Genetically Modified Soy

I came across this news and wish to share it with everyone.

Feeding prisoners genetically modified soy products may be 'cruel and unusual' punishment

I am aware of some of the genetically-modified-soy's effect to our health and have been trying to avoid drinking soy milk and some other soy products when eating out. Many wonder why I don't like soy milk... i think this news should be reminder for myself and awareness for everyone on the seriousness of this issue.

We are ingesting lots of soy or soy products in our daily meal knowing or unknowingly. However, how many percent of them are genetically modified? Are we suffering from constipation, heart palpitations, rashes, depression, fatigue, overweight and bald/hair lost and infertility due to soy/soy products that we eat everyday unknowingly? Does anyone ever wonder why are we having all these problem and couldn't find the reason behind it?

Well, GM soy could be the reason.

More than 80% of the soy in the world are GM soy. So it is very high chance that the soy products that we buy from the stores are GM soy. Soy could be found in most of the commonly eaten everyday food, such as tofu, soy milk, taufu hua, beancurd, vegetarian fake meat, soy bean. Or it could hide in the food as the following ingredients: lecithin, soy protein, extracted vitamin E, soy powder, vegetable oil made from soy. All these can be additives in the food such as baby's formula milk powder, ice cream, biscuits, bread, margarine, soy yogurt, protein powder, yogurt drink, chips/crackers, sweets, chocolate bars, noodles and flour as well as skin care products and shampoo and etc.

You might be asking this question by now: so how do we avoid these soy products?

You can try to avoid them by reading the ingredients of the products that you are interested in for any of these soy ingredients, and whether if they are organic and non-GMO soy. If they do not state that organic and non-GMO soy is used, then it is very highly that the soy used are genetically modified.

Another approach is to buy fresh organic produce and avoid packaged/processed food.

Remember, we as consumer can demand for a change if we choose to avoid buying GM soy products or any other GM produce. Ignorance would cause us our health and worse is our future generation will have to pay in greater price because of our ignorance.

Choose wisely and live healthily!

證嚴上人開示 : 防災之道

開示全文如下：

最近兩個月，隨著泰國洪水災情不斷往南擴散，我心靈的擔憂，也跟著寸寸絲絲擴
張。

大水持續兩個多月未退，民眾只能隨身攜帶木板保護自己，以防蛇或鱷魚攻擊；新聞
畫面中，一對父女在水淹及胸的環境下吃飯，四周都是垃圾漂流物，連分寸乾燥、清
淨的空間都沒有，實在苦不堪言。泰國公共衛生局長擔憂，隨之而來的疫情即將爆
發。

泰國是世界著名的佛教國家之一，此次水患，就連古城廟宇內的大佛也無法倖免，水
淹至佛像頸部，令人感慨。民眾眼見湄南河水不斷上漲，憂心忡忡，搶購民生物
資、堆疊沙包防堵洪水。但，災難真的防得住嗎？

學佛，必須了解因、緣、果、報——造什麼因、得什麼果。大地病態與危機，都是從人
心開始；人類心靈災難，轉化為大地災難。

人心不調，天地難安。最好的防災之道就是人人戒慎虔誠——虔誠，不是求佛保佑；而
是深心發願，要明是非、養悲心、徹底懺悔改過，調整心態、改善環境與生態；且更
密集地「人間菩薩大招生」——就像堆疊沙包一樣，要密、要實；人間菩薩愈密集，經
年累月、合和互協付出，眾力成城，就能築出最穩固的人心堤 防，才是防範災難的良
方。
天地災難頻傳，讓窮困者更悽苦無助，身心無所依止。菩薩是眾生的「救處、護
處、大依止處」；「人間菩薩」愈多，天下眾生就能愈平安。

※

如今，全球天災人禍愈來愈頻繁，更要啟發人人心中愛，匯聚更多人間菩薩——讓人在
心靈惶恐時，有所依止；有災有難時，能安身、安心。人間菩薩遍滿各處，則到處都
是眾生的「安穩樂處」。