Which Is Worst Red Meat or Processed Meat?

As we all know it Memorial Weekend is quickly approaching and most of you plan on doing some grilling. A friend of mine asked me a really good question; “Which is worst red meat or processed meat?” Hate to ruin it but the fact is that they are both bad. Now before you fire up that gas grill and throw those thick juicy Ball Park Franks or T-bone steak on; let’s take a look at which one of these is the less of the two evil.

First, I would like to tell you that there’s some pretty nasty stuff in your hot dogs and bologna. You will find all the parts of the animal that usually would get thrown away (depending on your cultural background) like the facial muscle, tongue, and lips! But besides containing a lot of fat, the really ghastly stuff doesn’t get put in until the meat is processed. What could be so awful that it is processed with you may ask? The main ingredient you will find in processed meat is sodium nitrate, another word for Chile saltpeter or Peru saltpeter (due to the large deposits found in each country) to distinguish it from ordinary saltpeter, potassium nitrate.

The salt peter primary function is to prevent bacterial growth and preserve the meat so it can be stored for a long time. This is the same ingredient that they use in smoke bombs, solid rocket propellant, in glass and in cigarettes to make them burn longer. Now I’m no rocket chemist but that sounds like a time bomb ready to go off in my stomach! Studies have shown that eating a limited (keyword “limited” my foodies) amount of fresh meat, beef included, doesn’t pose a major health risk.

However, processed foods on the other hand can pose a really large risk. Sausages, hot dogs, bacon, and processed lunch meats are the worst things you can find behind your local meat counter. According to CNN, “Eating unprocessed beef, pork, or lamb appeared not to raise risks of heart attacks and diabetes, they said, suggesting that salt and chemical preservatives may be the real cause of these two health problems associated with eating meat. The study, an analysis of other research called a meta-analysis, did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, which are also linked with high meat consumption.”

For my entire carnivore foodies try to stay with the meats like minimally processed chicken, roast chicken, and roast turkey. Not only do the processed meats pose a great risk of cardiovascular problems because of the salt and fat, they increase the risk of colon cancer as well. And surprisingly there was no evidence showing increased risk of heart disease in people who ate unprocessed red meats…hmmm. Don’t take my word for it. If you feel the urge to indulge in red meat just keep in mind to eat it sparingly. (Just a little FYI it takes 14 days to digest beef and 4 hours for it to begin rotting!!) Your foodie “Roo” signing off.

10 Ways to “Be Organic” on a Budget

During the tour we were asked a lot of questions. Questions like “what is organic”, “why are we doing this”, “how do you incorporate organic into a lifestyle”, “where can we find organic food”, “why aren’t you charging people for this information” are just a few that we were asked to us. When it was time for us to ask the number one question “why don’t you eat organic?” You can probably guess what their answer was…..yes you guest it. For the most part of the tour the number one reason why people didn’t eat organic was because “it’s too expensive!”

Now we are not going to sit here and act as if organic isn’t expensive. Well actually we are because there are ways to offset the costs so that your overall expenses in going organic won’t be much more than what you’re paying now, and maybe even a little bit less!! So today we have 10 ways to “Be Organic” on a budget:

Here’s how:

1. Buy directly from local farms.

Farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) are typically less expensive than organic markets or the organic section of your local grocery store. You can always expect the freshest and greatest flavors of the season

2. Buy in bulk.

Buying in large quantities is always cheaper than buying smaller, prepared portions.

3. Coupons, coupons, coupons!!

You might not see many coupons for organic products in the weekly food section of the newspaper, but you’ll definitely see them in other places. You can look for them in health and fitness magazines and in lifestyle magazines. Here’s a website for organic coupons: www.organiccoupons.org. We would also recommend you go directly to company websites that offer organic products. A few to start with: Organic Valley, Stonyfield, Seventh Generation, Eden Organic and Knudsen Juices.

4. Buy store brand.

Supermarkets, large discounters, and wholesalers like Costco have realized good success in offering their own organic products. Private-label offerings are expanding, and they’re cheaper than name brands.

5. Learn to read your labels.

We know it can get a confusing over the terminology and lingo in the organic world, especially when you’re first starting to make the change. When you’re watching your pennies, don’t buy something that’s labeled “natural” when you’re looking for “organic.” For tips on reading labels please read our recent blog.

