The joy of teaching

Tonight I taught a nutrition class for a PTA meeting.  The participants all appeared to be well-educated men and women who reported liking green leafy vegetables like kale and collard greens.  An excellent group of teachers and parents.  Which is why I was surprised when I got asked a question about the difference between white bread and wheat bread.

Upon hearing the request, I immediately launched into the explanation.  White bread is made from a wheat plant that has been processed to remove the bran and germ, leaving behind the starch-rich endosperm.  The bran contains most of the fiber and the germ contains most of the vitamins and minerals.  After a few years of Americans eating processed grains, people started to develop vitamin deficiencies....  Which is why the FDA now mandates that processed flours be fortified to replace those nutrients lost during processing.  This is when I asked the participants "Why not just eat the plant in it's original form?"  Nobody answered.  I think they were all too stunned to respond.

http://www.grainsessential.ca/english/grains/healthylifestyle.html

 My second-favorite part of the evening was when a teacher asked the rest of the group if they had heard about the genetically-modified salmon.  "Genetically-modified salmon is the least of your worries," I told her.  "Over 97% of our corn and soybeans are GMO!"  Which brought up the whole conversation about Round-Up ready plants and how we are consuming these products that have been grown in a chemical-rich environment and the question: What do you suppose that is doing to our children?!

Despite the fact that the conduction hot plates did not work and I was unable to cook Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadillas, it was a good night.  We had some great conversation and I feel like I really helped change the way some of the participants think about food.  It's nights like these that I am glad I am a nutrition educator.

An oasis of healthy food

Ward 8 of the District of Columbia is a food dessert.  Physically separated from The Capitol by the Anacostia river, it seems forgotten by the rest of the city.  Only two grocery stores supply wholesome food to the 70,000 people who live in the ~4,000 acres.  (The remaining food establishments are predominantly fast food restaurants and convenience stores).  And two groceries is something to celebrate; twelve years ago there were NO grocery stores in ward 8!


But there is hope for the future.  Yesterday, I attended the Ward 8 Farmer's Market!



The market is open twice a week: Tuesdays 3pm-7pm and Saturdays 9am-2pm.  There are five vendors: three farmers selling fruits and vegetables, one woman selling plants, and one stand with meats and baked items.  All vendors accept EBT (food stamps) and "Get Fresh Checks" (for seniors and WIC participants).


Panoramic view of Ward 8 Farmer's Market at ~10am (Saturday hours: 9am-2pm).



James, from UDC, talking with a patron.

In addition, a nutrition demonstrator from the University of the District of Columbia(UDC) Cooperative Extension Services (CES) attends every martket.  As a land-grant university, UDC fulfill's its mission, in part, by providing food demonstrations (read: free food samples) and nutrition education at farmer's markets.  This is where I come in.

I was recently hired by UDC CES as a Contract Dietitian within the Center for Diet, Nutrition, and Health.  I attended my first Ward 8 Farmer's Market as a trainee on Saturday, September 25th.

I went, I observed and, I have to admit, I was kinda disappointed.

Aside from the fact that it is a very small market (5 total vendors), it was very poorly attended.  In the five hours we were open for business, only 20, maybe 30, people showed up.  That is only six people per hour!  In comparison, when I visited the Falls Church Farmer's Market over the summer, I could barely walk because there were so many people!  Obviously this is an opportunity for new and creative marketing.

The members of the Ward 8 Farmer's Market Cooperative Board try very hard to provide and improve the healthy food options for the residents of Ward 8, but somehow their message isn't reaching the community.  Do you have any ideas on how to encourage community participation at this bi-weekly market?  If so, I would love to hear them!

This is a wonderful little market, just look at all the beautiful, fresh vegetables.  Please, help me spread the word!

Farmer Oberon DeFreitas.  Born and raised in Ward 8, Oberon really gives back to his community.



Carl Purvenas-Smith (right) of Terrapin Station Herb Far, LLC



Terrapin Station Herb Farm sells 117 different varieties of jams and jellis, all of which are free of HFCS!

Vanilla extract made with heavenly Madagascar vanilla beans

  

Lettuce

Today I took a trip to the local grocery, Superfresh, to pick up a few items in preparation for an upcoming camping / rock climbing trip.  Although I prefer to shop at other stores, Superfresh is within walking distance of my house and I did not want to drive for such a short shopping list: whole wheat flour (for cookies), ground beef, taco shells, taco seasoning, tomato and lettuce.

