The Sugar-Coated Conversation

Americans are trending toward "healthier" eating. The tag line of the 2008 Healthy Foods Conference reminds us "healthy is in."

There's progress in our national relationship with food, and admitting our problems is the first step. Stats show that childhood and teen obesity has leveled out. Kids aren't getting bigger, but they're also not getting lighter.

There's plenty of talk about the health benefits of functional foods and nutraceuticals like "whole grains" and "omega 3s." The Nutrition Business Journal notes more than 97 percent of Americans surveyed spend at least a portion of their grocery budgets on healthy food.

Food manufacturers have jumped on the band wagon of popular interest. The national food trend survey called, "The Current State of the Healthy Foods Market — Consumer, Retailer and Manufacturer Perspectives Study," also completed by the Nutrition Business Journal, reveals:

- Whole grains are the top-ranking healthy-product attribute, according to consumers surveyed, with 57 percent citing this as very or extremely important.
- Consumers are increasingly buying healthy foods to manage a specific health condition, including 21.4 percent choosing products to lower high cholesterol, 14.5 percent to manage digestive issues, 13 percent to control blood sugar levels, and 11.2 percent for general allergies.
- Retailers cite "Better-for-you Kids Products" as the category where they anticipate seeing the most growth in 2008, with 25.8 percent of retailer respondents selecting this option.
- Local foods are gaining a following with consumers; more than 66 percent of respondents say they would be likely to try a new store in their market area if the store could offer them a better selection of local products.

The food dialogue is coming full circle, but we have to qualify the conversation and go forth carefully. We all fall prey to the lure of "it's good for you" food marketing. Last night Patrick wanted ice cream after dinner. I said no. He already had a free ice cream courtesy of the local library summer reading program. Read one book. Just one book, and kids get a free ice cream cone from Chik-fil-a. He wanted ice cream at home again and said, "But's it's all-natural vanilla. It's good for me."

It's not good for him. It's just not completely "evil" for him. The Nutrition Business Journal categorizes food in their research and reporting as "functional foods, lesser-evil foods and natural/organic foods in the United States."

Lesser-Evil foods are "altered from their originally manufactured state by the removal of unwanted substances including fat, calories, preservatives, caffeine, alcohol, salt, etc."

Now we actually talk about food on a spectrum or axis of evil. The language hints at the complexities of what we're actually putting in our fresh mouths and how we feel about it. Has food ever been this complicated? As the conversation tilts toward terms of morality - of good and evil - it's no wonder that we're doing all we can to alter food and make it appear as more or less than it is. It's our human tendency to stretch the truth, bend the rules and quite literally sugar coat the story. Think organic gummy bears or Hot Pockets with "real cheese."

Food is about sustenance and pleasure. It's not evil. We need to go way back to basics - eat and grow food free of chemicals and artifical ingredients. Simple. We all need to remember - food is "more than good." And remember as you eat "lesser evil" food, you are what you eat.

The "Food" Conversation
A sample of what business, farmers, industry and regular folks are saying about how we grow, eat and sell food.

The Organic Summit: Cultivating Innovation & Transparency in the Organic Community
New Hope Natural Media
Healthy Foods International Exposition and Conference
The Nutrition Business Journal
What to Eat

Nugget o' the Week: "The grocery aisle is changing, health has gone mainstream. At Healthy Foods International you’ll find the products that fit into this new picture of health: low fat, reduced calorie, less sugar, low sodium, added omega-3’s, increased fiber, whole grains, all natural baby food, cleaning products and more that help build the perfect healthy taco, sundae, burger, soda and beyond." - from Healthy Foods International.

Nothing beats a nice healthy sundae and a soda for dinner.

Dude, Grow Grass and Food

We saw a cardboard sign at a farmer's market propped on top of a straw basket of homegrown tomatoes that insisted, "Safe to Eat!"

The kids immediately wanted to know why other tomatoes may not be safe. I explained salmonella and the recent outbreak. We talked about the dark, lowly life of a bacterium in some intestinal tract somewhere, and the cycle of transmission and the havoc of diarrhea. The conversation evoked their memories of our family spring-break stomach flu epidemic of 2005. They were almost turned off tomatoes, until I promised that homegrown and certain varieties were still safe to eat.

I over-emphasized our luck and good fortune.

"See, we're really lucky because our plants are growing strong and healthy. No salmonella on our tomatoes," I said. "Nothing to worry about here."

"We better check," Aidan said.

They both ran out to the yard.

"They smell OK, Mom," Patrick told me.

"They're getting really tall," Aidan said.

In their world, if something's getting bigger and still smells pretty good, all systems are a go. The verdict is still out on baby Jack. He's getting bigger, but has frequent bouts of stinkiness.

Our garden is fun for us. But it's a novelty, and it shouldn't be. We drove around a new housing development in our area this week. It was dotted with brick-faced McMansions on astro-turf green lawns. Everything was creepy perfect. There must have been some serious homeowner regulations on manicuring the landscape.

"Can you have food gardens here?" Patrick asked.

"No, they only grow grass here," Aidan answered.

They only grow grass here... growing our own food is a national novelty. If we grew food like we grew grass, we'd all be aces. Dudes, we gotta grow more of our own food.

This morning CNN reported on the high food prices in Hawaii, and the heavy costs associated with importing 80% of the state's food. Think $8 for a jar of peanut butter. In the story, Ira Rohter, a professor at the University of Hawaii, said Hawaii's residents have only one choice: "You grow your own food. You may not have noticed, we can grown our own food in Hawaii."

There are limitations with the state's high cost of land and short-term leases, but planting a few seeds at home can take even a little squeeze out of supermarket runs, especially if you're paying more than $7 for a half-gallon of OJ.

Nugget o' the Week: "Can you have food gardens here?" - Patrick asking if people are allowed to grow food in one of the bigger, extremely manicured planned communities in town.

Breakfast Radishes for Dinner

Patrick picked French Breakfast Radishes for dinner. We salted and served them with mixed greens and vinaigrette. Dirk and I loved them, but the kids passed on the spicy, peppery flavor.

"Too much for me," Aidan said.

"Nah," said Patrick.

When we billed them as part of a French breakfast, I think Patrick conjured a puffy, buttered Belgian waffle dripping in syrup and whip cream.

We also hit a local farmer's market today. It's in its nascency, but it was exciting to drive less than a mile to find fruits and vegetables from farms close to home. There wasn't much of a selection - a sampling of herbs and some squash, but there were crimson strawberries we couldn't resist. Recipe for greens and strawberries below.

I found a great resource for discerning food labels and the differences that make a product "organic," "100% organic" or "made with organic ingredients." There's also info on what certifies livestock and crops with the organic seal of approval.

Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette
from World Ark, Heifer's magazine

1 cup fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Place strawberries and honey into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and very juicy. Transfer to a bowl and add vinegar. Let stand one hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Whisk strawberry-vinegar mixture with salt and pepper in a small bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking well. Delicious over spinach salad with fresh berries, goat cheese and roasted pecans.

Nugget o' the Day: "I'll take the pasta salad. Rinsed." - Aidan.

We gave the kids a dinner option. They could try the vegetable pasta salad or the mixed greens to go with their grilled chicken. Aidan went for the pasta salad, but asked if we could rinse just a little of the "vegetable-liness" off first.