The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Top vegetarian restaurants in the nation

What are America’s best vegetarian restaurants? The Vegetarian Resource Group offers this list:

• Blind Faith Cafe, near Chicago

• The Chicago Diner

• Amitabul, Chicago

• Millennium, San Francisco

• Zen Palate, New York

• Candle 79, New York

• HanGawi Restaurant, New York

• New Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant, Philadelphia

• Singapore Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant, Philadelphia

• Kingdom of Vegetarians, Philadelphia

• Sublime Natural and Organic Restaurant and Bar, Fort Lauderdale

• Café Flora, Seattle

• Kaya’s Kitchen, New Jersey shore

• Twisted Tree Café, New Jersey

• Real Daily Food, Los Angeles

For information about vegetarian restaurants in your area, see the “Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Natural Food Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada.”

If you’d like to add your favorite vegetarian restaurant to the Vegetarian Resource Group’s listing, click here.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

‘Capitalism’ the movie calls for consumer action

Having missed the opportunity to see Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story” when it briefly played at local movie theaters, I was pleased to see it’s being shown at our local alternative theater.

As a consumer specialist who’s written about consumer issues for three decades, I think the movie has a lot to offer.

When I studied consumer economics at Washington State University and The Evergreen State College, the role of the consumer in the economy was emphasized. Consumers have power in the economic system and a role to play that’s as important as the roles of business and the government.

However, consumers don’t often use their power. Instead, they identify with the producer interests of the companies they work for. Consumers don’t join groups and work for their economic interests. They’re influenced by advertising and capitalistic rhetoric.

While “Capitalism” did a good job of reporting on the abuses of the capitalistic system, especially what went wrong to create the Great Recession, it was outstanding in its call to consumer action.

We need to create new systems that help working people, the people on Main Street not Wall Street.

Look for groups that are working in your community on issues such as affordable housing, health care, the environment, economic justice, and simple living.

To find a Public Interest Research Group in your state, see the Web site of U.S.PIRG.

National groups that are worth working with are: Public Citizen, Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Environmental Working Group.

We can improve the economic situation of consumers in this country. But we need to get back the power that has been usurped by corporate interests.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 Thanksgiving Tips

Need help to figure out how to have the best Thanksgiving celebration ever?

Here are 10 ideas to help you.

1. Tasty recipes

Try some exciting new recipes. Some ideas are Herb-Roasted Turkey with Cider Baste; Turkey Cutlets with Spinach, Crab, and Asiago Cheese Sauce; Roasted Diced Yams With Smoked Paprika; and Pumpkin Cake With Snow Glaze and Spiced Vanilla. Read the recipe two or three times to understand it before preparation or practice the recipe a week before Thanksgiving.

2. Harvest table decorations

Use small white pumpkins, a candle placed atop a pumpkin and surrounded with flowers, or harvest vegetables for centerpieces.

3. Delicious, inexpensive wines

Select one of the wines from this list of recommendations to complement your Thanksgiving dinner.

4. Turkey thawing

Use FoodSafety.gov to figure out how long it will take a frozen turkey to thaw. For example, a 12- to 16-pound turkey will thaw in three to four days in the refrigerator.

5. Pie storage

Refrigerate pies made with eggs, including pecan, after you’ve cooled them quickly and after you serve pieces. Fruit pies can be covered and stored on the counter for up to two days, but for best quality refrigerate, especially in a warm climate.

6. Activities for kids

Check out this list of Web sites to pick out activities for your children to help keep them occupied during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Thanksgiving. Also think through jobs that you can give them to help with holiday preparations.

7. Stress reduction

Stay calm by planning ahead, meditating, being flexible, and asking people to help.

8. A green Thanksgiving

Think green by simplifying the day, using candles, serving locally grown food, and offering organic beverages.

9. Road trip savings

Save money if you’re traveling by properly inflating your tires, driving at or under 60 milers per hour, using public transportation, or renting a fuel-efficient vehicle.

