-->| We are meant to use this force for our health, gardening, agriculture and almost every other area of human concern. Once you have discovered the secrets of the lunar cycles and synchronized your life and activities with them, you will greatly benefit from this newly created harmony with the natural world.
Human beings, other mammals, and most birds and insects are subjected to this mysterious force of nature. All natural processes like pregnancy, the growth of plants and their ripeness, as well as the duration of various diseases, depend on the cycles of the moon. |  A working group at the World Council of Churches, for example, called upon churches and Christians "to build partnerships with civil society, people's movements, small scale farmer groups, and Indigenous Peoples in opposing the science, philosophy, and practice of genetic engineering in agriculture."20 But religions largely remain the sleeping giants in the debate, since they have not yet wielded their enormous consumer clout. Any one of several could immediately force GMOs off the market simply by encouraging their members to avoid them. | | Smith "Geneticist Michael Antoniou, who works on human gene therapy, told the New Zealand
Commission, "genetic engineering technology, as it's being applied in agriculture now, [is] based on the understanding of genetics we had 15 years ago, about genes being isolated little units that work independently of each other." He explained that genes actually "work as an integrated whole of families." In 2003, Antoniou represented non-governmental organizations on the UK's supposedly balanced GM Science Review Panel that was part of the nationwide "GM Nation?" public debate. | | The list was presented to the minister for agriculture and food in the government of western Australia as evidence that sufficient research had been conducted to conclude that GM food was safe. According to an analysis by epidemiologist Judy Carman, "A review of these abstracts found that most were animal production studies.... In fact, only nine abstracts could be considered to contain measures applicable to human health. The majority of these (six abstracts; 67%) found adverse effects from eating GM crops. | | As described in the previous page, at concentrations 100 times lower than concentrations recommended in agriculture, Roundup disrupted an enzyme crucial to sex hormone production (aromatase) in humans.51 The authors concluded, "The dilution of glyphosate in Roundup formulation may multiply its endocrine effect. Roundup may be thus considered as a potential endocrine disruptor."52
The residues of Roundup in the water supply might be of the concentration range that has an endocrine disruptive effect. In Denmark, they found a concentration of 0.54 micrograms per liter. |  They also promoted organic agriculture and natural medicines. Every German citizen had a duty to engage in Gesundheit UberAlles—healthfulness over all—to ensure the well-being of the nation.
Despite their deranged application, a number of Nazi ideas about how to rid the world of cancer and build a healthier human had respectable scientific pedigrees. To the consternation of the Church of England, Charles Darwin's idea that the fittest survived in the natural world became broadly accepted. |  Unfortunately, economics is the driving force behind American agriculture, causing farmers to be more concerned about bushels per acre than the nutrient content of the food they harvest.
Few would argue about the quality of our foods and its decline compared to foods of a generation or two ago. Hybrid grains, vegetables, and fruits have increased in popularity. These hybrid seeds boast big, luscious products that are more resistant to diseases. The nutrient content of hybrids, however, is significandy less than that of their natural counterparts. |  It was this mismatch of agriculture and energy use that sets us up for disaster in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Until very recently, your forebears expended huge amounts of energy to obtain high-calorie grain products; now you can get them with little or no effort. Your genes couldn't be happier, but you are paying the price. Even the Egyptian pharaohs weren't immune to this rule: the recent discovery of the only female pharaoh revealed that she died from diabetes. She was a grain eater who didn't labor for her dinner. Sound familiar? |  In his report to the Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC), Jack Mongoven noted that these groups "have a history of strong relations with the agriculture Department, and it's certain they will use these solid ties to put pressure on EPA through agriculture."
- Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber, Trust Us We're Experts The sodium nitrite found in bacon and processed meats
Most of the chemicals mentioned in this section are accidental chemicals that neither farmers nor food producers intend to put into their meat products. | | What this means for you: Greater attention is being given to antibiotic use in agriculture, animals and people. Europe has instituted a ban on the use of all growth-promoting antibiotics. In the US, antibiotics are still given to poultry to increase growth. The FDA is currently reviewing the issue, and many experts believe the US should also ban growth-promoting antibiotics.
