In Yet Another Victory for Food Activists, Cheerios Go Non-GMO

Image: flickr.com

GMOInside.org

Consumers across the country took action with the GMO Inside Campaign to push General Mills to make Cheerios non-GMO

WASHINGTON, D.C. –January 2, 2014 – With 40,000 Facebook posts from consumers who took part in GMO Inside’s campaign calling on General Mills to make Cheerios non-GMO (http://gmoinside.org/cheerios/), General Mills today posted  its statement on GMOs http://cheerios.com/en/Articles/cheerios-and-gmos. The company states: “It’s the unique and simple nature of original Cheerios that made this possible – and even that required significant investment over nearly a year,” and “we were able to change how we source and handle ingredients to ensure that the corn starch for original Cheerios comes only from non-GMO corn, and our sugar is only non-GMO pure cane sugar.”

One year ago, in November 2012, GMO Inside starting calling on consumers to put pressure on General Mills to make Cheerios without GMOs due to concerns over the health and environmental impacts of GMOs. Cheerios are a top selling cereal in the U.S. and often one of the first solid foods fed to children.  As soon as the campaign launched, tens of thousands of consumers started flooding Cheerios’ Facebook page with concerned comments regarding GMOs in Cheerios (http://gmoinside.org/launch-gmo-inside-campaign-cheerios/), and used an app put out by Cheerios to spell out anti-GMO messages in the Cheerios font (http://gmoinside.org/cheerios-facebook-page-bombarded-by-anti-gmo-activists/).  In October 2013, GMO Inside issued a real corporate responsibility report for General Mills (http://gmoinside.org/cheerios/), and called on consumers to email and call the General Mills to get GMOs out of Cheerios.  GMO Inside also put out a video highlighting the GMOs in Cheerios:



that was watched by over 200,000 viewers. Over 25,000 people took part in the email actions and calls to the company In the past week callers to the company were told that Cheerios would have a big announcement about GMOs soon.

Green America Corporate Responsibility Director Todd Larsen stated: “Removing GMOs from original Cheerios is an important victory in getting GMOs out of our food supply and an important first step for General Mills.  Original Cheerios in its famous yellow box will now be non-GMO and this victory sends a message to all food companies that consumers are increasingly looking for non-GMO products and companies need to meet that demand.”

John W Roulac, GMO Inside co-founder and co-chair stated: “This is a huge victory for the non-GMO movement. I want to thank all the “GMO Insiders “for using social media to convince America’s largest packed food brand to go non-GMO with a major product. History is being made today and more food brands will rush towards non-GMO foods. ”

GMO Inside, a campaign of national non-profit organization Green America, welcomed the news that General Mills is now producing original Cheerios without GMOs, and is encouraging consumers to let General Mills know that now is the time to make all Cheerios non-GMO.  In addition to original Cheerios, General Mills manufactures 11 other varieties of Cheerios for sale in the U.S., including highly popular Honey Nut Cheerios, and the other 11 varieties continue to include GMOs.  General Mills admits on its website that all Cheerios cereals sold in Europe are made without GMOs, and increasingly, U.S. consumers will be calling on General Mills to make all its cereals non-GMO in the U.S. as well.

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses, investors, and individuals to solve today’s social and environmental problems.

Media contact: Will Harwood (703) 276-3255 or wharwood@hastingsgroup.com

Source: gmoinside.org

Wait Til You See What’s Inside This Awesome 1000 Year Old Tree

Viral Nova

The baobab tree, otherwise known as an adansonia, is a large species of tree that is native to parts of Africa and the surrounding areas. The Sunland Baobab is one of the most famous baobab trees (and there is something awesome hiding inside of it). It’s located in South Africa in the Limpopo Province and is known for being one of the largest and oldest baobabs. It’s so big across, you could fit a bar inside. … So someone did.

No, seriously.

The Sunland Baobab is naturally hollow on the inside and was not artificially hollowed out. The bar was created in 1933 and is located on a farm owned by the Van Heerden family.


Beyond the tiny entrance…


Is a cute little bar, with 13 foot-high ceilings.


But the hidden pub isn't the coolest thing about this tree.


Scientists believe, thanks to carbon dating, that the tree is over 1,000 years old.


Only 15 people can fit inside of the tree at once, but with the diameter of the tree being nearly 35 feet across, it would take a lot more people than that just to encircle the tree.




Sources: Flickr & Viral Nova

How Much Coconut Oil Should You be Eating Each Day?

Image: lifeislikeaboxofchocolates.net

Dr. Bruce Fife discusses coconut oil and covers how much should be taken each day in order to receive health benefits from it. Want to receive the best free Natural Health email newsletter?
Click here: http://buff.ly/188s4c3



How to Eat GMO-Free without Reading the Labels



Here are some super tips to be sure that you get non-GMO food, organically grown and certainly not having to trust on the deceiving labels. It is really empowering that we can choose to eat what we want. The best way of eating GMO-free food is to grow it ourselves, which this website really emphasizes upon its readers. We have also shown you tips on how to start basic gardening, a little surfing of the website will guide you more. One thing that we should all note is that the GMO-free food is not easy to find if we are not growing. We have to work to find the food otherwise McDonald's is cheap and easy to get and so is cancer.




