Here are some facts on bottled water:
1. Americans buy something like 1 billion bottles of water a week. A billion!
2. Media reports a floating water bottle garbage dump twice the size of Texas off the Pacific Coast.
3. Bottle plastic off-gases dangerous hormone-altering BPA chemicals into the water it encases and the manufacturing of the bottles leach cancer-causing phlalates into the environment.
4. Eight out of ten plastic bottles become landfill waste.
5. Some municipal water supplies are cleaner than bottled.
After my own personal experience of toxicity from heavy metals and awareness of how environmental chemicals can affect body organs (thyroid, among many others), you take your chances drinking tap water. That's why when I go to a restaurant I always ask for filtered water and how it is filtered (reverse osmosis); Brita filters are not good enough against municipal water contaminants such as prescription drugs, pesticides, chlorine, chloramine and other chemicals.
In addition, Lead solder used to attach municipal pipes to homes and buildings can
leach lead and pipes within your own home can leak impurities.
I bring my own water with me wherever I go, save the environment and $$! At home I have an under-counter Multi-Pure water filter system for drinking and cooking and use shower and bath filters for bathing. I also have three different size dishwasher-friendly stainless steel Kleen Kanteens
from Rainbow Grocery - 12-oz (purse), 27-oz. (running) and 40-oz (if
I'm gone all day) - for running around town. However, things aren't as convenient when dining out with friends or traveling. In that instance, I
opt for bottled water from a glass container and drink from plastic as
a last resort (airports).
Ice cream! But for Three Twins organic and sustainably made ice cream, I say in a low voice, OMG. Favorite flavors? Milk & Cookies and Madagascar Vanilla though they do have coconut ice cream and vegan chocolate sorbet that's pretty darn good. After I was done (could only finish half since I just had a satisfying protein dinner) I popped the compostable dish and spoon right into a green compostable trash bin on my walk back home. How's that for a San Francisco ice cream experience?
Even professional chefs can have trouble getting their own kids to eat healthy foods. The key, according to Heather Winia, health counselor and mother of three, is to first recognize that kids have so little "control" in their lives so it is important to get them involved in the process of choosing at least some of their own foods.
For instance when at the store or farmers market you could play a
rainbow game such as, "How many red vegetables can you count? Which one
would you like to try for dinner tonight?" and try different colors (green, yellow, purple, orange, etc.) on
different market visits.
Another game while at the farmers market could be,
"Where does this vegetable come from? How does it grow?" and have the
farmer help you answer.
Heather's kids help her prepare meals and says that "little hands can rip apart lettuce", chop and do other tasks. Bottom line: kids invested in the process are more likely to try the foods they help prepare.
If involving your kids in the picking and prepping process still isn't working then you may want to see whether something more could be playing into the matter. See tomorrow's blog to read about it.
While some malls have been struggling in this economy, The Metreon on Mission & 4th found an interesting way to bring people through its doors: the Island Earth farmers market (this is, after all, San Francisco).
There stalls are filled with mostly prepared food - not so much like the fresh produce at the Ferry Building - which is probably perfect for the downtown lunch crowd and average mall crawler. Though it may/may not be all organic, it is still good to support.
Check out Soleil's African Kitchen - black eyed peas, rice and curried fish - for a bit of soul food you can feel good about.
I send questions to Jennifer Fleischer, my Chek-trained holistic fitness instructor, all the time. I figured you might have some of the same questions and want to know the answers. Here’s the latest:
Q: I have really tight hamstrings, especially after I run (30 minutes or less, mind you). Even my massage therapist noticed. Should I stretch before or after running?
A: It's best to do it before you run and avoid doing it immediately after. You want to give your nervous system a chance to rest and reset after the run. If you stretch right after you won't get the full benefit--but if you wait about 4-5 hours, your muscles will respond much better. That goes for strength training days too--stretch first but not immediately after. If we find that you are very tight, you may need to repeat the stretch before bed.
BTW readers, I’m going for a couple of new routines designed by Jen at the end of this month. If you decide to check her out yourself then please tell her I sent you. I want her to know she’s making a difference.
I
found this list of manufactured food products put out by the FDA and
thought that you may want to check your shelves and make sure that you
and your family are safe.
~
In addition to that, I want to give you another reason to shop locally from your local farmers market.
