Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin with SPF 6

I couldn’t love this moisturizer more and I’m very sad to say I’m nearly halfway through it. Oh well, at least I still have half left! It’s fresh and rosy, with a cool, watery texture that sinks into your skin fast but leaves behind an amazing, greaseless sheen. I do wish this had a higher SPF than 6, but the scent, feel and performance are great. Really – and this is coming from the woman who has tried it all, from Clinique to Estee Lauder to La Mer – eww, mineral oil – to Origins to Burt’s Bees. That’s a long-winded way of saying I’ll be buying this for a long time to come. Because of the low SPF, if you’re fair like me you will still need something with more protection if you’re going to be gardening, hiking or hanging out with your clinician friend, Carrie.

Silicon-Free Face Primer

This. Is. Awesome. I was glad to finally get rid of my old Smashbox makeup primer, which I almost never used (partly because I don’t wear face makeup and partly because Smashbox’s primer is not good for your skin or the planet). Most days I don’t wear much on my skin, but this is perfect under powder or concealer if you don’t wear foundation. A little goes a very long way – just the tiniest nib of a dab of a dot will do ya. The tube is generously sized and a pea-sized amount would slick on for miles, so I fully expect to wake up a decade from now with this still in my makeup drawer. I should probably check out the expiration date with the Korres folks.

Pro-Vitamin B5 and Rice Bran Lash-Strengthening Mascara

I was excited to try out an organic mascara; this one disappoints. I’m lucky to have naturally thick lashes, but this formula is so thin and the color is such a dull brown, I felt like I actually looked worse after application. To be fair, I’m very picky about my mascara, and I like a rich, thick formula because I refuse to apply more than one coat. The really bad thing about this product is the strong smell. I don’t know if it’s the rice bran, but it was very medicinal – like crushed aspirin. Sorry, Korres!

Lip Butter Lip and Cheek Tint

Back to the yummy stuff. I love the lip butter. It’s silky, light, tastes and smells delicious, and somehow manages not to be thick or sticky while also staying on my lips for several hours. And it makes a great eye and cheek tint, too! It feels the way I think a lip gloss should feel – creamy and healing, without being goopy or shiny. It doesn’t have the congealed texture of something like chapstick or Carmex and it’s also not drying like a lot of so-called lip treatments are (you know the ones, where you have to reapply every five minutes or run the risk of chapped lips).

And there you have it; 3 out of 4 ain’t bad. In addition to the luscious textures and pleasant scents, the packaging is great – matte, minimal and substantial.

Now, just for you: Korres is providing readers of EcoSalon a discount of 30% all products purchased online at korresusa.com until September 30th, 2009! Just use promo code ECOSALON when ordering and you’ll get this amazing discount. Enjoy!

Editor’s note: If you want more beauty product reviews and recommendations, be sure to check out articles from our resident beauty expert, Katherine Butler.

“Sara! Want new SmartCar? Txt yes or no quick!”

Such a text message from your mother might be odd in some families, but not in mine (Mom sells cars faster than bootleg Louis Vuittons and also wields a mean text thumb). I didn’t hesitate. “Yes! Pics!”

I didn’t need a test drive. I’d been tooling around in an old, albeit fun, Jeep for several years. Well, fun when I lived in Pacific Palisades, California and a big day was driving to the beach four blocks away. My first winter in San Francisco with a canvas-topped Jeep – make that my first summer in San Francisco – was an exercise in austerity. I guess I was going for that weathered ski bunny look or at least that’s what I’ll claim in my memoirs. After some nine months of driving in all manner of weather with the plastic windows rolled up a boyfriend helpfully pointed out that they come down. Aha! That’s what those big, dangling zipper pulls were for! Who knew?

Weirdly, the Tesla roadster is not yet in my budget, so I’d resigned myself to driving my Jeep until the wheels fell off and simply parking a generous mile or three away from any green event I attended when the lucky text came.

Lest you have any worries about the safety of the SmartCar, let me assure you, it’s super sturdy. I know this because my mother managed to get into a wreck before I even took possession of my new car. Wasn’t that nice of her to test it out? To be fair, the collision wasn’t her fault. The guy in the SUV was just confused. Didn’t she know the golf course was two turns back?

