FDA GMO Labeling Update

According to the Washington Post, the genetically modified salmon up for approval will not have to be labeled as genetically modified.  If this goes to market (and given the FDA's track record, it probably will), I will not eat salmon I can't verify is GMO-free.  Essentially, I'm going to make my own wild-caught salmon sushi and, when eating sushi out, not eat the salmon.  Also, I will have to verify any fish oil supplements I may want to take.  It's extra-ordinarily frustrating - regardless of what you think about GMO's environmental impact.  Consumers should still be given enough information that they can make a choice about whether or not they want to ingest GM food.  Extra labeling is only confusing if you make it confusing (see the high fructose corn syrup naming controversy and you'll see what I mean).

Odds and Ends: A Food Revolutionary - in my sleep!

As has probably become apparent, my "food philosophy" either resonates with or is influenced by Jamie Oliver and his Food Revolution. That said, I apparently eat, breath, and sleep the Food Revolution now (as opposed to the GRE and my research).

I had a dream that, among other things, I was touring an elementary school and I heard one of the teachers complaining about the fresh, home-made, nutritious, beautifully prepped and presented food. I let it go briefly because I was talking to someone else about something else, but I finally delivered a Jamie-Oliver-esque lecture about how the food on her plate would make her feel good and help her students behave better and achieve more in her class. I wasn't even thinking - the words just came - flawlessly.

I know where this came from. I've been struggling a bit with the social consequences of taking on the AFF diet. I'm not a social butterfly, but I prefer sitting down to a home-made meal to restaurant food any day of the week. It's so much cheaper, and I get to cook. Maybe it's the teacher in me, but I like showing people how easy, fast, and yummy home-cooked food can be. Professional cook I am not, but I can do simple, good, nutritious dishes on a dime with little effort. That's all a grad student needs to get by.

Media, Edition #3: Salt Addiction and "Cultural Handicaps"

Salt isn't something I worry about too much. Quite frankly, I much prefer garlic-y, onion-y, herb-y, sweet tastes in my food. I'll take chocolate any day over salty chips.

That said, Philip J. Klemmer, MD, a professor who gave up salt cold-turkey, said that even though he saw significant health benefits during his "salt challenge", "I couldn't keep up the hunter-gatherer diet [fruits, veggies, and a bit of meat] because it would become a cultural handicap [ . . . ] I'd be less fun. I wouldn't be able to associate with people, or I'd be the one sitting there with a bag lunch when everybody else was ordering food." (1)

I know I've been in this situation - I feel guilty for being the stick in the mud when it comes to food such that I make so many compromises that result in Confession entries. Since its summer and we students have more leisure time, it's even more difficult because temptation is everywhere. Even if I did bring my own food, there are restaurants that wouldn't allow me to take it in. My friends have been supportive (and many thanks to all of you) but there is so little food out there that, if I stuck to the diet the way I stuck to it in the first weeks, I'd miss out on things that are just as important to health as pristine food. Anyone have any advice on this?