Category: Interesting Information

Information I want to share in a non-essay form

Interesting Information: My Cuisinart Rant

Interesting Information:  august 20, 2011

My Cuisinart Rant

Last summer, in the middle of making food processor ice cream–you just dump in heavy cream, frozen fruit, some arrowroot, and a bit of maple syrup or local UNHEATED honey–my Cuisinart food processor died.

My Cuisinart food processor was probably 30 years old.  It was heavy as lead, as solid as stacked bricks.  The motor didn’t go.  The plastic safety feature that slid into place to form the electrical connection broke.  There were no replacement parts to be found, which several internet searches showed.  And, John, who can miraculously fix things, could not figure out how to make the electrical connection work.

I use my food processor A LOT.  So, I ordered a new one, and I paid $252.73 for it.  I didn’t really think twice since I figured that the last one had lasted over 30 years, so I’d gotten my money’s worth.

The new one came.  It’s all bright and shiny black and chrome.  It only has two blades though.  My old one had more.  And, it’s got multiple-sized bowls, but I never use the little ones.  I cook BIG when I’m using the Cuisinart.  It has a retractable cord.

It’s a total piece of junk!  It’s got “bells and whistles,” but it has no power at all.

It lifts up like a feather as there’s no weight to it at all.

What my old one could do in seconds, this one can’t do at all.  Ever.  And something simple like the ice cream takes forever and there are always large pieces of frozen fruit left in the mix.

I’m writing this because I’m old enough to have had a really good food processor.   Many of you are a generation younger than me, and you don’t know what’s happened to too many American products.  Manufacturers have dumbed them down, but by bit, saving pennies and half-pennies along the way until what we have are expensive pieces of junk.  Like this Cuisinart food processor.

What has occurred is entirely logical.  It’s the inexorable process of Capitalism when it isn’t controlled by values and ethics.  Or, when a generation has passed, and people have forgotten how an appliance is supposed to work, so they buy what the market offers.

I still have my wedding-present (1966) hand-held mixer.  My daughter-in-law Tami’s melted down in less than 10 years.  It wasn’t an appliance she used often, so the usage time is even shorter actually.  My current GE refrigerator is also big and shiny and a total piece of junk.  It isn’t ten years old, but pieces of plastic inside of it are breaking off in chunks.

This process of degradation is present in many industries today.  Many of you don’t know what a real strawberry should taste like.  Or, a peach.  Or real food that isn’t so highly processed that it’s, now, totally fake.  Many of you don’t remember what it was like to go to a doctor who was actually interested in your health, had time for you, KNEW WHO YOU WERE,and didn’t just attempt to push a lot of drugs and invasive tests on you–drugs meant to deal with the fact that your food is no longer nourishing your health.

All of this degradation has just crept up on us until what we have now is a total mess.  The only thing I know to do is to try to create local community once more where you know where your food comes from.  And, maybe, to try to find appliances from Europe, where they apparently still make quality products that last.  Meanwhile, I’m stuck with the Cuisinart as I can’t justify spending any more $$$ on a food processor.

DON’T BUY THIS STUFF.  DON’T BY A CUISINART FOOD PROCESSOR.  DON’T BUY FAKE FOOD IN THE GROCERY STORE.

PS:  My Cuisinart toaster–bought recently–is also a piece of junk.

Interesting Information: Pantry Intervention

Interesting Information:  Sarah Pope’s Pantry Intervention Video

Sarah Pope’s videos are available on the video tab of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s web site (www.westonapricefoundation.org)  AND on her own web site at http://thehealthyhomeeconomist.com.  But, here’s a quick link to her video on what should and should NOT be in your pantry:

http://www.westonaprice.org/beginner-videos/pantry-intervention-video-by-sarah-pope.

Sarah Pope’s videos are interesting both for beginners and for those of us who have been learning how to think about and cook nutrient dense foods for ourselves and for our families.  I’ve watched two of them now (the pantry intervention and on appropriate cookware), and I’m looking forward to viewing the rest and to spending some time on her web site, which looks excellent.

So, take a peek and let me know what you think.

Interesting Information: Real Milk: What is Safe? What is Legal?

Interesting Information:  August 11, 2011

Real Milk:  What is Safe?  What is Legal?

On his July 27, 2011, radio show, Kojo Nnamdi explores what is safe and what is legal when it comes to our consumption of milk.

Recent raids by the FDA have some communities up in arms about whether raw milk is safe to consume. But supporters of unpasteurized milk are rallying a movement that would make it easier to obtain. Kojo explores where food safety, the law and milk collide.

Guests:

Sally Fallon Morell, President, Weston A. Price Foundation, author ” Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats”

Bill Marler, Attorney, Marler Clark (Seattle, Wash.)

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-07-27/raw-milk-wars

Interesting Information: An Unlikely Crusader For Food Safety

Robyn O’Brien, a former Wall Street analyst, watched in horror while her youngest child (of 4 children) experienced a food allergy attack one morning- -while eating a breakfast of waffles, eggs, and tube yogurt.  The experience set O’Brien off on a journey to understand why and what she could do about it in order to protect her family.

The video is 18 FAST minutes (because it’s so interesting and informative)–and ends with the suggestion that we can all begin to make small, incremental steps toward insuring that our food supply is once again made safe.

http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=2343

O’Brien also has a web site that seeks to help and to inform:  http://allergykidsfoundation.org.

PS:  O’Brien surfaces the information that the United States has higher cancer rates than anywhere else on the planet–due mostly to our use of untested chemicals in and on our foods.

Interesting Information: Healthy 4 Life and Please Don’t Eat the Wallpaper.

When someone asks me how to start changing their food consumption habits, I usually recommend NOURISHING TRADITIONS, Sally Fallon Morrell and Dr. Mary Enig, both of the Weston A. Price Foundation–which also has a really good web site.

But, this past year, the WAPF came out with a very short little book–their answer to the travesty of the USDA’S food guide, whose formation is driven by the market–not science–and which is guaranteed to make you sick.  I really like this little book.  It’s an excellent and easy guide to changing your life.  NOURISHING TRADITIONS is an amazing book and is chock full of information, so that would be the next place to go in your journey.

WAPF will send you HEALTHY 4 LIFE for about $12.   They also have a great shopping guide and lots of informative pamphlets on soy (really bad), raw milk, and so forth.

In addition, Dr. Nancy Irven, after working with high school students, published PLEASE DON’T EAT THE WALLPAPER, available at amazon.com at least for about $14 as I recall.  Irven’s goal is to get students to own their own health and diet by first understanding why high fructose corn syrup, white flour, and trans fats are really bad sugar, glue, and plastic.  Get those three out of the diet, she explains, and the other bad additives, etc., drop out with them.  Irven has a light touch and funny sense of humor, and the high school program she’s been working with on diet has been highly successful.

In short, there’s so much really bad information out there that teenagers, who are often adrift on their own in terms of food anyway, don’t know what to eat.  Since this same condition is true for many Americans, Irven’s little book is useful for all ages.

Interesting Information: “Why Go Organic” video

This little video, done by a child after an experiment, speaks to why you do not want to eat commercial potatoes in any form.

Do take a look?

http://www.geekmom.com/2011/06/a-sweet-potato-experiment-why-go-organic/

 

Here’s a site discussing the video and chlorpropham, the chemical at issue.  According to PAN (Pesticide Action Network), it is toxic to bees and retards growth in animals–and can kill them.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/girl-discovers-the-importance-of-eating-organic-video.html

 

 

Interesting Information: GMO Foods Have Not Been Tested Properly

Interesting Information:  July 9, 2011

GMO Foods Have Not Been Tested Properly

Philip Bereano, PhD, is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington and an engaged activist concerning genetically modified (GM) foods.  I saw this quote from him in the July/August 2011 issue of Well Being Journal and tracked down the whole interview, which is on Dr. Joseph Mercola’s web site:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/02/dr-philip-bereano-on-gmos.aspx.

Bereano said the following:

The problem with calling genetically engineered organisms safe is that there are no valid risk assessments being done on them. There is no research, really, being done into the health or environmental effects of a genetically engineered organism. Certainly no work that is published in the open peer-reviewed literature, or  that isn’t proprietary. Corporations promoting these things claim that they have done research, but you can’t get any information on it because it’s all claimed to be proprietary.

The whole interview is worth a scan because Bereano is arguing that what is coming clear is that there is a deliberate corporate strategy being carried out with government help to corner the markets on seeds and to drive organic farmers out of the market by the simple process of contamination.

