Day 337- The Entire Beet

Tonight I let no beet go to waste, I used both the greens and the beet.

Roasted Golden Beets:

• 3 large golden beets, peeled and cut up into small cubes
• olive oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil
3. Add beets and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper
4. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the beets are tender

Beet Greens:

• Beet greens from the 3 beets used above
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• Red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Rinse and clean the beet greens
2. In a pan saute the onions with a little bit of olive oil
3. Add the garlic, saute both until tender
4. Add the water, palm sugar, and red pepper flakes.
5. Mix
6. Add the beet greens, reduce heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes or until the greens have become tender
7. Add the vinegar and cook for a few more minutes

Day 336- The Neti Pot Experience

My husband just got over a pretty good cold that lasted about a week. Soar throat, low energy, and even a sinus infection. He also struggles with allergies, and so we have invested in an air purifier for our home to help with his frequent sneezing. We have also had many people tell us that we should use a neti pot on a regular basis for these issues. So this weekend was our first neti pot experience.

Neti pots are used as a way to cleanse the nasal passage from dirt, pollen, excess mucus and other irritants. It also helps to sooth and moisten dried out nasal passages.

According to the Himalayan Institute:

"The nasal passages are lined with a thin layer of mucus that is one of our body’s first lines of defense against disease. A nasal wash keeps this layer of mucus moist, clean and healthy. And compared to other nasal wash techniques, using the Neti Pot™ is easy. A nasal wash can be as routine as brushing your teeth.

Rinsing with saline solution is a time-honored practice in the Orient. Here in the West, the nasal wash has been used for decades as a means of treating sinus problems, colds, allergies, and post-nasal drip and to counteract the effect of environmental pollution. Those practicing yoga and other meditative disciplines use the nasal wash to ensure free air flow through both nostrils.

Breathing through the nose filters and conditions the incoming air. The nasal passages are lined with a thin layer of mucus that traps dirt, dust, and pollen and moves steadily to the rear of the nasal cavity and settles in the throat where it is swallowed. Saline nasal rinses carry some of these impurities out of the body before they reach your stomach.

They also keep this protective layer of mucus functioning properly. If the mucus becomes too thick and dry or too thin and runny, it is easier for bacteria and viruses to penetrate the nasal lining and cause the swelling and excess discharge of mucus we call a “cold”. That’s why gargling or sniffing a little salt water at the first sign of a cold is a staple of folk medicine and why health-conscious people in India use a small pot of saline to rinse the nasal passages. The Neti Pot™ continues these time-tested traditions of hygiene."

Here is Devin enjoying his Neti Pot experience

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 335- Homemade Baja Mahi-Mahi Tacos

Baja Mahi-Mahi Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 pound mahi-mahi fillets
• Coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Slaw
• Mexican crema
• Corn Tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut oil onto the bottom a baking dish. Cut mahi-mahi into small pieces, sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Slaw:

• 1/2 head of cabbage
• 1 red onion
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 teaspoons honey
• sea salt
• 1 lime
• 1 bundle of cilantro

Directions:

Chop up cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapenos (I used a food processor to make sure that they were finely chopped). Mix in honey and sea salt. Take the lime and squeeze it into the mixture. Refrigerate for a half an hour before serving.

The Slaw

Mexican Crema:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Lime zest from one lime
• Lime juice from 1/2 lime

Directions:

Mix the sour cream, lime zest, and lime juice in bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place the cooked mahi on top of the tortillas. Spoon the slaw over the fish and then add a dab of the mexican crema and enjoy.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 334- Workout of the Week

• Step back lunges, 20x each leg
• Squat jumps, 15x
• Dead lifts with weighted bar, 15x
• Side lunge, with medicine ball and rotation
• Split jumps, 15 each leg
• Pulse lunges, 15x each leg

Repeat each exercise three times through

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 333- 30 Health Tips

I turned the big 3-0 today! So to celebrate here are 30 health tips that I want to share (in no particular order):

