I'm moving... Soon!

Hello family and friends of Medium Food Mama. It's been quiet around here, hasn't it? I have been working on posts and having fun researching new foods to chat about here on the blog while juggling some changes. One of those changes will be a move to a WordPress site and a proper domain - mediumfoodmama.com. The migration has not started yet but I will update once it does. I am looking forward to a fresh start on the new site (all old posts will move with me) and I have lots of posts in progress. I'll be writing as much as possible while the site is created/migrated and stick them in the queue, which will translate into more posts more often, cool, right?

I may post a few more times here as I do have some posts ready but it depends on how long the switch will take. So keep hanging on, please. I've got some good info on granola bars, frozen waffles and easy homemade jam, just to name a few.

Avoiding GMOs

Okay so California Prop 37 didn't pass. Bummer. Crazy to see that over $45.6 million was spent to defeat 37. Some of the biggest contributions to this effort came from Monsanto and the world's largest pesticide and junk food companies. Not surprising. I know the prop wasn't perfect though so I'll leave it be. But honestly, it'll be fine. It's definitely okay for people that already take the time to research the food they buy. It will be a little tougher for those that aren't in the habit and the toughest for those that "don't want to know." And, in my opinion, those are the people it could have helped. A GMO label on the package of Doritos would make it harder to throw it in the cart. At least I would hope so.

Before I go any further, let me address that there is a lot of debate about GMOs. I happen to be on the side that believes they are bad news and should be avoided. It's scary to think that GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food in the US*. Keep in mind that genetically modified food has only been around since the 90's, 1994 I believe. I can't help but think of GMOs as intentional mutations. And when genes mutate, it usually isn't good. Cancer for example. I'll post some links later in this post that expand on GMOs. Your head is likely to spin after reading them. It really bothers me that all this experimentation is allowed to be done with our food supply - on people, our kids. Most of my childhood, although filled with a lot of processed foods, was free of GMOs. This is not the case for my kids unless I actively avoid them and even then, there will be some exposure. I'm not an expert on this by any stretch but I'm just not comfortable knowingly feeding my kids experimental, mutated food.

So how am I going to avoid GMOs without having a GMO label on everything that contains or may contain them? I've been researching the food I buy for a long time. I'll continue to do this as well as utilize some really cool tools to assist me concerning GMO foods. Like the Fooducate app. I discovered this app (iPhone) earlier this month and have been using it every chance I get. You can scan bar codes and it will bring back a nutritional profile (and grade) including if it is considered GMO free. The first time using it was so much fun. It not only gives you info on the product scanned but gives you a list of alternatives. The database is ever growing so if you scan an item that's not in their database yet, you are prompted to enter and send the info to them right then and there. For example, Trader Joe's Egg Nog wasn't in the database yet. It asked me if I would like to enter the info, including pictures (three pics, one of the product, one of the nutritional info and one of the ingredients). So I did. They follow up with an email letting you know they received the information and that it's being processed (or something like that). The app also links to info about specific ingredients and other topics. So far I love this app. Did I say that already?

In addition to apps like Fooducate, there are sites like Non-GMO Project and Say No to GMOs. Also, some companies like Amy's label their food non-gmo. And even though they don't label their food, Trader Joe's says they source non-genetically modified ingredients for their private label food. The information is there. You just need to take the time to check it out. If you really want to know, you can find out. 

*Source: GMO Facts
Additional links: Huff Post Blog, Wikipedia

The Switch Witch is coming!

Happy Halloween! I like Halloween, the cute and fun side that is. I'm not a big fan of the darker, blood and guts creepy side (although I do enjoy a good horror film right about now). I love seeing the kids get excited about Halloween crafts, pumpkin carving and getting dressed up. There is also the kid Halloween movies and TV shows. Oh, and, there is the CANDY.

