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Social commentary
I believe going forward we will see more and more healthcare delivered over the Internet and via electronic communication technologies, whether email or text messaging. There are a number of reasons why this makes sense. First, this is how a significant subset of the population wants to communicate. Second, people are just too busy to take a day or half-day off of work to go to a doctor’s office. Third, there are some issues people are more comfortable discussing anonymously or at least not in person. And, finally, these types of communications are much less costly than traditional office based health care.
Now if we can only get doctors and health insurance companies to agree that this is something that should be provided and paid for, it would be great.
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Filed Under:
Health insurance, Social commentary
Chris was outraged. But he is turning his outrage into action. He has founded a non-profit, “Parents Against Junk Food.” This is a good old-fashioned call-to-action website that aims to get parents riled up about this issue.
Chris writes in his editorial:
““One day, mothers and fathers across America are going to wake up, throw open the window, and yell, “We’re mad, and we’re not going to take it anymore!””
Way to go, Chris! Yes, parents need to be responsible for their kids’ health and well-being, but we need to ask for, no demand, that the public institutions that we pay for with our hard-earned tax dollars, support us in our efforts keep our kids healthy and safe.
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Inspiration/motivation, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Childhood obesity, Nutrition, Social commentary, Healthy eating
You don't have to go hungry anymore; we can fill you with fats and carbs more cheaply than ever. You don't have to chase your food; we can bring it to you. You don't have to cook it; we can deliver it ready to eat. You don't have to eat it before it spoils; we can pump it full of preservatives so it lasts forever. You don't even have to stop when you're full. We've got so much food to sell, we want you to keep eating.
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Filed Under:
Public health, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Nutrition, Social commentary, Healthy eating, Food industry, Food politics
As we started talking about his health insurance, the conversation naturally drifted to health. He is prediabetic, he told me, and his brother is a type 2 diabetic who has already had some toes amputated. He knows he is facing the same future if he doesn't lose weight, but how can he do it?
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Filed Under:
Exercise (benefits), Weight loss behaviors, Diabetes , Public health, Insulin resistance, Heart disease, Social commentary, Healthy eating, Complications of obesity, Weight loss
Learn more about food and class, and educate others.
When you hear someone moralizing about healthy or responsible food choices, don’t be afraid to speak up: seek clarification by asking “healthy for whom?” or “environmentally or socially responsible?” This is an opportunity to help otherwise “aware” individuals learn about the socioeconomic dimension of food and environmental responsibility.
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Filed Under:
Public health, Food policy, Nutrition, Guest blogs, Social commentary, Eat local, Healthy eating
Well, I don’t know about you, but I would prefer not to have any benzene in the products (or the water) that I drink. I think we, the soda pop drinking public, should advocate zero tolerance for benzene, not just a standard that allows an amount below 5 ppb. There are plenty of other enjoyable ways to get vitamin C in from your diet, such as eating an orange, a grapefruit, or a tomato. Why, then, do we have to have vitamin C in soft drinks if there is any chance that it could react with another ingredient and form a cancer causing substance?
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Food policy, Social commentary
I was stocking up on fruits and veggies in my local Whole Foods grocery store the other day. As I poked and prodded through the bins piled high with colorful produce, I found ripe apricots. Fifty years ago, I guess that wouldn’t have been a big deal. But today’s supermarket fruits are usually rock hard, free of scent, and tasteless – the result of being picked before they ripen and being transported long distances over days to weeks to reach your store.
These ripe apricots had a wonderful juicy squish to them (that’s right, I squeeze the fruit before I buy it). And, they smelled like apricots. Having just written about the benefits of “buying locally,” I looked to see where they had been grown. They were from a farm in San Pablo, California, less than 20 miles from the San Rafael store where I was shopping.
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Filed Under:
Public health, Food policy, Nutrition, Social commentary, Eat local, Healthy eating
Advergaming (a contraction of advertising and gaming) is the use of online video games with embedded brand messages to engage your target audience. It is specifically designed to blur the boundary between advertising and entertainment. This report looks at advergaming that targets kids.
Advergaming is a good deal for food marketers. It is cheap compared to TV advertising ($2 per thousand users compared with $7 to $30 per thousand viewers). Also, it can be tracked in a way TV ads cannot (number of visitors, time spent on the site, repeat visits and so forth). Sites with games hold the viewers attention much longer than 30 second or 60 second TV spots. Popsicle’s site, www.popsicle.com, for example has structured games that encourage you to play again and again so that you can improve your skills and improve your score.
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Filed Under:
Public health, Children, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Childhood obesity, Social commentary, Food industry, Food politics
Next, “fresh” fruits and vegetables at most large chain grocery stores are not really fresh. According to Marion Nestle, author of What You Eat,” that California-grown broccoli you buy in New York was picked and stored in a local warehouse before being transported to a regional distribution center. It was then placed on a refrigerated truck and sent to another regional distribution center. Then, it’s onto yet another truck to be hauled to the local supermarket where it is placed in the stocking area and eventually put onto the shelf. This process can take a week to 10 days. Does that sound fresh to you?
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Food policy, Social commentary, Eat local, Fruits, Vegetables, Food industry, Food politics
So, is the new 7-Up “natural?” Should it be allowed to be advertise in a way that makes you think it is as good for you as eating freshly picked fruit (which, by the way, also have other beneficial nutrients, such as vitamins and fiber, missing from 7-Up and other sodas).
We applaud Cadbury on taking a baby step in the right direction, but consumers beware, 7-Up is still a high calorie, artificially sweetened, soda pop devoid of beneficial nutrients. No matter how much the company tries to convince us that 7-Up cans can be picked from fruit trees, this “natural” soft drink does not count as one of your recommended daily fruit and vegetable servings.
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Food labels, High fructose corn syrup, Food policy, Social commentary, Food industry, Food politics
But, hey, if I have to pay for it out of my pocket, I am going to get what I want, how I want it and when I want it. If I can get it for free on the net in the middle of the night, I say, bring it on. “Health On Demand,” now this will usher in the age of real consumer directed health care
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Filed Under:
Public health, Tools, Health insurance, Social commentary, Healthy behaviors
There is a personal story here. Robert Pinkard used to weigh 499 pounds and wore a size 62 suit. Then, he joined a food addiction group and started eating fresh produce. He shed 100 pounds. Although family events are still oriented around food to mark special occasions, Pinkard knows he has to be careful. He says, "I don't eat garbage no more because I really have to watch it."
Now, he is going to help his customers as well. As he was quoted in the Chronicle, "I don't want my customers to die...the longer they're around, the better business is."
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Filed Under:
Benefits or hazards of certain foods, Public health, Inspiration/motivation, Overweight/obesity, Food policy, Social commentary, Healthy eating, Weight loss
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