Hello everyone!
After a five year break from starting my online presence I am back! I've been busy! I got married, finished my dietetic internship in Los Angeles, started working as a dietitian in an inpatient hospital in LA and now in an outpatient setting in NJ and had two kids!
I came back because I wanted to share my passion for nutrition and wellness with all of you! So please stay tuned on my Facebook page @abstraining with daily posts on nutrition and fitness. I will use this blog for more lengthy nutrition and fitness topics. So please message me on topics you would like to learn more about.
Until next time, Andie
Monday, January 2, 2017
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Nationwide Food Day Oct. 24th
Wed. Oct. 24th is National Food Day. Take the pledge to EAT REAL (my new email tagline) and celebrate the movement for healthy,affordable, and sustainable food. Visit foodday.org to find great local foodie events in your area!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Health benefits of grass-fed beef validated by National Trust
" A recent report from the UK's highly-respected land management organization, the National Trust, has confirmed what Animal Welfare Approved has been advocating for a long time: feeding cattle on grass throughout their life cycle is the most environmentally sustainable way to raise beef. The report, entitled What's Your Beef, concluded that buying high quality, pasture-raised meat means that you are eating healthier, supporting family farms, and helping protect the planet for future generations." References Accessed online June 12, 2012 from Spring/Summer Updates from Animal Welfare Approved.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tips for a Sustainable Holiday
Tip #1
Choose Compassionate Holiday Meals
With Thankagiving right around the corner, this is the time to think before we eat. Food is a central focus of Thanksgiving, but our Thanksgiving meal choices impacts far beyond the table. The majority of turkeys and other farm animals are raised in extreme confinement and treated inhumanely. There is a lot of research to support that pasture-raised and free-range farming is a better choice. A plant-based diet is the best choice for the environment but when buying meat, eggs, or dairy choose pasture-raised, free-range animal products that are Animal Welfare Approved (look for AWA label at the store). This simple concious choice brings a wide range of benefits to both animals and consumers.
For more info on Animal Welfare Approved visit animalwelfareapproved.org
Choose Compassionate Holiday Meals
With Thankagiving right around the corner, this is the time to think before we eat. Food is a central focus of Thanksgiving, but our Thanksgiving meal choices impacts far beyond the table. The majority of turkeys and other farm animals are raised in extreme confinement and treated inhumanely. There is a lot of research to support that pasture-raised and free-range farming is a better choice. A plant-based diet is the best choice for the environment but when buying meat, eggs, or dairy choose pasture-raised, free-range animal products that are Animal Welfare Approved (look for AWA label at the store). This simple concious choice brings a wide range of benefits to both animals and consumers.
For more info on Animal Welfare Approved visit animalwelfareapproved.org
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Could there really be an end in sight for hens in battery cages?
Per HSUS email from President Wayne Pacelle:
"I am excited to announce a historic agreement that The Humane Society of the United States reached this morning with the United Egg Producers, which could result in a complete makeover of the U.S. egg industry and improve the treatment of the 280 million laying hens used each year in U.S. egg production. Thanks to your support over the years, through our state ballot initiatives and legislative and corporate campaigns, we now have a new pathway forward to ban barren battery cages and phase in more humane standards nationwide.
The HSUS and UEP have agreed to work together to advocate for federal legislation that would:
Require a moratorium at the end of 2011 on new construction of unenrichable battery cages -- small, cramped, cages that nearly immobilize more than 90 percent of laying hens today -- and the nationwide elimination of barren battery cages through a phase-out period;
Require phased in construction of new hen housing systems that provide hens nearly double the amount of space they’re currently provided;
Require environmental enrichments so birds can engage in important natural behaviors currently denied to them in barren cages, such as perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas;
Mandate labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs, such as "eggs from caged hens" or "eggs from cage-free hens";
Prohibit forced molting through starvation -- an inhumane practice that is inflicted on tens of millions of hens each year and which involves withholding all food from birds for up to two weeks in order to manipulate the laying cycle;
Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses -- a common problem in the industry that is harmful to both hens and egg industry workers;
Require standards for euthanasia of hens; and
Prohibit the sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these above requirements.
If enacted, this would be the first federal law relating to chickens used for food, as well as the first federal law relating to the on-farm treatment of any species of farm animal.
Some of the provisions would be implemented nearly immediately after enactment, such as those relating to forced molting, ammonia, and euthanasia, and others after just a few years, including labeling and the requirement that all birds will have to have at least 67 square inches of space each. (Currently, approximately 50 million laying hens are confined to only 48 square inches each.) The bill would require that all egg producers increase space per bird in a tiered phase-in, resulting in a final number, within 15 years for nearly all producers, of at minimum, 124-144 square inches of space each, along with the other improvements noted above.
In order to protect Proposition 2 (a landmark laying hen welfare initiative passed in California in 2008 that many of you worked on), all California egg producers -- with nearly 20 million laying hens -- would be required to eliminate barren battery cages by 2015 (the date Prop 2 goes into effect), and provide all hens with environmental enrichments, such as perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas. This will also apply to the sale of all eggs and egg products in California. And this agreement to pass comprehensive federal legislation on hen welfare puts a hold on planned ballot measures related to laying hen welfare in both Washington and Oregon.
