This Week’s Love List: A Walk in the Woods

Did you know that an extremely high percentage of Canadians (and by ‘extremely high’ I think I mean 90%) live within 100 miles of the Canada-USA border? One reason for this is that Canada can get pretty freaking cold. “Inhospitable” is one word that an American friend used.

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Case in point: it’s not even October, and the leaves are changing to beautiful fall colours. Well, north of the city they are. Driving north, you can visibly see the changing colours. Fun fact: this is the reason why Canadian Thanksgiving is at least one month before our American counterparts’ Thanksgiving. It’s a little chillier here, and so our harvest is earlier.

I took a trip to Algonquin Provincial Park with my wonderful family this past week to do a little hiking and take in the beautiful fall colours. Algonquin is past the magical 100 miles from the border; there aren’t too many people around and we can be assured that there will be few Americans (I joke!).

And this trip has become my ‘love list’ for the week.

Being outside in nature is truly nutrition for the soul. Here are some photos and highlights from the trip.

Ahh, the air. If we’ve developed our taste buds and palettes to detect sophisticated nuances in food and wine, why can’t we do the same thing with the air we breathe?

The mushrooms are pretty cool. As I crouched over several varieties, I couldn’t help but think of the song “Tempted to Touch.” I haven’t yet reached mushroom foraging status, but I can look, can’t I?

No city noise. Living in the city means that noise just doesn’t quit. But ahh, being out of the city is lovely and quiet. Especially past the magical 100 miles mentioned earlier. And this lack of “city noise” includes the noise that resides in our minds. By unplugging from this noise, we can engage with what really matters (probably not the iPhone 5).

Initials carved into birch trees. Street art in the woods.

Parking it on fallen trees. Because you can still be silly in the woods.

But what about the food, you ask. Any meal consumed after a walk out in the woods tastes great!

Picnic lunches consisted of my easy to transport Late Summer Lentil Salad, coconut water, almond cookies and sheep cheese from the Trinity Bellwoods farmers’ market. Dinner was Georgian Bay caught whitefish. And while we’re on the topic of food, it’s soup season, baby! Be sure to check back this week for a delicious soup recipe that bridges the gap between late summer and early fall.

Until then, keep tasting the air. What’s on your love list this week?

xo Andrea

Organic Food: NOT Just For Rich People Who Hate Themselves. Part 2: GMOs (OMG).

In my last post, I offered reasons for buying organic food. Now let me chat a bit about nasty ass GMOs (OMG). Then I’ll give you tips about where to put your money when you’re grocery shopping. Here we go.

GMOs (OMG).

What happens when you cross a sheep and a cauliflower?!

This is basically what’s happening in the wild world of genetic modification; scientists take genes from a species (a fish, for example), and splice them into a vegetable (let’s say corn) so the resulting “plant” has more desirable characteristics suitable for growing conditions.

But before you freak out, the science experiment that is genetic modification was created with good intentions. Genetic modification was created to ensure that more people are fed. But as consumers, we have a CHOICE and therefore don’t have to buy food that has been genetically modified; buying organic is one of the ways.

Genetically modified crops are neither healthy nor delicious:

• GMO crops are modified for higher yields.
• GMO crops are sometimes engineered to already contain pesticides and/or be resistant to higher levels of pesticides. This translates to more pesticides in your bod.
• They’re lower in nutritional value, which translates to less value for your money overall (pay me later).
• And most concerning of all, because GM crops are so new, we really don’t know what the long-term effects of consuming them will be. Digestive concerns are just the tip of the iceberg.

Common GMO crops include the foods that we find in nearly every processed food:

• Corn
• Wheat
• Soy
• Sugar

This means that any processed food that you may come across will likely contain one of these GMO ingredients.

But do you trust a chemist more than mother nature? I sure don’t.

How can you tell the GMOs from the good guys?

• If the 5-digit number starts with a 9, the produce is ORGANIC.
• If the 5-digit number starts with an 8, the produce is GMO.
• If it’s a 4-digit number, the produce is CONVENTIONALLY GROWN and contains PESTICIDES.

