The U.S. Gov. chases their tails over food poisoning

I realize this is 2 posts in 2 days on the same topic, but if its worthy enough to make headlines two days in a row then its worthy enough for me to comment on.  Especially when it only proves that the U.S. government is simply chasing its tail when it comes to controlling food poisoning.

Today's headline indicating food poising is on the rise in the US is not, nor should it be, shocking news to anyone.  Every month there is at least one headline making mainstream news regarding some sort of food recall over food poisoning or "possible food contamination".

The bigger story here however is not necessarily the number of food poisoning instances but rather how our brainless government agencies continues to police the issue.  Case in point...

Claiming that "Many of the bugs that sicken people live naturally in the digestive systems of animals, including people. Outbreaks of disease have been linked to unclean slaughtering processes and unhygienic meat handling." , which leaves much of the blame on slaughter houses is more of a scapegoat conclusion in an effort to avoid the BIGGER problem... Factory Farming!

Factory farming, CAFO's (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to be exact, breed disease.  This is where the problem starts; not at the slaughter house where these sick unsanitary animals are brought in droves to be slaughtered and packaged.  With thousands of livestock standing, feeding, sleeping, and defecating in the same fenced in or caged in cramped area, the resulting food poisoning is an unavoidable consequence.  When the skin of cattle is literally caked with crap, teeming with harmful bacteria, as they're sent to the slaughter house, passing this on to the consumer is once again unavoidable.

It really doesn't take a genius to make the connection.  And with government officials blatantly stating the obvious, "Many of the bugs that sicken people live naturally in the digestive systems of animals" without actually addressing this problem only further adds to their ignorance.

It is not a secret that factory farmed animals are fed unhealthy diets typically consisting of GMO grains & soy, rather than what nature intended (pasture and forage).  As with humans, the immune system of an animal resides in the gut, and just as with humans an unhealthy diet that promotes inflammation and disease rather than promoting healthy gut flora can only lead to disaster.  And NO, giving these animals a cocktail of pharmaceuticals with every meal to try and lessen the chance of disease from occurring is NOT the answer!

In fact the answer, just as with humans, starts with a healthy diet.  It's an unavoidable truth.  The only thing an unhealthy diet leads to in both humans and farm animals is profit for those that fund poor diet (chemical companies, pharmaceutical companies, processed food companies) and disease for those consume it!

Why tracking sick animals is not the answer

I read an article yesterday about the USDA's new program to track farm animals.  Their reasoning is that by tracking the farm animal's movement (from CAFO to store) they will be able to better address contaminated food issues when they occur.  This is an expensive task that will no doubt waist tons of money and resources, with costs guaranteed to be passed down to the consumer in some way shape or form, all in an effort to aid a useless government agency in doing a job ASS Backwards!  Excuse my language...

Wouldn't it make far better sense to put the money and resources into fixing the problem (factory farming) instead of wasting far more money trying to address the unavoidable resulting problems created by our wrong doing in the first place?

Obviously to anyone with half a brain the answer is yes, but remember we are talking about a government agency here... NO BRAINS NECESSARY!

When animals are allowed to free range and not forced to live in overcrowded inhuman unsanitary conditions like cages and CAFOs, and when they're allowed to consume a diet nature intended (pasture and forage) with healthy vitamin D rich sun rays warming their feathers and fur while giving back to the land as much if not more than they take, we ensure that Natures perfect 'zero waste system' benefits all parties involved.

On the other hand when we feel we have the right to treat farm animals like widgets on a factory assembly line, then we are forced to pay the price... with interest!

Do the right thing and support your local organic sustainable farmer!  Only then will you truly know where your food came from.

Factory farming promotes disease!

