Hey, Vani Hari, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

Vani Hari, the self-proclaimed "Food Babe" (I have another name for her, but it's not fit to print), has decided to wade into the War on Christmas.  Not with a plain red cup (which, for the record, and the topic of another post, is NOT a war on Christmas - it's a cup!) but with food. (Albeit with a recycled post from 2014)

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, giving, goodwill toward your fellow man.  It's supposed to be a time where we put aside our differences and help out where we can.  It's supposed to be a time where we look beyond ourselves and our wants, and help those in need.

Unless, of course, you're a pretentious git, and then you find a way to make the holidays more about how much fear you can muster up in your loyal followers (brainwashed minions?).

Yup, Vani Hari has managed to attack a program that hundreds of people rely on at this time of year. The holiday turkey, often given away to customers of supermarkets around the United States and Canada, as their way of thanking people for shopping in their store.  Many people would not be able to afford turkeys, let alone groceries above the cost of a turkey, without this free gift from their local market.

There are people who will go shop at the store, take the free turkey, and then (gasp!) donate it to a women's or homeless shelter, so their clients can have turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

In 2014, there were 46.7 million people living in poverty in the United States.  48.1 million people lived in a state of food insecurity.  15.3 million of those were children.
In 2014, 61 percent of food-insecure households participated in at least one of the three major federal food assistance programs –Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly Food Stamp Program), The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) -- in the prior month.(http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/hunger-and-poverty/hunger-and-poverty-fact-sheet.html?referrer=https://www.google.ca/)

But when you're Vani Hari, and you can afford organic, free range, heirloom (hair loom?) turkey, why not vilify a program that hundreds - thousands - of people rely on annually, if not daily?

Food Babe claims that she's been to "numerous holiday parties where I had no control over the ingredients" (http://foodbabe.com/2014/11/06/this-drug-has-sickened-thousands-of-animals-will-it-be-at-your-holiday-feast/) and claims she was polite, but that now that she knows what's in food, she just can't sit down and shut up, which believe me, many people would like for her to do.

She's now gone and attacked the "free turkey" program at many grocery stores. You know the ones?  Spend a certain amount of money at their store and they will gift you a free turkey for you to serve on your holiday table.  Just think of the cost savings!!  You need milk and eggs anyway, so go buy your groceries, plus your holiday trimmings and the store will give you your turkey FOR FREE*!!  What could be better than that?

Well, if you're Vani Hari, you can certainly FIND something wrong with that, just to ensure her bank account continues to grow.  Because there is nothing Vani Hari does better than pad her accounts and line her own pockets through often undeclared affiliate sales through her website.

So, what's her beef (or in this case, why is she crying 'fowl' on) with this program?  Well, it would seem that the turkeys the store is going to give you aren't "free of antibiotics, and are raised on a diet of GMOs" (http://foodbabe.com/2014/11/06/this-drug-has-sickened-thousands-of-animals-will-it-be-at-your-holiday-feast/).   She claims that turkeys are "pumped full of antibiotics" and blames the use for creating a "major human health issue".  Sigh.

But that's not all!  Oh no!  If you act now, you could also be exposed to **Toxic levels of a drug called Topmax (also known as Ractopamine) (http://foodbabe.com/2014/11/06/this-drug-has-sickened-thousands-of-animals-will-it-be-at-your-holiday-feast/)

(Actually, it's called Ractopamine Hydrocholoride, but let's not confuse Ms. Hari with the big words - after all, she says if you can't pronounce it you shouldn't eat it!!) (http://www.drugs.com/pro/topmax.html)

According to the FDA, Ractopamine Hydrochloride is used as such:

Toms: For increased rate of weight gain and improved feed efficiency in finishing tom turkeys when fed for the last 14 days prior to slaughter.

