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Adopt a PRO-ACTIVE Lifestyle by Susan Anderson
Adopt a PRO-ACTIVE Lifestyle
The constant bombardment of toxic overload makes life stressful. It takes just
minutes of observation to notice that a significant number of the world’s population
is living a less than optimal lifestyle. Personal health and the health of the environment
have been on the decline. We are on a collision course that will reap terrible
consequences unless we begin to wake up and make some changes in the way we
approach life.
On the road of progress, we have made many advances in the fields of medicine and
technology, But, upon closer examination, we need to ask, what has been the trade-off?
Let’s take a look at some of the recent statistics, to see how well we are doing here in
the US.
Back in 1961, a woman’s lifetime risk of getting breast cancer was 1 in 20, today it
is 1 in 8. The prevalence of pediatric asthma has increased dramatically since 1980,
and now is considered to be a national epidemic. Recent studies place the incidence of
learning and developmental disabilities as affecting one in six children under the age of
18. According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of people with diabetes has
more than doubled in the last 20 years, with more type 2 diabetes being diagnosed in
teenagers. There are over 4.5 million cases of Alzheimer’s. One in seven of us are
affected by arthritis. A dramatic rise in both adult and childhood obesity, is now reaching
staggering proportions. In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence
has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted
than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Global warming is a
reality. The list goes on and on. So the next question should be: “If we are making such
great progress, why isn’t this reflected in our quality of life?”
Living in a sea of toxic soup is the cost we pay these days for the convenience of
modern life. Some of the deadly ingredients contributing to this include: toxic emotions
leading to bitter conflicts, heavy bombardment of chemicals in our environment,
depletion of necessary nutrients in our soils and food supplies, disturbances in the
electromagnetic field creating Geopathic Stress, and the degradation of the earth’s
resources. Ask yourself--“Is the high price worth the benefits we are reaping?”
We always have choices. We can continue down a road that leads to self-destruction,
or we can begin to recognize we have other options available which will enable us to
live a healthier life in better alignment with environmental practices beneficial
to the earth. This can be achieved by making the conscious decision to adopt a PRO-
ACTIVE lifestyle. While this will not eliminate all of the challenges that lie ahead, it
is a starting point, facilitating a movement toward a better world.
So what exactly does it take to adopt a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle? Below is summarized
some of the new ingredients we can include to help lead us into non-toxic living.
Prevention:
Someone once said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Making
the decision to live a life that is actively focused on what we can do to remain
healthy on all levels is much easier than trying to remediate the situation once things
begin to break down. There are many simple things we can do in the way of prevention.
Safe Solutions for Non-Toxic Living class provides information as well as ideas on ways to
begin.
Responsibility
We need to be more diligent in accepting personal responsibility for ourselves and
less willing to hand over our personal power. We may have little or no control over the
circumstances thrown our way, but we always have control on how we choose to
respond to them. Improvements in personal health and in the environment, begin on
the inside, then move outward in ripples, affecting all we come in contact with.
Organics
Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”, but not all
foods are created equal. If Hippocrates were making this statement for today’s
society, I’m sure he would interject the word organic in front of the word food.
Choosing to incorporate organics into our lifestyle not only benefits our health
but also benefits the environment.
The term organic, refers in part to the practices and philosophy of the farmer to produce
good, nutrient rich food from healthy soils, with an emphasis on protecting the
environment, while adhering to strict standards. As organics becomes the fastest growing
niche in the food market industry, corporate America, has jumped in to claim their share of
the pie.
Organic Background Information:
Source: www.consumerreports.org
In 1990, the Organic Foods Production Act was passed by Congress as the base for an
independent, public program. After years of debate, and a record 275,000 comments
from the public, the National Organic Program was launched in 2002.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the act, guided by the National Organic
Standards Board, a nongovernmental group that includes consumer advocates, farmers,
and food processors. The board also has authority for approving all allowable nonorganic
ingredients. Five percent of the ingredients in food labeled organic and 30 percent in
“made with organic ingredients” may be nonorganic.
