Sometimes food gets caught up with war. And the right to food can get trampled. Drought can make famine worse, but it’s not the complete cause.

In the Horn of Africa, people are being denied the right to food. Millions are facing death, many of them young children.

The famine in the Horn of Africa is the worst in 60 years. It’s not some passing thing any of us should forget until a solution is found.

Today is World Food Day and Blog Action Day. Bloggers from 100 countries are talking about food today. (Use hashtag #BAD11 on Twitter.)

What can you do?

Read about the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Pass on the facts. One.org is a great place to start.

Money isn’t everything. Groups like One.org are more interested in hearing you speak out about this crisis.

If you want to give, USAID from the American People, www.usaid.gov/fwd/, makes it easy.

Could it be that you’re eating a slice of cheesecake with 59 grams of saturated fat, a shake with more than 2,000 calories, fries with 930 calories, or a pasta dish with more than 1,500 calories? Uh, most of us only need 2,000 calories for the entire day!

If you’re feasting on dishes from any of the Xtreme Eating Awards recipients, then those crazy numbers should be in your head.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has honored Cheesecake Factory, Denny’s, Applebee’s, IHOP, Cold Stone Creamery, Morton’s Steakhouse, and Great Steak with their eight Xtreme Eating Awards for 2011.

The Cheesecake Factory received two of those awards: One for Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, which contains 1,540 calories per slice, and another for The Farmhouse Cheeseburger, which has 1,530 calories.

Read a full list of the honorees and their unhealthy dishes at CSPI.

What’s the cure for all this craziness?

When restaurants are finally made to list their calorie counts on menus, I think some of the more fatty options will fall out of favor. If you do choose to eat out, you can try looking up nutrition info on the restaurant website, but a recent study by Tufts University has shown that 19 percent of dishes studied had 100 or more excess calories not reported on restaurant websites! Major chains like Olive Garden were found guilty on that one.

The one thing you can do for yourself is to eat at home. By the time you drive to a restaurant, order, wait for food, wait for check, then drive home, you could have cooked yourself a great meal.

In addition, when you cook at home, it’s much easier for you to choose organic or locally grown ingredients. Plus, you’ll save money!

Need some inspiration for home cooking?

Here are some great places to find recipes:

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

How to Cook Everything, Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food

250 Treasured Country Desserts (because some dessert is OK!)

Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals

Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fast

Where do you find your best recipes?

I explained that organic fruits and vegetables are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides. I also told her that some foods like lettuce and strawberries retain more pesticide residue than certain foods like pineapples or watermelon. (Organic meat and dairy are topics for another day.) I also talked a bit about the effects of pesticides on wildlife and how pesticides end up in water.

Then my cashier said that a lot of people are buying organic and she wants to try it too. I found her statement rather awesome considering I wasn’t at a fancy health food store like Whole Foods.

So, in case you’re also wondering why you should choose organic, here are some good reasons:

• In studies, pesticide exposure has been linked to birth defects, prostate cancer, childhood cancer, neurological damage and even possibly the early onset of Parkinson’s disease. (source: NRDC)
• Organic is also better for the earth. Research indicates that if 434 million acres of cropland in the United States were switched to organic growing practices, the carbon dioxide savings would be like eliminating 217 million cars. (source: The Rodale Institute, OTA)
• Buying organic supports farmers who use eco-friendly growing practices.
• When you buy certified organic food, it’s been inspected by third-party independent groups. Certified organic growers adhere to strict guidelines for hygienic and safe food production. Despite rumors, no reputable studies have shown that conventionally grown food is safer than organically grown food. (source: OTA)
• Pesticides may contaminate groundwater, which is used for drinking water by around 50 percent of the population of the U.S. (source: USGS)
• Pesticides can harm or kill wildlife when creatures consume contaminated food or water, breathe pesticides, or absorb pesticides through their skin. (source: NDSU)

If you can’t buy everything organic, at least buy organic when it comes to foods that are on the 2011 Dirty Dozen list for containing the most pesticides:

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines (imported)
• Grapes (imported)
• Sweet bell peppers
• potatoes
• Blueberries (domestic)
• Lettuce
• Kale/collard greens

Foods on EWG’s Clean 15 list have the lowest amounts of pesticides:

• Onions
• Sweet corn
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Which foods do you try to always buy organic?