10. Thanksgiving vacations

Take a vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday and visit your family at another time of the year.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Cash for Clunkers program trades old pickups for new ones

It’s extremely disappointing to learn that highly touted Cash for Clunkers program mostly exchanged old Ford or Chevrolet pickups for new ones that receive only slightly better gas mileage.

An analysis by The Associated Press, as reported by Yahoo! News, shows:

The single most common swap – which occurred more than 8,200 times – involved Ford F150 pickup owners who took advantage of a government rebate to trade their old trucks for new Ford F150s. They were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius. The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers.

The AP's analysis of sales of $15.2 billion worth of vehicles at nearly 19,000 car dealerships in every state also showed:

Owners of thousands more large, old Chevrolet and Dodge pickups bought new Silverado and Ram trucks, also with only barely improved mileage in the middle teens.

Those deals helped the Ford F150 and Chevy Silverado – along with Ford's Escape midsize SUV – climb into the top 10 most-popular vehicles purchased with the government rebates, reports Yahoo! News’ article “'Clunker’ Data Show Pickup-for-Pickup Trades.” The most common truck-for-truck and truck-for-SUV deals totaled at least $911 million.

It's a violation of the Cash for Clunkers program to give the rebates for new cars and trucks that got the same or worse mileage.

Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating these violations and dealers that submitted invalid trade-ins will have to return the rebate, it’s upsetting that consumers and dealers defrauded taxpayers and the federal government.

Consumers, businesses, and the government need to work together in a spirit of fairness and honesty to come through the Great Recession and restore our economy. Turning in a gas guzzling pickup or SUV for a new gas guzzling pickup or SUV doesn’t cut it in terms of producing a good outcome for all.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Flickr photo by JFeister

Leftover Halloween candy: What to do with it

Several people have asked me what to do about candy that didn’t get handed out at Halloween.

Here are my suggestions:

Return it to the store. If you have an unopened bag of candy and the receipt, most grocery stores will refund your money, if you return Halloween candy promptly.

Throw it out and make crafts with the wrappers. You and your family don’t need empty calories but more nutritious foods. See www.marthastewart.com/ for craft ideas.

Give it to a food bank. Low-income people don’t need empty calories either, but it might be better to have a few little candy bar bits than go hungry. Many food banks are short of food donations during the Great Recession.

Donate it. You may be able to find a doctor’s office, nursing home, or homeless shelter that will take it. Or find a dentist who is participating in Halloween Candy Buy Back program, which buys candy for $1 a pound and sends it to servicemen overseas.

Stash it and dole it out to the kids for treats. My daughter does this for her twins, now 5½. It works well. They eat surprise treats, a few a day, for a couple of months after Halloween.

Take it to work or send it with another family member to his or her workplace. At work, you usually can get rid of any type of leftover food.
 
Make cookies. You can create cookies with peanut butter cups, bake Baby Ruth Cookies, make s’mores, or put bits of chocolate bars in your favorite chocolate-ship cookie recipe.

Make other dishes. You can create biscuits filled with tootsie rolls, a Peanut Butter Crunch Milkshake, Snickers Smoothies, Hot Chocolate Peanut Butter Toast, Poached Pears With Chocolate Peanut Caramel Sauce, or Eggs on a Snowy Log.

Use it for art projects. You can make a make a mosaic with hard candy. Use stiff icing to stick the candies in.

Create decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make a piñata for Thanksgiving or an Advent Calendar for Christmas.

Store it and use it later or next Halloween. The National Confectioners Association’s “How to Store Halloween Candy” offers the following information on candy storage:

Chocolate. Dark chocolate can be kept for one to two years if wrapped in foil and stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Milk and white chocolate have a more limited storage time – no more than eight to 10 months.

Hard candy such as lollipops, hard mints, and butterscotches. Hard candies can last up to a year when stored at room temperature in a cool, dry location.

Soft candies such as gum drops and jellied candies. If the packaging has been opened, soft candies should be covered away from heat and light at room temperature. Stored in this manner, the candy should last six to nine months. If the packaging hasn’t been opened, soft sweets will last about 12 months.

Candy corn. If opened, candy corn should be stored under the same conditions as soft candies and will last about three to six months. Unopened, packages will last about nine months.

Good luck utilizing your stash of Halloween candy. Let me know your disposal method.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Flickr photo by Matt McGee

Preventing breast cancer: 20 risk factors

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The Breast Cancer Fund is an organization that works to identify – and advocate for elimination of – the environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer. It says:

Research has taught us that many widely understood risk factors play a role, including our genetic makeup and whether or not we've had kids or breast-fed.

But these risk factors don't explain it all. A substantial body of scientific evidence indicates that exposures to common chemicals and radiation, alone and in combination, may contribute to the unacceptably high incidence of breast cancer.

Here are risk factors the Breast Cancer Fund offers in its article “How to Prevent Breast Cancer: 20 Risk Factors”:

1. Cook with stainless steel. Aluminum may be a risk factor for breast cancer. To be cautious, avoid aluminum pots and pans and aluminum-based deodorants.

2. Use natural sunscreens. Many sunscreens contain chemicals that may be breast cancer risk factors.

3. Check your old foam furniture. Old foam mattresses and furniture can contain PBDEs, flame retardants that may be a breast cancer risk factor.

4. Minimize car exhaust. PAHs in vehicle exhaust are a breast cancer risk factor, particularly at certain vulnerable moments in life. Minimize your exposure.

5. Eat soy, but not too much. Natural plant-based estrogens in soy may provide healthy benefits in low doses, but may be a risk factor for breast cancer in higher doses.

6. Avoid CT scans and x-rays. Some common medical procedures may come with a high dose of radiation, a known breast cancer risk factor. There are alternatives.

7. Check older toys. Exposure to phthalates in plastics, present in many older – and not so old – toys and children's products, could be a breast cancer risk factor.

8. Avoid synthetic hormone replacement therapy. If you use HRT, use estrogen-only formulations to avoid a well-documented breast cancer risk factor.

9. Recycle batteries. Some batteries and other consumer products contain cadmium, which has been linked to early-onset puberty, a risk factor for breast cancer.

10. Eat clean fish. Some fish can be contaminated with PCBs and dioxins, both breast cancer risk factors. Learn how to choose safe, nontoxic fish.

11. Be wary of dry cleaning chemicals. PERC, a chemical used by many dry cleaners, and in some carpet cleaners and spot removers, may be a breast cancer risk factor.

12. Use natural cosmetics. Some beauty products contain toxic and endocrine disrupting chemicals that may be breast cancer risk factors.

13. Avoid bleach and chlorine. Bleached products, including some tampons and household disinfectant bleaches, may be harmful.

14. Use natural pesticides. Some chemical pesticides contain endocrine disrupting chemicals that can harm human health, as well as kill insects and rodents.

15. Avoid weed killers. Herbicides do more than kill weeds. Some may mimic hormones, a breast cancer risk factor.

16. Use nontoxic cleaning supplies. Warning labels on cleaning products are there for a reason: Some contain breast cancer risk factors. Use alternative green cleansers or do-it-yourself cleansers instead.

17. Avoid canned food. The lining in canned food can leach chemicals. Choosing farmers' market-fresh vegetables is a better choice.

18. Choose truly “microwave safe” containers. Even so-called "microwave safe" plastic can leach chemicals into your food. Choose glass or ceramic bowls instead.

19. Drink safe water. Bottled water may contain Bisphenol A or other contaminants, while filtered public tap water is closely monitored for safety.

20. Choose BPA-free baby and water bottles. Bisphenol A has been linked to a variety of health problems, and may be a risk factor for breast cancer. Start early – for your daughter’s sake.

See the article for details on each risk factor.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Do chemicals and radiation cause breast cancer?

 

Growing up on apple farms after World War II where pesticides were sprayed liberally on everything, I began to wonder at an early age about the dangers of the wide use of chemicals.

