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23Nov

Would you like some zapped fries with that? The dirt on irradiation

by: Adria categories:Column, Foods/Drink Comments Off

If your fries (or, more precisely, the potatoes cut into fries) were zapped with radiation would you want to know? In this week’s Ecoholic column in NOW I dig up  a lot of dirt on what irradiation does to your food as well as what signs to look for to know whether it’s been zapped.  At this point, there should be signage in grocery stores telling you if your potatoes/onions/spices (and if you’re in the US, your beef/chicken/lettuce) have been irradiated but if you’re eating out, there’s still no way to know.

I also got to talking to past founding president of CAPE (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment) Warren Bell and he brought up some pretty interesting points. I mention how every very time there’s a tainted meat/lettuce/nut scandal, talk of zapping more food items with radiation to kill off pathogens comes up. Bell says all eyes should fall to the nuke industry. Every time there’s a scandal, they do polls and put out feelers with the press to get us talking irradiation again. Why would they bother? What’s the connection? Bell says the food irradiation biz is a PR-friendly way of making use of the nuclear industry’s dirty waste, that it essentially “rehabilitates” or launders nuke waste in the public eye. Bottom line, irradiation doesn’t kill all bacteria and Bell says there’s no real evidence that irradiated meat is safe for human consumption.

By the way, in my column I also brought up how Australia banned irradiated pet food once 30 cats died after eating highly irradiated food. Up until then, the irradiation of imported cat food was mandatory in Oz. Here’s a full article from a veterinary news site on the topic. The brand involved in that 2009 scandal, a Canadian company (Champion) says it never sold irradiated pet food elsewhere. How do you know if your brand is irradiating your pet’s food in here in North America? There’s only one way to find out: ask.

08Nov

What the palm? The rainforest-razing oil in…everything

by: Adria categories:Bodycare, Column, Foods/Drink, Home Comments Off

Hand me a top hat and cane and I’ll sing about palm as a supercalafragalistic  plant-based petrochemical replacement. Gee willikers, you can add it to everything from lip balm to bathroom cleaner – amazing! But the song and dance come to a screeching halt when you start probing palm’s rainforest record. You know how headlines used to tell us that rainforest beef was clearcutting the Amazon? Well, now palm oil plantations are clearcutting rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia, Liberia, Camaroon, and the list goes on. I get into some of the nitty gritty details in this week’s Ecoholic column in NOW mag. One reader, Tarama, had written in wondering how she can avoid the troubled ingredient.  Noted Tamara, “It seems almost everything from food, cosmetics and cleaning products (including environmentally friendly brands) include it.” That’s right, sister. Many of them do. So how do you avoid it?

When it comes to food, you’d think palm oil would be easy enough to spot and avoid on ingredient lists, but it’s also often the basis of what’s listed as “vegetable oil.” The EU is starting to demand that veggie oil makers put an end to the mystery. Unfortunately, that ain’t the case in North America so if a product won’t cough up details beyond “vegetable oil,” SKIP.

As for beauty products, palm can be hidden behind the name sodium laureth sulfate, sodium laurel sulfate, sodium laurel sulfoacetate (all of which can also be from coconuts) as well as glyceryl stearate, stearic acid, steareth-2 and steareth-20. I mention a few palm-free soap brands in this week’s column like Ella’s Botanicals and Lush.

When it comes to cleaners, even natural brands often use palm. It can be hard to know for sure since it’s not mandatory for companies to disclose their ingredient lists. When in doubt, try emailing your favourite natural brand and asking them whether they contain any palm-derived ingredients. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple myself. Let them know you want to support palm oil-free products. If all else fails, go back to basics. Baking soda and vinegar are totally palm-free.

Know of any other palm-free brands? Let me know!

01Nov

Frankenfood fight: The heated battle for GMO labelling

by: Adria categories:Column, Foods/Drink Comments Off

Most of us, when given a choice, would choose to know when our s@!*’s been messed with. You know, like if you dropped my toothbrush in the toilet when I wasn’t looking, then opted to shake it off and stick it back on the sink without telling me. Or if you spliced a toxin into my corn when I wasn’t around. Hell, yeah, I’d want to know. Polls show 9 out of 10 Canadians agree, supporting mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods.  The issue was a hot topic (or a hot potato, depending on where you stood) a good decade ago then kind of faded away when the feds refused to make GMO labelling mandatory. Well, that’s all turned around now that California’s voting Tuesday November 6 on this very issue (it’s called Prop 37, check out the YouTube video above). Who doesn’t support it? I get into pro-labelling vs anti-labelling brands in this week’s Ecoholic

column, which answers a reader question on how you can tell whether your food’s been genetically modified.

By the way, the peeps that outed the brands to the left here (Cornucopia Institute) also outed retailers. Grande soy latte lovers take note, Starbucks contributed a cool $2 million to fuel the anti-labelling ad war. What exactly are you afraid of Starbucks? Your fave soymilk of choice, Silk, says it only uses GMO-free soybeans and has a Non-GMO Project label on it (though strangely enough, Silk twistedly funded the anti-labelling side too). Whole Foods took its sweet ass time sitting on the fence before it was pressured into joining the yes campaign (mostly because Whole Foods can’t guarantee its conventional produce isn’t GMO). Support indy grocers (like Big Carrot and Karma Coop in Toronto) that fight to keep GMOs out. Support some of the pro GMO-labelling organic brands mentioned above. And if you’re not a Californian and can’t vote on Prop 37 on Tuesday, you can still tell your provincial/state/federal politicians you want GMO labelling ASAP. It’s your right to know. And let’s keep our fingers crossed that Californian support doesn’t keep slip sliding away with every big budget ‘say no to prop 37′ ad.

26Oct

Green protein? The dish on soy, TVP, wheat gluten, beans & more

by: Adria categories:Column, Foods/Drink Comments Off

Trying to eat less meat? Wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole? Either way, more and more of us are sinking our teeth into meat alternatives. You know, veggie burgers, fake chicken cutlets, you name it. The name of the game amongst veg products these days is “anything meat can do we can do nicer.” Fake ribs, fake chorizo, fake chicken vindaloo, they all get closer and closer to the taste and texture of animal flesh than anything old school vegetarians could imagine. Of course some vegheads cringe at the idea of eating something that even resembles the texture of, say, beef on a stick. I confess, I kind of like it but some of this stuff but is it particularly healthy? Well, not so sure about meatless battered chicken wings. This stuff is like the Ding Dongs, or more aptly, the Spam of vegetarian proteins. Eat is as an occasional treat if you like but don’t consider it super healthy.

In this week’s Ecoholic column (part of NOW Magazine’s vegetarian issue), I dive into all the various meat substitutes and veg proteins, trying to determine which one’s are sustainable/flavourful/healthful/affordable. You can read the full article here. But there are a few points I wanted to add. For one, I talk about how many soy protein concentrate/isolate users process their soy with air polluting hexane. I only got to mention a few guilty brands in the piece so thought I’d connect you with the Cornucopia Institute’s Guide to Hexane-Extracted Soy in MeatAlternatives.  Sneak a peak to see who gets the skull and crossbones.

Also, if you’re interested in getting the full story on soy, how safe it is to eat, etc, you should definitely dig back into the archives and read by my Say It Ain’t Soy news article from 2004.

By the way, if you think going vegetarian is too expensive for your budget, it’s time to sneak a peak at how millions of vegetarians in India eat. Lots of healthy lentils and legumes, lots of naturally anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric, lots and lots of flavour. If you’re eating beans, just make sure you stay away from the canned kind not only because they cost more than soaking your own but because tin can linings are still made with estrogen-mimicking bisphenol A. Unless you opt for beans from BPA-free companies like Eden, but at upwards of $2cdn/can, it can add up. Still, cheaper (and healthier) than a steak!

 

04Sep

Stop the wilt: chowing down on food waste before it’s toast

by: Adria categories:Column, Foods/Drink Comments Off

Wilting produce in the so-called "crisper"

The crisper. Does it actually keep your produce all that crisp? That apple at the back of this photo has been in there so long it really will taste more like the fridge than an apple. A crisper can only do so much.  You do have to actually eat your food at some point. Trouble is most of us don’t. We toss at least a third of what we buy for our households. And from farm to fridge, we actually trash a whopping 40 per cent of our food. Just check out these stats from Natural Resources Defense Council: 

 

How do we put an end to an this crazy waste? Well, for one, you read my latest Ecoholic column on avoiding food waste, stock pot full of recipes and ideas. But there are a few tips that need refreshing. For one, I told you to cut the mould off your cheese and keep on eatin.’ Well, I got an email from a former monk who had been trained in the art of cheesemaking and noted that cutting off an inch of cheese around mould, as I suggested, was wasting too much. He said:

“One thing I learned is that mold is an inevitable accompaniment to the aging of cheese. In fact, while cheeses are being cured, they are washed daily in a salt brine, to remove any mold. If you have a moldy block of cheese, add a tablespoon of salt to a cup of lukewarm water, soak a clean cloth in it, and gently wipe the cheese. If any spots remain, use the tip of a potato peeler to flip them out.

Thanks for the tip! Also, I found another amazing food blog, ecocucinaen.wordpress.com loaded with zero-waste recipes (no haggis this time). This one’s by an Italian chef and has seriously delicious recipes for things we normally trash like eggplant skins, bean pods, pumpkin rinds, asparagus stalks…even ‘stale bread brownies.’ So inspiring. I’m so going to make her vegetable stock powder using dehydrated veggie peels.

And remember, the freezer is your friend! Freeze leftovers before you get sick of them. Freeze local produce while it’s in season. For all the deets on Deep Freezing Your Way Through the 100-Mile Diet, check out my 2008 column on the topic.

Next time you’re out at the grocery store/farmers’ market loading up your cart, picture the 20 pounds of food the average North American throws out a month and make “buy less, buy smart” our new mantra.

P.S. I promise to grate that fridge-flavoured apple into tomorrow morning’s pancakes. Nothing a little cinnamon can’t jazz up. And I really should do something with that lone carrot before it keeps wilting…

 

 

 

 

14Aug

I got a crush on you: Abeego Flat Wraps

by: Adria categories:Foods/Drink 3 comments

To store or not to store, that is the question. Actually the question is how to store…your food that is. Food packaging is littered with problems. Problem #1: it’s disposable and ends up in landfill after one use (tsk, tsk, cling wrap). Problem #2: it’s made of plastic, plastic, and more plastic. Now, I heart glass food storage containers and portable stainless steel food carriers but sometimes you just need a little wrap. You know, like to cover a bowl of leftovers without dirtying another bowl. To wrap up a couple carrot sticks to go. Enter ABEEGO. If you haven’t seen this stuff or have yet to buy some, check it out:  it’s “handcrafted with an authentic blend of beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil infused into fabric made of hemp and cotton.” You can wrap sandwiches in it, wedges of cheese, you name it and just wash it in cold water to use it again and again. And it’s made right here in Canada in Victoria, BC. Anyway, thought I’d share my crush. Happy snacking!

* No, Abeego didn’t send me freebies for review. These were a gift from my sister-in-law a couple years ago. Just in case you were wonderin.’

26Jun

How dirty is your superfood? The new Dirty Dozen & more

by: Adria categories:Foods/Drink Comments Off

Let me say it loud and proud: my family is full of health nuts. This wasn’t always the case. It all started after my folks sold their McDonald’s in the late 80s, the doctor ordered us to clean up our diets and my big brother Nick started bringing home alfalfa sprouts. (Before this point I ingested enough McDLTs and Bacon Double Cheeseburgers to satisfy a football team). Today my branch of the Vasil tree could likely compete with a heard of goats, consuming a small farm’s worth of greens a day and sprinkling hemp hearts on pretty much anything (not that goats eat a lot of hemp, though I’m sure they’d enjoy hemp hearts if they got a chance).

Now, in Ecoholic Body I talk about how just because your favourite superfood is super healthy doesn’t mean it comes without headaches. Turns out sprawling acai monoculture farms have actually been responsible for knocking down rainforest (Sambazon is a good certified fair trade, organic, wild-harvested choice). Camu camu berries, on the other hand, really shouldn’t be wild-picked for sustainability reasons (get the USDA certified organic kind instead).

And some of the biggest health boosters in your fridge may be laced with unwanted pesticide residues. Just this week, Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its latest Shopper’s Guide to Pesticide in Produce. In light of their updated Dirty Dozen list (the 12 most tainted fruits and veggies), I decided to update my Seven Superfoods to Always Buy Organic list from Ecoholic Body with new stats from EWG.

Blueberries: American blueberries are in now 11th place on the list of the 12 dirtiest pieces of produce. They tested positive for 42 different pesticides. Get ‘em organic!

Strawberries: It’s that time of year when ripe, luscious strawberries are in season. Shame they’re also #5 on the Dirty Dozen list in 2012 and up to 13 pesticides were found on a single sample! Get ‘em organic.

Cherries: Antioxidant rich cherries are #14 on the dirty list.  Better than being #9 last year but definitely could use improvement. Get ‘em organic.

Kale:  Don’t know about you, but I eat a lot of these leafy greens. (Every time I do I think of Woody Harrelson in Cheers drinking a shake and saying “you can really taste the kale.”) Too bad they’re tied with collards for 13th place. Best to get ‘em organic.

Also on my Seven Superfoods to Always Buy Organic list were Green Tea, Chocolate  and Salmon (that last one should be eaten wild to reduce your contaminants) though, naturally, EWG doesn’t cover those in their produce guide. To get the full list ranking 45 fruits and veggies for pesticide residues and a handy dandy Clean 15 list (very different from my Mean 15 list of bodycare ingredients to avoid! The Clean 15 is EWG’s list of the lowest residue produce that you don’t have to purchase organic if you can’t afford it) head to foodnews.org. The good news? Yummy super nutritious foods like sweet potato, avocado and oh so seasonal asparagus are in the clear! :)

Quick Super Food Mask: Got leftover avocado skins? Don’t trash ‘em! Before you put ‘em in the compost bin, rub the skins on your face and let the green goo sit for 10 minutes. It’s an incredibly nourishing face mask full of beneficial oils and vitamins (including E and K). Your face will thank you!

Question of the day: Couldn’t most/all fruits and veggies be labelled superfoods??

15Jun

How to stay away from toxic sushi in 4 easy steps

by: Adria categories:Foods/Drink Comments Off

You know the drill. Every week in Ecoholicland readers write in with questions and I answer one in my column. This week’s Ecoholic Q came from a friend that eats more tuna sushi than anyone I’ve ever met. Three times a week (in case you were wondering)! Since she’s in town visiting and asked me which fish she should be eating instead, I thought I’d fast track an answer because, well, it’s urgent. There aren’t plenty more fish in the sea and lots of the ones we’re eating regularly are pretty damn toxic.

So how can we all reduce our toxic load and satiate our appetite for sushi with safe ‘n sustainable choices?

1) Take it easy on the spicy tuna: Poor tuna have it hard. Because of their size (making them higher up on the food chain) they’re some of the highest mercury fish in the sea. They’re also seriously overfished. If you’re going to ignore my warnings and do it anyway, then promise me you won’t a fresh tuna roll more than twice a month, especially if you’re a woman of childbearing years.  And ask for BC albacore tuna if you’re going to get any. Because it’s caught younger/smaller it’s considered lower mercury and gets the green light from Seachoice.org. If your local sushi joint doesn’t carry any, tell them you and your friends would come back more often if they did.

2) Slow down on the salmon sashimi: I’ll admit it, I have a soft spot for raw salmon. Don’t love it cooked, but mm mm raw. The problem is the vast majority of the bright pink salmon in sushi joints is the farmed kind, and the farm kind is an ecological nightmare (for all the deets, go here). Plus the farmed kind are loaded with PCBs, as well as other contaminants including dieldrins, toxaphenes, dioxins and chlorinated pesticides. Ask for wild salmon instead and tell the manager you’d pay a little more for it too.

3) Print off this guide: 

There are lots of good guides to sustainable fish. Canada’s Seachoice.org offers a great one for sushi though it focuses on sustainability alone. The good peeps at Environmental Defense Fund (US) address both the sustainability and the pollutants issue by adding a little heart next to greenlit fish that are low in contaminants.  Print your guide out here. 

4) Tell your favourite sushi joint to Ocean Wise up! Unless you’re lucky to live in Vancouver, you may have a really tough time finding Canadian sushi joints that offer up Ocean Wise-approved fish. Shame, because there are plenty of other Canadian restaurants serving up Ocean Wise fish. Either way, encourage your neighbourhood sashimi-servers to take the lead, get the ethical edge over their competitors and distinguish themselves from the sea of run of the mill sushi joints by offering up some certified sustainable options. It’s as easy as sending them to oceanwise.ca.

 

10May

Good news and bad news on pitcher filters

by: Adria categories:Foods/Drink, Home Comments Off

Oh pitcher filter. Why did you have to disappoint us, so? Yes, in this week’s Ecoholic column I talk about the short comings of Canada’s favourite water filter, Brita, as well as other pitcher filters. Seems they do reduce heavy metals like mercury and used to meet lead reduction standards, and then the standards improved and the pitchers couldn’t keep up. So yes, they do reduce lead somewhat, but not enough to meet NSF standards. On the bright side, activated carbon filters do seem to seriously reduce the presence of trace pharmaceuticals in water. More good news (not mentioned in the column), last year, Toronto voted to bring in ultra violet filtration to the city’s water, which will also slash the presence of pharmaceuticals in our water supply. A very good thing, especially in light of a new federal water study out of the U.S. that found 112 toxic materials (from flame retardants and pesticides to personal care and cleaning chemicals, as well as drugs like the diphenhydramine, Benedryl) downstream from wastewater treatment plants. For all the deets on filters, check out this week’s column. 

Oh and as for my point about carbon filters not removing fluoride and pestering your local councillor about removing fluoride from your local water supply, thought I’d share a link to a full news article I did a while back for NOW Mag on the problems with fluoridated water as well as a link to Canadians Opposed to Fluoride.

You may have spotted in Ecoholic Body I leave the choice on fluoridated toothpaste in your hands. But that’s a whole ‘nother topic for another day.

 

28Mar

So, what can I cook during Earth Hour with less power?

by: Adria categories:Column, Foods/Drink Comments Off

So you’re primed to flick off the lights and spark up some low-emission soy candles. Excellent. Now, don’t even think about throwing all that energy saving out the window by baking a six-hour slow roast pork shoulder. Sorry, Jamie Oliver fans.

If you want to impress your friends and family with a proper Earth Hour meal, keep your 2,400-watt oven turned off altogether and tweak your cooking style to maximize kilowatt savings.

How? Our food-related energy use has inched up as we reach for blenders and food processors over knives and… Read more…