Vegetarian Star

Elmo visited the White House Kitchen,  in perfect timing for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act being signed into law by President Obama, which is expected to bring changes to school menus that involve more fruits and vegetables and less processed food.

Elmo was there to experience the veggie burrito with beans, rice and peppers that White House chef Sam Kass whipped up prior to his arrival. When Elmo expresses concern about going to school because of the food, Kass reassures him there’s good food at school, adding, “Because of this new law that is passed, we’re going to make sure that all food is healthy,nutritious and delicious.”

While Kass’ statement is mostly true, as we noted recently, it may be harder to get a true vegetarian burrito at school than we hoped. Crossing our fingers all veg children will be able to do the “melon happy dance” that Elmo does when they get in the lunch line next year.

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Allrecipes.com 11 Trends for 2011 Measuring Cup Report

Allrecipes.com, one of the largest online recipe databases, has released its “11 Trends for 2011 Measuring Cup Report.”

Insight #6, based on Allrecipes.com’s Food Trends Survey, is all about the economy and veggies–Veganomics. Citing the less than optimal financial state of many Americans’ pocketbooks, Allrecipes found this is a primary factor for more people choosing to reduce their meat consumption. But cheap carrots aren’t the sole motivation behind more kitchens looking veggie.

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Iron Chef competitor, founder of Chefs for Humanity and a celebrity chef who’s publicly acknowledged the value of incorporating more vegetarian meals in a healthier diet, Cat Cora, is one of several celebrities praising Congress and Obama for putting the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law.

“From the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative to the President’s Childhood Nutrition bill, the Obama Administration has instigated a much-needed attitude change towards proper nutrition. As a chef and as a mother of four, I understand the importance of providing my own children with wholesome meals and firmly believe that all of our nation’s children should be afforded the same opportunity to grow up healthy which is why this legislation is so important.”

A sample of what school menus looked like before and what they may offer now that the law has been signed is available online.

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ESPN’s Rick Reilly had the pleasure of spending a day with Ron Artest. During the 16 hours of being studied, Artest obviously got a little hungry and revealed to Reilly he eats an 80% vegan diet.

“11:42 a.m. — Ron Ron is carrying a large bag of food for his lunch — all vegan. But Ron Ron is not entirely vegan. “About 80 percent,” he says. “I like pork chops.””

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“After reading “Potatoes Not Prozac” by Kathleen Des Maisons, I knew I was a sugar addict. I started to eat healthier forms of protein such as lentils, quinoa, beans and nuts, and switched from white breads and rice to whole grain breads and brown rice. I added leafy greens and fruit to my daily meals and gave up fast food and the tons of sugar, caffeine and white refined foods that were making up the bulk of my meals.”

—Kim Barnouin, vegan co-author of Skinny Bitch books and her own cookbook, Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook, to Ecostiletto on the journey that led her to eat healthier, which included learning to control her mad sugar cravings.

Potatoes Not Prozac by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons takes sugar dependency in a step-by-step manner like drug addiction and offers diet advice to manage it. So just what exactly would a potato do that’s similar to an anti-depressant? Dr. Judith Wurtman, an expert in serotonin who’s studied the neurotransmitter at MIT explains.

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Dr. Oz tackled the subject of genetically modified foods on a recent episode of his daytime talk show and invited three guests to join him on the debate, Jeffrey Smith, non-GM advocate and author of Seeds of Deception, Michael Hansen PhD of Consumer’s Union and Pamela C. Ronald PhD, genetic scientist and author of Tomorrow’s Table, who insists there is no scientific evidence that GM foods are harmful. A study looking at GM soy and sterility and mortality in hamsters may have you disagreeing with Ronald, though.

A quick poll of Oz’s audience reveled 80% of them preferred not to purchase genetically modified food and when it came down to a taste test between the two, all but one organic product was chosen over the conventional variety.

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Jon Stewart praised the Senate for passing the Food Safety Modernization Act, which gives the United States government more power to protect citizens from foodborne illnesses. In the past, the government relied on companies to voluntarily recall products. Now, it will have the authority to demand them.

Stewart mocks the skeptics who doubt the need for law, such as Glenn Beck, who Stewart says feels the FDA was created to do things like make sure you get milk instead of rat droppings in the carton.

Unfortunately, Beck isn’t the only naysayer. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma claimed that only 10-20 people die annually from food illnesses (as if that weren’t enough). Ignorance sounds worse when other people hear you and Coburn may have made the biggest fool of himself to end the year.

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The Child Nutrition Bill was passed by Congress and sent to Obama for his signature.

The bill received criticism from some who accused it of being overreaching and dictator-like in determining what’s acceptable for school children to eat while engaged in school activities. Bake sales may be a thing of the past, as the bill gives the government the ability to limit these if it determines they are being emphasized too much over healthy food.

The bill gives more money to schools to purchase food for meals, makes more children eligible for free or reduced lunch and gives cafeteria staff education in nutrition training. There’s also a mandatory $40 million in school garden and Farm To School programs to source ingredients from local producers.

The school gardens portion of the bill may boost students’ critical thinking skills as well as get their nutrition needs fulfilled. Third, fourth and fifth graders participating in school gardening curricula while receiving traditional classroom based education scored better on achievement tests than students who received classroom education only.

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