Like many households, we are passing around and getting over various winter bugs with their share of fevers, aches, sniffles, sneezes and coughs. Often hanging around for days (or even weeks) after the initial cold is gone, coughs are the worst. Anything that causes you to lose sleep while straining all the muscles in your chest, back and neck is something you want to heal as quickly as possible.

The recipe for getting better in our house is lots of homemade, pasture-raised chicken broth, Netflix videos, and one or two of these favorite homemade cough remedies.

I can’t take credit for inventing any of these natural cough relievers; they came to me over time and were adapted to fit our needs, just as they have probably been passed along with minor variations for thousands of years. So in the spirit of the generations of mothers who want desperately to soothe their child’s railing breath, I pass these recipes on to you.

Honey-Ginger Throat Salve
Take 2-3 times a day, as needed to soothe sore throat and dry coughing.

• A 2-inch knob of fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp. organic, raw honey*

1. Peel, then finely grate the ginger into a small bowl.
2. Squeeze the grated ginger through a fine mesh sieve (or just use your fingers) to release about 1 teaspoon of juice. Discard pulp.
3. Mix the teaspoon of ginger juice thoroughly into the Tablespoon of honey.
4. Take the syrup right away, swallowing slowly and deliberately.

* Do not give honey to infants under the age of 1.

Onion, Garlic and Ginger Cough Syrup
Take 2-3 times a day, as needed to soothe sore throat and wet or congested coughs.

• 1-2 onions (any type)
• 1-3 heads of garlic (any type)
• 1 large hand of ginger
• 3-4 cups dehydrated cane juice, Rapadura, panela or coconut sap sugar
• 1 Quart (1 L) Mason Jar

1. Peel and slice the onion, garlic and ginger as thinly as you can.
2. On the bottom of the Mason jar, layer slices of onion, garlic and ginger about an inch thick.
3. Pour dehydrated cane juice over the onion mixture until you can’t see it anymore from the top, making another layer about an inch deep.
4. Add another inch-thick layer of onions, garlic and ginger slices, then pour in the cane juice to cover. Repeat this process, making an onion and sugar “parfait” until the jar is almost full.
5. Top off with a bit more cane juice and close the lid tightly.
6. In one hour, the sugar will be soft. In two, you will start to see liquid forming in the bottom of the jar. In three hours, you will see the syrup forming, and in four hours, the syrup will be complete.
7. Don’t remove the onions, garlic and ginger from the syrup. Just press the mixture back with the spoon when you administer the syrup. Keeps for 6 months to a year unrefrigerated.

Thyme Oil Vapor Steam
This simple, time-tested remedy for clogged noses and congested lungs is also anti-bacterial.

• 1 large bowl full of fresh water. (Avoid chlorinated tap water if you can.)
• 10-30 drops thyme essential oil, to suit.

1. Boil the water till steaming, then fill the bowl with it.
2. Add the thyme oil, starting with 10 drops.
3. Cover your head with a towel and hold your face over the bowl, allowing the towel to form a steam tent around your head.
4. Inhale and breath deeply and calmly. If the scent of thyme is not strong enough to make a difference to your sinuses add another 5-10 drops, as needed.
   

Herbal Vapor Salve
This healthier version of the name-brand menthol rub can be applied to the neck, chest and upper back for relief of chest and sinus congestion.

Special trick: You’ll get maximum effectiveness from this remedy—especially for that nagging post-nasal drip cough—if you apply the Herbal Vapor Salve thickly to the soles of your feet, then put on warm socks and lie down. Really. It works. I don’t know why.

• 4-6 ounces of Un-Petroleum Jelly, or your favorite natural hand cream, cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut butter, etc. (You want something thick at room temperature to serve as a base cream.)
• 4+ drops peppermint essential oil (A half-ounce bottle of essential oil can last a very long time and be used for many things.)
• 4+ drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 3+ drops rosemary essential oil
• 3+ drops lavender essential oil
• 3+ drops camphor oil

1. Start by melting 4 ounces of the cream base you have chosen by placing it in a bowl inside a larger bowl full of hot water. (If you have a very small double boiler, that would work too.) Do not heat the cream directly.
2. You want your base to be as liquid and easy to mix as it can get. Remove from heat once it reaches this melted-chocolate consistency.
3. Once your base cream is soft, add the oils one at a time, mixing each drop thoroughly into the cream. If you need to return the cream to the heat to keep it easy to mix, that’s OK. Different bases melt and set at different temperatures.
4. Once you have thoroughly mixed the oils into the 4 ounces of base, let cool. Smell and test the batch on the inside of your wrist. Everyone has different skin sensitivities. If the salve is too strong for your skin, melt the salve again and blend in 1-2 more ounces of base cream to dilute. If the salve doesn’t smell strong enough, add 1 more drop of each essential oil until you reach the strength you desire.
5. Pour salve into a recycled jar and use when needed for colds, flu and muscle aches. Lasts indefinitely.

_{The post is part of Monday Mania, Make Your Own Monday, Fat Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Healthy 2Day Wednesdays, The Mommy Club, Whole Food Wednesdays, Simple Lives Thursday and Fight Back Fridays, and Fresh Bites Friday.}

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Did you know that August 7–13 is Fluoride Awareness Week?

Me neither till, well, this week…

But I’m excited about it because the Fluoride Action Network has a plan to END water fluoridation in both Canada and the United States, and they are hoping that by spreading mass awareness, Fluoride Awareness Week will bring us a lot closer to that goal. San Diego (where I live) just began water fluoridation this year, despite significant public protest, so we need all the help we can get!

The producers of this provocative film are allowing a FREE full-length preview through August 13th! You can also support Fluoride Action Network and their important work by purchasing the Professional Perspectives DVD at a special price of $10 during Fluoride Awareness Week.

Now… Why exactly should you “be aware” about fluoride this week? Isn’t that the stuff that keeps our teeth from falling out?

Ever wonder why most kids’ toothpastes have no fluoride? Because kids inevitably will swallow some paste, and fluoride is extremely TOXIC. In fact, eating a tube of toothpaste will kill a child (and seriously harm an adult), so be sure to keep any fluoride paste or mouthwash out of reach, just like you do with bathroom cleaners and medicines.

For me, this begs the question:

Why are we putting a toxic chemical that everyone agrees should never be swallowed into our food and water supply in the first place?

Most people don’t know that the type of fluoride added to water supplies, most toothpastes, and many beverages and foods is typically a waste product of the nuclear, aluminum, and phosphate (fertilizer) industries. The EPA has classified fluoride as a toxin. Fluoride is so toxic that, in addition to being a primary ingredient in rat and cockroach poisons, pest fumigants and crop pesticides, fluoride is also an active ingredient in anesthetic, hypnotic, and psychiatric drugs, as well as nerve gas used by the military.

Do we really want this stuff in our bodies at all?

Under the U.S. Safe Water Drinking Act, it is illegal to dump fluoride in lakes, streams and oceans, but, for some strange reason, it’s OK to dump fluoride into our food and water supplies and then rub it into our teeth and gums twice a day. Hmmmmm.

How Did We Get Here? – A Brief History of Fluoride
According to journalist Christopher Bryson, author of The Fluoride Deception, getting large quantities of fluoride into the water and food system was the result of the massive public relations campaigns sponsored by industries who were saddled with getting rid of toxic waste.

Fluoride is necessary for the processing or enriching of uranium. Much of the original proof that fluoride is “safe” for humans in low doses was fabricated in the 1940s by Manhattan Project A-bomb program scientists, who had been secretly ordered to provide “evidence useful in litigation” against defense contractors for fluoride injury to citizens. The first lawsuits against the U.S. A-bomb program were not over radiation, but over fluoride damage. Their pro-fluoride propaganda was successful in convincing juries and the public that not only was fluoride safe, but that it was beneficial for kids’ dental health!

Fluoride was used by both Hitler during WWII and also by the Russians in order to make the population more docile. Fluoride is also a principal ingredient in many antidepression drugs such as Prozac because of its ability to numb the mind. And fluoride was key in the worst air pollution disaster in U.S. history in Donora, Pennsylvania that killed 20 people and hospitalized over 7,000 between October 26 and 31, 1948.

Because of the mind altering affects of fluoride, in the early 1950′s, the notorious spin master and father of advertising, Edward Bernays, continued the campaign for adding fluoride to water supplies as an experiment in engineering human consent! Then the ADA picked up on the dental issue and endorsed sodium fluoride’s addition to water supplies.

For the last several decades, any dissenting health professionals with studies and reports against fluoride were usually dismissed as quacks regardless of their credentials. Despite this, in 1999, over 1500 professionals at the US EPA, including toxicologists and risk assessment experts voted unanimously to oppose the fluoridation initiative in California because of the health risks involved. But politics trumped science, and fluoridation was approved in most California municipalities anyway.

Fluoride’s Affects on Your Health
The fluoride used for water fluoridation does not have FDA approval and is considered by the FDA as an “unapproved drug.” The proper use of any drug requires an understanding of how much is too much. As they say, the dose makes the poison. Since fluoride is already in many foods and beverages, it is estimated that we’re regularly receive 300% or more of the American Dental Association’s recommended daily amount.

Generally, most fluoride entering the body is not easily eliminated. It tends to accumulate in the bones and teeth. Recently, it has been discovered to accumulate also in the thyroid gland as well as the pineal and pituitary glands, located in the middle of the brain.

The most common and obvious consequence of fluoride accumulation is dental and skeletal fluorosis which permanently stains and pits teeth and bones, and leaves them brittle. The incidence of dental fluorosis among U.S. children has increased from 10 percent to 22 percent in the past 25 years, says the ADA. Yet, the American Dental Association continues to promote fluoride, refusing to admit that instead of preventing tooth decay, fluoridation causes even more dental harm.

The flood of fluoride in water and food also creates other more serious health problems that are not widely publicized—even suppressed. Nevertheless, in addition to fluorosis, independent labs and reputable researchers have linked the following health issues with daily long term intake of fluoride:

• Cancer
• Genetic DNA Damage
• Thyroid Disruption – the pituitary gland is greatly affected by fluoride, which, in turn, affects the complete endocrine system and leads to obesity. (People with thyroid disease are advised to avoid fluoridated water.)
• Neurological Impairment – The toxic effects of fluoride on the central nervous system is confirmed by previously-classified government research. Two new epidemiological studies confirm fluoride’s neurotoxic effects on the brain and have shown that children exposed to high levels of fluoride had lower IQs.
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Birth Defects
• Cystic Acne – Also called fluoroderma.
• Melatonin Disruption - lowers immunity to cancer, accelerates aging, sleep disorders.
• Pineal Gland Disorder - calcification, which clogs this gland located in the middle of the brain.
• Osteoarthritis and Increased Risk of Bone Fractures - it is estimated that 1/3 of all osteoarthritis cases are caused by skeletal fluorosis.
  

Fluoride Proven Ineffective
You might be worried about how removing fluoride from our drinking water or toothpaste might affect our teeth. But you do not need to be.

All of the recent large-scale studies of water fluoridation have shown that there are no positive effects from the practice. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the tooth decay rates of countries which do not fluoridate their water supplies are just as low, or even lower, than those countries which do. Further, several studies published since 2000 have reported that there has been no increase in tooth decay rates noted in communities which ended water fluoridation.

Fluoridation is illegal, banned or not used in an overwhelming number of countries, including many industrialized countries. Despite pressure from the dental industry, 99% of western Europe has rejected, banned, or stopped fluoridation due to environmental, health, legal, or ethical concerns. And yet, their children’s teeth are just as healthy as children’s teeth in the U.S. In fact, in many parts of Europe, they are healthier.

The good news is that the voice of concerned, unbiased science is beginning to overwhelm the voice of pro-fluoride industry propaganda. For example, in November 2006, the American Dental Association actually advised parents to avoid giving fluoridated water to babies or using it to make formula.

Take the advice, and protect yourself and your children by avoiding fluoride.

Reducing Fluoride Exposure
Fluoride can be found in tap and bottled tap water, soft drinks, juices and foods made with tap water, vitamins, non-organic produce, non-organic poultry, and of course, toothpaste and mouthwash.

One way to avoid fluoridated water is to buy spring water from a water service, but this is not always economical or environmental. Buying a filter that can remove fluoride from your tap water is the more cost-effective choice over the long term. You can even buy a whole-house filter and have fluoride-free water for cooking, drinking, bathing and toothbrushing!

• Reverse Osmosis Filtration. This is used to purify several types of bottled water (not all), so some bottled waters are not fluoridated. Reverse osmosis filtration systems are a bit pricey, but they remove fluoride, chlorine and most environmental toxins found in municipal tap water. However they also leave water flat, without any beneficial mineral ions, and are not the best choice if you want water that is nourishing, and tastes crisp and refreshing.
• Aluminum Oxide Defluoridation Filter. These filters often require frequent cartridge changes, but can be quite reasonably priced. Here is one of the better brands.
• Distillation Filtration. There are commercially available distillation filters that can be purchased to remove fluoride from water.

These Do NOT Remove Fluoride

• Brita, Pur, and most other water filters. Some websites about fluoride removal state otherwise, but I checked the product descriptions on the companies’ websites to confirm that fluoride is left in the water.
• Boiling Water. This will concentrate the fluoride rather than reduce it.
• Freezing Water. Freezing water does not affect the concentration of fluoride.

Steps to Reduce Fluoride Exposure

• Don’t take fluoride supplements. Read the labels on your and your children’s vitamins carefully.
• Read labels on bottled beverages and juices. Unless they are made using spring or reverse-osmosis water, they are probably made with fluoridated public tap water.
• Eat organic. Fluoride is a primary ingredient in several crop pesticides and warehouse fumigants, so you can find lots of fluoride in both conventional produce and also concentrated into conventional poultry, meat, eggs and dairy.
• Be wary of tinned fish and canned food items. Fluoride may be used as a preservative.
• Avoid using chewing tobacco. Ew. There are many, many reasons to avoid this, not just the fluoride.
• Avoid long term use of medication that contains fluorine. Certain antidepressants and medications for osteoporosis contain fluoride.
• Consider using fluoride-free toothpaste. There are many great brands like Tom’s of Maine, Weleda and more that contain no fluoride. Some can even be found at better drug stores. We usually make our own toothpaste (see recipe below), but when we run out or travel, we prefer Toothsoap as our all-natural, tooth hygiene alternative. Because it has no glycerine, Toothsoap leaves teeth “dental-visit” clean and ready to be remineralized via a good diet. It does taste a bit soapy though, so I usually make our own.

Homemade No-Fluoride Toothpaste
This is our family recipe for fluoride-free toothpaste. It helps remove stains, leaves a fresh feeling in the mouth, helps relieve sensitive teeth, and saves money.

• 3 Tbsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbsp. finely ground sea salt
• A few drops peppermint, wintergreen, anise, clove or cinnamon bark essential oil, according to the taste you want (be sparing, they are very strong)
• 1 tsp. xylitol or a few drops of liquid stevia (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. finely ground sage (optional antimicrobial)
• Extra Virgin coconut oil, softened but not liquified

1. Mix all ingredients but coconut oil to taste.
2. Mix in a teaspoon of coconut oil at a time until you find the right consistency for you.
3. Put into a small, sealable jar or squeezable container.
4. Brush!

How You Can Help Stop Water Fluoridation
Please, join the anti-fluoride movement in the United States, Canada and New Zealand by contacting the representative for your area below.

U.S. Communities Fighting Fluoridation:

1. New York City, NY:With the recent victory in Calgary, New York City is the next big emphasis. The anti-fluoridation movement has a great champion in New York City councilor Peter Vallone, Jr. who introduced legislation on January 18 “prohibiting the addition of fluoride to the water supply.”A victory there could signal the beginning of the end of fluoridation in the U.S. so it is a really big deal. The point person for this area is Carol Kopf, at the New York Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation (NYSCOF). Email her at NYSCOF@aol.com.
2. Austin, Texas: Join the effort by contacting Rae Nadler-Olenick at either: info@fluoridefreeaustin.com or fluoride.info@yahoo.com, or by regular mail or telephone:
   

   POB 7486
   Austin, Texas 78713
   Phone: (512) 371-3786

3. San Diego, California: Contact Patty Ducey-Brooks, publisher of the Presidio Sentinel at pbrooks936@aol.com .

Canadian Communities Fighting Fluoridation:

1. If you live in Ontario, Canada, please join the ongoing effort by contacting Diane Sprules at diane.sprules@cogeco.ca.
2. The point-of-contact for Toronto, Canada is Aliss Terpstra. You may email her at aliss@nutrimom.ca.

New Zealand Communities Fighting Fluoridation:

1. New Zealand: Contact Mary Byrne if you would like to be involved in stopping fluoridation in New Zealand. Email her at: mbyrne64@yahoo.co.nz

In addition, you can:

• Tell the EPA you expect them to uphold their duty to protect you and your children from this toxic food fumigant.
• Make a tax-deductible donation to the Fluoride Action Network to help them fight for fluoride-free food and water.
• Check out FAN’s Action Page, as they are working on multiple fronts to rid our food and water supplies of fluoride.
• Join the Fluoride Action Network Facebook page.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade!

When I was pregnant with Babyzilla, I began researching safe sunscreens to protect her delicate baby skin. Most sunscreens have ingredients that are unpronounceable, and having sensitive skin, I’ve never been one to blindly trust the chemicals in most cosmetics and skin care products.

However, even after reading the back of every sunscreen bottle in Whole Foods, I found myself frustrated and disappointed. It turned out that all of the so-called “green” and “organic” brands had at least one highly questionable chemical ingredient in them! Why should anyone have to trade short-term protection for long-term harm?

After a long online search, we eventually purchased Kabana Skin Care’s Green Screen for Babyzilla and general family use. Kabana is a small company located in Boulder, Colorado, where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy 300 days of sunshine a year. Their products are very effective and low-allergen, and their website is very informative. Kabana is a little waxy and leaves a white sheen unless you buy the skin-toned version. They scored a #1 for low harm on the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database.

The only ingredients in Kabana Green Screen are:

1. 25% Zinc Oxide (non-nano)
2. Eldorado Springs Artesian Water
3. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4. Organic Jojoba Oil
5. Vegetable Glycerin
6. Organic Shea Butter
7. Vegetable Emulsifying Wax
8. Iron Oxide
9. Vegetable Vitamin E

For my adult skin, I also really like Kettle Care Sunscreen, too. Produced by another great family company, Kettle Care smells good and blends in well like a moisturizing lotion, but at only 8% zinc oxide, needs to be re-applied more often than Kabana. And unlike Kabana, Kettle Care contains a variety of essential oils, plants extracts and Xanthan gum, which can be allergens for many people. Kettle Care Sunscreen was not rated by the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database.

Kettle Care contains:

1. Organic Aloe Vera Gel
2. Grapeseed, Organic Sunflower, Almond, Avocado, Safflower, Organic Jojoba Oils
3. Montana Beeswax
4. Organic Cocoa Butter
5. 8% Zinc Oxide
6. Extracts of Grapefruit, Organic Green Tea, Sea Buckthorn, Organic Chamomile, Organic Echinacea, Witch Hazel, Organic Mallow and Vanilla
7. Organic Shea Butter
8. Xanthan Gum
9. Tocopherol (Vitamin E for product freshness)
10. Essential Oils of Peru Balsam and Ylang Ylang

Now, these basic ingredients make sense to a concerned person! So what exactly is wrong with all the other sunscreens?

Petrochemical Ingredients
New labeling requirements notwithstanding, FDA-approved petrochemical-based sunscreens include:

• Avobenzone, also known as Parsol 1789
• Octylmethoxycinnamate
• Oxybenzone
• P-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Ensulizole
• Homosalate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Octocrylene
• Octyl dimethyl PABA
• Octyl salicylate
• Sulisobenzone
• Trolamine salicylate
• Tterephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, also known as Mexoryl SX.

Because they are applied to your skin, all of the petrochemical-based sunscreens are absorbed into your bloodstream in amounts higher than any other petrochemical contaminant found in our air, water or food. Petrochemical sunscreens can have significant side effects because many mimic estrogen’s effects in our bodies. They often don’t biodegrade, and thereby accumulate in the watershed, damaging coral reefs and aquatic ecosystems. All of these petrochemicals are toxic, and by using them, you trade UV damage for chemical damage in the long term.

Parents need to know that NONE of the petrochemical sunscreen ingredients listed above are FDA approved for use on children and babies. In fact, none of these compounds are tested for SPF on children’s skin, so products that use these ingredients and are marketed as “baby” formulas are misleading you.

Unfortunately, these petrochemicals are found in virtually all major brand names, and even in many of the “eco” brands found at the health food store. Shame, shame! No one should have to choose between skin cancer and breast cancer!

1. Zinc oxide has a broader UVA and UVB absorbance spectrum than Titanium dioxide, so it provides better UVA protection.
2. Zinc oxide is safer because it creates fewer free radicals than Titanium dioxide.
3. Zinc oxide is the only active ingredient approved for use on babies under 6 months of age; Titanium dioxide is not.
4. Zinc oxide is made from a critical mineral nutrient that’s also found in many multivitamins; Titanium dioxide is made from a toxic heavy metal.

Micronized vs. Nanoparticles
Nanoparticles are defined as having a diameter of less than 100 nanometers, (0.1 millionth of a meter) which is about the size of a virus. Micronized particles, on the other hand, are defined as having a diameter of less than 100 microns, (0.1 thousandth of a meter) which is about the width of a human hair.

Micronized mineral sunscreens have been on the market for decades, and have a lot of supportive data on their safety. Nanoparticle mineral sunscreens, however, are very new and have been marketed by chemical manufacturers as an innovative way to make their formulas less whitening.

The problem with nano sunscreens is that safety of these particles is unknown, and some recent scientific studies, including one published in Scientific American, have demonstrated these particles can damage the ecosystem. Other potential issues include elevated skin penetration and free radical creation.

Manufacturers often market their nanoparticle sunscreens under the ‘micronized’ umbrella, since technically nanoparticles have been micronized very finely. This is dishonest marketing. Unfortunately, the only way you can tell if a manufacturer is not using nano, is if they say it’s non-nano. Look for that on the label.

