Going to a body and nutrition expert with my husband is one of the best things we’ve done for ourselves. What was the key take away? Warning! Turn Alkaline!

Turn Alkaline? Are we magicians? Well according to biochemists we are! You can change your body chemistry with what you eat!

Chemicals have seeped into foods, air, and water, which in turn lower our system’s ability to control the chemistry of our body fluids, increasing illness and chronic disease.

The sad fact is that most food consumption in the wealthiest nations has shifted from nutritious raw foods to low nutritional value processed foods and we need to shift it back. Now that our total biological terrain is at risk, we urgently need to do some clean up by shifting our body chemistry back to the raw, organic foods it was designed to function on as we’ve evolved.

Below I’ve listed out a quick list of the good foods (alkaline) to treat your body to often…

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Think about how you feel after having certain foods.

A greasy fast food meal more than likely leaves you tired, sluggish, and possibly feeling guilty, while a meal full of complex carbohydrates, healthy protein and fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables leaves a person feeling satisfied and energized.

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And I am not alone in my banana affection. Our natural foods co-op sells more organic bananas on a yearly basis than any other fruit, in spite of all their efforts to promote local produce. But I have some news that makes me feel better about all my winter banana purchases. The carbon-neutral banana is on its way, courtesy of Dole.

Last summer, Dole announced plans to carbon-neutralize its entire banana supply chain. They intend to lower emissions through altering agricultural practices and transportation methods. They will also work with Costa Rica’s forestry financing fund to cancel out emissions through funding reforestation projects with Costa Rican farmers. Dole, the world’s largest producer and distributor of fruits and vegetables, says that in part they are responding to consumer concerns. And Costa Rica is aiming to be a climate-neutral nation!

So if you, too, live in a place where the first spring fruit is still a ways off, try this smoothie recipe, and consider using Dole organic bananas from Costa Rica.

1 or 2 ripe bananas

6-8 frozen strawberries (from last summer’s U-pick stock)

a handful of ice

about 1/2 cup of apple juice, depending on thickness you like

a glob of vanilla yogurt (I like brown cow)

Put it all together in a blender and blend till smooth. Adjust for desired taste and thickness. Enjoy!

Co-op America is a large member organization that works to harness the strength of consumers, investors, businesses and the
marketplace to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable
society. The Fair Trade cause was a perfect fit for Co-op Amierca’s mission and the organization serves as patron and parent to the Fair Trade Federation in the United States. Co-op America has recently released a "Guide to Fair Trade" (PDF) which is the best resource I’ve seen if you are just starting to learn about Fair Trade or you’re looking for a way to introduce family and friends to the idea of Fair Trade.

The guide begins with a thorough overview of the Fair Trade principles and how those principles are enforced and checked. It also includes vingettes on Fair Trade producer groups around the world. The guide gives the reader a glimpse at the widening array of Fair Trade produtcs now available which go beyond flagship products coffee and chocolate to include spices, fresh fruits, wine, sugar, vanilla and even sports balls. A directory is included so you will know to which shops you should begin shifting your consumption in support of Fair Trade.

If you are willing to contribute more to the cause of economic justice than your dollars the guide provides suggestions and steps on how you can take action. Co-op America’s current action focus is on opening the North American market for Fair Trade bananas which is logistically ripe for explosive growth. Fair Trade bananas have been available in North America since 2004 when market leader Oke Bananas opened for business (see the Guide to Fair Trade for a profile of this young company). In Europe, where Fair Trade fruit has been available since the mid-90s,
sales of Fair Trade bananas have been growing at a rate of about 50
percent a year.

Fair Trade is certainly not perfect, and I think in the honest interest of bettering the global economy, we are obligated to highlight its failures when they become apparent, and offer suggestions for improvement. We've discussed some other failures in previous posts and comments but a recent allegation in the UK highlights one of the major shortcomings of the movement in accomplishing its goal of a fairer trade system for the global economy's most disadvantaged citizens.

The BBC reported on May 23rd that workers at Pratt's Bananas, the UK's largest banana ripener (yes, they buy bananas, import and ripen them), and a ripener of some Fair Trade bananas, has been exploiting workers in just the ways Fair Trade attempts to stem. Workers complained of working six to seven days a week for 10-12 hour shifts, sometimes without breaks, if they did not meet strict quotas. One woman is taking the company to an industrial tribunal claiming her forced exertion caused her to miscarry.

These are eye-opening allegations and exemplify the common criticism of Fair Trade: it's certifications and standards are not always applied to the entire supply chain. While farm cooperatives in disadvantaged nations are certified and monitored annually, the importers are not always held to the same strict standards or monitoring. While such working conditions are illegal in the UK and the US, they certainly do exist in both countries. All of this raises the serious question of whether or not you can truly call a product Fair Trade with a straight face when the migrant workers in an unmonitored piece of the supply chain are being exploited. I think the easy and honest answer is no.

Fair Trade attempts to diminish this flaw by encouraging direct relationships between producers and retailers, but this is not always possible. Bananas, for instance, virtually require at least one middleperson to import, ripen and distribute to retail outlets. In this, and other similar cases, it seems essential for Fair Trade labeling organizations to develop ways to monitor the entire life of a Fair Trade product. If they cannot accomplish this, the label ought to make clear that the bananas were grown and picked under Fair Trade conditions but the certification ends there. And if they cannot accomplish even this, the only right thing to do would be to stop certifying products that are not unquestionably Fair Trade from crop to kitchen.

Sources: BBC - Banana firm 'exploits migrant workers'

We're always talking about bringing your own bag, and avoiding plastic bags at all costs - but this is (quite literally) a low-hanging fruit. Just cut out the bag all together. Let's start a Banana Bag Ban - the BBB will unite to educate others one the uselessness of bagging those bananas.

Rebecca says: I'd really like to know if you are in the habit of bagging bananas. I grew up this way, but have had to teach each of my roommates over the years that the bag is unnecessary. I can't really find stats on the topic (strange, I know), but imagine how many plastic produce bags would be saved if we all stopped bagging our bananas. Sounds naughty.

Send me your tips! I want to hear what you have to say!