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Showing posts from June, 2013

Deciphering the Numbers on Produce

What does the number on a fruit sticker mean? This is a compilation of 3 online sources by RAW EARTH LIVING . Their goal was to uncover the meanings hidden in numbers in those little stickers put on produce in the US so that the consumer can KNOW what he or she is eating ... and if it has been genetically modified, sprayed or is organic. ———————————————————————————————————————–  If there are only four numbers in the PLU, this means that the produce was grown conventionally or “traditionally” with the use of pesticides. The last four letters of the PLU code are simply what kind of vegetable or fruit. An example is that all bananas are labeled with the code of 4011. If there are five numbers in the PLU code, and the number starts with “8″, this tells you that the item is a genetically modified fruit or vegetable. Genetically modified fruits and vegetables trump being organic. So, it is impossible to eat organic produce that are grown from genetically modified seeds. A gene

Bottled Water - SamDaSoo, Seoksu, Kirkland

After an extended vacation outside of Korea, I came back and didn't have any filtered water in my house to drink, so went to the supermarket and bought a couple of bottles, the brand Seoksu, since the "best" brand in Korea SamDaSoo wasn't available that day. Earlier in the year I had reacted to the water , with numbness in the head and arms, but I needed just a couple of bottles till I could get to a filter or get to Costco for the imported Kirkland brand, which doesn't bother me. Well, I drank one glass of the Seoksu bottled water and my feet felt weird within seconds. I looked down and within five minutes my ankles had swollen. Needless to say, I didn't drink much of that water till I could get to the office filter the next day, but by the second glass my ankles were very swollen! That water must have had an instantaneous, and very scary, effect on my kidneys to get that kind of reaction. Thank goodness that within a few hours of drinking the filtered wate