Monday, November 26, 2012

on my mind monday 11.26.12

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition, and holistic health.  Here's what's on my mind.

Southeast Paying Price For High Antibiotic Use - While overall antibiotic use is dropping, some areas of the country are not dropping as quickly as others.  This is problematic as those areas tend to show higher levels of antibiotic-resistant infections (including urinary tract infections).  It is important to remember that antibiotics should be taken responsibly.  Only take them if you really need them, take them according to the schedule written by your doctor, and finish your entire prescription to ensure that you do not potentially breed superbugs.

Fat blocking soda - Pepsi is at it again.  Trying to make an unhealthy product appear to be something that might be good for you.  Soda is not, is never, a healthy choice of beverage.  Fat blocking soda is just ridiculous.  By adding a dose of what is essentially an ingredient found in laxative Benefiber they are claiming it will block fat and help you lose weight.  My prediction is that this one won't last long.  It's kind of like the 7-up with anti-oxidants which was shut down for making nutrient claims.  Looking for fat blocking foods? Eat fiber-rich foods rather than drinking a chemically concocted, empty calorie beverage.

Edible deodorant - While I will be the first to tell you that many deodorants have ingredients in them which are unhealthy and should be avoided, I'm not a fan of this product. First we don't know that it will work well for everyone as we are all bio-individual and there are no guarantees when it comes to body chemistry. Second I'm not convinced that the ingredients are going to be that great. Instead consider using the EWG's Skindeep - Deodorant List.

Water Conservation - is still in the news. As I've written before it's something we are definitely thinking more about (especially in light of the letter we recently received from our utility district informing us that water rates were going up by 14%). This is an issue that is not going away and I believe will have a profound impact not only on our water but also on our food (we need water to irrigate, wash, cook, etc).  Our big effort right now is looking for ways to get rid of more of the lawn. I'd love to hear any water conservation ideas anyone else has.

Veggieducken - Wow, what is it with us and combined foods? It's certainly not a new concept and is something that's been around for ages, but lately the idea seems to be regaining popularity. The turducken (a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken), a cherpumple (a monstrous three cake three pie combination) and now this. I will confess this one could be a WWME food but I'm not sure I'm willing to invest all the time it would take to make one.

I wanted to share this video from my friend Karen who talks for the first time about her personal journey with Crohn's. Thank you Karen for your willingness to share and open up about your health and your condition.

1 comment:

Sam said...

I assume you have a rain barrel or two? Have you tried Creeping Thyme or Vinca as a ground cover? Water, the lack of it and the wasteful overuse will be our biggest issue in the future. Look at our food prices now, and the drought in the Mid-West is not ending anytime soon. Eat local and eat in season are not concepts we take to heart as a country. And we should. And ditch the lawns in the desert, folks!