I don't think that this is "Greenwashing" I think that it represents a good start where a major player - in fact the major player - in the food system has shifted its position. The fall out from this will be major over time.

This kind of "environmental" move has always been the catalyst that has changed a system. Changes to water systems in cities broke the grip of infectious disease in 20 years long before immunization and medicine. Changes to our food system will do the same for us. The diseases of OUR time are rooted largely in our food system. Change that and we get our health back. Change that and we get a handle on the financial and social costs of so many of us being ill.

Well done Walmart and Mrs Obama - a high leverage intervention

Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.

The initiative came out of discussions the company has been having with Michelle Obama, the first lady, who will attend the announcement in Washington and has made healthy eating and reducing childhood obesity the centerpiece of her agenda. Aides say it is the first time Mrs. Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.

The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in a broad array of foods — including rice, soups, canned beans, salad dressings and snacks like potato chips — packaged under the company’s house brand, Great Value.

In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart. Read more at www.nytimes.com

This is what we are up against!

Amplify’d from www.utne.com

Cows eat grass. You wouldn’t think it’s a big deal to state this, but at Iowa State University a highly qualified job applicant who had the temerity to voice this simple biological fact was ejected from consideration for a post leading a sustainable agriculture program, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports:

Well, it sure did. Ricardo Salvador is a well-respected sustainable agriculture expert and a former professor at Iowa State—and a natural, many observers thought, to lead the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture as its new director. A finalist for the position, however, he didn’t get the post even when the top candidate turned it down. Apparently, his cow comment came back to haunt him:

The remark that may have sunk Mr. Salvador’s candidacy came 37 minutes into his on-campus presentation. While discussing a research project in New York State, he mentioned meat being “produced in the natural way that meat should be produced, which is on land suitable for grasses and perennial crops.”

If this were a TV game show, a loud buzzer would have gone off and Mr. Salvador would have been escorted from the stage that very moment. Because apparently he was supposed to say that cows should eat corn. Even if that’s not natural or sustainable, it’s simply how things are done in Iowa, a state built on big agriculture:

Corn allows cows to get fatter faster and be ready for slaughter sooner. But there are downsides, including the fact that cows have trouble digesting corn and must be fed antibiotics to prevent them from becoming ill. What’s more, the beef from corn-fed cows tends to have more fat.

The danger of the truth is so great that the Chronicle couldn’t even get Wendy Wintersteen, the dean of Iowa State’s agriculture school, to go anywhere near it. When asked whether cows evolved to eat grass, she replied, “I don’t have an opinion on that statement.” Read more at www.utne.com

"Food Safety" is being used by Big Ag and their friends to cull the Food Revolution. Here Vermont takes a stand as should we all. On PEI the Mass Egg folks tried to use the same gambit. Of course the real food safety issue lies in the process of mass concentration and factory methods.

We have to be very careful not to be bamboozled here.

Amplify’d from healthfreedoms.org

In the face of the recent passing by the senate of the ‘food safety’ bill H.R.2751, previously S. 510, that will put the FDA in control of the nations food supply,Vermont citizens have made a declaration that the agency and government have no right to determine or restrict the food choices of the People of Vermont. “The Vermont Resolution for Food Sovereignty” was brought forth by the Vermont Coalition for Food Sovereignty, it makes a statement to the United States government and the FDA that all citizens who want to protect their freedom of food should stand behind.

The Vermont Resolution for Food Sovereignty WHEREAS All people are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and WHEREAS Food is human sustenance and is the fundamental prerequisite to life; and WHEREAS The basis of human sustenance rests on the ability of all people to save seed, grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products; and WHEREAS We the People of Vermont, have an obligation to protect these rights as is the Common and Natural Law; and in recognition of the State’s proud agricultural heritage; and the necessity of agricultural, ecological and economic diversity and sustainability to a free and healthy Society; THEREFORE, Be it resolved, that We The People, stand on our rights under the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution and reject such Federal decrees, statutes, regulations or corporate practices that threaten our basic human right to save seed, grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products within the State of Vermont; and, Be it further resolved, that We The People, shall resist any and all infringements upon these rights, from whatever sources that are contrary to the rights of the People of the State of Vermont.

This Resolution is a clear and timely reminder of our rights as humans on this Earth and citizens of a country that was to be based on the freedom to live full, prosperous lives. We live in a Democracy? When you do a simple search of the bill that this resolution stands against, the top links are to articles talking about what a devious and dangerous act it is, ‘a snake hissing in the grass’. The people spoke out heavily against S.510 so fervently that the passing was done in an underhanded, undemocratic way. Pushed through in a late night proceeding right before Christmas and hidden in a spending bill (http://healthfreedoms.org/2010/12/21/republicans-democrats-collude-to-pass-food-safety-bill/), it was forced to passing by those in office in order that they may gain more power.