This being a SmartCar, they don’t really have replacement bumpers just lying around, so I had to wait nearly a month for the damaged caboose to be repaired. (Mom emerged unscathed, caboose intact.)

Accident now out of the way, I made the trek to the homestead in Washington to pick up my little bean and bring it back to the Bay. And I have to tell you, the people you meet at gas stations and rest stops sure are caring folks. I’ve never before felt the likes of such popularity or perhaps I should say, worry.

Parked flush with our publisher’s hybrid Honda

More than once: “Are you safe in that thing?”

Chewing lower lip with concern: “Is that allowed on the freeway?” (We’ll find out!)

The polite: “How much did you pay for…that?”

And the distinctly thoughtful: “What is that?”

That, I’ll have you know, buzzed down the five at 75 mph all the way home with no trouble at all save for a few belches from semi-trucks.

Now, the Smart is what I would call an “active driving experience” – think a stubborn 3 Series. If you like being the boss of your hunk of steel as opposed to rolling over pavement like a stale marshmallow you’ll enjoy the way the Smart handles. What you may or may not enjoy are the looks. And chuckles. And pointing. And being flagged down from three blocks away by really cute men. Which finger you display all depends upon your personality and relationship status.

Smarty has some surprises up its cage. I call it the “Alice in Wonderland effect”. While resembling a glorified jujubee on the outside, the thing is damn near cavernous inside. I wouldn’t say it’s palatial on a scale of the Hummer, but the interior is so roomy you soon forget you’re in half a car. Of course, if you need a reminder just look in the backseat. Kidding! There isn’t one.

The Alice effect is so pronounced you’ll want to be extra alert – I have to remind myself every time I drive that just because I can dart in and out of traffic like a Tonka Toy on Red Bull doesn’t mean I should. This is a car for defensive drivers only. That said, it’s very solid for its size at 1800 pounds, earned a 5-star safety rating, and of course it’s loaded to the crannies with airbags. In other words, this is a blowfish waiting to happen.

Other features include a non-retractable “panorama” sun roof that is virtually the entire top of the vehicle (think Jurassic Park but without the toothsome dinosaur part) and lots of clever storage spots and witty accents for design geeks to love. True, the spare tire may be ridiculous, but the engine’s in the trunk – how cool is that? You won’t have much use for such convenient placement, however, as even after two road trips the machine didn’t sip so much as a drop from its two-quart oil well. (Oh, the satisfying sentence this writer has to forgo because they couldn’t make it pint-sized. Wholeness eludes my post – and let’s be honest here, my soul – once again.)

My model, the Passion, is the less pricey version but still comes pretty well-equipped with leather, daytime running lights, AC and tiptronic shift control. And being a web marketing gal, I appreciate the cool social network, Destination Smart, that doesn’t suck a digital egg, unlike Chevy’s Voltage. (I always loved MINI cooper’s marketing but never did shove them the cash.)

For a 1.0 liter, 70 horse, 3-cylinder car, there’s a pleasing amount of get-up-and-go. It’s not my turbo Volvo T5 of yesteryear, but one could call it zippy with a straight face. The only thing that took some getting used to for this stick-shift girl was the oddball gear transitioning: it’s an automated manual transmission. After two months of ownership, though, I only really notice the shift lag when my espresso bean is puffing up to the crest of Franklin. My friend, Nancy, likes to pat Smarty’s dash and say, “Come on, you can do it!” If you want more power, you can go with the BRABUS model (BRABUS as in Mercedes, the maker of SmartCar; there’s also the starter model, Pure, as well as the new cabriolet).

Already in need of a bath…

Anyone who has had to fork over $30 for parking in San Francisco can appreciate the Smart. While I have yet to perform a perpendicular parking job, the bean has been invaluable for errands and evenings out in the city. San Francisco, by design, has an abundance of short curbs between townhouse driveways that are often empty as only motorcycles and sub-compacts have a prayer of fitting in. But these almost-spaces are perfect for Smarty!

And oh, the gas mileage. 50, 55, 60 – no sweat. I go weeks without filling up and look back fondly on my trips to Napa and, yes, the South Bay. Thanks to a respectable sound system and supportive seats with butt warmers even jaunts to San Jose are dreamy. I do get pulled over by cops quite a bit more now (what, you don’t?), but then I also get out of the tickets so it kind of works out!

