Moderately Organic

Recently my friend Beth in Long Island started adding more organic foods to her family’s diet. Her primary concern was the amount of sugar and artificial sweeteners her almost three- and one and a half-year-old sons were consuming. She decided to restrict sweets from their diets and found that their increasingly rambunctious behavior -- demonstrated particularly by the three-year-old and largely fueled by holiday goodies -- improved.

“After our older son started having many tantrums each day we evaluated his diet and decided to cut processed sugars,” Beth said. “That led us to choosing more organic and natural foods.“

Her approach to introducing organics is one I like because it is based on a moderate, slow and steady approach. Beth said she changed much of what she gives her oldest son for snacks, but keeps his three main meals the same since they were healthy to start with. “We did a 180 turn around with snacks. Gummy fruit snacks are completely out of this house, as are cookies, cupcakes, cakes, etc,” she said, adding the caveat “he is allowed to have them at parties and we will let him indulge occasionally.”

She switched her sons' juice to Wadda Juice which claims to be "just pure juice and purified water" with "no added sweeteners, sugars or preservatives,? absolutely nothing artificial" and "half the sugar, calories and carbohydrates of 100% juice.” Beth also changed the kids’ drinkable yogurts to an organic brand and now gives them 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread.

I’ve seen the direct correlation between high sugar intake and “bad” behavior for myself with our kids. Sugar, especially processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup, is a beast. It’s insidious and omnipresent. Added sugars and sweeteners are in bread, organic frozen lasagna dinners, and even fruit juice just to name a couple of food sources you might think are “safe.”


Modified and added sugars hide behind names like maltodextrin, dextrose, concentrated fruit juices and high fructose corn syrup, just to scratch the tip of the iceberg. (For a quick read with more info on Hidden Sugars and their impact, especially in glycemic responses, read this article by Moss Greene from BellaOnline.com). So if you’re going to be strict about limiting or omitting sugars, you really have to be on your toes as a label reader, and you’ll probably do a lot more cooking.

Beth and I are lucky. Our kids don’t have food allergies. People living with food allergies and sensitivities have no choice in whether or not they carefully screen all of the ingredients that make up their food. Most of us take this for granted, and most of us would benefit from a little more awareness and knowledge about the stuff we consume that fuel our lives.

When you have food-related conditions, (and just considering the four diseases diabetes, hypertension, cancer and obesity and the millions of Americans diagnosed with them, don’t we all have an interest in food-related conditions?), as diligent as you would like to be, sometimes life happens, and healthy eating easily falls by the wayside.

This is where buying organic might help simplify choosing what to eat, which quickly becomes complicated when you have food allergies or food-sensitive conditions such as diabetes. "Certified Organic" is a government certification precariously positioned slippery slope of arguable pros and cons that involve legislature, big business, small farmers, guileless consumers and the All Might Greenback. I'll save that complicated dance for another day, and clarify for the sake of this post, "organic" is derived from the USDA's 2002 definition which states:

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.

Equally helpful in simplifying healthy food choices are the principles of groups like Slow Food International of supporting/buying/eating locally, regionally and seasonally because knowing where and who your food comes from takes a lot of the guess work out of what was added and what’s been processed. Also a diet solidly anchored in whole foods, as opposed to processed foods that make up the bulk of our heat-and-eat, nuke-and-chew, add-water-and-stir convenience foods saturated diet, can help you control the content of your diet and whether or not additives, sweeteners, preservatives, pesticides and all kinds of other laboratory engineered, tested and approved ingredients get in your body.

Eating food that is close to its source and mostly unmodified can take some of the research and guesswork out of daily eating for people with food-related conditions who don’t often get a chance to just relax and enjoy food for food’s sake. My mother – who is diabetic – said it best when she said, “Food is no fun when you have to think about everything you put in your mouth.” That certainly takes the spontaneity out of eating and enjoying food with reckless indulgence and abandon, which is what the holiday season is all about, right?

With the holidays just behind us many of us, whether or not we are parents or have food-related conditions, have dropped our vigilance over the things we eat. Gluttony, which some consider to be a sin and others a privilege or even a seasonal luxury, has been the theme of the last few weeks. And as we start a new year, I certainly don’t want to burden your conscience by suggesting a heavy resolution like “I will eat better in 2008.”

Instead, I want to help you eat more healthfully by giving you two cheat sheets from The Daily Green. Both written by Karen Berner, the first article lists 12 foods that you should buy organic, and the other lists 10 foods you don’t necessarily need to buy organic should you choose.

The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic lists 12 foods that are considered especially “dirty” in their conventional form, and it also says why you should buy them “organic” whenever you can. I’d like to even encourage you to go out of your way to purchase items you deem appropriate from sustainable producers, local growers and farmer’s markets because it’s a great way to get familiar with the faces behind your food. It makes it that much easier to follow the trail and answer the question “What exactly am I eating?” back to the source of production.

In The Dirty Dozen, Berner writes:

Not all of us can afford to go 100% organic. The solution? Focus on just those foods that are laden with the highest amounts of pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones and deploy your organic spending power on buying organic versions of these whenever possible. Can't find organic versions of these foods? We've listed safer alternatives that contain the same valuable vitamins and minerals.

These 12 items were selected because of their susceptibility to pesticides, hormones and antibiotics due to things like where they are grown (different countries have different standards of the word “organic” and “natural”), having a thin skin or growing and harvesting techniques. Choose organic on these items, and you just might significantly decrease your exposure to environmental toxins. This article also lists food alternatives, which is nice when you can’t find the specific items listed.

For the sake of balance I’ve also included The Daily Green link to Berner’s 10 Foods You Don’t Have to Buy Organic which might help you save cash to purchase those things that matter most in organic form.
Berner writes:

If the cost of buying all organics isn't within your budget, fear not. Check out The Daily Green's top ten list of fruit and vegetables you don't need to buy organic, with tips for buying and how to clean, store and use them in delicious recipes.

These 10 foods were chosen for their tendency to retain the least amount of pesticide residue due to the nature of the food itself, and growing and handling practices.

Personally I like Beth’s approach to increasing organic foods in her family’s diet. She’s made carefully selected choices that are likely to stick for the long haul as opposed to radically throwing out all the conventional food on January 1st and buying a house full of “new and improved” organic food that she knew nothing about. She’s made educated choices and said she’s still learning. “I haven't switched to organic milk and eggs, but it is very tempting the more I read about it.”

As for her son’s behavior, Beth said these small food substitutions have made a difference. “I have seen his behavior go from erratic and unpredictable to him listening better and being more in control of his behavior and body,” she said. “He still has tantrums, of course, but he is only three and I find the number of [tantrums that he has] acceptable at this point.” Beth said his concentration and attention have also improved. “He actually sits and watches a movie now -- not that I am condoning that, but he would never sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time before.”

Perhaps the best news to any parent’s ears is Beth’s observations at bedtime. “Bedtime is not a complete disaster anymore because he is not running around the house,” she said. Now that's all I need to hear to make some minor modifications to my own son’s diet which I admit has more than its fair share of soda and fast food cheeseburgers. Two years ago, as a new mother with crunchy-granola dreams and organic fantasies, I never would’ve dreamed my kid’s diet would be as full of processed and adulterated food as it is. Fortunately, it is an easy enough fix and thanks Beth, for giving me inspiration to join the campaign of Moderate Organics at the start of 2008.

Easy Eggnog (non-alcoholic) ... and A Few Words About Eggs

This eggnog is so easy my two-year-old made it (with some help from Mommy, of course). Now it's one of his favorite things to make, and we'll probably be drinking eggnog well into the spring (Oy!). It isn't the uber sweet super goopy stuff from the supermarket, instead it has a thinner viscosity and tastes so good my son drinks it up enthusiastically. I recommend using the highest quality ingredients you have because the recipe is very simple and every ingredient will shine -- especially the quality of eggs, vanilla and cinnamon used. If you are concerned about ingesting raw eggs, see my note about eggs at the end. Happy holidays and enjoy!

