Organic Cotton

So, I read an interesting article in the LA times IMAGE section this past weekend.  Here's a link to it.  The article discusses the exhibit  "Eco Fashion: Going Green," on view at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.  Too bad I can't make it to NY.  This article discusses a few different evolutions in fashion, from mass production so everybody could have fashion to new synthetic dyes.  Of course each has their own ramifications.   The mass production was successful due to poor working environments which led to its own problems, like workers dying in the  Triangle Shirtwaist Factory factory fire, all the women were trapped inside because management locked them in so they couldn't take breaks.  Now the US has stringent labor laws, of course not all our clothing is made in the US.  The other advancement I mentioned, synthetic dyes, also had its share of problems.  One 1800s silk tulle dress was dyed with arsenic attests!  Ew!  arsenic?  
Now how does this relate?  Well, maybe (probably) we're poisoning ourselves, in many ways.  Maybe 100 years from now will people be saying "Eww that shirt was made without organic fibers?"


However, in the same article I learned a few new things that further my challenge with the non-food part of my  mission.  The challenge being: when I go towards organic am I really doing any good for myself or for the planet?  In this article specifically, they discuss cotton nylon seersucker, which was supposed to help save energy by not having to iron, but the production of nylon is  hazardous to the environment because it leaves nitrous oxide gas in the environment for about 120 years!  So should we iron or leave behind a gas for 120 years?  And what about Rayon?  The article mentions that it's biodegradable and better in that regard than cotton, but it's chemically produced.  So if I do some research, will I find that the way it is produced is more harmful than the way cotton is produced?  So which wins? 
Food is a bit more clear cut, although organic is more expensive, it's healthier for everybody.  But beauty, clothes, other products, not so clear cut!  When I decide to use organic sunscreen will it be as effective and ward off skin cancer?  But if I use the cheap stuff am I just opening myself up to thousands of chemicals that will eventually give me a different cancer?


something to think about, and investigate further!

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Organic on the cheap!

Since going organic, I have found cheap ways to buy organic produce.  Like NOT shopping at big name stores where organic is rare.  And when you shop direct (as direct as possible) from the source at the farmer's market, you usually get a better deal.  So I have been making sure to hit one up as often as I can.  But it's always nice to find an article about how to save money.  I have embarked on this mission, why not make it cheaper?

Here's an article from Red Plum that I found via a google search.  Keep it open so you can refer to it.

#1 Farmer's Markets- I already do.

#2 Coupons - I'll have to pay better attention to my sunday paper. I really never expected to see anything for organic foods.
#3 makes sense - quality is better than quantity, 1 cheap organic apple will fill me up better than a junky 100 calorie pack (which really aren't that cheap if you're eating 4 a day to stay full!).  

#4 Spelt - hm, I knew to always look for whole wheat flour, but I'm not too knowledgeable about Spelt.  i'll investigate it and maybe even test it out (check back here for my findings!)

#5 Go Local - How can you be so sure that local foods are automatically organic?  If you live near a big farm that isn't organic, you're still eating locally aren't you?  I think they mean that if you go to a farmer's market and the sign doesn't say the farm is certified organic, it doesn't mean the farm doesn't use organic methods, it just means the farm is too small to pay for certification.  So ask!  I'll try this next time!

#6 Going Veg. - It can be cheaper.. but if you're replacing your chicken with pasta every night, it won't be healthier.  Just make sure you're transferring your money from an expensive organic food to a good-for-you alternative.

#7Nuts- I do love raw nuts.  Especially organic nuts, and when you can buy them in bulk at WF or some other health store, they're usually cheaper.  This also gives you a cheaper, healthier alternative to whatever your current snack is (unless it's an organic apple..then, they both win!)

#8 Bread variety- Not sure how looking at different organic breads will be cheaper, maybe because you'll have more options- so you'll be able to find better deals? Definitely healthier to go whole wheat or better yet, sprouted!

#9 Pasta - Whole wheat pasta is the only pasta I eat, I can't even stand white pasta anymore - so much better for you and usually the same price as the regular!

#10 Au Natural - Raw foodists believe that it is always better to eat something in the raw (hence the name) from fruits to nuts to agave, I believe that when you eat something in its simplist form you are saving money (as long as it isn't some gourmet label) and absorbing the most nutrients.

Some other tips I have read over the past month that I like are: do it yourself!  You have complete control over your garden, you decide what does or doesn't go in it.  And join a CSA!  They give you a bag a week of local and organic fruits and veggies, I plan to do this when I move to San Francisco in the fall.  Can't wait to report back!

Mostly Organic Weekend!

