Truth about GMO

In the quest to get the healthiest, most nutritious food to fuel our families, many people want to buy the foods that are healthier and purer by buying food that is organic. These foods are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers or genetically engineered ingredients.

As for the environment, organic farming helps keep the air, soil, and water clean and natural by not using synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Green and organic are both becoming quite universal concepts in this day and age.

The word "organic" refers to the way agricultural products and foods are grown and processed. Organic food production is based upon a farming system that maintains and replenishes the natural soil without the use of toxic pesticides or fertilizers. It's based upon a completely natural way of working with nature and the environment.

By eating organic foods, you limit your exposure to dangerous chemicals, synthetic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. In addition you also limit your intake of growth hormones and antibiotics, because organic meat and dairy farmers are prohibited from using hormones and antibiotics. Genetically modified foods are also prohibited from carrying the "organic" label.

On October 21, 2002, the U.S.D.A. put into effect the national organic standards ensuring consistency for all organic products marketed in the United States. Along with the new standards, there are strict labeling rules to help the consumer know the exact organic content of the food they see on the shelf. The "USDA Organic" seal helps you find products that contain at least 95 percent certified organic ingredients.

There are four labeling categories to look for when purchasing organic products as a consumer:

"100 percent Organic". All of the product's content is certified to be organic. These products may display the USDA Organic seal on the label.

"Organic". At least 95% of the product's content is certified organic. These products may also display the seal but may contain some minor ingredients that are not certified as organic.

"Made with Organic ingredients". At least 70% of the product's contents are certified Organic.

Products containing less than 70% Organic contents can only identify the organic ingredients on the ingredient listing on the label.

There are a few grocery stores that have been "certified organic". These stores have taken rigorous steps because to be "certified organic" requires extensive research, planning and commitment to the way that the food is transported, stored and sold.

Karen Lynch is a freelance writer who is passionate about saving money for her family. She uses Grocery Coupons, sales and rebates to maximize her savings. She shares her tips and techniques at http://www.bestfreegrocerycoupons.com

If all politics is personal, as is widely held, then ultimately not much is more political than our food, and the farms which produce it. Everyone must eat, thus everyone has a vested interest in food.

Just now, early in the 21st Century, foods and farms are emerging as a leading-edge political movement. Thousands of college students are awake to the crucial importance of food and farms, and more are awakening.

With food poisoning scares, the ongoing onslaught of genetically modified food products being surreptitiously introduced to our diets, and the mounting evidence of the health and environmental consequences of large-scale, chemically dependent industrial agriculture, the list of reasons is growing for people to become active and take a direct part in ensuring food quality and food supply.

According to a May 23 story in The New York Times, a new wave of students is heading to farms this summer, in search of both work as interns, and social change. The interest in summer farm work among college students has never been as high.

According to the Times, the students come armed with little more than soft hands and dog-eared copies of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. They are acutely aware of the gross environmental problems caused by mass-scale industrial agriculture; they want to help bring about change, and to know they are doing something to better the world.

Meanwhile, the dietary forces impelling people to recognize foods and farms as a key political issue are mounting in strength and credibility. According to stories in both Time Magazine and Mother Earth News this Spring, we now have solid, scientific evidence that industrial farming is giving us less healthy food. Produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in our grandparents days, the evidence shows it also contains fewer nutrients.

Both articles cite a February, 2009 study entitled "Declining Fruit and Vegetable Nutrient Composition" by Dr. Donald R. Davis published in the journal HortScience, 2009.

Davis reports that the average vegetable found in today's supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago.

Because of widely used chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are harvested faster than ever before. But quick and early harvests mean the produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil. Meanwhile, monoculture, another hallmark of the Big Ag industry, has also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops.

What can we do? Follow the examples of the new agrarians of the 21st Century They continue to respond intelligently, creatively, and innovatively in backyards, neighborhoods, and with community gardens and farms across the land.

Changing economic conditions represent yet a third force making it likely many more people will be looking for the practical and political pathways being trailblazed by the new agrarians. For example, a May 24 story in The Hartford Courant told of how in the face of drastically changing economics local growers have begun offering CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares as a survival strategy to keep their farms alive..

CSA describes an emerging agrarian form that has swept the country in 1978, and that is now well established in Connecticut. The number of CSA farms is barely keeping up with demand. As reported elsewhere, CSA farms have increased dramatically in recent years, with more than 13,000 now operating in the USA according to a census taken by the US Department of Agriculture.

We can expect to see more in the times ahead as, of necessity, food and farms come to the forefront of public awareness.

Journalist Steven McFadden is the author of hundreds of articles, and 8 nonfiction books including "Farms of Tomorrow" and "Odyssey of the 8th Fire." His work is available at http://www.thecalloftheland.com

Out of the thousands of gardening books, magazines, articles, and websites out there, very few even mention the fundamental elements of growing food. Once you find out what these steps are, you'll realize gardening is easier than you first thought.

There are only a handful of essential things you need to know to be able to grow food in any climate with any soil. Gardening "experts" like to make people think gardening takes years of study to be able to do.

The truth is, the only ingredients you need for a producing garden are good seeds, soil, fertilizer, and water.

Let's start with seeds. The seeds you use don't necessarily need to be heirloom or organic but they must not be genetically modified. It's getting harder to tell which seeds are genetically modified and that's why gardeners are migrating to only organic seeds. One way you can tell if they are GMO seeds is by looking on the back of the seed packet to see if there is a patent number. Lots of seeds you can buy in the super stores like Walmart have a patent number on the back of the seeds packets.

The next important factor is the soil. Soil ranges from sandy to loam to clay. Sandy soil allows water to drain quickly, so plants need to be watered sometimes 10-20 times a day. Clay soil does not drain very well, so standing water around plants can cause disease and root rot. But there is an easy remedy for all soils...

...Compost.

And compost is easy make. It's not cost effective to buy compost at the store but you're in luck, it's easy to make your own. All you need to do is call your local horse or cow ranches to see which ones discard the manure. Once you've transported the manure back to your property, shovel it into a large pile and wet thoroughly with a sprinkler. This will start the process of composting the manure and facilitating beneficial bacteria growth. After one week, turn the compost pile so that the outside is now on the inside, wet with a sprinkler and wait another week.

Using an organic fertilizer that does not harm the soil is important. And you're in luck. All you need to do to make your own fertilizer is fill a plastic bin a third full of compost, fill two thirds with water, and let sit for a day or two.

Supplying the garden with water is important. When a plant shows signs of withering, it's growth has already been stunted. The two easiest ways to water a garden are: (1) with a rubber garden hose and an impulse sprinkler on a stand, and (2) with a drip system. Which ever method you choose, remember to water deeply every couple of days.

Now that you know the essentials for a producing garden, you can start your own.

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Foods like light ice cream are just one of the many reasons our bodies are so unhealthy.

These frozen sweet treats may claim to have less fat or fewer calories, but most of the time they are really hiding the truth. And even if they're living up to parts of their claim, most likely the taste won't be what you're expecting.

Most companies who claim to have a better version of the stuff just can't live up to its name no matter what the ingredients may be. The main reason why companies are trying to make a healthier version of this treat is because of its fat content. Simply put, fat is not good for you. And because practically everything we eat has some form of fat in it, we're getting fatter with each and every bite. So companies try to mimic the real stuff. Yet, the results are disastrous.

Because it's very difficult to make a lighter version that tastes just as creamy, companies must use unnatural ingredients like mono and diglycerides. They use artificial sweeteners, dyes and other synthetic ingredients to try and cover the bland taste. And to make the product even creamier, they have now resorted to using genetically modified ingredients like protein cloned from a fish, which is approved by the FDA.

If that doesn't make you stop and think, many lighter ice creams have as much as 85 grams of sodium, 20 grams of cholesterol, 22 grams of carbohydrates and 150 calories per cup. That's pretty scary if you're concerned about heart disease and diabetes.

If you really must have a frozen sweet treat, why not try frozen fruit? If it's the creamy texture you crave, look for your favorite dessert that uses soy milk rather than dairy. And be sure to enjoy it in moderation. One serving should be about cup. If you're dishing out more than that, you better be adding more exercise to your lifestyle as well. Keep things simple and eat naturally, and your body will thank you for it.

Harold M Stokes is an expert on eating healthy, living healthy and natural vitamin supplements such as can be found at http://www.seaaloes.com/. SeaAloe is a natural whole food nutritional supplement containing over 80 nutrients. SeaAloe is the original Seasilver formula.

There was a big announcement recently coming from 2K Games. They are going to release a new kind of multiplayer game. This is none other than the second installment to the great BioShock franchise. The developers of the online software will be Digital Extremes.

So many players and followers of the massive series are looking for multi player capability. That is why the company simply responded to these pleas. The president of 2K games announced that Bio Shock 2 will have everything that made the first original Bio Shock a success. However all this will be mixed in a massively multi player universe that every body is certainly looking forward to. Both hardcore fans of the series and new comers are promised to be satisfied by the developer's high quality technical principles.

There is much to be excited about in the storyline as well. The new game is going to explore in depth the narrative possibilities that the first game's storyline unfolded. The setting of the new game is during the so called fall of Rapture era. The games point of view is focused on a Plasmid experiment for the fictional Sinclair Solutions company. The company is the main producer of tonics and the popular plasmids. Thus they hold a place of power in the city called Rapture, found hundreds of leagues under the sea.

A player will need to have full master of all Bio Shock details and tools in order to get through all the game play. It is a more refined game now and the translation into a multi player platform is flawless. The city of Rapture feels like home.

Here is an outline of the main elements in BioShock 2:

- The Genetically modified shooter will change systems. You can get more points in the game in order to get more plasmids, tonics, and cool weaponry. These can all be utilized and combined to form different cool moves. You can thus make your own highly stylized character.

- The story of Rapture will definitely be much richer. Origins of the city and the social events that are significant to its fall will be unearthed. You can even get to see the city while it was still in its glory days. Cool new combat areas are in line for you to romp and explore along with other players.

This game is definitely going to be one of the hottest this year. Anticipation for its release has reached its peak. The FPS people who are credited with other successes are spear heading the multiplayer aspect so you can be sure about its quality.

For Gaming News, Reviews, Discussions and more check out http://www.notinthere.com/

As a whole food eggs are an inexpensive and low calorie source of nutrients such as folate, riboflavin, selenium, choline and vitamins B-12 and A. They are also considered a source of very high quality protein.

The controversy with egg consumption comes the confusion of the increase of coronary heart disease (CHD) because of the amount of cholesterol found in the egg yolk.

The truth is that extensive research has failed to establish a definitive link between dietary egg yolk consumption and the progression of the disease.

Egg protein is helpful in weight training in that it has a high biological value (best matches what is needed by your muscles). It inhibits the breakdown of the muscle, post work out (PWO) when protein is desperately needed, especially after a weight training workout.

The best eggs to choose are those that are organic. Organic eggs are always free-range eggs, but free-range eggs are not always organic. If you choose to go organic, make sure the carton has the USDA organic seal on it. USDA organic have the strictest food production standards in the world.

Here are the qualifications for organic eggs.

Certified organic farms are required to follow the strict production rules of the USDA's National Organic Standards (www.ams.usda.gov/nop) and are regularly inspected by an independent third party for compliance.

1. Organic hens are allowed access to the outdoors, and never kept in confinement cages, providing many benefits such as better quality of life for the animal, superior animal health, and greater nutritive value in food derived from the animal.


2. Hens are fed only certified organic feed, grown on land not treated with synthetic fertilizers or pesticides for a minimum of three years.


3. Organic animals must not be genetically modified and cannot be fed food from genetically modified sources.

Organic eggs right now are about $3.19-$4.25/dozen. I can't really tell you how much regular eggs are right now because I can't tell you the last time I bought them! If it's not worth it to you, then by all means, skip this section, but remember, garbage in, garbage out.

If you choose regular eggs, then it would be wise to avoid the yolk because this is where all the garbage that they treat and inject the hens with is concentrated the most. I don't like my kids to eat regular eggs because as growing children, protein is so vital for their growth and so therefore have a high rate of absorption and if you think about it, by the time they reach your age, they would have many built up toxins.

Protein is essential for building so many things in your body--you may as well make it a good source. Do it for yourself. You're worth every penny!

Velma Garnes M.S, NASM-PES, CPT is a fitness professional and writer who resides in Gahanna, Ohio. She helps clients reach their weight loss goals by teaching a variety of classes including SPINNING, Ashtanga Yoga, and BootCamp classes and trains clients. To access more of her writing and free information and access to a FREE report if you sign up for her informative FREE monthly e-zine (full of informative tips and the latest health information) visit her website at http://www.focused-fitness.org

Organic maple syrup is just one of the products that have become "organic", but do people really know what it means for a product to be "organic"? Usually, products are warped or added with something, usually GMO or genetically modified organism, either for a longer shelf life, or to give it a better taste. Ultimately, it's for the manufacturers to produce a better yield, to maximize the time on their hands to produce more in less time for more profit.

But the downside is that the long-effect of these genetically modified products to the consumers, that's why large companies who want to make a difference and want to prove that they can make healthier products that won't compromise their target profit have come up with organic products such as maple syrup, which turns out not only are healthier, but proves to have better, richer taste.

Organic maple syrup during the manufacture, undergoes a tremendous amount of labor to be able to produce pure syrup from the sap of maple tree. It's ultimately a labor of love, and that's why naturally it's a little bit more pricey compared to "non-organic" maple syrup. But I found out that Kosher is selling organic maple syrup that's easy on the budget, and that proves to be distinctly tasteful. It has a richer taste than other brands on organic maple syrup, and the most affordable so far. I'm impressed with the combination of quality and affordability of Kosher's organic maple syrup and I think it's the best in the market so far.

For more information, check other Organic Maple Syrup reviews.

Erika Ayala works part time for a consumer review company.

Substantial agriculture will give the fine results of healthy food. The method and the process used for agriculture will give rise to delivery of healthy food to the consumers. Sustainable agriculture system helps in generation of environmental safe and healthy farming and food production.

There are a lot of things that help in this safe production of food such as fertility of soil, good quality seeds and the technique that is used in the process of production. The fertility of the soils needs to be constantly maintained and improved for the fertility of the product. A good water supply will also help you in enhancing the production process. It's important to maintain and protect the bio diversity of the land (farm), the workers working in the farm and all other factors that link in the food chain for the production of healthy food.

You should also take necessary steps for reduction in the waste and adverse environmental conditions. There is no body or organization that has been formed for a certification process in terms of Substantial Food and Agricultural system but the process involved like Organic and Bio Dynamic Food and Agriculture systems have their own certification standards.

The certified organic food is a term used to certify that the production of food is not done with the help of harmful pesticides or artificial fertilizers. It also certifies that the food product is not affected by any of the industrial waste, food additives, ionizing radiations and is not being genetically modified. To get the certification done you will also have to take extra care that the p[lace where the livestock's are grown and kept, the place should be free from antibiotics and is done without using the growth hormones.

The Bio Dynamic Food certification is about the artistic way of agriculture. This takes a systematic approach to agricultural farming. Each of the farm components are taken into consideration to view it affects the others. It includes an approach which includes the use of retention of nutrients, dynamic sprays, crop rotation, plants pests, weed control and also the recycling of the waste products to the maximum. In terms of the live stock production, it's all about the animal's nutrition, decomposition of the waste products and rotation of the animal species. It also involves the minimization of the pasture borne parasites.

There are numerous ways of having Sustainable Agriculture, but the final choice remains yours. You can study about the different ways to maximize the production of food products and keep them healthy too. A complete knowledge and information will help you a great deal in the field and also help you getting maximize results in the same field.

You can get more information about these through internet; the highly recommended websites you can get information from are http://www.EarthAttic.com and http://www.EarthAttic.com/dignews/, they can help you get the most appropriate information. You can get a solution to your questions regarding having substantial agricultural system and how to increase the production too.

Ask almost anyone and they'll more than likely tell you that a bran muffin is considered a healthy food. That's great news for those of us who are staying in shape and keeping our bodies healthy, right? Not if they're purchased from your favorite food store or fast food restaurant.

