Happy Eating

I've been hearing about the use of chia seeds for a while now, but I hadn't done any research. Yesterday I had the opportunity of meeting a lady a the gym who supplied me with an excitement for learning about it. Me and food... why do I find it "fun?"  From omega fatty acids to antioxidants, the benefits of Chia seed is amazing! (Thank you Susan! Should I pass along the info you sent me?)

Although I think my bowl of oats in the morning is a cost effective and healthy food, I do know that people need to minimize consumption of grains in general AND corn (which remember is a grain.) Corn is found in most all packaged foods and meat- even organic. Just one of the reasons for concern for high grain consumption is the omega factor. This is why when it comes to meat, you need grass fed animals since they are higher in omega 3's (remember you are what you eat eats.) Grains are high in Omega-6. This is not a bad thing in and of itself. The problem is that most everyone's ratio of omega-6 to 3's is waaaay off at about 10:1. It should be about 2:1. That said, eating more omega-3 is not enough if you do not lower your consumption of omega 6's. One important thing to know about omega-3 is that it is an anti-inflammatory.

I think every person's body is different for what their body requires, but as a basic rule... in the U.S. especially, we allow so much in our food and accept so many non-food items. I don't think the consumer is to blame and it really sucks that that we should even have to learn about what we eat. It is a very overwhelming subject and I for one, still have SO much to learn about! I am not trying to recruit anyone to eat my way... promise! :) I just get excited about food and like to talk about it all the time. I wouldn't call it an obsession, more of a passion. :) I talk to so many people that make comments or apologies about how they eat meat or even talking about it. For me, I went through stages until I finally just couldn't eat meat (even family farmed). The list of reason goes on and on!

SO, that said, here is one of my favorite sites for you meat eaters: http://www.eatwild.com/products/oregon.html

I was excited when I just put that link it because I noticed that it has a picture of Michael Pollan's Food Rules book. Never read it because from what I gather, it's a summary and sort of a hand book of the "to-dos'" from his book In Defense of Food. Maybe a great super-simple place to start???

Oh, other resources? I have even found people selling their cows, etc on Craigslist in the past. We started off just eating less meat and I wait and see what was on sale that week at New Seasons. The cost is always a shocker even when on sale. It really is the true cost. I know everything is grass fed there, but not sure about the certainty of the animals living conditions and slaughtering practices.

Food is a big subject, but just know enough to know that it is important stuff- even if it's just for the sake of your health. I can admittedly be a hypocrite at times and go through different spurts of learning and eating right. For now, my new "thing" is to incorporate Chia seed into my diet in place of flax seed.

OKAY, if you made reading this far... I'll shut up now! ☺

Eat Wild - Oregon

www.eatwild.com

Eat Wild - The clearinghouse for information about pasture-based farming.

Earth Day

Yep, it's that time of year again! I know some of us like to do something special on this day, but I like to think of it as a reminder to make some continual changes or just plain stay on track! Happy Earth Day everyday!

Millions Against Monsanto Campaign 2011

Resistant Are We?

Eco Snobbery Sucks... I don't always pay attention to all of the constant Facebook updates, but I am glad that I took the time to read one from The Daily Green who shared the Eco Snobbery Sucks blog. In the past (and I'm sure again in the future), I have had conversations with people who are resistant to living green on the basis that they could never possibly do enough anyhow. I like the idea of a clever sustainable-oriented website that addresses "green" issues in a non-judgemental manner.

If you don't read The Daily Green article, here is one section:

"According to Jeffrey, the reason he founded Eco-Snobbery Sucks is to bring attention to the oft-forgotten truth that every step taken towards green matters, big or small. According to the site's faq, eco-snobbery could also play out when:

•People look down their noses at others for not doing “as much” as they do.

•Businesses make their operations or products seem more eco-friendly than they really are.

•Manufacturers charge an unfair “eco-premium” for products that don’t warrant it."

My Position???

Hard to swallow, but the cost of organic food is really the true cost of what it really takes to grow and produce it. We (especially in America)  are really mislead by the prices we find for conventionally grown and processed foods. There really is a big veil. The result? A lot of hidden ingredients contaminated by GMO foods and chemicals used for mass production.

The FDA  and the food industry says it's safe to use and eat GMO's, pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics and additives including food dyes. Yes, the average American consumes unimaginable amounts of these on a daily basis. This is safe? Out of the thousands of years that man has been on earth we only began ingesting these man-made substances as of the 21st century. Just keep in this in mind... plenty of money is to be made at our expense. Tell me this, is a box of Cocoa Puffs fortified with vitamins and made with GMO whole grains really food? (Answer: no.) Good 'ol marketing has us eating from packages labeled "healthy" and most of us believe it is. I personally don't trust fake foods that have only been around a short period of time. Don't tell me this huge scientific experiment on our bodies is safe after such a short period of time.

It has been said that we shouldn't 'go cheap' when purchasing meat. If you are forced to pick whether to choose between organic meat or produce, pick family farmed meat and  go conventional with produce. When you eat meat, you are eating a mass build up of all of the chemicals that the animal has eaten (consider all the GMO, chemically sprayed corn that ALL conventionally grown beef, chicken and pigs eat... you are what you eat eats.)

In an ideal world, we would all be consuming family farmed, organic meats and vegetables without having cheap substitutes as an option. (Can't you just see all the rainbows and butterflies- ha ha.) Money is a problem? Personally, I would rather live more healthy and not spend my time and money in a hospital or doctors office wondering, "If I had only eaten differently, would I have be healthier?" Don't get me wrong. I'm not feeling fear driven.  I just don't see why I would choose fake foods over real foods when given the option.

Food has become political. Far too many reasons why, but, one major powerhouse (if you don't already know) is Monsanto. Nothing could link money, industry and government more than this. They have dominated the GMO industry and there are many elected government officials who used to play strong roles within the Monsanto corporation. For further details, check out Organic Consumers Association.

P.S. I didn't even mention refined foods and sugars!

"What's Wrong With Our Food System"

He's really got it down!

Kevin's Law

This really shouldn't be old news... rather, it should be "old" law. Video on Kevin's Law is a perfect example of why industry should have tighter regulations in the meat industry. As for commodity crops (guaranteed to be GMO)... that's a whole other ball game that needs change!

Do You Ever Eat REAL Food?

Courtesy of Project Swole

"‎20 Healthiest Foods That Are Actually Unhealthy Foods"


These 20 healthy foods are actually unhealthy foods, but you probably thoughts they were the healthiest foods of all. Don't fall for foods labeled fat-free, low-fat, and reduced-fat. Learn more.These 20 healthy foods are actually unhealthy foods, but you probably thoughts they were the healthiest foods of all. Don't fall for foods labeled fat-free, low-fat, and reduced-fat. Learn more.




Allow me to provide a quick summary of the site's list of “healthy food”:

Fat free, but full of sugar and chemicals.
Reduced fat, but increased carbohydrates.
Low fat, but high glycemic index.
Sugar free, but artificial everything else.
No added sugar… because the all natural version has enough sugar to give you type II diabetes anyway.
“Diet” food, but it causes cancer in lab rats so don’t drink/eat too much of it.

Run for Congo Women

Want to make a difference in the lives of women in the Congo? Consider donating to my Run for Congo Women on June 26th in Portland. All proceeds benefit Women for Women International, a non-profit funding education and skills training for women in war-torn countries.

We have a great team of ladies participating in the run. Our team is named after a woman of war that I currently sponsor out of Kosava who is benefiting greatly from the Women for Women International program. Please visit our personal fundraising page: http://www.active.com/donate/RFCWportland2010/belkize



Learn more about the movement at www.runforcongowomen.org.

Bon Appetit!!!

Side Note: By far, the most toxic contributor to damaging the environment is eating animals i.e. industrial animals. 99% of the U.S. meats come from industrial farms.

What do you think about when you eat chicken? If you don't want to know what your really eating, stop reading now... but, for the sake of argument... again, ignorance is not bliss!

