More for Your Food Dollar: Low-Calorie Juices

Tonight’s trip to the grocery store inspired this latest segment, which I will try to provide regularly.

Our favorite style of orange juice was missing due, so I decided to try the 50% less sugar version since it was on sale. Not only did the certain brand claim less sugar and calories, but no added artificial sweeteners. It sounded great, but the taste was not.

I started to think about it a bit, read the back, and wondered why I was so stupid to buy juice that was just watered down. Eureka, it does not take a genius a figure out they are getting more money out of us by providing us less and playing to our health-consciousness. I also wondered why I thought this juice was different since I knew exactly that is what another company did to make a “tots” version of apple juice.

I have been cutting fruit juices with water for years for my kids, especially for my toddler, to do just what they are offering – reducing the sugar and calories.

So the moral of the story is, never pay for low calorie juices. Add water to the good stuff and get twice as much for the same money.

7 Families Went Hungry…

At least they would have gone hungry if they were depending on me and my small “farm” to feed them. A raccoon killed seven of my chickens last week.

You can guess that I was extremely mad. I have put a lot of time, money and emotion into those chickens, and I was looking forward to collecting their eggs to feed to my family. I was also having the debate with my oldest child whether we should be eating the extra roosters. She had finally decided that eating them would be okay, but the raccoons beat us to it. And it wasn’t pretty. The most frustrating part was that out of the seven killed, very little of those chickens were actually eaten.

We still have nine chickens left: two roosters and seven hens. This will be enough to provide us eggs, and we will be able to share with our family and neighbors. You can imagine that we have upped our chicken security. They now are put into a large dog crate covered with chicken wire each night (tree limbs are provided for them to roost on), and we have set a trap outside their home for the past several nights. And yes, we have captured several culprits, but nothing in the last two nights. We will continue to do this until their new critter-proof coop is ready, which should be by this weekend.

But why is this story important? I recently attended a conference of farm women, and a featured speaker asked us if large-scale/commercial/factory farming is “right.” That seems to be the million dollar question these days regarding food production. Many people want to see farming like it was in the good-old days where more than half the population had a small farm in which they raised most of their food and enough to feed a few non-farming neighbors. But things have definitely changed.

Fewer and fewer people have dedicated themselves to producing our food. Most of us just don’t want to do it… it requires land, capital, long hours, and a lot of faith. It’s not as easy as the internet games Farmville and Farmtown on Facebook make it out to be. I think someone needs to program in unpredictable natural disasters, disease, pests, low prices and high inputs. Then let’s see how many people want to dedicate hours to producing their virtual crops.

Having worked for farmers in the modern age – and unbeknownst to most of the world, 95% of these farmers are not food company owned – I have a real appreciation for their growing success. It was comical to see the article in Time magazine about how farmers are becoming rich these days. But the difference between a wealthy banker or stock broker and a farmer is that any profit made by the farmer is immediately invested back into his or her operation – they buy more land, they buy better equipment, they hire more people, and they invest in methods to improve the sustainability of their practices. They are not off buying yachts and summer homes in France. They are creating jobs and investing in their communities and the future of our food.

Now, I will admit 100% that I am not immune to the “factory farm” expose videos showing our food animals being mistreated or in poor living conditions. I made myself watch the Mercy for Animals video of the corporate hog facility in Iowa. I immediately left the house, turned my chickens out to run around the farm and proclaimed to my husband that I would no longer be purchasing pork from my grocery store (which was named in the video). I also suggested that we buy a pig or two to raise ourselves, just like my grandparents did, but that didn’t fly.

And since I have undertaken the task of advocating for our US farmers and their practices, I had to ask myself, “How do I defend this if I don’t like it?”

That has been a tough question, but something I felt I needed to address. After several weeks of contemplation, my answer about the morality of farming comes down to this:

In most cases, I believe the individual farmer feels a strong sense of duty to feed his or her fellow man. That sense of duty may be tied to faith and/or a real desire to contribute a basic necessity for life. Most farmers do not intentionally set out to abuse animals or pollute the environment, but try to produce food the best way they know how at the time with the resources they have available to them.

Improvements are constantly being made – not for making loads of money, but to maximize future productivity. Making a profit is still important, however, and we cannot lose sight that farmers must provide for the basic needs of their families as well. I believe a lot of farmers are complacent at just getting by, but operating at a loss for several years is difficult to endure for anyone, which has led to many farmers leaving the business.

I also believe most farmers are willing to listen to the needs of consumers and will “fix” certain aspects if it makes logical sense. Some farmers are turning to niche markets to meet those needs and help themselves stay afloat financially. What I don’t want to see happen though is our food supply drastically reduced because going back to the “good-old days” makes people feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Our farmers will need to feed 9 billion people by the year 2050, and there are still cases of famine across the globe. We still need efficient, larger-scale operations to feed the majority of the under-privileged people across the world and even in our nation.

Now back to my chickens… I love the fact that I am producing some food for my family in the best way that I know how. The chickens I have left are happy and get to eat as much horse poop, bugs and green stuff as they want. Raising chickens is expensive (I could have already purchased 1700 dozen eggs with what I have spent in food and housing) but it makes me feel good. But I would be hungry if I had to depend on these chickens to feed me and my family. Okay, seven families may not be hungry, but I have lost several years’ worth of eggs and a few meals worth of meat in one night. The notion circulating that we could all sustain ourselves on 4.5 acres of land is laughable to me. God doesn’t make things so easy. That perfect world only exists on Facebook.

It is my true opinion that we have the ability to feed our people on the land available to us, without deforesting millions of acres and without causing further destruction to our natural resources. I am seeing some amazing technology coming down the pike to help us achieve that. Some may think that it is more “right” to not use pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically-modified crops, or confine animals, but I can guarantee that if we all turned back the clock on food production, many more people would be starving. Where is the morality in that?

Update: After having a great conversation with a reader I wanted to clarify that I will never try to defend bad behavior of farmers or food companies. But I feel I need to defend agriculture in general - big or small - for putting food on our tables. I have said it before; farmers have a really hard time recuperating from the misdeeds of a few. It is our right as consumers to demand better, but we must also realize what it will take to feed more people with less resources.

Silly Chefs, High Fructose Corn Syrup is Not the Enemy

My husband came home from work yesterday with an article from The Wall Street Journal that a co-worker had given him about chefs replacing high fructose corn syrup with other forms of sugar in their food (Sweet Revenge, Chefs Pour on the Sugar). The co-worker knew I worked for a corn and grain association and wanted my opinion.

I provided him with the following:

Even though I work for corn farmers, I don’t tell people it’s okay to eat a bunch of HFCS. However, if you want to eat it, it’s as safe as other forms of sugar. If you look at the chemical make-up of HFCS, it is almost identical to table sugar.

Sucrose (table sugar from sugar cane) is a disaccharide of a glucose and fructose molecule. So 50:50 glucose fructose. Fructose and glucose molecules are free floating in HFCS. The most popular form of HFCS is 55% fructose/41% glucose (few extra sugars floating around) because it has a similar sweetness as sucrose. There is another form that actually has less fructose – 42% fructose and 53%, and this is used for baked goods in most applications. 90% fructose syrup is made, but is usually only used to increase the fructose levels of HFCS-42.

Once the sucrose hits your mouth, the weak bond between the glucose and fructose is broken down, so again, almost identical to HFCS.

Many of the studies that say that HFCS is metabolized differently, or grows pancreatic cancer cells, etc. is actually research done comparing fructose to glucose. Fructose does affect us differently than glucose… BUT there is also fructose in sugar from sugar cane and sugar beets and even fruit. So, should we not eat fruit?

(Side Note: I know for a fact that fructose does a number on my system... I get absolutely ravenous after I eat an apple and some other fruits - according to Dr. Oz, the fructose is affecting my appetite hormone ghrelin and making my belly growl - but I still eat the apples. I just add a little peanut butter to help fuel my leptin - the "I'm full" hormone.)

Here is where the long chemical name gets HFCS in trouble. When you have a name that sounds like a “chemical,” people will look at it as a “chemical.” Even though all of our food is a conglomerate of many molecules, “chemical” usually conjures images of unnatural liquids in a laboratory. I appreciate the Corn Refiners Association trying to change the name to corn sugar, but it may be too late for that. Even "corn syrup" sounds better, but the corn sryup you buy at the grocery is primarily glucose and not as sweet.

Most all processed sugars are created the same way. The starch or sugars in their raw form have to be converted by enzymes to more simple sugars. In sugar cane and sweet sorghum, they add enzymes to the juice from the plants and then cook it down, evaporating the water. To make HFCS, they add enzymes to the corn syrup, to yield more fructose. Even bees add enzymes from their saliva to convert the nectar into honey. And guess what? Honey contains more fructose than glucose.

HFCS is also in a bad spot because it is used in a lot of processed foods: 1) it is easier to transport and blend, 2) has better preserving benefits, 3) provides a better texture for some products, and 4) may enhance fruit flavors. Since it is in a lot of stuff that may not be good for us to begin with, it usually gets a finger pointed in its direction for causing obesity. But processed foods have a whole host of ingredients that are not on the nutritionally-beneficial list. Replace HFCS with sugar, as many are doing, your problem is not solved.

As a mom concerned about nutrition for myself and my family, I try to reduce all forms of processed sugar from our diets. BUT come treat time, I don’t prohibit things made with HFCS. It’s no better or worse in my mind as any other sugar.

