for humans and animals to eat, the USDA makes sure the plants are safe to grow, and the EPA ensures that pesticides introduced into the plants are safe for human and animal consumption and for the environment. While these agencies act independently. “According to the US FDA, “bioengineered foods do not pose any risks for consumers that are different from conventional foods . . . We make sure there are no hazards, such as an unexpected allergen or poisonous substance in the food, or that the food is not changed in some way that would affect its nutritional value. “The issues against GM foods. The opponents of GM foods may be scientists, environmentalists, and of course consumer groups. In addition, many celebrities are openly anti-GM, thus setting role models for the public. Among the most well-known and outspoken GM sceptic is Charles, England’s Prince of Wales. GM foods are for profit. According to its opponents, GM foods were created for profit and nothing else. They cite the multinational giant Monsanto, a pioneer in GM research and owns the infamous Roundup crops. Companies like Monsanto are unlikely in the GM business for purely noble reasons. GM foods are unregulated. The use of GM foods in the world is almost an unregulated free-for-all activity. Going through the US FDA consultation procedures is mainly voluntary. Anti-GM advocacy groups and concerned scientists are asking for more controls and regulations. There are also reports of GM plants escaping field trials and finding their way to the natural environment, thousands of miles away. In 2006, rice which contained genes from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (the notorious Bt) found its way to European supermarkets, causing a big outcry. The bacterial gene rendered the rice resistant to insects and the transgenic rice was a test plant that has not yet been approved for human consumption. GM foods can harm the environment. GM foods are affecting their environment and some of these effects might actually be harmful. The effects are especially evident in other living organisms within the vicinity. There are concerns, for examples, how cross-pollination with pollens from GM plants can affect non-GM plants. Resistance development is another major issue. In China, for example, researchers used antibiotic-resistance marker genes to derive resistant transgenic rice strains. There are concerns that the marker genes will be taken up by naturally occurring gut bacteria and lead to resistant, more pathogenic strains. Other studies also point to possible effects on animal life such as insects which are closely interact with the GM plants. One of the most well-known incidences was the claims that pollens from transgenic corn plants with Bt insecticidal gene markers are adversely affecting monarch butterflies in North America. Although experts say that the butterflies were safe from Bt, environmentalists were not satisfied. GM foods can be detrimental to human health. The main concerns about adverse effects of GM foods on health are the transfer of antibiotic resistance, toxicity and allergenicity. With genetic modifications come new compounds in the crops which we virtually know nothing about. These compounds may be in the form of allergens and little-known proteins whose effects to human health are difficult to predict. In the food chain, this can even affects animals fed by GM crops and slaughtered for human use. GM foods are not better. Western Europe is a stronghold of anti-GM movement. A European study last year declared that organic foods – which are exclusively non-GM-, are definitely better and more nutritious than their non-organic counterparts. Which way do we go? The risks versus benefits of GM food are not an easy issue to settle. There is an urgent need for increasing food production and GM foods seem to be in the best position to address this need. In the short-term, GM foods are probably the solution to food shortage. Currently, there is not enough scientific evidence to support the possible risks of GM foods. However, like in most things new and innovative, the long-term benefits and adverse effects can only be speculated upon. Responsibility should be on the scientists, the health authorities, and the industries to act responsibly and to be as transparent as possible.

The article providing the Pros and Cons on Genetically Modified Foods may be found in it’s entirely with references and links on http://HealthWorldNet. com .

What Are The Benefits Of Moist Food For Cats And Dogs?

Keith — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:27:44 +0000

I’ve always just fed my animals dry cat/dog food on a regular basis. Occasionally, I give them a treat of moist food, or soft food. I just purchased some soft and hard mixed dog food and my dog loves it. I guess I’m not sure why people feed their animals moist food as well as hard, or just moist food. I heard that moist food is bad for their teeth. What is your thoughts?

Benefits of Maintaining a Diet Rich in Raw Foods

Keith — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:27:28 +0000

Constipation, bloating, lethargy, depression, and unnecessary weight gains are just some of the results of consuming what is considered a ?normal? diet in the modern world today. ? Many experts also feel that the current diets maintained by many people today is in fact a major contributor to the many diseases encountered in much of the modern world. Perhaps our long held traditions of cooking most of what we eat are not the best way to go.
In fact, many individuals today are re-discovering the ancient benefits associated with consuming raw foods. More and more people are beginning to realize that many of the preprocessed foods found in today?s society don?t provide nearly enough to maintain the healthy mind and body they desire. These same individuals are actually looking back to what our ancient ancestors, and even to what some of the so-called ?primitive cultures? of today are eating?to re-discover the benefits of consuming a diet rich in natural raw foods.
At this point, there are probably many of you reading this who are saying ?but what about the taste factor?and can we really digest uncooked food properly?? With those questions (and others) in mind, lets take a look at both the myths and benefits associated with a raw food diet.
A raw food diet can, in most cases, provide many more nutrients that the body needs for optimum health?than a diet consisting mainly of cooked foods
That fact that most raw foods are packed with far more nutrients than their cooked counterparts is one of the biggest reasons people choose to pursue a diet rich in natural raw foods. As most of us already know, the more essential nutrients we can get through our foods?the better we will generally feel.
Our body?s cells thrive with proper nutrient intake?that in turn, boost our immune systems, and increases our vitality and longevity.
Unfortunately, when most foods are cooked above 105 degrees Fahrenheit?they start to lose some of these vital nutrients necessary for cell regeneration and optimum health. Even more disturbing?is the fact that some of these foods will become more toxic to the body after they have been cooked than when they were in their raw forms.
Through proper knowledge, natural changes in food cravings, and the abundance of recipes available to the raw food advocate, raw foods can be just as tasty (or even better tasting) than cooked foods
One big complaint about raw food is the taste factor. Many feel that raw food is just not as appetizing as cooked food. While relatively speaking, there may definitely be some taste difference at first?is it really right to subject our bodies to an endless supply of excessive fats, salt, and other nutrient deficient foods and substances passed off as food (junk food) just to satisfy our currently ?warped? taste buds.
As most of us have experienced in the past, when we actually begin to change to a more healthy diet?our cravings for unhealthy foods diminish also. This is also true for a diet consisting of mostly raw foods. As we consume more and more raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other sources of raw foods?our bodies actually begin to crave these nutrient rich foods.
On top of the obvious health benefits of consuming a diet rich in raw foods, there are now many wonderful recipes available that can truly bring out the tasty natural flavors in most foods. Due to the growing popularity of raw food diets in today?s society there are now a vast array of tantalizing recipes out there that can help provide a great blend of the natural flavors associated with these raw foods?and create truly great dining experiences.
Many times, heating foods can destroy vital enzymes necessary for proper digestion
Another concern with eating a diet consisting mostly of raw foods is that it will be harder for our bodies to digest the food than it?s cooked version. In truth, when we cook foods above 105 degrees Fahrenheit?we not only cook away vital nutrients, but also destroy the enzymes necessary for proper digestion.
The valuable enzymes not only assist with digestion, but they also help with the absorption of food. Without these necessary enzymes, we tend to feel bloated, constipated, and lethargic?and lack of proper digestion actually causes us to eat more, which in turn creates weight gains.
While eating a diet consisting of just raw foods may be too intense for many, the benefits of a diet high in natural raw foods may be just what?s needed to regain a more healthy body full of vitality with just the right balance for increased longevity
Many proponents of the raw food diet feel that there is an increased ?life force? associated with raw food than what can be found in cooked foods. Many people actually feel that this important life force can be cooked out of many foods?robbing us of the vital energy necessary for healthy lifestyle.
So is it necessary to totally deprive ourselves of eating less nutrient rich foods? (cooked or otherwise)
Personally, I feel there is still a place for these less nutritious foods?but as we pursue a more healthy diet consisting of a rich blend of natural raw foods, our cravings for these other inferior types of foods will become less and less.
While we have discussed some of the most important points associated with maintaining a diet high in raw foods, I encourage you to truly explore this valuable subject further?and maybe you will find that increasing your raw food intake will help provide the healthy mind, body, and soul we all seek to have.

James Noyes is a researcher, writer, entrepreneur, and developer of The Abundant LifePlan website. Explore this valuable website to learn more about the benefits, vitality, and longevity associated with an Alternative Health lifestyle at: http://www. abundantlifeplan. com/alternativehealthoptions. htm