Disappearing Bees, Neonicotinoids, and How We Can Help

Around the world, news of mass bee die-offs is making headlines. In June, an estimated 50 000 bumble bees were found dead in Wilsonville, Oregon. Not much later, early in July, an estimated 37 000 000 bees were found dead in Elmwood, Ontario. These deaths have mainly been attributed to recent spraying of neonicotinoid pesticides on nearby trees and corn seeds, respectively.

According to the petition site Change.org, “Canada’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency has confirmed that last year’s widespread bee deaths in Ontario were caused by neonicotinoid pesticides.”

As the name would suggest, neonicotinoids are chemically related to nicotine, which is itself a known toxin. Neonicotinoids work by binding to and overstimulating cells in the insects’ central nervous systems. This leads to paralysis and death.

Unfortunately, it’s not just insects that are affected. In March, a review was published by the American Bird Conservancy that looked at 200 studies on insecticides and their impact on birds. They found that “neonicotinoids are lethal to birds and to the aquatic systems on which they depend”.

Neonicotinoids may be used on crops that include grains such as corn, rice and cereal, legumes, vegetables including potatoes, fruits such as apples and pears, cotton, and even as flea treatments for your pets.

So with such widespread use and contamination, what can we do to avoid neonicotinoids, and what can we do to help our bees?

1)       GO ORGANIC. Avoid foods potentially contaminated with neonicotinoids by choosing organic produce. If budget is a concern, refer to the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen lists. Another good rule of thumb: if it has skin you can eat, whether you peel it anyway or not, or you eat the leaves, buy it organic.

2)      Bee kind. We recently noticed a few bumblebees flying into and out of an opening in the awning above our front door. We wondered what we could do to relocate them without hurting them. In the case of bumblebees, I was surprised to learn that it may be best just to leave them alone, as they will usually abandon their nest in the fall, and trying to remove them may actually do more harm than good. As long as they are not agitated, they have no reason to sting. You can even build a nest in your garden if you’d like to give the bees a home away from your home. If you’ve got honeybees or wasps, though, you may need to call in the help of a beekeeper to remove them safely.

3)       Buy local. Go to your local Farmers’ Market and buy produce direct from smaller-scale farms. If the farmer doesn’t indicate “organic” on their produce, ask why. They may follow organic guidelines, but may not yet be able to afford the certification process to allow them to label their produce as organic. You can also become a member of a CSA delivery program to have fresh, local, in-season, and organic produce delivered to your door each week!

        You can also look for locally-produced honey at the Markets. Ask the beekeepers questions about the bees and how they collect and treat the honey. Some keepers will also provide handouts with this information.

4)      Boycott/Buycott. Be aware of the parent companies of common packaged foods and household products. In the case of neonicotinoids, many are produced by Bayer. You can also download an app to your smartphone that lets you enter a product and trace it back to its parent company to help you stick to your “buycott”.

5)       Plant flowers. Fill your garden with flowers that will attract bees. They need to eat, too! Avoid using commercial garden products like fertilizers and herb/pest/fungicide sprays.

6)      Bee vocal. Spread the word and help increase awareness of this issue. The European Union enacted a two-year ban in several countries, and Oregon has put a 180-day restriction on neonicotinoids. Petitions have arisen to enact similar bans closer to home. See the Petition link below to call for a ban here in Ontario!

Have any other ideas to help our bees? Leave them in the comments below!

Petition:

Change.org & The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association – Save Ontario’s bees: ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides

Sources:

More Than 25,000 Bees Found Dead In Oregon Parking Lot

Over 30 Million Bees Found Dead In Elmwood Canada

Neonicotinoid: Mode of action

Birds, Bees, and Aquatic Life Threatened by Gross Underestimate of Toxicity of World’s Most Widely Used Pesticide

The Impact of the Nation’s Most Widely Used Insecticides on Birds

Neonicotinoid: Usage

EWG’s 2013 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™

Bee Nest Removal and Bumblebee Nests

Buycott.com: Bayer Corporation

Consumer Pesticide Products Containing Neonicotinoids

European Union Votes To Ban Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths

Big News For Bees! Oregon to Ban Pesticides After Latest Bee Die Off

Superfood Spotlight: Coconut Oil

For months, if not years now, my friends and fans have heard and seen me wax poetic on the many virtues of coconut oil – snow white, magically melty, does-it-all coconut oil. Well, it seems today is no different – except I’ve compiled many of these amazing traits and uses of my favourite eat-right-from-the-jar oil in one place.

First and foremost, as a nutritionist, I am in awe of its health properties and uses as a food.

Coconut oil is made up of saturated fatty acids. This means that the molecule is saturated in hydrogen atoms such that the chain makes a straight or solid line, as opposed to unsaturated fatty acids, which are missing one or more hydrogen atoms, causing the chain to bend at these junctures. This molecular structure of solid lines lends itself to the oil’s solid state at room temperature. Similarly, the bends in unsaturated fatty acid chains contribute to their liquid state at room temperature.

The solid structure of the saturated fats also means that it is generally protected from oxidation, remaining unchanged after exposure to heat and air, and making it absolutely fabulous for just about any type of cooking or baking.

My very large jar of coconut oil.

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature.

     

My favourite cooking and baking applications of coconut oil:

1. Stir fries. Depending on what kind of coconut oil you get – virgin or extra virgin – coconut oil can give your dish a subtle coconutty taste, perfect for Thai-style veggies.
2. Butter replacement. Like coconut oil, butter is a saturated fat, so it makes sense that we can use coconut oil in recipes calling for butter. Add a pinch or two of quality sea salt or Himalayan salt to up the “buttery” when using coconut oil to sauté mushrooms or greens, or when making popcorn the “old-fashioned” way on the stove or with your popcorn maker.
3. Vegetable oil replacement. I have a recipe for oatmeal muffins that I got from my mother, modified to be vegan-friendly. Over time it has diverged from the original recipe so much that I can’t honestly call them oatmeal muffins anymore. Using coconut oil instead of vegetable or olive oil as the recipe originally calls for has given this banana chocolate-chip muffin recipe a cupcake-like fluffiness. I’ve been kind and shared this recipe on my website: Banana Chai Chocolate Chip Muffins, September 2012.
4. Candy making. Coconut oil makes a great melt-in-your-mouth base for homemade chocolates, truffles, and icing, and is often used in raw desserts and snacks.

Beyond cooking and baking, coconut oil has numerous health benefits, many attributed to its content of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are quickly digested, and as such provide quick energy to cells, without spiking insulin. This is good news for athletes looking for an energy boost without sugar, and diabetics and insulin-resistant individuals. There has also been recent discussion about applications for MCTs and coconut oil supplementation in managing Alzheimer’s. Because some of the insulin in the body is produced in the brain, and insulin resistance is being linked to Alzheimer’s – to such a degree that Alzheimer’s may eventually be considered type III diabetes – reducing sugars and increasing intake of MCTs may help improve energy levels and cognitive function without increasing insulin levels in the brain.

MCT oils can be purchased in health food stores, are liquid at room temperature, and sometimes packaged or marketed as salad oils. I like to put a spoonful of MCT oil in pre-workout smoothies as an energy source, and a spoonful of whole coconut oil in post-workout smoothies as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic component to aid recovery. This latter application can be useful for sufferers of arthritis as well.

Some other great uses of coconut oil:

1. Oil pulling. This practice entails taking a spoonful of oil – coconut, sesame, sunflower, or olive – in the mouth and swishing it around and over teeth and gums for up to 20 minutes without swallowing. Afterward one spits it out (preferably not in the sink), and brushes the teeth as usual. It's recommended to be done first thing upon waking, and is said to strengthen and whiten teeth, as well as pull toxins from the mouth. I like using coconut oil for this since it has a pleasant, mild taste, and I actually enjoy the way it melts in my mouth in the first minute or two.
2. Skin care. Coconut oil is naturally emollient, and is wonderful for softening and moisturizing the skin. I like to apply it to my lips and rub it into my hands, feet, and elbows in the winter instead of buying lip balms and moisturizers. Not surprisingly, many DIY beauty-care recipes call for coconut oil.
3. Healing infections and wounds. Along with its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, coconut oil also possesses some antiseptic, antifungal, and antiviral properties. These properties are attributed to coconut oil's main MCT lauric acid. I advise to take a spoonful or two in the morning at the onset of cold/flu symptoms in addition to oil pulling. I've applied coconut oil on broken blisters, burns, paper cuts, and cat scratches instead of harsher antibiotic ointments and seen faster wound healing. My husband also used it last summer to relieve itching and moisturize his surgical scars.

These are just some of the many uses and benefits of coconut oil. Remember to choose organic virgin or extra-virgin coconut oils, ideally cold-pressed and unrefined.

What are some of your favourite uses of coconut oil?

The Love Plants for Life Nutrition Workshop Series is running Monday evenings in July and Thursday evenings in August.

Please be advised that this article is not meant to replace the advice of your doctor or therapist.

Always consult with your medical and/or alternative healthcare professional prior to starting a new supplement to avoid contraindications with your condition or medications.

Working Through ADHD & Anxiety with Nutrition

Welcome!  This post kicks off my Love Plants for Life Nutrition Blog, and I'm so happy to finally share this with you.  We're jumping right in with a topic that hits home for me: ADHD and anxiety.