In a natural untouched setting you have herbivores, the grazers of the world, tending to our perennial prairie land pastures eating herbs and fertilizing the soil all while miraculously turning cellulose (plant matter) into edible fat and protein for all of the many carnivorous and omnivorous creatures that can't.  You then have nature's cleanup crew, flocks of omnivorous foul, closely tailing the heard scratching through the dung left behind looking for any edible insect that might be on their menu.  And finally you have nature's way of balancing out just the right amount of herbivores per square acre... carnivores.  Without these meat / animal-fat craving creatures of the world (and this includes the omnivorous human), the land would quickly be overrun by plant eaters resulting in a landscape of barren desert waist land due to over grazing, and ultimately leading to many starving animals dependent upon this otherwise healthy fertile soil.

And each individual team (herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore) on this common playing field holds a very important and distinct role dictated by these simple dietary constraints, better yet efficiencies; herbivores eat herbs, carnivores eat herbivorous animal fat and protein, and omnivores consume both.  And despite each players unique role in this game of sustainability, the very thing that sets each apart from the other (their gut) holds one very important commonality spanning them all; a healthy gut dependent upon healthy bacterial environment provides a healthy immune system, and ultimately a healthy relatively disease free existence.  

Despite the resilience of this healthy highly efficient zero-waist system we humans have figured out how to throw a very destructive wrench into this otherwise perfect running machine, and at such a startlingly damaging rate.  Disease is not natural, not at the frequency and efficiency at which it now wreaks havoc on our bodies and our world, and yet we have managed to make life threatening diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases a devastating and regular occurrence in our lives. 

The healthy balanced gut of a mammal is paradise for (healthy) bacteria, trillions of them, and the tasks they perform (braking down our food so we can utilize its nutrients) is probably the most important job within the body.  Without balanced and efficient digestion, inflammation wreaks havoc on the stomach lining and intestinal walls changing the gut environment from 'friendly bacteria' to 'harmful bacteria' severely compromising the immune system allowing disease to follow. 

So who would think that among these three very distinct digestive groups of mammals (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore) that one common food would be poisoning them all, but it's true!  Grains are not naturally on the  menu for any of these groups of mammals, and yet with the advent of factory farming it has become a major food source for all.  In this unnatural unsustainable unhealthy farming model (factory farming) we feed cheap GMO grains to cattle (herbivores) as well as pigs and chickens (omnivores), depriving them of what they naturally need to survive a healthy disease free life.  Hence the heavy use of antibiotics within factory farming.  And we (omnivores) as well as our carnivorous pets (cats and dogs) are not immune to this poisoning. In fact we get it from all sides.  For humans, we make whole grains an important part of our diets because that's what we've been told is healthy, and any animal protein we do eat is from unhealthy omega-6 rich (grain fed) meat, dairy, and eggs. And as for our pets just look at the ingredients on the package of food (poison) that your feeding them... not only are grains on there in one way shape or form, if they're not the first ingredient they're almost always in the top 5.  And even if you feed them "grain-free" food, unless the animal protein listed comes from organic pastured meats they're still getting their share of poisoning just as we are. 

Grains are high in omega-6 which promotes inflammation, they spike insulin levels due to their glucose content, and  are very difficult to digest.

There is a solution to this global problem that is factory farming... local organic non-GMO sustainable farming!  When we allow animals to eat what nature intended, the result is a healthy relatively disease free life.  This goes for herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores alike.

Why factory farming breeds animal cruelty

First let me start of by saying that factory farming, or industrial farming, is by all accounts cruel to animals, people, and nature alike, regardless of whether or not someone is found playing foul...

Now I am not by any means against the raising of animals for consumption, as I believe that humans are by nature far more carnivorous than vegetarian.  However I am absolutely against the chauvinistic viewpoint that human society as a whole portrays towards all other beings.  And that is that humans are above all others on this planet, and only those few creatures that portray some human like quality either in the realm of  intelligence or compassion deem saving.  And only then do we make it our responsibility to save them from our cruelty, for the good of humanity of course...

So with that off my chest, let me get to the heart of my post.  Factory farming made headlines the other day with another animal cruelty charge... Butterball farm worker guilty of animal cruelty.

