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January 2006 Newsletter
Happy New Year Everyone!
by Beth Ley, Ph.D.
www.blpublications.com
NHL Ministries
In The News
Veggies Retain Traces of Antibiotics, study finds
Laurie Budgar (Natural Foods Merchandiser 12/6/2005)
One more reason to eat organic: Conventionally grown vegetables
may be more likely to serve up a dose of antibiotics along with their
nutritional properties.
When nonorganic farmers and ranchers give antibiotics to their
animals—a widespread practice to ensure health and stimulate
growth—small traces of the drug are excreted. When that manure is
applied to crops, the vegetables retain the antibiotics in their
tissues, according to a University of Minnesota study published in
the Oct. 12 online edition of the Journal of Environmental Quality.
The U of M study examined corn, green onion and cabbage for levels of
two commonly used antibiotics. All three crops absorbed
chlortetracycline but not tylosin. The amount of antibiotics in the
plants was small, but increased according to the concentration
present in the manure.
"This study points out the potential human health risk associated
with consumption of fresh vegetables grown in soil amended with
antibiotic-laden manures," the study's authors wrote. "The risks may
be higher for people who are allergic to antibiotics and there is
also the possibility of enhanced antimicrobial resistance as a result
of human consumption of these vegetables."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this summer banned the use of
Baytril, which belongs to a different class of antibiotics than those
in the study. The European Union in 1998 banned many human antibiotics
from being used in animals, except for therapeutic purposes. The bans
came amid concerns that food borne illness was resistant to treatment
when humans ate meat from animals treated with antibiotics.
While organic agriculture has drawn fire in the past for its reliance
on manure as a fertilizing agent, the practice is widespread in
conventional agriculture as well.
"Manure use is very tightly regulated in organic agriculture and is
completely unregulated in conventional agriculture," said Mark
Lipson, policy program director at the Organic Farming Research
Foundation in Santa Cruz, Calif. "The National Organic Rule is really
quite strict on the use of uncomposted manure. It cannot be applied
to a crop within 120 days of harvest," Lipson said. Because of that,
he said, "The use of manure in organic agriculture is much less risky
than in conventional."
Lipson also cited several flaws in the U of M study's design: "They
tested the crops after only six weeks after planting and application
of manure," not the 120 days that organic farming would require. And,
he said, "they were doing it greenhouse pots, so it wasn't a real
field." The amount of manure used was "not outlandish, but it's a
heavy application," he said. "This study is not that relevant to
drawing any conclusions about organic agriculture."
In addition, relatively few organic farmers use uncomposted, or raw,
manure, the type used in the study. In OFRF's Third Biennial National
Organic Farmers' Survey, published in 1999, 22 percent of organic
farmers said they used uncomposted manure frequently or regularly;
nineteen percent said they used it occasionally. "The number has
almost surely gone down," Lipson said, since the survey was conducted
before implementation of the National Organic Rule. In addition, he
said, some organic growers are almost certainly using organic
manure—compost derived from animals raised organically—so the issue
of antibiotics in manure would be nonexistent for them.
"The real issue is the use of antibiotics," Lipson said. "The
alternatives for managing healthy livestock systems are only just
beginning to get serious scientific research. Organic growers are
figuring out how to get by but they have very, very little help from
the scientific community in doing that. … If organic research … got a
fraction of a fair share of resources that are spent on agricultural
research and livestock management, we'd be able to help wean
conventional livestock manufacturers off of these materials."
Most Important Supplements for Seniors Include Omega-3 Fatty Acids
and Antioxidants, study shows
see story at
Natural Foods merchandiser
Walnuts Good For Diabetics!
Walnuts Improve Lipid Profile in Type 2 Diabetes
Adding walnuts to a low-fat diet improves lipid profile for patients
with type 2 diabetes. "Walnuts are distinguished from other nuts by
virtue of their higher polyunsaturated fat content (and importantly
their a-linolenic acid [ALA] content) combined with antioxidants in
the form of a-tocopherol," write Linda C. Tapsell, PhD, from the
National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods, University of
Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues. "There are
mechanistic explanations for the influence of dietary polyunsaturated
fatty acid (PUFA) on insulin action and energy metabolism, and cohort
studies of women in the U.S. have demonstrated a reduced risk of
developing type 2 diabetes with dietary PUFA replacing trans or
saturated fatty acids (SFAs)."
Diabetes Care. 2004;27:2777-2783
read full article at
Diabetes in Control
IN BETH'S KITCHEN...
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Pour 1 gallon of milk (I use raw) in a large pot.
Bring to about 200 degrees, stirring so it doesn't scorch. If you
don't have a thermometor, at the first signs of boiling (212), turn
off the heat then add 1/4 of a cup of vinegar and a tablespoon of
lemon juice. Give it a quick stir to distribute evenly. Let it sit
for about 10-15 minutes off the burner, until the whey at the bottom
of the pot is not milky.
Then pour into a fine cheesecloth and drain
(10 minutes to one hour). This is the ricotta.
If you want a dryer cheese (like for salads) drain the cheese for a
longer time. If you want a moist cheese to use in cheese cake or other recipes, drain it for less time. I put mine in the processor, adding the amount of whey I wanted to make the desired consistency.
You can mix in sea salt or herbs or flavorings after the cheese has
drained, and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight for optimal
flavor. It keeps for about a week and can be frozen.
Makes about 3 cups cheese. Great in salads, cheese cake, mashed
potatoes, Italian recipes (stuffed shells, lasagna, etc.) and even
pancakes.
see also Fiasco Farm
RECIPES OF THE MONTH:
Chocolate Cookies with Dried Cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together in separate bowl:
2 cups flour - ( have used all whole wheat and 1/2 whole wheat
and 1/2 wild rice flour -
both turned out great)
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
About 1/16th teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix well:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon stevia
Combine wet and dry ingredients, gradually adding dry to wet
ingredients.
Stir in:
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used organic dark chocolate chips)
1 cup dried cranberries (slightly chopped if they are large) -
you can use more, I would have liked more cranberries.
Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart
Bake 10 minutes, watch close that they don't burn.
Remove from oven and let set 5 minutes on cookie sheet before
removing to wire rack to cool.
Makes about 3 dozen.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? Do you suffer from depression and joint pain?
I am conducting a very small scale study on SAM-E and am looking for
volunteers who suffer from depression and joint pain.
If you are interested in participating in a one month trial,
contact me at blpub@tekstar.com. Include your phone number and
mailing address.
SAM-e, (short for S-adenosylmethionine, also spelled SAMe) is made
from the amino acid methionine and ATP. SAM-e is a methyl donor
involved in the making of dozens of important compounds in the body.
SAM-e has been available by prescription in Europe for many years as
an antidepressant but has been available over the counter in the US
only since about 1996. Some doctors in Europe prescribe SAM-e for
the therapy of many conditions, including depression, chronic fatigue
syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
SAM-e is a stable, bioavailable form of S-adenosyl-L-methionine.
Dozens of clinical studies have demonstrated that SAM-e helps support
a positive outlook. It is able to cross the blood-brain barrier where
it affects the synthesis and activation of various brain chemicals,
such as neurotransmitters. SAM-e also supports joint comfort,
function and mobility in the spine, hips and knees. It is important
to the joints because of its critical role in cartilage formation.
SAM-e is present in every living cell in the body. However, levels of
SAM-e tend to decline with age.
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