Book for Parents, et al

My advice to a busy parent: read the first couple chapters to get an idea of the urgency, then skip to the end where she breaks down how she got her kids to eat better food. Brilliant ideas!

…And while I’m on the subject of kids and what they should eat, I’ve got to finally say more about a must-read book for parents (and everyone in “the village” it takes to raise kids/human beings). The Unhealthy Truth, One Mother’s Shocking Investigation into the Dangers of America’s Food Supply – And what Every Family Can Do To Protect Itself, by Robyn O’Brien. This book for me was sort of a Pandora’s box of sad truths about the food industry in our country, which is why I’ve spent the last months since reading it overwhelmed at how to summarize the book on my blog. O’Brien’s book starts with her attempt to understand her children’s food allergies and sensitivities. But out of her search, this self-dubbed “Republican soccer mom” finds herself questioning non-profit organizations, researchers, the government, corporations, and yes, even capitalism. The horrifying truths she uncovers about the conflicts of interest and revolving doors found in our food system are sickening and overwhelming. Regulatory agencies like the FDA and the USDA are plainly failing to do their jobs-to protect US citizens from unhealthy food. From Kraft Mac’n'cheese’s orange food coloring that has been banned in the  UK (it causes hyperactivity) to the connection between soy in baby formula and peanut allergies to the dollar bill-eyed bias toward genetically modified foods in this country, the food supply from which  we are feeding our kids (not to mention ourselves) is highly suspect. And I believe, it is worth fighting for.

Robyn O’Brien’s book and other helpful info for parents can be found on her site: http://www.robynobrien.com

And her non-profit AllergyKids (which I assume to still be clear of any corporate funding/conflict of interest) has some great basic pointers for parents as well: http://www.allergykids.com

Kid Food

This weekend I am finally finishing up the online training the state mandates I do as a childcare center employee. The training is twenty long, mind-numbing hours of reading basic information about kids and babies that I have drawn out over months because it is so little fun. But today, I was encouraged by my luck to find on the screen: Module 8: Feeding & Care. As one obsessed with not just food but what is the best way to eat food, I find myself often thinking about kids and what we feed them, and the effects. So I felt a little less bummed than normal about doing my homework.

Most of Module 8 was review for me, but I did learn a few tidbits that broadened my horizons. The first was about Vitamin C. The online program stresses it is very important and must be part of a kid’s diet every day. I was surprised to learn that it’s not just good for colds (I had always assumed–that’s the only reason for Vitamin C, right?)–it builds connective tissue, strengthens bones, teeth, skin and blood vessels, and helps heal cuts and bruises! And what’s more, it doesn’t just come in oranges–it’s everywhere! I was especially excited to realize how many veggies contain C, like asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, brussell sprouts, red cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, peppers, potatoes, snow peas, sweet potatoes, and turnip greens! So the next time your kid has a sniffle, forget the orange juice (and the sugar that goes with it), give ‘em some broccoli and dip!

The second thing I really liked was about babies’ tongues. It said that it is important to give babies food to chew on and work through, not just for training for future eating, but specifically because it hones their tongue’s dexterity and eventually leads to increased progress with speech! I just love this. From the very beginning of our lives, eating and language are linked. As a food-lover and a writer, you can only imagine how exciting this was to me. And in my gut, as soon as I read it, it made perfect sense. Taste, expression, dialogue, sustenance. All these things tossed around by the tongue.

Not about food…or is it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/20/opinion/20kristof.html?scp=1&sq=poverty%20and%20the%20pill&st=cse

This op-ed from the Times brought me refreshingly back to my change-the-world ideals I discovered in college (and had since put on the back burner)–educate the world’s women and give them birth control. I appreciate that this writer points out both the simplicity and the vast complexity of the issue of over-population. To be honest, I had given up thinking about the idea of how to really make it work, frightened by the complexities of introducing birth control into cultures that would not welcome it, and not sure what I honestly thought about controlling birth myself. As I said, both a simple and very deep question…and a big problem. But I’m so glad this editorial brought me back to it. For, how else are we going to feed all these mouths?

News

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/health/research/12allergies.html?scp=1&sq=food%2520allergies&st=cse

I think this article needs some dissecting. My suspicious eye started trying to unearth why it is so important to share with the world that “oh, really, we were wrong, there’s not actually that many food allergies.” What about focusing on the food allergies themselves…and the causes? Seems fishy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/opinion/17mon3.html

The Times states its opinion on Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. Glad to hear they’re against it, but also, seems to over-simplify the evils of Roundup, not to mention its creator. Is more tractor work all you can really come up with? Let’s talk about our health for godsake! Genetically Modified foods have not been proven to be safe for human consumption! And there are many indicators pointing to the probability that they are harmful.

Sex, Hiking, and Good Food

I came across this article in the AARP Magazine (the subscriber of which shall remain youthfully unidentified) some time last year and have been meaning to share it for a long time now. Researchers looking at a remote Greek island where people live long lives that are extraordinarily healthy. Bullet points at the bottom of the article are the hypothetical reasons for their success. Whenever I do stairs for morning exercise, I think of the 100-year-old woman who hikes the mountainous island every day just to get around, and inadvertently, to stay healthy.

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/health/more_good_years.html

Nothing to do with food

During my travels through India and Europe last year, a dance was itching to come out of me. It came out in pieces and thankfully, I had a few friends along the way to capture it for me, because I would have forgotten it by now. Finally got around to editing it together and feel the only thing to do with it is to share it. The Van Morrison song was one that kept me company and comforted me many times along my adventure and became attached to the dance when I performed it in England at Schumacher College. The train whistle was a fluke, incredibly. The sites include Agra in India, the Dartington Hall Estate in England, and a beach in County Kerry, Ireland. I remember now that when I first started the dance in the outdoor classroom one morning at the Navdanya farm, I had decided the dance would be just for me, or that it would come from that intention–no thinking about what it would look like to viewers, just a dance for me, to feel good, to feel at home. So that’s all it is. Nothing too fancy, just a little expression of joy and wonderment at this love-drenched world that holds us all graciously in it. And the same goes for the performance and the video quality. For me, it’s less about that, and more about the spirit behind it.

I hope you enjoy it.

Food Goggles

I am ashamed to say I have only now finally subscribed to The New York Times online. And, you could say, I’m just eating it up! I find myself reading with food vision, and I’m seeing it everywhere. Funny, that something we do three times a day might pervade our news, not to mention, our commerce and politics. If there is one way a man with power/money might be sure to influence the masses, it is surely through the stomach. But now, to the Man I say, watch out, my stomach is reading. Closely.

U.S. Panel Criticized as Overstating Cancer Risks, The New York Times, May 7, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/health/research/07cancer.html?scp=1&sq=us%20panel%20cancer&st=cse

Obama’s Cancer Panel came out with a report that says environmental causes of cancer have been vastly underestimated. And, not surprisingly, the revolving-door-filled American Cancer Society comes back and says that they’re wrong, that actually it’s just smoking that’s causing cancer. And that toxins in our environment (“pesticides, industrial chemicals, medical X-rays, vehicle exhaust, plastic food containers and too much sun”) have nothing to do with it.

This led me to The Cancer Prevention Coalition, founded by Samuel Epstein. They have this long-winded but fascinating tome to show as evidence for ACS’s two-faced, industry-invested, money-making nature. Wow.

http://www.preventcancer.com/losing/acs/wealthiest_links.htm

And this led me to the University of Chicago’s School of Public Health site, since that’s where Epstein used to be a professor. Darn. But worth looking into. Any place that gives a second thought to a focus on prevention over treatment.

And from yesterday…

Invasion of the Superweeds, The New York Times, May 6, 2010

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/invasion-of-the-superweeds/?scp=1&sq=invasion%20of%20the%20superweeds&st=cse

A fairly diplomatic inquiry into the different truths about the chemical behind Round-Up, Monsanto’s number one pesticide. Six experts from different sides of the issue praise and poo-poo the chemical also known as glyphosate. Interesting to read these brief statements from across the board. Makes me feel like I’m reading one of those quizzes from Seventeen Magazine–if you agree with this editorial, you are a Green Gal, if you liked this editorial the most, you score as a Short-sighted Sissy. I especially cringe at the editorial that’s actually entitled “Diagnosing the Enemy.” Way to combine ideas of war and allopathic medicine into one quick fix for agriculture, sheesh!

As well as…

As Oil Threat Creeps Closer, a Rush on Seafood, The New York Times, May 6, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/us/07food.html?scp=1&sq=a%20threat%20creeping%20toward%20the%20pantry&st=cse

Looking at Louisiana and other Gulf Coast residents who are stocking up on fresh seafood before it all gets doused in oil in the coming weeks. A very interesting look at the dynamic relationship between the oil business and the fishing business. As well as a lens on the people of our country who don’t think chicken or beef when they think about dinner. It’s fish, what else? Refreshing for me, even coming from the Northwest–I just don’t think of fish for dinner. I always think of it as being too expensive. Time to re-evaluate, and consider the influences on my buying habits.

Here’s to the news, and to all the literate stomachs out there! More updates coming your way soon.