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(Update to the Rant of November 9, 2011)

In my November 8th newsletter, I wrote about my confusion, frustration and yes – even a bit of anger regarding proposed changes in our national school lunch program. I wrote that it upset me that an eighth-cup of tomato paste counted as a vegetable and also that the farm states were spending lots of money opposing the changes in the lunch programs due, in a significant way, to the proposed reduction in the use of potatoes for french fries. Feel free to refresh your memory about the entire rant.

I don’t exactly know if I am ready for another rant because what I really feel is frustration and yes, even sadness to bring you this update on the new, approved rules for federally subsidized meals (in other words, paid for by us.) Given that childhood obesity is our biggest public health threat and given that roughly 40 percent of the calories children eat are consumed in the school lunch period, shouldn’t we ALL care about this issue? Since “federally subsidized” is a euphemism for tax payers money (same money that funds the defense budget), should not more people care that we, the people, will end up paying for healthcare costs due to childhood obesity if we don’t take measures to change things?

Ready for the facts? (If you can stomach them.)

Fact: tater tots and french fries will still count as a vegetable.

Here’s the quote from one source I read: “One source of saturated fat the agency wasn’t able to cut down on is the french fry. The agency initially proposed to sharply limit starchy vegetables like potatoes on school menus, but lawmakers and farm lobbyists killed the effort last year.” Is it far too dramatic to say they might be killing our children instead of “the effort.” Sickens me.

Rant: Sen. Susan Collins from Maine took credit for helping thwart the Department of Agriculture’s efforts to reduce the amount of potato-based foods served in schools. Shockingly, Maine is the fifth-largest potato-producing state in the US. Farmers lobbying worked. Forget the children – let them eat cake AND french fries.

Fact: At this writing, an eighth-cup of tomato paste (mostly used on a pizza) is STILL considered a vegetable.

The agency tried to diminish the amount that tomato paste in pizza counts toward vegetable requirements. Congress blocked that effort late last year. Why? Because the food industry complained. OMG – say it isn’t so. Are children not our future anymore? What about the parent industry? Where was everybody that should care about good nutrition? Where was I?

Fact: The Agriculture Department initially estimated that the proposed rules would add about $6.8 billion over the next five years, about 14 cents to the cost of a school lunch. Last week they cut that estimate to $3.2 billion, partly because they removed yet another proposed requirement that schools provide a meat or meat substitute in the government subsidized breakfast programs. Once again, did anyone ask me where I would like my money to go? I guess we can always use that savings if we need to build another missile or to create another government agency. Silly me.

There is good news but it really didn’t get me that excited. It doesn’t feel like small steps, big impact. No more whole milk. Flavored milk allowed but only if nonfat, and over the next two years, whole-grain products must account for half of the grain products served in school lunches. I guess whole-grains aren’t available for purchase yet – heavy sarcasm.

Schools will also be required to OFFER students ¾ to one cup of vegetables, plus ½ to one cup of fruit a day. The students won’t be required to put that much on their trays. I get that but I also get that when I was in first grade, french fries would have trumped broccoli all day long and twice on Fridays. Still might.

Well, I guess the folks at Del Monte, Coca Cola, and the potato farm lobbyists were right. The government’s proposals were asking us to go too far too quickly. And we should just slow down trying not to grow overweight kids, pay for their health issues due to obesity and phase in thinner ones over time.

And again, for the record and as God is my judge – my children and grandchildren eat spinach, broccoli, apples and fresh peaches. There’s no disputing that.

I don’t feel so much better now like I did the last time. Sorry.

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What can I say? These things just pop into my head. This one did because I wanted to write about some green, healthy refreshers early in the New Year. Buying/eating organic eggs and what we put on our bodies came immediately to mind – thus green eggs & hair.

Re: green eggs. This is one area where everyone would benefit by making the switch. If you are a long fact finder and want to blow your bright green socks off, Google “benefits of organic eggs” or any combination thereof and read all the reasons why this should be one green choice you commit to in 2012. Are they more expensive? Yup! Are they worth the money? Yup! Trade out a latte or a glass of wine but please – green your egg buying. Your body will thank you, the abused little chicks will thank you, and so will I.

Here’s a link to and excerpt from one of the best cases to be made for buying organic eggs:

Not All Eggs are Created Equal

“Eggs are also an incredible source of high-quality protein and fat – nutrients that many are deficient in. And I believe eggs are a nearly ideal fuel source for most of us.

However, there are two caveats:

1. Free-range or “pastured” organic eggs are far superior when it comes to nutrient content, and
2. Cooking destroys many of these nutrients, so ideally, you’ll want to consume your eggs raw (but ONLY if they’re pastured organic, as conventionally-raised eggs are far more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria such as salmonella)

An egg is considered organic if the chicken was only fed organic food, which means it will not have accumulated high levels of pesticides from the grains (mostly GM corn) fed to typical chickens.

Additionally, testing has confirmed that true free-range eggs are far more nutritious than commercially raised eggs. In a 2007 egg-testing project, Mother Earth News compared the official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient data for commercial eggs with eggs from hens raised on pasture and found that the latter typically contains:

* 1/3 less cholesterol

* 1/4 less saturated fat

* 2/3 more vitamin A

* 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids

* 3 times more vitamin E

* 7 times more beta carotene

The dramatically superior nutrient levels are most likely the result of the differences in diet between free ranging, pastured hens and commercially farmed hens.”

Re: green hair. Do you think of your skin as your biggest organ? (Please keep all thoughts pure) Well, until I began my journey as Mrs. Green, I did not. I think ALL scientists agree that what you put on your skin goes in. So your shampoo, conditioner and hair dye are all absorbed into your scalp – usually within 6 seconds. So does your dry skin cream, your foundation, your after-shave, your soap and body wash, your lip balm – you get the picture.

Please ask yourself the question: how green are your products? I admit to being a self-professed Aveda nut. I haven’t been in anything but a VerVe Aveda Lifestyle salon in over three years but there are reasons for that. Are they the purest of them all? Nope. Am I convinced the products they sell are purer than the majority of products commercially available? Yup. Do I believe they are leaders in the industry in terms of removing harmful ingredients (like parabens) from all their products? Absolutely! Why? Because they pulled all their products, including some of their top sellers that contained even trace amounts of known carcinogens, and have re-introduced them as they adjust their formulas. This is from their website: “Our standards have made us a pioneer in the green cosmetics world: now more than 90% of our essential oils and 89% of our raw herbal ingredients* are certified organic.” I’ll take 89%.

I will also take and praise Aveda’s active interest in clean water projects, breast cancer research and their stand on animal testing all day long. I love that they recycle bottle caps. I love that they sell huge containers of products like shampoo so that I can cut down on waste too. I also love that they have totally stream-lined their packaging process to minimize their carbon footprint on that front as well. Again, from their website but I invite you to research this on your own: “Responsible Packaging. We are proud to be the first beauty company with 100% postconsumer recycled PET for skin care and hair styling. With every package we develop, we’re mindful of our environmental footprint and work to minimize our packaging and maximize our use of recyclable and post-consumer recycled materials.”

Remember – I don’t want to tell you what to think, I just want you to. So think about your green eggs and hair and make a couple of greener choices with your health in mind – because I care!

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As I was driving back from our wonderful holiday trip this past Monday, I was thinking quite a bit about the newsletter. I said to myself “this first one for 2012 really has to be a big WOW!” And then I thought some more. This newsletter has to be just like all the rest of them – written authentically from my very green heart. I have never written for a wow. I just write, and the thoughts just keep on coming.

Here’s what I came up:

#1 – Mike Franks. I have no clue why Mike popped up – he just did. What I thought about is how Mike Franks from Seaver Franks has been an advertiser with Mrs. Green almost since day one. Besides helping sustain the Mrs. Green journey, Mike is a friend, a fellow Rotarian, a great husband and father, and he cares about his community. That’s one of the green, sustainable pieces.

Here’s another one. Seaver Franks is a highly respected locally owned business. They are proud of their reputation for regionally responsive architecture that reflects both the lifestyle of the client AND the characteristics of the site and surroundings. In other words, they think about and care about how their structures will fit in with the environment in which is it being built. What a concept. Added bonus? Seaver Franks Architects has been LEED accredited since 2006.

Needless to say, any business connected with real estate, building, development, has been greatly impacted these past several years. Mike continued to support us in good times and bad and for that, I am truly grateful – as I am for everyone who has been part of this journey. Here’s to a booming 2012 for all of us.

#2 – Big Blue Balls. Seriously. I haven’t written in forever about how much I dislike Bounce and any other artificially created dryer sheet or fabric softener that makes clothes smell (dare I say stink?). About three years ago I read several articles on why Bounce is really bad for you, your skin, and the environment. There are even warnings printed on some towels advising the buyer to not use dryer sheets because the “coating” could impact the absorbency of the towel. Can this be a good thing?

We act like static cling is a moral lapse, but I admit, I don’t like it. So we dumped the chemicals, went to Target and bought two big blue dryer balls for about $8.00. We still have them. We have saved money, our clothes don’t stink, and I believe we have made a difference for the planet by taking this one small step.

#3 – Nature. On our way back from Taos, Mr. Green indulged me and we made a side trip (tacked on to a very long driving day) to a place outside of Elfrida, Arizona, to see the gathering of the Sandhill Cranes. My friend Cassandra raved about their experience earlier in the week so I felt the call to check it out. OMG – there were literally thousands of them. We couldn’t believe it. We ended up staying over two hours during which time we observed hawks hunting, found a brown bat inside a barn structure, saw some other kind of gorgeous black birds with bright yellow breasts (can you tell we are not “birders?”) and just thoroughly enjoyed being out in the fresh air and sunshine.

We made a commitment to each other to get out in nature more. It feeds your soul and reminds you how important fresh air and sunshine are. I invite you to put visiting some of your favorite outdoor spots on your places to go in 2012 list – regularly!

#4 – Junk Mail. I thought I had made lots of progress but when we got home after having been gone just one week, the amount of junk mail we received made me sick. It was awful to see it all in one pile. I am recommitting to visiting catalogchoice.org to once again get my name removed from a bunch of catalog lists. I honestly don’t know what to do about the 7-10 weekly 0% interest credit cards offers. If anyone knows of a way I can stop them, please, please, please email me or post it on the Mrs. Green Facebook page. Junk mail is a waste of paper, water, gas, ink, and my time! Let’s try to all get back on this one.

#5 – Read. This is my last whirling dervish brain thought for feeding our souls in 2012. I read three books on this trip. Yup – three books, and am half way through another one. First of all, there was no TV where we stayed – bonus number one. And, yes, I was on vacation so reading until 1:00 a.m. was an option. But I realized how much I love reading, how much it quiets and expands the brain, and how much watching almost any TV show feeds nothing but my frustration level.

So – happy, blessed, healthy, prosperous and joy-filled New Year! I wish there was some way of adequately letting you know how grateful I am for all of you. Thank you for continuing to be a part of this journey and I so look forward to the places we’ll go in 2012.