Balance of Food

Film review: Food Evolution

"(Monsanto) should have been more transparent (about GMOs) in reaching the public." — Dr. Robert T. Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Monsanto.

This statement may win the "duh" award. Monsanto's actions have been a huge force behind people's concerns over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) since they came into force in 1996.

The primary purpose of the Food Evolution film is to make fun of those people who see GMOs as a threat and mocking them for not understanding the nuances of genetic engineering.

The film starts out with the story of the rainbow papaya in Hawaii. The rainbow papaya was nearly wiped out until scientists put a gene into the rainbow papaya and ended up saving the crop. The film notes that one Hawaii county voted to ban GMOs while leaving an exception for the rainbow papaya. The scientists in the film mock their ignorance over not seeing that GE and GMOs are the same technology.

Food Evolution talks about the advantages of genetic engineering such as golden rice, where Vitamin A is added to rice in areas that are deficient in that vitamin, a potential allergy-free peanut, disease-resistant crops, and drought-tolerant crops. The film also explores Uganda bananas with a similar concern as the rainbow papaya in Hawaii. The film puts the blame on anti-GMO proponents for why bananas can't be saved in Uganda.

The people behind Food Evolution don't understand the confusion behind genetic engineering as a concept but you don't have to read too much into the film to see there are some benefits to genetic modification of food. Neil Degrasse Tyson, who narrates this film, should make his own film about the science to help people understand the concept.

Food Evolution tries to show us GMOs aren't all bad

Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle are in this film. Their excerpts in the film make them look more like hostages reading off a script. The statements are brief and offer absolutely no context to anything else they might have said in the interview. Both Pollan and Nestle have complained about the editing of the film.

Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy employs a number of questionable edits and choices in the film to put opponents in bad light that make viewers uncomfortable, even if you are likely to agree on the subject.

The Washington Post science journalist Tamar Haspel is in the film. I don't always agree with Haspel but was curious to see where she was on the topic. Haspel tells us that "we make decisions based on our gut." Not very scientific. Haspel doesn't contribute anything of science in the film, an odd omission and a bit disappointing. Given that she has an opinion on most everything, viewers can infer that her answers didn't suit the message of the film.

Kennedy brushes off the story of Monsanto suing farmers over the patents of their seeds. He implies that this really comes down to one case in Canada and that farmer had a lot of Monsanto seeds that he just didn't want to pay for. A very simple Google search with legitimate news sources would tell you Monsanto has sued hundreds of farmers in the United States over the patents of seeds. One case involving Indiana soybean farmer Vernon Hugh Bowman went to the Supreme Court of the United States; Monsanto won that case. Again, the facts are easy to prove. So why lie about a small thing such as this?

The film spends a bit of time about a Gilles-Eric Seralini study on tumors in rats. The scientists blame GMO fears off this specific study. The scientists make a common mistake assuming regular people have a specific study as a reason for being concerned about GMOs. Maybe their concerns about the study are quite legitimate. The problem is that refuting one study or so-called expert doesn't win you an argument. 

Food Evolution goes after Dr. Oz a lot. A Venn diagram would find some common areas of those who question Dr. Oz and are anti-GMOs. The film goes out of its way to mock people such as Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America, Jeffrey Smith, and the Food Babe.

The folks with March Against Myths challenge Honeycutt on the streets in downtown Chicago. The filmmakers think March Against Myths won the argument hands down, but the consensus is that neither side dealt well with their argument.

A primary argument against Moms Against America and the Food Babe revolve around products they sell on their Web sites. This is one of many moments in the film where the viewers would shrug and say "so what."

Mark Lynas is a food science journalist who switched from being anti-GMO to now being pro-GMO. Lynas apologized for vandalizing field trials of genetically engineered crops. He says in the film that if we were totally organic, we would have to get rid of the rainforest to feed the world's population. That last sentence seems more hyperbole than science not to mention that the rainforest is already being destroyed even with GMOs.

Food Evolution does reflect briefly on the dominance of Monsanto and other similar players with 90%-93% of GMO dominance of corn, soybeans, and cotton. You can like Monsanto and still be concerned about those statistics.

