Mindful Eats

Experts Choose What Not to Eat

Root vegetables in Union Square Greenmarket

Make visible what without you, might perhaps have never been seen. ~Robert Bresson

Our friend Dave passed along a great article on foods to avoid that was on msn.com. This was superhelpful because 1) no one reads msn, and 2) the article is really interesting. It's so interesting, we're going to summarize it. 

The author, Anne Underwood, asked seven experts who spend their time thinking about what is safe to eat, "what foods do you avoid?" The answers are interesting and right in line with MindfulEats - avoid processed and industrial foods. Of course, it's not always so easy, so we've added a little commentary. Without further ado - top picks of foods to avoid:

1. Farmed Salmon. MindfulEats has railed against farmed salmon. It's bad for you and the environment. Fishery expert, David Carpenter, M.D., director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany won't eat it. He published a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish. Like land-based industrial farming, farmed fish are crammed into pens and fed odd things, so they are weaker than their wild brethren. They are loaded with antibiotics and contaminants, and like beef, they have less nutrition. Pound for pound, you are getting less nutritional value with farmed salmon. Switch to wild alaskan salmon. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish is from Northern Europe. Any fresh Atlantic salmon is farmed. Learn more about why seafood is controversial.
2. Corn-fed beef. Farmer and writer Joel Salatin steers clear of anything but grass-fed beef. Industrial farmers raise their cattle on corn and soybeans since it fattens them up quicker for a fast profit. That meat is not as nutritious as naturally raised, grass-fed beef. You'd have to eat more of it to get the same value, and who wants to be fat? Not you. A recent study conducted by the USDA and Clemson University found that grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. Pound for pound, you're getting more value with the grass-fed beef.
3. Milk produced with hormones. Cancer researcher Rick North won't drink it. The former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society notes that recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST) increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. Life is hard enough when you're hormonal - why drink it? If you can afford grass-fed milk, opt for it. Like meat, milk is better from happier, heathier cows.
4. Canned tomatoes. Endocrinologist Fredrick Vom Saal, Ph.D., at the University of Missouri studies bisphenol-A (BPA) and he won't go near canned tomatoes. Cans are often lined with resin that contains BPA, and acidity (which tomatoes are) causes the BPA to leach. You can find tomatoes packed in glass or tetrapaks. These brands include Bionature, Coluccio, Trader Joe's and Pomi.
5. Microwave popcorn. Toxoligist Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group avoids microwave popcorn since chemicals in the lining of the bag, especially perfluorooctanoic acid, are linked to infertility. Microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko. Yuck. Popcorn flavoring is also associated with lung disease (known as popcorn workers lung) for workers of microwave popcorn factories. Pop your own popcorn the old fashioned way - in a skillet. It's really cheap!
6. Nonorganic potatoes. Jeffrey Moyer, the chair of the Organic Standards Board, won't eat non-organic potatoes. Apparently, root vegetables absorb all the chemicals (pesticides, fertilizer, fungicides, etc) in soil (yikes, I guess that means the other root vegetables are better organic too). Then on top of that, potatoes get sprayed with extra chemicals while growing, during harvesting and after they've been dug up. Moyer says "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."
7. Conventional apples. We all know that apples are one of the Dirty Dozen. Mark Kastel, a former executive for agribusiness, currently codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, won't eat nonorganic apples. Apples have lower resistance to pests, so they are doused regularly. If you can't buy organic, wash and peel your apples.

The original article we cribbed this from is awesome, so read it here.

What I ate: 1 grapefruit, 1 orange, 1 cup McCann's steel-cut oatmeal + ground flaxseeds + dried cranberries + milk, Stilton cheese, dried mango slices, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1 avocado, 3 stalks broccolini, 2 hot chocolates, 40 oz. water 

Exercise: Ran 7 miles, 90 min yoga

Mind Your Plastic Bottles

Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections. ~St. Francis de Sales

MindfulEats is delighted to welcome George Dodwell in his first post. George has been a vegetarian for years and is very mindful of his impact on the environment. He hails from the UK, which is why you'll notice the references to the metric system.

The human body is anywhere between 55% and 78% water, depending on body size. To function properly, the body requires between 1 and 7 liters of water a day. How do you get yours?

Hopefully not from bottles. The Container Recycling Institute estimates that Americans buy 34 billion – yes, that's billion – single serving plastic water bottles each year. The total estimated energy needed to make, transport and dispose of one bottle of water is equivalent to filling that same bottle one-quarter full of oil. On top of that, it takes three liters of water to produce a one-liter bottle of water.

