Review: Food, Inc.

Just wanted to direct you all to a review I wrote over at LAist on Food, Inc. I wrote it a few weeks ago, and have since seen the movie twice.  Obviously, this is the type of film that I find incredibly important to see.

Check it out: FOOD, INC.

You can watch the preview here or on LAist.

in the news, 2.25

 

some news from around the world for today, 2.25.09

E.P.A. Is Told to Reconsider Its Standards on Pollutants, via the New York Times

Bush administration standards for pollutants like soot are “contrary to law and unsupported by adequately reasoned decisionmaking,” a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its standards for the pollutants, fine particulates, which are linked to premature death from lung cancer and heart disease and to other health problems including asthma.

Michael Pollan Fixes Dinner, via Mother Jones

MJ: The food activism community is criticized as being elitist, blind to the issues of cost. How do we democratize better quality?

MP: It is the important question. One of the problems is that the government supports unhealthy food and does very little to support healthy food. I mean, we subsidize high fructose corn syrup. We subsidize hydrogenated corn oil. We do not subsidize organic food. We subsidize four crops that are the building blocks of fast food. And you also have to work on access. We have food deserts in our cities. We know that the distance you live from a supplier of fresh produce is one of the best predictors of your health. And in the inner city, people don’t have grocery stores. So we have to figure out a way of getting supermarkets and farmers markets into the inner cities.

West blamed for rapid increase in China’s CO2, via the Guardian

The full extent of the west’s responsibility for Chinese emissions of greenhouse gases has been revealed by a new study. The report shows that half of the recent rise in China‘s carbon dioxide pollution is caused by the manufacturing of goods for other countries – particularly developed nations such as the UK.

Last year, China officially overtook the US as the world’s biggest CO2 emitter. But the new research shows that about a third of all Chinese carbon emissions are the result of producing goods for export.

i agree: books on food

Treehugger posted a good article today on 9 Must Read Books on Eating Well.

I pretty much agree with all of them, except for one amendment and one addition. Treehugger recommends Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, I would change that to How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. I would also add Food Politics by Marion Nestle.

I have created a commerce store on Amazon, so if you a buy a book using these links, you get even further discounts.

Go to TreeHugger or Amazon for full descriptions, but here is the list
1.) The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating, by Smith and MacKinnon
2.) Food Security for the Faint of Heart, by Robin Wheeler
3.) How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition): 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food (How to Cook Everything), by Mark Bittman
4.) The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan
5.) In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
6.) The Oxford Companion to Food 2nd Ed, by Alan Davidson
7.) The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (No-Nonsense Guides), by Wayne Roberts
8.) Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System, by Rajeev Charles Patel
9.) Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov’s Quest to End Famine, by Gary Paul Nabhan

and my addition
10.) Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (California Studies in Food and Culture), by Marion Nestle

quote of the day

“In order for natural selection to help us adapt the the Western diet, we’d have to be prepared to let those it sickens, die.”

Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food.

Food Fight

Today seems to be a day of food… new research has been released, a new campaign has started because of Obama and I just learned there is a new documentary coming out.

If you have read my blog, even the smallest amount, you know I care about food. I think it is the cause of disease, poverty, corrupt government policy, and I can keep going on. I value what Michael Pollan and Alice Waters have to say. I encourage Farmer’s Markets and cooking at home.

I am excited that a new movie is coming soon called “Food Fight”

Here is the trailer:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAALmty650]

And, HERE is a review from Tree Hugger.

I am trying to get information because I heard there were some screenings this week for Los Angeles folk. I will update when I can.

Farmer in Chief

Oh me, oh my… I do like Michael Pollan.

Yesterday, he wrote a great, albeit long, article for the New York Times about our food crisis. I think it is really, REALLY important that everyone read this. You can find it HERE.

It is a letter to the next President about a major upcoming issue that is NOT being addressed.

