Have You Gone Organic?

• Have you gone organic?

Suzi Milovanovic

You don't have to be a radical tree hugger to appreciate the benefits of organic foods have to offer, but is making the conscious effort to choose organic over conventional really worth it? We think so -- and here are 10 reasons why.

Humane treatment of animals

Organic farming seeks to encourage an abundance of species to live in balanced, harmonious ecosystems. A much greater diversity of birds, butterflies and plants thrive on organic farms than on their conventional counterparts.

a healthy choice for the planet

When you choose organic, you are supporting a farming system that keeps toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers out of our water, soil and air. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these types of chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent them from getting into the environment.

reduced dependence on non-renewable resources

Instead of using petrochemical-based fertilizers, organic farmers use recycled products from other industries that would otherwise go to waste.

healthy soils

Organic farming builds naturally fertile soil and prevents soil erosion. Organic farmers continually add organic matter to the soil, a practice that results in less water usage and soil erosion, and sustainable, fertile soil.

reduced chemical and toxin use

In conventional farming, more and more chemicals are needed as pests become more resistant to chemical pesticides and as soil structure deteriorates, making conventional farming's long-term viability questionable. Organic farming works without producing pesticide-resistant insects and preserves beneficial insect populations.

High quality standards

Organic certification is the public's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures. You can be certain that the foods you eat have been grown without the use of chemicals -- no more questioning the ethics of the farmer who raised the produce on your plate.

a safer workplace for farm workers

Eliminating exposure to toxic pesticides creates a healthier environment for people who work in the fields -- and their families, too.

higher nutrition

Organic produce contains more vitamins, nutrients and cancer-fighting antioxidants than non-organic food. It makes common sense: Well-balanced soils produce strong, healthy plants that become nourishing food.

superior taste

Many top chefs are cooking with organic fruits and vegetables primarily because of their fresh, clean taste and excellent quality. The richness of the natural flavors reflects the pure nutrients of the soil.

Protection of future generations

Eating organic foods reduces unborn babies' exposure to pollutants during prenatal development. Likewise, organic farming protects the environment they will inherit by using less water and eliminating pesticides and airborne toxicity.

When it comes to growing and processing organic food and products, less means more for both you and the environment.

Health Benefits of Juicing

Recently, the National Cancer Institute began a campaign to get people to do one simple thing - EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Specifically, the recommendation was to eat five servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day, and their reasoning was simple: a diet high in fruits and vegetables will prevent or cure a wide range of ailments. Breast cancer, cancer of the colon, esophagus, stomach, lungs, ovaries, and rectum - pick an ailment these days, it seems, and researchers somewhere are searching for chemicals in plants that will prevent them, or offer a cure. These plant chemicals, known as phytochemicals, are the cutting edge of nutritional research because they hold the keys to preventing some of our most deadly diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, as well as some of our most common, like asthma, arthritis, and allergies. In some ways, this isn't news. For years, epidemiological studies that compare disease states and diet in large populations of people have already been bearing out the value of a diet high in fruits and vegetables. Such studies, which have been done in Africa, China, the Mediterranean, Russia, and elsewhere have shown that in cultures where the diet consists of fruits and vegetables, making it high in both carbohydrates and fiber, a number of diseases that afflict North Americans simply don't exist. For example, during more than 30 years of study, British researchers working in Africa didn't find a single case of such common ailments as diverticulitis, hernia, cancer of the colon, or cancer of the prostate. The only reason that they could attribute to the lack of these diseases: differences in diet. Proof that juicing helps fight cancer There are the questions that led researchers at the National Cancer Institute, at the department of Agriculture, and elsewhere, to begin looking for specific substances in foods that could be providing protection against disease. In the process, they have found quite a few. A tomato, along with vitamin C, vitamin A, and several minerals also has 10,000 other chemicals in it, most which researchers are trying to isolate, identify, and study. The phytochemicals that researchers have uncovered are changing the way we think about food, especially fruits and vegetables. For example, broccoli contains a substance that may prevent - even cure - breast cancer. Citrus fruits have substances that make it easier for your body to remove carcinogens, thus decreasing the chance of contracting cancer. Grapes contain a phytochemical that appears to protect each cells' DNA from damage. Similarly, a number of green vegetables contain phytochemicals that appear to offer protection against cancer-causing substances. The list goes on and on: bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnip greens, red beets, peppers, garlic, onions, leeks, and chives are but a few of the vegetables that appear to have cancer-preventing phytochemicals. The problem, though, is that most of us don't eat enough fruits and vegetables to reap the benefits they offer. For example, although the National Cancer institute recommends five servings of vegetables and three of fruits each day, the truth is this: The average American eats only 1 1/2 servings of vegetables and, on average, no fruit on any given day. This is why juicing is so important! Really, it isn't a new idea. If you study the traditions of most juicing programs, you discover that the vegetables being studied at various facilities around the country are often the same vegetables that have been juiced for years. Collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, peppers, carrots, and cabbage are not only vegetables being studied for their phytochemical content, they are also the vegetables that are most commonly juiced. Not only are researchers looking into the cancer-prevention capabilities of citrus fruits, grapes, and apples, these are also the fruits that we most often associate with fruit juicing. Or, for another example, consider fresh juices ability to deliver another important group of nutrients, know as enzymes. Enzymes are your bodies work force. Acting as catalysts in hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions that take place throughout the body, enzymes are essential for digestion and absorption of food, for conversion of food stuffs into body tissue, and for the production of energy at the cellular level. In fact, enzymes are critical for most of the metabolic activities taking place in your body every second of every day. Fresh juices are a tremendous source of enzymes. In fact, the "freshness" of juice is one of their key features, because enzymes are destroyed by heat. When you eat cooked foods, whether its meal, grains, fruits, or vegetables, if the food is cooked at temperatures above 114 degrees, the enzymes have been destroyed by the heat. Since fruits and vegetables are juiced raw, the enzymes are still viable when you drink the juice. The Healthyjuicer produces virtually no heat as opposed to centrifugal juicers in which the high speed causes friction which in turn produces heat. In addition, fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, etc.) provide healthy portions of vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large quantities of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. A number of green juices are a good source of vitamin E. Fruit juices are a good source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are bound by the plant in a form that is most easily assimilated during digestion. Plus, since juicing removes the indigestible fiber, these nutrients are available to the body in much larger quantities than if the piece of fruit or vegetable was eaten whole. For example, because many of the nutrients are trapped in the fiber, when you eat a raw carrot, you are only able to assimilate about 1% of the available beta carotene. When a carrot is juiced, removing the fiber, nearly 100% of the beta carotene can be assimilated.

