Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Sense of Community

I start interning with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle very soon. I am so excited about this opportunity. For those of you who don't know about the IFFS, they are an organization here in the Triangle that not only gets food to those of lower socio-economic status, but they teach them how to cook it and how nutritious it is to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. I get the opportunity to help recruit local professionals, such as chefs and other dietitians, to come help teach some of the classes, and also talk to local groups and businesses to encourage sponsorship of these very beneficial classes. This is important because while many food banks across America can offer fresh fruits and vegetables, many go to waste because people just don't know what to do with them. It's much easier, in their mind, to make a pot of boxed macaroni and cheese than it is to make it from scratch (or even from a box) with some beans and veggies thrown in, and I'm truly simplifying. To make a good, home-cooked, nutritious meal takes no more time than to go to a close-by fast food chain, or bake a frozen pizza. That's why it's so important to reach out to these folks. They cannot afford to see a dietitian or take cooking classes like many of us can (even if we choose not to) and it's also so important to give back to your community.
This is my chance to do that, as well as learn the ropes of how to run a business that teaches people how to grow food, cook food, and how nutritious fresh food is. This is exactly what I want to do with my career, so its exciting that I can takes the first steps towards my dream. There's a lot to do, though.
The biggest change I'm going to have to make is learning how to approach and engage people better. I'm naturally a bit shy, and usually let the other person guide the conversation, but I'm going to really step out of my shell and learn how to sell my ideas crossed with the IFFS's message so I can inspire others to this cause. Any ideas?

Friday, February 25, 2011

A New Idea

I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, and I'm already 30! I know some people never quite figure it out, but it's driving me crazy. Actually, scratch that, I do know, I just don't know how to get there. I want to combine my love of all things food, growing it, buying it local, cooking it, eating it, the science behind it, and educate and inspire the general public about it. See, the problem with the food movement, more specifically, the local food movement is that there are those who still see it as not practical, even unattainable. Some opponents even call those of us who are a part of this movement elitists. They claim that the average American cannot afford to buy food that is good and wholesome, that they must sustain themselves on government subsidized crop foods. I say, they can't afford not to.

While it's certainly true that you can eat lunch at a fast food restaurant for under five dollars, and that food certainly provides plenty of calories which provide energy to the body, that food is lacking so much. Not to pick on just fast food, it's any convenience food that packs in the bad and markets itself as quick and easy, for the average busy American. However, this same busy American watches 2.8 hours of television a day. I'm not disagreeing with the idea that our lives are hectic, and some down time is necessary, but look at the statistics overall. Americans are stressed, they spend a lot of time working, taking care of the household, taking care of kids, so the idea of coming home after a long day and trying to whip up a healthy dinner is mentally exhausting. I get it, I do, but here's the thing. Americans are also getting more overweight, and therefore more unhealthy. Over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and even more disturbing, we are the heaviest nation in the world! The days of entitlement and over-indulgence have come home to roost, right around our midsections. As for the statement that we can't afford not to eat healthy, it all comes down to two things; economy and health care.

We live in a capitalist society. You thought we had a democracy, but we don't. It's all about the bottom dollar. How companies can make the most money by marketing to the people what they think they need. Actually, more like, how companies can make the most money by marketing to the people what the companies think they need. Over 40% of Americans are in debt, with a good portion of the rest hovering on financial insecurity. For the most part, it's not because we don't make enough to support ourselves, but because we feel like we have got to have stuff. That's the best word I can come up with, stuff. Fancy clothes, shoes, games, vehicles, books, computers, movies, home entertainment systems, recreational vehicles, etc. We don't work to live, we work to keep ourselves in stuff. I have actually heard someone once say that they weren't sure if they could make the rent, but they were definitely going out to have a good time, and it happens all the time. We spend so much money on stuff, but the second we're asked to spend $5 on a head of broccoli, we go crazy. Five dollars?! I can get a double cheeseburger and fries and a large soft drink for that!

True, but what else are you getting? This leads us to health care. A lower socio-economic status mother who works two jobs to try to take care of her three children thinks that feeding her family frozen dinners is going to give them everything they need. Or worse, when I worked as a cashier at a grocery store, I would see cartload after cartload of chips, soda, ground meat, snack foods, and nary a green vegetable. Where is this leading us? Into health care hell. With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, there are a lot of problems that come with that. One of the saddest is that the children of today have a shorter expected life span than their parents. Children are experiencing diseases that once-upon-a-time only much older adults experienced. Diabetes, heart disease, stress, depression. This means that the amount the average American spends on health care rises considerably as they try to combat preventable diseases for both themselves and their children.

What we need is a total change. Okay, so we live in capitalistic society. That means vote with your dollar. Keep you dollar local and give it to those who really need it- the men and women who work hard to provide quality, not quantity, and keep your dollar out of the hands of the greedy corporations. Spend less time in front of the television and more time with family. If the whole family pitches in with a meal, the task doesn't seem so daunting. Not to mention, spending time with loved ones can reduce the stress that makes the lure of overeating and sitting on your tush so appealing. If you need help, see a professional. No, not a psychiatrist. Someone more like me.

See, what I want to do is educate and inspire the average American by helping them learn how to grow their own vegetables, and/ or visit their local farmers market. I then want to show them how to turn that produce and meat into a tasty meal the whole family will enjoy. I want to show them eating well can make them feel more energized, get sick less often, and even lose some pounds, if needed. It's not that difficult, and certainly not that expensive. We are not elitists, trust me. We just want whats best for everyone.

My next step is to figure how to do this without sounding like a nagging parent- eat your vegetables, they're good for you. Any suggestions?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Garlic

There was a mad dash this weekend to get outside. It was the first truly nice weekend of the year, with temperatures close to 70 degrees on Saturday (middle of February, I might add). I had forgotten, once again, to get the garlic planted in the fall, and while it was waiting patiently in a pot, I knew it had to get into the dirt officially. Okay, I didn't completely forget, and last year's crop did great even though it was planted in the spring. The true reason I put off planting the garlic was that the garden needed to be extended and I was waiting for a nice weekend to complete the daunting task.

Turns out, thanks to my hard-working hubby, it wasn't so daunting. He spent an hour on Tuesday breaking up the grass, so come Saturday we only had to dig out the grass, put up the retaining wall, and dump about a ton of dirt and cow manure into the new area. It was a lot of heavy lifting, but worth it.

Towards the end of the work, I could contain my patience no longer and grabbed the pot filled with dirt and about 25 cloves of various garlic types. I dumped the contents out and was very pleased to see that each clove had developed about 3 inches of roots. I was not pleased to see that since I had thrown the cloves in the pot any old way, many cloves were sprouting sideways! I can only pray that the quality of the finished bulb will not be affected. 

I never thought growing garlic would be so easy, but decided in 2009 I would give it a shot. A couple bulbs of gourmet garlic ran about 7 bucks, so if it didn't work, I wouldn't be out a lot of money, and if it did work, I would have a terrific supply of gourmet Persian Star garlic. Luckily, it worked. So this year, I thought I'd try again with Persian Star, but also try Music, a popular variety, and Inchelium Red garlic. Of my new garden extension, a third of it got turned over to all the garlic.

To me, garlic makes a dish. I add it to every savory dish I make. It imparts a pungent, spicy almost sweet flavor and is necessary, as far as I'm concerned. It also has medicinal properties. Garlic is thought to be a cancer preventing, cardiovascular clearing, bacteria fighting wonder bulb! It even wards off vampires and the evil eye. Okay, that last bit was a joke, even though that is what folklore tells us. We should be eating more of it. True, it does give the consumer a case of stinky breath, but if we all ate it, no one would notice.

Between the culinary and medicinal properties, it truly is a special plant. That's why I nearly broke my back this weekend getting it planted, I'm giving over a good portion of my new garden extension to it, and I can't wait until the newly planted bulbs stick their leaves above the soil.

"Without garlic, I simply would not care to live" Louis Diat, a fabulous French Chef

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Spring is for the birds

So far this year my favorite event has been sitting in my kitchen around 9am, sipping a cup of Masala Chai and watching the neighborhood birds sift through my garden in search of food. I've seen up to fifty birds at one time, mostly robins with a handful of blue jays, cardinals, grosbeaks, chickadees, and finches scattered about. They kick through my garden soil looking for worms, hop across the grass looking for other small bugs, or seeds even. My yard has become a bird haven. That is, until the hawk shows up.

During one of these morning rituals, one minute all the birds were happily looking for food, the next minute they rose into the air and took of, some calling out in fear. I thought maybe one of the neighborhood cats had come by, as they are also drawn to the sheer number of birds, although I've seen more cats attacked by birds than the other way around. Instead, it was an adolescent hawk. The hawk managed to catch a small bird. I was first aware of this as feathers flew around my yard like a localized blizzard. I was sad to see the small bird trapped by the hawk, but wasn't about to do anything about it. Nature has its checks and balances, whether we like it or not.

I especially love these checks and balances in the summertime, when my vegetables are at their peak and bugs from all over try to come enjoy the smorgasbord of nutrients before I get the chance to. I hate using pesticides as I feel they are dangerous to our environment, and they would kill not just the bad bugs, but all the beneficial insects that flock to my garden, and even harm the birds as well. I have a lot of pollinators, which are super important in making sure the plants continue their life cycle. I even have quite a few bug-eating bugs, and would hate to upset that balance with a pesticide, as its been proven that the bugs you are trying to kill can eventually develop a resistance to the pesticide, much in the same way that bacteria is doing with antibiotics (if this isn't an argument for evolution, I don't know what is). That's why its important to sustain nature's checks and balances. One of those are my favorite feathered friends, the birds. They too are drawn to the insect population, both good and bad. The bad are often easier to get too, as the bad bugs are content to chill out in my vegetable garden.

Last summer, I was thrilled to watch a cardinal in action. At first, I wasn't sure what he was doing. He was clinging sideways to a tomato stem, inspecting the underside of each leaf thoroughly. I've had my tomatoes ravaged by birds before, so I couldn't decide if he was seeing what other parts of the plant looked edible, but held my ground. He slowly hopped up the stem, peering under each leaf, until he suddenly reached out and plucked something green and wriggly from the leaf. Turns out, cardinals make great tomato horn worm pest control. He repeated this several times over the course of the summer and I didn't have to spray anything.

