This food safety bill proposes REAL safety for our food supply. The contamination and cross-pollination of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will destroy our food supply if something isn’t done. Following is a press release concerning the bill:

Washington, Dec 9 Press Release

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today announced commonsense legislation that would prohibit open-air cultivation of Genetically Engineered (GE) pharmaceutical and industrial crops, preventing biological contamination of our food supply. The bill would also establish a tracking system to regulate and ensure the safety of GE pharmaceutical and industrial crops.

“We must take steps to prevent genetically engineered organisms from being grown in a way that could do irreversible damage to our food supply. Under pressure from profit-minded industry, we have already allowed the spread of genetically modified crops into our agriculture at great cost to our economy and with unknown effects on our bodies,” said Kucinich.

This little girl doesn’t know unless corn is listed as “organic” it’s a GMO.

The Department of Agriculture has allowed more than 300 outdoor field trials of plants—including feed crops including corn, soybeans, rice, safflower, barley, alfalfa, mustard greens, peas, sugarcane, tomatoes, and wheat—which are genetically engineered to produce experimental pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes and novel proteins. Those GE substances are not intended to be incorporated into food or to be spread into the environment or our food supply. Yet there are examples of such contamination, with enormously destructive consequences.

“Many Americans are unaware that crops that are genetically engineered to produce experimental pharmaceutical drugs are being grown in this country in the open, allowing them to contaminate conventional crops without detection. We cannot rely on industry to prevent the unintended spread of genetically engineered organisms,” said Kucinich.

H.R. 3554, The Genetically Engineered Safety Act, which would prohibit the open-air cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) pharmaceutical and industrial crops. The bill would prohibit the use of common human food or animal feed as the host plant for a genetically engineered pharmaceutical or industrial chemical. H.R. 3554 would also establish a tracking system to regulate the growing, handling, transportation, and disposal of pharmaceutical and industrial crops protect native ecosystems and traditional farms from the unstudied dangers of growing GE organisms. The legislation is part of a package of bills introduced by Kucinich, which includes H.R. 3553, the GE Right to Know Act.

“We have taken few steps to ensure that our own genetic experiments are kept in check. This commonsense legislation would simply ensure that our experimentation with genetic engineering and cloning do not disrupt our traditional food supply. When you are talking about the safety and stability of the food supply, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Kucinich.

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For the last 30 years, our Thanksgivings have been as natural (chemical free) as possible. Most Thanksgiving dinners are loaded with ingredients the Pilgrims never heard of: High Fructose Corn Syrup, MSG, artificial colors and flavors, polysorbate 60, sodium caseinate, and transfat. These ingredients are so commonplace today, that for many Thanksgiving wouldn’t be Thanksgiving with them.

I was motivated all those years ago to eliminate chemicals from our Thanksgiving feast, because our four-year-old daughter, Jenny, reacted to the additives and sugars in processed foods. Today, there are over 3,000 additives in our food supply, we have Genetically Modified Foods (GMO), and sugar is paramount. In fact, we now have a new sugar: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

Savannah and Ashlyn are determined to help their mom make their Thanksgiving healthy and yummy.

According to a USDA’ report, about one-quarter of the calories consumed by the average American is in the form of added sugars; the majority comes from high fructose corn syrup. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar.

Making your Thanksgiving healthier really isn’t as difficult as you might first think. Purchase a turkey with the nutrition label listing only one ingredient: turkey. Save money and make your own stuffing with leftover whole wheat bread. Instead of soda pop, containing HFCS, for the kids, offer sparkling apple juice. Don’t use box mixes or canned vegetables, like sweet potatoes.

I’d like to know who came up with “candied sweet potatoes.” Aren’t sweet potatoes, well, sweet, without marshmallows? Did you know that marshmallows are really sugar-mallows, because they no longer contain any marshmallow root. Marshmallows are made from sugar, primarily corn syrup, water and gelatin.

