Let's Talk Story - Down to Earth Blog

Two weeks ago, with the First Lady looking on, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids act in a special ceremony at the Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington D.C. The passage marked an important victory for Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, and President Obama joked that had he not managed to get it passed, he would have been sleeping on the couch. But other than a well-rested President, what effect will this legislation have on the day-to-day life of the nations schoolchildren?

I smiled upon reading the quote from the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) that "Vegetarianism is definitely a more mainstream choice than ever before." This came in response to a poll taken earlier this year: www.vrg.org/press/youth_poll_2010.php.

Is it because he eschews fur? Or campaigns against dog fighting? No, the reason PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has named the former president their Person of the Year for 2010 is because of his new plant-based diet. After a quadruple bypass six years ago (that's all four heart chambers with severe blockage) and surgery to implant two coronary stents earlier this year, Bill Clinton-obviously motivated by healthy concerns- now mostly eats and promotes a vegan diet.

GMOs are, without a doubt, the most important issue of our generation. The decisions made now will have a decisive and irreversible impact on food security and health for uncountable numbers of generations in the future. Following a drawn out legal challenge to biotech industries by concerned farmers, the USDA recently announced that they are considering total or partial deregulation of GM alfalfa. Please educate yourself about this vital issue.

It's Monday again and time to start another healthy week! Going meatless today is a great way to accomplish that as more bad news for meat surfaces. You may have caught wind of the big health news recently as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported for the first time the amount of antibiotics that were injected into or fed to U.S. animals destined for slaughter: 29 million pounds in the year 2009. That's 70% of the antibiotics used in the U.S. that year.

Milk lovers rejoice! U.S. and Dutch researchers found that drinking three glasses of milk per day may lead to an 18 percent decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Yes, you read that right – "decreased."

How can that be when we hear so much about saturated animal fat leading to clogged arteries? As you may know, cardiovascular disease (read: "heart and blood vessels"), is one of the top killers in developed nations, so any nutritional contributions to its decrease are heartily welcomed (pun intended).

More people are joining the Meatless Monday Movement around the globe. In a recent poll 30% of people surveyed had heard of Meatless Monday, while 16% said that they had reduced or were considering reducing their meat intake after learning about Meatless Monday.

Gelatin. It's everywhere. Derived from the skin, connective tissue, and bones of animals, such as cattle bone, cattle hides and pigskins, gelatin is most definitely NOT vegetarian, contrary to what many will claim. Gelatin is made from by-products of the meat and leather industry, in which cruelty is innate.

I hope you had a chance to catch the quick, fifteen-minute segment on GMOs on Dr. Oz’s show this morning. Dr. Oz, whose show reaches over three and a half million people, featured three guests – Dr.

Eat more veggies and live longer. Now a new study demonstrates this fact. The Archives of Internal Medicine reported "that people with high blood levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene — found in a variety of vegetables — were less likely to die during a 14-year longitudinal study, compared with people with low levels of the carotenoid."