Even if you don’t buy one of the sunscreens recommended above, whatever sunscreen you do use this summer, the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database is a great resource for checking its safety and impact on the environment. In fact, the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a great resource for researching the safety of all your skin care and beauty products. We hope you will be a wise consumer, and choose sunscreens and skin care products that will protect your family in every way.

These days, making homemade broth seems to be an anachronistic, if not redundant, thing to do, given the abundance of boxed, packaged and canned proxies available on grocery shelves. But if you look at the nutrition label on a box or can of store-bought broth (Yes, even the organic ones!), you’ll quickly realize that the industrially-produced version is an empty, processed food—barely deserving of the term that our grandparents and great-grandparents understood as a healing and nourishing culinary treasure: Broth.

Homemade broth has a reputation for curing what ails you, and that reputation is well-deserved. According to “Broth is Beautiful”:

Science validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily—not just calcium, but also magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons–stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.

Additionally, when properly-made homemade broth is cooled, it congeals due to the gelatin that was cooked out of the bones in the pot. The use of gelatin as a therapeutic agent goes back to the ancient Chinese, although it enjoys worldwide reknown:

The French were the leaders in gelatin research, which continued up to the 1950s. Gelatin was found to be useful in the treatment of a long list of diseases including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice and cancer. Babies had fewer digestive problems when gelatin was added to their cow’s milk formula. The American researcher Francis Pottenger pointed out that as gelatin is a hydrophilic colloid, which means that it attracts and holds liquids, it facilitates digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut.

Research on gelatin came to an end in the 1950s because U.S. food companies discovered how to produce meat-like flavors in the laboratory. Following the Second World War, food companies were introduced to monosodium glutamate (MSG), a food chemical invented in Japan in 1908 to enhance flavors by stimulating the meat-taste receptors on our tongues.

Once Big Food learned how to synthesize the flavor of meat in the laboratory using inexpensive proteins from grains and legumes, the door was opened to a flood of cheap, new products like bouillon cubes, dehydrated soup and sauce mixes and frozen dinners. These products became so ubiquitous that today, the “homemade” soup found in most homes and restaurants is actually a reconstituted, powdered soup base containing MSG—often hidden in ingredients called “hydrolyzed proteins” or “autolyzed yeast extracts.”

In contrast, homemade bone broth starts with whole food: meat, fat, bones. Add a few veggies and herbs, and you have a tasty bowl of MSG-free, bioavailable nutrition.

Consuming homemade bone broth daily is the basis of the GAPS Medical Diet, because the gelatin and amino acids glycine, proline and glutamine present in homemade broth help to heal and seal the lining of your gut, which in turn can relieve food sensitivities, digestive disorders, autoimmune conditions, and even psychological issues like autism and schizophrenia.

Since Babyzilla and I experience eczema, digestive issues, insomnia and irritability when we eat certain foods, I try to get broth into both of us every day. Fortunately, broth is an outstanding base for making soups and sauces, simmering meats and veggies, and even cooking beans and grains.

After a year of working on my recipe, I finally found a way to make chicken broth that satisfies my rigorous requirements:

1. The broth must gel, every time. For me, a good broth must be so thick after a day in the fridge that I have to spoon and scrape it out of the jar to reheat it. So thick, it could stop a bullet. This was the hardest part to master consistently until I got the ingredients right, but a good gel on your broth is a measure of its nutrition.
2. It must be low allergen. Babyzilla has a lot of trouble with celery, and I am very sensitive to garlic and bay leaf, so this broth has no mirepoix, but is very yummy nevertheless.
3. It must be simple. I put all my ingredients into cotton mesh bags in the stockpot, which makes straining my broth very easy. And with this recipe, after the initial boil, you can ignore your stockpot for 4 or 5 hours. Or, if it’s too hot this summer to make broth in your house, you can make this in a slow-cooker or thermal pot camped in your garage!
4. It must be yummy. I use pasture-raised hens with feet for this recipe, not only because they are small, and provide a greater ratio of bones to meat in my broth, but also because they simply taste better. Once you’ve mastered homemade chicken broth made with hens that foraged outdoors most of their lives, you’ll never go back to store-bought again.

I get pasture-raised hens either from my farmer’s market, when they are available, or from Whole Foods. The hens at the grocery store don’t have feet, so I buy a package of chicken feet from my favorite online meat vendor, U.S. Wellness Meats, just to make this recipe correctly.

Beautiful, Bulletproof Chicken Broth
(Makes 8-10 quarts)

• 2 (Yes, 2) pasture-raised hens (These are often quite small, and you should find 2 that will fit inside your stockpot or slow-cooker.)
• 4 organic or pasture-raised chicken feet (This is a crucial ingredient. If they didn’t come already attached to your hens, you can buy them bulk here.)
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered OR 3-5 large leeks, roughly chopped
• Small handful (10-20) whole peppercorns
• Small handful (10-20) whole allspice berries
• 1-2 Tbsp. sea salt, to taste
• 1 tsp. white or other mild vinegar (optional)

1. Wash your hens, making sure there are no residual feathers, organs or packing materials remaining.
2. Place all ingredients except sea salt inside 1 or 2 cotton mesh bags, pull or tie them closed, and place them so they sit low in your stockpot. (You can buy Soup Socks for this purpose as well.) Alternately, you can strain your broth with a china cap when it is done.
3. Fill the stockpot or slow-cooker with fresh spring or filtered water, making sure the hens are fully submerged. Add salt and then vinegar, if using. Cover.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 3-5 hours. I simmer longer for better gel. If you are using a slow-cooker, put it on low for 6-8 hours, though test it the first time, because slow-cookers can really vary.
5. After the broth has cooled a bit, remove the ingredient bags/Soup Socks and empty them into a large bowl. The chickens will completely fall apart. Separate the meat from the skin, sinews and bones and set aside to use in soup, salads, or other dishes, as you wish.
6. Once the pot has cooled enough to lift, start transferring the broth to Mason jars for storage in the freezer and fridge. If you like your broth particularly clear, you can strain it again through cheesecloth as you fill your jars. If you plan to freeze your broth, leave at least an inch of room in the jar for expansion, so your jars don’t break.
7. Check your broth after a day in the fridge to see how well it gelled! The thicker the better. You may also have a nice, yellow layer of chicken fat (schmaltz) on top, which you can skim to cook with, or stir into soups and sauces, as you like.
8. To add a nutritional boost and a deeper flavor to your dishes, use your broth wherever you might use water to cook veggies, meats, beans or grains.

Here’s a delicious, easy way to use your chicken broth to make an already outstanding summer dish even better for you!

Easy Summer Gazpacho
Makes about 4 servings

• 1 organic cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 small onion, minced (Try a Vidalia or sweet onion for a milder gazpacho!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large, meaty, organic tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (heirloom or fresh-picked, if you can get them)
• 1 organic, sweet green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced fine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, minced (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed, then minced (or 2-3 tsp. dried)
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce of your choice, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt, to taste, depending on saltiness of the broth
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 6 Tbsp. red wine or apple cider vinegar
• juice of half a lime
• avocado wedges, for garnish

1. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until very well combined; chill for at least 4 hours, until thoroughly chilled.
2. Quickly and gently pulse the chilled mixture in a blender until puréed, but still with a little bit of texture, to taste. Add more broth if the purée is too thick.
3. Reserve some of the chopped vegetables and avocado wedges for topping.
4. Enjoy on a hot summer night!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday!

If you’re family is anything like mine, then you didn’t even blink when the recent half billion egg recall was announced. Maybe like us, you haven’t eaten an industrial egg in years. When the recall was announced, I knew we had nothing to worry about with the organic, pasture-raised eggs I get from the farm market every week—even when we eat them raw in smoothies.

But finding eggs that are safe, nutritious and humanely raised can be a challenge for many people. Approximately 98% of all eggs purchased in the U.S. come from battery cage hens, and labels such as “Farm Fresh” and “All Natural” can be misleading, as they indicate nothing regarding animal welfare, what the animals are fed, or how nutritious (or potentially dangerous!) the eggs are likely to be.

And while I am quite aware that organic standards are far from perfect, I do buy organic eggs from the grocery store from time to time, when my local farmer is out—secure in the knowledge that the organic label means they come from happier, healthier hens.

Or so I thought…

Apparently, even certified organic eggs can come from hens living in inhumane, factory conditions—making their eggs both a nutritionally and ethically inferior product. The photo above is just one shocking example of conditions that many “organic” hens must endure, details of which are laid out in a damning new report by The Cornucopia Institute called Scrambled Eggs, detailing the conditions in industrial-scale organic egg production.

The report is the culmination of two years of research in which the Institute visited over 15% of the certified organic egg farms in the United States, and surveyed all name-brand and private-label industry marketers. Its findings demonstrated a huge dichotomy between the best-practice husbandry exhibited by many small and medium-sized organic egg producers, and the bare-minimum standards followed by many industrial-scale operations.

According to the Cornucopia Institute:

“Imagine 80,000 laying hens in a single building, crowded in confinement conditions, on “farms” with hundreds of thousands or a million birds. Is that organic?

How about a tiny enclosed concrete porch, accessible by only 3%-5% of the tens of thousands of birds inside a henhouse. Does that pass as outdoor access as required by federal organic law?

Industrial-scale egg producers are gaming the system, producing “organic” eggs in huge factory farms, crowding tens of thousands of chickens in two-story buildings with small porches passing as “outdoor access.”

Some of the factory farms don’t even bother with the phony-baloney porches—they have notes from their veterinarian saying (and we wish we were making this up), “Don’t let your birds outside; it would be hazardous to their health.”

These industrial-scale producers, with their livestock management shortcuts, are placing family-scale organic farmers at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. Some pasture-based organic farmers have already been driven out of the organic egg business.”

The Real Food community has an opportunity to reverse this scandal and support authentic organic agriculture. The USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) hears regularly from the well-funded and organized industry lobbyists. We must ensure that they also hear from the Real Food community!

This means you and me!

Chickens confined in this building, which houses pullets (young birds) for Organic Valley, have no outdoor access whatsoever. Photo by The Cornucopia Institute

What Kind of Eggs Should I Buy?

So, if you can’t even trust certified organic eggs anymore, how do you know what kind of eggs are safe, nutritious and humane?

The first clue is price. As usual, you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheapest supermarket eggs—even the cheapest organic eggs—you are not only missing out on the valuable nutrients eggs should contain, you are also supporting an industrial production system that treats animals cruelly and makes more sustainable, small-scale egg production difficult.

Beyond the price tag, the labels on egg cartons can be confusing and misleading. Here is what some of them mean:

Omega-3 Enhanced – Omega-3 enhanced (or omega-3 fortified) eggs come from hens given feed that contains significant amounts of flaxseed, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Most omega-3 enhanced egg layers live out their lives in battery cages. Omega-3 eggs are unregulated, and the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in eggs can be quite variable.

Free-run/Cage-free – Cage-free is a loose, unregulated term where eggs could be from hens confined to a barn, or from  hens with access to outdoor space. There is a big difference between the two! Cage-free egg producers are not audited by third-party inspectors, unless they are also certified organic.

