The New School's "Edible Schoolyard"

I found this project via an article in The Atlantic about the Edible Schoolyard, a program at a middle school in Berkeley, California. The Atlantic article explains that a study has shown that students who grow their own food make better choices about eating. This particular program was founded by famed chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse.

For a year or two in the past, another teacher at BTW and I have discussed the possibilities of having student-tended gardens on campus. We had in mind the unused green space by the teacher parking lot, which gets sun all day long. The soil would have to be improved, because it's basically sand and rock, but it could be done. Maybe it's time to think about something like that at BTW.

Put Down the Pen and Pick up the Chicken!

People get busy, we all know it. And what we do when we're busy sometimes conflict with our health. We'll down an energy drink or take a few pills to keep us going. We even skip meals, I know I'm guilty for this. We see eating as taking up time instead of a healthy choice. Diabetics can't make this mistake. Skipping even one meal can lower their blood sugar level to the point where it needs immediate attention! As I posted in an earlier blog, my dad is diabetic. Recently, he had to be taken to the hospital because his blood sugar was too low. Next time we think about skipping a meal, don't. At least grab something to snack on. Some people don't have the "luxury" of being able to skip meals just to be able to have more time in the day. Just something to think about.

Here's a little something I wrote on this:

You know your body,
you know your limit
don't push
step back

You don't have to be
strong.
Not for me
I can take it

Don't sacrifice
what's important--
you
Please

Yeah, its not great but its just how I felt.

Life is not over because you have diabetes. Make the most of what you have, be grateful."
Dale Evans Rodgers

Burger King or Eating at Home

We all know that fast food can be more convenient than going home and cooking. But it isn't necessarily healthier. Fast food is clearly the Devil!

Don't get me wrong, I love the greasy goodness, but it isn't good for us. A couple of days ago Burger King released a 2,500-calorie pizza burger in New York. And yet people wonder why we as Americans are so fat. I know it's a choice whether we eat it or not, but if it's not created, we wouldn't have the temptation on our hands. Then we have the issue of wondering why younger kids are getting bigger. Well, for one thing, the kids meal we love to buy them, when we're tired from work and don't feel like cooking, has about 900 calories. That answer the question?

Big food chains like McDonald's and Burger King are trying to add healthier items to their menus. But to be honest, who wants to go to McDonalds to buy a salad? Why not just modify how and with what you cook the food with? Minimize the greasiness and maybe your pants size would minimize. But then I got to thinking isn't the greasiness the reason why we go to fast food joints?

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Yesterday, I watched an episode of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” that aired on August 11, and it was about food and healthy eating habits. Oprah’s guests were food writer Michael Pollan, actress Alicia Silverstone who has recently written a book called “The Kind Diet,” and the owner and head chef of the Chipotle restaurant chain. Normally, I’m not an “Oprah” watcher, but my wife has a Season Pass on TiVo for the show, and we watch them sometimes when nothing else is on. The one thing I do like about Oprah Winfrey is her dedication to using her clout to help people lead better lives, instead of running show after show about cheating spouses getting caught or wild baby-daddy arguments.

Michael Pollan’s name is synonymous with healthy food and responsible eating habits. I recently saw a friend reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” and admitted during that conversation that Pollan’s books are ones I wish I had read. He is one of the main voices in the documentary, “Food, Inc.,” which “examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact.” Oprah explained during the course of the show that she made an arrangement with Amazon.com to sell the movie for only $9.99 (for a limited time), to encourage more people to watch it.

Alicia Silverstone, who is probably best known for her role in the movie “Clueless” or for being the girl in the Aerosmith videos of the 1990s, was also on the show, but to talk about her book, not her acting. In the “The Kind Diet,” Silverstone shares ways to eat vegan, for two reasons: first, to feel better and second, to eliminate the cruel treatment of animals raised for food. Her message is to be “kind,” both to ourselves and to animals. Silverstone, who smiled through most of the interview, explained that her switch to being a vegan did everything from give her more energy to clear up her acne.

Steve Ells, owner of Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants, has brought healthy ingredients and actual cooking to fast food. He explained that, in his restaurants, employees chop and measure ingredients and use pots and pans, instead of warming over or frying processed items that were trucked in. There's a clip of Steve Ells on “Oprah" on YouTube.

I even learned a few things just watching the latter of half of this one talk-show episode. I had not realized that the average American eats 200 pounds of meat a year, for instance. That’s an average! I had also never thought about eating habits as being “kind” to yourself, not putting your body through the agony of having to digest and process some things. It was also good to hear that some culinary experts are finding ways to make healthy fast food possible, to have good food without the usual time involved.

I think it was Michael Pollan who said on the show that the average American eats fast food four times a week, which shocked me! I can’t imagine eating like that on a regular basis. I can’t imagine wanting fast food that often. I typically eat fast food when I’m on the road, especially in airports where nothing looks all that good, but only about twice a month normally. I can’t imagine eating fast food more than 200 times in year.