23 Comments so far

1. Kevin Gianni on May 15, 2008 10:46 pm

   It’s funny… when I don’t ask a question in the video the amount of discussion is significantly less!

   Hello? Anyone there?

   How about a new question…

   What’s your favorite natural health blog? (That one is loaded!)

   OK… maybe not that one… here’s a good one…

   What’s the best thing to give your wife as a gift just for the heck of it? And it’s got to be more original than flowers…

   Ladies… help a man out!

   Seriously!

   Kev

2. Bernadette on May 15, 2008 10:59 pm

   Hi Kevin,

   Please don’t drop your question so fast. It will eventually affect the USA if it goes through. I was just away trying to find a website address to post but when I did, I got a message about a spam filter. If anyone is interested, please go to youtube and look for James. He’ll tell you the whole truth about the bill.

3. Bernadette on May 15, 2008 11:06 pm

   http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=-oA-5xG3N1I&feature=related

4. Evelyn on May 15, 2008 11:08 pm

   How about a gift certificate for a massage? Or, some nice lotion that is from a healthy source and not full of harmful ingredients?

5. Bernadette on May 15, 2008 11:08 pm

   http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=pIBee1TGMks&feature=related

6. Bernadette on May 15, 2008 11:17 pm

   Canada’s Police State
   Bill C-51 Camouflaged
   as a health bill

   By Daniel J Towsey

   On April 8th 2008 The Health Minister of Canada introduced a totally unnecessary bill, that is quickly being forced through Parliament to attack the Natural health products and services industry on behalf of big Pharma. The public is being deceived and not informed of the police state provisions written into this bill.

   The government is using the slogan that we need this new bill to protect our health. That’s a complete fraud and deception.

   We already have all the necessary laws in place to protect us. Unlike the regulated prescription drugs, no one has ever died from consuming or using any alternative natural health therapies, products or services. And believe me, if anyone had. The law would have quickly stepped in with our previously existing and very effective laws .

   Under Bill C-51 the State could:

   · Enter private property without a warrant
   · Take your property at their discretion
   · Dispose of your property at will
   · Not reimburse you for your losses
   · Seize your bank accounts without a warrant
   · Charge owners shipping and storage charges for seized property
   · Store your property indefinitely
   · Levy fines of up to $5,000,000.00 and/or seek 2 years in jail per charge
   · Will not have to report seizures to a court.
   · They can charge you just for talking about or promoting natural alternatives

   With your assets and money under their control will you be able to defend yourself in Court? And even if you miraculously win. They would of already destroyed your life, reputation and business. So no matter what you are a victim of despotism.

   This bill would allow the government agents to adopt laws from other countries: without the approval of elected officials, without debate in the House of Commons, without the consent of the Canadian people.

   Remove more than 70% of Natural Health Products from Canadians and some will be available by expensive prescription only. Restrict and completely stop research and development of safe natural alternatives in favor of high risk drugs. Punish Canadians with little or no opportunity for protection or recourse for simply speaking about or giving a natural product without the approval of government.

   This bill is even more serious than this. These government agents can arbitrarily enter any business, even ones that have nothing to do with natural health products. After-all, who would know that this police state legislation would not be abused? And who could stop them when there is no court supervised search and enter warrants?

   This bill is a crime against our democracy and those involved in introducing it and passing it should be charged with treason against the kind and totally naive trusting Canadian people.

   This bill is part of a much bigger New World Order depopulation, and longevity reducing UN agenda. Conducted under the Codex Alimentarium agenda that was started in 1962.

   The communist European Union Government has already implemented the almost identical laws. EU civilians are now, unable to get natural health products that have been around for thousands of years.

   Canada, The USA and Mexico have signed many secret agreements that are piece by piece, producing the North American Union.

   This legislation was introduced in Canada because it is a place of least resistance. Because under one of the Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreements. It will automatically become law in the USA and Mexico. Since Canada has a very small and spread out population which pays little if no attention at all to what our elected officials do or say, and is being rushed through Parliament. I am sorry to say that soon Canada will no longer be a democracy. It will be a DESPOTIC DICTATORSHIP.

