November 22, 2012

Thanking the Heros of Prop 37 to Label GMO’s

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted thank all of the people that supported Prop 37 in the November election. For those of you that are unaware, Prop 37 was an attempt in the state of California to mandate the labeling of Genetically Modified (GM) foods across the state. As Americans, we have a right to know what is in our foods so that we can make informed choices for ourselves.

Currently unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, genetically modified ingredients are found in up to 70 per cent of food on the shelves of grocery stores across the US, including many foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup. 85 per cent of US corn is genetically engineered (which include corn meal and corn syrups ingredients), or traces of soybean, (where 91 percent of soy is GE which includes oil, flour, lecithin, and protein extract ingredients.)

For thousands of years, food was grown without the need to modify what nature naturally intended. Many companies in the food industry have now determined that there is a need to genetically modify our foods. GM foods have had genes from other plants or animals inserted into their genetic code for various reasons, such as resistance to pests, improved taste or longer shelf life. There is still much controversy on the health impacts of GMO’s, but there is evidence by many people who support natural and organic eating that GMO’s cause damage and health issues to our bodies. Some emerging studies have linked biotechnology to organ damage, reproductive problems, autoimmune disorders, and cancer among other health related issues. Link below to larger image of picture. https://s3.amazonaws.com/fooddemocracynow/images/prop_37_heroes_and_zeroes_2012.jpg

There are 61 countries across the world that require foods to be labeled with GMO’s, but we don’t have that luxury in the US. “The European legal system: GMOs cannot be put on the market without approval, whether it’s a food product made from GM crops or seeds for GM plants. In 2004, a new, fundamentally revised legal system took effect in all 25 EU Member States. The essential foundations of the EU’s policies are tight safety standards and safeguarding freedom of choice for consumers and for farmers. ” GMOCompass.org

The purpose of modifying our foods is certainly not for any known health benefits, but to promote big business and our fast pace lifestyles. Notice the amount of money spent by big businesses to persuade people NOT to support the bill.

While the bill did not pass (with a 47.6% to 52.4% at the polls), this movement has fundamentally changed the conversation on GMO’s in the US. There were many grassroots efforts in California and across the country where people and companies stood up for democracy and labeling of genetically modified foods and supporting our legal right to know what is in our foods.

The people who run these companies care a great deal about doing the right thing such as Dr. Mercola, Dr. Bronner’s, Lundberg Family Farms, Nutiva, Amy’s Kitchen, Organic Valley, Clif Bar, Udi’s, Earth Balance, Annie’s Homegrown, Applegate, Eden Foods and Good Earth Natural Foods.

If you are looking to purchase foods where you can feel comfortable knowing what is in them, I encourage you to support these natural and organic companies who have stepped up to the plate and stood behind their customers and this grassroots movement to label GMO’s

If you are interested in learning more about this effort and supporting future efforts on our right to know what is in our foods, check out the Food Democray Now site.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/our_organic_heroes/?akid=681.43113.EsoY5e&rd=1&t=3

There is also a video on this site which highlights Preident Obama’s promise during his first election to label GMO’s. Join Food democracy now in their efforts to encourage the president to fulfull his promise to our nation. http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/farmers-vs-monsanto/

November 22, 2012

Thanking the Heros of Prop 37 to Label GMO's

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted thank all of the people that supported Prop 37 in the November election. For those of you that are unaware, Prop 37 was an attempt in the state of California to mandate the labeling of Genetically Modified (GM) foods across the state. As Americans, we have a right to know what is in our foods so that we can make informed choices for ourselves.

Currently unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, genetically modified ingredients are found in up to 70 per cent of food on the shelves of grocery stores across the US, including many foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup. 85 per cent of US corn is genetically engineered (which include corn meal and corn syrups ingredients), or traces of soybean, (where 91 percent of soy is GE which includes oil, flour, lecithin, and protein extract ingredients.)

For thousands of years, food was grown without the need to modify what nature naturally intended. Many companies in the food industry have now determined that there is a need to genetically modify our foods. GM foods have had genes from other plants or animals inserted into their genetic code for various reasons, such as resistance to pests, improved taste or longer shelf life. There is still much controversy on the health impacts of GMO’s, but there is evidence by many people who support natural and organic eating that GMO’s cause damage and health issues to our bodies. Some emerging studies have linked biotechnology to organ damage, reproductive problems, autoimmune disorders, and cancer among other health related issues. Link below to larger image of picture. https://s3.amazonaws.com/fooddemocracynow/images/prop_37_heroes_and_zeroes_2012.jpg

There are 61 countries across the world that require foods to be labeled with GMO’s, but we don’t have that luxury in the US. “The European legal system: GMOs cannot be put on the market without approval, whether it’s a food product made from GM crops or seeds for GM plants. In 2004, a new, fundamentally revised legal system took effect in all 25 EU Member States. The essential foundations of the EU’s policies are tight safety standards and safeguarding freedom of choice for consumers and for farmers. ” GMOCompass.org

The purpose of modifying our foods is certainly not for any known health benefits, but to promote big business and our fast pace lifestyles. Notice the amount of money spent by big businesses to persuade people NOT to support the bill.

While the bill did not pass (with a 47.6% to 52.4% at the polls), this movement has fundamentally changed the conversation on GMO’s in the US. There were many grassroots efforts in California and across the country where people and companies stood up for democracy and labeling of genetically modified foods and supporting our legal right to know what is in our foods.

The people who run these companies care a great deal about doing the right thing such as Dr. Mercola, Dr. Bronner’s, Lundberg Family Farms, Nutiva, Amy’s Kitchen, Organic Valley, Clif Bar, Udi’s, Earth Balance, Annie’s Homegrown, Applegate, Eden Foods and Good Earth Natural Foods.

If you are looking to purchase foods where you can feel comfortable knowing what is in them, I encourage you to support these natural and organic companies who have stepped up to the plate and stood behind their customers and this grassroots movement to label GMO’s

If you are interested in learning more about this effort and supporting future efforts on our right to know what is in our foods, check out the Food Democray Now site.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/our_organic_heroes/?akid=681.43113.EsoY5e&rd=1&t=3

There is also a video on this site which highlights Preident Obama’s promise during his first election to label GMO’s. Join Food democracy now in their efforts to encourage the president to fulfull his promise to our nation. http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/farmers-vs-monsanto/

November 16, 2012

The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

I was on a call last week and someone asked the question on whether or not high fructose corn syrup is really bad for you. The party line answer was too much sugar in itself is harmful to the body and we should try to limit the amount of refined and processed sugars that we consume. While I absolutely agree with that statement, there is some additional information that is important for parents to know about the real dangers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

First, it is important to understand a little bit about your digestive system. The process that food goes through is a multi-step complicated process. There are lots of chemical reactions going on inside our bodies that many of us do not fully understand. I won’t share all the intricate details, however there are a few key components to know about the Gastric Trigger System:

Cholecystokinin (CCK) – A hormone that releases Leptin
Leptin – A hormone that tells the brain to signal fullness
Ghrelin – A horman that tells the brain to send a signal of hunger

When our bodies eat high-fructose corn syrup it is recognized as a foreign synthetic substance. It is not the same as natural sugar. Studies have shown that HFCS actually has an adverse impact in our body and it impacts the release of the CCK hormone. So when we eat food, our body is naturally supposed to tell our brain when it is full. HFCS inhibits that natural process from functioning. Therefore when you eat foods containing HFCS, your body doesn’t know you are full and you keep eating. As a result, your child may end up over eating because the body doesn’t know that it doesn’t need anymore food.

Another impact is in how HFCS is broken down in the system. Most fats are formed in the liver and when sugar enters your liver it determines whether to store it, burn it or turn it into fat. Fructose, however bypasses this process and simply turns it into fat. “The obesity and diabetes epidemics are no surprise when you consider the fact that the number one source of calories in America is high fructose corn syrup in soda.” says Dr. Mercola.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center and lead author of a study on fructose, published in the Journal of Nutrition just last year:

“Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose. Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it’s hard to slow it down. The bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in your body.”

Sugar comes in a variety of different forms and the facts are astounding on the amount of sugar that is added to our everyday foods. Processed sugar in itself is something we need to pay more attention to. Next time you open up a box of cereal, yogurt, granola bar etc… see if it has HFCS in it and just how much! While suagr in itself is bad, HFCS, had added dangers in how this synthetically made ingredient inhibits the proper functioning of the digestive system.

There is so much to tell on sugar in general that I am working with Julie Wilkes (US/Canada Health and Wellness Director) to create another webinar specific to the dangers of sugar. This will be brought to you in the new year. If you have any other topics that you would like to hear about, please let me know. I would be more than happy to create a blog on the topic, or depending on the topic and actual webinar.

November 9, 2012

One Evening’s Supper to Multiple Meals

I don’t know about you, but feeding a family of 6 is not cheap these days, so I like to stretch my meals as far as I can. One thing we love doing especially in the winter is making homemade soup from a leftover meal. As the weather starts to get a little cooler, there is nothing better than sipping a nice warm bowl of soup on a chilly day. The best part of making the soup, is that I usually already have all of the ingredients in the house and can turn last night’s leftovers into more than one meal.

One of our family favorites is a making a Lemon Herb and Beer flavored Chicken. I will admit, a few years ago, I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to cook a bird. But, once I started making changes for my family, I decided one of my goals was to learn how to make a whole chicken. I started out with a simple recipe on the internet on how to brine a chicken and then bake in the oven. It was so simple, I couldn’t believe it took me so many years before I tried this. We have also tried to purchase whole chickens that are organic with no preservatives or added GMO’s. The birds do tend to be a bit pricier, but its well worth it.

For those of you that work from home, this is such an easy meal to make on a weekday. You get the brine ready in the morning when you are making breakfast, clean the bird and put him in the brine in the frig and let it sit for a few hours. After lunchtime, I cut up the veggies (carrots, celery,onion, potatoes), toss them in with the chicken, flavor with olive oil or butter, add seasonings (thyme, fresh garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper) squeeze with some fresh lemon (add a bottle of beer) and bake in the oven. It’s usually somewhere between 2 – 3 hours to cook the bird, depending on how big it is.

This is a great meal that I love to make on days when I teach my son’s Religious Education class. I teach the class on Tuesdays at my house with nine 8 year old kids. Class starts at 4:15 and is over by 5:30, so there isn’t alot of time to cook a healthy meal before running one of the boys to their next activity. As soon as RE class is over, the bird is done and we can sit down as a family to eat.

Later that evening we end up with 3 different meals.
Meal 1 – Lemon Chicken with Veggies
Meal 2 – Homemade chicken soup
Meal 3 – Peanut Butter Chicken or Chicken Salad for lunch sandwhiches

Meal 2 – Chicken Soup – Take the some of the leftover bird (and its drippings) and let it simmer in a pot of water to get the juices and flavors from the bones. I add in some carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and chicken stock and let simmer for a few hours. Then I take out the bones, add noodles and I have dinner and/or a few lunches for the week. My husband even said he loved the soup better than him mom’s recipe. (Boy, that complement doesn’t happen often! But I will gladly accept it and keep on making one of his personal favorites.)

Meal 3 – Thai Peanut Butter Chicken – This is one of my personal favorites. For those of you who live in Chicago and have ever been to Siam Rice, this is the closet I can find to their Peanut Butter Chicken and Broccoli recipe. I use leftover chicken breast from the Chicken Meal and use it to create my 3rd meal of the week. Or sometimes I will take the leftover chicken breast and made a wide variety of chicked salads that can be used for lunches the rest of the week or another dinner. You can be as creative as you want and change it up each week.

Here is also a link to 3 other recipes of how to take a nice Sunday Supper into a Weekday Soup. I haven’t tried these recipes yet myself, but they seem fairly easy and worth a try. http://www.karenehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SuppertoSoup.pdf

If you have any of you own favorite recipes on turning one meal into tasty soup, please feel free to share. Enjoy!

November 9, 2012

One Evening's Supper to Multiple Meals

I don’t know about you, but feeding a family of 6 is not cheap these days, so I like to stretch my meals as far as I can. One thing we love doing especially in the winter is making homemade soup from a leftover meal. As the weather starts to get a little cooler, there is nothing better than sipping a nice warm bowl of soup on a chilly day. The best part of making the soup, is that I usually already have all of the ingredients in the house and can turn last night’s leftovers into more than one meal.

One of our family favorites is a making a Lemon Herb and Beer flavored Chicken. I will admit, a few years ago, I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to cook a bird. But, once I started making changes for my family, I decided one of my goals was to learn how to make a whole chicken. I started out with a simple recipe on the internet on how to brine a chicken and then bake in the oven. It was so simple, I couldn’t believe it took me so many years before I tried this. We have also tried to purchase whole chickens that are organic with no preservatives or added GMO’s. The birds do tend to be a bit pricier, but its well worth it.

For those of you that work from home, this is such an easy meal to make on a weekday. You get the brine ready in the morning when you are making breakfast, clean the bird and put him in the brine in the frig and let it sit for a few hours. After lunchtime, I cut up the veggies (carrots, celery,onion, potatoes), toss them in with the chicken, flavor with olive oil or butter, add seasonings (thyme, fresh garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper) squeeze with some fresh lemon (add a bottle of beer) and bake in the oven. It’s usually somewhere between 2 – 3 hours to cook the bird, depending on how big it is.

This is a great meal that I love to make on days when I teach my son’s Religious Education class. I teach the class on Tuesdays at my house with nine 8 year old kids. Class starts at 4:15 and is over by 5:30, so there isn’t alot of time to cook a healthy meal before running one of the boys to their next activity. As soon as RE class is over, the bird is done and we can sit down as a family to eat.

Later that evening we end up with 3 different meals.
Meal 1 – Lemon Chicken with Veggies
Meal 2 – Homemade chicken soup
Meal 3 – Peanut Butter Chicken or Chicken Salad for lunch sandwhiches

Meal 2 – Chicken Soup – Take the some of the leftover bird (and its drippings) and let it simmer in a pot of water to get the juices and flavors from the bones. I add in some carrots, celery, onion, potatoes and chicken stock and let simmer for a few hours. Then I take out the bones, add noodles and I have dinner and/or a few lunches for the week. My husband even said he loved the soup better than him mom’s recipe. (Boy, that complement doesn’t happen often! But I will gladly accept it and keep on making one of his personal favorites.)

Meal 3 – Thai Peanut Butter Chicken – This is one of my personal favorites. For those of you who live in Chicago and have ever been to Siam Rice, this is the closet I can find to their Peanut Butter Chicken and Broccoli recipe. I use leftover chicken breast from the Chicken Meal and use it to create my 3rd meal of the week. Or sometimes I will take the leftover chicken breast and made a wide variety of chicked salads that can be used for lunches the rest of the week or another dinner. You can be as creative as you want and change it up each week.

Here is also a link to 3 other recipes of how to take a nice Sunday Supper into a Weekday Soup. I haven’t tried these recipes yet myself, but they seem fairly easy and worth a try. http://www.karenehman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SuppertoSoup.pdf

If you have any of you own favorite recipes on turning one meal into tasty soup, please feel free to share. Enjoy!

November 2, 2012

Trick or Treat – Are parents being fooled?

One of the things I have recently learned is that many of our “Favorite Chocolates” are made with fake or imitation vanilla, (known as vanillin) which contain synthetic flavors and toxic chemicals. Keep an eye out for this synthetic additive.

I used to think, I will buy imitation vanilla because it is cheaper, why buy something that is more expensive when it tastes and looks the same.  BUT DON”T BE FOOLED!  FAKE VANILLA IS A TRICK NOT A TREAT.  It is actually made with petroleum.   Yes, I said gasoline.  Check out more details from the Feinhold association.    http://www.feingold.org/Research/BLUE/Page-06-7-colorsBHT.pdf

Also, if you think its just the sugar that causes hyperactivity, think again.  “Hyperactivity can be triggered by synthetic additives – specifically synthetic colors, synthetic flavors and the preservatives BHA, BHT (and later TBHQ) – and also a group of foods containing a natural salicylate radical. This is an immunological – not an allergic – response. ”    Dr. Feingold.

When I told my kids there was gasoline in their favorite chocolates, my oldest son was  disgusted.  He said, “tell me what chocolate I can eat that doesn’t have gasoline in it.”  Ghiradelli is an approved chocolate in our house.

So this year, I told my kids I would buy their halloween candy off of them.  We decided we would give them .25 for each candy they liked and .05 for each candy they didn’t like.  They made a list of all their favorite candies ahead of time, so they didn’t try to trick us.

I was pleasantly surprised that all of my boys wanted to sell me their candy.  It was a fun experience.  They created 2 piles and all the boys participated in counting their candies.  I let them each keep 5 pieces of candy and I am certain they snuck some along the way.

One kid got $10, another $16 and my oldest (who stayed out the longest) earned $30.  My goal was about $20 a kid, and this worked out great.  We will take all the candy they collected to their school, where they are being donated to some other organization.

This strategy turned out to be a great TREAT for me as a parent as well as the kids.