on my mind monday 11.5.12

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.

Jump rope for health - With the colder weather coming it may not be as comfortable to exercise outdoors.  If you've got a good clear space in your home consider trying jumping rope.  I'm impressed by how much exercise you get in just a short period of time (believe me, it's a workout).  This video showed me a couple of new steps which was pretty cool.

Cows making human milk - this is one of the most disturbing GMO developments I think I've seen yet.  Cows that have been genetically engineered to produce human milk.  If you can't drink cow's milk, don't drink it.  Let's not try to cash in on the dairy industry by making cows give human milk.  One of the disturbing things is that the baby cow who has been created from this experiment has no tail.  Scientists are claiming that this is unrelated to their genetic manipulation but I'm not convinced.  I fervently hope that this experiment is shut down.

New Season's CEO leaving to create a chain of healthy convenience stores - this is an idea that has been needed for a long time.  Huge numbers of people are looking for this sort of option, especially when they are on the go with errands or if they are traveling.  The biggest issue, as I see it, will be getting all those people who say they want this to actually utilize it once it happens.  I'm excited about this idea and hope it grows.

Chipotle signs fair food agreement - Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the environmentally-friendly-chemically-clean-non-gmo-organic food issues that we forget to think about the human cost, the ethical side of food.  Some of this was highlighted in the book Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook, but mostly, as consumers, we never see this side of our food.  This agreement is only a small part of what is needed, but it is a step in the right direction.

Unreal Candy - I'm not a big candy person, although I admit to liking some as a treat now and then.  Most candy is loaded with garbage (artificial colors, preservatives, GMOs, etc) which goes a long way toward keeping me away from it.  Now it appears there's a company that's created a candy bar which is a little bit better for you in that it has no garbage ingredients.  They do use agave nectar which, admittedly, I'm not a fan of, but overall their ingredient list is pretty amazing.  If you plan to try it keep in mind it's still sugar and still something that needs to be a treat, eaten in moderation.

As long-time readers know, I am a huge proponent of finding ways to cut down on food waste.  This video is a reminder about just how much we throw out in this country with a lot of thoughtful commentary on how we can reduce our food waste.