Poor Eating Habits: A Century in the Making

What is making Americans gain weight? Which foods are responsible for the obesity epidemic? Is it soda? Fast food?

In the May 2010 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, I published a detailed analysis of how diets have changed over the past century, based on government records going back to 1909. The results were surprising—even sobering—and I thought I would share them with you. Here’s what we found:

Compared to a century ago, an average American now eats 75 pounds more meat every year. Although red meat made a big charge early in the last century, the recent increase has all been related to chicken. Convinced that chicken is somehow health food, Americans now eat more than one million chickens per hour. Perhaps surprisingly, its fat content is not much different from beef (about 29% for lean beef, 23% for skinless chicken breast, compared to less than 10% for typical vegetables, fruits and beans.)

Cheese intake back in 1909 amounted to less than four pounds per person per year. Americans had not yet discovered cheese pizza or cheeseburgers, or the fact that schoolchildren will happily munch on cheese day after day. Today, cheese intake is over 30 pounds per person per year. Unfortunately, typical cheeses are about 70% fat, as a percentage of calories, and most of that is saturated fat—the kind that raises cholesterol.

And along with our meat and cheese, we’re munching on French fries, which accounts for a 50-pound rise in oil consumption per person per year compared to a century ago. And we’re polishing our fries off with frozen desserts, particularly ice cream. The average American eats 20 pounds more ice cream per year than a century ago.

So, what’s behind these huge increases? Much of this change reflects the advent of fast-food and pizza restaurants, for which meat, cheese and fryer grease are staples. Also, government subsidies make meat, dairy products and sugar cheaper and more available than they would be otherwise, and government meal programs ensure that children consume these less-than-healthful foods in schools on a daily basis.

But what about sodas? They are commonly blamed for childhood obesity. It’s certainly true that soda intake is way up. But, among children, this rise has been partly compensated for by a drop in milk intake. Nonfat milk has about the same calorie intake as soda, and whole milk is denser in calories than soda. So, calorie-wise, it appears to be nearly a wash.

Bottom line: Americans were moderate meat-eaters a century ago, and are vigorous carnivores today. Cheese intake has exploded, and greasy, sugary foods are more prevalent than ever.

If we turn the clock back a bit, we might see the difference on the scale.

Iron In Your Diet

When it comes to getting iron from your diet, think Goldilocks. You don’t want too much and you don’t want too little. Fortunately, getting just the right amount is not that hard, even for people who don’t eat animal foods.

The main reason we need to be sure our bodies have adequate amounts of iron is to avoid anemia. This is a condition of too few red blood cells. Some of the first symptoms of this are fatigue, shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, and dizziness.

To understand why vegans (and their meat-eating friends and family who worry about them) might think they aren’t getting enough iron, it helps to know how iron in plant foods differs from iron in animal foods. Nonheme iron comes from both plant food and animal food. Heme iron is found only in the red blood cells and muscle cells of animal food. Both forms of iron have the same effect on the body, but heme iron is often thought of as the better source of iron because it is absorbed into the body more efficiently than nonheme iron. That means that even if a vegetarian meal has the same amount of iron as a piece of steak, the person eating the steak will absorb more iron than the person eating the vegetarian meal. In addition, meat, fish, and poultry help absorb the nonheme iron from vegetarian foods. But before you determine that nonheme iron is an inferior source of iron, read on.

While the absorption of heme iron is not affected much by other nutrients in the meal, nonheme iron is. So whether you are getting enough iron is not just about the amount of iron you eat, but which other foods you eat with it.

The following foods and nutrients inhibit nonheme iron absorption:
· Phytates, high in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
· Polyphenols, high in coffee, tea, red wine, and fruit.
· Soy.
· Eggs.
· Foods high in calcium and calcium supplements.
· Milk protein. (If any of you Crazy Sexy readers are still eating dairy after reading my previous blog post about it, this is one more reason to stop!)

I know! I know! It seems like everything interferes with iron absorption and you might have to admit that your meat-eating friends are right. But don’t succumb just yet because there are plenty of vegan foods and food preparation techniques, listed below, that will increase nonheme iron absorption:
· Eating foods high in ascorbic acid (aka, vitamin C), such as fruits and vegetables, with your meal not only increases absorption, it also diminishes the negative effects of the inhibitors, listed above.
· Soaking and sprouting seeds, beans, and grains reduce the phytates.
· Leavening bread reduces phytates.
· Fermenting food reduces phytates.

But here is the best news about having only nonheme iron in your diet: Our bodies are unlikely to ever get overloaded with iron because the body absorbs more nonheme iron when our iron stores are low and less when our stores are high. (Of note, for the rare person with hemachromatosis, a severe overload of iron, this is probably not an effective way to keep iron stores low.) Heme iron, on the other hand, is absorbed regardless of your body’s iron stores, so you can end up having too much iron in your body.

If you explain all this to your friends and they are still worried about you, reassure them that studies show that although vegetarians generally store less iron in their bodies than meat eaters, the incidence of iron-deficiency anemia is about the same in both groups.

Although being low in iron might seem like a disadvantage, it may turn out that it is healthier for you. Iron is a pro-oxidant, meaning it activates free radicals which can damage DNA and make LDL (bad cholesterol) more damaging to the arteries. That is why some researchers are concerned that high iron levels could increase the risk for heart disease and some cancers. Since we don’t have a special mechanism in our bodies to get rid of iron, it makes sense to avoid taking in too much.

Given all these inhibitors and enhancers of nonheme iron absorption, it’s hard to know exactly how much a person needs in a day. Nevertheless, the Institute of Medicine recommends the following:

For omnivores:
Adult males: 8 mg/day
Adult females who are menstruating (not pregnant): 18 mg/day
Adult females who are post-menopausal: 8 mg/day

For vegetarians and vegans the recommended daily allowance is 1.8 times greater:
Adult males: 14 mg/day
Adult females who are menstruating (not pregnant): 32 mg/day
Adult females who are post-menopausal: 14 mg/day

(Please note that the needs for children vary as they grow.)

Vegan foods generally high in non-heme iron are dark green vegetables, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and some grains. Here are some examples, along with the iron content of ground beef for comparison.

Food (100 gm; 3.5 oz): Iron content
Spirulina, dried: 28.5 mg
Cashews, raw: 6.7 mg
Sesame seed paste (aka tahini paste): 6.4 mg
Sunflower seeds, raw: 5.3 mg
Almonds, raw: 3.7 mg
Lentil sprouts, raw: 3.2 mg
Dandelion greens, raw: 3.1 mg
Kidney beans, red, cooked: 2.9 mg
Kelp, raw: 2.9 mg
Ground beef, cooked*: 2.8 mg
Spinach, raw: 2.7 mg
Figs, dried: 2.0 mg
Quinoa, cooked: 1.5 mg

*About 50% of the iron is in the form of heme iron which is the more easily absorbed form of iron.

Hopefully I’ve reassured you that, with a little forethought, you can get sufficient iron on a vegan diet. It is also possible on a vegetarian diet, though a bit more difficult because eggs and dairy interfere with iron absorption. However, there are certain situations in which it might be more challenging to get sufficient iron from food alone. In addition to the extra iron that menstruating women need, there are others who may not be able to get enough iron with diet alone:
· Pregnant women;
· People on dialysis;
· People with gastrointestinal disorders that affect iron absorption;
· People who engage in regular, intense exercise.

Anyone concerned that they aren’t getting enough (or are getting too much) iron should see their doctor about getting a simple blood test to check for anemia and to check their iron level.

Please note that if you are anemic and iron-deficient, your doctor may check your stool and urine for blood (even if you can’t see any blood). If all is well and you simply aren’t able to absorb enough iron from your diet to maintain a normal red blood cell count, talk to your doctor about whether you should take a low-dose iron supplement. And don’t forget to drink it down with fresh fruit or vegetable juice, which contains ascorbic acid, to help absorb it.

So the next time someone asks, “Don’t you need to eat meat for the iron?,” tell them that meat is not only unnecessary, but with its abundance of iron, may actually be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And that’s no fairy tale!

Rating the LifeForce Energy in Our Food

Over the past few decades, we at Hippocrates Health Institute have conducted research into the electrical frequency of our food and the effect that electrical charge has on the frequency of healthy cells. In conjunction with the photographic research conducted at UCLA in the mid-seventies, which measured the relative energy level in different foods, we have created a list of foods from highest to lowest in energy content.

Why are wheatgrass, edible weeds, and tropical fruits at the top of the list? Because they have the most sunlight, or lifeforce energy, in them. In this system, we recognize that all life on the planet comes from the sun. It is collected by plants in the form of ultraviolet rays, which are energy. The ratings of the listed foods are based on the radiance they contain and emit. Higher levels of food have greater radiance because their cells are capable of capturing and maintaining greater amounts of ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Five-star food (*****) indicate those with the greatest nutritional and electrical frequency available; fewer stars indicate diminished potencies and vitality. Nutritional quality and quantity are created within each plant and are determined by the amount of sun energy contained within the cell structure of the plant.

Please note that even at the lowest levels, cooked food is not mentioned because none of it registers any measurable frequency. Our research shows that cooked vegetables neither contain nor emit energy. Although dairy foods and meat do not contain radiance, both do absorb energy form the body when they are consumed. While cooked food does not contribute energy to your body, dairy and meat are even worse: they deplete your energy reserves.

The lesson to be learned from these observations is basic common sense. Those who consume the least amount of meat have the fewest incidences of man-made disease and illness, while those who consume the highest amount of meat have the most health problems. Those who consume absolutely no animal products have the fewest diseases and health problems.

Argentinians, Australians, Northern Europeans, and North Americans—the heaviest consumers of animal-based food—are also the sickest based on World Health Organization statistics on cancer, heart disease, and other maladies of the industrialized world. Ironically, these people are also among the most economically prosperous. Sadly, many of those who are neither prosperous nor carnivorous suffer at the other end of the dietary spectrum as the victims of malnutrition and starvation. As with all areas of life, what is needed is balance: Those with the means must improve their diets; those without the means must be accommodated with health-promoting food.

Using the star-rating system, you can determine what level of energy you would like to achieve. At times, one-star foods are acceptable even for people in the platinum range. The lower energy content of sprouted grain and bean preparations decelerates the metabolism, allowing for healthy weight gain in those who do no resistance exercise. People who are in the bronze or copper realms can use the four- and five-star foods to increase stamina and clarity.

Do not limit yourself or try to maintain unrealistic goals. After reading this information, many robust dreamers will say they want to live exclusively on five-star foods and remain permanently on the platinum platform. When they fail to achieve this objective, they may relinquish their hopes and sabotage their own dreams. Refined emotions, a positive self-image, constructive experience, and common sense should govern your choices.

If you never fail to do your best, you will progress securely and eventually live in a comfort zone that fits you and your life at that time. However, just because the given level is comfortable, do not get so complacent with it that you fail to constantly try to achieve higher levels of functioning or remain at the highest level once you have reached it. If you are already at the highest level, reside there with the highest level of dignity as well.

FIVE-STAR FOODS *****

Algae (blue-green; freshwater)
Algae (green; freshwater) — chlorella
Fruit, tropical (ripe, organic) — mango, papaya, pineapple, star fruit
Plants, baby (sprouted) — buckwheat, fava bean greens, peas, sunflower, sweet potato greens, wheatgrass
Sea vegetables — arame, dulse, hijiki, nori, Pacific or Atlantic kelp
Weeds, edible — chicory, dandelion, lamb’s-quarters, plantain, purslane

FOUR-STAR FOODS ****

Beans, easy to digest (i.e., beans containing fluids) — adzuki sprouts, mung beans
Coconut, green — fresh green coconut meat
Flowers, edible — chrysanthemum, nasturtium, rose, tiger lily
Fruits, succulent (ripe, organic, high energy) — citrus, kiwi, melons, nectarines, peaches, plums, pomegranates
Olives, ripe (unprocessed)
Sprouts (light by weight) and green sprouts — alfalfa, broccoli, chia, clover, garlic, onion, radish

THREE-STAR FOODS ***

Fruits, vine grown — currants, grapes, tomatoes
Grains (sprouted, with two-day germination) — all grains
Nuts — all except cashews and peanuts
Sauerkraut — green, purple, and red cabbage
Seeds (sprouted) — flax, hemp, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
Vegetables (green, yellow, orange, purple, white, and red) — beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage (green, red), carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, garlic, lettuce (iceberg), onions (unsprouted), peas, peppers (orange, red), squash (winter), squash (yellow), string beans, sweet potatoes, yams

TWO-STAR FOODS **

Beans (sprouted) — all varieties except soy and black
Fruit (grown in northern latitudes) — apples (most), blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, gooseberries, pears (most), raspberries
Mushrooms (eaten raw) — maitake, reishi, shiitake
Root vegetables — burdock, celery, jicama, parsnip, radish, rutabaga, turnip, yucca
Whole grain preparations (raw, dehydrated living food) — bread, cereal, chips, cookies, pizza crust

