USDA Approves GMO Apples

   The USDA has approved two varieties of Artic Apples, trademarked by the Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. Due to genetic engineering, these apples do not turn brown when cut, as the gene responsible for the browning has been turned off.

   I for one am very and truly disappointed for the introduction of the first GMO apples into the apple marketplace. Apples have been one trustworthy food for non-GMO consumers. Apples are highly nutritious and delicious. I do not know of any health hazard accompanying this new GMO product, but my question is, was this really necessary? Is there such an outcry for non-browning apples? Maybe there is, but I for one will not purchase these.

   The varieties approved for sale in the US are Artic Golden Delicious and Artic Granny Smith. I doubt that they will be on the markets soon, as Okanagan will have to convince growers to grow their apples and it will take some time for those trees to bear salable fruit.

 

   With more than 70% of our food supply coming from potential GMO sources, the rise of food allergies, digestive problems and autism, it seems to be the wrong path to go happily skipping down. Biotech foods might not be the source of these problems but one has to wonder why the explosion of these problems, can it truly be just processed sugars and salts. I have no idea, but I do know that it is getting harder and harder to put ‘natural’ foods in our diets and into our bodies.

Sugar in Healthy Foods

   I am looking forward to watching the movie called “That Sugar Film” by Australian film maker, Damon Gameau. When I first read the title, I thought, sure, sugar is bad and more and more studies are uncovering the risks and dangers of too much sugar. But what caught my interest the most is that Damon was not eating candy, ice cream, and drinking soda. He consumed foods that are perceived to be healthy such as low fat yogurt, granola bars, cereals, 100% fruit juices and sports drinks.

   I was surprised at first, but when I thought about it, it made sense to me. When food makers make a low fat version of something, they usually up the sugar to make it taste good. He consumed 40 teaspoons of sugar per day. This amount eventually impacted his physical and mental well-being. He very quickly developed fatty liver disease.

   I do not think sugar is necessarily evil, but too much is definitely not good. It is hidden in so many of our foods and comes in many forms. There are added sugars in foods where it is not immediately evident, such as tomato soup. You may be surmised where added sugar hides in our foods.

   The movie will be released in Australia in February 2015. A USA release has not yet been announced.

The Fox News article can be found here. An interview with the film maker can be seen on You Tube here.

The Blessings of International Commerce

   Our forefathers ate much better than we do today. Their food was less processed and fresher. They enjoyed fresh vegetables and fruits in season, and preserved what they could to get them through the winter. We can do the same today, but we are blessed with the gifts of international commerce. We can get fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the entire year because of the differing growing seasons around the world. Just think, it would have been difficult to have orange juice or a banana for breakfast 150 years ago. I live in upstate NY which is rich in farmland and orchards. My wife and I enjoy many fruits and vegetables throughout the late spring through autumn. The farms here produce many wonderful edibles. But, you would be hard pressed to find pineapple, mango, papaya or citrus fruits from our local farms. Commerce brings these sought after products to the cool northeast.

   And the country and world around us benefits from the apples, peaches, pears, cabbage and other produce that our area grows. Our area also produces lots of milk, which of course is turned into so many other dairy products.

   Commerce also allows us to experiment, if we wish, with so many international and ethnic foods and dishes. I think it is wonderful the vast diversity that commerce allows us to experience in our stores. Our local supermarket proudly displays their selection of produce, cheeses from around the world and lots of natural and organic foods and produce.

 

   Often, people look at commerce as evil and greedy. There may be some of that, but we also gain some incredible blessings from it. I wish you all good health and an energetic life.

 

Ceaseless Wonderment

   I have embarked on an online study program for nutrition and I signed up for a second class to learn about plant-based nutrition. I have always had an incredible thirst for learning. The more I learn, the more I realize that there is so much more to learn. If God gives me 5,000 years to live on this earth, I still don’t think I would run out of things to learn about. In that time, there would be more discoveries, more understanding, rethinking things that were once thought to be understood as well as the social, civil and moral changes that would take place.

   The universe is a ceaseless source of wonderment. Think back, if you will, to a time when you were just a child. Things were magic then. You could imagine anything at all. You could see castles, dragons, jungles and pirates on the sea. The magic was all around you and most importantly, the magic was in you. It was that wonderment that made you appreciate the most mundane thing. A cardboard box could magically become a boat, a car, a lion’s cage or a treasure chest.

  We think that when we set aside those types of thoughts that we become more mature, a grown up. But really, you can bring that magic with you even today. It just takes being mindful of what is around you, paying attention to the moment, savoring the experience.

   Since I started my grain free diet, I have a better appreciation for the food that I eat. I taste it. I experience the texture, the taste while it is in my mouth and the finish after I swallow. It is magical. That attention to the food helps me pay attention to other areas in my life. While I am hiking with my son, or walking through the parks with my dog, I am awed by the diversity the universe affords us. The vast number of plants, insects, wildlife that abounds. It makes each walk an incredible journey in the intelligence of nature, the infinite touch of God.

   Even as we strive to understand quantum physics, genetic expression, and the human mind, each discovery leads to more questions and more opportunity to be in awe of what is around us. And just as we do understand some universal law, we can find exceptions. Everything in the universe expands when it is heated and contracts when it is cooled – everything that is except for water. Water expands when it is heated and when it freezes. The reason and mechanism is an understanding beyond me. It is magic.

   Magic can be the awe of those things that are not yet understood. Rabbits come from magician hats and if you put two of them in a closet, you find 200 when you open the door 10 minutes later. That’s how it works in the cartoons. But really, the universe has such incredible diversity, that there is no one person that could possibly learn everything there is to learn. But, I promise, that as long as I am able and cognitively aware, I will wear myself out trying to learn more and more. Knowing that all that I learn will show me how much I have left to learn. In the global library of knowledge, I know next to nothing. But what I do know I hope will settle in my heart as wisdom.

   Be in the moment, pay attention to what is around you and do forget the magic that fills every day. Heck, I think that just waking up in the morning is such a blessing. It means that I get to enjoy another day in God’s incredible creation and experience the ceaseless diversity and wonderment that waits for me.