Books |
Eating to Live
By
Published: Jan 01, 2008
Category:
Food and Wine
Food prices rose about 4% in 2007, and just as money starts getting tight for many Americans, food prices are expected to rise another 4% this year.
But it’s not as simple as paying more for the foods that most of us eat every day: meat, milk, coffee and eggs.
We’re going to pay more for foods that will be cheapened by their manufacturers.
Do you eat Sara Lee bread? The Wall Street Journal reports that Sara Lee is “reformulating some of its regional bread brands with cheaper, lower-protein wheat.”
Campbell Soup Co. is reducing the number of ingredients in its soups — and won’t tell us the percentage of reduction.
As for beef, it’s hard to imagine Factory Farming going any lower than it currently does — keeping cattle far from the fields where they can graze naturally and instead feeding them anything that’s cheap, including rejected candy and (please do gag here) pureed cattle. Yes, they eat their own kind. Which is why cows get more antibiotics than you ever will.
I’ve been reading about bad food and better food for a few years. And trying to live the smarter life. Recently I broke down and bought a wok. At the Gourmet Garage checkout the other week, the clerk couldn’t believe my bill.
“All that for $35,” she marveled as she filled the third bag.
“Because it’s just vegetables,” I said.
“I guess that’s the way to go,” she said. “Otherwise, all a lot of us can afford is junk food.”
Like, in the real world, that’s a choice. The thing is, it’s not just convenience. Or even cost. It’s that you’re gambling every time you vote for the easy meal — or even when you go to a restaurant with tablecloths and linen napkins.
We can’t know, because these things take years, but the choices we make at the restaurant and the supermarket and the golden arches may well be life-and-death.
Okay, at the very least: health or disease.
If you’ve done any of the reading about diet I’ve pushed on you over the years, you know the culprits: corn and sugar. And you may share my concern that we are eating ourselves toward a health crisis that could bankrupt this country by mid-century. Diabetes and obesity — that’s the one-two punch capable of taking America down.
The current Administration could care less. Like others before it, it’s in love with corn, soybeans, sugar and that all-purpose sweetener, high fructose corn syrup. But to a greater extent than previous Administrations, it listens only to Big Farming and Big Food, giving the cold shoulder to family farms and anyone who doesn’t worship corn and soybeans. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal recently reported that new White House and Food and Drug Administration proposals to improve food safety would, according to many critics, do exactly the opposite.
[For those who are tracking political candidates, John McCain’s web site reveals no position on food and farming. Barack Obama has pointed out that, in the last decade, “we’ve handed out $1.3 billion in federal farm money to people who aren’t even farmers.” One of Hillary Clinton’s advisors is Joy Philippi, former president of the National Pork Producers Association and the owner of a factory farm in Nebraska.]
My point? Many people look out for Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland and the rest — no one with real clout is looking out for us.
We’re on our own.
Or as Naomi Klein says, “The ultimate luxury project is your personal survival.”
So as Spring 2008 readies the earth for planting, I thought I’d take this space to present all the books I’ve showcased that might make it easier for you to eat right, stay healthy and live longer. You might save a few bucks, too.
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto — The New York Review of Books recently compared Michael Pollan to Rachel Carson. In 250 pages, he neatly summarizes the argument (“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) that he developed at greater length in "The Omnivore’s Dilemma" (here and here).
Real Food: What to Eat and Why — Nina Planck explains, in a companion book to Pollan’s, why you want to avoid processed food, low-fat concoctions and other food products that could never be called natural.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life — Barbara Kingsolver’s lively account of eating locally and organically. Much to admire here. But imitate?
And here are some cookbooks that like vegetables and spices even more than hunks of beef.
Bistro Cooking — Patricia Wells covers affordable French cooking.
Trattoria: Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy — Patricia Wells on pasta, tomatoes and vegetables. And, almost as an afterthought, animal protein.
Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate — Patricia Wells never leaves the new millennium.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking — Marcella Hazan serves up Northern Italian meals in sensible portions.
The Shun Lee Cookbook — a little of this, a little of that, with a bit of sugar and cornstarch and sherry to coat, fry in a wok, and you’ve got your own Chinese kitchen.
Super Natural Cooking — Heidi Swanson is too pure for me, but she does a great job of explaining various natural foods and what they do for you.
And some products:
Home Yogurt Maker — cheaper, better, more satisfying.
PUR Water Filters — Purifying water at home helps the planet and your budget.
SIGG Water Bottles — because it’s no longer cool to buy bottles.
Oh, and if you really get inspired:
Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond — okay, it’s like a second job. Consider what you get.
But first, kiss Sara Lee goodbye.
