TIPS FOR SAFER FOOD FROM CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY

Center for Food Safety (www.centerforfoodsafety.org) offers information on safe food handling and consumption during the COVID-19 crisis.

1. General FAQs about safe food handling
https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/5978/frequently-asked-questions-covid-19-and-food-safety



2.   Recommendations about alternative food sources to consider.   https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/5972/3-ways-you-can-eat-safely-during-the-covid-19-outbreak

THE CARES ACT

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020.

Its stated intent was to proved "fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses, and preserve jobs for our American Industries."

Read more here:

https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares

More discussion here later.

FOOD SHOPPING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19

These food sources -- mostly with Chicago area people in mind --  may be convenient for those sheltering in place!*

-- Amazon (www.Amazon.com) 
-- Imperfect Foods (www.ImperfectFoods.com)
-- Daily Harvest (www.Daily-Harvest.com)
-- Fresh Picks (www.FreshPicks.com)
-- Freshly (www.Freshly.com)

-- Sprinly (www.Sprinly.com)

-- Veestro (https://www.veestro.com)

--Splendid Spoon (https://splendidspoon.com)

These are all sources I have used and I appreciate them a lot -- especially now!  Check to see if they serve your location.

1. In general I prefer using PayPal for online shopping.  Where CC is required I keep all online purchases on one "dedicated" card so it's less hassle if it gets frauded.

2. Be flexible.  Stores may be out of what you want but may have other choices to deliver to you.

3. Write dates on cans & boxes with marking pens so you can consume the oldest items first.

4. Leave realistic delivery instructions.  Check your building's requirements.  

5. Websites I've used.  The websites listed here have worked best for me since my Prolia disaster made shopping quite painful.  

(www.JoansBackboneDisaster.com)

6. I've used Instacart but I've found the stores here work better for me.  But check what Instacart offers in your area! 

7. Keep a list of what you got where so you can easily find your faves again!

8. The refrigerated or frozen meals that arrive in special cold packs are pricey.   But they there is no prep, no waste, and many are large enough for two meals. 

Here is more detail about each of the sources I've used: 

A. Amazon. www.Amazon.com

1. I know we all love to hate Amazon, but for now, Amazon can be helpful.   

2. Sign up for Amazon Prime.  The price you pay for this feature will likely be offset by free deliveries of many things plus speed, convenience, and selection.

3. Explore the many Amazon food shopping services - Amazon Fresh, Amazon Whole Foods, Pantry Lists, etc.  Most offer free delivery for orders over a certain price, and/or for Prime customers.   

4. Consider buying staples by the case. 

5. Get an idea of what's available by entering the name of food you want and seeing where Amazon takes you!

6. Keep a list of where you got things you especially like so you can find them again.

7. Keep lists of orders "in progress" and pay when you reach free delivery levels.  And keep an eye out for online specials.

I mostly shop Amazon's Whole Foods list, but right now (April 9, 2020) they are not even giving delivery slots. Check back for delivery windows.

Here's now Amazon is handling food now: 
https://blog.aboutamazon.com/company-news/how-amazon-is-helping-customers-get-groceries

I was happy to see that (at least. according to Forbes), Amazon is not "COVID-teering" (the word I just coined for companies making unfair profit from this crisis).
https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2020/05/04/amazon-neither-winning-or-profiting-from-covid-19/#2f58aa706793

B. Imperfect Foods.  www.imperfectfoods.com  
See if they this company delivers to your area. They offer organic and conventional foods, raw and prepared, vegan and animal-sourced, all considered "imperfect" because of being close to expiry dates (but not beyond), or from broken lots, or too oddly sized or shaped for supermarket display.   

You can sign up for weekly or bi-weekly delivery on a "Book of the Month Club" model, so you need to let them know in advance when you don't want a box. You can also make some choices and list foods you never want.   More details at their website. 

C. Daily Harvest https://www.daily-harvest.com/app/home
Daily Harvest delivers prepped produce, mainly vegetables and fruits, in measured containers, for healthful smoothie to which you only need to add liquid and blend. (They also deliver salads, soups and some other items in frozen containers).   

I have a plan were I get four or five smoothies and one or two soups every week.  Since standing for a long time doing food prep is hard for me, this is truly a healthful luxury!  

