400 companies that do not use GMOs in their products

I found this on Facebook.
As I scroll through the list, it definitely looks legit.


List of 400 companies that do not use GMOs

The new butter alternative? Say Hello to Melt.

I would love to hear some opinions in this new product.
I have always been a big advocate for real butter.
I love it.
It makes me happy.
It's a real food.
But this appears to be made from real foods as well.
Thoughts?

Say Goodbye to Butter,
Say Hello to Melt®!

Melt Organic® is a luscious butter improvement – a new form of buttery spread that is truly good for you. Each butter substitute is made with virgin coconut oil in a Perfect Blend™ of fruit- and plant-based, gluten-free oils. Together, the natural and pure ingredients combine perfectly. Available in Rich & Creamy (original) and Honey varieties.

Even better, Melt spreads sizzle, drizzle, sauté, and bake beautifully just like organic butter, but with half the saturated fat and fewer calories.
Find recipes: www.meltbutteryspread.com

$1.00 off Melt from coupons.com

Today I am wearing RED.

Today I am wearing red to promote Women's Heart Health.

More women than men die from heart disease each year.

Some of this is genetic.
A lot of this is life style habits.

Eat. Sleep. Exercise.

You are worth it.

Ben and Jerry's: going GMO Free by 2014

A big fat pat on the back to Ben and Jerry's for making the goal to be completely GMO FREE by 2014.

After I read their announcement I sent them an email of support and asked for the list of 22 GMO Free flavors. I got a response in less than 24 hours. (nice work Ben and Jerry!) I firmly believe our biggest, most valuable vote is our dollar bill. Spend it wisely.

The 22 NON-GMO Flavors:

Chocolate
Coffee
Milk & Cookies
Pistachio Pistachio
Vanilla
Strawberry
Cherry Garcia
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
Chunky Monkey
Coffee, Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz
Half Baked
Mint Chocolate Chunk
Chocowlate Chip
Peanut Butter Cup
Mud Pie
Chocolate Nougat Crunch
What a Cluster
Red Velvet Cake
Chocolate Therapy
Mint Chocolate Cookie
Sweet Cream and Cookies

From their website:

As we've watched the debate in California on GMO labeling, it is clear to us that consumers in California and around the country want to know whether their food contains genetically modified ingredients (GMO). Ben & Jerry’s passionately believes that everyone has the right to know what’s in their food.

Here’s our status: currently, in the United States and Canada, 80% of Ben & Jerry’s ingredients by volume are already non-GMO and 22 of our flavors are fully non-GMO. We commit to sourcing non-GMO ingredients for all our products everywhere by year-end 2013. In fact all our products made outside North America are already non-GMO.

We will track our progress as we complete this conversion, with public updates on our website. Beginning now, and throughout 2013, we will transition packaging so that all Ben & Jerry’s products will be labeled with respect to GMO by 2014.

We have a long history of siding with consumers and their right to know what’s in their food. We fought long and hard for labeling of rBGH, which was the first genetically engineered technology used in the US food system. We thank and encourage all those who are continuing this fight in support of transparency and the consumer’s right to know.

Where to buy organic.

When people think about purchasing organic foods and products they tend to think of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods first. And it's true, you can find organics there, but it's not necessarily the best place to spend your dollar.

Most grocery stores have organic sections now.
And you will even find organic in the most unexpected places.

I typically shop at 4 different stores.

Safeway
Nob Hill / Raley's
Costco
The Grocery Outlet

I do go to Trader Joe's for organic apples, soy-free sandwich bread, and organic salad mixes. The apples and salad prices can't be beat. And it's the only place I can find a soy-free bread that my kids will eat. Truth be told-- I need to learn to make my own bread. But that's for another day.

I will also shop at Whole Foods if they are having a sale on something I need to stock up on. I probably go to Whole Foods 3-4 times a year. The last time I got 30 lbs of ground beef for my extra freezer. Organic and grass fed for $5.99 a lb. Whole Foods is by far the most expensive place to shop if you are converting to organic-- I don't recommend them for weekly shopping. They do have some magnificent sales though and organic products you can not find anywhere else.

Safeway carries organic lines and also has several lines of their own. Eating Right, Open Nature and O Organics. ) Organics is the only one certified organic, but sometimes you can find nice alternatives in the other 2. They have promotions often which offset the prices.With a little bit of homework looking for the sales and coupons, I can get my total price to be nearly identical to the non-organic food items.

Raley's / Nob Hill used to have 2 beautiful aisles of organics and naturals. They just recently removed them from my store. Did the same thing happen to you? They decided to incorporate the organics in with the rest of the food. So now organic cereal is in the cereal aisle. Organic flour is in the baking aisle. I get it- but I don't like it. Now I have to go through the entire store to get what I need. I hope they don't think they are going to trick me into putting extra stuff in my cart. They also have a pretty nice organic fresh produce section. I like it better than Safeway's. They have reasonable prices and they food looks crisp.

