Yes, you read that right.

It seems that all almonds shipped and sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will be pasteurized. This new regulation is set to take effect September 1, 2007.

Why is this happening?
After salmonella outbreaks in 2001 and 2004 that were traced to raw almonds, the Almond Board of California rallied for a federal rule requiring all almonds in the state to be pasteurized.

But really… It’s all about money!
California almond growers, who grow about 80% of the world’s almonds, feel that pasteurization will expand their market.

Here is a quote from Richard Waycott,the president and c.e.o. of the almond board, which is nothing more than a marketing arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We consider it unacceptable to continue shipping a product that could contain a microorganism that could make somebody sick.”
Remember this quote while reading the remainder of this post.

Note: Some of the above excerpts were taken from a july 2, 2007 article in the Associated Press

This ruling has major underlying implications.
Let’s first take a look at what happened:
In 2001 and 2004 some people got sick from salmonella, which was traced to raw almonds.
Notice that some people got sick, but no one died.
Also, notice that the outbreaks were isolated to two non-concurrent years. Two separate years; that’s it!

Now, let’s take a look at food borne illness on a yearly basis:
There are between 6.5 million and 81 million cases of foodborne illness every year in the United States alone.
The major sources are Salmonella, E coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter, and Listeria the majority of which are traced to beef, chicken, and fish.

Here is the shocker: More than 9,000 deaths are reported annually, most of which are attributable to meat.

In June of this year, more than 75 million pounds of beef were recalled due to bacterial contamination.

Here is the point of the whole story:
I don’t think that the government is pasteurizing the almonds for our benefit. I think that the government is merely taking its first step towards hardcore regulation of our raw produce. They have already scared most of America into thinking that raw spinach is too dangerous to  eat. What’s next?

What can you do?
I like raw almonds, as do millions of other people both in the U.S. and around the world.
After September 1st, the only way to get raw almonds will be to go directly to farmers on their farms, at farm stands, or farmer’s markets.

I hope you found this of interest to you.

Yours in health,

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

Soy and corn are the most genetically modified substances on the planet. In fact, pharmaceutical drugs are grown from corn and soy. Yes, you heard that right, pharmaceutical grade prescription drugs are grown from corn and soy. They are called Pharma Crops and the method used for growing these harmful crops has been called pharming. This is a real concern that you need to be aware of.

“A Growing Concern addresses the challenge of protecting the U.S. food supply from contamination by crops genetically engineered to produce drugs and industrial substances (”pharma” crops). Six experts commissioned by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) to analyze this problem concluded that corn and soybean cannot be used as pharma crops while preventing contamination of the food supply–unless substantial changes are made to the commodity production and management practices applied to pharma crops.
Because changes on this scale have yet to be implemented, UCS has concluded that contamination of the food system by pharma crops may have already occurred and may become more likely in the future. We therefore recommend that the U.S. Department of Agriculture halt the outdoor production of genetically engineered pharmaceutical and industrial crops immediately, until a new system for producing drugs and industrial substances without endangering the food system can be put in place.”
– Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org)

Pharming is a growing problem for us as a nation. I hope you are beginning to understand why I encourage you to choose ethically grown organic foods.

Look, I am not trying to scare you. All I am doing is giving you the ammunition to make the most informed decisions for yourself and your loved ones.

The main point that you need to take from this: If you are going to buy corn, soy, or products which contain these ingredients, buy organic. It really does make a difference.

Feel free to leave me any questions or comments that you may have regarding this or any other post.

Yours in health,

Aleander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life

Yesterday, I attended a raw food festival at the Living Temple in Huntington Beach, California.

Robin Jones, owner/proprietor of the Living Temple, hosts a raw food festival once a month.

It’s amazing to see how this event has grown over the years.

In attendance were:

• Raw food chefs
• Farmers
• Community Supported Agriculture
• Energy Healers
• Massage Therapists
• Flower essence and essential oil practitioners

I love the fact that events like this exist.

If you are an art lover, an event like this could be equated to a gallery opening for an artist whose work you enjoy.

Nevertheless, I had a great time. The energy was fantastic and I was able to connect with many like minded individuals.

Well, I hope you had a fantastic weekend.

Talk to you soon.

Alexander Morentin
Holistic Fitness Coach
www.myfitlife.net

P.S. On the 4th of July, I am running with a small group of people in the Surf City Run in Huntington Beach. You are more than welcome to join us. It is a 5k run starting at 8AM. For more info go to www.surfcityrun.com

In an earlier post I mentioned that the French eat sustainable whole foods in order to maintain a desirable weight.

Many people are under the impression that the French eat whatever they want, but they don’t. The French simply eat what is available. What is available is sustainable whole foods; not the highly processed convenience foods that are so prevalent here in America.

So, what is sustainable living for a sustainable future?

Sustainable living isn’t just about eating healthy whole foods. It goes way beyond that.

Sustainable living refers to a practice that will sustain our health, our land, our local economy, and our future.

We need to buy locally grown and raised food that is free of pesticides, herbicides, and hormones for these reasons:

• Organically grown foods are more nutritious.
 
• Organically grown and raised foods are biodiverse. In other words, they   nourish the soil instead of depleting it.

• Organically grown foods do not pollute the local waterways.

• Buying local does not deplete fossil fuels. Shipping a piece of fruit across the country or half way around the world depletes our natural resources.

• Buying local, especially at Farmer’s Markets, supports our local farmers and our local economy.

• Buying local gives our farmers the incentive to keep on doing what they are doing. The more you buy, the more they will plant.

These practices help to insure that healthy whole foods will be available for ourselves, as well as future generations.

I hope that you found this of interest to you.
Remember, if you like the information provided in this blog… tell a friend. Spread the love.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Coach
My Fit Life
www.AlexanderMorentin.com

I am proud to announce that My Fit Life has partnered with the YWCA of North Orange County.

The YWCA is pleased with the educational classes and fund raising efforts that I have provided throughout 2007, so they have appointed me as their official health and fitness advisor.

We will be providing a variety of seminars, classes, and product launches both in person and on the web.

Our first project is a series of classes which will be held from September 2007 thru June 2008.

Dates and Topics Include:

• September 11: Stop the Confusion

• October 9: How to Read Food Labels

• November 13: How to Eat Well During the Holidays

• December 11: How to Make Healthy Holiday Goodies

• January 8: Get in Shape for the New Year

• February 12: Supermarket Tour

• March 11: Supplements

• April 8: Healthy Eating On the Go

• May 13: Women’s Fitness

• June 10: Working Out On Vacation

I will keep you updated with specifics as the events get closer.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Alexander Morentin, C.E.S.
Holistic Fitness Specialist
www.myfitlife.net