I suggest regulating sugar in all its forms to dessert. Delete it from the main course. And, totally eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from your Thanksgiving meal altogether.

Many of the dishes we serve during the Thanksgiving meal are loaded with sugar. Why aren’t they considered dessert? This is beyond me! Jello “salad” is one that stands out. Jello is made with only five ingredients: water, gelatin, sugar, and artificial colors and flavors. This doesn’t sound much like a “salad” to me.

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving perennial. They say there is always an exception to the rule. This is my exception for sugar during Thanksgiving dinner. Cranberries by their very nature are tart. I always purchase cranberries in the produce department and cook them with less sugar than is suggested in the directions. Some make their cranberry sauce with apple juice instead of sugar, but I haven’t been able to find the right combination that suits our family.

Pre-made, whipped toppings, like Cool Whip, are primarily air, sugar and transfat. Make your own whipped topping with real whipping cream. Not only will it taste better, it’s better for you. Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut (this is the transfat) and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene.

A natural Thanksgiving begins with having yummy, healthy recipes and then purchasing whole foods. Now’s the time to do a little planning. Read labels and find products free from sugar and artificial ingredients. Take a close look at the ingredients in your favorite recipes and make healthy substitutions. Finally, keep sugar regulated to dessert.

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Supporters of organic foods have petitioned the US government for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

This is from Just Label It:
“Genetically engineered (GE) foods, also referred to as genetically modified, or GMOs, are those that are altered at the molecular level in ways that could not happen naturally. This means plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs. These techniques use DNA molecules from different sources, sometimes different species, and combine them into one molecule to create a new set of genes (e.g. mixing of flounder genes into tomatoes so the tomatoes would be resistant to cold temperatures.)”

The FDA determined that GE Foods were “substantially equivalent” to conventionally produced foods, so there was no material difference – and no labeling was required.

Haley shows off a giant carrot grown in her garden.

Is There NO Difference?
After almost 20 years, this policy is still in effect today. In fact, between 60 and 70 percent of processed foods available in the U.S. grocery stores contain some GE material.

Despite the fact that GE crops have yet to deliver on promises of increased yield, drought tolerance, better nutrient use efficiency or reduced need for pesticides, while credible health concerns linger. In addition, many children have developed life-threatening allergies to GMO foods. Foreign genes can disrupt human DNA. Gut problems may develop in people who regularly eat GMOs.

Label GEs
“The absence of mandatory labeling disclosures for genetically engineered foods is misleading to consumers,” says a 25-page legal petition, drafted by lawyers at the non-profit Center for Food Safety in Washington.

“The requested actions are necessary to prevent economic fraud, and to protect consumers who are deceived by thinking the absence of labeling means the absence of genetically engineered foods.”

Nearly 90 percent of corn; 94 percent of soy; and 90 percent of cottonseed grown in the US are from GE seeds. These ingredients are most often found in packaged foods like cereals, crackers, cookies, chips, high fructose corn syrup sweetened soda, frozen meals and more.

There’s a very short, but cute video on youtube about the need to label GMOs, You can view Dining in the Dark by Clicking Here.

Avoid Genetically Engineered (GE) Foods
1. Buy USDA certified organic as the USDA organic standards prohibit the use of GMOs.
2. Buy unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables instead of processed foods.
3. Avoid the top three GE foods: soy, corn and canola. Other GE foods are potatoes, tomatoes, cottonseed oil, papaya, squash and salmon.

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Thirty countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the European Union, have significant restrictions or outright bans on the production of GMOs. Even though most of the world doesn’t consider GMOs proven safe, the FDA approved commercial production of GMOs in the U.S. This was based on studies conducted by Monsanto, who created and profit from their sale. Additionally, it’s difficult to tell which food is a GMO, as there is no mandatory labeling.

Swapping genes between organisms can produce toxic effects and allergies, especially in children. In kids’ fast-growing bodies more of the food they eat is used to build organs and tissues. GM safety tests ignore the effects on children.

