Food Sleuth

Pizza's a Vegetable?

2011-11-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, according to Congress, pizza counts as a vegetable serving in our nation's school lunch program -- thanks to the sauce.

Frankly, that's a stretch. I don't recall ever seeing a vegetable-laden pizza at any school my children attended. But I will remain hopeful that with Congress' encouragement, school food service directors and school administrators might get the idea that pizza could look more like a vegetable serving beyond the sauce, and maybe even muster up some PTA support to plant a school vegetable garden, with herbs and veggies to dress up the bland and boring commodity fare.

To help improve child nutrition (and improve test scores, physical and mental development), I'd also add a salad bar at every school to accompany the pizza slice. But the greens wouldn't come in bags shipped half-way cross country. Rather, they'd come from on-site greenhouses.

Does all this sound expensive and time consuming? Not in the long run when you consider the national cost of obesity ($147 billion/yr.). In my experience, prevention is always cheaper than treatment.

If Congress wants to call pizza a vegetable, let's see them ante up the funds to beef up school lunch to make real food an option for all kids. Let's show children we love them by investing in their healthy future by feeding their nutritional needs.

After all, if we don't model what we teach, we're teaching something else.

Think critically and eat well!

Melinda

2011-11-28T16:01:00.001-08:00

Gluten Disorder or Diet Du Jour?

Chances are, you know someone who can't eat gluten. And you've likely wondered about the explosion of gluten-free products lining grocer's shelves. Are we witnessing the latest fad diet or is gluten intolerance real?

Rest assured, gluten intolerance is REAL. Its prevalence is on the rise, and even the experts can't explain why.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. And, it’s everywhere in the American diet, from sandwiches and pizza, to cookies and beer; malt is the offending ingredient in the latter.

Decades ago, gluten-related disorders were an oddity. In fact, dietitians might have counseled one patient with confirmed “celiac disease” in their entire career, and struggled to find affordable, let alone palatable, gluten-free bread and grain alternatives necessary to manage the disease.

Today, we believe that about one percent of the population has celiac disease, but only five percent of those are diagnosed, largely because of inadequately trained physicians and lack of access to quality health care.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder set off by ingesting gluten. Peter Green, M.D., the Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York says three factors are necessary to develop the disease: genetic susceptibility, dietary gluten, and an environmental trigger.

About 30 to 40 percent of us carry a genetic predisposition to the disease, and all of us are regularly exposed to gluten. Environmental triggers are still a mystery, but might include the timing of exposure to gluten during infancy, or an infection that alters the integrity of the gut.

The agricultural connection

Alessio Fasano, M.D., Director of the Mucosal Biology Research Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine connects celiac disease to agricultural “advancements.” Thousands of years ago, nomadic man didn’t eat domesticated grains rich in gluten.

Green, too, says “there’s good evidence that ancient grains didn’t have any of the toxicity that current wheat does for people with celiac disease. ... wheat has been bred to be more glutenous because that’s what gives bread the quality that we all like -- the taste and the consistency.”

According to Green, our digestive enzymes don’t fully break down gluten, so we’re left with large molecules, that in susceptible individuals, can pass through the gut, causing an immune response, inflammation, and damage to the absorptive surface of the small intestine.

Symptoms, care and treatment

Celiac symptoms range from diarrhea, gas, bloating and cramps, to more vague, system-wide reactions to inflammation and nutrient malabsorption including: fatigue, anemia, muscle cramps, skin rash, osteoporosis, joint pain, peripheral neuropathy, and even constipation.

While there is no “cure,” the good news is, avoiding gluten controls symptoms and heals the damaged gut. Keep in mind that if you have celiac disease, even small amounts of gluten can cause harm, regardless of the degree of your symptoms.

If you’re curious to know if you might have celiac disease, talk to your doctor and ask for a blood test that identifies antibodies produced in response to the gluten in your diet. It’s important to take the proper blood tests before making any dietary restrictions.

Use the holiday season as an opportunity to talk with family members about medical history. Individuals with celiac disease in their family, Down’s syndrome, Type I Diabetes and other auto-immune diseases are at greater risk for having celiac disease.

Learn More:
* Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, Peter Green, M.D., and Rory Jones (Harper Collins, 2010)
* Celiac Disease Center, Columbia University: www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu/
* Real Life with Celiac Disease: Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten Free, Melinda Dennis, M.S., R.D., and Daniel Leffler, M.D, (AGA Press, 2010)
* Gluten Free Diet, A Comprehensive Resource Guide, Shelly Case, R.D. www.glutenfreediet.ca/
* Food Sleuth Radio: Four-part series on celiac disease, and the gluten-free diet: www.kopn.org (airs 9/15/11 – 10/6/11; Click on “Food Sleuth” for archives)

Gluten-free Foods to Enjoy in Your Diet:
Amaranth, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, flax, legumes (dried beans and peas), millet, nuts, oats (only if labeled “gluten-free”), potatoes, quinoa, seeds, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff, wild rice.

Foods that Can Hurt:
Wheat, including durum, graham, spelt, kamut, semolina, wheat bran, cracked wheat, wheat germ, couscous and wheat starch, barley, rye, triticale, oats (due to contamination with wheat), malt, brewer’s yeast.

Beware of processed foods. Read ingredient labels carefully and call manufacturers.
Chips, candy, French fries, gravy, matzo, grain and rice mixes, sauces, soy sauce, and soups may all contain wheat.

The full article on celiac disease and gluten intolerance was first published in the Nov. 2011 issue of ACRES Magazine: http://www.acresusa.com/magazines/magazine.htm

2011-10-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Harmful Herbicide Alert
Tyrone Hayes spoke at the University of MO today about Atrazine (herbicide), feminization of multiple species, breast and prostate cancer, industry (Syngenta) denial, and environmental (in)justice -- guess who gets exposed more often – African Americans, Hispanics -- industry workers and agricultural workers). The EU has banned Atrazine. If we were smart, we would too.
You can listen to my interview with Tyrone Hayes on 8-12-10 at www.kopn.org; click on "Food Sleuth" to go the archives.

HFCS: Not So Sweet

2010-03-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm frequently asked about my thoughts on high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS for short.
There's been debate for a while about whether HFCS uniquely makes us fat.

However, rarely discussed are the reasons beyond body weight why I'm not a fan of HFCS. For example:
1. HFCS is made from genetically modified corn. Because I'm steeped in the precautionary principle, I'm not so keen with the idea of putting ingredients made from GMO crops into my body at this time (which is one of many reasons why I favor the organic label – no GMO).

2. Politics. Biotech agribusiness giants who make the GMO corn seed haven't been so good for small family farmers in my neck of the woods. The film Food Inc. did a good job describing some of the issues. I'm especially concerned about contamination, concentration, and seed patents. So a vote for a product containing HFCS is a vote for the corporations who produce and sell the seed that produces the corn that goes to make HFCS. I like to vote with my food dollars... while I still can.

3. Mercury. Some HFCS contains traces of mercury. You'd think manufacturers would want to do everything they could to get that stuff out with all the kids who drink sweetened beverages. No level of mercury is safe to consume.

If you'd like to read more about HFCS, mercury, moderation and more, check out my Food Sleuth column on the topic.

I like Mary Poppins' approach to sugar: a spoonful helps the medicine go down, not the equivalent of 17 teaspoons, which is what you'll find in a 20 ounce bottle of soda.

When you do want to sweeten your food, and who doesn't, then choose organic, fairly traded sugar, local honey or maple syrup.

Think critically and eat well,
Melinda

Manufactured Demand: The Insanity of Bottled Water

2010-03-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Happy World Water Day everyone. And do I have a great new video for you. Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios, who brought us the "Story of Stuff," have just released "The Story of Bottled Water. Annie, with her common-sense, consumer-empowering approach tells us how we've all been duped into thinking bottled water is superior to the time-honored tap. Hah! There's a lot more to the story. Enjoy and pass it on to everyone you know.
Then visit the United Nations and learn about the state of our world's water.