'Fed Up' speaks to limited truth along with whining and exploitation

'Farmland' is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help 'Fed Up' credibility

What's Tempting: GMO-free Cheerios

BalanceofFood.com film coverage

Food Evolution makes the argument that glyphosate is better than other pesticides. The film mentions that glyphosate has a LD50 mark of 5600 mg/kg, which by that measurement makes it less toxic than either caffeine or table salt. That sounds too impressive. But this is the only measurement that is in the film. 

The film spends about 2-3 minutes on organic farming. The talk is positive about organic but does point out that the "challenge is producing food on a large scale." This speaks to the theoretical advanced yields of GMOs, which relates back to the Lynas rainforest comment.

The film concludes with a debate from Intelligent Squared in New York City in late 2014. The question is over genetically modified food: yes or no.

Status	Agree	Disagree	Undecided
Before	32	30	38
After	60	31	9

Those numbers look really great for the pro-GMO side. The debate parallels the film in that the acceptance of genetic modification is an implied consent to glyphosate and Monsanto. You can watch the full debate and see for yourself.

The film runs a graphic about net sales of Whole Foods vs. Monsanto. The Whole Foods number is slightly higher. No context is given but the implied message is along the lines of Whole Foods is also a big scary corporation.

The companies are set up very differently. Whole Foods has to deal with brick-and-mortar locations, delivery issues, petty theft, and dealing with consumers. Monsanto and other similar players have a 90%-93% dominant market share where farmers are forced to buy their product every year. And the more resistant weeds are developed, the more Roundup has to be bought, increasing sales.

This "liberals are afraid of large corporations" argument is confusing at best. Apple Corporation is only one of many arguments against the concept. Liberals might be afraid of some large corporations but they are very afraid of Monsanto.

Nothing in this review or the film spells in a definitive manner whether glyphosate, Roundup, or Monsanto is beneficiary to the public. Food Evolution makes a good and fairly solid reasoning for exploring genetically modified food and the potential benefits. Past that, the film suffers from bad or awkward editing to make opponents look clueless and stupid. At other points, the film is plain dishonest.

Most films on food do promote organic and similarly grown methods. The difference with those films is that they are more positive about the attributes of their leanings and they want to inform those who do not believe instead of making fun of them. Food Evolution could use some of that etiquette and a lot nicer editing process.

The more knowledgeable you are about the food supply, the easier you can follow the truth and the hype in Food Evolution. But if you already are that smart about the food supply, chances are you won't learn much from the film.

video credit: YouTube/Abramorama Inc

Food Evolution tries to show us GMOs aren't all bad

I've seen a number of films that profess the wonders of growing organic. Being anti-GMO is part of the drill.

Food Evolution is a film that tells us GMOs are good. The truth lies somewhere in between but is that closer to this new film?

As part of a lunch-and-learn series this month, we will see the film broken up in 2 different sessions followed by a discussion on the topic.

The films I've seen want the truth. Food Evolution wants the truth. As we've learned about freedom on this food blog, truth seems to be in the eye of the beholder. While the definition of freedom will always have different hues, truth should be black and white.

There may be a section of anti-GMOs proponents who are also against genetic engineering of any kind. Most of the anti-GMO crowd can handle what happened to the rainbow papaya in Hawaii, where inserting genes from another plant helped bring back the plant to life. Given that GMOs work in a similar way to genetic engineering (GE), you might wonder about splitting hairs but this argument isn't as much about the technology but how that technology is being used. In other words, genetic engineering has some validity; Monsanto's use of said technology doesn't have validity.

Golden rice, adding beta-carotene (Vitamin A) to rice, as well as developing disease-resistant and drought-tolerant crops are examples of genetic engineering that have great potential, with the emphasis on potential to be a positive force in improving nutrition around the world.

'Fed Up' speaks to limited truth along with whining and exploitation

'Farmland' is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help 'Fed Up' credibility

What's Tempting: GMO-free Cheerios

BalanceofFood.com film coverage

These films have a point of view. How that point of view is presented speaks volumes about their own case. If you have the truth on your side, using propaganda techniques doesn't help your cause. BalanceofFood is a journalism blog so we don't like propaganda even if we agree with the message.

