We all need encouragement, don’t we?  You can be just doing the best job ever, but somehow it feels even better when someone else acknowledges our efforts or gives us a “good job”, or a “you’ve got this.”   In fact- my favorite sign I saw someone holding while running the Marine Corps Marathon in October said exactly that: “You’ve Got This!”

I had a lot of fear going in to the marathon this past year, in spite of having run the Marine Corps the previous year, and also a half-marathon in between.  My long twitch muscle fibers certainly knew what to do.  However, I literally got one hour of sleep before getting up at 4am, and was getting over a cold with sore throat.  I didn’t know what to do when I was sitting in the hotel room bathroom at 4am…stewing in physical misery.  I thought, “Do I just not go?”  That thought gave me chills.  I’ve never been a quitter.  I decided to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and just see how far that would take me.

(I had to really remember that when I took a taxi to the Pentagon at 5am and discovered I hadn’t brought any money…  Ever seen an irate taxi driver?)

My friend and training coach inspired me by reminding me that all physical pain is temporary, and that you overcome pain…endurance is about mental strength.  This year he was sending me some texts as I was running, and I was only at mile 10 when I wrote to him that my knees were really suffering, and my feet and ankles were throbbing.  He sent back a poignant and simple response, and it reminded me of how I had even managed to arrive at mile 10:  Just. Keep. Moving.

I think this is a great mantra to apply whenever we become paused by fear and doubt.

So, I did.  I kept moving.

“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.” – D. H. Lawrence

When you think about your fears and all those negative voices that have been programmed in to your brain over a lifetime, reflect on this idea of self-pity.  When you steep yourself in your fears and your emotions and your doubts, you allow yourself to become a victim of life.  Approaching life as a victim will halt you in your tracks.  We are trained to believe that we are not the masters of our own destinies, but that is misinformation.  There are many things we cannot control, true…but we always control our own perception of events, and our own choices in response to those events.  (We’ve all heard the adage- “life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it”.)

Naturally I use endurance running as a metaphor because that is a force that drives me, personally, but these concepts apply to anything in your life that requires your endurance and perseverance.  Anything.

To quote Eleanor Roosevelt – and this is something I kept reciting to myself on race day: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

It helps to have words or ideas to focus on when your mind starts obsessing over how you feel.  How you feel is not a reality.  Your emotions are not your identity.  Emotions are transient variations on your perception of reality.

When I was only at mile 10, with throbbing feet, I could have said to myself “I cannot do this, it hurts, I should quit, how will I make it, I’m miserable, poor me…”  (I’m not talking at all about real physical distress, which honestly forces a person to quit.)  Instead, I got out of my head and started appreciating what was going on around me.  It was an amazingly gorgeous day with a solid blue sky and a balmy breeze that was keeping my skin and clothes dry (in fact, I had dried salt crusted on my face and arms).  Conditions were as ideal as they could be (especially since I have heard of past MC Marathons being run in 45F and rain!).  There were wounded war veterans running next to me.  There was a woman running on two crutches and with dragging feet that seemed to barely work.  I saw, presumably, a wife hugging the photo memorial of her KIA husband.  I saw runners pushing disabled vets in wheelchairs.

I was keeping step with two firefighters dressed in full gear.  At mile 20 I commented to one that atleast I could count on him to carry me when I collapsed.  He passionately replied, “No, ma’am!! I can’t carry anybody- I’ve got legs like Bambi right about now!”  I was encouraged to know that I was in the same boat as the tough guys.

I saw the back of a man’s t-shirt that read: DNW->DNF->DNS/ Did Not Win trumps Did Not Finish which trumps Did Not Start.

I realized that everyone there had crossed the same barrier- the mental barrier- that I had crossed.  Whether or not any of us thought we could actually do it, we had all taken the chance and showed up to try.  We had looked fear in the face, and we were doing the thing which we thought we could not do.

Life is greater than any one thing.  Do your best to put negative perceptions to rest, because they aren’t getting you anywhere.  It’s okay to feel things- to feel bad or unsure.  Remember that thoughts don’t have to stop you, though.  You can have the thought or the fear, and then do the thing anyhow.  That’s called courage.

Don’t worry about winning or finishing- just start.

Just. Keep. Moving.

Oorah.

Years ago, as I was making my way through college, I quickly began to realize that I had quite a different view of things than most people.  I began to find myself in situations that I didn’t understand.  Remember when you were a child and you would be “in trouble” for something, but you didn’t understand at all how it had come to this?  I often found myself there in young adulthood.  Some time, when I was struggling my way through graduate school, I came across an article in Scientific American that explained how stress from abuse during childhood actually changes the very wiring of your brain.  Physically changes your brain.

Well, that was like the proverbial light bulb going off over my head, and thus began my own personal journey towards enlightenment and creating a low-stress environment for myself.  Ha!  Good luck with that!  Turns out- putting yourself through school, losing loved ones, “attacks on America”, war, almost dying during childbirth and GMOs are all out to crash the party.  And many things in between.

But, I digress.

I turned my attention towards that whole genre of good vibration- the one that includes yoga, meditation and all things holistic.  While I would love to fully immerse myself in to an Ashram or living off-the-grid, it isn’t my reality.  It isn’t a  reality for most, so there really are some tried and true ways at lowering stress and creating inner calm.  It is vital to keep stress at bay, as stress causes us to release cortisol.

