by Dennis Townsend, Contributing Writer

How many times have you heard, “don’t eat this, cut back on that, drink plenty of water”, etc, and your plate should look like a rainbow. Then you’re suppose to portion it just right and chew a certain number of times before swallowing. You could go crazy just trying to eat right. There are numerous diets out there that say that they can get you down to the ideal weight, but at what cost? You are bound to lose a vitamin here or a chemical there that will require you to supplement a particular diet with a multi-vitamin. There are hundreds of multi-vitamins on the market and each say they have the ideal formula to bring your body back to life. Pushing multi-vitamins is a billion dollar a year business, what else would they say?

Americans have always had a long standing relationship with pure cane sugar that goes so far back, there are those who actually go into withdrawals from not having their daily supply,  But adding pure sugar to certain products for consumer ingestion got to be expensive and we all know that businesses thrive on their bottom  line profits so chemist went to work on a cheaper sugar replacement  In 1970 the solution was born, “high fructose corn syrup.” The biggest contributor to the increase in diabetes diagnosis in the last 25 years, and what’s worse, we are hooked on the stuff. Today, there is a big push to steer us away from this addictive chemical. Trouble is, they have no substitute sweeteners that can even come close to the same taste of our beloved sugar. We consume one half billion Twinkies a year, and chase down whatever we eat with fifteen billion gallons of soft drinks flavored with high fructose corn syrup. Krispy Kreme doughnuts produces 7.5 billion doughnuts a year; that’s a doughnut fried every 22 seconds.

I don’t know about a lot of you, but my mother fried everything in lard which in the late 50’s and early 60’s was the ultimate frying grease. She didn’t learn about vegetable oil or olive oil until the 70’s, and as a child growing up in the south, she learned from her mother who also used lard. Yet, my mother lived until she was 76 years old and was never concerned about high cholesterol. Every year the Food and Drug Administration approves a new chemical for human consumption, and did you know that some of these chemicals are dual use chemicals. One such chemical compound that is well known is “shellac”, which was originally  made for woodwork, and is now responsible for putting the shine on those jelly beans  eaten during Easter. Next time you see a shine on that juicy apple, thank the Kerria Iacca insects who gave up their lives so you could see yourself in the shine on that old wooden cabinet. They always talk about reading the labels on what we are about to consume, but in order to understand a lot of what these compounds do one would have to be a chemist.

It is true that we are becoming overweight at an alarming rate in this country and millions are being made on America’s desire to lose pounds. And everyday they come up with something that’s bad to eat and every other day they change their minds so what’s a body to do? The choice is naturally yours as to what you chose to eat, but as for me, I’m going to eat what’s yummy and if I got to go, I will go with a smile on my face and pure sugar on my lips.

DLTPONCH33

by Linda St.Cyr, Contributor

Matt Damon, actor and academy award winner, is trying to make an impact in the war against hunger. He has recently been a part of a public service announcement where he portrays a man named Steve. Steve happens to be a real man with a real family (a wife and two kids) who is facing the realities of being jobless for the past two years. In the short PSA, Matt Damon speaks about the thoughts and feelings that come about from making a trip to the local food bank. "I kept worrying about what the neighbors would think," Damon says calmly while looking like an average man on the street.

Damon then tells the camera, "That was until I saw them there too." A small humorous touch comes when the actor looks away from the camera and asks, "How'd I do, Steve?" and the real Steve Gallagher appears with the answer, "a little stiff" before walking away from the camera together down the street.

The Public Service Announcement is only 31 seconds long but the message is loud and clear. There is no shame in going to the local food bank when you need help. Heidi Arthur, vice president of the Ad Council, spoke with the Minneapolis Foundation to explain the "everyman" campaign PSA's. She says of the project, "The whole strategy of the campaign is to make people aware it is not the stereotype of hunger of the past. It's hard-working people in the community, it's children, it's the working poor. The whole idea is that this is closer than you think. It's 1 in 6 Americans.''

Ben Affleck, friend of Matt Damon and fellow actor, will also be appearing in the "everyman" PSA's

You can view Matt Damon as Steve Gallagher here.

by  Michael Thompson, Contributing Writer

This Halloween, even if a child does not knock on your door proclaiming, "Trick-or-treat for UNICEF," you might consider a donation to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.


We may tend to envision our contributions paying for famished children to eat porridge from bowls with their fingers, but UNICEF does much more. Concerns beyond world hunger include schools, medical issues such as AIDS treatment and prevention, and fresh water supplies, just so name some samples.


The annual UNICEF budget is about $2.7 billion, two-third contributed by the governments of United Nations member countries and one-third from 6 million private citizens worldwide like you.


To contribute, visit this website. And always remember, if you are not financially situated to make a cash gift to an organization such as UNICEF, you can always donate your time to your local soup kitchen or to any worthy cause.


UNICEF estimates than 22,000 children in the world pass away each day, what we mean by "pass away" is "die," because of hunger and other poverty-related concerns. This should not be accepted, especially when we consider our comparative wealth.


P.S.: Just because a young American child is trick-or-treating for UNICEF, that doesn't mean you can't give them a candy bar in addition to your UNICEF contribution.


SOURCES


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNICEF


http://www.unicef.org/


http://www.unicef.org/support/14884.html


http://www.supportunicef.org/site/pp.asp?c=9fLEJSOALpE&b=1023561

by  Michael Thompson, Contributing Writer

To feed the poor in Detroit, the Capuchin Soup Kitchen doesn't just look for cash and canned good donations.

The 2-acre Earthworks urban farm that surrounds the soup kitchen facility provides plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some of the 460-ton harvest goes on the plates of the soup kitchen's 100 daily patrons. Other portions of the produce are given to family's in need. Sales to support the project are made on site and at downtown's Eastern Market.

Earthworks expanded in 2001 and began working with the Wayne County Department of Heath, which oversees the federal Women Infant and Children (WIC) food program. One aspect of WIC is Project FRESH, which encourages parents to serve their children fresh fruits and vegetables rather than unhealthy fast food and snacks. In this respect, produce from the Earthworks farm is helping to combat child obesity.

Learn more about Earthworks and Capuchin Soup Kitchen:

http://www.cskdetroit.org/

http://www.cskdetroit.org/EWG/

by  Michael Thompson, Contributing Writer

With your giving spirit, you may have had the following experience:

A local food pantry announced a fund-raiser, or generates publicity because in hard times, they are running out of food. So with your helping heart, you head for the supermarket, purchase a tray of canned string beans, and haul them to the pantry.

You could have just given them the money you spent.

Leader of Feeding America, formerly America's Second Harvest, explains that regional food operations that support local pantries can transform a $1 gift into $15 worth of food. This is accomplished by obtaining surplus food from the government, or from brand-name companies. If Kellogg's produces more boxes of corn flakes than Kellogg's can sell, for example, the surplus is obtained by the Feeding America operation.

Food pantries always welcome donations of canned goods and other perishable items. Your thoughts are what count. Just don't get any false impressions that you are selling them short by giving cash. Actually, you are selling them long.