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Over the years, we have exercised our power over nature, disturbed the balanced ecological food chain and failed to ensure a balanced ecosystem.

Since the Green revolution, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that are used to boost yields and the ward the pests have exhausted the earthly resources. Harmed domestic animals with hormones and antibiotics. Similarly the blue revolution targeted at high aquatic yield resulted in contaminating the water resources and damaging the aquatic life.

With multiple fold increase in human population, forests, cultivation lands and water resource bases have been converted into residential and commercial areas, driving many of the wild, domestic & water life species and forests (inclusive of rare high medicinal valued trees & plants) to extinction or close to extinction.

A recent study had revealed that other species extinction rate has increased a hundred times over than that of the previous century. (http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253)

To be more precise, our consumption of resources has surpassed the capability of the earth to replenish on its own, leading to contamination as well as depletion of land, water, air & oil resources.

(Courtesy : http://www.solarpowernotes.com)

At the same time, the rate of waste accumulation and fossil fuels & gas emissions are higher than that of earth’s capacity to recycle; resulting in polluted air with elevated carbon concentrations. This in turn warms the earth, causes drastic changes in climate, melting glaciers, stronger hurricanes, unpredictable rains, unusual floods, droughts and earthquakes; all attributing to sustainability & health issues.

Thus we have started to experience negative reactions from the earth, as we have reached the threshold limit in our actions of exercising control over the nature or hurting the earth.

Half a century before, environmentalists and scientists were advocating to save forests & endangered species with a view to save nature. But now, the call to save the rare species has turned out to be a call for resetting the ecosystem right, with a view to save earth and thereby humanity.

It is not 2 separate ways for being health-conscious and environment friendly. Both are the same track. It is high time for us to take call to lower our carbon footprint by living a lifestyle that creates less carbon emissions. Some steps to be taken to achieve this are given below:

(Courtesy : http://busybeekate.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/GreenFair25WaystoGoGreen.jpg)

Driving less: Opt for public transport or car-pooling. Bike & walk instead of driving to nearer places
Planting own garden using homemade fertilizers
Turn on tap and avoid water bottles
Use solar energy using solar panels
Install a green roof
Opt for eco-friendly packaging – use Stainless steel and glass containers wherever possible. Avoid Plastics.
Don’t cut down trees: Do not print without real need, minimise the use of papers and wood.
Reduce & reduce & recycle energy & products
Avoid food wastage
Avoid the use of chemical fertilizers and plastics, as much as possible
Farmers to carryout farming with composted manure and other natural materials, as well as crop rotation, to help improve soil fertility
Eat local seasonal foods and avoid imports.

Many scientists and research reports relate genetic disorders to environmental factors. This can be linked to the tweet of the US president Barrack Obama that “we are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.”

Being healthy is not possible, without a healthy environment and a sustainable planet to live. Would you love to leave a greener, pollutant-free, resourceful planet to your grandchildren?

Hello! Are you safe from your mobile?

Can you imagine a life without laptops or mobiles or internet? Booh! It’s a nightmare.

Since the invention of the wheel, numerous inventions from different parts of world have contributed to the comfortable and convenient life being led by us today. There are some innovations (such as plastics, refrigerators, motor vehicles & mobile phones) that are big bang successes and turned out to be the inevitable parts in our lives. However after a long run, further studies and researches revealed the possible side-effects that are perhaps detrimental, on continuous usage. At this stage, even if the consumers get to know about the so-called side-effects, they just ignore it and continue to indulge in using it; not even resorting to ‘think’ of its impacts on their own & their loved ones lives and about the ways to minimize its usage.

Sounding weird? Have you ever had the chance to know about the drawbacks of laptops or Wi-Fi or mobile phones? What was your reaction – simply disregarded it or did a research to know if the info is true / fake or adopted a behavioural change to minimize its usage, at least when not really needed?

Electronic gadgets though of great use to mankind, their side effects or drawbacks are becoming obvious, after their longstanding consumption. Frankly saying, we have got addicted to these facilities and they become a part of our habits and make our lives more ease and engaging such that we are not ready to keep them aside, even when not really needed.

When you tune on your radio, watch TV, send a text message in mobile, or pop popcorn in a microwave oven, scan a barcode or locate a RFID token, you are using electromagnetic energy.

