If you had a mission statement for how you want to eat, what would it be? How do you think about food?

Tackling the subject of diet is always a weighty topic. However, what are your food rules? I am thankful to a few food evangelists over the years, including authors and friends across the country, who have helped me completely change the way I think about food. These individuals—such as Budge Collins who has shared hundreds of copies of The China Study with our family and others—helped fuel a personal obsession with nutrition, food books, and food documentaries.

Michael Pollan is also an author who has had an impact on my life. I read Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food years ago and have borrowed his “eater’s manifesto” for this blog title. It is brilliant in its simplicity. “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” The first two words are really important. Eat real food. Whole foods (not whole pizzas or whole bags of Doritos.) Real food from the perimeter of the grocery store, not from a bag or box. Just enough. Mostly fruits and vegetables.

In all of my reading throughout the years, there is a message, as well. And the message isn’t gimmicky—it’s not about being skinny or losing weight. It’s not about finger-wagging, or inciting a nanny state (i.e., having the government telling you what to do). It’s not about taking on the sugary beverage industry, demonizing certain foods, or even the marketing of food to kids. Those are just distractions to make us forget about the real benefits of eating healthy. It’s about personal choice. We get to choose foods that we know are good for us. We get to reduce the chances of chronic disease and optimize our own health.

• 39.8% of adults are obese, affecting 93 million Americans
• 69% of adults are overweight
• 18.5% of children are obese, affecting 13.7 million children and adolescents
• 115 million Americans are diabetic, or pre-diabetic
• More than one million people die every year from heart disease and cancer, referred to in the medical profession as “lifestyle diseases”
• The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 US dollars; the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
• Only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. Of all cancer-related deaths, almost 25–30% are due to tobacco, as many as 30–35% are linked to diet, about 15–20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentage are due to other factors like radiation, stress, physical activity, environmental pollutants etc.

This means that cancer and heart disease are preventable diseases for many. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And this is coming from a southern girl who used to eat Cheetos and Diet Coke as food staples and was teased about her enthusiastic love of bacon at her wedding! Today, chopped vegetables and/or fruit are offered at nearly every breakfast, lunch, and dinner we have, and fresh foods are loaded into our shopping cart. We’re not vegan, but we’re aware of what is good for us and what really isn’t.

Don’t let “perfect” get in the way of good. It’s an evolution—modifying your diet, little by little, until you crave mostly healthy foods. In all, I can’t tell you how much I have changed on the subject of diet, and it has changed my life and changed the way our family eats. Still not convinced? Let’s expand some of these concepts.

Eat food.

Essentially, try not to eat anything that would make your Grandmother ask, “What is that?” and don’t buy food where you buy gas. Try to avoid eating processed foods. This can be tricky for a family on the go, but once you start eating more and more whole foods, your body will crave whole foods. Serve oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast, instead of sugary cereals, and the pickiest of kids will catch on. Serve salmon, broccoli, and mashed potatoes for dinner, instead of eating fast food, and everyone can feel better and healthier.

Not too much.

Think about the eating habits that make you oblivious to portion sizes—grazing in front of the TV or computer, eating chips straight out of the bag, not putting your food on a plate. I am guilty of all of the above, and these are hard habits to break.

Our visual perception of appropriate portion sizes can be affected by our habits and environment, too. Food commercials and restaurant offerings want to make us feel like we’re getting value. Abundance is good! More is better! With that, one meal at The Cheesecake Factory normalizes portions for one that should be feeding a family of four. Good thing they offer unlimited bread, too.

Moreover, a sensible portion of meat is about 3 to 4 ounces, or the size of a deck of cards (or the palm of your hand.) Yet ordering Prime Rib at Outback Steakhouse will get you 12 ounces of meat, 1085 calories, and 89 grams of fat. And that’s without any of the sides! Portion distortion is alive and well in restaurants and at home.

Here are some portion guides for foods that we eat every day, reminding us that it’s not just “what we eat” but “how much” we are eating. So, how much should we be eating?

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 cups of vegetables.
• 5-8 ounces of grain, half from whole grains.
• 3 cups of nonfat or low-fat dairy foods (or non-dairy products)
• 5-6 1/2 ounces of protein (meat, beans/plant protein, and seafood) each day.
• No more than 5-7 teaspoons of oils, mostly from plants, fish, and nuts.

How many Americans are getting 3 and 1/2 cups of vegetables per day?

Mostly plants.

I love this topic because it gets people fired up! Billionaire couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z started a controversial contest challenging fans to go vegan with the ultimate prize of winning concert tickets for life. In the meantime, the respondent non-vegans (Team Meat), sat back, chomped on a steak, and made fun of the whole process on social media with stinging comments. Who knew people were so defensive about their right to eat meat?

Where are you on the spectrum from vegan to proud flesh eater? My position is somewhere in the middle, with the advantage going to eating your greens. Let’s look at both sides.

Team Vegan

• Sometimes just the word “vegan” can be off putting (is that a planet?) And celebrities touting “clean” eating sound so uppity. Are the rest of us not eating locally-sourced, chef-prepared meals⁠—dirty?
• Cutting up fruits and vegetables is time-consuming and perishable foods are expensive. You can get a cheeseburger at McDonald’s for $1, and a Bacon McDouble for $2. Yet today, a red pepper at price-leading Walmart costs $1.50 (and you have to cut the thing up.) This is how busy families understandably get away from eating fruits and vegetables.
• FInally, how do we help close the socio-economic gap with fresh foods?

Team Meat

• I get it. It’s much cooler to brag about the delicious brisket you just sizzled to perfection than to tout the broccoli you just steamed. But then I think about everything that I have read, how we are made, and what we were designed to eat? Mostly plants.

In Dan Buettner’s, The Blue Zones (a book sharing secrets from the world’s longest-lived people), it is suggested that we eat a mostly plant-based diet and try viewing meat as a condiment, or to be used for special occasions, as is the prevailing attitude in many of the healthiest populations around the globe.

If meat is your plate’s anchor (and we all have that choice), try to focus more on the “adding” part (veggies) and less on the “subtraction” part. Add dark, leafy greens and fresh vegetables to as many meals as possible. Swap a veggie tray in as your family’s favorite appetizer. The point of this whole discussion is that we all need to eat more fruits and vegetables and less processed, fast, convenient food for a longer, healthier life.

Team Longevity

• Now that’s a team that everyone can join!

Thoughts on food for you? Would you like to change some of your eating habits?

The post 3 Simple Rules for Eating: Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. appeared first on UPKiQ.

It’s that time of year, again, and I really enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. So I thought I would share a few recipes. First up, is a side dish or condiment that will wow your guests, and it only takes about 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients

• 1 package cranberries 12 oz.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 orange zest
• 1/3 lemon zest
• 2/3 tsp fresh ginger

Open the package of cranberries and place them into a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1/3 cup sugar.

Zest the orange, lemon, and fresh ginger root on to a clean cutting board using a kitchen zester, such as the Microplane kitchen tool shown. Add the orange, lemon, and ginger zest to the cranberries in the saucepan.

Set on medium heat. Bring to a boil.

Stir the cranberry sauce, as the cranberries burst. Reduce heat, if needed.

Use a spatula to break down the cranberries further, if you prefer smoother sauce. Add a touch of sugar, if the sauce is too tart. When your cranberry sauce has reduced and thickened, it should look like the picture below.

Transfer to a bowl.

Be sure to double the recipe, if you would like leftovers for turkey sandwiches. You will be surprised how quickly this cranberry sauce disappears!

Fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Kim It’s that time of year, again, and I really enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. So I thought I would share a few recipes. First up, is a side dish or condiment… Food Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce European Print This

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 package cranberries 12 oz.
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 orange zest
• 1/3 lemon zest
• 2/3 tsp fresh ginger

Instructions

1. Open the package of cranberries and place them into a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup orange juice, 1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1/3 cup sugar.
2. Zest the orange, lemon, and fresh ginger root on to a clean cutting board using a kitchen zester. Add the orange, lemon, and ginger zest to the saucepan.
3. Set on medium heat. Bring to a boil. Stir the cranberry sauce, as the cranberries burst. Reduce heat, if needed.
4. Use a spatula to break down the cranberries, if you prefer smoother sauce. Add a touch of sugar, if the sauce is too tart.
5. Transfer to a bowl.
6. Be sure to double the recipe, if you would like leftovers for turkey sandwiches. Enjoy!

The post Thanksgiving Recipes: Fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce appeared first on UPKiQ.

I am naturally a curious person, and when it comes to food that is going into my body? I want to know as much as I can. Thus, in writing these articles, my goal is not be inflammatory or alarmist, but to be as informed as possible. I watched my Dad spend a year and a half dying from cancer, and it wasn’t pretty. So when it comes to any debate on potentially carcinogenic chemicals used on our food (more than 80% of all genetically modified crops grown worldwide have been engineered for herbicide tolerance), why wouldn’t we question what’s in our food?

Headlines About Glyphosate and GMOs

Recent news headlines have been plentiful on this topic—and they are head-scratchers. “$2 Billion Verdict Against Monsanto Is Third to Find Roundup Caused Cancer” and “Bayer Commits $5.6 Billion to Glyphosate Alternatives Amid 13,000 Lawsuits Over the Weedkiller” followed by “The EPA Says that the Glyphosate in Monsanto’s RoundUp is Safe.” How confusing! Is it safe, not safe? What are we supposed to believe?

While I cannot possibly separate out all the details of the science behind glyphosate and GMOs, I can rely on common sense to help guide me.

1. As a mom, if I have a choice between choosing GMOs and non-GMO foods for my kids, I will choose the option closer to nature every time. Nature vs. Bayer/Monsanto? Why is this even a debate?

2. If I learned one thing in business school, it is that the world is all about incentives. And the incentive driving the production of GMOs is money. Ten companies control about 90% of the global agro-chemical market, and they have one driving force. GMOs are not about feeding the world, or making more nutritious crops for our health.

In the 1960s, Africa, a land of vast agricultural potential, was a net food exporter. Today, Africa imports 25% of its food ($35 billion, estimated to rise to $110 billion by 2025) and suffers from recurrent famine and food deprivation. Remind me how these companies are feeding the world with GMOs? And how is insecticide injected into the seeds of my food “healthy?” More on that below.

What are GMOs?

Did you know that 70-80% of the processed food in the supermarket is genetically engineered? Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals that have been modified in a laboratory with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. These combinations of genes do not occur in nature.

Most GMOs used today are made to either: 1) withstand the application of an herbicide, such as Monsanto’s RoundUp Ready® crops, or they 2) produce an insecticide within the crop, such as Monsanto’s Bt corn.

• Bt corn is genetically modified to have a natural bacterial toxin found in the soil inside the corn kernel. This toxin is inside the seed to attack the crop’s biggest predator, the corn rootworm. In the case of Bt corn, the corn itself is registered as an insecticide, and the USDA reports that 80% of the total planted acres of corn is Bt corn (Bt-corn receives its name from the donor organism, Bacillus thuringiensis, while HT-corn is herbicide-tolerant.) ¹³⁸

Other issues with these types of GMOs are: 1) they make crops even more resistant to herbicides, requiring farmers to spray more chemicals on the plants (good thing Monsanto owns the seeds and the RoundUp), and 2) they create super pests, or super worms. Rootworms immune to Bt corn are on the rise, causing more RoundUp to be sprayed and soil-insecticide revenues at American Vanguard, FMC Corp., and Syngenta to climb sharply, due to “increased grower awareness” about rootworm resistance. Do you see the cycle?

Glyphosate (the key ingredient in Roundup®)

Though the EPA claims it is safe, Monsanto’s glyphosate-containing herbicide, RoundUp, has been making headlines, due to its underestimated toxicity. RoundUp is a common household weed killer and the most widely used herbicide on wheat and soy crops in the United States. Farmers use RoundUp not only to kill weeds but also to speed up the dry down process for wheat (i.e., reaching 20% moisture for harvest.)

Glyphosate has been linked to birth defects and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in addition to other diseases, and in 2015, the World Health Organization determined that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Don’t you just love the terminology? This stuff in almost all of your food might be bad for you. Levels of glyphosate are now ten times higher versus decades ago, due to GMO, herbicide-resistant crops.³²

So just how many of our crops are genetically engineered?

• Cotton (cottonseed oil): 96% of total acreage is GE
• Soybeans: 94% of total acreage is GE
• Corn: 93% of total acreage is GE

How do I avoid GMOs?

Since you do have a choice, you can either buy organic foods, or look for the Non-GMO Project label to minimize glyphosate and GMOs in your diet.

Pay special attention to:

• Breakfast cereals
• Oatmeal
• Granola bars
• Corn chips/snacks
• Baking mixes and flours
• Corn tortillas
• Infant formula
• Meat substitutes/tofu
• Soy “dairy”

• Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s tries to source non-GMO products, however some third party products may contain GMOs. The meat, eggs, milk, honey, and seafood may also contain GMOs in the form of animal feed fed to the animals before slaughter or harvest.
• Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market claims that GMOs are too pervasive to avoid, however they support Non-GMO Project verified labeling.
• Costco. While Whole Foods is often recognized for its progressive inventory, Costco is actually the largest retailer in organic food sales (where you can find low warehouse prices on name-brand organic products, if you can stomach the quantities.)

Finally, it is nearly impossible to avoid all GMOs, but when shopping for our family, I try to buy non-GMO verified or organic foods and snacks as much as possible.

The post OMG(oodness): Why You Should Care About GMOs appeared first on UPKiQ.

Want to know the very first item that was put into our home, before we even moved in? A water filter. I am often teased about my water quality report sleuthing when we move, however remember my rule of thumb for skepticism about the world around us? If something is directly going into my body, I want to understand what is in it. So without getting too boring or too scientific, I would like to share a few basic steps that can help us all be “water aware.”

Learn What is in Your Tap Water

Tap water suppliers (municipalities and such) all have to provide water quality reports each year. Bottled water providers do not. So find out what is in your drinking water by researching your city’s report, or having your well tested.

• EWG Tap Water Database: Input your zip code into the Environmental Working Group Tap Water database and find out all kinds of information (my city had 8 contaminants detected above health guidelines.)
• EPA Safe Water Drinking Act Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR): Find your local CCR, or annual water quality report.

What are Some Contaminants You Should Worry About?

• Lead (Flint, Michigan knows all about this one; toxic at very low doses; often leaches from older piping)
• Chlorine and Chloromines (these are disinfectants added to the water supply to reduce bacteria and viruses; they react with organic matter in the water, like decaying leaves, to create harmful byproducts)
• Mercury (high levels over time are linked to kidney and nervous system damage)
• Chromium, especially chromium-6 (cancer-causing chemical made famous by Erin Brockovich)
• Fluoride (this one is controversial; too much added to water is linked with neurological, immune, and gastrointestinal damage)
• Aluminum (special attention is being paid to links between dementia and communities with high levels of aluminum in the water)
• Arsenic (a cancer-causing heavy metal that leaches into water from the ground or from industrial waste)
• Perchlorate (widespread toxic chemical, used in rocket fuel, explosives, and road flares, can interfere with thyroid hormone production; notable because the EPA is still developing a standard for regulating in drinking water)
• Nitrate (found in most fertilizers, manure, and liquid waste discharged from septic tanks; particularly hazardous for pregnant women and infants, as nitrate impairs the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen)
• Herbicides/Pesticides (runoff in agricultural areas can be harmful)

Filtered Tap Water is Best

Drink filtered tap water. Cook with it. Fill stainless steel or BPA-free water bottles with it. Once you have read your local water report, you can match filters with local contaminants, if desired. Caution: A CCR may tell you about your water but does not include what is coming out of your pipes. Lead and other substances can leach from pipes, joints, and fixtures in older homes. If your home was built before lead-free pipes were mandated in 1986, a test is the best way to assess your home’s water quality. First Alert sells a basic Drinking Water Test Kit that many people find handy. You may also have your drinking water tested by contacting a laboratory certified by your state or territory.

Beware of Bottled Water

One summer while living in New York City, I was walking to work and looked down an alleyway only to see a guy filling a cooler of plastic water bottles with water from a hose coming from the side of a building. He was charging $3 per bottle to thirsty passerby. That’s quite a profit! The same pretty much goes for your favorite bottled water companies, as studies have shown that most bottled water is no different from tap water. The EWG found 38 contaminants in 10 popular bottled water brands with bottled water containing ”disinfection byproducts, fertilizer residue, and pain medication.”

Need more reasons to drink filtered tap water? Bottled water costs more, and water bottles and plastics are a major source of consumer waste. Globally, we are using one million plastic water bottles per minute, and 91% of those are not being recycled, despite being highly recyclable. Plastic bottles are commonly made from polyethylene terephthalate (Pet), which can take up to 400 years to decompose! That means that a water bottle hypothetically thrown away by colonists in Jamestown would still be around today.

Water Filtration Systems

Did the contaminants on the EWG report make you think twice about the water you are drinking? For starters, you can always buy a well-reviewed water filtering pitcher, such as the ZeroWater 6-Cup Pitcher or Brita 10-Cup Everyday Water Pitcher. Then I would prioritize installing a water filtration system in your home over many things, especially if your annual water quality report is poor. If you are pregnant, or mixing formula for an infant, I would also highly recommend using filtered water.

You can choose from many options of water filters: pitcher, on-faucet, countertop, under sink, in-line refrigerator, shower, and/or whole house filters.

• Carbon filtration systems: Pitcher and tap-mounted carbon filtration systems are affordable, and they help reduce exposure to lead and the contaminants that are byproducts of the process used to clean municipal tap water. Always change the filters in your water filtration systems regularly.
• Reverse osmosis systems: these cost more but may remove higher levels of contaminants, such as arsenic and perchlorate. Always be sure to read the small print with filtering systems.

If you want more information about purchasing water filters, you can check out the EWG Water Filter System Buying Guide, the Consumer Reports Water Filter Buying Guide, the Amazon Water Filter Best Sellers list (based on sales, updated hourly, just remember that consumers are not hydrologists/read other reviews), or a water filter guide from Lowe’s, if you prefer a brick and mortar store review with products.

Hopefully these tips are helpful. Do you feel more water aware?

Related Content: OMG: Why You Should Care About GMOs, Organic Foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? Worth the cost?

Other Water Filtration System Recommendations

Best Water Filters on Reviews.com (12 water filter systems reviewed)

• PUR 3-Stage Horizontal Water Filtration Faucet Mount – The Best Water Filter
• Culligan FM-25 Faucet Mount Water Filter – The Best Budget Filter

Healthy Kitchen 101 Under the Sink Water Filtration Review

• Home Master Artesian Under Sink Water Filter – Best to Buy in 2019
• iSpring RCC7AK Drinking Water Filter System – Best Value RO System
• APEC Top Tier Alkaline Mineral pH+ 6-Stage – Best for Alkaline Water
• Home Master TMHP RO Filter System – Best for Well Water
• CuZn UC-200 Under Counter Water Filter – Best non RO Filter

Healthy Kitchen 101 Best Residential Water Filtration Review

• Aquagear 8-Cup Water Filter Pitcher – Best for Family of Three
• Big Berkey Water Filter 2.5 Gallon System – Best Countertop Filter
• Home Master Artesian Reverse Osmosis – Best Under-Sink Filter
• Culligan FM-15A Faucet Mount Filter – Best Faucet Filter
• Home Master HMF3SDGFEC – Best Whole House for Well Water
• Home Master TMHP HydroPerfection – Best Undersink for Well Water
• Fleck 5600SXT 48,000 Grain – Best Softener for Hard Water
• AquaBliss High Output 12-Stage – Best Shower Head Filter
• Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze – Best Mini Filter for Backpackers
• Travel Berkey Water Filter Stainless Steel – Best Portable Filter for Car
• Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump – Best Pool Water Filter
• Pelican NaturSoft Salt-Free Water – Best Softener for Small Pools

Healthy Kitchen 101 Best Whole House Water Filtration Review

• Aquasana EQ-1000 Whole House Filter System – Best to Buy in 2019
• Home Master HMF3SDGFEC 3-Stage System – Best for Well Water
• Home Master HMF2SMGCC 2-Stage System – Best for Tap Water
• 3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Filtration System – Best Inline Water Filter
• DuPont WFHD1300B Whole House Filter – Best for Value

The post What’s in Your Tap Water? appeared first on UPKiQ.

I understand that every family cannot make room in an already tight budget for organic foods. However, I am overwhelmingly convinced that organic foods in key food groups are worth every penny, especially for pregnant women and children.

But that doesn’t mean the debate isn’t complicated. Who isn’t drawn to cheaper, conventional strawberries that look exactly like the organic ones at the supermarket? The conventional ones may even look nicer! For many, the extra expense may not be worth it, and it is more important to eat fruits and vegetables, than to eat organic fruits and vegetables. However, there is another story when it comes to synthetic insecticides and pesticides, GMOs, synthetic growth hormones, and antibiotics used to stimulate the growth of livestock. Organic practices prohibit these things.

What is conventional food?

Conventional foods, including produce and animal products, allow for the use of synthetic insecticides and pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, antibiotics, growth hormones, chemical additives, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These chemicals are used in food production for two major reasons: to make food look appealing and to make it as cheaply as possible. Unfortunately, speeding up animal growth and producing aesthetically pleasing fruits and vegetables comes at the expense of our health.

What is organic food? 

Organic food is required
by the USDA to be produced without bioengineering or genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, synthetic
fertilizers, sewage sludge, ionizing radiation, and manmade pesticides.

Who should eat organic foods?

Pregnant women and young children are two vulnerable groups that could benefit the most from eating organic foods.¹²²

• Children are not “little adults.” Their body systems are not fully developed like adults.
• Environmental chemicals can disrupt and alter the way genes work from the embryonic phase through early childhood, causing developmental defects.
• A baby’s blood-brain barrier is leaky or more permeable than an adult’s, allowing toxins to reach the nervous system more easily.
• A baby’s blood does not contain certain components, such as serum proteins, that help prevent toxins from reaching susceptible organs.
• A baby’s ability to metabolize, detoxify, and excrete toxins, especially in the first months of life, is different from an adult’s (e.g., kidney and liver systems are not fully developed).
• Children eat fewer types of foods, making them more susceptible to certain crops (e.g., corn and soy in chips and crackers, apples, potatoes, etc.)
• Pound for pound, children eat three to four times more food and drink 2.5 times more than adults.
• The EPA reports that known carcinogens average 10 times the potency for infants up to age two years, while other chemicals may be up to 65 times more powerful when ingested by a young child versus an adult.¹²³

Testing of conventional foods

Results from the testing and monitoring of conventional foods (e.g., checking pesticide levels) are often controversial because it is very difficult to isolate chemicals in food production. With so many foods produced, used and ingested in combination with another, the bar for banning a single pesticide or toxin is extremely high. Overwhelming evidence must be provided to spark action. Media reporting on conventional foods is also tricky. There is a great deal of financial stake in the perceived safety of our food and the integrity of the agencies monitoring our food. Organic food is also more expensive than conventional food, making the issue politically charged.

What about reports that say organic foods are no better than conventional foods?

The nutrition debate. In 2012, a Stanford University team conducted a meta-analysis of several decades’ worth of research and concluded that organic foods are no more healthful or nutritious than conventionally grown foods, setting off a firestorm in the media. The study agreed that organic produce has lower levels of pesticides.

Other research studies have shown small increases in the nutritious properties of organic produce, especially flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties.

What does the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) say about organic foods?

The AAP weighed into the organic debate in October 2012, one month after the Stanford report, stating that organic foods have lower pesticide levels and may reduce diseases linked to antibiotic resistance. The AAP could offer no clinically relevant nutritional advantage of organic over conventional foods. The AAP urged that eating healthy food is more important than debating organic or conventional, but subtly agreed that organics are a better choice.   

What is my conclusion about conventional vs. organic foods?

Nutrition isn’t the issue. It’s about the stuff sprayed on our food. It’s about synthetic hormones used to plump up animals faster, causing early puberty in our daughters and higher rates of breast cancer. It’s about antibiotics in livestock production, creating a surge of antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals. It’s about GMO seeds creating unstable plant combinations that do not occur in nature making super pests and super weeds that require more chemicals to be put in the soil and sprayed on our food. It’s about chemically-treated sewage sludge (human and industrial waste) that is spread over conventional crops for fertilizer and dust control.

Is organic food production perfect? No. Are all naturally-sourced pesticides harmless? Probably not. Are organic farmers trying to cut costs and generate profits just like conventional farmers? Of course they are–and we must continue to monitor these companies by voting with our dollars. However, I am still convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that many organic foods are better for our long-term health than conventional foods, especially for vulnerable groups.

Differences between organic and conventional farming methods

Why does organic food cost more?

Organic farms are typically smaller than conventional farms, and they do not benefit from economies of scale, as larger growers do. Smaller organic farms may not receive generous federal farm subsidies like larger, commodity-based farms. Growing organic food is also more labor-intensive. However, while conventional foods are less expensive up front, conventional farming does not account for costs “on the back side,” such as environmental cleanup, potential health risks, and future health care costs. In general, organic prices reflect the price of growing food.

Which organic foods should I prioritize?

• Dairy
  (Milk/Yogurt/Butter/Cheese)
• Eggs
• Beef
• Chicken
• Pork
• Fish

Antibiotics and added hormones to our foods have been linked to the following:

• Early puberty in girls: In 1900, the average age for menstrual period onset was age 14. Today, there is a surprising rise in girls entering puberty between ages seven and eight. A Pediatrics study of 1,239 adolescents found that 10% of Caucasians and 23% of African Americans had begun puberty by age seven, twice the rate seen in a 1997 study. By age eight, 18% of Caucasian girls and 43% of African American girls had reached early puberty.¹²⁸ Early puberty is associated with increased breast cancer risk.¹²⁹
• Cancer: Certain cancers, such as breast and uterine cancers, increase with longer exposure to estrogen and other hormones. Did you know that six different types of steroid hormones are currently approved for use in beef cattle and sheep by FDA? Estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melengestrol acetate. Estradiol and progesterone are natural female sex hormones, testosterone is the natural male sex hormone, and the final three are synthetic chemicals that enhance animal growth. The hormone drugs are formulated as pellets and placed under the skin of the animal’s ear.¹³⁰
• Antibiotic-resistant infections: Superbugs are popping up in hospitals at an alarming rate, due to infections that are difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance. The CDC issued a report in 2013 indicating that the U.S. could face “potentially catastrophic consequences” if it does not combat the issue. 23,000 people are dying per year as a direct result of antibiotic resistance, while 14,000 illnesses are linked to related infections, costing the U.S. $23 billion annually. Remember those back side costs of conventional foods? While it is unclear how much agriculture has contributed to the increase, livestock antibiotics (the primary suspect) are passed to humans in traces that have been linked to strains of extremely resistant bacteria.¹³¹
• Foodborne illnesses: Food-related illness linked to antibiotic-resistant bacteria has climbed noticeably in recent years.
  • In 2011, there was a multi-state Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak from ground turkey.
  • In 2012, Cargill Meat Solutions conducted a ground beef recall, and in 2013, there was a significant salmonella outbreak credited to Foster Farms tainted chicken.
  • In 2018, JBS Tolleson recalled 12 million pounds of beef for salmonella fears, as well.

Pesticides and insecticides

Now that we have a better understanding of our meat and dairy industries, let’s look at some considerations of pesticides and insecticides in food crops, such as fruits and vegetables.

• AAP statement on pesticides: In a December 2012 report, the
  AAP made specific recommendations to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides
  based on the premise that “prenatal and early childhood exposure to pesticides
  is associated with pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and
  behavioral problems.”¹³²
• Link to
  ADHD: A 2010 study from Harvard University found that kids with
  above-average pesticide exposures are nearly two times as likely to have ADHD
  as children with undetectable levels.¹³³
• Link to
  lower IQ: Several studies link prenatal pesticide exposures with decreased
  cognitive development on multi-ethnic populations. One study found a seven IQ
  point deficit in children whose mothers had the highest quintile levels of
  pesticides in their urine during pregnancy.¹³⁴
• Increased risk for children: Children
  play on lawns and on floors, and they tend to put objects in their mouths,
  increasing exposure to pesticides used in the home and on yards. Home pesticide
  use overall has been linked to childhood cancers such as soft tissue sarcomas,
  leukemia, and cancer of the brain.¹³⁵

If I am budget constrained, which fruits and vegetables are worth the organic cost?

The Environmental Working Group prioritizes twelve fruits and vegetables each year that are worth buying organic. This group estimates that you can reduce your pesticide exposure by 80% by choosing organic versions of these foods.¹³⁶

The Dirty Dozen

These are fruits and vegetables that are worth buying organic in 2019.

• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Kale
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Cherries
• Pears
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Potatoes

The Clean Fifteen 

If you are on a tight budget, don’t waste your money buying these organic foods. The clean fifteen are the least likely to have pesticides detected on the parts you eat after typical washing.

• Avocados
• Sweet
  Corn
• Pineapples
• Cabbage
• Sweet
  Peas (frozen)
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Mangos
• Papayas
• Kiwi
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Cantaloupe
  (domestic)
• Cauliflower
• Sweet
  Potatoes

Other organic priorities

Families may want to prioritize foods that are particularly popular with kids by putting these organic, non-GMO foods at the top of the grocery list.

• organic baby food
• organic peanut butter
• organic ketchup
• organic apples
• organic grapes
• organic potatoes
• organic dips and salad dressings (avoid cottonseed,
  corn, and soy-modified oils)
• 100% olive oil (70% of the worldwide extra
  virgin olive oil is estimated to be watered down with cheaper GMO oils).¹³⁷

Did You Know?

Decoding the Stickers on Fruits and Vegetables

The stickers or labels attached to fruits and most vegetables in the
supermarket have a function beyond helping to scan prices at the checkout
counter. By reading the stickers or price look up (PLU) codes, you can tell
whether your food is genetically modified (GMO), organically grown, or conventionally
grown.

• Four
  numbers: If there are four numbers in the sticker code, this product is
  conventionally or traditionally grown using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. The last four
  numbers of the PLU code represent the kind of vegetable or fruit. For example,
  all conventional bananas have a code of 4011.
• Five
  numbers and the number starts with “8”: A five digit PLU code beginning
  with an “8” signifies that the fruit or vegetable is genetically modified (GMO).
• Five
  numbers and the number starts with “9”: A five digit PLU code beginning
  with a “9” signifies that the fruit or vegetable is organically grown.
  Remember: eight I hate, but nine is fine.

Buying organic food on a budget

If you live in California, you are in luck, because organic and conventional foods are fairly close in price. However, buying organic food week after week for the rest of the country can be a real drag on your wallet. Here are some tips for organic shopping on a budget.

• Have a positive outlook about paying up for good food. Pay up for what goes into your body and cut costs on what is just stuff.
• Grow your own organic garden for the foods and herbs that you enjoy.
• Search LocalHarvest.org to locate farms, farmer’s markets, and Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in your area.
• Shop at local farmer’s markets or local fruit and vegetable stands.
• Buy a share in a Community-Supported Agricultural (CSA) program. These programs typically cost $300 to $500 for a growing season (i.e., May through September), with cost depending on the number of family members to feed, such as one to three, three to six, etc. A growing season might typically extend from the summer months for most items and into the fall for other fruits and vegetables. Depending on your location, some offer weekly, monthly, or seasonal shares. 
• Join a co-op. A food cooperative is a member-owned business that provides food and groceries at a discount. Search CooperativeGrocer.coop or OrganicConsumers.org for food co-ops in your area.
• Buy organic fruits and vegetables in season. Negotiate a discount at a local farmer’s market for buying in bulk. Then freeze the leftovers.
• Start a buying club with your friends. Talk to a local co-op or meat farmer about buying a bulk order and splitting it with friends.
• Take a trip through an area with family farms and stock up. When our family lived in Washington DC, we used to take coolers and drive through the Shenandoah Valley countryside, collecting grass-fed beef and organic poultry, pork, and eggs with local prices solidly beating out urban farmer’s market prices.

What if prices for organic fruits, vegetables, and meats are still out of my budget? How do I reduce toxin exposure with conventional foods?

Even if foods purchased are not organic, consumers should pay attention to how their food is sourced. For example, fresh produce from a roadside stand or produce labeled as “local” in the supermarket is probably a good option. Also, to help reduce repetitive exposure, shop at different stores and buy different varieties of foods. Place fruits and vegetables under running water and scrub them with a brush. For pregnant women and young children, cut out the cores and peel the skins from Dirty Dozen foods.

• For apples and pears, cut out the fruit’s core, top, and bottom.
• For strawberries, cut out the stalk and core (the white part).
• For peaches and nectarines, peel the skin.
• For grapes, avoid imported grapes during the winter months since international pesticide allowances are higher than domestic standards.
• For bell peppers, buy red, yellow, and orange varieties, which are typically grown in hothouses, rather than green peppers, which are grown in the outdoors.
• For leafy greens, remove the outer layers.
• For fish, beef, pork, and poultry, peel away the skins and extra fat, which typically have the highest concentrations of pesticides and environmental residues.

Natural Means Nothing

Understanding marketing terms

Expect that many of these labels will leave you scratching your head. For marketers, the key is to advertise at least one good health claim to distract you from other concerns. 

• 100%
  Organic. All ingredients must be certified organic.
• Organic.
  If you see the USDA Organic seal, this product has 95% or more organic content.
  USDA-certification for organic meat forbids the use of growth hormones,
  antibiotics, genetically modified feed, or animal by-products in raising the
  livestock. Beyond those practices, it does not address the treatment of the
  animals or the specific feed.
• “Made
  With” Organic. At least 70% of the product must be certified organic
  ingredients. These products cannot use the USDA Organic seal.
• Grass Fed
  or 100% Grass Fed. These terms imply that USDA grass-fed beef has only a
  grass diet and access to pasture year-round, while an organic pasture diet may
  be supplemented with grain. The grass-fed label does not limit the use of
  antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides.
• Cage
  Free. This term means that laying hens live outside of cages, typically in
  a barn, warehouse, or enclosed building. Cage-free does not mean that hens have
  access to the outdoors.
• Free
  Range. Producers must demonstrate to USDA that poultry has access to the
  outdoors. There are no USDA requirements for time granted outside or for the
  quality or size of the outdoor area.
• Humane.
  Many labeling programs make this claim; however, the USDA does not regulate
  this term or other similar labels such as “old fashioned,” “pasture-raised,” or
  “low stocking density.”
• Natural
  or All Natural. For meat, poultry, and eggs, the USDA requires these products
  to be minimally processed; however, there are no specific guidelines.
  Therefore, “natural” and “all natural” are marketing label favorites because
  they imply everything and mean nothing.¹⁴⁰

Related Content:

OMG: Why You Should Care About GMOs

What’s In Your Tap Water?

10 Must-See Food Documentaries that Might Change Your Life

The post Organic Foods: Are They Safer? More Nutritious? Worth the Cost? appeared first on UPKiQ.

Netflix isn’t just for chilling. Sitting in front of these food documentaries might actually make you healthier. What we put into our bodies matters, and we have a right to understand what we eat and how our food is made. So, who’s up for spending a few evenings exploring the food industry and our modern eating habits?

The food documentary experience is definitely a journey. When I first began reading food industry books and watching these movies, I started off a little bit skeptical (is this perspective too extreme?), then I was surprised (ooh, that’s greedy…and gross), and then I was fascinated (wow, procedures and pills are profitable), and with a few more books and titles under my belt, I was ticked off and empowered with knowledge (this is the point where you actually change what you eat.) In addition to learning all about the ways companies make money at the expense of our health, I learned this as well. People’s willpower and desire to live healthy lives has not changed over time. The environment has changed. Unhealthy foods are everywhere! In checkout lines, at the gas station, and available for quick pickup on the way home from anywhere with drive-thrus.

Today, we pay extra to eat the food that our grandparents ate, and unhealthy foods are just too convenient. They are profitable, too, and the incentive structure of the food companies is all about maximizing profits. Not maximizing public health.

So give a few of these a try, or at least watch the trailers. You will be enlightened about what goes into your mouth each day. And you will certainly have plenty to talk about at your next dinner party. I love running into other people who have seen these films. The conversation sparks, and then the passion ignites.

• I had no idea that chickens were raised that way!
• Who knew that so much sugar is in our everyday food? Yogurt, condiments, beverages, and breakfast cereal?
• If 70-80% of the center of the grocery store contains corn and soy, and 90-95% of corn and soy are GMOs, then what are our children eating every day?
• Do you think its true that most chronic diseases can be managed by cutting animal-based and processed food?
• What if I ate differently?

Here we go! Are you ready for the journey?

Food Inc.

In Food, Inc. (2008), filmmaker Robert Kenner shows us the not-so-pretty underbelly of our nation’s food industry. The American food system is about mega-corporations producing huge amounts of uniform foods at the cheapest price for consumers. In Food Inc. Kenner shows us the real costs of putting profits ahead of everything else, including our health, the livelihood of American farmers, food industry workers, and the environment.

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives (2011) makes the bold claim that many of the diseases that affect us, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, can be controlled, or even reversed, by saying no to animal-based and processed foods. Yes, here we are back at the plant-based diet. In Forks Over Knives, nutritional scientist T. Colin Campbell and surgeon Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. combine decades of research into the harmful effects of too much meat and dairy in the Western diet. With that, the team sets out to debunk many myths about meat and the manliness of meat, convincing real men to eat their veggies, not only for reversing heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, but also to “raise the flag” more effectively. Another solid argument in the Forks Over Knives debate!

Super Size Me

Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary that should be seen by all fast food junkies. Directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, Super Size Me follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003, during which Spurlock ate only McDonald’s food. Ugh. The film documents the drastic changes that were brought on by this lifestyle choice, which included changes in his physical and psychological well being, and it also explores the corporate influence that fast food has over the American psyche.

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

At the beginning of the film, Joe Cross is 100 pounds overweight (with a gut as big as a beach ball), loaded up on steroids, and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is an inspirational film that chronicles the 60-day journey of Mr. Cross across the United States as he follows a juice fast to regain his health (under the care of Dr. Joel Fuhrman.) This film is also famous for making sales of the Breville juicer soar after its release on Netflix in 2011, as Cross has become a modern day advocate for juice bars and juicing.

OMG GMO

Filmmaker Jeremy Seifert travels to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and even to agri-giant Monsanto to ask questions about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In OMG GMO, Seifert also explores the systematic takeover of seeds. Who owns the future of our crops? And how does this affect public health? Is our food system being hijacked? Or is there a movement to take back the purity and biodiversity of our food? This movie has its critics, and all documentaries like to go to the extreme to influence; however, I have my opinions about genetically engineered (GE) food. OMG, more on that to come.

Vegucated

Vegucated is an amusing documentary that follows 3 meat-and-cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for 6 weeks. Writer-director Marisa Miller Wolfson sums the movie up with this,“To me, Vegucated is about the shift that happens when you sit at one side of the dinner table, looking at the vegan on the other side with amusement, envy, or perhaps, slight horror. Then you receive some information or inspiration and suddenly find yourself on the vegan’s side of the table, seeing the dinner in a whole new light.”

I agree with this statement. I am not so compelled by folks dressing up like animals begging me to feel compassion for the animal’s souls during slaughter (animals are not humans), but I have read enough about our over consumption of animal-based products to know that I need to get vegucated, too.

What the Health

What the Health was written, produced, and directed in 2017 by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, and is deemed as “The Health Film That Health Organizations Don’t Want You To See.” It doesn’t take a PhD to understand that big dollars are behind prescriptions, procedures, and animal-based foods, and these industries fund the very health organizations trying to combat chronic diseases. Another key takeaway from What the Health— if you think excess sugar is the primary cause of diabetes, you might be surprised, as several leading physicians link insulin resistance to fat (consuming lots of meat and dairy).

Hungry for Change

I like this 2012 film because it helps you better understand “the Diet Trap” and how we are surrounded by marketing myths about diet and nutrition (hint: diet cola won’t help you lose weight and neither will a chocolate energy bar). The labels “sugar free” and “fat free” bombard us from all directions, yet these foods are filled with unhealthy ingredients to make us crave more “diet food.” Who’s hungry for change?

Fed Up

There are over 600,000 food products offered in the United States, and over 80% of those products have added sugar. Fed Up explores how the government has overlooked the impact that sugar and processed foods has had on the increasing risks of obesity and diabetes, particularly in children. As the relationship between a high-sugar diet and poor health continues, industries that profit pour endless lobbying dollars into preventing parents, schools, and lawmakers from offering healthier options. But as long as we’re calling pizza a vegetable, then we’re all eating healthy, right?

TED Talks – Chew On This

These 15-20 minute short clips are on You Tube and Netflix, featuring 8 speakers who have given TED Talks on various food-related topics. Episode 1 will grab your attention as chef Jamie Oliver dumps a wheelbarrow of sugar representing the 5-year elementary school intake of sugar for one American child—and that’s just from milk. The winner of the 2010 TED Prize, Oliver is on a mission to teach families about eating better and living healthier lives.

Related Content: OMG: Why You Should Care About GMOs; Organic Foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? Worth the cost?

The post 10 Must-See Food Documentaries That Might Change Your Life appeared first on UPKiQ.