Food and Drink
Antioxidants and The Greatest Health Discoveries
Super foods and Supplements are like the stock market – you want to invest over the long term and diversify for best results. With all the attention given to the ‘newest’, ‘greatest’ and ‘exotic’ super foods with mega antioxidants like acai, goji berries, pomegranate and blueberries, you may get sucked into the marketing hype and lose sight of the actual benefit. It’s like greenwashing for healthy foods.
At prices double or triple what you would expect to pay for other healthy fruits and vegetables, it makes you wonder- is this really worth it? The answer is, only if you like the way it tastes, because that is going to be the biggest difference you are going to notice.
While these may be high in a few beneficial antioxidants, you aren’t going to turn into superman consuming them, in fact you may lose out in other important vitamins and minerals by ignoring the less flashy fruits and vegetables.
New and Hot:
Açaí – A berry from the Açaí Palm, found mostly in Central America, has been a staple food of many of the Brazilian jungle dwellers for generations. Far from the antioxidant powerhouse it is marketed as- while it contains more than oranges and apples, it has less antioxidants than the more common blueberry, and black cherry, concord grape or even red wine.
It is a great addition to your existing food selection, but at $5.00 a bottle it’s probably just as healthy as a $1.25 bottle of grape juice.
Goji Berries (Wolfberry) – A berry originating from China has been associated with healing powers and high vitamin C content. Also greatly misrepresented, the dried berry loses a great deal of its potency and are comparable to the levels you would find in a citrus fruit such as an orange or lemon. While tasty, these berries don’t deliver on their lofty health benefits.
Is Organic Food Really Better For The Environment?
Flikr User: Dano
I eat a lot of organic food. In fact, about 80% of the food that goes into my body is organic. I cannot tell you how many times I get teased about eating “dirt” from many of my friends, and even my family. A friend recently quizzed me about my reasons for eating organic. I claimed that one of the reasons I opt for organic food is for environmental reasons and my friend gave me the most flabbergasted look on the planet. He flat out refused to believe that organic food is more environmentally sound than “normal” food. This set me on a quest to defend my position that organic food is better for the environment. So here are the top three environmentally based reasons I choose to eat organic food:
1) Organic farming practices can help decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. According to The Rodale Institute, each acre devoted to organic farming can remove and store around 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year. That means if we were to convert all 434 million acres of farmland in the U.S. to organic farmlands, it would be the equivalent to getting rid of 217 million cars, which is about 1/3 of the automobiles in the world, according to the Organic Trade Association .
2) Organic farming uses less energy. According to the same study, organic farming practices use 30% less energy, less water, and obviously no pesticides. Think of all the energy that goes into the production and transportation of pesticides and › Continue reading
Sun Chips Compostable Bag
I just happened to see an amazing thing last night on television, a (seemingly) plastic snack-chip bag biodegrade in a time lapse in 12 weeks. Impossible! Or is it?
NatureWorks has developed a compostable bag for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Divison, the makers of SunChips. As with many claims of length of time to biodegrade, it is usually very dependent on the environment it is placed in.
This fully biodegradable bag is said to be able to decompose over 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost bin or pile—at home or at an industrial composting site.
Unlike most biodegradable plastics which just break down into smaller pieces, but remain in the environment as small bits of plastic, these are made from a biopolymer resin made extracted from plant sugar called polyastic acid (PLA). PLA is made from lactic acid which in turn is made from dextrose by fermentation. Dextrose is made from starch and starch is made from carbon dioxide and water. It is said to also lower the impact on greenhouse gasses when compared to plastics due to the fact that it’s made with plants that grow annually instead of petroleum (which takes millions of years to form).
› Continue reading
Valentines Day Organic Equal Exchange Coffee and Chocolate Love Pairing
Valentines day is nearing and what better way to wake up with your love than with a coffee and chocolate pairing. It’ll get your heart racing and your euphoric feelings jump started (we all know the love euphoria properties of chocolate). You won’t feel guilty enjoying this because it is eco-friendly and socially responsible Organic and Fair-trade from Equal Exchange. I was delighted when Annie from Mambo Sprouts was gracious enough to send me a sample.
