Archive for the ‘Food Policy and Nutrition’ Category

MollyHippolitus
Molly
Hippolitus

Food Consumption in America

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

The infographic below illustrates the average age, weight, height and diet of the average American. Tipping the scales at 5'9'', 190 lbs (male) and 5'4'', 164 lbs (female), the average American typically eats a diet heavy in dairy, and (surprisingly) veggies; more butter than chicken; and 53 gallons of soda over the course of the year. Bringing the average calorie count to a whopping 2,700 per day.

Do you think this infographic fairly portrays the average American diet? Furthermore, do you see it as a reflection of how our food system operates?

We would love to hear from you in our comment section below.

American Average Food Consumption

Credit: Visual Economics (image linked to original post)

Posted in Food Policy and Nutrition
By MollyHippolitus | No Comments »

 
Geri
Spear

The Debate Over the Use of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture

Monday, July 26th, 2010

antibiotic-resistance-image

Last week I traveled to Capitol Hill to hear testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce regarding the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. After making my way through a crowd of PETA advocates and security, I entered the Rayburn Building and was shocked to find that there was already a line down the hall-I knew then I was in for an interesting afternoon.

So what was all the fuss about? The House Subcommittee on Health hearing on July 14th was focused on issues surrounding the industrial farming practice of routinely incorporating low dose concentrations of antibiotics in the feed and water of healthy food animals for growth promotion, feed efficiency, and other uses where the animal has not been exposed to disease. This is a topic my colleagues have discussed on the FSB in the past.

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Posted in Congress, Food Policy and Nutrition, Public Health
By GeriSpear | No Comments »

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ErinTurner
Erin
Turner

Preliminary Dietary Guidelines for Americans Announced

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Growing up, I remember sitting in health class learning about the food pyramid with its chunky base of pasta and breads - a pyramid that is hardly reflective of the war on carbs that seems to be popular as of late. With very few adults having access to a health class of any sort on the latest nutrition information and hundreds of individuals sharing conflicting information on "the way," where does one turn when trying to determine what's the healthiest way to eat? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has an answer: the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Last week, USDA and HHS released the preliminary version of the latest guidelines, which are updated every five years to help Americans determine the right foods they need to fuel an active, healthy lifestyle and reduce their risk of chronic disease. The new guidelines, which have been in development since the panel of 13 expert medical and scientific researchers first met in late 2008, recommend a significant decrease in salt, fat and sugar intake and place a greater emphasis on a plant-based diet than did the 2005 guidelines. (more...)

Posted in Food Policy and Nutrition
By ErinTurner | No Comments »

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MollyHippolitus
Molly
Hippolitus

#DCWEEK The Food Revolution: One Byte at a Time

Monday, June 14th, 2010

Last Friday kicked off Digital Capital Week (DC Week), a ten day festival focused on "technology, innovation and all things digital in our nation's capital." In addition to attending digital events all over the city, Spectrum is gearing up to host a panel discussion entitled The Food Revolution: One Byte at a Time, Thursday 6/17 at 10:00 am at our K Street office. Our panelists will offer perspective, valuable insight and personal anecdotes on how they've used digital and social media platforms to drive the food revolution in this hour-long session.

In anticipation of Thursday's event, we are taking questions for our social media pro-foodie panelists. A brief synopsis of each panelist and  their bios is below-take a look and tweet us (@SpectrumScience) or email your questions, then come to see if we ask yours.  dcweek2

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Posted in Food Policy and Nutrition, New Media, Public Health, Social Media, Tweets
By MollyHippolitus | 2 Comments »

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Geri
Spear

IOM Takes on Food Safety

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Tuesday June 8th was no ordinary day for me - it was the day I was going to attend my first press conference. I put on my most professional suit, gathered my note pad, pen and Spectrum business cards, and headed downtown to the National Press Club on 14th Street.

I entered the National Press Club with a slew of journalists, bloggers and business representatives, all eager to hear the new recommendations the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council had for the FDA. I took my seat as Mr. Robert Wallace, chairman of the committee that authored the report, took the microphone and began explaining the IOM's 500-page report. His main point was simple-the FDA is a struggling institution that needs to be reorganized.  untitled

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Posted in Food Policy and Nutrition
By GeriSpear | No Comments »

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Megan Ricther
Megan
Richter

My Recess by the River

Monday, June 7th, 2010

On May 19th, at the Benning Stoddert Recreation Center, the American Heart Association hosted an event that fused food, nutrition education and physical activity for the District's children from Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8. As the District's recent obesity report uncovered, Ward 8 has the fewest healthy food options and also has the highest rate of obesity. I'm personally passionate about issues related to nutrition and access to healthy food, and as a health communicator, I read stories and write blog posts about the obesity epidemic, so this event was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved as a volunteer and to make a difference in my own community.

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Posted in Food Policy and Nutrition
By Megan Ricther | No Comments »

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