Here we are again. Another year gone by in the blink of an eye. But it’s a good time to assess where we are in terms of our health habits and what we can do to improve our diet and general health without spending lots of money. So we have developed a set of “resolutions” for 2010 that should let anyone eat a healthier diet and still stay within a budget.

Oryana’s Resolutions for a Healthy 2010:

1. Cook from scratch. Home-cooked meals made with whole-food ingredients generally have more nutritional value than prepared meals and take-out fare, and also costs less.
2. Skip the meat at least once a week. Meatless meals high in whole grains, vegetables and beans can reduce the cholesterol and fat you consume while saving the family budget.
3. Make your own stews, soups, and chili this winter. Big pots of hearty fare, served with whole grains or crusty bread, can last a long time, saving on money and cooking time.
4. Eat a balanced breakfast – one that includes protein. It really is the most important meal of the day.
5. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Strive for 9 a day.
6. Drink more water. Energy drinks, pop, coffee, and even some juice drinks can be high in sugar, calories, and caffeine while being low in nutrition. Start substituting more water throughout the day.
7. Replace the whites – white bread, white flour, white rice – with whole grain alternatives.
8. Try healthier snacks. Bring whole nuts, dried fruit and trail mix to work or school. These healthy snacks will fill you up more than junk food, while giving you nutritional benefits.
9. Rather than going on a diet, make gradual lifestyle changes. If you take small bites and chew more, you should fill up more quickly with smaller portions. Avoid late-night snacking and seconds at dinner.
10. Get more exercise. Start small with short walks and work your way up to longer stretches. Think of ways to sneak exercise in i.e. shoveling snow, taking the stairs, parking farther away. Participate in activities you like such as dancing, yoga, cross-country skiing, etc.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy New Year, from all of us at Oryana!

In the movie, “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie Parker desperately wants a an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas, but every time he hints that he wants this item, someone tells him he’ll shoot his eye out and dismisses him. Then one day his teacher gives the class an assignment. They are to write an essay entitled, “What I Want for Christmas.” Ralphie is very excited about this because he finally has a chance to explain in detail why he wants what he wants. Well here is What I Want for Christmas:

I want:

1. …people to realize once and for all that good food isn’t necessarily supposed to be dirt cheap. Most people don’t think about how the conventional food system in this country is set up via government subsidies to agribusiness, nor perhaps do they care. I want people to make the connection between diet and health and make running to the doctor the exception rather than the rule because they are living the “food is medicine” lifestyle.

2. …people/states/governments to stop thinking in terms of burning things to produce electricity i.e. “clean” coal plants and biomass energy plants. I know we need electricity and lots of it, but as I understand it, we’re already way past the limit of permissible CO2 in the atmosphere so why would we even consider pumping out tons more of it so we can keep running our air conditioners and plasma TVs?

3. …the women in Afghanistan to have equal rights and not be forced to marry young and to be allowed to go to school and to not have to cover themselves from head to foot. I want them to be able to pursue their dreams like women in the West can, and to not be subjected to any kind of violence.

4. …Americans to rise up and revolt the continued use of GMOs. I want them to refuse to buy GMO products and to take a stand for the health of our planet. I want them to understand how they have been manipulated into believing that GMOs are a good thing.

5. … things to be built to last because I’m tired of throwing things away when I’m faced with the choice of fixing something, which costs a lot, versus buying a new one, the cheaper option. I want single-use plastic and foam items to be outlawed.

6. …high schools to teach students things like how to start and maintain a fire, how to preserve food, how to hand-write a letter, how to grow potatoes, how to make bread, and other practical skills that they may need someday.

7. …people who drive SUVs not to tailgate me and for all drivers to use their turn signals consistently so I know what their intentions are.

8. …people standing near me to cover their mouths when they start sneezing and hacking because I know how far the droplets from a sneeze can travel.

9. …a new pair of winter boots and a digital camera.

Ralphie got his wish in the end, although he broke his glasses the first time he used the rifle and then lied to his mother about how the glasses got broken. My list is a little more extensive than Ralphie’s but there’s no harm in asking for what you want, especially if you ask nicely.

Here’s a quick primer on what a GMO is:

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. Transgenic organisms, a subset of GMOs, are organisms which have inserted DNA that originated in a different species. What this means in practical terms is that scientists can now splice genes together that would never be combined through the natural order of things, thereby interfering with with nature at its most basic level. Here’s one example of a misguided attempt to “improve” on nature. Scientists altered a carrot so that it would produce calcium and become a possible cure for osteoporosis; however, people would need to eat 1.5 kilograms of carrots per day to reach the required amount of calcium.

Here is a quote from the Monsanto website:

“Organic foods, conventional foods and GMO food all share the same observable physical characteristics. The difference between these foods is in the production or the practices farmers use when growing the crop.”

Sounds pretty harmless, that is until you read the growing mountain of information challenging the safety of GMOs and the unknown, long-term global effects. And now, we have proof that GMO varieties of corn produced by Monsanto are toxic and harmful. The information stems from data supplied by none other than Monsanto. You can find the full article here. In this study, it was found that 3 different GMO corns adversely affected the kidneys and liver.

The state of GMO affairs in the US is discouraging at best, especially since President Obama appointed pro-agribusiness, FOM (friend of Monsanto), Tom Vilsack, to be USDA secretary. Obama sank even farther into Frankenfood hell by appointing biotech cheerleader Rajiv Shah, who worked for the Gates Foundation (a nonprofit partner of Monsanto), to be the USDA’s Under Secretary for Research, and has put Roger Beachy, Director of the Monsanto-funded Danforth Plant Science Center, directly under Shah in charge of the new National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Now Shah is going to lead the US Agency for International Development (USAID), handing over in effect billions of dollars in taxpayer money to Food Inc., and companies like Monsanto.

So far I don’t see a happy ending to this nightmare that could literally bring the whole planet down, especially when the leader of the highest office in the land is fist-bumping those behemoth biotech corporations. Maybe our new prez doesn’t understand what GMO is and how it’s commingling uninvited with neighboring fields and contaminating once-pure crops. Maybe he doesn’t realize that once you release a GMO into the wild you can never call it back. Ever. And perhaps he doesn’t get that organic agriculture is in fact superior to GMO agriculture and is the only thing that will save our planet. Maybe this all sounds melodramatic but it’s not so far from the truth.

But I applaud all the small, organic farmers who thumb their noses at biotech propaganda and grow food the way it was meant to be grown, sustainably, using environmentally sound techniques such as crop rotation, natural pest management, fertilization with compost, and other practices that work in harmony with nature. Just a few (of many) local certified organic farms that come to mind: Jim Moses and Linda Grigg, Meadow Lark, Ware Farm…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! What would we do without you? (And a quick thanks to Maple Creek Farm in Yale, Michigan, the CSA I belonged to downstate. They have 100 acres and supply metro Detroit with organic veggies galore.)

Well, not really just for the holidays but for the winter. Maybe this seems like a strange topic for the middle of December, but as I looked at my full compost container under my kitchen sink this morning, I thought, “It’s time to start dumping this in the bin outside the back door.” You see, I have a large compost pile way over on the other side of the house but now that the snow is so deep, I’m not going to trudge through waist-high snow to get to it. So I placed a burning barrel (aka metal trash can with holes in it) on the back porch, which is where I’ll be depositing my egg shells, potato and orange peels, and moldy bread until March or April when the snow melts. I just hope it doesn’t fill up before then because I feel guilty throwing anything compostable in the garbage can.

I was also reading in today’s Organic Byte’s newsletter about the concept of ‘Zero Waste’ a plan that aims to close the loop on all material used in the economy. Under Zero Waste, each element of a source-separated waste stream (including kitchen compost) is subjected to minimal treatment so that it can be reused.

I didn’t realize that when organic waste ends up in landfills, the organic content putrefies, producing methane, a greenhouse gas 20-70 times more potent and damaging than carbon dioxide. I just thought throwing veggie peelings in the trash seemed like a lost opportunity, but now I know there is a scientifically-sound reason for doing what I’ve been doing all along.

