I have embarked on a new adventure. Not bungee jumping or white water rafting. This is a different kind of adventure. One that involves raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains paired with fresh herbs and spices. My adventure began because I wanted to be healthy, have more energy and support my local farmers. Plus I thought it would be fun to try a new way of eating.

The raw vegetables I used to eat were mainly salads with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes. I was however eating a decent amount of cooked vegetables in pastas, and cooked grains paired with meat dishes. The thing is, when you cook vegetables and grains you suck a lot of the nutrients out. What’s the use in eating broccoli or spinach without the good stuff like chlorophyll and vitamin C?  Thus began my raw food adventure. (I call it an adventure so I don’t get cynical when I’m craving a juicy filet mignon and french fries).

My two biggest worries when I started were:

1. I like hot food.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and brings back memories of eating homemade pasta in my grandmother’s kitchen.
2. Vegetables can be boring, fruits can be sugary and grains don’t have a lot of taste. Read the rest of this entry >>
   

Here at TakePart we’ve been promoting the importance of eating a diet filled with organic fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We also know that most people have a bit of a sweet tooth (including me!). If you are one of these people, here are a few scrumptious organic options that will make your tummy say mmmmm. The candies have no icky high fructose corn syrup, no unidentified “artificial flavoring” and no weird ingredients like carrageenan or maltodextrin. I follow the rule if you can’t pronounce the ingredients don’t eat them. These options have natural ingredients that you can pronounce.

YummyEarth has been featured on The Today Show and The Food Network. They make organic lollipops, organic candy drops and the world’s first ever and only USDA organic gummy bears and sour worm. You can find them at Whole Foods, Toys R Us and many other local stores. Everything YummyEarth makes is USDA and EU certified organic, gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut-free and has no type of corn syrup.

Equal Exchange Products produce organic fairly-traded gourmet chocolate bars that supports small-scale farmers and their families. Their website explains, “the bars combine famous Swiss standards in chocolate making with cocoa from the farmer co-operatives CONACADO, in the Dominican Republic, COCABO, in Panama, and CACVRA, in Peru; fairly traded organic sugar from co-operatives in Paraguay and Costa Rica; and fairly traded vanilla from Madagascar.”

Theo Chocolate is the only organic fair trade, bean to bar chocolate factory in the United States. What sets Theo Chocolate apart is they take time and care to steward their cocoa beans through the entire manufacturing process, add only the finest, sustainably produced ingredients, and are proud to offer chocolate that is both ethical and delicious.

Enjoy!

Greenpeace released a report today implicating shoe brands such as Nike, Reebok and Adidas, stating their demand for leather may be supporting cattle ranchers that are illegally slaughtering the Amazon.  Greenpeace’s  laundry list is extensive, companies like Ikea, BMW, and Kraft may be silent partners as well.  These companies know what manufacturer they get their leather from but may not know what cattle ranch the manufacturer buys from. This may make them a silent partner, but they are still a partner and need to take charge of the situation.

You may be asking, what do cows have to do with deforestation of the rainforest?  In Brazil, cattle farmers are illegally burning down the Amazon rainforest to raise enough cattle to meet the public’s demand for beef, leather products and even cattle by-products like glycerine.  Glycerine is used in some health and beauty products. (Another reason to go natural and vegan with your beauty products!!)

You may be saying, I get that it’s bad to burn down the rainforest but why are rainforests critical to life on earth? The Amazon rainforest, for example, not only houses thousands of plant and animal species, it is critical to our climate. Greenpeace explains,

Forests play a vital role in stabilizing the world’s climate by storing large amounts of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change. Forest destruction accounts for almost 1/5 of global greenhouse gas emissions. That is more climate pollution than all the world’s cars, trucks, trains, planes and ships combined.  The Brazilian cattle industry is the largest single source of deforestation in the world-and the demand for leather means more Amazon Rainforest cleared to graze cattle.

Download Greenpeace’s report, Slaughtering The Amazon to learn more.  To takepart let companies such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok know you are concerned about where their leather comes from.  Also check out more eco-conscious shoe brands such as Simple Shoes and TOMS Shoes.

