Food item that is best bought organic

When buying organic, what's best bought organic?

Considering that organic produce and products cost more than the conventional goods in the market. It’s wise to be selective when shopping if you are working with a tight budget. For example, if you like organic stuff but can't afford to buy organic clothing and organic vegetables at the same time, it would be wise to choose organic vegetables over organic clothing. According to consumers union and the environmental working group, one way to buy will be to buy only organic produce instead of non-organic for those foods where the non-organic options have been proven to have the highest pesticide levels. Although there is no evidence that fruits and vegetables with higher residue pose a hazard, selecting the organic versions of these is logical and wise.

Checklist, Choose organic versions for these fruits:

nectarines

• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Grapes
• Pears
• Cherries
• Raspberries
• Straw berries
• fresh winter squash

Choose the organic version of these vegetables:

• Green beans,
• Spinach
• lettuce
• Carrots
• Bell peppers
• cucumber
• mushrooms
• cantaloupe
• Celery
• Potatoes

Non organic low pesticide residue foods includes the following:

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• blueberries
• Cauliflower        
• Sweet corn                        
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Onions
• Papaya
• orange juice
• Pineapples and sweet peas, these will help you save some money.

Exercise cautions with these; buy organic when you can:Applesauce, plums,tangerine,apple juice, honeydew melon, tomatoes,sweet potatoes,watermelon, grapefruits                                                                                 

You don’t have to buy organic fruit drink such as orange juice, apple juice, canned peaches, peas and corns when you can buy raw fruits and juice it using As seen on Tv Nutribullet. 



Processed concentrate Juice tend to have lower level of these residues but this does not mean that it is the healthiest choice.

Egg lovers- buy organic eggs because the hen are treated better and no growth hormones, pesticides or antibiotics.

If you are worried about toxic residues and growth hormones in meat or milk your best alternative will be to go with fake vegetarian meat and plant-based Non-GMO milk).

Our vegan quote:You have never eaten or tasted the life of food until you go vegetarian, then you will taste and smell the sweet nurturing flavor in vegetables & fruits. You never truly appreciate the intelligence of animals till you go vegan ! We love it.

Author:  
Onyinye A is a freelance writer who specializes in nontoxic self improvement, green & Eco-friendly living, nontoxic lifestyle (preventing cancer, illness and toxicity) and everything related to organic living. Her work has been published by nontoxiclifestyle.org, Ezine.com, and other online and print publications.

Organic foods?Are they worth it?

People, who are concerned about toxic pesticide residues in food, turn to organic produce and products. Organic foods are more available now than it was years ago. Consumers who are pleased with organic produce are willing to pay the price for the value/quality. Today the organic industry is growing between 20 to 25 percent annually and more than 5 billion dollar organic products are now sold in North America each year.

Organic food is produced by farmers who actively protect the ecosystem for future generations by farming the Permaculture way. Crops are rotated to promote bio diversity among species, the soil is conserved and renewed, and the water source used for growing the produce is protected and conserved as well.

Organic food are grown with care; they are grown, handled and processed without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, artificial ingredient and preservatives. Organic animal products such as eggs are grown without growth hormones or antibiotics. Organically produced food is irradiated; 100 percent organic food do not contain genetically engineered ingredients. However, organic foods are not necessarily superior in nutrition; it can be grown with natural/organic pesticide but not a synthetic pesticide. For example a naturally occurring soil bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis, is commonly used as an organic pesticide. It is not toxic to wildlife and humans however it kills the larvae of many kinds of insects.  Another example is prethrins, a natural derived pesticide gotten from flowers, which can cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Natural copper are compounds potentially toxic to some people but are natural or even crude oil that is natural but can be highly toxic. Just because it  is an organic pesticide or herbicide does not mean it is toxic free although it provides us a better option. Sometimes organic foods may be contaminated with synthetic agricultural and industrial chemical residues carried by the wind from other farms and fields thus may remain in the soil. Sometimes it may get contaminated while sitting on the food aisle with all the other foods.The solutions is to make everything less toxic or toxic free so we won’t be troubled about this kinds of problems; this can be done by implementing or using toxic free chemicals and materials for e.g. You can stop adding FLUORIDE to our water supply, toothpaste, foods and drugs; you can reduce the amount of toxic chemicals spilled into land, rivers and oceans etc.