Cortisol- while it does play a vital role in our bodies- is detrimental when consistently elevated.  Elevated cortisol levels can weaken the immune system, cause fertility problems, create blood sugar imbalance, lead to weight gain and can cause gastrointestinal problems.  Long term stress and elevated cortisol can also lead to insomnia, chronic fatigue and depression.

Oddly enough, as I am typing this, my husband’s bike tire just burst near my head and sounded like a gunshot.  My entire body is shaking, which has to do with a giant surge in adrenaline and cortisol.  Had it been an actual gunshot- the elevation in my stress hormones would be quite beneficial in helping me to get out of dodge, and quickly.  Unfortunately, as is the case for most of us, we all tend to experience these surges in stress hormone release weekly, if not daily.  For some people it’s traffic that sets them off, for others it’s dealing with children, and for some of us it is exploding bike tires.  While Americans are very fortunate to not be living in a war zone, we still continue to be some of the most stressed out folks in the world (excluding Japan).

Whatever the case, stress needs to be managed, and inner calm needs to be something we actively cultivate.  Meditation has been proven to be an effective tool in stress management.  Meditating has been proven to boost serotonin, which is the antidote to cortisol.  Meditation can ease anxiety, lower blood pressure, increase concentration and reduce anxiety.  I love that saying: “You should meditate for 20 minutes everyday, unless you are too busy…then you should meditate for an hour.”  If you’re anything like me, you struggle to find time to do anything at all, and in this case it is a great idea to try to bring meditation in to your everyday practices.  With focus and intention, washing dishes can become a meditation.  Lucky for us!

Prayer and gratitude are known to ride in the same boat of benefits as meditation.  All increase serotonin by allowing us to become present, positive and to operate with intention.  Physical work can create the same state of inner peace, which is referred to by some as “flow”.  You know that feeling of just losing yourself in what you are doing- there is no time and nothing else exists?  That is flow, and it is quite good for your sense of well-being.  It’s no wonder, for me, that I am a craft artist- hammering metal and knitting can be quite meditative and therapeutic.

Then, of course, we have breathing exercise and yoga.  Yoga is not only great for strength and flexibility, but it is also known to increase serotonin levels.  Breathing exercises are often a part of yoga practices, or you can do breathing exercises alone, any time!  I find I do them in the car quite often!  A great breathing exercise, proven to lower tension, is as so:  breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 7, exhale through your nose for a count of 8- do this sequence four times.

Oh, man.  Are you calm yet?  If not, there’s something else I’d love you to consider- sound.  There is a lot of information out there on cymatics and things like the healing benefits of Solfeggio tones.  It is undoubted that sound, and the vibration from sound, can have a healing and stress-relieving effect.  I know when I catch a wind chime in a warm Summer breeze that I am absolutely transported to an altered state…a nice, calm one!

I recall sitting on a New England beach when I was 9 months pregnant.  I sat in front of the surf one day for two hours, eyes closed, and just absorbed the intensity of the sound of waves moving in and crashing on the shore.  I imagined how soothing that was for little Bodhi, as it had a profound influence on me.  I can still close my eyes and conjure that experience and use it to create inner calm.  If you watch the YouTube videos on cymatics- where the sand on a metal plate organizes itself in to geometry with different sound frequencies- there is no doubt that sound can create order in all things.

Anecdotes aside- the “thing” I have found to be most beneficial is being able to be open to the moments in life- the small moments that come to you in your everyday.  These practices mentioned above are important in creating an environment of peace for yourself, but the crucial part has to do with allowing yourself to be open to things as they come to you.   We need to allow ourselves the space to be really affected by how that sunlight is spraying through the branches, or how the wind sounds so delightful rustling the leaves.  How often do you go out of your way to stop, look up and enjoy the stars and moon?  Or watch a dog sleeping?  Or listen to a child laughing? This is life- it’s made up of all these beautiful little moments.

No amount of yoga, prayer or meditation can heal if we are not open and ready to receive.  For myself, nothing has opened me so much as motherhood.  The love I have for my child has created a space in me that allows me to be more open and loving in the world.  I accept it.

My wish for all of us is not the absence of stress, for that is simply part of life, but the intention and willingness to breathe in to it…to be able to find calm and rest in any way that suits us!

I really try to do my best to keep healthy, homemade snacks and treats on hand!  The reason for this is that we all have moments where we need a snack or just really want a treat, but the tendency to grab something less than healthy is high if you have nothing readymade.  I am not a fan of store-bought, packaged snack foods because the ingredients are almost always sub-par or less than ideal.  Everything I pick up (that my son asks me for when we are grocery shopping) has something in it that I would prefer he didn’t eat…canola oil, too much sugar, unsprouted wheat, carageenan, guar gum…  No thanks!  My personal belief is that if there is not nutritional benefit to a food- why eat it?  My body is my temple, and I don’t like for nonsense to cross the threshold…that goes double for my son!

Anyhow!  When we tire of plain nuts or fruits…these are a fun treat!  They are full of nutrition and the ingredient list is simple.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a food processor (fitted with the “S” blade), place…

1-1/4 cups sprouted hazelnuts

1-1/4 cups dried figs and dates

2 tbsp maple syrup

Blend until smooth and dough-like.

Roll this into balls and place on a parchment lined baking tray.  However big you like your balls, but not too big.  A spoonful should do.

In a double boiler, place…

Your favorite dark chocolate bar (hopefully fair trade), broken (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

(add 1/4 tsp hazelnut extract if you have it, or try almond)

(remember that if your chocolate pot touches the boiling water…it will burn.  Keep it above the water and just stir until melted.  Turn off the heat once the chocolate has melted.)

Then…

Using a spoon, swirl your balls in the melted chocolate.  (The ones you just made in the food processor.  Don’t anyone write to me that you burned yourself.)  Place them back on to the parchment when they are coated.  When you’ve finished the tray- place your balls in the freezer for half an hour.  Then remove and store in the refrigerator.

The ingredients of a trail mix in a delightful ball!

My symptoms were becoming so severe that I even started to fear the C-word:  I had been losing some hair, had a bad case of acne, was getting rashes, had night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, swollen and painful tonsils, multiple sinus infections and was not losing any weight despite running two marathons and eating (I thought) well.   What gives?  I know it is not normal to feel like crap all the time.  Meanwhile, while all this was going on with me, I had a friend that suddenly experienced acute kidney failure and was diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease.  At first I concluded that it was due to the high level of endurance sport-induced stress that he put on his body (which stresses the adrenals and kidneys), and also GMOs.  This was my health coaching no-brainer.  However, as I started to research his disease more- in an effort to be any help that I could- I stumbled upon the world of autoimmunity.

The more I read about autoimmunity- the more I understood what was going on with me!

You see, in this country, there are no autoimmune specialists.  You have to wait until you have a specific auto

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I forgot to say “Good Morning” to my husband this morning.

It’s something I like to do.   I say “Good Morning” to both my husband and my son.  I suppose I was already busying myself with getting my son ready for school…but, I like to give a decided greeting to everyone as we wake and embark upon a new day.   It’s an intentional and abbreviated way to convey the message of- “I see you, I acknowledge you, I am happy you are here.”

These are the little choices we thread in to every day that are so easily taken for granted, overlooked, dismissed as not important, seemingly cliché- but it is what weaves the entire fabric of our lives.  It is what manifests the things in your life.

Take a deep breath.   Look around you- wherever you are.  Every inch of every thing that you see before you is part of the fabric that you wove together with every choice you’ve ever made before and up to this moment in time.   There may be some holes in your fabric- perhaps the fabric was torn by choices others have made.  However, any person in your life that you have allowed to tear holes was also part of a choice you made.   Same goes for any areas beautifully embroidered by another.

It is all yours.

Will you wear it?  Store it away with moth balls?  Air it out?  Deconstruct it and refabricate it?  Patch it up?  Give it away and start a new one…?

If this is too metaphorical for you, we can apply this concept literally to our physical bodies.

Your body is much like a fabric- it is largely a result of choices you make from day to day.   Most of us were given the standard issue body at birth, and then our parents chose to nurture its growth, and then we became responsible for it.   Much like the world around you (your reality) has much to do with your choices, the world that houses your being- your body- also has much to do with your choices.  The circumstances of life around all of us have to do with the choices we make, or allow, in our society.

Many people don’t like this concept, or they diminish its reality.  However,  if you choose healthful foods daily, and exercise daily- you have a much different result than if the opposite choices are made.   It may seem harsh, or viewed as “blaming the victim”, but the simple truth is that most cases of obesity (which is a disease) are simply a summation of choices that were made every day.

The point is- life isn’t really just happening to us.   We are the key players in our own lives, and regardless of all the reasoning and psychology behind our choices, mathematically speaking- we are the sum total of many choices made.   Physically, spiritually and emotionally.

This is not to confuse choice with control.   So many things are beyond our control, but we have choice over how we receive and act upon our own lives.

So, what’s it going to be today?  Will you drive through some fast food restaurant- which is really a choice to support factory farming and poor food quality, or stop at a farmer’s market- which supports local farming?   Will you take a walk- which is a choice to help your blood circulate well, aiding in detoxification of your body?  Will you reach out to someone you care about- which is a choice to not only be kind and compassionate, but is good will that will come back to you?

Good Morning,

Where do we come up with all the rules we put on ourselves?

I have to workout for two hours everyday.  I have to be top dog at my job.  I have to avoid carbohydrates at all costs.  I have to be the best dressed at the ___________.  I have to look great in skinny jeans.  I have to, I have to, I have to….  It can turn in to compulsion, and then what we thought was being healthy is just more self-abuse.

We define our own lives.  We are the captains of our own ships.  If something is just not working, it is up to us to recognize it and change it.  We don’t have to exist in the state of the proverbial chicken with its head cut off.

When I was very young, I worked with this “wise old man” from Nigeria.  I suppose I would complain a lot to him- about my lot in life.  One day he looked me in the eye and said, “April, if something is stressful for you…you walk away from it.”  That was it.  Epiphany in simplicity.  Again, people are thinking- nope, you can’t just walk away.

Well, actually…you can.  The walking away part might not be that simple, but if it isn’t working for you and your life- you have to take an honest look at it, and work towards changing it.  And, if it really is the dog-the kids-the car-the bills-the kitchen sink stressing you out…try to pause a minute and realize that those things are what make up this thing we call life.  How can you try to work with them in a way that is, if not enjoyable, atleast not such misery.  It would be much nicer for your spouse, your kids, your dog…if you could just step back, take a deep breath and proceed with calmness and ownness (yes, that is in the dictionary).

When we can’t calm down…when the stress does pile up…it can start to take a physical toll on the body.  Mix this with some dietary and environmental toxicity, and we can come up with dirty little cocktail for ourselves.

Adrenal Fatigue.

Does any of this sound familiar to you:  Inability to lose weight (in spite of exercising and eating “right”), excess weight around your middle, low energy- especially upon waking in the morning, fatigue, difficulty falling asleep, low libido, cravings for sugar/carbs- oh, the cravings!?   While some might initially think they have thyroid dysfunction, it might actually be a precursor to that, which is adrenal fatigue.

The adrenal glands are two walnut sized organs that sit on top of your kidneys.  They are responsible for producing cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone), DHEA (the anti-stress hormone, if you will), and adrenaline (the fight-or-flight hormone).   When the adrenal glands have to constantly overproduce any or all of these due to the lifestyle you’re living- you may experience adrenal fatigue/adrenal exhaustion.

I don’t want to get too lengthy here and stress you out further, but you can certainly read more about the science of adrenal fatigue here: http://www.drnorthrup.com/womenshealth/healthcenter/topic_details.php?topic_id=94 , and you can even take a self diagnostic quiz here:  http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/take-the-adrenal-fatigue-quiz .

I’d simply like to address some of the key ways many of us may be exhausting our adrenal glands, as well as some ways to begin to correct the behavior.

How and what you eat is paramount.  Your body likes to be in a state of homeostasis- that’s balanced blood sugar and an alkaline state.   Certain foods wreak havoc on our blood sugar, and certain foods are very acid forming.  Also- carbohydrates are not a cardinal sin!

There are three categories that foods comprise: protein, carbohydrate and fat.  This has to do with chemical structure and the processes that occur in the body to break these foods down, and how we utilize them.  You need carbohydrates.  Vegetables are carbohydrates.  VEGETABLES ARE CARBOHYDRATES.  It would best serve us to start looking at carbs in terms of their glycemic loads (not index)- which has to do with how much insulin a food demands our body to produce when we consume it.  You are right to believe that white bread and white pasta are not your friend.  The glycemic load of these highly processed foods is quite high, causing an insulin surge, causing stress on the pancreas and other bodily systems, including the adrenal glands.

Too much protein is not the answer either.  TOO MUCH PROTEIN causes the body to have to produce too much glucagon, which creates an acidic state in the body.  This is also not ideal for optimum health- it does not create the optimum acid-alkaline balance.  What is too much protein?  Well, keep in mind that everything has some amount of protein in it- protein is not isolated to animal foods.  Brown rice has protein, quinoa has incredible amounts of complete protein (meaning all the essential amino acids), wheat, beans, nuts…even kale has a little bit of protein.  A person does not have to rely heavily or solely on animal foods to get enough protein.  While I am neither advocating for or against meat consumption (though I will speak very strongly against factory farming of animals and advocate for free range,  grass fed, organic and hormone free…), it is simply the truth that meat is acid forming…and for wellness we need to be alkaline.

Fat is also not a culprit, but type of fat is crucial.  Egg yolks do not raise your cholesterol, and there is even new research showing that low-fat diets may be one of the worst culprits in raising bad cholesterol and causing fat storage in our cells.   Essentially, fat isn’t what makes you fat, per se.  Our bodies need some fat in order to function.  (Watch out for genetically modified canola oil…say NO to GMO.)

It almost goes without saying that packaged and processed foods are what to avoid- that is, the entire middle section of your grocery store.  There is nothing you need from a box.  Processed foods containing excess sugars, salts, corn syrups, hydrogenated oils, etc…will deplete the living daylights out of your adrenal glands.  No one needs Oreo cookies, no one needs boxed cereal…and anyone can re-train their palate so that they no longer have a mental or physical need for such “foods”.

How do we eat?  Listen to your body.  Eat whole food.  As Hippocrates said- let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.  Remember that food cravings are your body’s way of telling you something is out of balance.  Carb cravings are often a sign of nutrient/mineral deficiency, dysfunction of your adrenals, OR maybe you are simply starving your body of carbs and it is telling you it wants/needs some!!  My favorite quote is from Michael Pollan: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”   You can explore his recommendations for eating here: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for-eating

Another reason for adrenal fatigue can be that our life is out of balance.  Are your relationships stressing you, your job, are you exercising too much or too little, are you connected spiritually?  We all need to find ways to take time out for LIFE.  We need rest, relaxation and recreation!  Some effective tools for physically managing stress are yoga, meditation and breathing techniques.  All three are proven to lower blood pressure and create a more relaxed state.

These aren’t luxuries we can’t afford- they are an essential part of our overall health.  We can’t afford not to take care of these important areas of our lives.  You could eat the purest and cleanest diet of anyone anywhere, but if your very LIFE is out of balance…you will still suffer from physical ailments like adrenal fatigue.  Practicing breathing techniques can actually help manage stress immediately (like when stuck in traffic, for instance).

