What is an AFO? Animal Feeding Operation. Industrial animal farms that keep and raise animals in confined situations. Feed is brought to them instead of them foraging for it. It also means that they eat, sleep, defecate, and die within a small area of land. As if that thought weren't enough to turn you off from massive inhumane farms here's another reason: Feeding arsenic is still standard practice on chicken AFOs because it helps the birds grow faster and controls a common intestinal disease. Lets carry this thought from farm to table (and beyond) to understand the horrible ramifications of their actions.
The chickens injest this cocktail and produce waste. This waste is spread over agricultural land every year (by the metric ton). We injest these chickens (and what they have eaten) and everything else that is raised on this 'waste' land and we contribute this waste to our groundwater and environment.
A step you can take right now is to find a local chicken farm that treats their animals humanely, allows them to roam freely and uses chemical free or organic feed. I found one at our local farmers market in Phoenix. The farm is called Prescott Valley Farms (http://www.prescottvalleyfarms.com/) and they have a store front in Phoenix and sell at the farmers markets. Support the local farms in your state and your health will thank you for it.
For the full article go to: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/23/what-to-know-if-you-ever-want-to-eat-chicken-again.aspx
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Take Advantage of Your Brain's Best Times
Want to maximize your brain's rhythms? Pay attention to these following times for certain tasks:
- 7 to 9 AM: Best for Passion
- 9 to 11 AM: Best for Creativity
- 11 AM to 2 PM: Best for Tough Tasks
- 2 to 3 PM: Best for a Break
- 3 to 6 PM: Best for Collaboration
- 6 to 8 PM: Best for Personal Tasks
- 8 to 10 PM: Best for Relaxing
- 10 PM onward: Best for Snoozing
Thursday, August 19, 2010
7 Thoughts That Are Bad For You
The 7 most detrimental thoughts to health are:
1. Cynicism: increases the likelihood for developing heart disease
2. Lack of meaning: decreased life span for test subjects
3. Fretting: fretters in a study were more likely to smoke and thus died sooner on average
4. Lack of Self Control: shorter life span as compared to their study counterparts
5. Anxiety: increases likelihood for developing dementia
6. Gloom & Doom: increases arterial plaque formation
7. Stress: increases metabolic syndromes, heart disease, blood pressure....
For more info: www.livescience.com/health/090911-7-bad-thoughts.html
1. Cynicism: increases the likelihood for developing heart disease
2. Lack of meaning: decreased life span for test subjects
3. Fretting: fretters in a study were more likely to smoke and thus died sooner on average
4. Lack of Self Control: shorter life span as compared to their study counterparts
5. Anxiety: increases likelihood for developing dementia
6. Gloom & Doom: increases arterial plaque formation
7. Stress: increases metabolic syndromes, heart disease, blood pressure....
For more info: www.livescience.com/health/090911-7-bad-thoughts.html
Monday, August 16, 2010
Calorie Restriction & the Immune System
Our immune system ages as we do. Caloric restriction(1/3 fewer calories) has a huge impact on immune system of monkeys. To see a short video from Live Science go to: http://www.livescience.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=pur1330_caloriesandimmpod_sc
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Website
Another great link to bookmark: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. Enter the names of all your hair, face, body products (as well as baby products) and immediately you will get a rating from 0 (low hazard) to 10 (high hazard) and an ingredient listing. You can also enter your e-mail address for free newsletters.
Quickies
According to the American Heart Association after quitting smoking one can experience these benefits in just one to nine months: shortness of breath decreases, cilia in lungs regrow, circulation improves, energy levels increase, and infection decreases.
The smallest bones in the body are in the ear.
Middle ear infections should decrease as a child ages because the eustachian tube changes from a horizontal to a slanting position; thus, fluid cannot pool and become infectious as easily.
Ligaments attach bone to bone and tendons attach bone to muscle.
Hand washing is considered the single most important method of infection prevention.
Foods that are labeled "organically grown" might still have pesticides if they cross a state border or country border due to agriculture laws. Foods that are from other countries are nutritionally deplete-buy local within 100 miles of where you live.
"Life is defined by movement and death-and the lack thereof" (unknown)
(sources: Outline Review for the Medical Assistant-2nd edition and Macrotherapy Nutrition notes)
The smallest bones in the body are in the ear.
Middle ear infections should decrease as a child ages because the eustachian tube changes from a horizontal to a slanting position; thus, fluid cannot pool and become infectious as easily.
Ligaments attach bone to bone and tendons attach bone to muscle.
Hand washing is considered the single most important method of infection prevention.
Foods that are labeled "organically grown" might still have pesticides if they cross a state border or country border due to agriculture laws. Foods that are from other countries are nutritionally deplete-buy local within 100 miles of where you live.
"Life is defined by movement and death-and the lack thereof" (unknown)
(sources: Outline Review for the Medical Assistant-2nd edition and Macrotherapy Nutrition notes)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Top Foodie Picks For Movie Night At Home
These 2 documentaries are on my 'must watch' list and should be on yours if you are concerned about the food you and your family eats.
Here is a synopsis: "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually." (www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php)
The second one is King Corn (www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/film.html)
“For the first time in American history, our generation was at risk of having a shorter lifespan than our parents. And it was because of what we ate.”
—Curt Ellis, KING CORN filmmaker
Here is a synopsis: "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually." (www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php)
The second one is King Corn (www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/film.html)
“For the first time in American history, our generation was at risk of having a shorter lifespan than our parents. And it was because of what we ate.”
—Curt Ellis, KING CORN filmmaker
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