The OSAP Meal Plan - Balanced Budjet, Unbalanced Diet

I read an article in The Toronto Star about an initiative by the Ontario Undergraduate Students' Alliance to bring attention to the inadequacy of the current OSAP loan limit to meet the needs of students. They claim, through their Food For Thought Campaign, that the OSAP annual living allowance for a single student living away form home is below the poverty line and that it only designates $7.50 per day for food expenses. To draw attention to this four students from around Ontario are blogging daily about their own attempts to stay within the limit (to be redirected to blogs press here).

My first impression after reading this article was - ummmmmmm there is NO way I would be able to keep to $7.50 everyday. I mean - maybe I could if I was really good about cooking everything at home, bringing leftovers to school, and stopped drinking coffee outside the house. But I think it would be unrealistic to think I could do all that was required to organize for this while still meeting all my school, volunteer and work commitments. Just thinking about what I had to eat yesterday and how much it probably added up to makes me cringe!

The second thought that came through my head was how much fresh produce could they buy on such a tight budget? I mean at Ryerson University we have the Community Food Room (which is a food bank for the students) but it provides very few fresh produce, if any at all. There is the Good Food Box program that would definitely help - but it cost about $15-$20, and although it would probably last for a couple of weeks, it would still require about two to three days of the OSAP diet budget. The four students that blogged about their OSAP diet experience kept mentioning how they went over budget if they ate fresh fruits or didn't any eat any vegetables or fruit because they were afraid of going over budget - therefore it seems that my initial reaction was on the mark. I can't help wondering about the implications that this has on future generations - when we are getting students in the habit of excluding such an important food group based on budgetary constraints?

It is also obvious that the OSAP diet doesn't take into consideration the guidelines set by Canada's Food Guide. Funny how the government contradicts itself that way.

The government invests all this money into building awareness about eating healthy but does nothing about the obstacles people face in attaining this ideal.

Although I can admittedly be high maintenance when it comes to the food I eat - I just don't see how you can have a balanced, healthy diet AND stick to a budget of only $7.50 EVERYDAY. And it seems that all the Alliance is requesting is a higher loan limit so that students can have access to more money for their food. To me that sounds like a good investment!

Ethiopian Cuisine - The Embodiment of Community

Since I grew up on Indian food, I am no stranger to eating with my hands and my family places a great deal of importance on eating meals together – yet and still I felt that trying Ethiopian cuisine for the first time was quite a frame shifting experience. This was a result of experiencing the way they eat rather than the what they eat. When people ate together, they not only shared meals together, they all shared food off the same plate. This gave me the impression that the idea of community was strongly integrated in the way they eat.

Initially I didn’t feel too much discomfort in the idea of sharing food off a communal plate because I was sharing with close friends who I was secure enough with and are people who I would consider to make up my own community. However, I don’t know if I would ever suggest an Ethiopian restaurant for anyone’s first date - because there is something a little too intimate about sharing food off the same plate (at least for those of us unfamiliar with the dining etiquette). For Ethiopians, however, intimacy is more connected with the act of feeding rather than sharing. The act of feeding someone (called Gursha) is a selfless act that you do to show appreciation (1). Someone once told me that you feed a friend one bite, a family member two and a lover three bites. And if someone REALLY likes you they will feed you their last bite!

I really enjoyed my experience with Ethiopian cuisine because it made me look closer at the benefits of eating communally - which I think I was taking for granted. I had forgotten how easy it was to connect with people over food and how it brought people together. I also realized that although Ethiopian cuisine may embody a sense of community - our own local communities tended to also use food as a central part of bringing people of a community(sometimes from distinctly different cultures) together - i.e. community kitchens, community gardens, and community events with food.


I think that viewing the way Ethiopian’s eat from a western perspective may lead to worries about hygiene and contamination, and of course many people hate sharing food off their plate or those of others. I, however, found it charming and I felt that it added a little bit more to the enjoyment of the meal. Some people say that food tastes better when you make it yourself - I'm now inclined to believe that it also tastes better when you share.

References

1. Ethiopian Restaurant.com. (2010). Gursha. Retrieved March 29, 2010 from http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/gursha.html

Food Balance

The interesting thing about writing this blog about food is that I am constantly bombarded with ideas in the media - so I tend to have a lot of inspiration. I can’t remember if it was always like this and I just didn’t notice, or if I’m right in my assumption that recently there has been an enormous increase in the amount of attention (both positive and negative) being paid to food. While this is great for me - I’ll learn a tidbit in the paper and run off like a nerdy nutrition food-addict to research the topic further and find more evidence - I’m under the impression that the majority of the public may not and this could lead to a problem. It’s a problem because most of what is discussed in the media surrounding nutrition and food tends to be only a part of the story – especially when discussing the health benefits of food.

For example, when there was a buzz around antioxidants and as a result everything in the news surrounded the magical properties of foods high in them like berries, it seemed like everyone started gorging themselves on berries. I mean you could and still can find Acai berry supplements which provides people with what they are convinced is a quick, easy and convenient way to protect against disease!! I believe that a large part of this mentality is supported by the media. They tend to highlight specific information about food and present it as either good or bad – the grey area is not as attractive to sell. So fat is presented as bad, though we know that certain fats are necessary and have positive effects, and red meat is bad, even though we get an important source of easily accessible iron. I believe that access to this type of information actually makes the public’s ability to make decisions about food more difficult because food doesn’t neatly fall into the catagories given. For example cheese provides important nutrients like calcium but its high in saturated fat, so is it good or bad?

I believe healthy eating, which should be most people’s goal, is all about the grey area. Food is not either good, healthy, guilty free foods or bad foods – that oversimplifies a more complex situation. What I believe should be more present within the media is a voice of balance. Individual food components are given more significance in my opinion than they deserve. Why can’t the messages be more about variety? Would that really make the story less interesting?

Ryerson Soon to be Ontario's 1st Bottle-Water Free Campus

I recently read a mini article in the Now Magazine (March 18-24) that Ryerson University's President has signed a declaration pledging more money for fountains and a water bottle phase-out by the year 2013. As a dedicated reusable bottle water user, I think this decision is definately a positive thing for the environment and our health as a community. Hopefully this decision will renew people's trust in the fountain water system currently present, and make it much more accessible to the community as a whole.

I find it is an expression of how much we have become a convience-based society that we willingly support a million dollar industry when the product they sell is free for us to begin with. Well not exactly free... part of the taxes we pay maintains it so really we pay for it in the end.

It is an extremely important step in the process for the President to sign this declaration because Ryerson seems to be in the middle of a building boom and I hope this pledge will ensure that water access is a priority in the design of any new buildings. When I heard this I felt some pride in knowing that the community I am a part of (feel more a part of because of this) would pledge itself to such a noble cause.

A "Fair" Trade

I've made a decision recently to switch to fairtrade coffee... Well after roll up the rim at Timmy's is over... Ok maybe anytime other than when I go to Timmy's, because who can resist their rich brew thats oh so reasonably priced and easily accessible on every major corner of Toronto? Not to mention its a perfect place to study long hours and meet with people! But how do I reconcile the fact that I believe in fair trade and can't resist a good cup of Timmy's coffee???


For clarification, the fairtrade certification on a product guarentees that the producers (who are almost always located in developing countries) are paid a fair wage for their labour plus a little more to provide money to invest in the building of their communities. The reason why this is so important, especially with coffee, is that often producers earn less than the cost of production leaving them in debt and trapping them in the cycle of poverty. The idea of fair trade incorporates the ideas of empowerment of individuals and communities. It empowers the individuals on both sides of the transaction: customers to be able to make informed decisions and thereby increases their dollar power, and individual producers by increasing their earnings and helping alleviate the imbalance faced by these people and help them to reduce their debt burden. So without the fairtrade guarentee, there is no way to ensure that by buying that cup of coffee you are not contributing to the problem of the farmer's debt and poverty in the developing world.


My biggest problem with Tim Horton is that their coffee is not certified by the international fairtrade certification organization (FLO). Instead Timmy's has committed to terms that are outlined by the Coffee Association of Canada for sustainability and equitable trade. In comparison to the FLO standard, though, these commitments seem weak. The organization says that they currently work with producers to develop better growing pratices to grow better and more beans, are commited to community development and fair wages, but don't actually commit to guarentee this or set any actual standards. These commitments are weak because there are too factors invovled in the coffee market driving down the price, and that anything short of guarenteeing a fair price for the product is an empty promise. The Coffee Association of Canada also tries to escape responsibility by stating on their website that there is a "limit to how much impact members of the coffee industry can have. Most long term change must be inspired by government initiatives such as export development and international trade agreements" (Coffee Association of Canada, n.d.). Although, this statement makes it seem as though the industry should not be held accountable, the solution for coffee producers is within their grasp. I guess for me though, its back to the drawing board to decide if its Timmy's or fairtrade, because it seems that its definately one or the other.

References

Coffee Association of Canada. (n.d.). Sustainability and equitable trade - overview. Retrieved
Februray 28, 2010, from http://www.coffeeassoc.com/sustain_equitable.htm.

Fairtrade Labelling Organizations Internaional (FLO). (2009). What is fairtrade? Retrieved March 1, 2010,
from http://www.fairtrade.net/what_is_fairtrade.html.