6. Grow your own garden.

Even the smallest balcony can usually support a pot or two. Fill those pots with a tomato plant, cilantro, garlic, or maybe a pepper and you’ve got yourself an organic garden. You can also grow wonderful herd such as thyme indoors on a sunny windowsill.

7. Make your own cleaning products.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what ingredients are in most of those cleaning products in your cabinet? Well you’ll be surprise to see that most of those ingredients can be found in your house to make your own natural cleaning products. Ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, and borax are as cheap as you can find them. The cost associated with making products from them is about one-tenth that of their commercial equivalents.

8. Know what to buy organic and what not to worry about buying organic.

There are certain organic foods and food products that are worth spending the money on, and some that you can skip and save the money. Check out our previous blog on what to buy organic.

9. Prepare your own food.

Want to make sure your family is the healthiest it can be? When you prepare it yourself, you can ensure the quality of the ingredients your adding to your food and the processing as well. Nowadays people are doing more cooking at home; why not make it using organic foods? You can turn almost all of the food you eat right now into an organic recipe just by using organic ingredients.

10. Start a community garden.

Growing a community garden will need to be a major focus. We will soon experience limited access to healthy food and limited selection of whatever food is available. Growing wonderful fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs and supplying to locals in the community at a low cost year round.

Environmental Working Group “Dirty Dozen” List of Top Fruits and Veggies to Buy Organic

This Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit environmental research organization based in Washington, DC, “Dirty Dozen” list, in order of most-to-least contaminated, offers a helpful way to prioritize which fruits and veggies to buy organic. EWG reports that you can lower your pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding conventional versions of the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables. Keep this list handy when you plan on going on your next shopping trip to the grocery store or farmers market.

The EWG reports that these 12 fruits and vegetables tested highest in pesticide residue:

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Celery

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Lettuce

9. Grapes (imported)

10. Pears

11. Spinach

12. Potatoes

The EWG reports that these 12 fruits and vegetables tested lowest in pesticide residue:

1. Onions

2. Avocado

3. Sweet Corn (frozen)

4. Pineapples

5. Mango

6. Sweet Peas (frozen)

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi

9. Bananas

10. Cabbage

11. Broccoli

12. Eggplant

Roasted Garlic Pesto Mushroom Stacks

Hello foodies!!! Today we are here to feature another meatless dish. This recipe is from our good friend and biggest fan Janah of Delishyourdish. We had the honor of making this dish with her at her house and today we are asking you to support her by voting for this dish for the Springlicious Recipe Contest. Please vote for this dish!! http://www.iledefrancecheese.com/blog/?cat=51

Roasted Garlic Pesto Mushroom Stacks by Janah A.

Ingredients:

• 1 Bulb Garlic
• 3 Zucchini (sliced on an angle into 1/2” slices)
• 1 Large Eggplant (sliced into 1/2” rounds)
• 1 Pkg. Sliced Portabello Mushrooms
• 1 Pkg. Fresh Basil
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup Goat Cheese
• Tomato Sauce
• 2 Red Peppers
• 1 Pkg. Firm Light Tofu
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt

Direction:

For The Roasted Garlic:

• Set oven to 350 degrees
• Slice off the top of the garlic bulb. Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil over the top of the garlic bulb so that the oil drips down between the cloves. Top with a few shakes of sea salt.
• Wrap the bulb in tin foil and place in the oven with cut side down. Allow garlic to roast for 1 hour.

For Pesto:

• In a blender or cuisenart, add in bulb of roasted garlic (squeeze out the roasted cloves into the blender), lemon juice, goat cheese and basil.
• Blend until you’ve reached your desired texture. Taste to see if you may want to add more lemon juice or goat cheese. Set aside.

For Red Peppers:

• Set Oven to Broil.
• Lay the red peppers onto a greased cookie sheet. Allow red peppers to cook on broil until they become blistered on top. Should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

For The Eggplant, Zucchini and Mushrooms:

• Set oven to 400 degrees on convection.
• Place the zucchini, tofu and eggplant onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in the convection oven until the veggies and tofu begin to crisp. Or you can also cook the tofu in a sautee pan on high heat until crispy.
• In a greased sautee pan, toss in the mushrooms on medium heat. While the mushrooms are cooking, add just a small dollop of the pesto into the pan. Cook until the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.

Make the Stacks:

• On a greased cookie sheet begin to layer the veggies, tofu, pesto, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Be sure to start with a piece of eggplant on the bottom then build the stack any way you like.
• Place back in the oven for about 5-10 minutes just to warm.