So, let's say you could care less about the environment. Let's say that you could care less about being insane and torturing animals. Consider this from the USDA:

"Retained Water in Raw Poultry Products

Poultry is not injected with water, but some water is absorbed during cooling in a "chill-tank," a large vat of cold, moving water. The chill-tank lowers the temperature of the slaughtered birds and their giblets (hearts, livers, gizzards, etc). During this water chilling process, turkeys and chickens will absorb some of the water, and this amount must be prominently declared on the label. It is not unusual for poultry to declare 8 to 12% retained water on the label."
 
Now consider this: That "chill-tank" is notoriously know as "fecal soup."
 
"Water in chill tanks has been aptly named 'fecal soup' for all the filth and bacteria floating around. By immersing clean, healthy birds in the same tank with dirty ones, you're practically assuring cross-contamination. Chickens that bathe together get contaminated together."

This is a random site, but what they're discussing is common practice. So, if  this doesn't bother you then by all means...
bon appetit!!!

Eating Animals

As some of you know, a few years back I went through my I'm-totally-grossed-out-by-meat/dairy-vegan stage. Although I went back to eating meat, I haven't drank milk since. Things have changed again. This time my reasons are not simply based on what makes me nauseous during pregnancy... this is about health, the environment and animal welfare. I honestly cannot see looking back.

I've been trying to continually educate my self. After reading book after book on the food industry, my children and I will no longer be consuming industrial meat. Of course, I wish the same for my husband. It is indefinite on whether we will be eating meat again at all; eating the occasional family farmed animal isn't the most horrible thing on earth. Family farmed and "humanely" slaughtered animals are an exception that I am half-way comfortable with at this point.

My dog is dead. I do not own pets and I don't wish to. My point? This isn't about being an "animal lover." I thought I knew what was in my food... I read... I thought I knew again... then I read and read and read. The latest? Eating Animals.

Wagering

Why is it the EPA's responsibility to prove that plastic chemicals are unsafe rather than the manufacturers proving it's safe in the first place? This week in TIME there is a huge spread on just this very subject. It is not published online yet, but I recommend suffering your way through the article if you happen to come across the magazine.

Toxicologists say that as long as the toxin levels of a said product in your body is low enough, it is considered "safe." Common sense tells me that out of all the thousands of new chemicals introduced into our modern synthetic lives in the past century, there hasn't been enough time to deem them "safe." We've lived thousands of years without them.... why is it so necessary now? Guess that new gadget or toy is more important than our health.

Green Cleaning

I was flattered when Kara told me that her mom's friend wanted to interview me for an article on homemade cleaning products. There are so many people around me that I feel know just as much or more than I do about the subject. So, I was a bit intimidated to say the least! The article is supposed to be out either the first or second week of April in The Beaverton Valley Times. I should have included their Sustainable Life section in my last blog as one of my favorite websites!

On the subject of cleaning products, today's email from EWG was on that very subject. Much more thorough than I could ever be! Check out their Healthy Home Tips. In case you don't read the article, one important thing to know is that manufactures are not required to put the ingredients of cleaning products on the label.

Guess who's back?

I want to continue this monotonous blogging subject of living more sustainably. Life's Fruit is too much of an integrated passion of mine. There have been too many passed up opportunities that I have seen something that I wish I would have written about.

Everyone has different things that drive them… green can mean protecting your health and environment. For some people, they may only have concern over certain part(s) of our ecosystem. Making new choices in how we live our life's can be overwhelming. Therefore, when we make lifestyle changes it is a good idea to do this slowly so that we don’t get discouraged with our new “inconveniences”. Since people are convenience and money motivated, I've seen where this has prevented them from incorporating green practices OR people simply turn a blind eye. Ignorance is not bliss.

Before getting into a general overview of areas of our life’s that may need examined, I'd like to add that I realize we all need a strong foundation. For my family it begins with Cornerstone Builders, Inc. We have a strong belief in building green and our company not only supports our family through ethical practices, but has the potential making changes throughout community.

With family in mind, please remember to educate your children! Keep in mind that with each change you make it is an opportunity to teach your children and get them involved. Whether it's hands on teaching or reading them a book such as Wangari's Trees of Peace or The Lorax, I have found that my children are very receptive.