The presence of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, other agricultural chemicals, antibiotics and growth hormones, artificial ingredients and preservative in our food can have adverse effects on our health and body. Also farm workers who use synthetic farm chemicals are at a high risk for respiratory allergies or even cancer. Although, it is hard to determine the long term effects of eating foods that contain this toxic residues over a lifetime for each individual; it was found that families who ate mainly organic foods had much lower urine levels of organophosphate pesticides. However, in large amounts these can be toxic to the nervous system. Kids who eat more organic or cook at home instead of fast-food or processed food have less toxic pesticides to worry about. Today's scientist is concerned about today's agricultural methods and its effects on ecological balance which could create major problems in the near future. e.g. the case with the decimation of bird population that led to the banning of DDT (dichlor-diphenyl-trichlorethylene C14H9Cl5) .

Article to be continued....we will talk about what fair trade means in relation to this topic soon.

Onyinye A

The way to a healthy diet

The nontoxic way to a healthy diet is going vegan. You will love this diet, give it a try.

Natural and Artifical flavor

Our taste buds help us to choose what kind of food to eat; it helps us avoid poisonous food. Edible plants generally taste sweet, and harmful food taste bad. Today our food now can taste like the very poison we could try to avoid only if we knew what they really are. The taste of a food can be radically altered by minute changes in the flavoring combination. The Taste buds on our tongue can detect the presence of half a dozen taste from sweet, sour, bitter, salty, astringent, including an UMAMI (A taste discovered by Japanese researchers- a rich and full sense of deliciousness triggered by amino acids in foods such as meat, shellfish, mushrooms, potatoes and seaweed). However, our taste buds is limited when it comes to detecting flavor and smell but our nose can perceive many thousands of chemical aroma or food. The aroma of food is greatly associated with its taste, when we chew, drink or suck on substance using our mouth, volatile gases are released, these gases flow out of your mouth and up your nostrils or up the passageway in the back of your mouth, to a thin layer of nerve cells called the olfactory epithelium located at the base of your nose, right between your eyes. Then after this happens, your brain combines the complex smell signals from your olfactory epithelium with the taste signals from your tongue and gives flavor of what's in your mouth; at this point you're either saying yummy this taste good and smells like bananas or yakie this is disgusting it taste like fuel with a chocolate smell; and then it helps you decide if you would like to eat it or not.

 Our mind focuses intently on some of the aromas that surround us and filters out the overwhelming majority. People can grow accustomed to bad smells or good smells; we stop noticing smell or taste that once seemed overwhelming. Aroma and memory are inextricably linked. A smell can suddenly evoke a long-forgotten moment. The flavors of childhood foods seem to leave an unutterable mark, and as we become adults we often return to them, without always knowing why.  Childhood memories of Happy meals, which come with french fries, can translate into frequent adult visits to McDonald's, a fact that fast food chains can use to their advantage.

"The American flavor industry now has annual revenues of about $1.4 billion. IFF annual revenues have grown almost fifteen fold since the early 1970s and approximately 10,000 or more new processed-food products containing natural and artificial flavors are manufactured every year in the united states". If you read the food labels you'll find many preservative, color and "natural flavor"- flavor or scent of foods that has been created in the laboratory by well-renowned flavorist at companies such like IFF, the world's largest flavor company located in Dayton united states. One of the first artificial flavors known as methyl anthranilate was discovered by a legendary German scientist by accidentally mixing chemicals in his laboratory, that resulted to a sweet smell of  grapes; today methyl anthranilate has become the chief flavor compound in grape Kool-Aid.

A typical strawberry flavor found in a burger king strawberry milk shake, contains amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate,ethyl heptylate, ethy lactate, ethyl methyl phenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), alpha-ionone,isobutyl  butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol,rose, rum ether, y-undecalactone, vanillin and solvent. These many ingredient make up the artificial strawberry flavor in strawberry milk shake served by most fast food companies however only the dominant aroma strawberry is noticed. The chemical added to food, gives food, its particular flavor and taste. Artificial strawberry flavor gives highly processed food a strawberry like taste. Ethyl-2-methyl butyrate will smell just like an apple. Methyl-2-pyridyl ketone will make certain food taste like popcorn. Ethyl-3-hydroxy butanoate taste just like marshmallow. 3-methyl butanoic acid will smell like body odor, hexanal will smell like freshly cut grass. You may not find this in your food however processed food could be made with aroma chemicals without affecting the nutritional value and appearance of food; most flavor compounds often contain more ingredients than the foods to which they give taste. Man-made flavor additives are used mostly in baked goods, candies, and soda and often cost less than its packaging.  Flavor additive are usually labeled next to last on food product list of ingredients. Soft drinks such like coke-cola contains a larger proportion of flavor additives than most products.

