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e.a.r.t.h.food: Fruits & Vegetables

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1. e.a.r.t.h.food: Introduction
2. e.a.r.t.h.food: Water

As everyone needs water to survive, everyone also needs fresh fruits and vegetables to thrive. Some diets are based almost entirely on fresh produce, other diets see a slice of tomato or a sprig of parsley as an accidental detail. However, everyone can benefit from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Whether you're filing them into a sub sandwich between meats, lining them into short hedges along a cobb salad, or eating them plain & raw, fruits and veggies are good and necessary in any real, wholesome diet.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with desirable vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. Also to varying degrees they contain protein, carbohydrates and fat. Simply prepared fruits and vegetables are considered to be a cornerstone to any wholesome diet and are exemplary e.a.r.t.h.foods. 

An ongoing debate has been whether organically grown produce is superior or not in nutrition compared to conventionally grown produce. The results are broadly inconclusive and anyone can find articles and studies to support whether paying extra for organic produce is what they really want to do or not. 

I believe that organically grown produce is more nutritious and worth the extra cost. Grown in a richly diverse soil medium in a field that has been rotated and not sprayed with toxic & biodiversity-stripping chemicals, a fruit or vegetable surely will yield more faceted nutrition. Simply arriving to you without a layer of toxic surface chemicals is a vote for organic, in my opinion. 

I also believe that eating conventionally grown produce is better than eating no produce at all! There is little benefit to being an organic purist and foregoing conventional produce if organic is too expensive or unavailable. Eat your fruits and veggies no matter what!

If the added expense of the organic label poses an issue, avoiding the Dirty Dozen most contaminated items will help shoppers prioritize which are the most toxic fruits and vegetables to avoid and which can safely be purchased conventionally. (A more extensive EWG list is here.)

In addition to spending extra money for your health, you are also supporting an industry that helps protect the planet's health (soil, water, air) and the health of the field and processing workers when buying organic. 

But there's a catch. (Of course.)

Is an organic peach from Chile "better" than a conventionally grown peach from Georgia if I'm shopping in South Carolina, all things considered?

That's tougher than a math class word problem.

Because the philosophy behind e.a.r.t.h.food entails concern for individual and planetary health, I have struggled to come to terms with this conundrum. This is what I've concluded for myself: I would choose the conventional peach from Georgia because the pollution caused by shipping those peaches from Chile is more harmful to the planet than the toxic chemicals of a conventional peach are to my body. Right now the planet is less healthy than I am. My personal diet consists mostly of plant foods and I feel that I am constantly cleansing and detoxing at a rate sustainable to my intake of toxins. I'll wash that peach thoroughly, be grateful for it and trust that my body will be nourished by it. 

The ideal solution would be to find some locally grown South Carolina peaches from a small (perhaps organic) farm in their peak season. Do I need to eat peaches in the middle of winter? If so, I can freeze or can some in the peak summer months to enjoy later in the year rather than rely on Chilean peaches. 

On a side note, I'm aggravated by my local grocery store which has begun labeling everything "Locally Grown" if it's a product of the USA. This is such blatant greenwashing and should be outlawed. Be aware if your store is doing this too and complain about it in person or online.

In summary: Eat seasonally. Google your state and "what's in season" to get to know your regional food and growing cycles better. Eat organically when regionally and economically possible. View international produce as "luxury" items to buy once in a while, not on every shopping trip (think bananas). Eat your fruits & vegetables and simply as possible: raw, steamed, baked, dried....don't load them down with a bunch of junk.

Focus on Fruit

Focus on Vegetables - Part 1 (be sure to see Part 2 also)

Live Light, xo-C.

Further Resources:

Modern Forager: Sustainable Agriculture: Eat Your Fruits And Vegetables
VEGdaily: Use It Before You Lose It - And Other Tips By A Conscious Consumer
TreeHugger: 7 Things You Didn't Know About Organic Agriculture
Keeper of the Home: The Dirty Dozen (Making the Most of the Money you Spend on Organics)

environmental.action.resulting in.total.health.food

 

(This post was originally published, and is under copyright protection by, ThePositiveObserver.com)

e.a.r.t.h.food: Water

[With this blog post I am participating in Blog Action Day 2009 which is an annual event every October 15th that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. More info at BlogActionDay.org]

e.a.r.t.h.food: Water

Starting with the least common denominator, in all lifestyle diets consisting of liquid and solid food is water. In this issue of e.a.r.t.h.food I will attempt to reveal the best water choices based on our human health systems and our collective planetary health. I will not explore showering vs. bathing, cold vs. hot settings on the washer or automatic sprinklers running while it's raining (that's for you, AC). I leave those topics to the experts. I'm simply exploring the liquid food we call water, though there is some cross-over with water as agent vs. food material when "70% of freshwater [is] being consumed by agriculture." (Wikipedia)

H2O.