   The Canadian media propaganda conditioned population trusts everything that our treasonous medias says as gospel.

   If more Canadians went to independent online medias for their information. We might of had a chance to save our country.

   But the corporate media’s wordsmiths with the aid of psychologists are so skillful at deceiving us into believing that the Internet is full of conspiracy nuts. That most people will never go to the only place on earth where they will truly find the truth.

7. Barbara on May 15, 2008 11:36 pm

   Kevin, this is not about todays show, but about another one that I watched about water. I have been looking for a travel cup that has a filter that I can take when I am away from home and my own clean water. Can you suggest a site? I would like a really good one. Thanks and keep up the good work.
   Barb from Michigan

8. Barbara on May 15, 2008 11:42 pm

   By the way Kevin….the best gifts you can give your little woman is doing any chores to give her more time for herself….at least that is my favorite, “just because” gift.
   Barb from Michigan

9. Lisa on May 16, 2008 12:30 am

   Hey Kevin,

   Thanks for all your info. As a wife, the gift I like best from my husband is his time Another thing I like are coupons he makes for things like a neck rub or a home-prepared meal (NOT prepared by ME!).

   Anyway, those are a couple suggestions.

   When people ask me how they can tell if something is organic I also mention that with fruits and vegetables you should be able to notice a significant difference in the taste as well as the amount of time the item will keep before spoiling. Organic oranges and apples can often be smaller with more blemishes on the outside of the fruit… but the taste on the inside more than makes up for the ‘Ugly Duckling’ appearance!

   Just my 2 cents

   Lisa

10. Denise on May 16, 2008 1:11 am

    Hi Kevin,
    I have been busy getting this years gardening done and setting up my plant and produce stand. I haven’t missed any shows this week just not getting to them till the next day and just real busy but I think tonights is great as well as last nights cooking show!
    I just have to say that I eat 90% Organic/Non GMO foods. I was a healthy 48 year old and was just starting to add organic to my diet after studies shown them to be far more superior in vitamins and minerals.
    Then I got diagnosed with cancer. We live in a very toxic world due to chemicals. A tumor is not the disease, it is a symptom of the body saying it has an other underlying problem. Being toxic with years of accumulated chemicals is a big reason why people are having different kinds of diseases.
    After you go through battling a disease you do what it takes to get healthy. You find that what you ate before now grosses you out due to your new knowledge on exactly what they really do and put into the normal store food.
    You start small, you buy what you can. It has taken me 17 months to get to be 90% organic, 99% of my health and beauty products, my pets drink my filtered water and they are also organic! I don’t even use chemicals in the laundry or to do dishes.
    The sad thing is that most of us will have to have something drastic happen to us like an illness before we realize that this is the way food should be!
    Organic produce sold in the summer at farmers markets and mom and pops roadside stands are a great way to buy a little cheaper then the stores. I sell produce here always cheaper then the local stores.
    Organic food tastes better. Organic food stays fresher longer.
    As far as your question about a gift for Annmarie, why not give her a spa package? I live near a wonderful spa. They feature natural mineral spring baths, detox wraps, massage, acupuncture and a Naturopath to just name a few of the services. Do you have anything like that in your area?
    You are doing a great job!
    Denise

11. Barbara on May 16, 2008 1:30 am

    Hi Kevin,
    I am beginning to get into sprouting and trying to figure out what is the best to eat without having to juice it as I do not have a juicer or vitamix yet. Perhaps you could have a show about sprouting….Thanks.
    Barb S. from Michigan

12. Tammy on May 16, 2008 2:00 am

    Hey Kevin,

    Love your shows, you’re doing a great job of info-taining us all. I make gift baskets, so my thought is that you can make Annmarie a themed gift basket. It’s not hard to do at all. You can make a spa themed basket and put some scented soy candles, herbal bath soak (you can actually make this yourself), a loofah, a bottle of organic grape juice (that looks like champagne), etc., etc. You can personalize it, using her favorite scents and colors. Or since she likes to prepare food, you could put together a raw food themed basket and include organic herbs or spices to prepare food with or even herbal teas and assorted raw crackers. It will mean a lot to her knowing that you put a basket together yourself because it shows that you really spent time thinking about her and what she likes. And if the basket idea doesn’t work for you, you can always give her a gift card to her favorite shop. Few women can resist picking up a little treat for themselves on occassion. Good luck!

