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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.

Environmental Defence in Canada tested the umbilical cord blood of three anonymous newborns, finding a total of 137 chemicals overall. The number of toxins in each baby’s cord blood ranged from 55 to 121.

Again, researchers found pesticides, flame retardants, PCBs, and PFCs found in non-stick coatings.

If you combine these two studies with the fact that glyphosate is found in 75% of air and rain samples, it is clear that we are bombarded by super-toxic chemicals everywhere. (Glyphosate is Monsanto’s weedkiller which the World Health Organization said “probably causes cancer”, and California’s EPA said that it intends to declare that glyphosate “causes cancer”.)

What should parents do, knowing that so many harmful chemicals are lurking in the bodies of their children?

Feed them organic food.

While giving kids organic food may seem like strictly a preventative measure, it is much more than that. Organic food will actually lessen the pesticide load in a child’s body.

This has been confirmed by new research published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which found that an organic diet dramatically decreased concentrations of certain pesticides in two groups of California children.

Conducted by researchers at the University of California – Berkeley, University of Maryland, and Emory University, the study enrolled 40 Mexican-American children, half of which were from an urban neighborhood in Oakland and the other half were from Salinas Valley, a region that grows 70% of the nation’s lettuce. All of the kids were between 3 and 6 years old.

When the scientists replaced non-organic food with organic food in the kids’ diets, the results were shocking.

In each group, the number of pesticides in the children, as measured by breakdown products (metabolites), dropped in a dramatic fashion.

Metabolites of two neurotoxic pesticides fell by an average of 40% and 49%. Levels of the weedkiller 2,4-D, a possible carcinogen, dropped by 25%.

The key takeaway is this. It is never too late to have your child, or yourself, start eating organic food.

Organic will not only help protect your child in the future, but it can undo the harm done in the past.

A message from E3Live

"My Everyday, Must-Have Green Organic Aquabotanical"

The best testimonial that I can give is that I drink this every single day, as it impacts my mood in an incredibly positive way.

E3Live + BrainON is certified organic, fresh-frozen AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) with a concentrated, aqueous, organic extract of Phenylethylamine and Phycocyanin.

Learn more.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

Organic Milk – The Most Important Product a Family Can Buy

For people who are new to organic or have very limited financial means to buy organic, the one thing that I always say is the following:

The absolute number one priority in your household should be organic milk for your kids.

Even if a family thinks that organic food is out of their budget, organic milk cannot be compromised under any condition.

Organic milk is about the health of the kids, and that comes before everything else.

THE SERIOUS HEALTH RISKS OF HORMONAL MILK

Approximately 20% of the milk in the U.S. is hormonal milk. But what exactly is hormonal milk?

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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

The Mystery Behind Organic Honey

One question has been really bothering me as of late: Is there such a thing as USDA certified organic honey?

Despite the picture you see above, there is good reason for me to have serious doubt.  Here is why.

In the past, I have spoken to numerous local beekeepers and when I asked them if their honey is organic, they have all told me that there is no such thing as USDA certified organic honey.

Yet when I go to the market, I see one or two brands of honey that have the USDA organic seal on the label. Almost all of the honey that has the seal on it comes from Brazil, which has made me wonder whether there is some type of corruption going on with the certification.

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Living Maxwell

Better Choices

How Do Your Favorite ‘Organic’ and ‘Made with Organic’ Snack Bars Rate? Take a Look at Cornucopia’s Scorecard

When you are in the checkout line at the supermarket and looking for a nutritious snack to satiate your hunger, take caution when selecting an energy bar.

The energy or snack bar market is big business — a $9 billion industry — and many people are easily fooled by the slick marketing that food companies employ to get you to purchase their products.

The absolute first thing to look for is a certified organic snack bar — one that has the green and white USDA organic seal on it.

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livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink