Mark Bittman takes a new track

For years Mark Bittman has been teaching everyday Americans how to cook.  I was a smidge concerned when he wrote that the Minimalist column was ending.  But given his recent book Food Matters (which I highlighted in a previous post), I wasn’t too worried.

Last week he wrote A Food Manifesto for the Future in the New York Times. He covers everything I believe is important to our pursuit of healthier eating as individuals and as a population.  I certainly could not have conveyed it any better.  Please read every word.

He summarizes by saying:

I’ll expand on these issues (and more) in the future, but the essential message is this: food and everything surrounding it is a crucial matter of personal and public health, of national and global security. At stake is not only the health of humans but that of the earth.

I can’t wait to see what he’ll say next.

Top Stories

The Atlantic wrote an article about the top 10 food stories of 2010.  It covers a wide range of topics, but food safety is a prominent issue.  I found the links to articles about Jack DeCoster shocking, but not surprising.  Foraging is also becoming popular.  It’s like having nature do the gardening for you.  I would love to try foraging, but I need to find an expert to show me the ropes first.  (And I’ve heard foragers are notoriously protective of their ‘spots.’)

And my favorite quote from an article on cleaning up Chesapeake Bay pollution.

“…it is unfair to expect New York to dedicate taxpayer dollars, staff, and other…resources to reduce [pollution] to the bay when New York reaps no benefit from the bay.”  It’s hard to tell in written form, but do I detect major whining?  Is it unfair that we get to eat food from places we don’t live?

Not to paint New York in negativity only, Governer Paterson of NY is passing an executive order to increase the amount of local food the state purchases.  “…where feasible and without increased cost or burden, state-supported institutions must increase the proportion of their total food purchases composed of locally grown food.”  Cost is the driving factor in so many decisions.  I can’t help but wonder if they spent more on local food even when there was a slight increase in cost, they might find that they save money in other areas.  And what about all the benefits that can’t be listed on a balance sheet?  Still, it’s a great step forward.

To combat childhood obesity, San Francisco has effectively banned the Happy Meal.  The city’s Board unanimously passed the “Healthy Foods Initiative Ordinance,” placing nutritional requirements on meals that come with toys.

“The intent of this Ordinance is to improve the health of children and adolescents in San Francisco by setting healthy nutritional standards for children’s meals sold at restaurants accompanied by toys or other incentive items.  These standards will support families seeking health eating choices for their children by permitting restaurants to offer toys and other incentive items only in conjunction with foods meeting specified nutritional criteria.”

Since “San Franciscans consumer over one-third of their food…at fast food and pizza restaurants,” this would likely have a significant positive impact if: 1) people that were buying Happy Meals continue to do so, and 2) the imposed guidelines actually translate into healthier food.  Having spent a year in the Bay area, I confess I was tempted to consume all my meals at restaurants, but nary a McDonald’s meal entered my mind.  Haven’t corporations become adept at finding a way around rules?  Perhaps parents will now buy two Happy Meals for their children because of the calorie cap?   And customers must now salt their own fries?  Critics claim that it should be up to the parents to guide their children’s food choices.  An occasional fast food meal (toy or no toy) does not negate a healthy diet.  At the same time, consumers are constantly bombarded with advertising convincing children and their parents to choose fast food.

Nourishing Thoughts has a post about the inherent flaw of having companies self-police their advertising.  It’s also a great resource for raising healthy kids.

I’m Just a Bill

Remember that old Schoolhouse Rock video about bills becoming laws?

Two bills were passed recently that will likely mean progess for the health of our food system and children.

On December 2nd, the House passed the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill.  The $4.5 billion budget allocates $40 million for a new Farm to School program.  Read the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s article about the bill.  Interestingly, the bill passed unanimously in the Senate, but only passed 264 to 157 in the House.

A highly anticipated and debated bill was passed by the Senate on November 30th, the Food Safety Modernization Act. Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan advocated for the bill in a New York Times article.

The bill would, for the first time, give the F.D.A., which oversees 80 percent of the nation’s food, the authority to test widely for dangerous pathogens and to recall contaminated food. The agency would finally have the resources and authority to prevent food safety problems, rather than respond only after people have become ill. The bill would also require more frequent inspections of large-scale, high-risk food-production plants.

