Importing Disasters: Why it's Good To Buy and Eat Local

Are you faithfully buying locally grown produce?

Are you aware of where your food comes from? Most of the produce grown in the United States is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold.

Produce that is grown and imported from outside U.S. borders have to travel distances substantially longer that those 1500 miles, especially when taken into consideration countries such asMexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places.

It’s simply bigger than the tremendous environmental harm of shipping the products into our stores that is detrimental to our global wellness because of using cheap oil that destroys our air quality, and that buying outside of our local environment is putting our honest, small farmers, out of work.

Even more concerning is the unsustainable ways in which produce is grown and harvested and the destructive patterns of deforestation in the foreign soils. That coupled with a lack of government oversight and regulations have and could continue to greatly raise the risk of possible food borne illnesses and other potential dangers in our homes.

After interviewing some local farmers and people running operations in large U.S. agricultural companies, one of the major harms from importing and selling foreign produce is in the types of pesticides used.

Most pesticides that are banned in the United States and deemed toxic and too dangerous for human health and consumption are pervasively used in foreign countries that closely border the United States and ones afar. Because the United States can import these goods for an extremely cheap rate versus what they sell to their customers, it comes down to what is good for business (even if it is the health of the consumers that is at stake).

As U.S. News reports in 2008, even pet foods can be tainted and pose as a great potential danger when purchasing foods from foreign lands.

An example of the potential danger being addressed is when the U.S. health officials halted the importation of farmed fish from China because of chemical contamination in the fish feed. Blame to China should not be solitary, however. Many other foreign countries are to blame in triggering American food-borne illnesses.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close to80 million cases of food-related illness are reported in the United States each year, including 5,000 deaths. In 2007, a salmonella outbreak caused Dole Fresh Fruit Co. to recall roughly 6,104 cartons of imported cantaloupes from Costa Rica that were distributed to wholesalers in the eastern United States and Quebec. There were no reports of illness.

Why can’t food inspections be routinely done to ensure customer safety here in the United States?

Simply put, the inspections by the FDA—either at the source of production or at the borders are not budgeted well enough to keep up with the regular inspections.

The agency responsible for inspecting all imported foods with the exception of meat and egg products, which are covered by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, (part of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture) has lost so much funding that they complete one foreign country inspection, sometimes between every 8-10 years.

Food safety experts stress that it's almost impossible to sort out whether the thousands of smaller food-linked disease outbreaks that occur each year in the United States are attributable to domestic or imported product. The chances of people encountering contaminants in foods from abroad than those grown in the United States. According to a FDA report released in 2003, pesticide violations were cited in 6.1 percent of imported foods sampled versus 2.4 percent of domestic products. And a report issued by the agency a few years earlier found traces of salmonella or the dysentery-linked bacteria shigella in 4 percent of imported fruits and vegetables versus 1.1 percent of domestic produce.

Sadly, despite presidential debates and the promise of more resources to come from domestic soil, there is more and more goods, produce and foods being imported and consumed in our nation's supermarkets and restaurants than ever before. According to the CDC, food imports to the United States have almost tripled doubled in the past three decades, from $36 billion in1997 to more than $95 billion in 2011.

Government inspectors argue that disease knows no boundaries, and that we are still going to have outbreaks -- nothing is perfect, and that the government can't catch and stop everything. But I believe we certainly can lessen it, and lessen its impact through educating the public and ourselves.

Educate yourself before reaching for specific foods off the shelves of your local grocery or food stand. Understand that foods produced in the U.S.A. must go through a more rigorous and mandated "farm to table" production journey than a foreign food simply shipped into the U.S.

Resources:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. News
CBS
Helium.com
Center for Disease Control and Prevention

5 Amazing Benefits of Basil (Sabja) Seeds

Why You Need to Add These Seeds to Your Diet!

There has been some dabble into the up and coming popular basil seeds (that resemble chia seeds), in that they may help control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes (according to the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation). Why is this so?

