FOOD FIGHT and Healthful Living

My name is Chris Taylor and I have directed a documentary about food culture in America called FOOD FIGHT. Francesca was nice enough to list it in her “Recommended Documentaries” and I am grateful for that, because I know the people logging into “Healthful Living San Diego” will share the same beliefs I do about locally grown, organic, sustainable food. Since the film is listed here (along with a number of other excellent food films) I thought I would add a little bit of information about it.

I will start by answering the two most important questions that you might have about FOOD FIGHT: 1)What’s it about? And 2) Why did you make it?

The fight in FOOD FIGHT is between two food cultures. One arose out of WWII, and used WWII technology to create an industrial packaged food system that prized convenience over taste and nutrition. (And I show how that food system marketed its products, to the detriment of the American public).

The second of these food systems arose out of the protests against the Vietnam War. Interesting to note how food and war are intertwined, and I take some time in the film to explain that. But this second food system as it arose in California in the 60’s and 70’s became a chef and restaurant partnership with the farmers, and this partnership (a bio- feedback loop really) has become what we now call the organic sustainable food movement.

So FOOD FIGHT is about the clash between two antithetical food cultures, and how the search for taste, flavor, sensuality, and pleasure in our food has now become political.

In a sense, the organic food movement has come full circle, because it started as a political protest (or perhaps a withdrawal from the Establishment) and is now fully engaged in seeking political change. And for the first time in recent memory, we can have hope that this political change is good news for the health of the American food consumer.

WHY DID I MAKE THE MOVIE?

I am an eater—I love food and restaurants—and in California we have great food and great restaurants. Like Francesca, I love the food of the Mediterranean. Most of our best restaurants cook in the tradition that Francesca grew up with in Italy. But as an eater, I should say as a passionate eater—I wanted to reach out to other eaters and make our presence felt in the food chain. This is a movie for food consumers who love great tasting food—food lovers who want their food experience to take the next step from the supermarket, past Whole Foods, and directly to your doorstep or to Local Farmer’s Markets. You could say that I want to grow customers for small local farmers, and I want them to know that there is a way to get taste back in our food.

I also want to develop the idea that chefs and restaurants are major partners in the agricultural economy, and that chefs have developed into a major influence in the direction and development of our food supply.

FOOD FIGHT tells the story of how that came to happen, and what the effect of that has been on our food culture from the 60’s until today. Here is an editorial from the NY Times that details the relationship of restaurants and consumers, and how that can affect food production in the US:

[tagline_box backgroundcolor=”” shadow=”no” border=”” bordercolor=”” highlightposition=”” link=”” linktarget=”” button=”Purchase Now” title=”NY TIMES EDITORIAL” description=”Mr. Puck’s Good Idea
Published: March 26, 2007
From time to time, consumers are reminded of the power they have, and the power of the choices they make. There is no better example than the rising popularity of organic food — a matter of conscience and of taste. More and more people are buying local, organic produce and trying to find meat and eggs and dairy products from farms that are not part of the horror of factory farming.
Not surprisingly, people who shop that way also like to dine out that way. That will now be easier thanks to Wolfgang Puck, the universal restaurateur. He has decided that his culinary businesses will now use products only from animals raised under strict humane standards.
Mr. Puck is not the first chef and restaurateur to decide to forgo factory-farmed meat and eggs. You can find a few restaurants upholding these standards in nearly every major American city. But Mr. Puck runs an empire, not a restaurant. His outreach is enormous, and so is his potential educational impact. In fact, he has come late to this decision, perhaps because it affects a corporation, not the menu of a single restaurant.
For one thing, Mr. Puck’s new standard will help correct a misimpression. Many diners assume that most of the cruelty in factory farming lies in producing foie gras and veal. But Americans consume vastly more chicken, turkey, pork and beef than foie gras and veal, and most of the creatures those meats come from are raised in ways that are ethically and environmentally unsound. Until recently, most Americans have been appallingly ignorant of how their food is produced. That is changing. And Mr. Puck’s gift for showmanship will help advance Americans’ knowledge that they can eat well and do right all at the same time.”][/tagline_box]

Many times the first organic meal that a person has is in a restaurant. Many times the BEST organic meal a person has is also in a restaurant.

Here are some facts:

  1. Wolfgang Puck served 10 million ORGANIC meals last year.
  2. 50% of American food dollars are now spent in restaurants.
  3. It takes 60 farmers to grow produce for the Chez Panisse restaurant. So the growth of organic agriculture depends on the nurturing of the chef-farmer relationship.

In addition to the historical survey of food culture (did you know that WWII K-Rations were the grandfather to the modern TV Dinner?) and the pushback against industrial food, I also wanted to cover the work of important food activists who are in the vanguard of current progressive food initiatives. So I went to Milwaukee to interview urban farmer Will Allen (who has subsequently been awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant) and his daughter Erika, who together are bringing healthy delicious produce to underserved minority populations in the inner cities of Milwaukee and Chicago.

