Green Talk® » health

MSG: The Dirty Secret Hidden in Your Foods, Could Cause Obesity.

Anna@Green Talk — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:44:38 +0000

Could MSG Be Lurking in Your Doritos & Soup?

Innocently, I started writing an article about using old chicken bones to make chicken stock to avoid sodium, BPA, and MSG. The more I delved into the the MSG subject, it became apparent how evasive MSG has become in our food. The more I researched the angrier I got. I too, “Ms. health Nut,” had been duped. Simply looking for MSG as an ingredient wasn’t enough. Worse yet, MSG can lead to obesity.

I have Been Duped to Believe I am Eating MSG Free

Maybe you are like me.

You tell restaurants no MSG when they prepare your food.
You read labels and look for the words, monosodium glutamate or MSG.
When you see the words, “no MSG added” you feel rest assured you are safe.

And guess what? Like the Titanic, I only saw the tip of the iceberg. You know what happened next? (Leonard DiCaprio’s character died, Anna. That’s in the movies, people. It’s sad. I cried too, but let’s talk about the MSG myth.)

Why is MSG added to Food?

MSG is “the sodium salt of the naturally occurring glutamic acid.” In my opinion, Monosodium glutamate is the new salt. Like salt, it enhances food’s taste. However, using MSG won’t increase your sodium levels. So, yes be forwarned about what is in your low sodium products.

How does glutamate make food taste good? According to a 2009 study conducted by Edmund Rolls, he concluded that glutamate makes food taste better due to its interaction with our brains. The study revealed:

“Glutamate is thus a flavor enhancer because of the way that it can combine supralinearly with consonant odors in cortical areas in which the taste and olfactory pathways converge far beyond the receptors. Cognitive and attentional modulation of the orbitofrontal cortex also contributes to the pleasantness and appetitive value of umami.”

Brain trickery for lousy food.

Common Names for MSG

In the US, the FDA only requires food companies to list added Monosodium glutamate to their ingredient labels. Some of its alias names according to the Australia’s government agency, NSW Food Authority, are:

L -glutamic acid
Monosodium glutamate, L-
Monopotassium glutamate, L-
Calcium glutamate, Di-L-
Monoammonium glutamate, L-
Magnesium glutamate, Di-L-
Disodium guanylate, 5’-
Disodium inosinate, 5’-
Disodium ribonucleotides, 5’-

Note, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 1.2.4 — Labelling of Ingredients requires manufactures to list MSG or flavor enhancer by either the name above or a numerical number assigned to the chemical. See here for the list.

I don’t know about you but that is whole lot of names to remember. By the way, there will be a quiz after this article to see how many names you can remember.

Hidden MSG-What They Don’t Tell You Won’t Hurt You

Okay, I thought I was out of the woods. All I had to do was remember all of the Monosodium glutamate’s aliases and I was good to go. As I continued researching, I found out that free glutamate is added to our food. Here is the rub. It is hidden.

Free glutamate? You have got to kidding. Just put a stake in my heart now. It is just so much easier.

What the Heck is Free Glutamate, Anna?

Glutamates are naturally occurring in certain food such as Ripe peas, mushrooms, peas, Parmesan cheese, and corn. However, the glutamates found in these products are bound amino acids.

On the other hand, chemically synthezied glutamates are created from foods such as corn, molasses and wheat. These foods “are hydrolyzed, autolyzed, modified or fermented using chemicals, bacteria or enzymes” to create glutamates. Yes, living better through chemistry. (Or maybe eating better through chemistry.)

So Wouldn’t all Natural and Chemical Glutamates be Harmful?

Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon and author of “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills,” explains in an interview with Natural News the difference between naturally occurring glutamates in food such as tomatoes and chemically synthesized glutamates. Although the quote is lengthy, it really sums up the harm of chemically synthesized glutamates. He states:

“However, when you hydrolize them, this is when glutamate becomes danagerous. Sure, but you see, all of these types of glutamate are bound. They’re in oligosaccharides, polysaccharides. They are bound in amino acids groupings. They’re not free amino acids. If you have it as a complex protein, you absorb it in your GI tract. In the GI tract, there are almost no free amino acids if you eat foods such as tomatoes. The level of free amino acids is nil; it’s almost all absorbed as combined amino acids, and then it’s only broken down in the liver, where it’s released in very low concentrations that the body can deal with. It was never meant to have free amino acids in such high concentrations.

