additives list - handy

Happy new year! A brand new year and we start from zero, so can only go up and up :-)

I hope this finds you well and look forward to trying to update my blog a bit more.

Found this interesting and easy list of additives and preservatives. Most scary about MSG

and how it can also be known as "yeast extract"! What the heck.. how are we supposed

to know the difference between yeast extract and MSG now... Things are getting even more

and more vague...

If you're reading this, you are probably an astute label reader already. Even so some of the numbers and names on ingredient lists are near impossible to decipher. Thanks to the Safe Food Campaign of New Zealand, here is an excellent easy to follow list of food additives to avoid.

The following additives may cause health problems such as allergies, asthma, hyperactivity, birth defects and cancer.

Keep in mind:

• Ill effects are linked to many of these additives in human trials and animal tests.
• Additives are not required to be tested in real-life cocktails in which we eat them.
• Doses allowed do not take into account a child’s greater intake for their body weight.
• Research on addictive aspartame and MSG associates them with potential brain damage and effects ranging from mild and transitory to debilitating or life-threatening.

Colours

102 tartrazine 104 quinoline yellow 110 sunset yellow 122 azorubine, carmoisine 123 amaranth 124 ponceau, brilliant scarlet 127 erythrosine 129 allura red 132 indigotine, indigo carmine 133 brilliant blue 142 green S, food green, acid brilliant green 151 brilliant black 155 brown, chocolate brown 160b annatto, bixin, norbixin 173 aluminium

Antioxidants

310-312 all gallates 319 TBHQ 320 butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) 321 butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Flavours

Approx 3000 permitted, untested and unregulated. Artificial and natural are both suspect. Some may contain MSG (621) or free glutamate. ‘…flavouring’ implies artificial, ‘flavoured with …’ implies natural.

Flavour enhancers

620-625 glutamic acid and all glutamates, incl. 621 monosodium glutamate (MSG) which may be disguised as hydrolysed protein, yeast extract, sodium or calcium caseinate. See www.truthinlabeling.com 627 disodium guanylate 631 disodium inosinate 635 ribonucleotides

Preservatives

200-203 sorbic acid, potassium & calcium sorbates 210-213 benzoic acid, sodium, potassium & calcium benzoates 220-228 sulphur dioxide, all sulphites, bisulphites, metabisulphites 249-252 all nitrates & nitrites 280-283 propionic acid, sodium, potassium & calcium propionates

Artificial sweeteners

950 acesulphame potassium 951 aspartame 952 sodium or calcium cyclamate 954 saccharin 955 sucralose 961 neotame Safe Food Campaign Inc PO Box 9206 Wellington 6141 Ph (04) 476 8607 www.safefood.org.nz

sore kidney and happiness

Quite a funny cartoon today.. I like Mike Adams work..

Yes, last night and this morning my kidney is quite sore (right hand side one), and not really sure why.. Too many teas? (I did drink quite a bit of chinese teas yesterday). Really not sure and hope that the pain goes away.

Last night was rather quiet and contemplated on life and how I am happy in the present. Didn't really get up to a lot of stuff, but did some sorting through a drawer that has been building up with stuff that needs to be sorted through. Always good to get rid of things and was quite pleased to take more unnecessary stuff down to the rubbish room.

So what did I contemplate on?... Where am I at the moment and am I happy in Tokyo, Japan? If I am not happy here, then would I be happier elsewhere in the world? Where in the world? Running away from being unhappy, doesn't necessarily mean that you will be happier on the other side of the fence. So have been sorting through my head to see if I am content being here. There are a couple of issues I have to get through, and I think once I am through them, I think I can clearly make a few choices. Definitely changing my life from the choices made. Just have to see which choice I choose. Is happiness really a state of mind or is it a state of being? I guess it is a mixture of both. A balance of what you have in your life and what comes into your life. How you handle it is important. Is happiness just the state of being and handling things calmly and peacefully. If it is so, then why are some of the happiest-seeming people sometimes not so happy. Therefore, the state of happiness must be in the mind and not just looking at what is presented to you as the being. I think if the mind reflects happiness, then this will reflect in the body naturally. I don't think it works the other way around, as people are never happy with the bodies and always want to change some part of themselves to make themselves feel happy. But if it comes from the inside, then it will naturally make you feel happy on the outside too. (Happy on the inside out.) However, there is nothing wrong in smiling, eventhough you may not feel that happy. Sometimes just smiling can make you feel happier and better. So just go ahead and smile. And hey, you might get a smile back from someone and it will make you feel better instantly!

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.

Helen Keller

collodial silver (maybe banned...!!)

I found this most disturbing. Collodial silver really is the best thing out! Obviously, the pharmaceutical companies don't think so, especially when it means they are losing profits by this harmless substance..

