Introducing Angie-in-Japan

I'm originally from Florida but have spent the past 15 years working in Japan; seven years as a teacher in the public school system and eight years in the Japanese wedding industry. I am very active in the professional basketball circuit here in Japan, and am now planning on building a health-centered B&B (focused on organic food, exercise, massage/detox and natural healing) near Niigata City, which is located on the Japanese Sea Coast.

When I first came to Japan, I was FAT, at least by Japanese standards. Anyone peddling weight loss products in this land of wafer-thin women is bound to make a killing in a land where 'thick' people have a hard time finding clothes, can't fit into Japanese-designed train or plane seats comfortably and find it hard to say 'NO!' to Japanese hosts who plop mounds of food on their plates when they visit a home (as if all foreigners eat THAT much food in one setting). Some of my foreign female friends even refuse to go to the beach here, mainly out of fear of being harpooned by local fishermen.

Naw…that last one was a joke!

But Japanese women are, for the most part, pressured to weigh around 45 kilograms (99 pounds). I find that too unflatteringly TINY for my taste since I want to keep those devious curves that GOD has undoubtedly blessed so many of us Black women with. But not at the expense of losing good health. My mother lost a leg to diabetes and I'm doing all that I can to keep both of mine. We embrace the thought that we are 'big boned' and many Black women, in my opinion, use that idea to keep holding on to unhealthy weight. I thought I had those big bones, too, until I pulled a muscle in my back while moving furniture about 11 years ago. I went to a Japanese doctor who took x-rays of my spine. I was ANYTHING but big-boned. The x-rays showed that my spine was actually about 1/4 smaller than that of an average adult spine, so he suggested that I take some of the excess weight off. I did and now feel and look so much better as a result. Still got my curves going on, though!

At 41, I am finally coming into my own, and I love the healthy version of the woman I am transforming into. It feels like some long, overdue metamorphosis that was not encouraged in the Black community when I was growing up. I know the importance of keeping my body healthy. I gladly accept that I am worth every bit of 'trouble' it may take to cook a meal or commute to the gym. Here are some other things I do to keep my health in check:

Get annual check-ups and diabetes test (AIDS test included; easy on x-rays)

Eat fresh food: I buy organic, local produce whenever I can. You won't find too many boxed or canned foods in my home

Soymilk only: research shows about 90% of Asian & 70% of African people are lactose intolerant

Chew each mouthful of food about 30x before swallowing: colon cleaned once a year (sorry if that was TMI for some of you but I feel it is vital)

Go to the gym 3-5 days a week: focus on biking, walking and weights. I plan to start waking up earlier to get my morning walks in; nightly walks starting soon

Buy a vegetable or fruit that I have never eaten each month. Vegetables = 50% of my meals, fruit = 20% rice/soup = 20% and meat at 10%

As for meat, I eat fish and other seafood about 99% of the time

Drink a gallon of H2O a day - mostly before, during and after exercise

I rarely use salt to season, preferring the natural taste of the foods I eat to that of seasoning and high-fat sauces

I take supplements, especially those with extra iron and calcium, to ensure better health

I do not take medicine

My regimen includes a few other things, including only putting what I need to eat on a plate and when I'm full, I STOP eating. No more forcing myself to eat everything on the plate! Leftovers are snacked on later. I rarely go back for seconds. I do not go to all-you-can-eat restaurants. Though it may be a bargain on your wallet, it's terrible on your thighs and waist!

In Japan we have a product that works to draw toxins and poisons from the body. I use this on my food to take off pesticides. I use a similar product made specifically for human consumption that helps clean out my body. This has done WONDERS for my appearance and skin tone.

Also, my hair (which I now have in locs) is growing like I never thought possible. On my 3rd year of growth since I did the India Arie thing and "...cut it all off" and now it's down the middle of my back.

I heat my bath water to 37 degrees (C) and sit in the tub for about 45 minutes nightly. (I'm lucky, as our tubs are computerized.) I’m trying to take fewer showers and more baths.

I stretch first thing when I wake up and right after saying my prayers before going to sleep. This has helped me to become more limber lately. Also, I get a massage once or twice a week. This has also done wonders for my circulation.

