Organic Connections Magazine Sept-Oct 2008 by Natural Vitality

Organic

Connections SEPTâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;OCT 2008

The magazine of Peter Gillhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Natural Vitality

The Secret in the Cell How Calcium and Magnesium imbalance can cause stress Real Food New farming methods bring about more nutritious food

Sustainably Sexy Meet the electric Tesla Roadster

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Now isn’t the time for business as usual

lot has been said about the environment and once you’ve seen pictures of the polar ice melting and learn of the potential consequences, you’re either a believer or you haven’t been listening. The good news is that many people have been listening. But the situation facing our planet calls for emergency response—not business as usual. Why isn’t America setting the pace in environmental action? Where is the same focus and spirit we brought to the space race back in 1961? Why, for example, is the forward thinking coming from Spain, which recently announced its intent to put one million electric cars on its roads by 2014? Our government isn’t even giving much, if any, tax relief to people buying hybrid, diesel, electric or alternative-fuel vehicles. But before I break out my picket sign and book the next flight to Washington, let’s move on. We know from our environmental awareness that toxins aren’t good for the air, the water or life. And yet we’re continuing to produce food on a grand scale with pesticides, artificial fertilizers, radiation, food additives, antibiotics, growth hormones—and if that isn’t enough, throw in the X-factor of genetic modification. OK, where did I put that picket sign? Sure, some of us buy organic, but there isn’t nearly enough to go around and industrial agriculture is going stronger than ever. America is facing an obesity crisis. It’s the second leading cause of preventable death in the US. Approximately 127 million American adults are overweight and 60 million are obese. Do you think that has anything to do with what we’re eating? It’s one thing to make a mistake, realize it and take effective steps to ward off a disaster. It’s a serious breach of responsibility to ignore it and keep doing what caused the problems in the first place. Way back in 1687, Newton explained that actions bring about reactions. Apparently some people in business and government believe they are immune from natural law. Isn’t it time we applied environmental sensibilities to our own health and the health of our children? Do we really need to put high-fructose corn syrup in just about everything? Shouldn’t we be focusing on the nutritional content of our food rather than ease and low cost of production and extended shelf life? Of course, you probably agree or you wouldn’t be reading this magazine. The good news is that you’re not alone. There are some very good people out there working very hard to change things for the better. We’ve got some of them featured in this issue.

In this issue

or•gan•ic |ôr ganʹik| denoting a relation between elements of something such that they fit together harmoniously as necessary parts of a whole: the organic unity of the integral work of art • characterized by continuous or natural development: companies expand as much by acquisition as by organic growth.

4 Cellular Secrets Author and researcher Andrea Rosanoff, PhD, focuses down to the cellular level to reveal the key interaction of calcium and magnesium and how this relates to stress.

7 Sustainably Sexy One of our writers checks out the hottest earth-friendly set of hot wheels—the 0-to-60in-3.9-seconds Tesla Roadster.

10 Real Food The Real Food Campaign is here. With it come new natural farming methods that are turning out grains, fruits and vegetables dense with nutrients, bursting with flavor and even having longer shelf lives.

Ken Whitman publisher

Organic Connections is published by Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality 2530 N. Ontario Street, Burbank, CA 91504-2512 National Office (800) 446-7462 • www.petergillham.com For a free subscription, visit www.organicconnectmag.com. Statements made in this magazine have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. © 2008 Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality. All rights reserved.

A portion of the profits from the sale of

Natural Calm ® and Organic Life Vitamins™ goes to our Natural Revitalization environmental action initiative addressing global warming, which helps fund Conservation International (www.conservation.org) and Remineralize the Earth (www.remineralize.org).