1. Don't skip breakfast, make sure to include a good source of protein
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Drink plenty of water, rule of thumb- drink half your body weight in ounces and more if you drink coffee or workout
4. Buy organic
5. Eat free-range organic chicken
6. Eat 100% grass fed beef
7. Exercise
8. Take time for yourself
9. Get tested for nutritional deficiencies on a regular basis
10. Eliminate sugar
11. Supply your body with heathy bacteria
12. Get plenty of healthy fats
13. Reduce inflammation by eliminating allergic foods
14. Research your beauty products and what you put on your body
15. Partake in regular cleanses
16. Get plenty of vitamin D
17. Avoid GMO crops
18. Avoid soy unless fermented
19. Eat plenty of fish, but avoid farm-raised
20. Get plenty of good sleep
21. Avoid getting amalgam fillings
22. Eat a good source of protein with each meal
23. Reduce you exposure to outside estrogens or xeno-estrogens
24. Soak your nuts and grains
25. Eat plenty of vegetables
26. Eat low glycemic fruits
27. Avoid trans fats and hydrogenated oils
28. Avoid low-fat or fat free products
29. Get fresh air
30. Enjoy dark chocolate!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 332- You are What You Eat- Food Matters

"Let thy Food be thy Medicine and thy Medicine be thy Food" - Hippocrates

Another incredible documentary on food and medicine. "Food Matters," is an amazing documentary that hits very close to home, it discusses in detail issues that got me interested in nutrition in the first place. My goal when I first got into nutrition was to work with cancer patients. Nutrition not only plays a huge role in prevention, it also plays a huge role in recovery. Being in a hospital after being treated for cancer, or other conditions, patients are feed jello, white bread, and other low nutrient rich foods. Many people leave the hospital weaker and more nutrient deficient than they were when they went into the hospital. How are people suppose to recovery when their bodies are deficient in important nutrients when a deficiency in one nutrient can cause multiple illnesses in the body?

In the United States it is illegal to treat cancer in any other way than with chemotherapy or radiation. Alternative therapies are illegal when it comes to cancer. We are taught the theory of "taking a pill to fix an ill."

Eating real foods, getting exercise, and doing what you can to remove toxins from your body are simple and inexpensive steps that you can take to promote a healthy life. People should stop being patients and start being people.

Another issue is that doctors don't talk about is nutrition and vitamins. Less than 6% of doctors actually get any training during school in nutrition. Instead they are paid by the pharmaceutical companies and so are taught about prescription drugs. Many don't advocate vitamins at all saying that they are unsafe. If you were to take a look at the statistics they show the opposite, in the last 23 years there have been around 2,438, 000 deaths due to pharmaceutical drugs and only 10 due to vitamins (although this is only speculation).

As I said earlier this was an incredible documentary that is a great eye-opener for anyone who wants to do something about their health. It's only a hour and 17 minutes, and well worth the time to watch. Below is the official trailer for Food Matters:

Here is one of my favorite artists, John Butler:

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 331- Citrus Cilantro Chicken

Citrus Cilantro Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 Limes
• 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup olive oile
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Squeeze the juice from the limes and lemons
2. Dice the onion and garlic
3. Place all ingredients, except chicken, in a blender and puree
4. Place chicken and sauce in a large ziplock bag and refrigerate at least overnight if not longer.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
6. Place chicken on a baking dish, spoon extra sauce over the top of the chicken and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 330- "Just Say No To GMO" Music Video

Happy Tuesday! I couldn't have sang it better if I had tried. Here is a music video created by Mike Adams, editor of Natural News.

Here are the lyrics from the song:

I'm lookin at the food that's in the grocery store

They say it's safe, everybody eat more.

On second thought, I don't really know if it's made with those GMOs

So I'm lookin for the non-GMO label 'fore I bring it home and put it on my table

I wanna know it's verified so I don't

Harm myself with genetically modified

Uh-Oh

They don't want you to know

All the poison they grow

The corporate profits they show from those GMO OH

Those Frankenseeds that they sow

They're gonna hurt us we know

It's time we told 'em to go, say GMO NO!

I don't want eat poison, I don't want gene mutations at my dinner reservations

it's a food abomination what they doin' to this fast food nation

They take artificial gene combinations

inject them in seed variations

so they can grow their Frankenfood imitations

while the side effects cause medical patients

Keep their profits alive while they

spraying all the food with name brand herbicides

and all the while they're spreadin' their lies

Monsanto destroyin' farmers lives

and the FDA keeps it all going

saying it's safe even though they all know it's just

poison stealing away your life, and that's what you eat with genetically modified.

GMO safety huh that's a corporate myth

if you don't believe me listen to Jeffery Smith

He's the man with plan gonna do what he can

To help us all get those GMOs banned

But we need you to lend a hand

take a stand against this food scam

It's a mission for the health condition worldwide

We don't wanna live genetically modified

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 329- Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad

Ingredients for one salad:

• 1 tomato
• 4 slices of fresh whole milk mozzarella cheese
• 3 large leaves of basil
• Ground fresh peppers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Slice the tomatoes and the cheese
2. Place two slices of tomatoes between each piece of cheese
3. Ground fresh pepper over the top
4. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
5. Tear fresh basil over the top
6. Enjoy

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 328- Workout of the Week

• Straight leg kicks, opposite foot to opposite hand, 1 minute
• Walking lunges, holding dumbbells, 2 minutes
• Abdominal flutter kicks, 1 minute
• Single leg deadlift alternating legs, with dumbbells, 2 minutes
• Side plank, 1 minute hold on each side
• Triceps dips with straight legs, 1 minute
• Sumo squat with shoulder press and dumbbells, 2 minutes
• Wall sit, 1 minutes
• Reverse crunches, 1 minute

Repeat each exercise three times through. Use a dumbbell with a weight that is difficult but that you can hold for the entire exercise.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 327- Paula Deen Makes Having Type-2 Diabetes Profitable

I don't know much about Paula Deen or her cooking, which probably says a lot about her style of cooking already. What I do know is that she loves her fatty and deep fried foods. I as well love fat, and eat a lot of it in my diet, but the fats that I enjoy verse the ones that Paula enjoys are quite different.

Here is a great example of Paula Deen's style of cooking:

Fried Butter Balls:

Ingredients

2 sticks butter

2 ounces cream cheese

Salt and pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Peanut oil, for frying

Directions

Cream the butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper together with an electric mixer until smooth. Using a very small ice cream scoop, or melon baller, form 1-inch balls of butter mixture and arrange them on a parchment or waxed paper lined sheet pan. Freeze until solid. Coat the frozen balls in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs and freeze again until solid.

When ready to fry, preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Fry balls for 10 to 15 seconds until just light golden. Drain on paper towels before serving.

So is it any surprise that three years ago Paula was diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes? I'm just surprised that it was only three years ago that she was finally diagnosed. What is surprising, or maybe a better word would be alarming, is that she keep this diagnosis a secret from the public as she continued to cook up her deliciously harmful meals.

So what made her finally make her condition public? She teamed up with the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk to promote their diabetic medicine, Victoza. Victoza, like most other pharmaceutical medications does not treat the condition, it merely masks the symptoms, without any health benefits.

The packaging for Victoza contains a FDA mandated "black box" warning, which is the federal agency's strongest warning used to alert consumers that grave health consequences are involved with the use of this product. The warning on the box says that the product "caused thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures in rodents." Oh and by the way, some of the other symptoms that may be present with this medication are headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. But that is all fine and dandy because there is also now a picture of Paula Deen smiling on the box with the quote, "live a life that's delicious."

"Live a Life that's Delicious." I can't think of a better team than Paula Deen and Novo Nordisk. Now people can eat whatever they want and never have to worry about their diabetes, because they have a pill that will take care of that for them. That's fine if they develop thyroid cancer because of the medication, because they will be able to get help with that as well down the road. Definitely not worth having to change their diet when that's what they enjoy eating.

"It's Deen's job, along with her sons, to help us see "Diabetes in a new light," according to the company's website." - Los Angeles Times

So Paula Deen followers, who took up her idea of cooking, most likely are on their way to or already have been diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes. And if they are true Paula Deen followers they may also be asking their doctors if $500 a month - Victoza is right for them. What a prefect marketing scheme. Who knows down the road when Paula develops cardiovascular disease as a result of her eating and blood sugar disorders may end up being a celebrity endorser of a statin drug as well.

This isn't the first celebrity endorsement campaign that Paula has been associated with. She is also associated with the industrial meat company, Smithfield. If you want to know what I think about that, just watch the movie Food Inc and that will sum it up.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Source:

Natural News

Day 326- Clever Ways to Force Vaccines

I believe strongly in the right to choose whether or not to vaccinate, so this article makes me a bit sick. Being vaccinated against your knowledge by sprays or false advertising is extremely wrong and unethical. I am shocked that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is financially backing this research and technology; as I consider this company as one of my dream jobs.

Bill Gates Funds Covert Vaccine Nanotechnology

(Natural News) The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is gaining a reputation for funding technologies designed roll out mass sterilization and vaccination programs around the world. One of the programs recently funded by the foundation is a sterilization program that would use sharp blasts of ultrasound directed against a man's scrotum to render him infertile for six months. It might accurately be called a "temporary castration" technology. Read more about it here.

Now, the foundation has funded a new "sweat-triggered vaccine delivery" program based on nano-particles penetrating human skin. The technology is describes as a way to "...develop nanoparticles that penetrate the skin through hair follicles and burst upon contact with human sweat to release vaccines."

The research grant money is going to Carlos Alberto Guzman of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Germany and Claus-Michael Lehr and Steffi Hansen of the Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research.

These are both part of the Gates Foundation's involvement in the "Grand Challenges Explorations" program which claims to be working to "achieve major breakthroughs in global health."

...breakthroughs like mass sterilization and nano-particle vaccines that could be covertly administered even without your knowledge, it turns out. These nanoparticles could be used in a spray mist that's sprayed on to every person who walks through an airport security checkpoint, for example. Or it could be unleashed through the ventilation systems of corporate office buildings or public schools to vaccinate the masses. You wouldn't even know you were being vaccinated.

This technology is potentially very dangerous to your health freedom. Using it, governments or drug companies (which are all the same thing these days) could create a vaccine skin cream that's handed out and described as "sunscreen." But when you put it on, you're actually vaccinating yourself as the nanoparticles burrow underneath your skin and burst, releasing foreign DNA inside your body.

A history of covert mass medication

But why would the government medicate people without their knowledge or consent, you ask? They already do it with water fluoridation. Fluoride is a drug, and regional and national governments all over the world are using the water supply as a way to deliver the fluoride drug to people whether they need it or not -- and without any proper medical diagnosis or prescription.

So if governments are already covertly medicating people with fluoride in the water supply, they've set the stage mass-vaccinating people through similar channels, such as the air supply in buildings. And thanks to Bill Gates, this nanotechnology needed to pull this off is now being funded.

Is this really a "major breakthrough in global health?"

I suppose it is if you believe in covert medicine where you dose people with drugs or vaccines without their knowledge. Western medicine is so offensive to rational people that it can't even operate out in the open. That's why it resorts to covert contamination of the water supply in order to force the public to swallow its drugs.

Fluoride and covert medicine
Oh, by the way, to anyone who argues that fluoride is not a drug, remember this: According to the FDA, any chemical substance that has a biological effect on the human body is, by definition, a drug. Therefore fluoride is a drug, too.

Even more, fluoride is promoted with outlandish claims about "preventing cavities" by swallowing it, making it an "unapproved drug" according to the FDA. So how is it that this unapproved drug can be dripped into the water supply and forced upon hundreds of millions of people without a single diagnosis of fluoride deficiency or even a single prescription from a doctor?

The answer is that western medicine is so arrogant that it does not believe it needs to follow any rules, regulations or laws. It is a system of "bully" medicine where drugs are shoved down your throat by being covertly dripped into the water supply without your consent. So why should we believe vaccines will be any different? If mainstream medicine can find a way to force every person to unknowingly be injected with vaccines, make no mistake they will pursue it!

And such efforts will no doubt have the continued financial support of Bill Gates.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/028887_vaccines_Bill_Gates.html#ixzz1k3jEp6Pl

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 325- Baked Kale Chips

Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients (amount of each ingredient depends on your taste and how much you want to make):

• Kale, middle stem part cut out, and leaves ripped into bite size pieces
• Olive oil
• Sea Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Place kale on baking sheet lined with parchment paper

• Drizzle kale with olive oil and sea salt
• Bake kale for about 15 minutes or until the edges have turned slightly brown and kale has become crispy (make sure not to burn it), rotate kale periodically

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 324- Don't Let Them Sensor Us

Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

If you would like to sign a petition against these acts go to Google.com and voice your opinion.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 323- Bikram Yoga

It has been quite some time since my last Bikram yoga class, I think it was back when I still lived in Washington that I took a class. I have done hot yoga since then, but it definitely wasn't as intense as a traditional Bikram class. Well today I finally used another one of my million of already purchased Groupon deals.
Today was my first class out of 10 at the Bikram's Yoga College of India at the Camp
in Costa Mesa. As soon as I walked into the heated room I began getting nervous,
what if it had been too long and I wouldn't be able to do all the moves. I was already
feeling the heat and I had only been in the room for a minute. I couldn't believe how
nervous I was feeling before a yoga class!

Needless to say the class was incredible. I have had many different instructors before
for Bikram yoga, and although it may just be that it's been awhile since my last class,
I thought the instructor was incredible. She was a younger lady, with so much energy
and a great sense of humor. I feel that Bikram has been portrayed as such a serious
practice compared to many other styles of yoga that is was a nice and inviting feeling
when your instructor can add uplifting and silly words as we are trying our best to
hold a pose that our bodies have not quite been adapted to. Her encouragement to
push ourselves further each time was sincere and her instructions allowed for
those minor adjustments that added so much more to a simple pose.

