Category: Food and Drink
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Return to health
January was a month of establishing dramatically better habits on a path toward my better health. I took on a lot at once. It went pretty well, but not without a lot of physical pain. The plan included: I was not 100% adherent on any of these. I met most of them on most days.…
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My long slow boring health journey
Those in my generation are aware of the dramatic shift in public health information over our lifetime. Much of what we believed 50 years ago is taboo today. We lived through fads of belief that tobacco was healthy, that processed food could substitute for raw foods, the three martini business lunch was sustainable, the crusade…
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Preparing for disaster
I’m not quite among those who are building bunkers1 for the coming apocalypse. But I am among those who plan for everything short of that: severe weather events, extended power outages, data loss, communication system outages, looting/rioting/lawlessness, trauma-induced cognitive or memory loss, and now: a breakdown of the food and energy supply. Yes, I think…
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Feds turning against small farmers?
Comments by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary this week disturbed many of us who support smaller farms and fisheries. USDA Secretary Purdue seemed to signal that the federal government does not recognize the inherent value of a wide independent network of food producers. I fear that small innovative farm operations, greenhouses, and…
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Beer without gluten
The gluten-free food trend has certainly been one of the most significant forces to affect the food industry in a long time. The trend has extended to adult drinks as reported this weekend in Wall Street Journal. There is considerable debate and uncertainty as to the underlying science behind it. I’ve had some training in food…
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Impact of Mexican/South American work force on New Jersey
I am reposting these comments arising from a Facebook conversation about Mexican and South American workers at our New Jersey shore communities that I think deserves more exposure. I have used the term “Mexican workers” without knowing for sure the origin of most of my neighbors. The language barrier and good reasons to hide the…
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The verdict on caffeine: “everything in moderation”
Caffeine remains the world’s most widely used but least understood psychoactive drug with regard to its overall impact on public health. We know that caffeine has both desirable and undesirable effects. These effects are well documented in the medical research and widely accepted by consumers. Yet most, if not all, of the often-cited research dating…
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Chemical contamination of fish in the Delaware Bay
I had this interesting and useful email exchange with Bruce Ruppel, an Environmental Specialist 4 with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Office of Science in late February 2014 with regard to chemical contamination of fish in the Delaware Bay. It is reproduced here just for reference. For a more general discussion of seafood…
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New Jersey Department of Agriculture: Don’t sell out to the soybean industry
The future of aquaculture in New Jersey New Jersey Department of Agriculture is headed down a dangerous course by promoting a soy-based aquaculture industry. We should be clear that the program’s sponsor, the United Soybean Board, is the marketing arm of the notorious Monsanto corporation with the help of pesticide maker DuPont. Together they champion…
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Best fish to eat – revised May 2011
This list is compiled from various sources and was revised May 2011 for updated environmental and health concerns. 1) Wild Alaska salmon – all wild-caught varieties OK (avoid farmed salmon) 2) Atlantic mackerel (avoid Spanish and King mackerel due to mercury) 3) Arctic char (aka iwana as sushi) 4) Sablefish from Alaska or British fisheries (aka black cod) 5) Atlantic…