Step #5: Less is More!

Less is More! No artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, artificial flavors, or preservatives EVER!

Our “foods” today are riddled with artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners. Many ingredients we can’t even pronounce. Ingredients who owe their existence to laboratories and chemical reactions versus dirt, water and sunshine.

Did you know that even refrigerated biscuits have food coloring in them? I didn’t either. Makes you wonder what color those white fluffy biscuits were before they added Red #40.

Here's a recap on the "more" you would do better without:
Artificial Preservatives: Sulfites, Sulfates, Nitrites, Nitrates, BHT, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Artificial Sweeteners: Saccharin, Splenda & Aspartame. Sorbitol, Manitol, and Xylitol are sugar alcohols-there is a bit of controversy on these. I'll let you decide. As for me...I'll pass on those.

Food Color: FDC # any

Hormones: rbGH

Partially hydrogenated oils

We may not be able to fully control what's in the food we eat at restaurants, at someone else's home, or unfortunately at school, but we can decide what stocks our own refrigerators and pantries.

Why We Don't Recycle

Yesterday I made "Baked Beans" in the Crockpot. YUMMY-must share recipe in another Blog. They were a big hit with the family. I used canned pinto beans and I confess, I threw the cans in the trash. I am not a big fan of recycling cans in the summer because ants here in the South can be a REAL nuisance. However, my conscience immediately got the best of me and I pulled them back out. I rinsed them and in the process, my finger grazed the sharp edge of one can and I cut my finger. OUCH! Pause...continue cooking as all moms do.

Later that night, I reached in my purse for something and caught that finger in the same spot and re-opened the wound. OUCH again!

Funny a small cut can cause so much pain. I said to my husband, "this doesn't help the cause of recycling any. If I had left the cans in the trash I wouldn't have cut my finger. Now I could get an infection, lose my finger and never play tennis again. All because I recycled a few cans".

Ok, so I'm exaggerating but it is those moments of irritation and inconvenience that do stop us from acting on our good intentions. I say all this to say, YOU my friend are not alone. There are Everyday Organics all around you trying to fight the good fight against needless waste. Hang in there, your efforts are not in vain. Recycle On!

25 Minutes and Counting

The first thing to run through my mind this morning as I opened my eyes was, "It's Thursday, I can WATER THE PLANTS!" I practically fell out of bed, then threw my hair in a pony-tail and snuck out the door while the rest of the gang slumbered away. Somehow I managed to get flip-flops on.

AAAH I love that time of day. I took a deep breath of fresh morning air and then surveyed the job. According to my county's water restrictions, I had 25 minutes to water everything in sight. Yikes!

I started with the Leyland Cypress since they're the only privacy we have on one side-can't lose a single one of those babies. From there I moved to the Holly Bushes, Laurel, Clematis, Peach tree, Hostas, and oh ya...the flowers on the patio.

That was alot to get done in 25 minutes and have ya noticed they cut the water pressure? I saw an announcement online yesterday congratulating my county for 20% less water use. Ya, that's cuz you decreased the pressure 20%. Hey, I wonder if our water bills will be 20% less...let's not push it.

GARAGE SALES!!!

It’s Garage Sale Season Again!!

Think about this: every time we buy something from a garage sale, we’re keeping that item from hitting the landfill. Not only that, each item we buy second hand, instead of new, prevents yet one more of that product from being manufactured and shipped to a retailer.

So get out there, hit those garage sales and save the Earth!

Another Easy Go Green!

Step #4: Introduce 1-3 new foods per week

Making fewer changes at once will make it easier to stick with your new healthy lifestyle. It will also make it easier on the budget.

Where did I start? With the things we consumed the most of. At the time, it was milk and meat so I started there. Then moved to fruits and vegetables and then to snacks and condiments (still not perfect on those). As far as body products, well, that's a work in progress I'll tell you. Bit by bit we are getting there. The job market hasn't helped our healthy endeavors either but little by little we continue to make progress. Oh ya and green cleaners you make yourself are CHEAP and easy so nothing should stop you from that. I have a spray bottle with 1/2 water and 1/2 white vinegar. I use that for anything I would have used window cleaner for. Baking soda is what I use to scrub the sinks and toilets. Pour in some vinegar after to disinfect and you're good to go.

My Confession

For Lu's end of the year party, I was assigned to bring in sausage. This morning as I was carrying in the crock pot trying to keep them warm, I thought, "I wonder how many people are gonna ask, think, or assume these are all organic, hormone/antibiotic free sausages". OK, I did it. I went to the store and bought the 2/$5.00 sausages and you can tell by the price, they weren't organic. I confess. It's hard enough to feed my own family organically let alone a classroom of 9 year olds who will be eating colored donuts at the same time. I'm sorry if it seems hypocritical but let's remember we are striving to be Everyday Organics so we do the best we can each day...even if it's not perfect.

AAAAAAAA, I feel much better now!

Oh ya, one more thing: I did eat some...

Against School Policy to Recycle

Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? It's the end of the school year and I was in volunteering with all the last minute details. I heard a teacher say "I'm going to throw these out" as she holds up the largest three-ring binder I have ever seen FILLED with paper. I said, as I was chocking in shock, "Can I recycle those?". Ya, it was said: "I wish I could give these to you, but it's against school policy." I can't believe it. What ARE we teaching these kids? All I can think this does is create more wasteful Americans? And you know, if it's against school policy to give retired curriculum to a parent, fine, YOU recycle it. But no, it's much easier to throw it in the trash.

Well, that's ok though b/c next year, I'm ALL over it. They're either gonna love me or hate me. By the way, I have a meeting set up with the mayor of my city on Wednesday. One of the things I will be addressing is why we can't get .3 mile (yes, just 3 tenths of a mile) of sidewalk completed on my street so we can actually walk somewhere and leave our cars parked. Alright, enough griping. I'll save that energy to get things done!

Recycle Old Sneakers

I finally took our old sneakers to be recycled. I have had them in a bag at the bottom of the recycling bin for longer than I'd like to admit. Then again, we are EVERYDAY organics not PERFECT organics-right? So yesterday I headed down to the science academy filled with pride and determination that these shoes would not be hitting the landfill. Only I was met with disappoinment. I was told the athletic company who used to accept them no longer does and therefore the science academy had nowhere to deliver them.

Bummer! That's a step in the wrong direction. Surely that can't be. So today I do a Google search and find an article from 5-9-08 about Nike's Re-Use a Shoe program. YEAH! I immediately called the science academy to let them know "Nike is recycling shoes, you can start your program again!" Not sure what they'll do with that info but I'll follow up next fall.

Anyway, back to our old tennis shoes-yours too. Nike will take:

• Athletic shoes only (any brand)
• No shoes containing metal
• No cleats , No dress shoes
• No wet/damp shoes

Since the program started, they have recycled over 20,000,000 shoes and have created 250 sports surfaces with the ground up shoes. See Nike Grind for more details. It's pretty cool.

If you live in the Atlanta area, you can drop them off at Nike Town at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. If your dropping off more than a bag full, you need to call ahead and give them a heads up. For other locations in the US, visit the Nike Re-Use a Shoe site. I did my research and seems even in a big city like Atlanta, this is the only gig in town for recycling old sneakers. I'm sure that will change in the future but until then, may you hear a little voice inside reminding you to be an Everyday Organic before tossin' those old stinkies in the trash.

Learn more about Nike Grind

Step #3: Start with changes no one will notice

Personally, I find no difference in taste between conventional milk and the organic brands. Organic meat and eggs, if anything, taste fresher. Without mentioning the changes, my sister cooked organic meat for dinner one night. Her whole family loved it and her husband asked, “where did you buy this? It tastes great!” Organic fruits and vegetables taste fresh and are full of flavor. So when going organic, start where there will be little or no protest...with foods that taste the same or better without added "stuff".

Where to Buy Meat

I started asking questions about the meat I was purchasing. Was you know where the ONLY place I could find organic meats? The more questions I asked, the more I was convinced...perhaps it was the only place. However, more and more mainline grocery stores are carrying organic meats. If you wonder about it, just ask one of the workers in the meat department. If they can't answer your question, that's not the place where you wanna be buying your meat. And honestly, the prices are about the same in all the stores I've seen so I buy it where I'm at. I do buy most of it at Whole Foods though b/c I know they have a high turn-over and that makes me feel the meat is fresher.

Fortunately there are many milk options out there even for those of you who drink non-dairy milks (almond, rice, soy). With soy-milk, look for those that are made with non- GMO soy beans. That means they were not genetically modified. That just sounds disgusting doesn't it? The companies that use non-GMO soy beans are proud of it and will make it clear on their packaging. Again though, read the ingredients here too. Many milks have sugar in them to make them taste good. All I'm saying is, just know what your eating & drinking. Hormone and antibiotic free cow's milk and chicken eggs are readily available also. Let me know if you have any questions.

What's in Your Chicken?

Alright, so here's the thing: The first thing I did was start buying meat, milk, and eggs that were hormone and antibiotic free. Remember though, if it's pre-packaged meat, you MUST read both the front and back. If it doesn't say it's hormone and antibiotic free, it isn't. Now double check to make sure the ingredients just say: chicken, or beef or whatever you hope your buying. If it says "Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics. No Hormones Administered, No Artificial ingredients" you are off to a good start. But double check. Oh look, the back of this package says in teeny tiny print, "all natural chicken broth ingredients: chicken broth, salt, and flavoring." FLAVORING. What are you flavoring it for? Doesn't it already taste like chicken? Why don't you chew on that one 'til tomorrow.

Step #2: Gradual & steady changes

Go easy on your family at first. You could go and dump the entire pantry in the trash all at once, but you may be met with more opposition than necessary. Perhaps a kinder and more effective approach would be to start out by eliminating the worst offenders. May I suggest anything red or blue that didn’t grow on a farm. Yes, that would mean all those rainbow colored crackers and “fruit” chewy snacks with no fruit. Once the family gets adapted to the first few changes, make a few more.

The Everyday Organic Step #2: Make Gradual and Steady Changes. Just like with any other big change, you may find you are more successful if you tackle it bit by bit. The thought of throwing everything out at once and heading to the store to stock up on organic foods was overwhelming. I was on a tight grocery budget already. We had no choice but to transition in phases and it turned out to be for the best. Years later we continue to be "cleaner" eaters and have figured out how to creatively stretch the grocery budget to include organic foods.

Low-fat Shmo-fat

Congratulations! It's been one week since you've decided to make some changes. How'd it go reading labels? We'd love to hear your reactions when you read the ingredients in some of that "stuff" we call food.

One more thing about reading labels before we move on. In our society we are conditioned to read two things on a label: fat and calories. If it's low in both, we consider it a winner. NOT SO FAST! Hopefully this week you have realized there is a lot more to a label than fat and calories. There's a lot more to food than fat and calories. Many "low-fat" foods are filled with yuckies (as we call them in our family). These extras are in there so you don't miss the fat. Think about this: the less fillers, preservatives, flavors and colors a food has, the cleaner it is. This makes it easier for your body to process, utilize, and eliminate. Food is fuel and we need to fuel our bodies kindly and effectively.

Red #40 Makes White Fluffy Biscuits

We've been talking this week about reading food labels. Here's one for you: did you know that most refrigerated biscuits have food coloring in them? I didn't either. Makes you wonder what color those white fluffy biscuits were before they added red dye.

Reader Disagrees

I was challenged by one of my readers in regards to my mentioning Xylitol as an artificial sweetener to avoid. She said, "Xylitol is listed as an ingredient in many organic foods". Yes, it is.

Ok, first let me say I have elaborated and perhaps corrected the information listed under artificial sweeteners. Sorbitol, Mannitol, and Xylitol are sugar alcohols and I suppose considering them "artificial" or "manufactured" is one's own opinion. However, you do the Google search...and don't just read the info from the dentists promising you little or no tooth decay from these sugar substitutes.

Alright, now that we have that cleared up, I want to applaud my reader for knowing what is listed on the ingredients label. GREAT JOB! This also serves as a reminder to us all. Even if an ingredient is used in products sold by a store who is leading the way in organic foods, it doesn't mean it's best to consume. You still need to decide for yourself. Remember how Saccharin (Saccharine) and Aspartame were all the rage, and then what happened? Ya, it took many years for us to wake up, but we did and now look? Those are on the "no-no" list of many health conscious industries. All I'm saying is be careful and don't just run with the masses. Think about what you're eating and how things are made. If it's manufactured, you oughta' think twice or maybe three times before you consider it the miracle we've all been looking for.

Brownies visit Recycling Center

This afternoon I saw a Brownie troop at the Recycling Center. You Go Girls! You should have heard the enthusiasm in their voices. I couldn't help but smile and giggle myself. Hats off to their troop leaders for spending the afternoon doing something so worthwhile. Troop leaders, if you're out there reading, we'd love to hear from you. And if your Brownie or Girlscout troop is so inspired to do the same, let us know what you learn.

"Sugar-Free"

How many times have I heard friends or even family members (NOT those living in my house) boast that the product they just consumed was sugar-free. As if that's something to be proud of. Ok, it's sugar-free. Fabulous, you read the front label generated for marketing purposes only. Now let's turn the container, box, jar, whatever OVER and read the list of ingredients on the back. Yes, it is in small print so you hopefully won't read it. What's listed there? On your sugar-free "foods" you're right, you won't see sugar listed but what will you see? Anything you don't recognize, can't pronounce, manufactured in a lab? I think we would all agree food is supposed to be grown in the ground, not concocted in a lab.

What not to eat

When reading those labels, you might be wondering "so what am I looking for?" You're not the only one. Recently my mother said to me, “Ok, give me a list of what I’m not supposed to be eating.” Here you go Mom:

*Preservatives: Sulfites, Sulfates, Nitrites, Nitrates

*Artificial Sweeteners: Saccharin (also spelled: Saccharine), Sucralose (in Splenda), Aspartame (in Nutra-Sweet and Equal), Sugar Alcohols (some would argue these aren't artificial and my sister argues "how am I supposed to sweeten my coffee?"): Sorbitol, Mannitol, Xylitol
(While I realize some of these "sweeteners" are controversial, I choose to avoid anything created in a lab.)

*Artificial Flavors

*Food Coloring: FDC # any

*Hormones: BGH or rBGH (added/injected growth hormones)

*Partially hydrogenated oils

Step #1: Begin Reading Labels

Have you ever wondered if a package says “10% real fruit juice” what the other 90% is? Don’t assume because the package says “natural”, “contains real fruit juice”, “no artificial color” that it’s a wise choice. Those phrases can distract us from reading the label and finding out what actually is in the product. I remember picking up a package of sausage and thinking “Wow, I didn’t know these were hormone and antibiotic free”. I was ready to put it in the cart when I turned it over and realized that while it was hormone and antibiotic free, it contained sulfites to preserve it. Yuck, no thank you. Had I not taken 10 seconds to turn the package over and read the fine print, we might have eaten that. The extra little time it takes to read labels is well worth the effort.

The Everyday Organic Step #1: Begin Reading Labels
Start by taking a few minutes right now and read some of the labels (front and back) of products in your pantry and fridge. The more confusing, the less likely you'd want to be putting that in your body. More on this through next week.

10 Steps to Organic Eating

All right, so I'm always asked "how do you start?". I was talking to a friend the other night and she has intentions to eat organically but has no idea how to even start.

So I thought I'd share with you the steps I took when converting my own family to organic eating. We progressed gradually and have stuck with it for years. Now, are we "completely organic" as some call it? We are Everyday Organics; meaning, we do the best we can each day and try to make wiser choices if for some reason we can't make a perfect choice.

Over the next 10 weeks, I'll share with you a new step each Saturday. That way you can start a new week with a goal in mind. I welcome your thoughts, comments, & questions. Happy Eating!

Recycling at school

I told Ms. Neal how the girls were mortified that all the concert programs were gonna get thrown out and they ran through and picked them all up for recycling. She told me Mr. Jackson, another teacher at the school, is very passionate about recycling. I made a note to myself to contact him in regards to getting that entire school up to date with the very simple and only responsible option: RECYCLING!