We will have a review of the film later this month as well as a wrapup of the discussion early in April.

video credit: YouTube/Abramorama Inc

How to reduce hunger during a film festival

This is the film festival season for a lot of people. You can see several films in a row. You want to see more, but your stomach is growling.

Eating during films is obviously encouraged in North America. In Europe, not so much. Theatres don't allow outside food, and we are not asking you to go out of your way to break the rules.

If you decide to break the rules, here are some tips on the best ways to eat through a film festival.

• Crunchy is great but not in a dark theatre with a bunch of people who are not your friends. This eliminates some good foods such as carrot sticks and potato chips. The idea is to minimize noise in the theatre out of respect for your fellow patrons.
• Popcorn is a good sell and you can certainly find popcorn in any theatre. If you air pop your popcorn, you can fill a freezer bag full of popcorn. You aren't tempted to use almost butter-like substances to put on your popcorn. The freezer bag lets you limit your portion sizes.
• Protein bars are an easy solution. The concern is too much sugar. Almonds are a really nice protein option with protein and fiber. You shouldn't eat too many almonds, but that isn't usually a problem. Eating almonds gives you protein and fiber without sugar. You can enhance almonds with a chili lime mix of spices (or similar spice influence) if plain almonds don't have much appeal.
• Carrots are an ideal, yet loud, vegetable snack but there are vegetables that will make you more friends such as cucumbers. Cucumbers are big on water so they also serve to hydrate.
• Fruit works better when sliced before entering the theatre. Apples and pears are great for fall festivals since those fruits are in season. Grapes are ideal if they are seedless. No one wants to hear you spit seeds. Slice your own fruit for maximum freshness and flavor. Fruit provides good sugar and needed fiber to keep you going.
• Applesauce (ideally natural with no added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup) and yogurt require a spoon but are quite ways to pack in some calories.
• Homemade granola is an ideal snack since granola is designed to fill you up in between meals. Just be sure to limit the sugar and to avoid nuts that are too crunchy.
• If toaster pastries or other food that is wrapped, unwrap the items before entering the theatre. The crinkling of packaging is worse for your fellow filmgoers than loud crunching.
• Invest in snack size bags and sandwich size bags. They can regulate portion sizes and keep food fresh until you need to eat them.
• Drink water. Yes, you might make more trips to the restroom but water does fill people up.

If you aren't sure as to whether your food passes muster, here are a few basic questions:

• Does it smell? Would the smell offend you if this wasn't your food and you were on an airplane?
• Would the noise be enough to wake up your roommate or significant other?
• Would I eat this food in a library if they allowed food in a library?

The rules might shift a bit if you are attending a food film festival since you might be eating certain foods while the films are playing. Your fellow patrons are less likely to be offended because they will be eating the same food.

BalanceofFood.com film coverage

Be considerate of others. Pick a variety of foods that sustain you without too much added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Try to have some fun with your choices while maintaining some nutritional balance. And enjoy the films.

photo credit: The Food Film Festival

'Fed Up' speaks to limited truth along with whining and exploitation

 

In the course of covering food policy, we've seen a lot of films about improving the food supply or pointing out the faults of those who supply food. Most of the films fall into the category of helpful but naive.

To be clear, we enjoy these films. Seeing them every so often is a great reminder that we can and should do a better job with our food supply, especially in the United States.

In August 2014, we wrote about a pair of films that had the appearance of being noteworthy films but ran into a few problems. "Farmland" was released from Big Food and its praise, at least in my Facebook feed, looked to be misguided at best.

"Fed Up" had a more sincere purpose but had credibility issues with the significant presence of Katie Couric. We did something we rarely do on this blog: we came to conclusions based on not having seen the film. Our conclusions came from the trailer and information we read about the project. But we hadn't seen the film.

The premise of "Fed Up" is rather good: the food industry tries to trick people into eating food based on questionable claims. This is not a shocker by any means. "The USDA is more about promoting U.S. food than about healthy food!?" Anyone who has seen any of these films know this to be true: this is literally not news.

How would the film deliver on this message and did the film actually meet the low standards we assigned to the film in August 2014?

So we saw the film recently and we now can tell the whole story of "Fed Up."

'Farmland' is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help 'Fed Up' credibility

BalanceofFood film coverage

The film goes back and forth between examples of the food industry's practices, strong political lobbying in Washington, and actual teenagers who are rather obese.

