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Worm Holes and Carbon Footprints

Today we meet two of the critters at The Green House, Link and Wormy. Link is a liberal blogger who is trying to introduce his new friend, Wormy to the world of environmentalism. Tomorrow, Link checks in with Wormy to see how he’s enjoying reading “An Inconvenient Truth.”

As much as we seek knowledge and “the truth,” we’re all  reading the latest news, reports and studies to see what “those in the know” want us to know. It’s also clear that those who are “experts” can sway us to their side by great speeches, writing or story-telling through movies. However, seemingly minutes after we form an opinion or answer a call to action, we can dismiss and distrust if we hear “facts” well told from the other side of the debate.

I really wanted to believe Al Gore and the message of “An Inconvenient Truth.” I recall taking my Mother to the movie and seeing how moved she was by all the facts about the melting glaciers and endangered polar bears. . . which I knew were facts “skewed” a bit to make a point (and sell a movie). My Mom and I had a great discussion about the movie on the way home, which proved one point that put Al’s movie into a “plus” column for me. . .

It was clear from the discussion that my Mom hadn’t really been following environmental news much, even though she knew how big a “Greenie” I am- and she was now excited to start reading more and to start living a cleaner, more organic life. After dropping her off, I came to the conclusion that as much as Al Gore may have propped up certain info and dramatized events to make a more compelling movie, my Mom was moved into a more positive direction for having seen “An Inconvenient Truth.”

I don’t condone lying to the world to make a more impactful movie-  I like to see balance- but in this case, I’ll give a nod in the affirmative to Al.

So, for my part,  I’ll  do what I can to show how thoughtful, informed, conscious people (and critters) relate to the same information, in my own writing. Maybe my presentation of debatable subject matter will open discussion that is balanced and discussed with open minds. In any event, finding any moment to open a person’s mind to thinking about their planet is a good thing. Do it with humor and cute characters and it’s a big round ball slam dunk!

More on the subject over the next few days.

What were your thoughts and experiences after reading or seeing “An Inconvenient Truth?”  Start a conversation here or on our Facebook page. We love fresh insights and honest experiences.

Lil’ Ol’ Lady Whoooo? . .

Apples! WE have so many wonderful orchards here in NW Connecticut- been eating the fruits of Applegate Farms in Canton, CT lately. . . so, here’s a little info on the goodness in this garden of Eden temptation. . .

 

In Biblical Portions. . . High Fructose Calamity.

Finding out what’s actually in your food is not a trivial pursuit. . . is High Fructose Corn Syrup the silent killer in our food? Is it the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse? The actual fourth horseman of our impending demise is Famine. You could say that if you’re eating something with HFCS in it, you aren’t starving, but in reality you are. You’re eating a diet that’s filled with processed foods and additives that make food last longer, cheaper to produce and addictive. You’re giving your body substances that it doesn’t recognize as “food” or fuel and it doesn’t naturally know how to process these additives.  It does what it can with them, but it leads to many problems as we consume more and more. And HFCS isn’t the only bad thing we’re putting in our bodies. . . look at the labels on the so-called “Healthy” stuff in your pantry. . . if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not something your body wants to process either.

Below is an article I found on the Huffington Post by Dr. Mark Harmon, that gives you the whole story from a Dr.’s perspective. . . but don’t let it end there. . . start doing some investigation for yourself.  (Side note:  Don’t take everything a “Dr.” has to say as a truth, unless they’re also a qualified Nutritionist and one who is current on nutritional research. . . some Drs only want to prescribe meds to heal your symptoms, instead of tackling the core problem, what you’re putting in your body. All Drs are not created equal. . . Dr. Mark Hyman is on my recommended Expert List, along with many brilliant Nutritionists )-  There’s a new Sugar Detox making the news lately, where you take sugar (in processed form) out of your diet completely. My investigating has taken me a few steps past just the sugar detox- I’m in week 2 of the Microbiome Diet, taking sugar, dairy and grains (gluten) out of my diet and adding prebiotics and probiotics to my system to reconstruct my Microbiome. . . I’d recommend reading up on this to everyone. . .  But for starters, realizing that most food manufacturers don’t care what your ingesting as long as they’re making revenue from it is good information. . .