On the Coalition’s site, http://vermontfoodsovereignty.net/, they call for preemptive action to protect the small farms of Vermont. The determined and protective mindset is nothing new to the state which has made other respectable decisions that have preserved the beauty of their land and health of its people. Vermont tops the 2010 results of Americas health ranking, something that can be attributed to ideals that keep its capital of Montpeiler the only one in the U.S. without a McDonalds.

Vermont’s strengths include its number one position for all health determinants combined which includes ranking in the top 10 states for a high rate of high school graduation, a low violent crime rate, a low percentage of children in poverty, high per capita public health funding, a low rate of uninsured population and ready availability of primary care physicians. Vermont’s two challenges are low immunization coverage with 89.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving recommended immunizations and a high prevalence of binge drinking at 17.3 percent of the population. (http://www.americashealthrankings.org/measure/2010/overall.aspx) Read more at healthfreedoms.org

Dr William Davis offers advice form a medical perspective for how to measure your progress.

For me, a medical civilian - the focus is clear. If insulin is the pathway to fatness or to weight loss - then all the tools for diabetes will help. If cortisol is the pathway for stress damage to our immune system, then finding a simple cortisol test will help us see how well we are doing to reduce our social stress.

In the end the success or not of taking charge of our health will have to lead to measurable results.

Amplify’d from heartscanblog.blogspot.com

A crucial component of self-empowerment in healthcare is to be able to measure various health parameters. More and more measurement tools are entering the direct-to-consumer arena. Quantification of various phenomena is important in managing many aspects of health. Imagine a carpenter trying to build a house without the use of a tape measure, level, or other measuring tools. In health, as in building a house, measurement, adjustment, and correction are critical. Among the most helpful health measurement tools: Blood glucose meters--Blood glucose meters aren't just for diabetics. They are among the most powerful weight loss tools available. Blood pressure cuffs--There's no better way to assess blood pressure than to assess it under all the varied conditions of life: When you're tired, when you're excited, when you're upset, when you're happy, hungry, stomach full, morning, night. This is a lot better than the one isolated measure in the doctor's office. Digital thermometers--Your first a.m. oral temperature is a great way to assess thyroid status. We aim to maintain first a.m. oral temperature around 97.3 degrees F, the normal human temperature upon arising that reflects normal thyroid function. (No, Dr. Broda Barnes fans, axillary temperatures should NOT be used due to flagrant variation from right armpit to left armpit, modifying effects of clothing and ambient temperature, etc. Oral temperature tracks internal, "core," temperature fluctuations reliably, including circadian variation, far better than axillary temperatures.) Fingerstick blood tests--An incredible number of blood tests are now available just by performing a simple fingerstick in your kitchen or bathroom. You can get 25-hydroxy vitamin D, lipids, thyroid measures (TSH, free T3, free T4), hormones (DHEA, testosterone, estrogens). And the list is growing rapidly. Salivary tests are also growing in number for many of the same measures. A variation on fingerstick blood tests are devices like CardioChek that allow you to do a fingerstick, but also run the test on your own device at home. (The CardioChek device tests total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL.) Urine pH--You can dipstick your own urine to assess the relative acidity or alkalinity of your lifestyle. Acid pH (7 or below) suggests that diet is weighed too heavily in favor of animal products and grains. An alkaline pH (above 7) suggests plentiful vegetables and fruits, not counteracted by animal products and grains. There are many more, including the ZEO device to monitor sleep quality, RESPeRATE for reduction of blood pressure, HeartMath to manage stress and augment the parasympathatic (relaxation) response. We've come a long way compared to the health monitoring devices of just 25-30 years ago. Anyway, that's a partial list. Given the rapid advances in technology that allow such home tests, I anticipate a much longer list in the coming few years. For some perspective on how far these devices have come, here's a great graphic of an early sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure gauge. Read more at heartscanblog.blogspot.com

I found this very interesting - I see this in my dogs. When they are well they have great coats - don't smell and fart less. When they aren't.....

So what about us? Why should this be any different?

