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.

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.

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.

This is not your father’s White House

What do Sesame Street, the Biggest Loser, Iron Chef have in common?  Being an Iron Chef fan, I was excited to hear about the upcoming Iron Chef episode pitting Bobby Flay and White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford against Mario Battali and Emeril Laggasse.   This is just the latest in Michelle Obama’s efforts to increase public awareness and interest in healthy food from her widely accessible podium.

“What’s exciting for us is this is the first time I can remember the White House taking an active interest in doing something about diet and health,” Battali said. “They understand this kind of P.R.”

Indeed, the First Lady is making use of her position to help bring about the change this country needs.  She is innovatively appealing to the masses through popular culture.  The White House even has it’s own YouTube channel.

Michelle obviously has lofty goals on how to achieve a healthy food system and healthy citizens.  She also has a secret weapon, who is garnering a lot of attention.  His name is Sam Kass.  Officially he is the assistant White House chef and food initiative coordinator.  “And when he’s not grilling fish for the first family or tending tomatillos in the White House garden, he is pondering the details of child nutrition legislation, funding streams for the school lunch program and the best tactics to fight childhood obesity.  Behind the scenes, he attends briefings on child nutrition and health, has vetted nonprofits as potential partners for White House food initiatives and regularly peppers senior staff about policy matters.”

His approach to food is wholesome and organic in the living, vital sense of the word.  (Wait, isn’t that what food should be?  Am I the only one who thinks ‘organic food’ sounds like a redundant term?  “If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn’t organic produce just be called ‘produce’ and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective?” ~Ymber Delecto)

Sorry, back to Sam Kass:

“…I try to make sure that the food is beneficial, that everything on the plate is beneficial and it is delicious. I also try to cook based on relationships as much as possible with the people who are growing the food and people [who are] involved in the process.”  For some reason, when I read that, I have Joel Salatin’s voice echoing in my ear, “Now that’s a noble goal.”  Kass himself comes across as wholesome and even endearing in his video for the Cooking Up Change school challenge.

Michelle Obama focuses much of her attention on children “because you can affect children’s behavior so much more easily than you can adults … I don’t think about this with my kids in terms of what I want them to be today.  I’m thinking about who I want them to be when they go to college and when they raise their own kids.    How will they make choices about what they eat when they’re away from me?  What will be the messages that are in their head as they think about whether they’re going to drink the soda or whether they’re going to have a glass of water?  How will they engage their own children in these messages early on so that these become habits that are just a part of life and not something that you have to change in mid-stream.  So the garden is really an important introduction to what I hope will be a new way that our country thinks about food.  That’s the story of the garden.  And it’s been quite an amazing success if I do say so myself.”

“And it’s through the garden that the Obamas, with the First Lady as point person, express those views. They want this garden to demonstrate not only their ever-evolving love for food, but also their commitment to help gently guide America both back to a time when we appreciated our bounty, and forward to a time when we’ll understand that too much does us no favors. I’ve been preaching for 30 years that food doesn’t have to be anything more than honest and simple to be delicious and enjoyable and fulfilling, and now we’re hearing that same message from the White House,” adds Mark Bittman.

As a mother who takes my role as educator and role model seriously, I applaud Michelle Obama’s leadership in shaping our future well-being through ‘everyday people’ avenues.

And when I grow up, I want to be just like Sam Kass (minus the bald head – and nevermind that he’s younger than me).

What’s cooking?

Fall for me usually means spending more time in the kitchen.  I’m reenergized to heat up the oven (and the house) with new dishes and aromas.  I’m a long-time fan of Moosewood cookbooks.  Their recipes are easy and tasty.  Moosewood Cooks at Home was my first vegetarian cookbook, and I still love making ‘Not Your Mama’s Green Beans.’  I also like Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, but my recent favorite has been Simple Suppers.  I have been making different versions of the Roasted Ratatouille for months.  I just change it to whatever I happen to have bought that week.  There’s almost nothing that tastes bad roasted.  You could make a fall/winter version with brussel sprouts, winter squash and parsnips, or just do green beans and beets.  The key is to have a good quality olive oil and sea salt.  For those in the Bay area, my cousin turned me on to Bariani olive oil – it’s delicious!  The grandma tends the booth at the Berkeley farmer’s market and they sell it by the gallon for diehard aficionados (In fact, I just got one on Saturday).  I’ve put it on brown rice, quinoa, over pasta.  It’s a limitless recipe.

Moosewood’s Roasted Ratatouille

Bon Appetit!

Green Cleaning and more

I’ve been meaning to switch over to green household products for a long time.  It just never seems to make it to the top of the list.  I finally found a book that everyone should own.  It’s not just the content (Chapter 8 is all about natural recipes to swap for your cleaning products) but the actually book itself is water-resistant.  How cool is that?  I love the authors’ ‘Come-as-you-are’ attitude.  They don’t demand that we throw away our entire arsenal of hazardous cleaning supplies (although we probably should).  They detail small steps on the journey of becoming completely green.

“Beginning to clean green is not hard.  All you need to do is take one step.  It may be as simple as buying a roll of bleach-free paper towels, filling a spray bottle of club soda instead of using window cleaner, or adding a recycling bin to your home office.  Every step you can take to clean in healthier, less toxic ways will have far-reaching benefits.”

While you are running out to get your own copy of Green Clean (or waiting for it to arrive in the mail), here are some other websites to enjoy.

Real Simple has a list of all-natural cleaning solutions.  There are so many good ideas I could probably end the post here…but I won’t.  There’s even a specific site for vinegar.  Everyone’s advocating vinegar these days.

greenyour.com – More than you ever wanted to know about how to become more environmentally friendly in all areas.  This is a great resource covering a wide range of topics.

gogreenonline.com – similar to greenyour.com, it also has room by room suggestions on how to go green.  They even have a quiz.  Educational fun isn’t just for kids!

wellbuilding.com – Another great resource, mainly dealing with your house.  Each topic also lists many other websites for reference.

Even though cleaning is an important area to reduce environmental impact, I can’t escape ‘greening’ my food.  It’s something we all do everyday, multiple times a day.  Here are yet more food sites.  As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I have been struggling with my food choices.  It’s even more disheartening to learn that many of the biggest ‘organic’ companies are actually owned by Kraft, Pepsi, Cargill, etc.  Do you know who’s making your food? (take this quiz) At least I finally know what to do with those bulky pizza boxes that you aren’t supposed to recycle – compost it! (and 74 other items).

And finally, coolfoodscampaign.org – “The Cool Foods Campaign provides you with the information and tools you need to reduce your carbon “FoodPrint”.

Happy Cleaning!

Honest Food: A Guest Post

My wife has been preaching and practicing the gospel of eating well for several years.  But somehow, it took me a long time to listen and hear what she was saying.   Due to my undying love for her (and hearing that a Graeters’ ice cream store was nearby), I decided to accompany Doris to an opening presentation of Food Inc.  The theatre was especially packed for this showing since there was a panel discussion afterwards;  the theatre was filled with foodies, veganites, organicultists, health-nuts, and the like.  As the movie ended, it was clear that it had preached to the choir.

To me, however, it was a stunning piece of work.  There were two elements of the movie which truly surprised me.  The first was realizing just how dirty the nails of the food industry were:  the government, the corporations, the lawyers, and the national system were blind, corrupt, and greedy.  I knew things were bad (as I would hear propaganda from aforementioned theatre audience from time to time), but did not realize they were this bad.

The second piece of the movie, one that continues to affect me to this day, was a realization from listening to a soliloquy by Joel Salatin.  Joel is a farmer in Virginia who spoke about the benefits of eating from a local farm.  While he spoke about this, he proceeded to kill a chicken and share the joys of eating honest food.  This phrase, “honest food”, truly caught me off guard, and practically took my breath away.  It was then that I realized the error of my ways.

I had always grouped together all those interested in topics of food into one category:  the foodies, veganites, organicultists, and health-nuts were all the same to me.  And thus, I took great pleasure in avoiding all of them (except my wife who is above all reproach).  Joel’s phrase, “honest food”, helped me understand that the fight was not to be pro-vegan, to be pro-health, to be pro-local, or even to be pro-food … but to stand up for honesty and integrity in what we eat in a practical and conscious manner.  This type of integrity needs to be shown towards the farmer, the vendor, the animal, and even the land we have been allowed to use.

It is clear to me that my role as a follower of Jesus is to represent Him on earth, to use the way He has empowered me to bring in the kingdom of God.  Literally, it is to bring about heaven on earth.  The concept of eating honest food is as biblical, as true, as Christian as any other virtue.  So what does this imply for me?  It means that I can eat all types of food (chickens, pigs, cows, corn, fish, rice), knowing that it is from His hand that all of it comes from.  But it also means I am accountable for what I eat, and the consequences it has on creation — which includes me as part of it.  And by eating all kinds of food honestly, it would mean giving up on eating whatever I wanted at whatever time (of the day, of the season, of the year) that I wanted it.

Satyan L Devadoss

PS:  If you have not had a chance to read the Space Trilogy by CS Lewis, I highly recommend you do so.  To me, this trilogy — especially the fourth chapter of Perelandra, the middle book of the trilogy — speaks more about our response to food and living that most movies or books on food.