Hidden GMO Exposures: Is It Possible To Avoid Them?

Systematically bypassing public awareness and approval, GMOs have invaded a much wider market than the food industry. Dubious industrial uses surpass even the wildest imagination and show that our daily lives are far more contaminated by GMOs that we thought. There are many genetically modified crops that have entered our food chain and that goes primarily for processed food products. However, an incredible number of very common everyday products, often completely unrelated to food have also been seriously tainted by GMs. Most of the problems come from GM corn, soy and cotton, which have dominated conventional agribusiness for many years now and the combined fact that several secondary (or even primary) products from these crops are used in many different industries en masse, thanks to the Government subsidies. Click below for the rest of the article...
Hidden GMO Exposures: Is It Possible To Avoid Them?

Is Your Multivitamin Toxic?

Most of us have houses full of toxins--chemicals we use for "cleaning" that leave nasty residue. We even put it on our clothes and wear it next to our skin after doing laundry.  I've switched us over to Basic H2 which is all natural and non-toxic.  In the laundry, we've switched to SHaklee liquid and also dryer sheets. Did you know that commercial dryer sheets are permeated with chemicals that leave residue on your clothes and hence, your skin? People with chemical allergies should NOT use this stuff, but do the manufacturers and politicians tell us this? Nope.

Got allergies--get rid of those chemicals and get clean with Shaklee!

The Shaklee Difference - 8min

Why switch to Shaklee? This short vid gives you an overview of why you should.

Top Ten Reasons To Take Shaklee Vitamin Supplements / Why Shaklee Vitamins Are The Best

Vitamin supplements are for salel everywhere, from Wal-Mart to drive thru gas stations. They are manufactured by countless of companies, some with good or not so good reputations. Before you make the critical health decision we suggest that you do just a little simple research. Read the labels and shop and compare. We are so confident if you do your due diligence you will choose Shaklee.

Here is a statement issued by our Health Sciences and Education department that we want to share. “The Top 10 Reasons to take Shaklee Supplements”.

“Shaklee products and the quality and science behind them are unmatched in the industry. But how familiar are you with the many elements of the Shaklee Difference?

Even if you think you know what makes this company and our products stand apart from the rest, refresh your knowledge with this list of Ten Key Steps that we take to ensure that Shaklee supplements are the best in the marketplace:

1. Shaklee conducts over 100,000 tests annually to ensure the safety and efficacy of our products.

2. Each and every lot of Shaklee Products is 100% tested to ensure and guarantee that each and every ingredient that is part of our label claims is present in the appropriate amounts.

3. All ingredients in Shaklee products are qualified under the incredibly stringent Shaklee protocol, unique in the industry, which tests for up to 350 chemical contaminants, including pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, solvent residues, etc.

4. Our Shaklee Scientists create formulations so that the key active ingredients are included at clinically efficacious levels, often significantly higher than many companies in the market.

5. Each product is formulated with nutritional ingredients that have been extensively studied to confirm safety and efficacy. Our products do not follow “fads,” but incorporate scientific and/or epidemiologic evidence of need and benefit.

6. Shaklee employs advanced delivery systems to enhance bioavailability – and these systems are tested to confirm their nutrient delivery advantages.

7. All ingredients must be acceptable from the standpoint of the Shaklee philosophy, as well as detailed scrutiny as to their safety. We do not simply accept the Certificate of Analysis that many other companies accept, but rather retest for contaminants to confirm the Certificate of Analysis is accurate.

8. Shaklee has an unwavering commitment to avoid the use of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and added preservatives. We use only non-genetically modified soy protein.

9. Shaklee developed many of the standards and protocols for manufacturing that are now referred to as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

10. Ongoing proof of our product performance is demonstrated by:

• Over 100 scientific publications, 90-plus in peer-reviewed journals

• The Landmark Study, the only study of its kind, which showed that people who took Shaklee supplements over a period of 20 years had markedly better health than both single-multivitamin and nonsupplement users

• Shaklee products powering athletes to win 125 medals

• Shaklee products fueling world explorers, 

7 of Time-Life’s “Greatest Adventures of All Time,” and NASA Shuttle astronauts with a special rehydration product (called Astro-Ade).  Add to this list our accomplishments and awards in the area of environmental leadership and responsibility, and you will see why I am truly proud to be part of this company, where integrity, quality and social responsibility are our standards, and where making people and the planet healthier is our mission.

