Author: Mike Lieberman

Last week the Eatocracy section of CNN.com posted an article titled – Study shows people don’t give a crap how many calories they eat.

The results of a study showed that, “Posting calories on menus has little effect on what customers buy, according to a recent study.”

Besides the fact that it’s slightly awesome that CNN put the word “crap” in their headline, I think that calorie counting in and of itself is a bunch of crap.

If you eat real whole foods, you won’t have to worry about calories. Ok, let me rephrase that because it’s not just about eating real whole foods. It’s about being active as well.

Sitting around in front of your computer or on the couch all day isn’t going to help. So if you eat real food, remain steadily active, then I don’t think that obesity and being overweight should really be that much of an issue.

My girlfriend used to be overweight and she tried nearly every diet out there. She was on Atkins, Weight Watchers, The Zone, Isagenix and the list goes on.

None of them worked. They weren’t sustainable. She cut out the processed foods and began to eat more whole foods. She dropped 30 lbs.

She remains active through yoga and other exercises, but that kind of lifestyle is sustainable. It doesn’t come to an end. It’s part of the journey.

Same thing goes for being active. You don’t need a fancy gym membership. There are plenty of body weight exercises that you can do. Check out my boy Al Kavadlo for some tips on that.

Growing your own helps with that because you are taking care of your mind, body and planet when you are in the garden. You are moving around. You are connecting with the earth.

To conclude – eat real whole foods that you can recognize the ingredients. No ingredients is even better because it’s a whole food. Keep active and you won’t need to count the calories.

You know what else..start growing some of your own food too.

What’s your thoughts on calorie counting?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zBozj0YPsQ

There was a post on Rodale.com on rodent control and how it was effecting barn owls. Even though this post wasn’t specifically about gardening, it can certainly be related to why organic gardening makes sense.

Here’s an excerpt from the post:

Other studies have found these dangerous chemicals building up in the bodies of herbivorous animals like squirrels and deer. Scientists aren’t sure why they’re building up in herbivores, but the evidence suggests that the chemicals are extremely persistent in the environment and do damage far beyond the rats and mice they’re intended to kill.

This is part of a larger problem. We see a problem and we attempt to fix that problem. The whole picture isn’t looked at. Rodents are the problem and we do something to get rid of them.

Often a spray, toxic chemical or something else is used. We don’t think or see how it effects everything else. There are other animals that interact with that rodent afterwards that become effected.

It goes beyond just effecting the “problem” (rodent). The entire eco-system becomes disturbed and a trickle down effect occurs.

This happens once you start to use sprays and chemicals. This is why organic methods make sense because they take the entire eco-system into consideration and works within it. Whether it’s through using beneficial insects, non-toxic sprays or another method, it’s more sustainable for everyone and thing involved.

You might get rid of one problem, but you start to create others such as with the owls mentioned in that post.

What are your thoughts and methods you use?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9ncUzs367w

One of the food blogs that I regularly read, Fooducate, had a post 2011 Food and Nutrition Trends.

It was a recap from some of the top food industry experts Marion Nestle, The Food Channel, Food & Wine and Mintel.

I’d like to contribute my predicted 2011 food trend as well. I am going to predict that people will continue to take their food back from the hands of corporations.

More people will start to grow their own food and reestablish that connection with their food source. It’s already begun, and I believe will continue to.

Personally, I receive several emails on a weekly basis from people saying that they have started already, whether it’s one herb on a windowsill, raised beds in their backyard or a little something on the patio.

People are starting to get sick (figuratively and literally) of what’s being produced and pushed off as food. That includes all of the processed, packaged, genetically modified and sprayed foods. I can give plenty of reasons why to grow your own food.

I’ve said it over and over again, it doesn’t have to be a huge garden. Just one plant will make a difference for the health of you, your friends, family and environment.

My other predication for 2011 is that this won’t be a trend and it will become a lifestyle choice for people. Trends come to and end. This won’t.

What’s your food trend prediction for 2011?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWYWY3YYQz8

One of the biggest stories and bills that’s out there right now is the S510 Food Safety Modernization Act that recently passed Senate.

There is lots of speculation and to do about this bill because it can have a huge impact on growers both large and small. It’s written in legalese and has a bunch of amendments and additions to it that it’s confusing to follow and understand what’s going on. Grist.org has been covering the bill in more detail.

With all of that being said, there is one thing that I definitely don’t like about it with no question. The fact that former Monsanto Vice President, Michael Taylor is the Food Czar that would be overseeing the act and oversees the FDA.

That’s like appointing Charles Manson in charge of the prison system or a assigning a pedophile the role as principal. It’s just ridiculous and makes absolutely no sense. So much for the “change” that Obama was offering.

It’s just the same ol crap with politicians appointing people that have ties to be large corporations in authoritative positions. They don’t really have the best interest of people in mind. They have the best interest of their wallets and friends in mind.

This act is under the guise of food safety, but it’s just another way to control the people even more by giving more control to corporations (such as Monsanto).

In the jargon, the “Tester Amendment” has been included, which I think excludes individuals and small growers from all of the expensive measures that need to be taken to ensure “safety” of the food.

The larger issue is that they would even think about enacting something like this on all growers. It’s wrong on many levels.

Yes the small farmer and individuals have been spared, but like Public Enemy sang “Can’t Trust It.”

I think that this was done to get under the rug and something else is going on. Maybe I’m just being pessimistic and could be totally wrong. Hopefully I am, but I don’t feel good about this.

I’m all for celebrating the small victories, but this just smells worse than Staten Island in the 1990s.

We all need to continue to stand up start to grow our own food. Just one plant will show that you don’t want these huge corporations to control us and to control our food.

Knowing what is going on and being able to grow our own food is our given right. Exercise it!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSpteG6WJXo

Most people only give thanks for their food during their Thanksgiving (or other holiday) meals. It’s usually done as an afterthought.

My question is why is being thankful for the food on our plate part of our daily routines? Why is it something reserved for Thanksgiving?

To me this is another example of how disconnected we’ve become from our food source. Thanksgiving is usually a time when friends and families congregate together to be thankful for each other. Giving thanks for the food is done as a, “Oh yea thanks for this food too.”

The feasts that are set out on our tables likely contain ingredients that have been compiled and traveled from all over the world. Let’s not mention what has happened to them during their journey – between the hormones in the turkeys and the sprays on the veggies. (Ok, so I mentioned it)

Giving thanks for food is an act that has been all but lost. I’m not saying that it should be a religious thing because I am far from religious.

What I am saying is that the food that sits on most of our tables, we have come to take for granted. We have no connection to it, nor understand the true importance of it. It’s just there and we expect it to be there on a daily basis.

One of the great parts about Thanksgiving is that it brings friends and families together to share food and enjoy each others company. For most, it’s a great time to kick back and relax from the daily grind.

That celebration and sharing of food is something that shouldn’t be reserved solely for holidays. Food is communal. It brings people together.

So this Thanksgiving when you are sitting around the table be sure to give thanks for your food. The next day give thanks for it again before you eat. Do the same the day after that.

You know what else you should also start to do? Grow some of your own. Just one plant and you’ll become much more appreciative and have a better connection with the food that’s on your table.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EbZMhr-Iok