Today's special: Soup, Pop and US health reform

I admit that I am biased. I have always had access to free healthcare and so I like having it and can't really see why anyone would not want to have access to it. This is why I was a little confused as to why there was so much opposition to the healthcare reform proposed in the States. Ok maybe not so much that the insurance companies, hospitals and doctors have a problem with it ( it is their paycheck on debate afterall), but it seems that opposition is also coming from more unlikely places. Major multinational food corporations like Campbell Soup and Dunkin' Doughnuts are joining the debate as well. These corporations are exerting their influence through hiring lobbyist to campaign for their interests in the senate on the healthcare reform currently under review. There has been a large increase in total number of lobbyist since the bill was introduced in 2009, with roughly 1,700 companies and organizations hiring over 4,500 lobbyists (which is equivalent to 8 lobbyists for each member of congress) (CBC, 2010). But what are the food companies' interests? Why are they opposed to the healthcare reform?


Campbell Soup has taken issue specifically with the public health insurance option of the bill. This option would allow for a hybrid insurance system in which people would have the choice between a publicly funded or private insurance options. The rationale behind the public insurance option was to make the healthcare insurance fees more competitive, affordable and therefore, accessible for the average public. Campbell Soup has targeted the public insurance option because it says that small and medium sized companies will dump their private insurance plans and this will result in higher rates for larger companies like Campbell Soup (CBC, 2010). This company, and others who also lobbied against the public option were successful in removing it from the bill in the end.



Dunkin' Doughnuts lobbied against a more obvious provision of the healthcare reform bill - the proposed sweetened beverage tax to help fund the healthcare reform. Lobbyist from 21 companies spent approximately $24 million on opposition to this tax which would include beverages such as soda, juice drinks and chocolate milk (Spolar & Eaton, 2009). Some of that money was spent on a national add campaign and on the promotion of a newly formed coalition called Americans Against Food Taxes (Spolar & Eaton, 2009). The group is self-identified as "responsible individuals, financially-strapped families, [and] small and larger companies", however, its 400+ members are dominated by large multinational corporations like Burger King, Coca Cola, Pepsico, etc (Spolar & Eaton, 2009). The argument given by these corporations is that the tax "would unfairly single out one type of product" (only one of many that causes obesity) "and would be a particular burden on low-income people, who can least afford to pay a few cents more per can or bottle" (Spolar & Eaton, 2009). The companies were successful in eliminating the proposal as an option for funding in the bill, although discussion about a sweetened beverage tax separate from the healthcare reform is ongoing. There is too much evidence of soda's contribution to the epidemic of obesity. For example, a report by the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 found that such beverages account for 10 to 15% of the calorie intake by children and adolescents and that for "each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day, the likelihood of a child becoming obese increases by 60 percent" (Spolar & Eaton, 2009).



My disbelief in the reasoning behind and the companies that are choosing to oppose the US healthcare reform stems from the fact that the motivation behind all of this is so selfish. The companies claim to represent low-income people and cash-strapped families by opposing a reform that is meant to help alleviate some of the health inequities faced by these same populations. Their interests are so obviously self-serving. And the most frustrating part is that the large funds they are dumping into lobbying against parts of the healthcare reform are paying off, as the bill is being shaped according to their concerns (i.e. public insurance option and sweetened beverage tax taken out of bill). Joeseph Eaton of The Centre for Public Integrity further evidences this by describing how the bill has been changed to have less cost cutting measures since it was first introduced and directly contributed this change as an effect of lobbying. I guess as a Canadian I feel "safe" because my healthcare is free and protected by the government... but lobbying is not something exclusive to the US. So the effectiveness of these companies in molding the US healthcare reform to fit their needs makes me wonder... how much influence do these multinational food companies hold, and what else can they change???

References

CBC. (2010, February 25). US healthcare. As it happens. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/radioshows/AS_IT_HAPPENS/20100225.shtml.

Spolar, C., Eaton, J. (2009, November 4). Food lobby mobilizes, as soda tax bubbles up.
HuffPost Investigative Post. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/soda-tax-mobilizes-food-l_n_345840.html.

This little piggy went to the fair...

When I think of an agricultural fair, I think of gaggles of farmers tugging along their carts filled to the brim with piles and piles of fresh produce, some engorged pumpkins, fresh cheese, and possibly even a pie competition or two... What is definitely not included in this image is deep fried Pepsi!