When I do spray pesticides, I use Neem oil. Neem oil is derived from the Neem tree which is native to India. Neem is used for everything from medicines to cosmetics to insecticides. How, you ask, is Neem oil safe for medicine, but also works as an insecticide? First Neem oil is extremely bitter, so it starts off as an insect repellent. If the insect does decide to eat the leaf/stem/fruit that is coated with Neem, it then messes with the insects hormones, making it forget to eat or mate or any basic life functions. So, how is this safe for humans? We really would only use Neem oil topically as soap or a DEET-free insect repellent (though beware using Neem as an insect repellent for yourself as the bitter scent may keep people away as well. Look for all natural insect-repellents that contain Neem, but also some other herbs that can make the repellent less repellent to humans). Its safe to use topically, and if a small amount is ingested, no harm will come to you. It is also safe to use around beneficial insects as most beneficial do not eat plants. I say most because you do have to use caution around plants that may harbor butterfly caterpillars. I am growing milkweed this year to attract Monarchs, so I will avoid using Neem oil near that plant.

Besides birds and carnivorous insects, there are other chemical-free ways to control insects, such as floating row covers to deter insects from attacking small seedlings. You have to remove the floating row covers once the plants flower so they can be pollinated.

Still, nothing is more entertaining (to me) than watching the birds preform their natural duty of insect hunters. It keeps my garden happy and keeps the birds healthy. Now, if only I can keep the darn cats out of my yard.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

German Cuisine

I was recently invited to a potluck dinner party. I love to cook and love to show off even more, so I was excited, but had to ask- is there a theme? Good question, and the answer left me stumped for a minute. German food. Now, I'm going to sound ignorant for a second as I admit I was concerned that German cuisine left a lot to be desired. Beer, brats, and cabbage- that's all I could think of. I knew better than that, however, and thought back to German food I had before. I remember it being a bit heavy, but delicious. Then I Googled German food to get a few ideas.
When it comes to German cuisine, many of the foods are a bit heavier, due to the climate. Germany has a very cool climate, rarely exceeding 75 degrees Fahrenheit. On the flip side, the temperature rarely drops below 20 degrees. This makes it a good climate for meat animals and root vegetables, both huge parts of German cuisine. Also featured, beer, bread, cheese and a few other cool season vegetables. So, I had something to start with.
Thanks to my beer-brewing husband, I have found a new respect for beer. I'm still not its biggest fan, and definitely prefer a good Chardonnay, but the idea of a beer dish appealed. I decided on Beer Cheese soup, which would feature a dark German Bock and Gruyere cheese. Both, I knew, would add an amazing flavor. I couldn't leave it at that, though. I love to bake, and couldn't resist going with a popular choice- Black Forest Cake. The cake is named for the specialty liquor of the Black Forest mountain range region, Kirshwasser. I have a predilection for fruit and liquor, so this was a grande idea, in my opinion.
I conferred with the dinner hosts and other guests and a menu was agreed upon. Chicken schnitzel, spaetzle, bierocks, bretzle (yes, that's pretzel) with homemade mustard, meatloaf, feldsalat, and Black Forest cake. Turns out German food had more to offer than just beer, brats, and cabbage. Some of us couldn't even eat the next day!
Here's the recipe for the Beer Cheese Soup. Good stuff!

1 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium-large potatoes, cubed
1/3 cup flour
12 oz bottle dark German Bock beer
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
10 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
2 oz medium cheddar, shredded

Heat oil and butter together in a large pot on medium-high. Add garlic and onions once butter is melted. Saute for 1 minute, turn heat down to medium, then add carrot, celery and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour gradually and stir in for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk. Then add beer, mustard, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. Salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat to low, add cheese a handful at a time, stirring between each handful. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning on the bottom. The soup is ready once the potatoes are soft but not mushy.
This made enough for about 6 servings. I topped with green onions, and my husband suggested bacon, also. Enjoy!

I'm glad I opened my eyes to German food, and hope you will remember that trying new things can open your mind to so many great experiences. If that fails, just drink a little extra beer!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Seeds are Sprouting!

I planted several varieties of vegetables and flowers five days ago, and all my Chinese cabbage and Italian broccoli have emerged. Everything else is taking its time. I hate waiting, I want to see all my little babies, make sure they're alive and healthy. The nice thing about the cabbage and broccoli emerging so early is that I hope to plant them in about five weeks, and that should work perfectly. All the other stuff I wouldn't want to plant for about ten more weeks, so they have time, but still, I want to see a few more sprouts! Not to mention I was hoping to sort of succession plant as the seedlings grew and I upgraded them to larger pots, I could use the empty smaller pots to start other fruits and vegetables that need less time to get to a plantable size.
That's the problem with vegetable gardening. Even though I'm extremely lucky to have a long growing season here, part of that growing season is so hot and can stay so dry for such a reputedly humid area, that I'd like to establish most of my plants by June, which means they should get a good head start.
I also hope these next ten weeks fly by, because I'm sure the neighbors behind me are not my biggest fans right now. The best place for me to grow my seedlings is in the spare bedroom window. For the best growth results, I installed a grow light. A grow light needs to stay on for about sixteen hours a day, roughly 6:00am to 10:00pm. Since the sun isn't rising until 7:00am and is setting at 6:00pm, that means there is five hours that this really bright grow light is casting light into our backyard. It's bright enough, I thought I had left the back porch light on. Even if I close the blinds, the light is still very visible.
So, grow all my other seedlings, so I do not waste so much electricity and incite yet further angst from my neighbors. I'm already dreading the talk I need to have with them about the property line. It goes further into their yard then we originally knew when we first started the garden. We've already had the preliminary discusion, and they seemed fine, but we'll see what they think when we start actully utilizing that area this weekend to extend the vegetable garden area for said seedlings who have yet to poke their heads above the soil. Grow, damnit, grow!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Milk- It Does a Body Good?

