For those of you that are unfamiliar with Bill C-51, it is a new bill that has been under hot debate for the past year because it deals with Natural Health Products (NHP's) and pharmaceuticals. I researched both sides and I present to you, Pt. 1 of a two part look into Bill C-51, what it is about, what the arguments are on both sides and how it can effect us all in the long run....
The Bill that caused a thousand arguments has been tabled for the time being as Ontario residents gear up for an election, but that doesn’t mean that the big bad Bill has been put out to pasture. The issues with Bill C-51 are two-fold, in this article we will discuss the increased regulation of natural health products (NHP) and what this could mean for you. In part two, we’ll look at the pharmaceutical issues connected with Bill C-51 and how that ties our health care breakdown together, but let’s start with vitamins….
Bill C-51 seems to be a hot button topic in the GTA, and why not, a proposed Bill that limits our ability to both purchase and store natural health products? That seems crazy when you consider an NHP can be anything from a vitamin C tablet to ground up mushrooms from the rainforest. Before touting the advantages of natural health products over pharmaceuticals, let’s consider the first fundamental issue with Bill C-51, the language.
The language of the Bill seems to make these debates more heated because, as many government documents tend to be, it is vague and leaves a lot of important issues open to interpretation. For example, on page 14 of this 62 page monster, under section 15.1 (4) the Bill states
“…The Minister may, by order, designate a therapeutic product-either individually or by class-as a prescription therapeutic product..”
Here is what appears to be a simple sentence, giving the Minister the ability to label anything previously considered an NHP as a prescriptive NHP, and thus severely limiting the average person’s access to the product. The language is much too vague and gives this illustrious ‘Minister’ what appears to be complete power to designate prescriptions. There is no mention of required scientific research to support such a change in status, nor is there any committee or group that needs to be consulted. This makes many people nervous, especially when you consider the individuals who are being handed this power. Take a look at Tony Clement, our Health Minister and you might see what can cause these concerns. The individuals in power do not generally look like the healthiest people. Take Mr. Clement, pretty soft in the middle, carrying a little extra weight in that oh-so dangerous ‘spare tire’ area . For a man who is supposed to be concerned with the health of every Canadian, he looks remarkably unhealthy.
So, we have just agreed, through the vague language of Bill C-51, to allow an individual, perhaps someone who has never taken an NHP, to decide which NHPs should be available over the counter and which should be prescription only. One of the supplements you can look forward to asking your GP to prescribe is St. John’s Wort, a mild and natural mood enhancer that has been used for centuries as a solution to depression and anxiety. How many doctors do you think will be handing out prescriptions for St. John’s Wort when Zoloft and Prozac keep dropping off trunk loads of samples?
The imprecise language is prevalent throughout the Bill with vague references that allow for great things like free reign search and seizure perpetrated by an inspector who can be chosen, just like the Minister, from a pool of individuals with no previous experience with NHPs. This inspector can;
(pg 24. Section 23.1)
“Enter a place, including a conveyance and
(2) examine or test anything
(2b.) open a receptacle or package
( c ) examine a document
( d ) seize and detain for any time that may be necessary.”
The inspector has the ability to do all of these things without a warrant or member of law enforcement present. That seems like that have more ability to seize and detain than our anti-terrorism laws and regulations allow. Odd, last time I checked, Canada has never seen a loss of life from NHPs.
Let’s move away from the language, otherwise we will be here until after the American election, let’s just suffice it to say that the authority granted to inspectors and ministers under Bill C-51 makes me very nervous, and I have always been a law abiding citizen. Onward and upward, let’s look at some of the reasons why this bill may have been introduced in the first place and examine those motives.
John Biggs of the Edmonton Journal mentions a study conducted by Health Canada in 2004, shortly after the initial Food and Drug Act began to include NHP’s. In this study, Health Canada polled Canadians coast to coast to find out what concerned them most about the Food and Drug Act and what they would like to see amended/included. Overwhelmingly, the polls came back telling Health Canada that Canadians wanted easier access to NHPs and a basic regulation system to ensure that pharmaceuticals being brought into the country were sufficiently tested before finding their way to the marketplace. What Canadians ended up with, was the beginning of NHPR, natural health product regulations.
The NHPR were supposed to create a safety net for Health Canada, allowing them to eliminate dangerous products quickly and efficiently. What we ended up with was a jumble of information, exaggerated on both ends by alarmists who didn’t want change. The hard science group was alarmed that NHPs were being given the same consideration and respect that had been reserved exclusively for pharmaceuticals until recently. Those who supported NHPs were worried that increased regulations would make it harder to find NHPs and also increase the current price point. In an effort to appease both sides of the issue, Heath Canada created a new blanket term, ‘therapeutic products’ that can cover both NHPs and drugs.