Seed Savers for Animals

A new kind of frozen meat

By Jonathan Bender

http://blogs.pitch.com

​

The future of the locavore movement might be in a cryopreservation facility in Newport, Rhode Island, where the SVF Foundation is hoping to catalog and ultimately promote rare heritage livestock breeds by freezing their embryos and semen.

It sounds like science fiction, but the science is very real and reflects a back-to-nature approach with fertility technology being used to make sure that heritage livestock are available in case things don't work out with our industrialized food system. Dr. George Saperstein, chief scientific adviser to the foundation, explained that idea to The New York Times:

"Think of this as a safety valve program. If there was a disaster, if something like the potato famine of livestock ever hit, these frozen embryos would be made available, and in one generation we would be back in business."

The SVF Foundation launched in 2001 with the goal of centralizing the effort to protect endangered breeds by storing germplasm -- a particular breed's genetic resources -- in the same fashion as seed banks.

Heritage breeds are those which have evolved through natural selection rather than selective breeding practices. This is seen as beneficial because of the potential for increased resistance to disease and the ability to adapt better to a given climate. The argument is that because the industrialized agriculture system demands consistency in livestock, the possibility of a massive disruption to that system is significantly greater.

In addition to storing embryos and semen, the SVF Foundation has begun to sell animals to other farms in an effort to create satellite populations. This feeds into the group's secondary mission, which is education about the importance of heritage breeds. The organization believes that starts at the dinner table.

Borscht

Adapted from Students for Sustainable Agriculture Seasonal Cookbook

Serves: 4-6
Time to prepare: 1 hour

This dish may also be Lacto-Fermented...three days at 50 degreesF.

• 3-4 Beets, cut in ^1/4 ” sticks
• Greens from the Beets, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2-3 cups shredded Cabbage
• 2 Carrots, chopped
• 2 TBSP dried or fresh Dill
• 1 TBSP Caraway seeds
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper
• pinch of Salt and Pepper
• pinch of chopped Parsley
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3-5 cups Water
• Live Cultured Yogurt
  

Sauté chopped onion in olive oil with some salt and pepper until translucent. Add dill, caraway seeds, cumin, paprika, and white pepper and stir. Add beets, cabbage, and carrots. Sauté for a few minutes, then add water. Stew until vegetables are tender and the soup has thickened a bit. Adjust the seasonings to taste and add some chopped parsley. Serve with a dollop of yogurt on top and enjoy!

Variation:

• Add potatoes and/or celery.
• Some traditional borscht recipes call for “ Sour Salt ” (Citric Acid) to give this soup a sweet and sour flavor. Try adding Lemon juice at the end to create the same effect.