What’s white, helps bones grow and stay strong, and goes great with cookies? Americans are taught from a young age to drink milk because it helps bones grow big and strong, but are we consuming too much? More importantly, if the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are higher than necessary, would our government tell us? The dairy industry is multi-billion dollar industry and supplies the government with a lot of money, through taxes-from what consumers pay for the milk, and on the profits the dairy companies make- and from large donations to the government and campaigns, so if milk consumption were to drop, the money the government receives would also drop. The government and the dairy industry use ploys like the calcium crisis and the weight loss campaign to the keep the consumption of dairy products high. However, all is not what it seems if the consumer scratches the surface of these stories. Many citizens feel that our government is here to take care of them when in reality the government is really just taking care of its best interests.  
The food guide pyramid and the dietary guidelines are the government’s way of reaching out to the people and helping them make the best food choices through the government branch of the USDA, or the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA was first involved in making the food pyramid in the early 1900’s when there actually was a cause for concern of malnutrition. The USDA looked at what America was producing and came up with a way to prevent malnourishment and support agriculture by promoting the consumption of a wide variety of foods. The 1977 Farm Bill explicitly stated that nutrition and health relate to US agriculture and deemed the USDA the leading agency of the government to conduct important nutrition research and education. However times have changed in the past hundred years and it might be about time for the USDA to step away from the recommendations and perhaps let the Department of Health and Human Services take over, as Americans are no longer in danger of being under nourished, they are now in danger of being over-nourished as obesity rates, as well as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, and many other nutrition-related diseases rise. 
Yet that may not happen. Already, America’s farms are dwindling as the younger generations look for more glamorous jobs and many foods are imported from countries where labor is cheap and resources are still plentiful. The government will do anything in its power to protect what is left of the nation’s farmers, including promoting foods that may not be as beneficial as they’re made out to be, such as dairy products.
Dairy products are promoted as a way to build strong bones and teeth, and maybe even lose those few extra pounds along the way. While those promotions aren’t truly false, the numbers may be. No two organizations can agree on exactly how much calcium a person really needs. The current DRI for American adults is 1000 mg. In the UK and Europe the recommended intake is 700 mg, in Australia it is 800 mg, while the World Health Organization only recommends 400-500 mg/day. Why the differences? Calcium intake is based primarily on output, or excretion, and the balance of the two. There are several factors that increase the excretion of calcium and those factors are found in higher amounts in the Unites States. They will be discussed later.
Other influences on recommended intake values are the many short-term (a year or so- not nearly as reliable) and the few long-term (many years) studies that look at calcium intake and the prevalence of bone fractures. These studies look at calcium intake versus bone density. While the short term studies show that an increased consumption of calcium- usually through supplements- equals an increased amount of bone density, the long-term studies show that there is not a significant reduction in the amount of bone fractures and breaks. In fact, one of the most famous studies, the Nurse’s Health Study, showed that women who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were just as likely to fracture or break a bone as women who drank milk once a week or less. There is currently a study in process by the NIH with the Women’s Health Institute that may give us more answers, but the study will take a few years to finish. Another reason studies are not too reliable is that they don’t just focus on calcium and its effect on bones, because it would be too difficult.
While the best source of calcium is dairy products, calcium can be found in a variety of other foods as well. Canned salmon and tuna are good sources of calcium because of the soft, very tiny pieces of bone. Some dark, leafy greens such as kale, Chinese cabbage, and turnip and mustard greens are good sources of calcium. White beans and pinto beans contain some calcium. A lot of foods and juices are being fortified with calcium, such as cereals and orange juice. If nothing else, there are supplements. Of course, it’s not just the foods that contain calcium that are important, but whether or not the body can absorb the calcium from those foods. There are factors that that aid with calcium absorption, such as vitamin D, lactose, and protein- which are all found in milk, making it the best bioavailable source. Fortified foods and supplements are also good sources of bioavailable calcium. With plant foods, there are factors that inhibit absorption such as fiber, phytate, and oxalate, making them not very good sources.
Calcium is the structural component of bones and teeth, and also helps with muscle contraction, blood clotting and enzyme activation. Once ingested, the acidic environment of the stomach helps break the calcium away from the salts it is bound to in foods, then active (requiring ATP, or energy) and passive (no ATP needed) transport systems within the intestines absorb this important mineral. Once in the body, most calcium is deposited in the bones while a little is found in intracellular and extracellular fluids. Excess is filtered through the kidneys and excreted. The body receives the greatest benefits from calcium during the years of linear bone growth and the years immediately following, typically childhood through early adulthood.
99% of the body’s calcium is found in the bones, and bones are comprised of mostly calcium and also phosphorus, fluoride, magnesium, potassium and sodium, as well as proteins and water. The three main types of bone cells help build (osteoblasts), breakdown (osteoclasts), and maintain (osteocytes) bone structure, and are acted upon by hormones, such as PTH and estrogen. The cells make up both cortical (dense) and trabecular bone (spongy). Bone cells are constantly being remolded and replaced, and as the chemical structure is broken down, some of the calcium can be released into the blood to be filtered and most likely excreted. It is this turnover that ingestion must match, if not exceed. The average adult needs about 550 mg of calcium daily to meet average turnover needs.
A look at other countries and their calcium intake shows that many countries consume less calcium than Americans do, yet they also have less bone fractures. The theoretical reason behind this is the US has a much higher consumption of sodium, phosphorus, and protein- all of which are related to increased calcium excretion, and US citizens have lifestyle factors, such as smoking- which increases calcium excretion, and not enough exercise, especially weight bearing exercise- which helps increase bone mass. In fact, a reduction in intake of protein and sodium can lead to a decrease in need for calcium, as 1 gram of animal protein leads to urinary calcium of 1 mg, while 1 gram of sodium leads to urinary calcium of 15 mg.  In other words, if someone reduced their intake of protein by 20 grams, and their sodium by 1.1 grams, a person would be able to decrease their calcium needs by 200 mg.
Since dairy appears to be the best source of calcium, why not consume it? Well, dairy products are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, some contain lactose, and there is also the issue of cow treatment and how it affects us. Saturated fat is one of the nutrients to avoid as it can lead to obesity and heart disease. Even if a consumer were to choose low-fat dairy products, there is still the issue of lactose, which up to 50% of the US population cannot digest. This is a huge amount of people, and most of them are ethnicities other than Caucasian. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the milk sugar lactose because the enzyme lactase is not present. Biologically speaking, this enzyme is not needed after about the age of 5 as the child should no longer be breastfeeding. Technically speaking, cow’s milk is made for baby cows not humans, so it is not the natural course of things to still be consuming milk at an adult age.  
Then there is also the issue of milk being full of artificial hormones and antibiotics. Many cows are given a Bovine growth hormone created by Monsanto to increase the quantity of milk the cows produce, and cows are given antibiotics because industrial dairy cows are kept in close quarters and are generally allowed to wander around in areas contaminated with their own excrement. These hormones and antibiotics can be passed through the milk to us, and while it is unknown the exact implications of this, we’re seeing more antibiotic-resistant bacteria and young children, especially young girls, seem to be maturing at a faster rate.
            Also, recent studies are showing that it is just as important to get enough vitamin D in the diet and the FDA is now allowing health claims on products that contain both calcium and vitamin D to protect against osteoporosis.
          Calcium is an essential part of everyone’s diet, but it’s not just calcium that builds and maintains strong bones throughout a lifetime. In fact, there’s no benefit to consuming more calcium than the body actually needs. There are many other diet and lifestyle choices a person can make to ensure their bones don’t become osteoporotic. The government may continue to suggest three servings of dairy a day, and the dairy industry will continue to make sure the government backs them by shelling out big bucks, but it is truly up to each person how they meet their daily requirements of calcium, and all other nutrients. While the different recommendations may make it confusing as to how much the requirement of calcium is, I suggest about 800-1000 mg daily. If a person wants to meet their requirements through consuming dairy, so be it, but there are plenty of other options for those who can’t or won’t consume dairy products. I also recommend choosing organic milk if possible, because organic milk won't contain artificial hormones or antibiotics. If organic milk is out of your price range, at least look for milk that does not contain rBGH, as least while dairy companies are still allowed to label it as such. Also, choose low-fat dairy products such as skim or 1% milk, low-fat yogurt and low-fat cheese.      

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Growing From Seed- a small tutorial

I look forward to spring, or actually the six to eight weeks before the last frost date, because that is the time to plant seeds and watch them grow. It's so rewarding. So, if you're interested, here's a small tutorial on how to get started. This is only for seeds that benefit from an early start. Other seeds, such as beans and peas, can be directly planted outside.

1- Think about exactly what it is you like to eat. Write a list of fruits and vegetables. It helps having a catalogue or two to guide you. I recommend Seed Savers Exchange. They can be a bit pricey, but the seeds are heirloom, meaning you can save them, and can be organic. Considering it's about $2.75 for a packet of seeds, it's really not that much.
2- Really read the descriptions of the types of plants you would like. It helps to have a book on fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Although I generally don't buy Burpee seeds, I do have their book because it's very informative. The descriptions of different plants helps you figure out how big your plant will get, and if it can even survive in your area.
3- Once you have figured out what you would like to grow, if this is your first time, really narrow it down. You'd be surprised how easy it is to get carried away.
4- Order seeds. Try to do this as early in the year as possible. Look up your area's last frost date, and shoot for ordering about 10 weeks ahead of that.
5- Find a local gardening center or two. I don't mean a home improvement store, although they can be handy in a pinch. A local garden center will carry the necessary equipment you need for starting seeds, as well as the seeds themselves. You can order this stuff online, but the other really nice thing about garden centers is they usually have staff that are knowledgeable about what can be grown in your area.
6- Once you have found you local garden center, pick up a couple plastic trays and compartmentalized pots to go in the trays. The pots should look like what you would normally buy veggies in, about 5"x8" with 4 individual cups. A tray should hold about 12 of these. Make sure the tray has no holes in the bottom.
7- Also buy seed starting mix. Seed starting mix is a mixture of peat, vermiculite and perlite and is soil-less. Because it's soil-less, there are no nutrients in the soil. Surprisingly, most seeds prefer to start off in a low nutrient mixture.
8- Other materials, optional- grow light, clear plastic domes, heat mats, plant markers. These items are very helpful, and can produce much better seedlings, but are not completely necessary.
9- Once you have all of your supplies, clear about 1 hour of your schedule. Use a bucket or similar container to mix the soil-less mixture with some water. Because it's peat-based, it is very fluffy and will not tamp well when dry. The first time you water your seedlings, it will compact and lose half its volume, so start with damp material. Don't make it too wet, just wet enough to be crumbly.
10- Put your damp soil-less mixture into your containers. If you are reusing these containers from a previous planting (thanks for recycling!), then it is best to clean them out and soak them in a 1:10 bleach mix (1 part bleach to 10 parts water). Tamp mixture down, but don't pack too tightly. Once the seeds sprout and grow roots, those roots will need a place to go.
11- Once your containers are filled, figure out how many seedlings you would like to have. It's best to plant 2-3 seeds in each little compartment. Later on, you will choose the hardiest and kill off the others to leave one plant per small compartment so there is no over-crowding.
12- Make sure to keep track of what is being planted. You can use plant markers, and if you do I recommend plastic ones. I've used the wooden ones, and so has a friend of mine, and both times the wooden ones ended up moldy. I now keep track with graph paper. I map out how many little containers there are and exactly what went in each. To avoid confusion, I mark one side of the tray with nail polish so I know which direction to face when figuring out what is what.
13- Follow the planting directions. Plant at the correct depth, around the correct time. I plant my tomatoes and peppers way early to fully establish them, so by the time they are ready to upgrade to a bigger pot, I can start other seedlings, such as melons.
14- Once everything is planted, place next to a window that gets lot of light. You can alleviate lack of window space with a grow light. It helps here to add the clear plastic domes if you bought them. This helps increase the humidity for the plants. Since you started off with wet mixture, you should not need to add moisture for a few days. If you do not use clear plastic domes, make sure any air vents will not blow directly or even indirectly onto the seedlings- it will dry out the soil quickly. It also helps at this point to place any heating mats under the trays. The heating mats are great for kick-starting tomatoes and peppers, which love warm soil. I have had good luck without them, though, so if you don't want to spring the $25 for one, don't.
15- Patiently wait. Some seeds will have sprouted within a couple days, others will take a couple weeks. Keep an eye on the soil moisture. It needs to stay barely moist, not wet, and certainly not dry. I recommend watering from the bottom, which means adding about 1" of water to the tray every few days. These keeps the seedling from being disturbed from any movement around the roots. My friend also does very well with a spray bottle. She just aims for the base of the plant and very lightly squeezes.
16- Once the seeds have spouted, there will be it's first set of leaves, the seed leaves. It is the second set, or true leaves you want to watch for. Once the plant has it's true leaves, it will need to be fertilized. First, pick your best looking plant if you over-planted. Trim any others off at the base- DO NOT PULL. If you pull, you will disturb the roots of the other plant you are keeping and seedlings are not fans of having their roots disturbed. Then, fertilize. I recommend fish emulsion, but beware, it is some strong smelling stuff. If you opt for something else, pick a fertilizer that has equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium- it should say 10-10-10 somewhere on the container. Follow fertilizing instructions. Once you get to the third set of leaves, it's time to upgrade to a bigger pot.
17- Go back to you garden center and pick up about 18 3" pots per tray. You may even need another tray. Go ahead and get a couple trays with holes or slits in the bottom. These will come in handy when you are ready to move your seedlings outside. You will also want regular potting soil. The seedlings will need a lot more nutrients now.
18- Since most potting soil is peat-based as well, once again moisten the soil. Add it to the pots. Leave a good sized hole for the seedling. Very carefully, with something along the lines of a spoon (dirt washes off, no need to get squeamish), loosen the seedling from its current pot and move it over. Try very hard not to handle the leaves, and be gentle with the stem. Tomatoes benefit greatly from burying the stem up to its seed leaves, but bury other seedlings at the base of the stem in its current state. Very carefully tamp down dirt around the roots up to the stem baseline. Once complete, place back in the window or under the grow light. Hint- if in placed in a window, you will need to rotate your tray of seedlings as they will grow towards the sunlight. A grow light close to the top of your seedlings will help them grow straight and not get spindly.
19- Once the days start to warm, you can move your seedlings outside during the day. If the nights are mild, you can even leave them out overnight. This is called hardening off and it prepares them for the onslaught of various weather conditions that they did not get indoors. Some people suggest using a cold frame, which is basically a large frame with a window on top. If it's too cold, keep the window nearly shut, and if its really warm, open the window up so you don't fry your seedlings. I use a frame with a screen on top. If it gets too cold, I move then seedlings either back inside or shelter them close to the house. The screen protects my seedlings from bugs and curious birds. After about a week or two of hardening your seedlings off, it's time to plant. Make sure to time hardening off so that you can plant your seedlings when they are ready. It's no good planting peppers in early April, they will be very unhappy.
20- Once your seedlings have been moved outside to be hardened off, change the tray to the one with holes in the bottom. You can start top watering your seedlings, and it will also likely rain on them, so it helps to ensure good drainage.

Here's an idea. February 5- plant tomatoes. February 9th- tomato sprouts. February 15th- seed leaves fully emerge. February 22nd- second leaves emerge. March 1st- third set of leaves, upgrade pot. March 13th- another set of leaves. March 20th- another set of leaves. April 1st- start hardening off. Watch out for frost, move indoors. April 20th- move completely outside. April 28th- plant tomatoes!

It's a long process, but totally worth it.

New Life Begins

It's hard to imagine that I would be so excited about a cold, grey and rainy Saturday, but I am. Even though I've been suffering slightly from seasonal affective disorder, and desperately need sun, warmth, and blue skies, this dull day gives me a chance to focus on bringing new life into the world. I'm talking, of course, about growing this years vegetable garden from seed.

Thanks to my mom, I have cultivated a love for gardening, and I find nothing more fascinating than taking a seed anywhere from the size of a period (.) to the size of an o, putting it into some dirt, and then waiting for the tiny green shoot to emerge. Once the shoot emerges, its a matter of days before the leaves unfold, a week before it second set of leaves, and next thing you know, the days are warmer and longer and its time to move your little seedlings out of doors. From there, they really take off, digging their roots into the soil, stretching their stems toward the sun, flowering, fruiting, producing the most delicious and nutritious food for me to continue my growth and celebration of life. For, to me, that's what growing from seed is, a true celebration of life.

I have grown from seed for years now, and love experimenting with all the various kinds of plants there are. I look forward to my seed catalogues from Seed Savers Exchange, Seeds of Change, Sow True, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and Edible Landscaping. The last three catalogues are local, but all promote the idea of growing heirloom and rare varieties, not just the basic one or two varieties, usually hybrids, of a handful of fruits and vegetables you buy from a home improvement store, or even most garden centers. Sometimes the choices are overwhelming. Against my better judgement, we will be ordering six different kinds of peppers, all because they sound interesting. And why not? A packet of seeds is in a the price range of a buck or two, so if something doesn't work out, you're not out much money. More importantly is that seeds do work out. You spend a couple buck for 50 seeds, you can save those seeds you didn't use this year and plant them again next year and the year after. If if the viability is 70%, that's still a likelihood of 35 plants, which can produce several dollars worth of vegetation that you now don't have to buy in the grocery store, but pick right out of your own backyard. In the end its one heck of a savings.

Even better than saving money is the full spectrum of health benefits from growing your own produce. Gardening itself can be great exercise, with plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Nutritionally, produce that has ripened directly on the plant, and then picked and eaten immediately is a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Not to mention, the flavor. Anyone who has ever compared a store bought tomato and a fresh-off-the-vine-still-warm-from-the-sun tomato can tell you that the taste is worlds apart. In fact, after eating the home grown tomato, it is safe to say that the store bought tomato has no flavor. Some of the best food I ever had contained ingredients from my own backyard.

So, while I stare out the window, trying to imagine what my garden will look like in eight weeks, I'm not feeling a single case of the blahs. Instead, my spirits lift at the possibilities before me.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Well, There Goes the Neighborhood

The FDA just approved the use of Monsanto's GM alfalfa. Alfalfa's primary use is as forage for cattle, especially dairy cattle. This is complicated in a couple of ways. First, if lab rats organs fail after eating GM corn, who's to say the cattle will not suffer any issues from GM alfalfa? They already have enough issues eating a diet based heavily on corn. Second, because the rules for organic foods state that absolutely none of the organic food in question can contain any GM product, that means organic dairy farmers have a long road ahead of them trying to ensure the alfalfa they give their dairy cattle is not genetically modified. This can be especially difficult as alfalfa is pollinated by insects, the wind, etc., any GM alfalfa grown near non-GM alfalfa could cross pollinate and thus ensure that hay fed to the organic dairy cattle makes their milk non-organic. Damn you Monsanto, damn you!

So, what is so bad about genetically modified organisms (GMO's) you ask? First, look at the very moral aspect of messing with genes. How do you take something nature has taken millions of years to perfect and turn it into a Frankenfood? As Barbara Kingsolver put it, it's a fist in the eye of God. Even if you're not religious you have to look it as "playing God." We're taking something, blending it with something else, and we're not sure of the long-term outcomes.
You're still wondering what's wrong with that? Mendel did it, we do it all the time by cross-breeding. This is different. This is not taking two plants in the same family and seeing what happens, this is cross-species breeding. This is crossing the genes of a plant and the genes of a fish or a bacteria and seeing what happens.
The following is something my mom wrote to explain genetically modified foods to my aunt, and I love it, so I'm sharing it.

"Genes are a set of instructions that tell everything living how to "be", how tall, what color, how long of a life span is possible, etc, etc. And whether you believe that millions of years of evolution or God wrote those instructions, they ...are what works. Whether it is a giraffe, a meadowlark, or a toadstool, every being is designed to fit in its own niche. If you are a religious person and believe that God did the designing, then you have to agree that it is an incredible slap in His face to start tampering with what He made. If you are an evolution fan, then you know that a species slowly alters to fit changing conditions, and is therefore already how it needs to be, and that if needed it will change in the proper way. Tomatoes don't need fish genes, regardless of what Corporate America would have us believe. And a really scary thing is that, we as consumers do NOT have to be told what is being done to our food. The really big problem, though, is no one really knows what problems all of this may create next week, next year, or next century. And don't expect our government to protect us; remember this is the bunch of clowns who invited people to come watch nuclear explosions, and kept the Tuskegee trials going even when they knew they were killing people. Just so you know, I'm really not a conspiracy nut or anything, I just think that we have to take the responsibility to protect ourselves. And standing up and saying no to this kind of stuff is important, after all, it really is true - you are what you eat!"

This was posted on Facebook when the Food and Water watch posted about GM salmon and GM pigs. See, alfalfa is just the current of many products on the market that are genetically modified, although it's still just regulated to plants for consumer use/consumption, that may change in the near future as more bio-engineers push for mass production of livestock. Plants are bad enough, but once you start crossing genes of animals for human consumption, we could really be looking at major issues that no one has really though of, or if they have, do not take seriously. Even the World Health Organization is not sure what the effects from GM foods will have down the road. http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/
It is speculated that GM foods are safe, but there are still so many questions. With as many questions around the safety of GM foods, why are they allowed to be sold to consumers, deliberately keeping consumers in the dark by not labeling products that are genetically modified? Did someone say money?
Yep, there goes the neighborhood.

