The Land of Milk and Cookies

I don't care if you're full
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Open up your mouth and feed it
--Eat It, Weird Al Yankovic

these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top
--Homage to My Hips,
Lucille Clifton

You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need
--You Can't Always Get What You Want,
The Rolling Stones
____________________

Ranger Question of the Day:
If Obama were CEO of a major corporation,
would they retain him after four years?
___________________

Ranger does not do food articles, usually, but this one can be tied to tactical issues.

The first thing that returning prisoners of war crave are dairy products -- usually milk and ice cream as these are comfort foods that hearken back to days when they enjoyed the comforts of home.

In our little corner of the universe the grocery stores are having trouble keeping organic milk products stocked. The suppliers are in a bind because of increased feed costs due to increased petroleum costs; organic feed is more expensive than ordinary forage.

In addition, smaller bottles of milk are often not available, and we can only guess that is because people are buying smaller bottles because they cannot afford the larger ones. It is a strange day in the USA when one cannot purchase the kind of milk one desires.

Now that is change one can believe in.

And speaking of food issues, Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" campaign to reduce the rate of obesity and introduce better food choices has been heralded by Better Homes and Gardens and other middle-brow outlets geared to makes us feel good about something today. Of course, she has gardeners maintain a vegetable garden outside of the White House. But how are Americans supposed to eat proper meals if they are unemployed or impoverished, or just too tired from trying to piece together a living to cultivate a garden?

What if you rent in a high-rise and or a high crime area, and you have no arable land available to you? It sounds very homey with retro overtones of Victory Garden, but how does that square with the reality of modern life?

If one is living on a fixed income, one must maximize the number of calories one may purchase with one's limited food allotment. Those foods are often high-carbohydrate and poor quality, laden with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other cheaper ingredients. Obesity rates are correlated to social and economic disparities. It costs money to purchase organic fruits and vegetables and to eat well. Ironically, cheaper food can often be purchased from China and South America. For people living on the edge, carbon footprints are not a concern.

Republicans often point to the weight of lower-income people as justification for cutting food programs, but people often become heavy from making poor food choices. It sounds easy and good to say "Let's Move", but the national blight of obesity has arisen from multifold causes. It's not easy to shake your thing when you're hungry or undernourished.

Most articles on the Move initiative offer unverified glowing reviews -- noting that stores like Walmart are increasing their fresh food choices and reducing the amount of HFCS. However, these moves were in play before Obama's program, a response to a segment of the market which is more informed and has the discretionary funds to pay more for healthier food choices.

Until the Department of Agriculture stops subsidizing monster processed food corporations like Monsanto, Archer, and ConAgra and their unlabled GMOs, obesity and it's evil twin of diabetes and other weight-related health woes will continue, unabated. Though a recent report stated that the rate of increase in the number of newly obese was decreasing, that still leaves over two thirds of us overweight or obese (and growing, no pun intended).

Until the interests of Big Agra and Big Pharma are reined in, obesity will be a growth industry.

--Jim & Lisa