The Red, White, and Green

Love Your Heart Beet Soup: One of 19 amazingly delicious and easy-to-prepare vegan recipes from The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons - Spring Edition eCookbook

Maybe it was last night’s dinner of chili (OK, plus two chocolate chunk cookies for dessert), or maybe it was the first hint of spring in the air that surfaced this past weekend in Southern California (yes, we have a winter here, too), but I woke up this morning feeling like it might be time for a good spring cleaning. For my body, I mean.

And of course, I’m always looking for new and inspiring ways to incorporate more meatless eating into my diet. Today is Meatless Monday, and I must admit, I’m a bit sick of stick-to-your ribs vegetarian stews and cheesy casseroles — it’s time to lighten things up a bit.

Thankfully, one of the most inspiring meatless eaters I know — Christy Morgan, Los Angeles–based vegan macrobiotic chef to the eco-conscious stars and author of The Blissful Chef blog — has just come out with her first eCookbook, The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons – Spring Edition.

For those who are new to vegetarian eating, macrobiotic can sound a bit intimidating, but it’s really about creating balance in your body by embracing foods that are in balance with the seasons. So in spring, you eat foods that encourage that fresh, “spring cleaning” spirit — leafy greens like lettuce and kale, and refreshing fruits like grapefruit and and granny smith apple. Sounds a lot like being a locavore, right?

There’s a bit more too it, of course, which Morgan explains in the eCookbook; but the truth is that you don’t need to know any of it to make her healthy and simple-to-prepare recipes. I follow neither a vegan nor macrobiotic diet (not yet, anyway), but all 19 recipes in the book sound amazingly delicious and satisfying: Love Your Heart Beet Soup packs an extra protein punch with the addition of red lentils; Soba Noodles With Basil Pecan Pesto uses white miso for that extra umami oomph; and Apple Pie With Flaky Homemade Crust will indulge my sweet tooth without the addition of refined sugars.

The Blissful Chef: Cooking With the Seasons – Spring Edition is available at a special pre-order discount of $5.99 until the end of today; after that, the price is $7.99 (still a bargain for a season’s worth of recipes — click here to order). I’ll also be giving away one free eCookbook to the commenter of the day. Just tell me your top reason for eating less meat in 2010.

OK, I have to stop writing now — time to run out to the farmers market so I can snap up some fresh veggies and start cooking!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Live in Los Angeles? Learn the basics of eating and cooking a plant-based diet at one of Morgan’s upcoming vegetarian cooking classes.

More Meatless Monday posts:
Feel like a kid again! Fun Meatless Monday meals
Meatless Monday: Eat less meat throughout the week

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Photo via Flickr: USACE Europe District

All vaccines carry the slight risk of adverse reactions, but the release of the H1N1 vaccine last fall seemed to provoke even more fear-based chatter than usual: Sixty percent of parents surveyed said they would pass on vaccination for their children — with nearly half expressing concern about side effects. Health care workers also appeared leery of the vaccine, with nearly half surveyed saying they would refuse the shot.

But no story struck more fear in the hearts of vaccine skeptics than that of Desiree Jennings, the beautiful Washington Redskins cheerleader who was supposedly stricken with dystonia after receiving the H1N1 vaccine. I’ll admit: I was on the fence about getting vaccinated; but after watching this horrifying video of Jennings struggling to walk and talk, I decided against it.

Now, Jennings has made a miraculous recovery, and it appears that her affliction may not have been vaccine-induced after all. Watch:

[Watch video on YouTube]

Side effects of the flu vaccine can be severe, if rare — nearly 564 “serious” health events have been reported in the US so far, including 42 deaths — but to date, the H1N1 vaccine has proven no riskier than the seasonal influenza vaccine.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Should you get vaccinated? Read about the risks from Dr. Steven Novella, the Yale University neurologist who was interviewed for the Inside Edition piece.

Related post:
Swine flu and the origins of kosher law

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Photo via Flickr: Stevendepolo

Today on HuffPost, I highlight just how ubiquitous the toxic packaging additive bisphenol A (BPA) has become. The good news is that there’s been a lot of press about banning the suspected endocrine disruptor from baby products like bottles and sippy cups, and a number of cities and states have managed to do just that — even the FDA has reversed its stance on the chemical, saying it is now “taking reasonable steps to reduce human exposure to BPA in the food supply.”

But what about the thousands of other products with BPA (canned goods, credit card receipts, plastic food containers, even dental appliances like night guards) that we adults come in contact with every day? This is scary stuff, and the chance for cumulative exposure is high. Moreover, the diseases linked to BPA exposure are equally as scary: heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, to name a few.

