The first genetically modified corn crop was developed in 1996 and despite many controvercial discussions about its safety, until now there hasn’t been a long term study on the effects of including such foods into our diets. But thanks to the work of an Austrian group, a new study, “Biological effects of transgenic maize NK603xMON810 fed in long term reproduction studies in mice” has been published. (more…)

In an exposé released today, staff writer for the Chicago Tribune, Sam Roe, reports that the Wellshire Kids Product line is tainted with unsafe amounts of gluten. The newspaper tested several products and found gluten in Gluten Free Chicken Corn Dogs, which tested at 116 ppm and 2,200 ppm, and Gluten Free Beef Corn Dogs which tested at 191 ppm and 1,200 ppm, and Gluten Free Chicken Bites which tested at 204 parts per million and 260 ppm.  According to Roe,

“Wellshire Farms provided the Tribune with its own testing results, conducted in the spring. Their results showed that the chicken bites tested at 200 ppm, chicken corn dogs 150 ppm, and beef corn dogs 120 ppm.”

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I’ve made this a few times now. It is pretty simple and sets up pretty fast so there is no need to make it the night before.  I was originally trying to make a chocolate frosting using real melted chocolate chips and what resulted was a really tasty chocolate pudding. The kids loved it.  Last week I used it as a filling in a double layered gluten-free chocolate cake I made using Cherrybrook Kitchen’s box mix.

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Above is a phone call that has been uploaded to You Tube and is circulating the internet through various email groups. The caller never identified himself other than by his user name, “greenourvaccines”. He also never revealed the vaccine manufacturer he interviewed. It would be hard to assume which manufacturer this is because at this time 80% of flu vaccines administered in America contain thimerosal, a form of mercury.

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Sherwood brand Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, sold across Canada by Costco, and also in various dollar and bulk stores, is imported from China and contains melamine, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This is the same chemical responsible for killing numerous babies in China and sickening thousands more.

On October 8 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued its warning when the candy tested positive for melamine.

For more information, visit: Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Consumer Advisory.

Hang this symbol on your door on Halloween to notify trick or treaters that you are an allergy friendly house.

I just received an email alert from one of my allergy subscriptions. Boy was I excited to read this! A new organization has formed to help assist families dealing with multiple food allergies.

Co-founder Erin states, “We started AllergyFreeHalloween.org because we want a world where children with food allergies can trick-or-treat without worry. Please join us in giving out Halloween treats that are fun and allergy-safe.”

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I’ve been reading a lot lately about vitamin D. It all started with a long and informative ongoing chat on my celiac forum support group. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned through the group and also my own research in the hopes that it could be a bit beneficial for folks implementing a dairy free or low dairy diet for their child’s neurological, immunological, or digestive disorders. (more…)

Front of the Class cast with Brad and Nancy Cohen

On the eve of Brad Cohen’s December 7, 2008 debut CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame original movie about his life with Tourette Syndrome, I decided to purchase his 2005 book, co-written with Lisa Wysocky, entitled: Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had to get a sneak peek into the wonderfully inspiring story. (more…)

If you have found yourself here after a Google search about “tics,” you may have already been to a doctor about a few chronic twitches or muscle spasms that won’t go away. After a consultation, you may have been given a diagnosis and possibly been disappointed too when you discovered that there is no known medical cure. If you are like us, and have a child diagnosed with a chronic multifocal tic disorder (tics in different locations on the body), you could have also been told by your doctor that medication, while available, does not come without side effects, and that the best treatment is to ignore the tics and carry on with your life, business as usual and hope that they fade over time.

This is basically what happened to us two years ago when we took our then almost 4-year-old son to a neurologist after he began to exhibit noticeable ticcing behaviors during the Christmas holidays. This is our story, and I attempt to tell it in hopes that other folks who find themselves reading this narrative may find a bit of usable knowledge and above all else, hope. (more…)

Just received a bag of organic apples yesterday through our co-op. Rather than make a whole pie, I decided to do a quick cobbler. The filling wasn’t too moist and the topping was sweet and crunchy, just the way I remembered it when my mom used to make it with Bisquick years ago. This recipe takes about 45 minutes and includes a few extra steps but I think it is worth it. (more…)