Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
I’m excited to kick of my monthly Q&A with a great question about the safety of sunscreens. In my comings and goings I’m often asked a lot of questions about what to eat, what to buy, or what not to buy. Instead of being able to only answer the one person who asked it, I’m turning those questions, and new ones that you submit, into monthly Q&A. If there’s something on your mind that you’re not sure of, ask me! Since I’m posting first names only, you have no reason to hold back, even from those potentially embarrassing questions, so ask away.
My favorite question that I received from my June newsletter came from Stacey who asked:
“Which sunscreen is the safest for me and my kids? I just don’t trust what the packages say anymore!”
Stacy is right to be suspicious, (more…)
Tags: chemicals, Q&A, summer, sunscreen
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Monday, July 5th, 2010
GMO. Genetically Modified Organism. Sounds delicious right? Well GMO’s are currently found in a HUGE percentage of the foods we eat, particularly if we’re buying things from the supermarket that comes in boxes, cans, or bags.
A recent CBS News/NYTimes poll showed that 53% of people said they won’t buy food that has been genetically modified. Just the idea of GM foods can be pretty hair-raising… crossing strawberries and fish, genetically altering rice to contain higher levels of Vitamin A, and of course, the most common use of genetic modification - plants that are resistant to Monsanto’s Round-Up pesticide (the pesticide kills all the bugs but leaves the plant “unharmed”). Almost 90% of all (more…)
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Monday, June 28th, 2010
I know, I know, I probably sound all kinds of nerdy saying that my favorite thing to do in the summer is to go out and pick berries, and not say, hit the beach, catch a summer concert, or eat outdoors. But it’ okay, because I already know I’m a nerd when it comes to this kind of stuff… picking berries, making jam, cooking with new ingredients. For me, berry picking is calming, and meditative, while also being back breaking, sweat inducing, and greed generating. (more…)
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
(the caption of this stock photo reads: “Attractive male taking shower and washing his hair with satisfaction”. Indeed!)
As you may have gathered from my last post, I spend a lot of time researching many of the things that I buy in an effort to make the best possible choice for myself and for the environment. This research sometimes takes the form of reading article upon article, interviews, company profiles, and maybe watching a video here and there.
Since I’ve started learning about the ingredients and lack of regulation in the personal care products industry, I’ve been paying much closer attention to the things I put in my shopping basket. Because this industry is does not have strict regulation, companies often use highly toxic chemicals in their formulations. These products, be it make up, soap, shampoos, or lotions (the list goes on), all come in contact with our skin, our bodies largest organ, (more…)
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Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Ironically, as I’m writing this post, it happens to be a cool day. But lately - at least in NY anyway, it’s been super hot out, with days already into the 90’s and it’s only the beginning of June! It’s only going to get hotter and hotter as we approach July and the dreaded heat of August.
No one like cooking over a hot stove when it’s 98 degrees and muggy, especially not me, but instead of eating out all the time, I simply change the way I use my kitchen. Instead of roasting and baking, and heavy stove-top use, I opt for less sweaty, and less energy intensive ways to feed myself.
Thankfully the foods of summer don’t require as much preparation as the heavy dense foods (think butternut squash, potatoes) of winter. When I do my Seasonal Eating workshop, I always include a visualization of being in sweltering humidity and heat reaching the 100 degree mark. No breeze, sweat on your brow and shirt clinging to your back. You’re hungry and thirsty so you sit down for lunch. (more…)
Tags: seasonal eating, summer
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
I get a lot of requests for ‘quick meals’ and healthy snacks that people can ‘eat on the go’ and my usual response is to ask “What’s the hurry?! Why the rush?”
In reality, I know very well what the rush is; it’s life! Things move so fast these days… super long days at work, trying to fit in time at the gym, time with friends, and time alone. We’ve got vacations, kids, baseball games, concerts, museums, the plumber, grocery shopping… All this stuff to do, and not enough time to do it in means that we’re stretched and overextended, and sadly for many, food is one of the things that ends up being swept into the corners.
The result is that we eat in our cars, on the subway, on the street, and at our desk. We’ve gotten so accustomed to eating at random times during the day, that we’ve become obsessed with the idea of “convenience” foods and having food available to us at all times. I remember the days when food wasn’t allowed in bookstores, but now, I dare you to find one that doesn’t have it’s own cafe! Who thought that the pharmacy, or worse, the gas station (more…)
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
My favorite first “fruit” of spring, this tangy vegetable requires you to slow down and give it some love and attention before diving in. I suppose you could just eat it raw, but be warned, you’ll have the most pinched, sour face ever! Rhubarb, like fresh cranberries, are almost unbearably tart, and need to be tempered with sugar or honey before you can really enjoy it.
The word rhubarb comes from the Latin rhabarbarum, - “root of the barbarians” because the Romans believed (more…)
Tags: food focus
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
This fruit compote is not only bright and flavorful, but its deep jewel tones are beautiful to look at! A simple recipe that can work with everything from pancakes to pork chops (or so I’m told). I particularly like this swirled into soft vanilla ice cream! Serve this over my Simple Vegan Pancakes for an extra special breakfast! (more…)
Tags: recipes
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Because vegans forgo dairy milk and eggs, regular pancake recipes just don’t fly. But cooking without them is a breeze, and this pancake recipe is proof positive! Full of flavor, and light and fluffy, these whip up in 3 minutes, so you really can have pancakes whenever the fancy strikes! Because a typical breakfast of pancakes, fruit and syrup doesn’t really provide you with anything other than simple carbohydrates and little fiber, this breakfast is not really going to “stick to your ribs”. I like to add a small amount of garbanzo bean flour to my pancakes to jack up the protein content, and add a subtle depth of flavor that plain flour just doesn’t provide.
Make a double batch of these, cool, wrap in parchment or wax paper and freeze for pancakes on the fly. Simply throw the frozen pancakes in the toaster, and wham! pancakes on a Wednesday morning? No Problem!
As always, serve this with 100% maple syrup, never that horrible ‘pancake syrup’ which is just corn syrup and flavorings. Ick! Add some fresh fruit (or make them blueberry pancakes!), or go fancy and add my Strawberry Rhubarb Compote for a sweet, tart kick. (more…)
Tags: breakfast, recipes
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Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
A new research review, published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has determined that there is no measurable benefit to eating organic over conventionally grown foods. There was a “disappointingly small” number of well-designed studies that have looked at the differences of organic vs. conventional, so I’m not putting too much stock in the results of this research.
First, the few studies that have been done were based on short-term effects of consuming organic vs. conventional produce, looking particularly at anti-oxidant levels, rather than any of the possible long term effects. The research team combed through more than 98,000 articles and found only 12 studies in the last 50 years that looked at the distinctions between organic and conventional produce. Their formal conclusion was that “evidence is lacking for nutrition-related health effects that result from the consumption of organically produced foodstuffs.” Here’s my problem with that statement (more…)
Tags: organic vs conventional, pesticides
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