20 Unusual Uses for Olive Oil



Olive oil is a fat obtained from the olive. It is a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean. The oil is produced by pressing whole olives. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. Olive oil is used throughout the world, but especially in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.

Olive oil can be used for many unusual things, some of them are:

Paint clean-up


When your hands are covered in paint, sap or any other sticky substance that’s hard to remove, try scrubbing them with olive oil and a little salt or sugar. The paint will come right off and your skin will be soft and exfoliated.

Eye makeup remover

Even the heaviest, drag-show-worthy makeup job can’t stand up to the removal power of olive oil. Dab a little on a cotton pad and your eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara – including waterproof formulas – will wipe right off.

Furniture polish

Olive oil helps remove dust from furniture and gives it a shine. Add a teaspoon to a quarter cup of lemon juice, and you’ve got a non-toxic, petroleum-free polish that also gently cleans wood surfaces.

Skin moisturizer

You might think using olive oil as a moisturizer would leave you with oily skin, but that’s not the case. Used in small amounts, it seeps in completely, eliminating dryness and reducing the appearance of wrinkles without clogging pores.

Shoe polish

What, exactly, is it in shoe polish that has such a headache-inducing smell? It could be any number of potentially toxic ingredients. Banish them from your house and use olive oil instead. Just buff onto your leather shoes with a cloth.


Hinge lubricant

WD-40 shouldn’t hold a monopoly on squeaky door hinges when simple, natural olive oil works just as well. Wipe it on with a cotton ball or use a spray bottle to lubricate the hinge and eliminate that annoying creak.

Bath oil

Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and you’ve got a custom bath oil that will gently scent and moisturize your skin.

Stainless steel shine

Olive oil alone will buff stainless steel and brass surfaces to a brilliant shine. Just wipe off any debris and allow the surfaces to dry completely, then pour a little oil onto a clean, soft cloth. Buff in circular motions with firm pressure.

Smooth shave

Slick and moisturizing, olive oil will help your razor glide along your skin for a super-close, smooth shave with fewer nicks.

Throat soother

Got a big singing performance or speech coming up? Swallow a tablespoon of olive oil just before you step on stage and you won’t have to clear your throat nearly as often. This trick also works to soothe itchy throats and lubricate the back of the mouth and tonsil area, which may lessen snoring.


Hair treatment

Sure, you could buy a fancy commercially-prepared hot oil treatment for your hair – or you could just grab the bottle of olive oil that’s already sitting on a shelf in your kitchen. Apply a few tablespoons of warmed olive oil to damp hair, massage into the scalp and rub through the ends, then leave it on for thirty minutes to an hour. The oil will clean and condition the scalp, soften the hair and help the cuticles lay down flat for a sleek look.

Ear ache relief

A little warm olive oil is a fast, effective means of relieving painful ear aches. Just place the bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, then pour a few drops into the affected ear. To cure ear infections, infuse the olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic, strain the garlic out and drip into the ear.

Sticker remover

Dab olive oil onto a sticker or label, let it sit for a few minutes and the sticker will peel right off. No scraping needed, no annoying residue left behind.

Lice treatment

Olive oil has long been a preferred natural treatment to eliminate dreaded head lice. It reportedly helps to dissolve the exoskeleton of these little parasites, and smother the ones that are resistant. Pour it on to dry hair liberally, comb out any visible lice with a nit comb and then leave it on under a shower cap for up to 8 hours. Follow by coating the hair in apple cider vinegar; leave it on overnight, shampoo as usual and then comb out any remaining eggs.

Hairball prevention

Nobody likes the sound of a cat loudly hacking up a hairball, especially since it always seems to happen when you’re trying to eat or sleep. Help it pass through your cat’s system more easily by adding 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil to his or her food each day. 


Lamp fuel

A blizzard just hit, the power’s out and you realized that you’re out of batteries and candles. Do you just sit around in the dark? No, you grab that bottle of olive oil – because by now you should know that it’s an absolute essential in your life – and use it to fuel a lamp. You can purchase specially made olive oil lamps, or simply pour it into a glass jar, poke a hole into the jar lid and insert an oil lamp wick.

Chewing gum remover

Whether your child comes home from school with a mass of sticky pink bubble gum in her hair or you find yourself the victim of a wayward wad, you don’t have to resort to any crazy tricks or – gasp – scissors to get it out. Apply olive oil to the gum and the surrounding hair, leave it on for five to ten minutes and then pull the gum out.

Leather conditioner

Just as it cleans and restores leather shoes, olive oil can be used to re-condition cracked, dry leather items like baseball gloves, car seats and saddles. It takes a bit longer to fully penetrate the leather than most conventional conditioners, but it works.


Psoriasis and diaper rash treatment

Olive oil soothes itchy, burning, irritated skin and may help rashes heal. Apply it to a baby’s diaper rash or directly to any eruptions on your own skin for quick relief. Consuming olive oil on a regular basis may also be helpful in the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis.

Personal lubricant

Squeaky hinges aren’t the only parts that work better when lubricated. But just because you’re in the mood for some slippery fun doesn’t mean you should grab a tube of KY. There are lots of safe, natural alternatives to potentially toxic personal lubricants, but plain old olive oil will do the trick nicely – just avoid using it with latex condoms.


Source: http://ecosalon.com/20-unusual-uses-tips-for-olive-oil