Need I say more? 

I hope this girl never loses her pure sense of exploration, truthfulness and academia. 

An idea just struck me... a while back, I wrote about our wasteful use of many backyards, wishing there was incentive for people to build and sustain local gardens and sources of produce. Adding to that pipe dream, I never learned about gardening or creating local produce or organic food when I was in school. Could you imagine how our sense of health and wellness as a nation would change if we introduced sustainable farming and gardening techniques to our children when they hit middle school? And I don't mean just a quick crash course on what a greenhouse is or how to plant a flower. I'm talking a full blown semester or year of in depth analysis and instruction on how to start and maintain a local soure of produce.

The kids could start a local farmers group within their school and talk about food, ecology and nutrition, and they could put what they learn to practice by maintaining a mini-farm/garden at or around school. By the time they reach high school, they'll have a solid base of experience and information which will in turn enable them to make more well-informed choices regarding their future diet and health and hopefully allow them to keep the cost of their healthcare low. 

Might be a pipe dream, but I had to get that out there. Would love to hear people's thoughts here or on Facebook. 

Funny enough, I also don't remember learning how to manage money in elementary school, or even high school for that matter, and I suppose it's not a coincidence where we are as a nation today in that regard either. 

Which potato would you rather eat? :D 

Last week, the F.D.A. held a panel to review evidence suggesting a link between artificial food colorings and behavioral problems, such as hyperactivity, in children. 

I mean, America, do we REALLY even need to discuss this? Holy cow! What else would you expect when a child consumes Red No. 40- a highly likely carcinogen made from petroleum that is banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Sweden and Switerland, and of which the European Union requires a label for food containing this colorant (read: poison) to state: "may have an adverse effect on activity in children."

The problem with American kids is not "ADD" or "ADHD", but rather the oil-based food they are deceivingly served by greedy multinational corporations who value profit over people, AND the government has been watching this happen. 

And you don't have to look far. Red No. 40 is found in soft drinks, candy, children’s medications, cereal, beverages, snacks, gelatin desserts, baked goods and ice cream, amongst other "foods." Oh, and it's alternate names, in case these sound more appetizing, are Allura Red AC, FD&C Red. No. 40 Calcium Lake, and FD&C Red. No. 40 Aluminum Lake. YYYYYUUUUMMMYY!! 

The federal government has been cracking down on artificial food dyes for more than a century in part because some early ones were not only toxic but were also sometimes used to mask filth or rot.

To mask filth or rot?! Really America? Where have our primal priorities of fostering a healthy community, providing for our children and reproducing gone? 

In 1950, many children became ill after eating Halloween candy containing Orange No. 1 dye, and the F.D.A. banned it after more rigorous testing suggested that it was toxic. In 1976, the agency banned Red No. 2 because it was suspected to be carcinogenic. It was then replaced by Red No. 40.

Wait a second, this has been going on since 1950? I can't help but laugh as it seems too absurd that with our advanced 21st century technology, we have yet to believe that we are what we eat and that eating oil-based foods, like corn and highly processed flour and anything with food dyes or preservatives, inevitably leads to disease and death. Do we no longer care to preserve the American human race? 

Many of the artificial colorings used today were approved by the F.D.A. in 1931, including Blue No. 1, Yellow No. 5 and Red No. 3. Artificial dyes were developed — just as aspirin was — from coal tar, but are now made from petroleum products. 

Is it just me or is it beyond despressing that American children are being fed government approved poison dating back to 1931... ? 

In the 1970s, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatric allergist from California, had success treating the symptoms of hyperactivity in some children by prescribing a diet that, among other things, eliminated artificial colorings.

Dr. Feingold, I tip my hat to you and wish you weren't fighting a conglomerate of greed between the US government and multinational corporations. 

And America, please recognize the power of the dollar and the ability to vote more directly than ever by being more conscious of what you purchase and taking advantage of our purchasing power. 

If you need a quick tip, simply stay away from anything with high-fructose corn syrup or any ingredient you don't recognize. If you want more tips and knowledge, read anything by Michael Pollan or visit BeFoodSmart.

Thanks for reading :D 

Above quotes from NY Times article by Gardiner Harris, who I want to thank for shinning the light on such an important reality.  

(Above- Red No. 40 present in "strawberry" soft drink)