In a major win for anti-GE campaigners, the South Australian Government has committed to keeping the state non-GE until 2014. Newly elected Premier Mike Rann has extended South Australia’s GE Moratorium to 2014, to protect the state’s clean, green brand and the marketing advantage this gives SA farmers in the UK and Europe.Extending the moratorium on growing genetically engineered or modified crops was one of the first decisions made by the new government. Protecting the state’s overseas trade was the main reason for the decision.The food and wine industry in South Australia has played a major role in taking this message to government and to buyers around the world. Kangaroo Island Pure Grain is one of the leading promotors of South Australia’s clean, green marketing image for food. The company is now marketing its grain directly to Japan, one of the biggest markets in the world.”We met with a group of Japanese mothers and listened to what they want as consumers,” said KI Pure Grain CEO Duncan MacGillivray. “We’ve got a very good product and we’re very careful with the cleanliness specifications and documentation – minimal chemicals, GM free and food safety.”Greenpeace, together with Gene Ethics, mothers’ group MADGE and the South Australian Soil Association will continue to meet with the South Australian Government to further develop the state’s non-GE position. Once again, the support provided by the True Food Network, particularly their role in contacting food companies to tell them domestic consumers don’t want to eat GE foods, has been a major influence in turning the tide against GE foods.
Nanotechnology – Do you know what this is?
Nanotechnology is the experimental process of manipulating matter at a scale of 1/100th the width of human hair, in order to create new products and materials.New consumer products with hidden nanotech ingredients hit the U.S. market in a nearly unregulated fashion each week, including baby toys, personal care products, clothes, and countless other products.The nanoparticles in these products are so small, they leach through the skin and spread through the environment in unpredictable ways. The fact is that hundreds of peer-reviewed studies have shown that nanoparticles pose potential risks to human health — and, more specifically, that when ingested can cause DNA damage that can prefigure cancer and heart and brain disease.Are you exposed to nanotechnology? Get researching now and learn more about this technology and what it will mean for you and your family.
How Much DO We Really Know About Our Food?
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on the USA’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of the government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Their nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We now have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation – one if the most disturbing book sI have ever read), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.Let me know your thoughts after you have seen the film.
Easter Bunny Delivers More Than Just Eggs
The Easter Bunny may be delivering more than just a sweet treat over Easter with research finding that consuming just six grams of chocolate per day may lower blood pressure and the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction. German researchers examined the association between chocolate consumption and vascular disease based on food frequency questionnaires and blood pressure measurements in nearly 20,000 people aged 35 – 64 years who were free of stroke and myocardial infarction.After eight years of follow up, those with the highest chocolate consumption (an average of six grams daily) had a 39% lower relative risk of myocardial infarction and stroke compared to those who consumed less than two grams per day.The inverse relation of chocolate consumption appeared stronger for stroke than myocardial functions. Baseline blood pressure measurements accounted for 12% of the lower risk of cardiovascular events, the researchers said. “Flavonols appear to be the substances in cocoa that are responsible for improving the bioavailability of nitric oxide from the cells that line the inner wall of blood vessels” the researchers stated.Participants were asked how frequently they consumed a 50gram chocolate bar from “never” to “five times a day or more”. In a subset of 1568 participants asked to recall their chocolate consumption over a 24 hours period, 57% reported eating milk chocolate, 24% ate dark chocolate and 2% ate white chocolate.So, this research proves that a little bit of everything is ok and eating a small square of dark chocolate every day can be extremely beneficial to your health! SourceEuropean Heart Journal, online 31 March 2010
Aussie retailers ranked in new WWF palm oil scorecard
Six of Australia’s biggest palm oil manufacturers and retailers have been assessed for the first time in WWF-Australia’s Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard – giving a snapshot of the sustainability of palm oil in products manufactured and sold by Cadbury, Coles, Goodman Fielder, Nestle, Unilever and Woolworths. “97% of our palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia – places with incredibly important rainforests and wildlife habitats,” said WWF-Australia CEO Greg Bourne.”Palm oil growth is now one of the world’s leading causes of deforestation. The choices made by retailers and manufacturers of palm oil have a direct impact on the habitat of endangered species such as the orang-utan, Sumatran tiger and Asian elephant.” Together, the companies featuring in WWF-Australia’s Scorecard account for approximately 70% of the palm oil imported and used in manufactured goods in Australia.Palm oil is the world’s most widely used vegetable oil and can be found in processed foods like chocolate, hot cross buns, biscuits, chips and ice cream. According to figures from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), palm oil can be found in up to 50 per cent of the packaged food products on our shelves. It can also be found in many cosmetics, lipsticks, shampoos, conditioners and moisturisers. In Australia, palm oil is labelled as vegetable oil, offering consumers no way of knowing whether or not their shopping choices are contributing to deforestation and habitat loss.”Australia imports around 130,000 tonnes of palm oil ever year making ‘Australia’s palm oil footprint’ 13,000 times the size of the MCG. We need to reduce the impact of this by using more sustainable palm oil through plantations being certified to the standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil,” said Mr Bourne.By working […]
Cup of Tea Anyone?
Everyone knows how much I love a cup of therapeutic herbal tea and now I have found the absolute answer to my busy days! T-Sac Disposable Tea Filters.Enjoy loose leaf tea in these convenient, simple to use, and ecologically friendly tea infusers! The T-Sac filters are ideal for those who dislike the mess commonly associated with loose-leaf tea – that’s most of us! Uniquely designed with a gusseted bottom which allows the tea leaves to completely unfurl, thus increasing the flavour and strength of the tea. T-sac tea filters also have a paper flap which is perfect for tucking under the lid of a tea pot or a travel mug.Best of all, they are made from 100% natural, unbleached, and chlorine free paper. As I make my own Rejuvenation Tea, which is a loose leaf organic blend, these tea filters are the perfect accompaniment to make a quick cup. I used to have to brew up a pot, which often meant that I would be wasting tea – a thing of the past now. Whoever invented these little beauties gets my thumbs up for practicality and sustainability! I usually find them in a Japanese tea shop or order them online.
A Take Away Coffee Cup for The Modern Girl
Ok, so most of us buy a take away coffee on a regular business day. My criteria up until now has been NO styrofoam, definately Fair Trade and a splash of dashing barista smile. Little did I realise that the world of T/A coffees was about to be revolutionised until I popped in to O Organic and saw their Keep Cups. These nifty little numbers are 100% recyclable, have a 4 year lifespan (that’s longer than any barista!), are lightweight, durable & travel friendly.And based on my current coffee consumsption, if I use a Keep Cup, I will save 416 paper cups annually as well as 1kg plastic lids, 5kg of landfill and 429mjs of energy – now this simply has to define sustainable!So for this eco girl, I now have a Keep Cup in car, both clinics and home!Thanks Mick at O Organic for his winning barista smile.
A Nice Glass of Vino For the Festive Season……
I must say that I do love a nice glass of wine or bubbles and the upcoming festivities have really had me searching. I have found a few picks that I wanted to share with you. Rosnay have just released the first organic sparkling rose which is sumptuous, matched perfectly with a Sydney rock oyster or two. Then there is the Tamburlaine sav blanc which I adore with a salmon carpaccio or a fennel salad. Tamburlaine is conveniently located opposite the Golden Door Health Retreat where I run detoxification programs – the irony kills me! But, organic wines are a must – a report just released by the Pesticide Action Network found that hazardous pesticides were found in many samples of conventional wine. My last pick is Coates organic rose which is a more full bodied wine – gorgeous with a slice of melon wrapped in proscuitto.So, go ahead and enjoy the festive season with a glass of organic wine in hand! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Food As an Antidepressant
A very interesting study from the University College London in the UK followed 3,486 people for five years. At the end of five years, they matched their depression to their diet.They found that the most depressed individuals consumed “processed food” (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products). In contrast, the least depressed people consumed a diet of “whole foods” (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish).Depression is a surprisingly common symptom. Before you turn to pharmaceutical antidepressants, start with changing your foods. If you eat a healthy diet your depression may subside. I strongly encourage you to take a good hard look at your diet – the best and most effective way is to write a food/mood diary and begin to notice any trends that appear. How did you feel an hour after you ate that coffee and banana bread this morning?I always see improvements in mood when the processed nutrient-poor food is removed and replaced with whole, organic and nutrient rich foods.Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle ageBACKGROUND: Studies of diet and depression have focused primarily on individual nutrients. AIMS: To examine the association between dietary patterns and depression using an overall diet approach. METHOD: Analyses were carried on data from 3486 participants (26.2% women, mean age 55.6 years) from the Whitehall II prospective cohort, in which two dietary patterns were identified: ‘whole food’ (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish) and ‘processed food’ (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products). Self-reported depression was assessed 5 years later using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in […]
Food As an Antidepressant
A very interesting study from the University College London in the UK followed 3,486 people for five years. At the end of five years, they matched their depression to their diet.
They found that the most depressed individuals consumed “processed food” (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products). In contrast, the least depressed people consumed a diet of “whole foods” (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish).
Depression is a surprisingly common symptom. Before you turn to pharmaceutical antidepressants, start with changing your foods. If you eat a healthy diet your depression may subside. I strongly encourage you to take a good hard look at your diet – the best and most effective way is to write a food/mood diary and begin to notice any trends that appear. How did you feel an hour after you ate that coffee and banana bread this morning?
I always see improvements in mood when the processed nutrient-poor food is removed and replaced with whole, organic and nutrient rich foods.
Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle age
BACKGROUND: Studies of diet and depression have focused primarily on individual nutrients. AIMS: To examine the association between dietary patterns and depression using an overall diet approach. METHOD: Analyses were carried on data from 3486 participants (26.2% women, mean age 55.6 years) from the Whitehall II prospective cohort, in which two dietary patterns were identified: ‘whole food’ (heavily loaded by vegetables, fruits and fish) and ‘processed food’ (heavily loaded by sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products). Self-reported depression was assessed 5 years later using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounders, participants in […]
