Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Why is eating healthy so difficult?

Last week I worked about 60 hours and didn't have time to write a post. Fortunately, this week wasn't quite as crazy. As an added bonus, I'm feeling pretty mellow today and don't have any angry rants saved up. I've talked about organic skin products most recently, so I want to get back on the topic of food today. It is, after all, my absolute favorite subject. We've been following the happiness diet as closely as possible, and I really do think it's making a difference in our lives. I haven't been as quick to get super depressed, and J seems to be focusing a little better. It's funny how quickly he jumped into the concept, even going so far as to start weaning himself off sugar. He hasn't given up everything, of course, but I have him thinking about food more and about how foods affect the body.

Overall, the diet is great...we've been able to adapt all our favorite recipes to the basic premises with very little trouble. I also split 1/4 of a grass-fed cow with a friend, and it's awesome having a freezer full of meat. I also signed up for weekly specials with Whole Foods and Fresh Market and take full advantage of any sales they have on grass-fed meats...having a deep freezer is such a blessing. On the negative side, I'd forgotten how difficult (and expensive) healthy eating can be. We have a tight budget, and to make the most of my grocery money, I'm only buying veggies/fruits for two or three days' meals at a time...that way they're the most nutritious AND I'm not throwing any food away because it sat around too long. The downside, of course, is that I now make two or three trips to the store every week, which is a bit of a pain, and have to buy from four different stores (not including farmers' markets) because I can't find one that carries everything I need.

One of the biggest challenges I've faced is that buying organic food (local as much as possible and U.S. grown at the very least) means that I'm only getting food that's in season. I don't know what to with turnips or kale or mustard greens to make everyone like them, so it's a constant learning process. I've also learned that peeling oranges, which are in season at the moment, is not my favorite thing to do. Sometimes the peel is thin, sometimes it's thick. Sometimes it comes off easily, sometimes it doesn't want to come off at all. Sometimes I get shot in the eye with juice because I'm frustrated and squeeze too hard. My computer monitor is covered in sticky drops of orange juice, but the real thing is so much healthier than store-bought juice that I keep fighting.

That's not to say we haven't made great strides in some areas. Thanks to my new favorite cookbook, I now make most of our bread at home, and it takes very little time...which is good since I have very little extra time. The only thing I haven't mastered is making hamburger/hot dog buns that are whole wheat yet soft, and this book doesn't have recipes for that stuff. I'm experimenting with what's there, though, and will post any successful recipes here. In the meantime, here's a link to the book in question...I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to make bread at home (thereby avoiding all preservatives and unnecessary sugar). It really is easy once you get the hang of their technique. Before you leave the site to check it out, don't forget to feed the fish! :)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

You are what you wear??

Last week I intended to write about organic cosmetics and skin care products, but instead went on a rant about the FDA. This week, I'm trying to get back on track, but every time I read the news, I find out something else irritating (see below). As many of you may know, I've recently become an independent consultant for a company called alex+von. A+V has partnerships with small businesses who create and sell healthy, chemical-free products--everything from makeup to skin care to body wash to shampoo and conditioner. Many of these products are completely organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Since the products contain only ingredients found in nature, your skin isn't absorbing anything harsh or toxic. The best part to me (in addition to the obvious health benefits) is that you can order items at any time and have them delivered directly to your home, which means you can order from anywhere in the U.S. and don't have to wait on my crazy schedule to receive your items. :)

My original plan was to promote the 100% Pure Hand Buttercream today, which has been a lifesaver this year. Every winter my hands get so dry, the skin ends up cracking and sometimes bleeding. I've tried dozens of lotions, as well as homemade remedies, but this is the first time anything has worked. It's a small tube (2 oz.) but only costs $8 and is fairly concentrated, so it lasts a good while. I use it once in the morning, and then again at night if needed...most days I only need one dose. And it comes in four yummy "flavors": lavender, vanilla bean, coconut, and honey almond.



However, yesterday I came across an article in the Washington Post about lead in lipsticks, which has since been picked up by other news outlets. Apparently, the FDA doesn't have any restrictions on how much lead can be included in cosmetics--even something you're putting on your lips and possibly ingesting small amounts of! (This is the same FDA who doesn't want anyone drinking raw milk. Their decision to implement harsh regulations of small companies while being lenient to huge corporations is interesting, to say the least.) It took me a while, but I found the full list of 400 lipstick shades that contain trace amounts of lead (most likely from mineral additives), which you can read here. I was pretty shocked, because the brands include not only top cosmetics companies such as L'Oreal and Maybelline, but companies that I always thought were more natural, including Burt's Bees and The Body Shop. :(

Thanks to reading that article, I feel compelled to also promote healthier alternatives to common lipsticks, such as the 100% Pure Sorbet Lip Gloss (which my mother loves) or the Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze. There are several other options as well, if those don't sound appealing, so be sure to check out the full line of products offered at alex+von. If you order anything, please make sure I'm listed as your consultant. I'm working hard to become independent of the typical job situation, and every sale gets me to closer to being a work-at-home mom! As always, don't forget to feed the fish. :)

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

You are what you eat...

I'm on a soapbox today, so bear with me. In 2009, President Obama appointed a man named Michael Taylor as food safety adviser to the FDA commissioner. Michael Taylor is the former vice president of public policy at Monsanto. Monsanto, in case you don't know, is a large corporation that's been around for a long time. In the past, they've created such exciting things as Agent Orange and pesticides. More recently, they've begun to diversify their interests, especially in the food industry where they've introduced genetically modified organisms (GMO) and growth hormones (re: steroids) into food of all kinds.

Taylor spent many of his Monsanto hours blocking testing of GMOs and lobbying against clearly defined labeling. Now this person is in a high position at the FDA...whaatttt? During his tenure so far, he's spent taxpayer money on prosecuting dairy farmers who are selling raw milk, claiming that raw milk carries dangerous food-borne illnesses. (According to the CDC, only .5% of reported food-borne illnesses can be traced to raw milk, but let's not let the facts stand in the way.) Additionally, the FDA under his watch has rung in the new year by making it easier than ever for livestock companies to inject all kinds of antibiotics into meat, including cephalosporins, which were banned before now. And you can't always trust labels that say otherwise, thanks to his belief that the public doesn't need to know everything. As a final note, the FDA approved the use of the sweetener neotame (derived from aspartame) for broad usage despite having undergone minimal testing on humans. This was done in 2002, by the way. Interestingly enough, neotame was created by Monsanto (surprise). Even more interesting? The FDA doesn't require companies to list it as an ingredient on packaging labels. Anyone who's consumed any processed food in the last DECADE has ingested this sweetener unknowingly.

We have to step up and demand better!


To sign a petition for the removal of Michael Taylor from the FDA:
http://signon.org/sign/tell-obama-to-cease-fda.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=2418028

For more information about neotame:
http://www.feingold.org/PF/neotame.html
http://www.neotame.com/

For more information about recent changes in antibiotic policy:
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Safety/chemical/penicillin_0206121231.html

For more information about raw milk legislation:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/10791-states-consider-raw-milk-legislation

For articles/blogs related to Michael Taylor:
http://sundial.csun.edu/2012/02/former-monsanto-exec-taylor-not-fit-to-serve-in-obamas-fda/
http://americanvisionnews.com/1674/former-monsanto-lawyers-now-fda-czar-leads-raids-on-amish-organic-producers
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/01/michael_taylor_fda_petition.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/monsanto-petition-tells-obama-cease-fda-ties-to-monsanto/2012/01/30/gIQAA9dZcQ_blog.html

Thursday, February 2, 2012

What did you call me?

I can't decide if I like the term "foodie" or not. As far as words go, it seems fun and light and happy, but it isn't well-defined. I checked urbandictionary.com for the definition, and there several ranging from someone who likes to talk about food in general to someone who is a food snob and will only eat gourmet munchies. I'm definitely no food snob. Give me a juicy cheeseburger over caviar any day of the week. I do love food, though. A lot. I love to eat food, talk about food, cook food, read about food, plan meals, try new recipes...well, you get the idea. In that sense, I suppose I am a foodie. But here's the real issue I have with the word--the long "e" sound tacked on to the end of a word is often slightly demeaning (groupie, roadie, etc.). Is "foodie" a compliment or a curse? Who knows.

Random rant aside, I've decided to start a new blog thanks to my recent addiction--healthy eating. For years I've tried to follow the accepted standards on healthy eating: low-fat, low-calorie foods. Then I read a book that completely changed the way I thought about food and dieting. Anyone who knows me is aware that I don't gross out easily, and it takes extreme effort to put me off food. This book made it perfectly clear that half the foods I eat--half the foods and additives that our government approves--are not only unhealthy, they're dangerous. I won't bore you with all the details here. If you're interested in healthy eating at all, please buy a copy of The Happiness Diet by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey as soon as possible. They have some very compelling arguments that the current government-approved diet is harming us on many different levels. I've always taken things like this with a hefty dose of skepticism, but since reading the book, which came out late last year, I have seen a number of articles confirming some of their key points. I just read two today--one on the dangers of sugar and one on a gross additive that fast food places have just recently chosen to remove from their hamburger meat (the additive includes an ammonia derivative). Since reading the book, I buy organic as much as possible and make all our bread from scratch...things I barely have time and money for, if you want the truth, but that's how strongly I feel about their research. The best part is, we can eat so many things that are not normally considered diet food (including my beloved cheeseburgers). So check it out if you can, and stay tuned for additional posts. I can't promise more than one a week, but I'll try to share recipes and any good organic products/brands I find in my personal healthy eating quest. Cheers and don't forget to feed the fish!