Heirloom-Organic Plants That Heal

Echinacea Angustifolia
Americans may have used echinacea for more than 400 years to treat infections and wounds and as a general "cure-all." Today, people use echinacea to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu and reduce symptoms, such as sore throat (pharyngitis), cough, and fever. Many herbalists also recommend echinacea to help boost the immune system and help the body fight infections. Echinacea is well known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Fennel
Fennel has through history been considered an appetite depressant, and as such, a weight loss aid. Recommended a Tea to increase the flow of milk in nursing mothers. Menopausal women may want to try it to ease the associated symptoms. Fennel Teas, or Fennel Water have been used throughout history to break up kidney stones, quiet hiccups, prevent nausea, aid digestion, prevent gout, purify the liver, reverse alcohol damage to the liver, and treat jaundice. For babies, it is said to to relieve colic and flatulence, and to expel worms. It may be effective when used along with conventional treatments in prostate cancer (and it is definitely worth trying, but consult with your doctor first). The tea can also be gargled as a breath freshener and applied as an eye wash. Alternatively, the leaves can be dried, pulverized into a powder, and made into Capsules for when it's not convenient to utilize a tea.

Feverfew
Used for centuries in European folk medicine as a remedy for headaches, arthritis, and fevers. The term feverfew is adapted from the Latin word febrifugia or "fever reducer."Feverfew is also used to treat menstrual irregularities, labor difficulties, skin conditions, stomach aches, and asthma.

Lavender
Lavender has been used for centuries as an herbal remedy, and does indeed appear to have antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive, and last but certainly not least - anti-depressant properties. Internally, Lavender is believed to be of benefit for a multitude of problems, including stress, anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, headaches, migraines, insomnia, depression, colds, digestion, flatulence, upset stomach, liver and gallbladder problems, nervousness, loss of appetite, and as a breath freshener and mouthwash. Inhaling the essential oil in some cases has been reported to work as well as narcotics for inducing relaxation and sleep, easing symptoms of depression, and reducing headache pain.

Mullein
Mullein has been used as an alternative medicine for centuries, and in many countries throughout the world, the value of Mullein as a proven medicinal herb is now backed by scientific evidence. Research indicates uses as analgesic, antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, bacteristat, cardio-depressant, estrogenic, fungicide, hypnotic, sedative and pesticide are valid.

Stinging Nettle
Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate (called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), for urinary tract infections, for hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or in compresses or creams for treating joint pain, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and insect bites.

Valerian
Valerian is a central nervous system relaxer, and as such has been used as a calming sleep aid for over 1,000 years. When taken in the proper dosage, Valerian can induce restful sleep without grogginess the next morning, unlike prescription drugs that mimic it's properties, such as Valium. It is an effective stress reducer, and has benefit in cases of nervous tension, depression, irritability, hysteria, panic, anxiety, fear, stomach cramping, indigestion due to nervousness, delusions, exhaustion, and, of course, nervous sleeplessness. It also appears to have real benefits in cases of sciatica, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, shingles, and peripheral neuropathy, including numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and pain in the extremities.

Bayer Admits GMO Contamination is Out of Control

• Greenpeace International, Dec 8, 2009
  Straight to the Source
  
  

EXTRACT: Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are irreversibly contaminated.
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$2 million US dollar verdict against Bayer confirms company's liability for an uncontrollable technology

Greenpeace welcomes the United States federal jury ruling on 4 December 2009 that Bayer CropScience LP must pay $2 million US dollars to two Missouri farmers after their rice crop was contaminated with an experimental variety of rice that the company was testing in 2006.

This verdict confirms that the responsibility for the consequences of GE (genetic engineering) contamination rests with the company that releases GE crops.

Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are irreversibly contaminated.

A report prepared for Greenpeace International concluded that the total costs incurred throughout the world as a result of the contamination are estimated to range from $741 million to $1.285 billion US dollars.(2) The verdict indicates that Bayer is liable for what could turn out to be a large proportion of these costs, as it awards damages in the first two of more than 1,000 currently pending lawsuits. The decision must be used to support all claims for losses incurred by other US farmers whose crops have suffered from GE contamination.

(1) Bayers Defense lawyer, Mark Ferguson as reported in Harris, A. 2009.
Bayer Blamed at Trial for Crops 'Contaminated' by Modified Rice. Bloomberg News 4th November 2009, available at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aT...

(2) E.N. Blue (2007) Risky Business. Economic and regulatory impacts from the unintended release of genetically engineered rice varieties into the rice merchandising system of the US. Report prepared for Greenpeace International, available online at http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press....

