The Paleo Mama

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Protecting Your Health While FDA Food Inspections are SHUT DOWN

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Quality test

The government has been shut down for nearly 2 weeks now. However, with all the hype and news of this current shutdown, I see one major issue not being talked about much. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has furloughed HALF of their employees…which means half the work is being done on inspecting our food. Let’s be honest, even when the FDA is operating in full capacity, there are still many, many food problems that still happen. This is scary. And until Congress get their act together – the FDA has suspended food safety inspections.

What is and isn’t being inspected right now?

  • “There are 626 total FDA investigators excepted and reporting to work, and 976 who are furloughed,” Steven Immergut, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for public affairs, said in an email on Tuesday. “These investigators work across the agency portfolio, not just on food products.”
  • “During the lapse in appropriations, FDA will not be conducting routine domestic or international inspections of food facilities,” Immergut said in the email. This means that those inspectors who normally will do in-plant inspections, both domestically and abroad have stopped.
  • There are 700 employees who are regulating 300 ports of entry in the United States – those inspections are still going on.
  • Meat, poultry, and egg inspections will continue, but according to a Department of Health and Human Services memo, the majority of FDA food inspectors have been deemed nonessential. 

UMMM, are you worried yet?

Which foods are the biggest concern? 

The biggest concern right now is IMPORTS. Since there are currently no foreign food inspections going on, this poses a HUGE health risk for foodborne illnesses. However, you can still protect yourself. The Center for Science has a great article on the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the FDA. Now would be a GREAT time to learn which ones those are and avoid them.

10 Riskiest Foods and Their History of Outbreaks:

  1. Leafy Greens – 363 outbreaks, 13,568 reported illnesses
  2. Eggs – 352 outbreaks, 11,163 reported illnesses
  3. Tuna – 268 outbreaks, 2,341 reported illnesses
  4. Oysters – 132 outbreaks, 3,409 reported illnesses
  5. Potatoes – 108 outbreaks, 3,659 reported illnesses
  6. Cheese – 83 outbreaks, 2,761 reported illnesses
  7. Ice Cream – 74 outbreaks, 2,594 reported illnesses
  8. Tomatoes – 31 outbreaks, 3,292 reported illnesses
  9. Sprouts – 31 outbreaks, 2,022 reported illnesses
  10. Berries – 25 outbreaks, 3,397 reported illnesses

What should I eat right now?

 Local Food from Local Farms – search for local meat from local farmers. Search for free-range  eggs and poultry. Don’t eat any fruits or vegetables that are from another country. I wouldn’t trust much else right now…even organic labeled foods aren’t being inspected properly. Go to Farmer’s Markets near you. Look up sources for local food on Local Harvest or Eat Wild. Look on Craigslist for local farmers…research!

Wild Caught Seafood – The percentage of imported seafood is…brace yourselves…91%! Hello…91% of all our seafood is imported! That is un-friggin-believable. DO NOT EAT ANY SEAFOOD that is imported right now! NONE. Look in your grocer for WILD-CAUGHT seafood and check your canned tuna/salmon for it’s origin…as well as frozen seafood.

NOTHING from the 10 Riskiest Foods list unless you have grown it yourself or purchased it from a trustworthy source. Oh, and FYI – these were the 10 riskiest foods BEFORE THE SHUTDOWN! Can you imagine how terrible they could get right now?

NOTHING imported PERIOD. 

Even though meat, poultry, and eggs are being inspected, they are still threats to our health. Kirkland Rotisserie Chicken had a Salmonella outbreak 2 days ago! Foster Farms had a Salmonella outbreak last week! The workload of inspections on the functioning FDA workers that aren’t furloughed is enormous. They cannot keep up. I would not even buy storebought chicken, meat, or eggs right now.

Conclusion:

It’s a hard road ahead of us, but I do believe, that this may be good for Americans. We need to be more aware of what we are eating and I think this is a wake-up call. Most Americans don’t care where our food comes from…as long as it’s at the store when we need it. Our health is at risk, friends, and it’s time for us to wake up.

Grow some food. Raise some livestock.

Buy local.

Look at the source.

And then hug your local farmer who is giving you peace of mind during this government shutdown.