Dr. Mark Hyman:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/high-fructose-corn-syrup_b_4256220.html

Renaissance physician Paracelsus famously said, “The dose makes the poison,” meaning that even harmless substances can become toxic if you eat enough of them. Many people ask me, “Is high fructose syrup really that bad for you?” And my answer to this question is “Yes,” mainly for this very reason.

In America today, we are eating huge doses of sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. It is sweeter and cheaper than regular sugar and is in every processed food and sugar-sweetened drink. Purging it from your diet is the single best thing you can do for your health!

In recent history, we’ve gone from 20 teaspoons of sugar per person per year to about 150 pounds of sugar per person per year. That’s a half pound a day for every man, woman, and child in America. The average 20-ounce soda contains 15 teaspoons of sugar, all of it high fructose corn syrup. And when you eat sugar in those doses, it becomes a toxin.

As part of the chemical process used to make high fructose corn syrup, the glucose and fructose — which are naturally bound together — become separated. This allows the fructose to mainline directly into your liver, which turns on a factory of fat production in your liver called lipogenesis.

This leads to fatty liver, the most common disease in America today, affecting 90 million Americans. This, in turn, leads to diabesity — pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. So, high fructose corn syrup is the real driver of the current epidemic of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, dementia, and of course, Type 2 diabetes.

HFCS contains dangerous chemicals and contaminants

Beside the ginormous load of pure fructose and sugar found in HCFS, as an added bonus, it contains other chemical toxins.  Chemical contaminants used during manufacturing end up in the HFCS and in our food.  What we know, for example, is that chloralkali is used in making high fructose corn syrup. Chloralkai contains mercury. And there are trace amounts of mercury found in high fructose corn syrup-containing beverages. Now, it may not be a problem if we eat this occasionally, but the average person in the country consumes more than 20 teaspoons a day of high fructose corn syrup and the average teenager has 34 teaspoons a day. Over time, these heavy metals can accumulate in the body, causing health problems.

Additionally, when we look at the chemical components of high fructose corn syrup on a spectrograph, we can see that it contains many weird chemicals that we know nothing about. That’s why I say better safe than sorry.

Look out for the red flag

The main reason you should give up high fructose corn syrup is that it’s a big red flag for very poor quality food. If you see this ingredient on a label, I guarantee you the food is processed junk. So, if high fructose corn syrup is anywhere on the label, put it back on the shelf. You should never eat this food.

If you want to stay healthy, lose weight easily, get rid of chronic disease, and help reduce the obesity epidemic, the single most important thing you can do is eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet and from your children’s diet. Just banish it from your house.

Purge your kitchen

I challenge you to go into your kitchen right now, go in the cupboard and refrigerator, and look at every single label. And I want you to count how many products you have right now in your house that contain high fructose corn syrup. Then, I want you to get a big garbage bag and throw them out and find replacements that are free of it.

If you want to have some sugar, that’s fine. Have a little sugar, but add it to your food yourself. Don’t eat food made with added sugar. Cut the high fructose corn syrup from your life forever. You’ll be healthier. Our planet will be healthier. And we’ll have a healthier generation of children.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, MD is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a six-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

For more by Mark Hyman, MD, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

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“Living with Ed & Co-Eds”

I found this comic from 2007 where we reference “Girls Gone Wild” and one of my favorite shows, “Living With Ed.”  Personally, I’m so happy that the “GGW” thing is in our past. . . it always pissed me off how these people were using young women and denegrading them. . . we’re all young and impressionable at some point- why do people have to abuse innocence for profit? If girls want to get topless, fine. . . I’m not against that. . . but getting them drunk and selling their images pisses me off.

“Living with Ed” was fun though. . . I liked how he was struggling to have his wife and family see his “visions.” Ed Begley, Jr. continues to be a role model for me. . . keep seeking information and live by example. I should talk to Ed about having topless girls on a new show introducing new energy concepts and helping Ed clean his solar panels. . . Girls Gone Eco?

