USA Food Quality, Awareness, and Activism - Articles - Zimbio

Guy Harvey’s Island Grill Makes a Difference

Wed, 11 Oct 2007 19:35:17 GMT

posted by tleighcochran

Guy Harvey’s Research Institute sets guidelines with the consumption of seafood and Guy Harvey’s Island Grill puts this into action. There are fish to eat and fish to avoid. Let’s talk about the fish NOT to eat:

Chilean Seabass/Toothfish
Cod Atlantic
Crab: King (imported)
Flounders, Soles: (Atlantic)
Groupers
Halibut: Atlantic
Lobster Spiny (Caribbean imported)
Marlin
Monkfish
Orange Roughy
Rockfish: (Pacific)
Salmon (farmed including Atlantic)
Scallops: Sea (Mid-Atlantic)
Sharks
Shrimp (imported farmed or wild)
Snapper: Red
Sturgeon, Caviar (imported wild)
Swordfish
Tilefish
Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Yellowfin

Avoid these fish at least for now. These fish to avoid, come from sources that are over-fished or caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine-life or the environment.

Let’s talk about the fish that are the best choice to eat:

Barramundi: (US farmed)
Catfish: (US farmed)
Clams: (farmed)
Cod: Pacific (Alaska long-line)
Crab: Dungenuess, Snow, Stone
Crawfish (farmed)
Halibut: Pacific
Herring: Atlantic/Sardines
Lobster: Spiny (US)
Mackerel: king, spanish
Mullet: striped
Mussels: (farmed)
Oysters: (farmed)
Salmon: (Alaska wild)
Sardines
Scallops: Bay (farmed)
Striped Bass: (farmed or wild)
Sturgeon, Caviar (farmed)
Trout: Rainbow (farmed)
Tuna: Albacore and Skipjack

These are your best seafood choices! These fish are abundant, well managed and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.

Guy Harvey’s Island Grill will help you make choices that make difference. Consume the “fish to eat” to support those fisheries and fish farms that are healthier for ocean wildlife and the environment. So next time you’re ordering or purchasing seafood ask:

Where is the seafood from?
Is it farmed or wild-caught?
How was it caught?

The Guy Harvey Research Institute is committed to conducting the reseearch needed by policy makers and managers to make effective decisions regarding the conservation and management of the world’s rapidly diminishing fish population.

A percentage of all Guy Harvey’s Island Grills go to help fund Guy Harvey’s Research Institute at Nova University.

Credit to this article:

Guy Harvey Research Institute at NSU

The "Dirty Dozen" ; Top Contaminated Foods

Tue, 7 May 2008 18:21:00 GMT

posted by monarch13

WITH food prices going up faster than Chinese skyscrapers, anyone who can afford to buy organic everything - probably has a personal assistant doing their shopping for them. The rest of us face difficult decisions every time we push a cart.

One way of deciding which purchases should be organic is to work out which foods contain the most pesticides. Analysis of US government records by the non-profit Environmental Working Group led to the release in 2006 of a list nicknamed the "Dirty Dozen".

The 12 Worst Foods for Pesticide Residues

peaches

apples

capsicum

celery

nectarines

strawberries

cherries

pears

imported grapes

spinach

lettuce

potatoes.

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.

Will Washing and Peeling Help?
Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

How This Guide Was Developed
The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 43,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005.

EWG is a not-for-profit environmental research organization dedicated to improving public health and protecting the environment by reducing pollution in air, water and food. For more information please visit http://www.ewg.org/.

Monarch Health Promotions
Tucson, AZ.
(520)404-4558
http://www.monarchhp.com/

Snapper Has Moved Up

Wed, 10 Jul 2008 16:22:29 GMT

posted by tleighcochran

You can take the lead in saving our oceans by making responsible shopping and dining decisions. Guy Harvey has updated the Responsible Seafood Guide that identifies the best fish to eat, those you can eat with caution, and fish to avoid. The Guide is based on the research Guy does that leads to finding commonsense solutions to reversing overfishing, pollution, and other threats to the marine habitat.
Since 1999, Guy Harvey has funded research that has led to a broad understanding of the genetics of fish populations, which helps law enforcement officials curtail illegal trafficking of endangered species. Other work has discovered new species in new habitats and clues for better fisheries management.

