Eating In and Out of Order
Do I look fat in this?Eating disorders, especially the "classics" - anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating - are traumatic, no question. These eating patterns-gone-haywire (leave aside for a sec just being waaay too fat, which is obviously out-of-order too) not only interfere with living a happy, healthy life, they can have permanent and devastating consequences.Like lots of people, we've seen this up close and it's painful to see. And surely, one thing we know is ...
The Unhappy Face of Today’s Feast and What to Do
Today's New York Times had a piece by its City Critic about the "humane" slaughtering that certain privileged turkeys get. Apparently, fancy Hudson Valley birds (as opposed to the gazillion others that are killed without the "special treatment") get a one-two blessing of a higher authority and a swift chop-n'slice. The idea is it's a better way to go. Or so we tell ourselves. Ariel Kaminer describes her experience as "gross" and said it made her feel "crummy." Yet, it ...
Like Acorns to Squirrels: Storing Your Food
Just like squirrels scurry around storing acorns and other winter food sources, we should too. Not acorns necessarily (though we hear they make a passable flour in a real pinch), but food we'll eat and enjoy. And not just if we're starving. Based upon some of what we've seen out there as handy-dandy emergency food storage in case the end-times happen to pop up makes us think we'd prefer the acorns. Listen, there's no point having packets of spaghetti and meat-sa...
Gut Feelings: Listening to the Messages
We've all heard about gut feelings -- those incomparable physical feelings that can feel like a definite knock-knock in the pit of our stomachs when we have "a-ha" moments (good or bad). These feelings are distinct from the purely physical (and bad) sensations of slouching over the toilet because we've eaten something rotten. We are firm believers that our guts bring us valuable info -- news we should use. Called our second brain by some (Michael Gershon wrote a ...
Thank the Kitchen Help
Kitchens are special places. They're hot and steamy, a little fraught with danger... and of course they yield delicious and nourishing food. Gourmet cooks pride themselves on their kitchen tools and equipment. Interior designers have been reported to spend tens of thousands (if not more) on kitchens that the owners hardly touch (we don't count only microwaving food).We've all also heard the saying, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen." It's flung about in ...
Poison and What We Eat
... Steven Pearlstein of the Washington Post wrote recently about the hostile "hyperbole and poisonous rhetoric from the business lobby" that seeks to resist anything that doesn't let business do what it wants. He talks about the energy industry, but it definitely applies to big agri-pharma-food businesses too."Attack," (like in trained dog) is how we'd characterize the basic lobbying style. Attack anyone and everyone who disagrees with you with the most vile and false claims all the ...
Why We love High-Fructose Corn Syrup…or, “Love that Top.”
We've heard that the High Fructose Corn people have been feeling a bit beleaguered. Even after Audrae Erickson, president of the the Corn Refiners Association, a trade group in Washington that represents the biggest makers of high-fructose corn syrup, put up a Web site, HFCSFacts.com, to blunt criticism of the sweetener (check out video of moms chatting about HFCS), it's not going well.The popular Facebook page attaching HFCS and some sometimes hilarious YouTube parodies (Love That ...
Life Goes Better With Coke… More Quickly Anyway
Nice to see Michelle Obama taking up the good fight against fat (unhealthy) kids. Sadly, the same day the media carried this story, we also see that Coca-cola posted strong profits on emerging market sales, including a 29% increase in China and significant increases in India and Latin America. Despite new evidence that shows just how dangerous these products are (pancreatic cancer anyone?), not just because they are sugary and can make us fat, soft drink and junk food companies ...
Food Preparedness: It’s Not Just for Doomsday Anymore
We love a well-stocked pantry, especially one that has all sorts of delicacies, like lemon curd and pickled garlic. Nothing nicer and easier than putting together a meal or snack for unexpected guests or a tired night. The real benefits of food storage are immediately apparent when disaster hits -- earthquakes, blizzards, power outages, missile attacks, ETs, etc. By now, most of us should be sharply aware that we have to expect the unexpected, which is why the Wake Up and Eat ...
Grow Up — How to Sprout Seeds For Fresh, Cheap and Tasty Veggies Anywhere, Anytime
Time to Grow Up and Grow Your Own -- Easy Seed Sprouting DirectionsStep One: Start with organic seeds. This means they won't be sprayed with poisons, genetically modified or otherwise yucky. Alfalfa and mung beans are the most familiar sprout types (think hippie sandwiches and Chinese food) but almost any kind of seeds will deliver tasty sprouts. Try radish, pea, garbanzo, lentil, adzuki beans, clover, broccoli, and many others. You can even make your own blends which ...
