REALITY BITES

Reality Overload

2010-03-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

First, let me say that critics & their comments are welcome!

Now, I want to address Reality Overload. The reason that I started this blog was that I was experiencing an overload of information - and accompanying lifestyle changes. What happens when we start down a rabbit's hole of information is that it's hard to stop and take a break. Maybe first we feel put off by the ridiculous propaganda spewed at us on a "Corn Syrup is Natural" commercial (paid for by the corn syrup manufacturers) and decide to look into it some more. We snowball down a path of information that leaves us feeling sick, like in The Matrix, when Neo experiences "real world orientation" and proceeds to hyperventilate, vomit and pass out.

Instead of doing that, I am taking a break from getting this blog started. Normally, at this point, I would abandon a blog completely, but I really like this one and I'm not willing to give it up. There's a lot of information coming at me and a lot of decisions to be made, and in balancing it all (work, family, friends & home), the blog needs to go onto the back burner.

Mean Girls

2010-02-19T16:58:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make.
I used to be vegan. And now I'm mean.

Well, I'm not mean all the time. In fact, 98.5% of the time, I'm sweet as pie (or sweeter). Really, even when someone's being mean to me, I'll cry instead of be mean back.

But now I'm mean to vegans. Okay, just one time, I was mean to a vegan. It was actually this past week. I was feeling bitter about having to write an article for my job on becoming a vegetarian. I'm upset about this not only because I don't want to encourage vegetarianism, but also because I'm nervous that I'll fail at writing it. It's not that my writing itself is bad, but I'm trying as well as I can to present objective facts about vegetarianism without putting it into a positive or negative light - and deep down, I'm afraid the fact is that my company wants to jump on board the Whole Foods Train and encourage vegetarianism to all of its consumers - and if I don't pretty-up the facts (and positive-sounding myths) of vegetarianism, my article will fail and I'll have to re-write it or it will be edited and I'll be asked to resign or something. And all of this in light of the corporate push for vegetarianism aimed at the "health-conscious set" just made me plain angry. The vast, vast majority of our company's consumers are mothers whose choices in feeding their families are inspired by what we write and promote. And we know it.

Anyway, back to what happened. While I was researching for the article, I found a vegan blog and a post for a disgusting looking vegan "sausage", with a recipe which included a heavy dose of "wheat gluten", a long list of spices, and a bit of agave nectar (which, even when I was a vegan, was understood to be mostly corn syrup because of manufacturer's malpractice. I've heard from other sources that it's corn syrup since leaving veganism, but never looked into it enough to know for myself. I've just always avoided it.) I was so disgusted by this recipe that I left a sarcastic comment. I don't even remember it verbatim, and I apologized and asked the blogger to forgive me and remove the comment - but I know it was mean and nasty. I more or less asked where in nature or human history or even in the rest of the world I could find such a concoction, because it definitely didn't look like anything that had ever been produced by nature. I wish I could remember what else I said, but no matter. It was rude and inappropriate, but it was also downright stupid.

I totally took all of my bitter frustration out on this blogger and even patted myself on the back for it afterward. But a few minutes later (with the help of my husband), I realized that I was just being a "mean girl" (you know the word, it rhymes with hitch!) and that I never, ever would have been so ridiculously nasty and confrontational in the non-virtual world. So I left another comment, asking her to forgive me and delete my previous outburst of ugly. I felt so humiliated. And it took me until just now to really understand why I did it in the first place.

The reason that I wanted to post about it here is because maybe someone out there has a similar experience. Maybe you've blown up at some innocent person (maybe online, because it's so much easier) out of a misguided attempt to vent your frustration about something. And maybe you apologized, or maybe you didn't. Not everyone is so kind and forgiving as this blogger. She immediately took down my comment and accepted my apology. It made me realize even more how horrible I'd just been. And it made me quiet.

I think that's the best way to be about the things that upset us. At least at first. It's better to be quiet about it until it's the right time to say something. And know what you're going to say, and think about how it's going to ripple out over time. If you know you'll regret it, you won't say it. For this point in my life, I'm learning that it's the best way to handle things, especially the truth.

[An Eye-Closing Bite of] Stovetop Creamed Coconut Rice Pudding

2010-02-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

You know, 'cause that first bite is so good, your involuntary reaction is to close your eyes... and say "Yummmmm."

Okay, I'm new to the blog-world, so... please be nice to me? :) I'm saying this because I'm including this post as part of Pennywise Platter Thursday 02/18/10, and it might be the first blog post on this blog that people actually read. That makes me a wee bit nervous! (Prior to this one, I've just been kind of warming up, amusing myself and sometimes my husband.)

Anyway, I woke up early craving this. I couldn't find a recipe that fit my ingredients (I'm not running to the store at 6 am) and my criteria (Real Food!), and I was feeling too impatient to do the 2-hour oven bake, so... I made a recipe up. The result is rich, wholesome, satisfying and, to quote my husband, "Great for breakfast." It's also great as a dessert or snack. This makes 4-6 servings (4 as a breakfast, 6 as a snack).

And now, the recipe you've been waiting for. I've never made this before. I've never made any rice pudding before. Yeah... I'm kinda new to the cooking thing (only about 1.5 years of solid practice). But try it anyway!

Ingredients:

* 1 3/4 - 2 cups of rice (soaked brown, a.k.a. GABA rice, is best. I used dry, unsoaked white, because it is what I have - frugally purchased in a 20-lb. bag and stored in recycled jars.)

* 4 eggs (pastured is best, but if you, say, just moved to a big city and haven't any pastured, get some Certified Humane. 2 brands I have noticed as Certified Humane & commonly find in supermarkets are Pete & Gerry's, and Nellie's brand - but be careful as not all Nellie's eggs are Certified Humane. If you're wondering why I consider that the next-best option, read this or this.)

* 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

* 2 Tbsp. cinnamon (dried spice. Of course, you can use fresh if you have it!)

* 1/2 tsp. ginger (ditto the cinnamon)

* 3 oz. pure creamed coconut (I used half of a 6-oz. package, but would probably use more next time. Try it and see how much you like. I used Grace brand, it's "pennywise" and contains nothing but pure coconut - no preservatives or anything added. I've had it for 5 months in my pantry!)

* 2 Tbsp. honey (raw, regular, whatever you have. You can also use palm sugar, maple syrup, etc., instead of honey.)

* 1.5 - 2 cups of heavy (and I mean heavy) cream - preferably raw (Disclaimer! In the photo down below, my cream looks weird. This is because it was pretty much frozen. When it was delivered, the container had opened a tiny bit. The guy told me to keep it in the bottom of the fridge, in the back, and make sure my fridge is cold. The result is frozen. Trust me, it was still good.)

* Pinch of salt

* Filtered water

Instructions:

1. In a pot or saucepan, add rice and water to cover. Add a pinch of salt and some vanilla extract while you bring it to a boil.

2. Turn the heat down to Low (or Medium-Low, depending on your stove. I have a gas stove, so this is the heat setting which I used.) Cover it with a lid and leave it for about 5 minutes.

3. Stir and add creamed coconut. Add more water as needed (like if you were making risotto). Add cinnamon & ginger. You can also add other spices if you like.

This is where it's going to start smelling like heaven. Stir and cover. Leave it for 2-3 minutes.

4. Stir and add more water as needed (remember, like risotto). Add the honey and stir well. Cover.

5. Stir it every 1-2 minutes. As it thickens up, stir more often. Otherwise, the bottom will stick and burn.

6. When it looks like this:
remove from heat and immediately crack four eggs into the pot, like this:

Break the yolks and stir vigorously. The egg will cook into the pudding a bit, because it's hot, and you don't want it looking like egg drop soup, so stir like crazy.

7. Gather bowls, spoons, and people to eat it with. Then take the cream and add it into the pot. Stir well to incorporate. (If you thought it smelled good before, wait 'til you add some cream from a grass-fed cow. Man, that smell is amazing.) Serve & enjoy! :D

Taking A Bite Out of Propaganda

2010-02-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

Learning that I'm not the only one put off by Whole Foods' adoption of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's ANDI scoring system, I'm compiling a list of other people's comments which I've found worth reading, along with easy-to-digest bites from those pieces.
Photo source: Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blog

Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: Low-Carb Community Responds to Whole Foods Exclusively Marketing A Low-Fat, Vegetarian Diet:
"Dr. Fuhrman is the author of a book I reviewed several years back entitled Eat To Live and is certainly no fan of animal-based, high-fat, low-carb diets. I’ve given him an opportunity to explain the basis for his beliefs in an interview on my podcast show but he has refused... [ANDI] gives plant-based foods a way to appear more nutrient dense than animal-based foods which are just as chock full of vitamins such as A, D and K, DHA, EPA arachidonic acid, taurine, iodine, biotin, pantothenic acid, and vital minerals like sodium, chloride, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, copper, manganese, boron, molybdenum and chromium..."

Agriculture Society: Whole Foods "Health Starts Here" Campaign Is A Vegetarian Agenda:
"'Whole foods' and 'nutrient-dense' are on the list – which most no one would bothering arguing about…but Whole Foods carries products in their stores that clearly fall into the category of 'processed foods' such as grains, soy, legumes, and even vegetable – and what’s more, are promoting consumption of these products as healthful choices, so it’s plain to see those statements simply aren’t compatible with each other for obvious reasons... I don’t like the fact that Whole Foods is using their power over the natural market segments to send a message to consumers that meat and dairy products should be avoided unless lean and low-fat. I don’t like the fact that nowhere have I ever seen the message to support all sustainable farming, including meat and meat product farming. All we’re hearing is the message that the majority of our diets should be plant-based and low-fat – which clearly doesn’t include any meat."

The Lyme Disease Sentinel: Vegetarianism, Politics and Money:
"...is the corporate push for vegetarianism fueled more by profit and political goals rather than for improving and maintaining the vibrant health and mental functioning of the people? ...Humans are omnivores. Does the agricultural industry play a role in the vegetarian movement?"

Nourish DC: Whole Fools:
"...vegetarians are healthier in general than average Americans (not a hard thing to be, frankly) — they tend not to smoke or drink, and they tend to exercise more. There has never been a comparison with a third group — a group of people who eat whole, unprocessed foods only — including pastured and grass-fed animal products... Whole Foods’ own website admits that 'the only reliable sources of B12 are animal foods, fortified foods or supplements' and that 'it is challenging to maintain adequate levels of vitamin B12 on a primarily plant-based diet.' (Um, a deficiency in B12 is a serious thing — it can lead to nerve damage.)"

Whole Foods' Blogger Responds to My Comment on Their "Nutrient-Density" Scoring System

2010-02-15T15:35:00.000-08:00

The Whole Foods Market Blogs are written by Whole Foods Market employees. One of them, Lauren of Dedham, MA, posted on her blog about a scoring system which awards scores to foods based on specific factors. This system, called ANDI, was developed by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who calls himself a "nutritarian" and runs multiple websites, one of which is "Eat Right America". You can read more about Dr. Furhman here, and more about the ANDI system here. You can read Lauren's blog post about the ANDI system here.

I left a comment on the blog post. This was my comment:

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My question about the ANDI scoring system is regarding a potential contradiction in values. The system might be rendered ineffective in foods such as walnuts, fish and olives, where the calories from fat can bring the ANDI score down, because the vitamins are fat-soluble, requiring that the fat which nature has built-in to those foods in order to carry the nutrients into the human bloodstream. What do you think? Maybe I am missing something.

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The comment was approved and is visible on the blog post, in the comments section.

Lauren replied to me personally in an email, stating the following:

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Hi Nick,

Thanks for reading my blog and submitting a comment.

The intention of our “Health Starts Here” program is not to promote a 100 percent plant based, or vegan, diet. We are emphasizing the increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans -- no matter what type of diet one eats.

Our "Health Starts Here" Program has been created to helps support our newest Core Value, "Promoting the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education." We relied heavily on the expertise and extensive backgrounds of our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board when creating the parameters for the healthy eating program. Posting ANDI scores on some products in our stores will help shoppers select the most nutrient dense options if they are interested in doing so. That being said, we recognize that our stakeholders have diverse dietary preferences and realize that shoppers will continue to purchase foods across the dietary spectrum. Our goal is to call out nutrient dense choices for those customers interested in choosing them.

We appreciate your feedback and acknowledge there are many paths to health. At the end of the day, Whole Foods Market will still be a grocery store that offers a wide variety of products for our customers to purchase. Thanks again for reaching out to us with your concerns.

Lauren Klatsky

Marketing Team Leader Dedham

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Although I never mentioned that the program seems to "promote a 100 percent plant based, or vegan, diet", it is implied in her response that I did.

I would be interested to see the scoring system labels in effect to see if those actual foods she mentions - "fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans" - are the ones being marketed with high ANDI scores in the Whole Foods Market stores.

It is interesting that as the traditional diets (such as Weston A. Price/ Nourishing Traditions, Paleolithic, and similar diets) become increasingly popular, frequently using terms such as "nutrient dense" and "nourished", this particular move (and the activity surrounding it) is made in the U.S.'s leading natural & organic supermarket - and it uses those same terms. However, the terms have quite different meanings between the traditional diet advocates and the ANDI system advocates.

Lauren concludes with her (and someone else's, apparently, since she uses the word "we") appreciation of my feedback, and the reassurance that relativism makes it all okay - "There are many paths to [fill in the blank here]"; She fills in the blank with the word "health".

Finally, though my comment expressed no concern on the matter, she reassures me that "at the end of the day", WFM will continue to "be a grocery store that offers a wide variety of products".

I should also mention that, when leaving my comment, I was careful to spell my name correctly. But, in her response, Lauren called me "Nick". This made me laugh, so at least I got something positive out of it!

Discover for yourself:

Fooducate Blog: Whole Foods Market Adopts "ANDI" Nutrient Rating System

WholeFoodsMarket.com Lauren's Healthy Eating Blog: Let Me Introduce You to Andi

DrFuhrman.com Are You A Nutritarian? and the Dr.'s ANDI & MANDI food scoring systems explained

4 Hearty Bites of A Nutritious Egg

2010-02-15T06:07:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Lili Vieira de Carvalho

1. Organic or Omega-3? Cage-Free or Free-Range? The labels are confusing. The Humane Society of the U.S. spells it out for us in this guide. Basically, egg carton labels boil down (no pun intended) to 3 basic things.

2. The health of the hen. This is directly related to the health of the eggs. Consider what effects there are of a woman's health on that of her reproductive system. Stress can cause missed periods, food can affect fertility, and a variety of circumstances can affect libido. We are not entirely different from many of the animals in this regard. The best labels for selecting eggs laid by a healthier hen: Certified Humane (typically, these are organic as well) and Animal Welfare Approved (though rare to find in supermarkets).

3. The living quarters. The difference between cage-free and free-range is very slight. Cage-free implies that the hens are uncaged, but remain indoors - likely never breathing fresh air or basking in direct, unfiltered sunlight. Free-range hens are essentially cage-free with the exception of "never". They are required to have some degree of outdoor access, but this is far from a guaranteed source of "pastured" hen eggs.

4. The feed. Hens were meant to peck at insects, plants & roots, worms and seeds. In an industrial henhouse, it's extremely likely that they are feeding on nothing but the same corn-and-soybean diet of all industrial farm animals in America. Because corn and soy are cheap and easy to grow, and have been genetically modified to handle a lot of pesticides. However, even organic hens are commonly fed "organic" corn-and-soybean feed, which may be organic but remains an unnatural diet. I know we've all seen Disney's Cinderella, in which the soon-to-be-Princess feeds her hens some corn kernels. It's a supplemental treat, but by no means their main source of nutrition or calories. (Plus, it's fiction.)

Discover for yourself:
Find local, pastured eggs to feed yourself & your local economy
Egg Carton Label Guide by The Humane Society of the U.S.
Meet Real Free-Range Eggs

2 Bites of Creamy, Full-Fat Yogurt (Or Cheese, Milk, etc.)

2010-02-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

What yogurt is supposed to look like. Photo Credit: Larry Jacobsen

1. Without all of the naturally-occurring fat in dairy products, our bodies don't properly digest the protein, calcium or vitamins from them. Fat-free and low-fat dairy products don't make sense in the natural world.

2. In contrast to the propaganda peddled into westernized cultures for the past few decades, the truth remains that consuming naturally occurring saturated fat is actually, truly good for you. Naturally occurring means that it's produced by nature, not people.

Discover for yourself:
Fat-Free Food: A Bad Idea
Trimming Off Fat's Bad Rap
Why Whole Milk is The Healthiest Choice
Moo and Don't Hold The Fat
Skimming The Truth

2 Bites of... Lighter Fluid?

2010-02-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Jimmy McDonald

1. TBHQ is a chemical preservative. It's also a form of butane - yeah, lighter fluid. TBHQ is used to try and keep vegetable oils in processed foods from going rancid. It is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and therefore toxic.

2. Toxic TBHQ has been found in Chicken McNuggets, microwave popcorn, pet food, soymilk, most fast food and many other processed foods. Check labels in the grocery store and steer clear of fast food restaurants to avoid it.

Discover for yourself:
So What Really Is In A McDonald's Chicken McNugget?
You Want BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE With That?

2 Bites of High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-01-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Berry Market

1. Those Sweet Surprise commercials that you thought were misplaced SNL skits? Those are paid for by the Corn Refiners' Association - the old, crusty guys making billions off of the cheap, easy-to-grow, genetically engineered, pesticide-ridden corn grown on industrial fields to be mutated into an unnatural product called corn syrup in a science lab.

2. HFCS can be found in places you'd never expect, like ketchup and bread, so check labels if you'd like to avoid this Frankenfood.

Discover for yourself:

Another reason High Fructose Corn Syrup is poison... literally.
High Fructose Corn Syrup Proven to Cause Human Obesity
High Fructose Corn Syrup: They Want You to Believe its Healthy
Everything You HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods

2 Bites of Ammonia-Infused Beef

2010-01-26T19:53:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit: NY Times

1. For anyone who hasn't seen Food Inc., it might be a shocking new fact that ground beef is saturated in ammonia to kill the infectious E. Coli that commonly plagues grain-fed beef sources.

2. Hamburger meat used for fast-food restaurants is the type most commonly bathed in ammonia, because it is the lowest quality meat subjected to the least sanitary conditions and therefore requires an ammonia bath the most.

Discover for yourself:

Safety of Beef Processing Method is Questioned
I'll Have A Burger and Fries with Everything - Hold the Ammonia

1 Bite of Pumpkin: Or Is It?

2010-01-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit : Ann & Dabney

1. Canned pumpkin, it turns out, is actually not 100% pumpkin 100% of the time. There's nothing unnatural in the can (except perhaps BPA, considering it is a can, but save that for another bite), just other forms of squash. Canned pumpkin is harmless (again, aside from BPA present in can linings) other than the fact that a label may be misleading.

Discover for yourself:

Canned Pumpkin: What Is It Really Made Of?
Reasons To Use Canned Pumpkin

3 Veggie Burger Bites: Why Soy Scares Me

2010-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit : Animal Rights Coalition

1. Soy is very cheap and very easy to grow. Many food corporations like to use soy in any way that they can to replace more expensive ingredients in food. They have spread popular rumors that it is a healthy protein, good for you and a great alternative to meat.

2. Soy has been eaten by many cultures for many years. But not completely raw, not hydrogenated, not as oil. Fermented forms of soy have been eaten traditionally, and with a balancing ingredient like seaweed. This is because seaweed contains a lot of iodine. The body, especially the thyroid, needs to digest soy in fermented form and with a natural source of iodine in order to maintain good health.

3. Soy mimics estrogen and this fact was used to convince women, especially those in the post-menopausal stage, to consume it freely and reap the benefits. However, the effects of soy in the diet of both men and women is more harmful than helpful - and possibly causes cancer.

Discover for yourself:

Soy is perfect.... whaaaaaa?
The War on Soy
Soy May Cause Cancer and Brain Damage
Avoid Soy for Thyroid Health
Eating Too Much Soy May Cause Memory Loss
The Hidden Dangers of Soy (book)

2 Bites Dipped in Olive Oil, a.k.a. "EVOO"

2010-01-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit : BossBob50

1. Olive oil is first extracted by cold pressing, then potentially "treated" with various chemical and mechanical processes. The difference between EVOO and other types of olive oil (light, extra light, etc.) is the level at which the oil has been processed.

2. EVOO means Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Pure EVOO has not been chemically processed. The taste of pure EVOO tastes "green" - you can taste that it is from an actual plant. Extensively processed oils will not have this taste. Organic EVOO is the most pure - the plant and its oil were not genetically modified nor exposed to any pesticides and harmful chemicals.

Discover for yourself:

The Olive Oil Scandal
About Olive Oil
Olive Oil: How to Store and Select