Costco. Every time I go to Costco I see them expanding their organic product lines. This makes me happy because Costco carries what people buy. They give the people what they want. I love that people want organic. I get my 10 lb bag or organic carrots for only $4.49. One my last trip I got organic chicken burgers with cheese and bacon mixed in them. Nitrite Nitrate FREE! Score! I haven't eaten them yet though--- so the jury is still out. My Costco carried Organic Valley milk, heavy cream, half & half. Organic Valley is a family owned California company so I am not sure if they carry that one all over.  I can get a gallon of organic milk for $5-- which is the cheapest I've seen without a sale or coupon. Their inventory is always growing and the prices tend to be far below Whole Foods. I hit Costco once a month.

The Grocery Outlet is a little gem in our community. It's an overstock store so the inventory is always changing. If you see something amazing, grab as much as you can afford (paying special attention to expiration dates). It may never show up there again! I have found some amazing deals there. Imacculate cresent rolls, normally $4.79 for just $1.49. Organic sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar. Random organic snacks to try out on the kids like chips, crackers, fruit snacks. Organic shampoo/conditioner, body wash, and cosmetics, all for 50-75% off retail. When I got shopping, I go here first. Since I never know what they will carry I spend about 15 minutes going through the aisles, finding the treasures. Then I go do the rest of my shopping at Safeway or Nob Hill to get the missing items from my list.

The rest of my shopping is done online. I save a little bit of my grocery money each week so I can snatch up that unbelievable daily deal. I have purchased coconut oil, spices, organic teeth whitening, all sorts of odds and ends.

I live in one of the most expensive places to live. The Bay Area of California. I have a family of 5. My grocery budget is $600 a month. I typically spend $100 at Costco. $100 for online purchases. And $100 a week for groceries. I buy about 80% organic. It is possible for all of us!

Mercury News: Monsanto supported labeling GMO's in Europe-- but not California.

The Mercury News has published a short article on how Monsanto supported the labeling of GMO's in Europe, but is opposing it with a $4.2 million dollar contribution in California.

It would seem once they saw it was inevitable, they decided it was in their best interest to look like one of the good guys and say they were in agreement.

Read the article HERE

Remember when you see the commercials against Prop 37 that the only agenda they have is to protect their product--- not your health-- -not your children-- not our food supply or environment.

Top Ten Lists: The Best and Worse Lipsticks for Lead

The FDA has deemed lead in our lipstick to be safe since it's not meant for consumption.
And there is no safe level of lead for children, whether it's consumed or not.

Exposure to lead can cause a range of problems from brain and blood disorders,  kidney failure, nervous system disorders,  lower IQ, miscarriage in women, and lower fertility in men.

And even though lipstick is not made for consumption they estimate that a woman who regularly wears make up will consume up to 7 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime!

Here are the Top Ten Offenders -- the lipsticks containing the MOST lead.
(notice that these are also the most heavily advertised brands- interesting to note)


The FDA tested and found the lipsticks containing the most lead (measured in parts per million) are:

1. Maybelline Color Sensational, Pink Petal (7.9 ppm)

2. L'Oreal Colour Riche, Volcanic, (7.0 ppm)

3. NARS Semi-Matte, Red Lizard (4.93 ppm)

4. Cover Girl Queen Collection, Ruby Remix, (4.92 ppm)

5. Nars Semi-Matte, Funny Face (4.89 ppm)

6. L'Oreal Colour Riche, Tickled Pink (4.45 ppm)

7. L'Oreal Intensely Moisturizing Lipcolor, Heroic (4.41 ppm)

8. Cover Girl Continuous Color, Warm Brick (4.28 ppm)

9. Maybelline Color Sensational, Mauve Me (4.23 ppm)

10. Stargazer Lipstick, #103 (4.12 ppm)

Read the entire article on Yahoo! HERE

www.thedailygreen.com has posted the TOP TEN LEAD FREE Lipsticks, as researched by
The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics


 TOP TEN LEAD FREE

Brand: Avon
Name/Shade: Ultra Color Rich Cherry Jubilee
Price: $6.50

Brand: The Body Shop
Name/Shade: Lip Color Garnet
Price: $12


Brand: Clinique
Name/Shade: Long Last Lipstick Merlot
Price: $14

Brand: Dior
Name/Shade: Replenishing Lip Color Red Premiere
Price: $26

Brand: Estee Lauder
Name/Shade: Maraschino
Price: $22

Brand: MAC
Name/Shade: Matte Lipstick Viva Glam 1
Price: $14

Brand: Revlon
Name/Shade: Superlustrous Love That Red
Price: $7.49

Brand: Revlon
Name/Shade: Superlustrous Bed of Roses
Price: $7.49

Brand: Revlon
Name/Shade: Colorstay Lipcolor Red Velvet
Price: $7.49

Brand: Tarte
Name/Shade: Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick
Price: $22

I am surprised I don't see any organic lip sticks on the list. Maybe there aren't any? Maybe they were excluded from the tests? Have you found an organic lipstick you love????

