The good food news of 2011
22 Dec 2011
2011 was a big year for food politics. In case you dozed off anywhere along the way, I’ve collected the year’s most important stories below. (Want something lighter? See my Sustainable Food Trends story from last week. Want something heavier? Here’s the bad food news.)
1. Urban farming is flourishing.
An urban farm in Chicago.Photo: Piush Dahal
While the renewed interest in growing food within city limits is nothing new, 2011 was the year urban farming went legit.
Despite several low points involving criminal charges for gardeners in Michigan and Tennessee (charges were dropped in both cases after word spread around the internet and people from across the country petitioned lawmakers), the year was full of highlights. In San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, San Diego, and Baltimore, city officials changed local laws to make it easier to farm. Meanwhile, New Yorkers celebrated the first year of legal beekeeping. And creative, scrappy projects like the Boston Tree Party and Detroit’s Growing Joy Community Garden flourished.
Meanwhile, corporate interests are also keying into the possibilities of urban agriculture. We heard from a vertical farming expert on the subject.
2. Young farmers make noise.
Photo: Eddie Crimmins
More and more young Americans are taking to the farm, a trend that’s continued to grow this year. They’re getting creative — returning to using draft horses, for example. And they’re getting political — the National Young Farmers’ Coalition has put together an agenda for the upcoming 2012 farm bill, pushing for easier to access land and loans. LGBT farmers (young and otherwise) are also changing the face of farming.
3. Local food isn’t just delicious and eco-friendly.
2011 presented us with even more evidence that local food systems don’t just taste good and feel good; they also build local economies. More farmers markets mean more jobs, overall.
4. Food Day makes a comeback.
Although the organizers called this year’s national event the first annual Food Day, there had apparently been another attempt in the 1970s. Let’s hope this versions sticks. Check out our slideshow.
5. We don’t need industrial ag to feed the world.
Photo: BASF
Feeding the world doesn’t have to depend on genetically modified rice like this. Yes, the world’s population is growing rapidly (see Grist’s series “What to expect when you’re expanding“), and the question of how to feed all 7 billion of us is an important one. Far too often, however, “feeding the world” has become code for farming with as many chemicals and GMO seeds as possible.
This year brought mounting evidence to the contrary, including a study published in Nature and another published in Science that say otherwise. The results of a long-term study by the Rodale Institute also proved that organic farming is just as productive as conventional, and better at building soil (this is key, since “yield” is at the heart of the “feed the world” discussion).
6. Despite the influence of the ultra-consolidated meat industry, the “ag-gag” bills went nowhere.
Early on in 2011, lawmakers in Florida, New York, Iowa, and Minnesota tried to pass so-called “ag-gag” bills that would have made it illegal to produce — and in Minnesota to possess — undercover videos of livestock factory farms. The bills were part of a coordinated effort by Big Ag, but the sustainable food movement organized to defeat them, and, in a rare win, succeeded.
7. Eaters are (a little) more aware of the people behind their food.
Photo: U. Roberto Romano
The situation for workers in the food system isn’t exactly good news, but I’m putting it in this category because 2011 saw a number of small but important strides.
Food service provider Bon Appétit Management Company took two big steps: First, it released the first comprehensive report on documented farmworker rights and abuses in years. Then it hosted TEDx Fruitvale: Harvesting Change, an event entirely dedicated to the plight of farmworkers and other food system workers.
Meanwhile, food worker advocates produced a guide to restaurants that treat their employees well. And the Department of Labor proposed new child labor rules for farms, expected to be officially enacted next year.
8. Food access got more attention.
Too many people around the U.S. still lack easy access to good, healthy food. Fortunately, activists and farmers made a lot of creative progress this year in helping to raise awareness and tackle the root problems.
A group of advocates from an Oakland-based organization called Live Real took to the road for the Food and Freedom Rides.
Tiny groceries made out of shipping containers: one way to increase food access.Fifty young people began working in schools, gardens, and advocacy organizations as part of the first class of Food Corps participants. We spoke with three of them.
Subsidizing farmers markets was shown to be an effective strategy for getting more healthy food into food deserts. And farmers themselves looked for creative ways to address food access, such as this give-a-dozen-buy-a-dozen program modeled after Toms Shoes.
Slow Food USA sought to show that supporting local farmers doesn’t require going broke with its $5 Challenge. And a group of grad students tried out a model for small, portable grocery stores built out of shipping containers — a potential solution for under-resourced areas without traditional grocery stores.
9. More information helps eaters make better choices.
Photo: Frank Farm
Although food safety continued to be a huge concern (see our “bad news” list in part 2) some food choices were made a little easier in 2011.
For example, organic chicken was proven to carry significantly lower salmonella risk, there’s more evidence that organic milk is better for you,
As it turns out that most “use-by” dates are meaningless.
10. The Occupy movement adds fuel to the fire.
Advocates and farmers jointed the Zuccotti Park gathering this fall, and we heard from a variety of folks who were occupying various aspects of the food system — like one farmer who occupied the pasture.
Just as important as any march or rally, however, the activism taking place over last few months has gotten more eaters to think critically about where their food dollars are going, and to consider investing in local and sustainable food enterprises rather than Wall Street.
SOURCE: Twilight Greenaway (author), Organic Consumers Association/Grist
Food Corporations Buy Silence from “Partners”
Currently browsing posts about: CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
By Marion Nestle from her blog ‘Food Politics’ Dec. 17, 2010
Does corporate social responsibility pay off for corporations? Indeed it does. Corporate money buys silence, if nothing else.
William Neuman of the New York Times provides a perfect example of how corporate sponsorship gets precisely what it is intended to do.
In this particular case:
- The corporations are soda companies, Coke and Pepsi.
- The social responsibility is donations of millions of dollars to a good cause.
- The cause is Save the Children, a group devoted to child health and development projects internationally and domestically.
- The intention? Get Save the Children to stop advocating in favor of soda taxes.
Not long ago, Save the Children was a strong advocate for soda taxes. Now it is not. How come? The group’s website explains:
about a minute ago we said, Corporate donors support us but do not pressure us. Our focus is children not soda tax policy. Back to saving more children now.
The Times, however, suggests a different explanation:
executives at Save the Children were seeking a major grant from Coca-Cola to help finance the health and education programs that the charity conducts here and abroad, including its work on childhood obesity.The talks with Coke are still going on. But the soda tax work has been stopped….In interviews this month, Carolyn Miles, chief operating officer of Save the Children, said there was no connection between the group’s about-face on soda taxes and the discussions with Coke. A $5 million grant from PepsiCo also had no influence on the decision, she said. Both companies fiercely oppose soda taxes.
A mere coincidence? I don’t think so. This is a clear win for soda companies, just as was Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the educational activities of the American Academy of Family Physicians. You can bet those activities do not involve telling parents not to give sodas to their kids.
Is this a win for Save the Children? The Times reports that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funds some of the group’s anti-obesity initiatives, is disappointed. Evidently, its $3.5 million donation wasn’t enough to convince the group to continue its anti-soda activities.
In the meantime, soda taxes continue to stay on the radar as a weight control strategy. A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that soda taxes could lead to a small but potentially significant weight loss.
According to FoodNavigator’s report about the study,the authors say that applying such taxes throughout the United States could generate a billion dollars or more. It quotes lead researcher Eric Finkelstein: “Although small, given the rising trend in obesity rates, especially among youth, any strategy that shows even modest weight loss should be considered.”
This kind of study is a challenge to soda companies. Watch Coke and Pepsi continue donations to charitable and health groups and watch those groups say not one word about the contribution of sodas to obesity. Cigarettes, anyone?
Source: Marion Nestle, blog ‘Food Politics’
Michael Pollan: Supermarket Secrets
GET YOUR KIDS INTO THE KITCHEN!
Source: Uploaded by NourishLife on Nov 1, 2010 to YouTube
Visit http://nourishlife.org. How do you make healthy choices at the supermarket? Food journalist Michael Pollan helps us navigate the grocery store to find fresh, whole foods.
What’s In Your Fridge?? This Is How I Shop For Health
GET YOUR KIDS INTO THE KITCHEN!
Source: Uploaded by PaulChekLive on Jul 25, 2008 to YouTube
Sean from http://www.undergroundwellness.com lets us into his pantry for a little show and tell. If you care about your meat suit then choose your meat carefully. Go against the grain and eat the best you can obtain cause disease is born of bodies carelessly maintained.
FoodSpook Comments: “The Devil’s Advocate”
GET YOUR KIDS INTO THE KITCHEN!
By FoodSpook, publisher of “DiabetesResourceSpot.com”
Recently one of my readers commented that he thought I should play the role of “The Devil’s Advocate” more often in my blog. I read the comment and thought it was very interesting.
As I have written before, my blogsite is dedicated to re-posting information about the prevention of diabetes and other serious medical conditions that are on the rise and unequivacally out of control in our society. Two examples of “out of control” medical conditions are, childhood obesity and autism. This post is not is not going to address these two medical conditons today. This post is dedicated to my readers that want to hear my opinions.
I may not support a particular article or video that I post. That is not the purpose of this blog. I try to re-post written articles and videos that I find interesting and thought-provoking and therefore hope my audience will find them likewise. When I do contribute a opinion, usually it will be titled “FoodSpook Comments”. As far as the information posted here, I know you will decide what you think. The main purpose of this blog is to present health information developed by many authors to try to derail the rapid approach of a health train wreck looming in this country.
I am dedicated to posting information about how most adverse health issues in this country can be linked to the foods we consume. Also, corporate greed and duplicity and the seemingly massive lack of education of the American public of nutrition are major co-conspiritors behind the “Perfect Storm” of diseases and illnesses that are consuming children and adults in the USA at a unprecedented rate.
With new technologies and medical breakthroughs we now live a few years longer than our relatives 100 years ago. But, are we as healthy as they were? Were 40% to 70% of their children and adults obese? Were thousands of parents worried if their children had developed autism due to one or more vaccinations? Did their kids have to handle ADHD? What has happened to health in America?
Food has happened to this country. Tony The Tiger, Ronald MacDonald, and the Flintstones have changed our image of food to suit the corporate desires of food companies (profits), and in the process have changed the image we have of ourselves. It seems we don’t expect to be healthy. Our people were healthier 30 years ago than we are now. Today, Tony The Tiger and the Lucky Charms Leprechaun has trained our children how and what to eat. We as parents have NOT!
The reason we can’t train our kids is because we have not been trained ourselves about the differences between processed and real food and how important that difference is to our children’s health. Studies show that many chemicals and sweeteners that are included in processed foods are negatively affecting the developing brains of our children. Who do you think benefits in the long run from from brains that are not fully capable of critical thinking?
We have been serving our children up as fodder to the pharmaceutical companies as they create a unlimited selection of drugs to treat ADHD, autism, schzophrenia, depression and you name it. These companies reap incredible profits as we continue to go to the grocery store and NOT read the lables and hope that things will get better.
We have a daunting task ahead if we want to change this downward spiral of health in this country. Many people are discussing , networking, and helping to change how we view food. Authors like Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle are writing books, Alice Waters is bringing nutrition to nation’s schools through her “Edible Schoolyard” concept and First Lady Michelle Obama not only has a White House garden for D.C. kids, but has also established her “Exercise 60″ program to encourage children to get out and excercise at least 60 minutes a day. Ordinary people like myself are writing blogs, publishing articles, making videos and using every media available to persuade our readers that you personally can make changes in your lives and your children’s lives. The health problems that have exploded in this country during the past 30 years did not just happen, they have been caused.
I know many of you are involved with good nutrition and are training your children. This is not an easy task. It will take some research and self education. But if each of us can figure out our own way to battle crafty food corporations, and their deceptive advertising practices, we will change the status quo.
As I have written before, I am not a doctor nor a specialist in any field related to health or any other medical condition. I am just a concerned citizen. I look for articles produced by dedicated authors that I think my readers may find informative and hopefully inspiring.
So, in answer to my reader, I thank you for your comment. I become the “Devil’s Advocate” de facto because you have read my blog and decided to contact me. That’s what this blog is about.
FoodSpook
@katiecouric: Americans and Food
Source: Uploaded by KatieCouric on Feb 16, 2010 to YouTube
What we eat, why we eat so much of it, and what it means for our health. Katie Couric talks food with with former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler and "Fast Food Nation" author Eric Schlosser
Marion Nestle, Currently Browsing Posts About: Radioactivity
by Marion Nestle, from her blog “Food Politics”
March 20, 2011
Uh oh, Radioactive iodine in Japanese food
Japanese health authorities have found levels of radioactive iodine and cesium in spinach, milk, and water. They detected levels of iodine-131 up to seven times higher than safety limits in spinach collected from six farms as far as 75 miles from the reactors.
How serious a problem is this? From a strictly scientific viewpoint, probably not much. But note the “probably.” From the standpoint of the public, the problem is very serious indeed.
What’s happening with the Japanese food supply gets us into the classic contradictions of risk communication. Consider this response:
After the announcements, Japanese officials immediately tried to calm an already-jittery public, saying the amounts detected were so small that people would have to consume unimaginable amounts to endanger their health. “Can you imagine eating one kilogram of spinach every day for one year?” said State Secretary of Health Minister Yoko Komiyama. One kilogram is a little over two pounds.
Edano [chief cabinet secretary] said someone drinking the tainted milk for one year would consume as much radiation as in a CT scan; for the spinach, it would be one-fifth of a CT scan….Drinking one liter of water with the iodine at Thursday’s levels is the equivalent of receiving one-eighty-eighth of the radiation from a chest X-ray.
Is the Japanese public likely to be reassured by these statements? They remind me of the British minister who went on TV and fed a hamburger to his small daughter during the mad cow crisis of the early 1990s. It didn’t work.
We are talking about food here. Something that people put in their bodies and those of their children.
Specialists in risk communication would view radioactive spinach as a problem ranking high on anyone’s “dread-and-outrage” scale.
Radioactivity is not visible, is not under personal control, and is technological, unfamiliar, and foreign. This makes something like this really, really scary, as I explain in the introduction my book Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety.
So the statements of American experts don’t help much either:
“The most troubling thing to me is the fear that’s out of proportion to the risk,” said Dr. Henry Duval Royal, a radiologist at Washington University Medical School.
Yes it is. Understandably so. And Japanese officials will have a hard time dealing with it unless they are thoroughly forthcoming with information, earn the trust of the public, and take the fears seriously.
Update, March 21: The New York Times account on this issue from March 20. The March 21 story describes the spread of the radioactive materials:
Spinach from a farm in Hitachi, about 45 miles from the plant, contained 27 times the amount of iodine that is generally considered safe, while cesium levels were about four times higher than is deemed safe by Japan. Meanwhile, raw milk from a dairy farm in Iitate, about 18 miles from the plant, contained iodine levels that were 17 times higher than those considered safe, and milk had cesium levels that were slightly above amounts considered safe.
Source: Marion Nestle, “Food Politics”
Talk – Vandana Shiva – The Impact of Globalization on Food and Water
Source: Uploaded by talkingsticktv on Feb 15, 2010 to YouTube
I think you will find this video as germane today, if not more so, than when Vandana Shiva made this presentation in 2002. FoodSpook.
Talk by Vandana Shiva author of "Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit" speaking on "The Impact of Globalization on Food and Water" given July 28, 2002 at Kane Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
The Future of Food
Source: Uploaded by 2012sprint on Jan 5, 2011 to YouTube
There is a food revolution happening in America today. People are seeking out farmers’ markets, organic produce and good restaurants. At the same time, our food supply is increasingly controlled by multi-national corporations.
Over the past 10 years, with the advent of genetic engineering and the massive expansion of pesticide companies, like Monsanto, into the seed business, the very nature of our food system has radically changed with potentially disastrous effects on our food security. Patenting of life is now permitted, no labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) in food is required, research is conducted on these issues by universities beholden to the “agri-corps” who fund them, and the major regulatory agencies are run by former execs from these very companies.
All the while, the average citizens remain blissfully unaware that they are eating GMO food and supporting the aggressive “corporatization’ of their food sources. In fascinating and accessible terms, ‘The Future of Food’ illuminates the major issues ultimately affecting us all — some surreal, some futuristic, many frightening. Yet, ‘The Future of Food’ is a hopeful film, featuring insightful and moving interviews with farmers, agriculture and business experts and policymakers. It sees a future in which an informed consumer can join the revolution by demanding natural, healthy food sources that insure environmental integrity.
Conversations With History: The Politics of Food
Source: Uploaded by UCtelevision on Feb 19, 2009 to YouTube
Host Harry Kreisler welcomes writer Michael Pollan for a discussion of the agricultural industrial complex that dominates consumer choices about what to eat. He explores the origins, evolution and consequences of this system for the nations health and environment.
He highlights the role of science, journalism, and politics in the development of a diet that emphasizes nutrition over food. Pollan also sketches a reform agenda and speculates on how a movement might change Americas eating habits. He also talks about science writing, the rewards of gardening, and how students might prepare for the future.
Eric Schlosser: Fast Food Nation: video 27:19 min.
Source: Uploaded by AllanGregg on Aug 11, 2010 to Youtube
Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation,” in which he points out the impact of fast food on health and food production around the world.
A Growing Movement
By Fran Korten
Recently during lunch at the YES! offices, online editor Brooke Jarvis made a casual comment I found quite stunning. Brooke, a sharp, talented 20-something, said “I don’t know a single person under 30 who doesn’t want to own a farm.”
What? Own a farm? I turned to several 20-somethings at the table and asked if they agreed. They did. They waxed eloquent about their love for lambs, ducks, chickens, bees. (No one mentioned weeding.) They confessed they weren’t sure they would ever actually own a farm, but their yearning was definitely real.
What the people at the fair shared in common was not their politics, but their optimism.
I think that just five years ago the 20-somethings in our office were not longing to own a farm. Something in our culture is changing. A growing segment of people don’t want to just buy organic, healthy food. They want to grow it. This new lust to farm seems to cross class, race, and politics.
For example, Robert Jeffrey Jr., an African American pastor in Seattle, started Clean Greens Farm to bring produce to the inner city, where fresh food is hard to find. He’s gotten a tremendous response from young people of all races ready to get their hands in the dirt.
Another sign comes from the just-launched “Mother Earth News Fairs” inspired by interest in the “how to” of growing your own. At the recent fair near Seattle, a crowd of more than 10,000 attended workshops on everything from canning to beekeeping to building the perfect chicken coop. Organizer Bryan Welch told YES! Magazine’s Susan Gleason that what the people at the fair shared in common was not their politics, but their optimism. In spite of the daily discouraging environmental, political, and economic news, coaxing living things to grow somehow seems to make folks optimistic.
City codes are catching up. You can now keep bees in New York City, goats in Seattle, and chickens in Los Angeles. And, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of very small farms (under 50 acres) has been steadily increasing.
So what’s going on? I think we’re seeing the convergence of three major cultural trends:
A response to uncertain times ahead. Awareness is increasing that climate change is affecting crop yields and that the global economy can’t be relied on to supply safe food. In the face of such uncertainty, there’s an almost instinctual desire to secure one’s food supply. A good place to start is growing your own.
