Everybody wins when public health and good deals overlap

The other week I was heading into my neighborhood grocery store, and ran smack into a great in-store vegetable promotion.

Everyone loves a good deal. But the 'deals' at the front of the store are usually really not great for your health. Normally it's pyramids of sugary drinks and mountains of chips and cookies waiting for you at the store entrance.

 

But this time, I was so pleasantly surprised I actually stopped to take a picture. (And promptly got in trouble for taking pictures, so I'm only sharing the one which has no 'store identifying information'). And, of course, I bought what was on sale - along with everyone else who was shopping that day. Seriously, this produce was flying off the shelf!

 

So what did I get for the great price of 4.95?

• 1 kg onions
• 1kg carrots
• 1kg potatoes
• 1kg tomatoes
• 500g peppers
• 2 cucumbers
• AND a lovely new reusable grocery bag to put it all in
• AND 5 of the 6 items were local (from Belgium or the Netherlands)

Now that's what I call a good deal. Its a win-win-win-win. A win for the local farmers, a win for the grocery store, and a win for my wallet, and a win for my health.

 

I did the math, and if you count the potatoes as a vegetable this is enough veggies for two people to eat the recommended daily minimum of 400g of vegetables for six days, at a cost of 0.41 cents per person per day. Now, I think we should actually put the potatoes in a 'starch' category and aim for more than 400g per day. But even if you bump it up to 700g per day and leave off the potatoes, it will still last two people 2.85 days, at a cost of 0.87 cents per person per day.

 

I don't know how this promotion was made possible, or if it was subsidized by the store, but it is definitely a great example of how consumers will buy (and hopefully consume) vegetables when they are at the right price. My fellow shoppers were practically scrambling to get to these veggies.

 

Public health in action: my idea of a great Saturday at the grocery store!

 

 

Forget the boneless chicken, look at these kids meals!

Fried chicken in a bucket isn't portable or convenient enough? KFC thinks not.

From the LA Times:

"Trying to tear meat off a chicken skeleton is an annoyance for many Americans, especially younger ones. So KFC, in what it’s calling a “game changer” of a move, is ditching the bones.

The Kentucky-based chicken chain is rolling out its Original Recipe Boneless options on April 14 as it attempts to draw back patrons seeking more portable, convenient foods." 

Also, can anyone tell me what exactly 'nugget-esque' is?

"The company has rolled out items such as its nugget-esque Bites, Dip’ems and the Li’l Bucket Kids Meals."

Michele Simon of Eat Drink Politics hit the nail on the head with this Tweet:

OK, now I get the new boneless chicken at KFC, it's to appeal to kids. Of course. latimes.com/business/money…
— Michele Simon JD MPH (@MicheleRSimon) April 6, 2013

In reading the LA Times article, the 'Li'l Bucket Kids Meal' caught my eye, so I did some digging. This is what we should be paying attention to, not the boneless chicken gimick.

http://www.kfc.com/food/lilbucket/

First, the slogan: 'food. fun. laughter!'.... I have no comment.

In the picture, it looks okay as far as fast food kids meals go. It has the grilled chicken*, and the green beans are a nice addition. But I'd rather do without the Capri Sun. And I'm really not a big of a fan of the squeeze pack apple sauce -- is it too much to ask that kids eat with a utensil? Or, better yet, why not a REAL apple?

However, if you scroll down a bit on the page, you can see some of the other options for this kids meal.

http://www.kfc.com/food/lilbucket/

Positives: what look like small portion sizes; milk; green beans; and a half-positive for the apple sauce

Negatives: sugary-additive filled capri-sun, fried foods, mac n' cheese and mashed potatoes with gravy

I did some digging into the nutrition facts about this 'bucket' and analyzed two of the alternative combinations: the one with the highest calories, and one with the "best" choices nutritionally.

Option One		Option  Two
Chicken Little	570 calories 1450 mg sodium 26 g sugar	Grilled drumstick	285 calories 705 mg sodium 26 g sugar
Mac n’ Cheese		Green beans
Capri Sun		1% milk
Apple Sauce		Apple sauce

What is really alarming about Option One up there is the sodium. 1450mg of sodium for a child is WAY too high. Who am I kidding: Its too high for an adult!

The calories on Option Two are great**, and the sodium is lower***. The sugars work out to be the same in both, due to the naturally occuring sugar in milk. But make no mistake, the nutrients from milk far outweigh the complete lack of them in Capri Sun.