However, we never get a sense of the flow of the film. We know there are problems in companies and politics. We know that teenagers are becoming larger on average. But there is no fluidity between any of the segments.

Couric's "journalism" sense is usually lazy, self-serving, and anti-Democratic Party. You can find TV journalists that are anti-Democratic Party and anti-Republican Party, but Couric never seems to understand what journalism actually does.

The film is obsessed over the McGovern Report from 1978 and how its findings were changed to satisfy the food industry. This is an actual theme of the film. But the film never mentions Earl Butz, the Secretary of Agriculture under Richard M. Nixon, who started the growing policies that has led to cheap corn and high-fructose corn syrup.

Everything about the McGovern Report is likely true, but it's a tiny part of the story. Typical Couric journalism.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is attacked in the film for supporting a frozen pizza manufacturer that supplies school lunches over the tomato paste being a vegetable issue. Again, everything in the situation is true, but a tiny part of the tomato paste story.

A bipartisan example is given that involved Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and Sen. John Breaux (D-LA). Mentioning a senator from each major party might technically be bipartisan, but Breaux was one of the more conservative Democratic senators at the time. Touting Craig is more hilarious, given how his Senate career ended.

Bill Clinton is in the film, and Couric asks him defensive questions that are very shallow and vague. Politicians of all stripes have certainly contributed to this mess. Watching Couric try to pin this on Clinton is rather hilarious. After all, the problem is very huge yet one person can turn things around. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have done more than anyone else in power, though we can debate whether Michelle Obama has any real power, and look at the small impact they have had. Couric criticizes Michelle Obama for her actions in the film.

The film mentions the 6¢ increase in school lunches without pointing out that it was the first non-inflationary increase in school lunch funding since 1974. the film also doesn't point out that Republicans and conservative Democratic politicians watered down that increase to 6¢.

Blanche Lincoln, who worked hard to cut school lunch increase, lost her Senate race

"Fed Up" spends little time on high-fructose corn syrup even as it rails against the food industry. Dr. Robert Lustig is the expert used in the film to diminish the impact of high-fructose corn syrup, even if that contradicts his own findings. Michael Pollan gives the issue some serious attention but only for the few seconds he is on screen.

Enough about the politics: what about the children. We see the teenagers who are struggling with their weight, their home lives aren't helping as the problems are often generational. One kid talks about the Southern food heritage and how it can't be overcome.

One kid ends up getting lap band surgery since there are apparently no other options for this person.

Watching these kids in "Fed Up" is like the Sally Struthers commercials where people are starving except they leave out the part on how you can help. And that is a serious problem with this film. We see things are bad but don't get a way to help the situation.

We watch as this young person gets lap band surgery but little about what happens after the surgery. Another kid loses some weight and gains it back again. Yes, this is reality but the film exploits these young people without making their segments meaningful.

Given the low expectations of this film, we were not surprised that the film was even worse than our expectations. If you woke up from a 40-year coma and wanted to learn about what has happened to the food supply, there are parts of the film where you will learn something.

For those in a serious fight to do something about the food supply, "Fed Up" is mostly whining, exploitation, and incomplete on a number of key subjects. We honestly feel bad for the other people who worked on this film; their talents would have been better off in a separate film where no one gave directions to Katie Couric.

video credit: YouTube/RADiUS

Slider Bites: MSNBC focuses on food waste

Food waste is as important as underreported. MSNBC took time this week to delve into this valuable topic on "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story."

The news channel showed part of the documentary "Just Eat It." The documentary was introduced by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, who is now MSNBC's food correspondent.

The documentary follows Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin as they attempt to go 6 months eating only the bounty of wasted food, though they could eat other food at friends and family.

When we don't hear from the couple, we get a lot about how grocery stores and restaurants want beautiful looking produce and perfectly good food is thrown out over vanity.

• What's Tempting: Ugly fruits and vegetables

Grant and Jen were concerned that they might not have enough food. They discovered that food abundance, especially in certain categories, was the issue.

After the documentary aired, Colcchio hosted a panel discussion (see video above). In the discussion, author Jonathan Bloom pointed out that Americans spend less on food than any other nation. If food were more expensive, we'd be less likely to waste it.