Children are three to four times more prone to allergies than adults and “are at highest risk of death from food allergy.” Babies under two years old have the highest incidence of reactions, especially to new allergens encountered in the diet. Even tiny amounts of allergens can sometimes cause reactions.

Children, like Haley, eat more GM foods than adults.

One reason for this sensitivity, according to the EPA, is that: “An immature gut or permeable mucosal epithelium is more likely to allow a higher degree of macromolecular transport and access to the immune system than the intact barrier of a normal mature gut…The immune system must also be of sufficient maturity…Both systems appear to be functioning optimally by age three to five.”

Kids Eat More GMO Products
What’s worse, they can react to much smaller doses of toxins than adults. Exposure to hormones or endocrine disruptors may also severely affect normal development. And children who are prone to infections may be severely impacted if antibiotics lose their effectiveness due to antibiotic-resistant genes in GM food and the overuse of antibiotics in Growth Hormone-treated cows. Children drink milk from cows treated with the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone. Infants are sometimes nursed on soy infant formula.

Among the potential side effects are changes in soy’s natural estrogen mimickers, which may influence sexual development. Children consume a disproportionately large amount of milk compared to adults. In the United States and elsewhere, dairy products may come from cows treated with the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH). The milk contains increased amounts of hormones and antibiotics and an altered nutritional content. Click Here to view a 5-minute video on GMOs and kids.

Industry-funded studies often use mature animals instead of the more sensitive young ones, in order to mask results. Biologist David Schubert warns: “Since children are the most likely to be adversely effected by toxins and other dietary problems, if the GM food is given to them without proper testing, they will be the experimental animals. If there are problems, we will probably never know because the cause will not be traceable and many diseases take a very long time to develop.”

Samuel Epstein, chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition and an expert on the health effects of rbGH, says that risks of high exposure to IGF-1 are “of particular concern … to infants and children in view of their high susceptibility to cancer-causing products and chemicals.”

You vote with your dollar. Every time you purchase a GMO food you vote for genetically altered food. Every time you purchase organically grown produce your dollar is cast for organic food. Food is a business. It’s supply and demand.

Unveiling the Barcode Mystery
Check out the digit code on all produce. This can be a bit confusing to figure out, but once you understand the code it’s not difficult. If the produce has four digits, it’s conventionally grown, but not organic. If it has five digits and begins with a 9 it means the produce was organically grown. A five digit code beginning with an 8 indicates the produce is a GMO.

Avoid products made with ingredients that might be derived from GMOs. Unfortunately, GM processed food is NOT labeled. The FDA doesn’t require information labeling concerning GMOs for the consumer! Unbelievable, but it’s true. You can avoid most GM products by checking the label for three ingredients: Corn, soy and cottonseed oil. These are the top three foods which are most often genetically modified in the U.S. Any processed product containing corn, soy or cottonseed oil is most likely genetically modified. On the other hand, organic food is GM-free by definition, so that’s always safe. (The eight common GM food crops are Corn, Soybeans, Canola, Cottonseed, Sugar Beets, Hawaiian Papaya and some Zucchini and Yellow Squash.)

Dairy Products may be from cows injected with GM bovine growth hormone. Look for labels stating No rBGH, rBST, or artificial hormones.

If you need one more reason to stop eating sugar here it is: Once you know that corn is a GMO crop, it’s obvious that High Fructose Corn Syrup is a GMO. High Fructose Corn Syrup is added in most processed foods. Not so obvious is “sugar” on the ingredient label. If a non-organic food product made in North American lists “sugar” as an ingredient (and NOT pure cane sugar), then it is almost certainly a combination of sugar from both sugar cane and GM sugar beets. This is a concern for parents as October is the U.S. annual celebration of candy (Halloween).

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The ad is melodramatic and disturbing as it depicts a mom helping her kid shoot up drugs and likens it to feeding him a hamburger (junk foods). Click Here to view the ad.

