Balance of Food

Research/vacation effort

Hitting a crunch time (umm, crunchy) with the day job (politics, et al.) and doing research for future columns. But there are plenty of great columns and essays from the archives.

Will have a fun Election Day theme for next week, so look for that on Election Day itself.

Keep the balance of food, and I'll talk to you soon.

The influence of setting on eating patterns

"I can't wait to get on the cruise ship so I can eat more sensibly, have more variety."

This phrase has been stuck in my mind for awhile. On my Amtrak trip from Seattle to Vancouver, these tourists behind me just wouldn't shut up, the type of people who talk just to hear themselves.

Their talking wouldn't have been so bad except this was an early train, and they were extra loud, as if they were the only people in the train car.

But before I was driven insane, the female ringleader said the above phrase.

This woman was middle-aged and let's say, not in very good shape. But despite her build, did she have a point? Could having full access to as much food as you want make you eat better?

Value of food stamps vital in slumping economy

We talk about the struggle of trying to find nutritious food on a budget. And as difficult as that is, imagine trying to do so on food stamps.

I wrote about this saga last year when a few House of Representatives members tried eating for a week on food stamps. The latest group to try this are Michigan politicians and executives of the Big 3 auto companies. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-MI) is leading the charge.

In July, the number of those receiving food stamps reached more than 29 million, an increase of almost 1 million over just three months earlier, according to the Department of Agriculture. This is the highest number since 2005, when damage from Hurricane Katrina spiked those figures.

Michigan state human services department chief Ismael Ahmed noted that he is surviving on $5.87 a day. Lattes from high priced coffee places don't fit into that budget.

As wonderful as these stunts are, those who have to master these skills on a week in/week out basis develop amazing strategies to pull it off. But often, those carefully crafted plans come at the expense of nutrition.

Personally, I am going through a stressful situation, some bad stress and some good stress. But when I'm stressed, I'm tempted to eat. Well, being on food stamps for real is stressful, and they don't have the outlets I have for food.

For all the things we subsidize in this nation (car travel, corn growing, marriage, charity giving), we don't subsidize nutritional food to make sure our poorest of the poor aren't eating badly, which can over time, lead to health problems from people who likely don't have health insurance.

Start by making it simple and see that people with food stamps can feed themselves on that fun, and get some nutrition while they are at it. Let's start with the politicians, who hopefully, are learning a lesson that one week of food stamps doesn't do a whole lot.

Putting dietitians where people can access them

You go to the grocery store to pick up a few items: a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, and chat with a registered dietitian.

A registered dietitian?

There is a disconnect between the world of professionals who know something about food and those who wonder what to do. Picking a dietitian isn't easy and people don't often know where to turn.

But I discovered that the brand new grocery store near where I work now has a registered dietitian. Her booth is small and non-descript. The area blends in a little too well within the other sections. But she also walks around the store when needed, helping customers make smarter choices on food at the store.

There is only so much a dietitian can do in a walk-by situation. But they can be used as a supplement to make sure you are on the right track, or give you a push in the right direction.

I haven't seen much of what they do, but in talking with Michelle, the store dietitian, she did say if asked, she would walk around with customers, helping them make choices for themselves.

Those who know a lot about food, labels, and every aspect of nutrition need to remember that a lot of people don't know or don't feel like they have the time to learn. Having a dietitian available, not required, allows people to get help when they otherwise might not feel comfortable.

After all, you go to a doctor because you don't know what is wrong. But a dietitian? "Yes, I'm fat, but I know this. I know what's wrong." A dietitian won't cure you, but that expert can be an assistance. And getting that help without any element of embarrassment or uncertainty is a boon to people getting the help you need.

I may not always agree with the dietitian approach, but I love having the idea of granting help where it is needed, where people buy food. In a world where some people don't have decent grocery stores or any grocery stores, it might seem an extravagance to have a dietitian in a grocery store.

But the idea has to start somewhere. And this store, though in a very large city, isn't in a ritzy area. I see the broken glass on the nearby sidewalks on an almost everyday basis. If this works in the setting, the idea could be expanded to where it would be needed most.

Lean & Fit replaces Lean Plate Club

For those, such as myself, who learned a lot from the Lean Plate Club, have a substitution from washingtonpost.com entitled Lean & Fit.

Jennifer Huget is running things, replacing, as it were, Sally Squires, who took The Washington Post buyout.

Those who got the previous LPC newsletters now get a copy of the Lean & Fit newsletter. There does seem to be more about exercise in the initial e-mail newsletter. And recipes are more prominent.

But one step I haven't seen, and wonder about, is the weekly chat on the Web site, traditionally on Tuesdays. I have noticed that the WaPo food section chat has taken a number of nutritional questions, so clearly there is still a need. The What's Cooking segment, which sometimes got nutritional questions, either hasn't received them lately or Kim O'Donnel hasn't put them in the chat.

So I wonder what you liked about the Lean Plate Club, what you didn't like, and what Lean & Fit can do to help improve your dietary/nutritional situation. Let us know what you think.