Consumers continue to demand clean food as organic market has doubled since 2007

Americans are voting with their wallets as the market for organic food continues to skyrocket. Conventional food and produce teeming with toxins are quickly losing their appeal as more dangers of GMOs and pesticides come to light, and consumers are increasingly spending their money on organic products and even growing their own food when they can’t find a trustworthy source in their area.

A recently released survey by leading organic industry trade body the Organic Trade Association shows that the sales of organic products hit $47 billion last year, with $43 billion of these sales devoted to organic food. This sector noted a rise of 8.4 percent over the year before and now accounts for more than five percent of the total sales of food in our nation. Remarkably, it has now more than doubled since 2007.

According to polls, the top reason that people turn to organic food is out of a desire to avoid pesticides and other chemicals. The associate director of the Organic Consumers Association, Katherine Paul, said this could be down to increasing awareness among the public about the dangers of these foods.

For many consumers, fresh produce is the first step into the world of organic food as its benefits are clear and easy to understand. In fact, organic produce now accounts for around 15 percent of all the vegetables and fruit that are eaten by Americans, which is a pretty respectable chunk. This is often followed by meat and poultry, a segment that made the biggest yearly gain among organic food when it rose by more than 17 percent to reach $991 million.

Big shifts in consumer preferences being seen everywhere

Food manufacturer General Mills has seen a big shift in consumer preferences, with its overall sales of foods including mainstays like cake mixes and cereal dropping six percent while its organic label Annie’s rose by 11 percent. Restaurants and fast food chains are also increasingly catering to diners who seek organic food as the trend shows no sign of dying down.

Meanwhile, the recent Natural Products Expo trade show set a record for attendance this spring when more than 800,000 people turned up in Anaheim, California, to learn how plant-based foods can help improve human health and the climate. The trend can also be seen in American homes, with the Organic Trade Association recently revealing that 82.3 percent of them contain organic items such as food and personal care items.

Farmers can’t keep up with demand

Farmers are already struggling to keep up with the rising demand for organic food, and this could become a serious problem as the global organic food market has been projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 14 percent in the years from 2016 to 2021. This is particularly true when it comes to organic grain-based food, which is often outsourced because domestic production is seriously lacking.

Despite the strong demand, many new farmers are finding the cost of being certified organic a big deterrent. It is a lengthy and arduous process that takes at least three years and a sizeable investment. In hopes of making the process easier, a new partnership between the USDA and the Organic Trade Association has created a certified transitional program to help guide farmers as they make the switch to organic agricultural production. It is believed that this certification could allow them to command a somewhat higher price than conventional food while they are transitioning, allowing them to offset some of the investments needed.

The message is clear: organic food is not a fleeting trend. Instead, it is a genuine shift in the buying and eating habits of our nation that is here to stay, and producers that do not embrace it will eventually find themselves without customers.

Sources include:

OrganicAuthority.com

StarTribune.com

OTA.com

NaturalNews.com

FoodDive.com

OrganicAuthority.com

Moringa: The power-packed plant

The mighty moringa plant, or as it’s fondly called “miracle tree” is becoming the go-to plant to treat a variety of ailments. Moringa oleifera is originally found in its native country of South Asia, but is becoming abundant throughout the tropics. For centuries its leaves have been used to cure and prevent more than 300 different diseases.

Moringa is sometimes called “drumstick tree,” or “horseradish tree,” and is easily recognized by its sturdy small, round leaves. Each one packed-full of protein, beta carotene, calcium, potassium, vitamin C and so much more. For more than 4,000 years, it has been used to make medicine and as a source of food. In fact, the use of moringa pre-dates the days of Alexander the Great, when he and his troops fought the mighty Ancient Maurian warriors of India. According to Roman historians, these warriors hardly ever got sick and survived on little sleep. After countless battles, Alexander’s armies eventually fell under the siege of the Maurian’s.

Health Benefits

This little wonder plant is popular around the globe, especially in impoverished areas such as Thailand, Malawi, Senegal, and India where it’s used as a nutritional supplement. One great thing about moringa is that it grows in almost any weather condition, which allows people to cultivate the plant year-around for it’s nutrients.

