General information and news on living, eating and being healthy.
Bulk bins are one of my favorite sections of the store; I love that I can get the amount I need, often organic, with minimal packaging and at a great price. So I’m glad to hear from the BIG: Bulk Is Green council that bulk bins are gaining steam; according to a recent poll of grocers, bulk foods sales have increased 10 percent over the past year. Here are bulk-bin basics to shop the bulk aisle like a pro. more
If you’re a gum chewer, or a parent of a child prone to ear infections, you may have heard of xylitol. But even so, you may not know exactly what it is. (I didn’t.) It sounds like it was concocted in a laboratory, right? Which is where the confusion starts. A few weeks ago, I attended a conference which brought together top researchers, dental experts, and editors such as myself to learn the latest about this naturally occurring sugar. I left the event feeling guilty that I don’t regularly give xylitol to my two kids. more
From CouponTweet (a Twitter feed for coupons for all kinds of products) a 10% off e-coupon for pet products at Chimpfeet. Get the coupon here: http://cpnurl.com/l/1TeC3. Check-out Chimpfeet’s eco-friendly pet products here: http://www.chimpfeet.com/products.htm?cat2=356
A new Harvard study has confirmed that bisphenol-A (BPA) can leach from bottles into humans. While past studies have linked BPA to cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans and disrupted reproductive development in animals, this is the first study to reveal that drinking from polycarbonate bottles and baby bottles causes an increase of BPA in urine. The two-thirds increase might have even been higher if participants had been drinking hot liquids, according to the researchers.
The study is the first to show that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA, and thus suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine .
These days no one disputes the environmental value of transporting your groceries in a reusable shopping bag instead of a plastic bag destined to pollute our waters and land. But did you realize that going along for the ride with your favorite fruits, veggies, and leftovers are high levels of bacteria, yeast, mold, and coliform?A new study from Sporometrics, found a bacteria count of more than 1,800 “colony-forming” units in reusable bags, and 550 in Tupperware containers. Worried about mold? A mold count of 290 was found in the bags compared with a typical mold count of 150 or less per cubic meter in the room air for that time of year.Not grossed-out yet? The study conveys that “The unacceptable presence of coliforms, that is, intestinal bacteria, in some of the bags tested, suggests that forms of E. coli associated with severe disease could be present in small but a significant portion of the bags if sufficient numbers were tested.”. Also, it is consistent with everything that is known about Salmonella ecology that it would also be present on rare occasions.” Quite simply, if you’re feeling a little funky after eating the salad from your plastic container — that you transported in your eco-friendly bag — it might not be the greens that made you sick.
Not to worry, there are some simple steps you can take to prevent contamination:
· WASH YOUR BAG REGULARLY: All bags should be turned inside out and air dried. · PACK MEAT SEPERATELY: Meat should be double packed in a first-use bag to prevent accidental leakage or drips into the reusable bag· REPLACE BAGS: when they cannot be cleaned adequately to avoid the build of harmful bacteria
Incoming college freshman at Washington State University thought they’d be reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma as their “common reading” selection this summer. But according to the Chronicle of Higher Education (and a great article on Grist this morning), WSU has pulled the plug on the book, citing budget reasons — even though they’ve already spent the money to buy 4,000 copies. WSU’s explanation is vague at best … and suspicions are running high that the cancellation is politically dictated by WSU’s agribusiness ties. Too bad! I agree with the Chronicle’s quote by Christine K. Oakley, a WSU assistant clinical professor of sociology, who says she is is “disappointed that WSU decided not to turn this into an opportunity for critical thinking about food production.”
Pretty Products for Healthy People Minus Many Lousy Chemical Substances.
My heart warms with the mere mention of “acronym.” That A in math class? Thank you PEMDAS (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally). Bragging rights in astronomy? MVEMJSUNP (My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies). This time an acronym from Best in Beauty’s “Labels for Life” initiative is getting us thinking about what’s really in our makeup by calling out some of the most common—and potentially dangerous—chemicals lurking in personal care.
Pretty-Phthalates
Products-Propylene Glycol
For-Formaldehyde
Healthy-Hydroquinone
People-Petroleum
Minus-Mercury
Many-Mineral Oil
Lousy-Lead
Chemical-Colorants
Substances—Sodium Laurel Sulfate
What are your tips for purchasing safe cosmetics?
From the May 20, FDA Enforcement Report:PRODUCT
Bark Bars in a variety of sizes and flavors as listed below. Creamy Peanut Butter UPC 725999522004; PB & Carob Chips UPC 725999523001; Lucious Carob UPC 725999521007; 4pack Cookiebar Assortment UPC 725999538005; Peanut Butter Crunch: 12 oz UPC 725999001103; 16 oz UPC 725999161104; Bark Bars Peanut Butter: 1.5oz Jumbo UPC 725999000168; 2.25 Pillow Pack UPC 725999333105; 2.5lb canister UPC 725999005064; 5 lb bulk UPC 725999001257; 6 oz Smiles UPC 725999530009; Giggles UPC 725999530009; Christmas Stocking 6 oz UPC 725999000175; Christmas Card Mailer UPC 725999513003; Birthday Mailer UPC 725999528006; “With Love” Hearts UPC 725999512944; Holiday Smiles UPC 725999222300; 100 Calorie 2 oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999539101; 100 Calorie 14 oz dispenser UPC 725999539200; Gravity Trial 2 oz UPC 725999400166; Bark Bars Minis UPC 72599953300; Bark Bars Animal Snackers 3 oz UPC 725999512098; 12 oz UPC 725999512098; Bark Bars Milk & Cookies UPC 725999333808; Dog Ate My Homework Jumbo UPC 725999531006; 2 oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999535004; Bark Bars Naughty or Nice UPC 725999530092; Bark Bars Carob & Peanut Butter: 2.5lb canister UPC 725999005071; 2.25oz Pillow Pack UPC 725999333402; 5 lb bulk UPC 725999003251; Bark Bars Brownie Delight 12 oz UPC 725999003107; 5 lb bulk UPC 725999003251. Recall # V-162-2009
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Best-selling vegetarian cookbook author Deborah Madison and her husband, Patrick McFarlin, just published a fun book entitled What We Eat When We Eat Alone (Gibbs-Smith, 2009). In it, they survey professional cooks as well as friends and family about their favorite meals when alone; they also include 100 recipes for eating alone. In these days when there seems to be so much angst about food, it’s a nice respite to simply think about what you’d choose to eat (and, I hope, DO eat) when you’re by yourself, with no food police watching or guilty conscience whispering in your ear. “When we eat alone we often break all the rules surrounding not only what to eat but when to eat and even where,” they write. As much as I love cooking for my family or friends, when I’m (blissfully) by myself, I go straight for eggs, preferably with sauteed tomatoes and basil. And goat cheese. In fact, this recipe for Baked Eggs with Tomato Salad and Goat Cheese hits it on the nose for me. What do you eat when you’re alone? Check out this one-minute video for inspiration.
Check out these fascinating pictures of Americans’ actual refrigerators (I mean, the insides). Which one resembles yours? I know which one I *wish* looked like mine. From the intro:
We purchase refrigerators the way we fill them: out of necessity—to preserve the milk; to keep the greens from wilting. But from the right vantage point, an open fridge is the perfect staging grounds for a discussion of consumption. And if the aphorism holds true—if we really are what we eat—then refrigerators are like windows into our souls. It’s that sentiment that’s at the heart of Mark Menjivar’s inventive exploration of hunger, “You Are What You Eat,” for which he photographed the contents of strangers’ refrigerators.
And yet, the contents of my own fridge reflect what I am NOT eating as much as what I am eating (the chard that was so vibrant last Friday doesn’t look so great today; compost pile?). Still it’s shocking to visualize all the processed, lifeless foods we tend to consume. Check out what the health pros buy at the store. What would you say about your fridge?
