Eat Healthy. Live Well.

Hospital Promotes Health or Disease?

2011-04-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I've never been a patient in a hospital. I have, however, visited a few people over the last couple of months. While driving to the hospital, I alway pass a billboard that touts this message:

The hospital I typically visit was voted one of the best by U.S. News for 2010-2011. I briefly researched it on the Internet and found they were voted the best because of ranking high in 3 particular medical fields.

Anyways, I smirk at the irony of being voted "best hospital" when certain aspects basically set people up to be sick - namely, the food. I visited a diabetic patient who was given a freezer pop for dessert with every meal for multiple days. No matter how many times she said "I can't eat this because there's too much sugar!" it was still placed on her tray as the only dessert option. No fruit, no sweet sugar-free items. Just freezer pops.

I visited another patient who was malnourished from vomiting for a whole week. Hospital staff kept bringing food in for her to try to keep down. The most common food was red or green gelatin. If she's malnourished, what good is artificially colored gelatin going to do?

The final food problem I encountered was when trying to find dinner or snacks for myself while visiting. First, I'm allergic to wheat and milk. I asked the food staff in the cafeteria if the sauce-covered chicken had either, and they had no clue. "The food is just given to us to serve. I know nothing about it," was the response I received. All of the other entrees were breaded and fried. Not only was I out of luck on that front because of the wheat allergy, but since when is fried foods a decent meal for a hospital? A salad was my only option. As for dessert, there wasn't even a fruit cup. The sweet section was loaded with sugar-free pies and gelatins. I glanced at the other food options out of curiosity, and all of the sandwiches and wraps were made with bleached white flours. No whole grains to be found.

I always assumed a hospital was supposed to do everything it could to make people well. Yet, it seems to be extremely lacking when it comes to nutrition, which is a major part of keeping the body healthy. This particular hospital may be voted "best" when it comes to a few of the medical fields, but it also seems to do a good job about keeping people sick so they have to come back for care. It has to stay in business somehow, right?

Annie's Gardening Kit - Heirloom Seeds & Gloves

2011-02-01T15:39:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention this when I did the gardening post about gathering supplies...

Annie's has a new program called Root 4 Kids. As part of the promotion, you can register to receive a free gardening gift pack when you buy 2 Annie's Homegrown or Annie's Natural products. The gift pack includes gloves (take your pick of adult or child) and heirloom seeds. While supplies last. The 2 Annie's products must be purchased between 1/5/2011 and 4/30/2011.

Minimum Maintenance at Home

2011-02-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

Do house cleaning and home maintenance often seem to get in the way of LIFE? I don't know about you, but it's so hard for me to find a balance. Either I'm having a great time loving life and my home is a mess or my house is neat and tidy while my social life has hit rock bottom. I don't feel like I need a spotless house (though that would be nice every now and then); tidy is perfectly acceptable for me. I just really, really, really don't like to clean so it often gets shoved to the back burner. I imagine I'm not alone on this.

Wouldn't it be great to wave a magic wand and *POOF* - clothes are suddenly clean and hung in closets, dishes are scrubbed and put in cupboards, the dust disappears, and all clutter finds a spot to call home. Unfortunately, unless you can afford a live-in maid, this doesn't happen.

Living greatly requires a livable home because our attitudes often reflect the condition of our home. We (or at least me) are likely to be more irritable, lethargic, and unproductive when our home is a mess. It feels GOOD to be able to eat dinner together as a family when I can actually see the dining table. Or to be able to play a board game with the family in the living room floor because it's been vacuumed.

And that's why I'm thankful I came across Home Sanctuary. Rachel Anne lists a daily super easy Small Thing to help with home maintenance and often puts a funny twist in her posts to make house cleaning less mundane. Even better, she lists a point value for each day. At the end of the month, the reader with the highest point value receives a prize. That's some pretty good motivation to tidy up a bit. To be eligible for the prize, you must join her "Company Girls" - but it's free and no hassle.

Home Sanctuary also has a great post about Minimum Maintenance to be done on a daily basis. I encourage you to read backposts because she shows it really doesn't take long to make a house feel more like a comforting home.

Gardening Prep: Supplies

2011-01-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

What better way to eat healthier than to grow your own produce?

Yes, I know it's still winter and there is quite awhile before I will get any bounty from a Spring garden. However, it is time to start preparing and planning for it. I'll be planting a few cool-weather crops next month, and I am working on gathering supplies for the rest of the garden. For the past 2 years (I'm such a newbie gardener!), my vegetable garden has consisted of a large flat area with rows of individual plants, most of which began as seeds in the ground. There'd be 1 row of cucumber (which was WAY to many), 1 of zucchini, a couple of rows of corn, etc. Supplies: fertilizer and seeds. That's it. I was determined not to use pesticides or herbicides, but I also didn't know how to keep the bugs and weeds to a minimum. It was a lot of trial and error.

The first year, the garden was overrun with fire ants. NOTHING worked, but it was also the first year they did not come into my home during the warm weather. It was like "New playground with lots of food! Let's invite everyone we know and never leave!" Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) is a fine white powder that consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It basically scrapes the exoskeleton of the ants and other pests, leaving them defenseless and dead. It worked on quite a few of the ants, but it also remains in the ground for years and years. Now I have to live with an area that beneficial worms try to avoid. The second year, stink bugs raided the garden.

Weeds were a huge problem, too. I hate weeding with a passion. I had such a large area available for gardening, so I left plenty of space in between plants and rows. Sprawling plants like watermelon loved this, but as the weed-hater, this was not good. It left too much open space for weeds, and I didn't have the money to buy TONS of mulch in the middle of the growing season. And once weeds take hold among watermelons, good luck. The melon vines wrap around anything in it's path, so it's basically stuck to the grass and weeds.

Then there was the problem of deer. How do you stop them from eating the produce? We used electric wiring around some things but didn't have enough for the entire garden.

This year, my supplies list is more than just seeds and fertilizer/compost. First, I'm drooling over this concept of growing herbs, strawberries, or other small plants in a shoe rack. Now I just need a good spot to hang one...

I'm also going to grow up as much as possible. Well, I'M not growing up. I still want my silly moments, but I'm going to have the plants GROW UP, vertically. Space isn't an issue, but vertical sounds so much easier when it comes to weeds, pests, etc. There's less space to fuss over, especially with the melons. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I found a drawing in a book of growing melons on a ladder. The melons are tied to the ladder in slings, like this one (image from Great Stems):

I currently have 3 pool ladders to try growing cantaloupe on like this, but we'll see if monitoring the slings is more work than I bargained for. And yeah, you read that correctly...POOL LADDERS. The funny white and blue ones. They're going in my garden. But they were free, so why not?

Many people recommend using old tires as planters in the garden, but Mother Earth News tells why not to.

As for the pesty insects, I'm going to try companion planting this year, which Wikipedia describes best: Companion Planting is the planting of different crops in proximity, on the theory that they assist each other in nutrient uptake, pest control, pollination, and other factors necessary to increasing crop productivity.

Lastly, though it should come first, is seeds and plants. I found a woman on Freecycle who was giving away lots of planting pots, so I'll be starting some plants (tomatoes, bell peppers, etc.) indoors from seed. Other seeds will be planted directly in the ground. Your Small Kitchen Garden is giving away "sets" of seeds. One set includes three packets—enough to grow one hill of neck pumpkins, one hill of blue hubbard squash, and at least 20 paste tomato plants. The offer ends Sunday, February 13, so go request some free seeds if you will be growing veggies this year!

This is the paste tomato in the Your Small Kitchen Garden seed giveaway.

Are you preparing for a garden this year? Do you have plans already worked out, seeds bought, and supplies available? What will you be growing?

Baby Steps to a Healthier You: Fix It Beforehand

2011-01-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

It seems like no matter what I do, I'm always rushing around in the morning like a crazy woman so that I won't be late. And yet, after all the craziness, I'm often still late. I normally start the morning with the best of intentions. My alarm clock is set a little bit early just so I have enough time to fix a healthy breakfast and lunch or to simply have a few minutes to relax or read my Bible before the hectic day starts.

There are good intentions and then there is reality. In reality, car keys go missing, a leak is noticed under the bathroom sink, and the pants I was planning to wear were accidentally left in the washing machine. The travel mugs are all dirty so I have nothing to put a to-go drink in, and it turns out the lettuce for my salad is a brown wilted mess because it's been in the fridge longer than I realized. Breakfast must be eaten on the run once again, and I'll just have to buy something for lunch.

It seems healthier meals and busy lifestyles do not play well together. But there's a fairly simple solution to this -- fix the food beforehand.

I confess, I'm having a little bit of difficulty with this one, but I am at least doing better than I used to. Remember, this is about baby steps. Don't beat yourself up if you can't fix every breakfast and lunch beforehand. Let's move on to some ideas.

Breakfast

Whole Wheat Waffles with Blueberry Syrup from Heavenly Homemakers

Smoothies - Ideally these are consumed fresh, but it's so much easier to make a large batch and freeze in individual containers, like in these 8 oz, 16 oz, or 32 oz freezer jars. Move one to the fridge the night before to thaw.
Lots of other foods can be made ahead of time. Get your family to help cook the night before or make a large batch during a weekend to freeze for quick on-the-go breakfasts. For this I love some of the recipes at Heavenly Homemakers, like Giant Breakfast Cookies, Breakfast Burritos, Whole Wheat Waffles, Homemade Poptarts, and Banana Muffins (I add chopped walnuts or pecans).
Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits can also be refrigerated overnight for a delicious breakfast. Top with granola in the morning.

Lunch
Some things get soggy when made early, like PB&J sandwiches. Pack what you can into containers the evening before, like fruit, veggies and dip, pretzels, etc. If making a salad, pack dressing in a separate container so the greens don't get wilted overnight. For burgers, I like to pack them in divided containers. Cheese, meat, and bread on 1 side; lettuce, tomato, and pickles on the other side. It prevents soggy buns and wilted lettuce.

Leftovers from dinner make great lunches as well. Just pack a container that evening or freeze in individual portions for healthy, convenient lunches.

Finally, pack a snack! When you hit the 3:00 slump, it's better to be armed with a healthy snack instead of digging for quarters for the vending machine.

What's your favorite quick breakfast or lunch?

Index: Baby Steps to a Healthier You

2011-01-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the ongoing series of Baby Steps to a Healthier You. Rather than dramatic overnight changes, I encourage you to take smaller, more manageable steps. Do as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, and allow yourself some flexibility.

1. Pack a Snack
2. Keep Junk Food Out of the House
3. Fix It Beforehand

Other posts:
Stepping Stones: What Worked For Me

Muffin Tops - No Special Pans Required

2011-01-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

You know those people who eat the tops off of muffins and often leave the bottom for someone else? Yeah, I'm sometimes one of those people. Annoying, right? You reach for a muffin and the bottoms are all that's left.

Well, I wanted to make muffins this morning but really only wanted the crispy tops. Unfortunately, I've never invested in one of those nifty muffin top pans. What's a girl to do?

I only made one batch, so I can't promise the success was not a fluke. All I did was add a bit less liquid to the muffin batter - the mix called for 1 cup and I added 3/4 cup. Drop by spoonfuls onto a nonstick baking sheet, just like you would with cookie batter. Bake at the temperature specified for regular muffins, but for about half the time instructed. I baked mine at 350 degrees F for around 12 minutes, but I also used HUGE spoonfuls of batter for each one. They spread more than cookie batter but hold the shape enough to make rounded tops.

Anyways, they were delicious! After my man and I got into them, this was all that was left...

Apple Strawberry Muffin Tops. Can you tell I kind of skimped on the strawberries? I also used a gluten-free mix, so they didn't brown as much as wheat muffins.

I know this post is a lot different from my usual ones, but in my mind, it worked. Muffin tops on a baking sheet are super easy as well as cheap since you don't buy a special pan. Anything that saves you time, money, and frustration should be included in a blog about living well...right?

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family. Click on over and find lots of other great tips.

Baby Steps to a Healthier You: Keep Junk Food Out of the House

2011-01-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

When I first started eating healthier, I realized something about myself: I have very little self-control when it comes to food. I was so used to eating anything I wanted whenever I wanted. I admit it, I used to eat a whole bag of mini Reese cups in 1 day! It didn't take long to discover that in order to NOT eat the junk food, I just couldn't have it in my home. However, I also believe in not depriving yourself of your favorite foods. I tried that once, and it resulted in the marshmallow meltdown of 2009. The goal here is to get healthier so that we can enjoy life, not to zap all of the joy away by taking away things that bring us pleasure.

This baby step is 2 parts. First, simply don't bring the junk food into your home. That means when you're craving it and want to treat yourself, you'll have to work for it. You'll actually have to get dressed, spend your hard earned money on expensive gas to drive to a store, and buy that treat. It may be raining or it may be freezing outside. You'll likely think twice about whether that junk food is worth it. You'll also make sure you enjoy each bite more since it wasn't so convenient.

The trick here is to buy enough to treat yourself only ONCE. Buy one candy bar, and you'll only eat that one. Buy a caseful, and you'll eat the whole caseful, Ok, maybe not all at once unless you're like me, but it will sit in your house and tempt you each and every day until you do eat the whole case of candy.

Little Debbie Cakes were my downfall - all that chocolate, cream, and cakey-goodness filled with preservatives and loaded with sugar. I told my man that if he still wanted to eat them, he would have to buy them, not tell me he bought them, and then hide them before I saw them. HE COULD NOT EAT ANY AROUND ME OR EVEN LET ME KNOW THEY WERE IN THE HOUSE. That was the rule, and it worked.

The second part to this baby step is to fill that junk food void with healthier alternatives. Where ice cream once filled the freezer, opt for popsicles of 100% fruit (store-bought or homemade). When you buy produce, wash it as soon as you get home so it's available for a quick, convenient snack or meal. Apples, bananas, berries, cherries, oranges, peaches, pears, carrots, and celery are great go-to foods.

My one exception to having junk food in the house is dark chocolate. Unlike white and milk chocolate, dark chocolate has enough health benefits to make it a good convenient snack or dessert when eaten in small amounts. However, if you are addicted to dark chocolate and can't stop after one bite, you should probably keep it out of the house as well.

How about some Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate?

When You Go to the Doctor

2011-01-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

I wrote recently about talking with your doctor before accepting a prescription for antibiotics. Today, let's move on to testing.

A couple of years ago, I went through a myriad of tests - blood and urine tests, endoscopy, MRI, CAT scan, ultrasound, etc. Through it all, the doctors learned I was "normal" and had no idea what was causing my unusual symptoms (which turned out to be caused by mold exposure). I was desperate for a diagnosis and assumed the doctors knew what they were doing, so I blindly accepted tests they recommended. My doctor briefly surmised that my symptoms could have been caused by an allergic reaction to something. Before sending me to an allergist, my blood was tested to see if I was having an allergic reaction at all. Now, I have moderate to severe seasonal allergies. When this blood test was done, it was Fall and I had sinus problems from multiple outdoor allergens. Ready for the surprise results from the blood test: my body was having an allergic reaction to something! The blood test couldn't show what I was allergic to, just that I was having a reaction to something. Well no kidding. I was already sneezing and sniffling from grass, trees, and other outdoor stuff.

That test was the biggest waste of money...my money. If I had've asked what they were actually testing for when my blood was drawn, I would have stopped it right then. And because of my learning experiences with multiple tests, here are some things to keep in mind next time your doctor recommends testing:

1. What are you testing for or what has led you to believe this test is needed? Sometimes, doctors are grasping at straws when they order a test. They don't know what else to do. Sometimes, a test is ordered to cover themselves from a lawsuit. In America, we are known to get sue-happy and want to take doctors to court for everything. To rule everything out and avoid lawsuits, they test. (Which is really sad, by the way. Yes, doctors make mistakes and some should be sued. But there are plenty of others who are great doctors but are scared to do what they know is best because of the threat of lawsuits.) And other times, one of your symptoms matches a specific disease that a test would rule out. Specialists have a tendency to look at one area rather than the whole person. While one symptom may match a disease, your other symptoms might possibly contradict it, which negates the need for that specific test.

2. Depending on the result, what will be the next step? I believe it's rare, but occasionally tests are ordered with no intention of doing anything about the result. This seems to occur most often when the patient needs to be ~~pacified~~ satisfied that the doctor is trying to figure out the cause of the problems. Other times, "the next step" will be recommended regardless of the test results. What's the point of undergoing the test if the treatment plan will be the same regardless of the results?

3. What is an estimate of how much this test will cost me? As the paying patient, it is your right to know the costs ahead of time. However, most offices can't give an exact amount because of the differences in insurance plans. If you're not sure if your insurance will pay, ask for the cost of a patient paying out-of-pocket. This will be the maximum amount you will spend on the test.

4. If the test is too expensive, too invasive, or involves radiation, ask if there are other alternatives. The test recommended by your doctor may be the only option or it may simply be the most reliable, most used, or most accepted by insurance companies. Don't hesitate to ask, particularly with exams involving radiation. They can be extremely detrimental to your health, so it's best to avoid them when there are other alternatives.

5. Finally, what is my blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.? Keep a medical file of your own. Note blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, or anything else that is checked when you go for a doctor's visit. After any test or exam, request copies of the results and images for your file. This is particularly helpful if seeing specialists or requesting a second opinion. It reduces the need for many tests because you will already have results in hand.

Have any other questions to add? I'd love to hear from you!

Why Antibiotics Can Do More Harm Than Good

2011-01-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

I've begun to distrust the overuse of antibiotics. If a doctor prescribes them to me again, they must be 100% sure that I won't get better without them. Sure, the medicine kills the bad bacteria that makes us sick, but tit also destroys the good bacteria that keep our intestines in-line. Last time I took antibiotics was for bronchitis, and it killed off so much of the good bacteria that the symptoms of the mold exposure got about 10 times worse. I didn't know I was suffering from toxic mold exposure at the time, but the good bacteria was keeping the toxicity somewhat in check. The time before that, the antibiotics caused thrush, a yeast infection in my mouth and throat. Now that was gross.

Yahoo posted an article about Why You Shouldn't Beg Your Doctor for an Antibiotic. If the doctor sends you home empty-handed with instructions for fluids and rest, take that as a good sign. Unfortunately in many cases, if the patient asks for an prescription when one is not needed, the doctor will oblige just to ~~pacify~~ satisfy the patient.

Along with killing the good bacteria, the article goes on to mention C. difficile, a potentially life-threatening intestinal bacteria that can gain the upperhand in people who are treated with antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics also creates superbugs that are resistant to medicines (remember the recent MRSA scare?)

The article finishes with 3 recommendations when seeing the doctor:
1. Tell your doctor you're willing to wait for a lab test to determine exactly what bacteria you have so that it can be treated by the correct antibiotic. Different antibiotics target different bacterias.
2. Before accepting (or asking for) a prescribed antibiotic, talk with your doctor to make sure it's necessary. Some prescribe it just because they think that's what the patient expects.
3. Take the antibiotic as instructed by your doctor. A smaller dosage or stopping the antibiotic early is a big contributor to drug resistance. Even if you start feeling better, take the entire dose as directed.

Snow Days - Living Better Than Well

2011-01-14T07:59:00.000-08:00

The power never went out, Thank God, but I've been out playing in the snow instead of posting. I know for you northerners, it's not a big deal. But this was the most snow I've ever seen in this area (at 5.5"...)! Sledding, snow angels, snowmen, an igloo, snow cream - we did it all. The house was a cluttered mess, but I trampled through the snow with my family to enjoy some time together outdoors among God's wonderful creation.

There was one morning I was swinging high in a swing suspended from a tree (can't even remember the last time I did that), and I watched the snow-covered landscape woosh under me. I couldn't help but smile, and a small chuckle escaped. There may be so much wrong with the world, but in that moment everything was fine. Actually, it was better than fine. That was one of those perfect mornings. Ever have a moment or day like that...when joy practically explodes from your heart? That's not just "living well." That's living greatly, how life would be lived in a perfect world.

Ever gone down a hill backwards on a sled? I don't recommend it if there are any possible obstacles you may hit. Here's my friend (watching out for the upcoming pole) after he hit a snow drift that turned him around.

No Particular Diet

2011-01-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

We just got a bunch of snow during the night! I'm in the South, where snow is fairly uncommon and the power almost always seems to go out for a couple of days. Just letting you know if I don't blog for a bit, it's because I have no electricity. I'm praying it doesn't go out though, because it's COLD!

Anyways, I was reading this article on Mercola.com about the vegetarian diet, and it got me thinking. The article says about 1/3 of the population can thrive on a vegetarian diet while another 1/3 would have deteriotating health from meat restriction (maybe the last 1/3 would just simply be ok and their health not improve nor get worse?). I try not to push a particular diet on this blog for that particular reason - different foods work for different people. I love smoothies for breakfast, but I will not say that's best for everyone because I know plenty of diabetics and pre-diabetics who cannot consume so much fruit.

The 4 "food rules" that seem to work across the board are that 1) vegetables are good for you, 2) whole grains are better than processed grains, 3) Too much sugar is detrimental to health, and 4) we need some kind of protein source. However, I know a young man who is allergic to a compound in raw produce, so fruits and vegetables have to be cooked for him. In general though, I would recommend at least half of the produce you consume to be raw. Once heated, enzymes that aid digestion are rendered useless. But some nutrients are better absorbed once cooked, such as the antioxidants in carrots and tomatoes.

So whether you want to try veganism, vegetarianism, a raw diet, pescetarianism (fish but no other meat), gluten-free, dairy-free, or anything else, that's completely between you and your doctor. Anyone who says "this diet is great for everyone!" is misinformed. Instead, pay attention to the signals from your body when you eat or don't eat a particular food. A food journal that lists what you eat each day and any symptoms is a great way to notice patterns. Finally, I recommend getting a blood test from your doctor to check your vitamin levels, as even mild deficiencies can cause health problems.

And because every post should have a picture (and I often forget to add one), how about this little guy carrying his load to the food processor:

Fighting with Dignity and a Brain

2011-01-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've posted a bit about how we need to fight back against some of the policies the US government is accepting (like in the post What Happened to America's Fighting Spirit), but it greatly saddens and disturbs me to see how low some Americans have stooped in that fighting.

I just read a Yahoo article and a Washington Post article about the Arizona shooting of government officials. As of 1 p.m. today, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was in surgery in critical condition, and a total of 18 people were injured. John M. Roll, the senior U.S. District judge in Arizona, was shot and killed. In total, 6 have died, including a child.

Gunman Jared Laoghner is in custody. It was not directly evident what his motive for the shooting was, but the Yahoo article sited a variety of threats to other government officials, such as:

--A San Francisco man upset with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's support of health care reform pleaded guilty to threatening the Democratic congresswoman and her family, calling her directly on March 25 and threatening to destroy her Northern California home if she voted for health care reform.

--In July, a California man known for his anger over left-leaning politics engaged in a shootout with highway patrol officers after planning an attack on the ACLU and another nonprofit group. The man said he wanted to "start a revolution" by killing people at the ACLU and the Tides Foundation.

--Giffords Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House vote to approve the health care law in March, with someone either kicking or shooting out a glass door and window.

I get it - vandalism, threats, and violence worked in the American Revolution as we fought against Britain. There was no other way to win independence. BUT THAT'S NOT TODAY. Has the violence and threats gotten us anywhere? Has it changed any official's mind in how they vote? NOPE. Nowadays, that is not the way to "start a revolution" or make changes. When I encourage people to fight against the policies that are destroying our health and livelihood, I am in no way recommending a physical fight. For changes to really take place, it must be a fight against wills. Take your health into your own hands so that health reform will not affect you as much. Refuse to buy from the companies that are pulling the government towards them and away from the People (ahem...Monsanto...). MAKE YOUR OPINION KNOWN by calling, emailing, sending letters, tweeting, etc. Make a nuisance of yourself if you have to from your verbal persistence for change (notice, I'm not talking about screaming matches or cussing anyone out. That'll get you nowhere).

I doubt Jared Loughner walked away with dignity when he was tackled, handcuffed, and carted away to jail. He may have felt better for a moment because he mistakenly thought he had accomplished something. But the only thing he accomplished was to shatter the hearts of 6 families. Shame on you Jared Laughner and any others who try something similar! If you really want to force change, start a revolution, or make America better, use your brain and not your temper.

Here's a quote to consider: "The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behavior affect the rights and well being of others." ~Sharon Anthony Bower
Assertiveness accomplishes goals; aggressiveness makes people angry and defensive.

Quote of the Day

2011-01-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

As a people, we have become obsessed with Health. There is something fundamentally, radically unhealthy about all this. We do not seem to be seeking more exuberance in living as much as staving off failure, putting off dying. We have lost all confidence in the human body. ~Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail, 1979

Guilty as charged. I often get so caught up in the "eat healthy" part and how to go about getting others to eat healthier that I forget about the "live well." Granted, in order to enjoy life, you have to be healthy enough to do so. But living is so much more than eating nutritious foods and exercising often enough. I like how the quote is worded--"exuberance in living." That exuberance comes from relationships with families and friends, of experiences that make long-lasting memories, and the all-around joyful moments. I have to remind myself not to be dogmatic about Health.

Healthcare vs. Sickcare

2011-01-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been posting quite a bit about our healthcare system lately (like 18 Ideas to Reform Healthcare and Sarah Palin Pushing Cookies), so I've vowed to myself that this will be the last one on that topic for a little while. I fully believe the first step in a healthier nation will have to come from us, not the government, so I really should be spending more time on us instead of governmental policies. Anyways, without further ado, here are my latest thoughts:

Dear United States Government:

Merriam-Webster defines healthcare as “efforts made to maintain or restore health especially by trained and licensed professionals.” The definition does not say it is to make pain or other physical symptoms more manageable. Maintaining health means taking preventative measures to avoid disease. Restoring health means getting rid of the disease as much as possible. Our current system fails in both of these aspects because we do not focus on getting healthier. The current system is sickcare – not healthcare – because it simply manages and hides the symptoms of the sick. Medications for diabetes, mental disorders, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and a host of other ailments do not cure the disease. The medicines are prescribed to manage symptoms and that’s all.

Currently, Medicare will not pay for any kind of diet or nutrition counseling if you are pre-diabetic, but it will pay to amputate your foot after you have diabetes. And yet, a change in lifestyle could have prevented diabetes in the first place. The cost of nutrition counseling would have been much less than the surgical and rehabilitation cost of an amputated foot. I do not need to be a genius to see the flaw in this system. To lower healthcare costs and have a healthier nation, preventative measures need to be more accessible and affordable. Insurance, including Medicare, will have to pay for more than medications and surgical procedures.

Now how about the Supplemental Security Income? It was created to aid the aged, blind and severely physically disabled, but in 2009, 53% of the children receiving funds were for behavioral issues, such as ADHD. To receive these funds, the children should be on medication. When the SSI was first implemented, I imagine it was not intended to encourage low-income families to medicate their children for extra financial help, but that is what it has become. Rather than medicating everyone, how come the first step in treating ADHD is not counseling with the family to discover any lifestyle triggers, such as food allergies, food preservatives, lack of stimulation, or simply too much time in front of a TV?

So Big Government: are you really here to help us or just out to make a buck from the Pharmaceutical companies? My opinion is leaning towards the latter, but I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong.

Sincerely,
An Average American

Baby Steps to a Healthier You: Pack a Snack

2011-01-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

I have a confession: While I rarely eat Snickers now, I think their commercials are brilliant. In modern society, we want everything right this second, so their motto "Hungry? Why wait?" was perfect. Their latest catch phrase - "You're not you when you're hungry" is equally compelling, as shown in the commercial below:

It's so true! I don't know about you, but when I'm hungry I get irritable. And then I can't focus on anything except what in the world I can possibly eat. My mind is consumed by yummy, mouth-watering morsels that will calm the grumbling in my stomach.

It may seem odd for the first baby step to be snacks, but that's what worked for me because snacks could have easily been my downfall when trying to eat healthier. When I'm running errands and end up staying out longer than anticipated, what am I to do when hunger strikes? The only decent thing in vending machines and gas stations is overly-salted peanuts (except the one time I went to Wawa!).

I quickly learned to always pack a snack. Even if I think I'm just going to be gone for an hour, I throw a little something into my purse just in case. To be honest, I usually keep a snack in the dash of my car. So what kind of snacks do I turn to? That's quite a list, but here are a few suggestions:

1. Fruit like an apple, banana, orange, plum, peach, berries, or cherries. Bring a plastic bag or something to put the peeling or core in so your car won't stink of fruit, especially during a hot day.

2. Larabars. These are my favorite go-to snack when I'm craving something sweet! Pecan Pie is my favorite, followed by Coconut Cream Pie.
3. Dried fruit. Dry your own in a dehydrator or try Peeled Snacks.
4. Trail Mix. I make my own combo with whatever nuts, seeds, and dried fruits I have on hand.
5. Veggies like carrots, cucumber, celery, zucchini slices, or grape tomatoes. These would be great with hummus or dressing. Consider putting them in a small cooler if you're going to be gone long or are bringing a dip.
6. Nuts - cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. Just don't pack too many because a serving size is only 1 oz.
7. Homemade granola bars. This way, you control the amount of sweetener.
8. Greek yogurt with berries and a bit of honey, cinnamon, or vanilla flavoring. (remember that cooler or lunch box with an ice pack)
9. A smaller version of lunch, like 1/2 a whole grain turkey wrap or a side salad (again, remember that ice pack to keep it from spoiling)
10. Something to drink. Some studies show "hunger" signs may just be thirst. Bring a water bottle, juice, or a small fruit smoothie to sip while you're gone.
11. Dry whole grain cereal
12. Unsweetened applesauce or fruit cup in 100% juice. Don't forget a spoon! (I've forgotten mine before, and drinking applesauce was not a pretty site)
13. Rice cakes with nut butter
14. Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas. To make them completely crunchy, shut the oven off at the end of the cook time. Leave the chickpeas in the oven until it's cooled down.
15. Fruit leather, like FruitaBu fruit roll-ups
16. Mini Babybel cheese (have I mentioned an ice pack in an insulated lunch box enough times?)

Have anything else to add? What is your favorite on-the-go snack?

This post was linked to:
Transformation Thursdays at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Commercial Break Thursday at Suzy's Sitcom

Fighting-A-Cold Breakfast

2011-01-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Stress and lack of sleep have gotten the best of me, so now I'm battling a cold. To fight back, I upped my defense this morning with a good 'ol smoothie:

1 orange
1 apple
1 small frozen banana
a handful of frozen strawberries
a handful of kale

Put in a blender until pureed.

I normally cringe at the thought of greens in a smoothie, but this time I really couldn't taste them! And I don't think that's because my head is stopped up - I taste a sweet sourness from the orange and strawberries. The coldness feels good on my sore throat, and I'm getting Vitamin C plus a bunch of other nutrients to help my immune system.

Green kale + red strawberries + orange = a murky orange-brown. In a picture, the color looked even worse. So rather than show you, let me just tell you this smoothie was delicious!

This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday

Meet Me on Monday

2011-01-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Java at Never Growing Old hosts a blog-hop of Meet Me on Monday. Every Monday, you get to know a little bit about fellow bloggers with a few questions that she posts. Sounded like fun, so here it goes!

Questions:

1. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
I have ongoing goals, but I've never done well with New Year's resolutions. They're always broken by the 2nd week of January. Ongoing goals are to continue to eat healthier, exercise more, and manage stress better. Transfer to a job I enjoy that helps others. Find a place to volunteer at.

2. What food item are you craving right now?
Cherries. They're in my fridge...I just haven't gotten my lazy rear up yet to go wash them.

3. When is your birthday?
April 1

4. What were you doing an hour ago?
Eating lunch and texting a friend. Texting is great sometimes when I've used too many roll-over minutes or just don't feel like talking to the person. But for the most part, I hate texting.

5. Last thing you cooked?
I warmed leftover fish for lunch. Does that count as cooking?

What Happened to America's Fighting Spirit?

2011-01-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

First, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Holidays!

A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary on the Revolutionary War. History doesn't usually hold my attention, so I was honestly surprised by how interesting it was. My favorite part was about Baron von Steuben. The Prussian man served as a general of the American army. The documentary said he wrote about the differences in armies he had worked with in Europe versus Americans. In Europe, von Steuben could give an order and the men immediately obeyed. In America, he gave an order and the soldiers ask "why?" A good reason had to be given before they obeyed.

I smiled knowingly when I heard this. We're the same today, I thought, we still have to be told "why" because we don't just blindly do what we're told. But is that really the case today? It seems to only be true with some things. If an American parent tells their child to clean their room or make their bed, the common response is "why?" or "Do I HAVE to?" Yet gas prices continue to rise, healthcare costs rise, and more people are developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. We may not like it, but we accept it rather than asking "why."

What happened to that fighting spirit of the colonists who came to America for a better life? It's hard to have a better life when we're all sick and the economy is floundering (which will only be worsened by another rise in gas prices).

That will of fighting for rights shows up every now and then. Who can forget Martin Luther King and the fight against segregation? There was also the Newsboys Strike of 1899 when 5,000 boys, most under age 14, led a successful 2-week strike against a couple of newspapers in New York because of the increase in paper prices. More recently, the movie of Erin Brockovich made her a household name and unveiled her tireless investigation into the poisoning of the groundwater in Hinkley, California by Pacific Gas & Electric. The utility giant was forced to pay an overwhelming $333 million to Hinkley residents.

As good as it may sound, we can't just dress as Indians and toss things into the water with another Boston Tea Party. And we can't storm Washington with bayonets. This is a fight unlike any America has faced because it's not against a specific company or focused on a specific group of people. It involves and affects everyone.

Say it's a conspiracy. Call it greed. Name it whatever you want. The fact is our government is not able to help us in the ways that we most need. The groups with the money are the ones who influence the government, and those groups are the ones most able to harm us. We are going to have to stop relying on the government to fix the problems of America and take responsibility for allowing it to go this far. This country was built for the People, by the People, and it will be these same People who will have to make the changes. You with me?

There's a song called Seize the Day with lyrics approrpriate for this day:

Open the gates and seize the day. Don't be afraid and don't delay.

Nothing can break us, no one can make us give our rights away.

Arise and seize the day.

Just a note on rights being taken away: The FDA has already written that we as Americans have "no generalized right to bodily and physical health" and have no "funadamental right" to choose the food we consume. These particular statements were in regards to a lawsuit over the ban of raw milk, but can you imagine how far the FDA can go if our right to health and to choose our food are fully taken away?

In the Midst of Flu Season

2011-01-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

I had the flu once when I was a child. I still remember the pain behind my eyes and the way the room spun when I tried to stand up. To avoid this, the CDC says the number one preventive measure is to receive a flu vaccine. I’m not a scientist or medical professional, but I have my doubts about this. For me, hygiene and common sense have been the best preventive measures:

1. Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water.
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, which are the main areas for germs to invade.
3. Occasionally disinfect phones, door knobs, faucets, and other common surfaces.
4. Avoid close contact with sick people, especially face-to-face.
5. Avoid drinking or eating from the same cup or silverware as other people.
6. Don't lick your fingers.
6. To prevent spreading germs, cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve instead of on your hands or into the air. Dispose of the tissue and wash your hands.
7. Strengthen your immune system by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep at night, reducing stress, and eating healthy foods (particularly colorful fruits and vegetables).

However, the CDC lists at-risk groups who are encouraged even more to receive flu vaccinations. The list makes some good points, especially regarding the elderly with weakened immune systems or those living in nursing homes.

On the other side, Natural News published an article about how vaccines weaken the immune system over time. According to the article:

Vaccines leave you more vulnerable to future infections. They deny your immune system the opportunity to practice its own adaptive response to invading microorganisms or viruses, thereby causing your immune system to atrophy in the same way that a wheelchair-bound person will experience leg muscle atrophy. The immune system is a lot like a muscle: Use it or lose it!

But flu vaccines provide weakened viruses to the immune system (along with other preservative chemicals that can be extremely dangerous to neurological health). It's sort of like working out your muscles at the gym but having your trainer do all the heavy lifting for you. Obviously you're not going to have very strong muscles in the end because your body won't need to invoke a very strong adaptive response.
The same is true with vaccines and the flu: If your body is exposed to weakened flu viruses year after year, it gets lazy and weak, and when it one day comes into contact with a full-strength virus circulating in the wild, it's not in good enough shape to handle the challenge.

18 Ideas to Reform Health Care - From Reader's Digest

2010-12-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

Reader's Digest has described 18 ideas for reforming health care to make it more affordable. With my rant about Obama claiming a slower rise in health care costs still in my mind, this list intrigued me. I don't agree with every single idea, but there are some noteworthy ones and are definitely worth looking in to. See here for the descriptions and payoffs of each idea.

1. Fight the Big Five - coronary artery disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, asthma, and depression
2. Reduce medical errors by thinking like an airline.
3. Get it right the first time (with second opinions)
4. Pay employees for healthy habits, including lower premiums.
5. E-Prescribe instead of paper prescriptions.
6. Use retail clinics for routine care.
7. Share information to fight cancer.
8. Measure results and make them public.
9. Stop unnecessary treatments.
10. Reduce infant mortality.
11. Make schools healthier by rewarding healthier eating, rescuing recess, and expanding gym class.
12. Don't hire smokers.
13. Electronic Medical Records
14. Save primary care (we're losing our primary care physicians)
15. Award prizes for affordable drugs.
16. Visit a virtual doctor.
17. Team up in hospitals.
18. Let everyone shop for the best plan.

I can see higher health care premiums for smokers, but not hiring smokers (#12) seems too discriminatory under American law. I'm all for #17 though - team up in hospitals. My recent experiences with hospitals have shown - at least locally - that doctors are not talking to each other about their theories of diagnosis. A patient may see multiple doctors in a single day, and each has the ability to override what the other has ordered. Rather than changing orders, I don't understand why they just can't talk together about the patient.

What are your opinions of these ideas?

Sarah Palin Loves Those Cookies

2010-12-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

I don't normally comment on political proceedings (except my rant about Obama slowing the cost of healthcare) because, frankly, much if it is over my head or is too messed up to invoke a comment. However, I read an article recently about Sarah Palin bringing cookies to a fundraiser at a Pennsylvania school (Palin Uses Cookies to Mock "Nanny State" Rules), and I was struck by the absurdity of this. The Pennsylvania Board of Education will be voting on new guidelines that may limit the number of sweets allowed in classrooms, but Palin referred to this as "Nanny state run amok." To shake up the future vote, she brought cookies to the students.

From the article: "I look at Pennsylvania and I think of sweets - I think of Hershey. Then I think, how dare they ban sweets from school here?" Palin said. "Who should be making the decisions what you eat, school choice and everything else? Should it be government or should it be the parents? It should be the parents."

My first question: By giving cookies to the students, who made the decision for them...the parents or Palin, who is part of the government? Um...I'd say the government made the decision to give students cookies. Parents didn't have a say in it.

Secondly, the ban is not about what parents can send to school with their children. It's more about limiting how much junk food is provided by the school. Has Palin looked in a school cafeteria or been inside a classroom lately? There are soda machines, chocolate bars for sale, and candy prizes given by teachers. I remember school lunches - unless I packed a lunch to bring, I often ate a candy bar, a soda, and a bag of chips because it was readily available to buy on campus. And then there are the parties! Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and birthday parties, plus any other special occasions. On these days, many students don't even eat lunch because they are so full of cupcakes, cookies, and candies.

Before learning the ill effects of poor nutrition, I helped organize an ice cream party for a group of 1st graders. A twinge of guilt invades each time I think of this day, because most of the kids ate 2 helpings of ice cream and loaded their bowls with chocolate sauce, gummy bears, and other sweet toppings. By the time I left, they were running around from a sugar-high or complaining that their stomachs hurt from eating too much. I can't imagine the sugar crash the parents had to endure once the kids got home. Did the parents have a choice in this? Nope.

So Sarah Palin - is this really what you are encouraging?

I agree the parents should be making the choices for their kids, but I think she has it backwards. The government is already making the decisions for our kids by allowing so much junk food to prevail in schools. No matter how many times you tell an 8, 12, or even 16 year old that an apple is healthier than a Hershey bar, do you think they will make the wise decision when given the choice? Doubtful. So the decision is made early on for our kids to become addicted to junk food because they are allowed to have so much of it, whether at home or at school.

As for parent choices, do you have any experience with poverty-stricken public schools? I've met numerous students and parents who are not aware of the extreme importance of healthy foods. The lower-class parents do not have the time for or access to nutrition education. Other parents are so busy with 2 or 3 jobs, that they don't have the time to make healthy decisions for their kids. Rather than choose what to pack in a lunch, they send money with their kids to school, trusting the government to provide good options to eat.

Limiting the amount of junk foods in schools is not about the government being a "Nanny." It's about realizing we have a responsibility to these kids who eat 1-2 meals, 5 times a week at these schools.

Quote of the Day

2010-12-08T05:29:00.000-08:00

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

Sometimes this verse helps when I'm tempted by chocolate cake, soda, Jolly Ranchers, etc. It tells me that 1. I'm not alone - the temptation is common among people. 2. God is faithful and won't allow more than I can handle. 3. There will be a way out of the temptation. It might be throwing the cake away or walking out of a reception, but there is an exit somewhere.

I'm Allergic to Your Perfume

2010-12-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

I picked up a friend in my car today and was overwhelmed by cigarette smoke and perfume the moment she opened the door. In general, the perfume had a good fragrance. A few years ago, I may have even asked her what kind it was and where she bought it. Now though, I can feel the familiar pressure build in my head. My brain feels like it’s trying to push out of my skull, and the air catches in my throat as I breathe in the overly fragrant air. How do you tell a friend that you can no longer drive her around as long as she smokes and tries to cover it with perfume?

