The Co-op Food Stores

added 12/22/09

by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Co-op Food and Nutrition Educator

According to the latest national data, Americans continue to increase our calorie intake—over 500 calories per day since 1970. We are eating more calories from almost everything: added fats and oils (210 calories), refined grains (194 calories), and caloric sweeteners (58 calories), with much smaller increases in produce and a small decline in our intake of dairy foods.

The foods we are overeating are highly processed foods loaded with caloric sweeteners and added fats. USDA survey data finds the factors contributing to our increased calorie intake are foods eaten away from home; increased calories from salty snacks, soft drinks, and pizza; and increased portion sizes.

Michael Pollan, author of the best-selling In Defense of Food, postulates that the excess of carbs in the American diet can be traced directly to excess subsidized corn and soy production in the Midwest. These crops provide the cheap high-fructose corn syrup and soybean oil that make for great-tasting, low-cost junk foods.

Looking at the big picture of obesity rates, it helps to go back to basics. No matter what the source, too many calories and too little activity lead to weight gain. Inexpensive, tasty, and widely available calories, along with the labor-saving devices we enjoy—drive through windows, automatic washing machines and dryers, remote controls— make for a perfect storm of excess calories and deficient physical activity.

The good news is that, with a little forethought and simple choices, we can have a triple barreled, positive effect on this toxic environment. We can decrease support for factory farming, increase support of local farming, and increase nutritious foods in our personal diets. When a lot of us regularly frequent farmers markets or buy even just a few locally produced products, we are “voting” with our pocketbooks on whether we will have locally produced food available in the future or not.

By focusing meals and snacks on less-processed carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products from local producers, we support local businesses as well as reject the kind of highly processed carbohydrates that come from monocultures of corn and soy. The bonus is that our personal health will benefit, along with our local community, when we make the switch to less-processed local foods.

In the same way that a whole foods-based diet supports cancer and heart disease prevention as well as a healthy weight, it also supports a healthy community and planet!

On the Web

Valley Food & Farm, a program of Vital Communities, has been connecting people in the Upper Valley to farmers and local food since 1999. Find farmers markets, farmstands, pick-your-own, projects, and events here and look for their free Valley Food & Farm Guide in our stores.

The Cornell University Northeast Regional Food Guide conveys regionalism and seasonality in food choices to support public health and encourage sustainable and community-based food systems.

On the Co-op’s bookshelves:

Cooking Close to Home, A Year of Seasonal Recipes by Diane Imrie and Richard Jarmusz, a registered dietitian and an executive chef, respectively, who have been involved in the Vermont food system for many years. Click here for a book review.

In a Cheesemaker’s Kitchen by Allison Hooper, co-founder of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company. Hooper’s colorful book features chef profiles and personal stories, describes products, and provides recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, everyday fare, main dishes, and desserts made with her Vermont products.

Seasonal Appetite, A Chef’s Celebration of Vermont’s Seasons by Marcie Kaufman. The four seasons are defined by professional restaurant menus described as “classic formulas researched and reinterpreted to offer Vermont ingredients at their seasonal peak of freshness, flavor, and nourishment.” Culinary terms and procedures are defined, and she provides detailed plating designs and a source directory to food producers and purveyors.

What Do You Think?

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