MTB: Food Politics---What we eat is making us sick! Find out why -- and what we can do about it.

[ihavenobias]

NOTE: Here is the description of this week's half hour episode of . You can watch it anytime Free On Demand using the link provided, and if you have a slow connection (and or you want to learn more) there are some great articles/websites listed at the bottom of this post. Also, you can with Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, John Cusack, Bernie Sander and more by going to the Past Shows section.

November 21st on Meet the Bloggers
Obesity is on the rise and Type 2 diabetes cases . For the first time in decades, the life expectancy of children born in this century is actually lower than their parents. What's the number one culprit in this crisis? Food. Meanwhile, food safety is spotty. The U.S. lacks a comprehensive "farm to table" food inspection process. That's why the Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 76 million cases of food borne illness each year!

What we eat is making us sick! To find out why -- and what we can do about it -- join food scientist Marion Nestle this Friday on Meet the Bloggers. Nestle is the author of and a professor in the Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health Department at New York University. We'll also chat with filmmaker Catherine Gund, director of the upcoming documentary , along with the two young subjects of her film, 7th graders Sadie Hope-Gund and Safiyahi Riddle. Then blogger Kerry Trueman (Huffington Post, ) shares some not-particularly-appetizing information about the traditional holiday turkey, and we'll visit our local farmers' market to learn why we should eat locally and seasonally.

The next episode of Meet the Bloggers will be available beginning Friday, November 21. Check out some of the articles below and fight the food policies that have failed us with your knife and fork!

- -- Marion Nestle

- -- Kerry Trueman, The Huffington Post

- -- Tara Lohan, AlterNet

- -- Michael Pollan, The New York Times

- -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[glowing]

1. And eating nutritional foods helps lower the costs of every healthcare

related issue. Having time to prepare the food is another subject.

Time to take care of one's self and the proper foods supplied would help this country a ton.

[tabatha]

3. Eating raw is healthier than eating cooked food.

Raw apples, raw fruit, raw carrots, raw greens, raw nuts - all better and not cooked.
And as for broccoli - heat water in microwave for 2mins, dunk broccoli for < 1 minute. Fast and nutritious.

[ihavenobias]

5. Well, it depends.

The proteins in raw meats and eggs have a lower bio-availability than their cooked counterparts (not to mention other issues).

As for vegetables there is a better case to be made, but even there sometimes it can be tricky. I remember reading a study that showed that canned corn had significantly higher levels of a key anti-oxidant than fresh corn. Something about the heating and canning processed had a *postive* effect. Granted, this may be the exception that proves the rule, but I still think it's complicated.

But yes, steaming vegetables is better than boiling, etc., and yes many people cook their food for too long.

PS---I resent the food marketing scams that sweep the nation. The latest is "whole grain". They're putting that label on (for example) boxes of sugary cereal with little/no nutritional value. If only people knew to look at the grams of fiber per serving...

[tabatha]

21. If you read Dr Mercola

he is against grains. There are some grains that are better than others.

I did not include proteins in my list of raw foods - but raw milk is better than pasteurized.

And I grew up with a lot of wild, dried meat - very good.

[AngryAmish]

67. By any reasonable standard, raw milk is dangerous

Essentially, cows udders are near their rectums. Cows do not practice anal sphincter control. Milk is sucked out of the cows via a suction milking machine. Any feces on the teats (even if clean to the eye) may get sucked into the holding tank. Plus those milking devices get knocked off/fall off the teats. Then they suction up whatever is on the floor of the milking room. Cow feces are on the floor of the milking room, even under the most hygienic circumstances.

E Coli (and a host of other nasty bugs) live in cow feces. Pasteurization kills it.

Every year you see raw milk people sicken and die. If done on a mass scale hosts of people would die every year.

[kestrel91316]

12. IIRC, light cooking makes many vegetables more digestible, thereby

increasing nutrient availability. Many people simply cannot digest raw vegetables.

Cooking appropriately doesn't even come close to destroying ALL the nutrients in our foods.

[tabatha]

22. Yup, I love soups.

And feel healthier for them. They are also easy cooking.

[Kalyke]

15. I think raw veggies taste better, anyway.

No skin off my hose to eat raw fruits and veggies.

[tabbycat31]

32. I rarely eat raw

I will eat raw fruits, but I can't eat raw veggies at all. I'm very sensitive to texture and don't like crunchy things. I'll eat butter lettuce, and the rest of my veggies must be cooked. Otherwise I won't eat them.