If you are interested in further reading, I will obviously direct you to http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ which is a site of the Corn Refiner’s Association, but also check out the Fructose entry on Wikipedia. This is the best “scientific” explanation of fructose I have seen. I read through the HFCS entry on Wikipedia, and I think there is a lot of biased information. Good luck in your endeavors to discover the truth.

I'm the Smoothie Queen

If you are looking for a fun way to get more fruits and veggies into your family's diet, try this base recipe for any tasty smoothie:

1 cup of yogurt (any flavor)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 to 3 servings of fruit or veggies (the orange juice cuts the taste of most anything green)
Blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds

Okay, I really don't measure the orange juice. I just pour it in to get the consistency I want. I use the above when I am making smoothies for just myself, but will double it for me and my two kiddos.

I have really become a fan of Greek yogurt recently because of its high protein content. I have even cut the sugar by using the plain yogurt when making my smoothies. The sugar in the fruit and and orange juice are more than enough for me. If you need a little more sweetness, I would suggest using stevia or splenda.
HOWEVER, if you are using Greek yogurt, do not add milk. Greek yogurt tends to be much firmer than regular yogurt. I don't know what the ingredient is that sets up the yogurt, but it will do the same to the milk you add. I did this to thin out the ingredients, and within minutes it was a big glob of curdled, fruity goo.

My favorite smoothie contains half of a banana, 2 to 3 big strawberries, and a handful of blueberries. I rarely remove the green leafy tops from the strawberries - a little more green stuff never hurts. I have also used mangos with the skin on (just cut it up small since the skin is pretty tough), apples (leave skin on) and blackberries. As far as veggies, I have added carrots, yellow squash and zuccini, though never at the same time. If I get brave enough to add broccoli or cauliflower, I'll let you know how it tastes.

We most often make smoothies for breakfast (paired with eggs or toast with peanut butter) or for an afternoon snack. Not too long ago, we made them for dinner following a really big lunch.

If you have a really good smoothe recipe, please share.

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A new look at Roundup – activism group says it leads to birth defects

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/roundup-scientists-birth-defects_n_883578.html

This Huffington Post story about the Monsanto weed killer Roundup has generated a lot of buzz over the weekend; nearly 6,000 have provided comments from different points of view.

A group called Earth Open Source compiled several studies that found adverse effects of the primary Roundup ingredient glyphosate in lab animals and is calling for a closer look by regulatory agencies.

Did the article change my mind on whether or not I believe our food supply is safe? Not yet.

The reporter says the group is pulling results from a few studies out of a huge pool of research studies to make these claims. One research study they noted was based in Argentina following a high occurrence of malformations and birth defects in humans following increased usage of the product in their agricultural sector. While I can’t say whether or not the study was flawed in any way, I know hundreds of American farm families using the product, and I am not aware of any instance of increased birth defects within our agricultural community. This could be due to our high level of regulation and our farmers attention to following guidelines. I would expect farm families would stop the use of the product immediately if they thought their health or the health of their children would be compromised.

The most intriguing part of the article was about the research conducted by Purdue University plant pathologist Don Huber. His research suggests that genetically modified crops produced with the application of Roundup contain a bacteria that may cause animal miscarriages. Huber did say that his research was inconclusive and further study is needed.

Question: is the presence of this bacterium exclusively found in the genetically-modified/Roundup production system? Having worked in the ag industry, I am very aware that plant pathogens are a real concern for farmers, causing severe financial loss. Food processors will not purchase contaminated grain. I would expect that if the use of glyphosate causes plants to be more prone to disease, farmers would no longer use the product. But I guess I also need to ask if feed mills and food processors are testing for the presence of this bacterium. I think I will keep my eye on this one.

The conversation circles back to my views on organic versus conventional food. As the population is surging, fewer people are willing to produce the food, and less land is available to grow that food, the use of genetically-modified crops and pesticides are inevitable. Do I wish that they were not needed? Of course. But I don’t see the folks reviewing the products deemed “safe” secretly eating other food. If you are out there, please let me know. I will then turn to a life of growing all of my own food, but will most likely hope to have a bottle of Roundup close by as the weeds in my neck of the woods are totally obnoxious.

The ups and downs of having a farmer father

This past Father’s Day I invited my dad to dinner to show him how much I appreciate him. When I made the “Father’s Day” call, he told me that he would try to be there, but it depended on if he was able to empty the manure spreader and/or if he was not going to cut hay that day.

What? He may not come so he can do chores? It surprised me more that I was a little disappointed, since the conversation has been a pretty familiar one over the years.