Basil seeds seem to help the controlling of blood sugar in test subjects, and in dieters, it has the potential to help reduce appetite and food cravings and to keep weight loss efforts on track. There are great claims that basil seed drinks help with weight loss, but lacking in sufficient research, these claims have yet to solidify just yet. In Asian countries, such as Thailand, basil seeds are made into a drink, and stores sell these drinks in cans.

The intact seeds, combined with water, sugar, honey and sometimes coconut milk, create a thick drink with a consistency similar to tapioca. The traditional recipes, however, are high in sugar. Also in Asia, it is the main ingredient in Italian cuisines.

Seeds provide concentrated nutrition and fiber. All the ingredients needed for plant germination are present in the seed, including carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fat. Many seeds provide nutrition, flavor and texture in a balanced diet, including poppy, sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds. Studies show that it provides a wide range of health benefits, from treating nausea to indigestion, diabetes, constipation, respiratory problems and so forth. There are additional health benefits people can get from adding basil seeds into their nutrition.

1. Aids in digestion

Basil seeds are commonly used to provide relief from stomach upset. Due to its carminative effects, it is effective for treating digestive disorders such as stomach cramps, flatulence, constipation, irregular bowel movements and indigestion.

2. Treats colds

Another benefit of basil seeds is that they also provide relief from influenza, fever and cold. Since it has antispasmodic effects, it can help treat whooping cough. In fact, tulsi is the main ingredient in many expectorants and cough syrups.

3. Helps respiratory disorders

The herb is useful in helping respiratory disease, according to recent studies. A mixture of the herb, with ginger and honey is a remedy for asthma, cough, cold, influenza and bronchitis. Simply boil it in a glass of water and consume it.

4. Stress reliever

Consumption of basil seeds has an uplifting effect on your mood and thus is beneficial for relieving mental fatigue, nervous tension, melancholy, depression and migraine. Due to its calming effect, it is commonly used for aromatherapy purposes, giving you clarity and mental strength.

5. Good for skin infections

Basil seeds are crushed into oil to help in treating infections such as wounds, cuts, bladder infections, skin infections and so forth.

There is no evidence whatsoever that basil seeds have undesirable side effects. However, you should consult your doctor before you consume them, especially if you are on medication.

Nutrition and Recipes

One canned basil seed drink sold in the United States contains 96 calories, 21 g carbohydrates, 21 g sugars and 2 g of fiber. Because of the swollen seeds and their fiber, the drink may curb hunger.

How to prepare basil seeds

Put 2 tsp. of basil seeds to 1/2 cup - 1 cup of warm water or liquid of your choice. If you want more concentrated of a flavor, drain excess water out after swelling the basil seeds with plain water. The warm water (not boiling) helps to fully swell the basil seeds, releasing antioxidants and digestive enzymes. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 2 minutes with the warm water/liquid to give the seeds time to absorb water and take on a gelatinous-tapioca like texture.

Types

Desserts, as well as frozen, canned and fresh drinks containing basil seeds, are available in parts of Asian and at restaurants and stores in the United States. Suppliers sell basil seeds by mail for making basil seed drinks. A Thai version of a basil seed drink uses seeds from sweet basil. Other types of basil seeds include hairy basil seeds, holy basil seeds, and Thai basil seeds.

Considerations

The gelatinous texture of the swollen basil seeds makes a filling drink, which could help to curb your appetite if you consume it before meals. Making your own basil seed drink with an alternative sweetener reduces the calories from sugar. Basil seeds also have the potential for creating a textured dessert, as an alternative to tapioca pudding—a treat on a calorie-restricted diet.

The most effective means of weight loss remains the basic strategy of burning off more calories than you consume. Basil seeds may help you to feel full on fewer calories. Tracking how much you eat and counting calories is the best way to stay on track. Insufficient scientific information is currently available with respect to the effect of basil seeds on weight loss.

Warning

Small children could choke on the swollen seeds. When I say choke, it is because if the seeds are not mixed with enough water, the mixture will be very clumpy. Because many people (especially children) do not chew when drinking a liquid, thick clumps or some-what-tapioca like seeds may cause a risk for swallowing. Basil seeds and basil seed drinks should be kept out of reach of children and supervised when consuming. Commercial basil seeds sold for gardening may be treated with pesticides and fungicides—these should not be used for drinks.

People with diabetes or hypoglycemia should avoid the heavily sugared traditional recipes. Alternative sweeteners, such as agave, raw stevia or a sweetener approved by your doctor provide options for creating a less sugary basil seed drink.

How to obtain basil seeds

Let the basil flower bloom, then wither and turn dry. If you look up from below, you will see tiny black seeds attached to the dry flower pods. Rembmer, wait until the flower is dried, then cut them out, put them in a plastic bag and shake it. The seeds will be nicely collected in the bag. If some of the seeds refuse to detach from the flower, it might mean that they are not fully matured.

Beneficial Bacteria: Fermented Foods

You Need to Try These Amazing Fermented Foods

Since the early Babylonian days, circa 5000 BC and Egyptian empires circa 3150 BC, people have been healing and living well with fermented foods. With names such as fermented and cultured, many foods that bathe and marinate in bacteria that are reproduced on the foods, are extremely good for you!

Though this does not sound the most squeaky-white-floors-clean, these beneficial bacteria, in turn, convert carbohydrates to either alcohol (beer, wine, yeast leavened bread) or to organic acids (cheese, yogurt, tempeh).

When certain foods soak in their own bacterial juices for a long period of time (weeks at a time), the bacteria actually enhances an already highly nutritious food, creating good for you probiotics, vitamin b’s and digestive enzymes, to name a few. Let’s look into ways fermented foods are good for the body and some of the best fermented foods to eat.

Fermentation occurs when bacteria start consuming or digesting a certain food, which at the same time inhibits the growth of the spoiling bacteria. In vegetables, the lactic acid bacteria in the plant start to metabolize the sugar and reproduce prolifically.

These fermented foods are alive with nutrition, strong odors and fermenting your own foods is quite easy, and many recipes (like sauerkraut) only requires the master staple, cabbage . . . nothing else, or vinegar, salt or whey (the liquid that forms on top of yogurt), and a few weeks of time.

You can certainly purchase fermented foods in farmers markets or natural food stores if you are not feeling very Martha Stewart-y. Make sure your foods are not pasteurized, however, (a touchy and misinformed subject), for once pasteurized, all the live enzymes and nutrients die.

All the wonderful things that come from fermentation

Through the fermentation process, organisms produce alcohol, lactic acid, and acetic acid (all “bio-preservatives”) which help the foods keep their body healthy nutrients and prevent spoilage.

Fermentation also breaks food down into more easily digestible forms and into beneficial amino acids. It creates new nutrients, too. The microbial cultures create B vitamins, including folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and biotin. Some have been shown to function as antioxidants. Fermentation also removes toxins from foods.

Best Fermented Foods

For the best types of fermented foods, stick with foods that come from Mother Earth, caveman or “Primal” type foods. Sauerkraut, dairy (full-fat Greek style yogurt—high in saturated fat and protein, low in carbohydrates, or strain your own yogurt--much of the sugars are in the liquid whey), kefir, and aged cheeses.

Some health gurus make fermented fish sauce: place together salt, liquefied sardines and anchovies fermented with special herbs and spices outside in the sun for months at a time, Kombucha (but cycle in and out of drinking this tonic, for too much of a good thing may shock and strain the liver), and another Japanese treat natto (from fermented soy). And who doesn't love miso, kimchee and natto? Treat yourself to some fermented delicious sides. Your body will thank you!

Great reading source

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods [Paperback]
By Sandor Ellix Katz (Author), Sally Fallon (Foreword)