I rarely talk about food and nutrition here on Green and Chic, but I’ve recently stumbled across a few blog posts that are worth sharing.

What Passes For Food in America by Cheeseslave is an eye opening account about what’s severed in many hotels and certain restaurants.  Did you know that the scrambled eggs served in many hotel buffets are not real eggs?  Many times, its powered or artificial eggs made from a substance called “oxidized cholesterol”.  You will be floored when you find out what that is.  If I’ve ever eaten that in the past by mistake, I don’t think I want to know.

21 Ways to Sneak More Vegetables Into Your Diet by RawFoodsWitch gives us some very appealing ways to incorporate more vegetables into our diet.  Foods such as zucchini “pasta” and kale chips will have you forgetting that what you’re eating is good for you!

Another killer reason to avoid packaged foods by Food Renegade – Think mercury is only in fish? Think again. Mercury can also be found in a lot of prepackaged and processed foods containing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). Read more about it here.

The Secret To Losing Stomach Fat No, this is not one of those Google advertisements that promises you a 6-pack if you drink magic berry juice. Kat Eden with Body Incredible gives us effective ways to lose that belly fat though diet, exercise and overall lifestyle.

Why Go Organic Now? by Green Girls Global gives us a few great reasons why we should “go organic”.

Photo credit: WordRidden

By now, many Americans are aware that  Michelle Obama has plans to plant a local organic vegetable garden at the White House.  While that sounds like a step in the right direction in terms of encouraging us to eat better and support organic farming, not everyone is convinced.

The ones who are not convinced this is what we should emulate are the industries that support “conventional” farming and food production.  Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) was alarmed at the First Lady’s plans to break ground at the White House organically, so they decided to send her a letter educating her on the importance of conventional farming.

As you go about planning and planting the White House garden, we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply. America’s farmers understand crop protection technologies are supported by sound scientific research and innovation.

It seems they also want to discourage farming and eating locally.

Local and conventional farming is not mutually exclusive. However, a Midwest mother whose child loves strawberries, a good source of Vitamin C, appreciates the ability to offer California strawberries in March a few months before the official Mid-west season.

The arguments the MACA made to discourage organic and local farming have to do with the need to keep food production as high as possible to feed as many Americans as possible.

With modern methods, 1 acre of land in the U.S. can produce 42,000 lbs. of strawberries, 110,000 heads of lettuce, 25,400 lbs. of potatoes, 8,900 lbs. of sweet corn, or 640 lbs of cotton lint.

I can understand this organization doesn’t want their business/industry to go down, but is their attitude really in our best  interest?  What if everyone started eating locally and adopted organic produce as a way of life?  Would it destroy the American agricultural industry?  Would people have less access to produce if local and organic production became policy?

What are your thoughts on this?

You can read the letter in its entirety here.

Photo credit: Lolly Knit

We all know that organic food/produce is healthier for the body and earth, but depending on where you live and you own personal financial situation, the cost can be overwhelming.  Of course a solution to this problem is to grow your own food.  To the avid gardener, this is a no brainier. But if you have a black thumb (like me) and/or very little space to garden, this could be a real challenge.

Low Impact Living has this really great article on how to start an organic garden. How to Tuesday: Organic Gardening 101 This post is pretty much an “Organic Gardening 101″ course.

If you are challenged with space, you can try growing  items in pots that can rest on a small porch, balcony, deck or patio. Garden Guides offers this very complete guide to planting vegetables in pots in Guide to Container Gardening.

Sprouting is a great way to “garden” even if you don’t have any space.  Sprouts are easy to grow indoors right on your kitchen counter  – or anywhere in your home.  You can grow them in jars, trays and even bags.  Sprouts doesn’t require soil, and they are highly nutritious. Raw Art of Living/Tried Tasted and Served blog has this really interesting article on broccoli sprouts in Broccoli Sprouts, Ulcers and Stomach Cancer to name a few benefits.  Sprouting Instructions can be found at Primal Seeds, Chet Day and this YouTube video on How to Grow Bean Sprouts just to name a few online resources.

Start a community garden if you don’t already have one in your neighborhood. The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) offers these great tools and instructions on starting a community garden in your area.

When you do buy…

Buy local and in season – Buying local, seasonal produce means less transit is necessary to haul in food = less cost to you consumer and lower impact on the earth.

Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) – CSA’s is a great way to support local, organic farmers, and save money.  Find out what it is and how to join one at at localharvest.org.

I’ve had my own trials and errors while gardening, but with a little practice, creativity and patience, it can be done.

More gardening links (blogs):
Rooftop Kitchen presents: Planning Your Garden and Whats in Season

Sustainable Garden Blog

Does anyone have any gardening tips or money saving ideas when it comes to organic food/produce?

Photo Credit: TheBusyBrain

Its been noted in various publications over the past few years that beef consumption is contributing to global warming and is linked to various health problems.  Mc Spotlight points out that “…beef consumption plays a major role in the development of heart disease, strokes, and cancer. But the over-consumption of beef is also a major cause of human hunger and poverty, deforestation. spreading deserts, water pollution, water scarcity, global warming, species extinction, and animal suffering.”

On the other hand, the Weston A. Price Foundation for Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts points out that the way mainstream beef is produced is the issue, not the beef itself.  According to this and other organizations, beef that is raised sustainably where the cows eat only grass – not grain, soy, corn, antibiotics and hormones, and not raised in a factory doesn’t contribute to ill health of the human body and earth.

Putting the controversial issue of killing animals for human consumption aside, is eating meat, (specifically beef) better for the human body and Earth when its raised in a humane and sustainable fashion?

I feel like I have to put in this disclaimer and say that I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do make sure what animal products I do consume (mostly poultry and fish) is sustainable and avoid factory farmed food.  I also limit grass-fed beef consumption to no more than twice a year due to personal preference.

Having read both sides of the issue does have me wondering who is right.  Is there a definite answer to this problem?  Having tried vegetarian, vegan and raw vegan diets in the past, I realized that the best diet for me is one that does consist of some animal protein, but still mostly local, organic raw and lightly cooked vegetables and fruit. Not being able to eat soy, gluten, legumes, dairy, sugar, more than a small amount of corn, and a few other foods doesn’t help, but I don’t want to be part of the problem either!

There is a very interesting article and interview on the Sierra Club website on Grass-Fed Beef: Solution or Diversion? that focuses on both sides of this issue.

What do you think?

I know this question is kind of broad, but I would like to get your open opinion on this.

Photo credit: bhollar

(OK, I am  sick of the word “GREEN”, and I will elaborate on that in a future post.)

I decided that its about time for me to write the obligatory “Thanksgiving dinner” post.

This Thanksgiving will be spent with my partner and a few or our friends when its normally just the two of us.  Figuring out what to to make wasn’t that difficult given the fact that I cannot eat soy, gluten, most other grains, legumes, refined sugar and dairy (except for a little butter).  They, on the other hand, eat just about everything.

Turkey seems like the best and easiest choice for the “main course”.  Since I was originally going to feed just one other person, I purchased an organic, free range turkey breast because I didn’t want to have turkey leftovers until the end of May.  Now with four people, a small turkey is a more economical idea, but you live and learn.   I would list some resources as to where to buy local, humanely-raised, free range and/or organic turkeys, but its a little late for that now.

Instead of the usual cranberry sauce (which I never liked anyway), I will probably make something out of pomegranates since there are plenty of flavorful organic ones available this season at the local markets.  I haven’t figured it out yet, but it should be tasty whatever it is.

I have a thing for yams (not to be confused with the sweet potato).  I like to cut them up, sprinkle sea salt, cracked pepper and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil before baking at 400-450 degrees until they’re brown. There is a local creamery that makes some of the best butter I’ve ever had.

Veggies will either be chard and/or collards complete with caramelized onions and garlic.  A big salad will be severed while I finish getting everything else ready.  My daily meals normally consist of about 75% vegetables, 25% protein and little to no starch and this meal will not be much different though yams are a treat for me.

Dessert will probably be local, seasonal, organic fruit; maybe persimmons and whatever else is available at the farmers market this Tuesday.  If I feel like we need something else in addition to fruit, organic, fair trade dark chocolate is always a great choice.

For beverages, I will serve Blue Bottle Coffee at the end of the meal.  In terms of something a little more exciting, I have been doing some experimentation with organic wine, but I don’t know much about that genre of wine yet.  I may pick up a bottle or two from my local wine store, Vintage Berkeley or Whole Foods.  I also have a bottle of Pierre Chermette Beaujolais 2007, and it goes down pretty easy – a little too easy, and this light, low tannin red will go well with turkey.

All in all, everything will be local, seasonal and organic (except for one of the wines).  I also wanted to keep the meal simple, both for me and my dinner guests.  Since I’m a pretty efficient cook, it will be a low stress, low fuss, low mess meal.

Green Thanksgiving Tips

Though we only have a few days until Thanksgiving, there is still time to apply a lot of the tips listed below and even pick out a new recipe.

Earth First 10 Tips for a Green Thanksgiving

Eat. Drink. Better. for How Local Will Your Thanksgiving Be?

Vegan/Vegetarian Thanksgiving Links

Veg Kitchen for vegan Thanksgiving recipes

Vegan Dad Blog has a recipe for Setain Roast with Wild Rice Chestnut Stuffing

Veg Cooking Blog presents: Vegan Recipes for a Canadian Thanksgiving (I’m sure you don’t need to be Canadian to enjoy these dishes)

The Organic Mixed Greens Salad with Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette posted on Vegan Fusion Blog sounds wonderful!

What are your plans?

Have a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!