The use of chemicals has steadily risen during the past century, and the number of chemically sensitive people has risen with it. Thanks to exposure to mold that threw my whole system off balance, I have recently acquired the title of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Cleaning supplies, cigarette smoke, perfume, cologne, and strong lotions –they all produce a physical reaction in me. Even some “eco-friendly” cleaners affect me. Usually the chemicals leave me with a raw throat, difficulty breathing, or pressure in my head with nausea and a sudden inability to concentrate.

So forgive me for requesting to move away from you in a restaurant when you wear your favorite perfume. And forgive me for not smiling at you if you’re smoking outside the doorway of a building. Sometimes I just can’t hold my breath long enough when walking by you and am forced to breathe in the smoke. Please forgive me for not offering to clean your kitchen floor when I spilled the cup of juice. I tried not to be rude, but I couldn’t stick around after you sprayed the Lysol. Oh, and forgive me for blowing out your favorite candle that you lit to make a fragrant house for your dinner guests. I’m sure it smelled good, but the fragrance was ruining my appetite.

Being chemically-sensitive is new to me, too, and I’m still learning about the multiple things that affect me. All I need from you is understanding. I don't want you to feel guilty for not thinking of me before spraying that perfume or cologne, but understand that I can’t sit next to you if you wear it. And understand that I’m very serious when I ask you not to come near me after you smoke. You may not be breathing it on me, but your clothes still reek of smoke. But if you really want to help me, please step a few yards away from the building's entrance before you smoke.

Thank you.

Hemp: Review and Giveaway ($15 Whole Foods Gift Card & hemp ice cream)

2010-12-03T08:33:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE A WINNER!!! The random number generator picked...#6 Betsy. Congratulations Betsy!

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word hemp? The drug? Hemp jewelry? How about milk?

"Whoa...what?" was my first reaction when I heard about hemp milk. After being diagnosed with a milk allergy, I started searching for a healthy milk alternative. Have you ever noticed how many recipes call for milk? There's a lot, especially in baking.

I came across Living Harvest's tempt hemp milk. According to their website, the milk is made from hemp seeds, which are the edible part of the hemp plant. Hemp seeds are a high-quality protein that are easy to digest. They are loaded with awesome nutrition, including all 10 amino acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids, as well as Super Omegas Stearidonic Acid (SDA) and Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) which help the body use the Omega-3 and Omega-6. All of this supports muscular repair, skin health, energy production, nervous system function, brain development, heart health, and immune system function. While people with dairy allergies or a vegan lifestyle will be most drawn to hemp milk, the nutrition can be beneficial to anyone.

For the environmentally conscious, you'll be glad to know hemp is a hardy plant with dense foilage that prevents weeds from growing without herbicides. Living Harvest uses non GMO-hemp grown sustainably in Canada without the use of pesticides.

Thanks to the great people at Living Harvest, I was able to try the Tempt hemp milk. I tried Original, but Vanilla, Chocolate, Unsweetened, and Unsweetened Vanilla are also available. I really want to find a milk to pour over cereal because that's what I miss most about being dairy-free. I tried a tentative first sip and was greeted with a sweet-nutty-earthy flavor. Unfortunately for me, the earthy flavor of hemp milk was too strong to drink straight and overpowered the cereal. My tastebuds long for a mild milk. I tried it next with oatmeal, substituting half of the water for hemp milk. This time, it was delicious (especially with cinnamon and warm apples!). Hemp milk also worked perfectly fine in baked goods. For savory foods, I would try the nsweetened variety.

Now on to the best part: You can win a coupon for a free pint of tempt hemp ice cream and a $15 Whole Foods gift card! The ice cream comes in a variety of flavors, including vanilla bean, chocolate fudge, coconut lime, mint chip, and coffee biscotti.

For the first (and mandatory) entry, leave a comment telling me which tempt ice cream flavor you most want to try. Please include an email address so I can contact you if you win. Giveaway ends December 18, and the random number generator will pick the winning comment on Dec. 19. Receive an extra entry for each of the following, for a total of 7 entries. Please leave an extra comment for each entry.

Other ways to enter (after the mandatory entry):
* Leave a comment on another post. Comment on this post to let me know which other post you commented on. You may do this up to 3 times by commenting on 3 separate posts.
* Link to me on your blog or Facebook. It can be a link to this giveaway or a blurb about some other part of this blog. Comment here with the link to your post.
* Twitter about this giveaway or post it on a forum.
* Add me as a friend on Facebook. I've left it alone for long enough and will finally be embracing it...

Living Harvest provided me with a coupon for hemp milk and ice cream with the expectation that I would give an honest review of the product. No compensation was given, and all opinions are completely my own. Facts about hemp are from the Living Harvest website.

Other posts you may enjoy:
Healthier on a Budget: Take it to the Internet
You've Got to Relax
What's the Deal with Genetically Modified Foods?

Vegetables for Breakfast: Smoothies

2010-12-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: Eat Better America

I love smoothies...honest and truly, wholeheartedly love them. They're cold, refreshing, and make a great start to a day. They were also my first step towards a healthier lifestyle and made my daily headaches disappear. Here's a secret: Smoothies are also a great way to add a vegetable or 2 into your day.

I don't have any exact recipes from my own kitchen, because with smoothies it's usually a "bit of this" and a "handful of that." I use whatever produce I have on hand or is in season. Instead, I can give you an idea of combinations of fruits and vegetables that I have found to work.

Squash and cauliflower: The all-around versatile veggies. These are the MVPs of smoothies when it comes to picky eaters, because no one will know they are included unless you tell them. The mild flavors and light colors will not change the drink.

Carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes: Good additions to citrus smoothies that already have a yellow-orange color. The mildly sweet flavors mix well with sweet breakfast drinks. Think papaya, mango, banana, oranage, or pineapple. Just be careful adding too much pumpkin or sweet potato to smoothies loaded with bananas. They all have a thicker texture, so your smoothie may be more like pudding rather than a drink. Smoothies with a peach or strawberry-peach base also work well with these vegetables.

Zucchini, avocado, cucumber, and green-leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or lettuce: All of these will add a strong green color to your smoothie. Remember back to art class in elementary school before mixing these. Red strawberries plus green zucchini equals a brown muddy mess (but it tastes good!). Green fruits to include with the green vegetables are honeydew, green grapes, and kiwi. Pineapple, pears, and apples also have good colors for blending. Zucchini and avocado have mild flavors that will not change the taste of the drink. I don't recommend adding avocado with bananas because both are incredibly thick. Again, you'll have pudding instead of a drink. I'm not a fan of cucumber in breakfast drinks, but some people love them. As for the greens, they are just a little harder to mask the flavor. When first making a green smoothie, I started with a sweet green, like Romaine lettuce. Some people swear they add a couple of cupfuls of spinach to a smoothie and can't taste it, but I've never been able to add that much. Start with the fruits, puree a small handful of greens into it, and taste. Add enough to your liking. You'll be able to add more greens in the future once you get used to the flavor.

Vegetables I plan to try: Rhubarb (how about a sweet/sour combo with strawberries and bananas?), celery (should be mild enough for any smoothie), and cooked rutabaga (again, mild enough for any smoothie)

I may not have recipes for you, but here are a few to consider:

Banana Carrot, Green Slime, and Go Green Spinach smoothies

Vitamix Green Smoothie and Kale & Pear Smoothie

Green Smoothies from Green Diva Mom

Related Post - Vegetables for Breakfast: Eggs

Take Action: Against Artificial Food Coloring

2010-12-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

It's December 1 and as promised - I'm back! I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. Are you ready to hit the gym now to work off all of that food? I know I ate much more than I had intended...but let's move on.
Companies listen to customer comments and suggestions, plain and simple. They have to in order to stay in business. The most successful companies are continously trying to keep up with current trends to maintain or increase their current number of customers. If the trend moves towards more natural ingredients, food companies will be forced to follow. If they lose a percentage of their customer base because of added chemicals, they'll be forced to find natural replacements.

There's power in large numbers, so will you join me in suggesting that companies change their ingredients? Today, I'm specifically focusing on artificial food colors. There are a multitude of natural alternatives (as proven by the organic section), and I'm sure our kids would get used to food that wasn't quite so unnaturally bright.

There are currently 9 artificial colors approved by the FDA. 2 of them are on restricted use and 1 is being considered for restrictions. While they're approved by the FDA, they're obviously not safe enough to consume in large quantities, or else they would not be restricted. And then there's the mulitude of artificial colors that used to be considered safe but were pulled from the market after years of use because of side effects.

Most of the side effects associated with artificial colors are anecdotal. Many consumer stories point to these chemicals as the cause of hyperactivity, migraines, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, flushed face, and digestive issues. Studies in lab rats show overconsumption of certain colors can lead to cancer.

I know a few people (myself included) who avoided artificial colors for a period of time. When they were introduced back into the diet, our bodies rejected them in varying degrees, either from vomitting or symptoms of nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea.

If I stayed away from broccoli for a month and then ate it again, I would not be sick. The fact that each one of us was sick from the addition of artificial food colors leads me to one conclusion: we're not supposed to be consuming them. Our bodies adapt to what we put in, but artificial food coloring is obviously one thing we would be better off without.

To get the ball rolling on taking action against the use of artificial food colors, we can email or call companies to suggest they use natural alternatives. Be truthful - would you still buy the product if it were not so brightly colored? Are you going to stop buying the product because of the artificial colors?

Here are a few contact pages of food companies to get you started. I've listed the foods that I know have artificial colors for the particular companies, but there may be others from the companies that I did not list.

Pillsbury - frozen biscuits, Toaster Strudels, turnovers, and refrigerated dough products
Frito-Lay - Tostitos (Hint of Lime and Hint of Jalapeno), Doritos, Cheetos, Sun Chips, and Quaker Snack Mix Kids Mix
Welch's - fruit snacks
Mariani - Tropical Medley and Pineapple Tango dried fruits
Mt. Olive - all pickle and relish products contain Yellow 5
Kraft - Jet Puff marshmallows and marshmallow creme, Macaroni and Cheese Easy Mac, Catalina dressing

Still want to do more? Check out the other Take Action posts:
Continental Breakfasts
Share the Good Stuff
Buy Local, Buy Local, Buy Local

Where'd Dakota Go?

2010-11-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for the lack of updates in November. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and silly me thought I could write a 50,000 word novel in one month and still keep up with blog posts. Obviously, that hasn't worked. Rather than stressing over it, I'm going to take a break for the rest of November. Check back at the start of December for more ideas of how to add vegetables to your breakfast and to enter a giveaway. (Hint: If you shop at Whole Foods, you'll love the giveaway!)

Vegetables for Breakfast: Eggs

2010-11-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

Wow it was a rough week last week, but today is the start of another and it's going to be great! To kick it off, I'm going to share some ways to add vegetables to your breakfast. I grew up on sweet breakfasts of waffles, cereal, Pop-tarts, muffins (sweet as cupcakes), and cinnamon rolls, but I've recently discovered something - savory breakfasts taste just as good! They also don't feed my desire for sweets. I have an incredible sweet tooth, and starting the day off with something sweet just makes me crave more through the rest of the day.

I also noticed I haven't been eating many vegetables lately - maybe 1 or 2 a day. Sweet fruits were filling their spot. The solution to both problems? Of course, vegetables for breakfast!

Eggs are the easiest food to add vegetables to, so let's start there. Scrambled Veggies is my personal favorite because it's such a quick meal that can use fresh, frozen, or leftover vegetables. For an example, check out Veggie Egg Scramble at Heavenly Homemakers. For an even easier version, mix salsa with the scrambled eggs. The Scrambled Veggies can be eaten as is or put in a burrito for an on-the-go breakfast. Here are a couple of burrito recipes with roasted vegetables and sauteed veggies.

Omelets are like fancier versions of the Scrambled Veggies. They take a little more time but are well worth it. Here is a great set of directions for making an omelet. A variety of vegetables can be added to omelets or scrambled veggies, including tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, or tomatoe juice, mushrooms, hot or bell peppers, onions, zucchini or squash, broccoli, greens like spinach or kale, and asparagus. Mushrooms, bell peppers, and sweet onions make up my favorite combination.

When cooking for the whole family, a frittata, quiche, or strata may be the easiest. These are all like egg casseroles and include fewer vegetables per serving than scrambled veggies or omelets.

Any other suggestions for cooking vegetables with eggs? What's your favorite combination?
Come back later this week for more ideas on adding vegetables to your breakfast!

Quote of the Day

2010-11-09T11:48:00.000-08:00

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. ~Benjamin Franklin

Healthier on a Budget: Take it to the Internet

2010-11-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

For the full Healthier on a Budget series, click here.

For starters, have you joined the Swagbucks craze yet? It's a great search engine where you earn points for searching the Internet. Friday is MegaSwagbucks day when even more points are given out for searches. The points can be cashed in for a variety of items, including Amazon gift cards or PayPal credits. Points can also be earned by shopping on the Internet, taking daily polls, watching videos, and trading in electronics.

Many people warn about oversearching on Swagbucks because you're likely to get points only 2 or 3 times a day. If you have more online searches to do, try iRazoo, which is another point-earning search site. Again, points can be used towards Amazon gift cards. More points can be earned for commenting on or recommending the search results. For Swagbucks and iRazoo, the points earned for searching are randomly given.

But what do you do with all of these Amazon gift cards? Well there's always Christmas presents, but if we're sticking to the "healthier eating" theme, here are a few other options: KIND bars (walnut & date is my favorite variety), Organic Valley shelf-stable milk, Country Choice steel cut oats, Lundberg brown rice, and Newman's Own organic raisins, just for starters.

Besides Amazon, there are lots of other sites for healthier foods. Nuts Online and Nuts In Bulk are just 2 of the sites with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Nuts Online offers 4% back if you shop through ShopatHome.com, and Nuts in Bulk has a daily deal bar at the top of the page with coupon codes. Also, group coupon sites like Eversave or Groupon sometimes offer half-priced gift certificates to sites that sell food.

So what is your favorite site for healthier online deals?

Take Action: Continental Breakfasts

2010-11-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

When you stay at a hotel, are you drawn to the ones with free continental breakfasts? I know they're not really free since breakfast is included with the cost of the room, but there's something about not having to hand over an extra $10 that early in the morning that makes for a great start to the day. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed with the breakfast offered at my recent stay at Jameson Inn. The only healthy options were plain instant oatmeal and apples. Besides that, everything was processed white flour: muffins, Fruit Loops, waffles, and biscuits with gravy.

I think just because it's a vacation is not a good enough reason for a healthy diet to be flushed down the drain. I've tried that excuse and felt miserable and bloated after the vacation.

There are lots of options that could be added to a quick and convenient continental breakfast: oatmeal, granola, yogurt (without artificial colors), seasonal fruit (more than just apples please), scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, and whole grain cereals and muffins. For the whole grains, it'd be great if they were labeled as such so we know what we're getting. Ingredient lists would be even better, especially for those with allergies.
I emailed the hotel chain with these suggestions and was told now is the perfect time to voice our opinions because they are currently having meetings about changes for next year. So I encourage you to email any hotel chains with disappointing continental breakfasts that you have visited this year, and ask them for some healthier options.

Quote of the Day

2010-11-03T05:17:00.000-07:00

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." ~Mark Twain

I'm not a doctor by any means, but my advice is to be wary of the "latest and greatest" cures or "miracle drugs," whether from pharmacists, doctors, herbists, or naturalists, and to use common sense when reading health books. Knowledge is constantly changing and growing, so what was accepted last week will not be the same as what we know (or think we know) next week. Have you noticed how many medicines and herbs were once considered safe but have now been pulled from store shelves because of the side effects?

The snake oil salesmen of the 18th century, who sold "cure-all" elixirs with no real benefits or results, are still here full-force. Maybe they believe in their product or maybe they're just trying to make a quick buck, but either way - do your research before spending your hard-earned money on health fads.

Elections!

2010-11-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Isn't it great to live in a country where we can freely vote for our government officials without the fear of violence or harassment? Unless I want to tell them, no one else has to know I voted for so-and-so or that I'm for or against the amendments. Sometimes it feels like I'm voting for the lesser of 2 evils, but the point is that I do have a choice.

Have you voted yet today?

Healthier on a Budget: Eating Less

2010-11-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

For the full Healthier on a Budget series, see here.

I’m certainly not talking about everyone, because there are many people – even in America – who are starving and malnourished. However, many of us eat too much so the most cost-effective way to save money on food is to eat less.

Let’s start with protein: The current Food Pyramid recommends 2-3 servings (or 5-6 ounces) of meat, beans, etc. per day for the average person. 1 ounce is roughly equal to 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, ¼ cup of cooked beans, or 1 oz of meat or fish. To put this in perspective, a piece of meat or fish the size of a deck of cards is usually around 3 ounces.

An omelet made of 2 eggs for breakfast, a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with 1 tablespoon of PB for lunch, and a couple of fajitas with shredded chicken for dinner add up to 5-6 ounces of protein for the day. A 3 egg omelet for breakfast, a chicken breast with lunch, and a 9 oz steak with dinner add up to around 18 ounces of protein for the day, or triple the recommended amount. Since meat protein is typically the most expensive part of the meal, it would certainly be cost-effective to cut back. Experiment with meatless meals or meals where meat is included but is not the main focus (like the fajitas). For my family, more meat at a meal means they are eating much fewer vegetables so less protein is a good health choice as well.

Second, there’s the empty calories. These are the junk foods that are high in calories but add little to nothing nutritionally. They are usually expensive, can possibly harm your body, and don’t keep hunger at bay for long. Your body doesn’t need them, can’t use them for much, and your wallet is better off not buying them. Examples: sodas (diet and regular), candies (hard, gummy, etc.), cotton candy, typical cakes and cookies, and other grain-type desserts. I’m not telling you to completely deprive yourself of every delectable sweet. I just advocate moderation, for the sake of your health and your budget.

Finally, let’s look at a deeper subject: Why do you eat? Technically, it’s to live. We all know we can’t live without food, but why else do we eat? Personally, I’m a habitual eater. I simply have a habit of eating anytime I’m sitting down, whether I'm hungry or not. If I’m working on the computer, writing, or watching TV, I crave something crunchy. I don’t realize how much I eat during these times and barely register what the food tastes like. It’s just a habitual hand-to-mouth motion, like a nervous twitch.

Sometimes, I’m a bored eater. I eat rather than liven up the boring task I’m working on.

I used to be quite the emotional eater. Anxiety, frustration, depression, and disappointment were squelched with an overload of food. I ate until I was stuffed so I would notice the physical pain and not the emotional conflicts.

Ready for the solutions that are working for me? I’m paying more attention to my hunger signals, trying to remember what it feels like to actually be hungry and then eat when I feel those signals. I’m working to break habits by doing activities out of the house when I normally have the desire to snack (can’t snack if there’s no food around!). I take breaks during boring tasks by alternating with something enjoyable (this is when the timer is great). And finally, I take out my frustrations on exercise instead of with food. Did you know you can run or bike farther and faster when there are emotions to get out?

Does any of this fit you? Do you eat more than you need because of habits, boredom, emotions, or any other reasons? What do you do to fight the urge to eat when you’ve already eaten enough?

Monday Schmonday

2010-11-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MONDAY!
I'm linking this post to Making Your Home Sing Monday, and this week's theme is "learning the value of little minutes." Well I’m really trying to manage my time better and especially not waste it all on the Internet. My home needs some love today since I didn’t do ANYTHING to help it over Halloween weekend. So to make the most of my time and not get burned out with cleaning, I set a timer. 15 minutes of cleaning and 10 (or maybe 15) minutes of doing what I want to do. I begin with a list of 15-minute tasks such as folding laundry, cleaning off the dining table, loading and unloading the dishwasher, etc. The 10 minute breaks are spent on what I actually WANT to do instead of have to do, like typing this post. I only have 4 minutes left! Looks like I’ll have to come back during my next break.

My goal for today is to declutter. Stacks of folded clothes haven’t been put up yet, empty glasses have been forgotten in the living room, dirty clothes have been left on bedroom floors because the clothes hamper is overflowing, mail is stacked precariously on a table, and there’s even a bag of groceries that I missed putting away. And that’s in the cleanest corners of the rooms. (*blushes embarrassingly*)

And since it’s Monday, here’s the Menu Plan for the week – always with room for change.

Breakfast
1. Pomegranate Muffins similar to this recipe but without chocolate chips
2. Veggie Scramble or frittata
3. Cinnamon bagels with honey butter & sliced fruit
4. Cereal and fruit
5. Smoothie
6-7. Repeat whichever ones I prefer

Lunch – Last week I mentioned to check back about how I added more salads to my menu. The plan was to vary up the ingredients enough to not get tired of them, but I was tired of salads before I ever began mixing them up. I need a break from salads for a little while…
1. Leftovers
2. Sandwiches
I certainly don’t put much effort into lunch, do I?