As a consumer journalist, I’ve interviewed Devra Lee Davis, Ph.D.,M.P.H., director of the Center for Environmental Oncology and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, several times about the link between chemicals and breast cancer.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

When I was doing research for yesterday’s post on the Obama administration’s plans to revamp the nation’s chemical management program, I found information on the Breast Cancer Fund. It works to identify – and advocate for elimination of – the environmental and other preventable causes of breast cancer.

The group’s latest report on breast cancer and chemicals, the 2008 edition of the "State of Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment," is must reading for every woman.

The report states that a woman’s lifetime risk of getting breast cancer in the United States has increased rapidly since the 1900s. More specifically:

Between 1973 and 1998, breast cancer incidence rates in the United States increased by more than 40 percent. Today, a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is one in eight.

Information is offered in the report on the latest research on the breast cancer-chemicals link:

A recent survey conducted at the Massachusetts-based Silent Spring Institute indicated that 216 chemicals and radiation sources have been recognized by national and international regulatory agencies as being implicated in breast cancer causation.

Many other chemicals, especially those classified as endocrine-disrupting compounds or EDCs, are not listed by the regulatory agencies, the researchers said; yet the scientific evidence linking EDCs to breast cancer risk is substantial and growing.

An important body of scientific evidence demonstrates that exposure to common chemicals and radiation may contribute to the staggering incidence of breast cancer. In our daily lives, we are rarely exposed to these substances in isolation; the pervasiveness of many of these substances means we likely have multiple, low-level exposures over the course of weeks, months, even years.

The 2008 "State of Evidence" describes how different kinds of exposures may increase cancer risk:

There are several examples in recent scientific literature demonstrating that mixtures of environmental chemicals, chemicals and radiation, or complex combinations of chemicals and particular genetic or hormonal profiles may alter biological processes and possibly lead to increases in breast cancer risk.

These new data show that we need to begin to think of breast cancer causation as a complex web of often interconnected factors, each exerting direct and interactive effects on cellular processes in mammary tissue.

The report calls for action:

Together, we must move forward to identify and eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer. The Moving Forward section [of the report] provides a call to action for advocates and policy makers. It offers a menu of different ways, from crafting state and federal policy to research initiatives, that supporters can be active in breast cancer prevention.

The evidence is clear and growing. There are actions we can take today to reduce the public’s exposures to toxic chemicals and radiation.

Be sure to take a look at this important report.

Tomorrow’s post will be on 20 ways women can prevent breast cancer.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Federal agency’s effort to revamp the nation’s chemical management program laudable, but doesn’t go far enough

 

With cancer rates skyrocketing and continual questions about how chemicals affect the health of consumers, the Obama Administration has announced its goals for reforming of this country’s chemical management law, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act or TSCA.

In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency also made known its plans for a major effort to strengthen the agency’s current chemical management program and increase the pace of the agency’s efforts to address chemicals that pose a risk to the public.

  
 
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a recent talk at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco:

As more and more chemicals are found in our bodies and the environment, the public is understandably anxious and confused. Many are turning to government for assurance that chemicals have been assessed using the best available science, and that unacceptable risks haven’t been ignored.

Our oversight of the 21st century chemical industry is based on the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act....over the years, not only has TSCA fallen behind the industry it’s supposed to regulate – it’s been proven an inadequate tool for providing the protection against chemical risks that the public rightfully expects.

Today I’m announcing clear administration principles to guide Congress in writing a new chemical risk management law that will fix the weaknesses in TSCA.

Legislation strengthening TSCA is expected to be introduced shortly. The Obama administration’s goals for the revision are:

• Chemicals should be reviewed against risk-based safety standards based on sound science and protective of human health and the environment.

• Manufacturers should provide EPA with the necessary information to conclude that new and existing chemicals are safe and don’t endanger public health or the environment.

• EPA should have clear authority to take risk management actions when chemicals don’t meet the safety standard, with flexibility to take into account sensitive subpopulations, costs, social benefits, equity, and other relevant considerations.

• Manufacturers and EPA should assess and act on priority chemicals, both existing and new, in a timely manner.

