Mercury in Fish

Question:
Can you please tell me how many times a week it is safe to eat fish and if it matters what kind of fish? Thank you very much!

Answer:
To my knowledge, there is no proven standard for how much fish it is safe to eat. The amount of mercury exposure that can be tolerated varies between individuals, and it definitely matters which kind of fish as some have high mercury levels and others have none, and this is also subject to change. I recommend doing further reading to educate yourself. Here's a great place to start that also include many additional references:

Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood and Health Page

Hope this helps!
Shannon

Monsanto - Harvest of Fear

This article makes me want to cry.

Monsanto: Harvest of Fear

Not sure what else to say.

So Then Which Water Bottle Should I Use?

You may have already heard that the Canadian government is considering labeling plastic food and beverage containers containing the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) as toxic, which would very likely lead to banning them entirely.

The evidence outlining the extent of the health risk from such containers is somewhat controversial, but I wouldn't let that interfere with making a choice that supports your health. The arguments in support of BPA that I've read seem to be on the "sure it's toxic, but only a little toxic and you'd probably never get enough of it in your system to make it really toxic" vein. This from the same people who put mercury, one of the most toxic substance known to man, in the vaccines given to children ("but it's just a little mercury...").

The biggest container industry this will effect is the plastic water bottle industry, but another commonly used food container is also of concern - cans - which are lined with plastic, like with canned tomatoes.

Personally, I prefer to avoid the worry all together. There is a simple alternative to plastic water bottles: the Klean Kanteen. Stainless steel, that's it. No coatings, no frills, just a lightweight metal water bottle.

And before you consider Klean Kanteen's competitor, Sigg (and this is so sad for me to say because I love the shape of my old Sigg bottle), it turns out they line their bottles with epoxy, which contains BPA. Of course Sigg says their bottles are safe, and that they don't leach, but they still won't say what's in the liner: "SIGG has perfected the formula of its proprietary inner liner over decades of scientific research and Swiss engineering. The ingredients (like the formula for Coca-Cola) remain secret and unavailable to 3rd parties so as to ensure SIGG retains its competitive advantage."

I guess if you don't want to spend the money on a fancy water bottle, you can use the same solution for your water and your 'canned' veggies - the good old fashioned glass jar. I've done that one in the past, and it eventually leads to a mess, but at least you don't have to worry about BPA.

Think You Have A Choice About Consuming Genetically Modified Foods?

Think again. Contamination of the world's food supply is spreading at alarming rates.

On March 11 a new documentary was aired on French television (ARTE – French-German cultural tv channel) by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin, The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won't ever see. The gigantic biotech corporation Monsanto is threatening to destroy the agricultural biodiversity which has served mankind for thousands of years.

This film actually sat open on my desktop for a couple of weeks as I waited for an 'appropriate' time to watch it. I knew it was going to piss me off, so I finally just picked a day where I was already feeling irritated.

Even though I was already aware of many of the claims addressed in this film, the synthesis of the story was provocative nonetheless. I found the beginning, which explores Monsanto's relationship to the United States government and the greater scientific community to be, as expected - infuriating. And the ending, which examines a very small sampling of the effects Monsanto's biotechnology is actually having on people of developing countries - absolutely heartbreaking.

Here's some data from the film to whet your appetite:

90% of GMOs in the world belong to Monsanto, most of those are Roundup Ready

Monsanto weaseled out of compensating Vietnam Vets struggling with dioxin poisoning.

Monsanto was found guilty, twice, of falsely advertising Roundup as 'biodegradable' - once in NY in 1996 and then in France in 2007.

Roundup Ready soybeans make up 90% of the US soy market, and approximately 70% of the foods on US shelves contain GMOs, but you wouldn't know because it's not required that they're listed on the label.

And if that doesn't raise question enough to make you watch, there's also a scene with George Bush Sr. touring a Monsanto lab when he was Regan's VP.

The Relationship Between Blood Sugar and Will Power

There was a fun article in the NY Times Op-Ed section yesterday exploring the apparently limited capacity of will power. Instead of some infinite power that we can apply at...well...will, consider your will power to be like a muscle - a muscle that can become fatigued and can be strenghtened over time.

So this affects food in so many ways, as anyone who has to put blinders on to walk through the candy display check out line at Blockbuster knows. But according to this article, it seems that if you spend all your will power avoiding purchases that your budget can't back, you may not have any left to keep your hands (or face) out of the cookie jar. And, as if that isn't bad enough, putting your hand in the cookie jar may offer positive reinforcement for completing other tasks:

In one pioneering study, some people were asked to eat radishes while others received freshly baked chocolate chip cookies before trying to solve an impossible puzzle. The radish-eaters abandoned the puzzle in eight minutes on average, working less than half as long as people who got cookies or those who were excused from eating radishes.

So does this mean we should run from the salad bar and straight to the vending machine any time we need to get something done? Well, no, but it may at least partially explain why the afternoon trip to Starbucks helps you make it through the rest of the day:

What limits willpower? Some have suggested that it is blood sugar, which brain cells use as their main energy source and cannot do without for even a few minutes. Most cognitive functions are unaffected by minor blood sugar fluctuations over the course of a day, but planning and self-control are sensitive to such small changes. Exerting self-control lowers blood sugar, which reduces the capacity for further self-control. People who drink a glass of lemonade between completing one task requiring self-control and beginning a second one perform equally well on both tasks, while people who drink sugarless diet lemonade make more errors on the second task than on the first. Foods that persistently elevate blood sugar, like those containing protein or complex carbohydrates, might enhance willpower for longer periods.

Regular meals centered around protein, now where have I heard that before?

Oh, and start brushing your teeth with your non-dominate hand. It's one of the ways to strengthen that will power muscle and who knows, maybe it'll help with the noshing and the spending.

Fresh Farm Milk: Assuring Safety and Consumer Choice

Joint Senate hearings to be held April 15th

Raw Milk consumers are amassing to attend the Biggest Raw Milk event in History!!

Senator Dean Florez and Senator Maldonado are holding joint senate hearings on raw milk for California. It appears that CDFA and the FDA are sending their "Anti Raw Milk A-Team" to try and stop the rising tide of raw milk market interest in California. The chief of FDA dairy safety John Sheehan will be attending along with eight other PhD University food safety experts.

The Raw Milk Dream Team will include: Sally Fallon (president of the Weston A Price Foundation ), Jordan Rubin ( author of the Makers Diet ), Dr. Ted Beals MD, Dr. Mark Gebhart MD, Dr. Cat Berge DVM PhD and Walter Robb president of Wholefoods. Other powerful voices will also be attending to stand with raw milk in a science and consumer choice-based show-down that could quite possibly reset the destiny of consumer food choices for the next 100 years. Some of the experts will testify via remote video because they are from other countries. Raw milk experts will argue demonstrated California raw milk safety, superior nutrition and consumer choice.

1500 raw milk consumers are expected to pack this six-hour hearing. Many will have the opportunity to speak briefly about why they demand raw milk in California. Information collected from this joint hearing will form the basis for new legislation that will protect consumer choice as well as create sound standards for testing Fresh Farm Milk in California.

Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Location: Sacramento CA State Capitol Building Rm #4203
Subject: Fresh Farm Milk-Assuring Safety and Consumer Choice Joint Hearing of: Senate Agriculture Committee and the Select Committee on Food-Borne Illness Senators Maldonado and Florez-Chairs 3:00 PM until 9:00 PM hours or until everyone has spoken John L. Burton Hearing Room (4203)

Interviews available:
Mark McAfee
Founder, Organic Pastures Dairy 559-846-9732

FDA HARASSES DAIRY COMPANY EMPLOYEES

Grand Jury Investigation is Latest Government Tactic against Raw Milk


Special FDA agents and investigators from the US Food and Drug Administration aggressively interrogated two young female employees of Organic Pastures Dairy Company, the nation's largest raw milk producer, with questions focusing on the dairy's interstate sales of raw colostrum and raw milk for pet food.

The surprise interrogations took place after work in their private homes on the evening of March 19, just hours after Judge Tobias of the Hollister Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order against the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The state court ruling blocked enforcement of California's anti-raw milk AB 1735, which mandates unnecessarily stringent standards for beneficial coliform bacteria in raw milk. The temporary restraining order represents an important legal victory for raw milk producers and consumers in California and throughout the nation.

The federal agents threatened one employee with arrest if questions were not fully and truthfully answered about Organic Pastures' order fulfillment practices. Her answers reflected information that is readily available at the company's website, www.organicpastures.com. The other employee was told FDA would "make it worth her while" to "wear a wire" and record conversations with Organic Pastures president Mark McAfee. The employee refused the offer. "We are like a family, I would never do that to a family member," she said, reflecting her close relationship with the McAfee family.

Both employees were served subpoenas to appear April 3 for a secret grand jury investigation. In 2003, Organic Pastures received a confirmation letter from Larry Childers of the FDA, which clearly stated that interstate sales of raw colostrum are not regulated because colostrum is not milk. The FDA website notes that "pet food" requires no pre-market approval and is unregulated by the FDA.

The Bronx Zoo in New York and other zoos regularly order raw colostrum and raw dairy products from Organic Pastures to save babies of endangered species and keep other animals healthy. Orders stipulate that the milk and colostrum must be raw because pasteurized versions make them ill. Many veterinarians recommend raw milk for cats and dogs.

"FDA has gone on the record as 'hating raw milk' in any form," says Mark McAfee, founder and president of Organic Pastures. "The harassment of our employees and grand jury investigation is just the latest round in the government vendetta against Nature's perfect food. If Organic Pastures is doing something illegal, all FDA needs to do is come and tell us and we will make the necessary changes to our labels and procedures."

Organic Pastures will be represented in this action by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Membership in the Fund helps support the defense of raw milk and direct farm-to-consumer sales. For further information visit www.ftcldf.org.

CONTACT:
Mark McAfee, President, Organic Pastures Dairy Corporation
mark(at)organicpastures(dot)com

Taaron Meikle, President, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
tgmeikle(at)aol(dot)com