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Welcome to the
October issue of “Making the Healthy Choice the Easy
Choice.”
Here you will
find information you can use on a timely topic, healthy
eating, recipes and more! I welcome your feedback and
questions. Please send them to
Janet@nourishyourlife.com Thank you!
October is the month to connect.
As I receive
more and more questions about connecting with the food
we eat, especially the value of organic foods, I thought
this to be the perfect month to explain organics.
The U.S.D.A.
offers us this definition, “Organic food is produced by
farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and
the conservation of soil and water to enhance
environmental quality for future generations. Organic
meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from
animals that are given no antibiotics or growth
hormones. Organic food is produced without using most
conventional pesticides; petroleum-based fertilizers or
sewage sludge-based fertilizers; bio-engineering; or
ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled
"organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the
farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is
following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic
standards. Companies that handle or process organic food
before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant
must be certified, too.”
And…Whole Foods
offers us the following reasons:
Ten Reasons to
Eat Organic
1. Protect
future generations:
Children
receive four times more exposure than adults to
cancer-causing pesticides in food.
2. Prevent soil
erosion:
Three billion
tons of topsoil are eroded from the crop lands in the
U.S. each year, much of it is due to conventional
farming practices, which often ignore the health of the
soil.
3. Protect
water quality:
The EPA
estimates that the pesticides pollute the primary source
of drinking water for more than half the country’s
population.
4. Keep
chemicals off your plate:
Pesticides are
poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also
be harmful to humans.
5. Protect
farm-workers health:
Pesticides are
poisons designed to kill living organisms, and can also
be harmful to humans.
6. Save energy:
More energy is
now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till,
cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the in the
U.S.A.
7. Help small
farmers:
Although more
and more large scale farms are making the conversion to
organic practices, most organic farms are small,
independently owned and operated family farms.
8. Support a
true economy:
Organic foods
seem expensive; however, your tax dollars pay for
hazardous waste clean-up and environmental damage caused
by conventional farming.
9. Promote
biodiversity:
Planting large
plots of land with the same crop year after year tripled
farm production between 1950 and 1970, but the lack of
natural diversity of plant life has negatively affected
soil quality.
10. Flavor and
nourishment:
Organic farming
starts with the nourishment of the soil, producing
nourished plants. Conduct your own taste test!
Yes, it is more
expensive which causes it to be less affordable to many
people. There are, however, some foods that are worth
the extra cost.
-
Apples: apple
trees are sprayed during the budding stage;
therefore the pesticide grows throughout the fruit.
-
Berries: Are
very difficult to scrub clean.
-
Dairy: BST is
still controversial. Better to be safe than
sorry-especially for the very young. There are many
dairy products that are not necessarily organic, but
are BST-free. A great alternative!
Where to begin?
Choose one food
that you think will best benefit you and your family.
Always buy that food in its organic form until it
becomes a habit. Then add another.
For example:
Our family is huge apple eaters! So, it was beneficial
for us to eat only organic apples. After that became a
habit, we chose Non-BST milk. Berries then came into
season, so we chose them next. One year later, we are
now eating 90% organic. Our goal is to eat 99% organic
by the end of this year. Where will you begin?
My challenge
for you this month is to check out the availability of
organic foods in your community. Then, choose one that
you and your family would most enjoy trying. I would
love to know which one you choose. Email me at
janet@nourishyourlife.com Thanks!
Quote for
the month:
“Ponder well on
this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all
connected by a more or less tangible link, with some
memory of the dinner table.”
Charles Pierre Monselet (1825-1888)
Healthy eating in October:
Do you love
squash and apples as much as we do? They are the perfect
food combination for October! Last October we talked
about apples (see archives), so let’s explore squash…
Health benefits
Not only are
squash delicious, they are right at the top for health
benefits! Squash are saturated fat free, cholesterol
free, high in Vitamin C (an antioxidant), a good source
of vitamin A (also an antioxidant), fat free and very
low sodium and high in fiber!
My challenge
for you this month is to try one of the 110 varieties of
squash stuffed with apple (organic?) Better yet, how
about squash stuffed with apple AND quinoa!
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Apple and Quinoa
Makes four (4) servings
Preheat oven to
350 degrees
Ingredients
2 acorn squash,
cut in half, seeded
1 cup water
½ cup quinoa
1 Tablespoon margarine
2 apples, chopped
1 Tablespoon honey
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons walnuts, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
1. Rinse quinoa
before cooking to remove the coating of a bitter
substance called saponins.
2. Bring water to a boil
3. Stir in quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer for
10-15 minutes or until wall water is absorbed.
4. While quinoa is cooking, place squash halves, cut
side down, on a slightly greased or sprayed baking sheet
5. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 30 min
6. While the squash are baking, melt margarine in a
large frying pan. Add apples, cook until soft.
7. Stir in honey, cranberries, walnuts, cinnamon and
nutmeg and cooked quinoa.
8. Divide mixture between squash halves.
9. Continue baking until squash is tender (about 10-15
min)
10. ENJOY!
Nutrition
facts:
1 serving= 240 cal, Protein = 7 grams, Carbs = 45 grams,
Fat =9grams
Do you know of someone who would benefit from this
information?
We welcome you to pass it on.
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