Organic Foods Mom Blog

There are few things in life more important than the foods we put into our bodies every day. Everyone knows by now that fast-food is the oppostie of health food, but many still think that if it shows up in our local super market it is made with ingredients that are harmless to our health. Assuming that for-profit corporations have consumer's best interests at heart is taking a risk with your family's well being. They are legally bound to do all they can to make a profit for shareholders, afterall.

Subscribe to my blog to get and stay informed about organic and conventionally produced foods so you know what you're eating, and what you're serving to your children.

Feb 17, 2008, Organic Foods Mom Tells All About the Benefits of Going Organic

The Organic Foods Mom sifts through organic foods info, harvests the goods and dishes the facts on why going organic benefits everyone

Feb 11, 2008, USDA revamps organic standards body

The body that monitors organic standards in the US is to be restructured, the US Department of Agriculture has announced.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), an office of the USDA, is reorganizing the National Organic Program into three branches - accreditation, auditing & training; and compliance & enforcement.

Jan 20, 2008, Why Eat Organic Foods

Are Organic Foods Any Different Than Conventionally Grown Foods?

Jan 15, 2008, Kraft shakes up dairy market

Food giant offers line of cheese free of controversial hormone.

Kraft Foods Inc. plans to offer cheese free of a controversial growth hormone, a strategic move that pressures competitors to follow.

Northfield-based Kraft says it will start selling a line of cheese made with milk from cows free of rBST by June. Some consumer groups, citing scientific studies, say the production-boosting hormone can cause cancer, despite assurances from U.S. food regulators that it is safe.

Kraft aims to capitalize on consumer worries about food safety with a specialty product that will fetch a higher price than its mass-market cheeses. The new cheese reflects CEO Irene Rosenfeld's plan to rekindle growth with premium brands.

Such a move by the nation's biggest food company also could force rivals to...

Dec 31, 2007, About Tracy Austin, the Organic Foods Mom

This page is about who Tracy Austin is and why this website exists. Use the form on this page to contact me about anything regarding organic foods, questions and comments.

Sep 20, 2007, Vaccines - Information every parent needs to know to raise healthy children.

Watch this video that proves there is more we, and well-meaning doctors, need to know about childhood vaccines.

Sep 9, 2007, Organic Decaf Coffee

My Favortie Organic Decaf Coffee

Sep 6, 2007, Which Plastics Should we Avoid Using for Foods?

Heres a great article on how to safely use plastic for storing food:

From the article:

Problems with Plastics 3, 6, & 7 Of most concern to your health and the environment are the types of plastic coded for recycling as #3, #6, and #7.

-snip-

Take Care With Kids: The rapid development and immature immune systems of fetuses and children make them particularly susceptible to damage from toxins, so pregnant women and parents should exercise extra caution with plastics. The Children’s Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) advises choosing cloth and wooden toys and avoiding plastic toys, which are often made of PVC and can leach harmful chemicals when chewed on. Or, consult Greenpeace’s Toy Report Card to learn which toy manufacturers have eliminated PVC from their products.

Plastic baby bottles are of particular concern to parents. Breastfeeding can eliminate the need for a lot of plastic, but parents may still want to use bottles for pumped breast milk or juice. CHEC recommends avoiding polycarbonate bottles, which are generally clear and rigid and bear the #7 symbol, and choosing bottles made of tempered glass or polyethylene and polypropylene (#1, #2, or #5); they note that Medela and Evenflo make bottles from...

Aug 13, 2007, I made an organic apple crumb pie today + Food additives and behavior

My 5 year-old daughter and her friend were each eating a slice - after waiting not-so-patiently until after dinner. I used some spelt flour in the crust, Sucanat sweetener with the apples, and honey in the crumb topping.

The friend whispered to my daughter, ''Tell your mom I don't like it'', LOL!

My daughter's response was, ''How can you not like it? Its PIE! You've been waiting all day for it.''

This little girl is the same one I posted about awhile back who eats Barbie cereal for breakfast. It must not have been sweet enough for her. I really got a kick out of my child's response. She loved it and wanted seconds. And when she wanted a slice for breakfast, I felt fine giving it to her knowing it was made with good stuff.

Kids lose their appreciation for what real food tastes like when they get additive-laden foods on a regular basis. Adults, too, for that matter. And then they don't even realize what they're missing. It's a darn shame.

Follow the link below for an interesting article on food additives and behavior.

Aug 3, 2007, USDA Organic Foods Standards - What is Happening?

Latest updates on the actual and potential changes to USDA organic foods standards, including what you can do to help keep them from being weakened.

Jul 27, 2007, Transgenic Plum Gets USDA Non-regulated Status Based on False Claims of Safety

USDA deregulates its own transgenic plum despite overwhelming public objection

Prof. Joe Cummins and Dr. Mae-Wan Ho rebut USDA conclusion that transgenic DNA and RNA are non-toxic

The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) has recently granted non-regulatory status to a transgenic plum resistant to plum poxvirus [1] after receiving 1 725 comments from state farm bureaus, organic growers, growers associations, consumer groups, agriculture support industries, academic professionals and individuals, with respondents against the petition (1 708) outnumbering those in favour (17) by a factor of 100 to 1.

APHIS was clearly biased in favour of the petition in their Environmental Assessment, and attempted to justify its decision by stating:

Jul 27, 2007, Honey Sweet Plum - USDA Proposes to Deregulate Its Own Transgenic Plum

The transgenic plum petition is the first temperate transgenic tree to be petitioned for non-regulated status.

Jul 22, 2007, Another reason to dislike Barbie®

Beyond the distorted image of the female form that girls get from her, Barbie® is now in the breakfast cereal business.

Our next door neighbors have a five year-old girl, too. She came over this morning as I was cleaning up from breakfast. "What do I smell?" she asked. "I made waffles and bacon." I told her. "Can I have a waffle? And some milk?" she asked. There were 3 left so I gave her one with some real maple syrup and butter, and a cup of milk from a nearby farm. She's a skinny little thing, so when she asks, and we have, I give.

In a few minutes she was back for more. I asked her if she had any breakfast before she came over. She answered that she had "Barbie cereal with marshmallows" but only one bowl and she was still hungry.

Memories from my childhood came rushing back. Sitting at the kitchen counter eating bowl after bowl of Coco Puffs before school. No matter how much I ate, I was still hungry a short while later.

Of course we now know why that is. These cereals are mostly sugar and have no business being considered breakfast foods. But most parents buy them not realizing that eating the box would be healthier for their kids.

She had two of the three leftover waffles, and then wanted the third. And some apple. In fact she always wants fruit for a snack when she's over here.

My point? Thanks for asking! Kids will eat the good stuff with gusto if we just make it available for them.

Take that,Barbie®.

Jul 17, 2007, Organic Farming Can Feed the World -

Finally! A study to help prove to the naysayers that organic farming is productive, and a viable alternative to continuing to toxify our food, bodies and planet with conventional farming methods.

From the article:

"ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Organic farming can yield up to three times as much food on individual farms in developing countries, as low-intensive methods on the same land—according to new findings which refute the long-standing claim that organic farming methods cannot produce enough food to feed the global population.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that in developed countries, yields were almost equal on organic and conventional farms. In developing countries, food production could double or triple using organic methods, said Ivette Perfecto, professor at U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment, and one the study's principal investigators. Catherine Badgley, research scientist in the Museum of Paleontology, is a co-author of the paper along with several current and former graduate and undergraduate students from U-M.

"My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can’t produce enough food through organic agriculture," Perfecto said."

Jun 26, 2007, Tell FDA Not to Weaken Labeling for Irradiated Foods!

What if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that would intentionally hide information you rely on to make decisions about what to feed yourself and your family?

Or if FDA proposed changing food labeling information to something the agency knows to be misleading to consumers?

Well, FDA has announced just such a rule to weaken labeling of irradiated foods.

Labeling irradiated foods as “pasteurized” is simply untruthful and misleading. Allowing the marketing of irradiated food without any labeling is equally misleading. Consumers have demanded irradiation labeling because they know that irradiation can create potentially dangerous chemical byproducts and reduce their foods' nutritional value. In fact, FDA’s own research found that the proposed change would confuse consumers, stating "Research indicates that many consumers regard substitute terms for irradiation to be misleading."

What is the FDA hiding? A lot.

Protect Your Right to Know: Tell the FDA Not to Weaken the Rules for Labeling Irradiated Food! It's quick & easy to do. Use the link:-)

Apr 24, 2007, Don't Mess with my Chocolate!

OK everyone, this is serious. I will not sit back while the FDA tries to mess with chocolate! I hope you will take a moment and sign the petition to keep low quality oils and milk by-products (I"m not even sure what milk by-products are?) out of chocolate.

What they want to do is use inferior ingredients that they are already using, but not have to put "chocolate flavored" on the label. I for one see that as an abomination and have signed this petition with a flourish. Go here to read all about it and sign: The True Food Network

I can't thank you enough.

Tracy (who is at least partially made up of really good, organic dark chocolate:-)

Apr 19, 2007, Support Your Local Farmers ~ Buy Locally Grown Foods ~ Be A Local Hero!

Local farmers need your support. Luckily it's easy to choose their fresh, nutritious offerings via farmers markets, local food co-ops or even a local delivery service.

Apr 14, 2007, Organic Supplements I Use Myself & Give to My Family

Which organic supplements are worth buying? These are the ones I take and give to my family.

Apr 5, 2007, Are chemicals in Pesticides and Plastics Making Kids Fat?

Here's an article about how scientists are finding that certain chemicals, called endocrine-disrupters, used in plastics are linked to obesity in rats. Bruce Blumberg, a developmental and cell biologist at the University of California at Irvine, called them "obesogens" -- chemicals that promote obesity.

These are the plastics used to make baby bottles, refillable water containers and the linings of food cans. I imagine sippy cups, too since they are made by the same companies. Time to go shopping.

I bought water bottles for our whole family from Reusable Bags last year. They are great but the one for my son (17 mos) has to be opened just slightly or it leaks. I just read at their website that they are recommend for little ones 2 years and up, that might be why, lol! He's been using it for about 6 months now but I usually only put water in it, so I don't mind the leaks.

They are finding that some chemicals in pesticides are also endocrine disrupters. Yet another great reason to go organic with as much food as you possibly can. And get some high quality, reusable drinking bottles for the whole clan. (Nope I don't sell these bottles, just love them.)

Tracy

Mar 30, 2007, Food is the Most Advertised Kid Product - New Study

I'm ever so tired of all of the advertising aimed at our children. This article explains a bit more on what percentage of the ads aimed at kids are for food. Here's a snip:

Types of Food Advertised Of all food ads in the study that target children or teens, 34 percent are for candy and snacks, 28 percent are for cereal, and 10 percent are for fast foods. Four percent are for dairy products and 1% for fruit juices. Of the 8,854 ads reviewed in the study, there were none for fruits or vegetables targeting children or teens.

Junk food advertisiers use footage of kids being active and having fun. Ironic since every mom knows that after eating sugar-laden, or nutritionally negative foods the last thing a kid will be able to do is what the advertisers suggest their foods will bring.

If you're not on getting this yet, here's a link to subscribe to Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood. They're working to counter the harmful effects of marketing to children.

Tracy

Mar 27, 2007, "It's just a little kibble." What goes into the foods your pet is eating?

I just posted an article on what goes into pet food. Warning: don't eat while reading if you have a weak stomach.

I have a recipe for pet food that can be used for dogs an altered for cats. Let me know if you'd like a copy.

Tracy

Mar 25, 2007, Decoding the 39 Ingredients in a Twinkie

"March 5, 2007 issue - As Steve Ettlinger dropped down a Wyoming mine shaft, plummeting 1,600 feet in an open-mesh cage, he wondered how many other food writers had ever donned hard hats and emergency breathing equipment in pursuit of a story. But it was too late to turn back. He'd promised his editor a book tracing the ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie to their origins—and one of them was down this shaft. "

I was just shopping for a birthday present for a friend of my daughter when I spied this title on the shelf. I used to read Stephen King for a good scare, but now this is more my kind of horror novel. I am so into this sort of thing. People have no idea what goes into processed foods. No idea...

Including me for that matter. What the heck goes into Twikies from down that mine shaft?? I gotta know!

Tracy

Mar 21, 2007, The Honeybees that Pollinate Our Food Crops are Dying

What is causing the recent masive loss of honeybees? No one knows yet.

Mar 14, 2007, My Organic Find of the Year

This is such a wonderful product I can't say enough good about it. I'm especially thrilled with the natural mood enhancing benefits. Here's part one of the video explaining how it was discovered.

Mar 12, 2007, What Is A Grapple?

Is the Grapple yet another additive-laden product that can be marked up above the normal price and marketed to my children?

Mar 11, 2007, Federal Govt refuses ease restrictions on blood donations

Blood donations are refused from people possibly exposed to mad cow while living in the UK

Mar 8, 2007, The Case Against Cloning

How do you feel about the cloning of animals for human consumption? I'm with Jerry Greenfield. I think it's weird and want no part of the experiment that it will become if this stuff makes it into the supermarkets. Or worse, into the supermarkets unlabeled. Aren't we already being covertly sold enough food that's been messed with? (irradiated, genetically modified...)

Tracy

Mar 7, 2007, Articles and ramblings on organic food and other stuff

Links to articles I've written hosted here and elsewhere

Mar 7, 2007, Mission Organic 2010

Join Mission Organic 2010. Then tell 10 friends!

Mar 5, 2007, Nutrition Tips from the Organic Foods Mom

Links to pages with short articles on nutrition

Mar 4, 2007, More Flavonoids Make Organic Vegetables Better for Fighting Cancer

In studies, organic and sustainable produce was significantly higher in flavonoids than conventional produce.

Feb 27, 2007, Less U.S. Testing for Mad Cow Starting March 1st

"The region’s only mad cow testing facility, a part of the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at WSU, will no longer test for mad cow disease as a contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture comes to an end March 1."

Does this reassure you that the beef supply is safe, or make you think that some $ may have changed hands to eliminate testing for mad cow?

Now that I know the origin of the word government, I'm leaning more toward the second possibility.

Eat well, be well. It's really that simple~

Tracy

Learn about the world's first stem cell enhancer. Supports the release of your own stem cells from the bone marrow for natural organ and tissue renewal, day, after day, after day... here.Organic Stem Cell Enahncer

Feb 26, 2007, StemEnhance FAQs

Patented organic stem cell enhancer allows 3 to 4 million more stem cells to be released from your bone marrow into your bloodstream in one dose, within one hour. StemEnhance FAQs

Feb 21, 2007, What is that wax coating on apples?

>>Freshly harvested apples have their own waxy coating that protects them from shriveling and weight loss. Apples are washed at the fruit packing sheds to remove dust and chemical residues. This washing removes about half of the original apple wax which is replaced by a natural coating.

The natural wax added to protect Washington apples is usually carnauba or shellac. Both are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and have been used on a variety of foods for decades. These wax formulations are natural, non-petroleum based coatings.<<

Even so,wash it off with a veggie soap and warm water. And buy organic or local apples as much as possible since apples are one of the "dirty dozen". See my Pesticides.page for the list.

Tracy

Feb 20, 2007, StemEnhance Videos

StemEnhance videos with Christian Drapeau