Balance of Food

Michael Pollan for Ag Secretary?

Michael Winship (who writes for the Web site that is my day job) wrote a great piece on Michael Pollan and the possibility of being the Secretary of Agriculture in the upcoming Barack Obama Administration.

Pollan turns down the request, but did say something poignant:

"What Obama needs to do, if he indeed wants to make change in this area — and that isn't clear yet that he does, at least in his first term — I think we need a food policy czar in the White House because the challenge is not just what we do with agriculture, it's connecting the dots between agriculture and public health, between agriculture and energy and climate change, agriculture and education."

I've written about the many food-related issues that politics can actually solve. But I will let you read the remainder of Winship's essay.

I will take on this topic further in a short while. Looking forward to extending the conversation.

Appreciating whatever food comes along when traveling for holidays

Okay, you might think this is a strange question. Since I don't even care what I eat on Thanksgiving, why should you?

But in traveling on a holiday, I'm curious what I will eat on the holiday. My lunch will likely be a sandwich from the airport on the flight to San Francisco. Dinner is another curious issue. My flight will get in about 5 pm Pacific Time, so I will be plenty hungry. No real opportunity to get a decent dinner, and even in San Francisco, most restaurants will be closed on Thanksgiving.

Well, whatever dinner will be that night, I will absolutely be thankful to have the food. And yes, I will share what was for dinner that night. Stay tuned and wish me luck.

How much meat per week makes you a 'flexitarian'?

Yes, flexitarian is the fancy cool word to describe vegetarians who eat meat? Or are they omnivores that don't eat as much meat as someone who is self described as a "meat eater"?

I have known for some time that Dawn Jackson Blatner was working on a book on "The Flexitarian Diet." My immediate question to her at the time was how much meat constitutes a flexitarian. At the time, she didn't give me an answer. This was not a surprise, after all, she was still working on the book.

Well, the book is now out, and we have an answer. She took the figure from mypyramid.gov that apparently gives out 5 ounces of meat per day or 35 ounces of meat per week. Blatner rounds that up to 36 ounces, and proceeds to give three different classifications of a flexitarian.

Beginners have 2 meatless days/week and 26 ounces of meat per week. Advanced have 3-4 meatless days/week and 18 ounces of meat/week. And Experts have 5 meatless days/week and 9 ounces of meat per week.

In the book, Blatner says you can still eat 12 ounces of seafood per week. Still not sure why seafood is different from meat.

Now, for most women, limiting yourself to 35 ounces of meat per week, especially when you can eat 12 ounces of seafood seems very reasonable. And in a number of cases, reducing the figure to 27 or 18 ounces might not be that much of a sacrifice.

But I have to speak up for the men, when we might laugh a little at the prospect of limiting ourselves to as little as 35 ounces a week. Think 2 8-oz. burgers, 4 4-oz. meat sandwiches (think Subway or Quizno's), 3 3-oz. servings of bacon or sausage, and we are already up to 38 oz. of meat in a week. And that is a conservative guesstimate. Some men eat way more than this.

Thin is in — the White House

Many have made political comparisons between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln. Both are from Illinois, both are known as fine speakers, both are or will be president of the United States.

Also, both are tall and thin. In Lincoln's time, being thin wasn't a big deal. Farmers had to do a lot of work to keep their farms going. Sloth was a sign of wealth.

Nowadays, a thin person is usually scorned or sough upon for advice. "How do you stay so thin?"

Barack Obama does focus on going to the gym a lot, and yes, he did have a significant smoking habit. But Obama does seem to eat well as well as focusing on getting exercise. Obama likes to shoot hoops whenever he can, pointing out during the primary campaign that playing on voting days gave him good luck.

We are in the middle of an obesity epidemic in the U.S. Despite the fact that the current White House occupant, George W. Bush, is hugely focused on exercise, this hasn't translated well to the masses. Now that Obama is the president-elect, perhaps he could help whip this country into shape.

The future First Lady, Michelle Obama, is also in fine shape and she could be instrumental in helping America get in better shape.

I wrote about this topic earlier this year in a political context. At the time, I blasted Amy Chozick of The Wall Street Journal for opining whether voters would support a thin man in an obese country. I also blasted the Journal for its graphic, where it put Republican presidents in suits and Democratic presidents (and candidate) in casual wear.

It should also be noted that the article referred to a reply on a message board that said, "I won't vote for any beanpole guy." The Journal later had to apologize since a Journal reporter initiated the discussion (a violation of journalism ethics).

But I also blast the concept from a practical standpoint. William Howard Taft had a fine presidency where he was substantially larger than the electorate (though for reasons not related to food, Taft is the only incumbent to finish 3rd in a presidential race.) Taft later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

I insisted then as I do now that we could use a positive role model in government who can help lead us toward better physiques. I have previously mentioned the ongoing quest from Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, who is trying to get the city residents to lose 1 million pounds.

President-elect Obama has his hands full with a lot of problems, and he won't be president until January 20. But once he deals with a couple of wars, housing problems, a worldwide slumping economy, and rising energy and health care costs, perhaps Obama will have time to say, "Let's get into better shape."

Election Day — blue food or red food?

Today is Election Day, so given the busy circumstances, it's a good week to take off.

You could do all blue food or all red food, depending on your party affiliation. Or green food, if you like the Green Party.

Are you going to have a spread? Might not feel like eating much?

It's been an exciting and stressful time if you have been following politics. And our consumption of food changes when we are stressed.

Personally, I will celebrate with a non-HFCS bottle of a somewhat popular soft drink. Haven't picked the full menu, though it will likely be something that will fit in well with a Super Bowl type gathering.

So what is on your Election Day palate? Let us know what you are having.