Organic Blue-Mango Soy Shake (Vegan)

 

Vegan Alert: Curried Kelp Noodles with Coconut Kale

Vegan alert, vegan alert!! It’s foodie Roosevelt and we’re back again. I just recently watch one of the most sickening videos in my life. It kind of makes me not want to eat meat. Of course, I picked the perfect time to watched the video; right before lunch time and trust me right now meat is definitely not on the menu!  Guess it was the perfect timing because here is a great recipe that you can enjoy as a snack. It’s a good thing that our friend Nutritionista save me with this recipe on a blog. This one is completely vegan!

You’ll need (makes two servings):

• 1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups kelp noodles
• 3/4 C coconut milk
• 1 T curry powder
• 1 T coconut oil
• salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
• (optional: Be Organic’s Coconut Creme Finishing Sauce)

Make it: Saute the kale in the coconut oil on medium-low heat. When the kale starts to get a little browned, add the kelp noodles, coconut milk, and spices. Here’s the kale and noodles before adding the milk:

Let cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Within minutes you are good to chow down!

This is a very simple vegan dish that you can sacrifice meat for one meal…..in my case I think I will be holding off meat for a couple of days maybe months!!!

High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Name change to the simpler, less-chemical-y “corn syrup”

Are we missing something here? Now lets see….you mean to tell us that “high”-fructose corn syrup isn’t linked to making more money?!? Get out of here!!!! Read more on this http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html?pagewanted=2&src=busln

“How Do I Start My Way To A Healthier Lifestyle When It Comes To Eating Food?”

Ok it’s foodie Roosevelt. Today I’m here to save a couple of people from falling into that dark center bottomless pit of hopelessness! First of all I would like to say if I can save you all I would. But I know for a fact that before I can do that you must have to want to save yourself first from whatever it is that is ailing you. My business partners Mr. Captain Kirk “Preventative” Nelson, Mr. Sky Andre “Diabetes”Walker, and I Roosevelt “Cancer” Desir (what…you thought I had a nickname? I do I’m just not telling lol) not only love educating people on ways to live a healthy lifestyle, but we also enjoy empowering people like you to better themselves through our personal stories. We want you to be that change to a healthier and more enjoyable life that you deserve. Now “where do I start” you say? Well that’s when you call on the three young, black, well educated, single, and sexy foodies of Be Organic/OrganicTakeover to save the day, or in this case your health. I am sorry. I have to apologize almost thought I was on a dating network. Ok back to the business at hand.

Yesterday I had two good friends of mine call me and asked for advice on where to start the change to eating healthy. I would like to thank them for coming to us for help because we truly feel everyone has the right to live a better and healthy life. The guys and I are here to assist you to the path of better health. Your journey to becoming a healthier person will benefit greatly if it is preceded by self-love and self-respect. I will be honest and tell you this; it is going to be very difficult to take the necessary steps of self-care if you don’t think that you are worth the effort.

First I would like to point out that diets are only temporary. Rather it is that you want to lose weight, lower your cholesterol/blood pressure, managing diabetes, and avoiding certain cancers or heart diseases you have to change your lifestyle. We do not promise that you will lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks; and definitely are not forcing you to adopt a completely new menu of foods. We are simply going to offer you a lifestyle tool. With this tool you will have the knowledge to tweak your current lifestyle into a healthy one.

Well ladies and gents what we are offering you is a food dairy. This approach is much easier for you to maintain for the long haul. Eating right is the first step toward long-term success. From understanding basic nutrition principles and counting calories, to making healthful restaurant choices, the basics are covered here.

Counting Calories:

Counting calories is the mathematical part behind long-term, successful weight loss. By understanding your body’s caloric needs and how to track them in the food you eat, then you will truly learn how to eat almost anything you want and still lose weight.

Recipes That Are Low in Calories:

We host a lot of cooking demos and classes. At these classes we really stress the importance of cooking at home. Cooking at home is an ideal way to control calories.  You are the one that is in charge of exactly what goes into each dish, how much of any higher-calorie ingredient is used and how large your portions are. Even if you are new to cooking, the guys and I can give you the ultimate cooking experience (in the comfort of your home) to help you enjoy learning to prepare delicious low calorie recipes.

Start Off Smart with Breakfast:

I am going to be honest with you. For a long time I used to hate eating breakfast. If I was in a rush in the morning I wouldn’t bother. Or if I wake up late I would wait until lunch to have my first meal of the day!! That wasn’t doing my body any justice. It’s the most important meal of the day, so put breakfast on the top of your to-do list starting tomorrow morning. Make sure to leave a good amount of time to enjoy it and not rush the eating process.

