I’m beating the BPA drum again, but this is something I really believe is going to become a bigger and bigger issue. And this week there’s more evidence pointing to the need to ban the chemical BPA (Bisphenol A). A study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, was released that suggests that our exposure to the chemical BPA is more than 8 times greater than previously thought. Not good news, but also, quite honestly, not surprising.

The thing is, we can’t even estimate our exposure to this hormone-mimicking chemical that is found in things made from polycarbonate plastics. According to the National Institutes of Environmental Health, “polycarbonate plastics have many applications including use in some food and drink packaging, e.g., water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical devices. Epoxy resins are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. Some dental sealants and composites may also contribute to BPA exposure.” Want to avoid BPA on your own? Good luck. It’s pretty much impossible.

The primary way we are exposed to BPA is through our diet. Again, according to the National Institutes of Environmental Health, “The primary source of exposure to BPA for most people is through the diet. While air, dust, and water are other possible sources of exposure, BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority of daily human exposure.”

The NIEH go on to say that “Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container. BPA can also be found in breast milk.”

BPA has been shown to be in the blood of more than 90% of Americans. Just THAT fact should be eye opening.  The EPA had stated that BPA exposure up to 50 micrograms per kilogram of weight per day is safe. But guess what? This Environmental Health Perspectives study is suggesting that we are exposed actually to at least 8 times that amount. Oh boy.

I don’t know about you, but I find this highly disturbing. According to a New York Times article covering this study, they state that BPA  “was first synthesized as a man-made estrogen substitute before being used widely in the linings of canned goods and polycarbonate plastics.”  Because it mimics hormones, key to development and determination of things like gender, it has been of great concern to many environmental health scholars as well as concerned citizens. In the New York Times article Thomas Zoeller, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is quoted saying that “BPA, since it mimics estrogen, is an ‘endocrine disrupter.’… And amazingly, BPA has the ability to bind to not one, but three receptors — the estrogen, the male hormone and the thyroid hormone receptors, Zoeller said.”

I know there are many many people including well respected and brilliant scientists, who will try to convince us all that we should not be worried. It’s all fine. But based on what we DO know about BPA, I think it is clear that it is just bad news. Do we really want to wait around for more evidence to prove what we really already know? BPA is just not safe. And there’s no need to keep it around.

Just thought I’d share this link to Cooking Light’s interesting list of 10 things that you think are OK healthwise but really are not so great for you.

A few worth mentioning:

• Smoothies (uh-oh…)
• Reduced fat peanut butter
• Packaged sliced turkey
• Energy bars

Check out the article for the full list and the reasons why they might not be so great.

Back to school. Back to work. Back to shorter days. Back to more activities. Back to a schedule. Back to “it’s-not-too-long-before-we-jump-into-the-holiday-season”. Just a lot of “back to’s”. I don’t know about you but this time of year is always a little mixed for me. I’m usually ready for the summer to end and get back to a regular schedule. While I LOVE having everyone home for the summer (my husband is a teacher so we’re all home), there comes a point where I start to get antsy and want to get more done. At the same time, however, this also means that the whole house gets a little nuts. Baseball, soccer, meetings, babysitters, more meetings, homework, even more meetings, music lessons, etc.  And those relaxing summer days quickly become like a warm but fuzzy memory.

Everyone has their own version of the “back to” season story. So when I saw this article from the University of Maryland Medical Center about a bunch of easy, fairly quick relaxation techniques I thought it would be fun to share. And believe me, I will be trying these ALL out in the next few weeks. They not only should help you fall asleep if you are having sleep trouble, but could also be helpful for just calming and focusing your mind.

I will summarize the techniques below, but definitely check out the full article for complete instructions and tips. Some of these are things I have learned in yoga and pilates classes but some are new to me.

• Progressive relaxation, which is consciously relaxing the muscles from your toes to your head and everything between.
• Toe tensing involves lying down, pointing the toes toward the face, and holding for 10 seconds before relaxing the toes and repeating.
• Breathing in deeply for eight to 10 seconds, holding the breath for one to two seconds, and slowly releasing.
• Guided imagery, which involves closing your eyes and visualizing a happy, peaceful place.
• Quiet ears, in which you lie down with hands beneath the head, then block the ear canals with the thumbs. Hold this position for 10 seconds to 15 seconds.

So keep your body and mind clear this season and the next using these great tips. Many of these techniques take only take a minute or so – while some sound perfect for when you need a good solid regeneration. *sigh*.  Enjoy.

This past Saturday I went with a friend to the Stonewall Kitchen headquarters in York, ME to take a cooking class. As neither one of us had been before, we were unsure of how it would go – would it be “hands on”, would we get just tastes of the food or a whole meal, would there be wine? (key question!).  When we arrived, we walked into a room with a long open kitchen on one end, and rows of high narrow tables facing the kitchen. Each seat was set with a full set of tableware (a good sign!) with a cute little vase of fresh flowers. We were offered tea or coffee and the chance to mill around checking out the cool Stonewall Kitchen jams, sauces, jellies and mixes for sale (10% off for class-goers). Plus they had all kinds of fun kitchen gadgets. When the class started we sat down and were immediately served a gorgeous roasted beet, blue cheese and walnut salad and offered (yea!!) a glass of wine for purchase.

The class turned out to be fantastic – with the chef and her assistants demonstrating each recipe but serving (full-sized – another “yea!!”) dishes that they had prepared earlier. The first recipe she demonstrated turned out to be one of my favorites of the evening – Roasted Tomato Soup. So I thought I’d share with you that recipe – it is fairly easy and unbelievably delicious! And with this being tomato season, it is a great way to use the juicy tomatoes that are available in the farmer’s markets. In addition to the salad and soup, we had Shrimp and Chorizo Skewers, Artichoke Risotto Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms (incredible), Lemon Broccolini and Peach Raspberry Pie (making my mouth water just thinking about it).

So here’s the recipe for the soup, and if you are interested in any of the other recipes, just let me know! This soup can be served chilled or hot, and you can skip the crisps and the bruschetta if you just want the unadorned soup (saves a lot of time too!).

Roasted Tomato Soup

• 12 large (about 4 pounds) tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
• 12 large cloves garlic, peeled (you could cut back on this if you don’t like a lot of garlic)
• Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus a few leaves torn for garnish
• 2 cups cold water

For the bruschetta:

• 1 loaf country-style bread
• Finely minced garlic
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt

For the parmesean crisps:

• 2 cups grated parmesean cheese (good quality)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Prepare the tomatoes. In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil, the vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Spread the tomatoes out on a non-reactive baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes in the oven until very dark in spots, 35-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool a bit as you prepare the next two steps.

Prepare the bruschetta. Cut the bread crosswise into slices about 1-inch thick (you will need 8 slices). Lightly brush the slices on both sides with oil, a little garlic and sprinkle with salt. Place the slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are golden brown and just beginning to crisp – about 6 minutes. This can be done ahead of time if you’d prefer.

Prepare the crisps. Lightly fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup with the grated parmesean cheese. Tip over onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat (or sprayed with cooking spray), and flatten slightly. Repeat until you have 8 flattened mounds of cheese. Bake in 350 to 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown (watch to make sure they aren’t burned). You can do this at a higher temperature but just watch more carefully. This can be done ahead of time if you’d prefer. Also – if you’d like smaller crisps, you can use a heaping tablespoon instead of 1/4 cup.

Prepare the soup. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining 1/4 cup of oil, the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the 2 cups basil leaves and saute with the onions for about 1 minute.

Add the roasted tomatoes and water to the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree the tomato mixture with an immersion blender or in standard blender. The mixture should be very smooth. You should have about 8 cups. You can prepare the soup to the point and refrigerate it. When ready to serve, pour the soup into a medium saucepan and bring it to a slow simmer over medium heat.

Serve the soup. Place 1 bruschetta in the center of each shallow soup bowl. Pour the soup around each bruschetta. Garnish with one parmesan crisps and torn basil leaves.