ONE-STAR FOODS *

Chestnuts, raw
Grain preparations, dehydrated (stored for more than 30 days) — breads, cereals
Legumes, dehydrated — all beans except soy and black
Nuts and seeds, dehydrated — almonds, Brazil nuts, flax, hazelnuts, hemp, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios (unprocessed), pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, walnuts
Root vegetables, dehydrated — beets, carrots, jicama, sweet potatoes, yams
Salad dressings, raw vegan (prepared in a blender) — all except vinegar-and-oil dressings

People in the process of recovery from cancer, viruses, bacteria, fungus, yeast, and low-blood sugar and high-blood sugar disorders should avoid all fruit until they have completely recovered.

An excerpt from “LifeForce,” by Dr. Brian Clement

Avoiding Rubber Numbers

By Micaela Cook

Of all the challenges we face when sifting through the contradictory messages on nutrition and health, one of the most menacing is the influence of industry on academia and scientific research. What are we supposed to think when the National Dairy Council proclaims that milk aids in weight loss? Most people don’t know how to evaluate whether or not a research study was well-conducted and trustworthy. How are we supposed to react when our doctors tell us a certain pharmaceutical drug offers a big risk reduction for tumor growth? Most people aren’t familiar with the distinction between absolute and relative risk reduction—but these can be very different numbers, and understanding both of them is a critical part of being an informed patient.

If you are considering a treatment, always ask your doctor what the absolute risk reduction is, meaning how much better do people do on this treatment as opposed to people who do nothing at all? Often, results from studies on the efficacy of different drugs or procedures are presented in terms of relative risk reduction—which is just a comparison between treatments. The number may stick in people’s minds, but the number by itself can be misleading, because relative risk reduction only tells part of the story.

Relative risk compares one treatment to another. Here’s a scary example: the results from a study looking at the effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer mortality for women under 50 can be described in two ways. You can either say that over 15 years, the treatment (in this case, polychemotherapy) offers a 25% relative risk reduction for mortality, or you can say it offers a 10% absolute risk reduction. And a 10% absolute risk reduction over 15 years translates to 0.66% per year, or, in real life terms: during each of the 15 years, mostly likely 1 out of 150 people fewer would die from breast cancer, even though without taking the treatment, 149 out of 150 people weren’t going to die anyway.[1]

It’s easy to see how many people might hear “25% reduction” and, without understanding the context for what that number means, leap in their minds to imagining that 1 out of 4 people are benefited by the treatment. They could even leap to thinking 1 out of 4 people fewer will die from breast cancer, when actually, that “25%” is coming from comparing this treatment to another one. There is no standard for comparison. It could mean that when taking this treatment that 3 out of 10 people are at risk for death instead of 4 out of 10. It could mean that 3 out of 100 people are at risk instead of 4 out of 100. It could mean that 3 out of 1000 people are at risk instead of 4 out of 1000. The “25%” comes from comparing the result of the two treatments—the 3 down from 4—not from comparing this treatment to no treatment, and different numbers are produced depending on what the treatment in question is compared to. If this treatment prevented 1/10 people from dying—so now 3/10 instead of 4/10 were likely to die—that might be good news! But it could just as easily mean 3 out of 1000 instead of 4 out of 1000, and this would hardly be noticeable in real life. What would be noticeable would be all the common side effects from strong drugs and treatments, like nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, loss of quality of life…

For many people, this very low probability of seeing some benefit from a treatment may not justify all the negative side effects that could accompany it. Unfortunately most people only hear about relative risk reduction, which usually makes these treatments sound a lot more appealing—great news for big pharmaceutical companies.

The way big business influences the information that is produced and the way that the media picks up this information and spreads it far and wide without placing it in context can create a situation where the public hears information two or three degrees removed from the original source. It is up to you, as a patient and a member of the public, to demand all the information available when making decisions about your health.

The research process is designed in such a way that results can easily make treatments seem more promising than they really are. It’s standard practice in pharmaceutical drug tests to stop the study and put everyone on the same program as soon as either the control group or treatment group seems to be doing just a little bit better. In the name of not denying effective care, harsh drugs with unpleasant and often dangerous side effects may be labeled as “effective” because they show some effect in the short run. In the long run, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a positive effect on health at all, or a reduction in mortality. And big business is not keen to promote the idea that eating fresh fruits and vegetables and giving up animal foods and processed foods may have a much bigger effect on health than any drug or treatment available.