[Catherine Vincent]

37. You don't like crunchy things?:)

LOL. Sorry, for some reason that made me laugh. I'm the same way when it comes to crunchy veggies.

[KittyWampus]

42. Raw foods are NOT "healthier" than eating cooked food. Let's get something straight-

not all bodies and metabolisms are the same.

For SOME people, eating raw foods is healthier.

[ihavenobias]

59. Did you hear the latest story about undercooked pork?

It ended with a tapeworm in a brain. Horrifying and true.

[flvegan]

2. People have forgotten: Food is fuel.

That's it. Just like gas in a car, though a little more complex than that. Were I president, one of my big goals would be to institute mandatory nutrition classes in every high school. Not home ec, nutrition. I, to this day, find it hard to believe that folks aren't taught the most single important lesson there is to learn: how to feed oneself properly.

I understand that you should get to enjoy what you eat, just like many want to enjoy what they drive (trying to keep the analogy up). But in too many kitchens, well, it's like Eddie Griffin behind the wheel of an Enzo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNVrMZX2kms

[tabatha]

4. Absolutely spot on!

People are eating their way to disease.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. You know what is sad...medical schools do not bother with nutrition.

Most MDs I have dealt with were totally unaware of even the slightest nutritional information.
I hope that this changes...

[flvegan]

16. I know, and that bugs me.

Not to say ALL physicians know squat. I appreciate an MD that has done additional study in nutrition, but I have come to find that very rare.

I too hope that changes.

[JohnnyBoots]

57. DO's are much more holistic than MD's you should try seeing one of them.

DO = Doctor of Osteopathy.....equal to an MD, but with a different approach to medicne. Treat the whole person, not just the disease or illness......

[ihavenobias]

60. Last time I checked (a few years ago or so) they only were required to take ONE nutrition class.

That's incredible.

[Cha]

27. Pretty ironic since we really

are what we eat and drink and the body requires the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, ect, ect, ect from what we ingest.

It's like the Drs are there to dipense pills(read the side effects) when people get sick..not having a clue how they got that way.

Drs are good for setting bones and stitching up, though, imo.

[ihavenobias]

61. Yep. n/t

[Dangerously Amused]

63. "medical schools do not bother with nutrition..."

Well of course not! Not to the extent and with the emphasis that is warranted, anyway. That's because unhealthy people keep them in business!

How could the doctors and Big Pharma folk afford their mansions and sports cars and trips to exotic resorts if everybody ate nutritious food and adapted healthy lifestyles and hardly ever needed doctors anymore? Think about it, it's actually in their professional best interests to watch you sabotage your health and then simply patch up your problems on an "as-needed" basis.

I wholeheartedly agree with you, it needs to change, and I believe that universal health care will be a step in that direction. But until then we have to be our own best advocates and walk into a doctor's office armed to the teeth with all of the newest research and information available regarding whatever it is we are being treated for.

[Profprileasn]

34. Bingo

Their parents should have to attend the same class but when the kiddies enter school. Kids eating habits are so influenced by their parents

[screembloodymurder]

6. I've followed sereral of your links and quite frankly ...

I haven't found anything of substance.

[ihavenobias]

7. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

I'm sorry you feel that way, and while others may agree with you I'm sure there are people who don't. That's ok, to each his own!

:)

At any rate, I thought *this* was plenty substantive: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08305/924265-114.stm?cmpid=newspanel4

A doubling of the rate? The life expectancy point made elsewhere was also startling. And look, if nothing else this has sparked an interesting discussion (interesting to some, you can't please everyone 100% of the time).

[OhioChick]

25. Hey...

You can't please everyone. :shrug: At least he/she kicked up the thread for more eyes to see! :)

[formercia]

8. Can't agree more.

Swift meat packers used to say they used everything but the squeal. At least that was natural. Some of the additives and pesticide residues in our food is scary. Salt,Fat and High Fructose Corn syrup are the three new food groups under Bush gang.

[conscious evolution]

30. High Fructose Corn syrup

Nasty stuff.Linked to ADD.That makes it scary in a whole nother way.

[ihavenobias]

35. Right. HFCS and hydrogenated fats are the worst. n/t

[formercia]

39. One of the biggest lies ever perpetrated on consumers

is that margarine is healthier than Butter. If anything, it's worse due to the high level of hydrogenation. They like to sell it because it costs very little to produce compared to Butter, so the profit margin is astronomical. The biggest cost is advertising.
We have gone to using Corn oil because it has little if any saturated fat. Canola oil is cheaper but it does have a small amount of saturation.

