A Chemical Feast

Ethel Renwick, in her book "Let's Try Real Food," tells us that the food industry's use of additives is not in the interest of the nation's nutritional needs, but for increased sales and profits to themselves. Synthetic chemicals are much cheaper substitutes for flavors and colors than real fruits and vegetables, and that the profit of synthetic foods made from chemicals is enormous.

Additives lengthen shelf life, they make processed food taste and look better, they prevent spoiling and even mask deterioration. Companies producing food would rather add vitamins to low-grade food than help malnourished people get better jobs so they can buy more nutritious food. Additives allow a manufacturer to put LESS of the natural ingredient into their product. Dr. Carlton Fredericks explains that the vast majority of food additives have no counterpart in nature, therefore are not automatically compatible with the body. The U.S. permits any number of additives in our foods which are banned in Europe.

What surprises me the most is the source from which these additives are made. Of the 2,764 classifications of food additives, 1,876 are derived from coal-tar. The same dyes that are used for clothing are also used in food. Dr. Feingold gave examples of what is involved in making imitation flavors. Artificial pineapple flavor takes 17 compounds, and imitation coffee flavor takes from 200-300! These additives are not real food at all! Why not eat pure food... REAL FOOD?

It certainly has become a habit, one we don't even think about when we roam the grocery store aisles, to pick up a box of artificially flavored pudding, or a box of sugary cereal, which might contain between 30%-50% sugar. These cereals should be labeled "imitation cereal" and should be sold in the candy aisle!!! I was shocked to learn that peanut butter (the hydrogenated version), which we generally think of as wholesome and nutritious, is actually 22% Crisco! Chemists went to work on peanut butter, adding emulsifiers to keep the oil mixed throughout, then they added sugar to make it sweet to please the crowd of sugar-cravers they had created, and finally the hydrogenated oil to make it spread easily. A lady by the name of Mrs. Desmond describes it as "peanut flavored cold cream!" She suggests that if the industry wanted to make a product with less than 90% peanuts, it should be called Peanut-flavored cream" or something like that. She actually won her case, so that now peanut butter has to contain at least 90% peanuts. As part of our avoidance of products containing hydrogenated oils, we made the switch to 100% natural peanut butter (yep, the kind you have to stir first and store in the fridge.)

This book was written in 1973, and at that time it was estimated we were eating 10 pounds of additives other than sugar, salt, corn syrup, and dextrose. I wonder what that figure actually is today?

An Easter Photo

Clara loved the little marshmallow bunnies I made for our table's centerpiece! She held this one for a long time and played with it, then she finally started to nibble his ears, and before long... he was all gone!

Make your own Salad Dressings

Since we got back to the U.S. I have been reading a lot of books about food and nutrition, such as:

Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau
More Natural Cures Revealed by Kevin Trudeau
Let's Try Real Food by Ethel H. Renwick
Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (a cookbook)
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
The Non Toxic Home by Debra Lynn Dadd
Prescription for Nutritional Healing

The common theme that runs through these books is that it is better to make it yourself than buy it pre-made from the store. Any convenience food from the grocery store is likely to be filled with additives, food dyes, chemicals, hydrogenated oils or fats, extra sugar and salt and generally have very little nutritional value. We pay the food industry to remove good nutrients, then we pay them to return a fraction of the vitamins and minerals they removed, and then we pay them for the chemicals they put in to fool us in one way or another. There are some products I stopped buying completely after I realized just how imitation they were (like Cool Whip and non-dairy creamer for coffee.) I began to read the list of ingredients and if it contained artificial colors, hyrdrogenated oils, or high fructose corn syrup, I put it back on the shelf. These three ingredients are a tell-tale sign that the product is mostly junk. The nutrition that might have been there before processing was stripped away, then they added their numerous chemical concoctions to make it smell good, look good, and taste good and then they targeted children with their advertising to convince Mom it was worth buying. It is no wonder America is unhealthy. We feed our bodies a constant diet of junk food (either from fast food restaurants or the junk in the grocery store) and we hardly think twice about it.

One of the easiest things to make in your kitchen is your own salad dressing. I started doing this after realizing how many complex chemicals and artificial ingredients were in store bought salad dressing. You can find salad dressings now that are more natural and made without additives, but I am really enjoying the flavors and ease of making my own dressing. Here are a few of our family's favorites....


Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar (may not be necessary depending on the quality of the vinegar)
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings. (I actually cut this recipe in half for our family of 5.)


Honey Mustard Dressing

In small bowl, whisk all ingredients together:
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
honey to taste
salt and pepper to taste


Greek Salad Dressing

Place 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper in a small jar with screw-top lid and shake to combine.


Easy Dressing

Whisk 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil with the juice of 1 lemon. Pour over salad greens and toss till coated. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

More about homemade cleaners

Go ahead and skip the ammonia that was listed as an ingredient in the homemade cleaners. It is a very volatile chemical with fumes that irritate eyes and lungs and is especially harmful to anyone with respiratory problems. All of the vinegar cleaner recipes work fine without the added ammonia.

Commercial cleaning products are among the most hazardous products you will find in your home. They contain chemicals that are toxic, corrosive, flammable, radioactive or act as irritants. The Consumer Product Safety Commission focuses only on the immediate effects a product can have, but ignore the possibility that they can have devastating effects over time. And that's how we are exposed to cleaning products... over time, daily, for years... and we forget they may be dangerous to us!

Non toxic cleaning can be done with very few ingredients, which are simple and inexpensive. For example, Clara decided to try out her artistic side with crayons on my tan colored footstool that goes with the glider rocker. Very pretty! I poured a bit of vinegar in a bowl, added some lemon juice to it, then scrubbed the crayon marks with a dish cloth. The crayon marks came out and the footstool was restored to its previous non-artsy look!

Surprise!

We're having another baby!

I guess there is something about September, since this baby is due then, and 3 of our family members (the boys and I) already celebrate birthdays in that month. Kinda crazy, but that's ok.

I have not been troubled with morning sickness with this pregnancy. How nice it is to wake up in the morning and not have to eat crackers before I can get out of bed!

Clara will love having her own little baby to hold. She loves her dolls and stuffed animals and cares for them with such affection and tenderness, carrying them with her as she goes about her business, even changing their diapers! I love to see the nurturing side of little girls, so different from the "conquering hero" side of my boys!

Make Your Own Cleaners!

I bought a big 'ol jug of white vinegar and have been using these recipes to make my own cleaners. They don't just work, they work WELL! And think of the money you can save by not having to buy those expensive cleaners in the store! My main reason for switching to a vinegar based cleaner was to begin the process of getting toxic chemicals out of our house. You might think that all you will smell is vinegar after you use these cleaners, but the amount of vinegar is relatively small and we barely notice a vinegar odor, if at all.

Mirror Cleaner
This recipe calls for ammonia, but I have had wonderful success using only the vinegar and water.

Mix together 1 tbsp. vinegar, 3 tbsp. household ammonia and 2 cups water. Pour into a spray bottle. After washing the mirror, wipe dry with a paper towel.


Wood Cleaner
We are using this in place of dusting spray and I really like the results. It is good for routine cleaning of wood paneling, doors, furniture, and cupboards. It is not a spray.

Mix together 1 quart warm water, 1 tsp. vinegar, and 1 tsp. olive oil. (I actually whisk this to get it all mixed up.)
Dip a soft cloth into the mixture and wring it out. Use this cloth to wipe the wood surface. Polish with a soft, dry cloth.


All Purpose Cleaner
This formula works for all sorts of general cleaning chores. Put it in a spray bottle and it's ready to clean when you are.

Mix together:
1/4 cup household ammonia
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp. cup baking soda
4 cups water


Floor Cleaner
I use this on our ceramic tile and linoleum and it leaves the floor clean and sparkling!

Use about 1/2 cup white vinegar to 1/2 bucket of warm water.


(SAFETY NOTE: Remember to never mix bleach with household ammonia because it creates a toxic gas. Even ammonia by itself can be toxic if you breathe it so make sure you have good ventilation when you do use it.)