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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Another Reason to Eat Organic — GMOs and Weedkiller Found in Conventional Cereal

If anyone you know is still feeding their children conventional cereal, maybe this piece of news will get them to change their habits.

GMO Free USA, a non-profit that educates consumers and other stakeholders about the potential hazards of GMOs, just published its results of independent lab tests (verified by DNA analysis) done on Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal.

Here’s what they found:

1) 100% of the corn in the Froot Loops was genetically-modified, containing DNA sequences known to be present in insecticide-producing Bt and Roundup Ready corn. This corn produces insecticides inside of the plant’s cells and cannot be washed off.

An in-vitro study found that the insecticides in this corn may be toxic to human cells, and feeding studies conducted on mammals found adverse effects, including immune system disturbances, male reproductive organ damage, disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system, and signs of organ toxicity.

While the industry claims that these insecticidal proteins are broken down in the digestive tract, a study found the proteins circulating in the blood of pregnant and non-pregnant women and the blood supply to fetuses.

2)  The soy contained DNA sequences known to be present in Roundup Ready genetically-modified soy.

As I have written about before, genetically-modified soy represents tremendous health risks, including serious reproductive and other issues.

3) Significant levels of glyphosate, the main chemical ingredient in the super-toxic Roundup weedkiller, were found.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that links glyphosate to health and environmental harm.

– A 2013 study found that glyphosate, at minute real-world environmental levels of exposure, was able to effectively substitute for estrogen in stimulating growth of hormone-dependent human breast cancer cells.

– A 2014 study found that glyphosate was frequently present in peoples’ urine, with the levels being higher in individuals with chronic diseases.

– Another 2014 study found glyphosate in the organs of piglets born with birth defects. The higher the levels detected, the higher the incidence of defects.

– 3 recent studies linked glyphosate to male infertility, and 2 studies linked glyphosate to chronic fatal kidney disease.

FURTHERMORE…..

1) Kellogg’s does not have to label any ingredients that are genetically-modified, despite the fact that GMOs carry such tremendous health risks.

Why?

Because the food and ag-biotech industry has spent $572 million from 1999 to 2010 to make sure that certain food policies, such as GMO-labeling, are not adopted. Kellogg’s alone has spent $2 million on anti-GMO-labeling initiatives over the last few years.

See my TV interview where I explain this ridiculous injustice and talk about how 64 countries around the world require GMOs to be labeled. But the U.S. still does not.

2) Aside from the risk of ingesting GMOs and toxic-pesticides, Froot Loops also contain a slew of other very questionable ingredients, including artificial colors such as red 40, blue 2, yellow 6, and blue 1.

Europe requires a warning label “consumption may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” on products that contain most artificial dyes as an ingredient.

– In 1938, there were 15 artificial dyes approved for use in the U.S. Many of those have since been banned but 7 remain, including the ones listed above.

– In 2007, a University of Southampton double-blind, placebo-controlled study found a link between hyperactivity in children who consumed some food dyes along with the preservative sodium benzoate.

– In 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to ban artificial food dyes.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

If this has you outraged, there are several things that you can do.

1) While non-GMO is great, non-GMO only means no GMOs. Super-toxic pesticides can still be used.

That is why you should switch to as much organic food as possible, particularly conventional cereals made by major food corporations. Organic doesn’t allow GMOs or super-toxic pesticides to be used.

Click HERE to read my post on which foods should be the priority when deciding to eat organic.

2) In terms of picking a high-quality organic cereal and to see how your cereal rates, take a look at the Cereal Scorecard by the Cornucopia Institute.

3) Read my 5 Essential Ways to Avoid GMOs.

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

And in Sierra Leone, we have grown the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified cacao.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Pure Rooms – Setting a New Standard for Healthy Traveling

For those of us who are extremely committed to health and wellness, the reality is that maintaining this lifestyle is very difficult when traveling.

At home, we have much greater control over our environment, but we lose that control when we go on the road, regardless of how aesthetically pleasing the living conditions may be.

Fortunately, the world is starting to change, and there are now businesses entirely focused on meeting the needs of the wellness-minded traveler.

One such company that I recently discovered is Pure Wellness, whose main offering is a Pure Room — a hotel room unlike anything I have seen before.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Better Choices

5 Essential Ways to Avoid Genetically-Modified Food (GMOs)

Recently, I got an e-mail from a reader asking how she would know if she is eating genetically-modified soy or not.

Figuring that many other people may have that same question, I wanted to explain how to avoid eating genetically-modified food (GMOs) and the things that you need to look out for.

#1 – Buy USDA Certified Organic Products  GMOs are prohibited in organic food. Therefore, look for products that contain the USDA certified organic seal.

Even though GMOs are prohibited in organic, organic crops can be contaminated by GMOs through cross-pollination and drift. (That is why the proliferation of GMOs is a real threat to organic farming. The co-existence of GM-crops and organic crops is simply not possible, despite what our government would like us to believe.)

USDA rules require that organic certifiers test samples from at least 5% of the operations they certify on an annual basis.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Your Children Have Pesticides in their Bodies – Remove these Chemicals with an Organic Diet

It is a proven fact that our children are born with a shocking number of harmful chemicals in their bodies.

A study from the Environmental Working Group showed that 232 toxic chemicals were found in 10 cord blood samples of infants.

Some of the chemicals included BPA (a hormone disruptor), toxic flame retardants, synthetic fragrances used in common cosmetics and detergents, and PFBA, which is used to make non-stick and grease-, stain- and water-resistant coatings for cookware, textiles, food packaging and other consumer products.

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