I easily found the tomato, beef, taco shells and seasoning mix.  Unfortunatly, they did not have an affordable whole wheat flour (only a 2 lb bag of organic flour for $3.49), so I will have to settle for reduced fiber cookies (using all purpose white) this camping trip.  The section of the store where I deliberated the most was the lettuce section.  Superfresh is a small store and do not carry a great variety.  Today they had the following options: red leaf lettuce @ $2.49, green leaf lettuce @ $1.99, or Boston lettuce @ $1.69.  Being on a budget, I chose the least expensive of three.  I selected the smallest head of Boston lettuce and tore off several of the outside leafs and put them in a plastic bag.  Four leafs was all I wanted for my camping trip (lettuce doesn't last long in a cooler).  Then I went to check out.

The lady at the counter helped me to obtain a Superfresh card (to get the deals).  As I was filling out the information, she said something along the lines of "I will check out your items while you are doing that, to not keep the line waiting."  The store was not busy.  I looked behind me.  There was no one else in line.  Odd.

So I paid for my items, placed them in my resuable bag, and walked out the door.  As I headed back home, I checked my reciept, as I usually do.  I paused when I got to the lettuce.  I was confused that it said $1.69 instead of a smaller fraction (per pound) of that price.  If it was not per pound, I wanted to go back and retreive the rest of the head.  If it was per pound, I wanted to double check the weight.

I re-approached my cashier and asked her if the Boston lettuce was sold per pound or per each.  She said, "per pound."  I asked why the "per pound" information was not on the receipt (since it very clearly said 0.59 lb @ 1.99 / lb -- Wt tomatoes 1.17" below the lettuce) and wondered if she thought my four leafs of lettuce actually weighed a pound.  In response, she repeated that the lettuce was per pound.

Perhaps motivated by the urgency in my voice, she followed me back to the lettuce section and pointed to the Boston lettuce sign, reaffirming that $1.69 refered to "per pound."  I looked at my 4 skimpy leafs and decided to take matters into my own hands.  I found a scale and set my lettuce upon it.  It was less than 1/4 pound!  I turned to tell the lady, but she was already walking back down the aisle, toward her "busy" cash register.

So I recruited the help of the produce guy, who confirmed that, although the red and green leaf lettuces were sold per pound, I had unfortunately choosen the only lettuce sold as "per each."  Trying to salvage the situation, I asked if I could take the remainder of the head I tore leafs from earlier.  Thankfully, the produce guy said yes.

Out of curiosity, I re-weighed the complete head of Boston lettuce and was slightly irritated that the whole thing weighed less than 1/2 pound.  Which means, I paid $3.38 / lb!  Ridiculous!

I wanted to approach the cashier once more and ask for a refund (and then purchase the other, less expensive variety), but I did not.  You can't return fresh food.

So in order to "let go" of this frustrating experience, I decided to write about it here, and let you know that lables at the Superfresh are not always clear and the cashiers do not always give the best customer service.

Ok, I feel better now.

Cereal = kibble?

A professor of mine at Bastyr University once said that breakfast cereal is like kibble.  Meaning: dry, highly-processed dog food made of vegetable-based ingredients that is not really meant to be eaten by dogs (who have flesh-ripping, canine teeth for a reason).

She made the comment so emphatically that I think about it almost every time I eat cereal.  Sometimes I even feel guilty.  As if I've let her down by choosing a quick, conveinent meal instead of taking the time to cook a bowl of hearty, steel-cut oats or poaching an egg over kasha (kasha: buckwheat groats).

But some days I have no choice.  Sometimes all I have time for is quick bowl of cereal.  Or when I haven't gone grocery shopping in a while, sometimes all I have in the house is cereal.  And on days I wake up feeling nauseous, sometimes cereal is the only food that sounds appealing.

Looking at the big picture, I would rather have something in my stomach (even if it is dry cereal + milk) before starting a full day of work, instead of feeling weak and hypoglycemicy until lunch time.

It all comes down to choice and prioritization.  What is most important to you?

I wish that I could eat freshly cooked whole grains at all my meals, but that is just not realistic for me.  At least, not at this time in my life.  So I compromise.  And do my best.  Because, really, that is all I can do.

Eating with Integrity

It has been over a year since I started this blog and time to revisit the theme.  But in order to talk about eating with integrity, I have to start with a conversation about WHOLE FOODS.

No, I’m not talking about the grocery store.

I’m talking about REAL food. Food you can picture growing. Food that has not been modified from its original form. Like an apple, a bag of brown rice, or a glass of whole fat milk. All these foods have one thing in common: nothing has been removed and nothing has been added. They are in their pure, unadulterated form. Just as God created them (see Genesis 1:29).

These foods have INTEGRITY.

When I write “eating with integrity” in this blog, I mean (1) choosing foods that are in the most natural form possible, preferably from local and/or organic sources, (2) preparing them with loving intention, and (3) eating them mindfully, appreciating each unique flavor and texture.

