Micro Pigs. I am in big trouble now.

Posted on May 17, 2012 by gallori

Thank goodness the price tag on these babies can be up to $4000 (or more). That makes sure we won’t be getting one.

I guess that micro pigs are becoming the next popular pet.

The 8 year old has been obsessed with pigs this year. She makes her brother play pigs and penguins (because he is as equally enamored with penguins).

She doesn’t eat meat which is one thing but now, if you even mention the b word (bacon) she freaks out just a little bit. I bought a veggie tray for a school luncheon today and it had mini sausage bites in it. She pointed and said, “PIGGIE!” Thank goodness it said they were beef sausage…I was able to exit the store in a timely manner on the way to school.

It’s a bit of a shame that they’re so pricey because they are hypo-allergenic and both the 10 year old and Sugah Daddy stand between us having most pets…a micro pig would be perfect.

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Going off my rocker for a minute…

Posted on May 10, 2012 by gallori

Sorry I skipped yesterday’s food diary…it’s getting kind of boring, isn’t it? So, I distract you today with a rant.

Today finds me feeling angry at every turn. Listening to my favorite NPR station talking about “Facing America’s Obesity Crisis” I had to turn it off. Blah blah blah blah blah. We KNOW it is a problem. We KNOW that diabetes is increasing. We KNOW that food in this country is CRAP. Yet we keep talking talking talking. Blah blah blah blah blah.

The research is out there and if the government wanted to do something about this “crisis” they could and they would. It is obvious who is calling the shots here. Big factory farming and dollars. IF our representatives cared about the people they represented they wouldn’t stand for this. They wouldn’t bow down to the Monsantos and factory farmers that douse our food with chemicals and splice bacteria and virus into our produce.

They wouldn’t allow the crap that is served for school lunches. You can teach all you want in a health class about nutrition but when the kids walk into the lunchroom and see Pizza Hut pizza, chicken nuggets (not even trying to be GOOD ones), chocolate and vanilla milk, and the other freaking crap they shovel onto a plate? Do you think there is continuity there in the teaching that engrains the message? (yes, I send my kids to school with a home-packed lunch). No. They walk out of the classroom and right back into the world that doesn’t look out for them.

Our schools have a responsibility and I believe that the teachers and even lunchroom workers do the best they can with what they have. But when the menu is planned by the Federal government because of price and ease of freezing and shipping? It undermines all the good that our local educators and workers are doing.

Don’t give me the excuse that this processed crap is cheaper so that is what we need to buy for school lunch. Factory farming is subsidized by the government, no wonder the food is cheaper than fresh and organic. Why doesn’t the government subsidize organic farms to the same amount? Maybe then it would be more affordable for the schools.

Oh wait, there is salad “available” to students. Yeah, like they’re going to pick lettuce over the processed cheese patties and fish sticks and tater tots. Give me a break.

Ok…now I need to stop. Whew.

The good news is that the talking WILL get us somewhere. Hopefully sooner rather than later. People need to be educated in order for them to share their voice and make a change. I encourage you to do what you can in your own family. It might mean more preparation or getting up earlier in the morning but pack your child’s lunch for them. Give them the tools to be successful later in life where they will eventually have to make their own healthy (or unhealthy) choices. Just because your child may be thin does not mean they are not at risk for other health problems that can stem from all this crappy food out there these days.

Take a stand in your own yard and don’t support the crap with your dollars. Add something green to every meal. One little step today, this week, this month, can lead to great things if you just start.

Is the chicken local? organic? grain fed?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by gallori

I am totally turning into this:

This is one of my favorite Portlandia clips. The more I get into the nutrition thing, the more I want to know and the more I know, the more I want to get rid of the bad stuff that I’m discovering is in our food supply or the processing of it. That is why I am all for labeling of foods so we know whether they are genetically modified. Call me whatever you want for being “picky” but, I have a right to know what is being put into my food (yes, this includes produce and animals, not just things in cans) and how it is handled if anything is beyond the scope of mother nature.

I will stop there.

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Food Diary 5/8/12

Posted on May 8, 2012 by gallori

Breakfast:
Smoothie with banana, coconut milk, strawberries, whey protein, flax oil, cucumber
TIP: Cut out a step and rinse fresh strawberries and throw them in whole.
probiotic, multi mineral, 1/2 multi vitamin (I ran out!), digestive enzyme

Lunch:
I’m eating kind of early today because I was feeling like I needed something. I don’t want to ignore that again because then it seems like I can’t get satisfied. I hate that feeling!
leftover steamed broccoli, cauliflower and onions
small tomato with flax oil, salt and pepper
three flax oil caps

I know that I need to cut out salt but I. JUST. LOVE. IT. While I don’t think salt is totally bad for you, everything I am learning points to the fact that it increases inflammation which is the root of many ailments. There are whole diets built around anti-inflammatory measures stating that most diseases are root products of inflammation like heart disease, cancers, etc. On the other hand, they say, if you want it, eat it and it will fall away naturally as your body starts to tune in more to what it needs. Maybe I need some salt so, I’m focusing on the mineral salts, not the useless table salt.

Sheesh. How does one keep up with all of this? It is interesting to know and it isn’t possible to implement everything that is out there that claims to be healthy because many of them conflict. I do believe that there can be more than one way. One theme I see coming up over and over though is more plant based food, less preservatives (unless you’re reading the Atkins stuff). Even then, the people promoting Atkins like diets are those following Atkins. I don’t see many other diets for health claiming that high animal protein is good for you. But, I won’t put that down…it’s just not my thing. I did do Atkins for a while a few years ago and it did work for weight loss yet, here I am, heavier than I was before I started that. The Gabriel Method book explains why that happens and it makes total sense.

Snack:
shitake tofu burger patty with goat cheese
a few radishes to liven it up

Later Snack:
Dried seaweed
rice stuffed grape leaves with ground flax seed

I have noticed that I am having a hard time feeling full for a period of time and also that I haven’t been having a protein with each meal/snack. That is hard to accomplish when you don’t eat meat or dairy. But I just got back from Whole Foods and grabbed some salmon to prepare for the week. That should fix that. They also had some freshly baked tuna. I’d rather not eat fish but right now I think I need to for the protein until I learn more.

Dinner:
I think I’m full from the snack so I’ll just have some more mint iced tea and leave it at that. The salmon is baking so, if I get hungry I do have something good to munch on.