Overview of the Current "Food" Movement

One may not agree with all of Michael Pollan's positions re: "food," but few people have a grasp like his of the players and issues involved when it comes to the increasingly prominent subject of "food" in our culture. And as a long-time journalist and author, his pen is as skilled as his grasp is current and encyclopedic. His most recent summary is coming in the June 10 issue of The New York Times Review of Books, titled "The Food Movement, Rising." It can be read now here.

This is a helpful paragraph from his review, describing the dizzying array of permutations within the "food" movement:

Where many social movements tend to splinter as time goes on, breaking into various factions representing divergent concerns or tactics, the food movement starts out splintered. Among the many threads of advocacy that can be lumped together under that rubric we can include school lunch reform; the campaign for animal rights and welfare; the campaign against genetically modified crops; the rise of organic and locally produced food; efforts to combat obesity and type 2 diabetes; “food sovereignty” (the principle that nations should be allowed to decide their agricultural policies rather than submit to free trade regimes); farm bill reform; food safety regulation; farmland preservation; student organizing around food issues on campus; efforts to promote urban agriculture and ensure that communities have access to healthy food; initiatives to create gardens and cooking classes in schools; farm worker rights; nutrition labeling; feedlot pollution; and the various efforts to regulate food ingredients and marketing, especially to kids.

I am personally interested in "all the above," some more than others, but am most interested in a part of the movement that, shamefully, has no national presence—a biblical/Christian perspective on food and nutrition and their relationship to broader issues of creation-care and stewardship; a distinctly Christian perspective. Granted, at best "the church" gets short shrift from the culture whenever she speaks. Part of that dismissal is for spiritual reasons—nobody likes to be told they are accountable to God. But part of it is because the church doesn't speak practically or winsomely enough (if she speaks at all) to gain a hearing, which is the case regarding food, nutrition, etc.

I hope the day will come when Pollan's paragraph, re-summarized by future writers, will include recognition that the Christian church has a dog in this (food) fight (bad metaphor, admittedly). Whether that happens, of course, depends on whether followers of Jesus develop a kingdom perspective on these issues.

America's Economic Future (Collapse)

The National Inflation Association has produced a very current, 55-minute video on America's economic present and future. It features well-known economic conservatives like Marc Faber, Jim Rogers, and Ron Paul. It shows why the current spin coming out of Washington, that the Obama administration's stimulus plans have created a recovery, is an illusion. It clearly shows that America is bankrupt; that America will NEVER be able to pay off her debts (massively increased in the last two years by the administration's printing and borrowing of money, as well as the ongoing two wars); and how the only hope for reducing unpayable debt is the one governments have always used: inflation. That means the government will inflate the debt away by printing more paper dollars to pay the debt. The result for consumers will be massive inflation or hyper-inflation which will result in increased prices for everything, high interest rates, and a radical decline in American standards of living and well-being. In other words, things are bad now and are only going to get worse.

The average American will not take 55 minutes to watch this video (or seek out other sources of information) but will choose to believe sound bites coming out of Washington and from the main-stream media. But I strongly encourage you to invest an hour in your, and your children's, future. The jettisoning of at least four incumbent politicians in yesterday's primaries is a good sign, but I fear that the point made in the video is true: today, there is NO difference between Republicans and Democrats. It was a Republican administration (and the Federal Reserve), prior to the current one, that set in motion the sub-prime crisis, two wars we cannot afford, etc. So even if Democrats are ousted by Republicans in November, that is no guarantee of a solution. The Tea Party Movement shows that lots of people are waking up to the nightmare of the last two years—the sea change in government policies that are counter to historic American values. So perhaps there is some hope that things WON'T GET WORSE than they will be in the immediate future. Even Republicans can do nothing about America's debt, so regardless of who is in Washington, citizens have to take responsibility for their own futures.

This video is a good primer. You may not agree with every opinion stated, but I found 98 percent of it to be sober and calm—just the facts:

ANDI Scores

Dr. Joel Fuhrman's ANDI list is becoming well-known, ANDI standing for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index"—a way of measuring the nutrients-per-calorie of foods. Wholefoods Markets are publishing the ANDI list throughout their stores in an attempt to help shoppers become "Nutritarians" (Dr. Fuhrman's term)—people who choose and eat foods with the highest nutrient density possible. Of course, plants dominate the ANDI scores, resulting in a nutritarian diet being a plant-based diet. The opposite ends of the scale are bracketed by kale and collards at 1000 and cola at 1.

You can read more about the ANDI scores at Dr. Fuhrman's web site here, about Wholefoods' use of the ANDI scores in their stores here (scroll down for an additional link), and view the basic ANDI chart below:

Beware the North Carolina Strawberry Glut

I have read several times in the last couple weeks about an anomaly in the North Carolina (and other areas as well) summer strawberry harvest. Unusual weather patterns have caused strawberry production to be sudden, large, and not anticipated to be ongoing. That is, all the summer berries are going to come in at once resulting in abundance and lower prices, especially at U-Pick-Um farms.

While I like strawberries as much as the next person, I never by conventional strawberries because they are so heavily sprayed with toxic pesticides. Strawberries, along with other soft-skin fruits like peaches, are consistently ranked at the top of the "Do Not Eat These Conventional Fruits" lists because of their high pesticide residues. Instead, eat organically-grown versions. None of our bodies suffer from chemical poison deficiencies that need to be remedied by eating petroleum-based chemical poisons. :-)

So while the summer strawberry glut is tempting, and baskets of berries are showing up at farmer's markets, I would definitely avoid those that are not organic. Last summer, whenever I found organic strawberries on sale at Earthfare or other local stores, I would buy extra and dump them into gallon Zip-Lock type bags and put them in the freezer to use in smoothies during the winter. I still have a couple gallons left. They can be a little mushy when defrosted, but since I use them only in smoothies (while frozen) that's not a problem.

The Environmental Working Group's list of the conventional foods to avoid because of heavy pesticide residues, along with the least contaminated (along with an iPhone App with the same information) can be found here.

A Better Use for Your Microwave Oven

Dr. Mercola has one of the best summaries of studies done on the negative impacts of residential microwave ovens I've seen. Who could think for a minute that applying microwave radiation to food could result in anything positive? I realize most people will ignore his warnings because microwaves are standard in the American lifestyle. I encourage you to read the report here.

My house came with a built in microwave, of course, but it never gets used—ever. Instead, I've found it makes a great bulk food storage area for nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruits, etc. You'll be safer and healthier (read the report) by using your microwave for the same (or other useful) purpose:

Garden Shots

Anybody who raises vegetables luxuriates in the variety of sights the garden offers. Just a few quick pics from this weekend:

The first tomatoes are appearing on the vines:

A bouquet of squash flowers blooms in the cool of every morning:

The ants love something sweet they find in the middle of the squash flowers:

A forest of Bourdeaux spinach -- I love the contrast of the green leaves with the red stems and veins:

After a couple waterings with compost tea, this avocado tree is putting out some HUGE dark green leaves:

From Jennifer's Kitchen

Yesterday, my daughter-in-law Jennifer posted a recipe for a delicious dish I have eaten with her family at their house. So I had to try it tonight:

She didn't name it, so I'll just call it "Jen's Spicy Rice, Beans, and Greens." It is REALLY good and full of whole, plant foods. Here's her recipe:

1 onion

1 can crushed/diced tomatoes

3 tsp. coriander

1.5 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp. Garam Masala (Google this -- you'll find places to buy it -- a GREAT Indian/South Asian spice mix)

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1 can chickpeas/garbanzos, rinsed

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 bunch of greeens (spinach, kale, charc) rinsed and chopped, or 1 pack frozen spinach

Saute onion in oil or water until soft. Stir in tomatoes, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Cook for 3 mins. Stir in chickpeas and greens and simmer 10 minutes or until the greens are as soft as you like.

Serve over a plate of rice (brown/basmati/jasmine -- not white!). Also good over quinoa. (Of course, double the recipe if you want to make more.)

I doubled the recipe (and have plenty left for another meal), added some cubed extra firm tofu, and chopped mushrooms. But frankly, this recipe I had from Jennifer's kitchen was better than mine, so I might should have stuck with the recipe. Plus, I didn't have any coriander, so that might have weakened mine. I think I more than doubled some things, and probably didn't double the spices "enough." These spices are NOT hot in temperature, but very flavorful -- think India -- especially the garam masala.

Thanks, Jennifer!