School Food in France and Bringing up Bebe Book Review

While we in America argue whether to include "pink slime" in our beef products, the French are preparing truly farm-fresh organic produce for their children with in-school chef's and a real kitchen.

They use real utensils and real plates (highly sustainable) and are served at their round tables to facilitate discussion.  And, they get adequate time to enjoy their food and socialize compared to the typical American school kids 20 minute lunch with which to scarf down whatever processed food he or she can.

I thought we were the country with the most resources?

I finished reading Pamela Druckerman's (She's a American raising her family is Paris) book, "Bringing Up Bebe", and was impressed with the level of service French parents receive when raising a child.  Particularly of interest was the three days of menu options Pamela shared in her book at the French daycare for her three-year-old.

She writes of the meals, "An in-house cook at each creche (day care)  prepares lunch from scratch each day.  A truck arrives several times a week with seasonal, fresh, sometimes even organic ingredients.  Aside from the occasional can of tomato paste, nothing is processed or precooked.  A few vegetables are frozen, but never precooked."

So here are the menus (served in four courses of salad, main meal, cheese and dessert) she observed.  And remember, this is a daycare/preschool:

Day 1 (Page 112):
Course 1:  Bright-red tomato salad in vinaigrette
Course 2:  Flaky white fish in a light butter sauce and a side dish of peas, carrots and onions
Course 3:  Crumbled blue cheese
Course 4:  Whole apples slices at the table

Day 2 (Page 112):
Course 1:  Hearts of palm and tomato salad
Course 2:  Sliced turkey with rice in a Provencal cream sauce
Course 3:  St. Nectaire cheese with a slice of fresh baguette
Course 4:  Fresh Kiwi

Day 3 (Page 204):
Course 1:  Shredded red cabbage salad and fromage blanc
Course 2:  White fish in dill sauce and a side of organic potatoes
Course 3:  Coulommiers cheese
Course 4:  Baked organic apple

The French have a commission where parents can provide meaningful input into their children's menu.  They stress visual and textural variety along with nutrition and suggest offerings such as mousse of sardines in cream sauce, duck mousse, spinach, green beans, smoked pork, monk fish, tuna fish, salmon, yogurt cake with carrots, etc.  The parent food meeting Pamela attended lasted more than two hours.

I found this documentary from CBS (below) that highlights some of the French school cooking.  They manage to do it for $2.50 per student, about what many of our schools pay for mostly processed trash.

So I wonder, what would our school lunch program look like if each school got to create its own menus with parent-driven input and the kid actually had the time to enjoy their meal and have conversation during their day?  Our kids deserve so much better than our schools are giving them.

As an additional resource, check out the movie "Food Beware:  The French Organic Revolution" on Netflix or buy at Amazon.com.

Are Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup the Same Thing?

Karo Syrup doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup according the banner across the bottle I have in my cupboard.  And it's true.

Corn syrup is a liquid made from the starch of corn in the United States (wheat, potatoes or tapioca elsewhere where corn isn't the predominant crop) and is used to prevent sugar cystallization and to create a smoother texture in prepared foods.  It has a higher percentage of glucose than it's cousin high fructose corn syrup.  Both fructose and glucose are derivatives of the sucrose molecule (or sugar).

Fructose, or fruit sugar,  and glucose are naturally occurring substances found in fruit and vegetables and essential to the function of the human body.  Fructose is substantially sweeter than glucose and is quicker at being absorbed into the blood stream.  Fructose is taken in by the liver and converted to glucose -- leading some to believe that the increase in fatty liver disease is caused by a high intake of high fructose syrups.

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is most prevalent in the United States and can be found in many processed foods and drinks in the grocery store.  The sweetness of the product is addictive, perhaps driving over consumption.  Research on HFCS is inconclusive, but some have associated it to an increase in cavities, increased triglyceride levels, poor nutrition and weight gain.

Regardless of where the added sweetener is derived, the American Heart Association, recommends that women consume no more than 100 calories of added sweetener daily and men 150 calories.

If you prefer a sweetener from natural sources, consider honey that can be used 1-to-1 ratio, or replace 1 cup of light corn-syrup with 1-cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup water or 1-cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water to replace 1-cup of dark corn-syrup.  I would suggest an organic cane sugar over the less expensive (but heavily processed) beet sugar.

On a final note, some food manufacturer's separate out their corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup if both are used.  But as a caution, the United States Department of Health and Human Services doesn't require the separation and companies can label high fructose corn syrup as simply "corn syrup" is they choose.

In the end, yes there are differences between corn syrup and HFCS, but it is wise to limit the addition and consumption of any sweeteners to your foods.  HFCS is almost entirely avoided in our house.  I do have that one bottle of Karo Syrup, but it's been in our pantry for a while.  We almost always choose a natural sweetener when needed and use plenty of raw honey for that purpose.

The Fate of the Banana and its Probable Extinction

I just finished reading Dan Keoppel's book, "Banana:  The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World".

Published in 2008, it's a fascinating journey through the history of the banana and how civilizations, government rulers, wars and mega-companies have evolved from this relatively inexpensive and humble fruit that outsells apples and oranges combined.