Passing this federal bill would be a historic improvement for hundreds of millions of animals per year. We are grateful to all of our volunteers, supporters, and others who have helped to make the cage confinement of egg-laying hens a national issue, and we will keep you informed as we make progress on this issue. I hope you will contact your U.S. senators and representative today and urge them to support this federal legislation to end barren battery cage confinement and provide more humane standards for laying hens."
If you care about this cause go to the HSUS website to contact your local legislator to support this proposition!
"I am excited to announce a historic agreement that The Humane Society of the United States reached this morning with the United Egg Producers, which could result in a complete makeover of the U.S. egg industry and improve the treatment of the 280 million laying hens used each year in U.S. egg production. Thanks to your support over the years, through our state ballot initiatives and legislative and corporate campaigns, we now have a new pathway forward to ban barren battery cages and phase in more humane standards nationwide.
The HSUS and UEP have agreed to work together to advocate for federal legislation that would:
Require a moratorium at the end of 2011 on new construction of unenrichable battery cages -- small, cramped, cages that nearly immobilize more than 90 percent of laying hens today -- and the nationwide elimination of barren battery cages through a phase-out period;
Require phased in construction of new hen housing systems that provide hens nearly double the amount of space they’re currently provided;
Require environmental enrichments so birds can engage in important natural behaviors currently denied to them in barren cages, such as perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas;
Mandate labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs, such as "eggs from caged hens" or "eggs from cage-free hens";
Prohibit forced molting through starvation -- an inhumane practice that is inflicted on tens of millions of hens each year and which involves withholding all food from birds for up to two weeks in order to manipulate the laying cycle;
Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses -- a common problem in the industry that is harmful to both hens and egg industry workers;
Require standards for euthanasia of hens; and
Prohibit the sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these above requirements.
If enacted, this would be the first federal law relating to chickens used for food, as well as the first federal law relating to the on-farm treatment of any species of farm animal.
Some of the provisions would be implemented nearly immediately after enactment, such as those relating to forced molting, ammonia, and euthanasia, and others after just a few years, including labeling and the requirement that all birds will have to have at least 67 square inches of space each. (Currently, approximately 50 million laying hens are confined to only 48 square inches each.) The bill would require that all egg producers increase space per bird in a tiered phase-in, resulting in a final number, within 15 years for nearly all producers, of at minimum, 124-144 square inches of space each, along with the other improvements noted above.
In order to protect Proposition 2 (a landmark laying hen welfare initiative passed in California in 2008 that many of you worked on), all California egg producers -- with nearly 20 million laying hens -- would be required to eliminate barren battery cages by 2015 (the date Prop 2 goes into effect), and provide all hens with environmental enrichments, such as perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas. This will also apply to the sale of all eggs and egg products in California. And this agreement to pass comprehensive federal legislation on hen welfare puts a hold on planned ballot measures related to laying hen welfare in both Washington and Oregon.
Passing this federal bill would be a historic improvement for hundreds of millions of animals per year. We are grateful to all of our volunteers, supporters, and others who have helped to make the cage confinement of egg-laying hens a national issue, and we will keep you informed as we make progress on this issue. I hope you will contact your U.S. senators and representative today and urge them to support this federal legislation to end barren battery cage confinement and provide more humane standards for laying hens."
If you care about this cause go to the HSUS website to contact your local legislator to support this proposition!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Meatless Mondays Catch On, Even With Carnivores
June 16, 2011
Meatless Mondays Catch On, Even With Carnivores
By KIRK JOHNSON
ASPEN, Colo. — Friction between the health-and-eco-minded hippies who came here for a Rocky Mountain High in the 1970s and the super-wealthy second-homers who followed from the intersection of Hollywood and Hedge Fund is an old story here at 8,000 feet.
But now there is a new potential skirmish line: Meatless Mondays.
For whatever reason, chefs and restaurateurs say, the big outside money that fuels economic life here, often flying in by private jet from places like Malibu or the Main Line, tilts heavily toward the carnivorous.
“It’s very interesting, but for some reason when people come to Aspen, they want to eat meat,” said Mimi Lenk, a vegetarian for more than a decade and the manager of Syzygy, a downtown restaurant where elk, bison and lamb are the big sellers.
A new nationwide pro-veggie effort, however — aimed at persuading people to go meatless at least one day a week — has been embraced here more than in any other city in America. At least 20 institutions and restaurants, including Syzygy, are offering vegetarian choices on Mondays under a plan announced this month.
“Nobody is saying, ‘go become a vegetarian,’ ” said Martin Oswald, a restaurateur who led the effort in signing up Meatless Monday participants among his food-industry friends. Mr. Oswald said he thought the dynamic that made Aspen such a prime place to expand Meatless Monday was not philosophy or health, but rather the cutthroat economics of the restaurant business — keeping up with the Joneses for fear of being left out.
“The key was to get enough restaurants involved, then I could say: ‘Well, that guy does it and that guy over there and this guy does it over here. Do you want to do it, too?’ ” he said, sitting across the table at one of his restaurants, Pyramid Bistro. That approach, with its hard-to-say-no overtones, worked well. “So far, nobody has actually refused,” he said.
In food, as in so many other things, Aspen was already nowhere near average. In a state with the lowest obesity rate in the nation, an alpine outdoor menu — biking, rafting, hiking, rock-climbing and, of course, skiing — make it a fitness capital. And local institutions already led the charge in healthier eating.
Aspen Valley Hospital began boosting vegetarian choices several years ago in its food services. This month, the cardiac rehabilitation unit, where 20 percent to 30 percent of the patients are second-homers, began urging patients to patronize Meatless Monday restaurants in town.
In the public school system, which embraced Meatless Monday two years ago, whole grain pancakes, dubbed “breakfast for lunch,” are a popular Monday rotation in the elementary and middle schools. And even during the rest of the week, school lunches, down to and including the ketchup, are made from scratch, overseen by a chef hired away from a downtown restaurant.
“We roast our own beets,” said Tenille Folk, the director of food services for the Aspen School District’s middle and elementary schools.
The ambition and scale of the wider restaurant effort for Meatless Monday, which started on June 6, has made Aspen “the nation’s first true Meatless Monday community,” said the Meatless Monday campaign, a national effort in association with the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
It can be a delicate process, and many chefs here stress that they are not trying to convert anyone. The customer is always right, they say, whatever he or she wants to eat. Indeed, many say that in the tougher economic times of the past few years, meat consumption has probably gone up, perhaps as comfort food. A strictly vegetarian restaurant in Aspen closed a few years ago.
But that environment of competition and cost-control also created an opening, boosters of Meatless Monday say. Vegetables, in addition to having less impact on the planet than meat in energy and water usage, are much cheaper as an ingredient. And some local restaurateurs participating in Meatless Monday also said they had noticed an increasingly prominent gender gap, too, in recent years — with women tending more toward the vegetable side of the menu — which they can now overtly exploit on Mondays.
“It’s all about getting somebody in the door,” said Tico Starr, the chef at Rustique Bistro.
Still, some restaurants remain skittish.
“It’s something you need to study,” said Alex Harvier, the manager at Cache Cache, a French restaurant where entrees on recent Monday night included osso buco and calf’s liver, with prices ranging from $30 to $58. He said the integrity of the menu and the dining experience had to be considered in adding any new dishes.
“You can’t just tack something on,” he said.
The local government has also taken a cautious approach. Meatless Monday backers, in approaching the City Council for a public resolution of support — similar to ones passed in San Francisco and Washington, among other cities — got nowhere.
Some residents said the Council’s reluctance was rooted in the old Aspen — rowdy and antiauthoritarian, as epitomized by the gonzo author Hunter S. Thompson, who came to the area in the 1970s and died in 2005. Others said it was the newer Aspen at work — a fear of alienating second-homers by acting in a way that might come off as superior or elitist.
“It’s not government’s role, or municipal government’s role, to be talking about personal choice,” said Torre, a City Council member, who uses only one name. Torre, a tennis instructor when not on city business, said he and one other person on the five-member Council already practice one-day-a-week vegetarianism.
“But is it appropriate to pass a resolution on behalf of Aspen?” he said. “That’s a lengthier conversation.”
Meatless Mondays Catch On, Even With Carnivores
By KIRK JOHNSON
ASPEN, Colo. — Friction between the health-and-eco-minded hippies who came here for a Rocky Mountain High in the 1970s and the super-wealthy second-homers who followed from the intersection of Hollywood and Hedge Fund is an old story here at 8,000 feet.
But now there is a new potential skirmish line: Meatless Mondays.
For whatever reason, chefs and restaurateurs say, the big outside money that fuels economic life here, often flying in by private jet from places like Malibu or the Main Line, tilts heavily toward the carnivorous.
“It’s very interesting, but for some reason when people come to Aspen, they want to eat meat,” said Mimi Lenk, a vegetarian for more than a decade and the manager of Syzygy, a downtown restaurant where elk, bison and lamb are the big sellers.
A new nationwide pro-veggie effort, however — aimed at persuading people to go meatless at least one day a week — has been embraced here more than in any other city in America. At least 20 institutions and restaurants, including Syzygy, are offering vegetarian choices on Mondays under a plan announced this month.
“Nobody is saying, ‘go become a vegetarian,’ ” said Martin Oswald, a restaurateur who led the effort in signing up Meatless Monday participants among his food-industry friends. Mr. Oswald said he thought the dynamic that made Aspen such a prime place to expand Meatless Monday was not philosophy or health, but rather the cutthroat economics of the restaurant business — keeping up with the Joneses for fear of being left out.
“The key was to get enough restaurants involved, then I could say: ‘Well, that guy does it and that guy over there and this guy does it over here. Do you want to do it, too?’ ” he said, sitting across the table at one of his restaurants, Pyramid Bistro. That approach, with its hard-to-say-no overtones, worked well. “So far, nobody has actually refused,” he said.
In food, as in so many other things, Aspen was already nowhere near average. In a state with the lowest obesity rate in the nation, an alpine outdoor menu — biking, rafting, hiking, rock-climbing and, of course, skiing — make it a fitness capital. And local institutions already led the charge in healthier eating.
Aspen Valley Hospital began boosting vegetarian choices several years ago in its food services. This month, the cardiac rehabilitation unit, where 20 percent to 30 percent of the patients are second-homers, began urging patients to patronize Meatless Monday restaurants in town.
In the public school system, which embraced Meatless Monday two years ago, whole grain pancakes, dubbed “breakfast for lunch,” are a popular Monday rotation in the elementary and middle schools. And even during the rest of the week, school lunches, down to and including the ketchup, are made from scratch, overseen by a chef hired away from a downtown restaurant.
“We roast our own beets,” said Tenille Folk, the director of food services for the Aspen School District’s middle and elementary schools.
The ambition and scale of the wider restaurant effort for Meatless Monday, which started on June 6, has made Aspen “the nation’s first true Meatless Monday community,” said the Meatless Monday campaign, a national effort in association with the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
It can be a delicate process, and many chefs here stress that they are not trying to convert anyone. The customer is always right, they say, whatever he or she wants to eat. Indeed, many say that in the tougher economic times of the past few years, meat consumption has probably gone up, perhaps as comfort food. A strictly vegetarian restaurant in Aspen closed a few years ago.
But that environment of competition and cost-control also created an opening, boosters of Meatless Monday say. Vegetables, in addition to having less impact on the planet than meat in energy and water usage, are much cheaper as an ingredient. And some local restaurateurs participating in Meatless Monday also said they had noticed an increasingly prominent gender gap, too, in recent years — with women tending more toward the vegetable side of the menu — which they can now overtly exploit on Mondays.
“It’s all about getting somebody in the door,” said Tico Starr, the chef at Rustique Bistro.
Still, some restaurants remain skittish.
“It’s something you need to study,” said Alex Harvier, the manager at Cache Cache, a French restaurant where entrees on recent Monday night included osso buco and calf’s liver, with prices ranging from $30 to $58. He said the integrity of the menu and the dining experience had to be considered in adding any new dishes.
“You can’t just tack something on,” he said.
The local government has also taken a cautious approach. Meatless Monday backers, in approaching the City Council for a public resolution of support — similar to ones passed in San Francisco and Washington, among other cities — got nowhere.
Some residents said the Council’s reluctance was rooted in the old Aspen — rowdy and antiauthoritarian, as epitomized by the gonzo author Hunter S. Thompson, who came to the area in the 1970s and died in 2005. Others said it was the newer Aspen at work — a fear of alienating second-homers by acting in a way that might come off as superior or elitist.
“It’s not government’s role, or municipal government’s role, to be talking about personal choice,” said Torre, a City Council member, who uses only one name. Torre, a tennis instructor when not on city business, said he and one other person on the five-member Council already practice one-day-a-week vegetarianism.
“But is it appropriate to pass a resolution on behalf of Aspen?” he said. “That’s a lengthier conversation.”
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Matched at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System Dietetic Internship Program
Heading to Los Angeles this week to find a place, move in, and start my dietetic internship orientation at the VA June 20th! Stay tuned for my updates.
Check out the program here: http://www.dieteticinternship.va.gov/LosAngeles.asp
Check out the program here: http://www.dieteticinternship.va.gov/LosAngeles.asp
Sunday, March 6, 2011
In New Food Culture, a Young Generation of Farmers Emerges
Great article about the local food movement in Oregon. This is a trend nationwide. Boulder also has many great local farms. Visit Boulder Farmer's Market...it opens Saturday April 3rd at 8am!
Leah Nash for The New York Times
Jeff Broadie and Kasey White, who have been farming since 2003, cleaning heirloom beans. More Photos »
After all, his grandfather had worked closely with Earl L. Butz, the former federal secretary of agriculture who was known for saying, “Get big or get out.”
But several weeks before his grandfather died, Mr. Jones broached the subject. His grandfather surprised him. “You have to fix what Earl and I messed up,” Mr. Jones said his grandfather told him.
Now, Mr. Jones, 30, and his wife, Alicia, 27, are among an emerging group of people in their 20s and 30s who have chosen farming as a career. Many shun industrial, mechanized farming and list punk rock, Karl Marx and the food journalist Michael Pollan as their influences. The Joneses say they and their peers are succeeding because of Oregon’s farmer-foodie culture, which demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats.
“People want to connect more than they can at their grocery store,” Ms. Jones said. “We had a couple who came down from Portland and asked if they could collect their own eggs. We said, ‘O.K., sure.’ They want to trust their producer, because there’s so little trust in food these days.”
Garry Stephenson, coordinator of the Small Farms Program at Oregon State University, said he had not seen so much interest among young people in decades. “It’s kind of exciting,” Mr. Stephenson said. “They’re young, they’re energetic and idealist, and they’re willing to make the sacrifices.”
Though the number of young farmers is increasing, the average age of farmers nationwide continues to creep toward 60, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture. That census, administered by the Department of Agriculture, found that farmers over 55 own more than half of the country’s farmland.
In response, the 2008 Farm Bill included a program for new farmers and ranchers. Last year, the department distributed $18 million to educate young growers across the country.
Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, said he hoped some beginning farmers would graduate to midsize and large farms as older farmers retired. “I think there needs to be more work in this area,” he said. “It’s great to invest $18 million to reach out to several thousand to get them interested, but the need here is pretty significant. We need to be even more creative than we’ve been to create strategies so that young people can access operations of all sizes.”
The problem, the young farmers say, is access to land and money to buy equipment. Many new to farming also struggle with the basics.
In Eugene, Ore., Kasey White and Jeff Broadie of Lonesome Whistle Farm are finishing their third season of cultivating heirloom beans with names like Calypso, Jacob’s Cattle and Dutch Ballet.
They have been lauded — and even consulted — by older farmers nearby for figuring out how to grow beans in a valley dominated by grass seed farmers.
But finding mentors has been difficult. There is a knowledge gap that has been referred to as “the lost generation” — people their parents’ age may farm but do not know how to grow food. The grandparent generation is no longer around to teach them.
So Ms. White and Mr. Broadie turned to YouTube for farming tips. They scoured the antiques section of Craigslist for small-scale farming equipment.
“When we started, we didn’t even know what we needed,” said Ms. White, 35. “We found out that a tractor built in the 1950s would drive over our beds and weed them.”
She said that they farmed because they felt like part of a broader movement, but that the farmer’s life was not always romantic. Last year, their garlic crop rotted in the ground. Mr. Broadie, 36, is unable to repay his student loans. They do not have health insurance, or know when they will be able to afford to buy land.
On a recent Saturday, Ms. White and Mr. Broadie moved to a farm owned by a couple that wants to support local agriculture. They hope it is their last stop.
That evening in Corvallis, the Joneses prepared for a party at Mary’s River Grange Hall with friends.
Among them, Jenni and Scott Timms, both 28, had quit their engineering jobs in Houston the month before. They would like to own their own farm someday.
“We see people like Tyler and Alicia doing it, and we thought, ‘If they can do it, so can we,’ ” Mr. Timms said.
The Timmses had arrived at the Joneses’ 106-acre farm the day before and were staying in a run-down Victorian house on the property. As they waited for their hosts, they sipped a microbrew in a kitchen overlooking wooded farmland. They said they were drawn by the state’s beauty and its 120 farmers’ markets.
And it seemed that other beginning farmers in Oregon shared their values. At the Grange hall later that evening, the gravel lot was lined with Subarus with bumper stickers that read “Buy locally,” “Who’s Your Farmer?” and “Let’s Get Dirty.” One farmer arrived by bicycle.
Inside, women in woolen sweaters and hats danced to the music of a bluegrass band. There was no formal speech, just the Grange master’s yell that food was ready.
The Grange master, Hank Keogh, is a 26-year-old who, with his multiple piercings and severe sideburns, looks more indie rock star than seed farmer. Mr. Keogh took over the Grange two years ago.
He increased membership by signing up dozens of young farmers and others in the region. He had the floorboards refinished, introduced weekly yoga classes and reduced the average age of Grange members to 35 from 65.
The young farmers crowded around a table brimming with food they had produced — delicata squash, beet salad, potato leek soup and sparkling mead. On a separate table were two pony kegs of India pale ale.
It was the first time the Joneses had been to the Grange, and Ms. Jones said they would probably join. She had already told the mead makers that she would connect them with Portland restaurants that wanted local honey.
“Literally, four years ago, this was not happening,” Ms. Jones said, gesturing to the 30 farmers who congregated at the hall. “Now, everywhere you turn, someone’s a farmer.”
Leah Nash for The New York Times
Jeff Broadie and Kasey White, who have been farming since 2003, cleaning heirloom beans. More Photos »
After all, his grandfather had worked closely with Earl L. Butz, the former federal secretary of agriculture who was known for saying, “Get big or get out.”
But several weeks before his grandfather died, Mr. Jones broached the subject. His grandfather surprised him. “You have to fix what Earl and I messed up,” Mr. Jones said his grandfather told him.
Now, Mr. Jones, 30, and his wife, Alicia, 27, are among an emerging group of people in their 20s and 30s who have chosen farming as a career. Many shun industrial, mechanized farming and list punk rock, Karl Marx and the food journalist Michael Pollan as their influences. The Joneses say they and their peers are succeeding because of Oregon’s farmer-foodie culture, which demands grass-fed and pasture-raised meats.
“People want to connect more than they can at their grocery store,” Ms. Jones said. “We had a couple who came down from Portland and asked if they could collect their own eggs. We said, ‘O.K., sure.’ They want to trust their producer, because there’s so little trust in food these days.”
Garry Stephenson, coordinator of the Small Farms Program at Oregon State University, said he had not seen so much interest among young people in decades. “It’s kind of exciting,” Mr. Stephenson said. “They’re young, they’re energetic and idealist, and they’re willing to make the sacrifices.”
Though the number of young farmers is increasing, the average age of farmers nationwide continues to creep toward 60, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture. That census, administered by the Department of Agriculture, found that farmers over 55 own more than half of the country’s farmland.
In response, the 2008 Farm Bill included a program for new farmers and ranchers. Last year, the department distributed $18 million to educate young growers across the country.
Tom Vilsack, the secretary of agriculture, said he hoped some beginning farmers would graduate to midsize and large farms as older farmers retired. “I think there needs to be more work in this area,” he said. “It’s great to invest $18 million to reach out to several thousand to get them interested, but the need here is pretty significant. We need to be even more creative than we’ve been to create strategies so that young people can access operations of all sizes.”
The problem, the young farmers say, is access to land and money to buy equipment. Many new to farming also struggle with the basics.
In Eugene, Ore., Kasey White and Jeff Broadie of Lonesome Whistle Farm are finishing their third season of cultivating heirloom beans with names like Calypso, Jacob’s Cattle and Dutch Ballet.
They have been lauded — and even consulted — by older farmers nearby for figuring out how to grow beans in a valley dominated by grass seed farmers.
But finding mentors has been difficult. There is a knowledge gap that has been referred to as “the lost generation” — people their parents’ age may farm but do not know how to grow food. The grandparent generation is no longer around to teach them.
So Ms. White and Mr. Broadie turned to YouTube for farming tips. They scoured the antiques section of Craigslist for small-scale farming equipment.
“When we started, we didn’t even know what we needed,” said Ms. White, 35. “We found out that a tractor built in the 1950s would drive over our beds and weed them.”
She said that they farmed because they felt like part of a broader movement, but that the farmer’s life was not always romantic. Last year, their garlic crop rotted in the ground. Mr. Broadie, 36, is unable to repay his student loans. They do not have health insurance, or know when they will be able to afford to buy land.
On a recent Saturday, Ms. White and Mr. Broadie moved to a farm owned by a couple that wants to support local agriculture. They hope it is their last stop.
That evening in Corvallis, the Joneses prepared for a party at Mary’s River Grange Hall with friends.
Among them, Jenni and Scott Timms, both 28, had quit their engineering jobs in Houston the month before. They would like to own their own farm someday.
“We see people like Tyler and Alicia doing it, and we thought, ‘If they can do it, so can we,’ ” Mr. Timms said.
The Timmses had arrived at the Joneses’ 106-acre farm the day before and were staying in a run-down Victorian house on the property. As they waited for their hosts, they sipped a microbrew in a kitchen overlooking wooded farmland. They said they were drawn by the state’s beauty and its 120 farmers’ markets.
And it seemed that other beginning farmers in Oregon shared their values. At the Grange hall later that evening, the gravel lot was lined with Subarus with bumper stickers that read “Buy locally,” “Who’s Your Farmer?” and “Let’s Get Dirty.” One farmer arrived by bicycle.
Inside, women in woolen sweaters and hats danced to the music of a bluegrass band. There was no formal speech, just the Grange master’s yell that food was ready.
The Grange master, Hank Keogh, is a 26-year-old who, with his multiple piercings and severe sideburns, looks more indie rock star than seed farmer. Mr. Keogh took over the Grange two years ago.
He increased membership by signing up dozens of young farmers and others in the region. He had the floorboards refinished, introduced weekly yoga classes and reduced the average age of Grange members to 35 from 65.
The young farmers crowded around a table brimming with food they had produced — delicata squash, beet salad, potato leek soup and sparkling mead. On a separate table were two pony kegs of India pale ale.
It was the first time the Joneses had been to the Grange, and Ms. Jones said they would probably join. She had already told the mead makers that she would connect them with Portland restaurants that wanted local honey.
“Literally, four years ago, this was not happening,” Ms. Jones said, gesturing to the 30 farmers who congregated at the hall. “Now, everywhere you turn, someone’s a farmer.”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Yeah to Oprah's Vegan Challenge!
If you missed Oprah's Vegan Challenge check it out here:
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Harpo-Vegan-Challenge-Results-Video
I will post my comments shortly.
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Harpo-Vegan-Challenge-Results-Video
I will post my comments shortly.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Twinkie vs Carrot
Did you know that carrots, a simple root vegetable cost more than a package of twinkies? Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH-Qv3f73x4
Thank you Michael Pollan for your investigative journalism and relentless drive to help Americans Know their Food and help change the way we eat.
Thank you Michael Pollan for your investigative journalism and relentless drive to help Americans Know their Food and help change the way we eat.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Protein question
hi, andie!
i love your new blog...so wonderful! here is my nutrition question for your consideration:
i dislike eggs unless they are scrambled, and don't like beans (other than green beans) and detest fish & seafood. what are good protein options for someone who is picky like me?
thanks for any thoughts...
cmb
Hi CMB,
Thanks for your question. Consuming adequate protein is very important for nutrition health so I'm happy to teach you some more protein options.
1) Have you tried all types of beans?
Like soy beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans to name my favorites? My last blog post highlighted the benefits of soy beans. They're great on top of salads, mixed in with rice,and tortillas.
2) Scrambled eggs are an excellent protein source.
Try to eat scrambled eggs 2-3 times a week (including the yolk) since you enjoy them and they're so good for your protein needs. I also wrote about eggs in an earlier blog post, so make sure you read that post too!
3) Nuts
Either roasted and unsalted nuts or nut butters (like peanut, almond, and/or cashew butter) are great protein source as well. They're excellent on salads and with an apple or a banana.
4) Yogurt
Another great source of protein ad delicious too!
Hope this helps!
i love your new blog...so wonderful! here is my nutrition question for your consideration:
i dislike eggs unless they are scrambled, and don't like beans (other than green beans) and detest fish & seafood. what are good protein options for someone who is picky like me?
thanks for any thoughts...
cmb
Hi CMB,
Thanks for your question. Consuming adequate protein is very important for nutrition health so I'm happy to teach you some more protein options.
1) Have you tried all types of beans?
Like soy beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, kidney beans to name my favorites? My last blog post highlighted the benefits of soy beans. They're great on top of salads, mixed in with rice,and tortillas.
2) Scrambled eggs are an excellent protein source.
Try to eat scrambled eggs 2-3 times a week (including the yolk) since you enjoy them and they're so good for your protein needs. I also wrote about eggs in an earlier blog post, so make sure you read that post too!
3) Nuts
Either roasted and unsalted nuts or nut butters (like peanut, almond, and/or cashew butter) are great protein source as well. They're excellent on salads and with an apple or a banana.
4) Yogurt
Another great source of protein ad delicious too!
Hope this helps!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Is soy a complete protein?
Soy is the plant that is closest in amino acids to animal protein. Methionine is the only limiting amino acid, otherwise, soy contains all the essential amino acids needed to meet the body's protein requirements.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) and other medical communities, as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognize soy protein as equal in quality to animal protein. And unlike many sources of animal protein, soy is low in saturated fat.
Reference
Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 51. FAO, Rome, Italy, 1991.
Soynutrition.com
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) and other medical communities, as well as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognize soy protein as equal in quality to animal protein. And unlike many sources of animal protein, soy is low in saturated fat.
Reference
Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 51. FAO, Rome, Italy, 1991.
Soynutrition.com
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Recent update on Vitamin D intake
Vitamin D intake
The U.S. government panel in charge of setting recommended daily intake levels for vitamins recently announced an increase in vitamin D recommendations for all populations in North America. Specifically, the Institute of Medicine report advocated a doubling of vitamin D intake for infants (to 400 IU), a tripling of vitamin D intake for those between ages 1 and 50 (to 600 IU), a 50 percent hike in those ages 51 to 70 (to 600 IU), and a 33 percent increase for those older than 71 years old (to 800 IU).
Several major news outlets, however, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, confused the issue by claiming that the report actually questioned the necessity for extra vitamin D. (For more on the debate, visit NPI Center.)
Here, Dr. Brad Jacobs, MD and Chair of Pharmaca's Integrative Health Advisory Board, weighs in on the sunshine vitamin. Dr. Jacobs, is the former founding medical director and Endowed Chair of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Clinical Programs at University of California - San Francisco. People who take regular doses of vitamin D have a significantly lower risk of dying early than those who do not use supplements.
The reasons why are not well understood but the researchers suggested the vitamin might block cancer cells from spreading or boost the immune system. The results were based on a meta-analysis that reviewed 18 separate trials involving nearly 60,000 patients. The doses averaged 528 international units, within the range of most commercially available vitamin D supplements. Those who took vitamin D supplements had a 7 percent lower risk of death. The specific causes of death were not yet evaluated.
We do know that Vitamin D is important for both healthy teeth and bones as well as nerve cells such as in the brain and seems to act as an important regulator of the immune system. It is found naturally in only a few foods like oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines) and fish liver oil. It is often added to milk, cereals and orange juice.
But sunlight is the main source for most people; the ultraviolet rays stimulate the skin to produce vitamin D. Many Americans, however, don't have enough vitamin D in their bodies. Many studies have looked at the relationship between cancer and vitamin D, but they have not been able to pinpoint exactly how vitamin D might influence cancer development, how much of an impact it might have or how much vitamin D would be necessary to have any effect.
Two recent studies suggest getting enough vitamin D could help prevent colon, breast and ovarian cancers. The researchers, from the University of California -San Diego, say taking supplements to get more vitamin D might be an easy, inexpensive way to reduce the number of cancer cases in the US. But other experts say it's too soon to recommend taking vitamin D supplements for cancer prevention.
Harvard Medical School researchers reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine that high intakes of vitamin D and calcium cut the risk of breast cancer by nearly one-third in pre-menopausal women, but not women past menopause.
The U.S. Institute of Medicine's new levels aren't Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDAs, because the institute doesn't think there's enough evidence to establish an RDA for vitamin D.
Discuss vitamin D intake with your doctor. And be aware that the Institute of Medicine has declared that 4,000 IUs is the upper tolerable, or safe level, for most people. For babies up to 1 year old, the limit is 1,500 IUs.
Take action to protect yourself:
1. Talk to your health provider about the latest research on vitamin D and ask for a blood test to see if you are deficient (<15>30 ng/ml.
2. Find good sources of vitamin D in your diet, e.g. oily fish and fortified foods (milk, orange juice, cereals).
3. Get 10-15 minutes of sun exposure on your face/arms or back 2 days per week, then apply sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
4. Take 1,000-2,000 IU of vitamin D as a dietary supplement on days that you do not get enough intake from the sun and food. Check the label on your multi-vitamin, since most don't have adequate amounts.
reprinted from Pharmaca.com
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Don't toss the yolks and where to buy the best eggs!
Dietary nutrition and egg yolks
Eggs were once considered a food to be avoided because of their high cholesterol content. Many people avoided eggs completely or threw away the yolks to only eat the egg whites.
Although egg yolks do contain a high amount of cholesterol (about 200 mg per egg), recent research studies show that egg yolks do not directly affect our blood cholesterol as much as initially thought. Most of the cholesterol in your body is made by the liver and the diet appears to not have a big impact on blood-fat levels.
Don't waste the yolks. There are a lot of really healthy nutrients in them.
Egg Yolk Nutritional Value
Protein
1 egg yolk can supply approximately 2.7 gm of protein. Egg yolk nutrition value is certainly high.
Calcium
Egg yolk is also a good source of calcium. Including calcium in the diet is essential to keep the bones healthy and strong. If you consume 1 egg yolk in your breakfast, your body gains around 22 mg of calcium, which is about 20% of your Recommended Daily Allowance.
Calcium
Egg yolk is also a good source of calcium. Including calcium in the diet is essential to keep the bones healthy and strong. If you consume 1 egg yolk in your breakfast, your body gains around 22 mg of calcium, which is about 20% of your Recommended Daily Allowance.
Amino Acids
Raw egg yolk is also an excellent source of amino acids like leutin and xeaxanthin that can help to prevent development of different types of cancer.
Fats and Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids
One raw egg yolk contains 4.51 g of fat. The unhealthy fat content is found to be 1.624 g but the good news is that it also has 'good' fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) in good amounts. So, out of the total fat content (4.51 mg), the good fats contained in raw egg yolk is around 2.75 g. Another important constituent of raw egg yolk are healthy fats such as omega 3 essential fatty acids (38.8 mg) that ensure a healthy heart and reduce inflammation in the body.
Potassium
Potassium deficiency that puts a person in the risk zone of high blood pressure, can certainly be avoided by having egg yolk at meal times. 1 fresh raw egg yolk contains approximately 19 mg of potassium.
Selenium
Selenium that behaves like an antioxidant, is also present in egg yolk. Increased level of selenium in the blood reduces the probability of suffering from dreaded diseases like skin and prostrate cancer. Studies show that selenium content in raw egg yolk is approximately 9.5 mcg.
Iron
Egg yolks are also fortified with iron that can help to prevent iron deficiency anemia in children and adults. To increase blood iron levels that provide a wide range of health benefits, egg yolk is definitely a good choice.
Egg Yolk Calories
How much calories does 1 raw egg yolk contain? A raw egg yolk supplies around 55-60 calories. Remember our bodies NEED some energy dense calories so don't throw away the yolk to save calories and fat. Skip fast food to save fat calories!
Vitamins
Egg yolks contain vitamin B12 and vitamin E in significant amounts.
What are the best eggs and where do you buy them?
A happy hen lays the highest quality and best tasting eggs. Lab research has documented differences in nutritional value in Certified Humane Cage Free hens compared to inhumanely raised battery caged hens. Choose eggs laid by humanely raised and handled hens both for their improved nutritional value and the ethical treatment of hens. Labeling an egg carton cage-free DOES NOT guarantee the ethical treatment of hens.
Look for the Certified Humane Raised and Handled label. NestFresh and Vital fresh are the ONLY egg companies in Boulder that pass the Certified Humane criteria.
Outside of Boulder please visit certifiedhumane.org to find a store near you!
King Soopers, Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, and Lucky's Market sell:
- Vital Farms Cage Free Eggs
- vitalfarms.com
NestFresh Cage Free Eggs
nestfresh.org
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ask Andie?
Hello Nutrition Coach Andie blog followers,
I have a lot of great nutrition articles and topics that I'm in the process of writing for the blog. So stay tuned! So much to write about such little time.
In the meantime, please send your nutrition related questions to coachandie@gmail.com and I will select a question weekly and post my answers on the blog!
Eat smart,
Andie
I have a lot of great nutrition articles and topics that I'm in the process of writing for the blog. So stay tuned! So much to write about such little time.
In the meantime, please send your nutrition related questions to coachandie@gmail.com and I will select a question weekly and post my answers on the blog!
Eat smart,
Andie
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Welcome to my new blog!
Hello food enthusiasts,
Welcome to my new nutrition blog! The goal of this blog is to provide you with the most up to date nutrition and food information. Plus fun food recipes
I am in my final year of a Registered Dietitian program at Metro State College of Denver and very excited to be specializing in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
Please stay tuned to my One a Day Nutrition Blog!
In Health,
Andie Bernard
Welcome to my new nutrition blog! The goal of this blog is to provide you with the most up to date nutrition and food information. Plus fun food recipes
I am in my final year of a Registered Dietitian program at Metro State College of Denver and very excited to be specializing in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
Please stay tuned to my One a Day Nutrition Blog!
In Health,
Andie Bernard
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)