Archive for the 'Food & drink' Category

April 24, 2008 | Organizing, Food & drink, Being Green

With the worries about the potential danger of plastics on the rise I’ve decided to eliminate a lot of my plastic containers from my kitchen. You know, the ones you use for EVERYTHING! That left me with a big empty cabinet and nothing to put our left overs in. I needed an idea quick, and a thrifty one at that since I can’t afford to go out and buy all glass storage containers! Here is what I came up with… (more…)

March 24, 2008 | Food & drink, Shopping

Walking the grocery aisles can be very overwhelming when you are trying to make healthy eating choices. There are twenty different varieties of the same thing and that can make you want to fall to the floor and scream “I just wanted some bread!”.

Being something most of us consume everyday, bread is a great way to get your daily recommended amount of whole grains. Last year the USDA recommended (more…)

March 10, 2008 | Water, Food & drink, Health

A disturbing study by the Associated Press has found prescription and over-the-counter medicines in the drinking water supply in major metropolises around the country. With pharmaceuticals from ibuprofen and acetaminophen  to more hard-core drugs like anti-epileptic, cholesterol, and heart medications, scientists are worried about the long-term effects of mild exposure, as well as drug interaction. (more…)

March 6, 2008 | Food & drink

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, until fall rolls around. I guess I just like the drastic changes that happen in both of those seasons. One of my favorite things about spring is that the weather is starting to warm up (ok, here in Georgia it’s just HOT) making fresh fruits and veggies sound very appealing (No pun intended)! Nothing cools you down on a warm day like a fresh slice of watermelon and a glass of home made lemonade! I find that my family definitely eats better in the summer. I also find that fruits and veggies taste much better when they are in season. This got me thinking (more…)

January 31, 2008 | Food & drink, Pregnancy

Okay, so there are 2 writers here at Broom Huggers - Kathy (a.k.a., mudlark) and Jeana (a.k.a., well, Jeana). As of right now, Kathy is 7 months pregnant and Jeana is newly pregnant, so forgive us if there’s a sudden wave of pregnancy-related posts. It’s kind of what’s on our minds. And don’t worry - we’ll get it out of our system (and eventually we’ll give birth and raise our families’ carbon emissions too…), but in the meantime, here is yet another post on health during pregnancy.

NPR had a great story this morning on mercury in fish - what to eat, what not to eat, how to get information - the whole shabang. Basically, if you’re not pregnant, and if you’re old enough to be reading this yourself, you don’t need to worry about your mercury levels. Your body can cope with it just fine. But children and pregnant and nursing moms need to use a little bit of caution when choosing fish. (more…)

January 26, 2008 | Food & drink, Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an amazing adventure! One that is filled with so many “do’s and don’t’s” that it can make your head spin (or wait, maybe that’s the nausea?). One of the big discussions on the table right now is how caffeine affects your pregnancy. CNN posted an article on a recent study showing that caffeine may boost your chance of miscarriage. Miscarriage is one of those things that nobody wants to think about happening to them, yet it happens to so many. (Sidenote from Mudlark: I don’t know about you, but since I found out recently that I’ve got another little baby on the way I will do just about anything I can to avoid being one of those statistics!) (more…)

January 20, 2008 | Water, Being Green, Lifestyle, News

Bottled water. Fast Company clued us in last summer as to why it’s just. so. bad. Care for a run-down?

1. The US is one of the top consumers of bottled water, but it also has one of the cleanest tap water supplies in the world (i.e., we don’t need bottled water here, but other countries do - and they don’t have it). One in six people in the world doesn’t have clean drinking water. But for us in the developed world, it’s an indulgence.
2. It takes 3-5 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water. That’s not because they’re filtering out so much ‘gunk’ - it’s because it takes that much water to produce the plastic and actually bottle the water. (more…)
   Posted by mudlark @ 12:18 pm | Comments  

   

   December 12, 2007 | Food & drink, Health, Pregnancy

   Being an Emergency Medical Technician I could give you the medical explanation of why we need iron and what it does for us . I will spare you the medical jargon and just tell you that we need iron because it is an important component in our blood, which we all know we desperately need, and it helps us maintain a healthy immune system. The recommended daily amount varies by web site and is quite controversial but here is an idea of what I have found:

   ~ 10 mg a day for children, men over 18 and women over 50
   ~ 15 mg a day for females and lactating women
   ~ 30 mg a day for pregnant women

   Iron is not secreted from the body except for very small amounts through hair, nails and skin so the amount of iron we consume builds up over time. The other obvious way we reduce the iron in our bodies is through blood loss. Having too much iron in your diet (HEMOCHROMATOSIS) can be cause for concern. Most Americans get enough iron in their diet, some get too much, others can be deficient. Those who are most likely deficient are children, pregnant women and those with tested and diagnosed iron deficiencies. The easiest way to find out how much iron is in your blood is by a simple blood test that can be preformed by your doctor. The other ways you can make sure your iron level isn’t too high is to avoid taking iron supplements (unless instructed by your doctor) and by donating blood. Sure, it may involve a little pain, but donating blood serves the dual purpose of ridding your body of excess iron and potentially saving lives.
   To keep your iron levels in check, follow a healthy and varied diet! You can find out about iron-rich foods here. If you are into checking labels than see how much iron is in the processed foods you eat. The recommended daily value of iron on labels is 18 mg which unless you are pregnant is more than most adults need (The daily value percentage has not been updated since the 1960’s). So, if the daily value of iron on the label is 10% it really contains closer to 20% of your daily quota. Just double the number to get a closer result.

   The skinny on iron? It helps maintain overall blood health and energy levels, but there is such a thing as too much. Your doctor can help you decide what works best for you and whether or not you need supplements.

   Posted by Jeana @ 4:35 pm | Comments  

   

   December 10, 2007 | Food & drink, Kitchen

   

   I have not purchased new kitchenware in years. In fact, most of what we have now was given to us for our wedding 4 ½ years ago or passed down from other family. That is a lot of meals my pots, pans, bakeware and utensils have been through. I have decided that it is time to replace a good amount of it. I am the cook in the family so I get to choose the new stuff. Since I do a lot of baking and it is what I enjoy the most I decided to start with researching different types of bakeware. What cought my eye is the silicone bakeware that is very popular right now. My first thought is “Can that really be safe?”. It prompted me to do some research…

   Silicones are made by combining silicon (from common sand) and oxygen. While these are both naturally occurring substances the combination does not occur in nature. Other synthetics are added to make different types of silicones. This is a completely manmade product but it is said that it will not transfer to foods which is currently a big concern with non-stick coatings. Silicone bakeware is coating free, easily stored and also flexible, claiming to make it easy to remove your baked goods. It also comes in plenty of different, eye catching colors. Here is the catch: It’s potential health effects are unknown. Silicone can have other additives that do not have to be disclosed on labels, therefore consumers never know what exactly the bakeware contains. There is also the potential for melting and fumes since silicone products can melt at temperatures as low as 428 degrees F. Most ovens can be set to 500 degrees F. and many recipes call for a temperature of 450 degrees F. While Silicone is long lasting, non-stick finish free and eliminates the need for parchment paper and aluminum foil, the lack of health information leads me to think that bakers might want to err on the side of caution and opt for some of the proven safe pans including glass, cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum and ceramic (purchasing a branded ceramic is recommended).

   Posted by Jeana @ 9:34 pm | 6 Comments  

   

   December 1, 2007 | Food & drink, Health, Pregnancy

   A new study by the Johns Hopkins Blomberg School of Public Health links non-stick cookware to low birthweight in babies. Additionally, a 2004 study they conducted found PFOA (a carcinogen released when the non-stick cookware is heated) in the umblilical chords of 99% of the 300 babies they tested. (Scary, no?) This could be one contributing factor to the sky-rocketing cancer rates in young children.

   The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have suggested that manufacturers remove PFOA from their products by 2015. In the meantime, we should all take steps to avoid PFOA cookware, and pregnant mommies should be extra careful.

   If you have cookware that uses PFOA (Teflon, Calphalon, Scanpan, and All Clad), you can avoid some of the dangers by using your cookware at low to moderate heat, and by replacing it every 2 years. The Green Guide has some good suggestions for alternatives in their recent article, Outfitting the Green Kitchen. Another diamond in the rough is Green Pan cookware, as reviewed by Sprig.

   Posted by mudlark @ 12:09 pm | 2 Comments  
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