The ad is provocative and yet thought provoking. But is it true? For sure, food is not “additive” as heroin, where one shot can be life altering or even kill.

Payton can’t believe what’s happened
to our food supply.

This ad begs the question of childhood obesity as child abuse. Obviously, if parents didn’t purchase the junk food their overweight kids ate, their children wouldn’t be obese. But is childhood obesity entirely the fault of parents or is there something else at work here?

One mom comments on the ad, “Oh give me break! Who are YOU or anybody else for that matter to tell ME what I should and should not be feeding my children? This clip is not only completely ridiculous, it’s frightening to think that any MORON would actually compare heroin to a freaking HAMBURGER.”

Another parent writes, “Why is fast food all the sudden a problem NOW? When I was a kid (80s) fast food was just as popular, but didn’t seem like it was the main staple for families as it is now. However, purely blaming fast food is naive, and well stupid. It has been around for years, why is it such a problem now?”

Actually this parent asks a very insightful question. “Why is fast food such a problem NOW?”

This is the crux of the problem; one that the ad doesn’t even attempt to approach. This question is also ignored entirely by the Food Pyramid and the First Lady in her attempt to curb child obesity in the U.S.

Fast food in itself, isn’t entirely the issue. The problem is that fast food is no longer food. What’s even more alarming is our entire food supply has dramatically been altered over the past 15 years. Monsanto leads in the adulteration of food, but they are not alone. There is a revolving door between Monsanto and the U.S. government (not just one political party either). It began with the elder Bush, continued under Clinton, younger Bush, and now the Obama administration.

Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide is highly toxic and causes cell dysfunction and provokes the first stages that lead to cancers. Ninety percent of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) belong to Monsanto. There is virtually no regulation. Decades of pollution, cancers and other illnesses have been hidden by Monsanto with the government’s assistance. Monsanto is responsible for PCBs, which are attributed to many diseases and reduction of IQ in children. Today, everyone has PCBs in their bodies. Roundup Soybean is the first GMO crop approved for the U.S. Europe has banned all GMOs.

Monsanto is responsible for the Bovine Growth Hormone (RBGH), which is actually a poison. They began selling it to dairy farmers in 1994. Monsanto has suppressed and manipulated the data. RBGH causes problems with cattle such as larger ovaries and other problems with reproduction of animals. Yet, they state it is “Completely safe for consumers.” RBGH is banned in Canada and Europe.

March 2008, a documentary was aired on French television (ARTE – French-German cultural TV channel) by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin: The World According to Monsanto. This is a documentary that you won’t see on American television. You can view it on the Internet: Click Here.

GMO corn is a government subsidized crop and is used as feed for our cattle and for High Fructose Corn Syrup found in virtually every processed food. It is no wonder that parents can no longer discern real food from the chemical counterpart. Today, it takes constant vigilance to eat unadulterated food.

If parents are their children’s fast food enablers, then the U.S. government is the pusher.

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A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by the immune system. Just a few years ago, food allergies were rare. Today, up to eight percent of children have various chronic food allergies. Over the last 10 years, peanut allergy, alone, has tripled.

Tristan is surprised that his mom is waiting to start him on solids…to avoid food allergies.

Perhaps one explanation for the rise in peanut allergies is the use of soy products in formula. Soy and peanuts are both legumes. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is one of the first signs of allergy during infancy and is said to be due to delayed development of the immune system. It affects between 10 to 20 percent of all babies. In infants, the first source of immune-building good bacteria comes from breast milk. To ensure a baby has the best start, breastfeed your baby exclusively for at least the first six months of life.

