The Effortless Eating Blog

A philosophy of natural eating and living with Elizabeth Yarnell.

Selecting, preparing, savoring, reminiscing, investigating, dieting, implementing, economizing, and healing with natural whole foods.

 

Mini Izzes: The Right Size for the Right Soda

February 8, 2010 – 10:20 am

It has been fun to find these mini-cans of Izze Natural Sodas. The 8.4 oz. can feels like a much more reasonable size than the typical 12.5 oz. soft drink can.

I like Izze’s because they typically have an ingredient list of fewer than 5 items, I can identify all of them, and they taste delicious. They are basically 70% fruit juice and 30% sparkling water. Perhaps best of all, unlike most of the mainstream sodas, they don’t contain high fructose corn syrup but still give you that satisfaction from a sweet, bubbly beverage.

I’m always surprised to learn how much soda people drink regularly, and a bit horrified when I see people walking around with massive quantities of soda, like the mega 32-oz. fountain drinks sold at convenience stores. High fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, caffeine… most mainstream soda pops are a toxic mix of chemicals created in laboratories. And we ingest them willingly.

Last year, during Oprah’s weight loss drive, Dr. Oz’s very first weight loss recommendation was to cut out soda. Two weeks later, there were callers claiming to have lost 14 lbs. simply from eliminating soda from their diet!

But I can understand how hard it might be to go cold turkey if you are a soda addict. I love alternatives like mixing fruit nectars with sparkling water, or if that’s too much effort, reach for an Izze!


By Elizabeth | Posted in Allergy-free Foods, Kids, Living naturally, Recommended Products | Comments (0)


Which Produce Should I Always Buy Organic

February 1, 2010 – 5:53 pm

It feels like a good time to review the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of fruit and vegetables with the heaviest loads of pesticides.

Although I try to only buy organic produce whenever I can, sometimes it’s just not possible and I must settle for a conventionally-produced fruit or vegetable. It’s times like these that I want to look back at the list of the best and worst for your health when it comes to conventionally-farmed produce.

Just this morning I was in Whole Foods trying to remember how terrible it would be were I to get those conventionally-farmed-but-vibrant orange and yellow bell peppers, since there were not any organic peppers in the store. Not good, it turns out.

Go Organic
I think it will be easiest to remember the ones I want to ban from my cart first, so here are the twelve fruits and vegetables that we should buy organic whenever possible because they carry the highest toxic loads:

  1. Peaches
  2. Apples
  3. Bell Peppers
  4. Celery
  5. Nectarine
  6. Strawberries
  7. Cherries
  8. Kale
  9. Lettuce
  10. Grapes (imported)
  11. Carrots
  12. Pears

If you’re like me and KitchenStewardship, you might also include a few others on this list, like bananas, blueberries, and spinach.

Ok to Go Conventional
On the other side of the coin, it’s nice to know the safest conventional produce, too, for those times when organic items are not available or astronomically expensive. Here are the fifteen fruits and vegetables that have the least toxic load from conventional farming:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

It’s interesting to see sweet corn on this list, as it is something we insist must be organic before we bring it into our house. This list is only looking at the pesticide load, I believe, whereas we are more concerned with genetic modifications when it comes to corn. Thanks to Monsanto, most of the conventional corn available in this country is genetically modified to produce its own insect repellent when grown with their Round-Up pesticide.

But I digress. That is a topic for another post.

The Environmental Working Group’s pocket-sized printout of this list of safe produce is great to carry with you in your wallet. You can also get the iPhone app.

Have any others to add that you insist should always be organic at your house? Add them in the comments below!


By Elizabeth | Posted in Living naturally, Natural Health Questions, Nutrition in the news | Comments (0)


Glorious One-Pot Meals for Weight Loss

January 29, 2010 – 4:11 pm

I often post my responses to disgruntled readers of my cookbook, but today I thought I’d share a wonderful note I recently received from a fan who found my cookbook on Amazon.

Dear Elizabeth, Your cookbook has changed my life! Thanks so much. I make dinner from it at least four nights a week and my husband and I both love the meals. I’m a member of the free weight loss website Sparkpeople.com and have tried to spread the word there too. I’ve lost 27 lbs and am working on losing another 100! Between Glorious One Pot meals and Spark People, I’ll do it!

We especially like your eggplant recipes and usually have one of them once a week. The Moroccan Chicken is another favorite, as is Flageolets and Sausage, which I make with turkey sausage.  Oh yes, my husband’s favorite is the Honey and Spice Pork! I do switch up the vegetables sometimes, following your advice re the colors.

Judith in Thomaston, ME

P.S. I’ve already given four copies to family and friends. Is there another in the works?

Judith, Huge congratulations on your weight loss, and I’m even more thrilled to know that it has been achieved in a safe and healthy way with the help of Glorious One-Pot Meals!

You are proving what I’ve always believed: if you give someone the knowledge and a technique to make it convenient, they will choose to eat healthier meals more often than before. And, if you eat healthier foods more regularly, your body won’t need to hang onto that excess weight anymore.

Hooray! Thank you for sharing your story.

Happy cooking, Judith!


By Elizabeth | Posted in Glorious One-Pot Meals | Comments (2)