Well, when you hydrolyze them — or you use yeast extract or enzymes to break down these various proteins into their free, released amino acids — they’re not natural any longer. What you’ve done is artificially release the amino acids in an unnatural way, and when they enter your GI tract, they are absorbed as free amino acids, then your blood level of that glutamic acid goes up significantly. As I said, it can go up as high as 20-fold, in some cases 40-fold. Your blood brain barrier is not constructed to handle such high levels of glutamate, because it doesn’t naturally occur that way. It can handle the lower levels, but it can’t handle these very high levels. So this argument, “Oh, it’s natural,” is just a lot of nonsense.”

Hidden MSG. Link to Obesity?

Why do we care about MSG? In a 2008 study, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Northwestern University, Guangxi Medical University, and Yu County Hospital found that there was a link to obesity and the consumption of MSG.

“MSG intake was significantly related to prevalence of overweight. This study is of public health interest because MSG is increasingly used worldwide. This study also provides the first human data on this issue and raises a concern about MSG use and body weight in addition to allergenic effects.”

Other Effects of MSG

Although the effects of MSG are highly debatable in the medical community, there are several articles and books that indicate additional effects of the use of MSG. Livestrong’s article reports that a diet high in MSG may cause stomach cancer. Discovery’s Fit and Health article reports a study linking MSG to damage of the retina. In addition, some people have reported headaches, chest pain, nausea, and other symptoms. Son #2 has migraines once in a while. I think they were induced by MSG.

So why Isn’t Free Glutamates Required to be on the Label?

As noted above, the FDA requires that if MSG is added to the food, it must be included in the label. However, the FDA defines “natural flavoring” as

“(3) The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in 182.10, 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter.” [Source.]

The words, “protein hydrosalate” threw up a red flag. According to the FDA, protein hydrosalate contain 5 to 20% free glumate, and are used in the same manner as MSG in canned vegetables, soups, and meat. (Note, the FDA resource is a PDF attachment to SustainableTable.org since it is no longer on the FDA’s site.)

So, I got a little suspicious. Do you blame me? I am not the only one.

Truth in Labeling Campaign, a not for profit organization, indicates that hidden MSG is in many other ingredients. They state,

“Even if a manufacturer tells you there is no MSG in a product, there may be autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed pea protein, carrageenan, sodium caseinate, enzymes, and a whole slew of other ingredients that contain or create processed free glutamic acid (MSG) during manufacture.” [Source.]

Just to give you an idea how deceptive labels can be check out Truth in Labeling list of soups which shows you where there is hidden MSG. (Check out the organic ones too on the list.) Don’t think you are out of the woods simply because you buy organic products.

List for Hidden MSG

Living Without, a magazine for people with allergies and food sensitives lists the following ingredients that have MSG in them:

These ALWAYS contain MSG These very OFTEN contain MSG

These ALWAYS contain MSG

Autolyzed yeast

Calcium caseinate

Gelatin

Glutamate

Glutamic acid

Hydrolyzed protein

Monopotassium glutamate

Monosodium glutamate

Sodium caseinate

Textured protein

Yeast extract

Yeast food

Yeast Nutrient

These very OFTEN contain MSG

Barley Malt

Calcium caseinate Bouillon

Gelatin Broth

Glutamate Carrageenan

Glutamic acid Enzyme-modified substances

Hydrolyzed protein Flavoring

Monopotassium glutamate Flavors

Monosodium glutamate Malt Extract

Sodium caseinate Malt flavoring

Textured protein Maltodextrin

Yeast extract Natural flavor/flavorings

Yeast food Natural pork/beef/chicken flavoring

Yeast Nutrient Pectin

Protein-fortified substances

Seasonings

Soy protein

Soy protein isolate or concentrate

Soy sauce

Soy sauce extract

Stock

Vegetable gum

Whey protein

Whey protein isolate or concentrate

When I originally read the list, I am surprised my family couldn’t hear me say “holy sh*t.” I had been eating a mound of MSG. If you want a printable chart, see this chart linked to one of the Healthy Home Economist’s posts.

Health Food Claims

Think You Are Out of MSG Woods With Health Foods? Think again.

Many health foods contain hidden MSG. Natural News reported about the MSG contained in veggie burgers. Many contained autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and yeast extract. All those names are on the list above.

Rule of thumb. Print the form above. Check the labels.