The point I'd like to make is that when we treat our food industry with a factory mentality, we diminish the animals to nothing more than widgets (whatever the factory is producing).  Once we take this precious living quality away from the animal, and once we dull our (the workers) senses to this life that is being taken by making it a robotic repetitious act, we open up the door to cruel unthinkable things.  We confine them into overcrowded cages or feed lots depriving them of their natural surroundings (earth and sunlight), and then we genetically modify them to better cope with conditions that would otherwise violate the Geneva Convention in every possible way.  We alter them physically by clipping beaks and clipping tails in order to prevent them from harming each other in the overcrowded jail cells that they call home. We force them to eat cheap unnatural food (GM corn and soy) depriving them of their natural diet (pasture and forage), and then pump them full of antibiotics in order to keep them alive long enough to slaughter.  We continually rape the land of all its nutrients killing trillions of organisms that would otherwise occupy healthy top soil, with the constant chemical warfare (synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides) that are used on the majority of the farm land (mono crops of soy and corn) that blankets this country.  We dam rivers for irrigation and plow over otherwise pristine untouched prairie land and forests, destroying the many ecosystems that would otherwise call these places home, for our own selfish need to plant and harvest more (corn and soy) in order to feed this ever hungry demean of a machine that we created (the industrial food industry).

And all of this is done every day within the laws that society has created.  And with the help of the constant ignorance (I don't want to know attitude) that people of this industrialized society portray, this "behind the scenes" cruelty that is the norm goes unstopped until some fool (a product of our own doing) makes headlines.

Take responsibility for your actions and choose to know where your food comes from. 

Support your local organic sustainable farms!

The Cost of Not Eating Healthy

*Based on what I have recently learned (over the past 6mo or so) regarding grain consumption within modern day factory or industrial farming societies, and its adverse effects on human health ultimately leading to many of the illnesses and diseases affecting Americans in epic proportions, I have changed my stance on the importance of such monocrops (grains and legumes) within a healthy human diet. The human digestive system was not designed nor has it evolved to a point to effectively digest such foods like grains and legumes without the body suffering from its harmful side effects; inflammation and damage to the gut. Since evidence shows inefficient digestion and inflammation are the root cause for nearly all human diseases be it heart disease, diabetes, cancer, crohn's disease, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammatory disorders in all its forms, a healthy diet should promote a healthy gut (fermented foods) and be anti-inflammatory based (grass-fed meats and eggs, wild caught fish, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds) instead of high in foods promoting inflammation such as grains, legumes, and factory farmed meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

The most common excuse I’ve heard someone give me for why they don’t buy healthy foods when they’re out doing their weekly grocery shopping, and by healthy I mean fresh organic produce, minimally processed organic foods, *whole grains, etc., is that it costs too much; especially in a family with one or more children. Now on the surface, with nothing else factored into the equation, that mindset would seem correct. If all you’re basing the “cost” on is what is in your cart at the time of checkout then “it cost too much” would appear to be a plausible answer. If you’re a healthy shopper like myself then you’ve probably experienced this first hand; the person ahead of you in the checkout line has a cart full of this weeks “specials” consisting of highly processed foods (high in sugar, sodium, fat, chemicals…) and their bill comes out to roughly as much as your bill (or lower), and your cart is half full. So without giving the question much more thought, this would appear to be all the evidence the unhealthy shopper needs to prove his or her point, that is if there weren’t other factors to consider. So lets consider them, shall we?

To say it costs too much to eat healthy organic foods has only one bit of truth to it, organic foods do indeed cost more at the time of purchase. Beyond that, it couldn’t be further from the truth. The other variable that must be considered is health, more precisely the amount of money put into healthcare every year by the average person or family. In 2008 the average worker contributed over $3k into health coverage for a family of 4. That three thousand dollars only gets you in the door, it doesn’t include the co pay needed to actually see the Dr., and with health insurance becoming more and more expensive for businesses and families alike, most are choosing plans with the lowest annual premiums resulting in higher co pays. Now factor in all of the unnecessary prescription drugs too quickly and too often prescribed by most doctors, not to mention all of the over-the-counter drugs that most people turn to at the first sign of a cold, ache or pain, and that number easily triples. According to a number of national surveys, health care costs are one of the leading factors of debt related issues; bankruptcy, home foreclosures, etc. And let’s not forget the thousands of dollars the average senior citizen will need in savings to pay for basic medical coverage.

