Cooking without the Permanent Eco-Footprint

Happy 2011 Everyone.  I hope all of you are just as excited as me to begin a new year of transformation.  We've already gone down quite a long road of planetary destruction, now it's time to climb out with mindfulness and creativity, starting in our kitchen.  It's not a road of sacrifice, it's actually a road of increased well-being, health, and community.

One way my husband and I have decided we can help Mother Earth and all her blessed creatures is to significantly reduce our food packaging.  One of my husband's favorite pastimes is picking up litter in our neighborhood and down by the lakes (see pics above).  Unfortunately, most of the trash is single-use food packaging. The amount of styrofoam cups, Starbucks coffee lids, salsa packets from Taco bell, plastic bags in the trees, is truly enough to make your eco-heart cry.  The lakes have accumulated small bits of plastic around the edges that the fish and ducks eat.  This phenomenon has had devastating effects all around the world, including soil and water contamination as well as a conglomerate of plastic twice the size of texas that has accumulated in the Pacific Ocean.

(learn more about plastic pollution here: http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/learn/basic-concepts/

I think it may be quite unwise to wait until the world changes around us, so let's begin with things we can actually do in our own homes to reduce trash.  We must ALL take responsibility for this occurrence immediately, and we can start by taking action into our own hands.  "Be the change you wish to see in the world", Right?  Ghandi was brilliant!

How we got started:

After observing the absurd and ridiculous amount of plastic packaging during even one week's worth of grocery's from Trader Joe's, we started shopping at a local co-op with the goal of avoiding all foods with plastic packaging.

The only way to avoid plastic is by taking some extreme measures (tips for the "busy busy busy person listed later)

 1) Cooking for yourself on a consistent basis
 2) Buying foods that are whole and raw (choose veggies and fruits not in plastic netting)
3) Buying everything else in bulk

The following are steps over the last month that we have taken to SIGNIFICANTLY decrease our kitchen waste:

1) Switched to a small (bathroom-sized) garbage can to be more mindful of trash output

2) Replaced standard plastic garbage bags with small biodegradable bags (we got ours at Target)

3) Started saving glass jars from finished tomato sauce, salsa, honey, jams, etc as containers for our future bulk collection

4) Cut out buying food with single-use plastic packaging immediately (this is harder than you think) and refusing plastic bags (not only at the grocery store but ALL plastic bags)

5) Slowly built up a very nice collection of bulk foods that are supplemented by whole, raw, organic, natural fruits and vegetables, nuts, and grains.  What we currently buy in bulk:

• Spices
• Currants
• Dates
• Walnuts
• Almonds
• Wild Rice
• Oats
• Breakfast Granola
• Wheat berries
• Quinoa
• Red Lentils
• Green Lentils
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Hummus Mix (just add water)
• Nature Burger Mix (for veggieburgers and veggie meat loaf)
• Falafel Mix
• Vegetable Broth Mix
• Brown Rice and Radish Seeds
• Black Beans
• Chickpeas
• Wheat Flour
• Sugar
• Baking Soda
• Baking Powder
• Corn Flour
• Loose Leaf Tea
• Canola Oil
• Olive Oil
• Coconut flakes
• Honey
• Almond Butter
• Coffee

6) Switched to a milk product that allows us to bring our glass jars back to the grocery store when we are done using them to be cleaned and reused by the company.

7) Bought a French press so we can make Tea with Loose Leaf Tea and Coffee at home.  We also have reusable tea and coffee mugs we take with us.  For to-go loose leaf tea, get a loose leaf tea strainer. This one fits in my to-go mug.

8) Experimented with new recipes and learned new cooking skills to help facilitate our transition to an increased time in the kitchen

9) Enjoyed every scrumptious meal made with organic, whole foods with very little weighing out our eco-conscience.

Results:

The results have been remarkable.  Our weekly trash has drastically been reduced (about 2 small bags/wk), and most of our trash is kitchen scraps that one day will be composted (that's the next step).  Then we'll virtually have zero trash!  Our food has been much more delicious, nutritious, and satisfying.  We've learned several new recipes.  I'm sure we're healthier for it.  My husband and I also spend a lot of quality time cooking and eating together, which is one of the most primordial ways of bonding.  I recommend it for any couple or group of friends or roommates :)

On a different note, there are some drawbacks.  We decided to compromise our packaging values for some vegetarian meats and cheese and the occasional bag of chips.  These are basically the only things we buy with packaging though.