You see, most manufacturers want you to believe that their muffins are healthy even when they're really not and so do many fast food places. They know about the health craze, but they also know that bland doesn't sell. So, just because there's a healthy word in the title doesn't mean it's healthy for our bodies.

Most muffins are loaded with all sorts of unhealthy ingredients and can be extremely high in fat and calories. They're also high in fat, which makes you a target for everything from heart disease to high blood pressure and diabetes.

So every time you reach for one of those bad boys, you're submitting yourself to processed ingredients like sugar, flour, saturated oils, corn syrup, preservatives and other unnatural additives.

You already know what sugar can do to a body, but did you know that corn syrup could be even worse. While corn syrup may seem innocent enough since it's processed from corn, it's actually a genetically modified food. It's been linked to anemia, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Preservatives are loved by the food industry. They're what allow manufacturers to keep a food product on the shelf for months at a time. In reality foods such as muffins begin to go bad after a few days when they're made from Mother Nature. That's because they're not pumped full of chemicals that alter the foods so that they practically last forever.

Preservatives were something Mother Nature never intended for man to create, but they did it anyway. As a result of this chemically created process, studies have shown an increased risk of ADD & ADHD symptoms. And if that's not enough to scare you, some preservatives that are used in our foods can actually cause a deadly allergic reaction.

So how do we know our favorite bran muffin is healthy? We don't unless we're willing to make them from scratch. Mother Nature is best, so why are we still choosing something that isn't even real?

Harold M Stokes is an expert on eating healthy, living healthy and natural vitamin supplements such as can be found at http://www.seaaloes.com/. SeaAloe is a natural whole food nutritional supplement containing over 80 nutrients. SeaAloe is the original Seasilver formula.

In today's business environment, companies only do things that either increase their sales, or decrease the cost of production. An example would be the outsourcing pandemic that we see before us today. Why are thousands of companies laying off millions of American workers to outsource the job in another country? Wait for it!...... Because it's cheaper!!! Big businesses will always make their decisions based on profit, because they have a legal obligation to their share-holders to increase profits.

So how are big pharmaceutical companies any different? Do you think that they genuinely want to cure your diabetes? Lets pretend for a moment that you are a big company who sells insulin to diabetics. Would you be excited to hear that someone discovered a natural remedy that cured a person of diabetes so they never had to buy your insulin ever again? Do you think that natural cure for diabetes would ever be made public?

The answer is undoubtedly "No." Not because its untrue, but because these companies spend billions of dollars every year advertising their drugs to keep the population in a money spending frenzy.

Health care is defined as the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases; so diabetes can easily fall into this category. So long as diabetics are sick, and people in general, there are billions of dollars to be made every year. If every person with diabetes was able to find a natural cure, the pharmaceutical companies that sell insulin would go out of business over night.

Virtually all drug companies and corporations involved in health care view you as nothing more than a customer - and so long as you are sick, you are a good customer.

So, again, what financial incentive do they have to let everyone know of a natural cure for diabetes? Health care is the most profitable industry in the world so long as people are sick, fat, depressed, etc. And so long as they can keep secret the cure for diabetes, they can keep raking in billions of dollars.

There are virtually only two reasons why we get sick, are ill, or have disease:

1.) We "catch" something that our body can't fight off (germs, bacteria, virus', etc.)

2.) We develop it over time, i.e. an imbalance in the body that causes something to not work right or work against itself in genetically weak areas.

So why are we, in the Western world, so riddled with diseases if we are going to the doctor more, taking more drugs, exercising more often, etc.? Could it be that the drugs we are consuming don't actually cure us of ANYTHING? That our dependence on them only re-insure repeat business through newly developed problems?

Really think about it!

You don't catch cancer, you don't catch diabetes, you don't catch a back-ache, you don't catch a head-ache, allergies, arthritis, impotence, PMS, depression, fibromyalgia, heartburn, obesity, etc. They are all developed over time by extenuating circumstances. Drugs are not the answer as they only suppress the symptoms, not treat the CAUSE.

So what is the root cause of diabetes?

The root cause of diabetes is rather simple if you look at it objectively. It is the pancreas' inability to produce much insulin, if at all, that the cells require to bind to the specific receptors located on them - which would then allow the glucose to be absorbed by the rest of your body.

What can you do to naturally cure diabetes?

I know it may seem unreasonable to completely change everything you've been doing your entire life. But realistically, everything you have been doing for your entire life has developed for you nothing but complications and diabetes.

Major changes in your life, as you've recently discovered, are necessary to not only control your diabetes, but to also completely reverse it. You may be thinking that you are stuck with injecting yourself with insulin for the rest of your life, but the reality is that you can naturally cure your diabetes through two incredibly simple things:

Diet and Exercise

But its going to take some work.

The importance of diet and exercise cannot possibly be explained in a single article as the information is not only complex, but shocking as well.

The bottom line is that everything we've been eating and drinking has been genetically modified, processed, produced with pesticides, or have chemical additives in it. This not only leaves the body malnourished as the food we consume has less nutritional value than it did 100 years ago, but also creates profound "stresses" on the body!

When the body is "stressed" like this, two things happen:

1.) The immune system is increasingly suppressed, making you more susceptible to disease.

2.) The alkaline pH levels of your body go from normal, cancer fighting levels, to acidic: in which the likes of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes can develop.

There are over 15,000 toxic chemicals that have been allowed to be added in our food without being listed on the label. Before you put it in your mouth you have to ask yourself: "Is this what nature intended?" A good rule of thumb that your doctor will most likely refuse to advise is this: If it's man-made, comes in a box, couldn't be created 100 years ago, or stored in a can - DON'T EAT IT!

Which leads me to exercise.

We are the only machines on the face of this earth that break down from the lack of activity like a car engine with no oil. Enjoying an active lifestyle, along with PROPER nutrition, are the single biggest factors that is able to naturally cure all physical ailments, including diabetes.

It's important that we arm ourselves with as much true, unadulterated, information as possible. Head on over to Fat-Proof.com/Diabetes for the next step in naturally curing your diabetes for life.

As reported by Maria Gallagher, in the June 26, 2002 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer, by reading the PLU code, you can tell if the fruit was genetically modified, organically grown or produced with chemical fertilizers, fungicides, or herbicides.

Here's what to look for. Look for the labels (stickers) stuck on your fruits and veggies:

* A four-digit number means it's conventionally grown.

* A five-digit number beginning with 9 means it's organic.

* A five-digit number beginning with 8 means it's GM.

The numeric system was developed by the Produce Electronic Identification Board, an affiliate of the Produce Marketing Association, a Newark, Delaware-based trade group for the produce industry. As of October 2001, the board had assigned more than 1,200 PLUs for individual produce items.

Genetically modified (GM) foods are food items that have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering. What this does is create food that is better suited to withstand environmental forces such as drought and bugs. In the US, by 2006 89% of the planted area of soybeans, 83% of cotton, and 61% maize were genetically modified varieties.[1]

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990s. The first commercially grown genetically modified whole food crop was a tomato (called FlavrSavr), which was modified to ripen more slowly by Californian company Calgene.[2] The most common modified foods are derived from plants: soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil.

Here is how some of these foods become GM. Let's take soybeans for example, my father-in-law is a large scale farmer in Iowa. The corn and beans he purchases have been soaked in RoundUp. RoundUp is a commercial weed killer. When the weeds grow they spray the entire field with RoundUp and the crops are resistant to the weed killer, and only the weeds die. The farmers know this is a problem, but here's the catch, they can only purchase RoundUp ready seeds.

The issue with GM food lies with a problem called Gene Transfer. This happens when genetic material from the crop can be found in the human.

Currently there are only a few dozen peer reviewed studies completed on the health effects of genetically modified foods. The results of many of these studies strongly challenges the industry and government standard of substantial equivalence. As of January 2009 there has only been one human feeding study conducted on genetically modified foods. The study involved seven human volunteers who had their small intestines removed. These volunteers were to eat GM Soy to see if the DNA of the GM soy transferred to the human gut bacteria.[3] Researchers identified that three of the seven volunteers had transgenes from GM soy transferred into their gut bacteria. "This transgene was stable inside the bacteria and appeared to produce herbicide-tolerant protein... In the only human feeding study ever conducted on GM crops, long standing assumptions that genes would not transfer to human gut bacteria were overturned.