M 4 organic connections

Magnesium—Calcium Balance and Stress The Secret Inside the Cell

Experimental Biology. Entitled “On the of anxiety. “A stress can be boiled down Physiology of Amoeboid Movement,” part IV to something that makes a living thing reof the paper specifically focused on the action act,” Dr. Rosanoff continued. “When life is of magnesium. “This scientist, C. F. A. Pantin, stressed, it needs to move, act, think, worry, was looking at amoeba cells,” Dr. Rosanoff tense. At the cellular level, the channels told Organic Connections. “When he placed open and the calcium comes in, which fires some of the amoebas in a no-magnesium off a series of reactions that allows the cell to environment, they died. When he put them respond to stress. We often call it the fightin a magnesium solution without calcium, or-flight reaction.” they lived just fine but were unable to move. Dr. Rosanoff points out that stress comes It was only when the amoebas were placed in in many different forms. “There are emoboth calcium and magnesium that they could tional stresses, physical stresses and chemical actually move.” stresses,” she explained. “Gravity is a stress. This experiment highlights the action Any impact from the environment can be of magnesium and calcium on a cellular seen as a stress. There are internal stresses; level. In a healthy cell, magnesium resides for example, one cell inside your kidney within the cell while calcium remains out- could have a trigger coming from either a side. When calcium is needed for the cell hormone or a nerve and that could be called, to perform its function—such as firing a for that cell, a stress.” Magnesium’s relationship to stress cannot nerve, contracting a muscle or secreting a be overstated. This essential mineral plays Stress affects not only the nerve cells but hormone—the channels in the cell mem- other types of cells throughout the body as a key role in allowing the body to relax, especially following a stressful episode. brane are induced to open and to allow the well. Adrenaline is being produced and reWithout magnesium, calcium cannot be calcium to rush into the cell. “It’s the calcium leased into the bloodstream, increasing the properly absorbed and utilized, and muscles inside the cell at a certain critical level that heartbeat and contracting muscles. Blood tend to remain stiff and in “fight-or-flight” sets off activity, sets off whatever the cell vessels contract, raising blood pressure. mode, resulting in muscle cramps, insomnia needs to do,” explained Dr. Rosanoff. “But Whatever the stressful episode may be, and a host of other symptoms. The secret then the calcium has to be removed from when it is over the body needs to return to of calcium-magnesium balance—as well as the cell so the cell can stop contracting if it’s its more restful state. Remaining in the magnesium’s operation—is all the way down on a cellular level. We recently talked with magnesium expert Dr. Andrea Rosanoff If you have plenty of magnesium, you can go through these to discover how cell science relates to our stressful events and go back down to your calm state and everyday health, and also to learn about the you’ll be in perfect health. exciting new video she is now producing to translate science for the general public. Dr. Rosanoff is a pioneer in discovering the importance of magnesium as a nutrient a muscle, firing if it’s a nerve, or secreting a “keyed-up” condition is unhealthy. Under ideal and a continuing researcher into its impact hormone if it’s a gland cell. The cell has to circumstances, once the stress has ceased, on stress and general health. She holds MS relax and be ready to function again when magnesium helps to push the calcium back and PhD degrees in nutritional science from it needs to.” Calcium is literally pumped out outside the cell, allowing the cell to “calm the University of California at Berkeley and is from the cell—a process that requires energy. down.” As a result the nerves stop firing, co-author of the book The Magnesium Factor Magnesium is essential for the proper func- muscles cease contracting and adrenaline with Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH. She is tioning of both the channels that let calcium is no longer secreted. “If you have plenty currently the Directing Scholar of the Center into the cell and the pumps that transport of magnesium, you can go through these for Magnesium Education and Research. calcium out. Magnesium protects the cell stressful events and go back down to your from being overloaded with calcium. calm state and you’ll be in perfect health,” Under the Microscope Dr. Rosanoff said. Cells under Stress What happens if the cell is deficient in Many years ago Dr. Rosanoff came across magnesium? The cell is unable to keep a fascinating scientific paper published Stress causes a rapid change within the body calcium outside, as that operation takes back in 1926 by the British Journal of for the purpose of reacting to the source considerable energy. Calcium “leaks” into

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the cell and causes action as it is designed to do, and the result is one commonly found in stressed individuals. “If it’s a nerve cell, it will start firing even though nothing is saying ‘We need you to fire now,’ ” said Dr. Rosanoff. “It’s just coming from an internal deficiency rather than from life’s environmental stimuli.” What symptoms can manifest under these conditions? “Lack of magnesium can cause acute symptoms and it also can cause chronic long-term symptoms,” explained Dr. Rosanoff. “Sometimes it will come out as tinnitus [ringing] in your ears; sometimes it will come out as kidney stones, or as

