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 Extract
from Detox Your World
by Shazzie, ISBN 0-9543977-0-3, Rawcreation Ltd.
Think your baby is safe?
We all know that breast is best when feeding your baby. Nutrients
aside, feel-good hormones found in breast milk but not in formula
milk make for a contented child. However, toxins are powerful and
will get into breast milk if they're floating around the body looking
for a way out.
Luckily, women can minimise the amounts of pesticides in their
breast milk very easily. The breast milk of vegetarians (and vegans
even more so) shows lower levels of the pesticides DDT, chlordane,
heptachlor, and dieldrin, and industrial compounds or by-products,
such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzodiozins.
Virginia Messina and Mark Messina explain this all in the Dietitian's
Guide to Vegetarian Diets.
This information confirms many other studies:
- Over twenty years ago the breast milk of many vegans was analysed.
The levels of 17 chemicals were markedly lower than in non-vegans.
- A few studies have linked frequent consumption of meat, dairy,
and fish to breast milk contamination.
- In the 1970s a study revealed that pesticide levels were far
lower in the breast milk of vegetarian women.
The above results should make everyone think twice about eating
animal products.
I’ve always said that if I wasn't a vegan for ethical reasons,
I'd certainly
be one for health reasons!
Because plant foods don't store pesticides, they are much safer
to eat, even if they have been sprayed. This means that weight for
weight, non-organic fruit will have much lower amounts of pesticides
than animal flesh or milk.
So if you're breastfeeding or even planning a baby, take great
care to ensure most if not all of your diet is organic and plant-based.
This way you won't be passing on such high levels of toxins to your
precious little one. And even if you're already breastfeeding, please
don't switch to formula, as you still have much more superior nutrients
and feel-good hormones that bottled milk can't match.
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Toxic breastmilk -- how to clean up your baby-juice
April 2004, by Shazzie
On Monday 5th of April 2004 ITV aired a programme all about toxic breastmilk.
The show is fronted by Trevor McDonald, and Amanda Ursell was the nutritionist-turned-reporter.
The show was very headline-driven, and didn't offer much in the way of
solutions or alternatives to the problems they'd correctly highlighted.
I wrote about toxins in breastmilk in Detox Your World
which was published in April 2003. I've also seen the issue mentioned
many times before. This is an ever-increasing problem, because toxins
in general are an ever increasing problem.
Does anyone really think we can continue to live with high amounts of
toxins in our life and they don't affect us?
Breast is still best
Although "the authorities" insisted that breast is still best
(thank goodness for that), I feel there should have been some information
in the programme about formula milk being more toxic than breastmilk.
Formula milk isn't designed for human babies, and most of it isn't organic.
Breastmilk's downfall is that it's often not organic, too.
"Artificial baby milks are more contaminated than breastmilk, in
different ways. They have been found to contain phthalates, bisphenol
A, aluminium and heavy metals, GM ingredients, phytoestrogens and spore
bacteria. Any increase in artificial feeding would result in greater contamination
of the environment."
-- Babymilkaction.org
Organic, organic, organic
I do bang on about the importance of organic food, don't I? Can you see
why? Our bodies struggle under the weight of toxins, and we're big hardy
grown-ups. Little 'uns get these toxins from us in the womb, and in the
breastmilk (as well as from their environment, clothes and cleaning products).
Of course, that's not what we want for our children. We want what's best
for our children.
The presence of Dr Sarah Brewer, a well-respected authority on detox,
could have been utilised better on the show. After she told one of the
participating mothers that the levels of toxins in her breastmilk was
particularly high, the mother said "Well, I do eat an awful lot of
fruit and vegetables." Dr Brewer asked if they were organic, and
sadly the mother said what most people in this world would say "No,
organic's too expensive. I've got a family of four to feed."
At this stage in the programme, I noticed two really important points
that could have been expanded upon, but weren't.
Firstly, just because someone eats a lot of fruit and veg, they aren't
more exposed to toxins than someone who eats a lot of meat. Animal products
have massive amounts of toxins in them, because they've spent their lives
eating toxic food and being injected with poisons known as drugs. Then
you eat that! Animals are concentrated sources of toxins, storing them
in their fat cells for you to munch on.
Secondly, when is organic food going to be the law, not the exception
in this country? If we are serious about reversing the mountain of ill-health
that has accumulated ever since modern agriculture took a stronghold,
then we have to put our money were our mouth is and go 100% organic NOW.
This really is the only logical solution to our extremely high levels
of toxicity and resulting illness. And if you are thinking "But the
cost is too high", think again. The cost of ill health, deformity
and premature, painful death is too high. If organic food was the norm
instead of the exception, the prices would be nowhere near as high as
they are now -- they would be affordable to everyone.
The rest of the programme seemed to be filled with Amanda asking the
test-mothers: "So how does it make you feel, knowing your breastmilk
is toxic?" -- Wouldn't it have been better to offer sound advice
on clearing up the body so toxins didn't overflow into the breastmilk?
Before conceiving
The programme mentioned a "Preconceptual Programme" which two
women were on. These women detoxed for three days a month for six months
on lemon juice, syrup psyllium husk and cayenne pepper. This is a standard
cleanse that's been used for years and is very safe to do. There was no
mention of the ingredients being organic, which I'd expect is a prerequisite
when cleansing. I'd also question the use of syrup -- it's a highly processed
food. If I was to do this cleanse, I'd go for the pure, unheated agave
nectar. non-vegans may consider raw honey, which you can get in
most supermarkets and wholefood shops these days.
It's really sensible to embark on a cleanse six months before conceiving.
In addition to doing the cleanse advocated on the programme, I'd add a
good multi-vitamin and mineral supplement (containing folic acid), DHA,
and I'd get any toxic mercury (amalgam) fillings out. Eating as much organic
food as possible is really important -- for life. Read Detox
Your World for more information on which foods are the worst offenders
if not organic, and which ones aren't so bad. Knowing this information
really helps when you just can't eat 100% organic food.
Unfortunately, the programme never followed up these detoxing women,
so we don't know how efficient their cleanse was. Hopefully, they'll cover
that in a repeat programme.
Already breastfeeding?
If you are already breastfeeding, and this information has scared you,
there is something you can do to lower the levels of toxins as you continue
to breastfeed. Look for oxygen supplements, we have several on this web
site. Oxygenate or ozonate your air, get fresh air when you can, change
your clothes to be as pure as possible, eat more organic food, and change
your toiletries and housecleaning products to toxin-free or low-toxin
types.
Oxygen is a scavenger of pathogens. It will find and metabolise (destroy)
toxins that are floating around in your bloodstream. You have to be persistent
about this, though! Your toxins have built up over decades, just getting
a weekend of fresh air isn't enough.
Detox Your World's information and advice
I wrote about toxic breastmilk and toxic food in my book Detox Your
World, and I also wrote about traditional farming of animals. Here are
a few tasty quotes for you to digest:
Pesticides become more concentrated in the milk of farm animals and
humans. Do you really want those toxins travelling into you or your baby?
Mercury from fillings in pregnant women has been shown to cause mercury
accumulation in the brain, kidneys and liver of human foetuses. Studies
have shown that mercury can be passed to infants via breast milk.
The average non-organic UK apple has about 20 to 30 artificial toxins
on the skin.
You weren't designed to eat food sprayed with random chemicals, food
engineered beyond recognition, or food that can't survive without human
intervention. It's no wonder then, that if you eat this food, you won't
be as strong and healthy as you could be. As more and more people are
switching to organic food, prices are dropping and availability is increasing.
The early adopters of organic food are to be thanked for this, and so
are you, if you are now doing the same. My uncle often says to me "But
if you have an organic field, and it's surrounded by non-organic fields,
the organic field will also be affected by the sprays, so it’s not
worth buying it." Thankfully, those who have been buying organic
for years didn't think like that, so the chances of that one organic field
being next to another organic field are a lot higher now. Please don't
be defeatist when it comes to making health choices. Too many people are
critically ill just after middle age because they didn't seek out the
best choices for themselves earlier on.
Prevention is not only better than cure, it's an awful lot easier.
(Regarding milk and formula) What perversion of thought brought
us to shove a baby calf to one side and spend the rest of our lives unweaned
on food designed for another species?
Do you really feel it's natural to push a baby calf out of the way, and
stick your head under its mother's belly? Do you really think it's natural
for humans to be the only animal in the world who can't or won’t
wean themselves, ever? Maybe this is the breast or mother obsession manifesting?
Maybe if adults had more of their own mother's breast as a baby, they
wouldn't feel the continual need to steal the food of another baby. Cows'
milk is designed by nature for baby cows. Human milk is designed for baby
humans. Once you are weaned and start eating grown up food, you have absolutely
no need to resort to the baby food of another animal. It's just not logical,
is it?
In the UK, about 99% of non-organic farm animals are now fed GM soya
products. That's another reason for taking a fresh look at the meat on
your plate.
Meat, especially cooked meat, is full of pathogens, negative karma and
damaging chemicals. The foodborne pathogens are carried and shed from
the manure of apparently healthy animals. According to Eric Schlosser
in the fantastic Fast Food Nation, this can only mean one thing: "...a
simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously
ill:
there is shit in the meat." These pathogens are not harmless. They
are bacteria such as E. coli 0157:H7 which carry and release the Shiga
toxin. This toxin can liquify the organs of the (human) victim. Most of
the hundreds who have died from this toxin are children, but thousands
of people of all ages have been hospitalised due to this bug -- many of
whom now suffer permanent disabilities.
You can only be as beautiful as the ingredients you’re made of.
Nutrition, supplements and other products to help keep you clean on
the inside
Further reading
Detox
Your World -- Quick and lasting results for a beautiful mind,
body and spirit | Shazzie | ISBN: 0-9543977-0-3 | Rawcreation Ltd | April
2003 | 382 pages | Paperback
This book has been described as "the ultimate guide to detox",
and there's no wonder when we cover subjects that the mainstream media
have yet to catch up on. Get it all first, here.
The Organic Baby Book | Tanyia Maxted-Frost | ISBN 187009879X
www.theorganicbabybook.co.uk -- Read more about the dangers of commercial
food, and the benefits of organic food. This book has an excellent web
site too.
Super Nutrition Gardening -- How to Grow Your Own Powercharged
Foods | William S Peavy | ISBN: 0895295326
Peavy discusses links between the health and condition of the soil and
the nutritional value of its food. Gardening and nutrition enthusiasts
alike will benefit from this book.
Great Garden Companions | A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful,
Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden
Sally Jean Cunningham | ISBN: 0875968473
Instead of using chemicals, many organic gardeners use companion planting.
This book offers you a workable way of growing pest- and pesticide-free.
Fast Food Nation -- What the All-American Meal Is Doing to the
World | Eric Schlosser | ISBN: 0141006870
This is one of my favourite fact books! Find out about the gruesome working
conditions, the cruel livestock conditions and the corruption in the farming
industry. Your jaw will drop more than once when reading this book!
Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets -- Issues and Applications
| Mark Messina, Virginia Messina | ISBN: 0834206358
This is one of those technical books that some people lap up. It's mainly
for dieticians and those counselling vegetarian clients, but gives great
facts and figures to all of us.
Mad Cowboy -- Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat
Meat | Howard Lyman | ISBN: 0684854465
Lyman is the man famous for telling America the truth behind their burger
on Oprah. Oprah publicly declared that she’d never eat a burger again,
and a court case ensued. With angels by their sides, Oprah and Lyman came
out on top and the cruel, murderous and torturous meat industry is still
reeling from the impact. This book is down-to-earth, good-humoured and
well researched -- just for you.
Web sites
Organic food
Working
ground on chemical residues in breastmilk and baby foods
Chemical
contamination - what are the concerns?
"If we tested every infant born today, anywhere in the world,
he/she would have a body burden of toxic chemicals which will have been
passed from parent to child even before birth. Tiny doses of these chemicals
can have a dramatic effect on the developing child, damaging the immune
and nervous systems. The chemicals not only cross the placenta, they are
found in fatty body secretions such as breastmilk, semen and even ear
wax."
www.notmilk.com
Things to do
- Discover the beauty of wild food by foraging one day. Make a green
juice with the edible goodies you find and add apple juice to taste.
- Start increasing your organic food intake right away. This is especially
important if you’re planning on having a baby or are currently
breast feeding.
- If you are mineral deficient, or would like a nutritional-building-block
boost, have a course of angstrom-sized ionic
minerals.
I hope that the programme didn't scare you off breastfeeding. Remember
that even if you have lots of toxins inside you and you are currently
breastfeeding, your milk is better for your child than any formula ever
can be. Take steps towards cleaning up your diet and lifestyle, and your
child may end up much healthier for it.
Much love
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