Minimize Garbage
• Recycle everything- Plastics of almost all kinds can be recycled. Visit Far West Fibers; they take more than curbside
• Compost- Metro Paint on Swan Island has program or a home-made one
• Cloth Diapers- search Craigslist
(This saves money because we have very little garbage to dispose of.)

Food may seem expensive, but once you learn a new shopping system you will find a new way of looking at food and a new ease in buying. Although quality food seems expensive, this is the true price of what it cost to make food. In the end you will pay less financially for your health and environment. Cheap food is only cheap because we pay taxes that subsidize farmers, but only benefits agribusiness. All the while the environment, public and farmers suffer the consequences. If you want to educate yourself some more, a great and easy read to begin with is In Defense of Food although there are lots of great books out there!
• Eat Local
• Join a cooperative market
• CSA’s (community supported agriculture)
• Farmers Markets
• Eat family farmed animals
• Grow a garden
• U Pick- fun for the whole family
• Eat in season
• Learn to can/freeze

Organic? Sometimes you have to make a choice. Do I eat strictly for my health and not for my environment? Organic is not always better if it means buying food that had to be shipped from afar. You won’t get the same assurance if it’s not USDA-accredited, but local means it’s going to be fresher and grown in much smaller crops than industrialized monocultures (Monsanto.) This makes the crops less dependent on chemicals. What’s my pick give the option? Local, organic and family farmed animals of course!

Air Quality… Rid of Toxins:
We are exposed to a lot of toxins and synthetic products in our homes. Some may not seem extremely harmful, but when you are exposed to them in multiple facets on a daily basis and can prevent it, why not? Remember that we need to properly dispose of chemicals.
• Change cleaning products in home;most can be home made.
• Rid of plastics, but at a minimum, do not use with food especially in microwaves.
• Change and check on safety of products: hair products, soaps of all kinds including laundry/dish, make-up, toothpaste and lotions.

This very basic beginning to changes that are available. No matter whom you are or where you live there is always something that you can be doing that is more sustainable.

Here are few additional resources:
• Eat Wild The #1 Site for Grass-fed Food & Facts
• EWG (Environmental Working Group)
•Organic Consumers Association
• Earth911
• Oregon Environmental Council

OCA... Valentine's Day...

I'm always trying to explain the importance of fair trade to my husband. Just last week I unsuccessfully tried to stop him from buying a 10 lb bag of chocolate chips from Costco... "If you only knew the real cost of that chocolate."


Break the Chains of Toxic Pesticides and Child Slavery on Valentine's Day

Now is the time of year when more than 20 million Americans are buying sweets and flowers for their loved ones on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, these tokens of love aren't as sweet or pure as they may appear. Over 40 percent of the world's conventional chocolate (i.e. non-organic and non-Fair Trade) comes from Africa's Ivory Coast, where the International Labor Organization and US State Department have reported widespread instances of child slavery. Meanwhile, commercial flowers, most of which are produced in countries such as Colombia, are the most toxic and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth. Supplying the global market, poorly paid workers in Third World countries put in up to 18 hour work days for poverty wages during peak flower buying times such as Valentine's Day. But don't let the bad news squelch your Valentine's plans. Show your love by choosing Fair Trade and organic flowers and chocolate for your Valentine's Day gifts."

I'm a Follower... Again.

I often think about my blog and the lack of it. My first blog entry titled, "Copy Cat... Following the Lead" was written October of 2007. I was kicking off my green blog by giving a huge thank you to Grateful Lisa a.k.a Lisa. :) After quite some time of following her blog The Thanks Ranks I was feeling really inspired.

About a year ago she converted to Twittering as a way to continue her thankful messages. Even if it was short lived, it was still a wonderful way of simplifying life. I have been on Twitter since July of 2007 and have not really made much use of it. As I'm sure you can guess, I think I'll end the madness and convert as well. So, let me end this blog the way it started: "Thank you Lisa!!!!"

I'm a bit sad about the whole idea of not blogging, but really... I don't blog!

Follow me???

Organic Make-Up

I apparently never posted this??? Weird...but, anyway...

For my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to switch my make-up to organic. This took a lot of experimenting and exploring to get to a point of satisfaction. From Costco's mineral make-up to Physician's Formula Organic Wear, I now have make-up across the board. Here are 2 of my favorites though:

Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 clinically proven natural mascara
Cargo PlanetLove TM Overall, the line is awesome.

Along the same lines, I almost skipped past another Portland Pick. It's an organic self tanner by Lavera! Who knows if it works, but it's definitely got my attention. I'm going to explore what they have for organic make-up options as well.

Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

In a sense, blogging has become a way of creating my own personal reference guide for resources and products that I come across. Anytime I want to to refer back to something from my past finds, I can jump online and do a search in my blog for whatever is on my mind.

So, thanks to EWG's (Environmental Working Group)2009 Sunscreen Guide I can look up lip balms, sunscreens and SPF moisturizers to see just how effective and safe they really are.

I was a bit disappointed to find that Alba Botanica Sun SPF 32 Kids Water Proof sunscreen wasn't rated as high as I would have liked. I was so excited to have found and purchased an affordable mineral sunscreen... just to find out that it still falls in the "caution" category. Not the best, but not the worst. Apparently, it contains oxybenzone, which is something to avoid. Of course this meant I had to do some real reliable online research to find out what that all means. Just like with any other toxin absorbed into the skin... you may or may not ever suffer any consequences from it's use. DrSugar gives us the lowdown as wells as a resource link for oxybenzone-free ideas:

"Since oxybenzone in an ingredients in well over 600 sunscreens, it can be a challenge to find ones that don't contain it. Here are a few options:

Natural Sun SPF 25 Sunscreen for Active Lifestyles by Aubrey Organics ($8.50/4 oz.): It is a broad spectrum sunscreen and although the label doesn't say it is water- or sweatproof, it is the brand's sunscreen for water activities.
Oat Protein Sunscreen SPF 30 by Kiss My Face ($13/4 oz.): Water-resistant and broad spectrum, this sunscreen uses the mineral titanium dioxide to block the sun's rays.
SPF 30 Sunscreen by Vanicream ($15/4 oz): This sunscreen is non-comedogenic, meaning it won't block your pores or cause blackheads. It is a broad spectrum sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide."

Banana Paper

It's fun getting Portland Pick's email every week, but more and more I find myself skipping past it. Every once and a while there is something green related inside, so I'm glad I opened it this week:

"Yes, We Have No Bananas

We love giving journals as gifts, but sometimes we get to thinking… how many virgin trees were cut down to make that adorable little notepad? Gulp! Suddenly our altruism feels a tad sinister.

But then we found banana paper. Made from totally sustainable banana leaves, a banana journal not only sounds cute, but is good for the planet. Next time you’re in the mood to journal (or give a gift), check out the banana paper options at Eco Paper.com. Good for you!

www.ecopaper.com"

Hear Me Out?

Everyone loves a fanatic, right??? ;) As much as I know I can annoy many people with my... well, let's say "obsesssion" with living green... I just truly have a deep desire for people to be able to make informed decisions about how they choose to eat and live.

"Pesticide use has increased 50-fold since 1950, and 2.5 million tons of industrial pesticides are now used each year."

I've always been aware of pesticides, but I guess I justified consuming pesticide filled foods. I think some how I rationalized that that the government actually protects our health. Come on... is 52 pesticide residues on a peach even close to reasonable? Check out What's On My Food? to see from A-Z what the USDA Pesticide Data Program has listed.

Whether we are messing with the environment or our own health, it shouldn't matter. Nature's rhythm is being disrupted at every turn. Pesticides are contaminating our food, water, bodies and contributing to CCD with Bees. Talk about screwing up the natural order of things! No Bees = No Food. This is a very real scare going on around the world. The Vanishing of Bees is an upcoming film on just that very subject.

Check out PAN North America to learn more, but for now, here is one piece I found interesting from PANNA:

"In the environment
Pesticides don’t stay where they’re applied. They drift from their target and are carried in our air, oceans, rivers, groundwater and soil. They contaminate ecosystems and can poison fish, birds and wildlife. Water supplies around the world contain measurable amounts of pesticides, including atrazine. Atrazine, a suspected endocrine disruptor recently banned in Europe3, is the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S."