For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

I haven’t published a link love round up since before the holidays (I’ve been traveling and then moving, and still don’t have internet at my new home), so I included some great ones here that you might have missed over the past couple weeks. Below I’ve included some wonderful pieces on weight loss and willpower in the Times, a lamesauce ruling by the FDA on antibiotics use in factory farms and a thoughtful editorial on the state of organic farming.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato), Google+ and the Summer Tomato Facebook page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• The Fat Trap <<I love this piece by NYTimes health writer Tara Parker-Pope about the difficulties of losing weight once you’ve gained it. Excellent food for thought.
• New Year’s Resolutions Stick When Willpower is Reinforced <<Another great one from the Times, this time summarizing one of my favorite books from last year Willpower.
• Antibiotics in farm animals: FDA issues weak rule. <<Thanks to Marion Nestle for calling BS of the week on the FDA for being influenced by the beef, pork and chicken industries, allowing liberal use of antibiotics for non-disease purposes and endangering humanity. (Food Politics)
• Eating Animals <<This is an incredibly thoughtful piece reminding why all animal food industries are not evil (and some are even necessary). (The Atlantic)
• Kids prefer variety of foods and colors on their plates <<Want your kids to eat more vegetables? Choose a lot of colorful ones and arrange them to look like hearts and happy faces. Note: this will not work on your parents or husband. (Los Angeles Times)
• What’s in that OJ? Tropicana is sued <<Remember when we found out recently that supermarket orange juice isn’t really naturally flavored? Well, some folks are demanding an explanation. (Yahoo! News)
• Organic Agriculture May Be Outgrowing Its Ideals <<One of the many reasons I shop at the farmers market but don’t preach organics. (New York Times)
• How Alcohol is Metabolized <<Come on, you know you’re curious. (Nutrition Diva)
• The Truth About Ansel Keys: We’ve Got It All Wrong <<This is a brilliant piece, but it’s super intellectual and science geeky. If you read Good Calories, Bad Calories and were intrigued though, you should definitely read this. (Raw Foods SOS)
• Butternut Squash Stew <<Doesn’t this look like a wonderful winter stew? I’m so there. (Chez Us)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

I had to restrain myself from including 20 articles in this week’s post, but for your sake I kept it to my usual top 10. Whatever you do don’t miss Bittman’s calculations on the price of broccoli versus McDonald’s, how easy it is to sell fruit to kids, how global warming is affecting the fishing industry, how the food industry is responding to the Real Food movement, and the other five articles.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? <<Though there have been some valid criticisms that this may not apply to those in extreme poverty, it certainly applies to a good chunk of the population (college students, I’m looking at you) who complain about the cost of healthy food. (New York Times)
• When Chefs Move the Fruit <<Hey, guess what! When you make fruit look tasty by putting it in colorful bowls sales increase by 104% in schools. Why not try it in your kitchen? (ScienceDaily)
• Reebok to Pay Settlement Over Health Claims <<It’s a rare day when a government agency calls BS of the week for me. Thank you FTC. (New York Times)
• The End Of Fish And Chips: Climate Change Causing Massive Changes In European Fisheries <<This is terrifying, and it’s real. (Fast Company)
• In Debate About Food, a Monied New Player <<They’re scared. This is good news. (New York Times)
• Food products described as artisan go mainstream <<While this kind of makes me want to vomit, it also kind of makes me really happy because it means there is a demand for quality again. I’m hoping consumers are smart enough to tell the difference between authenticity and marketing. (Los Angeles Times)
• Report: U.S. spending billions of dollars to subsidize junk food <<The apple/Twinkie comparisons they use in this article are really powerful. Please read. (Los Angeles Times)
• Humans on a Cafeteria Diet <<Want to get people to voluntarily eat 50% more than they normally would? Feed them American junk food. (Whole Health Source)
• Study of the Day: Vitamin B12 May Help Prevent Brain Shrinkage <<Sharing this study because I know a lot of vegetarians and vegans read this blog, and this is a friendly reminder to get enough B12 please. (The Atlantic)
• LENTIL SALAD | BROWN BAG CHALLENGE <<This beautiful lentil salad looks like so many of my lunches I had to share. SO easy and delicious, from one of my favorite blogs Chez Us.

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

In this week’s Top 10 I found some cool new data supporting my claim that even non-brightly colored, white fleshed fruits and vegetables have superfood potential, some sad news about the anti-aging chemical in red wine resveratrol, and a whopping two BS stories of the week.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• An Apple a Day Really May Keep the Doctor Away <<Remember when I said that our idea of brightly colored superfoods was misguided because all natural foods are super in their own way? Here’s some data suggesting that the lowly white fleshed foods have their own super powers. (Medline)
• Thirty Years After the Original, a New Study of Organic Agriculture <<The latest research suggests organic agriculture can match the output of conventional growing, and keeps the soil in better shape as well. (GOOD)
• Kids may not be drinking enough low-fat milk, the CDC reports <<BS of the week #1. First of all, the article says kids are drinking too much full-fat milk, not lacking milk in general. Second, the claim that low-fat dairy (they only count 1% as low fat) is better than higher fat dairy is not at all supported by the scientific literature. Third, they are basing all of this on the fairly lame new USDA MyPlate. Safe to say, you can ignore it. (Los Angeles Times)
• Bachmann says food industry overregulated <<BS of the week #2. I really don’t enjoy calling BS more than once. And I really really don’t enjoy politics and do my best to avoid them, especially here on Summer Tomato. But Michelle Bachmann stepped on my turf with these ridiculously pro-industry, anti-voter claims that the food industry, which has been responsible for dozens of fatal food poisoning outbreaks (lots of innocent people died because of greed and corner-cutting) in the past 2 years, is overregulated. Please. (Boston.com)
• Once the province of how-to cooking shows, food media has extended its reach—but has it become too big? <<I enjoyed this exploration of the state of the Food Movement. I agree with Ruth Reichl‘s commentary. (AdWeek)
• DR. MARION NESTLE ON THE COMPLEXITY OF FOOD ISSUES <<Marion Nestle gives her opinion of Harvard’s challenge to the USDA’s MyPlate. (Ecosalon)
• Americans eat out about 5 times a week <<But this isn’t talking about you guys, right? You guys cook at home on weekdays and bring your lunch to work… right? (UPI)
• What’s In That Wine Glass May Not Prevent Aging After All <<Interesting new data on resveratrol and sirtuins, if you’re into the molecular biology of aging (you know I am). (NPR)
• Top 5 Food-Inspired Jewelry That You Actually Want To Wear In Public <<I didn’t expect to want all of these, but I do (hint hint: birthday approaching in November!). (LA Weekly)
• roasted eggplant with tomatoes and mint <<I can’t think of anything better to eat this time of year. Can you? (smitten kitchen)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

I love Marion Nestle calling out the food industry on their ridiculous health claims, the emphasis on food culture in health and the launch of the new and awesome Gilt Taste.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links at Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Foods With Benefits? Oh please. <<Excellent, must read article about the BS the food industry is trying to pull on you. (Food Politics)
• The Mediterranean Diet: It’s Not Just About Food <<It’s about culture. (Huffington Post)
• Localizing Fruit, Vegetable Consumption Doesn’t Necessarily Solve Environmental, Health Issues, Study Suggests <Once again, if you read this carefully you’ll see it’s a problem with food culture, not a problem with the definition of “local.” (ScienceDaily)
• Fine Food and Fat: Are Chefs to Blame for Obesity? <<BS of the week. People are clearly confused about the causes and effects of obesity. If we have any chance of coming out of this health crisis, we’re going to have to embrace the food movement and reinstate a food culture based on quality over quantity. (Time)
• Sitting is Killing You <<We just talked about sedentary behavior last week, but here it is in visual form. (Obesity Panacea)
• Dairy Consumption Does Not Elevate Heart-Attack Risk, Study Suggests <<Not even with all that “evil” saturated fat. Skeptics: this was funded by the NIH, not the Dairy Council. (ScienceDaily)
• Exploding watermelons put spotlight on Chinese farming practices <<Still need reasons to avoid Chinese food imports? Eek. (Guardian)
• Eat a Protein-Rich Breakfast to Reduce Food Cravings, Prevent Overeating Later, Researcher Finds <<My two favorite scientific fields (nutrition and neuroscience) united at last. (ScienceDaily)
• People with diabetes more likely to get cancer <<In case you didn’t know, there are many reasons to avoid metabolic syndrome. (Medline)
• Skillet Chicken with Green Onions and Ramps <<I’m totally inspired by the new Gilt Taste site, and I’m going to try this recipe ASAP. Check out their anti-mission statement for a dose of inspiration. (Gilt Taste)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

This week I learned that cheese is associated with lower cancer rates, and it wasn’t even an April Fools’ joke. I’m also cautiously optimistic about Kroger’s new food scoring system that actually calls out junk food for what it is. Oh oh oh! And I can’t wait to try the canned unicorn meat I’ve heard so much about.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there. (Note: If you want a follow back on Twitter introduce yourself with an @ message).

Links of the week

• End the War on Fat <<A fabulous review of America’s upside down nutrition advice of the past several decades, especially as it pertains to fat and heart disease. Hats off to Slate for this one.
• Higher vitamin K intake tied to lower cancer risks <<Read this article carefully and you’ll see they found a correlation between cheese consumption and less cancer. Correlation is not causation, but at least the trend wasn’t in the other direction! (Reuters)
• Giant Greenhouses Mean Flavorful Tomatoes All Year <<BS of the week. This quote says it all: “They don’t make a tomato that my grandmother would have liked. They make a tomato that my son would like or my daughter would like.” Why does our society tolerate the watering down of our quality of life? And at exorbitant prices, no less. (New York Times)
• How to Dye Easter Eggs Naturally, Without a Store-Bought Kit <<Good info on how to use common foods to dye Easter eggs, if you’re into that sorta thing. (Serious Eats)
• Kroger’s New Food Scoring System Spells Trouble for Food Manufacturers <<This makes me incredibly happy. Let’s hope that honesty isn’t a liability in the food industry (but don’t hold your breath). (BNET)
• How Much Exercise Will Prevent Weight Gain? <<The amount of exercise needed for weight loss will be different for everyone, but it’s nice to see a little data for once. (New York Times)
• Springing Back into Food-Forward Farmers’ Markets <<Farmers markets across the country are starting to open back up! EcoSalon lists some of the country’s best.
• Savory Unicorn & Heirloom Tomato Bruchetta Recipe <<The unicorn for this recipe are fattened on candy corn, that’s how you know it’s good. (ThinkGeek)
• Vinegar and Weight Loss: Didn’t Work For Me <<Why does this not surprise me? Steve Parker MD, one of my favorite self-experimenters, debunks another diet myth. (Diabetic Mediterranean Diet Blog)
• Asparagus Pesto <<This week’s real recipe is seasonal and looks delicious, from one of my favorite local bloggers. (Local Lemons)

What’s your good news?

Photo by markhillary

Last month The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a meta-analysis of 21 studies concluding that saturated fat is not linked to heart disease–a finding that flies in the face of 20th century nutrition dogma.

Despite the tremendous impact such information would have on the field of nutrition however, the research was largely ignored by mainstream media outlets.

The meta-analysis performed by scientists at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute was funded by the National Dairy Council and the Unilever corporation, two institutions with a vested interest in selling food products to consumers. The study was also funded by the National Institute of Health.

Technically funding source should not impact scientific outcomes, but analyses have repeatedly shown that industry sponsorship can strongly predict research conclusions that favor the source of funding.

I asked Marion Nestle, professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU, about the specific impact of industry funding on a meta-analysis of this nature.

“Meta-analyses are particularly subject to investigator bias (conscious or unconscious) because of the selection criteria for inclusion.”

So while this study may provide another clue about the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease, caution should be taken when interpreting the results.

Conflict of interest is a serious concern in science that is used to guide health policy and consumer behavior. In this case the influence of industry sponsorship would be especially unfortunate since an impartial evaluation of the link between saturated fat and heart disease is greatly needed.

Saturated fat is most commonly associated with animal products like beef and pork, and is known to raise cholesterol. Since high cholesterol is considered a biomarker of heart disease, it has long been assumed that saturated fat contributes directly to America’s number one killer.

But while this argument seems to make intuitive sense, a direct causal relationship between saturated fat and heart disease has never been established. Moreover, evidence is accumulating that cholesterol in general is not the best predictor of heart disease and that refined carbohydrates are a bigger problem.

Thus there is a real need for rigorous science regarding the role of saturated fat in heart health and other diseases.

“My take on this one is that it is one more piece of evidence that saturated fat may not be AS important a determinant of heart disease risk as is sometimes believed-at least in the kinds of studies included in the analysis.  These, of course, do not paint a complete picture of the situation.”

Saturated fat is unlikely to make or break any diet in terms of overall health, let alone heart disease in particular. General dietary patterns consistently prove to be better predictors of long-term health than any single food or nutrient, and anything we discover about saturated fat is unlikely to change this.

“In any case, this is another example of what happens when you look at single nutrients outside of their dietary context.”

While we’re waiting for science and industry to battle it out in the lab, focus on eating real, unprocessed foods most of the time and don’t get too hung up on the details.

What do you think of industry sponsorship in nutrition studies?

Update: After speaking with readers and colleagues I have made some revisions to this article to clear up my stand on this research. I do not intend to imply that the investigators of this study were influenced by their funding source, only that caution should be used when interpreting the results of any meta-analysis where there is a potential conflict of interest.

By lepiaf.geo

Is it possible for healthy eating to become an unhealthy obsession?

Absolutely.

Orthorexia is a word turning up frequently in the media to describe an excessive focus on healthy eating and dietary restriction. Though the term is not yet an official psychological diagnosis according to the DSM-IV, it is being used by some clinicians to describe patients with eating disorders that resemble obsessive compulsive.

Paradoxically, orthorexics obsessed with health are not healthy and often shun food to the point of emaciation and starvation. But unlike patients with anorexia nervosa, the goal of orthorexics is not to be thin but to be “pure, healthy and natural,” according to Dr. Steven Bratman who first described the disorder in 1997. Suffers are frequently associated with a particular eating regimen such as veganism or rawfoodism.

That orthorexia has only recently been identified and characterized may be the best argument yet for Michael Pollan’s assertion in The Omnivore’s Dilemma that over the past several decades America has undergone “a national eating disorder.” Americans spend tens of billions of dollars per year on weight loss and fitness products, with only growing obesity and chronic diseases to show for it. We’ve shunned fats, sugars, starches and everything in between, and embraced each new diet trend with open arms and wallets. And perhaps not surprisingly, it appears some people are now taking it too far.

The irony is that as a condition like orthorexia has emerged as clinically relevant, we’ve also seen a notable health food backlash. Google searches for the word “bacon” have increased significantly in the past year, and books are being written from websites like This Is Why You’re Fat.

Google Bacon 2004-2009

In other words, we have serious issues with food.

But why?

It is easy to be sympathetic toward all of these behaviors, even if their extreme forms make us a bit uneasy. For those interested in living healthy and being thin (the chronic dieters), the only guidance is offered by thousands of diet books and companies like Weight Watchers. Each of these systems has its own strict guidelines for success, while unfortunately few (if any) of them encourage us to behave in a way that we would naturally. Thus the dirty little secret of the diet industry is that the vast majority of them are ineffective for long-term weight loss.