Hens: For increased rate of weight gain and improved feed efficiency in finishing hen turkeys when fed for the last 7 to 14 days prior to slaughter (http://www.drugs.com/pro/topmax.html)

According to Ms. Hari, this "drug" (food additive for weight gain) is responsible for the deaths of animals and horrible health problems. But according to a study conducted by the FDA, there were no adverse health effects on the turkeys studied:

e. Results Summary No abnormal health concerns were identified. The treatment-related effects associated with muscle were: an increase in the number of animals with mononuclear cell infiltrate and myofiber degeneration (Tables 22 and 23) and an increase in the concentration of serum creatine kinase (Table 24). Additionally, feeding RAC at 13 or 130 ppm to Hybrid finishing hen turkeys was associated with an increase in the number of animals with microscopic muscle alterations. The muscle lesions were of the type reported in clinically normal populations of rapidly growing turkeys. They did not cause any apparent clinical signs (mobility or postural), the muscle was normal at gross examination, and the microscopic alterations were minimal in severity, affecting approximately less than 1% of muscle fibers within a given section

(http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/FOIADrugSummaries/ucm091516.pdf). The entire study can be read here

And a study done by Health Canada revealed this regarding the pharmacokinetics of the drug:

Ractopamine metabolises solely by conjugation and has relatively short half-life.
 • Absorption is rapid from gastrointestinal tract, with a fraction of at least 45 % for cattle and more than 85% for swine.
• Tissue distribution of ractopamine is extensive and occurs rapidly
• Total residue reaches the steady-state level 4 days after initiation of feeding
• Non-extractable residues also reach the steady-state level after 4 days and represent 26-29% and 15-16% of total residue in liver and kidney
• Residues relatively persist in liver and kidney but deplete fast from muscle and fat
• Low lipophilicity ( very low level residue found in fat tissue)
• The metabolic rate of ractopamine HCl is similar in the target species (pigs and cattle), laboratory animals and humans

The entire study can be read here

There are warnings on the label (as is highlighted on Ms. Hari's site) that this medication is not for human use, but does that mean because humans shouldn't ingest the drug, that it's unsafe once it's been metabolized in an animal?   As a matter of fact, the highest amount of metabolized Ractopamine residue found in the Health Canada study was 0.222 ppm (parts per million) in turkeys. Health Canada's summary found Ractopamine, once metabolized by the animals, is safe for human consumption.

Once again, Ms. Hari is using her talents as a fearmongerer to sway gullible people away from what some people may rely on for the holidays.  It must be nice to be able to afford an organic, GMO free, free-range heirloom (hair loom) turkey.  After all, you can get one of those for a mere: $89.92 to $104.79 if you were smart enough to pre-order an 18-21 pound turkey from Diesel Turkey Ranch in California  (http://diestelturkey.com/).

So, Vani Hari, or Food Babe, as you narcissistically prefer to be called, put your money where your mouth is.  With so many people relying on food banks, food stamp programs and so many children living in homes with a high rate of food insecurity, why not donate 1,000 organic, free-range, GMO free turkeys to the less fortunate, so they can eat healthy this holiday too?   Let's see you do something for the betterment of mankind, instead of your usual spouting off on topics you don't understand, or, if you do, find the scariest sounding thing to vilify in order to get people flocking to your online store, where you sell products with the same chemicals and additives you so vehemently speak out against.

I call on every reader of this post to send a message to Ms. Hari - if the free turkeys are so bad, why not donate some organic, free-range, GMO free turkeys!?

C'mon Vani - you know you can afford it.  You claim to have people's health and well being in mind with your activism.  It's the holiday season.  Goodwill, kindness towards your fellow man.  Let's see you donate at least 1,000 of Vani-approved turkeys to your local homeless or women's shelters.

As for me, I'll be getting my turkey from the grocery store.

*while supplies last
** emphasis is author's own, used in sarcasm

The Worst Word in the English Language

I have discovered the worst word in the English language.  It's not a vulgar word.  It's not a cuss word.  It's not "Sorry" or "Help" or "Thanks" (Often hard words to say, but not the worst words).

The worst word in the English language?

Whatever.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I hate that word and how horrible it is.  It is SO non-committal.  It means absolutely nothing in any context.  It brings nothing to a conversation, it takes nothing away.

Why do I think that 'whatever' is the worst word in the English language (besides the fact that it is)?

I recently had a conversation with my husband, via text (let's not get started on how context and content often differ in a non-verbal based communication mode).  I was at work, as was he and I had made arrangements to have my mom take Banana to her karate class, but someone would have to pick her up.  My mother wasn't going to stay at her class, she was just dropping her there.  OK.  Fine.  I texted The Hubs and asked if he wanted me to pick her up, or if he was planning on it.  His reply?

"Whatever."

What-fucking-ever.  ARGH!!!!  That doesn't answer the question!!  Which I texted immediately back to him

"'Whatever' doesn't actually answer my question."

Silence (the next worst part of a conversation ever).  No text back, no answer, no decision. Just

"Whatever"

A couple of hours later, as I was getting ready to leave the office, I texted him again.

"Since you can't actually answer my question or make a decision, *I* will go get Banana."

His response:

"Thank you".

Frown.... And argh!!

So for that reason, "Whatever" has, in my books, become the absolute worst word in the English language.  I can't stand that as an answer to a question or request.  Banana and Squish are just as guilty as their dad when it comes to using "whatever" as an answer.

I could ask them what they want for dinner.

"Whatever"

Would they like to go to a movie or stay home and watch a movie?

"Whatever"

Are you going to try out for the school play? (not that our school has ever actually put one on)

"Maybe (my next worst word), whatever".

WHATEVER!  Ugh!!

I have had it used as a non-committal answer to a question.  I have had it used as an attempt at ending an argument in a "I won't concede that I may be wrong, so rather than say I might be wrong, I'll say 'whatever'."  I've had it used in probably every way it could be used that is most infuriating.

It is, in my humble opinion, THE. WORST. WORD. IN. THE. ENGLISH. LANGUAGE.

FOOD!! Now that I have your attention...

I know previously, I discussed the fact that we were kosher, and though I wasn't very strict about it with Banana and Squish and The Hubs, I was stricter with myself.  I didn't have a problem being kosher, but not having the support of The Hubs, and the rest of my family, I soon realized it was just not a lifestyle I could keep up alone.  So even though we still have "meat plates" and "dairy plates", we are back to eating bacon, pork, milk mixed with meat.  I no longer cover my hair or wear long skirts as the foundation of my wardrobe anymore (though it's summer and it's getting hot and flowy skirts are looking more and more attractive over pants - though I get to wear capris, too.  My new workplace is pretty casual, which is good - I can buy nice t-shirts, and sweaters, but I don't have to wear suits.  I need nicer stuff for when I go "out into the world", as my boss says, I suppose, but in the office, we're pretty casual.  Clean clothes, not sweats. So I'm living in my jeggings, capris, and I'll probably wear skirts.

Image by Kimberley Hasselbrink and
originally posted on Nom Nom Paleo

But I digress, because I wanted this blog post to be about food and the food changes we've made in the house - much more sustainable, much less confusion, much lest fighting with the kids.

We've gone Paleo.  Well, okay, I've been calling it "modified Paleo".  True hard core Paleo followers don't consume dairy or rice.  I can't have coffee without cream, and my kids won't give up pasta AND rice.  Which I found out is not entirely NOT Paleo, anyway.  Pasta isn't completely off the menu, either.

So what do I mean by Modified Paleo, then?

Paleo diets don't generally include dairy (as I mentioned), legumes (like lentils, peas, peanuts), refined sugar, wheat, coffee (aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!), alcohol (double AAAAAHHHHHH) processed foods, corn, potatoes and a myriad of other things.  We aren't that strict.  I'm moving away from peanut butter and peanuts because the kids can't take them to school anyway, so if they like almond or cashew butter (and they loved the pecan/cashew butter I made a few months ago - need to make more). Then I'm  happy to buy or make that.