A rebellion against agribusiness. A lot of Americans of all political stripes are appalled at what mega-corporations are doing to our food supply. Whether their revulsion is driven by compassion for animals and/or farmworkers, concern for their families’ health, worry about destruction of the environment, or resentment of concentrated wealth and power, the practices of agribusiness are driving people to look for alternatives that are humane, healthy, and community-friendly.
An enhanced appreciation of good food. Relishing delicious food has become part of mainstream culture, which brings an appreciation of really fresh food. After all, what is more delicious than a ripe tomato or an ear of corn just picked from the garden?
Owning a farm may not be everyone’s dream, but my hunch is that the trends driving the urge to grow one’s own will only intensify. So here’s to the under-30s (and a lot of over-30s too) who are leading the way to a healthier, happier food system.
Source: This article was published at NationofChange at: http://www.nationofchange.org/growing-movement-1316618448. All rights are reserved.
Diabetes Food List: The Best Technique to Decrease Your Blood Sugar Ranges
Ranges by Shane Alexander
(submitted 2011-08-04)
Certainly one of by far the most critical measures which will substantially assist an excellent diabetes remedy strategy is proper eating plan and that brings up the issue of diabetes food list. Such list is vital for individuals who’ve diabetes.
Eating Proper Meals is Necessary
Consuming appropriate meals is necessary even for a healthful person and it’s much more so to get an individual affected by kind 2 diabetes using the requirement to help keep your blood glucose at proper levels. Eating perfect foods ensures -
* Lower blood sugar levels;
* Losing weight; and
* Control enhancement of diabetes.
Therefore, discovering about diabetes meals list is critical for any person with all the situation. That may be why national institutes of well being typically come up with such lists. A number of strategies for managing diabetes may very well be pretty beneficial for the patient and it consists of diet programs to examine your blood glucose levels.
Diabetes Foods List Constituents
Vital constituents of diabetes meals list are -
* Meat, fish and such protein containing foods which are necessary for persons who have diabetes;
* Low fat milk and excess fat absolutely free yogurt and milk substitutes which will lower blood glucose levels;
* Green leafy and fiber filled vegetables offering minerals and fibers; that preserve your blood glucose underneath handle and
* Complete grains in low quantum but even you then have to check your blood glucose routinely.
Some of the Best Foods for Diabetics
Meat, fish, low excess fat milk, yogurt, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes are the very best diabetic foods and are must elements in diabetes meals list as they not just offer nutrients but can lower blood sugar levels at the same time. Therefore, they are placed within the eating habits program of all national institutes of well being.
Foods to avoid
Just like the foods that 1 really should take when impacted by diabetes, you’ll find also foods that one ought to steer clear of to keep diabetes below management. Certainly one of the important tricks to handle diabetes is the fact that rice that is loaded with sugar should not discover a place in diabetes meals list and it is actually followed by white bread, sweats, and pastries. List of foods diabetics must stay away from as recommended by American Diabetes Association are -
* Rice
* Sugar
* White Bread
* Corn Syrup
* Honey
* Foods high is sodium and fats
* Alcohol
Why is Consuming Habits Important
But why are eating habit crucial and why most ideas for managing diabetes include it? Food is generally closely linked using the amount of sugar in blood along with the correct meals option aids lower blood sugar ranges. You can check your blood glucose differently with uncontrolled and controlled diets separately and find out the difference quickly. Such checking in any case is vital for men and women who’ve diabetes.
No Diabetes Eating plan
National institutes of health make it clear that there isn’t any specified diabetes diet program that could be universal to maintain your blood glucose level normal. On the other hand, every single dieter need to construct his or her very own diabetes meals pyramid or diabetes consuming strategy by selecting components from the diabetes food list.
Meal Strategy
Choosing the proper diabetes food suggests that the dieter constitutes an efficient and well organized meal strategy helping lower blood sugar levels. Characteristics of a high quality meal program to verify your blood glucose could be -
* Meal plan may be the guide that tells what the foods for diabetics are that would be within the diabetes meals list are and which are the ones to be left out.
* Not only the people who’ve diabetes will advantage from it but even if you do not have the problem, it is possible to keep your blood glucose below handle with it.
* An successful meal plan suggested by national institutes of wellness may have 40% to 60% calories for carbohydrates.
* They may have the remaining calories from protein and body fat inside the proportion of 40:60 or 20% and 30% respectively in line with American dietetic association recommendation.
* All strategies for managing diabetes indicate that saturated fats and sugar filled carbohydrates are the two types of foods that need to not be within the list of diabetes foods.
Pertinent Information About Diabetes Foods
Some pertinent information about diabetes foods list are -
* Sugar as part of balanced diet program does not develop problems in controlling blood sugar ranges.
* It can be adding sugar to foods for diabetes that could be harmful.
* Recommended diabetic meals could include 2-5 selections of carbohydrates, 1 alternative of protein, and some fats in every meal.
* It’s often beneficial to get the guidance of physicians ahead of preparing the diabetes foods meal strategy or go by recommendations of American diabetes association.
