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Advice from the Granola Capital
Here in Boulder, the only consumption we're big on are whole foods. I love some fruits and vegetables and I hope you do too. Here is my own personal philosophy on how to stay healthy through what you eat. Here in Boulder, the only consumption we're big on are whole foods. I love some fruits and vegetables and I hope you do too. Here... more
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The future of food: Prepare yourself for a vegetarian world
From the head chef at MomoFuko:
You've seen the articles, right there on the front page next to equally uplifting stories about oil, the economy, and the war: The cost of food--of producing and procuring it--is soaring. In the restaurant world, it's all anyone can talk about. And the thing is, this is no temporary spike; it's actually a massive correction.
The machinery that's pumped so much meat into our lives over the last half century was never built to last, and now it's breaking down big-time. Feed is more expensive. Gasoline is more expensive. Milk, rice, butter, corn--it's all going through the roof. And for the foreseeable future, it's not coming back down.
Farmer Michael's feed costs have risen 400 percent in the last twelve months. To make a profit on the beautiful turkeys his family is raising in time for Thanksgiving, he'll have to charge a hundred bucks a bird. At Momofuku, I'm paying 150 percent more for humanely raised pork belly than I was paying at this time last year. And at the hyperglobal megachains that feed most of America, the only way they'll be able to keep selling one-dollar hamburgers is to grow their "protein units" in petri dishes, add even more filler to their products, and outright enslave the workers whose backs they're already breaking to keep costs artificially low.
It's depressing, this state of affairs, and sometimes I let myself wallow in it. But then I think about the opportunity this situation presents. Let's allow these harsh new realities to force us to do something that Alice Waters has been advocating for decades: Let's finally embrace the truth that food is not something to be taken for granted. As a culture, we need to be more curious about where our food comes from. We need to buy from farmers who are trying to do things the right way. We need to think before we eat.
If we do, we'll find that our cuisine and eating habits will more closely resemble those of the nineteenth century than the late twentieth. Hunting will be less about the buck points and more about the meat. Nose-to-tail eating will make a comeback--not because of fashion or Fergus Henderson (whom I love), but because of scarcity and price. And small-scale farming--little vegetable gardens in the backyards of homes in cities, suburbs, and the countryside alike--will become not just economically sensible but cool. Hell, maybe foraging for mushrooms and wild fruits will become a seminormal skill again.
At the table, this means our plates will be heavier on grains and greens, and meat will shift from the center of the dish to a supporting role--the role it's played throughout history in most of the world's cuisines.
At Momofuku, we've made a name for ourselves selling lots of pig and not accommodating vegetarians. So, yeah, I recognize the hypocrisy of me telling you to eat more veggies and less meat. Guilty as charged. But don't get me wrong: My restaurants still won't kowtow to vegetarians. We will, however, focus more on vegetable and grain dishes in which meat adds flavor, not heft. From the head chef at MomoFuko: ... more -
Happy 113th birthday for world's oldest man
TOKYO (Reuters) – The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.
"I'm happy," said Tomoji Tanabe as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. "I'm well. I eat a lot," he added.
Tanabe, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male last year, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol.
The former civil servant lives with his son, drinks milk every day and has no major illnesses, although he now writes in his diary only once or twice a month. He used to write on a daily basis.
"His favorite food is fried shrimp, but we've heard that he's cut back on oily food," said an official at his hometown of Miyakonojo, about 900 km (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
"He's said he wants to live for another 10 years, that he doesn't want to die." The Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with the number of those aged 100 or older at a record 36,276, a government report last week showed.
Japanese women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, while men rank third after Iceland and Hong Kong. TOKYO (Reuters) – The world's oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Jap... more -
Let's sequence the potato genome!
The rather unimaginitively named Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium, made up of a group of scientists from 13 different countries, is hoping to have the white potato perfectly sequenced by 2010, in the hope of gaining a better understanding of how the spud works.
Stunningly, a potato is made up of 840 million DNA pairs, each of which determines different characteristics in the vegetable. The rather unimaginitively named Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium, made up of a group of scientists from 13 different countries, is... more -
Gardener claims to find strawberry inside of a tomato
A woman in Gloucester, England claims to have cut into a tomato, and found a strawberry inside.
Is this a hoax on the scale of the Montauk Monster. Or is it the real thing? A woman in Gloucester, England claims to have cut into a tomato, and found a strawberry inside. ... more -
Failure to eat healthy: seven in eight do not eat enough fruit and veg
Even though most people will be aware of the 'five-a-day' healthy eating target by now, the majority of Britons fail to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, according to latest research.
A study of the consumer habits of the nation found that only 12 per cent of the population manage the five-a-day target, while another 12 per cent do not eat any portions of fruit and vegetables. Giles Quick, the managing director of TNS Worldpanel UK usage panels, said: "While the need for five-a-day seems to be common knowledge, the number of us who actually achieve this is shockingly low."
Interestingly, the study found significant differences between age groups, gender and social class. The most likely groups to meet the target are the most affluent and the over-45s, with children and the less affluent the most likely to consume no portions.
The five-a-day recommendation is based on a World Health Organisation report which showed that eating 400g of fruit and vegetables a day seemed to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
The most recent study group also identified a rising trend towards large dress sizes among Britons as an indicator of the nation's obesity problems. There are variations across the country, with the proportion of clothes sold in size 18 or above increasing by more than 35 per cent in the last two years in south west England.
On a more positive note, there were also signs that healthy eating habits were gaining more followers. TNS said it valued the healthy food market at more than £11 billion a year, growing at almost 8 per cent in value each year. The number of younger consumers (under-34s) who said they cooked from scratch has grown by 14 per cent over the past two years, but is restricted to savoury foods. Even though most people will be aware of the 'five-a-day' healthy eating target by now, the majority of Britons fail to eat ... more -
Broccoli may help protect lungs
A substance found in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease, research suggests. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking and kills about 30,000 UK residents a year. US scientists found that sulforapane increases the activity of the NRF2 gene in human lung cells which protects cells from damage caused by toxins. The same broccoli compound was recently found to be protective against damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes. Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have also been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In the latest study, a team from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine found significantly lower activity of the NRF2 gene in smokers with advanced COPD. Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said the gene is responsible for turning on several mechanisms for removing toxins and pollutants which can damage cells.
(continued at link) A substance found in broccoli may limit the damage which leads to serious lung disease, research suggests. Chronic obstructive pulmon... more -
Sustainable Urban Agriculture
Discovery-News.com: Discovery's Matt Danzico visits The Science Barge in New York City to learn about sustainable urban agriculture. Discovery-News.com: Discovery's Matt Danzico visits The Science Barge in New York City to learn about sustainable urban agricultu... more
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Urban Farms Grow Up
Discovery-News.com: Discovery’s Matt Danzico investigates vertical farming, an agricultural concept aimed at growing food and raising animals in skyscrapers in city centers. Discovery-News.com: Discovery’s Matt Danzico investigates vertical farming, an agricultural concept aimed at growing food and raising ... more
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FDA approves radiation for vegetables!
"Federal regulators are expected today to let processors for the first time use radiation to kill bacteria in spinach and iceberg lettuce.
The step will protect consumers and growers, who have been battered by E. coli outbreaks in recent years.
But are shoppers ready for irradiated vegetables?
Experts point out that meat and some other foods have been treated with radiation for years, with little or no resistance from shoppers. But that may be simply because few are aware of the practice.
Anuradha Prakash, an assistant professor at Chapman University and an expert on food irradiation, said consumers are ready to make their food safer given the outbreaks that have occurred in the past few years related to fresh produce.
"But there will have to be lots of consumer education before they will accept it," Prakash said.
Christine Bruhn, a University of California food science marketing specialist and director of the UC Davis Center for Consumer Research, agreed. She said that while some consumers are ready, most are unaware of the practice.
"Maybe the science community has not spoken enough about this," Bruhn said. "But they will be doing it more and more now."
The Food and Drug Administration is set to formally give the green light today to a practice officials have concluded is safe. The long-awaited decision comes in the wake of high-profile bacterial outbreaks involving tainted California greens.
"I hope we will see a reduction in the number of food-borne illnesses," Dr. Robert Brackett, chief scientist with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said Thursday. "It gives the industry another tool to increase food safety."
Irradiation of beef has been allowed since 2000. Yet only about 15 million pounds of the roughly 8 billion pounds of beef processed annually is irradiated, Dennis Olson, an Iowa State University meat scientist and irradiation expert, told the Chicago Tribune.
The beef industry liked the concept, but didn't want to promote irradiation because of consumer concerns, he said."
Wow - so not only are they doing this on veggies, they've been doing it on beef for years but didn't want to tell us because they knew we'd find it strange. WTF?!? "Federal regulators are expected today to let processors for the first time use radiation to kill bacteria in spinach and iceberg... more -
Farmer grows potato that resembles Mickey Mouse
It's an exciting day for secular fans of vegetables that resemble things. Now they can have a potato that resembles something other than the Virgin Mary. I hope Disney makes a movie about this. It's an exciting day for secular fans of vegetables that resemble things. Now they can have a potato that resembles something oth... more
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FDA to allow radiation of spinach and lettuce
Health regulators have approved the use of ionizing radiation for fresh spinach and lettuce, saying the technique already approved for other foods can help control harmful bacteria and other pathogens.
The Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday the radiation treatment also would make the leafy greens last longer and give them greater "shelf-life" for retailers and consumers.
The approval comes two years after E. coli outbreaks linked to spinach and lettuce sold in grocery stores and served at various restaurants. Outbreaks of the dangerous bacteria sickened dozens of consumers and led some to be hospitalized.
Foods already approved for radiation treatment include meat, poultry, spices and molluscan shellfish such as oysters, mussels and clams. Health regulators have approved the use of ionizing radiation for fresh spinach and lettuce, saying the technique already approved for... more -
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community: Zaagkii Wings & Seeds Project Protects Pollinat...
In July 2008, a three-year initiative began called the Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project that involves Native American youth and Marquette teens building butterfly houses and planting over 26,000 native plants to help pollinators recover due to the shocking death of billions of honeybees across the Midwest and around the world.
Butterfly houses are slimmer than better known birdhouses and are lined with bark offering a place for butterflies to rest, be protected and in some cases lay eggs.
It's important as thousands of Monarchs pass thru the U.P. in the annual migration to Mexico of 3 million Monarchs.
Native plants indigenous to any region of the world are important for local pollinators that can be fooled by imported vegetation resulting in death or eggs not hatching.
The Zaagkii Project was founded by Rev. Jon Magnuson and his non-profit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, Michigan.
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has long supported initiatives like the Zaagkii Project that were founded by the non-profit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI) including wild rice restoration and Earth Day clean sweeps. The three-year Zaagkii Project is sponsored by the KBIC, CTI, Marquette County Juvenile Court and the United States Forest Service.
The Zaagkii Project would not be possible without contributors that include the Marquette Community Foundation, the Negaunee Community Fund, the Negaunee Community Youth Fund, the M.E. Davenport Foundation, the Kaufman Foundation, the Phyllis and Max Reynolds Foundation, with assistance from the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum in Marquette and the Borealis Seed Company in Big Bay. In July 2008, a three-year initiative began called the Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project that involves Native American youth and Marque... more -
Best Fruit in the Okanagan
We stopped at the Blossom Fruit stand and almost bought out the whole store. We bought Gold Plums, Santa Rosa’s Plums, black plums, peaches, cherries, raspberries and nectarines. We also bought some vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes We stopped at the Blossom Fruit stand and almost bought out the whole store. We bought Gold Plums, Santa Rosa’s Plums, black plums, pe... more
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Organic Veggies Not Healthier, Group Says
Buying organic vegetables might make you feel safer about avoiding chemicals and better for possibly helping the planet, but the food won't be any more healthful, according to research in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
The report, from the University of Copenhagen, said there is no evidence that organically grown crops contain more major and trace elements, though they can cost one-third more than other produce.
For the study, animals were fed carrots, kale, peas, apples and potatoes grown three different ways over two seasons.
One group was fertilized only with manure, a second was given manure and pesticides, and a third was given chemical fertilizer and pesticides.
After harvest, results showed that there were no differences in the levels of nutrients, a news release on the report said. Researchers also saw no difference in the minerals retained by the animals that ate them. Buying organic vegetables might make you feel safer about avoiding chemicals and better for possibly helping the planet, but the food ... more -
Path of Change
This is the story of four peoples lives and how converting to a raw food lifestyle changed them forever.
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Broccoli may undo diabetes damage
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.
A University of Warwick team believe the key is a compound found in the vegetable, called sulforaphane. It encourages production of enzymes which protect the blood vessels, and a reduction in high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage. Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have previously been linked to a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
People with diabetes are up to five times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes; both are linked to damaged blood vessels. The Warwick team, whose work is reported in the journal Diabetes, tested the effects of sulforaphane on blood vessel cells damaged by high glucose levels (hyperglycaemia), which are associated with diabetes. They recorded a 73% reduction of molecules in the body called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Hyperglycaemia can cause levels of ROS to increase three-fold and such high levels can damage human cells.
The researchers also found that sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from damage by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.
Read more... Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests. ... more -
Truckin' From Diesel To Veg Oil
Discovery-News.com: A diesel-guzzling truck is converted to run on fryer oil. Take a trip with James Williams on the journey to veggie fuel automotion. Discovery-News.com: A diesel-guzzling truck is converted to run on fryer oil. Take a trip with James Williams on the journey to veggie... more
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Good news for veggies: personal values deceive taste buds
Many heavy meat eaters believe they eat a lot of meat because of the taste. But according to groundbreaking new research in the Journal of Consumer Research, the reason that a beef burger tastes better than a veggie burger to some people has more to do with values than actual taste. Many heavy meat eaters believe they eat a lot of meat because of the taste. But according to groundbreaking new research in the Journa... more
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The 11 Best Foods You Arent Eating & How to Eat Them
1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5.Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.'’ They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,'’ it has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. 1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments tha... more
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Vegetables
