Having learned nothing from the harm done by factory farming (which many would argue has damaged public health, animal welfare and the environment) the USDA is now giving a green light to industrial producers to meddle with our food system, once again. Against opposition from consumers as well as consumer advocates and environmentalists, the USDA has given way to industrial aquaculture to label farmed fish that doesn't feed on 100% organic or wild feed as "organic." I guess this is just business as usual--laxed regulations designed to promote big business at the expense of public interest. What's next, "organic" genetically modified, cloned fish?

Researchers at the University of California at San Diego have discovered that a molecule in both meat and dairy products can make cancer more aggressive. The molecule, called N-glycolylneuraminic acid, or Neu5Gc for short, is a sugar molecule that cows produce but that humans do not. It can, however, be incorporated into human tissues through the ingestion of meat or dairy products. When that happens, the human body develops an immune response to it that can lead to chronic inflammation. Researchers figured that the Neu5Gc molecule must somehow benefit tumors, so they tested it. Sure enough, half of the experiment's mice with tumors were introduced to the anti-Neu5Gc antibodies the human body produces, and developed far more aggressive cancer than the mice without.

An inspired blog post I read recently, shows that U.S. households spend a higher percentage of their dollars on cheap packaged junk foods than anything else. The blogger observed people's shopping carts full of foods and decided to add up some data gathered by Nielsen about Americans' grocery shopping habits. Not surprising, the data reveals the food choices behind the pandemic of lifestyle related diseases caused by the cheap calories we consume. According to the data, the average American spends $1,321 on packaged foods (snacks, soda, etc.), $309 on frozen foods, $112 on meat, $215 on alcohol but just $91 on fresh produce.

I buy the majority of my food at my local Farmer's Markets, the health food store and through my food-coop group. While the health food store sells a lot of processed and convenience foods, they carry healthier versions of what their conventional counterparts sell, even when these carry some organic options also.

In my experience, most people's carts at the health food store contain a combination of produce, grains, beans and also quite a few processed, packaged and canned items. Some time ago, I was looking for ripe avocados and found myself looking in the local conventional super market. It was a surreal experience. I was almost in tears because it was so schocking and painful to see that the majority of people, with children, had shopping carts full of cheap toxic foods that come laden with artificial additives. It was truly overwhelming for me to witness this and I was overcome with sadness because I'm sure that in most instances, these peope simply don't know how harmful these "dead" foods are. They don't know how bad what they are buying is.

I decided to take a walking tour through the isles of the grocery store and noticed that the food prices, in many instances, are even higher than, for example, Whole Foods Market's 365 Organic Everyday Value® brand foods. Conventional grocery stores teamed up with industrial food manufacturers really stick it to uninformed consumers who pay a higher price -- both in food costs and in poor health.

I spent 5 hours yesterday making a 10-dish, 100 percent plant-base, farm fresh, homemade Thanksgiving meal from scratch in honor of my sister-in-law and her family who will be departing for an African adventure Saturday. They won't be back until after Thanksgiving and I really wanted them to enjoy a Thanksgiving celebration in advance.

I've also had clients asking me about preparing a vegetarian or vegan Thanksgiving, so I took this opportunity to develop and test new holiday recipes I’ve been working on. And I must say, they turned out really well. My guests, who are not vegetarians, absolutely loved the food and were raving about it.

This delicious and out-of-this-world butternut squash and chickpea stew with wonderful and healthful Indian spices will definitely spice up your day. Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, this meal will give you a nice boost to your immune system and loads of energy! It's in the latest issue of my Vegetarian Organic Life newsletter!