Declare independence

O beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

• Support small farmers. Buy local.
• Switch from meat and fish to beans and grains.
• Do not buy processed anything.
• Stop thinking that you and your kids need to drink milk to be healthy. It is a lie.
• Take care of your body. It is your temple.
• Cook and eat at home.
• Plant a garden.
• Observe nature.
• Recycle.
• Do something nice for someone.
• Slow down.
• Be grateful.

Vegetarian diets can help prevent chronic diseases, American Dietetic Association says

The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on vegetarian diets that concludes such diets, if well-planned, are healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and adolescents and can help prevent and treat chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.

ADA’s position, published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, represents the Association’s official stance on vegetarian diets:

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes.

ADA’s position and accompanying paper were written by Winston Craig, PhD, MPH, RD, professor and chair of the department of nutrition and wellness at Andrews University; and Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, nutrition advisor at the Vegetarian Resource Group, Baltimore, Md.

The revised position paper incorporates new topics and additional information on key nutrients for vegetarians, vegetarian diets in the life cycle and the use of vegetarian diets in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. “Vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle,” according to ADA’s position. “There are many reasons for the rising interest in vegetarian diets. The number of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade.”

Vegetarian diets are often associated with health advantages including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure levels and lower risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, according to ADA’s position. “Vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol and have higher levels of dietary fiber, magnesium and potassium, vitamins C and E, folate, carotenoids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals. These nutritional differences may explain some of the health advantages of those following a varied, balanced vegetarian diet.”

The position paper draws on results from ADA’s evidence analysis process and information from the ADA Evidence Analysis Library to show vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. Additionally, an evidence-based review showed a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease.

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/media_22003_ENU_HTML.htm

Many gluten-free formulations lack essential nutrients

Gluten-free is big business. A recent report indicates that the gluten-free market has grown at an average annual rate of 28 percent since 2004, when it was valued at $580 million, to reach $1.5 billion last year. Sales of gluten-free products are estimated to reach $2.6bn by 2012.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder with symptoms triggered by gluten, the protein in wheat, barley, rye and spelt. Until fairly recently, celiac disease was considered rare among Americans. In 2003, the results of a large, multi-center study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found celiac disease in one in 133 Americans. Among those with parents, siblings, or children with celiac disease, up to one in 22 people in the study had it. The only treatment currently available is to avoid gluten-containing foods. As a result the market for gluten-free products has rocketed.

Buyer beware. According to the Harvard Health Letter as more food manufacturers look to profit from the gluten-free trend they will do whatever it takes to make the normally unappealing gluten-free formulations taste better. In many instances this means adding xanthan and guar gums to replace gluten’s elasticity. Many of these bulked up foods end up lacking essential nutrients including fiber and B vitamins.

The concern was raised by Melinda Dennis, nutrition coordinator at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Celiac Center, who said that celiac patients should look to “unconventional but nutritionally well-rounded substitutes” for gluten-containing grains, like amaranth, buckwheat, teff, millet, quinoa and sorghum. She calls these the “super six” because of their high nutritional value.

Dennis added that another option for celiacs is to choose “celiac-friendly” cuisines, like Indian, Thai, Mexican and Ethiopian (which uses teff).

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2009/June/Getting-out-the-gluten
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=63412

Yet another big (380,000 pound) beef recall

The Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a “Class I, High Health Risk” recall due to contamination of beef by E. coli O157:H7.

A HIGH RISK, Class 1 recall is a “a health hazard situation where there is a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

JBS Swift Beef Company, a Greeley, Colo., establishment is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef primal products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The beef products were produced on April 21, 2009 and were distributed both nationally and internationally.

“The contamination may have come from further processing by other companies,” Chandler Keys, JBS spokesman, said on Sunday.

USDA said the recalled products are typically used for steaks and roasts rather than ground beef. However, it said some of the beef may have been processed into ground products by other companies.

E. coli O157:H7 H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

Consumers with questions can call 1-800-685-6328. For more information go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_034_2009_Expanded/index.asp

Stay informed about future recalls:

• Visit www.foodsafety.gov or www.recalls.gov to learn about food safety news and food safety alerts.
• Visit USDA’s website to view a list of recent meat and poultry recalls. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/index.asp.
• Register to receive e-mail notification of USDA recalls and public health alerts. https://service.govdelivery.com/service/multi_subscribe.html?code=USFSIS
• Visit FDA’s website to view a list of recent recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts. http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html
• Register to receive e-mail notification of FDA recalled products. https://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USFDA_48
• Look for recall notices at local retailers

Grow your own

“And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or
two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew
before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service
to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.”
- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels

Our sick kids: The 4-A disorders

The numbers are staggering.  
Approximately 30 million – one third –  of all American children have one (or more) of these disorders –   Autism, Allergies, ADHD, and Asthma. 

Know as the 4-A disorders, the numbers of those affected continue to grow with little public outcry. What does the future hold for our little ones? Life in a bubble?

Consider these statistics:

• Austism has increased from approximately 1 in every 2,500 to 10,000 births to one in every 150-166 births over just the past 20 years. This is a 15-fold to 60-fold increase; 1500% to 6000%.
• In the US, one in every 150 children is affected by autism. In New Jersey the rate of autism is even higher – one in every 94 and one in 60 boys is affected.
• The lifetime cost of caring for a child with autism ranges from $3.5 million to $5 million, and that the United States is facing almost $90 billion annually in costs for autism.
• One in 11 children struggles with asthma, making it the leading serious chronic illness of children in the U.S.

Illinois firm recalls ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination

Yes, that really is what E.Coli looks like.

Image: Eric Erbe/Christopher Pooley/USDA

International Meat Co., Inc., a Chicago, Ill., establishment is recalling approximately 6,152 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.

For more information go to: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_033_2009_Release/index.asp

What’s going on? H1N1 swine flu cases in U.S. spike overnight

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations, 22 June 2009 07:00 GMT

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases is given in the following table:

H1N1 flu numbers rise this week with “intense activity” reported

The numbers are staggering. According to the World Health Organization , reported cases of H1N1 (swine flu) jumped from this week from 28,774 to 44,287, an increase of 64% or 15, 1513 cases in one week. Almost half, or 21,449, of those cases are in the U.S.

The CDC reports “…novel H1N1 outbreaks are ongoing in parts of the U.S., in some cases with intense activity.”

The first novel H1N1 patient in the United States was confirmed by laboratory testing at CDC on April 15, 2009. Since the outbreak was first detected, an increasing number of U.S. states have reported cases of novel H1N1 influenza with associated hospitalizations and deaths. By June 3, 2009, all 50 states in the United States and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were reporting cases of novel H1N1 infection.

No public statement has been given by U.S. officials since the flu was declared a pandemic on June 11.

See: Vitamin D for flu protection

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm
http://new.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1516&Itemid=1167

Anemic earth

The alarming fact is that foods – fruits, vegetables and grains – now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contains enough of certain needed nutrients, are starving us –no matter how much we eat of them.
US Senate Document 264 1936