One-hundred grams of dry moringa leaves can offer:

9 times more protein than yogurt

15 times more potassium than bananas

10 times more vitamin A than carrots

25 times more iron than spinach

17 times more calcium than milk

12 times more vitamin C than oranges

Rich in antioxidants

Moringa leaves are full of antioxidants, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, quercetin and chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid is known to lower blood sugar levels in animals by slowing the cells’ absorption of sugar.

Lower blood sugar

Moringa seems to have an anti-diabetic effect on the body, because of plant compounds called isothiocyanates found in the leaves. A study showed that women who took moringa leaf powder daily over the period of three months reduced their blood sugar levels by 13.5 percent.

Protect against harmful arsenic

Unfortunately, food supply contamination has caused a spike in arsenic toxicity, which can be found in staple foods such as rice. It’s also made it’s way into our water supply. Moringa leaves and its seeds have shown the ability to protect against the possible side effects of arsenic toxicity, a prevalent problem in populated countries.

Used as a purifier of water

Taking moringa regularly can also have a positive effect on the digestive tract. It is extremely high infiber, which aids in the cleaning out of intestines and digestive system. Moringa contains isothiocyanates, which has anti-bacterial properties to help rid your body of H. pylori, a bacteria known to cause ulcers and gastric cancer. Another fun fact is that the seeds are now the chosen method for purifying water even over conventional materials.

Here are some common ways to implement moringa into a well-balanced diet:

Adding fresh leaves in meals

Toss them in a salad or steam like spinach

Blend the powdered form into smoothies

The powder can also be added as a supplement to soups, casseroles, smoothies, and other foods for extra nutrition. Remember that moringa has a distinctive flavor, so it’s best to use it sparingly when first trying it. A little goes a long way! Moringa oil is also utilized for skin care products such as soaps, face oils, or cold-pressed it for cooking.

5 Common Chemicals That Are Making You Fat & Depressed

We’ve all heard that if we eat too many calories, we’ll get fat. But there’s more to it: it’s not just thecalories, but the chemicals, in our food that contribute to obesity.

Some of these chemicals — called “obesogens” — trigger our bodies to store fat even though we might be restricting calories. The effects are complex: some of these chemicals increase the number of fat cells, others expand the size of fat cells and still others influence appetite, cravings, fullness and how well the body burns calories. In addition to obesogens, other synthetic food ingredients have been shown to help us pack on the pounds and leave us feeling depressed, even when when we think we’re eating healthy.

To stop feeling that way, here are the top five chemicals to avoid in food.

1. Growth Hormones & Antibiotics

Several drugs, growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics are routinely given to conventionally raised animals to fatten them up on less food. Residues from some of these drugs have been found in meat samples, so you very well could be eating these growth-promoting drugs every time you eat a steak. These drugs are believed to contribute to the obesity epidemic and are poorly regulated in the U.S.

How to avoid: Choose only certified organic grass-fed meat and dairy products (preferably local). Treatment with growth hormones and growth-promoting antibiotics isn’t permitted in organically grown animals. As an added benefit, organic grass-fed beef has been shown to contain more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may actually help you lose weight.

2. Artificial & Natural Flavors

All of the chemicals that make processed food taste good — monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial flavors and natural flavors — are just cheap replacements for the real thing and can cause you to eat more than you would otherwise.

With the innocuous-sounding term “natural flavors,” companies can put whatever they want in your food that’s generally recognized as safe, including naturally occurring glutamate bi-products like MSG, known excitotoxins. These excitotoxins cause your taste buds to experience irresistibility when it comes to food.

How to avoid: Steer clear of processed foods, particularly those that have artificial flavors, natural flavors, monosodium glutamate or other “processed free glutamic acid” additives like autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed proteins.

3. Artificial Sweeteners

Think you’re going to lose weight by switching from regular soda to diet? Think again. Researchers have discovered that artificial sweeteners like those in Diet Coke, can affect gut bacteria, leading to more weight gain. If that isn’t bad enough, the artificial sweetener Aspartame has been linked to mood swings and depression.