Moving along. Road trip numero uno under my belt for the grand total of $35 in gas (Smarty’s tiny tank takes premium only, baby), I thought, where to next?

Westside girl and EcoSalon writer, Kim, had her birthday at the beginning of July, so it was off to LA for me. Despite all the heels and dresses and handbags five days in Los Angeles requires, the Smart has surprisingly ample storage. So at the last minute I thought, what the hell, I’m bringing the cat. I’m sure she’ll be as thrilled as I to see the old stomping grounds, right? Besides, cats love long car rides almost as much as they like being deposited for slumber parties with dogs at your buddy’s SoCal house. It’s one, big happy family!

My cat, Roo, on the road…

Roo upon learning she’ll be staying with dogs.

There’s no rating standard for this at Consumer Reports, but I’ve never seen a cat or rather my cat behave so well on a road trip. I mean, I’m not in the cats-on-road-trips business or anything, but surely this counts in Smart’s favor. Roo, a queenly Maine Coon, curled up in her carrier the entire way sans sedative, only occasionally popping her large, fluffy head out to remind me that I was in the presence of greatness.

Unfortunately, once in LA I took a curve on Sunset a tad too sharply, causing her to tumble out – of the carrier, relax! – and having figured out that she was not actually confined to her travel case, all subsequent driving was less than festive. The psychological jig was up. Ever tried putting a cat back into anything? Pandora had it easier. Once again, kudos to the SmartCar’s handling.

Two big road trips for a mere Benjamin later, I love my Smart even more. The only problem is that now I want to drive everywhere. Meet me for mojitos at the Parker in Palm Springs? I do have a birthday coming up!

Images: Claire Gordon, Sara Ost

One of a pair of food documentaries making the rounds this summer, Fresh, The Movie, in contrast to Food Inc. (reviewed here last week) presents a vision of the possible by profiling heroes all over the country who are changing the way we eat. If Food Inc. was your wake up call, Fresh, The Movie is your call to action.

Fresh’s strength is that it shows the incredible creativity of individuals who are devoting their lives to producing food differently. The success of these individuals shows how organic, ecological farming methods can be viable, in contrast to what the naysayers in conventional food say.

Another strength of the movie is that it profiles people all over the country, not just on the coasts. For those who think that the good food movement is all about Berkeley and Alice Waters, this movie proves that’s just not true.

The movie features a small chain of family-owned grocery stores in Kansas and Missouri. The owner, David Ball, partners with local farmers to sell food produced nearby. At first glance, the grocery stores look like regular grocery stores (not glossy specialty food markets) but alongside the usual national brands are lots of choices of locally-produced produce, honey, jam, and fresh meat, available to everyday people in the community who might not shop at specialty markets. Ball’s stores are successful and they contribute to the health of the local economy by supporting nearby farmers instead of cheaper international producers. Ball’s business, community and customers are all better off for it.

Joel Salatin, hero of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food, Inc., is also profiled. His operation is so efficient that he says he makes $3,000 an acre, in contrast to his conventional farming neighbor’s $50 an acre. His customers are not all wealthy foodies. They range from people in his local community (and hours away) to fast food chain Chipotle.

Will Allen, who we talked about here on EcoSalon recently, (and who was profiled in the New York Times just last week) is also lauded in the film for his work in urban farming in Milwaukee.

There’s a farmer in Missouri who once raised confinement pigs until he was gored and nearly died from the antibiotic resistant bacteria he contracted in the injury. When he got out of the hospital, he realized how dangerous it is to dose animals with antibiotics to keep them healthy. He slaughtered his entire herd, started from scratch raising pastured pigs and has never looked back.

The movie includes a conventional farmer growing corn and soy in Iowa to illustrate the struggles family farmers are up against in this country. George Naylor has fought Monsanto and other biotech companies against the negative impacts of genetically modified crops.

If you haven’t heard of Fresh, The Movie, that’s probably because it’s being distributed grassroots style in private and small public screenings. I attended a public screening that featured a panel of local food activists, the filmmaker ana Sofia joanes and George Naylor – who traveled from Iowa to California to be there – answering questions after the film.

What a brilliant form of distribution to get people talking and working together for a better food system. Anyone can host a screening. In contrast to walking out of the movie theater and wondering how to get involved, you’ll already be among your own community and you can start to make things happen right then and there. Think of the difference you can make by just hosting a screening in your home, workplace, or community center. You can reach 20 people for just $20. Or up to 50 for only $50. Click here to find out how.

As someone who lives and breathes food politics, agricultural sustainability and food justice on a daily basis, even I was surprised by some of the things I saw in this film. Food Inc. explosively details exactly how the food system serves the profit motives of just a few mega corporations, while failing to serve eaters, our health, the environment and the animals and workers trapped in the system.

In interviews, the filmmaker has said that he didn’t set out to make such a one-sided film but that the industries he profiled – Tyson, Monsanto, Smithfield, et al – wouldn’t agree to be interviewed or shown in the film. I don’t blame them. The information gathered from hidden cameras and interviews with brave individuals who don’t have a whole lot left to lose presents facts so damning and so incredible, it’s impossible to dispute them.

Anyone who agreed to talk on camera for this movie risked being sued. The mother who lost her young son to E. coli cannot say what she herself eats due to the risk of being sued for libel under the “veggie libel laws.”

Of all the food documentaries I’ve seen and food system exposés I’ve read, this film did a wonderful job of showing the human side of the injustices in our food system. Not just the environmental degradation or the lack of food safety, but the grinding human (and animal) oppression inherent in the system.

I was quite literally sick at the rampant and systemic injustices unleashed on farmers, farmworkers, animals, the environment and eaters as just a routine part of business-as-usual in the food industry.

If enough people see this film it could have the same impact that Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle had on the meat packing industry in the early part of the 20th century. I think there should be a campaign encouraging everyone who cares about food to take at least one person who doesn’t care about food to see this film: co-workers, mothers, fathers, friends and lovers…because if everyone sees it, nobody will stand for business-as-usual any longer.

In addition to the mother who lost her son due to tainted ground beef, the film profiles a variety of people, like ordinary working class citizens who would like to eat better than fast food, but cannot afford to; poultry house workers who toil under horrifying conditions and are utterly powerless (the industry recruits and buses workers from within Mexico); and farmers under contract to large corporations who have no say in how they run their businesses or treat their animals and who don’t even make a living wage.

A Tyson chicken farmer agreed to go on camera. She had her contract pulled because she refused to upgrade her chicken houses according to company specifications that would have prevented any light or air from getting into her already crowded, fetid and utterly nightmarish chicken houses. Chicken farmers make an average of only $18,000 a year as contract farmers for Tyson Corporation. If the chickens and the farmers are treated so poorly, can you imagine what the mostly undocumented immigrant processors are subjected to?

Then there’s the man who runs a seed cleaning business (which used to be common practice back when farmers saved seeds). Monsanto sued him. His crime? By cleaning seeds, he’s “encouraging farmers to violate Monsanto patents”.

Nevermind that these farmers are the last holdouts not using Monsanto’s seeds, and should have every right to clean and save the seeds they use. Scaring the hell out of any last resisters is this company’s way of ensuring complete and total ownership of the seed market. When the seed cleaner was sued, he lost most of his customers because they became fearful of being sued themselves. The man had only three acres of land to his name. He finally settled with Monsanto, rather than fight and risk losing what little he had.

There are many more stories like this, as well as enough examples of a different way of doing things, that you will leave the theater thinking more carefully about what you are actually buying when you buy food and inspired to support some of the mavericks out there who are doing it right.

At the end of the film, one farmer says that if the people start demanding better food, the farmers will step up and provide it. In fact, farmers would love to do so. Without the consumer’s support, the risk to farmers for switching to a healthier paradigm is too great. If farmers know they can make a living doing the right thing, they will. This is the one essentially hopeful fact about this film. We do have the power to change the system. It’s as simple as refusing to buy what the system is selling. Don’t know how? The film offers several easy ways to start as the credits roll. They’re also linked here.

Image: Senor Codo

I’ve made peace with housework, but I still loathe mopping. I save that dreaded chore for last, when the kitchen floor is just too dirty to keep ignoring.