Now, my question is: how many children actually order the 'bucket' with the grilled chicken, green beans, and milk? Probably not many.

There doesn't appear to be a default choice, meaning what you would get if you didn't specify any choices. Would be great if the default was the relatively healthier option.

What do you think? Are these kids meals a step in the right direction, or still not good enough?

*Still quite high in sodium, though, so not a complete green light
** Remember this is for a kid who has lower calorie needs than you or I -- children ages 4-8 need about 1200 calories for the whole day, more if they are active
***Although still higher than I would like for a young kid

An even cheesier pizza

I’m finally resurfacing after a couple of very busy and challenging months, and couldn’t resist the opportunity to comment on this latest fast food creation. Announced yesterday, please meet the “crazy cheese crust” pizza from Pizza Hut. 

“Pizza Hut has found a way to get more cheese into American diets — a pizza crust made of little cheese-stuffed bread bowls.” (Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek) 

This extra cheesy pizza is a step up from their current ‘stuffed crust’ pizza (which I will admit, I remember eating when it debuted when I was younger). 

As one would expect, the extra punch of cheese comes with extra fat and calories.

“A pepperoni slice of the new pie has 390 calories and 20 grams of fat. By comparison, a slice of the regular hand-tossed pepperoni is listed at 310 calories and 13 grams of fat. A pepperoni slice from the Stuffed Crust pie has 340 calories and 16 grams of fat” (Source: Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

ONE slice has almost 400 calories, enough for a meal for the average woman. However, how many people do you know who would only eat ONE piece of pizza? Its pretty rare, so I’d say anyone buying this pizza will probably eat at least 2 slices, or 800 calories. That is half of what I would need for the DAY. Although the regular Pizza Hut pizza doesn’t get any health points either. 

Coca-Cola's Ruffled Feathers

In the NYT today a new Coca-Cola ad was highlighted: a 2-minute spot on all they are doing to combat obesity.




I don't have much to say about the ad other than it is typical PR, and littered with half-truths.

I see the fact that Coca-Cola is investing the money to make a 2-minute ad (for prime-time TV) as proof that all of the efforts to change the beverage environment in the US are working. Coca-Cola is looking rather scared by putting out this ad, at least to this advocate. This should be a sign to those working on this issue to keep going. You are ruffling some feathers!

On a more personal note, I want to send out my congratulations to CCPHA (my former organization) and Harold Goldstein on an EXCELLENT quote in the article. I am proud and honored to have worked with such an amazing company and advocates. Keep up the good fight!

Have you Kick(ed) the Can yet?

Horrifying New Stomach Pump

I am horrified. Enough so that I had to immediately end my unintentional blogging hiatus (sorry about that!).

ABC News is reporting that a new weight loss device has been invented: a stomach pump. Literally the folks at Aspire Bariatrics have invented a pump that sucks the food you've eaten out of your stomach after its been in there for 20 minutes.

As one of the doctors interviewed in the article said, I'm not surprised we've gotten to this point, but I am deeply saddened.

We are so far removed from a healthy way of eating that it's no wonder we are willing to resort to extreme and ridiculous means of losing weight. The food environment is pushing unhealthy, calorie-dense, environment-destroying food at every turn, making willpower and healthy intentions utterly ineffective for most people.

But I don't believe this stomach pump to be the answer. For one, the first thing that jumps to mind, the risk for complications is probably quite high. But beyond that immediate problem, this "solution" to obesity does not address the underlying causes.  Our food systems need to be overhauled to make healthy food the easy and affordable choice. Our culture needs to be overhauled to prioritise healthy meals and physically active lifestyles. Health and economic inequalities need to be reduced. All of these systematic changes need to be in place for sustainable behavior change. Only then will we turn the tide on obesity.

A trilingual Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my favorite Holiday. I love the meaning behind it, that once a year we gather in Thanks for what we have. I love that it is all about the food - no presents, no stress, just good food, family and friends enjoying the best of life.

This year we celebrated in Brussels. It was a true American thanksgiving, with all the fixings, but had a definitely new feel. For one we 'moved' Thanksgiving to the Saturday before, as thursday will be a normal working day here.

