GMO articles and information

Links to GMO articles and information:

Autumn helping make pancakes with organic, non-gmo ingredients

There is very little real food left in this world it seems, it is worth it to educate yourself about GMO's and learn how to find the food amongst all the food-like products that clutter the grocery store shelves! here are a couple of links to websites that can help!

1. The Non-GMO Project

 Non-GMO project in Canada!

Product Verification - North America’s Only Independent Verification of Non-GMO Products

The retailers who started the Non-GMO Project were motivated by a simple idea: they believed that consumers in North America should have access to clearly-labeled non-GMO food and products, now and in the future. That conviction continues to be the guiding force behind the Non-GMO Project, which offers North America’s only independent verification for products made according to best practices for GMO avoidance.

This website is full of great information and resources....

• GMO facts
• Lists of  Non-GMO verified products and restaurants
• resources and information 
• how to take action now

http://www.nongmoproject.org

2. Top Seven Genetically Modified Crops

http://www.honeycolony.com/article/top-seven-genetically-modified-crops/

Jan 22 2013

By The Hive
Most of the government-approved, made in the U.S.A. food we eat is poisoned. That may sound like a pitch for a sci-fi novel, but unless a growing body of research is all wrong, a tainted food supply is the reality here in America. Take genetically modified foods, for example, which are linked to a long list of health problems, from food allergies and cell damage in humans, to tumors, liver problems, sterility and high infant mortality rates in rats.

read the list here: http://www.honeycolony.com/article/top-seven-genetically-modified-crops/

3. GMO Inside.org

http://gmoinside.org/

Because we have the right to know what’s in our food!

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Large agribusiness and chemical companies oppose our right to know when foods have GMOs. These are the same companies that put GMOs out on the market without adequate testing – turning us all into lab rats in a giant science experiment.
GMO Inside is a campaign dedicated to helping all Americans know which foods have GMOs inside, and the non-GMO verified and organic certified alternatives to genetically engineered foods. We believe that everyone has a right to know what’s in their food and to choose foods that are proven safe for themselves, their families, and the environment.
GMO Inside gives people information and tools, and provides a place for a growing community of people from all walks of life, to share information and actions around genetically engineered foods. Join the campaign at www.gmoinside.org, and take part in the GMO Inside community on Facebook and Twitter.
If you are represent an organization or a business that supports a healthy food system that is non-GMO and good for people and the planet, please join the GMO Inside coalition. We welcome you to post your news and information on our Facebook page, would love to get all of your events and programs on our calendar and interview you for our featured partner section of our website!

recipe: Gluten free, Vegan Coconut Snowballs

 

No bake, Gluten free, Vegan Coconut Snowballs

We are going to test out this recipe for our solstice celebration! They look delicious. 
(edited to add - they were AWESOME)

Support local stores!

I think I am done shopping for solstice and christmas food! OMG  now to bake bread, make goodies and holiday appies for the celebrations. 

Yesterday I went to Earth's General Store - I just have to take some time to say - they are SO worth shopping at and giving support to as a local business. I have never felt more cared for and appreciated as a shopper. They take the time to let you know where their product comes from if that kind of thing is important to you .

For example, my priorities as a shopper are local - first if possible, no GMO potential ingredients - which often means organic but not always, quality and affordability.  I wanted non-gmo oatmeal for my christmas baking, and because I need a large amount I wasn't sure I could afford the locally available organic oatmeal (which btw is great!) so I dropped a note on to their facebook page. They answered me nearly immediately and said they have the local organic oatmeal, as well as a Canadian sourced bulk organic oatmeal.  I went to the store and the store owner remembered me from the facebook post, even my name! Then he explained to me the differences in the two suppliers. I ended up buying the bulk Canadian sourced oatmeal due to the lower cost and the quanity I needed. If I had need of a lower quantity I would have gone with the local producer, and will in the future buy from them to support their business.