clearly illustrates the important balance eventually the cell cannot relax because of calcium and magnesium and how they it cannot keep the calcium outside,” said function within the body. Dr. Rosanoff. “I had been thinking about this video for The action then zooms out once again a very long time,” Dr. Rosanoff told OC. “I to show the entire body while a list of first started learning about magnesium in magnesium deficiency symptoms scrolls the context of my larger nutrition education across the screen. At this point the narration back in 1985 and since then have continued re-emphasizes the importance of balancing to research it very thoroughly. As I used to calcium and magnesium. The video ends be a science teacher, I’m always thinking on a positive note with a portrayal of a of how to communicate this to somebody “healthy body.” who is not so interested in studying all that The video has received input from two science—a time-consuming thing—and other leading scientific minds. “I am so glad how to get the basic concept across to to have the input of Professor Robert Vink on the substance of this video,” stated Dr. Rosanoff. “He is an international magnesium I’ve seen it happen that all of a sudden someone is expert and the Neurosurgical Research Foundation’s Chair of Neurosurgical Research worrying about something when there’s nothing to worry and head of the School of Medical Sciences about. That’s why, when someone is living a stressful at The University of Adelaide, Australia.” Dr. lifestyle, magnesium is such an extremely important Rosanoff has also received input and advice component. Every time they go through stress, the from another internationally recognized magnesium expert, Zenon Grabarek, PhD, magnesium in the body is depleted more and more. principal scientist with Boston Biomedical Research Institute. hypertension, or high cholesterol, or as a not only seventh graders and high school Dr. Rosanoff is so excited about this type backache or a muscle spasm, or anxiety. students but also doctors, professionals, of visual portrayal of nutrients and health In some people it manifests as depression. researchers, pharmacists, nurses and the that she is planning to produce several more I’ve seen it happen that all of a sudden general public. This is so they could have a in the near future. someone is worrying about something better understanding of life and these two Continuing to Raise Awareness when there’s nothing to worry about. That’s hugely important nutrients, magnesium and why, when someone is living a stressful calcium. They drive basic processes in all of lifestyle, magnesium is such an extremely life. The whole subject thrills me and I’ve In addition to her ongoing research, Dr. important component. Every time they go always had a beautiful vision in my mind. As Rosanoff puts considerable work into raisthrough stress, the magnesium in the body I continued to study, that vision continued ing magnesium awareness, as she is doing is depleted more and more.” to develop and I wanted to communicate it to with this video. Because there is a lack of everybody. That was the birth of wanting to broad education on the subject, it is a conMagnesium Sources tinuing process. do this video.” “Even though the information on Entitled Balancing Calcium with MagneMagnesium can be obtained from a diet— sium, the video demonstrates with anima- magnesium has been known for years, it just but only if that diet is unusually perfect. “If tion the effects of calcium and magnesium. hasn’t coalesced into the collective mind you have your great, fabulous nine fruits or Running at about two minutes, the video and collective consciousness of the scientific vegetables every single day, and you have begins by showing a human body and then community,” she explained. “When findings plenty of nuts and brown rice, then you “zooming in” right down to the cell. Magne- are published on magnesium, everybody might be fine,” Dr. Rosanoff said. “But we’re sium is shown as a green cloud within the has a tendency to say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s mostly eating foods that are regularly avail- cell, while calcium is portrayed as a white a surprise!’ able to us, and unfortunately those are not as cloud outside, and the voice-over describes “This is because they haven’t been taught high in magnesium.” calcium-magnesium interaction as it is it in their undergraduate classes, they Hence, supplemental magnesium may be demonstrated on the screen. “We’re showing weren’t taught it in their high school science needed for any diet. how the magnesium allows the calcium classes, and they didn’t learn about it in to rush into the cell, when required,” their medical school classes or nutritional Bringing the Vision to Video Dr. Rosanoff explained, “and that it’s the science classes, or their nursing classes, or calcium inside the cell at critical levels that their physical therapy or pharmacy classes,” Although she is a scientist by profession, sets off activity. We then portray magne- concluded Dr. Rosanoff. Dr. Rosanoff also grasps the importance of sium pushing the calcium back outside being able to communicate about a subject until it’s needed again.” in terms everyone can understand. Along Next a demonstration is made of mag- To see Dr. Rosanoff ’s video on the cellular that line, she is now realizing a longtime nesium deficiency. “We are showing that relation of calcium and magnesium, visit dream: to produce an animated video that without enough magnesium in the diet, www.CenterforMagEd.org.

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Sustainably Sexy Meet the Tesla Roadster by Bruce Boyers

around Los Angeles. It’s probably just my own outdated gas-guzzling taste, but after my first up-close viewing experience of a vehicle that was environmentally friendly yet had all the style and speed of every “sensible” car I’d ever shunned, I beat a hasty retreat to my Infiniti G35, mashed down the pedal and ripped away in an emotional confusion of total guilt and sheer pleasure. At some point later the thought crept into my mind, “Am I really going to be forced to drive one of those someday?” You can imagine my surprise when my editor at Organic Connections fired me an e-mail telling me of a high-performance roadster being produced that was 100 percent electric and instructing me to check it out and see if it was worthy of a story. You have to understand, it’s happened before. Always on the lookout for interesting environmental subjects, I not long ago ran across the story of a hybrid that was being touted in much the same way. But a little investigation brought disappointment; while the car was available for purchase, it was years away from actual production and it was not being offered in the US even in advance. The more I investigated the Tesla Roadster, however, the happier I became. Could it be true? Finding the Roadster