I also went to Berkeley to show the Edible Schoolyard and the work being done there to re-introduce children to healthy local food. And to round out the political side of the story, I went to Washington, D.C. to interview Congressman Ron Kind, a reformer who tried unsuccessfully to reform the 2007 Farm Bill. I saw Ron yesterday (4/7/10), and he promised me that the next Farm Bill will be much different, in a good way, for food consumers who are into Healthy Living.

So ultimately I made the film to inform an audience, but more importantly to seduce them with taste and flavor of great organic sustainable local food—to get them to realize that they can do well for their families, their communities, and the planet by eating a great meal.

Please feel free to stop by our website: www.foodfightthedoc.com.

The Importance of Eating Real Food

Evolutionary studies suggest that it takes 60-90.000 years for a species to adapt to a new food source. The foods we find on our supermarket shelves have really nothing in common to what our ancestors used to eat just 150 years ago.

Since the beginning of the 20th century we have been flooded with new man-made concoctions to which our bodies are yet to adjust.

Every time we take a perfect food that Mother Nature has given us, and we process it, refine it, strip it of its nutrients, we lose. Recent research studies found a correlation between the appearance of degenerative diseases and poor eating habits.

The majority of the American population lives in a state of non-health, in which diseases have not kicked in yet, but abundant health is not present. Aches and pains, headaches, fatigue are all symptoms that something in our body is not functioning correctly. Yet we go on, day in day out, loading our systems with toxins and unhealthy foods, without even thinking that maybe food is our best medicine.
We constantly need pick-me-ups to run our lives. Stimulating substances like coffee, sodas, sugary snacks, give us an ephemeral energy boost, which ends quickly without providing any real sustenance; soon leading to the need for another fix.

Our bodies are designed to thrive on a steady supply of energy, coming from good carbohydrate sources, and good quality proteins and fats (yes you have read correctly!). We should not need to graze all day. The body needs to devote time and energy to a host of metabolic processes that are not involved with digestion. Therefore I would not recommend that my clients eat 6 or 7 mini meals a day, unless a specific condition (like diabetes) is present.

Sound nutrition is not only a powerful tool to combat the obesity epidemic, but it also enables our bodies to resist disease and, in many cases, a nutrient-dense whole-foods diet goes a long way in helping the body fight back once a disease has kicked in. The right nutritional plan, tailored to the individual, together with targeted nutritional supplements can help to attain optimal health, and can help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

The Healing Power of Nuts

“Nuts and seeds are the vehicles of plant reproduction. Locked inside them is the genetic material for an entire plant.” The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

Did you know that there are more than 300 types of nuts?
Nuts, like seeds and other plant foods, are rich not only in their nutrient content but also in their phytochemical content. In addition to fiber components, important phytochemical in nuts and seeds include protease inhibitors, ellagic acid, and other polyphenols. Nuts are also the best source of arginine, an amino acid that plays an important role in wound healing, detoxification reactions, immune functions, and promotion of the secretion of several hormones, including insulin and growth hormone.

We’ve all heard about the heart-healthy power of nuts, but these snacks offer loads of other health benefits:

Walnuts (serving size: 14 halves; calories: 185)
They are a good source of protein, fiber and magnesium. They have a high level of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of brain-boosting omega 3 fatty acid.

Almonds (serving size: 23 nuts; calories 163)
Almonds help lower cholesterol, they have a high fiber and calcium content, and are lower in calories than most other varieties. They are also an excellent source of vitamin E.

Macadamia Nuts (serving size: 10 nuts; calories: 204)
While they contain more fat than other nuts, macadamia nuts also have the highest percentage of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. They are also a good source of thiamine.

Pistachios (serving size: 45 nuts; calories: 162)
Pistachios are rich in lutein, an antioxidant that’s also found in leafy greens and is important for healthy vision and skin. One serving of pistachios has as much potassium as a small banana.

Cashews (serving size: 18 nuts; calories: 163)
A single serving of cashews provides nearly 10 percent of our daily value of iron! Compared with other nuts, they are also a good source of folate and vitamin K, which helps keep bones strong and blood clotting normally.

Brazil Nuts (serving size: 6 nuts; calories: 186)
They are rich in selenium, a mineral necessary for thyroid health. One Brazil nut contains more than a day’s worth (a big health boost for around 30 calories).
All minerals and vitamins need to be in balance, so don’t overeat them).

Pecans (serving size: 19 halves; calories: 196)
These nuts are rich in beta-sitosterol, a compound helpful in lowering cholesterol and contributing to prostate health.

Pine Nuts (serving size: 167 nuts; calories: 190)
Pine nuts are loaded with manganese, a trace mineral that helps maintain proper blood sugar levels and metabolize carbohydrates and protein.

Always purchase raw nuts. Store them in the refrigerator and eat raw or soaked and sprouted.

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