DAY 10 EAT MEAT RESPONSIBLY

FOODBABE CALIFORNIA

Day 10 Eat Meat Responsibly

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

This one hits close to home. I have raised a family of carnivores. My husband and kids love steak and burgers, and chicken, and fish. I like them too, in moderation, but I hate the thought of factory-farmed meat. I can’t believe how we as a society treat animals (and one another) and can justify it. I feel for anyone working on a factory farm. I can’t imagine their day, the brutality of it day in and day out.

This is a dilemma for me because I want to feed my children and I know they will eat meat, fish, or poultry but I find it difficult to match my moral standard with my pocketbook. This plays all sorts of tricks with my menu/meal planning and shopping.

I buy grass fed pasture raised burger from wholefoods, and sometimes their steak, or bacon. Wholefoods has a numbering system of 1 – 5 for animal welfare. 5 is animal centered, entire life on the same farm. 4 is pasture centered. 3 is enhanced outdoor access. 2 is enriched environment. 1 is no cages, crates, or crowding.

I don’t remember seeing any 5’s. A lot of WF beef is 4. So I will by burger at $7.99 a pound or steak for more. Originally, my husband had found this difficult but he has acquiesced to my needs here. This is not my dream farm animal of how I feel things could be, or once were, but I can feed my family and live with my purchase. The bacon is generally rated 2 and I don’t feel good about it but I buy it occasionally anyway.

Chicken is another story. I would never buy a Fosters Farms chicken where you know the chickens are cramped in cages one on top of the other, unhealthy, beaks sawed off, all sorts of antibiotics, sick. I don’t even want to eat that or feed it to my kids. Chicken at WF is generally rated 3 and there are some organic chickens on the Foodbabe shopping list. 3 is enhanced outdoor access. We know from Omnivore’s dilemma that those chickens are indoors most of their life, and that they are not necessarily getting quality care, and that life is not really like that of a chicken.

I was out in the country the other day and ended up on a lovely piece of property because my daughter was buying a car. I noticed two silos and asked the gentleman what they were for. He said he rented the space to Rosie organic chickens. I didn’t see or hear one chicken. It was silent. All I saw were two very large buildings with the windows boarded up. It is rather strange and eerie not to see or hear one chicken on a chicken farm, organic or not.

So I don’t buy the chicken. I miss out on a lot of good recipes because I can’t get past my dilemma. What is worse is when I don’t have anything in the fridge or prepared for dinner, I will buy the kids buffalo wings or cook up some frozen Tyson bites for Sophia because I am in a crunch and feeling guilty that I haven’t anything and I am strait back to feeding my kids factory farmed chicken.

Yesterday, I bought two organic chickens from Costco. The chicken is labeled organic, organic feed, no added antibiotics, no added hormones, no animal by-products, fresh and natural. It’s USDA organic, and inspected by the US department of Agriculture. According to the Foodbabe certified organic means the animals must be allowed to roam outdoors; although surgical mutilations without any pain relief are permitted. I actually thought if the label didn’t say pasture raised the chickens would be raised indoors much like what I viewed when I was out in the country. I felt somewhat suspect buying this chicken; yet, it felt really good to have something delicious for dinner that the kids appreciated. I would ultimately like to support our local farm Tara Firma farms where the price is $30.00 a chicken. Ouch! I suppose it’s almost that much for a pizza, but for a family of six on a tight budget $30.00 is a lot. Possibly I will work towards making this happen.

Food Babe California

Day 9 Detox From Added Sugar

Day 9 has Arrived! No more processed Sugar!

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

Did you know Powdered Sugar is processed sugar with cornstarch and brown sugar is processed sugar with Molasses? I never knew that. And that sugar is processed with bone char? Usually cattle bones, Sometimes dog bones…I was not aware of that either.

I have been doing pretty well. I now use palm sugar in my coffee and about half as much. At first I didn’t like palm sugar. I have made several attempts and put it back on the shelf over a period of possibly a year or more. Now I am satisfied with it or honey in my coffee. All that I miss is that last sweet sip, but I actually am feeling…

Better. Enough so, that it is worth giving up that yummy sweet sip. By better I mean that I am noticing a shift; especially with the cravings. I have been eating my yogurt without sugar. I prefer lemon water to the really over sweetened lemonade. There are actually quite a few sweets and goodies available that are healthier choices without processed sugar, and I have a lot of new recipes to try.

And bit by bit I am getting more organized making my green juice ahead and it is getting a bit easier to stay on track. Plus I am learning new recipes and finding which ones I like. Starting today through day 21(that could be a year from now at the pace I am going) I am going to avoid all process sugar. That means my options are: Coconut Palm Sugar, Honey, or Maple Syrup.

LIMBO

Ok Day 8 lasted roughly 456 hours and the clock is still ticking…

At this rate I am going to age either really fast or really slow, depending on how you look at it.

Quite frankly I have had a few blocks.

One being writer’s block. It seems really vain to write to the world my eating habits, yet quite ironically nobody is remotely aware or interested in my writings so I am writing to myself. This is both comforting and disturbing.

Another block is I am faced with chapter nine where I need to give up sugar. Most sugar, processed sugar that is. This is daunting for a sugar addict. I have been working at this with some, although not an entirety of success. I believe I am ready to face the music.

Another block for me is budget. We are on a strict budget and I am finding it difficult to balance the needs of my family and myself within our food budget. By week two of our paycheck it’s either them or me regarding our grocery lists. This is always when I feel weak and like giving in to old sub standard choices. I don’t have my cupboards stocked with healthy alternatives and I falter.

The GOOD NEWS is that the FOODBABE is on the Best Sellers list for both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and Vani Hari has been voted by Time Magazine as the most influential blogger. This means a lot to me because I feel that this movement is a moment of change for the people regarding not only our choices in the food we eat, but that we are being heard and actually having corporations respond to our outcry. For a country whose government is run by big business this a nudge, the very small beginning, of hopefully BIG CHANGE.

This to me is GOOD NEWS!

Anyone interested in knowing more about the food you eat, or looking for good recipes you can Access Vani’s website here: http://foodbabe.com/

Thanks for reading. I wish you a very happy and healthy food day.

Food Babe California

Chapter 9 soon to follow

Day 8. Give up Fast Food

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

This is the beginning of week two. Week one worked on healthy liquids to help me detoxify and week two is the beginning of healthy nutritious clean food. I would like to think giving up Fast Food won’t be difficult for me and that I don’t often partake in fast foods, but the truth is my family loves pizza, and when I am hungry I will definitely partake in a slice or two. Chapter 8 had some enlightening information about pizza. I am asking myself if our local pizza place, Mary’s, has the same bad ingredients in its’ pizza or raviolis. Another interesting fact was the pesticides McDonalds French fries are dowsed with in order to perfect that pretty unblemished French fry. My family and I avoid McDonald’s but if I were to be tempted it would be by their perfectly salty fries. No more. I love the information this book provides.

At the end of last week one of my challenges was the timing and preparation and this chapter addresses how to be prepared, using time savers, and making your own fast food to have on hand for those hectic times.

WEEK ONE. THE FOOD BABE WAY

WEEK ONE. THE FOOD BABE WAY.

WEEK ONE. THE FOOD BABE WAY

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier, be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

Accomplishments for the first week is that I have picked up the following routines:

• I drink my morning lemon water
• I enjoy a green juice or smoothie
• I stopped drinking with my meals
• My dairy is less and organic
• I have found new alternatives for sodas
• I will only drink organic wine and pay more attention to any alcohol I consume (*beer from week 7)

I am equipped with the knowledge of what to look for and what to avoid.

I have worked on my shopping lists to become more organized to make eating healthy possible even during busy times. Do you remember my first meal? I went to the store three times. One morning when I didn’t have time to make my green juice, I ate the vegetables in the car on the way to work. Another morning I picked up a shot of wheat grass while shopping. I look for healthy choices when I need to grab something for lunch last minute. I am totally excited about my new shopping lists as this will help me target the healthy choices amongst the array of unhealthy ones in stores where I normally shop! I have entered my shopping lists on my phone! I have also taken a look into my caffeine/sugar habit and have taken steps to keep it within healthy limits. This is a great start for me.

What I have found challenging is the timing between the lemon water, green juice, and breakfast all between yoga and work, while still needing to pack lunch and have a dinner plan for after work; including planning my meals with options that the kids will eat.

