For better or for worse, we’re hell bent on finding or concocting the “perfect” non-caloric sweetener in this country. Call it the spirit of creative innovation – or capitalist enterprise. Call it incessant perpetuation of Americans’ bad eating habits. Call it a pragmatic step toward at least a more healthful alternative for what people will eat regardless.
First it was the pink packets, then the blue, then the yellow, and now the pleasantly, nature-inspired white and green foliage-designed envelopes. Truvia is a lucrative marketing merger of the “true,” (the essence?, the genuine?, the handy emotional affirmation?) with the herb stevia and all its natural (or novel) associations, depending on your familiarity with the natural foods (er, dietary supplement) arena.
Posted By: Worker Bee
Over the last year we’ve brought you tips on keeping your primal eating strategy in line with your budget. It’s been a tough year after all. First, gas prices (among other influences) sent food prices soaring, and lately we’ve all been living under the cloud of an economic downturn that seems to be settling in as comfortably as an unwelcome, clueless house guest.
But as the country shores up for hard times ahead, the “recession” analysis has found its way beyond the money section and into the lifestyle pages. According to some experts, the economic trend has done more than alter grocery shopping habits; it’s spawned a dietary drift worthy of pop cultural commentary and a classification all its own: the “recession diet.”
Posted By: Worker Bee
Thanks for the great topic suggestion, Son of Grok. It is interesting that as we rid our body of waste, we seem to do the same for the planet. Funny how that works out. The reduction of artificial wastes and packaging materials is probably the most tangible benefit to the environment, but following the Primal Blueprint to a tee can be incredibly green-conscious in many other ways.
Posted By: Worker Bee
Following the recent tainted spinach controversy, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month ruled that food manufacturers can now irradiate fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce to kill bacteria associated with food-borne illnesses.
Huh? Exactly. Essentially food irradiation refers to a process whereby food is exposed briefly to a radiant energy source (usually in the form of a gamma ray or electron beam) that is thought to kill harmful bacteria, thereby reducing the risk of contracting a food-borne disease. The FDA also contends that blasting your food with radiation can reduce the bacteria responsible for spoilage, kill insects and parasites, and delay ripening in certain fruits and vegetables. In fact, while we’re on the topic, it should probably be noted that the concept of irradiating foods is far from new: In 1999, the FDA began reviewing irradiation and has approved its use in meats, certain shell fish, produce, certain egg varieties, flour, spices and unpasteurized fruit juices. These foods, however, must bear an internationally recognizable stamp, known as a radura, to signal that the food has been irradiated.
Posted By: Worker Bee
Amber Waves of Pain
Order up! Yes, folks, it’s definitive guide time again. I’ve read your requests and am happy (as always) to oblige. Grab your coffee (or tea), and pull up a seat. Glad you’re with us.
Insulin, cholesterol, fats… They’re only the tip of the iceberg. I’ve had a few “definitive” topics up my sleeve for a while now, and grains are it for today. Yes, grains. I know we’ve given them a bad rap before, and it’s safe to say I’ll do it again here. Sometimes the truth hurts, but you know what they say about the messenger, right? Without further ado…
Grains. Every day we’re bombarded with them and their myriad of associations in American (and much of Western) culture: Wilford Brimley, Uncle Ben, the Sunbeam girl, the latest Wheaties athlete, a pastrami on rye, spaghetti dinners, buns for barbeque, corn on the cob, donuts, birthday cake, apple pie, amber waves of grain…. Gee, am I missing anything? Of course. So much, in fact, that it could – and usually does – take up the majority of supermarket square footage. (Not to mention those government farm subsidies, but that’s another post.) Yes, grains are solidly etched into our modern Western psyche – just not so much into our physiology.
Posted By: Mark Sisson
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