My kids are Carboholics.  So getting them to quit eating bread and pasta is similar to getting an alcoholic to go cold turkey.  So I'm weaning them.  I make chicken nuggets, but they're dredged in tapioca or arrowroot flour, not wheat.  And the kids LOVE them. I try new veggies - like Jicama - which looks like a turnip, peels like an apple and has the same consistency, and bakes up like a nice soft potato when you cut it into fries.

We eat A LOT more fresh fruit, fresh veggies (and yes, frozen veggies count, as often they are picked and frozen at the height of ripeness).  I'm learning new ways of preparing foods and we eat a lot of meat - chicken, beef, pork, fish.

But then doesn't that make eating out and meal  planing difficult?

No.  Not really.  It takes some planning, but I have a few Paleo cook books, and let's face it - salt, pepper on a steak with a side of veggies and your meal is Paleo.  Add Jicama fries, and you're golden (and so are they, if you bake them right).  I have learned some sauces that I never thought of.  As a matter of fact, last night, we had chicken drumsticks marinated in a "green sauce".  The sauce?  Fish sauce, an onion, basil and mint, a little bit of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes for kick.  Blend it all up in the cuisinart and marinate.  The family loved it.  And the few leftovers we have - they could have been breakfast had I not buried them under the pork roast I pulled last night, and the salad I packed for lunch today.

That's the other thing.  I try to spend one day in the weekend planning meals, so that I can get my shopping done and meals prepped.  I didn't get a chance this weekend, so I did it on Monday night after work.  I went to Costco (my butcher was closed on Monday and I wanted to get this meal planing done and ready to go).  I bought (are you ready for this?):

A pork roast (it was huge)
A package of boneless chicken breasts
A package of boneless chicken thighs
A package of bone-in chicken thighs
A package of drumsticks
A package of ground beef.
A 3 Pack of whole chickens.
A Costco package of Bacon (so 4 packs)

That was just the meat.

I had to go to another grocery store for a few other things that I either couldn't find at Costco or didn't need the size they sell (I couldn't find capers there, for a sauce I want to make, but I also know that capers at Costco are going to be in a size WAY TOO BIG for me to ever use up).

Once I had all my groceries, I went home, had a bite to eat and started prepping. I knew I wanted to make Fiona's Green Chicken from Nom Nom Paleo (www.nomnompaleo.com), so I got Banana involved and had her split the package of drumsticks.  One half (14 drumsticks) went into a freezer bag for Green Chicken, the other is sitting in my freezer in a ziplock bag in a Peruvian marinade also from Nom Nom Paleo.  I have to check the recipe for the sauce that goes with it.

One of the whole chickens was put into a freezer bag and coated with poultry seasoning.  It will go into the crockpot for Roasted Chicken a la Nom Nom Paleo.  The other two I froze together in one freezer bag.  I'll cook them together at some point.

With the chicken thighs - the boneless ones will be thawed and used to make Paleo chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker - probably next week.  It's a busy week this week.

The bone-in ones will be made into Cracklin' Chicken, again from Nom Nom Paleo (actually, all the recipes are from Nom Nom Paleo, so I'm going to stop saying that).  I split them into 3 bags of 8 thighs.

The pork roast... OOooh.  Was that fun!!  I lined the bottom of my crockpot with bacon, rubbed the roast with pink Himalayan salt (because I didn't have the Hawaiian Salt Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo suggests, and I suspect it's expensive) and then put some garlic in the space where I presume the bone was cut out.  Put that on top of the bed of bacon and cooked it on low for - are you ready for this....?  16 HOURS!!  I had the girls unplug the crockpot when they got home from school, and The Hubs started to pull it.  Since I work part-time for a caterer doing her grocery shopping - and this week's order included 2 cases of water and 32 2L bottles of pop, my very tired arms didn't let me finish pulling it, but I pulled a lot of it and it's in the fridge in a Pyrex.  So what to do with it? The Hubs looked in the cookbook where I got the recipe.  I'm having it on a salad for lunch today with a dressing I made of lime flavoured olive oil, mustard and coconut vinegar.  It can go in lettuce cups with julienned veggies.  It can be made into hand rolls with roasted Nori sheets (seaweed).  I can be fried up to crisp it a bit and served with scrambled eggs.  It can be put into an omelette.  Toss a dressing on it and make it a sandwich of some sort.  There's so much that can be done with it.  And considering how busy our week is this week - Banana and Squish have their final concert with the York Region Children's Chorus tonight, tomorrow is Banana's last karate lesson before her grading test next week and ranking ceremony the following week.  So having some protein ready for them to pull out of the fridge and eat without worrying about how they're going to get a good dinner, is a load off my mind.

