Spicy Tomato Kale Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 white onion chopped
• 4 carrots peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp fresh basil
• 1 tbsp fresh sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 24 ounces of pureed tomatoes
• 1 quart of vegetable broth
• 1 can of Eden Farms cannelloni beans strained and rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 bunch of kale chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large pot
2. Add onion and carrots and cook for about 4-5 mins
3. Add garlic next and cook another 2 mins
4. Add spices, broth, water, and tomatoes to pot and bring to a boil
5. Once soup is at a boil, reduce to simmer and add beans
6. Simmer soup for 25 mins
7. Discard bay leaf and puree soup using a hand blender
8. Add chopped kale to pureed soup and stir into pot

Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and small dice (or 1 BPA free-can or container of pumpkin puree)
• 2 cups vegetable broth, more as needed
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitos)
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. In a pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and pumpkin and cook 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the stock, coconut milk, bay leaf, thyme and curry paste and cook for 15-20 minutes, adding more stock as needed.
3. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf and puree with an immersion blender or regular blender.
4. Place back on the stove and add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper as desired. Heat until warmed through.
5. To serve, place the soup in a bowl and top with the pumpkin seeds and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Sunscreen Ingredients

The Ingredients in Sunscreen Destroying Your Health

 

I have been using pure coconut oil for my skin before going out int he sun for the last 3 years, while trying to stay covered in shade or clothing if out for an extensive amount of time.  If you feel you need a little extra protection, please view the post by Food Babe below about making a healthier choice!

Your skin is your largest organ.
It covers and protects everything on your body. How you treat it is incredibly important to your health. However, the skin is one of the most unappreciated organs, and one that I used to totally take for granted, slathering products full of toxic chemicals on it day after day. When I look back at all the different potions I’ve tried, I shake my head in disbelief and wish I would have known better. Not only would I not have developed eczema all over my body and face, but I would have looked a million times better growing up.

One of those products that has always caused me issues – is sunscreen. Every time after a beach vacation or going to the pool, I’d end up with a rash on my face or body. I wondered if I’d eaten something that I was allergic to. Little did I know at the time – the culprit was sunscreen.

The unknown long-term consequences of the chemicals in sunscreen are just starting to be revealed and the results are shockingly horrific, going beyond the common skin rash. Here in the United States, the FDA does not regulate cosmetics as rigorously as pharmaceuticals or food – allowing cosmetic companies to get away with using all types of chemical ingredients that are not used and in some cases banned in other countries. Sounds familiar – eh?
Sunscreen is supposed to protect us from harmful UV radiation from the sun, but as more people use sunscreen, the incidence of skin cancer continues to rise. This fact alone has to make you think – do sunscreens really provide skin cancer protection? Or could the chemicals in them actually be contributing to causing skin cancer?
It gets complicated trying to answer those questions. Some studies have shown that sunscreens do in fact protect us from some types of less threatening forms of skin cancers, but others have found that sunscreens have actually contributed to the risk of some of the worst forms of skin cancers.
So what do you do?
I certainly don’t want to look like a wrinkly old hag when I’m older from laying out in the sun too long without protection – but I also don’t want to increase my cancer risk by using products that could be harmful. Anti-aging is important to me and that’s why I live the way I do – not only do I want to look my best when I’m older, I want to feel my best too.

There are over 1800 products on the market to choose from, making it incredibly confusing and difficult to pick the best and safest brand. Here’s what you need to watch out for:

• Oxybenzone - this is a hormone disrupting chemical which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. It is the most popular ingredient in chemical based sunscreens and only blocks UVB ray (sun’s good rays that provide vitamin D production), not UVA which are the most free radical damaging rays.  Avoid any sunscreen that has this chemical at all costs, especially for children.
• Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate) – A 2009 study by U.S. government scientists released by the National Toxicology Program found when this is applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, it may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions.
• Fragrance – Sure it may make the product smell nice, but this is a petroleum based product that is linked to organ toxicity and allergies.
• High SPF – The FDA does not regulate SPF higher than 50 and there’s no scientific proof they work better than lower SPF. Many of the higher SPFs do not provide any additional protection and studies have suggested that users are exposed to as many or more ultraviolet rays as those who use lower-SPF products.
• Sprays or Powders – Generally speaking, sprays and powders have additional chemicals added to them for performance purposes. These additional chemicals are usually not something you want to be spraying on your body and can be toxic to the lungs. Besides, remember sunscreen is formulated for your skin, not your lungs. Many of the side effects of sprays and powders on the lungs are not tested before being approved.
• Popular Conventional Brands - Aveeno, Banana Boat, Coppertone Sport, Coppertone Water Babies, Bull Frog, Neutragena, Storebrands (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens), Hawaiian Tropic and many other popular brands are rated the worst in terms of safety in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide. You can use this guide to find out how good or bad the brand you have or want to buy is rated.

How To Choose A Safe Sunscreen:

• Look for titanium dioxide and zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens, which do not penetrate the skin and provide UVA protection against the sun’s most damaging rays.
• Choose non-nano products that do not have small particles that can absorb into skin
• Choose sunscreens that are unscented or use essential oils as fragrance
• Pick lotion based sunscreens with water resistance
• Pick broad spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB rays
• Choose sunscreen products that are rated 0-2 in the Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Guide.

Below are my favorite sunscreen brands that are rated between 0-2 for their entire line of sun care products and are the safest available. I’ve included the links on where to find these brands online if you can’t find them in stores near you – but most natural food stores and vitamin shops will have one of these options available. 

• Badger - Certified organic, several different SPFs and option for kids, babies and active people, unscented available
• Aubrey Organics - SPF 26-45 available, unscented available
• California Baby (Target carries this brand) – Formulated for sensitive skin, SPF 18-30
• John Masters Organics - SPF 30, only one option available
• The Honest Company (Online only) – SPF 30, only one option available
• Seventh Generation - SPF 30, only one option available

*Note – Alba and Kiss My Face are two other brands that are safer than most conventional brands. However, you must only choose their mineral based products – for example Alba’s Mineral SPF 30 Unscented and Kiss My Face’s Mineral Lotion SPF 40 are great choices – but other versions in the same brand category may not be as safe.

When it comes to being in the sun, I’m lucky. I tan, don’t burn and don’t completely freak out if I forgot my sunblock – however, because of my olive complexion I have to stay in the sun longer in order to get sufficient Vitamin D. (The lighter your skin color, the faster your absorption of Vitamin D). I wear sunblock at the pool, at the beach and when I’m outdoors for extended periods, but I’ve decided not to wear it everyday.

Using as little as 15 SPF blocks your body’s ability to convert the sun’s rays to Vitamin D by 99%. If you want to increase your chances of avoiding diseases linked to deficiencies in Vitamin D (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and depression) – you must get sunshine! The sun’s rays are pure wonderful energy your body needs.

Before I go – I want to mention this important fact. The biggest immediate benefit of getting sun a few times a week is the reduction of cravings. When Vitamin D levels are low, the hormone that controls appetite stops working. You eat and eat and eat, and never feel full when this happens. The sun contributes significantly to the daily production of Vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure a few times a week is enough to help prevent deficiencies. Vitamin D also helps boost serotonin levels, your happy hormone, warding off depression which naturally reduces cravings. For me, this is reason enough to let the sun shine in!

If you know someone that might still be buying sunscreen with shady ingredients, please share this post with them, you could have a serious impact on their livelihood!

Thank you for spreading the word to the ones you love.
Food Babe

Best Frozen Veggie Burger

Are You Buying The Healthiest Frozen Veggie Burger?

By Food Babe

I have a confession to make: I’ve been visiting the frozen section of Whole Foods more often lately. I would have NEVER, mark my words, found this new product on my own. I usually grab frozen fruits, veggies and ezekiel bread and I’m out of there, not giving a second look to all the pre-made foods available. My thoughts about the freezer section at the grocery store have now been changed forever thanks to Hilary’s Eat Well - The healthiest frozen store-bought veggie burger currently on the market. 

 

The Ingredients

Below is the full list of ingredients for all the Hilary’s Eat Well burger varieties. As you can see, every ingredient is Food Babe approved. The ladies at Hilary’s Eat Well were already fans of Food Babe before they sent their burgers to me to review, so they knew that I was not going to be an easy critic when it came to the ingredients! Hilary’s Eat Well ingredients speak for themselves, but were their frozen hockey pucks going to taste good? I was skeptical at first. Sorry to call them hockey pucks, but let’s be honest, that’s what frozen veggie burgers look like straight out of the package, right?!

These burgers went fast in my house – the entire Food Babe team loved them. They were so good, that I continue to buy them on my own and get frustrated when they are out of stock. One of the problems that I have found with various frozen veggie burgers, is the texture. Hilary’s got the texture of their burgers perfect, with nice bites of bigger pieces of vegetables and grains. The ingredients were not all mushed up into a patty, if you know what I mean. 

My favorite way to prepare them is baked in the oven, then garnished with sprouts, avocado and tomato. You can also put the burgers in the toaster, which makes them a great item to leave in the house for loved ones who are slightly food-preparation-challenged, or for kids. I also love that the microwave is “not recommended” for this product. (Just another reason to throw out your microwave, right?)

Out of all the flavors I tried, Adzuki Bean, Hemp & Greens, and the Original Veggie – Adzuki Bean is my favorite, with Hemp & Greens as a close second. They also have a new “Root Veggie Burger” that has an abundance of yummy root vegetables. I tried a bite of this at the Natural Product’s  Expo East show, and it is fantastic too. I have yet to see the “Root Veggie Burgers” in stores, but when I do, I’ll definitely be taste testing them more with all my favorite toppings.

Hilary’s Eat Well created a spin off product called “Original Veggie Bites” too. These little bites of goodness are dynamite and are actually perfectly sized for children. They are full of the superfood quinoa, and other nutritious ingredients like coconut oil. They toast up to be golden brown and are like the healthiest form of tater tots you could ever buy. They are also really really good dipped in organic ketchup! Hilary’s Eat Well is so skilled at making these bites perfectly crispy on all sides.

Before I go, I just have to mention the care and attention this company gives to to their suppliers who source their high quality ingredients, as well as for their support for GMO Labeling. Not only is this company feeding the world the healthiest store-bought veggie burger, they are also going the extra mile as an advocate to safeguard the food supply. 

Where To Find Hilary’s Eat Well & Giveaway
You can order Hilary’s Eat Well online or use the website to find a store near you. They are also offering a YEAR SUPPLY of burgers to a lucky reader. All you have to do is enter to win on their facebook page here to get your chance.

We all know finding store-bought meals that are actually good for you and not full of additives is HARD to do. But we all experience those days where the last thing we want to do is cook. Knowing about this hidden gem will make your life easier, save you time and get your belly fed fast with the most nutritious foods on the planet when that type of day strikes again.

I’m so thankful for this company and the work they are doing.
If you’ve tried Hilary’s Eat Well before or plan on trying them, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, if you know someone who could use a little assistance in the frozen veggie burger department, please share this post with them.

Good Luck!
Food Babe

P.S. If you want to learn more about store-bought veggie burgers and the dangers lurking behind many of them, don’t miss my full investigation here.

Is Butter Secretly Ruining Your Health?

By Food Babe

Growing up, butter was an absolute staple in my household. We thankfully never got into the margarine craze because my mother believed that butter was good for the brain. Turns out, she was right about that and scientists have now concluded that butter is actually good for you in other areas too. It’s high in a compound call CLA that protects you from tumor growth and cancer, is not inflammatory like man-made oils from corn, canola or soy, and provides a nice dose of Omega 3 fatty acids, if you get it from the right source. But finding the right source can be tricky given all the buzz words and fancy marketing these days. Choosing the wrong type of butter can secretly ruin your health without you even knowing it! Here’s a look at what’s really going on and how to choose the healthiest butter for you and your family. 

Beware of Monsanto Butter

I call conventional butter “Monsanto Butter,” because it comes from cows fed almost entirely genetically engineered or GMO grains and Monsanto is the largest producer of GMOs.

Conventionally raised cows are most commonly fed GMO corn and soy, however, some farmers fatten up their feed with additional sugar from GMO sugar beets and cottonseed. Cotton is the most toxic crop because it isn’t treated as a food crop but as a textile (it has less regulation.) And then conventional dairy cow feed is sometimes fortified with additional protein, Omega 3 fatty acids and CLA from GMO rapeseed (canola) because the cows are not getting these nutrients naturally from the grass. GMO alfalfa hay is also commonly fed to cows. So basically, conventionally raised cows are almost entirely getting their food from GMOs – food that was created in a laboratory, that hasn’t been tested long term, but has produced horrific results in several alarming animals studies. 

Over 49% of all GMO corn is fed to animals or livestock. Only 2% of the GMO soybeans grown are actually fed to humans, the other 98% get fed to animals. Those figures are pretty scary once you consider the astronomical amounts of herbicides being sprayed on these GMO crops and what they are doing to the increase cancer rates, harm the environment and ourselves.

Land O’Lakes = Monsanto Butter
Land O’ Lakes was a staple in my household growing up. We’d use the whipped butter like it was nobody’s business – my mom would use it on her infamous parathas (Indian stuffed flat bread), in countless desserts and to make homemade ghee. Once I found out what was really happening at Land O’Lakes, my Mom and I had a little chat. I explained to her that Land O’Lakes is owned by a pro-GMO company called Dean Foods. Land O’Lakes co-developed genetically engineered alfalfa, directly contributing to the GMO animal feed supply. I also explained that Land O’Lakes contributed nearly $100,000 to the “No on I-522 Lobby” – the bill to label GMOs in Washington State. This is all on top of the fact that Land O’Lakes is not organic, raises their cows with growth hormones linked to cancer, antibiotics and harmful pesticide ridden GMO feed. I told my Mom she has to stop buying Land O’Lakes if we are going to change this world! 

Knowing all these facts, plus the health risks of consuming GMOs, my Mom finally asked “what butter can I buy?” Well there are many brands out there that are light years ahead of Land O’Lakes. Here’s a Butter Buying Guide that will help you (and my Mama) navigate the butter aisle next time you hit the market:

 

How to Choose The Most Nutritious Butter

1. Organic - First and foremost, look for organic butter. This will ensure there are no growth hormones, antibiotics, harmful pesticides and GMOs being fed to the cows. Growth hormone or rbGH that is used to raise cows conventionally is linked to cancer and often accumulates in highest concentration in animal fat. One organic brand I’m suspicious of however, is Horizon, they are owned by Dean Foods (the same company that owns Land O’Lakes). The Cornucopia Institute has filed complaints for labeling their product organic while maintaining factory farm production methods. I won’t buy Horizon organic for that reason. 
2. Grass-fed - Grass-fed or pastured raised cows are going to be more nutritious than cows raised with grains. Remember, the highest amounts of the most beneficial CLA and Omega 3 fatty acids naturally come from grass-fed cows. Also grass-fed cows produce butter with 50 percent more vitamin A and E and 400 percent more beta carotene (which gives the grass-fed butter a deeper yellow color). 
3. Ghee - Ghee is clarified butter where all the proteins, milk solids and lactose is removed. This makes the butter more digestible, concentrated with nutrients and really great for immunity building. Ghee does not need to be refrigerated, it can stay on the counter for a few months without going bad. People with dairy allergies or sensitives often do ok consuming this type of butter. Pure Indian Foods, Purity Farms  and Ancient Organics have the best offerings in that they are both high quality, organic and grass-fed.
4. In an ideal world, you would be able to find butter that is both organic, grass-fed and no additives like Organic Valley (in the green foil wrapper) , but sometimes that’s just not the case. In that circumstance, I would go for either an organic butter or grass-fed butter like Kerrygold (please note – Kerrygold uses some grains that could be GMOs a couple of months out of the year because grass doesn’t grow year round in Ireland – they admit that 3% of their feed could contain GMOs). Choosing regular organic butter will lessen your exposure to pesticides but will also provide less nutrition since the cows will mostly be fed organic grains vs. grass. Regardless, these choices are superior choices over conventional butter and both options (in light green on the chart above) will lessen your exposure to GMOs. 
5. Beware of butter mixes with labels like “with olive oil” – 9 times out of 10, these butters will have one or more GMO ingredients like soybean, corn or canola oil. These mixes may have questionable additives in them too – check the ingredient list just to be sure! 
6. Don’t Eat Butter? Here are some Vegan Substitutes - If you are vegan, skip all the “butter like” or fake butter spreads like Smart Balance that contain GMO oils, artificial ingredients made from petroleum and unnecessary preservatives. Instead, choose 100% coconut oil, olive oil, red palm oil (that is sustainably harvested from Ecuador and does not hurt the rainforest) or hemp oil instead. Also coconut manna, or butter works well too, when slightly heated it spreads just like butter. (These are also much healthier than organic spreads like Earth Balance that are usually a combo of inflammation causing oils). 

Sharing the truth is the first step in changing the food system. If you know someone who is buying Monsanto butter, please share this information with them. Our choices can really change the marketplace, make us healthier  and change companies decisions to use these unhealthy ingredients. 

Much Love, Food Babe


After reading Food Babe's investigation article a few weeks ago, I recently purchased the Purity Farms Organic Salt Free Ghee Clarified Butter -13 oz from Amazon, and will use it for any recipe that calls for a little bit of butter. So far it's been great:) I personally gave up dairy a couple years ago and switched to coconut oil and olive oil depending on the dish, but it's nice to have an alternative now for regular butter that's actually healthy!