Change for Food

Whatever your cultural background, this can be a more effective, and often simpler, approach to healthy eating than trying to parse the complex language of carbs, calories, and nutrition science. Across the board, our ancestors generally ate better than we do, since they lived before the advent of mass-market processed food.

Valerie Seagrest from Shalini Kantayya on Vimeo.

(Source: speakerforthetrees)

impulsivefarmer:

sciencecenter:

This Is Why We’re Fat! by Gary Taubes. It’s a provocative article challenging the conventional wisdom on how we should fight the obesity epidemic.

Wow, Taubes’ conclusions are almost in line with those of J. Eric Oliver in his book Fat Politics, which I just finished reading for class. Except, Fat Politics was published in 2006, and Taubes cites much more recent research and he’s writing this directly in reference to the upcoming HBO special, Weight of the Nation. Should be interesting to see what the larger response will be to this show.

While I think there’s merit in focusing national attention on issues surrounding our food system and how that impacts our health, I agree with Oliver (and maybe Taubes, too) that the health care/pharmaceutics industrial complex and the government are

1. misusing BMI as a way to “calculate” obesity
2. referring to “obesity” statistics as an “epidemic” (thus, a disease or virus) that causes poor health when overweight is only one of many symptoms of larger cultural factors, and
3. that by doing this, there is misguided and simplistic focus on America’s weight “issues” as being solvable through less food and more exercise. 

There seems to be very little political will to really criticize our larger industrial food system and cultural values, not to mention food prices and subsidies that make processed food cheaper. Here’s to hoping the Weight of the Nation is only the beginning to this more critical approach to encouraging Americans to make better food choices.

Another great article about food deserts. As to be expected, it’s not just about better access to nutritional food.

Very astute commentary. Must read if you’re interested in the future of food in the US. ” The overriding message from Congress, meekly accepted by too many, is that the current budget-cutting climate makes it impossible to expect new money for nutrition, conservation, local, organic and healthy food, no matter how valuable (and oversubscribed) these programs are. All we can hope for, they say, is to hold onto current funding or minimize cuts.”

Infographic - Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day

Click to see more!

Had Food Network on when I got back from my run, and they’re airing a special presentation called Hunger Hits Home. Interesting - and pleasantly surprising - considering the Food Network usually only has the likes of Cupcake Wars and Iron Chef America…not food access documentaries.

I want to watch the whole thing - hope I can find it online. I see they have a downloadable guide online as well. Apparently it airs again on Monday morning. 

I’m glad to see they are talking about government programs AND lack of political will to solve this problem. I’m also impressed to learn that the Food Network has been partnering with the No Kid Hungry campaign.