Do You Know What's in Your Organic Foods?

Do you know what's in your organic foods? Have you ever heard of Carrageenan?  Did you know its used in making aircraft de-icers? It is in a lot of our foods and is not healthy for us. Click here to read why.


Now that you know, here is a handy shopping guide that you can download and bring with you when you shop that list alternative foods that do not contain Carrageenan.


xo   Inge

I started buying coconut water and organic soy milk from my neighborhood 99 cent store ( I am sooo happy they exist and sell these, regular markets charge sometimes 3 times as much for same brand) And by the way I buy WestSoy soy milk bec...ause it does not contain carageen...if you don't know whats bad about carageen, Google it. Anyway, to save more money I freeze the coconut water and soymilk (in seperate) freezer trays and use the cubes in smoothies. I usually add 3 cubes coconut water and 4 cubes soy milk. I throw them in after I add everything else and let them melt -- then I blend them together. Yum!

 

 

I make a smoothie everyday...here's the recipe for the one I'm drinking right now.

 

 

 

 

3 cubes frozen coconut water

4 cubes frozen soy milk (organic)

1/2 cup parsley

1/2 banana

2 large carrots (juiced)

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup spring water

teaspoon ground flax seed ( I use Bob's Red Mill)   I don't have a grinder right now

 

Throw these into a blender

Allow the frozen cubes to melt; it takes about 15 minutes and then blend mixture

Enjoy!

 

 

 

xo   Inge

 

Before You Buy Fast Food Read This

Millions of Americans buy fast food everyday, but do you really know whats in the food you're eating????

xo    Inge

Baby it's Cold Outside and that Means Chili...

Its bloody cold here in Southern California these days....ok -- it's not Minnesota cold -- but the reason we have over 8 million people living here is because of the great weather.  We Southern Californians aren't used to this kinda cold. Yesterday we were colder than Chicago!



Baby it's cold outside and that means its time for soups and chili. Here is my recipe for hearty vegan chili.



First thing in the morning (or you can do this the night before) is to soak fresh black beans for about 3 hours...then I boil them on low heat until they are fairly easy to smash with a fork. Since there is just me and my hubby, I start with a 1/2 cup fresh beans which turns into at least a cup after they are cooked.



When the beans are done I take out my large soup pot and pour in some olive oil...just enough so I can sautee an onion, which I already chopped up before hand.



When the onions are carmelized I throw in a 16 oz. can of organic tomatoes (any size will do...if they are whole tomatoes, I put them in blender for 1 second)


Then add 1/3 bag frozen organic corn (I buy mine from trader Joes)...stir in black beans and let simmer. If you want you can add chopped up organic potatoes to make it thicker. A green pepper is good too, but we aren't big on green peppers in this household.



So where's the chili seasoning???   I used to buy the ready made but now I make my own...I want to know exactly whats in my food. The ready made only list a couple of ingredients  and the rest are"natural spices"...ok, what constitutes "natura"l these days? After finding out what companies put into our processed foods...with the blessing of our FDA...I don't trust them...sooo I found this terrific chili/taco seasoning recipe from another blogger...you can find her over here... http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-chili-and-taco-seasoning/


For this recipe I use 2 heaping tablespoons chili mix...if you want more you can season to taste.



Here's how to make your own chili seasoning:

4 tablespoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sea salt
4 teaspoons black pepper
 

this makes about 2/3 cup. I keep it in a ziplock baggie for future use.



Sometimes I add a tablespoon of vegan sour cream on top of my bowl. Yum!


xo     Inge


 

100 Days of Real Food

I found this article while cruising the internet.

"100 Days of Real Food: Easy Ways to Cut Back on Processed Ingredients"

You can find it here.... 

http://www.takepart.com/photos/avoid-processed-food?cmpid=tp-ptnr-foodbabe


and this article will make you think twice before you buy....

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/hidden-ingredients-processed-food.html?page=2


xo      Inge



I almost forgot to wish you a  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The weather constantly flips back and forth from fall weather to a taste of late summer..meaning there are days when the temps are in the low 80s and the next day is cold and foggy. I noticed there are some people with the sniffles recently and today I woke up with a slight feeling of the onset of a cold. As you know, I am not a fan of  traditional over-the-counter meds but a friend gave me this when I was fighting cancer and I still take it when I feel a slight scratchiness in my throat.

It works for me and doesn't have the lousey side effects of other name brands.


And of course, eat lots of in season fruits and veggies to keep your immune system up to par.

xo    Inge

John and I went to Olive Garden for dinner. We used our gift certificate and I feel sick, bloated. I can really tell the differnce between fresh and processed food now, since I have been eating healthy for over a year. Their dinner rolls tasted like flour water and yeast, zero flavor. I'm happy we didn't pay for that meal. John's happy I chose not to interrogate our server about GMOs.

I swiped this chart off Food Babe's blog http://foodbabe.com/2012/09/28/do-your-favorite-snack-brands-contain-gmos/


I suggest fresh fruits and vegetables BUT I know we all like something to snack on occasionally, so why not be sure its good for us! And we are showing our support for those companies who are doing the right thing! Earning a living, while selling a product that is good for the environnment and good for us!

xo    Inge

I made the abosulte BEST smoothie just now. I bought fresh figs at the store. They were on sale, so I figured I would try them. Eating them au naturale was pretty bland, so I decided to experiment. I peeled 7 figs and added them to 1/2 cup ...

coconut milk, a banana and threw them in a blender. WOW! Who needs milkshakes?  Make mine a fig smoothie! Figs are full of phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidents. They spoil fast so I suggest peeling and freezing them.

How many people really understand the labels on the food we eat? I just learned something quite interesting recently about all the different 'organic' labels. I thought organic meant 'organic' like 100% organic. Wrong! So, you know I am all about getting our  genetically modified food aka: gmo food labeled in California. I spend a great deal of my time working , rather volunteering to educate people about this important proposition. Thats how I stumbled onto the label organic wagon.

I try to buy mostly organic because, I thought that was the purest food we can buy, or as they used to call it - 'food' when I was a kid.  I read an article in Extraordinary Health magazine that clearly describes all the different organic foods that are sold in the markets.


Here is what I learned:

 The USDA established the guidelines of who could display the 'organic' label. In a nutshell, any foods that contain at least 95% organic ingredients can be labeled as such. What? 95%? What about the remaining 5% then? June 9th, 2007 the USDA added 38 non-organic ingredients to the national list: 19 food colorings, two starches, casings for sausages, hops, fish oil, chipotle chili pepper, gelatin, celery powder, dill weed oil, frozen lemon grass, and a sweetener called fructooligosaccharides. Fructoo what? Even though it sounds bad it is a natural fructan sweetner, and acts like fiber.

Those foods which contain 100% organic ingredients are the only ones who can get the '100% USDA Organic' label. There is nothing but organic stuff in it. Period.


It evens gets more complicated. Some organic food is 70% organic and there is a label that shows that, well not really a label but they can say it on the package. Like the chocolate bar shown here.

 

 

Last but not least there is the 'natural' word on LOTS of food. I bet you don't know that the word natural is NOT regulated. They do not contain additives or preservatives, however, they CAN contain gmos and can be grown with pesticides. Whenever I see the word 'natural' on anything I want to eat, I put it back.

Now this is the label I want to see on ALL our food. And voting Yes on Prop 37 will get this ball rolling.

I had a busy week working on the Prop 37 campaign. Monsanto and its gang members have been busy too. They spent 10 million dollars so far and its only August! They are dead set on the American people not knowing what's in their food. I am just as determined as they are though. Sybborn is my middle name. Graet news though Senator Mark Leno (D) says yes to Ptop 37. Here is a copy of his letter:

Dear Colleagues & Candidates,

I'm writing today to ask that you join me in saying Yes on 37. Please join the CA Democratic Party, the California Labor Federation, the California Nurses Association, UFW, Sierra Club, CALPIRG, Consumer Federation of America, dozens of farmers and doctors, and hundreds of other organizations and businesses in officially endorsing Yes on 37. Yes on 37 is California's Right to Know ballot measure that would label genetically engineered foods. You can endorse Prop 37 right now at http://www.carighttoknow.org/endorsements or simply by replying to this e-mail.

Yes on 37 is based on a pretty simple notion: we have the right to know what's in the food we and our families eat. Food products should have simple labels that tell us if they have been genetically engineered, especially since we don't know these foods to be safe. This "right to know" is a fundamental right and a bedrock American value. It is time for California to join 49 countries that already label genetically engineered foods.

Yes on 37 is part of a massive, rapidly-growing national grassroots movement. Here in California, we've secured the endorsements of several elected officials, including U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, Congresswomen Maxine Waters & Judy Chu, Chair of CA Dems Women's Caucus Christine Pelosi, State Assemblymembers Allen, Huber, Monning, Huffman, and Ammiano, and many more.

Please learn more and join us today: http://www.carighttoknow.org/.

Thank you!

Mark Leno

State Senator

 

I also found an article about one independent study concerning the effects of gmos:

http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/tests-rats-suggest-genetically-modified-foods-pose-health-hazards

 

Oh and if you shop at WalMart, they will sell gmo corn in a couple of weeks and of course you won't know, because they don't have to label it!

http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-is-going-to-sell-monsantos-genetically-modified-corn-and-it-wont-be-labeled-2012-8

 

School is starting soon and in some cities it started last week. Do you know what you are feeding your children?

 

eat your fruits and veggies! (non-gmo)   xo  Inge

 

How many of you use Nutra Sweet or Equal? How many know Monsanto makes it? Watch this video. All I got to say is "I knew it!" I try to limit my sugar intake but when I do want something with sugar in it I always use natural sugar or unfiltered honey. NEVER artificial sweetners!



 http://share.banoosh.com/2012/08/07/aspartame-sweet-misery-a-poisoned-world

A friend told me about all the fresh produce and some organic foods she finds at the 99 Cents Store, so I drove to my local one and looks the goodies I picked up. The red peppers were 2 for 99 cents. I found some Westsoy organic soy milk as well, but I didnh't have enough cash with me. Oh, well another day...

I found this on Facebook. Looks like a healthy summer treat indeed!

xo    Inge

I will admit that I fell off the wagon these past couple of weeks. Patients brought literally bags and bags of sweets to the infusion center, and I found myself eating Sees candy, cookies and cakes. It is sooo easy to fall back into old eating habits. Even at home I found myself "craving" breads and chips. My son brought home donuts this morning, including my favorite, apple fritter (a huge one probably 1,000 calories worth). Of course I ate the whole thing. A few minutes ago I was thinking about starting on one those chocolate Santas someone gave us but I said "stop!"...so I made myself a salad and kale green smoothie instead. Its esy to reach for the processed foods and junk foods....I will also admit that most of it tastes good. I bet if I research it, I will find that corporations who make all this "junk" food has people on staff whose full time job is to make sure these foods are tasty...its like a drug dealer making sure his "product" is tasty for addicts. Sugar is addicting...no doubt in mind. And on that note I'm going to research that...

 

 

http://www.fyiliving.com/diet/nutrition/food-addiction-research-why-you-get-a-sugar-high/

http://stufffreak.com/fat-salt-sugar/


Eat your fruits and veggies!   And hope you are enjoying Christmas!    xo  Inge

Dr. Connealy tells us her approach to cancer!

This doctor practices medicine at the hospital that takes care of me.
I was so excited to run across this video! and see food does make a difference in getting helathy and fighting cancer!

Eat your fruits & veggies!    xo   Inge

I guess I really didn't think about what I was eating in the past. I was an on again-off again vegetarian but now I realize there was no emphasis on the vegetarian part...meaning I did not eat nearly enough veggies. Pasta, potatoes and bread alone are not a healthy diet. I am also guilty of eating processed food. I was maybe getting full but I was not eating nutritious food. I wasn't getting my daily dose of phytonutrients which is what berries and veggies are full of. I guess its better late than never and almost a year ago it could have been never. I came so close to croaking...more than once. I am so fortunate to be alive and healthy that I will continue to pass on information that will help others live a healthy life.

 

Here is a link to a food chart that might interest you..

http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-food-scoring-guide-smart-choices.html

 

 

 

"President Obama and the USDA have chosen to override and ignore decisions and injunctions made by the U.S. Supreme Court that banned planting of genetically engineered alfalfa and sugar beets without consideration of the Environmental Impact Assessments, which showed high risks to organic and conventional (chemical) farmers.Sugar beets provide over 50 percent of the sugar Americans use in their coffee, cereals, and desserts.
Alfalfa reaches our tables within milk, cream, butter, and meat, as it is used as a major animal feed in the dairy industry.
Obama’s push for deregulation potentially also means the end of the organic meat and organic dairy industries as we presently know them. Essentially, he is choosing to favor the profits of big agribusiness over the survival of America’s family farmers, and especially America’s organic farmers.
Our democracy has to work for farmers and consumers and not just for multinational biotech corporations. It makes absolutely no sense that the economic risks to farmers are not considered before genetically engineered crops are put on the market. It is farmers who pay the costs of genetic contamination, not the biotech companies." excerpted from Autumn of Hope editorial.
Please sign this petition to tell Obama to receverse his decision and ban gmos for at least 10 years like Peru's Congress just did.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bangmosinunitedstates/

There is also a button on right sidebar that will take you to petition.
Eat your fruits & veggies!    xo  Inge

http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/science-a-environmental/28204-new-report-highlights-gmos-false-promises-and-failed-technologies.html



I found some new info regarding GMOS. There will be a measure on the California ballot 2012 that requires GMOS to be labeled as such, but I don't think it goes far enough. It needs to be banned!

Juicing Carrots, Apples, and Cucumbers Oh My!