Caring Causes: Investing in Women and Girls through Food and Agriculture

Women, particularly in developing countries, face numerous challenges, including sexual violence, limited access to health resources, barriers to education, and inadequate economic opportunities. Gender-based violence continues to threaten hundreds of millions of women in industrialized and developing countries alike - one in three women has been the victim of sexual abuse or violence at some point in her life. Furthermore, women’s economic opportunities are still more limited than those of men: the most recent United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Gender Chart indicates that women are still more likely than men to work for themselves or their families. In March, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter released “Gender and the Right to Food,” a special report on the state of gender equity and food security. De Schutter’s report demanded that more work be done to eliminate discrimination against women at household and state levels alike. While the situation of women throughout the world is improving, there is still much progress to be made - progress that could finally help to achieve global food security.
“Overcoming hunger is a game changer for a girl living in a developing country. Fifty-three percent of children who drop out of primary school are female – mainly because they need to work to help feed their families. Girls who stay in school are empowered to make positive decisions that affect their entire lives, such as waiting to have children and acquiring the skills they need to support to them,” says Ellen Gustafson, co-founder of Food Tank.
Food Tank is sharing five recommendations of ways to invest in women and girls through food and agriculture:
Supporting girls’ access to education and success in school
The World Food Programme is currently collaborating with Groupon to provide school meals to girls in schools in 14 South Asian countries. Ensuring food security during the school day not only makes sure that girls are able to concentrate in class, but also takes pressure off of girls to work to be able to feed themselves and their families, instead of attending school.
Teaching women sustainable farming practices
Women Going Green, founded by Rose Karimi, is a five-year project in Kenya enabling women coffee farmers to adopt low-cost climate change adaptation strategies, such as using fruit trees to shade their coffee crops. These practices can help women not only feed their families, but also increase their incomes. Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is working to implement solar technology in developing countries to reduce poverty. A recent SELF initiative is the Solar Market Gardens project in the West African nation of Benin, which will enable groups of women farmers’ cooperatives to grow more crops through solar-powered drip irrigation.
Giving women control of their health choices
The Jane Goodall Institute is helping to address some of the most serious health issues that women in sub-Saharan Africa face, such as HIV/AIDS and mother and infant mortality. It provides essential health services and equipment, along with educational programs to better inform women and their families on family planning methods and HIV/AIDs prevention education.
Addressing violence against women
Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), FAO’s report on “Rural Women and the Millennium Goals” showed that rural women - who make up the vast majority of women in agriculture - were more likely to suffer incidences of abuse. Líderes Campesinas, a coalition of women farmers in California, is working to improve the public support system for female agricultural workers who have been victims of sexual assault and/or domestic abuse.
Providing credit to women in agriculture
The One Acre Fund is an organization devoted to helping smallholder farmers become self-reliant by providing families with high-quality seeds, soil nutrients, advice, and financing. They place a special focus on helping women, such as Lorna from Kenya, a single mother who through the fund’s investments is now able to provide for her five children by growing maize. Additionally, Kuapa Kokoo, a cocoa farmers’ cooperative in Ghana, established a Gender Programme to give women access to credit without requirement of any collateral.
By directing research and funding where it’s most needed, more progress can be made toward achieving true equality for women in all aspects of their lives. 

About Food Tank: Food Tank: The Food Think Tank, founded by Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, is a think tank focused on feeding the world better. We research and highlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity and poverty and create networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change.

Mealtime Magic: Banana Snacks

Here are some tasty and easy options for kids who love bananas.
- Puree with berries and applesauce; freeze in a popsicle mold.
- Eat in a hot dog bun spread with peanut (or other nut) butter.
- Roll in chocolate or PB chips, granola, or chopped nuts and freeze.
- Rollin a tortilla with chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Giveaway: Funky Monkey Snacks

To help promote their Twitter #funkychat (follow @FunkyMonkeySnck) about food allergies and restrictions on April 23rd, 2-3 pm CST, I'm able to give away a sample pack of the 7 flavors of Funky Monkey healthy snacks. To enter, leave a comment with your favorite healthy snack. US winners only, deadline April 24th.

Buying Green: Happy Family

Nine years ago, Shazi Visram heard a story from a friend: a new mom, torn between time, budget and wanting the best for her child, was having a hard time finding healthy food options. Shazi took her friend’s story and turned it into a plan-- in 2003 she founded HappyFamily, which is now the leading organic brand of baby and toddler meals in the U.S. and will soon be found on shelves at Target stores across the country.

 

Shazi has an inspiring story (in the early days of the company she was pregnant herself, and frequently found herself sleeping on a yoga mat on her office floor after long days!?!). Target’s behind the scenes magazine A Bullseye View has a great article about how HappyFamily was built, how they adapted to the needs of a growing market, and most importantly, the philosophy behind the brand.

Eating Green: Baby Food

Sierra Club magazine did a great article recently highlighting some of the major eco-friendly baby food brands. What I really appreciate about this article is that it also mentions DIY baby food (and in my experience, it honestly isn't that hard). Regular applesauce is fine for babies - you don't have to buy special baby applesauce. For other things, a hand blender works just fine, especially once babies are used to the texture. If you've got a little one around, you'll save plenty of money if you make it yourself!

