The Roman Empire, Corrupt Politics, and Monsanto

While reading a section of the Satyricon (a piece published during the Roman empire that gives us a glimpse of the the extravagance of wealthy Romans), I found myself wondering if this is how the Waltons live.  According to Forbes, six members of the Walton family (founders of Wal-Mart) have more worth than the bottom 30% of all Americans put together. 

I also found myself pondering, not for the first time, the ways in which our 21st century society is like the Roman Empire of 2,000 years ago.  In my history classes, we always studied the Roman Empire as a great democracy making leaps toward modern civilization, but the disparity of wealth and increasingly-corrupt politics brought it down.  Are we headed in the same direction?  According to this article, "8 Striking parallels between the U.S. and the Roman Empire," history is not on our side! 

Here's one example: In reading Food Politics and watching the documentary Food Inc., I've become more aware of the problem of the "revolving door politics."  Our government officials are funded by companies, sometimes companies they've worked for, and they often protect their own interests and their companies instead of using their government position to protect citizens.  See examples below.

This was also a problem in ancient Rome.  According to 8 Striking parallels between the U.S. and the Roman Empire: Politics as the Road to Personal Wealth, "During the late Roman Republic period, one of the main roads to wealth was holding public office, and exploiting such positions to accumulate personal wealth."  

"Lawrence Lessig’s Republic Lost documents the corrosive effect of money on our political process. Lessig persuasively makes the case that we are witnessing the loss of our republican form of government, as politicians increasingly represent those who fund their campaigns, rather than our citizens." 

According to Lessig, Congressman, Senators and their staffs leverage their government service to move to private sector positions – that pay three to ten times their government compensation. Given this financial arrangement, “Their focus is therefore not so much on the people who sent them to Washington. Their focus is instead on those who will make them rich.”

I find this pretty disturbing...anyone agree?!? 

Peeking Behind "The Veil" of the Food Industry

Last night my husband and I watched the documentary Food Inc, where Michael Pollan and other narrators try to help consumers peek behind the veil that hides our food industry.  After all the reading we've done in the past few weeks, I wasn't surprised to find that it was a disturbing view of our food industry.   

Though I didn't think the documentary had much of an effect on my husband, who fell asleep for a few minutes in the middle of it (my fault...I started watching it at 9:00 pm and my husband gets up very early in order to greet middle-school students getting off the school bus at 7:00 am every day in St. Joe), I found him searching his ipad after the documentary for health information about the Boar's Head deli meats he had purchased at D &W that day.  Oddly, the first statement on the Boar's Head Q and A page says, "American Meat Institute refutes the myths presented in the new film Food Inc. Please click on the link below for more information."  The link led to a blank page.  Wow! The American Meat Institute is clearly on the defensive, and they should be afraid as more and more people become aware of what's "behind the veil." We chose Boar's Head specifically for the lack of nitrites and nitrates that are dangerous for pregnant women and young children, but it doesn't actually sound like the meats are organically produced.  After watching Food Inc, that's definitely a concern.  

After the documentary, we sat in the kitchen talking about our food options and our baby on-the-way.  It's scary to think about how to feed your family knowing that the majority of the food products available at the store are factory produced with genetically modified corn syrups.  Though my husband commented that he is afraid my participation in this class will change me forever (thus also changing some of his food habits since we share cooking and food responsibilities at home), I think we both understand that we MUST change because we are no longer just responsible for ourselves.  I've recently given up chicken, mostly because pregnancy results in some strange food aversions and I can't stand the sight or smell of it, but I'm not sure I ever want to eat chicken again.  A vegetarian lifestyle is more and more appealing as we continue to learn about the meat industry. 

I am happy to report that the documentary ends on an optimistic note.  Though food industries are very powerful, consumers are more powerful.  If we stop buying cheap, manufactured meats  and food products and opt for organic and local products instead, the food industries cannot sustain their power.   

Consider the tobacco industry:
Michael Pollan reminds us that the tobacco industry, which was just as powerful as the food industry, was defeated when consumers started to fight back. According to the Center for Disease Control's statistics, adult cigarette smokers  decreased from 42% of the population to 19% in the last 50 years.  Clearly, educating people about the harmful effects of tobacco has made an impact. 

The more we educate people about slaughterhouses, e-coli, GMOs, laboratory-produced foods, the dangers of Monsanto, etc. the more power we have to fight back.  As Americans become more aware of the harmful effects of our eating habits, the dangers of advertising unhealthy foods to children, and the carelessness of the food industry, I believe that we will make changes for future generations.    When possible, we need to speak out by using the dollars that we have (few as they may be) to support better food.  

I was still thinking about the documentary and the importance of making small changes this morning in a yoga class I attended at KVCC.  At the end of the class, the yoga instructor read a poem, called "For a New Beginning" by John O'Donohue.  The third stanza especially spoke to me about safety and sameness vs. change and new beginnings.  Though change is always a challenge, it's also a beautiful part of life and a natural result of learning.  I know it's optimistic, but I think Americans will change as they learn more.  We have already begun to make important changes to school lunches for our kids, and parents are getting wiser about the dangers of fast food.  These actions are small steps in the right direction. 

Working in Produce

As I read the second section of Tracie McMillan's The American Way of Eating, I found myself relating to a lot of her retail experiences, and not just because she was in Michigan throughout those months.  I started working part time when I was sixteen as a grocery bagger at a small, Southwest Michigan chain (now owned by Spartan Stores) called Family Fare.  Eventually, I was promoted to produce clerk.  I LOVED working in produce, and I LOVED eating all of the expired stuff!  I ate a tomato and cucumber sandwich for lunch every day.  I bought a loaf of bread from the deli, picked up a bruised tomato (there were always bruised tomatoes!) and a cucumber, and sometimes grabbed an expired prepackaged salad to go with the sandwich.  One night, a customer dropped a 5 pound box of blueberries.   Some of the berries rolled onto the floor, so I took the package off the shelves and put it in the back room.  By the end of my shift, I had eaten at least three pounds of the remaining blueberries (after I cleaned the floors and rinsed off the rest of the package).  To be honest, I was sorry a few hours later, but fresh berries are still one of my favorite snacks. 

I worked a lot of different jobs from the age of 16 until I started teaching full time at just 22 years old.  During the school year, I was a bilingual tutor for Kalamazoo and Parchment public school districts.  During the summer (and over the holidays), I picked up lots of hours in the food industry.  I stocked produce and dairy for Family Fare for $5.25 an hour.  I worked overnights at Target, but that only lasted a few weeks.  Like Tracie, I found that the part-time overnight schedule made me miserable. 

Confusing Americans is key for the success of the food industry!

Though I've only read the first fifty pages of Marion Nestle's Food Politics, one thing is exceedingly clear: The food industry does not care about the health of consumers, and the United States government (historically) has been too afraid of upsetting gigantic food industries to do much about it.  The name of the game is confusion.  Recommendations are constantly rephrased.  Instead of telling us to decrease consumption of meat (and risk the fury of the meat industry), which was the recommendation in the first draft of the Dietary Goals report in 1977, the recommendations have been rephased: Choose lean meats, limit intake of high-fat processed meats, limit use of animal fats...

According to Nestle's findings, recommendations for reduction of meats and saturated fats  have been consistent for over fifty years.  Yet, public awareness about the hazards of these foods seems fairly recent.  

When my parents were growing up in the 1950s, milk was it's own food group. The Daily Food Guide from 1958 recommends milk, meat, vegetables/fruits, and breads/cereals.  It's no wonder they had meat and a tall glass of milk at every meal.  However, this guide became obsolete in the 1970s, when the recommendations shifted in order to help Americans avoid chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.  The new guidelines were met with objections, specifically from the meat and diary producers.  Food companies even hired scientists to  report findings that were more beneficial to the higher consumption of all foods.  The controversy over recommendations and sales figures for the food industry resulted in seven different editions of dietary guidelines between 1977 and 2000.  Though the findings never truly changed, each new edition was more neutral and more careful not to inhibit the income of our food industry.  Instead of recommending a decrease in consumption of meats, the recommendations were rephrased to limit  intake of  high-fat processed meats. 

Though controversial, the new pyramid from 1992 at least made it clear that  dairy and meat should not be the basis of our  diets. According to Nestle, this food pyramid, created in 1991, was withdrawn under pressure from the meat producers, but then was finally released in 1992.  According to Nestle, the USDA was supposed to release new dietary recommendations (maybe a new food pyramid) in June of 2011...

Even with new recommendations, will we follow them?  Nestle posted this graph on her blog this week.  It doesn't look too promising that we will change our ways.  

Migrant labor practices exposed in The American Way of Eating

 After reading the first section of Tracy McMillan's The American Way of Eating, what struck me most was the infuriating practice of the garlic companies who "cooked the books" in order to severely underpay their employees.  In one example, a laborer who worked over 8 hours picking garlic was paid $16.  Although she had clocked over 8 hours, the company changed her paycheck to reflect only two hours of work because the minimum wage is $8 per hour in California. 

Sadly, this was a common practice.  Even the fastest pickers and hardest workers were unable to pick enough garlic to earn $8 per hour, so all of the workers' timecards were changed to reflect pay for the amount they picked.  Not one garlic worker was able to earn minimum wage (a total of $64 per day for eight hours) and the author (a journalist working undercover) often earned only $24 for 8 hours of work in the fields. Clearly, this is an illegal practice!  According to the author, companies who "cook the books" may be ordered to pay a fine after legal investigation; however, the fine is less than the cost of actually paying  workers a weekly check based on minimum wage.  Clearly, the consequences are not severe enough for the companies to change an illegal practice, and migrant farm workers continue to earn much less than minimum wage.  

The American Way of Eating was published by McMillan in 2012.  Despite years of reforms, illegal practices that prevent migrant farm workers from earning minimum wage are still rampant in the food industry.  Unfortunately, illegal practices that cheat farm workers have been common for many years.  

If you're interested in learning more about the migrant experience, I highly recommend Cajas de cartón by Francisco Jimenez, the story of a 12-year-old boy who worked with his family in the fields throughout his childhood. It's a short book composed of shorter narratives that are very accessible for intermediate Spanish speakers.  (English translations are available as well.)  Reading just the short story, "Cajas de cartón," for which the book is titled, is a worthwhile glimpse into the life of young workers.

Tomás Rivera's Y no se lo tragó la tierra (And the earth did not devour him) is another honest portrayal of the experience of migrant workers.  The book is published in a bilingual edition and was also the basis for a film of the same title (sometimes the title is translated And the earth did not swallow him).  

What's frustrating is that illegal practices and unfair treatment of migrant workers (many of whom are American citizens) have been part of the food industry since these narratives were written 50 years ago.  Sadly, not much has changed. 

Eating for Two

In another life, given the choice, I would ask to be raised by vegetarians, maybe even vegans, so it would be easy to devote myself to a healthy lifestyle.  After thirty years of eating meat, bread, and dairy, it feels like it may be too late to turn back, though that’s probably just my own lack of fortitude in the matter.  Swearing off the meat and potatoes-based meals planned for family gatherings feels like a dismissal of “family values,” a denial of the culture that raised me.  I’m not sure I have the heart to do that.  I'm also not dedicated enough (at the moment) to upend my current American lifestyle and swear off all of the things that I probably shouldn't be eating.  I generally stick to the Aristotelian mantra of "moderation in all things" and hope for the best.  
 

Last year I read Crazy, Sexy diet (Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It!) by Kris Carr, a cancer survivor who fought the disease by changing her entire lifestyle.  I was inspired, but fell back into my old habits of eating when I didn't have the time or money to recreate the magic. 

Recently, though, a life change has made me rethink my beliefs about food.  My husband and I are expecting our first child. I am already thinking about the implications of raising this child in a much more health-conscious world than the one in which I was raised. Though I haven’t been as strict about my own diet as I should be (the queasiness of early pregnancy caused me to trade in my usual lunch salads for peanut butter sandwiches and crackers), our food culture has caused me to think even more about what my child should eat.  For the first years of my child's life, food decisions will be almost entirely my responsibility.  

Is Gluten Free a Good Gig?

I worry about gluten, which a few close friends have sworn off as poison, and hope all the sandwiches and crackers I’ve been eating to settle my queasy stomach won’t seep any gluten poison into the baby’s digestive system.  Is the GMO wheat a serious concern?

BPAs and Plastic: Urban Legend or Serious Concern?

I drink mostly water, often two or more liters a day, but I almost always drink water from disposable plastic bottles I carry to all of my classes.  Even worse, I refill the plastic bottles many times before I lose the bottle or trade it in for a new one.  Is the plastic that holds my filtered water going to harm the baby? 

"Milk: It Does a Body Good"...Really?!? Growing up, my parents instilled in us the importance of drinking milk at every meal for health.  Remember the Got Milk? Campaign where celebrities were photographed wearing milk mustaches with quotes about the importance of drinking three glasses a day for good health? It's been going strong since 1993!  Though I grew up on milk, I switched to water or wine with meals many years ago after a milk-free semester in Spain. The milk tasted sour to me when I returned.  Now, I’ve been advised to add calcium to my diet for the baby, but I’m not sure cow’s milk is the best choice. Is it better to add more milk and processed cheese to my diet or to take fake calcium in the form of a supplement? 

Folic Acid, Fish Oil, Fiber...The Vitamins and Supplements Craze!
On the topic of supplements: I’m taking the recommended prenatal vitamins, but my husband thinks I should also be taking fish oil so our baby will be a brilliant physicist instead of an English teacher. (So far, I’m not taking the fish oil!)  Does anyone really know the long-term effect of adding vitamins, minerals, and other supplements to our diet? 
 

At our local grocery store, I stand in front of the pasta shelves immobilized and overwhelmed by all the choices.  Do I buy the Barilla PLUS, advertised as a good source of protein, fiber, and omega 3s from natural flaxseed?  Is it worth paying double the price for Barilla PLUS instead of Mueller’s classic enriched macaroni product?  Or, even more expensive, should I buy the gluten-free De Boles multigrain pasta made with rice, quinoa, and amaranth?  

I finally opt for the Barilla, but when I come home at night, my husband has picked up a box of hamburger helper for dinner instead.  Since I am easily turned off by food smells, I skip the hamburger helper  and eat a bowl of honey nut cheerios and milk, which advertises lots of whole grains, though I know it’s also full of sugar.  

I wonder about what my mother ate when she was pregnant and if she worried this much about food toxins and supplements. Is this a situation where ignorance is bliss?