GMO vs. Real Food
The huge jump in childhood food allergies has been reported the news. But most reports fail to consider a link to a recent radical change in America’s diet. Beginning in 1996, bacteria, virus and other genes have been artificially inserted to the DNA of soy, corn, cottonseed and canola plants. In fact, 90 percent of processed food found in your grocers comes from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). These genetically modified foods are unlabeled and carry a risk of triggering allergic reactions. Corn and soy are two of the foods most likely to be genetically modified and often allergy triggers. When your child drinks a soda, he/she is drinking GMO high fructose corn syrup. When your baby is eating fruited yogurt, most likely he/she is eating GMO high fructose corn syrup.

Kids can be picky about food, but for kids with food allergies their diets are more limited. One of the most important steps to improve gut bacteria is to stop consuming sugary foods, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup. Eating a healthy diet low in sugars and processed foods is the first thing you can do to encourage the good bacteria to flourish. This will help to naturally build a defense against excessive amounts of bad bacteria. (Think of sugar as fertilizer for the bad bacteria which grows in your gut.)

Antibiotics vs. Probiotics
Antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria, but all bacteria, including the good. Probiotics are live microorganisms, when ingested in proper amounts, are beneficial to the health of the intestinal tract.

Once your child has been on a round of antibiotics, as a matter of course, probiotics should be given to encourage the growth of good bacteria. Routinely, cattle are given antibiotics so even if your child has never been on antibiotics, they are ingesting antibiotics when they eat meat and drink milk. Studies have shown that daily supplements of probiotics and probiotic foods reduce the risk of eczema in children by 58 percent.

The good bacteria are constantly under assault from other factors as well as antibiotics.  Sugar, chlorinated water, pollution and antibacterial soap all affect the health of the intestinal tract. It’s a good idea to reseed your child’s body with good bacteria by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement. Probiotics made especially for infants and children can be found in your whole foods store, usually in the refrigerator case.

Outgrow Allergies vs. Grow Good Gut Bacteria
Don’t kids outgrow allergies? In fact, about 20 percent of kids with food allergies are said to outgrow them by age five. Perhaps children aren’t really outgrowing their allergies. Establishing healthy microflora in the gut involves taking in plenty of good bacteria, while discouraging the growth of bad varieties. Given enough time, some children are able to promote the growth of “good bacteria” in their guts, relieving food allergy symptoms.

Why not hurry the process along with probiotics? In adults and older children, you can also increase the body’s good bacteria by eating naturally fermented foods such as natto, yogurt and kefir (without added sugars) and unpasteurized naturally fermented sauerkraut (that is sauerkraut without added vinegar).

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This information is intended for educational purposes only. It’s not intended for medical advice or other professional services and shouldn’t be considered a substitute for the advice of your personal physician or other medical professional. If your child has a medical or behavioral problem, or you suspect that such a possibility exists, consult your health care provider.

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The latest food experiment began in the mid-90s. New crops were derived from genetically modified organisms, called GMOs. The genetic modifications produce living organisms, which are not possible through natural means. We have no idea what the eventual outcome will be for people eating these foods. So, the nickname “Frankenfoods” stuck.

Franken Foods scare Kaylee.

Genetically Modified foods often resists pests. Now, the bugs just don’t stay away from the GMO, not the plant “resists” the bugs with it’s own built-in pesticide. Yes, pesticide. When a bug eats a GM plant, the toxin splits open their stomach and kills them. Now what happens when people (babies and children) consume modified plants. We don’t know, but your ingesting pesticides.

The most common Franken crops are soy, corn, cotton, and canola. They’re used in hundreds of processed foods. The introduction of Frankenfoods has caused concern around the world. Some believe they might pose a danger to human health. They’re banned in Europe.

Most of the scientific community says there’s no evidence that Frankenfoods poses a threat. They’re right. There have been no long-term studies on humans, so there’s no evidence. The only evidence is antidotal. Although, Frankenfoods have been linked to food allergies, low fertility and birth weight, increase in autoimmune diseases, heart disease, respiratory illness, anemia, and cancer.

There is no telling what the consequences of using these genetically modified foods will be. Already, investigators have found that rats fed genetically modified potatoes had an increased thickening in the lining of their stomach and intestine and a weakening of their immune system. Read more about GMOs…Click Here.

You can do three things to limit your exposure to GMOs:

*Read food labels.

*Reduce the amount of processed food you purchase.

*Buy organic

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Having a child with ADD/ADHD, who is a picky eater, initially takes more work. You may have a child self-limiting the kinds of whole foods eaten, but the child with ADD/ADHD most likely prefers the very foods causing their problem. Because each child is unique, the chemicals and additives triggering symptoms can vary.

For kids who can’t tolerate food colorings, the tinest smidgen could produce ADD/ADHD symptoms for several days. A small drop of something they cannot tolerate may prompt symptoms of hyperactivity, sleeplessness (sometimes nightmares), and irritability.

Joshy shows us that his tongue is colored red, after eating a piece of birthday cake.

A parent needs to be vigilant, especially in the beginning. You’ll find, as I did, “accidental double-blind studies” will pop up. You’ll become a master sleuth, ferreting out unwanted food additives.

Cleaning out the pantry is vital. With over 3,000 additives in our food supply it can seem like a gargantuan task. You’ll be glad to know that it’s not impossible, but it will take some determination on your part.  I wouldn’t even want to try to put a child on a different diet than the rest of the family. When you’re talking about whole foods, why not improve the entire family’s diet? Take time to read the labels of the foods you usually purchase. See where you can change to a more healthy brand. Reading labels is vital. You might be surprised at what you find.

When my daughter, Jenny, was a child, she could not tolerate most of the additives in our food supply. Nitrates would always trigger ADHD symptoms. They’re in all packaged lunch-meats, and most pork products like ham, bacon and sausage. She’s grown and married now, but, today, nitrates still give her headaches. Red and yellow food colorings were the worst additives for Jenny and would immediately trigger symptoms of hyperactivity. MSG is another additive that can cause problems. It often produces headaches (MSG actually kills brain cells), not just in people with ADD/ADHD, either. MSG can be hard to identify on products, as it hides in a multitude of names. ( CLICK HERE for more MSG info.) MSG can be found in almost ALL fast food.

Sugar, especially High Fructose Corn Syrup, is in just about all processed foods. All these years later, sugar still makes Jenny irritable. Still, once you get in the habit of avoiding sugar, it’s not too hard to eliminate. For sure, you’ll want to avoid High Fructose Corn Sugar which is found in most bakery goods, soda pop, and in packaged foods!

It’s not as difficult as you might think to eat whole foods. Of course many foods available in the grocery store are processed, but you’ll want to purchase products with the least amount of additives and chemicals. I still don’t purchase products with artificial colorings, flavorings, nitrates, or MSG.

I’m not a nutritionist or a dietitian, but I’ve found a few dietary supplements are extremely helpful for kids with ADD/ADHD, even Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism. In fact, many times with dietary changes and the addition of these supplements, positive changes are often seen in a couple of weeks:
1) The first is cod liver oil. I purchase Carlson Norwegian Cod Liver Oil and I take it myself. The lemon flavored one is tasty. Cod liver oil is high in vitamins A and D.
2) The other is a good kids’ probiotic, purchased in the refrigerator section of a whole foods store. Without fail, kids with ADD and ADHD need to have their gut function improved. The gut feeds the brain. When a child has good gut function, their brain functions better as well.
3) The third is that almost ALL people in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient, even kids. A simple test that your pediatrician can do will tell you what your child’s vitamin D level is. In fact, everyone should have their vitamin D level checked. My husband, Dick, and I found we had low levels ourselves. The optimum levels are around 50, but most people are way under that. (Cod liver oil is high in vitamin D, but if your child is extremely low you may want to add this supplement. If you can’t convince your child to take the lemon-flavored cod liver oil, then vitamin D3 supplement is an alternative.)

You, will of course, need to take allergies into account. If your child is allergic to wheat, dairy, or nuts, these foods will need to be eliminated as well. Today, I won’t go into GMO foods (genetically modified organism). This is another issue. My eldest daughter, Julie-ann, thought she was allergic to corn. Then found out it was GMO corn that she couldn’t tolerate. If a product says it’s certified organic, then it’s by default, GMO free.

You can save on organics at big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. Since there’s not a Sam’s Club near me, I have a Costco membership. “Costco Organic Products” is a list I just put together for my son-in-law. He has a Costco membership, but lives a distance from a store. Because he will be the one driving to the store and shopping, he wanted to know what organic food products I found at Costco (Sam’s has similar products) and purchase from the store. I’ve put an unofficial list together for him. I’m sure there’s more, but at least it’s a start. CLICK HERE to see it.

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My journey to whole foods began when Jenny, my third daughter, was diagnosed as hyperactive. Her pediatrician wanted to write a prescription at her two-year check-up to control her symptoms. I resisted and I resisted again at her 3-year and 4-year check-ups.

Jenny was constantly moving and she had a short attention span. We found ourselves adjusting our routines just to accommodate her. More worrisome, Jenny had great difficulty falling asleep. Bedtime took hours for her to settle down.

I knew in my heart that Jenny wouldn’t be able to function in a school setting and I would be out of options at her next annual check-up. I began to search for solutions at a time where there weren’t many. Although, it didn’t take too long and I found a book, Why Your Child is Hyperactive, by Dr. Feingold. He was the first to make the connection between food additives in processed foods with hyperactivity. Today, you can find many resources through the Feingold Association.

After reading Feingold’s book, I knew I had to change my purchasing habits, not only for Jenny, but for the entire family. I figured, I didn’t have anything to lose. I was a mom on a mission. I didn’t wait to gradually replace the food I’d previously purchased, but took an afternoon and cleaned out my entire kitchen. I read every label and gave away 5 bags of food.

In about a week, we began to see a new child emerge from the cloud of chemicals. Jenny, who exhausted US at her bedtime, was now falling asleep in minutes. This alone was worth any perceived difficulty or for that matter cost in changing our diets. Jenny’s attention span increased. She was more at peace. We always knew when something hidden in our food got past us, in our own accidental double-blind studies. After ingesting hidden chemicals, Jenny would once again experience sleep difficulties and, of course, hyperactivity.

I became a master sleuth, locating the additive culprit and then eliminating it. It typically took three to five days to clear her system. Unfortunately, in the last 30 years more chemicals have been added to our food supply. Today, 90 percent of the foods in our grocery stores are processed with over 3,000 chemicals. I believe this is why we are seeing an alarming increase of Autism Spectrum Disorder, which includes: Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD, ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder, and of course Autism.

Learning what’s in the food we purchase is vital for every family; whether or not you have a sensitive child, like Jenny. Eliminating additives and chemicals from your diet will increase the overall health of your family. Although our nutrition label is more complete, today, manufactures have added to the confusion. They want us to believe that we’re purchasing a healthy product, even if we’re not. They do everything they can to convince us that their processed food is in some way nutritious.

In Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater, I explain the difference between natural and organic: “The terms natural and organic don’t mean the same thing. They’re not interchangeable. Certified USDA organically grown produce is produced without pesticides, synthetic herbicides, sewage sludge, irradiation, preservatives or additives, and doesn’t utilize seeds from Genetically Engineered Organisms (GMOs). USDA Organic means it’s grown, handled, and processed differently than conventionally processed foods. At least 95 percent of the product is organic. On the other hand, the word “natural” on the label means absolutely nothing. Natural isn’t a term designating how the food was grown or produced or handled. The term “natural” indicates the product is edible. The food hype includes the whole food industry, which is growing by leaps and bounds. Just because the word organic is mentioned, don’t think the product is free of sugar or white flour. Reading labels is still your best bet. ”

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