Dinner
1-3 Lots of leftover chicken. There's Jamaican Jerk, Zesty White Wine, and Garlic & Black Pepper – marinated and batch-cooked Sunday night. Sides may be rice, quinoa, millet, baked apples, broccoli, stir-fried veggies, potatoes with carrots, and/or spaghetti squash. I don’t yet know what to do with spaghetti squash, but I’m going to figure it out. Any suggestions?
4. Spaghetti Squash, Broccoli, & Carrots tossed with chunks of White Wine Chicken, baked apple slices, and garlic cheese toast. It was a success! I'm up for cooking with spaghetti squash again.
5. Spaghetti & salad
6. Going out hopefully!
7. Dinner at a friend's

Check out Orgjunkie for many more menu ideas!

The Popular Pumpkin Post

2010-10-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

It seems like every blogger is posting something about pumpkins - from the canned pumpkin shortage (is that happening again?) to carving and painting to preserving and baking. For once, I'm following along because this was the first year I actually cleaned and cooked my own pumpkin. For the few years that I've been baking, I've bought canned pumpkin because I assumed it would be too much work to get my own pumpkin pulp. While it's still definitely quicker just to grab a can, roasting and preserving pumpkin is really not difficult.

Here's some of my proof:

Here's a good set of pictures and steps for roasting and preserving a pumpkin. I tried making pumpkin spice cookies, but they flopped. The rest is going in the freezer for Thanksgiving dessert.

I also roasted the seeds! Who knew that would be so easy too?

Here's a great set of instructions for roasting pumpkin seeds. I baked them for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes to prevent burning. After that, I shut the oven off and let the seeds finish drying in the residual heat.

And on to another topic, I gathered the first bag of pecans for this season. Thanks to my neighbor, this is no longer back-breaking work. He saw me bending over to pick up the nuts and let me borrow this handy tool.

You just gently push on a pecan on the ground, and it goes through the wires into the little cage. Wonderful invention. Do they even make these anymore?

And to round out this food post, I made Blueberry Mud Muffins.

So they're not really made of mud, but I started calling them that because of the brownish color. I substituted the sugar and butter with Smucker's blackberry fruit spread, and it was delicious! The fruit spread just made it a funky brown color with a purplish tint. I don't know the entire recipe - I was experimenting with a gluten- and dairy-free version and didn't write it down as I went (oops). But the fruit spread was in proportion to the amount of sugar and butter that the recipe called for. They were good enough to make again. Now if only I could remember how much I use of each ingredient...

Healthier on a Budget: Beyond the Average Grocery Store

2010-10-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

For the entire Healthier on a Budget series, see here.

Other Stores
Lots of great deals can be found at places besides just typical grocery stores. Look at stores like Aldi’s for cheap produce or Big Lots for organic or natural packaged foods. Neither accepts coupons, but 2 to 3 times each year, Big Lots has coupons for 20% off your entire purchase.

Local Farms
Check out farmer’s markets, but go armed with a price sheet so you know when you’re getting a good deal. Try going towards the end of the day when farmers may have reduced prices so they don’t have to take as much home. Also, ask farmers if they have any less desirable produce they can offer at a discount. The scratched, bruised, or really ripe produce often has to be thrown out because customers skip over them. Sometimes, farmer’s markets outside of cities offer cheaper produce than those closer to the center of town. Those in urban areas are counting on people being willing to pay a little extra for locally grown.

Some farms also have their own small stores, and their prices are typically cheaper than what their goods sell for in other grocery stores. For example, there’s a dairy farm near my home. Whole Foods carries their milk, but it’s cheaper buying straight from the store on the farm. Some farms also offer CSAs – Community Supported Agriculture. You pay quite a bit up front, but you are supplied with fresh produce for the entire growing season. Personally, I don’t find CSAs cost-effective since you normally can’t choose what goes in each box. To find farmer’s markets or CSAs near you, check out LocalHarvest.org.

Other Local
If you have friends or neighbors who grow or raise their own food, ask if you can pick your own for a price. For an even cheaper alternative, offer to make a trade. Do you have a service or item to barter with? Babysitting for peaches, lawn mowing for apples, portrait painting for pecans, etc. If it’s a very busy family, you could offer to help preserve the bounty in exchange for some for yourself.

Camera Shy

2010-10-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm going to embarrass myself today by sharing some old pictures.
My family and I haven't taken many pictures over the last few years, and I've started to cringe when a camera is brought out. I don't feel like I look "my best" too often, so I certainly don't want it documented.

Yesterday, I was looking through some old photos trying to find a specific one when it hit me - I DO want these years documented on camera, no matter how rough I look. Sure, I'm not exactly fond of the pictures where I'm in old baggy clothes, no make-up, and wearing thick glasses instead of contacts. Those are not the pictures I post on Facebook or put in frames around my house. But as I looked through the old photos, I couldn't help but smile at even the grungy photos because I can remember the moment it captured. Without the visual reminder, I would've forgotten those moments.

Now I'm making a promise to myself: I will not try to avoid cameras or complain when someone is taking pictures. I don't look "my best" on a daily basis, so why should that be all that's allowed on camera. I want visual reminders of more than just the special events like Christmas. I want the normal daily events and spontaneous moments as well.

Besides, if I had always avoided cameras, I wouldn't be able to look back and laugh at days like this:

Tacky Day way back in middle school. Thick glass, braces, and yet so happy.

It's Not All About Me

2010-10-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

I'm a people pleaser and want to say "yes" to everything that's asked of me. I really do believe it's better to give than receive and love seeing people's reactions when something good is done for them. For over a year though, I allowed it to be all about me and did nothing but receive. My health left me with no energy or desire to help others and my pride was broken as those close to me did so much for me.

Now that my health is on the upswing, I'm having to remind myself that it's not all about me anymore. You see, what I eat, how much (or little) I sleep, how I handle stress, how often I exercise, and what chemicals I'm around all greatly effect how well my health holds up. If I do something (like eat too much food I'm allergic to) or don't do something (like not going to bed early enough), my health suffers. I may be out of commission for a few hours or the whole day, but my feeling has been "this will pass" and I can deal with it until then.

One day it hit me - It's not all about me!

When I feel too miserable to get anything done or even be sociable, my relationships suffer - especially my marriage. My husband often asks if there's anything he can do for me when I feel so rough, and I say no so as not to be a burden. But I am a burden! Those are the times I'm not around to go out with him, have dinner with him, or even talk about our days.

My husband has been my greatest motivation to improve my health because it's about him as well. He unknowingly motivates me to eat better and push myself to the gym. Whatever I am or am not able to do because of poor health effects him and our marriage.

I used to love you my sweet Reese's, but not anymore. No more for me, thanks.

Your situation is probably very different from mine, but I bet the basic principle is the same. If it's not all about you, who else is it about? How or what have they motivated you to improve?

Healthier on a Budget - Go Beyond the Perimeters and Know a Good Price

2010-10-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

For the full Healthier on a Budget series, click here.

Many "healthy eating" guides recommend shopping just the perimeter of grocery stores. All I can say is their grocery stores must not be set up like the ones I shop at.

Typically, right by the entrance is BOGO or other sale items that are heavily processed with lots of preservatives (Hamburger Helper, Poptarts, etc.). Go around the perimeter and you'll normally find fresh produce (that may or may not be in season), raw and deli meats, a bakery with plenty of processed "enriched" baked goods, and the refrigerated section with Pillsbury cookies and Reddi-Whip alongside the milk and cheese. Some of this is good. Some is really not.

Instead of shopping just the perimeter, how about shopping the whole store with a careful eye. The frozen section in particular can be a gold mine of healthier foods. Find frozen fruits and vegetables picked at peak season, seafood, and whole grain products like Food for Life and Kashi.

Down the breakfast aisle, there's whole-grain cereals (just watch the sugar content) and old fashioned rolled oats. Down other aisles, you'll find dried and canned beans, canned seafood and meats, brown rice and quinoa, canned vegetables and fruit (in 100% juice), a range of healthy spices, 100% fruit or vegetable juices, fruit spreads, and dried fruit (go for varieties with no added sugar). For a quick serving of vegetables, make a meal with tomato-based pasta sauce or salsa. There are also lots of nuts and nut butters, but check ingredient lists of flavored nuts, trail mixes, and butters. Popcorn is a whole grain, but opt for plain and flavor it yourself.

After sale prices and coupons, some great deals can be found with many of these. I've gotten Adam & Eve juice, Green Giant and Steamfresh frozen vegetables, Muir Glen tomato sauce, and Del Monte canned tomatoes all for free thanks to sales and coupons.

As long as you don't get sucked in by the unsubstantial claims (like sugary cereals that try to make up for it by saying it's "a great source of fiber"), it's safe to peruse the offerings towards the middle of the store. The key is to not buy something just because it's a good deal. Save your money for items that are healthier and ones you'll actually use.

But how do you know if it's a good price for healthier foods? I recommend keeping track of sale prices so you know what a great deal is. For a few months, I kept an Excel spreadsheet of sale prices of the foods I bought the most. It wasn't long before I saw patterns of sale cycles (when or how often specific products go on sale) and could recognize rock-bottom prices (extremely low prices and the perfect time to stock up). Keep a sheet in your coupon binder or in your wallet that lists the low prices so you can easily check it while your out shopping.

Frozen Waffles - How to Make Them Healthier

2010-10-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

My family likes waffles better than pancakes. I wish I was a homemaker who made batches of healthy whole wheat waffles to keep on hand in the freezer, but frankly, I'm not. I have yet to invest in a waffle iron, and I confess - I bought a box of Eggo waffles last time they were on sale. I know, it's far from "natural." But it's what my family likes, and right now I'm at the stage of just trying to get more produce in them rather than becoming the enemy by depriving them. However, there are better options than Smucker's Chocolate Chip Snack'n Waffles with 15 grams of sugar per waffle which sort of cancels out the benefits of the whole wheat that's included. If you're partial to Eggo's low sale price, at least go with the whole grain variety. Since I have a wheat allergy, I prefer Van's wheat-free waffles. If you're looking for brands with wheat and natural ingredients, check out Kashi, Van's, and Nature's Path (though I haven't tried any of them) .

Now what is there to do with these frozen waffles besides generously loading each square with sugary, stupor-inducing syrup? (Mrs. Butterworth's syrup has 38 grams of sugar per 1/4 cup serving.)

1. Cut down on portion size. Rather than having 2 or 3 (or more) waffles with syrup for breakfast, stick to 1 waffle and a side of veggie scramble (eggs scrambled with your favorite vegetables) or make a veggie scramble sandwich with 2 waffles and ketchup or salsa.

2. Make your own fruit syrup by simmering mashed berries on the stove with a little sugar until thickened.

3. Spread a little fruit spread on a hot waffle (it's like jelly with no added sugar).

4. Place slices of fresh fruit on your waffle. Think berries, peaches, pomegranate, etc.

5. Make a parfait in a tall glass by layering bite-size pieces of waffles with berries or other fruit and vanilla yogurt.

6. Sprinkle nuts like slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or pecans onto waffles. Toasted nuts taste even better in my opinion. Drizzle waffles with a small amount of honey or maple syrup, which are a bit more intense than regular syrup so less can be used. (With 53 grams of sugar for 1/4 cup, much less maple syrup should be used.)

7. Top a hot waffle with grated cheese for a warm savory breakfast. Or add lettuce, bacon, and tomato for a BLT.

8. Spread waffle with peanut, almond, or cashew butter, Nutella, or any other nut or seed butter. Make a sandwich with nut butter and fruit spread or sliced bananas.

9. Baste with melted butter (you'll use less than if you try spreading cold butter) and sprinkle with your favorite seasoning like cinnamon, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.

10. Make a tropical waffle - Top with crushed pineapple, chopped macadamia nuts, and shredded coconut.

Any other suggestions? What's your favorite way to eat waffles?

Healthier On a Budget - Menu Plans

2010-10-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

For the full Healthier on a Budget series, click here.

I can't stress this enough! Having a plan for meal-times will lead to healthier and cheaper meals. You won't have to scrounge through the cupboards to throw something together at the last minute, and you won't be rushing to the store right before dinner to pay full-price for an ingredient. Menu planning can be strict where you write down what every breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner will be or it can be lenient where you note possible meals that can be made with what's on hand. You can make a plan for the next day, week, month, or more. I typically try to plan 1 week at a time with a list of breakfast and lunch options and a more detailed (but still flexible) daily dinner menu, like this.

When you're on a tight budget, the first step is to try using what you already have. That's where taking inventory comes in handy. You can plan meals by reviewing what's on your lists. I often find it helpful to search online for recipes using what I have. On All Recipes, you can search by ingredient. The websites of food products often list recipes as well. Have a can of Campbell's soup that you don't know what to do with? Try Campbell's website.

The 2nd step is the check sales in your area and make menus based off these deals, like this Bi-Lo example. If you're in the Southeast of the US, check out SouthernSavers for great deals and coupon match-ups. HotCouponWorld also lists some great deals in their forums.

When planning menus, take into consideration what your family likes (very important step!) and how to use leftovers. Planned leftovers make for a money- and time-saver. I posted in the previous Healthier on a Budget about using shredded chicken for enchiladas one night and BBQ chicken sandwiches the next. You're buying 1 chicken and only cooking once to make 2 meals. With dishes that are family favorites, plan to make extras for lunches or quick, convenient freezer meals.

For plenty of menu ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.

You've Got to Relax

2010-10-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

My husband says it when he massages the knots out of my shoulders. My chiropractor says it when he adjusts my spine. My family physician said it when she learned about the anxiety attacks last year. The gastrointerologist said it when he found out about my digestive issues. Everyone says I've got to relax, but no one tells me how!

I've been tense for as long as I can remember. It's not that I've had an abnormal amount of stress in my life - just the same as the average person. It's just that I can remember sitting slightly hunched over with shoulders tensed even in middle school when my friends were arguing, and then I just never relaxed them. Now don't get me wrong - I'm usually a laid-back woman who loves to laugh. I just keep my muscles tight at the same time. Anyways, I've finally found a few techniques that help me to relax. I hope some of it helps you!

Photo from Best Foot Forward

1. Massage - Back, neck, feet, hands. It doesn't matter where as long as it's enjoyable. This is my absolute favorite way to realx. Unfortunately, professional massages are too expensive to get regularly and the boyfriend doesn't give them as often as I'd like. Read on for cheaper relaxation tips or invest in handheld massagers that you can use yourself.

2. Belly Breathing - We all know how to breathe, right? Apparently not. I've always been told to take deep breaths to calm down, but I was surprised when I finally learned I was doing it wrong. Those slow, deep, calming breaths should come from your stomach, not your chest. I know many of us would rather hold in our stomachs to appear thinner, but if you want to relax, your belly should look like a balloon that's slowly inflating and deflating.

3. Tense to Relax - It seems our muscles are most relaxed after they've been tense. It's like the calm after the storm. Inhale deeply with your stomach and clench your fists. Slowly exhale as you let your hand relax. Do the same thing with the muscles in your shoulders, arms, and legs.

4. Use your Imagination - Some therapists refer to this as "visualization" but I like imagination better. It sounds more whimsical and brings back memories of childhood, which had much less stress. Spend a couple of minutes imagining your happy place and try to engage all of your senses. For example, I'd be at a beach that's not too crowded during a warm morning in the summer. Personally, I find it easier to imagine and relax if someone slowly reads the following to me rather than reading it myself or trying to guide my own thoughts. Elaborate or extend the scene for a longer period of relaxation.

As you're walking down the wooden steps leading to the beach, you can already hear the crashing of the waves against the shore. Take off your shoes and take that first step into the sand. Feel the coolness as your feet sink into the soft sand, not yet heated by the sun overhead. Feel the warm sun heat your body from the outside in as a gentle cool breeze blows across your face. Watch the seagull soar through the clear blue sky without a care in the world and allow your own cares to fall off your shoulders. The sun continues to warm you completely as you walk across the sand towards the water. Take that first step into the water and feel the coolness lap at your toes. Stand there and notice the sand washing out from under your feet as the water flows back towards the ocean. Take another step into the ocean and allow the glistening water to cool your heated legs.

5. Get Physical - Jog, go for a bike ride, or take a class like kickboxing or swing dancing. Stretching or yoga are beneficial as well. I joined a gym this month, and it seems to be helping.

6. Laugh - Supposedly, your brain is not biased towards real or fake laughter and releases the same feel-good hormone with both. So laugh even when you don't feel like...or watch funny videos on YouTube.

7. Appreciate - Why is it you need this cause of frustration? Is your job causing you stress? Be thankful that it provides for your family. Next time you're stressed at work, think of a good moment that occurred because of the money you make (vacation, road trip, a family dinner, time spent in the pool you bought, etc.). If you can't think of a need for the stress-causing thing, then you can likely be rid of it.

8. Warm Water - Whether it's a hot bath or just a foot soak, taking a few minutes to be still in warm water can be very relaxing. Add a bit of Epsom salts or essential oils to enhance the effect. Personally I don't like getting so hot from baths, but I do relax by soaking my feet in warm water. It's 5 or 10 minutes to myself with hot water and a good book. Ahhh :)

Have any other recommendations for relaxing? What helps you the most?

Healthier on a Budget - Take Inventory

2010-10-20T03:23:00.000-07:00

For the full series of Healthier on a Budget, click here.

Know What You Have
When you know what's in your cupboards and freezer, you won't have to pay extra for doubles of an item you forgot was shoved to the back of the pantry. I like to keep a list on the fridge and by the pantry so I can write down or mark off the foods I add or use. I admit, I'm having a hard time putting this into practice, but the trick is to attach a pen to the list. When I'm grabbing a can of beans for a quick dinner, I'm not goign to go search for an elusive pen. Knowing what you have on hand is also a big help with menu planning, which I'll get into more tomorrow.

Know What You Throw Away
On average, we throw away hundreds of dollars worth of food every year. That's your hard-earned money being tossed into a trash can. Begin paying attention to what you throw away and you'll know how to use your money more wisely next time you shop. Do you consistently dump spoiled milk down the drain? Then buy a 1/2 gallon instead of a gallon. Sure, the gallon costs less per ounce, but you're not saving any money by throwing it out. Do you throw away deli meat every week? Then buy 3/4 pound instead of the whole pound or put some in the freezer when you get home from the store.

How about leftovers - does anyone eat them? If your family doesn't like eating the same thing 2 days in a row, freeze the extra for a later time. If they're just picky and hate the idea of "leftovers," make planned leftovers where the extras are made into a completely different meal. For example, shredded chicken can be burritos or enchiladas one night and BBQ sandwiches the next. Crockpot beef and potatoes can become beef pot pie.

Personally, I throw away quite a bit of vegetables that I've allowed to sit and rot. My recommendation to myself is to not buy it unless I know I have the time to preserve it as soon as I get home from the grocery store. If I'm buying for a specific meal, I need 2 recipes that I can use this vegetable in just in case I change my mind on the first recipe.

On a Tight Budget - Index

2010-10-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Healthier on a Budget
Take it to the Internet
Eating Less
Beyond the Average Grocery Store
Go Beyond the Perimeters & Know a Good Price
Menu Plans
Take Inventory
Be Willing to Substitute Ingredients
Priorities
What it is - Intro

Other Budget Posts
Coupon Sites

Dinner with the Family - When It's Not Feasible

2010-10-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

Photo: Chapel Hill Memories

Many studies tout the benefits of eating dinner together as a family (and NOT in front of the TV) such as better nutrition, high self-esteem, less weight control issues, less drug abuse, and better language skills (see here, here, and here). Unfortunately, with so many extracurricular activities and different work schedules, it can be next to impossible for the whole family to sit down and eat dinner together. What can you do instead?

1. Eat with whoever is home. Your daughter has soccer on Mondays, your son has guitar lessons on Tuesdays, and your other daught has play practice on Thursdays. There's no was to ALL eat together, but at least a couple of you can be home at the same time. This can also provide some nice one-on-one time that you may not normally get with your kids or spouse.

2. If your spouse typically works late and misses dinner, agree to have dinner an hour later once a week or so if they can swing it to come home a little earlier.

3. Make dinner to go. Eating toghet doesn't mean it has to be at home. Pack a picnic to take to your child's game or practice.

4. Pick a different meal. There's no rule that says the meal together has to be dinner. My husband is often not home for dinner, so we make it a point to eat breakfast together a few times a week. We often take a picnic breakfast Saturday mornings because we have a little more down-time then. If I have a day off of work, I sometimes meet him for lunch at his work. Younger children may enjoy having their parents eat lunch with them - just ask the teacher (and your child...) to make sure it's ok.

