Earth Hour Announcement - and an article contribution from Jessica Wright

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!!!
Welcome to the second post on The Green Daisy! Exciting news: we received our first reader submission this morning, from a Miss Jessica Wright of Vancouver BC, who is soon to be Miss Jessica Wright of Ontario again! Jess wrote in with a particularly alarming report on the joys of processed meats... if we "are what we eat", I sure wouldn't want to be a factory processed hot dog. BUT, before we get to the meaty bits, a quick and VERY neat announcement:

I heard through the grapevine, that on March 29th, 2007, there is going to be a huge, crazy event called "EARTH HOUR", where, between 8 and 9 p.m. on that date, millions of people across our green planet are going to be turning off the lights in their homes and businesses for an hour in an act of solidarity and support of global climate change awareness. Imagine... millions of people. I'm definitely in. You can sign up at www.wwf.ca/EarthHour. What a perfect time to shut off the lights, turn off the TV, brew up some tea, and slip into the tub for an hour without all the noise and glare that seems to follow us even from the daytime into the evening. Or, if you're lucky enough, go outside and check out some stars!!!

Alright... and now onto the article! It's from www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com

Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous

By Mike Adams

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has just completed a detailed review of more than 7,000 clinical studies covering links between diet and cancer. Its conclusion is rocking the health world with startling bluntness: Processed meats are too dangerous for human consumption. Consumers should stop buying and eating all processed meat products for the rest of their lives.

Processed meats include bacon, sausage, hot dogs, sandwich meat, packaged ham, pepperoni, salami and virtually all red meat used in frozen prepared meals. They are usually manufactured with a carcinogenic ingredient known as sodium nitrite. This is used as a color fixer by meat companies to turn packaged meats a bright red color so they look fresh. Unfortunately, sodium nitrite also results in the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the human body. And this leads to a sharp increase in cancer risk for those who eat them.

A 2005 University of Hawaii study found that processed meats increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. Another study revealed that every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 50 percent. These are alarming numbers. Note that these cancer risks do not come from eating fresh, non-processed meats. They only appear in people who regularly consume processed meat products containing sodium nitrite.

Sodium nitrite appears predominantly in red meat products (you won't find it in chicken or fish products). Here's a short list of food items to check carefully for sodium nitrite and monosodium glutamate (MSG), another dangerous additive:

• Beef jerky
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Hot dogs
• Sandwich meat
• Frozen pizza with meat
• Canned soups with meat
• Frozen meals with meat
• Ravioli and meat pasta foods
• Kid's meals containing red meat
• Sandwich meat used at popular restaurants
• Nearly all red meats sold at public schools, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and theme parks

If sodium nitrite is so dangerous to humans, why do the FDA and USDA continue to allow this cancer-causing chemical to be used? The answer, of course, is that food industry interests now dominate the actions by U.S. government regulators. The USDA, for example, tried to ban sodium nitrite in the late 1970's but was overridden by the meat industry. It insisted the chemical was safe and accused the USDA of trying to "ban bacon." Today, the corporations that dominate American food and agricultural interests hold tremendous influence over the FDA and USDA. Consumers are offered no real protection from dangerous chemicals intentionally added to foods, medicines and personal care products.

You can protect yourself and your family from the dangers of processed meats by following a few simple rules:

1. Always read ingredient labels.
2. Don't buy anything made with sodium nitrite or monosodium glutamate.
3. Don't eat red meats served by restaurants, schools, hospitals, hotels or other institutions.

And finally, eat more fresh produce with every meal. There is evidence that natural vitamin C found in citrus fruits and exotic berries (like camu camu) helps prevent the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines, protecting you from the devastating health effects of sodium nitrite in processed meats. The best defense, of course, is to avoid eating processed meats altogether.

[Ed. Note: Mike Adams, the Health Ranger - a leading authority on healthy living -- is on a mission: to explore, uncover and share the truth about harmful foods and beverages, prescription drugs, medical practices and the dishonest marketing practices that drive these industries.

Blech! That was enough to make me want a salad for lunch. And dinner. And maybe breakfast. Oh, how I lament for bacon. Thanks for reading everyone - I'm off to Montreal for a few days, but somehow I feel like The Green Daisy isn't going to let me stray too far off course for too long...