Shaklee is all about helping people take control of their future health by virtue of their choices today. My 16 years as a practicing family physician led me to believe even more strongly that prevention is where the future of medicine must go. Research confirms that nutrition, weight control, and wise supplementation can powerfully impact your vitality today and your health in the future, and I believe that we can redefine wellness in the coming years. 

Be well!”

by ~
Dr. Jamie McManus, MD, FAAFP
Chair of Medical Affairs, Health Sciences and Education for Shaklee Corporation

The Shaklee ingredient philosophy--see how your supplements stack up against Shaklee

Selecting Ingredients…We Look to Nature First

Founded on the philosophy of offering products in harmony with nature and good health, Shaklee adheres to the principles that were established by our founder, Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee. When we select ingredients for our products, we hold to two important principles. These principles set us apart as a company and are the basis for our advanced approach to product development and production.

First of all, our ingredients must be as natural as possible. Secondly, those ingredients must reflect the most recent scientific and technological advances. The superior quality of Shaklee products is a result of our respect for nature’s wisdom and our use of state-of-the-art research and production methods.

The ingredient glossary that follows is a testament to the principles and philosophy established by Dr. Shaklee. Information is the key to understanding. In our Nutritional Products Ingredient Glossary, you will find a description of every ingredient found in Shaklee nutritional and products. Included is information about ingredient sourcing and processing, as well as the roles the ingredients perform in our products and in our bodies.

Natural Ingredients

Our number one priority is to use natural ingredients in our products whenever possible. In fact, when you look through the glossary, you will notice that the vast majority of our ingredients are naturally sourced and are categorized as natural. For example, beta carotene is harvested from specially grown algae, and vitamin E is obtained from soybean oil. We also include many plant-derived ingredients in our products as potential sources of what Dr. Shaklee referred to as unknown nutritional factors, or, those dietary factors that may be important to health but have yet to be identified by scientists. The mineral ingredients that we use are also categorized as natural ingredients. Minerals are natural elements of the earth, and some are dietary essentials for good health. Sometimes, essential minerals can be sourced directly as they are found within the earth–for example, calcium from limestone. But more commonly, minerals must be purified and bound to specific carriers to enhance their bioavailability and digestibility. When a mineral source has a carrier, it is noted in the Nutritional Products Ingredient Glossary. Those mineral carriers include natural compounds like mineral salts, organic acids, and protein/amino acids.

Naturally Derived Ingredients

Although an ingredient may be found in nature, it may not occur in a concentration that is high enough for our high potency formulations. Fortunately, such ingredients can often be derived from natural sources through processes such as fermentation. Vitamin C is a good example. Rose hips and acerola are two of nature’s most concentrated sources of vitamin C, but they are not concentrated enough for high-potency vitamin C–containing formulations. Fortunately, vitamin C can be derived from the carbohydrate that is present naturally in corn through a multi-step process that includes fermentation. Ingredients like these are categorized as naturally derived.

There are certain ingredients that are derived from natural sources that may be modified to perform a certain function. For example, soy lecithin can be modified to make hydroxylated soy lecithin. This modification of soy lecithin increases its solubility in water and enhances its ability to coat and protect tablets. So, modified natural ingredients like these are also categorized as naturally derived.

Scientifically Formulated Ingredients

Sometimes, a sufficiently concentrated source of an ingredient cannot be found in nature, nor can it be derived from natural sources. In these instances, advances in nutritional technology allow us to use highly bioavailable ingredients formulated from biochemical building blocks. Whenever we use these types of ingredients, they are tested thoroughly to ensure bioavailability, purity, and potency. The B vitamin, thiamin, is an example of a nutrient that is formulated from biochemical building blocks.