 

According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation in 2002 the average American consumed 20.1 gallons of bottled water. By 2007 that figure had risen to 29.3 gallons, an increase of almost 46 percent. The US is not alone in its thirst for packaged drinks - US is ninth in the world in per capita consumption, after the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Italy, Belgium-Luxembourg (the report combines the two countries), France, Germany, Spain, and Lebanon. Of these countries only France has seen a decline in consumption since 2002. (Ah the pesky French, with their cigarettes, croissants, butter, steaks and their immaculate health.) Worldwide, 2.7 million tons of plastic are used each year to make water bottles.

 

It's not even cheap. Fiji water, shipped all the way from, yes, Fiji, costs about $1.50 per half-liter bottle. That equates to about $11 per gallon, or $7 more than a gallon of regular petrol. The Pacific Institute estimates that bottled water costs a thousand times more than tap water – a figure that makes the consumption figures even more astounding.

 

Most water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 80% of which end up in landfills or incinerators. That's an estimated 845 bottles per second. Recycling rates are up on previous years, but that's still a lot of bottles that aren't being recycled.

 

Most bottled water isn't even spring water. Dasani and Aquafina, the two leading brands by market share, contain tap water. Meticulously treated tap water, but tap water all the same. Pepsi, the owner of the Aquafina brand, now labels its water as coming from a “Public Water Source”. Dasani was forced to pull out of the UK entirely after the British public created an outcry over the source of the water and suspected bromate poisoning.

 

There is some good news. After years of steady growth, the US market for bottled water appears to be cooling off, the Worldwatch Institute reported last year; an Australian town became the first to ban bottled water entirely last year and the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution in 2008 Monday to phase out city spending on bottled water.  The contract isn't binding, but 60 Mayors promptly cancelled their city's bottled water contracts.

 

So, Mindful Eater, what can you do?

 

Drink tap water. Buy a water filter and use it. Carry your own water – it's cheaper, fresher and more environmentally sound. You can be a Mindful Drinker too.

 

What I ate: 1 bowl Alpen; 2 bananas; 2 cheese + lettuce + branston pickle sarnies; few handfuls of mixed nuts + raisins; 2 apples; 4 cups tea; 4 pints water; leek pie + broccoli; a smattering of Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate.

Sigg Aluminum Water Bottles and BPA

Lying is done with words and also with silence. ~Adrienne Rich

Many of you have stopped using plastic water bottles and food containers since you are worried about the health implications of chemicals leaching from plastic. The most popular post on MindfulEats is about steel vs. aluminum water bottles. We came down on the side of steel water bottles since they don't require a lining.

Especially a "secret lining". Even though we like the designs of the Sigg water bottles, we couldn't get over the "secret" ingredients they used. Why have a secret at all? It just didn't add up. Well, earlier this month, Sigg admitted that BPA exists in the lining of the bottles manufactured before August 2008.

People are outraged! Sigg maintains that the BPA in their liner was tiny, and all testing has shown that there is no leaching. Their new liners are BPA-free. If you are really concerned, Sigg will exchange your bottle for a new one by October 31, 2009 (but you pay for shipping).

No matter what, we still recommend using high-quality, unlined stainless steel or glass:

• Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles (loop top or sports top) 
• Klean Kanteen sippy bottles for the kids
• Dr. Brown's glass bottles for babies. Glass is heavier, so these are small 3.5 oz. sizes

Want to read more about the Sigg controversy?

• Apology from Sigg CEOs
• Simran Sethi guiltfest. Apparently Sigg is one of the only products she recommended - on Oprah no less! We're not sure who she is or why she is recommending products when she doesn't know what's in them, but she appears on Oprah and Martha Stewart so you'd think she knows something.

What to do

1. If you don't own an aluminum water bottle and are still using plastic, see above for recommended products. Also read these posts on water bottles and plastics.
2. If you have a Sigg aluminum water bottle that was manufactured before August 2008, you have BPA in your liner. Don't panic! Sigg says that all the testing has demonstrated there is 0% leaching. You are probably fine, but if you want to participate in their exchange program, go here. Just do it before 10/31/09. We still recommend you get a stainless steel bottle.
3. In the future, use common sense. If you ask someone a question, and they won't give you an answer, be suspicious. Or just ask us at MindfulEats. :)

What I ate: Fage Greek yogurt + 1 tblsp Sarabeth's strawberry + peach jam, macadamia nuts, 16 oz. cafe au lait, 2 bananas, 6 squares dark chocolate, rotisserie chicken + brown rice + roasted asparagus, 1 nectarine, sauteed squash, whole wheat spaghetti + Rao's sauce, kettle corn, water

Exercise: None

No Short Cuts to Getting Healthy

 View from Duryea's, Montauk, July 2009

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. ~Aristotle

Hi gorgeous! You're fabulous, and the fact that you're reading this means that you're interested in getting healthier and even MORE fabulous. Stick with it - be consistent about eating and exercising more mindfully, and you will definitely see and feel results. You don't need to be perfect, you just need to get a bit better. And you can definitely do that. All you have to do is improve your batting average.

The one thing that doesn't work is a short cut. But you knew that, didn't you smartie? No diet pill, supplement, steroid, surgery or weird advertisement in the back of a magazine will get you there. Short cuts might give you a short term boost in results, but that's pretty different from the radiant health that you're looking for and deserve. Let's be honest - it took months, if not years, of your habits to get to your current state. We know you want fast results, but you can't expect to get healthy instantly. Give yourself a break! It's a gradual process.

Short cuts are appealing because they promise quick results. Who doesn't love that? I mean, how do you know it's working if you can't see results? This is where what you see is misleading. Short cuts to getting skinny or looking fitter actually hurt your health in the long run. The popular diet drug, Hydroxycut, is linked to death and health damage. Steroids cause 'roid range and long term health issues. Liposuction gets rid of bumps but doesn't give you permanent energy or joy. Short cuts also make you crazy in the head so that no one wants to hang around you anyway. What's the fun in looking skinny by yourself? So if you're using a short cut, stop! If you're thinking about it, don't. It's a waste of time, energy and money.

The only thing that really works is being mindful about eating clean, whole foods and getting enough exercise and sleep. Promise. It's hard work, but you're worth it. You'll get even more gorgeous, be happier and have more energy. And you'll be richer! (Obese Americans spend 42% more on health care). It's never too late to get healthier. I just caught up with a friend who lost 25 pounds in the past year, and he's also running faster than he ever has in his life. And he's over 40. We can all get better. If you're already perfect - awesome - find someone to mentor.

What to do

1. You want to be healthier. Yay. If you are currently using a short cut, stop! It's causing long term harm and it isn't sustainable. It's a waste of time and money. As soon as you stop, you'll bounce back to where you were, and you'll be even worse off. If you're not using a short cut, don't even think about it. Ignore the internet ads with before and after pictures. They're stupid.
2. Keep your eyes on the prize. Sure, you'll get even more attractive as you get healthier, but you'll also be more energetic, happy and radiant. You'll have more peace. No short cut can provide that.
3. Get back to basics. Review the Mindful Eats Map. It's not complicated, and it's all there.

Don't forget to have fun!

What I ate: 12 oz. vegetable juice, Whole Foods Plain low fat yogurt + strawberries + blueberries, 1 banana, 16 oz. Good Earth tea, 1/2 c. quinoa, sauteed zucchini + yellow squash + shitaake mushrooms, 3 oz. turkey jerkey, 5 pieces Pirate's Booty, 4 dried figs, 2 handfuls cherries, 1 oz. raw cheese, 12 oz. cafe au lait, 1 small madeleine, vegan nori roll, 1 handful Mindful Mix, 4 squares dark chocolate, 50 oz. water

Exercise: 30 min. weights

Soda Pop is Bad for You

Hopefully this aisle of the store will become just a hazy memory...

"Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." ~Henry Ford

Soda, pop, sodapop - you know it's bad for you, right? It's so bad that Congress is talking about taxing it to raise money for healthcare. No joke. That's right - sin tax, alongside cigarettes and alcohol. It won't happen because the beverage companies are too strong - they are arguing that it unfairly taxes poor people. Yup, people with less money don't have enough to contend with already so they have companies foisting unnatural fat drinks on them.

In case you were living under a rock and didn't know that pop is bad, here's a quick rundown of why it is on the MindfulEats Things to Avoid list:

• It's not a whole food. Pop is totally processed - there is nothing natural or nutritious about it. These calories have no redeeming qualities. Even the zero calorie stuff is still unnatural junk.
• It is loaded with sweeteners. In the U.S., most pop is made with high-fructose corn syrup. Even the higher quality pops that are made with sugar are still... made...of...sugar. It'll give you an energy crash, and cavities to boot.
• It can make you fat. Sweeteners make you crave calories. So even if you are drinking the unnatural diet soda that has fewer calories, it will leave you craving food.

Perhaps because of these bad things, pop can be incredible addictive. If you LOVE soda and drinking it makes you ineffably happy, just be moderate. I love junk food, but I've learned to limit it. You can moderate pop. Once you cut back, the intense craving will go away. 

What to do - Drink Less Sodapop

No Need to Hoard: Enough is Enough

The education of the will is the object of our existence. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever eaten something so good that you couldn't stop, even though you weren't really hungry? Then if you're at all like me, you staggered off, found some place to lie down and promised not to gorge again. Why isn't it enough to taste something, be delighted with it, and move on?

There's a human urge to hoard. Maybe we're afraid that it's our one shot at happiness, and if one cookie made us happy, surely six more will make us six times happier. Or if we find one pair of jeans that makes us look good, 20 more will make us beautiful.

It doesn't work that way! Hoarding is a highway to fat, clutter and waste (on your body and in your environment). We all know people that have closets stuffed full of clothes, and yet they keep buying more. Still they never look fabulous. It's better to have a few things you love rather than lots of stuff. A friend asked me if the shriveled up berries he always had in his refrigerator were edible. I asked him why he had them, and he said he bought large lots since they were cheaper, but he could never eat them all before they dried out. Hello? Buy less since that's not really saving money, or give some of them to the homeless guy on the street.

Fried Foods are Bad for You

Fried chicken and french fries in the cafeteria, waiting for Fatty

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall. -Confucius

You may have noticed that deep frying isn't included in the MindfulEats "How to Cook Healthy and Fast" series. That's because it's not. Healthy or fast to cook. 

Trust us, we know that fried food is delicious - we can polish off a plate of french fries in minutes. Just having a plate of fried food in front of us can be irresistible - that's why it's best to avoid even looking at fried food (avoidance isn't the best policy for healthy relationships, but it's okay for bad food. Trust us.)

Cutie, if you are confronted with fried food, we recommend reaching down and grabbing hold of your belly or your love handles. Feel that? Do you want that around your heart and in your arteries? Do you want to add more around your waist? We didn't think so. Put the doughnut down. If you have nothing to grab around your middle, then you are in luck! Put the doughnut down so you stay that way.

Why is fried food so bad?

Why Sugar and Sweeteners are Bad

If you are bitter at heart, sugar in the mouth will not help you. -Yiddish Proverb

 

Sweetheart, you are sweeter than sugar. It's true! Sugar and other food sweeteners are sweet nothings - just another empty calorie. Sugar is the most commonly added sweetener, and it's only 16 calories a teaspoon.  So why does it have such a bad rap?

 

Just like in a relationship, what you do is often more important than what you say. Sugar depresses your immune system, leads to tooth decay, and is implicated in obesity, along with a long list of other ills.

 

Table sugar has been refined from sugar beets and sugarcane to such a degree that it has virtually no nutritional benefit. There are no vitamins, minerals or fiber.

 

It tastes sweet on your tongue, but it is refined into simple sugars so it is quickly absorbed by your body and spikes your blood-sugar levels. It's a bit of a shock to your body - your pancreas secretes insulin to drop your blood-sugar levels back to normal. That's why you feel that sugar high (insulin burst) and then a crash. This spike and crash routine is bad for a few reasons:

High Fructose Corn Syrup May Make You Fat

High fructose corn syrup in a few household items: mustard, ketchup and Gatorade

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) sounds so nice and natural. It's high instead of low, sounds fruity with fructose, and natural since it's corn syrup. However, it has a very bad rap these days and lots of people are vilifying it as the reason that Americans are obese. So, in an effort to learn more about HFCS, MindfulEats caught up with it yesterday for a quick interview.

MindfulEats: What are you anyway?

HFCS: I'm a sweetener, 'cause people love sweets. I start out as corn. Then I'm milled to produce corn starch, from which I'm processed into corn syrup. After that enzymes get added to me to turn most of my glucose into fructose. In most cases when you consume me, I'm HFCS 55 (55% glucose, 45% fructose), which is practically the same profile as table sugar.

MindfulEats: Why do you exist?

HFCS: I am used predominantly in the U.S. That's because messed up protectionist laws keep the price of sugar artificially inflated, and I'm a cheaper alternative.

 

MindfulEats: What are you in?

Say No to Trans Fats in Partially Hydrogenated Oils

Small sample of partially hydrogenated oil foods -nondairy creamer, brownie mix, Doritos and margarine

"Let a man avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison" -Buddha

Now that you've learned to read food labels, take a closer look at all your packaged food to make sure there are no trans fats in them. Trans fats are worse than saturated fats - they clog up your arteries, raise your bad cholesterol levels while lowering good cholesterol, and contribute to Type II diabetes. They even lower your levels of Omega-3 oils. Imagine bacon grease clogging up a drain. That's how trans fats clog up your body pipes. Yuck. They are so bad that NYC has banned them from all restaurants! [Wait a second - I think I just figured out where my elevated cholesterol came from - decades of pigging out on partially hydrogenated snacks. Double yuck.]

So why do they exist? Trans fats are made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it last longer. That makes it cheaper for food processers. Hydrogenation hardens oil (and your arteries) so it has a longer shelf life. It also raises the cooking temperature so restaurants can reuse the oil multiple times to fry. Trans fats occur naturally in tiny amounts of cow and sheep products. But it's the manmade items we are worried about. The culprits - partially hydrogenated oils and shortening - are in all sorts of places.