Easy Eggnog
2-3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3 TBS sugar (I used confectioners)
pinch of allspice & cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to taste, use the real deal)

1. In a blender, or with a mixer, beat eggs and heavy cream with 1 TBS sugar until thick and foamy. Add spices, remaining sugar and milk and mix until incorporated.

2. Serve chilled, spoon foam over the top (or whipped cream) and sprinkle with cinnamon (or something fun like colored sprinkles).

3. Cover and refrigerate leftovers and use for French Toast later! MMMMMMM.

* * * * * * * * *

A Few Words About Eggs

Disclaimer: This recipe uses raw eggs, so it does increase the risk of food borne contaminants being consumed and probably shouldn't be eaten by people with weakened or compromised immune systems, just to be safe.

However, with that disclaimer out of the way, I want you to know that I deliberately used cage free eggs because the chance of contamination is dramatically decreased compared hen house battery cage collected eggs. I support and encourage you to use cage free eggs (versus free range which can mean virtually nothing more than an open door at a commercial hen house), and to seek locally harvested, cage free eggs in your area markets or just in your neck of the woods.

You might be surprised how common and close your chicken neighbors are! Chicks in the City is a wildly popular class held quarterly at Oakhurst Community Garden here in Atlanta, smack in the middle of the city. People with inner-city chickens usually have more eggs than they know what to do with!

Fresh eggs taste better, have lab proven higher nutritional value, and make baking with eggs a sheer delight (also make for some CRAZY yellow scrambled eggs). For studies that show why grass-fed eggs, meat and dairy are more nutritious visit www.eatwild.com, a site that posts lots of easily "digestable" charts and statistics. EatWild states:

Meat, eggs, and dairy products from pastured animals are ideal for your health. Compared with commercial products, they offer you more "good" fats, and fewer "bad" fats. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs.

In a recent study, one group of chickens was confined indoors (the conventional system) and another was allowed to free-range. Both groups were fed the same commercial mixed diet. The chickens that were able to add grass to the menu produced eggs that that were higher in omega-3s and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E.) Both omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E have been linked with lower rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease in humans. (Lopez-Bote et al, "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998. 72:33-40.)

...And for more good reading about that stuff we put in our mouths which we casually call "food" read The Omnivoire's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (or anything he's written actually.) Pollan's style makes for an easy read through what could be labourious and technical territory, and his first person research into the industries of foodstuffs allows the layperson to go where they could not tread otherwise. Intelligent and witty, Pollan's writing simultaneously provides the shocking education of a researcher and journalist with the subtle techniques of an artist and gourmand. His love of food is apparent. My kind of guy.

Looming Legislature Threatens Small Growers of Leafy Greens

Tis the season for winter greens and if you love your braising greens, organic kale or Georgia grown collards then I implore you, especially those of you who support local growers in whatever state you reside, and those who subscribe to CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) from those local farms, to read the articles listed here, and read through the links at those sites as well to become as informed on the issue at hand as you possibly can.
The USDA was hearing comments on proposed legislature to regulate growing, packing and handling of leafy greens. The deadline for comments was Dec. 3, so we’re a little late jumping on the bandwagon. However we can still all write letters to our state and national representatives, because the reality is that there are more of us that depend on farmers, and increasingly on small and midsized organic farmers, than there are the few that grow what sustains us. They need our support. They need our voices, our dollars and our numbers. We all eat, and in this democracy, we can all have a say about what we eat. You have that power.

At the end I’ve listed steps you can take to make a difference (although in some of them we’ve missed the “due by” dates). This is only ONE issue affecting farmers, but one dear to my heart because as you know by know I adore and swear by leafy greens.

