Month: March 2012

Smiles and Greetings: Simple and Powerful

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Soul Exchange: Smiles and Greetings

In an ongoing personal effort to fight the barrage of negativity that threatens to choke my mood on a daily basis, I’ve been trying out a couple of things of late including smiling more at others.  A great and somewhat safe way to do this is when I go on a walk or jog on any given morning with my children and come upon people and manage to say “Good Morning!” and smile.

I’ve found that there are a few ways people can respond…some enthusiastically respond in kind, some seem surprised and respond hesitantly as if they’re not sure the warm greeting was intended for them, some literally do not change their face and kind of look through me.  In the end I think it’s worth reaching out because it helps me to connect with other souls even if only for that split moment in time.

Ultimately even though we have social sites and hardware that helps us stay in touch with each other I feel we can be more isolated than ever in 2012 and we shouldn’t let that happen.  Whether or not we all get along with each other, we do need interaction with each other outside immediate family, lovers and friends.  It may not be easy but even the small and simple action of smiling and greeting each other can move the world into a better place overall.

R.V.S.B.

 

Healthy Habits Can Hinder: Beware of Possible Toxic Items in Your Pantry!

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Healthy Habits Can Hinder: Beware of Possible Toxic Items in Your Pantry!

In our local Palm Beach Post newspaper today there was an article reprinted from the Chicago Tribune written by Monica Eng entitled “Has Your Food Gone Rancid”—you may retrieve the article in full at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-07/features/sc-food-0302-rancidity-20120307_1_trans-fats-polyunsaturated-oils-food-chain  

In short this article brings up the fairly recent development of “rising popularity of ‘healthy’ polyunsaturated fats, whole grain flours and warehouse stores” that mean there are more of these items in our American homes without knowledge that they spoil much more quickly than the ‘unhealthy’  bleached white flours and trans fats.

The common items that we may have just sitting around that can potentially endanger our households with toxic, carcinogenic and pro-inflammatory agents when left on the shelf too long are nuts, special oils like olive and flaxseed as well as whole wheat flour. 

For instance, a couple days ago I went to use some of my whole wheat that I had sitting in a plastic storage container in the pantry the other day and should have known when I smelled a stale and almost rancid odor upon opening that there might be a problem.  Instead, being the prudent spender I thought that this Whole Foods bulk item I bought a couple of months ago should be fine.  Thankfully, the bread dough that was created in my bread machine yielded a complete brick that I could’ve used as a doorstop.  When I went to dump the flour I realized that it actually had three different colored layers and after it was emptied there was a plume of dust that made me gag.  Good grief was my thought as I guiltily realized I was ignorant in this matter and thankfully I came across this article after a day.

While researching after reading Ms. Eng’s Chicago Tribune piece I looked up Safflower oil as I picked it up recently in my exploration of unique cooking oils apart from the standard vegetable, canola and olive oil options I usually trend toward.  http://safflower-oil.org/  gave me a good idea of what to consider when procuring certain types of goods for our home consumption.

This week I’ve been going through the shelves in our family’s kitchen and checking everything for freshness and then taking items like my 3 pound bag of walnuts and putting them in Ziploc freezer bags en route the freezer itself.  It seems silly but even our pancake mixes are going into the freezer since we’ve been using the buckwheat and whole grain kind like from Bob’s Red Mill www.bobsredmill.com .

To quote Ms. Eng’s “The Smell Test” :

“A rancid food is the ‘smell of oil;, says intergrative medicine specialist Andrew Weil. Linseed oil, shich is the same as flax oil, is the basis of oil paint. It’s highly unsaturated and so it oxidizes fast when exposed to the air.

Experts advise paying close attention to ‘use by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on packages, which may have changed in recent years because of new formulations.

In general, buy products that contain oils or fats in small quantities. Store most cooking oils in a cool, dark cabinet – not next to the stove. Refrigerate polyunsaturated oils, especially fish, nut and flaxseed oils. Store nuts and whole-grain flours in the freezer. “

I hope that this little tidbit helps you and yours to tidy up the storage of some of your pantry items as I personally had assumed that all flours, oils and nuts could withstand a long storage life and come to find through articles like Monica Eng’s of the Chicago Tribune and other helpful food websites that this is definitely not the case.

R.V.S. Bean

 

DRIVING: EXPOSED SOULS

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DRIVING: EXPOSED SOULS

I was driving through a busy intersection and heard the loud motorcycle revving behind me.  As I looked in my rearview mirror I noticed the rider was too close to my rear and I decided in haste to move right to the next lane.  A loud “BEEP” alerted me to the error of cutting off a vehicle.  Within a few seconds I hit a red light and the offended party pulled up beside me.  In full anticipation I had rolled down my passenger window and as the driver and passenger looked at me I had rushed my hands to my chest and mouth “My fault, I’m sorry” with the most contrite face I could muster.  Not a moment passed and they both raised their hands in a grateful wave/acknowledgement.  My oldest son asked me what I was doing and I admitted to him that I had unwittingly cut off the car next to us and I was apologizing for doing that to them because it was my fault.  I was reminded again of just how volatile the world of driving can be.

ESCAPE

Ironically our current main vehicle is a Ford Escape.  I love the name of this vehicle as it embodies what many of us may feel when we enter our transport of choice.  When you get in your car it may be the few times out of the day that you are alone—even if you have kids because you end up strapping them into their seats and then you are free to get behind the wheel and blast your tunes of choice on the radio waves, CD or iPod playlist.  It is also because of this feeling of freedom that I believe most people are at a very raw state of mind when driving.  From a sociology perspective, there is much to be learned from human behavior as it’s exhibited behind the steering wheel.

