For Just a Dollar a Day...

Could you feed yourself for a dollar a day? That's the question two social justice teachers in California asked themselves in September, and they blogged the month long results.

This might not be news for a lot of people, since it seems like the couple received some pretty significant press. But I can do a good job at hiding from the media when I want to, and I managed to miss this particular story. In part, I find myself intrigued by the idea of cutting cost and unhealthy ingredients from my diet, as well as reducing portion sizes. It's hard to argue with the idea that as a country and on the whole, we eat too much, and too much of the wrong things.

The things Christopher and Katie discovered won't be a shock to anyone who's read Michael Pollan. Fresh fruits and vegetables will disappear from your diet, and if you want to genuinely find something even moderately healthy, you will have to make it - from scratch - yourself. It takes time and saps energy.

While this might just seem like a stunt to get attention, keep in mind that living in poverty is defined as living off $1 a day for food. Also keep in mind that Pablo Monsivais and Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington have recently determined that as junk food becomes cheaper ($1.76/1,000 kcal), the cost of nutrient-rich, low calorie foods continues to skyrocket ($18.16/1,000 kcal).

The holidays tend to be a time of excess when it comes to food, so it might not be the best time to suggest looking at your own grocery budget. But it might be eye opening to figure out just how much it costs you to live per day, at least when it comes to food and liquids. Eye opening doesn't necessarily mean change, but a spot of awareness never hurts.
-Kelly Hills

Food Wars, Part XIV: Conflict on the Menu

We've been posting a lot about food ethics in the last couple of months, so it is fitting that from the NY Times today: "New York City’s new rules for menu labels at chain restaurants have set off a food fight among the nation’s obesity experts.

Most support the theory of the city’s health commissioner that forcing chain restaurants to list the calories alongside menu items — flagging that a Double Whopper With Cheese has 990 calories, for example — will make patrons think twice about ordering one. The rules are set to take effect at the end of March."

However, in a court affidavit seeking to block implementation of the regulations, Dr. David B. Allison, the incoming president of the Obesity Society, argues that more harm could be done than good -- either by contributing to the 'forbidden-fruit allure of high-calorie foods or by sending patrons away hungry enough that they will later gorge themselves even more.'

Whether or not the injunction filed will be successful remains to be seen: The new labeling rules by NYC's Board of Health have support from a number organizations, such as Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.

Full article and PDF link to the court filings here.