Let’s talk politics for a minute, because believe it or not, the government has a lot of influence on everything you put in your mouth and here’s YOUR chance to make a difference on national government policy. On the horizon looms sweeping legislature that appears under the guise of protecting consumers from outbreaks like last year’s nasty E. coli contamination from bagged spinach and salad mix. You know, those leafy greens that make life convenient but sadly were the cause of 200 individual illnesses and three tragic deaths of two older women and a child.

Well as Lane Liaw reported in a Nov. 29 article “USDA considering first-ever leafy greens regulations” in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the government is looking for input from consumers, that’s you and me folks, regarding practices to help make leafy green produce safer. The government WANTS to hear from us so let’s step up to the plate.

On the surface, voluntary regulation and “quality control” by growers sounds like a good idea. Especially when would-be policy makers use such lovely prose to describe their plan as “a regulatory program intended to maintain the quality of leafy green commodities by reducing the risk of pathogenic contamination during their production and handling,” as in the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service proposal in a Federal Register announcement on Oct. 4, 2007. Since then, it has triggered a lot of resistance and criticism, and kicked off the Family Farm Food Safety Campaign.

This document details the possibly voluntary, potentially mandatory participation of growers in measures designed to prevent contaminations such as the E. coli outbreaks last year. However, critics say there is little suggestion to regulate handling and packing processes, which studies lead many to suspect are equal culprits in the case of contamination, if not the very fertile breeding ground for such contaminates. Critics also point out that in the USDA’s AMS proposal all farms and farmers, regardless of species of greens harvested or growing methods used get a blanketed treatment of rules.

But as Mark “Mental Masala” R. succinctly and eloquently breaks down in his Nov. 30, 2007 article “USDA Requests Comments on Leafy Green Rulemaking” posted on Ethicurean.com these broad spectrum standards, which don’t differentiate between growers of small weekly organic mache harvests or massive monocultured spinach crops, may not only fail to protect public health, but may also threaten the small- and mid-sized farming community (which is where most organic farms fall), and cause an environmental “dead zone” by wiping out native plants and sterilizing (versus enriching) the soil. That in itself can make the once-fertile ground more susceptible to pathogens which then may go along for the ride on harvested greens, and can contaminate other greens delivered by farms from miles around in the huge commercial washing facilities, where they are then packaged and shipped nationally.

In that article, Mark does a good job of outlining the economic hardships on small and midsized growers who typically grow diversified crops as opposed to monocultured harvests which supports resistance to poor soil conditions, and the ineffective public health protection that the proposed USDA rules would have due to the packaging and shipping of greens, and not the farming practices. He writes,

“An additional danger is the possible assault on nature through the creation of ‘sterile zones’ — growing areas where all species except for the desired greens are wiped out. This will eliminate beneficial insects, helpful microorganisms, and habitat for animals.”

In fact, it looks like the only survivors if such non-specific legislature does get passed are the farm-factories that breed sterilized acres of soulless monocultured greens. While I admit I eat those too, my drive and inspiration as a chef and foodie come from those heirloom varieties, or organically produced produce or the locally grown seasonal crops of smaller farms.

For a local expert on national policies I reached out to Georgia Organics Director Alice Rolls who said, “We are not favorable to the policy because it puts the burden on the farmers and not necessarily the handlers.”

Rolls agrees that some of the policies actively interfere with organic growers to support both their crops and their native habitats. “Sustainable farmers grow with biodiversity in mind to integrate surrounding habitats,” she said. “Some of these safety policies would potentially discourage wildlife in an attempt to keep animals off the farm.”

If you’re interested in the issue and its effect on small and midsized farms, which are largely responsible for seasonal organic locally grown produce, Rolls recommends you check out the Community Alliance with Family Farmers site. There you'll find information about the Family Farm Food Safety Campaign and you may also read the CAFF’s response to the Federal Register Proposal.

Rolls continues, “It would also require small farmers to comply when some of these issues, which are really designed for the bigger corporate sized farms.”

