Monday, February 24, 2014

Going Local

Farmers’ markets in Phoenix are out and about year round. And they are all over the city!  That makes me happy and makes finding fresh produce much easier.

Today I had the pleasure of venturing out to one in Tempe, just down the street called Rays Farmers Market (raysmarket.net).

I picked up mostly produce, locally grown from Pepper Ranch Farms in Mesa, AZ.  They had just about anything you could want or need. Everyone was so helpful and lively. Here’s what I picked up:

Kale, cilantro, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes, snap peas


I wondered around the small market and found a stand that had zucchini treats including zucchini bread, zucchini brownies, and zucchini cookies. The zucchini brownies were so good! She had all the ingredients listed, nothing ‘processed’. I chatted with the owner, Janelle, about my new endeavor. Janelle told me that she recently cut out meat in her diet because of all the hormones. She said the hardest part is being sneaky with her kids and substituting products.


I went straight home and made an egg white omelet with some of the new produce. I could taste the difference in freshness already.

Challenge of the week: find something to do with the kale and sweet potatoes.

I honestly cannot bear to just eat a cooked sweet potato. I need to find a creative and healthy way to prepare them. I’ve never prepared kale before, but I’ve heard its good? Ya, we’ll see about that.







           



     

Friday, February 21, 2014

Where do I begin?


T-minus 11 days…

What does non-processed mean…? It means keeping it simple and natural.

Eat Local Grown: 14 Steps to Cut Out Processed Food
·      To sum it up:
o   Veggies
o   Fruits
o   Tea, coffee, milk, ‘red’ wine (in moderation)
o   Meat: locally raised, 3-4 servings per week total
o   No fast foods, deep fried foods
o   Trying new ‘whole’ foods
o   No ‘lite’, ‘nonfat’, ‘low-fat’, ‘reduced fat’ products
o   100% whole grain
o   No refined oils
o   No artificial sweeteners
o   Nothing artificial: sweeteners, colors, and flavors
o   No more than 5 ingredients per food

Ok, so that seems simple enough, right?

Check out 100 Days of Real Food:
10-day Challenge for those who just want to test the waters.
AND here are the rules:

This site gives a great breakdown of what to eat, what to avoid, and what non-processed means.

Good news, I do not have to say bye to my red wine or black coffee. Yippee!

What I am I looking forward to most?

Local farmers' markets. Stay tuned.

Monday, February 17, 2014

GMOs…What are those?

This blogpost is dedicated to my dad. Why? Because the night I launched my clean eating campaign he calls me and says, “What about the GMOs?”

The what…?

So, apparently they’re a big deal and quite the controversy these days. It did not take long to find that there is SO much information. And NO way to cover it all. Here it is, the skinny on GMOs.

What is a GMO?
            A GMO is a genetically modified organism. Basically, it is the process of taking certain traits or genes from one plant or organism and using it make another. Essentially it is an engineered, unnatural way to make seeds.

Look for me! I'm the Non-GMO Verified Seal (Right)
Certified Organic Seal (Left)
Disclaimer: I am not a professional in any way such as a dietician or engineer so I’ll just give the basics and give you some resources to do more research if you’d like. I’m also not here to choose sides, simply stating the facts.

Some of the most common GMOs include: soy, cotton, canola, corn, Hawaiian Papaya, sugar beets, alfalfa sprouts, squash (zucchini and yellow), wheat, rice, flax, milk, eggs, meat, and honey products.

Why are they considered bad?
From a collaboration of resources I gathered that a lot of these GMOs cause allergies, skin conditions, chronic conditions, digestion, and other health concerns to name a few.  


Here are a few great resources!

Environmental Working Group 
http://www.ewg.org/research/five-things-you-should-know-about-gmos

The Non-GMO Project
A non-profit organization committed to educating the public and preserving natural food production. Full of great information! As stated on this site, up to 80% of processed foods contain GMOs. Also, in more than 60 countries around the World, GMO products are restricted or banned, but not the United States.

The Genetic Literacy Project

Whole Foods defense…
They state that by 2018 every single one of their products will state whether it is a GMO product. In the meantime, a few of their suggestions include: GO ORGANIC, use any of their 365 brand products, be patient J, ALWAYS look for the non-GMO verified seal and be informed. Note, according to the Non-GMO Project, organic certification does not require GMO testing…

An article from the Huffington Post biased against GMOs, however good information.

World Health Organization

So who are the companies being called out?
An ASTOUNDING amount of foods that just about anyone can find in their cupboards or fridge. You will be amazed. I like this site because it also gives a good list of companies that are non-GMO verified.

Turns out my dad had a point. A BIG point. It’s a ton of information. The purpose was not to pick sides, rather be informed and educate. If you have further questions, feel free to ask me. I’ll research! 
If you think about my entire food supply this is not much! 

Lastly, I took to my own cupboards to see what I could muster up to show for my non-informed, non-GMO product list so far. 


On the FLIP side...


There are plenty of farmers, consumers, and scientists refuting that GMOs really are bad. Is there actual scientific hard evidence to prove that GMOs cause health issues?


Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/labels-for-gmo-foods-are-a-bad-idea/?page=1


Forbes: A plethora of reasons that GMOs are in fact, safe, to eat.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/10/14/2000-reasons-why-gmos-are-safe-to-eat-and-environmentally-sustainable/


American Radio Works
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/gmos_india/pro_con.html


A TON of information and a lot of decisions to make. This is just the beginning of a challenging, yet fun, journey!