After many years of just providing cooking instruction I am now headed into the restaurant world. I will be making food for PURE Organic Juicery in downtown Barrington, opening this Monday, November 18th! The menu is gluten-free, dairy-free, and made with organic, non-GMO, preservative- and additive-free ingredients. In a world full of food options that are bad for you, I am thrilled to bring you food that has nothing bad for you – and added goodness.

The opportunity to cook for PURE came at the perfect time. I noticed a dramatic change in the amount of people who came to my cooking classes looking for ways to cook healthier for their families. People were no longer just asking how to cook, they wanted to cook “right”. And the “right” answer was to me an ever-moving target. So I set about to take a deeper look into processed foods, and educate myself to a higher level of healthy eating.

 

I spent time with my holistic doctor, Dr, Sherry Bresnahan, in Algonquin, IL to learn about how food additives relate to disease. I delved into books about healthy eating, favorites including “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan, and “Eat Yourself Super” by Todd J. Pesek, M. I subscribed to several blogs by people or organizations who were really deep into uncovering the harm of additives preservatives in our food, including Food Matters and Food Babe and added the Buycott and Non-GMO project apps to my phone to help me shop smarter for groceries.

What I learned was alarming, and eye-opening. And in no small way overwhelming.

I learned things like “natural flavoring” comes from anal glands of a beaver, and the compounds that make up Silly Putty and antifreeze are some of the mystery ingredients in McDonald’s French fries, and Diet Coke (only in the U.S.), and that most frozen chicken nuggets contain butane. I’ve learned that many popular sports drinks contain bromine, a poisonous chemical that is considered both corrosive and toxic and has been linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss, and that it is banned in Europe and about 100 other countries. That many U.S. flour manufacturers bleach their flour with a foam called

Azodicarbonamide, which is also used to make yoga mats. This chemical is not only banned for use by food manufacturers in many countries, but has a 15 year prison penalty attached if used in Singapore. Food colorings are linked to ADD and are made from coal tar. You know the other major consumer product that uses coal tar? Lice shampoo. Also that BHA, found in many cereals, is cancer-causing and hormones in non-organic milk have been

linked to breast, prostate and colon cancers.

The facts are shocking. Likely you know someone with cancer, diabetes, gluten or dairy intolerance issues. You’ve also likely wondered why there’s an increase in our generation. Usage of harmful additives and preservatives has increased tenfold in the past 50 years. We are in a dangerous position of being the test generation for food companies using any way they can to streamline profits. According to Dr, Sherry, what we ingest is one of the three factors that contribute to

disease, the other two being absorption (such as inhaling pollutants) and stress. The good news is we can make a change.

Follow these bullet-point guidelines when you shop:

Read labels – a popular guideline among holistic health practitioners is that if something has more than 3-5 ingredients, avoid it.
Speak with your dollars – Why do other countries ban the ingredients used in the U.S. A greater collective conscience and refusal by customers to buy and eat additives and preservatives.
Eat organic – Grow it, shop at farmers markets and seek out organic food whenever possible. Yes, it’s more expensive, but organic foods are free of pesticides and genetic modification.
Eat real food – In Food Rules, Michael Pollen says to give it the Great Grandma test. If your great grandmother would recognize it as food, (citing examples such as tubes of colored gel – such as Gogurt) it’s ok.
Educate yourself – Do not be led by food company advertisements. If something has “healthy” or “fat-free” on the label, this in no way means it’s good for you.

I get that this is all very overwhelming. Many times at my cooking classes and cookbook demos I’ve been told “I just want you to cook it for me.” And my reply used to be “I want you to learn it yourself, so you can cook better for life.” While I still believe in that, I also want to help change the food scene and can make an active change by offering you alternatives to unhealthy food. So yes, in addition to continued food education through blogs, cookbooks and classes in your home, I will cook it for you!

PURE Organic Juicery is located on Cook Street in dowtown Barrington, just South of Lake-Cook Road. The owner, Mary Chlystek is very into juicing for health and will offer many detox and cleanse programs. I will be making salads, wraps, dips, raw foods, and baked goods like muffins and cupcakes that will all be gluten-free, dairy-free, preservative and additive-free and made with non-genetically modified ingredients.

Come in for a taste and know that anything you choose at PURE is chemical and additive free, and loaded with the best organic ingredients around.