I emailed Ed back in 2007, showing him our work and his caricature- and he replied in person, telling me (and Peter) to keep at the Green House, that we were ‘kindred spirits and he was glad we connected with him.’ Really nice guy who loves to share information. . . I like his style. He has a new book out about Sustainability and a great website: http://www.livingwithed.com

Here’s a great interview with Ed, where he gives us a fantastic tour of his home and his sustainable concepts. . . he should be an inspiration to everyone. . . he is to me.

 

Don’t Rush Through This Journey. . .

I listen to all kinds of stuff on the radio, NPR (mostly), Red Sox Games, Rock Stations, Country Stations, Clark Howard, Late-night weirdness on Coast To Coast with George Noory. . . and yes, sometimes Rush Limbaugh. I like to hear everybody’s opinion because it’s all about balance for me. . . I have my liberal side and my conservative side. . . and I really only turn the radio off and put on Pandora when I get disgusted with pomposity, rudeness and self-serving rhetoric. . .  Politically, I hear this from both sides (but mostly from Rush).

So. .  I went to a Melanie concert last night (yes, “Lay Down Candles (in the rain) Melanie!) , and started getting back to my hippie-dippy green roots. . . and realized that she’s still out there with her original “love one another” message. . . and that’s what I need to focus on now. . . being an old guy with a young heart and a green mood. . .  t’s about surrounding oneself with positive words, music, people and vibes.

I’m working on all new material for The Green House, including a book about Composting – and I decided that I needed to start motivating myself with reading ten minutes of inspiring writing every morning before I start work. I pulled a few books off the shelf to sit on my coffee table, including: “Lit Up Inside” by Van Morrison,  “The Simple Living Guide” by Janet Luhrs, “Beautiful and Abundant” by Bryan Welch and “It’s Not Easy Being Green,” by Jim Henson- the Muppets and Friends (compiled by Jim’s daughter, Cheryl). After reading my ten minutes worth of Jim Henson quotes, I found myself feeling the spirit of Jim Henson once again. . . reminding me of 1981 -86 when Guy and I were creating  “Jim Henson’s Muppets Comic Strip” and channeling the soft-spoken, gentle philosophy of the amazing Jim Henson (and Melanie was playing on my cassette deck).

Working with Jim was about creating something “good.”  Something that made people smile and remember the child within themselves. . . open up to the world around them and let it all in. . . and this little book is full of that goodness. I grabbed the right book first, friends! Since those early days, I believe Jim’s spirit has helped shape my philosophy on creating. . . do it because it’s good, it’s right. . . it makes life more fun for people.  As Jim said, “Life is meant to be fun, and joyous, and fulfilling! May each of yours be that. . .”

And mine is just “that”. . .  and I need to remind myself every morning (noon & night) that I’ve been blessed with wonderful family, friends and friends I haven’t met yet. . . and it’s all about making the journey fun, joyous and fulfilling.

In essence, what I’ve discovered about being a “Greenie” ties in to what the words in “It’s Not Easy Being Green” represent. . . caring.

Peter and I are working on new material and new versions of The Green House that we’ll be debuting by the end of October- – and I’m so excited about the work Jim’s words have been inspiring me to do. . .    Shutting off the mid-day talk shows and focus on being green. . . as my friend Kermie would say, “Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy!”  And as Melanie would say, “Let your white birds smile up- At the ones who stand and frown.”  She might also say “yaaay!”

Gonna share the positivity. . .

 

 

Seat of The Soul Revistited

INTENTION and How To Find YOUR Authentic Self & Spiritual Path in a Comic Strip. . .

That one little moment. . . when you peek out from under the covers, see a tiny ray of light shining through the curtain, and something awakens deep within you. . . that awakens the whole of you and gives you the strength to get out of bed and seek the light. . .

Yes, it’s all there on a tiny note under the shoe that Mantis is meditating on. It’s about INTENT. I intend to keep this post brief so more of you will read it. . . so I won’t elaborate each point. . . but Peter Menice has been a sensei to me and hundreds of other people. . . he’s been my Mantis since we began the Green House, whether he likes it or not, he has often been the teacher and the light. He led me to Gary Zukov, Oprah Winfrey and Jim Carrey. . .