Consumer usually prefer to see natural flavors on food product labels instead of artificial flavor because they think is more healthy or natural, this is not essential true of natural flavors. natural flavor are sometimes extracted by chemical we would not like to put in our mouth. natural flavors are based more on how it has been made than what it contains. Natural flavors and artificial flavors sometimes contain exactly the same chemicals, produced through different methods. For example, Amyl acetate provides the dominant note of banana flavor. when it is distilled from bananas with a solvent, amyl acetate is a "natural flavor". when it is produced  by mixing vinegar with amyl alcohol and adding sulfuric acid as a catalyst , amyl acetate is an "artificial flavor". Either way it taste and smells the same. According to FDA "natural flavor" must be derived from natural sources such as herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, yeast, bark, roots, natural oils etc; however an Almond flavor-benzaldehyde derived from natural sources, such as peach  and apricots pits, contains traces of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly poison. McDonald's chicken McNuggets,Wendy's Grilled chicken sandwich. Burger king's BK Broiler chicken breast pantry contain beef extract and "natural smoke flavor" manufactured by Red Arrow company by charring sawdust and capturing the aroma chemicals released into the air. The smoke is captured in water and then bottled, so that other companies can sell food that seems to have been cooked over a fire. Natural flavor is now listed among the ingredients of almost everything food, you will find "Natural smoke flavor" in barbecue sauces, snack foods, processed meats.

Tip: check the ingredients of what you eat, the food and flavor industry is a billion dollar industry that create flavors and food for profit. Companies that want profit advantage over their competitors employ flavoring and coloring so they're generally not so much interested in how it affects the consumer's health. Frankly we are not forced to eat these things although it is almost unavoidable because it is added to almost 8 out of 10 drinks and food item you find at the store. Even drinks such like green tea natural drinks contain "natural flavor". Natural flavor could mean anything from a combination of chemicals which may react with other ingredient to a single ingredient that probably has been extracted using a toxic chemical; the line between natural and artificial flavor is pretty close. A natural flavor is not necessarily more healthy or purer than an artificial flavor.

Note: flavor is primarily the smell of gases being released by the chemicals you have just put in your mouth. These flavors can compromise our health or immune system, and may cause cancer in the long run.

Natural Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A (beta carotene) helps to prevent and reduce infectious diseases by regulating the mucous membranes healthy.Vitamin A helps to increase white blood cells and other antibodies. It helps build healthy bones, teeth, skin. It helps to maintain the outer layers of tissues and organs. Vitamin A Promotes growth and vitality. It is essential in pregnancy and lactation, helps to improve night vision, good for growth and repair of body tissues.

Vitamin A can be found in Carrot, colorful fruits and vegetables, Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, watercress, turnip, Red pepper, Tomatoes, Papaya, Melon, Apricot, Mangoes, sweet potatoes etc. Also beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A in the body.

Vitamin C, D, E, F, B-complex, zinc, calcium, choline enhances vitamin A absorption.

Deficiency in Vitamin A can cause defective teeth and gums, allergies, dry and dull hair, retarded growth, susceptibility to infections, eye irritations, night blindness, sinus trouble, dry skin, loss of smell.
Coffee, alcohol, excessive iron, mineral oil. Vitamin D deficiency inhibits the absorption of vitamin A.



Some other natural source for vitamin A
Cod liver oil and Eggs- if you must eat eggs try to get it from home grown hen (cruelty free local farms)

Author: Onyinye A

Fight Allergies, cold and flu

Allergies are an abnormal reaction from your body to particles in the air, such like pollens, dust, mold spores or dust mites to which your immune system reacts. Herbs helps relieve allergy and cold flu. The combination of a healthy eating habit with herbs will help strengthen your immune system. Herbs such as Garlic, ginkgo, horseradish, stinging nettle, licorice, ginger, ginseng, cayenne and eucalyptus are the most commonly known herbs to prevent allergies. Garlic has a high amount of quercetin which is an anti-oxidant that reduces inflammation of the nasal passage and should be implemented into your daily diet to get the total benefit of this herb. Adding this common herb to your food or drink will effectively help you recover in short time and also relieve the very flu or allergy symptoms. It is the best defense for flu and allergies. It can also help people suffering bronchitis, sinusitis and all cold symptoms.
Another herbs is Ginkgo, Ginkgo contains ginkgo Biloba; which produces chemicals in the body that helps to prevent inflammation in the sinus area when particles enter the body. You can consume between 60-240 milligrams of a Ginkgo extract per day, which is important in reducing the pressure on the sinuses that cause runny nose and congestion.

 Horseradish is a spicy herb found in Japanese foods. If you have a few teaspoons of horseradish every month, the spices will clean out your nasal passages.

Stinging nettle helps to prevent fevers associated with allergies as well as cough, chest congestion, runny nose and bronchial constriction.

Organic Licorice Root powder- helps relieve cold, coughs, nervous exhaustion, liver, chronic fatigue and skin conditions. Prevents inflammation and stimulates adrenals but should not be used for an extended period. when you drink or taste licorice, it has sweet taste at the back of your throat but it's an effective herb. You can mix 1/4 tsp with honey, agave nectar or pure organic juice or you can take it by itself however, i make a green tea or Echinacea with licorice, to be taken once a day by mouth.
(am not a doctor, but i have personally experienced the effectiveness of herb when doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with my body- many accounts of this even as a child; i have found herbs to be very effective and better for the immune system. This does not replace visiting your doctor, just a recommendation)

Eucalyptus helps you to breathe easier by opening up the lungs so that your cells get more oxygen.

Ephedra is a spice that works as an anti-inflammatory. Ephedrine is an ingredient in ephedra that works to treat hay fever and asthma, but the body can become immune to this ingredient if it is used over a long period of time.

Mint tea, Green tea

Get in a warm to very warm bathtub for an hour and let the warm yang energies of the water penetrate the skin, and boost your bodies energy while helping excrete toxins from your pores. It helps in strengthening the kidneys and lungs as they are main organs involved in the immune system and are often affected in illnesses of external cold penetration such as cold and flu.

Supplement should be used before cold symptoms appear and after cold is gone.

The fat-soluble vitamin, retinol or vitamin A has an effective antiviral effect when utilized in high doses, but at these doses, however, the vitamin should only be used for about a week. high source of vitamin A

Vitamin C will prevent a cold from setting in, when taken in sufficient quantities, it helps you recover quicker and effectively reduce the symptoms. Source of Vitamin C includes Chestnuts, oranges, orange juice, grapes, lemon, lime, aloe Vera etc

Echinacea is effective for stimulating the immune system.
It is known that lozenges made from zinc can perhaps stop a cold from progressing and help make recovery shorter, the virus itself may be destroyed by this supplement, though the exact way it deals with infection is uncertain.

A combination of the herb goldenseal and Echinacea can be taken to boost immune response, it may not prevent colds or the flu, it cannot act as preventive agent however it works well for therapeutic usage and for treatment of infections.

Herbs are a natural way to heal the body but pregnant women should exercise caution when using herbs to treat allergies, when not sure of the side effects seek advice from a holistic doctor, do your research first before use.
 To prevent spreading bacteria or flu virus
practice regular hand washing, when coughing use your hand to cover your mouth, sanitize hand. If using handkerchief or tissue to cover your mouth when coughing make sure to dispose of it properly. Avoid using other people's lip balm or kissing if you got a cold sore- prevent spreading cold sores 

Finally, don't forget to clean the dust off your house and vacuum floors (Kirby vacuum cleaners are the best); use biodegradable disposal rags or paper towel this helps to reduce allergens in the home environment. 

Writer: Onyinye A

Ten Worst Foods

 Don't feed yourself poison, change your food choice/diet.

By Natalie

Benefits of soy milk

What is soy milk? 

Soy milk is high in protein and iron.