Nutritional Products Ingredient Glossary 1

Updated 2/5/031

Another category of scientifically formulated ingredients are those that originate from a natural source, but are modified so that their final form is structurally and functionally different. An example is the ingredient hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. Cellulose is a natural plant fiber. The cellulose is modified so that it takes on different properties that make it functionally advantageous to a product. Ingredients like these are categorized in the glossary as scientifically formulated.

Ingredients with Special Functions

Not only do Shaklee products contain a host of essential nutrients or important herbs, they often contain specific ingredients that have a functional role in improving the bioavailability or acceptability of a product. Scientifically Advanced Vita-Lea® Multivitamin and Multimineral Dietary Supplement tablets, for example, are coated with a mixture of spirulina and cellulose gum. Spirulina gives Vita-Lea its natural green color and the cellulose gum coating makes the tablet smooth and easier to swallow. The core of each Vita-Lea tablet features another ingredient, croscarmellose sodium. Also called modified cellulose gum, croscarmellose sodium’s function is to absorb water rapidly and promote the breaking apart of the tablet and subsequent release of nutrients for absorption. Is another example of a product whose ingredients have specific functions.

Its Sustained Release Vita-C® 500 mg vitamin C supplement sustained-release tablet technology is based entirely on natural gums and waxes from plants.

The Shaklee Difference — The Highest Standards

Our Nutritional and Herbal Products Ingredient Glossary is a reflection of the Shaklee philosophy and principles at work. Each ingredient is as natural as can be, and illustrates the leading advances in science and technology. That’s the approach to making products that Dr. Shaklee pioneered: exacting the highest ingredient standard possible.

The ingredients, though, are only one part of the Shaklee Difference. Our unique blend of ingredients coupled with the cumulative power of the ongoing science behind our products make Shaklee unique. The Shaklee Difference is reflected in our research, in our product development, in the care we take to adhere to strict clinical testing, and in our meeting the highest manufacturing standards in the industry. That’s the combination that sets Shaklee products apart from all others.

That’s the Shaklee Difference — demanding and providing the best and the purest — by setting the highest of standards.

Shaklee Opportunity (playlist)

What Shaklee business means...

14 Steps to Cut out Processed Foods (article share)

(I am doing my best...not perfect yet but noticing the difference in the way I feel.--Katie)

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ARTICLE SHARE

 

ARTICLE TAGS

• Nutrition
• Health
• Diets

Author

Lisa Leake

We took our own pledge for 100 days in part to convince others that they could follow our same “real food” rules for only 10 days. We realize not everyone is keen on the idea of going “cold turkey” with the 10 Days of Real Food pledge though, which is why we also developed 14 weeks of mini-pledges. If taking baby steps is more your speed then check out the weekly “real food” challenges detailed below.

Earlier this year we finished up these mini-pledges with our readers as a group, but just because we’re no longer taking these pledges together doesn’t mean people can’t do them on their own. If you’re interested in giving it a shot you could start at the beginning or go in your own preferred order. You could also build each week on top of the next or simply tackle one weekly challenge at a time. Our hope is if you take these mini-pledges (or the 10-day pledge) that you’ll gain a new perspective from the experience and make at least some positive long-term changes as a result. No matter what though…these pledges will get you to start reading ingredient labels (if you don’t already)!

14 Weeks of “Real Food” Mini-Pledges

• Week 1: Two fruits and/or vegetables per meal – Eat a minimum of two different fruits or vegetables (preferably organic) with every breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal.
  
• Week 2: “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).

• Week 3: Meat – All meat consumed this week will be locally raised (within 100-miles of your hometown). Meat consumption will also be limited to 3 – 4 servings this week, and when it is eaten meat will not be presented as the “focal point” of the meal. Instead meat will be treated as a side item or simply used to help flavor a dish.
  
• Week 4: No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.
  
• Week 5: Try two new whole foods – Try a minimum of two new whole foods that you’ve never had before.
  
• Week 6: No low-fat, lite or nonfat food products – Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”
  
• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
  
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
  
• Week 9: No refined sweeteners – No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.
  
• Week 10: No refined oils – No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
  
• Week 11: Eat local foods – Eat at least 1 locally grown or raised food at each meal. This includes, but is not limited to: fruits, vegetables, eggs, grains, nuts, meats, and sweeteners like honey.
  
• Week 12: No sweeteners – Avoid all added sweeteners including, but not limited to: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, date sugar, maple sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice.
  
• Week 13: Nothing artificial – Avoid all artificial ingredients including, but not limited to: sweeteners, flavors and colors.
  
• Week 14: No more than 5-indgredients – Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than five ingredients no matter what ingredients

Know Where Your Food Comes From

Whenever possible, please support local growers by shopping at a farmers market! Getting to know the people that actually grow your food is a great experience and you'll be supporting your local community at the same time. 

From:
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/steps-to-cut-processed-food.html

The Popular Food That Turns Your Gut into a Pesticide Factory (article)

ive years ago Robyn O’Brien was an average American mom; busy with four kids, living on a limited budget, and not in the least interested in hearing anyone lecture her about what to feed her kids. Then one day, after being served a typical breakfast consisting of Eggo waffles, blue-colored yoghurt and scrambled eggs, her youngest child suddenly had an acute allergic reaction. That very day, Robyn threw herself into researching food allergies, and virtually overnight, Robyn became a real-food activist.

She quickly learned that the foods sold in our grocery stores are not necessarily safe. On the contrary, many, if not most of them, now contain "foreign" ingredients that have never been tested for safety.

Click the link to read more...

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/14/why-are-there-so-many-food-allergies-now.aspx

10 Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance

10 Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance: More than 55 diseases have been linked to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s estimated that 99% of the people who have either gluten intolerance or celiac disease are never diagnosed. It is also estimated that as much as 15% of the US population is gluten intolerant. Could you be one of them?
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11266-wheat-gluten-the-culprit-for-so-many-ills.html

My first rant: why I am here, what I am mad about and what i am doing about it!

Just a brief introduction at what we are doing and why.

Number one, I started this journey over 160 lbs overweight.  This has not been easy. The food I was eating was terrible--fast food was no. 1--Taco John's, Hardee's etc was sending me into heart attack territory.  At age 63, I was getting scared--how much time do I have left? My feet are numb from peripheral neuropathy, my blood work shows me as "borderline diabetic" (that means I'm not diabetic yet but could be soon).  My hubby is a great fan of veggies but he has not been able to convert me--I didn't like veggies because I grew up on a produce farm. What's that you ask?  It's where most of your vegetables come from, whether bought fresh or in canned or frozen goods. I spent a few summers doing what is called "stoop labor" for my family--walking or in some cases crawling down 90 rod rows of black muck tending to the crop of carrots or lettuce or whatever was being grown.  My day started at 7AM, an hour for lunch in the shade (no A/C) and then on again until 5PM, with 7AM-noon on Saturdays.  All this for fifty cents an hour.  Then I had to eat the same damn things i had been crawling through all day for dinner. They literally made me sick to look at them.

So my hubby has had an uphill battle.  Over the years I had lost weight before--most successfully when I did NOT subscribe to a weight loss group like WW or definitely not any food subscription services like JC.  I couldn't afford them so I just got fat.  That is until I fell on the ice and broke my leg.

After six weeks in a cast, I had to do rehab and the only thing I could do was ride an exercise bike.  So I went out and bought one (I'm good at shopping and then turning items into clothes racks) but this one I actually climbed on to. I wanted to be able to walk properly again.  While I did not turn into Arnoldetta S., I did get more interested in exercise so I bought a weight set too and a bicycle. When the weather warmed up, I started riding my bike around a local lake, a distance of 13 miles, or at least back and forth to work (3 miles).  This helped me lose 45 lbs on my own and I was looking real svelt too!

Then it all fell apart--I just stopped one day, burned out. I couldn't do it anymore.  The thought of exercise made me ill and I eventually got rid of the equipment and back I went to eating.  

