Then in the documentary Food, Inc. a poor working class family also said that they could not afford healthy food and so relied on fast food hamburgers and soft drinks for their meals.

On top of the obvious health hazards of lots sugar and unhealthy fat in this diet, they were also eating a lot of genetically modified food. The United States now has a corn based food production system and 88% of corn is genetically modified to resist being killed by the herbicide Roundup.

That means that their food was sprayed with a lot of Roundup when it was growing.

Talk about a triple whammy of trouble.

This genetically modified, soaked in Roundup corn arrives at the food processing plant where it’s transformed into a multitude of various products that end up in some form or other in processed food. You’ve heard of high fructose corn syrup that sweetens everything from cookies to soda to ketchup. But you may not know that a host of other products derived from corn lurk about in processed food.

Then there’s the problem of what happens to the cattle that eat the genetically modified corn causing acidosis and early death unless they get to the slaughter house before the grim reaper visits. No one has any clue about what happens to us humans who eat the corn fed beef and other meat.

So this family eats all this processed fast food without understanding the consequences of so doing.

The father of the family already had diabetes that required two prescription medications costing over $200 per month. So they asked, “What should we do? Spend our money on medication or healthy food? They felt that they could not afford both.

By the way, their nine year old daughter was already prediabetic.

Again, I felt they were not looking at all of their options and were using the cost of healthy food as an excuse to keep eating health-degrading processed and fast food.

So I gave my college students an option. They could continue to write answers to the questions I posed after each class session or they could research the cost of food from a fast food restaurant versus the cost of healthy food.

I am sure most or all of you already eat healthfully. But I bet you’ve heard these same arguments about the cost of healthy food versus processed or fast food. So you most likely will be very interested in what the students discovered on their research projects.

In this issue we will take a look at what the students wrote in answer to this question:

In Food, Inc, the poor working class family said they had to eat cheap fast food and could not afford to buy vegetables. Is their premise correct? Do they have other options?

They all had some very thoughtful and different responses to this question. This article is a longer than most, but you will thoroughly enjoy all of their answers, so keep reading to the end.

Unfortunately the cost of fast food has gone down low enough to make it an appealing option to an ever-increasing amount of Americans. I guess a good question to ask here would be “how much is your health worth to you?” This goes back to the fact that our body is the most valuable earthly possession that we have. I don’t know the situation of the family on the video, but a lot of people will be concerned with lowering the cost of food, while neglecting to cut out other expenses. An example of this would be eating fast food while paying for an expensive cable/satellite TV subscription. Also the family might have been able to avoid the medication cost by eating healthy in the first place. The other alternative to buying expensive organic food would be for the family to start growing their own garden. They could even plant a garden large enough to make some income from it (if they have enough land).

                                                                        By Ryan Kwiatkowski

I think this premise is incorrect. If this family chose to eat healthy food, they wouldn’t be paying for diabetes medication. Because they are eating the cheap fast-food, they are causing more health problems for themselves, and their children. This family may have to continue the diabetes medication for a little while, but they should begin buying healthy food so that their health will improve, and hopefully they will eventually be able to discontinue their medication, therefore, they will be eating the healthy food and saving money.

                                                            By Abigail Brink

I agree that this is a hard situation for this family and I understand how difficult it is for a family of 4+ to make enough money to sustain their diet and still have something left over for prescriptions. But, the premise that their situation cannot be changed is not correct. There are choices to make and ways to go about obtaining what is needed without breaking the bank.

            1^st: The interview didn’t give any indication of whether the father was able to receive patient assistance for his diabetic prescriptions. As a healthcare professional, I know that there are patient assistant programs through various pharmaceutical corporations. The family should inquire about these programs, because he may qualify for discounts that would contribute to the budget.

2^nd: Is there a possibility of changing jobs so they would have a better work schedule and/or better income level? Would they need to move in order to obtain a better job?

3^rd: Do they have days off when they can go to a farmers market? This was also not indicated.

4^th: They may have to make some sacrifices and add in an exercise regimen. After all, it’s all about the will. If they are determined to save money and save their health, then they will welcome suggestions for changing their lifestyle and eating habits. Also, if they have a connection within their neighborhood or a church, they may be able to gain access to a food bank.

