More Foods to Avoid and How to Do It

Only a couple of weeks after I wrote about fish and shellfish I’m no longer eating, I find this compelling op-ed in the New York Times (via CookThink) about why we should add salmon to that list. It seems that only wild Alaskan salmon is not endangered this season, but since it’s selling at record [...]

A Buying Guide for Seafood That’s Safe for You & the Environment

It is not easy eating seafood these days. There are a number of health concerns, mercury being the number-one issue that has been in the news lately. Beyond that, you also have to worry about PCBs, pollutants and chemicals in your seafood. And if you care at all about the environment, there are a host [...]

How to Make Rice Pilaf

Did you know that some parts of the world are currently experiencing food crises? A perfect storm of high energy prices, drought (possibly caused by climate change), increasing demand in countries like China and India, and usage of grains for biofuels instead of food is contributing to shortages of key staples like wheat, corn and [...]

Warning! New Baby Danger Identified

I recently learned about a new source of mortal danger for my baby: the wind. Apparently, according to a family member who will not be named, the wind will steal my baby’s breath away. I learned this while we were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful spring day, and the family member holding the baby was [...]

Michael Pollan: Why Bother Going Green?

The always-eloquent Michael Pollan has published another op-ed piece in the New York Times that should be required reading for everyone, this time on the question of making life changes to reduce your impact on the environment and your contribution to climate change. “Why bother?” he asks, when your efforts potentially will make such a [...]

BPA-Related News

There is a lot of news about BPA going around the Interwebs this week. What is BPA? It is a chemical found in certain types of plastic, including baby bottles, that has been found to mimic the hormone estrogen and is possibly linked to some cancers, birth defects and developmental problems. This should concern anyone [...]

Pepsi Sells Our Water While We Eat Off Paper Plates

As you may be aware, our part of the country is in an extraordinary drought. The Raleigh-based Pepsi plant, though, continues to bottle Aquafina and ship it out of state. The local newspaper and governments say it’s no big deal since Pepsi uses less than 1% of the water, but that is 1% — millions [...]

Michael Pollan on the Farm Bill

I want to thank Barbara over at Tigers and Strawberries for posting this alert to an editorial by my favorite food writer, Michael Pollan, in the New York Times. This time, Pollan is taking on the Farm Bill. In the editorial, “Weed It and Reap” (horrible title, by the way), he presents a cogent, thoughtful [...]

Picky Eater Discussion

Recently, a study came out that is making a lot of news, which supposedly shows that picky eating in children (and presumably some adults) is genetically inherited and there’s not much parents can do about it, so they might as well give in and make chicken fingers and mac ‘n’ cheese for the little tyrants. [...]

Bottle Your Own Water

I will confess: I used to be a bottled water drinker. I was never a complete addict. I didn’t buy flats of water and keep them in my garage. But I preferred bottled water. I thought it had some quality that made it taste better than tap (probably the chemicals leaching out of the plastic [...]