Missouri's soybean factory farmers are about to harvest the largest soybean crop in history. The reason for the probable record high yields is, according to this article, "good weather and more farmers using genetically-modified seeds." Higher yields mean higher profits, but not without unintended consequences. These profits come at the expense of the long-term negative impact that conventional farming along with genetically modified crops have on human health, the local ecology and ultimately the planet. According to this article, more than 90 percent of soybeans are genetically-modified and "many things are made with (GMO) soybeans including beer, bread, biofuel, cosmetics and pet food." This is precisely the problem with soybeans and why soy gets such bad reputation as being a food that causes many health problems including allergies.

These modern biotech genetically modified soybeans hardly reflect the soybeans that have been consumed for thousands of years as part of the traditional Asian diet. Genetic modification can only take place in labs by scientist whose goals are mainly to create a version of a food that will withstand pests and plant diseases without any regard or consideration for human health.

Shockingly, eighty percent of all fats and oils consumed in the U.S. are made from soybeans. Some of these manufactured oils contain trans fats. The consumption of genetically modified soybeans is widespread, and most people don't even suspect this because, number one, GMO products don't require labels, and two, soybeans and soybean products including isolated soy protein and soybean oil are commonly found as ingredients in foods and beverages just like high fructose corn syrup is. It's hard to find packaged foods that don't contain soybeans, soybean oil or isolated soybean protein. And unless it's organic, it means it's definitely conventional and genetically modified.

The solution: Stick to organic foods and stay away from packaged processed foods. Make you meals from scratch using locally grown organic ingredients.

Omnivores, not to mention vegans, may be shocked--even horrified--to realize that animal byproducts can be found in the most unlikely foods and beverage. Such is the case for wines. Care for some fish guts or cow connective tissue in your wine? The process of fining conventional or organic wine usually involves adding a tiny amount of animal byproducts, including sturgeon bladder, egg albumin, gelatin or casein to the wine. This method makes the remnants of the wine making process (bits of grape skin, seeds or stems) settle at the bottom of the barrel. Fining, according to wine makers, also makes wine have a smoother "mouth feel."

Fortunately, though in the very minority, there are a few wineries that make vegan wines (free of animal ingredients) for those who are pure vegans or simply prefer to leave the fish guts out of their wine. Vegan-friendly wineries simply skip the fining process or employ other animal-free alternatives.

The bottom line is that like all everything else, it’s important to be an educated consumer to make sure that you’re getting what you really want. Always read labels and research manufacturers before you buy anything. And remember that organic doesn’t mean vegan and that goes for not only wine but also beer and other alcohol. There are plenty of resources in the Internet. Do your homework.

Here are examples of vegan wines:

Domaine Carneros makes a sparkling organic wine. They use a fining agent called Clarifiant S, a preparation of sodium bentonite, which is a clay-based product that's free of animal byproducts. (Brut sparkling wine, $26; Brut Rose, $36; Blanc de Blancs $85) All these bubbly wines are vegan and made using organic grapes.

Aum Cellars make their reds completely vegan. They’re also organic and biodynamic. (St. Helena Cabernet, $37)

Girasole Vineyards make their wines with organically grown grapes and processed using sustainable, animal-free processes. (Girasole Vineyards Pinot Noir, $16; Girasole Vineyards Chardonnay, $13)

Frey Vineyards claims to be the first biodynamic vineyard in the U.S. (Organic Merlot, $27; Organic Petite Sirah, $13.50)

I have a local food co-op that I don't take advantage of because it's not very close to where I live. I also have two amazing health food stores nearby and farmer's market I can go to six times a week. I also used to buy things in bulk through a local buying club, but I no longer have the room to store large quantities of anything. I downsized to a small studio to live a digital nomad lifestyle. Nonetheless, I'm determined to re-visit my local coop and explore the possibilities. Here is an interesting article that made me think about food co-ops again. For many of us, it's definitely worth a try.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced Monday that it will require bloggers to disclose any "gifts" or payments from companies that make the products bloggers review. This would go for technology bloggers, health and fitness bloggers and any other blogger who gets paid to say nice things about products.

