Veggie Might: Desert Island Gadgets

by LeighAs a wholly self-taught home cook, I had never given much thought to gadgets, small appliances, or even utensils. Most of my supplies were hand-me-downs, gifts, or just magically appeared in my kitchen. Oh sure, I would stare at the utensil wall at Bed, Bath and Beyond but mostly to wonder what the heck most of that stuff was for and who really needs an egg separator? Doesn’t the shell do the job pretty well?Of course, then I didn’t cook. My first five years in New York, I made my living as a waitron and was fed well by others. When I did cook at home, my culinary adventures never strayed far from ramen noodles, box mac and cheese, and...

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Posted in: Frugality,Organization,Veggie Might

Clorox really isn't going green

The Sierra Club just lost a lot more points with me because of the pay offs they are taking from Clorox in their 'partnering' for a percentage of sales from Clorox's new so-called "green" products. Moeny is the issue of course.As a person who directs a 501c3 organization I know how important it is to get donations, however the mega-corps always have a reason why the little organizations like CHI (the sponsor of Natural Health News) fails to meet criteria for grants and other donations.These Clorox products still leave out a lot of definition of ingredients such as çolorant' and 'preservative'. Adding alkalinity builders is a must when you read the highly acid pH of things they use such as alkyl glycoside, lauramide oxide, sodium lauryl sulfate (a known carcinogen), fragrance, ethanol, soda...

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CHG Favorites of the Week

Food Blog of the WeekHungry GirlExtremely bright, mind-bogglingly cheery, and packed to the fargin’ gills with good eating information, Hungry Girl is a young dieter’s dream site: realistic without being too lenient and healthy without being too restrictive. The drink recipes alone are precious, precious resources, but be sure to look around for lots of solid tips.Food Blog of the Week #2Elastic WaistFor the weight conscious who might not dig the somewhat Rachael Ray-esque tone of HG, Elastic Waist is a solid alternative. More of a blog than a whole website, its operating theory is that happiness is “healthy living, the occasional bacon binge,...

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Posted in: Links

Cutting Calories and Saving D'oh: 25 Lessons "The Simpsons" Taught Me About Cheap, Healthy Eating

The Simpsons TV show turns the big Two-Oh next year, making them older than Miley Cyrus, post-Soviet Russia, and everything I own, save a dearly beloved 5th grade softball jersey. Like all good Americans, I adore the show, and always have. I owned a Bartman tee in 1990, can quote “Treehouse of Horror IV” word for word, and even as an adult, model myself after eight-year-old Lisa, who is everything that’s right about our society.What amazes me most about The Simpsons (beyond the college classes and bible studies) is the effect it’s had on my vernacular. Each day, I’m guaranteed to quote a four-fingered Springfieldian at least once – usually unconsciously,...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Frugality,Health

Cell Phones and Larry King

I viewed Larry King's show on cell phones yesterday and was appalled at the lack of research information spouted by his guests.I applaud Devra Davis for her previous stand on how poorly we treat cancer and her comments on Larry King last evening during his show, again addressing the cell phone issue.I don't applaud Larry King because his selection of guests provided little factual information on the known risks, and even embarrassed them selves, especially Ted Schwartz MD, with their ignorance of the science, research and understanding of the issues.I do have to give one kudo to Sanjay Gupta on the graphic he used to show the penetration of the radio frequency into a child's brain. Little else he said was of value.I have been researching the research on cell phones and EMF for more than a...

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Tuesday Megalinks

All Financial Matters: How Cheaply Can You Brown Bag Your Lunch?One Wall Street Journal columnist is paying almost $5 for his bagged lunches ($0.38 for a slice of tomato?), but still posts a 50% savings over a $10 sandwich from the local deli. (Thanks to The Simple Dollar for the link.)Being Frugal: My Square Foot Garden Overfloweth Summer’s here, and Lynnae finally reaped what she sowed back in late Spring. It’s a lot. It’s giving me serious garden envy.Best Week Ever: The Top 10 Most Tasteless Cakes Nice roundup of the worst of the Cake Wrecks blog, with #4 being particularly hideous. Why … would … anyone … eat … GAH.Consumerist: Get Ready...

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Posted in: Links

Gardasil Reactions Grab CNNs Attention

The interconnections of the internet are always amazing to me, and this one today is of course a benefit when you find your BLOG visited by a CNN link.This connection came because of the several Gardasil related posts found on Natural Health News, which can be located via the BLOG SEARCH.Consider that since the vast majority of incidents of HPV are self limiting, or may be treated naturally with herbs and homeopathy, or supplements to help boost immunity, why would you want to inject a substance into your child that is known to cause such reactions.Reading the CNN story, however, made me think how consistent the arrogance of Bi Pharma corporations always seems to be, especially when their products are questioned surrounding adverse effects and health problems that are inflicted on the recipient...

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HPV Vaccine Adverse Events Worrisome Says Key Investigator

Now the scientists are starting to wonder. I hope you are as well, and you get the facts before you force this unknown into the bodies of your daughters and sons.By Allison Gandey, Medscape Medical News July 26, 2008 — Serious neurologic, thromboembolic, and autoimmune complications have been reported in patients who received human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Although not the norm, experts suggest that the events are grave enough to encourage caution. "The side effects that have been reported are real and they cannot be brushed aside," Diane Harper, MD, from the Dartmouth Medical School, in Hanover, New Hampshire, told Medscape Oncology. Dr. Harper was a principal investigator of clinical HPV vaccine trials for both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline.News reports of adverse events, teen paralysis,...

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No Cell Phone for Children

Last Saturday a car pulled up to my driveway during our town's annual yard sale. A young woman got out of the care with a cell phone planted square against her ear and tucked toward her shoulder for support. Her young child was in a car seat beside her. Two others were also in the car.I mentioned to her that their is clear eveidence of an increase in breast and thyroid cancer from cell phone use. She turned and walked back to the car and sat directly bside the child, continuing her conversation.Another woman carries a cell phone clipped to her belt, directly pulsing arenal glands, ovaries, and the hip area where red blood cells are manufactured in bone marrow; several young children were in her care. I saw her at a fundraiser for a woman with bone cancer just last week. This information...

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Barefoot Contessa's Barbecue Sauce: Gettin' Potlucky

Every coupla weeks, I get together with a group of lovely ladies (including Veggie Might’s own Leigh) for a themed potluck dinner. It’s not your everyday, run-of-the-mill potluck, though. For one, there’s usually copious amounts of beer. For another. everybody gets completely freakin’ nuts with their creations. Nearly all of us are enthusiastic cooks, and it’s a rare chance to go crazy for a non-holiday occasion. We’ve had Mediterranean, Tailgate, and Vegetarian Nights so far, and I don’t think there’s been a dud dish in the group. Plus? THERE’S SO. MUCH. FOOD. By the end of each eve, we’re all like that “KILL ME” scene in Aliens, except our...

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Posted in: Dips and Sauces,Vegetarian

Effective Cancer Therapy dates back to the 1800s

"Have you ever wondered why cancer treatment has not changed much in over 70 years? Why is chemotherapy still the mainstay of conventional cancer treatment after all these years of disappointing results for the majority of cancer cell types." It is very pleasing to read a recent report on the history of an effective natural and nutritional cancer treatment.With the recent death of Randy Pausch at age 47 from pancreatic cancer, it might well be worth more people and more health care professionals becoming educated on this process.This method saved the life of Dr. William D. Kelley, a dentist who was diagnosed in the 1960s with pancreatic and liver cancer. Dr. Kelley left us in 2005, more than 40 years after mainstream medicine gave him the "go home, there is nothing we can really do for you"...

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FDA faulted over unapproved uses of medications

Eleven months is a long time for the wheels of government to grind along while many people's health may be at risk of harm.It might be the double standard at FDA, or a drive to more profit at Big Pharma.It could also be that detail reps are practicing medicine without a license.Your role in this is to understand that you do have a right to question any provider writing a prescription, and you should exercise that right.By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press WriterSun Jul 27, 2008When federal regulators catch a drug company peddling prescription medications for an unapproved use, it takes them an average of seven months to issue a warning, according to a draft report by congressional investigators.It typically takes four more months for the company to fix the problem. During that time,...

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Red Rice Yeast Depletes Co Q 10

I have been attacked by "researchers" because of my awareness of the fact that Red Rice Yeast is a statin and carries the same risks as the pharmaceutical products.As I have reported previously, for a decade or more, the statins have very serious side effects and RRY carries the same risks.One of the most overlooked side effects with the statin drugs is the depletion of CO Q 10. This article supports that loss in RRY as well.While the effect may be less intense, the loss of Co Q 10 is a very serious nutritional depletion that may lead to sudden cardiac death and other health problems such as the cancer link.This - IMHO - says that statins do not protect your heart.So if you are using RRY to stave off the high priced Rx, do not fail to take CO Q 10 - minimally 100mg daily or more. This product...

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Experiments in Meat: DIY Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Jaime’s tremendous Seitan post on Tuesday got me thinking about meat. More specifically, it made me wonder if I could create my own variety of turkey sausage using ingredients I had lying around the kitchen. (What? It’s a logical leap. … Kind of.) I’d tried it before with some success, but really wanted to nail it this time.After some searching, I stumbled upon these instructions from Free Cooking Recipes. They looked simple enough, and I had all the flavorings stashed on our spice rack/IKEA-CD-tower-we-use-as-a-spice-rack. So, I defrosted eight ounces of ground turkey, gathered my courage, and went to work.For the first batch, I tried the recipe...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Breakfast,Meat and Fish

Pushing Pills for Profit at Pfizer

That little blue pill that cased quite a number of deaths and caused blindness in men is now being pushed on women.Initially, when this drug was approved for erectile dysfunction in men it came with a warning that women should not touch the pill because there was a concern about a negative effect on hormones.Now, in a very small trial funded by Pfizer, it seems to be OK if you are a woman taking the risky SSRI anti-depressants and you lose your libido. The warnings are there to tell you that this is an off label use NOT approved by the FDA. And only a few few women are helped.SSRI drugs have a major impact on thyroid function. Low thyroid function may have been the cause of the "depression" but your doctor might not have considered this, or the evaluation may not have been complete or thorough....

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