Along with other Boston writers, I attended a luncheon sponsored by Stonyfield Yogurt at EVOO in Kendall square earlier this week.

At the event, author Robyn O’Brien of “The Unhealthy Truth” and founder of AllergyKids, spoke about the importance of educating ourselves and our children on the benefits of eating an organic diet. Also, how to help make organic food more readily available in the U.S.

There is so much to learn about the food industry in America.

I could go on and on about brightly colored mac and cheese, purple yogurts, processed chicken, pesticide infested produce and chemically enhanced sweeteners that enter our body each and every day. However, the most harmful issue lies in the hidden poisons that we don’t even know exist. Poisons that inhabit the foods that are meant to be good for us.

What we think is a healthy choice, may in fact be treated with harmful substances that are slowly but surely killing us, and our future generations.

Robyn O’Brien is a successful mother of four, on a quest to rid America of the harmful ingredients found in today’s food supply. After her youngest daughter experienced an extreme allergic reaction from a small taste of scrambled eggs, Robyn was determined to find the cause behind the sudden, almost fatal attack.

What Robyn thought was her daughters first encounter with eggs was actually her second, which triggered an allergic reaction. The doctor explained that the first encounter was when her daughter recieved her Flu Vaccination, which is grown in eggs.

Good to know. 

I plan on writing a few detailed posts about the hidden dangers in our food, but for now, I want to focus on exposing the fact that our food is not what it used to be.

Real.

America, meet rBGH.

Recombinant bovine growth hormone.

Developed by the company Monsanto, rBGH (sold under the name “Posiac”), is a synthetic growth hormone that was made to mimic the natural hormone, Bovine Somatotropin, which is produced by the pituitary glad in a cow. 

In 1994, with the approval of the FDA, factory farmers began injecting rBGH into their livestock every 2 weeks to increase milk production by 10-15% or, an extra gallon per day. This resulted in more milk being shipped to grocery stores nationwide, and since we live in a nation where fast=convenience, this lab-made hormone seemed to be the answer to every Farmer’s prayer.

That is, until they began to notice their cows were slowly deteriorating.

Along with increased milk production, cows injected with this hormone also experienced the following,

• Infertility (cystic ovaries, issues with uterus, low birth weights of calves) .
• Disorders in digestion
• Dying 2 years after injection
• Increase in risk of clinical mastitis,(udder infection) resulting in both bacteria and pus leaking into the milk, along with the antibiotics used to treat the infection

Re-read that last symptom.

The milk that tops your cereal and fills your baby’s bottle may in fact be filled with bacteria, pus, and antibiotics. Not to mention the cheese in your sandwich, ice cream in your sundae and yogurt in your child’s lunchbox.

If these are the symptoms found in cows, how is this affecting our health and the health of our children?

Well..

Within the last 10 years, Milk allergies have skyrocketed to the number one spot in the U.S.

Coincidence?

Mothers who ingest rBGH while pregnant are also exposing their unborn child to the dangers of harmful chemicals. Studies have actually shown that this hormone is detectable in the womb, proving that we have been tainting our health starting from before birth.

No wonder so many disorders and sickness’ have increased throughout the past 15 years. There has been a noticeable increase in children born with Autism and other learning disability’s, as well as puberty hitting at a very young age.

rBGH also stimulates another natural hormone found in both cows and humans, called IGF-1, which regulates cell division, growth and differentiation. However, increased levels of IGF-1 have been linked to;

• Prostate Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Breast Cancer

Only 10% of cancer is a result of genes. This leaves the other 90% to stem from the environment, and sure enough, the U.S has the highest rate of cancer in the world. Premenopausal breast cancer was unheard of years ago, but is quickly becoming much more common in our society.

Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have all banned the use of rBGH in their food, and I think it’s time America hops on board as well. Artificial colors, genetically modified soy, government subsidized corn crops (High fructose corn syrup) and hazardous school lunches are being ingested by America at an alarming rate, and something needs to be done in order to stop it.

Don’t be ignorant to this important information. It can save your life, as well as your family’s life. Start educating yourself and rid your pantry of the following ingredients:

• rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)
• GMO (genetically modified organisms)
• Artificial. (colors, flavors)
• Caged Eggs
• High Fructose Corn Syrup

Shop at organic markets and ask your grocer if they offer organic foods. The more we demand their availability, the more available and cheaper the natural foods will become.

This may be a bit overwhelming, but start by doing one thing, and incorporate the rest as you go. Together, we can make a change.

• Switch to white yogurt vs. colored, and let your kids add a few colored sprinkles on top. This reduces the load of artificial colors, while keeping the “fun” in eating.
• For kids who are used to brightly colored noodles, start to wean them off of the chemicals by using half of the cheese pack instead of the whole thing. Each time you cook, reduce the cheese content more and more, until they are used to seeing a natural colored noodle. Then make your own healthy version.
• Switch to pretzel goldfish instead of multi-colored goldfish in order to reduce exposures to artificial colors.
• Offer chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is best) instead of M&Ms which are coated with artificial food coloring. Try to also sneak in some dried fruit such as blueberries, raisins or cranberries into the mix. 
• Suggest vanilla ice cream vs. strawberry or other artificially flavored varieties. Make it fun by adding toppings such as chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or a few colored sprinkles.
• Only serve juices free of artificial colors. Read the labels and ingredients list.
• Offer snacks such as pretzels and crackers instead of chips and bright orange Cheetos. Dip into all natural ketchup, mustard, salad dressings, salsa and yogurt.

Robyn noticed a remarkable difference in her children’s attention span, demeanor and happiness once she rid them of the harmful chemicals that they once ingested daily.

Be sure to make the switch. For your sake, and for you family.

Start saving America, One bite at a time.