Green Harmony Living

Hello Everyone!

I have sensed for many years that unhealthy eating habits continue to be promoted as normal and even have been given the most favorable marketing and placement in newspapers and other forms of media. At the same time I have sensed that truly healthy eating and lifestyle habits, while generally known by the government and much of the American public, has continually been described as being extreme and is often hidden away in newspapers and not given the chance to be advertised.

Well, in The Baltimore Sun newspaper on Wednesday, 04.August.2010 I found conclusive evidence for the media bias against promoting true health. Hidden away on page 9, which is about the center of the 20 page main section, there is a small article titled, “Red meats eyed as possible cause of cancer”. This article cites a study by researchers led by Dr. Amanda Cross of the National Cancer Institute, that states that red meat is “a possible cause of cancer”, and the chemical additives often added to meat, namely nitrates and nitrites, “could … raise the risk of bladder cancer”. This article sounds like very important news for the public to hear, and yet it is buried in the middle of the paper. Even serving to disarm the premise of the article is a photo next to the article of a hot dog in a bun.

It looks like standard operating procedure for newspapers to hide the real science based news regarding health in the middle of the paper. The real damming evidence that the media is hiding real health information and glorifying the status quo of eating animal foods is what I found in the same paper. On the front page of the Taste section of The Baltimore Sun on the same day, Wednesday, 04.August.2010, there are large photos of hamburgers barbecuing on the grill, a sausage sandwich, a smoked crab cake, and three people chowing down on foods. The implied message is that this is great food, especially since the article is about “Charm City Food Tours” in Baltimore.

Furthermore, on the same cover there is an article titled “Charleston and Woodberry Kitchen get Zagat honors”. I have never seen an article in any newspaper about restaurants receiving vegetarian or vegan awards or honors, even though they are out there. In addition, on page 4 of the Taste section there is an article titled, “Basting with a brush made of herbs”. The article is about grilling meat and along with it there is a large dynamic photo of grilling meat with flames shooting up. Over on page 5, there is continuation of the Zagat honors with the two above mentioned restaurants basking in glory with a photo of each. I will mention that also on the cover page of the Taste section there is an article titled, “Purslane: a weed with nutritional punch”. So, sometimes a health touting article does make it through to the cover page of a smaller section within the paper, but rarely if ever to the main cover page. However, it is very noticeable that the photo of a purslane plant is tiny compared to the meat photos on the same page. This further validates the premise of my article, that the animal foods diet gets most, if not all, of the press and plant foods get much smaller press.

I think the media have an inherent conflict of interest. Media is supposed to supply the American public with unbiased truthful information, but they are not currently. The reason is, the major media corporations, including publications of all kinds (newspapers, magazines, etc.), TV, radio, & internet, all are dependent on advertising revenue from other mostly large corporations who only want the status quo animal based diets continue. If you don’t believe that this could possibly be true, when was the last time you have seen an advertisement or an article or news story or broadcast or anything that told why eating animal foods was wrong or was a positive depiction of vegetarianism or veganism? Probably never, right? In fact, I heard from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) of how they tried to advertise during the Super Bowl one year recently and the TV network at first allowed and then suddenly disallowed their commercial because many of the other advertisers threatened to pull their ads if PETA was allowed to broadcast their ad. This is the real behind the scenes news that people don’t hear about. And the reason that most of the American public still feel that eating meat and dairy is the right thing to do is because they hear any major opposing viewpoints from the mainstream media or government. I really think that if the truth was broadcast strongly and positively just as the status quo pro meat and airy is broadcast now, vegetarianism and veganism would surge in popularity and the meat eating culture would die out. This was seen when Oprah Winfrey famously declared on her show that she will never eat another hamburger after hearing firsthand about the horrors of industrial agricultures’ treatment of animals and the very unhealthy aspects of eating meat from the former farmer, now vegan, Howard Lyman. After Oprah’s show aired, sales of hamburgers and beef plummeted across the US. That is why the Texas Cattlemen sued Oprah. Oprah eventually won, but the outcome of that episode was that people in the media are still afraid to speak their mind if they believe meat and dairy is harmful since they think they will get sued.

I think the current trend is the truth about the dangers of an animal based diet and the positives of a plant based diet is coming out, however slowly and behind the scenes, and eventually an animal based diet will be in the minority and a plant based diet will be in the majority. The reason is that eventually, after scientists have performed many studies, the evidence will be overwhelming in favor of plant foods. If you research science journals and even the government’s guidelines you will see that a plant based diet being validated all the time as we become better at performing scientific studies and analyzing the data. So, I think it is only a matter of time until we see most of society living in harmony with themselves and the planet. Even today, I sense that meat eaters know that eating meat is unhealthy, but they eat meat for taste or to fit in with society. This will change as evidence to the contrary mounts and habits are changed in children. Smart people today are coming to the conclusion that an animal friendly, plant based diet is the best choice for a healthy, happy lifestyle. Let’s all choose to live a compassionate, healthy, and happy lifestyle today!
What did you think of this article? Please leave your comments if you have something intelligent to add!

Written by Roland Oehme

Thank You and Make Today a Wonderful Day!
Roland and Naoko’s Websites:
Green Harmony Living – Planet friendly website
Green Harmony Living Store – Raw, Vegan, & Organic Foods & Products
Green Harmony Design – Beautiful, Edible, & Sustainable Gardens
Green Harmony Tours – Sustainable Ecotours to Germany

Hello Everyone!

Most likely many people were surprised, like I was, to hear David Wolfe disparage calcium supplements of all kinds in his Longevity NOW Conference and Program. I recently bought his program, which includes a book and several CDs, in Dec. 2009. Then in Jan. 2010 I bought his 10 DVD set of his 2009 Longevity NOW Conference. In these programs he shares a ground shaking revelation of how calcium supplements are causing great harm to our bodies. He calls this process of calcium supplements and other minerals clogging up the body’s systems, calcification. In fact, he states that calcification is the cause of most diseases of humankind. Is that mind blowing or what???!!! Of course, this is contrary to what most doctors, medical professionals, dieticians, nutritionists, and the general public believe. It seems, some groups, like the dairy and meat industry, have been doing a great job brainwashing the public and everyone else into believing that calcium supplements and milk are necessary to prevent osteoporosis and bone loss which becomes pronounced as most people age. Well. I believe that what is happening is that it is the meat, dairy, and processed foods based diets that are actually causing calcium deficiencies and the subsequent bone losses. The easy explanation for this is that animal foods are acid forming in the human body, while most plant foods are alkaline forming. The human body uses its own calcium reserves to counteract the acid condition in the body caused by the acid forming foods.

Well, in The Baltimore Sun newspaper, on Monday, 02.August.2010, there was an article hidden in the middle of the paper with the important headline “Adding calcium supplements may boost risk of heart attacks”. The article goes on to describe two clinical trials that Dr. Ian Reid of the University of Auckland in New Zealand led that showed an increase in risk of a heart attack for 143 women who took a calcium supplement versus 111 women who took a placebo. The article states “Although the increase in risk is small, they said, the widespread use of the supplements suggests that many women could be adversely affected.” It goes on further, “An accompanying editorial suggested that patients with osteoporosis not be treated with supplements unless they are also receiving medication for this condition.” It appears that what David Wolfe has stated about calcium supplements being harmful is true. In this case he is being backed up by mainstream science.

Unfortunately, the article was hidden in the middle of the paper where I only happened to find it since I read the full paper that day. This article is so important to the public’s health that I think it really should have been located on the cover page of the newspaper.

What did you think of this article? Please leave your comments if you have something intelligent to add!

Written by Roland Oehme

Thank You and Make Today a Wonderful Day!
Roland and Naoko’s Websites:
Green Harmony Living – Planet friendly website
Green Harmony Living Store – Raw, Vegan, & Organic Foods & Products
Green Harmony Design – Beautiful, Edible, & Sustainable Gardens
Green Harmony Tours – Sustainable Ecotours to Germany

Hello Everyone!

Have you ever eaten nuts or seeds that were not fresh, had no flavor, not a good quality, had many broken pieces, or were just plain rancid? Have you ever noticed that is often hard to find good quality nuts and seeds? Have you ever eaten really fresh, not just goof, but great quality nuts and seeds? Maybe you are like most people and you have gotten used to low quality nuts and seeds since that is what is available at most stores. Yes, even at Whole Foods! I have not been impressed with the quality of nuts and seeds sold there.


Did you know that manufacturers will “hide” the poor quality nuts and seeds by roasting them and also by added other herbs and spices, or coat them with yoghurt and chocolate? By hiding the inferior quality nuts and seeds by cooking them and with stronger flavors, and then can charge you more for the extra ingredients, manufacturers can make more profit and sell some nuts and seeds that would otherwise be unsaleable. For example, nuts and seeds in broken pieces are hard to sell since nobody wants to eat them. But, once you mix them with a special ingredient like chocolate, or grind them up to make a nut butter, like peanut butter, they instantly become saleable and actually increase in value.

Did you know most nuts and seeds in stores are not fresh and often sit out in warm air, turning rancid (decomposing)? That is because nuts and seeds are properly stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator or even freezer in order to keep fresh for longer periods. Of course, fresh is best. It is important to not eat rancid nuts and seeds since they lose their nutrient content once rancid and they taste horrible too, meaning we should not eat them.

Did you know that many nuts and seeds that are often labeled as “raw” are not really raw or uncooked? That’s right. For instance, often cashews are labeled as raw, but during the typical processing, they are boiled to remove their toxic shells. A new occurrence has been the recent mandate by California almond growers to pasteurize all of their almonds, meaning most almonds in the US are not raw even if labeled as such. Almonds from Europe may still be raw. The way to test them is to try to sprout the nuts and seeds. If the nut or seed will sprout and start to grow into a seedling, then it is raw, if not, then it has been cooked.


We have tried many types and brands of nuts and seeds during the course of running our online store business. We have found that the best flavored, freshest, best quality nuts and seeds with no rancidity and all whole pieces are sold by Blue Mountain Organics. And they produce an extensive line of products, such as, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, sea vegetables, raw ice cream, raw snacks, cookies, cakes, bars, cereals, brownies, and so on. Since we sell their products at our store I have talked to them many times and I have learned some things. I was startled to learn that Blue Mountain Organics actually hands picks each nut and seed as they package them up. I get the feeling that other manufacturers just shovel the nuts and seeds into the bags and have no quality control. This became apparent to Naoko and I as we have eaten another manufacturer’s Pistachio nuts. Very often, every time we would eat them, there would be a rancid nut in your hand full of Pistachio nuts that would taste horrible and ruin the whole eating experience. Do I need to tell how many times I had to spit out the nuts and rinse out my mouth in order to rid myself of this terrible taste? Too many times inn my mind! I want to be able to eat nuts or seeds and to enjoy eating them every time! I don’t want to have to check every one before plopping them in my mouth, like I have been doing with the Pistachio nuts. That is not enjoyable!

Another thing I learned, is that Blue Mountain Organics does not by in huge bulk quantities like many retailers do in order to simply save costs. This practice will save money, but will mean lower quality nuts and seeds since it means you are storing them for longer periods during which their freshness will disappear and then you have rancid nuts and seeds. On the contrary, Blue Mountain Organics buys in smaller quantities in order to ensure freshness in all of their products, all the time! You might pay a little more, but you are guaranteed freshness and more nutrients for you body! I think this is much more important! After all, do you want to spend your whole life eating old, rancid nuts and seeds, or do you want to eat the freshest, most nutrient dense nuts and seeds on the planet!

So, you can imagine how happy we were to find Blue Mountain Organics. We noticed right away at how much better the quality was in their products. Blue Mountain Organics has two brands of nuts and seeds: Love Raw Foods™ (LRF) and Better Than Roasted® (BTR). Love Raw Foods™ nuts and seeds are organic, raw, vegan, fresh, whole pieces. Better Than Roasted® nuts and seeds are the same except the nuts and seeds are soaked and sprouted and then dehydrated.

This makes a huge difference in terms of taste and nutrient availability. Sprouted nuts and seeds will often taste better since the bitter tasting enzyme inhibitors found on nuts and seeds have been washed away. Enzyme inhibitors are on most nuts and seeds in order to prevent the nuts and seeds from sprouting until there is adequate moisture, which makes sense for survival of the nut or seed. Soaking and rinsing with water will simply wash these inhibitors away allowing the true nut and seed taste to shine through. Sprouting, that letting the germination process just start to begin, changes the chemical composition of the nut or seed, making more easily digestible and with more vitamins and minerals available to our bodies. So, BTR means more flavor and more nutrients! And Blue Mountain Organics is the only company with such a high commitment to quality and selling such a wide range of sprouted nuts and seeds.

The Better Than Roasted® brand includes many types of nuts and seeds including almonds, Italian almonds, apricot kernels, Brazil nuts, truly raw cashews, Extreme Nut Mix, hazelnuts, Just 4 Nuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and black sesame seeds. BTR also includes even more nut butters, Love Bites (snack food), and trail mixes.

Love Raw Foods™ brand includes in addition to the nuts and seeds listed above, almond meal, chia seeds, brown flax seeds, golden flax seeds, and hemp seeds. LRF also makes an extensive range of nut & seed butters, dried fruits, spices, chocolate products, sproutable beans & seeds, sea vegetables, sproutable grains, superfoods, oils, and sweeteners.

This is only the tip of Blue Mountain Organics iceberg! Did I mention that they also make organic, raw, sprouted flours, have a whole line of raw “baked” products in the Raw Bakery™, and offer the world’s best ice cream that is raw and vegan in their Blue Mountain Cashew Creamery brand. You may view their extensive line of products here(Click Here)

In conclusion, after some bad experiences with rancid, old nuts and seeds from average manufacturers, I have come to trust and depend on the ultimate quality and taste of sprouted organic, raw, vegan nuts and seeds from Blue Mountain Organics’ Better Than Roasted® brand. Or if I want to save some money, I use their Love Raw Foods™ brand of nut and seeds and soak and sprout them myself. I dare you to try them today. You might not believe how good they taste! What have you got to lose except a lifetime of eating bad tasting, low nutrient nuts and seeds!

What did you think of this article? Please leave your comments if you have something intelligent to add!



Thank You and Make Today a Wonderful Day!
Roland and Naoko’s Websites:
Green Harmony Living – Planet friendly website
Green Harmony Living Store – Raw, Vegan, & Organic Foods & Products
Green Harmony Design – Beautiful, Edible, & Sustainable Gardens
Green Harmony Tours – Sustainable Ecotours to Germany