Australia is at risk of becoming the first country in the world to Allow GE wheat, creating a major threat to farmers, consumers and to Australia’s future food security.

Wheat is Australia’s most important crop, bringing $5 billion into our economy each year. Monsanto and other chemical companies failed to commercialize GE wheat in North America. Now they have a stranglehold over Australia’s wheat infrastructure.

In June and July this year, the federal government approved over 1,300 different types of GE wheat for trials across the country. If GE wheat is commercialized, farmers face legal and financial risks of cross-contamination, either in the field or in grain silos.

We know that GE plants operate differently in the field than they do in the lab, with unpredictable impacts on our environment. We also know GE consumption by animals is linked with allergic reactions, organ damage and reduced fertility. But the real problem is there has been no testing on humans. We are all in the dark about the safety of GE food.

Bill Clinton recently made news headlines, not with his politics but with his shrunken waistline. On diet made up of beans, legumes, vegetables and fruit, he said he lost 24 pounds in time for his daughter Chelsea’s wedding. But he was most impressed in how his whole metabolism has changed. He understood his previous by-pass operations did not give him the security of his heart disease not returning.

Chelsea who allegedly had a wedding cake free of gluten & sugar must have inspired her father who used to love fast food (& was public about it) to make this change.

The doctors he referred to are Dr. Dean Ornish & Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Wholesome plant based diet and healthy lifestyle is a lot more effective, not just for reversing heart diseases, but most other chronic diseases. These doctors also said how this kind of diet promotes a better sex life which I am sure gets people’s attention! (Remember Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me who became impotent half way through his McDonald’s experience?)

Source: www.integrative-living.com & www.edition.cnn.com

No matter how physically active a child is, time spent in front of the computer or television screen is associated with psychological problems.

The study found that > 2 hours a day in front of a TV or computer was associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Source: Pediatrics (Oct 11, 2010)

Quinoa is a grain which has been cultivated for thousands of years in the mountains of the Andes. Its nutritional value is superior to the other grains. It protects cell membranes and it has positive results in brain neuronal functions in particular.

Source: Nutrition facts and functional potential of quinoa (Sept 2, 2010), Department of Food Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile

A study carried out over 10 years showed that low folate levels in early pregnancy were associated with a higher prevalence of behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and inattention in children and other peer problems.

Source: www.fondation-louisbonduelle.org

Monsanto, the giant biotechnology agriculture company that created genetically modified corn, soybeans and herbicides, isn’t riding so high this year in the stocks department, as news comes in that its products aren’t working like they’d hoped.

According to the New York Times

• Monsanto’s newest genetically modified product, SmartStax corn, provides no greater yields than older products, despite being more expensive
• Weeds are growing resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup
• The Justice Department is investigating Monsanto for possible antitrust violations

Already, shares of Monsanto’s stock have fallen 42 % since January, and earnings for the fiscal year are expected to be well under projections.

This company represents one of the biggest threats to your future health, and that of the planet.

Last week, the government of Canada formally declared bisphenol A (BPA) to be a toxic substance. The USA & Australia still denies it.

This comes after Canada’s first national physical study on BPA revealed that 91 % of Canadians have the chemical in their bodies, with teenagers having the highest concentrations.

There are serious health risks from exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical BPA. As a result, there have been nationwide efforts to ban it from food and beverage containers as well as in children’s dental products.

Animal tests show that BPA, a plastics hardener that is also a synthetic oestrogen, can cause reproductive and behavioral abnormalities and lower intellectual ability, and sets the stage for cancers, obesity, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease.

It seems that our own estimation of the calories we ingest can highly influence our mood and body-image satisfaction. In the study the cereal breakfast was perceived to be lower in calories and that it allowed the participants to be more satiated, happier, more relaxed and more satisfied about weight and body compared to the muffin breakfast. Moreover, fibre and micronutrient daily intakes were superior in women having the cereal breakfast.
Source: School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, UK, 13 Oct 2010

A Danish study showed that the risk of myocardial infarction was reduced by 22 % for a replacement of saturated fatty acids by low GI carbohydrates (most fresh fruit and green vegetables, legumes, cereals...) but increased by 33 % for a replacement by high GI carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, chips, crisps or baked potato, confectionery, chocolate bars, watermelon).
Source: Am J Clin Nutr, 2010, vol. 91, No 6, pp. 1764-1768

A new study out of the University of North Carolina found the people with the highest magnesium intake were 50 % less likely to develop diabetes.

The study also revealed that as magnesium intake increased, inflammation levels decreased, as did insulin resistance.
Source: Reuters, September 24, 2010
Diabetes Care, August 31, 2010