A Little Bit of Growth

Okay, I have officially been gone forever! You probably thought I'd gone and forgotten about this little blog, but I haven't! I simply was under construction. Me, personally, not the blog. A few months ago, I made the decision to leave the corporate world behind. I traveled a bit, tried all kinds of new things, started building a consulting practice, and have grown bits and pieces in the process. That's what life is all about, right?

If we're not growing, we're staying the same.

 

Me, growing.



Speaking of growing, I read a great story today about a woman named Cecelia Gatungo, who currently lives in Atlanta, GA, but grew up in Kenya. She lived off the land as a child, and wanted the same for the children in her neighborhood. What began as a small garden in her yard, now amounts to a 2,000 sq. ft. farm in the middle of the bustling city. She's partnered with others: churches and schools that have donated land; the University of Georgia which provided advice on garden pests; other urban growers; and even a nonprofit which allows kids to work on the farm. You can read her story here: Growing Wild in the City 

 

I had my own experience with gardening this summer, and believe that not only is it an experience in personal growth, but it truly brings people together. Working off the land is difficult to describe. There are seeds, dirt and bugs, and there's sunshine and water. Then there are smiles and laughter, and family and friends, and new friends, and caring and sharing, and community. There's learning and growing. There's cultivating and nurturing, and some obstacles along the way. And there's the moment you bite into a tomato or a strawberry you've cared for, and watched grow. Magic.

 

If you haven't tried it, you must. Start as big or as small as you'd like. Build a garden in your yard. If you live in the city, try urban gardening (as long as you have a small balcony, you can grow in pots). If you have no outdoor space, invest in a plot in a community garden. Just grow.

 

Cecelia Gatungo has found a way to grow, not just herself, but her whole community. I'm growing one day at a time. Join me?

Ingredient Labels

When you're in the grocery store on your weekly run, what's the first thing you look at on a product package? I mean, don't get me wrong, I spend most of my time lately shopping the perimeter of the store, where packages are in less abundance (and non-existent in the produce department!); but when I stumble upon a package, my eyes head straight for... the ingredient list. 

The ingredient list?! Yes. Why the ingredient list, you ask? Well, it's simple. My thing is eating whole food. Clean food. Food that comes from the Earth. That grows in your garden. Not food that's processed in a factory. I say that with a bit of guilt because sometimes, I "fall off the wagon." Hey, we all do, we're human. And the purpose of my blog is to help those who are new to whole foods, new to being conscious of what they're putting into their bodies. Conscious of what they're purchasing at their local grocery store.

That's why the example I'm about to share (for the newbies, and let's face it, all of us!) is that of a packaged food. Chips! Even on my whole food regimen, I snack on occasion. There are still a few 'packaged' items I'll pick up in the store, and munch in small quantities. One of my favorite brands of chips is: Food Should Taste Good. Ingredient label is clean, their Original chips only have three ingredients! This is what you should look for when purchasing a packaged product. I like to look for products with less than ten ingredients; ingredients that are whole, and that I can identify. 

I was at the community pool with my family this weekend. They brought along a few bags of chips, and I was hungry! I scrutinized each label, before deciding whether or not I would indulge. Granted, they all had more calories, fat and sodium than I care to mention, I settled upon the second bag of chips. You'll see why:

The first bag contains:
a) Far too many ingredients.
b) The most glaringly obvious being monosodium glutamate (aka MSG) which I had a little run-in with previously, and therefore avoid like the plague.
c) Ingredients that I can't identify, aka food additives (e.g. disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate).
d) Artifical color (e.g. yellow 6, yellow 5 and red 40). Red 40 is the most used food dye in the U.S., and has been linked to behavioral problems in children, and compounds in red 40 have been linked to cancer.

The second bag contains:
a) Three ingredients: sweet potatoes, sunflower oil and sea salt. I don't know about you, but I can identify each of those.
b) All ingredients that I can pronounce and that come from the Earth (although sunflower oil undergoes a process from sunflower to oil).

Yes...calories, fat, carbohydrates, sodium and sugar are all important to monitor, depending what type of diet or healthy eating plan you're following. It's different for everyone. However, if you know you're starting with whole food, you're one step ahead.

If you're going to purchase packaged food at the grocery store, stick with what you know. Back to the basics, in a packaged way. ;)

Now you know, now you grow.

Time To Go Organic

As the terms 'organic' and 'natural,' and the associated behaviors become more and more mainstream, perhaps you've considered taking the plunge. Or maybe just dipping your toes in. But where do you start? What do you buy? And what exactly does 'organic' mean? 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates and provides guidelines for companies producing 'organic' goods to follow. I put 'organic' in quotes because the term has become so widely used, it's lost its true meaning. However, the USDA helps ensure the products you purchase fall within certain standards.