Is there any way to avoid the candy? Until about three years old, yes. After that though, it starts to get tough. When they hit five years old, it's near impossible. I'm not a square or anything but you don't have to be a square to cringe at the thought of all the candy and other junk Halloween presents to our kids (and us). For example, at my son's class party today - I was pleasantly surprised there was fruit, veggies and water for the snack options. Although, there was also Pirate's Booty (one of those foods people think is healthy but it's not) and ranch dressing from a bottle. Not the worst of spreads for the little ones though. But there was also those dreaded Oreo Cookies floating around (the Halloween version with the bright orange filling no less). Granted they were for a craft along with packaged marshmallows, food dye pens, packaged brownie bites and Hershey's Kisses. I think there may have been some sort of canned frosting as well to act as glue but I'm not sure, I wasn't helping at that station. Don't get me wrong, it's cool, I didn't forbid my son to participate nor did I say no when he wanted to eat that big, processed, decorated with food dye marshmallow on the walk home. I also said yes (5 minutes later) when he asked to eat (and share with his little brother) the two Oreo Cookies with frosting and a Hershey's Kiss on top. The brownie bite also disappeared during this mini junk fest.

Living here in the "medium" - I don't freak out about it. For Halloween, I don't try to avoid anything, I just do my best to keep the indulging contained to the day. Having a bowl of candy hanging around tomorrow and beyond is something I do avoid though. And that's why I utilize the Switch Witch! I heard about the concept of the Switch Witch a year or two ago. It's simple. If you leave your bag/bucket of candy out for her on Halloween night, she will come and get it and leave a surprise in return. My kids were sold the second they heard "surprise." I think everyone likely does this a little differently but what I do is have the kids pick two of their favorite candies from the bunch then leave the rest for the Switch Witch. It's like leaving cookies out for Santa. In the morning, they get to see what she left in place of their candy. So awesome. Lingering candy problem solved. And I don't look back (even if the kiddos regret, just a little, letting the witch have their candy). Now on to what November brings!

Resist the Lunchables

With back to school time in full swing, let's talk Lunchables. I'll start on my soapbox. I figure it's best to come out swinging and lighten up from there! I've read and heard more than a handful of people talking about giving their children Lunchables for snack and/or lunch. The conversations are sort of matter of fact, you know, like it's the norm. I also see ones where it seems the parents are either near burnout or have given up.

What confuses me the most is the amount of people okay with feeding their children this highly processed, who knows where the "food" came from, always has a treat, salty tray of food product. I can understand the temptation to reduce some of your workload during the school year as well as save a buck or two but does it have to come in the form of highly processed food that is not providing proper nutrition to the kiddos and ruining their palate at the same time? For me, it's about nutrition as well as teaching my kids healthy eating habits. Processed meat, cheese and crackers with a water (with "Kool-Aid to sprinkle in a little flavor and fun") and some Jell-o and cookies to top it off is not healthy and certainly will not assist our children with learning how to make healthy food choices.

I usually say this somewhere in a post like this - I'm the Medium Food Mama, not Totally Green, Organic and Crunchy Mama. I appreciate the need for some convenience and the occasional packaged food (can we say Mac & Cheese?) but providing a steady diet of highly processed "kid food" is not good for anyone. I also understand budget. And it truly frustrates me that crappy food is the cheapest food. Better organized people may beg to differ with crappy food being the most affordable because well, you can grow some of your own produce, join a co-op or eat organic rice, beans and veggies most of the time BUT it's just not feasible for a lot of folks. I looked into a co-op myself and it was too expensive to join. I also make a lot of my own versions of convenience foods, not all of it turns out to be less expensive. I walked by a cold case of Lunchables at Target this morning and the price I saw was $1.52. A "meal" (in a lot of people's minds) for a buck fifty is likely gonna trump a sandwich on whole wheat with organic turkey, organic produce and avocado with a side of organic fruit for a lot of people. Unfortunately.

The Lunchables facebook page has almost 590,000 likes. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has over one million. Pages for companies that offer healthier convenience foods for kids like Plum Organics (84,800), Annie's Home Grown (285,800), Amy's (49,300), Clif Bar (110,850) and Nature's Path (267,700) have significantly less followers. So is it about money or lack of nutrition knowledge or just plain denial? I'm not sure yet. From my rookie research though, I lean towards it being a bit of each with a little nostalgia and comfort mixed in.

The challenge of eating healthy on a budget and with little ones that may be a little picky is not going to go away but in my opinion items like Lunchables can. There are plenty of alternatives to these yucky little trays. Here's a few links to give you some ideas.

Mom's Plan
Weelicious
Easy Lunchboxes
The Nourishing Home

WhoNu these weren't a good option? I knew, that's who!

WhoNu? Cookies. Don't get fooled. These have been on the shelves for a while now and I thought they'd go away but they haven't. I'm not sure if people are buying them and that's why or if the shelf life is so long they've just been sitting there this whole time.

I did a little research on the Oreo type version of the WhoNu? cookie and let me start by comparing the ingredients.


WhoNu? Chocolate Cookies: Sugar, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oils (Canola, Palm, Palm Kernel Oil, Soybean Oil And Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed And Coconut Oil), Cocoa, Dextrose, Polydextrose, Yellow Corn Flour, Corn Syrup, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Monoglycerides, Vanilla Extract.

Oreo Cookies: Sugar, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid), High Oleic Canola Oil And/or Palm Oil And/or Canola Oil, And/or Soybean Oil, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cornstarch, Leavening (Baking Soda And/or Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier), Vanillin – An Artificial Flavor, Chocolate.

They're very similar, yes? Although I don't buy Oreo cookies or other boxed/highly processed cookies, I've never noticed them claiming to be "nutrition rich cookies." That's what's irritating. Well that and this piece written last year. Especially "Who knew delicious could be so nutritious? That's what Moms across the country are exclaiming since the recent launch of WhoNu?..." Moms are exclaiming? Hu? Any mom exclaiming that in regards to these cookies, needs to brush up on the facts. Oh and this quote from the VP "Children are snacking more than ever and they're snacking on nutrient-deficient foods with empty calories" reminds us that kids in the US are snacking too much and often it is junk they're snacking on. Whether it's hard to hear or not, parents are the reason for both these issues. We decide what we buy and serve to our kids, they don't.

No matter how you slice it, WhoNu? chocolate cookies are highly processed junk. Oreos with added vitamins. And I don't need a cookie to assist me with my child's nutritional needs. So, please leave these on the shelf along with the other boxes and bags and if it's a cookie your kiddos want, get in the kitchen and bake some. Perhaps, these Vegan Chocolate Chips Cookies? You don't have to be vegan to like a vegan cookie. That's my motto anyway!

Honey

Honey is something that I think most families have in the pantry/cabinet. Personally, I use it often. And my use of honey has actually increased over the last year since updating a handful of my recipes to include honey as the sweetener instead of regular sugar.

As I do with all the things I buy, I like to take a look at the ingredients, find out where the food came from and compare prices. Honey should be pretty straightforward, right? Well after stumbling upon an article about honey, it's not.

The article was written late last year. I think everyone should read it. It's information to be armed with. So many people "just shop" and have faith what they're buying is, well, what it says it is. Here's just one quote from the article that stands out to me: "The grocery stores want processed honey as it lasts longer on the shelves." This is definitely the motivation for most products grocery stores stock. We are surrounded with highly processed foods for the long shelf life and low price. And although I could go on and on about that subject, I won't because that's an entirely different post.

Like quite a few of our staples, I buy honey at Trader Joe's because it's good and the price is right. I was certainly relieved to see Trader Joe's honey was noted as a good choice but still super frustrated at the fact that this is something we're forced to contend with. It definitely reinforces the importance and necessity of taking the time to research what you're putting in your grocery cart and eventually in your body.

Click here to read the article.

Mayonnaise

Every time I reach for it on the shelf at the store or in my refrigerator, I question using it. But honestly, I won't be making homemade mayo any time soon and my family likes a little on their sandwiches. So it is something on my shopping list. We use alternatives as well like mustard, hummus, avocado, balsamic vinaigrette, pesto and cream cheese but most days, plain mayo is used.

I admit to buying "light" mayo for many years now. Many, many years. My weight has always fluctuated and it tends to fluctuate very easily upward if I am not on top of my food consumption and exercise. With that, starting way back when I was a teenager, I ate a lot of low fat foods and non fat dairy. I was never into the fat free junk food or fat free is better bandwagon, that stuff tasted awful and was highly processed. But I purchased fat free milk and yogurt, light cheese, low fat salad dressing and light mayo regularly. As my food knowledge grew, I started to gravitate towards real food and packaged food that contained more real ingredients than not. And, although in the case of mayo, the real version is much higher in fat (11 grams vs. 4 grams), if you eat healthy, real, whole, high quality food, it becomes a non issue. And if you look closely, you'll notice that even if regular mayo has 7 grams more fat than the light version, it only has 1 gram saturated fat.

Mayonnaise is not my first choice as a spread on my sandwiches but it is for my boys and hubby as well as for lots of other people. If you are a mayo person and don't make your own, take a minute to see what's in the brand you purchase. All "real" mayo is not created equal. Some are made with canola oil (not a fan of canola oil personally but that's an entirely different post), soybean oil or a combination of oil including olive oil. And note that even the "olive oil" mayo contains soybean oil, it's not pure olive oil mayonnaise. Find one without "natural flavor" or weird preservatives. After some research, and even though it contains canola oil, Trader Joe's Real Mayonnaise is what I switched to. I assume Whole Foods and other like grocery stores have a version that is comparable.

Trader Joe's Real Mayo: Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Whole Eggs, Apple Cider Vinegar, Egg Yolks, Water, Salt, Spices, Lemon Juice Concentrate.

Best Foods Real Mayo: Soybean Oil, Water, Whole Eggs and Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice, Calcium Disodium Edta (used to protect quality), Natural Flavors.

Kraft Real Mayo: Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Vinegar, Contains less than 2% of Egg Yolks, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Salt, Sugar, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Paprika, Natural Flavor, Calcium Disodium Edta As A Preservative.

Kraft Olive Oil Mayo: Water, Olive Oil, Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Modified Food Starch, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Eggs, Contains less than 2% of Salt, Mustard Flour, Dried Onions, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavor, Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk, Beta Carotene* (Color), Lactic Acid*, Potassium Sorbate* and Calcium Disodium Edta As Preservatives, Phosphoric Acid* *Ingredient not Normally Found In Mayonnaise Contains: Egg.

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a seaweed extract. It's a common and cheap food additive used as a thickener and emulsifier in ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, soy milk and other processed food products. It is also a vegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin.

I recently read, in a weekly newsletter I subscribe to from Dr. Weil, that based on results of animal studies, Carrageenan has been tagged by some as an unsafe product that may cause ulcerations and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. I did a little more research and found other articles that say the same. "I think the evidence is compelling to avoid carrageenan in any product, and especially if you have irritable bowel disease." Andrew Weil, M.D.

I eat low fat dairy often. After reading more on Carrageenan, it kept coming up in low fat products. This prompted me to take a look at the items I had in my fridge. And, yes, there it was. In the cottage cheese and sour cream. Both of the low fat variety and both from Trader Joe's. I know that it is better to use the real and/or full fat versions of these kind of foods and do avoid fat free items, except Greek yogurt and avoid fat free and low fat cheese because of the junk added to them but as I mentioned, I do eat dairy often and like to offset some of it with low fat varieties. Luckily my favorite yogurts (low fat and 0%) do not contain Carrageenan.

I was able to find a few options for low fat cottage cheese and sour cream. Not surprisingly at Whole Foods. My husband picked up a low fat cottage cheese from Kalona Super Natural. This stuff was the cream of the crop. Organic, reduced fat (2%) and grass fed. The taste was fantastic. And I usually don't eat cottage cheese straight (I use it in recipes like lasagna) but I would consider it if it was Kalona. It happened to be on sale for $3.29 for a 16 oz. container. I believe the everyday price is $3.99. I also found that Daisy Brand low fat cottage cheese and light sour cream do not contain Carrageenan. I picked up a 24 oz. cottage cheese for $3.59. A little cheaper and a little larger. I haven't had a chance to try it yet though. I think I've heard some decent things about Daisy Brand products but maybe only from their ads and famous jingle. Not too sure.

Among the many articles I came across on Carrageenan, I wanted to share the one from the TLC Cooking website. Click here to check it out. It's a quick read and I like the info. It sends a message about processed foods that a lot of people don't think about. I especially like the mention of "food scientists" and the "normal cook." And the part about Carragennan being "completely natural" reminds us that just because something is from a natural source initially or even entirely, doesn't make it good for us.

One day my family and I will eat grass-fed dairy 100% of the time but until our budget evolves, I will at minimum avoid buying dairy containing Carrageenan. Now onto researching Locust Bean Gum! :)