To that cause, Liaw's article provides a little hope for a middle ground, writing that in February of 2007 the leafy green industry in California created the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement “designed to insure safe food practices by handlers, including grocers and food-service companies. Federal regulatory agencies had concluded that the E. coli contamination may have originated during the production process.” Measures such as this could take the focus off of the “dirty farm” fallacy and increase scrutiny at the processing, handling, packaging and shipping levels of food production, where contamination is more likely to occur.

The Family Farm Food Safety Campaign website criticizes the proposed regulations posting, “While all growers should use safe farming practices, the ‘one size fits all’ approach of the rules does not work for family farms.” The FFFSC holds the position that if the proposed rules become mandatory, they will hurt family farms and undermine efforts to farm in an environmentally responsible manner.

In the article “Family farms may wilt under leafy-green law” for the Sacramento Bee Judith Richmond writes:

Much of California-grown "leafy greens," including spinach and lettuce, now go to the bagged salad mix market. This transformation from fresh to processed salads has created lucrative new and distant markets, but also has set the stage for heightened food safety concerns that do not exist with traditionally grown salad.

Since last year's terrible spinach E. coli outbreak that sickened 200 and took the lives of three, California's agricultural industry has worked overtime to create uniform "food safety" growing standards for leafy greens. The industry-driven Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) includes signatories from more than 100 handlers, shippers and buyers who promise to buy only from growers who meet these safety standards. For the more than 95 percent of California leafy greens growers who sell through these channels, the standards are now mandatory.

Soon all farmers who grow leafy greens in California may be required to comply with the LGMA. If this occurs, applying these standards across the board will not protect the public health or solve the state's E. coli problem, and could destroy our internationally heralded family farm economy.

How to make your voice heard
Both the CAFF and Cornucopia websites have sample letters that can help you formulate your comments.

Smoked Sausage and Apple Whole Wheat Dressing

Dressing is probably my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. It's really just a medium to carry gravy to my mouth without me tipping up the gravy boat like a total slob. However dressing is a malleable medium, capable of reflecting infinite textures and flavors. I can never get bored with dressing.

This particular dressing is, well, kinda healthy. It utilizes whole wheat bread -- crust and all -- and no egg or added flour for a “binder” so it has a “hearty” texture. The dressing is somewhat crumbly, although not dry. Nor is it dense like cornbread dressing. Great for soaking up gravy!

I used a tasty smoked beef sausage that's pretty low in fat content. I also used organic apples with the skin on for added texture and flavor, home made low-fat chicken broth.

One little pinch of cayenne pepper helps carry the flavor of the sausage with a minute amount of heat that is barely noticeable. If you want you may omit it entirely, but it was a nice subtle touch, and cayenne is one of those good-for-you “super foods” that I try to sneak into everything. The health impact of cayenne, like most “natural” supplements, is cumulative over time, so a little every day adds up over a lifetime.

The maple syrup I used for a glaze was an all-natural grade B variety and rather viscous so a little goes a long way to lend just the hint of sweetness to the crust of this rather savory stuffing.

I did add 3 tablespoons of butter, but that was just on general principle. I love butter. It's totally optional if you want to stay low-fat.

Smoked Sausage and Apple Whole Wheat Dressing

1 small yellow onion
1 cup diced smoked beef sausage
2 cups sweet apples, diced (gala or fuji apples)
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 pinch cayenne
8 slices whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
1 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp butter or cooking oil
3 Tbsp butter (optional)
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
Salt, pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Tear bread into roughly 1-inch pieces and place in a large mixing bowl: crumbs, crust and all.

Over medium-high heat, sauté onions and sausage with 1 tablespoon of butter until the onions become tender. Add thyme and apples, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the apples start to become tender. Season with cayenne pepper and transfer to another dish.

Return the pan to the heat and add chicken stock, scraping up any brown bits from the pan. When the stock comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of butter until melted.

Pour chicken stock over the bread and stir in the apple-sausage mixture. Mix thoroughly so that the bread becomes moist (if you need more moisture use more stock, water or apple juice) and transfer to an oven proof baking dish (9” round or smaller, or small-to-medium loaf pans). Pack lightly with the back of a spoon and brush with maple syrup.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.