So, now I understand why my sons tell me that food at a restaurant tastes so good. Their taste buds are accustomed to MSG, the hidden enhancer.

Join the Conversation:

Do you avoid Monosodium glutamate?
Which health food do you avoid?
Were you as shocked as I was about the prevalence of MSG in our food?
How does your country handle the MSG labeling issue?
Add to the conversation.

Photo by BC’s Mom (soup)

Photo by Peter Woodman (Veggie Burger.)

Similar Posts:

Making Almond Yogurt Without a Yogurt Machine

Anna@Green Talk — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:17:44 +0000

Homemade Almond Yogurt

Since starting the garden, I have been obsessed with food blogs. So that you know, I don’t have an ounce of recipe creativeness in my pinky finger. My favorite recipes are ones that make everything from scratch. Hard, yes. But really fun and sometimes less expensive. So, I jumped at the chance to make my own almond yogurt. It is not as daunting as it sounds. Pretty straight forward.

Why not Make it Like Grandma?

Over the last month, I have been mulling over making my own coconut and/or almond yogurt without having to buy any more equipment. Which means no yogurt machine. Now, before you do the “Anna, are you serious? Why on earth would you want to make your own yogurt” bit with me, hear me out.

I am lactose intolerant and sometime even yogurt bothers me. Almond yogurt is delish. So much better than soy yogurt. Want to know how delish? Try Amande cultured almond yogurt. Once you go almond, you will never look back. The blueberry version is to die for. So, I figured. I can make my own. Right?

Why Make My Own?

Back to the proverbial question. Why make your own if you can buy Amande? I have an issue with plastic waste. Sure, I can recycled my #5 yogurt cup at Whole Foods or give it to my school if they collect yogurt cups. (Remember, Terracycle collect yogurt cups and other products for cash from schools.) But here is the deal. Although recycling is great, it is still uses energy to collect and up-cycle into new products. Why add another cup to the heap?

While we are at pondering the proverbial question, here is another thought to chew on. I am trying to avoid plastic touching my food. Who knows what plastic chemicals could be leaching into my food?

So the next best thing is to make your own. I stepped up to the plate and swung. Read on to see if I got to first base or struck out.

(Such, suspense Anna. I am not use to this with you. Go on.)

Here Goes Nothing. Strike 1 Or Base Hit?

As I search the internet for an easy almond yogurt recipe, I found Renegadehealth.com’s almond yogurt video. Unfortunately they use a yogurt machine. However, if you have a yogurt machine, I found the video really informative. I finally settled on Gentle Earth Man’s video. Simple and easy to understand. I varied his recipe as follows:

The Recipe, Please

1. First soak a cup of almonds for 24 hours. Cover the almonds with water. Change the water after 12 hours.

De-Skinned Almonds

2. After they soak, the skins will come right off when you pinch the almonds. I didn’t pay attention to this part and was basically skinning the almonds. What a pain. After watching the video again, I figured out that I could just rub the almonds with my thumb and forefinger. The skins stared to come off really easily. In Renegade Health’s video, they only blanch the almonds in hot water and don’t take off the skins. I would suggest removing the skins.

3. Craig says in his video put your almonds in a blender and cover them with water. This is where I don’t agree with Craig. I think you need more water since once you dehydrate the yogurt with such little water, the yogurt comes out like cheese. I would suggest to use using about a cup of water to one cup of almonds.

4. Craig adds the probiotics (my step #5) to the nut milk at this point. Here is where I would differ. You should buy a nut bag or use a cheese cloth and strain the milk from the nuts before putting everything in the blender again. I found the yogurt with the nuts a little gritty. Everyone else strains the milk from the nuts. Note, you can use the leftover nut pulp to make crackers or bake the pulp to make flour. (Yep. Another post, people.)

4. Once you separate the nut pulp from the milk, add the powder of 2 probiotics pills. I use PB 8. (Chef Tina says in her video you don’t need any probiotics since it ferments naturally.) Some people say your milk must be at body temperature. Clearly, Craig’s yogurt was not at body temperature. Also, some people use a yogurt starter in lieu of probiotic capsules. What is your opinion about room temperature versus body temperature for the probiotics?

5. Pour the milk back into the blender on a low speed. Blend for a short period.

6. Place the milk in the dehydrator at 100 degrees for 12 hours. Put a paper towel or nut bag on top of the yogurt. (I have a Weston Stainless Steel Dehydrator. Just warning you, the dehydrator is noisy since it is so big. I didn’t want a plastic dehydrator.)

7. Alternatively, you can sit the yogurt in a warm dark area for 12 hours. Don’t put a cap on it and simply put a tea cloth over it. Craig puts a nut bag over his yogurt bowl.

Cheese Like Almond Yogurt

Results? I found it to be quite sour since I am used to sugar laden yogurt. In addition, I found the yogurt really thick and cheese like. I added more water to the yogurt to give it a better consistency as well as a soaked date. It still needed honey, agave, or whatever. Maybe the sourness is an acquired taste?

So, what do you think? Did I get a base hit? Next time, I am going to try the no machine version and see if this makes a difference.

Just in case you want more information, here are a few other recipes:

Join the Conversation

Have you ever made nut yogurt. Does it taste sour?
If so, what is your recipe?
Do you use a yogurt maker, dehydrator, or leave your yogurt out to ferment?
What do you add to yogurt to make it less sour?

Similar Posts:

Green Feng Shui: Health and Harmony for Homes and Businesses

Anna@Green Talk — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:14:56 +0000

Luminous Spaces' Feng Shui reformation of a Hair Salon

With our troubled economy, could feng shui, a traditional time aged practice, change our home and work environments to be more profitable, harmonious and healthy? Maureen Calamia, founder of Luminous Spaces, a green Feng Shui consulting company, has in fact been helping people and companies for several years to transform their buildings into healthy positive and productive environments.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Maureen about how feng shui can help create a harmonious and creative environment for your home and business. Before you balk, and think this is new age junk, I urge you to listen to either the podcast or watch the video-cast as Maureen explains the benefits of using feng shui for your home and/or business.

Trust me. You all are in for a treat since she is fascinating and even provides a case study of a business she transformed incorporating principles of feng shui . Bottom line? A more profitable company. In addition, she gives examples during the interview on how she has changed her clients’ lives by using this time old practice in their home. Just to give you a little taste, she helped stop a baby from having seizures.

What is Feng Shui?

But the first question on your mind has to be what is feng shui?

Maureen explains

“[y]our home is filled with energy – be it positive or negative – and the energy affects the mood of everyone in the household. Clutter, electrical or plumbing problems, undone repair projects, and poor positioning of beds, are just some of the contributors to negative energy, which can lead to stress, financial trouble, illness, and relationship problems.”

Maureen further explains that feng shui brings the natural flow of energy into your environment through the artful placement of furniture and objects. In addition, she incorporates the five natural elements, wood, water, fire, Earth, and metal, into the space. Realize Maureen is not an interior designer but uses color and placement to provide a positive energy flow throughout your home and business.

What is Green Feng Shui?

But Maureen had me stumped when she explained that she adds a sustainability element to her practice. She is certified Building Biology Practitioner (BBP) and helps to remediate indoor air quality issues and electromagnetic emissions. So, the products she recommends are green as well.

How Can Feng Shui Help You?

Maureen Calamia, founder of Luminous Spaces

Many of you may think, how can feng shui help me? As Maureen stated above, maybe you have financial trouble, problems falling asleep, anxiety, or lacking creativity? Perhaps your business is not a profitable as you would like it to be. The placement of furniture, layout of cubicles, and lighting may be causing your employees to be less creative and productive. She also features snippets on her website of some of the businesses she has helped.

Maureen offers several different options to create the healthy and productive environment you yearn. She can be hired for both virtual or “on the boots ground” consulting. If you want to dip your toe in first to learn more about feng shui, Maureen offers an e-book for businesses and an e-course to learn more about feng shui.

My Own Testimony

Before, I go any further, I want to give my own testimony about the powers of feng shui. I am a true believe in feng shui since it helped me sell my last house. We hired a feng shui consultant since we could not sell our house for two years despite dropping the price several times.

What we learned is the house had fundamental feng shui problems such as a staircase that was in the center of the foyer which impeded energy flow as well as furniture placement issues. She also help us to clear the energy in the house which was left by the prior owner. In less than a month we were presented with two offers, and subsequently sold the house.

In addition, a when we built our new house, she helped us with colors. Although, we hired her a little late in the game, she presented us with many ideas on how to help the energy flow in the house. I highly recommend hiring a feng shui consultant for a remodel or new construction process for both home and business. By the way, here is Maureen’s card.

Life is too short. Why should negative energy flow impede the health of your family or employees?

Join the Conversation

Do feel stagnated in your home? Causing anxiety? Health issues?
Is your business not prospering? An employee who doesn’t seem to get along with other employees? Stagnation in the company?
Would you consider hiring a feng shui consultant? If you have, please tell us your experience.
Have you ever heard of feng shui before?

Similar Posts:

Green News for 3.7.11: Cadmium in Rice, Thin Cell PVs, Bottle Water

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:57:37 +0000

I haven’t done a green news round-up for awhile. In fact, I have been storing some of these news stories to write about in separate posts but have gotten too busy.

One thing you will notice is in many of the below green news items is they share a common thread. Chemicals and Toxicity. This was clearly not my intention. It seems that chemicals in our water, food, etc. seem to be on every’s lips. I always appreciate your comments, so let me know what you think about any of the articles.

Drum roll, please…This week’s green news:

What’s In Your Bottled Water – Besides Water? Guess who got an A and how many received F’s?

Thin-film PV conversion efficiencies on the rise, as United Solar, Avancis set new records

Volatile Organic Compounds: Definitions Matter

heavy-metal pollution: China’s Cadmium Rice (part 1) and

heavy-metal pollution: China’s Cadmium Rice (part 2)

Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizen list

Tenant Demand for Green Space Explodes Across Canada

As always, let me know your green news. Comment below. Self-promotion is permitted.

Photo by Fernando de Sousa.

Similar Posts:

Green News for 09.12.2010. Desk on Demand, College Eco Contest, BPA in Sealants

Anna@Green Talk — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 07:05:45 +0000

Photo by Fernando de Sousa.

This week we have green news sure to get up going this week. Grab a cup of Joe and start reading. From the demand desk aimed at making telecommuting the norm to BPA in your child’s sealants.

Goodbye office, hello ‘desk on demand’ I have been preaching this to any who will listen to me that companies will be downsizing their need for office space. Read on as to how IBM took this concept and reduced their office space need. Do you think this concept will take off? Would you like to telecommute?

Video Contest for College Students:

“Video Contest Invites College Students to Film “Everyday Environmentalists” for Scholarship Money. College students have a chance to win up to $3,000 in scholarships by filming or creating animation and uploading short video clips to YouTube that demonstrate the everyday, practical ways that garbage men and women help keep communities healthy and clean, protect the environment and conserve resources in their communities. The contest, which opens on September 9, 2010, is sponsored by the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) in Washington, D.C. NSWMA represents the solid waste industry in the U.S., including firms that collect, process, recycle, extract renewable fuel and dispose of municipal solid waste.”

Atlantic County Utilities Authority adds green roofs to its list of green ideas.
(tip from Enviropolticsblogspot.com) Hoping this trend takes off but the cost of $25 a foot is really expensive.

Cotton Cloth Coated in Nanotubes Electrifies Bacteria to Purify Water via Treehugger.

Check out some of the new EcoApps for the iPhone. One of the newest is the solar app:

“Solar PV Installer is an app that fully describes the required solar panel rooftop system, Calculates system output and electricity savings and Estimates total solar panel system cost. It is designed for home and property owners as well as used by solar sales professionals plus it is Internationally accurate!”

Check out some of the other apps on their site. Do you have a favorite Eco app? Spill.

Fillings, Sealants May Leach BPA Into Kids’ Mouths. Don’t panic. Read on how you can minimize your children’s exposure. (Okay, I kind of freaked.)

So, have any green news to share? Comment away.

Similar Posts:

Countless Children Die Daily From Lack of Clean Drinking Water

Anna@Green Talk — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:47:25 +0000

I received the following email from the co-founder of Blog Catalog, a social media website alerting me to the fact that countless children do not have clean drinking water. Please read his email and Bloggersunite, WaterAid America & megree.com are working together to bring clean water to people who are dying because of dirty, unsanitary water.

Isn’t it unbelievable that over 1 million children a year die because they don’t have clean water; when a well can be built in a town for a few thousand dollars. WorldAid does this. They have simple solutions to this big problem. Bloggers can help and many already are helping.

If you haven’t joined or blogged about what they do, let’s help them do their jobs. The results are measurable and have a direct impact on whether a child lives or dies.

It’s so simple, and if we unite, and contribute we can help another person who isn’t as fortunate as we are. For far less than an iPhone, a mobile phone, when we come together as bloggers, as the “new media”, we can save 1 million children’s lives each year.

Please make a difference and visit

http://www.bloggersunite.org/event/wateraid-a-burden-for-thirst

Blog about this problem, write about it, list your blog on BU so that we can put an end to this craziness. We will have Action Badges up on BloggersUnite for you a little later today.”

How can you help?

Visit Megree and buy one of The Burden of Thirst photos taken by photo journalist Lynn Johnson.
Visit WaterAid America and make a donation. For $30 is enough to provide one person with safe water, improved sanitary conditions, and hygiene education.
Plan a community fundraiser. See here for ideas.
Get your company involved. See here for how your corporate can participate.
Share this article with your friends so they too can be aware of how many children go without clean water.
Blog about it, share it on Facebook, Twitter or any of the many social media site.

Let’s make a difference.

What are your thoughts after watching the above video?

Similar Posts:

Portion Control Help with Laptop Lunch Boxes

Anna@Green Talk — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:57:33 +0000

I love Laptop lunches and wrote about the Company’s nifty lunch boxes for young and old alike when I just started Green Talk. When I wrote about the Company my bent was the amount of food wrap waste that we generate from our bagged lunches. In fact 67 pounds of garbage per kid according to WasteFreeLunch.org!

But when you hear a current news story that touts these green lunches boxes are a way to help you diet, my ears perked up. (See the video below.) How many of us struggle with the extra 10-20 lbs or are perpetually dieting?

Did you know that being Green helps you lose weight?

Apparently in more ways then one, grasshopper.

Being green to me means eating more organic fruits and vegetables instead of processed foods. Of course, walking does a body good by making the waist more svelte.

But can a lunch box help in the portion control and dieting area?

According to an ABC new report by Molly Kimball, RD, this little lunch box helps you with portion control, which in turn keeps you on your diet. As many of us know measuring food in accordance with a plethora of diets is time consuming. How many of us cheat? Looks like a half of a cup, right?

Molly explains a product like Laptop Lunches has built in portion controls to make it easier to diet. As she explains, the lunch box contains 2 one cup containers, two 1/2 cup containers, and one ounce container where you can measure your salad dressing or dip. In addition, the containers can be taken out to accommodate a sandwich for added flexibility.

Now, you have my attention, Anna

So, what are these Laptop lunch boxes? They are bright and colorful and appeal to all ages. Each Bento set contains:

Removable inner containers can accommodate a variety of food sizes
Tray-like feel makes lunch exciting for kids and adults.
Two water-tight containers for wet foods.
Dip container for sauces, salad dressings, and dips makes eating vegetables fun.
Single unit eliminates the mess of jumbled containers.
Stainless steel fork and spoon with stylish plastic handles are great for leftovers.
Convenient size fits in backpacks and most lunchboxes.
Durable plastic containers (not lids) are microwave safe.
Containers and lids are dishwasher safe–top rack only.

The containers are made of polypropylene (#5) and the lids are made out of polyethylene (#2). All of their products are phthalate free, bisphenol-A (BPA) free, lead free, and PVC free. Currently priced on sale at $19.99.

Consider buying the Laptop Lunch System which includes the Bento set, carrying case and water bottle. The system is currently priced on sale at $34.99! You can buy online or at a multitude of retailers.

For more information, make sure you read my Laptop Lunch article.

Although the rest of Molly’s segment is not geared towards green products, she does provide some alternative items that helps you in the portion control department.

So, Readers, do you have any green suggestion on how to stay on your diet?

Or how about, just losing weight in general?

Similar Posts:

Palette by Nature Organic Hair Color Review. Still Gray.

Anna@Green Talk — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:14:06 +0000

About a year ago, I ran across an article about Act By Nature, an organic permanent hair color, which is now known as Palette by Nature. What caught my eye was that it was PPD and ammonia free along without all the other nasties you see in permanent hair color. Thrilled to see such a product is an understatement! But when I used it, what a disappointment. See my video below, then read on because realize that this is my experience.

Coloring and I go way back

I am no stranger to hair color and have been coloring my hair since my late 20s. Gray whisks started to pop up all over my hair in my late teens. You could say I was destined for gray-head. Over the years, I have looked for safer alternative starting with a lower ammonia based color to now using Organic Color Systems which is ammonia free but has a low PPD amount. See my review of Organic Hair Color System here. Be forewarned it contains lot of chemical jargon in it for those who loved to know the nitty gritty of product. (Jump in to comment as well, please.)

