??? Free-range, organic, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, pasture-fed, vegetarian-fed, fertile, natural EGGS ???

What is one to buy???

So I was a little enlightened last night while re-reading one of my nutrition books until midnight. I thought buying organic, free-range, hormone & antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed eggs was the best thing to buy. After all, we all know healthy chickens produce healthy eggs. In other words, when it comes to eggs, you get what you pay for. WRONG.

Although it's pretty obvious, I hadn't given it much thought. Chickens aren't vegetarians! They're omnivores, so being fed a strict vegetarian diet isn't natural and causes the eggs to be deficient in many natural nutrients and vitamins. But the USDA Organic label requires farmers to use vegetarian feed. It's done with good intentions becauses the disgusting, cheap alternative that factory-farms use is animal bi-products (unwanted baby roosters, beaks from debeaked birds and other parts are tossed in with the typical bird feed). So there was a reason that rule is there and is a much better alternative. Obviously eating vegetarian-fed eggs are healthier than factory-farm, supermarket eggs that were given animal bi-products. *shiver* Isn't that just disgusting?

Anyway, the best choice when buying eggs is PASTURE-FED. Not free range as that JUST means they aren't in individual cages. PASTURE-FED means the animals roam around eating grass, dirt and bugs - the way they're supposed to eat! This means the eggs are high in vitamins A and D, trace minerals from the dirt and all of the benefits of a very healthy, sturdy animal. Even better is to find a farm that sells pasture-fed eggs from chickens who roam and eat on organic pastures/farmland. :) So it may not be USDA Organic, but that's not what's important here.

:)

Be Food Conscious! Real Labels!

My biggest tip to anyone wanting to watch what they eat is to read labels and especially the ingredients list section. Not just the flashy starburst on the front of the package that screams "No Trans Fats" or "No Sugar Added" because many are misleading and actually DO contain trans fats and sugar. Skittles has "A fat free food" written right on their packages! LOL "Well, OK... If it's fat free then it must be healthy." LOL LOL LOL What a joke! LOL And also, not just the nutrition label. Read the INGREDIENTS. That's the only way to really know what's in the food.

So here's my list of the top worst ingredients. If you want to know WHY something is on the list, you'll have to wait for my subsequent blogs going into more nitty-gritty detail!

1. Sugar & High Fructose Corn Syrup: These are two of the worst offenders on the market. There are lots of products disguised as sugar too. Raw sugar (the brown packet), brown sugar, sucanat, Florida crystals, and others. Sugar and High Fructose Corn syrup are in everything from cookies, cakes and candies to canned soups, breads and pre-mixed spices.
   
   Sadly, fruit juice concentrate is just as bad because it's a far cry from what the fruit was orignally - stripped of all nutrients. For baking, the most commonly used fruit juice concentrate is white grape juice because once stripped of all acids, vitamins, minerals and grape characteristics, it leaves a totally clear concentrated liquid that has no color or flavor... just sweetness (sucrose, aka sugar water). It's an expensive way to make sugar water. *sigh* But it's worth the extra cost to companies because it can then be falsely marketed as "fruit-juice sweetened", "100% fruit juice" and "no sugar added."
   
   Look for the natural sweeteners like raw honey, pure 100% maple syrup (preferably not extracted with formaldahyde), stevia, Rapadura (composted sugar cane that has been dried and sifted, all vitamins and nutrients in tact), dehydrated cane juice (a runner-up to Rapadura), brown rice sryups or figs and dates.


2. Trans Fats: Look out for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredients list. We all know these are bad, so just avoid them like the plague. They're in everything like cookies, pancake batter, bread crumbs, packaged rice & pasta mixes, ice cream, deli counter salads, hamburger BUNS and frozen dinners. So read INGREDEIENTS. Go through your pantry and you'll be stunned at how many items contain trans fats. Don't trust the nutrition label because the little line that says Trans Fats below Saturated Fats is very misleading. Look at the ingredients list instead.


3. MSG: (A.K.A. Hydrolized Protein, monosodium glutamate) Lots of products contain MSG, hidden as other ingredients. Hydrolized Protein is MSG and is found in everything that has a "meat" flavor added. Boullion cubes, frozen meals, canned soups, etc. Sadly, it is also in "other natural ingredients" or "spices" on many labels so there's no way to know if it truely contains MSG. Just use your knowledge of that particular company and keep in mind, the organic version is much LESS likely to "hide" MSG as most smaller organic companies care about what's in their products.


4. Artificial sweeteners:(aspartame, saccharin, sucralose) These are most commonly found in diet items, like diet pop, crystal light and is used to sweeten a large number of foods such as sugar-free yogurt, ice cream, chewing gum, toothpaste, fruit preserves/jellies/spreads and pediatric medicines.


5. White flour (or even worse, enriched white flour). Just don't buy it. Go for a whole wheat or multi-grain bread, preferably sprouted. Sprouted multi-grain breads and bagels are actually really tastey. This includes hot dog buns, hamburger buns, breads, bagels and english muffins. White flour is used in most cake mixes, cookies and anything you can think of that typically uses flour.


6. White rice: All natural brown rice or other natural rices (wild rice, basmati rice, etc - not a pre-mixed box version) is much, much healthier. Buy the rice in bulk or in bags and add your own seasoning. The pre-mixed-spiced versions usually have sugar, msg, trans fats and other nasty ingredients.


7. Highly refined oils (canola, olive, soybean, etc - the list goes on). Go for extra virgin, cold pressed versions of all of these oils and buy them in dark glass bottles if possible. Most products don't contain extra virgin, cold pressed oils unless you go to the natural section or a natural food store. Smart Balance seemed like a great idea when it first came out, but look at all of the ingredients! EEEK! And it's made with regular refined oils too. Better to stick with plain unsalted butter - one ingredient *wink*. Organic, of course since dairy is one of the most important items to buy organic.


8. Nitrates & nitrites: Found in packaged lunch meats, deli meats sliced for you at the counter, hot dogs, turkey bacon, etc. Ingredients list will say sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite. Look for meats that specifically say "Preservative Free." They taste just the same, but they need to be kept in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Nitrates are added to foods as a preservative and once eaten break down into nitrites. Nitrites are added directly to many meats to make them pretty and pink. Most grocery stores carry a cheap brand of deli meat (usually with nitrates and nitrites) and then they carry a premium brand. I know at QFC, Boars Head is preservative free. Safeway's premium brand (Primo something) does contain preservatives so the better alternative is QFC or even better is much healthier lunchmeats from Whole Foods or PCC.


9. Unfermented soy: Everything nowadays is made with soy so this is a really, really hard one to avoid. Even the Cliff bars we buy for the girls contains some soy. *sigh* It's actually made out to be a HEALTH FOOD! If at all possible, avoid fresh soybeans, dried soybeans, soy nuts, soy sprouts, soy flour, soy milk, TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein - used in veggie-meat products & bars) and tofu. Look for fermented soy products like soy sauce (naturally brewed kind only), natto, miso, tempeh, fermented tofu or fermented soy milk. Mmmm Miso soup! Just be careful buing the packaged miso soups at the store because some contain tofu chunks and msg.

Trans Fats ban in New York

Since I am quite the nutrition freak, you'd think New York banning trans fats would be a good thing, right? Wrong... As much as I think trans fats are one of the most grotesque, artificial products on the planet, I still think this decision was wrong. It takes away your freedom of choice. If someone WANTS to eat trans fats, they should be allowed to do so. And it gives the restaurant the freedom to serve what they choose. If diners don't want trans fats in their food, they'll stop visiting that restaurant. Denny's is changing their menu already without government stepping in.

