Archive for Food

Q and A for Tracy!

February 17, 2010 · Filed under 411, Costco, Fast Food Options, Food, Fruit, Reference/Books/Help, Trader Joe's, kids · Tagged

My friend Tracy watched Food Inc. a few days ago and I am so impressed!  Instead of burying her head in the sand she is being PROACTIVE!  Go GIRL!

She emailed me some Q & A, so here is my 411!

Do you buy all organic?  

I do not buy all organic.  If I am not sure whether or not something needs to be organic I google it and do some reasearch.  I try to buy organic when it is something my kids consume a lot of.  I also go by the rule of buying organic when the “skin is thin”. 

Go organic: apples, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, pears, nectarines, peppers, celery, potatoes, and carrots

Save your cash: avocados, eggplants, pineapples, bananas, corn, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, sweet peas, oranges, grapefruit, and squash

Go organic: all lettuces and greens such as kale, collards, mustard, swiss chard, and spinach

Save your cash: broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, cauliflower, eggplant, melons, and sweet potatoes 

Go organic: milk, yogurt, and cheese (milk and yogurt I am firm on.  String cheese I also buy organic because my kids eat a lot of it.  I buy regular cheese for sprinkling on chili or a quesadilla because we eat soooo little of it.)

You can also buy a lot of organic berries frozen, and I use those in shakes every day!

Eating organic seems really expensive?

I thought so too at first, but if you pay attention it really isn’t that much more.  Given that eating cleaner also led us to eating at home more, we have saved tons of money (and calories)!  Also when you are conscious of what you are eating you buy foods you know you will eat, verses a lot of stuff I just tossed out in the past.

The one thing you realize very quickly is if you eat IN SEASON you will save money.  I bought two spaghetti squashes at Trader Joe’s the other day for $1.75 each.  They keep forever in a cold, dark place and allow me to feed 4 of us, plus leftovers for about $5 (when I add the pasta sauce and a salad). 

Winter has forced me to explore new foods (squash, leeks, carrots, and lentils) that I use to stay away from.  I love summer.  The farmer markets around here make eating organic, and clean, so EASY! 

We don’t eat a lot of meat and that is what gets pricey if you are buying grass-fed (the GMO Corn is as concerning to me as the hormones and antibiotics (we were not raised with these things) being put into our bodies in the amounts our kids are exposed to.  We feed this to the cattle, but it is also in almost all of our processed foods).

We eat lots of seafood.  Frozen tilapia, and wild Alaskan salmon are pretty inexpensive at Costco.

Join the PCC (or any local co-op).  You are supporting local growers, and your local economy, and you know you are getting good stuff!  It was a $65 fee to join, and I get a coupon for 10% off every month and you also get 5% off every 15th and 16th of the month and a newsletter with great recipes for eating in season.

Also, I view it as an investment.  I would rather spend a bit more up front and keep us all as healthy as possible, than pay downstream in medical bills.

I went to Trader Joe’s today and did pretty good-just paying more attention to labels.

They say to watch the first 3 ingredients, I try to watch the 1st five.  Watch for sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn-syrup.  A clean, clear label with words you can pronounce is a GOOD THING!  I think the best book you could read to learn about all of this is Michael Pollan’s, In Defense of Food.  He also has a great explanation (cliff notes if you will) in Food Rules, for why and how to eat healthier.

Good rules to follow (when you can)

No sugar.  

No high fructose corn syrup.  

No trans fats.  (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated)

No saturated fats.

Nothing enriched.  

Words you don’t know or cannot pronounce. (Mono- dyglicerides for example)

And extra words, like “added”!

Do you cook every night?  If you do, what kind of meals do you make? 

I do.  If we eat out or do take out as a family it is sushi, subway, taco time or Indian food.  Or occasionally we order Zeeks and I get half- no cheese loaded with veggies and sauce (you would be surprised)!  It is just easier for me to know what I am putting in my mouth, and to know where it came from and what has been done to it.

