The low down on natural sugars – part 2, thumbs down list

I have never been that keen on the idea of eating genetically modified food.  I understand the economic argument about same amount of land would give you a greater yield and that the crops would be more robust and hence would need less pesticides.  But I have always had my concerns about if scientist truly understood all the implications of modify crops.  In Europe generally the idea of fooling with nature caused widespread protests. Genetically modified crops were more acceptable in North America and were introduced 20 years.  Well I can safely say that any fears I had about any adverse side effects or any other fears of GM crops being "Frankenstein" food that is harmful to humans were laid to rest a long time ago.  So I would say that GM crops are now more acceptable by the European general public, who here in the UK we probably eat GM crops that are imported from North America.  So on the "Frankenstein" criteria they have been very successful. But what about the economic arguments that were put forward 20 years ago.  Data from the united nations reveals that there is no discernible advantage in yields between North America and Europe that didn't introduce GM crops.  Since GM crops like corn, cotton and soyabeans were introduced into North America the use of toxic chemicals to kill insects and fungi has fallen by 33% but the spraying of herbicides has increased by 21%.  In France, the use of insecticides and fungicides has fallen by 65% and herbicide spraying as fallen by 36%. This suggests that GM crops aren't as robust as originally envisaged by scientist and they don't produce more abundant harvests either.  So western europe didn't loose out by not introducing GM crops. Where GM crops do seem to have made a difference according to Matin Qaim, a researcher at Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany, is significant yield gains from insect-resistant varieties  of crops in the developing world, particularly in India. References Genetically engineered crops: Experiences and Prospects report see >> https://www.nap.edu/login.php?record_id=23395

What I want to share with you know is probably the simplest and easiest method of reducing anxiety, you can do it anywhere and it costs nothing.  Its called breathing.  Yes I know we do it all the time.  But when you get anxious we begin to breathe rapidly and shallowly from our upper chest.  This breathing breath from your upper chest is why you get tight neck muscles as they can get overused as they help to move the top rib we breathing. What I am talking about is breathing deeply or calm breathing.

My final swap is nettles for spiralina. Spirulina's deep blue-green color reveals its active ingredient — chlorophyll — clearly. Health.com explains it as one of the oldest life forms on Earth and possibly consumed in Aztec and African diets centuries ago. Today it's touted for its ability to strengthen the immune system, reduce fatigue and combat allergies. Nettles are another plant with chlorophyll that even rivals the amount found in spirulina, but they're often found in ditch banks, forests and riverbanks. It's sometimes called "stinging nettle" because it does just that; if you touch it without wearing gloves, the tiny hairs on every surface sting like a bee due to the presence of formic acid, leaving small red welts. But internally, Bon Appetit asserts, it acts like a tonic:

"Taken over time, nettle will strengthen your circulatory, immune, and endocrine systems to promote peak function. The stronger these systems, the better position our bodies are in to deal with whatever might come our way."

"It has been found to help cure mucus congestion, skin irritations, water retention and diarrhea … stimulate the digestive glands of the stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Applied externally, nettle tea … relieves rheumatism in both people and animals, makes a first-class gargle for mouth and throat infections, helps to clear up acne and eczema and promotes the healing of burns."