    Tammy

13. Carol Kraft on May 16, 2008 2:22 am

    I am addressing the organic issue. I try to eat as much organic as possible and I would like to support it. I just want to raise a few issues here that I wrestle with in choosing this life style.

    I find organics don’t always taste better for a few reasons. First much of it gets shipped from far away like California or Israel or Chile and by the time it gets to my store it is not very fresh any more. This is esp the case in winter months where I live in Canada and growing season is limited.
    Secondly the flavour is poor because the soil lacks the proper mineral content. Just because is pesticide free or low pesticide does not mean the soil quality is good. We live in a time of much soil mineral depletion due to our past and present farming practices so it could take a very long time to build up that soil with supplementation (which incidently some organic farmers disagree on chemical supplements and just use composting, manure and that is insufficient according to some I talk to) Also are they rotating the crops and giving the soil a rest, another factor to consider in nutrient value.

    There is the issue of buying organics but polluting the earth more from shipping long distances. So here I would prefer to support my local farmers who may not be using organic processes but it is more ecological,fresh and supportive of my community.
    It is also better to get to know your farmer and how things are grown. I find sometimes the quality and care is better even with minimal pesticides. For example one very honest farmer I know who uses a spray on apples to prevent worms from eating the apple and that spray is a one day thing that evaporates in the sun. He told me of so called organic apples that put so much sulphur on their apples it could cause more of a reaction eating it than putting a minimal amount on along with a one day spray.
    Talk to your farmer and get to know the process. It is not always so black and white.

14. Carol Kraft on May 16, 2008 2:30 am

    One more issue Kevin re GMO foods. Unfortunaely we lost out in a vote recently from a members bill put to Canadian parliament re labelling GMO foods. That got defeated in parliament recently. Sneaky Harper slid it in under another major bill. How disappointing for us so I can’t know the truth of the products I am purchasing.

15. Frann Leach on May 16, 2008 6:32 am

    How to know for sure your food is organic? Grow your own is what I came up with. I know trusting other people is supposed to be a virtue, but when it comes to your health, the responsibility is yours.

16. Steve on May 16, 2008 7:50 am

    As far as gifts go, Something from the heart is always good
    I Just cut some petals off a tree a friend gave us for a wedding gift so I can dry them and put them in a card for our anniversary in July.

17. Steve on May 16, 2008 7:53 am

    I dont think Organic food stays fresher longer for lack of preservatives?

18. Donna on May 16, 2008 9:24 am

    Kev:

    You give her a massage. That can mean a day at the spa, or, you sign up for a class that you can do together, such as Thai Massage (or dancing or whatever).

    Another idea is to take her to the park while you hire a cleaning service (or free-lancing artist friend) to detail the apartment. That means windows, corners, behind the fridge, etc.

    If you’re not in the doghouse and just want to get something small there’s always an essential oils kit, or a pedicure (at the salon
    or at home by you), or an herb garden that she can grow at home. Maybe a new helmet for biking or roller-blading. Or a new squeaky-horn or even a GPS for her bike.

    She must have dropped a million hints…

19. Donna on May 16, 2008 9:33 am

    Now, for the other question.

    I buy my organics from the health food store or the co-op. I feel more confident if I can speak directly to the owner. This way I know where it’s coming from and if I find out that it’s not organic I have someone to talk to.

    Stay away from the big box stores. Support local business. It’s the only way to get what you want to buy as opposed to whay they want to sell you - both figuratively and literally.

