Eat at Your Own Risk?

The tragedy of tainted pet food is only one small part of our disastrous and unsafe food supply picture -- and it is not pretty. According to a recent Associated Press article, nearly 99 percent of food from other countries is not inspected by the FDA or USDA. Keep in mind this is food intended for humans as well as animals. And of the miniscule 1.3% that is tested, government agencies regularly find unhealthy levels of contamination, including everything from pesticides to salmonella. According to the report, food from China is especially likely to unsafe, so whenever possible check labels for country of origin information.

Furthermore, it's likely that the tainted ingredients that sickened and killed pets are in human foods, as well, according to another report in the International Herald Tribune. From the article:

"... the agency [FDA] will begin domestic tests of corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran, rice protein concentrate, and wheat gluten imported from China to determine if those products are also tainted with industrial chemicals. Such ingredients are used in breakfast cereal, pizza dough, baby formula, and protein shakes, but Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer at the food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said there was "no evidence" that any of those human foods contained contaminated ingredients."

No evidence? When only 1.3% of all imported food is being tested, that's not very reassuring. Of course, it may be unfair to single out imports when the FDA has been allowing food on grocery store shelves from domestic manufacturers with known contamination issues for years. During testimony before Congress earlier this week, we learned that the FDA has long known about spinach and meat tainted with E. coli and salmonella-laced peanut butter (pictured above, recalled Peter Pan peanut butter with product code 2111).

What can consumers do about the situation? For starters, stay informed. Check the news daily, because these stories do make headlines. Second, contact your representatives in Congress and let them know that the FDA, an agency that has been gutted in recent years, needs the budget and staff to oversee food safety properly. This is no longer a pet food issue -- it's something that affects everyone who eats.

Get Smart About Good Health

Great summary in the latest online Revolution Health newsletter about cutting-edge treatments for common health problems. If you're not familiar with Revolution Health, it's a terrific internet resource for all things health-related, created by AOL founder Steve Case. In fact, there's so much information at this website, you may find yourself spending hours looking through it all. Fortunately, the time won't be wasted. The information is sound, science based and very well organized.

Eat Better, Feel Better

Here's an interesting article from MSNBC about tactics parents can use to get kids to eat a healthier diet. Funny thing -- you can use those same methods to get adults to healthier, too! ("Eating healthy" generally means trading fat, sodium, and the empty calories of white flour and sugar for nutrient-rich whole grains, fruits and vegetables.)

And here are a few other ideas. Just for the heck of it, try one new fruit or vegetable every week. Last week, for example, we bought shallots and went a little crazy, adding them to anything that could handle their onion-y flavor. This week, it's herb-marinated olives -- a remarkable change from the ordinary, pimento-stuffed versions. Why try new foods? Because the more varied your diet, the more likely you are to be getting a wide range of nutrients.

Here's another suggestion -- if you're getting tired of steamed or boiled veggies, try roasting them in the oven. So far, we've roasted green beans, beets, broccoli, peppers, asparagus and tomatoes. Yummmm! Just drizzle with some grapeseed oil (rather than olive oil, which has a low smoking point and does not hold up well to heat), sprinkle your favorite seasoning on and they're ready to go in a 350 degree oven. Cooking time varies, depending on the vegetable, so start checking for doneness after about fifteen minutes.

Finally, visit the local garden store and invest in some fresh herbs. They make superb companions to vegetables of all kinds, and herbs contain vitamins and antioxidants. Plus, they're quite low in calories, and help reduce the need for salt, butter and sauces that add fat and sodium to our meals. Start with the familiar ones -- basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano -- and move into the more exotic fare, like the wonderful pineapple sage (shown in bloom in the photo above) and cilantro. Trust me, these are vegetables like you've never had them before!