“Detox” seems to be the buzzword of the moment and while it might appear that it’s only what the celebrities do, it is something we could all benefit from once in a while.

What does detox mean?
Detox, short for detoxification, is the body’s natural way of eliminating toxins from the body. Toxins are substances that cannot be metabolized by our body. They are deemed an intruder or a foreign substance that impedes the natural functions and growth of our cells. Toxins include such things as alcohol, chemical byproducts from our food, (like artificial ingredients, pesticides, excess sugar or hydrogenated oils), chemicals from the environment such as pollution and even chemicals in the creams we put on our skin; the skin after all is our largest organ and absorbs what we put on it directly into the blood stream.

It is the liver’s job to remove these toxins from our body and in today’s world our livers have to work harder than ever! Imagine if you were standing on a tennis court and someone was throwing tennis balls at you that you had to catch and put in a bin. If the tennis balls are thrown one at a time it is easy to catch each one, place it in the bin and get ready for the next one. Now imagine that six came at you at once, realistically you will only be able to catch one, perhaps two if you are good and the others will just hit you and fall to the ground. You then frantically have to pick them all up before the next lot is thrown at you. In the same way if we are constantly consuming things that are full of toxins our liver has a hard time keeping up.

Why Detox?
The purpose of a detox is to give our liver a much-needed break and allow it to literally ‘catch up’ and clear out the backlog. We regularly take our cars for check ups, tune-ups and oil changes to maintain them and make them run better and we should do the same for our body. Eliminating major toxins from our diet for a period of time will give our body the chance to detox what has built up over time.

Assessing how you feel is a good place to start when asking the question, ‘Why Detox?’ Do you often feel tired and sluggish? Do you have headaches more than occasionally? Do you have a tendency towards restless sleep? Do you have mood swings? Do you have extra pounds that won’t come off with diet and exercise? These are only a few symptoms of toxicity in the body.

How can I detox?
Cleansing is a natural practice in all traditions and humans have sought natural methods to cleanse the body since ancient times by fasting, taking herbs or eliminating certain foods. There are many ways you can detox in your every day life and it can be as simple as removing just one or two things from your diet for a while or going as far as fasting. A good place to start is by taking a look at your current eating and drinking habits. How much refined and processed foods are you consuming versus fresh fruits and vegetables? Do you drink a lot or smoke? Are you a coffee consumer? A soda drinker? Are you a heavy meat eater? Do you consume a lot of sugar? All these are things that lead to toxic build up in the body.

If you choose to do a simple detox it’s as easy as deciding to give up alcohol, coffee or meat for a period of time (or maybe indefinitely!) but if you prefer a deeper detox you might choose to follow a vegan or raw diet for a set amount of time, or do a juice cleanse for a few days. Whatever level you choose you will undoubtedly experience benefits to your health and well-being. Many people feel energized, have increased clarity, deeper sleep and are more focused and positive. However be prepared for some detox symptoms first! As your body rids itself of the toxins it is common to feel flu like symptoms for a day or so.

When embarking on a detox it always helps to have a guide by your side. There are some great resources here in Key West that can help with your detox, we have posted some below. If you have any questions head on over to our facebook page, post a comment and we will do our best to answer them for you.

Key West Detox Options
Help Yourself Café, offers a regular 3 day juice cleanse and a 3 day raw food detox
plus a seasonal 7 day detox – 829 Fleming Street, 305 587 9143

Dr. Ross Williams, Chiropractic and Nutrition, offers a 21 day liver cleanse detox -
White Street Healing Arts Bldg, 1217 White Street, 1st Floor (305) 292-7222

Carol Christine offers colon hydrotherapy, White Street Healing Arts Bldg, 1217
White Street, 305 849 3263

Fresh coconut jelly

The Humble Coconut
The western world is finally discovering the health benefits of coconuts. On a warm summer’s day in New York it is not at all uncommon to see people meandering through the streets sipping a young Thai coconut, perfectly chilled to quench the city’s heat. Street vendors who once sold just a few coconuts are now selling 10 or more cases a day. Sales of bottled coconut water across the US have more than doubled in recent years, with a market share estimated at 20 Million Dollars.

What?
Coconut Water is the liquid from young green unripe coconuts. Inside these coconuts can be anywhere from 8-16oz of water. The meat, if any, is very thin and jelly like. This soft jelly meat is an excellent ingredient in smoothies and desserts, but is equally delicious eaten straight from the shell.

As the coconut matures the water turns into a harder meat and you end up with the brown coconut shells most people are familiar with in supermarkets. These mature coconuts with a thick, hard white meat are used to make coconut milk and oil. There is very little liquid left in these mature coconuts. The real health benefits come from the young coconuts.

In many health food stores around the country you will see white coconuts with a little point on one end. These are simply young coconuts usually from Thailand with the husk removed.

Coconut water is fat free and low calorie with a naturally sweet flavor.

Why?