This is a "Book of the Month Club" type of service.  You can always skip a box or change the contents, but if you do not do so by their deadline you'll get what they send you!  But check it out - some offerings -- soups, harvest bowls etc. -- are higher in sodium than I'd like, so these are just occasional treats!  

D. Fresh Picks.  www.FreshPicks.com

This is a Chicago area company.

If you are in the Chicago area you may know Irv and Shelley's Fresh Picks from the summer produce markets.   Besides local organic produce. they sell some prepared foods and some animal based products, many from small local companies.  It's a nice selection and worth a look.

They offer weekly deliveries of either their pre-assembled boxes (best prices) or your selections.  

You'll get an e-mail about what is offered each week but you can set it up so they only deliver when you place an order.  

Your produce may arrive in a large insulated bin which is good if you won't be home.  (I ask for delivery in a big plastic bag so I don't have to worry about leaving the bin out for them to pick up.  Ask them for details on this).

E. Freshly (www.Freshly.com)

Freshly offers complete meals in containers ready to microwave and enjoy.  The are gluten free but not vegan.  For other sensitivities you can read the ingredient list on each selection.  Delivery is weekly, and these meals are to keep in the refrigerator, not the freezer.  You can select a 4, 6, 9 or 12 weekly plan, with prices lower per dish for the larger plans.  

You can keep the same selection week after week, switch selections, or opt for no delivery that particular week.  (If you don't opt out, however, you'll get a delivery automatically.) 

I find that one serving serves me well for two meals especially if I add a salad.   

F. Sprinly (www.Sprinly.com)

Gluten free and Vegan meals, ready to eat shipped in cold packs. While there is a choice of number of meals and frequency of delivery there are just six choices of meals each week.   I have liked them all and here again, half a meal serves me well. 

G. Veestro (www.veestro.com)

Gluten free and Vegan -- they offer several plans.  Heat and Eat meals with enough for at least a week (and probably more!)  delivered at one time.  They arrive frozen and are to be kept frozen until ready to use.    It was a LOT of food all at once!

H. Splendid Spoon (www.SplendidSpoon.com)  

Gluten Free and Vegan.  Wonderful smoothies, juices, soups and stews.  It's one of my favorites!    

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*This information is also at www.JoansBackboneDisaster.com as I compiled much of it originally because it was physically difficult for me to shop in person.  (I may not have entered all the updates in both websites however). 

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DJT FORCES A HORRIBLE CHOICE: YOUR LIVELIHOOD OR YOUR LIFE!

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/28/847432897/trump-plans-to-beef-up-meat-production-after-coronavirus-hits-plants

No Social Distancing for these workers forcibly crowded together for hours each day!    

These dangerous conditions, and how industry has addressed them, bring to mind Upton Sinclair's famous novel The Jungle, published over 100 years ago.
https://joanscovid19blog.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-jungle-redux.html

For smilar abuses in this modern day version of serfdom, see: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2020/04/17/covid-19-iowa-tyson-foods-meat-plant-outbreak-follows-exploitative-policies/5155905002/

For tasty, hearty, heart-healthy, humane, plant-based meals check out   https://www.forksoverknives.com.   

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THE JUNGLE, REDUX

When I was a sophomore in high school in the early 1950's, our English teacher (who had rather advanced ideas for his day) included in our reading list for that year The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair.  

Originally published in 1906, this novel told the story of a poor immigrant working in a meat packing house, in one of the few jobs available to him.  

The treatment of these workers in The Jungle, as in real life, was deplorable.  This was clearly the message Sinclair wanted the readers to take from this book.  But it was the descriptions of filthy conditions in the package houses that most caught the attention of the public.  

In fact, this book has been credited with giving the main impetus to the Federal meat inspection laws we take for granted today.  Evidence of this law is seen in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection logos stamped on meat in interstate commerce.   

Federal protection for packinghouse workers came much later and left much to be desired.  (Or as it could be said "too little, too late.").  

As author Upton Sinclair once famously said as his book became a bestseller that "I aimed for their hearts but hit their stomachs instead!"    

There have been some occupational health protections since, but packinghouse work still remains dangerous as workers with sharp knives in close quarters prepare the meat for market.

And now we have a new problem for these same workers: COVID-19.  We have seen major outbreaks in meat processing operations throughout the U.S.  And these workers -- crowded together as they trim carcasses --  transmit it to each other and bring it home to their families and communities as well.  