Where is the seafood from?
Is it farmed or wild-caught?
How was it caught?

FISH TO EAT - Your best seafood choices are abundant, well managed, and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways.

Barramundi: (U.S. farmed)
Catfish: (U.S. farmed)
Clams: (Atlantic)
Cod: (Pacific)
Crab: Dungeness,
….. Snow, Stone, Red King
Crawfish: (farmed)
Halibut: (Pacific)
Herring: (Atlantic)
Lincod
Lobster: Spiny (U.S.)
Mackerel: King, Spanish
Mahi Mahi / Dorado
Mullet: Striped
Mussels (farmed)
Oysters: (farmed)
Pollock (Alaska)
Salmon: Pink
Sablefish / Black Cod
Sardines
Sea Scallops
Sole: Dover, English
Striped Bass: (Atlantic)
Sturgeon: Caviar (farmed)
Tuna: Albacore, Skipjack
Turbot: (Greenland)
Tilapia: (U.S. farmed)
Trout: Rainbow (farmed)
Wahoo
Whiting (Pacific)

OK TO EAT, BUT PROCEDD WITH CAUTION - These are good choices, but there are some concerns about the way they are caught or farmed. They are, however, better choices than those in the Fish to Avoid category.

Basa / Tra: (farmed)
Crab: Blue, Imitation, Surimi
Flounder: Summer
Lobster: American / Maine
Oysters: (wild)
Grouper: Red, Black, Gag
SNAPPER
Salmon: Chinook, Sockeye
Shrimp: (U.S. farmed or wild)
Spiny Dogfish
Squid
Swordfish: (Atlantic)
Tuna: Yellowfin

FISH TO AVOID - These fish should be avoided, as they come from sources that are overfished or are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment.

Chilean / Toothfish
Cod: (Atlantic)
Grouper: Nassau, Goliath
Haddock
Halibut: (Atlantic)
Marlin
Monkfish
Orange Roughy
Rockfish: (Pacific)
Salmon: (Atlantic, wild and
…..farmed)
Sharks
Shrimp: (imported)
Sturgeon: Caviar (imported,wild)
Tilefish
Tuna: Bigeye, Bluefin

Stop eating fruits, vegetables and juices or you will die!

Mon, 5 Feb 2008 18:50:00 GMT

posted by rswier

I love the fear mongering Herald-Tribune editorial staff. Last month it was lead in toys, this weekend it was hurricanes caused by global warming, today it is fruits, vegetables and juices. Will they ever stop? Nope because it sells newspapers. Fear = profit!

In their editorial Produce and pesticides they state, "schoolchildren who consumed produce and juice from Seattle [Washington] -area grocery stores had their urine and saliva tested on a regular basis. The scientists detected organophosphates, a family of pesticides that originated with the creation of nerve gas agents in World War II."

Guess what parents - don't go shopping for produce and juice in Seattle, WA because they are using nerve gas on you and your children!

I'll bet this is an evil conspiracy by the Bush administration, Haliburton, Blackwater, the CIA and Dick Cheney to get rid of all the liberals in Seattle. That's for you troofers.

According to Wikipedia - an organophosphate is the general name for esters of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are probably the most pervasive organophosphorus compounds. Many of the most important biochemicals are organophosphates, including DNA and RNA as well as many cofactors that are essential for life.

So there you have it. Organophosphates are "essential for life" and are naturally part of our DNA.

This editorial sounds like the scare tactics used by scientists, researchers, the media, government and environmental groups concerning the use of DDT. Remember in the 1970s the U.S. banned DDT followed by a UN world-wide ban. This led to the spread of mosquito born malaria, especially in Africa, and the deaths of tens of millions of men, women and innocent children. So now we must get rid of all pesticides used by our farmers?

