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I try to eat totally organic. Many people feel that type of a lifestyle is too expensive. The biggest difference between now and the last time I was on Weight Watchers, is that now I will not eat or drink any artificial sweeteners. I have also decided that good fat is better than the some of the additives. Now I do eat butter, rather than margarine.
But, on to today’s subject.
This might help you in the grocery store or when talking to friends about organic fruits and vegetables. Take out a piece or paper or a 3 inch by 5 inch index card. Draw a line down the middle or fold it. On one side of the line write down “Highest Pesticide Content (avoid.)” On the other side of the line write, “Lowest Pesticide Content.” When we are done you can keep this in your wallet as a cheat sheet.
Write these fruits and vegetables down under the
“Highest Pesticide Content (avoid)”
Peaches,
Apples,
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries,
Pears
Grapes (especially imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
On the other side of the line write
Lowest Pesticide Content. (Okay to purchase if going non-organic)
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi Fruit
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya
I keep this paper in my pocket calendar/wallet. Where ever I am I and quickly access it and decide which fruits or vegetables to partake in and which to avoid.
The above is taken form the Environmental Working Group website under Food News. You may also download their copy here.
I began to think about my posts on disposing of meds. I hope you feel it is valuable information. I would recommend that you not throw away the anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, or any drug that has the potential to help you through a stressful or potential “manic” period.
Recently I helped my cousin through a rough patch. He was spiraling into what is traditionally considered a mania. He had some old meds from a few years ago. He had been fine for several years. His alternative doc said that his old meds would be okay. He ended up taking some Zyprexa from an old bottle. If you don’t have insurance each one of those pills was worth $11.90.
I would throw out Prozac and any similar anti-depressant. But the anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety drugs could help you through a rough patch. This is how these drugs should be prescribed; not for the rest of your life, but to help you through a stressful time.
He only took the drugs long enough to get himself stabilized and worked closely with an M.D. Remember, find a professional who believes in alternative medicine. Don’t try to do go it alone.
The best way to stay in control of your diet, Weight Watchers, organic, or otherwise is too plan ahead.
Two days ago, I decided to go to an event which included a potluck. I didn’t make supper for my dear hubby. Now I want you to know that I am not that much of a traditional girl. I believe in equal rights. But lately, I have been the one responsible for preparing the meals. When I don’t, hubby doesn’t eat right.
Well, I asked him, “If I go to this will you eat right?” He assured me he would. But the truth was that he did not. Now I don’t mean to be over-bearing. I am not forcing him to do things my way. But I have found that if I prepare a good meal, he is not tempted to eat junk. (By good I mean natural and/or organic food, and within our Weight Watchers guidelines.)
So for two days I didn’t plan ahead. One day, on a trip out of town he ate a whole bag of Dorritos. He got so hungry he just couldn’t take it. Now he can eat whatever he wants, but if I would have packed him a good lunch, he might have purchased a smaller bag of chips.
And he still counting his Points(R) for that day. Whatever you do, count your points. This keeps you in control.
Yesterday, I had another event I wanted to attend. I choose to stay home and make a good meal. I showed up to the event late. But at least I ate well….as did my hubby.
It seems strange for me, a feminist, to be writing the above. But we are in this life together, holding each other up.
Hubby also likes it when I put together his supplements at night. Often times I also make him a cup of tea. I think it makes him feel loved.
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/disposal.mov
If you don’t have a disposal site near your please watch this video on how to disposal of prescription medicine
Remember, never quit psychotropic medication cold turkey. You need a planned withdrawal. Never dispose of you medication until you are clearly weaned off for many months. The medicine is the antidote should you experience painful withdrawals. Learn more at Discover and Recover and at Seroxat Secrets
PDF on how to dispose of prescription drugs at your home.
Proper Disposal of Prescription Drugs
(From the Office of National Drug Control Policy)
Federal Guidelines:
- Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers and throw them in the trash.
- Mixing prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and putting them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, will further ensure the drugs are not diverted.
- Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs doing so.
- Take advantage of community pharmaceutical take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Some communities have pharmaceutical take-back programs or community solid-waste programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Where these exist, they are a good way to dispose of unused pharmaceuticals.
The FDA advises that the following drugs be flushed down the toilet instead of thrown in the trash:
Note: Patients should always refer to printed material accompanying their medication for specific instructions. |
Lots of people think the way to dispose of unwanted meds is to flush them down the toilet, but when you flush those meds down the toilet you are giving them a gateway into our water system. You need to take unwanted medicine to a collection site because wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove pharmaceutical substances from wastewater.
Many towns around the Great Lakes area are participating in the EPA Great Lakes Earth Day Challenge: Collect 1 million pounds of electronic waste or “e-waste” and collect 1 million pills during Earth Month to keep contaminants out of the water.
Today I will focus on prescription drug disposal issue.
You may want to get rid or your medication for any number of reasons. It may be expired or a prescription was changed. Just remember NEVER quit your meds cold turkey. You need to have a planned withdrawal. If you are now on a med and want to get off, do NOT dispose of it. If you experience severe withdrawl symptoms you will need that med to ease your pain. If you need more information about withdrawal please visit the Discover and Recover blog
Water is one of our greatest natural assets. It is time to get out of the habit of flushing unwanted pills. The responsible thing to do with unwanted medications is to bring it to a collection site.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found trace amounts of pharmaceuticals are turning up in America’s drinking water and the Great Lakes because most treatment plants are not designed to filter out these medications.
When pills or liquid medicines are poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet they remain diluted in the water supply after treatment and these trace amounts are suspected of causing a range of health problems, according to the EPA.
As leftover and waste pharmaceuticals get flushed down drains, research is showing that they are increasingly being detected in our lakes and rivers at levels that could be causing harm to the environment and ecosystem. Reproductive and development problems in aquatic species, hormonal disruption and antibiotic resistance are some concerns associated with pharmaceuticals in our wastewater.
If you live in one of the Great Lakes states, here is a link to lead you to an pill disposal site:
(At this time it seems that the Great Lakes states have made this more of a priority than the others states have. Tomorrow I will post on how to properly dispose of prescirption meds from you own home. If you know of a disposal site near you or outside of the Great Lakes states, please email me or leave a comment.)
In most areas you will be asked to bring prescription or over-the-counter medication in its original container with all information about the medication visible to assist with sorting. Names and addresses may be covered or scratched out. Remember, keep medications out of reach of children while waiting for and transporting material to the event. Keep needles or other medical sharps separate and packaged in rigid containers such as laundry detergent or soda bottles for safe disposal.
Many sites can only accept medication during special events due to US drug laws. Some sites even employ pharmacists and law enforcement officers for the special event to ensure safe and proper sorting and disposal of all medications. Read more here
Read more about medicine disposal in Examiner.com
EPA and Earth911 have established a clearinghouse of collection events throughout the Great Lakes basin. It provides details about 23 collection events in the greater Chicago metropolitan area and northern Illinois. To find out about collection events, go to the Great Lakes Earth Day Challenge Web site
Also, anyone can go to EPA’s blog and share ideas
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- Tomato bisque sandwich and hummus sandwich
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- Tomato bisque soup and hummus sandwich
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- Tomato bisque soup and hummus sandwich
Some say fast food actually causes a change in your brain similar to nicotine.
Professor John F. Banzhaf III said:
New and potentially explosive findings on the biological effects of fast food suggest that eating yourself into obesity isn’t simply down to a lack of self-control. Some scientists are starting to believe that bingeing on foods that are excessively high in fat and sugar can cause changes to your brain and body that make it hard to say no. A few even believe that the foods can trigger changes that are similar to full-blown addiction. Read more here.
So if you want to keep your brain physically fit so that you can be mentally fit. You need to work hard. Recently Duane Sherry on his blog Discover and Recover directed us to a blog, Bipolar Central in which the blogger maintained that if you quit your psych drugs your will die! Well, I tell you what. If you quit them cold turkey you will feel like you are going to die. You will go through such horrible withdrawals that first you will pray to God that you don’t die, then will will pray that you will so they pain will end.
Maintaining your mental health is hard work. Never quit your meds cold turkey or without a alternative plan. The alternative plan includes eating well. Be good to your brain. Nurture it.
Eating out is a challenge. This Earth Day I was out and about visiting festivals and having fun. I didn’t plan ahead. Luckily for me, I know of a restaurant where they make their food from scratch. They also strive to be organic. I ordered a cup, not a bowl of tomato bisque soup, and one-half of a hummus sandwich made with seven-grain bread.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes contain large amounts of vitamin C, providing 40 percent of the daily value (DV). They also contain 15 percent DV of vitamin A, 8 percent DV of potassium, and 7 percent of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of iron for women and 10 percent RDA for men.
Tomatoes and Green Tea Team Up to Prevent Prostate Cancer
Choosing to eat lycopene-rich tomatoes and regularly drink green tea may greatly reduce a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)
And bottle water? Well they do sell it, but they are proud to provide you with a glass for some of the city’s own bottle water. Bottle water is very hard on the environment.
Visit Two Angry Moms for a look at what kids eat in school and Sustainable Table to learn more about healthy eating.
We are trying to stay on our Weight Watchers plan. Today I had fish for lunch. I also had kale for a veggie. Later on when I was really craving something easy to eat, like piece of bread, crackers or cookies; I ate an apple
The secret, I believe is to truly measure what you are eating. No guesstimating. You need to purchase a scale with an ounces feature and use it. You also need to use your measuring cup. Hubby said he always thinks of 1 cup as our glass measuring cups. Well, those cups are actually TWO cups.
Well, I want this blog to be more about eating for health, than a dieting blog. So, what is so great about fish?
Fish is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are good for the heart and good for the brain. There are healing properties for the brain.
We both take three 1000 grams Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplements every night. If you are trying to recover from a mental health issue, one of the supplements you should take, if you don’t take anything else, is one with omega 3 fatty acids. The University of Maryland had this to say about the importance of omega 3 fatty acids:
“They are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other marine life such as algae and krill, certain plants (including purslane), and nut oils. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development.”
We love nuts and have eaten a lot of them. I haven’t revisited how fattening or how many “points” they are on the Weight Watchers system.
There is a comment that Weight Watchers has a “natural” plan. I am not aware of this at this time. I find that since I am more particular, I cannot use some of their suggestions. I will not drink diet pop, or use artificial sweeteners. I have shied away from their brand name desserts. That said, I am most impressed by the system of eating real food, being grounded in real-life and no gimmicks.Trout dinner
This week hubby and I are starting Weight Watchers.
Or maybe I should say we re-started. I first joined Weight Watchers about four years ago. I had gained about 40 pounds while taking the drug Zyprexa. I was still taking Zyprexa and Risperdal, but I was only taking it whenever I felt a “manic” episode brewing up. My mental health practitioner agreed with this approach because I didn’t want to be doped up AND she also saw how much weight I had gained. I agreed to meet with her every two weeks so that she could watch my mood.
Weight Watchers worked very well for me.
Currently I am only between 15 and 25 pounds overweight. I give that range because last time I was on Weight Watchers I plateaued out at what I still considered to be 10 pounds overweight. Sometimes if you have lost a lot of weight but can not get down to what the charts say you should be, Weight Watchers will say it is better to just accept this weight. After all, I am not 19 anymore. Also, I could still try to get lower. But I looked and felt good. I am now consider a Lifetime member.
Right now I have high blood pressure. I think losing weight would help this. Also, hubby has problems with gout and arthritis. His knees and ankles will not hurt as much if he loses weight.
Hubby has lost weight without officially joining Weight Watchers, but by following my lead, measuring his food and writing down his points. (Points are counted rather than calories.)
We found that if you are going to be half-baked about meausring your food and writing down your points, then the Weight Watchers system will not work. The key is measuring, recording and weighing yourself once a week.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/templates/marketing/Landing_1col_nonav.aspx?PageId=1039731
This is a quick a easy meal. Most people from kids to grown men love Macaroni & Cheese. I used Annie’s. It is made with organic pasta with now artificial ingredients. I always shredded some more shredded cheese and add some canned tuna-fish. I also usually steam some broccoli or brussel sprouts. My hubby loves this meal.
No, I haven’t forgotten. I am still eating healthy.
We are having bison meat tonight.
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