I don't let stress fester inside of my body anymore. I address problems in a civil manner. I take drives or sit on the beach when I am emotionally drained. Sometimes, I need to get away from everything Japanese...which often takes me to Singapore.

Oh, and last but not least, I pray to GOD for health and strength. Great meditation… Anyway, here's to becoming and staying healthy. Until next time, when I'll share a little more about Japanese culture,

Stay blessed!

Another Beef Recall?

Are you kidding? Another beef recall the day before the 4th of July.

No it's no joke and I'm not kidding. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle this morning, Kroger (which is the nations biggest traditional grocery store) has recalled it's beef in now at least 20 states, because the beef has been linked to E. coli bacteria contamination.

According to the Chron, 532,000 pounds of ground beef that was produced between May 16 and June 24 could have been contaminated, but personally speaking we all know better than that. As I mentioned earlier this week I watched 15,000 angry protesters in the streets of South Korea that don't want our beef, but according to our own grocery stores apparently we don't even want our beef either.

I called and spoke with a woman from the United States Department of Agriculture who couldn't give me a list of any "definite" states affected by the recall, so what I've done is compiled a list of from the articles that I read. The other states included in the recall are: Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania. You can click on Arizona and find many of these states listed, and she named New York and Pennsylvania directly. I'm still trying to find the last three.

By the way, the others stores included in the recall are Fred Meyer, QFC, Ralphs, Smith's, Baker's, King Soopers, City Markets, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less,and Scott's This type of recall isn't anything new. In fact I posted just a few months ago when Cargill Inc. recalled 1 million pounds of beef for the second time in a month due to E. coli bacteria contamination.

But it seems we will never learn.

Korea to U.S. - We Don't Want Your Food!

As I watch my Sunday dose of the old glube tube, I get a quick glance of people rioting, and screaming at the police in South Korea. I see fires burning, pipes swinging, people yelling and screaming. I eagerly wait for the main topic of the story to return, and the two minute commercial break to end.

Then my mind begins to wonder. Did one of their officers shoot an innocent man 50 times and kill him, or did something even worse happen?

Well as the story unfolded, I learned that thousands of South Korean protesters (15,000 to be exact), were rioting against their governments decision to resume importing beef from the United States after a five year ban was imposed due to Mad Cow disease. And have been doing so for weeks.

Scary, yes? In fact this instantly gave me a dose of deja vu. I'm not talking about last weeks tomato scare, or the fact that the US used to be the third largest supplier of beef to South Korea and lost a $754 million annual market when it was closed. No, what's more scary is the fact that the Koreans seem to be paying attention to something we've forgotten. After all, it was just only last September that Cargill Inc. recalled 1 million pounds of beef for the second time in a month due to E. coli bacteria contamination.

Here, silence after the initial furor died down, while over there, mass social action.

Kim Eun-joo, promoter of an online petition against the decision which has already collected more than 100,000 signatures explains: "The treaty is unjust because it endangers the health of my fellow citizens. It does not mention safety controls, and permits any kind of meat to be exported to our country.

This is truly amazing and if nothing else, one would think it provides an eye opening opportunity for many Americans to think about the quality of our food. But unfortunately most of us just don't seem to get it.

Infant Primates Given Vaccines, Develop Autism Symptoms

The following was sent to me by a friend named John. Interesting stuff, and thanks John

-That Girl Boo

Infant Primates Given Vaccines On U.S. Children's Immunization Schedule Develop Behavioral Symptoms Of Autism

20 May 2008

A primate model for autism using the U.S. children's immunization schedule was unveiled at the International Meeting For Autism Research (IMFAR) this weekend. The research underscores the critical need for studies into vaccine safety and the immune and mitochondrial dysfunction of autistic children.

The National Autism Association (NAA) questions why the government hasn't undertaken these vital studies and why researchers have had to depend on private money to perform this critical science that will surely impact the health of millions of children worldwide.

