5 Ways to Save Billions and Boost the Nation’s Health

While Congress debates how to cure America’s massive debt problem, let me offer a doctor’s prescription: five smart cuts could save taxpayers $383 billion and make Americans healthier at the same time.

Right now, the U.S. government spends billions subsidizing the least healthful foods, fueling America’s obesity epidemic and escalating healthcare costs. In contrast to federal nutrition guidelines that emphasize healthful vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, federal subsidies go in the opposite direction, supporting meat, dairy products, and sugar, and all the cholesterol, fat, and calories that are packed into them. This, despite abundant scientific evidence showing that increasing consumption of animal products is associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and certain forms of cancer, among other health problems.

So here’s where to put the scalpel:

1. Cut Junk Food from SNAP

The government provides food for economically disadvantaged people through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program). One in seven Americans now draws SNAP benefits.

The enormous size of the program — $65 billion a year — is not a testament to the political clout of SNAP recipients. Rather, it’s the food manufacturers who are profiting, as SNAP supports a growing market for candy, soda, fatty cheese, and specialty meats as much as it does for healthier foods.

SNAP perpetuates food deserts — geographic areas with inadequate availability of healthful foods. Because shelf-stable junk food is covered on the same basis as perishable fruits and vegetables, grocers have little incentive to stock healthful foods, and providers of fresh fruits and vegetables operate at a disadvantage.

A vanishingly small number of Americans currently suffer from hunger, defined as an inadequate caloric intake. Instead, a great many suffer from poor nutrition — too much fat, cholesterol, and overall calories, and not enough of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals provided by vegetables and fruits.

SNAP also has an unintended demeaning feature in that it tacitly suggests that economically disadvantaged people view unhealthful foods as necessities. I don’t believe that for a minute. Everyone, regardless of their income, recognizes that unhealthful foods are not to be parts of our daily routine and that a continued supply of these foods is to our detriment.

Here’s a better SNAP structure: SNAP should be limited to truly healthful staples: oats, rice, and other grains, dry beans, fruits, and vegetables, which could be fresh, frozen, or canned. Participating grocers could be required to stock certain items, such as no-salt-added canned beans and vegetables.

With these nourishing foods, an adult’s monthly food costs would total approximately $134, which is one-third less than the $200 benefit provided by the most complete current program coverage. Were SNAP to be reorganized in this way, we could cut costs by $24 billion annually. For once, we could wipe out both hunger and malnutrition at the same time.

2. Prioritize Health in Commodity Purchases

American children today are in the worst physical shape of any generation in the nation’s history. One in three is overweight. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three children born since the year 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in his or her life. As the years go by, the drain on America’s health care resources will only escalate.

Contributing to this problem is the fact that the U.S. Department of Agriculture routinely uses school meal programs and other food assistance programs as a dumping ground for agricultural commodities. When cheese prices fall, the USDA buys up millions of pounds of cheese. When beef prices fall, it buys up beef. School menus then feature cheeseburgers, cheese pizza, and Salisbury steak. These purchases are designed to boost agribusiness income, but they do children no favors.

In fiscal year 2009, USDA spent more than $1.4 billion on commodity purchases of meat, dairy products, and eggs — twice what it spent on all fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and oils combined. If USDA were to base commodity purchases solely on health value, we could reduce expenditures by about $14 billion over the next decade, save on medical care costs, and improve children’s health.

3. Eliminate Direct Payments to Agribusiness

Food producers currently receive yearly checks in a direct-payment program set up as part of the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act. These payments are based on the historic use of land. That is, if you used to grow feed corn for livestock, you’ll still be paid today. The direct payment program makes it profitable to keep land dedicated to the production of feed grains for livestock, and program restrictions block the growing of vegetables and fruits. Eliminating direct payments would save approximately $50 billion over the next decade.

4. Let Producers Buy Their Own Crop Insurance

Weather happens. When rain fails or floods arrive, food producers need to be insured against losses. All industries protect themselves against shifting profits and costs, and agribusiness is no different.

The cost of crop insurance programs was approximately $7.3 billion in 2009, and approximately 80% of crop-insurance costs are borne by the U.S. government. Unfortunately, these programs favor feed grains for livestock (especially corn and soybeans), providing a de-facto subsidy for meat production. It is difficult to argue that taxpayers should shoulder these costs. Privatizing crop insurance would save an estimated $70 billion over the next decade.

5. Make Polluters Pay

Feed-grain production and concentrated animal feeding operations create wastes that pollute rivers and streams. Government programs cover much of the clean-up costs, becoming yet another de-facto subsidy. In 2010, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program cost $839 million.

Producers raising crops for animal feed or raising livestock under intensive conditions should pay for their own waste clean-up. At the same time, governmental agencies that oversee environmental protection must have authority to enforce appropriate regulations to ensure a healthful, clean environment. Privatizing farm clean-up operations would save $9 billion over the next ten years.

Do the Math

Adding up our savings, we reach $383 billion over the next decade. But wait, there’s more. As we stop promoting unhealthful foods, our healthier population will need less medical care. Today, the medical costs attributable to meat consumption are approximately $60 billion to $130 billion every year. If we can trim even a little of that, we’re talking real money.

For more information on how to optimize your health, visit NealBarnard.org

Originally published on HuffingtonPost.com

Photo credit: KAZ Vorpal

Dailyworth.com: Know Your Worth

Several months ago, I read that women still earn 20% less than men. The more I read, the angrier I became at the thought of hard-working women under-earning. But the self-help junkie in me knew there was a better way to think about it. I asked myself, “Why does this statistic make me so angry?” My inner voice (a.k.a. my ~ing) responded, “You’re angry because you too are under-earning.” Wow! My ~ing was right on. I was angry because I didn’t know my own worth.

This revelation caught me off-guard because I perceived myself as a kick-ass businesswoman. I’ve started several businesses, closed tons of deals, and managed my own books since I was 21. Why was I still undervaluing my worth?

I turned to the expert: my dear friend Amanda Steinberg, the founder of DailyWorth.com, a daily personal-finance email for women. “Women often approach jobs and contracts with fear and insecurity, not thinking about the established market value of what we bring to the table,” she said.

Once we understand our value, we can take action toward significant change. I committed to taking the necessary steps toward earning more and loving it.

The first step in know~ing my worth was the willingness to feel uncomfortable. Change can cause growing pains, but to move through them you must be willing to feel whatever comes up. I felt queasy thinking about negotiating, but playing small was no longer an option. I braved the discomfort and shifted my inner dialogue from, “That doesn’t feel good. Run!” to “Bring it on!”

I was ready to transition into the second step to know~ing my worth: practic~ing. The only way to transform my old patterns was to create new ones. Regardless of how uncomfortable I felt, I practiced negotiating every chance I got—from retail purchases to sponsorship deals. Each time I practiced, I transformed my fear and felt more worthy.

Despite my improvement, I noticed something funky during my practice period. Each time I asked for what I wanted, I felt the need to apologize by over-talking and justifying my requests. Whenever I over-talked my negotiations I sabotaged the deal.

This brings me to the final step in know~ing your worth: clos~ing the deal. This step is all about revving up your belief system. When you believe you’re worthy, others do, too. With that in mind, I tapped into my visualization meditation practice. I’d sit in a ten-minute meditation, imagining myself signing the contract on a sponsorship deal. Then I’d see myself cashing the check. Most importantly, I’d hold the vision long enough to feel worthy. The key to believing is feeling. By holding powerful visions through meditation, I guided myself into a true feeling of worthiness.

With this new belief system in place, I was ready to close the deal. At closing time, I asked my boyfriend, a killer negotiator, for advice. He said, “When you’re finished asking for what you want, shut up.” Man, is that right! There’s no need to backpedal or over-explain when you know your worth.

I practice these tools daily and have experienced miraculous results. I’ll negotiate with anyone, visualize and ask for more any chance I get—all for the sake of truly know~ing my worth.

You can check out more of my blogs here!

Photo Credit: Bill S

Native Plants & Your Garden

Laura Mathews

What if plants could multi-task? You know, do more than stand there and look pretty.

Consider this: in order to add color and interest to your yard, you’re looking for a flowering shrub.

You could choose a deep pink flowering azalea. That would be pretty.

Or you could choose native spicebush. That would be pretty, too. But spicebush, like other native plants, offers deeper beauty. Like azalea, it flowers in the spring. Unlike Azalea, it has multiple seasons of interest. And since it is genetically predisposed to thrive in much of the US, maintenance is less. It also comes with its own butterfly: the spicebush swallowtail.

Plants have purpose beyond their ornamental value. By adding plants that are native to your area, you’re doing yourself and nature a favor. Native plants need us less. Let’s say you’d chosen the azalea. As pervasive as these are, they’re sensitive. They’re native to China, so they aren’t used to North American growing conditions. To keep them thriving here, it’s suggested you feed them with an acid based fertilizer a couple of times a year. To keep them looking good, you’d need to hit them with a fungicide spray. They’re prone to powdery mildew.

Not feeling all the work and all the chemicals? Let’s look at the spicebush. It’s a naturally occurring shrub throughout the east coast and into the Midwest. It doesn’t need us. Spicebush, like most native plants, will thrive without the regular addition of fertilizers and chemicals because it has evolved to grow in northeastern climate and conditions. As with many native plants, it offers three seasons of interest. Delicate yellow flowers start the spring, yellow leaves mark fall, and berries decorate spicebush for the winter. The spicebush swallowtail butterfly will lay eggs on the leaves and the larvae will feed on the leaves. Native shrubs benefit birds, too: “Spicebush is a McDonalds for birds,” says Judy Bono, a Native Plant expert. Birds can feed on the larvae in spring and the berries in the fall and winter. And spicebush is but one of many native plants.

Spicebush

My point? The spicebush, though less perennially popular, will enrich your garden in more ways than one. Choose plants that are supposed to grow in your location, and you’ll create a symbiotic relationship in which you, your plant, and nature all benefit. I call it right plant, right place, cubed.

Good arguments for natives can be made on a purely economic basis as well. Native plants cost less because they don’t require chemicals or, once established, as much or any watering. And there are some native plant appreciators who simply prefer natives’ delicate aesthetics: say, the wisps of purple flowers of the redbud tree as compared to the explosion of pale pink blooms of the yoshino cherry tree.

But it’s interest in environmental preservation that is truly fueling the current rage for native plants and convincing folks that they’re crucial for our ecosystem. From soil, to birds, to insects, “Nature contains incredible layers of relationship,” said Jan Getgood, of Meadowood Nursery, an all-native plant nursery. According to Getgood, our efforts to re-arrange Mother Nature in our developed areas by introducing non-native species has impacted the biodiversity that those species support.

Douglas Tallamy, from the University of Delaware, has energized plant lovers with his book, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in our Gardens. In it, he explores the relationship between native plants, birds and insects. Certain insects only feed on certain plants. Birds for instance, search for certain insects; often in spring, caterpillars. Native oaks, for example, support the most butterfly and moth species, over 500, who lay their eggs in oaks. Those eggs become caterpillars and feed the majority of migrating birds. Birds need protein provided by insects to feed their young. While birds gain sustenance from seeds and berries, that’s not enough to support their offspring.

“We need to abandon the idea that we are planting purely for the aesthetics of plants.” Said Tallamy. “Landscapes need to be functional for nature.”

So does this mean we need to tear all our plants out and start over with native plants? Hardly. In fact, native plant experts suggest starting small.

“First, make sure there are no invasives, then replace your plants with natives through attrition,” said Tallamy. “Reduce the amount of lawn you have and plant your areas densely with native plants. Almost everyone has more lawn than they need. ”

Gardens that are tightly planted provide food and shelter for insects and wildlife can gradually allow nature to rebound. The hope is to create a corridor through suburban landscapes that allows wildlife to move freely and find shelter and food.

Of course, gardeners nurture plants. So the idea of pulling out your hybrid tea to replace it with clethra feels a little counter intuitive to us. Native plant champions argue that we should quell our guilt: “People need to know its O.K. to kill a plant,” said Lorrie Preston, President of the Appalachian Audubon Society. Preston suggests looking closely and really thinking about some of our problem plants. Rather than putting a plant on life support with additives or keeping it in bounds with excessive pruning, take the plant out and replace it with a native.

“Plants have their own purpose. We have to understand and think about how a certain plant can serve nature,” said Preston.

Years ago, when natives were called wildflowers, the only way to find them was to start your own from seed. Now, you can find native plants at your Garden Center. Often, there will be entire sections devoted to native plants. And don’t think your plant palette will be whittled down to nothing. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center at the University of Texas hosts a native plant database of more than 7,000 plants. Many of our garden favorites are native: echinacea, rudbeckia, and coreopsis come to mind. And there are several resources on line, including these:

-Wildflower.org

-Plantnative.org

-National Wildlife Federation

With native plants, you enjoy their beauty and the beauty of the nature that they attract—all while ensuring that birds, butterflies and, well, everything, will be here in the future.

Laura Mathews is a horticulture student, life-long gardener and professional photographer from Pennsylvania.  Currently, when she’s not driving her teenage daughter from place to place or chasing her kindergartner around the yard, Laura is writing blog posts for Punk Rock Gardens and shopping for a small farm.

Saving Money and Expanding our Community in Difficult Times

Recently, as part of my family’s effort to tighten up our home finances, we have begun the transition from bookstore to library. And the benefits have been incredibly rewarding! Santa Monica — where I live — has a new, beautiful library. We made a family trip to the new building, got library cards and spent the afternoon looking at the endless books there. Tara, my elder daughter, was so excited to see the variety of books from fiction to biographies to fantasy. They each got two lovely books to read (which they read that same night) and are ready to go back as soon as possible. In addition, we are setting aside books and dvds to donate and share with others in our community.

I marvel that if it weren’t for the uncertainty of the recession, I would have pushed off this incredible opportunity to teach my girls that a love for books is separate from the need to accumulate them. Not only are we supporting our local library, we are also encouraging our children to live more a more sustainable lifestyle — that is, taking advantage of what is already there instead of always buying everything brand-new.

Though the constant outpouring of negative news on foreclosures, bankruptcies and unemployment is nearly impossible to avoid, I have been reading with great interest the silver lining that has been emerging from this difficult economic period. Of families spending more time with their kids in nature or playing ball, rather than just seeing a movie. Or the rise in volunteers for non-profit organizations and charity events. An increase in public transportation. People everywhere learning in big and small ways that you really do not need to buy so many things to live a happy, fulfilled life.

This recession is an opportunity for us to curve our consumerism, and also to think more as a community. Readers, please share your intents on how you hope to decrease your spending while increasing your sense of community. Imagining a more caring, active and sustainable neighborhood within our own cities and towns is the first crucial step in repairing our country and the world at large. Mallika Chopra blogs regularly at Intent.com

Bookworm Posse: "In Defense of Food" pt. 1

Hello All!

I hear there’s a party going on in here. I’m not sure which bar I should hit first, the wine or the wheatgrass… My globetrotting wife Kris is in South Carolina for the weekend – in the middle of an all day yoga class as we speak – so I thought I’d kick things off with our little book club.

For anyone just dropping by, we’ve begun reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.

First off, I love Pollan’s writing. He has such a talent for digesting (pardon the pun) our familiar world and reflecting it back to us with a fresh, clear perspective. You see connections where you hadn’t before, and learn that there are deliberate forces, often political, influencing parts of our lives that we assumed were the domain of chance.

We live in a strange time, food-wise. As our world shrinks, our food options grow larger. Consider the produce section at your mega-grocery: it’s brimming with exotic choices our parents and grandparents never even heard of, let alone had access to. And this bounty is available season after season, all year around. We take this so for granted that we need a leap of imagination to realize just how novel and unnatural this is. As they say, “it’s always summer somewhere.” This, of course, brings up a variety of related issues: the connection between chow transport and global warming; the reliance on preservatives and GMO for longer shelf-life, to name a few.

Pollan talks about how much our diets have changed over the past few generations – for good and bad. He describes his Grandmother’s diet in the 1940’s, his Mom’s in the 1960’s, and now his. We all know our family stories – who, when, where – but do you know your food story?

My Mom grew up during the 1930’s and 40’s. Her relationship to food was probably typical of an upper-middle class American family at the time. (Hi Mom. I know you’re out there but either too shy to comment or can’t figure out how to sign in. Or both.) When she was a kid, it was a special occasion to have citrus fruit, for example. At Christmas they’d get a bag of oranges – all the way from a place called Florida!!

Back then dinner was a sit-down family affair, and she continued this tradition when I was growing up. We had a big old farm bell in our suburban front yard. You could hear it all the way to the edge of my known world, and when it rang, you’d better haul your ass home to dinner. Of course my brother, sister, and I tended to resent this tribal obligation. While many of our friends were free to wander home whenever they pleased and forage for leftovers or TV dinners, we were stuck in Family Land, talking, laughing, and passing around hot casseroles. In hindsight, from the perspective of nutrition, some of the food was unhealthy. But the meal – the overall experience – was infinitely nourishing.

As Pollan writes in the intro: “We forget that historically, people have eaten for a great many reasons other than biological necessity. Food is also about pleasure, about community, about family and spirituality, about our relationship to the natural world, and about expressing our identity.”

We know instinctively that food and community are inseparable, but we struggle so hard in this drive-thru age. Incredible advances have been made in nutrition – not all old habits are good just because they’re old – and I for one am happy for the variety today. But with 1 in 6 Americans eating lunch in the car, how do we change the system and reclaim a holistic definition of EAT?

What was a meal for you growing up? Talk to your families – hopefully you’re lucky enough to have a few generations still hanging around – find out what they ate. And how they ate. And why. What about your distant ancestors? What is your Gastro-Geneology?

Would love to hear your thoughts on In Defense of Food.

Peace,
– Brian
PS – thanks Dhrumil for a great blog!