Top Scientists list the seven foods that they would never eat.

Check it out.

http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/12/06/7-foods-you-should-never-eat/

Over 25% of our children and teenagers are being medicated.

Among children 9 years old or younger, there are over 45 million prescriptions

for asthma medications, 7 million ADD/ADHD prescriptions, and over a million for

anti-depressants.  There were over 1.8 million prescriptions for anti-hypertension meds for kids

and even more disturbing is that nearly 7% of our children are receiving long-term treatment

with two or more drugs. Most, if not all of these drugs have been studied exclusively in adults.

Additionally, children may have difficulties describing side-effects or problems that they may

be experiencing as a result of the medications.

Our pediatric population is becoming increasingly sicker and sicker at younger ages.

Unless this trend reverses our unhealthy children will become even unhealthier adults.

Matthews AW. So young and so many pills. Wall Street Journal Dec.28th 2010

Do you know what you are eating?

Percentage of GMO crops in USA:

Soy 93%

Corn 86%

Cotton 93%

Canola 90%

Avoid the above foods unless they are labeled organic or non-GMO

Animal Studies:

Animals will avoid GM feed when given a choice

Chickens fed GM corn died at twice the rate of non-GM feed

In rats fed GM potatoes for as little as ten days developed

pre-cancerous lesions in their G.I. tract, had smaller brains, livers

and testicles, liver atrophy and immune system damage.

GMO Foods- Not only have higher levels of allergens but contain lower levels of protein, 

fatty acids, essential amino acids and phytoestrogens

Soon after GM soy was introduced in the UK  Soy allergies increased by 50%

Current challenges associated with GM foods:

No human clinical trials

No post-marketing surveillance

Approvals based on industry studies and untested assumptions

GM foods lead to higher pesticide residues that directly affect human health

Got an iphone ?- look for the app - ShopNoGMO

Check out- www.NonGMOshopppinguide.com

Here's the most recent list of various foods and their pesticide contents.

The Dirty Dozen

Highest in Pesticides - Buy these organic

Celery   Peaches   Strawberries   Apples    Blueberries    Nectarines    Bell Peppers   Spinach   Cherries   Kale/Collard Greens   Potatoes   Grapes

The Clean 15

Lowest in Pesticides

Onions   Avocados   Sweet Corn  Pineapples   Mangoes   Sweet Peas   Asparagus   Kiwis   Eggplant   Cantaloupe   Watermelon  Grapefruit   Sweet Potato  Honeydew

Source : www.foodnews.org

In a recent publication of Naturopathic Doctor News and Review there was an excellent

article on the relationship of food to mood. Here's some helpful hints:

1. Mitigate Stress by eating every 3-4 hours.

2. Make better choices but don't beat yourself up for making mistakes.

3. Avoid all carbohydrate meals.

4. Start a meal with a soup or salad

5. Fiber is filling- Sugar is killing.

6. Eat some protein at every meal and snack

7. Eat Vegetables- never skip the greens

8.Good fats are filling and reduce cholesterol and improve mood

Here's some information on Vitamin D from a recent peer reviewed article.

Normal lab values for vitamin D range from 30 -100, but optimal values are over 50.

Auto Immune Disease and Vit.D

The autoimmune diseases rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythrematosus (SLE) both are associated with vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of fracture. The glucocorticoid drugs that are frequently used to treat these diseases add further to the risk of fracture, especially when their use is continued beyond 3 months. Such patients should be closely monitored and their vitamin D status adjusted as required.

Higher vitamin D intake is associated with a decreased incidence of RA. Among SLE patients the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is as high as 67 percent. In these patients, renal disease, photosensitivity, and African American race are strong predictors of low 25D levels (<10 ng/mL). Physicians should consider checking 25D status frequently in these patients, especially in those with osteoporosis or other risk factors for falls.

Cardiovascular Disease and Vit. D

Epidemiological studies suggest vitamin D insufficiency is associated with higher risk for hypertension, and that patients with hypertension and low 25D levels have higher risk for adverse cardiovascular events.

In adults, low circulating 25D  levels correlate with congestive heart failure. Vitamin D insufficiency has been correlated with greater mortality from cardiovascular disease, and from stroke.

Nutrient/Drug Interactions

Long-term therapy with antiepileptic drugs such as phenobarbital, phenytoin and carbamazepine, or the antimicrobial agent rifampicin, can cause the metabolic bone disease osteomalacia due to decreased Vit. D status.

Food Sources

Few foods contribute substantial vitamin D to the diet. Oily fish lead the list, including (roughly in the order of highest to lowest D3 content) catfish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and eel, followed by eggs, beef liver (cooked), and fish liver oils such as cod liver oil, butter, red meat, and liver. A 100-gram snack of cooked salmon could provide 360 IU, but should preferably be from wild caught fish since farmed salmon can contain as little as one-quarter the vitamin D of the wild fish. Mushrooms are the only substantial vegan source of vitamin D, as D2/ergocalciferol.

ADD and ADHD medications raise a lot of concerns when given to our children.

Many of them carry a "black box" warning from the FDA  because of their dangerous side-effects and toxicity. Here's what a recent study from the Netherlands found out:

"The Lancet study suggests that with a very restrictive diet, kids with ADHD could experience a significant reduction in symptoms.

"ADHD, it's just a couple of symptoms — it's not a disease," the Dutch researcher tells All Things Considered weekend host Guy Raz.

The way we think about — and treat — these behaviors is wrong, Pelsser says. "There is a paradigm shift needed.

If a child is diagnosed ADHD, we should say, 'OK, we have got those symptoms, now let's start looking for a cause.' "

Pelsser compares ADHD to eczema. "The skin is affected, but a lot of people get eczema because of a latex allergy or because they are eating a pineapple or strawberries."

According to Pelsser, 64 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD are actually experiencing a hypersensitivity to food.