Apparently ignoring it at first, the large meat production companies, mainly in the midwest, have now been forced to recognize what this has done to their workers and their communities.  

https://joanscovid19blog.blogspot.com/2020/05/djt-forces-horrible-choice-your.html

But sadly, this has also been too little, too late.  What have we learned in the hundred-plus years since The Jungle was published?  And who will be our next Upton Sinclair?  

NUTRITIONIST CAROL D'ANCA'S WONDERFUL PLANT BASED RECIPES

Looking for great plant based recipes that are delicious and easy to prepare?   Gourmet Chef and Nutritionist Carol D'Anca offers these at: https://www.foodnotmeds.com 
at 

https://www.foodnotmeds.com/recipe/

More great recipes are in her books Real Food for Healthy People and Food Not Meds,
Both at Amazon.com!

Enjoy these healthful, delicious, plant based dishes!  

This post is included in this Blog because of increasing evidence linking various aspects of the meat industry with COVID-19.    

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DR. CAMPBELL'S PLANT BASED NUTRITION COURSE AND RECIPES

Dr. Colin Campbell (author of  The China Study and countless articles in journals of health and nutrition) 
offers a a wealth of information on plant based nutrition Plant Based Nutrition Education Program online!  

What a great learning project for Sheltering in Place!

https://nutritionstudies.org/whole-food-plant-based-diet-guide/?utm_source=Newsletter+List&utm_campaign=b3918fb068-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_13_01_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9941e1caac-b3918fb068-56631645

Here you will find a basic outline for plant based living, plus specific information including a 3-Day Meal Plan, Ingredient Substitutions, Breakfast Ideas, Cooking without Oil, Time Saving Tips, Batch Cooking and Dining Out (which we aren't doing so much now but maybe someday!)   Each of these programs includes easy recipes to prepare the recommended foods.

This post is included in this Blog because of increasing evidence linking various aspects of the meat industry with COVID-19.    

A NICE HAND SANITIZER!

Check out Bath and Body Works for cute hand sanitizers: 

https://www.bathandbodyworks.com 

at

https://www.bathandbodyworks.com/c/hand-soaps/all-hand-sanitizers

The unique "Pocket-Bac" hand sanitizers in the ROUNDED containers fit in the unique Bath and Body Works Pocket-Bac holders.  I prefer these to the refillable rectangular holders but be sure you pick the model and holder made for each other.   

https://www.bathandbodyworks.com/s?q=pocket+bac+holders&lang=en_US

And see: 

https://www.amazon.com/Bath-Body-Works-Anti-Bacterial-Sanitizers/dp/B015QOGXR8/ref=pd_lpo_194_img_2/141-4605138-7649411?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015QOGXR8&pd_rd_r=cd761f83-9fd7-4ec5-8983-313b358ec2d9&pd_rd_w=LCsGI&pd_rd_wg=6sl8h&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=CDWAKXXVF007ZXFKK2P7&psc=1&refRID=CDWAKXXVF007ZXFKK2P7

And see: 

https://www.amazon.com/Bath-Body-Works-Anti-Bacterial-Sanitizers/dp/B011CUTWWI/ref=asc_df_B011CUTWWI/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584001427446769&psc=1

Amazon sells cute lanyards for women at  www.Amazon.com.   (See ECOHIP 4-Pack Lanyards for Women and other styles. 

MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE IN THE TIME OF CORONA VIRUS

(Note: This post is also printed at my blog Joans Backbone Disaster
http://www.joansbackbonedisaster.com/2020/07/medical-and-dental-care-in-time-of.html)


(With apologies to Colombian Nobelist Gabriel Garcia Márquez, author of Love in the time of Cholera.)

As readers of these pages know, I have been dealing with the fallout from painful multiple vertebral fractures occurring following the medical mismanagement of the osteoporosis drug, Prolia. Now, two years and a lot of physical therapy later, I can now walk a little and remain upright (standing or sitting) without too much pain for an hour or two.    I've given up my car; driving was just too distractingly painful, and I avoid theatre or concerts or anything requiring me to remain quietly seated for an hour or more with no opportunity to depart quietly and gracefully when the pain becomes too intense

But now comes another issue which is causing me great consternation and one more example of the negotiations I must carry out when various health professionals present me with conflicting sets of requirements, and where the consequences to me of a slip-up could be more painful, debilitating, independence-threatening fractures!

