October, 2009

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Smart Choice…Says Who?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Why is anyone surprised that products carrying the “Smart Choices” seal may not be too smart?  After all, the manufacturers doing the choosing are in business to sell calories, not health.  And in a country that produces more calories than we could possibly consume (by last count, around 3900 per person per day), manufacturers seek every advantage – from plastic toys in the carton to nutrition claims on the carton – to make the sale.

The problem is too many of us choose to not think about the food we eat, abdicating our decision-making to people who may not have our best interests at heart.  Instead, we approach most meals like a NASCAR pit stop, stopping just long enough to slam down some “fuel”, while mostly ignoring the health impact (or benefit) of our choice.  So if Jeff Gordon burns high octane super-premium, why do so many of us run on low-test and expect it to not affect performance? 

Instead of relying on industry-supported health standards, shoppers need to take responsibility for making their own smart choices.  The good news is, with very little effort, you can find places with more to offer than empty calories.  The outer ring of most grocery stores is a good place to start.  Likewise, farmer markets and natural food co-ops offer healthy, sustainable food plus have knowledgeable staff to help you understand the difference between whole grains and donut holes. 

So next time you need to refuel, take a second to think about what you’re doing.  After all, your smartest choice might be to ignore the nutrition claims on the carton and instead focus on the secret spy decoder ring inside the box.

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Family Dinner

Friday, October 16th, 2009

(A guest post reprinted from “Moved to Madison”, a blog by Matt DePaolis (John’s son)

Born into a second generation Italian-American family (and with a grandfather from the “Old Country”), the importance of family was always stressed in my house.  My life is full of big family gatherings, with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents (and seemingly anyone who happened to be in the neighborhood) coming together to share a meal.  The tradition was a priority and no matter what was happening my family always ate together; on weeknights with my immediate family; on weekends with multiple generations at an extended family dinner.  

This is what I knew and, accordingly, it always amazed me when dinner at a friend’s house seemed to be more about the food than the meal.  Needless to say, I never thought how this would affect me when I left home for college. 

Moving to Madison, I took comfort in knowing I had family near campus and expected I would join them for dinner periodically, in search of home cooking (or clean underwear).  What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was the loss I felt without a daily family meal.  I really missed not joining others at the table-even my sisters-to discuss, argue or simply pass the time.  Luckily, after my first week on campus, I was pleasantly surprised to have the void filled.  Having bonded with other first year students, we have taken to eating with one another “family style” on a daily basis.  We’ve made it a priority to eat together, making sure schedules don’t conflict with our time together. 

It’s amazing how my need for “family” led me to seek a surrogate.  The experience reinforces my belief that meals are much more than calories and can sustain people in other important ways.  It also echoes my grandfather’s teaching that food is much more than something to eat and it’s the experience of sharing a meal that is important.  Moving away from my family has shown me how much I enjoy the experience of eating and how new friendships can be forged through the simple act of sharing a meal.

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An Apple a Day

Friday, October 9th, 2009

An Apple a DayWhat if an apple a day really did keep the doctor away?  Not apple juice or an “all the nutrition of an apple” fruit snack, but a ripe, juicy apple.  Ideally you’d eat more seasonally from the local orchard (but that’s another blog).  Would it really change people’s eating habits?  Of course, it’s not just eating the apple that keeps the doctor away.  You also have get a little exercise and avoid other self-destructive behaviors (e.g., smoking, over-eating, etc), but you get the point.

So with all the talk about health care, why doesn’t someone write this simple prescription: EAT BETTER! Given the link between the food we eat and our personal well-being it seems pretty obvious.  It’s even more apparent when you consider the following: in the 1970’s we spent about 5% of our GDP on Health Care and about 15% on Food; today the numbers are reversed.  Think about it…over the past four decades our addiction to cheap calories has willingly led us down a path to obesity, heart disease and childhood onset of adult diseases.  It makes you wonder if that $1 Value Menu is really a value!

Why do we eat poorly?  Supposedly we’re all too busy to cook, although how then do you explain the celebrity chef phenomenon on Food TV?  Seems we have plenty of time to watch other people cook…just don’t ask us to put down the remote long enough to actually prepare something healthy for ourselves.

I propose a home version of Iron Chef, where family and friends compete to create healthy, fresh meals in under 30 minutes.  Sure, the appliances won’t be as fancy as Kitchen Stadium and you won’t have Alton Brown doing the play-by-play, but the final result will a satisfying and no-doubt healthier alternative to our current meals.  The first theme ingredient can be an apple.

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