Hi

I’m Angelica, and I’ve been interning at What’s On Your Plate? since November, give or take a little. I’m sixteen years old and I attend high school in New York. I’m 5’2 (and a half) and I tend to giggle a lot. My favorite foods are sushi and mangoes (separately), and I like the word kayak because its spelled the same way forwards and backwards. I like the color red, traveling, people who make me laugh, spring/summer, and art. Spiders are probably my least favorite thing in the world. I’ve never really gardened before, but once as a child I planted cherry pits in my grandmother’s backyard and it grew a tree a couple year later. Coincidence? I think not.

I came to WOYP? hoping to gain more experience on blogging and writing. But I actually ended up getting a whole lot more out of it. Its exposed me to a whole different perspective on food. We’re all used to scary documentaries badmouthing food and giving it a nasty reputation. But WOYP? goes beyond that to celebrate food and promotes healthy local communities at the same time. As a blogger at WOYP?, I want to enforce that message, and show that despite all the greasy corporate industries, there is still fresh and organic produce, even in bustling cities. I’ll probably never look at my lunch the same way again.

We have yet more reasons not to drink sugary coke.

At the risk of becoming infertile, scientists suggest that men drink fewer caffeinated products. Researchers from the American Journal of Epidemiology tested 2,554 young Danish men to see if there was a connection between their fitness, the amount of soda they drank, and their fertility rates. The results implied that a moderate soda-drinker may not experience decreased semen quality, however a large intake is associated with reduced sperm count. An intake of 800 mg of soda a day – or 14 half-liter bottles a week – could decrease sperm concentration.

You may also be paying more for soda now. The Coca Cola company is increasing the price by two or three cents per ounce of coke. That may not seem like a ridiculous amount, but keep in mind that those cents add up to a 50-140% increase. You’re getting a whole lot less for more. And this is from the people who threw hissy-fits when asked to raise a cent-per-ounce in the soda tax!

Our blogger, Cassie wrote an article supporting the soda tax. Although soda may seem tasty and affordable, its damages hormones which help signal your brain when you are no longer hungry, leading to obesity. This tax could decrease obesity and soda consumption by 10%, and generate 1.2 billion dollars. Already over 72% of NY residents favor it, and it seems like the obvious solution. This begs the question, when will it be passed?

Here at WOYP? we suggest that people trade in soda for a healthier alternative anyway, unless you want to hazard infertility or pay 140% more for it than what you normally would.

Massachusetts is taking a step in the right direction, Internet.

After considerable dispute, the Massachusetts state Senate voted unanimously in favor of the “School Nutrition Bill.” It is going to ban sodas, sports drinks, and all junk in general, from being sold in schools. They hope to sell low-fat dairy products, fresh and dried fruit, and 100 percent fruit juices without any added sugars or carbonation. It should also increase farm-school involvement in the coming years. Needless to say, we are very excited for this bill to be passed.

Today is a sad, sad day for bake sales everywhere. In an attempt to make schools health-savvy, The NY Department of Education is reforming what is being sold at bake sales. The DOE has a list of products that meet certain “health” requirements. As it would happen, these products aren’t really healthy at all, and include brands such as Doritos, Pop Tarts, Lays, and Pepsi. Because the DOE cannot regulate what is sold at bake sales in terms of grams of sugar and fat, they are banning homemade goods altogether, replacing them instead with the aforementioned brands. That means no cupcakes, brownies, cookies, or pies. These aren’t necessarily health food choices, but at least you know they aren’t chemically processed and you know where they’re coming from. Although the DOE probably had the best of intentions, this plan wasn’t well executed. We understand that schools should be healthier, but wouldn’t it have been better just to make guidelines rather then banning baked goods completely? Homemade products could easily be safer for kids than the store-bought brands.

This Wednesday at 6pm the Panel for Education Policy will be voting whether to approve the revisions to this regulation, also known as A-812. It’s not too late to stop this. Just sign this petition; it’ll only take a few seconds.

Update: Looks like the regulation passed unanimously. This is a setback which should only encourage us to speak more loudly.

Even McDonalds in Italy is trying to go local. Italy is probably best known for gelato, pasta, pizza, and other classic cuisine choices. However, it seems that Italy is turning a new leaf and is welcoming a more “modern” approach to food.  The McItaly – as it has so been called – is made with all Italian produce.  With olive oil, smoked pancetta, onion and asiago cheese, these burgers hardly resemble the traditional happy meal. “This sandwich has great ambitions,” said the Italian agriculture minister.

We’ll just see about that.

There’s been a lot of news about food whirling around recently. The most exciting chunk of news is delivered by Mr. Obama himself: despite the budget freeze, he has still managed to fund the Child Nutrition programs with 10 billion dollars. Although it’s a difficult time and all, we’re glad that Barack still has his priorities straight and helps children in need. But then again, we shouldn’t be too surprised. Barack isn’t the first in the Obama family to help child nutrition; Michelle Obama is leading a national campaign against child obesity.

They’re not the first politicians who are attempting to better children’s health food.  Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, often boasts of greatly reducing the calories in school lunches. However, less calories that doesn’t necessarily mean healthier. School lunches in New York still maintain absurdly high fructose and corn syrup levels, and are highly processed. Sure the calories have decreased, but the Bloomberg administration is just giving fast food a friendly face.

