Cheers to the Proposed Richmond Soda Tax

While reviewing an online article about the foods you should eat for younger skin, I chuckled when I thought, “Well, you certainly wouldn’t find soda on that list." The beneficial foods listed were: salmon, carrots, milk, almonds, safflower/sunflower oil, broccoli berries, spices, watermelon and, my favorite, dark chocolate – but no soda.

Then I thought about those forward-thinking members of the Richmond, CA, City Council. Last week, they voted 5-2 to put a soda tax measure on the ballot in November.

The sponsor of this soda tax, Councilman Jeff Ritterman, also happens to be a doctor. He points to soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks as the main cause of childhood obesity in Richmond. In fact, he point-blank said soda “is a major killer, and it will kill these young children unless we do something.”

If the voters get behind the soda tax, Richmond could become the first city in the nation to implement a tax on soda and other sugary beverages. And the projected $2-8 million in funds collected from the proposed tax would go to fight childhood obesity. They would be used for after-school sports programs, school gardens, health care for children with diabetes and healthier school meals -- all admirable and much-needed programs.

Of course, the American Beverage Association and grocers who would lose a bit of income and soda drinkers who would have to pay the penny-per-ounce tax are grousing about the unfairness of such a tax, calling it a tax on poor people. I would beg to differ. This is a tax to help poor people. First off, maybe someone with limited income would think twice about drinking all those sodas and switch to water. And can you imagine all the good the money from sodas could do for the youth of Richmond?

Let’s hope the people of Richmond will follow the lead of their City Council and vote to enact a soda tax to benefit the youth of their city. And then let’s hope that this is the beginning of a domino effect on the rest of the Bay Area.

~Sharron

Where have all the vitamins and minerals in our produce gone?

I remember a few months back when I heard for the first time about how fruits and vegetables today have markedly less nutrients than they did just 50 years ago. As someone who is very interested in healthy eating and getting my nutrients naturally, rather than in pill form, that nugget of information definitely caught my attention. So imagine my surprise when I opened up the latest issue of Cooking Light to see an article claiming that less nutritious produce isn’t “necessarily bad news.” Now that definitely caught my attention.

According to the article, “The Truth About Fruits and Veggies,” a 2004 University of Texas study evaluated 43 different types of produce and found that what we eat today has 5 to 40 percent less nutrients than produce did in the 1950s. For example, today’s typical watermelon contains 38 percent less vitamin A. How exactly is this not “necessarily bad news?”

So what’s happened to fruits and vegetables over the last 50 years? According to Gene Lester, a USDA plant physiologist, American agriculture has undergone a dramatic transformation since the 1950s. Back then, fifty percent of Americans lived on farms and fed the rest of the country. Now, with much less acreage devoted farming, only 1 to 2 percent of the population feeds the other 99 percent. With a lot more people to feed and the need to ship produce longer distances, seed developers have focused on increased yield, disease resistance and shelf life, and ease of transport. Nutrient concentrations fell to the bottom of the list. So again, how exactly is this not “necessarily bad news?”

Well, the good news is that seed developers may be close to reversing the trend of declining concentrations of nutrients. Big companies and small-time producers alike are realizing that it is possible to crossbreed for more than one quality at a time. One such project has resulted in broccoli that has two to three times the level of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin compared to ordinary broccoli.

So while professional seed developers are working on remedying this issue, there are some things you and I can do to get more nutrition from fruits and vegetables:

- Choose vegetables that haven’t changed much since the 1950s, such as dark leafy greens.

- Buy locally. Since produce loses nutrients after it has been harvested, the less time it takes to get to your table the better.

- Choose heirloom fruits and vegetables which often have higher nutrient levels than varieties that have been developed since the 1950s.

- Eat more fruits and vegetables in general. Oftentimes it’s not the nutrient levels in produce that’s the problem, it’s that many people aren't eating them in the first place. 

~ Nicole

Bare Breasts Don’t Make Perfect Moms

The Time cover showing a mom breastfeeding her 3-year-old hit the newsstands today, and it boldly asks “Are You Mom Enough?” next to a provocative photo. As a professional in the journalism field, I thought the magazine went too far in covering the topic of attachment parenting, which is personal and, quite frankly, old news. But many will say that it’s a success because it provoked people into talking about attachment parenting. Yes and no. Those who care will talk about the issue but those who don’t just want to talk about the cover. There’s a difference.

I am a mother of two and nursed both of my children until they were 14 months, give or take a month since each child was so different. I weaned them when I thought my body and the child was ready to stop. When I decided to re-enter the workforce, the decision was easier. Why am I sharing this? Because I believe parenting is personal, and I often feel as if I’m being fed study after study on what women should do as a mom. We begin to compare and size each other up based on our perceive beliefs of how a mom should be. It sets us – moms – up for disappointments, and the feeling of failure and inadequacy.  With the pressure to “do the right thing” as a mom, more women are stressed and worried that they’re doing enough. I know I am.

So what was it that made me cringe when I saw the cover? Is it the slim figure of a woman baring her breast? Am I jealous of not having her figure? Would I look like her if I nursed my children until four? See, I’m comparing, aren’t I? But alas, no. It is the photo of the child looking at the camera. This photograph is sensationalism and not journalism.

Then I asked myself, am I mom enough? This morning while getting ready for work, I discovered a scorpion in my closet and almost picked it up, thinking it was one of my son’s Lego pieces. After announcing what I found at breakfast, I caught the scorpion all by myself! Honestly, I thought I was going to faint. With shaky hands and a calm smile, I proudly showed my eager children my captive in a glass jar. They thought it was so cool that my 6^th grade daughter asked if she could take it to school. So yeah, I think I AM mom enough. And if you’re a mom, I think you are, too.

Happy Mother’s Day!