[Raksha]

54. I make my own...one stick of softened butter

mixed with half a cup of vegetable or canola oil, blended together well in a small bowl and then left to firm up in the refrigerator for a few hours. 50% polyunsaturates, and no hydrogenated anything.

[tsuki]

41. I saw a commercial on HFCS last week. Reminded me of the

sugar commercials of the 1970s. It's all good, according to them and anyone who disagrees is an idiot.

Idiot here. Thank you, but no thank you.

[conscious evolution]

43. Idiot here,too.

In a vault,deep under North Ave in the ATL,next to a recipe for a secret formula called X,is a study showing just how bad HFCS really is.

[JohnnyRingo]

9. The 12 year old Quarter Pounder

From Mother Earth:

http://bestwellnessconsultant.com/2008/09/23/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger-karen-hanrahan-best-of-mother-earth.aspx

[AspenRose]

36. OMG!!!

:wow:



:puke:

[matthewf]

10. k&r

[CrispyQ]

11. I watched the documentary "King Corn" this week.

What a fucking travesty big agra is! Farmers are receiving government subsidies to grow a crop that is mostly fed to cows or turned into high fructose corn syrup. No nutritional value for humans at all. The two main guys in the film took a bite of their corn & spit it out. One farmer commented that it was ironic that most of Iowa is covered with fields of a crop that humans can't eat as is. Most of the farmers interviewed are disgusted with the system.

Very good movie - highly recommended. Make it a double feature & get "Super Size Me" at the same time.

on edit:

King Corn: http://www.kingcorn.net/

[ihavenobias]

44. Thanks for the link!

:)

[BrklynLiberal]

13. There was a show about two people, one was over 800 lbs and one was over 1000 lbs.

They both were trying to get that stomach operation so that they would be able to lose the weight that was keeping them bedridden.
They were both sad stores, and one ended tragically.

One of the main points of the show was the horrible junk food eating habits of people today, and how many YOUNG CHILDREN are getting diabetes today. They were saying it is virtually an epidemic, and the medical costs will be astronomical in the not too distant future.
One of the culprits is high fructose corn syrup...and that was only conceived as something to do with all the excess corn that was being produced way back when..and it was cheaper than sugar for the food manufacturers to use.
Now they are using corn to make ethanol, and so the price of corn syrup is going up. Ironic...huh?

The people who make this stuff...and I guess even those that use it, must be feeling the pressure. I have seen ads on TV trying to push the idea that corn syrup is really no worse than sugar and we should not be so worried about all the sweets in our diet. The ad consists of two boys discussing this over bowls of sweetened cereal.

If the environment or Bush doesn't get you, the food manufacturers will. We must all become educated so we can save ourselves and our children, as well as our planet.

[ihavenobias]

45. HFCS is in just about everything. An interesting factoid

is that the average liver can only store about 50g of fructose a day. Any extra is generally stored as fat, as fructose isn't really a preferred fuel of muscles (as opposed to glucose).

So if someone drinks two cans of regular soda (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, whatever) a day, they're exceeding the limit. Granted, exercise and glycogen depletion in general changes the equation, but still.

[CrispyQ]

55. In the movie I discuss above, "King Corn" they talk to a young man

who lost over 100 pounds by simply cutting out his favorite soft drink. He said he didn't diet or exercise, he simply stopped drinking grape soda. I saw a special similar to the one you mention. The man was pushing 500 pounds & confessed that he drank between a half & a whole gallon of soft drinks a day. OMG!!

In the movie, they talk about the glut of corn. Many communities in Iowa have had to build bigger grain elevators to store the excess corn & even those are over flowing. They told that corn hasn't been bred to make more corn per stalk, but rather to be able to thrive closer together, hence, more corn per acre. Almost every farmer they talked to hated the current system, particularly the fact that smaller farms were being bought out by larger farms. They talked about how dozens & dozens of old homesteads were just sitting, unattended & falling apart. Eventually, the corporations that own the land will demolish the buildings because, first, it's land that could be growing corn & second, it's faster & easier to farm huge tracts of land if you don't have buildings in the way.

At the end of the movie they showed a small parade for corn day or something like that. In the parade were some of the tractors that are used on the corporate farms. You would not believe how huge the equipment is! HUGE! They dwarf the kind of farm equipment that I grew up knowing.

I have not seen the ad you spoke of - telling us that HFCS is no worse than sugar, but it doesn't surprise me. Our government is in bed with the corporations.

I found the movie to be a fascinating look into our perverted food system.

[ihavenobias]

56. Right

Although I haven't watched the movie yet, I've read some on this topic. I'm assuming the movie also discusses how the quality of our meat is lower becase (in addition to conditions and hormones, etc.) of the feed changing the essential fatty acid ratio.

[CrispyQ]

58. They address that as well.

The first third of the movie is about Iowa & growing corn & exactly what kind of corn is grown. It's not the kind of corn that you find in your frozen food section or canned goods section.

In the second third, our documentarians travel to eastern Colorado & investigate the modern cattle ranch. Well, it's not a ranch anymore. Much of the grassland has been converted to growing corn to feed to the cows. Instead of letting cattle graze on the grasses, the animals are confined in pens & fed corn - all the better to fatten them quickly. It is very sad what we do to these animals. Naturally, they would live fairly long lives, but because we feed them a diet that is contrary to what their system requires, their lives are cut dramatically short. They are purchased as calves & generally slaughtered within 120 days of that. After 120 days, the animal starts to have serious health problems due to the diet we feed them.

In the final third, they go to Brooklyn & discuss HFCS & the impact it has on the health of citizens. They also cruise grocery store isles & show just how many products have HFCS in them.

The sad thing was how the old time farmers & ranchers all shook their heads in disbelief & disgust at what modern day agriculture has become.

[Sinti]

17. Eat locally and seasonally - Sage advice there

If you do this as much as you can your health will be better, and so will the health of the planet. The local farmer's market also puts more $$ in a real farmer's pocket, rather than a food industry giant.

Given the unavoidable downturn a garden would probably also be a good idea. Even a container garden in a sunny area of your home would add a few quality fresh veggies to your daily table - and can be done in an apartment if you select the right varieties. Not to mention, garden grown vegetables taste so much better, as you allow them to ripen fully before picking.

The over-processing of food is a likely contributor to untold diseases - and it's completely unnecessary. From a personal perspective, being slightly OC about nutrition, I can tell when I'm not eating properly - I start to feel physically sick and slow, like I've perhaps been poisoned. If you want to focus more on nutrition and fresh foods you can get a piece of software that gives you full nutrition info for a myriad of different foods here: Food File.

Taking the time to cook (not nuke - actually cook from scratch) will add quality years to your life. If you have kids, setting a sit down and everybody talk dinner time is better for their well-being than soccer/ballet practice could ever hope to be.

I hope that if Barack does refocus our food policy it's away from the juggernaut of ADM/Heartland, with commodities like corn and wheat, and toward more sustainable practices with nutrition-rich foods. I realize that kind of sounds like I want everybody to eat more like I do, but I don't think people realize what they're doing to their bodies. Obviously the current American diet is not serving anyone's health and no amount of repackaging the same old stuff is going to fix that. It wouldn't be that hard to get the public to change habits, if broccoli was sold the way Twinkies are broccoli would be fashionable food.

With the way family farm are being plowed under in the name of progress, I begin to worry about food as a national security issue. Factory farms have a lot less buy-in to the local system, and are extremely petrol-dependent. They only need worry about the bottom line - human and environmental cost is not part of the equation.

That "Dear Mr. Next President" article is excellent. Hopefully someone with similar ideas will have his ear for a bit. Half-a-pound of meat a day??? Geez... no wonder there are so many Lipitor commercials.

[Cha]

28. I would add "organic" to that list..

I've been supporting my local organic farmers for years and they've given me delicious food that is also good medicine.

[ihavenobias]

51. It's a lot easier to eat locally if you live in a more temperate climate

Sadly not as easy in say, Chicago. Cost is also a factor.

[20score]

18. Interesting. K&R

[Window]

19. K/R, bookmarked.

:kick:

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Only 8 recs ?????????

This is the future of our country, and world.
Energy, both food and power, are becoming the pre-dominent focus of planet sustainability.

And there are 2 opposite forces who understand this.
One of them is Corpocracy.
the other is a loosely affiliated group as discussed above.


K& R from me on this.
:kick:

[Joe the Liberal]

23. K&R

:kick: & R

[ihavenobias]

47. Thanks

:)

[OhioChick]

24. K&R

:kick:

[Kajsa]

26. Thanks, I've bookmarked this thread, also.

:)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. Long ago, I read about a doctor...

Back when they still made house calls...