Our quick history lesson takes us up to the inception of Bill C-51 that continues to keep both categories under the ‘therapeutic products’ umbrella. Strangely enough, this Bill has done the exact opposite of what Canadians asked for 4 years ago. Now, NHPs can be denied access to Canada, even products that have been sold in Canada for decades can be re-assessed and denied entrance. The cost of licensing and testing to sell an NHP in Canada has gone up exponentially and although the government consistently tells us the cost of NHPs will not increase due to Bill C-51, how can any consumer in their right mind assume that an increase in cost to sell in Canada will not be reflected in the retail price. On top of all that, by classifying drugs as ‘therapeutic products’ the Bill has made provisions for new and exciting drugs to flood the market place with very little research to back up it’s claims.
I think perhaps the most frustrating part of researching Bill C-51 is the complete lack of acknowledgement that the government seems to have initially given the Canadian people. After checking the Government of Ontario’s health website, www.healthycanadians.ca, I was angered by their assumptions. The FAQ page for Bill C-51 made statements like;
“ NHPs will NOT be regulated like pharmaceuticals.
Bill C-51 will NOT increase the cost of NHPs
Bill C-51 will NOT regulate the growing of personal herb gardens.
Bill C-51 will NOT target practitioners.
Bill C-51 will NOT require all individuals to obtain a prescription for NHPs”
They make these statements just as I have written them, with capital letters and a simplicity that implies we are too simple to understand the language of the Bill. If NHPs aren’t meant to be regulated like pharmaceuticals, then why are they placed in the same category and treated the same in the document? In fact, you created a brand new blanket term to include NHPs and drugs. Seems an odd move if you don’t want to treat them the same.
Bill C-51 WILL in fact raise the cost of NHPs. How can anyone with any concept of money disagree? Bill C-51 requires more documentation, more scientific trials and more intense licensing programs. When the companies suddenly have to spend more to get the same amount of product sold in Canada, where do you think the increase expenditure will be placed? On the retail cost of course! On top of all that, now all stores/locations that sell NHPs will also have to go through a more stringent licensing process, which costs them more money and thus, will increase their mark-up on such products.
Bill C-51 MIGHT regulate your herb garden. After researching this topic, this is one of the topics batted back and forth most frequently because it seems very unreasonable. Most politicians say that such paranoia is absurd, but answer me this; If you don’t want to regulate my herb garden, why allow for language that makes that a possibility? Don’t you want to protect your citizens? Once this Bill is in place, any desired changes are a major issue, involving appeals and amendments. Perhaps today the government doesn’t want to peek into your vegetable garden, but ten or twenty years down the road, if that Bill makes it legal, who’s to say what will be happening?
If you don’t want to regulate private gardens and self-sustainability, then clarify the language.
The same point can be made for the final two statements. Our government’s official stance is that they do NOT target practitioners and will NOT require prescriptions for general NHPs but again, if they don’t want the power, then change the language. As it currently sits, even if the government doesn’t exercise the authority now, it still exists and can be exercised at any time in the future, so just relieve our minds, and adjust the language, give us back our piece of mind and our privacy, not to mention our vitamins and herbs.
A few amendments have been proposed to Bill C-51, and unfortunately, the majority of the C-51 fighters do not bother to stay current with the positive changes, I suppose, similar to the pharmaceutical warriors, anything that doesn’t make their point, breaks their point. The new amendments would give NHP’s their own category apart from food and drugs, which honestly, would probably solve many of the problems with the Bill hopefully loosening the restrictions slightly on NHPs and tightening them for drugs. The amendments would also potentially acknowledge traditional and cultural uses of NHPs. Finally, the amendment would include wording to regulate the inspector’s abilities to search and seize, giving Canadians back their piece of mind. If these amendments pass after the election, many of the arguments should subside and Canadians can focus on the next hot button topic, because let’s be honest, there will always be one of those.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Weather Outside is Frightful!
Ahhh, autumn, such a beautiful season and yet a prelude, for many, to a winter spent enduring months of cold symptoms ranging from a stuffy nose to a hacking cough. Well, never fear because there are a number of natural remedies that you can start using now to help ward off those germs.
The first step to staying healthy in any season is a strong and healthy immune system, and no, that does not mean carrying around a month’s supply of Purell. In order for your body to build an immune system, your body must be exposed to germs, if you avoid them like the plague, when that little cold bug hits, it will hit you like a typhoon!
So stop slathering yourself in alcohol and let’s talk turkey about immune boosting options;
1. Everyone’s favourite, Echinacea! So let’s be honest, we all pretend that we take this magic little herb all year round, but the full shelves at the Health Shoppe belie our words, so let’s get honest. Forget the past and start popping some Echinacea in whatever form you feel comfortable. I recommend anywhere from 900mg to 3gm/day, starting with around 900-100mg and slowly increasing your dosage. Studies in Canada have found that taking Echinacea can cut your risk of catching a cold by more than half and can cut the duration of a cold by 1.4 days. So start enjoying this wonderful herb, pop a pill, take a tincture or add some drops to your tea, however you take it, take it now!