So what do I use to mop? My broom closet features an old fashioned string mop, but since I have to squeeze out the excess water by hand, using it becomes up becoming wet and unwieldy.

Method gives us the Omop, and though it is ergonomic and uses corn-based, compostable sweeping cloths, I see it as just another plastic product. The essence of green means creatively using what we already have instead of producing and buying new stuff all the time.

Speaking of creative reuse, we were given a Swiffer, which has a goofy name but works well. Once all the spare Swiffer pads ran out, I used it to push a wet rag around the floor, which go right to the wash. If you’re crafty, check out these ideas for DIY reusable Swiffer pads. Very green and very sustainable.

If you don’t mind being old fashioned, consider getting on your hands and knees for those tough spots. I know, this sounds like a flashback to Cinderella, but if your kitchen isn’t too big (and mine isn’t), then it’s really not a big deal to use your body and put some elbow grease into it. I certainly wouldn’t want to become a slave to my floor, but for occasional cleaning, I don’t mind.

What’s your mopping method? How do you deal with this arduous chore?

Image: hive

Winter can be rough, and nowhere is it rougher than on your skin.  It’s cold, it’s dry, and you’re more concerned with keeping your legs warm than silky smooth. When you’re rushing out of the warm shower and hurrying to get into your clothes, it can be hard to take that beat to lather up dry skin. And before you know it you wake up, and your body is drier than a Halloween pumpkin in November.

But not to worry! I was lucky enough to test a slew of eco-friendly moisturizers, and I put them through my rigorous list of highly-scientific questions. How well did they moisturize?  How quickly did they moisturize?  And how do you smell, moisturized?  Check out these great, green solutions to keep your skin hydrated.

Open Your Eyes Organic Moisturizing Lotion by Spa Ritual

Of all the products I lathered up with, this is my favorite. 83% organic, vegan, and paraben-free, this moisture is topped off with light eucalyptus essential oils. Spa Ritual has a fantastic smell ““ you feel like you’re visiting a spa, which I suppose is the point. This moisturizer is thick, hydrating and fresh. And best of all?  It absorbs quickly, so you won’t feel like your outfit is taking in more of your lotion that your body.

Pacifica Body Butter

If you like perfume and deep moisture, this product combines the best of both worlds. These moisturizers are thick, creamy, and definitely leave you with a scented, lasting silkiness.  They are available in florals, fruits, herbs and spices, woods and resins. I sampled the Hawaiian Ruby Guava and trailed around a light, fruity scent for hours after. Pacifica products are free of parabens, propylene glycol, phthalates and lead wicks. The company is working towards carbon neutrality and uses no animal ingredients, including beeswax.

Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk by John Masters Organics

This is another highly-scented moisturizer with a light, subtly sweet scent.  It has a great consistency and absorbs very quickly ““ you don’t have to spend a lot of time airing your skin after application. Made with certified organic ingredients, the blood orange detoxifies and promotes collagen, while milk thistle extracts provide an antioxidant to smooth and nourish your skin.  John Masters Organics are free of sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens. They are cold-pressed and fair-trade.

Kiss My Face Ultra Moisturizer

Kiss My Face has been doing natural longer than most companies, so it’s no surprise they got body moisture right. While I couldn’t find any direct evidence that this product is organic, these moisturizers are paraben-free and contain no animal ingredients, artificial colors or unnecessary chemicals. I sampled the lavender shea moisture, which was light and silky. More importantly, they have an easy scent that is in no way overwhelming. You can apply it and not feel like you’ve jumped in neck-deep to a pool of lavender oils.  On second thought, that sounds kind of appealing. Next article, a look at pools of lavender oils!

Editor’s note: Please welcome Katherine Butler, our new organic beauty product review writer. Katherine will be testing and reporting on everything from the least sticky lip gloss to the best conditioner for unruly hair, so stay tuned for her biweekly column.

We all know that buying fair trade items aids underprivileged communities across the world, but what exactly does this entail on the other side of the transaction? According to the basic standards enforced by the International Fair Trade Association, these organizations must:

Generate opportunities that will help producers who suffer from an economic disadvantage.

Exercise transparency and responsibility in areas of management and commercial affairs.