EPA uses nanotech regulation ploy to target colloidal silver while ignoring all other nanotech particlesMonday, December 04, 2006 by: Ben Kage

http://www.newstarget.com/021231.html

Nanomaterials -- products and materials changed or created at the atomic and molecular level -- are quickly gaining popularity for their multitude of uses, and while the Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to regulate popular nanosilver antibacterial products, ostensibly to protect consumers, critics say the move is a thinly veiled attempt to solely regulate nanosilver as a health supplement.
Nanosilver is used to kill harmful bacteria in food storage containers, shoe liners, washing machines and even bandages. Particles of nanosilver and other nanomaterials can be as small as one-millionth the size of a pinhead. However, the EPA, citing pressure from silver industry workers and environmental groups such as Natural Resources Defense Council, is investigating whether silver ions could pose an environmental threat by killing beneficial bacteria in the environment, or even harming humans. The agency also received a letter from Chuck Weir, chairman of a California wastewater treatment plant advisory group known as Tri-TAC, which claimed "silver is highly toxic to aquatic life at low concentrations and also bioaccumulates in some aquatic organisms, such as clams."
Silver was brought under close EPA scrutiny when washing machine manufacturers began making models that were lined with silver ions or sprayed them onto the clothes as an antibacterial agent. Last year, the EPA decided that the machines should not be regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, since they were considered devices rather than pesticides. Recently, however, the agency re-examined its decision and reversed it.
"We took a second look at the release of silver ions, and it was very clear that this is a pesticide and not a device," Jim Jones, director of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, told the Washington Post. "Our original determination proved not to be a correct one."
Under the regulations, any silver product that claims it has antibacterial properties must prove the product is safe to be released into the environment. Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate and proponent of colloidal silver, suggested the regulations might work better were they aimed at antibiotics and pharmaceuticals.
"Isn't it interesting that the EPA chooses to completely ignore the environmental safety of all the millions of tons of pharmaceuticals flushed down toilets every year while selectively targeting silver products?" he said. "Why isn't the EPA concerned about the environmental toxicity of pharmaceuticals?"
A major point of contention for silver proponents is the fact that only products making antibacterial claims are subject to regulation. Jones' commented that, "Unless you're making a claim to kill a pest, you're not a pesticide." This decision has caused a severe backlash since it was announced Nov. 22, but not from washing machine manufacturers. Advocates of the use of silver in health have expressed outrage that the EPA has become involved and made this a safety issue, as their decision directly affects sellers whose silver products claim any antibacterial benefits.
"People have used silver flatware, and in the past silver coins, for thousands of years, releasing silver into the environment with no question of harm," said New Jersey lawyer Ralph Fucetola, who runs the Committee for the Responsible Use of Silver in Health (CRUSH) and the www.SilverFacts.com website. "The EPA will require proof of the safety of silver in the environment only if the companies make germ-killing claims," said Fucetola. "They are only concerned about safety if the public is being given information about benefits."
Fucetola, who is known as the Vitamin Lawyer for his work in the realm of dietary supplements, said CRUSH was developed to prevent irresponsible use of silver in health -- with special focus on ingested silver -- from both sides of the equation; both entities that would off-handedly disparage silver's benefits and those who would exaggerate them for profit.
"This is not a regulation designed to protect the environment from nanotechnology, it's a stealth ploy that selectively attempts to remove colloidal silver from the marketplace," Adams said. "Silver was gaining momentum in the marketplace as a safe, effective and natural antibacterial element. It cannot be patented and directly competes with antibiotics, antibacterial cleaners and other products from powerful corporations. That's why Big Business had to knock colloidal silver off track and regulate it out of the marketplace."
Fucetola noted there is a conflict between the EPA's decision and its own safety data on silver.
"EPA public records show that for ingested silver there is a safe level of use, known as the Reference Dose (RfD), determined by science as the safe daily amount for consumers," he said. "The guidelines make it clear that the only concern for the RfD is for the potential for the skin discoloration known as argyria. You would have to consume so much silver that it would discolor your skin before there would be any safety concerns."
Agyria, the most common health concern associated with silver, is a permanent yet medically benign conditioned marked by discoloration of the skin, usually brought on prolonged exposure to large amounts of the substance.
The EPA considers silver a water contaminant, but its Office of Drinking Water decided in the early 1990s that the effects of silver exposure in drinking water were cosmetic, and therefore downgraded the substance from a primary contaminant level to a secondary contaminant level. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease control reports that spills of silver less than 1,000 pounds are not required to be reported to the EPA.
"If the EPA were to take the position that all nanosilver products had to qualify as 'safe and effective,' it would be acting contrary to its own long history of determining scientifically valid RfDs," Fucetola said. "Silver is spread throughout the environment already. Taking silver from the environment, using it and having some of it return to the environment is no different than the use of any other metal from the environment, whether iron, copper, or whatever."
Another factor that is drawing anger from silver proponents is the seeming focus of regulations on nanosilver to the exclusion of other nanomaterials. Indeed, the majority of nanomaterials will not be subject to EPA scrutiny, as they do not make any antibacterial claims.
"Consider this," said Adams. "Out of all the countless nanotechnology particles used in sun lotion, clothing and cookware, the EPA has decided to regulate only one -- colloidal silver, which is a naturally-occurring mineral. In doing so, the EPA ignores all the synthetic nanoparticles introduced into the environment through consumer products made by Big Business."
"'Nanosilver’ is the sexy new term for ionic silver," said Jay Newman, CRUSH member and president of supplement maker Invision International, in a press release. "Yet the imperative for an efficient delivery mechanism for human use is still the bottom line."
Newman said in a NewsTarget interview that free silver ions are needed to have an antimicrobial effect, but the ions will automatically bond with chlorine if they find their way into common drinking water, thereby rendering the ions inert.
"Our patented Silver100 is a perfect case in point, where it took many years of development and achieved patent protection because it has a specific molecular structure to control the release of silver ions in microbial forms," he said. "Once that occurs, the silver ions do not hang around. That's just the way the chemistry works.
"All appearances are that the EPA has been succumbing to corporate pressure of vested interests that do not want to see the word get out that silver has these benefits," Newman said. "I remain optimistic that the EPA will have the ethics and responsibility to let science prevail and that this will go away as quickly as it emerged."
###

breast cancer info..

Thought you might be interested in reading about this..

High-dose chemotherapy offers no benefit against breast cancer.

The results are in: high-dose chemotherapy has been proven no better than low-dose chemotherapy in treating breast cancer tumors. Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, this study shows that poisoning the patient's immune system with extremely toxic chemicals is not an effective way to save their lives. Go figure...
Of course, this revelation doesn't mean high-dose chemotherapy won't continue to be pushed onto cancer patients by their oncologists. High-dose chemotherapy sells more drugs, making it far more profitable to the pharmaceutical companies than low-dose treatments. And pharmaceutical companies don't seem to mind turning the human body into a chemical dumping ground as long as they can pocket a few extra dollars in the process.
As I've often stated here, it's time to really question chemotherapy. The treatment has absolutely no scientific merit, saves no lives, and in fact destroys the patient's ability to cure their own cancer (which is what healthy bodies do all the time). It's pushed by the cancer industry because it generates profits, not because it helps patients. Read Questioning Chemotherapy by Ralph W. Moss to learn more.
In the mean time, if you or someone you know has breast cancer, take comfort in the fact that this disease is rather easily beaten through natural treatments. Graviola destroys cancer tumors far more powerfully than chemotherapy, with zero side effects. Licorice root tincture has also been proven to attack breast cancer tumors. Combine this with 10g of spirulina each day -- a superfood that contains a powerful cancer-busting pigment phytochemical -- and your odds of beating breast cancer are multiplied yet again. Add in chlorella, whole food vitamins, immune-boosting Reishi mushrooms, coral calcium, broccoli sprouts, cabbage juice, daily exercise, garlic, onions, ginger and 100% avoidance of all processed foods, and you have an unbeatable holistic approach to actually curing cancer. Of course, most people refuse to do all those things: they want to be cured of cancer and eat their ice cream, too. Sorry, but you can't have both. Cancer patients have to make a choice between healthy lifestyle choices and whatever lifestyle they used to follow that gave them cancer in the first place. It's a choice, folks, not chance. And if you choose chemotherapy, your ability to be healthy and cancer-free for the rest of your life is greatly diminished.
Breast cancer isn't very difficult to overcome, by the way, and it's actually simple to prevent in the first place. If we could educate the public and help people make better choices about health, nutrition and physical exercise, chemotherapy wouldn't be needed at all.

dairy industry - propaganda

Another excerpt on health.. Hope that it makes you more aware at what they are trying to brainwash into you.. (besides, the cow's milk is made for their calves, not for humans. Humans are the only mammals that drink after infancy. The rest of the mammals stop just after infancy..

Perhaps that is why we suffer from all those diseases and bone density diseases...

NewsTarget) http://www.newstarget.com/021054.html

The dairy industry recently formed a Global Dairy Forum to help coordinate dairy research and promote the image of milk products in light of a growing anti-dairy movement that has targeted the industry for its products' negative health effects.
At the recent International Dairy Federation summit, the Global Dairy Forum was charged with boosting the image of milk since sales have slowed following anti-dairy campaigns that linked the drink to diseases and disorders.
The Forum includes dairy firms such as Arla Foods, Campina, Fonterra and Dairy Farmers of America, and is headed by Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain. Tesco has agreed to get behind a campaign to help educate British consumers about the healthy benefits of drinking milk.
The Global Dairy Forum will launch campaigns to increase the presence of milk and dairy products in schools, as well as encourage women drink more milk to boost their consumption of calcium.
According to Tesco senior dairy buyer Alain Guilpain, more than 90 percent of consumers are unaware of the fat content of milk, and half of those surveyed in a recent study by the Milk Development Council overestimated the fat content by more than six times.
"By getting the right information out there, we can dispel these misconceptions and alert a new generation of drinkers to milk's unique health properties," Guilpain said.
However, milk opponents claim the dairy industry's new forum will push misleading milk information on the public, possibly exacerbating health problems for many consumers.
According to consumer advocate Mike Adams, milk consumption is linked with constipation, sinusitis, digestive disorders and heart disease.
"The dairy industry is working hard to convince humans that a beverage that is nutritionally formulated for baby cows should be routinely consumed by adult human beings," Adams said. "This requires a lot of marketing dollars and a continued campaign of propaganda."
The dairy industry says milk is a key dietary source of calcium, which can help prevent brittle bones. A survey last year revealed that 70 to 80 percent of British children 11 to 18 years old consumed less than their RDA of calcium.
###

root canals - important information for your life

Important information for your teeth and your life!
This is just a section of what it states about root canals. Check out this link for more..
http://www.tuberose.com/Root_Canals.html

Root Canals

AETNA Loses Major Dental Case Boyd Haley on Root Canals Amalgam Fillings Mercury Fluoride Mercury Vapor Video Cavitations Holistic Dental Health Truth Decay Book
Root canals are a part of dentistry called endodontics, which is concerned with the pathology of dental pulp and the area surrounding the root. A root canal is a procedure to allow a tooth that is painful or no longer viable because of nerve damage or death to remain in the mouth. Most dentists consider root canals an advance in dentistry--superior alternative to removal of a seriously compromised tooth. However a growing number of physicians, including dentists, believe that root canals can be the cause of, or at least contribute to, a long list of illnesses and degenerative diseases.
_
A "root canal" allows a patient to keep a dead tooth in his or her mouth. The fallacy with this concept is that the body doesn't like dead things in it and will try, sometimes desperately, to get rid of the dead thing. Notwithstanding, the fact that it may be "handy" to save a tooth for "dental convenience", it does not change the fact that root canal treatments can devastate the human immune system. Twenty million root canals are performed in the U.S. annually, and this number is estimated to double within the next few years.
_
There are many presumptions about root canal therapy which are based in myth rather than science. The philosophy underlying the teaching of dentistry limits its practice to mechanics, pain control and aesthetics. The systemic effects of dental treatment are rarely considered.
_
Conventional root canals have been controversial since the turn of the century, when formaldehyde was used to treat the nerve which inevitably killed it, and the bone around the tooth, as well. This treatment is still used by 20% of American dentists and is called the Sargenti method, but it is denounced by the ADA because it contains formaldehyde compounds and lead. The current formulas are said to have removed the lead, but tens of millions of root-canal treatments using the old formulas are still in people's mouths. While the normal dental profession has been striving to improve the technique, much research has shown that even modern root canals pose health hazards to the body. This is due to the delitirious effects of residual infections; from the seepage of toxic substances still used in the process; and from the interference of the flow of bioelectrical energy through acupuncture meridians associated with all the organs of the body.

distuburing reality on psychiatric experimentation

I just read this website regarding an article on psychiatry. If you have the time and want to be shocked about the truth behind experimentation, please check it out.

Human medical experimentation in the United States: The shocking true history of modern medicine and psychiatry (1833-1965)Monday, March 06, 2006 by: Dani Veracity
http://www.newstarget.com/019189.html

Here is what the introduction says.

The true history of psychiatry and the chemical treatment of so-called mental disorders goes straight back to Nazi Germany, where scientists from IG Farben (which spawned Bayer and other drug firms) were using war prisoners as guinea pigs in Nazi-controlled medical experiments. This isn't some wild conspiracy theory, either: It's part of the historical record. Read Human medical experimentation in the United States: The shocking true history of modern medicine and psychiatry (1833-1965) to catch a glimpse (if you dare).
Want to learn more shocking facts about modern psychiatry? Visit the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. It's a grassroots organization that fights against the evils of psychiatry and Big Pharma. It was originally set up by the Church of Scientology. I'm not a member of the church, but on this issue I agree with them completely: Psychiatry has gone mad, and it must be stopped.

e.g.
1963)
Chester M. Southam, who injected Ohio State Prison inmates with live cancer cells in 1952, performs the same procedure on 22 senile, African-American female patients at the Brooklyn Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital in order to watch their immunological response. Southam tells the patients that they are receiving "some cells," but leaves out the fact that they are cancer cells. He claims he doesn't obtain informed consent from the patients because he does not want to frighten them by telling them what he is doing, but he nevertheless temporarily loses his medical license because of it. Ironically, he eventually becomes president of the American Cancer Society (Greger, Merritte, et al.).

http://www.newstarget.com/019189.html

breast cancer awarenewss (research scams)

What I think about Breast Cancer Research carried out by "cancer associations" etc.
Mike Adams of NewsTarget sums it up well in this article..
Take the time to read it if you are interested..

NewsTarget Insider Alert (www.NewsTarget.com)
HEALTH WARNINGS / CRITICISM----------------------------------------------
(Please forward to others who may benefit)
Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, you'll start seeing"pink" products everywhere and you might be urged to donate money, buypink products or run for the cure. Even though we're told that everypenny helps, where do those pennies go? If we are donating all thismoney for a cure, then why are women not being told the truth aboutpreventing breast cancer with vitamin D, green tea, foods, herbs andalternative therapies?Why are the treatment options explained to women limited tohigh-profit drugs, radiation, surgical procedures and more mammography-- a procedure that actually causes breast cancer by irradiatingbreast tissue?Cures for breast cancer exist right now, but the cancer industrycensors and discredits them, then pretends that a chemical cure willbe found if people would just donate enough money. (It's always aboutmore money, isn't it?) Shame on the public for believing such nonsense.Breast Cancer Awareness is a modern variation of the oldestconfidence scam in the book. It's actually a recruiting ploy tovictimize women by exploiting their bodies to generate profits forsome of the wealthiest corporations in the world: Drug companies.Most drug companies are headed by men, by the way, who earnridiculously large salaries in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Soit's the same old story: Rich, powerful white men telling women whatto do with their bodies, all while raking in obscene profits on everydose of toxic chemotherapy injected into a woman's body.

It's no exaggeration to say the cancer industry thrives on diseaseand suffering while marketing its services by terrorizing womenthrough the use of proven fear tactics like telling women they onlyhave six months to live unless they submit to chemotherapy. And guesswho funds the cancer non-profits the most? Pharmaceutical companies,of course.The cancer industry is all about corporate profits, not women\'shealth. And yes, I\'m willing to tell the truth about it, because Iactually care about the health of women, and I\'m outraged at how manyhave been victimized by the cancer industry.

It's no exaggeration to say the cancer industry thrives on diseaseand suffering while marketing its services by terrorizing womenthrough the use of proven fear tactics like telling women they onlyhave six months to live unless they submit to chemotherapy. And guesswho funds the cancer non-profits the most? Pharmaceutical companies,of course.The cancer industry is all about corporate profits, not women'shealth. And yes, I'm willing to tell the truth about it, because Iactually care about the health of women, and I'm outraged at how manyhave been victimized by the cancer industry. Read today's feature tolearn more:http://www.newstarget.com/020648.

Jury declares Wyeth's HRT drug caused woman's breast cancer, awards$1.5 million in damages:http://www.newstarget.com/020652.html
Consumer alert: "Pink" products are marketing gimmicks that donothing to prevent or cure breast cancer:http://www.newstarget.com/020654.html

cancer and curcumin (ukon)

This is an article about cancer and curcumin..

Curcumin halts colorectal cancer, breast cancer by inducing death of cancer
September 25, 2006 by Jessica FraserKey
http://www.newstarget.com/020527.html

(NewsTarget) A new study published in the current issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research reveals that curcumin -- the yellow pigment in turmeric, a major spice in curry -- can stop the growth and spread of colorectal and breast cancers.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) found that curcumin inhibits the production of an inflammatory protein that promotes cancer cell growth by dampening the signals of the hormone neurotensin, which spur production of the protein. "We found that in colon cancer cells, neurotensin increases not just the rate of growth but also other critical things, including cell migration and metastasis," says the study\'s lead author, professor B. Mark Evers, director of the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology at UTMB. Researchers believe that because the incidence of cancer is so low in India -- where curry is widely used as a cooking spice and a traditional medicine -- \ncurcumin can be used as a potent anti-cancer medication. Previous lab studies have found the pigment to be effective against skin and breast cancers, in addition to \ncolorectal cancer. \nA study published in the Oct. 15, 2005 issue of Clinical Cancer Research found that curcumin prevents the progression of breast cancer cells, and also reverses the negative effects of Taxol, a breast cancer drug that can cause breast cancer cells to spread. \nA peer-reviewed study by University of Texas researchers appearing in the Aug. 15, 2005 issue of the journal Cancer -- the journal of the American Cancer Society -- reveals that curcumin treatments can induce cancer cell death in lines of melanoma.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) found that curcumin inhibits the production of an inflammatory protein that promotes cancer cell growth by dampening the signals of the hormone neurotensin, which spur production of the protein.
"We found that in colon cancer cells, neurotensin increases not just the rate of growth but also other critical things, including cell migration and metastasis," says the study's lead author, professor B. Mark Evers, director of the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology at UTMB.
Researchers believe that because the incidence of cancer is so low in India -- where curry is widely used as a cooking spice and a traditional medicine -- curcumin can be used as a potent anti-cancer medication. Previous lab studies have found the pigment to be effective against skin and breast cancers, in addition to colorectal cancer.
A study published in the Oct. 15, 2005 issue of Clinical Cancer Research found that curcumin prevents the progression of breast cancer cells, and also reverses the negative effects of Taxol, a breast cancer drug that can cause breast cancer cells to spread.
A peer-reviewed study by University of Texas researchers appearing in the Aug. 15, 2005 issue of the journal Cancer -- the journal of the American Cancer Society -- reveals that curcumin treatments can induce cancer cell death in lines of melanoma.

natural could really be unnatural...l

Another item to be aware of on the shelves. Soon there will be no "real" natural ingredients within the food, and we will have to resort back to making everything ourselves... like the good olden days. Don't mind cooking and baking, it's just that kitchens are so cramped in Japan (well, unless you are married and can afford a large apartment with a very cool kitchen), and it takes a lot of effort to produce something when the benches are so low too! Another grumble about Japanese apartments.. Apart from that, they are very compact and amazing how they make the use of the limited amount of space.

Here is today's article I found about natural yeast, which isn't really that natural... be aware of the labelling..

http://www.newstarget.com/020426.html
Many "natural" foods contain questionable taste additives like yeast extractPosted Thursday, September 14, 2006 by Mike Adams
The food industry is always trying to come up with a new way to add chemical taste enhancers to their foods without alerting the consumers. They used to rely heavily on MSG (monosodium glutamate), but when the public began to learn about the dangers of MSG and how it causes extreme headaches, reproductive disorders, endocrine system imbalances, appetite control problems, and nervous system disorders, the industry began moving away from MSG and toward other ingredients.

The link to obesity is very strong with these ingredients; if you eat a lot of foods containing MSG or similar substances, you will find it very difficult to stop eating. That's because MSG harms the normal function of your endocrine system and it disrupts your appetite control system. So even though you may be physically full from eating, your brain tells you you're still hungry and you overeat. If you've ever felt like you are eating unhealthy foods but couldn't stop eating them, it could be because you've been poisoning yourself with MSG. If you stop consuming foods with MSG, you may be able to rebalance this natural system and return to healthy, normal appetite control.

Yeast extract was one of the first replacements for MSG -- it has the same effect on taste, and it contains a concentration of free glutamic acid, just like MSG. The difference is that it doesn't look as bad on the label, and food manufacturers can actually claim that it's all-natural. You'll see yeast extract in many products, even so-called natural products like veggie burgers. But now that the word is getting out about yeast extract, food companies are switching to yet another hidden form of a chemical taste enhancer.

This latest one is called "torula yeast" and instead of being a yeast extract, this is just a specific type of yeast. Again, it has the same purpose in food -- to make otherwise boring foods taste sensational. Torula yeast is now found in many snack products, even many so-called natural snacks. I've seen it in chips and a number of fried snack foods. It seems like this ingredient is going to be increasingly popular in the years ahead because it looks so non-threatening to the consumer. It doesn't look like MSG, and it technically isn't yeast extract, but in my opinion, this ingredient is quite harmful.

I gave torula yeast my own test, because I'm quite sensitive to MSG and similar products; I can almost immediately feel the effects if I consume MSG. I ate some foods containing torula yeast and they created the same effect as MSG and yeast extract.

Food manufacturers "clean up their labels" by lying to consumersDistributors in the natural foods industry heavily promote torula yeast. I read a food industry publication where is one company was promoting both yeast extract and torula yeast as ingredients that can help the food manufacturer "clean up your label." In other words, these ingredients are being touted as ingredients that can help food manufacturers claim their foods are all-natural. In truth, these are all just food industry lies.

If you're looking for hidden forms of MSG chemicals on food labels, look for yeast extract and torula yeast, and anything that is hydrolyzed or autolyzed. Autolyzed or hydrolyzed vegetable proteins are also hidden sources of MSG, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of "Excitotoxins," and perhaps the world's top expert on neurotoxic substances found in the food supply. I believe that food companies who continue to manufacture foods containing these ingredients are misleading consumers, and you should not purchase any products from these companies, which include many of the top veggie burger and "healthy" snack food producers.

For example, the Garden of Eatin' "Salsa Reds" product contains organic red corn, expeller pressed oleic safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, rice flour, dehydrated tomato, salt, cultured skim milk, dehydrated onion and garlic, dehydrated green and red bell peppers, spices, contains 2% or less of asparagus powder, barley malt syrup, yeast extract, cocoa powder, natural flavor, extractives of paprika.

There it is, listed right there in the ingredients list. But guess what? The promotional text for the product doesn't mention yeast extract. Strange coincidence, huh? From their own website, you'll find this promo text:

Salsa Reds - Take those Red Corn Tortilla Chips developed especially for Garden of Eatin'® from the red corn of the Mexican Highlands. And then add salsa ingredients: tomato, onion, garlic, green & red bell peppers and spices. And voilá! You've got Reds with zip. Salsa Reds!
See? No mention of yeast extract. Sounds like the company isn't exactly proud of that ingredient. You have to read the fine print to discover it.

The Garden of Eatin', by the way, was bought up by the Hain Celestial Group, a giant "natural" foods conglomerate that owns brands like Soy Dream, Rice Dream, Yves Veggie Cuisine and a long list of others. And guess what? Many of these products also use yeast extract or torula yeast.
Here's the ingredients list for Yves "Savory Veggie" veggie burgers:
Water, oats, brown rice, onions, cheddar cheese (milk, bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, enzymes), mushrooms, flax meal, canola oil, red peppers, flaxseeds, dextrose, salt, textured soy protein (with caramel color), modified vegetable gum, natural cheese flavor, corn starch, torula yeast, hydrolyzed wheat protein, autolyzed yeast extract, spices, carrageenan, garlic powder, tomato powder.

The small companies still offer genuinely natural foods without all the additives, preservatives and taste enhancers, but once they become large and successful or get purchased by a larger food company, it seems like all the formulas suddenly change and it's just another "natural" brand of junk food.

I doubt there is anything that food companies wouldn't put in their foods as long as it's legal. I believe that food companies, especially the food giants, would put any chemical in their foods no matter how harmful, as long as it helps sell their products. The food industry has used hydrogenated oils for decades, and continues to use them in many foods, despite the fact that the scientific evidence has, for decades, demonstrated hydrogenated oils to be extremely harmful to human health.

In reality, food is the single most important factor in determining your state of health. Whether or not you acquire degenerative diseases, suffer from cognitive decline, suffer from chronic pain, or live life addicted to prescription drugs is almost entirely determined by what you eat or drink on a daily basis. Still, the food industry continues to claim that such a relationship does not exist and, astoundingly, many physicians actually agree. Avoid foods - even natural or vegetarian foods -- made with yeast extract or torula yeast.

milk - some facts..

I like this article.. It makes sense, humans only produce milk for the young and so do animals, however, why do we keep drinking it when we are fully grown adults? Just another thing that is bad for us.. although if you have to drink it, try and drink the organic raw variety.. Or just use soy milk instead. :-)

http://www.newstarget.com/020374.html

Counterthink Cartoons are NewsTarget parodies or satirical commentary on various matters we believe to be of public concern and are offered as Free Speech within the protection of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

It always amazes me to discover just how many consumers have been brainwashed by dairy industry advertising into thinking that milk from cows is some sort of essential food for humans. In reality, cow's milk is perfect nutrition for baby cows, but nutritionally incompatible with humans, most of whom are actually allergic to the substance.

Humans are the only species that will drink the mammary gland extract of another species. And we didn't even choose a species close to us like monkeys or gorillas. No, we've chosen to drink milk from furry, four-legged creatures mostly because they're the easiest ones to control and dope up with synthetic hormones that turn them into milk-generating machines for profit-motivated dairy operations.
All commercial milk from cows contains pus and blood, by the way. The USDA actually sets allowable limits of pus as a federal standard. (Check MilkSucks.com to see how much pus is found in milk in your State!) And that's not to mention the toxic chemicals, PCBs, pesticides, perchlorate and other substances frequently found in milk products. Even if they were somehow free of these chemicals, nearly all commercially-produced milk is pasteurized and homogenized -- a process that turns milk fats into artery-clogging substances that promote heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Yet western populations chug milk by the gallon, and then the people wonder why they suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, obesity, heart disease, sinusitis, acne, constipation and even diabetes. The answer is cow's milk, folks. You'd be better off drinking human milk, but even that's only for babies.
Truly, drinking milk from cows is about as silly as pushing a baby calf away from its mother and sucking on the teat yourself. Which is, of course, the very concept this comic is attempting to portray.
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Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

meat - article

I liked this article and thought I would post it up on my blog. Also, I know the owner of Maru Gallery.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fa20060907md.html

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006
TATSUZO HYAKUDA
Meat as modern art
By MONTY DiPIETRO

I've pretty much stopped watching nature documentaries on TV because when an animal, say, a rabbit, is presented, and I see it born and then frolic and so on, I can't help developing feelings for it. Then -- and it usually doesn't take very long for this to happen -- a predator comes along and tears the animal limb from limb before utterly devouring it. Which may be the way of nature, but is also a bummer.
Plus, I don't appreciate the heaping serving of hypocrisy that comes with the TV's portrayal of meat consumption. Other animals are shown gnawing at still-twitching carcasses but when it comes to humans, we instead get an entertaining chef finessing a stainless steel knife atop a marble countertop and well-dressed diners sitting at candlelit tables. We never see the terror in the cow's eyes, we never see the slaughterhouse worker hauling off his vat of offal.
That is because the process that puts veal on a china plate or a cheeseburger on our little plastic tray between the french fries and the diet coke is a disgusting one, and to accurately portray it would make us seem savage. And who wants to be a savage? Denial is easier to swallow.
I like Tatsuzo Hyakuda's new work at the Maru Gallery because he paints meat the way it is: Yucky. Which is not to say "realistically," as Hyakuda is one of those painterly painters disinclined to representation. So his meat doesn't look like the meat in a supermarket or the meat in steak house or even the paintings of meat by Chiam Soutine. It looks, well, brutalized -- as if it went with a struggle. It looks oily, smelly and it feels real.

Hyakuda, 40, is a big friendly guy, and also kind of weird. His previous work was of awkwardly-posed children with dark, disturbing eyes. Those netted him a number of prizes, including the 2000 Turner Acryl Award and a Jury Selection in the 2002 Philip Morris Art Awards.
Now he's moved onto meat. He says he once drew a little steak in a friend's high-school yearbook, and the memory came back to him recently while watching a television commercial advertising meat -- "because there are a lot of things going around in my head, and I just picked meat".
He decided to take raw meat as a subject because of the popular perception of it as attractive and delicious. The way Hyakuda paints it, it is neither -- bits of fat and blood coagulate on surfaces in broad gestural brush strokes, with splotches, streaks and drips. But the paintings are good.
The canvases are large but not gigantic, most about 120 cm square. There is a clump of brainlike minced meat and closeups of lean cuts. The acrylic on canvas work "Suet Cube" (2006) is an exception in the series as it is dominated not by pinks and blood reds but by the white of hard fat. It is no less powerful, though, in capturing meat's ultimate vulgarity.

"I'm not striving to communicate any message," says the artist, "When I create, it's no more than a child playing in the mud. Some have read melancholy and malaise into my paintings, others are comforted by their ambiguity."
Yes, such work can be difficult to characterize. Although it takes everyday objects as subject matter, it has little of the bouncy accessibility of neo-Pop. The rawness of it places it well apart from much of the new and cutesy art coming out of Japan. But this unwillingness to pander is a big part of Hyakuda's appeal. Here is a smart, energetic and talented fellow doing his own thing, and that's good enough for me.
The Maru has eight works in his new meat series and selections from Hyakuda's earlier series, including his pictures of children.

Tatsuzo Hyakuda's "Meat" is showing till Sept. 30 at Maru Gallery, 3-7-18-902 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo; open noon-6 p.m. (closed Sun. and Mon.). For more information call (03) 5443-2284 or visit www.marugallery.com

Tofu, ah, beautiful tofu

One of my favourite things on earth - TOFU (well, regarding food that is..)

Came across this great article in The Japan Times and thought I would share it with you..
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fs20060829a3.html
Tofu, magic for both body and taste buds
By YUKARI PRATT

When the summer heat sets in, my Japanese mother religiously serves hiyayakko (chilled tofu) sprinkled with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and soy sauce. Just looking at this simple dish, I feel myself starting to cool down, knowing that tofu actually helps lower your body temperature. Soy products have many reputed health benefits and conveniently comes in an astonishingly wide variety of forms, including noodle-like somen tofu (left) and "Charisma" tofu with whole soy beans. Natural refrigerant, anticancer agent, cholesterol combatant -- the list of tofu's reputed health benefits is long.
It is difficult to overrate just how good tofu (made from soybeans) can be for your health.
"I think soy has the potential to be a magical ingredient," said Jacqueline B. Marcus, RD, a food and nutrition consultant from Northfield, Ill. "Research in several areas of health has shown soy may play a role in lowering risk for diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer."
"Soybeans contain five classes of compounds that have been identified as anticarcinogens," Marcus said. "Further, research indicates soy protein may help lower blood cholesterol."
"As little as 40 grams of soy protein consumed daily for six months can increase bone mineral content and bone density," Marcus said. (Forty grams of soy protein is the equivalent of one cup of soy milk, 4 ounces of tofu, or 4 ounces of edamame.)

Tofu is a versatile ingredient that comes in a wide variety of forms ranging from savory to sweet. Of course, it often gets a bad rap for being plain, and that is no surprise.

One of my summer favorites is tofu somen, which comes as delicate, thin strands of tofu that could easily be mistaken for somen (wheat) noodles. Another unique tofu is edamame-studded and curiously named "Charisma" tofu.
The production of tofu is surprisingly simple. Soy milk is coagulated with nigari (magnesium chloride, which can be extracted from sea water), explains Yukiko Hayashi, author of the cookbook "Tofu Zanmai (Tofu Obsession)."

Running through the four main types of tofu, Hayashi explains that Momen dofu is firm and good in stir-fries or rolled in almonds or sesame seeds and sauteed for tofu steak. Kinugoshi dofu (silken tofu) is her recommendation for miso soup. One (adapted) dish from her cookbook that packs a lot of punch is garlic, peanuts, chirimen jako (baby sardines) and sakura ebi (dried shrimp) sauteed in oil and poured over kinugoshi dofu and seasoned with Thai nam pla fish sauce. For a Korean twist, try a dressing of chopped raw tuna, kimchi, soy sauce, sesame oil and salad oil.
Zarudofu and yosedofu have a high water content and therefore are very soft on the palate. Zarudofu is served in a zaru, or woven basket, hence the name. Both have an inherent amami, or sweetness, to them, and Hayashi suggests serving zarudofu with top-quality olive oil and sea salt, or alternatively grated ginger or nerigarashi (Japanese mustard) with soy sauce.
Liquid form

Make your own
Homemade tofu may be the easiest Japanese dish you will ever make, bar none. You may find yourself, as I did, shaking your head at the pot thinking, "it's that easy, and this delicious?"
Kyoto business Yubahan has been making yuba since 1716.
* Check the tofu corner of your supermarket, not the dairy section where you find regular soy milk, for a bottle of soy milk with a small packet of nigari (magnesium chloride) attached to it.
Warm the soy milk over medium heat until bubbles start to form. Take it off the heat, add the little pack of nigari, stir a bit and, as it starts to curdle, stop and let it rest. Spoon it into serving bowls and top with a citrusy-soy ponzu.

*Yuba - The first step is to get good quality tonyu soy milk from your neighborhood tofu shop. In a large Teflon pan, add the soy milk -- a large pan gives you a larger surface to make the yuba from and the Teflon coating helps prevent the the soy milk from burning. Apply strong heat and, just before it begins to boil, drop the heat to low simmer. Be patient as the skin slowly forms on the soy milk. With a pair of long chopsticks, gently pick up your piece of yuba and set aside in a serving dish.

Photo below is of Rikugien. Just taken today. Very beautiful place and hope you get a chance to check it out and wander in the delicate gardens. Definitely a worthwhile trip if you are around Bunkyo-ku.

Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient

Aristotle