But most notably, in true Brussels-style, it was a trilingual Thanksgiving. While I was in the kitchen doing last minute work, the conversation floated in in bits and pieces of French, Dutch/Flemish and English. The dinner table moved between the three languages, with various people translating for those who didn't speak the language of the moment. Good food and wine were the common denominator, and thanks to some expert (and dedicated!) on the spot translators you would have never have known that there were language barriers at the table.

I was worried that Thanksgiving foods wouldn't 'translate' to the non-Americans in the bunch, but was I wrong. V's mom went wild for the stuffing. Everyone loved the chocolate pecan pie. The cranberries weren't identifiable to some, even with translation, but they were still enjoyed. And of course the turkey was the star of the show.

A lot of people have asked me how I got a turkey here.  I special ordered a turkey from Jack O'Shea's, an Irish butcher in Brussels, and picked it up without problem. (Although a fair warning for my fellow Americans out there, a special ordered turkey comes with a special ordered price tag...). Because the turkeys are 'grown' for Christmas, it was a little on the small side but worked out great. I'm not sure a bigger turkey could have fit in our European sized oven anyway!

We were very lucky to have my Dad visiting and helping, so it really felt like home and Thanksgiving. And, to make it even easier, he was able to bring a few of those key thanksgiving ingredients that are not easy to find here in Brussels. Corn syrup (for the pecan pie, which is extraordinarily unhealthy but you only do thanksgiving once a year), dried cranberries (for the Brussels sprouts, chosen on purpose for their name!), poultry seasoning for the bird.

He also trekked over some condensed cream of mushroom soup and fried onions for my all time favorite guilty pleasure: green bean casserole. I didn't burden my guests with this weird yet amazing concoction, I feared it would be completely lost in translation, but rest assured I will be making myself a casserole in the very near future! Again, this is not a dish me as the dietitian would recommend on a regular basis. But once a year, it is divine.

While a Thanksgiving abroad will never be exactly the same, this one felt pretty darn close. And it was such a pleasure to not only continue celebrating my traditions, particularly with my Dad there, but also to share them with people previously unfamiliar. A new tradition perhaps? We'll see!

Wishing everyone back home a very Happy Thanksgiving!

(Thanks Caroline for the photos!)

How can we compete with this?

Yesterday morning on the bus I had one of those 'things are never going to change' moments of frustration. The kind of moments, where me as someone working to change nutrition for the better wonders how we'll ever achieve success.

I was going along my daily commute, catching up on emails while on the bus, when a  young boy sat down across from me. I wouldn't have taken notice, but it was 8 in the morning and he was eating/carrying two bags of chips. 

I had to wonder, was this breakfast? A snack after breakfast? Did he buy them for himself, or was it something from home? He was eating them rather rushed - making me think it was a snack he had snuck? I, of course, will never know the answers, but my dietitian heart broke just a little bit seeing this.

Worst of all, it was a product that is even more processed than a plain chip, something I had never seen before. Its called 'Doritos Bits' and is a corn-based chip kind of like Frito's in the US, but small, shaped like a circle, and probably heavily flavored.

How on earth is this child ever going to be convinced to eat an apple, when he can have tasty chips, in a shape that seems designed for quick eating, and in a package that seems designed for smaller hands?

Later on in the day I was attending a debate on women's health and food at the European Parliament, and of course the discussion ended up on the two hottest topics in the EU and beyond: product reformulation and food labeling.

With this young boy fresh in my mind, I found this discussion particularly frustrating. Yes, lowering the amount of fat in the chips he was eating would be a step in the right direction. But its missing the point entirely that he is eating two bags of chips at 8 in the morning, perhaps instead of or in addition to a healthy breakfast. Our whole way of eating needs to shift to healthy, whole foods, not just move to marginally less junky junk food.

And with regards to food labeling, do you really think this young boy read the food label before eating these chips?  I am completely in support of food labeling (don't get me wrong), but it alone is not going to be enough to change this boy's eating habits.

I don't know the answer to the nutrition/obesity problem facing our world. But what I do know is that we've got a long way to go, and going on and on in meetings about initiatives that are going to barely scratch the surface is not going to get us there. It is a seriously steep uphill battle, on streets paved with irresistible salty, sugary and fatty foods, that will require many, many significant changes on our parts, the parts of governments and the parts of food companies.

Which brings me back to my morose thought of the day. Will we ever reach the tipping point where healthy eating is the norm? I hope so, and some days it seems like we're making progress. But on days like yesterday, I'm really not sure.