Lastly, I would like to stress (pun intended) that there is no panacea of well-being.  What works for some may not work for others.  We need to learn to be more intuitive and to listen to our bodies.  Try something that sounds like it would work for you, evaluate how you feel after a few weeks, and if it isn’t working for you- move on!  Find what works for you and your body, and what will make you happy- not stressed.

Life is not perfection- in fact, maybe it is the opposite.  Everything worth doing really does take work!  That is what we can all do- start taking an honest look at where we are and where we would like to be…and start working and moving towards that! Rome was, in fact, not built in a day.  A stress-free life is not possible, but a happy and healthy life with manageable stress is possible…it just takes many consistent steps to build it.

Let’s do it!

Firstly, let’s clearly establish that genetic engineering of food is not the same as selective breeding.  Selective breeding is the process of breeding together specific plants or animals in order to achieve specific desired traits.   Selective breeding is the process that has led to the hundreds of different dog breeds we see today.  Crossbreeding certain plants has led to things like the pluot (a plum and an apricot), or the rainbow colored cauliflower.

Farmers, or animal breeders, select from populations with desired traits, and they continue to breed and select, breed and select- until the desired trait arrives.  This process, though it may also have its share of problems, also has its benefits (the orange cauliflower, for example, has 25 times the beta carotene as regular cauliflower; however, many dog breeds are also fraught with physical problems, like hip dysplasia).  The process of selective breeding still relies on natural law.  The natural processes of reproduction are still at play.

The biotech industry thinks that natural reproduction is a game of roulette when it comes to achieving desired traits, as well as being too time consuming.  They would rather force the issue.  And, I mean force both philosophically and physically.  The process of genetic engineering mixes genes from totally unrelated species- like putting human brain cells in to pigs (true), or crossing a fish with a tomato(true).  Potatoes have been developed that glow in the dark when they need to be watered.  Have farmers actually been failing to water their potatoes for all these thousands of years?

There have already been field trials in which they have injected human genes in to corn, rice, and sugarcane. I don’t know any person that actually wants to consume corn with human genes in it…although the Monsanto people seem to think it’s okay.  This starts to beg the question of- what is cannibalism?  And, if we were to eat food containing human cells, what would be the outcome?  Where are they getting these human cells- from what humans?  How do we know the human cells they chose to use are free from disease or genetic mutation? We know what happens when cows are fed cow meat- they develop Mad Cow Disease.  Perhaps someday we will see a Super-Mad-Human-Disease.  I would argue that we are already seeing it- what’s with all the school shootings?  No one can ignore the increase in cases of autism, ADD, food allergies, and the fact that infertility rates are at an all time high.

In genetically modified organisms, the DNA structure- the very basic coding for our cells, has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.  The very DNA structure of a plant is broken and forcibly injected with cells carrying the desired traits, however, they usually need a carrier- or mule- and this is often a bacteria or virus.  In the case of genetically engineered food crops, they have been using the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV).  It can be compared to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Let me interject and make something very clear.  Injecting new DNA is not like injecting something in to your blood stream.  It is more like taking out your blood cells and actually changing what the blood cells are (by forcibly injecting foreign DNA into the cells, then allowing those cells to mutate), and then putting that in to your body- and expecting that blood to still function as your old blood.  It is no wonder that there is rejection, and that a whole host of unknown mutations, superviruses, and antibiotic resistant disease can now occur.

And what about the proliferation of these plants?  Once they are out in the world- the seeds are free to move through the air and via bird droppings, free to mix with wild and traditional plants.  These genetically modified plants cannot be recalled.  They cannot be undone.

Have you heard of (one of) the farmer who was sued by Monsanto- because his canola crops became contaminated with their genetically modified seed?  GMO seed was being planted by some nearby farmers, and the GMO canola mixed with his heirloom canola (which he had been growing for generations).  The farmer didn’t want their GMO seeds!  He called Monsanto to ask them what to do about it, and they not only encouraged him to purchase their chemicals to kill off his own plants (any plants left standing after the chemical assault would clearly be Monsanto’s GMO plants, because they are engineered to withstand the chemical sprays), but they then launched an investigation of this man’s farm, and eventually sued him in court for patent infringement (since he was not authorized to grow their seed).  Here is the MOST disgusting part—clearly the judge was not human, because Monsanto (a billion dollar company) won the lawsuit against the independent farmer!  Everyone knew quite clearly that the seed had unwittingly spilled or drifted onto this farmer’s land!  It’s so outrageous that I just cringe every time I think about it: http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/schmeiser.cfm.

This was the first lawsuit of many by Monsanto against a small farmer.

Here you can watch the first ten minutes of a great documentary that illustrates what is going on with the food industry: http://www.thefutureoffood.com/onlinevideo.html

When were GMOs invented?

In 1953, two researchers- J. Watson and F. Crick- decoded the structure of the double helix of DNA, which, in 1962, led them to winning the Nobel Prize.  This was the beginning of molecular biology, and GMOs were first created in the 60s, which was also the time when Monsanto became interested in this new technology.  In 1972, a scientist named P. Berg managed to combine two pieces of DNA from different species, and thus began a new era where the “species barrier” was no longer there!  Research really began to take off, and there was a great boom in the creation of biotech companies.  Two decades later, genetically altered food was brought to market.  (source: http://www.combat-monsanto.co.uk/spip.php?article222)  According to Susan Wright, a sociologist, “The dawn of genetic engineering coincided with the emergence of a new ethic, one profoundly shaped by commerce.”

Why do big food companies welcome the use of GMOs?

They claim:

In addition to the visual perfection that GMOs boast, proponents claim that they have more profound advantages as well:

-GM crops can be made resistant to viruses, fungi and bacterial growth.

-GM crops can be engineered to grow faster.

-GM crops can be engineered to be naturally pest-resistant, undermining the need for pesticide chemicals.

-GM crops can be engineered to tolerate extreme weather conditions, such as cold fronts or droughts, allowing for a geographically diverse range of growth sites.

-GM crops can be engineered with added vitamins and minerals, which is potentially beneficial in third world countries dealing with malnutrition.

Unfortunately, none of this has been proven true!  In the case of viruses and pests- it has only been found that these new engineered crops create super-bugs and super-viruses!  The pests are simply becoming bigger and badder, thus it takes bigger and badder chemicals to kill them.  The biotech companies are, in fact, now creating what they call “stacked trait” seeds to combat the new resistant weeds and bugs (according to www.themindfulword.org).  They are splicing more than one set of DNA into plants to contain many levels of resistance.  We are on a genetic engineering treadmill…where does it stop?

No GM crop has produced more nutritious food, and they have not managed to end world hunger.  The surplus of foods has actually gone in to the huge growth of the packaged food/processed/junk food industry.  Completely useless “foods” have been created simply as containers for the excess GM corn, soy and sugar.

A great example of a useless food, which sees millions in sales and is marketed as a healthy food for our children, is the “lunchable”.  This product is an actual trash bin for cheap, excess genetically modified corn and soy, with a dizzying dose of chemical additives to boot.  With a fat, sugar and salt content being off the charts for recommended daily dose, it only contains about 1 gram of fiber.  In the example of the “Mess with Your Mouth: Turkey & American Stackers”- the turkey alone has 14 ingredients.  Call me a radical, but I think the only ingredient in turkey should be TURKEY!  Let’s put it this way, if I had to chose between feeding my child a Lunchable for lunch, or nothing…I would go with the nothing  (assuming I am able to give my child breakfast and dinner, and not approaching the subject of child hunger).  Products like these (and they are products, not food) were simply created to make money for the company (this one being Kraft Foods, who is also strongly opposed to labeling of GMOs).  They are created with high fat, sugar and salt content in order to addict people, and contain more food-like substances and chemicals than actual quality food and nutrients.

What are the concerns of growing & consuming GM foods?

There are many concerns involved with the creation of genetically engineered plants- from environmental concerns, involving issues of superweeds and superbugs, to human concerns involving consumption of unrecognizable proteins.  The following is an excerpt from:  http://www.themindfulword.org/2012/gmo-genetically-engineered-food/

“In addition to Roundup Ready GE crops, biotech companies such as Monsanto have also bioengineered crops that contain a slight variation of a naturally occurring pesticide, called BT toxin. BT stands for bacillus thuringiensus. This bacteria naturally occurs in soils and secretes a toxic substance that protects it against other soil organisms. Monsanto has taken this substance secreted by b. thuringiensus and modified it to increase its potency thousands of times. When the gene that codes for Bt-toxin is spliced into GE seeds the plant systemically (throughout the whole plant)produces Bt toxin in a modified and increased concentration than what is naturally found in soil frombacillus thuringiensus.

Bt-toxin in this synthetic and concentrated form has no research or studies to prove its safety for human consumption. It’s one thing for bacterial poison to exist in the dilution of soil and quite another for a variation of this poison to be artificially and systemically produced in a plant in extremely high concentrations and then directly consumed by humans.

Many experts and lay people are particularly concerned about the health and environmental impacts of cross-species genetic engineering. In the case of the gene for Roundup Ready resistance and Bt-toxin, genetic material from bacteria is being inserted into plants, a process that would likely never occur in nature. Biotech companies argue that there is no need to worry because it is only one gene being spliced into the seed. But other scientists argue that even one gene spliced into a seed creates relatively massive collateral damage in how other genes in that plant will function. Genes code for proteins, which perform all sorts of functions in our bodies. With aberrant genetic coding, anomalous proteins are produced, which have unknown and potentially devastating effects on our health and in the environment, most notably allergic reactions in humans. GMO-induced allergies are a primary concern among health experts and scientists critical of GMOs.”

“With the development of Roundup Ready resistant weeds and Bt-toxin-resistant worms, we arrive at the current situation where DowAgroscience and Monsanto are awaiting approval of their new stacked corn variety that’s both Roundup resistant and 2,4-D resistant. 2,4-D is the highly controversial and potent herbicide comprising about half the volume of the cancer-causing defoliant used in Vietnam, Agent Orange. If the corn variety is approved, this means that each year GMO farmers will now spray hundreds of millions of pounds of Roundup and 2,4-D on their new generation GMO crops.