Another informative article (Schoolhouse Rock for adults – minus the interesting cartoon) by the NASC explains some of the hold up in getting the bill to President Obama, but the passage of S.510 will mean safer food for Americans by giving the FDA more control.  Acoording to the article, “The bill…marks the most sweeping overhaul of food safety regulations in nearly a century.”

So often I have wondered why the government has not seemed to care about the many problems with our food system.  I am encouraged that we are actually on the road to progress.

True Food is a true treasure

True Food: 8 Simple steps to a Healthier You by Bond, Breyer and Gordon is a one stop guide for conscientious consumers.

The eight chapters address many of the topics I cover on this blog — eat local, eat a variety of foods, aim for organic, eat lower on the food chain, eat fresh food, eat whole foods, stock your pantry, and green your kitchen.  The book is full of sidebar tips, recipes, and quotes from other leaders in the field.  I especially appreciated the detailed descriptions of the lesser known grains, herbs and vegetables available in the States, and even a primer on finding whole foods in grocery stores.  It’s filled with a whole spectrum of useful nuggets such as how to repel large pests from your yard, recipes for natural cleaners, and making sense of what food labels actually mean.   If you need another reason to buy organic, consider this:

“Organic fruits and vegetables contain only about a third as much pesticide residue as conventionally grown food…Why does organic food contain any such residue?  From past soil contamination or drift from conventional farms.  Where there is pesticide spray, there is drift: Less than 0.1 percent of pesticide applied to crops reaches the target pest.  The rest goes into the air, rivers, and living organisms.”

By purchasing organic, we are preventing other crops from contamination.

Another thought-provoking point is that “[m]ost agricultural plant breeding programs in the United States emphasize yield, uniformity, market acceptability, pest resistance, and transportability – not nutritional quality.  In fact, breeding plants for the characteristics desirable for industrial production and marketing often lowers the plants’ nutritional values.”  When we are shopping in the produce section, we are usually looking for health, and have not taken any of the seller’s requirements into consideration.  By choosing most conventionally grown produce, our choices have already been narrowed to inferior products.  The desire for nutritional superiority, as well as the markedly smaller chance of contamination are compelling reasons to shop at stores that carry local produce from small farmers.   Lest we give local the overriding high road, the book excerpts an article by Dan Barber from the New York Times.  “The five-acre monoculture of tomato plants next door might be local, but it’s really no different from the 200-acre one across the country: Both have sacrificed the ecological insurance that comes with biodiversity.”  The book recommends Seed Savers Exchange (which I mentioned in an earlier post) and Bountiful Gardens as sources for heirloom seeds, in addition to instruction on saving your own seeds.

Speaking of seeds, here is their recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto in case any of you have copious amounts of them left over from carving pumpkins…

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

½ C pumpkin seeds, hulled and roasted, plus more for garnish

2 T grated Parmesan cheese or roasted cashews

1 garlic clove

1 ½ C (total) parsley, basil, cilantro, or other herbs

2 t lemon juice

1/3 C extra-virgin oline oil or pumpkin seed oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1.     Place pumpkin seeds, cheese or cashews, and garlic in a food processor with the metal blade.  Process until mixture is ground, about 30 seconds.

2.     2. Add herbs and lemon juice.  Pulse, and slowly add olive oil until the mixture is finely chopped and olive oil is just blended in.  Taste and season.

When you get a chance to read this book, I’d love to know what you gained from it.   For those of you who can’t wait, there’s a trailer on Amazon for it, or this article by Annie Bond.

I also found this informative, though unrelated, True Food site.

Happy Reading!

Smart Choices – for terrible terrible people?

As a country we have become so confused about what to eat that we need expert guidance to steer us to the right choices.  Unfortunately, some “experts” seem even more ignorant than the average US consumer.  If you are counting on the Smart Choices label to help you, your chances of being healthy are sadly slim.  Some highlights from a New York Times article by William Neuman:

“Eileen T. Kennedy, president of the Smart Choices board and the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, said the program’s criteria were based on government dietary guidelines and widely accepted nutritional standards.

She said the program was also influenced by research into consumer behavior. That research showed that, while shoppers wanted more information, they did not want to hear negative messages or feel their choices were being dictated to them.

The [Smart Choices] checkmark means the food item is a ‘better for you’ product, as opposed to having an x on it saying ‘Don’t eat this,’ ” Dr. Kennedy said. “Consumers are smart enough to deduce that if it doesn’t have the checkmark, by implication it’s not a ‘better for you’ product. They want to have a choice. They don’t want to be told ‘You must do this.’ ”

Are we smart enough?  I wonder if avocados and whole grains in the bulk section come with the Smart Choices label?  Yet Froot Loops meets these ‘widely accepted nutritional standards.’

Kennedy claimed that “Froot Loops was better than other things parents could choose for their children.

“You’re rushing around, you’re trying to think about healthy eating for your kids and you have a choice between a doughnut and a cereal,” Dr. Kennedy said, evoking a hypothetical parent in the supermarket. “So Froot Loops is a better choice.”

So, if you want to pick a “less-bad” choice, look for the Smart Choices label.   If you want healthy food – avoid the label.

“Froot Loops is an excellent source of many essential vitamins and minerals and it is also a good source of fiber with only 12 grams of sugar,” said Celeste A. Clark, senior vice president of global nutrition for Kellogg’s, which makes Froot Loops. “You cannot judge the nutritional merits of a food product based on one ingredient.”

Should we judge foods based on nutrients that are not inherently in the food?  The ‘merits’ of Froot Loops do not come from the food ingredients used to make the cereal, but rather the sludge of added vitamins and minerals.  Might it make sense to get our B vitamins and iron from actual foods?

As Michael Jacobson points out, “You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria.”

“The object of this is to make highly processed foods appear as healthful as unprocessed foods, which they are not,” said Marion Nestle.”

In an article titled “Smart Choice Foods: Dumb As They Look?,” Rebecca Ruiz writes:

Richard Kahn, Ph.D, a panel participant… said the guidelines were designed to help people who are currently making “terrible, terrible choices” with their diets.

Kahn, who was formerly the chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetic Association, said it seemed unrealistic to point consumers toward less-processed foods like fruits and vegetables because the intended audience of the Smart Choices program comprises those who might be choosing between a sugary cereal and a doughnut.

Perhaps the label should come with a footnote saying, “intended for people who make terrible, terrible food choices.”  Then we would know if we would benefit from the label or not.

I think the main problem is this was funded by food companies.  Am I the only one who would find the justification for ‘smart choices’ comical, if it weren’t for the fact that people looking for guidance would actually be swayed by this nonsense?

It appears that the program has been ‘voluntarily halted.’  But if I saw a product with the logo on it, I would take it as a good bet that the item is a junk choice.

Fast Food Photos

Ever wondered what mechanically separated chicken is?  I naively thought it was: chicken, separated by a machine (picture a juicy glistening roasted chicken, with robot arms skillfully picking the meat off the bone).  Obviously my innocent brain could not be farther from the truth.  If someone were to identify the picture below, I would expect answers like: strawberry soft serve ice cream, or salt water taffy.  Maybe even a foam noodle before it’s been hardened.

According to Early Onset of Night blogger,

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this.

There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

Perhaps a burger and fries would be the better choice next time you’re stuck on the road?

Sally Davies has been taking pictures of a McDonald’s Happy Meal sitting on her counter for six months.  The beef and bread have yet to grow mold!  Somehow I don’t think whatever is in a Happy Meal is the way to preserve our health – or happiness.

If knowing about the conditions that these animals were raised in wasn’t enough to sway me, thanks to these photos I’ve been forever cured from fast food.  Now I just need to convince the rest of the family.

Baby Steps

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the topics I want to write about on this blog — which means I put it off and put it off.  It’s similar to making positive changes in our lifestyle.  Too many good choices can be the enemy of action.  So, I will try to take baby steps and start sharing my thoughts with you on a regular basis again, as I also encourage you to find one baby step you could implement today.