On the rare occasion, I am in the mood for an instant powdered hot chocolate... which contains small amounts of trans fats, but it's ooooh, so yummy. Way yummier than the healthier versions. Ditto for microwave popcorn. I should have the RIGHT to consume these products. It's my choice.

I would much rather see all restaurants put nutritional info somewhere easily accessible. And rather than just a nutritional info label, I'd personally like to see an INGREDIENTS list. There's a loophole regarding trans fats and many products labeled "trans fat free" actually DO have trans fats. Always look for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (aka, shortening) in the ingredients list. That's the only real way to know if trans fats are in what you're about to eat.

Whole Foods and PCC list the ingredients of all of their prepared foods and I LOVE IT. I read the ingredients list every time I buy something prepared there and I feel much better about my decision. My opinion on nutrition is a little "greener" than Whole Foods so even there I have to pay attention to what ingredients are used. ;) And what's interesting is they do it RIGHT on the food label and it doesn't look stupid! I'm guessing a lot of restaurant owners would snub their noses at the idea of listing ingredients, for fear it would look cluttered or dumb on their menu. Which is important, I do agree. But it's definitely do-able and I would love to see it done.

Interesting Organic Study - Response to Comments

This blog is in response to my last blog titled Interesting Organic Study if you'd like to read that first. What I wanted to say was too long and needed too much formatting to be displayed in the little comment window. So here goes...

Yay! Kurt wrote a comment!!! I disagree with what you wrote, but it's great to hear from you! :) Please don't take anything I write below negatively, it's just my opinion. It's all written with a huge grin on my face! :) And try to remember most of my "viewpoint" comes from the NEUROLOGICAL side of it. Todd thinks my new title should be the Neurodevelopmental Nutritionalist.

The organic vs non-organic issue is frustrating because one article says there is a huge nutritional difference (the one I sent you) and another will say there's not much difference. That drives me nuts. Ya just have to pick a side and I'd rather pick the more natural side because the fewer chemicals put in, the less impact on the brain. Chemicals that enter the body tend to go straight to the brain like a magnet. We go out of our way to give Anna probiotics to help keep the establishment of good bacteria in her stomach (her eating issues) and pesticides KILL off a lot of those bacteria in the gut. So does unfiltered tap water. *sigh* For Anna, that's a big deal. For others, maybe not so much... but remember, 50% of all neurotransmitters for the brain are produced in the gut. 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut and norepinephrine is also produced there as well as ALL of the major cells of the immune system.. :) It really is the second brain. Most neurologically disabled children/people have severe gut/digestion problems.

As for the downsides to organic food? Manure washes off food much easier than pesticide residue. Who doesn't wash their fruits and veggies before eating them anyway??? Um, hello! Not only are there nasty chemicals on them, but where do you think the migrant workers pee??? *shiver* Anyway, local farms are much for conscious of the types of organic manure they purchase/use than the large agribusiness companies that do some "organic stuff" on the side.

If you see fruit with MOLD ON IT, don't buy it. LOL Mold is very obvious.

E. coli is such a scare right now but I try not to worry about it. I buy local beef from very small farms if possible. Ditto for the chicken and turkey I purchase. If you ever hear of E. coli breakouts in raw milk, it always comes from some dim-whit who doesn't buy certified raw milk. They do the loop-hole in the law and belong to a cow-share or get it off the black market. This is just plain stupid. We only buy state certified raw products and there haven't been any outbreaks there. Those animals are very well taken care of and the farmers take exceptional care to make sure everything is sterile and well handled. We even visited the farm just to see how clean it was!

There are so many other sources out there that contaminate us - not just food. And honestly, I think all of the problems we're seeing in children, neurological disorders, learning disabilities, etc all the way into old age are caused by ALL OF IT. Not just food. I think when we combine all of the sources you listed below it IS too much for the human body. Do I think just going organic is going to make significant changes??? Nope, probably not. But I think we have to take baby steps. I think so many of the things we're producing and doing are so backwards, it's not even funny. So now you get to see how hippie I really am!!! EEEK!

You've also got to remember that many of these items listed below are environmental and are present in almost everything we come in contact with... It's exposing ourselves to them on purpose, on top of their natural occurrence that causes problems.

Mercury:

• I have mercury fillings in my mouth and I can't WAIT to get them replaced. It creeps me out just knowing they're in there. As soon as I'm done with these retainers, those will come out ASAP. We look for special cans of tuna that contain Tongel tuna - they are much larger fish that swim lower in the water, therefore they do not contain as many contaminants (mercury). We are also picky about the types of fresh fish we buy.
• Pesticides & fungicides are obvious - we don't do all organic, but we buy things that matter the most. Dairy, eggs and meat are absolutely always organic in our house - if possible.
• I switched fabric softeners to a really cool brand called Method, carried by Target, Safeway and Fred Meyer now. This brand is AWESOME! http://www.peopleagainstdirty.com/ They make about 20 products and I'm trying to get my hands on all of them to replace what I currently use. I already have their hardwood floor cleaner, counter cleaner, hand sanitizer, hand soap, laundry detergent and fabric softener.
• Laugh all you want, but I use a preservative-free contact solution for that very reason. ;)

Aluminum:

• I don't drink many soft drinks or pop (I try to avoid them for a variety of reasons). Todd's the only one who buys them and the girls only get a sip every once in a while. Aspartame, sugar, artificial colors & preservatives, empty calories etc... Like I said, lots of reasons I try not to drink too much pop.
• I just got rid of all of my old cookware and replaced it with a complete stainless steel set for a billion reasons, this being one of them.
• There's aluminum in cheese??? LOL Good thing we don't buy much cheese unless it's made from raw dairy. Huh! I didn't know this one.
• I don't use baking powder, white flour, stomach antacids or laxatives because I think they're all unhealthy. I tried switching to an aluminum-free, natural deodorant about six months ago and that was just a joke! LOL So I'll stick with my aluminum-loaded deodorant that actually WORKS. LOL
• I'm considering switching to Tom's toothpaste (a natural one) but I'm not quite hippy enough to do it yet... Still on the fence with that one.
• I would give anything to have a whole house water filter, but I'll settle for a kitchen sink reverse osmosis water filter - when I actually make the time to buy one and install it! We have a water filter on our shower head upstairs to help with Lindsey's constant rash on her legs.

Cadmium:

• Hard to avoid that one although I don't smoke or drink much coffee. If they're referring to stainless steel cooking pans, I think cadmium is the lesser of the two evils when compared to mercury. Children with severe neurological disorders have very high amounts of mercury and aluminum in their bodies, mostly concentrated around the brain blood barrier / myelin sheath.
• I do have to mention that on his own, Todd buys organic, shade-grown coffee. I don't know how that affects the cadmium levels, but I'm guessing since your email listed fertilizers as a source of cadmium, maybe that's where it comes from in the coffee crops?

Arsenic:

• Yet another reason for the water filter that I'm begging to get. :)
• Arsenic is only found in extremely low levels in sea salt. The brand we buy has 0.0001 of arsenic in it.

Lead:

• I avoid every food possible that has added dyes and unnecessary additives. About the only drink we own that I pathetically allow is crystal light... LOL It's hard to break the habit. I know it's sad, but I actually think about this topic every time I drink it! LOL LOL LOL
• Can you even buy lead-based paint anymore? The only exposure the girls get to that is the paint in our mother's house. I'm sure there is lead-based paint here... And yes, I think about that too when I'm at my her house, but there isn't anything I can do about it so I live with it. ;) Not everything's worth a battle! :)

Formaldehyde:

• This one actually drives me nuts because it's in EVERYTHING! Notice that article didn't mention it's also used in vaccines??? We're actually INJECTING formaldehyde into our bodies!?!? I think that's absolutely insane.
• As for the carpeting, wood products and foam... Believe it or not, I've already given this one a lot of thought. If we were building a house from the ground up, I'd honestly take a lot of this stuff into consideration. PCC and Whole Foods go to great lengths to incorporate stuff like this into their buildings/structures so I know it can be done. Obviously price comes into play here, but it doesn't hurt to try. I would absolutely love to have a house with all wood floors - bamboo is my fav!
• Grocery bags! LOL Not that I give that much thought, but I do know the grocery bags at PCC and Whole Foods are formaldehyde free as well as completely biodegradable. :) Woo hoo! LOL ;)

DDT:

• It will take a very long time for DDT to every be fully gone. :-( Absolutely nothing we can do to speed it up either.

Benzene & Chloroform:

• Once again, why I switched to mostly Method cleaning products and why I try to buy foods without artificial dyes and preservatives.
• If they're referring to dyes in clothes... well, I'm not that green yet. :) I have looked at organic cotton, but can't justify the cost. Cotton is THE most heavily pesticide-sprayed crop on the planet. I do buy "naturally organic" 100% BEECH or BAMBOO sheets though. Sooooo soft and naturally don't need any pesticides or chemicals to grow. BB&B has some wonderful Beech sheets that I'm hooked on.
• Artificial silk??? What on earth is that?

The rest on the list, no clue. :)

The ones listed above are just ones I happened to be able to answer while sitting here.

As for the nitrogen gassed tomatoes? That kinda follows along with how they add some sort of component to meat just before it is wrapped to make it red. Raw meat naturally turns brown very quickly so they add some sort of chemical to make it retain it's red color so it looks appetizing to buyers. I would so much rather see what the FRUIT, VEGETABLE or RAW MEET really looks like before I buy it. I don't want to buy products with make-up on. Why would I want to buy a beautiful, bright red tomato to then go home, cut it and find out it's not ripe yet? Whether the gas has a negative affect on health of not, the red color is nature's way of telling us it's ready to eat. WHY MESS WITH THAT?????????

Jennifer

PS: The girls don't eat or drink products that contain growth hormones (like meat, eggs or rBGH milk) because I refuse to turn them into the newest statistic of 6-year-olds growing breasts or going through puberty that early. :-( Sick sick sick!

Interesting Organic Study

Just thought I'd share this with everyone since it's frustrating to know if eating organic food is worth it or not. This is a small study reported by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Feb of 2005.

Rats fed organic food were significantly healthier than their peers given conventionally-grown produce, shows research reported by the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, February 2005.

During the experiment, 36 rats were divided into three groups. All were given potatoes, carrots, peas, green kale, apples, rapeseed oil, and the same vitamin supplements. One group was fed organic food, another conventionally grown food with high levels of fertilizer and some pesticide, and the third group received minimally fertilized conventionally grown food.

Although pesticide residue was measured and found to be below detection levels in all groups, the scientists found that the rats fed organically-grown produce were measurably healthier, slept better, had stronger immune systems and were less obese.

Lead researcher, Dr Kirsten Brandt, of Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, was careful not to overstate the findings, but noted: "The difference was so big it is very unlikely to be random. We gave the food to the rats and then we measured what they were doing. We can say the reason why the rats have different health was clearly due to the fact that there was a different growing method..."

And of course, since that alone isn't enough info for anyone to base a decision on (just thought that part was interesting), here is the hyperlink to the FULL TEXT where I got this study info from.

Everything I Need to Know About Organic Food

Organic Manufacturers: Who's Your Daddy?

Even more reason to buy from local farms... I had no idea these companies were owned by huge corporations. I totally thought a lot of these were small organic business that became successful. Kinda sucks to know this...

We have our produce delivered weekly from Pioneer Organics - it's less expensive AND it supports local farmers. :) Local organic farmers care WAY more about the quality of their product whereas most big businesses just care about the profit (which is fine! profit is a good thing, but I prefer local quality). These businesses below are lobbying to allow "USDA Organic" to contain hormones and antibiotics in dairy cattle, pesticides on produce and contaminated fishmeal as feed for livestock. :-( They won't win, but they're trying and that's just disgusting. Makes me sick to think that we're going out of our way to eat healthier and all they're trying to do is cheapen and ruin the organic market to make it easier for them to produce it.

