Kspitz’s Weblog

(Letter to the Editor)

While driving through Twykenham Hills recently, I glanced in my rearview mirror to see the driver behind me making angry gestures and trying to pass. I took a deep breath, tried not to get angry, and continued to drive the speed limit. This sort of thing happens quite often. I have noticed that very few drivers actually heed the speed limit.  

The habit of speeding is dangerous in residential neighborhoods (like Twykenham Hills) where children and pets are present, and it is rude to other drivers. Studies have shown that speeding will save time only on longer trips (20 miles or more) and even then, going 10 mph over the limit would save you approximately 3 minutes. (www.modot.org)  Is it really worth the risk of a pricey ticket or the cost of a life? 

If the South Bend Police Department is unable to crack down on speeders due to lack of personnel, perhaps it would be possible to install strobe cameras instead of those “your speed is” signs. Receiving a ticket in the mail, along with the proof positive, would be much more effective at enforcing the limit. When repairing streets or constructing new ones perhaps speed bumps or roundabouts would encourage drivers to slow down.

Life is short, instead of speeding through it, why not take your time and enjoy the scenery?  

I just came across this terrific 30 day guide to “going green” with your food choices. Published by The Daily Green, this guide would be an incredible way to improve not only your diet, but your life in general – in so many ways.  It might be tough to do ALL of these things in just one month, but even doing 1/2 of them would be a huge step in the right direction. Check it out!

Gk 

A Response to Time Magazine’s Joel Stein

Time Magazine recently printed an opinion piece written by Joel Stein entitled “Extreme Eating” in which Stein describes the current “eat-local” food movement as “anti-globalization idiocy”. He has already received more than a few comments challenging him on this view and I am certainly going to add my voice to the crowd. If you are interested in reading the piece, here’s the link.   

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1702353,00.html

Stein’s comments stand as evidence of the depths of his ignorance – on several issues. First of all, he implies that Iowans, if urged to eat more locally grown foods, would have to eat only pork, corn and soy. While it is true that Iowa (along with Illinois and Indiana) does grow thousands of acres of corn, the type of corn you see filling the fields along Interstate 80 is NOT the type of corn you would make into creamed corn or top with melted butter and wrap your lips and teeth around – that’s sweet corn, idiot. The vast majority of field corn is fed to steers in feed lots (not their natural diet, by the way) or made into highly processed, unnatural sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup (one of the real reasons we have an obesity epidemic). Having been born and raised in Iowa, I must cease to comment any further on this particular issue lest I spiral further into the depths of name-calling.  

Stein’s paragraph in which he described the 21^st century eating as “part-travel, part cultural mashup” ends with the equivalent of a spoiled 3-year-old’s whining, “I want… I want… I want…” Well, I guess by buying all of your ingredients for dinner from as far away as possible you also want to increase poverty and hunger levels in poor nations, and you want to put local farmers out of business because there is no market for their lamb right here. I guess you would also prefer that Chilean sea bass become extinct because their numbers have been so desecrated by greedy consumers like yourself, and you prefer the taste of pesticides which are sprayed on asparagus fields – pesticides like DDT which was banned from use in this country in the 1970s, but is still used in many less developed countries like Peru.

And as far as dining like a rich person, well, you did. Considering the prices Whole Foods charges for the items you described, that meal surely set you back $100 or more – certainly not what the average American family would be spending on a single meal and far more than you would have spent at a local farmer’s market for foods of similar, if not higher, quality. By the way, Whole Foods is NOT the local-food movement’s most treasured supermarket – the local farmer’s market is. At the farmer’s market, and at the farm itself, you can talk to and get to know the people who actually grow your food – which is one of the most important aspects of the eat-local movement.

So, Mr. Stein, if you prefer to go on shopping in ignorance, and contributing to the huge, multi-billion dollar food industry that cares nothing for our health or the health of our children, then go ahead, this is America and you do have that freedom of choice, but I must ask you, who is the real idiot here?  I urge you do just a little more research on these issues before you go around “giving the finger” to educated, concerned citizens. When the huge, globalized, unsustainable food industry starts to crumble, which I believe it eventually will, you and many others will be turning to the local farmers in earnest, and you will be GRATEFUL for that sweet corn and roast pork.

GK

An article from the NY Times describes the recent explosion of the number of blogs written by overweight people who are advocating for “fat acceptance” and calling for an end to the “hysteria” over America’s “perceived” obesity epidemic. In general, many of these bloggers claim that the health risks of being overweight are exaggerated, that Americans are not really any heavier than they used to be, and that the weight loss strategy of  “eat less and exercise more” does not work for the majority of people and is simply a myth.  

Hmm… I had to pause and think about these claims for a moment; some of them I agree with and some I don’t.

First of all, I definitely agree with the idea of body acceptance. I believe that one of the main reasons we have such a high number of overweight people is because for decades we have been sold the idea that there is a “perfect” body and that “thin” is it. This image spawned the development of thousands of “low-fat” food products, which, in reality, are nothing more than fake foods loaded with sugar.  In my nutrition classes we spend a good deal of time discussing eating disorders and their root causes – which really have little to do with food and more to do with body image and self esteem. So yes, I wholeheartedly agree that we should toss out the fashion magazines and the idea that thin equals success and beauty, for of course, it doesn’t.

Yes, there is quite a bit of hype over the level of obesity in our country and it is true that being moderately overweight does not necessarily translate into a higher incidence of disease. However, we must define word “moderate” here. Being 10, 20 or even 30 pounds overweight is not automatically dangerous, especially if you are active and eating a healthful diet and do not have huge amounts of stress in your life. But, when people are 50, 70, and 100 pounds overweight, then health issues do come into play, and the number of people in this category has been steadily increasing in the past 3 decades, especially the past 2 decades.

Are Americans bigger than they used to be?  Yes, absolutely, without a doubt, they are.  I have seen evidence of this in several different aspects of my own career – everything from clothing to car seats (even ballet/pointe shoes) are made in bigger sizes than they were just 20 years ago. Why do we have to build stadiums and movie theaters with larger seats? Could it be linked to the bigger SUV’s with the ever-expanding cup holders?

In response to the “myth” that eating less and exercising more will help you lose weight…I partially agree. It’s true that sometimes even when people are eating healthfully and exercising regularly they do not lose weight, or rather, they do not become “fashion-model thin”.  This goes back to that whole “thin” ideal, which, as we have already established, is false anyway. Genetics plays a significant role in determining body shape and there will always be some rounder bodies and some slimmer bodies within a population, but to imply that exercise – in relation to weight control – is futile is, as far as I’m concerned, just another excuse (and I have heard many) to avoid moving around.  

The human body was designed for movement. It is far more stressful to the spine to sit than to stand, the joints will stiffen and the muscles will atrophy if not used regularly, and the lymph system, which is crucial to detoxification and dietary fat digestion, does not function properly without adequate body movements. Exercise has many, many more benefits than simply weight control.

So, to the “Fatosphere” I say kudos on the self-esteem aspect, ditto for taking the time to speak out, but instead of simply spouting off, why not put that energy to better use? Why not advocate for healthier food in our nation’s schools, cafeterias, restaurants and grocery stores? How about voting for the inclusion of more sidewalks, biking paths, gardens and green spaces within our cities? If these types of things were developed, we would quickly find out if the obesity epidemic is a “myth” or if it is the result of a food system full of overly processed, low quality foods, and a society that encourages less movement instead of a normal, human amount .  

just thinking about chickens starts brining in the stories…. this is a link to another story about raising chickens in the city.  Apparently both Seattle and Portland also allow residents to raise up to 3 chickens in backyard coops.   cluck, cluck!

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1034445.html

Well, I didn’t think I would admit this but…I am LOVING the bloglines feed thing!! I have subscribed to the NY Times for articles on Nutrition and Environment and Small Business and so far, I have received several articles of interest.  I found several interesting blogs, although I’m sure there are hundreds more.  One I have found helpful is “Eating Liberally” .  They blog about a lot of food-politics issues and they have a running dialogue with Dr. Marion Nestle who is the author of “Food Politics” and “What to Eat”.  

http://eatingliverally.org/

Another site I have enjoyed reading is from Dr. Susan Rubin.  She is a former dentist and now nutritionist who is one of the ”Two Angry Moms” who recently released a documentary about the dismal condition of school lunches. She has loads of good advice for moms who are trying to wean their kids off junk food and sugar. Being a mom herself (three daughters) she understands firsthand the challenges of trying to feed a family these days. You can check our her website at:

http://www.drsusanrubin.com/ 

Happy reading,

-Gail 

I think a good story has to involve your emotions in some way. Some stories make you laugh - like the stories of Lake Wobegon from Garrison Keillor, or a story may cause you to feel angry or sad – like the stories by George Orwell that we read for this week. I don’t particularly “like” stories of shooting elephants or hanging prisoners, but that doesn’t make them “bad” stories. If anything, stories like these force us to examine our own human-ness and to question why we do the things we do. Having this emotional component is important, I think, because even when the audience has no particular connection to the characters of a story they can still “relate” to the emotion that the story evokes.   

Well, so far I find it rather helpful to recieve news articles automatically although  I can see how it might get a little overwhelming if not managed correctly.  I’m not sure how to delete the articles that I don’t need…still practicing.

From Google News:  

So far, the articles I have received on community gardening are mostly local news and event calendars – helpful, maybe, but not exactly the kind of info I seek.  

I received an article from the Des Moines Register - an interview with the new Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. He mentioned some of the efforts that Des Moines is making to curb soil erosion within the urban areas and to deal with the issue of lawn herbacides polluting storm water runoff.

I also have a feed from the New York Times sending articles dealing with nutrition and the environment. So far I have recieved an article about a mother’s battle with her child’s food allergies – a problem that is becoming very common these days.

I look forward to recieving more news… …

Part of our assignment this week is to blog about the topic that we have chosen to write and speak about this semester. Anyone who has spent any time with me knows that I have a passion for nutrition – espeically local food issues, and I also love discussing other aspects of health, exercise, yoga, dance, and gardening (and my three cats). Why do I have such a passion for these issues?  Well, I’ll narrow it down to the issue I will be chatting most about….local food and urban gardening.

My reasons for caring about this issue are many, but two come quickly to mind. The first is that I have been teaching in the fitness/health field for over 20 years now. I started teaching aerobics in 1986 – back when we built our own steps and learned how to do “Step-Aerobics”.  For some unknown reason dancing around in front of a large group of people and shouting out instructions seemed to come naturally to me. I’ve always been an active person – not hyperactive, just active and moving around alot. Teaching Aerobics soon led to other fitness endeavors; Dance, Personal training, Pilates, Yoga, and of course, Nutrition was always a part of this package.

For the most part I have loved this career although it has also been frustrating. I’ve never made much money at it. Our society, in general, seems to think a good fitness instructor doesn’t really “do” anything outside of the actual class time, therefore $25-35 per hour should cover it, right? (Never mind that it costs thousands of dollars to become certified in any one of these chosen specialties).

The other, perhaps more important, thing that has frustrated me over the past 20 years is that despite all the excellent health clubs and opportunities we have for staying healthy, our population has become more sedentary and far less healthy than ever before. Our young people, especially, are in worse shape now than in past generations. This has got to change!

This brings me to the other reason I am passionate about nutrition and health issues – my childhood. I grew up in a small town in Iowa, not on a farm, but I had very strong farm connections. My aunt and uncle owned a small dairy farm seven miles outside of town. This was my mother’s older sister and her family. As a kid, I spend a lot of time on their farm and in many ways I feel like a “farm kid”.  Aunt Pauline had a huge vegetable garden and probably 90% of the food she fed her husband and five kids came from their farm. This little farm (150 acres) also supplied our family of six with some vegetables along with chickens, eggs, ducks, geese, pork and beef.

In town, we also had gardens – not just one, but three! We grew lots of potatoes, green beans, onions, spinach,  and my favorite…strawberries!   

I have many memories of working in the gardens and eating fresh foods  - some are good memories and some are not so good!  Kids, after all, don’t always tend to their chores happily.

Anyway, I’ve gone on too long already!   To be continued… …

 -Gail (k)