You are what you eat...

I'm on a soapbox today, so bear with me. In 2009, President Obama appointed a man named Michael Taylor as food safety adviser to the FDA commissioner. Michael Taylor is the former vice president of public policy at Monsanto. Monsanto, in case you don't know, is a large corporation that's been around for a long time. In the past, they've created such exciting things as Agent Orange and pesticides. More recently, they've begun to diversify their interests, especially in the food industry where they've introduced genetically modified organisms (GMO) and growth hormones (re: steroids) into food of all kinds.

Taylor spent many of his Monsanto hours blocking testing of GMOs and lobbying against clearly defined labeling. Now this person is in a high position at the FDA...whaatttt? During his tenure so far, he's spent taxpayer money on prosecuting dairy farmers who are selling raw milk, claiming that raw milk carries dangerous food-borne illnesses. (According to the CDC, only .5% of reported food-borne illnesses can be traced to raw milk, but let's not let the facts stand in the way.) Additionally, the FDA under his watch has rung in the new year by making it easier than ever for livestock companies to inject all kinds of antibiotics into meat, including cephalosporins, which were banned before now. And you can't always trust labels that say otherwise, thanks to his belief that the public doesn't need to know everything. As a final note, the FDA approved the use of the sweetener neotame (derived from aspartame) for broad usage despite having undergone minimal testing on humans. This was done in 2002, by the way. Interestingly enough, neotame was created by Monsanto (surprise). Even more interesting? The FDA doesn't require companies to list it as an ingredient on packaging labels. Anyone who's consumed any processed food in the last DECADE has ingested this sweetener unknowingly.

We have to step up and demand better!


To sign a petition for the removal of Michael Taylor from the FDA:
http://signon.org/sign/tell-obama-to-cease-fda.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=2418028

For more information about neotame:
http://www.feingold.org/PF/neotame.html
http://www.neotame.com/

For more information about recent changes in antibiotic policy:
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Safety/chemical/penicillin_0206121231.html

For more information about raw milk legislation:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/10791-states-consider-raw-milk-legislation

For articles/blogs related to Michael Taylor:
http://sundial.csun.edu/2012/02/former-monsanto-exec-taylor-not-fit-to-serve-in-obamas-fda/
http://americanvisionnews.com/1674/former-monsanto-lawyers-now-fda-czar-leads-raids-on-amish-organic-producers
http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/01/michael_taylor_fda_petition.php
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/monsanto-petition-tells-obama-cease-fda-ties-to-monsanto/2012/01/30/gIQAA9dZcQ_blog.html

What did you call me?

I can't decide if I like the term "foodie" or not. As far as words go, it seems fun and light and happy, but it isn't well-defined. I checked urbandictionary.com for the definition, and there several ranging from someone who likes to talk about food in general to someone who is a food snob and will only eat gourmet munchies. I'm definitely no food snob. Give me a juicy cheeseburger over caviar any day of the week. I do love food, though. A lot. I love to eat food, talk about food, cook food, read about food, plan meals, try new recipes...well, you get the idea. In that sense, I suppose I am a foodie. But here's the real issue I have with the word--the long "e" sound tacked on to the end of a word is often slightly demeaning (groupie, roadie, etc.). Is "foodie" a compliment or a curse? Who knows.

Random rant aside, I've decided to start a new blog thanks to my recent addiction--healthy eating. For years I've tried to follow the accepted standards on healthy eating: low-fat, low-calorie foods. Then I read a book that completely changed the way I thought about food and dieting. Anyone who knows me is aware that I don't gross out easily, and it takes extreme effort to put me off food. This book made it perfectly clear that half the foods I eat--half the foods and additives that our government approves--are not only unhealthy, they're dangerous. I won't bore you with all the details here. If you're interested in healthy eating at all, please buy a copy of The Happiness Diet by Tyler Graham and Drew Ramsey as soon as possible. They have some very compelling arguments that the current government-approved diet is harming us on many different levels. I've always taken things like this with a hefty dose of skepticism, but since reading the book, which came out late last year, I have seen a number of articles confirming some of their key points. I just read two today--one on the dangers of sugar and one on a gross additive that fast food places have just recently chosen to remove from their hamburger meat (the additive includes an ammonia derivative). Since reading the book, I buy organic as much as possible and make all our bread from scratch...things I barely have time and money for, if you want the truth, but that's how strongly I feel about their research. The best part is, we can eat so many things that are not normally considered diet food (including my beloved cheeseburgers). So check it out if you can, and stay tuned for additional posts. I can't promise more than one a week, but I'll try to share recipes and any good organic products/brands I find in my personal healthy eating quest. Cheers and don't forget to feed the fish!