My I-Search: Staying Alive and Healthy in the

Age of Industrial Farming

By Steve Gibbs

Topics to Address

• Feedlots and crowded animals• Monocultures• GMOs• Processed Foods• High Fructose Corn Syrup• Aspartame• Food Coloring• Pesticides / herbicides• Water http://www.aroundthecapitol.com/Bills/AB_1242/ • Dirt• Dead Bees – Colony Collapse Disorder

Feedlots

OUR FIRST CONCERNMUST BE KEEPING ANIMALS

ALIVE AND HEALTHY

END OVERCROWDING

OVERCROWDING CAUSES ANIMALS TO SPREAD DISEASE WHICH REQUIRES

CONSTANT ANTIBIOTICS.THE RISE IN E COLI OUTBREAKS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO FEEDLOT LIFE.

Moooove Over!

COWS ARE INJECTED WITH GROWTH HORMONES.

PASTURED COWS TAKE 4 -5 YEARS TO BE MARKET READY;

FEEDLOT COWS ARE READY IN 14 MONTHS.

GROWING TOO FAT TOO FAST MAKES COWS SICK. SOMETIMES THEIR LEGS BREAK. EXCESS FAT MAKES MEAT FAT

WHICH MAKES PEOPLE FAT

COWS GET MAD COW DISEASE BECAUSE INDUSTRY GRINDS UP DEAD COW PARTS AND FEEDS THEM BACK

TO THE LIVING COWS.

I’m mad as cow, and I’m not going to

take it anymore.

PIGS SUFFER ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS AS COWS.

ALSO THEY CUT OFF 90% OF PIGS’ TAILS SO OTHER PIGS CAN NIP THEM, WHICH IS DONE TO KEEP PIGS FROM

BECOMING DEPRESSED.

RATHER THAN RELIVE THEIR STRESS BY GIVING THEM MORE ROOM,

SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO ELIMINATE THE STRESS GENE FROM PIGS’ DNA.

DEAD PIGS ARE OFTEN LEFT WHERE THEY LIE, WHICH CAUSES STRESS IN

THE OTHER PIGS.

SOWS ARE PINNED AWAY FROM THEIR PIGLETS.

PIGLETS ARE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR MOTHER IN WEEKS, RATHER

THAN MONTHS.

CHICKENS MIGHT SUFFER THE MOST. THEY SUFFER FROM MOST OF THE SAME TREATMENT AS COWS AND

PIGS.

AT SOME FARMS, CHICKENS ARE KEPT IN THE DARK 24-HOURS A DAY SO THEY WON’T WALK, BREAK THEIR

LEGS, AND LOSE WEIGHT.

AT THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, CHICKENS HAVE THEIR HEADS DIPPED IN

ELECTRIFIED WATER TO STUN THEM BEFORE CUTTING THEIR THROATS.

LAYING HENS HAVE THEIR BEAKS CUT OFF SO THEY WON’T PECK EACH

OTHER.THEY’RE GIVEN STIMULANTS TO

INCREASE EGG LAYING.ONCE THEY STOP LAYING THEY’RE

TURNED INTO SOUP STOCK.

MALES ARE OFTEN SENT STRAIGHT TO THE GRINDER.

Monocultures

“WE HAVE TO FEED A GROWING WORLD.”

THAT IS THE EXCUSE OFTEN GIVEN FOR MONOCULTURE

CROPS.HOWEVER, IF THE FOOD CREATED IS UNHEALTHY,

THEN INDUSTRY IS POISONING THE WORLD.

CORN AND SOY BEANS ARE SUBSIDIZED BY THE

GOVERNMENT. THUS, MOST BIG FARMS GROW ONLY CORN AND SOY BEANS.

THE ABUNDANCE OF CORN AND SOY BEANS FORCES

INDUSTRY TO FIND THOUSANDS OF USES.

THUS, CORN AND SOY IS IN ALMOST EVERY PROCESSED

FOOD WE EAT.

MONOCULTURE MEANS FARMERS CANNOT SUSTAIN EVEN THEIR OWN FAMILIES.

THEY MUST SHOP FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

GROWING ONLY ONE CROP MAKES PESTS MORE

DANGEROUS. IF A PEST, A BLIGHT, OR A DISEASE DOES

TAKE HOLD, IT COULD DESTROY MOST OF OUR

COUNTRY’S FOOD SUPPLY.

GMOs

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS’ ULTIMATE

THREAT IS STILL UNKNOWN.TESTING IS LIMITED.

EUROPE DOESN’T ALLOW GMO FOODS AND HAS A BAN AGAINST AMERICAN

FOOD IMPORTS.

Soybeans, Cotton, Corn, Rice, Sugar Beets, Canola, and Potatoes are the predominant crop plants being engineered.

From 1996-2001 herbicide-tolerant plants (allowing them to withstand the overspray of herbicides) accounted for 77% of genetically modified acreage while the insect-resistant plants accounted for 15%.

To date, the bulk of modifications have been performed to reduce labor costs while no plants have been engineered for enhanced nutrition.

There were nearly 170 million global acres planted with genetically engineered seed in 2004.

Approximately 89% of soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, along with 80% of cotton and 61% of corn in 2006.

Nearly 70% of foods in US grocery stores contain byproducts of genetically engineered organisms.

GMO requires no label info. Thus Americans don’t even know when they are eating GMO food.

Nabisco®, Frito-Lay®, Proctor & Gamble, and Kraft® are just a few of the food processing companies who are using genetically engineered byproducts.

Pesticides& Herbicides

Pesticides by definition are designed to kill living organizisms.

Pesticides’ ill effects can be transmitted to our children and their children.

Pesticides don’t‘ stay where they are put. They soak into the soil, killing underground organisims.

Pesticides soak into the water table and into people’s drinking water.

Pesticide residue is found in dozens of fruits and vegetables on grocery store shelves.

Pesticides are only tested for acute, immediate side-effects. They are seldom tested for long-term exposure effects.

Pesticides are tested in isolation, not in combination with other pesticides.

In the US it is a violation of federal law to state that the use of pesticides is safe.

•leukemia •cancer•spontaneous abortions •genetic damage •decreased fertility •liver and pancreatic damage •neuropathy •disturbances to immune systems•asthma/ allergies•increases in stillbirths•decreased sperm counts

ProcessedFood

Originally, processed food simply meant that ordinary food was put into packages.

As food-sales profit climbed, manufacturers realized they could package anything and substitute expensive ingredients for cheap ersatz ingredients.

Amyl acetateAmyl butyrateAmyl valerateAnetholAnisyl formateBenzyl acetateBenzyl isobutyrateButyric acidCinnamyl isobutyrateCinnamyl valerateCognac essential oilDiacetylDipropyl ketoneEthyl butyrateEthyl cinnamateEthyl heptanoate

Ethyl lactateEthyl methylphenylglycidateEthyl NitrateEthyl propionateEthyl valerbateHeliotropinHydroxyphrenyl-2butanone (10% solution in alcohol)A-IononeIsobutyl anthranilateIsobutyl butrateLemon essential oilMaltol Methylacetophenone

Methyl anthranilateMethyl benzoateMethyl cinnamateMethyl heptine carbonateMethyl naphthyl ketoneMethyl salicylateMint essential oilNeroli essential oilNerolinNeryl isobutyrateOrris butterPhenethyl alcoholRoseRum etherG-UndecalactoneVanillin Solvent!

Ingredients strawberry milkshake

Shelf-life was of major concern. Food shipped around the world and stacked on store shelves needed to stay fresh as long as possible.

Thus came preservatives and artificial ingredients.

Junk food – high in fat and sugar – is one of the leading causes for the soaring number of cases of type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and tooth decay. It is also linked to hypoglycemia and candida.

Glycemic Index Measures of the effects of

carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. HIGH = Carbohydrates that break

down quickly during digestion, releasing glucose rapidly into the bloodstream

LOW = Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream.

For most people, foods with a low GI have significant health benefits.

Some HIGH Glycemic Index Foods Dates 103 Sticky rice 98 Parsnips 97 French Baguette 95 Corn Flakes 92 Scones 92 Rice Crackers 91 Red Skinned, boiled

potatoes 88 Instant, White rice

87

Wild rice 87 Instant Mashed

potatoes 86 Baked potatoes 85 Corn Chex 83 Pretzels 83 Rice Krispies 82 Rice Cakes 82 Pancake Syrup 76

Some LOW Glycemic Index Foods Hummus 6 Broccoli 10 Cabbage 10 Lettuce 10 Mushrooms 10 Onions 10 Red Peppers 10 Yogurt 14 Peanuts 15 Walnuts 15 Cherries 22

Cashews 22 Grapefruit 25 Prunes 29 Apricots, dried 30 Whole milk 31 Fettuccini (egg) 32 Skim milk 32 All Bran with Fiber 38 Spaghetti, whole wheat

37 Spaghetti, white 38 Ice cream, premium 38

HFCSHigh Fructose

Corn Syrup

HFCS is a sugar substitute and is ubiquitous, found in over 6,000 processed foods.

SUPERSIZEMAN

Aspartame

FDA list of 92 aspartame-related symptoms: Abdominal Pain Anxiety Attacks Arthritis, Asthma Asthmatic Reactions Bloating Edema (Fluid Retention) Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia) Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals) Breathing Difficulties Burning Eyes or Throat Burning Urination Can't Think Straight Chest Pains Chronic Cough Chronic Fatigue Confusion Death Depression Diarrhea Dizziness Excessive Thirst or Hunger Fatigue Feel Unreal Flushing of Face Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair Headaches/Migraines Hearing Loss Heart Palpitations Hives (Urticaria) Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Impotency and Sexual Problems Inability to Concentrate Infection Susceptibility Insomnia Irritability Itching Joint Pains Laryngitis

FoodColoring

Food coloring is often made with coal tar

Food coloring is linked to ADHD, allergies,Memory loss

Aspartame containsMethyl ester -- gasoline

Water

Dirt

Colony

Collapse

Disorder

-Dead Bees

Solutions