Thursday, August 5, 2010

Update on Food Combining

It has now been about 2 weeks of our food combining attempt. I have read more books and information online. We continue to food combine about 90% of the time.

Yesterday Hubs brought home a Greek plate which was NOT properly food combined and we ate most of it and loved it and only once said something about the bad combination. Think moderation in everything. We'll see how we feel today. Oddly enough after a heartburn free day, David had a bit after dinner. This could be from one of two things OTHER than improper food combining:
1.
The food was packaged in Styrofoam - can it be made with corn??? Probably but I haven't checked.
2.
Inside one of the packages (it took 4 to contain this plate intended for one person, one meal, but we both had dinner last night and David had left overs for lunch today) was a fýllo wrapped cheese item. It is nearly impossible to find fýllo that is Corn Free. I have looked. A lot. We picked out what we saw that had transferred but most likely, this is the culprit. They are delicious little cheese pastries but we would have requested it be left out or packed separately had we been paying attention.

Ah well such is the life. This Greek restaurant makes delicious food and we have only had a problem with corn when we order something with fýllo. Which is easy enough to avoid when one remembers.....



WARNING I'M ABOUT TO TYPE ABOUT BM'S



Since food combining I have more regular BM's. When one's digestive system is working correctly one should have about one BM per meal (snacks not included) per day. So the average person should be having about 3 per day. When we had corn in our diet I was good if I had one every other day. We eliminated corn from our diet and what do you know about one BM a day for me (and I am NOT allergic to corn - just Hubs). With food combining, I have a BM as one is supposed to when digestion is running smoothly.

While talking about the waste a body produces isn't "proper" conversation it does indicate a lot about how one's body is working and what one is consuming. And not just BM's, tinkle too. =)

Toothpaste and Contact Solution

TOOTHPASTE

We have been looking for corn free products. It's quite difficult. Tom's of Maine clearly explains on the package of some of their products where each ingredient is derived from. One has to be very careful though reading labels because not all of the toothpastes have even the same basic ingredients. I did NOT call or contact this company. We purchased this product solely based on label reading and product transparency. I think the taste of this product is comparable or better than the leading brands. It also seems to leave ones breath fresh and clean comparable or better than the leading brands.



CONTACT SOLUTION
Contact solution is a much bigger deal. You stick the product in your eye which is an entry point for germs and infection. So sticking corn in one's eye when one is allergic can be quite traumatic. Toothpaste can be absorbed through the gums while brushing but it's not actually consumed, it is spit into the sink and one typically rinses their mouth with water after brushing. Not so with contact solution. One loads up the lens with it and plants it in their eye for the day. I called the 1-800 number on the box while standing in Target. The representative I reached was very kind and said that while she didn't have the information she would take my number and return my call. After about 4 days of no response I had given up on hearing from Bausch & Lomb about Bio true. She called Tuesday morning and left a detailed message saying that she had confirmation from: the product manager, one of the Doctors on the product and a chemist on the product that there was NO corn used in the making of this contact lens solution. Yea for David!! I wasn't even upset about paying full price. (I'm obsessive about getting the best deals and coupon clipping and bargain hunting.) If one fills out the survey HERE - one can get a $2 coupon to try this product. There is supposed to be a travel size (2oz) but I have not yet found anything other than the size pictured. NOTE: This solution is for soft contact products. David wears soft contacts so he can use this product. I wear rigid gas permeable and this product is NOT recommended for hard contact lenses.... although I think I might just be the only one left wearing hard contacts....



DISCLOSURE: I paid with our hard earned money, full price for both of the items. There was no compensation from either company, I am just really happy about finding corn free products I don't have to make myself. I have however, since printed an online coupon for Bio true that I found on my own time and of my own volition.

.C.ould .O.ur g.R.eed explai.N.

David and I watched King Corn. A documentary made by two young guys, just graduated from college who decide to rent an acre of land in IA and grow corn. Their plan is to follow their acre from seed to product. Interesting concept and of course holding our attention since we seem to do that every day ... trace our products back to corn ...

From Netflix:
King Corn
2007 NR 90 minutes
In Aaron Woolf's thought-provoking documentary, friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America's Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation's most-grown and most-subsidized grain and follow their crop into the U.S. food supply. What they learn about genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides and the realities of modern farming calls into question government subsidies, the fast-food lifestyle and the quality of what we eat.
Cast: Curt Ellis, Ian Cheney
Director: Aaron Woolf
Genres: Documentary, Science and Nature Documentaries, Political Documentaries, Indie Documentaries
This movie is: Witty, Cerebral
Format: DVD and streaming


Despite our extensive research out of necessity, we were still surprised at some of the content. While some of the knowledge was "there" it hit home the actual role the government is playing in growing and producing of corn.

The bottom line is that the government, through subsidies, is propping up an artificial (literally) market for corn. Corn derivatives are so inexpensive that it has helped to drive down the annual cost of food in U.S. households, by about 1/2. While it sounds shocking, even in our household since discovering David's allergies and subsequently switching to primarily organic foods our grocery budget has more than doubled. Even 100 years ago, maybe even 50 years ago the thought of having to purchase "Organic" foods was probably ludicrous. Food was still being produced primarily through smaller farm operations - with naturally healthy methods.

I like purchasing organic, corn free products. I DO NOT like the dent that it has caused in our over all budget, but by purchasing responsibly grown plants and animals I am choosing to support small farms and casting my vote for free market - not one propped up with subsidies and corn kernels.

While we don't own a TV I have seen the commercial that is touting all the benefits of High Fructose Corn syrup. The actresses are playing 'mom' in this commercial and one of the 'moms' says to the other "Oh but do you know what is IN that??" And the (obviously more informed mother - typed with only a hint of sarcasm - ) says "What?" And then spouts off all the fantastic things about HFC.

Here is the thing: the guys in King Corn make HFC themselves when companies won't allow them to bring in cameras. They have to wear GLOVES & GOGGLES because of the poison that is required in the process of abstracting HFC from kernels of corn. Pretty sure that I don't want to consume a product made with chemicals that have a skull and bones on it. And I sure as anything wouldn't feed it to kids. No wonder our kids are fat, have diabetes, early periods, and on and on.... The government is encouraging parents to feed their kids crap - literally. It's hard for me to make good grocery store decisions and I have a household of 2. I can't imagine having 4 or 5 mouths to feed and looking at the meat or dairy and having to choose between products. When will the government - especially this current administration with all the talk of healthy eating - stop enabling companies to obtain cheap product. Cheap, unhealthy product.