‘Many studies show that 2,4-D exposure is associated with various forms of cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, nerve damage, hormone disruption and birth defects,” Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, told Reuters reporters. “USDA must take these significant risks seriously and reject approval of this crop.’ “

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine doesn’t think GMOs are safe, either.   They’ve reported that animal studies have shown health risks such as infertility, inability to regulate insulin levels, immune deficiencies, accelerated aging, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.    One of the biggest concerns is that GM foods can create symptoms that are difficult to detect or relate to their source, such as allergies, new diseases and nutritional deficiencies.  (source:http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers)

Scientific findings have shown:

• Thousands of sheep, buffalo, and goats in India died after grazing on Bt cotton plants
• Mice eating GM corn for the long term had fewer, and smaller, babies
• More than half the babies of mother rats fed GM soy died within three weeks, and were smaller
• Testicle cells of mice and rats on a GM soy change significantly
• By the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies
• Rodents fed GM corn and soy showed immune system responses and signs of toxicity
• Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7-times the amount of a known soy allergen
• Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced
• The stomach lining of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer.
• Studies showed organ lesions, altered liver and pancreas cells, changed enzyme levels, etc.  (also from www.responsibletechnology.org)

Companies like Monsanto go to great lengths to hide information like this.  They spend millions of dollars on campaigns against labeling, and assert that labeling of GMOs is not necessary- that they are completely harmless to us.  If this is the case- if GMOs are completely benign and of no concern- why do they go to such great lengths and spend so much money preventing the labeling of GM foods?  If GMOs are so great, then why aren’t they advertising it on labels?  The truth is- they work very hard to deceive us because that is what is good for their sales.  Companies are driven by sales, and corporate food giants are out of control.

They say that there are no human clinical trials of GM foods, so there is no way to conduct safety evaluations.  However, the horrific truth is that we all are part of the greatest human biological experiment ever conducted, partly without our knowledge, and wholly without our consent.  We are the trial- because GMOs are already a large part of our food system (80%), and they are not required to be labeled- so people are consuming these untested new organisms, and we do not know the full potential of the outcome.  That is what I call an experiment.  It is one I don’t want to be a part of, and I especially don’t want my child to be part of.

What foods contain GMOs?

You can without a doubt be assured that if you are consuming a commercial brand packaged food that contains corn (that includes high fructose corn syrup), sugar (from sugar beets), soy or canola- it has been genetically modified.  The most commonly genetically engineered food crops are corn, soy, sugar beets, canola, alfalfa, Hawaiian papaya, tobacco and some zucchini and crookneck squash.   Surprisingly, wheat and potatoes are not yet genetically engineered, but I would still recommend organic.  It is especially important to consume organic potatoes, as they grow in the ground and absorb toxins and pesticides directly from the soil.

Another thing to look out for is meat and dairy.  Cows are injected with genetically engineered hormones, so it is in their milk and meat.  They are also fed genetically engineered corn (which they should not be eating, and raises a whole other issue).

How do I avoid GMOs?

There are numerous health reasons to avoid packaged and processed foods, and right now I think the biggest one is in avoiding genetically modified organisms.  Aside from avoiding packaged/processed foods, chosing organic foods is another assurance.  Organic labeling laws do not allow the use of GMOs, so if your food is labeled organic- it is GMO free.  You can also look for the new “GMO verified” label on your foods.  You can read more for them here:http://www.nongmoproject.org/

There is also a new “grassroots alternative” to the certified organic label.  It offers an option to farmers who simply cannot afford the cost of organic certification, or do not meet every last criteria, but  otherwise have good agricultural practices and do not use genetically modified seed.  So, start to look for the “certified naturally grown” labeling.  You can learn more at their site:http://www.naturallygrown.org/

There is a great instructional on how to avoid GMOs here: http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Genetically-Modified-Foods

How do I get involved?

The most immediate way to fight against the use of GMOs, as well as to avoid eating them, is to fight with your dollars.  Don’t buy it!  Encourage everyone you know not to buy it.  Buy organic or verified-GMO free foods.  Start cooking at home.  Talk to people- tell your favorite restaurants that you enjoy their food, but you aren’t going to be eating it anymore until they stop serving GMOs.

Read more.  Keep reading about what’s going on with labeling laws and what anti-GMO groups are doing.  Read your labels!  Here’s a site that has some of the latest headlines on GMOs:http://wakeup-world.com/category/health-wellbeing/gmo-genetically-modified-organisms/

We need to Keep Fighting for Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods!

To sum it up- if you understand what a GMO is, you can plainly see for yourself that it is not a good thing.  The research that is out there is not good.  Other countries have completely banned use of GMOs, or they have strict labelling laws.  We need to all do our part to get the government to pay attention to this very serious situation.  Signing petitions and writing letters is great- but the greatest and most impactful thing you can do is very simple- DON’T BUY GMOs.  If the market demand were not there, they wouldn’t make them.  But Americans are blindly enabling this industry.  Armed with a little knowledge and a bit of resignation, you can avoid GMOs.  Cook at home, buy local and organic foods, look for certifications on your food that they do not contain GMOs. We absolutely need to remember- you really are what you eat.

Do you know that “apocalypse” translated literally from Greek, means a “disclosure of knowledge, hidden from humanity in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation”?   I would certainly say that we have been living in an era dominated by falsehood, and I can certainly abide by the idea that it is time for full disclosure.  I’m saying- to hell with your smart phone, your wardrobe, your car and everything that is all about you, you, you.  Yeah.  Really.   Get over yourself.

