How Safe Are Green Cleaning Products? Green Restaurants

I found this on Dr. Mercola's website. It's all about the so-called green chemicals that are lining the shelves at every major store.

How Safe Are Green Cleaning Products?
A growing number of Americans are seeking so-called green cleaners -- products made with natural, nontoxic, and biodegradable ingredients. Sales of natural cleaning products totaled $105 million in the last year.

Some of these cleaners promise that they contain natural (instead of synthetic) agents, break down quickly in the environment, or pose less of a toxic threat to humans and ecosystems. But critics caution that just because the ingredients in green cleaners are plant-based or natural doesn't necessarily mean they're safe.

Although green cleaners may purport to list all ingredients, the market is largely unregulated -- which means consumers still must be wary of what's in the bottle. Even cleaning products labeled "natural" may contain some fraction of synthetic chemicals. Or they may contain natural ingredients consumers would rather avoid, such as petroleum distillates, some of which can cause cancer. And just because a cleaning product is biodegradable and made from plant-based sources doesn't mean that it is without potential adverse effects on health.

Plant-based ingredients included in some green cleaners include limonene (a citrus-based oil), pine oil, and the foaming agent coconut diethanolamide -- all of which can cause allergic dermatitis. And a recent study of natural and nontoxic consumer products found the suspected cancer-causing chemical 1,4-dioxane in roughly half of 100 tested products -- including several dishwashing liquids with words such as "Earth friendly" and "eco" in their brand names.

Consumer advocates have pressed for stricter labeling rules, but the industry has resisted, arguing that long lists of ingredients would create a distraction on product labels, drawing attention away from important safety information.

Sources:
Los Angeles Times April 28, 2008


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Again buyer beware. The regulations always favor the big companies. The consumer has to be very educated on everything that is advertised.

We use Young Living Essential Oils to clean at Aroma Thyme Bistro. We use their Thives cleaner concentrate. Follow the link to find out more information.

Marcus Guiliano
Aroma Thyme Bistro
165 Canal St
Ellenville NY 12428

Trans-Fat-Free French Fries at Mcdonalds

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Americans and Canadians dining under the golden arches can worry a little less about super-sizing their waistlines.
McDonald’s is now using trans-fat-free oil at its restaurants in the United States and Canada, CEO Jim Skinner told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting Thursday. The new oil, which is used to cook french fries, hash browns, chicken, filet of fish and biscuits, is canola-based and includes corn and soy oils. Items that still contain the artery-clogging trans-fats, pies and cookies, will also be trans-fat-free by the end of 2008.

Under pressure from health officials and consumer advocates, McDonald’s committed itself to moving away from using trans-fat oils in May of 2007. The process has taken longer that originally planned as the company searched for a substitute product that would not affect the signature flavor of its french fries.

By MEGAN O’NEIL
Staff Writer
megan@midwestbusiness.com


Aroma Thyme Bistro comments:

This now brings McDonald's up to speed with it's competitors. I know they have been making an attempt for this trans-fat-free move for several years. So I guess it is a bit safer to eat fries if you eat French Fries.

The main concern about any French Fry is that it is fried in oil at a high temperature. This causes all sorts of harmful chemical reactions to occur in the food. French Fries are known to have large amounts of acrylamides. This compound has been proven to cause cancer in laboratory tests. It happens when the sugars in foods are exposed to high temperatures.

So if you do like French Fries, don't let this trans-fat-free fry from McDonalds temp you too much!

Marcus Guiliano
Aroma Thyme Bistro
Ellenville NY

Kombucha, The Healthy Cocktail at Hudson Valley Restaurant

If you have been to Aroma Thyme Bistro then you know we love fine wine, craft beer, Cognac etc...
We also pride ourselves with healthy organic food. Realizing that not everyone drinks alcohol we offer other healthy options.

Our wheatgrass juice is very popular for the die-hard health nuts. I have to admit the staff is hooked on wheatgrass as well. They wait paitently for the extra shot that gets made from time to time.

Then we have young Thai coconuts cracked open. Many people love this nutrient dense raw water in the shell for its health benefits.

Now we offer Kombucha. We have a ginger flavor and a blue-green algae infused one as well.

Here is all the info on Kombucha according to the Katalyst website:


What is Kombucha?