I left the class feeling amazing and energized. It's funny because back when I use
to practice Bikram yoga on a more regular basis I would always have to drag myself
to each class, already thinking about the heat and sweat that I was about to endure.
But without fail I would always leave every class feeling fantastic. It's amazing
how great you can feel physically and mentally after a good sweat.
Lucky for me I still have nine more Bikram classes to look forward to.

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 322- Baked Brussels Sprouts

Baked Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of brussels sprouts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Trader Joe's Thyme, Lemon and Bay Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut off the ends of the brussels sprouts and cut in half
3. Put brussels sprouts in a sauce pan of boiling water, let boil for about 5 minutes
4. Coat a baking dish with olive oil, place the brussels sprouts cut side down
5. Grind the Trader Joe's salt over the top of the brussels sprouts
6. Let bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the brussels sprouts start to turn slightly brown

P.S~ Brussels Sprouts are a great source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Manganese, Folate, glucosinolates (helps with detoxification), antioxidant support... just to name a few

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 321- 11 Year Overcomes Cancer and Writes a Cookbook

I got into nutrition because I wanted to work with patients that were trying to overcome cancer. I felt strongly that nutrition played a huge roll in the ability for the body to heal, as I still do.

At age 11 Jack Witherspoon has accomplished more than I have dreamt to do. He not only is a survivor of leukemia, has raised over $100,00 towards pediatric leukemia research, he has also written a cookbook for children called, "Twist It Up."

Jack spent his time in the hospital not watching cartoons, but watching cooking shows; getting inspiration for his book. His goal is to continue to get healthier and share his recipes with others. Jack is also a fellow blogger, and you can follow his blog at ChefJackWitherspoon.

I wish you the best of luck Chef Jack. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 320- Workout of the Week

• Alternating Lunges, 20x each leg
• Jump Squats, 15x
• Mountain climbers, 25x each leg
• Push-ups, 15x
• Jump rope, 1 minutes
• Bent over rows, 15x
• Split Jumps, 1 minute

Repeat each exercise 3x through

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 319- 5 Food Labels that Don't Mean Anything

Here is an article from Huffington Post on 5 food labels that really don't mean anything. Just reading a label and taking it's word is not really enough in most cases. Make sure you take the extra step and really find out where your food is from and how your food was made. Companies are going to use labels that consumers what to read, and since many of these claims are not heavily regulated they get away with it.

5 Food Labels that Mean Nothing

Written by Shilo Urban

American consumers have grown more and more conscious of what exactly they are eating, and label reading is now de rigeur for any self-respecting grocery shopper that wants to be informed. Yet food companies are getting savvy to our need for information in this modern era - as well as to our obvious proclivities for certain psychological cues. Who subconsciously thinks that "green" = "fresh"?

While certain words and phrases such as "Low Sodium" or "Certified USDA Organic" are regulated and certified by government agencies, most are not - and it's up to the consumer to read between the lines in order to find something healthy to eat.

Don't be fooled! If you want to know what's in a grocery product, read the nutrition label and ingredients carefully, because the following food labels mean practically nothing.

"Natural" - A "natural" or "all-natural" product seems to imply that all the ingredients were plucked straight from nature with no interference from human beings, but in reality there isn't much on this earth that ISN'T natural. The FDA only regulates the word "natural" in meat and poultry products to include those that contain no artificial substances - although confusingly, genetically modified organisms are allowed. One could convincingly argue that even petroleum by-products, high fructose corn syrup and rat excrement are natural - after all, they all came from the natural world. Perhaps the biggest offender on this list, the tag "natural" on any item is basically meaningless and has been usurped by grocery manufacturers trying to compete with the certified organic food label.

"Local" - There are no legal standards for the word "local," so your grocer could put up oranges from Chile and call them "local" with no repercussions. How to avoid this conundrum? Shop for produce at farmers markets, visit local farms and get to know the people who grow your food.

"Free Range" - As far as the USDA is concerned, the only certifiable "free range" food items are poultry and eggs. The law states that chickens must be "allowed access to the outside," yet there are zero specifications as to how big this outdoor area must be. There might be one door that goes to a 4'x4' yard for 100 chickens or more that are all eating hormone-fueled, pesticide-drenched food. Your best bet is to purchase USDA Certified Organic eggs. Other "free range" meats such as beef or pork are not regulated at all, and you will just have to trust the manufacturer (or do your research).

"Made with Whole Grains" - This product might include 99.99% refined grains and .01% whole grains, but there's no way to know because the term is not regulated. The manufacturer could throw two grains of oatmeal into five tons of their product and assert that it is "Made with Whole Grains." Don't fool yourself into thinking you are eating healthier than you are!

"Lightly-sweetened" - Surely a food product that is "lightly-sweetened" contains less sugar than the norm, right? Not necessarily. Another unregulated term, "lightly-sweetened" is used to describe plenty of products that are loaded with sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners. This food label means nothing!

Sources:

USDA Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms
FDA Food Labeling Guide

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 318- Law Proves that Mountain Dew Dissolves Rodents - Winning!

Alright, I am hooked on these crazy news articles that will hopefully cause you to take a second look at what you are really putting into your body. Here is another one from Natural News about how Pepsi is fighting a lawsuit to prove that Mountain Dew can dissolve rodents. That in my eyes doesn't seem like it would be considered a winning argument, but I guess so. Read the article below:

(NaturalNews) While drinking Mountain Dew, have you ever seen (or perhaps felt on your tongue) a thick, jelly-like substance? Maybe you assumed the ingredients in the soda had gelled. According to Mountain Dew manufacturer Pepsi, you may have been ingesting some extra protein with your beverage in the form of a liquefied rodent.

Lawsuit results in unusual defense

An Illinois man is suing Pepsi, claiming he found a mouse in his can of Mountain Dew. Ronald Bell of Edwardsville, a small town near St. Louis, alleges there was a mouse in a can of soda he purchased and drank in 2009. Bell says he spit out the mouse and called the company to complain. At the soda manufacturer's request, he sent them the mouse corpse. Pepsi had a veterinary pathologist examine the body. Their scientific expert found the rodent could not have been in the can since the soda case was sealed in August 2008, and its body would have dissolved as a result of the acid in the soda.

Bell says that Pepsi destroyed the evidence in the case and is seeking judgment. Pepsi's legal team has moved to dismiss the case. Bell's suit initially also involved the owners of the convenience store chain where he purchased the beverage, but those defendants have been dropped from the case and an amended suit was filed. The trial was set to begin in late 2011; however a Madison County Circuit Court judge granted Pepsi another month to argue for dismissal.

Quench your thirst with some chemicals

NaturalNews has reported many times in the past on the health dangers of soda, including the fact that Mountain Dew and other fruit-flavored beverages contain a flame retardant chemical (http://www.naturalnews.co/034448_brominated_vegetable_oil_soft_drinks_chemical.html). The bright green color of this soda obviously derives from food colorings, many of which also have negative health consequences. Like many sodas, Mountain Dew derives its fizzy quality from phosphoric acid, a substance which health experts have long warned can destroy tooth enamel.

Now it appears that, in order to win a lawsuit, Pepsi has conducted its own animal testing on its products and is putting forth evidence that their soda causes organic tissues, as the legal brief states, to become a "jelly-like substance." One has to wonder whether, in the interest of protecting themselves from similar future lawsuits, their scientific experts put dead mice in containers in each of their beverage products to compare the rates of disintegration.

Let's hope that anyone who thinks drinking Mountain Dew is a relatively harmless dietary indulgence hears about this case and thinks twice before swigging some of the bright green beverage. If a mouse can become jelly over the course of the shelf-life of a can of soda, imagine what it can do to your body, especially if you drink this substance regularly over the course of several years. An early advertising slogan for Mountain Dew, back in the 1960s, was "Ya-Hoo Mountain Dew. It'll tickle you innards." Maybe Pepsi can revive this slogan, changing the word "tickle" to "dissolve." Or perhaps, given the soda's more recent marketing association with extreme sports, they can present mouse-chugging as a "wild" activity to fuel skateboarding achievement.

Sources:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2012/01/pepsi-says-mountain-dew-can-dissolve-mouse-carcasses/46868/

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/240607-pepsico-granted-more-time-to-plead-in-mouse-in-mountain-dew-case

http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/218815-swig-of-mountain-dew-included-dead-mouse-suit-claims

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/227856-mt.-dew-mouse-would-be-jelly-like-pepsi-argues

http://wiki.name.com/en/Mountain_Dew

http://www.naturalnews.com/033162_food_ingredients_chemicals.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034602_Mountain_Dew_mouse_dissolved.html#ixzz1jIMtlTNb

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

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