Don’t scream “conspiracy theory” because while there may be some conspiracy going on here, what’s really occuring is the normal working of the logic of unfettered capitalism–which seeks to control all markets, to drive out all competitors, and to colonize any part of the economy so that it functions as a profit center.

Bereano addressed the claims that GMO foods can “feed the world” and that they are cheaper and shows that neither claim is true.

In May 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called for a ban on the use of GMO foods:  http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopressrelease.html.  Members are seeing increasing levels of serious health problems they believe to be connected to GMO foods.

What’s really disturbing is that GM foods don’t have to be labeled–which is another argument for buying local from people you trust.  Be especially careful with corn–especially corn chips.  Be sure to choose organic corn chips.   And do take  a moment to read about this issue so that you understand what is at stake for you and your beloveds.

Interesting Information: Vanilla Ice Cream

Interesting Information:  July 9, 2011

Vanilla Ice Cream

COOKS ILLUSTRATED, May/June 2010, investigated vanilla ice cream.  Nationwide, there are nearly 40 brands of vanilla ice cream.  CI chose the eight top-selling brands and taste-tested those.  The winner was Ben & Jerry’s Vanilla.  Next came Haagen-Dazs, Wells blue Bunny, Breyers, Friendly’s, Blue Bell, and Turkey Hill.  Edy’s Grand Vanilla was not recommended.

The criteria included what kind of vanilla was used (natural or synthetic); the tricky business of using stabilizers like carob gum, guar gum, tara gum, and carrageenan (the winner uses two); how much air is pumped into the ice cream to expand volume; and what kind of sweetener is used.

Edy’s, for instance, is a big package with lots of air, while Ben & Jerry’s is a small package with lots of ice cream.  Between the two, Ben & Jerry’s is a POUND heavier than Edy’s, even in the smaller package.

And ice creams using corn syrup tasted “`unnaturally sweet,’ ”  no matter the sugar levels.

Testers discovered that “keeping it simple” produced the best vanilla ice cream:  cream, milk, sugar, eggs, real vanilla, and a minimum of emulsifiers made the best ice cream.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

You can keep it even simpler:  get a pint of some real/raw heavy cream, add 2 or 3 egg yolks (keep the whites for macaroons or meringues) , some real vanilla extract, a tablespoon of healthy arrowroot for creaminess, some maple syrup or honey for sweetness, put it into one of those quart ice cream makers you keep frozen in the freezer, and you have delicious and healthy ice cream in about 20 minutes!

You can also make food processor ice cream out of cream or yogurt and frozen fruit.  That recipe is on the blog in July 2010.

Interesting Information: Greek Yogurt

Interesting Information:  July 9, 2011

Greek Yogurt

A friend gives me her COOKS ILLUSTRATED magazines when she finishes them.  The May/June issue had an article on Greek yogurt I found interesting.

I knew that Greek yogurt was just yogurt with a lot of the whey drained out of it.  Anyone can make it, and the leftover whey is an amazing substance that is full of enzymes that help digestion.   A tablespoon of whey in a bit of water before a meal can really help digestion and can begin restoring probiotics in the gut.  You can also freeze it and use the ice cubes in smoothies, put it in soups, and so forth.  And, of course, there is a whole foodway of lacto-fermented foods made with whey that are chock full of enzymes.  Sauerkraut is an example, and there is a recipe for it in the recipe section of this blog.

I always thought that whey had a lot of protein, so I was skeptical about draining off the whey.  However, COOKS ILLUSTRATED says that whey does not have that high a protein content, so what’s being lost by draining some off to make a thicker yogurt is “only” the enzyme and mineral content of the whey.  (What remains is high in protein.)  If one uses the whey in other ways, no substantial harm is done–unless you are buying the yogurt and are never getting the whey.  (I’m guessing the whey is used to make that dried whey protein powder which, like all dried liquids, has been harmed by the drying process.)  Anyway, do note that you are now dealing with a whole product that has been splintered into parts–which is not a good thing to do as the whole contains all that you need to digest and use the product most effectively.

The market has “caught on” to Greek yogurt and is busily trying to make a buck on it.  So, buyer beware.  Read the labels to see what’s been added to what should just be yogurt with the whey drained off.  Many manufacturers are getting the creamy thickness of Greek yogurt (as they are with regular yogurt) by using thickeners like pectin, gelatin, seaweed, and milk protein concentrate.  These yogurts (Yoplait and The Greek Gods are examples) also have considerably higher levels of carbohydrates than other brands, and we are learning, together I hope, that carbohydrates are the root cause of many chronic diseases in America.