As you can imagine, I was excited to read a book with the subtitle Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time.

Carrots ‘N’ Cake by blogger Tina Haupert allows readers a long glimpse into the struggles, motivations and ultimate successes of one sweets-loving woman who is very determined to live the healthy life of her dreams.

Carrots ‘N’ Cake is not a Mayo Clinicsort of dieting book. In other words, Haupert’s book isn’t an information-packed textbook that makes you feel a bit like you’re in school, but rather it’s like reading a personal journal/blog with just over 50 interesting recipes mixed in.

For example, Haupert explains how she tackles the challenge of maintaining her healthy lifestyle while on vacation, and follows that with recipes for Trail Mix, Spiced Pecans and Brownies with a Secret. After discussing workout motivation, she includes a recipe for Workout Cookies.

To encourage longer workouts, I’ve been sitting my iPhone on the elliptical machine to watch shows with my HBOGo app, but workout cookies are something I’ve never dreamed of! Yes, said cookies (in moderation) are healthy, providing good carbs and protein to get you through your workout.

While you get to know Haupert better, you’ll also learn her tricks for ordering healthy meals while dining out, planning ahead for an indulgent weekend, how to handle an out-of-control sweet tooth, and more.

Some of the ideas discussed in Carrots ‘N’ Cake are simple, but they’re things you may not have thought of applying to your daily life. For example, I always have walnuts, bananas and honey around, but I’ve never dreamed of putting them together for a quick snack. Haupert also suggests putting healthy snacks in clear containers in the refrigerator or at eye level in the pantry so you’ll be more likely to see them. Of course, you should try to hide the chocolate chip cookies from yourself.

Regular readers of Haupert’s blog and fellow bloggers will especially appreciate reading about Haupert’s transformation to her dream job — blogging and working in social media for a living! (Disclosure: I received a free review copy of Carrots ‘N’ Cake.)

The negative:

The book reads a lot like a blog without being a direct copy of Haupert’s blog posts. Being the English major nerdy type I am, I did find the structure of the book somewhat confusing at times, but I still think it has plenty to offer.

To sum it up:

Carrots ‘N’ Cake succeeds by inspiring and motivating you by example. Haupert isn’t perfect, but neither are we. She slips, but she gets back up. And a lot of her advice (and recipes) could stay with you, helping you to balance your carrots and cake too!

Carrots ‘N’ Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time.

I received a free copy of Carrots ‘N’ Cake for review. See privacy and disclosures for more info.

Lemon Chicken Skewers
By Tina Haupert,
Author of Carrots ‘N’ Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time

Chicken cooked on skewers is fun to eat, and preparing it like this is a good way to limit the amount of protein on my plate. These are delicious and super quick.

Ingredients
2 chicken cutlets
1/4 preserved lemon (store-bought), flesh discarded, peel finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Soak 8 (6-inch) bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.

Place the cutlets between sheets of waxed paper on a cutting board, and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Cut the pieces into 1-inch strips.

Combine the preserved lemon, oil, garlic, pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl, and mix well. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil. Thread the chicken strips into skewers. Place the skewers on the prepared baking sheet and broil the chicken about 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Makes 8 small skewers.

Copyright © 2011 Tina Haupert, author of Carrots ‘N’ Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake At A Time

Author Bio
Tina Haupert, is certified as a Nutrition and Wellness Consultant through the American Fitness Professionals and Associates (AFPA). She publishes her blog Carrots ‘N’ Cake on a daily basis and also writes another blog called Trading Up Downtown for a nutritional rating company called NuVal. Additionally, Tina writes a weekly feature for Health.com as part of their Feel Great Weight program, and she also promotes events online and via social media for a local fine wines company called Gordon’s Wines and Liquors. Tina lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, Mal, and her pug, Murphy.Com

Making fun of a woman for her weight isn’t funny. When a comedian I like makes a Kirstie Alley fat joke, I lose a bit more respect for that comedian. It’s sad. It’s too easy, and it needs to stop.

No, I don’t watch George Lopez who made a pig joke recently, but I do really wish that Conan and Letterman (or anyone) would stop it.

On Wednesday, George Lopez compared Kirstie Alley to a pig, saying that she did a nice job on “Dancing with the Stars,” with “her little hooves tapping away.” He also continued with some BS about her going to market, eating roast beef and going all the way home, followed by some Geico footage of a squealing pig.

Lopez: Does it make you feel better to put other people down? What you did is called bullying. It’s distasteful and wrong. And a Twitter apology just doesn’t cut it.

If you agree, let TBS know that you want the fat jokes to stop.

Included in the Best Health and Wellness Website category is a site where I write daily, CalorieLab!

If you’ve ever wondering just what’s inside that Panera Kids Deli Ham with Cheese or the halibut from Whole Foods Market, you can certainly find the answers at CalorieLab.

Also, you can read some great posts in the Diet Blog and Health News sections. You can find my updates in Health News. In particular, here are a few blog posts you may really like:

6 Green Kitchen Garden Concepts That Let You Bring the Outdoors Inside

New LAX Farmers’ Market Gives Travelers a Sustainable Snack Solution

EPA: New Protection Against Air Toxins from Coal

Compelling Health Reasons to Start Gardening

Please check it out and give CalorieLab your vote for TreeHugger’s Best in Green. To be counted, you have to vote by April 1.

(image via sxc)

That’s not great for several reasons. Palm oil has more saturated fat than alternatives like canola and olive oil, both of which are more earth-friendly oils. And palm oil plantations are taking away crucial habitat for endangered animals like orangutans, pygmy elephants and Sumatran tigers. Also, the palm oil industry has been associated with gross human rights and labor violations.

If there’s an alternative that’s better for you and better for the environment, why continue to use palm oil?

Grist reports that Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva, two Michigan Girl Scout members, are protesting the use of palm oil in cookies by refusing to sell them. Word is that Girl Scout USA CEO Kathy Clonginer isn’t very receptive to the idea of abandoning the use of palm oil.

Meanwhile, Britain’s sister organization to the Girl Scouts (the Girl Guides) have done away with palm oil in their cookies. The result? A 60 to 70 percent reduction in saturated fat!

Please email the Girl Scouts USA to let their leaders know that you’re interested in switching to a more healthy oil.

UPDATE 3/17/11: Find out more about Kellogg’s response to these Girl Scouts at Grist.

(image via flickr collin anderson)

According to new research from the UK’s Newcastle University, organic milk from the supermarket has higher levels of nutritionally beneficial fatty acids than conventional milk. Organic milk was of better quality, regardless of weather conditions or the time of year.

Study leader Gillian Butler says that if you choose organic milk, you can reduce saturated fats by 30 to 50% while still getting the same level of beneficial fatty acids. Of course, this study was done with UK milk, but it stands to reason that the same results could be replicated in the U.S.

Do you choose organic milk?

Image credit: Newcastle University (Gillian Butler at Newcastle University’s Nafferton Farm, Northumberland, with some of the farm’s cows.)

Back in July, I told you about how BPA has been found in nearly 40 percent of cash register receipts from major US businesses like Walmart and even Whole Foods.

Appleton, the only producer of BPA-free thermal receipt paper in the U.S., is adding red fibers to their register receipts. Appleton stopped using BPA in 2006, and now they’re helping you to know if you’ve gotten your hands on one of their receipts.

By the end of November, 75 percent of the Appleton thermal receipt paper shipped out will have the red fibers. And Appleton expects that all of their thermal receipt paper will have the red fibers in 2011.

In addition to being more healthy, the BPA-free receipt paper is also recyclable. The embedded red fibers are made of rayon, a fiber that is even more biodegradable than cotton.

If you spot red on your receipt, please check back to let us know where you found it.

(image via sxc)