If you read the book by Eric Schlosser, or saw the movie version of Fast Food Nation, then you know that taking shots at Agribusiness through mass media is nothing new.

And if the message of the movie resonated with you, you might also be interested in seeing Food, Inc, which opened in NYC, San Francisco, and LA yesterday on June 12.

Slow Food USA writes:

The movie touches on many issues, including violations of farmworkers’ rights; aggressive litigiousness on the part of large agribusiness; food safety; the role of industrial organic; and some straight up weird stuff like an irradiated fat slurry that goes into most hamburger meat produced in this country. The main theme, as the title suggests, is what goes wrong when corporations control the food system.

Along with the movie they have released a companion book with the subtitle: How Industrial Food is Making us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer–And What You Can Do About It.

I don’t know about you, but I love saving money. My budget is tighter than it’s ever been and I’m finding it hard to stretch my dollar far enough.  Happily, I found this link to a whole bunch of Stonyfield Farm Organic product coupons over at STL Mommy.

She’s listed offers on Annies Macaroni&Cheese, Green Mountain Coffee, Newman’s Own Organics, a variety of yogurts, cookies, and crackers. Visit the Stonyfield Farms website to register for the coupons.

STL Mommy has a number of coupon offers and giveaways listed here. Take a look, it will definitely be worth your time. Thanks STL Mommy!

Image credit: Stonyfield Farm Organics

We’re all feeling the pinch with the economy in the state it is right now, but experts say a healthy diet is still possible when money is tight. Shirley Kindrick, a registered dietician at the Ohio State University Medical Center, makes a good point. She says, “Selecting healthy food items is always important, but in an economy where money may be in short supply (and) families are under stress and people may be working longer hours or two jobs, a good diet is the basic foundation for staying healthy.”

Or, as my grandma used to say, you can’t burn the candle at both ends!

One tip for saving money while eating healthy is simply to serve a smaller portion of meat. Many people eat portions too large anyway, so instead serve a piece that is about as big as a deck of cards. She also recommends placing chopping up veggies in your dishes to bring them to life. Not only will they “bulk up” your dish, they’ll also be strategically placed in the food for those picky eaters among us.

Image: sxc.hu.

One of the biggest challenges to healthy eating is between-meal snacking. Popcorn, a whole grain food that’s low in calories, is a great snack food that’s economical and also fun to eat.

One cup of popped popcorn, eaten plain, contains:
24 calories
1 gram of protein
6 grams carbohydrates
1 gram fiber

Keeping healthy snacks on hand is important for the whole family, especially with childhood obesity on the rise. Sprinkling popcorn with herbs or other seasonings is a fun way to add flavor without adding extra fat and calories. Children love to mix and match a variety of flavors to create their own healthy popcorn creations.

My DH and I got to try a variety of Kernel Season’s popcorn spritzers and flavors, and we were delighted with the ones we sampled: so far, the kettle corn flavoring and the white cheddar.  We’re looking forward to trying more.  The spritzers can be used alone, or in combination with the sprinkle-on flavors.  In fact, the spritzers are a great way to get the flavors to stick onto air popped corn, so that you can control the fat content even more!

Besides being available for purchase online, these popcorn products are also available in many grocery stores and large retailers like Walmart and Target.  They are also being offered at more than 20,000 movie theater screens nationwide as a free shake-on topping!

Here is a warning for all heart patients! One of the highest consumed fish in America is now being called fatty and could have dangerous implications for persons with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases as it could cause an inflammatory response.

…has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Tilapia has higher levels of omega-6 fatty acids than 80% lean hamburger, cookies, bacon or sausage. Wow- this is really big news around my house as our favorite fish is Tilapia! My kids love it and so do I so we will have to revisit our choices at the seafood store.

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