Anytime a food is processed, nutrients are lost. This can be as simple as removing the skin from your potatoes (the majority of nutrients are found just underneath the skin!), or as complicated as the chemical process of transforming whole corn into high fructose corn syrup.

In contrast, whole foods maintain high nutrient density. The more whole foods you can consume each day, the more vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients you provide your body, and the better defense you have against illness. But eating with integrity is not just about preventing disease (dis-ease), it is about reaching and maintaining optimum health. It is about feeling good so you can share those good feelings to the people around you and make the world a better place.

CSA: local and equitable agricultural

Today I signed up with Norman's Farm Market for my very first CSA!  CSA stands for community supported agriculture.  This is how it works:

In order to gain greater stability and better income, a farmer sells "shares" of the anticipated crops to individuals, who pay one up-front fee in exhange for weekly deliveries of delicious produce over the course of a growing season.  Joining a CSA does come with some risk, as incliment weather can result in poor harvest, which means less goods for you, the consumer.

However, the benefits far outweight the risks.  Here is a short list:

1. A box of fresh, local food on your doorstep every week

2. Fresh food just tastes better

3. Motivation to try new recipes (you're bound to get produce that you've never seen before)

4. Less grocery shopping!

5. Feel good about supporting your community

6. A reminder of where food comes from (the ground, not from a box!)

I can't wait!

New Look

Don't be surprised by the suave, new background - Eating with Integrity blog still provides the same delicious information.  I simply upgraded to a more aesthetically-pleasing design.  I hope you like it!

Cleanse

I wanted to write a follow-up entry to my last post about Anticancer, but the words are not flowing yet... 

So I take a break, take a deep breath, and changed directions.  I decide to clean out my old room in the basement, starting with the boxes marked Earlham College, 2002-2006.

Going through my college stuff brings back many memories.  Class notes, programs from performances in Dance Alloy and The Vagina Monologues, emails / letters from friends, lovers, enemies...  I could spent hours down here!

But, instead, I decide to let go.

As I toss old calculus exams and term papers in the recycle bin, I ask myself: why didn't I throw these away four years ago?  If I need to reference anything in the future, I can surely look up online, right?  And don't get me started on the emails /letters full of drama.  I shake my head.

Aside from a few, select items, I pitch everything.

It feels good to let go.

I am grateful for everything has happened in my life, all of the experiences.  I don't want to forget, but I also don't want to be held down or boxed-in by my past.  Everyday, I am a new person, a better person than the day before.  Always growing, ever changing, and forever trying to make the world a better place.

Anti-cancer

I am 46 pages into Anticancer: A New Way of Life (David Servan-Schreiber) and loving it.  In the first chapter, Dr. Servan-Schreiber looks back on his life before cancer and explains how he was young, ambitious, and arrogant.  He was so caught up in research that he thought would help people that he stopped noticing people.

Being diagnosed with cancer changed all that.

He opened his eyes and realized how short life is; he started noticing the beauty that was around him and appreciating the small things.  He also began to realize how important diet and lifestyle are in treating and preventing cancer.

While I won't reveal all the jewels of nutrition information (there are 15 color pages which provide detailed dietary advice!), I want to highlight my favorite part so far...

On page 41 he introduces the anticancer diet.  Then, in reference to this advice, he states (forgive me if I am violating copyright law by sharing a whole paragraph):

"There is little likelihood that our physicians will suggest these approaches.  Changes in lifestyle cannot, by definition, be patented.  Thus, they do not become medication and they do not require physicians.  This means that most physicians don't consider them within their realm, so it is up to each of us to make them our own"  (Anticancer: A New Way of Life, page 41).

As a physician himself, I am impressed that he is admitting that diet and nutrition is outside of the realm of physicians.  However, I disagree with his last sentance; I do not think every cancer patient has to make these changes on their own.

Registered Dietitians (RD) are the experts in nutrition and nutrition counseling.  While physicians might not be qualified to dispense such advice, the registered dietitian educated in evidence-based nutrition and ready to provide support to anyone who walks through her door.

Dr. Servan-Schreiber has wisdom and insights to share and his book is certainly worth reading.  But if you need someone to help you apply the dietary recommendations to your busy lifestyle, do yourself a favor and find a registered dietitian!

To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.  The link for FIND A REGISTERED DIETITIAN is at the top of the page.

Banana Stickers

Did you know that the American Dental Association recommends certain toothpastes over others?

Yep, they have a seal (see left) that assures that the product is safe and effective, as evaluated by body of scientific experts.  For example, they really like Colgate Total, but not the whitening varieties...

I wish that the American Dietetic Assocation had a seal of approval for food.  If I were on the committe of experts, I would recommend that only produce (fruits and veggies!) and minimally processed healthful products (a.k.a. foods that still have integrity) receive the seal.  That way, more people would buy (and eat!) fresh, wholesome food.

It would be like the new Chiquita® banana stickers - best marketing tool ever!  (and especially influential for small children)  An additional perk would be that, when clients ask what they should be eating, dietitians can simply tell them to choose foods with the stickers.  Brilliant!

Contaminated Poultry: the root of the problem

In efforts to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced new standards for poultry processing plants.  Apparently, slaughterhouses must routinely check to see if their fowl is foul.  Pun intended.

Currently, establishments must test their poultry for the presence common food-borne pathogens salmonella and campylobacter.  With the new standards, the number of "positives" tests will be reduced from twelve contaminated samples to five.

While this will certainly help decrease the number of contaiminated chickens that reach the supermarket, it does not address the root of the problem: unhealthy birds.

How does a cute little innocent chick catch these nasty bacteria in the first place?  Poor living conditions.

Most factory farmed chickens live in dark, enclosed buildings without access to green grass or even bare soil.  They walk around in their own excrement and eat GMO corn out of communal troughs.  In order to prevent them from getting sick in such a dirty environment, their feed is laced with antibiotics.  Despite this prophylactic measure, these birds are still becoming infected.  (Why else would the USDA have to mandate stricter performance standards?)

What else can we do to protect our food supply?  Support the use of biodynamic farming principles.

Polyface farm in Staunton, Virginia exemplifies this wholistic approach to raising healthy chickens and livestock.  The ownder, Joel Salatin, respectes the physiological distrinctiveness of each animal (chickens, cows, pigs and rabbits) by providing the appropriate habitat.  Pastured livestock and poultry are frequently rotated to new plots of grass -- which Joel lovingly referes to as "salad bar" -- to allow for landscape healing and, in return, the most nutrient-dense food for the animals.

Not only are the animals happy in this environment, so are the people.  One thing you will notice upon touring the farm is that, despite the hundreds of animals living on the farm, the farm does not smell.  How many factor farms can claim that?

I propose that if more farms used biodynamic techniques, the USDA would not have to waste so much energy and government funding making sure our food supply is safe.

To learn more about the Polyface Guiding Principles, visit this link.

Fresh

Last week I had the great opportunity to view the movie Fresh by ana Sofia joanes. It was amazing. It has a similar theme to Food Inc., but with a much more hopeful and optomistic message. And you know how much I love hopeful. *smile*

I envision a future where farms like Polyface and Growing Power multiply and begin popping up all over the nation, motivating people to eat fresh, local, and seasonal food! I see a future where people care where their food comes from and are willing to pay a little more for it. Heck, I see a future where the government starts subsidizing the production of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables on small farms and animals raised on their natural diets without the use of antibiotics INSTEAD OF the monoculture bohemouths and CAFOs that current provide cheap commodities to fuel our unhealthy, excessive Standard American Diet (SAD) food.

Maybe my dreams are too big to accomplish is a lifetime, but gosh darnit, I will die trying to make them a reality.

Long live good, fresh, healthy, tasty food!

Gluten Free Bread

A while back I was lamenting about a suspected gluten intolerance. It turns out my suspicions were not unfounded.

On January 25th, diagnostic laboratory tests proved that my gut is reacting to gluten. One a scale of 0-10, zero being no reaction and 10 indicating Celiac disease, I scored in the 4-6 range. To reverse this sensitivity, my doctor prescribed a three month gluten-free (GF) diet. I started the GF diet on February 1, 2010.

For the past month, I have tested a multitude of GF products, finding most of them less than desirable. ...Until yesterday.

While visiting my parent's house in Michigan, I was delighted to find a bag of Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful GF Bread Mix in the cupboard. I was even more surprised when the loaf doubled in size and nearly touched the roof of the oven while baking -- look at the size of those air pockets!



I definitely recommend using 1 whole Egg plus enough Egg Whites to equal 3/4 cup. I ended up using 3 or 4 extra Egg Whites for mine! I also suggest allowing the yeast to foam in the warm milk for more than 5 minutes. By making sure the yeast have been thoroughly woken up before combining with the dry ingredients, the more active they will be, the bigger the gas bubbles, and the fluffier your end product.

Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful GF Bread is the lightest, fluffiest GF bread I have ever had the pleasure of eating. It works well as sandwich bread and makes great toast, frech toast, and bread crumbs for recipes. Bob's has even managed to reduce that sour GF aftertaste that is usually unavoidable with GF products.