United States Department of Agriculture

The Overlooked Vitamin That Improves Autoimmune Disease and Autonomic Dysfunction

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Thiamin may be the missing link to treating autoimmune disease and autonomic dysfunction. Although deficiencies in this vitamin have long been considered eradicated, case studies show supplementation with this nutrient improves fatigue in autoimmune patients in a matter of hours to days

thiamin

Ali Le Vere, B.S., B.S. –  One of the common threads uniting disparate autoimmune disease labels, irrespective of diagnosis, is the debilitating fatigue that plagues patients. Although methylated B vitamins have been given ample fanfare, vitamin B1, or thiamin, has garnered far less attention in communities that emphasize the holistic management of autoimmune disease.

Functions of Thiamin

One of eight essential B vitamins, thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin that functions in the conversion of food into energy (1). The active form of thiamin, known as thiamin  pyrophosphate or thiamin diphosphate, is an essential cofactor in both the citric acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway, two enzyme-mediated pathways of carbohydrate metabolism (1). The citric acid cycle, for example, also known as the Kreb’s cycle, is a central metabolic pathway in the mitochondria that participates in the oxidative degradation of monosaccharides and other nutrients, which generates cellular energy currency in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to be used in a myriad of energy-demanding cellular reactions (1). Continue reading →

Daisy Luther ~ The Good, The Bad, And The Deadly: EWG Releases 2014 Dirty Dozen And Clean Fifteen Lists

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ReadyNutrition  April 30 2014

avocadoThe Environmental Working Group has released its 2014 list of The Dirty Dozen Plus and The Clean Fifteen.

It’s important to note that the suggestions given by EWG are based strictly on the levels of contamination from pesticide.  The Clean 15 list does contain items that are potentially genetically modified, so you must be aware of this fact when shopping, as we recommend strict avoidance of all GMOs.  For example, field corn and nearly all papayas from Hawaii are genetically modified.  Some varieties of sweet corn, tomatoes,  mangoes, and zucchini are also genetically modified.  This list has absolutely nothing to do with GMOs and everything to do with toxic pesticides. Just because a food is on the list, please understand we are not wholeheartedly endorsing that you go buy the conventional version.  Do your research.  Remember, if you purchase organic you are not only avoiding pesticides, but also GMOs.  You can also look for items verified by the Non-GMO Project.

By purchasing your produce locally as much as possible, you can learn more about the source of your fruits and vegetables, and whether or not they were from GMO seeds.  you can find a very comprehensive directory of local farms, co-ops and CSAs across the country HERE.

Anyway, back to pesticides… Continue reading →

EWG’s 2014 Shopper’s Guide To Pesticides In Produce

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EWG  April 28 2014

EWG’s 2014 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

PesticidesInApplesWashington, D.C. – Environmental Working Group charged today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has failed to tell Americans – as required under federal law – that they have a right to know about the risks of pesticide exposure and ways they can reduce pesticides in their diets.

Because the EPA has not complied in full with the Congressional mandate, for more than a decade EWG has stepped in to fill the void by publishing its Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce.  EWG aims to help people eat healthy and reduce their exposure to pesticides in produce.

“EWG’s Shopper’s Guide helps people find conventional fruits and vegetables with low concentrations of pesticide residues,” said Sonya Lunder, EWG’s senior analyst and principle author of the report.  “If a particular item is likely to be high in pesticides, people can go for organic.”

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 required EPA to assess pesticides in light of their particular dangers to children and to ensure that pesticides posed a “reasonable certainty of no harm” to children or any other high-risk group.  One provision of the act required that EPA inform people about possible hazards to their health brought about consuming pesticides with their food.  The agency provides some information on its website, but it does not list foods likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residues nor those that pose the greatest dangers to human health. Most importantly, it does not offer the “right to know” information Congress required on behalf of consumers in 1996:  how to avoid pesticide exposures while still eating a healthy diet.

Apples topped this year’s annual Dirty Dozen list of most pesticide-contaminated produce for the fourth year.

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Why You Can No Longer Trust The USDA Organic Label

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WakingTimes  September 19 2013

“USDA Organic” is simply a marketing term those who take government ethics at face value. The goal has always been to increase agricultural sales, not promote organic farming. The public seems to confide in this label through sheer ignorance. The National Organic Program (NOP) which governs the “USDA Organic” label has no interest in organic farming, improving soil, quality of the produce, or factors that pollute the environment. In another blow to their organics program that will further downgrade consumer confidence, the USDA announced this week that the agency has changed the process for exempting otherwise prohibited substances (such as synthetics) in food that carries the “organic or “made with organic” label. This decision makes it easier to continue use of artificial ingredients and substances, undermining integrity of the organic label.

According to the National Organic Program, the organic label indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used…until now.

Under the federal organic law and prior to the announcement, there was a controlled process for allowing the use of substances not normally permitted in organic production because of extenuating circumstances. Under the Organic Foods Production Act 7 USC 6517 (e) Sunset Provision, “No exemption or prohibition contained in the National List shall be valid unless the National Organic Standards Board has reviewed such exemption or prohibition as provided in this section within 5 years of such exemption or prohibition being adopted or reviewed and the Secretary has renewed such exemption or prohibition.”

Under the law, these exemptions are authorized for a five-year period, in order to encourage the development of natural (or organic) alternatives. The exemptions are required by law to expire, known as “sunset,” unless they were reinstated by a two-thirds “decisive” majority vote of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and include a public review. While this is the law, USDA has said it will no longer operate the program in this manner.

USDA organics has been hijacked by big agriculture and their food scientists for some time. Senior food scientist Toby McDonald insists that the only way to protect the population is through current and modified sterilization techniques that will make food safe for all. “Current and modified practices including irradiation and pasteurization are extremely effective in reducing harmful bacteria and pathogens in the food supply,” he proclaimed. MacDonald says that as food demand reaches its climax, proper sterilization will be necessary at all levels.” An increase of 50 percent in food demand by 2030 will require more funding into food monitoring infrastructures so that all food with the potential to produce outbreaks can be properly sterilized to prevent those outbreaks,” he added.

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