In the light of recent rants by Dr. Ben Goldacre and others, it suddenly seems distinctly unfashionable to be using the 'd' word. What was once a yearly ritual for most self-respecting health freaks is now seen as a bit of a joke, with many people simply admitting that they don't want to punish themselves by avoiding booze and comfort food during their 'holiday comedown' and when the weather's at its bleakest. Words that all but the most strong willed will cling to in an instant...

So, let's assume that quite a few of you will be shunning the season of self-flagellation in 2009, and talk about the substance that has taunted many a fad-dieter over the years: chocolate.

You may have sometimes heard chewing gum referred to as 'chicle', which is because gum originally came from a tropical evergreen tree called Manilkara chicle before the present day, synthetic sort became common. And now, a small cooperative in the Mexican rainforest is hoping to ressurect the chicle industry by selling the natural gum as an organic, sustainable product that's also fully biodegradable - unlike the unsightly stuff that's spat on to our pavements costing millions in street cleaning each year.

One of the interesting things about the credit crunch is not the ways it changes people's behaviour, but the ways it doesn't. Let's look back to a year ago, when we were all rolling in money. If you can remember that far back, you'll recall that it was considered far more 'normal' to buy expensive coffee on the way in to work than it is now - and that's no real surprise. Expensive coffee is something we can all live without.

But there are some things that haven't changed: expenses that we still justify, whether we can really 'afford' them or not. And according to a source of mine at a major UK supermarket chain, the one are that customers are still prepared to shell out is 'welfare food'; free range meat, poultry and dairy products in particular.

Related: Enjoy an alternative Christmas dinner | Would you buy battery again?

Following Ikea's decision to stock reindeer meat and the resulting media debacle about the ethics of eating Santa's trusty steed, Dollymix pose an interesting question today about what we consider acceptable to put on our Christmas dinner table.

As a veggie, it's actually quite easy to ensure an 'ethical' meal once you've chosen on what you'll eat with the trimmings (and that bit, I'll admit, is a pain). But if you or your family want meat, there are ways to make more eco-friendly and ethical choices. Read on after the jump to find out how you can make greener dinner decisions this Christmas that are also senstitive to the pinch in our wallets.

Related: Sprouts to cause a gassy problem at Christmas | Hearty vegetarian roasts from Quorn

If you're 'blessed' with an incorrigibly sweet tooth, it's hard to imagine anything better than delicious, moist and great-looking cakes. But add to that a commitment to using organic and fairtrade ingredients and you're in foodie heaven.

And that's where I found myself last week, when I was presented with a platter of cupcakes by The Lavender Bakery; a great little company that makes sweet things to order using only organic fruit, vegetables, eggs and flour, fair trade sugar, cocoa and coffee and natural butter. So if you're planning a wedding, want an extra special Christmas cake or want to treat someone, these guys will not disappoint. Om nom nom!

What could possibly be more fun at this time of year than toasting marshmallows on a roaring fire? Unfortunately, if you're vegetarian it's an experience you may have to consign to memories, as marshmallows are one of those products that almost invariably contain animal-derived gelatine. Bye bye to bonding over a bonfire...

I had all but given up on ever eating a marshmallow again, toasted or otherwise, when I found out that such a thing as vegan marshmallows existed. The good news is that they are certainly out there; the bad news that they are very difficult to source. I spoke to the UK's only retailer of vegan marshmallows at Veganstore.co.uk to find our why.

I believe the appropriate internet terminology du jour is "om nom nom": The Organic Cupcake company is a green foodie's dream come true. Making cupcakes of all shapes, sizes and colours, the company sticks firmly to its principles of using 100% organic ingredients in its decorative and delicious little cakes, all of which can be made bespoke and delivered for events. They also make fantastic cakes for kids.

If you'd like to order a set of your own organic cupcakes, the company's contact details are here. Meanwhile, check out their cupcake gallery for a bit of Friday afternoon eye-candy

Good Natured fruit already has a lot going for it, with all its produce coming from Scotland where the fruit is grown without the use of chemical pesticides (the farm's favourite pest-control weapon is the ladybird). But now, the young company has come up with a great new packaging solution that's far more sustainable than the usual plastic containers.

As of today, we're into possibly one of the least necessary awareness weeks of all time: it's national chocolate week.

Personally, I find that this 'week' tends to take place around once a month. But if you're the sort of person who feels the need to give an excuse for enjoying a tasty snack, you might want to get some serious munching in over the next few days! I was pleased to see that some organic and fairtrade brands (newcomers and old faves alike) have got involved, offering freebies, so follow the jump to find out where to grab your gratis treat!

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of visiting Collabear Farm in Devon where the tasty hemp cooking oil Good Oil is made. I'd been enjoying the oil in the form of salad dressings for some time, but had no real idea just what a fabulously green foodstuff hemp oil is until my trip to the farm, where I got to see first-hand how simple the process is from field to bottle, and how absolutely nothing of the crop is wasted.

Read on to find out what I learnt about hemp and its health-giving, planet-loving qualities

Related: Want to win a hamper full of Good Oil products? | Unisex sneakers by Hemp Icon | Hemp for your hair with Alterna Organics

I've lost count of the times I've been horrified to discover that my favourite sweet (hello, Bounty) or other foodstuff is not vegetarian. Or indeed, the number of times I've been delighted to discover that a product has suddenly lost its meaty additives (there were whoops of joy here when digestive biscuits finally lost their animal fat). But how can you keep tabs on this ever changing world without looking like some kind of crazed calorie-counter in the supermarket?

Halloween is nearly here, and let's face it: where any sort of party catering is concerned, we've all got a friend who is craftier, more talented in the kitchen and better able to work within limitations than we are. And in my case, that friend is a very gifted, amazingly arty and very creative...vegan.

Year after year, she puts me to shame on halloween with her dairy-free treats and each year I promise to myself that I'll come up with something equally impressive next time. So, I've decided to start simple, and whip up some vegan halloween cupcakes that might just rival hers. I'll be following a vegan recipe and decorating mine to look like these ones (including my favourite: the very simple yet effective 'ghost') made by vegan foodie extraordinaire Amy. Then I'll posting the evidence here! [Via Crafty Crafty]

Read on for the basic vegan cupcake recipe

Wheatgrass is an amazing pick-me-up and great to add to your recipes and drinks around this time of year when you need a little extra oomph. How would you like to have your own little supply 'on tap'? Well, with this ingenious little wheatgrass starter pack from a new organic range called GOOD4U, you can. The kit contains all you'll need to have fresh wheatgrass all year around, giving you the benefit of their plentiful vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and enzymes.

I deliberately waited until after lunch to post this one, as it might just put you off your food...the above picture shows two McDonald's burgers: one bought in 1996, the other one hot off the grill when the picture was taken.

According to Karen Hanrahan who conducted this 'experiment' and blogged about it earlier this week, nothing was done to preserve the burger other than placing it in a plastic container: in other words, it preserved itself. Her verdict: McDonald's burgers are a 'chemical food' with no nutritional value that should not be sold to humans...

English wines are a bit of a guilty pleasure, in that they may only be possible as a result of climate change. It's only since temperatures have soared that we've started to see Vineyards in Sussex, let alone produced wine that anyone wants to take seriously. But they're also part of the solution, because now we can make wine to rival the New World and France, a delicious glass of white clocks up far fewer transport miles now we can grow it on our doorstep. And you can celebrate the best in homegrown vino at a festival taking place this weekend...