The Winner is:
A Seed Sown
January 20, 2010 By
Jan 20, 2010
I wanted to write a story about Monsanto and it’s Genetically Modified Seeds for you to read today. But as I started to do some research and began to read a wonderfully written piece from Vanity Fair (link) I started to become increasingly depressed over what I read. It is certainly not my place to pass judgment on a company, but I do question Monsanto and it’s methods. I also worry about the ubiquitous nature of their GM seeds. These genetically modified seeds are becoming the norm across the country and across our tables. Foods produced from these seeds can be found everywhere in the US and I find this very scary.
Please read the article, and then start making some decisions on what you are going to purchase for you family to eat. I understand that you can’t make huge changes, especially in this economy, but maybe you can change to an organic breakfast cereal and organic milk. That is it. Make that a habit and then maybe you will change your snack chips to something organic and not genetically modified. And so on, until we stop buying genetically modified foods. I don’t know about you but they scare me to death.
GFCF Smoothie
January 19, 2010 By
Jan 19, 2010
Matthew really likes the Nick show “The Fresh Beat Band” and recently he saw a “commercial” for a recipe for Fresh Beat Smoothies. The characters on the show often partake of smoothies at “The Groovy Smoothie”, a smoothie shop on the show. So he has been begging me to make him one. I was a bit reluctant because the child drinks nothing. I have never seen a child that refuses to drink as much as this child does, but I know he likes the show and I want to encourage him anyway I can. So I broke out the Vita-Mix and blended up a smoothie.
Pineapple Banana GFCF Fresh Beat Smoothie
1 ripe banana
1/4 can of pineapple in its own juice
1/4 – 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
1 cup of ice cubes
1/2 – 3/4 cup coconut milk kefir (I like the So Delicious brand – we used Vanilla)
a little vanilla extract if you don’t use Vanilla kefir.
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
What are Excitotoxins?
January 18, 2010 By
Jan 18, 2010
Yesterday’s post brought a question from a reader. The reader wanted to know what Excitotoxins are. So, I’ll try to explain what they are and why they are bad.
First and foremost, excitotoxins are thought to play a role in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, ALS and Alzheimer’s. They are substances, usually amino acids, that react with glutamate receptors in the brain in such a way as to cause damage to certain brain cells. Some excitotoxins are MSG, Aspartame and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
The brain can usually protect itself from too much glutamate (the most common excitotoxin) with the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but the BBB can not protect the brain from constant onslaught of excitotoxins. And some diseases can make the BBB more susceptible to excitotoxins. These diseases include, but are not limited to, diabetes, stroke, hypoglycemia, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and Alzheimer’s.
You can read more about excitotoxins here. But basically they can damage brain cells and can possibly bring on greater disorders. And they are rampant in our food supply because of “our” heavy reliance on processed foods that contain substances such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, caseinate, yeast extract and natural flavoring. Eating fresh foods is truly best whenever possible.
I need the garden fungicide. Our roses need help but I loathe all those chemicals.