 

Sources:

  • https://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/08/20873175-routine-fda-inspections-of-food-facilities-suspended-due-to-government-shutdown?lite
  • https://www.dailyfinance.com/on/10-riskiest-foods-avoid-while-fda-inspections-shut-down/#!slide=1263992
  • https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/fda-shutdown_n_4086299.html
  • https://www.fishwatch.gov/farmed_seafood/outside_the_us.htm

 

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5 Ways to Start Homesteading (No Matter Where You Live)

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Today I’m excited to share this guest post from Colleen of Five Little Homesteaders!  I love her blog for it’s encouragement of self-reliance, DIY posts, and great homesteading ideas! Please head over to check out her amazing blog and don’t forget to follow Five LIttle Homesteaders on Facebook!  Please welcome, Colleen! -Jackie @ The Paleo Mama! 

Greetings! I’m so excited to be guest posting over on The Paleo Mama today. My family and I are currently living the homesteading lifestyle in Phoenix, Arizona. I blog about our trials and successes on my blog Five Little Homesteaders. I love reading about Jackie’s homesteading adventures and I especially loved her recent post on goat-milking.

We don’t have goats on our little homestead but we do have chickens – six of them. And you might be surprised to hear that when I say little homestead, I mean LITTLE. We currently live on a .15 acre lot near downtown Phoenix.

You see, we’re urban homesteaders and we make the most of the little bit of land that we have – gardening and raising our small flock of chickens. I’m here today to assure you that you CAN homestead. You may think your lot is too small and that you don’t have enough time, but after reading this post, I hope you’ll feel like there is something you can do to get yourself a little closer to the land, no matter how small that piece of land is.

5 Ways to Start Homesteading (No Matter Where You Live):

1.  Build a raised bed.

paleomama5

Building a raised bed garden in your back (or front) yard doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming.  My husband has built us all manor of raised beds but one of my favorites is incredibly easy and cheap, costing just $30!  Raised beds are great for the beginning gardener because they allow you to control the soil quality more easily and don’t require any tilling or special knowledge.

2.  Get a good scratch-cooking cookbook.

Cooking from scratch is a habit that many homesteaders embrace.  Start with getting a good cookbook and quality ingredients. (I realize many/most of you who read this blog follow the Paleo diet and probably already cook most of your own food from scratch, so there you go!  You’re on your way to being a homesteader!)

3.  Start a compost pile.

Rather than throwing out your food waste or grass clippings, toss them into a pile in your backyard (preferably in a compost bin) and start a compost pile.  It is pretty simple to do and you can use the compost to enrich your garden each season.

4.  Learn to preserve your surplus. 

Once you start your garden, you’ll find that you quickly begin getting more of certain crops than you know what to do with.  This is the perfect time to learn to preserve.  It can be as simple as freezing produce properly or as complicated as learning to pressure can.  Start simple and ask for help.  I learned to water bath can by having my mom over one morning and she walked me through it.  Now I’ve got it down and actually really enjoy doing it!

5.  Get chickens!

Not every city allows them but more and more cities are opening up to the idea. Check local ordinances and if you are allowed, get a couple of chickens. Eggs that you raise in your backyard cannot be beat.  In Phoenix we are allowed to have up to 20(!) chickens.  We currently have 6, but I’m hoping to raise that to 10 this spring.  Start small and don’t be intimidated.  At the end of the day, my chickens are easier to care for than our family dog.

In the past several years my family and I have become increasingly more self-sufficient – living off our land more and more.  It has been incredibly rewarding for us and educational for our children.  I think you’ll agree, if you give it a try!

You can continue to follow homesteading endeavors on my Facebook page and my blog! 

Headshot - CAnderson

 

Colleen is a special education teacher turned stay-at-home mom to three little ones – ages 4, 2, and 1. Her days are filled with laughing and tears, joys and frustrations, toddlers and babies.  The basics of gardening were gifted to her by her mother and father starting at a very young age.  Through their homesteading adventures, she hopes to lead her family down the path of leading a more sustainable, intentional, and full life.