I know full well what it means to have a business tied to animals. My suburban, horse-crazy mother made sure to find a husband that shared her equine interests. The year they were married, they purchased 9 acres with a run-down house and an area that looked like a riding arena, and that was the start of it all. Nearly 30 years later, their farm has evolved into a home for more than 30 horses, and a wonderful recreational/sporting retreat for hundreds of horse fans. But even in the beginning, with a few chickens, rabbits, goats and our first few horses, the rules were presented to us as if from the Mount: the animals eat before you do, and they get taken care of before you rest or play.

The upside to this is that we were taught responsibility at an early age. I had farm chores ever since I can remember, and I got in trouble quite a bit because they were not attended to with the upmost satisfaction. As we and the operation grew, so did the responsibility. We mucked horse stalls daily, packed water and brought in the hay. The fact that we were girls made no difference. As soon as little sister was old enough to guide the tractor and wagon, my older sister and I took our turn throwing hay. As hard as it was, I was pretty proud of my muscles.

Hay harvest usually occurred in May and June and again in the fall. Occasionally we would harvest three times during a year if we had great growing weather. I knew that my dad would always be “on call” at these times of the year, and I remember several school functions where he could not attend – awards ceremonies, games and concerts. Graduations were even tough for him to attend, but I knew he was working to take care of the operation and his family. Did I mention that he also had an off-the-farm full time job up until about 15 years ago?

Back to Father’s Day - I cooked all day, and at about 6 p.m., my mom called and said the manure spreader had broken. Knowing this is a vital piece of equipment, I figured my dinner plans were over; Dad is also the “fix it” man.

But all was not lost. I began thinking about how my life was shaped because of my father’s dedication to his family. He works endless hours every day to make sure my Mom is happy and the business is successful. He taught me that you pave your own way, you don’t stand with your hand out, “smart” doesn’t come from a book, and a man with soft, manicured hands is just about useless. Dad still deserved that dinner, so I packed up the food and the family, and we took it to him.

Even though life on the farm did not allow my father to stand beside us a lot of the time, he was, and still is always behind us. Thanks, Dad! I appreciate you so much!

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Eden's Chicken Chronicles - Part 1

My 8-year-old daughter wanted to start a scrapbook to chronicle her experiences with her new chickens, but I suggested that she write about it and share it with others. Our journey has been quite comical, and one sure to remember!



Hi, my name is Eden! I am going to start blogging about my chickens, and so I can remember, I am also going to make a scrapbook about them. I am going to tell you about my experiences with my chickens.

When I got my chickens, I saw a box with the word “egg” on it, so I was expecting one baby chick. I was surprised when I saw about 100 baby chicks. Mommy said there were 74; I loved them all. One of the baby chicks almost didn’t survive because it was cold. My mommy and I went to get to get a heat light and food at Tractor Supply and Feeder’s Supply. Amazingly, the chick did survive.

The chicks lived in the tack room of the barn in two rabbit cages. One day me and mommy noticed one of the chicks had something stuck to his bottom. It was part of an egg shell. Mommy tried to pull it off, but she pulled its feathers off with it. Then we took it up to the house and gave it a warm bath so we could get off the egg shell. A wet chick looks very funny. It was the smallest chick, so I named it Teeny. This one was my favorite.

As the chicks grew, we had to move them into more cages. We had two dog crates that we used, but had to have daddy put wire around the cages because they were small enough to fit through the bars.

When the chicks grew some more, we moved them to a horse stall. We soon realized we had too many when they started eating each other. (NOTE: Mommy says she realized we had too many the moment she counted them all.) We tried to give them fruits and vegetables to peck on. They really like watermelon and corn on the cob. But don’t give them onion or potato skins because those can be toxic. We put tree branches in the stall, too. They like to climb on the branches.

Even though we tried to make them happy, we found a dead chicken yesterday. I think it died from cannibalism. We decided we had to give most of them away. We also found a chicken with a big puffy neck and he acted like he was having trouble swallowing. My mommy and daddy thought it was a big tumor. They thought it would be best to get rid of him, so we took him and another hurt chicken out to the woods. I cried, but I figured they would die anyway.

Earlier today, my daddy said the two chickens we put in the woods were still there, so mommy told him to take them some food and water. Mommy went to check on them later and the tumor was gone. We figured out that the chicken’s crop was probably full of food. We decided to keep these chickens. Their names are now Lucky and Lucy.
We have another chicken that really likes mommy and me. We named him Fred which sounds like friend, because he is friendly. We are keeping him, too. We are keeping 15 chickens in all – 2 roosters and 13 hens. A man came and picked up about 40 of the chickens this afternoon. Someone else will get the ones we aren’t keeping tomorrow.

I really enjoy having chickens. If you think it sounds really fun, because it is, you should go and buy some. But it’s really expensive. That’s the main reason why we had to get rid of most of ours.