Eating Healthy Snacks:

Incorporating healthy snacks into your day can help curb your appetite and keep your metabolism going strong. To keep your metabolism going strong and to prevent overeating, it’s important that you have a healthy snack around every three to four hours. If you are at home, it’s fairly easy, but “what about in the middle of the Nevada dessert”? Well if the heat doesn’t kill you first; here are some ideas for on the go healthy snacks:

Fruit snacks

Egg (hard-boiled ahead of time)

Low-fat or non-fat yogurt

Single serving orange juice bottles

Single serving tomato juice cans

Sliced veggies

Fruit (apples will store the best)

Instant oatmeal

Healthful Restaurant Choices:

We all love to eat out and socialize with friends and family for all types of occasions. Eating out doesn’t have to be cause for panic. I know you hear about the oversize restaurant portions and the plethora of fattening menu choices available all the time, but that doesn’t mean dining out will doom your dieting/healthy eating efforts! Just use these 5 simple tips for eating out:

1.               Cram for tonight’s dinner. Many eateries post their entire menu online so you can print it out for reference. If you often eat at “mom and pop” type restaurants that aren’t online, call and ask for the menu to be faxed to you, or pick up a takeout menu on your next visit. Highlight the healthiest options for each menu and store them all in a central location. Then, when you are planning your next night out, take the time to decide on your dishes at home before you’ve been tempted by the sight of other choices.

2.               Order your main dish from the appetizer menu. Not only are appetizers more reasonably-portioned, they will save you some money as well. (This is a great way to save enough calories and cash to split dessert with someone!) Too peckish to be satisfied with just a starter? Order a side salad, too — the fiber -rich veggies will round out your meal. Soup is super-filling, so it’s an awesome appetizer add-on, too (just steer clear of cream-based ones).

3.               Beware these high-fat menu buzz words: Cream sauce, butter, oil, au gratin, breaded, Alfredo, battered or batter-dipped, “with gravy,” or smothered. Unless you’ve spared yourself treats for several days and snacked on salad greens all day, these little “extras” aren’t worth the extra calories.

4.               Modify the menu. In my neck of the woods, anything and everything can be batter-dipped and fried, so I make special requests all the time. Many restaurants will take your dietary needs into account so you’ll be a happy customer and return. Don’t hesitate to request anything on the menu to be prepared in a more diet-friendly and for sauces or dressings to be served on the side. It’s not likely that you will be denied.

5.               The meat is on. As tempting as that bucket of fried chicken looked on the commercial before you left home, order poultry steamed, poached, roasted, broiled, boiled, grilled or baked. Ask for skinless chicken whenever possible or remove it yourself. If you do treat yourself to fried chicken, choose white meat as it has fewer calories than dark. Of course, chicken, chicken and morechicken gets old after a while, so if you’re asking, “Where’s the beef?” allow yourself red meat a few times a week — just be sure to choose leaner cuts of meat like loin or flank.

Healthy Grocery Shopping List:

One of the things that I personally touch base with my section on nutrition on the OrganicTakeover is learning how to read food labels, decode label claims, and making the best choices for healthy foods at the grocery store. My dear friends always remember to make a shopping list that way you don’t get distracted picking up unnecessary items.

Bread, Pasta and Cereal

·                        whole-grain bread

·                        whole-grain bagels

·                        whole-grain English muffins

·                        low-fat, reduced-sodium crackers

·                        whole-grain cereal

·                        oatmeal

·                        brown rice

·                        whole-grain pasta

Meat/Protein

·                        white meat, skinless turkey

·                        white meat, skinless chicken

·                        sliced turkey breast

·                        lean beef

·                        pork tenderloin

·                        dry beans

·                        tofu

·                        vegetarian burgers

Fruit and Vegetables

·                        fresh fruit

·                        frozen fruit

·                        canned fruit (in 100% juice)

·                        fresh vegetables

·                        frozen vegetables

·                        canned vegetables (low sodium/no added salt)

·                        vegetable-rich canned soups (low sodium if possible)

Condiments

·                        low-fat salad dressing

·                        olive oil

·                        mustard

·                        ketchup

·                        jam or jelly

·                        honey/agave (substitute for diabetics)

·                        salsa

·                        herbs and spices

Dairy

·                        fat-free or low-fat milk

·                        fat-free or low-fat yogurt

·                        low-fat cheese

·                        low-fat cottage cheese

·                        light margarine

·                        eggs or egg substitute

This food diary can be used for recording your food intake and to reflect on your eating habits at the end of the day. Please copy this and print to start your food dairy planner. We suggest that you start off on a Monday and end on Sunday.

Morning (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Beverage: _____________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Snack (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Beverage: _____________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Lunch (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Beverage: _____________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Snack (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Beverage: _____________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Dinner (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Beverage: _____________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________

Reflect on Your Day

Circle Y for Yes and N for No.

·                        Did you eat something today only because of habit? Y / N

·                        Did you skip any meals today? Y / N

·                        Did you go longer than four to five hours without eating? Y / N

·                        Did you eat too little in the morning? Y / N

·                        Did you eat more at night than any other time? Y / N

·                        Did you eat a lot of high-fat foods, such as whole dairy, fried foods, and desserts? Y / N

·                        Did you eat the same foods as you do every other day? Y / N

·                        Did you eat according to mood rather than hunger today? Y / N

If you answered yes to one or more questions, take some time to plan how you can avoid these problems in the future. You are now on a healthy, self-motivated, self-loved, self-respected, and empowered journey to living a healthier lifestyle. Like I said we are simply offering you a lifestyle tool. With this tool you will have the knowledge to tweak your current lifestyle into a healthy one. If you have any questions or concerns about any information please feel free to email us atBeorganic4@gmail.com. I only have one thing left to say is lets K.I.M. to a better and healthier lifestyle.

How to Make a Knock Off Vicks VapoRub!

Hello Mister Winter!!! And of course we can’t forget to say hello to his relatives Cold and Flu. Now that it is cold and flu season we’re going to give you a recipe that will help “prevent” you from getting any nasal congestion, cough,  sore throat, or any aches and pain. We say “prevent” because that we don’t want you to wait until your feeling so sick that you can’t even get out of bed to start feeling better. We want you to enjoy the holidays with your family rather than being sick feeling miserable, tired, cranky, sad, or depress. This recipe is the knock off cold, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing, aches and pain so you can rest medicine.

40 drops essential oil of Eucalyptus
10 drops essential oil of Camphor
2 drops essential oil of Wintergreen
1 drop essential oil of thyme
1 ounce Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Beeswax

Preparation:

Add the beeswax to the olive oil and heat until the beeswax is melted.

Use very low heat or a double boiler to prevent burning the oil.

When the wax is melted, remove the oil from the heat then add the essential oils and stir to blend.

When the mixture is cool it is ready to use. You can make this using only the eucalyptus oil if preferred.

To use rub a small amount on the chest as needed to relieve congestion

Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival 2010

Well this years Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival was another blast. This time around we weren’t on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tour bus that rocked the festival last year, but instead we were under the biggest tent for this year’s festival shaking and opening the grounds of Parrot Jungle Island to the core of the Earth! The lines stretched to the point of no end with eager “VIF” (Very Important Foodies), moms, dads, aunts, uncles, cousins, and well you get the point. It was a family affair at “Fun & Fit as a Family”. Once our special guest “VIF” entered the tent it was all about healthy eating the fun way; with Be Organic of course. Your favorite “foodies” Roosevelt “Cancer” Desir, Kirk “Preventative” Nelson, and Andre “Diabetes” Walker introduced an after school meal that’s easy for kids of all ages to prepare all on their own. The best thing about this meal it’s all organic of course. The future “foodies” had a great time preparing a Caribbean Chicken Wrap. The wraps had the bright colors of the Caribbean with corn, tomatoes, raisins, lettuce, chicken, and orange and yellow carrots. Last, but not least they picked from our famous dressings: Pineapple Delight & Honey Mango. After taking a look at the beautiful color setup of the tables with each ingredients in the colorful bowls, everyone couldn’t help but put a little of everything into their wraps. There were three rules to our tent: 1st you have to have a great time 2nd make the best wrap 3rd contest to see which tables the loudest. With those three rules set everyone who came to our tent followed them and left as honorable official Be Organic “foodies”. The park was filled they kids and parents with face painting, eco green bags (our favorites), soccer balls, stickers, and many more. We want to give a special thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield, 361 Experimental, and most of all our fans that came to support us on this journey to better health and living. Always remember “we dare you to step away from the crowd and Be Organic.”

Next Page »