Green Food & Drink

Eat Green, Eat Vegetarian

An ever-growing popular food trend is eating vegetarian or vegan food because of the increasing rise in people who are becoming vegetarians or vegans.  People become vegetarians or vegans for many reasons, whether because they are animal lovers, weight control, a healthy body and lifestyle, or religious reasons.  Many of these vegetarian restaurants are popping up across the country, and some are vegan restaurants.  Other restaurants are making small steps by only adding vegetarian plates to their regular menus. Whatever the reasons for preferring to eat “green,” vegetarian food is much healthier and more ethical than eating meat.  The food pyramid divides the major food groups into six sections.  It lists vegetables and fruits to be high in fiber.  But the most nutritious vegetables and fruits are cantaloupe, tomatoes, oranges, berries, and squash.  It recommends three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit per day in order for people to get their daily fiber.  For more fiber, try to eat six to eleven servings of whole grains, such as whole wheat, barley, oats, quinoa, bulgur wheat, and wild rice.  Two to three servings of protein and iron are needed from such food as beans, peas, lentils, ...

Go Green with Your Java Bean

If you have coffee every day, you're making an environmental choice.  That's right - even a daily cup of coffee can have a real impact.  Choosing fair trade and organic coffees over ordinary coffee, making your morning cup at home instead of drinking a brew from Starbuck's or another restaurant, and the way you choose to make your coffee all affect the environment.  Here are a few options you can use to have an environmentally cup of java. Fair Trade certification has been getting a lot of press, and for good reason.  Fair Trade certified coffee means that the farmers who grew it got a good price, and have been given assistance such as help in becoming organic growers.  Organic coffee is also a good choice, since neither you nor the environment will be exposed to the high levels of pesticides often found in standard coffee crops.  Sales of organic coffee went up by about a quarter in 2006, and have been rising since as people become more and more aware of what goes into producing the food they eat every day. Shade grown beans are another excellent choice.  You see, coffee is at heart a plant that loves shade, and traditional ...

Green Choices: Food Security vs. Industrial Tiger

Many developing countries today are in a dilemma over the direction to be taken in terms of development.  The debate is one about choosing between becoming an industrial tiger ready to take on the industrialized nations of the world or becoming a food self-sufficient powerhouse by ensuring food security.  We can name Vietnam as a good example of such a dilemma. Shrinking Farmlands and Migrating Farmers It is truly alarming that even in the United States, the number of farmers actually farming the land has seen significant declines in the past few years.  This can be attributed to many reasons like the continued losses from negative climate conditions, the increasing use for industrial purposes of farmlands and the mounting allure of life in the city. If this is true in the United States, a country that prides itself on food sufficiency, then it is all the more true in developing nations.  Furthermore, government policy has a helping hand in it because of the political thrust towards national industrialization by a certain date. Thus, the national and local governments will enforce laws reassigning farmlands to industrial uses.  You will see rice fields behind high-rise office buildings and factories in many parts of Asia as evidence ...

Genetically Engineered Animals and Your Family’s Diet

As we round the corner on yet another contamination scare – this time, peanut butter – the world has gained heightened awareness of the lax standards imposed by governmental agencies charged with the task of keeping the public safe.  Safe from improper handling, safe from unintended chemical and biological contamination, and safe from overt efforts to taint the food chain.  So where do we draw the line? The scientific world has been testing the limits of genetic engineering for decades.  They’ve been charged with the task of finding ways to improve the genetic resistance of crops to insects, bacteria and fungi.  As knowledge and understanding of imposed genetic mutations grew, it was only a matter of time before they would turn their attention to feed animals, and that time has crept upon us. Traditional genetic engineering took generations to perfect.  Breeding stock was selected for specific characteristics and the offspring were monitored to determine the relative success of the experiment.  The difficulty with traditional breeding trials, however, is firmly grounded in the root of genetics.  Selective breeding intensifies breed traits: size, function, appearance and temperament, but while one desired element may improve, an undesirable trait may be magnified, as well. Selective breeding has ...

Make your Own Delicious Home-Baked Bread

Few experiences delight the senses as stepping in from the cold outdoors and into a cozy home rich with the smell of baking bread.  Grab a stick of butter, settle into the breakfast nook and get ready to enjoy one of the most cherished comfort foods.  What?  You haven’t ever lifted a loaf of home baked bread from your own oven?  Don’t despair … it’s not as hard as it looks! For the uninitiated, bread baking is fraught with peril … activating the yeast, kneading the dough, finding the right spot to let the dough rise, and shaping the dough into a reasonably tantalizing shape.  But bread making is one of the most basic cooking skills learned in cultures around the world and can truly be mastered by anyone. Bread comes in many shapes and forms:  unleavened flat breads, such as tortillas and pita, quick breads like Irish Soda Bread and corn bread, sweet breads such as zucchini or whole wheat raisin bread and yeast breads like sourdough and potato bread.  Start with something simple – sweet breads mix up just like cake batter – and work your way into more advanced techniques. Quick breads and sweet breads require little experience to perfect ...