Food Inc.

A nice trailer that gets you contemplating about where your food came from - from seed to supermarket. Go borrow the video from our public libraries islandwide in Singapore, search for this call number: AV English 338.19 FOO -[BIZ].

Also, I recommend reading this book on "What your doctor doesn't know about nutritional medicine may be killing you". Search for this call number English 613.28 STR -[HEA].

Aftethought: They say, "You are what you eat" so go for food with integrity :)

Say "No" to GMO

This is an eye-opener on Genetically Modified Food and why we need to say "No" to it. I've just provided the first part of a series of the talk. If you are concerned about the well-being of your family and loved one, seek more facts to make an informed decisions or you want to wait for the 'tipping point'?

Eat 2 Save Yr Life

I love this program - Eat to Save Your Life. It is a great wake up call or constant reminder for us to eat healthy. Here is a preview of part 1 of 8:

Why do we need to be concerned and start changing our food purchase and consumption? Because this body we have is on rent... it does not truly belong to us. It is on rent from Allah SWT (if only majority of us realise that).

The sole purpose of our existance on earth is to do ibadah for the love of the Almighty. Now, how can we do that effectively if we are overweight or have a whole lot of bodily issues either physically or internally? Aren't we not doing injustice to ourselves, not to mention Allah SWT? Think about it... It is not too late to make the change. Start today.

Afternote: I've just started a daily routine of eating figs. "Wa tin, wa zaitun..." [Surah at-Tin]

Genetically Modified Organism

Reading the article in the local news recently about the authors 'promoting' Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), I felt queasy. As far as I've read about such, its more bad than good. Read about the key player, Monsanto and make your own opinion if it is really that bad.

Should we care? The answer should be a resounding "Yes!". Why, you may ask? Here is a list of the influential presence of GMO in our food chain - sugar (e.g. aspartame or nutrasweet), milk and beef (cows injected with Bovine somatotropin aka rBST and rBGH), soya bean (use of Roundup Ready soya), vegetables and fruits (sprayed with herbicides 2,4,5-T, DDT, Agent Orange and using Terminator seed technology), canned food (lined with chemical bisphenol A so learn how to identify resin identification code)... not to mention how some of these toxic chemicals, if not properly disposed off, will find their way into the very water we drink, the soil we use to plant our greens and the air we breathe.

The reality is, today's economy is driven by oil. Talk about monopoly, besides Monsanto acquiring some major pharmaceuticals, I discovered that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) members toggle between positions at Monsanto and FDA (talk about ethics and governance!)

Alot of informed consumers are saying "No to GMO" and majority of them who are againts Monsanto decide to go organic. Read about the pros and cons of GMO and make an informed decision for yourself. Be a responsible consumer. Learn how to avoid GMO food, read this. For a start, be mindful that GMOs and all products produced using GMOs are required to have mandatory labelling so look out for it. Better still, buy GMO-free products.

Fruit & Veggie Cleaner Spray

The chat with mum in the kitchen today resulted in this post. It takes awhile to get on the organic bandwagon especially since it is a case of demand and supply - the more people demand for organic food, the more pressure our grocers will be to carry in more stock and with increased demand and supply, the costs will go down and benefit all in the supply chain.

The good thing is, anyone can start with some easy small steps. If for any reason you can't buy organic produce, you need to ensure that you wash your fruits and veggies thoroughly as they typically contain high level of pesticides and toxins. Use this spray to ensure your fruit and vegetables are squeaky clean.

The ingredients include:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 20 drops grapefruit seed extract*

*Grapefruit seed extract is available at your local health food store.

[Source: Sophie Uliano]

 

Steps include:

1. Combine all ingredients then transfer to a spray bottle with a pump.
2. Spray mixture on produce and wait 10 minutes before thorough rinsing.

Why do this?

Here is a list of side effects of pesticides: 

• Asthma or breathing problems
• Birth defects or death
• Blood and/or brain disorders
• Cancer
• Fatigue and/or headaches
• Hormone disruptions or reproductive damage
• Liver and kidney damage
• Nausea
• Neurological effects
• Skin irritations
• Vomiting

Read this for examples of pesticide poisoning. But seriously, why go there when prevention is as simple as a cleaner spray at home? If you encounter a pesticide poisoning symptom, read this first aid instructions.

Halal Logo

Following up from my earlier post on halal, haram and syubha, below are some halal logos you could look out for the next time you visit your local grocer or when you travel abroad:

[Note: Copyright of images belong to the source]

For the love of Allah, I can't stress enough the importance of always keeping to halal food. One quick way to find information on halal food in a certain location or country is to:

• google for information e.g. via Zuula
• surf Technorati for blogs on such information
• post a request via online forum e.g. Tripadvisor
• correspond with local muslims there via Web 2.0 platforms e.g. Twitter, Delicious
• contact the travel bureau
• request help from the area's Islamic association

As they say, where there is a will, there is a way. Truly, Allah knows what is best for you :)