Not is it only more fun and interesting, something the whole family can enjoy, you can learn straight from
the source (as my dad always says) how your food is grown or made. Thank goodness it's almost June!
America has an obsession with soy: soy chips, edamame, tofu, miso, soy protein isolate, just to name a few. They're all soy but not all soy is the same. Most soy products are disguised as health foods, but the highly processed nature of it could put you at risk.
Soy in all its forms is a goitrogen, which suppresses the thyroid by interfering with iodine uptake. This can lead to heinous-looking goiters; those already with thyroid disease (how to tell if you have thyroid disease) are predisposed to them and should avoid soy.
Soy phytoestrogens - what the industry tells us is "good" - actually bumps out the estrogen that our bodies naturally produce. Studies have shown that soy can cause infertility and promote breast cancer in adult women as well as early precociousness in girls and delayed puberty in boys. For a list of studies showing the toxicity of soy, see this list.
Go to any American health food store or supermarket shelf and one can see that the food industry has promoted soy as a health food, a staple of healthy Asian cultures. Asians do eat soy, but not as much as the industry promotes. Fish is a main staple of Asian culture, especially on the coasts.
Daily soy consumption in Asian countries ranges from 10-20 grams per day, about a teaspoon, versus 45 grams or more in the U.S. And unlike tofu and most products sold in this country, the small amount of soy they typically eat is in fermented form, which adds nutritional significance because of the probiotic enzymes created during natural fermentation.
Further, soy is one of the most chemical-intense crops grown on American soil. So the next time you feeling like popping some edamame, make doublysure it's organic.
Check out this tell-all report put out by the Cornucopia Institute to see how soy products rank on their scorecard. If what I've written doesn't phase you, this report will have you think twice before putting that "energy bar" or "soy chip" in your mouth.
Avocado has such buttery, fatty goodness that I use it liberally every chance I get. They are at their peak in Spring and Summer in California. My favorite is the Haas avocado - the only kind to use when making guacamole.
High in monounsaturated fat and twice the potassium of a banana, it is loaded with vitamins B6, C and K that make eating it taste even better. The fat (as all fat is) is important for the body to absorb vitamins in the foods you are eating and helps keep you sated longer, curbing hunger, so don't skimp on it. Here are some ideas for enjoying it:
Sliced with Smoked Salmon (great when traveling)
Diced on top of beans and rice with cilantro
Diced on top of scrambled eggs
Sliced with shrimp and tomato on arugula or baby spinach
Diced in gazpacho (cold tomato soup)
Sliced thinly in an omelette
Spread on bread (Ezekiel) or G-F crackers (like Mary's Gone Crackers)
If Cleopatra used oil on her face, so can you. Save lots of money on expensive products with suspect chemicals (see list on Skin Deep) by using oil for multiple uses. Instead of olive oil, which I heard Cleopatra used, I get food grade almond oil in bulk from my Co-op for the following everyday uses:
Removing eye makeup (really, it works, even for waterproof mascara)
Leg moisturizer after shaving
Facial moisturizer before bed
Cuticle softener
Skin glow for chest, arms, legs and shoulders before going out wearing a dress
You can get food grade almond oil in bulk from Rainbow Grocery or your local food Co-op. Note: you can use olive oil in a pinch (almond oil is less expensive).
After moving to a new neighborhood last fall I quit my shmancy gym to save money. With all the stinky sweaty gyms nearby (really, the smell was over the top), I felt devoid of options. But I finally found someone to show me the right way to stay fit with a variety of routines I could stick with and still save moo-lah.
Alas, I hit jackpot with my Paul Chek fitness instructor, Jen Fleischer. In a couple of visits, Jen set me up with a whole new world of getting rock hard abs without doing a single crunch, hotel room routines for my busy travel schedule, and a way to stay fit without running double-digit miles and spending hours pumping iron. She and I also had very similar food philosophy: eat real food. (Whew - what a relief!) Jen is in the Bay Area but Chek instructors are located nationwide so check it out.
While some malls have been struggling in this economy, 
After moving to a new neighborhood last fall I quit my shmancy gym to save money. With all the stinky sweaty gyms nearby (really, the smell was over the top), I felt devoid of options. But I finally found someone to show me the right way to stay fit with a variety of routines I could stick with and still save moo-lah. 
Current Comments
Post has no comments.