Which foods to buy organic?

If you can’t afford to buy everything organic, that’s ok. It’s a big step to start buying all of your food organically. Here are some tips:

• Buy the ‘Dirty Dozen’ organic. What’s the Dirty Dozen? These are the guys that you should buy organic because they don’t have thick peels and therefore have higher pesticide residues. Think celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale, collard greens and potatoes. For a full list, visit the Environmental Working Group’s site.
• Spring for organic oils, meat, eggs and dairy. Toxins and pesticides tend to accumulate in fats, so try to buy the best organic quality that you can afford. And you know what’s cool? When a cow is allowed to feed on grass (as a cow should), its meat and milk has a higher level of essential fatty acids (EFAs), which can be beneficial for our health. And here’s another fact: organically raised cows, chickens and pigs cannot be fed GMO feed. Oh, and organic meats have less exposure to antibiotics. There are concerns that use of antibiotics are leading to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
• Sign up for an organic delivery. Prices can range from $30 for a weekly delivery of organic produce. If you love to experiment in the kitchen, but don’t like to shop for groceries, this could be the solution for you! An organic box can be like a magical mystery tour, each week brings some new treasures and you can have lots of fun and learn about new ingredients in the process. If you live in the Toronto area, check out Mama Earth Organics: http://www.mamaearth.ca/

Cheers to all things organic! xo Andrea

Why is organic food so expensive?

Organic Week is a weeklong celebration of all things organic in Canada. So I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about organic food. And for those of you who like recipes, keep reading for a delicious beet dip recipe.

There’s been an organic food hate-on lately (after a weak study from Stanford was released). When I think of the debate between organic vs. conventional farming, I can’t help but think of the scene in the movie Baby Mama, where Amy Poehler tells Tina Fey’s character that, “organic food is for rich people who hate themselves.”

So, allow me to tackle some frequently asked questions about organic food.

Is organic produce worth the price?

It sure can feel like a sticker shock when you reach the checkout with your teeny tiny organic apples and you realize that you’re paying more than you would if you were buying conventional. And so, many people wonder whether it’s worth it to spend the money on organic food.

After all, conventional produce can appear to be a little prettier – definitely bigger, plumper and more uniform. And more variety. But chemicals and genetic modification likely made them look that goooood. Smoke and mirrors, baby!

And while conventional produce is less expensive at the checkout, it can often be more expensive down the road. It’s like, pay me now or pay me later – in terms of the health of the soil and the long-term effects of pesticides and genetic modification on our health.

For starters, organic produce employs more traditional farming methods that help to support the soil. In the case of large-scale conventional farming, the soil is often depleted of nutrients (due to the lack of crop rotation and constant tilling) and needs to be heavily fertilized. These crops become weakened as a result of the poor soil quality; they simply don’t have the nutrients that they need and can’t fight off pests. And so, in addition to the necessity for fertilizer, the crops are sprayed with nasty-ass pesticides. It’s a vicious circle. To sum it up: conventional farming has 99 problems, but a pest ain’t one.

Simply put, organic food is harder to produce than conventional. And the demand is higher than the supply.

What are the benefits of organic produce?

Organic farming methods don’t produce these same problems. Here’s what you get when you buy organic:

• No chemical pesticides – most of the “pesticides” used are made from organic materials, not chemicals.
• No conventional fertilizers – this crap is gross, and doesn’t even fertilize the soil properly.
• No genetically modified organisms (GMO) – if you want to know what this nastiness is, read tomorrow’s post!
• Healthier soil – by rotating crops, using cover crops and composting, the soil remains fertile. The valuable underground workers (microorganisms such as worms, bacteria and fungi) get nourished by the soil and can do their jobs too!
• You probably won’t have to use a filter when you’re instagramming a photo of your beautiful homemade salad with organic ingredients – the colours are THAT bright (#nofilter). You may have a few wormholes in your kale, but personally, I think it looks more badass.
• TASTE! Organic produce tastes better. If you’re not convinced, take a bite of a conventional apple and then try an organic apple. (The organic apple should taste cleaner.)
• And if you’re buying prepared organic foods, such as cookies, canned foods or sauces, you won’t have to worry about most nasty-ass additives (such as high fructose corn syrup, to name just one).

So while it remains to be seen whether organic produce contains more nutrients, we can be sure that it contains less pesticides and pesticide residues. And we can be extra sure that said fruit or vegetable is not genetically modified. So be sure to check back this week for more reasons to go organic.

Here’s a recipe for a colourful #nofilter dip. It’s simple and delicious. You can use any colour of beets for your visual excitement. If you noticed the photo at the beginning of this post, yes, it’s organic beet dip made with golden beets. I once made this dip when I had a few friends over for dinner. I turned my back to chop some veggies, and the next thing I knew, it was gone! They still ask me to make it for them. Anyhoo, here’s the recipe.

Beet Dip

2 medium sized organic beets
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves
½ lemon, juiced
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, OR 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Chop beets into large chunks and roast in the oven with 1 tbsp olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. When they’re soft, blitz them in a blender or food processor with remaining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper until smooth. Adjust seasoning, and serve with a gluten-free flatbread and raw veggies.

Related articles

• The Blood Sugar Witching Hour. Part 1: Foods that unleash your inner Blood Sugar Witch
• Blood Sugar Witching Hour Part 2: Six Ways To Get Your Blood Sugar Witch To Simmer Down
• Organic Food: NOT Just For Rich People Who Hate Themselves. Part 2: GMOs (OMG).

Healthy Gratitude: This Week’s Love List

Here’s my Love List from the last week. What’s on yours?

1. Truffle oil and sea salt on tomatoes. Especially the delicious local heirloom tomatoes that are still available.
2. Driving by the house I grew up in (in King City).
3. Organic apple picking.
4. The strength to run a little more when I was running next to the lake up north. At the top of a hill, I looked out over the lake and it looked sparkly and huge, just like the ocean.
5. Seeing the elusive white squirrel while walking in Trinity Bellwoods the other day. He was pretty badass.
6. Almond milk lattes at The White Squirrel (coffee shop). Almond milk lattes are absolutely delicious, and are easier on the tummy than coffee drinks with cow’s milk. If you’re at all sensitive to cow’s milk (and most of us are!), try using a nut milk in your coffee. Even try coconut milk; but I warn you that you may walk away from cow’s milk and never look back.
7. A week to celebrate organic food – Organic Week starts today! And I’m about to head to the Canadian Health Food Association Show to check out what’s happening. Check back next week for reasons to buy organic, and a delicious recipe.

 

Healthy Gratitude: Smell My Basil Fingers!

For those of you who have been following my blog, you’ll know that each week, I briefly write about some of the things for which I’m grateful. Gratitude is a powerful thing – it helps us to appreciate the little things and hopefully live more happy, joyful lives. This happy joyfulness has a direct impact on our physical health. Our beliefs become our biology!

Here are some joyful moments that I’m grateful for from the last week. In sharing mine, I hope to inspire you to find yours.

1. Fun. An afterparty for Snoop’s documentary, Reincarnated. This was the silliest night out in a while and it felt so nice to let my hair down and have some fun!
2. Kitchen time. A gloriously relaxing weekend up north and the opportunity to play with my brand new dehydrator. And picking fresh kale from the garden.
3. Fitness. Making it out ok after a 45 km bike ride. And seeing a teeny tiny snapping turtle on the trail (really wish I had brought my camera).
4. Sleep. Sleeping in my parents’ bunkie down by the water and hearing the lapping waves as I fall asleep. The biggest bonus is that the bunkie is pitch black at night – no sleep mask for me! Waking up without a sleep mask is great, because I’ve been able to catch the beautiful sunrises each morning.
5. Gardens. The smell of fresh basil on my fingers after picking it from the garden.
6. Family. Getting to see my dad and his sister goofing around. They could have their own tv show!
7. Farmers’ markets. And going to the farmers’ market with my stepmother early this morning for fresh blueberries to put in gluten-free pancakes.

I’ll be back next week with some more healthy delicious posts. Until then, enjoy your weekend! xo Andrea