Think critically and drink well!
Melinda

What IS "Healthy" Food?

2010-03-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

This morning I received an email from a friend. Lisa and her husband, John, are writing a cook book and they've been debating the term "health." They wanted to know how I defined "healthy food," and if their food and recipes fit with my definition.

"Granted," Lisa wrote, "a lot of it boils down to marketing and word choice, but we don't want to appear/be something we are not either."

This is why I love Lisa and John. They have integrity. They think critically. And let me assure you, their home grown food IS "healthy."

However, depending on the diet-of-the-decade, headline-of-the-week or nutrient-du-jour, Americans' perceptions of "healthy" are largely driven by billion dollar ad campaigns. We learn early on that "healthy" foods are low in fat, sugar and calories. They carry labels bearing "lite," "fat free," "low carb," and "diet." Rarely are farming or processing methods part of the discussion.

Let's take a closer look at fat. Avocadoes, nuts and olive oil are laced with critical nutrients. Should we give them up because they're" high in fat?" Heavens NO!

Step into my kitchen and I'll show you how to bake the best pie crusts -- with a mixture of organic lard and butter and whole wheat organic pastry flour. I top them with organic whipped cream, never a "lite" fake whipped topping. Organic fat is "safe fat" I tell my guests as I offer cream with their fairly-traded, organic and shade-grown coffee. That's because fat soluble pesticides tend to settle in an animal's fat tissue. "Healthy" food is free of pesticide residues.

Plus, a little bit of fat makes food more palatable. "Moderation" is key here. And if you want an easy lesson on moderation, check the plate and bowl sizes of your grandmother's china.

As for carbohydrates, organic whole grains fit my "healthy" definition. I prefer to buy them directly from my farmer, or scooped out of a cooperative grocery bin to cut down on package waste. Healthy food doesn't burden the environment with excessive waste and it gives farmers a fair cut on their labor.

When it comes to sugar, I stand with Mary Poppins. A spoonful helps the medicine go down, not the 17 teaspoons in a 20 ounce bottle of soda. When I was recently asked what I thought of high fructose corn syrup I said: I don't consume it because I don't want to support the food system it represents. High fructose corn syrup comes from genetically modified corn; it's highly processed, and some of it may be contaminated with mercury. I prefer organic, fairly traded sugar, honey from my local farmer, or maple syrup, because my nutrition decisions extend beyond myself. "Healthy" food protects the planet for future generations.

Which brings us to meat. You may have heard that white meat is healthier than red. Not so fast. I'll take a steak from grass-fed, organically raised cattle over an industrially-raised pork chop or chicken breast any day. Birds and animals raised in confinement on factory farms typically receive routine antibiotics to speed their growth and prevent disease. Healthy meat, no matter red or white, does not contain antibiotic, or synthetic hormone residues. It is raised and processed humanely. And it does not poison the environment with concentrated wastes.

Healthy food is safe food, but safety extends beyond bacterial contamination.
Lisa and John eat organic food, mostly raised locally by family farmers they know personally. By voting for truly sustainable agriculture with their food dollars, Lisa and John protect our common environment from contamination with genetically modified and patented seeds. They preserve biodiversity and help keep our air and water clean, and our soil fertile.

Last, but certainly not least, healthy food is served in a loving environment to aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Is it any wonder "healthy" food tastes so good?

Think critically and eat well!
Melinda

Who Needs School Gardens?

2010-01-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

The January/February issue of the Atlantic Monthly featured a surprisingly caustic attack on school gardens. Better to focus on the book learnin' attests author Caitlin Flanagan.

I hope students who experienced a life changing course in a school garden will write to the magazine to set the record straight.

Studying the veins of a plant, listening carefully to the beating wings of a hummingbird, or inhaling the intoxicating scents of bergamot, rosemary and lavender, instills the miracle of life, and with a little luck, leaves the student willing to fight for the protection of endangered species, clean water acts, and against nuclear weapons.

