Archive for the 'Food & drink' Category

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  

   

   November 26, 2007 | Water, Being Green, Lifestyle

   Bring Your Own Bottle. Or, more precisely, mug. When you’ll be stopping off at Starbucks or whatever your favorite coffee shop is, have your own to-go travel mug handy. Think about the waste we’d save if stopped using disposable coffee cups and water bottles. The way our population drinks bottled water and lattes in to-go cardboard cups, the numbers are staggering.

   If readers of a single magazine (Organic Style did the study) brought their own cups for one week, enough trees would be saved to fill 2 football fields. If they switched for only a day, they’d save enough energy as 1,000 gallons of gasoline. There’s a website that estimates how much waste we generate with our disposable coffee cups. You’d be surprised. Right now, it’s at approximately 2,684 pounds per hour - including only the people who have registered their coffee cup on the website.

   The moral of the story? Bringing your own mug gives you a cuter, more ergonomic, highly personalized container. It turns your coffee into a wardrobe accessory! (Well, maybe that’s pushing it a bit.) And it’s good for the environment. What’s to lose?

   Posted by mudlark @ 10:00 pm | 3 Comments  

   

   November 20, 2007 | Food & drink, News

   The New Oxford American dictionary has recently announced its new list of words, as well as it’s word of the year for 2007. Drum roll? The new word of the year is locavore, meaning people who eat locally-produced and farmed food. The idea behind it is that locally-produced food supports the economy, is fresher, requires less carbon emission in transport, and often the small, locally-owned farms use fewer pesticides and growth hormones. Healthier food all-around.

   And now, those who have seen the light, locavores, have been given official status by the New Oxford American Dictionary. One small victory for the green side.

   Posted by mudlark @ 4:02 pm | Comments  

   

   November 8, 2007 | Food & drink, Health

   Garlic. And lots of it. And raw.  Studies have shown that garlic reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, neutralizes carcinogens, and fights infection.

   It isn’t as potent after it’s cooked, so eat it raw if you can stand it. I wouldn’t recommend biting into it like an apple (though I know people who do). But here are a couple ways to try it:

   • Crush a clove into olive oil with a bit of lemon juice and use as a salad dressing.
   • Crush a couple cloves, mix with a cup of cheese, and add enough mayo to make it stick together. Then stuff a tomato with it, or spread it on a slice of crusty warm bread.
   Posted by mudlark @ 3:24 pm | 2 Comments  

   

   October 29, 2007 | Food & drink, Health

   Lindsey over at Finding Contentment in the Suburbs has a great post up about food spending. The issue is, eating healthy, locally-grown, pesticide-free foods is really expensive! And grocery prices are inching up nationally, making the price gap between cheap, preservative-laden foods and healthy, fresh foods even more ridiculous.

   There’s an obesity crisis in this country that stems from lots of factors - including a sedentary lifestyle, hours spent in front of the screen (whether it be TV, computer, IPOD, or Playstation, Wii, etc.), larger portion sizes, increased levels of things like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) in foods, and the general fact that you can buy potato chips for half the price of fresh fruit.

   A family of four can eat affordably on Hamburger Helper, Pasta Roni, and Kraft Mac N Cheese, but their nutritional quality will be next to nill and their midsection is likely to be on the increase. Unfortunately, part of the solution is to spend more time in the kitchen - cooking from scratch, and spend more money on groceries - the fresher the better. But those are two luxuries that not everyone can afford.

   Unfortunately I don’t know a better solution. I’m hoping for a bread machine for Christmas. The way we go through bread - 3-4 loaves a week at $2.49 a loaf (when on sale), we should be able to save around $300 a year buy just purchasing the raw ingredients and making it myself. But again, not everyone has the time available to bake their own bread. Or grow their own vegetable garden. Or, frankly, cook meals from scratch (add to that: that the kids will eat).

   Anyhow, I encourage you to read Lindsey’s post.  Brainstorm with her (and with me too). What can be done to solve the food crisis?

   Posted by mudlark @ 7:27 am | 3 Comments  

   

   October 17, 2007 | Food & drink, Organics

   Strawberries are going onto my list of things to buy organic. The EPA just approved a new pesticide for use on strawberries to replace Methyl bromide, which has been banned by international treaties for ozone depletion. the new pesticide, methyl iodide is also a highly toxic fumigant, a neurotoxin, carcinogen, and has been linked to miscarriages in animals. They say it’s more dangerous to be near fields treated with the chemical than to eat the food produced there - apparently it leaves little to no residue. I’ll still be buying organic though.

   The four-year review of the pesticide, coined by the EPA as ‘one of the most thorough’ analyses of a pesticide, was conducted by none other than the Tokyo based company that manufactures it. Furthermore, the company’s former CEO is now the administrator in the northwest region of the EPA.

   Anyone else smell a rat? Oh, wait, no. That’s what pesticides are for.

   For more information, check out the story here.

   Posted by mudlark @ 6:16 am | Comments  

   

   July 27, 2007 | Food & drink

   Congratulations to… (drumroll, please)

   The child SIGG will go to Kristin at This Classical Life

   And the adult SIGG will go to Lucy at Macy Fron

   And thanks to the Random number generator for making the choice so easy!

   Posted by mudlark @ 9:25 pm | 1 Comment  
   « Older Entries

   Newer Entries »