White House Orders A Review of GMO Crop Rules

gmo cropsWho is in charge? Who really regulates genetically modified crops? In a bureaucratic sleight of hand the USDA spreads the responsibility for GM products throughout three agencies — the Agriculture Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. These agencies are all bound by rules and regulations created in 1992!

In the 23 years since the regulations were written there has been an explosion of knowledge about genetic modification and a massive number of GM products introduced into the market. The science of DNA modification and advances in technology happen every month.  And yet, regulations that are supposed to protect citizens and consumers have remained the same. Continue reading

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Red, White and Blue!

independence

Happy Fourth of July. Independence Day!

We will be celebrating with red, white and blue. That is red cherries, white crust and blueberries.

David has promised to make his famous sugar-free, gluten-free vegan pies as a special holiday treat. Plans are for one cherry pie and one blueberry pie. Who knows – I might even splurge with a little vanilla coconut ice cream – still vegan and dairy free but not sugar free. . .

Enjoy your holiday! It may not be perfect, but this experiment in democracy, called the United States, is a fascinating experience. It behooves us to remember that because it is a democracy, in all it’s messy glory, we have the right and responsibility to effect change.

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I’m a Believer

nutribulletI know juicing is a good thing. The easiest way to get a lot of fruits and veggies. Or at least the easiest way to get them into your body so that they do good.

The NOT easy part is getting the juice: taking out the juicer, feeding the veggies into the juicer and finally, cleaning the juicer and the counters and putting the clunky thing away.

Over the years we have made many attempts to juice on a regular basis. All have ended in a matter of days because making the juice is such a hassle. Last month, my friend who is moving, offered me her extra NutriBullet, I almost said no. Then I decided “what the hell!” The price was right and besides I was curious to see if the hype about how wonderful it is was real. So, I took it in spite of my deep skepticism about if I would use or like it. I brought it home and started to use it. Continue reading

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A New Record

obesity Last semester I took a class in Childhood Obesity. I spent fifteen weeks studying the policies and practices around childhood obesity. In the end  I concluded that the problem isn’t childhood obesity; it’s adult obesity. For every overweight/obese child there are three overweight/obese adults.

This idea was validated last week (Jun3 22, 2015). The Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) released a new analysis on weight in America. The conclusion? We’re fat and getting fatter.  The study found that in the population of those 25 and older 75% of men and 67% of women are overweight or obese.

Worse yet, for the first time Americans who are obese outnumber those who are overweight.  30% of women and 40% of men are overweight while 37% of women and 35% of men are obese.

Despite all the diets, the information campaigns, the warnings and social pressure to be thin we are getting fatter. Researchers blame our lifestyle, processed foods, inactivity and technology. And Lin Yang, the chief researcher for the study says “This is a wake-up call to implement policies and practices designed to combat overweight and obesity.” Unfortunately, she is resoundingly silent about what those policies and practices might be.

After weeks of studying food policy, years of studying nutrition and watching a few documentaries: Forks Over Knives, Food Inc, Fed up and Supersize Me, I have some ideas about where we need to start.

Over the next couple of months I will be writing and talking food policy and how to create change. Feel free to contribute to the discussion — your ideas and comments are wanted and appreciated!

Posted in environment, Food Additives, GMO foods, John McDougall, processed food, T. Colin Campbell, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Leave a comment

Mexican Rice

rice and beans
Most Mexican restaurant entree’s include rice and beans. The rice is a quintessential side dish which uses tomatoes and various herbs (garlic, cumin, cilantro) to lightly season the rice. Sometime, however, the rice includes jalapeno and can be quite spicy.

In our house Mexican rice is a more robust dish. We use herbs and spices liberally and it is much more than a side dish. We use it for breakfast rice and eggs, we add black or pinto beans and use it as an entree, we stuff it into green peppers and have been known to just sit down and eat it all by its self.

My grandkids asked me for my recipe recently and I realized I had never written down. I promised to do it. So Lauren and Kaitlyn, this is for you! Continue reading

Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, gluten-free food, Mexican, plant based diet, rice, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Leave a comment

Iodine

mortonsLike most American kids, I grew up using Morton’s salt. My mother, a nurse in her former life, stressed that the reason we used it was to be sure we got our iodine. To further imprint the lesson we were shown gross pictures of people with goiters due to lack of iodine in science classes.

sea salt
Then I grew up and discovered the amazing tastes of sea salt. I started experimenting with it in cooking, on salads, on various foods and snacks. I loved it. The variety in tastes made me very happy!  Gradually the Morton’s salt disappeared from our house. Continue reading

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Stir Fry with Ginger Sauce

Stir_frySummer is here and the garden is starting to produce veggies. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do with them.

A favorite simple solution is stir fry.  Stir fry uses most available vegetables. In fact I use almost anything except tomatoes and beets in it. Just add protein with tofu or nuts and to punch up the flavor use very simple ginger sauce. Continue reading

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Talking About Tofu

TofuThere are foods that make my mouth water. Tofu is not one of them!

I have never looked at tofu and thought “yummy!” Mostly it is a vaguely gelatinous food with no color and very little taste. Turns out that because of the texture, color and taste, tofu can be easily transformed into a tasty source of protein.

Much of the tofu in the USA is genetically modified so it is important to look for non-gmo organic tofu. I personally like sprouted varieties the best. Continue reading

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Eggplant (sort of) Caponata

eggplant
Summer in New Orleans means eggplant and lots of it! The abundance of it, particularly coming out of garden has forced me to find creative ways to serve it.

Don’t get me wrong, I like eggplant. I use it in various Asian dishes, grilled (used as a sandwich filling), in salads and still I have more eggplant. Continue reading

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Spring – New Orleans One Week Miracle

For one glorious week in May, we have spring here in New Orleans! Right around Mother’s day the threat of frost leaves, the rains die down and the weather is reasonably cool. That’s it! One wonderful week before it gets too hot and muggy to want to move.

crop tomatoes
The big news in our house is that we picked and ate our first tomato of the season. We started the seedlings in February. We planted seven different kinds of seeds: cherries, local creole strains and several hot weather varieties. We watched them come up, replanted them in larger pots carefully fed and watered them.  We transfered them to their permanent homes at the beginning of May. Right now we have one cherry tomato with a bunch of fruit and a lot of the others are in full flower. If we can fight off the black cutworms, the green horn worms and the swarms of insects that love this city,  we are set to have a great tomato crop. Continue reading

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