on my mind monday 3.05.12

news | photo: mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  My snapshot of what I find interesting.  Information and news about health, nutrition and/or holistic living.  Here's what's on my mind.

Growing protein with fewer resources - There are lots of different ways to look at our protein needs and how we get them.  Algae is certainly one way which could be very sustainable; algae of all kinds can be used to provide protein for animals as well as for humans.  Many vegetarians and vegan's eat it now.  Potentially part of an aquaculture solution it would be a very efficient use of resources.  Truthfully whether you're using algae or insects (another source of efficient protein) as an alternative source of food the problem is not how much protein we produce but how we produce it.  Well that and the fact that when it comes to animal protein those of us in developed countries often consume more than we need.  Current commercial methods appear to be mostly inefficient with large scale use of fossil fuels, unhealthy (read unsanitary) conditions,  unhealthy methods (GMO feed, over use of antibiotics), and waste.   So while this is a good thing and an idea that I think is worth following, I also feel we need to look at current protein production methods and clean up after ourselves.

Monterey County Say No To Methyl Iodide - YES!  I'm so happy to see this and hope that other counties in California will follow suit.  Some of you may remember that this appeared in an OMMM post in January.  This is a horrible, known cancer-causing agent.  I'm so happy to hear that the folks in Monterrey County are standing up to BigAg and saying no.

Eating citrus fruit may lower women's stroke risk - many foods have flavonoids, antioxidants that help promote health.  Apparently the flavonoids in oranges and grapefruit, called flavanones, are especially beneficial for women in helping to prevent ischemic strokes.  It is important to note that if you are trying to increase your intake of oranges and grapefruit eating whole fruit is a better way to go.  There are approximately 5 oranges in a glass of orange juice, adding lots of sugar and not much fiber.  Eat the orange or the grapefruit and get the benefit of the vitamin C, the flavanones, and the fiber.

Seattle plants a public food forest - I'm happy to hear about more public food resources and stewardship of public lands that does not include turning it into a parking lot.  This could give a whole new meaning to the word locavore.  It will be interesting to see how this develops and how it is managed over time.  It is an added dimension to urban agriculture that I think brings a lot of benefits to the community.  Considering our shift to a more urbanized population these sorts of measures are to be welcomed and encouraged.

Push to label GMO's gains ground - I am firmly in the no-GMO camp.  I believe that they are harmful to our bodies, our planet and their use should be discontinued.  However that is a larger battle.  In the meantime I very strongly support labeling of GMOs because I believe that consumers have the right to make an informed choice when it comes to their food.  GMO producers disagree, of course, because this would, in all likelihood reduce their sales.  I hope the labeling of GMO moves forward and becomes mandatory.


Enjoy Nature

What I'm reading:

The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean.  It's been a busy week so I'm still reading this book.  Learning a lot about why magnesium is such an important mineral for our health.  For example, it turns out that magnesium is important in helping to support health when it comes to osteoporosis.  So it's not just calcium, we also need to be looking at our magnesium levels.