We are all affected by the recession. Sadly, our children may be hit the hardest. Katie Couric is tackling this issue with a week long special, Children of the Recession, that airs on CBS this week. In her blog, Katie wrote, “Since this recession began sixteen months ago, one million children have lost their health insurance as their parents lose their jobs. With nearly two million more home foreclosures expected, the number of homeless children will continue to rise.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. Education setbacks are likely to occur with parents unable to pay for college and public schools losing funding for certain programs. Also, 3.5 million children under the age of 5 are already at risk of hunger in the United States. With the recession, these statistics are going to grow. While there is no easy solution, there are several organizations dedicated to helping our children through these difficult times. CBS News highlights organizations such as:

1. Children’s Health Fund helps to provide health care to children in need.
2. Safe Families for Children takes at risk children into their homes in order for parents to work through their short or long term crisis like hospitalization or drug abuse.
3. Feeding America is a fantastic organization that offers several programs to help combat the issue of hunger in America. The Fill A Summer Lunchbox Program is a great way to ensure that a child has nutritious and delicious lunches all summer long. TakePart also urges you to sign the petition to reauthorize The Child Nutrition Act. Your pledge will help assure that kids have healthy food choices in schools. We’ll even hand deliver your pledge to Congress this June!

Photo c/o Brian Auer’s flickr photostream (creative commons)

Last night the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted 4-3 in favor of laying off 5000 teachers, school administrators, counselors and other employees. The Board of Education believes this is the only solution in order to close the $596.1 million budget deficit for next year. I understand there needs to be cuts, but I challenge the school board to tell me how putting 5000 people out of work and lowering our children’s level of education is the only solution.

Before these catastrophic cuts, Los Angeles schools were already at a disadvantage. California ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending. Today there are 879 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2007, only 111 of these school met or exceeded the California Department of Education’s Academic Performance Index.

A study of 9th Street Elementary, a public school in downtown Los Angeles, shows in 2007, students averaged a 629 on their API test vs. the API goal of 800. Many private schools in Los Angeles average in the 900s. Out of the 337 children attending 9th Street Elementary, 245 are English language learners. These students are under performing and at a disadvantage because English is not their first language. These statistics will not improve if we take away teachers and increase class size. Not to mention after the layoffs, some schools may not have full time principals. The LA Times covered this story today and reported that Spanish speaking parents expressed concern about school security if principals are not on campus throughout the day. I understand California is in a world of hurt financially, but this is inexcusable.

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c/o Flickr Creative Commons (Public Domain)

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rage on, the casualty numbers rise and the political discussions become more heated.  However, each day soldiers die for our country and we don’t see or hear anything about them.   Approximately 5000 soldiers have died in Iraq, 1200 in Afghanistan.  I’d like  to know these soldier’s names, to know what they were like and to honor them for what they have sacrificed for our country.

Since George Bush (Senior) was president the media has not been permitted to cover the dignified transfers of our fallen soldiers returning home from war. Finally, the 18 year ban has been lifted.  With strict restrictions and the family’s consent the media is now allowed to be present as our fallen soldiers return home. This morning the media was present during the transfer of fallen soldier, Staff Sergeant Phillip Myers at Dover Air Force Base. Sergeant Myers of Hopewell, Virginia was 30 years old and killed in Afghanistan on April 4th. To Sergeant Myers’ family and friends, America’s thoughts and prayers are with you. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg puts it perfectly. He said,

seeing these returning caskets prompts a national sense of shared pain and sacrifice, as well as gratitude and pride.

There is a new kind of pirate in town and it’s not the kind with a parrot on his shoulder stealing gold from far away kingdoms. This pirate is equipped with a fishing boat and is stealing massive amounts of fish from our oceans. Greenpeace reports that “pirate fishing is estimated to account for up to a third of the global catch, is notorious for targeting at-risk populations and often uses highly destructive methods.” Our oceans are crying for help and we have the ability to make a difference right at our local supermarkets. According to Greenpeace, “supermarkets have enormous purchasing power and are well positioned to influence the way the fishing industry operates.” Here are a few ways you can takepart at your local supermarket.

Solution #1: Eat sustainable seafood. It’s better for you and better for the ocean. I find the Food and Water Watch’s Smart Seafood Guide really helpful while I’m shopping at the supermarket.

Solution #2: Help keep seafood pirates out of supermarkets with Greenpeace’s downloadable Seafood Activist Survey and Toolkit. Take the toolkit to your local supermarket and talk with the store manager about their seafood policies and practices. The toolkit will help you assess if there are red list seafood and endangered fish being sold. Next log your results on Greenpeace’s site.

Photo courtesy of herr_hartmann’s flick photostream (creative commons)