When health is factored into the equation and the entire picture is examined in great detail, the higher initial cost of eating healthy is dwarfed in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of dollars a family will spend on health care in their lifetime.

What if there was a simple solution, like say eating healthy organic foods, which could spare you this financial misery. What if you knew that the average American’s unhealthy diet consisting of prepackaged overly processed foods, high in refined sugars, sodium, and toxic chemicals, was a leading contributor to this country’s biggest health epidemics; obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other chronic diseases. If you knew all of this, would the idea of paying more for healthy foods at the grocery store make more sense; nutritionally and financially? The next time you’re out doing your food shopping think healthy, it could save you thousands in the long run!

Breakfast- Do It Right!

The most important decision you make all day may just be the first decision you make...what to have for breakfast?

*Based on what I have recently learned (over the past 6mo or so) regarding grain consumption within modern day factory or industrial farming societies, and its adverse effects on human health ultimately leading to many of the illnesses and diseases affecting Americans in epic proportions, I have changed my stance on the importance of such monocrops (grains and legumes) within a healthy human diet. The human digestive system was not designed nor has it evolved to a point to effectively digest such foods like grains and legumes without the body suffering from its harmful side effects; inflammation and damage to the gut. Since evidence shows inefficient digestion and inflammation are the root cause for nearly all human diseases be it heart disease, diabetes, cancer, crohn's disease, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammatory disorders in all its forms, a healthy diet should promote a healthy gut (fermented foods) and be anti-inflammatory based (grass-fed meats and eggs, wild caught fish, fresh organic fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds) instead of high in foods promoting inflammation such as grains, legumes, and factory farmed meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.

  The healthiest choice by far is whole grains. The nutrients found in these complex carbohydrates are enough to produce life, and can surely sustain yours. Waiting inside every grain is one of the purest natural sources of vitamins and minerals you can consume, unlike the heavily processed grains in the popular hot or cold cereals that are so depleted of just about anything nutritious they have to be fortified with vitamins and minerals just to be able to list them on the package. Not only are they depleted of just about "all that's healthy" during this processing, they are loaded with added sugar and sodium which is exactly what you don't want in a supposedly healthy food.

It's important to remember that the nutrients you get from whole grains is only what nature put there, unlike what you're getting from processed cereals; High in Sugar, High in Sodium, and fortified with vitamins and minerals in order to put back in what's been depleted during processing.

How You Eat may be just as important as What

When it comes to a healthy diet we’re constantly told to watch what we eat, but what about the how? By now we know that the choices we make when we’re at the grocery store doing our weekly food shopping are important; so much so that it can be the difference between a strong immune system and constantly using those sick days at work…when you’re actually sick! It could be the difference between being able to spend your hard earned money on what you want to spend it on while enjoying life, and generously giving it to any one of the large pharmaceutical companies in return for that blood pressure, cholesterol, or antacid medication that you may be on. There’s no denying it, the “what we eat” is very important, but what about the “how”?

You can eat healthy foods and still experience some unhealthy side affects; bloating, gas, constipation, or loose stool. All of these point to one common culprit, digestion. I was once told by my kinesiologist, a man whose knowledge and experience has played a key role in my overall wellness that optimal health starts in the gut. Whether you’re trying to overcome some illness or condition, or simply just trying to maintain a healthy state, your digestive system must be doing its job and doing it right. This of course takes some cooperation from you. You make the decisions of what to eat, but if you’re experiencing any of the common irregularities mentioned above, then it’s time to pay attention to the “how” you eat.

Based on some reading I’ve been doing, how or when you eat certain foods plays a big role in whether or not it’s digested properly. The two books that come to mind are “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford and “Never Be Sick Again” by Raymond Francis, where both authors dedicate a section on the importance of “food combinations”. They both start by classifying foods by which the environment they require within the stomach for proper digestion, acidic or alkaline, as well what foods can (or should) be combined in order to achieve this. They go on to explain how the stomach can accommodate either environment, be it acidic for the proteins or alkaline for the starches, but not at the same time; fruits being the exception since they are meant to travel quickly through the digestive system. Both authors lay down the same foundation “vegetables with proteins ok, vegetables with starches ok, eat fruits alone”, with a few special cases noted, but differ slightly in their approach; Raymond Francis taking a more strict approach. Thankfully Paul Pitchford’s approach lays out some looser guidelines that appear to be more relevant to today’s many menu choices; “one for better digestion and one for ideal digestion”. The rules for “better digestion” states that if proteins are eaten with starches as are the case with most meals “eat the proteins first and keep the ratio of protein to starch to at least 1:2”. This means don’t make the protein portion of your meal the biggest portion, about half that of the starch (ideally whole grains of some sort), and vegetables go well with both so a generous portion should be eaten with every meal. I think it’s safe to say that most nutritionists would probably agree.

So in order to drive the point home let’s take a look at a typical restaurant meal. Based on the information above this means that if that proportionately large piece of protein (chicken/fish/beef) on your plate requires an acidic environment to properly digest, and that generous portion of starch (grains/potatoes) next to it requires an alkaline environment, neither will have the chance to digest fully or properly if eaten together. Thankfully those vegetables, that I hope are taking up much of that plate, can digest well in either environment. Add to that a piece of cake or pie typically eaten immediately following the meal, and you haven’t even given your stomach a fighting chance. Now in today’s world with all the meal options and menu varieties we have come to enjoy, the strict approach is probably not for you. With that said though you can choose to take the key points on how to properly approach a meal, and put it to use within your own diet as you see the need; as I did with mine.

For instance despite my healthy diet I noticed that when I would eat oatmeal, I would experience some bloating and a bit of a lethargic feeling that would last until this meal was digested, and I use the word “digested” loosely. What I didn’t realize at the time is that what I was adding to the plain oatmeal was the culprit. I always liked to jazz it up with some sort of fruit, a peach, a banana, or some berries, and a handful of nuts topped off with some honey. Although it sounds like a healthy meal, the food combinations I had chosen simply were just not working for me. This is of no surprise of course, knowing what I know now.

When examined individually, the generous portion of starch (the oatmeal and sugar from the honey), the sizable helping of fruit, and some protein (the nuts) all appear to be smart meal choices, but when combined and eaten together were nothing short of digestive trouble. Now the small amount of protein, especially considering the food source, was probably not the problem, which leaves only the fruit. It is recommended that fruit be eaten by itself since it is meant to travel through the stomach rather quickly, but when a substantial portion is eaten with other foods the digestion of this fruit is slowed down considerably allowing the fruit time to ferment. This fermentation causes gasses to be released which can lead to bloating, not to mention create an undesirable environment for proper digestion. If the meal is of a sizable portion and digestion is already compromised, a feeling of tiredness or laziness afterwards would be expected.

I have since used what I know about “food combinations” to adjust this meal, to ensure proper digestion and ultimately optimal health. I now eat a handful of nuts and some berries (an “acid fruit” that can be eaten with nuts and seeds) first thing in the morning, go about my morning routine, and then eat the starch portion of my breakfast (usually whole grains of some sort) a good half hour to forty-five minutes later; I’ve yet to experience the bloating or lethargy since making the switch. My body is now getting the benefit of my healthy food choices do to “how” I eat them. I try to remember Paul Pitchford’s rules for “better digestion” with every meal, and apply those for “ideal digestion” when my body is showing signs of poor digestion. So if you don’t want to have to reach for the antacids after the next time you dive into that giant burger with fries, think about these rules. It may be the smartest move you make all day.

Why Organic is So Important

Having a diet high in fruits and vegetables is very important for optimal health, there's no denying that. The question is are all fruits and vegetables created equal? More specifically are non-organic products equal to their organic counterparts? The answer is no. But what is lacking in these non-organic foods that makes them an inferior food source?

Obviously choosing any fresh fruits and vegetables over prepackaged processed foods will result in a diet higher in the vitamins and minerals that are so crucial to a healthy life, but you're still missing out. The truth is not only are you getting less of the health benefit as typically advertised, you're also getting more than you bargained for...and not in a good way!

As with most any successful business, profit is the driving force behind its existence, and the produce companies that supply your local grocery stores are no exception. So in order to make more you have to sell more, to more people. And in order to sell more you have to produce more, but how do you do that? This is accomplished with scientifically engineered fertilizers meant to replenish the soil for more frequent harvesting. The problem is the driving force behind these fertilizers is profit (more crops), and not what's best for the land. This constant depletion of key nutrients from the soil leads to an inferior crop, which is more susceptible to disease. So how is this rectified? By heavily spraying these crops with pesticides. Unfortunately this is not healthy for the person eating it.

Only it doesn't stop there. In order to get the crops to the masses they must be harvested prematurely which means they're not getting all of the nutrients from the plant as they should. So how then do you sell an under ripened inferior product? You spray them with dyes and waxes to make them look desirable to the consumer; once again not healthy for the person eating them.

You wouldn't knowingly buy green oranges, green "red delicious" apples, or any other significantly under ripened food, but the truth is you probably are. Most of the oranges, apples, peppers, tomatoes, and other heavily sprayed produce that fill the shelves at your local grocery store are an under developed over engineered version of what nature intended. So when your standing in the produce aisle trying to decide what to buy, do the healthy thing and buy organic when possible.

Get The Facts!

Before I divulge all of my secrets, let me be a little more specific about my allergies and briefly describe the two, but keep in mind I am not a doctor nor do I have any formal education in the medical or nutrition field; all the knowledge I’ve gained is a result of my own trials and tribulations. I should also mention that as a result of what I’ve learned and dealt with over all the years battling with the symptoms of my allergies, I lean pretty heavily towards a more natural approach to health and wellness. My goal is to utilize all the knowledge that I’ve gained, but have yet to find as being readily available or easily accessible, and bring it all together in one common place.

The protein in milk, from an allergy stand point, can be broken down into two main components contributing to the leading causes of a milk allergy; the casein or curd that forms when milk turns sour, and the whey or watery part that separates from the curd. Based on what I’ve read and been told the whey is the most common cause of a milk allergy, I on the other hand am allergic to the casein. That being said, and with the recommendation from those with formal education in nutrition, I decided from the beginning to cut dairy entirely from my diet.

As with many food allergies, the protein part of the food becomes the difficult part for the body to properly digest, and soy is no exception. Although soy is one of the most common food allergies, with potentially deadly consequences, because the dose required to produce a reaction is higher than that of other allergies some people allergic to soy protein can tolerate small quantities of soy oil or soy lecithin. Consequently I have found that I get a reaction to nearly everything soy, and for that I have cut soy and 90% of its aliases from my diet.

Now to clear up a few common misconceptions, or foolish mistakes that I’ve come across since my quest for a better lifestyle.

*No, a little butter in the water while boiling vegetables or pasta is not ok!
You wouldn’t believe how many times, after clearly stating my dairy allergy; I’ve tasted butter with the first mouthful. The response; “I put a little butter in the water; I thought it would be ok”. I realize I’m not a doctor, and I’m sure a little butter in the water won’t kill me, but why even go there. I think as a people, our biggest flaw is a lack of willpower, so why tempt. My advice with any allergy, is it’s best to avoid all foods that you know contain this allergen.

*Just because eggs are in the dairy aisle doesn’t mean they come from a cow.
It amasses me how many people think a dairy allergy means no eggs. I realize egg is a common allergen, and as with most allergy causing foods the body has difficulties digesting proteins, but I’ve never seen a cow lay an egg.

*Just because it says Organic on the label doesn’t make it an easy soy replacement.
Since going the healthy rout I’ve tried my hardest to eat organic foods when possible. I have since found that with packaged foods, it is just as difficult to find products without soy, as it is with non-organic, so read labels!

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