Opening a coconut to drink from the shell

Coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage filled with a multitude of immune system boosting vitamins, minerals and other health enhancing properties that have consequently made it a staple of islanders for millennia. This healthy electrolyte drink has potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and makes an excellent oral re-hydration beverage, replacing electrolytes lost from exercise, heat
stress and illness.

Some of the other many benefits include:

• Natural Boost to Immune System
• Improved Intestinal Health
• Increased Metabolism & Weight Loss
• Balancing of Body PH
• Detoxify anti-Virus
• Stops Fatigue
• Prevents Hypertension
• Controls Diabetes
• Aids in Circulation
• Reduces Cancer Risk
• Treats Kidney Stones
• Eases Stomach Pain & Vomiting

According to Mortin Satin, Chief of the United Nation’s Food & Agriculture
Organization, “Coconut water is the very stuff of nature, biologically pure, full of natural sugars, salts, and vitamins to ward off fatigue… and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!”

It is also highly regarded as one of the best hangover cures!

How?

One of the many great things about being in Key West is that we are lucky enough to have this super food growing right in our back yards and there is nothing better than drinking a fresh coconut straight from the tree!

Take advantage of this powerful local food whether it be to rehydrate, cure your hangover or just to enjoy the refreshing taste and a myriad of health benefits. Another great reason to visit us in Key West!

Warning: Cutting open coconuts should be done with caution or left to the experts!

Help Yourself Organic Café carries fresh local coconut water or stop by the Monday Market between 11am and 5pm to drink one from the shell.

Take a look at our video where I demonstrate how we take the coconuts ‘From Tree to Table.’

Most people have heard the term “genetically modified foods” tossed around in conversation, and many have been privy to at least some of the controversy it inspires. A lot of small farm and organic farm owners — as well as some health food enthusiasts –  boisterously voice their anxieties concerning genetically modified (GM) foods and the negative impacts they effect on the economy and the environment. Just what are genetically modified foods? And how are they affecting world agriculture and the natural environment?

Genetically modified foods – what are they?
Genetically modified foods are plant or animal species whose DNA have been modified in a laboratory by precise, scientifically advanced methods. Plant, animal and microbial life have all been the subjects of genetic modification, although GM animal products have yet to be released into the market.

The World Health Organization estimates 3 million workers each year suffer from pesticide poisoning.

The aim, supposedly, of genetically modifying primary agricultural crops like corn, soybeans, rice, tomatoes, sugar cane and more, is to improve crop yields as well as the quality and nutritional content of the crops themselves. This goal is pursued by altering the crops to better resist pests and diseases, to thrive in less than ideal environments, and to resist the pesticides and herbicides used to kill the crops’ natural enemies.

Genetic modification is also practiced on micro-organisms which are used in the mass production of processed foods. Microbes are engineered to better clot milk into cheese and yogurt, to consume unsightly impurities in fruit juices and to convert common starches in baked or processed goods into simple sugars.

Genetically modified foods are massively prevalent. After the first successfully modified crops hit the market around 1990, GM foods began penetrating markets all over the United States and the European Union. Between 1997 and 2009, the amount of agricultural space reserved for use with GM crops grew an astounding 78 fold from 4.2 million acres to more than 331 million acres. Today more than ninety percent of America’s primary crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton are genetically modified.

What’s so bad about GM foods?
One of the most disconcerting aspects of GM foods is that their long-term effects are virtually unknown. Both in terms of their effect on the environment and their impact on human health, GM foods are — and will be for decades to come — somewhat of a mystery. Mankind has spent thousands of years selecting and adapting the natural crops that constitute the world’s primary food sources. Genetic modification, on the other hand, has introduced radical changes at a break-neck pace that have permeated world agriculture before even being fully understood.

Another unsettling aspect of GM crops is the fact that the companies which develop the genetic modifications own the rights to those specific strains of crops. That means that farmers cannot cultivate crops with genetic modifications — no matter how they may have gotten hold of the seeds — without signing a business contract with the crops’ developer.

Say, for instance, that a farmer purchases GM seed to grow corn. When they harvest their corn at the end of the year, they are legally prohibited from using the year’s crop to re-seed their fields unless they renew a contract with the crop’s genetic engineers.

As GM crops become more prevalent across the world, the intellectual property laws which protect GM seed keep the rights to world food production firmly in the hands of a few huge, multi-national corporations. Some GM crops are engineered to flourish with specific, proprietary fertilizers and pesticides. This exacerbates the monopoly on crop seeds as soils that have been treated with harsh fertilizers and pesticides for several years may be unable to grow non-GM crops.

Roundup Ready crops encourage farmers to use more pesticides.

Another problem with cultivating GM crops is the overuse of herbicides and insecticides. Monsanto, a large company that develops, licenses and markets GM foods, offers strains of alfalfa, soybeans and other crops known as Roundup Ready. Roundup Ready crops are impervious to the herbicide Roundup, which allows farmers to use massive quantities of the poison to kill weeds without damaging their crops. One study performed in 1999 by a researcher named Charles Benbrook found that Roundup Ready Soybeans did not yield harvests any larger than their non-GM counterparts. His study also demonstrated that farmers cultivating Roundup Ready Soybeans used as much as 2 to 5 times more herbicides than natural farmers.