Many people buy “cage-free” eggs believing that the hens that lay them have access to outdoor pasture, but the reality is that these chickens usually live inside dark sheds. They are free to roam around within the enclosed space and to stretch and spread their wings—which is a significant improvement over battery cage conditions—but they don’t typically have access to outdoor pasture. As with battery cage farming, forced molting (starving hens to produce more eggs) and beak trimming (removal of a portion of the beak, usually with a heated blade) are common practices.

Free-range – “Free-range” doesn’t necessarily mean pasture raised any more than “cage free” does. Free-range hens are supposed to have access to the outside, but there is no regulation as to how long they need to be outside, how much room should be given, or about any of the standards that would make them “free-range.” Plus these birds can still be given antibiotics, animal byproducts, and food from GMO crops. They may live in overcrowded conditions, and may or may not have access to nests and perches. In other words, they are probably not what you thought they were.

Organic – Certified organic eggs come from antibiotic- and hormone-free hens that have “access” to outdoor areas and are fed an organic diet, though some beak trimming is allowed. The conditions in which organic eggs are laid are verified by third parties, which reduces the likelihood of fraudulent labeling.

However, until consumers demand stricter standards for organic eggs, “access to the outdoors” can mean millions of birds crowded into a shed with access to one tiny, concrete-floored porch. So it’s a good idea to do a little investigating into your brand of eggs, or use this great Organic Egg Brand Scorecard to help you choose a healthier, more humane egg!

Pasture-raised – True free-range eggs from hens raised on grassy pastures are more nutritious than those obtained from cage-free, confinement operations or battery cages. However, free-range producers are not audited by third parties unless the eggs are also certified organic. The label “Pasture-Raised” is also unregulated and without uniform standards, so, once again, it’s a good idea to do a little investigating or use the Organic Egg Brand Scorecard.

(It should be noted that the “pasteurized” label, sometimes mistaken for a pastured, free-range indication, actually means that eggs have been treated to eliminate salmonella bacteria so that they may be eaten raw.)

Animal Welfare Approved – Animal Welfare Approved hens live in cage-free environments with real access to outdoor pasture. They are able to move freely, socialize, and engage in natural, health-promoting behaviors. Beak trimming and forced molting are prohibited. This is a relatively uncommon certification at this time, but with your help, its usage could grow.

Left to their own devices, chickens prefer to hang out in lush, green pastures rather than cramped barns or steel cages. (Skagit River Ranch of Washington)

Why Does A Pasture-Raised Egg Matter So Much?

If you’ve never eaten an egg from a hen raised on sunshine, bugs and grass, then you are in for quite a treat. Deep orange, gooey yolks stand up tall within their thick, milky whites unlike any store-bought egg you’ve ever seen. Their color, flavor and texture are made rich and distinctive by high amounts of Vitamin A, D, E, B-12, folate, riboflavin, zinc, calcium, beta carotene, choline, and tons of omega 3 fatty acids, including DHA, EPA, ALA, and AA.

Second only to the lactalbumin protein in human milk, eggs have the highest quality protein of any food. In addition to being an affordable, extremely dense source of nourishment, eggs can be prepared in a variety of tasty ways. This is especially true of a pasture-raised egg.

Mother Earth News conducted an egg testing project in 2007, and found that eggs produced by truly free-range hens were far superior to those produced by battery cage hens. Eggs from free range hens had up to:

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

The study involved 14 flocks across the United States whose eggs were tested by an accredited Portland, Oregon, laboratory. They also found that eggs from hens raised outdoors on pasture have from three to six times more vitamin D than eggs from hens raised in confinement. Pastured hens are exposed to direct sunlight, which their bodies convert to vitamin D and then pass on to their eggs. Eating just two of these eggs will give you from 63-126% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D!

Note that this benefit comes only from hens that are free to graze fresh greens, eat bugs, and bask in the sun. Most of the eggs sold in the supermarket do not meet this criterion. Even though the label says that the eggs are “certified organic” or come from “cage free” or “free range” hens, or from hens fed an “all-vegetarian” diet (chickens are not natural vegetarians!), this is no guarantee that the hens had access to the outdoors or pasture—which makes all the difference.

In addition to the Mother Earth News research findings, there have been a number of other studies showing that free-range eggs are healthier than those produced by confinement-raised hens. Findings include the following:

• Free-range eggs contain 70% more vitamin B12 and 50% more folic acid (British Journal of Nutrition, 1974).
• Greek free-range eggs contain 13 times more omega-3s than U.S. commercial eggs (Simopoulos, The Omega Diet, 1988).
• Pasture-raised eggs are higher in vitamin E and omega-3s than those obtained from battery-cage hens (Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998).
• Free-range eggs are 10% lower in fat, 34% lower in cholesterol, contain 40% more vitamin A, and are 4 times higher in omega-3s than standard U.S. battery-cage eggs, and free-range chicken meat has 21% less fat, 30% less saturated fat, and 50% more vitamin A than that of caged chickens (Gorski, Pennsylvania State University, 1999).
• Free-range eggs have three times more omega-3s and are 220% higher in vitamin E and 62% higher in vitamin A than eggs obtained from battery cage hens (Karsten, Pennsylvania State University, 2003).

Long and Alterman (2007) attribute the dramatic differences in nutritional content to the fact that pasture-raised hens consume a more natural diet that includes various seeds, worms, insects, and green plants and they get ample sunshine. Factory farm birds—both conventional and organic—never get to see the outdoors, let alone get to forage for their natural diet. Instead they are fed the cheapest possible mixture of corn, soy and/or cottonseed meals, with all kinds of additives.

So for the best eggs you can get, look for eggs from “pasture-raised” hens that are only supplementally fed with organic grains. You are most likely to find these superior eggs at farmer’s markets or natural food stores. Better yet, purchase them directly from your local farmer, or raise a few chickens yourself.

In the end, all of this is just one more reminder that while certifications and labels may be useful tools, there is no substitute for having a real relationship with your local farmer(s) and knowing where your food comes from.

Resources

• Find eggs from pastured hens in your area on Eatwild.com.
• Organic Egg Brand Scorecard – Rates organic egg producers from “exemplary” to “ethically deficient”
• Mother Earth News Egg Study

Top photo: Cornupcopia Institute

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade!

The U.S. Senate has been working on S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and they hope to have it on President Obama’s desk by Easter. The Act tries to address the worst problems in U.S. agriculture, but as it stands, the bill threatens to undermine the best things in U.S. agriculture—small farmers producing for local markets.

S.510 is a well-meaning attempt to address the genuine problems of contamination from food-borne pathogens and complications in prevention and intervention caused by large, industrialized food distribution systems. All of the well-publicized incidents of contamination in recent years—spinach, peppers, peanuts, hamburger—occurred in industrialized food supply chains that span national—and even international—boundaries.

An exciting development in agriculture and rural economies in recent years is the growing desire and enthusiasm of consumers for buying food direct from farmers and producers, and with that, new businesses and new farmers are entering agriculture. S.510 will effectively kill this positive trend.

Industrial Hog Operation

Instead of effectively protecting us from the filthy conditions inherent in factory farming, the “one-size-fits-all” regulatory policy in S.510 would undermine the rapidly growing local foods movement by imposing unnecessary, burdensome regulations on small farms and food processors—everyone from your local CSA, to the small bakers, jam makers, and people making fermented vegetables to sell at the local farmers market.

The Act casts a shadow over farms that even minimally process their crops and sell them to individuals, restaurants, food coops, groceries, schools or to wholesale markets. Many farmers unable to bear the costs of compliance will be shut out of these important new markets.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is focusing on four main problems:

• Farm facilities which do value-added processing or which co-mingle product with neighboring farms will be subject to a proposed new, extensive and expensive FDA regulatory regime, regardless of risk and regardless of scale.
• Proposed new requirements for crop traceability beyond the farm gate and related record-keeping requirements will make it difficult or impossible for farmers to comply. This also lays the groundwork for passage of the very controversial National Animal Identification System (NAIS).
• A produce standard provision threatens wildlife and biodiversity, and is antithetical to organic and agroecological farming practices. These regulations would be particularly problematic for practitioners of traditional farms that combine the synergies of grass, livestock and crops to minimize chemical inputs and maximize building soils and recycling nutrients.
• Lack of training or technical assistance on food safety appropriate for small and mid-sized value added producers and small scale processors and wholesalers exacerbates the challenges these operations will face to comply with new regulation. It would take a desk-bound administrative staff working full-time just to keep up with the bare minimum requirements of this bill. Small farmers are operating on a very thin edge as it is, and this bill will force many of them to throw in the towel.

By failing to focus FDA regulation on processing activities that present the most risk for food borne pathogen contamination, this bill could needlessly throttle an increasingly important engine for rural economic development and rural revitalization. In its zeal to protect consumer health, Congress could instead stifle a healthy shift in diet to more fresh and local foods.

Longstanding state and local health and sanitation laws are in place, and they continue to provide oversight for the small processors and local farmers market vendors. The emergence of deadly pathogens that are difficult to trace are a function of a long and complex industrial food chain, which should be the focus of this legislation—not small, local food.

Food safety is something we all care about. It is not compromised by the growing trend toward healthy, fresh, locally-sourced vegetables, meats, fruits, and small processing companies that is reinvigorating local food systems.

Local foods businesses are not the same as animal factories or mega-farms that sell products into industrial scale national and international markets. Local food systems are inherently safer and traceable.

What You Can Do

The FDA Federal Food Safety Modernization Act tries to fix a problem at one end of the agricultural spectrum, but it will create a host of problems at the other end. Clean, simple language should be added to remove the small, local direct-market farms and processors whose primary sales are direct to consumers, hotels, restaurants and institutions.

Contact your Senators today and ask them to vote for amendments to fix the FDA Federal Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) so it does not take away one of the bright emerging spots in wholesome, healthy food and local jobs and income.

Ask your Senators to:

1. exempt small farmers selling directly to consumers, and
2. exempt small-scale processors.

You can also sign this petition.

Your favorite small farmer is counting on you!

Image credit: Farm Sanctuary

It just so happens that I have a wretched sweet tooth, I love to bake, and I have to watch my blood sugar—a challenging combination on the best of days. Many people are in the same boat, and there’s a lot of confusion out there about the different types of sugar and sweeteners available today, how to use them, and whether they are healthy and safe to use if you have blood sugar issues. 

Caveat Emptor
Whether from soda, snacks, cereal, pasta or other packaged foods, Americans each eat the equivalent of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, adding up to about 156 pounds of sugar per person, per year. And teens can eat as much as 34 teaspoons of sugar a day!

Imagine it: 31 five-pound bags for each of us, every year.

According to Rachel K. Johnson, lead author of a paper published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Circulation, too much sugar not only makes Americans fat but also is a key culprit in diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Sugar raises blood sugar, reduces HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind), skyrockets triglycerides, triggers abnormal insulin surges, and makes us hungry. It also converts the less-harmful large LDL particles to the much more harmful small LDL particles.