Maybe its because I've been ruined by our own Toronto Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and its focus on healthy living, but what is being served at the Florida State Fair in Tampa doesn't seem to connect to my expectations of a good, old agricultural fair. Both events have renown equestrian competitions, but any similarities between the two stop there. The Florida State Fair is self described on their website as being a "salute to the state's best in the agriculture" industry (Florida State Fair, 2009) - although after learning about the show's focus and offerings it is justified to wonder if the organizers actually understand the meaning of the word agriculture! This event, held for 12 days in February every year, is famous for their 300 plus stalls of junk food... And when I say they serve junk food, I don't mean potato chips and doughnuts - I mean that this is a venue to witness and try some really creative and sometimes stupid ways to eat the life out of your heart!! To give you just a taste, the menu this year consisted of products like strawberry shortcake on a stick, chocolate-dipped bacon (picture on the right), bacon flavoured lip balm (why???), deep fried butter (which is frozen, sweetened butter battered then deep-fried and covered in powdered sugar) and of course deep fried Pepsi - who (surprise, surprise) sponsors the fair each year. Deep-fried Pepsi, I know by this point you're probably dying to know, is made by deep-frying a Pepsi-syrup infused batter that is then coated with more Pepsi-syrup.


The signature product for the fair created this year is called the FairSquare and is a deep-fried doughnut with pink powdered sugar, which ironically donates 10% of its proceeds for breast cancer research (like taking one tiny step forward and jumping back four at the same time). But perhaps the most disturbing item on the list of high fat, high calorie concoctions (and definitely something that makes my heart flutter with fear at just the thought) is the Krispy Kreme doughnut burgers. Yes... Unfortunately it is exactly what it sounds like: two doughnuts with a beef patty, bacon strips and cheese in between. It packs estimated 1, 000 calories (not to mention the fat and sugar content) a serving, which is 1/2 of the average person's daily calorie intake. Just in case you're imagination needs help to visualize this concoction, I have included a photo for your enjoyment below. If your curious to see what other "unique" foods can be found at the fair, check out the complete list of the new products introduced this year at: http://www.floridastatefair.com/pdffiles/2010fair_newfairfoodslist.pdf, (but you are forewarned that some of the products may elicit head shaking, shocked gasping and disbelief that anyone has that much time).
To give you an idea for the kind of demand at the fair for some of these products, the deep-fried Pepsi is estimated to sell between 60 to 100 orders per day. While most people who try the food found at this fair are probably just interested in the novelty of the product, you have to wonder about the effect of glamorizing junk food in this way. The Krispie Kreme doughnut burgers are already popping up at different locations around the States (e.g. minor baseball league games etc.) and there are many websites that are dedicated to displaying as many heart stoppingly, fat food concoctions as people can create (e.g. www.thisiswhyyourefat.com). I really feel that the "normal" junk food we have readily accessible is advertised and glamorized enough, without having to add these unusual additions to the mix. What disappoints me the most is that this is suppose to be an agricultural fair and from what I can see the closest agricultural products offered are the deep-fried green beans - enough said. I believe that this type of event should be held up to a higher standard and should be focused on promoting farmers and their produce, rather than to just be another venue for the multinational junk food chains to promote their unhealthy products. The silver lining? I guess we Canadians don't just know how to play and win at hockey... We know how to throw a REAL agricultural fair. Go Canada Go!

References

Florida State Fair. (2009). State fair. Retrieved February 20, 2010, from http://www.floridastatefair.com/state-fair.

Marche, S. (2010, February 20). A taste of junkfood's ground zero. The Toronto Star, p. IN3.

Like Comparing Apples to Grapes

I can understand the need and demand for food products that have functional properties like extra fibre and antioxidants. To a certain extent I can also understand why we as a society would like access to fruits and vegetables year round, regardless of the seasons. What I can't seem to wrap my head around is the sudden need for a grape flavoured apple! The product I am talking about - so appropriately named Grapple - is an apple (either a Extra Fancy Gala or Fuji apple) that has been infused with a concentrated grape flavour. I was shocked to walk into a Metro supermarket one day and see this product in the refrigerated section. My first reaction was why would someone decide to buy this product instead of just getting a bunch of grapes? Maybe people are attracted to the product because of its novelty, but is there really a long term market for this hybrid?
There is also the issue of the absolute uselessness of such a product. How could anyone justify wasting resources developing this product when there are so many worthier causes? But I guess there will always be those people who find and justify the time spent to grow square watermelons, create pluots (a genetically modified cross between a plum and an apricot), and lematos (cross between a lemon and tomato).
And it might be argued that if the Grapple's relatively benign modification of the regular apple makes it more sexy to the population than maybe its a positive thing...
In the end, what would I say to someone who wants to eat something that "crunches like an apple" and "tastes like a grape"? Why don't you just eat both?

References

C&O Nursery. (2010). Grapple. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from
http://www.grapplefruits.com/.

Webist Media. (2009). 7 amazing and intriguing genetically modified fruits and veggies.
Retrieved February 28, 2010, from
http://webecoist.com/2009/02/19/genetically-modified-fruits-vegetables/.