Recipe of the Week

OK- I originally thought I would really keep up with one recipe a week that had no yucky stuff but was reasonable to make. Here is the 1st. Hope you like it. (PS- you have to use Grape Nuts, not the knock off or you risk artificially stuff, it still tastes good with the knock off though).

Crispy Rosemary Chicken (I believe this might originally be from the Dr. Phi. cookbook but I am not sure)

3/4 c Post Grape-nuts Cereal
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crushed (I don't crush them- too much work, I just throw them in the blender with the cereal)
1/8 tsp pepper
4 sm. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T vegetable oil (I use olive)

Preheat oven to 400.Place cereal in blender and blend on low until finely crushed. Mix cereal with seasoning in shallow dish (I just stick it all in the blender together) and pour it into the shallow dish. Brush chicken lightly with oil then dip into cereal mix, turning to coat evenly on all sides.Spray cookie sheet with Pam (I use parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet and spray that, then I can toss it and move on when I am done), put chicken on sheet and spray with a coat of Pam. Bake 20-25 min or until chicken is done.

WHAT!? School diets can help test scores! Where have I been!?

You mean to tell me that for 30 years there has been scientific information that what happens at the lunch table can dramatically effect what happens on test day!? I have to admit that this information has been at my disposal for a very long time but apparently I just wasn't looking.

I recently received my Dec 2008/Jan. 2009 issue of "Pure Facts", a publication distributed to members of the Feingold Assoc. of the United States(FAUS), of which we are members. FAUS believes that the elimination of these additives: Artificial (synthetic) coloring,
Artificial (synthetic) flavoring, Aspartame (Nutrasweet, an artificial sweetener), Artificial (synthetic) preservatives BHA, BHT, TBHQ along with the initial elimination of some naturally occuring asprin chemical (salicylate) can reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of many many disorders. FAUS asserts that eliminating these products from your diet can improve problems with hyperactivity, attention span, sleep, impulsivity, depression, moodiness and these are just a few. As I was reading through the articles I came across an interesting comment about how New York City schools were seeing an increase in test scores by making simple changes to their school lunches. I was intrigued.

As I started hunting around for more information on this topic I discovered no really recent information but did come across a study done in the late 1970s and early 1980s in 803 New York City schools. The study required that school serve a diet lower in sucrose,that omits synthetic food color/flavors, and two preservatives (BHA and BHT) over a 4 year year period. The results were staggering. The average national performance rankings of the 803 public schools stood at 39.2% in the spring of 1979. After adhering to these dietary changes for 4 years the performance ranking increased to 54.9%! A change of 15.7% simply by ommiting many things that are bad for your body anyway! In case you are a skeptic like me you might say "Yeah, but what else changed in those 4 years that could contribute to that?". Well, first I want to point out that the schools were studied for 3 years before any dietary changes were made and showed no more than a 1.7% increase in performance rank. Secondly, I would add that the results note that the amount of fat was reduced in school lunch during this time as well and the conclusion is that a decrease in malnutrition is the most likely cause of improved performance.

Why have we not heard of these studies before? Why is no one demanding that more be done to remove harmful substances from our kids' diets?! I am in love with this study and the other one I read about in Appleton, WI that made similar changes with similar results. I am armed with my information and am considering approaching our school nurse with it on Monday. Anybody else coming with me?

Karen

ps- a quote from Ralph Nader on the Phil Donahue show, December 4, 1987 concerning the cleaning up of the food supply, "Attack silent violence the way we go after street violence!"

I knew there was a reason I kind of liked this guy.

The Skinny on Plastics

What do you know about plastics? Do you know what pthalates and BPA are? Do you have any idea how to keep these things out of your body if you want to? Here is the basic, skinny, down & dirty version of what kinds of nasty things are in plastics (and other things) and how to avoid them.

Phthalates-are chemical substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility. Phthalates have been used commercially for decades, and can be found in cosmetics, toys, food packaging, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cleaning and building materials. They’re also used in pacifiers and teethers for babies.

BPA-(Bisphenol A)- It is used in the synthesis of polyesters, is used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices, dental composite (white) fillings and sealants, lenses, and household electronics. BPA is also used in the manufacture of all CDs and DVDs. BPA based epoxy resins are used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans.

The other thing you should know about these items is that they are known to be endocrine disrupters. This means that they could potentially mess up your endocrine system which is responsible for your hormones and can cause a range of reproductive problems (reduced fertility, male and female reproductive tract abnormalities, loss of fetus, menstrual problems, changes in hormone levels; early puberty; brain and behavior problems; impaired immune functions; and various cancers).

What is own US government doing to protect us from these harmful agents you ask?

In 2007 the FDA said that BPA was not toxic to humans in the levels that they are now exposed. The information that it used was based on 2 studies done by the plastics industry. The FDA said that it used those studies because they were large and comprehensive. In 2008, the FDA decided to reconsider the safety of BPA after the National Toxicology Program's April 15 report suggested that BPA may alter human development.

President Bush signed a law in 2008 banning three types of phthalates in children’s toys and child care items, save in trace amounts. The law also temporarily prohibited three other chemicals pending further analysis. The six phthalates have been also band in European toys for almost ten years.

Even though some action has been taken, there has been no wide spread action taken to omit these chemicals from the general plastics production. For the time being, you will have to take matters into your own hands. These easy steps are a good place to start.

Store foods in glass whenever you can.

Never heat foods in plastics.

Use stainless steel or aluminum bottles for drinking water on the go.

Plastics labeled with recycling codes 2, & 4 tend to be safer.

Check out these lists for products that have been tested clean of BPA & Pthalates.

Contact your government officials to let them know how you feel about this issue.