The wisdom of Kombucha has been providing health and vitality in small villages across Asia and Europe for thousands of years, originating in Manchuria around 220 BC. Kombucha is a living symbiotic colony of beneficial yeast and bacteria.

The culture floats atop an infusion of tea and sugar, and through the natural process of fermentation converts the sugar into organic acids and carbon dioxide. At the same time it produces a variety of other compounds that are detoxifying and nutritious to the human body, including gluconic, lactic, and folic acids. The resultant mixture is high in B-vitamins as well as an assortment of pro-biotics (beneficial bacteria including lactobacillus acidophilus and s.Boulardii).


The Health Benefits

The Living ElixirTM

Due to the production of B-vitamins, pro-biotics, and compounds including gluconic, lactic, and folic acids, drinking Kombucha tea regularly has been shown to benefit the human body by:
balancing the metabolism
cleansing the blood and regulating pH levels
improving liver, gall bladder, and digestive function
detoxifying the body and enhancing the immune system
raising overall energy level

Since we have been making Kombucha, people have been asking questions about the culture, the process, and an array of other topics. The following is a compilation of our most common questions and the best answers that we can give after our rigorous investigation and research on the subject. If you have questions please email us.

Common questions

Q: What the heck is Kombucha?
A: Kombucha itself is a living being. It is a symbiotic colony of yeast and bacteria that grows in a mixture of water, sugar, and tea, consuming the sugar and components in the tea, producing the Living Kombucha Tea.

Q: What kind of tea do you use to produce your Kombucha?
A: We use certified organic, fair trade green and black tea. We feel it of paramount importance to use organic tea and support fair trade practices in order to create equity for all people.

Q: Why do you use sugar to make it?
A: The Kombucha organism is a living being and it needs to eat. It lives off of sugars and other chemicals found in tea, such as polyphenols. We have found in our own studies that the Kombucha seems to do best with a pure sugar. Many recommend refined white sugar, but do to the bleaching and refining process involved in making this type of sugar we do not support its use for any purpose. Instead we use organic evaporated cane juice. It comes from pressed sugar cane, and contains all of the necessary components for healthy Kombucha tea without the problems associated with using such things as honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar.

Q: How much sugar is in it?
A: According to many Kombucha authorities, as much as 99.5% of sugar used to produce Kombucha tea is converted during the fermentation process. Our Kombucha contains 4-8 grams per bottle and those with sensitivity to sugar have told us that that have not had any adverse effects form our Kombucha. *Diabetics should however use discretion as they would any product containing sugar.

Q: Is there any caffeine in Kombucha?
A: We have calculated that our Kombucha has approximately 5 mg of caffeine per serving. This as opposed to other caffeinated beverages is the lowest we have encountered , and those with sensitivity to caffeine have reported no adverse effects from our Kombucha. Let us know what you think!

Caffeine Content in 8-ounce Beverage: (in milligrams)
Coffee, Drip--115-175
Tea, instant--30
Tea, green--15
Hot cocoa--14
Coffee, Decaf, brewed--3-4
SOURCES: National Soft Drink Association, US Food and Drug Administration, Bunker and McWilliams, Pepsi.

Q: Should pregnant and nursing women consult their doctor before drinking kombucha?
A: Drinking kombucha daily has been shown to detoxify the body. Most healthcare professionals recommend undergoing a detox program before, rather than during or soon after pregnancy for safety reasons. For more information consult your doctor or health professional. This link may also be helpful: http://detox.org/dangers.html

Spanish Wine Dinner at Aroma Thyme Bistro, Wines of Spain

Spanish Wines and Cuisine

Aroma Thyme Bistro announces it’s May 30th wine dinner. The theme for May’s Wine celebration in Spain. The diner will feature the exploration of the unknown Spanish white and red wines. Some of the wines are Organic Sparkling Cava, Sauvignon Blanc, Godello, Albarino, Priorat (white & red), Tinta de Toro and a Cabernet blend from Gran Viu Seleccion . The wines will be paired with a five course meal with Spanish Cuisine. Chris Rowley, wine expert at Aroma Thyme, will educate you on the wines being served that night.