Remember to keep asking questions, and don’t let yourself be pressured into decisions without getting all the information. And remember to eat plants!

[1] Effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for early breast cancer on recurrence and 15-year survival: an overview of the randomised trials. Lancet 2005; 365:1687.

Micaela Cook is a lover of all things plant-based. When she’s not moving firewood, running dogs, or making healthy food, she is Assoc. Director of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation and will also begin graduate work in the field of public health at Johns Hopkins University in the fall of 2010.

Making Healthy Choices at School

When I was growing up, I was very fortunate to be surrounded by health advocates: my dad is a cardiac surgeon; my mother is a reiki master and aficionado of holistic and homeopathic medicine. As such, I was uniquely exposed to the nexus of Eastern and Western medicine, and our dinner table chats covered everything from the latest advancement in robotic surgery to the newest research in Co-Q10 therapies. And yet, I was a good 25-40 pounds overweight for most of my youth.

A clear example of knowledge without practice, I struggled to put all my parents’ valuable information to use because their tips on nutrition and exercise simply didn’t fit into my lifestyle. I was a high school student who had difficulty finding healthy foods on campus, and I had even more difficulty exercising moderation when I came home to a stunning array of healthful foods in delicious preparations (my mother is an enviable cook and managed to make even the blandest, ‘90s-era tofu taste divine).

It wasn’t for lack of interest or effort on my part either, either. I really enjoyed learning all I could about nutrition and alternative remedies, and I played three sports throughout high school. Compared to my friends, I thought I did a good job choosing mostly healthy foods. But the scale is indifferent to calorie source; it cares only about whether you use more than you consume, and I did not.

The problem was that the more I obsessed over how heavy I was, the heavier I became. By age 17, I had reached 175 pounds. On my 5’8” frame, this verged on obesity. From a medical standpoint, my dad knew how dangerous carrying so much extra weight could be, especially with the strain I put on my heart and joints by playing active sports. Both of my parents urged me to find a way to really live healthfully, and I attempted all manner of fad diets—no fat, lots of carbs; no carbs, lots of protein; no protein, lots of veggies—and none of them did any good. These diets are constructed with middle-aged women in mind, people with full kitchens and time to cook, not teenagers looking to lose weight. Even more problematic were the unforgiving eating guidelines, which sent even the most diligent dieters running for a box of “Ho-Ho’s” before too long. Inevitably, we find ourselves gaining back any weight that was lost, and then some.

In the end, I realized that deprivation was neither a good approach for myself nor, truthfully, anyone actually trying to lose weight (sadists are another issue altogether). It especially was not going to work for someone preparing to leave for college and looking to regain health while losing weight. I knew that starting college would mark the onset of my adult life, and I wanted to allow myself to live it to the fullest. I had already experienced so many setbacks due to being overweight: I had felt unnecessarily self-conscious for years, I had kept myself from trying new things, I had made the varsity sport teams only to be benched for the season because I didn’t have the endurance to play. I wanted to experience college, and the adult life that ensued, as my optimal self. Only once I had this inspiration and motivation could I pair it with the information I’d had since birth and effect the transformation I wanted to see.

I made the commitment to adopt a realistic, healthy lifestyle. This meant finding ways to take food off center stage—it wasn’t going to be the focal point of my life anymore, and fad diets were ruled out. Instead, I concerned myself with experiencing all that college had to offer. I aimed to “live consciously,” meaning I would avoid mindless grazing, and I also refused to feel deprived. With this new commitment to permanent lifestyle change, I lost ten pounds over the remaining six months of my senior year in high school. I lost another ten pounds during my first semester in college simply by remembering to be aware of what I put into my body.

So began the journey that would eventually lead me to publish “The Dorm Room Diet,” a manual I wrote during my freshman year at college wherein I documented all the tips and tricks I developed to establish healthy habits while living away from home, without ever feeling like I was missing out on anything.

The most important motto I continue to live by is this: “Substitution where you can, moderation where you can’t.” This means that if you are happy having an apple instead of a brownie, that’s a great way to cut back on processed sugars and simple carbohydrates on a regular basis. But if you’re at a friend’s birthday party, go ahead and celebrate with a piece of cake, or half a piece, or even a bite. Don’t deny yourself a crucial element of an experience that food provides. It is necessary to feel in control, and when something is off limits, the allure of the taboo makes it much more powerful than it ought to be. When the priority is health and establishing long-term lifestyle change, rather than a short-term quick fix, the pressure is off, and the success is on!

Here are some tips I developed to stay on track while enjoying everything I wanted to experience as I began my adult life.

1. Nothing is off-limits. Especially in college, the abundance of food (from buffet-style dining halls to late-night pizza runs to free-flowing booze) can be overwhelming. Remember that these are always available, and you will therefore have ample opportunity to indulge—and you should! But it also teaches a valuable lesson: if you pass up a grilled cheese or apple pie slice tonight, chances are it will appear again soon. The biggest thing is to remember that you can have it whenever you want, so there’s no urgency to gobble it all up while it’s in front of you. If you learn how to enjoy in moderation, you will never feel deprived. (This is a trick that definitely applies post-graduation!)

2. Always plan ahead. I identified five major danger zones specific to college campuses where it is tempting to unconsciously eat poorly. (Many of these are also relevant to finding a work-life balance). The FIVE DANGER ZONES are: studying, parties and campus gatherings, watching TV with friends, tailgating, and late-night chats. In each of these scenarios, it’s very easy to eat without thinking about it—how often do you reach into the nearest bag of crunchy snacks while catching the latest episode of “24?”—and the foods on hand are, more often than not, over-processed, pre-packaged junk. If you take a few moments to plan ahead—eat an apple before heading to a party so you’re not starving, keep a glass of water in your hands at all times, put aside a portion you’re comfortable eating of whatever your favorite tv-watching nosh might be and stick to that—you’ll spare yourself the torture and temptation.

3. Live consciously. Again, this is something that I started to develop as a college student, but it’s worth learning and applying at any stage in life. Figuring out how to put the joy and pleasure back into eating so that you can savor the many tastes and indulge (in moderation) in the things that you love is crucial to establishing a healthy lifestyle that lasts. Michael Pollan, in his book “In Defense of Food,” spoke about the “perfunctory” nature of American eating, attributing this development to the outright abundance of food in the United States and our collective removal from its production. In places where food and cultural appreciation are still inextricably linked, eating is a much-anticipated activity: meals are slower, food is chewed over, enjoyment is essential. If you can find ways to work these simple pleasures into your daily life—that’s not to say you need to prepare massive feasts from scratch everyday; even your boxed salad can serve as something to linger over and savor—you’ll be well on your way to ending the tyranny of food in your life.

4. Take action. It is important to become involved in what food is available so that you have the essential access to make healthful decisions every day. I grew up purely vegetarian, and though I did reincorporate a small amount of meat into my diet, it was crucial for me to find ways to have protein without resorting to the “mystery meat” served at the cafeteria. In high school, I managed to work closely with cafeteria staff and school administration to implement a whole slew of new health initiatives, including student-submitted vegetarian recipes, daily salad and soup bar options, and Odwalla juice to replace soda on campus. This kind of change could take place on a much larger scale on college campuses—and I am a major proponent of universities harnessing their purchasing power and their role as educators to blaze a trail towards healthy stewardship in America. But for those not looking to go head-to-head with the university president, here are a couple smaller-scale options:

a. Consult your cafeteria staff. Often, there are things in the fridge that they do not make available because they are unaware that anyone wants it. Make a point of voicing any allergies or specific food needs to the head chef or purchaser for your cafeteria, and more often than not, they will find a way to accommodate your needs.

b. See whether you can establish a farm-to-school program. This is a trend that is sweeping the nation, as more and more schools invest in purchasing a portion or majority of their cafeteria supplies from local producers. It saves on transportation costs, and the result is fresher, more wholesome food for everyone!

c. Food shop and pilfer. Once a week, I borrowed a friend’s car and ran to the local grocery store near my college. We were fortunate to have an independent health food store very near campus, and I would buy my main foodstuffs and snacks there, supplementing with salad items, whole grains, and cereals from the cafeteria.

d. Start a farmer’s market. While I was in college, one of my best friends established the first farmer’s market run fully by students. It came to campus every Tuesday and flooded the commons with fruits and vegetables, local dairy products, fresh bakery bread, and a slew of other delicious goodies. Depending on where you live, the local farmers and food producers are generally thrilled to partner with the surrounding community, both to gain exposure and sell their products directly.