General Mills owns Muir Glen and Cascadian Farm

Heinz owns a minority share of Hain, which in turn owns Breadshop, Arrowhead Mills, Garden of Eatin’, Farm Foods, Imagine Rice (and Soy) Dream, Casbah, Health Valley, DeBoles, Nile Spice, Celestial Seasonings, Westbrae, Westsoy, Little Bear, Walnut Acres, Shari Ann's, Mountain Sun, and Millina's Finest

M&M-Mars owns Seeds of Change

Coca-Cola owns Odwalla

Kellogg owns Kashi, Morningstar Farms, and Sunrise Organic

Philip Morris/Kraft owns Boca Foods and Back to Nature

Tyson owns Nature's Farm Organic

ConAgra owns LightLife

Danone owns Stonyfield Farm

Dean owns White Wave Silk, Alta Dena, Horizon, and The Organic Cow of Vermont

Unilever owns Ben and Jerry's

About Me

I am a stay-at-home-mom to two beautiful, homeschooled little girls. Homeschooling started when I learned about child brain development via Glenn Doman at IAHP. This then led me to the Family Hope Center, which is similar to IAHP, but includes whole nutrition and newer technologies. With a combination of two wonderful, nutrition-conscious parents, a fabulous German immersion program, church, family and amazing friends, I think homeschooling is going to be challenging, fun and successful!

I love reading books on health and nutrition. I'm nowhere near perfect, but I'm slowly making changes everywhere I can - when I can afford it! I think the thing that surprises people most is I don't make these lifestyle changes out of FEAR. My life is not a Rush Limbaugh "Bad Living" parody, no matter how much Horus likes to joke it is. I actually find this stuff fascinating. When I learn of a new toxic substance that I should eliminate, I try not to panic over it. I try to remind myself that only two short years ago, my life was full of toxins. With baby steps, I've come a long ways and I still have a long way to go. Why panic over one more ingredient when my lifestyle is so much better already? I constantly have to remind myself - BABY STEPS - or I'll go nuts! :) :) :)

All of my core beliefs are very conservative, yet because of my interest in health, brain development and nutrition I fall into the green category... however... I do NOT support the global warming hype - that is typically attached to a green lifestyle. I make these lifestyle changes for me because it's the right thing to do and toxins aren't good for anyone. I believe Global Warming happens naturally and is nothing to get worked up over. I think carbon credits are a perfect example of why the global warming hype is all based on a political agenda. Apparently it's ok for someone to pollute and live a toxic life as long as they buy carbon credits. I mean, God forbid they actually change their lifestyle!?

I blog because I'm tired of people rolling their eyes when I bring things up in conversation. Very few people around me CARE about truely living a healthy life. Most people I meet typically want to be happy, fit and "healthy" (AKA skinny). It's more acceptable to follow a toxic skinny-diet then to actually educate yourself, read labels and cook healthy foods. I know, I've done it! I went on Weight Watchers a few years ago and lost a lot of baby weight, but was I healthy? No. Technological advances have made life so easy... but at what cost? Making your own meals, eating whole foods and living naturally isn't a walk in the park, but the pay-off is tremendous. The pay-off is knowing your body is healthy. It's knowing you're probably NOT the one who will get cancer. It's knowing you're probably NOT the one who will end up on a zillion prescription drugs in your senior years. It's knowing (excluding tragedy) that you'll probably live a very long, healthy life...

Sea Salt vs Table Salt

Because table salt comes from the same batch as vacuum-refined industrial salt, it is treated with caustic soda or lime to remove all traces of magnesium salts. These vital magnesium salts are NOT taken out because they keep the salt from flowing out of the dispenser spout (a common myth)... Magnesium salts are removed because they bring in more profits on the chemical market. Yet these magnesium salts are a very necessary part of the food salt and fill important biological and therapeutic roles. Further, to prevent any moisture from being reabsorbed, salt refiners now add alumino-silicate of sodium or yellow prussiate of soda as desiccants plus different bleaches to the final salt formula.

But since table salt, chemically treated in this way, will no longer combine with human body fluid, it invariably causes severe problems of edema (water retention) and several other health disturbances. The fear of salt that we witness today and the virtual ban on consuming products with a high sodium content is a matter of serious concern to biologists.

Salt-free diets can cause salt starvation, which is a stark reality of our modern world, but it is actually a starvation of macro- and trace minerals, a biological deficiency that refined sodium chloride alone cannot correct.

Natural sea salt does combine with human body fluid (so it doesn't cause edema) and has not been chemically treated or contain chemical additives. Todd and I always look for pure sea salt - with absolutely nothing added. You can buy it in bulk and Fred Meyer, Whole Foods or PCC. Someday I would love to try some fleur de sel which is French for flower of salt. It's apparently the most coveted sea salt on the planet, but unfortunately it's really expensive. Hmmm... wonder if you can really taste the difference?

-Fer

Nutrition and Sunburns

A while back I read an article online about eating whole, natural foods and its skin protecting factors. It was such a great article because it made so much sense. It wasn’t saying to stand out in the sun for hours TRYING to get burned, but it was saying that you don’t need sunblock or sunscreen if you eat only whole foods - absolutely nothing processed. Something about the fact that these foods alone are powerful enough to naturally protect your skin from the sun.

I am just beating my head because I cannot find the article online. I’ve tried every Google search I can think of!

Regardless, I have been carefully testing this theory all summer and it IS WORKING. I’ve been out in the sun a lot this summer doing yard work, with the kids, etc. My little ones have NOT BURNED and I have only burned once. The one time I burned, I had drank a powdered hot cocoa right before going out for 2 hours. STUUUUUUUUUUUPID I know, but I paid for it. My back was so burned. But otherwise, I’ve been so conscious of what we eat before we go in the sun for extended periods of time.

So far no one I’ve mentioned this to believes me. I did find this article but it’s not the original one I read. It makes the same point, but then goes on to say to stay away from cows milk… Well ya… pasteurized cows milk probably, but raw milk shouldn’t cause any problems in the sun. Anyway, if anyone reading this can find a good article that discusses this topic, please comment below!

-Fer

Quinoa Cilantro Salad - BED

Ingredients:

1 cup of dry Quinoa
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1 cup water
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 cup of corn, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, minced
----- DRESSING -----
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt or to taste

Directions:
Rinse quinoa (pronounced KEE-nwah) well with warm water and drain. (Quinoa has a natural coating of saponin, the bitter taste of which repels insects and birds. Rinsing with warm water removes the saponin.)

Place rinsed quinoa in bowl and let soak for 12 - 24 hours at room temperature. Quinoa expands a LOT when soaking so leave room for expansion and don't use a TIGHT fitting lid so air can escape. If you don't soak the grains, you will end up with a heavier salad that doesn't feed as many people.

Drain soaking water into a measuring cup and measure it. Add to or pour out this soaking water so that you have only 1 cup of water to cook quinoa in.

Add salt to water in a pot. Bring to a boil, add quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer 15-20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff into large salad bowl and allow to cool.

Prepare vegetables and dressing. Combine garlic, lemon juice, oil, and sea salt, pour over quinoa and toss well. Wash and spin-dry cilantro leaves and chop into bite-size pieces or thin strips. Add cilantro, corn and parsley to quinoa. Toss Gently. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes.

Notes:
I use lots of extra corn. Just chop it up well because most children don't digest corn very well. Chopping makes it much easier for little stomachs to handle. :)

Author: Body Ecology Diet Website