It's a catch 22, clearly millions of people around the world would die if we didn't produce food on a large scale, but the side-effects are still largely unknown. I choose to avoid GM food as much as possible. The fact is if you live in America, the chances of you consuming GM is great.

[1] Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S. USDA ERS July 14, 2006

[2] Martineau, Belinda (2001). First Fruit: The Creation of the Flavr Savr Tomato and the Birth of Biotech Foods. McGraw-Hill. pp. 269. ISBN 978-0071360562.

[3] Netherwood et al., "Assessing the survival of transgenic planic plant DNA in the human gastrointestinal tract," Nature Biotechnology 22 (2004):2.

On any given day, people everywhere are surrounded by what some call "chemical soup." Found in the foods we eat, the water we drink and bathe in, most consumer goods, and the air we breathe, chemicals are difficult if not impossible to avoid. While some are useful, many are toxic and their harm to the environment and human and animal health far outweigh their benefits.

Although many commonly used chemicals are detrimental to your health, it is important to remember that everything on the Earth is made of natural chemical elements. As just one example, nearly 80 percent of our atmosphere is nitrogen. Nitrogen occurs in all living organisms and is present in the cells of every plant and animal. While nitrogen and other natural chemical elements are essential to life, they can become toxic in higher amounts and/or when altered.

In the early 1880's, German Scientists discovered a way to create fertilizer from nitrogen in an effort to increase crop production. Today, nitrogen-based fertilizers have helped to feed billions of people, but they are also responsible for poisoning ecosystems, destroying fisheries, and causing sickness and disease. Clearly, it isn't that all chemicals are bad, but rather that many have been used unwisely and in excess.

There are currently more than 80,000 untested industrial chemicals used in consumer products with more than 2,000 new synthetic chemicals registered every year. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified hundreds of chemical ingredients in personal care products alone. Over 51 of them are considered "endocrine disruptors." Also known as Xenohormones, these synthetic and natural compounds mimic hormones in the endocrine systems of both humans and animals.

The endocrine system influences almost every cell, organ, and function of our bodies. It is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, and metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes. These systems work together to maintain the proper functioning of the body through its entire life cycle. Chemicals that disrupt endocrine system function are linked to premature puberty, PMS, infertility, endometriosis, prostate disease, early menopause and more.

Petroleum products are powerful endocrine disruptors and are another example of how what was once natural works against us. Formed by tiny sea plants and fish that died and sank to the bottom of the oceans millions of years ago, Petroleum is a "fossil fuel." Petroleum products are present in virtually everything from food additives to your clothing and toothbrush.

Many personal care products use Mineral Oil as the primary ingredient. Literally liquid petroleum, it is a by-product in the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline and other petroleum based products from crude oil. Trusting it to be completely safe, when you were a baby, your mother likely slathered you in Baby Oil (100% Mineral Oil) on a daily basis.

Let's live in confidence and awareness rather than fear, accepting that chemicals are an integral part of our world. Through education and focus, we can navigate through our "chemical soup." With every wise choice you make to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, you will avoid one more burden on your body and contribute to a cleaner environment. In the words of our Surgeon General, "Read the label!"

Please check the ingredients in your personal care products carefully. Remember, the skin is the body's largest organ and everything you put on it goes into your bloodstream. When you purchase your personal care products from Organic Excellence, you can feel confident knowing they are chemical free. We never add artificial fragrances, colors, parabens, preservatives, additives, genetically modified ingredients or use animal testing.

To learn more about Organic Excellence and our great line of chemical free health and personal care products, please visit our website at: http://www.OrganicExcellence.com

Organic Excellence features a line of chemical and fragrance free health and personal care products. Please visit: http://www.OrganicExcellence.com and sign up for our free monthly newsletter to receive exclusive monthly product specials.

Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for the advice, diagnosis or treatment of a medical professional. If you suspect the possibility of any physical or psychological disorder, please seek expert medical care.

It's one thing to have a 72-hour emergency kit and be prepared for a short-lived disaster, yet quite another to stock up on food supplies for an event that is much longer in duration. There are a number of excuses for focusing solely on a shorter-term disaster survival plan, but what if you were required to be self-sustaining for weeks, months, or even longer? It's not a fun topic to dwell upon, but it is something to prepare for, even if its use never comes into fruition. Kind of like insurance, you can take comfort in knowing if it ever was necessary, you are at least covered.

One of the most useful additions to a long-term food supply is heirloom seeds. These beauties are extremely important for many reasons. Heirloom seeds are not genetically modified (non-hybrid). This makes it possible to gather seeds from your veggies to reuse season after season. Even if your focus was more on frugality and good health (non-GMO), these seeds are the best way to go.

Imagine a situation where a person (maybe you) did not have much extra space to store MRE's, dehydrated foods, freeze-dried items, canned goods (and the like), does have enough seeds to be able to produce an output more than all of these things combined year after year indefinitely. Wouldn't that put a hefty premium on these puppies in a circumstance in which they were called for? Much like having a good water filter should be a high priority on your long-term emergency supplies list because you can literally suck gallons of safe drinking water out of lakes and streams, heirloom seeds are your food counterpart to this equation.

Ever find yourself wondering what else you should add to your emergency preparedness regimen? Take it from this angle-- how can I leverage all of these items for the benefit of myself and others should we ever need to put them to use? Then you might decide to store things that you personally might not use, but could barter with someone else to get something that you want that hadn't occurred to you during your preparation efforts. And, bingo, heirloom seeds are just the ticket to add to your storage, because you can either trade the produce you get from the growing of them, or some of the heirloom seeds themselves. They will be more precious than gold in times of need!

Heirloom seeds are such a practical addition to your long-term emergency food storage. And you'll be surprised at the variety of this type of seed that is on the market today. If you're a gardener already you should experiment with heirloom seeds. You'll find that you won't want to go back to hybrid seeds afterward. The heirlooms are natural and prolific!

Order your heirloom seeds today-- without delay. Try them, you'll surely like them.

Are you seriously concerned about the possible harm that may come to you and your family with the kind of food that you are serving on the table?

Amidst the controversy and concern about genetically-modified foods, we are now seeing the emergence of a new philosophy about healthy eating known as organic food. This food scare that has crept into our homes has led us to avoid chemically-laden foods, beefs, and other foods that are known to have negative effects on our health and our children's mental development.

The main organic food sources include animal foods and plants that were not exposed to excessive amounts of chemicals. There is a strict adherence to the banning of genetically modified foods in this type of farming setup. This is one of the more contentious issues plaguing commercial farms as there is now a growing backlash on such commercial farming practice. Animals are raised on these farms. They are provided a living space that mimics their natural habitat. They are fed food without any traces of chemicals and drugs.

Many people believe that these foods are always ahead when it comes to taste. Many people are choosing organics at the grocery store as an alternative to regular, commercially grown foods. Studies show that food in its purest form can alleviate many causes of food allergies and reactions.

As we are appreciating the direct benefits that we get when you include these foods in our diet, we are also contributing to the protection of our environment. It is also an accepted fact, that workers in organic farms are a lot safer as they are not exposed to harmful chemicals.

Our main concern about commercial foods is our continued ingestion of harmful chemicals and pesticides that remain in the foods that we buy from a commercial grocer. One particular concern is antibiotics. These antibiotics generally find their way to the food chain and are taken in by humans when they eat the animals that have been raised on commercial farms. Several researchers have already confirmed the increased health risks that result from the ingestion of animals that have been raised on antibiotics. Some of these antibiotics and chemicals have carcinogenic effects and may even lead to the mental retardation of our children.

The beneficial effects to humans, animals and our environment are enough reasons for us to take a strong stand to support these products. With the increased demand and preference for organically produced plants and animals, more people will be encouraged to go into this type of farming to meet the growing demand. This will ensure that there will be an ample supply of healthy and safe food product which we can serve to our families.

Chuck R. Stewart bought some organic food online for a child who has a reaction to many pesticides used on food. He researched some organic food sources in an effort to start eating more healthy.

As you furnish your nursery for your new arrival, don't forget to include organic crib sheets on your list of necessities for baby's bedding. All natural crib furnishings are often made of the softest hand-picked cotton, with no harsh chemicals or artificial materials added during manufacturing. I believe every baby deserves a completely organic nursery not just an organic crib mattress.

Why is organic cotton preferable to conventionally grown cotton for your baby's bedding?

You already know that 100% cotton is the best choice for your baby's bedding. Cotton is soft and natural, and unlike most synthetic materials, it allows air circulation while transporting moisture away from your baby while she sleeps. Does it really make any difference whether you use organic crib sheets rather than bedding made from conventionally grown materials?

Actually, it makes a bigger difference than you may realize. Conventional methods of growing cotton often utilize chemical pesticides and other non-sustainable agricultural practices. The processing of cotton also introduces a large number of chemical pollutants, which are harmful for both your baby and the environment.

Let's take a look at a comparison of organically produced cotton and conventional bedding materials throughout the process from growing and harvesting the cotton to manufacturing baby sheets.

Organic Cotton:

• Not grown using genetically modified seeds and are not treated with chemical fungicides or pesticides;
• Soil health is maintained through crop rotation and natural organic materials; no chemical fertilizers are used;
• Weed control is maintained through the use of beneficial insects;
• During thread production, warp fibers are stabilized using non-toxic corn starch;
• Threads are whitened using natural peroxide;
• Fabric is finished by a soft scour with natural soda ash;
• Finished fabric is dyed and printed using natural pigments containing low levels of heavy metals.

Conventional Cotton:

• Plants are grown from seeds treated with chemical pesticides and fungicides;
• Soil is depleted due to single crop planting, synthetic fertilizers, and heavy irrigation;
• Chemical herbicides may be used to control weeds;
• During thread production, toxic waxes are often used to coat fibers to stabilize them;
• Threads are whitened using chlorine bleach, which has toxic bi-products that may be released to the environment;
• Fabric is finished using harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde (a respiratory irritant);
• Dyeing and printing materials include heavy metal pigments and sulfur.

The end result of this process is that crib sheets made from conventional cotton contain chemical substances which can be harmful to your baby. Your little one will spend between 12 and 18 hours sleeping each day during his first few months; that's a lot of time spent inhaling irritants which may make him sick and have a lasting impact on his health.

Organic crib sheets are gentle on baby's skin and lungs; they contain no heavy metal dyes, and they are produced in an ecologically responsible manner. You should look for manufacturers that use hand-picked cotton that is harvested using fair trade practices. Organic crib sheets will cradle your baby in comfort while absorbing moisture from perspiration, drooling, and diaper leakage. They are machine washable for easy cleaning, and just like regular crib sheets, they are available in a variety of adorable designs.

When you buy organic merchandise, the prices are generally a bit higher than conventionally produced materials, but the long-term impact on your baby's health and the environment makes them a far better choice in the end. You want nothing but the best for your infant. You can give your baby a great head start by providing a safe and healthy sleeping environment with all-natural organic crib sheets.

I am a retired grandmother who enjoys babysitting all six of my priceless grandchildren. In my spare time I stay active, travel, and write informative articles about the importance of organic crib sheets and other topics that matter to me.

Back in the day diet meant three "squares," no bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, no eating between meals except for a piece of fruit and absolutely no sweets.

We have come along way in discovering how our bodies process food, and have come to realize that eating a variety of foods including grains is essential to losing or maintaining healthy weight.

Today, in addition to the plethora of diets available to us, we are being challenged to develop an environmentally responsible relationship to our food that requires more mindfulness in the way we shop and eat.

You can start small by considering adopting the following suggestions as part of a greener lifestyle.

Buy locally whenever possible. Buying from local farmers and food producers brings healthy food to your table with lower transportation costs, greenhouse emissions, preservatives and pesticides. You are also getting food at its nutritional peak.

Grow a small garden. You don't need a large area to grow a few tomatoes, beans, peppers or any small vegetable. Smaller, vertical vegetables will grow nicely in containers on your deck or patio. If you live in an apartment house, get together with your neighbors, create a community roof garden, and reap the additional benefits of regular exercise while growing your own produce.

A vegetarian diet puts less stress on the planet and is easier on your body as long as you are careful to eat a balanced diet. Meat, dairy and grain products use more energy than their plant counterparts do. Gradually introduce more plant-based foods into your diet, by increasing portions of vegetables to meat, and eating meatless meals at least three times per week.

Studies show that eating more uncooked fruits and vegetables not only gives you more immediate access to high-density nutrients, but also reduces the energy needed to process and package food.

Reduce or eliminate fast food consumption. Most are blatantly unhealthy, and the amount of processing, cooking and packaging "take-out" foods is detrimental to your health and that of the planet.

Drink plenty of clean water instead of sugary soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Instead of buying plastic bottled water that increases the stress in our landfills, make your own filtered water by purchasing a pitcher type water filtering system. Fill the pitcher with water, add a little lemon juice and refrigerate. Don't forget to replace the filter every three months.

Use a toaster oven or counter top grill to cook smaller meals or leftovers. They use far less energy than larger kitchen appliances, and will keep your kitchen cooler in the summer.

Knowing where your food comes from will help you make healthy choices. Whenever possible buy meats from local growers, as their animals are not full of antibiotics that eventually find their way to our bodies. When shopping or eating out, don't be afraid to ask your grocer or restaurant owner about their suppliers. Always look for greener alternatives to genetically modified produce.

Learn about composting, as much of the food we waste and throw away can be recycled into nutrient rich soil for garden and house plants.

Become proactive in respecting and protecting clean air, water and soil that sustains our food supply and us. Every little thing you do to help preserve our planet's natural treasures puts you on the path to greener living.

Marianne L. Kelly a former chef, is a freelance journalist, editor and web writer. As a chef she offered tasty, healthy alternatives to high calorie, fat, sugar and sodium laden foods. She has designed her own healthy eating plan and has helped others do the same. Marianne has written three themed main stream cookbooks. She is currently working on a third that follows each season with stories, poems, thoughts and sayings along with healthy recipes from the bounty of each season. Marianne works with a web designer writing original content and re-writes, and is available for hire. For more information visit http://www.strawintogold.weebly.com or http://www.safeharbourpress.com

As you prepare for your new arrival, you have so many decisions to make. One thing you should never overlook is the importance of choosing organic baby clothes rather than a conventionally manufactured layette. Everyone talks about the importance of a high quality organic crib mattress. What about organic clothing for infants, does it really make that much difference?

The answer to this question is yes, absolutely. To understand why this is true, you should think about several aspects of organic clothing as compared to traditionally manufactured items. In each one of the following areas, organic products are far superior to conventionally produced merchandise.

Agricultural Practices

During the growing process, conventional textile producers often use seeds which are genetically modified and treated with chemical pesticides and fungicides. Synthetic fertilizers are used to compensate for loss of soil nutrients due to over-farming and heavy irrigation. On the other hand, organic fabrics are made from plants which are grown from all-natural seeds. Soil management includes crop rotation, use of beneficial insects rather than chemical herbicides to control weeds, and natural fertilizers.

Environmental Impact

During the manufacture of textiles using conventional practices, natural fibers are treated with chemical stabilizers, hot water, chlorine bleach, and toxic pigments containing high levels of heavy metals. These substances and their by-products are often released into waterways, which presents dangers to the local ecology. Organic textile manufacture uses only warm water, natural cleansers such as soda ash to clean and soften material, non-toxic dyes, and natural peroxide (as a whitener). All of these elements reduce the environmental impact of clothing production.

Baby's Health

Just to name a few of the harmful substances present in conventionally made clothing, baby clothes may contain heavy metals, synthetic materials which promote allergic reactions, and even formaldehyde - the same chemical which recently caused a big problem in the FEMA trailers used to house victims of Hurricane Katrina. Formaldehyde is also a known respiratory irritant, which is linked to childhood leukemia.

Any one of these harmful toxins can cause a wide range of health problems for your baby. Developmental damage, respiratory problems, leukemia, allergies, eye irritation, and nervous system depression have all been linked to these industrial chemicals. Organic clothing is made from all-natural materials using no harsh chemical additives, which is particularly important for a baby's sensitive skin. Infants with skin problems such as eczema can especially benefit from all-natural clothing.

Look and Feel of Baby Clothing

Regular baby clothing is often produced in huge plants, with little attention to quality and detail. As fast as your little one is growing, you want clothing that will survive more than one or two cycles through the washing machine. Organic, natural clothing is made from high-quality materials like cotton, silk, and hemp. Great care is taken in their manufacture, and it shows in the quality of the products. Soft, all-natural materials swaddle your baby in cozy comfort.

Price

There are so many things to buy when you are preparing for your new arrival. Getting ready for a baby costs a lot of money, and it is natural to look for the most affordable items for your nursery. Many expectant parents hesitate at paying higher prices for organic baby clothes; the truth is, while the initial investment is a bit higher for organic clothing, it is well worth it in the long run when you consider the impact on the environment and your baby's health.

Your new baby deserves the best of everything. Give your baby the gift of good health and safety with a certified organic crib mattress to sleep on, and adorable organic baby clothes to sleep in.

I am a retired grandmother who enjoys babysitting all six of my priceless grandchildren. In my spare time I stay active, travel, and write informative articles about organic baby clothes, and other topics that matter to me.

One of the latest trends in survival gear and disaster preparedness is maintaining a survival seed bank. While this term is somewhat unheard of, it is sure to gain popularity over the coming months.

Already, there are many manufacturers who advertise these seed banks as a way to supplement your home emergency and disaster survival items in the event of a catastrophic emergency.

Emergency seed banks contain thousands of non-hybrid seeds in many varieties and species. These seeds are usually packaged in high quality metallic bags and in a long lasting desiccant. The entire packaging is housed in a vault that is made to withstand water and damage.

Non-hybrid seeds are selected for their high nutritional value and hardiness. In addition to their sturdy heirloom quality, the seeds are open pollinated, allowing for harvesting of more seeds for the next years crop. Genetically modified seeds usually cannot be harvested for a second or third crop.

While the notion of storing a survival seed bank may seem a bit paranoid, scientist have been doing the very same thing for about a decade with the Millennium Seed Bank Project. Maintaining seeds in the event of a disaster is not only reason for storing heirloom varieties.

In 2002 the soy plant industry was in danger of a catastrophic disaster because of the destructive Cyst Nematode. A Russian seed bank in St. Petersburg was able to provide soy bean seeds resistant to the Nematode and thereby saving the soy industry.

As of 2009, there are dozens of countries that maintain seed banks containing extinct and non-extinct heirloom variety seeds to preserve the food supply.

Having the ability to plant a full acre crisis garden in the event of an emergency could be the difference between your family eating or going hungry in a disaster. Storing a survival seed bank and planning a crisis garden should be a part of every persons disaster readiness plan. Much like storing food, water, batteries, and other survival gear, a seed bank should also be included with your home emergency items.

There is a push going on right now in many countries that will have a drastic impact on our lives. The large corporations in a lot of different countries are trying to push for laws that would limit and even eliminate our choices on food.

In Canada, they are trying to pass Bill C51. This bill is designed to look like it is protecting the citizens, but if you can get through the legalize, you will find that it is trying to limit the production of natural products. The bill does not limit to natural health products, but all natural products. If it is determined that a seed for carrots is deemed unhealthy it will be pulled from the market, and anyone still growing it can be fined.

Sounds ridiculous, but it is what they are trying to do.

In the United States, they are trying to pass bill H.R.875. This bill is to be presented to congress. It is being presented in the same light as Bill C51 in Canada. It discusses the need for better control of food production and to ensure it is safe for people. What they don't tell you is that Monsanto and Cargil are the writers of the bill. They are trying to push for the destruction of natural seeds and only allow genetically modified seeds.

There are already laws that do not require food labels to include all of the ingredients, or if it includes genetically modified food.

In India, there are laws that allow for the sale of only certain types of seeds. A farmer can not choose the seed they wish to use. They can only buy seed that is deemed healthy by the government. The thing we are not told is that the seeds that are deemed healthy are all genetically modified seeds. This is not all seeds, but the companies are constantly lobbying for more laws to be passed that would introduce more genetically modified seeds into the books.

Mexico is in a battle right now to stop the introduction of modified corn seeds into their country. With NAFTA in place they are under a lot of pressure from the US and Canadian Governments to change their laws and allow these seeds to be grown. At this time Mexican corn farmers do not need to use pesticides or fertilizers to have abundant crops. If the use of genetically modified seeds are allowed, then the only way they will grow is if the use of chemicals are also introduced.

The worst part of the introduction of genetically modified foods is that there is proof that it is not as healthy, and in fact can cause disease. It literally robs the nutrients from the soil to the point that if chemicals are not used, nothing can grow.

We are being tricked by our governments and by the large corporations to think that they are looking out for our best interests, but don't be fooled. The only thing they are concerned with is their pocket books.

Helping others, help themselves.

Make money on Internet
Having an Organic Home

Most seeds sold at garden centers and department stores are hybrid seed. These produce a plant that if the seeds are saved will not reproduce the same plant as it's parent plant. They are generally bred in an open pollinated environment, through a hybrid cross and genetically modified. To reproduce the same plant year after year you want it to be open pollinated.

Open pollinated seed saving is the oldest methods in gardening or agriculture itself. Heirloom seeds are open pollinated. When they are planted, a population of open pollinated plants that are of a like variety of the parent plant and pollen from other varieties that are within just distance will aid in the pollination process. The seeds from these plants can be saved for replanting and the variety will generally improve as it adapts to your area.

Hybridization is when a technical method is applied to two open pollinated varieties that are growing side by side. This is to insure that the seeds will receive pollen from it's companion plant to develop a distinct variety. This method is done many different ways, the most common being detasseling.

In this method of detsaaeling, usually three rows of the father breed of plant are planted and one of the mother in a continuous pattern. Then the mother rows are detasseled, this where they have their pollen removed. This ensures that any pollen they receive came from the father row of plants. The mother plant seeds are then harvested, this is known as an F1 or first generation hybrid. If the seed of the F1 hybrid were saved and grown as an open pollinated variety, the seed saved would be a F2 hybrid generation, and so on.

Open pollinated plants can be pollinated by other crops in your garden and have there genetics change in the garden. Location when planting this type of plants need some consideration. Peppers are a plant that will cross pollinate with other plants. This can cause your sweet peppers to cross pollinate with hot peppers if they are planted to close together.

Open pollination is a method of pollination that is preformed naturally by insects, birds, wind and nature.

A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment. http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com/gardentoolsandsupplies.html

John Yazo

http://www.organicheirloomgardening.com

There are endless reasons that you should start your own organic garden. Vegetables grown in organic gardens are grown just the way nature intended them to be, rather than genetically modified and covered in poisons. Growing these fruits and vegetables organically has more benefits than most people care to realize. I've come up with five for this article, but I could really go on for days. See if any of these advantages interest you.

1.Great tasting food - The fresh food you grow in your organic garden will taste better than any of the pesticide-covered GMOs that you've been buying from the supermarket, and certainly better than any canned or frozen veggies you might be buying. Your strawberries will be sweeter and your tomatoes will be juicier. The fruits and vegetables in your grocery store are harvested and dying for days before you get them. The food you grow will be alive and kicking right up until you decide to pluck it and add it to dinner and you will taste the difference.

2.Healthy food rich in antioxidants - We've all heard the recent buzz about antioxidants and their role in preventing cancer. Studies have shown that organic fruits and vegetables contain more antioxidants than their supermarket counterparts. Not only that, but they will also be void of all the harmful pesticides and chemicals used in the the growth of those other foods. This means you'll be ingesting less toxins and more powerful antioxidants just by eating from your own organic garden.

3.Saving money - As I write this article we are in the midst of a recession. Food prices are rising and eating healthy has become more costly than ever. There are some start-up costs to setting up your garden, but the money you save at the grocery store will offset these costs possibly in your first season of gardening! From then on, your garden is set up and ready for each year, your vegetables are providing you with free seeds, and a lot of the substances used as organic fertilizer can be found for free or extremely cheap.

4.Composting - In the United States, food scraps and yard trimmings make up 24% of all municipal solid waste that ends up in landfills. By composting these scraps and trimmings you will not only be reducing pollution, saving landfill space and reducing rubbish costs, but you'll also be saving money that you might spend on organic fertilizers. When you begin composting your food scraps you will be absolutely amazed at how much lighter your trash bags become.

5.Exercise - No one said it would be easy! Organic gardening does take a fair bit of work. It is true that many gardens can be almost left alone completely, but once you being working on your own private organic garden you will develop a sense of pride and ownership over it. Your garden will become your "baby" and you will want to spend your time perfecting it and getting everything just right. I personally see this as a benefit to owning a garden. I spend more time outside in the fresh air getting exercise and being productive and at the end of it all the food that I am responsible for just tastes that much better. Not to mention that all the vegetables and exercise have helped me drop a few pounds!

If any of these benefits to organic gardening that I've listed seem interesting to you, I suggest that you check out this site that got me introduced to organic gardening and start your own garden today!

"Desperate maladies require desperate remedies"

French Proverb

There are times when we have so much to do, that work is no longer fun. We start to feel a bit panicky and desperate inside. We all get these feelings from time to time.

To counter these feelings I've come up with a practical way to help you take control of your situation.

I've called the process DESPERATE.

Each letter in the acronym represents one of the nine areas for focus to keep you at the top of your game.

Before you ask, I do not profess to be perfect in any of these areas myself, and would fail the "do as I say, don't do as I do" test. That said ,they have helped me improve my own work life dramatically and I'm sure they can help you too.

Just give them a go, you desperate people.

(It does not pay to be rude to your audience, sorry about that, just got a bit over enthusiastic there)

So lets go through them:-

D is for Desk Organisation ------------------------------

"Order is humans first law" Alexander Pope 1688 - 1744

If you want a stress free work life one of the first places to focus your energies on is sorting your desk. If we are being totally honest with ourselves, most peoples' desks are full of clutter with out of date and irrelevant information. Yes, that means me, you and the person next to you. We waste time searching for information. We waste time picking up things ,reviewing them and then putting them back down, without actually doing anything. A cluttered desk leads to clutter thinking and sloppy personal performance.

A great tactic is to apply the 3S's to your own workspace. Sort, Straighten and Sustain. We need to remove all of the items from our desk and then decide what we actually need and what we don't need.

We then need to maintain our desk so that we only have information relevant to the current task on hand. The final tip is to only do one piece of work at a time, complete it, as planned, and then put it way and prepare for the next task. Easier said than done. Absolutely.

E is for E-mail ----------------

Here are 3 ways that you can immediately improve your work life around e-mail.

1. Turn off your e-mail pop up. When that sound informs you both visually and audibly that you "have mail". Guess what. We immediately stop what we are doing, and open up our e-mail program to read our new mail.

We are e-mail monkeys.

Do it now. Turn the alert off. The world will not suddenly end, and you will be far more focused, productive and stress free.

2. Check your e-mail only twice a day. Say 12pm and 4pm.Don't check your e-mail first thing. You will only get distracted. Instead start the day with your biggest challenge and get it out of the way. That report you need to write; that information you need to pull together for your boss.

3.Use an auto responder to acknowledge e-mails and tell people when you will be reading them. Most of us don't have a problem using auto responders when we are away from the office, so why not use them when we are in the office.

It could be something like this:------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hi there,

Thanks for your e-mail. I check my e-mail messages twice a day at 12pm and 4pm.

If you require an immediate response please call me on:-

Tel: Mobile:

Thanks,

Bill Smith

P. s. I've found this approach helps me, to help you, by getting more done.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

S is for Systems ----------------Use a systems approach in your work life wherever possible. Try to create systems for routine tasks, so that you don't have to think about them.

Don't waste time by doing routine tasks slightly differently each time. Set up simple procedures that work for you, and then use them.

Let me give you an example. In my office I've set up a system for storing all of my hard copy information. All of my hard copy information is stored by main subject and then by sub subject. Each main subject is colour coded and the information is stored in envelope files, in clear box containers, on open shelves that can be easily accessed. I don't allow the individual files to get too big. That's part of my system. This system allows me to see all of the information at a glance without having to open anything. The other simple part of the system is that I put back information into the left hand side of the box; that way, I know that the most current piece of information that I've been using, is always on the left hand side and it is generally the bit I need.

The point is not the system. The point is,that I've actually created a "system" that works for me. It took a bit of time to set up. I had to purchase the right type of storage ,decide on categories, decide on colour coding, decide on the maximum file size, decide on my storage criteria and storage system.

Ooh aren't you a wee clever clogs, why don't you take a bow and give yourself a big pat on the back.

No I'm not saying that.

What I am saying is that by creating a "system" I've made one part of my work life easier.

So the bottom line is try and create "systems" for yourself using the lean principles. It does take time and effort ,but that time and effort will repay you in spades.

P is for Prioritise -------------------

This idea comes from Stephen Covey. There are basically four categories that work tasks can fall under.

Category 1 Urgent and Important e.g. Deadlines on projects Category 2 Non Urgent and Important e.g. Developing new opportunities Category 3 Not Important and Urgent e.g Some meetings you attend Category 4 Not Important and Not Urgent e.g. Surfing the internet without a purpose

To improve your work life you need to think about all of the things that you do and decide which category they fall under. If you find you are spending a lot of time on Category 3 and 4 items then it's time to think again about what you are up to.

To improve your work life you really need to prioritise completing Category 1 and 2 items with an emphasis on Category 2.Often Category 2 items become Category 1 because we have not paid enough attention to them.

E is the Eighty twenty rule ------------------------------

Simply put, there is a true ism that seems to hold water for many situations.80% of our results come from 20% of our inputs i.e. there is 20% of our work life where we are really effective at what we do.That 20% of effort creates 80% of our results. If we can identify that 20%, guess what, we can become even more effective by doing more of it. Simply put, concentrate your efforts on the things that you do well and that make you happy in your work life. Examine the 80% of you work life where you are potentially not being as effective as you could be .

R is for Review the day --------------------------

Take some time at the end of each day to review how things have gone. What did you achieve? Could you have achieved more? What went well? What went not so well. Write them down and keep a diary. Create a will do list for the next day so that you are ready to start with a bang.

A is for Avoid negative people ----------------------------------

Make a conscience effort to avoid negative people. We all know them. It seems to be a particularly United Kingdom thing. There are just some people who have been genetically modified to include a moan gland. "That will never work". "We have tried that before". "Why should I do it, it's not like I'm going to get paid any more".

If you know people like that just avoid them. If you do need to get them involved here is a technique that I learned about from Jack Black, the personal development coach in his book "Mindstore".

The basic idea is this. If you are dealing with someone particularly negative, you imagine a large glass bubble coming down over you, to protect you from their negativity. You can still talk to them but their negative comments just bounce off the bubble and don't get through to you. Negative people can be really exhausting.I'm not suggesting here that you ignore practical constructive criticism. That is important and useful. I'm talking about the type of people who are always moaning and never have a good word to say about anything or anyone. You do have a choice. Just avoid them.

T is for Timer ---------------

What I am about to suggest to you may at first sound a little awkward. Please bare with me, as if you take this next idea on board I believe it will really help you. Just keep it between you and me and everything will be fine.

Hold on. Here I go. Clench your teeth.

Go out and buy yourself a small kitchen timer. You the know the type.

A small discrete digital one.

Ok, Ross you have really lost it now. You are asking me to go out and buy small domestic kitchen appliances.

I purchased one and it has really helped me.

Has it improved my cooking? No.

Has it made my work life more organised and stress free? Yes.

Let me explain

You block out some time in your diary for a specific task. You are not going to allow yourself to be distracted during that "protected time".You have given yourself just enough time to complete the task. You set the timer to the amount of time you have allocated. You prepare your work area for the specific task. You press the start button. And your off and running.

It is amazing how adding this challenging time element adds a bit of self competition and focuses your mind.

Not exactly the same thing, but I remember how using this time element in dealing with a specific task gave me a wee adrenalin rush when I was away on business. I was staying in a hotel and I had an e-mail to get out to a client with an important attachment. This was the first time I had gone "wireless".

