A Little Disappointed

Update: My comment has now been approved, so I'm less disappointed.

I recently left a comment on a post about substituting xylitol only to find that it was never approved by the blog owner. I find this a little disappointing, myself, as in the comment, I was neither supporting xylitol or not. Since it never appeared, I'm taking this post to express my thoughts on that post and also to expand. While, I do not have exactly what I said, this is basically it:

While I have never used xylitol and don't know much about it, I recommend doing some more research before completely making the switch. Also, keep in mind that while a product "occurs naturally," the process by which it is refined might not be so healthy.

After doing a little searching online, I've found that "xylitol is a naturally occuring carbohydrate. It is found in fibrous vegetables and fruit. It also occurs naturally in our bodies..." (from xylitol.org) The site also states that xylitol is used to fight tooth decay/cavities and as an alternative sweetener for diabetics. It has also been used as a sweetener in gum for years.

From most of what I'd initially found, xylitol seemed to be a "safe" alternative to anyone looking to control blood sugar or tooth decay or if your thoughts are to reduce calorie intake. Many sites didn't list any adverse thoughts at all. Knowing that this is hardly ever the case, I looked a little deeper.

A few sources mentioned that Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and a laxative and that some people's bodies do not tolerate it. This site advises you to check the grade, because a lower grade may also contain other sugar alcohols that may cause some issues.

Looking further still, I found a couple of sites with arguments against xylitol and other alternative sweeteners including this blog, which comes at it from a slightly more personal diet preference standpoint, and an article on diabeteshealth.com that contains an excerpt from a reference glossary on alternative sweeteners.

I also discovered this site, which explores an article found in Wise Traditions, a Weston A. Price Foundation magazine, about agave nectar and xylitol. I had never heard of the foundation or the magazine, plus I wanted to read the full article, if it was available, so that prompted me to expand my search. I'm not sure if this is the exact article: Agave: Nectar of the Gods; but it is the same author and expands on both agave and xylitol even going so far as to explain the manufacturing process. (The xylitol portion starts about 2/3 of the way down.) The article also argues against the claim that it can be used to prevent tooth decay and gives the cons of using as a diabetic alternative. It also lists sources, so if you're intrigued, feel free to read the article and check them out.

As for the Weston A. Price Foundation, I've learned that the goal of the foundation is to educate people so that, through awareness, we can began to eat more nutrient-rich foods. They advocate a diet change for Americans, moving towards healthier foods and lower cases of diseases and even cancer.

The conclusion I've come to is that xylitol isn't for me. Knowing the struggles that come with finding ways for diabetics to enjoy something sweet, I think that this may work well for some. However, since the transition to organic has begun recently in our house, I'd be wary of using xylitol because of many factors from the possibility of a GMO base, to the manufacturing process and chemicals that may be used. The Emerald Forest Xylitol site states that, currently, there is no known source for organic xylitol, and until there is, I know I have other organic options for sweeteners.

What's Different?

So, yesterday I told you about what got the gears turning and why my husband and I are making some lifestyle changes. Today, I'm going to share some of the things we're doing differently.

Now, this lifestyle is not a foreign concept to me. Some of you probably know that I grew up on a farm. We had cows and horses and chickens and dogs and cats. And, we had a garden (or more!) every year. I remember every year snapping beans to can and eating fresh corn on the cob for supper and tomatoes right out of the garden. I remember tall shelves in the basement filled with jellies and peaches and other canned fruits and veggies. And, I remember a huge chest freezer filled with beef from our farm and venison and turkey that Dad hunted.

We got three channels and Mom limited our time in front of the tv. We had acres of land to explore and lots to do outside. I'd say we lived pretty healthy. We were hardly ever sick - I don't think I missed a day of school for illness between 5th grade and almost to the end of my second year of college - I think it's pretty safe to bet that the way we lived had a lot to do with it.

So, you see, I already have a pretty good idea of what we needed to do.

We started with this year's garden. Last year, we made a compost bin that one of these days, I promise, I'll get around to posting about. We've been filling it up all winter with scraps from the kitchen and the worms are going to town. On top of this, we've bought organic dirt to do all of our edible planting as well as manure for compost, and we'll be looking into getting some more manure from local farmers when the frost danger is gone and we start planting the rest. Like last year, we've also started most of our plants from seed, but this year, we're planning to stay on top of the garden a little better and hopefully get a better harvest so we can can and freeze as much as possible to last through the winter.

We're also trying to locate sources of organically growth meats. I've found a farm about 45 minutes away that, starting Memorial Weekend, has a farm stand every Saturday with organic produce and meats as well as some cheeses from a local Amish farmer. This farm even goes as far as to use horses to do the work in order to cut down on environmental impact. They already have some eggs for sale and a couple weeks ago, we made the trip to pick up 3 dozen. At $2.50/doz. for organic eggs, it's a pretty good deal and I figure 3 dozen should last us about a month. For now, we'll plan on driving up about once a month to stock up, but hopefully in the future we can find someone a little closer.

For my regular grocery shopping, I've been slowing finding the products that have the organic seal. Grocery shopping is taking me a little longer while I'm searching the isles for the healthier alternative to what we usually buy, but I'm making the switch a little at a time.

In the past, I've done most of my shopping at Walmart. It's the closest and most convenient. The only other grocery store in the area being Aldi's which has terrible hours for working people, and our town's IGA that is generally more expensive. A little further away we have a Giant Eagle, and recently I made to trip to see what they had in the way of organic.

I have to say I was kind of impressed. Giant Eagle now has their own brand of organic foods, and I was able to find most of the things I was looking for, including pastas and juice. Giant Eagle is a little more expensive, but I signed up for the Giant Eagle card to get all the discounts, plus I'm getting some fuel perks, which I think will be worth it now that gas is at $3.99/gal. Giant Eagle also has an insert that we get in our PO Box so I can keep an eye on the sales and make the trip when I know it will be worth it to me.

I'm sure I'll be finding more changes we can make to live healthier lives, and I'll be posting what I'm finding along the way!

Making Changes

We don't have tv. Well, we have tv's but we don't pay for cable or anything, so we might get a couple channels on a clear day. I figure since we already pay for internet, and you can watch almost anything online, we don't need to spend the extra money for cable only to find that there's nothing to watch anyways. We do have Netflix on our Wii. I like being able to sit down and pick from thousands of movies and tv shows and watch them anytime. Plus, at only about $10/month I can justify it a little better.

Anywho.

I've mentioned before that we've been watching documentaries. Most recently we saw Food, Inc., which I thought was very eye-opening on what we are actually consuming along with our food, what goes into the production and what effects it has on the environment. I definitely recommend checking it out, along with The Gerson Miracle, which explains juicing and eating healthy, wholesome foods and the benefits that lifestyle may have for people battling cancer or other diseases. While I will not be totally conforming to this way of life (for one thing, I happen to LOVE meat, of any kind), it is interesting to learn what's behind it, and it's worth it to hear the compelling stories of people who have practiced it.

We also watched the first season of Eco Trip. I'm not sure if there are other seasons out there, but this series basically took a product for each show and showed you how what steps that product takes to get to the consumer. For example, one show explained the process for a cotton t-shirt, from growing the cotton to wearing it and also investigated the health factors on both the environment and those who came in contact with the process, whether it be a factory worker or someone who lived next to a cotton field where pesticides are sprayed.

Needless to say, we've begun to educate ourselves further on exactly what we are eating, buying, cleaning with, and supporting, and I think that may be the direction this blog will be headed. I want to share with you what we've learned and let you know what we're actively doing to make a change.