Grist Grills Safran-Foer on Eating Animals - I’m excited to read this book myself, and excited that it’s getting so much exposure. Grist magazine asks Safran-Foer some questions about his book, including what he was having for Thanksgiving dinner!
Health Care Starts in the Cafeteria - To me this seems a bit obvious, but if companies want to cut health care costs for their employees, stop bringing in gross deli sandwiches, pizza, donuts, and pastries for offices lunches or meetings! Real food = really healthy people, period.
Osteoperosis & Diet - NYTimes touches on the link between osteoperosis and excess protein in the diet. Pay attention people… milk does not do a body good! The largest dairy consuming countries around the world are also the ones with the higest rates of osteoperosis.
Flu Fighters in your Food - I love when scientists “discover” that eating healthy fruits and vegteables increases your immune fuction, and helps stave off common colds and flu’s. But really, it’s true, eat your fruits and veggies people, and please don’t rely on your vitamins or packets of emergen-c to ward off the sniffles.
Where Does All Our Plastic Go? - Totally sad. Heartbreaking sad. Sorry for posting this, but for those who still need a wake up call about all the plastic junk we buy and throw away, this if for you. For everyone else, this is a reminder. Please don’t buy plastic.
Botany Of Desire on PBS - Michael Pollan’s book Botany of Desire is translated into a fascinating documentary on PBS. Michael Pollan rocks my world, and this is SO worth watching. Check your local listings for show times.
Ha! Smart Choices Labels Halted Over FDA Concerns - After so much uproar about the shady Smart Choices food labeling system, the industry leaders behind the program have decided to halt further use.
Insecticide Use Linked to Auto-Immune Diseases - As if we needed more reasons to not only eat organically, but if we grow food in our gardens, to garden organically. This study showed that women who used insecticides sprays were 6 times as likely to develop the auto-immune disease lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis, versus those who did not use the spray.
NY Times Confirms… Neti-Pots Work! - My post from a few months back, chronicling my use of a Neti-pot for the first time is far more descriptive than the Times short blurb, but they get right down to it… They work, and they help people will allergies and help steer people clear of common colds.
NY Plans to bring Supermarkets to Underserved Neighborhoods - New York has done some great stuff lately… banning trans-fats, eliminating (some) sugary drinks from public schools, and it can now add offering incentives and tax abatements to grocery stores opening up in underserved areas of the city. When there’s no grocery store around, and you’re spending your food dollars at Duane Reade on chips and soda, you probably live in what’s called a “food desert”. Thanks NY for trying to change that!
I Love Larry King - Well not really, but last night Larry’s topic of discussion was weather or not meat was safe to eat. There has been so much press lately about the quality of our food and the dangers of highlly processed foods… we can now add public discussion of the state of our meat and meat producing and packing industries. Featuring T. Colin Campbell of the fantastic book The China Study, controversial chef and food traveller, Anthony Bourdain (who I love and hate at the same time), and the mothers of children killed by eating e-coli tainted meat, this eposide is a MUST SEE.
Micheal Pollan Shares Food Rules - Not really rules per se, but a collection of reader submitted “rules” that people live by… rules that their grandmothers taught them. My favorrite is: “Don’t yuck someones yum!”
Grist covers “local-washing” - As if green washing wasn’t bad enough, now companies like WalMart, HSBC, and even the makers of Hellmanns Mayonnaise are touting themselves as “local” companies. yeah, hardly.
The Social Side Of Obesity - Time magazine reports on the social side of weight gain and what can happen when tweens and teens eat with their friends. This really applies to everyone though, as social food related studies show that women eat less in front of men than they do with their gal pals, and overweight people feel free to eat more when they’re around other overweight people.
Science Confirms Potency of Ancient Chinese Medicine - This is hardly a shock to me, but researchers still seem to be amazed by these things. A recent study of a certain type of Chinese medicines, used primarily for cardiovasular disease has shown scientists not only that they work, but how. While this seems like a great confirmation of a traditional form of medicine practiced for centuries, I fear that our money hungry drug industry will clamp down on this faster than you can say boo.