2. Vitamin C! Vitamin C has been a staple for years, even those Flintstone chewable vitamins from when I was a kid advertised Vitamin C! What you may not know is that Vitamin C is actually Echinacea’s partner in crime. When Vitamin C and Echinacea were taken together, studies shows that they can cut your chances of catching a cold virus by 86%! That is incredible.
Vitamin C does a ton of other great things for your body and mind, so grab a Vitamin C supplement or choose a multi vitamin that gets you at least 1000 mg in each pill. The average person, man woman or child, should be getting at least 3000mg of Vitamin C every day. There is a fair amount of Vitamin C in the foods we eat, so start with around 1000mg and see how much better you feel…. In fact, I’m pretty sure they still make adult chewable vitamins, so check out your health shop for some tasty and healthful options.
3. Have a Cup-O-Tea - I know on those cold mornings you are tempted to reach for that extra cup of cappuccino or non-fat Latte, but beware, caffeine can negatively effect your immune system. Caffeine stresses the adrenal glands that sit near your kidneys, the cold weather adds stress to your kidneys as it is, making you more sluggish. Add in the stress of caffeine and you are begging your immune system to let a little virus through the dront door.
Instead of your regular cup-o-joe, try an herbal tea, or a nettle tea! The warmth will seep into your body and help you energize for the day, and you’ll also reap the benefits that tea always brings, antioxidants etc.
4. Tingly Throat, Swish with Sea Salt Water - How many times have you gone to bed with a tickle, knowing you will awaken to a full blown cold? Well, nip it in the bud now. When you first feel that tingle, grab a glass of filtered water (Brita type filters are great) and throw in some sea salt. I usually make a pile in my palm about the size of a quarter and throw it in. Sea Salt is the best option for many reasons; first, table salt is the bad stuff that clogs your arteries and often has MSG. Sea Salt has none of those bad qualities, and on top of that, is also a natural option without any chemical concerns. Moreover, sea salts are LOADED with minerals from, well, the sea! Most larger grocery store now carry a large variety of sea salts, all harvested from a natural salt deposit or sea salt farm.
Take a mouthful of the salt water at a time and swish or gargle concentrating on the tingle spot. Try and keep each mouthful in your mouth, gargling for 20-30 seconds. Repeat 2-8 times until you can feel the tingle diminish slightly. The tingle won’t go away entirely right away, but when you wake up in the morning, should be all gone.
5. Eat some Mushrooms! These are immune super boosters, kind of like virus crime fighters. Mushrooms super charge your blood with disease fighting white blood cells, making any virus shake in it’s viral boots! I love mushrooms in soups and stews in the winter, they can often be used as a meat substitute. You can throw them in salads, in casseroles, sauces any just about anything you can imagine. There are also great medicinal mushrooms that you can get dried or tincture form such as Changa, Reishi, Cordyceps and many others. Add those to drinks, shakes or take them alone. Not only are mushrooms great immune boosters, but they also taste great, so grab a paper bag and get picking.
6. Take a Breathe - This means something different for everyone, but take time for yourself. Take a yoga class, grab a head massage or find a quiet moment to meditate in your office. Your immune system can be directly linked to your stress and cortisone levels. This is a similar link as stress and cortisone levels to weight loss and retention.
You may call if hooey, but humour yourself and even if you don’t feel your stuffy nos clear up, you won’t be able to say that you don’t feel better on some level.
Taking a moment to breathe properly, focus attention inward and allow your body and mind to quiet, can be all you need to finally ditch that bug that has been plaguing you.
Get warm and fuzzy and just be, your body will take care of itself if you allow it to, so step back, breath deep and just chill….
So there you have it, some great, natural and cheap ways to help keep yourself virus free as the weather gets colder and the winds get stronger. Stay tuned for my next segment, simple remedies for when your friends and family (who didn’t read this article) get sick. Lots of simple little ways to make yourself and your family more comfortable when the sniffles finally battle past those white blood cells.
Until then, stay healthy, happy and connected!
The first step to staying healthy in any season is a strong and healthy immune system, and no, that does not mean carrying around a month’s supply of Purell. In order for your body to build an immune system, your body must be exposed to germs, if you avoid them like the plague, when that little cold bug hits, it will hit you like a typhoon!
So stop slathering yourself in alcohol and let’s talk turkey about immune boosting options;
1. Everyone’s favourite, Echinacea! So let’s be honest, we all pretend that we take this magic little herb all year round, but the full shelves at the Health Shoppe belie our words, so let’s get honest. Forget the past and start popping some Echinacea in whatever form you feel comfortable. I recommend anywhere from 900mg to 3gm/day, starting with around 900-100mg and slowly increasing your dosage. Studies in Canada have found that taking Echinacea can cut your risk of catching a cold by more than half and can cut the duration of a cold by 1.4 days. So start enjoying this wonderful herb, pop a pill, take a tincture or add some drops to your tea, however you take it, take it now!