This kind of lifestyle does take commitment.  For those of you who have a pressed schedule, don't let our extreme changes scare you to inaction.  If we all walk slowly in the direction of trash reduction, the  results will be plentiful.

Ways to begin on this road if you are a "busy busy busy" person:

1) Become aware of your waste habits: Save all your trash for one week or one month to see how much you individually contribute to landfills.  This means bringing coffee cups and lids, takeout containers, etc home.  It may blow your mind enough to change immediately.  Also, after changing you can feel really great about seeing the difference in trash output. (Remember, only 3-5% of recyclables are actually recycled, most end up in landfills, and ALL plastic is permanent)

2) Make a commitment to cook at home a few times a week, or bring lunch instead of getting takeout.  Both habits often ease the stress on your monthly budget and provide more nutritional meals. Buy non-plastic eco-friendly to-go containers that you can reuse over for your lunches.

3) Dine at the restaurant instead of getting takeout, i'm sure you can spare the 20 minutes to enjoy the ambience, even if you are by yourself!   Bring an eco-friendly to-go container with you if you frequently request a doggy-bag.

4) Each week buy one bulk item and experiment with it.  You could try getting some nuts and dried fruit to make your own work snack (these items are often very guilty of plastic packaging).  Or maybe an item you use frequently, like rice, quinoa, or pasta.

5) Continue to educate yourself.

Here's one article about choosing eco friendly foods

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

In the coming weeks I will post dishes that we've been cooking lately to give you an idea of how we cook without packaging.

Keep your Kitchen "Green" over Thanksgiving

Here is an email I received from the Environmental Working Group... Instead of Summarizing the whole thing I thought I would just cut and paste the information since it is thorough and very helpful.  If you'd like to sign up for it simply go the the Environmental Working Group's website here.  They continually come out with the most up-to-date safety research, especially in regard to foods.  Have a happy thanksgiving!  - Lindsay

"Jane's Holiday Kitchen"  Article by the Environmental Working Group:

One of my favorite things about the Holidays, especially Thanksgiving, is spending time with my family -- in the kitchen or around the table. If you're looking for great new recipes to enliven your cooking, or as a gift for your friends and family, check out EWG's 2010 Holiday Gift Bag. It includes The Earthbound Cook: 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a Healthy Planet, an insulated Klean Kanteen and other great items to green your holiday kitchen. Click here to order one today (supplies are limited).

As Senior Vice President for Research at EWG, I want to make it easy for you to prepare your holiday feasts with your family's environmental health in mind. Just follow these simple tips as you shop, cook and eat together:

• Choose food low in added chemicals and pollutants
• Use non-toxic cookware
• Store and reheat leftovers safely

1. CHOOSE FOOD LOW IN ADDED CHEMICALS AND POLLUTANTS
   Food can contain ingredients we don't want to eat -- from pesticides to hormones to artificial additives to food packaging chemicals. Some simple tips to cut the chemicals:
   • Buy organic when you can. I make sure fresh fruits and vegetables are on the menu, and I go organic when I can. Organic produce is grown without synthetic pesticides (I prefer my dinner without, thanks!). Organic meat and dairy products also limit your family's exposure to growth hormones and antibiotics.
   • It's OK to choose non-organic from our "Clean 15" less-contaminated conventional fruits and vegetables, too. EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides ranks popular fruits and vegetables based on the amount of pesticide residues found on them. Check out our Shopper's Guide to Pesticides (and get the iPhone App).
   • Cook with fresh foods, not packaged and canned, whenever you can. Food containers can leach packaging chemicals into food, including food can linings that leach the synthetic estrogen bisphenol A into food. Instead, head for fresh food or prepared foods in glass containers. Pick recipes that call for fresh, not canned, foods.
   I like to check in with our Healthy Home Tip: Go organic and eat fresh foods when planning grocery trips.
2. USE NON-TOXIC COOKWARE
   Using a great pan makes a huge difference when I cook. I skip the non-stick so that my kids (and our new puppy) don't have to breathe toxic fumes that can off-gas from non-stick pans on high heat.
   Non-stick cookware is in most American kitchens. Is it in yours?
   
   • For safer cooking, we suggest cast iron, stainless steel and oven-safe glass. Yes, there are many new products on the market, but most companies won't tell you exactly what they are. Even if they're advertised as "green" or "not non-stick," manufacturers do not have to release their safety data to the public.
     If you're in the market for a new cast iron pan, purchase it through Amazon and a portion of your purchase total will go to EWG!
   • Cook safer with non-stick if you're 'stuck' with it. You can reduce the possibility of toxic fumes by cooking smart with any non-stick cookware you happen to own: never heat an empty pan, especially at high heat, don't put it in an oven hotter than 500 degrees F, and use an exhaust fan over the stove.
   Learn more about cooking safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Skip the non-stick.
3. STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS SAFELY
   Leftovers can extend the joy of a holiday -- by giving you a break from the kitchen! But be sure to avoid plastic when storing and (especially) when heating them. Here's why -- and how:
   • Skip the plastic food storage containers if you can. The chemical additives in plastic can migrate into food and liquids. Ceramic or glass food containers (like Pyrex) are safer. Click here to get a 10-piece Pyrex set on Amazon (and a portion of your purchase will go towards helping EWG!).
   • Don't microwave food or drinks in plastic containers, even if they claim to be "microwave safe." Heat can release chemicals into your food and drink. Microwaves heat unevenly, creating hot spots where the plastic is more likely to break down.
   • If you do use a plastic container you already own, handle it carefully. Use it for cool liquids only; wash plastics on the top rack of the dishwasher, farther from the heating element (or by hand!); use a paper towel instead of plastic wrap to cover food in the microwave. Also, avoid single-use plastic whenever you can -- reusing it isn't safe (it can harbor bacteria), and tossing it fills up landfills (and pollutes the environment).
   Read more about heating and storing food safely in our Healthy Home Tip: Pick plastics carefully.

I hope these tips make having a green holiday easier. Happy Holidays!

Eating with a Conscience: "A Diet for a Mindful Society"

The Diet for A Mindful Society

"Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society.  I am determined not to [...] ingest foods or other items that contain toxins. [...] I am aware that to damage my body with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future generations.  I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society.  I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the transformation of society."  Thich Nhat Hanh's "For a Future to Be Possible"  

"Cook Because You Care" is not only about health on an individual level, but choosing what to eat and how to eat it is now more important than ever before. It is vital to the health of our bodies, community, and planet to make mindful food choices by taking personal responsibility for the products we choose to buy.  The following are some concepts that I will go into further detail about in future blogs, but the purpose of today's blog is to give an overview of what it means to be a mindful consumer and why it is important, or rather, imperative that we become one.

What does it meant to BE A MINDFUL CONSUMER?


Being mindful doesn't simply involve asking yourself, "hmmm... what would I most like to eat today and where can I find it most conveniently?"  The food industry has trained us well... most of us don't think twice about what we eat, the food just appears before us.  What magic!  However, eating mindfully means making decisions with something larger at stake, making food choices not just on what we'd like to eat or what is most convenient, but what is best for everyone, including our environment.  In general, being a mindful food shopper means knowing what you're buying, where it comes from, and ultimately, what kind of impact it will have on yourself, the community, and environment at large.  First I will list some tips on how to be a mindful food shopper and then give a rundown on the most pressing food issues of present time for those who'd like to know why being a mindful food shopper is so important. 

Buy Organic:  If you can, buy organic foods as often as possible.  This means that you are supporting farmers who use no harmful chemicals to produce your food and farm in ways that are more sustainable for the environment.  Buy a Share of a local "Community Supported Agriculture" farm and get fresh veggies weekly




Buy Local: Look at the package and find out where your food comes from.  Buying an apple from washington has less of an environmental impact than buying an apple from New Zealand.  Better yet, buy local if your grocery store teams up with local farmers.  Support a local Co-op, shop at local farmer's market, or buy a share as part of a community supported agriculture program Learn more about the Eat Local Challenge  Top 10 Reasons to Eat Local

Buy Fresh food or in Bulk: buying bulk flour, nuts, beans, etc with your own cotton bags saves you money and  trash

REFUSE PLASTIC:  As the nightmare of the plastic problem becomes more public, people are taking active steps to refuse plastic containers, forks/knives, packaging etc.  It is immensely helpful for whatever plastic you actively avoid for this purpose.  Environmental plastic waste video  Take the REFUSE pledge

Buy products with the least packaging: making decisions like these helps the food companies know what consumers want.  If we refuse to buy products with packaging or refuse plastic altogether, they will have to change their ways. 