Look for this seal, when you're
purchasing organic products.

The good news is if you're ready to go organic, it's relatively easy to begin. If you're interested in taking charge of your health, and being conscious of what you're putting in your body, the first step is incorporating more fruit and vegetables into your diet.  However, we keep hearing how our country's produce supply is treated with multiple chemicals, including pesticides (what you spray on insects to kill them), fertilizer and even kerosene (an incendiary agent used to start a fire). Some produce is exposed to more chemicals than others, so if you're looking to go organic, where do you begin?  

My purchases from a recent grocery shopping trip. Organic strawberries,
blueberries, spinach, sweet potatoes and kale. Bananas, lemons, limes and brussel sprouts are not organic.

If you're on a budget (and who's not?) or this is your first time going organic, here's a tip: any fruit or vegetable where you'll be eating the skin or the outside, you should buy ORGANIC. Makes sense, right? Apples are one of the first that come to mind, and one of the most notorious for chemical/pesticide exposure. You pick up an apple at the supermarket, quickly run it under some water, and take a big, juicy bite. This is what you may be exposing yourself to: (top 50 pesticides used on California apples in 2009).  Yikes!

So, apples are an obvious fruit to purchase organic, and they come in just as many varieties organic as they do non. What else? Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) - super antioxidants, super fruit to buy organic. Peaches, plums, nectarines, and grapes. On the veggie side, celery, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, spinach and lettuce.

Start there. If you love your decision to go organic, if you think the strawberries are that much more juicy and flavor-packed, then move beyond this recommendation.  Here's a fabulous list from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that lists the "Dirty Dozen" (fruits and vegetables containing the most pesticides) and the "Clean 15" (those that test with fewer pesticide residue).

Dirty Dozen:
1) Apples
2) Celery
3) Strawberries
4) Peaches
5) Spinach
6) Nectarines - imported
7) Grapes - imported
8) Sweet bell peppers
9) Potatoes
10) Blueberries - domestic
11) Lettuce
12) Kale/collard greens

Clean 15:1) Onions
2) Sweet corn
3) Pineapples
4) Avocado
5) Asparagus
6) Sweet peas
7) Mangoes
8) Eggplant
9) Cantaloupe - domestic
10) Kiwi
11) Cabbage
12) Watermelon
13) Sweet potatoes
14) Grapefruit
15) Mushrooms

Drop a comment below if you've recently decided to go organic, and tell me how you've made the change.

*Now you know, now you grow*

Where do you run?

What do you do to stay in shape?

I enjoy hiking, jogging, riding bikes - and snowshoeing and skiing in the winter. Sometimes I hit up a gym or an indoor fitness class, but I prefer to exercise outside; nothing like fresh air and warm sunshine to fill your lungs and clear your mind. I'm lucky I live in Utah where there are endless trails, mountains, meadows, and a variety of terrain to cover. It helps keep things fresh and fun.

One of my favorite 'clear your head' runs is the path that weaves its way around McPolin Farm in Park City. Wide open space, and a beautiful, monumental white barn (formerly a dairy farm) in a lush green, rural setting.

Jogging passed McPolin Farm

Down in the valley, I enjoy jogging around Sugarhouse Park. With a duck pond, a tiny waterfall and lush green grass, you forget there's a sprawling city all around you. What are your favorite places to exercise outdoors?

Dreaming under a shady tree, after a jog around Sugarhouse Park.

My First Veggie Garden

After a week of damp, soggy skies, the sun was bright and warm, and Spring was in the air.  I spent the day Saturday with my mom celebrating our birthdays (I was born on her 26th!). We shopped, we lunched and we gardened.  The latter being my favorite.  I'm a Taurus.  Stubborn as a bull for sure, but also an Earth sign.

Although this wasn't my first time gardening, this was my first time planting a veggie garden.  I can't say I have a green thumb...I've killed more than a handful of house plants, and apartment patio plants. 

Jokes aside, I have faith that gardening is in my blood. I'm an Earth sign after all, and these plants went straight into the Earth.  We decided to forgo seeds, and start with seedlings, as we're eager to enjoy our fresh veggies as soon as possible!

First we prepared the soil by raking the Earth. We amended the soil from last season with rich, organic soil, and then dug in and planted our crops one by one. Spices included spearmint, basil, chives and rosemary. An array of veggies that will soon peak through the Earth in all of their colorful, vitamin-rich glory included red peppers, beets, brussel sprouts, red-leaf lettuce, tomatoes.


I have to say, I'm most excited for the brussel sprouts! I'm sure many of you scrunched your nose when I said that, but one of my favorite side dishes is roasted brussel sprouts...cleaned, sliced in half, drenched in olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, and roasted in the oven at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet.  They come out crunchy, golden and delicious!

Do you have a veggie garden? What are your favorite vegetables to grow? Do you have any tips for this novice?

The Real Food Challenge

Today I had the chance to attend an Earth Day Fair at Westminster College, a local university here in Salt Lake City. After several days of rain, the sun was shining and the flowers were blooming. Check out the beautiful pink flowering trees that sprinkle the campus. Not sure if they're cherry blossom or dogwood, but they were beautiful and very dreamlike!

My friend's husband is a student in the Environmental Sciences department, and part of a Real Food movement on campus called Westminster for Real Food. College campuses, both public and private, offer an array of food options from catered to cafeterias to fast food chains to Greek housing to convenience stores, but how many offer healthy, sustainable options from local sources?

Enter the Real Food Challenge: a nationwide movement to increase the pervasiveness of real food on college campuses.  Real food is defined by the Real Food Challenge as "food which truly nourishes producers, consumers, communities and the Earth. It is a food system--from seed to plate--that fundamentally respects human dignity and health, animal welfare, social justice and environmental sustainability." To me, the easiest way to define real food is that which comes from the Earth, free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, growth horomones, etc.  Just fresh, clean food.

Check out this adorable little ambassador.

The goal of the Real Food Challenge is "to shift $1 billion of existing university food budgets away from industrial farms and junk food and towards local/community-based, fair, ecologically sound and humane food sources—what we call 'real food'—by 2020." According to the website there are currently 363 schools across the country participating. Is yours?

Another 'movement' at the fair that I thought was pretty rad, was a funky, brightly-colored old school bus called The Green Urban Lunch Box.  When I stepped inside, this is what I saw:

Where seats once existed, there are now two large, wooden beds filled with dirt, seeds and tiny plants; a "mobile greenhouse" as founder Shawn Peterson referred to it.  The mission of The Green Urban Lunch Box is to educate on agriculture, sustainability, healthy eating, and bring the urban garden to schools in a creative way. As I mentioned in a previous post, urban gardening, whether makeshift on a tiny apartment balcony or a 4' x 10' plot in a community garden, is all the rage in progressive communities across the country.

They also have a program called The Back-Farm Program which is targeted to senior citizens and folks with disabilities; volunteers build community gardens in the backyards of program participants' homes. The staff maintains and cultivates the garden in exchange for a share of the produce. 

I love the creativity of Shawn's concept, and the fact that it targets children. With more and more people embracing real food, it's so important to encourage education in the next generation.  And in a time where even children's day-to-day lives are riddled with technology, constant stimulation and instant gratification, here's a program that encourages us to slow down. Let's teach our children to slow down. How magical to see the wonder and amazement in a child's eyes as they slow down, plant a seed and watch it grow.

Now You Know, Now You Grow.

Now You Know, Now You Grow: The Intro

Hi there. Welcome to Now You Know, Now You Grow. This blog will follow my journey into a healthier lifestyle. I’ve been pretty conscious of health my whole life. I knew what I should be eating, how much I should be exercising, how many hours a night I should be sleeping; whether I chose to follow any of it was another story. Everyone has an eye-opening experience at some time or another. Mine was at a Chinese restaurant.

My adventure into healthy eating began one fine day while I was eating lunch, and had a reaction to something in my food. The reaction involved a head crushing feeling, numbness in my face, hands and arms, etc. Safe to say, it scared me. And when I get scared, I hit the Internet. I learned that many of the additives in our food, whether for flavor, color or function, are dangerous and don’t belong there. Some are even neurotoxins that can affect our nerves and brain cells. Why are they in our food? Because they’re cheap and fast. Think about it, when there’s big demand for an item, whether food or drink or even a child’s toy; manufacturers look for the cheapest and quickest way to make the item, keep it on the shelves, and keep sales consistent.

It’s astonishing the amount of artificial flavorings, additives, and straight up chemicals that are in the foods we eat. Let’s take ice cream, a childhood - and let’s not kid ourselves, adult - favorite. If you were to make ice cream at home, what would you put in it? Milk - check. Cream - check. Eggs - check. Sugar - check. And then a flavor…say vanilla or cocoa for chocolate, coffee beans or chocolate chips. Simple enough. Have you looked at the ingredient list on the carton of your favorite store bought ice cream? One brand has 12 ingredients in their chocolate ice cream. Ingredients that you can’t pronounce let alone identify their source.

It’s time to go back to basics. Time to be conscious. You’re conscious of the type of gas you put in your car, you’re conscious of the brand of clothing you prefer to wear, but you’re not conscious of what you’re putting in your body. Wake up. Open your eyes. Take responsibility. Eat clean. Eat what grows. 

Follow my journey....better yet, join me.  I hope to inspire you.

Now You Know, Now You Grow.