I Walk In This World

Hey blog peeps.

Just a little light Friday reading for you, regarding a recent study carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine regarding the nutritional benefit (or lack thereof) of organic foods versus conventionally-raised foods. 

“Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers paid higher prices for organic food in part because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007.

A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference.

‘A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance,’ said Alan Dangour, one of the report’s authors.  ‘Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority’.”

Gill Fine, the director of dietary health of the Food Standards Agency (which commissioned the research) stated…

“This study does not mean we should not eat organic food. What it shows is that there is little, if any, nutritional difference between organic and conventionally-produced food and that there is no evidence of additional health benefits from eating organic food.”

It’s looking like the media is quickly turning to Stonyfield Farm CE-YO, Gary Hirshberg to be the relevant voice on all things organic.  He has written a rebuttal article in response to the UK Study, that is worth reading.  His main points are in line with those of The Organic Center’s (TOC) which allege that the UK study actually downplayed the positive findings which favored organic food and did not measure important nutrients such as antioxidants.  But the point he makes, that I find most important, in terms of Ethical Eating, is the following:

“Of greater concern to me is the fact the FSA ignores the environmental and related health benefits of an organic farming system that avoids the use of millions of pounds of toxic persistent pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer and other chemicals that leach into soil, water and air.

The man leading the FSA review actually stated the differences in nutrient content found between organic and conventionally produced food were “unlikely to be of any public health relevance.” Tell that to the people who suffer a variety of health issues shown to be linked to pesticide use. Public health is exactly what’s at stake here.

People choose organic foods not only for their well-documented nutritional superiority, but also because those foods come from a system of sustainable agriculture that avoids the use of toxic, persistent pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that pollute our soil, water and air, as well as our food.

According to USDA organic standards, no artificial hormones or antibiotics are allowed for use on organic dairy farms. Organic regulations also prohibit the use of toxic and persistent chemicals for growing and maintaining pasture and in the production of grain and forage-based feeds. Energy intensive synthetic chemical nitrogen fertilizer is also prohibited in organic farming.

There are about 120,000 milking cows on organic dairy farms in the US, and these farms avoid the use of an estimated 40 million pounds of fertilizer and 758,000 pounds of pesticides on the 761,000 acres of farmland now used to grow organic feed or organic pasture.

That means millions of pounds of chemicals NOT leaching into our soil, air and water. Chemicals that have been linked in study after study to health concerns ranging from premature births to the onset of Parkinson’s Disease.

I believe that consumers are savvy enough now to be taking in all of this information as they are making informed, educated decisions about their own health, their family’s health, and the health of the planet.

These UK findings will be challenged by consumers who more than ever are educating themselves on how food is grown and processed.”

You can read Gary’s entire article here, at the Huffington Post.  And read the comments at the end of the article.  An interesting cross-section of posters!

What are your thoughts??

I’ve got nothing pithy or wise to share tonight.  We’re dealing with some things over this way, and I am choosing to keep today’s blogging short.  So instead of insight and wit, I shall give you a tour of the IWITW fridge!

But first you must suffer my meals. 

Dinner was great, and cheater.  My favorite kind. 

• Trader Joes picatta sauce
• free range organic chicken tenders + white beans + mushrooms
• served over whole wheat spaghetti
• side salad made by my HUBZ!

If you like picatta, this is very good.  That being said, it is VERY picatta-y, so beware if you’re only an on-the-fence kinda picatta eater.  I like it, so I was a happy little duck.

Rounded out the meal with a pinch of sweet.  Salt water taffy my sis and future bro-in-law brought back for me from their recent jaunt to OC, MD.

Lunch!

• homemade chef salad with…
• spinach + green leaf
• maters
• carrot
• cuke
• corn from the cob
• hard boiled egg
• 3 teeny slices of ham (from happy piggies)
• tossed in homemade honey dijon + camera shy croutons
• side dish of beautiful cherries

Breks!  The smoothie du jour was a banana, strawberry, blueberry blend, I like to call Pink.

Last night, while bored, I decided to snap pics of the innards of the IWITW fridge.  I didn’t straighten it up or clean junk out.  This is what she looks like in her unadulterated state…

• butter up there in the butter dish
• eggs and carob doggy treats in the egg dish
• assorted jams and nut butters hiding in the top tier
• your usual suspects of mustards, dark chocolate sauce, lemon juice, creamer
• the third tier is kinda the third wheel…chit gets put here that we don’t much use (lime juice, soy sauce, bbq sauce)
• bottom tier is salad dressing haven plus some Perrier

Here we have the top shelf.  Let’s list what we can see…

• chocolate Silk
• Organic Valley skim milk
• cherries
• my lunch salad in a tupperware
• assorted beers
• chunky medium spicy salsa

Middle shelf…

• half a banana in a ziploc (for smoothies)
• overripe Jersey tomato
• ziploc of white beans
• in the back there are 2 containers of garlic hummus
• moving over to the right we’ve got a pile of Stonyfields
• some MORE salsa tucked in the back
• that’s a canola mayo container laying on it’s side
• baking soda
• lite sour cream
• yogurt butter
• a small container of homemade curry dressing that I don’t know what to use it on
• Meat drawer = American cheese, brick of sharp provolone, goat cheese, happy ham

Bottoms shelf…

• BIG container of Stonyfield with blueberries atop it
• 3 ripe NJ peaches
• Applegate Farms chicken sausage
• in the back there is unsweetened applesauce
• another container of cherries atop a bunch of quinoa I made Sunday
• that big tupperware is full of veggie lentil Korma curry I made
• atop that is our leftover crockpot carrot ginger chicken bean stew
• olives
• pickles
• and in the back is our precious container of REAL VT maple syrup

I forgot to photograph the veg drawers.  They’re stuffed with spinach, zukes, carrot, mushroom, and cukes.

So that’s the dog and pony show kids.  Judge away. 

Ciao,

Er

Today it’s come to my attention that I am *that* person that people make fun of.  I spent my lunch hour shopping at the super cute pet boutique here in town where I work.  The reason for my trip, you ask?  Tomorrow is Hillary’s 5th birthday and I needed a cake.   

Pause.

In my defense, I’ve only had this precious being for 10 months.  We adopted her from a Westie Rescue (in Annapolis) last September.  So even though it’s her 5th birthday tomorrow, it’s the FIRST one we’ll get to celebrate with her.

Hence the need for a doggy cake.

And maybe a cupcake.

And perhaps a new toy.

But c’mon.  Doesn’t she deserve it! 

Now that you’re all making fun of me, I’ll just move on to my lunch.  Eaten while blogging in my cube.  I’m SO bored with lunch right now.  I decided to treat myself to a gigundo salad bar salad today.  It was well worth it!

1. romaine + organic spring mix
2. cherry maters
3. red onion
4. carrot
5. orange bell pepper
6. peas
7. mushrooms
8. cukes
9. broccoli
10. chickpeas
11. kindey beans
12. pickles
13. pickled beets
14. hb egg
15. spoonful of imitation crab (I love this)
16. sunflower seeds

Now, in my expert eating opinion, it is very hard to beat a meal that offers a salad with 16 ingredients!!  It was delicious!

I also had that super tasty and fun bag of Cheddar POPCHIPS (thanks so much POPCHIPS!).  And bowl full o that are on their last leg.

It always excites me when I see the topic of Ethical Eating getting mainstream media coverage.  It means that people are paying attention enough for the media to put effort into a story about this movement!  Click here for an easy-to-read article on the St. Louis Today website.  What is most interesting to me, are the comments at the bottom.  There you can really get a feel for how much of a debate this topic still is!

I got a big work thing done today, and can now spend the work afternoon at a normal work pace.

Breks!

• a smoothie with…
• ice
• almond milk
• frozen lope, honeydew, grapes, peaches
• half a nanner 
• a heaping spoonful of strawberry Stonyfield yogurt

Ok, lunch break ovah.

Do any of you pet people do this crazy stuff for your pets?

Giveaway Winners, be sure to send me your mailing info to receive your applesauce winnings!

Bloggie friends, guess what I did yesterday!  I met Kristina from Stonyfield Farms at their headquarters and did a tour of their offices and visitor center.

The Visitors Center is great with providing info on the history of the company, the green vision and mission of the CEO, and is also chock full of yogurty goodness!

 Some additional organic dairy deliciousness!

On top of being an industry leader in promoting organic products, sustainable farming practices, and supporting family farmers, Stonyfield embraces the entire life cycle of being a profitable “Green” Industry through the following examples:

• heat recapture system in the yogurt plant
• ginormous solar panel field on the roof of the plant and building
• solar reflector shades on the windows to reflect natural light for bothing lighting and cooling purposes
• recycled flooring
• no flush men’s urinals in the bathrooms
• recycled car-part aluminum legs on the furniture
• composite wood table tops made from wood shavings from lumber mills
• recycled material cloth on office chairs
• low/no VOC paint on the walls
• total in-office push for “think before you trash” accompanied by heaps of recycling bins
• a push to eliminate landfill waste by having their used plastic yogurt cups made into razor handles, toothbrushes

Solar panels on their roof.

Ways in which they recyle, reuse, and work to lessen their energy requirements.

The employees’ cafe.  Look how fun!

And what’s most important to me, is the company’s stance on requiring ethical treatment of their farmers’ dairy cows!  Yay for happy cows that make GREAT yogurt.

Speaking of yogurt, y’all will be SO jealous that I got to sample the brand new Strawberry OIKOS!  It’s hitting store shelves as we speak and It.Is.Fantastic.  The best flava to date.

I want to thank the lovely Kristina for taking the time to meet with me and for giving us a great tour!  If you are ever in Londonderry, NH, you must go there.

P.S.  For those of you who have trouble recycling the yogurt cups, cuz they’re #5s, please note that you can mail your cups back to Stonyfield Farms and they will recycle them for you.  And it’s likely you’ll get a coupon or 2 for your efforts! 

You can send your CLEAN Stonyfield Farm cups to: Stonyfield Farm, 10 Burton Drive, Londonderry, NH 03053.

And Kristina says that Whole Foods is also starting to install Stonyfield plastic recycling recepticles, so keep an eye out!