As fossil fuel consumption has come under heavy criti- After locating Tesla Motors’ website, I made the discovery that, yes, this car does in cism due to the carbon load into our atmosphere, and fact exist. Not only that, it is indeed 100 percent electric, it goes from 0 to 60 in 3.9 as gasoline prices have soared beyond belief, vehicles seconds, has a top speed of 125 mph, gets the equivalent of 256 miles per gallon that use little or even no fossil fuel have become all the (although it uses no such fuel), and is operated for less than 2 cents per mile. And rage. But since I come from a long-ago time in which seeing the picture of the car on the front of the site, I was impressed; this thing could low-mileage, high-powered performance classics such neatly hold up next to a Lotus—who, as it turns out, is providing a lot of assistance as the Corvette and the Mustang ruled the roads, I have in the Tesla Roadster’s manufacture. watched with some trepidation as a number of these The car had been conceived by an engineer, entrepreneur and inventor named eco-friendly things started being snapped up and zipped Martin Eberhard, who was convinced that if he could power an existing sports car organic connections

chassis with laptop batteries, it would be feasible to build and he’d find plenty of buyers among the speed-loving, planet-conscious residents of California’s Silicon Valley and beyond. Because gasoline was cheap at the time he had his inspiration, however, venture capitalists were not quick to get behind him— until he approached Elon Musk. The 37-year-old Musk had co-founded PayPal and was forced out of the onlinepayment company but cashed in when it was sold to eBay. This gave him the funding to launch SpaceX, a private rocket company with the goal of shuttling private citizens to the International Space Station by 2011. After a two-hour meeting in February 2004, Musk agreed to invest $6.3 million into Tesla. He would become the company’s chairman, while Eberhard would be CEO. A few short years and a great deal of engineering later, the car is nearly ready for delivery, with one thousand already sold. “All right,” I thought, “this is all very intriguing. How easy would it really be to get my hands on one, if I were so inclined?” Clicking on a tab from the front of the website labeled “reserve,” I got an answer to that question. The Roadster has a base sticker price of $109,000, $5,000 of which would serve as a refundable reservation fee and lock in the price. There is a 12-month wait for delivery, and an additional $55,000 rendered would lock in a production slot and delivery time frame. Then I made the discovery that really piqued my interest: If I wanted to take a little trip across town to West Los Angeles, I could actually put my hands on one of these babies and find out all about it. One of the very first (one of two) Tesla Motors showrooms was right over there, open for business! With a grin, I called my editor and told him I’d be doing the story. The very next morning I fought 45 minutes of the busiest traffic in the world over to the stylin’ side of town. Seeing the Real Deal

As I exited the freeway onto Santa Monica Boulevard, the Tesla Motors showroom made itself quite apparent: a very high-tech looking storefront with large windows and 8 organic connections

granite-gray walls that neatly highlighted the futuristic reddish Tesla Motors logo. I parked in the back and made my way in. It was obvious the place was pretty new. The spotless showroom was empty save for two desks, a Tesla Roadster display model, a counter with literature and a cappuccino bar. Upon my entrance, a young kid in a Tshirt and jeans rose from behind one of the desks. Of course my thought was, “Okay, are they kidding?” As soon as the young man had introduced himself and discovered my mission, he ushered us both out of the showroom and into the service area, and I found out that, no, they weren’t kidding. He is a college student named Alex who is very happily interning with Tesla, and he proved to be extremely knowledgeable about the car and the company. And it was fortunate for me that he was; both the general manager of the store and the only other sales rep were quite busy with an eager little crowd of people obviously anxious to see and hear all about the Roadster—a pretty amazing scenario for any car dealership on an early weekday afternoon, let alone one far out of the automotive mainstream. It was in the service area that they kept their lone production model of the Roadster (the one in the showroom was a prototype). Seeing it up close, I was impressed: a dark, classy gray, it sleekly sat low to the ground, its two-seat cockpit a vision in black leather and chrome. The top was removed, both the hood and trunk lids were raised, and Alex