• Green chemistry should be encouraged and provisions assuring transparency and public access to Information should be strengthened.

• EPA should be given a sustained source of funding for implementation.

EPA will strengthen the performance of its current chemical management program while Congress considers new legislation.

However, representatives of the Environmental Working Group, Earthjustice, and the Breast Cancer Action Fund question how the new regulatory program might work, reports the article "EPA Announced Plan to Review Six Controversial Chemicals" on the Web site Scientific American.

Many experts say the United States has fallen far behind in regulating toxic substances, according to the article. In 2007, the European Union began implementing the world's most restrictive chemicals law. It requires manufacturers to provide basic data on the properties of thousands of chemical substances. The European Chemicals Agency then will review the chemicals, and require substitution of the most dangerous ones.

The EPA will begin its chemical reforms by analyzing and regulating six high-profile chemicals that have raised health concerns: bisphenol A, or BPA, found in hard, clear polycarbonate bottles; phthalates, used in vinyl and cosmetics; brominated flame retardants, added to electronics and other goods; perfluorinated compounds, used in manufacturing nonstick coatings and food packaging; some parafins used in lubricants, and benzidine dyes and pigments.

Many scientists say these chemicals can mimic hormones and obstruct development of fetuses and children, as well as possibly cause reproductive problems, cancer, or other health effects, reports the article.

To strengthen EPA’s chemical management program, chemical action plans will be developed, which will outline the agency’s risk management efforts on the chemicals of greatest concern.

EPA plans to post an initial set of four action plans in December and additional action plans every four month after that.

Efforts also will be accelerated to gather the critical information from industry that the agency needs to make chemical risk determinations. EPA is also reviewing ways to increase consumers’ access to information about chemicals.

Information on EPA’s chemical management program can be found at: www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/index.html.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 states with the worst drinking water

Concerned about a series in The New York Times on "Toxic Waters," AOL Health decided to take a closer look at tap water.

The series reported on a half a million violations of water pollution laws by manufacturers and other workplaces over the last five years, including dumping toxins thought to cause cancer.

AOL Health developed this list of states with the most toxic tap water:

1. California

2. Wisconsin

3. North Carolina

4. Florida

5. Texas

6. New York

7. Nevada

8. Pennsylvania

9. Ohio

10. New Mexico

See "States With the Most Toxic Tap Water" for information on why each state made the list.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Remembering Woodstock after 40 years

The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, marking its 40th anniversary this year, didn’t actually take place in Woodstock, N.Y. It happened in nearby Bethel, N.Y.

About an hour and a half apart, the towns are on opposite sides of the Catskill Mountains.

Max Yasgur, a dairy farmer, rented his farm for the concert after town officials pulled the plug on two other sites. A half a million people attended, more than twice what had been expected.

What’s the legacy of Woodstock? It was a huge gathering where those attending became, for the most part, a large community. It was peace, love, and cooperation.

And the baby boomers who attended – caught up in peace, justice, equality, and environmental movements – thought this spirit of cooperation among so many was a sign of better things to come in the future in the larger society.

But the significant changes they would liked to have seen didn’t emerged.

Forty years later, we’re still working on many of the same issues: environmental quality, health care reform, and equal rights for all.

See these articles for opinions on the meaning of the Woodstock phenomena.

“What Is Woodstock’s Legacy?” – Chicago Tribune

“Where Is Woodstock” – CBS News

“Figuring Out the Magic of Woodstock” – CNN.com

“Woodstock in Photos and Video – 40 Years Later” – The Boomer Chronicles

“Woodstock – Peace, Music, and Memories” – Boomer Café

“Woodstock at 40: Everywhere a Song and a Celebration” – USA Today

“The Woodstock 40th Anniversary Survey” – Baby boomer [Knowledge Center]

“The Woodstock Nation Turns 40” – The Washington Post

“Debunking Woodstock: What Really Happened” – msnbc

My next post will be on "How Many People Remember Woodstock?"

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist