Country of Origin Labeling begins this week...

Thursday, Oct. 02, 2008
Country-of-origin labeling begins this week
By JOAN OBRA - The Fresno Bee

The San Luis Obispo Tribune Thu, 02 Oct 2008 9:49 AM PDT
Finally, after six years of waiting, country-of-origin labeling has arrived. Starting this week, retailers are required to tell shoppers if their fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, goat, fish, shellfish and certain types of nuts come from a different country. What does this mean for consumers? Look more closely at food packaging for words such as "Product of the USA," "Produce of the USA," "Grown in Mexico," or "China." The words will appear on placards, signs, labels, stickers, twist-ties and other displays, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

http://www.fresnobee.com/
Enforcement of the new rules will begin on April 1, 2009. Violators will be fined $1,000 per violation.

It's not the first time we've seen such labels. U.S. customs rules of origin require packaged and imported foods to indicate the country they come from. And country-of-origin labeling (also known as COOL) for fish and shellfish started earlier.

Full implementation of the legislation, part of the 2002 Farm Bill, was delayed amid food companies' grumbling that compliance would be costly. An example is large meat companies that import cattle. Instead of processing cattle separately according to where they were imported from, the companies have the option of choosing a label that indicates several possible countries of origin.

The American Farm Bureau Federation has protested the loophole, as have 30 U.S. Republican and Democratic senators, including presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.

"It is not the intent of Congress that all U.S. product or such product from large segments of the industry be combined with the multiple countries of origin category nor was it dictated by statute," states a letter from the senators to Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer. "The purpose of COOL is to clearly identify the origin of meat products, providing consumers the most precise information available. This interim final rule, if left without clarification and proper guidance on this issue, has the real possibility of undermining the program...."

So far, the USDA hasn't tightened the rule.

For their part, consumer groups aren't concerned with adjustments companies have to make. Given recent food-safety scares, they welcome the labels.

"If a food safety problem is identified in a particular imported product, as happened with jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico earlier this year, then consumers will be able to avoid that product," says Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives for Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. "On the other hand, some people like to buy certain imported products, like New Zealand lamb or Holland tomatoes. Still others just want to buy local produce. Either way, the new labels will give consumers important new information."

Current country-of-origin regulations only cover fresh foods, however, so concerned shoppers need to study the rules. For example, ham, bacon, peanut butter and roasted nuts are not subject to the new labels because they are processed. Fresh fruit salad, frozen stir-fry vegetables, and mixed salad greens also don't require labels because they are mixtures.

For shoppers' convenience, Consumers Union has created a printable guide to country-of-origin labeling. Download it at consumersunion.org/pdf/CU-Cool-Tool.pdf.

And for the most country-of-origin labels, shop at supermarkets. Only stores defined by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act - ones that buy more than $230,000 of fresh and frozen produce yearly - must comply with COOL rules.

That means you won't find the labels at seafood markets, meat markets or restaurants.

The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6365.

Secrets of Six Figure Women

the book, Secrets of Six Figure Women, by Barbara Stanny, best selling author of Prince Charming Isn't Coming

I am so excited I started reading this book! The first few pages have grabbed me! How to Triumph in Tough Times! She says, "While everybody's been fixated on doors that were closing, feeling cynical and resigned about what struggles might lay ahead, high earners were consistently finding, and opening windows of opportunity. These women demonstrated, once again, how different life can be when you stop thinking, and talking, like everyone else. That's the mind-expanding strategies in this book are designed to do--transform your beliefs and assumptions about what's actually possible, no matter what's happening around you. ...our state of mind, more than anything "out there" determines our level of success."

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Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D.
A groundbreaking program backed by the irrefutable results from Dr. Esselstyn’s 20-year study proving changes in diet and nutrition can actually cure heart disease

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. But, as Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., a former internationally known surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, explains in this book it can be prevented, reversed, and even abolished. Dr. Esselstyn argues that conventional cardiology has failed patients by developing treatments that focus only on the symptoms of heart disease, not the cause.

Based on the groundbreaking results of his 20-year nutritional study—the longest study of its kind ever conducted—this book explains, with irrefutable scientific evidence, how we can end the heart disease epidemic in this country forever by changing what we eat. Here, Dr. Esselstyn convincingly argues that a plant-based, oil-free diet cannot only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease, but also reverse its effects.

The proof is in the results. The patients in Dr. Esselstyn’s initial study came to him with advanced coronary artery disease. Despite the aggressive treatment they received, among them bypasses and angioplasties, most were told by their cardiologists that they had less than a year to live. Within months on Dr. Esselstyn’s program, their cholesterol levels, angina symptoms, and blood flow improved dramatically. Twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms. Here are the documented results:

Eat More, Weigh Less

The Ornish Diet: What It Is
What It Is
Unlike other diet books that make big promises, Eat More, Weigh Less, by Dean Ornish, MD, soft-pedals the health claims for this diet for the masses, adapted from his regimen to reverse heart disease. Ornish is well known in the medical community because of his success in reversing blockages to the heart, once thought impossible without surgery or drugs. Ornish also runs his own health and diet site here at WebMD which can give you additional details about his plan.

Unlike other books that are full of scientific-sounding theories and explanations without clinical studies to back them up, Ornish's explanations are simple and well supported. His main point is that eating a high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian diet will not only help you stay healthy, or get you there, but also will help you lose weight.

This is accomplished, according to Ornish, by a combination of diet and exercise that allows the body's fat-burning mechanism to work most effectively.

What You Can Eat
Ornish counsels that we will find success not by restricting calories, but by watching the ones we eat. He breaks this down into foods that should be eaten all of the time, some of the time, and none of the time.

The following can be eaten whenever you are hungry, until you are full:

Beans and legumes
Fruits -- anything from apples to watermelon, from raspberries to pineapples
Grains
Vegetables
These should be eaten in moderation:

Nonfat dairy products -- skim milk, nonfat yogurt, nonfat cheeses, nonfat sour cream, and egg whites
Nonfat or very low-fat commercially available products --from Life Choice frozen dinners to Haagen-Dazs frozen yogurt bars and Entenmann's fat-free desserts (but if sugar is among the first few ingredients listed, put it back on the shelf)
These should be avoided:

Meat of all kinds -- red and white, fish and fowl (if we can't give up meat, we should at least eat as little as possible)
Oils and oil-containing products, such as margarine and most salad dressings
Avocados
Olives
Nuts and seeds
Dairy products (other than the nonfat ones above)
Sugar and simple sugar derivatives -- honey, molasses, corn syrup, and high-fructose syrup
Alcohol
Anything commercially prepared that has more than two grams of fat per serving
That's it. If you stick to this plan, you will meet Ornish's recommendation of less than 10% of your calories from fat, without the need to count fat grams or calories. Ornish suggests eating a lot of little meals because this diet makes you feel hungry more often. You will feel full faster, and you'll eat more food without increasing the number of calories.

Ornish's regimen is more than mere diet, he claims. He is a stickler about incorporating at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, or an hour three times a week, and using some kind of stress-management technique, which might include meditation, massage, psychotherapy, or yoga.

The China Study

one of the most talked about health and nutrition books is Now Available in paperback!

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The China Study gives critical, life-saving nutritional information for every health-seeker in America. But, it is much more; Dr. Campbell’s exposé of the research and medical establishment makes this book a fascinating read and one that could change the future for all of us. Every health care provider and researcher in the world must read it.

Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Author of the bestselling book,
Eat To Live

Diabetes

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Schools put Focus on Health

Local schools put focus on Health
West View honored for fitness; others eat right
By LEE G. HEALY
lee.healy@shj.com


Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 1:20 a.m.

With exercise and plenty of fruits and vegetables, several Spartanburg schools are being rewarded for their efforts to create a healthier campus.


John Byrum/john.byrum@shj.com Order a Reprint
Promise Kennedy, left, and Anaya Hamilton eat a snack of apple slices during their kindergarten class at Park Hills Elementary School. Park Hills is one of three District 7 schools that has a grant to serve healthy snacks.West View Elementary School in District 6 was one of only seven public schools in the state to receive a Healthy School award for promoting wellness among both students and staff. The awards are a joint effort of the state Department of Education and the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Principal Shawn Wootton leads the faculty in five- to 10-minute workouts before each faculty meeting, and teachers are challenged weekly with fitness trivia.

Soon, a new fitness track behind the school will be complete for students, staff and the community to use. Wootton said the track is scheduled to open near the end of October. To help pay for the track, teachers gave $1 in exchange for being allowed to wear jeans on Friday, and students raised $1,600 through a jump rope fundraiser. Wootton said students were even handing over their ice cream money to help foot the bill.

And even without the track, students are encouraged to walk. The school rotates digital pedometers between classes so students can keep track of their steps.

We want them to focus on being active,” Wootton said. “Whenever they’re active, there’s a correlation with academics.”

The school’s focus on health started late last year, and the school community quickly embraced the idea.

“Whenever you do a schoolwide initiative like this, it permeates the hallways,” she said. “Kids are talking about it, teachers are talking about it. ... It’s in your face every day. They begin to grab hold of it.”

Fruits and Veggies

Three District 7 elementary schools are making use of a combined $67,316 in federal grant funds to provide students with fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day.

Mary H. Wright, Park Hills and Cleveland elementary schools each received in excess of $20,000 through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the S.C. Department of Education and the S.C. Department of Agriculture. The amount awarded depends on student enrollment at each school.

Ron Jones, District 7’s Chartwells food service director, explained that the grant money can’t be used on fruits and vegetables for breakfast, lunch or after school snacks. Instead, the money makes sure students have access to an apple or carrots mid-morning or after lunch. The healthy snacks are delivered in baskets to classrooms each day.

“We’re extremely pleased because we know how important it is to deliver strong nutritional methods and keep these children properly fed,” Jones said.

The idea of the program, which awarded $800,000 to 34 elementary schools in South Carolina, is for students to begin developing healthy eating habits early. Local produce is distributed when possible.

Park Hills Principal Debra Waldron said the snacks keep students’ energy levels up, and said the new program has gone over well with students.

“It will be teaching them about fruits and healthy snacks,” Waldron said, “and hopefully in the long term combat childhood obesity and even adult obesity.”