Are Food Banks solving the Food Insecurity Problem?

The Toronto food problem can in part be described by how a significant number of individuals are still food insecure. In challenging the built environment to provide solutions to this problem the accessibility, affordability, adequacy, and appropriateness of foods offered in food banks will be discussed. Food banks have received attention in recent years and conquered up debate as to whether these methods were in fact helpful to populations or degrading and inadequate.

Valerie Tarasuk is an author that writes about food insecurity and “the problem”; her theory of food security will be contrasted and compared against Wayne Roberts (the Toronto Food Policy Council President).

I cannot speak for Tarasuk in answering whether or not she thinks food banks are a viable solution to the food insecurity problem, what I do know is that she focuses her discussion on very low income groups. Her focus is these people need to eat. Period. She is less concerned about what they eat, but challenges us to just have everybody fed. Additionally, plainly put, she believes that a better distribution of money would be the means to have this accomplished. Seeing how very low-income families spend the greater portion of money on foods, she has no doubt, and the literature supports her, that these people would be spending money on foods. Furthermore, she is less concerned where that money is being spent: on an apple or burger… not her concern.

Whereas, Wayne Roberts perhaps is more idealistic in that having everybody fed is simply not good enough. According to his perspective, people need to have culturally appropriate and healthy foods.

In reference to my previous blog, “Tricking parents to eat fruits and vegetables” perhaps our paradigm was wrong in relation to the food security problem. Perhaps telling people fruits and vegetables are good for you isn’t good enough…. As far as Malcolm Gladwell discussion went in TVO, seatbelts were right in front of parents and they were told over and over by public safety campaigns the importance of buckling up… didn’t happen, until they scared parents into buckling up for the safety of their children.

What I propose, is that maybe Valerie is onto something here. Maybe people need to develop their own agency… people don’t like to be told what to do… perhaps educating people that fruits are healthy isn’t the problem here…

With that said I’m not sure money distribution is the problem either, seeing how only 33% of high income groups (compare to 18% of low income groups) are reaching their recommended amount of green leafy vegetables (63%, and 57% respectively for total fruits) (USDA, 2009). Therefore, a high percentage of high-income group individuals aren’t reaching their daily intake either. What do we do now?

Change our paradigm. Look into the built environments; are there food desserts, how expensive is transportation to get to grocery stores? Are our environments safe… do people want to walk to get fresh fruits regularly? Are they culturally appropriate vegetables around? Do I know how to cook? What they heck is a cheese grater?

Aphrodisiacs

The other day I went to The Big Carrot, and found myself in an aisle with herbal remedies claiming to have natural plant hormones that would enhance female curves, increase sex drive, reduce menstrual cramps and menopause symptoms. Looking around twice to make sure my mom was not around, I realized I was in an aisle that had every pant, seed, and herb available that could influence the hormones of a body. Interesting… My friend came by holding two melons in her arms near her chest, I laughed at the coincidence... and then, the discussion on aphrodisiacs began....

According to my source (Cambridge World History of Food), aphrodisiacs were first sought out as a remedy for fears of inadequate performance and to boost fertility. In earlier times, food was not as available as it is today, thus undernourishment was common and created a loss of libido as well as decreased fertility rates. Foods that "by nature" represent "seed or semen” such as bulbs, eggs, snails were considered to have sexual powers. Aphrodisiacs also included foods that resembled genitalia, because their appearance was considered sexually stimulating. Consensus was not always reached upon when deciding what foods were actually aphrodisiacs. However, the ancient list included "Anise, basil, carrot, salvia, gladiolus root, orchid bulbs, pistachio nuts, rocket (arugula), sage, sea fennel, turnips, skink flesh (a type of lizard) and river snails."

The concept of aphrodisiacs might all sound a little nuts. However, when googling scholarly journals on aphrodisiacs I came across the article entitled,”The aphrodisiac and adaptogenic properties of ginseng" (E Nocerino, M Amato, AA Izzo - Fitoterapia, 2000) from the department of experimental pharmacology. Ginseng is a root that has properties that “enhance physical performance (including sexual), promotes vitality and increases resistance to stress and ageing." The article states that the root has effects on the pituitary gland increasing corticotrophin and corticosteroids levels, which of course result in the effects mentioned above. In my search I also found that beer, fennel and anise among many other products have phytoestrogens, which may have a bodily effect on the hormones.

My thought of this topic and some of our class discussions allowed me to question if the food we eat have an effect on our hormones then maybe it should be labelled?

When we look at food labels on products, some advertisement specialist have suggested the link of certain functional foods to health effects, such as pomegranates, have only been used as marketing tactics in earn a buck or two. So then what about labelling GMO foods? Would these product stop from being consumed if the public became aware of what is really in them, and the effects the hormones injected into them have on our bodies? What about the herbal remedies I saw at The Big Carrot? Are they regulated by the Food and Drug Act?

Essentially, the verdict is in. People want to know what is in their food and how this may harm, benefit or affect them. In relation to GMOs, labelling is a challenge because scientists have not tracked them to know if the effects they have on our bodies are harmful or not. From what I found, there is not a lot of research on the longitudinal affects of these herbal remedies either. In terms of foods that may affect our hormones, it appears the amounts needed may be insignificant in relation to how much we actually consume.

So, perhaps we are all just waiting for an overt sign... something to go wrong (pessimistic), or something to go right (optimistic). After all, the importance of nutrition was truly realized in historical events, such as:
- World War II after the performance of soldiers started deteriorating because of poor foods/meals
-During the discovery phase of the globe when explorers ventured the earth, the quick spoilage of fruits and vegetables prevented them from eating enough, hence scurvy was the result

Tricking adults into eating more fruits and vegetables

How do health professionals get adults to eat more fruits and vegetables? Health professionals cannot simply say ‘follow the Food Guide” or “eat lots of fruits and vegetables,” but our messages must be framed in the context of what are the barriers and understanding social as well as behavioural theories of initiating changes. From Malcolm Gladwell TVO (2008) presentation, I realized the importance of the previous statement, and to be quite frank, recognized the power of mind manipulation in getting messages across and acted upon.

In his presentation, Gladwell gave the example of a public awareness campaign surrounding seatbelt use targeted towards adults. This intervention was created in the 70’s, as only 15% of individuals in vehicles wore seatbelts. A study found that instead of targeting adults, they would simply ask that adults ensure their children wore seatbelts. Within three years, the amount of people who wore their seat belts increased dramatically from 15% to 75%. This example as well as others, proves that adults are responsive when the safety of their children or vulnerable people is questioned. Subsequently, the children who were forced to wear the seatbelts began to regulate their parents to wear theirs as well.
Another example that demonstrates the agency of people in relation to protecting children, involves junk food advertisements towards children. This created a bit of debate between the WHO and private industries because children are considered part a vulnerable population, which is highly susceptible to manipulation of attractive packaging, high sugar and fat foods. Additionally, proportionately to the Fruits and Vegetables campaigns, private industries have much more advertisement and money invested into marketing their campaigns.

Generally speaking, mothers regulate their children and tell them to eat their vegetables; I think children in turn regulate their parents making sure they are eating their vegetables. An interesting study would be to see if this type of regulation makes adults healthier. It would also be interesting to see if parents eat healthier because they try to model behaviours in order to get there kids on board to eating more fruits and vegetables. According to a USA news article entitled, “Wish your kids ate more fruits and vegetables?” (2009) “when nutrition experts examined the eating habits of overweight children 4 to 9 and their parents, they found that kids tended to eat what their parents ate.”

Therefore, according to these messages, parents are helpless in the face of their children’s requests. They just can’t say no to little Jimmy when he says “Mom where’s your seatbelt?” or “Why do I have to eat vegetables if you don’t?”

Perhaps, if advertisement rests on parental fear that they are not being good parents we can trick them into changing their behaviours by positioning advertisement to rest on these fears (Evil laughter begins). While one can debate how ethical this is, the verdict is in, and the aforementioned method works.

