Zucchini "Pasta"

A great raw dish, perfect for summer. This is from Whole Living magazine.

16 oz cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
4 TB torn fresh basil
4 TB extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
sea salt, to taste
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced lengthwise, slices cut into 1/4-inch-long strips (like fettuccine)

In a bowl, combine tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, basil, and oil.  Season with salt.  Let stand for 20 minutes.  Toss with zucchini and garnish with basil.  Serves 4.

How Diet Soda Causes Weight Gain

Check out this informative video:

Peaches and Cream Gelato

The Problem With Diet Foods

One of the big contributing factors that motivated me to go into the study of nutrition was peering into other people's carts at the grocery store.  I admit it... I can never help but watch in curiosity as the shopper in front of me loads their selections onto the checkout belt.  And it's not the really obvious "junk food" that gets to me the most.  I tend to think that people who load up their carts with things like ice cream, soda, pizza, and chips know that they aren't make the best choices, and either don't care or are not ready to change. 

No, it's the ones who clearly do want to change,  but are missing the mark.  The ones who - knowingly or not - are putting their desire for weight loss ahead of their health.  The ones who are filling their carts with fruits, vegetables... and "diet" products.  Diet sodas.  Diet frozen meals.  Diet bars.  Diet peanut butter.  Diet orange juice.   Those blasted 100 calorie snack packs. 

Low cal!
Sugar free!
Fat free!

These are the people who kind of break my heart, because while they are so earnestly trying to lose weight, they are consuming things that both harm their health and actually hinder their weight-loss efforts.  Why?   In the simplest terms of terms, because our bodies were designed to deal with, and be fueled by, food..... and these products are not food.    Our bodies don't know what to do with them, so they store them, and make us sick in the process.

Ever stop to think about how a packaged product that would ordinarily have fat be fat free?  Or how a product that would ordinarily have sugar be sugar free?  Or how a product that would naturally have many calories suddenly have just a few?

They are processed - even more than normal.  Ingredients are removed, and replaced with chemicals.   More chemicals are added for shelf life.  Or color.  Or taste.  Or simply to disguise that the fact that there really isn't any palpable food present.  They are then wrapped and packaged and labeled in such a way that we're led to believe that they are a smart choice.  Look!  Only half the calories of the original version!  Look, no sugar!  No fat! 

NO NUTRITION.

Losing weight permanently and/or returning to a state of good health means learning to eat good, whole foods.  It means learning to pay attention to what it actually is that you're putting in your body.  It means learning to recognize and be mindful of portion sizes.  Eating these kinds of artificial, packaged foods not only doesn't get you closer to your goal, it takes you further from it.  It damages your health, and it hampers your progress.  It doesn't teach you how to eat, and it doesn't create good habits.


Let's get back to eating food.  Let's know where our food comes from.  Shop the outside aisles of the grocery store (or better yet, avoid the store all together and shop the local farmer's market!)  Stay away from the pre-packaged, overly processed foods, especially the diet products. 

And if you want a small treat, by all means have one!  But make it yourself, under conditions you can control, and with ingredients you can pronounce.

Pasta with Oven-Roasted Vegetables

This is one of my favorite pasta recipes.  It is great for summertime, especially if you have home-grown veggies!  You can add any other vegetables you'd like in here too.

2 TB olive oil
2 TB red wine vinegar
2 TB chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cayenne (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
2 zucchinis, quarted lengthwise
2 medium red onions, quartered
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
3 or 4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed
1 lb linguine or spaghetti

In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, cayenne, and salt.  (If you've used a lot of extra veggies, and/or if you like it a little more "saucy", double the amounts given to make sure it's all well-coated)  Set aside.

Preheat the oven broiler, and cook your pasta until al dente.

Arrange the vegetables on a baking pan.  Broil until they are tender, around 5 minutes per side.  Remove them when they are done, and transfer to a cutting board.  Let them cool slightly, and then coursely chop.  Toss the vegetables with the dressing.  When the pasta is done and drained, toss it with the roasted vegetables and serve immediately.

What Are We Feeding Our Kids

I couldn't sleep last night, and I turned on the TV.  I don't usually watch live television so I - thankfully - miss most of the commercials.  Last night though, I happened to catch a commercial for Pediasure Sidekicks.  There were a bunch of kids playing soccer, and a mom was complaining about her child being sluggish.  Cut to the kid, who is running around in a french fry suit, and to the goalie who is inside a giant chocolate sprinkly donut. 

"Well kids are what they eat!"

And then the kid who drank the Pediasure Sidekicks comes running out of nowhere, makes the goal, and saves the day.

I'm admittedly not a big fan of foods marketed towards kids in general.  Not just things like the techni-colored sugary cereals, juice drinks, and gummy fruit snacks (which most people will agree are not good choices)... but also the Gold Fish, the granola bars, and my personal favorite:  the Lunchables.   My issues with these foods are lengthy, but my biggest complaint is that they offer no nutrition, and are aimed towards children:  people who are rapidly growing and developing and need good nutrition more than at any other stage of their life!  

You can imagine then, my enthusiasm over this drink... this artificial, chemical laden cocktail that is supposed to take the place of actual food.  When the commercial was over, I couldn't help myself;  I had to go look up the ingredients.

This is what you're getting for your money when you invest in a vanilla flavored Pediasure Sidekicks drink:

WATER, SUGAR (SUCROSE), MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SOY OIL, SHORT-CHAIN FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE; LESS THAN 0.5% OF: CELLULOSE GEL, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, MAGNESIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT (SODIUM CHLORIDE), POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CELLULOSE GUM, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, ASCORBIC ACID, CARRAGEENAN, SOY LECITHIN, MONOGLYCERIDES, m-INOSITOL, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, TAURINE, FERROUS SULFATE, dl-ALPHA-TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, L-CARNITINE, ZINC SULFATE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, NIACINAMIDE, MANGANESE SULFATE, THIAMIN CHLORIDE HYDROCHLORIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, CUPRIC SULFATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, FOLIC ACID, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, BIOTIN, POTASSIUM IODIDE, SODIUM SELENATE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, PHYLLOQUINONE, VITAMIN D3, AND CYANOCOBALAMIN.

Um.  It doesn't matter if you can't decipher what any of that says.  Does any of it sound like food to you?  I'll save you the time and decode it for you:  it's basically sugar water with some artificial flavors and a whole bunch of other harmful stuff thrown in.  It's even worse than something like soda in my opinion, because where soda doesn't claim to be anything other than what it is:  a fun, sparkly junk food that everyone and his brother knows isn't a healthy choice, this is masquerading as something that is good for your child, something that will help you fill in those nutritional gaps.

It is NOT good for your child, and it won't help fill any nutritional gap.   Kids need protein, yes.  They need carbs, and good healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals.  They need food.  

Fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, eggs = food

Sugar, fructooligosaccharides, soy protein isolate, cellulose gel, artificial flavors, monoglycerides = not food.

It's an old adage (and it was created for drugs, not food), but please, please, when it comes to products like this, Just Say No.

Cabbage, Radish, and Cucumber Pressed Salad

This recipe is from Alicia's Silverstone's The Kind Diet.  I love this book, and it's the one I go to when I'm feeling.. blah... and really want to clean up my diet.  I made this tonight, and it is delicious!



From The Kind Diet:

Pressed salads are an interesting twist on fresh salads;  by lightly salting and pressing the vegetables, they become more digestible while retaining all their live enzymes.  In fact, the word "salad" comes from the Italian herba salata, which means means "salted herb."

This recipe uses vinegar rather than salt to wilt the vegetables.

Serves 2 to 3 people.

5-6 leaves napa cabbage, very thinly sliced
3 red radishes, thinly sliced
3 whole scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 TB umeboshi vinegar
1 TB balsamic or brown rice vinegar
1 TB toasted sunflower seeds

Combine all vegetables and fruit in a large mixing bowl.  Add the vinegars and massage the vegetables with your bare hands until they begin to wilt and release some liquid.  This may take a few minutes.  It should feel quite wet by the end.  Form into a mound and place a small plate on the vegetables within the bowl and place a weight on top (a full tea kettle of a big jar of juice) to press the vegetables.  Press for 20 to 30 minutes.  Pour off the excess fluid, and give the salad a good squeeze with your hands.  Taste it;  if it tastes salty, give it a quick and gentle rinse under cold water, then squeeze it again.

What Does "Natural" Mean?

The other day, I ran out to a local grocery store - not my normal store - for some peanut butter.  Few things fluster me more than shopping in unfamiliar stores.  First, it's a project just to find the right aisle.  Then, if you want to be any kind of conscientious consumer, you need to pick up and read all the labels to really see what it is you're buying.  I rarely have to read labels at my regular stores, because I've already read them.  I know what brands I like, and I can pop them in my cart, and be in and out in no time.

But I wasn't at my regular store.  I was at a store down the street from my house, and I was staring at the selection of peanut butter.  I knew I could just ignore the regular Jif and Skippy, but I was intrigued to see how many brands had cropped up that had the word "Natural" all over their packaging.   I picked one up:  Peanuts, sugar, salt, safflower oil.   Next one:  Peanuts, sugar, salt, safflower oil.  I looked at about four before I resigned myself to the fact that I would be buying the most expensive one there:  the only one that had an acceptable ingredient list:  Organic Peanuts.

The "natural" brands did not contain hydrogenated oils, nor did they contain things like mono and diglycerides.  So they were, if you want to be technical about it, more natural than their counterparts.  But were they healthy?  Of course not.  You don't need to add sugar to make peanut butter.  You don't need to add oil either... peanuts have plenty of their own oil.   And therein lies my problem with the "natural" labels.  Well-meaning people buy them thinking that natural = healthy. When in fact in a lot of cases natural doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot of anything, other than the fact that they feel they can charge more.  There is no standardization for the natural label, which means that anyone can use it any time they deem it appropriate.

Rather than looking at the front of the package, and getting seduced with words like "natural", do the work, know your ingredients, and read them.

Update

Despite my lack of posts, I have thought of this blog frequently over the last couple of months. In December, I was busying studying for, and taking, my final exam. It was finally submitted just before the new year, along with my essays, book reports, and nutritional assessments.

I think that I was left with little energy with which to blog, read, or write about nutrition/natural health topics for fun, since so much of what I was doing was work.

But, I'm back. :)

I'm working on revamping my blog, and will be making a Facebook page soon. I hope that you (yes, you, all 2 of my faithful readers) will join me over there as well.

In the meantime, here's a great article I just read this morning about exercise and its link to the immune system, specifically the flu.  From naturalnews.com:

(NaturalNews) Staying physically fit may reduce your time spent sick during cold and flu season by nearly 50 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from Appalachian State University and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Researchers followed 1,002 adults younger than age 86 for 12 weeks in either the fall or winter of 2008. Participants reported how much time they spent exercising and rated their own fitness on a 10-point scale. The researchers found that after adjusting for potentially complicating factors such as age, body mass index, education, fruit intake, marital status, mental stress and sex, people who exercised at least five days per week spent 43 percent less time with an upper respiratory tract infection than people who exercised one or fewer days per week.

The reduction in sick time was caused both by lower infection and quicker recovery rates.

People who self-reported as highly fit spent 46 percent less time sick than people who reported low fitness. Severity of illness was also 41 percent lower in those who reported high fitness or high levels of aerobic activity.

In contrast to the strong results seen in the study, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of the much-hyped flu vaccines. Critics allege that the shots are unreliable and unnecessarily expose people to potentially severe side effects.

"The bottom line is that there is no real advantage in having a flu shot," writes Andreas Moritz in her book Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation.

"Certainly, given the frailty of so many of the oldest members of society, there is absolutely no reliable way of telling whether the flu or something else may have led to their death. The death rate in and out of the flu season is actually about the same. But then, as we have seen with AIDS, statistics can be manipulated in ways that support theories which have only one objective, to keep the medical business going."

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031089_flu_infections_physical_fitness.html#ixzz1Bz7Dheyi

Resolutions of Good Health

Today is New Year's Day. All across America, people are dusting off and lacing up their running shoes, vowing to get in shape, lose weight, and eat better. This will be the year they'll get healthy. THIS will be the time they'll be successful.

Or not.

The best piece of advice I've ever heard about New Year's Resolutions - or any kind of resolution - is that in order to be successful, they need to be specific. A general pronouncement of "eating better and getting healthier", while surely a worthwhile and noble goal, is so vague as to be almost unattainable. Choosing a resolution without a specific and clear-cut intent can mean setting yourself up for failure before you even begin. How do you even know if you've achieved it? Who decides what "healthier" means anyway?