                                                            By Jennifer Schipper

When this family explains how they cannot afford to buy healthy food for their children they are giving up on other ways to keep their family healthy. With all the medication for diabetes that her husband is needed is not necessary if they switch their eating habits for the better and then will be able to afford nutritious items at the grocery store. In the long run the wife may lose her husband to diabetes and then will have even more financial struggle as a single parent and also have the risk of either her or her two daughters being diagnosed with diabetes as well. Another thing to consider is if her husband were to die from diabetes and she were to be diagnosed with it because of the contaminated food that the family was eating; then she also runs the risk of dying from diabetes and leaving her two daughters without both parents.

            The premise from the family is not correct because they are not looking at all the options and which one would be the best one. They believe they are choosing the easy way and the only way that they can take, but it is actually the toughest way and the most dangerous way to take because it will cause the most destruction to their bodies and emotionally to them as a whole family.

                                                            By Stephanie Thornton

Hearing a family excusing away their family’s health was shocking and appalling and I was moved deeply. The fathers face however painfully displayed his deep pain and perhaps conviction in the dangerous decision to forgo the family’s health as a whole to invest instead in the conventional merry-go-round of poor advice and pharmaceutical support.

Now. That being said……I am guilty and am too convicted! What that family has done, and sadly so, I have done guilt-less-ly, foolishly and selfishly if truth-be-known! My “ease” and “cheapness” was simply disguised “laziness” and “stinginess”. To say nothing of my “value-system being profoundly “Bent and Broken”.  I was not outside of myself long enough to look up or check out what might have blessed my family’s and my own well being.  I was proud of my “thrifty-ness”, judgmental of the “foolish Health-freak, tree-hugging” peoples burning their money and resources away to support the diabolical “organic-Big-Brother Conspirator”! I had so much pride and confidence in my understandings and reasoning’s while yet flamboyantly strutting my obvious humility in my genius in a world of “crazy-sheep-that-believe-what-ever-they-are-fed!” In reality I think I really didn’t want to know. That would mean I would need to make some painful choices and changes. Wow – thanks for your honest and spiritual insights.

I don’t believe that the family on the film was thinking that cynically when testifying to their reasoning in making the choice that they made. However, I do believe a lot of us here in America and in the Species of man, tend to be inclined to sometime in their life “just not really want to know“, sometimes.

I’ve had to make the change. There are alternatives, reasonably priced, healthier choices. But it does take study, and searching and working at it.

A brown-rice base for a meal, with a small combination of a veggie or two diced up and seasoned with fresh spices can both be tasty and downright attractive. It can become quite fun to do the detective work, then the art of designing such a meal and oh so fulfilling to display your beautiful creation brought forth with care and consideration to those we love as a token of how much we care.   Could even win us some “points” on “Mothers Day”

                                                            By Teresa Oakley

Wow! Those were some great insights. I am so proud of these students.

Now just wait until you see what the student researchers found out about the cost of fast or convenience food versus healthy food.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo

I’m not complaining though about the late start of summer. I loved the rain and cool weather and so did the 2,000 Ponderosa Pine trees we planted on our property this spring as we reclaimed our little part of the forest from the overgrowth of brush that feeds the fuel ladder if a fire ever erupts. Those little trees grew more in 3 months than the few that I planted previously grew in 3 or 4 years of drought.

But we have already enjoyed spring crops from the garden and now the raspberries are ripening, a delicious summer treat.

Wouldn’t it be great if all children loved gardens and fresh fruit and vegetables?

In the college nutrition course I taught this spring we watched a DVD that revealed some of the Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals. That DVD presented one school that took the initiative to feed their students healthy food at school.

Here’s what three students learned from Hidden Dangers in Kids Meals:

First, I’d like to say that it was amazing to learn that changing the type of food that was served at the school affected the kids’ behavior, attention, and performance in school drastically! If I recall correctly, they mentioned replacing soda machines with water dispensers and serving foods that were not processed, without artificial coloring, high sugar content, or high fructose corn syrup.

Before the school switched their dietary program they were having issues with delinquency (vandalism, violence, weapons, etc.). The delinquency rate not only decreased when the school changed the diet program, but it was brought almost completely to a halt.

