Just recently I was having a conversation with my sister and brother-in-law and the subject of BPA came up (Bisphenol A). We were discussing it since I am about to be an uncle for the third time : ) and they are making sure to get BPA free bottles and containers, etc.

Bisphenol A has been linked to abnormal reproductive development and shown to disrupt the hormonal system which can potentially lead to brain damage, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and the list goes on. My bro-in-law was saying how it is a very well known fact about baby products and BPA. Well. I am unmarried and male, so naturally I am not paying attention to baby stuff… except health articles that pop up. And such was the case.

The issue has become even more in the public eye the past year and the state of Minnesota banned the use of BPA in food containers intended for children 3 and younger.

Personally, I haven’t addressed this issue and I am going to. That is probably why I am writing this right now. But isn’t it strange how these types of things make us feel? Maybe it is just me, but it is kind of a bum out, you know? For example, one of the worst offenders of BPA leaching is from highly acidic foods… like tomatoes. While I do not eat canned foods because, first of all, I think they taste bad, but also they are more processed and fresh food is nutritionally superior, well, what I do buy is organic whole tomatoes and occasionally organic canned black beans (usually I buy most of my beans dried in bulk).

After so many years of doing something it is a bummer when you realize certain things. I realize that most people will not change unless they see their need. They will not think they need something until they find themselves in a desperate situation. We all are like that… we will not seek that which is good until we are faced with dire straits. Well I am changing because of previous dire straits and I learned my lesson. I learned that it is much easier to change when you are not in dire straits than when you are.

Sometimes many of the traditions that we grow up with or personal habits that we have accumulated are things that are not very healthy for us mentally or physically… and we are just ignorant of it. Then, when we are faced with a confrontation about it, our pride is hurt. The pride of it makes change all the more difficult. It’s like when I made the change from Teflon coated pans… ok, maybe not… that was pretty easy.

I grew up eating and making homemade tomato sauce. Oh. Bother. Tomato sauce is my problem.

There are good options available. I like how the president of Eden Foods has been proactive in their approach and they (at a higher cost) have BPA free cans for everything but their tomatoes. Also, you can look for glass jars, like Luccini, which happen to be very expensive : ). BUT, the best option is to make it fresh and also have some excellent tomatoes from the summer stored away for winter (frozen or jarred). Not too long ago, my sister gave me some fresh homegrown tomatoes that she had peeled and frozen and they made some of the best sauce I have had yet. They were bursting with flavor. Bursting I tell you. So I am going to experiment a little more with that and see what I can do. And as canned tomatoes seem to be my most formidable BPA opponent, they’re going down.

It seems rather easy to avoid the ills of processed food by eating fresh food and if processing needs to be done, do it yourself. Who woulda thunk it? But then again, who has the time, who has the time.

Some additional reading regarding the issue:
Tests Find WIDE Range of Bisphenol A in Canned Soups, Juice, and More
Drinking From Plastic Raises BPA Levels 70 percent
BPA in canned food awaits FDA decision

So. It is January 2, 2010. I usually take time to review my year in my head and think through what I am doing and where I am going. I have not really done that yet. I have thought through this blog a bit though. That last sentence seems funny to me cause I said “thought’, ‘through’, and ‘though’. Do not get tripped up.

As I have said many times, I like food. I like to eat. I am sure you do too. That reason is most likely why you are here reading this post. I must say though, I do not want to idolize food in any way. I know I do that sometimes. Maybe we all do. Maybe in some ways we idolize all of our desires, whatever they may be. That is a lot of maybe’s.

After thinking it through, I have decided that I will keep this blog. Ha. I think it is good to grow in all areas of life and I enjoy food and learning about it. Also, I think the wisdom of being able to share healthy, nourishing food with other people, especially our families is good and important. It is good and important for life, community, fellowship, together-ness, yada yada yada.

For most of my blogs, I have asked myself if I would be the only one reading them, or knowing about them, would I still write on them.?. That is kind of my test to see if it is worth it to me. Maybe that is because I like to talk to myself, but the answer is yes. So, I like that answer because then, regardless of who reads it, I still write it. Of course, there are several other factors that play into it, but that was enough for now.

So, in 2010 I hope to be posting on a more consistent basis (not necessarily more frequently). With that said, I hope you are having a nice start to the new year and that you can find some useful information here for the year to come. Happy New Year!

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I do not live to eat.

So I haven’t seen this video before… about the 4 year old burger from McDonalds. That’s just caarazy. And gross.

I thought this was a fun read from alternet.org about 20 foods that make you smarter. I like them all. Good thing. I need all the help I can get.

Check them all out as it is a good read but my favorite 10 from the list are:

1. Avocados

2. Blueberries

3. Wild Salmon

4. Nuts

5. Seeds

6. Dark Dark Chocolate

7. Garlic

8. Eggs

9. Green Leafy Vegetables

10. Tomatoes

Hm. Interesting study done in the Netherlands that showed a 58 percent reduction in eczema during the first three months of life (since a lot of newborns and pregnant women get eczema). Also after three months of life no difference in the incidence or severity was noted. Hm. I wonder why… I don’t know.

You can check it here. If you care to. If it’s not a bear to. I just thought I would share with you.

My friends and I talk about this every now and then… and lo and behold there is a nice article at the BBC about this very thing. Alcohol screws with your sleep!

As the article noted:
“Alcohol stops the brain from releasing vasopressin, a chemical which tells the kidneys to reabsorb water that would otherwise end up in the bladder. Without this signal, the drinker needs more frequent trips to the toilet.”

Not only does it make you have to get up to make more frequent trips to the bathroom but it disrupts your REM sleep which can leave you feeling unfulfilled… I know it always does me.

I don’t like anything getting between me and my slumber.