Beneficial Meals Habits
Good meals habits can absolutely support a nutritious life and hold diabetes beneath management resulting in low blood glucose. Such habits would include -
* Limiting carbohydrates possessing sugar like rice and white bread.
* Consuming and diabetes are closely associated as great meals habit is important to preserve healthful blood glucose levels.
* List and use the foods which have carbohydrate but small or no sugar like fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy items, and starchy foods, primarily these who’ve form two diabetes.
* Diabetic meals list might include both fresh and canned fruits.
* Diabetes food list should not contain ketchup and mustard given that they’ve high carbohydrate contents.
* Diabetic meal plan could be constituted employing clinically diabetic food pyramid recommended by American dietetic association.
Controlling Dangerous Components in Body
It really is needed for all including these affected by diabetes to management some damaging elements inside the blood. Some critical needs are -
* Controlling blood sugar levels specially in situation of newly diagnosed diabetic.
* Controlling cholesterol and triglyceride that constitutes blood excess fat with diabetes consuming program.
* For non-insulin dependent diabetes, meal plans with list of superior diabetes foods can help sustain insulin balance with diabetes exchange method often applied by diabetes wellbeing center.
* For insulin dependent diabetes, balance ought to be maintained amongst the foods eaten in involving the insulin injections as eating and diabetes is closely related.
Ideal Nutritious Diabetic Meals List
In constituting ideal diabetes food list a few points’ wants the interest of each the physician plus the patient, specially the individuals with kind two diabetes.
* Diabetic meal program will need to have balanced combination of carbohydrate, fat, and proteins.
* Encouraged diabetic meals is typically listed with a view to its calorie contents.
* Numerous diabetes well being center focus on fighting obesity while physicians frequently appear to work with drugs and diet regime that outcomes in low blood glucose.
Essential components or diabetes meals lists are much less body fat, more fibers, and reduced sodium and sugar. Conversely the dieter can opt for the diabetes exchange program in food arranging with distinctive combinations of starches and breads, vegetables, milk, fruits, fats, and meats and meat substitutes.
Such plans are effective irrespective from the truth that you’re newly diagnosed diabetic or already in the kind 2 stage.
About the Author
To study extra about diabetes food list, please stop by our DiabetesFoodList.com site.
Shane Alexander
Source: GoArticles.com © 2011, All Rights Reserved.
Authors@Google: Alice Waters
Source: Uploaded by AtGoogleTalks on Sep 25, 2009 to YouTube
Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has single-handedly changed the American palate according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.
With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long.
Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients.
Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex.
This event took place on September 16, 2009 in Google’s Mountain View, CA office, as part of the Authors@Google series.
Healthy Breakfast Food Recipes – Natalie
Uploaded by psychetruth on Apr 24, 2008 to YouTube
Healthy Breakfast Food Recipes – Nutrition by Natalie
Natalie demonstrates to you five different healthy breakfast items and how to cook or make them. A good breakfast is key to your health and wellness.
Items include, Smoothie, Breakfast Taco, Yogurt Parfait, Oatmeal or an English Muffin with Egg and Fruit.
Scientist: GM Food Safety Testing Is “Woefully Inadequate”
- By Ken Roseboro
According to Judy Carman, Ph.D., very little safety testing is done on genetically modified foods, and when it is done, biotechnology companies conduct minimal testing. Dr. Carmen says that more extensive testing of GM foods is needed to ensure they are safe. Her recommendations seem prophetic in light of a recent Austrian government study that found reduced fertility in mice-fed GM corn.
Dr. Carmen is director of the Institute of Health and Environmental Research, Inc., a non=profit research institute based in Australia focusing on the safety of genetically modified food. She earned a doctorate degree in medicine from the University of Adelaide in the areas of metabolic regulation, nutritional biochemistry, and cancer. She has investigated outbreaks of disease for an Australian state government.
Ken Roseboro, editor of The Organic & Non-GMO Report, interviewed Dr. Judy Carmen during her recent visit to the United States.
Can you tell me about your research on the health impacts of GM foods?
We are conducting one the very few long-term, independent animal feeding studies with GM foods. To date, most of these types of studies have been done by biotechnology companies or scientists associated with biotechnology companies. Of the few independent studies being done, a study by the Austrian government recently made public found reduced fertility in mice fed GM corn. Another recent study done in Italy showed immune system problems in mice fed GM corn. The studies done by biotechnology companies tend to show no health problems associated with eating GM food. The independent studies are finding adverse effects.
Do you have any comments about the Austrian study showing reduced fertility?
I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It is interesting that (Russian scientist) Irina Ermakova had similar findings (of reduced fertility) with mice fed GM soy. It is disturbing that the study showed a gradually worsening effect on mice that ate the GM corn. I am worried that something similar is happening in humans. If it is, it could take many years for problems to become apparent, and by then it could be too late to do anything about it.
What are the challenges of doing this type of research?
There are two major challenges. First, it is very hard to get GM seed to conduct the research. In order to buy GM seed, you have to go to a licensed seed dealer, and sign a technology licensing agreement, which states that you won’t do any research on the seed, which includes agronomic, health, and environmental research. Also, scientists who try to research health impacts of GM food get harassed and intimidated by people with vested interests in GM technology. I’ve had 10 years of abuse from such people who’ve defamed me, driven me out of a university, and tried to get me fired from jobs. With that kind of intimidation, scientists often decide not to do any research. Vested interests have been trying to find out about research I’m doing. They filed a freedom of information request with the Western Australian government to find out. The government denied their request. It could have ended up in court. My research protocol could have been stolen.
Funding for studied looking at health effects of GM foods is difficult to find in the United States. Do tyou find that universities and organizations in Australia also don’t want to fund such studies?
Yes, it is very difficult to get funding. If you want to do medical research, you have to go to an organization that funds such research. In order to get funding you need to have a proven track record in that area of research. However, in a new area of research such as GM food safety, no one has a track record, so it is difficult to get the funding. It’s a Catch-22. We are thankful that the Western Australian government gave us funding. The research protocol was sent to 15 scientists worldwide for review and then approved by a steering committee. I wanted people to know that I was doing a thorough job with this research.
If your research finds negative health impacts caused by GM foods, are you prepared to del with a negative onslaught from biotech companies?
Yes, I understand that will happen. I’ve been attacked many times. GM food advocates want to make people who do this type of work frightened of losing their jobs to make them stop working on the issue. They can’t get me fired now. I work within my own organization, the Institute of Health and Environmental Research, which I established along with others who are committed to finding out if GM foods are safe to eat. The behavior of GM food advocates makes me ask, “What are they frightened of?” If they believe GM foods are safe, they would be confident that I would not find any problems. Instead they are paranoid. What do they know that I don’t know? What are they trying to hide? It makes me more curious and determined to find out.
GM foods are widely consumed in the United States, and the US government opposed labeling GM foods. What are your thoughts about that?
The big surprise is the lack of GM food labeling here. In Australia, we hear all the time from the US that you are the land of the free. I find it amazing that Americans have no choice about eating GM foods. The most basic democratic right is being denied to you. For those who don’t want to eat GM food, it is being shoved down your throats against your will because it seems that nearly all foods have ingredients from GM corn or soy. With every US citizen exposed to GM foods, if something goes wrong it could go very badly wrong. If one person in a thousand gets sick from GM foods, that’s 300,000 people sick.
GM food advocates often claim that “no one in the US has ever gotten sick from eating GM foods.”
It’s rubbish to say that no one ever has ever gotten sick eating GM foods. The fact is that no one knows. Since GM foods have been introduced, millions of Americans have been hospitalized and millions have died, and no one has investigated to see if any of those cases have been due to eating GM foods. The HIV/AIDS epidemic went unnoticed for decades, and the relationship between smoking and lung cancer went undetected for generations. With the current level of safety testing, if GM foods do cause human health problems, it will be very difficult to determine this, even though there may be many cases of illness.
What type of safety testing do you think should be done on GM crops?
We need long-tern safety tests that are relevant to human health done by people independent of GM vested interests. The safety testing done now is woefully inadequate. Biotechnology companies often don’t even use the whole GM grain in feeding studies. Instead they tend to use only a protein extract that doesn’t even come from the GM plant. The feeding tests are also only done for few days or a few weeks. Safety tests should involve comparing animals fed GM foods with animals fed the equivalent non-GM food. The animals should be fed long enough and involve tests that, at a minimum, measure risks of cancer and allergy and threats to reproduction and organ health.
Do you believe that scientific research will conclusively show that GM foods pose significant health risks?
You never know what will happen. Independent research is finally being done and is showing adverse effects. There’s been an avalanche of bad news for the GM industry lately.
Source:
Organic Consumers Association · 6771 South Silver Hill Drive, Finland MN 55603
Hungry Planet
It’s an inspired idea–to better understand the human diet, explore what culturally diverse families eat for a week.
That’s what photographer Peter Menzel and author-journalist Faith D’Alusio, authors of the equally ambitious Material World, do in Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, a comparative photo-chronicle of their visits to 30 families in 24 countries for 600 meals in all.
Their personal-is-political portraits feature pictures of each family with a week’s worth of food purchases; weekly food-intake lists with costs noted; typical family recipes; and illuminating essays, such as “Diabesity,” on the growing threat of obesity and diabetes.
Among the families, we meet the Mellanders, a German household of five who enjoy cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, and beef roulades, and whose weekly food expenses amount to $500. We also encounter the Natomos of Mali, a family of one husband, his two wives, and their nine children, whose corn and millet-based diet costs $26.39 weekly
Source: psychetruth on YouTube
Foods to Eat With Type 2 Diabetes – What to Serve a Diabetic Friend
By RJ Brand
Keeping to a healthily balanced diet is important for everybody, and it is even more important for people suffering from any form of diabetes (and pre-diabetes). Foods to eat with type 2 diabetes are basically the same foods as you would serve to anyone following a low fat weight control regime. In short, nothing is forbidden but the amount consumed of certain things needs to be minimized.
Most people associate diabetes with a boring and restricted diet. If you have a friend or relative diagnosed with diabetes, the first time you prepare a meal for them can be a bit worrying, but it needn’t be. Don’t forget that the diabetic person will have been taught how to take care of themselves when it comes to matters of diet. As long as you don’t serve food that is too fatty, loaded with sugar or high in carbohydrates, the person with type 2 diabetes will be able to enjoy the meal in safety.
The importance of what is eaten by people with type 2 diabetes should not be underestimated; weight control is one of the first things to learn about how to manage diabetes and keeping blood sugar levels balanced is vital. Certain foods are recommended as being particularly beneficial for diabetics: for example, soya beans, chicken and curd, so opt for cooking chicken rather than beef. Starchy or sugary foods raise blood sugar, so they should be avoided; include plenty of non-starchy vegetables in the meal instead of highly processed foods such as white bread or rice.
The recommended diet of a diabetic is designed to maintain a steady level of blood glucose (sugar). If the person suffering from type 2 diabetes does not stick to an appropriate diet, their blood sugar levels can fluctuate and the health of the diabetic person will be in jeopardy if the level goes too high or too low. The diabetic person could fall into a coma, and you can die as a result of diabetic coma.
Diabetes occurs when the a person’s pancreas fails to produce a hormone called insulin, or fails to produce sufficient quantities of insulin for normal functioning, or the person’s body fail to use insulin properly. The result of any of these factors is that sugar is not absorbed into the body’s cells and instead builds up in the bloodstream. It is well-known that too much sugar can be very dangerous for a diabetic (particularly if they don’t exercise), so it is obviously safer to avoid cakes and pastries, but it should also be borne in mind that some fruits have a higher sugar content than is desirable.
As with any low fat diet, certain foods are best avoided altogether, while other foods can be eaten in small portions; the amount of fat consumed is important, and the number of calories must be considered at the same time. When you are first learning about the type of foods to eat with type 2 diabetes, it can seem like a minefield; it is obviously worrying to think about how seriously food can affect a person with type 2 diabetes. The safest way of dealing with catering for diabetic friends or relatives is to invest in a proper diabetic cookbook; this will remove any element of guesswork for you and make mealtimes pleasurable.
Source: www.isnare.com
Sample Diabetes Diet Menu
By Denchi Minh
When a person is diabetic they are advised to go to a licensed dietician in order to provide them with a diabetes diet menu.
The diabetes diet menu is a specialized kind of diet that aims to help a diabetic lose weight and reduce their blood sugar levels. A reduction 500 calories in a daily basis can result to a pound of weight lost in a week’s time.
The diabetes diet menu gives you an option in choosing the meal that would complement the required calories you need each day. Each menu that is given by the dietician provides calories in such a manner than 50 percent are for calories, 20 percent are from proteins and 30 percent coming from fats.
Each meal is complimented by a snack so you wouldn’t have to go hungry at all. These meals are to be complemented by exercise in order for you to achieve the goal you need, which is of course reducing your weight.
Below is a sample diabetic diet menu that covers for an entire day.
• Breakfast sample menu
o 2 4½-in waffles laced with 2 tsp margarine
o 4 Tbsp. light syrup
o 1 cup yogurt
o ¾ cup blackberries
o A cup of Coffee or tea
• Lunch sample menu
o 1 cup chili with beans
o 12 crackers
o ½ cup broccoli or ½ cup cauliflower
o 1 apple
o A diet soda
• Dinner sample menu
o 4 oz. hamburger in a 1 hamburger bun. It is laced with 1 tablespoon ketchup, 2 lettuce leaves and 2 tomato slices
o 1 cup of celery sticks
o 1 cup of watermelon
o 2 tablespoon of peanut butter for the sticks
o Skim milk
Diabetics are required to lose weight in order for their body to improve its tolerance to insulin. Insulin is used by the body in order to effectively convert sugar into energy. The body cannot properly transpose sugar into energy because of the high levels of fats in the system.
The body becomes tolerant to the insulin it secretes and by then the body cannot effectively use the glucose in the blood. When this happens the body needs to inject higher dosage of insulin in order to counter act the amount of glucose in the blood.
We should take note that a diabetes diet menu doesn’t mean they will have to stop eating sweets or their favorite dishes. The diabetic only needs to reduce them in a minimal level.
For more diabetes diet menu information, visit Diabetes Diet Menu Guide and Start Reversing the Effects of Diabetes though a proper diet.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Denchi_Minh
Food Policy – What We Eat is Making Us Sick
Marion Nestle is a Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health (the department she chaired from 1988-2003) and Professor of Sociology at New York University. Marion’s blogsite is www.foodpolitics.com.
Source: Bravenewfilms on YouTube
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