A small, specific goal (or lots of them!) is easier to focus on, easier to reach, and easier to pave the path to what is truly greater health and long-term success.

A few examples:

1. Pick one unhealthy vice (soda, pizza, the sugar in your morning coffee, etc) and go without it for one month. After a month, you won't miss it.

2. Go through your cabinets and give away everything with high fructose corn syrup. Start reading labels and stop buying anything that contains this ingredient.

3. Switch your cow's milk with rice or almond milk

4. When you go shopping, try a green vegetable you've never tried before. Pick a new one the next time.

5. Start taking a multi-vitamin

6. If you're not a breakfast eater, begin starting your day with a piece of fruit

7. Make a date with yourself to exercise at least three times a week, and show up!

8. Take some time every day, even if it's just 5 minutes, to meditate, do yoga or tai chi, or pray

9. Stop buying foods with ingredients you can't pronounce

10. Throw away anything with artificial sweeteners or colors

11. Pick a hobby you've always wanted to try, or a class you've always wanted to take, and do it

12. Forgive someone

Have a blessed, happy, and HEALTHY 2011.

Ten Simple Rules

I read this today, and loved it for its simple, but profound message.  I thought it was perfect for this week of Thanksgiving.  

Five rules for happiness:
1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries. 

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

And because Thanksgiving often revolves so largely around food (and because happy and healthy need to go hand in hand), here are five more to get you from turkey to pie.

6.  Find a way to help 

7.  Eat only what you love 

8.  Eat slowly and with gratitude and mindfulness

9.  Drink lots of pure water

10.  Focus more on the people you're with, and less on the food

I wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Coffee - The Good, The Bad, The Delicious

 I love a good cup of coffee. Love the smell, love the taste, love the feeling of the warm mug in my hands. If I were to make a list of my top go-to mood boosters, coffee would forever be near the top of the list. There have admittedly been times in my adult life when I was drinking it excessively, and times when I've stopped drinking it all together. These days I have a cup or two (organic, of course :)) on most mornings, and every now and then a cup in the afternoon as well.

Some people will advise that you should avoid coffee outright - and for certain individuals that is indeed the best course of action - but for most of us, coffee is a perfectly healthy addition to our diet when used in moderation, provided you don't load it up with sugar and/or artificial creamers (more on that later). Its benefits, beyond its taste, are numerous.

Moderate coffee consumption (from 2 to 4 6-oz cups, depending on your source) can:

1. increase alertness and elevate moods

2. improve short-term memory, as well as increase work capacity and the ability to perform intellectual tasks more easily

3. improve physical endurance

4. reduce your risk of developing Parkinson's Disease, Alzeimer's, type 2 diabetes, and dementia

5. deliver heart-healthy antioxidants

6. reduce your risk of certain cancers

7. dilate your bronchial tubes, making it useful for asthma

8. naturally relieve pain, particularly headaches

9. increase your metabolism

10. reduce your risk of gallstones

That's the good news. Unfortunately, some of the very attributes that make it *good* for you can also have the opposite effect. Caffeine is a stimulant, which means that in addition to boosting moods, alertness, and performance, it may also raise blood pressure and respiration rate, and can cause heart palpitations in some people when consumed in excess. It can cause a jittery and anxious feeling. It increases the release of certain hormones. It can contribute to insomnia. And even in moderation it can be habit-forming, causing withdrawal symptoms such as headaches when you stop your use.

Everyone's body is different. As with any food or drug, if your body is telling you it doesn't like it, don't use it!

Avoid it completely if you have hormone imbalances, problems with colitis or ulcers, symptoms of Candida, anxiety or insomnia, or if you are taking contraindicated medications (ask your doctor)

A couple of final caveats:

~ Conventionally grown coffee beans are one of the most heavily sprayed crops, so it is always worth the time and money to find a good organic brand, especially if you drink it frequently.

~ Always use pure, filtered water.

~ Loading it up with cream and sugar not only adds unnecessary calories, but also adds its own health concerns. Non-dairy "creamers" such as Coffee Mate are nothing more than hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, and chemicals. Avoid those completely. The same goes for artificial sweeteners (Aspartame, Splenda, etc) Please don't use them... in coffee, or anything else.  If you really need it creamy, use real milk or half and half, and make it organic.  And if you have to have it sweet, a small amount of real sugar - while not the healthiest choice - is always a better option than its artificial counterparts.  You can also sweeten with stevia, and use non-dairy milks such as almond milk.

If you're conscientious about it, make good decisions and use moderation, then by all means:  drink up and enjoy your morning cup (or two) of java... guilt-free.

Hot and Spicy Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This is one of my favorite go-to vegan dinners. Lots of tender crisp broccoli and a spicy and flavorful sauce. It is also a great introduction to tofu, and one I'd even recommend to those with tofu trepidation. The key is to cook it until it has a skin on it, and is turning a nice golden brown.

The recipe as written does not make very much (2 to 3 servings), so I always at least double it for our family of 6.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup room temperature water
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
hot red pepper flakes, to taste (we serve it with more at the table too, so people can spice it up as much as they like)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 (or more) cloves garlic

In a medium sized skillet, saute the tofu in the oil over medium high heat until it is lightly browned. Remove from the pan, place it in a bowl, and saute the broccoli in the same pan for a couple of minutes, just till it is bright green and tender-crisp. (You can saute them together, but I like to do it in two steps because it keeps the tofu more intact) Remove the broccoli from the pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in the pan and cook on medium-low heat until simmering one minute. Return the tofu and broccoli to the pan with the sauce. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes. Serve over brown rice.

What's Wrong With Our Food System

We can all learn something from this well-spoken and well-informed 11 year old.

Big Pharma

I have used prescription medications. My kids have used prescription medications. In all likelihood, we'll all use them again at some point in time. I think pharmacology has its place, even for those committed to living a natural, holistic lifestyle, but the business as a whole has turned into something ugly. Prescriptions are far too widely and freely handed out, and people are accepting it as status quo, instead of doing their own research.

What are you prescribing?
Why do I need it?
What are the side effects?
What are the alternatives?

This video is from a former pharmaceutical rep, who talks about the industry and its purpose (hint: it's not to make people well)

This text will be replaced by the player

Vitamin D and the Immune System

I am a firm believer in the power of supplements,  and think it's a good idea for everyone to educate themselves both on the merits and the proper use and precautions of available formulas.  In addition to a good multi, an antioxidant (containing A,C,E and selenium), and an EFA, my kids and I supplement with vitamin D, especially during cold and flu season.  Research is strongly in its favor, as briefly outlined by this short article from naturalnews.com

(NaturalNews) A new study out of Oxford University pinpoints vitamin D deficiency as a culprit in serious illnesses like cancer and autoimmune disorders. According to the report, which was recently published online in the journal Genome Research, genetic receptors throughout the body need adequate vitamin D levels to prevent these and other serious illnesses from developing.

Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Chron's disease, leukemia -- these and many more diseases are often caused by a lack of vitamin D. Your genes literally have receptors that need vitamin D in order to properly express themselves. If there is not enough of the vitamin, serious illness is prone to develop.

The Oxford team made specific observations about the importance of vitamin D in the genome regions associated with autoimmune diseases and cancer, noting that the nutrient is absolutely vital in helping to prevent these diseases from forming.

"Considerations of vitamin D supplementation as a preventative measure for these diseases are strongly warranted," expressed Sreeram Ramagopalan, author of the study.

However, current recommendations for vitamin D intake are unacceptably low, and many nations are considering updating their guidelines. The U.S. Institute of Medicine, for example, recommends getting a mere 200 to 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day, an amount far too low to have much therapeutic effect.

Since summer sun exposure creates about 20,000 IU of vitamin D in the skin in just 15 minutes, supplementation with at least 5,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily, particularly during the winter, is preferable. Healthy blood levels of vitamin D are somewhere between 50 and 80 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), so many natural health professionals recommend having a "25 OH Vitamin D" blood test performed to check these levels.

Sources for this story include:

http://health.usnews.com/health-new...

The original article can be found here.

 

Homemade Granola

Thanks to my friend Alice for sharing this awesome granola recipe. I followed it as written, except I added a splash of pure vanilla extract and I left out the pecans. DELICIOUS!

Full of fiber, and a good source of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Definitely not low calorie though, so go easy if you're trying to lose weight (and don't make it when you're starving like I did!)

Granola

5 cups old fashioned whole oats
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg


Spread oats on rimmed baking sheet, bake at 350 for 10 min. Mix all other ingredients in large bowl, add warmed oats and mix well. Spread again on baking sheet and bake 13-15 min. Let cool and store in airtight container in fridge.

Milk Does NOT do a Body Good

In my last post, I mentioned my belief in avoiding dairy.  This video, from a few years ago, mentions just a few of the reasons why. 

Humans are the only mammals who drink the milk of another species, and the only mammals who drink milk at all past infancy/young childhood.  Besides all the other factors touched upon in the video, our bodies just weren't designed to drink cow's milk.

What's in Your Fridge?

My favorite part about shows like Losing it With Jillian is when she goes through their refrigerators and cabinets and starts pitching the bad stuff into a trash bag.  Some of it is obvious... everyone knows that things like potato chips, cookies, and ice cream are not healthy choices.   When it starts getting interesting to me is when she gets to the less obvious items.   A lot of people don't realize that most crackers, cereals, and breads contain ingredients that make them unhealthy as well;  that many traditional juices, yogurts, and granola bars - yes, even things that are marketed as "healthy" - are overly processed and contain high amounts of chemicals, preservatives, additives, high fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil.   It actually makes me a little sad to see people clearly trying to make an effort at weight loss, and stocking their cabinets with *diet* products that will not only hinder their efforts, but adversely affect their health as well.

Let's get food back into our houses!

This is my own fridge, after a recent and fairly typical grocery shopping trip.  In the interest of practicing what I preach,  here's what I believe we could change, and where I think we've gotten it right:

On the top shelf is almond milk, organic skim milk, organic cottage cheese, prickly pear lemonade, and orange juice.  Cow's milk is an infrequent purchase for us.  I actually don't recommend dairy at all, unless it's organic, and even then it's best to use it sparingly.  For me, it's just linked with too many health concerns to ignore, and we were really not designed to digest it.  But, we buy it sometimes for various reasons, so there it is.  Almond milk is a great - and yummy - alternative to cow's milk, and it's a staple for us.  The lemonade is not overly healthy, but it is free from artificial colors and high fructose corn syrup, and is pretty much lemon juice and real sugar.  The kids picked it out as a special treat at the health food store, and it is not a typical purchase for us.

The next shelf has grapes, bread, Smart Balance spread, and eggs.  It took us a long time to find a healthy bread that we love.  It's the store brand of our local health food store, and has just a few ingredients - organic whole grains, honey, sea salt and yeast.  We spend way too much money to get eggs that are organic, free-range, and omega 3.  Just like my meat post, those labels don't always mean as much as we would like them to, but they are a much healthier - and tastier! - egg.  Until we find a local supplier that we like, or get egg-laying chickens to raise ourselves (and please, feel free to email my husband to tell him why we need to get chickens!) these are the next best thing.  As for the Smart Balance:  there are health reasons to avoid butter, and even more health reasons to avoid margarine.  I like Smart Balance because it tastes good, is made with (mostly) healthful oils, and is non-hydrogenated.  Earth Balance is another one that I like, and use when I want something completely vegan  (Smart Balance contains whey).  Both are far from a perfect foods though, and should also be used in moderation.  Also somewhere on that shelf are peanut butter - a brand that contains only organic peanuts and salt, and an all-fruit spread.

Under that is baby carrots, more eggs, and shredded cheese.  I already gave my opinion on dairy, and am noticing there's an oddly high amount of it in this picture!

The drawer below that generally holds tofu and whole wheat tortillas.  Like the bread, it took us a long time to find the tortillas.  Virtually every brand in the grocery store is bad news.  I have made them myself, but have never liked the finished product as well as the kind we get at the health food store.  I'll leave those up to the professionals for now.

The silver bowl is chilling cookie dough.  Yeah that's right :)

There are so many advantages to baking your own treats from scratch!   It's fun, especially with the kids;  they taste better;  and you have total control of the ingredients.   There are no preservatives or chemicals or artificial junk unless YOU add them.  You can make them healthier with whole wheat flour, less sugar, more favorable fats, etc, but even a white sugar/white flour/full fat variety is infinitely better for you than its store-bought counterpart.   They're still not nutritional superstars though, so they're not everyday items.

The rest of the fridge is fresh produce.  A lot of what we buy depends on availability, season, and price, but typically we have a few kinds of leaf lettuce, baby spinach, brocolli, cauliflower,  tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, green peppers, onions, apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, berries.   The more produce in our fridge, the happier I am. 

The biggest thing I'd get rid of, or at least reduce, is the dairy.  I suppose you could take the cookie dough away too, but I'm pretty sure you'd like me a whole lot more if you left it.

**Edited because my husband just pointed out the bottle of beer on the door.  It's not mine.  It's his, all his.  I don't like beer, but if I did, I'd place it in the cookie category... a treat to be had in moderation.  I also don't drink a glass of wine (who me?) a few times a week, and I definitely, definitely don't enjoy a margarita every now and then.**

Understanding Meat Labels

I am a vegetarian at heart. I've been a vegetarian off and on for most of my adult life, and while I'm not currently eating a completely vegetarian diet, I'm still fully convinced of its benefits... benefits to health, the environment, and of course to the animals themselves. Our household eats mostly vegetarian, and we are happy and healthy doing so.

But.

We do eat meat occasionally, and what I eventually came to realize is that the majority of issues I had with meat eating (mainly those pertaining to non-humane treatment of the animals) could be remedied by eating the right kind of meat. The right kind of meat is also far healthier than traditionally raised meat, it is better for the environment, and it is more socially responsible.

So what IS the right kind of meat? Labels are confusing, and largely misleading. You may pay far too much for a cut of meat because it claims to be "all natural" or "organic" or "grass-fed." Depending on where you buy it, and where it originally came from, these labels can mean - or not mean - very different things.

Here are a few things to know if you're buying beef at a grocery store:

Organic - Beef that is labeled organic is not allowed to have been given antibiotics. It can, however, have been given other drugs. It could have been treated inhumanely, and fed corn and other materials outside of its natural diet. It could be shipped from other countries, and it could have been fed animal by-products. Its production could have used environmentally harmful practices.

Humane - Just as the label implies, beef that is marked "humane"  did not receive any inhumane treatment.  It was not restricted access to free range roaming and feeding, and it was not fed animal by-products.  It could still have been given antibiotics and other drugs.  It could have been fed corn.  It could have been from foreign countries, and had multiple ownership.  Its production could have used environmentally harmful practices.

Grass Fed -  Unless you know where it's coming from, and are aware of the source's practices, grass-fed means just that - it's from cattle that are fed grass (which is what cattle are designed to eat!), and not allowed corn and other non-native materials.  They could still be treated inhumanely, given antibiotics, restricted access to free range, had multiple owners, participated in environmentally harmful practices, etc.

Natural -Natural beef is not allowed to be given antibiotics, nor fed animal by-products.  It could still have been fed corn and other non-native materials (including grain treated with pesticides and herbicides), treated inhumanely, restricted free-range access, be from foreign countries, etc.

Antibiotic/Hormone/Pesticide Free -  This label simply means they weren't given whatever drug is stated.  Any or all of the other harmful, unnatural, or inhumane practices could still have taken place.

Any of the above labels could be meeting the criteria for healthier, natural, more humane meat, but the problem is that the labels as they stand do not require them to do so... which means that you really don't know what it is you're getting, no matter what the packaging says.

So where DO you want to buy it?  Locally!   A local farm or ranch that raises its animals from birth to slaughter the old-fashioned way:  100% grass fed and free-range, with no antibiotics or other drugs, no corn, and no animal-by products.  Animals that are treated humanely their entire lives.  Farms that do not use practices that could harm your environment, and farms that directly benefit your own local community.  Farms that you let you visit!

A good farm or ranch will be able to answer "NO" to all of the following:

• Antibiotics
• Pesticides and Herbicides
• Fed corn and other non-native materials
• Inhumane treatment
• Feed-lot finishing
• Prolonged restriction to access to free-range
• Multiple ownership before slaughter
• From foreign countries
• Fed animal by-products
• Environmentally harmful practices
• Practices that don't directly benefit the local economy

Buying local, 100% grass-finished meat is the best way to know that you are getting meat that is healthy, as well as environmentally and ethically conscientious.  Buying locally also ensures you know exactly where your meat is coming from.  The ranch that just sold us our beef will, upon request, give you the number of the actual cow your cuts of meat came from.   That's a big deal, especially to a former/quasi-vegetarian like me.