The Enlightenment Lunch Series

Chief Yummy Officer (CYO) Agatha Achindu of Yummy Spoonfuls™ organic baby food at the Enlightenment Lunch Series. The series, which includes four luncheons, is an initiative headed up by Emory, Laura Turner Seydel, Stephanie Blank and Lisa Tush with a mission to bring national health experts in to educate Atlantans on issues that affect our families on a daily basis, and what we can do to live healthier lives. This luncheon, which took place on February 24th and was the second in the series, included emcee Karen Greer from 11 Alive News.

The speaker Dr. Phil Landrigan, a pediatrician at Mt Sinai hospital and a leader in the National Children’s Study. He talked about toxins that are found in products we use every day ( food, shampoo, perfume, etc.) and the direct implication they have on our kids health highlighting links to autism and ADD.

For years and years on a grass root level I have been raising awareness about some of the devastating effects the chemicals in our food supply chain is having on our kids (actually started Yummy Spoonfuls ™ out of frustration to help give our kids a fresher more wholesome food) and through our workshop teach parents how to feed their precious family food free of items that might have the potential to harm.

It was an honor to sit and listen to the expert address the same issues but with some serious data to support it. Laura Turner Seydel is an amazing mother and my hero, championing a healthy lifestyle and planet for our kids is her life’s mission. We all have the power to make a change, is there any thing in your home that might have the potential to harm your kid?

For more about the national children study click on the link below

www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov

www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov

On a lighter note the lunch itself was fantastic, made with organic ingredients provided by our very own Destiny Organics.

Agatha Achindu and Laura Turner Seydel at the enlightenment Lunch.

GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)

Simply put, genetic engineering is the process of taking genes from one strain of plant, animal or virus and inserting them in another, with the goal of reproducing characteristics of the original species in the receiving species.

So for example, animal genes could be inserted into fruits and vegetables. This process creates organisms that have combinations of traits not usually found in nature.

Here is a list of the genetically modified crops in our market.
Soybeans
Yellow corn
Canola
Papaya
Potato
Tomato
Squash
Radicchio
Cotton
Dairy products

What are the potential risks of GEIs?
•Unpredictable health effects, such as food allergies brought about by the introduction of new genes to any organism or plant.
•Freshness may be an illusion with genetically engineered Foods; they will look good but may have diminished nutritional value.
•Genetically engineered foods may carry antibiotic resistant genes, which could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics when taken with those foods, and also aggravate the problem of antibiotic resistant organisms.
•Strict vegetarian diets may be compromised since unknown animal genes may be inserted into fruits and vegetables.
•Damage to the environment – since new genetic information could cross into other related life forms causing imbalances in the ecosystem. Etc

Are you taking a closer look at your food label?

resource:Organic Consumer Association
The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

A lot of childhood diseases today were unheard of a generation ago

A lot of childhood diseases today were unheard of a generation ago, type 2 diabetes which was previously unknown among kids is now becoming an epidemic, 1 out of every 6kids in the U.S has a developmental disorder such as ADHD, 1 out of 150 is diagnose with some form of autism, childhood obesity has quadrupled within the last 10 yrs, the food our babies are eating have been implicated as causes of some of these diseases. Knowledge is power: Pound for pound of body weight, babies eat more food and drink more water than adults so they take in more toxins into their tiny bodies and thus more vulnerable to toxic chemicals. Your label is your power tool, your baby should always be eating ‘food’ not preservatives, hard metal, solvents etc. Remember that Over 3,000 high-risk toxins routinely present in the U.S. food supply are, by law, excluded from organic food. The food we are feeding our kids should nourish and not have the slightest potential to harm.

Consumer Groups Challenge Feds to Ban Dangerous Pesticide Found in Consumer and Personal Care Products

WASHINGTON – January 14 – Today, the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch and Beyond Pesticides, a public health and environmental organization, submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ask it to ban non-medical uses of the antimicrobial pesticide triclosan. More than 70 organizations signed the petition, which also outlines ways in which triclosan violates numerous environmental statutes, including laws on pesticide registration, clean water, safe drinking water, and the Endangered Species Act.

Originally developed as an anti-bacterial agent for hospital settings, triclosan is monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EPA, and widely used in many consumer and household products ranging from dish soaps and detergents to soaps, toothpastes, deodorants and more.

“Scientific studies indicate that widespread use of triclosan causes a number of serious health and environmental problems,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “EPA needs to ban its use in non-medical settings and stop allowing companies that market triclosan to exploit consumer fears regarding bacterial-born illnesses, Evidence suggests that triclosan is not effective for many of its intended benefits, and through its presence in an array of products that consumers use every day, may actually be doing more harm than good.”

Chief among triclosan’s health effects is resistance to antibiotic medications and bacterial cleansers, a problem for all people, but especially vulnerable populations such as infants and the elderly. Triclosan is also a known endocrine disruptor and has been shown to affect male and female reproductive hormones, which could potentially increase risk for cancer.

Exposure to triclosan is widespread and now found in the urine of 75 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, published by the Centers for Disease Control. Due to the fact that many products containing triclosan are washed down the drain, triclosan shows up in water systems and sewage sludge. Accumulation of the pesticide in waterways and soil has been shown to threaten ecosystems and produce hazardous residues in fish and other marine animals, and potentially contaminate food crops.

“Given its widespread environmental contamination and public health risks, EPA has a responsibility to ban household triclosan use in a marketplace where safer alternatives are available to manage bacteria,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides.

In July, Food & Water Watch and Beyond Pesticides submitted a similar petition to FDA making the argument that triclosan violates the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. Earlier this month, Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) submitted letters to EPA and FDA urging them to reevaluate their oversight of the pesticide.

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Beyond Pesticides, founded in 1981 as the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, is a national community-based organization of grassroots groups and individuals, which bridges environment, health, urban and rural concerns to: (i) stimulate widespread education on the hazards of toxic pesticides, and the availability of effective alternative pest management approaches in the context of protecting the public’s health; (ii) influence decision makers responsible for pest management to use safe methods through grassroots action; and, (iii) encourage the adoption of local, state and national policies that stringently restrict pesticide use and promote alternative approaches that respect health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides: 701 E Street, SE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20003. 202-543-5450 info@beyondpesticides.org www.beyondpesticides.org

Food & Water Watch is a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through research, public and policymaker education, media, and lobbying, we advocate policies that guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner and public, rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers, and groundwater. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.