Or maybe kids schooled in a garden merely learn how to cooperate, diffuse anger, work through hostility, garner better focus and stave off chronic, life-shortening disease through better nutrition – our first medicine.

I wonder how many students touched by a school garden went on to pursue careers in biology, entomology, pharmacy, medicine or environmental law? Who knows, maybe the doctor who saves one of our lives got his/her inspiration in a school garden.

Think critically, support school gardens, and eat well,
Melinda

Restaurant Review or Why I Eat at Home

2010-01-11T20:51:00.001-08:00

So there we were, my husband and I, standing in the kitchen wondering what to eat. We were on day five or six of what seemed like a hot soup marathon. When it's a bone-chilling 6 degrees for many days in a row, and snowy, with winds howling, you can't beat good soup. I found myself on auto-pilot, simmering pot after pot from split pea to black bean to red-curry pumpkin. It was delicious, but we were getting bored. And after a day of sledding, I was seriously hungry. We could eat soup again, I offered.

That's when my husband pulled out a coupon for a reduced price dinner at a restaurant we'd never tried. I was leery. Rarely do we eat out and even rarer do these "free lunches" pan out. I hadn't heard positive (or negative)reviews of the place, so using hunger, soup boredom, and the opportunity for a cheap meal as our guide, we bundled up and hopped in the car to drive cross town.

We checked the menu before sitting down. The lamb sliders and salmon caught my eye.
Since the lamb came from New Zealand, and the salmon was wild caught from the Atlantic, I chose the latter.

The fish came with "seasonal vegetables." Mind you it's January. Seasonal vegetables around here are home canned green beans or any number of root vegetables in basement storage.

Our chosen restaurant, however, defined "seasonal" as zucchini and asparagus.
Hmmm. Maybe these are seasonal in South America right now, but they are squarely OUT of season here.

Apologetically, I explained that I was a dietitian dedicated to sustainable agriculture; that's why I was compelled to ask questions. I wondered if I could exchange the summer squash with a more wintry mix. Something deep and earthy. The potatoes and Brussels' sprouts seemed more appropriate.

Next the waitress asked if we wanted bread.
And how! I thought.
"Is it whole grain?" I inquired.
"I don't think so," our waitress replied, still smiling. "But it's from a bakery in Prairie Home." (~ 40 miles I calculated).

My husband wasted no time slathering butter on his refined carbs.
"Do you think it's organic?" I whispered.
He looked over his glasses. "I seriously doubt it "

That's when my mind flashed to the North American Pesticide Network's website with it's "What's On My Plate" feature. You search for a food and can compare pesticide residues on the organic vs. conventionally raised variety. I choose (read: vote for) organic food for good reason.

Our food arrived. The salmon was satisfying and I needed the omega-3s. The Brussels sprouts were freezer burned and drenched in butter. I blotted them off, but I couldn't kill the oxidized taste.

The waitress asked how we liked our food. I complemented the chef on the fish, and suggested a number of local farmers who could provide fresh lamb with a smaller "foodprint," and a few local bakeries that make chewy whole grain loaves.

"Would you care for dessert?" our server inquired.

"We couldn't eat another thing," thanks.

The next evening I lugged out the soup pot and prepared organic yellow lentil curry soup over whole wheat couscous with plumped golden raisins and steamed butter nut squash. There's nothing like a steaming bowl of gratitude for home cooking.

Think critically, ask questions, and eat well.
Happy New Year.
Melinda

White House Winter Garden

2009-12-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Yee Ha! Someone pinch me because I cannot believe I am witnessing the Food Revolution on such a high-profile, celebrity scale. The First Family has placed small hoop houses -- think easy portable greenhouses -- on the lawn of THE White House so they can enjoy fresh vegetables all winter long.

Let the healing begin: this is just what our nation, and our planet has been hungry for. MORE home-grown food production, and less dependence on foreign soil for our most basic need.

We're talking REAL homeland security.
Thanks to Sam Kass, Kathleen Merrigan, the Obamas and all those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this happen and to provide inspiration to those of us with much smaller lawns or even no lawns at all. Roger Doiron, I'm talking about YOU.

Gardening into the winter? Why YES WE CAN!

Think critically and eat well!

Food Safety About More Than Harmful Bacteria

2009-12-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today I signed a petition asking USDA Secretary Vilsack to improve/increase inspections of meat served in USDA's school lunch program.
But increasing inspections really isn't enough. We have to change the system.
I added the following comment:

"Let's go one step further; let's serve our children certified organic food that helps protect them against hormone, antibiotic and pesticide residues. It is no coincidence that our daughters enter puberty earlier than previous generations of women, or that we have growing rates of autism, ADHD and allergies. Organic food and agriculture protects our children beyond their plates."

When we talk about food safety, let's think beyond the typical nasty bacteria that make the headlines. Let's talk about protecting our children from food additives, ingredients, and agricultural compounds that will make them sick over time and harm their environment.

Think critically and eat well.
Melinda

Thanksgiving postscript

2009-11-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

When my son's friend asked what she could bring to our Thanksgiving dinner, I suggested "a quote." She arrived with FOUR. So after we counted our blessings and savored a largely local organic meal (thank you farmers), we shared our inspirational messages -- food for thought and emotional nourishment.

Here are a few messages from our table that will linger longer than the leftovers:
On the wall of a janitor's closet:
"You control your response and therein lies your freedom."

From Jen's grandfather:
"Help me to be gentle in spirit, controlled in temper, charitable in judgment, and considerable in action."

From the Situationist blog:
"I'd encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it."

Eat well and think critically,
Melinda

Iowa Doesn't Have to Stink

2009-11-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

Friends of the Food Revolution: Last weekend I traveled to Spring Valley, WI for a meeting of the Midwestern Organic and Sustainable Education Service Board. When I returned home, I felt compelled to write to IA Governor Culver. Here's why:
While driving north of Des Moines on I-35 I became increasingly angry over the repulsive stench from hog manure.
I wondered: How could IA's political leaders and citizens allow hog confinement operations (also called CAFOs) to destroy the common good -- IA's clean air and water?
Surely this can't be good for tourism, property values, and public health.
The MO Rural Crisis Center has calculated that just as much pork can be produced on smaller, more bio-diverse farms that naturally incorporate animal waste back into the land without the stench and pollution.

I don't believe we can afford the "cheap" meat that the owners of these hog confinement facilities promise.
Consumers: if you can, buy directly from independent family farmers. Know where your food comes from and how it was produced.
Your food dollars are votes for true sustainability.

Think critically and eat well.
Melinda

Food is Medicine - Farmers Need Healthcare

2009-09-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ironic isn't it? The very people who produce our most healthful foods can't afford health insurance.

Whenever I interview farmers, I ask: Do you have health insurance?
Most shrug and say "no" as if I'm crazy to ask. They frequently force a laugh, and say that they "pray a lot." Or, either they or a spouse works off the farm, for the sole purpose of providing health insurance.

At the MO Governor's Summit on Food Safety this summer, one of the presenters (a farmer and now state inspector) took the podium and announced: "frankly, I took this job for the health benefits."

A farmer I interviewed for my farm hands calendar project last year said that "in a way they were lucky" -- LUCKY because her husband was disabled from the military -- that meant at least he got health benefits through the VA system.

Needing off-farm employment for health insurance also makes GMO crops and their "illusion of easy" -- all the more appealing. A sentiment I heard from several farmers at the MO Farmers' Union meeting last winter.

If we are to enjoy a safe and healthful food system, then our nation must have affordable public health insurance. It is vital to the growth of family farms, strong rural communities and our democracy.

Eat well and think critically,
Melinda

Sustainable Speak

2009-07-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Washington DC and stopping at the farmers' market at the Foggy Bottom metro stop.

A farmer there had tempting peaches -- the first I'd seen this season. My mouth was watering. I asked if the peaches were organic.

He replied: "they're not organic, ma'am. We farm sustainably."

Huh? Clearly my definition of sustainble differed from his.
So I asked another question: Do you know what the peaches are sprayed with?
The young farmer referred me to an older farmer to his right. He asked if I had 30 minutes.

I had as long as he wanted to take to explain his growing methods. But it turned out he only needed about 30 seconds to tick off four (FOUR!) pesticides and a fungicide. Needless to say, I passed on the peaches.

Sustainable has no legal definition. It sounds good, but if you want peaches without harmful synthetic pesticides, choose those from a farmer you know and trust who can assure you they haven't been sprayed. Or, look for those bearing the organic label.

Too many farmers tell me they can't grow peaches without spray. But have they really tried?
Thankfully, I found ONE farmer at my local market in Missouri who doesn't spray his peaches. He was delightfully surprised by how well they did.
When I saw him this year I shook his hand and thanked him for not spraying. Then I purchased 3 baskets -- one to eat and share, the other two to freeze for dark and dreary winter days ahead.

As consumers we have to help farmers know that we'll happily purchase less than "perfect" peaches if it means avoiding a dose of pesticide residue.
Farmers will deliver what their customers want.

I've got a new article posted on Organic Valley's website on pesticides. Read it and you'll know why I'd sooner do without peaches, than eat those that have been sprayed.

Eat well and think critically.
Melinda

Nothing Natural about GMOs

2009-07-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Are you ever confused by natural labels on meats? When I shop at my local farmers' market I typically find farmers touting their "naturally raised" beef, pork and chicken. But what does "natural" mean exactly?
Not much!
Only the organic label assures you that your meat comes from an animal that has not been fed GMO grain (or antibiotics and hormones).

When I shop at my local market I like to ask the farmer what he/she feeds their animals.
Is it organic feed? Pasture? or Conventional grain?
Conventional feed or grain is a red flag because it typically means GMO corn and/or soy.

Too often the farmer tells me that the price of non GMO grain is cost prohibitive, or may not even be available!

To me, purchasing meat from an animal that has been fed GMO grain is a vote for the corporations who limit seed choice and put GMOs on our plates, like it or not.

Buyer be informed.
Eat well and think critically.
Melinda

Hungry for Connections

2009-06-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Just back from Vermont where I presented two workshops on word-working and critical thinking at Amanda Archibald's "Food Dialogs" event. Her gatherings move our discussion about food and health way beyond the Pyramid. Plus, the fresh, local food (including maple syrup and organic dairy) nourished body and soul.

Archibald's Field to Plate events include explorations of ourselves and surroundings, and reveal the deep hunger we share to reconnect to our food, natural environment and people. Oh, and did I mention the additional pleasures of kitchen conversations over fresh, local food?

Wild Crafter Nova Kim describes "wild" food as the "original organic." She says many of us "suffer under illusions" about our planet and food system -- that it's safe, secure and sustainable, for example.

Connecticut farmer and dietitian, Jean Crum Jones, sees small family farmers as "the ants among the elephants."
She explains that "quarterly profits do not equal sustainability," and implores us to join efforts to preserve farmland. Especially important is the land located at the "urban edge" which can most sustainably feed urban populations.
"It shouldn't be so hard," Jones says, to get healthy food to hungry people.

Think critically and eat well,
Melinda

Everything's Connected

2009-06-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thomas Jefferson said: "Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom."

But how can we have eternal vigilance without a strong, independent press?
According to the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, Americans seem not to realize the importance of the press in keeping those in power accountable. However, David Simon, former Baltimore Sun journalist, explains the relationship between our democracy and a strong press at a recent meeting of the National Press Club. Simon says unpaid bloggers and citizen journalists cannot fill the void. We must find a way to fund the rigorous type of local reporting that professional journalists deliver.

The demise of our press means citizens will be less likely to learn about revolving doors and financially-influenced government that affect our food system at the core.

Lots of food for thought.
Think critically and eat well,
Melinda

It's NOT the Onion. It's Mid-America Crop Life

2009-06-02T01:08:00.000-07:00

In response to Mrs. Obama's organic garden on the White House lawn, the Mid-America Crop Life Association wrote her a letter reminding her of the importance of "crop protection technologies" (READ: pesticides). Yet real crop protection depends on the preservation of biodiversity. Mono-cropping and genetically engineered seed that depends on costly industrial agricultural chemicals hurts small family farmers, harms pollinators, and makes us all more vulnerable to famine. As citizens, it's our responsibility to be involved in policy. Let USDA's Tom Vilsack know that all children deserve organic food in their public schools, and we want genetically modified foods labeled, so that we can better avoid them and track their affects on public health. We have a right to know.
Learn more about pesticides: Read Will Allen's "The War on Bugs," and understand the history and consequences of genetically engineered seed in Claire Hope Cummings' "Uncertain Peril: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Seeds." And don't miss these two great new documentaries: FRESH, and Food Inc.
Think critically and eat WELL.
Melinda

Easier to buy a semi-automatic weapon than an organic tomato?

2009-05-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

LaDonna Redmond says she can get every kind of fried chicken, malt liquor and cigarette brand in her neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. She can find a semi-automatic weapon, heroine and cocaine. But you know what she can't get? An organic tomato...unless of course she grows it herself.
But it's better to hear it from LaDonna.

Melinda

A Commencement Speech for Us All

2009-05-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

On May 19th I serendipitously tuned into one of my favorite radio programs: Democracy Now. Host Amy Goodman played the taped commencement speech soul-singer John Legend delivered at the U. of Pennsylvania.

Both insightful and inspiring, his speech resonated with me especially after visiting and "bearing witness" to the living and working conditions of tomato pickers in Immokalee, Florida. For a more humane and just world, when we see such atrocities, we must take action.

Check out Legend's speech on Democracy Now's website.

Sustainability, Social Justice, and Starbucks

2009-05-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

Interesting story about Starbucks in today's Alternet:

I called Starbucks' corporate office and learned that only 6% (SIX) of the coffee purchased by Starbucks is organic/fair trade. The rep. told me they hope to raise that to 80% by 2013. Time will tell.

In the meantime, Coffee-loving consumers can have a voice in the matter. Give Starbucks a call, send an email, and most important: use your coffee dollars as votes for fairly traded, shade-grown and organic coffee.

Think critically and eat well,
Melinda

Is Organic More Nutritious?

2009-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

While speaking at the West Virginia Dietetic Association last week, an audience member asked if I thought that organic food was more "nutritious."

I explained that food is more than a sum of nutrients, and that it really doesn't take a rocket scientist to connect the dots. Because organic agriculture protects our air, water, soil and pollinators, it makes sense that it would help protect our health in turn. If we think ecologically, we can understand how we all live downstream; all systems are interconnected.

As for whether it is more important to purchase some foods more than others with the "organic" label, look at like this: Even if we can peel a banana and therefore limit our self-exposure to pesticide residues on the peel, some child in South America will likely drink water that has been contaminated with pesticides used on that fruit. Choosing organically produced food protects eaters and producers.

We live on one small planet, and our food choices have far reaching consequences. For that reason, I gladly support organic farmers who produce a safer and in many cases more nutritious product for my family, and the planet all children will hopefully inherit.

Think critically and eat well,
Melinda "Food Sleuth" Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D.

Think Critically about the Food System

2009-05-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

Let's agree that "good" food meets the following criteria:
1. It's nutritious, safe and tastes great.
2. Is grown without harm to the environment.
3. Is produced humanely.
4. Is accessible/affordable to all.

In order to find 'good' food, we must ask the following three questions:
1. Where does my food come from?
2. Who produced it?
3. Under what conditions?

Now let's use our forks and voices to vote for good food!

Eat well,
Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D.
Food Sleuth, LLC