Let’s make this new year about US.  We are a GLOBAL COMMUNITY, but we are not acting like one.  How can any one of us truly succeed in a world where so many are being left behind?  How can any society or community truly thrive if some are left to suffer in poverty, disease, and lack of support and education?  So many people- all around us- don’t have what they need to thrive.  Not only is this terribly sad, but it is a direct link to the things that we fear in life- crime, war.  People who are constantly robbed of their human and civil rights will lash out.

For instance- I don’t want to bomb the shit out of the Middle East anymore.  You know why?  Not just because it isn’t right and it’s hurting people, and because there are BETTER and more human ways to solve conflicts.  No- also because they want to bomb the shit out of us right back!!!!  Can we really blame them?

I love the show Homeland for this reason (http://www.sho.com/sho/homeland/home).  It gives you a sympathetic look at BOTH sides of that issue- the terrorists versus the Americans.  And you literally find yourself feeling slightly sympathetic to both sides.  Who’s right?  Wait- I am right.  Or- maybe you are right.  Or, wait…we’re both right?  Nobody’s right…

I feel the very fiber of our existence imploding, and I’d like to be able to do something about it.  I would like us all to do something about it.  I was so affected, as all of us were, by the news in December- not just the elementary school shooting, but another bit of news from around the world around the same time.  There was a horrific rape in India, and the young lady ultimately died of her wounds.  What struck me about these two heinous, inconceivable crimes was the two very different reactions to them.

Here, in the United States…there was a lot of internet chatting.  We all posted about it, prayed about it, wrote letters about it, cried about it…and it is mostly gone from the news now.  I am not even sure what is being done about it, really, to be honest with you.  But- I do know what has been done in India.  People physically reacted!  They were angry!  They stormed their government building by the thousands in protest of such a horrific crime- demanding for laws to change, demanding for justice!  Their government had no choice but to listen.  While cases like this are normally tied up in India for years—the perpetrators of this crime are going on trial now, because of the people.   I know you may say that we have no perpetrator, in the case of the school shooting…but I beg to differ.

We are the perpetrators.  Our society- our lack of community- our complacency.  Why aren’t we storming the capitol…demanding better health care, demanding better resources for the poor, demanding better education for our children, demanding gun control laws….demanding a stronger and happier society for all??  The issues are so much deeper than one guy with a gun, and the problems take a lot of forethought.  It will take years and years of policy change to affect the kind of change we need.  To date- we haven’t had anyone in government able to work towards the future…because the people won’t let it.  No one wants to take actions now that won’t result in visible change for 30 years.  We are the now, now, now culture….what is good for ME- now.

What is not good for me now is ignoring our collective well-being.   Because it won’t be good for my future, and it won’t be good for my child’s future.

I hope- with this new year…we can start to change.  My hope for all people is that they start to seek enlightenment- that the veil will be lifted, that people will start to understand that your actions today will affect many tomorrows.  The air is already bad, the food is already damaged, the earth is already too hot…  It has to start changing today.

Gilberto Gil, in the movie Time For Change 2012 (http://www.2012timeforchange.com/)- which I find so inspiring, says that “you can affect social change by making personal change”.   So, even if the issues seem too overwhelming to do anything about- I ask you to keep that thought in mind, for this new year.  It starts with you and me.  We have to be the change that we want to see.

I am hoping to affect people by teaching them how to be healthier.  This is a bigger task than just helping one person fit in to their skinny jeans.  The ramifications of a person switching to a healthier diet and lifestyle are a thousandfold…it will be better for agriculture, the land, the environment, as well as the social environment.  There has been actual proven research that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is causing depression (among a millionty other things), and that switching to a largely plant based and organic way of eating improves mental function and behavior!  This is a big deal.

A highschool for kids with behavioral problems decided to overhaul their cafeteria and see what happens!  (http://www.feingold.org/PF/wisconsin1.html) What happened was the violent outburst amongst students dramatically decreased, dropout rates dramatically decreased, and academic performance….DRAMATICALLY INCREASED!  Just by feeding these kids real, nourishing food!  Imagine the possibility.  A similar study was done in a prison population with the exact same results- giant reduction in number of violent outburst, down to almost none.  The new diet made people- dismissed by society as flawed and irreparable- HAPPY!

If everyone in the country had access to fresh, whole food that was not full of hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified DNA…it is clear our society at large would improve.  We could reduce crime—by eating vegetables!  We could make our land healthier.  We could give farmers a decent living- and a reason to keep farming…which is sort of in our best interest that we have farmers farming food, and not only government subsidized crops of wheat, corn and soy!   (Did you know that food allergies have more than doubled between the years 1997 and 2002…1996 being the year the GMOs were introduced to the marketplace. http://visual.ly/gmo-genetically-modified-organism  You don’t know because “they” work hard for you not to know.)

I, for one, am amazed at the possibility…and I will not think myself small for making efforts at changing one person’s diet and lifestyle at a time.  One pebble can still make a mighty ripple.  It is time for change.  This is a time for the apocalypse…or a lifting of the veil of deception that has come over us all.  It is time to be working towards the future that we all want to see.  Start small, start big…just start.  It does matter.  It will make a difference.

I challenge you all to add one thing to your list of New Year’s Resolutions:

#1.  BE THE CHANGE

Love and light to everyone in my global community- near and far,

April