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To seek approval is to have no resting place, no sanctuary. Like all judgment, approval encourages a constant
striving. It makes us uncertain of who we are and of our true value. Approval cannot be trusted. It can be withdrawn at any time no matter what our track record has been. It is as nourishing of real growth as cotton candy. Yet many of us spend our lives pursuing it.
Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

The 7 foods experts won't eat

 

  

  
How healthy (or not) certain foods are-for us, for the environment-is a hotly debated topic among experts and consumers alike, and there are no easy answers. But when Prevention talked to the people at the forefront of food safety and asked them one simple question-"What foods do you avoid?"-we got some pretty interesting answers. Although these foods don't necessarily make up a "banned" list, as you head into the holidays-and all the grocery shopping that comes with it-their answers are, well, food for thought:
 
1. Canned Tomatoes
The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A
The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."
The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.
2. Corn-Fed Beef
The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming
The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.
The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.
3. Microwave Popcorn
The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group,
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize-and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.
The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.
4. Nonorganic Potatoes
The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board
The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes-the nation's most popular vegetable-they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."
The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.
5. Farmed Salmon
The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.
The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.
The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.
6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society
The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."
The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.
7. Conventional Apples
The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods
The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.
The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.

 

 

Getting A Message To Garcia by Mark Gorman

In 1899, a man by the name of Elbert Hubbard wrote an editorial for a small magazine called The Philistine. Over tea, Hubbard was discussing the Spanish-American War with his family. Everyone had been cheering General Calixto Garcia, the leader of the Cuban rebel forces, as the key to winning the war in Cuba, when Hubbard's son, Bert, put forth this argument. "In my mind", ventured Bert, "the real hero of the war was not General Garcia, but Lieutenant Rowan, the man who got the message to Garcia." His son's words leaped in Hubbard's heart.

Hubbard wrote the article, "A Message to Garcia" and the edition went to print. He thought little more about it until the magazine began getting requests for re-prints of that particular edition. More and more requests for re-prints came in until the magazine was literally swamped. Puzzled by the overwhelming number of orders, Hubbard asked why people were interested in that particular copy of the magazine. He was surprised to learn that the demand was for the "filler" article he had written about Rowan. Orders came in for 100,000 copies, 500,000 copies, 1,000,000 copies. Eventually, Hubbard was forced to simply grant permission to those who wanted large numbers of re-prints, because of his limited ability to publish in those quantities. Why are so many people interested in an article about some unknown lieutenant by the name of Andrew Summers Rowan? The reason is: everyone is looking for individuals such as Rowan.

In 1895, the little island nation of Cuba was struggling to be free from Spanish rule. The Spanish soldiers who occupied the island oppressed and brutalized the people. They desperately wanted to be free. The United States had a strong interest in Cuba, not only because of its geographical proximity to the United States, but also because of our financial investments there. By 1897, the situation in Cuba had deteriorated to the point that there was rioting in the streets of Havana between nationalists and Spanish soldiers. President McKinley dispatched the battleship Maine as a visible indicator of the United States' presence in Cuba. The American battleship, sitting in Havana harbor, sent a clear signal to the Spanish government of our country's resolve to protect our interests in Cuba. Although a formidable presence, the Maine did not engage in any hostile act against Spain.

On February 15, 1898, however, an explosion rocked the Havana harbor sinking the U.S. battleship. The American people were greatly alarmed over this open act of aggression less than 100 miles off our country's coast. McKinley sent an ultimatum to Spain to get out of Cuba. By April, the United States was at war with Spain. Ultimately, the Spanish-American War proved to liberate, not only the nation of Cuba, but the Philippine Islands, as well.

Just before declaring war, President McKinley was meeting with Colonel Arthur Wagner, head of the Bureau of Military Intelligence for the United States. "Where", asked President McKinley, "can I find a man who will carry a message to Garcia?" Co-operation between the rebel forces in Cuba and the United States was essential to the success of the campaign. It was vital to quickly communicate with the leader of the rebels, General Calixto Garcia, a Cuban-born Creole. General Garcia was somewhere in the mountains of Cuba leading the rebel troops in their fight for independence. He was a hunted man by the Spanish army. No one knew his exact whereabouts.