immediately started listing out the details of this amazing piece of automotive technology. We began in the rear of the car. Alex gestured to a large black box that occupied the majority of what would normally be the trunk space. He explained that most of the computer workings were in there, along with the Energy Storage System (ESS) that powers the vehicle. The ESS is comprised of 6,831 lithium-ion batteries—the very same type that powers laptop computers. I had to ask Alex why normal lead-acid car batteries could not be used. “They’re not nearly efficient enough to provide the performance we need,” he answered. “You basically have three different levels of battery: the lead-acid kind you find in your average car, the more efficient prismatic NiMH battery such as that found in the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle, and the lithium-ion batteries we’re using. The lithium-ion battery is many times more efficient than the prismatic battery, its closest competitor.” The battery pack is cooled by a system that utilizes the same coolant used in internal-combustion vehicles. The computer system continuously tracks battery history, performance and available energy. Alex pointed a short distance away to the small wall-mounted charging unit that would be placed in the owner’s garage. The unit runs off a 220-volt home outlet and will charge the car up in three and a half hours. I asked if the Tesla could be charged at the hybrid stations that are now found along some major

highways, and Alex replied, “No, and for that reason I do tell people that the Roadster isn’t for everyone. It will go 220 miles on a charge, so you don’t want to go further than 110 miles from home in one go.” He also said, however, that Tesla is planning to produce a converter in the future that will allow charging at hybrid stations. Included in the rear-end black box is the Power Electronics Module (PEM). This module contains high-voltage electronics that control the motor and allow for

We next moved around the side, and Alex pointed out the high-performance Yokohama tires designed for high levels of traction, responsive handling and driving control in wet or dry conditions. He then slapped the Tesla’s side and told me it was made of carbon fiber—something reserved only for high-performance vehicles. Since we were standing on the driver’s side, Alex motioned at the open door and asked, “You want to climb on in?” After a quick verification that he wasn’t kidding, I

and priced at around $60,000. Good news for older guys like me who are at least trying to appear sensible. We then made our way to the open hood in the front, and where I would normally expect to see an engine I saw a few mechanical parts and two cooling fans. Alex informed me that the long, narrow yellow box I was seeing on top was a heater. “The engine generates no heat,” he said. “So when it’s cold, you need this.” Finished with the tour of the car, I then asked about production. “We’re starting slow,

integrated battery charging. The motor and PEM have been designed as a tightly integrated system that delivers up to 165 kilowatts of motor output. Alex then indicated the service bays across the room. “Since the car is run by computer, I tell people that bringing the car in for service is a lot like taking your laptop for service,” he said. “Most of the ‘service’ is the installation of software updates.” He also asked me to notice the spotlessly clean service bays (they were close to immaculate). This is because the car uses no oil or gasoline—hence, there is nothing to dirty up the place or spread fumes. That explained the conspicuous open door between the showroom and service area. The last thing Alex showed me in the rear was the soft top for the car, folded neatly and stored. He said it could be put on in less than a minute. The high-performance AC electric motor is also hidden in the rear of the car, but that wasn’t something we could look at.

wasted no time in lowering myself into this driving wonder. Although I poke fun at such things, I was immediately overwhelmed by midlife-crisistype fantasy. The car literally enveloped me in its soft leather from the backs of my knees all the way to the back of my head; my legs stretched nearly straight out, the contoured controls only a short reach away, and in no time at all I was mentally flying down the highway in near silence under a blazing blue sky, catching the eye of every envious driver I left behind in a blur. Realizing how much of a fool I must have looked in front of all the people in the room, I quickly adopted a more serious look, managed with some effort to push myself up and out again, cleared my throat and asked, “Are you planning on releasing a sedan anytime in the near future?” “Yes, we are,” Alex replied. The company is planning a five-passenger sedan, currently known as the “Tesla S,” to be released in 2011

producing about 120 cars a month,” Alex said. That explained the 12-month wait for a car stated on the company’s website. One hurdle that has caused the Roadster to be a bit late in its initial delivery has been the transmission. According to a recent article in Fortune magazine, Tesla chairman Elon Monk has all along insisted that the Roadster be equipped with a two-speed transmission, which would allow the promised performance. The company is still in the process of locating a supplier for that transmission; so, in order to get the car out the door, it is shipping with a single-speed transmission that will be replaced for car owners by the end of the year. Nonetheless, I found it a pretty amazing story. There I was, standing before a fully functional, fully electric, sexy performance car, and it placed my faith firmly in a future in which people like me could satisfy their hunger for high performance, completely free of emission and fuel-consumption guilt. organic connections

The Real Food Campaign The Return of Nutrition

project of the nonprofit organization Remineralize the Earth, of which Kittredge is the former executive director. “What the Real Food Campaign is doing is documenting, coordinating and organizing the farmers who are producing nutrientdense foods and making those resources available to consumers,” Kittredge said. “Working through existing consumer organizations that understand the need for such foods, we’re basically trying to kick-start a whole food-supply process so that there is a nutrient-dense food standard. The organic standard took a dozen to twenty years to evolve, but it was in a sort of haphazard way. We’re trying to coordinate, in a more intelligent fashion, the nutrient-dense food standard, having learned the lessons of the organic movement.”

