Nourishing Traditions: A book that gets to the heart of food

There is no arguing that our food system has dramatically changed over the past half century. The American diet has been overhauled with the advent of fast-food, supermarkets, and convenience foods (read: shelf-stable products all found in the interior of your local market or in those vending machines you frequent). These changes have affected public health in unimaginable ways -- not the least of which is the rapid rise of obesity and Type 2 (preventable) diabetes among adults and children of all ages.

This Christmas, I asked my in-laws for a cookbook that could revolutionize the way I think about and interact with food. That book, Nourishing Traditions, is subtitled "The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats." And if that doesn't say enough -- it's filled with recipes calling for raw, whole fat dairy, lard and numerous recipes calling for whey (the liquid part of curds and whey -- or that clear, yellowish liquid that settles when you have a tub of yogurt in your fridge).

Appetite for Profit: An Introduction to the Food Industry

We've heard of Big Tobacco and Big Pharma -- what about Big Food? How much have consumers, politicians, and even public health professionals considered the co-optation of "healthy food" by mega-food corporations such as McDonalds, Kraft, and General Mills? There are many examples of how these companies or their spokespersons have tried and mostly succeeded in preventing healthier foods and drinks in schools, destroyed legislation to increase consumer access to nutrition information, and sent the message that physical exercise, not diet is what is making American obese. 

Appetite for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back is an excellent book by public health lawyer and advocate, Michele Simon. For anyone interested in gaining an expert perspective (I'm not saying it is unbiased - per se) in this issue this is a must read. People interested in childhood obesity and advertising to children may also find this book to be quite insightful.

The most useful sections of the book are found in the appendices. For example, who is the Center for Consumer Freedom? The name sounds good - I'm a consumer and I'm all for freedom! A brief glance at the appendix or a turn to one of the many pages in her book that references the CCF one will note that this "freedom" applies first and foremost to the restaurant industry. One ought be wary of many of the organizations involved in food advertising, lobbying, legislation, and policy. Many are not what they appear to be.

In addition to helping us identify industry-backed "objective" organizations, Simon also presents cogent arguments against several of the "myths" propagated by Big Food. For instance, why restaurant nutrition labeling won't put local restaurants (or industry leaders) out of business, how such tactics (point of sale nutrition information) can help consumers chose healthier options, and how schools (and more importantly, students) can thrive without soda and sports drinks sold in school.

This book renewed my passion for creating a healthier environment where we all have the ability to choose to live and eat well. My next task: understanding the Farm Bill. I have heard so much about this important piece of legislation that has an enormous amount of influence over what I find at the grocery store, where it is from, and how much it costs. 

What are your thoughts?

AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India

When you see the word AIDS what comes to mind?

Africa? Disease? Death?

Sex? Drugs? Prostitution?

Mothers? Orphans?

Treatment?

We know so much more today about the etiology of HIV/AIDS than when the epidemic began in the early 1980s. In some parts of the world, the stigma of having AIDS or being HIV positive has begun to weaken. We now have effective (albeit expensive and complex) treatment for the disease, more people are more aware of how the disease is spread, and today we know that if certain conditions are met women who are HIV+ can even give birth to babies unaffected by HIV/AIDS. In this day, in this place, one need not equate AIDS with death.

In India 2.5-3 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS. India has the 3rd largest number of HIV+ people in the world, behind sub-Saharan Africa, and the spread of HIV among women is increasing. (click here for more facts -- published 2006)

In many other countries, however, there is still great denial about just how widespread are the effects of AIDS. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Avahan India AIDS Initiative just released a book entitled "AIDS Sutra: Untold Stories from India". It is a collection of essays that brilliantly portrays the lives of people dealing with AIDS and facing its stigma in India. The stories uncover the brutallity and fear that come with social margnizalization, violation of privacy, and discrimination. 

Two authors, Nikita Lalwani and Sonia Faleiro, and an editor from Avahan visited the Harvard School of Public Health today to discuss the book. It was a fantastic event, with about 30 people in attendance. The stories told by the authors were heart wrenching.

Many Harvard affiliates, such as Jay Silverman and Felton Earls, are committed to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS as well as serving populations who already have the disease. Though, I want to note that the work of my colleagues really seeks to inform the broader picture of how poverty, gender relations, family violence, and sex trafficking perpetuate the spread of HIV/AIDS beyond what service provision in "high risk" communities can provide. It is fascinating work and its implications are great, as the stories "AIDS Sutra" tell. Not only will understanding AIDS in India help those who are currently suffering, but it will provide a basis for future prevention efforts and cultural change that can halt the epidemic, save lives, and restore hope.