Olive Oil... or Something

Post by guest blogger Kellie Stoddard!

You thought you were making an informed health choice by using extra-virgin olive oil in place of cheaper, low-quality cooking oils, right? Think again…  Your Olive Oil is probably fake!

It's what we expect as shoppers—what's in the food will be displayed on the label.  But a new scientific examination by the non-profit food fraud detectives the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), discovered rising numbers of fake ingredients in products from olive oil to spices to fruit juice.

"Food products are not always what they purport to be," said Markus Lipp, senior director for Food Standards for the independent lab in Maryland.  In a new database  USP warns consumers, the FDA and manufacturers that the amount of food fraud they found is up by 60 percent this year.

Authentic extra-virgin olive oil takes a lot of time, expense, and labor to make. On the flip side, it’s quick, cheap, and easy to doctor it.  Adulterated olive oil has become the biggest source of agricultural fraud problems in the European Union. While less than 10% of world olive oil production meets the criteria for labeling as extra-virgin, it has been estimated that up to 50% of retail oil is labeled "extra-virgin".  Some oil labeled "extra-virgin" is diluted with cheaper olive oils or other vegetable oils. In some cases, lampante, or "lamp oil," which is made from spoiled olives fallen from trees, is used, even though it can't legally be sold as food. One fraud ring is accused of coloring low-grade soy oil and canola oil with industrialchlorophyll, and flavoring it with beta-carotene.  In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't routinely test imported olive oil for adulteration, and some products are difficult to test.

How can you tell if your oil’s fake?

First, extra-virgin olive oil ought to be comprised of mostly monounsaturated fat that grows more solid when cold. If you put a real extra-virgin olive oil in the refrigerator, it ought to become thick and cloudy as it cools completely (some oils made from high-wax olive varieties will even solidify). It should be noted, however, that this is not a fail-proof test. That’s because adulterated oils may also become thick and cloudy in the refrigerator. After all, some adulterated extra-virgin olive oils are cut with low-grade, refined olive oil. Those would still clump up. Other adulterated extra-virgin olive oils are cut with just enough of the cheaper oils that they’ll still be mostly olive oil, so they’ll have some clumping, too. If, however, the oil you put in the fridge fails to thicken at all (still appearing as clear and runny as it did at room temperature), then you know something certain: that it’s fake!

Second, extra-virgin olive oil ought to be flammable enough to keep an oil lamp burning. Again, this isn’t a fail-proof test, and for the same reasons. But, it is certain that if your so-called “extra virgin olive oil” doesn’t keep a wick burning, it isn’t extra-virgin at all, but instead contains refined oils. 

So what can you do?  Buy locally.  Buy from a farmer you can get to know and trust, and you’ll be set.  If you can't find a local farm www.foodrenegade.com has websites that sell authentic olive oil.

(side note from me, Ashlie...  If you are feeling overwhelmed right now, don't.  The point of this blog is to inform you so you can make educated decisions.  You don't need to make all those decisions at once.  It will take time for you to make all the changes you want to in your kitchen.  Buy organic olive oil, wild salmon, local produce, etc if you can.  You are allowed to take baby steps and do one thing at a time.  At the very least, realize from all these posts that the only person looking out for your health and the health of your family is you!  Unfortunately you cannot count on these food industries to lead us in the right direction.  Ok, I'll shut up now.)

This information was taken from

http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-extravirgin-olive-oil-fake/

http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-group-finds-more-fake-food-ingredients-090412537--abc-news-topstories.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil_regulation_and_adulteration

Wild Salmon vs. Farmed Atlantic Salmon

So you're at the grocery store, and there is Wild Alaskan Salmon and next to it its Farmed Atlantic Salmon.  Well, obviously you grab the Farmed Atlantic Salmon since its like 5 dollars cheaper.  It looks the same so it is the same right?

Not really.

Here are a few facts:

>  Wild Atlantic Salmon are actually virtually extinct due to damaged habitat and overfishing.  So EVERYTIME you see "Atlantic Salmon" it is farmed, NOT wild.  Atlantic Salmon is a pretty standardly used name for any and all farmed Salmon.  (and no, I don't know if "standardly" is an actual word... but you get the gist)

>  Farmed Salmon are fed a mixture of ground up fish and oil, which results in a much fattier salmon.  

>  Wild Salmon feed on krill, mollusks, and other planktonic crustacea that have feasted on red algae.  This wild red algae is what gives Salmon its pink flesh.

>  Farmed Salmon live in tightly packed, closed quarters.  Because of the unsanitary conditions, they are fed lots of antibiotics to keep disieses from spreading.

>  Wild Salmon are much leaner than Farmed Salmon.  Their freedom to swim around the ocean contributes to this, as well as their wild diet.  They have lots of Omega 3 fatty acids which are very healthy for us consumers!

>  Farmed Salmon also have Omega 3 fatty acids, but in addition they have lots of Omega 6 fatty acids... which are not good.  Omega 6 fatty acids are a PRO-inflammatory, where as the healthy Omega 3's are an ANTI-inflammatory.  K this is a little technical but... Both Omega 3's and Omega 6's use the same enzymes to break down and become useful for the body.  When both are present, the Omega 6's use the enzyme first and our bodies do not have enough of the enzyme to use for the Omega 3's.  So basically, Farmed Salmon does not have as many usable Omega 3's as Wild Salmon.

>  Oh yea, and one more "fun" fact :-)  My friend Kelsey mentioned this to me, so I looked it up to research further.  Check this picture out.

This color wheel is presented to salmon farmers and they pick out which color they would like to dye their salmon.  Wild Salmon receive their color from their nutrient rich, wild diet.  Farmed salmon are actually a grey color.  The industrialized food industry knows that no one is going to buy a grey, sickly looking salmon filet.

So..... salmon farmer Joe picks out color 33 since he knows most Americans associate a deeper color of flesh with a better quality fish.  Smart pick Joe!

Ok, last little note.  I did read some articles that talked about studies that were done on the toxicity of farmed Salmon.  They claimed that while there is some risk eating farmed salmon, the benefits of the omega 3's and other nutrients far outweighed them.  I wasn't able to find the actual studies, but the articles did claim that they were independent studies.  Stick that in your back pocket and think it over, along with all this other info... and then make a more educated decision next time you buy some salmon.

sources:

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec05/salmon.ssl.html

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=96

http://www.samcooks.com/food/seafood/salmon_wild.htm

STOP... Don't Use the Microwave!!!

 

A very elementary explanation of how a microwave works is that there is a component called a magnetron, a tube in which electrons are affected by magnetic and electric fields in such a way as to produce micro wavelength radiation at about 2450 Mega Hertz (MHz) or 2.45 Giga Hertz .  This wavelength is then shot into the food.  In order for something to heat in a microwave oven, water must be present within the substance. If water is not present, heating will not occur and it would remain cool. The reason for this is that water molecules within the food vibrate at incredible speeds, creating molecular friction which is responsible for the heating of the food. The structure of the water molecules are torn apart and vigorously deformed. This is much different than any other method of cooking, as other methods such as convection ovens heat up food by transferring heat convectionally from the outside inward.

 

 Hans Hertel, a Swiss scientist, states:

 “There are no atoms, molecules or cells of any organic system able to withstand such a violent, destructive power for any extended period of time, not even in the low energy range of milliwatts… This is how microwave cooking heat is generated – friction from this violence in water molecules. Structures of molecules are torn apart, molecules are forcefully deformed (called structural isomerism) and thus become impaired in quality.”  When the cells are forcefully deformed they produce carcinogens.

 While microwave cooking does begin within the molecules where water is present, they don’t actually cook from “the inside out” like many people believe. They actually start with the outer layers while the inner layers are mostly heated and cooked simply by transference of heat from the outer layers. This is oftentimes why you’ll find that the outside of the food is extremely hot while the inside seems to have been absent during the re-heating or cooking.

Microwaves were invented by the Nazi’s during the war in order to feed large groups of soldiers in a mobile and quick fashion without the need for fuel.  After the war a few of Germany’s allies were able to get their hands on these microwaves and conduct studies.  The Russians conducted in-depth research to discover the biological effects they might possess. The results were staggering enough to lead to a ban of the new device in the Soviet Union. The ban, however, was later lifted during Perestroika, the political movement responsible for the restructuring of the Soviet Union.