Corn is Taking Over the World!

Okay, I know I sound like a crackpot with a statement like that, but corn is everywhere. You could even test a sample of our tissue and find a carbon isotope that's usually found in corn, but not most other plants. That sample actually shows that we Americans eat way more corn than Mexicans, where corn, or maize, is a diet staple. You may ask how that's possible. Sure, we enjoy corn on the cob in summer, popcorn at movies, and even cornflakes for breakfast. What most people don't think about is how corn is snuck into our diet in so many various ways. A lot of consumers have been hearing a lot about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is in so many processed foods. High fructose corn syrup is a cheap and easy way to sweeten foods, and we Americans have quite the sweet tooth. Corn is also found in food thickeners, stabilizers, flavorings, and fillers. Corn is used as cooking oil and made into alcohol. Corn is fed to our livestock. Corn is in our medicines. If you are what you eat, we are corn. Hey, the carbon doesn't lie.

All this overly processed corn in our diet is leading to a problem. There are some people who are developing an intolerance, even an allergy to corn. I have had to work with several patients in identifying all the forms corn comes in, and how to cut it out of their diet. The ironic thing is cutting out processed corn means cutting out most processed foods, leading to a generally healthier diet, which is what we should be eating in the first place. One mother even told me that she found her son's autism was more manageable once she cut all processed corn out of his diet.

Corn has even found its way into politics. How else can the Corn Refiners Association petition the FDA to rename HFCS into something with less stigma attached, and likely win. It’s all about money. Corn is the United States top crop commodity, because we use it for so much. Besides the food products listed above, corn is turned into plastic for uses from everything from plastic bags to drinking bottles, from packing material to detergent containers. Corn is used to make cosmetics, ethanol gas, even carpet! What certainly seems like the answer to so many environmental issues, such as the fact that corn plastics are much more biodegradable, is much more complicated than that. Politics always are.

Take Monsanto, one of the largest corporations of plant biotechnology. They claim to be all about sustainable agriculture, but if you look more closely, they’re not. Monsanto has produced genetically modified (GM) corn that can withstand weed killer or produce non-viable seeds so that farmers have to buy their product. In fact, when I say that their corn can withstand weed killer, I mean their top selling Roundup. They have created a nice little circle where if you buy their products, you are stuck buying them, and in the process you are hurting the earth, and possibly yourself. It has been shown that rats experienced organ failure after consuming Monsanto’s GM corn. Even more upsetting, corn is pollinated by the wind, so if Monsanto’s patented crop is grown anywhere near a farmer not growing a Monsanto crop and their corn is pollinated by Monsanto’s corn and that farmer uses the seed for next year’s crop, well, he’s violating copyright law and will be sued by Monsanto. Many small farms have fallen prey to Monsanto.  Once again, it’s all about the Benjamin.

So, to recap, we eat corn, drink corn, put corn on our face, walk on corn, carry our purchases in corn, have our government influenced by corn, and corn is likely killing us. Is it any wonder I think corn is taking over the world?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

2010 Dietiary Guidelines and Americans disordered eating

As a Registered Dietitian, I'm all for presenting your average American with guidelines on how to eat better, but I wonder, will these guidelines truly make a difference? I ask that because the USDA has been trying for years to inspire healthy eating in Americans with the Dietary Guidelines, yet each year more and more people are added to the ranks of the overweight and obese. How does one inspire people? What's more, just how responsible should the government be in ensuring everyone not only has access to fresh and nutritious food, but that the foods that are dangerous to our health are labeled as such. Should the government force Nabisco to add a Surgeon General's warning to a bag of Oreo's like they do with tobacco and alcohol?
When it comes to unhealthy foods, if it is suggested that the government step in, I have heard time and time again that people know what is unhealthy. Sure, everyone knows that double cheeseburger is not good for you, but do they really? That everything from the refined carbohydrates in the bun to the meat and cheese dripping with saturated fat is designed to raise your blood sugar and cholesterol, clog your arteries, lower your libido, and add yet another pound of unsightly fat. Okay, I'm slightly exaggerating the last part, one double cheeseburger won't add a pound, but if you're eating one, chances are you'll eat another at some point, maybe with fries and an overly sweet soft drink. It all adds up eventually.
My main thought through all this is how do we, as health professionals, the government or even just concerned foodies inspire the greater population to put that cheeseburger down and try something a little more healthy, preferably something with more complex carbs, more vegetables, and less fat?
Food is such a central part in everyone's life, mainly because food keeps us alive. Add onto that taste, culture, comfort, socioeconomic status and you have an idea of why people eat what they do. Some of it is so subcognitive, most people may not even know where to start when it comes to changing what they eat. I say, start small. You will never make a change if you try to do it all at once. For example, I recently lost six pounds. I made two changes to accomplish that- 1) I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages during the week and cut down weekend drinking to no more than 2-3 drinks and 2) I cut out coffee. I added so much sugar and cream to coffee to make it drinkable that my 12 oz coffee was about 300 calories of refined sugar and saturated fat. I switched to tea, cut the amount of sugar in half and switched from cream to milk.
To some, six pounds doesn't sound like a lot, especially when most weight loss goals are anywhere from 20 to 150 pounds, but you have to start somewhere. I know if I made a couple other dietary changes and, more importantly, started exercising, I could reach my goal in no time. I just need some inspiration.