2. Vitamin C! Vitamin C has been a staple for years, even those Flintstone chewable vitamins from when I was a kid advertised Vitamin C! What you may not know is that Vitamin C is actually Echinacea’s partner in crime. When Vitamin C and Echinacea were taken together, studies shows that they can cut your chances of catching a cold virus by 86%! That is incredible.
Vitamin C does a ton of other great things for your body and mind, so grab a Vitamin C supplement or choose a multi vitamin that gets you at least 1000 mg in each pill. The average person, man woman or child, should be getting at least 3000mg of Vitamin C every day. There is a fair amount of Vitamin C in the foods we eat, so start with around 1000mg and see how much better you feel…. In fact, I’m pretty sure they still make adult chewable vitamins, so check out your health shop for some tasty and healthful options.
3. Have a Cup-O-Tea - I know on those cold mornings you are tempted to reach for that extra cup of cappuccino or non-fat Latte, but beware, caffeine can negatively effect your immune system. Caffeine stresses the adrenal glands that sit near your kidneys, the cold weather adds stress to your kidneys as it is, making you more sluggish. Add in the stress of caffeine and you are begging your immune system to let a little virus through the dront door.
Instead of your regular cup-o-joe, try an herbal tea, or a nettle tea! The warmth will seep into your body and help you energize for the day, and you’ll also reap the benefits that tea always brings, antioxidants etc.
4. Tingly Throat, Swish with Sea Salt Water - How many times have you gone to bed with a tickle, knowing you will awaken to a full blown cold? Well, nip it in the bud now. When you first feel that tingle, grab a glass of filtered water (Brita type filters are great) and throw in some sea salt. I usually make a pile in my palm about the size of a quarter and throw it in. Sea Salt is the best option for many reasons; first, table salt is the bad stuff that clogs your arteries and often has MSG. Sea Salt has none of those bad qualities, and on top of that, is also a natural option without any chemical concerns. Moreover, sea salts are LOADED with minerals from, well, the sea! Most larger grocery store now carry a large variety of sea salts, all harvested from a natural salt deposit or sea salt farm.
Take a mouthful of the salt water at a time and swish or gargle concentrating on the tingle spot. Try and keep each mouthful in your mouth, gargling for 20-30 seconds. Repeat 2-8 times until you can feel the tingle diminish slightly. The tingle won’t go away entirely right away, but when you wake up in the morning, should be all gone.
5. Eat some Mushrooms! These are immune super boosters, kind of like virus crime fighters. Mushrooms super charge your blood with disease fighting white blood cells, making any virus shake in it’s viral boots! I love mushrooms in soups and stews in the winter, they can often be used as a meat substitute. You can throw them in salads, in casseroles, sauces any just about anything you can imagine. There are also great medicinal mushrooms that you can get dried or tincture form such as Changa, Reishi, Cordyceps and many others. Add those to drinks, shakes or take them alone. Not only are mushrooms great immune boosters, but they also taste great, so grab a paper bag and get picking.
6. Take a Breathe - This means something different for everyone, but take time for yourself. Take a yoga class, grab a head massage or find a quiet moment to meditate in your office. Your immune system can be directly linked to your stress and cortisone levels. This is a similar link as stress and cortisone levels to weight loss and retention.
You may call if hooey, but humour yourself and even if you don’t feel your stuffy nos clear up, you won’t be able to say that you don’t feel better on some level.
Taking a moment to breathe properly, focus attention inward and allow your body and mind to quiet, can be all you need to finally ditch that bug that has been plaguing you.
Get warm and fuzzy and just be, your body will take care of itself if you allow it to, so step back, breath deep and just chill….
So there you have it, some great, natural and cheap ways to help keep yourself virus free as the weather gets colder and the winds get stronger. Stay tuned for my next segment, simple remedies for when your friends and family (who didn’t read this article) get sick. Lots of simple little ways to make yourself and your family more comfortable when the sniffles finally battle past those white blood cells.
Until then, stay healthy, happy and connected!
Friday, September 19, 2008
GRAND OPENING!!
Quickie today...just announcing the GRAND OPENING of ............
THE BODY TEMPLE
High Performance Personal Training Studio
When: Sat. Sept. 27th, 2008
Where: The Body Temple
3287A Yonge St
Toronto ON
M4N 2L8
Time: 12pm-6pm
Come and drop in anytime between 12pm-6pm and sneek a peek inside one of the most unique and exciting training studios in the city. Taste some delicious super food goodies and even a healthy, raw food shake. Meet the owners and the trainers.
Demonstrations happening all day, introductory packages available during this special event.
Come and check out an adult playground designed specifically to kick your butt in fun, challenging and unique ways.
See you there!
