40 days and 40 nights

Well it has been 40 days since Chad and I have started eating all natural food. It's kind of ironic because today is Ash Wednesday, now is the time people start giving up things for Lent, which is 40 days. I guess Chad and I are just ahead of the game :)

This experience has taught Chad and I how to prepare, shop, plan and explore natural foods. My husband has lost 15+ pounds and has motivated him to get back into the gym. Eating this way has also pushed me into other healthier choices, my co-worker and I have started to work out every morning at 6am before we go into work. Never would I have thought I would actually enjoy this but I do. Now that I am working out so early I am also mindful of getting enough sleep. I guess you could say that there is a domino effect in starting healthy habits. Plus doesn't take 6 weeks to make or break a habit? I think Chad and I will continue our efforts in eating clean but will cheat for convenience sake here and there.

Actually I have already cheated this week! I gave myself the permission to get some pizza for lunch on Tuesday. My rationale? It was fat Tuesday!

Sugar Sugar

 As I walk through the grocery store I see more and more foods that are considered sugar reduced or sugar free. They are being advertised as healthy too. These products all are "healthier" because synthetic sweeteners are being used in the products. These sweeteners have all been chemically engineered to out smart our bodies that they are in fact not sugar or our bodies simple can't metabolize them. Surely there are consequences to these chemicals we put into our bodies.

 Here is an article I found online going into more detail about specifics on sugar substitutes and which are "safer" and the ones to stay clear of.


Sweet nothings.
David Schardt

 And remember: real sugar is hardly a toxic chemical. The problem is the large amounts that Americans eat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suggested a limit of ten teaspoons of added sugars per day for people who eat a 2,000-calorie diet. That's 40 grams, about as much as you'd get from one 12-ounce soft drink or two six-ounce fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts.

Here's a scorecard showing which artificial sweeteners are safe...and which are questionable. With that in hand, you can check our "Sweet vs. Sweet" chart (p. 11) to see which sweeteners are in which foods.

Safe SUCRALOSE

Also known as: Splenda.

What is it? Sugar (sucrose) chemically combined with chlorine. Its "made from sugar" label slogan is technically true, but misleading.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't burn sucralose for energy.

Safety: Sucralose passed all safety tests in animal studies.

Comments: There is no reason to suspect that sucralose causes any harm.

NEOTAME

What is it? A synthetic derivative of a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, the same two amino acids that are used to make aspartame. The bond between the amino acids is harder to break down than aspartame's, so neotame is more stable.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't metabolize neotame, and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten foods.

Safety: Unlike aspartame, neotame isn't broken down in the body into the amino acid phenylalanine, which is toxic to people with the rare disorder phenylketonuria (PKU). Animal and human studies have raised no safety concerns.

Comments: Neotame is so new that it hasn't yet appeared in any foods. It's always possible that once millions of consumers start eating neotame, some people may turn out to be sensitive to it.

Safe, but large amounts can cause diarrhea SUGAR ALCOHOLS

Also known as: sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.

What are they? Sugar alcohols aren't sugar and won't make you tipsy. They're made by adding hydrogen atoms to sugars. For example, adding hydrogen to glucose makes sorbitol.

Why they're low-calorie: Some sugar alcohols are absorbed better than others. Erythritol, which is largely unabsorbed, has virtually no calories, while maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are absorbed enough to provide three-quarters the calories of sugar.

Safety: Too much sugar alcohol traveling unabsorbed through the intestinal tract can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Unfortunately, the FDA only requires a "laxative effect" warning notice on labels if consumers could ingest 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams of mannitol from the food in a day. But just 10 grams of sorbitol, for example, can cause GI distress. (If sugar alcohols have made you sick, send a letter to CSPI--JE, Suite 300, 1875 Conn. Ave. N.W., Washington DC 20009. We'll forward it to the FDA.)

Comments: Sugar alcohols don't raise blood sugar as rapidly as sugar does, yet they're as bulky as sugar. So they can be used tablespoon-for-tablespoon to replace the sugar that's been removed from lower-carb foods. But while they may have a minimal impact on your blood sugar, they may have more than a minimal impact on your waistline and hips.

TAGATOSE

Also known as: Naturlose.

What is it? A "mirror-image" form of sugar that's manufactured from milk sugar (lactose).

Why it's low-calorie: Unlike sugar, tagatose can't be digested by enzymes in the intestines. Most passes through the body unabsorbed.

Safety: Because tagatose isn't well-absorbed, consuming large amounts can cause flatulence, rumbling noises, bloating, and nausea. Studies have raised no other safety concerns.

Comments: Tagatose is so new that you're only likely to find it in one food--Diet Pepsi Slurpees sold at 7-Eleven.

Probably safe, but certain people should avoid ASPARTAME

Also known as: Equal, NutraSweet, NatraTaste.

What is it? A synthetic derivative of a combination of the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine.

Why it's low-calorie: Only tiny amounts of aspartame are needed to sweeten foods.

Safety: People with the rare disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) can't metabolize phenylalanine, so they should avoid aspartame.

Whether aspartame causes headaches is unclear. An industry-funded study of people who complained of aspartame-induced headaches concluded that it doesn't. But an independent test in 1994 of 26 similar people found that the sweetener was linked to symptoms in the 11 who were "very sure" they were sensitive. That suggests that some people react to aspartame, though fewer than the number who believe they do.

The most serious charge--that aspartame increases the risk of cancer--has never been proved. Among the many animal studies on aspartame, only one hints at an increased risk.

There's no foundation to claims floating around the Internet that aspartame causes everything from Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis.

Comments: Clouds hang over both aspartame and acesulfame, but researchers have done more--and better--studies on aspartame. Even so, because aspartame is used in so many foods, the FDA should err on the side of caution and require non-industry-funded studies to resolve any questions about aspartame's safety.

People who believe they suffer from headaches or other symptoms after consuming foods that contain aspartame should avoid the sweetener.

INADEQUATELY TESTED ACESULFAME

Also known as: Sweet One, Sunett, acesulfame potassium.

What is it? A synthetic chemical.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't metabolize acesulfame.

Safety: The safety of acesulfame (pronounced ace-SULL-fame) rests on three animal studies conducted in the mid-1970s. The first was inconclusive because it found a variety of tumors both in mice fed acesulfame and in control mice fed acesulfame-free diets. The second was so plagued with sick animals that the FDA tossed out the results as unreliable.

In the third study, female rats fed acesulfame were twice as likely to develop breast tumors as control rats. While most of the tumors were benign, there were some malignant tumors--one in the 60 control rats, two in the 60 rats given low doses of acesulfame, and three in the 60 rats given high doses of acesulfame. The sweetener's manufacturer argued that acesulfame seemed to cause more tumors only because the control rats happened to remain unusually tumor-free. The FDA bought the company's interpretation and refused to require more safety testing.

Comments: Acesulfame should be better tested. Until then, try to avoid it.

STEVIA

Also known as: Sweet Leaf, Honey Leaf.

What is it? An extract from a shrub that grows in Brazil and Paraguay.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't metabolize stevia.

Safety: When male rats were fed high doses of stevioside (stevia's active ingredient) for 22 months, they produced fewer sperm and there was increased cell proliferation in their testicles, which could cause infertility. And when female hamsters were fed large amounts of a derivative of stevioside, they had fewer and smaller offspring. That--combined with the absence of other animal studies that are normally required for food additives--led the FDA, Health Canada, the European Union, and the World Health Organization to conclude that stevia shouldn't be allowed in food.

Comments: Stevia can't be used as an ingredient in food. But it can be sold as a supplement, since safety rules for supplements are looser than for foods. Stevia is promoted by the health-food industry as a natural alternative to synthetic sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose. But "natural" doesn't automatically mean "safe."

UNSAFE SACCHARIN

Also known as: Sweet 'N Low.

What is it? A synthetic chemical that was discovered in 1879 when a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore noticed that a compound he spilled on his hand tasted sweet.

Why it's low-calorie: Our bodies can't metabolize saccharin, and only tiny amounts are needed to sweeten foods.

Safety: In 1977, the FDA tried to ban saccharin because animal studies showed that it caused cancer of the bladder, uterus, ovaries, skin, and other organs. Bowing to pressure from the diet-food industry and dieters, Congress intervened to keep saccharin on the market, though with a warning notice on the label. (At the time, saccharin was the only high-potency sweetener.)

In the late 1990s, the Calorie Control Council--which represents the low-calorie food and beverage industry--convinced the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that the main health concern about saccharin was bladder cancer in male rats, but that people didn't develop bladder cancer through the same mechanism as the rats. In 2000, over the objections of a number of scientists, the NIH removed saccharin from its list of carcinogens and Congress removed the requirement for warning notices.

Yet last year the National Cancer Institute noted that one of its own studies--the best human study of saccharin use ever done--had found "some evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer" in heavy saccharin users, "particularly for those who heavily ingested the sweetener as a table top sweetener or through diet sodas." "Heavy" meant "six or more servings of sugar substitute or two or more eight-ounce servings of diet drink daily."

Comments: Just because saccharin no longer carries a warning doesn't erase the evidence that it may cause cancer in humans.

Schardt, D. (2004). Sweet nothings.Nutrition Action Health, 31, 8-11.

But the packaging said it was healthy...

The FDA has certain restrictions on how food can be labeled. This helps protect consumer from being manipulated into buying what they think could be healthy but in fact is not. Below is an article I found on companies misusing the word "Fresh" on packaging. (Bold emphasis added by me.)

You can find more information on FDA labeling restrictions at FDA.gov

Several food manufacturers removed the word "fresh" from their products this spring, marking advances in FDA's on going effort to enforce its rules on proper food labeling.

The first two products targeted by FDA, Citrus Hill Fresh Choice orange juice and Ragu Fresh Italian pasta sauce, are both heat processed. The juice is reconstituted from concentrate, while the pasta sauce contains tomato paste. Labeling the products "fresh" is misleading, FDA said.

On April 26, the manufacturer of Citrus Hill, Procter & Gamble Co., of Ohio, agreed to change its orange juice label and remove the word "fresh," after FDA inspectors, accompanied by a U.S. marshal, seized a shipment of the product on April 24 from a warehouse in Minneapolis, Minn.

FDA had repeatedly warned Procter & Gamble to amend the labeling, but the company refused to comply. Since 1963, FDA has not allowed the term "fresh" on commercially processed orange juices. In 1969, it ruled that "fresh" could not describe any food that had been heated or chemically processed.

"The food label must be truthful," said FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D., when he announced the seizure. "We have taken firm action on the use of the term 'fresh' on the food label.

"The use of the term 'fresh' on this product is false and misleading, and it is confusing to consumers," Kessler added. "Today's action will send a clear message that the FDA will not tolerate such violations of the law."

Following this action on May 2, after months of negotiations with FDA, Ragu Foods Company of Trumbull, Conn., agreed to change its Ragu Fresh Italian pasta sauce trademark to Fino Italian pasta sauce. It will also change the ingredients list to include tomato paste.

FDA said consumers need not return Citrus Hill or Ragu products to stores or discard them, since there was no reason to believe that the products pose any health risk. FDA's actions related to Citrus Hill and Ragu were truth-in-labeling issues, not health safety ones.

FDA Consumer; Jul/Aug 91, Vol. 25 Issue 6, p2.

Black bean salsa

Came across this recipe online at Allrecipes.com and loved it. I bought 100% whole wheat pita bread and the two together were great. I though about puree this a bit  next time too that way you could use it as a sandwich spread or make it into a bean burrito. Great source of protein and easy place to squeeze more veggies into your diet. Delish!

Black bean salsa Allrecipes.com
Created by Ehmer, Wednesday, 30 June 2010

1 can black beans - (15 oz), drained, rinsed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small bell pepper, finely chopped

1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeds removed and chopped small

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp sugar

1 pinch Freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste

Elaboration on Cow Lactation...

Since I have been shopping in healthier stores and specialty shops I have come across a lot of concepts to eating healthy: organic, all natural, 100% whole grain, free-range, 100% grass fed, omega 3 enhanced, preservative free and products that are rBGH free. Most of the verbiage above I understand but the last one I didn't really know what it meant. I looked online and on Sustainabletable.org it gave a detailed explanation. I have posted it below. (Bold emphasis added).

        What Is rBGH & rBST?
       Somatotropin is a naturally-occurring protein hormone produced in the pituitary gland of animals;      Bovine Somatotropin (BST or bST) triggers nutrients to increase growth in young cattle and lactation (milk production) in dairy cows. Artificial BST is produced using recombinant DNA technology (biotechnology), and called rBST for short. rBST is commonly known as Bovine Growth Hormone or rBGH.² When injected into cows, rBGH increases milk production 10-15 percent and in some cases up to 40 percent. Approximately 17% of all cows in the US are given the artificial growth hormone.⁴
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval for rBGH came in 1993. According to opponents of the drug, effects of rBGH were never properly studied. The FDA relied solely on one study administered by Monsanto in which rBGH was tested for 90 days on 30 rats. The study was never published, and the FDA stated the results showed no significant problems.
The FDA continues to assure consumers that rBGH is safe for cows and humans, despite evidence to the contrary. In 1994, the FDA prohibited dairies from claiming there was any difference between milk from rBGH-injected cows and milk produced without the artificial hormone⁵. This controversy, discussed below, continues today.
In 1998, an assessment by Health Canada (Canada's equivalent of the FDA), determined Monsanto's results of their 90-day study showed concern and reasons for review before approval of rBGH⁵/⁶. Today, the European Union⁷, Japan⁸, Australia⁹ and Canada¹⁰ have all banned the use of rBGH due to animal and human health concerns.

This article makes the FDA look a little fishy...continue reading below for more disturbing information about how rBGH affects the cows.

        Problems included an alarming rise in the number of deformed calves and dramatic increases in mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udder which causes inflammation, swelling,¹¹ and pus and blood secretions into milk¹². To treat mastitis outbreaks, the dairy industry relies on antibiotics. Critics of rBGH point to the subsequent increase in antibiotic use (which contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria) and inadequacies in the federal government's testing program for antibiotic residues in milk¹³. The FDA relies on pasteurization to kill off bacteria, hormones and antibiotics in milk.

So not only do the cows end up getting the rBGH, antibiotics are used with it to fight off infections that it causes. Behind the use of rBGH it sounds like there is a lot involvement with government lobbyists and greedy drug companies. It really makes you wonder about all the marketing about food and healthy living. Do all these companies have our best interests at heart or is it money?

I guess if you take out all the politics, marketing, packaging and commercializing of food you end up with... food that is naturally grown!

The Sustainable Table. (2011). Retrieved February26, 2011, from http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/rbgh/

Apricot-Glazed Scallops

Chad and I are still trying hard to eat naturally and I can tell you know I have never cooked so much in my life! It's been good though because I enjoy cooking and looking up new recipes. My husband has lost 15 pounds since we started eating this way! He has had to put 4 new holes in his belt to keep his pants up :) Time to go shopping! Chad has also been swimming about 3 days a week to help with his weight loss.

While I was on my to NYC I picked up a copy of the latest Clean Eating magazine  at the airport and found a ton of recipes I want to try. I made one of them tonight. Chad ranked it a 8 out of 10. We thought this recipe would be great with shrimp too.

Apricot-Glazed Scallops

6 oz cellophane noodles (aka bean thread noodles)
1 Tbsp safflower olie (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup minced white onion
1 tsp minced fresh ginger ( I used 1/2 tsp of ground ginger)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lb fresh or frozen large sea scallops (thaw if frozen)*
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup all natural apricot preserves
2 cups fresh or frozen snow peas (do not thaw, if frozen)
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Soak noodles in very hot water for 10 minutes, set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or large skillet on medium-high.
Add onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until tender, stirring frequently.
Add scallops and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until opaque.
In a small bowl whisk soy sauce into apricot preserves. (I added some additional water to this)
Add apricot mixure to wok and bring to a simmmer.
Add snow peas and cook for 30seconds to a minute.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve scallop mixture over noodles.

*Healthy note: Scallops are rich in vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium.

Apricot-Glazed Scallops. (2011, February). Clean Eating. p. 62.

What's grass have to do with yogurt?

Most mornings for breakfast I have been enjoying yogurt with raspberries. My favorite is Trader's Point Creamery Organic whole milk yogurt. Across the bottle is has a label stating, " Made with 100% Grass fed Milk". I decided to do a little research and find out what exactly that means and why it's healthier for us to consume products from animals that are grass fed.

At SustainableTable.com I found information that explained the difference between cows that solely eat grass and cows that eat a lot more, "Pasture-raised (grass fed) animals enjoy a diet free of the unnatural feed additives routinely administered on factory farms. Industrial farms frequently supplement animal feed with a range of byproducts including chicken manure, plate waste from restaurants, and animal blood in order to bolster the quantity and protein content of the feed. "

On the Trader's Point Creamery website it explained how the cows spend 99% of their time in the pastures and are 100% grass fed. They ensure their customers that no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are used and their cows never receive antibiotics or synthetic hormones.

Below one of the owners of Trader's Point Creamery explains the nutritional benefits of grass fed cow's milk.

In a recent interview, Dr Kunz said, “We have discovered just how important grazing animals are to human health. When animals are raised on pasture and eat the rich greens, they acquire nutrients that are important to human health: omega-3, fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), beta-carotene and vitamins A and D. When people eat products such as: milk, meat and eggs from grass fed animals, research suggests that the risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer is reduced.”

So not only am I going to continue to eat my yogurt because it tastes amazing but now I have learned it's healthier than your standard low-fat sugar filled yogurt. Cheers!


Traders Point Creamery. (2011). Products. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.tpforganics.com/products/

The Sustainable Table. (2011). Pasture-raised. Retrieved February 22, 2011, from http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/pasture/