I wrote a fun little strip about Mantis trying to meditate while Link is digging through some Swap Shack CD’s. . . both are seeking nirvana. . . one finds Pearl Jam. Some may be seeking Pearl Jam and find Nirvana. . . which is how Peter works his sensei magic. Peter takes my “gag” (what cartoonists chokingly call a strip idea- no, I don’t think “chokingly” is a word, but it fits the description). . . so he takes my gag, and places Mantis on an old shoe and puts a tiny note on the bottom of the sole. . . “Seat of the Sole.”  Days later, while we’re discussing the gag, Peter barely mentions the note, except with a few words that carried a tone of satisfaction that he shared a message that is both a good pun and a valuable lesson.

I said I’d keep this brief, so I’ll just let you take the same little journey I took. . . I googled, I found, “The Seat of the Soul,” by Gary Zukov. . . I read some excerpts. . . I found that Oprah Winfrey credits “The Seat of the Soul” with changing her life and how she conducts herself and her business. . . discovering the power of Intent, which told her that “Intention is at the heart of authentic power. . . how do we intend to serve?” Learning about Intention from Zukov’s book changed her life in a powerful, spiritual and authentic way. I also found a profound piece by Jim Carrey. . .

If you’re reading this, you’re finding the note on the bottom of a shoe and you may be thinking, “I’m going to put that shoe on and find a path.” I’d recommend putting two shoes on and make the trip more comfortable. . . so I’ll share two quick videos here. Fifteen minutes total that could change your life. AND. . . ( just a little inside tip from the Swap Shack)- The Audio Book of “The Seat of the Soul” is available on YouTube completely free. Thank you, Mantis. . . thank you, Peter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEOW_uhF8bk

Take Your Meds or Med-itation for Motivation. . .

In the creative moment, there’s one side of me that wants to check out mentally and meditate . . . and there’s the other side that is struggling to create the piece, whether it’s writing, art or any project.  Finding the balance is the key- and for me, I’ve  always been able to find the creative spot of productivity easier with a partner.  I have the hardest time doing work when it’s just “me.” Put me in a room with someone else and I’m a brilliant, creative dynamo. . . by myself, I seem to start creating a second (or third) personality so my brain has someone else to play with, get approval from, create synergy.  I’m always happy, energized, excited by the opportunity to solve a problem for someone else.  By myself, I think about it WAAAAY to much.

Everything gets twisted up and complicated when I’m trying to work by myself.  But when I’m working with Peter, I get it done- the cords get neatly wrapped and the solar panel is connected and producing energy.

Maybe it’d be easier to be a worm and draw another face on my tail to create that second entity in my mind. . . Any thoughts. . . please share them, I need the connection. . . :0)

Cloudy with chance of sniffles. . .

It’s Herbal Awareness Month. . . not really, but I couldn’t figure out an attention-getting opening line. I’m a little under the weather today. . . my brain’s a bit cloudy and I do have the sniffles. I do not have any Echinacea tea in the cupboard, but will be getting some later today. Meanwhile, Link is healing up from his fever and you’ll be getting to know him a bit more tomorrow. In the meantime, you might want to check out another “link” below and get a quick description of the benefits of Echinacea and 12 ways to use it. We have lots of it planted in our perennial garden and I can attest that the bees and butterflies love it! It’s just starting to pop out of the ground now, so here’s a pic of what it will hopefully look like in a few months. . . monarch and all- although we seem to attract a lot of yellow swallowtails. . . enjoy the article!

http://www.diynatural.com/echinacea-benefits/

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Mr. Breeze. . .

I love this throw back strip from 2007 as it shows our liberal blogger being honest about another liberal’s potential.

If you can’t win an election, at least do something positive and create a different kind of power for the party.

Concepts for collection of power from wind turbines have certainly grown in eight years . . . check out the wind trees in this video- slated for mass production in early 2016 . . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvWYVoCwjBY

“I am the. . . inspiration.”

