Many artificial food dyes that colour everything from breakfast cereal to ice cream should be banned because they pose cancer risks, a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest says.

“These synthetic chemicals do absolutely nothing to improve the nutritional quality or safety of foods, but trigger behaviour problems in children and, possibly, cancer in anybody,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, co-author of the report, Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks.

Manufacturers worldwide each year use about seven million kilograms of artificial colours in common prepared foods like cookies, candy, pop and ice cream.

The three most widely used food dyes —Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 — are known to be contaminated with carcinogens, the Washington-based health watchdog organization said.

Evidence suggests, but does not prove, that other dyes — Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3 and Red 40 — cause cancer in animals, the CSPI report said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration already recognizes Red 3 as a carcinogen, but the Ronald Reagan administration prevented a ban being placed on Red 3, as required by U.S. law in the case of any food additive known to cause cancer…continue

You’re traveling to a new or familiar place, you see some white tents huddled together, there are people selling and buying some goods, you see lots of smiles, people chatting and engaged, and you get curious, you want to know what’s going on, to participate, to explore and tap into some of that energy. Welcome to the unique flavor of the Sag Harbor Farmer’s Market in the South Fork of Long Island.

The beauty of a great food market is not simply that there’s lots of variety, but that the food being sold is fresh and mostly local. It feels good when you hand over your cash to the vendor and you know its going back into the community. There’s a sense that you’re voting with your dollars in real time without having to wait for an election. The vote counts now, the impact of your decision is felt immediately as you transfer money from your hand over to the farmer. Your dollar carries weight, because you get to determine what type of world you want to support.

Local farmers markets are vital not just for the economy of the local community, but for the health of the individuals that reside there too. We’re not talking about just any market. No, we’re talking about the non-commercialized variety, the ones that are mostly run and operated by a group of small family farms. The ones that strive to use non-GMO seeds. The ones that try not to pollute the soil with pest/herbicides, or maltreat their animals by imprisoning them into tight cages or pumping them with growth hormones. No – we’re referring to the conscientious farmers that care about the full natural cycle of their food. The ones that understand that it’s not all about profit, but about the people they feed and the environment that lends them the resources to do so.

If you happen to be out this summer in the East End, try to stop by some of the several farmers markets that are sprouting everywhere, and vote with your dollar.  Sag Harbor Farmer’s Market.

– From the Desk of Ana Nieto

In addition to sunscreen, certain foods like cocoa and red wine can help save skin from too much sun.

You may be able to boost your skin’s ability to protect itself from too much sun exposure by what you eat. Research is showing that diet and supplements can help minimize the signs of sun’s damaging rays in combination with a correctly administered sunshine routine.

Some sun each day boosts your mood and is an ideal source of vitamin D. However, too much sun can create free radicals, which damage cells. Antioxidants can help clean up free radicals before they can cause damage.

Cocoa, fish oil, lycopene (a carotenoid found in tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, guava, watermelon and red fruit that acts as an antioxidant), and grapes can provide UV protection.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2006 showed that consuming 300 milligrams of cocoa (flavanols) daily for 3 months reduced sunburn, improved dermal thickness and hydration, and decreased roughness and scaling of the skin in otherwise healthy middle-aged women.

More recent studies show that fish oil supplements, rich in EPA, provide internal protection against UV damage in healthy adults and also improve skin elasticity in healthy women.

Red wine, which is high in naturally occurring antioxidants, provides some UV protection within 40 minutes of consumption. In addition, green and white tea; vitamin A, C, and E; coffee; lutein (kale, broccoli, spinach, parsley, and basil); berries; pomegranate; turmeric; ginger; and seaweed have been shown to provide internal UV protection.

Coenzyme Q10 supplements may also assist in sun protection by suppressing the inflammatory response of skin when exposed to oxidation stress like UV rays.

Diet and supplements are not a substitute for good sunscreen. However, if used in combination, they may lend added sun protection and help minimize damage.

Source: Natural Beauty by Sherrie Strausfogel
***
Spiced Zucchini

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
* 1.5 pounds zucchini (about 3 mediums) cut into ½ inch-thick rounds
* Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add cumin seeds; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and sizzling, about 30 seconds.

2. Add zucchini; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Serves 4

Source: Everyday Food
***
Mexican Summer Salad

Ingredients
Dressing:

* 2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
* 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
* 1 chile de arbol (with seeds) torn into very small pieces or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes* see Cook’s Note
* 1/4 cup pine nuts
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

* 3/4 cup pitted and halved black kalamata olives
* 3/4 cup pitted and halved green olives
* 3/4 cup halved assorted colored cherry or grape tomatoes
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* 8 ounces Mexican Cotija or feta cheese, cubed

Directions

1. In a small, dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, chile, and pine nuts over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the dressing to a serving bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. Add the olives, tomatoes, cilantro and cheese. Toss gently to combine and serve.

Serves 4

Source: Mexican Made Easy

This post was provided by Laurence Martinaud, a TSH Practitioner Member.

Consumers Are Demanding Sustainable Meat

So what does a cook have to do to get a Scottish Highland certified organic grass-fed steak in this town?

Well, not that much, it turns out.

From the smallest Greenmarkets in Manhattan to the convenient cardboard boxes of Fresh Direct home delivery, boutique meat from animals raised on local fields seems to be everywhere.

O.K., so pigs might fly before Pathmark offers a special on Red Wattle loin chops, but still. Never before has so much specialized, regionally grown meat been as widely available, and never have shoppers been as conversant about it.

Cooks who have stayed away from grass-fed beef and locally raised pork because of high prices, uneven quality and the heroic efforts it took to find some can now buy reliably delicious meat more easily…continue reading

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will begin a drive this week to expel Pepsi, French fries and Snickers bars from the nation’s schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who get fat during their school years.

Casey Templeton for The New York Times
Betty Almond, center, uses proceeds from her candy sales at Orange County High School in Orange, Va., to help sports teams.

In legislation, soon to be introduced, candy and sugary beverages would be banned and many schools would be required to offer more nutritious fare.

To that end, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver a speech Monday at the National Press Club in which he will insist, according to excerpts provided to The Times, that any vending machines that remain in schools be “filled with nutritious offerings to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our nation’s children.”

The first lady, Michelle Obama, said last month that she would lead an initiative to reduce childhood obesity, and her involvement “shows the importance all of us place on this issue,” Mr. Vilsack said.

The administration’s willingness to put Mrs. Obama’s popularity on the line is a calculated bet that concerns about childhood obesity have become so universal that the once-partisan fight over who should control school food offerings — the federal government or school boards — has subsided.

But Republican support is far from certain…continue

Local food sourcing may be desirable, but as a practical matter it is hard for it to feed the whole country in a nation that enjoys diversity of food. By DAMON DARLIN
Published: February 13, 2010
INDUSTRIAL food production is not very fashionable right now.
Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Pavle Milic decided to serve only Arizona wines at FnB, his Scottsdale restaurant. He says that in blind teste tests, people think that the wines come from famous wine regions.

Three books by Michael Pollan criticizing the system of giant corporate farms and food factories have topped the best-seller lists. A graphic documentary, “Food, Inc.,” based in part on his books, has been nominated for an Academy Award.

In Washington, Michelle Obama grew vegetables on the White House lawn as an example of self-sufficiency. And across America, more farmers’ markets and restaurants have popped up that sell vegetables and meat produced on small farms.

Diners now scan the menus at their local restaurants for provenances like “Cattail Creek Ranch lamb” or “Hudson Valley rabbit.” And home cooks now await boxes of fresh produce delivered weekly from local growers.

Some of these so-called locavores may think they are part of a national movement that will replace corporate food factories with small family farms. But as much of the East Coast lies blanketed beneath a foot or more of snow, it’s as good a time as any to raise a few questions about the trend’s viability…continue

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli–the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Official Website

After 7000 miles, and 25 hours of footage, “Sweet Misery” will reveal one of the most pervasive, insidious forms of corporate negligence in the history of the industrial revolution.

The toxic long-term effects of aspartame are often dismissed as a “hoax” by the sweetener industry and at least five other internet websites. The real footwork, however, unravels something less comforting than a mere “Hoax.”

Sweet Misery Official Website

“Sweet Misery” is the title of a documentary released by Sound and Fury in June of 2004. Our primary investigation includes interviews with doctors, lawyers, people who have had health probems which they associate with aspartame usage, advocates, and many others.

“Aspartame is inherently, markedly and uniquely unstable in aqueous media”

is a quote from the congressional record in 1985, and yet it was approved for use in soft drinks and other beverages.

So what happened?

Is there credible evidence if you look beyond the smokescreen of corporate medicine? The primary research and interviews have been quite disturbing.

Dr. Woodrow C. Monte wrote: “Methanol [one of the breakdown products of aspartame] has no therapeutic properties and is considered only as a toxicant. The ingestion of two teaspoons is considered lethal in humans” (Monte, Woodrow, “Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Health”, Journal of Applied Nutrition, Vol. 36, Number 1, 1984, p. 44).

Though it can hardly be considered good fortune to have an immediate reaction to aspartame, at least you are spared the potential long-term ticking time-bomb of a large array of neurological illnesses. These include, but are not limited to Brain Cancer, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Graves Disease, Chronic Fatigue, MS and Epilepsy.

This feature-length documentary is now available.

By Gina Keating

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Dole Food Company Inc filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against Swedish film makers it accuses of knowingly including “patent falsehoods” in a documentary about Nicaraguan banana workers who sued Dole for allegedly exposing them to pesticides on its plantations.

Dole said it repeatedly “implored” director Fredrik Gertten and producer Margarete Jangard to revise the film “Bananas!*” to show that the bananeros’ lawsuits against Dole were thrown out in April by a Los Angeles judge who found a “pervasive conspiracy” to defraud U.S. courts by plaintiffs attorneys and Nicaraguan judges.

Gertten “refused to make any meaningful changes to the film, and persisted in publicly screening it and touting its accuracy in the face of court rulings that the story was false …,” said the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Full Article