http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html
“What you want,” says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, “is to reverse the fact that healthy food is too expensive and unhealthy food is too cheap, and the soda tax is a start. Unless food marketing changes, it’s hard to believe that anything else can work.”
...
The penny-per-ounce tax, favored by Dr. Brownell and others, would produce a significant increase in retail costs: the 12-pack of Coke on sale for $2.99 would go for $4.43 and a 75-cent can would rise to 87 cents. These increases, Dr. Brownell estimates, would reduce the annual per capita consumption of soda by more than 11 gallons, to 38.5 gallons. “And the revenue,” he says, “could be used to subsidize fruits and vegetables, fund obesity prevention programs for children and home economic classes in schools, and more.”
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Reasons to eat good: #x
BROCCOLI has a chemical in it called indole, which helps the liver detoxify itself.
WALNUTS have protein and omega-3 fats (the good kind) so they're healthy calories.
(info supplied by Dr. Oz)
WALNUTS have protein and omega-3 fats (the good kind) so they're healthy calories.
(info supplied by Dr. Oz)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Gourmet: Food Politics
Learned the other day that Gourmet magazine includes at least one column monthly in their magazine on the business and politics of food. I've discovered that you can read even information on their website:
http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics
They also have a section with "the latest in food politics gets served up every week in Politics of the Plate": http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=politics%20of%20the%20plate
http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics
They also have a section with "the latest in food politics gets served up every week in Politics of the Plate": http://www.gourmet.com/search/query?keyword=politics%20of%20the%20plate
Monday, August 27, 2007
USAToday: Obesity rates climb in most states, 8/27/07
* Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention, released results of a study measuring obesity rates. They compared data, from 2003-2005 with 2004-2006, "from a survey of height and weight taken over the telephone. Because the information comes from a personal estimate, some believe it is conservative."
* "Obesity rates continued their climb in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline. Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30% barrier for adults considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama were just behind, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention."
* "Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6%."
* "This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage — 22.8%. Utah had the lowest — 8.5%."
* "'Unfortunately, we're treating it like a mere inconvenience instead of the emergency that it is,' said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy devoted to improving health care. Officials at the Trust for America's Health want the government to play a larger role in preventing obesity."
* Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, said, 'If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier. If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That's not just a class issue. We've designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.'"
* "Poverty can lead to less safe neighborhoods, which deter children from playing. It can lead to fewer grocery stores offering fruits and vegetables, and it can lead to greater reliance on fast food, (CDC) officials said."
* "It seems the cheapest foods are the worst ones for you," Dr. Marks said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-27-obesity-rates_N.htm
* "Obesity rates continued their climb in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline. Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30% barrier for adults considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama were just behind, according to the Trust for America's Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention."
* "Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6%."
* "This year's report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage — 22.8%. Utah had the lowest — 8.5%."
* "'Unfortunately, we're treating it like a mere inconvenience instead of the emergency that it is,' said Dr. James Marks, senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy devoted to improving health care. Officials at the Trust for America's Health want the government to play a larger role in preventing obesity."
* Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, said, 'If we want kids to eat healthier food, we have to invest the money for school nutrition programs so that school lunches are healthier. If we want people to be more physically active, then there have to be safe places to be active. That's not just a class issue. We've designed suburban communities where there are no sidewalks for anybody to go out and take a walk.'"
* "Poverty can lead to less safe neighborhoods, which deter children from playing. It can lead to fewer grocery stores offering fruits and vegetables, and it can lead to greater reliance on fast food, (CDC) officials said."
* "It seems the cheapest foods are the worst ones for you," Dr. Marks said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-27-obesity-rates_N.htm
USAToday: Dunkin' Donuts dumping most trans fats, 8/27/07
* Dunkin' Donuts "has developed an alternative cooking oil (a new blend of palm, soybean and cottonseed oils) and reformulated more than 50 menu items — doughnuts included. The Canton, Mass.-based chain says its menu will be "zero grams trans fat" by Oct. 15 across its 5,400 U.S. restaurants in 34 states." ... "Dunkin's announcement follows about four years of research of more than 28 alternative cooking oils and proprietary blends."
*"The ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins, another unit of Dunkin' Brands, plans to be zero grams trans fat by Jan. 1."
* "Dunkin' isn't claiming it will become "trans fat free," but does say any trans fat in foods including doughnuts, croissants, muffins and cookies will fall below half a gram per serving. Federal regulations allow food labels to say they have zero grams of trans fat, provided levels fall below the half-gram threshold." ... "Mainstream doughnut makers' products can have around 5 grams of trans fat apiece."
*Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based non-profit, "cautioned that when it comes to Dunkin's doughnuts, 'We're still talking about a food that's mostly white flour, sugar, and fat.'"
*"'The goal was not to make a healthy doughnut, it was really to create a doughnut that was better,' said Joe Scafido, Dunkin's chief creative and innovation officer. 'Certainly, we did not create a healthy doughnut.'"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-27-dunkin-donuts_N.htm
*"The ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins, another unit of Dunkin' Brands, plans to be zero grams trans fat by Jan. 1."
* "Dunkin' isn't claiming it will become "trans fat free," but does say any trans fat in foods including doughnuts, croissants, muffins and cookies will fall below half a gram per serving. Federal regulations allow food labels to say they have zero grams of trans fat, provided levels fall below the half-gram threshold." ... "Mainstream doughnut makers' products can have around 5 grams of trans fat apiece."
*Jeff Cronin, spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based non-profit, "cautioned that when it comes to Dunkin's doughnuts, 'We're still talking about a food that's mostly white flour, sugar, and fat.'"
*"'The goal was not to make a healthy doughnut, it was really to create a doughnut that was better,' said Joe Scafido, Dunkin's chief creative and innovation officer. 'Certainly, we did not create a healthy doughnut.'"
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-08-27-dunkin-donuts_N.htm
Friday, August 24, 2007
utne reader: Beyond Organic, Jan/Feb 2006
Start Small, Start Today
* If you want to change 200 years of farm policy, devastating environmental damage, and ingrained food habits, start with today's lunch. Spend your food money on farmers, and you'll be making a big difference.
* The average annual food budget per U.S. household is $5,340, according to a recent report by the U.S. Dept of labor. Divide that by three squares a day, and a single meal costs a measly $4.88.
* If 225,000 people made a commitment to purchase one meal a week directly from local farmers, more than $57 million would shift out of corporate coffers into the pockets of real people.
* Not convinced? The U.S. Dept of Agriculture reports an average farm business income of $20,663 in 2004. At that price tag, the one-meal-a-week plan would support almost 3,000 farming households.
Busting the Food Bank
Americans pay less for groceries than nearly any other nation, but more for our food. That's because factory farming degrades our environment, burns up fossil fuels, devastates our rural economies, and harms our health. Who picks up the tab?
* Agricultural pollution accounts for 70 percent of all problems in U.S. rivers and streams, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
* Environmental damage casued by industrial farming costs the U.S. $34.7 billion a year (more than $300 per U.S. household)
* 17% of U.S. fossil fuel consumption is used in food production.
* Farm subsidies in 2004 totaled $12.5 billion, and 62% of the money went to 10% of the recipients.
* If you want to change 200 years of farm policy, devastating environmental damage, and ingrained food habits, start with today's lunch. Spend your food money on farmers, and you'll be making a big difference.
* The average annual food budget per U.S. household is $5,340, according to a recent report by the U.S. Dept of labor. Divide that by three squares a day, and a single meal costs a measly $4.88.
* If 225,000 people made a commitment to purchase one meal a week directly from local farmers, more than $57 million would shift out of corporate coffers into the pockets of real people.
* Not convinced? The U.S. Dept of Agriculture reports an average farm business income of $20,663 in 2004. At that price tag, the one-meal-a-week plan would support almost 3,000 farming households.
Busting the Food Bank
Americans pay less for groceries than nearly any other nation, but more for our food. That's because factory farming degrades our environment, burns up fossil fuels, devastates our rural economies, and harms our health. Who picks up the tab?
* Agricultural pollution accounts for 70 percent of all problems in U.S. rivers and streams, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
* Environmental damage casued by industrial farming costs the U.S. $34.7 billion a year (more than $300 per U.S. household)
* 17% of U.S. fossil fuel consumption is used in food production.
* Farm subsidies in 2004 totaled $12.5 billion, and 62% of the money went to 10% of the recipients.
Monday, August 13, 2007
utne reader: How Much (Soy) Is Too Much?, July/Aug 2007
http://www.utne.com/issues/2007_142/features/12608-1.html
Clinical nutritionist Kaayla Daniel on the Dos and Don'ts of soy consumption
—By Mary Vance, Terrain
This is a very good Q&A re soy. Go to the link to read more. Here is a snippet:
Q. How much soy does the average person consume in a day?
A. Someone on a junk-food diet is getting soy flour in the fast-food hamburger bun, soy protein in the burger itself, and soy oil in the fries; soy is in every one of these products because it's cheap and abundant. You'll find soy hidden in so many foods, and small quantities add up. People often start by drinking a lot of soy milk. If they are taking supplements, they can be getting really high doses. Even scientists working for the soy industry will say they support soy food but do not support use of soy supplements. It is so dangerous at such a high level, and it's harming many people.
Q. Which soy product is the worst?
A. The biggest problem is soy milk. Those with lactose intolerance think that soy milk is a great alternative, and they're drinking a lot and getting a huge dose of isoflavones. If you're drinking soy milk, you're going to have a problem, or most people will sooner or later. We're all different--some people will start having problems in a day, and some people will think they're fine and a year later things will start to go downhill. Drinking just one glass a day of soy milk will give someone the level of plant estrogens that has hurt the thyroids of healthy Japanese men and women. Most people are drinking several glasses, plus the soy protein energy bars and the bags of edamame.
Clinical nutritionist Kaayla Daniel on the Dos and Don'ts of soy consumption
—By Mary Vance, Terrain
This is a very good Q&A re soy. Go to the link to read more. Here is a snippet:
Q. How much soy does the average person consume in a day?
A. Someone on a junk-food diet is getting soy flour in the fast-food hamburger bun, soy protein in the burger itself, and soy oil in the fries; soy is in every one of these products because it's cheap and abundant. You'll find soy hidden in so many foods, and small quantities add up. People often start by drinking a lot of soy milk. If they are taking supplements, they can be getting really high doses. Even scientists working for the soy industry will say they support soy food but do not support use of soy supplements. It is so dangerous at such a high level, and it's harming many people.
Q. Which soy product is the worst?
A. The biggest problem is soy milk. Those with lactose intolerance think that soy milk is a great alternative, and they're drinking a lot and getting a huge dose of isoflavones. If you're drinking soy milk, you're going to have a problem, or most people will sooner or later. We're all different--some people will start having problems in a day, and some people will think they're fine and a year later things will start to go downhill. Drinking just one glass a day of soy milk will give someone the level of plant estrogens that has hurt the thyroids of healthy Japanese men and women. Most people are drinking several glasses, plus the soy protein energy bars and the bags of edamame.
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