Heat Wave...

Yesterday, I ran some errands to the post office, to buy some stuff for work, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary but I literally felt like I was going to burst into flames any second it was so hot! I finally ducked into a public restroom in Barnes and Nobles and stripped off my undershirt & put it in my purse! Ha! I felt really classy, but hey, when you are sweating like 3 men...you do what you have to do. I really think I only like Spring and Fall. If there was a place where the weather went from Spring to Fall and back, I'd move there.

Speaking of bursting into flames, one of DW's former co-workers posted this quote yesterday and it really has been sticking in my mind:

Success is never the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. - Arnold Glasow

I'm so the type of person that whats things yesterday and this was a great reminder that Success doesn't happen by accident. As long as I continue to work hard and take those baby steps, that's what it's really all about. Just have to work on remembering that more...

I found an article in Andrew Weil's "Healthy Eating" mag from Fall 2009 that talked about the labels that are on food now and what they mean. Several of them really suprised me so I thought I'd share a few of the "less-reliable labels" that were listed:

"Antibiotic free" found on dairy, eggs, & meat: this term is banned by the USDA but they do allow producers to label meat and poultry with a "no antibiotics administered" claim. However, there is no system in place to verify these claims.

"Free Range" found on beef, chicken, & eggs: this term implies that the product comes from an animal that was raised in the open or was "free to roam". The USDA regulates this claim on poultry but producers can qualify with as little as 5 minutes of "free roaming" per day. Additionally, the USDA doesn't even regulate this claim on beef or eggs.

"Hormone Free" found on meat and dairy. There is really no system in place to verify such claims. The US has banned the use of hormones in hogs and poultry so products labeled "no hormones administered" aren't any different than those without such labels. Save your $$$$$.

"Natural" found on chicken and meat. There really is no definition on what this term actually means so this label has little meaning. It might imply that the food does not contain any artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or other ingredients, and is only minimally processed but there is no system in place to verify this.

Best option: look for the USDA ORGANIC label.

You can find it on beer, coffee, dairy, frozen, and processed foods, grains, meats, produce, shrimp, & wine. It means that this has been certified by the USDA and food with this label cannot be grown or raised with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, antibiotics, sewage sludge, or use genetically modified crops. USDA organic food cannot be irradiated. Organice animals much be fed 100% organic feed without animal by-products or growth hormones.

I don't know about you, but I thought I was doing good when I had the "natural", "no hormones added", "free range" labels. From now on, I'll shop smarter and save my money!!!