Researches shows that continuous exposure to these radiation is harmful and leads to many disorders and diseases.

Mobile telecommunications uses low-powered radio waves (a specific range of electromagnetic radiation), to send and receive calls, texts, emails, pictures and web downloads.

The mobile phone handset sends radio signal from the handset to the nearest base station, which is in turn sent to digital telephone exchange and to the main telephone network. This connects the signal to the receiving phone or via a base station if it is to another mobile handset. When on a move, the mobile network automatically adjusts the mobile phone and base station power required to maintain a connection.

Have you ever noticed the below usage warning printed on your iPhone user manual? ˜When carrying the iPhone, keep it 1.5cm (5/8 inch) or more away from your body to ensure exposure levels remain at or below the maximum levels. [Content from iPhone 4 – Important Product Information Guide 2010.]

The mobile company which is brand of choice on the earth instructs you not to carry your phone in your pocket, and warns you of the electromagnetic radiation exposure. From this you can understand the real seriousness of EMR exposure. The warning is printed in tiny letters that many of us may not noticed it upon purchase, when we were in excitement of having the brand new mobile.

In 2011, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation has recognised all mobile phones as class B carcinogen, considering the electromagnetic radiation emitted by them.

If you still hold tight your belief of ‘mobile phone is safe’ and wonder how it can be unsafe, please take a note… Italy’s Supreme Court has ruled that a man’s brain tumour (at trigeminal nerve – a part near the ear) is linked to his heavy cell phone use of six hours a day for 12 hours, for communicating with his business clients.

Many studies and researches keeps on revealing information about the potential hazards of Mobile phones.

Users who start to use of mobile phones as teenager carry about 4 to 5 times of brain cancer risk than the users who start as young adults. If a kid start to use mobile phone, then the chances are even higher.

5yr old – skull thickness 0.5 mm – 4.49w/kg

10 yr old – skull thickness 1mm – 3.21 w/kg

Adult – skull thickness 2mm – 2.93 w/kg

After just 50 minutes of cell phone exposure, the emitted radiation increases brain cell activity in the region closest to the cell phone antenna. However the exact effects of that increased brain activity are still under research.
The damage from cell phone exposure can take many years to surface. There are rarely any initial symptoms, just like smoking and lung cancer.
According to DNA researchers, the average latency time for DNA brain cell damage is around 30 years and hence increased brain cancer rate would be noticeable in next 15 years. Moreover, mobile phone use may deteriorate the DNA repair function leading to about two-fold increase in brain cancer incidence.
Carrying mobile phone in shirt pockets causes/aggravates heart problems while carrying it pant pockets leads to infertility. Similarly women carrying mobiles in their innerwear, are in a higher risk of breast cancers than their counterparts who don’t.
Even when not in use, mobiles continually emit radiation.

It’s true that without a GPS service, many of us do not know the way to go anywhere other than our workplace and home. A call to give up all these services and refuting these electronic gadgets is not a wise decision, as it may place our career, safety, and even survival into trouble. Also remember, even if you are not using these devices, you are still a part of it, and still continue to experience the ‘second hand radiation’ effects. A wiser step can be reduce the mobile phone use.

Some guidelines for safe mobile phones usage and minimizing EMR impacts are given below:

Install a Landline phone:

If you don’t have a landline phone at home, then immediately go for it. Keep in mind, your health is more precious than your money.

Minimize your mobile phone use :

Try to use mobile phones only on transit. While at workplace, use office landline phones for making calls. While at home, enable all forwarding and transfer all the incoming calls to home landline and then switch off your mobile phone. This is a best method as it would avoid your loved ones from becoming second hand radiation victims.

Not in bed room :

Do not have the mobile phone in your bed room, as it may affect the quality of your sleep. Personal mobile phone safety is something everyone should seriously consider. Especially do not use it as alarm clock and keep it under your pillow. Also do not use mobile phones, when you are in bed, just before your sleep.

Only use when the reception is good:

Do not use mobile phones when you are in a moving vehicle. If the signal is weak then your phone tries harder to reach a base station and emits more radiation. Also do not use mobile phones, when you are inside a closed metal cases such as lifts or trains. The electromagnetic radiation of mobile phones causes strongest impacts, when the signal is the weakest.

(Image courtesy : en.yibada.com & www.easyacc.com)

Don’t let children to use mobile phones:

Do not allow or entertain children to touch / use the mobile phones whatever the purpose may be. Some parents allow children to use mobiles for video games, rhymes videos or learning applications, without knowing its implications.

Avoid contact with body :

Do not carry your phone in your pocket or any place close to your body. Probably place it in bag and ensure to hold it away, whenever possible. If you must carry your mobile phones in your pocket then place the screen side towards your body.

Use an EMF protection shield:

Electromagnetic field shielding is a way to reduce daily exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

Use Wi-Fi only when needed :

Switch of the Wi-Fi internet modem whenever not in use. Just for the sake of your convenience, your entire family need not exposed to the radiation all the time. If you have a newborn, ensure that you don’t use wi-fi at home.

These practices may appear common sense, but you may need to exercise a staunch willpower in adhering to them. Studies reveal that a high rate of brain tumour incidences are expected in another 15 years. According to researchers unless mobile phone usage behaviour patterns significantly change, we could not stop the epidemic from happening.

With billions of mobile phone subscribers across the world, individual actions would not give effective results. While you switch of your home wi-fi at night time, you may still get exposed to the radiation emitted from your neighbour’s wi-fi. Hence ‘spreading the word of awareness across the world’ is equally important.

I have did my part. Hope you do so. If you’re already doing it, please share your initiative s with me.

If you wish to eat healthy food…

Are you are eating healthy and harmless foods? Are you confident about the quality of the foods, that you feed your kids?

Don’t grade the quality of the foods with the commercial slogans printed on the packaging. To be frank, giant corporate companies are smartly utilizing the rise of consumer awareness on product ingredients to boost their market share, by labeling their products such as “gluten free”, “wholesome meal”, “free from preservatives & artificial flavors”, “sugar free”, “Contains essential vitamins & minerals”, “75% of your daily need for calcium and iron” and to boost their market share with enticing and convincing marketing techniques.

‘Corporate transgressions through moral disengagement’ is now on the rising tide mainly attributed to the customer’s inclination to packaged foods rather than home-made foods, willingness to purchase quality products at a higher price, strong trust on product slogans, clubbed with their urgency to differentiate their product from other competitive products in terms of appearance and taste. Many of the corporate companies hide their malpractices and present themselves socially acceptable by portraying in the service of valued social and moral purposes.

The million dollar infant formula industry’s most disgusting and awful marketing strategy is ‘babies mean businesses’. Infant formula industry attack on the basic human function of breastfeeding to deliver samples to new mothers through hospital nurses or privately hired women. The distribution of breast-milk substitutes contributes to the discouragement of natural feeding and contribute to underfeeding and there is a need to buy more formula and feeding bottles. This proves that it is the commercial targets that drive these companies to indulge in practices of slow poisoning that are fatal to mankind. It is not an exaggeration to say that the current trend in the food industry has greatly promoted another billion dollar industry- the pharmaceutical & healthcare, that gets high on fat profits, but no stranger to malpractice.

Brand directory’s the most valuable global brands of 2015 ranks coca cola in the 11^th place. Do you know how much superior quality products they offer? A single can of coca cola contains 10 spoons of sugar (WHO’ recommended max daily intake not more than 6 spoons), phosphoric acid, caffeine, refined salts, addictive ingredients and many chemicals that are widely found in pesticides. It is reported that coca cola stimulates the brain’s pleasure center just as ‘heroin’ and its repetitive consumption leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart problems and tooth decay. Many scientists and researches rhetorically recommend its use as a rust cleaner and as a pesticide.

A similar case is McDonalds that ranked 23rd place in 2014. Have you ever tasted and relished the delicious chicken nuggets? Are you eager to know its ingredients? White Boneless Chicken, Water, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Seasoning (Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Salt, Wheat Starch, Natural flavouring, Safflower Oil, Dextrose, Citric Acid), Sodium Phosphates, natural flavour (Botanical Source). Battered and Breaded with: Water, Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, folic acid), Yellow Corn Flour, Bleached Wheat Flour, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Leavening (baking Soda, sodium Acid pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Lactate), Spices, Wheat Starch, Dextrose, Corn Starch. Contains: Wheat. Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with tertiary butyl hydroquinone [TBHQ] and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

To be precise, McDonald’s nuggets are made of fatal industrial chemicals, toxic oils, and genetically modified ingredients and are not qualified to be edible.

It seems that the huge and loyal consumers of these corporates are least bothered about their health and highly influenced by the look & taste of the product and the marketing strategy of the companies. This has been the case of all other carbonated drinks, packaged fruit juices, biscuits, fries, other snacks, jelly foods and processed food products.

Food has been reported as a major factor for many of the lifestyle diseases such as obesity, atherosclerosis, heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, anxiety and depression, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems & poor immune. Loads & loads of chemicals in the form of pesticides, food additives, contaminants, and antibiotics that are of toxic in nature are hidden in our foods that we consume daily.

(Image Courtesy : 123rf.com)

It is difficult to find a food item that is not affected with any of the below treatments:

Growing the foods with Pesticides / injecting hormones to animals – to increase the yields / to make the animals grow faster & bigger for meat.

Processing the foods with Chemicals by removing their original nutrients/ flavour

(Preservatives, additives, flavours, dyes, sweeteners etc.)

– to increase their shelf life, to improve their look, feel, flavour & taste and sometimes to get perceived as unique among their competitors.

Packaging the foods with chemicals

– to increase their shelf life and to improve their look & feel.

Genetically modified organisms

– to produce the product with enhanced nutrition, with an increased yield within a short period of time, using minimal resources, withstanding drought conditions and improved resistance to pests using genetic engineering.

We all want to eat healthier, but it’s not as easy as you think.

From the above processes, tons of chemicals and metals such as sulphur dioxide, phosphoric acid, calcium hydroxide, and activated carbon or bone char, monosodium glutamate, gluten, arsenic, mercury, nickel, propylparaben, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), Bisphenol A (BPA) and Phthalates are widely found in all processed foods including infant formula. Many of these toxic substances are recognised as carcinogen (cause cancer) and endocrine disruptors leading to range of traumatic conditions such as respiratory problems, kidney and bladder problems, skin problems, cardiovascular problems, liver problems, gastrointestinal problems, reproductive problems, cancers and tumours, brain disorders, metabolism effects, neurological impairment, degenerative diseases, chronic ailments, obesity, dental problems, and much more.

It is shocking that some of the chemicals such as phthalates, propylparaben, that are banned for use in the production of plastics & personal care products are marked as safe by food authorities and still used in processing the food.

Refined sugars, artificial sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup), refined oil, wheat flour are synthesised by stripping off all the vitamins, minerals and enzymes and nutrients from the natural food, processing it through a number of chemicals and reducing it to a relative non-edible version. However, one or more of these items together with fatal chemical preservatives, additives and flavouring agents are used in the recipes of many foods such as biscuits, croissants, bread, chocolates, muffins, cakes, Jam, ice-cream, pizza, pasta, burger, puddings etc.

Eating refined foods that are high in sodium depletes potassium from the body and strongly contributes to high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and degenerative diseases.

Even a regular plastic bottled water consumption may lead to increased risk of breast cancer, increased body fat, depression, headache, blood clotting and decreased libido, as it contains very high level of estrogens.
An Apple is not the same as one that was 2 centuries before. Today an apple may contain pesticides chemicals, coated with wax, polyethene packing or a genetically modified brown apple.
With many of the local farmers out of the business, large industrial farms engaged in meat business indulge in practices such as over-cramming pens, feeding GMO fodders / steroids and injecting hormones and very cannibal methods to kill them.

Continual consumption of these foods leads to a variety of diseases and disorders eventually degrading our health.

The Human body is one of the greatest wonders of nature that knows to heal by itself if provided with quality air, water, sunlight, sanitation, workouts, peace, sleep and rest. Listening to your body and having appropriate good quality foods would cure your ailments and improve your vitality.

How amazing the human body is if we just treat it right! An easy way to ensure right foods is to ask yourself if they were in existence 5 or 6 generations before. If they didn’t, there are not fit for eating.

Below is a list of recommendations for healthy eating habits. It is not aimed at grabbing out your pleasure and happiness and make your life boring. At times, you may opt to relish your favourite Grilled Chicken Bacon Deluxe Burger with a coke while your awareness of impacts guides you in limiting its occurrences.

Try to eat the foods produced in plants (vegetation) and avoid the foods manufactured in (factory) plants.
Consume nutrient dense food. Be aware of which nutrients are in which foods.
Buy organic fruits and vegetables, cereal grains and millets.
Look for GMO-free fruits and vegetables. Currently, Cotton and corn are the only 2 crops cultivated in Australia. However, there are 10 GMO foods in the US with a chance of getting imported. If the sticker code is 5 digits and starts with 8 – it is a GMO stuff.

(Source : http://www.facebook.com/yellowturtlefitness)

Look for seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Take enough time and care to wash the veggies and fruits properly and peel the skin, if needed. Consuming of pesticides remnants should be avoided.
Consume food in the below order: Raw & fresh in the whole state, Fresh juices and smoothies, boiled, baked, simmer cooking, shallow fry and deep fry.
Try to use seed based oils rather than vegetable oils. Prefer for virgin oils than the refined ones. Do not use virgin olive oil for cooking, as it has a low burning point.
Strictly avoid white sugar and artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup. Opt for honey, maple syrup or coconut based sugar, however, make it as low as possible, as we can’t ensure its purity.
Strictly avoid refined salt. Opt for unrefined rock salt or crystal salt which has some nutrients.
Consume the food grown in nutrient-rich soil with the least exposure to chemical fertilizers or pesticides. If possible, cultivate veggies and fruits from your own garden.
Support local, sustainable farms when possible.
Purchase animal products from organic, grass-fed, pastured, or wild-caught sources when possible, though over-priced.
Fish tend to accumulate potentially harmful contaminants from their environment. Prefer wild fish over the farmed one.
Regularly consume fermented foods that cultivate a healthy gut
Do not microwave food in a plastic container, though it is marked as “microwavable safe”, as the food may get affected with the BPA released.
Always use ceramic and glass containers for microwaving and don’t fail to cover it with a lid.
Avoid using non-stick cookware to avoid the dangers of Teflon. Stainless steel and cast iron are better alternatives.
Avoid plastic water bottle. Look for stainless steel /glass water bottles without a plastic inner liner and plastic cap.
If you still non-stick cookware, never preheat it at high temperature and switch on the chimney.
Try to avoid processed and packaged food.
Read food labels and avoid foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat, gluten, sugar, artificial colours, flavours, additives, hydrogenated fats and flavour enhancers.
Strictly don’t buy ready to eat processed foods, as it may contain more BPA from the can lining.
Look for organic products packaged in glass as much as possible
Avoid buying canned food or food storage containers unless they are marked “BPA-free
If you bought any food packaged in plastic or cans, transfer the content into glass containers, as soon as you arrived home, because DEHP continues to leech over time.
Strictly no for microwave popcorn. Diacetyl, the fake butter flavouring contributes for a “popcorn workers lung” disease. (Many workers of popcorn factory got infected by that lung disease and hence the name). Also, when heated, the chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down into perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) – a likely carcinogen.
Be aware of fake “certified organic” labels.
Buy Fairtrade certified products – Use this online source to buy and sell Fairtrade products locally. http://www.oxfamshop.org.au
As the GMO based products are not labelled, it becomes difficult to distinguish it from GMO-free products. There is no chance of ensuring the processed foods are GMO-free.

GM-Free Australia is the process of compiling the list of companies choosing to label their products GM-free; which would enable the Australians to make GM-free food choices. http://www.gmfreeaustralia.org.au/resources

Eat only if you are hungry.Also, know your limits.
Digestion starts from the mouth. Eat slowly and chew the food thoroughly, together with saliva.
Don’t drink water 30 minutes before and after a meal.

The Food industry has been well aware of the possible impacts of using chemicals, pesticides and now GMO on human health and environment since long back; however despite changing their practices they were more focussed on keeping the information out of the public eye; another instance of caveat emptor. This is one of the times, I get convinced of the quote “the real enemy is humanity itself”.

Now you are aware of all the facts. It is your health! Your family wellbeing! And purely it is your call!

If this post is a news to you, let me know your thoughts. If you are already aware of the subject, please share your experiences and suggestions.

Thanks for your time and patience in reading this post. As the topic is of serious and deep concern, I could not resist it running quite lengthy.

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If you wish to eat healthy food…