Now, a study published yesterday by Canadian researchers reveals that those most at risk may not even be able to limit their own exposure: I’m talking about babies who have yet to be born. It turns out that human placental cells die or are severely damaged after being exposed to even very low doses of BPA.

From Enviromental Health News:

The researchers obtained placentas from five women who had normal pregnancies and deliveries. Human cytotrophoblast cells were collected from the placentas and cultured. This type of placental cell is important for the exchange of oxygen, nutrients and waste products between mother and fetus.

The cells were exposed to BPA for 24 hours at one of seven different concentrations, ranging from 0.002 to 200 micrograms per milliliter (µg/ml). These doses were selected because they approximate levels of BPA measured in fetal and maternal blood. The researchers then looked to see if BPA exposure damaged the cells.

…Damage to the cell membrane was 1.3 to 1.7 times higher in placental cells exposed to BPA for 24 hours compared to cells that were not exposed to BPA. Apoptosis [cell death] was 2 to 3 times higher in the BPA treated cells. These results indicate that cellular development was adversely affected by BPA.

In layman’s terms, this means that for a pregnant woman, exposure to BPA — even at low levels — could potentially damage placental cells and impact fetal development.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: If you’re pregnant, it’s prudent to take extra steps to minimize BPA exposure. Avoid canned foods, soups, and beverages (except those from Eden Organic); don’t use a plastic food storage container without first contacting the company to see if it contains BPA; and use a stainless steel reusable bottle to stay hydrated when you’re on the go.

Related posts:
Dr. McDougall’s BPA-free, vegan soups
Consumer Reports finds BPA in 19 name-brand canned foods

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Note: This was originally published on Nov. 30, 2009. I thought it’d be helpful to re-post, in light of my HuffPost Eco Etiquette column today on how to avoid sneaky sources of BPA.

Now that Meatless Monday has morphed into most-of-the-week meatless for me, soup has become my go-to lunch. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and, paired with a bit of cheese, some Ryvita crackers, and a piece of fruit, keeps me going until dinner. I try to make a big, hot pot of something veggie every Sunday (enough lentil soup for an entire week costs about $3 if you make it from dried beans), but inevitably, my to-do list gets overly ambitious and I find myself hustling by Whole Foods on my Monday morning walk to pick up a couple of canned soups at $1.99 a pop.

That’s still a relatively cheap lunch, but there are two problems with this: a) I’m supposed to be boycotting Whole Foods (I know, I know; I’m now doing the majority of my shopping at farmers markets and Trader Joe’s, but if I’m in a pinch and the choice is between buying organic at Whole Foods or conventional elsewhere, you can bet I’m doing the former); and b) it turns out that a lot of canned food is loaded with toxic chemical BPA.

So I was thrilled to discover Dr. McDougall’s, a fabulous line of vegan soups that come in BPA-free cartons manufactured from Forest Stewardship Council–certified paper. And the best part is, they’re are sold at dozens of conventional grocery stores (read: buh-bye, WF!). I’ve tried the lentil, black bean, and vegetable so far, and I’ve got to say, while they aren’t as soul-satisfying as the home-cooked version, they’re the best packaged soup I’ve ever tasted. The ingredients, too, are darn-near spartan: The lentil soup contains lentils, organic vegetables, organic brown rice, potato starch, and spices.

You can also order the soups by the case online, which will be great backup for me the next time my coconut mung bean soup plans get sidelined.

Do this now: Didn’t go meatless for all your meals this past Monday? Swap out two regular lunches this week for a vegetarian soup.

Related posts:
Consumer Reports finds BPA in 19 name-brand canned foods
BPA alert: How to return your Sigg bottle

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Put down those sprout burgers and sit your butt back on that couch — evidently, being fat and not exercising is better for the environment than staying thin and healthy. That is, according to the supposed eco-expert authors of a board game trivia question posted yesterday on the ever-hilarious FAIL Blog.

see more Epic Fails

In all seriousness though, it raises an interesting question: Is the up-to-a-decade shorter life expectancy of a seriously overweight person enough to offset a lifetime of consuming more of the world’s resources? (I’m not just talking about consuming as in eating; people who are heavier also place greater fossil fuel demands on their mode of transportation, whether it be by car or airplane.)

UK scientists estimate that a fat person is responsible for about 1 metric ton (1.1 US ton) more CO2 emissions a year than a fit person, so let’s do the math:

Average US life expectancy: 78 years
Average US life expectancy of an overweight person: 73 years
Average yearly CO2 footprint of an American: 27 tons
Average yearly CO2 footprint of an overweight American: [27 tons + 1.1 tons] = 28.1 tons
Lifetime CO2 emissions of an American [27 tons x 78 years] = 2,106 tons
Lifetime CO2 emissions of an overweight American [28.1 tons x 73 years] = 2,051 tons

Now obviously, this is a very rough estimate — especially considering that since one-third of Americans are obese, that segment of the population is figured into those baseline life expectancy and yearly CO2 emission estimates — but it looks like the trivia card is right: An overweight American will emit slightly less carbon over his lifetime — to the tune of 55 tons.

My guess, however, is that there’s probably not a person on earth who would want to meet an early grave in the name of reducing CO2 emissions.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: We all need to reduce consumption whenever and wherever possible, regardless of our life expectancy. So get in shape! Your body and the earth will thank you for the time you’re here.

Related posts:
High-fructose corn syrup lobby hits the airwaves
Meat lobby fighting Meatless Monday

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Photo via Flickr: Brandi666

Now that the dust has settled a bit on the Sigg bottle debacle and legislation to ban BPA from baby bottles and other food containers for children has either passed or is under consideration in cities and states across the country, it’s time to focus our attention on another equally potent source of the toxic chemical: canned food. A disturbing report now out by Consumer Reports, that time-trusted source of product advice and safety, says that BPA is present in nearly all of the 19 name-brand canned foods subjected to its testing — including in some products that were labeled “BPA-free”:

A 165-pound adult eating one serving of canned green beans from our sample, which averaged 123.5 ppb, could ingest about 0.2 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, about 80 times higher than our experts’ recommended daily upper limit. And children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies.

Some of the other foods revealed to have similarly high levels in the study include Progresso Vegetable Soup and Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup. Not exactly the therapeutic effect you had in mind for someone fighting off a cold.

The FDA will be revealing its plans for BPA later this month, and I have a feeling that the news will be good for concerned consumers, thanks to the negative publicity surrounding the new study that links the chemical to erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems. Nothing moves men to act faster than the threat of ED.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Limit your exposure to BPA by choosing fresh foods (learn how to make soup the old-fashioned way, from dried beans) and purchasing prepared food in glass containers when possible. Click here for more tips from Environmental Working Group on how to avoid BPA exposure.

Related posts:
California Senate passes BPA ban
Lobbyists plan to target minorities, poor to protect use of BPA

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Photo via Flickr: Makelessnoise

Just as I was venting about the ugliness of CFL bulbs and hoping for a lower-cost LED to hit the market, a new report brings to light (sorry) a potentially devastating consequence of widespread LED adoption: The bluish-white light that outdoor LED bulbs emit could threaten people and wildlife, say authorities at the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

It’s been well publicized that bluish-white light from TVs and other electronics can negatively affect melatonin production (melatonin is the “sleep hormone”), which is why holistic docs like Andrew Weil advise avoiding them at night. But what if LED lighting becomes the norm for outdoor lighting in suburban parking lots and city streets?

Light pollution is already a serious problem — without the double blackout curtains in our bedroom to keep out the Los Angeles glare, we’d never be able to fall asleep at night — but the IDA says that LED lighting could increase the pollution even more, since short wavelength light increases sky glow disproportionately. And wildlife, like we do, depend on natural cycles of daylight and true darkness for their biological processes. And they can’t reach for a cup of coffee in the morning if their sleep has been disrupted.

Now, I don’t think we should throw out the baby with the bath water — replacing traditional incandescents with LED lighting has the potential to seriously reduce CO2 emissions, and dark skies won’t mean anything to us if all of Antarctica has melted – but we can be smart about implementing them in ways that will curtail light pollution.

Read more about how the environmental impact of LEDs here.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: The International Dark-Sky Association is a nonprofit organization that works to ensure environmentally responsible outdoor lighting. You can make a donation here.

Related posts:
‘Green’ architecture harming wildlife
Shine and rise

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Photo via Flickr: Back_garage

The tater tots may stay, but it looks like sloppy joes will have to be saved for another day of the week — Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) recently became the first school district in the nation to adopt Meatless Monday. Slated for the menu: Kid-friendly nutritious veg fare like black bean nachos, eggplant parmigiana, and baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese.

This is amazing news. We’re not talking about some private prep academy in Northern California, where the kids are already doing downward dogs in gym class and toting bento boxes for lunch; this is an inner city school district of 80,000 students in one of the most obese cities in the country. Encouraging students to eat vegetarian — especially when the emphasis is on locally grown produce, as it is at BCPS — will go a long way toward addressing this public health crisis.

With 67 percent of the children in the district eligible for the federal free- or reduced-price lunch program, shouldn’t our tax dollars be invested in healthy meals for our youngest citizens? Otherwise, we wind up paying twice: Once for the lunches themselves, and again for increased health care costs down the road.

Obesity is adding 9.1 percent to the annual cost of health care. If we truly care about reducing insurance premiums and making health care affordable for everyone, we should be implementing Meatless Monday at every school across the country.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Have school-age kids? Contact your district’s director of food and nutrition and tell him/her that you want to see Meatless Monday in your kids’ cafeteria.

Related posts:
Meatless Monday: Animal Planet joins in
It’s Meatless Monday Night Football!
Your holiday weekend read: The Flexitarian Diet

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Photo via Flickr: Pink Sherbert Photography

When the report came out last week that cell phone use is linked to an increased risk of brain tumors (why this was buried in the Living section of The Huffington Post and the Business section of the LA Times, I don’t know — seems like important news to me), my first thought was Wow, we’re really screwed. It doesn’t matter if I eat organic or eschew plastic containers or get eight hours of sleep a night if the electromagnetic radiation from something that I and 87 percent of Americans hold up to our heads every single day is going to negate all that.

Some say this study isn’t the be all and end all. According to the LA Times, the World Health Organization and the National Cancer Institute still maintain that there’s no hard evidence that using a cell phone will negatively impact your health. But why take a chance, right?

Thankfully the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is way ahead of the game, as usual. Yesterday, the group’s research team released its online consumer guide to cell phone radiation, which rates more than 1,000 mobile phones available in the US. I’m not so thrilled that my new Blackberry Curve made the top 10 highest radiation list, but you can bet I’ll be taking steps to minimize risk, like always using my headset or speakerphone, and embracing text whenever possible.

Check out the EWG’s interactive online guide to cell phone emissions (it’s free).

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Contact your members of Congress and tell them that cell phone makers should be required by law to disclose each phone’s radiation output on the label. Don’t know your senator/representatives? Click here.

Related posts:
Is your sunscreen safe?
Produce may be contaminated with toxic flame retardant

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I know I probably should wait until (Meatless) Monday to post about this book, but I’m finding it so inspiring that I thought it might be a good beach-read recommend for your holiday weekend.

When I adopted Meatless Monday several months ago, I was a full-fledged meat-eater (although I always buy organic). But a funny thing happened by making that one change: As the weeks went on, I found myself experimenting with more vegetarian eating, like making lentil soup for weekday lunches, or ordering tofu when I went to my local Thai joint for dinner. And then, I started buying slightly smaller portions of meat for us at home, filling the void with more vegetables and complex carbs.

If every American going veg one day a week is the equivalent of all of us switching from our regular cars to fuel-efficient hybrids, why shouldn’t I see how far I can comfortably take this? I do call myself an environmentalist, after all. And the changes I’ve been making are so small, I barely notice the difference on a day-to-day basis. Yet I’ve probably managed to cut my overall meat consumption by about 30 percent since May.

Why not just embrace a vegetarian diet wholeheartedly, you ask? Well, during my college years, I had a brief, poorly planned foray into veganism that left me fairly ill and malnourished. The plus side is that I’m no stranger to sprouts and tofu, but I am a bit wary of saying goodbye once again to my favorite food (lobster) and my beloved LA taco trucks. So when I heard about The Flexitarian Diet — where you adopt a mostly vegetarian lifestyle but still have the flexibility to eat meat when the occasion warrants it — I thought, This is brilliant.

Yes, the book title does have the word “diet” in it, but it’s not a diet book in the true sense: There are no rules, calorie counting, or forbidden foods. It’s really more of a balanced, sane approach on how to make healthier — and, consequently, more eco-friendly — choices in your everyday life. (Although author Dawn Jackson Blatner does say that if you adopt a flexitarian eating plan, you can expect to see a 20-pound average weight loss in six to 12 months; all the more reason to crack it open this weekend, in between the barbecues and beer!)

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Try going meatless for just one extra meal this week. It’s not as hard as you think — nearly 25 percent of Americans already eat four or more vegetarian meals a week, says Blatner.

Related posts:
Small steps to sustainability
Meatless Monday: Think Mediterranean

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