The dinner is $85 per person, which includes wine and a five course meal. Reservation are taken at 845-647-3000. The evening starts a 8 pm.
Aroma Thyme is located at 165 Canal in Ellenville and features over 300 wine selections and 150 different craft beers. www.AromaThymeBistro.com

Spanish Wine Dinner
May 30th $85

Albet Y Noya Organic Cava

Bacalao, Calamari, Clams, Chorizo & Andouille Sausage
Tomatoes & Saffron
Blanco Nieva Sauvignon Blanc
Salneval, Albarino

Gazpacho
Abad Dom Bueno, Godello

Roasted Bronzini
Potatoes, Garlic, Lemon & Parsley
Barranc Dels Closos, Priorat


Grilled Filet Mignon topped with Cabrales Cheese
Sherry Vinegar Onions
Estancia Piedra, Toro
Gran Viu, Carinena
Salanques, Priorat

Almond Fig Torte
Poached Kumquats
Alceno, Monastrell

Absinthe at Hudson Valley Restaurant

We have had a few requests for Absinthe since the New York Times article last fall. We decided to bring in an American produced Absinthe. It is produced from St. George Spirits in California. St. George also produces our favorite vodka at Aroma Thyme Bistro, Hanger One.

St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte

St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte is made with fine brandy, star anise, mint, wormwood, lemon balm, hyssop, meadowsweet, basil, fennel, tarragon and stinging nettles. This infamous liquor reveals seductive flavors of anise complimented with sweet grassy tones, light citrus, white pepper, and light menthol notes.


From the New York Times
Absinthe Returns in a Glass Half Full of Mystique and Misery


By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2007

Absinthe.

For this column was conceived under the influence of a green-colored, high-proof herbal liquor that was illegal in the United States for more than 95 years. And not just here, for when that mini-Prohibition began in 1912, alarm bells were ringing all over Europe. In 1905 a Swiss man murdered his family after drinking absinthe, leading to the liquor’s banishment from that country, where it originated. The French thought they risked losing World War I to robust beer-drinking Germans because of the dissolute influence of absinthe, so it was banned in that nation as well.

The medical evidence was also damning. As early as 1879 The New York Times warned that absinthe “is much more perilous, as well as more deleterious, than any ordinary kind of liquor.” A 19th-century French doctor, who made a lifetime study of absinthism, chronicled its symptoms: “sudden delirium, epileptic attacks, vertigo, hallucinatory delirium.”

But recently this anise-flavored spirit has been seeping back into the mainstream. In 1994 a museum devoted to absinthe opened in Auvers-sur-Oise, outside Paris. With its limited availability and exotic reputation, the drink inspired cultish devotion. It tantalized with its promises of visionary consciousness, so elaborately celebrated by a century of artists and writers.

Now absinthe has been widely restored. The European Union gradually jettisoned a hodgepodge of bans and widened absinthe’s availability. And this year two brands of absinthe made according to traditional recipes have been legally imported to the United States.

Last spring a French brand, Lucid, made its debut here, using 19th-century distilling methods and replicating chemical analyses of pre-ban absinthe. A Swiss absinthe, Kübler. appeared on the American market a few weeks ago, using a 1863 family formula.

One reason legal barriers have fallen is that, as The New Yorker reported in 2006, the regulated chemical thujone, found in wormwood and once thought to have been the cause of absinthe’s lure and its dangers, did not show up in any significant quantities in analyses of historical absinthe. So these authentic replicas, despite containing wormwood, do not pose a legal challenge. And the alarmed pronouncements about absinthe made from the beginning of the Belle Époque have been proved groundless, which was decisive, a Kübler spokesman said, in swaying United States government regulators.

This still leaves open the reasons behind absinthe’s reputation as an intoxicating source of creativity and invention, a power that led Hemingway’s character Robert Jordan, in “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” to carry around a flask of this “opaque, bitter, tongue-numbing, brain-warming, stomach-warming, idea-changing liquid alchemy.” It also leaves unsettled the cause of what led absinthe to be attacked, as one 19th-century poet put it, “the Devil, made liquid.”

Wormwood might still account for some of absinthe’s effects. Pythagoras prescribed wormwood steeped in wine for labor pains. In the 17th century it was used to treat venereal disease, intestinal worms and, yes, drunkenness. By the 19th century absinthe was used by French soldiers fighting in Africa as an antiseptic, to ward off insects and to treat dysentery.

But once I sat down with bottles of Kübler, Lucid and some friends, the cause of absinthe’s reputation didn’t matter, nor did the absence, in these brands, of the pearly green color of legend. What I did find, along with flavors of anise, fennel, coriander, mint and other herbs, was something different in the liquid’s effect, a kind of relaxed alertness accompanying the lulling impact of alcohol.

But I may have also been intoxicated by the drink’s cultural heritage, some of which is surveyed in recent books like Jad Adams’s detailed study “Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle,” as well as Barnaby Conrad III’s “Absinthe: History in a Bottle” and Phil Baker’s “Book of Absinthe: A Cultural History.” (More information is available at Web sites like feeverte.net and oxygenee.com.)

Whatever the effects of heavy absinthe use, this was, almost from the start, never just another drink. It has a special place in the history of modern culture. Poems were written hailing the “green muse,” yet 19th-century writers like Alfred de Musset also fell prey to intoxication. At the Académie Française, where he was working on a dictionary, it was said that he “absinthes himself too often.”

Toulouse-Lautrec was so wedded to absinthe that he had a special cane made that hid a glass. He may have also introduced the drink to van Gogh, who threw himself into it with abandon. Aside from drinking the liquor, van Gogh painted it, and once threw a glass of it at Gauguin. Manet and Degas painted absinthe drinkers. So did Picasso. Munch drank it heavily and Strindberg fed his insanity with it. Verlaine felt enslaved to what he called “the green and terrible drink.”

But any dissolution that pockmarks this history is more attributable to alcoholism or madness than absinthe’s effects. It also seems that absinthe had a peculiar relationship to the birth of modernism, as if it distilled some aspect of the cultural revolution that began in the mid-19th century and came into its prime just as the drink was banned. Absinthe was the premier bohemian drink, as inseparable from the avant-garde of mid-19th-century Paris as was scorn the bourgeoisie. It played the role well; absinthe helped overturn that bourgeois world with seductive visions of another.


Alexander Burkatovski/Corbis
"The Absinthe Drinker" (1901), by Pablo Picasso.
Enlarge This Image

Swim Ink 2, LLC/Corbis
A poster by V. Leydet.
But even those who hailed absinthe saw unsettling shadows. Wilde explained: “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see them as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

Absinthe’s effects suggested, it seems, an inherent instability to perception, as if mixing and distilling the shimmer of Impressionism, the nightmares of Expressionism and the skewed images of Surrealism. Van Gogh made a glass of absinthe vibrate with energy. And when Manet, Degas or Picasso painted absinthe drinkers, they appeared introspective, alienated, not because they have been drugged into oblivion, but because they have seen too much.

At least in imagery, then, absinthe reflected a certain view of modernity: A firm, reliable order weakens, giving way to bleak uncertainties. For some this was a danger. A children’s anti-absinthe poem taught that the drink undermined “love of country, courage and honor.” During the Dreyfus Affair in France in the 1890s, when the French right considered Jews a threat to the old order, absinthe was denounced as a “tool of the Jews.”

In tasting absinthe now, older associations with bohemian modernism still resonate. But the lucidity absinthe supposedly creates may not, history tells us, always be reassuring. Who can’t help but feel a bit of unsettling vertigo when sipping this drink that once filled Parisian cafes, even if that vertigo, which once produced allusive French poetry, now just inspires newspaper columns.

Connections is a critic’s perspective on arts and ideas.

Organic Gluten-Free Vodka at Aroma Thyme

Aroma Thyme Bistro introduces Prairie Vodka.

Crafted on a Minnesota Prairie by a co-op of 900 farmers. Made by fifth generation spirit makers from 100 percent organic corn.
This vodka is beautifully smooth. With hints of melon and pear on the nose, creaminess on the palate, and a bright, smooth finish, it rivals the most luxurious vodkas in the worlds. It's a natural journey from the earth to the bottle.

Prairie begins with certified organic #2 yellow corn raised by the farmers who own the distellery.

Lets show our American support with this vodka. Don't forget the other great American organic vodkas like 360˙ & Square One.

Aroma Thyme also stocks other great American vodkas like Hanger One, Johnny Love, Tito's & Charbay.