Wrapped in a recycled print gift bag chocked full of goodies, the Equal Exchange Organic Chocolate and Coffee Pairing Gift Bag will be sure to conjure up feelings of the holidays. Two bags of love inspired organic coffee blends (Organic Love Buzz and Organic Mind, Body and Soul) along with four Organic Chocolate Bars perfectly paired with a ‘pairing’ instruction sheet will provide for an entertaining and enjoyable morning or afternoon activity to share. At $34.95, its less than a dozen roses and definitely tastes better! Check the bottom of this post for a free shipping code for The Chic Ecologist readers.
For those with a soft spot for chocolate heart minis, Equal Exchange’s fairly traded (Vegan and gluten-free) Organic Dark Chocolate Minis (55% cacao content) are a far-cry from the chocolates you find in those heart shaped boxes. These deliciously rich, bite-sized chocolates are crafted using the best quality organic cacao (cocoa beans) from small-scale farmer co-operatives in the Dominican Republic and Peru. › Continue reading
BPA and Your Safest Reusable Water Bottle Choice
When it comes to water bottles, the choices seem endless. By now you probably know all the problems with disposable plastic water bottles, even the so called green bottled water have on the environment, but what about you?
Lately there has been a big deal made of Bisphenol A or BPA. BPA is a estrogen hormone mimicking chemical and has been linked with all kinds of bad stuff, including breast cancer, early puberty, and problems in infants and is found in some surprising places including reusable water bottles and canned fruits and vegetables.
Source: Chemical analyses of 97 canned foods by Southern Testing and Research Division of Microbac Laboratories, Inc., North Carolina.
This was a problem with some reusable plastic and aluminum bottles (aluminum water bottles require a liner to prevent corrosion). Fortunately this has been addressed for most of the big name manufacturers including new production models of Nalgene, SIGG and Camelbak.
Recent studies of BPA effects
The best way to choose a water bottle to avoid BPA and other toxins, is to select the right one for your needs and use it correctly. Here are the prevalent reusable container options:
Glass or Ceramic water bottles
Aquasana
Good for hot (when insulated) and acidic items, scratch resistant, durability, longevity
Bad for weight, traveling, impact
Stainless Steel water bottles
Klean Kanteen
Good for hot (when insulated) and acidic items, durability, longevity
Bad for weight
› Continue reading
Neogreen Insulated Lunch Totes and Kozees
I usually tote my lunch to work in a re-used paper bag, but by the end of the week that bag ends up looking pretty haggard. Thankfully the guys over at Neogreene heeded my call and sent me one of their new eco-friendly insulated lunch tote along with a waterbottle cozy.
Many of you may remember my article a little while back about green neoprene technology, where I first mentioned Neogreene and their laptop sleeves. They have since expanded their line to include lunch totes, water bottle cozies and wine bottle carriers in a spread of color combination’s.
Aside from how green they are, they are also very cool looking and well constructed. I have to be honest in saying the shapes are a bit feminine for me (rounded corners and such make them look a bit like womens handbags) but my girlfriend loves them. I’m not giving up the cozy though- it is perma-plastered to my stainless steel kleen kanteen.
As you may have noticed, all the products have animal names. These are endangered species, a reminder that GreenSmart now donates 10% of net profits to the World Wildlife Fund and other environmental organizations.
Healthy Morning Blender Breakfast
Just wanted to share with you my favorite new breakfast treat from the blender. If you are a smoothie fan, give this one a blend, if not, you will be after tasting this!
Roasted Blueberry Banana Breakfast Smoothie
Yeah, sounds a bit funky, but it’s the best way I could explain it. The roasted flax seeds give it a great toasted flavor which mixes really well with the banana. Great way to get your fiber, Omega 3’s and some potassium with a shot of anti-oxidants.
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1 Organic Banana
1 cup Organic frozen blueberries
1/4 cup Roasted Flax Seeds (I usually get them from Trader Joes)
2 cups Organic Soymilk
1/2 cup Organic Vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup of ice
Blend away!
Do you have a favorite smoothie with a bit of a twist? Share it here in the comments section below.
› Continue reading
Design Within Reach Eco Design Water Filter
I do despise bottled water, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to drink artesian spring water. Lucky I came across this beautiful and elegant water pitcher by Design Within Reach (DWR). I do own a Pur water filter pitcher, but I have never liked all that plastic (and large disposable plastic water filters). DWR fills this need beautifully with a water pitcher that is fit for your table (even with the filter elements in it).
Water is filtered through Iouseki stones and Binchotan charcoal, creating fresh, mineral-rich water. While not necessarily the greenest, the stones come from the mountains in Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast. The charcoal filtration elements are specially prepared for potable water use, and also works as a deodorizer to create odor-free water.
Fine and Raw Chocolates
Having been converted into a chocolate lover late in life, I was excited to explore new and exotic chocolate flavors. I can say I have eaten the fruit of a freshly picked cacao pod, chewed a raw bean, and grated freshly roasted coco beans into milk to make hot chocolate- so I like to really explore foods right down to their raw form.
Raw foodstuffs are starting to gain more traction as we are trying to get further from preservatives and limit our processed food intake. No one understands this better than Fine and Raw. Handmade in Brooklyn, these chocolates are crafted from raw ingredients using low heat techniques to keep the chocolate’s raw vitality and flavor.
All of the ingredients are organic, and are sourced from a small fairtrade cacao farmers co-op that practices sustainable farming. All packaging is recycled and printed with non-toxic and vegetable based inks. Raw Blue Agave is used to sweeten the bars instead of sugar due to its unique sweet notes and tones, plus it is low glycemic and sweeter than sugar.
They were nice enough to send me a sample pack which included a Lucuma & Vanilla bar, a 78% bar and a 2 pack of bon bons. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. Rough and earthy, the brown craft paper packaging and fact sheet with whimsical two color line art let me know what was in store for me- handcrafted and basic, but also unique and perfected, it all came into focus.
Verterra Sustainable Disposable Dinnerware Plates
I know it sounds like a complete oxymoron, but these picnic plates are both disposable and truly sustainable. Best when composted (as things don’t biodegrade in a landfill) to be truly sustainable cradle to cradle compliant, these sturdy plates are as much at home on your fancy dining room table as they are in the backyard. They feel as if they are made of wood, but actually are created by one of the least impact-full materials and processes: pressed fallen leaves.
It’s so simple and natural, it boggles my mind. Leaves that have fallen naturally are collected and pressed together using no chemicals, waxes or bonding agents, leaving them completely non-toxic and chemical free. This means no chemical binding agents or lacquers will be released into your hot food, and they compost easily and naturally. These are leaves that would have otherwise been burnt as agricultural “waste” but are instead formed into plates, bowls, and platters that are sturdy enough for both the microwave and regular oven.
The process itself is quite amazing as well. Using only 10% of the energy › Continue reading
Artisana Organic Raw Cacao Bliss Coconut Butter – CocoNutella
Recommended to me from a friend as a more natural Nutella alternative, but with a coconut instead of hazelnuts, Artisana’s Organic Raw Cacao Bliss Coconut Butter was everything it was hyped up to be, a raw and organic chocolate coconut confection spread that will delight your tastebuds.
If you love chocolate and coconut, then you have to try it. It has the consistency of Nutella, but instead it’s made from raw organic ingredients. It works just well for everything you would use a delicious chocolaty spread for, my favorite is in a crepe with some sliced bananas.
The only ingredients are a blend of organic Coconut Butter, Coconut Oil, Agave, Raw Cacao Powder and Raw Cacao Butter and taste amazing. I bought mine from Amazon, but they are also available from several online stores listed on Premier Organics website.
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