 

 

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My Cloth Diaper System

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cloth diapers

I have a 4 year old daughter and a 20 month old son and both have worn cloth diapers…my son Frankie from birth and my daughter from 1 years old and on. I was so scared to start. I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, I researched for hours on cloth diapers, but became so overwhelmed that I didn’t even give it a try. When she turned 1, I read an article on how much this mother had saved using cloth diapers. I did the math and realized I had thrown so much money away on disposables.

So, I ordered a trial package of like 10-15 different types of NEW cloth diapers from this site and gave it a try on my daughter. I fell in love! She looked so cute in them and they were so easy. I kept the diapers I liked from that package and returned the rest. I then ordered more diapers for her.

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During this time I was confused on how to actually set up the diapers. Where do the poop diapers go? Do they all mix in together in one wetbag? How do cloth wipes work? Should I do cloth wipes too? So, to make it easy on you, I’m going to explain what has been working for me for the past 3 years.

This is my cloth diaper system…

I keep all my cloth wipes near the sink. In our house we are able to fit the changing table in the bathroom. In our last house we couldn’t fit in the bathroom so I kept the wipes on the changing table. When my son was a newborn and very sensitive to temperature, I put a batch of cloth wipes in a wipe warmer on the changing table. Now, that he is older and doesn’t mind cold water, I just keep them near the sink and wet them when I need them. I’ve also used a spray bottle to spray the wipes but this works better for us in this house.

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Cloth wipes are just easier when you are cloth diapering. You don’t have to worry about throwing anything in the trash, it all just goes in the wetbag. I also don’t ever rinse off cloth wipes. They all go in the large wetbag (I have 2 of these; one for current use and one to use when the other is in the laundry) next to the changing table. I also don’t use anything fancy, just baby wash clothes work great!

Here is my changing  table area…

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All my diapers are underneath for easy access and there is a large wetbag, in a trash can, next to it. All the WET diapers go into that trash can and also all the cloth wipes

Aren’t the diapers so cute?!?!

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So, what about the poop? If you plan on cloth diapering, I HIGHLY recommend you get this lifesaver…

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It is called a diaper sprayer and it attaches to the toilet. You just spray the poop right off! It’s awesome…just make sure you have it pointed down when you squeeze it, cause I have, totally, sprayed myself in the face before!  Then I have a bucket next to the toilet that LOCKS and I throw the poopy diapers in there. I keep the poopy diapers separated in the bucket because they get really sopping wet when I spray them and I would rather quickly throw them somewhere close instead of carrying across the room. Also, the bucket locks any kind of smell in and locks my kids and dogs out! :/

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 What are some other brands I have tried that didn’t cut it?

1. GroVia (one-size pocket diapers) – they are great for smaller babies, but if you’re gonna pay over $20 for a one-size diaper, then they better be able to convert to all sizes. Well, these didn’t do it for me. At around 20lbs, my son outgrew them. Thankfully, I didn’t spend over $20 on them since I got them online during a half off sale, but still…I was still upset they didn’t live up to the “Gro” part of “GroVia.”

2. FuzzyBunzs (one-size pocket diapers) – These are another that didn’t grow too well with my kids. They are another one-size diaper and I ended up selling them off before my son was even a year old.

3. I’m not a fan of microfiber – even though many of these diapers come with a microfiber insert and I still use them, I have my issues with them. Since it is not a “natural” material, it does not clean that well and requires extra care. However, microfiber is cheap and makes cloth diapering even cheaper, so I grudgingly use it.

What are my favorite brands?

1. I love BumGenius diapers. Anything BumGenius is great! I have never had any issues with them. In fact, they are on their 3rd year and going strong. I’ve tried other brands but they never worked as great as BumGenius.

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2. For night-time, I really love Chelory Night–time Inserts. They are really thick and I stuff them inside a BumGenius pocket diaper. My kids pee A LOT in the night and these are bulletproof!

 

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3. I also love the Flip System using their organic inserts. This is a diaper cover with an insert. You can use the cover over-and-over before washing, until it becomes soiled on. This is a very frugal way to cloth diaper. I also love the Flip system when we are traveling. It only requires you pack 4-6 covers and then the inserts. It takes up less space than packing a bunch of BumGenius pocket diapers.