Since 2002, there have been repeated assaults on the board's authority and on the
standards themselves from companies that want to reap the benefits of the organic label
without the burden of higher production costs. CU has been critical of both the
Department of Agriculture and Congress for bowing to industry pressures and has worked
to thwart many of those assaults.
Recently an amendment was slipped into the agriculture appropriations bill at the last
minute and without opportunity for public input. The original law had barred the use of
synthetic ingredients in the nonorganic portion allowed in food with the organic label. A
2005 court ruling upheld that standard, but the amendment to the appropriations bill
overrode the court. That move to sidestep the court's decision was engineered by the
Organic Trade Association and supported by some of its members, including General
Mills, Horizon, Kraft, and Smucker's. Read entire article
So the Bottom line is: Improve your nutritional program which is the very foundation of
good health and investigate where you are purchasing your foods by following the money
trail. My recommendation: Buy/Support your local organic farmers!
Activism:
Our philosophy at Seeds for Change is to encourage people to become an activist in
spreading the word about adopting a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle that will benefit their
personal health and the health of the environment. Let your voice be heard through
the political arena, by contacting your senators and congressmen. Stay on top of the
issues, and support action campaigns your feel are important. Many can be found
online (example: http://organicconsumers.org/action.htm. ) Join a local action group
working for a related cause. If there is not a local action group, consider starting one
yourself. Many small actions can yield big results.
Challenge your Paradigms
Many of us willingly stay snuggled in the security of our core beliefs or paradigms.
They provide a safety zone from which we can maintain comfort. But often these
core beliefs are ones that we just willingly accept, without much attention given to
why they even exist. They are gifted to us by our upbringing, our culture, our
associations, and advertisers, to name a few.
Each of us will have times in our lives when because of circumstances, our beliefs will
be challenged. This is not a bad thing. Being able to think outside of the box, is what
spurs change. Change is an opportunity, which can provide new insights leading to
expanded growth. So why not Take the Challenge!
Start by identifying what your personal beliefs really are in regard to health, wellness,
and the environment. Then move into expansion and discovery. For those interested
in getting a great, out of the box, education in organics, I highly recommend
Jeff Frank’s 2 Day Organic Course held at The Nature Lyceum in Westhampton,
New York. It is an experience creating life altering changes for many. The class is
taught by a number of professional who teach from the heart and speak to the most
important environmental issues of our times. Classes are offered monthly.
Testify & Teach
This can be considered a subdivision of Activism. Spread the word! This information is
too important to not do anything about. Share what you know with others…maybe it is
tidbits of information that will get someone else moving on their own journey, maybe it is
recommending a book, a website, an organization, a class, a product, a process you
believe in or something you have done that has yielded positive results. Word of
mouth is the most effective technique available to help educate and promote positive
actions benefiting the environment and improving health.
Investigate
“The first duty of a man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth.”- Cicero
Finding your own truth is important to becoming a self- actualized individual. This
requires work on both the inner and outer levels. It also requires a commitment to
keeping your own power instead of mindlessly handing it over to someone else.
Here’s an example of a where a little detective work led me….
Product: Silk Soy Milk
Company: Dean Foods Co.'s White Wave division, oversees Horizon Organic milk,
the nation's largest organic dairy
Labeled: Organic with the USDA Organic Seal.
On the label: Silk Soymilk is third-party certified organic by QAI.
Well what does that mean? A call of inquiry to the company yields an “I don’t know”
response. Asked to have a call back with the information. Return call: the soybeans are
sourced from China and Brazil. Hmm, awfully far for a product to travel to be considered
adhering to good environmental practices. Talking about environmental practices, what
are the standards for growing soybeans in China and Brazil, anyway? Here is an excerpt
from an article at organicconsumers.org:
“…So organic consumers continue to buy their products, while
remaining in the dark about who produced them and where they
were produced. For example, people who buy the top-selling soy
milk Silk, don¹t know that Silk is actually owned by Dean Foods,
the $10 billion dairy conglomerate notorious for bottom line business
practices such as injecting their cows with bovine growth hormone
and paying the lowest prices possible to dairy farmers. They also
don¹t know that many of the soy beans in Silk are likely coming in
from China and Brazil rather than the U.S. or North America.
What about the organic standards in China? Are they the same as
here? There has been a lot of criticism that Chinese organic products
are not really organic. But certainly the most incontestable fact about
Chinese organics is that the workers are paid nearly nothing for their
work. It is slave labor.”
Next question…what do I know about Dean Foods? (Dean Foods Company Profile) A
little digging shows the main shareholders are Microsoft, GE, Philip Morris, Citigroup,
Pfizer, ExxonMobil, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, PepsiCo, Home Depot. Interesting!
Further exploration showed The Cornucopia Institute, one of the nation’s most aggressive
organic watchdog groups, filed a formal legal complaint (8/10/06) against Horizon,
alleging a well-financed campaign to greenwash milk produced at factory farms that fail to
meet USDA regulatory standards. The complaint and call for a thorough investigation was
filed with the USDA’s Office of Compliance. The Organic Consumers Association as a
result of the failing grade given by the Cornucopia Institute called for a boycott of Horizon
(Silk Soy Milk) and Aurora Organic for continuing to sell milk and dairy products labeled
as USDA Organic, even though most or all of their milk is coming from factory farm
feedlots where the animals have been brought in from conventional farms and are kept in
intensive confinement, with little or no access to pasture.
Whew! Who know that one little phone call about the label would yield such an informative
journey! Now I am not suggesting that we do this with everything, common sense still
needs to come into play, BUT if there is a product that you must use daily, that
you are expecting to play a major role in your personal health and/or that you support
because of your commitment to good environmental practices, then you might want to
look into the situation a bit deeper.
Also, just because someone has said it is so, it is not always the case. Fabrication,
deceptive studies, and white washing are not beneath the ethical and business practices
of some. My teenage daughter and I were in a discussion the other day about something.
Her outraged response to me was, “Mom, the government wouldn’t lie.” I told her- “Do
your homework before you invest in that kind of belief.”
Vote with your $$$’s
Money talks. Business listens when money talks, especially when it involves how much
their bottom line is affected. Use your cash to support what you believe in. Some of the
simple solutions: Buy from the small local businessman struggling to make a difference,
make donations to the organization whose work you support, think about the business,
ethical, and environmental practices supported by the merchants/retailers you
frequent, and try to remain congruent. It is not always easy, convenient, or financially
discounted, but in the end we either pay now or pay later!
Educate Yourself
Education isn’t something you receive, but rather-- it is something you achieve. This
comes from some of the items mentioned above, particularly when we challenge our
typical way of thinking and begin the process of investigation. Sources where we
receive our information should be varied and not dependent on only what the mainstream
news outlets want to feed us. The alternative news media provides the other side of the
coin, as well as topics of information that are excluded from mainstream coverage. Our
job then is to sift through and find our own truth. There are some great websites
dedicated to just this type of thing. Other sources that provide a good basis for more
education seekers: World Watch Magazine, ACRES newspaper, Mother Jones Magazine,
Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Environmental Working Group.
In addition attend classes and workshops focusing on the varied topics relating to
improving personal health and environmental practices. Talk with people who are
knowledgeable and experienced in these areas but may be taking a new twist on things.
Seek out the visionaries to discuss and exchange views.
So why not start today? Topple over that box, crawl out and look at the world with your
brand new set of eyes! Before you know it, you will not just be adopting but instead living
a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle.
For more information, check out the workshop Safe Solutions to Non-Toxic Living,
offered through Seeds for Change Wellness Center.