Unfortunately, COOKS ILLUSTRATED bought into the belief system that fat is not good, so they tested nonfat yogurts.  (One needs fat to digest protein.)  CI liked Olympus Nonfat Greek Yogurt the best.  It is imported from Greece.  they recommend Voskos, Brown Cow, Dannon, Oikos, and Fage.  Chobani was recommended with reservations.  And Athenos, Yoplait, and The Greek Gods were not recommended at all.

For me, the best bet is to make your own yogurt from whole real/raw milk.  If you want to make Greek yogurt or, even, some yogurt cheese, drain off some or all of the whey.  But, be sure to use the whey in some other ways in your diet.

If you must buy yogurt, which would be made with pasteurized milk, seek out a whole milk, cream-line one with no additives.  There are still a few left out there.

Interesting Information: EWG’s Dirty Dozen

Interesting Information:  July 8, 2010

The Environmental Working Group’s

Dirty Dozen List

The EWG’s guide to Pesticides in Produce now lists the following produce, in order of toxicity:  apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries (domestic), lettuce, and kale/collard greens.  See www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.

The EWG also warns that the commodity corn crop used for animal feed and biofuels is “almost all produced with genetically modified (GMO) seeds, as is some sweet corn sold for human consumption.”  The sweet corn IS NOT LABELED as GMO in U.S. stores, thanks to our lax and corrupt government oversight agencies.

Both the EWG and NUTRITION ACTION newsletter make the case–as the EWG puts it–that “the health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.”

I DISAGREE strongly.

First, the 2009 President’s Cancer Panel report–easily available for you to read online–is very clear that the use of toxic chemicals on our food and in our environment is the cause of much of the cancer epidemic we are experiencing.  I, for one, am really tired of losing so many beloveds to cancer.  When I was a young woman, cancers and heart disease were rare.

Second, more and more data is coming out now that our heavy use of carbs is causing hormonal disorders that are, in turn, causing obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.  So, a diet rich in produce is likely not be a good thing at all.

Third, our digestive tract does not handle lots of cellulose well.  We do not have the multiple stomachs, digestive chemicals, and so forth to handle so many fruits and vegetables–especially many of the raw ones.  Our digestive tract is set up to eat the animals that do process cellulose well.

(I’ve written about these issues in my Tipping Points essays here on this blog–and will continue to do so.)

I really wish EWG and organizations like it would step up to the plate and start taking a stand that incorporates good science–which would include the information that shows how seriously toxic the chemicals we use on our FOODs are.   Their unscientific repetition of the low-fat, high-carb, calorie in/out belief system is doing a lot of harm, which I suspect is not what they want to accomplish.

Finally, what you can do is to try to find local sources of organic foods.  It’s going to be a bit like “build it and they will come.”  Ask your local farmers to raise this food for you.  Go to farmers’ markets to find them.  Go out into the country and find them.  Plant a garden and raise some of your own food–even it’s only one tomato plant in a bucket.  And, try to eat foods in their seasons and to put them up in some way (canning, freezing) if you want to continue to enjoy them.  You can’t possibly know what’s been done to food raised outside of this country–even if it’s labeled “organic.”  (Take a look at the documentary OUR DAILY BREAD, for instance.)

What you can do is to stop giving your beloveds food that has poison on it and in it.  What you can do is to stop telling yourself that someone else is going to protect you and your beloveds–someone like the government.  It hasn’t.  It won’t.  What you can do is to face squarely the fact that these chemicals are killers and that they will kill you and your beloveds.  The cancer statistics are ample proof of that truth.  These chemicals are especially destructive to your babies, to your children, to teenagers–because they are still growing so fast.  No amount of these chemicals is safe.

Nothing is going to change until we all band together and say “No, we’re not doing it any more.  Give us good food, raised locally and organically, so that it has all the nutrients it should.”

Believe me, whatever money you think you’re saving by buying cheap food can get eaten up in a heartbeat with a cancer patient.  Few people understand the massive resources it takes to manage a cancer patient…

Assess what you can give up in your life to be able to find and pay for good food.  In the end, the time and money will be worth it.