Websites

Sign the Petition to Make Chemicals Kid-Safe

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“EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn babies and found nearly 300 chemicals, including BPA, fire retardants, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides that were banned more than 30 years ago.”

The Environmental Working Group is asking for signatures for a petition to make chemicals for consumer products kid-safe.  Click here to sign it!  “The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would require that all chemicals be proven safe for children before they can be sold. But lawmakers in Washington need to know that you want them to reform our broken toxics law.”  They are delivering it to congress on March 15 and hope to have 75,000 signatures.

Nutrition

Don’t Cook Honey!

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Yes, I wish that was something I heard all the time, as in, “you don’t have to cook, honey.” Alas, that’s not what I mean here…I’m talking about the sweet stuff.  Many well meaning health advocates recommend replacing honey in recipes that call for sugar,  but don’t do it-  honey is very good for you as long as it’s raw.  Cooked honey, on the other hand, is detrimental to your health.  Beekeepers first discovered this- they often spray honey water on bee hives to calm the bees so they can retrieve the honey- but when they use cooked honey to spray, all the bees die.  It’s bad for humans too.

Moral of the story?  Only consume raw honey, and don’t cook with it.  Try maple syrup or agave nectar instead.

Ask Holly

Ask Holly: Is Gluten Unhealthy?

3 Comments

Given that barley is high in gluten, does that make it unhealthy? I made a delicious pot of barley and immune-boosting vegetables for my daughter, but I’m confused about what’s wrong with gluten? THANK YOU!

Sarah-

NY, NY

Hi Sarah,

Gluten is a protein found in grains, and it is only “bad for you” if you have a sensitivity or allergy to it.  Most people have symptoms and know they have a health issue they can’t identify.  For these people, it’s wise to try cutting out gluten to see if the symptoms go away.  Some of these symptoms are:  digestive disorders like excess gas, bloating and IBS,   Frequent colds and bronchitis, unexplained infertility, fatigue,  and seasonal allergies.  If you and your family aren’t experiencing any of these things, you don’t need to avoid gluten.

Recipes

Asparagus Frittata

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We had this for dinner last night and it was so good.  I found the recipe on Simplyrecipes.com:

This is a quick and easy, no-nonsense recipe that makes a terrific frittata in hardly any time at all.

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Asparagus Frittata Recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

Method

1 Heat olive oil into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium high heat. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

asparagus-frittata-1.jpg

2 Sprinkle cheese over eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Serves 4.