With all the focus recently on pink-slime and ammonia and the health impact of red meat, we’ve been talking much more than usual about meat these past few months. Today I’d like to talk about a fantastic non-meat protein source that has been a staple in my home for years: quinoa. Pronounced keen-wah, quinoa is gaining attention for several important reasons: it is a complete protein source that can be a big help to vegetarians looking to eat a balanced diet; it’s a great alternative for those looking to cut back on meat but still ingest protein; it’s a delicious [Read More]
In Mario Puzo’s acclaimed best seller, The Godfather, Vito Corleone runs his illegal operations under the cover of his olive oil importing business, Genco Pura Olive Oil. The business may appear to be a legitimate importing company serving as a front for his other activities, but Mario Puzo based his character on a real-life mafia Joe Profaci, known as the Olive Oil King. For centuries, olive oil has been a prized commodity, traded in some cultures as currency and guarded fiercely by the many including the Romans. But more recently, olive oil has become the business of choice for the [Read More]
In the two prior articles on fruits and vegetables we covered a lot of ground around making better fruit and vegetable choices, for your body and our planet. While we know fresh local organic fruits and vegetables are the best choice, most of us will need to call on canned or frozen vegetables on occasion because of time and convenience factors or seasonal availability. So before we leave the subject of fruits and vegetables, I’m going to discuss some important health implications to consider with frozen and canned vegetables and also look at how many servings you should really be [Read More]
Each year, almost a billion pounds—or nearly three pounds per person—of pesticides are sprayed across the U.S. Before herbicides and pesticides were introduced 57 years ago, 37% of our crops were being lost to pest damage. Today, despite the pervasiveness of pesticide use, pests are destroying MORE than 37% of our crops. And it’s not just in the U.S. We import heavily sprayed foods from countries that use chemicals the United States banned long ago. While pesticides have not had any significant effect on crop loss, they have definitely had an effect on our health. I think pesticide exposure levels [Read More]
Nov 142013
As a result of the diminishment of the nutrient profiles in foods due to modern farming practices, we need to eat more fruits and vegetables than ever. You may remember a prior article in which I shared research that to get the same level of nutrients from two peaches eaten back in the 1950′s, today you’d have to eat 53! We are all trying to make our money in this tough economy stretch as far as it can, so it’s good to know that there is some produce that you can buy conventionally grown; being able to purchase it at [Read More]
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