Chemicals

The recent salmonella recall for eggs probably has you questioning whether you should even eat the eggs in your refrigerator.  Once again it seems that one irresponsible chicken farmer has caused this situation; one bad apple spoils it for others.  Outraged?  Yes.  Please pay attention to this recall.  

The answer for safe eggs is to choose those laid by chickens that are well care for, not piled up in cages in a building.  Cage-free helps.  Organic is well regulated so its your best bet.  When it comes to cost, the nutrient value of one egg is so high that it is worth it. When you compare the price of a box of  sugar-filled, artificially colored and flavored, nutrient-empty cereal to a dozen of good eggs, it is easy to see where you should spend your money.  Buy the better eggs, make some French toast, and enjoy them.

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

Grilling Dads, Jay and Jim Kridel, shared their 12 Best Grilling Tips on our Better Food Choices Radi0 show.  Now you can be a top grill chef, too!

1. LOW and SLOW.  Number one grill tip from the Grilling Dads, Jim and Jay Kridel.  Keep the fire, the heat, to a medium temperature as you cook almost everything.  No high hot flames as they kill the flavor and produce deadly carcinogens.  Replace mystery meat served camouflaged with sauce with moist mouth-watering flavor-filled burgers, hot dogs, steaks, fish and even vegetables. 

2. LOW Fires are made with fewer briquettes spread thinly across the bottom of the grill.  Gradually replace them when needed.  Slow cooked briquettes means slow cooked healthy and super delicious grilled food.

3. Lighter fluid soaked briquettes makes lighter fluid flavored grilled food.  Do we really need to tell you how sickening that is?

4. Listen to the sizzle.  When you want to know if your steak, fish, broccoli, onions or any food is cooking at the right temperature on a grill, bring your ear close enough to listen for the sizzle – lid on or lid off.  If you hear silence, it is time to add some more briquettes, wood or turn up the gas a little.

5. Grilling is a social event, whether it is a small gathering of your immediate family, a larger family affair, or one that includes friends.  Include your kids in the process.  With care, help them to learn how to grill. 

6. Use tumeric, rosemary, oregano and other herbs and spices when you season your food for the grill.  They are anti-carcinogenic – anti-cancer!

7. Grill Baskets are the best!  They are very inexpensive and make it possible for you to grill small sizes of vegetables and keep fish from falling through the grill grates.  Use olive oil to keep anything from sticking.

8. Grill Fruit!  Again, the grill basket makes this possible.  The grilled natural sugars  create phenomenal flavor!

9. Marinate first to maximize flavor and moist texture.  Olive oil, lemon, herbs are enough.  Add cayenne for a little zip. 

10. Keep your grill clean.  A skuzzy collection of residue from past grilling is a great way to ruin a good meal.

11. Precooking hot dogs and sausages in gently boiling beer insures a moist absolutely delicious result.  Once cooked through in beer, lightly grill them until you see a few grill marks.  Beats shriveled up, tight skinned, hard on the outside and often undercooked on the inside dogs.  Since the beer’s alcohol is released in the air while cooking, this is a recipe for kids as well.  Enjoy!

12. Watch for a “Jucy Lucy” burger made by Jay’s 12 year old nephew.  Kids like to cook, too!

Thank you Jay and Jim.  (Listen to the whole show on iTunes!)

… for the health of your family,
ellen and sally

We all need to protect our skin from the sun – but which products are best?  Dr. Sally Byrd and skincare expert Stacey Stilts answered this question during our radio show.  Stacey recommends choosing sunblock creams and lotions rather than sprays or powders which could be easily inhaled.  Also, avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone, parabens, and retinol (or any form of vitamin A).   Products over SPF 30 contain extra chemicals and provide minimal added protection.  Remember to re-apply at least every 2 hours.  And be sure to use sunblock even in the water and on cloudy days!  Sally also recommends taking eating more green foods or taking greens supplements daily (such as seaweed, spirulina, and chlorella) for skin health and anti-aging benefits.  Information on sunblock and natural skincare can be found on ewg.org and greenlinebeauty.com.  For more info and specific brand recommendations, get the free podcast of “Suntan Lotion for Kids and More Skin Care Tips” on iTunes!

Radio Alert! SUN TAN LOTION for kids and adults. Which SPF should you use? What brands do not contain harmful ingredients? Which sunblocks and creams are best? Answers from expert, Stacey Stilts, Fri 6/11, Noon EST, www.BetterFoodChoicesRadio.com, FREE podcast on iTunes.

Get 100% chicken when you buy chicken – not 15% added water weight, no antibiotics, no artificial additives,  not given feed with pesticides and herbicides – just chicken that has been fed healthy food so it produces healthy tender tasty meat. Listen to Matt Flanagan of Shelton’s Poultry – look for real chicken, ones that don’t do drugs.

… for the health of your family,

ellen and sally