The thought of still using PPD (known as P-Penylenedaimine with alot of other assorted grim names ) was scaring me to death. Even though Organic Color System uses a low amount of PPD, I longed for a PPD-free alternative. One day, my happy mouse found Palette by Nature and I thought it was too good to be true. On their website, the Company states,

All natural hair dyes made from living plants using the latest scientific achievements in green chemistry – Palette by Nature™ utilizes a revolutionary breakthrough in dye technology based on more than 30 years of research by leading experts in hair coloring industry. The result is a new, 100% naturally-derived plant based permanent patent pending hair colorant that is free of: paraphenylene diamine (PPD), resorcinol, m-aminophenol, p-aminophenol, toluene- 2,5-diamine, azo-dyes, diazo-dyes, disperse dyes, ammonia, and parabens – all synthetic chemicals which are known allergens and suspected carcinogens. These safe and plant-based all natural hair dyes are carefully combined with natural color enhancing actives including antioxidants like Chlorophyll, Hawthorne Fruit, Emblica, Green Tea, and Rooibos Leaf extracts and bioflavonoids like Quercetin. Empowered with pure organic herbal active extracts like Ginseng, Nettle, Lemon Balm, Rosehips, Honeysuckle, Calendula to nourish hair and soothe scalp for beautiful natural hair color without harm.

Palette by Nature™ is the only all natural 100% plant based colorant with more than 50% organic ingredients that benefits you while making your hair beautiful.

Palette by Nature™ is approved by American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) and MAYO clinic as one of the safest alternatives to conventional hair color for chemically sensitive people.”

Sounds to Good to Be True? In my Case, Yes.

Who wouldn’t want this product? I even read all the forum questions and answers before I bought the product. As a side note, the forum is no longer on the new revamped Palette by Nature site.

And the price? Sticker shock for beauty. Right now it is listed for $23.90 which does not include shipping. You have to buy $100 worth of product for free shipping. I paid $32 for the product which included shipping.

This price is more than twice the price of Herbatint, another eco-hair box color you can buy in the health food stores. In fact, as of today, you can buy Herbatint for $9.33 excluding shipping at Vitacost! But, I bit the bullet and purchased.

The Hair Color Test

PBN works similar to Organic Color Systems. You use heat to get the hair color to penetrate the hair shaft. According to PBN’s instruction, you use continual heat for 35-40 minutes and more if you have stubborn gray. I bought the fragrance free product since I hate smells. My son remarked that it smells horrible, but he has an ultra, ultra sensitive nose. It still has a smell but it did not bother me.

The product comes with a developer, plastic cap, gloves, and color.

Coloring my hair. Two step process.

Finished applying the color and ready to use the blow dryer for 40 minutes.

As you can tell from the above picture I was disappointed. See how much gray is still left? My hair felt coated. In fact, my hairdresser noted that it felt like a henna does.

Company’s Response

But being the kind person that I am I try to give the product the benefit of the doubt and contacted the Company. I told them that I am about 80% gray and the product basically covered about 50% of my gray. So, that you know in everyone of my email signatures denotes that I have a website called Green Talk with its email address. Here was their reply:

“Dear Anna,
Thank you for contacting Palette by Nature.
Our hair color is 100% natural and does not contain PPD.
In comparison with other natural hair colors ( organic color is not a natural hair color since it contains PPD) it has a cumulative effect and at 80% gray it might require couple of applications at the beginning to achieve the desired results.

We would recommend repeating the application.”

Are they serious? At $32 cost? I replied:

Thanks for the advice. At $24 a piece with shipping, I don’t think I will try again and again to make it work. I think perhaps you should put that on the website or forum that if you have more than “x” gray it is possible that you should buy a couple of boxes to see if it will cover the gray citing the cumulative effect idea of the product.I think the color will have a cumulative effect on the balance of the hair, but not so much where there is new growth each month prior to application.”

Their response. Nada. Nothing. Zippo. Did they change their website to reflect what I requested? Nope.

Did they offer me a refund? Nope. In fact, their return policy is really lame. Return within 15 days of purchase in its original condition. Plus a $10 restocking fee. How about 100% guaranteed? Especially at that price.

Bottom line

So, I would not recommend this product for two reasons: it did not work for me. Plus, they don’t stand behind their product.

Readers, have you had any experience with this product? Any recommended PPD free color products that you have personally tried. (Please self-promotion.)

Photo at the beginning of the article courtesy of Palette by Nature.

Similar Posts: