Unpopular

What I have to say is very unpopular. I think it's making my family unpopular too. I am pretty sure we may not be getting invited to BBQ's and family dinners because people have heard me talk about my kid's multitude of allergies and wonder what the hell they would feed us. So they don't bother, too complicated. I really don't blame them. No one wants to have people over that are complicated.

Then there are others that I have also shared the very inconvenient and unhealthy truth about GMO's in our food, and man, they get a clouded look on their face like it's just not something they ever wanted to know. They don't want to hear it. It's not a fun topic. I can relate. I didn't want to know about it either.
They also don't want to be scrutinized for what they serve and they don't want to have to scrutinize what they buy at the store. It's just too damn hard. So they don't invite us over.
So invite them, you might say. Yes, I could, and do sometimes. Those are the times when people bring over food. Do I ask if it's organic before letting my kids eat it? Is that considered a faux pas in etiquette? Usually I just let my kids eat it, sometimes I eat it myself, and then later, when my son's or husband's lips have puffed up from an allergic reaction or my stomach aches and I am crankier than cat hanging by it's tail, I regret it. And I am not quick to invite people over again either.

GMO's are impacting our health AND social life and I am not happy about it.
Oh Waaaah! You may think I am crying like a baby. I get it. Just be responsible and bring my own food and suck it up.
I know. Fine.

The thing is, it wasn't always this way and doesn't have to be this way.

My Mom didn't have to make gluten free pizza for me with non dairy cheese and a gluten free/egg free cupcake before going to a birthday party. ALOT of Moms do now. Millions. All in the past 10-15 years since GMO's were introduced into our food. And the number is rising. Allergies and GMO foods.And we put up with it.
Or stay home and avoid it. Seriously, if my kids have two things going in a day and the night before we have plans, the answer to going to a birthday party is no. Because what is going to be served there is pizza, cake and soda. If I don't make time to make and bring a bunch of food, my kids will eat what is there. They will leave especially tired and grumpy from the food and a few hours later they are screaming at each other, we are screaming at them and they have some painful rash that last for weeks. It's not worth it. We love people but if this is what it takes to be social we choose to be unpopular.

That place of shutting down is so stinky though isn't it? It's totally not inspiring. My game is to have life be inspiring. So I play.
Today I am playing at planning fun activities with friends that do not involve much food. Just snacks, that we bring. Swimming works. Campfire with healthy smores (there is a brand of marshmallows without GMO corn syrup at Mother's). Park play dates. Board games.

And in the meantime I can just let go of my fear of being unpopular and share what is there for me. Talk to people about GMO's and even ask them if they want to be a part of helping to eliminate them. They may yes. I might even make new friends. Who knows?

Please leave a comment. How do you feel about GMO's in our food? Do you talk with your friends and family about them? What happens?

Zen Honeycutt

GMO hazards:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/07/genetically-engineered-foods-hazards.aspx

GMO's in pregnant women and babies:

http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/new-study-shows-gmo-toxins-in-93-percent-of-pregnant-women/

Want to contact the White House and be heard?
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/contact

The Future of Food and our lives....

I am ready to rant. Seriously. Just watched the "Future of Food" (available on Netflix) and am so riled up I could walk up to the President of Monsanto and the FDA and punch them in the face. ( Ok, I know, not very "Zen".) Or at least do a citizen arrest.I get what the "Crazy liberals" are chanting and waving signs about at the GMO food protests now. I get it. There is a crime of nature going on and most of us just don't know it. Because money, control and convenience are more important.

My father used to smoke something like 10 packs a day of cigarettes in the 40's for a while, he was a total chain smoker. He remembers ads that said "Camel cigarettes...they soothe the throat." No kidding. He thought he was doing something good for himself for a short time.
(When he found out my Mom was pregnant he stopped THANK YOU DAD!!! Amazing will power!)

The food industry has that same kind of smokescreen up right now. There is a huge percentage of our food that is genetically modified and patentented/owned by Monsanto (80% of all corn and soybeans) and we don't know it because it's not labeled. All of the European countries won't allow GM foods...but we Americans don't even know because it's just too inconvenient to label it.

What does it matter? Ok:

#1) Genetically modified is NOT natural..meaning our bodies don't know how to process a tomato with flounder fish genes in it (allows it to ripen in the cold) and so we become allergic to it....know any kids with a lot of allergies to all kinds of food especially cow's milk (fed GM corn), soy (80% US GM) and wheat...increasing GM???) Um, most of us??

#2) Genetically modified food comes from genetically modified seeds, which have been in the case of corn, as an example, been injected with some kind of chemical derived from a NERVE GAS (BT?) which is an pesticide which KILLS the worm that eats the corn....ok so what does it do to humans??? My kids??? I wonder if GM foods could be linked to the rise in autism and developemental delays which are exponenetially on the rise?

#3) To top it all off, the majority of the people in leadership positions of the FDA..that regulates all of this...have been on the board or in leadership positions of Monsanto. The laws for regulation have been laughable...they are basically complete deregulation...do what ever you want, just make money and donate to our political careers.

There are lots of other reasons to be alarmed, in action, and causing a shift in how our food is manufactured..injustices to farmers,third world hunger monopolization, crops taht are programmed not to reseed...sterile crops, so that the farmer in a third world MUST buy from Monsanto...(and we wonder why some other countries hate Americans???, Monsanto owning over 11,000 patents on seeds,on our world's food... thousands of types of potatoes and corn that are extinct because the four large food companies only grow about four types....etc, but the top three above take the cake for me.

I took on being a champion for "green" several years ago....preached to my family and friends about parabens,plastics, preservatives, and pesticides. I created a Green Earth Festival and a group called "Moms for Mother Earth". Then I saw the green movement grow around me... I had wanted to be a spear head person in growing it. The paper work for "Moms for Mother Earth " to be a non profit was daunting, however and I chose to direct my energy on kids and business.

One day as I went to the grocery store I saw two out of three other people approaching Sprouts carrying reusable bags. I breathed a sigh of relief and said to myself...ok there are lots of "Moms for Mother Earth" out there now. People know about plastic bags, saving energy and healthy personal care. Time to Champion another cause.

Like GMO food...
Folks, take a moment to consider that your voice matters. Buying Organic MATTERS:
it is Non GMO only because 250,000 US citizens wrote to the government and caused that standard.
Walmart has dropped the growth hormone rBGH (owned by Monsanto) from its dairy products because their customers spoke up!

We caused that. Those emails you get to send a petition...they matter. Buying organic of from Co-Ops matters.You matter. The natural structure of our food matters...our future generations matter.
Thank you for reading a Mom's rant and taking action for people and our planet.


Zen Honeycutt
www.zenspurplegarden.com


http://www.holisticmed.com/ge/avoid.html

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/monsanto-gmo-corn-causes-cancer-mammals.php

http://www.ewg.org/

http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Gluten Free and NOT Nuts

Many years ago an acquaintance and I were eating lunch and she didn't touch the bread or order any carbs. "I am not eating wheat." she said. My brain could not conceive. She went on to describe what I imagined would be my worst nutritional nightmare. No wheat, bread, crackers, cookies, cake....why live?
She explained she couldn't process the gluten and it made her tired, crampy and dizzy. I could not imagine, I put it out of my mind and labeled her borderline nuts.

Just two years ago I was napping every afternoon, sleeping in late if I could and was still always tired, cranky and hot tempered with my family. As a 30 something year old woman I realized I couldn't blame it on the kids not sleeping through the night anymore, because they were. I had trouble with going to the bathroom (number 2) and congestion, leaving me feeling not sexy and I had had enough. I went to 4 doctors in a few months and all tried to prescribe me allergy medicine that would have killed a horse. So I went to an iridologist/herbologist, recommended by an enthusiastic friend, and she took a photo of my eyeball, analyzed it in a computer program, all the groves and colors... and pronounced I had a gluten intolerance. My heart sank.

1 out of 4 women ( especially Blood Type O's ) over the age of 30 develop this she said, and don't know it. It's the cause of fatigue, weight gain that is almost impossible to lose, fogginess ( read Mommy Brain!) and irritability. It can lead to depression and even schizophrenia...What??? who said that? Not Me! Yes you did!
She said "Your energy is like glue..you are grinding through the day." She was like a psychic for my health. Yes.
I was shocked. But at that point, ready to try anything to feel better.

She recommended a herbal cleanse, gave me structure on the diet, and I was off to the health food store. By this time however I was fortunate enough, even if it was unfortunate for them, to know a family with Celiac's disease. My closest Mommy friend's husband and children could not eat wheat or it would literally eventually kill them. Days of play dates and hours of curiously listening to my friends trials and tribulations with fast food restaurants, certain food brands and stores, had me know enough about avoiding wheat that I could take this on with some clarity. Without her help when I was struggling, my life would not have altered. Shout out to Jennifer!
6 weeks later I was a new person. No longer napping at all. Not even interested in a nap. I was 14 pounds lighter with a waist line that actually curved like a 19 year old! I bought a bikini! I was happier, more cheerful, sexier and clear.
The diet became a lifestyle change and I share some tips for any who find themselves at this crossroad.

BREAD
My basic advice is this...buy Ezekiels's ( sprouted grains do not have the gluten)or UDI's Bread from Mother's or online, several loafs at a time and freeze some, and always have ONLY gluten free bread on hand.
The UDI's is the best bread out there and very different from the heavy Trader Joe's rice bread. You can't even tell its gluten free.
This bread alone will make gluten free bearable.

CRACKERS
Edward and Sons BROWN RICE SNAPS are the best crackers, crispy and tasty.
Yellow and Green package in Mothers and Sprouts.

PASTA
I advise rice pasta only, not the green box of quinoa pasta at sprouts. That brand of quinoa pasta has alot of corn in it too which I avoid unless organic, as non organic corn in the USA is 80% from Mansanto seeds which is Genetically Modified with pesticides inserted into the seeds.

BAKED GOODS
The Mothers GF Blueberry Muffins are expensive but delicious for a treat.
The Arrowhead gluten free brownie mix is much softer than the Trader Joe's brand
PAMELA"s Amazing Gluten free Bread mix is great if you have a bread machine and also great for PIZZA Dough.
There are tons of cookies, snacks -ENJOY! has nut free, dairy free, soy and corn free etc...carried by Amazon.com and by Sprouts/Mother's/Whole foods.
I use garbazo bean flour or arrowroot flour to thicken stews and to bread chicken.
there are great gluten free pancake mixes.

SAUCES
Buy the Tamari gluten free or wheat free soy sauce or BRAGGS enzymes, which tastes just like soy sauce.
Buy BBQ sauce, Mustard and Ketchup that is gluten free. most of these are organic and high fructose corn syrup free which is healthier anyway.

OATMEAL
MUST be " Certified Gluten Free" not even organic is gluten free. Buy it in bulk on Amazon.com in packets or plain for cooking at Mother's- Bob's Red Mill.
Keep in mind Rye and Barley also have gluten so watch out for soups.
Make your own chicken noodle or chicken rice soup when anyone is sick, less preservatives anyway.

I alternate between Trader Joe's for hormone free meats and frozen fish (cheaper) and Mother's/Sprouts for the gluten free foods (more variety), which has a label saying GLUTEN FREE under all foods, which is great!
I buy bulk on Amazon and save money for some snack items too.


The main thing is to take it one day at a time, get the wheat stuff out of view or out of the house entirely
( when I did gluten free for the family my husband lost 10 lbs too) and Do NOT shop in the regular Ralph's and Albertson's because its seems like everything in there has gluten or preservatives or high fructose corn syrup...no wonder why mass market America is the most obese group of people on the planet???!!! It's too tempting if you shop there. The awesome thing was that this journey has had me be MORE present to what my family eats, more powerful in choosing wisely and more interested in food and my health. I plunged head first into the green movement by being Green all around, inside and out.

EMPOWER Yourself and make a list of the things you like you can eat like:

Nuts
Rice
Potatoes
organic corn
organic soy
Meat
Fish
Fruit
Veggies Galore!

Chinese dishes without meat that is breaded- just ask, they can make great garlic sauces or sweet and sour without breading the meat.
Mexican dishes with corn tortillas rather than flour
Japanese dishes except the tempura
American food meat, veges and rice/potato/organic corn or beans there are hundreds of varieties!

gluten free corn dogs
potato crusted fish sticks at sprouts (Praggers)

icecream ( check the ingredients) in a cup rather than a cone
gluten free cakes, cookies and muffin are cheaper when you make them

gluten free pizza- cheaper to make yourself

Oh and make sure you and the kids eat protein every two hours, meat, cheese sticks, nuts, yogurt or beans because they are not getting heavily processed breads that sits in their stomach for 4 hours. Its healthier and more the way we are wired anyhow.

Most people want to know, is it Ok to have it once in a while? It depends on what you are committed to and what is going on with your body. If you have Celiac's NO amount is ok. If you have a wheat allergy, NO amount is ok. If you have a wheat intolerance, once in a while isn't going to traumatically affect you health, however it will reverse everything you have so diligently been doing for those weeks or months. Gluten and wheat stay in your system for 6 months. If you are committed to cleansing your body of the gluten and one day being able to have it now and then, then I recommend doing a no-kidding, no- gluten-in-the-house-or my- mouth-ever plan for 6 months and then make the choice about how rigorous you are going to be about it afterwards. Take steps. See how great you feel, look and interact with people. Your nutrition affects your body, health, sex life, life span, sleep, performance in school or job or as a parent as well, as well as all your relationships.
Stay present to, What's more important all that or that food, for the moment, with wheat in it?
The side benefit besides loosing weight and being happier, is that you become very very conscious of what you eat and your body. Being conscious, being PRESENT is always a fabulous thing, and also affects your whole life.

Here are some other sites that give their take on gluten free too:

http://nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/five_sanity_savers_for_gluten_free_living

http://www.jensglutenfreeblog.com/gluten-free-health/five-steps-to-living-gluten-free/