| Dear
EarthTalk: I really want to eat healthy and
organic but am constantly traveling and on the go. How can
I eat fast food without having to always end up at McDonalds
and Burger King?
-- Dylan Baker, Seattle, Washington
| |
Fast
food doesn't have to be fattening and unhealthy. Even
the major chains are taking steps toward healthier
menus by reducing or eliminating trans-fats, offering
veggie burgers and other meatless items, and using
organic greens and fresh fruits.
© Getty Images |
The
latest trend in fast food is healthy and organic, and luckily
for conscious consumers, several chains offering just such
fare are taking root in different parts of the U.S. One
of the leaders of this small but scrappy pack of fast food
upstarts is O’Naturals. The small chain currently
runs two stores of its own in Maine (Falmouth and Portland)
and one in Acton, Massachusetts, and franchises out additional
locations in Kansas and Florida. O’Naturals’
menu contains lots of vegetarian-friendly items, including
“build-your-own” flatbread sandwiches, salads,
noodle stir-frys and soups. The meat the restaurant does
serve is grass-fed and hormone-free, while the chickens
are free-range and the Alaskan salmon is wild.
Another
healthy option is EVOS, which currently runs five “quick-casual”
restaurants in Florida and is planning a major expansion
into the western U.S. Vegetarians can rejoice in the chain’s
wide selection of vegetarian and vegan items. While its
hormone- and antibiotic-free burgers are still only about
as healthy as red meat gets, their soy burger satisfies
without the guilt or the cholesterol. Also, EVOS uses organic
field greens in its wraps and salads, organic milk in its
milkshakes, and fresh fruit in its smoothies. Additionally,
the restaurant air-bakes its fries and other typically deep-fried
items to keep the fat content as much as 70 percent lower
than the same kinds of foods found elsewhere.
Meanwhile,
Seattle-based Organics-To-Go, with five locations in Washington
and California, lays out a wide array of “grab-and-go”
organic and natural foods so customers can make up their
own meals out of a cornucopia of healthy choices. Other
fast food alternatives offering lots of health (as well
as vegetarian and vegan) options include Au Bon Pain, Bruegger’s
Bagels, Noah’s Bagels, and World Wraps, while Subway
and Quizno’s alike can be good options for those willing
to study the menu carefully.
Even
though many alternatives exist, it is hard to beat the reach
of the major fast food chains, several of which are making
small steps toward healthier menus and will undoubtedly
continue to do so if consumers bite. McDonald’s, KFC,
Burger King and Wendy’s have reduced or eliminated
trans-fats. Burger King now offers a veggie burger, and
McDonald’s is testing one in California. Taco Bell
offers many non-meat options, including a bean and cheese
burrito, a veggie fajita wrap, and a 7-layer burrito, which
can be had without the cheese and sour cream. Carl’s
Jr. also has many tasty and healthy vegetarian options despite
an otherwise standard fast-food menu. Vegetarians and vegans
looking for more ideas about what to eat when time is of
the essence should consult any number of websites with pages
devoted to the topic, including Vegetarian-Restaurants.net,
VegCooking, FitWise and Vegetarian Resource Group.
And
remember, nothing beats seeking out local restaurants when
you’re on the road, to soak up some of the local culture.
And with trends as they are it shouldn’t be too difficult
to find many that do serve healthy menus—just not
quite as fast as “fast food” but probably fast
enough.
CONTACTS:
O’Naturals;
EVOS;
Vegetarian-Restaurants.net;
VegCooking;
FitWise;
Vegetarian
Resource Group.
Dear
EarthTalk: Are sunscreens safe? Which ones
do you recommend that will protect my skin from the sun
and not cause other issues?
-- Bettina E., New York, NY
| |
Tests
conducted by the Environmental Working Group found
that most sunscreens provide inadequate protection
against the sun‚s harmful rays and may also
contain unsafe chemicals. Fortunately, there are safer
and more effective sunscreens now on the market, mostly
available at natural foods markets.
© Getty Images |
Getting a little
sunshine is important for helping our bodies generate Vitamin
D, an important supplement for strong bones, and f or regulating
our levels of serotonin and tryptamine, neurotransmitters
that keep our moods and sleep/wake cycles in order. Like
anything, though, too much sun can cause health issues,
from sunburns to skin cancer. For those of us spend more
time in the sun than doctors recommend—they say to
stay indoors between 11 AM and 3 PM on sunny days to be
safe—sunscreens can be lifesavers.
Getting too much
sun is bad because of ultraviolet radiation, 90 percent
of which comes in the form of Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays that
are not absorbed by the ozone layer and penetrate deep into
our skin. Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays make up the rest. These
rays are partially absorbed by the ozone layer (which makes
preserving the ozone layer crucial for our health), and
because they don’t penetrate our skin as deeply, can
cause those lobster-red sunburns. Both types of UV rays
are thought to cause skin cancer.
Yet while most
sunscreens block out at least some UVB radiation, many don’t
screen UVA rays at all, making their use risky. According
to the non-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG), by
far most of the commercially available sunscreens do not
provide adequate protection against the sun’s harmful
UV radiation and may also contain chemicals with questionable
safety records.
In all, 84 percent
of the 831 sunscreens EWG tested did not pass health and
environmental muster. Many contained potentially harmful
chemicals like Benzophenone, homosalate and octyl methoxycinnamate
(also called octinoxate), which are known to mimic naturally
occurring bodily hormones and can thus throw the body’s
systems out of whack. Some also contained Padimate-0 and
parsol 1789 (also known as avobenzone), which are suspected
of causing DNA damage when exposed to sunlight. Furthermore,
EWG found that more than half the sunscreens on the market
make questionable product claims about longevity, water
resistance and UV protection.
As a result,
EWG has called on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) to establish standards for labeling so consumers have
a better idea of what they may be buying. In the meantime,
consumers looking to find out how their preferred brand
stacks up can check out EWG’s online Skin Deep database,
which compares thousands of health and beauty products against
environmental and human health standards.
The good news
is that many companies are now introducing safer sunscreens
crafted from plant- and mineral-based ingredients and without
chemical additives. Some of the best, according to Skin
Deep, are Alba Botanica Sun’s Fragrance-Free Mineral
Sunscreen, Avalon Baby’s Sunscreen SPF 18, Badger’s
SPF 30 Sunscreen, Burt’s Bees’ Chemical-Free
Sunscreen SPF 15, California Baby’s SPF 30, Juice
Beauty’s Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer, and Kabana’s
Green Screen SPF 15. Natural foods markets stock many of
these, or they can be found online at websites like Sun
Protection Center and Drugstore.com.
CONTACTS:
Environmental
Working Group; Skin
Deep Cosmetic Safety Database; Sun
Protection Center: Drugstore.com. |
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