So at the end of the day, when adults don’t like to be told what to do, we can say: A HA! Got you! Or at least little Jimmy got you. Now you will buckle your seat and eat your vegetables too!

Looking at Community Assets and Needs for Two Different Communities

A few weeks back we looked at community development and community capacity building. We have decided to take this opportunity of a team blog to show you the differences in our communities using a community-development lens, to identify some of our community assets and needs.

First, a little review might be good for all of us. We learned that community development is the planned evolution of all aspects of community well-being (economic, social, environmental and cultural), where the primary outcome is to improve quality of life (Human Resources Development Canada, 1999). Community development results in mutual benefit and shared responsibility among community members and recognizes diversity of the community, the importance of social, environmental and economic matters, as well as the value of capacity building, where it takes capacity to build capacity (Human Resources Development Canada, 1999).

That said, our community assets and needs maps have been summed up below:

(Please click on the tables below to see them enlarged & clearer)

The information gathered above sheds light on our communities in a holistic framework. We are able to see the assets each possesses, which could be used to build capacity within each community and enable health within them. We can also look at the needs each possesses, and extend them to the built environment, where we can make “physical connections between the places we live, work and play” (McCann, 2003). Some opportunities for the built environment would be to increase green space and wildlife in Thornhill, have more block and cultural groups in Corso Italia, and for both to provide more attention to disabled people, in terms of support and acceptance.

Nutrition Labeling & Fiber

An article by the US Department of Agriculture identified how dietary fiber information is the only labeling component to have seen an increase of 2 percent, over a ten year period from 1996 to 2006, when examining how frequent consumers use information on nutrition labels (Heller, 2008). This percentage may be a reflection of an increase in interest and a desire to be informed about whole grain foods and the many health benefits dietary fiber provides.

This blog was inspired by the seminar discussion from week 5 (limitations and strengths of sodium and nutrition labeling).

The DRI for fiber is 25g per day for women and 38g per day for males; yet the average consumption is much lower, ranging between 12 to 16g (Heller, 2008). Thus, in order to increase the average adult intake, it may be helpful to look at the usefulness of nutrition labels. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of labeling fiber on nutrition labels will be discussed.

An advantage to having fiber on nutrition labels is that it allows individuals to make healthier food choices by comparing the amount of dietary fiber in a product amongst another. Individuals should try to select high fiber foods, which contain 5g or more per serving or foods that are a good source of fiber, which contains 2.5 to 4.9g per serving (Anderson, Perryman & Young, 2007). Also, following a high fiber diet can help reduce the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Another advantage reflects the benefits to the fiber market; the US fiber market continues to grow and supports a competitive market in the food industry. The competitive market has become more dominant in the last 5 years. An example to illustrate the markets responsiveness is that General Mills is advertising its cereals are “Whole Grain Guaranteed” and as a good source of fiber.

While there are many advantages to labeling fiber in food products, there are also some disadvantages. For example, lay individuals may not be aware of how much fiber they should be consuming daily, thus items labeled as a high source of fiber may deceive consumers into thinking they are reaching their daily intakes. Another disadvantage is that produce often has a lot of fiber, however no labels. Therefore, some individuals may not realize that they could increase their fiber intakes by eating more of these products. Additionally, individuals may use the tool without accommodating for their specific needs, for example, the percent daily intakes are based on healthy adult recommendations. Thus, children and individuals with therapeutic diets need to learn how to modify these percentages and/or have an understanding of their needs in order to use the tool. In relation to the previous statement, lack of health literacy may inhibit some from using the tool.

As consumers start to become more aware of the benefits of fiber, food and drink manufacturers are seeking new sources of dietary fiber as functional ingredients, and new ways to add fiber to their products. We wonder how food industries will respond to consumers increasing interest in high fiber products….

References

Anderson, J., Perryman, S., Young, L. (2007). Dietary Fiber. Colorado State University Extension, No. 9.333. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/FOODNUT/09333.html

Heller, L. (2008). Fiber is most sought info on nutrition labels, USDA. Retrieved February 6, 2010, from http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Consumer-Trends/Fiber-is-most-sought-info-on-nutrition-labels-USDA

Mindless Eating

According to Brian Wansink, Author of the book entitled Mindless Eating Individuals make approximately 200 food related decisions a day, every day. That’s a lot of time spent on food related thoughts!

