Monday, June 21, 2010

Finding a better sunscreen

One of the more complicated green living decisions in our household each year is choosing sunscreen. That might sound a bit ridiculous but based on a lot of recent research, making a choice can get quite complicated. Here’s why: Sunscreen contains toxins that can be harmful when absorbed through your skin; your sunscreen is likely to be much less effective than the SPF rating leads you to believe; chances are it won’t protect you from harmful UVA rays; and the higher the SPF you choose the more time you’re probably going to spend in the sun slathered in a false sense of security.

These are the findings of Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) fourth annual review of sunscreen. For this year’s report they analyzed 500 sunscreens, including all of the major brands, and rated them according to their safety and effectiveness.

EWG isn’t trying to scare us away from sunscreen (although that might be your first reaction) their goal is to help us choose our sunscreen very carefully.

Potentially hazardous oxybenzone is an ingredient in about 60% of the sunscreens tested. It’s a hormone-disruptor that gets absorbed into your body through your skin. About 41% of sunscreens tested also contain a form of vitamin A called retinyl palmitate (a compound that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found could promote the development of skin cancer because of the way it reacts with sunlight.)

Studies show that on average we only apply about a quarter of the amount we should to get the SPF protection promised and we don’t reapply often enough to sustain protection.

Even if you apply and reapply as directed your brand still may not protect you against UVA radiation, the sunlight that doesn’t cause burns but still damages your skin.

And finally, studies have also shown that those who choose sunscreen with a really high SPF rating spend a lot longer in the sun than those who sport products with a lower SPF.

Before you stress out over what to slather on this summer remember that there are plenty of ways to stay safe in the sun, with and without sunscreen.
Cover up with clothing and a hat to protect your skin from the sun. (Sunscreen should never be your first or only line of defense against the sun.)
Search EWG’s database of sunscreens to find a safe and effective brand of sunscreen . EWG has slotted brands into three categories: green for recommend, yellow for caution and red for avoid. The database also provides a UVA and UVB protection rating and rates how well the sunscreen lasts. On the site you’ll find the list of what they consider to be the base (none of which have I seen around here).

I searched some of the most common brands around and found that Coppertone Pure & Simple and Sensitive Skin lines have a moderate rating of 3, just one point out of the “recommend “zone. Beware of other popular brands like Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and Aveeno. Most of these brands fall to the “avoid” zone, even the lines for babies and kids.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Another family friendly way to eat Swiss chard (or any early greens)

I often over-buy greens in the spring because I'm so excited to have something fresh and local. Lucky for me I'm building a bank of delicious ways to eat them. This galette recipe is my favourite so far. Those of you who have tried my Swiss chard pasta recipe will recognize the filling -- it's exactly the same only with eggs added.

The great thing about a galette is that you don't have to be a whiz with pastry and the free-form assembly always looks great. Don't let the length of this recipe fool you into thinking it's complicated to prepare.

Swiss chard galette
Cooks at 375 for about 45 minutes

Pastry:

2 1/2 cups whole grain pastry flour (regular flour works too, if you don’t have pastry flour)

1 cup butter (cold, cold, cold)

1 t sugar

½ t sea salt

½ cup ice water

Filling:

1/3 cup currants

Juice of 1 lemon

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large bunch of beet greens or Swiss chard

Zest of 1 lemon

¾ cup feta, crumbled

¼ cup pine nuts (or almonds or walnuts)

2 eggs, beaten

pepper

For the pastry:

Combine dry ingredient in a food processor. Add butter in chunks and pulse until butter is pea-sized. Add ice water and whirr just until dough starts to come together. Remove from processor and place on a lightly floured counter. Knead gently just until you have a smooth dough. Flatten into a disk and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Pastry can last in the fridge for a week or so).

For the filling:

In a small bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the currants and set aside.

Remove stems from greens and chop into 1 cm pieces. Roughly chop the leaves.

Over medium heat sauté the onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic & cook one minute. Add chopped stems to the onion mixture cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir and add the chopped leaves. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat & add a few grinds of black pepper & the currant-lemon mixture.