While the authors and organizations associated with this study are withholding comment until p! ublication, University of Pittsburgh's Dr. Laura Hewitson, Ph.D., described at the IMFAR meeting how vaccinated animals, when compared to unvaccinated animals, showed significant
neurodevelopmental deficits and "significant associations between specific aberrant social and non-social behaviors, isotope binding, and vaccine exposure."

Researchers also reported at the scientific meeting that "vaccinated animals exhibited progressively severe chronic active inflammation whereas unexposed animals did not" and found "many significant differences in the GI tissue gene expression profiles between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals."

Gastrointestinal issues are a common symptom of children with regressive autism. NAA calls for the NIH to conduct large scale, non-epidemiological studies into the biomedical symptoms surrounding young children and all vaccines, including those containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal and other additives like aluminum.

This request for further research echoes that of Dr. Bernadine Healy, Former NIH Director in a CBS interview earlier this week. "I think public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as 'irrational,' without sufficient studies of causation... without studying the
population that got sick," Healy said. "I have not seen major studies that focus on 300 kids who got autistic symptoms within a period of a few weeks of the vaccines."

Recently the government's vaccine court conceded the case of Hannah Poling, admitting that vaccines triggered her regression into autism by exacerbating mitochondrial dysfunction. "The recent Poling case and this new research provide further evidence that the CDC has fallen down on their job to protect children from harm. The biomedical research to date suggests that parental reports of regression following vaccination is not only plausible, but likely in certain individuals," said Scott Bono, NAA Chairman. "To date, the CDC has conducted no safety testing on the possible harmful effects of simultaneously administering multiple vaccines to infants, and has steadfastly refused to state a preference for mercury-free vaccines to be given to children and pregnant women. It's time for HHS and Congress to step in and take vaccine safety away from the CDC."

On June 4th, parents of vaccine-injured children will rally for toxin-free immunizations in Washington, DC. For more information visit

National Autism Association

Eat Well, Live Better: Turmeric/Curcumin

Ahh, back to my comfort zone and away from the politics for a bit.

For me that's food and health, and today I'm posting about Turmeric, the spice that gives our curries and mustard that beautiful vibrant yellow color.
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years as a way to treat a number of problems such as indigestion, inflammation and arthritic pain. Turmeric also has a powerful anti-inflammatory compound called curcumin that according to a study done by the University of Chicago in 2002, inhibits a cancer-provoking bacteria ( H. pylori) associated with gastric and colon cancer. In addition, another study was also done in 1999 by the University of Leicester that demonstrated curcumin's ability to slow the rate of prostate cancer cells once they become resistant to hormonal therapy.

Curcumin also slows the growth of melanoma, according to the journal Cancel. While it's believed that the higher the dose, the more effective it is at stopping the growth of this deadly form of skin cancer, research indicates that even low concentrations over time can also be effective.

Here's a lot of additional information Turmeric/Curcumin information and resources.

So knowing all of that, how do you incorporate more Turmeric/Curcumin into your life going forward? Well, here's a tasty and healthy start.

Lentils Recipe using Curcumin

• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
  
• 1 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 1 Tbs. coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of white chopped onion
• 1/4 cup of bell pepper (any color)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 cup coconut milk

Bring broth to a boil then add lentils. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add all your other ingredients, until lentils are tender. Cover, and remove from heat.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, a squeeze of lime juice, and sprinkle with fresh chopped onions.

Serve over brown Jasmine rice and enjoy!

Happy Veterans Day

To all you vets out there, Happy Veterans Day.

I told y'all before that my Dad was a Red Ball Express driver during World War II, and came home with campaign medals from the North African and European Theater of Operations. Hundreds of thousands of Black men from his generation served overseas during the war, and after fighting for freedom over there, came home to find not so much of it here. These men formed the vanguard of the coming Civil Rights movement.

Which makes me wonder about today's generation of veterans, and what the unintended results of their overseas service will turn out to be.

During the last election cycle, a lot of vets ran for seats in Congress, mostly on the Democratic side. Forgive me for not looking up the results of those races at this exact moment, but I seem to recall that a fair number actually won. As far as unintended consequences go, that's not a bad one.

On the hand, with all of the brain injuries resulting from this particular war, I can't help but wonder whether adequate mental (or any) healthcare will be the defining issue for this generation of veterans.

