As Seen on TV

I recently read a very interesting research study that analyzes the American diet as it is portrayed on TV. The study argues that food advertisements offer a "set of dietary endorsements" which "encourage viewers to eat the foods promoted for sale". Given that the average American household watches over 6 hours of TV each day, and all Americans together view 250 billion hours anually, I can agree with the authors that food advertising has to have a significant impact on the foods people desire and choose to eat. Working in a restaurant, I know very well how just the sight or smell of food can entice the guest's appetite and help us sell our dishes. 

The researchers of this study watched 84 hours of prime-time television (in 2004) on the major networks that 99% of Americans have access to. They recorded all of the foods advertised by sponsors and commericals in their suggested portion sizes, then tallied the nutrient results.

If a person ate a standard 2,000 calorie diet composed of ONLY these advertised items, the researchers found that person would consume: 25 times more sugar, 20 times more fat, and 1.5 times more protein than recommended daily servings, as well as less that half the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. The amount of sodium and cholesterol consumed would be off the charts, and daily vitamin needs not even close to met.

Really no surprise when you think about it...what do food commercials consist of? Domino's and Pizza Hut deals for family-size pasta dishes with free sides of cheese bread or cinnamon rolls...energy drinks...sugary cereals...manufactured diet products...water with no calories or nutrients but plenty of artificial ingredients...perhaps a more wholesome Ralph's grocery commercial thrown in now and then. But sitting down and noticing how much space these nutrient-empty foods occupy in the world of food sales is incredible...I mean, have you ever seen a commercial for asparagus? Food manufacturing is a HUGE business...I've often thought about this when walking through a grocery store and noticing that the majority of aisles are dedicated to foods that come in boxes and bags. We tend not to think of grocery shopping as a bombardment of advertisements, but really the food there is a PRODUCT to be SOLD.

For better or for worse, the influence of prepared and manufactured food products must be acknowledged. The researchers argue that "the pattern of nutritional imbalance found in advertised foods mimics the pattern of imbalance in the common American diet". The study observed zero public service announcements for balanced meals or fruits and veggies during these PRIME-TIME hours, although they do exist in other slots. They also included Saturday morning cartoon hours in their data, to capture the nutritional value of the foods children are influenced to desire...and in turn ask their parents to purchase.


"Nutritional Imbalance Endorsed by Televised Food Advertisements." Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2010.

Some things in life don't get to take a vacation

The past week I have been vacationing with my family at a beach house in Laguna Beach, which is an absolutely enjoyable get-away even though it is only 20 minutes from the house I grew up in. The town, the beach, the whole environment is not new to me, but what is new is that this is my first family vacation with celiac disease. Any travels with friends over the past two years felt manageable...I guess because it was just me and one other person. And I do dine out with my family about once a month just to get together and catch up, but I don't mind going-without at that sporadic frequency. Eating with my family for two to three meals a day, five to seven days in a row is a much different experience.

The discussion of what sounds good to eat, the excess of choices available to everyone but me, the appetite-inducing conversation that occurs around every meal, and the communal sharing of appetizers and tasting of each others' plates really wore down the defense mechanisms that I routinely put in place so that I am not constantly disappointed by my eating experience.

What this week made me realize is how valuable it has been to figure out my diet on my own, without the need to plan seperate or modified meals for a group of people as would be the case if I lived in a family household. I can figure out what I have an appetite for, prepare it without worries of cross-contamination, and eat it without feeling envious of what others are enjoying. Like I said to my family to try to depict how I was feeling, normally I can get excited about a simple bowl of cereal and be completely satisfied from eating it. That kind of mentality is not so easy to maintain when there's an entire table full of delicious-looking-and-smelling, untouchable food right in front of me. For better or for worse, this vacation reminded me how this part of my life continues to challenge me in new situations no matter how well I think I have been coping.

Losing It with Jillian

This is my new favorite TV show, starring the trainer Jillian Michaels from "the Biggest Loser", who spends a week at home with a family that is in dire need of losing weight. Although somewhat melodramatic (like most reality TV these days), I am willingly hooked on the cathartic breakdown of the behavioral and emotional contributions to each family's obesity, followed by the rebuilding of self-confidence and self-worth that is both the catalyst and the product of their weight loss achievements. I very much respect that the host focuses on the psychological powers at work in each member's road to their current state of unhealth, and the psychological powers that carry them through their transformation. At no point in the show are calories counted or do diet regimens take the spotlight; the mentality of restriction that begets disordered eating and feelings of failure is not promoted. Rather, Jillian instills in these people the feeling that they deserve to eat better and to feel better, that they are capable of change, and that they are going to reap the benefits of their metamorphosis with new life and new health.

I will say that I am somewhat skeptical about what happens behind the scenes: each episode culminates with Jillian returning in 6 weeks to an "unveiling" of the weightloss that the family has achieved, and in every episode I have seen so far, each member has lost 30-60 pounds...Now most of them begin at 100-200 pounds overweight, so this drastic weightloss may be appropriate. But we do not see what diet or exercise plan the families have been following in this month and a half, so I cannot know that extreme restricting of food or excessive exercise is not practiced. It is definitely possible that this kind of weightloss is not sustainable or not achievable by the viewers who are motivated by their example of quick weightloss. But again, the example is not a quick-fix method for HOW to lose the weight, it is the instillment of motivation and empowerment for positive change in life.

At the very least this is one more public venue for discussing America's obesity epidemic, alongside other big-network shows "The Biggest Loser" and "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution", as well as Michelle Obama's recent "Let's Move" campaign to reduce childhood obesity. The problem is wide-spread enough to merit such public attention, and it has only got to help the movement toward change, right?

You can watch all episodes of "Losing It" right now on Hulu.com

Gluten-Free EXPLOSION

I have had almost a month hiatus from blogging...as you know life's priorities are often numerous ;) Do not think, though, that for any of those days I was not contemplative about FOOD.

One of the more recent themes occurring is the absolute EXPLOSION of gluten-free-ness everywhere I look! Almost every chain restaurant I have dined at has handed me a gluten-free menu: P.F. Chang's (as always), Claim Jumper, BJ's, Maggiano's, and Yard House, to name a few. BJ's even goes farther than just cutting out gluten-containing ingredients, they actually are making gluten-free pizzas with a designated "gluten-free" section in their kitchen! Bisquik now has GF pancake mix, and Betty Crocker offers GF cake mixes. I even recently bought GF macaroni and cheese in the frozen section of my local GAS STATION! (granted, I do live in West LA) But clearly the market for gluten-free products is taking its place in the mainstream food economy.

What's more, behind this movement I am experiencing even MORE abundance of gluten-free foods at my specialty stores. Last week at Whole Foods I bought cinnamon buns, animal-shaped "graham" crackers, and yogurt-covered pretzels...I can hardly tell you how long it has been since I've eaten any of those things! Very exciting for me. Manufacturers are finally mastering the skill of making GF food that actually tastes good.
And clearly GF consumers' buying power is rising. After all, Celiac Disease Foundation estimates that 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease.

Along with this GF popularity is coming the trendy belief that gluten is "hard to digest", or just downright "bad for you". I do not doubt that as consumers see more and more "gluten-free" labels on products on the shelves, they increasingly wonder if this is a new ingenious health discovery that could benefit them...the bandwagon phenomenon of advertising. I am coining it the New Low-Carb diet: media taught you in the past decade that carbs make you fat...now media is telling you that carbs make you bloated, "inflamed", and ultimately are still why you're fat!

At this point I'm not very knowledgable about the digestion of gluten in a non-celiac body, nor the validity of or research behind these claims. So I am making it my personal goal to become better educated on this issue, and of course I will in turn share it all with you :) But for now...I'm just enjoying feeling like I can eat food from anywhere other than MY kitchen!

P.S. I'm still waiting for GF goldfish crackers...hint hint

Day 14: NORI

Oh my goodness...I accidentally skipped the letter N!!! And this was my favorite veggie to talk about...so I'm going back to it. My rules.

Nori is Japanese for dried seaweed, also known as "sea vegetable", and like land plants it too undergoes photosynthesis to harness the sun's energy for food. It is actually an algae, which is less "advanced" in structure than plants on land, but does share some similar characteristics. There are many non-edible varieties, particularly those living in fresh water, but the types eaten in Asian, Icelandic, Irish, and many other coastal cuisines for centuries are rich in nutrients. Here in California we typically find nori wrapped around our sushi roll. It took some maturity for me to appreciate the taste of seaweed, but now I even enjoy munching on a sheet of it by itself!

HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:

+ just one sheet (about 2g) has 10 calories: 1g carbs and 1g protein
+ 20% daily vitamin A, and 2% iron, 4% calcium, 14% folate, 4% riboflavin, 7% magnesium, 20% manganese
+ contains phytochemicals not found in land plants which are used in Asia to strengthen the immune system and fight infection
+ also rich in iodine, which is necessary for thyroid functioning, and so used to treat goiter

FUN FACTS:

+ the cultivation and exportation of seaweed from Asia is a $2 billion industry
+ in Belize seaweed is mixed into a drink of milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla...sounds pretty good to me!
+ carrageenan and agar are derived from seaweed, used as thickeners in many food products (as well as toothpaste and cosmetics)

Celiac Food Fair, aka FREEDOM

This past Saturday May 15th I attended, for the first time, the annual Celiac Disease Foundation Conference and Food Fair. Upon entering the ballroom of a downtown hotel, I was surrounded by people with the same diagnosis as me and oodles and oodles of FOOD! I can hardly express how free I felt knowing that I could eat EVERYTHING in that entire room! Here is a summary of my experience:

+ a vast majority of celiacs in attendance were female, "white", and thin

+ gluten-free baked goods are even more unhealthy than their gluten-containing counterparts

+ I am so glad I only have one food limitation: my freedom would have been spoiled if I were still dairy-free or vegetarian

+ ate lunch next to Marlene, a 45+ y.o. woman diagnosed for 25 years. She still gets excited about being given a gluten-free meal at the annual convention. She says it gets easier but most challenges never change...yay?

+ I truly have adopted an untrusting celiac mentality: with the presentation of a salad, various dressings, and a hot entree with sauce I felt very nervous not asking about the ingredients, even though I knew I was in the best of hands. And the next day when I felt nauseous I wondered if I had been gluten-poisoned, even though I can't imagine how that would be possible

+ met a 21-yr-old USC student with celiac disease AND type I diabetes. She is hoping first for a cure for celiac disease - says it's the more challenging disease

+ I am lucky to have been diagnosed so quickly...most celiacs undergo up to years of testing before doctors perform the right ones

+ symptoms of celiac disease vary WIDELY...some people vomit right away, others like myself would never know the difference

+ the standards for celiac treatment (the rules for food choices and avoiding contamination) are still changing. Vinegar and hard liquor? ok as of 10 years ago. Oats? ok as of 5 years ago (if certified GF). How to eat at restaurants? still very much under debate!

+ I wish I lived in Italy: with my diagnosis I would receive free blood tests and surgical screenings, 2 additional paid days off work each year (fo what I have no clue), money for gluten-free groceries, and restaurant of gluten-free pasta and pizza!

+ although ALL gluten ingested will cause inflammation from the immune response, research shows that up to 2mg per day will not cause the death of intestinal cells which most affects malabsorption and risk for cancer(research still in progress)

+ cookies, cupcakes, pizza, cookies, cake, cookies, cookies, and more cookies

+ I am not alone

Day 13: OKRA

Okra - not so popular in California, but very much so in the South - it is after all the essential ingredient in gumbo. In American cuisine it is traditionally paired with shrimp, but okra is also very common in African, Carribean, Indian, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisines in sauces, stews, and side dishes. Okra is the flowering part of a plant related to cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus, that contains MANY seeds inside (so here's another veggie that's actually a fruit!). I had never had okra in my life until two years ago when I tasted a spicy red curry dish at the Restaurant, but still have never cooked it at home until now. I tried them sauteed with olive oil, white onion, garlic, and lemon juice in a sauce from 1 can of diced tomatoes. I'm partway to gumbo, right??


HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:

+ 1 cup has only 31 calories: 0g fat, 7g carbs (3g dietary fiber, 1g sugars), 2g protein
+ provides 35% daily vitamin C, 66% vitamin K, 22% folate, 50% manganese, and good amounts of vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous...and the list goes on!
+ contains nearly all essential amino acids in the seeds (though only 2g total)
+ is known to relieve constipation from the "mucilagen" and fiber contained within the pods (the material holding all the seeds)

FUN FACTS:

+ it was brought to the US from Africa in the slave trade
+ okra leaves can also be eaten raw in salads or sauteed (though where one buys okra leaves I have no idea)
+ okra has been around atleast 12 centuries B.C., as the ancient Egyptians reported it in their cuisine
+ overcooking it leads to "okra slime", from the heat's affect on the inner mucilagen. This can also be minimized by trimming the ends of the pod