Prop 37 Some thoughts on Labeling Genetically Modified Foods

California Prop 37 would require food companies to put a label on food that contain GMO's.

If it is a single food item, like a banana, a small sign on the shelf would have to indicate that it is genetically modified. If it is a processed food, like a cookie, the package would have to say, "Made with Genetically Modified Ingredients."

Prop 37 does not require warning labels.

 It won't have to tell you "This product is made with GMO's that might explode your kidneys. I mean, it explodes the organs of bugs, but we don't know if it is hurting your organs, because the FDA doesn't make us do long term studies and it's better for our profit margin if we don't find out the answer."

It won't tell you, "This product may cause you to develop food intolerances or allergies that you've never had before because your body won't know how to recognize or process our altered food."

It won't tell you, "GMO's are heavily contaminated with pesticides that are so powerful they have been found in the placenta."

It won't tell you, "GMO's are so highly resistant to normal pesticides and bugs now that they require ultra pesticides that have resulted in ultra bugs. Nature finds a way, so we just keep making stronger poison."

It will ONLY tell you that the food you are about to eat contains a GMO.

It will be small and discreet. It will not educate you on what a GMO is or it's potential health concerns.

So WHY are so many companies spending millions of dollars to keep these few tiny words off labels?

They are so afraid if you realize what you are eating you won't eat it anymore.

There is NO OTHER REASON.

They claim it will raise the price of foods. Not true. They change labels all the time to introduce holidays, new flavors, change ingredients, etc etc. This is in their budget. It's not going to increase anything. And if GMOs really aren't any different from non-GMOs (as they claim) there shouldn't be any difference in their growth and harvesting, so it shouldn't cost any more to produce.

They claim it will hurt the poor. Not true. I have been able to switch over to 80% organic and I haven't changed my budget one cent. Give the poor some credit. If you are saying the poor only know how to eat bad quality processed boxed food, then you are insulting a great number of intelligent people. 

They claim it will increase frivolous lawsuits. Perhaps. If you continue to lie to the public and poison us, we will probably sue you. I just don't see how that's my fault though. I'm pretty sure it's yours. What you are actually saying is you don't want to pay for your actions or accept responsibility for putting dangerous food on the market.

They claim this is a ploy by organic farmers to sabatoge the mainstream food supply. The mainstream food supply is high fat, high salt, highly processed, and linked to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attack, attention deficit, neurological disorders and more. It's time we attacked our "mainstream food supply". It's time we said NO MORE. We need to demand good food. REAL FOOD. Food with accountability. In addtion, there are so many more companies besides organic farmers who are supporting this prop, as well as many medical groups, associations, and individuals.

If GMO's really were exactly the same as non-GMO's, they wouldn't care about a few words on label. 

They would be proud to identify their food. 

Do not fall for their propoganda.

If you see something about this Prop you would like me to explore and explain please pass it on.

I am happy to do it.

Companies and Organizations saying YES to 37

The List of Companies that have donated to stop Prop 37

California Right to Know Official Website

Food for Thought

Print your Coupons!

I got this from The Frugal Find.
It laughed when I saw it because when I am printing my coupons I often use the Chicken Man voice from Toy Story Part 2 and say, "It's like printing my own money!"



Coupons really are money in your pocket.
I am able to buy $1000 worth of food and products each money for $500 cash.
By shopping sales with coupons I double my money each month.
It has enabled me to pay off our last consumer debt credit card and plan a vacation.
It has given me the peace of mind that we are ok and we are going to make it.
It's truly been a blessing in my life.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask.

20 Teeny Tiny Changes you can make for better health

My friend Jeanette posted this on facebook.
I really liked how each step is small and easy and realistic.

Enjoy this article by SuperHealthyKids

Teeny Tiny Healthy Changes Your Kids Won't Even Notice

A Sampling of the Benefits of Fruits and Veggies.

View the rest of the chart HERE on Just Kicks Tae Kwondo

Thanks to Amy for this!

Monsanto Corn coming to your local grocer today.

Sign the petition to ask your local grocery stores not to carry Monsanto's GMO Corn.

