2008 November Letter
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"I will NOT give up hamburgers!" responded my son, Kyle, when I explained the impact of cattle on the environment. Some people love chocolate, my son loves hamburgers. I was sharing some of the statistics from this month’s feature article with Kyle. I enjoy discussing current events with my son as he usually can offer an interesting perspective. The truth is, I wasn’t advocating an immediate ban of meat in our house, but rather fewer animal products and an increase in plant-based foods.
I like to vote with my dollar when I shop. I try to purchase as many organic products as possible and choose products from farms that ethically take care of the animals they raise in a humane way. I read labels and trust the information to help me make the healthiest choices for my family.
According to our feature article, "In September 2008, the FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals for human consumption. Since the government does not require that it be labeled as such, consumers will not be able to refuse it at the supermarket." I am grateful for organizations such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). This non-profit organization is largely responsible for the nutritional labeling requirements on products that we have today. It will take support from all of us to make sure we continue to have the information we need to make informed choices. Debbey Wilson, my fellow publisher of the Tampa Bay edition of Natural Awakenings, points out, "By speaking out and living up to what we believe in, caring about what we eat, what we wear, how we invest our energies (and dollars and cents) – we can each support major change in our own way."
In this issue we focus on natural foods. In our feature article you’ll find the conscious eater’s guide to GMOs as well as the scoop on food irradiation and cloning. In conscious eating on page 21 you learn the impact of raising cattle on the environment. Discover the ease and effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in our healing ways section on page 34. Find out how colostrums can help your pet on page 31. Then try a raw pumpkin pie with the recipe on page 15. This month as your celebrate Thanksgiving consider giving thanks to our planet by making earth-friendly choices for your table.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kris Urquhart, Editor
