2. Strawberries. Enjoy them while they are in season from local organic farms or buy frozen organic strawberries from your local whole market.

3. Rice. Domestic rice has mega-doses of pesticides, and now, the chemicals companies are producing “pharm” rice a crop used to produce and store pharmaceuticals. Buy organic rice where you can find it! Store it in an airtight container. It stores very well.

4. Green and Red Bell Peppers. Super sources of Vitamin C, but wrought with pesticides if grown “conventionally”. Buy organic, or, better yet, grow your own. Seeds of Change has a plethora of organic seeds, and pepper plants prove to be a hardy bunch!

5. Got Milk? We hope not, at least, not from conventionally raised cows. Today’s commercial brands are loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones. Make sure your milk and other dairy is from organically-fed cows without the extra rBST, rBGH and antibiotics.
If you are feeding your child goat milk, and/or goat products, be aware that our science community has now genetically-mutated a goat to spin silk in her milk. See the New Scientist article.

6. Corn. Corn is typically not a scale tipper when it comes to pesticide residues. But, take into account that 75- 90% of all domestic corn has been genetically-modified, that the average American eats 11 pounds of it, that most cooking oils include corn oil, and that most everything is sweetened with corn syrup, and suddenly, buying organic corn and corn products, makes more than a little sense. Eat local organic corn in season and freeze some for later, or, leave some kernels to dry, and plant them in the spring.

7. Bananas. This tropical favorite has a short window of ripeness and a very long distance to market (quick, how many local banana farms does your town have?). All of which adds up to a lot of heavy chemical dousing along the way.

8. Green Beans. Over 60 different pesticides are used on green beans. Even beans used in baby food have been found to be contaminated.

9. Peaches. Nothing beats a peach. Until you realize that they often have the highest rates of illegally-applied pesticides. Isn’t that just peachy . . .

10. Apples. A decade after the dangers of Alar were exposed, apples are still soaked in pesticides. Put only organic apples in your pie.

11. Cherries. Cherries, so expensive, so rich, so fabulous, . . . so heavily doused in poison. Make sure that the cherries in your Cherries Jubilee or Bing Cherry Ice Creams are as clean and wonderful as they were meant to be.

12. Celery. Why would anyone think of spraying the heck out of that innocuous little stem vegetable?! But they do. Stay organic, the taste of organic celery will amaze you and make you a celery-nibbler once again.

13. Apricots and Grapes. Apricots, Peaches and Grapes, what would summer be without them? Less toxic! Keep conventionally grown fruits and veggies, and their pesticide residuals, out of your system or minimize them with a vegetable rinse, such as the one by Healthy Harvest.
 
14. Soybeans. If you are not yet a label-reader, it is time to start. Everything you buy, from bread to cookies to crackers to margerine to dry mixes, has some sort of soy product in it. Most soybean in the USA is genetically-modified. So, why the fuss over modified soy?
Monsanto, in an effort to increase the use (and profit potential) of Round-Up Ready, spliced the herbicide into soybean plant DNA. Two problems with this action.

1) No matter what you or I do, we can never wash RoundUp Ready herbicide off the soybean–ever. It is “permanently imbedded”.
2) It appears that soy increases production of estrogen. High estrogen levels facilitate the potential for contracting various cancers and for hastening puberty in young children.

Although the jury is still out on whether soy consumption, in general, is beneficial, or whether only fermented soy should be consumed, never, we mean NEVER, consume foods laced with poisons.

15. Potatoes. Mashed potatoes are delicious and worth the calories, unless they’re laden with pesticides or have been genetically-modified. When genetically modified, potatoes impair the immune system and shrink the brain, liver and heart. So, mash a clean, real, organic potato and forgo the new-fangled monstrosity. Got soft, green-sprouting organic potatoes? Don’t toss them,bury them!

16. Raisins. Concentrated little grapes, concentrated levels of pesticides.

17. Cucumbers. Ever wonder why this delicious crisp vegetable was loosing its appeal on your palate? Yep! The answer is, once again, pesticides. The answer to pesticides, is, once again, go organic, or grow your own.

Sources: The Green Guide, a newsletter published by Mothers and Others, 40 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, phone:888-ECO-INFO, e-mail:greenguide@mothers.org and/or log onto their website at www.mothers and others for a liveable planet.org

Now it appears that the six-time gold medalist may have been onto something. A new study shows that plain old chocolate milk may be as good — or better — than sports drinks like Gatorade at helping athletes recover from strenuous exercise.

The study, published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, was small in scale; it was partially funded by the dairy industry. But dietitians say the study should help to counter the notion that high-tech, expensive supplements are better than whole foods when it comes to athletic performance. They also note that milk contains key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, in quantities that sports drinks can’t match.

“[Milk] is a sports drink ‘plus,’” Keith Ayoob, EdD, a registered dietitian and associate professor of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tells WebMD. “It will supply you with things you need whether or not you’re working out.”

The study builds on findings that intense endurance exercise reduces the muscles’ supply of stored glucose, or glycogen, a key source of fuel for exercise. To maximize glycogen replacement, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association recommend taking in a serving of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after a long and vigorous workout.

Milk vs. Sports Drinks

Common sports drinks such as Gatorade supply those carbs, as well as fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. However, more recent research suggests that adding protein to the mix may further hasten recovery. Hence the new wave of drinks such as Endurox R4 that include protein as well as higher doses of carbs.

In the study, nine male cyclists rode until their muscles were depleted of energy, then rested four hours and biked again until exhaustion. During the rest period, the cyclists drank low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, or Endurox R4. During a second round of exercise, the cyclists who drank the chocolate milk were able to bike about 50% longer than those who drank Endurox, and about as long as those who drank the Gatorade.

The findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbohydrates to protein to help refuel tired muscles, researcher Joel M. Stager, PhD, Indiana University kinesiology professor, tells WebMD.

But the most puzzling result of the study, experts say, was why Endurox — which has the same carb-to-protein ratio as the chocolate milk — fared so poorly. Researcher Jeanne D. Johnston, MA, tells WebMD it may have to do with the different composition of the sugars in the milk. Another theory is that the sugars in the milk may be better absorbed in the gut than those in the Endurox.

Edward F. Coyle, PhD, a researcher on exercise and hydration at the University of Texas, tells WebMD the trial would have been stronger if the researchers had also tested the effect of flavored water or another dummy (placebo) drink.

The study was partly funded by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, an industry group. Coyle says that the study’s reliance on industry funding is not unusual in the world of sports research, as federal funding for such research is hard to come by.

A Cheaper Alternative?

While rapid nutrient replacement may not be important for casual exercisers, it can make a big difference in performance for competitive athletes who work out vigorously once or twice a day, says Roberta Anding, a sports dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Anding has long recommended chocolate milk for young athletes who come to her practice at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. For children and teenagers from lower-income families, it doesn’t make sense to spend serious money on sports drinks when they can get milk as part of a subsidized lunch program, she tells WebMD. The only advantage of sports drinks, she notes, is that they never spoil.

Ayoob estimates that more than two-thirds of teenagers should be drinking more milk anyway because they don’t get enough calcium in their diets. He also recommends milk for its vitamin D and potassium content. “For me, this is a no-brainer,” he says.

Sources:Karp, J. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2006; (16: 78-91). “Nutrition and athletic performance — Position of the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine,” http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/adap1200.cfm. Svrluga, Barry, “Olympics Swim Trials,” Washington Post, July 13, 2004, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44785-2004Jul12.html. Jeanne Johnston, department of kinesiology, Indiana University at Bloomington. Joel M. Stager, PhD, department of kinesiology, Indiana University at Bloomington; Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, associate professor of pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Edward F. Coyle, PhD, professor, kinesiology and health education, University of Texas. Roberta Anding, clinical and sports dietitian, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston.

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Here’s a link to an actual study if you need some bathroom reading materials

I’ve put my finger on what lead to my significant weight gain and subsequent stuggle with weight – stress eating. I had it under control for the better part of 2 years, but now I see evidence of it creeping back in. With that said I’m glad I went to weight watchers today. I am refocused and re-energized to continue to strive toward my goal of 180.

Question: How do you (I) handle hunger? Is my hunger emotional or physical. is it stress induced or need induced? Is it counterfiet or legitimate? What are my emotional hot-buttons? That’s easy – stress, boredom, and frustration. So how will I handle these triggers in the future?

1. Track my body signals. Ask “am I truly hungry?” When was the last time I ate? What is it I’m feeling right now? If I my answer isn’t legitimate hunger then my first move should not be towards food.
2. What emotion am I feeling right now? Am I non-emotional about the food I’m eating or am I searching for something else. Searching for an answer not found in food.
3. What are some non-food responses to illegitimate eating? Stretch, run, walk, do a mini-project, pray, call a friend - just stay out of the kitchen and away from food until I face the thing that is triggering me.
4. Are the solutions in point #3 easy to implement?
5. Ask for help

These strategies will help me ensure that I’m not eating just for the sake of eating, or eating to address some other need.

Food find for this week: Arnold Sandwich Thins (bread)

Resource for this week: http://www.weightwatchers.com/health/sciencecenter/index.aspx

Leonard, stick with it, remember your goal. You can and will do it!