Health News
By Sandra Crockett
So you want to eat healthy but are confused about all the different guidelines. It?s pretty clear to most people that trans fat is something to limit in your diet or stay away from altogether. The same is true of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), although hard to do since it is in so much processed food products.
Perhaps going organic is the safer way to go. But what exactly makes any produce ?organic?? And what if you have the choice of going to a grocery store and buying something labeled ?organic? or going to a local farmers market and purchasing fresh produce without the ?organic? label? It's clear that the road to good health, healthy eating, and being kind to the environment is not always easy.
A food label ?organic? means the producer has been certified organic, says Laure L. Sullivan, resident district manager, Food and Nutrition Services for LifeBridge Health. The producer has to meet certain standards to gain certification, and it is not the same for all countries.
In the United States, a food labeled ?organic? usually means only organic ingredients were used. Legally, if a food is 95 percent organic, it can be labeled organic.
That said, buying from a local farmer?s market whenever possible would be your best bet, Sullivan explains.
?Buy local at your local farmer?s market and support the farmers,? Sullivan says. Farmers at local markets can have organic produce without having the organic label. ?Farmers? produce can be chemical free but not all farmers can afford to get the certification,? she says.
?You can get organic strawberries from China. But then you have the whole carbon footprint question.?
LifeBridge Health buys as much seasonal produce from local farmers as possible, Sullivan says.
Like we said, living healthy and being environmentally aware is not always easy. However, if you love yourself and your planet, it is worth it.
If you want to learn more about how sustainable food practices, several hospitals in Maryland and D.C. are being recognized tomorrow night for improving nutrition, maximizing carbon footprint and purchasing sustainable-produced meat through the Balanced Menu Challenge.
The ?Balance Meets Taste? event kicks off National Nutrition Month for March 2010. It is being organized by Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
If You Go
What: Balance Meets Taste
When: Thursday, March 4
Where: Pier 5 Hotel, Baltimore Inner Harbor, 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD
Time: 6:30 - 10 p.m.
Cost: $100 (hors d?oeuvres and cocktail hour, four-course meal including wine. Proceeds donated to Future Harvest ? Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.
For More Information: 410.706.1924 or click here. You can also e-mail Lmitc001 (at) son.umaryland.edu
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More than 750,000 people in Kentucky, 17 percent of those living in the commonwealth, do not always know where they will find their next meal, according to Feeding America?s Map the Meal Gap study. Among Kentucky's children, the number of those experiencing...
- Usda Launches Online Tool To Link Farmers With Nearby Consumers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled its newest tool to promote local food systems, an online instrument that lets viewers see what local and regional food projects are under way in their area and read case studies, watch videos and see pictures...
- Eating Local: Farm-to-school Gaining Ground As Way To Fight Childhood Obesity And Otherwise Improve Students' Nutrition
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News With the faint hue of green appearing in thousands of gardens and farms, the growing season has officially begun in Kentucky. While most of the resulting produce is destined for store shelves and personal pantries,...
- Steaz Drink
Steaz is a naturally sweetened (stevia and erythritol), calorie-free sparkling organic green tea. It is delicious. It is certified organic, and was just introduced to market in October. We tried the blueberry pomegranate, and it is excellent. Steaz...
- Healthy Drink!
Sparkling Essence combines the subtle flavor of organic lemons, cooling mint, whole blueberries, and fresh cucumbers with the tingling sensation of sparkling spring water. They use real organic ingredients. It is a light and refreshing flavor, but without...
Health News
The Question of Organic Food
By Sandra Crockett
So you want to eat healthy but are confused about all the different guidelines. It?s pretty clear to most people that trans fat is something to limit in your diet or stay away from altogether. The same is true of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), although hard to do since it is in so much processed food products.
Perhaps going organic is the safer way to go. But what exactly makes any produce ?organic?? And what if you have the choice of going to a grocery store and buying something labeled ?organic? or going to a local farmers market and purchasing fresh produce without the ?organic? label? It's clear that the road to good health, healthy eating, and being kind to the environment is not always easy.
A food label ?organic? means the producer has been certified organic, says Laure L. Sullivan, resident district manager, Food and Nutrition Services for LifeBridge Health. The producer has to meet certain standards to gain certification, and it is not the same for all countries.
In the United States, a food labeled ?organic? usually means only organic ingredients were used. Legally, if a food is 95 percent organic, it can be labeled organic.
That said, buying from a local farmer?s market whenever possible would be your best bet, Sullivan explains.
?Buy local at your local farmer?s market and support the farmers,? Sullivan says. Farmers at local markets can have organic produce without having the organic label. ?Farmers? produce can be chemical free but not all farmers can afford to get the certification,? she says.
?You can get organic strawberries from China. But then you have the whole carbon footprint question.?
LifeBridge Health buys as much seasonal produce from local farmers as possible, Sullivan says.
Like we said, living healthy and being environmentally aware is not always easy. However, if you love yourself and your planet, it is worth it.
If you want to learn more about how sustainable food practices, several hospitals in Maryland and D.C. are being recognized tomorrow night for improving nutrition, maximizing carbon footprint and purchasing sustainable-produced meat through the Balanced Menu Challenge.
The ?Balance Meets Taste? event kicks off National Nutrition Month for March 2010. It is being organized by Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment.
If You Go
What: Balance Meets Taste
When: Thursday, March 4
Where: Pier 5 Hotel, Baltimore Inner Harbor, 711 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD
Time: 6:30 - 10 p.m.
Cost: $100 (hors d?oeuvres and cocktail hour, four-course meal including wine. Proceeds donated to Future Harvest ? Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.
For More Information: 410.706.1924 or click here. You can also e-mail Lmitc001 (at) son.umaryland.edu
- 17 Percent Of Kentuckians Lack Food Security; Beef Council To Help On Local Level With Donations To Food Banks
More than 750,000 people in Kentucky, 17 percent of those living in the commonwealth, do not always know where they will find their next meal, according to Feeding America?s Map the Meal Gap study. Among Kentucky's children, the number of those experiencing...
- Usda Launches Online Tool To Link Farmers With Nearby Consumers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has unveiled its newest tool to promote local food systems, an online instrument that lets viewers see what local and regional food projects are under way in their area and read case studies, watch videos and see pictures...
- Eating Local: Farm-to-school Gaining Ground As Way To Fight Childhood Obesity And Otherwise Improve Students' Nutrition
By Tara Kaprowy Kentucky Health News With the faint hue of green appearing in thousands of gardens and farms, the growing season has officially begun in Kentucky. While most of the resulting produce is destined for store shelves and personal pantries,...
- Steaz Drink
Steaz is a naturally sweetened (stevia and erythritol), calorie-free sparkling organic green tea. It is delicious. It is certified organic, and was just introduced to market in October. We tried the blueberry pomegranate, and it is excellent. Steaz...
- Healthy Drink!
Sparkling Essence combines the subtle flavor of organic lemons, cooling mint, whole blueberries, and fresh cucumbers with the tingling sensation of sparkling spring water. They use real organic ingredients. It is a light and refreshing flavor, but without...