on my mind monday 12.17.12

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.

Minimum age for energy drinks - While teens may be upset about it I think this is a good idea.  A better idea would be to get rid of these kinds of drinks altogether.  Banned overseas and with some reports linking these drinks to consumer deaths it is not something to take lightly.

Eat for happiness - often we think we're eating for happiness when we're actually eating for pleasure.  Sadly we're also unaware of the effect that this can have on us.  My friend Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution points out that many people with depression, anxiety, and other neurobiological disorders frequently do better when they change their diet.  Perhaps it's time we all learned to eat for happiness.

Fruit and Veggie Prescription - As the saying goes, 'Let food be thy medicine." And in D.C. providers at one health care clinic are encouraging just that, food as preventive medicine.  I love the thought that people are getting prescriptions which they can use at farmer's markets.  This will hopefully encourage them to return  on a regular basis and to being to use whole foods, fresh foods, as part of their diet.  Hopefully this program will spread across the country.  It is already possible to use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or what used to be called food stamps, at farmer's markets.  I believe encouraging people to connect with their local farmers, rather than a fast food joint, the better off everyone will be.

Plastic Pollution - I've written before, here and here about plastic, its impact on our environment and on our health.  We've cut back tremendously on how much we use but it still surrounds us, from our toothbrushes, deodorant containers, freezer bags, and remote controls to the sewing machine, packaging on items we buy, dvd covers, and food containers.  It's very very difficult to get rid of plastic in our life.  This article showing the overwhelming amount of plastic that finds its way into the ocean it mind-boggling.  Time to get Beth Terry's book Plastic Free: How I Kicked The Plastic Habit and How You Can Too to find more ways to bump it up a notch.

Expanding the season: I was happy to see this blurb about more farmer's markets being open for a winter season.  While most people tend to think of farmer's markets as providing fresh spring and summer foods (think lettuces, tomatoes, peas, peppers, strawberries, and such) there is a whole season that has been bypassed.  Farms can, and do, also produce a bounty of fall and winter crops that are so delicious and bursting with nutrients.  Winter squashes, root crops, and citrus fruits are just a few.  If more farmer's markets are able to expand their season it means more sales for the farmer, more fresh, local food for you. It's a win for everyone.

Here's a video of an American farmer talking about his concerns about the state of farming in this country and global climate change.



In addition to the impending publication of The Pantry Principle there are some exciting developments coming up for my newsletter which will be offering some content not found here on the blog.  If you're not already signed up, now's your chance.

photo: mconnors

on my mind monday 6.25.12

news | photo: mconnors

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

Jumping Jacks Aren't Enough - In this excellent article by Michele Simon, author of Appetite For Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back, she points out that the Let's Move campaign created by Mrs. Obama isn't all of the story.  Yes, moving and jumping and being more physical is important for kids (and adults too).  However diet plays a huge part. Getting proper nutrition (and nutrition education) is key to helping children to understand the connection between what they eat and their health.  Sadly the purveyor's of the worst offenders for our diet don't want consumers, especially children who could become life-long consumers, to be well educated about their choices.  Read the article, read the book and then look again at what's in your grocery cart.

All About Breasts - I've talked about breasts before, mostly in talking about breast feeding here and here, also in talking about a recently published book on nutrition and breast cancer.  Now there's another new book that's going to have to go on my reading list; Breasts: a natural and unnatural history by Florence Williams.  Breasts serve an important function when it comes to nourishing our babies and as a part of our hormonal health.  However because they are made largely of fatty tissue which tends to accumulate toxins, they can also be the repositories for our exposure to a toxic world.  Should be an interesting read.



Greener soda bottles? - no, not really.  Plastic is a problem, a big problem.  As I mentioned in an on my mind monday post a couple of weeks ago just because manufacturers stop using BPA doesn't mean they aren't using other bisphenols.  And there are all sorts of other nasties out there when it comes to plastic.  Not to mention how bad it is for the environment.  I've written quite a few posts about plastic, the stuff is everywhere.  It's hard to get rid of; I'm still working on my one-step-at-a-time effort to get rid of it.  Mostly by following Beth over at My Plastic Free Life who has a new book, Plastic Free.  I'm doing better than I was a year ago but this reminds me I need to step it up again and look for more ways to remove more plastic from my life.



Kale isn't Chikin - I am a huge fan of Bo Muller Moore and his Eat More Kale t-shirts. I asked my kids what they thought...was there any confusion between kale and chicken in their minds.  After they finally stopped laughing I explained this lawsuit to them and they were highly incredulous.  I love the fact that Bo is making the film, A Defiant Dude and am rooting for him.

Contact Me to learn how you can $ave on high quality pharmaceutical grade supplements.


disclaimer: cmp.ly/5

pondering plastic

Yesterday was another Holistic Mom's Network twitter party.  The topic of conversation was plastic and it's insidious presence in our homes.  It may seem innocuous but really there's more than meets the eye.  All week long as I was waiting for the twitter party I looked around my home at all of the different ways we use plastic.  I was stunned to realize that there was far more than I thought.

plastic bags | photo: Trosmisiek

Many people have given up the paper or plastic question at the grocery store and bring re-usable grocery bags.  One of my challenges these days is to not use the thin plastic bags that the grocery store gives out in the produce section. I think the time has come to make some produce sacks, the challenge is that it's not nice and see-through for the clerk.  I don't use many of them, trying to take produce by itself whenever possible; however for some things like beans, mushrooms, etc it's not really feasible.  So I'm planning on working on that to reduce my plastic usage.  As we discussed last week when talking about paper....it's one step at a time.

The expert in charge of the twitter party was Beth Terry who blogs over at My Plastic Free Life and goes by the twitter handle @PlasticfreeBeth.  Her website is full of amazing information, links and resources on the steps to a plastic free life page including this great video on making produce bags from old t-shirts.  In addition to Beth's wonderful website there is also a lot of useful information to be found at Earth 911.

BPA laden receipts | 

The startling thing for many is learning just how pervasive plastics are in our lives.  Many of us focus on BPA because that's what's in the news.  There's even a study currently underway to examine the blood of cashiers to see how high their BPA levels are because they handle receipts all day long.  Those receipts are coated with a powdery form of BPA that transfers easily (something to think about next time you eat a snack after purchasing it and handling that receipt).  As Beth points out, it's important to remember that BPA-free does not mean it's totally safe.

I also learned that chewing gum is made with polyvinyl acetate.  Seriously?  Apparently the only brand of gum currently available that is all chicle is my favorite Glee gum.  But I confess to sometimes having other gums as well.  Not anymore.  I discussed this one with my husband last night and we will no longer be buying other gum.  Turns out this will also reduce our plastic packaging because Glee only packages in cardboard.

Even more disturbing was what I learned about bio-plastic.  This is being touted as the best replacement because it is supposed to break down.  However it turns out that many bio-plastics are made with GMO corn.  Since I try to avoid GMO foods it bothers me that this product is still finding it's way into the environment.  According to one thread in the party last night some bio-degradable plastics have a mystery ingredient that helps them to break down faster.  Researching it on the internet I come up with the information that that chemical is "proprietary" and so does not need to be shared with the general public.  Other information states that it may "leave some toxic residue but the environmental impact is lessened."  This is not something that I want in my environment at all.

glass straws | photo: Wizdomseeker

Just as with last week, the subject of straws came up again.  Of course you can get glass straws from Glassstraws.com or you can purchase stainless steel straws.  What I thought was really cool was discovering this link to a tutorial on making your own DIY travel cup.  I can see that I'm going to make re-evaluating my travel container choices my second priority after those fabric produce bags.  And don't forget to carry your own travel beverage with you.  If you travel through airports it can go empty through security and then be refilled on the other side.

PlasticfreeBeth set forth a Plastic Challenge.  I'm not quite ready to do that yet although I will be paying more attention to the plastic usage around our house. After last night, and after watching the trailer for the documentary movie Bag It this morning, I'm certainly more educated and more committed to making changes.


It's 9:00 a.m. and already I've handled the following plastic:

light switches

household plastic objects | photo: cjp24

toothbrush
toothpaste container
dental floss container
shampoo bottle
razor
deodorant container
mascara container
lipstick container
eye liner container
cell phone / case
supplements/vitamins containers
computer
pen

and probably a few other things that didn't creep into my awareness.  Whew, that's a lot of petroleum product!  Definitely need to look around and see how I can reduce my usage.

Do you have any great non-plastic tips?  I'd love to hear them.