Upon arriving at the house, he would immediately thank the cook for sending him a new patient! Indeed, cooking has a huge influence on our health...

Thank you for this!

K&R

:patriot:

[ihavenobias]

52. Really?

I mean, it's believable but is it true?

:)

[Azlady]

31. Thank you -

If we all start rejecting the crap that is on the shelves and start buying locally, again, yet again, not only is it going to help supply more jobs to USA workers, but it will help our economy BUT most important... our health!

[ihavenobias]

68. Local is huge.

Although again, it's easier said than done in places like Chicago (where I am).

[ejbr]

33. K & R n/t

[dysfunctional press]

38. for one thing- starch is not a natural part of the human diet...

we're hunter-gatherers by nature.

[Locrian]

50. winner winner!!

We are 1000's of generation hunters and gatherers. Agriculture is what like 10,000 years old at best? Grains are not our friends, but they are addictive.


http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html

There are races of people who are all slim, who are stronger and faster than us. They all have straight teeth and perfect eyesight. Arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, depression, schizophrenia and cancer are absolute rarities for them. These people are the last 84 tribes of hunter-gatherers in the world. They share a secret that is over 2 million years old. Their secret is their diet- a diet that has changed little from that of the first humans 2 million years ago, and their predecessors up to 7 million years ago. Theirs is the diet that man evolved on, the diet that is coded for in our genes. It has some major differences to the diet of "civilization". You are in for a few big surprises.

The diet is usually referred to as the "Paleolithic Diet" referring to the Paleolithic or Stone Age era. It is also referred to as the "Stone Age Diet", "Cave Man Diet" or the "Hunter-Gatherer Diet". More romantic souls like to think of it as the diet that was eaten in the "Garden of Eden" and they are correct in thinking so.

The basic principles of the Paleolithic Diet are so simple that most high school students can understand them. Within 15 minutes from now you will grasp the major elements. At the technical level, Paleolithic Diet Theory has a depth and breadth that is unmatched by all other dietary theories. Paleolithic Diet Theory presents a fully integrated, holistic, comprehensive dietary theory combining the best features of all other dietary theories, eliminating the worst features and simplifying it all.

All major dietary components are covered- (i.e. vitamins, fats, protein, fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants and phytosterols etc). This is for the simple reason that it is the only diet that is coded for in our genes- it contains only those foods that were "on the table" during our long evolution, and discards those which were not. Have you ever wondered why almost everybody feels the need to take vitamin supplementsat times, or why so many people feel the need to "detoxify" their system? There are very real reasons for this that you will soon understand. Now, come with me, I’d like to share the secret with you...

Basics of the Paleolthic Diet
For millions of years, humans and their relatives have eaten meat, fish, fowl and the leaves, roots and fruits of many plants. One big obstacle to getting more calories from the environment is the fact that many plants are inedible. Grains, beans and potatoes are full of energy but all are inedible in the raw state as they contain many toxins. There is no doubt about that- please don’t try to eat them raw, they can make you very sick.


more at website for paleo diet: http://paleodiet.com/

[Karenina]

40. NEVER eat ANYTHING

that your great-grandma wouldn't recognize as FOOD! ;-)

[alfredo]

46. Read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food."

[ihavenobias]

70. Thanks

:)

[dixiegrrrrl]

48. keeping kicked

:kick:

[OhioChick]

49. Evening Kick!

:kick:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

53. I missed this first time around. Thanks for the latest kick,

this is invaluable information.

[AnnieBW]

62. Food in Australia

I just got back from two weeks in Australia. Food there, for the most part, was much fresher and had less preservatives. Their sodas were made with real sugar instead of that HFCS crap - mostly because Oz is a major sugar cane producer. I also saw non-Asians bringing young children into Thai and Chinese restaurants, so that they could develop the taste at an early age. In the States, they'd be going to Chuck E Cheese or Mickey D's. That's not to say that they didn't have crap food in Australia. They did have fast food. But we studiously avoided it, and did fairly well.

Although, to be honest, we did indulge in nice, greasy, American cheeseburgers and fries upon hitting the Los Angeles airport. :D

[CherylK]

64. Bump!

:kick:

[Azlady]

65. Kick!

[IcyPeas]

66. thanks for the links...

especially the Michael Pollan one. I always like reading his articles in the NYT magazine and I had not seen this one. There is a petition online to make him the new Secretary of Agriculture.

[latebloomer]

69. K&R

Very important info, thanks!

[CherylK]

71. Bump!

:kick: