Top 10 Reasons to Raise Chickens

Here are the top reasons more people are turning to backyard chickens.

Chickens make great pets. They have personality galore, and they're extraordinarily easy to care for. They're bright, funny, quirky, friendly, loving little balls of feathers-and they're entertaining, too. When you have a flock, you'll find they have their own friends, their own cliques, their own favorite nests. Chickens come in such an array of colors, patterns, shapes, and sizes that some of them look more like exotic tropical birds-or even alien life-forms-than farm animals.

Keeping chickens is a lifestyle choice; you keep chickens if you want to try to live in a more sustainable way. Having chickens helps fulfill a positive, back-to-the-farm way of living that's about becoming more sustainable. It's also a way to celebrate local, slow food, and reestablish a constructive connection with your neighbors and your neighborhood.

Raising chickens allows you to have more control over the type of food you put on your table. You want organic? You want non-GMO? You want cruelty-free? These choices are all yours to make when raising your chickens.

Chickens will eat your table scraps and convert them into eggs on the one hand, and fertilizer on the other. If you grow vegetables or flowers, you'll find that composted chicken manure is great for your home garden, adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil. Plus, chicken manure from layers tends to be relatively high in calcium, which is helpful for plants, warding off blossom-end rot on tomatoes, for example.

Chickens will cut down on the number of insects in your yard. Anywhere chickens are allowed to forage, they'll snap up spiders, ticks, beetles, grubs, worms, grasshoppers, and more. They love to dig through lawn clippings and yard waste, too.

The eggs from hens raised with access to your backyard will be tastier and more nutritious! Research shows they're not only higher in omega-3s, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, D, and E, but they're lower in cholesterol and saturated fat.

They taste better, too. It's something you can see: All that extra nutrition gives backyard eggs a dark orange yolk-not the pale yellow color you see in store-bought eggs.

You'll be eating really fresh eggs—sometimes just minutes old-as opposed to the eggs you get in a grocery store, which can be 6 weeks old or more.

You'll be giving your children positive values. Just as with other pets, keeping chickens can help kids learn about responsibility. But because chickens give back in such a tangible way-eggs!-your kids can also learn about reciprocity and how the care they provide impacts their pets directly. Once they taste the eggs, they'll also come to learn that store-bought isn't always better. Some things are worth doing yourself.

You'll have control over how humanely your wonderful egg producers are treated—and how healthy and clean their environment is.

Chickens are so easy to care for. No walking, no pooper-scoopers, no grooming, no boarding when you go away; they won't scratch up your furniture or chew your favorite slippers.

[via Organic Gardening]

25 Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables Promoting Health All Over the World

In a recent issue of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition’s periodical BCFN Magazine, titled Food for Health: Paradoxes of Food and Healthy Lifestyles in a Changing Society, Food Tank co-founder Ellen Gustafson observed that the Western diet has taken over the world in the past 30 years – and the results have been disastrous. Global obesity rates have doubled, pushing the growth of diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

The bad health effects of this diet, high in refined sugars and fats and full of processed grains and meat, have been observed worldwide. In an article series for Food Tank, the organization Brighter Green has written about the public health problems caused by the increasing availability of high-calorie, low-nutrient fast food in Mexico, China, and South Africa.

Unfortunately, traditional diets and indigenous crops that have reliably fed communities for centuries across the world are rapidly being replaced by unhealthy foods. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that approximately 75 percent of the Earth’s genetic resources are now extinct, and another third of plant biodiversity is predicted to disappear by the year 2050.

But initiatives like the World Vegetable Center (AVRDC)’s Vegetable Genetic Resources System and Slow Food International’s Ark of Taste are working to catalog indigenous species of fruits and vegetables all over the world.

With the help of these incredible resources, Food Tank has compiled a list of 25 indigenous fruits and vegetables from regions around the world.

AFRICA

1. Amaranth: This versatile plant, which grows quickly in the humid lowlands of Africa, is a leafy vegetable typically consumed in places like Togo, Liberia, Guinea, Benin, and Sierra Leone. The plant thrives in hot weather and is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and essential minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.

2. Cowpea: Originating in central Africa, this legume is one of the region’s oldest crops. It is also drought resistant and can thrive in poor soil conditions. In addition to the peas, the leaves of the plant are also consumed as a vegetable.

3. Spider Plant: This green leafy vegetable, also known as “African Cabbage,” can flourish throughout Africa. It is high in protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and micronutrients.

4. African Eggplant: The plant is an important indigenous crop because it is high yielding, drought-resistant, stores well, and can be grown in poor soil. The leaves of the eggplant are also consumed, and it can represent an important income source for some families.

5. Argan: This tree, native to the southern coast of Morocco, produces fruit containing a valuable hard nut. This nut contains seeds which produce a deep yellow oil with an unmistakable, rich flavor. In Morocco, there are a number of women’s cooperatives dedicated to producing argan oil.
EUROPE

6. Perinaldo Artichokes: This popular thistle vegetable, valued for its tasty center, is native to the Mediterranean region and originally cultivated in ancient Greece. Perinaldo, a small Italian town near the French border, produces a variety of artichoke lacking spines or a choke and violet in color. The edible flower bud is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and various minerals. This variety of artichoke is drought resistant and very hardy.

7. Formby Asparagus: Formby asparagus is notable for its coloration: white base, green stem, and purple-tinged tip. The vegetable is rich in protein, fiber, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It is a valuable addition to any diet because it aids in protein synthesis, reduces calcium loss, and has antioxidant properties.

8. Filder Pointed Cabbage: The cruciferous vegetable provides a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamins C and K, fiber, and it serves as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Cabbage can be stored cold for months at a time and is eaten in the dead of winter when other vegetables are dormant.

9. Målselvnepe Turnip: This hardy, root vegetable variety has been improved over the years through selective cultivation in Norway. It has an excellent, yet strong and distinct taste compared to other turnip varieties. It can be eaten raw, roasted, baked, and boiled, and is frequently used to enhance the flavor of soups, salads, stir-frys, and side dishes. The turnip is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.

10. Ermelo Orange: Produced in the town of Ermelo in northern Portugal, these medium-sized oranges are extremely sweet and juicy. Ermelo oranges are distinctive because they have a thin rind and are less fibrous. The fruit is grown on small plots of land overlooking Lima River and pesticides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers are forbidden in the region.

ASIA

11. Bitter Melon:  Despite its distinctive appearance and bitter taste, this vegetable, originally from the Indian subcontinent, is popular in a number of Asian countries. Those who overlook the vegetable’s warty appearance can benefit in a number of ways from eating this plant. The gourd has cancer-fighting properties, helps cure diabetes, and can help cleanse the body of toxins.

12. Pamir Mulberry: The Gorno-Badakhshan province of Tajikistan has a mountainous terrain ill-suited for the production of typical grains, including wheat and barley. The Pamir Mulberry grows well in this environment and is an important food source during times of crises. The berries can be eaten raw, dried, whole, ground, or as a jam.

13. Okra: The edible green seed pods of this plant are a common ingredient in soups and sauces and popular in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Okra is also an important export crop in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The vegetable is a rich source of vitamins and minerals and the seeds provide quality oil and protein.

14. Mungbean: The mungbean is important in Asian diets and valuable for its easily digestible protein. High levels of iron in the vegetable help improve the diets of the most vulnerable women and children, and mungbean production offers an opportunity for increased income for small-scale farmers. In addition, the vegetable can fix nitrogen in the soil, making it valuable for crop rotations.

15. Lemongrass: This valuable herb is used in many Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnamese, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Lemongrass possesses many minerals and essential vitamins, which help control blood pressure and prevent heart disease. It is also valuable for its essential oils, which are known to possess anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antioxidant, and anti-septic properties.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

16. Lifou Island Yam: This starchy tuber plays an important role in both nutrition and food security in many Pacific Island nations. The vegetable is also very versatile--it can be roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, smoked, or grated. Yams are important because they can be stored for long period of time, and the vegetable has a social and cultural significance on many islands.

17. Bunya Nut: Bunya nuts have long been a prominent food in the culture of Australian Aboriginals - so much so that, prior to European settlement, Aboriginal tribes would travel long distances to attend festivals celebrating the Bunya season. The Bunya nut is similar to the chestnut both in appearance and taste. The nuts grow on enormous Bunya pines in the few rainforest regions on the continent, but these trees are increasingly less commonly found.