I don't think this war will advance the cause of Civil Rights in this country, but maybe it will reinvigorate the War Powers Act and prevent some future (or current) president from committing the country to war based on any old reason they can trump up.

Or maybe it will accelerate the reform of the healthcare system so that everyone residing in this, the richest country on earth has a reasonable chance at receiving adequate healthcare service when they need it.

In my opinion, both would be very welcome unintended consequences for this most unwelcome of wars. I'd be curious to hear your opinions too.

It's WHAT For Dinner?

We’ve talked about it here before, and recently Prometheus 6 and The Field Negro posted about the obesity crisis in this country, particularly among us. Eating too much junk and not eating healthy enough are causes, but I'm not totally convinced that the main reason for this dramatic rise in size was cited. And while obesity is a big enough issue in itself, I’d like to add another reason to watch what we eat, which is the affect the food itself is having on our health.

A couple of years ago when the government first "officially" told us about Mad Cow Disease and the Avian Bird Flu you saw good old Americans running in droves out of the meat sections and into the bean aisles of the super market to find their protein supply.

Did this really happen? Absolutely not.

In fact, American eating habits haven’t changed at all, neither has how what we’re eating is produced. In fact does anyone even know what I'm talking about, or the definition of Mad Cow’s Disease? No? Has anyone ever stopped to think about the number of ground up cows there are in one of your fast food burgers? Well, let’s take a closer look, (and trust me it's worth your read).

Mad Cow disease is caused by infectious proteins, and because of the unique structure, they’re basically invulnerable and can survive temperatures hot enough to melt lead. However the leading theory as to how cows received this disease in the first place is that they were fed diseased sheep infected with a sheep spongiform encephalopathy called scrapie.

This begs the question of, “well aren’t cow’s vegetarians?” The answer is yes, and if left uninterrupted they would consume a primarily vegetarian diet, and the animals would naturally be leaner. They would never consume any animal-by-products, nitrates, antibiotics or be stuffed to the gills in huge feed lots prior to slaughter. But feeding these animals a natural diet costs big business about 30% more, and by packing them together into huge feedlots, they tend to plump up rather quickly, producing more product for the market. The down side with the animals packed so tightly is if one becomes ill or diseased, then it’s extremely easy for the illness to spread, which is one of the reasons why the animals receive antibiotics.

Did you know that animals are often given 8 times the amount of antibiotics that humans are given, and that more than half of the antibiotics in the U.S. are routinely fed to livestock? Animals receiving antibiotics in their feed gain 4% to 5% more body weight than animals that do not receive them. That’s a story for a whole other day, but here’s some food for thought, and see the definition below:

"The chief threat is that the use (in cattle) of antibiotics also used in human medicine increases the chance that when that antibiotic is used to treat human infections, it won't work."

Despite the Mad Cow scare, or the fact that Cargill Inc. has recalled 1 million pounds of beef for the second time in a month due to E. coli bacteria contamination, Americans still gobble down about 13 billion hamburgers a year (that’s 3 burgers a week person). And for everybody still wondering, a typical fast food hamburger often contains meat from dozens or even hundreds of cattle. Ewww.

What’s the point? Well, although only a few hundred cases of Mad Cow are officially reported in the U.S. annually, tens of thousands of Americans die from dementia related diseases like Alzeimer’s, every year. Thousands of these deaths may actually be from mad cow disease, caused by eating infected meat because mad cow has several similarities to Alzeimers. The problem is that autopsies are infrequently done, leaving mad cow disease to often go mis- or undiagnosed. Only 10% of Americans receive an autopsy, and the cost for this procedure is an extra $1500 on top of funeral expenses. Draw your own conclusions.

I’m going to end this with a few definitions. I’ll be back with Part II because this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg regarding our food supply, Chicken and pork need their own topics altogether.

Until then (and I'd love to hear your comments)

That Girl Boo

Definitions:

Animal-by-Products are just what they sound like, parts from slaughtered animals. These products “used to” include animals that are found dead on the farm, which were then ground into bone meal and fed to livestock

Nitrates are chemicals used as curing agents, including coloring and flavoring in meats, and according to the Water Environment Federation this substance has been linked to human health problems, including "blue baby" syndrome.

Antibiotics are given to treat illness, however animals are often given 8 times the amount of antibiotics that humans are give, and more than half of the antibiotics in the U.S. are routinely fed to livestock. Animals receiving antibiotics in their feed gain 4% to 5% more body weight than animals that do not receive antibiotics. The antibiotic-resistant bacteria that develop can easily be transmitted to humans through meat or through human contact with living animals

Steroids, are synthetic (man-made) substances related to the male sex hormones, it promotes muscle growth and reduce swelling and inflammation quickly. Please note that industries are prohibited from giving their chickens hormones, however antibiotics can be given to the animal everyday, and well, increase the size of the animal.

References:

(1) ec.europa.eu/food/food/biosafety/bse/m04_107_en.pdf

(2 ) http://www.blogger.com/www.ca-nv-awwa.org/Bulletins/nitrates.htm

(3) http://www.blogger.com/www.wef.org/LearnAboutWater/ForThePublic/WaterTerms/#n

(4) http://www.blogger.com/www.commondreams.org/views04/0107-07.htm

(5) http://www.blogger.com/www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001820.htm

(6) Bentor, Yinon. Chemical Element.com - Lead. Jun. 3, 2003.

(7) http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/pb.html

(8) Journal of Virology 75(21):10073-89 (2001).Publish Post

(9) www.steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2006/11/hamburger-facts-to-chew-on.html

(10) www.mercola.com/display/router.aspx?docid=34870

(11) www.animalsuffering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72

About That Food Supply (Again)

We've discussed the fragility of our food supply previously on this blog. Today brings us news of yet another recall of beef from one the world's biggest agribusinesses.

Cargill Inc. said Saturday it is recalling more than 1 million pounds of ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the second time in less than a month it has voluntarily recalled beef that may have been tainted.

...A spokeswoman for Cargill said 10 states are included in the recall _ Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

...On Oct. 6, Cargill voluntarily recalled more than 840,000 pounds of ground beef patties distributed at Sam's Club stores nationwide after four Minnesota children and four Wisconsin adults who ate the food developed E. coli illness, which is the same strain that was detected to prompt the latest recall.

I'm sure That Girl Boo will have more on this later, but all I can say right now is be careful what you eat. You can find a list of all of the recalled products here.

But You Already Knew That

Study: Racism plays role in black infant mortality rates

For decades, health experts have tried to determine why African-American babies are twice as likely to die as white infants. A new series of studies from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' Health Policy Institute, along with a small but growing number of neonatalogists nationwide, suggests that the stressful effects of racism play a role.

"That's the elephant in the room," said Michael Lu, an obstetrician-gynecologist and professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who studies disparities in infant health. "When we're studying racial disparities, for decades people have looked at stress and infant mortality without looking at the reasons for the stress."

That's Just Nasty

I've seen it happen often enough to know it true, but this is still kind of unsettling. Via the Dallas Morning News:

One-third of men didn't bother to wash after using the bathroom, compared with 12 percent of women, said the researchers who spy on people in public restrooms. They reported their latest findings Monday at a meeting of infectious disease scientists. Two years ago, the last time the survey was done, only one-quarter of men didn't wash, compared with 10 percent of women.

The latest study was based on observations last month of more than 6,000 people in four big cities.

Wait, it get's worse.

Men really strike out when it comes to handwashing at sporting events, the study found. Only 57 per cent of the guys were observed washing their hands at Turner Field in Atlanta (the lowest figure at any of the locales). On the other hand, women hit a home run: 95 per cent were observed cleaning their hands at the same location.

Like your Momma always told you, and as stated in the article;

Frequent hand washing is the single best thing people can do to avoid getting sick, from colds and the flu to germs lurking in food, doctors say.

For all y'all out there using the bathroom and running out without washing up, here's the proper procedure.

• Remove all rings and wet your hands with warm running water.
• Put a small amount of liquid soap in the palm of one hand. Bar soaps are not as hygienic as liquid soaps because they stay moist and attract germs. If a bar soap is the only option it should be stored on a rack so that the bar doesn't sit in water.
• Rub your hands together for 20 seconds so you produce lather. Make sure you scrub between your fingers, under your fingernails and the backs of your hands.
• Rinse your hands well with clean running water for at least 10 seconds. Try not to handle the faucets once your hands are clean. Use a paper towel to turn off the water.
• Dry your hands with a single use paper towel. If you use a hand towel be sure to change it daily. During cold and flu season you may want to give each family member his or her own hand towel.
• Use hand lotion to put moisture back into your skin if your hands are dry.
• Model good handwashing technique to your children. Have them sing a song like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" while rubbing their hands together to teach them the amount of time it takes to clean their hands properly.

But y'all already know that, right? It makes me think that from here on out everybody from the CEO on down is getting a pound from me.

Food for Thought

This weekend with the help of my very sweet husband I challenged myself to eat totally raw for one day, nothing cooked or processed.

The next day, I went out with a friend for a semi-unhealthy breakfast. After I guzzled down a bunch of food that I don't usually eat, I was left feeling tired and sluggish. So what do I do when I need a bit of an energy boost? I drink a V8.

No! No! Not the kind in the store thats full of salt and has had most of the life cooked out of it, but the homemade kind you receive all of your nutrients from. Here's my recipe.



2 large tomatoes
2 medium-sized carrots
1/4 small beet (wash well)
2 cups of spinach
1/4 head fresh cabbage
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
2 stalks celery
1/4 sweet onion
1/2 clove garlic or less if you don't care for garlic
Half of a Kale leaf (a little goes a long way so be careful)
Salt to taste

Run all the vegetables through your juicer, add salt to taste, and then sit back and enjoy the healthiest vegetable juice blend around.

After I drank half of a cup of this stuff I was my ol' energetic self.

Remember guys eating healthy shouldn't be a diet, but a lifestyle change, so take it one day at a time. And look out for my next post, it will have some real MEAT to it.

Until Next Time

A healthy lifestyle begins with what you eat.....

Okay guys this is just a little something short and sweet.

Many people may not know this, but often when we cook our healthy veggies and fruits we lose a good amount of nutrients because high heat can cause some vitamins to breakdown, including Vitamin C and the B Vitamins . So here are just a couple of ways to preserve your vitamins in a yummy sorta way.

In my house what I'll often do is create our own salad dressing by juicing many veggies, and herbs such as garlic, celery, cucumbers, a cup of rice wine vinegar, a 1/4 of olive oil, and maybe a dash of salt and pepper. Then I add milled flax seeds ( which is a great source of fiber and omega 3 oils), a spoon full of sesame seeds, and voila! Salad dressing.

Juicing is an excellent way to receive all of your veggies for the day, and you don't even have to toss out the left over pulp because it can always be used in soups.

Now let's discuss just how cool a smoothie can be. For breakfast or dinner we often drink smoothies. You can add a ton of fruits and veggies into a smoothie without losing all of your nutrients. For example, juice a few carrots and use that for the base of your smoothie. Next add plain vanilla yogurt, a good amount of crushed ice , maybe some milk, either strawberries, peaches, or blue berries, a bit of agave nectar or honey, and now you have a totally healthy drink item.

Check out these sites for some other ideas.

http://www.rawfoodlife.com/
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=70
http://nov55.com/hea/food.html

Until Next Time

About That Food Supply

I'm a little late on this but still think it's very important. Turns out pets weren't the only animals eating melamine contaminated food imported from China.

A senior U.S. Department of Agriculture official confirms that as many as 20 million chickens may have eaten feed contaminated with melamine, the chemical added to protein shipments from China that has killed U.S. pets. The chickens are still on U.S. farms in several states. The USDA has ordered the birds to be held out of the human food supply until testing can be completed to confirm suspicions that the birds actually ate any of the tainted feed.

This is in addition to hogs from several states that were found to have consumed these food products. Though most have been quarantined and euthanised, several hundred entered the human food supply chain.

So how did this happen? According to the Chinese government;

...the contaminated vegetable protein slipped past customs because neither company declared them for use in pet food. Instead, the companies marked the shipments as products that did not need inspection.

I know I talk quite a bit about the quality of the foods we consume, but really, everyone should be on this bandwagon. At the turn of the 20th century the food processing, especially the meat packing industries were forced to place labels on their products detailing everything in the can. The call for regulation came about after tainted meats killed more American troops fighting overseas in the Spanish-American War than did enemy combatants; and with the release of Upton Sinclairs expose' of the meatpacking industry in his novel, The Jungle. This led to the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which in turn led to the formation of the Food and Drug Administration.

An argument can be made that there are more potential dangers to the food supply now than then. With the industrialization of food production and globalization of the supply chain, we're seeing more and more incidents of this type, including Mad Cow's Disease, and Bird Flu. We're paying a lot closer attention to what we eat; buying organic vegetables and meat whenever possible. With this era of deregulation still without an end in sight, it might be something for all of us to think about.

Super Size Me - Remix

Is it just me or are people getting bigger? I think so, especially our people. Part of the reason why (though hotly disputed) may be the prevalent use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in so many of the things that we eat and drink. I recently ran across an old article from 2004 about HFCS that brought a lot of information to light for me. For example, it's prevalence in our food supply. Why does that matter? Well for one:

The body processes the fructose in high fructose corn syrup differently than it does old-fashioned cane or beet sugar, which in turn alters the way metabolic-regulating hormones function. It also forces the liver to kick more fat out into the bloodstream. The end result is that our bodies are essentially tricked into wanting to eat more and at the same time, we are storing more fat.

...In this manner, HFCS contributes to weight gain since it stops our brain from getting the signal that we are full. More on that here.

In 1966, the average American consumed approximately zero pounds of HFCS annually. Today, that number is up to more than 60 pounds per person with no corresponding reduction in our intake of other sugars. The USDA recommends 10-12 teaspoons of sugar a day, but our average intake in 2000 was up to 31 teaspoons daily. It's probably more now. The food processing industry basically switched from sugar to corn-based sweetners in the mid-1980's, corresponding with America's obesity crisis. a single can of soda now contains the equivalent of as much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in HFCS form.

The food processing and corn refiners industry have a different take of course, disputing the HFCS/obesity link;

...the authors of "Highs and Lows of High Fructose Corn Syrup," conclude, "Currently, there is no convincing evidence to support a link between HFCS consumption and overweight/obesity... The escalating rate of overweight/obesity coincides with many more credible explanations than increased HFCS consumption."

And touting its benefits.

HFCS is used in foods and beverages because of the many benefits it offers. In addition to providing sweetness at a level equivalent to table sugar (1), HFCS makes foods such as bread and breakfast cereal "brown" better when baked, and gives chewy cookies and snack bars their soft texture. It also protects freshness. HFCS actually inhibits microbial spoilage by reducing water activity and extends shelf life through superior moisture control.

More on corn refining (a fascinating industry and worthy of its own post) later. The obesity crisis is hitting the Black community particularly hard, with the resultant health related issues. And with HFCS so prevalent in products aimed at our children the results are visible for all to see.

"The bodies of the children I see today are mush," observed a concerned chiropractor recently. The culprit is the modern diet, high in fructose and low in copper-containing foods, resulting in inadequate formation of elastin and collagen--the sinews that hold the body together.

My wife put the family, kicking and screaming, on a diet last year; eliminating sodas, fast food, nonorganic vegetables, and most other processed foods unless absolutely unavoidable. By definition, that eliminated a lot of HFCS from our diet. Coming from a line of long-lived Black folks on both sides of the family who ate all of the things that are supposedly so bad for us now, this took some adjustment. Since that point however, we've all felt in much better shape, with more energy, and a lot less weight fluctuation. Overall while I'm not sure if HFCS is the sole reason for the obesity crisis in this country, I feel that reducing the intake has been beneficial for my family. Additionally we're learning to cook what we like while being much more aware of the content of our food. In that respect, I feel it's past time to look not at what we eat, but how what we eat is produced.