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Is "Natural" Naturally Good?

If you can read this post, you are probably not immune to all the labels and signs in the Agribusiness world using "Natural" to elude you into purchasing a food product. In fact we see it on processed foods, drinks and even our meats. One of my favorites is orange juice, "100% Natural Orange Juice" then in small print underneath that is states "from concentrate" and of course natural flavors. Besides, who cares about that? God forbid if don't taste good right? But lets get back to the meat, If you have ever eaten at Chipotle, you will notice a huge sign displaying "we use naturally raised meat." So what does that mean really? Do they define Natural by my natural standards or theirs? Of course whats natural for business is ultimately profit but does the word "Natural" make you feel comfortable about eating it? These are questions I ask my friends and clients occasionally and the responses are interesting. Quite frankly, I get cautious whenever I see "Natural" or "Naturally" on something Im considering putting into my body. Natural flavors are simply additives put in food to prolong the life and add flavor for your buds which is all bad for our bodies. But what about meat? Just like most processed foods, packaged meats will indicate if it was Naturally raised but what about our livestock and meats that are served in food chains? Well, this was a last minute law passed just prior to the current administration last year.

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2009 -- The U. S. Department of Agriculture today issued a voluntary standard for naturally raised livestock and meat marketing claims. The standard will be published as a notice in the Federal Register and is titled “United States Standards for Livestock and Meat Marketing Claims, Naturally Raised Claim for Livestock and the Meat and Meat Products Derived from such Livestock.”

The naturally raised marketing claim standard states that livestock used for the production of meat and meat products have been raised entirely without growth promotants, antibiotics (except for ionophores used as coccidiostats for parasite control), and have never been fed animal by-products. Via USDA



That sounds good right? The question is what can be introduced into meat under these new laws and the answer is GMO Genetically Modified Organisms. This immediately led to a complaint from the Consumers Union.


"This regulation will allow an animal that has come from a cloned or genetically engineered stock, was physically altered, raised in confinement without ever seeing the light of day or green of pasture, in poor hygiene conditions with a diet laced in pesticides to be labeled as ‘naturally raised.’ This falls significantly short of consumer expectations and only adds to the roster of misleading label claims approved by USDA for so-called natural meat," said Dr. Urvashi Rangan, Senior Scientist and Policy Analyst at Consumers Union. "These last minute rules for the 'naturally-raised' label on meat practically invite agribusiness to greenwash their products and rip off consumers" stated Patty Lovera, assistant director for consumer group Food & Water Watch. "Until these standards are revised, consumers will have to navigate another set of misleading labels at the grocery store." Via CU





We all have a hard time as it is eating healthy and staying in budget. The purpose of this post was to enlighten everyone on seeing beyond the label and stop and think the next time you see "Natural" and never assume Natural is synonymous to Good. Take care everyone and stay healthy and fit!

Paleo In a Nutshell

Bone Marrow: Delicious, Nutritious and Underappreciated | Mark's Daily Apple

Bone Marrow: Delicious, Nutritious and Underappreciated | Mark's Daily Apple

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I WAS ONCE THERE BEFORE....

Oh yeah I was once there before. This picture is me and Leilani at the San Diego Zoo just before her 1st birthday. I was just over 250 lbs and I keep this picture to show clients and friends that I was there as well. Although I jogged 25+ miles a week, sometimes with my daughter in this "IronMan" stroller, I was still a mess inside and out. We all hit a point in our life where we want to get in shape, tone up, lose this, lose that or even gain muscle. The problem in the end always leads to purpose and without it, the fire can fade quite rapidly. My philosophy is to educate a person more on how to master the art of mind and body control. This may seem simple and straightforward but until a person has full control over their mind and body, this world of fitness can be a heartbroken failure.


Your body wants to be in optimum shape and excellent health. But we tend to view it only from the outside. Thus, plastic surgery, lap band etc. The moment you respect your body and learn to listen to it, the sooner you will become your body's landlord and not just a tenant.

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