Wednesday, April 29, 2009

No more trays in cafeterias- we really don't need that much food.

I read in the news that more and more college cafeterias no longer offer trays for you to put your dishes on. Various reasons have been given- one is that it makes the cafeteria seem more home-like and another is that it saves water since trays no longer have to be washed.

An added benefit seems to be that it reduces food waste. You can pile a lot more food on a tray than you need. And, human nature being what it is, once that food is in front of you, you are pretty likely to eat more than you need. Have you ever noticed that you eat too much at an all-you-can-eat buffet?

The solution? Not using a tray is a good one. Otherwise, try not to serve yourself too much food. If you do make the mistake of taking too much, don't make a second mistake and justify eating it by saying, "I can't stand to waste food". Better to compost the food than to make your poor body deal with it.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Green- it’s good for the planet and for your health

Check out this excellent 12 minute video made by 2 students from Gunn High School- http://vimeo.com/4017912

You’ll get to see me (in a small role) talking about eating fresh, local, unprocessed foods for your health and for the earth’s health.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

What kind of water should you drink?

When you’re thirsty, hopefully you reach for plain water, not a sugary, calorie-rich vitamin water, soda, or even (unless you need the calories) real juice. But should you turn on the tap or open a bottle? It's unfortunate that fear of pollutants has made us avoid drinking tap water, which on average is safer and cleaner than bottled water.
Another good reason not to drink bottled water is that plastic bottles contain chemicals called plasticizers that leach into the water given time and heat. If you want a water bottle to carry around, just use a glass one, i.e. a used tonic water bottle, or dump the plasticizer-rich water out of a plastic bottle and fill it with fresh tap water.
Of course now the water isn’t sterile, and bugs will eventually grow, so just refill your bottle with fresh water every morning. Don’t leave your water bottle in a hot car for a long time- if the bottle has been opened, the heat will encourage bugs to grow, and opened or not, heat will help leach plasticizers into the water.