Natural:   Standards for using this label are in place only for meat and poultry products.  USDA guidelines state that products labeled “natural” must be minimally processed (meaning the product was processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product) and cannot contain artificial colors, preservatives, or other artificial ingredients.  For products other than meat and poultry, this label can pretty much be used by anyone.  Just because the product is labeled “natural” does not mean it is good for you!

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism), GE (Genetically Engineered) GM (Genetically Modified): All of these labels mean the organism was altered in a way that would not naturally occur.  In other words, outside of God’s creation.  Modern genetic engineering techniques alter these organisms using DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals.  For an in-depth look at this subject please visit www.ResponsibileTechnology.org.  As a health coach, I highly recommend staying away from GMO foods! 

Non-GMO: “Non-GMO” and “GMO-Free” are not necessarily the same thing.  Confusing, right?  This is actually a very complex issue. GMOs can be introduced to a product through cross-contamination in processing, and some processing makes detecting GMOs very difficult.  Therefore, the Non-GMO Verified label is helpful to all food source sleuths.  This label is only on products that have “gone through a rigorous verification program to minimize the risk of GMO contamination, giving you the best assurance they are non-GMO”.  For more information visit www.nongmoproject.org.

Until federal standards are put in place regulating the use of the terms “Non-GMO” and “GMO- Free” by manufactures, consumers will not be able to compare products by these labels only.

 Organic:  The guidelines for a food to be labeled “Organic” include:

• The product must be produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and sewage sludge.
• The use of GMOs and irradiation is prohibited.
• Outdoor access and pasture for livestock must be provided.
• Farmers must refrain from antibiotic and hormone use in animals.
• 100% Organic feed must be used.

But is the USDA Organic seal the best we can do?  Some farmers say NO!  As an example, many tomatoes we see in our grocery stores are grown without soil by exposing the roots to a mineral nutrient solution in water.  This is called hydroponic gardening.  Would you consider this organic? 

Here are a few more labels that can cause confusion:

Cage-free:  This label just means animals were raised without cages.  This doesn’t mean they were raised outdoors on the pasture or if they were raised in overcrowded conditions.

Free-range:  This term is defined for egg and poultry production.  This label can be used as long as the birds have access to the outdoors.  It does not necessarily mean the birds actually GO outside, nor does it mean that the product is cruelty-free or antibiotic-free.  And most claims for “Free-range” are not actually verified by third-party inspectors.

Pasture-raised:  This indicates the animal was raised on a pasture in a traditional farming technique.  Animals raised in this way can carry out their natural behaviors and move around freely. 

Grass-Fed, meaning the animal was fed grass rather than grain, animal by-products, candy, synthetic hormones, or antibiotics. This does not mean it was pasture-raised.  And for the healthiest choice look for Grass-Finished, which means they were not shipped off to a feed lot to fatten up prior to slaughter.  I know, you would think that grass fed means it was always grass fed, but sadly, not so.

To make more sense out of the current farming methods, the Real Organic Project plans to design a new label to go one step above the USDA’s “Certified Organic” label.  This label will distinguish the traditional methods of farming which uses soil, has animal welfare regulations in place, and is sustainable by improving soil fertility for future generations.  Please visit www.RealOrganicProject.org to learn more about this organization and its mission on “Feed the Soil, Feed the Planet”.

Food labels can be confusing!  But I am very thankful to know where my food comes from and how it is handled before it gets to the market.   Your voice is important for our food supply too!  I encourage you to visit some of the above websites and get involved.  Simply sharing this information with your family and friends will help spread the truth about farming practices.  Together we can be a voice to make our food supply healthier for all of us!  God Bless!

Kristin

The post Be a Food Detective appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

Pure, clean, God created food doesn’t come with a label.  When we start messing with it however, the FDA gets involved and requires an ingredient list.  I’m thankful for that!  However, I’m not thankful that the FDA allows a lot of toxic junk in our food that has been connected to disease and even death.  If you are reading this outside of the USA, you may be in much better shape than we are, since many of the ingredients in our food may have been banned in your country.  Let’s break down the offending categories.

1. Preservatives.  Preservatives kill bacteria.  That’s why they are added to food on our grocery store shelves.  Their purpose is to extend shelf-life.  The problem is, our bodies are made up of more bacteria (good) than cells.  We are in fact, walking bacteria!  So what happens when we ingest bacteria killing preservatives?  Exactly. We are killing our selves.  Sounds logical, right?  Preservatives are the long words that are hard to pronounce.  If you were to try to replicate the recipe in your kitchen, and you don’t have a bottle of it in your kitchen, it’s a “No buy.”  An imbalance of good to bad bacteria in your body affects your hormones, which affects your sleep and your energy.
2. Artificial Anything.  Artificial means it’s created with chemicals.  In this case, chemicals that don’t belong in a human body.  Chemicals that don’t belong in your body are foreign invaders that send your body into high alert.  This creates inflammation, and inflammation has been found to be the root of disease.  When your body is on attack, it doesn’t want to sleep, and self survival comes before creating sustainable energy.
3. Glutamates…also known as Excitotoxins.  Similar to artificial ingredients, these flavor enhancers are created in chemistry labs to create cravings and addictions to processed foods.  The role of these additives is to play with your brain!  They are toxic…sometimes even more so than artificial ingredients.  However, they are allowed to sound healthy, like “Natural Flavors.”  Do you have a jar of  “Natural Flavors” in your cupboard? No?  It’s a “No Buy.” For a listing, and a deeper explanation, Dr. Russell Blaylock’s article is excellent.
4. Added Sugar.  When the low fat fad began a couple decades ago (funded by the sugar industry) sugar, along with all of the above mentioned fake ingredients, started to be added to virtually everything.  The result?  An increase in obesity and Diabetes.  Know your names of sugar…it goes by many aliases.  You cannot count on the numbers listed under Nutrition Facts, because they are typically in-accurate.  Make sure you read the ingredient label.  Sugar throws off your hormones, causes sleep disruption and shuts down your own energy production.  This includes alcohol. 
5. Fats.  Related to the low fat fad mentioned above, once traditional fats became the villain,  poor quality plant based fats started being produced.  These include Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, Soybean Oil, etc.  Remember when people thought that Crisco and Margarine were good healthy alternatives?  We know now that this was false.  And yet…they are still on grocery store shelves.  You want good fats in your diet, such as Olive Oil, Avocados, Walnuts, Coconut Oil, etc.  Dr. Mark Hyman speaks to this subject very well, and his information will help guide you deeper.  Again, bad fats equal inflammation. Inflammation leads to disease.  This means that sleep and energy will be affected.
6. GMO’s.  The purpose behind genetically modified food is to yield larger crops by making the plants hardier.  Sounds good, right?  Problem is, the way they are made to be hardier is to enable them to be sprayed with toxic chemicals that kill all of the weeds around them, but they keep living.  This seems scary doesn’t it?  The dandelion is dead, but the corn stock lives on.  These products are bred with the toxins in their DNA so to speak.  That ends up in you.  Whether it’s directly from the plant, or the meat or dairy from the animal that was fed the plant. Despite claims by the chemical companies to the contrary…they are finding these toxins in people during autopsies.  This spells our word of the day….INFLAMMATION.  Your body is smart.  It knows that this stuff doesn’t belong in it.  This is a good site for reference.  However, here is my rule of thumb.  Did God create it that way?  No?  Then it doesn’t belong in my body.
7.  Organic.  Yes, I know it can be expensive, but don’t let this discourage you.  First, if you are on a budget, go to the EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen list.  Make sure you buy the Dirty Dozen in organic, and for the rest, soak or spray with a mixture of 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water.  This will get rid of 98% of the pesticides on the outside of the produce.  Pesticides and insecticides in your body spell… (I know you’ve got this)

So, here’s the easy solution.  Strive to just by products that don’t have labels on them, and are sold as God created them.  Add 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of clean, pure, filtered water (which doesn’t leave much time to drink pop, juice, beer and other extracurricular beverages,) and you are well on your way to reducing inflammation, disease, shedding weight, getting a good nights sleep and allowing your body to create it’s own energy.

Dehydration creates fatigue

Stay tuned next week for…

Exercise

The post Step Two to Increased Energy – Food appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.

The Kitchen Test is a good rule of thumb for eating clean. 

First, eat organic produce and animal products as often as possible. 

Second, if the product you are buying has a label, ask yourself if you can replicate it at home.  Most people don’t have jars of preservatives or containers of “natural flavors,” “carrageenan,” or “caramel coloring” at home.  Make sure that every ingredient is something that you can buy and use to make your own from scratch.  You will be surprised how easy this makes shopping for wholesome food.

And here is the photo I was trying to share!

The post Eating Clean with Jordan Rubin appeared first on Holistic Christian Life.