Q. Can anyone taste the difference between organic and regular produce?

I can’t and where I live organic is like twice as much.

A. Bear in mind that most of us have lost much of our finer tasting ability thanks to diets so high in sugar, salt and often laced with ’so-called flavour-enhancing chemicals (like MSG) . Also if you smoke, and/or drink alcohol, and or eat highly spiced food on a regular basis your taste buds may well be less ’sensitive’ than they might be…

Also. no matter if truly organically farmed, or otherwise the ‘flavour’ of vegetables and fruits is more particularly determined by whether or not they have been allowed to ripen properly and naturally. Most supermarket vegetables and fruits are picked ‘early’ and usually well before ripe, they are then often stored for some time, maybe in modified-gas atmospheres to avoid deterioration. But without ’sunshine’ — the key ‘ingredient’ to good ripe, natural flavour, then you won’t have food that tastes as it should.

Much of the supermarket foods are early-picked, the force-ripened in special warehousing. They just don’t see the sun enough to develop good flavour. This is why veggies and fruits bought from local markets and roadside farm stalls, when travelling on the sunnier parts of the continent in Europe often have a world of different real flavour than what you’ll buy in your weekly shopping in the UK.

But really although in some cases there may be quite evident taste differences for some types of food when comparing ‘organic’ and ‘modern farmed’ foods (strawberries and tomatoes already mention might be reasonable examples) it is NOT the taste difference that really matters.

Organic foods should be produced using no synthetic (i.e. unnatural) chemicals in any part of the agricultural process (be they vegetable or meat products). That means no synthetic chemicals should be used in fertilizers, feeds, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, and no unnecessary use of antibiotics, and NO growth-promoters or chemical treatments applied to livestock.

The fact is that whilst washing foods ‘might’ have a minor impact in removing surface dirt and ’some’ chemical contamination, that the MAJORITY of chemicals used in ‘modern farming’ used to spray crops, for example NOT ONLY are made to adhere such that hard rain cannot simply wash them off (so a pathetic swill under a tap will do VERY little!) BUT they ALSO actually ‘contaminate’ foods at a cellular level (meaning the chemicals adulterate the whole food as it grows, not just the skins!)… So simply washing the surface DOES NOT make food safe and clean!

Only by buying good reputable organically grown produce can you truly reduce your steady oral intake of toxic synthetic chemicals.

Sadly a combination of supermarket ‘profiteering’ from the ‘organic trend’, and a consumer expectation/acceptance that it will ‘cost more’, leads to the higher prices along with the fact that the quantity of organic produce is still relatively small compared with the massive ‘traditional chemical-based farming’… and as we all know that cost is driven down with quantity produced.

The economic Law of demand Supply and Demand, so far, also leads to organic food coming at a premium because supply is still small relative to increasing demand — Supermarket profiteering makes sure to ‘top this off’ and boosts their bottom line by taking more out of ‘conscious organic eaters’ pockets, too!

It is a catch-22 because until we ALL demand that ALL our food is organic and refuse to buy non-organic, making it ‘un-commercial’ for farmer to keep using chemistry-based farming practices, we can expect to have to pay a premium to eat more naturally, more healthily and more safely… And remember that ORGANIC farming also reduces the negative toxic impact on the earth and countryside that ‘traditional modern farming’ tends to create…(in reality ‘organic’ foods should be subsidised so ALL consumers — especially the less well off — can afford to eat healthier food, and other forms of growing should be fiscally ‘penalized’ for the ‘toll’ they take on earth and body! But there is little hope of that happening any day soon!)

In a nutshell — buying Organic food goes far beyond taste… and unless you give up all those habits that ‘numb’ and ‘overwhelm’ your taste buds, its unlikely that taste will be the deciding factor in buying organic. (The counterpoint to this is that IF you DO give up all pre-prepared and processed foods, and hence avoid food with added salt, sugars and flavour-enhancers — such as MSG Monosodiumglutamate — you will eventually, most likely, start to ‘taste’ your food for REAL again! Then you may more easily discern the difference in flavour between some organic and non-organic fare)…

But overall: Buying organic is a conscious, ethical, moral and philosophical choice that is about protecting your long-term health and well-being, and that of the terrain from which our food comes, too. The benefits of this choice far outweigh any small flavour advantage any day!

