Pesticides in your food, the dirty dozen

by: continuum wellness - April 7th, 2009   Filed under: baby boomers, cooking, culture, diet, environment, family, food, Health, health benefits of food, healthy eating, nutrition, pesticides, Western diet, women's health Add Comment

Chances are you’ve seen or heard of this pesticide list, which ranks common foods by the amount of pesticide residue. The folks over at the Environmental Working Group (as far as I know), produce this guide. It is updated yearly. Print a copy and take it with you when grocery shopping.

The need to keep our food supply safe is of paramount importance.  It is absolutely necessary to eat nutritious food.  Take a peek at the list, below.

Finding Nutritious Produce

  • Buy local produce
  • there are organizations that will deliver organic produce to your home
  • join a co-op
  • grow your own vegetables when possible
  • take a trip to a local farm to purchase fresh from the farm.
  • By visiting a local farm you can ask questions and determine the quality of the produce and support the farmer, that’s win-win.

The Dirty Dozen

  1. Peach
  2. Apple
  3. Bell Pepper
  4. Celery
  5. Nectarine
  6. Strawberries
  7. Cherries
  8. Kale
  9. Lettuce
  10. Grapes (imported)
  11. Carrot
  12. Pear

Lower in Pesticides (15)

  1. Onion
  2. Avocado
  3. Sweet Corn
  4. Pineapple
  5. Mango
  6. Asparagus
  7. Sweet Peas
  8. Kiwi
  9. Cabbage
  10. Eggplant
  11. Papaya
  12. Watermelon
  13. Broccoli
  14. Tomato
  15. Sweet Potato

To Grill or Not To Grill?

by: continuum wellness - May 25th, 2008   Filed under: cooking, diet, family, food, Health, healthy eating, meat, Uncategorized, wellness 1 Comment

by Catherine Carter

Long holiday weekends and warm days are perfect for family outings. And what is a gathering without the tastes of summer? One of the mainstays of summer is backyard cooking, where grilling reigns.

Here is some information to help you avoid the hazards of grilling and make it a healthier option for you and the family.

What’s So Harmful About Grilling?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is a contaminant produced by grilling foods. These substances have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic (causing birth defects). Researchers have been unable to determine an acceptable exposure tolerance. Charbroiling releases higher amounts of emissions than does grilling. High fat hamburger meat was the biggest offender. But chicken and beef both had varying amounts of the compounds present.

How might I be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)?

* Breathing air containing PAHs in the workplace of coking, coal-tar, and asphalt production plants; smokehouses; and municipal trash incineration facilities.
* Breathing air containing PAHs from cigarette smoke, wood smoke, vehicle exhausts, asphalt roads, or agricultural burn smoke.
* Coming in contact with air, water, or soil near hazardous waste sites.
* Eating grilled or charred meats; contaminated cereals, flour, bread, vegetables, fruits, meats; and processed or pickled foods.
* Drinking contaminated water or cow’s milk.
* Nursing infants of mothers living near hazardous waste sites may be exposed to PAHs through their mother’s milk.

Making Grilling Safer

  • marinate steaks with herbs and spices with herbs such as basil, mint, sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary.
  • researchers from Kansas State U, identified rosemary as having a protective antioxidant effect.
  • grill at lower temperatures.
  • use organic meat.
  • use leaner cuts of meat.
  • avoid inhaling the smoke as much as possible.



References:
J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2003 Feb;53(2):185-94
Emissions from charbroiling and grilling of chicken and beef

Adv Exp Med Biol. 1999;459:179-93
Food heating and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mutagens/carcinogens.

ScienceDaily 24 May 2008. 24 May 2008 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/05/080521184129.htm>.

Agency for Toxic Substances

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Get To Know Tempeh

by: continuum wellness - March 23rd, 2008   Filed under: cooking, diet, food, Health, healthy body, healthy eating, lunch, nutrition, protein, recipes, soy, soy foods, tempeh, Uncategorized, wellness Add Comment

tempeh.jpg
Interested in soy foods? Consider trying tempeh. Tempeh is derived from cooked soy beans. While tofu has become a star of sorts, tempeh offers solid, healthy, delicious nutrition. Tempeh is a fermented food. Tempeh is made by fermenting boiled soybeans with Rhizopus oligosporus.
In Indonesia it is a staple food. Preparing tempeh involves inoculating cooked soy beans with a starter, which is then wrapped in banana leaves and left to ferment in the humidity. The beans are bound together by a ‘furry’ mushroom-like culture which has grown through them.

Basically tempeh is a cake of cooked soybeans, bound together by a white mycelium, similar to Camembert or Brie which have soft, white mantels. The spore culture is rhisopus oligosporus. The mold penetrates the beans and makes them more digestible. It results in a very nutritious product, high in vitamin B12, it is also a source of complete protein.

Good quality tempeh should be firm, dense and covered completely with white mycelium. It should have a pleasant, clean, subtly sweet or mushroom-like aroma.

Tempeh is often enjoyed fried. It can be marinated first, it can also be steamed and then incorporated into dishes.  Typical condiments used with tempeh are chilli, coconut milk, cucumber, and raw or steamed vegetables. Tempeh can also be pureed and used as a part of other dishes or baked goods. Keep tempeh refrigerated and use according to package directions. It can even be left unrefrigerated for about a day. Just wipe or rinse off any spores.  Dark spots on tempeh are signs of maturity and ‘increase nutrition and flavor’.

Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food. For more info on tempeh, click here

References:

Downes, John 1987. The Soy Source, 1987: A practical guide to cooking with soy foods.
image credit: brownie points

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