This is not the end...but hopefully a beginning...

We are a nation filled to the gills with the products of convenience. We are nation facing an epidemic of obesity and related illnesses. We are a nation so set on the ideals of the media, that we are losing our health to gain the bodies we think are desirable. From one extreme to the next, we are losing the battle of food.

In the last few weeks, I have discussed the unhealthy breeding and butchering practices of the food industry. I have discussed the obsession with sugar and the effects of these processed foods have on our bodies. Where does this leave us? In a state of chaos, in my opinion, with too many different channels feeding us information.

We need to take a moment to educate ourselves on the foods we eat. We must not take for granted that the food industry is looking out for itself and the money it can make. We, as consumers, need to be vigilant and aware of things we eat and drink. We need know where things come from and what they can do to our bodies. While this assignment started out as an assignment, it has become very eye opening. I just hope you all have found the information helpful. I took from this experience that I need to do my homework and not take everything at face value. Just because it says something on the label, doesn’t mean that it is. We have to be savvy enough to tell the difference.

So thank you readers for letting me take this journey through food exploration with you. I hope you learned as much as I did.

Metal in what we eat...

So, we wonder what happens when metals invade our bodies and foods. There are metals in everything we eat, the problem becomes when we have too much and our bodies cannot process these minerals correctly. These metals are there naturally or through the processing of foods. Than how does this manifest in our behavior, our emotional and physical well being. Most meats, vegetables,

It has yet to be found what these long term effects of metal does to our bodies. However, short term it produces ADHD like symptoms and anti social behavior. These can compound with other ailments making the person feel like they are spiraling out of control. I can tell you I know firsthand the effects of metals in the body. My youngest child cannot process metals in food.  It was first noticeable because of warts on her hands (later to find out this is a physical sign of metal issues in the body) and ADHD like symptoms. After having her hair and blood tested, it was found that lead, zinc, mercury were doubled in her body.  Learning about what foods and drink she can have has been an arduous task, but in the end has been beneficial.

We have had to rethink the way we eat and drink. Getting water out of the tap is an issue because most pipes are made with galvanized steel and over time start to break down causing lead to flow into her body. She cannot eat much meat because her body cannot rid herself of the metals. Her fruits and vegetables cannot have pesticides (organics only) as they have residue of metals in the pesticides. And were you aware that soy products are one of the most processed foods and because they are so porous they trap the metals in the food. We do not own a microwave, because the microwave cooks trapping the metals inside the food. We cannot eat anything out of metal cans, because as it sits, tiny flakes get into the food. All of this contributes to her issues. It is almost like a hidden allergy that no one understands. Peanuts everyone knows; Metal is a joke.

 My daughter has gone through a detoxification process which rids her body of the metals. From there, we watch what she eats. Within six months the warts, which she had over 25% of her body, have disappeared. Not only that, her ADHD symptoms have dropped.  Now, this isn’t for everyone, but knowing what we are putting in our bodies can only help us.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/On-your-radar/Artificial-additives/How-metals-in-food-impact-children-s-behaviour

E. Coli the gift that keeps on giving…

Bad news for those in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada; your cheese has been contaminated; contaminated with E. coli.  For those in those five states, Cosco is recalling their Gouda cheese from Bravo Farms as twenty five people have become ill.  Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, and in extreme cases kidney failure. It can be so bad, that the CDC has included some strains as a bioterrorist agent. What?

With those horrible symptoms, I was left wondering what exactly E.Coli is. E.Coli is a bacteria form the manure of cows, sheep, pigs, deer and chickens. Okay, it can be found in the intestines of the freshly butchered meat. When companies are not careful, they can cross contaminate and somehow it gets into the products we consume. In the case of cheese, it was found that the cheese was raw milk and had not been properly pasteurized.

So we need to wonder what we plan to do to take care of the food we eat. With so many e.coli outbreaks recently, there seems to be a lax in the way our food is handled. While only 25 were diagnosed with E.Coli that doesn’t include those who never went to the doctors, and only showed symptoms. I think that lately we have stopped caring where our food is coming from and too many mistakes are slipping through.

http://www.ota.com/organic/foodsafety/ecoli.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/05/cheese.warning/index.html?hpt=Sbin
http://www.about-ecoli.com/ (for more info on recent e.coli outbreaks look on the right hand of this site)