I
The constant bombardment of toxic overload makes life stressful. It takes just
minutes of observation to notice that a significant number of the world’s population
is living a less than optimal lifestyle. Personal health and the health of the environment
have been on the decline. We are on a collision course that will reap terrible
consequences unless we begin to wake up and make some changes in the way we
approach life.
On the road of progress, we have made many advances in the fields of medicine and
technology, But, upon closer examination, we need to ask, what has been the trade-off?
Let’s take a look at some of the recent statistics, to see how well we are doing here in
the US.
Back in 1961, a woman’s lifetime risk of getting breast cancer was 1 in 20, today it
is 1 in 8. The prevalence of pediatric asthma has increased dramatically since 1980,
and now is considered to be a national epidemic. Recent studies place the incidence of
learning and developmental disabilities as affecting one in six children under the age of
18. According to the Centers for Disease Control the number of people with diabetes has
more than doubled in the last 20 years, with more type 2 diabetes being diagnosed in
teenagers. There are over 4.5 million cases of Alzheimer’s. One in seven of us are
affected by arthritis. A dramatic rise in both adult and childhood obesity, is now reaching
staggering proportions. In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence
has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted
than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Global warming is a
reality. The list goes on and on. So the next question should be: “If we are making such
great progress, why isn’t this reflected in our quality of life?”
Living in a sea of toxic soup is the cost we pay these days for the convenience of
modern life. Some of the deadly ingredients contributing to this include: toxic emotions
leading to bitter conflicts, heavy bombardment of chemicals in our environment,
depletion of necessary nutrients in our soils and food supplies, disturbances in the
electromagnetic field creating Geopathic Stress, and the degradation of the earth’s
resources. Ask yourself--“Is the high price worth the benefits we are reaping?”
We always have choices. We can continue down a road that leads to self-destruction,
or we can begin to recognize we have other options available which will enable us to
live a healthier life in better alignment with environmental practices beneficial
to the earth. This can be achieved by making the conscious decision to adopt a PRO-
ACTIVE lifestyle. While this will not eliminate all of the challenges that lie ahead, it
is a starting point, facilitating a movement toward a better world.
So what exactly does it take to adopt a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle? Below is summarized
some of the new ingredients we can include to help lead us into non-toxic living.
Prevention:
Someone once said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Making
the decision to live a life that is actively focused on what we can do to remain
healthy on all levels is much easier than trying to remediate the situation once things
begin to break down. There are many simple things we can do in the way of prevention.
Safe Solutions for Non-Toxic Living class provides information as well as ideas on ways to
begin.
Responsibility
We need to be more diligent in accepting personal responsibility for ourselves and
less willing to hand over our personal power. We may have little or no control over the
circumstances thrown our way, but we always have control on how we choose to
respond to them. Improvements in personal health and in the environment, begin on
the inside, then move outward in ripples, affecting all we come in contact with.
Organics
Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”, but not all
foods are created equal. If Hippocrates were making this statement for today’s
society, I’m sure he would interject the word organic in front of the word food.
Choosing to incorporate organics into our lifestyle not only benefits our health
but also benefits the environment.
The term organic, refers in part to the practices and philosophy of the farmer to produce
good, nutrient rich food from healthy soils, with an emphasis on protecting the
environment, while adhering to strict standards. As organics becomes the fastest growing
niche in the food market industry, corporate America, has jumped in to claim their share of
the pie.
Organic Background Information:
Source: www.consumerreports.org
In 1990, the Organic Foods Production Act was passed by Congress as the base for an
independent, public program. After years of debate, and a record 275,000 comments
from the public, the National Organic Program was launched in 2002.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees the act, guided by the National Organic
Standards Board, a nongovernmental group that includes consumer advocates, farmers,
and food processors. The board also has authority for approving all allowable nonorganic
ingredients. Five percent of the ingredients in food labeled organic and 30 percent in
“made with organic ingredients” may be nonorganic.
Since 2002, there have been repeated assaults on the board's authority and on the
standards themselves from companies that want to reap the benefits of the organic label
without the burden of higher production costs. CU has been critical of both the
Department of Agriculture and Congress for bowing to industry pressures and has worked
to thwart many of those assaults.
Recently an amendment was slipped into the agriculture appropriations bill at the last
minute and without opportunity for public input. The original law had barred the use of
synthetic ingredients in the nonorganic portion allowed in food with the organic label. A
2005 court ruling upheld that standard, but the amendment to the appropriations bill
overrode the court. That move to sidestep the court's decision was engineered by the
Organic Trade Association and supported by some of its members, including General
Mills, Horizon, Kraft, and Smucker's. Read entire article
So the Bottom line is: Improve your nutritional program which is the very foundation of
good health and investigate where you are purchasing your foods by following the money
trail. My recommendation: Buy/Support your local organic farmers!
Activism:
Our philosophy at Seeds for Change is to encourage people to become an activist in
spreading the word about adopting a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle that will benefit their
personal health and the health of the environment. Let your voice be heard through
the political arena, by contacting your senators and congressmen. Stay on top of the
issues, and support action campaigns your feel are important. Many can be found
online (example: http://organicconsumers.org/action.htm. ) Join a local action group
working for a related cause. If there is not a local action group, consider starting one
yourself. Many small actions can yield big results.
Challenge your Paradigms
Many of us willingly stay snuggled in the security of our core beliefs or paradigms.
They provide a safety zone from which we can maintain comfort. But often these
core beliefs are ones that we just willingly accept, without much attention given to
why they even exist. They are gifted to us by our upbringing, our culture, our
associations, and advertisers, to name a few.
Each of us will have times in our lives when because of circumstances, our beliefs will
be challenged. This is not a bad thing. Being able to think outside of the box, is what
spurs change. Change is an opportunity, which can provide new insights leading to
expanded growth. So why not Take the Challenge!
Start by identifying what your personal beliefs really are in regard to health, wellness,
and the environment. Then move into expansion and discovery. For those interested
in getting a great, out of the box, education in organics, I highly recommend
Jeff Frank’s 2 Day Organic Course held at The Nature Lyceum in Westhampton,
New York. It is an experience creating life altering changes for many. The class is
taught by a number of professional who teach from the heart and speak to the most
important environmental issues of our times. Classes are offered monthly.
Testify & Teach
This can be considered a subdivision of Activism. Spread the word! This information is
too important to not do anything about. Share what you know with others…maybe it is
tidbits of information that will get someone else moving on their own journey, maybe it is
recommending a book, a website, an organization, a class, a product, a process you
believe in or something you have done that has yielded positive results. Word of
mouth is the most effective technique available to help educate and promote positive
actions benefiting the environment and improving health.
Investigate
“The first duty of a man is the seeking after and the investigation of truth.”- Cicero
Finding your own truth is important to becoming a self- actualized individual. This
requires work on both the inner and outer levels. It also requires a commitment to
keeping your own power instead of mindlessly handing it over to someone else.
Here’s an example of a where a little detective work led me….
Product: Silk Soy Milk
Company: Dean Foods Co.'s White Wave division, oversees Horizon Organic milk,
the nation's largest organic dairy
Labeled: Organic with the USDA Organic Seal.
On the label: Silk Soymilk is third-party certified organic by QAI.
Well what does that mean? A call of inquiry to the company yields an “I don’t know”
response. Asked to have a call back with the information. Return call: the soybeans are
sourced from China and Brazil. Hmm, awfully far for a product to travel to be considered
adhering to good environmental practices. Talking about environmental practices, what
are the standards for growing soybeans in China and Brazil, anyway? Here is an excerpt
from an article at organicconsumers.org:
“…So organic consumers continue to buy their products, while
remaining in the dark about who produced them and where they
were produced. For example, people who buy the top-selling soy
milk Silk, don¹t know that Silk is actually owned by Dean Foods,
the $10 billion dairy conglomerate notorious for bottom line business
practices such as injecting their cows with bovine growth hormone
and paying the lowest prices possible to dairy farmers. They also
don¹t know that many of the soy beans in Silk are likely coming in
from China and Brazil rather than the U.S. or North America.
What about the organic standards in China? Are they the same as
here? There has been a lot of criticism that Chinese organic products
are not really organic. But certainly the most incontestable fact about
Chinese organics is that the workers are paid nearly nothing for their
work. It is slave labor.”
Next question…what do I know about Dean Foods? (Dean Foods Company Profile) A
little digging shows the main shareholders are Microsoft, GE, Philip Morris, Citigroup,
Pfizer, ExxonMobil, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, PepsiCo, Home Depot. Interesting!
Further exploration showed The Cornucopia Institute, one of the nation’s most aggressive
organic watchdog groups, filed a formal legal complaint (8/10/06) against Horizon,
alleging a well-financed campaign to greenwash milk produced at factory farms that fail to
meet USDA regulatory standards. The complaint and call for a thorough investigation was
filed with the USDA’s Office of Compliance. The Organic Consumers Association as a
result of the failing grade given by the Cornucopia Institute called for a boycott of Horizon
(Silk Soy Milk) and Aurora Organic for continuing to sell milk and dairy products labeled
as USDA Organic, even though most or all of their milk is coming from factory farm
feedlots where the animals have been brought in from conventional farms and are kept in
intensive confinement, with little or no access to pasture.
Whew! Who know that one little phone call about the label would yield such an informative
journey! Now I am not suggesting that we do this with everything, common sense still
needs to come into play, BUT if there is a product that you must use daily, that
you are expecting to play a major role in your personal health and/or that you support
because of your commitment to good environmental practices, then you might want to
look into the situation a bit deeper.
Also, just because someone has said it is so, it is not always the case. Fabrication,
deceptive studies, and white washing are not beneath the ethical and business practices
of some. My teenage daughter and I were in a discussion the other day about something.
Her outraged response to me was, “Mom, the government wouldn’t lie.” I told her- “Do
your homework before you invest in that kind of belief.”
Vote with your $$$’s
Money talks. Business listens when money talks, especially when it involves how much
their bottom line is affected. Use your cash to support what you believe in. Some of the
simple solutions: Buy from the small local businessman struggling to make a difference,
make donations to the organization whose work you support, think about the business,
ethical, and environmental practices supported by the merchants/retailers you
frequent, and try to remain congruent. It is not always easy, convenient, or financially
discounted, but in the end we either pay now or pay later!
Educate Yourself
Education isn’t something you receive, but rather-- it is something you achieve. This
comes from some of the items mentioned above, particularly when we challenge our
typical way of thinking and begin the process of investigation. Sources where we
receive our information should be varied and not dependent on only what the mainstream
news outlets want to feed us. The alternative news media provides the other side of the
coin, as well as topics of information that are excluded from mainstream coverage. Our
job then is to sift through and find our own truth. There are some great websites
dedicated to just this type of thing. Other sources that provide a good basis for more
education seekers: World Watch Magazine, ACRES newspaper, Mother Jones Magazine,
Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Environmental Working Group.
In addition attend classes and workshops focusing on the varied topics relating to
improving personal health and environmental practices. Talk with people who are
knowledgeable and experienced in these areas but may be taking a new twist on things.
Seek out the visionaries to discuss and exchange views.
So why not start today? Topple over that box, crawl out and look at the world with your
brand new set of eyes! Before you know it, you will not just be adopting but instead living
a PRO-ACTIVE lifestyle.
For more information, check out the workshop Safe Solutions to Non-Toxic Living,
offered through Seeds for Change Wellness Center.
I