Herbicides used on farms — including varieties of Roundup — are detrimental to the environment. The poison doesn’t disappear or become inactive after use, but instead penetrates the ecosystems surrounding an agricultural plot through drain water and soil seepage. Herbicides kill plants and insects in the natural environment, and can wreak havoc on all kinds of life by chipping away at the foundations of the food chain.

In addition to harming plants and animals, insecticides and herbicides also affect humans. The World Health Organization estimates that around 3 million agricultural workers worldwide suffer from severe pesticide poisoning, a condition characterized by neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, respiratory tract damage and the development of cancer.

The same poisons that severely damage agricultural workers’ respiratory tracts, nerves and skin are present — in smaller amounts — on the fruits and vegetables sold at grocery stores. Since more poisons are used during the production of GM crops, it’s likely that they are more thoroughly contaminated even after they’ve hit the grocery stores.

While the effects of chronic exposure to pesticide residue aren’t fully understood, one thing is for sure: Consumers are absolutely exposed to pesticides in traceable amounts. One study performed at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in the eastern township of Quebec showed the presence of both herbicides and insecticides in local pregnant women and their unborn babies. The study aimed to identify placental toxicity in area women, and to understand the implications of that toxicity in terms of pregnancy complications and fetal health. While the toxic chemicals were successfully identified, the health effects of those chemicals are still being studied.

Genetically modified crops may have other unexpected and dramatic effects on local ecosystems. A variety of GM corn which was engineered to present toxicity towards some of its natural pests was recently linked with the widespread death of monarch butterflies. GM crops have also been indicated by some scientists as playing a role in the advent of Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomena which devastated bee colonies all over North America beginning in 2007.

Protesters in India speak out against genetically modified crops

Many scientists fear that GM crops may crossbreed with local plants or weeds, thereby moving their toxicity to certain insects away from cultivated fields and into natural forests. While substantial crossbreeding has not yet been recorded, the effects could be tragic and far reaching in terms of natural ecosystem destruction.

Agricultural technology and production firms which market genetically modified crops claim that the benefits of an increased yield and superior quality foods outweigh concerns about the destruction of soil and the natural environment. They assert that genetic modification is necessary to ensure a maximum yield given the world’s limited agricultural space, and even point to GM crops as a potential solution to world hunger.

Advocates of natural farming techniques argue that crop yield is not the issue, and that widespread world hunger is the product of politics and food distribution, not agricultural techniques. They point an accusatory finger at the obvious profiteering of biotechnology firms who vie for control of seed, fertilizer and pesticide markets; indeed, for control of the entire world food market. A member of the Union of Concerned Scientists recently published a report entitled Failure to Yield, which concludes that GM crops do not actually deliver improved yields. Grass roots movements such as India’s Navdanya vehemently protest the widespread use of GM crops and attack their claims to improved crop yields. They call instead for biodiversity conservation, organic farming, the preservation of farmers’ rights and the institution of seed saving policies which diversify agriculture and help to protect food security.

How can I avoid GM foods?
In the United States genetically modified foods are not required to bear any special labeling. That makes it very difficult to avoid GM foods and to take control of both what enters your body and of how your consuming behaviors impact world agriculture.

The best method for ensuring you don’t unknowingly support the cultivation of GM crops is to purchase your fruits and vegetables from local farmers. By patronizing bakeries, restaurants, grocers and other food providers who do the same, you’ll be making a decision to advocate your health, the local economy and the environment. When you make a conscious effort to support local and small farmers who voice their stance on GM crops, you’re joining a grass roots movement that could potentially revolutionize world agriculture.

Common table sugar is refined from sugar cane, beets, dates or other plant sources. Photo courtesy of Lauri Andler.

Is high fructose corn syrup bad for you? The short answer is yes. High fructose corn syrup has been linked with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver damage and more. It’s not just high fructose corn syrup that’s fattening Americans and breaking down their health, though — it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle that’s founded on cheap, convenient, readily available and nutritionally moot foods is at the core of poor health in America.

That brings us to the long answer, which, not surprisingly, is a little longer. And it necessarily includes a bit of history.

In the 1820’s a rapidly growing world shipping infrastructure put sudden, surprising pressure on American sugar plantations. Domestic sugar planters realized in a flash of panic that they couldn’t compete with Caribbean growers whose products were far cheaper and quickly becoming widely available. Caribbean plantations enjoyed a perfect climate for sugar cane cultivation, and they benefited from very cheap, very plentiful labor. American sugar planters, rather than resort to growing other crops more suitable for the land, appealed to the government for protection from economic hardship. The government’s response was twofold: they imposed wildly high tariffs on foreign sugar while subsidizing U.S. producers to ensure favorable profit margins.

The high price of sugar survived through profit motivated politicking. Politicians who advocated the twisted trade policies and rigorous import regulations that inflated sugar prices were widely backed by U.S. sugar plantation owners. Their multi-billion dollar operations easily supported political campaigns alongside ritzy charity balls and weekend soirées. The end result was that sugar prices in the United States ranged anywhere from twice to seven times that of world prices throughout the 1800’s and all the way into the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Enter high fructose corn syrup. First introduced in 1957, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) didn’t become commercially viable until around 1965 when Dr. Y. Takasaki, a Japanese scientist, perfected a cheap method of its production. The impact of his new refining technique was explosive.

Most foods in America are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, which is made from cheap, abundant corn.

American corn was (and still is) incredibly abundant. Heavily subsidized by the U.S. government, corn grown in the United States was flooding local and foreign markets at remarkably low prices. In the eyes of candy, baked goods and soft drink manufacturers, any technology that could turn corn into sugar was baking the equivalent of the ancient alchemist’s pie in the sky: glittering, pure gold from boring, gray lead.

Food manufacturing giants like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Hostess and the like immediately snatched at the opportunity to sweeten their products for pennies on the dollar by using HFCS instead of true sugar. Other food industries weren’t slow to follow. By the 1980’s foods all over the U.S. from peanut butter to bread to yogurt, canned fruit, chips, sweets, drinks, canned soups and just about everything in between had hopped on the HFCS band-wagon. This trend has continued to flourish to this day. Food producers of all kinds can hardly resist the temptation to sweeten their goods on the cheap. And the result? Fructose, fructose everywhere.

What does this all mean for the American people? It means they are constantly bombarded with hastily manufactured, poor quality, unhealthy foods. The HFCS invasion in the United States has encouraged a massive flood of shockingly cheap, sweet foods into the marketplace. And it’s not just junk food: the principle of 19th century industrialism — combining cheap materials and cheap labor to drive up profits — has permeated the food market so thoroughly that genuinely whole, healthy foods have been pushed into a fringe selection of “premium” products.

The size of the role which HFCS plays in the deterioration of U.S. health is debatable, but a few disturbing correlations float to the surface with just a cursory glance at the facts.

Take, for example, the obesity epidemic which affects nearly a third of Americans. The obesity problem in the United States began its rapid ascent at about the same time HFCS made its way into everyday foods and drinks — a fact which has many researchers convinced of a causal relationship. Another disturbing reality of HFCS production is its reliance on genetically modified (GM) corn, or corn whose DNA has been engineered to improve production. GM corn, introduced about a decade after HFCS became prevalent in the marketplace, accounts for about 85% of the corn in America. The ecological, economical and human health concerns posed by GM foods warrant a post of their own. We’ll look into GM foods in more detail sometime next week.

The collapse of modern America’s health isn’t a direct result of HFCS’s effect on the body, instead it’s a product of the massive prevalence of high calorie foods on the U.S. market. Cheap, sweet, nutritionally deplete foods are packed full of empty calories that many consumers never get a chance to burn off. A lifestyle of consuming more empty calories than your body can get rid of has predictable results: poor nutrition, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease.

Of course, high fructose corn syrup also wields a nasty trick that’s all its own: it doesn’t fill you up.

HFCS is produced by first milling corn to acquire corn starch, then processing the starch into syrup. At this stage, the corn syrup is almost entirely glucose, a simple sugar that’s found in most sweet foods. The process doesn’t end here, though. Enzymes are added to the syrup which rapidly convert more than half of the available glucose into fructose. Fructose, also a simple sugar, differs from glucose in two important respects: its taste is far sweeter than that of glucose, and it doesn’t provoke an insulin response in the body. Many researchers argue that an insulin response plays a critical role in sating the appetite. Foods that are sweetened with HFCS don’t make people feel full, which means that they keep eating and eating.

Plenty of research points to the detrimental effects of HFCS. One study performed by Ferder, Ferder and Inserra in 2010 at the Ponce School of Medicine draws attention to the failure of fructose to provoke insulin release. The study concluded that a chronic absence of satiety (feeling full or satisfied) brought on by HFCS prevalence leads to continued eating or overeating that, over time, can cause obesity.

A separate study performed by Alloca and Seimi, also in 2010, definitively linked the consumption of HFCS with the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The study demonstrated that both the fructose and glucose present in HFCS elevate the blood levels of glucose, insulin and triglycerides — an effect which, if sustained, puts undue stress on the liver. Consistent consumption of HFCS leads to the accumulation of lipids in the liver which can result in an inability to prevent NAFLD. The study concluded: “The available experimental and human data strongly support the notion that fructose avoidance should be encouraged in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD.”

Another experiment performed by Princeton University found that HFCS was responsible for significant weight gain in lab rats. The researchers provided one group of rats with regular rodent feed and another with feed sweetened with HFCS. The rats that had access to HFCS gained 48% more weight after six months than the rats that didn’t.

The study was criticized by some who argued that of course rodents with access to sweeter food will eat more and gain more weight. That, however, is kind of the whole point: If there is sweet, empty calories in just about everything that you eat, you are going to gain a lot of weight. If the sweetener specifically reduces the sating or satisfying tendency of the meal, the problem is exasperated.

And so we end up where we started: Is high fructose corn syrup bad for you? Yes. Or, at very least, it’s absolutely bad for the country.

HFCS is symbolic of the industrialization of American foods. It betrays the profiteering of food manufacturing mega-corporations and proves that they are as disinterested in health as they are engrossed in their bottom line.

Avoiding HFCS is common sense. Not only is adding sugary sweet syrup to every meal clearly excessive, but the health risks associated with HFCS and a knowledge of its origin both warrant a little extra caution. Take the time to start reading labels and developing an awareness around HFCS. You’ve got nothing to lose and your health to gain!

The USDA Organic logo identifies organically grown or produced foods

Organic foods have been carving out a niche in grocery stores and restaurants for more than two decades. They’re a core element of the green revolution that’s mounting in the United States and the rest of the world, and they’re part of a refreshing, responsible approach to health and wellness. But just what is organic? What’s the difference between organic and non-organic foods? And who decides which is which?

Organic? Who says?

As of 1990, at least regarding the overwhelming majority of organic foods in the United States, the voice of authority is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA developed the National Organic Program (NOP) to implement the Federal Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, which is a federally developed set of provisions intended to establish and maintain a code of standards for organic farmers and producers.

The regulations upheld by the NOP are comprehensive. They cover all aspects of food production from permitted fertilizers, pesticides, feed and dietary supplements, to soil quality, crop rotation, origin and living standard of livestock, pasturing practices and more. Once a farmer meets the fifty or so detailed requirements outlined by the NOP, they’re awarded the use of the “USDA Organic” label.

A lot of small-scale community farmers employ natural, renewable and health conscious farming techniques, too. In fact, the restrictions on equipment and supplies imposed by limited capital actually cause smaller operations to fall naturally in line with many organic standards. Aside from often not wanting to employ industrial farming techniques, most community farmers simply can’t afford to. The NOP recognizes this, and allows community farming operations to use the term “organic” without first requesting an official inspection by an NOP agent.

Organic versus non-organic

The National Organic Program (NOP) awards farms "USDA Organic" status

The NOP’s standards help to identify farmers that trend away from industrial food production. Choosing food products either produced locally or boasting the “USDA Organic” label champions the efforts of these farmers, and helps to promote responsible, health-conscious, sustainability minded farming practices throughout America. While the NOP manages an exhaustive collection of regulations, there are a few core requirements that ensure certified organic producers really outshine their non-organic counterparts.

No synthetic fertilizers

Synthetic fertilizers are manufactured using mined minerals like potash and phosphorus together with fossil fuels like petroleum and natural gas — most of which are non-renewable resources. Their production relies on ecologically questionable industries such as oil refining and potash mining. As reserves of fossil fuels, potash and other minerals diminish, the cheap, large-scale production of synthetic fertilizers must come to an end.

Sustainability isn’t the only problem facing synthetic fertilizers. They also contribute to the degradation of soil quality. While they do deliver sufficient amounts of the exact nutrients crops need to grow, they don’t replace minerals found in natural soil that would normally end up in the fruits and vegetables that we eat. Crops grown in synthetically fertilized fields contain as much as 75% less of the minerals that form part of a balanced, nutritious diet.

Organic farmers don’t use synthetic fertilizers. They turn instead to nutrient rich, renewable alternatives like compost, manure and guano, among others.

No synthetic pesticides

Synthetic pesticides have been associated with a wide variety of adverse health effects ranging from simple skin and eye irritation to reproductive issues, nervous system damage and even cancer. The World Health Organization reports that some three million workers worldwide are poisoned each year from pesticide exposure.

Pesticides also wipe out insects and other pests which play a critical role in maintaining balance in the natural environment. Devastated insect populations are linked with dramatic falls in natural pollination which result in habitat destruction and withering biodiversity. Almost all synthetic pesticides linger in air, water and soil long after they’ve protected crops from potential invaders. This toxic pollution poisons plants, animals and people, and results in large tracts of biologically inert land.

Organic farmers don’t use most synthetic pesticides. They choose natural alternatives that ward pests away instead of killing them, and revert to smaller growing operations wherein pest control without pesticides is less labor intensive.

Higher soil quality

Industrial farming robs soil of its natural nutrients through overproduction and poisons it with the persistent use of harsh pesticides. Crops are genetically modified so that they can tolerate the toxic conditions imposed by pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers are used to replenish only those nutrients which are strictly necessary for the crops to grow.

Organic farmers, on the other hand, use soil that’s been free from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides for a minimum of three years. They also observe land management plans that include crop rotation and pasturing schedules which ensure their soil remains well balanced and nutrient rich.

No growth hormones

Industrial livestock operations use growth hormones to fatten their stock. Traces of these synthetic growth hormones are often present in meat even after it hits the supermarket. These have been shown to be carcinogenic in humans and are linked to the development of several types of cancers. Bovine growth hormones have also been linked to premature puberty in girls, which in turn has been associated with the development of breast tumors.