The staff at Earth's General Store were helpful and friendly, and take the time to help you out if you need advice on unfamiliar products or if you are trying a new brand for the first time. Their produce was beautiful and their pricing is very reasonable. I also enjoy that the aisles are not filled with all kinds of 'junk' that I would not be interested in anyway like you find in most grocery stores (you know, the rows and rows of stuff you breeze past on your way to find the actual FOOD)

Imagine my surprise when I got home later that day, and there on my FB post on their page, was a thank you note to me, for coming in that day. Little things like that make me feel like my choice to spend my grocery dollars there were appreciated and noted. It gave me a little warm fuzzy :)

It's so rare in today's world of supermarkets and food being 'big business' to find that kind of care and attention in a food store. They are definetly worth sharing and supporting!

It is worth noting that Earth's General Store has been around in Edmonton as a forward thinking, earth conscious consumer choice for decades - long before it was 'cool' - I am in deep appreciation for them and the valuable resource they are to our city.




Earth's General Store Website.
(p.s.  here is the link to their facebook page)

List of vegetables to buy organic: dirty dozen/clean thirteen

Eating Raw Foods

I had been meaning to do some research on eating Raw foods and what the perceived benefits and negatives were associated with it, when I came across this video "Ageless Woman". WOW.  I am now seriously interested in researching this eating lifestyle.

It seems there are some that take this to nearly religious, nearly fanatical levels in their lifes and others (thankfully) who are, or seem to be well informed about where they are getting all their nutrition from, what the pitfalls of this type of eating has, and are willing to share. There are a plethora of websites and videos on Youtube about this diet.

One of the people that I found interesting AND informative (besides raw food advocate Annette Larkins from the video above) was a man named Markus Rothkranz . Annette wowed me, especially when they interviewed her husband! Her story is jaw-dropping and inspiring. Markus made a raw diet actually seem real, not just chowing down on a veggie tray; but delicious sounding recipes and real advice about what people who choose to follow this way of eating need to consider.

I find it all very interesting; before these two videos I dismissed the whole notion, I thought it would be imossible to meet nutritional needs based soley on raw foods. I am not sure I am convinced yet that this would be a diet for me or my family, but I am convinced that more raw foods need to me INCLUDED in our healthy diets.

Learning about raw foods has me question, why DO we cooked so much of our foods, especially the vegetables that taste better raw! How can we incorporate more natural ways of eating into our diets? Well Raw eating certainly is one way to accomplish that!

We are continuing to learn, and then Mykel and I might even do the " go raw for 30 days" experiment, to see how we feel and to understand it. I plan to collect a plethora of raw food recipes between now and then to make sure we are both meeting our nutritional needs and that we aren't jsut living on carrot sticks!

In the meantime, I have already becan to incorporate more raw foods into my menu planning. More of the space on  my family's plates will be filled with nutrious, health benefiting raw foods. Even if that is all anyone ever changed in how they ate, I can't imagine they wouldn't see immense health benefits from it!

Seven Scary food ingredients

GMO awareness

Sharing some links about GMO foods today. I wrote my MP 3 yrs ago asking why (In Canada) we don't have foods that contain GMO's labeled so that consumers can make informed choices. My MP wrote back and said it isn't necessary, woulnd't be "possible" and is not something the public demands.... (among other excuses) . I think its time again to mount a campaign demanding that foods containing GMO's be labeled so people can choose to buy them or not.  Thankfully, so far in Canada, foods that are labeled organic cannot contain GMO at all.

20 GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS COMING TO YOUR PLATE

" If the need to halt GMOs were not urgent enough, this article should scare the pants off you. Here we glimpse some of the potentials for the unabated and bizarre proliferation of GMOs. Some of these developments you will already know about (hopefully), but some will come as a surprise. As I see it we are now at a crossroads where we can still dismantle this dangerous and perverted manipulation of the very fabric of life, the sacred code of nature, which will undoubtedly affect each and every one of us in profound ways now and in the future.

Here we are reminded that the fight against GMOs and to save organics is not just a battle for what we knew yesterday, which is bad enough. It is a fight against the future of the GE movement and the unlikely and increasingly creepy, scary, and deranged turns it will likely take. Just today I read elsewhere that 35 species of fish, in addition to salmon, are slotted to be genetically engineered for various traits. I am not going to preview the highlights of what is below, but maybe you too will be left wondering, “What will they think of next?” " (follow this link to read more)

Organic Consumers Association - Ready to take on Monsanto?

