News on the Blogfront

Come January 1st I will be taking more time to post here on Food for Thought. Unfortunately as I've multi tasked myself into writing three-blogs and shooting an online episodic every week, something had to give and for the most part it was my keeping up with Food for Thought. Sorry. I shall be tardy no more, well no more after New Years!

You may also notice that my template has changed, I'm still in search of a good (and cheap) designer or strikingly awesome free design I can grab. If you know anyone, let me know.

I'm still writing daily blogs over at Elastic Waist. While I try to keep up with food news here; my other blog The Kim Challenge focuses on diet and exercise. I post their daily, so if you enjoy Food for Thought but also like spying on what others are eating or hearing the latest exercise dirt-check it out.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope there are even more wonderful blogging experiences to come!

"Oh, Wall Street you're so corny"

Will the global food shortages mean more room for genetically modified foods? If Monsanto has anything to do with it, YES. This is all coming at a time where global investors are seeing the plight of millions to get enough to eat as a cash cow. Billions of dollars are being invested in farming. But that’s what we need right, more investing in farming? Oh the mixed emotions!

Monsanto pledged this week that they would double yields of corn, soybeans and cotton by the year 2030. How they are going to do that in a time of global drought, soaring gas prices and increasing poverty levels is genetically modified seed. They would magically create seed that would require 30 percent of both land and water to grow. This announcement coincided nicely with the United Nations summit in Rome to discuss global food shortages. How convenient.

Okay, so I’m a little biased about genetically modified foods, but I’m not alone. Many countries in Europe and Asia have sanctions against genetically modified foods; leading to sanctions on US imported agriculture. Monsanto may be using the global food crisis to it’s advantage in this case, trying to garner approval for foods that at any other time are shunned by the global community (except of course America that happily imbibes all sorts of foods unknowingly). But what’s better: people starving to death or people eating Frankenstein corn/tomatoes/whatever? Frankenstein. Hands down.

Besides of course the issue with not really knowing the long term consequences of playing with the DNA of our food supply, my problem with Monsanto stems from their somewhat bully-like business practices. I really recommend renting/netflixing The Future of Food, a documentary about genetically modified foods which can explain much better than I the business and science behind these foods. Back to the bully though; plants cross pollinate. That’s what they do. I mean it’s basically plant sex and plants are promiscuous. The problem here is that farmers who use genetically modified corn pay Monsanto for the privilege. So if Farmer Joe has a farm that uses Monsanto seed, but his neighbor Farmer Lydia (what, girls can farm!) uses seed that her farm has created from years of expert farming and cross pollination among her own crops; but those slutty plants start cross pollinating with each other and little Farmer Joe/Farmer Lydia hybrid plants are born on Farmer Lydia’s property; Monsanto can sue Farmer Lydia. It’s true and trust me Monsanto has sued many farmers for unwittingly having plants with their genetically modified seed on their land. All this culminating in American farmers losing their land to Big Agra through settlement fees and legal fees; or having to sign exclusivity contracts to Monsanto to only use their products. [Insert angry waving fists and mean face here.]

Monsanto isn’t the only company cashing in on the food crisis. While much of Wall Street is in the pooper, agriculture stocks are through the roof. Investment firms and private investors are investing heavily in crops, land for farming and farm technologies. This is a very good thing in the sense that it will hopefully be a boon in production, create global jobs and bring all the benefits of boosting the economy like better schools, hospitals, social welfare agencies, etc. It’s a bad thing in that agriculture is fickle, farming is reliant on a lot of things that industry can’t control, and if investors are only in it for a quick buck and pull out when times get rough it could do more harm than good to the struggling farm economy. Farming is an industry that needs a steady hand, constant support, and an understanding of the ebbs and flows of the trade.

I have decided to be cautiously optimistic about this scenario. While I tend to have a mistrust of big business in conjunction with food; we are at a time when they may just be each others saving grace.

Childhood Obesity: There's Good News and There's Bad News

The good news is that childhood obesity rates in this country have leveled off at 16-17% since 1996, holding steady since 1996 even declining slightly between 2003 and 2006. Another 16% of children are considered overweight but not obese, and those numbers have remained constant since 1999. This means that 32% of our children are either overweight or obese, that’s a lot. (It’s actually of a decent comparison to the national average among adults as well, adults coming out at 54% overweight or obese.) All these numbers seem big and scary, but they are a good thing, a good thing because they’re not increasing.

I for one am all for size-acceptance. I believe in loving yourself and your body no matter package you come in. I do however; have a problem with childhood obesity. Acceptance comes with maturity and kids as victims of chronological-circumstance are lacking in said maturity. Size acceptance doesn’t usually materialize until years of social pressures and unrealistic expectations are hashed through. Back to eating habits for a second though, I write constantly about the evils of processed foods, high fructose corn syrup especially, and in a world where you can buy blue French fries it becomes obvious that we’re marketing the worst possible foods to kids; foods that will foster poor food choices for the rest of their lives. With new studies proving that we maintain the same amount of fat cells from the beginning of puberty till the end of our life, it becomes increasingly more important that we monitor the weight and eating habits of our children.