What gets you into the groove, the writing mood, the working space, , , the I am the walrus and I CAN Imagine vibe?

I have several affirmations posted on my walls to remind me of my purpose. . . to affirm my intention. . .  but there seem to be creative triggers I sometimes need to set my mind into a creative mood.  When writing comic strips, I used to pick up a paperback of one of my favorite comic strip collections, BC, Hagar, Hi & Lois, Shoe, Calvin & Hobbes. . .  my favorite for getting into the writing rhythm was Hagar. My former editor at King Features (from the Muppets days) Bill Yates, always said that Dik Browne and Hagar was the perfect blend of writing complimenting art and art complimenting writing. There’s a magical pace, paired with a delightful looseness that you get reading Hagar. That’s what I tried to do with the Muppets- keep that pace, find that rhythm of words, conversation, connection of the characters and connection to the reader.

Writing these blog posts is a totally different discipline. . . it’s more like writing music and finding a mood to let the words flow.

Writing the Green House is again, something completely different. It’s more of a Calvin & Hobbes scenario, where I have to move into a mood of recalling experience and all the thoughts, conversation and tone of that moment and then find the moments that the characters would share in that space. I’m making it all sound kind of “magical” and it’s really not- it’s just thinking about who the characters are and what they’d think about or say in that moment. . . and imagine their physical presence too. . . what they’d be doing or how they’d be standing. . .the expressions, the gestures. Just like a director, you take it all in, and hit the pause button to jot down the best moments. The tricky part is finding the things that get you to that place, the creative triggers. What are your creative triggers? A walk? A run? The right music? A nap? A cup of coffee? . . .

Ah, the magical cup of coffee. . . It’s more than just the stimulation . . . it’s the process of creating that coffee, being conscious of the process, mindfully preparing and enjoying the coffee, the warmth of the mug in your hand. . . that’s kind of the same as creating a comic or blog. Maybe that’s why coffee seems to be a staple in most creativity. Plus, it wakes us up a little and says. . . “Yeah. . . goo goo g’ joob!”

That would make a great name for a coffee company. . . “Goo Goo G’ Joob Organic Jamaican Roasters.”

“Jam-aican me some fresh coffee, Mon?”

Okay, now I need a cup. . . seriously- tell us about your creative triggers or what you think about mine. . . you can comment below or as always, join us on our Facebook page where the best discussions always take place. Goo goo g’ joob!

A Sketchy Character. . .

“Link-ed” In. . .

This week we’ll be introducing you to our liberal blogging rat, Lincoln. . . his friends call him Link. He loves everything from the 1960’s and idolizes John Lennon (hence his usual army shirt outfit, round glasses and long hair). His blog is called, “Link’s Underground,” and you’ll see Pam & Todd reading his blog on occasion at The Green House.

Writing a comic strip with environmental themes, we naturally attract a more liberal audience. Often it’s of the extreme liberal variety. When we first started The Green House, we would get “strong” suggestions to get really liberal with our story lines, but our goal was to always keep a good balance. Link gave us the ability to get a little “out there” and have fun poking fun at the extreme right wing media, especially Rush Limbaugh, whom Link loathes. . . but also listens to. Maybe it’s the old “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” philosophy, but he listens, as do I from time to time.

As time has gone by, I find myself inclined to mellow out Link’s attitude a bit, and have him be more into technology and pushing the green agenda more than being political- although sometimes those topics intertwine. To be totally honest, it’s just that politics are a subject I’d rather not focus on in my writing. There’s so much greater good I can do finding humor in everyday life. . . it reaches a broader audience and tells the kind of stories I like to tell. It’s also too easy to fall into a reactionary position and spend too much time in negativity and the hot political topic of the media day.  I do LOVE how Walt Kelly handled politics “back in the day” with Pogo. . . but I don’t feel that’s where Peter an my strengths are as story tellers. In that regard, it’s important to have well defined characters with easy to recognize personalities. Link is a character with a lot of character- and personality. It’ll be fun sharing his quirkiness with you. He angers easily, but is also a true friend. We hope you enjoy spending some time with him this week.