Walmart will begin to sell this corn NEXT MONTH. They will not tell you it is Monsanto corn. It will not be labeled. DO NOT BUY CORN ON THE COB from WALMART.

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have officially stated they will not carry GMO's of any kind, including this new corn. If you don't buy organic corn, at the very least, do not buy it at Walmart.

Walmart only sells what makes them money.
Let the corn rot on the shelves.

First Oprah, Now Vogue. Labeling GMO's is going mainstream!

The May 2012 issue of Vogue featuring the lovely Scarlett Johannson  has an articicle on GMO's!


A quote from the article:

“When it comes to the potential for health and environmental damage in farming communities, this is a train wreck unfolding.”


I think I'm going to enjoy this!

I encourage everyone to read the article and then email Vogue to tell them how happy you are they are bringing attention to this very important topic.

Contact Vogue HERE and tell them they are awesome!

5 Ways to Lessen Your Exposure to GMO's

Wahoo! Oprah.com posted again on GMO's! 
Go to Oprah.com HERE to read more.

5 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to GMO's

by Rachel Mount

While politicians debate regulations for labeling and researchers explore the safety issues, there are a few things you can do now if you want to reduce your exposure to GMOs. 

Buy organic. Certified organic producers are not allowed to use GM seeds. (Bear in mind, though, that there are no guarantees: There is a slight possibility that organic crops may have been contaminated by nearby GM crops through cross-fertilization.) 

Look for the "Non-GMO Project Verified" seal. This stamp means that the producer uses best practices to avoid GMO ingredients. Nearly 6,000 products already carry the seal, and Whole Foods has committed to certifying all its store-brand products (called 365 Everyday Value) with the Non-GMO Project. 

Check supplement and vitamin labels. Coatings and fillers are often sourced from GM corn and soy (you'll find them hiding under names like maltodextrin and citric acid), and some pills are produced using GM bacteria and fungi. Go to nongmoproject.org to search for verified brands. 

When possible, steer clear of nonorganic products made with ingredients that are most likely GM: corn, soy, canola oil, cottonseed oil, and sugar (unless the label says "pure cane sugar"). 

Download the ShopNoGMO app to your iPhone, or print out a cheat sheet from nongmoshoppingguide.com. Both list products—from cereals to condiments to baby food—that avoid GM ingredients. 

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/How-to-Reduce-Exposure-to-GMOs#ixzz1tebQkHGD

Thanks Kristi!

Did you notice a new sign in the juice aisle? What the heck is Prop 65 and What can I do about it?

I was cruising down the Juice Aisle at the grocery store today.
I had a few Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons that are due to expire this week, so I was checking to see if there was anything on sale. There wasn't. And it always better to let a good coupon expire, than it is to waste money using a good coupon.

While perusing, I noticed an alarming sign. It was a notice titled California Prop 65 Notification.
All juices containing grape or apple juice have high levels of lead.



I, of course, went home and did what anyone would do.  I googled it.

In 1986, California passed a law for the minimal amount of lead allowed in fruit juice.
Recent testing found that 85% of juices FAILED this test.
It did not matter if they were convention or organic either.
The companies were given 60 days to comply or the sign was going up.
Nobody complied and so now they must all give reasonable notice to consumers that their products contain lead.

How very disheartening.

Here is a list compiled by Jasmin Malik Chua writing for Inhabitots.com of all the offending Juice Brands:

Juices that Contain High Lead

I would try to keep these items down to a minimum if you must buy them at all.
I would also suggest considering buying a juicer and making your own juices.
Or getting the kids used to flavored waters, like adding a lemon or a few raspberries.

(yes yes, I know the pic is of orange juice and we are talking about apples and grapes. It's a stock photo. We will all survive. And a lovely thank you to freeimages.co.uk for the OJ)

Food for Thought

Thanks Annette!

Nestle and Hershey want to clean up their products-- but not for you.

This is a very important development.
The UK and surrounding countries are leading the way in safer, healthier food.
They banned Red #40 long ago.
They are in the process of kicking out Monsanto from their town and store shelves.

We need to step it up.
Our voice must be heard.

PLEASE read this short article and take the 4 question survey at the end.

Nestle Snubs America



A special thank you to Jeanette.
And a thank you to Baby Center for educating parents about a very important issue.

One Woman Against Monsanto

This is a great article about 1 woman.
Who talked with other moms.
And is changing her country.
And the world.

Sofia Gatica and Her Fight Against Monsanto



Thank you to Nature's Path for this article.

Thought for the Day by Seventh Generation

"Did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one package of 20 count trash bags made from virgin plastic with 60% recycled ones, we could save 86,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 4,900 U.S. homes for a year!"

Your consumer choices DO make a difference!