on my mind monday 4.2.12

news | photo: mconnors

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  This is a snapshot of what I find interesting; information about health, nutrition, and holistic living.  Here's what's on my mind.

Light It Up Blue - Today is World Autism Awareness Day.  With rising rates of autism, which many believe has strong ties to chemical influences in our food and environment, it is important to be more understanding and supportive of those families affected by this disease.  I'll be wearing blue today to show my support.

Beekeepers say we're running out of time - There appears to be more evidence that pesticides are behind the tragic decline of bees.  Bees are so important to our agricultural system, without them there is no pollination, and without that many crops cannot reproduce.  A recently filed lawsuit claims the EPA violated   the law on several counts.  We need to think more about what is good for the planet rather than concentrating only on the bottom line.

Kale is not chikin - Chick-Fil-A continues to press it's lawsuit demanding that Bo Muller-Moore, a t-shirt artist in Vermont, cease and desist in the creation of his t-shirts.  This multi-billion dollar company apparently feels that they own the rights to the words "Eat Mor" and that folks will be very confused when presented a choice between his "Eat More Kale" t-shirts and their Eat Mor Chikin campaign.  I'm happy to say Bo is going to make a documentary about this corporate bully.  I'm also happy to say that I helped to fund this documentary and I'm looking forward to watching it when it comes out.

Artichoke - I've just planted one and am looking forward to seeing how it grows in my Texas garden.  Aside from being delicious, artichokes are a great source of vitamins, K, C, and folate.  They're also a good source of magnesium, manganese, and potassium. One delicious artichoke also provides a lot of  fiber.  For those of you just starting your gardens or starting seed for later crops, here's a neat tip on making your own bio-degradable plant pots.

Governors supporting pink slime - leaving aside the financial contributions that BPI has made to these political leaders who are trying to put a positive spin on this product the fact remains that this is not a good food choice.  It is the leftover bits that the company is trying to eke a profit out of an then hitting up with ammonium hydroxide.  In many countries this product is only considered fit for dog food.  I don't even think it should be fed to animals.  The original term Lean Finely Textured Beef makes it sound like food however it doesn't override the fact that now consumers know what it is and THEY DO NOT WANT TO EAT IT.  I know I'm shouting there but I find it very frustrating when companies feel that their corporate profits are more important.  I choose not to eat this product, I encourage others not to eat it and I'm thrilled that fast food restaurants and grocery stores are bowing to consumer demand and removing this product from their shelves.  Now we need to get it out of the school system and out of the food supply.

Hopping for health - I confess that I no longer have a gym membership.  I never made it to the classes because my schedule never seemed to work out and I get bored by the machines after a while.  For some people gyms work well and that's great.  I've been using walking, bike riding, yoga, and strength exercises at home as my form of exercise.  I know that I'm not getting enough impact exercise which is important for bone health and to help prevent osteoporosis.  This looks like a lot of fun and I'm going to make one on my patio and see how I like it.  Either that or start borrowing neighborhood kids and playing hop scotch.


Luckily we had a very mild winter.  My eggplant and pepper plants did really well and managed to last through the winter.  Now they're loaded with blooms.  I'm going to try to help it along by pinching, as he suggests.  My hot pepper is already producing lots of peppers and I'll let that go, but my bell peppers and eggplants will get a trim.  We'll see what happens.