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of dollars have been spent to kill off fungi and insects, and methods have been implemented to produce high yields of crops with no attention whatsoever to nutrition. These “solutions” have not only produced nutritionally void crops, they have introduced poisons from pesticides and herbicides into our food chain, toxins from fertilizer runoff into our rivers, lakes and oceans, and even harmful produce in the form of genetically engineered foods. The problem goes back to management of the soil in which crops are grown. “When we look back, we see that agriculture has really dropped the ball relative to nutrition in the soil, and then obviously getting that nutrition into the plant, which is into the food that we eat,” explained Dr. Arden Andersen, medical doctor and

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Have you have ever wondered why today’s supermarket-purchased fruits taste like mostly water, why vegetables have more of These discoveries have led to farming methods that are a feel in your mouth than a flavor, and why, now turning out grains, fruits and vegetables that are in order to remain healthy, we need to keep dense with nutrients, bursting with flavor, and even have taking increasing amounts of vitamin and longer shelf lives. mineral supplements? Nutritionists have stated for years that a proper diet will keep us healthy, yet our society keeps turning up with increasing sickness, even when world-renowned consultant in sustainable proper amounts of fruits and vegetables The Status Quo agriculture. This long-term malnutrition are consumed. of crops has also led to disease—just as Now a group of cutting-edge researchers, Thanks to a long-established status quo of malnutrition in a human would do—as farmers and scientists have thrown aside farming, plummeting nutritional standards well as invasion of pests. “conventional wisdom” and have isolated and lack of public education, the campaign In fact, an invasion of insects is a scientific the truth behind our poor produce. These is an uphill battle. For over 60 years, im- index of unhealthy plants. “Insects are like discoveries have led to farming methods proper farming practices have resulted in nature’s garbage crew,” said Kittredge. “They that are now turning out grains, fruits and crops that suffer horribly from diseases, come in and say, ‘This plant is not sufficient vegetables that are dense with nutrients, fungi and insects and that have virtually for reproduction. I’ll go ahead and finish it bursting with flavor, and even have longer lost their nutritional value to consumers off.’ It’s just sort of a biological management shelf lives. This is produce that tastes, feels and even animals. Instead of correcting the system. So you know you’ve got unhealthy and provides nutrition like it did in your agricultural errors, millions if not billions crops when you have insects.” great-grandmother’s day. In addition to pesticides and herbicides, The reader’s response upon learning all this there are even more recent—and damaging— might be, “That’s fantastic! Where can I get “efforts” by defenders of the status quo to it?” And therein lies the problem. For while solve the continuous problems of insects there are hundreds of farmers growing such and invasive bacteria. One of these is the produce, there are currently no clear channels advent of crops that have been genetically engineered to resist weeds and pests. for it to reach the average consumer. “In my opinion, genetic engineering of Enter the Real Food Campaign. Spearcrops is the worst evil to have ever been headed by director Dan Kittredge, farmer visited upon humankind,” Dr. Andersen and expert in sustainable agriculture, the said. “We don’t have a genetic problem in campaign has as its end product the common our food; we have a nutritional problem. availability of truly nutritious foods. It is a 10 o r g a n i c c o n n e c t i o n s

What the Real Food Campaign is doing is documenting, coordinating and organizing the farmers who are producing nutrient-dense foods and making those resources available to consumers. Working through existing consumer organizations that understand the need for such foods, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re basically trying to kick-start a whole food-supply process so that there is a nutrient-dense food standard.

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Conventional farmers will say that they need genetically engineered crops because they have weed, insect and disease problems they cannot control with standard chemical weapon applications. Additionally, they contend that they will feed the world and save impoverished Africa from the ravages of malnutrition by genetically engineering nutrient-enhanced crop varieties. Every one of these issues is already solved 100 percent by appropriate nutritional management of the soil and crop. The problems of disease, weeds, insect pests and crop nutritional value are not genetic deficiencies nor deficiencies of chemical weapons genetically engineered into the crop; rather they are nutritional deficiencies or imbalances.” Why does Dr. Andersen claim genetic engineering is so evil? “If we look at every human study and every animal study that has been truly independent, they show that genetically engineered crops cause a significant inflammatory reaction in every organism that consumes them, whether an insect, an animal or a human being,” Dr. Andersen said. “There are no exceptions to this inflammatory reaction. Anyone with a hint of understanding of immunology understands that genetically engineered

crops are foreign amino acid and peptide [a compound of two or more amino acids linked in a chain] materials that the immune system sees as nonfood and invasive, needing to be eliminated—thus the inflammatory response. Read Jeffrey Smith’s books Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette.” 12 o r g a n i c c o n n e c t i o n s

Dr. Andersen has observed evidence nutritional substance. Organic agricultural of this problem right in his own medical practices, just like conventional agricultural practice. “In my practice in southern Michi- practices, are not focused on maximizing gan/northern Indiana, I see a tremendous the biological vitality of the soil life.” number of allergies, increasingly so every But according to Dr. Andersen there is a year, as well as a weakening of the immune reason to purchase organic: “You should buy systems of the people and animals, new organic simply to keep out the pesticides,

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For over 60 years, improper farming practices have resulted in crops that suffer horribly from diseases, fungi and insects and that have virtually lost their nutritional value to consumers and even animals.

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viruses and multiple chemical sensitivities,” herbicides and, most importantly, to avoid he said. “Why? I believe it is because this genetically engineered crops.” area is the haven for genetically engineered Reversing the Trend corn and soybeans. Elsewhere, the British found a 50 percent increase in soy allergies in their general population the year So how exactly can such a severe situation following the introduction of genetically be turned around? “Ultimately, in order to change crop engineered soybeans into the UK.” health, we have to go back and change What about Organic Food? the soil, because that’s where it comes from,” Dr. Andersen stated. “And that’s reWe have all been educated into the belief ally where preventative medicine begins— that food labeled organic is better than right in the soil.” run-of-the-mill supermarket food. But Dr. Andersen’s method—called Biological according to the specialists involved in the Farm Management—is not an overnight Real Food Campaign, this turns out to be process, and it must be done farm by farm to only partially correct. be truly successful. Dr. Andersen explained “There have been a lot of studies around that it is a three- to five-year program as a the world, and unfortunately they have rule, and it begins as a doctor would handle been on both sides of the equation,” Dr. an ill patient. “We go back to some basic Andersen told OC. “We had some out of things of learning how to do a history Germany and Europe maybe three years ago and physical exam, because 90 percent of that said, ‘Oh, there’s no difference between everything that really is going to go on has organic and conventional.’ And then there to do with history and physical exam. We have been a few studies out of this coun- have to learn to read the deficiencies in that try as well as out of Europe saying just the soil. If we understand really how to read opposite of that. Why the dichotomy? What them—we go out and walk the field, doing really has to be understood is, number various precision instrument readings—all one, what sorts of crops did they evaluate, of those things tell us what’s actually going and number two, from which country and on with that plant, with that soil, and so on. from what kinds of soils did they take the When we accumulate those readings, they food that they evaluated? Because if they tell us what needs to be done nutrientwise happened to get organics from better qual- in order to change that environment.” ity soil and from farmers that were doing a “The technology to produce such crops is better job of nutrition, then those are the basically an intelligent use of soil science studies that find that organic is better than knowledge,” agreed Dan Kittredge. “The conventional. If, however, they took the food root of the whole process is getting the soil to out of soils that are marginal, then they find be a biologically vital, synergistic organism. no difference. It all has to do with the nutri- People take acidophilus cultures—biological tional management from which it came.” cultures for the intestinal tract to promote “Organic certification simply means that health—because they understand that they you have not used synthetic substances,” need to have healthy biology in their gut. explained Dan Kittredge. “There is no In that same fashion the soil needs to have quality standard of what the food is as far as healthy biology.”

Not only are the resultant crops far more nutritious and tasteful, they are also far more resistive to pests and disease—in the same way a human body would be if it were receiving proper nutrition. Real Food!

What exactly is real food? Some years ago Dr. Arden Andersen introduced the term nutrient-dense to describe it. “Nutrient density means the quantity of nutrient per quantity of food,” he said. “Typically the USDA analyzes how many milligrams or how many micrograms of nutrient there are per 100 grams of food. If you take an apple and you weigh it, then take 100 grams of that apple, how many milligrams and how many micrograms of various different nutrients do you find in those 100 grams of apple? With nutrient density, we want to increase the amount of nutrients—calcium, magnesium, selenium, chromium, iodine, whatever there might be—per 100 grams of that apple. If you eat an apple and it is highly nutritious, highly nutrient-dense, you get a lot more nutrients out of that single apple than if you pick up another apple which has half that nutrient density.” “You’re aiming for a higher percent of dissolved solids in the plant,” added Kittredge, “a higher percentage of complex carbohydrates, sugars and proteins. These are the elements that correlate directly with increased flavor, increased nutrition, increased shelf life, and increased pest and disease resistance.” Mark Nakata manages several farms in northern California, including Nakata Farms and California Tree Life Limited. Their crops include grapes for raisins, several varieties of stone fruit, citrus, berries, tomatoes, melons and avocados. Nakata adheres strictly to Dr. Arden Andersen’s methods and swears by them. “The difference between our crops and standard farm produce is very evident,” he said. “They’re really not on the same planet, honestly. What we’ve found is that the better we get at doing our farming, the higher the nutrient density level goes and the better the fruit tastes. When you bring the soil in balance and really work on providing great nutrition for the plants and what they need, you find the fruit is firmer, it’s usually larger, and you have a higher percentage of number one quality and a lot better flavor. Ultimately you have a much happier customer.”

Nutrient-dense Honey Rich Apriums (70% apricot, 30% plum) from Nakata Farms

Kittredge finds the same with his vegetables. “My crops have this incredible sheen,” he remarked. “The flavor is far, far better, and they last longer. For a couple of years we were harvesting broccoli all the way into December, which is pretty amazing, especially for Massachusetts.” How do Nakata and Kittredge find such plants resist pests? Nakata tells the story of a particular breed of peach he has been growing for some years. “We have this variety of peaches that is called White Lady, an older variety now. We’ve been farming those for 20 years. When we were farming chemically, we were spraying for glucose-consuming insects, such as aphids, 12 times a year. Applying nutritious farming

methods increases the amount of sugar in the leaf, and by doing so, we found that the insects can no longer process that glucose and they either die or go away.” “Insects can basically sense the electromagnetic frequency of each plant,” Dan Kittredge further explained. “They know what is digestible and what is not digestible. Insects have a simple digestive system so they can digest simple sugars, but they can’t digest the complex sugars of healthy crops. Our crops are now growing virtually insect free.” The Real Food Campaign

Now it falls upon someone to begin the substantial amount of coordination needed organic connections

to get the news out and find ways of moving this spectacular produce into the general marketplace. Dan Kittredge has elected to be the catalyst, and as Lao-tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” “The first thing is to identify the farmers that are producing the crops and put them up online,” said Kittredge. “Who are the farmers? What crops are they producing? The second step is to coordinate more closely with the consumer organizations that already have active constituencies looking for high-quality produce, and we start writing articles for the journals of those consumer organizations.” Of course a website is going to be key to the entire activity, and a new website— www.realfoodcampaign.org—is now up and running. As active farmers are identified, they are added to the website. “Then it’s just basically a push and pull, back and forth,” continued Kittredge. “First you need to get the food available; then you get the consumers asking for the food; and by then you’ve identified all the consultants who 14 o r g a n i c c o n n e c t i o n s

can work with the farmers so that the farmers are hearing about it and inquiring about it. Then, in addition, we begin reaching out to retailers. I’ve been working with some Whole Foods Market stores here in Massachusetts who are very interested, and Mark Nakata has been working with Trader Joe’s and a couple other stores out on the West Coast and in the Midwest. “Basically the model is symbiotic,” Kittredge concluded. “We’re trying to work on mutual empowerment principles, so that it’s in the interest of the farmers to be producing better yields and higher-quality crops that they can receive a higher price for, it’s in the interest of the consumers to be eating a tastier food that will actually help their bodies fight diseases, if not just make them feel better, and it’s in the interest of retailers to have a premium-quality product that they can draw consumers in with. So, we’re just trying to find how it is in the interest of various constituencies and to kick-start a complete vertical integrated food supply chain. You need the farmers; you need the consumers; you need the

consultants who can educate the farmers; you need the labs with the soil test to analyze the soil; you need the wholesalers and the retailers to be moving the food into the supply chain. And so we’re basically trying to coordinate these different groups.” Find Out More

Of course, consumers are going to be the final beneficiaries and the end-users for the entire system, and there is much you can do as an end-user to create the demand that will eventually pull real food down through the supply chain to your local outlet. To find out what you can do, including how you can contribute to the Real Food Campaign, please visit www.realfoodcampaign.org. For a link to buy Dr. Andersen’s book Real Medicine, Real Health, visit www.organicconnectmag.com.

(Source: SPINS data 2008)

n All of us need nutritional magnesium every day. n Four out of five people don’t get their minimum daily requirement of magnesium. n Calcium intake needs to be balanced with magnesium in order to be assimilated. n Magnesium is part of over 300 biochemical processes in the body, such as muscular contraction and monitoring of heart rate and blood pressure. n Magnesium supports heart health, bone health, energy production and storage, women’s health, men’s health, athletic performance and stress management.

Natural Calm ® is available through major distributors or from Peter Gillham’s Natural Vitality: 800.446.7462. For more product information, visit www.petergillham.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.