Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Breaking news ... the USDA is clueless.

Websites I stumbled on today that are worth noting here: 2. Websites I stumbled on today that are worth noting here and are actually helpful: 1.

First, here's the "Good" one. Pun intended.
http://www.goodguide.com/

Have you ever been shopping for, say, shampoo, and can't remember all those pesky chemicals EWG (Environmental Working Group) says you should avoid in beauty products? Happens to me all the time. That's when you consult not only this website, but whip out your iphone and use their handy FREE barcode scanner app. Their info is not as exhaustive the EWG website, but it's super user-friendly and also gives information on the social responsiblity of the companies, in addition to health and environmental concerns. And, it has over 50,000 products in its database. All kinds of stuff like food, cleaners, health and beauty products. I've already downloaded the app, and I can't wait to use it next time I'm at the store. I've still got EWG bookmarked, but this will help when you are out and about and don't have the patience or 3G coverage to pull up the EWG website on your phone.

Surprisingly disappointing website I found today:
http://www.mypyramid.gov/

I Googled "evaluate my diet" because I was thinking I would like to get a kick in the pants some specific suggestions for what I need to be doing to keep the wings on the backs of my arms from getting any bigger. Aside from working out more, I mean...

Sweet. The USDA has a website that you can input your food intake and activity level in, and they'll tell you where you can improve. It's like having a virtual trainer, no? No. Here's why I'm disappointed. About a third of the foods I ate today aren't in the database. I couldn't even find ubiquitous Fat Free Non-Dairy Creamer I'm so fond of. At all. I searched "non-dairy creamer", "Coffee Mate", "coffee", "creamer" and "cream." Seriously. And, big surprise ... the USDA has no entries for grass-fed beef or farm eggs. They do have a different nutrient profile than conventional eggs and beef. Like higher omega-3's. At least those two things make sense that they're not in the database. I know they aren't yet considered "mainstream" and the USDA is all about Big Ag, not these "trendy" new grass-fed producers. Whatever.

So, I spent another 20 mintues searching the FAQs and looking for a "Contact Us" link, so I could politiely suggested they at the very least add non-dairy creamer. No bones either. I have a fairly short attention span (I am a gemini, after all.), so after that, I decided I was done. Moving on...

2 comments:

  1. LOL....I like that you eat grass fed beef and farm eggs with your fat free non dairy creamer. I have those arm wings, too! Good luck with it all.

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  2. It really is a shame that you couldn’t find farm eggs and grass fed beef on that site. I work for La Cense Beef, and I know how important it is to eat grassfed beef as opposed to grain fed beef. The La Cense farm has lots of great info on their website about grass fed beef and lots of healthy recipes if you are interested in checking it out.

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