This is why we now have a congregation of bacon worshipers. A growing segment of the population is tired of bland food and unsatisfying, ineffective diets. Bacon tastes good, and since we are all clearly dying of heart attacks anyway we may as well live it up. Right?

Even if this attitude is a bit fatalistic, at its core it reflects a desire to enjoy life. And anyone who counts themselves among the human race should acknowledge this as a sentiment that deserves respect.

But striking the perfect balance between health and gluttony is extremely difficult in a food culture where we are allowed to eat in our cars and in front of our televisions. The food industry has made sure that as far as food is concerned, there are no rules. So a bit of obsession seems like a necessity for someone that still holds the desire to eat whole, unprocessed foods from the bottom of the food chain. The healthiest foods, after all, cannot be found at your neighborhood supermarket. For taste, health and the environment, the best stuff is at your local farmers market.

But avoiding the supermarket, isn’t that orthorexic?

Not necessarily. Every day we take a little extra time to do things that are necessary and important, things like sleeping, doing laundry and brushing our teeth. We go out of our way to do these things because the alternative is simply unacceptable. Eating quality food isn’t an obsession so much as a life maintenance task that–like being clean–is not up for negotiation. Until we have farmers markets on every corner, a little extra effort will be necessary.

But delicious, high-quality food is not only about health. It is also about taste, enjoyment, community and life. Food is something that is worth building your days around, because when approached from this angle food improves your quality of life in every way. Eating like this is not a disorder, it is a culture. And it is something that we desperately need to rediscover.

When proposing the term orthorexia, Bratman suggested framing a diagnosis around two direct questions:

1. Do you care more about the virtue of what you eat than the pleasure you receive from eating it?
2. Does your diet socially isolate you?

In other words, seeking healthy food only becomes unhealthy when it is devoid of enjoyment and social relationships.

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of attending a lecture at UC Berkeley given by Michael Pollan. Near the end of his talk Pollan proposed reestablishing food culture in America as “The Omnivore’s Solution,” the way to break our habits of both health food obsession and unbridled gluttony. He described health as “a set of relationships,” and encouraged his audience to think of food not as a product but as something we do.

Throughout history and around the globe food cultures are what have dictated when, where and how much we should eat, and countries that have worked to preserve their cultures have fared better against obesity and other diseases of civilization. For Americans though, food culture has been replaced by nutritionism and all-you-can-eat buffets.

This kind of thinking is often branded as elitist, but it shouldn’t be. Food culture does not cost money, it is a basic tenet of life that extends across class boundaries. It costs time, but this is a priority shift that is worth investing in. According to the latest Nielsen statistics, Americans are watching an average of 5 hours of television per day. Calculate in the cost of high-definition screens and monthly cable bills and your daily food investment will start to be put into perspective.

It is undeniable that food grown locally with care costs more than the subsidized, mass-produced products that fill your favorite supermarket. But despite our reputation, Americans have never been opposed to going out of our way for and spending a little extra money on food that tastes amazing and makes us happy. (If you don’t believe me I’ll redirect you once again to This Is Why You’re Fat.)

Is it such a stretch to say that we should be able to eat healthy and still enjoy our food?

I’d love to know your thoughts.

Additional Reading from Amazon:

• The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
• In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

Downloads from Audible:

• The Omnivore’s Dilemma audiobook from Audible
• In Defense of Food audiobook from Audible

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Take some time out this weekend and read Michael Pollan’s latest article on the decline of cooking and the rise of food T.V. I also found a few articles that add to discussions from the previous two weeks, in particular the organic food controversy and eating healthy while fine dining. Some great recipes and food-related lifehacks are listed as well.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there.

I also invite you to submit your own best food and health articles for next week’s For The Love of Food, just drop me an email using the contact form. I am also accepting guest posts at Summer Tomato for any awesome healthstyle tips you’d like to share.

This post is an open thread. Share your thoughts, writing (links welcome!) and delicious meals of the week in the comments below.

