on my mind monday 10.22.12

It's never the same two weeks in a row.  A collection of what I find interesting in the world of food, nutrition and holistic health.  Here's what's on my mind.

Eat your kale - many of us don't get enough of those dark leafy greens.  This article talks about some of the health benefits and reminds us that, like everything else, there needs to be some moderation in our consumption of dark leafy greens.

Eat more kale - of course the title above is similar to Bo Muller Moore's Eat More Kale campaign.  (For those of you who don't know, Bo has been issues a Cease and Desist order in an act of corporate bullying by Chick Fil-a who claims that their consumers would be confused between their Eat Mor Chik'n and his Eat More Kale -- I don't know about you but if I was one of their consumers I'd be insulted by that.)  He happens to have a few friends who love kale and have shared some delicious recipes, check them out.  And while you're at it, consider buying a t-shirt.

Students Donate Leftovers - There are a lot of things about this story that bother me.  While I'm glad that someone has come up with a way to take unwanted food and give it to those who are hungry, I find it mind-boggling that students are forced to take food they don't want.  What kind of message does this send?  It encourages waste.  The legislation in school districts that prevent the distribution of whole, clean food once it's been taken needs to be changed.  The solution seems straightforward, let's use common sense.

Ugly Fruit and Vegetables - Due to the drought grocery stores in England have been forced to accept less than perfect looking fruits and vegetables.  While it's not good that there's a drought and with it a growing food shortage, I think this has some positive aspects.  It will teach people that food doesn't have to look perfect to be edible.  Hopefully it will also open doors to more locally sourced, less big-agri-business perfection at the grocery store, and by extension on our tables.  The peppers that I pick from my garden are bumpy, lumpy and not so pretty.  But they sure taste good.  The ones at the grocery store are frequently beautiful to look at but less than flavorful.   Hopefully people can learn to accept that it doesn't have to look like it belongs in a stylized food photo shoot to belong on our table.

Cheese Smuggling - unlike the millions of dollars of maple syrup recently stolen in Canada this theft scheme did not happen as planned.  Apparently involving cross-border sales of cheese the Department of Homeland Security managed to break up the smuggling ring and put a halt to the operation.  Apparently many of the Canadian pizza shops claim they turned down the U.S. cheese because it was inferior (making me wonder just how much better Canadian mozzarella really is).  More importantly the fact that food thefts are increasing highlights the rising costs and increasing food insecurity.


Bleah! doesn't even begin to describe my reaction to this video.

photo: mconnors