vaccine safety

If you're wondering whether or not to vaccinate your children or get a flu shot, you might want to read this article.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/2/26/how-vaccines-can-damage-your-brain.aspx

artificial sweeteners again linked to weight gain

Foods and beverages containing artificial sweeteners seem to ruin your ability to control food intake and body weight, according to new research by psychologists at Purdue University’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center.In their study, when compared with rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar), rats that ate yogurt sweetened with the zero-calorie artificial sweetener saccharin:

- Consumed more calories (and didn’t make up for it by cutting back later)
- Gained more weight
- Put on more body fat

It seems that consuming artificial sweeteners doesn't trigger the same biological response as food with sugar leading the rats (and humans) to overeat.

Find more info at http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/2/26/artificial-sweeteners-once-again-linked-to-weight-gain.aspx

Pesticides found in urine of children

Government promises to rid the nation's food supply of brain-damaging pesticides aren't doing the job, according to the results of a yearlong study that carefully monitored the diets of a group of local children.The peer-reviewed study found that the urine and saliva of children eating a variety of conventional foods from area groceries contained organophosphates, the family of pesticides spawned by the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II.

When the same children ate organic fruits, vegetables and juices, signs of pesticides were not found. After eight to 36 hours of the children switching to organic food, the pesticides were no longer detected.

The study has not yet linked the pesticide levels to specific foods, but other studies have shown peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, nectarines, strawberries and cherries are among those that most frequently have detectable levels of pesticides. Broccoli, on the other hand, is usually found with lower pesticide levels.

Chuck Benbrook, chief scientist of the Organic Center, a nationwide, nonprofit, food research organization said that the pesticide limits that EPA permits are far, far too high to say they're safe. And,there's been a steady increase in pesticide-contaminated imported foods, which are capturing a growing share of the market." The study found that pesticide levels in urine were higher in the winter months when more produce is imported.

Your best bet is to buy from local farmers that grow organically or minimize their pesticide use.

For more info, go to: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10066.cfm

non-plastic water bottle reviews

For The Whole Family column for VegFamily this month, I tested and reviewed several non-plastic water bottles for kids and adults. Check it out at: http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/plastic-water-bottle-safety.htm

Safety of Aspartame

If you're eating foods containing the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, diet drinks, etc.), you need to watch the documentary "Sweet Misery." Aspartame was approved for widespread use in the U.S. in July of 1983. Within six months, brain tumor rates climbed 10%, diabetes went up 30% and brain lymphoma tumors skyrocketed 60%. Learn how this toxic chemical was scandalously approved by the FDA and is now one of the most widespread food additives in the U.S.

The video can be downloaded at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-566922170441334340&q=aspartame+duration%3Along&total=23&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Meat from sick animals served at schools

The USDA is investigating Chino, CA company Hallmark after release of a video showing workers using illegal practices on sick cows to get them into the slaughterhouse. Federal and California law prohibits the slaughter of "downer" cattle - cows that cannot stand or walk - to protect the human food supply from eating the meat of unhealthy animals. Several studies have shown a correlation between meat from downer cows and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly know as Mad Cow Disease.

Employees at Hallmark were shown using forklifts to pick up and roll animals too weak to stand and, much worse, shooting high pressure water sprays into the nostrils of cows and repeatedly shocking them with electricity so they could get the animals to get up and walk past the inspector assigned to monitor that only healthy cows were slaughtered.

Beef from the Hallmark slaughterhouse is distributed by Westland Meat Co. (also of Chino). According to the USDA, Westland sold 27 million pounds of meat last year to federal food and nutrition programs including school lunches and meals for the poor and elderly.

For more info, check out the article in the LA Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-humane31jan31,1,7693001.story?ctrack=3&cset=true

What happens to your body within 1 hour of drinking a soda

The average American drinks more than 60 gallons of soft drinks each year, but before you grab that next can of soda, consider this: one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. Not to mention the fact that it’s also your largest source of dangerous high-fructose corn syrup.

After drinking a can of soda, this is how your body is affected within the first hour:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

For more info, check out Dr. Mercola's Web site at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/19/what-happens-to-your-body-within-an-hour-of-drinking-a-coke.aspx