Disclosure: Sierra Club sent me a complimentary magazine as a thank-you for highlighting their posts.

Healthy Habits: Healthy Hydration

HINT, whose mantra is Drink Water, Not Sugar®, became the brainchild of Kara Goldin, a mother of four, when seeking a refreshing, unsweetened, no calorie beverage for her children. Kara got the idea for the all-natural fruit essence water when one day her daughter reached for a juice and she then asked her to make a healthier option. Kara was surprised to see her daughter go for the very drink that she had in hand – just water with a HINT of lime flavor.

Before Kara started HINT, she found herself spending a lot of time in the grocery aisle looking for healthy options for her family and realized that beverages were heading in the wrong direction. Since then, HINT has become one of the largest privately owned beverage businesses in the US.

Kara was named one of Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs and was just recently named one of Ernst & Young LLP’s 2012 Entrepreneurial Winning Women.

If you are tired of your kids acting moody or feeling sluggish as a result of too much sugar then below are Kara’s top 5 reasons why you should encourage your children to drink healthier and switch from soda to water:  

1.    Hydrating – Water is extremely essential and it’s at the heart of a healthy lifestyle! Drinking water throughout the day helps your child learn by providing energy and attentiveness, which will help them focus on activities that develop language, social and comprehension skills. Lack of water could lead to dehydration, which causes symptoms that hinder a child’s cognitive development, including confusion and fatigue

2.    Beneficial – Drinking soda and other sugary drinks negatively impacts a child's development. Issues such as weight gain, diabetes, dental problems, etc. can arise as a result of making the choice to consume unhealthy drinks

3.    Approving – HINT is the first beverage other than plain water approved by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for all three of their tiers (Elementary, Middle, and High School students)

4.     Enjoyable – Reassure your children that the beverage promises to make drinking water easier to drink and more fun. With just a hint of flavor – HINT is available in ten unique and delicious flavors including Watermelon, Blackberry, Pomegranate-Tangerine, Strawberry-Kiwi, Raspberry-Lime, Mango-Grapefruit, Lime, Pear, Honeydew-Hibiscus and Cucumber

5.    Useful– HINT isn’t an alternative to water because it is WATER. HINT is a great way for kids of all ages (and adults too) looking for a healthy, more flavorful drink option to still reap the advantages of water

If it’s the carbonated bubbles that your child loves, then not to worry, HINT Water also launched the first and only unsweetened sparkling essence water, HINT Fizz and is available in four flavors including Blackberry, Watermelon, Strawberry-Kiwi and Peach.

 

Eating Green: Super Bowl Swaps

I just read that people can consume between 1,500 and 3,000 calories during a typical Super Bowl party. That's a day's worth of food, much of it often high-sugar or high-fat foods.

Whole Foods Market’s healthy eating chef Chad Sarno shares tips from his healthy eating playbook for lighter takes on game day favorites that will have your guests cheering.

 

Easy Swaps for Dips and Appetizers:

      ·  Revamp the classic crowd pleasers, salsa and hummus, with healthful alternatives such as Black Bean Hummus or Fresh Pineapple Salsa

      ·  Ditch those oily chips and fatty dips, and serve up some Edamame Guacamole or Nutty Red Pepper and Basil Dip with fresh veggies or make your own Cheesy Kale Chips for a nutrient-packed, crunchy snack.

Enough to Feed the Whole Team:

      ·  Appease even the pickiest of eaters by offering a smart alternative to personal pan-pizza with Engine 2’s Plant-Strong Tortilla Hummus Pizzas

      ·  Entertain your whole sideline with Pita Chips with Sweet Potato Mash and Smoked Almonds
      ·  Put your own twist on a traditional game day dish by serving up protein-packed Lentil Chili, Bison Chili or Turkey Sloppy Janes.  

If Your Party Goes Into Overtime:

      ·  Once the fourth quarter comes to a close, surprise everyone by breaking out some special treats from our playbook such as Cocoa-Oat Truffles or No-Bake Thumbprint Cookies     

 

      ·  Try this tip! Lighten up baking even more by swapping up to half the butter/margarine in a recipe for unsweetened applesauce or try adding in beets or dates, which are naturally sweet for added flavor and health!

 

 

About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM) is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company's motto “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s nearly 60,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2010, the company had sales of more than $9 billion and currently has more than 300 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Healthy Habits: Freeze-Drying Food (Infographic)

Eating Green: Fantastic Organic

Whole Foods and PBS are teaming up to bring you Fantastic Organic, a website with a wealth of information about organic food, and fun kids' activities to learn about healthy eating, including videos, grocery store bingo, and more!

Eating Green: Unreal

Halloween is coming up, which means it may be a struggle to avoid certain things in your house - things like GMOs, artificial flavors and colors, corn syrup, and more "junk" found in candy typically given out. There are a lot of alternatives, including candy from UNREAL. These candies are designed to look like familiar favorites - but to be "unjunked" be eliminating things like hydrogenated oils and corn syrup.

They don't taste exactly like similar brands - but I think they taste better. They have less sugar, and less junk, than alternatives, but for me, that means there's also no artificial-color aftertaste. (Yes, those flavorless chemicals really do have a flavor if you're a taster.) My kids and husband love them. Everyone I've shared them with has enjoyed them, and the story behind the products is great too - that is was started by a boy who wanted to prove that candy could be better for people and the planet. Ingredients are sourced responsibly as much as possible, and the company wants to sell their products for similar prices as traditional candy, so it doesn't break the bank to eat better.

The candy is currently sold at Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, Staples, Kroger, and more, and is coming soon to Target.
Disclosure: I was compensated by UNREAL to host a party and to write this post.

Website Spotlight: Real Food moms

I want to highlight a website that will be helpful for anyone trying to shift the way their family eats away from overprocessed foods to natural foods. The website Real Food Moms is a website that focuses on nutrition, wellness, and relaxation techniques. Since it was created especially for busy moms and their families, the tips and ideas are realistic and practical - doable by just about any household.

The website incorporates yoga, nutrition, and stress reduction, so it's a balanced approach to a healthy mind and body. The site's creator, Tracee Yablon-Brenner, is a registered dietician and board-certified holistic health counselor, so her advice comes from experience and training. She's also the author of two National Parenting Publication Awards for her books on family and toddler nutrition.

I found the site very helpful. It's suitable for anyone looking to live a more natural, healthy lifestyle, whether you're just starting to make changes or have already been living that way for some time. An example is her guide to what's in your food closet. The Pantry Makeover is an easy-to-read guide that discusses what shouldn't be in your pantry, and what should, along with tips and recipes to help you use the suggested ingredents.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-book, The Pantry Makeover, to facilitate this post.

Eating Green: Bitsy's Brainfood

I recently had a chance to try out Bitsy's Brainfood, healthy and fun treats that contain nutrients great for kids growing bodies and brains, including omega-3 DHA, calcium, vitamins A/B12/D3, folid acid, and fiber. They come in four unique flavors: lemon broccoli, orange chocolate beet, sweet potato oatmeal raisin, and zucchini gingerbread carrot. The flavors sounded strange to me at first, but they're pretty good - even my very picky toddler loved them.

The founders of Bitsy's Brainfood like buying organic ingredients too. Although they aren't certified organic, they do promise to use organic ingredients and real fruits and veggies, avoid preservatives and artificial colors and flavors, and avoid GMOs.

The site is kid-friendly too. Kids can learn about the different food groups and what makes them healthy, play games, and print out educational and creative activities. Parents can find out more about Bitsy, where to buy (currently only at Abe's Market and diapers.com), and also find some healthy, kid-friendly recipes.

Disclosure: I received complimentary boxes of Bitsy's Brainfood to facilitate this review.

Eating Green: Back to the Roots

I'm sure you've heard it said that it's good to eat local food. It's great to eat food from your own garden, too. Now Back to the Roots makes it possible to grow mushrooms right in your own kitchen.

I got a chance to review Back to the Roots, a grow-your-own mushroom kit that's really easy to use. You simply cut a slit in the box and bag, and spritz down so it stays damp. The website has some great pictures, too - as well as a lot of fun recipes (so visit the website even if you don't want to buy a box, just for great ideas using mushrooms). Each kit lets you grow up to 1 1/2 pounds of oyster mushrooms. It was a lot of fun for my daughters, too. Both girls loved spritzing the mushrooms down with the included spritzer, and the older one was fascinated by watching them grow each day.

The company is also very socially conscious. The mushrooms grow in recycled coffee grounds - in 2011, they'll save around a million pounds of coffee grounds from the landfill, and they encourage composting when you're done with your kit. They also help support urban gardens for schools and communities.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary box from Back to the Roots to facilitate this review.

Buying Green: Bob's Red Mill

Bob's Red Mill is an employee-owned stone grinding miller of whole grains, which was founded in 1978 with the mission of moving people back to the basics with healthy whole grains, high-fiber and complex carbohydrates. They have an extensive line of more than 400 all natural, organic and gluten-free flours, cereals, meals and mixes for pancakes, breads, and soups. For those with a gluten-allergy, you can rest assured knowing that they have a dedicated gluten-free manufacturing facility. They also follow strict organic protocols.

Even better? The food is delicious. I've had some of their foods, and recently got a chance to sample honey oat granola, which is a delightful blend of sweetness and crunch and makes an excellent addition to oatmeal, cereal, salads, or parfaits.

Disclosure: I was provided a sampling opportunity through Moms Meet.

Eating Green: Culver's

Fast food isn't known for it's eco-friendly options. Culver's is making an attempt at improving their offerings to include tastier, plumper chicken nuggets and sandwiches made using antibiotic-free chicken. The chicken is raised on a 100 percent vegetarian diet by family-owned Springer Mountain Farms in Georgia, a subsidiary brand of Fieldale Farms. Springer Mountain Farms is also American Humane Certified by the American Humane Association. This means that, besides being void of growth stimulants, chickens are never fed animal by-products; have access to clean water; live under conditions that limit stress; and have sufficient space, facilities, shelter and resting areas.

You can find out more information at Culver's on Facebook or @Culvers.