We eat lots of lentils (a million ways to cook these and Trader Joe’s has them pre-cooked so you can just add them to a recipe), chili (vegetarian, or turkey-homemade or bought), salmon, tilapia, shrimp, tofu (don’t knock it til you have tried it), soups, salads (oil and vinegar, or a variation….no more ranch or other sugar and fat dressings), and whole grains. Whole grain pastas, wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, and tabouleh (this one takes 30 minutes and just hot water).  And I do cook chicken, and red meat, just not often, and I do buy it from the PCC or Whole Foods.

The kids love chili night, my tortilla soup, and we make pizzas all the time-their FAV!  It is amazing what kids will put on their pizza if they help put it in the topping bowls, and then we just throw them on the BBQ.  (Whole foods and TJ both sell pizza dough for under $3.00). 

We bought some crab for Valentine’s Day, so tonight was crab cakes, shrimp and a salad – YUMMERS!

What do you send with your kids for lunch?

What is tough about lunches is being creative, and making it fun enough that they don’t harp on wanting all the crud the kid next to them has!  The first day of school this year James came home asking when he could have a gogurt?  So we had a chat about food, verses fun food, verses sugar, chemicals and food coloring masquerading as yogurt.  It is impossible to ask your kids to eat healthy if you do not.  I have found my kids are pretty cool about it because they want to be like Mom and Dad.  Some day that will change, and then I will focus on how those “fun foods” make us feel (tired, lethargic, thristy…so on).

There is no peanut butter allowed at his school so it is turkey cheese, sunbutter, cream cheese and jelly.  The key is the bread, this is where I try to make it as nutritious as possible.  We also do wraps and he likes hummus, turkey,cream cheese, cucumbers.  I do send a juice box, Hansen’s 100% juice (Costco).  I wish he would drink water…but lets be real.  We then send a fruit-seasonal, so right now it is small tangerines, apple slices, or pear slices.  We also send hummus and chips. He loves cucumber slices with lemon pepper on them (so do I)).

The junk food/treat is either stretch island fruit leather, kids cliff bar (Costco), dried mango slices (Costco), or a cookie (they might be organic, or vegan, he doesn’t know nor care).  I look for things that maybe aren’t perfect, but better than the alternative.  Last week the kid next to him got 8 OREOS, a chocolate milk, and some Cheeze-Its for lunch.  I sware, people have lost their minds!

I will post my Costco and Trader Joe’s Grocery lists, the staples that I always pick up.  I still hit Safeway for basics, and their organic brand is pretty good.  I have not been down any of the middle aisles at Safeway in ages.

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Yummy yogurt, Yucky yogurt

February 8, 2010 · Filed under 411, Breakfast, kids · Tagged

Yogurt is a staple in our home, but the yogurt you find in my fridge today is nothing like the yogurt you would have found over a year ago.  I think yogurt in America has become nothing more than a base for adding sugar, food coloring, additives, high-fructose corn syrup, potassium sorbate, sodium citrate, caramel color, and EXTRA YUMMY stuff like modified food starch.  Would any of you guessed you needed any of those things to make yogurt?

It is sad that our taste buds have evolved to a place where even our dairy products need to be ”fake” in flavor and pink or green to appeal to our eyes!  Come on people, you know when you peel the lid back and dip your spoon into a “Key Lime” flavored yogurt with a thick, neon-green syrup at the bottom that you are not really eating fresh lime, right?  RIGHT?

Again, moderation.  If your kids need to have a Go-gurt once or twice a week, probably not a big deal (I don’t buy these).  Personally if I were going to buy these, and serve them, it would be an occasional treat, and as dessert!  Let’s teach our kids that junk food is, well, junk…instead of raising them believing junk food is food!

Greek yogurt can be sweetened up for your kids in several healthy ways.  Add a few drops of Agave, a small spoonful of a healthy jam, fresh blueberries, crunchy cereal…PLAY AROUND with it.

Here is a comparison of Yummy vs. Yucky yogurt!  I wanted an Apples-to-Apples comparison, though I doubt many of us purchase this version of “Yucky” yogurt, it is probably much, much worse!

