Sodas yanked from schools, finally...

The American Beverage Association, purveyors of all sodas and other sugar water to children in schools, has finally acknowledged the connection between kids drinking that at school, and their obesity and health problems...

From their press release:

"Under the new policy, the beverage industry will provide:

* Elementary Schools with only water and 100 percent juice.

* Middle Schools with only nutritious and/or lower calorie beverages, such as water, 100 percent juice, sports drinks, no-calorie soft drinks, and low-calorie juice drinks. No full-calorie soft drinks or full-calorie juice drinks with five percent or less juice until after school; and

* High Schools with a variety of beverage choices, such as bottled water, 100 percent juice, sports drinks, and juice drinks. No more than 50 percent of the vending selections will be soft drinks."

It's slowly being implemented. Has it happened at your school yet?

Sexberries, kings and concubines...

Did you ever think health could be sexy? Well some nutrients seem to be...

Once upon a time, there were certain kings with more concubines than others. There was no Viagra...they used something better...a little berry.

It was a lot of work for those ancient kings to keep up with (i.e. service) all their concubines, and some of them got left out. To help keep all of them happy, it is rumored, kings in the know popped a little berry during the day - the wolfberry. That seemed to do the trick.

Those were the pre-Viagra days.

But today, who that reads isn't worried about the side effects of the big V? So here's one natural alternative - wolf berries (AKA Goji berries or xxx).

They're available in Chinatown in NYC and San Francisco, and in between, there's Google.

If you seek a shortcut, like I did, little pills are available that have those berry nutrients - highly concentrated. I've got mine.

Coffee: one of the most chemically treated food crops on the planet.

"Every cup of coffee you sip has a story to tell. Its origin has an impact on our environment as well as the health of the people who grow it and drink it... before you order your next latte or double espresso -

Coffee is one of the most chemically treated food crops on the planet. It is heavily sprayed with pesticides and grown with chemical fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides, all known to cause health problems, including cancer and nervous system and reproductive disorders. In fact, most coffee is imported from countries that use chemicals that are banned in this country..." Entire piece here (PDF)

"Knowing what’s in your coffee and where it came from is a good place to start. Buying organic, fair trade and shade grown coffee costs a little more, but what you’re paying for is a better tasting, healthier brew…as well as peace of mind."

[Writer Beth Greer has helped thousands of people see possibilities and feel empowered to make changes in their lives through her role as former President of The Learning Annex, a nationally renowned alternative adult education school. She has lived through the process of discovering a tumor, then successfully shrinking it away without drugs or surgery, using alternative methods of healing. She lives in Mill Valley with her husband and 8-year-old daughter. Contact Beth at supernaturalmom2@aol.com.]

Wal-Mart gets it: goes organic.

Wal-Mart Plans to Move More Aggressively into Organics, Now its Fastest Growing Category

Wal-Mart President and CEO, F. Lee Scott, proclaimed at the giant company's annual meeting 6.6.06, that he is "excited about organic food, the fastest growing category in all of food, and at Wal-Mart."

He said people in all income brackets want organic food products for their family, and lower-income families should not be denied such goods due to high prices...

More...

Of course, not everyone's happy about Wal-Mart's Organic Offensive...including organic farmers. Here's why...

"Secondhand smoke: can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."

Of course we've heard this over and over, but here's the latest from the U.S. Surgeon General:

"Secondhand smoke dramatically increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmokers and can be controlled only by making indoor spaces smoke-free, according to a comprehensive report issued yesterday by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona.

"The health effects of secondhand smoke exposure are more pervasive than we previously thought," Carmona said. "The scientific evidence is now indisputable: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance. It is a serious health hazard that can lead to disease and premature death in children and nonsmoking adults."

Here's the June 28,2006 story from the Washington Post. And here's the PDF in case.

Starbucks targeted over high-fat products

From Reuters, June 16, 2006

"The Center for Science in the Public Interest said it is planning to campaign against the global cafe chain because of the increased risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer associated with high-calorie, high-fat products it sells..."

"Regular consumers of Starbucks products could face Venti-sized health problems," Jacobson said, referring to Starbucks' use of the 'Venti' designation for 'large.'"

"The company should use healthier shortenings without trans fat, and publicize its smallest size, "short," which is available but does not appear on the menu...."

The complete story is here. pdf

"Food is not enough for optimal health..."

So say authors Ray Kurzweil and Terry Grossman, MD,

"It is desirable to obtain as many nutrients as possible directly from food, which contains synergistic nutrients such as phytochemicals that will support the many metabolic pathways in your body." Fantastic Voyage, Live Long Enough to Live Forever.

"However," they continue, "it is not possible to obatin all of the nutrients you need for optimal health from food;" then they add this tidbit:

"Also, 'reprogramming' your biochemistry through supplements becomes increasingly important as you get older. Remember that evolution is not on your side after child-rearing age." (p. 100)

Finally - End of bad food movie tie-ins?

"Big summer films such as "Superman Returns" and "Cars" are looking further afield than traditional marketing partners like McDonald's, Burger King and PepsiCo as they try to reach niche markets -- and figure out how to deal with media attention on junk food and obesity."

(This story was in the Washington Post 5.30.06 but it's not available online anymore, sorry. The essence is here.)

While of course you can expect Pixar to lead the way, innovative and sensitive as they are (makers of new movie Cars), the others are slowly coming along...

"All the studios are aware that childhood obesity is an issue," one studio promotions executive said. "They're slowly starting to figure out what they want to do but there hasn't been a shift yet. People are just more aware of it."

And the health conscious shall lead them...