Blog for 3/31

First two articles

I am unsurprised that HFCS is now linked to obesity, or that the authors of this article were accurate in their assertions of its poor nutritional value. I think it was even eerily accurate in referring to HFCS as an ‘epidemic’, being that our country’s obesity problem has also been labeled as such. From what we saw in Food, Inc., it seems that corporations have been playing a part in ‘playing down’ the consequences of HFCS.

I wholly agree with the article about the non-effectiveness of ‘downstream’ nutrition education. In fact, the argument in favor of it is barbaric and hypocritical to me. The FDA strictly regulates the drugs we are and are not allowed to put into our body. So in that regard, it is handled in an ‘upstream’ fashion. Yet with food, which is also considered a drug and also controlled by the FDA, there is little regulation. HFCS is proven to be bad, but it is left entirely up to the consumer to recognize this and make the decision to try to avoid it as much as they can.

Why to Eat Like a Greek:

I am Greek, and while I don’t strictly follow a Mediterranean diet (unless you count binge-eating Greek dishes on holidays, and occasionally getting a gyro at 2 am…) , I’ve grown up witnessing my yiayia’s (grandmother’s) strict adherence to a Greek diet. She’s 87 years old and while she has experienced some health problems, is overall very healthy. She carefully portions all of her meals, which always consist of some type of bread or pasta, sometimes meat (typically lean meat or fish), and always a vegetable. And there is always olive oil. Always. I’m not sure how this compares better with the diets of other places, but many of the meals do strike me as being much more varied, controlled and leaner than others.