The Worst Drive-Through Foods in America

Wow....is this bad or what????

THE WORST DRIVE-THROUGH MEAL IN AMERICA:

Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

2,618 calories 144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat) 2,892 mg sodium

Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!

And I guess I'll have to give up the occasional summer 'shake' at McDonald's. Look at this:

WORST MILKSHAKE

McDonald's Large Triple Thick Chocolate Milkshake

1,160 calories 27 g fat (16 g saturated fat) 168 g sugar 510 mg sodium

You’d be better off eating two Quarter Pounders than sucking down one of these belt-breaking shakes. Steer clear of milkshakes at the Golden Arches. If you must have a frozen dessert, order a vanilla ice cream cone to save more than 1,000 calories.

What a bunch of food crap. I think it may be safer to eat a half a pint of ice cream where I could at least READ the label.

Simply Recipes' "Jamaican Jerk Burgers"

Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.

~Jonathan Kozel

20 Worst Foods in America

Link: Wow, a surprise!Just look at the calorie and carb load on these items!!

Organic foods Sometimes Don't Mean What They Say

This is one of the many places where our government and commercial marketing interests walk hand in hand to the detriment of the consumer. And what 'they' say/print needs to always be suspect.

In my humble opinion, food is either 100% organic or it is not organic at all. Food can not be 95% organic. It's then just food made with some organic ingredients to catch your eye and/or confuse you. Read the rest.......

Organic foods: Are they safer? More nutritious? - MSN Health & Fitness - Nutrition

....snip
Organic or not? Check the label!!!!!!!!!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards. These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed. Any farmer or food manufacturer who labels and sells a product as organic must be USDA certified as meeting these standards. Only producers who sell less than $5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt from this certification.

Products certified 95 percent or more organic display this USDA sticker.



Which does NOT MEAN THE FOOD IS ORGANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it's produced and processed according to the USDA standards and that at least 95 percent of the food's ingredients are organically produced. The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it.

Products that are completely organic — such as fruits, vegetables, eggs or other single-ingredient foods — are labeled 100 percent organic and can carry a small USDA seal. Foods that have more than one ingredient, such as breakfast cereal, can use the USDA organic seal or the following wording on their package labels, depending on the number of organic ingredients:

100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.

Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic.

Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.

Foods containing less than 70 percent organic ingredients can't use the organic seal or the word "organic" on their product label. They can include the organic items in their ingredient list, however.

You may see other terms on food labels, such as "all-natural," "free-range" or "hormone-free." These descriptions may be important to you, but don't confuse them with the term "organic." Only those foods that are grown and processed according to USDA organic standards can be labeled organic.

I think this labeling is deceitful. As I stated above, the 'organic' label does NOT mean the food is organic in my opinion. Again, food is either 100% ORGANIC or not. Having a 95% organic rating just means it has less crap in it.

100% ORGANIC or it's just regular crap. Don't fall for these marketing campaigns to 'reeducate' you to the government and corporate way of thinking. Don't let them dilute REAL FOOD in your mind and in your body.

Why Our Burgers Still Aren’t Safe

This is a fascinating article! I had no idea how the cow meat in our county was processed, let alone tested.

"For most manufacturers, profit is tied to production, and the industry that turns bovines into burgers is no different: The top four meatpacking companies process more than 60,000 head of cattle a day. Given this staggering amount of cow, it makes you wonder how they test all of it for contamination. They don't."

Guess I won't be having any more burgers or steaks 'medium-rare.' I always knew it wasn't the smartest cooking choice, but I don't like 'slab' meat over cooked. I am seriously now considering only buying organic grass-fed beef for the few times I do cook it. And no more Del Taco. All this is very sad. Fortunately, lamb, which is my favorite, doesn't seem to suffer from mad-cow issues. Though I'm sure that E. coli is still an issue.

We are what we eat. I think I'll be chicken today.

Simply Recipes' "Chicken Piccata"

"People find life entirely too time-consuming."–Stanislaw J. Lec

China Projected To Grow 30% Of Our Food Within Ten Years

Remember, China wants to grow and have us import at least 30% of our food within the next ten years. Do you think the land that they use to grow food now, and use this contaminated water on, will be cleaned up also?



China spending billion to clean lake

Environmental regulators say China’s rivers and lakes are so polluted that tens of millions of people have no access to clean drinking water.

The deputy director the State Environmental Protection Administration said in July that one-quarter of the length of China’s seven major rivers is so dirty that even touching the water can be harmful to the skin.

I buy nothing from China. I do not support that government. I am currently trying to find a nice toaster oven NOT made in China. All the toaster oven's in both Costco and Sam's are made in China. Any suggestions?

All Recipe's "Fall French Onion Soup"

A man who is 'ill-adjusted' to the world is alwayson the verge of finding himself.One who is adjusted to the world never finds himself,but gets to be a cabinet minister.
-Hermann Hesse, novelist, poet, Nobel laureate

The Chilies Are Here!

Have I mentioned how much I love Green Chili? On everything and anything? It is simply heaven.



Chili season is upon us! And since the chilies were ready last weekend, I picked up a bushel box. I then set up my Super Chili Roasting Station.

In the shade for proper Red-Headed Human skin protection.


The Supervising Roaster was ready.


Chilies were placed on the hot grill. Then charred all the way around.


After becoming seriously roasted (you try for at least 60% of the skin blackened), the chilies are taken from the grill and placed in a pot with a damp kitchen towel, covered and steamed.

The whole grill full of chilies reduces to less than a pot full.


More chilies were roasted and steamed. Hours sped by in chili smoke. Each turn of the grill produced a pot of steamed chilies.

Pots of green gold.


VERY IMPORTANT: WEAR GLOVES.

The roasted and steamed Red-Head and chilies finally went inside to the cool of the kitchen. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was cued up on the iPod.

Chili stems were pulled off.


While I did pull off the chili stems (or cut them off of the super grilled chilies) I did not skin the chilies or remove the seeds.



I'm not sure if that is correct or not -- NOT removing the seeds or not. But I was so DONE with roasting these chilies, I just didn't have any more energy to mess around with the seeds.

Now, leaving the blackened skin on is correct IF you're going to freeze them. Which was my plan. So I bagged the chilies, four or five to a quart sized freezer bag and squeezed the air out.

And now I have my own supply of roasted green chili for the winter.


When I decide next to make some green chili, I'll defrost the chilies, peel off the skins and remove the seeds. The skins come off MUCH easier AFTER they have been frozen.

Then I'll throw the roasted chilies into a crock-pot with a pork loin and some onions. Yum.

I also worked with the green chilies that had started to ripen too much and turned red.


I strung them up into a properly tied risita!


Not very well done in the 'pretty' department, but functional. They'll dry (we're still in the 100's here) and then down the road I'll grind them up for red chili powder. For Red Chili. Which I've never done or made. A new adventure for another day.

"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes."
–Douglas Adams

New Study Suggests High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked To Diabetes

Thanks to the "Accidental Hedonist" for this:

New Study Suggests HFCS Linked To Diabetes
By Kate Hopkins on High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Uh-Oh. This can't be good.

Science Daily —
Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

(snip)

In the current study, Chi-Tang Ho, Ph.D., conducted chemical tests among 11 different carbonated soft drinks containing HFCS. He found 'astonishingly high' levels of reactive carbonyls in those beverages. These undesirable and highly-reactive compounds associated with "unbound" fructose and glucose molecules are believed to cause tissue damage, says Ho, a professor of food science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. By contrast, reactive carbonyls are not present in table sugar, whose fructose and glucose components are "bound" and chemically stable, the researcher notes.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the first study that has determined that the differences between HFCS and cane sugar are not inconsequential. Adjust your perspectives accordingly.

I'm not going to say this is the smoking gun, as I've yet to find any transcripts of the symposium. But if the findings of Chi-Tang Ho are true, it's a fairly big deal.

And not to toot my own horn or anything, but way back in 2005, I noted the difference between the "bound" and "unbound" molecules.

But there is a difference between sugar and HFCS. Sugar is a naturally occurring substance. The glucose and fructose that make up sugar are comprised of bonded molecules. HFCS, a man-made product, is comprised unbonded molecules. Stating that HFCS is the same as sugar is the same as saying that cake batter is the same as cake.

Toot! Toot!

Of course I didn't know that this difference could lead to the upswing in diabetes, so I'm no Nostradamus. But back to HFCS...

The biggest issue surrounding HFCS over the past generation was not that it was bad for us. The problem was that there was little to no evidence to prove that it was bad (or good) for us. Apparently that has started to change.

So what's the total evidence against High Fructose Corn syrup so far? It doesn't affect the appetite any differently than cane sugar, but it does seem to increase the risk of diabetes.

I made a point two years ago to quit consuming ANYTHING with HFCS. It's NOT natural. (EVEN if I STILL eat at Taco Bell. ::Shut up, TB is too natural.::)

If I want 'sweet' I'll go for real sugar. Eliminating HFCS is easy. READ the ingredients before buying something. If it has HFCS in it, put it back on the shelf.

There you go.

On another note, we're supposed to zoom up to 109* for the next few days. ::dripping at the thought of it:: Yuck. The lake right now is 94* with 50% humidity. For a desert rat, THAT is a very, very, very bad mix. I am soooooo blessed to have A/C!!!

Simply Recipes' "COLD Tomato Summer Vegetable Soup"

Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, "I've lost my electron."
The other says "Are you sure?"
The first replies, "Yes, I'm positive."

FDA Warns Staff On Major Melamine Health Risks

Heads up from Brilliant at Breakfast & Itchmo:

"The FDA has issued a surveillance order for Chinese vegetable proteins on May 1 — including corn gluten and wheat products — based on melamine contamination.

Despite repeated FDA statements saying that there is no risk to human health from contaminated pigs and chickens, the FDA surveillance order indicates otherwise. It states: Pregnant women should not perform this assignment. (Emphasis Itchmo)

"Melamine and additional related contaminants have been found in concentrations of up to 20% in analyzed samples. The MSDS for pure melamine is attached as attachment B and includes warnings “to avoid breathing dust, avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing”. Chronic exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage."

Clearly, the FDA is concerned with the safety of their own staff’s exposure to melamine-tainted foods. Despite this warning, the FDA told the press and us yesterday that animals that ate tainted foods were safe for human consumption.

This PDF document contains the basis for FDA’s warning to it’s staff.

In fact, the Chinese factory that produced melamine-tainted wheat products was long associated with toxic symptoms. (Reg. required) ."

Amazing how the FDA can issue a warning to its staff about melamine and AT THE SAME TIME tell the PUBLIC that FUNDS IT that there is no problem concerning EATING IT. We are mammals. We have kidneys similar in function to the cats and dogs that died. The melamine might be somewhat 'processed' thru the animals that ate it, but *......*. We are sheep being led to slaughter by corporte greed. Bottom line.

Wow. I'm sure not eating any chicken or pork for a while. I was a vegetarian for years until tacos did me in. I'm giving serious consideration to going back to being a almost-vegetarian (not vegan, I'm am so NOT giving up cheese), maybe for the summer.

And anything the FDA says, especially with it's newly fangled 'powers,' I am NOT going to believe or to put faith in. I'm just not. Between the food and drug information they pump out TO THE PUBLIC, they are NOT to be trusted. They are owned by both the drug companies and the big agi companies. As always, follow the inside info and follow the money.

I am thinking about turning into one of those types of people who really, really wants to KNOW where my food is coming from. By eliminating 'non-organic' meat, I'm thinking at least I can source most of my food

And/or if I only eat organic meat 1 or 2 times a week, my food bill would probably stay even. I buy 25% organic foods now and by reducing crap foods and increasing organics, I bet I stay at the same money amount but increase my veggies, fruits and other sources of proteins.

THAT would only be a good thing. A lot more work and time, but a much better 'thing.'

And truly, we are what we eat. Whatever you put in your body, you are. Food is medicine. And not just for your body, your brain is affected by what you eat. And often, your moods are affected by your brain chemistry. You are what you eat.

Simply Recipes' "Asparagus Pesto with Pasta"

Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf.
--Lewis Mumford>

More Melamine in the Pet Food Supply

::American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Pet Food Recall Page::

More tainted rice protein from a second Chinese source has gotten into the American pet food supply -- and the FDA isn't telling the American consumers which pet food manufacturers might be affected:

"More Melamine in the Pet Food Supply -- A second company likely imported rice protein from China that was contaminated with a chemical linked to a major pet food recall, two U.S. senators said on Monday.

Rice protein tainted with the chemical melamine was used in pet foods from at least five manufacturers who obtained the protein from one supplier, U.S. officials have said. It also made its way into feed used at a California hog farm.

Now, another company is suspected of importing rice protein from China, democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Maria Cantwell of Washington said in a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“We have learned that in addition to Wilbur-Ellis, a second United States company imported a shipment of rice protein from China that is also likely to be contaminated with melamine,” the senators wrote. “We request the FDA identify this second importer as well as those manufacturers to which it may have sold the contaminated product.”

An aide to Durbin said the senators found out about the second importer from industry sources." Read more here.

Just great. When Luna and I got home yesterday, she threw up about three times. Not anything but spit it seemed, but unusual for her. I feed her ProPlan (Purina) and I've checked their website numerous times concerning updates. They are not on the 'old' list.

But now there is ANOTHER warning, which I'm sure will be announced soon. Damn. While I was in Arizona she stayed at a Vet hospital/boarding place for four days. I did have them feed her a few cans of wet dog food to mix in with her dry dog food that I supplied so she would eat while I was gone.

I don't know what they fed her. Three cans total. It's a Vet Hospital, I thought/think I should TRUST them? She wasn't sick last week. Hmmmm, now I'm worried. Today she seems fine. Maybe I'll start feeding her home cooked dog food for a while. At least I'll know what's in her food for awhile. I don't know. She's always been on the 'thin' side even though she always has dog food available in the kitchen. She just doesn't put on weight and never has. Hmmmmm, what to do?

Remember my rant about all things from China? It didn't include food; I didn't even THINK about or imagine that ingredients from China could get in my dog's food. And the source of products in dog food is not listed on the bag of dog food. How the hell do I know

Really, am I supposed to trust a country that pollutes it's own land and waters with growing and/or making 'natural' products for my DOG? They don't even take care of their OWN humans that well!!!

Really, STOP BUYING THINGS MADE IN CHINA. STOP giving them money.

And, I'm going to next suggest/demand in writing that ProPlan (Purina) start making available complete information on the bag. Not just WHAT's in the bag, but the sourcing. I KNOW it will NOT make a difference. But at least they will know (and not care) that I am trying to pay attention to things I didn't think I had to pay attention too!!

Shopping is continuing to become more than just looking at a "made in where ever" label. Ever try to buy something in Costco or Sam's Club that is MADE in America? Fat chance. WalMart too. Most everything is 'made in China.' I love Costco but I can't tell you how many times I have put something back down after looking at the 'made in NOT AMERICA' label. Because it was made in China!!! I refuse to support China.

China is making snow now.

"China claimed yesterday to have caused a snowfall for the first time as part of its increasingly ambitious attempts to control the weather."

To clean the air for the upcoming Olympics. So that Beijing LOOKS clean. Ha! Have you keep up with the rest of the story concerning how they are transforming Beijing and the 'costs' to human and environment? Very sad. I'll link when I find the info again.

And how about ANOTHER country, let alone THAT COUNTRY being CHINA having some control over weather? I remember in the 1970's when our government talked about controlling the weather. And how we were seeding clouds for rain fall. If that had been and/or is a successful endeavour, why aren't we doing it now?

The Southwest is in a drought and has been for years. Is it because the cause is worse for the environment than the cure? As in the CHEMICALS used to seed clouds, are they a death toll to plant and animals so therefore WE won't try and/or continue to seed clouds for elevates our drought? But China is now making snow? My brain hurts.

You do know that we have lost BILLIONS, yes BILLIONS, over 50% of our Honeybees, right? Art Bell has been discussing this issue for the last four months. It's just hitting main stream news. 1/3 of our food supply RELIES on Honeybee pollination. Albert Einstein speculated that "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left." My brain hurts.

Luna. Dog food. What to do? What's Really In Pet Food? Amazing how the AVMA doesn't really address the issue. They must be funded by pet food manufacturers, right? What did people feed their dogs BEFORE bagged dog food? I don't know.

eHOW: "How to Make Homemade Dog Food"
AssociatedContent: "Homemade Dog Food"

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
-Derek Bok
Update: "U.S. Food Safety At Risk From Imports" -- Say it's NOT true.

Dolphin Slaughter

Over the past two nights, my local PBS station broadcast both "Roger Payne: A Life Among Whales" and "Journey to Planet Earth : The State of the Ocean's Animals".

Let me be brutally truthful here, both of these programs are the most disturbing and heart-wrenching productions concerning humans misuse and mismanagement of the world's oceans I have ever seen.

And they are productions that every adult should see, though not young children. (I am undecided on the age of children watching these...maybe they should be over 12?) Just think, today -- just today, over 1200 whales and dolphins were killed. 35,000+ killed annually. Just how many is that while I sit here typing and you sit there reading? And for what?

The below video is not for the faint of heart. It is extremely bloody and shows dolphins being left to die by suffocating to death, and/or being stabbed in the heart by a machete and left to wither in a most painful death. All this goes on as Japanese men and school children stand by and watch. If the dolphins were dogs or cats, imagine the uproar.


Matt Damon Narrates "Journey to Planet Earth"
The Truth About Dolphin Captivity

Please, just pick one of these organizations or find your own source of information to become better informed about the state of our oceans and its living beings. Pick one, donate and make a change.

You do have an opportunity to help save our oceans. While we are currently eating the last 10% of the ocean food stocks (go look it up yourself), we might still have an opportunity to turn a few things around. I'm thinking stopping the slaughter of dolphins might be one of them.

Sea Shepherd - The objectives of the Sea Shepherd vessels are to enforce international conservation law against illegal Japanese whaling operations in accordance with the principles established by the United Nations World Charter for Nature.

Sea Shepherd "Email a Protest Letter"
Sea Shepherd "Petition to Stop Dolphin Slaughter"
Sea Shepherd "Message from the Dalai Lama"

Blue Voice
Blue Voice "YouTube Videos"

Greenpeace "Defend the Whales"

Ocean Alliance with Roger Payne who brought "The Voyage of the Odyssey" to PBS

At least 5 dolphins and a few whales died during this post. Sick. Just sick. 35,000 a year. When does it stop?