For The Love of Food

• Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch <<The must-read article of the week, and probably the month. Michael Pollan‘s latest commentary discusses the lost art of cooking, the role of television in food, what we’re losing because of it and what we can do to reclaim it. (New York Times Magazine)
• Why food is about more than nutrition <<Great companion article to Monday’s discussion about organic vs conventional produce. (New Scientist)
• Overnight Oatmeal: Steel-Cut Oats in 10 Minutes <<Love steel-cut oats but hate the 45 minute prep time? A few minutes of your time the night before can turn this healthy breakfast into a quick morning staple. (The Bitten Word)
• Reset Your Sleep Cycle with a 16-Hour Fast <<Cool food-related tip on how to avoid jet lag with fasting. Certainly worth a try for you frequent fliers. (Lifehacker)
• Mildly High Cholesterol at Midlife Linked to Alzheimer’s <<This is not the first piece of evidence linking heart health to brain health. Avoid losing your mind by upgrading your healthstyle. (New York Times)
• The 11 Most Important Rules For Healthy Eating…Yes, Most Important <<Some of the best healthy eating advice I’ve seen. (Dumb Little Man)
• Vitamin D levels in children: “shocking” <<My favorite part about this article is the quiz about vitamin D at the bottom. How much do you know? (SFGate)
• Staying Fit When Eating Is Your Job <<More on the topic of fine dining and health. How does Top Chef hostess Padma Lakshmi do it? This is also related to Pollan’s article. (New York Times)
• ‘Better’ junk food is about marketing, not health <<Another gem from Marion Nestle. Learn all about how the food industry is trying to trick you into thinking you’re eating healthy. (SFGate)
• Poached Shrimp with Olive Oil and Lemon Juice <<Delicious looking summer shrimp recipe. I especially like the addition of beet greens, a severely under-used and under-appreciated vegetable. (Spinach Tiger)

To me this is perfectly natural, because few things are as important or bring as much pleasure to my life. I eat at least three times a day, and each meal is an opportunity to revel in the bounty of nature and ensure my health for (5? 6? 7?) decades. What confuses me is why more people aren’t so obsessed with food.

I admit that my personal history with food is long and intimate, but at this stage in my life what makes me passionate about eating well is what I know about the impact of my daily meal choices on myself and the world.

Food is the cause of almost every modern disease, and is in the midst of creating some new ones.

Food is destroying the planet faster than anything in human history.

Food threatens our national security and the health of the global economy.

But food is not all doom and gloom, nor should it be. Real food is a celebration of life and brings people together. Real food is an art. Real food is health.

My personal favorite reason to eat the way I do is that real food tastes amazing, nothing like the processed junk most of us grew up eating.

When it comes down to it, real food makes my life better.

If you are like most people I talk to, this all sounds wonderful but is a little too abstract to move you to action. Sure we would all love to make it to the farmers market this weekend, but when Saturday rolls around there are 1,001 excuses not to go. Right?

In my world though, the earth has to be collapsing for me to miss my market trip and even then I’ll probably find another one. I don’t see it as a choice. For me my weekly trip to the farmers market determines how well I will eat for the entire week. I know it is possible to eat healthy without going but it won’t taste nearly as good, is less exciting and more expensive. These things make it harder to eat healthy at all, and that is not okay.

My resolve comes from the knowledge that there is no more important decision I can make each week than where I buy my food.

If you aren’t convinced yet, you should definitely see the new film Food, Inc.

Food, Inc. will help you see food as a priority, a solution to and not the cause of our problems. It is a journey through our modern food system, how it works and the tremendous impact it has on our lives.

One of my favorite quotes comes early in the film as Michael Pollan, one of the film’s narrators and hero of the “real food” movement, describes the disappearance of seasonal produce at the grocery store. His quintessential example is the perfectly red, perfectly round tomatoes that can be found year-round in American supermarkets.