18. Kumara: Also known as the sweet potato, kumara is cultivated in many Pacific Islands and was a staple crop for hundreds of years. The vegetable is a great source of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, and dietary fiber.

19. Perry Pear: This formerly wild variety of pears are pressed for their juice. The pear juice is then transformed into a fermented alcoholic beverage. The perry pear was introduced into Australia by the English, but its production is still very limited, and many of the perry pear varieties are currently facing extinction. During the height of gold-mining in Australia, perry pears were used to make a safe low-alcohol content beverage for miners.

20. Rourou (Taro Leaves): In a number of Pacific Island countries, such as Fiji, taro leaves are eaten and used in various cooking techniques. The leaves provide an excellent source of vitamins A and C. The leaves also have a social importance in ceremonial feasts and are a good local cash crop. In addition, the corms of the giant swamp taro plant have the potential to help feed a large number of Pacific Island countries.

AMERICAS

21. Yacón: Also known as the Peruvian Ground Apple, this root vegetable was cultivated throughout the Andes for more than a millennium. Because the vegetable consists mostly of water, it provides isolated inhabitants with a refreshing food resource. Yacón also contains inulin, a low-calorie, high-fiber sweetener that aids digestion while inhibiting toxic bacteria.

22. Papalo: This popular herb, known for its strong skunk-like smell, is used in the American Southwest, Mexico, and South America. Papalo, typically eaten as a garnish, is valued for its medicinal properties, including regulating blood pressure, relieving stomach disorders, and addressing liver problems. This unique herb has a hardiness to heat, allowing it flourish in hot climates.

23. Hinkelhatz Pepper: The Hinkelhatz pepper has been cultivated by the Pennsylvania Dutch since the 1880s. The plant produces small, heart-shaped peppers with a red or yellow color. Hinkelhatz peppers have a stocky, spicy flavor, so they are frequently pickled or pureed into a pepper vinegar used as a food topping. The pepper is important because it is cold-tolerant, pest and disease-resistant, and a prolific producer.

24. Nova Scotia Gravenstein Apple: This variety of apple is an early-season favorite in Canada because it can be used for a host of different purposes. The flesh is tender and crisp, and the apple’s juice is sweet-tart and intense. The apple is eaten fresh, but is also great for cooking, makes a flavorful cider, and can be stored cold for months at a time.

25. Guayabo: The green fruit, native to Uruguay and southern Brazil, has an appealing sweet and sour taste. In addition to its balanced taste profile, the fruit provides excellent nutritional and medicinal value because of its superior mineral and antioxidant content. In Uruguay, the guayabo is readily adapted to shallow soil and a mountainous environment, allowing the fruit to thrive even in the wild.

Put Down That Doughnut: FDA Takes on Trans Fats

(CNN) -- So long, margarine: Artificial trans fat in foods may eventually become a thing of the past.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday took a first step toward potentially eliminating most trans fat from the food supply, saying it has made a preliminary determination that a major source of trans fats -- partially hydrogenated oils -- is no longer "generally recognized as safe."

If the preliminary determination is finalized, according to the FDA, then partially hydrogenated oils will become food additives that could not be used in food without approval. Foods with unapproved additives cannot legally be sold.

Trans fat can be found in processed foods including desserts, microwave popcorn products, frozen pizza, margarine and coffee creamer, and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Partially hydrogenated oil is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oils to make solid fats, like shortening and margarine. It increases the shelf life and the flavor of foods. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or shortening, was used in American kitchens as early as 1911.

However, in recent years many food manufacturers have taken steps to limit or eliminate trans fat from their products.

McDonald's, for instance, stopped cooking its french fries in trans fat more than a decade ago. The company's website says all its fried menu items are free of trans fat.

New York City in 2007 adopted a regulation banning partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and spreads in restaurants.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday that he was encouraged by the FDA's move.

"The groundbreaking public health policies we have adopted here in New York City have become a model for the nation for one reason: They've worked. Today, New Yorkers' life expectancy is far higher than the national average, and we've achieved dramatic reductions in disease, including heart disease. The FDA deserves great credit for taking this step, which will help Americans live longer, healthier lives," Bloomberg said.

