Saturday, July 12, 2014

What's organic and what's local?

Been confused by what "organic" means? How about "From local farms?" This article from Time Magazine sheds some light on these often misunderstood terms.

And, because a picture is worth a thousand words, here's what both "organic" and "local" look like :-)


Photo credit: Farm Fresh to You

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Veg* meat products

That was interesting (not really, but read on...)

I had a vegan turkey & cheese sandwich today, because no better veggie option was available on the lunch menu. Intuitively, I have a general distaste for any veggie product that attempts to imitate meat, because it's contradictory to what being a vegetarian is about. But in this case, I decided I needed a lunch and I'd try it.

Well, it completely confirmed my intuition. The sandwich was a great meatless option for people who like turkey sandwiches. But for vegetarian like myself, not appealing, because my palate has changed, and meat is simply no longer appealing to me in any form.

Does this mean I can't eat or enjoy veggie burgers? No, not necessarily. Just so long as they aren't processed to try and imitate meat.

Wow. Intuition confirmed and lesson learned ;-)

The chips & fries dilemma

Found this warning on a bag of all natural chips that came with my lunch today:

WARNING: This product contains acrylamide, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer. Acrylamide is not added to this product, but is created by browning potatoes. The FDA does not recommend that people stop eating potatoes. For more information, see the FDA's website at www.fda.gov.

Wow, that was enlightening! Yet another health reason to avoid eating excessive chips & fries, huh?! Then I learned from the Wikipedia article that some chip manufacturers add an pre-cooking enzyme to prevent the acrylamide from forming. And that other foods may contain the compound, too. Fascinating! I don't think I'll cut out chocolate from my diet, though :-)