• Soy milk is made from pressing ground, cooked soybeans which produces rich milky liquid.
• Pearl soy milk has a very like able creamy color and taste, resembling your regular cow's milk but it's better.
• it is cholesterol-free, contains less saturated fat than cow milk, and low in sodium.
• Contains isoflavones, organic chemicals that may possibly be beneficial to health.
• Source of lecithin, vitamin D, A and E.
• Lacks casein
• Soy milk contains little digestible calcium as it is bound to the bean's pulp, which is insoluble in humans however most soy milk is fortified with calcium carbonate available for human digestion.
• Soy milk is suitable for people who experience milk allergy or are lactose intolerant because it is lactose free.
• If you are calorie-conscious, i suggest you reduce your consumption (1 glass instead of 2 glasses a day) to control the amount of calories you consume instead of buying a fat free or lite soy milk which often contains less protein.
• You can substitute soy milk in most recipe, for example you can eat cereal or oatmeal with pearl soy milk. you can eat cookies or omelet breakfast with soy milk. you can make spaghetti sauce with soy milk and much more
• Depending on your taste of flavor some manufacturers add flavoring such as pearl dutch chocolate, creamy vanilla, coffee, green tea, except the original taste/flavor.
• Since soy doesn't contain galactose, a product of lactose breakdown, soy-based infant formulas can safely replace breast milk in children with galactosemia.
• Children under one year of age should be given a formula of soy milk specifically developed with their nutritional needs in mind. 
  
• Tofu is curdled soy milk.
• Veggie burgers and vegan meats are made of soy and it is not meat.
• Although soy products are healthy options, you should check the ingredient label for toxic or carcinogenic ingredient such as Mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), artificial flavor, and more....(avoid these, keep in mind it's sometimes called other names).
• Because of the many confusion caused by manufacturers who print "Natural" or Contains Soy" for product advertise purpose, it's harder to choose which product to get until you check the product ingredient, be carefully not to buy unhealthy product. For example last night i went to the store to find veggie meat and burger, walking through the meat ale i find that some meat companies have animal product advertised as though it's made of only soy. Look for USDA 100% organic symbol or read your ingredient.  

• Researchers are learning how isoflavones-classified as “Phyto-estrogens” or plant-based estrogen-behave like the hormone that is lost during menopausal transition. Isoflavones, particularly genistein and daidzen, are often accepted in the body as the estrogen and in effect function as a food-based, low-level hormone replacement treatment. Some studies have indicated that between 25-50 grams of protein daily may be enough to significantly reduce the negative effects of menopause.
• Soy milk is beneficial for individuals who suffer osteoporosis because soy based food helps prevent the deterioration of bone density caused by aging or disease. A study conducted at the University of Illinois found that post-menopausal women who frequently consumed soy protein had stronger bones. Ongoing studies show promising results in eating soy as a way to prevent bone loss. Researchers are studying how calcium in soy can be utilized to prevent osteoporosis.
• Soy based food helps prevent colon, breast and prostate cancers. Scientific evidence has shown that the isoflavones in soy have a positive effect by inhibiting the growth of new cancer cells, and by causing the dying off of existing cancer cells.  According to one study, just one serving of soy a day-as a food like tofu or tempeh, or as a beverage like soy milk- may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by as much as 70%. Source

        Soy dream soy milk is also good brand of soy milk because it doesn't have carregaean, natural flavors and all the other not so unhealthy things other brands like silk soy milk, pearl soy milk contains


                 Soy milk Nutritional Comparison

Pearl^® Soy milk, ORGANIC EDEN SOY MILK is made with organic soybeans and the finest natural ingredients available. Do something good for yourself. Compare the nutritional information of popular beverages to see how valuable Soy milk is for your body. 

Calories per 8 fl oz serving 110 150 130 Calories from fat 30 70 45 Total Fat 3.5 g 8 g 5 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g 5 g 3 g Cholesterol 0 mg 35 mg 20 mg Sodium 110 mg 125 mg 125 mg Total Carbohydrates 12 g 11 g 13 g Sugars 9 g 11 g 12 g Proteins 7 g 8 g 8 g % of RDA based on 2,000 calorie diet Vitamin A 20 6 10 Vitamin C 0 0 0 Vitamin D 35 25 25 Calcium 30 30 Iron 10 0 0 Folate 20 * * Zinc 6 2 *

Read more: How soy milk is made - ingredients of, making, history, used, product, industry, machine, History, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process of soy milk, Quality Control at made how

Onyinye A