So how much is enough? The Heart Association report goes on to recommend that most women should be getting no more than 6 teaspoons a day, or 24 grams of added sugar—the sweeteners and syrups that are added to foods during processing, preparation or at the table. For most men, the recommended limit is 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams. This means that one 6-ounce cup of store-bought yogurt, with the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar, would put you over your sugar limit for the whole day.

So this summary of sweeteners comes with a warning:

Sugar in any form is not good for you, so please use it sparingly.

An Inside Look at Sugar
There are various types of sugar, chemically speaking. Sucrose comes from sugar cane or sugar beets; fructose, maltose and dextrose come from fruits and starchy plants; lactose comes from dairy products, etc.—basically, if it ends in -ose, its a type of sugar.

Sucrose, like all polysaccharides, breaks down during digestion into simple glucose and fructose. Glucose is transported by insulin to the cells for energy, which, unless burned, gets stored away as fat. Yep, you read that right: Sugar, unused, makes you fat.

Glucose is the foundation for the Glycemic Index (GI), which ranks foods on how they affect our blood glucose levels. This index measures how much your blood glucose increases in the two or three hours after eating certain foods. Table sugar, or sucrose, has a GI of 60. Eating low (below 50) on the glycemic index can help you control your blood sugar naturally.

People tend to think that fructose is a benign sugar because it is found naturally in fruit. But, despite the name “fructose,” whole fruit actually has a relatively low concentration of fructose compared to processed foods like agave syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, or cane sugar. Fructose does not raise blood glucose levels immediately the way glucose does, and is therefore considered low on the glycemic index. But don’t be fooled.

Fructose travels to the liver where it gets converted to triglycerides—the fats in the blood that are associated with heart disease. Blood triglycerides made from fructose are stored as fat, which increases the size of your fat cells, contributing to weight gain and obesity. The excess triglycerides created when you eat fructose increase insulin resistance, thereby boosting insulin production to very high levels, which fosters the development of diabetes in a “back door” fashion. Fructose also interferes with the absorption of minerals and impairs the immune system. (See The Skinny on Fat, Part 2 for more information)

White Sugars
There are many different types of refined, granulated sugar derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Cane and beet sugars are mainly made of sucrose and come in varying crystal sizes that provide unique functional characteristics appropriate for a specific food’s special need. Refined white sugar is highly processed using multiple fossil-fuel- and chemical-intensive processes. It provides empty calories and zero nutritional value. Additionally, the fact that a lot of commercial sugar is made from genetically engineered sugar beets makes white sugar something to be avoided at all costs.

“Regular” or white sugar, from coarse to powdered granulations
“Regular” or white sugar, as it is known to consumers, is the sugar most commonly used in home food preparation. White sugar is the sugar called for in most cookbook recipes. The food industry stipulates “regular” sugar to be “extra fine” or “fine” because small crystals are ideal for bulk handling and not susceptible to caking. You can find refined sugar in crystal sizes varying from coarse granules to powdery confectioner’s 10X, depending on the needs of your dish.

“Fruit Sugar” or Crystalline Fructose
Crystalline fructose is slightly finer than “regular” sugar and is used in dry mixes such as gelatin and pudding desserts, and powdered drinks. Crystalline fructose has a more uniform small crystal size than “regular” sugar which prevents separation or settling of larger crystals to the bottom of the box—an important quality in dry mixes.

Brown Sugars
Brown sugars range in the amount of processing they receive, but they are brown because, unlike white sugar, they have not had all of the molasses chemically and physically removed. The least processed of the brown sugars—Rapadura or panela—often still has the minerals and enzymes intact. Brown palm sugars differ in texture and taste from brown cane sugars, but are often minimally processed as to still contain trace minerals too. Brown sugars can be used in cup-for-cup substitution with white refined sugars.

Brown Sugar (common light and dark)
Common brown sugar is really highly processed and refined white sugar that has had the surface molasses syrup added back in, which imparts its characteristic flavor. Dark brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. The rich, full flavor of dark brown sugar makes it good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, and other full flavored foods.

Brown sugar tends to clump because it contains more moisture than white sugar, but putting a piece of bread in your sugar box is said to help prevent this. Common brown sugar is a highly refined pseudo-food best replaced by one of the naturally brown sugars below.

Evaporated Cane Juice and Sucanat™
Evaporated Cane Juice is the common name for the sugar produced directly from milled cane using a single-crystallization process. The filtered, clarified juice is simply heated and then allowed to cool, forming granular crystals of what is basically dried sugar cane juice. The crystals retain their molasses, creating a very distinctive and quite strong flavor, along with other impurities which may be present in the cane.

Unlike more refined sugar, Sucanat™ is grainy, rather than blocky and crystalline. It also contains less sucrose, because it is has not been purified; white sugar contains the most sucrose, and is in fact almost entirely sucrose.

Sucanat™ is a contraction of “Sugar Cane Natural.” It can be difficult to bake with, because it behaves very differently from more processed forms of sugar. The lower sucrose content makes Sucanat™ less sweet, which can be confusing for bakers who want to replace regular sugar with Sucanat™ on a cup for cup basis. The granular texture can also manifest in finished baked goods, causing a disappointing texture, and the strong flavor can be unpleasant, especially when mixed with other intense flavors like citrus or chocolate.

Turbinado, Muscovado, Demerara and Rapadura
Turbinado sugar is raw sugar which has been partially processed, where only the surface molasses has been washed off. It has a blond color and mild brown sugar flavor, and is often used in tea and other beverages.

Muscovado sugar, a British specialty brown sugar, is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The minimally processed crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than “regular” brown sugar.

Popular in England, Demerara sugar is a light brown sugar with large golden crystals, which are slightly sticky from the adhering molasses. It is often used in tea, coffee, or on top of hot cereals.

Rapadura is the Portuguese name for a form of sugarcane juice, used as a sweetener or as a candy, common in Latin American countries such as Brazil and Venezuela (where it is known as papelón or panela), and the Caribbean. Made from dried sugarcane juice, in the form of a brick, rapadura is largely produced on site at sugarcane plantations in the very warm tropical regions. In Venezuela it is an essential ingredient for many typical recipes, and in some parts of the country, it is used in place of refined sugar as a more accessible, cheaper and healthier sweetener. Rapadura is rich in dietary iron.

Palm Sugar
Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm, as well as the date palm or Sugar date palm. Now it is also made from the sap of the sago and coconut palms and may be sold as “coconut sugar.” Date sugar can also be made with the fruit of the palm by pulverizing very dry dates, but note that sugar made this way will not dissolve well in liquid.

Palm sugar varies in color from a light golden color to a rich dark brown. It tends to be extremely grainy, with dried forms being highly crumbly, and it is typically minimally processed. Many people like to use palm sugar in cooking because it is so coarse and unprocessed, and many Southeast Asian recipes call specifically for palm sugar. The light processing leaves much of the flavor of the sugar intact, creating an almost molasses-like flavor. Palm sugar is lower on the glycemic index than cane or beet sugar.

You may also see palm sugar sold as “coconut sugar,” which can be a bit confusing, since coconut fruits themselves are not actually involved. It is also sometimes marketed as “palm honey” or jaggery. Asian markets are a good resource for palm sugar, and it can also be ordered through specialty retailers. Many companies sell palm sugar in jars or tins which make it easy to ship and store, and if you purchase a block or cone of palm sugar, be aware that blocks are often coated in wax for shipping. Check for wax before shaving off the desired amount of palm sugar.

Liquid Sugars

Molasses
Molasses is a thick, brown to deep black, honey-like substance made as a byproduct of processing cane or beet sugar. It is enjoyed as a sweetener in many countries, and most particularly in England where it is called treacle. Today, molasses is used primarily in baking. No gingerbread would be quite the same without the addition of molasses.

Molasses has somewhat more nutritional value than does white or brown sugar. The process by which it is extracted and treated with sulfur results in fortification of iron, calcium and magnesium. Calories in molasses are approximately the same as sugar, about 16 calories per teaspoon (5 ml), however it only contains about half the sucrose as sugar. It is also made up of both glucose and fructose. Though it is high in iron, it is also high in calcium, which tends to prevent iron from being absorbed by the body, thus its benefits as a mineral supplement may be a bit overrated.

Corn Syrup
There was a time when manufacturers of processed foods used common table sugar, or sucrose, as their default sweetener. In the 1970s, however, Japanese scientists discovered a process which could convert cornstarch into an alternative sweetener called high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose, which makes it virtually as sweet as sucrose or natural honey. When imported sugar became prohibitively expensive, many processed food and beverage manufacturers began using high fructose corn syrup exclusively.

Today, high fructose corn syrup has replaced pure sugar as the main sweetener in most carbonated beverages, including Coca Cola and Pepsi products. High fructose corn syrup is also hiding in products like salad dressing, spaghetti sauce, and whole wheat bread, and it is often one of the first ingredients in cake mixes, cookies, sauces, breakfast cereals and commercial baked goods.

High fructose corn syrup is made through a highly industrialized, chemical fermentation and distillation process that uses tremendous amounts of energy to produce. Many health experts and environmentalists are concerned over the level of genetic modification, environmental pollution and toxic processing used to create high fructose corn syrup. Others point out the association between processed foods containing high fructose corn syrup, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. All around, high fructose corn syrup is nasty, industrially-made pseudo-food to be avoided at all costs.

Agave Syrup
Agave syrup is very high in fructose. Depending on the brand, agave can contain as much as 92% fructose. Nowhere in nature does this ratio of fructose to glucose occur naturally. The amount of fructose in agave is much, much higher than the 55% fructose in high-fructose corn syrup or the 50% fructose in refined table sugar. The fact that agave syrup is high in low-glycemic fructose is often hailed as a benefit of using it. What many people don’t realize is that concentrated fructose is probably worse for you than high amounts of glucose. In fact, agave syrup has been banned by the Glycemic Index Institute for the harm it caused to study participants.

Agave is not naturally sweet like sugar cane, honey or fruit. Whether heavily processed with heat and chemicals or minimally processed with enzymes, agave syrup requires an intensive, patented process to extract its sweetness. As such, agave syrup is not a whole or traditional food. It is a factory-made, modern product, and like all processed foods, agave syrup is missing many of the enzymes and nutrients that the original plant had to begin with. And like many processed foods, it contains very high amounts of fructose that the human body simply wasn’t designed to handle. (See A Bittersweet Goodbye to Agave for more information.)

Yacon Syrup
Yacon syrup is a sugar substitute native to the Andean region of South America. It is glucose-free, and does not increase blood sugar levels. Because of this, yacon syrup is often recommended as a sweetener to those suffering from diabetes or at risk for becoming diabetic.

The syrup is derived from the roots of the yacon plant, and according to some studies is a good source of antioxidants. The syrup also contains up to 50% of FOS (fructooligosacharides). The consumption of FOS does not increase blood glucose. However, since any inulin-derived sweetener has large amounts of fructose, the same concerns about the health effects of fructose apply.

Yacon syrup is usually made with minimal processing in an evaporator, like the ones used to make maple syrup. Yacon syrup is often compared to molasses, caramel, or honey in taste, with a deep and rich, mildly sweet flavor. It easily substitutes for maple sugar or molasses in recipes, and can be used to sweeten beverages. It is typically sold in jars like honey, and can be purchased online or at specialty food stores.

Rice Syrup
Rice syrup is a natural sweetener which is made from cooked brown rice which is specially fermented to turn the starches in the rice into sugars. Along with other alternatives to sugar, rice syrup can usually be found in natural foods stores and in some large markets. Since rice syrup will cause an elevation in blood sugar, it is not suitable for diabetics.

Individuals with gluten intolerance should read rice syrup labels carefully. Many producers culture the enzymes needed to make rice syrup on grains which contain gluten. Unless the label clearly specifies that the product is gluten free, it should be assumed that the food contains gluten.

The thick, sweet syrup can be used one for one like honey, molasses, and other liquid sweeteners, and with some planning it can also replace granulated sugar. Rice syrup has a faintly nutty flavor which is not always appropriate for all foods. Cooks should taste it before using it extensively, and they may want to experiment with small batches before committing. Since rice syrup is less sweet, the end dish will obviously be less sweet as well.

Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is one of the many wonders of the world. This viscous amber liquid with its characteristic earthy sweet taste is made from the sap of the sugar, black or red maple tree. Maple syrup contains fewer calories and a higher concentration of minerals than honey, and is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc.

The process of creating maple syrup begins with tapping (piercing) 40 year old trees, which allows the sap to run out freely. The sap is clear and almost tasteless and very low in sugar content when it is first tapped. It is then boiled to evaporate the water, producing syrup with a sugar content of 60%. This maple syrup may be further reduced to create thicker delicacies, such as maple butter, maple cream, and maple sugar.

Maple syrup is, by law, graded according to color in the United States and Canada—although the grading systems differ between the countries. In the U.S., there are Grade A and Grade B maple syrups, with three sub-divisions of Grade A: light amber, medium amber, and dark amber. Grade B is even darker than Grade A dark amber. Many people assume that the grading system is also indicative of quality, but in reality, it only helps to differentiate the color and taste of the maple syrup, which is a matter of personal preference. The tastes are different, but to say one is objectively “better” than another would be incorrect.

Honey
Honey is a mixture of sugars and other compounds, mainly fructose and glucose. Honey contains trace amounts of several vitamins and minerals. Honey also contains tiny amounts of several compounds thought to function as antioxidants. The specific composition of any batch of honey depends on the flowers available to the bees that produced the honey.

Pasteurized honey is honey that has been heated in a pasteurization process. Pasteurization in honey reduces the moisture level, destroys yeast cells, and liquefies crystals in the honey. While this process sterilizes the honey and improves shelf-life, it has some disadvantages. Excessive heat-exposure also deteriorates the honey and destroys vitamins and enzymes. The heat also affects appearance, taste, and fragrance and can also darken the natural honey color.

Raw honey is honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat (although some honey that has been “minimally processed” is often labeled as raw honey). Raw honey contains some pollen and may contain small particles of wax. Local raw honey is sought after by allergy sufferers as the pollen impurities are thought to lessen the sensitivity to hay fever. Raw honey is mildly antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral, and can be used to treat small cuts. A spoonful of raw honey is also excellent for settling a nauseous stomach.

Sugar Alcohols

Xylitol, Erythritol, Mannitol and Sorbitol
Sugar alcohols (which end in -itol) occur naturally in plants. Some of them are chemically or biologically extracted from plants (sorbitol from corn syrup and mannitol from seaweed), but they are mostly manufactured from sugars and starches.

Sugar alcohols are like sugar in some ways, but they are not completely absorbed by the body. Because of this, they affect blood sugar levels less, and they provide fewer calories per gram. Additionally, sugar alcohols don’t promote tooth decay as sugars do, so are often used to sweeten “sugar-free” chewing gum.

Xylitol and erythritol can often be swapped one for one with sugar, but you will have to read the package and experiment with each type to see how it best substitutes for sugar in your recipes. Sugar alcohols do not brown or caramelize like sugars do. Though sugar alcohols have fewer calories than sugar, most of them aren’t as sweet, so more must be used to get the same sweetening effect. Still, there is a range of sweetness and impact on blood sugar among the sugar alcohols.

For example, Maltitol has 75% of the blood sugar impact of sugar, but also only 75% of the sweetness, so they end up being equal in the end.  Xylitol is just as sweet as cane sugar, but has a low glycemic index of 13, and also helps prevent tooth decay by inhibiting bacterial growth in the mouth. Erythritol is only 70% as sweet as cane sugar, but it has zero glycemic index, and is sometimes recommended for people fighting candida.

Because they are not completely absorbed, sugar alcohols like sorbitol and xylitol can ferment in the intestines and cause bloating, gas, or diarrhea. People can have different reactions to different sugar alcohols, so careful experimentation is advised. Sugar alcohols can be made from corn and other allergens, so always check the label or call the producer to make sure the product won’t give you a reaction. Sugar alcohols like xylitol are toxic to dogs.

Sugar-Free Sweeteners

Stevia
Stevia is a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of this small, green Stevia rebaudiana plant have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. The word Stevia refers to both the plant and the sweetener extracted from the leaves of that plant.

In the 1930s, chemists in France isolated stevioside, the compound in the leaves which is responsible for their sweetness. This extremely sweet compound is often sold isolated from the leaves in a highly refined powder or liquid form, under names like Truvia. In contrast, stevia can also be made simply by crushing or distilling the leaves of the plant to form a powder or a syrup with an intensely sweet flavor.

Refined stevia can be 30-200 times sweeter than other sugars, meaning that only a small amount needs to be used. It is challenging to bake and cook with stevia for this reason. The body also processes stevia very slowly and so it won’t spike blood sugar levels like glucose or convert to triglycerides like fructose. In addition, stevia is calorie free and safe for diabetics. (See Stevia: Traditional Medicinal or Modern Pseudo-Food? for more information.)

Saccharin, Aspartame & Sucralose
Saccharin, most often known by the brand name Sweet ‘N Low®, is the oldest artificial sweetener. It comes in the pink packet, and is commonly used to sweeten diet soft drinks and candies or to improve the flavor of medicine and toothpaste.

Aspartame is sold under a number of different product names, including Equal® (in the blue packet), NutraSweet®, Tropicana Slim®, and Canderel®. Like saccharin, it is used to sweet diet soft drinks and candies. Although it is 180 times as sweet as sugar, it is not suitable for baking because it loses much of its sweetness when heated. Many people consider this aftertaste to be a significant drawback to using aspartame.

Sucralose, sold under the name Splenda® in the yellow packet, is an artificial sweetener that is heat stable. Splenda® is made from refined sugar which has a molecule of chlorine artificially added to it so it is not properly absorbed by the body.

All three are completely artificial, chemical sweeteners that have no calories nor glycemic index. Each has been linked to cancer, digestive distress, and chronic illnesses in multiple studies. None of them are Real Food and each should be avoided at all costs.

The Sweet Surrender
While no sugar or sweetener is without its health risks, in moderation, minimally processed, natural sweeteners like rapadura, palm sugar, maple syrup, raw honey, and stevia leaf can be delicious additions to a healthy, real food diet.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade!

“People are so worried about what they consume between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they consume between the New Year and Christmas.”

—Unknown

I like New Year’s resolutions. They provide a great opportunity to reflect upon the successes and shortcomings of the past year, and set goals and intentions for the new one. I don’t believe in making the kind of resolutions in January that ensure I will be self-flagellating in February, but I do think it is important to set progress benchmarks for doing things I care about over time.

Really, a resolution is nothing more than a firm decision to do or not do something. This year, I’ve made four firm decisions for the Small Footprint Family. We will…

#1 Do something physical in the sun with my family as often as possible.
The older I get, the more it seems that the aches, pains and dis-ease of modern life are really the result of deficiencies in sunlight, regular physical activity and nutrient dense, whole foods. These are three essential things we were evolutionarily designed to require in large, daily quantities. And they are also three things American consumer culture has almost completely designed out of our lives over the past 50 years.

I have always been happiest and healthiest when I have been doing regular outdoor work, whether that be tree care, greenroofing, farming, or at least puttering outside daily in our food garden. Since leaving my greenroofing business to have Babyzilla, I have gotten away from fulfilling this biological need, and I am really feeling the effects physically and mentally. (Not to mention the fact that my Vitamin D levels could use improvement.) So, this year, I resolve to complement our already very healthy diet with daily sunshine and enough outdoor physical activity to get our heart rate up. Babyzilla is very excited about this—as you can imagine any toddler would be!

What are you doing in 2010 to make sure you get enough sun and activity?

#2 Increase our local food consumption by 10%.
We currently get about 75% of our produce, meat and eggs from local organic farms and ranches as members of two CSAs and weekly visitors to the farmers’ market. But here in California, finding local produce year round is very easy: We grow a majority of the nation’s organic fruits and veggies after all. Nevertheless, I’d like to increase the amount of local food we eat by 10% in 2010—including finding a local source for pasture-raised pork bellies, so I can learn to make my own bacon this year!

If you’re wondering why choosing local food is so important, and how to get started with eating more locally-produced foods in the new year, please read Why We Should All Eat Locally.

How can you eat 10% more local foods in 2010?

#3 Reduce our trash output by 20%.
We eat few packaged foods, and compost most of our food waste, but somehow we still produce at least two tall kitchen bags of trash every week. The biggest single sources of trash in our house are disposable coffee cups from the corner coffee shop, spoiled leftovers that contain meat and so can’t be composted, and plastic food bags that can no longer be washed and reused. This year, we will strive to get the thermoses washed more regularly, among other waste-reducing measures.

If you’d like to learn more about composting or reducing your waste output, please read Waste Not, Want Not and Compost Happens.

What can you do to reduce your trash output by 20% in 2010?

#4 Quit extraneous spending and buy second-hand. This resolution is dear to my heart. Some would argue that consumer spending will get the economy going again, so we should all go out and do our part for the country by buying stuff. Never mind that many of us no longer have the money or the credit to keep buying things we don’t really need that were designed to be provide only short-lived satisfaction anyway.

Rather, I believe it is all the stuff we buy—as part of a consumption-driven economy dependent on limitless growth—that has brought us to the brink of the greatest economic and environmental crises humanity has ever seen. The wanton, subsidized exploitation of natural resources and fossil fuels that brings us $5 radios and ripe tomatoes in January simply cannot be sustained. We cannot maintain an economic system or a culture requiring infinite growth on a finite planet. We cannot endlessly consume from limited and vulnerable resources—and we are destroying or running out of a lot of things we’re gonna need in the future. You know, like fresh water.

It’s not enough to recycle your bottles and cans, install CFL light bulbs and bring your own bags. It’s time for a new economic paradigm: one where return on investment is not measured just in dollars, but also in how a product or service benefits regular people, communities, and the fragile land, water and air we depend on—a “triple bottom line” of economic, social and environmental sustainability.

In such an economy, many industries, products and services we take for granted today would no longer be considered profitable or ethical, and they would be replaced by new closed-loop industries, social entrepreneurship and relocalized community economies.

And yet the endless quest for Stuff is not only damaging to the Earth and threatening to our very survival, it is also spiritually debilitating too. Since when did spending money become an American pastime? For all our wealth relative to the rest of the world, Americans are not a happy people. In fact, we are becoming quite depressed, impatient, despondent, and diseased, despite—or perhaps because of—how much stuff we consume.

I believe our unhealthy and unsustainable cultural relationship to earning/spending money in order to acquire material things is supplanting what really matters at the end of the day: strong, authentic relationships with our family members, friends and neighbors; nutritious, whole food meals enjoyed with others; daily sunshine and physical activity; and ample time for recreation, contemplation, reflection and rest.

For this reason, in 2010, I want to spend my money in support of the new paradigm. We will severely curtail buying things we want but do not need, and anytime we do need to acquire something, we will try first to get it from a local, second-hand source before buying it new. Fortunately, San Diego has many, many outstanding thrift stores, and other resources like flea markets, FreeCycle, CraigsList and eBay are available too.

This spendfast means a year-long experiment in not buying any more clothes, shoes, books, DVDs, magazines, excess toiletries, stuff for the kitchen, stuff for the house, stuff for… the sake of Stuff. Should be an interesting challenge. I’ll keep you posted…

To learn more about “spend-fasting,” please read The Story of Stuff – Reducing our Consumer Footprint.

What are you doing in 2010 to trade quantity for quality in your life?

The mainstream media has got news for you these days: Overweight? Try soy! Hot-flashes? Eat soy! Blotchy skin? Rub on some soy! Lactose intolerant? Soy!

With all the ads on TV and all the products popping up everywhere, you’d think soy foods were the answer to everything that ails you. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite the well-crafted, expensive PR campaign, soy is not a health food, and people need to know the havoc it has wrought on both our bodies and the environment. 

A Brief History of Soy
It is only very recently in our history that humans have been eating processed soy foods and soybean oil. Grown on a large, commercial scale by U.S. agribusiness during the 50s and 60s, by the 70s and 80s, the soybean industry was troubled by emerging evidence that soybean oil consumption lowered immunity, increased susceptibility to infectious disease, and promoted cancer.

At this same time, the bigwigs in the soybean industry got the bright idea that if they could demonize the competition by making saturated fats like lard and coconut oil appear to be the cause of heart disease—the nation’s number one killer—people wouldn’t pay much attention to the negative findings coming out about soybean oil. Starting in the mid-1980s, the soybean oil industry began a multi-million dollar anti-saturated fat campaign. Saturated fats increased cholesterol, they said, and high cholesterol causes heart disease. The tropical oils (coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils) were singled out as being the worst offenders because of their high saturated fat content.

Some, but not all, saturated fats can raise total cholesterol, (coconut and palm oils do NOT) but there is no solid evidence that high cholesterol actually causes heart disease. That is why high cholesterol is only considered a “risk factor” rather than a cause. But that didn’t stop the soy industry. The soybean industry fed misleading information to gullible consumer advocate groups like The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which were persuaded to begin their own campaigns against saturated fats.

These high-profile organizations placed anti-saturated fat ads in the media, published newsletters, magazine articles, and books, and lobbied for political action against the use of tropical oils and other saturated fats. Since the bulk of the attack came from supposedly impartial third parties, their message had more impact. People were swayed against saturated fats and the tropical oils they had been using safely for hundreds of years.

Restaurants and food manufacturers, sensitive to customer fear, began removing these fats from their foods and replacing them with vegetable oils. Tropical oil consumption plummeted while soybean oil sales skyrocketed. In the United States, soybean oil soon accounted for about 80 percent of all the vegetable oil consumed.

During this time, one thing the soybean industry conveniently neglected to tell the public was that the saturated fats were not being replaced with ordinary vegetable oil, but rather by hydrogenated soybean oil! Hydrogenated soybean oil contains toxic trans fatty acids and is far more damaging to the heart than any other fat. Trans fats have also been linked to numerous other health problems including diabetes, cancer, and various autoimmune diseases. In terms of health, trans fat is absolutely the worse fat that could be used.

The soy industry was aware of many of the detrimental effects associated with hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats, but they succeeded in demonizing all saturated fats, including healthy coconut and palm oils, for the sake of profit. The plan was an overwhelming financial success. Over the next two decades hydrogenated vegetable oils found their way into over 40 percent of all the foods on supermarket shelves, amounting to about 40,000 different products. Hydrogenated soybean oil consumption dramatically increased, and so did numerous diseases now found to be associated with trans fats.

With the growing awareness of the dangers of trans fats in hydrogenated vegetable oils and the landmark announcement in 2002 from the U.S. Institute of Medicine stating that “no level of trans fats is safe in the diet,” tropical oils are returning. Careful review of previous research and more current medical studies have exonerated the tropical oils from the claim that they promote heart disease. In fact, they appear to help protect against heart disease as well as many of the other diseases now known to be linked to hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Many restaurants and food manufacturers are now replacing their hydrogenated soybean oil with palm oil. Consequently, soybean oil sales are declining. In an effort to protect their profits, the soy industry has resorted to two strategies: 1) diversifying their market with new soy products like margarine, soymilk, “nutrition” bars, protein powders, pseudo-meats, livestock feed, biofuel, and more, and 2) returning to demonizing the competition in order to make their products more acceptable.

Desperate to find an alternative means of attack, the soybean industry has found a new ally in highly vocal, politically active environmental groups. Fueled by financial support and misleading data from the soy industry, some environmental groups have now waged a war against palm oil on the grounds that palm cultivation is destroying the environment. They claim that rainforests are being leveled to make room for palm plantations, destroying the ecology and bringing endangered species, such as the orangutan, to the brink of extinction.

Anyone with any sense of responsibility for the environment would be swayed by this argument. The problem, however, is that while palm oil plantations are responsible for some deforestation, the soybean industry is causing more destruction to the environment than probably any other agricultural industry on the planet.

Soy and the Environment
In the time it takes to read this entire article, an area of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest larger than 200 football fields will have been destroyed, much of it for soybean cultivation.

Today, industrial-scale soybean producers are joining loggers and cattle ranchers in speeding up destruction and further fragmenting the great Brazilian wilderness. Between the years 2000 and 2005, Brazil lost more than 50,000 square miles of rainforest—a large portion of that for soybean farming.

Soybean production in the Brazilian Amazon soared after heat-tolerant varieties were introduced in 1997. In just ten years, exports of soybeans grown in the Amazon Basin have reached 42 million tons a year. Total annual soybean production in Brazil today is about 85 million tons, and Brazil will soon surpass the United States as the world’s leader in soybean production.

Brazil holds about 30 percent of the Earth’s remaining tropical rainforest. The Amazon Basin produces roughly 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen, creates much of its own rainfall, and harbors hundreds of thousands of species, many yet to be discovered. The Brazilian rainforest is the world’s most biologically diverse habitat.

Close to 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest has already been cut down. At the current rate of clearing, scientists predict that 40 percent of the Amazon will be destroyed and a further 20 percent degraded within two decades. If that happens, the forest’s ecology will begin to unravel. Intact, the Amazon produces half its own rainfall through the moisture it releases into the atmosphere. Eliminate enough of that rain through clearing, and the remaining trees dry out and die, the fragile rainforest soils blow away, and the forest becomes a desert. Currently trees are being wantonly burned to create open land for soybean cultivation. Consequently, Brazil has become one of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

The decimation of the Amazon is, for the most part, done legally. Even the governor of the state of Mato Gross, on the edge of the Amazon Basin, is a part of it. Governor Blairo Maggi is the world’s largest single soybean producer, growing 350,000 acres. That’s about 547 square miles of Amazon rainforest that have been leveled for soybean production! He is just one of many industrial-sized soybean operations in the area. In 2005, Greenpeace awarded Maggi the Golden Chain Saw award for his role in leveling the rainforest.

But, clearing and tilling the land for soybean production is only part of the problem. Soybean cultivation destroys habitat for wildlife including endangered or unknown species, and increases greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Soybeans need large amounts of acid-neutralizing lime, as well as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, all of which are creating an environmental hazard. Toxic chemicals contaminate the forest, poison rivers, and destroy wildlife. And, in undeveloped countries, soy production disrupts the life of indigenous tribes who depend on the forest for food and shelter, replaces traditional crops, and transfers the value-added from processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

The environmental destruction caused by soybean farming isn’t limited to the Amazon; it occurs throughout the world wherever soybeans are produced. In the U.S. alone, over 80 million acres of land are covered in soybeans. That’s hundreds of thousands of acres of deforestation, habitat destruction, over-cultivation and destruction of soils, and billions of tons of toxic chemicals spewed into the environment year after year, contaminating our soils, water, and destroying wildlife and human health. And new, genetically modified soy was specifically developed to withstand the toxins so farmers could spray even more pesticides on them without diminishing yields.

Over 80% of all soybeans grown in the U.S. (and two-thirds worldwide) are genetically-modified to withstand the herbicide glyphosate, which is usually sold under the trade name Roundup. Because so much Roundup is used on these crops, the residue levels in the harvested crops greatly exceed what until very recently was the allowable legal limit. For the technology to be commercially viable, the FDA had to triple the limit on residues of glyphosate that can remain on the crop. Many scientists have protested that permitting increased residues shows that corporate interests are given higher priority than public safety at the FDA, but the increased levels have remained in force.

Soybeans are arguably the most environmentally offensive agricultural crop in the world.

Replacing soybean oil with coconut, sunflower or olive oil is not only a healthier option, but each is a relatively low-impact crop that would save countless acres of land from untold environmental damage.

Soybeans and Health
Many people believe that soy is good for you—a superfood even. After all, Asians eat soy, and they are some of the healthiest people in the world, right? Claims that soybeans have been a major part of the Asian diet for more than 3,000 years are simply not true.

In fact, the people of China, Japan, and other countries in Asia eat very little soy, and they typically only eat it after it has been fermented for long periods of time, which destroys the toxins inherent in it. The soy industry’s own figures show that soy consumption in China, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan ranges from 9.3 to 36 grams per day. That’s equivalent to a few, small blocks of tofu floating in a bowl of miso soup. Soy has never been considered a substitute for animal protein in Asia.

In contrast, many Americans today think nothing of consuming a cup of tofu, a couple glasses of soy milk, handfuls of soy nuts, soy “energy bars,” and soy “veggie” burgers, even all in one day! Infants on soy formula receive the most of all, both in quantity and in proportion to body weight. Soy is also the key ingredient in faux-meat and dairy products with names like Silk, Soysage, Not Dogs, Fakin Bakin and Tofurkey. Then you have to consider the “hidden” soy in the form of vegetable oil, protein isolate, and soy lecithin found in over 70% of all packaged foods and just about everything you’d find in a fast food restaurant. It’s used as filler in hamburgers, as vegetable oil and an emulsifier. It’s in salad dressing, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets.

“Even if you read every label and avoid cardboard boxes, you are likely to find soy in your supplements and vitamins (look out for vitamin E derived from soy oil), in foods such as canned tuna, soups, sauces, breads, meats (injected under poultry skin), and chocolate, and in pet food and body-care products,” wrote Mary Vance for Terrain Magazine. “It hides in tofu dogs under aliases such as textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and lecithin—which is troubling, since the processing required to hydrolyze soy protein into vegetable protein produces excitotoxins such as glutamate (think MSG) and aspartate (a component of aspartame), which cause brain-cell death.”