We started our Friday night at Planet Raw in Santa Monica..umm who new Cheesy Kelp noodles could be so delicious!! The dessert, chocolate mousse was aaaamazing!  wow, I really like raw food when I get it (and I eat raw for breakfast and lunch on weekdays), but the only other place I have been to is Rawvolution and their service is awful!  Our service was better and they seemed more open to non-raw foodists, ready to make recommendations.

We decided to hit up organic wineries in Santa Barbara with the boy's brother.  After starting with non-organic Starbucks drinks, (it was close and convenient!) We stopped at Plate in Malibu on the way to Santa Barbara.  They claim that they use all organic ingredients, so I am trusting them.  His breakfast burrito w/ chicken sausage and my egg sandwich with turkey bacon were delicious!!

Our first winery was Beckmen vineyards.  Completely bio dynamical!  what does that mean?!  read more about that here, but the main quote I found interesting is: . "By treating vineyards as complete and self-replenishing systems, biodynamic farming naturally builds soil life and vitality, while defending against pests and disease. Often confused with both organic and sustainable farming practices, biodynamic farming meets the criteria of both, while focusing on a unique set of eight naturally derived non-chemical soil and plant treatments."  The wine pourer said that bio dynamical farming includes the lunar calendar and even some spirituality,  like planting crystals near the crops.  But in the end, the grower won't do anything if it doesn't help the plant/enhance the flavor.  

 Alma Rosa was next.  It was a great space!  I felt like I was in the person's house.  We hung out in the patio, drinking wine, listening to music that one of the worker's had written/performed (we got his CD).  I was a little bummed when I asked about their organic practices and she said "well our crop is all organic, but since we just split off from Sanford a few years ago, we have to buy some fruit."  So does that mean that fruit can't be organic too?  But they do recycle their bottles!

For dinner we hit up Los Olivos Cafe which uses local and organic farmers.  OMG!  I don't know if it was because I was tipsy or it was really that good but the pesto pizza (mykanos, i think it was called) we had was amazing as was the bread and olive oil/tapenade.  damn.  my mouth is watering right now!

We ended off the day lying in the grass of a sunny font yard of some guy who was playing his guitar!  So cool!  he opens his "garden" up for people to come and sit in chairs or on the grass and listen to him play.  Perfect way to end the day.

I didn't go off the organic deep end Sunday, but I also made my own food most of the day, except for dinner.  All in all, not bad, and a fabulous SoCal weekend!  

A not so quick note about organic beauty products!

I want to do a weekend update, but first a note about beauty:

 Thank you Whole Foods!  This is one reason why buying organic, really organic, beauty products was so difficult!  All these different companies label themselves as organic, but aren't.  Sure they use more organic ingredients than the big brands, but they aren't really organic.  Just the name is organic.  I once bought a shampoo on sale at rite aid that was some top brand "organics" line.  I didn't really care that much about organics at the time, but it smelled great and I thought, better than grinding my own rose petals.  Well I looked at the ingredients.NOTHING is ORGANIC!  I don't think there's one thing in that list that is actually natural.  So when I started looking at organic bath and beauty products, I was cautious to make sure I wasn't getting fooled again.  You can name your body wash "pure gold" but there won't be a drop of gold in it!  Same applies to organics and marketing.  So this is one of the reasons I stopped my quest for organic bath and beauty products.  Not only  were there not many "Certified Organic" (95% or more organic ingredients) but I also couldn't decide if they were just the same as the big name brands.  Now I know that most of them don't have certain major bad chemicals, according to WFs Standards (at least 2010 standards).  So I am using nature's gate and Avalon organics hair care (not saying I really like it..in fact I don't think any natural conditioner makes my hair happy, just greasy) but it works fine for now.  I don't want to buy any more beauty products until I do more research, my wallet can't handle it! Though, I do really like the nature's gate body lotion, it smells and feels great!

 
This article talks about how people are shying away from petrochemical products, because of the oil spill, people don't want to be dependent on chemicals made from petroleum, which is great, helping the environment.  But what about that which the product is actually intended: ourselves.  This raises so many questions!!

Is the lack of those chemicals, in big brands going to create a better product?  Will those big brands just replace the petrochemicals with other chemicals?  If it's great for the environment is it still great for me?

So let's say we do go all organic!  Yay!  Real ingredients for real beauty without chemicals (at every step), or so I hope!  But now the question is: When we go all organic with our beauty products are we losing some chemicals that are necessary for the demands of our society?  I once heard from a "natural" beauty line:  "we use natural ingredients and scientific advance to keep up with today's societal demands."  Basically, will I still be happy with the way my hair dries if it doesn't have chemical x or z in it? And what about all the advance in science that lead us to this petrochemicals?    If we advanced towards the chemicals to make a cheaper (not better) product, then then hell yea get rid of the chemicals and get back to basics!    But if not, then years of beauty research is going out the window!   So what now?  make my own body wash, and hope it works?

So, again, beauty is on the back burner until I answer these questions..but at least WF understands some of my issues!

Almost all organic pizza!

So last night I decided to be a good girlfriend and make dinner!  I thought it would be cute to do a "make your own pizza night."  The idea being like a fun, interactive cooking party.  You get all the ingredients and then decide what you want to put on it and you can even have individual pizzas if you so choose.  Didn't work out so well.  Well, it's tough when we both had places to be later in the evening and he used to make pizzas for a living, so..he ended up taking over.  I don't think he minded much.  I didn't!
So I went to Whole Foods and picked up the ingredients. (I don't work there, and they don't pay me to shop,  but where else will you find the most organic selection, really?) I wanted to make a caprese type pizza with fresh mozzarella, basil from his garden and the organic tomatoes we already had at home from the farmer's market.  I also wanted shredded mozzarella for a veggie and sausage pizza.  I spent so much time in the cheese area the guys at the nearby specialty cheese counter were looking at me funny.  So WF has the "everyday 365" line which includes shredded cheese.  Well every cheese EXCEPT mozzarella came in organic and non organic variety!  Of course!  And then there was some organic cheese line on sale, but the mozzarella was all sold out!  Fine, I got the organic farms brand, more expensive, smaller packaging..grrr.  Ok moving onto fresh buffalo mozzarella... yea not organic.  I finally got one, and when I looked on the back it said it was produced by "XYZ organic dairy farm" but the cheese itself didn't say organic on it.  Fine, I guess they are just marketing their company as organic but don't pass the test to actually be it? I don't think it's too small of a company (some small companies don't get certified because they can't afford it or it's too much work, i think, i'll look into that more) So, to make myself feel better I also picked up a small amount of organic locally grown goat cheese.  yuum.
I got organic feta and spinach sausage.  Organic mushrooms.  I wanted bell pepper but there were no organic varieties.  (so much for my theory that WF has an organic variety of most produce) We had organic squash and zucchini at home, as well as garlic and onion.  So now on to dough.  Well they make their own whole wheat dough..delicious, but not organic.  My other option was organic corn meal crust.  I should have gotten that, except I really like whole wheat dough.  Plus!  the bf wouldn't have been able to play with it and stretch it and even toss it a bit (nothing major, i told him he would be very sorry if it dropped)
 So, my first pizza was the caprese: fresh tomatoes, garlic, fresh mozzarella and basil, but neither the crust nor the cheese was organic. (I didn't even want to ask anybody at the specialty cheese section for organic, they already thought I was crazy for staring at pre-package mozzarella for 20 minutes) The second pizza ended up being veggie AND sausage (was thinking of doing 3, but the first two took too long) So everything on that was organic, even the cheese (didn't want to use the other ball of fresh mozzarella..saving that) EXCEPT for the crust.  Oh and BTW, it was delicious!!  Seriously!  I was really proud of us (well mostly me on the first pizza and him on the second..which explains why it was so big and heavy!)
Maybe i'll try the cornmeal next time.  It will be organic and save lots of time!  Or maybe, i'll make my own Organic whole what dough!  crazy!!

Grappling with Grapes

I really like grapes, and I always eat them when they're out.  I really need to remember to buy some organic ones and to stop eating non-organic ones.  After all, they are on the dirty dozen list.  So here's my latest problem with grapes: yesterday I was picking at some grapes that were out for a meeting.  A co-worker walks up and says "mm...grapes" he looks at the top of the box (I didn't) and says "oh, wash these well they're from Chile"  "Right, I said, probably full of pesticides..."  He starts washing his handful... "well, DDT.."    As he walks away munching on his handful of grapes, I thought  didn't we ban that in the 70s or something?   I was right.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT. Well I was really freaked out, because we did ban it Chile hadn't?  I thought why would the US let us eat produce that had been sprayed with DDT? And why would the US do business with a country that was using DDT, how hypocritical don't they know that eventually it affects the entire ecosystem, not just Chile's immediate environment?
Well my freak out lasted until I did some googling.  It turns out Chile banned DDT in 1984 (as many countries have since the 70s).  They probably did it once I was born in Feb. 1984 - "oh that girl will one day grow up to hate pesticides, especially DDT...let's get rid of it now"  Ok maybe not.  but anyway, it's been gone for a while.  
So then why are imported grapes on the dirty dozen?  Why not US grapes?  
http://organic.lovetoknow.com/Dirty_Dozen_Organic_Foods
That article explains it.  Domestic grapes are still bad, but not AS BAD as imported.  Makes you wonder what the other countries are using!  Funny that cherries in the US are worse than the cherries that are imported.  I Wonder why.  Once I figured this out..i'll let you know!

With a bad food weekend comes a long post!

So I started my weekend at a Dodgers game on Friday night with the rents and my boyfriend.  Dodgers stadium has been trying really hard to appeal to picky eaters.  They recently teamed up with Kaiser Permanente to offer better foods.  I had heard about this so I decided to research it before going.  Here's an article form LA Times that I found:http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/12/science/sci-stadiumfare12.  (I am not going to get into the article that much, they determine health as most people do, by calories, not by what you're actually eating. Since i'm trying to move away from that mind set, I am going to just tell you about the game, cool?)  So I decided to seek out this new healthy alternative at the Dodger game.  It looked so sad.  The little cart had a couple of cartons of sushi, but honestly, it didn't look that great.  The fresh fruit salad was super expensive like 8 dollars or something and looked like it was mostly cantaloupe.  I like cantaloupe, but it's definitely a fruit salad filler.  So that didn't look very good, and there were a only a few salads left, so I decided to pick up a thing of grapes.  Doh!  They're probably imported and full of chemicals!  I should have known since each one was perfectly big, round and crisp.  Though, they satisfied my need for something sweet after my Veggie Dog!!  Woo hoo, finally, something that isn't beef or beef byproducts.  I don't know that the veggie dog is really that great either, but as a girl who grew up going to games with the family and chowing down on all sorts of delicious and unhealthy stadium food, it has been hard for me to find a satisfying substitute at the games since I cut out red meat 10+ yrs. ago.  It's hard to "root root root for the Dooodgers"  while you have salad in your lap!  So I got my fill of nostalgia by hitting up the condiment station with the rest of the fans!!
Then we had some Dreyer's Dibs, not as good as the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich I was eying, but at least we shared the Dibs.. Don't get me started on dessert.  It's a problem and I know it, but it must be handled delicately, so until I have the time to deal with finding better ways to satisfy my chocolate and ice cream cravings (and cookies and pie, and..) I will continue to derail...Sorry!  

So moving on.  Saturday we got a late start and ended up getting some pre-made wraps and tea at Whole Foods, not bad but not really something I mulled over since we were late for DISNEYLAND!!  We had a fabulous day and weren't hungry but finally got a frozen strawberry lemonade (first 3 ingredients:water, sugar, corn syrup) and I didn't eat much of it because it was too syrupy, the bf was surprised!  I like my sweets to be real!  No more fake stuff.  The bf LOVES popcorn.  Sweets are my obsession, Salt is his (he ate most of the peanuts at the game Friday night, sucking off every last salt piece..ew)  So we got some "street" side popcorn, delicious, but I didn't eat all of my half.  My bf thanked me for that later. I really wanted to check out the healthy carts they have set up now, but when we walked past one, I just saw some dehydrated fruit snacks that I know I don't like and Odwalla. I obviously wasn't trying hard enough since I wouldn't even stop.   I made reservations at Blue Bayou for dinner, I figured it was his first time at Disneyland, we should make it good.  I'll rate the service on yelp later, but the food was AWESOME!  Seriously, I was totally surprised.  I had some sautéed spinach with huge portabella mushroom steaks marinated in an awesome sauce and couscous (omg i LOVE couscous)  mixed with peppers and corn.  Wow, I ate 'til i was stuffed!  On our way out we stopped on Main St for an amazing chocolate chip cookie ice cream sundae.  They said it was "old -fashioned and all natural." Don't know if I believe them, but again..I am not tackling sweets just yet, so give me this one!

Sunday wasn't too bad, we ate at some local restaurants and at least the breakfast place was local and noted a lot of organic ingredients on their menu.  We also went to the farmer's market to make sure I get back on track for the week. Organic strawberries, cherries, peaches.. man I love summer fruits!

I am hoping not to derail too much this coming weekend, but we are going wine tasting..hmm..Organic wine, please!

Vote with your dollar!

Oh my goodness. Shopping for organic foods at a "normal" grocery store is so difficult! The only grocery store near my work is a Von's, and their organic section is so pitiful. Yes, it's better than the nearby Albertson's, but still not great. Plus everything is super expensive! Organic produce is NOT this expensive at Whole Foods. I know people complain that organic is expensive, but it's because they're going to a store where Organic is not the norm. At whole foods, usually, 90% of the time, if they sell a certain conventional produce they have it also in organic too! I love it. I see mangoes all the time and think, mm...i want one of those, all I have to do at Whole Foods is go one bin over and there it is "grown organically." But unfortunately, when i moved recently, I also moved out of range of a nearby whole foods! I used to go on my way home, or would get in the car, and would love the short drive and shopping trip, it was worth it. But now, it's a hassle. So, I end up going to Vons, or sometimes trader Joe's. But, as much as love the idea of TJs, they don't have as much organic as I would like. I also love to shop local farmer's markets, but I haven't been around enough to go a lot. Needless to say, my daily lunchtime salads have been looking pretty sad lately: organic carrots, organic avocado, organic lettuce, and organic tomatoes. Where's the organic fresh kale? or the organic fresh corn? or maybe a few organic mushrooms? :( Not there. And it's summer! My salad should be as bright as possible!

Hopefully, sometime this week I'll make it to Whole Foods. I just wish organic produce was more common and less trendy. I visited the new Trader Joe's in my city last night (not close either, but I was already near there) and it had more organic produce,  more produce in general, my other TJ's has been pretty barren lately. I guess that means they're doing good business?

Anyway, after all my complaining about grocery stores, I found that a lot of press has been given to the "dirty dozen." AKA the most pesticide-y produce. More info: http://www.foodnews.org/methodology.php Read the article especially where it says "Celery had been treated with as many as 67 pesticides" eww.. you think water is going to wash all that away? No way! Think about it, if rain could just wash away these pesticides, would it be worth it for the growers? Worth the money, time, even deaths (yes pesticide poisoning is a real problem). So the list of the dirty dozen, as said in the article is:

1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Bell peppers

8. Spinach

9. Kale

10. Cherries

11. Potatoes

12. Grapes

Now, I like to "vote with my dollar' and buy ONLY organic produce. Yes, i still eat non-organic veggies; it's difficult to ask the chef at a nice restaurant or even a friend's house "umm..excuse me, is this organic?" But I definitely purchase organic and seek out organic options. I know about the "clean 15" in which studies have found little to no pesticide residue on some produce, such as avocados and mangoes, but I still like to be extra sure. Plus, a thick skin doesn't necessarily mean that the pesticides don't permeate. Also, if you want organic to be less expensive (like i do!) then we need to show them that we want more. VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLAR!

Starting OGO! Intro

Hello and welcome to my first entry! My name is Owen and about 3 months ago I set out to organic-ize my life. It didn't work out well. I took on too much too fast, and wanted to video blog it all! Between my camera girl/editor's schedule and mine, we only got 2 episodes done and up. I wanted to start with beauty- trying to see if organic beauty (skincare, make up and hair) products exist and if they're worth it. Basically they say your skin absorbs at least 60% of what you put on it! That's a lot of chemicals going directly into your blood stream and then going elsewhere! So I wanted to purify it a bit - but after some research it looks like organic beauty is going to be too much to take on right now! It would require a lot of research, testing, money and time. So I am putting beauty on the back burner. I am using some products that are not 100% organic but they are more than 70% organic, and I am making sure they're as free of additives as possible. Basically, I trust Whole Foods judgement in what they stock in their Whole Body, and that their "all natural" products are actually natural, so I am letting them choose for me.

So now I have decided to get back to the basics: food! I always choose organic produce- I have been doing that for about 6 months now. But, as far as eating all organic, well that's not happening. I am going to write -not video- a blog about getting into "cleaner" eating and..wait for it...COOKING!! If you know me - I am not a chef. I used to love my microwave- I have slowly been weaning myself off of it, but I used to use it twice a day at least, and couldn't imagine living without a microwave!! Now, I am eating much healthier. I read somewhere, when you dictate your eating habits by calories rather than nutrients it's the unhealthiest thing you can do for your body. Now I am sure I am deficient in some vitamins and don't get enough protein or whatever, but one thing at a time!

My main concern is really focusing on what I eat, where it comes from, and what it's doing once it's in my body. I eat out a lot! It's bad for my diet and bad for this mission, but I'm super social and have to go out or I'll lose my mind. I find people who are really dedicated to eating organic, raw, vegan, whatever (not that I'm fully raw or vegan) can be a bit snooty, condescending or will try to make me their "project." But then I feel bad if I openly talk about not eating what's on somebody's plate because of my chosen diet. So until I figure out how to incorporate my social life into this mission, I am going to be breaking a few rules.

This is where I am starting from- I'll be interested to see where this mission takes me. I don't see it ever "ending," since healthy eating should be a lifetime mission.

Hope you enjoy! If you have suggestions - please comment!!