You can find more information about the special, click here. For more on the film itself, click here.

Hopefully, we will get more enlightening specials on food stories. Colicchio is a chef, not a journalist. We hope that between food and journalism, we will have more conversations on vital but underreported issues.

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We love the Daily Show's take on food and were glad to see Aasif Mandvi back doing a story on Simplot and GMOs.

We were simply puzzled by what aired. Mandvi found a guy who had some offbeat theories about GMOs. Those who are concerned about GMOs know there are some unconventional takes on anti-GMO theories.

The new GMO potato from Simplot was praised in the story. While the GM potato is different than the other GMOs, the paintbrush felt like GMOs were okay. We expect that from CNN, not the Daily Show.

Mandvi had a bad time with Simplot in an earlier story. Simplot would love this story.

Cornell University's Dr. Walter De Jong in the story plays an economist, saying the anti-GMO people have pushed regulation so that only large companies (e.g., Monsanto) can afford to do GMOs. He should stick to science.

The story wasn't particularly informative or funny.

The GMO potato might be okay. The issues with GMOs stem (pun intended) from use of insecticides, companies such as Monsanto, and a lack of independent information.

The Daily Show normally celebrates the idea of the more information, the better, and with humor. This story had none of those traits. If you watch and disagree, let us know in the comments section or on Twitter @balanceoffood.

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videos credit: MSNBC; Daily Show

Toronto gets an In-N-Out Burger for a day

The following article is courtesy of our sister blog, CanadianCrossing.com. It has been reproduced here with complete permissions.

In-N-Out Burger is legendary in the United States, but mostly because of its scarcity. In 2011, the chain expanded outside the U.S. southwest to Texas.

However, for one day, In-N-Out Burger comes to Canada.

Today from 11 am to 3 pm, the heralded burger chain will pop up at the Italian restaurant Ganzi Osteria at 504 Jarvis in Toronto.

At the pop-up version, you can get double-double burgers (two patties and two slices of cheese), animal-style burgers (mustard-grilled patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions and extra spread), and a protein-style version (served in a lettuce wrap instead of a bun).

As you can see from the Google map above, you can get off at the Wellesley station at Yonge Street. Or you can get off at the Sherbourne station on the Bloor-Danforth line. If you are strolling through St. Lawrence Market this morning, it's a decent walk north on Jarvis.

The 1-day popup can only do so much to embrace what makes the fast food chain special.

-- In-N-Out Burger treats their employees better than typical fast-food chains. For one day in Toronto, you can't see that in action.

-- You can order your In-N-Out Burger medium rare or rare in the United States. Can't do that legally in Canada.

-- We don't know about fries or milkshakes. If fries are an option, you can order them animal style. All part of the secret menu that is the charm of In-N-Out Burger.

-- In-N-Out Burger is normally a leisurely experience, but for 4 hours for a pop-up, the fine print notes "First come, first served. Limited quantities available" and there will be a huge line.

-- The only palm trees you will see in Toronto is on the wrappers and signage.

Toronto joins other major world cities that have hosted a In-N-Out Burger popup, including Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, Singapore, London, and Auckland.

We don't know why Toronto or Canada for In-N-Out Burger, but the timing is during the Toronto International Film Festival, so if you go, you might see a celebrity or two (or their assistants) in line with you. Movie stars come from Southern California and so does In-N-Out Burger … for a limited time.

map credit: Google/logo credit: In-N-Out Burger/photo credit: Twitter @shaortega

'Farmland' is propaganda, but Katie Couric doesn't help 'Fed Up' credibility

The two most-buzzed about food documentaries this year are "Farmland" and "Fed Up." One is propaganda and one isn't.

At least, that is one interpretation.

I first heard about "Farmland" via friends on Facebook. Fair enough. It seemed odd that I hadn't heard much about it otherwise.

With a modicum of digging, I figured out why "Farmland" hadn't crossed through: the movie was released by Big Food as propaganda. The reception I saw about "Farmland" on Facebook was generally positive. Not overwhelmingly positive, but positive.

Further reading proves why I'm glad I didn't waste my money and time. A lot of these documentaries flow together; I certainly didn't want to ruin my mind on a film that was trying to trick me.

"Fed Up" is not propaganda, though if you question the film's intent, you could easily conclude that the film is propaganda.

Companies that get rich off of high-fructose corn syrup and corn would think "Fed Up" is propaganda. Then again, some of those companies were involved in the propaganda that is "Farmland."

If you look at the marketing of "Fed Up," the corn people should be somewhat happy. After all, the marketing lumps corn sweeteners as "sugar." The film's Web site compares the addictive properties of sugar as "tobacco and alcohol." "The more sugar you eat, the more you need to satisfy your craving." Except that not all "sugar" is sugar.

We have a huge problem in this country with high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. But the marketing of the film lumps everything together as "sugar." And that doesn't help address the issue.

Marketing a film as "the film the food industry doesn't want you to see" sounds noble, but the motto inspires laughter more than anything else. The food industry won't care if you see "Fed Up" or "Forks and Knives" or "King Corn."

'Forks over Knives' has good message, but presentation needs work

"Forks and Knives" and "King Corn" are other similar films are more straightforward, but their message is more general: eat better grown food.

"Fed Up" takes a simplistic position on a complex topic and takes a side, an obvious side. On some level, that is propaganda.

The difference might be whether you like the message in the film. The "Farmland" message is that farmers work hard so you shouldn't question how your food is grown or how animals are treated. We know that is propaganda because the people behind the film are being deceptive about the truth to further themselves.

Katie Couric is one of the major players involved in "Fed Up" — an executive producer and narrator. Couric's popularity has overshadowed her journalism sins.

Some might remember the plagiarism incident where Couric was reading first-person essays that didn't come from her experience. The sham was unveiled when a CBS News Web producer was fired for plagiarizing a Wall Street Journal column. Couric was never punished for her role.

Couric's worst journalism sin was "being deceptive about the truth to further themselves." In July 2008, Couric interviewed then GOP presidential candidate John McCain on the CBS Evening News. The answer McCain gave to a question was edited out of the interview and an answer to a different question was inserted into the interview.

The substitution was a direct violation of CBS News rules. The blame was shifted to an unnamed producer who edited the piece. Yet no one involved, especially Couric, were ever punished much less fired.

What Couric did was propaganda and passed it off as news. This isn't to say that "Fed Up" is propaganda, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't trust the journalism skills of Couric.

I didn't go see "Farmland" because I know from good sources that it is propaganda. I didn't go see "Fed Up" because of a major player in the film who has done propaganda. While I am not directly comparing the two situations, others will make different choices.

Propaganda is not always black and white. Elements of "Farmland" are true or relevant. Elements of "Fed Up" are true and relevant. While "Fed Up" has distinct advantages over "Farmland" in being true and relevant, to preach outside the converted, the voices have to be credible. There are a lot of voices in "Fed Up" that are absolutely credible: Katie Couric is not one of them.

What's Tempting: Celebrities going vegan

Going vegan is a challenge in itself, but made more difficult if you don't know anyone who had gone through the process. If you don't know people in your own lives who have made that switch, you can always live through celebrities. And since a lot of us feel like we know celebrities, well, that's "just as good."

Jay-Z and Beyonce are 10 days into their 22-day vegan challenge. Already the two music stars have an advantage, since Jay-Z knows someone going through the process (Beyonce) and Beyonce knows someone going through the process (Jay-Z). And they're both celebrities.

If Jay-Z and Beyonce aren't at your speed or you don't even know who they are, Al Gore is another recent convert to being vegan, joining former President Bill Clinton.

A brief check of celebrities who are vegans unveiled names such as Lea Michele, Jared Leto, Ellen and Portia, Natalie Portman, Russell Simmons, Sandra Oh, Alicia Silverstone, and Daryl Hannah. Silverstone even plays a vegan in her recent film, "Butter."

Jay-Z says the idea came from a vegan friend of his who "challenged me to embrace a 'plant-based breakfast' every day. So he had 2 things on his side: 1) someone who knew the landscape of being vegan, and 2) a direction to experiment with one meal in a day.

The first smart move is identifying this as "plant-based." In the rapper world, "vegan" might sound hippie-like, but "plant-based" might also sound like Snoop Dogg would be doing the challenge instead of Jay-Z.

Going 22 days as a vegan or eating a plant-based diet isn't a challenge to those who are vegetarian and lean vegan, or a well-established vegan. Doing so without having that much of a background, especially around holiday time, is a significant challenge.

Jay-Z announced this quest on his Life and Times blog. Jay-Z doesn't leave his followers in the cold on how to go vegan. The initial blog entry provides a link to a Web site conveniently entitled 22 days nutrition complete with 22 days of menus for vegan options.

Here is the menu from the first day:

Breakfast: Vanilla chia pudding with 1 cup fresh berries

Lunch: Crunchy red cabbage and green apple sesame slaw with 1 cup steamed, cubed sweet potato (or 1 small sweet potato, baked)

Afternoon snack: 1/4 cup hemp hummus with fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, romaine leaves, bell pepper, etc.)

Dinner: Black bean and quinoa salad with quick cumin dressing

Dessert: Dark chocolate

Celebrities, especially those who have to keep in good shape, have perks in their lives that average people don't get to enjoy. Fewer meals on the go, no commuting pressures — you can control more of your lifestyle.

The former vice president cited the impact of meat in climate change as a reasoning for going vegan. Gore's path has been quieter and a lot more subtle. Even when Gore knew how meat impact greenhouse gases, he still kept eating meat. Then again, Gore has been a vegan longer than 22 days.

If you, non-famous person that you are, chooses to go down the plant-based path to being a vegan, you can follow a more-publicized short-term path such as Jay-Z or a quieter, in for the long haul, journey such as Al Gore. Or you can dig to find out the backstory of other Hollywood vegans. Having a friend who is a vegan who will answer your questions is better than following a celebrity path.

No offense to Jay-Z and Beyonce, but a public spectacle over a 22-day period proves tempting to downplay any bumps in the road. If people are going to follow the path of celebrities, they would benefit from knowing about what to do in times of temptation or trouble. What about road trips? What about dinner parties? Was there a moment where you gave into temptation?

The 22-day method is designed to give a person time to change their ways. This shouldn't be about going 22 straight days without any animal products. The advantage to Gore's method is any slipup exists in real time; not about perfection, but finding a consistent path over a lifetime.

Often when talking to non-famous vegans on how they decided to go vegan, usually they were already vegetarian to start or a part-time vegan. Can't recall how many times I heard the phrase "I never really liked meat anyway." They weren't jumping from classic omnivore to strict vegan; even their path was an evolution, though a few of them seemingly had a head start down the path.

Jay-Z is trying to be realistic about going vegan full-time, not sure about the future. "I don't know what happens after Christmas. A semi-vegan, a full plant-based diet? Or just a spiritual and physical challenge? We'll see …"

Props to Jay-Z: no promises, no guarantees, giving a 24/7 plant-based diet a shot. Props to Beyonce, too. Good to have a loved one by your side in going down a difficult path.

What's Tempting: Meat as a flavor enhancer

We've seen the MyPlate where a ¼ of the plate is supposed to be the meat. In most households, the meat takes up more space on the plate, or rests inside a bun that takes up more than ½ of the plate.

But what if meat was there for taste without being the star of the show?

This would be like Neil Patrick Harris' role in "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle."

For example, in my not-so-famous spaghetti breakfast, I sometimes will sprinkle a bit of pancetta or anchovies on top. The meal is vegetarian up to that point (vegan if I skip the cheese), unless I use bacon grease to sauté the mushrooms. But the extra salty nature from the pancetta or anchovies adds extra flavor without being the star of the dish.

Chili is the classic example where a little bit of meat goes a long way, especially with beans in the chili.

Previous coverage:

Bacon goes well on everything, even a veggie burger

Everything goes better with bacon, but if you used well-grown bacon, and used only a slice, you could accomplish a huge difference with just a little bit of meat.

If you cut your bacon strips in half before cooking, they cook faster. But you could also trick yourself into having two "slices" of bacon that in reality is a strip of bacon.

You might remember our look at bacon on top of a veggie burger, a way to add a little meat while the non-meat burger is the star.

The discussion is often about all or nothing: meat-eater or vegetarian. The reality can be different for meat-eaters where they still eat meat but use that meat more wisely in dishes.

An 8 oz. burger is fine, but 3 oz. crumbled beef in tacos, stir-fry, salad topping, chili, spaghetti, or half a dozen other ways could bring plenty of flavor with 62% less beef.

You don't even have to do this every night or every meal. If you went from 8 oz. to 3 oz. 3x a week, you would consume about 50 fewer pounds of beef in a year for such a small sacrifice. And you're still eating 8 oz. of meat a day for 3 other days if you eat meat 6 days a week.

If you are trying to eat better, but are freaking out over the potential loss of meat, this method will give you peace of mind while eating better. You're not losing meat, just cutting back a bit.

Buying well-grown meat with more flavorful taste is ideal when cutting back since you want as much flavor as you can with less meat. The added cost of well-grown meat is offset by using less of it per serving, and wanting to use less overall.

You still get meat and protein, just not as much. And you can add other foods that contain protein, such as beans, into the meal.

While this is about health and taste, using meat as a flavor enhancer also allows us to appreciate the wonder and glory of meat. Buried in a bun with a bunch of condiments, meat doesn't get a chance to shine in a meal. Using good stuff sparingly, but still there, allows the best of both worlds: eating meat, just less.

Slider Bites: China not the only problem with Smithfield Foods

You should be worried about the potential of a takeover of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company. Then again, if that is your only worry, you should be paying more attention.

The primary worry last week was the impact that potentially lower standards would have on the U.S. food supply. But consumers should be even more concerned about how few U.S. companies control the vast majority of the meat supply.

Smithfield and the other companies that dominate the meat industry are, to coin a tired phrase, “too big to fail.” The cost of failure is even larger when our food supply is concerned.

The Chinese offer may be more about feeding those in China. Still, this offer gives us a chance to see if the United States “anything goes” policy includes a foreign takeover.

The United States food policy is no food policy. There is no long-term thinking or strategy for food production, health, and integrity. As much as some would like to bury their heads in the sand about how our food is grown, companies are in charge of growing most of our food. And those companies can be bought or sold with foreign or domestic buyers.

Even if the Chinese bid is not approved, we shouldn't breathe sighs of relief yet. But this should start the conversation about a national food policy.

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Internal pressure to come up with a sane food policy hasn't been terribly effective. However, outside pressure may be the answer to securing positive change. The U.S. may not care what its citizens eat, but the government cares about selling its food to other countries.

Japan halted a bid on 27,500 tons of Pacific Northwest wheat after a rogue genetically engineered strain was found on an Oregon farm. Other countries/organizations expressing concern include South Korea, the European Union, and Taiwan.

Other countries outside NAFTA want to make sure the food they are getting is GMO-free. Canada and Mexico would likely want their food to be GMO-free, but as we've seen with NAFTA, the dominant country sets the tone. And if those countries aren't sure about what they're getting, the U.S. can't ship as much food overseas as it wants.

Too bad California, Illinois, and Massachusetts can't set the same standards as Japan and South Korea.

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McDonald's came out and admitted what we suspected. No, not that. Not that. And definitely not that. No, the fast food chain admitted that their salads comprised a small percentage of sales.

We like to feel better about fast food places when they offer “healthier” choices. Then again, McD's tried really hard to cram unnecessary calories and fat (e.g., candied walnuts) into its salads, making them less desirable.

We don't ask Panera to make us a greasy burger and cold soggy fries. Sometimes, restaurants are just better off trying to be good (relatively speaking) at what they do, and not try at something where they are destined to fail.

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If I had a time machine and a functioning Flip camera, I would want to be Zachary Maxwell.

Maxwell made a film about how horrible his school lunches were. Maxwell also wanted to convince his parents that the school was not delivering on promised meals.

Maxwell almost lost a day's worth of footage after he got caught and was told he needed to delete the footage. Being a typical 4th grader, he convinced the teacher that he erased the footage, but he really didn't.

Maxwell is showing his film at the Manhattan Film Festival. I would have settled for a private screening for my parents to show them how horrible my school lunches really were. Bad school lunches that were reheated since the elementary school had no kitchen. At 10 years old, I would have loved the lunches Maxwell was rejecting. Sans proof, I couldn't convince my parents as to what I was getting. Maxwell doesn't have that problem.