Is anyone in your life touched by autism? I have several friends with children on the spectrum and, while not having or seeking a diagnosis, I suspect one of my children could ever so slightly be one of them as well. There are so many varying degrees of autism. You can not tell an autistic child by looks alone. Some are high functioning and some require a lot of help.

I regret not getting this post written earlier, but it’s not too late. Today is “Light It Up Blue” Day. Wear blue today if you can. If you can, turn on a blue light tonight. Light It Up Blue is in it’s third year of showing support for Autism Awareness. So many people are unaware, let’s work to spread awareness this year so it can be even bigger next year.

Most importantly this month, take some time to educate yourself about Autism. Be compassionate. These kids (and parents) deserve it. Autism Speaks is a great place to learn more about something that affects so many.

I read this article, Recover from ADD, ADHD and depression without drugs, on Natural News by Allison Biggar today and I have to say I completely agree! Going gluten free has done wonders for me in so many ways.

I was just commenting to a friend of mine recently about one of my sons. Seven years ago, I didn’t know what to do with him and I actually took him in for an ADD diagnosis. Fortunately, the doctor got busy and never completed the evaluation and I got caught up in homeschooling and decided not to proceed. Recently, we moved from a moldy home to a completely new state and this particular child has made more effort to be completely gluten free. I’ve noticed that he has completely changed. His school work is getting done without me standing over him, yay for staying on task! He seems happier for the most part, though still has his days. I am anxious to see how well he does after a year or two off gluten.

We don’t eat out much and when we do, I only require two of my children to eat gluten free since the other two haven’t shown signs of gluten intolerance. However, that will be changing. This article backs up what I’ve been saying for a few weeks now. Gluten really affects brain function. My intentions are to keep my kiddos gluten free at all times now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9cSPearFDU

This documentary examines big companies (Nestle, Pepsi and Coca~Cola) and how they get that wonderful, “healthy” water they sell. Did you know they move into communities and drain them of their water supply just to turn around and sell it right back to them? The film also touches on the plastic bottles themselves and the BPA and other things used to make them.

Now, I’m not totally against bottled water. It does have it’s place in the world. We mostly use our Klean Kanteens and Siggs, but there are often times we don’t pack quite enough to last through the day and I’ve had to pop into a store to pick up more water. But, bottled water isn’t something you should be buying regularly and carting with you on each and every outting. Just invest in a good reusable bottle and you’re good to go in most situations.

You can watch Tapped streaming on Netflix or purchase the DVD from various places. At the very least, check out this trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72MCumz5lq4

(CBS News)

Gluten-free food has become popular and profitable — but sometimes products labeled “gluten free” — aren’t.

Now, the Food and Drug Administration is preparing strict new standards – and that’s a relief for people who are allergic to gluten.

CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reported Jennifer Shannon is a careful shopper, double-checking labels to make sure the food she is buying is gluten-free.

Shannon told CBS News, “If a company is going to sell me a product based on the fact that it’s gluten-free, I think they should be held accountable for it.”

Shannon has celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, which is a protein found in common grains like wheat, rye and barley. About three million Americans now suffer from this disease, which can have a wide array of symptoms, such as bloating, constipation, problems digesting food, numbing feeling in the extremities, and for some sufferers a rash.

Right now, the gluten-free label on the products is not regulated — something the FDA is looking to change by establishing a tough new standard for labeling foods as gluten-free.

Gluten-free products have gone mainstream and are big business, ringing up $2.6 billion in sales – up 30 percent in the last five years. Kelloggs’ new gluten-free Rice Krispies is now a top seller.

Some celebrities are even advocating a gluten-free diet for health benefits alone. But not all doctors are on board.

Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, told CBS News, “A gluten-free diet is not necessarily a healthy diet. People who are on a gluten free diet for an extended period can become iron-deficient and B Vitamin deficient.”

But for celiac patients like Jennifer Shannon, a gluten-free diet is the only treatment she has.

Shannon said, “Gluten-free food is the only medicine for celiac. It’s the only thing available and it’s a cure essentially. It’s how you heal yourself through eating and so knowledge of what’s in the food you’re eating is very important.”

The new standard, “Early Show” co-anchor Erica Hill noted, matches the one already in place in Europe. It’s expected to take effect early next year.

Seriously. People have allergies. If you create a product, you need to disclose all ingredients used in your product. Easy. I don’t want your formula, I don’t want your recipe. I don’t care how much of something you use, I just want to know what’s in your product. Proprietary information or not, I need to know. Instead of being so secretive about what you use, why not be open and help people out. Personally, I’m looking for avoid gluten and lavender, but there are people that need to avoid far more than just two things. Sadly, lavender is in many, many things and disclosed in only a handful. Wouldn’t you rather I know to avoid a certain product of yours than to use it, have a reaction, get angry and boycott your entire product line? Do you really want to lose (or miss out on gaining) a customer over proprietary information?

Just release a gluten free list on your website, then for each product make sure you post an ingredient list. One that does not simply state “essential oils” or “fragrance”. That does not help at all. Requiring your potential customer to inquire about each individual product is time consuming and frustrating. Sure, I can send you an email about one product, but what if I decide next month I want to try something else. I have to spend another week+ emailing you trying to find out if it’s safe for me.

So, how is it okay for a company to just list proprietary ingredients? Why are they not forced to list everything?

Quite an interesting combination, no?! I thought it’d be nice to document my company inquiries here for others.

My kids love their Quaker instant oatmeal in the morning. Last week, I actually wanted to join them, but then thought better of it. I made the right decision. I contacted Quaker to ask about the gluten status of their oats. Oats are such a sticky situation for those with Celiac. While they don’t contain gluten themselves, oats are often grown near, harvested alongside and stored with other gluten containing grains. Some can tolerate it and some can not. Here’s the reply from Quaker:

Thanks for your inquiry about gluten free products. While we don’t maintain a list, I’m happy to provide current information about Quaker Instant Oatmeal, as well as other Quaker products, and gluten.

Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee Quaker Instant Oatmeals, or any of our other grain products are gluten free. Even when gluten is not present in any of the ingredients, the grains in our products could be grown, harvested, or stored with other gluten-containing grains and thus may contain trace amounts of gluten from those other grains. We understand many individuals sensitive to gluten can’t tolerate even small amounts.

However, you may be interested to know that we’ve just introduced gluten free Quaker Large Rice Cakes. You can identify if the Quaker Large Rice Cakes are gluten free by looking on the package; there will be a “gluten free” label located just above the Nutritional Facts panel.

There are seven tasty flavors of Quaker Large Rice Cakes available, including: Apple Cinnamon, Butter Popcorn, Caramel Corn, Chocolate, Lightly Salted, Unsalted, and White Cheddar. While the Rice Cake recipe hasn’t changed, all of the Quaker Large Rice Cakes labeled gluten free were tested to ensure they meet the proposed FDA standard for gluten free products. We strongly encourage you to look for the gluten free label before purchasing any product and consult a health professional for any dietary questions.

I also recently injured my back. In seeking relief, I decided to try Tiger Balm Red. That stuff is great! Almost instant relief that lasted a few hours. After a few days, I ended up with a terrible contact reaction. From what I could tell of the ingredients, which I read before buying, Tiger Balm did not contain gluten or lavender, my other allergen. But, I decided to contact the company just to make sure.

Tiger Balm Red contains camphor, menthol, cajuput oil, mint oil, clove oil and cassia oil. It is gluten/lavender-free.

Looks like I need to add something else to my allergen list. I’m pretty sure I’m fine with clove. I believe cajuput and cassia are possible irritants. One day I’ll get it figured out.

So why don’t fast food burgers and fries decompose in the first place? The knee-jerk answer is often thought to be, “Well they must be made with so many chemicals that even mold won’t eat them.” While that’s part of the answer, it’s not the whole story.

via Why McDonald’s Happy Meal hamburgers won’t decompose – the real story behind the story.

What are GMOs? GMOs are genetically modified organisms. It’s like taking part of one thing and combining it with another item. Kind of like forced crossbreading. Are GMOs safe for you? Not at all. I’m of the mind that if it occurs naturally, it’s worth taking a look at, but if it was created, there are most likely consequences. Science has a place, don’t get me wrong, but not when it comes to food.

“According to the USDA, in 2009, 93% of soy, 93% of cotton, and 86% of corn grown in the U.S. were GMO. It is estimated that over 90% of canola grown is GMO, and there are also commercially produced GM varieties of sugar beets, squash and Hawaiian Papaya. As a result, it is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 80% of packaged products in the average U.S. or Canadian grocery store.” (nongmoproject.org)

Beginning this month, you will see “Non-GMO Project Verified” labels hitting store shelves. Support those that do not use GMO ingredients by purchasing their products. Let it be known that you do not support GMO! Get the Facebook App and helpt to educate others. GMO has got to go!

And so goes HFCS. With all the bad news and the movements to eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup, the Corn Refiners Association had to do something. Enter Corn Sugar. They have applied for permission from the federal government to use the new name on food labels. While the decision could take two years, the term is being used now.

I admit, they got me! Before I had read the news on this new change, I remember being in the store and picking up something to read the label. I said to myself, “Well, at least it’s corn sugar and not hfcs.”

Beware while you’re out shopping and add “Corn Sugar” next to “HFCS” on your Ingredient to Avoid list.