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Yes, but only partially.  When a non-organic vegetable is steamed, some amount of surface-level pesticide residues will be carried off from the vegetable and into the steam. This amount might be fairly small, however, depending on how tightly the pesticide residues are bound to the surface of the vegetable. It is very important not to over-steam vegetables, since many valuable water-soluble nutrients - including unique phytonutrients - can be lost in this way.

To eliminate as many pesticide residues as possible from non-organic vegetables, those vegetables should be gently scrubbed with a natural bristle brush under clean water (”clean” in this case meaning water that is not itself contaminated with pesticide residues and other potential toxins). Only loosely bound, surface pesticides can be removed in this way. I recommend you gently scrub and clean all non-organic fruits and vegetables using apple cider vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Simply spray each on separately, rinse twice and dry. Follow these simple steps and you will always have cleaner produce at your disposal the way nature intended it to be. (continue reading…)

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Egg recalls have made people more concerned when purchasing eggs. From the packaging, you would never guess hens are mistreated with pictures of peaceful roaming chickens. Egg companies print wording like: cage free, certified humane, certified organic, fertile, free range, free roaming, natural, omega-3 enriched, united egg producers certified, vegetarian-fed and more.

What do all these labels mean? Some of the labeling isn’t verified through a third party. According to Mercy for Animals, 90% of egg laying hens spend life on factory farms in tiny wire cages where they can’t perch, walk, spread their wings or do any of the natural behaviors for their entire lives.

The life of a factory hen is a disturbing one. First the females and males are separated and then the males are disposed of: thrown away, gassed, or ground up and processed into chicken feed, and then fed to the hens. (continue reading…)

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Processed food makes up a fair to large portion of daily diets. With a little awareness, you can identify the products those are high in saturated fats, trans fats, salt, sugar and other unhealthy ingredietns. Read the small print carefully to find out the less pleasant aspect of the food such as mechanically recovered meat (MRM) and indiscriminate use of additives.

Food labels may not tell the whole story. A can of the apple juice with a mouth-watering picture on the carton may carry in small print, “Only 10% real juice” and the remainder may be sugar, water and additives for coloring and flavoring, which is legal, but not very good for you. Strawberry yogurt or a strawberry shake may contain no strawberry,  only the artificial flavor. Similarly, meat in inexpensive “pork” sausages and other meat products, such as hamburgers, can include mechanically recovered meat (MRM) which is a kind of slurry removed by machine from a carcass after all the other meat has been removed. “Meat” can also include rind, skin, sinew and gristle. (continue reading…)

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The bad press around high fructose corn syrup seems to be hitting home with food processors. First, companies started reformulating products to use cane or beet sugar instead of HFCS. Now, the Corn Refiner’s Association has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to do away with High Fructose Corn Syrup.

The organization still wants to make the corn-based sweetener. They just want to call it Corn Sugar instead of the much-vilified High Fructose Corn Syrup. In the long and proud tradition of renaming people and products that get undesirable reputations (for example, prunes and Blackwater), the Corn Refiner’s Association is trying to outrun popular opinion. Every indication points to the product itself remaining the same. I, for one, hope they succeed in their rebranding efforts, so we can have the chance to inject some sanity into the discussion of added sweeteners.

(continue reading…)

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Just knowing your nutrients and nutrition facts is not enough. Health issues start at the farm and extend all the way to our tables. The concerns are endless, but the main concern is that foods are safe and loaded with full quota of nutrients.

Take, for example, some fresh organically grown zucchini, placed in cool conditions of the store, brought home in a cool bag, stored and prepared soon before lightly cooked. In another scenario, you buy the zucchini which has been sat too long in the store, carried in a overheated shopping bag and  kept around in the vegetable rack for more that a week before it is cooked. The first zucchini  is loaded with Vitamin A and other nutrients, but the second has lost almost all of them. (continue reading…)

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Last week, I addressed myths about whole foods. While some misinformation surrounds whole foods, they provide the foundation of many healthful ways of eating, and have plenty to recommend them as a clean food source.

No Additives

It’s there. It’s a chunk of food, just the way it came out of the field, orchard or barn. No hidden ingredients, nothing added or taken away. You can look at it and know exactly what you’re getting. Anything added to whole foods, you add yourself. (continue reading…)

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It’s a school night and you are cleaning out your child’s lunchbox so it’s ready to go in the morning, only to realize that almost none of it was eaten. Some days it may feel pointless packing your child a lunch at all. The problem is that lunchtime is also playtime at school. Lunch needs to be a non-fussy affair so kids can get on with the business of playing with friends. Really, they don’t eat; they graze. Therefore, the lunches that get eaten are both appealing and easy to eat. Think “quick, healthy eats”, and offer a variety each day, and you will see a difference. Your success rate will be even higher if you go shopping with your child and have them help in the selection process. They will be emotionally invested in the choices they make, and the lunchbox will come back emptier (if not completely empty).

Finger food is king in the lunchbox world. Begin with a hearty main dish, such as a wrap. The outside wrapper can be a tortilla or flavored wrap, or try an Asian Fusion version, using a rice wrapper to hold the ingredients together. Fill with your favorite protein option, such as tofu strips, shrimp or chicken strips, topped with thinly-sliced cucumber, carrots, chopped lettuce and sprouts. Another easy option is a burrito filled with beans and cheese and topped with extras, such as avocado. (continue reading…)