Self-defense: To find poultry that is totally free of antibiotics, check with your local butcher or at a natural-food store. | | THE THIRD STUDY
Researchers from the Tennessee Department of Health and the US Department of agriculture (USDA) also looked at how people behave in petting zoos.
Among 991 visitors to six petting zoos in Tennessee, 49% touched their faces while in the petting zoo; 87% came into contact with environmental surfaces, such as handrails or benches; 22% ate or drank while in the area; and 62% did not wash their hands after leaving the petting zoo. | | Scientific evidence: A US Department of agriculture (USDA) clinical study found that consuming capsules containing 1, 3 or 6 grams (g) of cinnamon daily (approximately Vk, 3A or VA teaspoons, respectively) for 40 days lowered blood levels of glucose and triglycerides (fats in the blood) by approximately 25% in adults who had type 2 diabetes. It also reduced LDL ("bad") cholesterol by up to 27%.
Typical dose: Use Vi to 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon daily on cereal or toast or mix into yogurt.. .take one capsule twice a day.. . |  In conventional agriculture, genetically modified strains of soy are often cultivated, and the crop may be heavily treated with herbicides. It's best to consume organic soy products whenever possible. It's also a good idea to avoid processed forms of soy, such as soy protein isolates, meat substitutes, and soy milk; these contain high levels of compounds that can interfere with thyroid function. Other than soy, foods high in phytoestrogens include flaxseeds, whole grains, and nuts and seeds.33
If you're not fond of soy or are concerned about eating it, other dietary approaches exist. |  The implications for human health and agriculture are enormous. Central to the realization of Mr. and Mrs. Excelex would be the understanding that "life produces life!"
GUIDELINES FOR DRINKING WATER
Raw fruits and vegetables naturally contain 75% to 90% water. They should be the main sources of fulfilling the body's requirement for water. Because of their high fiber content, these foods also contribute greatly to the efficiency of the body's elimination cycle. They contain the organic minerals that the body needs and can readily assimilate. |  Most of my suggestions come down to strategies for escaping the Western diet, but before the resurgence of farmers' markets, the rise of the organic movement, and the renaissance of local agriculture now under way across the country, stepping outside the conventional food system simply was not a realistic option for most people. Now it is. We are entering a postindustrial era of food; for the first time in a generation it is possible to leave behind the Western diet without having also to leave behind civilization. |  Some of the differences may not be attributable to diet per se but rather to how food is raised and the industrialization of American agriculture (e.g., the effects of corn-fed vs. pasture-fed animals). However, it is clear that the majority of heart disease is caused by factors associated with Western civilization, such as a fat- and sugar-laden diet and a lack of exercise.
There are also "nonmedical" factors not directly related to lifestyle that increase the risk of heart disease, like low income, lack of social support, depression, marginalization in society, and stress in childhood. | | With the shift in the U.S. of agriculture from pasture grazing of animals to feed lots there has been a need to provide massive amounts of antibiotics to farm animals to prevent epidemics of disease. Another advantage of giving antibiotics to farm animals is that they promote growth. Although no one knows exactly why antibiotics do so, some theorize that they eliminate the bacteria that consume nutrients in the gut, thereby enabling the host (i.e., the farm animals) to take up more nutrients.
There is no reason to believe that these effects are not transferable to humans. |  The human body is now forced to cope with constant health hazards in the form of water and air pollution, noise, stress, radiation and dangerous chemicals, forced upon us from factories, power stations, agriculture, mines and waste disposal.