COURTESY: WHAT IS THAT?

It always strikes me harshly how cold we can be to each other when we’re driving.  Seriously, does it really help to try to out-race each other when in a merging on-ramp approaching the interstate? How about when the traffic is crawling?  Depending on the commuting region you live in there are many different levels of rudeness you can encounter among your fellow drivers.  For instance, when I lived in the Washington, DC metro region I found that I had to let at least 3 drivers go ahead of me at a merge point because the 3 drivers before me wouldn’t even allow one driver to go.  Then again I can be a hypocrite in this regard as well since I’ve had my most impatient moments where I take out the rage of my current life moment on the drivers around me as I impatiently weave in front or around them.

PRACTICE MAY PERFECT OR PERCEIVE

If nothing else, let’s try to experiment with this idea: try to show kindness and mercy in your driving.  Allow others to go before you who are waiting to get on the highway or street, forgive those who may cut you off because who knows what terrible day or life they’re having, be more aware of the movement of those who are going faster and move over so they can keep going without having to move lanes and overall just see how it affects you to give more than you take while you drive.  I truly think that there is much to be learned from driving with more patience and love.  When I look around and see so many communicating on the phone I wonder how much we must need each other and why we treat ourselves so callously when on the road.

RVSB

The What: Food and Money – The Tango Tangle

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THE WHAT: FOOD AND MONEY  – THE TANGO TANGLE

My heart pinched inside my chest as I listened to the cashier’s announcement of the total price of my Publix grocery purchases.  “Absurd amount of money!” is the first reaction internally followed by a justification speech by the concerned mother/caretaker in me that knows it’s better to spend money on good food for my family even if it tightens the household budget in other areas.  This scenario repeats itself and the outcome is the same at least for me: I choose quality of food over cheapness and quantity any day.  What are the economic and environmental factors that any of us face today when making our food choices on a daily basis?

THE WHO

The perspective on who we’re buying food for obviously affects our choices.  Whether you’re single, married, living with roommates, with children, with elderly—all these groupings carry their respective needs, wants and overall themes.  Personally I can attest to the interesting blend of tastes I accommodate in my cooking and choosing of groceries as I have a husband, two boys under 4 years old (one an infant) and two octogenarians.  When I look around at many of my colleagues with children, it seems a majority of parents today are very sensitive to the question as to whether the produce they purchase is organic or not.  It turns out that there are some produce items that are more critical to buy organic like spinach and berries because of how porous the skin is and therefore easily absorbs pesticides.  Some websites you may find helpful for resource information:   www.organicconsumers.org , www.organic-center.org , www.non-gmoreport.com , www.healthychild.org , www.texasgrassfedbeef.com , www.centerforfoodsafety.org , www.chemicalfreekids.com , www.foodnavigator.com

THE WHY

Organic, non-genetically modified and local are some of the current buzz food words.  The term organic always makes me chuckle for a nanosecond as there’s hundreds of years of human evolution coursing through my blood that reminds me all food was once “organic” without the labeling.  It’s just that in the last century or so that our civilized societies started to meddle beyond what hybrid practices were in place already in agriculture.  It is interesting to note that recently many farmers are returning to using more natural methods in their crop and livestock management—part of it could be the increased consumer demand for organic products and another part may be that it has been found more cost-effective to use better sustainability practices on the environment when cultivating the Earth or animal stocks.  Again, my own battle is complicated when it comes to whether I buy organic, conventional or local food products.  I prefer organic but it’s not always available or cost-effective.  Local produce is desirable because I like supporting the farmers in Florida and it’s fresher with less gas emissions spent on its transport to my kitchen.  At the same time, a pint of blueberries from Peru may be farmed with the best ecological-friendly practices and taste better than the pesticide-laden ones from a few counties away.  Here are a few more resources that may be helpful:  www.farmigo.com , www.localharvest.org , www.slowfoodusa.org , http://foodnews.org/ , www.foodnavigator.com , www.environmentalhealthnews.org , www.biointegrity.org , www.localfoodswheel.com , www.greenling.com

THE WHEN

Sometimes I wish I were ignorant and just went to the store and was able to buy the cheapest of everything to feed my household.  The truth is irreversible once attained; I know what is best for my family’s situation and it happens to be a diet that contains the freshest fruit, vegetables, dairy, legumes, meats and then on to the grains, pastas and et cetera.  Making the conscious choice to use less canned products and other foods that contain more harmful ingredients in process/preservation means that our grocery bill is higher than it would be if I blindly chose based solely on cheap economics.  Not everyone thinks through what they buy when at the grocery store but it’s only a matter of time when many if not most of us will realize that how we eat is like a form of preventative medicine for our bodies.  The cost you may incur now can serve to defray future medical costs after years of eating products that can slowly sabotage your body’s ability to fight off infection and other illnesses.   Then there’s the question of the effect on our environment by our agricultural practices and that factors into many people’s choices of food economics.  Social impact in the form of “fair trade” practices is yet another factor weaving into our ethos as consumers of groceries for ourselves.  Some more websites for your personal research:  www.fairtradeusa.org , www.greenamerica.org , www.fairtraderesource.org , www.kidsorganics.com , www.rodaleinstitute.org , www.opensecrets.org , www.allergykids.com  , www.usda.gov , www.fda.gov

This blog post is woefully inadequate in addressing all the various facets involved in the economic and social challenge we face in our food purchases as the commodity prices continue to rise on a monthly basis.  I hope it at least helps in starting a conversation or a journey for information as this is an issue that will continue to grow in importance as we face upcoming agricultural changes and trade practices that can affect both the quality and quantity of our food in America particularly.

RVSB