Fresh summer treat (and Happy Canada Day!)Amazingly crunchy and a nice complement to a salad or your favourite dish. It does splatter all over you when you peel it and it looks like a vampire has had a go at your neck. D&B thought I was attacked by that hottie from that Twilight movie - unfortunately that wasn't the case, but my stained neck and clothes were worth it. High in antioxidants too and very good for the bathing suit countdown diet.

From Wiki: Pomegranate juice provides about 16% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement per 100 ml serving, and is a good source of vitamin B (pantothenic acid), potassium and antioxidant polyphenols.

Get out there and have some maple syrup or some Canadian Beer today, there is also a big party in Trafalgar Square all day!

Ten things banned in organic food

1. Aspartame - artificial sweetener (which makes everything taste too sickly sweet)
   
2. Genetic modification - which can cause allergic reactions (and makes your apples look like perfect specimens)
   
3. Herbicides - destroy the life of the soil
   
4. Hydrogenated fat - linked to heart disease
5. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) - bad for you all around, found in fast food and more
6. Phosphoric acid - linked to osteoporosis
7. Sulphur dioxide - can cause problems for asthmatics
8. Hormones- the level of artificial hormones in food and water can upset our individual levels
9. Artificial colorings - linked to hyperactivity in children
10. Artificial flavorings - why do we need them?

*why is any of this stuff in our food?! And if all of this stuff is added why is it more expensive to buy organic - wouldn't it mean less chemicals to buy?

Source: Cooks Pocket Companion, 2007
Pic: cropduster spraying pesticide, Wikipedia

Water

Water, aqua, acqua, vand, Wasser, voda, eau, paani, djour, mul, maille or whichever language you want to say it in is very important to us wherever we live. We need it to live and our bodies are made up of 70% of it and 71% of the earth is covered by it.

It comes in different forms and affects each part of our life, we deal with it in different forms, some are now enjoying snow, hail, rain, fog and ice while others are enjoying it on their sun holidays in the form of lakes, rivers and oceans. We need it to water our gardens for food, to wash our bodies, to cool us down and to wake us up. Essentially water is everywhere and connects us all globally. See Paolo in the pic skiing in Dubai at an indoor ski dome.

We need it for cooking or preparing almost all of our foods -how would we survive without water for boiling our pasta?! Well this post is a shameless plug for a project I am working on and it is called Shoot Experience, the idea of a friend Brett from South Africa/London who is running a global photography project called the 'Connective Collective' with the theme of... you guessed it, water!

The events will take place in cities around the world, including Toronto & London, my two fave cities and participants will spend a day on a photographic scavenger hunt looking for clues which are related to the theme of water. Kind of like the Amazing Race tv show if you want to attend all of them?! I can ask Brett for a discount if you do...Check it out and sign up. If you want more information just drop me a line and I can give you more details on your preferred city.

And remember water is not food, it is a chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life. Don't waste it. Wiki has an excellent page on it if you want to read more.