5. If your kids have active social lives rather than extracurricular activities that are all at set times, agree to have a family night where everyone plans to be home for dinner 1 night a week. Or be the host and allow your child to invite a friend over to eat with the family.

Any other suggestions for incorporating family meals into busy lives?

Healthier on a Budget: Be Willing to Substitute Ingredients

2010-10-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Some food substitutions will make meals healthier, like applesauce instead of oil in baked goods. Other substitions are made to save money, like apple instead of peach pie in the fall. Using in-season produce in recipes will be more cost effective. Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables are often interchangeable in recipes. Just keep in mind that cooking times will need to be extended when using fresh produce.

Below are a few other possible substitutions. The item being subsituted is not necessarily healthier than the possible replacement. It depends more on your current health conditions and personal preferences. Use whatever works for you based on the diet you and your doctor have discussed and what you have on hand. The goal is to eat healthier without having to spend a trunkload on food. Also, some ingredients can simply be omitted or greatly reduced in recipes. If you don't like a certain spice, try making the dish without it. As for reducing, many muffins and desserts really don't need as much sweetener as what the recipe calls for.

See these recipe tips and these tips for many more substitutions.

Ground beef - Ground turkey, ground chicken
Basil - Oregano or thyme
Cardamom - Ginger or ground cinnamon
Arrowroot (1 tbsp) - 2 tbsp flour OR 1 tbsp cornstarch
Vinegar - lemon juice
Buttermilk (1 cup) - 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
Egg (in cakes) - 1 banana OR 1 tbsp ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp water
Egg - 2 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch

Healthier on a Budget: Priorities

2010-10-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Unless you're a millionaire, it's not likely you will be financially able to immediately overhaul everything you use and replace them with natural, organic products. Regardless of money, it's also not likely your family will be completely on board with all of the changes. Let's face it - FruitaBu natural fruit roll-ups taste good, but they don't taste quite like Betty Crocker's artificially flavored Fruit by the Foot. For the sake of your wallet and your sanity, decide on your priorities. If you have a child on medicine for ADHD, maybe your priorities will be to take out artificial food colors. Maybe you just want to have a long, healthy life so your priority is like mine - to reduce processed foods, eat more whole grains, and simply include more fruits and vegetables in our diets. Because of the mold exposure, I became chemically sensitive so switching to natural unscented cleaners has been another priority.

That One Big Thing
I recommend beginning by buying organic (or at least natural) of one thing your family consumes the most of. Milk, eggs, cheese, crackers, fruit roll-ups - whatever it is. Our bodies are designed to extract toxins, but I don't believe it's meant to be bombarded day in, day out. If you consume large amounts of produce from the dirty dozen list, consider buying organic at least of these. The dirty dozen are the 12 most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables.

Baby Steps
Unless you have a life-threatening condition, I recommend taking baby steps to a healthier lifestyle. Too many changes at once invite failure. Examples of baby steps:
1. Replace 1 soda or tea with a glass of water (with lemon, lime, or orange if you need flavor)
2. Put 1 less packet of sugar in your coffee.
3. Add 1 vegetable with lunch (lettuce on your turkey sandwich, a side of cucumber slices with ranch dressing, etc.)
4. Cut down on TV or computer usage by 30 minutes a day - Do something active or helpful instead or spend the extra time with your family.
5. Pick 1 produce to buy only organic of, like apples which are on the dirty dozen list.

Good luck! I'd love to hear what baby steps you've begun with.

Related Posts: Stepping Stones: What Worked for Me

Healthier on a Budget - What It Is

2010-10-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

When I first started couponing, I threw myself into it and picked up every free or ridiculously cheap thing I could get. I ate plenty of frozen meals, pasta, and white rice. As I learned more about healthier eating, I cringed at the amount I was paying, but I've had to rework my way of thinking. The amount I was saving in food costs, I made up for with the money I spent on medicines and time out of work when I was sick. I've decided I'd much rather go ahead and spend the extra on good food.

So I'm going to start a series about healthier eating on a budget. But first, what is considered "healthier"?
In Genesis 1:29, God said "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” After the flood, He told Noah every animal was for food as well. He also adds every green herb, not just ones that yield seed.

Red #3 (or any other articial color), partially hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors are not listed. For the sake of simplicity, let's say "healthier" is natural foods - ones that have been altered in a kitchen instead of a laboratory. It's foods that do not have to be tested on animals to make sure they are "safe." That leaves fruits, vegetables, other herbs, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and animal products. I won't be getting in to the arguments of traditional vs. vegetarian vs. vegan or of cooked vs. raw. I'll be sticking to ways to afford the food, no matter what your diet is.

In the meantime, here's my article with printable coupons for natural/organic foods: "I Can't Afford to Buy Healthier"

PB & J Without the Sugar

2010-10-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been trying to find good replacements for the foods that typically have added sugar. My latest accomplishment is Peanut Butter & Jelly. I didn't have any gluten free bread here, so I just mixed the 2 in a bowl and savored every single delicious bite.

I've tried a few natural peanut butters (nothing but peanuts), and they've been too thick, too gritty, or too overwhelming to make a decent sandwich. On a whim, I bought Crazy Richard's natural peanut butter. Crazy Richard's? Seriously? It didn't sound like a "natural" item, but I'll admit I've been wrong before. Ingredients: peanuts. The oil had separated, but after a good stirring it was smooth and creamy, and it mixed deliciously with Smucker's Simply Fruit. Fruit spreads are sweetened with concentrated fruit syrups instead of regular sugar. So far, I've tried blueberry and raspberry and have loved them both.

Related article: Sugar, Sugar Everywhere

Stepping Stones: What Worked For Me

2010-10-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

When I first started limiting sugar-laden junk food and overly processed meals, there were certain foods that helped curb cravings. Many of these are not foods or drinks to be consumed on a regular basis (mostly because of sugar content from dried fruits or concentrated fruit juice), but I still think they are healthier than sodas and 3 Musketeers and do not seem to be nearly as addictive. I've listed the food I craved or missed and what I consumed instead.

Soda: R.W. Knudsen Spritzers. Black Cherry is my favorite, but Red Raspberry is good as well

Candy bars: KIND bars, especially the Walnut + Date. These are really sweet and oh so good!

Gatorade/Powerade: Water with Crystal Light Pure Fitness. I wanted a drink without artificial color, but most of the water flavorings have aspartame, which I'm also avoiding. Crystal Light Pure Fitness is the first one I found without aspartame.

Hard Candy: Yummy Earth Lollipops. They are still pure sugar, but there's no artificial colors or flavors.

Snack Cakes: Larabars. It's hard to go wrong with flavors like peanut butter cookie, pecan pie, and coconut cream pie, especially when they really do taste like the baked goods they're meant to imitate. The bars are sweetened with dried dates.

I was not compensated in any way for this post. I'm just giving my opinion of what worked for me.

Just the Basics: Fajita Seasoning

2010-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

I glanced at a package of fajita mix from the store recently...and immediately put it back on the shelf. Well darn. What's a girl to do when she's craving quick fajitas? I've made a fajita mix recipe from scratch before, but it came out fairly gross and had WAY to many ingredients so I was reluctant to try again. Buy try I did and it was a success!

I used this recipe for fajitas from NOME_ on Sparkpeople to fix dinner for my family. The seasoning is not sweet like a typical store bought mix, but it's still delicious and my family gave rave reviews. As the picky 12 year old said, "My fajita was AWESOME!" I wasn't in the mood for a tortilla, so I put the whole mixture over lettuce for a southwestern salad. To accomodate the size of my family (and hopefully have leftovers for lunch), I upped the recipe to 3 chicken breasts and 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 orange). I also left out the coriander just because my family is not a fan of it.

For the full fajita recipe, see here. Below is the recipe just for the dry seasoning mix. Next time, I'm going to try tripling the batch and storing the extra in a bag with my other spices.

Fajita Mix
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano, dried and ground
1 tsp coriander leaf, dried and ground

Sorry - no pictures tonight. We had to eat on the run in order to make it on time to a Baptism.

Rotation Diet: Millet

2010-08-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

3 years ago, my knowledge of grains was limited to processed wheat, oats (usually as granola bars), and white rice. Then around a year ago, I learned about the importance of whole grains and began the switch to whole wheat products and whole grain rice. I even tried quinoa and liked it!

Cereal is one of my absolute favorite foods - I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if it weren't for the fact that I know I need a few other food groups. So Kashi quickly became my new whole grain favorite...until there was the mold issue. Now I suddenly have a sensitivity to corn, wheat, and oats (among plenty of other things). I can include small amounts of each of these on a rotated basis, but there are some days that I can't handle any of them. My doctor gave me a cheat sheet of food groups that looked promising until I actually read it...Teff? Millet? Tapioca? Buckwheat? What in the world do I do with these???

I was longingly going down the cereal aisle at a local grocery store, looking for a decent rice cereal, and tucked away on a bottom shelf was Arrowhead Mill's Puffed Millet cereal. Ingredients: Puffed Millet. It sounded flavorless and unappetizing, but I grabbed a bag out of curiousity. Ready for the surprise? I was right! It tastes just like cardboard with a slightly chewy texture.

Remembering what I saw in an article on Helium about sugar-free cooking, I got to work experimenting in the kitchen and came up with Toasted Millet & Pecan cereal. Ahhh (that's my contented sigh) My beloved crunchy cereal that I can eat on wheat-, corn-, and oat-free days!

Toasted Millet & Pecan Cereal

3 cups puffed millet

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup coarsely pureed pear or pearsauce*

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp salt

*For the pureed pear, I put 1 medium pear in the food processor. This recipe is very forgiving, so it doesn't have to be exactly 1/2 cup. You will just need to adjust the cooking time if you have a bit more or a little less liquid.

Cover a baking sheet with foil, leaving the dull non-stick side of the foil facing up. (You'd be surprised at how many recipes I've accidentally put the shiny side up and had everything stick.) Preheat oven to 275. In a small bowl, stir together pear, vanilla, and honey. In a large bowl, combine the pear mixture with all of the other ingredients. Stir until well combined. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for approximately 1 hour, stirring the mixture every 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven when cereal is almost completely dry. It will harden as it cools.

Variations: For a fruity flavor, use pureed peaches, diced strawberries, or some berry fruit spread in place of the pears. Other combinations of spices work well too, such as 1/2 cup of pureed pumpkin with 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Catching Up

2010-07-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

So my health was doing pretty good in January, but then it started to go downhill again. May was a pretty rough month, but I moved out of my house and have been on the upswing since then. I still have some problems, but I'm feeling better right now than I have in the last year!

Earlier this week, I went to the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Charleston, SC. We've FINALLY reached a conclusion about my health! My problems come from toxic effects of prolonged mold exposure in my home. We thought we had remediated the problem months ago, but it seems the mold came back full force. I've been out of my home for 2 months and have been steadily improving every since. Who knew mold could cause so much more than just respiratory problems? The doctor said it will still be a long road to complete improvement, but she believes I'll get there.

In the meantime, the doctor has put me on Vitamin D, allergy shots (I've developed some recent allergies thanks to the mold), sodium bicarbonate (in place of the Prevacid), and antifungal nasal spray. Hopefully all of that will work. Now what do we do about our home...?

From the recommendation of the staff at COEM, I've also begun a Rotation Diet. That means I can only eat the same food once every 4 days. If I eat chicken on Monday, I can't eat it again until Friday. Through the allergy testing, I discovered why the Maker's Diet wasn't working for me. I had developed minor allergies/sensivities to many of the foods in Phase 1! According to the doctor, it takes 4 days for your immune system to recover from any kind of reaction it had to the food. By following a Rotation Diet, my system is able to get used to the food without lasting damage from prolonged eating of it. Supposedly, 4 cycles should eradicate the majority of my allergies. By keeping track of what I'm eating on the Rotation Diet, it will also help me narrow down any other foods I'm having a reaction to that we didn't test for. COEM helped take the guesswork out of the rotation diet by providing a list of foods that are available each day (on a 4 day cycle). Foods that I'm more allergic to will be added in every other cycle, so my body has at least a week to recover. I had to give up walnuts 3 months ago because they caused such sudden heartburn and intestinal discomfort. With the Rotation Diet, I'm adding them back in small amounts every 4 days. The diet provides lots of variety because I won't get stuck in the rut of eating the same thing every single day (but there might be a rut every 4 days...). It also is likely to be more nutritious because of the variety of foods.

The problem is I'm going to have to relook at how I plan menus and grocery shop. I can no longer plan to use leftovers for tomorrow since I can't eat the same thing 2 days in a row. And I can't buy produce in bulk with the intention of creatively using it in every meal that week. The freezer will likely be my new best friend.

Along with the Rotation Diet, each day I'm also taking Garden of Life Raw green powder in juice, a probiotic, and fish oil. I can't swallow pills and can't force down nasty tasting stuff, so I usually include the probiotic and fish oil in the smoothie.

For today so far...
Breakfast
Smoothie of 1 gala apple, handful of strawberries, and a few chunks of frozen pineapple.

Mid-Morning Snack
Sliced peaches with maple syrup and chopped walnuts

Lunch
Turkey, green peas, baked potato
The only problem here is butter, yogurt, etc. are also rotated, so there's nothing on the list of foods allowed today that I can put on the potato to make it creamier. I'm going to cut it into cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. We'll see how that goes.

Dinner
I don't know about dinner yet. The allowed foods that sound good for today are quinoa, turkey, spinach, bell pepper, and okra. What do you do with that combination?

Honey-Lime Fruit Toss

2010-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I made this fruit salad for a dinner at my in-laws, and it was a big hit. I love it by itself, but my sweet-toothed man likes it best topped with vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip.

Picture from Dole

Honey-Lime Fruit Toss
Original recipe from Dole. Makes 8 servings.
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
1 can (11 or 15 oz) Mandarin oranges (or 1 large fresh orange, cut into chunks)
1 large banana, sliced
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 cup quartered strawberries
1/4 tsp grated lime peel (optional)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey

1. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of juice.
2. Combine pineapple chunks, oranges, banana, kiwi, and strawberry in a large bowl.
3. Stir together lime peel, lime juice, honey, and pineapple juice in small bowl. Pour over fruit and toss to coat.

I love that this recipe is so versatile. Measurements don't have to be exact and fresh fruit can be used in place of canned. Have another fruit you want to add, substitute, or take out? Go for it! I've made it with and without oranges, added more kiwi and/or banana, included small mango pieces, and added shredded collards to make a fruit salad for lunch. Dole, of course, recommends using all Dole fruits. However, strawberries are on the dirty dozen list (ranks high with pesticide load), so I recommend buying organic at least of the strawberries.

Raw Greens?

2010-05-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

I used to hate greens. Turnips, collards, spinach...it was all gross. The only green I ate was lettuce. I LOVE salads, so I ate plenty of lettuce. One day I added spinach to the salad and loved that too. I realized the problem was I didn't like COOKED greens. They were too mushy and slimy. For some reason I had always thought you HAD to cook greens until they were like slop, but that's not so. Now I'm trying a variety of greens raw or barely cooked to decide which ones I actually do like. Last week it was bok choy. This week it's collard greens.
I'm putting greens in just about everything, such as fruit smoothies, omelets, fajitas, sandwiches, and wraps (using greens instead of tortillas).
I have some hummus and carrots in the fridge, so I'm going to try this Collard Green Wrap this week.

Update: I haven't tried that exact Collard Green Wrap yet. I did make my own wrap with carrots, turkey, and cream cheese which was delicious, but the collards are certainly a little tougher than lettuce or other similar greens. I decided collards are better when shredded or finely diced if eaten raw. I included shredded collards in a fruit salad (recipe soon to follow) and loved it. I also tried marinated collards (with a mix of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, roasted bell pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper. Liked it too. Then there was a "Greek-inspired" pizza to use up some leftovers. I took a whole wheat pita sliced in 2 and briefly broiled it in the oven to make it slightly crispy. I topped it with cream cheese, marinated collards, Italian-seasoned chicken, and shredded cheese. Then it was baked in the oven until the cheese melted. It would've been even better with sundried tomatoes, but I didn't have any at the time.

Green Giant - Review & Giveaway!

2010-04-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

And the winner is...#14 Angie. Congrats to you! I've sent you an email.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

I'm trying to buy more organic fruits and vegetables, but it's been a slow process. While keeping the food budget low (I still go over almost every week!), the only frozen produce I buy is on close-out or is an amazing sale, such as BOGO. Add to that the fact that health food stores are 30 minutes or more away from me, so the organic options close to home are rather slim. When organic isn't an option, I typically turn to Green Giant. When MyBlogSpark asked me to review and giveaway the "Seeds of Change" prize pack, I was stoked!

I'll admit to not knowing much about where my food comes from. I don't know anything about Green Giant growing practices except what is listed on their Sustainability page. With that disclaimer noted, let's move on to the good stuff...

My absolute favorite products from Green Giant are the Steamers! They are bags of frozen veggies that are meant to be steamed in the microwave, but I've used them in stir frys and casseroles as well. They're such an easy way to get more vegetables in your family's diet. The broccoli ranks at the top for me. They don't end up too mushy like a lot of cooked broccoli does. And when there's a coupon (get .50 here), I've gotten these for free or super cheap with a good sale.

In honor of Earth Day, Green Giant is giving $200,000 to the Nature Conservancy to encourage greener farming practices that will repair and protect the Root River - one of Minnesota's best trout streams. Other ways Green Giant says they are moving towards greener practices are by doing the following:
--Switching to more earth-friendly paperboard to package frozen vegetables
--Teaming up with growers to install a more efficient irrigation system
--Packaging vegetables in smaller, lighter cans so it takes less fuel to transport them

The prize pack contains a VIP coupon for a FREE Green Giant frozen vegetable, a mini herb garden (with parsley, chives, and basil), an eco-friendly bamboo utensil set (spoon, slotted spoon, and spatula), and a reusable green grocery bag. One pack was given to me and one more is up for grabs!

The tote is a little smaller than many of the other reusable bags I have, but it feels durable and is still a nice size. I just planted my vegetable garden, and the mini herb garden will make a nice addition to it. I haven't gotten to try out the bamboo utensils yet, but I've crossed a wooden spoon off my shopping list now. I had been meaning to buy myself one for a long time...

Now how do you win the prize pack?!

Simply leave a comment telling what changes you are making or plan to make for a "greener" lifestyle. Please include your email address so I'll have a way to contact you. Deadline to enter is Wednesday, April 28, and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

Note: The prize packs (one for me, one for you) and information have been provided by Green Giant through MyBlogSpark. No other compensation was given, and opinions mentioned are soley mine.

The Timer: Not Just a Kitchen Gadget

2010-03-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

The majority of my posts are focused on food. Makes sense since the first part of the title is "Eat Healthy." But how about "Live Well?" It's about time I started writing a little about that part, too. So for starters, it's hard to live well if you're stressed out from the environment you live in. Which is where I'm at right now.

I really, REALLY don't like housework. My house is a mess quite often, but I've been slowly cleaning up. I'm working to organize, declutter, and give away. One trick that's helped the most is using a digital timer (I learned it from FlyLady). I set it for 15 minutes and work until it goes off. If I'm almost done with a task when it beeps, I go ahead and finish that task. I set the timer again for 15 minutes for my break. During the break I might check my email, call up a friend, or simply sit in the recliner with my latest library find (currently One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity by Debbie Macomber).

The timer is my new best friend when it comes to household help! When I'm doing a task I don't like, I know I only have 15 minutes to endure it. Then there's also that 15 minute break to look foward to. The timer also makes sure I don't get too distracted and waste too much time on the computer or in the recliner. It also helps to have a list of semi-small tasks so when the 15 minutes start, I know what I need to do. It may be fold clothes, empty and reload the dishwasher, quick bathroom scrubdown, trash pickup, cleaning off a corner of a table, etc. I try to break them down small enough that they can be completed in 15 minutes, that way there's a sense of accomplishment when it's done!

Don't have a timer? No problem. You can use a free online one at E.gg Timer.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks, I've really gotten away from eating enough vegetables. As I think back on what I ate, there was quite a bit of white refined grains and quick processed foods. I didn't have a menu plan for last week, so many meals were thrown together at the last minute before rushing to do something else. Then I was flipping through a notebook over the weekend and came across this quote:

"Cook like your life depends on it, because it does."

Whoops. That wasn't what I had in mind when I was throwing meals together last week. Food is a major part of our lives. It's what sustains us, nourishes us, and helps keep us functioning at our optimal levels. This week, my goal is to get back to this idea - to actually put in the effort of preparing nourishing meals. I may have a million other things to do, but what I'm putting in my body is a bit more important than many other things on my "to do" list.

Eat Humane - A Great Resource

2010-03-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Did you know there are many health reasons to eat meat that has been raised humanely? When cows, chickens, etc. eat their intended diet rather than corn and other grains, the meat and eggs are healthier for us. According to Politically Incorrect Nutrition by Michael Barbee, grass-fed cows, sheep, goats, and buffalo produce meat and dairy products that contain conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which acts as an anticarcinogen (protects against cancer). Grain-fed animals do not contain CLA or contain much, much less of it. That's just one of MANY reasons to switch from the conventional animal products!

But how do you pick the best meat and dairy products at the store? What's the difference between "grass fed," "cage free," "free range," and organic? Eat Humane is a great resource to make sense of the food labels. It ranks various food labels and companies as either good, better, or best. Select large cities even have restaurants with some humanely-raised products.

Fed Up With School Lunches

2010-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

I work in a school, but I bring my lunch every day. For that matter, I bring breakfast and snacks as well. As I'm learning to eat healthier each week, the school food is looking less and less appetizing. Lots of bleached, refined white flours (waffles, pizza, burgers, etc.), the same fruits over and over (fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks, or bananas), the same veggies over and over (green beans, carrots, or corn), and the same conventional dairy and processed meats each day. Nothing organic, nothing natural (besides the small variety of fruits/veggies), and nothing colorful that says WOW! It's no wonder many kids eat very little of what's on their plates.
As for snacks, many teachers have stashes of cookies, candy, chips, and Debbie cakes to serve a few days a week. Occasionally there's popcorn...that's been the healthiest so far.

One teacher (anonymous in Illinois) is taking a stand against unhealthy school lunches by eating the school lunch every day in 2010. She documents her journey at her blog: Fed Up With School Lunch. According to her blog, there are over 60 ingredients in school pizza! Her blog also has other facts and guest bloggers, so don't think it's just about the lunch she eats. I particularly agree with the post and comments for School Lunch Wishlist.

Meatloaf from Fed Up With School Lunch

So why is it important to worry about the meals served at schools? Because our children are there for about 7 hours a day (more if there's after-school stuff). Many eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks. The food habits they form at school will be what sticks with them for years to come. If we're going to fight diseases and obesity, it must start at school.
(Side note: Right now, the average school lunch program gets reimbursed $2.68 when students have "free" lunches. Yet the average lunch costs $2.92. No wonder cafeterias can't afford many more healthy options.)

One thing to help these prepared lunches are school gardens, like the one at Monument Mountain Regional High School. There are also Farm-to-School programs, like this one in Oklahoma, that encourage schools and local farmers to work together to provide healthier meals. If you have a school-age child, you can also help the teacher by giving healthier snacks when they ask for class donations. If you bring in food for parties, think beyond cupcakes.

Review: FruitaBu Organic Smooshed Fruit

2010-01-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

I LOVE fruit roll-ups. They were a rare treat while I was growing up, so I completely enjoyed every sweet, juicy bite. With all of the sugar, artificial color, and articial flavors though, regular fruit roll-ups are no longer in my cupboards.

After a major sweet craving, I gave in and tried FruitaBu's Organic Smooshed Fruit Rolls. It was the best purchase I made all month! The apple was good, but the strawberry was my favorite. They were both sweet and fruity, but not overly sweet.

The fruit rolls also come in grape. They have no added sugars...just good ole organic fruit (puree and juice from concentrate). No artificial colors or flavors, and I had the same fun rolling them out as I did when I was a kid. Just beware if you're allergic to soy - they do contain soy lecithin.

If you want something a little classier than rolls, the smooshed fruit also comes in flats.

Getting Down and Dirty

2010-01-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

I know it's the middle of winter, and most of us have already seen our share of snow and ice. I've enjoyed being toasty-warm inside, snuggled up with a blanket and a good book. But I've started dreaming about warmer weather. Winter is fun for awhile, but Spring and Summer are my favorite. I love working in my vegetable garden and watching the fruit ripen. I love taking the dogs for a walk toward the muscadine and wild blackberry plants and having the sweet smell of honeysuckles permeate the air.

My absolute favorite part is walking barefoot. Walking barefoot in the lush grass at a local park, feeling a bounce in each step from the thick softness tickling my feet. Walking barefoot along the beach as I sink into the hot sand, where just below the surface it's cool and refreshing. Walking barefoot through the veggie garden as the loose dirt topples over my feet.

Yes, I like to get down and dirty. And now there are studies and professionals saying it's a good thing to do!

Picture from eHow.com

I recently began getting adjustments from a chiropractor, and he showed me a small machine that is supposed to mimic Earth's magnetic energy. Supposedly, when we walk barefoot outside, we absorb this energy. Unfortunately, shoes, concrete, and other barriers prevent us from absorbing the healthy magnetic energy that our ancestors so readily received. When I looked this up on the Internet, I found beliefs and opinions but no solid studies that verified what the chiropractor said. But anyways, he wanted to sell me one of those machines. Why would I want a machine when I can have the real thing?? It's one more excuse to walk barefoot outside!

Next, according to Natural News, "excessive cleanliness is actually impairing children's natural healing function and putting them at an increased risk for disease." Germ exposure is beneficial to young children because it helps them build immunities. Keeping kids indoors (out of the dirt) and coated with hand sanitizer is doing more harm than good. Yes, you want to protect your children...but there must be a balance. Natural News goes on to point out that "Children who grow up on farms and are exposed to all sorts of bugs, worms and natural elements have demonstrably less allergies and autoimmune problems than urban children who spend most of their time indoors."

Note of caution: Beware of when and where you go barefoot. Watch out for nails, ant hills, thistles, or other things that may hurt you. Also be wary if you have an open cut or sore on your foot that bacteria can enter.

What Chocolate Are You Eating?

2009-11-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Picture from Sweet Earth Chocolate

I'm a chocoholic -- chocolate makes everything better. When I'm stressed or depressed, give me the candy bar. Don't have a candy bar to give? I'll take chocolate cakes, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-covered fruit, or anything else milk- or white chocolate.

Unfortunately, few chocolate companies are worthy of my money. When buying from many major companies (uh hem...Nestle, Mars, Hershey), my money trickles down their supply chain until it supports child labor. Child labor in cocoa harvesting made large news in 2001, and "talks" of reform have occurred since. The Chocolate Company Scorecard of 2009 (published Feb. 2009) gives the details of how some companies are doing when it comes to child labor in the cocoa fields.

The Scorecard gives more details, but here are the initial rankings:

BITTER: Worst offenders of child labor.

Hershey (also owns Dagoba Chocolate)

M&M/Mars (also owns Dove)

Nestle (also owns Haagen-Dazs)

SEMI-SWEET: They've taken steps in the right direction, but are not yet fully committed to protecting the rights of the workers.

Godiva

Ghiradelli/Lindt

Starbucks

Dagoba

Endangered Species Chocolate

SWEET: The most committed to sustainability and improving the conditions of cocoa farmers.

Sweet Earth Chocolate

Equal Exchange

Divine Chocolate

Vending Machine Woes

2009-10-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

I hate vending machines. Everywhere I turn, there they are...tempting me with gooey Snickers, melt-in-your-mouth M&Ms, and messy powdered donuts. When slight hunger pangs or cravings kick in as I'm out and about or at work, the vending machines become money draining, health depleting, socially accepted evil beings. The healthiest thing in them is usually pretzels or animal crackers, and it's certainly cheaper to buy a box of whatever you want than to keep buying individual pieces from the machines every day. It was most amusing to see the junk-food crammed vending machine in the hospital, where the idea is typically to make people healthier.

I just can't keep change with me anymore. When small amounts of money are left in my pockets, it somehow disappears and a candy bar magically appears in my hand.

But did you know some companies are now developing healthier vending machines?! I have yet to see one around here, but I keep hearing about them. Can't wait to see who's the first around here to jump on the latest healthy bandwagon! If you're in charge of vending or have any kind of power at your work or school, I recommend looking in to these companies. Anyone in school, petition the principal, dean, or other school official. It's amazing what can be changed when enough people get on board and get loud.

Picture from YoNaturals

YoNaturals is one company that develops plans for healthier vending machines. The prices are no better than regular vending ($1.25 Annie's Homegrown cheddar bunnies, 1 oz.), but there's a wide range of possible products. There's still sweet junk food like Late July cookies and salty snacks like Snikkidy Snacks baked cheese puffs. Of course there's the healthier options like Brothers All Natural fruit crisps and Stretch Island fruit leather. There's also a large range of bars (Clif, Kashi, Envirokidz, etc.) and drinks (Horizon milk, Silk soymilk, Poland water, Apple & Eve Fizz Ed, Back to Nature juice, Tazo tea, etc.)

Healthy Vending Services has similar products, such as Pirate's Booty, Stacy's Chips, Clif bars, Fiji water, and much more. The machines can be drinks, snacks, or a combo. The machines also have cashless payment systems for debit or credit cards. I don't think I'd be able to stay away from these! I can't go without loose change AND my cards.

My favorite idea is vending with Del Monte. Del Monte's article says "fresh-cut products, portioned between four to six ounces, offer a varied mix of pineapple chunks, grapes, apple slices, baby carrots, celery, and tomato; some paired with light dips." The line will initially be in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the US, but locations should increase around the beginning of 2010. Prices will range from $1 to $2.25 per item.

For a do-it-yourself guide, check out Stonyfield Farms Vending Machine Makeover. They don't sell vending machines, but they do list great ideas for how to get started and what snacks to include. For larger scale inspiration, here's the Health & Vending Machine policy for the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation. It was adopted in 2006, and I see it as a decent guide at least for vending machines that are in a strategic placement for children and teens.

What's the Deal with Genetically Modified Foods?

2009-10-15T05:28:00.001-07:00

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) have had specific changes introduced into their DNA through genetic engineering. This is not the same thing as selective breeding, where organisms have been modified over time from their wild ancestors. Genetic engineering involves isolating a specific gene in one plant or animal and inserting that gene into a separate type of plant or animal. The new gene becomes a part of the DNA and is regulated in the same way as other genes. Genes may be inserted to keep the plant resistant to certain pests, pesticides, herbicides, and viruses, to increase the amount of vitamins or nutrients, and to lengthen the shelf life.

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990's and typically include soybean, corn, canola, cotton, potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, tobacco, sweet peppers, and lettuce, among others. Currently the US and Canada do not require labeling of GM foods.

A few controversial issues with GMOs:
1. Patents on Seeds. Typically, farmers save their own seed from year to year. What's the point in buying more seed when there's an abundance leftover from the garden? However, if farmers followed this practice with genetically modified seeds, the seed developers would not really make a profit from their breeding work. Patents, contracts, etc. are in place to prevent farmers from saving seeds of GM plants. The seed developers are encouraging reliance on their own brand of plants, which could easily creat monopolies over the farmers.

2. What's next for GM foods? How much will our food be changed because of genetically modified engineering and how will these changes effect our bodies and environment? Animals may be engineered to grow larger or more quickly, fruit trees may produce years earlier, and typical allergens may be removed from wheat, nuts, etc. The possibilities are endless, and the risks are largely unknown.

3. Cross-contamination with Allergens. A study in the 1990's injected a soybean with a protein from a Brazil nut. Test results showed people allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic to the GM soybean. Almost any food can be an allergen or intolerance to someone: wheat, strawberries, eggs, nuts, soy, corn, etc. Unless foods are clearly labeled with where the modified genes come from, those with allergies/intolerances will not know for sure if the food will effect them.

4. There can be good results. Selective breeding takes years and years to accomplish, and you can only cross-breed plants with plants. Genetic engineering allows scientists to quickly take a gene from an insect, bacteria, animal, etc. to be placed in a plant (or other insect, animal, etc.). Supporters argue that GM foods improve nutrition (Golden rice boosted with Vitamin A), will require less insecticide use because plants will have their own insect-repelling qualities, and can help with world hunger by being more drought-, salt-, or cold-resistant. (A gene from cold water fish has been implemented into tobacco and potato plants so that they can better tolerate cold temperatures that normally kill conventional plants.) Also, allergens may be removed, such as in the hay fever-free grass. Pharmaceuticals are working on edible drugs and vaccines (think Hepatitis B in a tomato) that will be easier to ship, store, and administer to 3rd world countries.

5. There can be destructive results. GM insect-repelling plants may speed up the evolution of insecticide-restistant pests. New allergens may develop, since we're not used to consuming so much of whatever will be injected (like insects or specific bacteria). The GM crops will become superweeds that are more resistant to herbicides. Gene transfer is also a serious threat between GM and conventionally grown crops. This would be particularly harmful if pharmaceutical crops crossed with food crops. These crops don't have to be grown side by side to be cross-contaminated. The wind or bees may carry the pollen elsewhere, birds may carry seeds away, "leftovers" may be in the soil when previous GM crops are tilled under at the end of the season. This is not a future threat...it's present today. In 2001, genetically modified genes had spread from US corn crops to Mexico - into their native varieties grown on small farms. There can also be unintended harm to other organisms. One study showed pollen from GM corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars.

What do you do now?
Good question. It's up to you to decide if you're for or against GMOs. Personally, I'm against it. I feel like there are too many in it for the money rather than the advantages over hunger, and that there are too many risks (known and unknown).
If you're looking to buy non-genetically modified foods, here's a great list of common processed foods that shows which are GM and which aren't: True Food Now.

To know if your produce is genetically modified, look at the little sticker with the numbers. For conventionally grown produce (grown with pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals), the code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown produce has five numbers, the first of which will be a 9. Genetically engineered (GM) produce has five numbers, the first of which will be an 8.

Check out the Genetic Engineering Action Network for more tools against genetic modification.

Sources: Wikipedia, New Scientist, ProQuest, and GEAN

Growing Up Without Apples

2009-10-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Image from Shelburne Farm in Stow, MA

As a child, I didn't eat apples. My mom kept encouraging me to eat them by bringing a couple home occasionally, but I wouldn't touch them. I didn't like apples, plain and simple. My tastes have changed since then, and there are many foods I eat now that I didn't like as a child. But I still stay away from the apples of my childhood.

During those years, the only apples I knew about were Red or Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. I didn't like any...especially not Red Delicious. Supposedly, there are over 7000 varieties of apples. How come I was only aware of 3 varieties for so many years? If I had've tried others, I'm pretty sure I would've liked apples then.

In my late teen years, I finally got a taste of a Gala apple, and it was delicious. I liked an apple! When I started doing my own grocery shopping, I found my local store sometimes carried Fuji, Macintosh, Pink Lady, and Braeburn. I like the last 2 as well. Out of 7000 varieties, grocery stores near me only carried half a dozen on a good day.

Recently at a local produce stand, I tried Honeycrisp and Winesap. LOVED the Honeycrisp...that's my new favorite. At a health food store, I was introduced to Sweet Tango (for $2.98/lb for conventionally grown! Won't be buying that one...)

My point, if there is one...is to try different varieties of produce rather than assuming you don't like it because of just 1 variety.

But why was I so often deprived of trying different varities of apples when there are so many in the world? A few possible answers:

--Transportation. Some apples fare much better than others when transported. They must have a tough skin to be bounced around and not end up bruised and scratched in the grocery store. When we're picking produce, don't we also go for the one that looks the prettiest?

--Who produced it? Different people and groups cultivate their own varieties... Honeycrisp was recently developed by the University of Minnesota. However, not all developments make it to the global market.

--Certain ones sell better. Growers and sellers know the market and know the favorites of the majority. Just because I don't like Red Delicious doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most bought apples in the US. Unfortunately for me, it will remain the most available.

--Cost of growing. As with all produce, there are certain types of apples that fare better with weather, pests, and overall ease of growing. The easier and hardier ones will obviously produce a better profit.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

2009-10-06T16:05:00.000-07:00

The air is just beginning to feel cooler, and I'm craving pumpkins. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread...mmm mmm delicious! They are beginning to be in season and are popping up EVERYWHERE. Every grocery store and corner produce stand around here has rows and rows of pumpkins. I've honestly never cooked anything with a whole pumpkin, and I didn't plan to try this week. Maybe later this month I'll experiment with hulling out the seeds and cooking with a whole pumpkin. For now, here's the Pumpkin Pie dip I made this week, straight out of the can...

Pumpkin Pie Dip

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

15 oz can of pure pumpkin

1 1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Using a mixer, combine all ingredients until well blended. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld together. Serve with any combination of sliced apples or bananas, pretzels, toasted wheat or zucchini bread, or ginger snap cookies.

The first bite was interesting (that was also before it was refrigerated). The second bite was growing on me. And the third bite was absolutely delicious. I'm addicted to this dip now!

Next on my list to bake are Vegan Pumpkin Brownies from the Happy Herbivore:

Picture from Happy Herbivore

Don't these look absolutely delicious? I just hope mine come out looking that good...and tasting as good as they look :)

It's Natural: Aluminum Free Deodorants

2009-09-20T14:05:00.001-07:00

Update: I tried Tom's of Maine aluminum free deodorant. It worked for about half a day, as long as I didn't get sweaty. By the end of the day or after getting hot, you wouldn't know I was wearing any. I've switched back to my regular deodorant for the time being, but I will be trying other aluminum free varieties in the near future.

Plain deodorants and antiperspirant deodorants are very different. Antiperspirants are composed of aluminum salts that block the sweat ducts, preventing sweat and toxins from reaching the skin's surface and exiting the body. The idea is that if there's no sweat, there's no odor. The sweat is not the problem though...from what I understand, the bacteria causes the odor. Plain deodorants kill or neutralize the bacteria to prevent odor while still allowing the body to excrete the sweat and toxins. Sweating in our underarms allows our bodies to cleanse and detoxify itself. Blocking this with antiperspirants can cause a build-up of toxins in our systems.

There have been many debates over the last several years about the possible harmful effects of aluminum in antiperspirant deodorants. Rumors have run rampant across the internet about its link to breast cancer, though the Mayo Clinic's stand is "No clinical studies have yet given a definitive answer to the question of whether these products cause breast cancer. But the evidence to date suggests these products don't cause cancer." More recently, people are drawing links between the aluminum and Alzheimer's. The Alzheimer's Association said "The link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease has never been conclusively proven... The research community is generally convinced that aluminum is not a key risk factor in developing Alzheimer's disease."

I'm not convinced that the aluminum does not effect breast cancer or Alzheimer's. For both diseases, the evidence has been "nonconclusive." Regardless of whether there're links or not, antiperspirants prohibit the body from naturally getting rid of toxins. That's enough right there for me to look into deodorants without antiperspirants.

Handmade Deodorant from Spa Therapy

Here are a few handmade, aluminum-free deodorants on Etsy. Etsy is a site for crafters and artists to sell their goods. Registration is free, but you have to register to buy anythin. There are many more sellers with aluminum-free deodorant...just do a search for deodorant on the Etsy site.

Spa Therapy on Etsy

Florere on Etsy

Dailey's on Etsy

For a factory-made aluminum-free deodorant, there's Adidas' Absorbent-Deo for Women with CottonTech Complex.

I have to be honest - I haven't tried any of the brands listed in this post. I just started looking into the aluminum in anti-perspirants, so I haven't gotten a chance to buy an aluminum-free deodorant yet.

Review: Bolthouse Farms Fruit Smoothies

2009-09-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

I just fell in love with Bolthouse Farms immunity support C-BOOST fruit smoothie. I'll ignore the cheesy title of the flavor because, honestly, "immunity support" lead me to it to begin with. In a classroom with sick kids, I need all the help I can get.

I love real fruit drinks, and this is definitely a nice change from the typical. The bottle says it contains 1 1/2 mango, 66 acerola cherries, and 6 1/4 apples. The only problem I had was the bottle is supposedly 8 servings, but I drank it within 3 helpings. It's 8 *small* servings. It's 100% juice (combination of from and not from concentrates) with no added sugars. The flavors mingle and interact to form a distinct flavor with hints of apple and cherry. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was orange in there, too.

I've tried a couple of other flavors of Bolthouse Farms, and each was unique and flavorful. I liked the Mango, and Green Goodness was good mixed with my homemade smoothies. Each one is a little thicker than juice and REALLY smooth. The bottle says "Shake well. Settling is natural," but there's NO pulp either way.

At $4 or more for 1 qt., the Bolthouse Farms smoothies are a rare treat for me. I scout out my local grocery store and snatch one when it's marked down to $1.99 on Produce Manager's Special (usually close to the expiration date). I figure 6 apples, 66 cherries, and 1 mango would cost me more than $1.99 if I wanted to make my own smoothie, so I'm actually saving money by buying the bottle :)

Are You Being Greenwashed?

2009-09-10T08:05:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Organic Grocery Deals for leading me to this report.

With more and more people buying "organic," "natural," and "environmentally-friendly" products, many companies are working to cash in on it. The problem is, the terms can be somewhat loosely used with certain products. Because of this, there's a new term among consumerists: Greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

The Sins of Greenwashing site lists the 7 sins that are most common and provides a report with their prevelance. Unfortunately, they do not list the companies investigated or who had what sin. Listed below are the "7 sins":

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: A claim suggesting the product is "green" based on a few attributes without attention to other important environmental issues. For example, paper may be made from a sustainably-harvested forest, but the greenhouse gas emissions produced during the process or the chlorine used to bleach the paper may be equally as important.

2. Sin of No Proof: An environmental claim that cannot be verified by easily accessible supporting info or by a reliable third-party certification. Common examples are facial tissues or toilet tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence.

3. Sin of Vagueness: A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the consumer. ‘All-natural’ is a good example. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. "All natural" is always a good thing.

4. Sin of Worshipping False Labels: A product that, through either words or images, gives the impression of third-party certification where no such endorsement exists.

5. Sin of Irrelevance: An environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products. ‘CFC-free’ is a common example, since it is a frequent claim despite the fact that CFCs are banned by law.

6. Sin of Lesser of 2 Evils: A claim that may be true within the product category, but that risks distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. Organic cigarettes could be an example of this Sin, as might the fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicle.

7. Sin of Fibbing: Environmental claims that are simply false. The most common examples were products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified or registered.

Federal Prosecutors Finally Take Notice of Big Pharmacy!!

2009-09-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already seen it on Yahoo News, here's the latest headline: Repeat offender Pfizer paying record $2.3 billion settlement for illegal drug promotions

With all of my recent reading on the pharmaceutical industry, I'd already heard about illegal promotion of Pfizer, the Big Dog among pharmaceutical companies. They "courted" doctors to persuade them to prescribe more of specific medicines. They showered them with gifts, trips, and even money. Pfizer also got doctors to prescribe medicines "off label," or for conditions that were not approved for by the FDA. All that greed and temptation over making the next big buck is starting to catch up with Pfizer.

The question now is...will the penalty make a difference?

The article is copied below or see the original post on Yahoo here.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal prosecutors hit Pfizer Inc. with a record-breaking $2.3 billion in fines Wednesday and called the world's largest drug maker a repeating corporate cheat for illegal drug promotions that plied doctors with free golf, massages, and resort junkets.

Announcing the penalty as a warning to all drug manufacturers, Justice Department officials said the overall settlement is the largest ever paid by a drug company for alleged violations of federal drug rules, and the $1.2 billion criminal fine is the largest ever in any U.S. criminal case. The total includes $1 billion in civil penalties and a $100 million criminal forfeiture.

Authorities called Pfizer a repeat offender, noting it is the company's fourth such settlement of government charges in the last decade. The allegations surround the marketing of 13 different drugs, including big sellers such as Viagra, Zoloft, and Lipitor.

As part of its illegal marketing, Pfizer invited doctors to consultant meetings at resort locations, paying their expenses and providing perks, prosecutors said.

"They were entertained with golf, massages, and other activities," said Mike Loucks, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts.

Loucks said that even as Pfizer was negotiating deals on past misconduct, they were continuing to violate the very same laws with other drugs.

To prevent backsliding this time, Pfizer's conduct will be specially monitored by the Health and Human Service Department inspector general for five years.

Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli said the settlement illustrates ways the Justice Department "can help the American public at a time when budgets are tight and health care costs are rising."

Perrelli announced the settlement terms at a news conference with federal prosecutors and FBI, and Health and Human Services Department officials.

The settlement ends an investigation that also resulted in guilty pleas from two former Pfizer sales managers.

Officials said the U.S. industry has paid out more than $11 billion in such settlements over the past decade, but one consumer advocate voiced hope that Wednesday's penalty was so big it would curb the abuses.

"There's so much money in selling pills, that there's a tremendous temptation to cheat," said Bill Vaughan, an analyst at Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
"There's a kind of mentality in this sector that (settlements) are the cost of doing business and we can cheat. This penalty is so huge I think consumers can have some hope that maybe these guys will tighten up and run a better ship."

The government said the company promoted four prescription drugs, including the pain killer Bextra, as treatments for medical conditions different from those the drugs had been approved for by federal regulators. Authorities said Pfizer's salesmen and women created phony doctor requests for medical information in order to send unsolicited information to doctors about unapproved uses and dosages.

Use of drugs for so-called "off-label" medical conditions is not uncommon, but drug manufacturers are prohibited from marketing drugs for uses that have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They said the junkets and other company-paid perks were designed to promote Bextra and other drugs, to doctors for unapproved uses and dosages, backed by false and misleading claims about safety and effectiveness.

Bextra, for instance, was approved for arthritis, but Pfizer promoted it for acute pain and surgical pain, and in dosages above the approved maximum. In 2005, Bextra, one of a class of painkillers known as Cox-2 inhibitors, was pulled from the U.S. market amid mounting evidence it raised the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

A Pfizer subsidiary, Pharmacia and Upjohn Inc., which was acquired in 2003, has entered an agreement to plead guilty to one count of felony misbranding. The criminal case applied only to Bextra.

The $1 billion in civil penalties was related to Bextra and a number of other medicines.
A portion of the civil penalty will be distributed to 49 states and the District of Columbia, according to agreements with each state's Medicaid program.

Pfizer's top lawyer, Amy Schulman, said the settlements "bring final closure to significant legal matters and help to enhance our focus on what we do best -- discovering, developing and delivering innovative medicines."

In her statement, Schulman said: "We regret certain actions taken in the past, but are proud of the action we've taken to strengthen our internal controls and pioneer new procedures."
In financial filings in January, the company had indicated that it would pay $2.3 billion over the allegations.

The civil settlement announced Wednesday covered Pfizer's promotions of Bextra, blockbuster nerve pain and epilepsy treatment Lyrica, schizophrenia medicine Geodon, antibiotic Zyvox and nine other medicines. The agreement with the Justice Department resolves the investigation into promotion of all those drugs, Pfizer said.

The government said Pfizer also paid kickbacks to market a host of big-name drugs: Aricept, Celebrex, Lipitor, Norvasc, Relpax, Viagra, Zithromax, Zoloft, and Zyrtec.

The allegations came to light thanks largely to five Pfizer employees and one Pennsylvania doctor, who will now share $102 million of the settlement money.

FBI Assistant Director Kevin Perkins praised the whistleblowers who decided to "speak out against a corporate giant that was blatantly violating the law and misleading the public through false marketing claims."

To rein in the abuses, the government's five-year monitoring will force Pfizer to notify doctors about Wednesday's agreement, encourage them to report any similar behavior, and publicly post any payments or perks it gives to doctors.

Under terms of the settlement, Pfizer must pay $1 billion to compensate Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal health care programs. Some of that money will be shared among the states: New York, for example, will receive $66 million, according to the state's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo.

When Pfizer originally disclosed the settlement figure, it also announced plans to acquire rival Wyeth for $68 billion. That deal, which would bolster Pfizer's position as the world's top drug maker by revenue, is expected to close before year's end.

Shares of Pfizer dropped 14 cents to $16.24 in midday trading.

AP Business Writer Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J. contributed to this report.

Dirty Dozen & Clean Fifteen

2009-08-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

We've probably all heard of the "dirty dozen" by now...it's the 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides when grown conventionally. Buying organic can be expensive, but these are the 12 produce we should actually splurge on for the organic (or at least eat less of the conventionally grown). There's also the "clean 15," or the fruits and veggies with the least amount of pesticides when grown conventionally. Then there's the grey area in the middle...the ones with some pesticides, so it's good to buy organic when possible, but they're not TOO bad.

Here's a handy list with the top 47 most eaten produce to keep around when grocery shopping. It's listed in order from worst pesticide offenders (#1) to least pesticide offenders (#47) and was borrowed from Organic Grocery Deals.

1 (worst) Peach (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple
3 Sweet Bell Pepper
4 Celery
5 Nectarine
6 Strawberries
7 Cherries
8 Kale
9 Lettuce
10 Grapes - Imported
11 Carrot
12 Pear (this ends the dirty dozen)
13 Collard Greens
14 Spinach
15 Potato
16 Green Beans
17 Summer Squash
18 Peppers
19 Cucumber
20 Raspberries
21 Grapes - Domestic
22 Plum
23 Orange
24 Cauliflower
25 Tangerine
26 Mushrooms
27 Banana
28 Winter Squash
29 Cantaloupe
30 Cranberries
31 Honeydew Melon
32 Grapefruit
33 Sweet Potato (here we begin the clean 15)
34 Tomato
35 Broccoli
36 Watermelon
37 Papaya
38 Eggplant
39 Cabbage
40 Kiwi
41 Sweet Peas
42 Asparagus
43 Mango
44 Pineapple
45 Sweet Corn - Frozen
46 Avocado
47 (best) Onion(lowest pesticide load)

One Part of Healthcare

2009-08-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Like any other business, hospitals HAVE to make money in order to stay open. Bills must be paid to keep electricity and running water, staff must be paid, etc. With that in mind, consider this excerpt from the book Overtreated by Shannon Brownlee (I recommend the book, by the way, if you want a breakdown of how Medicare works):

Congestive heart failure is the most common diagnosis leading to hospitalization among the elderly, and it’s a miserable condition to have, because when you go into a crisis and your lungs fill with fluid, you feel as if you’re drowning. Several hospitals have demonstrated than an integrated approach to care can keep heart failure patients from having a crisis and out of the hospital for long stretches. In 1995, for example, Duke University Medical Center instituted a program that allowed nurses to call heart failure patients regularly at home to check on their breathing, and to make sure they were taking the right medication, and taking it properly. Nutritionists helped patients improve their diets. Doctors shared information about them, and came up with new ways to improve care. The number of hospital admissions for congestive heart failure at Duke declined, and patients who were admitted spent less time in the hospital, bringing down the costs for insurers by 37%. There was only one problem: Duke lost money. Bringing down costs meant hospital revenue was down, due to a decline in heart failure admissions and the premium (money) hospitals make from Medicare for complicated cases. Other hospitals have run into the same problem when they implemented similar integrated care programs for such conditions as pneumonia, diabetes, and heart failure. That leaves hospitals looking for profit where they can, and providing care that loses money only when they must.

How backwards is that? Hospitals can’t help people in the most non-invasive, cost-effective way because they lose too much money. Insurance companies and Medicare pay only for certain procedures (surgeries, etc.)…they DON’T pay for the doctors and nurses to talk, even if it is about medicine and diets. Until insurance companies and Medicare start reimbursing doctors and nurses for their TIME instead of the amount of procedures, the cost of health care won’t be going down or even stabilizing (in my own opinion). How can it if doctors are forced to do the expensive stuff just to get paid?

What’s your opinion on it?

Organic Grocery Deals

2009-08-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Organic Grocery Deals is a forum for people to post deals, coupons, samples, etc. for all kinds of organic products.
It's currently a semi-small forum with just a handful of updates each day, but it's still useful. Check it out and post any deals you know of! I'd love to see this forum really grow.

Chocolate Attack!

2009-08-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

I try not to deprive myself of foods I love. I don't have a problem with eating a little bit of junk food every now and then. A Reese cup or other chocolate is usually reserved for those occasions. A few days ago, however, I OD'd on sugar and preservatives. For 3 days I craved nothing but junk food. I felt like a drug addict, counting down the moments until my next fix, wondering where it was going to come from...and how to hide it. The people closest to me know I'm trying to eat better so they encourage me along the way, which includes discouraging me from the junk. I didn't want them to know about my multiple break-downs during those few days. Candy bars, cake, cookies - I indulged in all of it in a matter of hours.

For a couple of days, I felt like I'd failed. I was almost ready to throw in the towel and watch myself go downhill from over-processed, nutritionally-void faux foods. But I had to realize those 3 days were behind me. I couldn't change what I'd eaten, but I didn't need to dwell on it either. What I ate/eat in the present and future is more important.

I'm currently skimming through Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, M.D. Here's an excerpt that I could empathize with:

You’ve felt the seduction. “I know I shouldn’t,” you tell yourself. But tastes and aromas call out like Sirens, leaving you little hope of resisting. We love food—and adore it sometimes—even when it doesn’t love us back. Love is supposed to be nourishing and even invigorating, but sometimes our affairs with food pass from love to enslavement.
Foods are not our enemies. They nourish us and give us pleasure. But sometimes enough is enough.
No one ever told me they just couldn’t get away from radishes or green beans. I never met anyone hooked on spinach, cantaloupe, pears, or romaine lettuce, either. The seductions are sugar, chocolate, cheese, and meat, mainly.

The bolding is not in the book...it's just the part of the passage that hit home the most with me. By hiding the junk food, I felt almost like I was having a forbidden affair. That's certainly not a nourishing love. So here's my mantra: I will not let food enslave me. I will enjoy it without being obsessed, addicted, or overly compulsive.

Seasonal Allergies: One More Reason to Eat Healthier

2009-08-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

School has begun again, and I'm still figuring out how to get back into a routine and have time for everything when 7+ hours of work are added in. Please bare with me if there are 2 or 3 days between posts.

Spring and fall are my least favorite seasons when it comes to allergies. My face and eyes get extremely itchy, I sneeze like crazy, and I can't hardly breathe through my nose. It seems all of the really effective drugs on the market cause drowsiness. Those that don't just weren't potent enough for my extremes, so I thought I just had to deal with it. I thought "natural remedies" to allergies were old wives' tales.

But an interesting thing happened during Spring when I first started eating healthier...my allergies weren't nearly as severe. No, they didn't completely go away. There was a day or 2 when my eyes still itched or there was sinus pressure around my nose. That little bit was WAY better than what my allergies normally are. Last year, there were some days I couldn't even function because my eyes itched so badly. All I could do was lay in bed with a cold, damp towel on my face no matter what kind of medicine or eye drops I used. My face itched so badly that I had to be careful not to leave marks from scratching. Don't even get me started on all of the sneezing.

But enough about me. What about those natural remedies?
I'm not a scientist, doctor, nutritionist, or any other certified specialist, but my best guess is that by eating healthier, your body has more energy and resources to heal itself and fight only the bad bacteria rather than allergens.

Here are a few "natural" ideas from other sources:
(Natural Ways, ABC News, and printed sources)
**Folate, according to a recent article published in a local magazine, helps counteract seasonal allergies. Folate is highest in leafy green veggies, asparagus, enriched cereals/grains, lentils and beans, and oranges.
**Saline or salt water - as a spray or mist, these help wash away the pollen from the nose
**Fruits and veggies, particularly those high in antioxidants.
**Fresh garlic, cayanne pepper, or jalapenos - for stuffy heads
**Green tea extract - is rich in phytonutrients that help to ward off everyday cellular attacks
**Magnesium (Citrate) - buffers the acidic stage of an allergic reaction
**Vitamin B15 - Helps lessen muscle fatigue and increase endurance
**Vitamin C (Ascorbate) - Provides an anti-histamine-like effect.
**Omega 3 fatty acids - found highest walnuts and fatty fish like salmon & tuna

It's Natural: Homemade Sugar Scrub

2009-08-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Keeping our bodies healthy involves more than just healthy eating. The toxins we subject ourselves to every day also effect our systems. It's Natural is a new section of posts where I'll tell about natural products to replace the chemical ones. It may be homemade, store bought, or a new use for a natural item. If you know of an easy, homemade solution, please leave a comment.

Homemade Sugar Scrub
1 cup sugar
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup kosher or sea salt
1 tbsp lemon juice (lime or pure orange juice will work too)

Stir together. Rub a small amount on hands, feet, elbows, and other rough spots. Rinse off with warm water.

Store unused sugar scrub in the fridge.

The sugar and salt scrub off dead skin cells while the oil moisturizes. The citrus juice gets rid of odors, and lemon juice may help lighten dark spots. Other essential oils can be used in place of the juice if desired. If you have cuts on your hands, I recommend not adding the salt because it will BURN.

Review: Wild Snax Energy Bar

2009-08-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

I grew up eating candy bars...Snickers, Milky Way, Reese Cups (my absolute favorite), PayDays, Twix, Baby Ruth, Hershey bars (especially the Cookies 'n Creme), Kit Kats, Butterfingers. Are you craving something sweet yet?

I blame those darn candy bars for my attraction to energy bars. It's not that I want the energy (though that doesn't hurt) - I'm drawn to the convenience of grabbing it quickly and size/packaging that allows eating with no fuss. I like quick, simple snacks that don't require microwaves, forks, napkins, or both hands. Unfortunately, even most energy bars have preservatives, too much sugar, or have added caffeine. I found a store-brand trail mix bar that was good...nothing but honey and nuts. I think one kind had cranberries, too.

Yesterday, I found Fruit Snax Energy Bars that claim to have 2 apples in every bar. I tried Wildberry flavor, but there was also apple strawberry, apple apricot, and apple raspberry. It's kind of small at 1.4 oz, but it was just enough to satisfy my craving. It's like a cross between a typical energy bar and a fruit roll-up. Ingredients: juice concentrates, natural flavor, apple fiber, and ascorbic acid. Think smooshed fruit. The ingredients are smooshed together and flattened to approximately 1/4". It was a nice mix between sweet and tangy fruit. The texture was interesting with small smooshed fruit pieces, but I'll buy it again next time I come across it. I found them on sale for .50/bar, but you can buy them on Amazon for $12 for a box of 12 (+ shipping).

Sweet, Juicy PEACHES

2009-08-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of days, I've been eating my way through a basket of freshly picked peaches. They are absolutlely delicious...sweet with a hint of tang-iness and plenty of juice that threatens to run down my chin with every delectable bite.

Peaches are currently a fairly cheap buy since they're in season. According to the Walmart ads I looked at, conventional ones are between .78 - $1 per pound this week, depending on where you live in the US. However, keep in mind that conventional peaches are on the dirty dozen list - they're loaded with pesticides. I recommend buying organic peaches if at all possible.

Here are a few recipes to use those cheap peaches. I tried to find ones that used the cheapest or the least amount of ingredients to keep the cost down.

Strawberry-Banana-Peach Smoothie - I tried this one this morning. It was really good, with room for variation. You can try almost any variety of juice instead of orange-peach-mango, though I recommend one in the red, orange, or yellow color range. You can add yogurt too...vanilla, plain, Greek, strawberry, or peach would be good.

Peach Brulee - A quick dessert. You can easily use fresh peaches (peeled) instead of canned.

Spicy Peach appetizer, Roasted Peaches, and Fresh Peach Pie from Kitchen Parade

Arugula Salad with Peaches & Feta - a light, very summery salad

Grilled Fruit with Apple-Maple Syrup

Even Sunscreen has Disadvantages

2009-08-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent article from AOL News: Study Finds Vitamin D Deficiency in Kids.

A study of 6,000 people, ages 1-21, showed a Vitamin D deficiency in 70% of the nation's children and teens. That's 58.4 million youth. Lack of Vitamin D is associated with bone diseases like rickets and osteoporosis. Long term effects may include type 1 diabetes, cancer, and multiple sclerosis.
The cause is sited as poor diet and lack of sunshine. Fish, shiitake mushrooms, and milk top the list of foods rich in Vitamin D. Personally, those aren't foods that often show up in my own diet. As for sunshine, study leader Dr. Michal L. Melamed said, "Kids have more sedentary lifestyles today and are not spending as much time outdoors. The widespread use of sunscreens, which block UV-B rays, has only compounded the problem." Sunburn is bad for our skin and poses more risk for skin cancer, but not every outdoor occasion requires spf 50+.

Milk (including soymilk), orange juice, infant formula, and some dry foods are fortified with added Vitamin D. However, another article posted on Reuters last year noted that "6 percent of the children fed fortified formula also were vitamin D deficient. The researchers said this raised questions about whether the fortification was sufficient." For me, this raises the question is laboratory fortification as good as the real thing?

What if there was a cure for cancer?

2009-07-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

By cure, I mean an herb or medicine that attacks only the cancer and causes no ill side effects.

What would happen?
1. Entire wings of hospitals would have to be put to different uses. Oncologists would have to learn a different specialty.
2. The American Cancer Society, the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Cancer Association, the state-based cancer associations, and the International Kidney Cancer Association, among others, would fizzle out.
3. Everything pink would need a new color...there'd be no need for all of the money-raising campaigns for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
4. Fewer hospice patients because there would be none on their death-bed from terminal cancer.
5. The life expectancy age would probably increase since chances of cancer typical increase with age. So maybe curing cancer wouldn't produce less hospice patients, just older ones who die from some other ailment.
6. Insurance companies couldn't raise premiums on people who have had cancer in the past.
7. Smoking cigarettes wouldn't be quite such a big deal since lung cancer wouldn't scare anyone. (though there'd still be heart disease)
8 Companies could start using any number of chemicals and compenents labled as "carcinogenic" because they would no longer be deadly...they'd just cause an inconvenience. Sure, people could still sue because they got sick, but the amount of money the person could get would most likely be less than it would be today.
9. The health industry (namely pharmacuetical companies, but doctors as well) would make less money off of cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation are much more expensive than an herb or medicine. According to a 2007 article from USA Today, roughly 1 in every 26 people in America have or have had cancer. In 2005, that meant 11.7 million people. By 2020, it's estimated that 1 in 19 people will have cancer at some point. Those kind of numbers equal a very lucrative business for the ones selling the treatment.