Friday, August 15, 2008
THE BODY TEMPLE
Dun duh duh dun.........THE BODY TEMPLE has finally arrived!
The culmination of all of my research, studying and hard work has finally materialized, THE BODY TEMPLE, High Performance Personal Training Studio and Holistic Nutrition Counseling space is now open for business at
3287A Yonge St just north of the Lawrence subway station.
This blog has been a great place for me to sort my thoughts as we drew ever closer to opening THE BODY TEMPLE and I look forward to continuing this journey and these blog entries as the business grows.
My husband, Jon and I are are the sole proprietors but have brought in some of the most talented and highly touted fitness professionals in Toronto to teach our clients privately for a very reasonable fee. The pros include Christine Felstead, who is the creator and teacher of Yoga for Runners. We also have a number of well rounded trainers and instructors to offer everything a person could ever want in personal training and development.
SO, without further ado, I introduce you to the new owners and operators of THE BODY TEMPLE. Check out our website for more pictures and details.
Cheers
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Mrs. Kellett's First Post
Well hello!
So, as I am sure you have noticed, I haven' t written in over a month and for once in my life, I have a reasonable excuse...I was getting married! (see pic)
So, after an extended absence, I am now promising to write more frequently.
A few exciting pieces of news to pass on; my husband and I have officially registered our new fitness studio, THE BODY TEMPLE!
Let's go ahead and call a spade a spade, this entry is pure and shameless self promotion, but if I don't do it, who will right?
So here is a great example of what you can do when you work for it and focus on the positive.
2 years ago, the idea for this space was born, a large membership type gym that was the brainchild of myself, my husband and our great and talented friend, Adam.
2 years later, the idea has mutated and changed dramatically, but the day when THE BODY TEMPLE finally opens it's doors for business fast approaches.
There have been a number of people who have supported us and our idea from the beginning and to those people, I say THANK YOU!
But I also want to thank those people who were skeptical and unsure because those are the people who helped us to refine the idea to a point where it is a truly viable and potentially successful business plan. Without the nay-sayers to make us rethink again and again, we may have gone through the entire process AFTER we invested money and time and when it was much more difficult to make drastic changes to our initial business model.
The important thing was that through every step of the process, every change, every negative person and comment, we both stayed true to the reasons that we wanted the gym and those reasons are what led us to finally settle on a personal training facility and holistic health and fitness co-op.
Thank you to all of you...we are very excited to open ur doors.
I will post contact info as well as the website once everything is up and running.
I've been researching some very interesting topics recently and will have some great posts for you in the future.
I will be accountable to you, my readers (even if it is only me and Jon's mom! ;)
I vow to post bi-weekly from now on...so holler at me if I miss!
CHeers
Alayna KELLETT!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Food or Fuel?
Hello Guys and Dolls,
Things in my world have been happening fast and furious lately and as a result, I am not free as often to muse and ruminate which are essential ingredients if I am going to write you an interesting entry. However, I am going to continue in my attempts to make time for writing….
Today, my thoughts have settled on the seemingly parallel issues of the rise in gas and food prices. It seems that every day we are hearing dire predictions associated with the rising prices of crude oil and staple foods like rice and corn. But what do those predictions mean for me, for you and for us, as aware consumers who are hopefully looking at the long term viability of our economy as well as our environment?
Let’s start with some of the factors contributing to the rising cost of food; gas prices are an integral part of the equation, however, these have been on the rise with the same list of sort-of explanations for years. I’ll focus on the new issues related to the inflation of food prices and we can see how the two run similar paths. In fact, one of the largest contributing factors to the price increase is the rising cost for transportation and energy required simply for manufacturing and transporting the food from the farm to the store. As gas prices rise, the more it costs to fill up that huge truck that carries thousands of pounds of corn from the field in the prairies to our store in Ontario.
Another factor is the emergence of a defined middle class in several Eastern countries, Asia and India for example. As Western influence has assaulted their way of life, the citizens of these countries work towards the ‘beaver cleaver’ middle class and expect to have a similar standard of living to the average (or perceived average) American family. This means that cultures that previously consumed very little fossil fuel and meat are now getting their very own Vespas and Big Macs. Obviously, this increases the demand across the board. Now, just to interject, although this may seem to have a negative effect on our lives, here in North America, I am not insinuating in any way that we should not be improving the standard of living around the world, however, we just need to begin to foresee these amazing strides forward and making plans to sustain both our quality of life as well as our quality of environment.
That being said, the fact that the US dollar has been performing so poorly is another factor that brings up the cost of our food. With the dollar dipping dangerously in the world market, smaller portions of food are being earmarked for North American sale and thus there is less supply available to the average consumer. The countries that control the largest percentage of the production (be it crude oil or grain) are going to sell the majority of the stock to the countries with stronger currency as that is more valuable to the vendors.
Another great environmental stride has begun to have a negative backlash in the grocery store, ethanol. The production of ethanol, an alternative fuel source created primarily from corn, now eats up almost one third of the entire corn production in America. Corn is also becoming a very valuable commodity and with it rise the stocks of the companies riding the wave of technology. As a result, companies that purchase corn for ethanol production and experimentation can afford to drive the prices higher than the average consumer because that allows them to have access to a larger surplus of corn. Again, I am not trying to point out the ‘profit-hungry’ ethanol producers, in fact I am 100% behind the exploration of alternative fuel sources, I am merely listing the many contributing factors that are going to make it painful to go to the grocery store this summer.
Continuing on the corn bandwagon, many soybean farmers have discovered that it is much more lucrative to grow corn, and lots of it, than it is to grow soybeans. As a result, soybeans, a very healthy and nutritious food eaten around the globe, are growing scarce. Strangely enough, these soybean farmers may end up kicking themselves in a year or so because if the soybean continues to lose out to it’s more popular friend, corn, we may have an endangered fauna on our hands (figuratively speaking of course) and they may find that their own actions drive the cost of soybeans and thus their own potential profit margin up, (or at least the profits of those still growing those delicious soybeans).
I’m going to throw some figures out there, just so you can see the exponential increase. Canadians haven’t been hit by the brunt of this storm yet as we are slightly sheltered by America, but give it a few months and unfortunately, I hear that our prices will begin to reflect these scary numbers;
From January 2007 until April 30th, 2008
Egg prices have increased by 25%
Dairy prices have increased by 13% (milk, yoghurt, cheese etc)
Poultry prices have increased by 7%
Corn prices have increased by 44%
Wheat prices have increased by 92%
92%!!!!!!!
That is crazy to me!
Another fun little fact, The Food Bank board sent out letters to be posted in every Food Bank across America stating that the Food Bank prices were going to increase by 20%!
Now, I have one final fun little tidbit that makes my stomach churn as a raw nutrition enthusiast, 60% of mothers polled in a middle class grocery store in the US admitted that their children were now primarily drinking soda because it is cheaper than milk. (Globe and Mail )
I think a puppy just died. That is possibly one of the saddest things I have ever heard (nutritionally). To think that we have gotten to a point where it is simply cheaper to poison ourselves than it is to live a healthy life….
I have a saying, a little metaphor if you will.
Treat your body like a premium, high performance vehicle, because that is what you want it to be, right? You want to look great, have strong, consistent performance (even if that performance is just getting out of bed and walking one foot ahead of the next to make it to work every day). You want your body to be a prime piece of work, or at least that seems to make sense, why would you want your body to be like a beater car?
Anyway, so your body is a premium car. If you had a high performance race car, maybe a Porsche or something else flashy, you would be putting premium fuel in that baby, wouldn’t you?
If the dealer told you to put premium in, you’d do it right? I mean who spends a half million dollars on a car and then puts in regular unleaded?
Well, think about your body like a car. Do you want to be putting in the bare minimum in order to get from home to the store or do you want your high performance machine to purr like a kitten? Food works the same way. Yeah, that Big Mac may fill you up at first and sure, calories can be calories, and yeah, why not, we can call that limp piece of lettuce on there your ‘vegetables’. But is it the premium stuff? If there was a fuel called ‘Big Mac’ or at least one that was reminiscent of those fast food ‘burgers’, would you want to put it in your shiny Jag or bitchin Porsche?
No?
Ahhhhh, so tell me, why would you put it in your body?
I went off the beaten track there for a moment, but let’s bring it all back. Food prices are going up, let’s all do our part and help local farmers and organic growers, but be realistic, for the time being, food prices are creeping higher. Gas prices are climbing. Sure, Hilary Clinton wants to give the US a tax break on gas, but is that a long term solution? No. So, again, let’s be realistic, we will all do our part, campaign for cleaner fuels, take public transit and carpool, but gas prices are going up. We don’t have any dinosaurs to make more oil, so eventually we are going to run out.
So here we are, both gas and food prices are climbing and I’m sitting here wondering, which machine will you fill with premium and which will get the old, Big Mac?
PS. I will be writing some tips for saving money, fuel and food that I find helpful when dealing with the conflicting worlds of media and common sense.
Things in my world have been happening fast and furious lately and as a result, I am not free as often to muse and ruminate which are essential ingredients if I am going to write you an interesting entry. However, I am going to continue in my attempts to make time for writing….
Today, my thoughts have settled on the seemingly parallel issues of the rise in gas and food prices. It seems that every day we are hearing dire predictions associated with the rising prices of crude oil and staple foods like rice and corn. But what do those predictions mean for me, for you and for us, as aware consumers who are hopefully looking at the long term viability of our economy as well as our environment?
Let’s start with some of the factors contributing to the rising cost of food; gas prices are an integral part of the equation, however, these have been on the rise with the same list of sort-of explanations for years. I’ll focus on the new issues related to the inflation of food prices and we can see how the two run similar paths. In fact, one of the largest contributing factors to the price increase is the rising cost for transportation and energy required simply for manufacturing and transporting the food from the farm to the store. As gas prices rise, the more it costs to fill up that huge truck that carries thousands of pounds of corn from the field in the prairies to our store in Ontario.
Another factor is the emergence of a defined middle class in several Eastern countries, Asia and India for example. As Western influence has assaulted their way of life, the citizens of these countries work towards the ‘beaver cleaver’ middle class and expect to have a similar standard of living to the average (or perceived average) American family. This means that cultures that previously consumed very little fossil fuel and meat are now getting their very own Vespas and Big Macs. Obviously, this increases the demand across the board. Now, just to interject, although this may seem to have a negative effect on our lives, here in North America, I am not insinuating in any way that we should not be improving the standard of living around the world, however, we just need to begin to foresee these amazing strides forward and making plans to sustain both our quality of life as well as our quality of environment.
That being said, the fact that the US dollar has been performing so poorly is another factor that brings up the cost of our food. With the dollar dipping dangerously in the world market, smaller portions of food are being earmarked for North American sale and thus there is less supply available to the average consumer. The countries that control the largest percentage of the production (be it crude oil or grain) are going to sell the majority of the stock to the countries with stronger currency as that is more valuable to the vendors.
Another great environmental stride has begun to have a negative backlash in the grocery store, ethanol. The production of ethanol, an alternative fuel source created primarily from corn, now eats up almost one third of the entire corn production in America. Corn is also becoming a very valuable commodity and with it rise the stocks of the companies riding the wave of technology. As a result, companies that purchase corn for ethanol production and experimentation can afford to drive the prices higher than the average consumer because that allows them to have access to a larger surplus of corn. Again, I am not trying to point out the ‘profit-hungry’ ethanol producers, in fact I am 100% behind the exploration of alternative fuel sources, I am merely listing the many contributing factors that are going to make it painful to go to the grocery store this summer.
Continuing on the corn bandwagon, many soybean farmers have discovered that it is much more lucrative to grow corn, and lots of it, than it is to grow soybeans. As a result, soybeans, a very healthy and nutritious food eaten around the globe, are growing scarce. Strangely enough, these soybean farmers may end up kicking themselves in a year or so because if the soybean continues to lose out to it’s more popular friend, corn, we may have an endangered fauna on our hands (figuratively speaking of course) and they may find that their own actions drive the cost of soybeans and thus their own potential profit margin up, (or at least the profits of those still growing those delicious soybeans).
I’m going to throw some figures out there, just so you can see the exponential increase. Canadians haven’t been hit by the brunt of this storm yet as we are slightly sheltered by America, but give it a few months and unfortunately, I hear that our prices will begin to reflect these scary numbers;
From January 2007 until April 30th, 2008
Egg prices have increased by 25%
Dairy prices have increased by 13% (milk, yoghurt, cheese etc)
Poultry prices have increased by 7%
Corn prices have increased by 44%
Wheat prices have increased by 92%
92%!!!!!!!
That is crazy to me!
Another fun little fact, The Food Bank board sent out letters to be posted in every Food Bank across America stating that the Food Bank prices were going to increase by 20%!
Now, I have one final fun little tidbit that makes my stomach churn as a raw nutrition enthusiast, 60% of mothers polled in a middle class grocery store in the US admitted that their children were now primarily drinking soda because it is cheaper than milk. (Globe and Mail )
I think a puppy just died. That is possibly one of the saddest things I have ever heard (nutritionally). To think that we have gotten to a point where it is simply cheaper to poison ourselves than it is to live a healthy life….
I have a saying, a little metaphor if you will.
Treat your body like a premium, high performance vehicle, because that is what you want it to be, right? You want to look great, have strong, consistent performance (even if that performance is just getting out of bed and walking one foot ahead of the next to make it to work every day). You want your body to be a prime piece of work, or at least that seems to make sense, why would you want your body to be like a beater car?
Anyway, so your body is a premium car. If you had a high performance race car, maybe a Porsche or something else flashy, you would be putting premium fuel in that baby, wouldn’t you?
If the dealer told you to put premium in, you’d do it right? I mean who spends a half million dollars on a car and then puts in regular unleaded?
Well, think about your body like a car. Do you want to be putting in the bare minimum in order to get from home to the store or do you want your high performance machine to purr like a kitten? Food works the same way. Yeah, that Big Mac may fill you up at first and sure, calories can be calories, and yeah, why not, we can call that limp piece of lettuce on there your ‘vegetables’. But is it the premium stuff? If there was a fuel called ‘Big Mac’ or at least one that was reminiscent of those fast food ‘burgers’, would you want to put it in your shiny Jag or bitchin Porsche?
No?
Ahhhhh, so tell me, why would you put it in your body?
I went off the beaten track there for a moment, but let’s bring it all back. Food prices are going up, let’s all do our part and help local farmers and organic growers, but be realistic, for the time being, food prices are creeping higher. Gas prices are climbing. Sure, Hilary Clinton wants to give the US a tax break on gas, but is that a long term solution? No. So, again, let’s be realistic, we will all do our part, campaign for cleaner fuels, take public transit and carpool, but gas prices are going up. We don’t have any dinosaurs to make more oil, so eventually we are going to run out.
So here we are, both gas and food prices are climbing and I’m sitting here wondering, which machine will you fill with premium and which will get the old, Big Mac?
PS. I will be writing some tips for saving money, fuel and food that I find helpful when dealing with the conflicting worlds of media and common sense.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Am I Crazy??!?
Ok, just a quickie here, a rhetorical question wrapped in confusion from my end.
Who else saw those charming photos of young Miley Cyrus ?
(http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/mileyvanity.jpg)
I mean, don't get my wrong, compositionally and lighting wise, the image is gorgeous and yes, Miley is a striking young lady...but I feel like the emphasis should have been placed more on the word 'Young'. I mean, stop me if I'm wrong, but I thought that 15 was a little young to be sexualized by a fashion magazine. Call me crazy....
And yes, I realize that we don't actually see any nipples or anything, but who in their right mind can look at that image and not immediately feel that gut punch of her tousled hair, naked back and sheet pulled 'demurely ' up to cover her chest? This is a child for crying out loud!
We have chosen her by public approval to make this girl one of our favorite role models for our young girls, girls who are about to embark on a very confusing journey through our already highly sexualized media jungle and we have just handed them a picture of their role model looking like she just had a really great role in the hay. Am I the only one who sees a slight imbalance?
And lets look at the current trends. We have 13 year old girls sending cell phone pictures of themselves naked to boys at school. We have 14 year olds setting up meetings with random males whom they've met on the internet who could be just about anyone. And to top off this great mess, we have now shown them a picture of their previously age appropriate role model, posing provocatively, basically naked. Should we really be shocked when they start sending similar images across the internet and text message world?
Don't get me wrong, I've done provocative photo shoots, however, I didn't even begin modeling until after 18. I also made decisions early on about what I would do and where I would draw my lines, somehow I don't think the Cyrus family went in planning to take topless shots....
I've also heard the argument in the past, (from pre-Federline fiasco Britney) that these girls shouldn't be expected to be living up to a position of role model because they are young, however, they (and their handlers or parents who are making the majority of the decisions) have chosen to follow a career path that places them in the limelight and as a result of that, they have to foresee that they will influence their audience and to not consider the impact is negligent and shortsighted.
I realize that it can be easier to pass judgment looking in from the outside, but this is just my two cents. Take it as you please, just a little rant from me....
Keep living healthy and happy lives, I'll try to be a little more positive next time ;)
Who else saw those charming photos of young Miley Cyrus ?
(http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/mileyvanity.jpg)
I mean, don't get my wrong, compositionally and lighting wise, the image is gorgeous and yes, Miley is a striking young lady...but I feel like the emphasis should have been placed more on the word 'Young'. I mean, stop me if I'm wrong, but I thought that 15 was a little young to be sexualized by a fashion magazine. Call me crazy....
And yes, I realize that we don't actually see any nipples or anything, but who in their right mind can look at that image and not immediately feel that gut punch of her tousled hair, naked back and sheet pulled 'demurely ' up to cover her chest? This is a child for crying out loud!
We have chosen her by public approval to make this girl one of our favorite role models for our young girls, girls who are about to embark on a very confusing journey through our already highly sexualized media jungle and we have just handed them a picture of their role model looking like she just had a really great role in the hay. Am I the only one who sees a slight imbalance?
And lets look at the current trends. We have 13 year old girls sending cell phone pictures of themselves naked to boys at school. We have 14 year olds setting up meetings with random males whom they've met on the internet who could be just about anyone. And to top off this great mess, we have now shown them a picture of their previously age appropriate role model, posing provocatively, basically naked. Should we really be shocked when they start sending similar images across the internet and text message world?
Don't get me wrong, I've done provocative photo shoots, however, I didn't even begin modeling until after 18. I also made decisions early on about what I would do and where I would draw my lines, somehow I don't think the Cyrus family went in planning to take topless shots....
I've also heard the argument in the past, (from pre-Federline fiasco Britney) that these girls shouldn't be expected to be living up to a position of role model because they are young, however, they (and their handlers or parents who are making the majority of the decisions) have chosen to follow a career path that places them in the limelight and as a result of that, they have to foresee that they will influence their audience and to not consider the impact is negligent and shortsighted.
I realize that it can be easier to pass judgment looking in from the outside, but this is just my two cents. Take it as you please, just a little rant from me....
Keep living healthy and happy lives, I'll try to be a little more positive next time ;)
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