California Eating

When I go grocery shopping, I like to read the labels.  I like to know what I'm eating because I think it can make a huge difference in my mental and physical health.  Healthy and fresh foods keeps  my immune system and healing powers strong which keeps me in the game.

This label reading started about 10 years ago when I was very sick and my doctor put me on a strict low-fat diet.  I started reading the labels on everything: salad dressing, cereals, crackers, pudding, chicken and anything frozen.  I was really surprised by what I found but also glad that the information was there so that I could decide for myself what I wanted to buy.

 

When I feel healthy, I have more energy and then I feel positive, which in turn affects what I do with my life.  So I try to stay away -- as much as possible -- from processed junk that is chock full and shot through with who knows what kind of chemicals and preservatives.  Take a look around the next time you're in a grocery store and find out for yourself.

And while you're looking at those food labels, ask yourself this:  do I want to buy food that is fresh or do I want to buy food that a company has toyed around with?  Knowledge in truly power in this instance.  It seems to me that if you are running a food company you want to take care of your customers.  Right?

 

Not always.  Among all the hot-button-empower-the-masses issues on state and national ballots that Americans had a chance to vote on last week, there was a West Coast issue I have been following for while that unfortunately was defeated by the voters of California: labeling genetically modified foods.

Since the measure, known as Prop 37, was defeated in California, it now means that genetically engineered foods made from plants or animals that is sold in California will continue to have no specific labeling requirements and can be  displayed and sold from the shelves just like everything else.  Monsanto, DuPont and Dow spent millions of dollars to defeat the measure, arguing that it would add hundreds of dollars to the average consumer's grocery bill.  This time Monsanto, Dow and Dupont were successful.

But I feel strongly that the issue of labeling genetically modified foods has not died and in fact will come back stronger.

If you support the idea of transparency in food labeling, here's a link to the Environment Working Group's statement on Prop 37:

http://www.ewg.org/release/ewg-president-ken-cooks-statement-california-proposition-37

Seize the Freshest of May

Yeah!!! The FRESHFARM Market by the White House opened yesterday for its summer/fall season and the freshest and greenest produce was on its' best behavior sitting in beautiful baskets just begging to be bought, tossed, grilled and eaten.

It's too early in the season for my favorite farm grown tomatoes, but yesterday's vendors showed off plenty of fresh salad greens, asparagus, kale, bean sprouts and other seasonal crops for urban workers to choose from along with coloful freshcut flowers and cookies and breads.

I could feel the beginnings of summer as I walked from my office to the farmer's market: warm sun, the smell of freshly cut grass and tossed mulch and a general feeling of relief in the air that winter is finally behind us, not to be seen for many months.

I love going to the farmer's market because I feel I'm rewarding my body and my inner chickness by eating foods grown from local farms.  I still buy from grocery stores but it's not the same since some of its produce could have been irradiated or waxed in transit. 

It can be a little bit more expensive so I don't buy a whole week's worth of produce but what I do buy is tasty and real.  Most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of the farmers try to grow the most nutritious produce possible by building their soil's fertility without the use of pesticides.  The fruits and veggies harvested from their soil nourishes those who eat the farm's home grown products, namely me.

Veggies are the name of the game and I am always trying to incorporate more of them into my diet or trying to find a new way to cook the veggies I already find delicious.  Eating raw and organic fresh food brings my body the nutrients it needs to fight stress (ugh!) and aging (hate that!).  Today's mantra is: the more I take care of my body the less I have to worry about getting sick or lying in a hospital.  Caring for your body and its good health is not being selfish; it is responsible and smart.

Farmer's markets are beginning to open everywhere, so please check out the following produce lists.  The  "Clean Fifteen" list put together by the Environmental Working Group is food grown with the least amount of pesticides, ranked from best to not-great:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagu
7. Sweet peas
8. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

The "Dirty Dozen" list, also compiled by the Environmental Working Group, is foods grown with the most pesticides, ranked from worst to less bad:

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

For more information about the lists, log on to EWG's web site at foodnews.org or ewg.org