Dan briefly glimpses at the strong chemicals (the banana requires more pesticide than any other fruit) used in the growing of bananas and the significant physical harm it causes to the workers bodies (the movie trailer below shows the physical harm caused by Dole spraying chemicals on their farms) and the surrounding landscape, but the bulk of the book is focused on the bananas remarkable global growth (especially since the male portion of the banana tree is sterile) and the Panama Disease that threatens its very existence.

The most fascinating elements of the book to me were:

• learning that the banana tree (it's really classified as an herb) reproduces through a Mother/Daughter relationship offering new shoots from the original tree that can be transplanted since the male portion is sterile.
• learning that the banana our grandparents and parents grew up eating, the Gros Michel, is virtually eliminated from existence due to the onslaught of Panama Disease -- of which there is no cure.  The Gros Michel (or Big Mike) was bigger, hardier fruit that had a better taste and texture.
• learning that the new banana plant, the Cavendish (originally considered rubbish by Chiquita when the Gros Michel was still around), is under the first rounds of attack from Panama Disease and may sadly only be viable as a commercial fruit for 10-30 more years.
• learning that Chiquita and Dole are feverishly working to create the next banana that will withstand the attack of Panama Disease and that hopefully they can pull it off through cross-breeding and not genetic manipulation -- though both methods have proven unsuccessful for more than a decade.
• learning that the forbidden fruit in the story of Genesis may have been the banana with a strong case for that being the case.
• learning about the politics and mergers that created Chiquita and Dole.

If you're a foodie, you will appreciate this book and will appreciate even more your next banana.  People 30 years from now may not have the same opportunity.

"Pink Slime" in School Lunches

Check out a school cafeteria box of beef patties and you will see USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) approved and contains 85% (or some lesser percentage than 100%) beef.  I've often wondered what was the unmentioned ingredient(s) reminding me of my high school days and jokes of it being horse meat.

Jamie Oliver exposed what many call "pink slime" in last season's Food Revolution.  It's the unwanted beef trimmings exposed to the innards of the animal that are then spun in a mixture of ammonia to kill existing bacteria, then ground and added into the final ground beef product.  Does this raise concerns for you?

The slime is produced by Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) and is added into 70% of our nations beef supply.  The USDA claims it is safe.

McDonald's recently said they would stop putting the slime in their hamburgers.  But, it now appears the USDA will purchase the newly available slime for school districts across America.

Why do we feed our kids the worst of the worst?  I hope you find this disturbing and infuriating.  I do.

UPDATE (03/29/2012) -- The USDA and a handful of Governors defend the creation and use of "lean finely textured beef".  Of course, their viewpoint is a bit skewed toward tax and campaign revenues.

UPDATE (03/29/2012) -- www.stoppinkslime.org has a lot of information and a petition to keep pink slime out of our schools and grocery stores.  Check it out.

Most Important Book for Parents

School lunches are often overlooked by parents.  Perhaps some parents really don't care, but for many others, school lunch is something never seen.

Our kids are not yet of an age where school lunch is an option, but it is a worry.  And it should be for anyone with OR without kids.  Kids fed well have better test scores and school attendance -- a major plus for society in the long-term.

A year ago I received an empty school hamburger patty box for moving some household stuff.  I was grateful for the box, but was mortified that the ingredients said 80-some-percent beef.  What!?  Why isn't a hamburger patty 100% beef and what was the mysterious unstated filler?  McDonald's patties are 100% beef.  Not quality beef, but 100%.

The USDA determines what is acceptable for our kids to eat for lunch and private companies help fulfill those requirements through awkward pairings like pizza sauce being classified as a vegetable or a flavored ice-pop being classified as a fruit.

In a word. the food our kids get at school is pure junk or "rubbish" as Jamie Oliver says.

I read (in one night) a book titled "Fed Up with Lunch".  It is written from a Chicago school teacher who, for one year, ate school cafeteria food and blogged about it each day.  I think for many, the food selection will shock them.  I certainly think it will spur some people to action to try and find solutions for the woefully inadequate nutrition our kids receive.

If you really dig into how school lunches and the infamous food pyramid are developed, you will find a money-trail that leads from Congress back to the manufacturers/growers of certain types of food.  I find this disturbing.  Our health -- our kids health -- traded for profits and campaign contributions.

Solutions are not easy and regulations make many options unsuitable.  But, solutions start by being aware and I encourage everyone to read this book followed by Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and help find solutions to better feed our kids.

Additional Resources:

www.ecoliteracy.org
www.commonthreads.org
www.edibleschoolyard.org
www.farmtoschool.org
www.food-corps.org
www.growingpower.org
www.healthyschoolscampaign.org
www.thelunchbox.org
www.healthyschoolfood.org
www.organicschoolproject.org
www.healthyschoollunches.org
www.purpleasparagus.com
www.reapfoodgroup.org
www.schoolfoodfocus.org
www.schoollunchinitiative.org
www.schoolnutrition.org
www.veggiecation.com
www.betterschoolfood.blogspot.com
www.betterschoolfood.org
www.bravenewlunch.blogspot.com
www.jackiesschoolfoodblog.blogspot.com
www.thelunchtray.com
www.nhschoolfood.blogspot.com