My latest baby step that I am proud of is Charlie’s Soap.  We used go through a big jug of laundry detergent every few weeks (family of 5, including smelly boys who do sports, equals a lot of laundry).  A friend recommended Charlie’s Soap to me last year based on it’s economic and ecological friendliness.  It is made from biodegradable detergents and washing soda and doesn’t have any dyes or perfumes.  I tried the 2 pound bag and was happy with the results.  So this time I purchased the 5 gallon bucket, which is supposed to wash 1280 loads.  I saw it for as low as $90 on Amazon right now (including shipping from Green Cupboards), which is considerably less than what I paid.  That’s about 7 cents a load!  The biggest benefit?  It’s delivered right to your door.  (Am I the only one who dislikes lugging the big jugs home from the store?)  And, I keep thinking about how much packaging I am saving from being produced and recycled.  Almost makes me want to go start a load of laundry right now…

In any case, thanks for tuning back in.  I’ll write more soon.

Grow It, Eat It

I am in the middle of packing boxes as we head back east and then to Europe for two months.  California has been the land of plenty for me in so many ways.  The flora here never ceases to amaze me.  The farmers market and other local markets have totally spoiled me from eating the same old same old.  What will cornucopia mean back in less bountiful New England?  Well, for now, I am eager to ‘research’ the French way of eating and procuring food.  It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it… But I’ve been thinking about what to leave you with while I’m gone.  It seems fitting that since many people are starting the garden season, I would highlight some great resources here.

Gardening for food (up 19% in 2009) has become so popular that the University of Maryland has started a “Grow It Eat It” campaign.  You can’t get more local or fresh than your back (or front) yard.  There are a lot of websites out there.  Here are a few that caught my attention:

You need seeds to start, right?  I’m not sure if the readily available kind are genetically modified.  I would try to find organic.  Johnny’s Selected Seeds is one option.  Seed Savers Exchange gives you access to thousands of heirloom varieties.

You don’t need a lot of land.   You could try edible landscaping, and mix produce in with your flowers.  Another option is container gardening or square foot gardening.

Rosalind Creasy, author of Edible Landscaping, grew almost $700 of food in her square foot garden.

Path to Freedom is another resource if you are looking for ways to increase self-sufficiency and decrease your impact on the environment.  Their website covers such things as waste, alternative energy, biodiesel, ‘citified’ farm animals, and of course, organic gardening.  They live in Pasadena, CA on 1/5 acre, but are continually progressing toward ‘urban homesteading’ as they call it.  Some pages are under reconstruction, but still worth checking out – apparently they are on a recent episode of Private chefs of Beverly Hills.

Don’t forget to compost.  Here’s how to start.  And how to get better.

Happy growing!  I would love to hear how it goes.

Just say ‘NO’ to GMOs

To steal Farmer Jane’s line: “I’m really tired of Monsanto.”  I’m sick of (and probably from) the way Monsanto is able to infiltrate genetically modified crops into our food, with the government’s knowledge and cooperation, but without our knowledge. France Moore Lappe writes, “We need wonder no longer why corporations spreading GMOs are so secretive, why they’ve spent hundreds of millions to keep us from even knowing which foods contain GMOs. They don’t want us to examine the shoddy science, the suppressed evidence, and most of all the real health risks that GMOs present.”

I urge you to read this informative (and alarming) article by Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception.  “If you’re still not concerned about eating GMOs, consider this.  The one and only published GM study on humans revealed that Roundup Ready genes from soybeans transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines – and continue to function.  This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still have dangerous GM proteins continuously produced inside us.”  (or watch this video)

The Institute for Responsible Technology has put out some great resources (including health risks) to spread the word.

Take this quiz to see if you know the whole scoop on genetically modified organisms (under learn the basics, click on take short quiz).

MaryJane Butters shares the following tips in her article, “Everyday Organic: Saying no to ‘GMO’“:

How to spot GMOs » Since GMO food is not labeled, you have to shop smart. Buying 100 percent organic is the best safeguard against GMO ingredients. If organic isn’t an option, be wary of these primary GM suspects:

» Soybeans or anything that contains soy derivatives

» Corn and its derivatives

» Canola oil

» Cotton fabric or food oil

» Potatoes and its derivatives

» Dairy products, meat and eggs (GM animal feed)

She interviewed Ohio allergist Dr. John Boyles, who states, “I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”

In Europe, companies use non-GMO ingredients because of public wariness of GMOs.  “Most of the top food man­u­fac­tur­ers are aware of oppo­si­tion to GMOs through­out Europe and have been forced to take action. The same com­pa­nies in the U.S. and in South Africa how­ever, have yet to take sim­i­lar action,” says Friends of the Earth.  A recent court decision denied a request to temporarily ban GE sugar beets because the environmental review was still pending.  If they haven’t finished reviewing the data, why is the product available to buy?  The more I read, the more I frustrated I feel with our government.  But we are not powerless.  Our choices matter.  Check out the non-GMO shopping guide.

The only way to stop the continual spread of corporations like Monsanto, is to shut down their profits.  Rob Sidon, publisher of Common Ground quotes Michael Pollan- “…the food industry is very sensitive to consumer demand.”  Let’s demand non-GMOs.

“As fellow consumers, I encourage you to take steps to stop this madness. For example, in our pantry I just found corn and soy foods that weren’t organic, suggesting that they were likely made with GMOs. Now they’re in the garbage — I don’t think such Frankenfoods even belong with natural compost. For my part, I will petition that foods containing GMOs be labeled. I will make it a topic of conversation. I will be voting with my wallet. I invite you to join me.”

Tell the people you love, to Just Say NO.  Or join the Millions Against Monsanto.

A Silent Forest – a not so silent nightmare

“A Silent Forest is a wake-up call to the dangers of genetic engineering of trees and the impact it could have on all of us.”  I’ve included several quotes from the video that alarm me.

“Large numbers of people are being subjected to a massive experiment without providing informed consent.  At the very least, we should be able to see what food is genetically engineered so we can make our own choice.”

Genetically engineered trees can have far reaching effects.  Trees live for decades and their pollen can be spread for hundreds of miles.  Not to mention groundwater and soil contamination as well.  A recent Canada study showed that “the transgene [which was found in 4 types of soil animals] does not significantly degrade within the food web. The guts of these animals could allow genetic transformation into native soil bacteria, which could ultimately move into plants and pose risks to human health.”

There has been much discussion of the dangers of routinely feeding cows antibiotics and causing antibiotic resistance.  This movie exposes the dangers of creating plants that constantly produce Bt toxin, and the resulting superbugs.  “This miraculous naturally occurring pesticide that’s relied on by organic farmers becomes useless in a very short time period because of resistance.”

Another issue is the terminator gene.  The plants are engineered to produce a toxin so that the seeds will not be viable.  “We are consuming [the sterile seeds].  It’s potentially terminating us in some subtle way that can’t be told for 10 or 20 years.”  Jeremiah Ridenour

“Terminator trees, genetically engineered never to flower, could ensure a silent spring in the forests of the future.” – London Daily Telegraph, July 1999

Of course there’s also the issue of ownership.  “Once a gene gets in, they say they have invented that seed, plant or tree, by inserting just one gene in it.  That’s how serious this whole issue of GMOs are.  It’s not only the issue of food and the environment, but it’s the whole issue of control of all our natural resources including seeds and plants.  Can life be owned?  Is life a commodity?”  Percy Schmeiser

I have been wondering why there are so many more food allergies these days.  When I was growing up, I didn’t know anyone with food allergies.  There was certainly no ‘peanut-free’ table at our school, or request that snacks sent in be gluten/dairy/nut/corn-free.  “Scientists have long known that GM crops might cause allergies.”  Apparently they haven’t been sharing their knowledge.  It seems so obvious now.  Read more about genetically engineered foods causing allergies here.

Arpad Pusztai wrote a detailed article titled Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health? Where he cautions. “We need more and better testing methods before making GM foods available for human consumption.”

A recent study proves that Monsanto’s genetically modified corn is toxic.  “For the first time in the world, we’ve proven that GMO are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized.”

“When we make a mistake medically, we recall the product.” But we will not be able to recall the devastating effects after we have released our untested experiment into nature.

“The rush to apply these ideas is absolutely dangerous because we don’t have a clue what the long term impact of our manipulations is going to be.  Precautionary principle demands convincing evidence of a need and safety before acceptance of a new technology.” David Suzuki

For more info on how to stop GE trees, check out the Global Justice Ecolgy Project website.  And if you want to help decrease food allergies, buy organic.

Here are three websites urging us to tell the USDA that we care about contamination of organics by GM food.    The USDA is taking comments until February 16th.  So far, the government has not acted in our best interest.  We need to change that.