A human can survive on average 3 to 5 days without water, assuming all other variables are temperate. According to the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, polluted water and lack of basic sanitation claim the lives of over 1.5 million children every year, mostly from water-borne diseases. 

So in order to survive, we need roughly one gallon of adequately cleaned water per day (directly from water itself or the water naturally inherent in fresh fruits and vegetables.)

Easy enough? Not when mega-corporations want to convince you that tap water is unclean and potentially dangerous to your health then package and sell you all your safe, clean drinking water.

All packaged water - bottled large or small in plastic or glass - is politically and environmentally a poor choice. The toxic plastic chemical bisphenol A or BPA (an environmental estrogen linked to reproduction and brain development disruption) may leech into the water during storage and transport. Drinking water from plastic bottles made with the toxic chemical BPA increases urinary levels of the chemical by nearly 70 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If not recycled, a plastic bottle can take 400+ years to decompose in a landfill. While glass is a cleaner material than plastic to manufacture and recycle, it can take 500 years for it to decompose in a landfill. Not to mention the transportation of such bottles requires an enormous amount of energy.

But we've been buying the bottles because 1. it's healthier than soda, 2. it's convenient and 3. we've been told tap water is dirty and bottle water is clean. We generally feel like we're doing something good for our health when we buy bottled water.

Relying on private companies to provide adequate drinking water is precarious. Sometimes bottled water is just tap water and oftentimes the bottled water industry is less regulated than municipal water systems. I would like to see more effort made by citizens to encourage municipalities to improve the quality of their local tap water. We've been made scared of tap water, and in some locations rightfully so. In some US towns like this one, it is unsafe to use, let alone drink, publicly provided water.

"The New York Times estimates that the Clean Water Act has been “violated more than 506,000 times since 2004, by more than 23,000 companies and other facilities, according to reports submitted by polluters themselves.” Pollution includes pesticide exposure, high levels of industrial solvents like tetrachloroethylene (which is linked to kidney damage and cancer), and liquefied animal feces from dairy fields (that then seeps into water wells)."

"Corporate Accountability International has started a "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign to promote, protect and ensure public funding for our public water systems. That means challenging corporations who undermine public confidence in tap water. It also means working with public officials, faith groups, restaurants, celebrities, campuses, and individuals to support public systems by opting for tap over bottled water."

Cleaning up our public water systems so that we can safely drink from the tap in reusable containers is the ideal solution for our health and for the health of the planet. Until your public water supply is as clean as you require, consider installing a tap filter, a house-wide filter, use a filtering pitcher or perhaps your fridge has a built in filtered water dispenser to utilize. You may need to employ an alkalizing, ionizing or reverse osmosis device to cleanse the water to your standards if you're aiming to ride treated water of chemicals like chlorine and fluoride. Avoid plastic receptacles whenever possible, especially when hot water (heated electronically or by the sun) is involved.

Only when we support a clean public water system by demanding it and by using it will it become a nationwide asset belonging to its citizens. And when we value clean water for every citizen then can we begin to help resolve disgraceful water situations around the globe. Luckily there are inventors tirelessly at work creating ingenious devices like the LifeStraw and the LifeSaver Bottle. Please consider supporting the foundations that make these devices available to those who live where clean water due to lack of basic sanitation is unavailable. Everybody has the right to access clean drinking water. Everybody.

Live Light, xo-C.

Further Resources:

EPA Drinking Water and Health: What You Need to Know

Find Water Polluters Near You

Petition: Help Protect Our Waters from Pollution

Water.org

US Bottled Water Sales Down Slightly. Why Are So Few Willing To Change?

environmental.action.resulting in.total.health.food

 

(This post was originally published, and is under copyright protection by, ThePositiveObserver.com)

Final Food School Post - Yay! You've Graduated!

No where will you find ANY wise lifestyle diet that encourages food with any of the following ingredients:

1. Partially or Fully Hydrogenated Oils
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
4. Sodium Nitrites
5. Refined White Sugar
6. Refined White Salt
7. Artificial Food Coloring
8. Artificial Sweeteners

If you can avoid (and, yes, you can!) these ingredients, you will already be on a good path for a real, whole food diet. The only other things I may add to this list (which I won't do in detail) are refined white flour, white rice and pretty much anything that has become "white" because all its color has been stripped from its natural state during the refining process. 

OK, great. What's next?

This is where it gets really fun and why I have started my e.a.r.t.h.food series. Every day it seems I am asked these and similar questions:

• Should I eat meat?
• How much alcohol is ok?
• What about milk?
• Is soy good for me?
• I drink coffee. Is that bad?

These are not questions with black and white answers. If they were, we'd have it all figured out by now and we'd all be healthier. As I age and as I learn, I discover new shades of gray to life, and food is no exception. e.a.r.t.h.food is my attempt to address these gray food areas.

Stay tuned for my next installment of e.a.r.t.h.food when I dive into the gray area of drinking water. You never knew how simple or complicated choosing life's essential liquid could be. We all need it, we all prefer it to be safe and the earth needs us to drink responsibly.

Until then, live light, xo-C.

environmental.action.resulting in.total.health.food

I'M BACK....WITH e.a.r.t.h.food!

I haven't posted in almost...gulp....three weeks! Miss me? I've been busy handling internet issues, turning over the garden from summer to fall, getting more involved in my local farmer's market and generally spreading myself too thin between all the passions of and in my life. Sound familiar?

I've been so excited to tell you two things:

1. Raw okra is SO good. If you like okra and you've never had it raw, try a tender, baby okra about thumb size. You won't believe how long you've eaten okra without trying some raw. If you don't like okra because of the slime created by cooking (affectionately called okra snot) you may just become an okra convert after trying raw okra - no snot and all the crunchy green taste!

2. I've been working on a concept all summer and it's finally been launched on The Positive Observer, a positive news site based in Colorado. I have cross posted the article here in full with permission by and under copyright protection of The Positive Observer. I hope you enjoy it.

Live Light, xo-C.

e.a.r.t.h.food

environmental action resulting in total health

~eating from the planet, for the planet~

e.a.r.t.h.food is a whole, real food way of eating which embraces the best of vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous approaches

e.a.r.t.h.food is food from nature, not a laboratory or factory

e.a.r.t.h.food comes in no, re-useable or recyclable packaging

e.a.r.t.h.food is seasonal local or garden food when available and preferably organically grown

e.a.r.t.h.food is a marriage between eating what is good for our individual body environment while being respectful to our external shared environment

Food isn't just stuff on a plate. It represents current politics, personal habit, cultural beliefs, modern technology, social traditions and religious teachings. Food is complicated and it's powerful. Our personal food choices are dwarfed by the food choices made for us by industry and government. As citizens have become more aware of the many issues surrounding food, we've begun to realize the power of the fork and how we can vote by choosing certain foods over others as a way to effect social issues and our collective health.

I have studied and followed many passionate food experts and wasn't finding much in the way of promoting real, whole vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets while taking into deep consideration how each of these approaches effect the health of our environment. I saw many vegans refusing animal products out of concern for the animals, but advocating shipping superfoods from across the country or internationally with little regard to carbon footprints. I saw vegetarians driving across town to get delicious take-out in styrofoam clamshell food boxes with no regard to toxic trash. I saw omnivores eating sub-standard meats wrapped in plastic from grocery stores who buy from processors polluting our public water and air. 

e.a.r.t.h.food is my effort to bring together sensible advice and recipes for anyone looking to eat right by their body and planet. Here is a brief overview:

Basic Commonalities

Any real, whole e.a.r.t.h.food approach will avoid the toxins of processed foods such as high fructose corn syrup, MSG, hydrogenated oil, artificial sweetener, refined sugar and wheat, food coloring, chemical preservative, sodium nitrite, table salt and artificial flavor. These synthetic ingredients have been directly linked to increased human degeneration and disease.

e.a.r.t.h.food is about food, not supplements. It is a goal to get all nutrients for optimal health from real, whole food. Eating well and smartly eliminates any need for supplementation except in situations of crisis or injury. Unfortunately, supplements are generally highly packaged and transported.

e.a.r.t.h.food is ideally food grown organically and compassionately for the improved nourishment and taste of the food as well as in respect for the soil, water, air and people effected by the growing process. e.a.r.t.h.food is also non-GMO food. Foods labeled "organic" or "non-GMO" are the most reliable.

A Vegan Foundation

No matter how you eat, you eat at least in part a vegan diet. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, oils, grains and seeds are often a part of anyone's daily fare. It is important for e.a.r.t.h.food vegans to purchase organic produce and raw nuts and seeds when available for optimal nutrition. Grains should be whole and organically grown. Oils should be organic first cold-pressed. Ideally you will purchase these without packaging or in reusable packaging. Soaking or sprouting nuts, seeds, and grains is a nutritionally beneficial practice.

The greatest challenge when eating a vegan diet is the bombardment of endless soy variations. I do not advocate the regular use of refined, unfermented soy products such as tofu and soy milk because of the potential over-accumulation of plant estrogens. Occasional use of these products can fit nicely into a vegan diet, but soy must always be purchased as organically grown in order to avoid common GMO (genetically modified) soybeans. Purchasing organic soybeans to make homemade tofu or purchasing organic, fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso are healthier alternatives.

A Vegetarian Center

Building upon the vegan fare, many vegetarians include animal milk (and butter, yogurt, cheese) and eggs in their diet. It is imperative that e.a.r.t.h.food vegetarians purchase organic brands and more preferably products from small, local farmers. Milk and milk-products are ideal when raw and eggs are best from chickens who live freely outside. The mega-operations of the egg and dairy factory farms have created the most hellish conditions for animals and are intensely polluting of the environment. 

If you have ever compared the yolk of a small-farm egg with that of any store-bought egg you can see and taste the difference. Raw milk (from cows and goats) is becoming more available as citizens fight the current ban limiting access to this milk with greater nutritional benefit. Cardboard egg cartons are best and can often be returned to your farmer for reuse. Paper or glass milk containers are better than plastic. Paper is better than plastic. Anything is better than plastic!

An Omnivorous Crown

Omnivores eat everything a vegan or vegetarian would plus flesh, organs and fat from animals. Ideally, e.a.r.t.h.food omnivores purchase their meats from small-local farmers in bulk (1/4 cow, whole chickens, etc.). Animals who are raised for industrialized meat in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) are malnourished and sick. Buying clean meat from small farmers will spare ingesting growth hormones, antibiotics and diseased tissue at mealtime while avoiding the carbon emissions of extensive transportation. 

Unless you are able or willing to pay large amounts of money for premium meat, it is best for an e.a.r.t.h.food omnivore to save expenses by eating a wholesome vegetarian or vegan fare many meals of the week and enjoying clean, humane meat less often. Budgets and preferences will vary but it is possible to maintain optimal health by pulling from these three dietary variations. As an omnivore, eating wholesome vegan or vegetarian food is preferable over eating sub-standard meat. Save your dollars for the premium stuff!

Example: Chili - Three Ways

The following is a chili recipe from my favorite recipe site: 101CookBooks.com. It is a vegan recipe, but you will see how to make it vegetarian or omnivorous depending on your preference and availability of ingredients. The recipe is merely a jumping off point for a custom-made pot of delicious chili!

VN=vegan, VT=vegetarian, OM=omnivorous

Pierce Street Chili Recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil [VT=butter, OM=lard]

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

8 small/med garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 chipotle pepper (from can or rehydrate), minced

1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes

10 cups vegetable broth [OM=beef or chicken broth]

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is fine, but dried and soaked is preferable)

2 1/4 cups black, brown, or green lentils (or combo), rinsed and picked over

[OM=substitute all or part lentils and peas with cut or crumbled meat of choice]

2/3 cup pearled barley or pearled farro

2/3 cup bulgur wheat

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

Toppings (optional): a bit of chopped serranos, a bit of feta or dollop of thinned out salted yogurt [VT], a drizzle of equal parts chopped fresh oregano and olive oil, chopped onion

In a large stockpot pot over medium heat add the olive oil, onion, and shallots. When the onions soften up and get a bit translucent, add the garlic, ginger, chili powder and cumin. Stir well and cook for a minute of so, until everything gets quite fragrant. Stir in the serrano pepper and chipotle pepper, tomatoes, and 8 cups of the broth. 

Now add the chickpeas, lentils, barley/farro, and bulgur - stirring between each addition. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Take a taste of the broth a few minutes into the simmer - you can make adjustments for salt here - if you're using water in place of broth, you can add a teaspoon of salt for starters and add more later if needed.

Simmer away for about 35- 45 minutes or until the lentils and grains are cooked through. You will likely need to add the rest of the water, a cup at a time, if the chili thickens up too much. Before serving do your final adjustments - add more chipotle, salt, or whatever you think it needs and enjoy! I love this chili with a bit of feta or goat cheese [VT] on top and a big drizzle of olive oil, but I listed off a few other topping ideas up above.

A huge pot of chili - serves 12 or more.

Background on e.a.r.t.h.food:

In a nutshell, after reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan I became a vegetarian and after reading Dr. Will Tuttle's World Peace Diet I became a vegan. As I began to talk and write about my new-found knowledge and changes, it became apparent to me that food is a VERY sensitive subject and one that many people do not like to discuss. 

e.a.r.t.h.food came about because I wanted to offer a set of guidelines for any eater looking to make better choices for personal and planetary health. What benefit is it to be optimally healthy when Earth crumbles around us or what good is it to protect the planet while we're too sick to enjoy its beauty and magnificence? Both concerns go into each e.a.r.t.h.food choice. I've taken the best of my Economic Crisis Diet, married it to my Food School and reassembled them with fresh ingredients onto one luscious e.a.r.t.h.food platter ready to devour by any tree loving real foodist.

This post has been shared in Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday September 18th Blog Carnival!