Mental Treatment

COMMENTARY BY MIKE ADAMS, CREATOR OF THIS CARTOON
This is, without a doubt, one of the darker comics in the CounterThink collection. But it’s also very important to cover. The history of Big Pharma is traced right back to Nazi Germany, where scientists working for Bayer were running inhumane medical experiments on Jewish prisoners. I include photos and historical documentation in my book, Natural Health Solutions, and the conspiracy to keep you from knowing about them.

For example, IG Farben, which committed numerous crimes against humanity and was charged with enslavement, torture and extermination of prisoners, was dissolved by the Nuremberg War Tribunal and split into three companies:

* Bayer
* BASF
* Hoechst (now Aventis)

… all three of which are now major pharmaceutical companies.

Carl Wurster served as chairman of the board for BASF through 1974. During WWII, he was on the board of the company that manufactured Zyklon-B gas.

Helmut Kohl, the former chancellor of Germany for 16 years, was a paid lobbyist for the German pharmaceutical and chemical industries, with roots tracing back to IG Farben and the Nazi regime.

The U.S. pharmaceutical industry that exists today is a direct extension of the Nazi Germany pharmaceutical industry, where prisoners were routinely used for medical experiments, medical ethics were grossly violated, and human beings were considered “resources” for medical experiments testing new synthetic chemicals (later to become called “prescription drugs”).

About Bayer’s involvement in these medical experiments, a former Auschwitz prisoner testified on the record:

“There was a large ward of tuberculars on block 20. The Bayer Company sent medications in unmarked and unnamed ampoules. The tuberculars were injected with this. These unfortunate people were never killed in the gas chambers. One only had to wait for them to die, which did not take long… 150 Jewish women that had been brought from the camp attendant by Bayer… served for experiments with unknown hormonal preparations.”

Read my book, Natural Health Solutions, and the conspiracy to keep you from knowing about them, to learn even more shocking details about the history of the pharmaceutical industry. See pages 142 – 152 for shocking details and historical evidence.

The real history of Big Pharma is so dark and terrifying that every time I see an ad for the Bayer company, I can’t help seeing images of emaciated female prisoners, starved to the bone, being used as guinea pigs for deadly medical experiments executed in concentration camps.

Little has changed since then, in my opinion. Drug companies still use the population as guinea pigs, but they disguise it as “evidence-based medicine.” They still kill 100,000+ Americans each year (almost as if they had declared war on the American people), but they disguise it as “treatment.” They still seek to bankrupt the people and siphon off profits from national economies, but they call it “investment.” It’s the same scam as IG Farben, just prettied up to look more palatable to modern doctors, consumers and journalists.

The history of modern psychiatry
This comic focuses on psychiatric “treatment” using synthetic chemicals. The history of psychiatry is absolutely horrifying. Visit the Citizens’ Commission on Humans Rights to learn the truth about psychiatry and the “mental health” agenda. They have an absolutely jaw-dropping video documentary, too, called, “PSCHIATRY: An industry of death” that will leave you breathless, if not downright nauseated.

Today, mental disorders are invented and marketed as “diseases” in order to push psychotropic drugs onto children, adults, senior citizens and even infants as young as one year old. Read our coverage of this topic at www.NaturalNews.com/psychiatry.html.

The toughest part about creating this comic was getting the little Nazi symbols onto the “T” in Ritalin and the “Z” in Prozac, without making the letters look like other letters. It’s harder than you might think. Dan and I had to go back and forth several times to get that little detail right.

Some people tell me that if I want these comics to be accepted by the mainstream, I shouldn’t bring up Nazi Germany. Hogwash. Part of my mission is to tell the truth about topics that matter, including the drugging of our nation’s children by overzealous (and extremely dangerous) psychiatrists who are little more than front men for Big Pharma, an industry of death and profit. In America today, we are still prisoners under a system of monopoly medicine, where corrupt government regulators and evil corporate CEOs unleash dangerous, deadly chemicals upon the general public after receiving FDA approvals based on blatant scientific fraud.

In six decades, very little has actually changed. In fact, there’s still a war being waged — a war against the American people, masterminded and fought by the FDA, the AMA and drug companies, all of which, in my opinion, aim to keep the American people enslaved, diseased, and prisoners to a system of medicine that will never make them healthy.

A diseased, drugged-up population is far easier to control, of course. And it’s brilliantly simple to extract earnings and economic productivity from the population if you can convince them all that they’re “diseased” and need “treatment” for any number of fictitious medical conditions that were simply dreamed up, hyped and marketed by Big Pharma.

CounterThink cartoons graciously contributed
by Mike Adams and Dan Berger of NaturalNews.com