In short, there is no historical precedent for eating the large amounts of soy food now being consumed, and we are all participating in an experiment whose outcome is still unclear.

Since we Americans eat so much of it, it’s important to understand how soy can affect us. What we do know about soy is a bit alarming:

• Soy contains very high levels of phytic acid, which reduces your body’s assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Two senior U.S. government scientists, Drs. Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, have revealed that chemicals in soy could increase the risk of brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants.
• Protease inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and have caused malnutrition, poor growth, digestive distress, and pancreatitis.
• Lectins and saponins in soy can cause leaky gut and other gastrointestinal and immune problems.
• Scientists have known since the mid-1940s that soy phytoestrogens are powerful enough to affect fertility and even promote estrogen-positive breast cancer. Although scientists discovered only recently that soy lowers testosterone levels, soy phytoestrogens are known to disrupt endocrine function and are so potent, they are marketed to older women for relief of hot-flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
  
• According to a British toxicologist’s calculations, a baby fed exclusively on soy formula would be consuming the estrogen equivalent of five birth-control pills a day. Thirty to 40% of babies in the United States are fed soy formula. If the hormones in soy are strong enough to relieve hot flashes, why would we feed it to children?
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that can cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Vitamin B-12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body’s requirement for B-12.
• Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
• Processed soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys and strongly implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Archer Daniels Midland recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Soy Processing
Before soybeans get to your table, they undergo a rigorous process to strip them of their oil. Hexane or other volatile, petroleum-based solvents are first applied to help separate the oil from the beans, leaving trace amounts of these toxins in the commercial product. After the oil is extracted, the defatted flakes are used to form soy protein products. With the exception of full-fat soy flour, almost all soybean products contain trace amounts of carcinogenic solvents.

There’s nothing natural about today’s modern soy protein products; they are very much factory-made pseudo-foods. Textured soy protein, for example, is made by forcing defatted soy flour through a machine called an extruder under conditions of such extreme heat and pressure that the very structure of the soy protein is changed. Production differs little from the extrusion technology used to produce starch-based packing “peanuts,” fiber-based industrial products, and plastic toy parts, bowls, and plates.

The process of making soy protein isolate (SPI) begins with defatted soybean meal, which is mixed with a caustic alkaline solution to remove the fiber, then washed in an acid solution to precipitate out the protein. The protein curds are then dipped into another alkaline chemical solution and spray-dried at extremely high temperatures. SPI is then often spun into protein fibers using technology borrowed from the textile industry. These refining processes improve taste and digestibility, but destroy the vitamin, mineral, and protein quality, and increase levels of carcinogens such as nitrosamines. Soy protein isolate appears in so many products that consumers would never guess that the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) decreed in 1979 that the only safe use for SPIs was for sealers for cardboard packages.

Soy and Allergies
Many people don’t know that soy is one of the top eight allergens that cause immediate hypersensitivity reactions such as coughing, sneezing, runny nose, hives, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing, and anaphylactic shock. Delayed allergic responses are even more common and occur anywhere from several hours to several days after the food is eaten. These have been linked to sleep disturbances, bedwetting, sinus and ear infections, crankiness, joint pain, chronic fatigue, gastrointestinal woes, and other mysterious symptoms. Although severe reactions to soy are rare compared to reactions to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish, soy has been underestimated as a cause of food anaphylaxis.

Soy allergies are on the rise for three reasons: the growing use of soy infant formula, the increase in soy-containing foods in grocery stores, and the possibility of the greater allergenicity of genetically modified soybeans.

According to Monsanto’s own tests, Roundup Ready genetically-engineered soybeans contain 29 percent less of the brain nutrient choline, and 27 percent more trypsin inhibitor—the potential allergen that interferes with protein digestion—than normal soybeans. Soy products are often prescribed and consumed for their phytoestrogen content, but according to the company’s tests, the genetically altered soybeans have lower levels of phenylalanine, an essential amino acid that affects levels of phytoestrogens. And levels of lectins, which are most likely the culprit in soy allergies, are nearly double in the genetically-engineered variety.

Soy and Hormones
Humans and animals appear to be the most vulnerable to the effects of soy estrogens prenatally, during infancy and puberty, during pregnancy and lactation, and during the hormonal shifts of menopause. Of all these groups, infants on soy formula are at the highest risk because of their small size and developmental phase, and because formula is their main source of nutrition.

In the years since soy formula has been in the marketplace, parents and pediatricians have reported growing numbers of boys whose physical maturation is either delayed or does not occur at all. Breasts, underdeveloped gonads, undescended testicles (cryptorchidism), and steroid insufficiencies are increasingly common. Sperm counts are also falling. Because of the estrogens in soy, men and boys, in particular, should eat little to no soy.

Soy formula is bad news for girls as well. With increased estrogens in the environment and the diet, an alarming number of girls are entering puberty much earlier than normal. One percent of girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three. By the age of eight, 14.7 percent of Caucasian girls and 48.3 percent of African American girls had one or both of these characteristics. The fact that blacks experience earlier puberty than whites is not a racial difference but a recent phenomenon.

Most experts blame this epidemic of “precocious puberty” on environmental estrogens from plastics, pesticides, commercial meats, etc., but some pediatric endocrinologists believe that soy is a significant contributor. Of all the estrogens found in the environment, soy is the likeliest explanation of why African American girls are reaching puberty so early. Since its establishment in 1974, the federal government’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has provided free infant formula to teenage and other low-income mothers while failing to encourage breastfeeding. Because of perceived or real lactose intolerance, black babies are much more likely to receive soy formula than white babies.

Most of the fears concerning soy formula have focused on estrogens. There are other problems as well, notably much higher levels of aluminum, fluoride, and manganese than are found in either breastmilk or dairy formulas. These metals are byproducts of soy processing and all three have the potential to adversely affect brain development. Although trace amounts of manganese are vital to the development of the brain, toxic levels accrued from ingestion of soy formula during infancy have been found in children suffering from attention-deficit disorders, dyslexia, and other learning problems.

Yet the belief persists that soy hormones are “safe” because they are “weak” and “natural.” Although the soy industry has claimed that soy estrogens are anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000 times weaker than the human estrogen estradiol, the correct figure is only 1,200 times as weak. Though this still sounds quite weak, it is not—because of the quantity of these estrogens ingested by infants on soy formula, and by children and adults who eat soy every day.

Americans consume far more soy phytoestrogens (called isoflavones) than were ever part of a traditional diet in Asia. The average isoflavone intake in China is 3 milligrams, or 0.05 mg per kilogram of body weight. In Japan, the figures range from 10 to 28 mg, or 0.17 to 0.47 mg isoflavones per kg of body weight. In contrast, infants receiving soy formula average 38 mg of isoflavones, which comes to a shocking 6.25 mg/kg of body weight.

The Right Soy
It is not true that if a little soy is good, a lot must be better. For soy, the dose makes the poison. The Chinese learned hundreds of years ago that the only way to safely eat soy is to ferment it, which removes the phytates and reduces the trypsin inhibitors. (Unlike other beans, soaking, and even cooking, will not do this.) So, if you choose to eat soy foods, you will find the most benefit from eating small quantities of organically-grown, whole-food, fermented soy, like soy sauce, miso, tempeh, tofu, or natto, the way Asian people have safely enjoyed soy for millennia.

The bottom line is when it comes to soy, we are all participating in what Daniel M. Sheehan, former senior toxicologist with the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research, has called a “large, uncontrolled and basically unmonitored human experiment.” And soy cultivation—particularly genetically engineered soy—is one of the most devastating things we can do to the environment.

For more information about soy:

• The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food
• Soy: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite “Health” Food
• A Word About Soy
• Genetically Modified Soy and Food Allergies
• The Hazards of Feeding Soy to Children
• Warnings on danger of soy formula milk; Edinburgh study highlights
• Component in Soy Products Causes Reproductive Problems in Laboratory Mice
• Deforestation in the Amazon
• Soybean Cultivation as a Threat to the Environment in Brazil
• The Soy Juggernaut – Deforestation and Land Grabs in Brazil

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade!

Whether from cold frames, greenhouses or winter gardens, now that the days are cooler, an abundance of leafy greens are ready to harvest. Between our CSA box and the farmer’s market, we’ve been enjoying a lot of fresh kale, cabbage, broccoli and romaine lettuces for the last two weeks. 

Growing Leafy Greens
Most leafy greens, like kale, spinach or lettuce are easy to sow directly into the garden in early Spring. They generally prefer cool weather, and a little frost makes greens like kale taste even sweeter. Most leafy greens also grow well in cold frames, giving you a steady supply of fresh veg all winter long. The warmer the weather gets, the more likely your greens are to bolt to seed and become bitter, so make sure to get your seeds or seedlings into the ground as early as you can. Warmer weather also bring little, white cabbage looper moths, which lay eggs that hatch into dozens of caterpillars that can take out your whole crop of greens overnight! It’s a good idea to cover leafy green crops with a row cover to keep away the munchers.

Nutrition
Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other benefits. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.

Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.

Vitamin K:

• Regulates blood clotting;
• Helps protect bones from osteoporosis;
• May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques;
• May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis; and
• May help prevent diabetes.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with coconut oil, butter or fat.

Greens have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fiber, which make them very slow to digest. That is why, in general, greens have very little impact on blood glucose.

Selection and Storage
The fresher your spinach and other leafy greens are, the more nutrients they contain. Within just a few days, levels of antioxidants and folate begin to plummet. Eat your greens within four days of being harvested for maximum nutritional benefits.

If you don’t garden, your best bet for fresh greens is a local farmer’s market, followed by the grocery store. Ask what day(s) they put out fresh produce, and add a recurring reminder to your calendar so you always know on what day to buy the healthiest greens!

If access to fresh produce is a challenge, reach for the frozen stuff, which retains much of the original nutritional value from the time it was frozen.

We try to eat a meal centered on leafy greens once a day. This is one of my favorite recipes for kale—which I don’t ordinarily enjoy eating, but this recipe makes it delicious. A serving of this slaw provides 8 grams of protein, more than 20% of the RDA for calcium, folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin and vitamin B6, plus all the vitamin C, K and beta carotene you’ll need for the day. It’s a good source of iron and zinc too.

Kale and Bok Choi Slaw with Spicy Sesame-Ginger Dressing
adapted from Raw Food Revolution

Dressing

• 1/4 cup raw tahini
• 1 Tbsp. pure water
• 1 Tbsp. light miso (preferably unpasteurized with live cultures)
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. powdered mustard
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• Pinch of cayenne

Salad

• 2 cups kale leaves, firmly packed, cut into thin ribbons
• 1-3/4 cups thinly sliced bok choy, packed
• 1 tomato, finely diced
• 1 apple, finely diced
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)

1. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.
2. Place the kale in a large bowl and massage it well for a few minutes to soften. The kale should take on a “cooked” appearance and reduce dramatically in volume.
3. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the kale. Then add the dressing and toss well.
4. Best served within 3 hours, but it can also be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. The slaw will release some liquid when it is stored, but it will still taste good.
5. Enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!