Early in 2020 I had a toothache.  A bad one!  Dental x-rays revealed a broken root, but I had to wait almost six months until the tooth could be extracted because I was on Prolia.  This is because apparently Prolia leaves your jaw vulnerable to fracture.   At first I was told I had to be OFF Prolia completely before this tooth could be extracted -- which could have left me quite vulnerable to more fractures!    I discuss this at:

http://www.joansbackbonedisaster.com/2019/12/a-cruel-prolia-related-choice-must-i.html

So in view of the dire consequences of even a short delay in getting a Prolia shot (caused by medical mismanagement of this drug as discussed elsewhere in this blog) I wanted to make sure there would be no delay here in getting my Prolia shot April 14 (the mandated six months and 5 days for spacing Prolia injections.)

I knew this would take a lot of juggling because despite the fact that the two doctors involved are across the street from each other in Northwestern Medical Center buildings, and both have telephones,  they do not  communicate with each other, leaving me to fly back and forth like a Carrier Pigeon with messages.   But I finally was able to establish two dates:
April 8 for Oral Surgeon follow-ip exam.
April 14 for Prolia shot.

I had already cancelled many other medical checkups with other doctors who agreed that I did not need to come to their offices as scheduled given the Corona Virus danger.   (In fact some of them were no longer even coming to their offices!)

So inasmuch as the Oral Surgeon did not seem to think I needed to come in for  a "follow up" I cancelled that.  We agreed that additional exposure to COVID-19 was unnecessary.

Corona Virus - COVID-19 -- Complicates Matters!   To recap, the broken tooth having been extracted as scheduled on March 10, in the normal course of events, the Oral Surgeon would examine me ten days later and then I would get the Prolia shot as scheduled on April 14.

But by early March, the "normal course of events" was history.  Corona Virus -- COVID-19 -- was on a rampage around the world, with no effective prevention methods in sight.  Our political leaders and medical experts were adamant in the importance of personal protection by quarantine and self-isolation, and knowing that at age 83 I was in an especially vulnerable age cohort, I was carefully observing that, staying in my home, having no visitors, and sending out for my groceries.

But as the time for my Prolia shot came due, I knew I would have to leave my carefully maintained  COVID-19 free quarters and venture to Northwestern University medical buildings two more times: First, to have my "follow up" appointment with the Oral Surgeon, and then several days later for the Prolia shot. 

So to minimize this exposure, I called the Oral Surgeon's office and reported that the extraction site felt fine; no pain, no swelling, and it was agreed that I could defer the follow-up visit to minimize COVID-19 exposure risk. 

But this did not work for the Prolia doc's office where I was told that following the March 10 extraction, I MUST see the Oral Surgeon to be "cleared" for the Prolia shot.   So I dutifully called back and reestablished the Oral Surgeon follow-up exam for April 8 and then the Prolia shot on April 14.

It appeared then that I would have to go out out TWICE, with TWO exposures to COVID-19 in order to get the Prolia shot on time so that I wouldn't have MORE fractures!   Talk about a rock and a hard place!

So I was really delighted when the Oral Surgeon said that since I reported (honestly) to him that following the extraction I had no pain or swelling and that the site was well healed,  that I could cancel the "post extraction" exam and get the Prolia shot at the scheduled time. 

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DR. DEVRIES PLANT BASED NUTRITION COURSE ONLINE, AND RECIPES

Dr. Stephen Devries offers a free online certificate course in Plant Based Nutrition at: 
https://www.gaplesinstitute.org/nutrition_course/

What a great learning activity while sheltering in place!

This course is free to the general public. However, if you are a health care professional, Dr. Devries also offers a course for continuing medical education credit at a reasonable fee.

If you don't care to reward an industry which has been treating its labor force -- and public health in general -- with such horrendous disregard, this is a healthful and informative way to protest!  


Dr. Devries is a preventive cardiologist on the faculty of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.  He is also Executive Director of the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology.   You can learn more about him here.
https://www.gaplesinstitute.org/about-us/board-and-officers/#officer-721

This post is included in this Blog because of increasing evidence linking various aspects of the meat industry with COVID-19.    

###

A HORSE RACE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE!

Two minutes of badly needed (if just short of tasteful) humor:

https://www.facebook.com/saltycrystal/videos/best-thing-youll-see-today-theres-some-language-but-if-you-can-handle-it-you-won/10156827207051736/

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NOT ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT POETRY!

I can't help it -- I'm an incurable (and quite mediocre) doggerel writer!   The writers below were burdened by various physical ailments, handicaps, etc. Confined to my house both by the COVID-19 debacle as well as by my broken back, I attempt to emulate them to the extent my limited talents allow. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I were Thomas Mann, I’d write The Magic Mountain,
If I were Louisa May Alcott, I’d write Little Women, count ‘em!
If I were Dostoyevsky, my brain spells wouldn’t tire me!
And If I were John Milton, my blindness would inspire me!
So let’s not sit complaining when stymied by a virus,
We should instead produce great works so offspring would admire us!

Joan Levin, 2020

A ROUTINE MEDICAL VISIT IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

A personal account of a "Day in the Life" in a city in the time of COVID-19. 

On April 14 I was due for a Prolia shot.  This is administered every six months at Northwestern Hospital for osteoporosis.  It cannot be delayed or I could break more bones, as happened once before.    (See www.JoansBackboneDisaster.com)

Because I'd gotten rid of my car, I often take cabs, and today at 9:00 a.m. I asked the doorman in my building to get me a cab for my 9:30 a.m. appointment. 

Usually a cab arrives within minutes for this ten minute ride to Northwestern.  So 30 minutes should have been plenty of time.

But no cab appeared, so at 9:10 I started walking as fast as I could with my back in pain from the vertebral fractures.

By the time I'd walked about half a mile down Michigan Avenue to Oak Street, I was exhausted and hurting, but noticed a cab pulled over by the curb.  

The masked driver said he was off duty and I'd have to give him cash but he'd take me, so I gave him $10 for a $5 ride.  He was happy and so was I.   

Once at the St. Clair entrance of the Galter Building  (the usual entrance) all the doors were locked.  

I walked all the way around to the other side of a long block to the Feinberg Building on Fairbanks, and explained to the masked "COVID-19" guard at the door that I was not visiting anyone in the hospital (usually no problem but now it would not have been permitted) but was keeping an appointment in the Galter Building.  

The guard sent me to a nearby desk for an ID tag and I walked through several lobbies to Galter, where they let me get on an elevator. 

When I got to the 14th floor waiting room to check in, there were only two or three people -- all masked -- where there are usually 50 or more!     

I was given a real mask (much nicer than the homemade cowboy scarf mask I was wearing) and was called within five minutes. 

A nurse gave me the Prolia shot with no further delay, and I returned to the usually full cab stand on St. Clair. 

But now there were no cabs.  I could not get back into the building without walking all the way back around the long block to that only unlocked back door.  All of this, even with a cane, was definitely activating the pain associated with the vertebral fractures. 

After about half an hour when I was beginning to despair when an Uber pulled over.  The masked driver took me home and I just gave him $20, about twice what an Uber would normally charge.  He was happy and so was I. 

I keep reminding myself that I am no longer  paying for the lease on my car or for the garage in my building or for parking anywhere else.   So why not share with these good souls who are out on the street getting people where they need to go. 

My guess is that the next trip — to the Loop to get the Eylea shot in my eye -- may be much the same.  

This was the first time I’d been out of the building in many weeks (except to walk around the block occasionally) 

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IS COVID-19 A NEW HOLIDAY?

IS COVID19 A NEW HOLIDAY?

I DON'T KNOW WHICH YOM TOV IT IS:  

WE'RE WALKING AROUND IN SLIPPERS LIKE IT'S TISHA B”AV; 

WE'RE WEARING MASKS LIKE IT'S PURIM;

WE'RE ONLY ALLOWED TO EAT OUTSIDE LIKE IT'S SUKKOT; 

WE'RE EATING FRUITS LIKE IT'S TU B"SHVAT;

EVERYONE IS WALKING AROUND WITH CLEANING WIPES LIKE IT'S PESACH; 

AND WE'RE EATING MEALS WITH OUR FAMILIES AND SLEEPING

UNTIL NOON LIKE IT'S SHABBOS. 

SO WHAT HOLIDAY IS THIS AND WHEN DOES IT END--

CAUSE I'M READY TO MAKE HAVDALAH NOW

 Hang in there!

With thanks to Steve Slotsky!

POSTAGE STAMPS

Postage Stamps:
If you are sheltering in place, and if you have not set up bills to pay online or with autopay, etc. you might need postage stamps.  Here's the U.S. Postal Service online store:

https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv