Calcium remains a primary mineral when it comes to healthy bone development and maintenance. Unknown to many, calcium does more than just building strong and healthy bones. We also need the mineral to regulate nerve, muscle and hormone functions.

Smoking is one of the leading causes of lung cancer, followed by exposure to asbestos and radon. But not many people are aware that exhaust fumes from diesel fuels is also one of the potent risk factors for developing this deadly form of cancer.

We are living in fast-paced, hectic times with tight schedules. This explains our increasing dependency on fast food – which supposedly makes our lives easier and offers tremendous convenience. Most times these readymade, processed foods are full of artificial ingredients – such as artificial food dyes, flavour enhancers and preservatives – which are thrown in to the mix. The purpose? To make these foods more appetizing, flavoursome and long-lasting. Result? Food with low nutritional value, poor health benefits (more accurately stated as NO health benefits) and long-term side effects.

Most of us read ingredients lists and labels on our food items. But how about facial treatments, lipsticks, sunscreens and shampoos? Most of the cosmetics and personal care products you use on a daily basis contain a slew of chemicals associated with a wide array of health risks. Surprised?

How about adding some petroleum into your food? Or into your child’s food? Well, that sounds absolutely gross and an unimaginable thing to do. But that is exactly what you do when you eat processed food loaded with artificial food dyes in addition to preservatives and flavour enhancers. Yes, you read correctly! Most synthetic food colours that are added to processed foods come from coal-tar and petroleum. Look around and you will find these food dyes everywhere from your flavoured yogurts to fruit juices and breakfast cereals and even some supplements.

In part two of the GMO series, we discussed how GM foods can cause unknown and unpredictable changes in the body – and may lead to mutations, formation of new proteins, allergies and disease. Another obvious risk comes from the increased use of pesticides to restrain super weeds – implicated not only in impacting our health but also disturbing the fragile balance within the eco-system [1]. In this third and final part in our GMO series, let’s discuss how we can avoid landing into the GMO trap.

Genetically modified organisms have become a large part of our lives. Cotton, soy, and sugar beets are the highest risk crops, and most food ingredients in the processed category are derived from these crops.

Albert Einstein once calculated that if all bees were to disappear off the earth, it would only take four more years for humans to disappear too. What is the purpose of tying this piece of information here? Well, the population of bees is falling at a very disturbing rate and scientists are crediting this trend to the over-use of pesticides, and special thanks to genetically modified (GM) crops.

We are quite familiar with probiotics. Benefits of probiotics, particularly in maintaining an optimal gut health, have made the concept of fermented food like kimchi, miso, kefir, sauerkraut and yogurt very popular among the health conscious. Probiotics indeed come with an impressive list of health benefits that go beyond intestinal health.

The toxic effects of lead exposure are well-established. Lead serves no useful biologic function in the human body. Once inside, it mimics calcium and builds up in teeth and bones, and causes severe damage to virtually all body systems with major impact on the central and peripheral nervous system, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, renal, endocrine and immune systems. Brain, heart, liver, bones and kidneys are a few organs that take the maximum hit.