Quote of the Day

"There’s nothing wrong with candy. It’s the candification of our other food."

Dr. Samia Kawash, The Candy Professor

Photo: HarpersBizarre

Naughty, naughty soda companies!

Marian Nestle at Food Politics shares the details of Coke, Pepsi and other sugary-drink makers efforts to hide their lobbying work against soda taxes. The corporations have every right to fund speech to fight their efforts, but their attempts to hide that funding makes them seem a bit slimy. Even a six-year old knows that hiding the truth is the same thing as lying.


Big Soda sues to hide its funding of anti-tax campaign

Schools Sell Fewer Sodas — But Other Sugary Drinks Remain | PreventObesity.net

The news is getting better   -but there is still a lot of education to do before we see a culture where fresh, cold water is the drink of choice.

Schools Sell Fewer Sodas — But Other Sugary Drinks Remain | PreventObesity.net

Victory in Seattle | PreventObesity.net

Great news for kids! Seattle is prohibiting the advertising of unhealthy foods on school property. No more Coca-Cola football stadiums or Pepsi basketball scoreboards. Perhaps we are beginning to reverse the normalization of junk food as being acceptable for kids (or anybody!). Kudos to the Seattle School Board.



Victory in Seattle | PreventObesity.net

Today's Wish

Sometimes I can be a bit righteous. Almost overbearing. It has to get old - and probably insulting for those on the receiving end. I am passionate and sometimes that passion gets the best of me. Being at the front of the march often makes one the easy target for arrows.

My wish for today is to be more like Birke Baehr. This 11-year old kid has the optimism, vision and energy to inspire people. I heard a talk recently about creating change. The speaker emphasized that the best way to get others to see the future that you envision is to tell a story. I hope Birke's story will help me to improve the way I tell our story. Check him out. And buy a t-shirt while you're there!

Birke'e website - Birke on the Farm


 Birke's Ted Talk

Quote of the Day

"Good food, after all, is more than just nutrients or chemicals. It is part of the spirit of life."
                    —Robert David Rodale

New USDA School Nutrition Standards - Time for a Little Happy Dancing

My little broccoli eater.

Marion Nestle who blogs at Food Politics has a great post explaining the new USDA school  meals nutrition standards. More vegetables, whole grains, lower sodium and fat - all good things. Thank you to Michelle Obama for kick-starting the revolution.

I consider these baby-steps. These policies are a HUGE improvement, but they were announced as "proposed rules" one year ago and our school's food vender has already implemented them. It's good to see whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta, and a reduction in fried foods. However, I'm still wringing my hands over the cooler full of fruit juice and flavored milk - even if it is low-fat flavored milk. It's still full-sugar flavored milk.

I'm looking forward to the day when we have consensus about what constitutes healthy, wholesome, nutrient dense food for our kids. It's a conversation worth continuing. And it's worth celebrating the baby-steps.

Party on.
 

Labeling

I'm all for labeling. Is it cotton or poly? Is it Christmas or Easter? Is it organic or GMO? Seems like obvious information. The reality is that while I try buy organic all the time, I sometimes have to resort to a conventionally grown product. (I know, it makes me shudder too...). So, if I have to buy something grown with chemicals, can I at least have the option of not getting the food developed through recombinant DNA technology? Please? It seems so simple to say, "Just label it", but as I've learned, very little in the food system is easy. Now, we're lobbying for our right to know what's in our food.

Check out this video and let me know what you think.

Join us!

My inspiration.  This picture of 5-year old Cooper was taken as he walked the labyrinth in New Harmony, IN.

I was contacted today by a representative of Prevent Obesity.net. They are an online community funded by Robert Wood Johnson. As Zach, the guy from the organization, explained to me, they are working to connect all of the those of us who work to "change the policy and environments" for kids so that they can live healthier futures. He saw one of my posts and said that he realized that I should be involved with them. Cool! It definitely sounds like something that I want to be a part of. Want to join us, too? Check out PreventObesity.net and come to the party.