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Breakfast on the run

January 6, 2010 · Filed under Breakfast, Shake It Up!!!, kids

At our house we set the alarm so we are downstairs early enough to all eat breakfast together and chat about the day ahead !  NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, mornings are chaos at our house.  Ideally the kids have oatmeal, high-fiber cereal with fresh fruit or yogurt, or maybe eggs and toast.  But MOST mornings we are on the run so the cereal gets inhaled, or breakfast barely gets finished and we throw fruit or a snack bar at them in the car.

Doctor Oz shared the shake he and his wife serve their kids for breakfast and it looked like a winner.  Sure enough both kids SUCKED it down!

So blend it up and throw it in some to-go cups if you feel like the kids didn’t get enough to eat!  Check out the protein, they will be ready to hit the books FOR SURE!

The Magical Breakfast Blaster

Magical Breakfast Blaster

Ingredients

Makes 2 servings so double for 4 ppl

1/2 large ripe banana, broken into chunks (or other fruit of your choice)
1 scoop (1/3 cup) Soy Protein (like Nature’s Plus Spiru-Tein)
1/2 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 tablespoon apple juice concentrate or honey
1 teaspoon psyllium seed husks
8 ounces water

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Optional: Add a few cubes of ice, as well as powdered vitamins. Cover; blend until fairly smooth.

PS.: Don’t forget to the MAGICAL, that part is VERY important!

The 411 on Magical Breakfast Blaster: | 136 calories per serving/Healthy fats: 2.4g/Fiber: 6.3/Protein: 29g

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Dirty Birdy!

December 15, 2009 · Filed under 411, Advice from the Experts, Meat

Huge SHOUT OUT to Jen F. who texted me a heads up on the new Consumer Report Article just out on Chicken Safety.  I gotta say, the more I read, the more I relish my choice to eat less meat!  But listen, I still eat meat, and I know most of you do, so if we are going to eat meat and feed it to our kids let’s be active participants in the farm-to-table process, and let’s all remember that every dollar we spend on a specific BRAND of food is a vote for that Company to continue its practices…good, or not so good.

I know a lot of you can not stomach the icky talk about what might be coming into our homes, so I will outline the basics of the article, and if you want the full 411 you can read it for yourself!

Here is the 411 on their findings, and the full article can be read here, and will be on New Stands January 2010!

What I Take Away From This Article, My Own 411

  • If I can stomach the prep, or just decided to COOK only whole chickens, buying air-chilled broilers is the safest way to go (WHOLE BIRD PEOPLE)
  • Store-brand organic chicken (from these findings) is more likely to keep my home free of Salmonella that non-organic chicken
  • If I have to buy mainstream, I will buy Perdue!
  • I will always use a meat thermometer and make sure my chicken is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit

First A Few Definitions

Campylobacter:    Odds are if you have had food poisoning you had Campylobacteriosis as it is the most common cause of diarrhea in the United States!!!  Defined it is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism.  More common in cases of “here and there” than associated with major outbreaks.

Salmonella:  Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.  Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals, including birds. Salmonella are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. 

Some 411 On The Illnesses Associated With Chickens

Each year, salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other food sources infect 3.4 million Americans, send 25,500 to hospitals, and kill about 500, according to estimates by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  BUT the article goes on to tell us that these are reported cases, most of us don’t go to the hospital when we have food poisoning, we ride it out at home.

What’s more, the CDC reports that in about 20 percent of salmonella cases and 55 percent of campylobacter cases, the bugs have proved resistant to at least one antibiotic.

Here Is WHAT Consumer Reports Tested

Consumer Reports has been measuring contamination in store-bought chickens since 1998. For our latest analysis, we had an outside lab test 382 chickens bought last spring from more than 100 supermarkets, gourmet- and natural-food stores, and mass merchandisers in 22 states. We tested three top brands—Foster Farms, Perdue, and Tyson—as well as 30 nonorganic store brands, nine organic store brands, and nine organic name brands. Five of the organic brands were labeled “air-chilled” (a slaughterhouse process in which carcasses are refrigerated and may be misted, rather than dunked in cold chlorinated water).

Here Is What They Found

  • Campylobacter was in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was in 14 percent, and both bacteria were in 9 percent. Only 34 percent of the birds were clear of both pathogens.
  • Among the cleanest overall were air-chilled broilers. About 40 percent harbored one or both pathogens. Eight Bell & Evans organic broilers, which are air chilled, were free of both, but our sample was too small to determine that all Bell & Evans broilers would be.
  • Store-brand organic chickens had no salmonella at all, showing that it’s possible for chicken to arrive in stores without that bacterium riding along. But 57 percent of those birds harbored campylobacter.
  • The cleanest name-brand chickens were Perdue’s: 56 percent were free of both pathogens. This is the first time since we began testing chicken that one major brand has fared significantly better than others across the board.
  • Most contaminated were Tyson and Foster Farms chickens. More than 80 percent tested positive for one or both pathogens.
  • Among all brands and types of broilers tested, 68 percent of the salmonella and 60 percent of the campylobacter organisms we analyzed showed resistance to one or more antibiotics. (THIS SHOULD SCARE YOU)

Here is What CR Suggest You Do

  • Make chicken one of the last items you buy before heading to the checkout line.
  • Choose chicken that is well wrapped and at the bottom of the case, where the temperature should be coolest.
  • Place chicken in a plastic bag like those in the produce department to keep juices from leaking.
  • If you’ll cook the chicken within a couple of days, store it at 40° F or below. Otherwise, freeze it.
  • Thaw frozen chicken in a refrigerator, inside its packaging and on a plate, or on a plate in a microwave oven. Never thaw it on a counter: When the inside is still frozen, the outside can warm up, providing a breeding ground for bacteria. Cook chicken thawed in a microwave oven right away.
  • Don’t return cooked meat to the plate that held it raw.
  • Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.

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Giving Thanks for our healthy hearts and minds!

November 25, 2009 · Filed under Food, Recipes, side dishes · Tagged

If you find yourself with a healthy heart, mind and soul this Thanksgiving please USE THEM!  If you view the way you eat as a diet, then your attitude (I know because this was me for so many years) for tomorrow is one of “screw-it, it is a Holiday Feast and I am going to enjoy it!”  However if you view food as energy, and you are trying to eat cleaner, smarter and enjoy real, whole foods then don’t let Thanksgiving leave you feeling like crap for the next week.

Thanksgiving is a day we should enjoy our family, friends and be grateful and thankful for all we have.  Food brings us joy, comfort and more importantly on Thanksgiving it brings us together.  But food does not need to bring us down!  Don’t fret about your Feast!  It is just another say where each bite you place in your mouth is still the energy you need to live happy and well.

Being that I was out of the Country for the past few weeks I did not get my “Healthy Tips” for your holiday meal posted.  I promise a full menu of clean, healthy holiday alternatives for next year!

I will say my family has been super supportive and open to making a few changes that will start the process of perhaps “lightening-up” our Thanksgiving feast. 

First props go out to my Sister who gave the ok to replace our mashed potatoes with sweet potatoes, and to replace our long-standing spinach casserole (bread-crumbs, cheese, sour-cream, cream of mushroom soup…you get the picture) with a green bean recipe that rocks!

2nd round of props goes out to my Mom who bought her first Free Range/organic Turkey.  That conversation went something like this.

Mom, “Why would I spend $9 a lb (she was guessing) on a turkey when I can spend $1 a lb at Costco?”

Before I could plead my case my Sister jumped in (GO Zan) with “Well sure, why would we want to buy a turkey that grew-up running around a field when we can buy one that was caged and stuffed with hormones and antibiotics?”

Mom went to Whole Foods and our beautiful, free range, hormone and anti-biotic free turkey is taking a water bath!   This makes me proud, and happier than she could possibly know!

So the Family is making baby-steps and more importantly they are understanding that in a Country where we strive to obtain the best and nicest of material possessions, we seem to skimp and scrounge for the cheapest food we can possibly find to put in our bodies.  It makes no sense at all.  We are what we eat, I don’t know about you, but I want the very best quality of ingredients providing me with my energy, nutrients, and vitamins.

I heard on the news that tomorrow the AVERAGE calorie intake for an American is 4800!  That means you could gain ONE lb, in ONE day!  But more importantly is the quality of that quantity, think about the butter, the saturated fat…you get the picture.

So though I did not get the full menu out this year, here are a few easy recipes you can add, or use as swaps.  And please remember if you have no control over where and what you are eating tomorrow, you CAN ALWAYS just eat a few bites of eat dish.  Our meal will still have a lot of foods that are not really that great for me, it is up to me to eat smaller portions and pass on those things that I DO NOT chose to eat.  I am thankful and grateful to have a few choices that I know will taste great, and be great for me!

Coconut-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes 

(Don’t say you hate sweet potatoes, these are not the same as those candied yams your Aunt tried to force on you!)

Serves 10.  Hands-on time 20 min. Total time 1 hour, 10 min

 

INGREDIENTS:

5 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cut

¾ cup light coconut milk

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ tsp sea-salt

1/8 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 cup unsalted pecan halves, chopped 

Preheat oven to 325.  Bring large pot of water to boil, add sweet potatoes and boil for 10 min or until soft. Drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.

(kitchen aide or hand-mixer will work). 

Add coconut milk and spices.  Mix on med until smooth, scrapping down the sides.

Transfer to a 9 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle pecans over the top evenly.

Bake for 45 ot 50 minutes, or until edges are brown.  Cool for 10 min and serve.

The 411 on the Sweet Potatoes (1 cup):  Calories 200/ Fat 7g /Fiber 4 g/ Protein 4 g/ Cholesterol 0 mg

Regular mashed potatoes (1 cup):  256/ Fat 14 g (half of  this saturated)/Fiber 2 g/Protein 4 g/ Cholesterol 6 mg (note: these are regular mashed with butter and milk, if you add sour-cream, or whole milk I don’t have the 411 but I think we can all assume these numbers go way up!)

Green Beans with Roasted Chestnuts

 

Serves 10.  Hands-on time 20 min.  Total time 30 min,.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ lbs French Green Beans (or whatever green beans you can find)

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

2 large shallots thinly sliced, about ¼ cup

1 ½ cups canned or jarred vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts, sliced

½ cup low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth)

Juice ½ lemon

¼ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

 

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.  Fill a bowl with ice water.  Boil beans for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp then drain and add to ice water for 2 min. Drain again and set to the side. 

(the blanching can be done up to two days in advance)

Heat oil in skillet, add shallots, and cook for three minutes, stirring often.  Add chestnuts and cook for one minute.  Now add broth, bring to simmer, and cook until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.

Now add beans to the shallot mixture and toss until heated through, about two minutes.  Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and remove from heat.  Serve hot.

The 411 on ¾ cup serving of Green Beans:  Calories 170/ Fat 2 g/Fiber 6 g/ Protein 7 g/Cholesterol 0

The  Family Spinach Casserole 1 cup: Calories 380/ Fat 33 g/Cholesterol 42 mg

Recipes are from Clean Eating magazine. 

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My Sister told me to “EAT CAKE!”

November 21, 2009 · Filed under Breakfast, Grocery List, Store Fav's, Trader Joe's, Uncategorized · Tagged

fibercakes

Cranberry Too

Ok, well actually it was Fiber Cake.  Blueberry fiber mini Cakes to be exact.  So I did… and I have to say a BIG HUGE THANKs to my Lil Sis!  Way to get on board Zan and find another yummy treat we can snack on!  GO GO GO!

Now I must add my DH did not find these as tasty, but I have two thoughts on this: 1) He does not like ANY cake and 2) I think females have much more of a bread/carb/indulgence thing going on that drives us to the bread-like foods.

Tip:  Keep them in the freezer and when you want one take it out and just let it sit for about 5 minutes!  Yummers!

With 80 calories and 12 TWELVE grams of fiber how can you go wrong?

Here is the 411 on the Fiber Cakes

Calories=80/Sodium=180mg/Fiber=12g/Sugar=2g/Protien=5g

I am thinking this might just hit the spot with my morning cup of Joe!

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Power your day with a Purple Power Smoothie

November 14, 2009 · Filed under Breakfast, Shake It Up!!! · Tagged

Makes 1 Smoothie

Time=5 minutes

1/2 banana

1/2 C frozen blueberries

1/2 C acai-blueberry juice

1/4 C soft silken tofu

1/4 C plain soy

1 tsp. lemon juice

 purplepowersmoothy

BLEND

219 calories

3g total fat

43g carbs

46 mg sodium

4g fiber

7g protein

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Sunshine in a bottle, it could save your life

November 5, 2009 · Filed under Costco, Products I can't live without, Shake It Up!!!, SuperFoods, kids

This is hands-down one of my favorite finds, and favorite products.  I found Wellesse Vitamin D  last year at Costco and have been a die-hard believer since!  (I have also seen it at our local Walgreens.)

It is estimated that 70% of all Americans (kids too) are deficient in Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is crucial to our being.  Experts believe we need around 1,000 units of vitamin D a day.

Dr. Oz has said that “Vitamin D is critically important for preventing cancer and critically important for reducing heart problems.  It’s linked to multiple sclerosis, to juvenile diabetes.  It’s one of the best ways of reducing infection rates.  It’s got a ton of things that it does for you to make your immune system function the way you want to function.”

There are also studies showing Vitamin D deficiency is linked to depression, osteoporosis, and many other chronic conditions.

You can get Vitamin D naturally through sunlight, you need about 10 minutes a day of direct sunlight, but if you live in the Northern portion of the USA this might be near impossible.  I know in Seattle it is not even a consideration.  So if you are not taking a Vitamin D supplement you are probably deficient.  A simple blood test can tell you your Vitamin D levels.

Many multivitamins have vitamin D2 not vitamin D3 - which is the preferred & recommended form, and found in this product.  Wellesse is clear and tastes GREAT!  I just add it to my water bottle in the morning.  For the kids I put it in their water or juice.  It has a yummy berry taste and in no way taste like medicine!  Just 2 teaspoons (how easy is that) does the trick! 

vit D

Here is the 411 on Wellesse

  • 1000 IU Vitamin D3 – the preferable form of vitamin D
  • Fast absorbing liquid that’s easy for the whole family to enjoy
  • Supports immune, breast, colon and bone health
  • Just 2 teaspoons, once a day, for adults or one teaspoon for children over age 4, means no more pills to swallow
  • Research has shown that nutrients from liquid sources can be more easily absorbed than from solids

    • I haven’t tried the Wellesse Calcium & Vitamin D3 liquid yet but my guess would be this is a sure thing too!

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    Wednesdays with Ellie & Greek Gods

    November 4, 2009 · Filed under Brands I Love, Breakfast, Uncategorized

    I have come to look forward to Wednesdays!  Wednesdays are just us girls at our house and we have a nice little routine in place.  I get some work done while Ellie gets her dance clothes on and plays!  We then hit up Starbucks for some coffee and a chocolate milk (Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk) on our way to Ellie’s Ballet class.  Ellie then dances with Teacher Hanna and her little buddies while I watch through the window (no Moms allowed-Boo Hoo!).

    After dance class we come home and make a smoothie for lunch.  Ellie gets to pick the ingredients  (I must admit she does a pretty good job) and place them in the blender!

    Last week Ellie pointed to the Greek Gods and it was a great choice.  If you are not familiar with the Greek Gods RUN don’t walk to the nearest store.  This stuff is the BOMB!  We use it as yogurt, mix it with berries, cereal, in place of sour cream on dishes, and of course in smoothies.

    Greek yogurt is one of Dr. Oz’s 8 favorite foods (see the rest here) and it is good for us because it has live cultures and probiotics. Live and active cultures are beneficial bacteria that naturally reside in your digestive tract and improve intestinal function, promote good digestive health, and lead your body’s defenses against a number of ailments.

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    Food Inc. now on DVD

    November 4, 2009 · Filed under Food, Meat, Reference/Books/Help

    http://www.foodincmovie.com/

    The movie speaks for itself and includes some valuable contributors, including Michael Pollan (one of my rock stars, “In Defense of Food”)!  Watch it.

    foodinc

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