The guardian recently analyzed data from 44 recent studies of more than 9,000 seafood samples from supermarkets, restaurants, and fishmongers. The data collected comes from more than 30 countries and shows that 36% of seafood was mislabeled.

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In some cases, fish were labeled as different species in the same family. In many cases, seafood is a cheaper, unpopular species of fish compared to what is supposed to be sold.

Because seafood is one of the most popular foods traded internationally, there is more room for mislabeling due to complex supply chains. The mislabeling of seafood is not a new problem and is significantly worse in restaurants than in stores.

Substituted fish can pose health risks. One frequent substitute for some varieties of tuna is escolar, a hard-to-digest oilfish. Others have unique parasites that may threaten health. Still others are less nutritious: when tilapia is a stand-in for red snapper, people are eating a fish with lower levels of nutrients, including lower omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Revealed: seafood fraud happening on a vast global scale

Between the mislabeling of seafood and the abundance of microplastics and other toxins often present in seafood, I generally try to avoid it altogether. When I do eat meat I stick to local grass fed organic meat, usually beef or pork.

Hundreds of species of fish are ingesting microplastics. Data gathered from multiple studies has shown that a total of 386 marine fish species have ingested microplastics, with 210 species that are commercially important.

With time, microplastics can end up in the muscle tissue of the fish, which is consumed by humans. Other marine life that consume fish were more likely to ingest microplastics as well.

In the last decade alone, the proportion of fish consuming plastic has doubled across all species. Studies published from 2010-2013 found that an average of 15% of the fish sampled contained plastic; in studies published from 2017-2019, that share rose to 33%.

Hundreds of fish species, including many that humans eat, are consuming plastic

The first report of plastics being ingested by wildlife came in 1969 when they found plastic in the stomach of a sea bird. Today, the number of microplastics that we find in wildlife continues to increase. This is likely due to improvement in technology that detects microplastics, and of course an increase in microplastics in the environment.

Related: How to Detox From Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors

Government emails have shown that Bayer and lobbyist CropLife America are working with US government officials to pressure Mexico to reverse the ban on Glyphosate.

Previously, lobbyists and Bayer pressured Thailand to drop its plans to ban Glyphosate in 2019. Thailand dropped the ban after the US threatened trade disruptions.

The emails reviewed by the Guardian come from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and other US agencies. They detail worry and frustration with Mexico’s position. One email makes a reference to staff within López Obrador’s administration as “vocal anti-biotechnology activists”, and another email states that Mexico’s health agency (Cofepris) is “becoming a big time problem”.

Mexico’s president is still moving forward with the Glyphosate ban, giving farmers until 2024 to completely phase out Glyphosate. He is also calling for the phase-out of GMO-Corn.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup and is known to cause cancer and other health problems.

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A new study has shown that the effects of a poor diet as a child can affect the microbiome well into adulthood, even after you switch to a healthier diet.

“We studied mice, but the effect we observed is equivalent to kids having a Western diet, high in fat and sugar and their gut microbiome still being affected up to six years after puberty,” explained UCR evolutionary physiologist Theodore Garland.

Study finds childhood diet has lifelong impact

The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, examined the effects of different diets on mice. Mice were divided into four groups, half were fed with the standard diet, considered healthy, and half were fed the unhealthy diet, and then within those two groups, mice were divided into groups with access to a running wheel, and groups without.

Related: How to Eliminate IBS, IBD, Leaky Gut 

After three weeks all mice were returned to the standard diet and no exercise. At 14 weeks, the mice’s diversity and abundance of bacteria were examined.

The group found that certain beneficial bacteria were lacking in the group fed the “unhealthy” diet. Researchers saw a significant decrease in the number and diversity of gut bacteria in the mature mice who had been fed an unhealthy diet.

It’s likely that the “healthy” diet that the mice were put on after the unhealthy diet, did not promote gut diversity, as it was said the diet was the standard diet for lab mice. To further see the effects of a poor diet on the microbiome, they should feed mice an unhealthy diet, and then split that group up and feed one group a “standard” diet, and another group, a diet that promotes gut diversity.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

A new study by a group of researchers has further shown the damages of Glyphosate on honeybees at or below recommended levels. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup.

Image credit: VAN AZIMOV SHUTTERSTOCK

The research was published in Scientific Reports, and conducted by researchers associated with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing and the Chinese Bureau of Landscape and Forestry.

Honeybees were found to be significantly impaired after being exposed to Roundup, indicating that exposure to Roundup may “negatively affect the search and collection of resources and the coordination of foraging activities” by the honeybees. The climbing ability of the bees was also negatively affected after exposure to Roundup.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut 

The researchers said there is a need for a “reliable herbicide spraying early warning system” in rural areas of China because beekeepers in those areas are “usually not informed before herbicides are sprayed” and “frequent poisoning incidents of honeybees” occur.

New study examines Roundup herbicide impact on honeybees

This is not the first study of its kind. Many studies have shown the negative effects of Roundup. Roundup has done significant damage to all aspects of the environment.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Despite warnings about the levels of arsenic in U.S rice potentially increasing cancer risk, a study by Harvard has shown that long term consumption of rice (white or brown) was not associated with a risk of developing cancer.

That being said, the levels of arsenic in brown rice has still been a cause for concern. Do the benefits of brown rice outweigh the risk?

My Daily Dozen recommendation of at least three servings of whole grains a day was associated with a 10 percent lower risk of dying from cancer, a 25 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or strokes, and a 17 percent lower risk of dying prematurely across the board, whereas rice consumption in general was not associated with mortality and was not found to be protective against heart disease or stroke.

Do the Pros of Brown Rice Outweigh the Cons of Arsenic?

Related: Stop Eating Like That and Start Eating Like This – Your Guide to Homeostasis Through Diet

Many studies have found brown rice to have benefits. One study showed an improvement in insulin levels after five days of eating brown rice compared to white rice. Another study showed that eating a cup of brown rice a day could reduce weight, BMI, and diastole blood pressure.

You should be prioritizing fresh produce above grains in your diet to be as healthy as possible but you don’t have to completely cut out brown rice. Lundberg Farms, in California, produces brown rice with low levels of arsenic and continues to find ways to lower their arsenic levels further.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

Earlier last week the federal government released new dietary guidelines. The new guidelines disregard advice from the Nutrition Coalition to reduce sugar intake from 10 percent of daily calories to 6 percent and limiting alcohol intake to one drink a day.

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The average American consumes 2.3 gallons of alcohol a year and 57 pounds of added sugar a year. Both sugar and alcohol play a large role in overall health.

A scientific advisory board recommended reducing added sugars and alcohol for a reason. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, which is associated with a higher risk of developing serious diseases, like COVID-19. Plus, the science is leaning toward the fact that drinking more alcohol may increase the risk of death. 

New dietary guidelines fail to recommend further reducing sugar and alcohol intake

Federal dietary guidelines are updated every five years. They create guidelines for federal programs like SNAP, and the national school lunch program.

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

At OLM we know that sugar and alcohol go way beyond just contributing to chronic illnesses. Sugar and alcohol feed infection and allow candida and other harmful bacteria to take over the body. Cutting out refined sugars, including alcohol, is one of the most important steps you can take to living an organic lifestyle.