Now here it was fifteen years later and I got married in the meantime. My hubby is a great cook and he uses lots of veggies but I still loved my fast food.  My weight came back on plus another 100 lbs or more. I began to wonder what it was about me that made me want to eat all the time.

In the meantime I started to wonder just how fast food was affecting me and also what else out there was damaging my health.  I had been okay up almost through the 1980s but then that's when things started to spin out of control. I take most of the blame for it initially but then how was I supposed to get off the fast food? Still I looked down my nose at friends who literally ate at McD's three times a day every day.  I knew better, I thought. Still the weight climbed up there.

After marriage, hubby's cooking helped but still there were desserts and now there was more money for more foods. I still hated vegetables and he had to disguise them in other foods often.  I would often only eat corn, green beans or peas.  That was it.

Finally it just got to be too much and  though I Had tried myfitnesspal.com before and lost a few pounds, I had quit but now it appealed to me again.  So I started back in March simply journaliing my food on that website.  Slowly, the weight started to come down even though I was not exercising.  I also began researching how food additives and GMOs can influence a person's health and it started to scare me--everything I ate was either processed beyong recognition or so permeated with chemicals or altered genetically that I began to wonder if there was any food value at all to it.

I am old enough to remember when food was FOOD.  But I have never really been without food that was treated in some way--the vegetables my father grew were sprayed with herbicides several times a summer.  But we also got a lot of our food from our neighbors who raised things like sweet potatoes, tomatoes and sweet corn that was not genetically altered.  Now everything we eat...EVERYTHING...is not meant to nourish us but to help a small number of people in business prosper. 

Why?

Why should I be sacrificing my health so that some faceless businessman or woman can put more money in their off-shore accounts? I have worked my whole life until my last job disappeared into the morass of a declining economy and the chain I was working for was eaten up by a larger shark and closed.  Yet to those faceless people it seems that now that I took my Social Security early (who will hire a 63 year old with bad knees and back? No one. I tried).  that means I am now a leech for taking the benefits that I worked over 40 years to accumulate.

Well I say fuck them!   I am going to be posting whatever information I can find on the web that exposes these monsters for what they are: just pathological users and moneygatherers.

On the up side, I have begun looking at the toxicity that their greed has invaded my home as well and I am slowly converting everything I can over to Shaklee, a 50+ year old company which has always been all natural, no GMOs, non-toxic, green and economical.  This includes my vitamins and other health supplements, my cleaning supplies, my laundry supplies and I will be converting other products as well.   This stuff is safe for YOU, safe for KIDS, safe to use around pets too.  I like Shaklee so much, I became an Independent Shaklee Distributor so I can help YOU get free of all this artificial GARBAGE too.  

So pardon me if between my rants and expose articles, I post some of my favorite Shaklee items or videos/audios from my Feel Better in 31 Days website (see the links).  These are FREE.  Then if there is something in them that interests you or pushes a button about a health question in your life, feel free to contact me and I will research your issue and see if i can make some suggestions for supplementation that can help you. I'm not a medical expert by any means BUT I do have access to a huge network of people I can ASK and see about coming up with some helpful suggestions (ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR).  

So that's my initial rant for this blog...<sigh!> If you liked what you read...or if you hate it, I don't care...leave a comment and I will respond if you need a response.  Remember, check the links on the sidebar to do some research for yourself and the contact form at the bottom right to send me a private note.  I promise I will answer.

And so it goes...

Have a safe and wonderful whatever it is going on in your life.

Katie

P.S. I forgot that since I started back on myfitnesspal in March, I have lost 34 lbs. I have a long way to go but am still going strong, even getting through the usual roadblocks of weekend trips and special events without gaining the weight back.  Exercise is still a problem though because I am also a writer of fantastic fiction and I spend all my spare time on my ass, writing! What's wrong with me? :)  You can see a link to my book The Metatronic Chronicles on the side bar and you can download a free copy from 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6217797-the-metatronic-chronicles