Articles and Speeches

1. Mother Earth News Magazine: "Government Program Makes Healthy Food a Viable Option", JUNE, 2008 -- REPRINT from the magazines Food and Gardening Newsletter

2. Is Sleep the New Yoga?

3. Green Corner: Sustainable Eating - Why Eat Well?

4. Speech to over 800 Health Counselors at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition Alumni Conference on September 23, 2007.   

5. USDA Policy Contradictions: Apples and Kale vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup: appeared in JustFood.org monthly newsletter (August 2007) and Institute for Integrative Nutrition Newsletter (September 2007) -- over 25,000 total readers.

Please email me at lexi@alexavandewalle.com with any comments or questions.

1) Government Program Makes Healthy Food a Viable Option -- The Farmers Market Nutrition Program for seniors, mothers and children brings healthy produce—fresh from the farm—to those who need it most.

REPRINT from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, By Alexa Van de Walle

It’s the beginning of the growing season and thousands of farmers markets and farm stands across the country will soon be in full swing, bustling with customers buying fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby farms.

But with food prices on the rise, it’s hard to get excited about buying any food, let alone locally grown. However, you or someone you know may be surprised to learn that the U.S. government helps make local, fresh and nutritious foods more affordable for those who can least afford them.

For starters, many of the farmers markets accept federal nutrition assistance money. The Food Stamp program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the most well-known of these nutrition assistance programs. But did you know there’s another government program of this kind, exclusively for foods procured from farmers markets? It’s called the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP).

With people all across America feeling the pinch of high food and fuel prices, and many families seeking assistance for the first time, this program can supplement the food budgets of low-income mothers, children and seniors. Coupons for fresh, locally grown produce will be made available this growing season as part of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).

An estimated $40 million worth of coupons will be distributed to approximately 2.5 million women and 825,000 seniors this season to use at select farm-to-consumer outlets. The total value for each recipient can be as low as $10, or up to $50, depending on what state you live in.

While $10, or even $50, for the entire growing season may seem low, the coupons were originally designed by forward-thinking farm and food security communities in the Northeast in the late 1980s. They wanted to introduce new, low-income shoppers to local produce at farmers markets and help save small, family-owned farms during an era when thousands of farms disappeared from the American landscape.

Beyond the dreams of many, the FMNP has helped fuel the growth of farmers markets in low-income downtown areas all over the country. According to Maritza Wellington Owens, who operates six farmers markets in low-income communities in New York, “upwards of 50 percent of the sales of markets in lower income neighborhoods come from FMNP coupons.”

A win-win for consumers and farmers, the coupons attract farmers to new weekly markets in the residents’ neighborhoods. In fact, due to the growth of farmers market shopping, some farms have actually shifted acreage from commodities to fruits and vegetables to sell at these markets.

When the coupons run out, many customers come back with cash or Food Stamps, which can be used at regular grocery stores or farmers markets. From apples in Washington and asparagus in New York to tangerines in Florida and fresh kale and strawberries in Southern California, women and seniors fill their baskets with delicious and nutritious fruits and vegetables within hours of their having been picked from the ground. Curious shoppers may ask farmers questions about how the food was grown or get easy recipes and handy storage tips for foods they’ve previously not been eating.

The social energy at the farmers market also provides a sense of community. Nutrition education is frequently a part of the farmers market experience. Classes for mothers and seniors range from mashing baby food from cooked vegetables to learning about how a diet rich in unprocessed and fresh foods can improve overall health and well being, including the prevention of chronic diet- and poverty-related illnesses, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer and heart disease.

The coupons come with a directory of approved farmers markets and a list of eligible fruits, vegetables and herbs. (Processed foods, local meat and dairy products are not included but can be purchased with Food Stamps). So who’s eligible? Seniors who are 60 years of age and older and women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or have children under the age of 5, and have incomes less than 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines ($25,327 for a two-person household).

FMNP checks are typically distributed through local WIC Agencies and County Offices on Aging. In most states, seniors who are enrolled in the USDA Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Medicaid are pre-qualified for SFMNP. Women, infants (over 4 months old) and children that have been certified to receive WIC program benefits or who are on a waiting list for WIC certification are eligible to participate in the FMNP.