Organic farmers don’t use hormones to fatten their cattle. Their animals proceed through a natural life-cycle, relying on exercise and balanced nutrition to gain weight and reach maturity.

Strict drug limitations

All kinds of industrial farming attributes — things like cramped living spaces, poor nutrition and high environmental stress — cause abnormally rampant sickness in cows, pigs, chickens and other farm animals. These illnesses are combated with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, which results in small amounts of antibiotic drugs making it into meat, eggs, milk and other animal products.

When humans consume tiny amounts of these drugs over long periods of time, bacteria normally present in their body develops abnormal resistance to the immune system. This can cause a variety of bacterial ailments as well as an increased potential to develop infection.

Organic farmers provide healthier living conditions for their animals, which means they don’t need to resort to over-medicating their cattle to keep them from surrendering to illness. The types and quantities of drugs that organic farmers are permitted to use are strictly controlled by the NOP.

The big picture

Organic farming promotes health, responsibility, long-term planning and economic diversity. It takes the critically important task of feeding the country out of the hands of blindly profiteering mega-corporations, and puts it back into the grasp of community farmers and local growers.

When you choose organic fruits, vegetables, meats and other foods, you’re choosing a more nutritious, sustainable, and community oriented lifestyle. You’re choosing an alternative to cheap, mass-produced food that supports your health and the health of your family, your community, and the world at large.

All organic Key West catering: Hummus Platter

Catering in Key West can be hassle-free, delicious and healthy. Whether you’re looking to put together a simple, intimate get-together, host a business meeting or event, or even coordinate a conference, Help Yourself! offers diverse, great tasting and great for you catering solutions that you’ll love. Our easy to handle, ready to serve platters let you offer all-organic, enticing wraps, salads, juices and snacks that your guests are bound to enjoy.

Our Key West catering services aren’t limited to gatherings and events. Anywhere there’s a need for easy, nutritious breakfasts, lunches or dinners, Help Yourself! has a solution that can simplify your life. We’re happy to provide great food for your boat outings, weekend vacations, area tours or day-trips. Nothing makes planning your day’s healthy meals quite as easy as individually packed lunch-boxes complete with mouth watering desserts and all natural, refreshing drinks.

You can pick up your catering orders at the Help Yourself! restaurant, or we can deliver them to you anywhere in Key West. All of our regular menu items are available as packed lunches, and our separate catering menu is crammed with a wide variety of crowd pleasing platters.

How easy is working with Help Yourself! for your Key West catering needs? Real easy:

“Give me a call or send me an email,” says Christine, Help Yourself!’s manager, “and we’ll get your catering taken care of. Whether it’s salads, wraps, desserts or drinks, we’ve got you covered.”

If you’re planning a luncheon or event that you want your guests to really remember, don’t settle for less than the best all organic catering in Key West. Just get in touch a few days in advance (we need at least 24 hours) to get your order prepped and ready to go. We’re ready to work with you in any way that we can to make sure that your function’s food is a delicious success!

Acai berries grow in heavy, drooping bunches of several hundred

Acai berries, pronounced Ah-Sigh-EE, have created a lot of buzz over the last few years. Whether they’re being touted as a miraculous weight loss supplement, a powerful immune system booster or an anti-aging superfood, they’ve made the scene with trendy dieters, supplement manufacturers and all sorts of healthy living advocates. So what’s the deal with acai berries? What makes them so special? Where do they come from and what are they good for?

Acai berries grow on the acai palm tree, a tall, slender palm that’s cultivated in Central and South America for both its unique fruit and its high quality heart of palm. The berries grow in heavy, drooping bunches of several hundred and look like elongated grapes with a rich, deep blue or purplish color. Oddly enough, their color accounts for a big part of their acclaim in the health food industry.

Fruits and vegetables that boast intense blue, red and purple colorations often have a high anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins are a special class of vegetable pigments that belong to the flavanoid family of molecules — a family of molecules that’s widely heralded as a potent source of antioxidants. And why are antioxidants important? They help to neutralize harmful byproducts of your body’s normal everyday functioning called free radicals. Cell damage caused by free radicals is responsible for all kinds of deteriorative illnesses including cancer, liver disease, heart disease and certain neurological diseases. Acai berries are among the top five most antioxidant-rich common fruits in the world.

Delicious, refreshing and organic Help Yourself! smoothies are a great summer treat!

Much like any new sensation in the world of nutrition, a lot of the acai berry buzz is due to hasty, profiteering marketers going off the deep end to attract hapless trend-chasers. That doesn’t diminish the great tasting, energizing and healthful reality of the acai berry, though.

Need a delicious, invigorating and refreshing drink that you can count on for all organic, top quality ingredients? Check out our delicious, nutritious smoothies next time you come by Help Yourself!. Our ice cold Purple Jungle smoothie combines mouth watering fresh bananas with a tantalizing trio of antioxidant rich superfruits — acai berries, blueberries, and goji berries — that’s sure to help you beat the heat!

Harry Goodwolf Kindness

“Diabetes doesn’t discriminate,” says Harry Goodwolf Kindness, “it effects people of every race — every ethnicity — without discretion.”

Harry Goodwolf Kindness, a Native American Chief and a spiritual guide of the Oneida tribe, engaged an intimate Key West audience last Sunday night in Nancy’s Secret Garden at the end of Freeschool Lane off the 500 block of Simonton. He summarized his mission to reverse Diabetes and fielded questions about his latest campaign: The Longest Walk 3 – Reversing Diabetes 2011.

The Longest Walk 3 began at the Pacific Coast on February 14th, and will eventually take Harry and his small, dedicated group of walkers all the way to Washington DC. They’ll be talking with local residents while they’re on the road to raise awareness about the reversal and prevention of diabetes through proper nutrition and exercise.

A Key West audience listens about The Longest Walk 3

Walking is second nature to Harry Goodwolf Kindness. He’s trekked back and forth across the United States several times, and has participated in walks and runs around the world for various causes. In 1996 he ran from San Fransisco to Atlanta, covering 30 miles each day and finishing with just six other racers who were able to meet the challenge. Born in Key West, Florida, Harry recently returned to the Conch Republic for a few days before completing the final portion of The Longest Walk 3. Harry was drawn to Help Yourself!’s commitment to great tasting, healthy food, and realized right away that the restaurant’s mission — transforming lives through diet and lifestyle changes — was right on par with his own.

Charlie, the owner of Help Yourself!, was taken with Harry’s mission and excited to help him promote his campaign to raise awareness around diabetes.

“It was great having Harry come in to the restaurant,” says Charlie. “I could tell right away that we were on the same page. We had some fantastic conversations, sharing thoughts on our mission.”

Charlie helped organize the event at Nancy’s Secret Garden, and offered an assortment of healthy, delicious dishes to the event’s patrons who arrived to learn more about Harry and the Longest Walk 3.

During the Longest Walk 3 Harry and his followers will be relying on the goodwill of the communities they encounter to render the support necessary to complete their walk.

“I’ve been across this country four times,” says Harry when asked about the logistics of his latest campaign. “People help us. We make do in order to get from point A to point B.”

Harry’s message is one of hope, urgency and action. In an age where processed foods crammed with sugars and preservatives continue to introduce a veritable plague of health problems in the US and across the globe, Harry’s simple entreaty to be more conscious of diet and lifestyle is an incredibly powerful one.

“There are alternatives to look at in terms of what you eat… …It’s all about the choices — the healthier choices — that you make. Like Charlie’s place, Help Yourself!, says, you really must help yourself.”

The prevalence of type II diabetes in America is astounding. In 2010 some 26 million Americans had diabetes, and another 57 million were considered to have pre-diabetes. The disease is so serious that the Centers for Disease Control has termed its rapid growth in the US as an epidemic. The most tragic aspect of diabetes, however, is that it is entirely preventable with a little knowledge and a commitment to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

That knowledge — the critical importance of diet and exercise — constitutes the “sacred message” that Harry Goodwolf Kindness is carrying across the nation.

“It’s very necessary to get where we need to go,” says Harry about the Longest Walk 3, “And we’re going to get there regardless of how we do it.”

Help Yourself! plans on sponsoring regular events at Nancy’s Secret Garden to help bring the local community together with a variety of valuable teachers. You can stay abreast of upcoming events by following Help Yourself! on Facebook.

You can also learn more about the Longest Walk 3 by visiting the organization on their website.

Paddleboards line Smathers Beach at the 2011 Key West Paddleboard Classic

Smathers Beach stirs to life at sunrise as sponsors and staff of the Key West Paddleboard Classic begin preparing for the day. By nine o’ clock the beach is bustling. The glistening, white sand is tiled with watercraft of all shapes and sizes. Paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, john boats, surf skis – even a sea cycle. Close to three hundred vessels in all. Enthusiasts from all over the US will compete in two separate competitions: a four mile circuit and a longer, twelve mile circuit that circumnavigates the entire island of Key West. Just about any self propelled one man or team operated watercraft is encouraged to compete, but paddleboards are clearly the focus.

Paddleboarding is a fun and challenging way to stay in great shape and experience the sprawling, crystalline beauty of the Florida Keys. With the onset of summer — generally a fairly windless, calm season in terms of sea-state — paddleboarders are eagerly arranging their gear and getting themselves back into shape to embrace everything the glassy, inviting waters of the Keys have to offer. Between the thorough core workout, the simple, effective transportation, and the prospect of spending sunny days on the water with friends, it’s clear why paddleboarding has gained so much popularity in recent years.

The turnout at the Key West Paddleboard Classic, held last Saturday the 14th of May, confirmed the acclaim that paddleboarding commands in Key West and the rest of the country. The event’s patrons smeared on sunscreen, discussed the year’s earlier events, stretched out their muscles and performed final checks on their crafts. Vendors sold equipment, memorabilia and foodstuff to the swarms of contestants preparing to begin the race. Help Yourself!, of course, was there to provide natural, healthy breakfast foods, smoothies and snacks to help each participant face the day’s challenges.

Help Yourself! provides organic nutrition at the Key West Paddleboard Classic

When it comes to delivering organic, high energy and delicious nutrition, Help Yourself! stands by its robust selection of smoothies, wraps, salads and snacks. In fact, they’ll be sponsoring Cynthia Aguilar’s 2011 attempt to solo paddleboard the Florida Straits all the way from Cuba to Key West.

“Correct nourishment is essential in these types of endurance events,” says Charlie, Help Yourself!’s owner and the creative mind behind the restaurant’s lifestyle transforming programs.

Cynthia Aguilar’s upcoming attempt, dubbed Dream Big: Cuba to Key West, will pit her against wind, waves, current and seemingly endless stretches of open water armed only with her paddleboard, her arms and her unbending will. The support boat monitoring Cynthia’s progress will be dealing her Help Yourself! smoothies on demand, a much needed source of energy during her harrowing struggle to Dream Big. You can learn more about Cynthia’s upcoming attempt and her support for the Make a Wish Foundation of South Florida at her website: Keep Paddlin.

The Key West Paddleboard Classic was just a taste of the exciting, challenging and healthy activities awaiting Floridians this summer. Warm weather, blue skies and calm seas are the perfect inspiration for an active, engaging and energetic lifestyle.

“For me, paddleboarding offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of Key West; it brings me instant calmness after a busy day. All my stress disappears the moment I am alone on the water, it always helps me to re-center, plus it’s a great core workout!” says Charlie, owner of Help Yourself!

Never been on a paddleboard? Not sure how to get started? Take a look at the Lazy Dog website or Paddle Republic Facebook page to learn how to buy or rent the equipment that’ll get your summer kick-started!

Remember keeping active and staying fit are just as important as eating right!

Volunteers assist pilot whales. Photo courtesy of Florida Keys News Bureau.

Blimp Road dead-ends in a haphazard mass of parked cars punctuated with two green porta-johns and a makeshift caution-tape road block reading “registered volunteers and staff only beyond this point.” Men and women of all ages meander cautiously around hastily erected tents. They talk, carry cases of water and other supplies, and organize into orderly queues at card tables bearing “volunteer registration” placards. Everyone, it seems, is either getting into or out of an ill-fitting wetsuit.

This is the afternoon of last Monday, May 9th. Four days earlier some twenty pilot whales beached themselves along the bay side of Cudjoe Key. Thirteen of those didn’t make it through the first few days. Rescuers were able to isolate and release two of the healthier males in the pod; the remaining five were carefully relocated to a temporary water pen a stone’s throw away from the end of Blimp Road.

Several Help Yourself! team members volunteered their time on Sunday and Monday night to join the steady trickle of men and women responding to the stranded whales’ plight.

The compromised pilot whales were tended around the clock by four person teams working in shifts under the supervision of Marine Mammal Conservancy staff members. The volunteers ensured the whales didn’t slip underwater and drown in a state of confusion or exhaustion. The pilot whales were also hydrated, fed fish gruel enriched with vitamins and minerals, and treated with broad range antibiotics.

How did hundreds of volunteers hear about the distressed pilot whales? Local media certainly played a role, but in the days surrounding the incident it seemed like everyone was talking about it, too.

“Through word of mouth,” says Charles, one of the three Help Yourself! employees that volunteered their time. “I heard about it from somebody else that they needed volunteers, and I knew right away… I kept saying, ‘I want to do this, let’s go do this. Let’s all get together and go do this.’”

Brielle, another Help Yourself! team member that responded to the call for volunteers, also heard about the whales’ predicament through word of mouth. She received a forwarded text message from a friend which had been sent out by the Marine Mammal Conservancy.

“I wanted to help,” says Brielle. “I wanted to do something to help the situation, and I wanted an interaction with the whales. It was a really unique opportunity.”

Many of the volunteers had no idea what to expect. Some had experience working with marine mammals, but most were just sympathetic to the cause and happy to lend a hand however they could.

“I had no idea what to expect,” continues Brielle, “I knew that they had wet-suits you could use, but that’s it. It was cool to see how so many people came together to do something outside of themselves.”

The whales were detained in a pen just a few yards from the water’s edge where they could rest in the arms of volunteer workers and slowly regain their strength.

Alex, a new Help Yourself! staff member, played guitar to soothe and entertain other volunteers. Charles and Brielle, both of whom have worked with Help Yourself! considerably longer, as well as Jared, a coconut vendor that works with the restaurant, spent hours kneeling in waist-deep water supporting the weakened whales.

Was it worth the time invested?

“Yeah, of course,” says Jared, “I feel like they needed the help. It was inspiring, but a little sad, too. There was only so much we could do. You do everything you can, you know, just hoping to make a difference.”

The pilot whales were moved to an observation laboratory in Key Largo early last Tuesday morning. Read more about the incident in a recent Miami Herald article.