Monthly Archives: July 2012

Seeds Of Hunger – A Review

Seeds of Hunger
by Yves Billy and Richard Prost
Icarus Films

Food security. It's probably not something that many of us think about. We don't worry about where our next meal is coming from, what it will consist of, nor how much it will cost. Yet all over the world, from India and Asia to Great Britain and even the United States, food security is a growing concern.

Food shortages, the increased cost of staple items, crop losses and failures all contribute to the likelihood of decreased food security that is a reality for many. Billions of people are malnourished and starving, yet the increasing genetically modified, corporate-profit-driven policies do nothing to address the very hunger and scarcity they promised to defeat.

One part of food security is the creation of food deserts, more and more of which are appearing across the landscape. In the United States alone there are 803 counties that are considered food deserts. These are areas with populations so rural that everyone living there is 10 miles or more from a grocery store with fresh fruits and vegetables. Sadly these areas are often highly populated with fast food restaurants and cheap non-nutritious food stores.

Seeds of Hunger, named the Best Documentary at the 2009 Bourges International Festival of Environmental Films, was filmed on three continents and looks closely at these issues and others. It examines the rising number of components which contribute to the growing crisis of food insecurity and instability. Interviews with many different people along the food chain from farmers to manufacturers, exporters, and even financial analysts provide a dramatic picture of food used for fuel, food riots, and how this trend is reshaping the eating habits of billions of people. The film helps viewers understand our changed global economy and it's impact on social structure.

The trailer is available on YouTube.

I originally wrote this for a private client. They are no longer publishing their newsletter and I am now able to share this review with you.

Parenthood And Exercise Not Mutually Exclusive

by Miraexercise, health

family fun time | photo: vharjadi

Today we have a guest post from Alex Webb of Tristate Orthopaedic, a sports medicine provider in Cincinnati. Alex is someone who has been working very hard to figure out just where exercise fits in to her busy schedule – and she doesn’t even have children yet! Follow her on twitter @alexandriakwebb.

We all think our lives are busy, but ask any parent and they will tell you that they miss “busy.” Being a parent makes busy feel like Sunday brunch in bed. Without a doubt, being a parent is rewarding, but between work, household duties, family time, social obligations, and running children to all of their appointments and social engagements it’s all too easy to neglect another aspect of your life: Yourself.

One great way to take care of yourself is through physical activity. Some of the benefits of exercising are improved health, more energy, improved mood, better sleep, and an improved sex life. While all those benefits (and the list doesn’t end there) sound great, the parents out there are most certainly saying, “Of course I should be exercising – I already know that, but when? How?”

Being a parent and trying to work out can be difficult but it isn’t impossible. Here are some great ways to incorporate physical activity into your life when you have young children:

