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Monday, March 10, 2008

I'm switching to underground glacier water

This article on the AP today about pharmaceuticals leaching into our water is pretty horrifying to me. Basically they have found that people take lots of drugs and some parts of those drugs are absorbed by the body and the rest pass through the body as waste and are flushed down the toilet and into our sewer system. The water treatment plants don't treat the water to remove drugs and so they stay in the system. They even think that chlorine added to the water to treat it might make the drugs even more toxic. What made me really mad was that they indicated that they don't generally release the results of tests on the water for drugs because the public might be "unduly alarmed". But the article also says:

And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies — which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public — have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife.

So, yeah, I am alarmed, but I think I am duly alarmed. They have found sex hormones, anitbiotics, epilepsy medication, heart medications, mood stabalizing meds, cholesterol medications...

Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city's [Philadelphia] watersheds.

But wait, there's more. Not only are drugs from people in the drinking water, so are all the drugs they give to factory farmed animals.

Human waste isn't the only source of contamination. Cattle, for example, are given ear implants that provide a slow release of trenbolone, an anabolic steroid used by some bodybuilders, which causes cattle to bulk up. But not all the trenbolone circulating in a steer is metabolized. A German study showed 10 percent of the steroid passed right through the animals.

Water sampled downstream of a Nebraska feedlot had steroid levels four times as high as the water taken upstream. Male fathead minnows living in that downstream area had low testosterone levels and small heads.

Other veterinary drugs also play a role. Pets are now treated for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, allergies, dementia, and even obesity — sometimes with the same drugs as humans. The inflation-adjusted value of veterinary drugs rose by 8 percent, to $5.2 billion, over the past five years, according to an analysis of data from the Animal Health Institute.

Filtered water and well water are also not safe. Well water is evidently contaminated by chemicals seeping into the ground from septic tanks. This whole thing makes me mad because I try really hard to not put things into my body that it doesn't need. I don't even take advil unless I am in SEVERE pain. So, what's a girl to do?? I think I'll be switching to underground glacier water.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Vegan Eating in Park City, Utah

Since I am moving to Park City at the end of the month (and recent visited for a house hunting trip), I've been doing a lot of research into where to eat. I read a lot of comments on the web about how un-friendly Park City is for Vegans, but I found this to be entirely untrue. Park City felt more vegan friendly to me than Boston. Below is the list of places that look like they have vegan options. Always ask, of course, at the restaurant to be sure. As I try out these places, I will update this post and link to my own reviews.

Shabu
100% veg broth, tofu bento or coconut encrusted tofu with stir fry veg. Pineapple sorbet

Squatters Roadhouse Grill
Brewery with vegan stuff actually marked on the menu
Lots of choices - charbroiled tofu tacos, tempeh salad, veggie burger, edamae hummus, vegan tofu scramble for brunch

Reyes Adobe - veggie chimichanga. Tell them you are vegan to get the right beans on the side.

350 Main

Bangkok Thai on Main = Ask for Vegan Pad See Ew with Tofu

Good Karma Restaurant
Indian, Persian, Japanese Noodle

Spencer's Smokin' Grill
Smokin' Tofu and Fire Roasted Vegetables (not sure if the bbq sauce on the table is vegan)

Taste of Saigon - Vietnamese

Cafe Trang

Szechwan Chinese Kitchen - 612 Ute Blvd # 103, Park City, UT

Reef's - Vegan options: Hummus, Falafel, Couscous, Salads.

Bajio in Kimball Junction - Burritos

Salt Lake City
Sage's - review

Vertical Diner - review

Updated on Dec 11, 2009