Blogs

The need to produce more food in some regions of Asia during the past fifty years was—for a time—achieved by increasing the yields of grain crops by as much as 2.5 percent per year using industrial farming methods. These methods relied on high-yielding hybrid seeds and more recently seeds of genetically modified (GM) crops, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and intense irrigation. But by 2004 annual growth rates of crop yields began declining, e.g. the annual growth in yield for rice crops dropped to as low as .5 percent. Keep Reading →

Mark Fergusson, Chief Organic Officer (CEO/CFO) Down to Earth Organic & Natural

In many Asian and South Asian cultures, the health benefits of rice and other staple starches are well established. Lacking this cultural knowledge, many people in Western countries have bought into fad diets that encourage the consumption of high-fat protein from meat and dairy products. These diets discourage people from eating starches and carbohydrates (grains). Keep Reading →

"Young bamboo bends, old bamboo breaks.” This saying from Indian yoga philosophy illustrates how our behaviors and attitudes are more flexible in our youth than in our old age. That's why it's important that we begin teaching children how to eat healthy while they're young. Experts at the World Health Organization agree that the healthiest diet is a low-fat, plant-based diet that includes plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in their natural, unprocessed state. Keep Reading →

Vegetarians in India are being increasingly recognized by the globalized fast-food industry.

Industry giants such as McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food company, Subway (sandwiches), Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken have been adjusting their menus to meet the local vegetarian requirements of India's consumers, while expanding their locations throughout the sub continent. Keep Reading →

(This is the second installment of a three-part series about the potential risks of foods containing genetically modified ingredients)

Genetically modified crops, and products containing genetically modified ingredients, may pose health, safety and other potential risks that far outweigh the purported benefits. A genetically modified organism, or GMO, is the result of a laboratory process where genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic. Keep Reading →