By Jane Goodall
I found this book at the library when I was looking for a book about my children’s nutrition. While it didn’t answer all my questions in that regard, I still learned A LOT of information and also feel encouraged about how our family is eating and like we are trying to do what we feel is best. There was so much information in the book that I think everyone should know that I can’t share here, so I thought I would just share random facts from the book to maybe get people thinking, questioning, and maybe doing your own research.
A study done on children with similar backgrounds was done. One group lived in the foothills and the other lived in the valley closed to farms where pesticides were used. The children who lived in the agricultural valley had difficulty performing basic eye-hand coordination tasks. They couldn’t draw more than lines while the other children could draw people and they had poorer memory skills and stamina, were more prone to physical aggression and were less sociable and creative while playing. Page 43
The US regulations of milk allow pus cell concentrations in the milk, yes I said PUS! The US actually allows almost twice as much PUS in our milk than any other country in the world. The pus is caused by infections that are caused by growth hormones that increase the milk production and the size of the cow utters. Page 86
Growth hormones in farm animals is related to the buildup of estrogen in humans which some scientists believe explains why girls are maturing earlier and why sperm count in boys is decreasing. Girls who mature earlier are at greater risk of getting breast and other cancers. Page 86
Before the advent of chemical farming, the main cause of unnatural death for US farmers was farm accidents, but today it is at least five times more likely to be suicide. Page 39
Many Genetically Modified foods have been created to produce their own pesticides in EVERY cell! Page 58
A scientist by the name of Dr. Pusztai said he will never eat GM foods again after doing research with potatoes. Page 62
Food makes up 95 percent of our exposure to two highly dangerous carcinogens, dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), with the highest levels coming from animal products, especially liver and oily fish. Page 143
The average daily intake of dioxins in the U.S. in 1999 was more than 200 times higher than the EPA’s cancer risk guideline. Page 144
It is estimated that between one third and almost half of the world’s harvest is fed to animals to fatten them for human food. Page 145
A generation ago there were probably about 800 items in the average U.S. supermarket. Today, we can find between 30,000 and 40,000. Page 153 (Yet we’re not getting healthier)
A typical “fresh” food item in a North American household typically travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles. Page 154
The Rodale Institute calculated that America could comply with the Kyoto Treaty’s demand for a 7 percent reduction in greenhouse gases simply by making a full switch to organic farming. Industrial, monoculture agriculture uses around 30 percent more fossil fuel than organic. Page 221
Teenagers who regularly eat meals with their families get better grades and say they are happier with their present life and are more optimistic about their prospects for the future. They are also less likely to smoke, have substance abuse problems, become depressed or suicidal, or develop eating disorders. Page 260
Gallons of Water Required to Produce About 2 pounds of Food
Beef 26,400
Chicken 920
Soya beans 530
Rice 505
Maize 370
Sorghum 290
Alfalfa 235
Wheat 235
Potatoes 130
Page 260
I don’t remember the source but I’ve heard that the next wars will be fought over water.
I also wanted to share this, though I can’t find it in the book. Goodall mentioned a link between MSG and Asthma. MSG is hidden in most fast food and also most processed foods. It is listed under other “names” but is MSG. Also, a doctor friend said if we had problems with asthma to stop all dairy for three months and that they thought it could cure it. They did this with their son.
Must have Organics
The following are especially high in chemical residues:
Raspberries
Apples
Peaches
Cantaloupes
Cherries
Celery
Green Beans
Gapes and raisins
Potatoes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Winter squash
Strawberries
For more info see www.foodroutes.org, www.localharvest.org
Sorry these posts are so long.
Today I want to be a farmer...a good one.
We get our garden going tomorrow :).
Take Care All
4 comments:
kristi, i don't want to be the harrassing friend, so just know i'm teasing you in good fun sometimes, i think it's awesome that you're having such a turnaround in thought process, especially the last comment about MSG, this from someone who harrassed me in Mexico when I said I stay away from the stuff and you whipped out your BAG of msg :) I love these posts and this information, though it does tend to freak me out. We were just talking about gardening today, I guess I need to get more motivated :) love ya!!!
I totally remember the msg moment!! I guess I thought I was some kind of rebel by hurting myself and exosing my kids. Great! If that was the case America is full of rebels...(without a cause)...
Sorry to freak you out, but now I'm not alone! Hurray!
you are so funny! rebel without a cause, that's kristi. . it's synonymous i think?! anyway, you were never alone, did you feel alone? sometimes it's about little changes too, like for me, i know i can't change mike all in one day, but maybe by the time we're 90 he'll be totally "locally grown, all organic, no fast food, recycle, reduce, reuse, and vegan" (he'll probably only be vegan because he won't have any teeth to chew meat with. . ha ha ha!)
Can you ship some food out here to the desert?
How do you cook with MSG and what does MSG stand for? Just curious.
Kristi did yoy catch my post about CO?
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