Bring your own renewable bag, NO PLASTIC BAGS!  plastic bag mockumentary 

Advocate, advocate, advocate:  There are several advocacy groups that are well under way trying to change laws from the top.  Food safety MUST be a priority for all.  SAFE FOOD is a right, but it won't be legally enforced unless individuals take action.  Take Action Here NOW 

Join Meatless Mondays: If all Americans simply substituted one meal of chicken per week with a vegetarian alternative, it would be the equivalent of taking 500,000 cars off the road  Why go meatless?  "Livestock Impacts the Environment" -United Nations Article 

Vote with your dollars: Just know that every time you buy something you say "Thumbs up, guys, I love your product, keep it coming!"  With that being said, know WHAT and WHO you are supporting.  Investigating the companies from which you buy food is a start and with every little morsel of knowledge, you will be able to vote in a much wiser way each time

CONTINUE TO EDUCATE YOURSELF

Food companies will continue to do whatever it takes to increase their profits, as long as people let them. For the sake of your own health, the health of your children, the health of the planet, and the future for all of us, please take the time to educate yourself on these matters.  If this information is new to you, it may seem overwhelming.  But being educated helps us make better decisions and allows us to be a part of the solution instead of ignorantly causing more destruction.  In these passages, I have covered these topics generally, but I urge everyone to look into these in more detail.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO BE MINDFUL OF OUR FOOD CHOICES?


Who regulates the safety of our food?

Unfortunately, safe food is no longer a right but a privilege offered only to those who can afford it or who have the time to educate themselves about these issues.  The majority of food that is readily available in our supermarkets, restaurants, and fast food chains are no longer safe to consume (see the Bionic Burger Video.  The FDA continues to allow vast amounts of pesticides, harmful preservatives, artificial food coloring, and many other chemicals into food that have been proven over and over again to cause cancer, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, obesity, heart disease, etc.  Additionally, the American people have unknowingly submitted themselves to a decade long experiment about whether genetically modified foods are harmful.  The European Union and many other countries have banned GMO foods, as many international experts have shown these foods to manipulate human DNA, leading to cancer and many other health problems.

Environmental Working Group's Guide to Food and Toxins

Center for Science in the Public Interest (gives science based proof and helps with safe food options and advocacy efforts) 


Info and Guide to Food Born Illnesses


Shopper's Guide to Pesticides: The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 (By the way, the Environmental Working Group is a great organization to donate to or get involved with.  They are the major organization that funds advocacy for healthy food)


Food Coloring Health Risks for Children  (please pass this on to ALL parents)

How is our food produced?

The vast amount of processed foods produced by corporate food companies are simply different variations of corn, wheat, and soy, all government subsidized crops. These large scale corporate farming techniques jeopardize health in more ways than one.  Corporate farming, whether in the U.S. or abroad, uses mass amounts of chemicals in their products to increase crop yields and to make bigger, better, flawless versions of each crop.  However, the residues of these chemicals are left on the food we eat and have been proven to cause a number of serious health risks.  Corporate farming eventually ruins the soil and has created barren wastelands where nothing grows for decades.   The fertilizers and chemicals used in these techniques create water runoff that flows deep into our soil, water systems, lakes, rivers, and oceans, poisoning our water systems, poisoning the marine life (which we eventually consume), and creating dead zones in our oceans.  The meat industry produces more environmental toxins than any other industry. Finally, releasing genetically modified foods into the natural environment has led to breading of plant species that have already wiped out the diversification of corn species and could eventually leave no seed untouched, meaning there will no longer be any seeds which are NOT GMO in future generations.

Learn more about the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico

What does the dead zone look like from space?

Environmental Working Group's Guide to Safe Fish

"Livestock Impacts the Environment" - United Nations Article

Documentary: "The Future of Food" (talks about Genetic Modification) See Trailer

How are the workers who cultivate these crops treated?

The food industry continuously disrespects the quality of human life of the workers who cultivate the crops we eat.  American apathy has led to an "out of sight out of mind" philosophy when it comes to food.  Whether it is produced in the U.S. or not, the fresh foods we consume are often the result of a labor-intensive workforce of underpaid and mistreated employees.  For decades, the United States has worked diligently to privatize the natural resources of other countries, claiming to help their farms flourish and local jobs increase.  Much of these situations lead to slave-like labor where communities are kept at impoverished levels while the United States food corporations make billions.

The Seven Myths of Industrialized Agriculture

A story of Indian Rural Farms as a result of industrialized farming: Dispendable humans?

What is the impact of the trade and packaging of food having on our planet?