Our environment is a source of persuaders or cues that encourage us to eat more than is required to satisfy our hunger. Large plates and packages indirectly suggest a consumption norm- that is, how much is appropriate to eat.

I never really noticed how big most restaurants plates and portions sizes were until I went to a restaurant the other night offering authentic French cuisine (Leopold’s on St.Clare and Arlington). The waiter brought me my meal in a small 7 inch by 7 inch dish; I could count the number of green beans I had on one hand. The interesting part was, I was full… I was not hungry anymore, but I wanted more. Despite knowing that this portion size was much more in line with Canada’s Food Guide recommendations and was a Mediterranean diet inspired dish, well executed, it seems as if Western society’s consumption norms have had an effect on me. I like the unnecessary blow of bread and butter offered with my meals.
Wansink states that humans have been programmed, through evolution, to eat as much as our environments make available, and no one, is immune to the environmental cues that tell us to eat more. That’s right nutrition experts and dietitians-to-be, not even us!

Also interesting, my experience from Dr. Judy Paisley’s Cultural Dimensions class reminded me of how many restaurants in Toronto offering Mediterranean cuisine (typically considered healthier than Western diets) tend to make modifications to appeal to Westerns society’s large portions and love for meat. No wonder why when I found a restaurant that finally did a good job on representing Mediterranean cuisine I was surprised.

My last thought on this restaurant was although the portions were smaller than I was use to I definitely savored the meal… those 5 green beans were amazing!

Registered Dietitians are an essential part of a balanced eating plan

This blog emulates a discussion that took place in Dr. Gingras’s FNP 500 seminar back in October of 2009. We were presented with an advertisement from the Dietitians of Canada, which is illustrated with this blog. After a few minutes of observation, we were asked to think about what this image says about our professional identity.

The surface impression of the ad appears to be a marketing technique by Dietitians of Canada to promote the dietetic profession and the services they provide to the community, via education and awareness. For me the first thing that came to mind reflected the fine print that dictates, “You can trust Registered Dietitians to give you good advice on nutrition. Their university training has given them the technical knowledge needed to master this most complex science.”

Primarily, I was pleased with the additive description to the picture of the dietitian on a balance beam with a pile of fresh fruits and vegetables; as it provided recognition of all the hard work and schooling people go through to become dietitians, as I feel not many people are aware of the great lengths people go through to be a Registered Dietitian now in days. Also, this ad portrays dietitians as experts because of their university degrees and knowledge of food science. Initially I felt this ad was well done, as it creates awareness of the profession, the value of dietitians, in addition to the importance of balanced eating.

However, as we began to discuss this ad in class, skepticism arose. It appeared that the ad also seemed the reinforce that dietetics is mainly focused on body weight, supported by the balance beam which the dietitian sat upon in the poster; where the concept of measuring out food, portion control, and eating a balance diet appraises the ‘evidence’ that supports the ‘need’ for dietitians. But this is not all dietitians do, we counsel on nutrition therapies for various diseases and illnesses, keep on top of new developments in nutrition, and address food security within a community.

Some additional criticism included how this ad further supports the stereotype of who a dietitian is, represented by a slim Caucasian female. Where perhaps if a male dietitian and or a group of multicultural dietitians of different shapes and sizes was used to promote this ad, then Dietitians of Canada would minimize the stereotype associated with what the public believes a dietitian is, as well as promote our diversity and acceptance within the profession, which in turn reflects our acceptance of the diversity within out community.

Lastly, some of the criticism also reflected how this ad attempts to make our professional identity legitimate by proclaiming our expertise in “complex science and technical knowledge.” But, perhaps this is an attempt to create a niche for our nutrition field amongst the health care community as unique and highly educated professionals who do have something to offer rather than blabber on about Canada’s Food Guide, which can be accessible online.

What do you think this image says about our professional identity?