It’s time to talk about food and common sense again. Well, I am not sure how much I will actually talk about common sense but that’s what I want to call it. So buck up! Gear up! Get ready to pay attention!

What’s the point of writing about food? What’s the point about caring about what we eat?

Some people say “we are all going to die anyway” (which I agree, of course) and others say “let’s not make too big a deal with what we eat” or “it doesn’t really matter”… all to which I say fooey! And I rarely say fooey… so there!

You are not going to spend one day more than what God has appointed for you on this earth. Also, you are free to eat what you want and have the consequences of those actions.

The purpose of this site, EAT TODAY TO LIVE TOMORROW, is to join in with me and you on the journey to make wise decisions with the food that we eat so that we can better fulfill the purpose of life, and that is namely to glorify God. I believe God will give each person the strength and resources they need to accomplish His will in their lives.

So when a person has understanding about eating correctly… or eating wisely (a better description), then that is a gift from God. Not everyone’s eyes will be opened to the benefits or even the desire to eat wisely. That is fine. But wisdom is worth pursuing… in all areas of life whether it is finances, food, family, friends, or faith. f f f f and f.

Eating wisely also has practical everyday benefits for which people do not normally connect the dots. Like being able to enjoy each day better because your body has the energy for the day, it has the strength for the day,  it is able to meet physical demands, it is not inhibited from doing things because of unhealthy weight issues, it doesn’t have a sore throat, it is free from headaches, it doesn’t have stomach aches, it doesn’t have toxic metals and chemicals, it doesn’t have cancer ravaging it, it isn’t overwhelmed trying to prevent diseases from taking over, and on and on.

God has created the body with the ability to continually fight off disease and infection. If the body is strong it has the ability to do its job, but if the body is weak then the disease and infection take over. Most people fail to realize that they are all infected with something. It’s like when you go to a different country and they say “don’t eat the street food”… all the while the locals eat the street food and are fine. The reason is because the foreigner (typically U.S. traveller does not have enough healthy bacteria to keep the ’scavenger’ bacteria at bay, while the locals do.

Many times there are people who are ‘carriers’ of germs and microbes who do not get sick. We all have pounds of bacteria in us. There are ’scavenger’ bacteria that feed on decay or harmful substances just like flies on… yeah. If you don’t “clean house” then you are just swatting at flies but the poop is still there. Get it? The people who do not get sick from such bad bacteria have a “clean house” (or prepared defenses) and their body is able to quickly deal with threats that come to the body and eliminate them.

So we are all infected and the body is continually working to maintain a state of stability and equilibrium (homeostasis if you will). The body works to prevent free radical damage from oxidation with anti-oxidants… yes we have all heard that word.

So there is a wisdom in the choices that you make with what you put in your body. AND it takes reading and learning what is good and what is not. So for example, which of the ingredient lists will be the wiser choice for helping bring stability to your body:

A. Frosted Devil’s Food Donuts: Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed), Water, Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid], Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Egg Yolks, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Glycerine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Dextrose, Corn Syrup, Wheat Starch, Soy Flour, Nonfat Milk, Modified Food Starch (Corn, Tapioca), Soy Lecithin, Sorbitan Monostearate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum, Karaya Gum, Xanthan Gum, Tapioca Dextrin, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Agar, Carob Bean Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Caramel Color.

B. Blueberries (or pick any berry that you like)

I am not even going to tell you that B is the correct answer! Oh. Well. If you don’t want to take the time to learn, then a quick way to go about it is to not buy or eat it if you don’t know what it is or what is in it! That should help you a ton! Most likely you will be staying away from packaged and processed foods because they have plenty of things which you have no idea what they are… and for good reason.

I do not mean to come across too harsh by any means. I grew up eating lots of typical American fare. Heck, after band practice when I was a teenager we used to go to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and down a dozen. I had a major sweet tooth growing up… I know all about Entenmanns and Chips Ahoy and Oreo and little elf dude. BUT that was when I was a child, when I was uninformed, ignorant, stupid, and unhealthy. So were my parents. Most people are. BUT now I have more understanding. (There are much better ways to aid your sweet tooth: it’s called make it from scratch, at home, with good ingredients)

To my knowledge I have never had a serious illness or disease (as I said we never know what may be in our bodies). My mom did though and passed away from it. That is one of the things that awakened me to the choices I make with my body… and that awakening is a gift from God. Maybe this will be your gift.

After changing my diet over 4 1/2 years ago so many things have changed. It is strange because on the outside, by all appearances, not much has changed at all, but on the inside I feel different and I am different. It is in the little things. I used to always be able to predict when I would get sick and I did about 4-6 times a year no matter what I did. Now I rarely do and if I do, I know how to make it easy for my body to get over it. Also, my digestion is way better.

Digestion is a good indicator of overall health (your gut is a good indicator). It doesn’t entirely matter if you never get sick or if you are “regular”… it matters how the process takes place. Are you able to assimilate (use or integrate) the food you eat? Are you getting value from it? Do you not get sick because your immune system is so weak that you do not show any symptoms when infected? Things are not always as they seem.

Things take time for most of us though. Years of ‘garbage in’ may produce ‘garbage out’ for some time to come. However, eating today to live tomorrow will help with the process as you will put ‘good in’ and get ‘good out’… that is, you will reap what you sow.

So don’t ‘live to eat’… but eat today to live tomorrow and eat wisely with good food. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)

Yes it takes time, money, and work, because fake and processed food is more convenient, cheaper, and readily available. Real food costs more than fake food and takes time to prepare (as it always has for thousands of years). I guess to sum it all up: When it comes to food most people have sacrificed understanding and health for ignorance and convenience.

Fast food is out, slow food is in.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like to chat. Tim (at) ettlt.com

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Food and Common Sense (numero uno, the first, volume 1, in the beginning)