I bought broccoli, and I will roast it as we need it in the toaster.  It's perfect.  I can make a broccoli salad with Paleo mayonnaise and whatever I want in it, and because I bought the bag at Costco, well, it's huge.  So we'll have roasted broccoli with dinner one night, and I'll also make cauliflower "rice" because I like it, it's low carb, and the kids will have to choose what veggie they want - broccoli, cauliflower rice, or both.

I'm trying to move away from potatoes and rice, but I'll still let the kids have it from time to time.  It's a lot easier than trying to 'force' them to be kosher.  And since I can't eliminate dairy (it's just too good), then the kids don't argue.  I could probably figure out a way to make cauliflower "macaroni and cheese" and they MIGHT like it.  I'll have to experiment on a weekend when I have nothing else to do, really.

As for eating out - I just don't stress about it.  It's not like it's an allergy.  I'm a carbaholic, too, so sometimes I'll have a baked potato or fries.  But generally I try to have a protein and veggies, and skip the carbs.  But there are places that I just can't resist.  Like the fries at Swiss Chalet (or the baked potato).  Or sushi.  I like sashimi, but I like sushi better.  Squish likes noodles when we go for sushi, and I'm not going to tell her she can't have them because then she won't have that much to eat. She eats beef noodle soup - without the soup - the sushi restaurant we go to makes it for her.  It helps to be regulars!!.  And she's starting to like salmon sashimi.  So since that's about all she'll eat, I can't say she can't have noodles!!

We were in Buffalo at the weekend and we ate at Olive Garden and Outback.  Yes.  I ate an Olive Garden breadstick, but I ordered chicken that came with veggies and no pasta, and at Outback, I shared a 12 ounce steak with Squish and we shared a baked potato covered in sour cream (mine) green onions, bacon bits, butter and cheese.  Mmmm.  See? Dairy.  So good.

Banana is a bit more adventurous and recently told me that she actually likes my zucchini noodles, so it looks like maybe this weekend or next, we'll have Zoodles and Meatballs!! (I'll make regular pasta for Squish.  I don't have the energy to fight her. And it's not like it's going to kill her).

My main aim for following our "Modified Paleo" diet is to make sure we have more whole foods, and for me, to eat fewer carbs to keep my blood sugar in check.  And it's working.  My blood sugars are staying in the normal range, even when I eat, and not spiking as high when I eat carbs. So I'm doing something right!!

I also don't make a big deal about it - I still eat pizza occasionally (though I'd rather not, really), and when we went to my mom's for dinner and she told me she was going to be ordering pizza, I brought my own dinner.  I didn't want to make a big deal about it, and I didn't want her to stress or think she had to get something special for me.  I was there for the company.  Not the food.

And that's what it's about.  Enjoying time with people and enjoying healthy food.  Even The Hubs has said that on days he eats more Paleo than not, he sleeps better and feels better during the day.  So there's that.

10 Questions Parents of Twins Get Asked, and How to Answer Them.

It has taken me nearly twelve years to have the strength to write this post.

For those of you who don't already know this, Banana and Squish are twins.  They came into our lives five weeks early at 35 weeks gestation, on July 10, 2003.  They spent three weeks in the NICU (Special Care Unit, actually) and were not in incubators for more than 24 hours after birth.  Except for Banana, who has always played to the beat of her own drummer.  She had some jaundice so went into an incubator for another 24 hours for phototherapy.  But other than that, both girls were breathing just fine on their own and though they were five weeks early and needed to learn how to suck properly, they were pretty healthy (if you consider Squish's constant projectile vomiting of every feed 'healthy').

When we finally got to bring them home (three weeks after they made their entrance into the world), we began to get inundated with the multitudes of questions that people seem to feel they have the right to ask.

You see, having twins is like instant celebrity.  People seem to notice twins and they just have to stop and ask as many questions, as they can.  Not as many as they feel is appropriate, because apparently nothing is off limits when you're asking a mom of twins about her twins, her pregnancy, her fertility, her feeding procedures, and her justification for said everything-related-to-babies.

God help the people who got to me before I'd had my morning coffee (just ask my sister-in-law.  She was often present when this happened)

Some of the answers I'm going to post I wish I had thought of (I'll qualify those ones).  And the ones I actually did.

1.  Q: "Are they twins?"
 My Answer: (with confusion on my face): Yes (while thinking 'Why on earth do you think there are two of them?!')
What I wish I'd answered: "No.  I found one in a parking lot and figured 'Meh, why not?'"

2: Q: "Are they natural?"
My answer: "Ummmmm? Yes?" (while thinking "WTF does that mean?!")
What I wish I'd answered:  No.  We commissioned them.  They are made totally of recycled parts.

3. Q: "Did you use fertility treatments?"
My answer: "Ummmmm?" (while thinking "And this is your business because?")
What I wish I'd answered: "Do you want the name of my doctor?  Shall I have my medical records forwarded to you?"

4. Q: "How do you tell them apart?"
My answer:  "I'm their mom.  I don't really have a problem telling them apart.  They don't even look the same."
What I wish I'd answered: Well, my answer above is pretty much it.

5. Q: "Are they boys?"
My answer (usually): No.  They're girls (usually while thinking "did the pink blanket, pink shirt and flowery pants throw you?"
What I wish I'd answered: Oh, did the pink blankets, pink shirt, flowery pants throw you?
My husband liked to answer: "Why?  Are you going to buy them a present?"

6. Q: "Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding?"
My answer: "Bottles"
What I wish I'd answered:  "I can't really see how that's any of your business, but since you asked, based on how they eat and the fact that one likes to throw up every time I feed her, I wasn't in the mood to be a cow and be feeding 24/7 since they don't eat at the same time."

7. Q: "Which one is the evil twin?"
My answer: Blank stare
What I wished I'd answered: Blank stare pretty much covers it I think.

8.: Q: "How do you manage with two?"
My answer: It's not that I have much of a choice.
What I wish I'd answered: "I pick the one I like best that day and take care of that one." or "How do you manage to get up everyday?"

9. Q: "You must have your hands full!!" (Okay, not really a question)
My answer: Yep.,.  both of them.  And my heart, too.
What I wish I'd answered: See above.

10: Q: "Are they identical or fraternal?"
My answer: Fraternal
What I wish I'd answered: "Sororal. Get it? Cause they're girls."

It has never failed to amaze me, even now, how much people think they deserve to know about you, your children and your medical history when it comes to twins.  I swear, it makes me want to go up to them and say "is that your child?  Is it a boy or a girl? Did you have it naturally or did you need fertility? or did you adopt it?" Noone ever goes up to the parent of a singleton and ask any of the above.  And if the kid doesn't look like the parents?  Well that's a whole 'nother ball o' wax (such as Asian children adopted by North American parents - my friends adopted their daughters and I have heard that people ask white couples of Asian children how much their children "cost".  WTF!?)

One thing I will say: I would never ever change the experience of having my children the way I did.  Everything was new, and even though we spent 3 weeks in the Special Care Nursery, I still wouldn't trade our experiences there for anything.  We learned so much, met some incredibly fantastic (and one or two not so great) nurses and doctors.