Amplify’d from freetheanimal.com

For the most part of what i've read of these comments, it seems that no-one has yet addressed that a persons state of health and diet is the major contributer to body odours. You can be a person that bathes, shampoos and deodorises regularly but still stink offensively to high heaven from poor food choices, lack of fruit and veg, too much processed junk and the degenerative diseases developed. On the other hand, you can be a person who is physically active on a daily basis, eats only fresh food, lightly cooked meats and seafoods, avoids grain foods (because we are NOT birds) and smell perfectly fine from not using cosmetics and soaps, etc. To determine/decide if another potential mates' odour was offensive or not is one of many important evolutionary 'tools' to ensure that humans mated with other humans who were in good health with good genes. Cosmetics were originally developed to mask a persons poor health, rather than making the effort to improve their health (more like ignorance in the face of decadence). We almighty Human Beings forget that we are just another animal on this planet, and how many of them (animals) do you see using processed foods, soaps and clothing? Compare the health of a chimpanzee (our closest biological relative) to most humans, these chimps are much better off than we are without our modern vices. We apply chemicals to our skin, eat food from sources that are not digestable in their natural state, technology that does all our moving/movement for us, yet still have it in our heads that we are 'smarter' than other living organisms on this planet. Our sense of 'smart' seems like a hell of a lot of 'stupid' to me. If our animal friends shared the same voice and could point and laugh, we would never hear the end of it, except we are HARMING THEM in all these processes. Read more at freetheanimal.com

This makes sense to me. After all we did not have soap for millions of years. My hair though is so accustomed to being washed every day that if I miss 2 days, I look like Jack Nicholson as he uses an axe to break down the door.

I am told that if I wait long enough - a balance returns.

I might try this but I think Robin deserves one step at a time.

Do you have any experience?

HT Johnnie

Amplify’d from www.boingboing.net

I stopped using soap a year ago. It was easily one of the best moves I've ever made in my entire flippin' life.

About this time last year I read an article (which Mark mentioned here as well) extolling the virtues of a soap-free bathing experience. TL;DR version: Your body is designed to regulate itself. Smearing chemicals all over it wrecks its own built-in processes, and screws with naturally balanced pH levels. This made sense to me and I thought I'd give it a shot for a month.

At the beginning of February 2010, I blogged about the results I'd seen so far. I didn't stink at all (confirmed by friends, family and random people I ended up sitting next to on various forms of public transit), my skin felt better, oily and dry patches had all but disappeared and the light dandruff I'd had my entire life was almost gone. I was pleased with the results of my month experiment and decided I'd run with it for a while longer. As of January 1, 2011: it's been a year now, and I can't imagine ever going back.

More on the results I've seen: As I just mentioned, my skin feels better than ever before. Not that it ever felt bad, really, but it feels awesome now. Still no stink at all, I swear even when I'm really active and sweating I don't notice any B.O., and I used to be über self-conscious about this and would think I was stinking if I walked up a flight of stairs too quickly. So this is a huge improvement for sure. And with the exception of changing climates drastically, even the dandruff is history. My previously wavy and mostly unmanageable hair now seems much more willing to bend to my will, a dream of mine since I first looked in a mirror, brush in hand, then tried and failed to make any sense of that monster. So I approve for sure. Read more at www.boingboing.net

This picture is one I am familiar with. When we get together as a larger family - we all often end up on our Mac's.

As funny as this is - I agree that there is a danger. Are we putting too much attention on people and issues that are really not that important at the expense of people and events that are?

It has been easy for me to hide at home online. But I have decided to go into town much more often. I am finding that just being there causes me to bump into people that are important to me.

I have also been calling a few of my close online friends more too.

I have been more discriminating.

After all I can only really pay attention to very few people.
1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144

A question that I am asking myself is who have I put in what layer of intimacy?

If you put people who should be in the inner layer, such as your spouse, child, BF out in the 144 layer (The Max Dunbar) then you are in trouble.

We have to be able to be touched - Groom - by the inner layers - to be really in good social shape.

I am thinking more about this....

Amplify’d from www.wallstreetjournal.com

When you're out to dinner, does your BlackBerry occupy a seat at the table? Does your spouse ever check email before saying "good morning" to the kids? Does your son sleep with his laptop? It may be time for a technology cleanse.

But be warned: As with any other diet, it isn't easy. Read more at www.wallstreetjournal.com

Nice piece with 6 reasons you should have a pet

Amplify’d from www.care2.com

2. Pets Reduce Stress This one is kind of a no-brainer: a survey by Mindlab International found that 55 percent of people were more relaxed after spending time with their pets–44 percent were also less worried about specific problems such as job security and finance. Dr David Lewis, a psychologist at Mindlab said that “Interacting with a dog is a profound and effective stress reducer. It increases feelings of contentment and relaxation.”

One quarter of respondents described their dog as their best friend while one in six women said they confided their deepest thoughts only in their pets–and walking the dog was also found to be a more effective means of spending quality time with the family than even mealtimes or holidays. Read more at www.care2.com