Trans fat intake among American consumers decreased from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about a gram a day in 2012, according to the FDA.

However, "current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a written statement.

There is no safe level of consumption of trans fat, Hamburg said. It has been shown to raise the "bad," or LDL, cholesterol.

"Through our efforts at product reformulation and the development of suitable alternatives, trans fats that are not naturally occurring have been drastically reduced in the food supply," the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 300 food, beverage and consumer product companies, said in a prepared statement.

"Since 2005, food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of trans fats in their food products by over 73%."

Other countries are also working to reduce trans fat in the food supply. Policies in Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Korea and the United States have proved effective over the past two decades, the World Health Organization said in April. The WHO has called for eliminating trans fat from the global food supply.

The FDA has opened a 60-day comment period on the determination "to collect additional data and to gain input on the time potentially needed for food manufacturers to reformulate products that currently contain artificial trans fat should this determination be finalized," the agency said.

There are two phases to the process, FDA officials said Thursday. The agency will evaluate the comments and evidence received during the comment period.

"If we finalize our conclusion, then we are inviting comments from industry on what would be an appropriate phaseout," said Michael Taylor, the agency's deputy commissioner for foods.

"The timeline would be based on the comments we get. Given the public health impact, we want to move as quickly as we can."

The National Restaurant Association noted in a statement the industry's "tremendous strides" in reducing or eliminating trans fats.

"We plan to discuss the impact of this proposal on the industry and submit comments, and we will continue to work with our members and the manufacturing supply chain to address any new federal standards that may arise out of this process," said Joan McGlockton, the association's vice president of industry affairs and food policy.

Hamburg called Thursday's move "an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat."

The American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest were among those praising the move.

"The scientific evidence is clear -- eating food with trans fat increases production of 'bad' cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease," the AHA said.

So what should consumers do in the meantime? Choose products that have the lowest combined amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat, the FDA said.

Under current regulations, companies can claim their food has 0 grams of trans fat if the food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, according to Mical Honigfort, a consumer safety officer at the FDA. But if partially hydrogenated oil is listed in the ingredients, there may still be a small amount of trans fat present.

Nancy Brown, the Heart Association's CEO, said she hopes the FDA goes a step further and revises labels for foods that are trans fat free.
 The preliminary determination was based on "available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels," the FDA said.

The determination covers only partially hydrogenated oils, not trans fat that naturally occurs in some meat and dairy products. Trans fat is also present at very low levels in other edible oils, such as fully hydrogenated oils, where it is "unavoidably produced during the manufacturing process," according to the FDA.

Avoiding foods containing artificially produced trans fat could prevent 10,000 to 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 to 7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year, according to one study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


"Artificial trans fat is a uniquely powerful promoter of heart disease, and today's announcement will hasten its eventual disappearance from the food supply," said Michael Jacobson, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's executive director. "Not only is artificial trans fat not safe, it's not remotely necessary. Many companies, large and small, have switched to healthier oils over the past decade. I hope that those restaurants and food manufacturers that still use this harmful ingredient see the writing on the wall and promptly replace it."

[via CNN Health]

What to Eat When You're Broke

The lower your income is, the more difficult it is to be particular about what you feed your family. 

This probably isn't an earth-shattering revelation to anyone, but if you feel like experimenting, try to buy a week’s worth of healthy food for a family on a budget of, say, $50-75.  Food manufacturers that target lower income shoppers with more affordable products tend to include more GMOs and toxic ingredients in their offerings.

Generally speaking you'll want to avoid:

• Non-organic dairy because of the hormones and antibiotics as well as the GMO feed given to the animals
• Non-organic meat because of the hormones and antibiotics as well as the GMO feed given to the animals
• Anything containing corn, soy, or canola in any form because it is almost certain to be GMO
• Anything with chemical additives like artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
• Anything that is likely to have been doused in pesticides
• Anything containing neurotoxins like MSG, fluoride, or aspartame (along with other artificial sweeteners)

It is a matter, then, of weighing the pros and cons, and figuring out what things, for you, are the most important, while also deciding which standards can be sacrificed.  These decisions will be different for everyone, based on their personal health concerns, their genetic propensity for certain diseases, and the members of the family for whom they are buying the food.

Sometimes, when you’re looking at someone else’s situation while you are comfortably backed by a loaded pantry, it’s easy to be judgemental and tell them what they “should” do. The thing that we  must all remember is that when times are tough, a person may be down to these two options with a two week grocery budget:

1. Buy strictly healthy organic foods and feed your family for perhaps 8 out of the 14 days.
2. Carefully select which standards you will relax to keep the tummies of your family full throughout the wait for the next paycheck.

Very few people are going to choose option one.

Usually, I have an enormous stockpile of non-GMO dried foods and a flourishing garden to serve as a back-up for whatever non-toxic items are being offered at a reasonable price that week.  Because I’ve recently moved and am rebuilding my pantry from the ground up, I have no such stockpile right now. I am at the mercy of the food manufacturers.

When your budget is extremely limited, the normal healthy eating suggestions of shopping only the perimeter of the store or visiting the farmer’s market will not suffice to feed a family.  As much as you may want to dine only on locally grown, fresh organic produce, a $50 farmer’s market spree will only get you through a few days if you are totally reliant on only this food.

The Lesser of the Nutritional Evils

So what is a broke, but health-conscious, shopper to eat?

After strongly considering the list above, it's best not to cut corners on the organic dairy, neurotoxins, or the GMOs.  If you have a growing child, these things are at the top of the toxic pyramid for his/her development.  This isn’t to say that the pesticides aren’t harmful, or the preservatives are not a chemical minefield.  In a perfect world, I’d avoid all of it, and you should too.

If you are in a situation where you have to feed your family and don’t have a lot of money to do it, you need to do your research well before looking at those brightly colored packages with the false promises of nutrition within.  While this list isn’t comprehensive, here are some things to consider about conventional grocery store offerings.

GMOs: Genetically modified foods have not been tested for long-term effects on humans.  There is a great deal of evidence to indicate the GMOs can cause a host of illness.  Peer reviewed studies implicate GMOs in the development of grotesque tumors, premature death, organ failure, gastric lesions, liver damage, kidney damage, severe allergic reactions, a viral gene that disrupts human functions.

Hormones and antibiotics: Livestock animals that provide meat or dairy products are tainted with growth hormones, antibiotics, and GMO feed.  These items pass through the food chain to the consumer. Growth hormones can cause opposite sex characteristics in developing children, early puberty, the development of cancer, and infertility. Furthermore, the world is quickly becoming immune to the effects of antibiotics because of constant exposure through the food supply, which means that there is the potential for things that should be easily treated to become deadly due to antibiotic resistance.

Pesticides: The use of pesticides in conventional farming is rampant.  Even the hijacked the Environmental Protection Agency has to admit that the ingestion of pesticides can cause health problems.  They warn of the risk of “birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time.”  (Keep in mind, however, that despite this warning, the EPA just RAISED the acceptable limit of glyphosate at the behest of Monsanto.) Especially at risk of harm from pesticides are prepubescent children and fetuses.

Neurotoxins: Our water supply is spiked with fluoride, a neurotoxin that lowers IQs, causes infertility, has been linked to cancer and causes hardening of the arteries. Nearly every packaged food on the shelf is seasoned with MSG in one of its many names, and many lower calorie foods and diet drinks are sweetened with aspartame.  Both of these are excitotoxins that cause brain cell death instantly, causing decreased IQs, headaches, depression, and seizures.

Assorted chemical cocktails:  The length of the ingredients list in your food is often a direct indicator of the unhealthiness of the item. When an item contains a host of additives, colors, flavors, and preservatives, you can safely bet that most of the nutrients are gone.  These highly processed foodlike substances are very difficult for the body to break down so that the few remaining nutrients can be used. If you can’t picture what an ingredient looked like in it’s natural state, it probably isn’t something you really want to eat.  When is the last time you saw a tertiary butyl hydroquinone grazing in a field, or a calcium propionate growing in the garden?

What should you eat when you’re broke?

Grains: If you can’t swing organic grains, look for whole grains with few or no additives.

• Wheat flour
• Brown rice
• Pasta (with recognizable ingredients)
• Couscous
• Quinoa
• Barley

Meats:  If you can’t afford grass-fed organic meat, at the very least look for options that are guaranteed to be hormone and antibiotic free.  The USDA does not allow the use of growth hormones in pork, which makes it a slightly better option.