Ready to Take On Monsanto? Watch Genetic Roulette and You Will Be!

Click "Go!" to VOLUNTEER for the Prop 37 campaign. We need volunteers all over the country (USA) to help us win our right to know about GMOs by reaching out to California voters via phone, email, blogs and social networks. (And, DONATE here.)

Not ready to take on Monsanto? You will be after you watch this new documentary on the dangers of genetically modified organisms. Download Genetic Roulette for only $2.99.

10 herbs that heal

 

Eat Locally Grown food

Introduction

The idea for this blog came as I continuously found myself looking for the same information to share with others or to use as reference and spending tonnes of time redoing the research. I thought "there has to be a better way " and tada! a new blog is born.

I want a place to put the information and websites we find so it is easy to access, to store recipes and write down my own creations that are excellent tasting so they don't get lost. A place to chronicle our journey as we move towards our goals of healthy, natural living. Perhaps it will help other families out there, and connect me to families that may have information I find helpful.

Recently, My husband and I were fruitlessly searching for a snack food (crackers) that didn't have MSG, or other additive and it took us an inordinate amount of time to search it out on the regular grocery store shelves. I think we ended up with a choice of 1 (yes one). It shouldn't be that hard to eat REAL food!

I have a horrible history with blogging, I go great guns for a short period of time, then life gets busy and I leave it by the wayside. I am hoping with this one I can utilize it to the best of its potential, and create a usable resource.

Here is a bit of history and info about us

We are a family of 9, My husband and I have 2 children together ages 18 months and 3 yrs, I have 4 girls from a previous marriage ages 19, 18, 16 and 15, the girls all live with us. My husband has a son from a previous marriage age 18, he lives with his mother. We also have my god-daughter and her baby living with us for a grand total of 10 in our home.

Sustainable living, healthy eating habits and being in good physical 'shape' have always been important to us. We want to leave a legacy of health and wellness, both in body and in the earth itself, to our children and feel the best way to do that is through example.

3 or 4 yrs ago we embarked on a journey to eat 'better' and that started with eliminating MSG from our diet. We eliminated most processed foods in that undertaking! Our journey has continued and we have eliminated not only MSG, but most preservatives. A couple years ago we stated buying 'naturally' raised meat (meaning no antibiotics, growth hormones, free range, grass fed etc.) and some organic products. We started to research why one would choose organic over non organic and which foods were most important to go organic with first and which ones were less "toxic" in how they were grown. That research process is ongoing.

The first thing we switched over to organic was cow's milk. The cost is nearly twice what it costs to buy "regular" milk and took a bit of adjusting! But once you get used to it, it becomes "that is what you pay for a jug of milk" . Last year we focused on buying locally and supporting our local economy. Our buying habits and the way we educate ourselves about the products we choose to buy have greatly changed in the last 5 yrs! We are continually adding new environmentally responsible products to our regular list of things to buy.

This year we are focusing on the move to wholly organic foods, with the caveat that naturally raised local food sources are preferable over imported food products. It's going to be slow going and I am sadly realizing that there are some things we may not be able to find organically produced, but its a start!

We have began to dig into the deep quagmire that is Genetically Modified Organisms and how it affects our food, our health and our earth. We are also further researching other food additives and their impact on health.

We would like to eventually only eat out at organic, local restaurants, but we have a horrible restaurant habit and that one may take more time to get under control. We have made it to local, privately owned establishments but so far this year we haven't made it to one to any of the 3 (or is it 4) organic restaurants available to us in our fair city.

I wouldn't say I am an activist, but I do write letters to producers both in praise -supporting sustainable farming/production practices and in critique of the ones that are not. I write letters to our government leaders, to the media, I pursue answers to questions that are sometimes hard to answer. I encourage every mother, every person who lives on this planet and is in a position to choose what types of food they eat to get involved in their food supply. I believe we change our world by living the way we desire it to be and create change by pushing for the things that need to be changed through our actions.