Can you think of other ways that things would change?

Obama says he will slow the rise of healthcare costs.

2009-07-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Healthcare costs are constantly up for debate right now, but costs are high enough already...there should be a way to decrease them rather than slow the increase. In our current healthcare system, we try to cover up whatever ails us. Have a headache? Take an Advil. Don't worry about asking why you have a headache. But what if we did ask why? What if we actually started targeting the root causes of the diseases and ailments rather than simply treating the effects? As a whole, we would require fewer doctor visits, fewer tests, and fewer medications. That would equal less cost for us.
However, for this to be cost effective for the average American consumer, insurance companies would actually have to pay for more than medication. They would have to look at chiropractors, certain therapists, nutritionists, and others as vital to healthcare. Also, doctors don't get paid for talking. The typical goal is to see how many patients can be in and out each day. They don't get paid extra to talk for an hour to diagnose the cause of the problem.
Targeting the cause instead of the effect is not easy. Most of us don't want to change our lifestyle or give up our favorite foods. But if we're unwilling to change any of it, then we can't complain about higher health costs. As a nation, our health is getting worse. With the current healthcare system, our worsening health requires more doctor visits, more tests, and more medication. That all has to be paid for somehow.
I believe the government is looking backwards at the healthcare problem. Their current stand keeps us sick so that an expensive healthcare system is necessary. They slack on junk food advertising regulations and allow medicines to enter the market without proper testing (Have you ever noticed how many medicines are recalled or taken off the shelves because of health problems that arose from it? Or the TV commercials where a lawyer asks if you took a certain medicine because you may be able to sue the pharmaceutical industry for a disease caused by that medicine?)

I'm not sure where all of this rambling got me or if I even made any sense. I just heard it in a radio broadcast that "Obama says he will slow the rise of healthcare costs" and thought it was a ridiculous statement.

3 Cheers for Wawa!

2009-07-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

My vacation took me to the northeast of the US where I encountered my first Wawa gas station. I stopped by one morning on my way to another overly-sweet pancake breakfast, and was very pleasantly surprised to see apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, grapes, and assorted fruit cups for sale. I hadn't seen a grocery store nearby, so I assumed there would be no fruit for breakfast this day. I was so excited to be wrong!
Now we just need to encourage other gas stations to follow suit. Are there some in your area that already sale fruits or veggies?

I know there have been many times I have had to pick up a few food items at a gas station because it was closer than a grocery store and there just wasn't time to go the extra distance. Unfortunately, the healthiest things I can usually find are a can of ravioli and a Nature Valley granola bar. If people are going to have more access to healthier options, gas stations need to be the first to jump on the wagon.

Here's my thumbs up to Wawa! I hope Exxon, BP, Shell, and the others will do the same.

Back Home!

2009-07-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

I've been on vacation for the last few days. I had so much fun, but my eating has also been so messed up. Something about long road trips makes me want to eat...especially junk food. Debbie cakes, Reese cups, Twizzlers, candy.

And then I felt miserable.

The healthier I eat, the worse I feel after too much junk food. Does that mean before I started eating healthier, my body thought junk food was all there was so it put up with it? Or did I feel worse than I realized because I thought it was "normal"?

Anyways, I'm ready for a detox or something. I missed my smoothies! I ate fruit when it was around, but it just wasn't the same as my morning smoothie. Waffles just can't compare. Don't get me wrong...I love waffles (and pancakes and French toast), but only occasionally. I ate them for 3 mornings while I was gone. Ugh.

On one good note, I still stayed away from sodas. The Pepsi was tempting sometimes since there were usually so few drink options where I was, but I still stuck with water.

Grill It

2009-07-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Grilled Squash from Allrecipes

We're in the middle of grilling season, and I'm ready to throw everything onto those hot racks. Here are some fruits and veggies you may or may not have already thought to grill:

Pineapple: slice it and drizzle with pure maple syrup. Lightly grill, then top with pecan pieces

Grapes: Drizzle a little honey over small clusters and lightly grill.

Pears: Combine brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg to drizzle over pears and toasted hazelnuts in a tin foil packet. Grill a few minutes on either side.

Try apples, bananas (sliced lenthwise), honeydew or cantaloupe kabobs, or peaches or nectarines (with skin so they'll hold together. They'll get really mushy if grilled for long.) Be creative with spices and flavors - ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.

Tomatoes - Cut in half and grill cut-side down until the cut part is darkened.

Try onions, mushrooms, yellow summer squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, peppers, corn on the cob, or asparagus - Any of them can be drizzled with a little olive oil or butter, sprinkled with salt and pepper or your favorite seasonings, and grilled. They can also soak in a marinade first.

Or make kabobs with a variety of the veggies.

I really want to try Grilled Eggplant, Tomato, and Goat cheese and Grilled Zucchini Boats.

Kitchen Behavior

2009-07-11T22:27:00.001-07:00

Off-topic from healthy eating, my cooking methods were recently described as the following:

"She's like an artist in the kitchen. Instead of splashing paint on a canvas, she's creating with food. She'll throw anything together just to see what the end result will be."

I liked that description. It fits, though I suppose it should say abstract artist. I'll try any combination of food once just to see if it works.

The Things People Come Up With

2009-07-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

I was told about a recent show on the food channel that featured gimmicky restaurants. Here's one we can award with "Most Unhealthy"...

Heart Attack Grill

Taste Worth Dying For

Photo credit: www.epsteinstudios.com & www.wpphotos.com

Heart Attack Grill is a hospital-themed restaurant in Chandler, Arizona. Customers are referred to as "patients," orders are "prescriptions," and the waitresses are dressed as nurses. The menu consists of the Single Bypass Burger®, Double Bypass Burger®, Triple Bypass Burger®, and the Quadruple Bypass Burger®, ranging from 1 slab of beef to 4 slabs. There are also "Flatliner Fries" that are cooked in pure lard, no filter cigarettes, hard liquor, beer, and full sugar coke. Doctor John, the owner, flips burgers in a white lab coat and stethoscope.

Anyone weighing over 350 pounds can eat for free every day. Customers who finish a Quadruple Bypass Burger are pushed out to their car in a wheelchair by the nurse of their choice.

I bet the skinny nurses/waitresses don't eat the food they serve...

Hormone Therapy

2009-07-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

It seems like everytime I turn around, there's an article beginning with "A recent study showed..." A bit later, there's another article that debunks what the previous article said.

I recently read an article in the May 09 edition of Natural Awakenings titled "Hormone Therapy Linked to Brain Shrinkage." The title honestly doesn't surprise me at all. Menopause is a natural thing for women, and we're trying to make it unnaturally symptom-free. There had to be some kind of consequence or reaction to this. Granted, when I hit menopause, I'll most likely be looking for whatever kind of treatment will make me feel more normal, too.

The entire (short) article is below, but the part that made me laugh was the quote by one of the researchers of how "this is not what we expected to find." Really? What kind of side effects did you expect?

Two new studies report the hormone therapy - a still commonly prescribed form of postmenopausal treatment - may slightly accelerate the loss of brain tissue in women 65 and older, beyond what normally occurs with aging. "This is not what we expected to find," reported one of the researches.

The investigating scientists, using MRI scans to look for increased volumes of brain lesions among women who had taken therapy, discovered their brain volume had shrunk in two critical areas: the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. Both of these areas are invovled in thinking and memory skills. Loss of volume in the hippocampus is also a risk factor for dementia. More than 1,400 women ages 71 to 89 participated in the study.

Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, 2009

While I don't doubt the results of the study, I do take every "study result" with a grain of salt. Most studies are not completely clear about the factors involved, steps taken, and who paid for the study. With so many contradicting studies, I expect very few to be 100% accurate. With this one for example, it sites the study group as 71-89 year olds, yet they say the therapy effects brain tissue in women 65 and older. How did they decide it effects age 65 and older?

Not All Water Is Equal

2009-07-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

I used to think that all bottled water was the same. I assumed it was taken from a clean mountain stream and filtered to whatever extent it needed. I figured it was healthier than the chlorine & flouride laced tap water.

I can admit it when I'm wrong.

According to an article (October 2008) by the Environmental Working Group, Walmart's Sam's Choice and Giant's Acadia bottled brands have levels of chlorine byproducts that are similar to tap water. Giant's brand even has flouride, making it "chemically indistinguishable from tap water."

My Spring Water lists Pepsi's Aquafina, Coke's Dasani, and Evian as "good quality" but with significant differences. Aquafina comes from a municipal source (just like tap water) and is purified through charcoal filtration, reverse osmosis, and ozonination. These processes remove virtually all natural minerals (which is good stuff).
Dasani is also taken from a municipal source and goes through reverse osmosis. A blend of minerals is mixed back in with the water after the purification process.
Evian, which I believe to be the best of the 3, is from the northern French Alps. The only filtration is the flowing of the water through the ground's sand and clay, which leaves the natural minerals.

Just from these few examples, it's obvious not all bottled water is "spring" water. Here, My Spring Water explains the different kinds of water, such as spring, municipal/tap, purified, mineral, etc.

Side Note: I rarely buy bottled water. I have a couple of travel mugs and a BPA-free plastic bottle that I refill with filtered water from home. I just thought it was interesting that bottled water could vary so much between brands. Next time I buy bottled water though, I think it'll be Evian since that's not something I can get at home.

I Want a Doctor Like This

2009-07-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

I like my family doctor - really I do. She's personable with a great bedside manner and listens well to whatever the issue is. But her focus is solely on whatever issue I came in for. We haven't discussed my lifestyle, typical diet/nutrition, or how to prevent whatever I may be at risk for. I wait for 30 minutes, see a nurse for 5 minutes, see the doctor for 5 minutes, and am out the door with a prescription in hand.

I wish my doctor was a little more like Dr. Peter Anderson, who's discussed in this article about family doctors and health-care costs. The article says:

Unlike most primary-care doctors, Anderson and his team take ample time to counsel patients, guide them through lifestyle changes, and monitor chronic conditions with frequent checkups. He has helped patients avoid heart attacks, diabetes, and unnecessary surgeries by focusing on prevention and disease monitoring. He does all this while seeing 30 to 35 patients a day, compared with 20 to 25 for most practices. And he accepts Medicare.

Anderson says he's able to do this because his nurses fill out the patient history, which is work that used to take hours of his time. According to the article, the nurses also spend about 30 minutes with each patient to assess new health problems, review old ones, and discuss preventative treatment options. The nurse also remains in the room with the patient and doctor during the exam to point out details in the medical history that a busy doctor could easily overlook.

So...when's the last time your family doctor asked about your diet or spent some time just talking about your health risks? Or suggested lifestyle changes rather than medication?

Sugar, Sugar Everywhere

2009-06-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a quickie to consider: Have you ever looked at food labels to see what kinds of food contain a sweetener?

I looked through my cupboards, and here's what I found on a few ingredient lists:

Propel water - high fructose corn syrup
Uncle Ben's rice - sugar
Mahatma Saffron rice - sugar
Ortega taco sauce - corn syrup
Ortega fajita seasoning mix - sugar
Publix brand Thousand Island dressing - high fructose corn syrup AND sugar
Wishbone Italian dressing - high fructose corn syrup
Texas Pete cocktail sauce - sugar
Ragu pasta sauce - sugar (9 grams for 1/2 cup)
Dinty Moore beef stew - sugar (in the beef gravy)
Peanut butter - sugar
Kraft Ranch dressing - sugar

In all fairness, I add a little sugar to certain homemade items. A bit of sugar in a tomato-based soup or sauce will cut the acidic tomato taste. But extra sweetener in Italian dressing? Really?

Smashed Cauliflower

2009-06-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

My goal is to try one new fruit or veggie every week. For years, I've stuck with the same basics: apples, grapes, cucumbers, potatoes, lettuce, corn, and green beans (just not all together). Trying a new one every week is a bigger challenge than I thought it would be.

Photo from Sallycat101 on flickr

This week, I tried cauliflower. I'd heard great things about mashing it like potatoes. I'd been told with the right ingredients (like cheese and chicken broth), it'd taste just like potatoes. I searched for mashed cauliflower recipes, read over a few, and mixed and matched what I liked about each one. Smashed Cauliflower from AllRecipes.com was the closest to what I actually did with my head of cauliflower. I steamed it instead of boiling it, and then added enough chicken broth for taste.

The verdict: It's DEFINITELY cauliflower. Unless someone has never tried mashed potatoes, you're not going to fool anyone into thinking they are eating potatoes. When I eat something mashed, I want it to be potatoes. Mine also came out a little runny. Some sour cream or Greek yogurt would've helped a bit. I decided I liked cauliflower, but not cooked like this. Maybe next time I'll try this Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole, but I'll follow the healthy advice in the reviews.

Take Action: Share the Good Stuff

2009-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Photo from michael.seth on Flickr

I started heavily getting into couponing a little over a year ago. I was getting tons of great deals (many things for free), building my stockpile, and had plenty left over to give away. However, most of those great deals were for heavily processed, nutrient-void foods. Throughout the past year, I've donated many bags of it to a local food bank, church, school, and whoever else could use it. In theory, this is all fine and dandy. When we're blessed with an abundance, we should share it with others who need it. I'm a strong believer in volunteer work and donations - we should all pitch in and help out somehow.

As I learned more about the chemicals and lack of nutrients in the "food," the hamster started spinning the wheel in my head. If I won't eat this food, why in the world am I buying it to subject other people to it?

For the school/church/etc.: Junk food is often a reward in schools, churches, and other kid-related groups. I've donated my fair share of junk food: cookies, ice cream, chocolate, candies, sodas, and "theater style" popcorn with lots of salt and butter. I've been blindly participating in the conspiracy to get kids hooked on junk food. It makes them hyperactive, fills them up so they don't want dinner, and gives a bad example that all of this stuff is fine for their bodies. As a teacher, class parties are the worst...cupcakes, cookies, sodas, candies. Nothing else can be done after they've had all of that. My question: How did we get started giving so much junk food to the kids? They'll still like rewards that aren't edible, and parties can include sweet fruits or fruit juices, frozen yogurt, and frozen juice pops. There are also somewhat healthier brands to replace Chips Ahoy.

And the food bank: By donating to a food bank, I may be introducing a family to a new food. If they get back on their feet, they may buy more just because they've tried it and liked it. People who receive these donations are also probably not getting many whole foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables...all they'll receive is the kind of food I donate. It will be my fault that they're eating such low-grade food.

Most food banks can't keep fresh foods, so processed is generally the only option. But some processed foods are definitely worse than others. I volunteered at the food bank in my community for a day and noticed the kinds of things they try to put in every food bag - sugar or flour, rice or pasta, grits or oatmeal, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, and canned meat, veggies, beans, fruit, and soup. I can at least donate unbleached flower, raw sugar, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and fruit in 100% fruit juice. Also, ask if your local food bank has a fridge and/or freezer - I can donate frozen veggies to the one in my community.

We can't battle the fake food epidemic and the stronghold of Big Food companies by keeping all of the good food news to ourselves. The biggest impression will be made in sharing the food so other families can try it for themselves. Let's get others used to these healthier versions by sharing "the good stuff" whenever we're donating food.

Take Action: Buy Local, Buy Local, Buy Local

2009-06-22T08:04:00.001-07:00

"Buy Local" is one of those mantras that I'm tired of hearing. It's like a popular bandwagon that everyone is suddenly ready to jump on.

But it's also one we SHOULD jump on. As much as I'm tired of being told to buy local, I do understand the advantages of doing so. It's the first step to helping our health crisis. Here are a few reasons how buying local helps:

1. It keeps more money local so it helps the economy of your own community.

2. In the long run, it helps local non-profit organizations. Local businesses are more likely to donate than larger national companies, so non-profits benefit when local businesses have profits to share.

4. The food you eat is fresher, which means it tastes better and hasn't lost as many nutrients.

3. Less environmental impact. Buying local requires less transportation for your food to get to your table.

4. Money is spread out among more people, rather than 1 large corporation. Big businesses like Kraft, Pepsi, Coke, General Mills, etc. are powerful because of their amount of profits. By buying local, you are cutting in to some of their profits, which also starts to cut into their power over government regulations.

"I Can't Afford to Buy Healthier"

2009-06-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

For some families living below the poverty level or on a fixed income, buying healthier really isn't an option. They may not have a car to drive to a supercenter or health food store. Last I checked, most corner marts and gas stations that they'd be within walking distance to don't carry fruits and veggies. Or they may have no time to scout the best prices. Families with extremely tight incomes often spend their time waiting...at the laundromat, at bus stops, etc. There's no time left to hit multiple stores. Some also just have absolutely no money for the higher priced healthier foods.

Which in itself is another problem for another day...why healthier stuff is more expensive than it's more processed counterparts.

But back to the main topic. For the majority of us that are middle class, we can't afford NOT to buy healthier foods. Ignore the double negative for a moment and think about it. By buying the processed stuff in order to shave a few dollars off our grocery bills, we're also setting ourselves up for higher risks of cancer, heart disease, Alzeimer's, etc. Across the nation, our health is quickly getting worse.

Here are a few printable coupons to help with those expenses. Quite a few are still processed, but they're at least organic or use more natural ingredients.

Alexia - Natural frozen foods (rolls, fries, onion rings, potatoes)
Bakery on Main - Join the Club to get coupons
Brown Cow - Natural yogurt
Earth's Best - Organic baby food
Enjoy Life - Allergy friendly snacks
Stonyfield Farm - Organic dairy products
Farm Rich - Frozen snacks and appetizers. Not organic but has no hydrogenated vegetable oil
Homemade Baby - Organic baby food
Horizon Organic - Organic dairy products
Ian's - Snack foods, frozen entrees, and appetizers
Organic Valley - dairy products
R.W. Knudsen - Natural fruit juices and drinks
Seventh Generation - Organic cleaning and other household products

Delicious Living - coupons for a variety of brands, such as Back to Nature, R.W. Knudsen, Lundberg, and Santa Cruz
Eating Well - Coupons for a variety of brands, like Brown Cow, Tofurky, Lundberg, and Quantum Health
Mambo Sprouts - Coupons for a variety of organic or natural products, like Rice Dream and Wolfgang Puck

It's Just My Opinion, but...

2009-06-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

Outbursts of anger really don't get you anywhere good. I witnessed an angry yelling match today between some young men with hot tempers. In the end, no one listened to the other's side and they all left frustrated and still angry.

It's ok to get angry, but how you express that anger will determine the outcome. I heard once that "you can't control what goes on around you. The only thing you can control are your reactions to it."

Well I'm angry, too.

I'm angry at the pharmaceutical companies for giving in to greed and pushing harmful, poorly tested medications onto the unsuspecting public. I'm angry at stockholders for expecting pharmaceutical companies to make them rich at the expense of others.

I'm angry at food manufacturers who willingly and knowlingly put unnatural chemicals in our foods and try to avoid us discovering all of those chemicals. And at the government for turning their backs and letting the food manufacturers come up with their own rules. And at farmers who mistreat the animals before they become dinner. And at all of us who force the farmers to find cheaper and quicker (yet more harmful) ways to grow produce and animals because we want more for less cost. Yes, I'm including myself in this. I'm angry at myself and how I fit in to this vicious cycle.

My anger is not directed at specific people, for the most part. It's a whole system that is screwed up, not just one person.

The question is, what is my reaction going to be? Keep checking back for ideas on fighting fake food and bad medicine.

My New Lunchbox Came in the Mail!

2009-06-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to eat healthier lunches, which means fewer frozen entrees (I LOVE Marie Collander's). For awhile, I was eating one almost every day.

As I started changing my diet, I was bringing more and more items in ziploc bags. I didn't want to buy and waste so many ziploc bags (I didn't do so well reusing the bags) or juggle so many plastic Glad containers with mismatched lids, so I gave in and bought a bento box from Laptop Lunches. They are free of pthalate, bisphenol-A (BPA), and lead.

Photos are from Laptop Lunches

Bento is a home-packed meal that is common in Japanese culture. According to Wikipedia, a typical meal consists of rice, fish or other meat, and a veggie. It's supposedly typically common for the Japanese to spend considerable time creating an appealing lunch.

As the bento concept spreads, we're mixing up the meals with sandwiches, leftovers, fruits, etc. Whole forums and websites are dedicated to bento lunch ideas, many of which can be prepared in 10 minutes or less.

My new lunchbox has a strong plastic smell right now, but I'm assuming that will change after it's aired out and been washed. I won't be using it much until school starts back in August, so I'll update then with whether or not I like it. So far, I'm excited about it!

Food Additives at a Glance

2009-06-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I need a translation dictionary to understand food labels. The long, hard-to-pronounce names of the various chemicals are like trying to read a foreign languarge. I'm weary of any kind of man-made chemical, but I wish I had a clue what most of the chemicals are.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has simplified the ingredient lists a little with their chart of food additives. It clearly shows which additives appear to be safe, which are harmful, and which to be cautious with.