The advantage to Prarie Vodka is that it is GLUTEN-FREE. This is now a major concern to many customers.

Not-so-organic salmon

USDA considers first-ever organic standards for farmed fish
Posted by Andrew Sharpless (Guest Contributor) at 11:58 AM on 20 May 2008
from Grist, Environmental News and Commentary

You may have seen "organic salmon" on the menu in your favorite seafood restaurant or counter. Guess what? It's not organic, according to the USDA. It turns out that some fishmongers have been promoting their fish as organic with definitions of their own.

This week, a USDA advisory panel will consider a key element of the country's first-ever standards for "organic" farmed fish, including salmon. The surprising news is that this standard -- if adopted -- could be a boon for both seafood consumers and conservation.


Salmon are carnivorous fish. It can take up to 10 pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farmed salmon. So, raising more and more farmed fish means catching more and more wild fish. This is not a good idea in a time when scientists tell us our oceans and its fisheries are on the verge of collapse.

In addition, thousands of salmon are typically raised together in cramped, enclosed open-water pens and, as a result, are prone to disease and blanket the seafloor with mounds of waste, turning the benthic habitat below into a desert. In Chile, as The New York Times recently reported, farmed salmon are sometimes pumped with antibiotics as a prophylactic. These antibiotics include those banned for use in animals in the United States to limit human resistance, including the antibiotic root of Cipro, the drug used to treat anthrax.

Luckily, the USDA's advisory board has proffered an important recommendation: Organic farmed fish must not be fed with wild fish. If implemented, this would allow consumers to know they're not contributing to the depletion of the world's fisheries when they buy "organic" fish.

It doesn't solve the other problems associated with salmon and open pen aquaculture, which may be harder nuts to crack. The advisory board will be addressing these issues in the fall. We'll be watching the USDA process closely to see if "organic" can live up to its initial promise.

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Comments from Aroma Thyme Bistro:

We always find salmon that is mislabeled on restaurants menus. It seems to be the an easy thing to get away with for restaurants, unless someone like me starts asking questions. In fact I found Legal Seafood, the chain restaurant, to be promoting the wrong salmon once to us. They ended up apologizing after 20 minutes of research with the manager on duty.

This one gets even better, a local restaurant reviewer has even been fooled and misrepresented fresh wild Alaskan salmon in one of his reviews. The season was shut down and the vendor they were buying from did not have any, I tried to buy some from them after the review. It turned out that the vendor never had any, remember it was out of season. And can you believe this local restaurant reviewer printed they had wild Alaskan salmon at this restaurant.

Aroma Thyme Bistro only serves WILD ALASKAN SALMON, period. We buy from vendors that can tell us were, when and how the salmon are caught.

Does this cost more? In most cases better quality food does cost more. If you have read the dangers on farmed salmon, you will never want to eat this fish again. Everything from dioxins, PCB's & mercury are found in farmed salmon. In fact in some tests a mere half of a portion of this fish contains more of these harmful chemical that the gov't says is safe to consume in one month.

What options do we have? If you like to eat salmon out, then find a restaurant that serves only wild salmon and ask alot of questions. Question like where is it from, how was it caught, when is it in season, what species is it? Maybe call the chef a day ahead and let him/her know your concerns. If the chef is really buying wild salmon he can answer these questions and give you an education on the product. Even go as far as asking the chef the name of the vendor he buys it from. You will know very quickly if they are hiding something or if they have no idea about what they are talking about.

If anyone needs additional help please call me or stop by and pickup a seafood safe pocket guide from us.



Marcus Guiliano
Aroma Thyme Bistro
165 Canal St
Ellenville, NY 12428
845-647-3000


additional resources:
Eco-Fish
Oceans Alive

Dioxins are highly toxic byproducts of industrial processes. Like many other contaminants found in fish, these chemicals are slow to break down, and they accumulate in the bottom sediments of streams, rivers, lakes and coastal areas. Dioxins can build up in the fatty tissues of fish and other animals, and in high enough concentrations pose serious health risks to people who frequently eat contaminated fish. Based on the available data on contaminants in fish, Environmental Defense recommends limiting consumption of farmed or Atlantic salmon partly because of their elevated dioxin levels.