Interesting Info on Organic Food

Organic food is still a niche market, representing just over two percent of all food sold. According to Consumer Reports, it costs consumers on average about 50 percent more than conventionally grown foods. But organic food is more visible today than ever before, with most large supermarket chains in Canada now offering dedicated organic sections.

A reason for the surge in popularity in organic foods? Most Canadians say they buy organic because it's healthier, according to an ACNielsen survey. But are they right?

Eighty-five percent of organic food sold in Canada is grown in the United States. Wherever grown, no food - whether organic or conventional - can be sold in Canada unless it meets Canadian standards for legal pesticides and for residue limits. Says Health Canada's Paul Duchesne, "Our main interest is to ensure that both types of food are safe to consume."

Organic food is brought to market according to the National Standard of Canada for Organic Agriculture, principles "that endorse production and management practices that contribute to the quality and sustainability of the environment and ensure the ethical treatment of livestock." One of the main differences is supposed to be that organic produce is not sprayed with synthetic pesticides.

Yet, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says, "the term organic is not synonymous with pesticide-free." Several large U.S. studies have found traces of synthetic pesticides on as much as 25 percent of organic foods. (There have been no similar major studies done on organic foods in Canada, but the CFIA found that ten percent of all Canadian-grown produce - conventional and organic - had pesticide residues.)

Some of those residues found on organic food may be due to "uncontrolled contamination," says Andy Hammermeister of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. That could be the result of the wind blowing synthetic pesticides onto organic crops, prior use of synthetic pesticides on the land, old or used spraying equipment, and so on. But it's not always by accident that pesticides end up on organic foods. "Most people don't realize that organic farmers are allowed to use a wide array of natural, non-synthetic chemicals as pest killers," says Alex Avery, director of research and education at the Centre for Global Food Issues, a United States-based Hudson Institute group that researches agricultural and environmental concerns. Many conventional farmers, meanwhile, are actually using less pesticide. In Ontario, for example, pesticide application has dropped by 50 to 60 percent overall since 1983, according to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.

And just because pesticides are natural doesn't mean they aren't toxic. The natural pesticide rotenone, for instance, found in a number of plants, causes Parkinson's symptoms when injected into rats. Pyrethrum, derived from dried chrysanthemum heads, has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity." For humans, Avery says, "the natural poisons pose the same theoretical, but remote, dangers as the synthetic."

But consumers need not be alarmed by pesticide residues, natural or synthetic, left behind on both organically and conventionally grown produce. For one thing, most comes off en route from the farm to your shopping cart – in the process of trimming, shipping and washing. According to Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California, Davis, washing alone removes from 70 to 99 percent of pesticide residues. After washing, any traces left are minute. In fact, we're exposed, on average, to only about 0.9 milligrams of synthetic pesticides daily.

For more, click this link:
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/healthy-eating/does-organic-mean-healthier

More information (answers to questions) about Apricot Seeds

Q22. Is B17 (laetrile) or apricot seeds toxic to the body?
Technically, every food on the planet earth is toxic. However, when a person uses the term "toxic" it generally means the substance is poisonous when taken in low doses. With this definition, laetrile or raw apricot seeds are not toxic, even when taken in high doses. This is just another urban myth the medical establishment has conjured up to scare you from seeking the truth and using all natural and inexpensive cancer treatment methods. Aspirin is actually 20 times more toxic than the equivalent amount of B17. But even with aspirin, if an individual consumes a massive amount of the product, serious health complications may result. When in doubt take the smallest amount possible and consult a natural medical doctor as to exactly how much you should be consuming. Dr. Neilson may be contacted at 1-800-799-4393, 24/7. Tell his secretary that you got his number off the myapricotseeds.com website.
 

http://www.rawapricotseeds.com/vitamin-b17.html#a22

 

See website above for important questions answered about apricot seeds/B17

Munchy, Crunchy Broccoli Salad!

Ingredients

• 2 heads fresh broccoli
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.
3. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.               

This is a yummy summer salad that uses an interesting combination of fruits, vegetables and meats. Before you decide you won't like it, try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised. You can add an extra head of broccoli, if you like.


More interesting and delicious ideas at: www.allrecipes.com

Women, Power Up!

This is not some women's lib message that bashes men...I want to start by saying that first and foremost.  Men are crucial in assisting women develop relationships, and of course so much more (but we won't get into any of that in this message). 
However, in many cases women depend on men way too much!  It is unhealthy to think of men as the only way we define who we are.  Women, if you are in a relationship with a man, I am telling you that it is unfair to him to expect him to empower you. It is not a man's job to lift you up.  It's your job.  What would you do if you didn't have a man?  Would you melt away into the cracks of the sidewalk? I highly doubt it.  What you would do, is simply learn to accept who you are and walk in confidence, or be unhappy for the rest of your life because you can't accept yourself (I don't like this option).
By the way, a little side note: Men dig women who are confident.  They don't want a sniveling, depressed woman leaning on them to always make her feel good about herself.

I can say all this because at one point, I was always struggling with who I was.  I had a low self-esteem and based on some of my past family situations, became confused with confidence.  Because I knew nothing about being confident, I ended up dating at a young age (yes, 15 is young, ok).  The bad part of this dating process, was that I went into the relationship with a low self-esteem.  Don't get into a relationship with someone if you don't feel good about yourself (just a tip).  Why?  Well, I ended up leaning on my boyfriend for the emptiness that I was feeling about myself.  It was a huge burden for him of course, because it always seemed no matter what he said or did, it was never good enough.  Yup, that's right, you have to want to believe what this person is saying about you.  If you don't, they can give you the moon and be the best mate you have ever had, but it won't amount to much in your eyes.  Sad. 

Needless to say, he started to resent me.  I was too much for him.  I had way too much emotional baggage that he didn't cause, but I was looking to him to fix.  Shame on me.  He just wanted a fun date life, not a crazy commitment of being a pyschologist.  Face your fears on your own. 

Now, don't get me wrong, men should compliment their women, and do some sweet things for them, but if you already have a negative look on things, you may not even accept their kind gestures of affection.  I had to teach myself to say thank you, when I would receive a compliment.  It wasn't easy.  The one thing that assisted me a lot in boosting my self-esteem, was learning to be independent.  Learning to not have to lean on a man for support of any kind.  Especially emotional support.  If I could be happy in my own skin without being in a relationship with a man, then I was on the right track. 

All of this means, that even if your boyfriend or husband lacks in the area of compliments and romantic acts, that you will not all of a sudden keel over and die.  You may want to remind your spouse that you would like a little more attention in some areas, but you shouldn't need it to be happy.  I hope all of this makes sense.

This was brought on by a text message from a dear friend having a hard time leaving a destructive relationship with a man.  She was afraid of the unknown (being alone).  I gave her some advice similar to this.  Change is sometimes scary, but it can be good for us.  We need to learn to be ok on our own as individuals.  We need to believe in ourselves and what we can accomplish aside from people around us.  Who are you?  Are you confident?  Do you believe that you are a strong person?  i hope that this empowers you to check yourself.  Don't lean on people for happiness or worth.  You are worth it all on your own!  You are special and the world wouldn't be the same without you!

written by the author of this blog with love <3