Carry your water in...plastic?

Having visited Honduras and China, I appreciate our tap water. It's comparatively safe. And water is guiltless, painless, side-effect-less. Or it should be. Bottled water is the second most purchased beverage in America, after pop (not soda). I try not to purchase bottled water. I already pay for the water from my tap and it tastes great. But being , American, we have the luxury to spend time studying, analyzing and debating the best way to carry that water. Okay, maybe you don't have time, but I do and will share what I learned.

Let's start with the containers that bottled water is sold in. Most are made of a hard plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET bottles are approved for one time use. After repeated use, these gas station bottles leach DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate)  a probable carcinogen.  Plus, once your mouth touches the bottle, it leaves a bacteria-harboring film that can't be cleaned from all the crevices. Throw these bottles away and don't reuse them.

Next? Reusable plastic water bottles--hard plastic bottles, like Nalgene. Nalgene and similar plastic containers are made from a plastic called polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a hard, clear , almost-shatter-proof plastic used in water bottles, baby bottles, medical devices, toys, electronics, CD cases, and on and on. Polycarbonate contains bisphenol( BPA) . The CDC has reported that 95% of Americans have detectable amounts of BPA. BPA presents little threat if the plastic doesn't hold food or go in the mouth (like baby toys). Vreni Gurd of the website Trusted.MD, explains the effects of BPA well, "Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes." Some of the studies about BPA have been done on rodents, less on humans.

In 2005, Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal of peer-reviewed research, published the following:

Your body is extremely sensitive to sex hormones, and minuscule amounts can induce profound changes. Therefore, since BPA imitates the sex hormone estradiol, scientists are afraid even low levels of BPA could have a negative impact. Moreover, there is evidence (among mice and rats) low doses of BPA can cause:

• Hyperactivity
• Early puberty
• Increased fat formation
• Abnormal sexual behavior
• Disrupted reproductive cycles
• Structural damage to the brain

Of the 115 published studies researchers reviewed on the low-dose effects of BPA, 94 of them reported harmful effects on mice and rats; 21 did not.
Coincidentally, none of the 11 studies funded by chemical companies found harmful effects caused by BPA, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported is detected in 95 percent of all patients tested. On the other hand, more than 90 percent of the studies conducted by scientists not associated with the chemical industry [text in blue] discovered negative consequences.

The above was published  in 2005. No studies since then have contradicted the suspicions about the negative effects of BPA. Consumer concerns have already driven many companies to label plastic food or beverage containers as BPA-free when it applies, but there are no laws. Just yesterday, the National Institutes of Health announced a $30-million study on the effect of low dosage exposure to BPA. The money is mostly from stimulus funds. At the end of November, the FDA is expected to release its own assessment on the dangers of BPA. 

Currently, the FDA says our exposure to BPA is not concerning. In my mind, BPA has a big question mark on it and should be avoided for food and beverage containers.

Polycarbonate water bottles made the news last year  because research published in the January 2008 issue of Toxicology Letters reported that polycarbonate water bottles leach bisphenol (BPA). Trace amounts of BPA leach into water at room temperature, but if hot water fills these bottles, there is a  55% increase in the amount of leeching BPA (especially concerning regarding baby bottles which are regularly filled with warm or hot water for formula).

In the last few years, many companies, like Nalgene, are making high -density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bottles. These bottles are opaque plastic made from petroleum. Scientists and health advocates have not reported any BPA problems with HDPE bottles.  

Those plastic recycling numbers can help you stay safe. Always avoid #7 as it may contain BPA. Number 7 plastics are usually polycarbonate, once used in plastic baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, "sport" water bottles, metal food can liners, clear plastic "sippy" cups and some clear plastic cutlery. New bio-based plastics may also be labeled #7.

Here's a ditty from The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy to help you make safe choices:

"With your food, use 4, 5, 1 and 2. All the rest aren't good for you."

I like the ditty though #1 plastics are only approved for one time use. On a more basic level, most of the hard, inflexible plastics in your cabinet that aren't labeled and claim to be safe for microwaving--those are the # 7. When polycarbonate plastics get scratched or damaged they are considered especially dangerous. Most of the disposable plastic containers like Gladware are #5. Number 5 is safe, though I still wouldn't put them in the microwave. Use glass in the microwave.

I should note that BPA is also found in Styrofoam (think of all the HOT beverage served in Styrofoam). It is also found in the lining of most metal cans (so buy food in glass when possible-especially for acidic foods like tomatoes--yet another reason I should start canning).

Where do you find BPA-free plastic? Several popular companies like Nalgene and Rubbermaid have BPA -free lines. Tupperware brand continues to follow the government, saying that the FDA considers polycarbonate (a kind of plastic made with BPA) to be safe so they continue to use BPA in some lines, especially lines made for the microwave. Tupperware does not use BPA in lines made for children. And on the Parents.com website I found a list of BPA-free bottles and sippy cups.

While this post ended up focusing on BPA, remember that in choosing a water bottle, no material is safe if it can't be cleaned well. Therefore, a personal water bottle should have a wide mouth opening so you can clean it well.

And just to be clear, while I think BPA is something to avoid, I am not going to stop buying canned goods or refusing every beverage in a styrofoam cup. As with all health issues, I think we need to be reasonable and gracious to others who don't share our knowledge or maybe our concern. I can't stand it when people use every picnic as an opportunity to arrogantly declare,
"Oh I don't drink out of Styrofoam cups. It isn't safe." Why not just punch the hostess instead? What I will do though is buy BPA-free plastics (glass is considered the safest way to store food), avoid Styrofoam more, throw away my damaged polycarbonate containers, and stop microwaving plastic (including the Saran Wrap type coverings).

A final, sad tip. Infant formula has the third highest level of BPA of the foods tested by the Environmental Working Group, The group noted that powdered formula has LESS BPA than the liquid counterpart.  

Next time: a review of non-plastic water bottles.
Sources:

http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2008/03/17/choosing-a-safe-reusable-water-bottle/
http://www.consumersearch.com/water-bottles/metal-water-bottles
http://www.ehow.com/how_5400385_buy-safe-metal-water-bottle.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-30-plastics-cover_N.htm
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/10/bottle-shock-4/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1722266,00.html
http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/17/914073.aspx
http://www.ehow.com/about_5369079_different-kinds-plastic-bottles.html
http://www.plasticsindustry.org/aboutplastics/?navItemNumber=1008
http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/29/plastic_water_bottles
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-28-BPA-bisphenolA-federal-study_N.htm
http://www.ehponline.org/docs/2005/7713/abstract.html
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/heart/2008/09/17/5-ways-to-keep-bisphenol-a-or-bpa-out-of-your-food.html

Things We Love

People are always curious about how we eat. I have to watch the carbs. Kassy has to watch the gluten and the dairy. But rice milk, hemp milk, and gluten-free baked goods are generally higher in carbs than their counterparts consumed by those who can ignore ingredient lists. So I thought I would start a feature post--where I highlight some product that we love. I swear I am not getting paid, but I will accept any free cases of food you would like to send my way!

Today's product is for me, a diabetic. It's Nature's Path Flax Plus with Fig frozen waffles. This product is a favorite at my food co-op. Two waffles have only 22 g of carbs, including 4g of fiber, and 190 calories. That leaves room for a little juice in my carb count or a pinches of cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top or cut up strawberries and whip cream. There's also 4 g of protein. Finally, there's  a bit of calcium and some iron in these great toaster waffles. Oh and for those who want to know, these waffles are vegan. The values of the Nature's Path company are admirable too.Currently you can buy these waffles at health food stores or Kroeger.

Now let's compare. Two freezer waffles from Aldi have 28g of carbs, less than 1 g of fiber, and 210 calories with vitamins thrown in for good measure. And just to be upfront, I have both kinds of waffles in my freezer. I tend to be selfish and save the Nature's Path waffle me. A waffle morning at our house brings out three waffles: I eat Nature's Path, my oldest eats Aldi's and my youngest eats Vans Apple Cinnamon gluten-free waffles. Vans is another great company.

Really, if you eat frozen waffles that are multigrain with some fiber, and avoid the syrup (try apple butter...mmmmm), waffles can be a great breakfast for a diabetic. We sometimes make them into sandwiches--either nut butter and banana sandwiches or egg sandwiches. While making your own waffles is probably the best since you can use whole grain flours, add ground flax, etc., sometimes a healthy convenience food is nice to have around.

How do you like to eat waffles? Do you always make them from scratch and how do you keep them healthy?

Dried Bunches of Herbs and Stevia

In my dream kitchen, there are big wooden rafters with wonderful things hanging down: onions, garlic, dried bunches of herbs and bundles of lavender. Perhaps enchanting memories of the attic in the Little House books still  influence me. I doubt I'll ever live in such a  kitchen but yesterday in the chill that has become October I cut all the remaining herbs and in a moment of genius thought of a way to hang them near the ceiling.

I wish this photo was better. I wish I had taken down the drying Ziplocs I plan to reuse and the random things sitting on the ledge, but when the kitchen is small you use all the space. Weeks ago, my camera got lost in the crack between the car trunk and the car and BAM! Occasionally it will still take a picture, like this one. The display screen is dead so when it beeps at me, I can't figure out why. And my computer is on the fritz. I've been researching the best way to carry your tap water, but my computer! It will visit two websites and then on the third, will freeze up or declare the site unavailable after five minutes of thinking. I've tried different browsers, etc. but such conditions make for slow research. Forgive my absence. I hope you've missed me.

I do have bundles of herbs drying in my kitchen: mint, rosemary, sage, alas we used all the parsley up, and stevia. They have been washed and bundled and hang, with clothespins over a curtain rod that has been curtain-less for more than two years. I knew there was a reason to leave it up. The smells in my kitchen are less potent than I'd dreamed but I am happy.

So I write today about what I know. An end, until new research emerges, to the topic of sugar and its replacements. Today's focus: stevia. My favorite. The only one still untainted by bad news. Stevia is an herb. It is native in parts of Central and South America. Depending on when it is harvested, it is 150-400 times sweeter than sugar. It adds no calories. It is natural. It is safe for diabetics and in studies on rats has actually been shown to improve insulin sensitivity. Other potential health benefits (not enough research to guarantee these benefits but it looks promising) include preventing teeth decay, as an anti fungal, lowering high blood pressure and even decreasing the desire for sweets.

Stevia comes in  liquid and a powder form. You can even get flavored liquids like orange, chocolate or root beer stevia extracts. You can't take Stevia powder and just use it in equal amounts to replace sugar. Stevia is much sweeter so 1 cup of sugar can be replaced by 1/2 tsp of stevia powder. So a recipe will need more bulk. Also, stevia doesn't function like sugar: it won't aid in browning or softening a cake, assist in fermentation of yeast, or caramelize. Unless you love to experiment in the kitchen, I would start using stevia in recipes that already call for the sweetener (www.stevia.com, maintained by Sweet Leaf, a company that sells stevia products, is the easiest to use with the best variety. I like the Stevia shop site too. ).

Here's three great sites explaining how to use stevia. The first has a conversion chart for replacing sugar with stevia.  Use these charts when the amount of sugar is minimal and not important to the chemistry of the food. The second lists ways to make stevia powder or liquid from your own plant. And the third, from ehow, explains how to replace sugar in a recipe and what to use to add bulk.

Laura, you say, that's all good but how come I am just starting to hear about Stevia? If it is so great, where has it been? Oh what a question. Stevia has been used for centuries in countries like Paraguay. In 1971, the first commercial stevia was introduced in Japan. The Japanese consume more stevia than any other country, with stevia accounting for 40% of their sweetener market. Why not here? Health food stores in the U.S. started selling stevia in the late 1980s. Then in 1991, the FDA declared stevia an "unsafe food additive" claiming that not enough was known about the safety of the sweetener. Fans of stevia were angry, able to cite many studies that proved its safety and suspected the FDA was being pressured by industry. In 1994, the FDA revised its stevia stance and allowed the sweetener to be sold as a dietary supplement. It could not be added to food or drink. Mostly, it was sold in health food stores. Then in December of 2008, the FDA gave permission to two companies to use rebaudioside A (Reb-A), an extract from the stevia plant in new products that combine the extract with other sugars. You've seen these products on the shelf and in magazines in the last year: Purevia and Truvia to name two. For no reason that I can discover, the FDA has only approved the Reb-A extract as a food additive and not the stevia plant itself. These Reb-A products are not pure stevia. So I have some questions about them, but I'll save that for another post. For now, I just buy my pure stevia from health food stores ( or make my own soon!).