Prior to this I had used the cocoa tins and string approach

Anyway, I signed up to buy internet access from the hotel.

At that time they were asking a kings ransom for the privilege of using the worldwide web .Being from north of the border (Scotland) I signed up for the minimum of 30 minutes. Don't you just love the blatant use of stereotypes. I had only 5 minutes left as I pressed the send e-mail button. The e-mail and attachment loaded up and started to be transmitted. As I sat in the foyer of the hotel with my laptop on my knee, I honestly felt like James Bond. The codes to disarm the madmans' plans were being transmitted .Would I save the world? My e-mail completed transmission with literally 10 seconds to go.

I had saved the world from destruction.

Ok, I had not actually saved the world from destruction.

I had just sent an e-mail.

The main point is that the use of the 30 minute clock had really added a bit of spice to the task.

I would be lying if I said I used my timer from the start of the day till the end. What I do find it really useful for is adding focus to specific important tasks throughout the day.Try it yourself.

E is for Enthusiasm ----------------------

I genuinely think that enthusiasm is one of the most important things that you can posses if you want to make your work life stress free. If you treat every task with enthusiasm then it becomes just a whole lot easier.

Let me give you an example. Much as I believe that all of the people at Her Majesties Customs and Excise Office are very nice people, filling in my VAT return every quarter was not my favourite task.

It did not get my heart racing. So what did I decide to do.I set myself a goal of finding a better, easier and quicker way to do the return. This in turn created (ok I'm not going to over egg this) a bit of a sense of enthusiasm for the task.

Over several months I have found ways to refine and improve the process and now I have a simple system that is really straightforward .If I had not created a bit of enthusiasm for improving this task I would be still be sitting be-moaning and grudging my time being used to fill in VAT returns.

Obviously the fact that you are reading this article suggests you are probably already a very enthusiastic individual.

Not all of the tasks that we have to do in our work lives are ones we love.

Here are a couple of ideas to help you generate some enthusiasm for them.

Pretend you are doing the task for your best friend who you would hate to let down.

Set yourself a challenge on how quickly and efficiently you can complete the task. Try and improve on it every time you do the task. Once you have refined it, document it, and then try to automate it as much as possible so that you can spend time on the things that you do love to do.

Summary -----------

So if you are ever feeling a bit desperate, use these desperate ideas to help you.

Even just focusing on one of these could make a big difference in creating a better work life for you.

The author Graham Ross is a professional Lean facilitator

http://www.leankaizen.co.uk

Psychologists believe fear is hardwired into all mammals, and is the most potent emotion. We evolved fear as a basic survival method. . The brain's fear circuitry resides in a structure called the amygdala: the deepest, most instinctive part of the brain, and because of this it elicits the strongest physical reaction in us. When we confront a perceived danger, our bodies respond with sweating, increased heart rate and high adrenaline levels ("fight or flight") in which the body prepares for combat or to run very far and very fast away from the danger - very useful if you're a caveman suddenly eye to eye with a saber-toothed tiger. This is such a deep-set reaction that our brains stop thinking, literally putting all our energy into fueling our reaction (which is why you feel you lose the ability to speak coherently when you're locked into a conflict at work with a boss or colleague: it's your body's reaction to a threatening situation). It's only when the immediate situation is resolved in some way and the threat disappears, that our breathing becomes more measured and we slowly return to normal. Fear makes your body do something without thinking.

Marketers spend their lives trying to find ways to get us to buy their products. When there were only a handful of brands in a category, you could easily persuade shoppers based on a product's attributes. Now that there's an average of 50,000 products in a supermarket, the stakes have been raised, and you have to work harder to convince shoppers.

History has shown us that fear is a powerful motivator, and you can use fear with a Stick or with a Carrot. The Emperors of Rome used the Gods to control the people, who lived in fear that Zeus would send down a lightning bolt down to strike them if they did anything that might displease him. Some people might argue that fear is the rock on which the Christian church has been built on, but unlike Zeus' thunderbolts (the stick) they created this magical, perfect place that you could go to if you were good enough (the carrot). Christ, as Jacques Seguela, the creator of Euro RSCG, famously said, was probably the first, and most successful, ad man, having created the longest surviving brand and logo.

Politicians have often used Fear Marketing to draw people to the voting booths. President Johnson's landslide victory in 1964 spoke to the increasing fear of nuclear warfare, with his notorious advertising campaign showing a nuclear explosion set against a young girl picking petals off a daisy: "These are the stakes! We must either love each other, or we must die. The stakes are too high for you to stay at home." Rudy Guiliani promised to stamp out fear; George Bush won a second term by inciting fear in any Middle East country he could name, and he did so well that we got all very, very scared.

Remember Y2K? How many people were driven to buying a new toaster or DVD player thinking that they would spontaneously combust at midnight? How the IT industry raked in the billions of dollars worth of contracts to reprogramme computers just in case entire corporate systems failed.

Fear Marketing capitalises on our desire to keep things as they are to persuade us to buy a certain product or service. Fear Marketing speaks to our inner paranoid, painting vivid pictures of the bad things that are going to happen is you fail to buy their product, as opposed to the good things that might happen if you do. It plays on what we most fear at a deep the deepest emotional level (death, loneliness, rejection, pain, loss), and then it offers a way to avoid what you most dread. And Fear Marketing has been proven to work. OnStar, which provides in-vehicle security in the US, doubled its members in two years compared to its competitor's 4% increase, after it ran a campaign with an actual recording of a little girl saying: "We've just had an accident and my Mom isn't moving. Please help!" So parents began thinking, what would happen if we had a crash, what if our daughter didn't have OnStar?

In this fear-enriched climate, of terrorism, of global economist melt-down and temperature warming, of swine flu, we are seeing an increase in Fear Marketing. If you look around you will find a number of brands capitalizing on and playing to consumers' heightened sense of anxiety. HSBC and Barclays have both sought to communicate how safe your money is in their hands (so not anyone else's), given their credentials of size and age. New insurance products are being developed so that you protect your summer holiday against redundancy. An event company is advertising its conference with a picture of a guy begging on the street with a little sign saying: "I used to be a marketing director, but I was TOO busy to go to the Advertising Week conference day."

But even in other categories you wouldn't expect, you can see elements of Fear Marketing. The Beauty industry invests billions in making us want to buy their products. Look carefully, and you see Fear Marketing messages. Anti-wrinkle creams warn us in subtle way about the consequences of not using their products; the reassuring scientific language has convinced the female population that they need to stay looking young otherwise they'll be passed over by the young, pretty thing next to them. You're only 'worth it' if you look like you've never aged since 25, and if you worship St L'Oreal you will avoid the purgatory of ugliness.

Clearasil plays to a teenager's fear of being ostracized by his peers for his spots. Lynx plays to men's fear that they aren't actually that attractive (let's be serious, a nice smell isn't going to help you, boys!). Fear Marketing in the parenting industry starts during pregnancy with a whole array of products and supplements that play against your fear that you won't be a good mother. And Fear Marketing strategies are being used by a number of food brands that point out that they aren't genetically modified, those don't use pesticides, have no artificial ingredients, all of which clearly suggest that everything else that you see on the shelf beside DOES.

So, what of those other brands that don't use Fear Marketing? Why is it that most brands only use happy, smiling people? Thinking about three of the happiest brands around, could they benefit from a little extra help from the Fear Marketing strategies? Innocent has revised its profit projections for this year. Could they sell more smoothies if they showed someone tired, run-down, disease-ridden, couch potatoes? Could Disney drive more people to their resorts by showing you the years of resentment that your children will no doubt bear towards you that you were never a good parent? And what about Weight Watchers? Instead of a newly slim 30 year-old trying on her favourite dress to go out to a party, you see her fat and alone on the sofa, eating crisps?

Now that you have been warned, be scared, be very scared. Unless you are obviously a marketer... and still in your job. A few things might have happened when you were reading this article. Check your email. Bad news travel fast.

Bianca Cawthorne is a Partner at April Strategy, a strategic marketing consultancy in London. Bianca is a brand strategy and innovation specialist, bringing together strategy and creativity to breathe new life into brands and categories. With an MA in Writing, she uses the art of Storytelling to find ways to make the message connect more deeply with its audience.