Know your food and CA ballot initiative

Just participated in the I Will Know My Food Campaign, sponsored by Stonyfield, which makes luscious yogurt, among other products. I encourage others to participate, who are interested in knowing what’s in their food and making food choices that protect their health, family, farmers, animals and the planet. It’s fun and easy.  And, with every new Food Superhero Profile created, Stonyfield will donate $1 to FoodCorps (http://foodcorps.org/)

https://iwillknowmyfood.com/#home

And, awesome news: here in CA, voters will be the first in the country to decide whether to require that genetically modified foods  be posted on labels, so consumers know what they’re getting. You can probably figure out where I stand on this issue:) California has always been a trendsetter in voting for cleaner air, cleaner gasoline, etc. And, the rest of the country always follows suit.

Here’s an excerpt from an article about this issue:

The initiative requires labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – which are plants or meats that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses, or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds in that food. This type of genetic alteration occurs in a laboratory and is not found in nature.

Polls show nearly unanimous support across the political spectrum for labeling of genetically engineered foods. Nine out of ten voters in the U.S. and in California back labeling, according to recent polls (see Mellman 2012, Reuters 2010, Zogby 2012). An April poll by San Francisco TV station KCBS found 91% backed labeling.

For the full article:

http://www.carighttoknow.org/content/california-voters-decide-gmo-labeling

Liquid Fasting

I had heard about various types of liquid fasting, but had never tried one. The Master Cleanse with only cayenne pepper and maple syrup for days at a time was definitely not for me. So, a few weeks ago I tried a one-day juice fast for the first time. I did it on a Saturday and tried to keep my activity to a minimum so I didn’t overexert myself from lack of food.

I used Jamba  Juice to supply the juice, since their juice is so fresh. I got a large orange-carrot juice in the morning and drank it every 2 hours, which pretty much covered breakfast and lunch, since it was a whopping 32 ounces. For the afternoon, I got their red veggie/fruit drink, and drank that in stages for the next few hours. For dinner, I cheated a tad and had lentil soup just to get some protein. By using different colored juices, with so many fruits and veggies, and then having the soup for dinner, I felt like I got as much nutrients as possible during my one-day fast. These particular juices from Jamba Juice do not have any dairy or any other add-ins, so they’re perfect for fasting.

I didn’t feel that different the next day, but over the following week, I definitely felt like I had more energy. So, I decided to do another liquid fast the following weekend. This time, I tried hot liquids instead of juice, for a change. I had tea for breakfast, miso soup for lunch, more tea and soup in the afternoon, and some lentil soup again for dinner. This liquid fast worked much better for me, as I felt like it was easier on my body to digest warm liquids, rather than cold.

The following week I felt amazing.  Liquid fasts are so beneficial for your digestive system, to give it a break from solid foods for at least one day. Some people do it for weeks.  And, when you start eating food after the fast, you definitely appreciate it. I found I was eating smaller portions the next few days – and really noticing when I felt full.

Since I’m feeling so much more energetic after doing these fasts, I’m going to try to do a liquid fast at least once a month. Let me know if it works for you.

– D.N.

Girl Scout cookies and trans fats

I had an interesting exchange with the mom of a Girl Scout recently. It was outside a shopping center, where the Girl Scouts were doing their perennial cookie sales. I had noticed a few years ago that Girl Scout cookies had trans fats in them, in the form of partially hydrogenated oils, which was pretty shocking to me.

I was curious to see if the trans fats were still there, or had been eliminated, like in so many other products, since the evils of trans fats are pretty legion these days.

I picked up one of the boxes and there they were, still lurking in the cookies. I mentioned this to one of the mom’s and asked her if there were any plans to :eliminate them from the cookies in the future. This is what she told me: trans fats were eliminated from one of the cookie brands recently, but they didn’t sell very well, so that’s why they’re still in the cookies.

I walked away, flabbergasted that the Girl Scouts juggernaut would sacrifice health on the altar of money. This mom had no compunction about the fact that these cookies still contain one of the worst things you can put in your body. According to Dr. James Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st Century Stress Syndrome, trans fats “use up the enzymes that normally would be utilized by the good oils, and prevent your body from creating quality cell membranes and nerve sheaths. As a result, your body cannot transform essential fatty acids into the materials it needs to make various cell wall components and other structures.”

Wilson goes on to reference a clinical study in Canada that “demonstrated that  the metabolism of good oils into substances needed by the body was completely blocked when the people in the study were given hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.”

Is this what the Girl Scouts organization and Girl Scout moms want to be pushing when their daughters’ bodies are still growing?

And, don’t be fooled if somewhere on the box it says “0 grams trans fat”. Check the ingredients themselves; if you see “partially hydrogenated” before any kind of oil, that’s a trans fat, plain and simple.

According to the blog The Week, as long as a food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, the FDA allows its maker to label it as having no trans fat at all. From The Week:

“This means, says Science Blog, that products that appear healthy could have ‘a significant amount of trans fat that  can exceed recommended limits and potentially lead to various adverse  health effects.’ And since the daily recommended intake of trans fats is 1.11 grams, ‘one would only need to consume a few deceptively labeled trans fat foods  to exceed the healthy recommended intake.’”

So, let’s keep pressure on the Girl Scouts ro remove any trace of trans fats from all of its cookies, as an example, for the health of all the girls involved in this organization, and everyone they sell cookies to.

–D.N.

Red Meat

The reasons not to eat red meat are legion. I will try to summarize the main points here.

First off, in the U.S. cows are injected with growth hormones and antibiotics. Also, cows are not fed what they should be – grass. They are fed animal feed and the like. So, every time you eat red meat, you are eating everything cows have been injected with and fed, but weren’t able to digest properly.

For women, the reasons to not eat red meat are even more compelling. Eating large amounts of red meat may double young women’s breast cancer risk, a study suggests, according to an article in the online BBC News from Nov, 2006. The article goes on to warn that cooked and processed red meats have been shown to contain cancer-causing chemicals such as heterocyclic amines which are created during the cooking of red meat. A second potential link is the growth hormones which are given to cattle in the US, although not in Europe. The researchers also say red meat is a source of heme iron, which previous research has shown fuels the growth of oestrogen-induced tumours.

A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health finds a strong association between eating red meat and Type 2 diabetes.

So, what’s a red-meat-eater to do? Switch to fish, poultry, soy, tofu and legumes for protein and iron. The benefits of a Japanese diet, which is almost devoid of red meat, but contains plenty of fish and tofu is well-known.  When consumed in moderation, natural soy products like tofu and edamame beans are a great protein alternative to red meat because they have little or no saturated fat, according to Web M.D.

Another advantage to not eating red meat,  is it keeps you far away from fast-food restaurants, where other dietary pitfalls loom, like French Fries and milkshakes. Although if you must go to a burger joint, milkshakes and fries can be a healthier alternative, if the milk is hormone-free and the fries are not cooked in lard.

One of the most compelling testaments to not eating red meat comes from a cattle rancher who wrote the book Mad Cowboy. As a lobbyist for the National Farmers Union, Howard Lyman helped pass the National Organic Standards Act.

“The question we must ask ourselves as a culture is whether we want to embrace the change that must come, or resist it. Are we so attached to the dietary fallacies with which we were raised, so afraid to counter the arbitrary laws of eating taught to us in childhood by our misinformed parents, that we cannot alter the course they set us on, even if it leads to our own ruin? Does the prospect of standing apart or  ridicule scare us even from saving ourselves?” – from Howard Lyman

Get ready for World Food Day

 October 16, 2011: World Food Day Rallies for the Right to Know About Genetically Engineered Foods

From the Organic Consumer Association: In the United States, there are few causes that nine out of ten people support, but 90% of consumers agree that we deserve the right to know about genetically engineered foods.

If almost everyone wants them, why aren’t there labels on genetically engineered foods? Because we haven’t yet built up a large enough movement to force companies, grocery stores, and elected public officials to bend to the peoples’ will. That’s what OCA’s Millions Against Monsanto campaign is all about.

We have an opportunity now to greatly increase involvement and action in the Millions Against Monsanto campaign for labels on genetically engineered foods.

Please join us in your area on World Food Day, October 16, 2011, for one of numerous local events in the Millions Against Monsanto Right to Know campaign.

Find out what’s happening where you live:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/state-map.cfm

Help the Millions Against Monsanto Campaign Recruit a Million Anti-GMO Activists :

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_23651.cfm

California labeling campaign

Effort is currently underway to get a truth-in-labeling initiative on the ballot for November, 2012. LabelGMOs.org is sponsoring this campaign. Its mission “is quite simply to get foods that contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms) as ingredients labeled so that we can make educated choices about the food we eat”, according to its website.

There are several ways to get involved, whether you live in California or beyond. Check out this link for ways to get involved: http://labelgmos.org/take-action/

Millions Against Monsanto

Here’s where you can sign a petition sponsored by the Organic Consumers Association to bring about truth-in-labeling by the Monsanto Corporation: http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/action.cfm

According to the petition, up to 90% of U.S. soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets are now genetically engineered and routinely inserted into human and animal foods with no labels or safety testing.

More about Monsanto, which controls 90% of all genetically engineered seeds, according to this article : http://www.walletpop.com/2010/02/04/monsanto-the-evil-corporation-in-your-refrigerator/

Green Goddess smoothie

The Green Goddess Smoothie:

8 oz. organic almond milk
1/2 cup frozen or nonfat organic vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp almond/peanut butter (optional)
1 tsp spirulina
1-2 organic kiwis
1 scoop of protein powder

Put in blender until smooth.

This smoothie is tasty and chock-full of protein and antioxidants.

Repeat to yourself: “I am a Goddess!” and enjoy:)

Healthy Drinking – Milk

If you are a milk drinker – and there are debates on whether it’s even healthy to drink the most organic, natural milk – then look for organic milk. If organic milk is too expensive, look for milk that states on the label that it’s produced without the use of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). This is injected into cows so they produce more milk.

To make it easier, Sustainable Table has created a map that will show you where in your area you can buy hormone-free milk (and other dairy products):

http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/dairymap/

When you’re eating out or just grabbing a latte at a place like Starbuck’s, ask your server/barista if the milk they’re using is hormone-free. If not, make a request to the manager that they start offering hormone-free milk as an option.

News about one company that banned its dairy farmers from using  rBGH:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFU/is_6_73/ai_n16912233/

News about the controversy of whether to require the labeling of rBGH in dairy products:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10095.cfm

I cannot find a current petition campaign to ban the use of rBGH in the U.S. If someone comes across this, please let me know by leaving a comment on this post. Thanks.

About

Welcome to Eat and Drink Healthy. This website has been created to provide tips on healthy eating and drinking, to encourage organic and natural products, and to advocate for bans on pesticides on fruits and vegetables and bans on hormones and antibiotics in any animals that produce meat and milk.

Please feel free to add your comments about healthy eating and drinking so we can foster a community of healthy, mindful eating and drinking. Thanks!  D.N.