Here’s a little primer on those confusing meat labels:

• Hormone-free: This means something with beef, but is nothing but a marketing ploy when you see it on poultry or pork, as the USDA does not allow the use of hormones with those animals.  Hormone-free does not mean antibiotic-free
• Antibiotic-free: Because of poor and stressful living conditions, factory-farmed animals are very susceptible to illness.  Antibiotic-free means they were not prophylactically treated with antibiotics. This does not, however, mean that the animal is hormone-free.
• Grass-fed: Grass-fed cows are allowed some access to the outdoors and are not fed grains or corn.  This does NOT mean they are organic, because the grass they are grazing on may have been chemically fertilized and sprayed.  Unless you have actually seen them roaming around the farm, keep in mind their access to the outdoors may not be the lovely rolling pastures that you have in your mind, but a crowded corral with hundreds of other cows.
• Free-range: This label doesn’t mean diddly squat.  It means that the animal is allowed a minimum of an hour a day outside.  This could mean that they are crammed into an open area with a billion other chickens, still, without room to move, or that their cage is put outside, leaving them still tightly confined. Like the grass-fed cows above, unless you actually see the farm with the gallivanting chickens or pigs, take the label “free-range” with a grain of salt.

Your best options, if you can’t afford organic meats, are to go for the hormone and antibiotic free options as a supplement to vegetarian protein sources like local eggs, beans, and organic dairy products.

Fruits and vegetables: If organic produce is not an option, look for the items with the lowest pesticide loads.  (This list by the Environmental Working Group is based ONLY on pesticide loads – some of the items they recommend could be GMOs).  Fruits and vegetables that can be peeled often subject you to less pesticides than thin-skinned items. If you must buy conventional, wash the produce carefully and peel it if possible.  Look to these stand-bys:

• Apples (peeled)
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Oranges
• Pineapples
• Rutabagas
• Sweet Peas
• Sweet Potatoes
• Turnips

Dairy products: Conventional dairy products are absolutely loaded with hormones.  Dairy cattle are given high levels of female hormones to make them produce a greater quantity of milk. This makes little boys develop female characteristics and makes little girls hit puberty at a far younger age than normal, which is the reason you see 4th graders with large breasts and hips.  These hormones can also trigger obesity in both genders.  Because of the public outcry, some dairies have pledged not to use rBST, the most commonly used of the growth hormones.  Do your research to discover if there are any such brands available to you.  The Lucerne brand from Safeway is guaranteed to be hormone free. (It’s interesting to note that Monsanto, the company that pushes rBST, wants the FDA to disallow dairies to put this on their labels, and that the FDA forces those who label their products rBST-free to also put the following disclaimer on the containers: “No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST treated cows.” (source))

Organic dairy is still better, because the cattle are fed a healthier diet and are free from antibiotics.  If you can’t swing it, at the very least, search for rBST-free dairy products. For products, you can save loads of money by making your own from untainted milk.  Learn how to make yogurt, how to make yogurt cheese, and how to make cottage cheese.  Plain yogurt can also be used as a healthy substitute for sour cream.

Water:  If you are on city water, chances are, your water is loaded with chemicals, from fluoride to ammonia to chlorine.  I won’t drink this water, and I won’t let my children drink it either.  The large 5 gallon jugs provide the least expensive way to buy water.  Also look for sources of spring water to fill your own containers. (This interactive map can help.)

Other Tight Budget Tips

Build your pantry. It’s hard to think about building a pantry when you have barely enough food in the cupboard to make it between paychecks.  But if you can purchase one bulk item per shopping trip, in a few months you will have a pantry that will allow you to make higher quality grocery purchases on your weekly trips. At that point, you can start going to the farmer’s market, which in many locations is very reasonably priced, buying in enough bulk to preserve your foods, and have the occasional splurge. 

Be scrupulous about food hygiene.  Wash your produce very thoroughly and soak it in a baking soda bath.  Also remember to carefully wash your beans and rice.

Get growing.  Even if it is the off season, you can sprout some seeds on your counter to add fresh nutrients. You can grow some salad greens and herbs in a sunny windowsill.  Invest a few dollars each week in some seeds and you will soon be able to supplement your diet with nutritious, organic, home-grown veggies.  For tips on re-growing from kitchen scraps, go here.

Visit outlet stores.  Sometimes places like Big Lots or grocery clearance centers have organic options at good prices. You might be able to pick up canned goods, cereals, and crackers at a fraction of the normal grocery store price.

Forage for freebies.  In many locations, even the city,  there are free delicious foods just waiting for you to pick them.  Dandelions, wild berries, nuts, and nutritious leaves abound. Just be very sure you know what you’re picking and then enjoy your wild foods.

Plan on at least one extra frugal meal per day.  Have peanut butter and crackers, a bowl of oatmeal, or soup for one meal per day – not every meal has to be made up of protein, veggies, and grains.

Don’t give up.  Do the very best you can with the resources you have available. Remember, if you can’t afford good food, you definitely can’t afford bad health – it’s even more expensive.

The Simple Truth

There are a lot of things that readers may find to pick apart in this article – and that’s good!  By thinking critically and discussing these things, sometimes we can come up with solutions that may not have occurred to us previous to the conversation. I’m not some expert that shouldn't be questioned – I am just a mom on a budget.  Some of the suggestions here were gleaned from the comments sections of previous articles.

Do your research and do the best that you can with what’s available given your resources.  Create a plan to provide better options in the future. Don’t go down that toxic trail laid out by Big Food without fighting, kicking, and screaming.

[via Eat Local Grown]

Tired of the Same Old Vending Machine Junk?

Tired of the same old junk in vending machines? Now there are some new tools to do something about it and implement nutrition standards to vending machines in your office, city, or state. With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, it’s time to ensure healthful options are more available.

More and more people are interested in healthier snack options. According to a 2010 study by the Snack Food Association, about 74% of consumers are trying to eat healthier, with about 65% eating specific foods to lose weight. Instead of selling unhealthy food and beverages, which contribute to obesity and chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, cancer), your city, state, worksite, hospital, or university could ensure access to more healthful options. Offering healthy options demonstrates a commitment to addressing obesity and helps organizations that are working on nutrition and obesity to “walk the walk.”

The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) recently completed model beverage and food standards for vending machines and a model policy to implement them. The vending standards could be used:

• In your own office building;
• In a state or local bill to require healthy vending standards on state/local property (agency buildings, state parks, highway rest stops, etc.);
• To encourage a hospital, university, or organization to move to healthy vending;
• In an agency policy, executive order, regulation, or other executive branch approach to implement vending standards in states or localities; or
• As standards for any other location with a vending machine.

The vending standards, model policy, and additional resources are available at www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/foodstandards.html.  NANA also is working to develop a list of products that meet the vending standards and a factsheet about the impact of healthy vending standards on revenue, and to identify success stories. To share success stories about vending or food procurement policies, for more information about healthier food choices on public property, or to discuss how you might use the NANA model standards, please contact us at kbishop@cspinet.org.

Margo G. Wootan is the director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), one of the country’s leading health advocacy organizations that specializes in food, nutrition, and obesity prevention. Dr. Wootan received her B.S. in nutrition from Cornell University and her doctorate in nutrition from Harvard University’s School of Public Health. Wootan co-founded and coordinates the activities of the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) and the Food Marketing Workgroup. She has coordinated and led efforts to require calorie labeling at fast-food and other chain restaurants, require trans fat labeling on packaged foods, improve school foods, reduce junk-food marketing aimed at children, and expand nutrition and physical activity programs at CDC. Wootan has received numerous awards and is quoted regularly in the nation’s major media.

Katherine Bishop is a nutrition policy associate at the CSPI. Ms. Bishop received her B.A. in political science from the University of Rhode Island, and her M.S. in nutrition and M.P.H. in public health from Tufts University. Prior to working at CSPI, Ms. Bishop spent four years in the Massachusetts Legislature, as Legislative Aide then Legislative Director to a State Representative. In addition, during graduate school, Ms. Bishop worked with the Massachusetts Public Health Association and the Nutrition Policy Department at the World Health Organization.

This piece was originally published on the communitycommons.org blog on 1/2/2013: http://www.communitycommons.org/features/tired-of-the-same-old-vending-machine-junk/