Also see:  Go Natural and Organic http://www.gonando.com

Almost half a year has vanished and it’s hard to credit that I haven’t managed to post anything for so long, so by way of redress, and whilst there is still time … so…

Even before the publication of Dante’s Inferno I guess the concept of the Devil, or Satan, living in the underworld — notionally somewhere deep in the bowels of the earth in a fiery pit of damnation, redolent with brimstone and sulphur (sulfur) — is an image that seems have been known to all.

It is of course apparently true that the Earth’s core is a molten mass and, every now and then, evidence of the extreme molten nature of our planet makes itself apparent in the form of volcanic activity.

Recently ash plumes emerging from an intermittently active Icelandic volcano made regular media headlines and disrupted flights across Europe for several days amidst the fears of fine glass-like splinters in the volcanic ash undermining the technological integrity of jet engines.

This unusual event — having caused millions of dollars/pounds sterling of losses and refunds for the airlines — had barely faded from the news than another event of disturbing proportions came to the fore. You’ll know what it is no doubt — although it is clear that just how much you may know about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will very much depend on the news and the Internet — and you may have only a fraction of the picture of what could yet prove to be a truly monumental disaster, greater than anything ever seen by ‘modern man’.

There is enough evidence to show that BP and the US Government have worked assiduously to reduce the amount of detailed media coverage of this event, so far. But if some of the possible (and even very likely) developments of this situation occur in coming weeks, or months, then it will no longer be a story that can be ‘contained’.

Some sources are talking of enormous reservoirs of highly explosive, and toxic, methane gas that could burst through to the surface. Such gas would defeat the buoyancy of water causing craft and oil rigs to sink across a wide area of ocean; the gas then carried on the wind could lead along with other toxic substances to un-guessable ill-health repercussions if carried inland. Unless the gas bubble ignites and creates a massive explosion that triggers a tremendous and devastating Tsunami, with every possibility of flooding most of Florida (being, as it is, mostly barely 6 inches above sea level) and more.

It is also being suggested that the potential quantities of oil and silt in the longer term (or, more suddenly, as the result of one almighty catastrophic explosive event) that could be released into the sea might literally turn the Gulf of Mexico into an ocean of sticky, brown slime, decimating the eco-system for years, wreaking untold damage and ruination upon many areas land and sea — destroying innumerable peoples’ health, livelihoods and homes.

At this moment in time, the scenario is one of great uncertainty, almost incalculable ecological calamity and potentially could become unbelievably worse. Yet most folks are simply going about their business without paying much heed to this drama… Rather, that ‘weapon of mass distraction’ the Football World Cup is creating more emotional response than an event that some (more extreme prognosticators) suggest could even spell the beginning of the end for humanity…

What is unquestionable is that this event should be enough to persuade the masses that it is past the time to eschew oil and petroleum as the fuel source of choice, particularly where it is so widely employed, in the developed world…

If the Gulf Oil Spill does not prove to raise public awareness of the risks that Corporate entities are running that could affect us all, and could threaten the health, wellbeing and even the survival of mankind — then we can all be accused of so many ‘Neroes’… simply fiddling (with the TV control, more than likely) whilst the Globe, rather than just Rome, potentially burns…

The oozing mass of oil and silt, along with toxic gases — being propelled at the speed of sound, under pressures as high as 100 pounds per square inch up the 5 mile channel drilled down by BP to tap the reservoir known as ‘Thunder Horse’, in full knowledge of such potential risks by this petro-chemical giant putting profit before safety — sounds indeed like the very contents of Hell itself let loose on the surface of the Earth!

Half a world away — another major oil company whose name is a simple anagram of ‘Hells’ — is creating another scene of damnation and destroying the environment without care of consideration, leaving oil-slick pollution thick along the Niger Delta to the terrible detriment of the already impoverished local people. This long-term activity of the Shell Oil Company (as if you had not guessed!) has of course received little mainstream media exposure as it does not directly threaten the US, or other the privileged citizens of developed countries… As ever such are the atrocious dual standards betrayed by so-called ‘civilized’ society!

One can only surmise that, even now, there will yet be few volunteers who immediately stop using their combustion-engine driven vehicles; few who will boycott the major oil concerns and refuse to buy petroleum, oil and related products or use any such derivatives (such as plastics!); few shareholders who will be willing to dump their ‘investments’ in disgust at the actions of such immoral entities (at least not before they get their dividends!).

Perhaps it will take the appearance of Lucifer himself — complaining about the waning fires of his Inferno, thanks to the pilfering of his fuel — before some folks will tear themselves away from watching 22 ludicrously-overpaid sporting-prima-donnas kicking a ball around for 90 minutes, or absorbed by some equally piffling media distraction, and begin to take notice of what is happening to the world around them?

…But then again the great oil disaster may be no surprise to the ‘Lord of Darkness’ for, perhaps, Satan himself may already be running the oil companies (along with Big Pharma, and Agro-Chemical giants… amongst others), and this whole Gulf Oil Spill is simply the way he has chosen to begin to unleash Hell on Earth as we approach that supposedly fateful date in 2012 when some are expecting the world to end!

Q: What to eat for breakfast if I need to lose weight?

I am trying to lose weight by eating less and eating better foods. What do you suggest I eat for breakfast in the mornings so that I can drop a few pounds? I’ve got dinner and lunches down, just not breakfast foods yet.

A: Maybe challenging some conventional wisdom but if you want to lose weight and have a healthy positive start to the day:

1) Completely Ignore the spurious clap-trap masquerading as news about eating a big grilled sausage, bacon, egg and tomato breakfast spewed forth from a hideously mis-informed so called ‘nutritionist’ as reported from Sky News (!!!) and in retold Yahoo news today:
Yahoo “News”
This is UTTER UNMITIGATED CLAPTRAP — and totally confusing for anyone who is trying to eat more healthily

2) Recognize what your body needs after 7 to 8 hours of enforced ‘fasting’ (i.e. while asleep) — namely:
a) Hydration
b) The reduction of any acidity (due to the continuance of digestive processes, and the effects of water loss overnight)
c) Nourishment — meaning some quickly transformed, but lasting energy source in the form of more complex carbohydrates

Bear in mind also that ’sugars’ should be avoided as they are both acidifying and burn too quickly…this means avoid using actual sugars (such as on cereals — and IF you do choose to eat cereals use only those with no added sugar — oats for example are a good choice)

This also means avoiding too much sweet fruit as they are simply alternative sugar sources and little better than a candy bar (or so-called ‘breakfast bars’ most of which are simply profit-making sugar sicks that should be shunned a all times).

Ideally you should therefore try to eat food which provide some complex carbs, some mineral nutrients, some water, and some alkalizing effects.

An ideal start to the day would therefore be:
i) A half pint of good quality mineral water (or home distilled water) within a few minutes of waking.
ii) After a refreshing wash (i.e. not too soon after the water)– a good sized plateful of cucumber and tomatoes (and a generous sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley, plus some mild sweet salad onions IF you aren’t going to work in close proximity with clients for a couple of hours! Onions are a good source of flavonoids which are not only anti-cancer but also are known to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-allergenic and anti-inflammatory), generously dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, an seasoned with naturally iodine and mineral rich sea salt, and a little black pepper (or a milder chilli pepper — like pimenton picante; or sweet pimenton dulce — if you like it).

You could alternatively make these same ingredients into a superb ’smoothie’ (some might call it Gazpacho!) along with a couple of small cloves of fresh garlic for its additional anti-viral and blood cleansing properties.

If you still crave some further substance a slice of wholemeal spelt (a lower gluten wheatflour alternative) soda bread (i.e. NO yeast!) which is VERY easy to make at home, or a couple of organic rice cakes, would be OK topped with EV olive oil…or even a smear of butter wouldn’t be out of the question on occasions!

This is a TRULY health start to the day that will support your system in many ways and contribute to your weight loss goals. Ignore all else Good luck!

More useful tips at http://www.GoNaturalandOrganic.com

The question was:

Is there anything that I can do to prevent bags under my eyes?

We suggested:
Some folks are more prone than others — look at family members! But you can rejuvenate and tighten the skin using a great natural, organic serum that I have found just brilliant:
https://saferalternative.mionegroup.com/…

Facial exercise can also help a lot - you need to persist and get over the fact that you look like an idiot in the mirror - but after about 12 weeks you see amazing differences:
Here - its worth a look for the info and it does begin to have initial effects quite quickly:
http://locatereviews.com/1132079263

Keeping skin plump — as implied by another contributor is also important - as we age we drop from around 80% water to about 60% — in a slow process of dehydration…so effort is required to keep well hydrated which not only keeps skin cells plump and full, but also flushes toxins out of the body that can otherwise exacerbate the signs of aging. You should drink about 2 to 3 liters of good quality mineral water a day (steadily and regularly - about half liter an hour or so). You will pee a lot to start with but as your body adjusts this will reduce and you’ll be AMAZED at how much fresher and more vital you feel.

Also adopting a generally more alkaline diet can help — eat plenty of green veges. Eat more raw veges. Reduce sugar, reduce white flour products, yeast products and dairy products. Only eat moderate amounts of meat (if you eat meat at all) and avoid processed foods whenever possible.

That’s a bit of a nutshell — but it will all help to keep you looking a feeling fitter, younger and healthier: for a fuller explanation see also: Boost Immune System

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A quick Yahoo Answer…about a topic that is often misunderstood:

“Does cardio result in burning fat or calories?
i’m confused, help please, thank you!”

Both - a gram of fat has 9 kilo calories (commonly referred to as 9 calories) therefore burn 9 kcal through vigorous exercise and you burn a gram of fat!

In fact ANY type of exercise burns (causes the body to use energy) calories, as calories are a measurement of energy (the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one cc of water by 1degree C)…

Many/most foods contain ‘calorific values’ (that is to say contain potential calories of energy) that is why if you BURN more energy than you consume, you will lose weight. Because, once your food reserves have been burnt, the body draws on it reserves of fat…

Food that is consumed in excess to daily energy requirements is ’stored’ as fat (that is to say other constituents like carbohydrate and even protein are converted to fat for storage if not used) around the body, because it is a more ‘concentrated form’ of calorie storage. These resources can then be drawn on in times of need.

Sadly in Western developed countries we hardly ever experience a time of ‘real need’ unless we enforce it on ourselves…therefore we just keep getting FATTER!!

B.T.W.: The point of ‘cardio’ is that it means that your heart rate is up, meaning that it is working your heart muscles, hence good for your heart health.

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A recent Yahoo Answers submission about constipation and IBS that we posted. This is a health issue that affect millions in the ‘developed world’ — so perhaps a good one to start with:

How do I help my niece? (I am her guardian.) She has recently been diagnosed with severe and permanent irritable bowel syndrome. This means that often she has diarrhea or constipation. She is eight years old so she is perfectly potty trained. When she is constipated, the doctor told me to help her by “forcing” her bowels to work without medicine or laxatives or any sort or adding more fiber to her diet, because her condition is not dietary. I have been told that this can be done by pushing on her feet or having her poop in a hole, where she can squat. How can I help her?

Simply can’t believe that for a youngster they (the medical profession, that is!) haven’t come up with something better! The ’system’ (well, modern medicine in general!) is terrible when it comes to such diagnoses — I went through YEARS of tests, more tests, & even more tests…only to get the same IBS ‘umbrella every time…Which of course means “don’t really know what the problem is” diagnosis in the end…

In fact I now know through my only research and resolutions of most of my problems that there were probably several causative factors…

For starters: MOST folks on a typical Western Diet end up with a chronically impaired digestive system.

Getting your ‘gut health’ right is a key step towards seeing improvements in IBS symptoms (as well as in general health and wellbeing) for many people. If stats are to be believed up to 80% of all folks consuming a typical Western diet (that’s most of us in the UK and the US for starters!) are likely to have compromised intestinal health. This is for many reasons, mostly to do with lifestyle, food choices, and eating habits.

We can therefore end up with 80% ‘bad’ bacteria/20% ‘good’ (helpful/needed) bacteria in the gut — whereas the opposite proportions are said to be necessary for good digestion, and consequent better health.

One way to start moving things in a positive direction is to try and introduce some ‘good’ bacteria into the diet by using a probiotic supplement. My personal favorite is an all-naturally produced probiotic product that is grown from organic plant sources (NOT fecal matter like some products use!). It contains the whole range of lactic acid bacteria, reckoned to be the most effective and appropriate micro-organisms tough enough to get through the stomach acids to where they are needed in the intestines. You can read more at the link below — and there are useful articles on site too. Works out to cost about £1 a day (so not exactly cheap…BUT I can say hand-on-heart it seems to have made a radical difference not only for me but many others with long tern so called ‘permanent’ IBS). Also once things get better you may just supplement the diet say every two or three days:
https://saferalternative.mionegroup.com/

Further explanation about probiotics and details about need for probiotic support here:
http://www.gonando.com/probiotics.html
and here
http://www.gonando.com/super-supplements

The other things to consider is trying to move anyone, child or adult, with problems like this onto a more ‘alkaline diet’. This may be difficult depending on how much of a fussy eater a child (or indeed an adult) is. But the pay-off can be well worth it in terms of impact on long term health. It would take too long to explain how and why this has proven so good for so many — including many children — but the video (split into 7 easily manageable chunks! ;-)) of a presentation by world-leading expert, and proponent of alkalization, Dr Robert O Young, is here, along with a helpful list of alkaline foods: http://www.gonando.com/alkaline-foods.html

With full details in his book here:
http://astore.amazon.com/usastore1-20/

I’d really like to know how you/she gets on — if you try any of these ideas. I also really hope it helps. I cannot tell you how much these strategies have improved a situation for myself that I had thought was a life sentence! Hope they may help your niece too.
(N.B. - I should mention that the problem of alternate constipation/diarrhea can actually turn out to be ‘one’ issue — constipation. Odd though it seems, the apparent diarrhea can simply be a symptom suffering that stems from from retention of impacted faeces, and consequent evacuation of only the liquid part of the stool. The hard, impacted mass can remain for ages in the gut, when it suffers low motility, and this process only makes matters worse. The probiotic should gradually work its magic, as gut flora improves. But it is good NOT to use laxatives as this causes unnatural evacuation that can end up with a see-saw effect and making constipation worse overall. Plus it IS important that she is well hydrated, which means encouraging her to drink plenty of good, clean water, every day (preferably mineral water, or even home distilled water). BUT Avoid pop/colas, tea, coffee (guess she doesn’t do these anyway, but the diuretic effect due to caffeine can encourage dehydration). Good hydration is important to properly formed/textured stools. A moist stool is easier to pass than a hard compacted one.
Just wanted to add those thoughts. Good luck.)

More Yahoo Answers posts will be added here from time to time, as and when considered relevant to the topics of family health or mind, body and spirit, in order to try and make sure these ‘nuggets’ of wisdom don’t simply get compacted in Yahoo’s virtual ‘pipes’!

If you haven’t heard why you should be making efforts to alkalize your diet then here is a great chance to get an insight to the many health benefits from probably the world’s foremost proponent of Alkalizing for health - Dr Rob O Young.

There are a series of videos here of Dr Young giving a keynote presentation — some fascinating and compelling evidence for making changes to your diet sooner rather than later…

Free Alkalizing for Health Videos

As an added bonus you’ll also find a list of alkaline foods so that you can begin planning them into your diet as soon as possible.

You should also take a closer look at Dr Young’s authored works (sometimes along with co-author Shelley Redford Young, his wife). Some of his best books include:
pH Miracle for Health
pH Miracle for Diabetes
pH Miracle for Weight Loss
Sick and Tired (an in depth study with evidence that could blow your mind!)

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