~Muriel

Why Do We Americans Have Bad Eating Habits?

Anyone for Haggis?
Note the small serving size.

I just got back from a three-week trip to Great Britain with my wife Michele. We had a great time as we ate our way around the island enjoying the likes of meat pasties, fish and chips and haggis.

It was a bus tour so some of our stops were at roadside rest stops that also happened to feature some American fast-food joints like McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway. (I just had to try the lamb burger at Burger King).  

Anyway, I noticed that their portion sizes were smaller (especially the fries and sodas with no free refills) and that to super-size an order was also considerably more expensive than here in the U.S. at over double the cost. I asked an Australian we were touring with if they super-sized in Australia. He said they did but it wasn’t very popular and some chains had stopped the practice.   

So why do we Americans seem to demand more, to the point that it is detrimental to our health?  I’m sure the fast-food giants are putting the same pressures to buy more on our overseas cousins, yet they seem to be able to resist the urge. Meanwhile, here in America our portion sizes continue to get larger along with our waist lines.

I don’t have the answer, but it was just an interesting observation that I wanted to share. If you have any ideas on why we seem to be different, I’d love to hear them.

Ken

Big money and big media

You may have heard that Verizon is trying to buy a big piece of public access media.


I believe that having few conglomerates control too much media is detrimental to democracy.


This past week Bill Moyers had a fascinating conversation on this very subject with Marty Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center at USC and an entertainment industry expert. 


Moyers and Kaplan talked at length about today's special interest political environment and the media, specifically how news is covered. Or, rather, how it is not covered. 


Most big media today is owned by big money whose focus is on entertainment. And news which used to be in covered through the realm of journalism is now in the entertainment box.


The founding fathers couldn't have anticipated that a small group of people would create an environment in which facts, truth and accountability wouldn't matter as much as entertainment. As Kaplan pointed out, "So, because it's not entertaining, because the stations think it's ratings poison, they don't cover it on the news."


He has been studying the media since 1998.  Not long ago, he did a study of the Los Angeles media market looking at every station airing news and every news broadcast they aired round the clock. 


"We put together a composite half hour of news. And if you ask, "How much in that half hour was about transportation, education law enforcement, ordinances, tax policy?" everything involving locals, from city to county. The answer is, in a half hour, 22 seconds."


When Moyers exclaimed, "Twenty-two seconds devoted to what one would think are the serious issues of democracy, right?" Kaplan added, "Yes. Whereas, in fact, there are three minutes about crime, and two and a half minutes about the ugliest dog contest, and two minutes about entertainment." 


Without an independent press and investigative journalism, democracy as we knew it is in peril.  


I recommend everyone listen to the entire interview. 

~ Paula

Long-Term Care Pro

A while back I posted a blog about Rachael Veitch, a 93-year-old woman from Florida who has been driving her 1964 Mercury Comet for 48 years. Through the years, she has obsessively fussed over and tended to her “lovely Chariot,” and because of her tender loving care her car has taken her down the road for more than 576,000 miles. So it’s evident Rachael knows the value of taking care of things for the long term.

 

Unfortunately, Rachael recently had to retire her trusty old friend due to the development of macular degeneration in both eyes, making her legally blind. But it seems she has established a pretty good track record for herself – she’s still in very good health, and her car is still in excellent working order. So I’m betting Rachael has also laid out a plan to take care of herself during her remaining years.

Not all of us adequately prepare ourselves for our futures. Many of us may find ourselves needing to be placed in a long-term care facility, and if we haven’t planned for this eventuality, we may have no choice over which facility or where it’s located. It might not even be located in or near the community we’ve lived in our whole lives. Therefore, it’s important to talk to family or loved ones, map out a plan and, if financially feasible, obtain long-term care insurance. Then we can rest comfortably, as I hope Rachael Veitch is able to do, knowing our long-term care needs will be taken care of the way we planned.

 ~Sharron

Pinterest Primer

If you think people spend too much time on Facebook, then watch out for Pinterest. The “new kid” on the social networking block has women glued to their computers and companies scrambling to figure out how they can use Pinterest to push their products.

Pinterest 101

Pinterest is simply an online virtual bulletin board where users can “pin” images they find while surfing the Internet to themed “pinboards.” Members can also see what other users pin and “repin” to their own boards. Instead of bookmarking a ton of individual Web pages, users can now collect items that interest them into one central location. 

Arts and crafts, home décor, fashion and food are the most popular items to pin. More than 60 percent of pinboards deal with those four topics, according to a study released this week by RJ Metrics. As you may have deduced from the pinning trends, Pinterest is extremely popular among women, and the site is growing by leaps and bounds. In September 2011, there were 2 million Pinterest users, and that numbers has grown to close to 20 million users today.  

How are Companies Using Pinterest?

Consumer brands with products that can be represented visually have the best opportunities on Pinterest. Companies can create accounts and pin their products in hopes that other users will repin the items. Chobani promotes its yogurt by pinning recipes using its product, Real Simple magazine pins links to its various articles and OPI pins pictures of its latest nail polish shades. Companies that don’t have visual products, or products that don’t appeal to the predominantly female audience, shouldn’t invest time and energy in Pinterest right now. The popular topics may change when the site expands beyond an invite-only membership.

Is Pinning Breaking the Law?

The only problem with “pinning” is that many of the images users upload are copyrighted, and pinning them could be considered copyright infringement. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act shields the company from copyright infringement on photos posted by its users, but protection doesn’t extend to its members. Pinterest’s terms of service indicate that users are responsible for any copyright claims arising from images that they upload. The fair use defense is the most likely recourse for any users facing claims of copyright infringement. The best thing for users to do is take the time to comment on each image they pin, since the fair use doctrine protects people who express views on an original work. It’ll be interesting to see how these legal issues all play out.

~ Nicole