Village on a Diet

I have admittedly become a fan of this show. As with Biggest Loser, I find myself more interested in the people and their stories and background than their weight loss. I feel for them, I want to see them succeed. And while I have defeated my weight demons (for the most part), there was a day when this little 5'0 gal was pushing 170 lbs. I was not so TINY then.

So I get it, I know where they are coming from. Plus there is no cash carrot dangling in front of them. They have to want to do this for themselves.

I bring this all up because I have been following this VOAD review column and find it interesting that the author chooses to pick apart the people and attack the production of the show.

Its only episode 3 and he is making noise about various things, like the fact that food and diet choices are only now being addressed (again, its EPISODE 3, not 12) and that the participants are being told to overhaul their diets in full and start from scratch. He complains that there is "No discussion of calories, just the same old, "servings". Ummmm, why on earth is that an issue? Screw calories, these people need to learn to eat right and learn to eat less. 10 oz of steak is too much for ANYONE (no steak at all would be preferable of course), let alone an obese 23 yr old mother.

Sure, the CBC is out to make profitable TV. Is that any sort of secret?

Get over it. Watch the show and be entertained, get emotional and maybe even get inspired to get off your ass and move.

Weighty Matters: Village on a Diet episode 3 recap: Nobody yelled!

And if you want to read more abot the show and its the LIVE RIGHT NOW program, here you go:

CBC Winter Season Focuses on Canadians' Health

Compassion in a Purse

Inspiring compassionate funky fashion. Does it get any better?

A Handbag Empire Built on Compassion

Inder Bedi has often told the story of how he built his handbag empire.

The 37-year-old founder of Matt & Nat vegan accessories was asked at age 18 by a Hare Krishna priest to go vegetarian for 30 days:

"And it changed my whole life," he says.

Almost 20 years later, Bedi's Via Vegan company is thriving, although he won't provide numbers. His faux leather bags, belts and wallets under the Matt & Nat label (www.mattandnat.com) are sold in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Italy, Germany, France and elsewhere -- in perhaps thousands of shops, Bedi allowed.

"It's not about the numbers. It's about the people that we touch. I meet someone who says, 'I love what you guys stand for."

Dead Cows are Dead Cows

"No matter how you slice it, eating beef will never be the greenest thing you do in a day."

A great start to a great article.

All dead cows are not created equal

And when your done, you may want to read this:

Daily Red Meat Raises Chances Of Dying Early

19th Annual Wellness Show

I love attending these kinds of events. They are always so interesting and educational .. and full of samples and FREEBIES! And who doesn't love a good freebie?

Choices presents the 19th Annual Wellness Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Canada Place. Designed to bring holistic living to the forefront, the Wellness Show features exhibits and guest speakers for all

ages. With upwards of 300 exhibitors, there is sure to be something for everyone at one of Canada’s largest health and wellness showcases. This year, the public has a number of engaging lectures and workshops to

choose from including the following:

• Two cooking demonstrations, focusing on buy local, eat fresh, will take place at the Celebrity Cooking Stage, featuring Choices' Chef, Antonio Cerullo and the winner of our Health Appetizer Contest.

• A talk on Eating Well with Diabetes featuring Choices' Dietitian, Nicole Fetterly, RD.

• A talk on Iron, It's in Your Blood, Or is it? featuring Dr. Cathy Carlson-Rink, ND, RM, Canada’s first naturopathic physician and certified midwife. (I will be at this one for sure!)

General admission tickets for the Wellness Show are $12.50, seniors and students are $10, children 6–15 years are $5, children 5 and under are free. Three-Day Passes available for $27. Tickets now available online at www.thewellnesshsow.com or may be purchased at the door. 

Don't Stress Over Organic

I have often wondered which items are best bought organic. This is mainly because I simply cannot afford to have a fully organic diet at this point (but dreams can come true). I do my best to keep as organic and clean as possible by shopping at the weekly farmers markets and making as many organic choices as I can while grocery shopping, but sometimes I wonder ...

Which items are best when choosing organic and where can I back off a bit?

So when I came across this it really helped med set my priorities. Now its not an organic minefield for me when shopping. Phew!

Organic produce is great — if it’s available and affordable. But what if your grocery store doesn’t have the organic produce you need? Or what if it’s too expensive?

In these cases, it’s important to know which “conventional” fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues, and which have the least.

We call these two groups “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Clean Fifteen”.

Most contaminated: THE DIRTY DOZEN

FRUITS:
Peaches
Apples
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Imported grapes
Pears

VEGETABLES:
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Kale
Lettuce
Carrots

Least Contaminated: THE CLEAN FIFTEEN

FRUITS:
Avocados
Pineapples
Mangoes
Kiwi
Papayas
Watermelon
Grapefruit

VEGETABLES:
Onions
Sweet corn
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Cabbage
Eggplant
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes

To download a PDF guide, or an iPhone application with the above list, visit: www.foodnews.org

What if you don’t mind springing for organic produce, but the items you need aren’t available? For example, suppose you want to make an organic peach pie, but organic peaches aren’t available locally.

Here’s one solution: plan your menu based on the organic produce that IS available.

For example, peaches aren’t in season in November — but pumpkins are. If you can buy organic pumpkins, you might consider making pumpkin pie instead. Then when peaches are in season again — next summer — you can buy organic peaches again.

If organic produce is readily available – but too expensive – you can save money by buying conventional avocados, onions, and other items from the CLEAN 15 list.