No matter whether you’re interested in local foods or just want to make every penny count this summer, if you think that you, or a friend or family member may be eligible for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, you can learn more about the nutrition programs in your area by calling your local WIC or County Office on Aging. For a list of states, territories and Native American Reservations that participate, visit the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Web sites:

•    For Seniors: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/SeniorFMNP/SFMNPcontacts.htm

•    For Women, Infants and Children: http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/Contacts/farm.HTM

For more information on Food Stamps and how to apply, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/.

2) Is Sleep the New Yoga?

For the past several years, the path to health (and enlightenment) has been yoga. From office lunchtime sessions to retreats on tropical islands, yoga has emerged as the "modern" way to combat stress and illnesses such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and more. There's no disputing the advantages of this 5,000 year old practice, but recent studies are beginning to link not only yoga but also a good night's sleep to preventing these lifestyle-related illnesses.

Skimping on sleep can be hazardous to your health.

Researchers are learning more and more about sleep. In 2007, there were dozens of newspaper and magazine articles and TV news segments about the importance of sleep touting studies that show how sleep affects weight, your body's ability to monitor insulin, the impact on blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as your likelihood of getting cancer. Stress management and mood can also be related to the quality and duration of sleep. The experts are pretty consistent, suggesting 7-9 hours of sleep per night -- no more, no less. The benefits of a good night's sleep make sense, when you examine the biological havoc that sleep deprivation can take on your body.

What  can happen if you don't get enough sleep?

Weight gain. Lack of sleep throws off your hormones and can make you hungry. Leptin and Grehlin are hormones that help the body control appetite and weight gain and loss. Leptin suppresses appetite, while Grehlin increases appetite. When lack of sleep becomes a chronic problem, levels of Grehlin increases, causing greater appetite, and levels of Leptin decrease which may prevent a person from losing weight. Regardless of diet and exercise, it's possible that some weight gain and obesity is caused, or made worse, by sleep deprivation.

Diabetes, pre-diabetes and insulin resistance. If you're sleep deprived your body requires more insulin, another hormone, to keep blood sugar level. Elevated insulin levels are not only a risk factor for diabetes but also a major contributor to heart disease.

Heart health. Too few winks can cause your blood vessels to constrict and elevate blood pressure. Frequently, the constriction is due to excess insulin and insulin is the main cause of constriction for many people, resulting in high blood pressure.  Sleep also affects your body's ability to metabolize cholesterol and triglycerides. Too little sleep may result in elevated amounts of bad cholesterol and dangerous triglycerides-- bad news for a healthy heart.

Stress. A common symptom of sleep deprivation, stress weakens the immune system and makes us more susceptible to colds and flu and other more serious illnesses.

What can we do to get more sleep?

-Aim for eight hours of sleep.

-Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

-Sleep in a cool, quiet and dark room and use your bed only for sleeping (or sex).

-If you can't sleep, get out of bed.

-Go easy on alcohol and caffeine; no nicotine (no kidding!).

-Avoid rich, heavy dinners; choose lighter foods in the evening

-Exercise in the morning or afternoon not before bed.

-Get plenty of sunlight during the day - produces melatonin which helps regulate sleep patterns.

-Manage stress with meditation, deep breathing and yoga.

If you have sleep issues, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, begin a dialogue with your doctor about your sleep history. Only as a last resort, consider prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids, herbs or hormones. Carefully research any that you may be considering with your health practitioner and research trusted Internet resources on the topic.  Weigh the benefits versus the risks of any and all medications and supplements, even if they are "all natural". Not all drugs (or supplements) are appropriate for all people. For more information about sleep and sleep related issues check out www.sleepfoundation.org.

In addition to the above tips, you may want to consider some sleep inducing products -- a new and comfortable mattress or luscious pillow,  soothing lavendar bath products, a white noise machine for city-dwellers, room darkening window shades, silky smooth eye mask, ear plugs to block out the snoring spouse, a hypnosis tape or a box of Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra tea with chamomile and valerian root (check ingredients for any know herb or plant allergies)!!

So next time you want to luxuriate in bed on a Saturday morning, do it and know you're doing something truly great for yourself -- guilt free!

3) Green Corner: Sustainable Eating - Why Eat Well?

Sustainability was a hot and not so new buzz word in 2007. Books on sustainable agriculture became best sellers, Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. We heard about sustainable communities and buildings, sustainable oceans and fisheries. Conscious consuming and sensible use of scarce resources is the right thing to do. Sustainability is not a fad or a trend, but here to stay.

The topic we're going to hear more about this year and beyond is "Sustainable Eating" or  having a "Sustainable Table", What that means is simply that as we become more aware of the role of whole and quality foods in good health   and the dangers of  packaged and processed foods (what Michael Pollan calls "food-like substances") the more we'll realize that the Standard American Diet (a.k.a. the S.A.D diet) is indeed NOT sustainable. It is becoming common knowledge that processed foods that contain hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, hormones and lots of additives,  preservatives and artificial colorings ARE making us sick. Really sick! My motto is if you can't pronounce an ingredient or you don't know what it is don't eat it.

You don't have to be a doctor or an expert on nutrition to know that the S.A.D diet doesn't work.As a society we cannot continue to eat massive amounts of hormone-laden meat and dairy from cattle raised in feedlots on factory farms, products made from refined flour (which has had all its nutrients and fiber removed)  and high fructose corn syrup. Many Americans are eating mostly packaged and fast foods and NOT eating the recommended 5-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The incidence of diabetes and obesity in the US are of epidemic proportions. Simply stated, we will bankrupt our healthcare system, a valuable and scarce resource,  from the high costs related to diabetes, heart disease and cancer -- all lifestyle/diet related illnesses and many of which ARE preventable.

Our children are sick with a ADHD, food allergies, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and depression. Many of these kids could feel better, think better and make fewer visits to the doctor if they ate less junk and chemicalized processed foods and more fruits, veggies and nutritious whole grains, unprocessed legumes and other plant foods -- with organic meat and dairy as a side dish.

There are a lot of resources for you to learn more about eating good and real food and sustainable eating. Please visit:

* Slowfoodusa.com

* JustFood.org (I contribute to their newsletter)

* SustainableTable.com

* MichaelPollan.com (if you're up for a technical but fascinating read check out Michael Pollan's new book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.)

Eat Green!

Lexi

 4) Speech to Health Counselors: Institute for Integrative Nutrition Farm Bill Speech

Presented by Alexa Van de Walle - September 23, 2007

Good Afternoon. As Joshua Rosenthal told you, I will be talking about the Farm Bill today.

-          How many of you know what the Farm Bill is? Raise your hand.

-          How many of you eat food? Raise your hand.

If you eat food (and pay taxes) you want to have a stake in the Farm Bill.

The Farm Bill is essentially a farm AND food bill that determines how farm and ranch land is used, and provides subsidies for farmers. The government uses these subsidies to control crop production by paying farmers to limit plantings as a way to reduce the volatility of crop prices and farmers’ incomes. It is a continuation of the New Deal-era legislation that was enacted in 1933 by President Roosevelt to address the dire conditions of the Great Depression.

Every five years the bill comes up for renewal, and the current legislation expires this month. The House approved a Farm Bill in July and the Senate is expected to act at the end of the month on the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007. This new piece of legislation will entail aggregate spending of $286 billion – that’s $60 billion per year --- for subsidies to farmers, crop research, conservation, bioenergy (such as ethanol) trade, labeling, food safety and nutrition programs (such as food stamps).

This afternoon, I’m going to focus on the crop subsidy and nutrition aspects of the Farm Bill and the impact that the legislation has on the health and wellness of Americans. Specifically, I am going to talk about the “commodity crops” that receive enormous subsides and the “specialty crops” that historically received little or no government funding.

I am not going to address whether the subsidy programs are necessary or fair. After all, the largest 10% of farms received 70% of the subsidies last time around and very little was spent on fruits and vegetables. Nor am I going to dwell on subsidizes for ethanol which is a horribly inefficient biofuel.

So if fruits and vegetables are not being subsidized what crops are?

Basically, there are five crops that receive a majority of the subsidies:

    * Corn  

    * Wheat  

    * Soybeans

    * Cotton  

    * Rice  

A lot of what is subsidized is not actually eaten by humans – it’s used as animal feed and more recently to make ethanol.  

Supporters say that subsidies keep food affordable. Critics say the subsidies lead to cheap processed food, sodas and other sugary beverages, which are made from ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. And, the lack of subsidies for fruits and vegetables make healthy foods more expensive.

According to a study done by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy during the period from 1985 to 2000 soft drinks decreased in price by 25% and fruits and vegetable prices increased by 40%.

The health care industry and now elected officials are taking notice of the contradictions between what the Farm Bill subsidizes and what we know to be good nutrition. It’s not difficult to link high calorie processed foods and the obesity epidemic in the US.

But the imbalance in policies is eye-opening with the USDA Dietary Guidelines and Food Pyramid promoting eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains and the enormous Farm Bill subsidies for corn and soybeans. According to Daniel Imhoff, the author of FOODFIGHT, the citizen’s guide to a food and farm bill, the majority of Americans do not eat a healthy diet. He notes that

-          In 2000, five vegetables made up half of the total vegetable servings:  lettuce, frozen potatoes, fresh potatoes, potato chips and canned tomatoes. (notice there are three kinds of potatoes in the top vegetables servings -- besides being empty calories it’s likely that these potatoes were fried in hydrogenated oils rich in trans fats which as we all know are extremely harmful to our health)

-          The food industry spends $15 billion annually to market processed food to children and the Federal school lunch program spends $7 billion to feed public school kids

-          The average American drinks 50 gallons of soda per year

-          In 2006, obesity- related illness were responsible for 63 million doctor visits

The statistics are plentiful. Over 100 million cattle in the US feed on soy and corn with a high percentage of the processed meat ending up as saturated fat- and cholesterol- rich hamburgers. If the Farm Bill actually mirrored the USDA Dietary Guidelines, monies would be allocated to the recommended foods “dark green, orange, legumes, starchy and other vegetables”. Funds would be allocated to “whole grains and fiber rich foods” fish, nuts, and the production of poly- and mono- unsaturated vegetable oils. Limited funds would be allocated to corn and soy that is fed to cattle or processed into foods that contain sugars and refined grains, and beverages with high fructose corn syrup -- all foods that the USDA specifically recommends limiting. And, with this kind of farm bill, we’d likely see a precipitous decline in obesity rates and obesity-related illnesses.

               Here’s the good news. The 2007 Farm Bill has a new program – for the first time $1.6 billion will be allocated to subsidies for fruit and vegetable farmers. In addition there is additional funding for nutrition programs that bring fresh produce to schools, to the elderly and to poor neighborhoods via farmers markets and direct delivery. The 2007 revisions also include major commitments to encourage sustainable farming practices, research and programs to help conventional farms convert to organic farming methods. Some say this is not enough. In recent weeks, thirty-three senators from specialty crop-producing states asked Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., to double the $1.6 billion in funding for specialty crops proposed in the House bill to $3.2 billion. The argument that these Senators made was primarily a health argument suggesting that access to affordable fruits and vegetables are essential to the health and well-being of all Americans.

               The Senate is in the process of making changes to the House of Representatives proposed Farm Bill and will be voting in the next several weeks. Whether you want to support organic and sustainable farming, subsidies for fruit and vegetables, or nutrition programs now is the time to write your Senator on the issues that matter to you. To send a message to your Senator and learn more about these issues, go to the Organic Consumers Association website at www.organicconsumers.org as soon as you can.

Thank you. 

5.) USDA Policy Contradictions:

Apples and Kale vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup

By Alexa Van de Walle

These days it seems like everyone is talking about good health. For many, good nutrition and food quality are their top strategies for staying healthy and achieving wellness. Elected officials have also turned their heads toward nutrition as food policy not only makes for healthier citizens but has the potential to significantly reduce health care costs for all levels of government. Despite good intentions, many beneficial policies are often contradicted by other policies. One example is the recently revised USDA Dietary Guidelines and Food Pyramid which promotes eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains and the USDA’s Farm Bill that heavily subsidizes corn and soybeans that are processed into sweeteners and oils and which the Food Pyramid recommends eating only on a limited basis and which many say are making many Americans fatter (and sicker!).

A long-running contradiction, the Farm Bill is counterintuitive and a major contributor to the nation’s (and New York’s) obesity and diabetes epidemics. While a majority of the spending is for farm subsidies and nutrition programs, the problem lies in that the majority of subsidies and programs do not support farmers who grow fruits and vegetables and whole grains – the healthy food groups that the Food Pyramid recommends we eat. 

What is the connection between the Farm Bill and the USDA Food Pyramid?

While the USDA’s Food Pyramid recommends at least five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, the Farm Bill subsidizes commodities that are grown by a few large, corporate farmers, namely corn, rice, wheat, soybeans and cotton. Most of the crops that the mega-farmers receive subsidies for are used to feed cattle, processed into food ingredients, such as high fructose corn syrup or soybean oil, or used for biofuels such as corn ethanol. What the policy does not adequately support are hundreds and even thousands of plant species including the many varieties of fruits and vegetables that smaller farms grow as well as whole grains, legumes and nuts – all the foods that the USDA recommends and encourages in the Dietary Guidelines and outlines in the USDA My Pyramid Plan (www.mypyramid.com).

How does corn and soybeans impact our health?

Corn and soybeans, which the Farm Bill supports with billions of dollars, are ubiquitous in the American food supply.  They are used to make the foods that the Dietary Guidelines specifically state we should limit in our diets, namely those with “added sugars”, “saturated and trans fats”, “cholesterol “and high salt content.

High fructose corn syrup is the number one sweetener in our diet and one of the main ingredient in sodas and thousands of processed foods and beverages.

Soybeans and corn are used to make oils, many of which are hydrogenated and rich in trans fats and used to fry potatoes and potato chips which are filled with empty calories and fats that are actually harmful to our health.

Over 100 million cattle in the US feed on soy and corn, which is used to fatten factory-raised livestock,  with a high percentage of the processed meat ending up as saturated fat- and cholesterol- rich hamburgers in fast food restaurants.

The inherent contradiction in the quality and quantity of food available and artificially low price of these subsidized (and harmful) food products has led to an alarming increase in obesity rates across the country and an increase in the incidence of diabetes, especially among children and poorer populations. Diabetes is now at epidemic proportions in some New York City neighborhoods.

What if the 2007 Farm Bill supported the Federal Government’s Dietary Guidelines?

Farm policy is an ideal avenue to address the obesity and diabetes epidemics and foster healthy lifestyles. If the 2007 Farm Bill mirrored the USDA Dietary Guidelines, monies would be allocated to nutrient-dense foods. Growers of “fruits and vegetables” and the “five vegetable subgroups recommended by the USDA including “dark green, orange, legumes, starchy and other vegetables” would receive billions of dollars. Funds would be allocated to growing and producing “whole-grains and fiber-rich foods and whole-grain products”, fishing, growing nuts and producing poly- and mono- unsaturated vegetable oils, “fat-free and low-fat dairy”. Limited funds would be allocated to corn and soy that is fed to cattle to produce “high-fat red meat” and processed to create “added sugars”, refined grains, and “beverages with added sugars” which are all foods the USDA recommends “limiting”.  

Through greater subsidies for fruits and vegetables, the policies and programs have the potential to ensure that Americans can not only enjoy hundreds of varieties of locally grown and delicious fruits and vegetables, from New York’s Cortland apples to shitake mushrooms grown in California, but also at a price that allows the local farm to make a profit.

Further, subsidy allocations that better reflect the Food Pyramid can address a much noted barrier to healthy eating which is that many people say that fresh fruits and vegetables, the foods the USDA recommends we eat in abundance, are “too expensive”.

Imagine if there were no subsidies for corn and soybeans and the prices for these commodities increased to the point where it was cheaper for a family to buy fruits and vegetables than it is to buy high-calorie low-nutrient foods that are artificially cheap such as Coke and McDonald’s hamburgers.

Why is the Farm Bill Important Now?

It’s one of the largest and most important bills and it comes up for renewal once every five years (September 2007) and affects every taxpayer and citizen.

Essentially a $90 billion dollar tax bill, the Farm Bill’s programs range from subsidies for farmers to crop research conservation, trade, labeling and food safety to nutrition policy in schools and food stamps. Basically anyone who eats is affected by the Farm Bill, not just the people who grow, package and distribute food. Even so, most Americans, including legislators, leave the Farm Bill to the agricultural and cattle farmers in the rural states and not the urban centers, such as New York.

Alexa Van de Walle is a volunteer for Just Food. She is a Holistic Health Counselor and Chef and received certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Teachers College at Columbia University, and the Institute for Culinary Education. She has a MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

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