How to avoid: Don’t eat anything with artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, saccharin) in the ingredient list. Limit your sugar intake overall, but choose unrefined sweeteners such as coconut palm sugar, maple syrup, raw honey and dried fruits such as dates.

4. Pesticides

Out of all the common pesticides Americans are regularly exposed to, the majority of them are “endocrine disruptors“, making them obesogens. Even in tiny amounts, endocrine disruptors have the ability to disrupt major weight controlling hormones (catecholamines), interfere with the natural hormone systems that regulate metabolism and lead to weight gain.

How to avoid: Minimize your exposure to pesticides by choosing certified organic produce and products. (Synthetic pesticides are prohibited in organic farming.) If organic isn’t available, choose fresh produce that’s on the Environmental Working Group’s “Clean 15″ list of produce with the least pesticide residue.

5. Plastics

Whether it’s a bottle of salad dressing or container of leftovers, most of us are exposed to plastics on a daily basis. Many of these plastics contain substances such as phthalates or bisphenol A (BPA), known endocrine disruptors that have beendirectly linked to increased fat storage. These chemicals have the ability to leach into food and have infiltrated our society so much that they’ve been found 93% of urine samples tested in America.

How to avoid: Choose your water bottles, storage containers, straws and eating utensils wisely, and stock up on those made from glass or stainless steel instead of plastic. Glass jars make an affordable option for storing food.

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How to Reduce Snoring with a Simple Juice

Snoring is exacerbated by excess mucus production. Here is a great healthy juicing solution that can reduce the build up of mucus resulting in a better nights sleep for you and your partner.

More and more people are enjoying the health benefits from juicing. It is widely recognized that juicing will actually help your body to absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables as they are easier to digest and have not lost any of their nutritional qualities by cooking. It is an efficient and tasty way of including a huge variety of fruit and vegetables, some of which you may never have enjoyed eating in their more traditional form and there are literally endless possibilities.

The best time to drink a fresh juice is usually on an empty stomach, leaving at least half an hour before you eat a meal. An empty and hungry stomach will simply have a far better opportunity to absorb the nutrients (in just the same way as if you eat harmful foods all the additives and chemicals etc are absorbed by an empty stomach).

Some people juice large quantities of fruit over vegetables but care should be taken if you suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure or have a severe cholesterol problem – in these instances it is recommended that you take further advice and juice mainly vegetables. An important and useful exception is juicing including lemons and limes as they do not contain the same levels of natural fruit sugar, or fructose, which is what can cause problems in large quantities with the above ailments.

Lemons and limes also have the advantage that they can cover up the bitter taste that some people dislike from deep Green leafy veg which are often considered to be the turbo charged healthy ingredients in some juice recipes.

It goes without saying that organic fruit and vegetables should always be used wherever possible as they will not have toxic chemical pesticide residues.

If you (or your partner) suffers from interrupted sleep due to snoring there are several things that you can do to lessen or even eliminate the problem.

Many foods are known to increase the intensity and regularity of snoring so these should be avoided in the evenings : dairy products, heavy floury foods, fried foods, chocolate, excessive alcohol and processed foods.

By reducing those foods as much as possible and drinking this nutritious juice regularly you should find that your airways are less constricted and mucus will stop blocking them. Initially you should find at least the volume of snoring decrease noticeably but the maximum benefits will increase over time as nasal congestion is cleared.

Foods to avoid

There are numerous foods that are renowned for making snoring worse. These include things like:

• Drinking alcohol in excess
• Eating too much chocolate
• Eating too much fried food
• Eating food that is heavily floured
• Eating too much processed food

Banish snoring and get your holistic health lifestyle back on track

By eliminating these foods or at least cutting them back as much as possible, and instead drinking freshly prepared juices containing natural, raw ingredients, you’ll find that you will experience less mucus constricting your airways, and that this will help to alleviate snoring, finally giving your partner that good night sleep they deserve.

