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.

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)

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.

Amazing Prices on Eating Well and Natural Health magazines

HipSave has a special promotion for extremely cheap subscriptions to these two health magazines.


Check out all the info on Hip 2 Save HERE

I've never looked at these magazines before and unfortunately I've run out of money for the week, otherwise I would be very very tempted.

Minerals: Organic VS Conventional

Thanks Jeanette.

All about Quinoa Plus a Plethora of Recipes

First things first: it's pronounced KEEN- WA. That's right Noah has nothing to do with it.

And secondly-- let me tell you the best thing about Quinoa. It's a perfect protein--- and it's a vegetable!

(No, I'm not mistaken. Although it looks like a grain, it is actually related to spinach and thus a vegetable)


A perfect protein means it contains ALL 9 amino acids. It is also rich in phosphorus, iron, and magnesium. It is a good source of dietary fiber. And it's naturally gluten-free.

And guess what? It tastes good.

Most people use it anywhere they typically use rice. Other's use it as an oatmeal replacement.
It's encredibly versatile and it's combination of great taste and texture lend it to recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!

The easiest way to serve Quinoa is to prepare it just like you would rice and serve it plain as a side dish. Or as a breakfast oatmeal with brown sugar and milk.

First you need to know how to cook Quinoa. There are several different methods, but this lady seems to know her stuff, so I am including her directions:

How to cook Perfect Quinoa  by Wendy Polisi


In fact, if you sign up for her newsletter you can download her FREE Quinoa Cookbook HERE



And here are a plethora of recipes for you to experiment with:
If you try one, please let us know how it goes! We love feedback from you.


Quinoa Pancakes

Quinoa Raisin Muffins

Quinoa Burgers

Quinoa Spinach Bake

Quinoa Black Bean and Mango Salad

Breakfast Quinoa with Mango and Coconut

Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa

Lemon Garlic Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa Stuffed Artichokes

Quinoa Zuchini Bread

Top 10 Quinoa for Dessert Recipes

Have anything to add about Quinoa? A great recipe? Nutritional information?
Please comment below.
Thank you fotosearch.com for the free stock photos.

Important Health Information Regarding Your Reusable Shopping Bags

Several weeks ago I read a disturbing news article on the lead levels found in reusable shopping bags. In particular are the bags sold at Target, Walmart, Winn- Dixie, and Publix, made out of Polypropylene. The Federal standard for lead in products in 300 ppm for adults and 100 ppm for children. These bags rang in at 194. Since it is typically an adult doing the grocery shopping, these bags are considered safe even though they are double what is safe for your child. And everyone admits they don't know how they will dispose of them as they will contaminate landfills and pose a threat to the environment.

It's not safe for the dirt-but it's been deemed safe for you.

In addition, the lead doesn't pose a threat to you until the bag starts to wear down, therefore releasing the lead. So our environmental friendly bags aren't so environmentally friendly and they just might be exposing you and your children to lead poisoning.

Strike One.

Strike Two might even be more disturbing. When grocery shoppers allowed their reusable bags to be tested for bacteria, 50% tested positive for E Coli. 97% of shoppers admitted never having washed their bags before.

So the key is to wash your bags-- but washing your bags does what? You guessed it-- wears it down and releases the lead! So you have E Coli on one hand and Lead Poisoning on the other.

And I used to be so proud of myself for remembering to use my reusable bags. Sigh.

So what's the solution?
You have several options.

1- Use your bags, wash them regularly, and when they show signs of wear, toss them out.
They are only $0.99 and you can often get them for free during store promos, local street fairs, etc.

2- Make your own bags. Follow a free tutorial online to turn your old T-shirts into bags. There are also free patterns for crocheting, knitting, and sewing. You can shop the clearance bins for cheap fabrics, or use your coupons and buy organic fabrics or sustainable bamboo.

50 Free Patterns for Making your own reusable bagsfrom TipNut

                      
3- Not the crafty type? Buy reusable bags not made from polypropylene. They are most expensive, but they will last longer and you won't have to worry about lead, adding toxins to our landfills, or continually replacing them as they wear down.

Yes It's Organic Organic Reusable Bags starting at $5

Reusable Organic Grocery Bags Start at $8 a piece on Amazon.com

Reusable Produce Bags 5 pack on Amazon.com  $10.09 Shipped



Sometimes it can be quite discouraging when we think we are doing so good and we find out it's not so good. But don't lose hope. Just take things step by step. Day by Day. Eventually we'll get where we want to be.

If you find a great tutorial on making bags or a great price for organic bags, please leave a comment below and share with us!

More Information on Lead and Ecoli:

Article By USA Today

The Daily Green Lead Levels In Reusable Bags

University of Arizona Ecoli in Reusable Bags

Monsanto Employees don't even want to eat Monsanto Foods

CBC World News released an article about an interesting sign up in the cafeteria at Monsanto advising "as far as practicable, GM soya and maize (has been removed) from all food products served in our restaurant. We have taken the steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve."


The cafeteria is catered by a group other than Monsanto, but apparently to please Monsanto employees, they can't serve Monsanto's GMO's.


Anyone else find this interesting?


Monsanto's reply is that it's simply because they "believe in choice."


Really? Then why don't I get to choose whether or not I want to eat a GMO?
Why isn't it on my food label?
Why are you bullying organic farmers and running them out of business so that the only choice left is to eat your mutated food?


To read the full article Click Here


Thanks to Alisa for passing on the info.

Parabens: What are they? Where are they? Why should I care?

You may have seen Parabens in the news lately and no doubt you will be seeing them again. Parabens are currently under investigation as one of the causes of breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer.

Parabens are chemical preservatives added to products to serve 2 purposes.

1-      They are an anti-microbial, so they keep your product from spoiling.

2-      They keep the product from separating, so the ingredients stay uniform for the duration of the shelf life.

The 4 common types of Parabens are Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, and Butylparaben.

They are found in many common personal care items like lotion, soap, deodorant, cosmetics, chap stick, shampoo, sun block, etc etc. On a rare occasion they are found in food items, but for the most part, they are in nonfood items.

Parabens are classified as Endocrine Disruptors. And they are absorbed into the largest organ of the body—your skin. Once inside your body, Parabens have a habit of mimicking estrogen. Estrogen promotes tissue growth and is a known instigator of breast cancer. In several different breast cancer studies Parabens repeatedly showed up in the cancer cells of breast cancer patients at a near 100% rate. They have yet to determine if the Parabens caused the cancer or why the Parabens would be found within the cancer cells. Studies also indicate that cancer cells with Parabens are harder to kill with cancer treatments, leading to extended exposure to radiation, and longer recovery times. Parabens are also being investigated for their effect on the male reproductive system, thyroid function, ovaries, and the growth and development of fetuses and children.

While we don’t know for sure just how bad they are—I’ve chosen to err on the side of “better safe than sorry.”

The good news is Parabens are easy to avoid! They are many options out there that do not contain Parabens—all it requires is that you take a quick look at the ingredients list on your products before you buy them.

I don’t suggest going through your bathroom cabinets and tossing out everything that has a Paraben. I wouldn’t be able to afford to replace all those items at once.  As those items are used up, however, I am choosing to purchase Paraben free. So far my biggest loss has been Cetaphil soap. I love that product because it is so mild and doesn’t cause any reactions for my sensitive skin prone family. I am still researching which sun block to buy. (That is one hot topic in itself that I’ll tackle another day). Chapsticks seem to be about 50/50. Banana Boat was a No. Nivea lip balm was a Yes.

 My favorite article on this subject is Brenda's Blog A Guide To Surviving Breast Cancer

She lists all the studies with links and explains the dangers in an easy way to understand.

http://www.breastcancersisterhood.com/_blog/Brenda%27s_Blog/post/Do_Parabens_Cause_Breast_Cancer

   This next article is fantastic because she clearly makes the case against Parabens, but I don't see any reference materials, so just note that she is stating the theories about Parabens as facts.

Dangers of Parabens by Sabrina Fox

http://ezinearticles.com/?Dangers-of-Parabens---5-Facts-You-Need-to-Know!&id=1434158

      Any interesting look at Parabens in Deodorant by Kathleen Doheny

http://gma.yahoo.com/does-deodorant-ingredient-affect-breast-cancer-risk-140412050.html

 Basic information about Parabens by Breastcancerfund.org

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/clear-science/chemicals-glossary/parabens.html

Causes of Cancer The Estrogen Controversy by Dixie Mills

http://www.womentowomen.com/breasthealth/estrogenbreastcancer.aspx

       

 Thank you www.freedigitalphotos.net