Houston’s popular Ruggles Green, launched a year ago off West Alabama street in the Upper Kirby District, has added a second location in the new CITYCENTRE development in the Memorial area of West Houston.

The new Ruggles Green also is a Certified Green Restaurant that conforms to guidelines set by the Green Restaurant Association. Guidelines include an extensive recycling program, no use of styrofoam, energy reduction steps, water conservation steps, use of sustainable materials, public education/outreach, and use of local and organic ingredients in food.

Green Cafe Management and GJR Partners said the new Ruggles Green location will continue with the same style menu as its original location in River Oaks. Ruggles Green offers a diverse collection of comfort foods like Spicy Fish Tacos, Warm Goat Cheese Salads, Lean Buffalo Burgers, and Wood-fired Pizzas, with an emphasis on all natural and organic ingredients.

Green Cafe officials said they are planning a multi-store expansion in the Houston area during the next two years. The restaurant management company was founded by chef Bruce Molzan, Federico Marques, and Robert Guillerman.

A chef demo at Chicago Green City Market. (Photo: Chicago Green City Market)

By Brigid Rafferty
Buck Consultants

With many fruits and vegetables reaching their seasonal peaks, summer is a great time to visit a local farmers’ market. In addition to bringing together growers and other producers to sell their fresh produce – and often meats, cheeses, breads, honey or other food – some markets feature cooking demonstrations, educational programs and live entertainment. The typical farmers’ market takes place once or twice a week at a designated public space such as a parking lot or park.

More and more markets are sprouting up to meet Americans’ growing demand for fresh, locally produced food. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the number of farmers’ markets tripled between 1994 and 2009: from 1,755 to 5,274. Visit the USDA website at http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets to find a market in your area.

When you purchase food at a farmer’s market near your home or work site, you not only enhance your family’s diet, but you help your local economy and the environment as well.

Fresher, tastier food

According to Local Harvest, a nonprofit agricultural research group, most U.S.-grown produce is picked four to seven days before it lands on supermarket shelves. It’s shipped an average of 1,500 miles before being sold. So it’s not farm-fresh when you buy it.

At a farmer’s market, in contrast, you can get truly fresh food that’s in season, which nutritional experts recommend. Freshly picked food such as that sold at local farmers’ markets generally is more flavorful, has better texture and is more nutritious than food designed to be shipped. USDA researchers have found that produce not properly handled during shipment can lose up to half of its nutrients.

When you shop at a farmers’ market, you can talk directly with the people who actually grow and produce the food they’re selling. You can learn how long ago berries were picked, whether produce was treated with chemicals, and tips on cooking or seasoning a certain vegetable. The USDA praises the personal relationships and consumer loyalty that develop between customers and vendors at farmers’ markets.

A boost to the local economy

Local Harvest claims that when you purchase food at a large supermarket, only 18 cents of each dollar spent goes to the grower, while 82 cents goes to various “middlemen.” Buying your food directly from a farmers’ market vendor, on the other hand, eliminates the middlemen and puts the lion’s share of that dollar into the hands of the person who actually produced your food. By spending closer to where you live, you help ensure that your food dollars stay in your community and support your local economy.

About 80 percent of the country’s farms are small farms, and a large portion of these are family-owned. According to the USDA, farmers’ markets are often the first point of entry into the marketplace for small and medium-sized producers.

Help for the environment

Some farmers’ market vendors offer organically grown produce, which has not been exposed to harmful chemicals. Many participating farms follow responsible practices such as maintaining the health and fertility of the soil, treating livestock humanely and avoiding harm to the environment. When you purchase food at your local farmer’s market, you’re often helping to support sustainable agriculture.

Summer and fall are the seasons of abundance. Fruits and vegetables abound in backyard gardens, farmer’s markets and stores.

Sometimes, like when your own garden is peaking, and the farmer’s markets are replete with everything from avocados to zucchini, that abundance can be overwhelming. Then it’s time to preserve, freeze and can, so you can seize Mother Nature’s gifts while they are at their best. Don’t throw out that entire container of strawberries because a few molded. Savor and secure the ones that survived by freezing them, or turning them into a jam.

It’s the healthy, and greener, thing to do.

Save the taste of summer with simple canning and freezing methods (Photo: Oleg Kozlov/Dreamstime.com)

Here are a few ideas, assembled from many sources and countless hours in the kitchen,  that will help you capture that summer spigot of fruit (we’ll deal with veggies next time) by properly canning, freezing or drying your favorite produce.

Freezing

Most berries can be stemmed and frozen whole or sliced on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Once they are frozen, transfer them to containers.  Zipper-locking bags are nice because you can “suck” out the air and then seal them.  Just zip the bag almost closed and insert a straw into the hole to suck out the air.  Or just suck it out.  Air in frozen food leads to ice crystals and diminished quality food.  Freeze quickly so that bacteria do not have a chance to grow.

Blueberries can be frozen or turned into a freezer jam (Photo: Ron Chronister / Dreamstime.com)

Fruits that are frozen will be soft when thawed, but the nutrition and taste will be largely preserved for enjoyment after berry season.  Use frozen fruit in smoothies, salads, and sauces. Freezing them individually allows you to grab a few from your freezer bag without having to use the whole batch.  If you only use a partial sack of fruit, remember to suck out the air when you put it back in the freezer.

Some fruits, the hard berries like blueberries and cranberries, can be frozen on a cookie sheet without even washing.  Wash them when you thaw them.  You can just scoop out what you need and reseal the bag.  Great convenience for adding to other dishes or muffins.

Another even simpler option for that extra fruit is to make “freezer jam”.  Follow the directions found on the pectin box that you get at the grocery store.  Pectin is used to make fruit gel into jams and jellies.  Box directions will include “freezer jam” recipes so you can just freeze your jam in a glass or plastic container.  No processing is necessary, but pay attention to shelf life.  These jams must be refrigerated upon opening.  Fill the jars or containers following instructions on jars or pectin boxes.  You need some room for expansion and as little as possible for spoilage and crystal formation.  Great taste, looks, and easy small batches make this a favorite type of preservation for the first timer.

By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Where there’s a kid, there’s probably a juice box.  Ubiquitous as sippy cups – though not always the healthiest thing to hand a child – they are sometimes just what is needed to placate a thirsty kid.

Now comes surprising news from the Environmental Law Foundation, a non-profit environmental group: Its tests in an EPA-approved laboratory have revealed lead levels in dozens of the most popular brands of juice boxes, bottled juice and packaged fruit that exceed California’s laws.

The brands? Beech Nut’s, Earth’s Best Organics, Gerber, Hansen’s, Kroger’s, Minute Maid, Motts, Trader Joe’s, Del Monte and Walgreens were among the companies producing apple or grape juice, packaged pears or peaches and fruit cocktails that were found to have more than .5 micrograms of lead per serving.

Several organic products are on the list of products with trace amounts of lead.

California Law requires a warning on a product’s label informing consumers that a product contains that much lead. The foundation filed “notices of violation” to all of the manufacturers of those juice and fruit products.

The federal Food and Drug Administration’s standard for lead intake for children under 7 is 6 micrograms per day, and 15 micrograms a day for children older than 7.

The FDA is looking at the report and will follow-up as warrented, FDA spokesman Ira Allen said Saturday.

Juices and fruits with no lead are also listed. Among them are Harvest Day, Martinelli, Sunny Select and Tree Top apple juices, and Dole peaches.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, along with other researchers and scientists, say there is no safe level of lead exposure. Children’s growing bodies absorb more lead than adults’, and kids are particularly sensitive to the toxic impact of lead. Lead exposure is also particularly dangerous for pregnant and nursing women.

Lead does not degrade – in the environment or in the body – and exposure can lead to brain and central nervous system damage. Even small amounts have been linked to learning, hearing and behavior problems. Lead is stored in the bones and can be measured in blood.

Lead is frequently found in the environment because of decades of use of lead-based products (gasoline in particular) and pesticides, paint and airborne lead from coal burning. There are multiple ways in which a child can be exposed to or ingest lead.

Because of its presence in the environment, lead can find its way into food products which are regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

The report is particularly troubling, some experts say, because the traceable lead levels in the fruit products are “per serving,” and many kids can go through a number of juice boxes or packaged fruit products a day.

In addition to new concerns about lead content, many prepackaged juice boxes are loaded with sugar and are far less healthy than the real thing – fresh fruit.

Here is the complete list of all products tested. The California Department of Public Health has a list of frequently asked questions about lead exposure and poisoning online, and the Environmental Protection Agency also has information about the dangers of lead.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Chalk another one up for eating vegetarian protein instead of fatty or nitrite-loaded meats that come with higher environmental and health costs.

Healthy whole pecans (Photo: Priester's Pecans of Alabama)

A recent report by the Center for Cellular Neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell suggests that munching pecans every day could protect the nervous system from age-related neuron degeneration.

Not only that, it could slow the progression of diseases involving motor neuron degeneration such as amyotropic lateral schlerosis or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Why pecans? Researchers found that the antioxidant vitamin E in pecans may afford protection against the cell damage that underlies these diseases. Countless other studies have reached similar conclusions about antioxidants, showing that they can help fight or possibly delay or mitigate neuro-based diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and even other types of illness, such as cancer and heart disease.

In the study, led by Dr. Thomas B. Shea, PhD, mice bred for ALS studies (pre-selected for neurological decline) were fed one of two diets with varying amounts of crushed pecans, while control groups were fed food without pecans. Those that ate pecans showed “a significant delay” in the decline of their motor function compared with those eating no pecans. Those eating the most pecans came out with the best results.

“These findings suggest regular consumption of pecans may provide significant nutritive and antioxidant benefits for your body,” said Dr. Shea. However, he cautioned against viewing the pecan diet as a solution to Lou Gehrig’s disease and others, because mouse models don’t perfectly replicate what happens with humans. “It’s a model that’s used for ALS (research), he said. “But this is a mouse and it under a controlled situation.”

“What you can takeaway from the study is ‘Hey, they (pecans) might be good for you’,” Dr. Shea said.

The study was underwritten by the National Pecan Shellers Association, but Dr. Shea said his research was done with complete autonomy. He has been researching the effect of foods on health, in particular apples, for many years, he said.

Pecans, according to the USDA, are among the top foods with antioxidant properties. They’re also cholesterol and sodium-free — as long as they’re not baked into pecan pie. The PSA has more info at the website I Love Pecans.

A study published in Pediatrics today points to pesticides as a possible cause of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The study’s team of academic researchers sampled the urine of 1,139 kids and found that those with the highest pesticide residues in their urine from organophosphate pesticides also were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Of the sample, 119 of the children had been diagnosed with ADHD, which is in line with the American population, where nearly 1 in 10 kids has been diagnosed as having ADHD.

“These findings support the hypothesis that organophosphate exposure, at levels common among US children, may contribute to ADHD prevalence,” the scientists wrote.

Organophosphates are a type of pesticide commonly used on fruits and vegetables. Organophosphates include malathion, used industrially and in home gardens as well as in mosquito control.

The researchers, supported by Canadian and U.S. government grants, said more review was needed before the link could be fully explained. The sampling looked at a single point in time, leaving many questions unanswered about the role of continued exposure and the levels of exposure that would alter brain chemistry. Longitudal studies are needed, with multiple urine samplings over time, they said.

Among their findings:

• There was a strong “association” — a 55% to 72% increase in the odds of ADHD for a 10-fold increase in DMAP concentration [a metabolite that indicates exposure to certain organophosphates] depending on the
  criteria used for case identification”.

• “Several biological mechanisms might underlie an association between organophosphate pesticides and ADHD. A primary action of organophosphates,
  particularly with respect to acute poisoning, is inhibition of acetylcholinesterase,” according to the report. Acetylcholinesterase is needed for healthy synaptic messaging in the brain. Or put another way, the same neurotoxic effects deliberately aimed a pests in agricultural fields and on lawns, could be creating brain chemistry disruption in children inadvertently exposed to these chemicals.

Just as with other toxics, studies have found that genetics can play a role in how susceptible an individual is to a certain pesticide or toxic chemical, as well as finding that kids can be far more sensitive to chemical exposures than adults.

CropLife America, a national association that represents pesticide manufacturers, issued a statement to ABC News concerning this story. The statement noted that ADHD is “a serious disorder” and that CropLife America “fully supports continuous study to help better understand its cause.”

“However, our review of the published journal story in Pediatrics, which makes summary of the study, leads us to believe much more research is needed to ascertain if there is a direct link between exposure to organophosphate pesticides and the development of ADHD in children,” CropLife America said.

Don’t want to wait for the definitive answer?

Consumers can reduce their pesticide expose by:

• Buying organic produce, especially berries and certain soft-skin fruits that tend to absorb pesticides. Find out which conventionally grown foods are most likely to contain pesticide residues in the Environmental Working Group’s recent re-release of the “Dirty Dozen”.
• Using organic control measures to reduce pests on their lawn and gardens
• Making sure your city or county is not using malathion to control mosquitoes, but using natural larval control methods instead.
• Using a water filter for drinking and cooking water

Four of every 10 Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes, and two of every 10 will die of it. But there are some things you can do to reduce the risk, according to the non-profit Environmental Working Group. First, talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes that are known to make a difference – stop smoking, reduce drinking, lose weight, exercise and eat right.

But according to a new report from the President’s Cancer Panel, environmental toxins also play a significant and under-recognized role in cancer, causing “grievous harm” to untold numbers of people. Environmental Working Group’s own research has found that children are born “pre-polluted” with up to 200 industrial chemicals, pesticides and contaminants that have been found to cause cancer in lab studies or in people.

Here are some simple things you can do to reduce your exposures:

1. Filter your tap water. Common carcinogens in tap water include arsenic, chromium, and chemical byproducts that form when water is disinfected. A simple carbon filter or pitcher can help reduce the levels of some of these contaminants. If your water is polluted with arsenic or chromium, a reverse osmosis filter will help. Learn about your tap water and home water filters at EWG’s National Tap Water Database.

2. Seal outdoor wooden decks and play sets. Those built before 2005 are likely coated with an arsenic pesticide that can stick to hands and clothing. Learn more from the EWG online.

3. Cut down on stain- and grease-proofing chemicals. “Fluorochemicals” related to Teflon and Scotchgard are used in stain repellents on carpets and couches and in greaseproof coatings for packaged and fast foods. Some of these chemicals cause cancer in lab studies. To avoid them, skip greasy packaged foods and say no to optional stain treatments in the home.

4. Stay safe in the sun. More than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year. To protect your skin from the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet (UV) radiation, seek shade, wear protective clothing and use a safe and effective sunscreen from EWG’s sunscreen database.

5. Cut down on fatty meat and high-fat dairy products. Long-lasting cancer-causing pollutants like dioxins and PCBs accumulate in the food chain and concentrate in animal fat.

6. Eat EWG’s Clean 15. Many pesticides have been linked to cancer. Eating from EWG’s Clean 15 list of the least contaminated fruits and vegetables will help cut your pesticide exposures. (And for EWG’s Dirty Dozen, buy organic.)

7. Cut your exposures to BPA. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen found in some hard plastic water bottles, canned infant formula, and canned foods. It may increase the risk of reproductive system cancers. To avoid it, eat fewer canned foods, breast feed your baby or use powdered formula, and choose water bottles free of BPA.

8. Avoid carcinogens in cosmetics. Use EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetic database to find products free of chemicals known or suspected to cause cancer. When you’re shopping, don’t buy products that list ingredients with “PEG” or “-eth” in their name.

9. Read the warnings. Some products list warnings of cancer risks – read the label before you buy. Californians will see a “Proposition 65” warning label on products that contain chemicals the state has identified as cancer-causing.

Public health officials have “grossly underestimated” the likelihood that environmental contaminants trigger a large proportion of the cancers diagnosed in 1.5 million Americans annually, according to a landmark report issued yesterday by the President’s Cancer Panel.

The panel’s findings are expected to intensify pressure on the chemical industry and its allies in Congress to endorse toxic chemicals policy reforms proposed in the Senate by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and being drafted in the House by Reps. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.).

“The grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program,” the panel told President Obama. “The American people—even before they are born—are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures.”

“The incidence of some cancers, including some most common among children, is increasing for unexplained reasons,” the panel said.

“There are far too many known and suspected cancer-causing chemicals in products people, young and old, use every day of their lives,” Kenneth A. Cook, president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group, said in a statement. “Tests of umbilical cord blood are proof positive that American children are being exposed to hundreds of carcinogenic chemicals before they are born. Many of these chemicals are believed to be time bombs, altering the genetic-level switching mechanisms that lead to cancerous cellular growth in later life.”

In studies of cord blood in 2005 and 2009, EWG found a total of 201 known and suspected carcinogens in 20 babies. In a series of 11 research studies of the human body burden, from newborns to elderly people, EWG has detected up to 493 chemicals in people.

“As this prestigious group’s report underscores, the federal government has failed to take aggressive action to protect people from chemicals that cause cancer,” Cook said. “The tide is shifting, thanks to irrefutable scientific research and a strengthening of political will in Washington.”

Richard Wiles, EWG co-founder and Senior Vice President for Policy and Communications, was one of 47 experts who testified before the panel. According to the government report, Wiles charged that EPA typically compromises water pollution standards because making the environment truly safe is too expensive. The agency, said Wiles, “allows a certain amount of risk as a trade-off for cleaning up the water… I think our public policies need to be revisited because we’re trading disease for costs probably unnecessarily.”

EWG issued a list of tips so that people can immediately reduce their exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.