Time Covers True Cost of Food - It’s nice when a widely read national magazine like Time covers a topic of this nature. While many readers will read it and say “so what”, I hope that this article opens the eyes of some of our population.
Late Night Snacking Packs On The Pounds - Okay, so this is hardly “news” as we all know this already, but sometimes it’s nice to get confirmation. Our bodies run on their own clocks (see my post on circadian rhythms), and when we mess it up by eating when we should be sleeping… well, bad things happen!
Holy ?%!*&! Scientists Discover that Swearing Is Helpful! - Awesome! Science let’s me off the hook… Sort of anyway. A recent study has shown that swearing can help to alleviate pain. The study’s founder was inspired by his wife’s stream of profanities while in labor. I don’t know about you, but this is what I’m going to use as my excuse from now on!
Who Will Pay vs. What We Pay For - On average we spend, what, 10 minutes in the doctors office? Of that 10, about 4 are with the doctor, the rest spent sitting on paper covered tables, robed in oversized papertowels. As we look at health care reform, shouldn’t we be asking how doctors can CARE for us, if they never SEE us? Developing a connection, and allowing for conversation with patients would likely be the single largest improvement in health care today.
Really? Coca-Cola Doesn’t Rot Teeth? - Apparently Coca-Cola feels like it’s okay to send different messages about their products in different parts of the world. The South Pacific division of the soda giant had to print a retraction to a full page print ad claming that coca-cola did not “rot your teeth” or “make you fat”. Yeah, really.
Super Markets Take Back Packaging - Nice one Tesco! UK supermarket chain Tesco is encouraging customers to strip off unwanted packaging before leaving the store, in an effort to promote higher rates of recycling, as well as guage just how much packaging customers want on their food. Rated the store with the least amount of food packaging, Tescos has managed to divert 87% of instore waste from landfills. Now if only our US counterparts would do this!
Hey everyone, I’m on Culinate! - I’m doing double duty, blogging on my own site, and on the Culinate site. Check me out! Also, just check out this site period. Great resource for people who, uh, eat. Awesome recipes & articles, and well, if I don’t say so myself, some pretty schnazzy bloggers too! Also, I guess this is sorta old news, since you all clearly voted for me in the Culinate blogging contest. Right?
Rocket Fuel in Baby Formula?!? - COME ON! This is beyond absurd. This is downright criminal. Since when has rocket fuel ever been considered a food item, let alone for infants. This chemical, perchlorate, which can damage the thyroid, and brain developmemt in infants was found in every single sample of 15 brands tested. When mixed with water, which often also contains trace amount of the chemical, the total level of exposure to infants exceeds the EPA limits on what is called ‘reference dose’. The EPA has not exactly been diligent about regulating the limits on water pollution, thanks in part to efforts by the Bush Administration (shocking, I know). Currently there is no federal mandate on perchlorate levels, leaving the degree of exposure variable from state to state. So babies in California have a higher potential for exposure for babies in Massachusettes? This is just not right. Also, BREAST FEED PEOPLE! sheesh.
The NY Times on Making Yogurt - So awesome! This just seems so easy I have to try it! I’m going to experiment with soy, rice, and coconut milk varieties.
Cleaner Dishwashing Detergent? - Grist writer Tom Philpott tackles sinkful after sinkful of dirty dishes in a quest to find the greenest, and cleanest of dishwashing detergents out there. See why green detergents (and no, I’m not talking about Palmolive) are important and how some of the top eco-brands stack up.
My Food Came From Where? - Food and Water Watch have this great interactive shopping cart, where you can learn about how much of your grocery items are imported, and from where. This site is chock full of great information, like the Find Factory Farms in your state. Eek!
Go Team Obama!!- The Obamas are setting an amzaing precedent for our country by starting their own organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn. This is by far the best “leading by example” I’ve seen from any elected official in a very long time (ever?). Take note good people… a revolution is on it’s way!
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Depsite a nice effort by the Corn Refiners Association (the ones behind those totally lame, yet glossy and expensive tv commericals depiting HFCS as something you want to give your kids) to spin High Fructose Corn Syrup in a postive light, companies nationwide are removing the hotly debated sweetner from their products and swapping back in plain old sugar. I’d say Def Leopard knew a thing or two. Def Leopard, and these guys.
BPA…You’re SO Last Year - A federal ban on BPA (Bisphenol-A) is on the table thanks in part to Sunoco, the gas and chemical company who stated that it is refusing to sell the chemical to companies who use it in the manufacturing of products aimed at children under 3. (Never thought I’d say this, but mad props to you Sunoco!) New York’s Suffolk County has already banned the sale of baby bottles containing BPA. Officially the first nationwide ban on products containing BPA, other states like California, Orgeon, and Hawaii are considering similar legislation.
While we’re banning things… - lets add Lindane to the list. Used is shampoos and skin lotions to treat head lice and scabies (ick!), this uber toxic chemical has been banned in more than 50 countries (sadly, not ours!), and banned from both agricultural and vertrinary uses in the US. But somehow it’s still okay to put it on little kids heads? Come on people! This is NOT okay.
What Would It Look Like - If things were way more awesome then they are? I’m not totally sure, but check out this fantastic 25 min movie from the Global Oneness Project. It will leave you feeling inspired.
Peanut Butter Mayhem!
In case you’ve not heard, peanuts were the nasty culprit indicted in the widespread salmonella outbreak that swept the country this past year, killing 18 people, and hospitalizing hundreds. The peanuts, which have made their way into thousands of food products, originated from a plant in Georgia. A massive recall is underway, and the FDA, in all it’s glory has developed a desktop widget to keep track of it all. The fact that this is so widespread to deserve it’s own widget is truly disturbing.
Browse the hundreds of products to see if you can find your favorites
Canadian Government Declares Ingredient in Lipstick Toxic
Finally a government taking action against some of the thousands of unregulated toxic ingredients in personal care products. If our own would only follow suit! A girl can dream, can’t she?!
FDA Admits Mercury Fillings are Unsafe
For the first time, the FDA has issued a warning that the mercury contained in silver dental fillings may pose neurological risks to children and pregnant women. This warning is long overdue, as hundreds of studies have shown that mercury fillings continue to off-gas into your mouth, especially when they come in contact with hot liquids or food (ie, pretty much every time we eat!). While the FDA is admitting danger, they are limiting the warnings to children and pregnant women, a population already warned against the dangers of mercury in fish. Despite being one of the most toxic heavy metals known to man, the FDA has claimed their use to be totally and completely safe. The American Dental Association has yet to change it’s stance on fillings either.
Who Owns Who in Organic?
While many of us try to increase the amount of whole, organic foods into our diet, and changing our shopping routines to include “health food” brands in place of Kellogs, and Kraft, it may come as a surprise to learn who really owns these “healthy” brands. When shopping, I encourage you to support independently owned businesses, instead of Big Agra. Check out these graphs illustrating just who is behind most Organic brands.
Generation RX
While I’ve not yet seen this film, it’s on my list! View the trailer on their site. The overmedication of our population is frightening, and the overmedication of our children is downright horrifying. Big Pharma serves as our nations largest and highest paid drug dealer, and we allow it to happen. Guns and illegal drugs are not allowed into school, but prescription drugs like Ritalin and Prozac are no problem?
Is Diabetes Tied to Pollution?
As if pollution wasn’t bad enough on it’s own, it’s now being indicted as a contributor to the increase in global diabetes. Once looked at as merely a disease of laziness and gluttony, scientists are now looking at how toxic chemicals in our environment impact our bodies on a cellular, and biological level. Exposure to certain chemicals, even in small quantities are enough to cause problems, including diseases like diabetes. Yikes!
