Green & Organic Movement

Everyday the list of things I do to lead a sustainable life is a long one, but it’s second nature to me now. I think back to a tv commercial years ago where the camera panned a lake and its banks covered with debris, while an American Indian on the bank turned front view to show the tear cascading down his cheek. The beautiful land was trashed. What we do affects the rest. Are we stewards taking care of our area of the planet for posterity? What are some of the simple things you can incorporate in your daily routine?

 Compost and Recycle
 Take public transportation to and from work
 Reusable shopping bags, coffee mug and lunch containers
 Special bags that decompose faster for pooch poop clean up
 Use reusable water bottles / say no to paper cups!

As you browse your local shop or farmers market, what are you looking for? How do you shop? Do you shop healthy? All key things to think about, including pesticides in food you will consume. What is a pesticide and how will it affect you?

A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. The pest category includes insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms), and microbes. Although seeming benefits are touted for the use of synthetic pesticides, there are significant drawbacks, such as toxicity to humans, animals and beneficial insects.

The routine use of synthetic pesticides is not allowed under organic standards. Currently, over 400 chemicals can be regularly used in conventional farming to kill weeds, insects and other pests that attack crops. In recent years, research has consistently found pesticide residues in a third of food, including residues of more than one chemical in apples, baby food, bread, cereal bars, fresh salmon, lemons, lettuces, peaches, nectarines, potatoes and strawberries. It should be noted that not all foodstuffs are checked; instead a small number of different products is tested every 3 months and the results published by the Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD).

Residues of multiple pesticides: the cocktail effect

After pressure from NGOs [non-governmental organizations] such as the Soil Association, the PSD has begun testing for multiple pesticide residues in its samples because evidence suggests that when acting in combination, harmful effects of pesticide residues may be increased. The Government has recognized that "ignoring the cocktail effects during risk assessment will lead to significant under-estimations of risk."

Combinations of low-level insecticides, herbicides and nitrates have been shown to be toxic at levels that individual chemicals are not. Also, the fact that pesticides are stored in body fat make the cumulative toxic burden a major factor in their negative health impact. It is clearly an enormous task to test all possible combinations of the 400 permitted pesticides currently in use. Imagine how this affects our environment ~ not to mention health risks!

Pesticides and Cancer

The most dangerous chemicals used in farming such as organophosphate pesticides have been linked with a range of conditions such as cancer, endocrine disruption causing increased sterility, infertility and fetal abnormalities, chronic fatigue syndrome in children and Parkinson's disease.

Women with breast cancer are five to nine times more likely to have pesticide residues in their blood than those who do not. Previous studies have shown that those with occupational exposure to pesticides have higher rates of cancer. The apparent link between hormone dependent cancers, such as those of the breast and prostate, may be via endocrine disrupting chemicals [compounds that artificially affect the hormone system] and Atrazine (both herbicides, now banned or about to be banned).

Effects of pesticides on children

Children are particularly susceptible to pesticide residues as they have a higher intake of food and water per unit of body weight than adults and their relatively immature organ systems may have limited ability to detoxify these substances. They are at greater risk of exposures in general by virtue of body weight, not fully matured blood-brain barrier, faster respiration, and closer proximity to the ground than adults.

In a study of children aged 2 -4 living in Seattle, concentrations of pesticide residues up to six times higher were found in children eating conventionally farmed fruit and vegetables compared with those eating organic food. Though the presence of pesticide residues in children eating conventional food has been confirmed, the full effect of such pesticides are stated to be unknown.

The cumulative toxic burden will eventually be expressed in numerous maladies, many of them serious. One example among many was published in 'Environmental Health Perspectives' and reported by Beyond Pesticides.org:

Study Finds that Childhood Exposure to Insecticides Associated with Brain Tumors

(Beyond Pesticides, January, 21, 2009) A new study concludes that exposures during pregnancy and childhood to insecticides that target the nervous system, such as organophosphates (OPs) and carbamates, are associated with childhood brain tumors. The researchers hypothesize that this susceptibility might be increased in children with genetic variations that affect the metabolism of these chemicals.

The study, “Childhood Brain Tumors, Residential Insecticide Exposure, and Pesticide Metabolism Genes,” examines whether childhood brain tumors (CBT) are associated with the functional genetic variations. The study provides evidence that exposure to insecticides, paired with specific metabolism gene variants, may increase the risk of CBT. DNA was extracted from archival screening samples for 201 cases ≤ 10 years of age and born in California or Washington State between 1978 and 1990.

Insecticide exposures during pregnancy and childhood were classified based on interviews with participants’ mothers. The children’s mothers reported whether they or anyone else had chemically treated the child’s home for insects including termites, fleas, ants, cockroaches, silverfish, or “other” pests.

The results are consistent with the possibility that children with a reduced ability to metabolize organophosphate and carbamate insecticides might be at increased risk of CBT when sufficiently exposed. The researchers observed multiplicative interactions between insecticide exposure during childhood and variant genes relevant to insecticide metabolism.

Among exposed children, CBT risk increased with PON1–108T allele - a gene which reduces the activity of paraoxonase (PON1), a key enzyme in the metabolism and neutralization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE ) inhibitors: notably OPs such as chlorpyrifos and diazinon. In other words, children with brain tumors were more likely to carry the enzyme-inhibiting gene variant PON1–108T than other children.

The authors state that even though certain OPs have been phased out of residential use in the U.S., children remain exposed to these and other AChE inhibitors not only via the diet but also potentially via drift from use in agricultural areas, on golf courses, and for mosquito control. In the home, OP and carbamate insecticides remain, for example, in topical treatments for lice (malathion) and flea collars (tetrachlorvinphos, carbaryl, propoxur).

Even though previous studies have also shown that farmworkers and persons exposed to high levels of pesticides have an increased risk of developing brain tumors, this study’s result most strongly indicate the importance of exposures during early childhood and interaction with genotypes and enzyme levels. However, other periods are important, notably prenatal development, and need to be further explored. Larger studies are needed to confirm the findings, and environmental and biological measurements of specific pesticides and the inclusion of more gene interactions.

Children face unique hazards from pesticide exposure. They take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults in the food they eat and air they breathe. Their developing organ systems often make them more sensitive to toxic exposure. The U.S. EPA, National Academy of Sciences, and American Public Health Association, among others, have voiced concerns about the danger that pesticides pose to children. The body of evidence in the scientific literature shows that pesticide exposure can adversely affect a child’s neurological, respiratory, immune, and endocrine system, even at low levels.

Food Additives

Having a better understanding about preservatives and what they can do to you, will help you on your way to better health.

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or improve its taste and appearance and you will find them on most labels of many of the foods that you eat. Some are naturally occurring compounds, others are chemically synthesized, and all work to theoretically improve the quality of our foods.

Whoever coined the term food additives had it all wrong. Including something new in a food does not always add up to health. Take food coloring and other additives which can cause a range of health problems in adults and children. For example, tartrazine (the yellow food colouring E102) and other additives have been linked to allergic reactions, headaches, asthma, growth retardation, hyperactivity in children, and in rare cases death.

Although around 300 additives are permitted in conventional food only 30 are allowed under Soil Association standards. Some additives found in organic food are added for legal reasons including iron, thiamine (vitamin B) and nicotinic acid (vitamin B3) in white flour, and various vitamins and minerals in different types of baby foods. All artificial colourings and artificial sweeteners are banned in organic food.

Specific ingredients and additives not allowed in organic food are monosodium glutamate, aspartame, phosphoric acid and hydrogenated fats. In each case their use has been banned because of evidence that they can be damaging to health. For example, hydrogenated fats (also known as trans fats) have been directly linked with increased rates of heart disease, cancer and skin disease.

Take special note that if a certain country bans a particular preservative, this does not mean it cannot be used in another country. In fact, some preservatives that have been commonly banned in the USA, UK or Japan, are still being used in countries such as Australia. If you do have adverse reactions to a certain preservative which is banned in your country, and then wish to travel, make sure you know if that preservative is being used in the country you visit. As for the states, part of food law requires that all preservatives be included on ingredient labels. So, it's best to look at them! Especially, if you are on the road to improving your health!

