Category — Articles Of Note

There is an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about how the American Heart Association is recommending that people limit their sugar intake.  In a statement issued last Monday, the organization recommends that most women limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; and for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons daily.

The issue is that on the nutrition labels we see, sugar is listed in grams – a unit of weight, not volume like teaspoons . . . from what I can find, a teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to approximately 4.2 grams – so now you can do some division and see how many teaspoons are in your favorite food or beverage.   You might be shocked!

A lot of health-conscious folks I know eschew soda, but do eat things like fruit-flavored yogurts and/or packaged juices, which usually do have a lot of sugar.  Add to that ice cream, cookies, sugared cereals – well, by the end of the day you have yourself (in the words of some advertisement) “a sugar situation.”

What to do?  I don’t like artificial sweeteners as an alternative – they’re dubious in terms of long-term safety and to me, they’re just another chemical to add to the soup that’s already in our bodies (although, remember, I do love me a diet Coke once in a while – so moderation here too, friends!).  I have noticed over the years that when I limit my sugar consumption, fruits, etc. taste sweeter to me.  That is, when I wean myself off the hooch that is Halloween Candy, or Christmas cookies, or just a weekend bender involving Nabisco® Pinwheel® cookies and get back to fruits, I notice how sweet a peach can be, or a nice apple, or some strawberries or my other BFF of the summer, cantaloupe.

Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets.  Unless I had to for some extreme health reason, I’d never cut sugar completely out of my diet.  I do, however, limit my consumption of foods with added sugars – keeps my empty calorie consumption down and makes more room for foods with nutritional value.

Do you have a “sugar situation” going on?  Have you tried eliminating added sugars from your diet?   Why?  How long did you keep it up? 

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Are you all familiar with these?  A campaign by the EWG to give top-level, usable information to families to maximize their environmental health.  I know I sing the EWG’s praises so often – I just feel that they most often represent a balanced, logical approach to all this toxics madness.  After all, you could really make yourself nuts trying to follow the latest this-n-that, right?    You can subscribe by email and get updates every time they publish a new tip. 

Today’s is on chemical flame retardants in the home – something I’m sure our microfiber-ballistic-cheepie-kidproof sofa is full of . . . but at least I’ll know more for the next purchase, right? 

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Grub Street (NYMagazine.com’s food news) has released its Where And What To Eat in Boston for Fall ’09.  I really need to get to Olecito, period.  Haven’t been to the Inman location, and here they are, opening an outpost.  I’m feeling skeptical about Todd English’s new venture, Curly Cupcakes . . . but maybe Todd has what it takes to change my mind about cupcake boutiques?

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Here’s a post from Jezebel that critiques Marie Claire’s “Girl’s Guide to Eating Green” as not taking the discussion far enough . . . . long, but worth the read.    I agree with the author, but I don’t think that the average MC reader would dig a discussion this deep.

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This is from last week’s N.Y. Times, and makes me think of two things. 

One is remembering the Gloria Stevens Figure Salons of yesteryear – anyone remember those?  I used to go there with my mother once in awhile and do Jane Fonda moves on a pink shag carpet.  I think the “studio” was in the Fresh Pond shopping center, if I recall correctly.  Trippy. 

Second, exercise needs to be fun, so that you’ll do it.  If that means a donning a turban and shiny spandex, then go for it, people.  The point is to move it, as often as you can.

How’re you going to move it today?

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This is from today’s Times – parents seeking to have ice cream trucks banned . . . I can fully understand rules about how close they can be to schools, etc., but as a health nut, I try to exercise restraint and moderation when it comes to my kid’s eating.  There are some simple joys in life, like a once-in-a-while treat from the ice cream truck, that I think should be honored for her. 

And as for the nagging – isn’t it my job to just say “no” on any given day if ice cream’s not a good idea?  And if she can’t stop badgering, to leave the playground/pool/etc.?  But maybe I’m in the minority?  Are you pro-Softee?

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Oooh, folks.  This’ll blow your hair back – from my favorite Enviroblog – re the evils of bottled water.

Seriously.  Are you still buying bottled water on a regular basis?  Quit it!  It’ll take you a month to get used to filling up your Sigg/Kleen Kanteen/etc. bottle and heading out the door.  Yes, about that long to create a new habit that will save you money and decrease your chemical exposure/get stuff out of landfills/stop lining the pockets of corporate evil-doers.

Wouldn’t that make you feel good?  

P.S. Some of you have had questions about whether the Sigg bottles contained trace BPA in the liner – here’s the scoop from their site (including a link to pics to ID whether you have old or new liners in your bottles).  If you have pre-’08 bottles, they do have trace BPA, but Sigg’s tests showed no leaching.  Decide for yourselves what you think you should do with those – I have ours segregated and will probably purge . . . .

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This article is from today’s Chicago Tribune.   For more information on which fruits and veggies retain the most pesticide residue, see my post from January.

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