FOOD FARSE

So one of my friends just brought a blog posting to my attention. It's about the fact that the USDA standards for organic have been crap. Some industrial food has passed as organic.

This is a very common thing that happens in the cosmetic industry as well. A company can try to get away with misinformation and mislabeling to the detriment of the consumer because the repercussions are not in place.

Fortunately for me I am buying from restaurants that are having to worry about this instead of me. Secondly there are some products that I believe in that are not organic. They just taste different to me. They don't agree with me. Through this journey others have brought to my attention that they feel the same way.

The journey for me this year is to do the best I can with the information that I have, to figure out choices that are both available and unavailable, and to make sure there are choices in a country that was founded on choices.

I want a choice. Don't you?

TERRI TAKE 2

Ok. I think I could start to get addicted to Organic Vegan. There is something soooo addictive about Dhal cheese!!!!! The cheddar might be even better than the real thing!

Two nights ago I walked into Terri NYC to try something new other than the "chicken" quesadillas that I'm addicted to!!!! Right away there was a customer who suggested the "meatball" sub. I asked him if he was vegan and he said no. He said that he really wanted to start watching his health and thought he would give vegan a try. For some people I would think that is quite a diet change so I commended him for his efforts.

The customer was right. The meatball sub was divine. I asked him what his second choice was and he said the Thanksgiving Dinner which consists of Tofurky, Cranberry sauce, vegenaise, and crushed walnuts. I decided I would try that one the next day. Thanksgiving dinner was different, but good too. I topped it all off with a butterfinger shake which was recommended by one of the employees there. That too was really good!

Never did I ever think I would get cravings for Vegan food, but I guess the lesson to be learned here is keep your mind open to everything! Hmmmmmm Feeling a bit like Homer Simpson. I 'm craving a "meatball" sub right about now!!!!

JAMIE'S FOOD REVOLUTION

Long before I came to the conclusion that my food source could possibly be the culprit of my weight issues there was a man known as the "NAKED CHEF", Jamie Oliver taking the UK's food system by storm.

Many people have suggested that I get in contact with him to join forces to make a change. I first wanted to really see if I would see any difference in me first. Not only have I seen a difference, but so have others. Over two sizes smaller and only 60 days later I have to say that I am becoming partial to what organic could possibly mean for me.

Despite what organic may or may not do Jamie's mission to get people to eat healthier is really important. I was already eating healthy. That was definitely not my issue. Volume of food was sometimes an issue when I went to eat out, but when compared what others can eat it really wasn't terribly much.

Check out the FOOD REVOLUTION that will air this month and be sure to sign the petition that he is circulating.

No matter what we all deserve the option to have better food sources!

DUPED

Lately I have been scouring the shelves and restaurants to see what is available in organic. After one of the beauty shows I attended I was STARVING and knew that a restaurant with organic food on hand was just not happening.
I decided to duck into a Duane Reade near Penn Station to see if there was some sort of way for me to remedy my hunger.
As I looked through the shelves of high fructose corn syrup laden products I came across a couple of brands that to the untrained eye looked organic.
It appeared that Snyder's of Hanover had come out with some organic chips. I'm not a chip person at all, but I was starving and thought what the hell. As I looked closer at the bag it appeared that Snyder's had mimicked the USDA label on their packaging when in fact it was only advertising Gluten free/ Expeller Pressed Sunflower Oil. I wonder what the USDA would think about this little trademark infringement?!?
In addition Snyder's wants you to feel good about their product being natural so they added some water falls on to the packaging.
As a consumer who is really trying to do my best to adhere to eating a certain way I am really upset at the levels of marketing deception that I am seeing. I'm sure that this product is really close to organic if you look at the ingredients, but given that the company has consciously acted deceptively through their packaging I can only assume that other integrity has yet to be proven!!!
Guess that's what I get for considering a bag of chips to begin with.
In the end I chose to starve.

TASTY TERRI

Since February I have had quite a few people ask me if I have been to Terri yet. Terri is an organic vegan take out on 23rd street next to 6th avenue.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of vegan dishes is bland food that's trying to be something. That's why I usually go straight to raw which to me has better life and flavor for my taste buds. That's why I wasn't in a rush to try Terri.

Today I was passing by Terri and decided it was time to pop in. I ordered the "chicken" quesadilla to stay and the bacon cheddar chicken wrap for later on. I was REALLY impressed with the quesadilla! It was full of flavor and bite. The chicken wrap was not really something I would ever order again. They made the "chicken" into a filet that had a very strange texture.

The quesadilla definitely had me intrigued and I will definitely be trying some of their other dishes especially at the prices of $5-8 for most of their menu. I just have to be careful with the wraps. They made me narc out which is usually what happens to me when I eat anything with wheat, but I like to be open to things.

By the way one of the gals that worked there said I have to come back for one of their juices. Not sure if anyone can really top the juices at Gustorganics though!!!

Let me know if you've given them a try at all. I'd love to hear your reviews!

STILL HERE!!!

Hello all of you loyal organic followers! I love the feedback and support that you have been giving me.

The grueling journey still continues on. It has been a really rough road with a lot of disappointments and confusion. At the same time I am happy to know that spring will be upon us soon and I will have a wonderful opportunity to dig in and start talking to some of the farmers out there.

Just as I have many supporters I too have a lot of people that doubt what I am doing. They don't think organic can be achieved. They think that my physical changes are more mental. There are people that are very close to me who have witnessed the physical changes I have undergone and still don't think my results will happen for others.
They criticize my building my life around the USDA label which is not true. In fact I will be talking about farmers that may not be organic whom I buy from shortly.

The only reason I started this journey is because I knew as a child I had food that grew from our gardens or was sourced locally. I was a thin child all of the way through to my second year of college which is when I moved away from the foods that I was raised on. I still vividly remember the disappointment I had in the food that I was eating when I moved from Kentucky. It only made sense that if I return back to the way I used to eat/live then I will see some changes..... and so far I have! It's more gradual now, but very real!

I can't wait to see what I uncover. I just hope I can last through the amount of deceit that goes on when it comes to "Natural" and "Organic" foods.
Once again thank you all for reading this journey whether you believe it or not.

FOO ON TOFU!

Yesterday on my way back to the office I walked through Korea town in NYC. There's a restaurant that I have been wanting to try for ages because they widely advertise their Tofu is 100% organic.

When I arrived to my seat I asked the waitress is the meal was 100% organic and not just the Tofu and she said yes. Their menu even advertised no MSG.

Before I could even walk out the door my stomach began to swell. I decided to walk back to the office which is a 15 min brisk walk, and felt my stomach swelling even more by the minute.

I haven't had this kind of reaction since my stomach being paralyzed! I had chosen the vegetarian tofu curry, but something in that meal caused a severe reaction.

After sleeping it off I awoke to swollen hands and bags under my eyes with a swollen face as if I had been on an all night drinking binge.

My energy was also off as if I'd had also been hung over!!!

The only thing I can think of is the waitress must have been mistaken. The only thing that must have been organic was the tofu, if that. Since I walk by there at least once a week I'll have to pull a manager aside to find out what in the heck could possibly be in there to give me that kind of reaction!!!

Moral of the story? Buyer beware!