Some ones you should make yourself familiar with are: Sorbates, Benzoates, Sulphites, Nitrates/nitrites and Propionates.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetically modified or GMO foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms. Thus, specific changes are introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering, using a process of either Cisgenesis or Transgenesis. These techniques are much moreprecise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change. Other techniques by which humans modify food organisms include selective breeding (plant breeding and animal breeding), and somaclonal variation.

Proponents of GM crops offer that it is beneficial to produce crops that are herbicide resistant. Theoretically, farmers could spray these crops with herbicide and kill the weeds, without affecting the crop. In effect, the amount of herbicide used in one season would be reduced, with a subsequent reduction in costs for farmers and consumers. Environmentalists and organic farmers are extremely concerned that transgenic genes will inevitably escape from genetically-modified crops,contaminating organic farms, creating superweeds and driving wild plants to extinction.

Safe-food.org ( http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/dangers.html ) poses these issues of safety and health risks:

 Imprecise Technology—A genetic engineer moves genes from one organism to another. A gene can be cut precisely from the DNA of an organism, but the insertion into the DNA of the target organism is basically random. As a consequence, there is a risk that it may disrupt the functioning of other genes essential to the life of that organism. (Bergelson 1998)

 Side Effects—Genetic engineering is like performing heart surgery with a shovel. Scientists do not yet understand living systems completely enough to perform DNA surgery without creating mutations which could be harmful to the environment and our health. They are experimenting with very delicate, yet powerful forces of nature, without full knowledge of the repercussions. (Washington Times 1997, The Village Voice 1998)

 Widespread Crop Failure—Genetic engineers intend to profit by patenting genetically engineered seeds. This means that, when a farmer plants genetically engineered seeds, all the seeds have identical genetic structure. As a result, if a fungus, a virus, or a pest develops which can attack this particular crop, there could be widespread crop failure. (Robinson 1996)

 Threatens Our Entire Food Supply—Insects, birds, and wind can carry genetically altered seeds into neighboring fields and beyond. Pollen from transgenic plants can cross-pollinate with genetically natural crops and wild relatives. All crops, organic and non-organic, are vulnerable to contamination from cross-pollination. (Emberlin et al 1999)

 No Long-Term Safety Testing—Genetic engineering uses material from organisms that have never been part of the human food supply to change the fundamental nature of the food we eat. Without long-term testing no one knows if these foods are safe.

 Toxins—Genetic engineering can cause unexpected mutations in an organism, which can create new and higher levels of toxins in foods. (Inose 1995, Mayeno 1994)

 Allergic Reactions—Genetic engineering can also produce unforeseen and unknown allergens in foods. (Nordlee 1996)

 Decreased Nutritional Value—Transgenic foods may mislead consumers with counterfeit freshness. A luscious-looking, bright red genetically engineered tomato could be several weeks old and of little nutritional worth.

 Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria—Genetic engineers use antibiotic-resistance genes to mark genetically engineered cells. This means that genetically engineered crops contain genes which confer resistance to antibiotics. These genes may be picked up by bacteria which may infect us. (New Scientist 1999)

 Problems Cannot Be Traced—Without labels, our public health agencies are powerless to trace problems of any kind back to their source. The potential for tragedy is staggering.

 Side Effects can Kill—37 people died, 1500 were partially paralyzed, and 5000 more were temporarily disabled by a syndrome that was finally linked to tryptophan made by genetically-engineered bacteria. (Mayeno 1994)

Top of Page

live food snacks,sun-baked,vegan cookies,vegetarian cookies, wheat-free, raw food,organic baked goods, no egg, no dairy, dairy-free, no animal products, whole foods, wheat-free cookies, gluten-free, health-food, chocolate-free, natural junk-food, vegan healthy organic gift baskets, natural foods,live foods, raw foods, healthy baking, natural foods,organic foods,live food snacks,sun-baked,vegan cookies,vegetarian cookies, wheat-free, raw food,organic baked goods, no egg, no dairy, dairy-free, no animal products, whole foods, wheat-free cookies, gluten-free, health-food, chocolate-free, natural junk-food, vegan healthy organic natural foods,live foods, raw foods, healthy baking, natural foods,organic foods