20. Lauren on May 16, 2008 3:29 pm

    That’s great that Zmira buys all organic on a low income…but now that it’s been mentioned…I just calculated what I spend annually to live, and I live on less than that, not counting what I spend on uni, which is all in a really big loan. I am sure that Zmira also doesn’t live in an urban atmosphere in which the only source of all-organic food is, consistently, near double that of conventional.

    What I would like to contribute, on a more positive note, is that low-income people might benefit from knowing which foods are less likely to be contaminated with pesticides. Bananas, for example, are not only cheap but are also not likely to have pesticide contamination even when conventionally grown. I do buy organic apples, as they’re often within my price range, and the fruit market down the street usually sells me 1kg for £1.

    And you’re right; it is often a matter of priority: but my priority right now is to invest in my education so that I will be able to have the kind of future that I will enjoy and be proud of the most. At this point in my life, my priority is my university education, and if that means making sacrifices, it means making sacrifices. If it means that any extra money I have goes to textbooks and the like instead of organic food, so be it. I suppose I could also start robbing the bin behind the health food store, but they’ve CCTV and I’d like to keep my job there.

    I spend my money on, in order of most expensive to least expensive:

    uni fees
    food
    transportation
    entertainment

    So, yes, priorities come into play…but for some people, it is just not worth the sacrifice. I don’t regret my choice of priorities, and I don’t think that others who share my situation should be made to feel bad for theirs, either.

    I’m extremely healthy, I run, I dance, I do martial arts, I eat more greens on a daily basis than most people (many of which I pick from the forest myself), I’m 80% raw and 100% vegan, I have 2 degrees and am working on a 3rd, and I’m quite happy with my life. I don’t even buy most of the “high-pesticide contamination” fruits and veg, such as berries, because even the conventional ones are usually beyond what I can justify to myself spending for food.

    I mention all of that because I want to make it clear that there are many other worthy things to be focusing our energy and expenses on besides organic food. Everything must be done in moderation, and when living on a budget, it’s probably more intelligent to make small sacrifices here and there if it means that in the end things will work out better in the long run.

21. Lauren on May 16, 2008 3:36 pm

    Quoting Bernadette:

    “EU civilians are now, unable to get natural health products that have been around for thousands of years.”

    I would like to know which products those supposedly are. I live in the UK and can buy any herb I want, any homeopathic thing I want (if I wanted to; I don’t do homeopathy, but I’ve seen it in the shops all over the place,) any essential oil I want, any vitamin I want, any mineral I want, etc.

22. Bernadette on May 16, 2008 5:04 pm

    Hi Lauren,

    The article you read, above, was written by Daniel J. Towsey and can be found on the internet. It wasn’t written by me. His name is at the top under the title. I’m not clear as to which natural health products he is referring to in his article…however, if Bill C51 is passed, we won’t be able to buy a simple multivitamin here in Canada without a perscription. It’s a pretty serious situation and for the first time in my life, I feel like our freedom and our health are in serious jeopardy in this country.

23. Kevin Gianni on May 17, 2008 1:19 am

    Wow, so many things going on here…

    I don’t even know where to start, I think I’m going to address them generally with the things that hit me as I was reading them…

    (1) thanks for all your tips I’m not in the doghouse! Just wanted to see if you guys have any creative ideas for me!

    (2) Organics, yes, “just” organic is not always the best. Local is better, grow your own is best (as long as you’ve tested the soil or don’t live next to an old autoshop.)

    (3) Buying organic is priority. Education is also extremely important. I would not be able to bring you this information at no cost, if it weren’t for the tens of thousands of dollars I’ve spent on education on health and marketing.

    (4) There is a lot of misinformation and anecdotal information everywhere. Be savvy. Sometimes people make false claims and other times they’re dead on. We can’t look at a whole body of work and dismiss it completely because of an error, or on the other side, we can’t trust it fully without and question.

    (5) I ate way too much chocolate tonight and looks like I’ll be up for another 2 hours or so! Chocolate is definitely best in SMALL doses. It is a stimulant.

    Kev