As Kelly and Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” I don’t want to be my own enemy in the world of promoting green concepts and lifestyle. I don’t want to preach my philosophy, but instead depict a world where our characters are positive role models, working to find peace and harmony. . . along with a few laughs along the way. For ideally, that’s what life should be about. . . and I believe Walt Kelly and John Lennon would approve.

Rush- Shower. . .

I’ll admit it. . . I listen to Rush Limbaugh. I occasionally watch Hannity. I also listen to NPR and love Colbert and The Daily Show. I’m a firm believer of listening to everyone. We tend to listen to people who we know we’ll agree with and believe the news that suits our position. I’ll watch a movie I’m told is terrible, read books “no one else liked,” and be open. Every artist has fans, every speaker has followers and admirers. It’s sometimes very difficult to see what others see in a person or work, but if you look closely and observe with open ears, open eyes, open mind and open heart, you’ll hopefully (at the very least) find something of value.

Link is a liberal blogger and listens to Rush. . . it’s something of a “know your enemy” approach and a motivator. Plus, apparently, it saves a few kilowatts. . .

 

In Biblical Portions. . .

Finding out what’s actually in your food is not a trivial pursuit. . . is High Fructose Corn Syrup the silent killer in our food? Is it the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse? The actual fourth horseman of our impending demise is Famine. You could say that if you’re eating something with HFCS in it, you aren’t starving, but in reality you are. You’re eating a diet that’s filled with processed foods and additives that make food last longer, cheaper to produce and addictive. You’re giving your body substances that it doesn’t recognize as “food” or fuel and it doesn’t naturally know how to process these additives.  It does what it can with them, but it leads to many problems as we consume more and more. And HFCS isn’t the only bad thing we’re putting in our bodies. . . look at the labels on the so-called “Healthy” stuff in your pantry. . . if you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably not something your body wants to process either.

Below is an article I found on the Huffington Post by Dr. Mark Harmon, that gives you the whole story from a Dr.’s perspective. . . but don’t let it end there. . . start doing some investigation for yourself.  (Side note:  Don’t take everything a “Dr.” has to say as a truth, unless they’re also a qualified Nutritionist and one who is current on nutritional research. . . some Drs only want to prescribe meds to heal your symptoms, instead of tackling the core problem, what you’re putting in your body. All Drs are not created equal. . . Dr. Mark Hyman is on my recommended Expert List, along with many brilliant Nutritionists )-  There’s a new Sugar Detox making the news lately, where you take sugar (in processed form) out of your diet completely. My investigating has taken me a few steps past just the sugar detox- I’m in week 2 of the Microbiome Diet, taking sugar, dairy and grains (gluten) out of my diet and adding prebiotics and probiotics to my system to reconstruct my Microbiome. . . I’d recommend reading up on this to everyone. . .  But for starters, realizing that most food manufacturers don’t care what your ingesting as long as they’re making revenue from it is good information. . .

Dr. Mark Hyman:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/high-fructose-corn-syrup_b_4256220.html

Renaissance physician Paracelsus famously said, “The dose makes the poison,” meaning that even harmless substances can become toxic if you eat enough of them. Many people ask me, “Is high fructose syrup really that bad for you?” And my answer to this question is “Yes,” mainly for this very reason.

In America today, we are eating huge doses of sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup. It is sweeter and cheaper than regular sugar and is in every processed food and sugar-sweetened drink. Purging it from your diet is the single best thing you can do for your health!

In recent history, we’ve gone from 20 teaspoons of sugar per person per year to about 150 pounds of sugar per person per year. That’s a half pound a day for every man, woman, and child in America. The average 20-ounce soda contains 15 teaspoons of sugar, all of it high fructose corn syrup. And when you eat sugar in those doses, it becomes a toxin.

As part of the chemical process used to make high fructose corn syrup, the glucose and fructose — which are naturally bound together — become separated. This allows the fructose to mainline directly into your liver, which turns on a factory of fat production in your liver called lipogenesis.

This leads to fatty liver, the most common disease in America today, affecting 90 million Americans. This, in turn, leads to diabesity — pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. So, high fructose corn syrup is the real driver of the current epidemic of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, dementia, and of course, Type 2 diabetes.

