How to Know if Your Food is Organic by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, DC

Is Your Food Organic?

Make sure you know where your food comes from when shopping. According to Wikipedia, organic foods are made according to certain production standards that allow certain non-organic fertilizers to be used. Ideally, it is best to get your organic produce from your own organic garden. When home gardening is not possible get your organic produce from local farmers who still control their own seed and grow organically.

As an alternative, there is a way to safely shop in a grocery store when buying organic produce. The key is the bar code label. The tiny annoying stickers appear on almost all fresh fruits and vegetables. The stickers actually contain the secret code to whether the fruit is organic, conventional or genetically modified. Only conventional, non-organic fruits and vegetables have  bar code stickers that have only 4 numbers. 
Both the organic and genetically modified bar code stickers have five numbers each.

The key to organically grown fruits and vegetables is they all have a 5 number bar code that begins with the number 9. Organic fruits and vegetables are required to be in separate areas in supermarket. The bar code sticker helps to confirm which type of produce is actually being purchased in case the food item has been put in the wrong location.

There is no requirement that supermarkets inform customers which fruits and vegetables being sold are genetically modified (GM). Genetically modified foods were first marketed in the early 1990’s, and have Monsanto’s RoundupÔ pesticide added to the genes of the plant. If you see a 5 number bar code that begins with the number 8 it may be Genetically modified. 

Reading the bar codes will tell the truth about the source of the fruits and vegetables. This means that a regular banana bar code would be 4011, an organic banana would be 94011 and a GM banana would be 84011.



Use Strong Alkalized Antioxidant Rich Water to remove the yucky pesticide residue. Food tastes fresh picked and can be stored longer. This water is one of the 7 different types of water that an advanced water technology device produces. The drinking water tastes different and hydrates the body easier and faster than other waters. It has a very high level of  antioxidants when it is fresh making it beneficial for the body. 

Get checked by Dr. Sherry Yale, DC at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, MI if you are not sure if your body has an overload of pesticides. Dr Yale uses a simple, non-invasive method called Nutrition Response Testing® to evaluate toxities and deficiencies to determine what your individual body needs and wants.

If you live in any of the surrounding cities of Detroit including Livonia, Farmington, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield, Novi, Redford etc. contact Dr. Yale today at (734) 664 - 0339 to schedule your no charge initial consultation and screening evaluation to determine what help you need. 

Take advantage of the opportunity to experience the difference Alkalized Antioxidant Rich Drinking Water tastes during our 21 day Independent Study Trial. Contact Dr. Yale today at (734) 664 - 0339 to learn more and to attend the workshop on Saturday, April 23 at 1pm.

Creating New Holiday Traditions posted on Nov. 9, 2015 By Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, B.S., D.C., N.D.

Creating New Holiday Traditions

This holiday season can be a time of great joy, and sharing many festive foods with family and friends. Join the growing movement of healthier food choices in food preparation. Here is a simple guideline of some specific foods to avoid and why, along with what foods to use instead.

                    Avoid These Foods                                                Replace With These Foods

Junk Food Snacks (contain corn and other GMO foods canola/cottonseed oil) (Corn sweeteners are contaminated with mercury and GMO)	Organic Fresh Fruit or Whole Food Organic Snacks (Read labels to avoid corn or GMO. Look for minimal use of sweeteners.)
White Bread (Contains GMO, rancid oils)	Whole Grain Sprouted Bread
Prepackaged White Flour (rancid, no nutrients)	Fresh Ground Organic Whole Grain Flours
Commercial Soy Products including soymilk, tofu, soy protein and vegeburgers (90% of soy is now GMO)	Organic Almond Milk or Rice Milk or Make your own milk from organic nuts/seeds good filtered water and a blender.
Man-Made Artificial Sweeteners   White Sugar (made from GMO corn), Fructose AKA High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS	Stevia, Organic 100% Cane Sugar, Organic Honey, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Raw Sugar or Organic Maple Syrup
White Table Salt (contains aluminum)	Celtic Sea Salt has 86 minerals (Sea Salt has been refined and has only 23 minerals)
Commercially Prepared Oils, Shortening, Margarine (Usually rancid synthetic oils with added chemicals and food colors) Canola Oil /Cottonseed Oil (from GMO seeds)	Organic Coconut Oil, Raw Organic Butter (both are solid at room temperature - use as shortening) Organic Cold-Pressed Food Oils (best in dark bottles) Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Fruits with sulfur and food coloring (food colors are now mixed with aluminum)	Organic Dried Fruits

Avoid overeating during the holidays, and overindulging in too many sweets. Both of these can cause digestive stress that can linger past the holiday season. If digestive issues remain unresolved, contact Dr. Sherry Yale, DC at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia for a no-charge consultation to learn how alternative health care can help solve this problem. Enjoy creating new traditions with healthy food. 

Research Validates Organic is Better posted by Dr. Carol Ann Fischer on August 19, 2015

                                                             Organic is Best!

The debate over whether organic food is healthier than conventionally grown food may be over, according to results from a $25-million study into organic food -- the largest of its kind to date. The four-year, European-Union-funded study found that:

    * Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants
    * Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc
    * Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants

The researchers obtained their results after growing fruit and vegetables, and raising cattle, on adjacent organic and non-organic sites. They say that eating organic foods can even help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Eating organic produce decreases exposure to GMO seed and pesticides, and increases nutritional intake. Another study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition showed that organically grown fruits and vegetables contained about twice the amount of beneficial minerals as those grown by conventional methods. 

The power to change the current food supply is in our hands. Every food item purchased is a vote for that type of food. If the food is not organic or locally grown, then it is commercially produced and related to GMO seed. Each organic purchase is a vote against the industrialized food conglomerates. Support organic farms and local farmers. Shop at farmer’s markets and support local farmers who grow and sell organic food.

For better health purchase and eat organic free-range beef, pork and poultry. Free range ensures that the animals and poultry are allowed to roam free to eat their natural diet, and are not given any antibiotics, hormones or drugs. Eat wild caught fish instead of farm-raised fish to avoid consuming additional antibiotics and genetically modified corn. Eat organically grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible. 

Visit TLC Holistic Wellness to download the 2015 GMO Free Organic Shopping Guide, and information on the best organic sources of beef and chicken. Contact TLC (734) 664 - 0339  for a free no-charge consultation if you are considering a diet change and don't know where to start.