News — Organic

Sourcing locally is a commitment that is both rewarding and frustrating for a chef.

When my wife Lori and I started White Oak Gourmet — our home meal delivery service in suburban Chicago — 13 years ago, it was quite difficult to source organic and local. It is easier now, but challenges remain.

Up until just a short time ago, we had to chase down our chicken order on the truck from Gunthorp Farms, an Indiana producer of pasture-raised livestock that built its business around purveying directly to leading Chicago restaurants. As they did not deliver in our area at the time, we would sometimes have to meet the driver at Lula Cafe or behind Frontera Grill.

Occasionally we have what sometimes feels like clandestine meetings to pick up orders from our farmers in the alleys behind restaurants such as Floriole, Hopleaf and The Bristol in Chicago.

We came across an interesting story in The Atlantic recently. It discusses vitamins versus vitamin supplements. It says what we've believed all along; you can get all of your nutritional needs if you eat whole, unprocessed foods.  Read More from the Atlantic. . . 

Probiotics have been quite the hot topic for some time now. But have you heard about Prebiotics? We are beginning to understand more about the importance of these beneficial bacteria, Probiotics, or microflora, in our guts — not only in maintaining digestive health, but also in boosting our immune systems. Dietitian Jo Ann Hattner, coauthor, with Susan Anderes of  “Gut Insight: Probiotics and Prebiotics For Digestive Health and Well-Being” explains: "probiotics do not thrive on their own. They have to be replaced every few days, and they have to be nourished. Bacteria have to eat, too,” Hattner says, and it turns out...

Michael Ruhlman does great writing on food and cooking, but he also writes about our food system and healthy eating. His recent blog post about how our eating and cooking habits have changed in the last 100 years. His discussion with doctor Roxanne Sukol highlights several major changes in our food supply that have resulted in our current epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic illness. "Obviously the tidal wave of diet books and diet advice and fad diets hasn’t worked, since the problems have only increased. Indeed, he suggests that diet books and trend diets may be a part of the cause."...

by Anna Lappé via Time Just in case you're undecided, we will make the case on why your kids should be eating organic A poll out last week from the Organic Trade Association found a sharp decrease in parents who say price is a key factor limiting their organic purchases. “Parents in charge of the household budget recognize the benefits of organic,” said the trade group’s Laura Batcha. “And they’re willing to pay a little more to know that they are giving their families the highest-quality and most healthy products being offered in their local store.” We can already hear...