The findings include:

• Carcinogenic substances were formed from the microwaving of nearly all foods tested
• Microwaving milk and grains resulted in carcinogenic substances being formed through the conversion of amino acids
• Microwaving prepared meats caused cancer-causing agents such as d-Nitrosodienthanolamines to form
• Microwaving fruits as a method of thawing resulted in the conversion of glucoside and galactoside fractions into carcinogenic substances
• Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked, or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens
• Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables
• Structural degradation leading to decreased food value was found to be 60 to 90 percent overall for all foods tested, with significant decreases in bioavailability of B complex vitamins, vitamins C and E, essential minerals, and lipotropics

In the early 1990’s a Dr. Hertel and Blanc published an extensive study they had performed on the effects of the microwave.  The FEA (the Swiss Association of Dealers for Electro-apparatuses for Households and Industry) fought to put a gag order on them stating that they were interfering with commerce since their findings would negatively affect the industry.  The gag order was placed.  Years later it was finally reversed, but it goes to show that government is not on our side in regards to our health…no matter where you live.  It’s all about the money.

Ten Reasons not to Use Your Microwave Oven

Based on Swiss, Russian and German clinical studies

1.Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term, permanent, brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue].

2.The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in micro-waved food.

3.Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating micro-waved foods.

4.The effects of micro-waved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body.

5.Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all micro-waved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down.

6.The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in a microwave oven.

7.Micro-waved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This has been a primary contributor to the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in the United States.

8.The prolonged eating of micro-waved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood.

9.Continual ingestion of micro-waved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations.

10.Eating micro-waved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

If you need to do any quick heating use a toaster oven.  Most foods will not have any damage done to them when conventionally heated no higher than 120 degrees.  Anything beyond that and there will always be some nutritional value breakdown…but nothing like using a microwave.

Sources:

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/microwaves/#ixzz2LxImcmkM

http://www.health-science.com/micr

Corruption in the FDA... part 2!

Monsanto (GMO giant) and the FDA seem to have a revolving door between them.  Like Seriously!

Meet Tom Vilsack.  

He is the former governer of Iowa.  He is a big supporter of GMO and biotechnology.  Iowa used to have "GMO free" zones, where GM crops were not allowed... but he got rid of them.  He is known for flying around in Monsanto's private jets and supporting GMO dairy cows.  Oddly enough, he was appointed the US Secretary of Agriculture.  

Um, YIKES!

Meet Michael Taylor.
He began his career as a lawyer for the FDA.  When he left the FDA, he worked as a lawyer for Monsanto.  Then in 1991 he went back to the FDA as the deputy commissioner for policy.  He was in this position when the FDA approved Monsanto's Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) which shows up in our milk.  In 1994 he moved to the USDA as its head of Food Safety and Inspection Service.  THEN, he becomes Monsanto's vice president and chief lobbyist.  And now... guess what Obama has appointed him as... our US food safety czar.  

So, let me ask you an unbiased question :-)  Do you feel confident that your health is this mans top priority, as it should be?  If you do, I'm sure you're right.  Ya know, I'm sure that he is going to acknowledge the proven science of dangerous GMO's and take Monsanto down for lying about them.

(I hope you heard the sarcasm in my typing!)

Just for fun... here are a few more names in our government agencies that also have interest, or are working with Monsanto.

Jerry Crawford  >  Tom Vilsack fundraiser  >  Chief Monsanto lobbyist

Monsanto  >  Clarence Thomas  >  US Supreme Court

Monsanto  >  Margaret Miller  >   FDA

Calgene(owned by Monsanto)  >  Anne Veneman  >  Secretary of Agriculture

Searle(owned by Monsanto)  >  Donald Rumsfeld  >  Secrety of Defense

Monsanto $  >  Tommy Thompson  >  Secretary of Health

Biotech lobby  >  Dr. Tara O’toole  >  Homeland Security

Monsanto $  >  John Ashcroft  >  United States Senate

This is scary stuff ya'll!

sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/tag/michael-taylor/

And Jeffrey Smith's documentary "Genetic Roulette"

List of GMO crops

Here is a list of 8 crops that are currently Genetically Modified and on the market:

- Soy ( 94% of our soy is GM.  Soy in general is bad though.  More on that in another post.)
- Corn ( 88% of our corn is GM)
- Sugar Beets ( 95% of our sugar is from GMO sugar beets.  Buy "Cane" sugar.  It is not GM.)
- Hawaiian Papaya 
- Alfalfa
- Canola ( 90% of canola is GM.  Canola is bad as well.... Look for an upcoming post :-)
- Cotton ( 90% of cotton is GM)
- Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash

There are lots and lots of other GM foods on their way unfortunately.  There is development going on continuously as companies in the food industry try to increase their product and lower their costs.  As of now though, just look out for these.  Keep in mind as you are avoiding these foods or trying to buy them organic... that foods not on this list are still contaminated by pesticides and herbicides.  Buying all your produce organic (USDA organic certified) is the healthiest way to go!

Also, this is just GM Crops.  Get ready for a future post on the meat industry and fish industry.  Yikes!

What is a GMO... cuz you're eating a lot of them!

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms.  Genetically modified organisms are the source of genetically modified foods.  Monsanto is the giant corporation that is creating these GMO's and literally taking over our entire food supply.  They are bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. 

So here is how these GMO's are created.  Remember back to science class when you learned about base pairs in the DNA strand?  They are like rungs on a ladder.  

Well scientist take a gene from a different species and introduce it to the DNA of another species.  So picture them adding a new rung to the ladder.  

This artificially added gene is called a transgene.  The transgene consists of a promoter, the new gene, and a terminator.  The promoter tells the gene to turn on and start expressing itself.  Likewise, the terminator tells the gene when to stop expressing itself.  

K so for example, a gene was taken from an insecticide called BT toxin and added to the DNA of corn so that the corn would create its own insecticide.  Cool, right?

No, not cool!  Here is one of the many problems... and there are MANY problems.

There is study after study showing how these inserted genes are mutating the DNA causing changes to the nutrition of the food as well as unintended toxicity.  It is proven that the "promoter" of the new, added gene (transgene) does not, in many cases, ever shut off.  This can result in way too much toxin being produced and many other uncontrolled and untested problems.  Another problem that has been proven from many studies is that the "promoter" and "terminator" of the transgene will actually promote or terminate other natural genes of the crops DNA.  As these GMO crops create generation after generation of themselves, the mutation continues to worsen.  And we literally don't even know what we are eating.  Corn is just one of the crops that is largely genetically modified.  And by largely, I mean 85% of ALL of the corn being produced is genetically modified.  

Before you think to yourself, "Well, no big deal.  I don't eat corn that often" check the labels of everything in your pantry and refrigerator.  This corn is in virtually all manufactured food today!  

One study on GMO fed rats:

- mammory tumors
- severy kidney and liver damage
-50% of males and 70% of females died pre-maturely
(The study is entitled, "A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health." Read the abstract here:
http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm

And you guys, remember that this is only one study and it is only using GM corn.  GM soy is a whole other terrifying story as well as the other GM crops we are being fed.  I'll expand more on all of this in another post.  The studies are fascinating... because while you are reading about all the proven, scientific results you are realizing that corporations like Mansanto are doing it all legally and very discretely... and all the while, we are being told that these things are improving our lives.  

Don't trust the food industry with your and your family's health.  I repeat, Don't trust the food industry with your and you family's health!

So... what should you do?  Look for USDA organic certified labels.  They cannot use any GMO's and are grown without pesticides along with other regulations.  Be careful because a food can bear the label "Non-GMO" if they have a single indredient that is Non-GMO... but all of their other 20 or so ingredients can be GMO.  Tricky huh.

source:

http://responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/2notes

(this website is awesome!)

Corruption in the FDA

What is the FDA?  I pulled this statement of intent directly from the FDA's website:

Intent

1-102.10 Food Safety, Illness Prevention, and Honest Presentation.

The purpose of this Code is to safeguard public health and provide consumer food that is safe,unadulterated, and honestly presented.

(http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/FoodCode2009/ucm186464.htm)

hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!.... Oh.  Sorry.  I thought the FDA was telling a joke.  Almost every single item in your run of the mill grocery store is ABSOLUTELY NOT HONESTLY PRESENTED!  Most of the "food" products that are available for you to buy at these stores are VERY adulterated.  They contain harmful additives, have been genetically modified (GMO), or/and come from unsanitary factory farms and they do not legally have to tell you any of that on the label.  But more on that another day.  Below is just one example of how the statement "FDA approved" should give you absolutely no reassurance that what you are eating is good or safe for you.

So first: How the FDA board members are chosen:

The federal statute stipulates that of the 14 members named to the board, four members should come from industry, three from academia, two from consumer or patient advocacy organizations, and one from the health provider community. The remaining four spots are open to anyone with relevant expertise. 

Second: Our health and safety is not everyone's goal... money is.  Shocking huh?! (not really)

The birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin contain a drug called drospirenone, which the FDA advisory committee endorsed last December.  At least 4 board members that approved this drug have ties to the manufacturing and profits of this drug.  The head of the FDA knew about these ties and still considered them "unbiased" board members.  Turns out this drug has been killing women since its debut in 2006.  Interestingly, while the FDA allowed the four members with financial ties to vote on the drug, it barred another member and former researcher, Sidney M. Wolfe, from voting on the grounds that he had “an intellectual conflict of interest”. Based on several years of data, Wolfe had advised his readers six years earlier not to take Yaz. Because of this “conflict”, he was barred from voting.

So..... In other words, it is ok for members of the FDA to get paid by a drug or food manufacturer while they vote "in our best interest" but it is not ok when someone has done research and in no way benefits from a paticular food or drug being passed or not. 

resources:

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/100/5/296.full.pdf

http://www.fda.gov/

http://thetruthisnow.com/headlines/scandal-at-the-fda-board-members-with-drug-maker-ties-voted-to-approve-drug-thats-killing-women/

MSG... and it's disguises!

What is MSG?

Well, first of all I should tell you that it is in 95% of all processed foods that you eat.  MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a processed food additive. It is an extremely dangerous neurotoxin (*excitotoxin, see below) that shrivels and kills brain cells in the hypothalamus and has been linked to migraines, seizures, ADD/ADHD, Alzheimers, violent behavior, brain cancer, seizures, MS, heart palpitations, tremors, and MANY other symptoms that can be fatal.  The chemical in MSG that causes these side effects is called processed free glutamic acid.  A food label can bear the message "MSG free" and still contain any of the 40+ ingredients that contain this MSG chemical.

Once the food industry realized that society was becoming aware of the deadly effects of MSG, they simply renamed MSG on their labels and even put "MSG free" on many of their products that STILL had MSG in them.  ... It's all about money folks!  They ain't looking out for your well being!  Here are just a few of the names that MSG masquerades as:

Glutamic acid (E 620)²,  Glutamate (E 620)

Monosodium glutamate (E 621)

Monopotassium glutamate (E 622)

Calcium glutamate (E 623)

Monoammonium glutamate (E 624)

Magnesium glutamate (E 625)

Natrium glutamate

Yeast extract

Anything “hydrolyzed”

Any “hydrolyzed protein”

Calcium caseinate,  Sodium caseinate

Yeast food, Yeast nutrient

Autolyzed yeast

Gelatin

Textured protein

Soy protein, soy protein concentrate

Soy protein isolate

Whey protein, whey protein concentrate

Whey protein isolate

Anything “…protein”

Vetsin

Ajinomoto

So.... What should you do?  Stay away from processed food!  Try to eat local, organic, raw produce.  Don't despair!  If people can train their taste buds to love the taste of coffee (seriously, no one likes the taste of coffee the very first sip they have) than you can train your taste buds to love the taste of carrots.  Really, you can!

Additional info if you want to keep reading:

*What is an excitotoxin?

An excitotoxin is a chemical that causes a brain cell to become overexcited and fire uncontrollably, leading to cell death. MSG (and other excitotoxins like asparatame) has the potential for inflicting permanent damage to the brain and nervous system. These chemicals also cross the placental barrier, harming the brains of unborn children.

sources:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html

http://www.realfoodwholehealth.com/2011/05/excitotoxins-msg-and-hidden-names/

http://www.msgmyth.com/