Tip: Good Eating, and Cheap!

You had me with the headline! Environmental Working Group's (EWG) "Good Food on a Tight Budget" shopping guide recently appeared in my inbox and I just had to share it.

Who doesn't want to save money on their grocery bill while still being able to enjoy good, healthy food?! This is such a great resource, and in great time for school and, heck, even for those of us raring our engines for the fall work rush.

Visit the website below to learn what the top 100 foods are that will help keep the "beans" in your pockets while still giving you the goods (nutrients and proteins, that is). They also highlight which organic foods are most worth the extra $$.

The site offers plenty of tips, a quick list of the top 100 foods, a menu planner, shopping list, price tracker, and a whole lot more:

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/index.php

Also, EWG did this all for our health. But they are not-for-profit and if you like the information you see here, they would appreciate our donations so they can keep doing this kind of great work. If you do donate, EWG will send you a hard copy of the guide so you have the food list accessible all the time - pretty great!

Thanks for this great resource, EWG!

Watch: Forks over Knives

FORKS OVER KNIVES
96 min.
Rating: PG
2011
Director: Lee Fulkerson

A good friend recommended that we go and see this new documentary a few Fridays ago. "It's about the vegan diet," she explained, and we both knew it would likely throw a few punches at the North American convenience food diet. What I didn't know was how much this film would effect me and have me seriously considering my current diet and its need for an overhaul.

FORKS OVER KNIVES is a documentary about the whole foods, plant-based diet and its ability to control or reverse degenerative diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer. This is done by rejecting the North American "menu" of animal-based and processed food. Not exactly a message most people might want to hear - and one that many would be skeptical about. The backbone of this documentary is built around research and studies conducted by two doctors: Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional scientist from Cornell University; and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Both doctors made some remarkable discoveries during the early years of their careers which later led them to conduct several groundbreaking studies such as one that took place in China and is considered one of the most comprehensive health-related studies of all time. The doc also shows results of this whole foods, plant-based diet by following real people with real diseases and shows their seemingly miraculous recoveries in large part due to their healthier diets.

This documentary is great in that it really challenges our mainstream way of thinking and looking at the food we eat everyday. It does come across as pretty biased against the government-backed "healthy" diet, which includes meat, dairy and can be argued to include processed foods, as well. Hopefully it inspires some important discussion about our current diet. It ideally would encourage more of us to look into what it is we are eating, start asking questions, and do a bit of research for ourselves. I, for one, feel pretty inspired by this whole food, plant-based diet, and would watch the documentary again because it is so packed with scientific info. and cool nutrition facts - it's hard to get it all in with just one viewing!



Interested in learning more about the whole food, plant-based diet and trying some recipes? I am, too! The FORKS OVER KNIVES website (listed below) will soon offer an online resource to help with this endeavor. In the meantime, here are some cookbooks the film's team recommends:

The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook ($25)
The Engine 2 Diet ($24.99)
Keep It Simple Keep It Whole ($19.99)  

www.forksoverknives.com

For the love of food: Karma Co-op

One of my number one missions when I came back to Toronto this past September was to visit the Karma Co-operative, a not-for-profit food store, to see what this alternative shop had to offer. A friend of mine introduced the Karma idea to me after learning of my interest in organic and ethical eats with an emphasis on local sourcing. This past fall, I grabbed some reusable bags, stuffed them in my backpack and headed out in search of some good Karma.

The Karma Co-op has a lot of charm because of its location. It is tucked down a laneway off of Barton Avenue, just east of Palmerston. Taking public transit, the station that gets you closest is Bathurst. The store is housed in what looks like a small warehouse smushed behind homes with bike racks and recycling bins hugging it close.

I feel like I should back up a bit and admit that I haven't always been so good with my food. As a university student, I ate my share of Mr. Noodles and pizza, and didn't really spend much of any time thinking about where my food came from. It is over the last few years of learning more about climate change, about the importance of local farming, and the health aspects of organic food that had me walking down this laneway.

I had no idea what it meant to be a part of a co-operative, but I soon found out. Everyone gets a one-time trial shop, and then you need to sign up, at least for now. All members pay a fully refundable, one-time loan of $70. This helps secure the continuity of the co-op and really wasn't a big deal for me to pay considering I'd get it back if I ever decided to "leave" Karma. Other costs include two $18 fees per year that help to cover member services and building/capital costs. Again, this sounded reasonable to me - especially because Karma doesn't mark up its groceries like other downtown stores do. The last item, which I found kind of novel, was the idea that members have rights in this food store. You can choose to be considered a working member (which means you join a work team to either work at cash, clean up, set up or even cut cheese for two hours once a month) or a non-working member (people chooose either to pay $18 at the beginning of the month or receive $10 on top of their purchases). You also get to vote and sit on committees if you choose. The Co-op has been around since 1972 and reportedly has about 500 members that are considered working and more than 380 non-working households on its roster.

Okay, let's get to the shopping! Karma is stacked with loads of local produce, some organic and some conventional, that is sourced as locally as possible given the season. It carries a decent supply of household and personal care (shampoos and supplements) items, the bulk food section is really quite good and well priced, organically raised meat and local cheeses fill the fridges and freezers, and the shelves are well-stocked with canned and packaged foods (they even have their own Fair-Trade Plus Karma Coffee). Basically, the Co-op brings in whatever its members want, with an emphasis on the local, the environmental and the social.

Karma Co-op is always looking for new members. Being a former big grocery store shopper myself, I understand the hesitation, but I encourage people to come and check it out.  Also, this is not the only co-op in the city, so do a bit of research and see which one is most conveniently located to you. Check out the Karma website: www.karmacoop.org to learn more.