Revival of the Farmers Market VIDEO

NetGreen News "The Revival of Farmers Markets"

According to numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of Farmers Markets in the U.S. has increased 170% over the last ten years.

We spend less and less time being physically with people and communicating face to face. Farmers Markets represent a much needed venue for socializing and sharing in direct contact with real live human beings.

Farmers Markets are a time-tested, traditionally viable model for sustainable agriculture. We are so separated from our food, with many food items being imported from faraway places, including overseas. This is not economical or sustainable for the future.

Support your local Farmers Market.

In Peoria, your Farmers Market is in the Metro Centre parking lot, near our Naturally Yours Grocery.

Naturally Yours Grocery in Normal, IL will be featuring the Normal Farmer's Market every Saturday morning (until October) from 7:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the parking lot. Enjoy local meats, produce, breads, and more!



Tweet

Supplements COUPON

HOW TO PRINT
THIS COUPON:


Click on the coupon image.

Now all you see in your web browser is the coupon, instead of this post.

Set your computer functionality to Print.

Print the page.

Bring it to Naturally Yours Grocery in Peoria or Normal.

Tea and Local Honey COUPON

For a lot of folks suffering from allergies, relief is obtained from local honey, which is rich in nutrients and can counteract the effects of air-borne contaminants and pollen.

Naturally Yours Grocery, in Peoria and Normal, IL, has plenty of Sasse's Apiary Honey. Sasse's is located in Chestnut, IL, where a lot of great honey comes from, and we'd like to introduce you to this great product.

Try a FREE 12 oz. bottle of Sasse's Apiary Honey when you purchase 3 packages of any tea sold in our stores.


HOW TO PRINT
THIS COUPON:


Click on the coupon image.

Now all you see in your web browser is the coupon, instead of this post.

Set your computer functionality to Print.

Print the page.

Bring it to Naturally Yours Grocery in Peoria or Normal.


Offer expires September 7, 2010.

7 Strange and Surreal Plants

(1) Amorphophallus titanum, "popularly known as the 'corpse flower', is the world's biggest and worst smelling flower. Native to the Borneo rain forest, the plant blooms only a few times in its 40-year life span. During the first eight hours, the bloom emits a scent similar to rotting eggs or a dead animal." - National Geographic






(2) "Rafflesia bears the largest flower of any known plant often reaches a length of 18 in. across and a weight of 15 pounds (6.8 kg). The flower is globe-shaped and is the only portion of the plant visible." - Science Ray

"This parasitic plant develops the world's largest bloom that can grow over three feet across. The flower is a fleshy color, with spots that make it look like a teenager's acne-ridden skin. It smells bad and has a hole in the center that holds six or seven quarts of water. The plant has no leaves, stems, or roots." - Divine Caroline






(3) "This is the flower of Hydnora africana, a plant from the Hydnoraceae family....emits a putrid smell from a structure within it called a bait body. This smell attracts its main pollinators which are dung beetles.

Most striking is this plants complete lack of leaves making it look more like a fungus than a plant and it really is only distinguishable from fungi when the flower has opened. Although it has no leaves, it does have roots and stems which all grow underground. It produces a fruit, also underground, which is edible and very starchy...slightly sweet and contains up to 20,000 small pinhead sized seeds. These fruits are enjoyed by mammals such as porcupines, moles, baboons, jackal and also birds. The seeds are not digested and can therefore germinate when excreted by animals.

Hydnora africana is found in dry and semi arid areas from the western coast of Namibia, southwards to the Cape and then northwards throughout Swaziland, Botswana, KwaZulu-Natal and as far as Ethiopia. It is not easily encountered but it is not considered rare or endangered." - Squidoo






(4) Pollinated by flies, and thus very stinky (smells like rotting meat to attract the flies), Dracunculus vulgaris is also known as Voodoo Lily, Stink Lily, Black Dragon, Dragon Arum, and Black Lily. Each year it produces a 3-foot stalk, topped in late spring or early summer by an exotic 18" deep red flower. Grows from bulbs. Originally from Greece and the Balkans, now found in many American gardens.







(5) Barringtonia asiatica also known as sea poison tree, fish poison tree, fish-killer tree, queen of the shores. Grows on sandy and rocky shores. Common roadside tree in Singapore. Found along the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean ranging from Zanzibar to Taiwan, the Philippines, Fiji, and New Caledonia.

"They open at night and attract large moths and nectar-feeding bats with their heavy scent. The next morning, the flower stamens are usually found strewn beneath the tree. The fruits have a typical lantern shape and float on the water. The fruit can survive drifting on the sea for long distances and for periods of up to 2 years. All parts of the tree contain, saponin, a poison. The seeds and other parts of the plant are pounded, pulped or grated to release the poison and used to stun fish in freshwater streams. The floating seeds are sometimes used as fishing floats." - Flowers of India





(6) Romanesco Broccoli, an Italian relative of the cauliflower. This plant grows in a self-similar shape, like a fractal, spiralling logarithmically towards the center.

"Oh, Broccoli Romenesco, how I love you! You're delicious and creepy and weird, like an alien vegetable. I know you are misunderstood, but that's only to people who are put off by your freakish appearance and won't take a chance. I, however, understand you completely, and appreciate you to boot. Now jump into this pot of boiling water." - Serious Eats







(7) Discovered in 1994, formerly believed to be extinct, the Wollemi Pine aka "Dinosaur Tree" is rare. Fewer than 100 mature trees are known to exist in the wild. Fossilized remains indicate that they thrived when dinosaurs roamed the planet. Wollemi Pine trees have strange bark that looks like bubbles of chocolate, multiple trunks, and ferny-looking leaves growing in spirals. They can grow up to 125 feet tall.





Tweet

5 Aspects of Fresh Organic Produce

Delicious Living magazine provides some tips on buying organic produce. I've added a few remarks of my own to this list.


(1) PLU (Price Look Up)

The PLU sticker features a code number. If it starts with a 9, followed by 4 other numbers, it's organic produce. If it starts with an 8, plus 4 other numbers, it's genetically modified (GMO) produce. If the PLU has only 4 digits, it's conventional, non-organic, non-GMO grown fruit.

(2) Size

Select larger fruit early in the season, then mid-sized fruit in late season.


(3) Color

Fruit is fully ripe when the bottom (calyx) of the fruit is fully colored, rather than dim or pale. In general, a bright, evenly colored sheen is best.

(4) Skin

Exterior of fruit should be firm, not soft, and free from blotches or blemishes. However, some freckles or "blush" is okay. Shun fruit with withered, sunken, or squishy spots. Uneven or unusual colorings are generally not a problem. Potatoes should not be wrinkled or sprouting. Chile peppers should not be blemished.

(5) Storage

Hard fruit, like apples and pears, should be stored in the crisper, away from other strong smelling foods, like onions. Fruits and vegetables will ripen more when left at room temperature. Keep an eye on grapes and berries, which can tend to mold, especially when wet.


Parents, get your kids involved. Take them with you when you're grocery shopping and make it fun. Challenge them to find different colors of fruit and vegetables. For example, say "Okay, now let's find something orange to put in a salad and something blue for a fruit cup." Teach them why fruits and vegetables are better than candy and junk food.




Further Reading


More specifics at "Shopping for Fresh Vegetables: A Guide"

Tweet

Toxic Factory Farm Eggs Drive Consumers to Organic

Want to be safe from the dangers of factory farm eggs, millions of which have recently been found to contain salmonella? (See our "Salmonella Egg Recall" post).

Eggs (cartons of 6, 12 and 18) were distributed in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa under the following brand names:

• Lucerne
• Albertsons
• Mountain Dairy
• Ralphs
• Boomsma’s
• Sunshine
• Hillandale
• Trafficanda
• Farm Fresh
• Shoreland
• Lund
• Dutch Farms
• Kemps

According to The Sun News out of Champagne, IL, "Factory Farms Turn Bad Eggs to Their Profit" bad eggs are used in stealth distribution to gain the most profit possible, even when the food is dangerous for human consumption.


[QUOTE]

Millions of eggs from the Iowa farms at the heart of a massive salmonella recall are not destined for the garbage but for a table near you.

The recalled eggs that were already shipped to grocery stores and restaurants are being dumped by the truckload. But the eggs still being laid by potentially infected hens will be pasteurized to kill any bacteria. Then they can be sold as liquid eggs or put in other products such as mayonnaise or ice cream.

It's a common if little-known practice in the food industry - salvaging and selling products that may have been tainted with disease....

The FDA cannot order the farms to kill hens that may be infected with salmonella, but the farms could decide to do that on their own. Neither would discuss that possibility.

[END QUOTE]

Due to the deceptive practices and health dangers of factory farms, increasing numbers of consumers are being driven to go organic.

Factory farms are notorious for unclean conditions, cruelty to animals, and unsafe practices. They put profits ahead of ethics. Making money is more important than public safety to those who grind out the "food" that supplies the big chain grocery stores.

Once again, this danger is a result of someone being defiant toward federal health regulations, and getting away with it, due to lax enforcement of existing laws.

In the article "How Did Salmonella Infect So Many Eggs?" Organic Authority quotes Patrick McDonough, PhD, professor of microbiology and clinical bacteriologist at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.


[QUOTE]

“We used to think that just washing the eggshell, and using Grade A shell eggs, would keep us safe. However, we know that infected hens do not show clinical signs and that the infection is harbored in the ovaries. When the shell is laid down, it actually covers the yolk, the albumen [egg white] and the infection.”

[END QUOTE]


United Egg Producers has been using scare tactics to counteract the growing outcry against factory farms. As if saving money is more important than risking death by egg contamination. All they care about is money, so they think all that consumers care about is money.


[QUOTE]

"Consumers would be forced to pay 25 percent more for eggs soon if animal rights activists succeed in getting only non-cage eggs sold in the U.S., according to a new study by a respected economic consulting group. That increase would cost consumers $2.6 billion more each year for eggs, a nutritional staple in the American diet. The higher costs would strain Americans’ budgets during a difficult economic climate. "

-- Press Release 10-07-2009 entitled "U.S. Consumer Egg Prices Could Rise By 25 Percent If Animal Rights Activists Get Their Way"

[END QUOTE]


The Des Moines Register published a scathing indictment of factory farms: "Factory Farms Pose Serious Health Risks" in which the author states that this recent salmonella outbreak is not an isolated fluke, but represents a symptom of the poor hygiene and sociopathic practices of industrial model farming.


[QUOTE]

...as the recent egg recall shows, the risks factory farms pose to public health go far beyond just air and water quality.

Growing incidents of E. coli, mad cow disease, salmonella and the avian and swine flu viruses have been credibly linked - by Pew Trust and others - to the industrialization of our food production system. And there is a growing awareness that overuse of antibiotics in livestock, a common practice on factory farms, decreases the effectiveness of antibiotics in humans.

It doesn't have to be this way. Factory farms only exist because of bad public policy, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack himself admitted at a rural summit earlier this year that the number of small- and medium-sized independent family farms must grow in order to revitalize and develop rural America.

The danger factory farms pose to the environment, our food supply and public health will not be solved solely with narrowly-applied fixes - such as a salmonella vaccine or even another food safety bill.

Robust new regulations to bust up big ag and crack down on factory farms must be combined with a comprehensive and holistic strategy to create a new, locally controlled, biodiverse and sustainable agriculture economy.

[END QUOTE]


CBS News quotes experts who state that this salmonella infection is indeed systemic, not a rare occurrence. Much attention is now being focused on the horrible conditions of factory farms, in spite of federal regulations, animal rights activism, and public outrage.


[QUOTE]

Dr. Marion Nestle of the department of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, and the author of "Food Politics" and "What to Eat", is a member of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. She toured several factory farms last year.

"It's hard to explain unless you actually see one of these places," she tells CBS News. "Try to imagine an enormous warehouse, as long as two or more city blocks, packed with hundreds of thousands of chickens. And that's 'free range.' Otherwise they are caged six to nine in a cage. If one gets sick, they all get sick."

Federal officials say the current outbreak is likely to grow. That's because illnesses occurring after mid-July may not be reported yet, says Dr. Christopher Braden, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This egg disaster goes hand-in-hand with industrial food production, some experts insist.

[END QUOTE]



Further Reading


FDA "Urgent Nationwide Egg Recall"

Organic Authority "Caught on Tape: Hen Horrors"

Organic Authority "McDonalds Board Rejects Cage-Free Eggs"

United Egg Producers pro-factory farm propaganda "news" page

Organic Consumers Association "Salmonella Levels Over 5x Higher in Factory Farm Eggs Than Organic"

The Examiner "Is It Time to Switch to Local and Organic?"

Soil Association "Chicken and Turkeys"

Humane Society "Cruel Confinement"

In Defense of Animals (IDA) Factory Farming Facts

In Defense of Animals (IDA) "Egg Recall Reveals Dangers of Eating Animal Products"

Time Magazine "Iowans Scramble to Cope With Egg Catastrophe"

Huffington Post "Egg Recall: US Chose Not To Require Vaccine for Salmonella Egg Threat"

CBS News "Recalled Egg List: Blame Factory Farms for Salmonella Outbreak?"



Buy egg substitutes at Naturally Yours Grocery online.





Chart above is from the Humane Society PDF "An HSUS Report: Food Safety and Cage Egg Production"



Tweet

Organic vs Factory Farm VIDEO

The Organic Debate


Tweet

Red Clover herb harvesting

Herb Mentor "Red Clover harvesting"


Tweet

Toning Shoes: Hype or Healthy?

Shoes are prone to experience fads, the more far out, the better for retailers. Every few years, a "revolutionary" casual shoe comes out, making all previous everyday shoes seem old fashioned, outmoded, out of step with the times.

There's a lot you can do with a shoe. We've seen remarkable advancements, for example, in the sneaker, what used to be called a tennis shoe or gym shoe. It's fun to watch how they've become specialized for all the different sports and outdoor activities in which people engage.

I'm always amazed at the multiple ways one can view the feet and what we use them for.

There are special shoes for hikers, mountain climbers, joggers, long-distance walkers, factory workers, bicycle racers, nurses, waitresses, bowlers, construction laborers, ballerinas, firemen, football players, acrobats, -- you name it, there's probably a shoe designed for it.

Today we want to consider the therapeutic shoe, in particular, a recent trend in foot gear, the so-called Toning Shoe, also known as Wellness Shoes or Fitness Shoes.

These specialized variations of foot gear are promoted as tools to help people become slim and trim, ease back pain, and put the entire body into a better alignment.

Toning Shoes have what they call a rocker sole, meaning the bottoms are curved to throw you off balance, making you rock rather than proceed normally in your shoes. In effect, your body learns a new way to coordinate the muscles used in walking.

Whether this muscular disorientation-reformation is a good or a bad thing depends on who you talk to. To some doctors, it's a gimmick that could cause problems. To others, it's a breakthrough in dealing with obesity and strength training.

As usual, there are extreme claims being made. Like "makes the gym obsolete" or "lose weight without dieting" or "get a perfect figure by just walking". The truth may be in a toned-down version of extravagant ad messages, as there does seem to be some real benefit, and also some precautions to keep in mind.

Some of the major players in this field are MBT by Swiss Masai, who pioneered the concept in 1996 with their "anti-shoe", Skechers Shape Ups, FitFlops, Sano by Mephisto, New Balance Rock & Tone, New Balance True Balance, Reebok Easytones, Orthaheel, and Earth Shoes.

The basic idea is the construction of a shoe that does not accommodate your normal muscular patterns, but introduces a new configuration of forces. This altering of your gait could be beneficial -- but it could also be dangerous and might even cause new problems, instead of solving old ones.

Muscle toning shoes work against your ingrained walking muscle routines, by reshaping the sole to change the balance, thus forcing other muscles to work harder as you walk.

You thereby are training your ankles and calves to adjust to a different set of strains, with the hopeful outcome of losing weight, improving overall posture, and enhancing your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, while strengthening under-utilized leg, foot, and back muscles.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) was critical of the claims put forth for muscle toning shoes. Their study was in turn subjected to scrutiny, and some say it was extremely limited and poorly conceived. In addition, ACE is sponsored by a fitness equipment company, so they had an ax to grind.

CNN states that "...these oddly shaped shoes have their share of medical skeptics who say there have not been legitimate, independent studies proving the benefits of these types of shoes over traditional pairs."

As an interesting twist, Nike is calling toning shoe technology bogus.


[QUOTE]

"Nike doesn’t usually respond to what other companies do. They don’t get into a back and forth because they don’t have to.

The toning shoe category has blown up so quickly and blindsided them that now they have to go on the offensive by publicly telling their brand fans that it’s not that they’re late to the game – it’s that they didn’t want to play in that game because they don’t believe in it.

As the market leader, they can afford to say that. The jury is still out on whether anyone will listen."

-- CNBC

[END QUOTE]

So there's a wide spectrum of opinion on the subject of Toning Shoes. What does common sense tell you? For myself, I'm a bit conflicted. It would seem self-evident that barefoot walking is the most natural, but impractical in most cases. Walking around without any shoes at all would seem to be the best strength training for one's foot and leg muscles.

Buddhist monks, missionaries, and activists like Gandhi have been known to walk extreme distances every day, usually barefoot, or in simple flat sandals, with good results both mentally and physically. They accomplish much, without the benefit of advanced technology shoes.

WebMD offers this advice.


[QUOTE]

Cary M. Golub, DPM, a podiatrist in Long Beach, N.Y, says toning or rocker-bottom shoes have a place in certain people's shoe collection.

For starters, these shoes may help relieve pain among people with heel pain, he says. "They take the pressure off of the heel and give more support to the ankle," he says.

"These shoes put the strain on your hamstrings and glutes, so if you are not athletic or a seasoned walker, they may hurt the muscles that they are supposed to help," Golub says. "If you are not used to firing these muscles, the shoes may hurt."

Golub's advice: "Break them in slowly for an hour or so. Don't start walking 2 or 3 miles in them."

[END QUOTE]


American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine makes these cautionary statements.


[QUOTE]

...the unstable design while showing benefits in terms of balance in some users may increase the risk of falls in others. Those with a history of falls, chronic ankle instability, vertigo or poor balance may not be candidates for toning shoes.

Other considerations include; because of the increased ankle dorsiflexion in early stance, those with history of Achilles tendonopathy may not tolerate this type of footwear.

Also, manufacturers assume a normal limb alignment for those who may wear these shoes, therefore those with transverse plane deformities such as in-toeing or out-toeing will not have normal heel-to-toe transition in these shoes and could potentially be more prone to tripping or falling.

[END QUOTE]

Further Reading


NPR "Research Calls into Question Toning Shoe Benefits"

Huffington Post "Nike Mocks Butt-toning Shoes That Drive Market-Share Loss"

New York Magazine "Toning Shoes May Actually Not Tone Your Legs"

Toning Shoe Studies (list of PDF file documents)

CNN "Shoe's toning claims draw experts' doubts"

That's Fit "Do Toning Shoes Really Work?"

That's Fit "Reebok Easytone: Shoes With a Workout?"

WebMD "The Truth About Toning Shoes"

USA Today "Revolutionary Sneaker or Overhyped Gimmick?"

FitFlop website

Skechers Shape Ups web page

CNBC "Nike Fights Back Against Toning Shoes"

MSNBC "Toning Shoes Gain Traction"

American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine "Toning Shoes"

Sports Business Journal "Toning Craze Helping Shape Up Shoe Market"

Columbus Dispatch "Toning Shoes a Stretch for Some"

BusinessWeek "Toning Shoe May Find Untapped Market in Men"

National Post "Unlacing the Toning Shoe Hype"

State of the Brand "Toning Shoes: a Triumph of Marketing Over Science"





Tweet

Drying Herbs VIDEO

Recipe Cook "Drying Herbs"





Tweet

cleaning product COUPON

HOW TO PRINT
THIS COUPON:


Click on the coupon image.

Now all you see in your web browser is the coupon, instead of this post.

Set your computer functionality to Print.

Print the page.

Bring it to Naturally Yours Grocery in either Peoria or Normal.



Tweet

Yogurt savings coupon

HOW TO PRINT
THIS COUPON:


Click on the coupon image.

Now all you see in your web browser is the coupon, instead of this post.

Set your computer functionality to Print.

Print the page.

Bring it to Naturally Yours Grocery in either Peoria or Normal.



Tweet

Lentils and Rice Mujaddara VIDEO

Dede's Mediterranean Kitchen "Lentils and Rice Mujaddara"

Tweet

Salmonella Egg Recall

MSNBC reports on the salmonella egg recall.

[QUOTE]

A half-billion eggs have been recalled in the nationwide investigation of a salmonella outbreak that Friday expanded to include a second Iowa farm. More than 1,000 people have already been sickened and the toll of illnesses is expected to increase.

Iowa's Hillandale Farms said Friday it was recalling more than 170 million eggs after laboratory tests confirmed salmonella. The company did not say if its action was connected to the recall by Wright County Egg, another Iowa farm that recalled 380 million eggs earlier this week. The latest recall puts the total number of potentially tainted eggs at over half a billion.

An FDA spokeswoman said the two recalls are related. The strain of salmonella causing the poisoning is the same in both cases, salmonella enteritidis.

[END QUOTE]

Are the eggs in your refrigerator safe? Should you throw them in the garbage, or are they okay to serve your family?

The LA Times gives us what to look for on the egg carton.

[QUOTE]

Before you make breakfast, check the egg carton. Does it bear the name Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms or Kemps?

If so, those scrambled eggs may have to wait.

Egg supplier Wright County Egg has recalled many of those eggs -- suspected, it turns out, in a recent increase in salmonella cases.

[END QUOTE]


More details are provided by CIDRAP (Center for Disease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota) in their article"Surge in Salmonella Enteritidis prompts egg recall".


[QUOTE]

Eggs subject to the recall were distributed nationally and were packaged under 13 different brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms, and Kemps.

The eggs are packaged in different sized cartons, including 6-egg, dozen, and 18-egg cartons. Recalled eggs have Julian dates that range from 136 to 225 with the plant numbers 1026, 1413, and 1946.

Dates and codes are stamped on the end of an egg carton. The stamp begins with the letter P, followed by a space and then the Julian date. (The Julian calendar numbers days consecutively throughout the year rather than by month.)

The recall notice said SE illnesses have been linked to the shell eggs, but did not give any details about how many illnesses have been reported or how many states have been affected.

The recall notice contained little information about the company, referring media calls to the Egg Safety Center, based in Alpharetta, Ga. It reminded consumers that eggs should be properly stored, handled, and fully cooked to avoid foodborne illnesses.

[END QUOTE]

How do you know if you have salmonella infection?

Here's the list of salmonella symptoms compiled by the Mayo Clinic staff.

[QUOTE]

There are more than 2,000 varieties of salmonella bacteria, but only about a dozen of them cause illnesses in people. Most of these illnesses can be classified as gastroenteritis, often featuring severe diarrhea. But a few varieties of salmonella bacteria result in typhoid fever, a sometimes deadly disease that is more common in developing countries.

Gastroenteritis

Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis is most often caused by eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, eggs or egg products. The incubation period ranges from several hours to two days. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Muscle pains
• Blood in the stool

Typhoid fever

Most people who develop typhoid fever in the United States have recently traveled in a country where the disease is more common. The incubation period ranges from five to 21 days following infection. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Fever over 102 F (38.8 C)
• Slightly raised, rose-colored spots on your upper chest
• Cough
• Mental confusion
• A slowing of your heartbeat
• Enlargement of your liver and spleen

[END QUOTE]

Grist says the blame for toxic eggs goes to a guy named Jack DeCoster.


[QUOTE]

Jack DeCoster is one of the most reviled names in industrial agriculture. I first heard of him back in 2007, when I visited Hardin County, Iowa, for a story on the ravages of industrial hog production.

One day, as a group of disgruntled farmers gave me a tour of their CAFO-scarred county, they muttered darkly about DeCoster. They said he had been run out of Maine for the egregious practices of his vast egg factories, and that he had set up shop in Iowa with massive, highly polluting hog factories.

He was cited as the owner of several operations as we passed foul-smelling concentrations of hog buildings, sometimes as many as eight plunked down together in a cluster, each containing thousands of hogs and each draining mass quantities of waste into a single fetid "lagoon."

Looks like he still is.

A Google Earth search by Grist of Wright County Egg Productions' address turned up the satellite image above, of four complexes with a dozen massive, 200-meter-long sheds and a manure lagoons.

....

The outrage here is not that Wright County Eggs has released nearly half a billion tainted eggs into the market, exposing untold numbers of people to sickness. DeCoster's record of abuse -- of people and the environment -- has taught anyone who's paying attention to expect such things from his operations.

The outrage is that regulatory authorities at both the state and national levels have allowed him to continue hiring workers and producing food as violations piled up.

[END QUOTE]


Another suspected case of incompetence in federal regulatory agencies. It can make you feel that as government expands, the effectiveness and integrity seem to be decreasing at an alarming rate. The Washington Post reports that Congress may step in and investigate the FDA and Agricultural Department.



[QUOTE]

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) plans to ask the Food and Drug Administration and Agriculture Department about Austin "Jack" DeCoster, who owns Wright County Egg. DeLauro chairs the House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee.

Last week, Wright County Egg recalled 380 million eggs distributed nationwide. A federal investigation into 26 outbreaks of salmonella enteritidis found that 15 pointed to Wright County Egg. The DeCoster family also has close ties to Hillandale Farms of Iowa, which on Friday recalled 170 million eggs distributed to 14 states in the Midwest and West

[END QUOTE]


You can keep your family safe by using safe egg handling protocols. If you thought eggs didn't require a lot of thought, you need to think again. There are many windows of opportunity to get sick from eating eggs and egg dishes.

The Centers for Disease Control give these tips for minimizing your chances of getting salmonella from eggs:

1. Keep eggs refrigerated at ≤ 45° F (≤7° C) at all times.
2. Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
3. Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs.
4. Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.
5. Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
6. Refrigerate unused or leftover egg-containing foods promptly.
7. Avoid eating raw eggs.
8. Avoid restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked, unpasteurized eggs. Restaurants should use pasteurized eggs in any recipe (such as Hollandaise sauce or Caesar salad dressing) that calls for raw eggs.
9. Consumption of raw or undercooked eggs should be avoided, especially by young children, elderly persons, and persons with weakened immune systems or debilitating illness.

FURTHER READING


Washington Post "Federal Regulators' Knowledge of egg producer in salmonella outbreak is probed"

Naturally Yours "Toxic Factory Farm Eggs Drive Consumers to Organic"

ABC News "228 Million Eggs Recalled After Salmonella Outbreak"

Farm & Dairy "State Revokes Egg Farm Permits"

USA Today "Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak Prompts Egg Recall"

Food Safety News "2nd Salmonella Lawsuit Filed Against Taco Bell"

CBS News "Egg Recall Sparked by Salmonella Threat: Are You At Risk?"

FDA "Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreak in Egg Shells"

New York Times "Egg Producer Expands Recall After Salmonella Outbreak"

Discovery News "Salmonella Scare Sparks Massive Egg Recall"

Fox News Health "Are Your Eggs Safe? Follow These Expert Tips"

CDC "Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Salmonella from Eggs"

WebMD "Salmonella Outbreaks Spur Nationwide Egg Recall"



Tweet





Buy egg substitutes at Naturally Yours Grocery online.

NOW Supplements responds to dangerous supplements report

We recently discussed the Consumer Reports warning about 12 supplements.

We also ran an article on NOW Supplements.

Here we come full circle, as NOW Supplements, our most popular, best-selling dietary supplement brand at Naturally Yours Grocery, publishes an online response to Consumer Reports.

[QUOTE]

August 5, 2010

The September 2010 Consumer Reports article entitled “Dangerous Supplements” highlights 12 dietary supplements the authors claim are potentially dangerous.

This article has led to numerous news stories that have aired on national TV programs. However, NOW Foods believes these stories contain inaccurate and misleading information. This may well discourage consumers from availing themselves of the benefits that nutritional supplements convey, and needlessly raise the specter of danger.

Consumer Reports and the related media stories refer to the Supplement Industry as operating with little FDA oversight.

The reality is that the Supplement Industry is regulated by the FDA, with manufacturers being audited by the FDA to ensure they meet GMP requirements (Good Manufacturing Practices). The FDA also regulates labels: all claims must be truthful and not misleading, all ingredients must be listed on the labels, and companies must have documentation to prove claims that must be maintained.

Any new supplement ingredient introduced must go through a vetting process with the FDA before it can be legally marketed, similar to the FDA drug approval process in terms of demonstrating safety. Numerous FDA Commissioners have stated that they do have ample authority to regulate the supplements industry – they just don’t have the resources.

This is why the industry has long, and very loudly, supported legislation to give FDA more resources to crack down on the fringe companies that do not follow the laws regulating the industry. Also, the FDA has the legal authority to remove from the marketplace any dietary ingredient that they determine to be dangerous.

Supplements have a proven track record of safety, in fact a much better track record than pharmaceuticals, OTC medicines and even common foods.

For example, the most recent annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers published in the Journal of Clinical Toxicology reported zero accidental deaths from dietary supplements. Consumers should be more concerned about acetaminophen adverse events, which cause a large number of deaths (estimates vary widely, but usually range between 3,500 and 10,000), liver failures and ER visits annually.

Additionally, most of the herbs listed in the Consumer Reports article are not widely available, and certainly not sold by the vast majority of the industry.

To broadly characterize dietary supplements as dangerous on the basis of a handful of products that they claim may be potentially unsafe, is sensational and irresponsible journalism that discredits the proven safety record of this product category and fails to recognize that millions of Americans choose to take supplements every day because they derive significant benefits from them.

NOW Foods, a family owned company, has been manufacturing nutritional products for over 40 years. We manufacture our products with a commitment to “provide products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.”

[END QUOTE]




Tweet

Energy Drink Ingredients

Do you like energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, Amp, or Rockstar?

I don't like the soda pop type energy drinks, but I do like the coffee energy drinks, like Rockstar Roasted Coffee & Energy.

The "lucid high" (supposedly obtained from alcohol mixed with energy substances) concept has taken hold with many young people. They mistakenly think that if they've got both an alcohol stupor and an energy buzz, they'll function better mentally and have better reflex responses.

Unfortunately, being drunk and speeded up just means you'll probably get into a car accident, a physical fight, or other trouble -- faster. Your brain is scrambled, slowed down by the liquor and pumped up by the energy substances, so it doesn't know if it's coming or going.

As dietary supplements, these energy drinks don't need FDA approval, so you need to study up on them.

If you experience fatigue, drowsiness, or mental cloudiness, you should address the issue of what's causing these feelings. To force your body and brain to charge forward, when they want to collapse, shut down, and rest, any intense artificial stimulation could lead to serious medical problems down the road.

If your body screams for sleep, then give it the sleep it needs.

Now let's look at some of the ingredients found in my favorite Rockstar beverage.

But remember, children under 12 and pregnant or nursing women should not consume energy drinks.


Rockstar Roasted
Coffee & Energy
INGREDIENTS


Caffeine: -- Found in coffee, chocolate, kola nuts, and other substances. Wakes you up and increases alertness. A mild analgesic and synergistically boosts the effectiveness of other pain medicine. 200-300 mg daily is the recommended maximum amount.

Guarana seeds

Guarana Seed Extract -- Source of high levels of caffeine. Increases alertness and improves mental focus. Some think it improves sports or romantic performance, but no studies have yet proven this.


Panax Ginseng Extract -- This is the Korean form of ginseng and is considered more potent than American or Siberian ginseng. According to WebMD, ginseng has been studied as something that may "improve mood and boost endurance as well as treat cancer, heart disease, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, hepatitis C, high blood pressure, menopausal symptoms, and other conditions. While some of these uses are promising, the evidence isn’t conclusive."


Taurine -- An amino acid found in meat and fish. According to WebMD, "people take taurine supplements as medicine to treat congestive heart failure (CHF), high blood pressure, liver disease (hepatitis), high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), and cystic fibrosis. Other uses include seizure disorders (epilepsy), autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eye problems (disorders of the retina), diabetes, and alcoholism. It is also used to improve mental performance and as an antioxidant."


Inositol -- Found in fruit, beans, grains, and nuts. Helps cells communicate with each other. May help brain serotonin modulation, a key factor in depression and other mental disorders. Has shown some promise as treatment for bulimia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, and unipolar and bipolar depression.


L-Carnitine -- Found in wide range of foods, including red meats, nuts, seeds, bee pollen, dairy products, vegetables, and fruit. Biologically active form of carnitine, an ammonium compound synthesized in the liver and kidneys from the amino acids lysine and methionine. Often used for heart conditions, diabetes, kidney problems, and obesity. Helps bone mass in the elderly and has a powerful antioxidant action.

Gingko Biloba leaf

Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract -- This "living fossil" is in its own unique category. It is thought to have nootropic properties, meaning it helps improve mental functioning like memory and concentration. It has yet to prove clinically effective in postponing or curing dementia or Alzheimers, but studies continue to be made. It seems to improve blood circulation to tissues and organs.

Milk thistle plant

Milk Thistle Extract -- This is the common roadside thistle you see all over Central Illinois, with the pretty purple flowers and sharp, long-pointed thorns. Traditionally considered a liver tonic, milk thistle is also thought to be an antidote to liver damage caused by Amanita phalloides "death's head" mushroom poisoning. It is also believed to have anti-cancer, LDL cholesterol lowering, opiate addiction withdrawal, and diabetic insulin-resistance adjusting value.



Further Reading



Naturally Yours Grocery News "Energy Drinks"

Naturally Yours Grocery News "Simple Steps to Boost Energy"

Naturally Yours Grocery News "Optimize Your Energy Levels"

WebMD "Energy Shots: Do They Work?"

WebMD "Energy Drinks: Hazardous to Your Health?"

Rockstar website

Wikipedia "Energy Drinks"

Screaming Energy "Energy Drink Reviews"





Buy natural energy drinks at Naturally Yours Grocery online.



Tweet