Archive for category Michelle Obama

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

It’s a bad day to be a can of soda: Talk about getting kicked around.

That’s what’s happened today. Actually some of the news started yesterday when a link between sweetened drinks and pancreatic cancer grabbed headlines all day. Interesting that the study only took into account those who consumed multiple sugar-sweetened sodas daily. They did not study diet sodas or even sugar-sweetened fruit juices. The report (which covered a 14-year period with a sizable sample) found an 87% increase in the possibility of getting pancreatic cancer in individuals who consumed as few as two cans of soda a week. It’s the spike in insulin which occurs from the highly sweet beverage. Juice was not considered a culprit because quantities are often less than with soda consumption.

Soda has been linked to any number of medical issues before, but today it truly grabbed the limelight when First Lady Michelle Obama tackled childhood obesity and pointed a finger at a number of culprits, including soda. The message translates quite simply: We can control what we put in our bodies and what we offer our children. The obesity figures are staggering ( 1 in 3 children ages 6-19 are overweight and 1 in 5 are considered obese) and label us as an overweight society.

The School Lunch Program will receive greater scrutiny, and all facets of the food industry will be asked to consider how they can join the Partnership for a Healthier America. By creating a Task Force on Childhood Obesity, the nation will be able to work in lock step with all aspects of the food industry in bringing down the dangerous obesity numbers.

The First Lady has had a great first year focusing us on how we can all be healthier. The White House Garden was an important first step. Now the attention is on the whole child and the society that we have become. The worry is that with the current obesity figures, young people will have a shortened life span. The time to get off the couch and get moving logo_letsmoveis now.

The non-alcoholic Beverage Industry was ready with its response: Front and center labeling will spell out the calorie count in a visible fashion for packages, vending and fountain machines. In addition to smart labeling, the industry will continue its efforts to lessen sugar counts and reduce package sizes. Recall that Coke introduced a smaller can, with fewer calories, a while ago and has been aggressively marketing its properties.

Beer has had a much better week. It is not the first study that links the properties from a beer especially one with a high count of hops and barley to improved bone strength or a way to ward off osteoporosis. The new darlings, the wheat beers, would not qualify as being strong contenders in this space so ask for a light ale with a high malt content. This study has another added component: Women who seem to have more staggering numbers when it comes to instances of osteopenia or osteoporosis may think twice when they shrug off the beer choices. Raise the stein for bone density.

I know, I know, everything in moderation. Fill your refrig with a variety of foods and eliminate the sugar-laden ones that weigh us down. Water’s good, but my espresso lifestyle is not that bad!

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It’s A Wrap: Food News

So many food leftovers as we close out this week and the month. That’s always a good sign!

–A week before the biggest snack game of the year and some new interesting products are ready for serving. Not officially G-F, but the new Quaker Baked Rice and Corn Crisps (Tortillaz, Zesty Guacamole flavor) give old-fashioned rice cakes a boot off the field. They are tasty, perfect snack dippers.images-1

–While we’re talking G-F snacks, look at what’s happening at delis and bagel shoppes, they’re stocking Cracklebred: a perfect crunch solution to an otherwise missed opportunity. Congratulations to all the traditional bread outlets for carrying this product.

–We’ve extolled the health virtues of wine, now we can add grape juice to that list. Not a big, logical jump but one affirmed as a memory booster. Now you have a perfect excuse to stay with Welch’s beyond your 12th birthday!

–Have you noticed that the humble French Fry has taken on a new persona: A highly visible accompaniment to multiple restaurant dishes or as an expensive side as in Truffle, Mole, or Sweet. It’s been deliciously elevated as a special flavor treat. I accept.

–What’s it mean when a restaurant of  multiple-star recognition decides to close down for a couple of years to reinvent itself and come out of the gate as a different persona? That’s the question the food world asked this week with the news that the impossible-to-get reservation at Spain’s El Bulli need not cause you anxiety until they reopen as ??  Molecular tapas?

–Have you noticed that the Happy Hour is back? Hardly an hour but a solid period of time to help bring in both after work diners and late night partyers. As in times of old, it works nicely as an early, inexpensive, affordable outing. Many places have decided on a double shift: afternoon and late nights.

–Not just a healthy garden project for the First Lady, but a role as the spokesperson on Childhood Obesity, sadly,  the growing, national health concern.

–Yes, not a week goes by without some food recall. This week it’s more on burgers and now peppers and noodle dishes are a concern, too.

If the weather starts to improve, you’ll see plenty more food trucks. Right now they are operating under extreme conditions in most of the country, but this mini restaurant at the curb continues to be an influential trend.

Now it’s time to think February and recognize the longest month of the year; no matter what the calendar says!

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The White House and the Farm Market

farmfreshBy all indications, it looks as if The White House is championing efforts for a farm stand, a farmer’s market, near the White House. This has been a wonderful spring and summer with First Lady Michelle Obama openly visible in the city promoting healthy eating and trying to get her message across about fresh, local foods. The White House Garden, by all indications, has been hugely successful and productive. Her outreach to youngsters whether to help dig the Garden, or to taste the fruits of their labor has been met with positive smiles (check out the videos on the Garden website).

The message quite simply says we need to teach the young and their families about the importance of eating healthy, about supporting the farmers, the growers. Now in what looks like a major coup for DC-based FreshFarm Markets, the operators at this new location near The White House. That is if the street permits, closing a small stretch of road near the White House for Thursday afternoons until the end of October, pass the approval process. Since the expected hours for the Market include the dreaded DC Rush Hour, this is not a plan without controversy.

At this point in time (one week before the anticipated opening), it is unclear how much produce, if any, will come from the White House Garden and if that will be made available in a less expensive format to those in need.

One possibility is to add this location to the DOUBLEDOLLARS program that FreshFarm Markets offers at two locations. The Wholesome Wave Foundation has made it possible to provide matching market food dollars to customers who use Food Stamps, WIC, or Senior “Get Fresh” coupons. Such a program provides the necessary outreach to individuals who otherwise would find the local, farm fresh products exorbitantly expensive.

Opening a farm market near the White House, whether produce came from the Garden, or not, would be another important step in the Administration’s food outreach.

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A Julie-Julia Update

OK, admittedly I am eager to see Julia Child, aka Meryl Streep, in the upcoming must-see movie: Julie & Julia. I’m obviously not the only one as it seems the whole food world has figured out how to give the movie its own appetizing preview.

Look, First Lady Michelle Obama who has championed natural foods, locavore decisions, and a White House Garden did not dine out last evening. Instead she showed the movie and invited the cast to join her.  Not too shabby a decision.

A Virginia restaurant has decided to cook up an August prix-fixe menu right from Julia’s cookbook and join with its neighborhood theatre to help guests get tickets if they want to see the show after they have dined.

Then of course, the old Dan Aykryod Saturday Night Julia clip, “The French Chef” has gotten plenty of Hulu viewers.

See, food is fun and challenging: Plenty of time to start Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Here’s your Save the Date card: August 7.
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A Genuine First Lady

Once again, it’s so nice to hear about the human side of our First Lady, Michelle Obama. During the family’s current overseas trip (The G-8 Summit in Italy), she acted in a fashion so many of us shy away from. Her wonderful meal at Maccheroni was just too much to finish but too delicious to leave. She asked for a Doggy Bag. YES.

Why are people intimidated to ask for a doggy bag when dining out, especially at a fine restaurant? (See the link for the online discussion on this topic). Do not let restaurants intimidate. It is perfectly fine to enjoy the contents later, at home!

Maybe now we have a new placeholder: If the First Lady can ask for her pastapiatto in a suitable container, we can follow that strategy and bag it up. Why should we abandon a perfectly fabulous dish because we can’t finish it now?

Wrap it up. We’ll have it later.

Once again, we can identify with the human side of the First Family, the First Lady.

Thank you.

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Hard to Resist the Human Adventure

Two days have passed, and I’m still thinking about the reality of the current Administration. I promised her a trip to New York and the theatre after the whole election process was over. That was the way President Obama explained their night out in New York City. 

My take: No explanation needed. You two have given the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers image a heightened perspective. After all you are the President and the First Lady and when you waltz into a room or glide into a theatre, the literal swoon takes over.

The approach and philosophy are such human qualities. It’s so wonderful. As noted before it is terrific to have an Administration that’s in touch. That has a life.

Sure we don’t jet off to New York in Air Force One or its cousin smaller plane and then take the helicopter into the city for dinner and a play. We aren’t the First Family. What do you want them to do, take the $25 bus from DC to New York and miss the play?

Time is too critical; there are too many matters that need desk time before the promise gets fulfilled. Let’s not forget security. It is the elephant in the room at every juncture. It’s in place for a reason. Transport them in the safest way possible. 

Anyway the transportation accouterments come with the office; better to use them than to take the plane for a flyover publicity stunt. Oh, that genius of a marketing person is history!

The homage to Dan Barber is well deserved. He is the New York king of local product and leader of the East Coast freshness movement with his New York restaurant Blue Hill and his upstate dining experience, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant and a working farm (The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture): Perfect Symbiosis. 

The First Family has very carefully chosen their dining out evenings. The fact that they have date night just enhances their human quality appeal. The streets of New York were lined with the gawkers. Why not? Gawk away; it is a privilege to see them out and about. The New York Times photo shows the excitement.31obama.650

The Fairy Tale continues.

That’s great news for everyone.

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The White House Rocks

First Lady Michelle Obama is like a magician who appears out of nowhere and electrifies the room. She’s everywhere with her smile encouraging everyone in the city. Washington, DC, as a city, needs the boost, and certainly as a nation we need her vibrancy. Yesterday she demonstrated her understanding of “how tough things can be” by visiting Anacostia High School, a school that often makes negative headlines, and sharing her beginnings with a small hand-picked group of juniors and seniors.

Her message was clear: You can succeed. To drive her point even further, she, in celebration of National Women’s History Month, enlisted other famous woman to go out into the communities and help young people understand that success can be reached. With the likes of Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow, and Alfre Woodward and a host of other successful women, the message emanated from the White House to the schools. Accomplished women showing other young women that their future does not have to be bleak, that they can overcome obstacles.

The women traveled to 11 nearby schools to show that The White House is not just a building in a history book, but that it is nearby and is a place with a strong message: success can be achieved. Students were chosen for their athletic and academic achievements and included young men and women who had the opportunity to meet headliners and sit with them and ask questions.

The day concluded with a special dinner for 110 young women who shared dinner with the luminaries who had taken their message around town earlier in the day.

Lots of Firsts in this new Administration.

This First Lady gets it.

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