CORN, CORN...EVERYWHERE.

I started to watch the documentary Food Inc. yesterday. I have to say that I am shocked! I knew that the "meat" industry had shady aspects to their "business", but some of the processes they talked about were ghastly.
One of the main ideas the documentarian discusses is the use of corn in the food industry. Corn or by-products of corn are in everything that we eat. Watching the documentary, I started to feel helpless. What if you want to eat better? What if you want to avoid corn, sugar, wheat etc.? The food industry makes it near impossible to do so.
Within the informational section about corn, I was shocked to find out that farms raising fish are feeding them corn too! You aren't even safe with a "healthy" fish option. I personally find it disturbing. Because of our fast-paced, high demand society, farmers are cutting corners or choosing ridiculous options to keep up with the high demand.
The sad thing is they essentially have no other option. They would lose their jobs or most of their income if they decided to change how they do things on the farm.
Here is a list of some of the corn by-products:
* Acetic acid
* Alcohol
* Alpha tocopherol
* Artificial flavorings
* Artificial sweeteners
* Ascorbates
* Ascorbic acid
* Astaxanthin
* Baking powder
* Barley malt*can be contaminated
* Bleached flour*
* Blended sugar (sugaridextrose)
* Brown sugar*no caramel color
* Calcium citrate
* Calcium fumarate
* Gluconate
* Gluconic acid
* Glucono delta-lactone
* Gluconolactone
* Glucosamine
* Glucose*
* Glucose syrup* (also found in IV solutions)
* Glutamate
* Gluten
* Gluten feed/meal
* Glycerides
* Glycerin*
* Glycerol
* Golden syrup
* Grits
* MSG
* Natural flavorings*
* Olestra/Olean
* Polenta
* Polydextrose
* Polylactic acid (PLA)
* Polysorbates* (e.g. Polysorbate 80)
* Polyvinyl acetate
* Potassium citrate
* Potassium fumarate
and these are just a few.
How can this be fixed? How can we change America?

Check out how to pursue a corn free diet on:
http://www.naturesbounty.com/vf/healthnotes/HN77/HN77_English/Diet/Corn_Free_Diet.htm#Diet-Avoid-Foods

A Feast! of the Unleavened Bread!

I like to celebrate the Jewish Holy days. Or, at least, observe them in some way, since I'm usually pretty ill-equipped and caught off guard when the day rolls around. Sundown today is the beginning of Passover, the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
Several years ago, when I was dating a nice Jewish boy, I had the honor of attending Passover with his family. I absolutely loved the tradition, the symbolism, the reverence for history. It was amazing. And basically, from that point on, I decided that I needed to embrace the holy days as a part of the way I celebrate my own faith. After all, my Messiah celebrated these things as a part of his faith.
Passover celebrates the the Hebrews' escape from slavery in Egypt. After suffering through 10 plagues, Pharoah finally got the message from God and freed the Hebrews. They were so excited that they left without letting the bread rise, which explains the "Feast of the Unleavened Bread" and also the Matzo that is eaten at traditional Passover dinners. At the dinner (seder) each individual food holds a meaning. Stories are told, songs are sung. Everything that takes place holds a deep meaning to what happened over 2000 years ago.
It's really amazing and if you've never been a part of a seder, you should totally experience one.

State of our Health Address

I know, I know: no one wants to be told they're doing anything wrong, or that things need to change, or that we're killing ourselves. But isn't it obvious?

Don't we look different than we did 20, 30, 40 years ago?

Don't we eat differently?

Don't we die differently?

We're only lying to ourselves if we don't find the connection between what we put into our bodies and what is happening to our bodies. I am convinced that diseases and sickness are connected to what we eat in ways that we are not even aware of yet ... and why wouldn't they be? Food is our fuel, and if we're using junky fuel, then our bodies can't do what they're supposed to.
So, it's time to take a long look at the stuff that we put into our bodies: the amount of sugar, the lack of nutrients, the copious greasy, fried, fatty stuff, the lack of vegetables (and please don't think that french fries count as a vegetable. Please.). We need to look at what kids are eating (or not eating) in schools. We need to look at what we're cooking at home. I'm experimenting with new things: homemade cheeseless pizza COVERED in vegetables - and guess what? It's goooood. I need to be learning to cook for myself, so that when I have kids I'm giving them the best foods possible, and not some fried junk from a restaurant. My parents fed me balanced meals growing up, so how did I become so lazy? I'm not sure, but I'm not allowing it go on any further.
For further study, watch this video. Then, when you pick your jaw up off the ground, check out Jamie Oliver's site.
And, mostly: let's be honest with ourselves about what we're doing to our bodies, our children and our futures. If we don't look at it carefully and just get defensive, it really could kill us.