I still need to look into our water. Our cooking and drinking water is reversed Osmosis but our bathing water is well water and I need to make time to check these out.

I feel good and empowered. I’m learning new recipes and options.

I am grateful to be learning new habits that are much kinder and successful than dieting. I am looking forward to week two.

DAY 7. Love Your Liver

Day 7. LOVE YOUR LIVER

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

My days tend to stretch longer than 24 hours. Aren’t I lucky! As you may have noticed my Day 6 lasted 48 hours while I pondered my choices regarding my Caffeine/Sugar, which at times can take over my healthy choices.

Today being Day 7 is Love your Liver! This chapter has a lot of good information regarding alcohol and what is most likely in your beer or wine. I don’t drink much but this is a good reminder to choose organic wines with a nice list provided. I recently took my daughter Sophia, whose 11, and her friend’s out to Aqus café to listen to Beatle Songs. It was a Sing-a-long! What fun! I could of stayed all night! I ordered half of a beer. It came in a wine glass. This was out of the norm for me, but man was it GOOD! It had a peach flavor to it!

I am wondering if it was brewed locally, what the Brand name was, and I wonder, the peach flavor, was it a “natural flavor”, hope not. Was it a craft or micro brewed beer? Did it have chemicals or GMO’S? As I learn little by little I will be more adept at knowing what I ingest before I choose.

I am also REALLY EXCITED about my new Food Babe Ultimate Grocery Store Guide. This simplifies my shopping Immensely! By ingredients, and by store! This helps me know what to look for and what to avoid.

YEAH!

DAY 6 CONTINUED…

Day 6 Continued…

I am following THE FOOD BABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

I’m really excited about a lot of things. One. I did not have coffee or sugar today.

This was not intentionally planned but I just opted for tea…MMmmmm. I like to mix Nettle Tea with Earl Grey. I love the flavor of the Earl Grey and Nettles are really good for you. I just add cream, no sugar.

Chapter 6 helped me to take a look at my habits for a moment and to make some choices. I decided to take the “Kind” approach regarding my caffeine/sugar habit provided that I can stick to it. I will allow myself up to 5 teaspoons of sugar daily for my coffee. The quantity of the coffee doesn’t matter. I am concerned with the quantity of the sugar. From there I can make adjustments to lesson the amount. If I can’t stick to 5 or less then I need to quit cold turkey. It sounds like a lot of sugar I know but I want to work with where I feel I can succeed. The other stipulation I have made is that I cannot have my coffee until 30 minutes after my breakfast. I need to eat a healthy meal to start my day and then enjoy my coffee.

The other good news is that the FOOD BABE WAY releases today. It is available for purchase here.

The reason I am supporting this book is because it is not only good for myself and for my family but it is the beginning of a food revolution. Below is the review I submitted to Amazon:

“The FOOD BABE WAY is the book I have been waiting for! I am a woman who has always been determined to eat healthy. I have spent many years learning to cook and have sought out healthy ingredients that appeal not only to my appetite, and senses, but also to my moral standard. As a mother of four children I have found myself feeling overwhelmed with my choices; and yet, lack of choice of modern living and grocery shopping to cook an average meal for my family. I feel bombarded by hype, dishonesty, and toxic food! The FOOD BABE WAY is great because the author Vani Hari has done the daunting task of investigating the ingredients of our food! The FOOD BABE WAY offers simple daily routines that can help people like myself bring our bodies back to health. She offers information so we can be informed of our choices. She empowers us consumers to hold corporations accountable and she offers healthy recipes and shopping lists. The FOOD BABE WAY is the book of this century and is one way that we, the people, can begin to feel united; through the simple act of caring for our own bodies. By caring for ourselves we can begin to care for one another, and our planet”.

Thanks for reading. I wish you a Happy and Healthy Day.

Day 6. No More Big Gulps!

Day 6. No More Big Gulps!

 I am following THE FOODBABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

I took the weekend off. I am still drinking lemon water in the morning, and a green drink. I don’t drink with my meals, and I still need to check into our water situation. I eat less and healthy dairy foods.

This weeks’ advice is at the crux of my weakness.

Lay off the sugary drinks.

For some it is Soda’s.

There is a lot of great information in chapter 6 regarding what is in your soda if you dare.

I can live without soda, but for me it is coffee or tea with cream and way too much sugar. I suppose my addiction to sugar began with the sugary breakfast cereals I used to eat as a kid, and I have fond memories of walking down to the pharmacy with friends to buy up as much candy as possible with a quarter. I am dating myself I know but I believe if I worked it right I could get 5.  I am afraid my children have developed some of my bad habits. I break my addiction frequently and feel really good and eat more balanced meals, but with my coffee habit eventually the sugary coffee takes precedence over meals and I eat healthy but sporadic meals. This is where I am right now.

Chapter 6 has some great advice for curbing this bad habit, one being to be honest and actually calculate how much sugar calories and chemicals and money you are ingesting daily/yearly. Another is to put a scale in front of the fridge or the coffee pot to jolt one back to the reality of our choices. Another choice I like is to replace the bad habit with a good one with a list of healthy alternatives that look pretty appealing.

I know by experience that if I follow the advice in this chapter I am well on my way to my preferred weight and a healthier body with better energy and outlook, and much better meal planning because my hunger kicks in.

I also know by experience the commitment required on my part to be successful.

What I need to determine is whether I quit cold turkey, or whether I allow myself coffee on the weekends or a certain amount during the week. There are options in this chapter. Cold turkey is cleaner. I can’t trick myself into drinking more or blurring one cup into two. Two cups a day is kinder. I do so look forward to my coffee.

I am going to think this over and will blog it when I am ready.

P.S. I have decided that after today I will omit my blog from my Facebook in order to alleviate friends and family being pestered by my thoughts and opinions regarding food. It’s like talking Religion and Politics and I do not want to unintentionally offend anyone or at best, be a nuisance to those I care about. Those of you who care to spend time thinking about the food they eat or entering a discussion can follow the blog.

Day 5. Ease Back on Dairy Foods.

Day 5. Ease Back on Dairy Foods

I am following THE FOODBABE WAY, Break free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food, And Lose Weight, Look Years Younger, and Get Healthy in just 21 Days!, by Vani Hari, as an effort to eat healthier and be more informed, and to shop and live sustainably.

There is a lot of good information in chapter 5 regarding Dairy and why Dairy is not always the healthiest of choices we have been brought up to believe it is.

One of my most embarrassing bad habits I have carried with me into adulthood from childhood is my love for chocolate milk. Seriously! A tall glass of milk with 4-5 Scoops of Nestle Quik. I don’t stir this all the way as I like to eat the extra chocolate from the bottom of the glass when I’ve finished the chocolaty milk….UMMMMM.

Grosse right? We’re talking GMO’S, TRANS FATS, ADDITIVES….

I learned some time ago that if I wanted to lose weight I needed to kick my dairy habit. As a kid I drank 2 – 4 glasses a day.

I have since found other indulgences to keep me satisfied and for the most part I can stay away from chocolate milk unless I am really having a weak moment.

I am very happy that Vani calls this chapter “Ease Back” on dairy. As much as I have kicked my Chocolate Milk habit, I would truly miss the pick me up of some healthier cheeses on salads or the blue cheese on my favorite polenta dish, or cream in my coffee. I also like being reminded why it is I am better off without the milk. I rarely buy raw milk. I agree that it is better for your health and I do not like the way we produce milk in this country. Not letting the calves nurse form their own mothers, taking them away to soon. Of course I would never purchase milk with the added hormones, especially RBHT. I buy Clover and not always organic so I need to check into what I just claimed. I tried raw milk for a while and will need to reconsider whether or not it is a viable option for the family. We are a family of six and go through the milk quickly. My children do drink milk. I purchase Organic at nearly 8 bucks a pop when I can but this is definitely outside our budget.

There is a balance between eating sustainably and the economics and politics of our time.

If you’ve read the “China Study” it recommends no dairy due to the link between the protein Casein and cancer. This is so contrary to what I was raised to believe. I just look at my children and think “Sorry! I didn’t know! The damage is done. They have been raised with milk and it is their choice now.

What I enjoy about this chapter is the Nut milk recipes, which I will be experimenting with! The more I can change my own diet and find healthy alternatives the more I can help my family to make positive changes.