SUGGESTED JUICE RECIPE:

2 Organic Apples (it should all be organic or home-grown if possible)

2 Home-grown Carrots

1/4 Lemon

1″ of Ginger

Source:

healthy-holistic-living.com

How To Buy The Healthiest Meats

What’s the deal with meat? From sirloins and top roasts to ribs and breasts, it can be tricky to keep different cuts of meat straight, let alone know which is the best option for your specific diet and lifestyle. For most types of meat, more fat means more flavor. If you’re looking for a lean protein, go for cuts trimmed to 1/8” of fat or less and remember to add extra seasonings to boost flavor.

Behind the Label

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration labels beef that meets safety standards (and thus makes it onto shelves) as USDA Prime, USDA Choice, or USDA Select. Don’t be fooled by the fancy names, though.The USDA grades meat based on juiciness, flavor, and texture, but it doesn’t take nutritional information into account. Cuts labeled “Prime” are the fattiest, with thick marbling (aka layers of fat), tender meat, and lots of flavor. “Choice” cuts are high quality but leaner, and “Select” meats are the leanest cuts with little to no marbling.

Checks and Balances

Every healthy diet requires some fat. And while many previously preached against saturated fat in favor of “healthier” mono-saturated fats, recent studies have questioned the popular idea thatsaturated fat is linked to cardiovascular disease and other health problems . Some research actually suggests a little of the saturated stuff can actually be beneficial to health . Of course, it all depends on what you’re looking for in your personal diet, and it’s good to know that before hitting the meat aisle. Those sticking to a Paleolithic or low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet may want to seek out fattier steaks and chops. People trying to manage high blood pressure orcholesterol are often advised to pick leaner cuts of meat. Check out the information below to make choosing the right meat for your diet and lifestyle as easy as possible!

Free Bird (and Beast)

The great meat debate isn’t just about fat content — these days, consumers are considering more environmentally friendly and ethical choices like grass-fed beef andfree-range chicken. In terms of nutrition, these options tend to be slightly lower in overall fat andhigher in omega-3 fatty acids than conventional meats because of the compounds found in grass and other naturally-occurring grub . Beef raised entirely on grass tends to be a bit tougher and less rich than meat from grain-fed cows. Also, grass-fed beef and cage-free chicken are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Choosing free-range poultry is largely an ethical and not a health issue — in fact, studies have shown that cage-free chickens are more likely to contract infectious diseases .

Ground Control

Pay attention to the numbers when buying ground meat, whether it’s chicken, turkey, beef, or anything else. Packages labeled as “regular ground beef” in the store can contain as much as 30 percent fat. Take note that cooking with fattier ground meat makes for juicier, moister dishes. If fat intake is a personal concern, stick to the leaner side (90 to 95 percent lean) and look for recipes that get more flavor from seasonings and other ingredients. Ground turkey mightsounds like a leaner choice than red meat, but keep an eye on the label. Most ground turkey is a combination of light and dark meat, which can sometimes have the same or higher fat content than lean or extra-lean beef.

Source:

greatist.com

What’s Really in Your Coffee?

As coffee shortages increase, so do the number of fillers added to your morning cup of joe. (And it’s more than just milk and sugar).

Q: Since when is $4 a normal price to pay for a simple cup of coffee? A: Since coffee shortageshave become a serious problem. Not only are prices going up, but the quality of your Joe might be going down, as well, according to Brazilian research presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

To combat the shortages, coffee suppliers are mixing in all sorts of fillers that are not easily detected. “With a lower supply of coffee in the market, prices rise, and that favors fraud because of the economic gain,” says Suzana Lucy Nixdorf, PhD, of State University of Londrina in Brazil.

What’s in My Coffee?

Common impurities in your cup include:

• Açaí seeds

• Barley

• Brown sugar

• Chickory

• Corn

• Cocoa seeds

• Seed husks

• Soybeans

• Rye

• Rice

• Tricticale

• Starch syrup

• Wheat

• Sticks

Yep, you read that last one right: sticks. The researchers say that additives are introduced at the harvest when growers pick the beans and carelessly (or intentionally) gather twigs, sticks, whole coffee berries, and even dirt.

How are these fillers going undetected? “After roasting and grinding the raw material, it becomes impossible to see any difference between grains of lower cost incorporated into the coffee,” says Nixdorf, “especially because of the dark color and oily texture of coffee.”

Fortunately, Nixdorf and her team have created a way for researchers (and soon commercial venues) to test coffee for impurities. “With our test, it is now possible to know with 95 percent accuracy if coffee is pure or if it has been tampered with.” Currently, the team is able to test for corn, barley, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, açaí seed, brown sugar, and starch syrup. The way the test detects the additives is by comparing pure coffee’s carbohydrate content, like a sugar fingerprint, with that of a potentially adultered coffee. Coffee with additives will have a different fingerprint than pure coffee.

Such tests will become more important as we witness continued coffee shortages. The researchers point out that Brazil, which typically produces 55 million bags of coffee, is projected to make only 45 million bags this year because of extensive droughts in January. Droughts like these may be a result of climate change at large. It’s estimated that the significantly lower yield means 42 billion fewer cups of coffee.

But sticks and dirt may not be the worst thing in your coffee. According to Dave Asprey, author of The Bulletproof Diet, coffee is a major source of toxic mold. “The problem isn’t coffee per se, it’s the mold on your coffee,” he says. “Cheaper coffee varieties cost less because they use poor quality beans and they allow a higher percentage of damaged (moldy) beans, then companies process them with techniques that add flavor but amplify the amount of toxins.” In fact, American coffee has some of the lowest mold standards in the world and is called by Asprey the dumping ground of grounds unfit to be sold in Europe. The biggest symptom of drinking moldy coffee isbrain fog.

Source:

rodalenews.com

This Juice Could Save 100’s Of Thousands Lives Each Year

While billions of dollars are poured into research and development for pharmaceutical drugs, the humble lime has been proven to mitigate and even cure diseases that cause millions to suffer and hundreds of thousands to die each year worldwide.

An impressive array of research on lime juice from the National Library of Medicine indicates that it could either cure or greatly accelerate healing time from a variety of life-threatening illnesses including:

Sickle cell anemia (SCA):

According to the CDC, SCA afflicts about 95,000 Americans and is diagnosed in 1 in every 500,000 African-American births. A hereditary blood disorder, SCA is characterized by anabnormality in the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin molecule in red blood cells. A clinical trial on lime juice was recently found to reduce painful episodes (50.0% lime juice intervention versus 92.7% control); febrile illness (46.6% lime juice intervention versus 87.3% control) and hospital admission rate (3.4% lime juice intervention versus 34.5% control) for sickle cell anemia in children.

Malaria:

Malaria is a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, which the WHO estimates causes 219 million of illness resulting in 660,000 deaths each year. A wide range of highly toxic drugs are used to treat the disease, but a recent study found that lime juice greatly increased malarial clearance when combined with standard drug therapy. They concluded: “lime juice when used with the appropriateantimalarial may enhance malaria parasite clearance especially in those with uncomplicated malaria.”

Bacterial Agents In Food:

A recent study found that the popular food known as ceviche, naturally containing pathogenic agents from fish, could be completely sanitized with lime juice. Both Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella enterica (two common causes of food poisoning) were all reduced to below detection limits through the addition of lime extract.

Disinfecting water:

Lime has been found to enhance the disinfection of water, by both killing norovirus as well as Escherichia coli. Lime has also been found to kill the cholera pathogen, which is believed to affect 3–5 million people and causes 100,000–130,000 deaths a year as of 2010.

Killing pancreatic cancer:

Pancreatic cancer is a notoriously difficult to treat type of cancer. Lime juice was found to induce programmed cell death in pancreatic cancer cells.

Stopping Smoking:

Likely the most preventable cause of death on thi0s planet, a clinical trial comparing nicotine gum to lime juice extract found “Fresh lime can be used effectively as a smoking cessation aid.”

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