So what to do, asked the Herald-Tribune?

Dr. Chensheng Lu, an expert on children and pesticides, "urged that parents not react by limiting children's consumption of fresh produce and did not recommend adopting a totally organic diet."

I agree with Dr. Lu (he sounds like he is from China, which sent us lead based toys and tainted beef). I think.

My take is that parents should feed their children only the three major food groups - a big Mac, fries and a Coke. This way you totally avoid the poison gas in your fruits, vegetables, and that evil Florida orange juice. It takes a much longer time to die from obesity than nerve gas.

Seriously, there are many dangerous chemicals that occur naturally in our world - opium, marijuana, cocaine, etc. We and our children consume them, inhale them and sometimes even inject them into our bodies.

There is a greater danger to us and our children from the use and abuse of these deadly chemicals than we will ever see from organophosphates, ever. What we need is more research on pesticides that destroy these plants, which are the scourge of the earth.

As for me, I am going to Publix today and buy some non-organic apples, lettuce, tomatoes and a carton of fresh Florida orange juice. I can't afford organic tomatoes at $5 a pound.

What about you?

DDT Facts and Figures

Mon, 15 Apr 2008 19:18:04 GMT

posted by expattexan

Lies, damn lies, and environmental statistics.

Feeding primates more than 33,000 times the average daily human exposure to DDT (as estimated in 1969 and 1972) was “inconclusive with respect to a carcinogenic effect of DDT in nonhuman primates.”

[J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 1999;125(3-4):219-25]

Yeah, but what about real world human cancer patients? Well, I’m glad you asked.

-A nested case-control study was conducted to examine the association between serum concentrations of DDE and PCBs and the development of breast cancer up to 20 years later. Cases (n = 346) and controls (n = 346) were selected from cohorts of women who donated blood in 1974, 1989, or both, and were matched on age, race, menopausal status, and month and year of blood donation. “Even after 20 years of follow-up, exposure to relatively high concentrations of DDE or PCBs showed no evidence of contributing to an increased risk of breast cancer.

[Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1999 Jun;8(6):525-32]

-”To prospectively evaluate relationships of organochlorine pesticides and PCBs with breast cancer, a case-control study nested in a cohort using the Columbia, Missouri Breast Cancer Serum Bank. Women donated blood in 1977- 87, and during up to 9.5 years follow-up, 105 donors who met the inclusion criteria for the current study were diagnosed with breast cancer. For each case, two controls matched on age and date of blood collection were selected. Five DDT analogs, 13 other organochlorine pesticides, and 27 PCBs were measured in serum. Results of this study do not support a role for organochlorine pesticides and PCBs in breast cancer etiology.

[Cancer Causes Control 1999 Feb;10(1):1-11]
-”We measured plasma levels of DDE and PCBs prospectively among 240 women who gave a blood sample in 1989 or 1990 and who were subsequently given a diagnosis of breast cancer before June 1, 1992. We compared these levels with those measured in matched control women in whom breast cancer did not develop. Data on DDE were available for 236 pairs, and data on PCBs were available for 230 pairs. Our data do not support the hypothesis that exposure to [DDT] and PCBs increases the risk of breast cancer.”

[N Engl J Med 1997;337:1253-8]

As you will see if you check out the JunkScience site - DDT has been blamed for a lot of things - only to have the science not support the preferred (predetermined) conclusion of environmentalists.

Don’t want to trust a site called JunkScience for information? Well, perhaps go here and do your own search on DDT and breast cancer. As with any epidemiological study looking for tenuous associations, you will find data for and against causality. However, I found far more articles that found no association than those that did. As always, be careful of any abstract that uses the word “trend” to describe its findings. The word “trend” in a scientific paper means that the data didn’t show what we wanted it to, so we’re trying to make it sound significant, even though it’s not. One of my graduate students or residents would receive an immediate EPIC FAIL if they tried to give me a manuscript of their research using the “T” word.