Environmental pollution has brought about an alarming increase in respiratory diseases and this alone may well be the major cause of today's high incidence of asthma, particularly in industrial areas. |  Swift's irony is perhaps trumped by the fact that many of his air-castles and outrageous speculations—a system of 'scientific' agriculture in which 'all the Fruits of the Earth shall come to Maturity at whatever Season we think fit to chuse', for example?have become mundane reality and established fact in the centuries since he published Gulliver's Travels. Nor was his unadulterated hostility to the new experimentally produced 'Systems of Nature' universally shared by his contemporaries. |  The United States Department of agriculture poured $250 million into helping develop, and then promote, agricultural biotechnology, which exploded across American farm country. Less than 1 percent of that total, $1.6 million, was put into assessing the risks. Since the first genetically engineered corn seed was introduced into commercial production in 1996, 61 percent of U.S. cornfields are now planted with varieties manipulated in one way or another with the genes of species other than plants. |  To clarify this protective effect of green tea, researchers from the Laboratory of Nutrition Chemistry at the Kyushu University School of agriculture in Japan set up a series of animal experiments. Groups of rats were fed diets rich in cholesterol and saturated fat, with and without the addition of various green tea polyphenols. The absorption of cholesterol was markedly inhibited by the polyphenols, with the most effective cholesterol inhibitor being EGCG. Consequently, blood cholesterol levels were correspondingly lower, as well. | | Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service reports that in 1996, prior to the widespread introduction of GMOs, the United States exported 3.15 million metric tons of corn to the then-fifteen member states of the European Union. That accounted for 82 percent of European corn imports. By 1997, that figure was starting to drop rapidly; by 2003, it had plunged to 37,000 metric tons and by 2005 had dropped to 33,000 metric tons—barely enough corn to fill a single shipload. | | The farmer is paid according to bushels per acre—not for the quality of his produce. agriculture too has become a demanding and politically charged industry. In spite of our need for nutrition, the bottom line for farmers is making a living, and hybrid produce makes it possible.
Our food industry, due to special transportation and storage techniques, has been able to make a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available nationwide throughout the year. The variety is good. But these are made available at a sacrifice. Green harvesting means picking fruits and vegetables before they are mature. |  Ancient Greeks and Romans offered spelt as a gift to the pagan gods of agriculture to encourage harvest and fertility.
Throw Me a Lifesaver!
HEART HEALTH: A study in the American Heart Journal found that women who had coronary artery disease and ate at least six servings of whole grains per week, including spelt, showed a slowed progression of atherosclerosis.
GALLSTONE PREVENTION: Eating foods high in insoluble fiber, such as spelt, can help women avoid gallstones, according to a study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. | | Rice production has been part of U.S. agriculture since the late seventeenth century.
Where Is Brown Rice Grown?
China, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh make up two-thirds of the world's rice production. The United States ranks eleventh in production but is a major exporter. In the U.S., the top rice producers include Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
Why Should I Eat Brown Rice?
Rice is often the first solid food offered to an infant. It is the least allergenic grain and that is why it is often recommended as a first introductory food. | | BONE HEALTH: A study published in the Journal of agriculture and Food Chemistry reported that onion consumption increased bone density in rats, possibly decreasing the risk for osteoporosis.
Tips on Using Onions
SELECTION AND STORAGE:
• Onions are available in fresh, frozen, canned, and dehydrated forms.
• An onion shouldn't smell like an onion until you cut it.
• Avoid onions that are sprouting, are soft, or whose skin is wet.
• If stored at 55 degrees, they may retain all their vitamin C content for as long as 6 months. | | They contain more phenolic antioxidants than nineteen of the most popular consumed fruits according to a study published in the Journal of agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Home Remedies
A lot of the initial work with cranberries, especially with its role in fighting urinary tract infections (UTIs), was anecdotal. It was mom's advice and she knew it worked. Now research is finding that mothers were right all along! The National Institutes of Health has twelve studies underway focusing primarily on further defining cranberries' activity against UTIs. | | CANCER: An article in the Journal of the Science of Food and agriculture reported on a group of Croatian researchers who found significantly decreased tumor growth and spreading of cancer (metastasis) in mice when honey was ingested orally or given by injection. Honey was found to be an effective agent for inhibiting the growth of bladder cancer cell lines.
WOUND-HEALING: Honey has long been revered for its antibacterial and wound-healing properties. | | Leigh Broadhurst, PhD, research scientist, University of Maryland, College Park, and research geochem-ist, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of agriculture.
Because of all the processed food now consumed in the US, getting the necessary nutrients from our diet has become increasingly difficult. Of course, we can turn to nutritional supplements, but research has consistently shown that fresh food—which has an abundance of healthful compounds that are believed to work synergistically—is usually our best source of valuable nutrients. | | Use the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new Nutrition Information Web site, www.nu trition.gov. Consult your doctor before taking a new supplement. If a claim for a supplement sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Fight Some Cancers with Vitamin D
Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, FACE, professor, department of family and preventive medicine, University of California, San Diego.
Lona Sandon, RD/LD, assistant professor of clinical nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association.
American Journal of Public Health online. | |
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