“Which brings me to the deeper reason you will need not simply to address food prices but to make the reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them”

egg-cellent

I will admit that ever since I have read… well, anything by Michael Pollan… I have been wanting my own chickens. I know that it seems silly to you, but when you imagine for a few seconds the condition these animals are raised, you stop eating them. And I love eggs. I love eggs to scrambled and poached and omeletted. I love eggs in my cakes and brownies and ice creams.

I currently buy them from my farmer’s market, but I have to say, that is the one item that I have found to be quite costly.

So, I want a chicken coop.

HERE is an article about states becoming more lenient on restrictions for having backyard coops. I guess more and more people feel the same way as I do.

whoa…. whoa there

This is a very interesting video… Michael Pollan, my favorite food author, which you know if you visit this site frequently and the CEO of Monsanto, who you know I dislike if you visit this site frequently… sat down for a little chat about the future of food.

I think the video is well worth the viewing. And, in my opinion, the topic is very complex but VERY IMPERATIVE in understanding how food is grown, used, manipulated and the impact of all of this on our supply.

I do not know how to stress enough that, in my opinion, changing to CFL’s and reducing your use of your car are all well and good, and necessary. However, if you do not change how you eat and where that food comes from, we are in a much more dire circumstance than you can even imagine.

Please watch the video:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9I1IkbcHNE]

and then also read THIS article about saving our seeds before genetic manipulation takes over and destroys our supply.

act of love

A few days ago, a friend, Stacy, asked if I still cooked for myself and when I said, but of course, she made a comment about it being an “act of love”.

The day… heck, most of the weekend, went by before that comment hit me…. truly hit me. Then yesterday as I was making homemade black bean soup, I really connected to what I was doing and got the full impact of what she had said to me.

When we make the choice to eat as healthfully as possible; choosing the ingredients, controlling the quantities and what goes into the food we eat, spending the time to watch and nurture something slowly simmering on the stove-top, creating the environment to enjoy what you have made…. you are choosing the best of possibilities for yourself.

For whatever reason, I fell in love with food and cooking many, many years ago. I am nurtured, not only by the food, but by the process of cooking the food and experimenting with new ingredients and most importantly by providing those whom I love and care deeply about, with my creations. I know that for some people it is difficult to take the time and spend it in the kitchen…. Please believe me when I say, TRY IT!! It gets so much easier over time and practice. The gift is so worth the effort.

I have written in the past about the whole impact of eating “fast food”. All I really want to say about the difference in the two ways of eating is that I believe one is an “act of love”. When you can fully connect to what you are putting in your body, when you love and honor yourself, and the people in your life, so much, and you choose to treat your body as a gift, a privilege and a temple; then you cannot choose to eat processed, fast food. This is something I believe.

I also believe that in choosing to eat healthfully, from your home, you are choosing FOR the environment. You reduce your carbon footprint, and make an impact on the negative food industry. The animal industry is a huge waste of our environment, conventional farming releases toxins into our water supply, we have depleted fish to near extinction… don’t even get me started on corn.

The next time you are thinking about what to eat, try following advice by Michael Pollan for “In Defense of Food”; Eat WHOLE food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (Included in this is don’t eat an ingredient that you don’t know what it is (i.e. ethoxylated diglycerides) and try to eat something that wasn’t flown in from Argentina (or the likes)).

What I am trying to say is this: I believe that eating well is not only an act of love for yourself, but also everyone around you… the whole entire world.

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks:
Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson and her site www.101cookbooks.com
Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Essentials of Cooking by James Peterson

and of course, the bible of cooking: The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer

Happy Cooking… and most important… HAPPY EATING!!!!

cheep, cheep

As I tend to do, I created a new challenge for myself this week.

Let me start by giving you some background information. My cousin, Lauren, and I were having a conversation about food. This subject tends to be one of the most frequent conversations I have. We were talking about it in relation to what we, as Americans, use our money to purchase. I positioned the argument that in order to buy the stuff we buy to define ourselves (houses, cars, watches, clothes), we sacrifice by not buying good healthy food. And that there is a general assumption in this country that it is more expensive and time consuming to buy food and prepare it at home, rather than go to a fast food place and get quick, cheap food. But then I wondered, is that food really cheap? If you are someone, like the average American, who gets 40% of your meals from a fast food place, are you really paying the least you can for food when you consider long term effects of having eaten that food?

Hence, the challenge. I set out to see if I can determine the true cost per meal when you eat out at a fast food place, versus eating a good, healthful meal at home. Why I do this to myself…. I have no clue… hopefully, it is to your benefit.

So first, some data about obesity and the population of the United States and our habits:

Obesity
- Obesity is when the excess of body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it has a negative effect on health. It is defined by Body Mass Index, with anyone being over a value of 30 is obese.
- There are many diseases affiliated with being overweight or obese, specifically defined in two ways; there are diseases based on having fat mass, like osteoarthritis and sleep apnea. And, diseases that occur because of having fat cells which are diabetes, cancers, and fatty liver diseases.
- The United Nations reports that we have more people suffering from over-nutrition (1 billion) than malnutrition (800 million).

U.S. demographics

- There are currently 304,700,881 million people in the United States.
- The United States is the fattest nation in the world with 60% of our population being overweight or obese. (The thinnest nation is Korea at 3%, from the data set given.) The fattest part of our country is the Southern states and the thinnest part is New England.
- Since 1980, our obesity levels have doubled with 32% of adults and 17% of children being obese.
- From 1971 to the present, we have increased out caloric intake by 30%. Interesting, considering the staple meal then was steak and potatoes. And, now we are supposed to be living in the health conscious age of salads and lean meat.

Fast Food and the U.S.

- The average American eats 3,500 calories, a day. The American Medical Association suggest 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men.
- 40% of all our meals are eaten outstide of the home
- 30% of our population visit fast food places everyday. That’s about 91 million people EVERYDAY!!!!!
- 19% of our meals are eaten in the car. According to my math, that is 174 million meals per year that Americans, as a whole, eat in the car.
- On average, the most expensive meal on a typical fast food menu is also the healthiest.
- The caloric intake of an average meal has increased four times in the last 30 years.
- In 1972, we spent $3 billion dollars on fast food. Today we spend $110 billion dollars.
- Fast food companies distribute more toys (read that: plastic) than Toys’R’Us.

This next set of data, I think, is really important.

- On average, we have increased our intake of sugar by 30 pounds per person in 20 years.
- $1 can buy you 1200 calories of fast food, or 210 calories of healthy food
- An average family will consume a total of 5000-6000 calories in one sitting for a fast food meal. Because of the high occurrence of corn derived products in that food, it took 1.3 gallons of oil to make that meal.
- A Happy Meal is 600 calories. The American Medical Association states that children between 0-8 should eat, on average, 1200 calories per day. That one meal just gave them half of their daily calories. The other two meals better be pretty lean!
- The most popular kids choice is the McNugget. It has the largest list of ingredients on the menu with a total of 38. One of the ingredients is butane… you know, LIGHTER FLUID. Thirteen of those 38 ingredients are corn derivatives.

I know that this is a lot of information, but I really think it is so valuable to have. I think every person needs to know what they are putting in their bodies or their children’s bodies. I think you would be limited in finding a person that doesn’t put the right kind of fuel and oil in their car, to ensure it runs well and for a long time. But, that same person doesn’t have issue with putting unhealthful stuff into their bodies, ensuring early death.

I also wanted to give all of this information in order to accurately juxtapose the difference in my own eating habits. I am a proficient cook. I enjoy being in the kitchen, experimenting with recipes, trying out new foods, and making meals for the ones I care about. This has led me to have the practice where I go to the market once a week, and make every single meal I eat, the occasional dinner at a restaurant, not withstanding. I pride myself on eating healthfully. But what I realized this week is I also eat pretty cheaply. Now, as anyone in my life can tell you, I eat a LOT; three hearty meals and two snacks a day. I don’t eat anything processed, with the exception of a protein powder that goes into a morning smoothly. If I do buy something packaged, my rule is that it has to have no more than five, completely understandable ingredients. I eat 2,000 calories a day and 45.7 g of fiber… I only know this because I just figured out my typical daily food intake and looked up the calories and fiber. I am 5’8”, I weigh 130 and I have a BMI of 19.2. I work out two to three days a week of intense exercise. I don’t have medical insurance, I do see an acupuncturist. I spend $50 a week on food. At 35 meals per week, this means that my cost per meal is $1.42 per meal. I know every single thing I put into my body, and the long term effect is lack of disease (based on diet, environmental factors excluded). If you calculate my annual acupuncture cost into my per meal cost, it is an additional $1.73. My total per meal cost is $3.15.

My approach to figuring out the cost per meal of someone who does not eat my way, was to start with look looking at the cost this country spends per year on obesity, and applying simple math to determine individual financial participation. (All of my references, and links to calculations, can be found at the end of this post.)

So… here is the data. The cost of obesity in the United States is $123 Billion per year. $64 billion of that total is the direct medical cost of being overweight or obese, and 59 billion is the indirect cost like the value of lost wages because of disabilities. Fifty percent of the $123B is paid for by the government either through Medicare or Medicaid (that’s your tax dollars), while the other 50% is paid for by the individuals. For the government to contribute its share, each tax paying American adult (you) contributes $280 per year. So, whether you choose to live healthfully, or not, you contribute that amount as a part of your taxes. As an overweight/obese individual, you pay not only your share of the first half ($280), but also your personal contribution to the second half, which is $945 per person. Which means your grand total is $1226 per year. (Obviously, to make things easy, but to get the point across, I am using an average; some people will pay more, some less.) If you then account for the average number of times individuals get their food at a fast food place, you can assume that each meal is costing an additional $8.40. For example, if you buy a Big Mac Value Meal at $3.99 plus tax, the true price of that meal is $12.72. That is four times the cost of my meal. And, that is only for this week, or this year. This does not account for rising prices, a new disease you may get, or over population, to name a few examples of what’s to come in our future.

This is just food and medical costs. Now, if you add in the fact that airlines charge more because of fuel usage. They estimate it takes an additional 530 million gallons of fuel to cart around our additional weight. This also does not take into consideration the additional fuel costs of your own car. Or, the cost of potential future lost wages because you may lose your job due to your illnesses. It is currently estimated that in the year 2030, about 25 years from now, we will be paying $900 billion per year to account for the obesity epidemic.

The saddest part of this whole thing is the socioeconomic class it affects the most; the poor. Fast food has the lowest cost/calorie ratio; $1 purchases 1200 calories. But these are the same group that cannot afford the associated medical costs. Type 2 Diabetes is the most common ailment that afflicts overweight people. The annual cost of this disease is estimated at $10K. Now, if you have insurance it is an estimated $2K, out of pocket expense. But, what if you don’t? The group with the highest rate of diabetes is in families with a gross income of $35K. That means, even if you have insurance, you are paying $200 per month in medical bills.

I don’t want this to be an essay claiming that I am better than everyone else. I eat what works for me, and I would never assume that it would or should work for everyone else. But, I really need to challenge this notion in society that eating fast food is “cheap”. Because, it is not when you consider the long term impact of what that food is doing to your body. I can’t even imagine the untold cost onto our environment to produce that low quality food. And, I don’t even want to imagine the cost of what it does to our society when families are eating at a fluorescent lit fast food restaurant, instead of being at home, with the TV off, participating and fully engaged in a conversation, caring about what is going on in their lives and what they are putting in their mouths.

Links:
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w3.219v1/DC1
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/economic_consequences.htm
http://www.forbes.com/2006/07/19/obesity-fat-costs_cx_mh_0720obesity.html
http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/4-2007/heavy-cost-of-type-2-diabetes-complications.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald%27s_products
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/08/03/business/03metrics.graphix.ready.html

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