As a blogger who has never accepted payment to express any opinion, I love it! Great idea! Just one problem: The FTC is using a good rule to solve an almost non-existent problem. When someone is persuaded by what is essentially an "advertorial" in blog post format, they might end up spending money on a product that isn't really worthy. In extreme cases, it's possible that a paid post might persuade a reader to try a dangerous health remedy.

But of all the troubles that plague our troubled society, paid blog posts are way down on the list. Why not use the FTC's rule where it would really do some good? For example:

Politicians

Whenever politicians advocate legislation or appointments that benefit contributors, they should be required by law to disclose "gifts" and payments during speeches and press releases, and on their official Web sites.

So, for example, when President Obama appoints Roger Beachy, formerly of Monsanto, to head the USDA’s newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture, he should disclose the payments behind that sell-out. And likewise for all the other industrial food interests he's put in charge of America's food supply.

Companies spend vastly larger sums to influence government than they do to influence bloggers. And when politicians take money for services rendered, if affects all of us.

Children's TV product placement

The average American child watches several hours of TV per day. According to a study commissioned by the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, American children between the ages of 2 and 7 see an average of 12 food-related ads per day. According to the study, 34% of the ads are for candy and snacks, 28% for breakfast cereals, 10% for fast food, 4% for dairy products, 1% for fruit juices and none for fruits and vegetables.

And that's just the ads. A Michigan State University study found constant references to fast food in children's TV shows – some 2.6 references per hour of programming on children's shows. Many of those references are for the products of advertisers, or represent paid product placement.

During these shows, the FTC should require the actors to stop, address the audience, and explain to children in age-appropriate language that these items are being mentioned because of payments from the companies that make those products. (They should also be forced to disclose to kids that the products mention can lead to cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, as applicable.)

Doctors

Doctors are being constantly influenced by pharmaceutical companies. In 2007, the pharmaceutical industry spend $22 billion on drug samples, dinners (that include drug sales presentations), hand-outs and other things to influence doctors to prescribe their drugs. They don't do this because they're nice. They do it because they get back more than $22 billion in benefits when doctors are, in fact, influenced.

So the FTC should require doctors who write prescriptions to detail to the patient everything they've gotten from the company that makes the drug they're prescribing. "Pfizer bought my wife and I dinner four times, gave me $6,000 worth of free samples and even the pen I'm using to write this prescription. Just thought you should know."

The FTC's rule that bloggers must disclose payment for opinion or advice is a great one. The only problem with it is that it solves a practically non-existent problem. If applied where it really counts, the FTC might actually improve things. Let's start with the politicians, TV studios and doctors who contribute to the health crisis and skyrocketing healthcare insurance costs by giving bad paid advice.

The new Santa Barbara Whole Foods sure knows how to make an entrance—and a memorable one! I was there at opening time this morning, and I can tell you: It was quite the scene. The opening was more like a red carpet movie premiere, with a long line of people down the block anxiously waiting to enter the newest Mecca for health nuts, granola heads and gourmands alike.

Traffic jams clogged streets within a half-mile radius from the store, with nearby businesses guarding their parking lots with vigilance to keep the Whole Foods riff-raff out. Miraculously, I found one spot in the Whole Foods parking lot. It was located near the main entrance marked as “reserved for low emitting vehicles.” Yes! I thought that would be me, or rather my beloved hybrid Prius. One fellow foodie asked me, “had you been waiting to park for a long time?” No, I smiled, “the spot was free because it’s reserved for low emitting vehicles, which my Prius is,” I told her, still smiling. Other people standing in line and in other cars were looking at me with envy and I walked by them gloating unapologetically.

I walked to the back of the long line to join all the die-hard foodies, who were clearly ecstatic to be at the grand opening of Whole Foods in Santa Barbara after years of waiting. I took a shiny, never-used shopping cart and made my way into the store—but still took the free EO sanitary wipe scented with essential oils, located by the entrance, available for germophobics who like me are into disinfecting everything. Don’t judge! It’s flu season—you can’t be too careful.

Upon entering the building you could immediately feel the positive energy vibrating through the crowded store. Even the local farmers, whom I usually shop from at farmer’s market, were there soaking it all in. I saw at least three of them, and they seemed to be having a good time.

The store is not very big. At just over 40,000 square feet, they’ve done well with the lay out, creatively making the most of it. They have a nice bulk foods section, though I do think they should have more of their bins filled with healthier foods (more grains, beans, nuts and seeds and fewer sweets). I bet CEO John Mackey, who recently admitted that Whole Foods sells "a bunch of junk," would agree with me.

I was also disappointed to see that the store doesn't have freshly ground almond butter. They have two nut grinders for freshly made nut butters, unfortunately, they use both for peanut butter: one for regular peanut butter and the second one for honey-roasted peanut butter. At Lazy Acres, the other big health-oriented grocery store in town, you can make your own freshly ground peanut, almond and even cashew butter. Lazy Acres even offers both conventional and organic almond butters in the grind-it-yourself bin section."

The produce section is surprisingly small, though it might be because Santa Barbara is blessed with an abundance of locally grown produce. We have local farmer’s markets within driving distance almost seven days per week, year round. The prepared cold food section features fresh salads and cooked proteins, including tofu, chicken, fish and beef free of hormones and antibiotics. All of their freshly made salads feature produce from local growers. They had a sign indicating that all their salads are made with locally grown produce from John Givens Farm, which is just about six miles from the store. It doesn’t get much more local than that. Givens farm is one of my favorite organic farms, and they grow just about every kind of vegetable (too many to list) and the sweetest and juiciest strawberries you'll ever taste. You can always find them at the farmer’s market, and they offer some of the lowest prices.

Not surprisingly, Whole Foods in their eagerness to provide customers with a delightful experience, does it again. There were team members (employees) everywhere attentively helping customers. My shopping cart, along with the food in it, disappeared somehow. I picked up a few other items and was carrying them in my arms. A team member ran to get a hand basket and brought it for me to use. And boy, did I need it. Their thoughtfulness is unparalleled.

They were serving samples galore, and quite generous size portions—I ate a couple of meals worth before leaving the store. The food was out of this world. I’ve been to a lot of Whole Foods, but they were serving a few things I’ve never seen anywhere else. The vegan black garlic pizza with apples and red cabbage tasted divine. I also enjoyed a delicious vegan beet salad and a fresh corn and arugula salad, also fabulous. My favorite items from their “make-to-order” sandwich section are the vegan grilled Portobello mushroom with red onions and the vegan grilled tempeh sandwich with baba ghanoush—my mouth is watering just writing about them. I ordered a tempeh sandwich to bring home to my husband to try, and a curious thing happened. They were having technical difficulties with their price label printer. Rather than writing the price by hand or making me wait, they wrote something on it, which the cashier told me meant it was free. That’s what makes Whole Foods stand apart. They really provide a memorable experience to their customers whom they actually consider their “guests.” It's a smart policy because they’re creating customer loyalty.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the store manager, who seemed to be everywhere making sure things were running smoothly. The marketing manager was doing the same. All hands were on deck, and they all seem enthusiastic and happy to be there. From my vantage point, everything seemed to be going well. And I think there is enough room in Santa Barbara for both Whole Foods and Lazy Acres to serve all the enthusiastic foodies and health nuts here. My request to Whole Foods: add chia seeds to the bulk food section, have a nut grinder for freshly ground almond butter and carry the Wildwood Sproutofu, I’ll be a doubly happy camper. Welcome to Santa Barbara, Whole Foods! Glad to have you.

I'm extremely excited because the new Whole Foods Santa Barbara store opens today at 9:00 AM! I have been waiting for this to happen for many years now. Whole Foods had to jump through hoops to make this happen, and had to offer many concessions to the city. But at last, Whole Foods is here and hopefully they'll give Lazy Acres, the largest health food store in town, a run for the money. Although many have the false impression that Lazy Acres is a locally owned store, it's actually owned by a Minnesota-based mega corporation called SuperValu, Inc. According to Wikipedia, SuperValu, Inc. is the third largest food retailer in the United States, and #51 on the Fortune 100. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to do some shopping!