Quantity Over Quality

As if we needed further evidence of modern man's (really modern America's) complete and utter cluelessness when it comes to food and nutrition, consider the following:

Would you be more likely to purchase:

• a Mercedes or a Kia?
• Abercrombie & Fitch or Wal-Mart brand?
• iPhone or a flip-phone?
• Grey Goose or Popov?
• Organic or Non-Organic?

If the majority of people were being honest, they'd most likely choose the Mercedes, A&F, iPhone, and Grey Goose.  Why is that, considering all are remarkably more expensive?  While some would say you are paying for the name only, you could make a very good argument that the quality of the former far exceeds that of the latter.

Why, then, are people who choose to buy organic food considered either hippie-ish or snobby/elite because they choose to not buy the cheaper, non-organic food?  Why is quality so important in our stuff, but it is irrelevant when it comes to our food?

A lot of people I know genuinely do not understand why quality food is better for you.  Many think that there is little if any difference between a peach in a can and an organic peach straight from the tree.  Or they don't see the difference between a McDonald's burger made with feed lot beef and a homemade burger from a free range cow.

The ultimate problem is that somewhere people learned to shop for food on the basis of price alone, and have therefore paid literally no attention to the quality.  And here is the funniest part of this whole unbalanced equation.  When you buy the cheaper, less nutritious food, your body doesn't stay full as long when you are eating the same amount of food.  So you actually end up eating more and spending as much or more money on food than if you would have just bought the more nutritious organic food.  As an example, my typical breakfast includes two fried eggs and a piece of toast.  About this time last year, I started buying my eggs from a local farmer who raises chickens and sells free range eggs.  When I made the switch from store bought to free range and fresh, I noticed that I was able to go much longer before feeling hungry when still just eating the same two eggs and the same piece of toast.  In many cases, the eggs from the farmer were even smaller than those from the store.  However, the eggs from the farmer are literally packed with nutrients, whereas the store bought eggs have not near as much.  So instead of being ravenously hungry after just a couple of hours at work, I have a snack 3-4 hours into my day. 

The big food corporations have done a great job keeping the lid on the fact that the more processed a food is, the fewer nutrients it contains.  And since there are fewer nutrients, you are going to be hungry again sooner, and therefore eat more.  All of which means more profit for big food.

What big food can't stop, however, is people from stumbling upon the truth on their own, and then hopefully spreading the word.

So that's what I'm doing.  People, we are smack in the middle of a health crises in this country, the likes of which we have never seen before.  Yes, we do need to exercise more.  We are more sedentary than we have ever been.  But, even if you never increase your activity level, you CAN make a drastic change in your health simply by eating better.

So the next time you're at the grocery store or produce market, look for the organic seal.  Yes, you'll pay more for the higher quality foods, but when is the last time paying more for better quality has stopped you?

Grow Your Own

Whether you live on the farm or a third floor walk-up, growing your own food is a fun way to improve your health and save money on your grocery bill.

If you've got plenty of land where you live, the process is pretty easy. Put some seeds in the ground, put some compost or mulch down, add water and let nature take over. But city dwellers are often at a loss when it comes to growing veggies. Many types of plants have varieties that can grow in pots, and by positioning them on a balcony they will grow and produce healthy, delicious vegetables to add to salads or just to snack on. If you live in a northern climate, put the plants near a south facing window or under a grow light and you'll have some fresh veggies throughout the winter.

Fresh herbs are another option to grow on your own, and many herbs do well growing on a counter, window sill, or shelf in most parts of the country. And let me just tell you, a fresh sprig of rosemary or basil adds a lot flavor and nutrition to just about any dish you create.

One word of pause, however, before you rush to the garden store and buy a bunch of seeds. Remember that not all crops are able to grow in all climates, and not all things are capable of producing indoors. Vegetables that need pollinators obviously don't work indoors, and some plants need more room to grow than most pots provide. But if you want to grow some nutritious and delicious crops, there are options available to you no matter where you live.

The Best Oil You've Never Used

Olive oil? Check.

Ever since Rachel Ray came to television, olive oil has been popping up in kitchens across the country like mushrooms in a cow pasture. And for good reason. Olive oil has a light taste that adds flavor to lots of dishes. Olive oil holds up to heat better than any other vegetable oil, so it is great to use for cooking and sautéing. Some cool people don't even say olive oil anymore, they just drop evoo and everyone knows what they are talking about.

So is olive oil the new miracle cooking oil? Not hardly. Don't get me wrong, it's great. I use it for all kinds of dishes. But if you need to broaden your cooking oil horizons, let me let you in on a little secret. Try coconut oil, it's devine.

Coconut oil is listed as a saturated fat, and as such has fallen out of favor with many dietary organizations. But guess what? Scientists are starting to understand that the fat profile of virgin coconut oil is actually good for you. The chief fat, laurie acid, is known to help raise your HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which for most people will help improve their blood panel readings.

Once you get passed the "unhealthy hype" associated with coconut oil, you can start to find many uses for it. Because of its high oxidation temperature (even higher than olive oil) coconut oil is great to use when cooking with high heat. And the hint of sweetness that the oil has will hit you with a flavor that is impossible to find in other oils. This combination opens up an unlimited list of possible uses.

My personal favorite way to use coconut oils is to make home fries with it. The potatoes end up with a crispy outside and the inside is cooked completely through. The sweetness of the oil makes it great to use for sautéing veggies as well. Onions, carrots, sweet peppers, and more all taste amazing after a sauté in coconut oil.

You can also use coconut oil in baked goods. Just substitute coconut oil in the recipe for the oil or butter listed, and you end up with a little added sweetness. A friend uses coconut oil to drizzle on toast or to add a little sweetness to her coffee. Literally, the possibilities are endless when it comes to how to use your coconut oil.

Coconut oil is available in stores, but you may have to search a little bit to find it. Personally, I buy all of my coconut oil from www.tropicaltraditions.com. You can find dozens of organic coconut products and recipes on this site, and the prices are completely reasonable.

Take a chance and try it, you just might be pleasantly surprised.

Organic AND Cheaper

Just got back from Publix and found an example to combat the "Organic food is more expensive than non-organic food" argument.  An 8-pack box of Publix organic maple and brown sugar oatmeal was 30 cents cheaper than an 8-pack of Quaker maple and brown sugar. 

Remember that next time someone tells you it's too expensive to eat organic food.