I've long admired this sweetener and favored it for sweetening drinks, but now I love it. Why? Two reasons. 1) Because I can grow it. 2) As I researched this post, I didn't find any red flags.

Stevia plants were for sale at Meijer (like a Wal-Mart) this spring. I bought one and wondered what it would do. It's an easy, fuss- free plant, growing bigger and bigger even as my girls and their friends would strip off leaves to suck in their sweetness.  It liked our cool summer and didn't have many water needs. It didn't try and bolt until late fall, the best time to begin drying the leaves so the sweetness is maximized.

 What will I do with the stevia? Make a powder using a bag and a rolling pin. Experiment. Maybe I'll make my own teabags with mint and stevia. Mmmmm. Dare I hope that there is a healthy sweetener for diabetics? Maybe I can have my cake and eat it too. But as always, no matter how great the sweetener, sweets are sweeter in small amounts.

Garden Soup

At the end of last week,  as I took the girls to the bus we could all see our breath. Not realizing the omen before them, they delighted in the designs they made. But it made me think of soup. September has been a wonderful month (rain-less) but more sun than I ever remember in this part of Michigan--day after glorious day. My heirloom tomatoes which are the size of both my palms might actually make it to the red stage if I keep covering them at night as we slip into the low 40s.

But for a couple more weeks there will be produce to use, and I know a soup recipe to deal with both the chill and the produce. This recipe is one of my favorites. It tastes fantastic, can be adjusted to fit your favorite veggies, and you feel healthy eating it.

Follow this link to Diabetic Living to get the original recipe. This soup can be endless varied. Before you make the soup, note that I use Tinkyada brown rice noodles and Kitchen Basics Chicken broth ( I like Imagine brand too but it's pricier) to make the soup gluten-free. I rarely have leeks so I add more green onions and to make this a meal, I add garbanzo beans, rinsed black beans, or lentils and serve with some kind of dinner roll or crackers. Then when the simmering is all done, sit before your bowl and breath in the health. Happy eating.

Agave Nectar

In the early, angry days of my diagnosis as a diabetic, my husband found a Chinese herbalist/nutritionist for me to see. We were hoping a more carefully controlled diet might keep my blood sugars under control and prevent the need for medication. Proudly I told her that I used agave nectar instead of honey, thinking she would be impressed that I even knew what it was (this was 2005--ages ago in health trends).

Agave nectar(or syrup) is a sweetener that looks like honey, but it flows better ( I love words and "to flow better" means it has less viscosity--and suddenly I remember high school physics) and dissolves well in both hot and cold drinks. It is three times sweeter than table sugar so you shouldn't need as much of it to sweeten your favorite foods. Calorie for calorie it is even with table sugar. It's popular among vegans, who like food that don't require work from bees and even among the raw food crowd (some varieties guarantee their nectar was not cooked at temps over 118 degrees thereby making it a raw food). It's also popular as an alternative to processed sugars. And since claims about it having a low glycemic index abound, it has attracted some diabetics too. Proof of its popularity can be found in numbers. The number of agave products on the market tripled between 2003 and 2007. And this year, McCormick  listed agave as one its top ten flavors of the year (whatever a top flavor is..maybe a gimmick?)

Great, but what is the agave? I used to think the nectar came from the agave cactus. But the agave plant is not a cactus. It's a succulent, like an aloe vera plant, only man-size, with leaves 5-8 feet long and a diameter of 7-12 feet. It grows mostly in Mexico. When a plant is 7 to 10 years old, the leaves can be stripped to harvest the pina, or core of the plant. This center can weigh between 50 and 150 pounds. The sap is removed from the pina, filtered, and then heated at low temps to turn the carbs into sugar. The amount of filtration and heating temperature will change the flavor and color of the nectar. Nectar can be purchased as raw (least amount of processing, delicate flavor), to amber (still light in color, slight caramel flavor), to dark (stronger caramelish taste).

Now that background information is done, I'll return to my story. Far from being impressed, the nutritionist advised me to avoid agave nectar. She said that while it does score well on the glycemic index it isn't really good for diabetics. I was too overwhelmed at the time with all her other suggestions to ask more questions. It's been four years, and I still vacillate about using agave nectar. It is advertised as having a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load. I was confused but never had time to do the research. Someone recently sent me this article from Dr. Mercola. With the title of "Agave Nectar: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth" I felt compelled to find some clarity. Here is what I learned, though the truth is still a bit allusive.

Agave nectar production is not regulated by the FDA. So the exact make-up of the sugars in agave nectar can vary greatly (so can the level of pesticides). The sugar in agave nectar can be largely fructose, percentages can vary between 56% and 92% fructose depending on how it is processed and which agave plant is used. (Honey and table sugar are close to 50% glucose/50% fructose) High fructose content makes agave nectar have a low glycemic index number which is why it is often promoted as safe for diabetics. But consuming large quantities of fructose regularly can cause the body to start converting the fructose into fat, which may lead to all kinds of other problems ranging from mineral depletion, to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even miscarriage in pregnant women. See my posts on high fructose corn syrup.

And the exact percentage of fructose varies from brand to brand. So as a diabetic, I would be careful with agave nectar. Check out brands like Volcanic and Madhava agave nectars. These companies have had their specific nectar tested for the glycemic index--so you know what you are getting. The raw nectar, which has been processed the least, will have the greatest amount of nutrients left in a useful state though arguing that this sugar has much health value is rather dubious (taste value--certainly).

Here's my verdict. Agave nectar is a great sweetener. It taste goods, it dissolves well, it doesn't crystallize like sugar, it gives vegans another sweetener to use. But as a diabetic, or just a someone trying to lose weight. agave nectar is still sugar. A diabetic should only use agave nectar if  the exact fructose content is known, and even then, consume in small amounts. Just to add a little POW to my statement, Dr. Susan Mitchell, a fellow for the American Dietic Assocation agrees.

That being said, how could you use this sugar other than to sweeten dirnks? Among the natural and organic crowd, I've been finding many recipes that use agave nectar instead of sugar or honey. But if you want to try some substitutions yourself, here are some great guidelines from the Madhava website.
* Agave syrup may be substituted for sugar in recipes.
* Use 1/3 cup of agave syrup for every 1 cup of sugar in the original recipe.
* The quantity of liquids in the original recipe must be reduced due to the moisture included in the syrup.
* Some chefs also reduce the oven temperature by 25°F in recipes requiring baking.

Happy sweetening (but not too much!). 

Image of agave plant from:
http://www.travelbeat.net/spirits/archives/jalisco/
and image of agave syrup with waffle from
http://www.foodista.com/food/RQFVLY33/agave-syrup
based on creative commons license. Thanks!

http://www.wholeandnatural.com/servlet/the-117/Madhava-Organic-Agave-Nectar,/Detail, http://www.volcanicnectar.com/agavenectarmanufacturer.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup, http://www.allaboutagave.com/ http://www.blueagavenectar.com/agavenectarmanufacturer.html, http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/wholesome-sweeteners.htm, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/Agave-A-Triumph-of-Marketing-over-Truth.aspx
http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/article1042.htm, http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-nutrition30-2009mar30,0,4068006.story, http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/agave_syrup_may_not_be_helpful_for_diabetics, http://preventdisease.com/news/09/062309_agave.shtml
http://susanmitchell.org/blog/2009/04/sweetener-update-agave-and-stevia/

Gluten-free Pancakes for Emily

About a year after my youngest daughter (then 2) went on her gluten-, dairy-, egg-, soy-, peanut-, almond-, kidney bean- free diet, I had my 31st birthday. And if you don't read regularly, you should know that I am a diabetic. And usually, the challenge of finding celebration menus that everyone can eat is frustrating.

My friend Sarah rescued me that first overwhelming year of the allergies. She offered to make my birthday meal. She picked my brain, my pantry, and my recipe box until she had the makings for a celebration. She'd never cooked gluten-free, dairy-free, or any of our other frees but she used xantham gum, rice milk powder, and sorghum flour like a pro. She made a low carb, gluten-free meal (not an easy thing) that included homemade bread. The finale included a sugar-free cheesecake and a chocolate gluten-free cake (yes two desserts!)

I don't remember specifically how things tasted but it was good.  Having a friend who was so willing to walk with me through a relatively new lifestyle was revitalizing. It still ranks as one of the best gifts ever.

I learned when my first daughter was born about the blessing of a delivered home cook meal. But, now, now that cooking for my family confuses the most experienced cook, anytime someone feeds us, I feel nourished in my soul because I know what an effort it is. What a blessing.

After we moved away from  Sarah, she discovered her dear little Emily couldn't eat gluten or dairy either. Serving my family made the adjustment a bit less daunting I hope. But now, Sarah has asked for the pancake recipe I found. The least I can do is oblige. Thank you Sarah.

These pancakes spread joy in my kitchen. Anytime gluten-free baking produces a cake that isn't flat and browns perfectly, there is cause for rejoicing. I even cut up the strawberries and got out whip cream for these little cakes the first time I made them. These were my first gf pancakes I didn't need to apologize for. I now keep a big tupperware of this mix, for breakfast I scoop out about 1 1/2 cups, add the wet ingredients and beautiful golden cakes are served for breakfast. Click here for the original recipe from All Recipes (how did people eat gf before the Internet?). Below is the recipe with my changes.

I used the millet flour to add a bit of fiber and protein to these carb heavy cakes and the rice milk powder (which I love anyway) to make these dairy and casein free. I'm not a fan of many sugar substitutes though so I just used sugar. A little experimentation and I am sure you could use honey or agave nectar too. The original recipes says the this makes 10 servings. But really it means, 10 pancakes; no one eats just one pancake. And at the end, when we you are breathelessly doing the final mix, pour the water a bit at a time. Flours absorb humidity and so sometimes you need more than two cups, sometimes less. Add until perfect (you can omit the water and rice milk powder and just use rice milk--but for some reason I love the rice milk powder more).
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup millet flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2-3 teaspoons of sugar
4 tablespoons rice milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
2 eggs (I've skipped the eggs and they came out great..but add more liquid)
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups water

Happy Breakfast Emily!

To eat organic or not to eat organic

The last weeks of summer, school doesn't start until after Labor Day in Michigan, have eclipsed blogging. I've been working in rare spare moments on a post about agave nectar, never getting enough time to finish, but I am close. Calls from friends to swim or visit old fashioned villages or work on endless craft projects thought up by my seven-year-old, along with a frustrating termite infestation, have taken priority over posting here.

While I finish editing the agave nectar post, here's an article for you to read. It's biased of course. But it perfectly sums up an inner struggle of mine. I know there is minimal, reliable research to support the idea that organic foods are healthier for us. And I know that even organic food varies in standard practices. Still, I struggle because I want to buy organic food. I like to know that the farmers and manufacturers who produce my food have the earth, its resources, and my health in mind when making a product. Greed can still exist in the organic market, but the methods involved seem more thoughtful, lasting.

The ugly reality for our limited income though is that to buy organic would strain the budget. We'd have to give up something--organic milk was $5.69 a gallon the other day. Soccer for the girls? Cable TV (bye bye PBS since you won't come in around here without cable)? Internet access? Go vegetarian and just eat beans and eggs? Never ever go to the cheap movies or to a a quick treat at DQ? Really our budget is already so bare bones that those are the only sacrifices left.

So, where do you fall? On the spectrum, do you ignore organic food because of its cost or because it isn't necessarily healthier? Do you buy a mix or organic and non-organic? And do you think we should we give up more for a more sustainable system of agriculture? Do you know of an article representing the other side of the issue? (I had a friend in Montana whose dad was a rancher. Eating organic was tantamount to sin in her family but her only explanation was that the organic people spread lies.)