Day 30

Bucky Bailey's mother became pregnant while working at DuPont's Teflon West Virginia plant.

Thoughts: Tonight I had dinner with my friends Craig and Steph. We cooked on their stainless steel pan instead of a "non-stick" teflon pan. Do you use "non-stick" pans and pots? I do! And I didn't even think about it, but to make it non-stick, the manufacturers have used chemicals on the pans! Do'h! Then I got thinking to the aborginals and what they would have cooked in, obviously they used no pots and pans, and then once pots and pans were invented they were basic made from stainless steel, and then as we get more advanced in technology and demand for more luxurious lives, we invented "non-stick" pots and pans as a more convenient way to cook our foods.

It's on saucepans, clothing, even buildings, but now Teflon - the famed non-stick chemical - is at the centre of a slippery controversy about cancer and birth defects.

So teflon is what coats our "non-stick" pans. Teflon is what causes our food to not stick, it also causes cancer. When teflon is cooked, it is highly toxic. Teflon is a high molecular weight compound consisting wholly of carbon and fluorine and is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, partly because of the strength of carbon–fluorine bonds, and so it is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals. Where used as a lubricant, teflon reduces friction, wear and energy consumption of machinery.

Teflon was accidentally invented by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals in 1938. While Plunkett was attempting to make a new CFC refrigerant, the perfluorethylene polymerized in its pressurized storage container, with the iron from the inside of the container acting as a catalyst.

Teflon begins to deteriorate after the temperature of cookware increases. These degradation by-products can be lethal to birds, and can cause flu-like symptoms in humans and even cancer.(Wikipedia)

Over the years, the non-stick coating on pots and pans has helped turn out countless perfect fried eggs and cheese soufflés. But is it worth your health?

Bucky Bailey's mother became pregnant while working at DuPont's West Virginia plant
The company recently agreed to an out-of-court settlement to a class action lawsuit brought by around 50,000 residents who lived near its West Virginia plant.

The residents, who lived along the Ohio river south of Parkersburg, West Virginia, claimed the company had contaminated local water supplies with teflon, which they alleged was linked to birth defects and other health hazards.

Among the plaintiffs was Bucky Bailey, who was born with a single nostril and a deformed face. His mother fell pregnant with him while working at DuPont's Parkersburg plant.

DuPont eventually agreed to pay $50m in cash to the plaintiffs, plus $22m in legal costs. The company also agreed to spend $10m on special water treatment facilities to filter out teflon.

So I am getting back to basics by eating only whole foods from the earth for 365 days and now I am getting back to basics with how I cook. Anything that says "non-stick" I am staying away from and I am incorporating more raw and non cooked foods in my Earth Diet challenge!

It's not about creating fear in you, it's about creating knowledge and awareness so that you can choose powerfully what you want to do with it in regards to your health!!!!

Challenges: Learning that I have to throw out my teflon "non-stick" cookingware and buy stainless steel! Hehehe

Triumphs: Learning that I have to throw out my teflon "non-stick" cookingware and buy stainless steel! Hehehe

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast: beetroot, apple, carrot, ginger, watermelon juice! fresh pineapple, a chocolate ball

Lunch: a pear, macadamia nuts, gogi berries, walnuts, chocolate balls

Dinner: Stephs Garlic Honey Chicken Salad cooked in a STAINLESS STEEL PAN mmmm! Chicken, honey, rosemary herb, advocado, purple onion, green lettuce, rocket, cherri tomatoes, with a lemon and olive oil dressing. Recipe below!



Dessert: goji berriessssss! yum yummmm!

Snacks: chocolate balls

Recipe: Garlic Honey Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1. Free range organic chicken
2. Honey
3. Rosemary
4. Garlic
5. Olive Oil
Salad:
1. Green lettuce
2. Rocket
3. Advocado
4. Purple onion
5. Cherry tomatoes
6. Been sprouts
7. olive oil and fresh lemon for the dressing
8. your hands....ingredient of love!!!! (Craig)

Directions:
1. Cook cut up chicken and garlic in a stainless steel pan in olive oil
2. Add your desired amount of honey to the chicken and garlic to give it the sweetness you want and sprinkle with rosemary
3. Prepare your salad, mix lettuce, rocket, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, and drizzle with olive oil and fresh lemon.
4. Add chicken to the salad mmmm mmmm!

Cost: Organic free range chicken $13, 2 advocados $2.45 each,large pot of organic honey $13.50, been sprouts $2, olive oil bottle $6, cherry tomatoes $2, lettuce $2, rocket $2, lemon 70 cents, purple onion 40 cents. Total: $44.50 and you will use the olive oil and honey many times again, so I averaged it out and it came to $27.70 which fed 3 people = $9.23 each!!!!

Exercise: A swim in the ocean at Surfers Paradise and did some ballet on the bar outside at night time! I woke up this morning feeling tired and grumpy and just wanted to keep sleeping, so I went to the beach which Steph and Craig, and as soon as I dived in the ocean my state changed. It was freezing and freshing, so it broke me out of my tiredness and grumpyness and the waves were playful! I find that I can't be grumpy at the beach! Its so energizing and refreshing, a natural healer ;)

336 Days to go!!!