The Food and Drug Administration made a shocking and controversial decision on Thursday. After years of opposition, the FDA has approved the very first genetically altered animal- a “salmon” type fish that will grow twice as quickly as a natural salmon. 


The Massachusetts based company called AquaBounty is calling this fish the AquAdvantage, and although it is supposed to be similar to an Atlantic salmon, it also contains growth hormones from a Chinook salmon and an ocean pout, an eel-like fish. These growth hormones will allow the AquAdvantage to grow large enough for human consumption in just a year and a half, as opposed to a natural salmon that takes about three years to grow to its full size. 


The FDA’s approval is opposed by food-safety activists, environmental groups, and the salmon fishing industry itself, who worry that the existence of this genetically modified fish could lead the way to many other potentially unsafe GMO animal foods. This fish was created specifically for human consumption, and yet even regular GMO foods have many problems and negative affects on human health. We cannot begin to imagine the havoc that genetically modified animals could have on our health and our world. 

Sometimes people worry that eating a mainly plant based diet and juicing could get boring, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! There are so many ways to eat all of the foods you enjoy, but we couldn’t resist sharing this one with you. This is an awesome dessert or snack idea that has a creative twist, brought to you by Tasty and Buzzfeed! Quite simply, they call it FruitSushi! This delicious and nutritious dish is a tasty treat and will also impress at any dinner or gathering. Check out the full video for yourself here: 


http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/health/gupta-sugar-study-kids/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion&iref=obinsite

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Dairy. One of the best marketing plots that we’ve seen is through dairy. The idea that we ‘need’ dairy, that it’s good for you, that it provides calcium, that it’s beneficial for health… these are statements that most people still believe. Those “Got Milk?” ads promoting milk mustaches were nothing short of brilliant, and still permeate our beliefs about dairy and the dairy industry.


However, people are starting to do their own research and look past clever marketing ploys to discover the truth about dairy. Here, we’ve debunked some of the myths surround dairy.


Myth #1: Milk, even when organic, doesn’t contain synthetic hormones or chemicals.    
    The sad truth is that even milk that says it’s ‘organic’ is still full of artificial chemicals and hormones. Even if extra chemicals aren’t added to the milk in organic milk, chemicals are still given to the cow. The reason for this is simple- only pregnant cows produce milk for their young, just like only pregnant women produce milk for their children. In order to milk the cows 365 days a year, they must be artificially inseminated. This means that the cows are constantly pregnant and constantly lactating while they are constantly given pregnancy hormones. This is terrible for the cow and also for the human who is drinking the cow’s milk. Humans are always taking in female sex hormones when they have dairy. This leads to much lower testosterone levels in men as well as increased risk of cancer in both men and women. Of course the dairy industry wants to keep it quiet that dairy increases your risk of cancer, therefore we rarely hear about it.

Myth #2: Milk is healthy for you.



    It’s simple. People have been consuming copious amounts of dairy for years because they truly believe that it’s good for them, that it gives them health benefits, and that it’s part of a balanced diet. However, milk and dairy have far more health risks than they do benefits. As stated above, milk can cause cancer and increases the risk of cancer in both men and women. There are many other negative health risks involved though. One of the most common problems is that most people lack the enzyme to even process dairy. This doesn’t just mean people who are ‘lactose intolerant’, it means that 75% of us suffer internally through our digestive systems as our bodies fight to try and process dairy. We might not realize this until we stop consuming dairy, and then we find that we have less bloating, less headaches, less asthma and clearer skin. On the more serious side, dairy has also been proven to show a connection with Type 1 diabetes for those who consume it, especially at a younger age. 


Myth #3: Cows need to be milked, whether we drink their milk or not. 

    As noted before, cows only produce milk when they are pregnant, in order to provide for their young. However, a naturally pregnant cow would only produce about 7 kg of milk a day as opposed to the 27 kg of milk a day that we force out of them for our consumption. Also, a cow absolutely should not be pregnant all of the time, but only in the rare times when they naturally get pregnant. Because they are constantly being impregnated and milked, they often develop mastitis, a painful infection from nursing. The infected milk still goes onto shelves; it’s just covered with more chemicals to keep it ‘safer’ for humans. Cows usually die around 4 years old from being exhausted, or if they are unable to keep up with milk production, they are slaughtered.  


Myth #4: Dairy cows get to live. I am not eating or hurting the animal, only eating its byproduct.

    Sadly, dairy cows are just next in line to the slaughterhouse. Male cows are slaughtered as soon as they stop being young enough to produce veal. However, our regular cow meat comes from the same cows that we have milked dry. As soon as they stop producing enough milk or their bodies give out, they are slaughtered. This is usually at around 4 years old, although a typical cow lives around 20 years old. Many people don’t understand how these cows can go through such animal cruelty, but The Animal Welfare Act completely exempts farm animals from animal abuse, meaning that their care is barely regulated.


Myth #5: Cows don’t know any other way, so they are not unhappy at their treatment.

    This little myth is a lie we tell ourselves to justify eating dairy and meat and still feel good about it. The life of a domesticated cow is a sad one. They live to be only about a 1/8th of what their lifespan should be, and their life is one of forced servitude and death. Cows would naturally nurse their babies for 6-9 months, and then their calf stays with them for life. However, because we’ve decided to use a cow’s milk for our consumption, there is not ‘enough’ for their babies. A baby calf is separated from its mother at birth so that humans can keep the milk meant for the baby. The mother cow often cries for weeks on end for its baby, sometimes even breaking through fences or barns in an attempt to find its calf. These are intelligent creatures that experience great pain at the hands of humans. Cows are emotional and smart animals that feel pain, love, hold grudges at other cows, and will even seek out human help with anticipating a difficult birth.


Myth #6: Drinking or eating organic and local dairy is better for both the cow and me.

    Sadly, eating organic and local dairy is almost exactly the same as eating or drinking regular dairy. The main difference for an organic, locally raised cow is that they are allowed to graze in a field in the summer and exercise twice a week. Although these are slightly better living conditions, organic cows are still artificially inseminated, they still suffer premature death at the exact same rate, and their milk contains the same ingredients as regular milk. When their productivity decreases, they are still slaughtered for their meat. 


Myth #7: You need to drink milk to get enough calcium in your diet.

    The idea that milk is the best or only source of calcium is absolutely ridiculous, but is still widely accepted. Better sources of calcium can be found in almonds, broccoli, kale, soybeans, mustard greens, collard greens, and so much more. With dairy products, we are only able to absorb about 30% of the calcium. With dark, leafy greens, that number doubles to about 60% of the calcium being absorbed. That’s truly impressive marketing that people believe dairy is the best source of calcium around.




    Like anything else that you get used to, the public has gotten used to eating and drinking dairy products regularly. We do it because “that’s just how things are”. It’s absolutely normal to have dairy, because we’ve made it that way as a culture. We’ve bought dairy products for years because we’ve believed all of the marketing that has been pounded into our heads. There is nothing natural about drinking the milk of another species. Humans are the ONLY creatures to do so and it’s caused us tons of health issues as well as drastically negatively affecting our Earth through animal agriculture. So, do you want to make a change or do you really just not care about the Earth, our fellow animals, or yourself? Think about it.

We often tend to think that making a life change as it concerns our health is something that won’t pay off short term, and that we will only see the results of healthy living in the long run. However, this is far from the truth.


A recent study about our intake of sugar proves that it only takes 10 days to start seeing positive changes in your health. Just a little over a week and your body is already responding to change! 


Dr. Robert Lustig and his team at UCSF recently did an experiment using children as the test subjects. For the experiment, the team simply cut back on sugar in the children’s diets for 10 days. The results in their health were astounding. By simply lowering their sugar intake, the children dramatically cut back their risk for diabetes as their blood sugar and insulin levels normalized, and their cholesterol levels were lowered by 5 points. 


Such a simple change produced huge results. Childhood obesity and other sicknesses related to food are a very big issue in our society. Health problems are hitting kids at young ages, when they should be at a peak in their health. However, this study was not just about children. It shows that it only takes a little time for healthy choices to start making a big difference.


The study that Lustig and his team completed had nothing to do with cutting back on the amount of food or calories, only with lowering sugar intake in food choices. Rather than eating less, participants in the study made changes such as eating a bagel with peanut butter rather than a higher sugar pastry. Sound doable? That’s because it is. Just being aware of the amount of sugar you intake can really change your food choices and positively affect your health.


For the full story and report, click here: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/health/gupta-sugar-study-kids/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion&iref=obinsite


Remember, the more educated you become when it comes to your own health, the better. Eat smarter, not less!

John Cisna, an Iowa high school teacher, recently decided to undergo an experiment in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 180 days. 


This may sound a lot like the familiar “Super Size Me”, but it actually could not be farther from this documentary. John Cisna wanted to prove the point that by eating nothing except for McDonald’s for half a year, he could lose weight. 


Feeling confused? We were too, so we decided to watch the short ‘film’, which appears to be almost an infomercial, available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPp27kQpkmE


If it makes no sense to you how eating McDonalds everyday could possibly result in weight loss or an increase in health, you are not alone. However, after watching the video, you will find that Cisna dramatically decreased his caloric intake from eating around 4,000 calories a day to around 2,000 calories a day, as well as going from a sedentary lifestyle to walking 45 minutes a day. 


While it’s true that anyone eating any kind of food while restricting caloric intake will lose weight, the film does nothing to explain this process, counting calories, or anything relating to the process Cisna’s body is going through. The film makes it appear that Cisna is getting healthier as a RESULT of eating McDonald’s, rather than his weight loss being in SPITE of eating it. The film leaves the watcher with the general message that we can control our health by the choices we make, but does little in the way of education.


Despite all of this, Cisna’s 540 Meals is now being shown in schools around the nation. McDonald’s has even come up with a discussion form for teachers to use while their students are viewing the film. This is all being promoted as ‘health education’, although there is very little in terms of factual information and much is omitted throughout the entire video- such as the fact the McDonald’s provided Cisna with free food throughout his entire experiment, or that he had to cut calories even lower than 2,000 a day to stay under the food’s fat content, or the fact that sodium and sugar weren’t even being accounted for, or maybe the fact that Cisna now works for McDonald’s as a promoter.


What do you think of this film being shown in schools and presented as health education? What kind of karma are you giving your body by filling it with low nutrition food and cutting calories? Leave your comment below! 

Do you believe in love at first site..?

  Before coming across this beauty, I sure didn't...I was madly in love. This love wasn't the type of love based solely on apperance(although perfect), but also how it made me feel. This love was different, like none other before. This love was Karmasutra love!

Although perfect in so many ways, I had to come clean...We were obsessed. The feeling of getting dirty together was amazing, we always made sure we took care of eachother. Unfortunately for us, all good things have to come to an end. My body scrub was all gone, and I felt lost. There was nothing else I could do, I needed more! 

Many people are devout believers in Chipotle. It’s true that the restaurant chain has been gaining popularity, with sales quadrupling since 1999. The marketing campaign for Chipotle has been highly efficient, touting healthier options than fast food still at low prices. This kind of “casual” fast food restaurant model is quickly growing, while regular fast food restaurants are starting to fall behind.


Still, why is it that people are starting to flock to Chipotle over other choices? Their supposed commitment to more sustainable food sources “Food With Integrity”, greener packaging, non-GMO food, safe food practices… But what happens when one of these falls short?


Chipotle has been forced to close down 43 of their restaurants after an E. coli outbreak in the Northwest. This is their third scandalous outbreak this year- following their norovirus outbreak and a Salmonella outbreak. Three outbreaks over the course of the year is not a good omen for the chain, which prides itself on the quality of their food. The riskiest food to eat concerning E. coli is a hamburger, because a single package of meat can come from many cows and cause contamination. However, it is possible that this outbreak comes from fresh produce or other sources. 


No matter the source, it’s clear that steps need to be taken in food safety for customers to feel safe about what they are eating. Each step of the food making process needs to be carefully monitored to ensure that customers are receiving the highest level of food. Just another reason to choose organic food over everything else, and to be extremely careful when choosing your food provider. To read the article about the E. coli outbreak in Chipotle, click here! http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/get-healthy/e-coli-in-northwest-marks-chipotle-s-rd-outbreak-this/article_087b8bce-6743-5ba7-aed0-213bd516f712.html

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Recently, the World Health Organization released a scientific study on their finding of cancer-causing carcinogens in both red meats and processed meats.  This includes beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, goat, ham, hot dogs, sausages, corned beef, jerky, canned meat, and any processed meat that has gone through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes. These types of meat are classified in Group 1 as being carcinogenic to humans- the same classification as tobacco smoking and asbestos. Are you feeling shocked yet? Many people were very taken aback by the release of this information as people worldwide eat meat on a regular basis. The forms of cancer associated with eating red meat are colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
 
There are many reasons to lower your meat intake, but many statistics released in the study brought to light new issues that the general public may not be aware about. Did you know that it’s estimated that for every 50-gram portion of processed meat consumed daily, the risk of colorectal cancer increases by 18%? The wild part is that cancer is one of the smaller risks and worries about consuming red meat, whereas diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are very prevalent and worrying as well.
 
Ultimately, there are many health concerns that go along with consuming red or processed meats, and many benefits from reducing or eliminating them while upping your intake of plant based foods. For more information, check out the full report at http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2015/pdfs/pr240_E.pdf . Staying educated and doing as much research as possible is always the best way to be aware and take control of your own health!