Colonel Wagner did not hesitate in his answer to the President. "I have a man - a young officer, Lieutenant Andrew Summers Rowan. If anybody can get a message to Garcia, Rowan can."

An hour later, Col. Wagner stood before Lieutenant Rowan. "Young man," said the superior officer, "you must carry a message to General Garcia, who will be found somewhere in the eastern part of Cuba...You must plan and act for yourself. The task is yours and yours only." Col. Wagner then shook Rowan's hand and repeated, "Get that message to Garcia." Without asking one question, Rowan left to find Garcia.

Rowan delivered the message to Garcia and the response got back to McKinley without Rowan ever asking, "Where is he? What does he look like? Who are his contacts? How do I get there?" He simply took the orders and did what he was asked to do. Is there a Rowan among us? Is there somebody who can get a message to Garcia without having to do an interrogation of his senior officer first? Is there someone who can get the job done without needing to have his employer hold his hand until the task is completed? If not, the boss might as well do it himself.

Is there somebody that I can just ask to accomplish a task, and the next time I see them I am told, "I'm finished with that. What do you want me to do next?" Where can I find someone like that? Where is he? Can I find a Rowan? Is there someone who can get a message to Garcia?

They are out there. There's just not enough of them. There are probably some Rowans reading this right now. There will always be a few of those individuals who are extraordinary. Extraordinary means above ordinary. Those who don't just do what is expected of them; they surpass the expectations of others, in their pursuit of excellence. Here is an excerpt from Elbert Hubbard's article written over 100 years ago. It sounds as if it could have been written today:

The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia. Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?" By the eternal, there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing – "Carry a message to Garcia!"...You reader, put this matter to a test. You are sitting now in your office. Six clerks are within call. Summon any one and make this request: "Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio." Will the clerk quietly say, "Yes, sir," and go do the task. On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions: Who was he? Which encyclopedia? Where is the encyclopedia? Was I hired for that? Don't you mean Bismarck? What's the matter with Charlie doing it? Is he dead? Is there any hurry? Shan’t I bring the book and let you look it up yourself? What do you want to know for?... Now if you are wise you will not bother to explain to your assistant that Correggio is indexed under the C's, not under the K's, but you will smile sweetly and say, "Never mind," and go look it up yourself 

People haven't changed in the last 100 years, have they? Every time I give someone a task and they start asking me a hundred questions, I immediately say to myself, "This poor soul could not get a message to Garcia." Those who can get a message to Garcia are rare. The majority is satisfied with the status quo - with simply being average. I don't understand that mentality. I can't comprehend the paradigm of being satisfied with average. You are going to succeed because you decide to succeed. You are going to succeed because you make the choice that you will not let life choose for you. I will choose for myself. You can choose to live a life of "barely making it through" or choose a life of excellence.

 Nobody ever won an Olympic event by doing what came naturally. The athlete who will take home the gold must push beyond the limits of what has already been done. I am tired of average. I feel as Hubbard felt when he penned these words:

 We have recently been hearing much maudlin sympathy expressed for the downtrodden denizen of the sweatshop and the homeless wanderer searching for honest employment and with it all often go many hard words for the men in power. Nothing is said about the employer who grows old before his time in a vain attempt to get frowsy ne'er-do-wells to do intelligent work; and his long patient striving with "help" that does nothing but loaf when his back is turned....Have I put the matter too strongly? Possibly I have, but when all the world has gone a-slumming, I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds...My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the boss is away as well as when he is at home. And the man, who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing anything else but deliver it, never gets laid off, nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted. His kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town, and village; in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such. He is needed and needed badly, the man who can carry a message to Garcia.

Don't ever let it be said that someone else expected more of you than you expected of yourself. If anyone finds fault in a job which you have done that is less than excellent, don't make excuses. Admit that it was not your best. Don't stand up and try to defend yourself. Why settle for average, when excellence is an option? I'm weary of people saying that it's not in their nature to demand more of themselves. They may say, "My personality is different than yours. I’m not as aggressive as you are. It’s not my nature." My answer to them is, "Change." Really, it’s just a decision away. Make a decision to change.

I have met so many people in my lifetime who have this attitude: "Let me do only what I absolutely have to do to make it through. I am not going to do anything with excellence." What are you doing with what you have been given? Are you only producing as much as everyone else around you? Is your mindset like that of the foolish servant?

Werner Von Braun, head engineer of NASA's Space Research and Development for the Apollo IV Project said this concerning the Saturn V rocket, which was used to propel the spacecraft for that mission, "The Saturn V has 5,600,000 parts. Even if we had a 99% reliability, there would still be 5,600 defective parts. Yet, the Apollo IV mission flew a textbook flight with only two anomalies occurring, demonstrating a reliability of 99.999%." If an average automobile with 13,000 parts were to have the same reliability, it would have its first defective part in about a hundred years."

Why aren't our automobiles built with the same precision as the Saturn V rocket? Because NASA holds themselves to a higher set of standards than the automobile industry. We need to be like NASA,  to set a higher standard for ourselves than everyone else sets.

I want you to ask yourself, "Could I get a message to Garcia? If I were told that he was hidden somewhere in the jungles of Cuba, could I get a message to him? If I didn't know what he looked like, or where to find him, could I do it?" If you are desperate to succeed, you will find a way. If you purpose in your heart to succeed, you will!

We have become experts with excuses - of why we can't do what we are supposed to do. Why can't we just take a job and do it with excellence? People tell me all kinds of excuses of why they can't do what they’re supposed to do.

Be a Rowan. Do it! Just make a decision. Make a choice. Something may slow me down. I may get bogged down in my tracks. There may be times I find myself drowning in quicksand, times I have to hang on to make it through, times when I feel so downtrodden, I don't know if I can put one foot in front of the other, but I will not quit. I will not give up. Quitting is not even an option. I will accomplish the task that is set before me. I will pursue excellence in every area of my life. Even though I may fall down, I will get back up. I will dust myself off, and keep pressing on until I win.

God, give us people like Rowan! People who don't need somebody to pet them every time something goes wrong. People who don't need someone to baby them every time things don't go the way they thought it should.

If I were asked to get a letter to Garcia, I know I could. You may think that's arrogance on my part, but it's not. It's confidence. I know that if you handed me a letter and said, "Get this to Garcia." I could get it there. I want you to get a message to Garcia, too. Be the best! If you have been told all your life that you cannot achieve, don’t listen to those lies. It doesn't matter what negative things others may have told you.

Make a decision. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. If you will just put in the effort, you can do it. Are you willing to make the decision to get the job done with excellence? Are you prepared to carry the message to Garcia?

Hanging on my office wall is a plaque with this inscription:

Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise;

risking more than others think is safe;

dreaming more than others think is practical

and expecting more than others think is possiblle.

Choose to live a life of excellence. Pursue the goal. Dream the dream. You can do it. Get the message to Garcia!

Over 100 years ago, a brief article was written to fill an empty space in a magazine which was otherwise ready for publication. This seemingly insignificant work, about a soldier in the U.S. Army, has since become one of the most published documents in the history of printed word. "A Message To Garcia" has been translated into every major language on earth, with over 100 million copies in print. What was the significance of this article, which caused such a stir around the world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

R.A.W. Foods

If you're confused about all the information on diets, nutrition, good carbs, bad carbs, proteins and fats, here's a video that pretty much simplifies everything we need to know about eating.
 
Basically it's just going back to eating what our evolutionary history has supplied us with for the last 2 million years.
That's just a little bit longer than the Atkins or any other diet has been around.
 
Believe nothing of what you hear from any processing food company. It's more likely they are interested in your money way more than they are interested in your health.
Do your on research and find out who funds the studies, you will be surprised.
 
Enjoy the video and let us know what you think.
 
Jodi and Dean 

Watch Video

http://www.rawforhealth.net/raw/