Turn your lunch hour into a power hour: If you work outside the home, consider using your lunch hour to get in some physical activity and eating your lunch at your desk either before or after. If you can’t make it to a gym, simply head outside and walk around or roam the building. Do squats, lunges, or stretches at your desk. If you can, spend part of the day sitting on a stability ball to help improve your core strength and balance.
Nap time is go time: While your children nap, get a quick workout in. There are thousands and thousands of fitness DVDs you can try – simply turn the sound down and start to sweat while your children catch a few Zs. To save money, visit your local library, second hand store, or neighborhood yard sales to find fitness videos.
Get out there and play: Kids love to play, and you shouldn’t be afraid to be like a kid yourself when playing with your children. If it’s a nice day, head to the park or your backyard and get your heart rate up with a game of tag, duck-duck-goose, jump rope, hopscotch, ring around the rosy, or a water balloon fight. Push your kids on the swings, go down the slide with them, and climb around on the jungle gym. If the weather isn’t cooperative, you can always play indoors. Some of the activities already mentioned can be played indoors or you can put on some music and dance the day away.
It’s double duty time: Even when you have children the house still has to be cleaned and meals still have to be prepared. While you’re going about your household chores try incorporating some extra physical activity. For instance, if you have to go up or down stairs try making more trips than necessary or taking the steps faster than normal. If you’re waiting for water to boil or the sink to fill up do a few squats. Try doing some lunges while you vacuum.
Turn your kids into exercise equipment: There are a lot of devices available which allow parents to incorporate their children in their exercise routine. For instance, if you run purchase a jogging stroller; if you bike purchase a trailer that pulls behind. You can also purchase baby carriers which strap to your chest or back to make taking your child with you on a walk relatively easy. The added benefit of all these devices is that they allow you to burn more calories than you would if you just went running, biking, or walking on your own.
Let’s make a deal: A lot of fitness facilities now offer daycare for children; however, if your facility doesn’t or if a gym isn’t in your budget there are other options. Make a deal with your spouse, a family member, or close friend where he or she watches your children for a few hours while you exercise and you’ll return the favor.
Just say no: Sure, those super close parking spaces reserved for expectant mothers and mothers with young children are convenient and oh-so tempting, but resist the urge. Park further out when your child is young and carry him or her in; make sure to use the opposite arm on the way out so you build and tone evenly. If your child is in a baby carrier try doing a few bicep curls as you walk.
Let your children be your workout partner: Typically, children will be more than happy to workout with you and do mini-versions of whatever it is your doing. Granted, there will probably be interruptions that prevent you from going full out but some physical activity is better than none.
Pop in a video: While your children are watching the same animated adventure for the thousandth time, you can exercise. You can use an elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, or just get down on the floor and do other exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, planks, lunges, stretches, and squats.

Even though it turns life into a hectic, pell-mell sprint, having children is great. While taking care of your children and ensuring they have a safe and healthy environment should be a top priority, it is also important to take care of yourself. Exercising has many advantages, both physical and psychological, and should be a part of any parent’s life.

Don’t allow parenthood to kick exercise to the curb – the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.

King Corn, A Review

by Miragmo, reviews

King Corn
Independent Lens
Written by Aaron Woolf, Curt Ellis, Ian Cheney, and Jeffrey K. Miller
Directed by Aaron Woolf

Did you know that more than 92,000,000 acres of corn were planted in 2007? Are you aware of the fact that in 2003 the USDA estimated that Americans ate an average of 73 pounds of corn sweetener per year? And it turns out an elemental isotope analysis of your hair may very well show that you are predominantly ingesting corn?

Corn has invaded our diet to startling levels. Aside from the obvious places like corn on the cob, corn syrup and corn starch, corn is also turned into fillers, modifiers, extenders and other ingredients that are used in everything from chips to cookies to beer and more. With almost 200 ingredients made from corn it's exceedingly difficult to avoid. Sadly this extends even further into our diet with cows, pigs, chickens, and now even farmed fish all being fed corn. What they eat becomes what you eat. Corn truly is pervasive in our diet.

This film, King Corn, was created by Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis in 2007. Recent college graduates motivated by America's bulging waistline they decided to try to grow an acre of corn and follow it all the way through it's process. Along the way they discovered just how much of what we eat comes from corn. Unfortunately corn has become a staple products of the American diet. Equally unfortunate it is a crop that brings with it numerous health problems. It is one of the most genetically modified crops, it is laden with pesticides, and it is a highly acidic food. Corn is also not a profitable crop; not, that is, unless our tax dollars are brought into the equation and used to subsidize greater and greater amounts of corn being grown across the country.

In 2005 corn subsidies totaled more than $5 billion, enough to keep the corn empire rolling on and on and on. These subsidies are what keep the junk food cheap, what keeps the corn coming in our diet. It's also what encourages more and more acreage to be turned over into corn crops every year.

The trailer is available on YouTube.

King Corn is an amusing yet eye-opening look at just how much corn impacts our food supply. If you look at the list of ingredients that corn is transformed into such as artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners, crystalline fructose, potassium gluconate and more, you'll realize just how difficult it is to avoid. In order to understand the impact of corn on our country, our agriculture infrastructure and our waist-lines, King Corn is a movie that you don't want to miss.

I originally wrote this for a private client. They are no longer publishing their newsletter and I am now able to share this review with you.

disclaimer: cmp.ly/5

Canning…not That Kind

by Mirapreserving, storage

Recently I was invited to a canning event where I could learn about dry pack canning. It was loud, fascinating, fun, and definitely a bit of work.

We assembled in the early evening at the warehouse. We were instructed on the different stations on the assembly line and how to operate the machine (for those who were doing that). We then all trooped over to the sinks to wash our hands and put on nets (two for the guys with beards), gloves and aprons. Next we lined up in our spots along two different assembly lines.

The responsibilities were:

opening the large containers that the dry goods were in
filling the #10 cans almost to the top
adding an oxygen absorber for long term storage
running the machine to seal the lid
labeling the cans
checking the inventory
boxing the cans.

My spot was at the end of the line and my responsibilities went something like this:

write the date on the label
put the label on a can
check inventory to see how many of that particular can goes in a box
put the cans in the box
label the box
do it again

While the canner was running it was very loud in the warehouse and all conversation either stopped or was limited to the person standing next to you. Otherwise it was not too noisy. Although there was an occasional lull in the process as one part or another of the line got backed up, we spent a fairly solid couple of hours processing dry food. While it was obvious that many of the others had done this before, they were very supportive of those of us who were new to the process. Overall we still managed to be quite an efficient team and the lines moved along fairly smoothly.

The items that we canned were: rolled oats, rice, macaroni, dried apples, black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, non-instant milk powder, dried carrots, and dried onions. I was fascinated to learn that the shelf life for these dry good in this type of can is quite long. Some of these foods, because they are so dry, and with the use of an oxygen absorber, can last for up to 30 years in the can.

Many people use these dry goods as part of their pantry system, rotating the cans through as needed. Instead of purchasing their dry goods in bags or boxes, they purchase them in cans which are vermin proof and watertight. Other people purchase these items as a part of an emergency food storage system.

It was work, but it was also fun. I had the opportunity to chat with a number of the people there and really enjoyed our conversations. I also learned something new that I hadn't known before. Maybe next time I can run the canner.

Unseen Labels – What’s In Your Fast Food

by Miraadditives, dairy, drinks

A friend recently posted this picture on their Facebook page. And I've heard a number of people talking about the “hand-spun” shakes at Chick Fil-A. I believe hand-spun means nothing more than using an old-fashioned, metal wand device, rather than a blender. However, with the words home-spun in there it sounds wholesome. And the picture, of course, makes it look tempting and delicious with a large peach right up front. The limited time only is, I suppose, there to make you feel that if you don't get yours now you've missed out.

Unfortunately the ingredients tell a different story:

Icedream (whole milk, sugar, nonfat dry milk, cream, corn syrup, natural and artificial flavors, dried whole eggs, cornstarch, mono and diglycerides, disodium phosphate, cellulose gum, carrageenan, sodium phosphate, guar gum, sodium citrate, annatto and caramel colors, artificial color [Yellow 5&6]), peaches, sugar, dextrose, water, citric acid, pectin (pectin, sodium diphosphate, calcium orthophosphate), lemon juice concentrate, salt, turmeric extract (propylene glycol, extractives of turmeric), natural flavor, ascorbic acid, annatto, milkshake base (whole milk, sugar, cream, whey powder (milk), nonfat dry milk, artificial flavor, disodium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, guar gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan), whipped cream (cream, milk, sugar, sorbitol, nonfat milk solids, artificial flavor, mono and diglycerides, carrageenan, polysorbate 80, mixed tocopherols [vitamin E] to protect flavor, propellant: nitrous oxide), cherry.

Rather than a whole food peach milkshake we have a host of chemicals which include artificial flavors (appearing three times), colors, preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients.

Considering that a traditional peach milkshake has ice cream (choose organic, whole fat and chemical free), milk (again organic and whole fat), and peaches (organic – to avoid pesticides), it's somewhat ridiculous that this lab-experiment-gone-wrong is being promoted as a tasty treat.

My suggestion? Skip theirs and make your own.

Take Back Your Kitchen

by Mirahabits, health, recipes

I was talking with a friend of mine who recently moved to this area. She was stunned to discover how many people don't cook. It seemed very strange to her that so many eat out almost all the time or purchase prepared “convenience” foods. I think this is something which is happening not just where we live but all over the country.

While I no longer cook the way I used to when I had three small children at home, I do cook on a regular basis. In prior days I cooked a lot, every day. I still cook a lot but the meals tend to be simpler and less involved. I still use my slow cooker frequently however instead of feeding five it now feeds two to three with leftovers, a bonus as far as I am concerned. A hearty pot of soup, a tasty stew, these are all so easy, delicious and nourishing. And the leftovers are perfect for our current lifestyle.

I believe that just about anyone who walks into a house fragrant with the smells of a roasting chicken or a robust ragout will comment on how delicious that house smells. We know good food when we smell it, we just think we can cut corners to make it.

We've been sold a bill of goods about food and sacrificing “convenience” for time. I believe it's a myth. There are things that you can do to make your time in the kitchen faster or less involved. But there's no way that you can convince me that prepared foods in a box or a can are “just like homemade.” Especially after you read the label and see how many non-food items are in that package. I also find that in spite of the rising cost of groceries your food dollars are well spent when you buy the ingredients for homemade wholesome food.

Additionally most of us have forgotten how to cook. A lot of people have lost the native understanding of how flavors go together, how spices work, what constitutes the basics of culinary knowledge. One of my biggest joys right now is watching my two older daughters taking their culinary knowledge to the next level. Working together with them in the kitchen or enjoying a fabulous meal that they have made from scratch. Sharing my cooking knowledge with them as they add their own twist to a dish or develop their own culinary style.

Just because you don't cook doesn't mean that these skills can't be relearned and you can't take back your kitchen. You can. And not only will it taste better and, I believe, be better for you, you're nourishing more that just your belly. There's something intrinsic about cooking and eating something that you have prepared yourself that quite simply nourishes the soul.

Here are a few simple, easy recipes that I have created which you can easily prepare at home:

Breakfast Quiche Muffins – these can be made in muffin form and frozen until needed. Or you can make it as a quiche and serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You need to adjust the time as it will take longer to cook if you cook it in a pie pan as a large quiche.

Black Bean Casserole – this is a great dish to serve as is with lots of steamed veggies on the side. But the leftovers are also fabulous for topping on salads, baked potatoes (with my salsa recipe), they also stand on their own reheated as leftovers very nicely.

Peas-y Peas and Celery – this is a fabulous side dish, easy to make and absolutely delicious.

For true kitchen basics here are some videos:

Giada DeLaurentis' Tomato Sauce – this is a basic sauce that goes with pasta, chicken, beef, and is very versatile

Mark Bittman's Roasted Tomato Soup – because nothing says comfort food like a good bowl of homemade tomato soup. This is the deluxe version and totally worth making

Homemade Chili – a classic comfort food it's always good to know how to make this

Bechamel Sauce – a white sauce a basic foundation for many different uses

Paula Deen's Macaroni and Cheese – once you start making homemade you'll never want the boxed stuff again. Be warned though this is a treat food and needs to be served as a side dish not the entree

Jill Sanpietro's Basic Pizza – much better than store bought and easier to make it just the way you like it

Whole food cooking doesn't have to be expensive.

Three Bean Salad

by Miralegumes, recipes, vegetarianbean, recipe, salad, three bean salad

This is a guest post by my Aunt Haya who recently shared a very sweet story about food, connections and memories. I love food stories. I like hearing where food came from, how it's changed, and the associations we make with our food; those moments that join us together. I agree with my Aunt that in this overstimulated fast-paced world it's nice to have these kinds of connections to make us stop a moment and reflect on the various ways that our food comes into our lives. I also love how so many recipes, when shared, keep the name of the person who gifted them to us.

This evening my congregation will be hosting a group of 32 members of a congregation in Maryland who are on a 10 day tour of Israel with their Rabbi. After many guided tours to historical sites they are looking forward to sitting and talking with folks who live here. I have been asked to contribute my three bean salad to the meal. I am always glad to make and share it. While assembling the ingredients I stopped to think about it's entry into our lives.

Nowadays, three bean salad is well known all over the US and multiple variations are on the web. But while living in Houston (in the late 1960s), my husband and I made sure that each of us would have some private time each week, with each of our children. On one such outing I went with our son Daniel to attend an outdoor performance of an abridged version of some Gilbert and Sullivan operetta out on a lawn of The University of Houston. I think that it was the Pirates of Penzance, but am not sure.

I did not recognize anyone sitting near us in the audience but Daniel soon picked up a conversation with a boy near his age. I introduced myself to his mother and learned that they were in Houston for the summer while her husband, a school teacher, took summer classes at U of H, in order to eventually qualify to become a school principal in their home town somewhere I think in Arkansas or Alabama. He was often busy attending those summer program classes or working in the university library on his homework, so she and their son were exploring Houston on their own.

I invited them to join our family picnic the next week in Herman Park on the 4th of July--speeches, fire works and all. They were glad to accept and she brought three bean salad that she'd made. We'd never tasted one before. We all enjoyed it so I asked for her recipe. She wrote out on a piece of paper which I copied on to a file card after I returned home. I added her name Eula Ross. We got together only once or twice more during that summer, but three bean salad became a staple in our family's favorite summer recipes; particularly as a contribution to buffets and picnics.

Here in Israel the recipe has changed somewhat. I add diced fresh rosemary needles (that I pick fresh from the shrubs) to the chopped parsley in the original recipe and often use chickpeas for the third bean.

Today I found that I needed to purchase more chickpeas so used red beans as I have no red onion and wanted to add color other than the chopped sweet red pepper to the salad. I use less sugar in the dressing that Eula Ross recommended and the minimum quantity of oil. But each time I prepare this dish, whether or not I check the details on the old file card or fly free with improvisations, I think a special thanks to Eula Ross where ever she is now.

I am sharing this story with you because in this day and age of instant communication, information from people whom one never meets, an entire rainbow of recipes for any dish for which one could possible conceive of hankering, this older, slower, deeper time of meeting a stranger who became an acquaintance and shared her recipe and it's evolution to fit my current location and dietary preferences, pleases me a great deal.

Eula Ross' Three Bean Salad

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups each green string beans, yellow string beans, red beans or pinto beans
2 stalks of celery cut into cubed shape pieces
1/2 red union diced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Whisk the five dressing ingredients together and pour over the vegetables.
Mix together cover and chill in fridge.
Keeps for 10 days

Notes

Aunt Haya's changes:

1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary to the parsley
I used frozen cut yellow and green beans which I steam over boiling water just until they thaw, so that they are still a bit crisp
I sometimes substitute chick peas for the red or pinto beans – I soak which ever of the three that I use overnight, then cook them myself, drain them before adding to the salad. (I find commercial canned beans of all three types, over cooked (too soft) and too salty)
I use only 1 teaspoon of salt
About 1/3 cup of oil
Reduce the amount of sugar
I like to use apple cider vinegar

Thoughts On Water

by Mirawater

rain on grass | photo: adrian benko

We've been getting a fair amount of rain so far this year. We don't have a rain gauge (although I'm beginning to think we should) and I have my eye on this one. For now we simply mark when it rains on the calendar because after two years of severe drought we're more mindful of how desperately we need water in this Eastern Piney Woods Region of Texas.

The drought was considered the worst one since the 1950's and the effects were devastating. The biggest environmental impact the highly destructive series of wildfires which burned nearly 2,000,000 acres of Texas land. Livestock and wildlife were badly affected and thousands of people were made homeless by the fires. Locally in my town fortunately no homes were destroyed by the fires, however we lost more than 15% of our trees and clean-up is still continuing nearly a year later.