                                                                                     By Ryan Kwiatkowski

Some of the hidden dangers are: human problems that may be hidden for years, food supplements that cause sickness and death, the Scientist are pressured and they use the public as their guinea pigs, children are more susceptible to: toxins, nutritional problems, allergies, potential problems with milk, antibiotic super diseases, there is an influence of the mood and behavior, but we can have an impact on children by providing healthy food at their schools. 

                                                                                     By Abigail Brink

The food children consume at home and at school is usually fast food type with hamburgers, hotdogs, candy, soda pop, cookies, candy bars, processed cheese, potato chips, etc.  Already, there are plenty of genetically modified ingredients tripled in the menu. As a result, children have excessive energy, always hungry, becoming more irritable and more difficult to discipline.

On the opposite side, a diet of grass fed meat, grains, fruits, vegetables, and a proper balance of oils will work in the system freeing the pancreas from being overworked resulting in balanced blood sugar.

On the healthy eating plan children are calm, able to concentrate in school, communicate easily, and are not hungry as often.

                                                                                    By Jennifer Schipper

Jeffrey Smith, bestselling author of the book Seeds of Deception, narrated this DVD. He felt that the elimination of genetically modified food was one of the major reasons the children’s academic work and behavior improved so drastically.

 Of course, I would have to add that removing the sugary food and drinks also made a huge difference in improving their mental and behavioral functioning.

Is there a way we can influence more schools to offer only health- building food and drinks at their school?

Can we come up with some healthy ways of rewarding children for academic accomplishments and good behavior instead of giving them candy or some other sugary sweet?

Would you be willing to help a school grow a garden on campus? Kids love to work in the garden. They enjoy the awe of watching new life spring forth from the ground. And amazingly, they will actually eat vegetables that they grew themselves when they wouldn’t touch store bought food.

My grand children thought it was a real treasure hunt to dig up the potatoes grown in my garden last fall.

Let’s get kids back in touch with nature and help them grow up healthy. It’s all about making disease optional.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo

Bessie Jo Tillman, MD teaches about making Disease Optional.

 I really thought that I did not eat genetically modified food until the documentaries Food, Inc. and King Corn taught me some new things. Eighty-eight percent of corn grown in the United States is genetically modified. That means the corn tortillas I eat come from GM corn. Any corn product and corn is in almost every processed food in one form or another is most likely processed from GM corn.

So my new motto – only eat products from organically grown corn, which by definition cannot be made with genetically modified plants. Also look for non-GMO on food labels.

My second big eye opener: the meat I eat most likely comes from animals that have been fed GM corn. That means when I eat beef or chicken or turkey or possibly even farmed fish, I’m exposed again to GM corn.

Cattle brought to huge feeding lots stand around in their own manure fattening up on GM corn. But if cattle have a choice between GM and non-GM corn, they totally avoid the GM corn. They have that built in wisdom that we as humans have somehow lost.

But alas, they don’t have a choice, so they have to eat the GM corn. Free range cattle fed on grass remain healthy a long time. But force them to eat corn as their main food source and they develop acidosis, a metabolic condition that leads to early death. But this march to death is intersected by the slaughter house.

So the meat we buy in the super market comes from metabolically deranged cattle.

Grass fed beef contains good healthy oils for our bodies. Corn fed beef contains more fat and more fat in an unhealthy form for us.

Here’s the problem. Cattle reach slaughter house ready weight much faster when they are confined and fed mostly corn, ready for market in less than a year. That means corn fed beef costs less than grass fed beef.

Grass fed beef takes 2-3 years to be market ready and so it costs more.

So do you want the cheap stuff or are you willing to pay more for healthier food?

That’s the question I had to ask myself.

It’s not easy to get over the quest to always find the best bargain. But the cheap food may actually be the worst bargain when you consider the toll it takes on our health that leads to more money spent on medical care and more lost time from work. And how can you put a price on the way you feel, dragging and droopy versus energetic and alert?

So here’s the question I asked my students:

What do you think might be happening to your body when you eat corn-fed beef?

Ryan Kwiatkowski answered:

I think the saying “you are what you eat” comes into play here. If the cattle eat GMO corn, then this affects their entire body. Cows that eat this corn develop diseases and will die prematurely if they are not sent to the slaughterhouse.

So if we eat cows that are unhealthy and have terminal diseases, what is that going to do to us? Logically if we consume a large amount of corn-fed meat, there is a good chance that we will develop serious diseases and possibly die earlier than we would if we did not eat corn-fed meat.

Furthermore, since the corn-fed meat is “fat masquerading as meat,” this would add to the unhealthy nature of corn-fed meat, and possibly account for the widespread obesity of Americans today.

I think that the “unhealthiness” of this type of meat is compounding. To start off, the cows are not “free-range,” but are penned up in stalls, not being allowed much movement. Adding to that, the cows are corn-fed, which makes them even unhealthier. Then the fact that the corn has been genetically modified compounds the problem even more. So the end result of adding all these factors together is a dire dietary situation.

And here’s part of Jennifer Schipper’s answer:

Also, because the corn is modified, humans have no idea what kind of corn they’re eating- the corn that the cows ate leading them to death. If the beef doesn’t kill us, the corn probably will.

So take a look at Food, Inc and see what revelations you get.

My eyes were really opened to the health dangers of our current food supply in preparing for the nutrition course I recently taught. That preparation prompted me to watch several documentaries. Food, Inc. is a must see for everyone in my opinion.

 After you watch it let me know if it opened your eyes too.

 You can order it online, or from Netflix. Or better yet just watch it on your computer.

 My good friend Sandy, nutritional consultant, sent me this note to share with you:

 “You can let people know that they can see Food, Inc., The World according to Monsanto, Food Matters (another really good one) and a host of other documentaries for free at:”
http://wideeyecinema.com/

Let me know how that link works for you. Since I am unable to get high speed internet, I have to settle for satellite and the movie thing just doesn’t work on our limited bandwidth.

 Another important tip:

If you are participating in the at home chelation therapy and want a 10% discount when you buy your products, we have a new discount code.

 Put this code in the box when you order online:

tillman

 (simply my last name – all lower case)

 If you order by phone tell them that Dr. Tillman arranged a 10% discount for you.

 Here’s the link to get to the information about this simple, inexpensive, easy, quick way to chelate at home:

http://www.dr-jo-md.com/chelation.html

 (Just click on the link in this article for a wealth of more information and to order.)

 I’ll remind you of this new code again, just to be sure everyone gets this money saving information.

 So what’s a Rejuvelac?

 When we were discussing the many benefits of fermented food in the nutrition class, Rejuvelac came to mind. It’s a fermented beverage that provides a lot of probiotics, those organisms so friendly to out GI tracts. Previously I knew about making it from wheat berries, but come to find out, lots of other grains make a great Rejuvelac too.

 Here’s one recipe for you:

You can use any grain to make Rejuvelac. Besides spring wheat berries and rye, Rejuvelac can be made from millet, oats, barley or triticale. Triticale is a hybrid between wheat and rye.  It is particularly high in protein.

 If you use wheat, choose the soft wheat berries so they will sprout. The Sprout People’s web site says they prefer to use rye because they think rye Rejuvelac tastes best.

http://www.sproutpeople.com/cookery/.html

 Ingredients

2 Cups Rye
10 Cups Water
2 Qt. Jar

 Preparation
1. Soak 2 cups of Rye in your 2 quart jar. Cover with 1 quart or more of cool (60-70 °) water. Stir seeds up to assure even water contact. Soak for 8 – 12 hours.

2. Pour off water.

3. Rinse (fill Jar 3/4 full with water), twirl vigorously, pour water out, and repeat – if necessary – until water runs clear). Use cool (60-70°) water.

4. Drain thoroughly by shaking your Jar – you want as little water as possible to remain in your Jar between Rinses. Set your Jar in a low-light, room temperature (70° is best) location.

5. Rinse and Drain (repeat steps 3 + 4) again 8 – 12 hours later.

6. 8 – 12 hours later your seeds will have the beginnings of little tails (sprouts). Add 6 cups of water (spring, purified or tap – your choice) to the sprouts and place the jar in the usual low-light, room temperature (70° is best) location for 2 days.

7. Pour liquid – this is your Rejuvelac – into a glass and drink some! Refrigerate the remainder until ready to drink or use in a recipe.

8. You may make more Rejuvelac by repeating step 3 and then adding 1 quart of water. Place your Jar in the usual location and culture your Rejuvelac for 1 day – then follow step 6 again.

Your sprouts are now pretty much spent so toss them to the critters (squirrels, rabbits, birds and many other outdoor creatures love sprouts) or compost them. Don’t throw them in the garbage; nothing decomposes in a landfill (below 30 feet). If you have chickens; they’ll love them!

 Serve Cold.

 Have fun brewing up this healthy beverage.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo

When farmers plant the corn, they can spray the herbicide Roundup on the corn plants and the weeds at the same time, killing the weeds but not the corn. This process makes it easy for farmers and is one of the reasons that corn farmers can produce 5,000 tons of food per acre.

Now that’s a whopping big bunch of corn. But at what cost?

And then there’s the genetic modification (GM or GMO) of animals, to make them grow faster or bigger. But again at what cost? Are we ultimately setting up monstrous problems that we will not be able to undo?

To understand all of these issues we really need to take an in-depth look at biotechnology’s manipulation of the genetic codes of plants and animals, even inserting animal genes into plants. GM foods are now introduced into the market place without good in-depth scientific study on how it affects the human body.  Consequently the general public (that’s you and me) become the guinea pigs.

Again I would urge you to watch the following DVDs so you have a good overview of genetic modification science and so you understand that it really is still in its infancy but has been released into our food chain without any significant testing.

Take a look at these videos:

•  King Corn
• Food, Inc
• Unnatural Selection
• Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals

The latter 2 come in a set called GMO Trilogy which you can order from Amazon. Find Food, Inc. and King Corn on Amazon

Do you even know how much genetically modified food you are eating? If you said none, then you may be surprised because 88-89% of all corn, soy, cottonseed and canola in the United States has been genetically modified. Food manufacturers turn corn and soy into a myriad of products that wind up in most prepared, packaged foods that you buy. So if you’re eating corn chips, corn tortillas, anything with high fructose corn syrup in it or any other corn by-product, then you are eating genetically modified food.

(Fortunately only 3% of sweet corn, like corn on the cob, is genetically modified. Yeah! I love corn on the cob.)

On top of that genetically modified (GMO) corn is fed to cattle in the feed lots. When we eat the beef, how does it affect our bodies? Questions thus far unanswered by scientific investigation.

To understand the issues and the enormity of this problem, I once again encourage you to watch these DVDs:
Take a look at these videos:

• Food, Inc
• King Corn
• Unnatural Selection
• Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals

The latter 2 come in a set called GMO Trilogy which you can order from Amazon. Find Food, Inc. and King Corn on Amazon

You can also review the prior articles on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) at:

http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood1.html

http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood2.html

http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood3.html

And so after presenting these videos to the Shasta Bible College students in our nutrition class, here’s the question that I challenged them with:

Q. What are the major issues, problems, ethical and moral factors facing us individually and as a society in regard to genetic modification of our food? Did you know the truth or were you deceived?

Ryan Kwiatkowski gave this thoughtful answer:

One major ethical issue regarding genetic modification is a lack of respect for animals and God’s creation. God has given us dominion and authority over the animals. I say this because there are those who value animal life as high as or even higher than human life (if we are simply evolved animals this would be sensible). However, genetic modification shows disrespect for God’s creation. Scientists often experiment on animals not knowing what the ultimate outcome of their experimentation will be. Often the genetically modified animal will not live as long, be sterile, have deformities, or suffer extreme pain while alive. It is difficult, if not impossible for man to improve on God’s creation; there will always be harmful side effects. Genetic modification and animal experimenting often leads to a devaluing of life.

Another issue of genetic modification concerns the consumers, the human race. GMO foods have been introduced to our society unbeknownst to us. GMO foods can be unmarked or served in restaurants, so we may not be aware that we are consuming GMO foods. We should have the freedom to choose whether or not we are going to eat GMO foods. In a way, by not telling us they are taking away our freedom and deceiving us.

Ultimately a third ethical issue is tampering with God’s creation. By altering the genetic code that God has established, scientists are trying to improve on God’s design. By doing this they are putting themselves in the place of God. I don’t believe that God will honor this, and as it has been seen in the past, whenever man tries to add to what God has established, the end result is corruption.

 Now here are my questions to you:

Have you been eating genetically modified food without even knowing it? If so, how do you feel about that? What do you see as the ethical and moral issues in introducing GM food to an unsuspecting public?

I highly value your thoughts. Please make comments below.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo

Wow, where did May go? It zipped by with all the preparation and then teaching of the nutrition class at Shasta Bible College. We had so much fun even though it was so time intensive. I love teaching college students. They so quickly grasp the importance of eating correctly for lifelong health and for producing healthy children.

Dr. Titrud taught the first week of this course. The students had already changed their eating habits by the time that I arrived to teach the second week of the course. Isn’t that just amazing and incredible? I am so proud of them.

After each teaching session I asked them to answer 3 questions in writing because I wanted them to think about and interpret what they were hearing. With their permission I will share their essays with you because they had such great insights.

We watched portions of the videos King Corn, Food, Inc, Unnatural Selection, and Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals. The latter 2 come in a set called GMO Trilogy which you can order from Amazon. Find Food, Inc. and King Corn on Amazon

You may want to watch these DVDs yourselves. You can also review the prior articles on Genetically Modified Organisms at:

                http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood1.html

                http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood2.html

                http://www.dr-jo-md.com/nutrition/gmfood3.html

Here’s the first question asked of the class:

Q. What are the major issues, problems, ethical and moral factors facing us individually and as a society in regard to genetic modification of our food? Did you know the truth or were you deceived?

And the answer by Lisa Bowes:

A.        The genetic modification of food has created some key social, ethical, and moral dilemmas in our society and in the global food market. Since labeling is not mandatory in the United States it would be fair to state that like me, most citizens are unaware of the harmful side effects of genetically modified foods. Corporations that genetically modify food include the giant agricultural company, Monsanto. Monsanto only informs the public of the possible benefits of their biotechnological advances. It is important to look at both the positive benefits and negative side-effects of genetically modified foods before making an informed decision as a consumer.

The social effects of genetically modified food include the unknown health impact on humans. Potential concerns include unknown allergens and the increased use of antibiotics to treat animals fed genetically engineered food. There are also studies linking genetically modified food to the increasing infertility rates in humans. The environmental impact is now surfacing in the unintended transfer of transgenes (genetically engineered genes) through cross-pollination. Organic farmers are struggling to keep the genetically modified crops from cross-pollinating with their crops. The unknown effects on soil microbes are still being studied.

The ethical issues at hand include the manipulation of the natural organisms’ function and value. Companies are even going as far as mixing genes among species. Humans are unknowingly consuming animal genes in plants and plant genes in animals. Gene mixing is causing stress for the animals. Genetically altered corn fed to livestock is destroying them and causing the need for antibiotic treatment on a continuous basis. Seventy percent of all antibiotics produced are being used to treat livestock. The increased fat content in the meat and antibiotics used to treat acidosis from corn feed are passed along to humans who consume the meat of these animals.

The moral issues include the domination of world food production by a few companies. Genetically altered seeds are sterile and only produce one crop. Farmers are then subject to the controlling factors mandated by the large companies. The farmers must comply or go out of business. Developing countries are becoming increasing dependent on industrialized nations for their supply. Thus there is foreign exploitation of natural resources.

Monsanto has been very successful at marketing their biotechnology plan for the welfare of society. Monsanto’s current website states that the world will go hungry due to population overgrowth if we don’t turn to biotechnology. Biotechnology has yielded faster and larger crops. However, is faster and larger better? Do the companies controlling biotechnology really care about what is in the best interest of humanity or is it what is in their best interest? Until consumers are educated on the issues facing the whole of society concerning genetically modified food, large corporations will continue to dictate the future of agriculture based on profit. 

A comprehensive analysis by Lisa Bowes. Thanks Lisa!

 In the next post we will look at another student’s answer to the same question.

 Blessings,

Dr. Jo