Work towards the independence of its producers.

Offer its producers reasonable pay.

Ensure that both genders are empowered.

Provide a healthy and safe setting for work.

Enforce the laws of child labor.

Utilize environmentally responsible materials and means of production.

Maintain reputable trade relations.

Promote the practice of fair trade.

For a more comprehensive understanding, visit IFAT.

Like the label “organic”, “fair trade” can be complicated, however. We’ll be exploring this issue further, so sign up for our RSS feed to stay in the know.

Image: James Jordan

I’m sorry everyone, but this is going to be a difficult read for proponents of the cloth diaper. Apparently, they’re not as easy on the environment as we’d all wish (or assume) them to be. A study by the British government to find out the real carbon footprint of diapers found that washable diapers actually have more environmental impact than the disposable varieties. Unless, of course, parents wash them at medium temperature and always hang them out to dry. Using hot wash water and a machine dryer nearly doubles the carbon footprint.

Needless to say, British officials who have been touting the cloth diaper as a great way to help the environment were not happy to see the study’s results. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has actually instructed their workers not to let the word out. Well, it looks like the word is getting out anyway.

What do you think about this news? Are there any busy parents out there committed to line drying all the time?

Image: gabi menashe

The Golden Arches: the ultimate American icon. Super Size Me taught us that fast food culture brings obesity, heart disease, hypertension and a whole slew of other problems. How bad do you really want that Big Mac? Here are 15 reasons you’ll never let anyone you love get near those Golden Arches.

Real food is perishable. With time, it begins to decay. It’s a natural process, it just happens. Beef will rot, bread will mold. But what about a McDonald’s burger? Karen Hanrahan saved a McDonald’s burger from 1996 and, oddly enough, it looks just as “appetizing” and “fresh” as a burger you might buy today. Is this real food?

You would have to walk 7 hours straight to burn off a Super Sized Coke, fries and Big Mac. Even indulging in fast food as an occasional treat is a recipe for weight gain…unless you’re planning to hit each treadmill in the treadmill bay afterwards.

Containing less fat, salt and sugar, your pet’s food may be healthier than what they serve at McDonald’s.

In 2007, the employees of an Orlando-area McDonald’s were caught on camera pouring milk into the milkshake machine out of a bucket labeled “Soiled Towels Only.” That particular restaurant had already been cited for 12 different sanitary violations. Though McDonald’s proudly stands by its safety standards, and not every restaurant has such notorious incidents, the setting of a fast food restaurant staffed with low-paid employees at a high turnover rate arguably encourages bending the rules. (McDonald’s isn’t alone in this, of course – Burger King is actually ranked as the dirtiest of all the fast food chains.)

McDonald’s supports the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Much of the soy-based animal feed used to fatten fast-food chickens is grown in the Amazon. Are those chicken nuggets really worth acres of irreplaceable trees? (Especially considering how important carbon sinks like the rainforest are to halt global warming!) Fast food supports a completely unsustainable system of agriculture. It’s cruel to animals, unhealthy for humans, and bad for the planet.

Even Prince Charles, while touring a diabetes center in the United Arab Emirates, commented that banning McDonald’s is key to health and nutrition. Don’t let the salads and chicken breasts fool you. The “chicken” at McDonald’s, by the way, comes with a whole lot more than chicken.

As if feeding children high-fat, high-sodium, low-nutrition “food” weren’t bad enough, some Happy Meals in 2006 contained toy Hummers. It’s as if McDonald’s was encouraging a whole generation of kids not only to guzzle food, but to guzzle gas as well. Would you like a few barrels of petroleum with that?

The processed fat in McDonald’s food (and other fast food) promotes endothelial dysfunction for up to 5 hours after eating the meal. Endothelial tissue is what lines the inside of blood vessels.

For those who enjoy sex, take note: erectile dysfunction is connected to endothelial dysfunction. Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me commented that his normally healthy sexual function deteriorated in just one month when he ate only food from McDonald’s. Even his girlfriend commented on camera that “he’s having a hard time, you know, getting it up.”

How many cows does it take to keep the world loaded with Big Macs? I had to do a some research and a little math, but according to a brief video inside one of McDonald’s 6 meat processing plants, about 500,000 pounds of beef is processed per day, per plant. If an average beef cow weighs 1,150 pounds, that means 2609 cows a day are turned into burgers. That’s 952,285 cows per year. And that’s just in the United States. Eating a hamburger may not be worse than driving a Hummer, but it’s bad. One hamburger patty does not necessarily come from one cow. Think about that. You’re eating bits of hundreds of cows.

Maybe you just pop in for an inexpensive latte. Watch out for the caramel syrup (Sugar, water, fructose, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor, salt, caramel color (with sulfites), potassium sorbate (preservative), citric acid, malic acid) or the chocolate drizzle (Corn syrup, water, hydrogenated coconut oil, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, nonfat milk, cocoa, cocoa (processed with alkali), food starch-modified, disodium phosphate, potassium sorbate (preservative), xanthan gum, artificial flavor (vanillin), salt, soy lecithin). Please don’t put that stuff into your body. Eat healthy cheap food instead – you can be well and still save cash.

Are you a vegetarian with a French fry craving? You better skip McDonald’s because their fries actually contain milk (and wheat) and though they’re fried in vegetable oil, the oil is flavored with beef extract. (McDonald’s famously misled customers for years.)

Do you want high blood pressure? Hit the drive-through. Eating a McDonald’s chicken sandwich (any of “˜em, take your pick) will give you about 2/3 of the recommended daily amount of sodium. And if you actually do have high blood pressure, that’s way more than you really need.

Finally unveiled: the secret of the Big Mac’s “secret sauce.”

Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor).

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Yum. Cheap oil and cheap syrup. Many people depend upon cheap food such as the sort offered at McDonald’s, whether due to the economic conditions we currently face or low incomes. So shouldn’t we be examining regulations that subsidize corn syrup but consider fruits and vegetables – the building blocks of a healthy body and green planet – to be “speciality” crops? Shouldn’t we be promoting  urban gardening, community gardens and spreading information about low-cost farmers’ markets and CSAs? And focusing on the abundant choices of cheap food that are tasty and green?

Still not convinced? Maybe this 1970s trip through McDonaldland will give you enough nightmares to keep your loved ones away forever.

Sign up for the RSS feed so you can stay in the know about fast food restaurants – McDonald’s isn’t the only one to avoid.

Top Image

Note: with the exception of the top image, the hamburger, the chicken sandwich, and Ronald McDonald, images are not actual photographs of McDonald’s property/products.

Milk, cheese, eggs ““ do they do a body good? Vegans will say no, but dairy-lovers swear by the protein and calcium. I’m not here to tell you one way or another, but rather to list of some of the pros and cons of consuming dairy.

PROS
Conventional wisdom says we need to eat enough milk, cheese and yogurt to get calcium for our teeth and bones, and these foods have the highest amount of calcium.
Many high-calcium vegetables (such as chard, kale and sweet potato) also contain oxalic acid, which hinders calcium absorption.
Dairy products are a great source of protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, B12 and D.
Eggs are a great source of protein and other nutrients, but are high in cholesterol.
The probiotics contained in yogurt and kefir are beneficial to intestinal health. Yogurt is high in calcium, iodine, phosphorus and B-vitamins. Make sure you get low-fat, low-sugar varieties made from hormone-free milk.

CONS
The United States consumes more dairy than any other country and has one of the highest osteoporosis rates. Osteoporosis is often caused by poor lifestyle choices ““ lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol, and a bad diet ““ more so than simply a lack of calcium. Physical activity is vital to bone health.
The most important time to consume calcium is in childhood, when bones are developing. In adulthood, excessive calcium will not make much of a difference to bone health.
Excessive protein (dairy is high in protein) and salt can hinder calcium absorption.
Many animal proteins actually require calcium to digest properly ““ and much of this calcium is taken from your bones.
Dairy products ““ unless they are nonfat ““ contain saturated fat and cholesterol.
There’s always the problem of the animal-products industry. It’s no secret that factory farms mistreat animals and give them hormones and chemicals that are unhealthy for us. If you do eat dairy, always go organic and ethical.

Is dairy right for you? Only you can make that decision. Educate yourself and listen to your body.

Source: Emedicinehealth
Image: Nate Steiner