Stir in feta, pine nuts, lemon zest and egg just before you scrape it onto the prepared dough (you don’t want the egg to start to cook).

Assembly:

Use 2/3 of the dough (save the rest for a fruit galette). On a lightly-floured surface roll out dough into a rough circle about ¼” thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet (sided sheet is best, in case the galette runs over).

Scrape filling onto the pastry, leaving a 2 ½ - 3 inch border. Gently fold the border in over the filling, overlapping the dough where needed.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until pastry looks golden in spots. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Lots of action in New Brunswick's local food scene!

A new food channel of sorts, Smart Eat TV is a site that's setting itself up to be (in its own words) "the social network where east means best – the best ingredients, kitchens and stories."

Don't we Maritimers say that some of the best parties (and online communities) end up in the kitchen? Looks like this'll be another. Check it out.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Benefits of eco-friendly shaving

My top pick for a non-toxic eco-friendly
shave is shaving soap
I recently read that the average adult uses nine personal care products each day which combined contain about 120 chemicals. If you’d like to reduce the number of chemicals in your life choosing more natural versions of these everyday products is your best route.

A case in point is shaving. It’s something that most men do on a daily basis and hardly give a second thought. But it is worth thinking about if you’re using conventional shaving products because the toxins found in women’s cosmetics and personal care products are found in men’s products too.

Conventional shaving creams usually contain synthetic chemicals that could be carcinogenic, hormone disrupting and at the very least irritating. The synthetic fragrance alone could cause reproductive problems, as do the preservatives (called parabens). Some studies have also linked them to liver and kidney tumours. Using warm water to prepare your skin for shaving opens your pores, making it easier for these toxins to penetrate your skin and build up in your body over time.

My top pick for a non-toxic eco-friendly shave is shaving soap, along with a shaving brush. Forget the perception that using old fashioned shaving soap takes more time. It takes all of ten seconds to create a thick creamy lather in the soap dish and it’s quick and easy to apply. The rest is the same: Shave. Rinse. Go about your day. I have also read that many dermatologists recommend using a shaving brush and shaving soap since the brush works the soap into the hair bristles, making the shave closer and less irritating.

Olivier shaving soap is your best choice. It’s truly natural (made with olive oil, cocoa butter, beeswax and fragrant oil), costs $9.95 and lasts practically forever. The brush costs $11.95 and you can buy both at their shop in the Saint John City Market or order online at http://www.oliviersoaps.com/. Their soaps are hand-made in small batches at their soapery in Ste. Anne de Kent, New Brunswick.
The chemicals in conventional shaving products aren’t the only un-green aspect of the daily ritual. Half a billion razors and all that packaging get tossed out by Canadians each year. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you’re not adding to the pile:

Choose reusable razors instead of disposable razors and buy good quality blades so they last longer. To extend the life of your blade consider buying an EverBlade, a razor blade stand designed to repel rust and corrosion from the blade. According to many enthusiastic reviews I found online a single blade can easily last four to eight months thanks to this stand and at a cost of $30 it will likely pay for itself in a month (http://www.greeneverblade.com/).

With Father’s Day just around the corner consider giving one of these eco options as a gift this year.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

It's June! Start cooking with fresh, local ingredients

Where I live beet greens are just about the first local ingredients to be found at the markets (after fiddleheads, that is). Make a meal of these tasty greens with this delicious pasta recipe.

Pasta with greens (beet greens or Swiss chard)

1/3 cup currants

Juice of 1 lemon

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 large bunch of beet greens or Swiss chard

Zest of 1 lemon

5 oz of goat’s cheese or feta

¼ cup toasted pine nuts (or almonds or walnuts)

Sea salt and pepper

¾ lb pasta (penne works well)


-Set pasta water to boil in a covered pot.

-In a small bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon over the currants and set aside.

-Remove stems from greens and chop into 1 cm pieces. Roughly chop the leaves.

-Over medium heat saute the onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic & cook one minute. Add chopped stems to the onion mixture cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir and add the chopped leaves. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes).

-When pasta is cooked drain and return to the pot. Add greens mixture, lemon zest, currants and lemon juice, and cheese. Toss, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, with pine nuts sprinkled over.