Cold, Refreshing and Delicious - Ice Cream Alternatives

It's summer and its hot. For many of us our first thought is to go out and get ice cream. Some of us consider ice cream one of the basic four food groups even though we know it is not a health food. Here are some refreshing alternatives and a way to get more healthy fruits into your diet.



STRAWBERRY FRUIT FREEZE (my personal favorite)
1- 1# bag frozen strawberries
2 previously frozen bananas w/o skins
1 sm can crushed pineapple
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth

ORANGE JUICE ICE (or any juice flavor)
1-12 oz can frozen juice concentrate (use 100% juice for healthiest ices)
1 Qt rice milk or other nondairy milk. partially frozen
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth You may have to poor the mexture into a shallow container and freexe until almost frozen and then blend

CHERRY VANILLA ICE
1 qt box vanilla soymilk or other vanilla nondairy milk
2 cups frozen cherries
Freeze nondairy milk until almost frozen. Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth. Add in cherries and blend briefly so that their are cherry chunks dispersed throughout the ice

Melon Ices
Frozen Cut up pieces of fresh melon
Fresh squeezed orange, lemon or lime juice if desired
Blend in a VitaMix or food processor until smooth
note: I usually do watermelon solo, cantaloupe with orange juice and honeydew with lime

Juice Pops
Go to the health food section of your store. Pick out a 100% juice blend that suits your fancy. Freeze in pop molds. This is a great summertime diet helper. The pops are only about 60 calories each and will satisfy both your appetite and your thirst.

If you are in the mood for a sundae, try the Strawberry Fruit Freeze along with chocolate or strawberry sauce and coconut milk. For a really refreshing treat try putting the orange juice ice in a tall glass of pineapple juice. This is a great refresher after a long bike ride on a hot day.

Note that because these treats do not contain emulsufiers and chemical antifreezes, that it you put them away in the freezer they will freeze solid. You will have to let them soften a bit outside the freezer before serving.

Michael Moore's Film "Sicko"

You can currently view "Sicko" in its entirety at http://files.filefront.com/Sickoavi/;7822955;/fileinfo.html While Michael Moore exposes the problem of the for profit system we have in this country, his film comes up short on dealing with the fact that we are sick because of our lack of knowledge of good health. As long as the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the processed food industry, the chemical industries and the entire medical industry make obscene profits from our being sick, they will do everything in their power to keep us in the dark about wellness.

Tell FDA Not to Weaken Labeling for Irradiated Foods!

What if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a rule that would intentionally hide information you rely on to make decisions about what to feed yourself and your family? Or if FDA proposed changing food labeling information to something the agency knows to be misleading to consumers?
Well, FDA has announced just such a rule to weaken labeling of irradiated foods.
Currently, irradiated food must be labeled as “Treated with irradiation” or “Treated by radiation” and have on them the irradiated symbol. But now, in yet another attempt to appease industry at the expense of the public, the FDA has proposed a new rule that would allow irradiated food to be marketed in some cases without any labeling at all. In other cases, the rule would allow the terms “electronically pasteurized” or “cold pasteurized” to replace the use of “irradiated” on labels. These terms are not used by scientists, but rather are designed to fool consumers about what’s been done to their food.
Pasteurization involves heating liquids for the purpose of destroying harmful bacteria and other pathogens, and has been used safely for decades. Irradiation is a completely different process, using high-energy gamma rays, electron beams, or X-rays on meat, grains, and other foods.
Labeling irradiated foods as “pasteurized” is simply untruthful and misleading. Allowing the marketing of irradiated food without any labeling is equally misleading. Consumers have demanded irradiation labeling because they know that irradiation can create potentially dangerous chemical byproducts and reduce their foods' nutritional value.
In fact, FDA’s own research found that the proposed change would confuse consumers, stating "Research indicates that many consumers regard substitute terms for irradiation to be misleading."
What is the FDA hiding? A lot.
Consumers have a right to truthful labeling in order to make informed choices for themselves and their families. A public comment period is open until July 3, 2007.
Protect Your Right to Know: Tell the FDA Not to Weaken the Rules for Labeling Irradiated Food!
Take action online here: http://ga3.org/campaign/Irradiation