“Although it looks like a tomato, it is a notional tomato. It’s the idea of a tomato.”

This is because, as you all know by now, real tomatoes only exist in the summer.

Food, Inc. gives you an intimate look at where these artificial foods come from and the how they affect our lives. It also explores the government policies that have encouraged and protected these practices at the expense of good food and health.

If you have read (and you should) Michael Pollan’s landmark book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, you will find many similarities in this film. However, Food, Inc. preferentially emphasizes the results of our food system and the toll it takes on our health and economy.

Central to Food, Inc. are the stories of people who were the honest victims of our toxic system. These stories are heartbreaking and will make you think twice the next time you are tempted to order a Quarter Pounder.

Importantly, Food, Inc. offers more than just criticism, it also gives us a solution: vote with your fork.

The message of the movie is almost entirely aligned with the philosophy of this blog: shop at farmers markets, cook your own meals, pass on the processed foods.

These simple acts are enough to change the way the system works, because ultimately consumers decide what is produced. If you stop buying it, they will stop selling it and find another way to satisfy your needs. We are the ones with the real power.

It is completely possible to opt out of our current food system by reducing and even eliminating processed, industrial foods from your diet. Amazingly, once you start on this journey you learn that you don’t actually give anything up in the process, but in fact regain a world of lost flavors and the joys of eating real food.

If you like Food, Inc. and want to know more there are numerous resources:

• The Food, Inc. website is a great place to start for more information about the film.
• The Food, Inc. participant’s guidebook has some great articles and is available for purchase from Amazon.
• Check out the discussion guide for grades 9-12 written by the Center for Ecoliteracy.
• Pre-order the Food, Inc. DVD.
• Subject yourself to Monsanto brainwashing and other “counter arguments.”
• Watch the trailer!

Have you seen Food, Inc. yet? What did you think?

For The Love of Food

Welcome back to For The Love of Food. Thanks to everyone who sent me articles this week, I couldn’t have done it without you. We have a ton of great stuff here. I particularly love the Cheerios story, the fake “local” food from Frito-Lay and the video clip of Michael Pollan on The Colbert Report.

If you would like to see more of my favorite articles each week or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page.

Submissions of your own best food and health articles are also welcome, just drop me an email using the contact form.

For The Love of Food

• Killing Us Softly: Cigarettes and Industrial Food <<Wonderful essay comparing the current food industry to the old tobacco industry, from La Vida Locavore (@LocavoreBlog).

• 13 strategies for shopping a farmers market <<Great advice from the Chicago Tribune.

• The FDA is going after health claims? At last! <<Turns out Cheerios (fake whole grains) are not as effective as statins at reducing cholesterol, and the FDA is not happy about them pretending to be. Woohoo! Another gem from Marion Nestle (@marionnestle).

• When ‘Local’ Makes It Big << OH SNAP! New York Times calls out Frito-Lay and other food industry giants for pretending to sell local food. But I know you guys won’t be fooled. I love this movement because it supports the exact opposite of selling out. Big Ag would love to package, cheapen and sell “local” like they have with organic, but this time they can’t do it without looking like fools. Funny to watch them try though.

• Dietary supplements’ regulations hard to digest <<Fascinating and scary explanation of how the FDA doesn’t do enough to regulate dietary supplements, from Marion Nestle at the SF Chronicle.

• It really does help <<Great advice on how to stay inspired to cook yourself dinner when you lack motivation, from Orangette.

• Are you guilty of DWE (Driving While Eating)? <<See why it is both unhealthy and dangerous to eat and drive, from Eleanor at Make Friends With Food.

• Better Living Through Homemade Yogurt <<Who knew it could be so easy and affordable to make your own yogurt? From Good and thanks to @reverend_bunnie for the link.

• Food Companies Try, But Can’t Guarantee Safety <<Did you know frozen dinners can kill you if you do not heat them properly? From NYTimes and thanks to @sandrasay for the link.

• Michael Pollan on The Colbert Report