Herbs ain't what they used to be, literally.

There was a time this didn't mean medical weed.

I wouldn't be so bold to question the efficacy of herbalism and herbal supplements in blog like this. It's a way of approaching health care from before the advent of modern science. Limited amounts of research has been done to mixed results in confirming the beliefs about the power of herbs that have been passed down through the centuries. It raises the question of the value of the placebo effect. It stirs passion among those who believe.

But if you see herbalism as a legitimate challenge to established, powerful and profitable modern western medicine, it should be no surprise that politics has been no friend in helping herbalism travel the road to become a main-streamed, safe alternative. Recently, New York State tested herbal supplements from major national retailers doing business in NY. The majority of the supplements did not contain the herbs advertised, and some contained potential allergens not listed on the label, like wheat, nuts and soy.

Under a 1994 federal law, supplements are exempt from the F.D.A.’s strict approval process for prescription drugs, which requires reviews of a product’s safety and effectiveness before it goes to market.
The law’s sponsor and chief architect, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, is a steadfast supporter of supplements. He has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the industry and repeatedly intervened in Washington to quash proposed legislation that would toughen the rules.
Mr. Hatch led a successful fight against a proposed amendment in 2012 that would have required supplement makers to register their products with the F.D.A. and provide details about their ingredients. Speaking on the floor of the Senate at the time, Mr. Hatch said the amendment was based on “a misguided presumption that the current regulatory framework for dietary supplements is flawed.”

Generic Old White Guy Politician, or....face of eeeeevil? You be the judge.

I wouldn't call Hatch a "steadfast supporter of supplements" so much as a supporter of the supplement industry' money. Two right-wing memes are at work here: one, the push for less regulation and smaller government and letting the market determine the quality and safety of products for sale. The other, perhaps more nefarious and more paranoid, is that the kind of people who would take herbal supplements are unlikely to vote Republican. Adding to that, a certain strain of anti-science craziness that has allowed measles to return to the American population would also see keeping a science-focused establishment organization like the FDA off of their supplements as some sort of "good".

Proponents of western medicine who know very well that regulating the safety and efficacy of their tools are key to keeping the trust of the public is key to their survival. To argue that the same should be done for herbalism would be to argue against their own interests. That argument would assume a certain amoral motivation which I can't believe the majority of real people in the health industry share, but corporations who bleed the system for maximum profit and have made our health care system unsustainable? Corporations are not people, indeed.

I have a friend who helps run a community garden in Brooklyn. Last summer she grew vegetables, beans, corn and yes, herbs. For all the economic might, cultural capital and world leadership the United States possess, the only herbs I'd trust enough to experiment with to see if the old ways really were legit would be in it's unprocessed form, from her hands. Does it really have to be this way?

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This yogurt just rocked my casbah.

ADDENDA: I've been eating around the other Greek yogurts in my local markets, and I'll be damned if I just had one that I think is a legit challenger to all-time heavy-weight champion Fage. Well, it certainly registers on my taste buds, but it may be less "authentic" (though I am hardly an expert in Greek culture to make that call.) Cabot is a not just a brand, but a cooperative collective of dairy farmers in New York and New England -- it may not be organically-raised-grass-fed blah blah blah, but it IS owned by the producers, not a corporation representing outside interests. Most interestingly, their yogurt is 10% fat, and the 1 cup serving is 320 calories compared to Whole Fage's 220. And damn it if ain't smoother, richer and creamier than Fage's, if a slightly more muted tang and distinctly Greeky in flavor. Still, it's just dairy and bacteria, no sugar, gums, preservatives or crap like in that Chobani garbage.

Distinctly Greeky in flavor.

If Chobani is Celine Dion (and their "for-cooking-only-4%" snot yogurt is the EDM remix), and Fage is the Beatles (0%=the first couple of albums, Whole= Rubber Soul through Sgt. Pepper), then Cabot Plain Greek must be the Clash. Or something.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2590
An unexpectedly difficult week. Winter. Found some respite in food, I admit, but didn't fall off the edge.

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MONDAY COUNT: 2100

SLEPT: 10pm - 6am, 8hrs

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 10am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11:30am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

PM SNACK: 2:30pm, momma salad, cheezits 310 cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, chicken sausage, poppa salad with dressing, 580 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7pm, popcorn, +/-400 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8pm, kind bar, 200 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2490

SLEPT: 9pm - 6am, 9 hrs
Stomach off for a lot of the day. Despite that, did not gorge too heavy in the evening, thank goodness.

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 1:45pm, Cabot yogurt with honey, vanilla, almonds, 500 cal

PM SNACK: 2:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310cal

DINNER: 6:30pm, mahi mahi, asparagus, poppa salad with dressing, 520 cal

PM SNACK: 7pm, popcorn, +/- 400 cal

EVENING SNACK: 7:30pm, kind bar, 200 cal

EVENING SNACK: 11pm, almond butter and chocolate syrup, +/- 400 cal
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2655

SLEPT: 12am - 6am,  6 hrs
Due to lightheadedness and high emotions in the afternoon, I hit "send" instead of "cancel" and delete. Hence, the ice cream.

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 10am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, steel cut oatmeal, 450 cal

PM SNACK: 12:30pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, cashews, 255 cal

SOMETHING: 6pm, pint of ice cream, 1480 cal
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THURSDAY COUNT: 2610

SLEPT: 8pm - 6am,  10 hrs
Broke habit for donut and tea at a coffee shop. Not as a falling off or problem, but a needed emotional break, like a little slice of weekend. Was helpful.

AM SNACK: 6:15 am, iced green tea

SOMETHING: 9:30am, large hot green tea, large chocolate covered donut, +/- 500 cal

BREAKFAST: 2pm, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

PM SNACK: 2:45pm, momma salad, cheezits, 310 cal

LUNCH: 4:15pm, adobo shrimp with poppa salad with dressing, 440 cal

DINNER: 7pm, tortellini in jarred sauce, half a bad gluten-free cookie, +/- 600 cal

EVENING SNACKING: 8pm, veggie straws, kid's granola bars, kind bar, +/- 600 ca
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FRIDAY COUNT: 2790

SLEPT: 2am - 7am,  5 hrs

AM SNACK: 7:15 am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/cayenne/cucumber/ginger juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 11am, Cabot greek yogurt with honey, almonds, vanilla, 550 cal

AM SNACK: 11:30am, hot herbal tea 0 cal

PM SNACK: 1:15pm, momma salad, 80 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, poppa salad with dressing, 200 cal

DINNER: 5:15pm, hotdog, fries, ice cream and brownie, +/- 800 cal

SNICKLE DINNER 2: 8:30pm, seitan sandwich, a few chickpea fries, +/- 500 cal

EVENING SNACK: 10pm, cheezits, Cabot greek with chocolate syrup, +/- 500 cal