So although we've been grateful for the rain, our household become more mindful of our water use and we've realized there are a few things that we can do to help conserve water. There are of course a the typical things you can do:

adjust your sprinkler system to not over water and install a rain gauge so you don't water when it's raining
aerate your lawn so water can reach the roots rather than creating run-off
mulch your garden to help retain moisture
check outdoor faucets to make sure they don't leak
compost rather than using the dispos-all
Wash fruits and veggies in a pan rather than under a running faucet
shorten your shower time (1-2 minutes can add up to over 100 gallons per month)
turn off the water while brushing your teeth (estimates claim this can save up to 25 gallons per month per household)
check your toilet to make sure the valve closes completely after filling
when cleaning your fish tank use the nutrient rich water for houseplants

However there are other ways to increase your water conservancy as well and we've just implements two that I think will really help with our water usage.

My husband just installed a Dual Flush Toilet Conversion Kit. I love these things. Instead of a lever flush you have a cute button with a one dot push and a two dot push. Each one of course corresponding to the common euphemisms for pee and poo. The big reason to love it though is that now we don't use more water than we need. Let's be honest, when you pee it takes far less water to flush the remains to the sewer system; however a regular flush system doesn't allow you to differentiate. It was easy to install and should last for a long time.

Also in the water conservation mode he recently installed a Rain Barrel. After just a few rainstorms our barrel is full. We plan to use this water for container plants and the vegetable garden. We figure it's better than turning on the hose and plants seem to love rainwater more anyway. Also easy to install, it diverts the flow from our downspout. When the barrel is full there is an overflow valve which backs up and the water again flows through the downspout. I haven't needed to use the water yet as our rainfall has been sufficient, but it's nice to know we have it if we need it.

Given the growing world wide water crisis it is important that we all become more aware of how we use water. To be more conscious of what we use and if it can be recycled or if we can use less.

Eating Out…or In…but Are You Eating Healthy?

by MiraUncategorized

dirty dishes | photo: mikamatto

Americans eat out. A lot. Eating out does, in my book, include take out (in other words you went to a restaurant and brought it home or called in an order and had it delivered). Sadly there are those who eat out more than one meal a day and/or more than five times a week. That's a lot of eating out.

It turns out we're not the only ones to do this. Over in England I imagine there must be a lot of people who eat out. Enough that a rather unusual service has been invented. One where you can not only order food to be cooked and delivered, but for an extra fee they'll even bring the dirty pots so it looks like you cooked it yourself.

In the United States it seems that our food costs are so low that we spend a fairly small percentage of our income on it. According to a link found on Visualizing.Org in 2011 the United States spent approximately 6.9% of household income on food. This number has gone up due to inflation but the highest number I have been able to find is still less than 10%. Compared to Brazil (24.7%), Canada (9.1%), France (13.4%), Russia (28.0%), and India (24.5%) we don't spend a lot. In my house I know we spend more because we make the choice to vote with our wallet when it comes to groceries. However we certainly still don't spend nearly as much as many other people around the world.

Cheap food costs in American leaves a lot of money left for other food options such as take out. I believe, in part, this is due to our feeling hurried, and pressured for time. We are running late, working late, between activities, or worn out from a long day and the temptation to eat out is easy and fairly inexpensive.

However even if we aren't eating out we still may not be making healthy food choices. According to a recent article from Planet Money it turns out Americans are spending less of our money on food now than we did 30 years ago. Sadly that spending is increasingly going to processed food. While spending on fruit and vegetables remained fairly stable between 1982 and 2012 (14.5% vs. 14.6%) the amount spent on processed food has soared to nearly double (11.6% to 22.9%). Given that overall decrease in food costs it is hard to believe that many people are not choosing to eat more foods which are nourishing and support health. While food costs are rising, they still are not at a level that should prevent you from considering the option to eat more whole foods.

Strategies to consider:

Evaluate your current household food budget. Look at what you're spending for various categories of foods and consider if perhaps you can make healthier choices while not changing the dollar amount you spend.
Choose more nutrient dense foods (which provide a lot of nutrients per calorie). Examples of nutrient dense foods include: eggplants, green beans, spinach, broccoli, apples, blueberries, and plums. Examples of nutrient poor foods include chips, soda, donuts, or french fries.
Consider other food preparatin methods, such as pressure cooking, slow cooking, or grilling as a means of preparing healthier foods while saving time.