Happy Friday! This has been an intense week on many levels. So, let’s talk about it!
In Dale Rogerson’s blog post this week, she talked about the quality and purity of our food supply. If you want to see what she had to say, take a look HERE.
And, I want to preface this discussion by saying I believe the food supply in this part of the world to be some of the safest and best across the globe. And yet, even when making every effort to purchase organic fruits and vegetables, are we really getting anything pure?
In a CNN Health article, it is reported that the FDA confirms PFAS Chemicals have made their way into the US food supply. PFAS Chemicals are referred to as the “forever” chemicals in that once they enter the body, they never leave. In the body, PFAS chemicals primarily settle into the blood, kidney, and liver. A study from 2007 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that PFAS chemicals could be detected in the blood of 98% of the US population.
Wow! 98% is a pretty big number.
As Dale discussed on her blog post, buying organic is the best way to avoid the heavy chemicals found in other produce. But can we trust the organic labels? And organic produce costs at least double compared to other regularly grown produce. For example, I was in the Whole Foods store the other day and the cost of a single red bell pepper was $5. That’s a lot, based on my food-buying budget.
So, what can we do to ensure we get the best and cleanest food we can? Someone suggested buying from local farmer’s markets and while that is the freshest produce around, it isn’t always grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
The answer? Grow you own, if you can. Even at that, you have to consider the location and the possibilities of chemicals leaching into the ground. I live on the fourth floor in an apartment building in the middle of a huge city. That’s not an option for me. So I will continue to purchase what is labeled as organic when I can afford it. I do wish we could trust the labeling and that has recently come under scrutiny as well. The FDA does not regulate the use of the term “organic” on food labels. On top of that, there is a whole plethora of accepted labels that may indicate certain levels or percentages of organic food. It can be confusing and expensive for the consumers.
On the health front, I wound up in the Emergency Room on Tuesday evening after another violent and debilitating dizzy spell. I was sitting on the floor backstage with my 8-year-old granddaughter, playing Uno while waiting for her to do her tap dance recital. It hit me just like the other one did, hard and fast with no warning. The room was spinning. I gripped the floor to stay upright. My two daughters came back after a phone call to see how things were going, and they called an ambulance. I still don’t know what’s causing these. They did a CT scan of the brain in the hospital and didn’t find anything significant that would cause these symptoms, but they did find a spot on my brain that shouldn’t be there. I have an appointment next week for a Vertigo evaluation. All I know is that I need to find a solution and fast! The thought of traveling outside the country and having to deal with an episode like this is frightening, to say the least. So, I will see a neurologist, get an MRI, and go to the Vertigo evaluation next Tuesday. I will take all the good juju you want to send my way!
Last but certainly not least is a bit of good news! We did it!!! Thank you SO much for all of your votes! Saddled Hearts is a finalist in the 2023 RONE Awards!
This is the next step in the process, so keep your fingers crossed for SADDLED HEARTS!
The finalists will then be read by a group of industry professionals consisting of editors, writers, professors etc., and be judged on one to five scales from a specific list of requirements such as characterization, overall arc, editing, etc. Those scores will then be tallied by a professional company unrelated to InD’tale or its employees to determine the winner of the coveted RONE award, along with the honorable mentions.
That’s it from me for today. I look forward to your comments!