There are many schools of thought on the origins of obesity, one of them being that obesity is the result of environment and evolution and those people with the propensity toward obesity will most likely never win the battle of the bulge. This theory is what Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata discusses. Kolata’s book follows a two-year weight loss study originated at the University of Pennsylvania that aimed to compare the health benefits of a traditional low fat diet and the Atkins diet. She also cited copious other studies, including those comparing percentage of body fat of adopted children and their biological parents. What was eventually revealed, much to the surprise of everyone involved was that massive permanent weight loss is virtually impossible to sustain. Those that do sustain their losses live the rest of their lives eating at starvation levels. Genetic comparisons proved that adopted children had the same body percentage as adults as their biological parents regardless of the health and eating habits of their adoptive families. Studies where normal weight people were fed excessive amounts of calories to try to induce obesity were unsuccessful. Participants would gain some weight but once their eating habits returned to normal they returned to their normal weights, their metabolisms even speed up to accommodate the extra calories. It also showed that those considered obese have no different eating patterns than their thin counterparts contrary to popular belief. With all the weight related prejudice out there I really think this is an important book. I would highly recommend it to anyone, and I don’t do that often.

So, Rethinking Thin makes the case that obesity isn’t something we can naturally control. Those that have a biological propensity toward high body fat percentage may never achieve svelte physiques. Are all those 16% of children that are obese doomed to a life of obesity? Although I agree with the majority of what Kolata says, I don’t think the situation is as quite so cut and dry. I seriously doubt that 54% of our population is predestined to be overweight. If that were totally true why are there strikingly lower obesity rates in other similarly developed countries? A major part of this puzzle is the types of food we’re eating. It may be that the processed foods we eat while our bodies are still developing effect the way that we process foods for the rest of our lives, hence the findings that those prone to obesity may never achieve a normal weight. Dr. Cynthia Ogden, epidemiologist for the National Center for Health Statistics doesn’t know where are stall in obesity levels came from, perhaps as Kolata’s book would suggest evolutionarily we’re right where we are supposed to be:

“It may be that we’ve reached some sort of saturation in terms of the proportion of the population who are genetically susceptible to obesity in this environment,” Dr. Ogden said. “A more optimistic view is that some things are working. We don’t really know.”

Childhood obesity has been in the news for quite some time now. I would like to think that public efforts to positively effect the eating habits of children are working; although we won’t really know whether or not that is true until those percentage numbers actually start to reverse. In the mean time, there is validity in Rethinking Thin. Not everyone is meant to look like Giselle, and some studies have proven that people with slightly higher body fat percentages are protected from certain diseases and may have a longer life span. Is there something wrong with the ideal that we can treat everyone with respect, including ourselves, that we can stop judging people based on weight while still attempting to ensure a healthy future for the children of this country? I don’t think so; I think we’re just not trying hard enough.

You say Falafel I say DELICIOUS

I love falafel. I crave falafel. Living in New York City means that falafel is a temptation at every corner. It is truly one of my comfort foods. Honestly, the real thing isn't soooooo bad for you, although it is deep fried. But in my ever expanding attempts to recreate my high fat favorites with more waistline friendly alternatives I shared one of my favorite recipes on The Daily Special: Baked Falafel.




Kim's Baked Falafel
1 15-oz. can of chickpeas
1/4 cup onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup tahini
5-6 tbsp. water
1/2 lemon squeezed

Throw all the falafel ingredients in a food processor and process until green and smooth. Form mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 40 minutes, turning once. Place on a whole grain flat bread (warmed is great) with salad, tahini sauce and hot sauce to taste.

I make this dish maybe once a week. I'm totally addicted, and it's totally guilt free.

Corn+Gas=High Food Costs

I know I have been a tardy poster. It’s true, and I’m sorry. There are copious reasons for that one of which being my other blog being a priority for one more month, and the fact that there really hasn’t been any strikingly interesting articles about food in the news. Have people lost their interest in food? Has the government stopped meddling in our digestion practices? I don’t think either of those are true, but I do think there are other things that are taking priority, like the gas crisis, the housing crisis, the recession. Whether we acknowledge it or not, all of these things have an effect on the way we eat.

Gas prices have an unmistakable impact on the cost of food. Besides leaching money from your food budget to fill your gastank, transportation of food is becoming increasingly more expensive, which means all those fresh fruits and vegetables we enjoy year round from various parts of the world are becoming more and more expensive. We are exporting corn and unbelievable rates because it’s one of the commodities we lead the global pack in. Corn is also being utilized for alternative fueling, although this is still in its testing phases, so it’s not as big as a culprit as exporting. So, how does this effect food prices again? Oh yeah, because so much of what we eat is composed of corn products, corn starch, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and a whole slew of other products that I can’t ramble off out of memory. Now that corn is scarcer in our local market it costs more for manufacturers to get their hands on, but trust me, they’re not taking a hit for you; you’ll see the change at the cash register.
This may sound like me pushing an organic lifestyle, but it’s not. We are who we are and we all value food differently. Organic foods aren’t ever going to be cheaper than processed and as the housing crisis continues as well as increasing costs for gas putting many of us in financial hardship, Americans will no doubt be looking to save money on food. All of this will most likely mean more processed foods, more store brands; more fast food (because buying a hamburger for $0.69, is a lot cheaper than buying ground beef, buns, lettuce, tomato, catsup, etc.) Buying food locally at green markets and food coops is a great option for those of you that want to eat organic, or close to it, without breaking the bank).

So what are we to do, when we’re all trying desperately to have enough income to feed our families, pay our mortgages, and put gas in the car, and eat healthy? Choose carefully, make informed decisions, choose the best of all evils. This seems like the most obvious and best compromise, which is why I was surprised when I heard that the law requiring all restaurants with more than 15 outlets in New York City to post their nutritional information on the menu was delayed for a second time. Law makers aren’t even asking that all ingredients are shown, just caloric values, which is why I’m so astounded by the amount of food industry back lash there is. Okay, I’m not surprised, I don’t trust the food industry as far as I can throw them, and well, I don’t have a whole lot of upper body strength. The law was passed to help consumers make educated choices while dining out, and to have a reversing effect on the obesity rates of New York City. I think that knowing calorie values is limited in how much it can help, but well it’s a great start at making the public more aware. If I were making the rules, ingredients or at least additives would need to be listed, but that won’t ever happen, so having a calorie listing would be greatly beneficial.

Opponents of the bill say that it would discourage diners from eating out. I say perhaps it would encourage restaurants to be more thoughtful and provide better choices. Glass half full/Glass half empty; either way there’s still a glass. We have always deserved to know what we are putting in our bodies, but now more than ever, when so many Americans are struggling to make ends meat (no pun intended) we deserve the right to make informed decisions. That’s my soapbox and I will continue to stand on it.

Vegan Corn Chowder, better than it sounds.

I love the Cooking with Kim segments of the Daily Special, if only because I really like to feed people; the whole crew is at my apartment and when the food is done it has to go somewhere, and therefore I get to feed people. Perfect right?
Well not this time.There is such a stigma attached to vegan food, a few members of the crew wanted nothing to do with my chowder. So many things that we eat everyday are vegan, but we don't label them as such, so they don't have that stigma attached, but yeah, I still have a lot of this soup left over. If anyone wants some, come on by. I have a ton of vegetarian cook books but this recipe didn't come from any of them, I really wanted to stick with my MO of cooking easy, healthy, tasty foods, and cookbooks tend to be more labor intensive. So this recipe is an adaptation of one I found on www.allrecipes.com, and I must say that it came out really well. I don't even like corn, or creamy soups and I thought it was good, so if you are normal and like corn/creamy soups you will probably think it's fantastic.




Low Fat Vegan Corn Chowder:
6 red potatoes, diced
2 Cans of Whole Kernel Corn
1 Green Pepper (diced)
1 Red Pepper (diced)
1 Onion (diced)
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 package (12 oz) Lite Silken Tofu

Directions: 1-Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until soft. Strain.
2-In a pot combine potatoes, corn (with can water), green and red pepper, onion and seasonings: thyme and crushed red pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.
3-Seperate out 2 cups of vegetable mix. Process the rest of the soup and the silken tofu in a food processor or blender, until creamy consistancy.
4-Return all ingredients to the pot, cook for another 5 minutes and serve, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6, approx. 275 calories per serving, 1.7 grams of fat, 7.4 grams of protien, 6.6 grams of fiber.

It's not you, it's me. . .

I have a confession, and you may not like it. I’m cheating on you. Yes, it’s true, with another blog. I’m currently blogging my daily experiences on the SELF Challenge on a new blog. Don’t worry, this blog will always be my baby, but in an effort to investigate whether those fitness magazines actually know what they’re talking about, I’m going to take the next three months and commit myself entirely to the SELF Challenge. The good news is, the eating plan is very similar to the way I eat now, and really focuses on real foods. So, I will stay true to my convictions. Plus, if you’ve ever been interested in seeing what I actually eat. You can check to see if my money is where my mouth is daily on http://www.thekimchallenge.wordpress.com/.

Don’t worry. I’m still stalking food in the news and will keep on keepin’ on blogging about food in the news.