4. Wetbags – I love this pail liner for in-home use. It fits perfectly into a trashcan with a lid. I recommend 2 of them. One for current use and one to use when you are washing one.

I use this wetbag when we are out-and-about (also, recommend 2 of them).  You throw the diaper, with the poop, in there, zip it up, and take care of it when you get home! Very easy! I never use disposables when we go out…like some people.

I did cloth diaper my son from birth as well. He was a chunk at nearly 10lbs so it took him about 2 weeks to fit into the one-size diapers I had for him (his sister’s hand-me-downs!). However, the first few weeks we used Thirsties covers in extra-small and GMD prefolds. They worked out great for that tiny phase!

I hope this helps you get an understanding of how SIMPLE cloth diapering can be. There are some things that make it even more simple:

– If you are breastfeeding for the first 6 months, you don’t even have to rinse the poop off. Breastmilk poo disintegrates in the wash.

– You can RE-SELL your diapers if you don’t like them or if your baby outgrows them. You can sell them on Craigslist or Diaperswappers.com.

My Wash Cycle goes like this…

  1. Throw all the diapers from the poop bucket and the large wetbag into the washer.
  2. Wash on the longest cycle, in warm water, without soap.
  3. When the cycle is over, put on HOT water and wash again, adding soap (I now use Ecos detergent with no problems).
  4. When the second cycle is over, put on an extra rinse. This gets rid of any detergent left on the diaper.

Let me know if you have any questions!! I love converting people into cloth diapering ::insert evil laugh:: and over to the dark side! 🙂

 

“Posted at Small Footprint Fridays, Natural Family Friday, and Thank Your Body”

 

 

 

 

 

Week’s Worth of LOCAL Groceries & My Budget!

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I am such an advocate of shopping local! Since my daughter was born, I made the decision to pursue healthier eating and shopping at local Farmer’s Market’s is one of the healthiest, most frugal way to eat better!

This week I’m gonna show you all that I got from my local Farmer’s Market and talk about my weekly food budget. We are a family of 4 and my grocery budget for EVERYTHING (paper products, dog food, household items, batteries, etc) is $200 a week. I get about 80-90% of our food from my local Farmer’s Market and supplement with trips to Costco or Publix.

Today I spent $91 at the market and came out with TONS of groceries! There are a few things that I don’t buy at the market because of the cost. These are…

  • Bacon – I buy that at Costco for cheap
  • Spices
  • Beef and Pork– too expensive for us. I either find a local meat market to purchase “Family Packs” or buy from Costco.
  •  Alcohol – my husband will never give up his beer!
  • Oils, vinegar, and Maple Syrup – I buy them from Costco.
  • Eggs – I usually get these from a local hobby farmer but she was out of them so I bought some today from the market. I usually get them for $3. I found this local lady off Craigslist. At the market today they were $4.
  • Milk – my kids just started drinking raw milk again because I found someone local who sells it. I buy this for $10 a gallon and they get a gallon a week. When it’s out, it’s out.

Here is what I found at my Farmer’s Market…if I remembered the price, I listed it…

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From left to right…

  • 9 bananas, 4 for $1
  • 2 large heads of broccoli, 2 for $3
  • pack of 6 large nitrate free hot dogs, $6
  • HUGE box (6 pints) of strawberries, $9
  • 6 large carrots
  • 2 green peppers
  • 5 yellow squash
  • 3 zucchini
  • 4 avocados, 2 for $3
  • 2 pints of blueberries, $3
  • 5 tomatoes
  • lots of small red potatoes
  • 2 heads of romaine lettuce
  • 1 large cabbage
  • 6 sweet potatoes
  • 1 green onion, $1
  • 1 large bunch of spinach leaves, $1
  • 1lb of Amish butter, $6
  • 2 pints of white mushrooms
  • bunch of red grapes
  • 12 dozen eggs, $4
  • Asparagus bunch
  • 2 whole chickens, 2 for $15

Total = $91!!! Can’t beat that, eh?!?!

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I got a few other things at Publix to supplement this trip:

  • 2 bottles of local wine, BOGO free $9.99
  • Yengling beer, $6.99
  • Yo Kids organic yogurt, $3.50 (I put these in the freezer for a frozen treat!)
  • BOGO watermelon chunks, $1.50 (I make popsicle with these)
  • Thyme – forgot to grab some at the market
  • Parsley – forgot to grab some at the market
  • Vanilla
  • Smoked Paprika
  • 1lb of Boar’s Head chicken cuts, $9

Total = $57

This brings my total spending to $148 for the week!

A few budget points:

I have 2 lbs of ground beef in my freezer and 2 whole chickens from the market today to use in our meals, as well as bacon for breakfast.

I will need to use $10 on milk and $10 on more eggs (we average 4 dozen eggs a week) which brings my total to $168.

I will use the other $30 on buying more meat at some point during the week from Costco. I hope to get a roast and some chicken thighs. We eat out once, maybe twice, a week and never more.

I will not go over my $200 budget. I am pretty good about that. I operate on cash, so when the cash is out, so is the food and I need to be creative with how we use it. Also, I can, and have, cut this budget in half to only $100 a week, while still eating 75% Paleo. I supplement our meals with some rice, discount foods from market deals, and non-organic produce. It is possible, but it is more challenging. You have to really shop around.

Tell me what you find at your Farmer’s Markets and how you work your family budget!!!

 

Ridding Yourself of Paleo Guilt

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As mothers and fathers, we carry a tremendous amount of weight on our shoulders. We provide, we nurture, we nourish, we educate, we protect, and we impact our children’s lives. However, at times, we fail, we give in, we give up, we don’t care, we make mistakes…we throw up our hands and feel like the biggest losers. We aren’t perfect, nor will we ever be perfect. We know this. We feel this. But, can we ever learn to accept this?

When we choose to change our family’s nutrition, we go through waves of highs and lows…and towels thrown on the floor in frustration. We so want to change our nutrition. We SOOOO want to give them the best. We SOOOO want to provide the top-quality products that we can. We try and we try to make room for it in our budget, but when things get tight and bills come in, we have to make choices.

Oh, the guilt. I know it, cause I feel it too. I remember making the most delicious, roasted chicken legs for my kids one night. They LOVE chicken legs. They love getting their fingers dirty and not being forced to use a fork. They relish every delicious bite. I hear my 18 month old going, “Mmmm,” slurp, “mmmm“, over-and-over that night, literally licking the bone…sucking on the delicious cartilage. I remember my daughter saying to me, “These are the best chicken leggies ever, Mommy”.

Enjoying his chicken leg
Enjoying his chicken leg

I should smile and be happy, right? My kids are eating chicken! They are eating Brussel sprouts. They are eating asparagus, for God’s sake! However, happy is NOT what I felt.

You see, we had just lost A LOT of money. I’m talking thousands and thousands of dollars. We had to make some serious budget cuts and buying grass-fed meat, free-range poultry, farm fresh eggs, organic produce, expensive raw milk…this stuff was the first thing to get pushed to the back burner. We just couldn’t afford it.

I know they tell you to make quality food a priority, but we were, literally, having to save any extra penny we could. Buying the best quality was not attainable for us.

So, as my son is gnawing on a chicken leg, I’m thinking about all the hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives that he probably was ingesting. Oh, the mommy guilt. Mommy guilt will crush you. It will crush your confidence in an instant. It will break every good thing that you have done for your family and tell you…you’re…just…not good enough. You’re just not smart enough. You don’t try enough.

LIES…

We make the best choices we can for our family and no one else can tell you that you could make better choices.

You see, our best, is relative to each person. You can relate this to lifting heavy weights. I often talk to other women about how I love to lift heavy weights. Some ask what my numbers are and when I tell them, they say they could never lift heavy weights. Then I explain to them that heavy is relative to each person. Heavy to me may not be heavy to you. Heavy to you may be heavier than someone else. However it’s all still heavy! However it’s all still our best!

When people start eating Paleo they think that they MUST buy organic, free-range, grass-fed, pastured foods. I don’t know how many have even been detoured from eating Paleo because they know that can’t afford this. More important than this, should be eating REAL foods. More important should be moving off of processed foods. More important should be that WE ARE ACTUALLY TRYING.

So, I bought my factory farmed chicken legs and I watched my kids eat them…and I felt it. I felt that guilt. But, when I saw my kids enjoying it and I knew that I had done my best to put the best food on the table that I could…I smiled.

I smiled back at them and said, “thank you” and I meant it. I kissed their greasy lips, and I really did mean it. And, you know what?

My kids still love me. Love me to the core.

 

Steps to making wiser choices when your budget is limited:

Check out how I save money here.

Buy whole chickens and make stock with the bones.

Shop at meat markets where preservatives are not used.

Order from Amazon.

Check Craigslist for local people selling farm-fresh eggs.

Shop at Farmer’s Markets. Remember local is, sometimes, better than organic that has come from across the country.

Don’t make meat the highlight of the meal. Incorporate it in to your meal.

Do the best you can and let go of the guilt!

 

 

 

 

 

Confession: I Don’t Use Shampoo

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No, I am not gross. No, my hair is not greasy. No, I am not a hippy.

I haven’t used shampoo, conditioner, or hair products on my hair in a long tim. My hair has never felt so amazing. It’s soft and shiny. It is healthy. I have been doing what people call the “no poo” method. No I don’t put poo on my head…I’m not a Rastafarian!!! Haaaaa! “No Poo” stands for “no shampoo”. Get it?!! Ok, it actually took me awhile to get it. I would hear other natural-minded friends talk to me about the “no poo” method and I just didn’t get it. Then I started looking for a more natural way to color my hair. I discovered Henna! You can read about my Henna journey here: https://thepaleomama.com/2012/04/01/henna-hair-dye/ .

A few months into “no pooing”

I LOVE Henna now. I have done it every 6-8 weeks for awhile now. I will never go back to chemical-laden dyes. Henna is amazing. Ok, back to “no poo”!

“No Poo” Method is used when you make a baking soda paste as the shampoo/cleaning part and an apple cider vinegar rinse for the conditioner part. Ask your mamas how they used to get their hair to shine. They will say vinegar! This is nothing new; nothing hippy. I love bringing back what our mamas and grandmas used to do. They had it right in so many ways. Our modern-day culture is far from where we need to be. When it comes to living sustainably, I am all for it. So, when I finally started to understand the “no poo” method I figured I would give it a good try and LOVE it!

There are many methods that people use. I have found this method to work best for me: add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to about 1-2 cups of water. Pour this all over your wet head. Use your fingertips and really scrub your roots and scalp. This is where the grease starts and where I really focus on. I really don’t bother with the rest of the hair much when I am using the baking soda rinse. I make sure that all my roots and scalp are scrubbed and then I rinse it out. Now, we have been brainwashed to believe that scrubbing bubbles and foam equals clean. Not true! And you won’t get that with this method…or many other natural methods of cleaning. Chemicals are used to create foam and I’m not for that.

Once you rinse out all the baking soda then you are ready for the conditioner. I take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and add it to a cup of cold water. Because I don’t really like the smell of vinegar and I don’t like the smell in my hair, I add 5-8 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil to the mixture. This smell is heavenly! Next, I pour this all over my hair and massage it in really good, especially into my ends. I leave it on for a few minutes while I finish up the rest of my shower and then rinse it out with cold water. The colder the water, the more shiny and soft your hair will come out. The vinegar rinse also balances your PH levels after the baking soda wash.

My hair used to be so coarse. In order for it to look good, I had to blow dry it and then straighten it. My hair was so damaged by the overuse of chemicals in all the hair products I was using and the overuse of heat in styling it. Now, my hair is so soft I don’t even have to use any kind of styling products to make it soft, like serums. I don’t blow dry it anymore. I let it air dry and then sometimes I will straighten it. If it starts to feel a little coarse throughout the day, I rub a teeny tiny amount of coconut oil on it and it softens it right up.

I love my hair now! Using this method has also helped the Henna coloring to stay on longer and doesn’t fade. The only time I have to re-do my coloring is when my white roots start to grow out.

Hope this encourages you to give it a try! Also, your hair goes through a period in the beginning when it overproduced sebum (hair grease) because it’s so used to be washed everyday with shampoo that strips the natural oils off. Don’t fret! This period only lasts a few weeks at the very most. Wash your hair 2-3 times a week and it will eventually even out.