My experience with ADHD and anxiety began in university when I was studying for my Bachelor of Music degree in piano.  I’d started noticing that I had trouble focusing in my classes, was quite restless, and frequently had trouble with working on assignments to the point where I would frantically try to pull them together the night before they were due; and that going onstage for graded recitals petrified me to the point that it really affected the quality of my performances.   These last items, since if they continued to affect my grades it could result in me getting kicked out of my program, prompted me to see my campus psychiatrist, following the suggestion of a close friend who had a longstanding diagnosis of ADHD.

I’ve always been considered an introvert – “quiet”, “shy”, and “withdrawn” are all words commonly used to describe me.  My acute anxiety (stage fright) symptoms include, but are not limited to: muscle tremors (my hands would shake so much that it affected my playing), gastrointestinal disturbances (indigestion, nausea, needing to go to the bathroom often), chills and cold extremities, heart palpitations… all of these usually starting first thing in the morning on the day of a performance, regardless of when it was scheduled during the day. 

Now, when the psychiatrist diagnosed (along with ADHD) social anxiety disorder, I was given a medication – a beta-blocker, usually for high blood pressure – to take half an hour before my performance.  And it did help, but rather than feel the weight of importance on a given performance, I felt pretty much the opposite – detached, that I was phoning it in, that the quality of this performance was inconsequential.  In a way, I almost preferred the anxiety, because at least it connected me physically to the performance.  That said, I’ve since found ways to better cope with anxiety. 

It took several years, until I started studying nutrition, to learn that following an Ayurvedic approach helps with both ADHD and anxiety.  In a nutshell, Ayurveda considers body and mind constitutions in terms of doshas.  The doshas represent Air (Vata), Fire (Pitta), and Earth (Kapha).  ADHD and anxiety are both considered Vata disorders.  It’s a state of being unsettled or chaotic, full of movement – like air currents.  A way to counter this is by eating foods that are considered Kapha – grounding.  This includes roots, fats, oils, proteins, warm and warming foods and spices.  It happens that building a diet around these foods at each meal and snack provides macronutrient balance, with complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and healthy fats, and eating this way can help keep blood sugars stable.  Blood sugar imbalance can exacerbate anxiety symptoms, contribute to excess energy or restlessness, and disrupt concentration.  Keeping cold, dry, brittle, and raw foods to a minimum, as well as stimulants like caffeine, is also helpful.  Herbal teas such as chamomile, lavender, and rooibos can be calming as well.

On top of that, using adaptogenic herbs and foods can be very helpful for keeping the stress response and physical symptoms of anxiety down.  An adaptogen helps the body adapt to stress.  Herbs like rhodiola, ashwagandha, and maca; calming herbs like lavender and chamomile; carminative herbs like ginger, for reducing nausea and GI upset; vitamins C and B5 and magnesium can also be helpful to calm anxiety.  A formula I like is AOR Ortho-Adapt Vegan, which is a combination of some of these herbs and nutrients, as well as licorice and ginseng.  There’s also a non-vegan version that contains the addition of porcine adrenal tissue and cortex.  As with any herbal supplement, I strongly caution you to read the labels for contraindications and if you’re not sure, consult with your nutritionist, naturopath, or herbalist before taking them.  Discuss duration of usage as well, since many of these supplements are not meant to be taken long-term.

Homeopathic remedies like gelsemium may be helpful as well, and are usually not contraindicated with medications.  Bach flower remedies may also be useful.

Deep breathing, including an alternate nostril exercise helps, too.  To do this, block the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril.  Close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right.  Repeat, breathing in through the right and exhaling through the left.  Repeat the series a few times to help calm your nervous system.  Additional breathing through the left nostril only can help further calm you down.  Combining breathing exercises with a gentle exercise routine, like yoga or tai-chi, can also be helpful to bringing the stress response under control.

Additionally, something I learned as I was preparing for my final oral exam in nutrition school, reciting positive affirmations or phrases to myself consistently and often, especially in the time leading up to the event, helps to keep hold of a calm state of mind.  I was able to literally talk myself out of being anxious.  Telling myself over and over again that I am calm, confident, that I know this, really helped, and I definitely encourage this practice of mental preparation.  A book I read at the time, and that I found helpful, is Shakti Gawain's Creative Visualization.  Using these techniques regularly can also help you uncover and release the root cause of your anxiety.  

Following this approach to balancing my ADHD and anxiety symptoms has really helped me become more focused and confident in my everyday life, as well as helping me get up in front of people to produce nutrition workshops, so that I can do what I love to do – teach people about the value of taking control of their health.

The Love Plants for Life Nutrition Workshop Series is running Monday evenings in July and Thursday evenings in August.

Please be advised that this article is not meant to replace the advice of your doctor or therapist.  Always consult with your medical and/or alternative healthcare professional prior to starting a new supplement to avoid contraindications with your condition or medications.