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"The Food Movement, Rising"

A new essay from Michael Pollan in The New York Review of Books takes a look at the food revolution taking place - whether it's completely recognized yet or not - here in America. Pollan discusses everything from Michelle Obama's efforts to food safety and industry and how books published in the past decade (by other faves like J.S. Foer, Eric Schlosser, Marion Nestle, Joel Salatin, etc) along with growing support from national environmental and health organizations most definitely suggests a culture ripe and ready to get "beyond the barcode." 

If you take the time to go beyond JustSaying's summary and read the whole article just one time, let this be it. Find The Food Movement, Rising here.

Safety From Sun and For Skin

Spring sure has sprung, huh? The sun is shining, the temperature (alonside the electric bill) is rising, and the bikes, tykes, runners and sunners are out and about enjoying the weather. The great news is: more people are slathering SPF on themselves and their little ones than ever before. So much so that JustSaying has been asked to take a deeper look into the ingredients in sunblock and offer advice on the best block with the fewest harmful chemicals.

Lucky for us, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has created a fantastic Shopper's Guide to Safer Sunscreen with the following suggestions:

The toughest part about this topic is that we greenies can get a little nutty about chemical exposure so keep in mind that effectiveness is paramount. Sacrificing effectiveness in say... an all natural deodorant may mean fewer phone numbers at barbeques but skipping the sunscreen is like picking up a smoking habit. It's just plain dangerous. If you or your child have fair skin and need more protection than any of the products listed above is giving you or you simply don't have the extra cash for certain products: any sun protection is better than no sun protection. Lesser of two evils, folks. And remember you can always cover up the old-fashioned way. A lightweight cardigan and sun hat can be of service all season - not only at Preakness - so go ahead an leave 'em in your trunk.

For more reviews and easy lists of the pros and cons of tons of greensumer tested options, click here.

FDA Finally Expresses Concern About BPA

The Washington Post reports:

Growing scientific evidence has linked the chemical to a host of problems, including cancer, sexual dysfunction and heart disease. Federal officials said they are particularly concerned about BPA's effect on the development of fetuses, infants and young children.

"We have some concern, which leads us to recommend reasonable steps the public can take to reduce exposure to BPA," said Joshua Sharfstein, FDA's deputy commissioner, in a conference call to reporters Friday.

The Obama administration has pledged $30 million dollars to a two-year study of the chemical.

Another reason to drink tap water - not bottled

Short editorial from the NY Times reminding us that "until bottled water companies are required to release pertinent information about what’s in their water, consumers shouldn’t waste their money."

Basically, some bottled water may be as pure as promised but unregulated by the federal government, it is hard to tell which is which. On the other hand, public water supplies are regulated by the federal government.

Interesting.

Radioactive spinach?? Probably not...

Michael Pollan, or his books I should say, taught me something interesting about the produce and leafy greens we eat today: they aren't nearly as nutritious or packed full or antioxidants as say... a weed. Or as they were decades ago. Consider the following:

In order for a plant to survive in nature it has to stand up to pests and protect itself. In order for a plant to survive an prosper in the US food market, it has to be palatable - sweet even. By over-fertilizing, creating monoculture farms and over-producing certain plants, over time we have diminished the nutritional value (antioxidants etc) by doing for spinach, lettuce, and many others, what weeds do for themselves, thus making the manufactured produce more susceptible to disease and leaving self-sustaining plants far richer in nutritional value than the mass produced, widely-shipped varieties we find at the grocer.

What I am getting at here, is that the nutritional value of the produce most Americans consume (i.e. not from local farms) is already low and this latest news about FDA approval for zapping produce with radiation in order to kill/manage dangerous micro-organisms like Salmonella and E. coli sounds like treating a symptom of a much larger problem. Not to mention, the process lowers nutritional value even more and, well, it sort of freaks me out.

Read about the irradiation of produce in the NY Times:

Health / Health Care Policy
F.D.A. Allows Irradiation of Some Produce
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: August 22, 2008
The change in policy for fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce marks the first time the F.D.A. has allowed any produce to be irradiated at levels needed to protect against illness.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/health/policy/22spinach.html?ex=1377144000&en=4d87f8791e3baa62&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

However, I should also point out that there are good arguments in favor of this irradiation. Check out here: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/tossed-food-is-also-lost-water/