The wastefulness and pollution that comes from the food industry is atrocious.  We are eating apples from New Zealand, strawberries from Chile, and mangos from Mexico, all which come prepackaged in beautiful purple plastic netting or a convenient plastic carton.  The carbon output from shipping foods here and there is obviously contributing to the pollution of our environment.  What is more worrisome,  is the culture of packaging in our food products.  The amount of waste that is produced by food packaging leads to millions of tons of trash a year that will simply be shipped off to a landfill.  The nightmare of plastic has become a reality, as there is an island of plastic twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific ocean.  What most people don't know is that, even though there is that little recycle sign on the plastic we buy, only 3-5% of plastic ever does get recycled.  Any other plastic that has been created since the inception of plastic, is either sitting in a landfill or slowly breaking down into smaller and smaller parts, poisoning our soil, water, and food chains.  This endless cycle of wasteful plastic use, especially in the food industry, must end immediately.

This is the packaging from the groceries I bought last night.  My boyfriend and I are going to take the Refuse plastic challenge and start living a life plastic free.  This is ridiculous!

This is just one of the many photos that Declan has taken while picking up trash in the local Minneapolis area.  It usually is always food wrappings and packaging, especially bits of plastic, he finds in the rivers and ponds.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Marine life consuming plastics

www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org

The Two Hands Project  take your two hands and for 30 min clean up your world (also look for them on facebook)

Documentary Declan made about all the trash he found at our local ponds Golden Valley Ponds
He found TONS of food trash left by others and washed through storm drains, plastic decomposing into the earth....

Hummus Yummus: WHY it's great, HOW to make it yourself, & WHAT to put it on

I officially introduce you to the AMAZING garbanzo bean, or if you prefer, chickpea. What's the lineup on this wonder food?

• High in protein (8.9 g of protein/100 g of garbanzo beans) making these bad boys an excellent source of protein if you are a veggie/vegan or a great meat substitute for those following "meatless mondays" or cutting back on meat intake
• Low in saturated fats (bad fats) and high in polyunsaturated fats (good fats) which means they help to lower bad cholesterol and help fight heart disease (see previous blog article "good fats bad fats")
• High in Zinc, a nutrient of "exceptional biologic and public health importance"
• High in Folate (helps our DNA reproduce and repair itself properly, makes healthy red blood cells, and prevents neural tube defects of newborns)
• High in dietary fiber, making this a great source of healthy slow-acting carbs for anyone with diabetes or insulin resistance

If you grew up in India you would be quite familiar with garbanzo beans as they're the basis for several Indian dishes.  But if you're anything like me, every time my mom mentioned the word hummus, the word itself simply turned me off from eating it.  I'm not sure where my hummus craze began or why, but now years later, hummus is a very integral part of my diet.  It's delicious, filling, and like all the above reasons mentioned, great for my health in so many ways.   This time I decided to make my own and here's how you can too.

Preparation: 

If you're going for the freshest of the fresh taste, I would recommend buying garbanzo beans from the bulk section of your grocery store, which not only saves you money but also saves the world from excess packaging.  They come in dried form, so you need to soak the beans overnight

Equipment:

You are going to need a food processor for this one.  I have a trusty Cuisinart

Ingredients:

Basic Hummus Ingredients are:

• Garbanzo beans
• Lemon Juice
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Tahini

But you can experiment at bit.  I'm not one to follow measurments closely or follow recipes all that often, but I listed a link to epicurious below if you are the type to do this.  I had some fun by making three different kinds of hummus.  White bean hummus, Red Pepper Hummus, and Garlic Pesto Hummus.  In all cases, I added the above ingredients and then that special ingredient to make it a different flavor. 

Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

This was my first hummus, I pureed some white beans with lemon juice and garlic, then the pic below is me adding the garbanzo beans and the tahini.

This is the first step of my red pepper hummus.  I first sauteed the red peppers in grape seed oil (good for cooking at high temperatures), cut them, and then put them in the processor, then added the rest of the ingredients to finish it off

My finished product: Two white bean hummus containers on top, One big red pepper hummus in the middle,a nd two containers of garlic pesto hummus on the side...

Now What?

Enjoy in the following ways:

With Pita Bread or Pita Chips

With a Veggie Tray

On a sandwich instead of mayo

In a whole wheat pita with lettuce, tomato, and lots of other veggies

With Tortilla Chips

Or any of these other recipes

Hummus and Feta Sandwiches on whole grain bread

Vegetables on Rosemary Skewers with White Bean Hummus

Falafel with Hummus

Steamed Broccoli with Hummus

The World's First Bionic Burger

Cook Because You Care: Blog Name Change

I decided to officially change the name of my blog from "Cook Towards a Cure" to "Cook Because You Care" in order to shift the tone, focus, and scope of my blog.


Firstly, I felt that the blog took on a negative tone by using the word cure, as it assumes we are trying to fix something on the inside by using means from the outside.  By taking this view, we both assume that our bodies lack the ability to heal themselves and we also generate a negative representation of illness.   Instead of "curing" our bodies by using external forces, we can work cooperatively with our bodies to understand exactly what they need so that they can naturally restore harmony within.

Secondly cure creates a focus that is more in line with an allopathic system (the traditional medical frame of reference which focuses on the care of symptoms). I hope that my blog can provide information which has a tone of prevention and cooperation instead of eliciting paternalistic nuances.

Finally, I would like the scope of my blog to be more than just medically-minded.  In the choices we make about food, we have the power to choose health for our bodies, but we also have the power to create a more healthy family, community, and environment.

The Vision for "Cook Because you Care"

Cook Because You Care will provide information for choosing foods mindfully.  By respecting and loving your body as the vehicle that enables a happy, healthy life you can choose the fuel that optimizes your body's performance and longevity.  However, eating mindfully also means eating with your conscience.  Caring about where your food comes from and how it was produced is a big part of maintaining not only the health of your own body, but also the health and longevity of the soil, environment, and earth that produces the food we eat.

Likewise, food shopping and preparation are both integral in maintaining a healthy society.  For instance, it is easy to see that farmer's markets bring communities together while the declining family dinner can be rightly justified as a reason for the disintegration of the family unit.  Cooking is a timeless tradition and can aid in the restoration of friendships, families, and communities at large. It is imperative that our culture reestablishes a close relationship with our food and that each and every one of us starts to care about these important issues.

Cook because you care about your body, 
Cook because you care about your community,
Cook because you care about your environment.  

Good Fats Bad Fats

Most of us are still tuning into the almost decade-long health fallacy that fat is bad and should be avoided at all cost.  This current belief stemmed from health professionals trying to curb the sharply rising incidence of heart disease.  The low-fat/non-fat diet craze took off and the food industry capitalized profits on "heart healthy" products that simply replaced fat with an increase in sugar.   As more and more research emerges about the essential role of good fats as a part of a healthy diet,  many Americans are still misinformed.  The real story is, there definitely are fats that should be avoided at all cost and minimized, if not completely eliminated, and there are other kinds of fats that nourish brain cells and organs, that provide long-lasting energy for the body, and that play a hugely important role in the prevention of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and many other illnesses.

Unfortunately, few people know the difference between these fats or how to avoid the bad and seek the good.  To be as simple as possible, bad fats (saturated and transfats) increase one's chances for heart disease by increasing bad cholesterol in the arteries.  Good fats (monunsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) on the other hand decrease chances for heart disease and other chronic illnesses.  To see what kinds of fats you normally consume, run a quick check of the nutrition labels of the foods in your home with these terms.  

How to steer clear of bad fats in your diet:

Minimize and/or eliminate foods products that have large amounts of bad fats including: 

Meat (specifically red meat, dark meat and skin of the chicken, fatty parts of ham, ribs, etc)

** Because meat products are not legally responsible for including the nutrition requirements of their meat content and because meat is one of the biggest sources of bad fats in many Americans' diets, it is important to both understand portion sizes as well as options for replacing meat with other healthier options.  (One cup of cooked beans, peas, lentils or tofu can replace a two-ounce serving of meat).  For more info about choosing/preparing healthy meats see link below "The Kindest Cut" 10-step guide to meat and poultry

Baked goods, Desserts, Fried foods, and Processed foods. 

These food products are some of the biggest culprits for inundating our system with transfat, the most dangerous fat of them all.  Transfats are "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils that really have no function except destruction of a healthy body and have been proven to be a major contributor to several serious chronic conditions.  Because of recent media attention about this concern, many processed food companies have been marketing "Zero Transfat/ Transfat Free" products, however, legally, "ZERO" really means ".4999g of transfat" PER SERVING.  The American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 2 grams of transfat per day, so when a serving size of potato chips is 7 chips and we mindlessly eat the whole bag, we just had 3 days worth of transfat when thinking we were being "healthy." Unfortunately, many people think they are choosing the "healthy" option when they are still consuming far more transfat in their diet without even knowing.  To avoid this, make sure you read the nutrition label in the ingredients section and look for anything that says "hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated".  These terms mean transfat.  

** article: Transfat labeling scam

Dairy Products (cheese, milk, and butter/margerine, thick creamy soups, creamy salad dressings, creamy chip dips and creamy pasta sauces):

Choose lower fat or non-fat options (but then look out for increased sugars), use cheese minimally and be aware of portion sizes (usually a serving of cheese is the size of two domino game pieces), substitute creamy salad dressings with vinaigrette and olive oil and dips with healthier options such as guacamole, low-fat cottage cheese, salsa, and other great heart healthy dips and sauces list here: Healthy Dips

Egg yolks: substitute egg whites or egg substitute  (But the yolks can be a great source of iron for vegetarians who do not regularly consume many bad fats) 

** If Vegan or decreasing egg consumption, substitute flax seed (high in good fats!) mixture for eggs in home baking such as muffin and pancake (1 tbsp milled flax seed, plus 3 tbsp water = 1 egg). Final products will have less volume and taste gummier.

Coconut oil, palm oil, or vegetable shortening:  Avoid cooking with these, substitute olive or canola oil instead.

Here's a list of the WORST FOODS you could ever eat: Worst Foods to Eat (mostly because of their high saturated and trans fat contents)  Worst foods to eat

How to increase the good fats in your diet:

To reiterate, Good Fats: 

• Decrease your chances for heart disease, stroke
• Decrease high blood pressure. 
• Nourish healthy cells in the brain and organs
• Decrease blood sugar levels and protect against sugar crashes
• Serve as a longer lasting and more healthy energy source for the body compared to starchy foods and sugars.  

How to identify good fats:

You can find on the nutrition label "monounsaturated" and "polyunsaturated" fats.  Polyunsaturated fats are also known as ALA Omega-3 fatty acids.  Beware of labeling scams with these terms as well, food companies like to over exaggerate the healthiness of their products by using buzzwords but read the labels to make sure what you're getting. Remember, don't buy any products with "hydrogenated" anything.  

Amazing Sources of Good Fats to start incorporating into your diet today:

Fish or Fish-oil: 

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week (serving size equivalent to a checkbook) specifically fattier fish like mackarel, salmon, sardines, and herring.  Fish is high in ALA-Omega-3 fatty acids.  However, if you are a vegetarian or vegan or are concerned about the food safety issues surrounding fish consumption, there are many other ways that you can get your "good fats" without eating fish.  Also, if you choose to take fish-oil tablets to amp up the good fats, always consult a doctor or nutritionist instead of self-subscribing supplements.

Cooking oils such as grapeseed oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and sunflower oil:

- Grapeseed oil and rice bran oil are very high in good fats and do not break down until very high temperatures so they are suitable when frying foods.  Other oils such as olive oil oxidize at higher levels, transforming a very heart-healthy oil into a carcinogen (cancer-causing) element.  If cooking with olive oil, try cooking at medium heat, turning food frequently, and you can add a pinch of tumeric to the oil to prevent oxidation. 

- You can also create some great dips like tahini, hummus, and tabouli with olive oil, that way you get good fats while snacking 

Almonds and Walnuts:

- Make "walnut butter" or "almond butter": substitute your current peanut butter (often a prime offender of large amounts of transfats) with  a homemade version (they do sell them at the store as well).  Just throw a bunch of nuts in a food processor and add a bit of honey, and 3 minutes later you have your own.  I like to have an apple with almond butter for breakfast.

- Throw a handful of walnuts into your salads

- Add crushed walnuts to a morning muesli, cereal, or yogurt with fruit dish.

Pumpkin Seeds:

- Buy them at the store or roast them yourself at home.  You could do a double wammy by roasting some pumpkin seeds with some sunflower or olive oil and adding a touch of sea salt. 

Flax Seeds:

- Great source of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids 

- Sprinkle flax seeds into muesli or cereal in the morning

- Add some flax seeds into a traditional smoothie

- Substitue ground flax seed for flour in traditional baking recipes

- More benefits of flax seed click here: 

Recipes to increase good fats:

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

- Sliced heirloom tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper

- My favorite salad:  spinach, sliced strawberries, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, balsamic vinaigrette