However, one school in New York is ready to make a difference. They are installing a $1.6 million schoolyard garden behind P.S. 216.  The school will grow their own food and cook their lunches from it, The school principal, Celia Kaplinski, plans to integrate science, history, art and math with the help of this Edible Schoolyard. It is the most expensive schoolyard ever made, and also the only one to function year-round. The kids will grow the produce themselves, eat healthy lunches, and learn the entire time throughout.

Massachusetts has also been trying to reform school lunches. A bill is going to the senate issuing that schools must sell vegetables, fruits, whole grain, and dairy products. That means no more additives or other questionable substances. We hope that the MA senate passes this bill against junk food.

People tend to learn positive eating habits as children growing up, so school lunches actually carry a lot of weight. The habits they pick up now will stay with them for the rest of their lives. If all of these improvements follow through, the average school cafeteria will be a happy place.

It seems that the impossible has occurred. Although the farthest you could possibly get from a McDonalds restaurant in the USA is 107 miles, fast food chains are dying as we speak. They are being replaced by local businesses, such as Chinese Hut and Big Bites Ice Cream. Although they aren’t exactly health food, they are definitely an improvement.
We’re ready to take it a step further and say that home-cooked meals are made faster then fast-food. That’s right, you could cook dinner faster then it could be delivered at your doorstep, and probably tastier too. Here are some ideas.

Many schools are giving back to the environment.

One such school is the NYCiSchool. The students are constructing a Green Roof, which in the most simplistic sense, is a garden on the roof of the building. An interview with student Anna Ralbovski revealed that students are expected to devise design of the Green Roof. As of yet, the design is said to include a pond, several pebble pathways with benches, and a variety of plants, flowers, and trees. But the Green Roof isn’t only supposed to look pretty. The school aims to reduce the building’s carbon footprint. Clad in wind turbines and an advanced irrigation system, the NYCiSchool’s fancy Green Roof is taking major steps in improving the city’s pollution levels. The otherwise impermeable roof surface causes excessive water runoff leading into sewage overflows, and thus polluting local rivers. The students are hoping that the irrigation system will be the solution to this problem, and finally put that water to good in use by feeding the vegetation.

Wind turbines are, if possible, even fancier. These massive, whimsical machines convert wind energy into usable power. They’re a good alternative for people that don’t want to burn more fossil fuels. The green roof should be finished the end 2012.

It seems that these schools have fed two birds with one seed: not only are the students learning valuable science information, they are contributing to the environment and community. How is that for a science class?

Although it’s hard to believe, school lunches are unhealthier for your children than most fast food chains, including McDonald’s and KFC. We’re following up on Nate’s great post about cafeteria food.

A recent investigation conducted by USA Today showed that 77 million pounds of “old hen meat” are being served in schools, amounting to approximately 145 million dollars. Spent hens, so called because they can no longer hatch eggs, are not a favorite consumer product due to their brittle bones, which are prone to splintering. Although a common component of pet food, “old hen meat” cuts short for human expectations: they increase rates of salmonella, especially in children. Campbell Soup Company, as well as the KFC Company, do not use spent hens due to “quality considerations.”

But there’s still hope for school lunches. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan revealed that the USDA was beginning Farm-to-School Tactical Teams in order to give cafeteria fresh food.  In addition, they are also giving schools access to 50 million dollars so they could purchase fresh and locally grown produce. New purchasing guidelines are also being installed, focusing primarily on organic and healthier food.

Most kids consume the greater part of their daily calorie intake throughout the school day. For most kids, school lunches set an example for proper eating habits. The habits they pick up at schools now could stay with them the rest of their lives. We hope that the USDA will work on making cafeteria food more nutritious and tastier.

No one seems to know what should be done about E. Coli.

E. Coli, a bacterium found in cow meat, has been the subject of food-safety controversy for some time. While these bacteria could live in a cow’s digestive tract without making it sick, it could make humans ill if taken in large doses. Agencies such as Epitopix, a Minnesota company, and Bioniche Life Science in Canada, are producing vaccinations that decrease the chances of E. Coli bacteria by 75%.  By injecting the formula into a cow, they are diminishing the risk of cattle bringing the bacteria into the slaughterhouse.

However, this vaccination reached a gray area in the boundaries between animal medicine and human health. Initially, there was a dispute between the Agriculture Department and the FDA, both claiming that the choice was not within their jurisdiction. Neither were accountable for animal vaccination under federal law. The Agriculture Department decided that it would consider the vaccination, with the condition that there had to be a 90% reduction rate in the cattle carrying the infection, as well as a 99.9% decrease in the bacteria being carried. This was a very unrealistic goal, and in the meantime people were getting sick. At long last, the Agriculture Department came to a final decision and allowed the farmers to give cows the vaccinations,

Although the vaccines appear to be the quickest and somewhat cheapest solution, what will it really do to our health in the long run? Wouldn’t it be safer to just stick to an old fashioned HACCP procedure, in which each individual cow would be tested for the bacteria and then turned to the slaughterhouse?

If you want to know more about cows, Nate posted a blog about meat in the food system the other day. Chef Anne also had an interesting take on meat in our school lunches. Check out what they had to say!