HFCS contains dangerous chemicals and contaminants

Beside the ginormous load of pure fructose and sugar found in HCFS, as an added bonus, it contains other chemical toxins.  Chemical contaminants used during manufacturing end up in the HFCS and in our food.  What we know, for example, is that chloralkali is used in making high fructose corn syrup. Chloralkai contains mercury. And there are trace amounts of mercury found in high fructose corn syrup-containing beverages. Now, it may not be a problem if we eat this occasionally, but the average person in the country consumes more than 20 teaspoons a day of high fructose corn syrup and the average teenager has 34 teaspoons a day. Over time, these heavy metals can accumulate in the body, causing health problems.

Additionally, when we look at the chemical components of high fructose corn syrup on a spectrograph, we can see that it contains many weird chemicals that we know nothing about. That’s why I say better safe than sorry.

Look out for the red flag

The main reason you should give up high fructose corn syrup is that it’s a big red flag for very poor quality food. If you see this ingredient on a label, I guarantee you the food is processed junk. So, if high fructose corn syrup is anywhere on the label, put it back on the shelf. You should never eat this food.

If you want to stay healthy, lose weight easily, get rid of chronic disease, and help reduce the obesity epidemic, the single most important thing you can do is eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet and from your children’s diet. Just banish it from your house.

Purge your kitchen

I challenge you to go into your kitchen right now, go in the cupboard and refrigerator, and look at every single label. And I want you to count how many products you have right now in your house that contain high fructose corn syrup. Then, I want you to get a big garbage bag and throw them out and find replacements that are free of it.

If you want to have some sugar, that’s fine. Have a little sugar, but add it to your food yourself. Don’t eat food made with added sugar. Cut the high fructose corn syrup from your life forever. You’ll be healthier. Our planet will be healthier. And we’ll have a healthier generation of children.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

Mark Hyman, MD is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a six-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

For more by Mark Hyman, MD, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

Carbon Footprints and Worm Holes

Today we meet two of the critters at The Green House, Link and Wormy. Link is a liberal blogger who is trying to introduce his new friend, Wormy to the world of environmentalism. Tomorrow, Link checks in with Wormy to see how he’s enjoying reading “An Inconvenient Truth.”

As much as we seek knowledge and “the truth,” we’re all  reading the latest news, reports and studies to see what “those in the know” want us to know. It’s also clear that those who are “experts” can sway us to their side by great speeches, writing or story-telling through movies. However, seemingly minutes after we form an opinion or answer a call to action, we can dismiss and distrust if we hear “facts” well told from the other side of the debate.

I really wanted to believe Al Gore and the message of “An Inconvenient Truth.” I recall taking my Mother to the movie and seeing how moved she was by all the facts about the melting glaciers and endangered polar bears. . . which I knew were facts “skewed” a bit to make a point (and sell a movie). My Mom and I had a great discussion about the movie on the way home, which proved one point that put Al’s movie into a “plus” column for me. . .

It was clear from the discussion that my Mom hadn’t really been following environmental news much, even though she knew how big a “Greenie” I am- and she was now excited to start reading more and to start living a cleaner, more organic life. After dropping her off, I came to the conclusion that as much as Al Gore may have propped up certain info and dramatized events to make a more compelling movie, my Mom was moved into a more positive direction for having seen “An Inconvenient Truth.”

I don’t condone lying to the world to make a more impactful movie-  I like to see balance- but in this case, I’ll give a nod in the affirmative to Al.

So, for my part,  I’ll  do what I can to show how thoughtful, informed, conscious people (and critters) relate to the same information, in my own writing. Maybe my presentation of debatable subject matter will open discussion that is balanced and discussed with open minds. In any event, finding any moment to open a person’s mind to thinking about their planet is a good thing. Do it with humor and cute characters and it’s a big round ball slam dunk!

More on the subject over the next few days.

What were your thoughts and experiences after reading or seeing “An Inconvenient Truth?”  Start a conversation here or on our Facebook page. We love fresh insights and honest experiences.