Composting has become such a habit for me that I don’t even think of it as an inconvenience. I wish we (Michigan, T.C.) were more progressive about composting, like in San Francisco where legislation was recently passed that requires every residence and business in the city to have three separate color-coded bins for waste: blue for recycling, green for compost, and black for trash. Three thumbs up to S.F. for doing the right thing, but then California is almost always the first state to be proactive about health and environmental concerns and then the rest of the country eventually follows suit. (Calif. banned smoking in public places in 1994. It took Michigan 15 years to catch up on that no-brainer, but at least we’re here finally…yippee!)

And of course Oryana, not waiting for it to be mandated, composts its waste from the kitchen and produce department (whatever we don’t give to Food Rescue.)

So even though it’s snowy and cold out now, you can still start composting by putting a container of some kind within easy reach either on the counter top or under the sink, and then transfer it to a larger container outside which will keep well until spring, when you can start a real pile. Or you can buy a fancy bin from a store, but I think it’s too cold out now to start a new pile. Happy composting!

For more information about winter composting click here.

Member Appreciation Day is this Thursday so be sure to stop by if you are a member, and even if you’re not a member! But for members we have special savings throughout the store and a chance to win cool prizes, including a $100 store gift certificate and lunch for two at Lake Street Kitchen valued at $30. There will be a kids’ table with fun activities, music, and plenty of samples throughout the store. It may be a little snowy according to today’s forecast, with a big storm system moving in from out West tonight, so hopefully things will be cleared up by Thursday.

——————————–

My favorite health guru, Dr. Mercola, sent his list for the Top 12 Foods for Healthy Immune Response and I thought I would pass it on to you, since we are still in the midst of flu season and it behooves us to take care of ourselves and do what we can to avoid getting sick. In my book that means preventive measures like eating right, getting enough sleep, and taking supportive immune boosting supplements like elderberry. But here is Dr. Mercola’s list:

1. Unpasteurized Grass-Fed Organic Milk
2. Fermented Foods
3. Raw Organic Eggs from Free-Range Chickens
4. Grass-Fed Beef or Organ Meats
5. Coconuts and Coconut Oil
6. Locally Grown Organic Vegetables Appropriate for Your Nutritional Type
7. Blueberries and Raspberries
8. Mushrooms
9. Chlorella
10. Propolis
11. Teas (Matcha green tea and tulsi tea)
12. Herbs and Spices (garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, oregano, honeysuckle…)

Here is the full article:

12 Foods for Healthy Immune Response

Good health to everyone and stay safe in our first big winter storm!

One of the fun perks about my job is that I test recipes all the time, recipes for cooking classes and for demos. Last night I made Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish made with mashed potatoes, cabbage, and leeks. I’d never made it before but I love cabbage and potatoes together so I knew this would be a winner, and it was. Very comforting and hearty. I had some leftover corned beef and served that with it and it all tasted wonderful. I looked for a recipe online and several called for huge amounts of butter, up to 2 whole sticks of butter. No way was I going to use that much butter, and I finally found a nice recipe at one of my favorite food websites, Martha Stewart. We are tweaking the selection of recipes for our cookbook and this is one that may be in it.

Making this last night just made me appreciate home-cooked food and how good it feels to make something delicious and healthy from fresh, organic ingredients. It is so satisfying to eat this way, although I know it can be difficult for some people who have to work a lot. But it sure is worth the effort to make the time to cook from scratch and use great, local, preferably organic foods, (preferably from Oryana but there are other local sources too). A tried and true way to eat more home-cooked meals is to make a lot of something and then eat it for a couple days. Or to make something, like a roasted chicken, and then make things like quesadillas, burritos, or chicken salad from the leftover meat. I recently got a slow-cooker cookbook, the first cookbook I purchased in years, and can’t wait to try some of the recipes.

Do you have a favorite dish that you make over and over? I’d love to know what readers’ favorite dishes are. Please post a comment and let us know what your tried and true dishes are.