Vending Machine Woes

I hate vending machines. Everywhere I turn, there they are...tempting me with gooey Snickers, melt-in-your-mouth M&Ms, and messy powdered donuts. When slight hunger pangs or cravings kick in as I'm out and about or at work, the vending machines become money draining, health depleting, socially accepted evil beings. The healthiest thing in them is usually pretzels or animal crackers, and it's certainly cheaper to buy a box of whatever you want than to keep buying individual pieces from the machines every day. It was most amusing to see the junk-food crammed vending machine in the hospital, where the idea is typically to make people healthier.

I just can't keep change with me anymore. When small amounts of money are left in my pockets, it somehow disappears and a candy bar magically appears in my hand.

But did you know some companies are now developing healthier vending machines?! I have yet to see one around here, but I keep hearing about them. Can't wait to see who's the first around here to jump on the latest healthy bandwagon! If you're in charge of vending or have any kind of power at your work or school, I recommend looking in to these companies. Anyone in school, petition the principal, dean, or other school official. It's amazing what can be changed when enough people get on board and get loud.

Picture from YoNaturals

YoNaturals is one company that develops plans for healthier vending machines. The prices are no better than regular vending ($1.25 Annie's Homegrown cheddar bunnies, 1 oz.), but there's a wide range of possible products. There's still sweet junk food like Late July cookies and salty snacks like Snikkidy Snacks baked cheese puffs. Of course there's the healthier options like Brothers All Natural fruit crisps and Stretch Island fruit leather. There's also a large range of bars (Clif, Kashi, Envirokidz, etc.) and drinks (Horizon milk, Silk soymilk, Poland water, Apple & Eve Fizz Ed, Back to Nature juice, Tazo tea, etc.)

Healthy Vending Services has similar products, such as Pirate's Booty, Stacy's Chips, Clif bars, Fiji water, and much more. The machines can be drinks, snacks, or a combo. The machines also have cashless payment systems for debit or credit cards. I don't think I'd be able to stay away from these! I can't go without loose change AND my cards.

My favorite idea is vending with Del Monte. Del Monte's article says "fresh-cut products, portioned between four to six ounces, offer a varied mix of pineapple chunks, grapes, apple slices, baby carrots, celery, and tomato; some paired with light dips." The line will initially be in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the US, but locations should increase around the beginning of 2010. Prices will range from $1 to $2.25 per item.

For a do-it-yourself guide, check out Stonyfield Farms Vending Machine Makeover. They don't sell vending machines, but they do list great ideas for how to get started and what snacks to include. For larger scale inspiration, here's the Health & Vending Machine policy for the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation. It was adopted in 2006, and I see it as a decent guide at least for vending machines that are in a strategic placement for children and teens.

What's the Deal with Genetically Modified Foods?

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) have had specific changes introduced into their DNA through genetic engineering. This is not the same thing as selective breeding, where organisms have been modified over time from their wild ancestors. Genetic engineering involves isolating a specific gene in one plant or animal and inserting that gene into a separate type of plant or animal. The new gene becomes a part of the DNA and is regulated in the same way as other genes. Genes may be inserted to keep the plant resistant to certain pests, pesticides, herbicides, and viruses, to increase the amount of vitamins or nutrients, and to lengthen the shelf life.

GM foods were first put on the market in the early 1990's and typically include soybean, corn, canola, cotton, potatoes, peanuts, tomatoes, tobacco, sweet peppers, and lettuce, among others. Currently the US and Canada do not require labeling of GM foods.

A few controversial issues with GMOs:
1. Patents on Seeds. Typically, farmers save their own seed from year to year. What's the point in buying more seed when there's an abundance leftover from the garden? However, if farmers followed this practice with genetically modified seeds, the seed developers would not really make a profit from their breeding work. Patents, contracts, etc. are in place to prevent farmers from saving seeds of GM plants. The seed developers are encouraging reliance on their own brand of plants, which could easily creat monopolies over the farmers.

2. What's next for GM foods? How much will our food be changed because of genetically modified engineering and how will these changes effect our bodies and environment? Animals may be engineered to grow larger or more quickly, fruit trees may produce years earlier, and typical allergens may be removed from wheat, nuts, etc. The possibilities are endless, and the risks are largely unknown.

3. Cross-contamination with Allergens. A study in the 1990's injected a soybean with a protein from a Brazil nut. Test results showed people allergic to Brazil nuts were also allergic to the GM soybean. Almost any food can be an allergen or intolerance to someone: wheat, strawberries, eggs, nuts, soy, corn, etc. Unless foods are clearly labeled with where the modified genes come from, those with allergies/intolerances will not know for sure if the food will effect them.

4. There can be good results. Selective breeding takes years and years to accomplish, and you can only cross-breed plants with plants. Genetic engineering allows scientists to quickly take a gene from an insect, bacteria, animal, etc. to be placed in a plant (or other insect, animal, etc.). Supporters argue that GM foods improve nutrition (Golden rice boosted with Vitamin A), will require less insecticide use because plants will have their own insect-repelling qualities, and can help with world hunger by being more drought-, salt-, or cold-resistant. (A gene from cold water fish has been implemented into tobacco and potato plants so that they can better tolerate cold temperatures that normally kill conventional plants.) Also, allergens may be removed, such as in the hay fever-free grass. Pharmaceuticals are working on edible drugs and vaccines (think Hepatitis B in a tomato) that will be easier to ship, store, and administer to 3rd world countries.

5. There can be destructive results. GM insect-repelling plants may speed up the evolution of insecticide-restistant pests. New allergens may develop, since we're not used to consuming so much of whatever will be injected (like insects or specific bacteria). The GM crops will become superweeds that are more resistant to herbicides. Gene transfer is also a serious threat between GM and conventionally grown crops. This would be particularly harmful if pharmaceutical crops crossed with food crops. These crops don't have to be grown side by side to be cross-contaminated. The wind or bees may carry the pollen elsewhere, birds may carry seeds away, "leftovers" may be in the soil when previous GM crops are tilled under at the end of the season. This is not a future threat...it's present today. In 2001, genetically modified genes had spread from US corn crops to Mexico - into their native varieties grown on small farms. There can also be unintended harm to other organisms. One study showed pollen from GM corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars.

What do you do now?
Good question. It's up to you to decide if you're for or against GMOs. Personally, I'm against it. I feel like there are too many in it for the money rather than the advantages over hunger, and that there are too many risks (known and unknown).
If you're looking to buy non-genetically modified foods, here's a great list of common processed foods that shows which are GM and which aren't: True Food Now.

To know if your produce is genetically modified, look at the little sticker with the numbers. For conventionally grown produce (grown with pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals), the code on the sticker consists of four numbers. Organically grown produce has five numbers, the first of which will be a 9. Genetically engineered (GM) produce has five numbers, the first of which will be an 8.

Check out the Genetic Engineering Action Network for more tools against genetic modification.

Sources: Wikipedia, New Scientist, ProQuest, and GEAN

Growing Up Without Apples

Image from Shelburne Farm in Stow, MA

As a child, I didn't eat apples. My mom kept encouraging me to eat them by bringing a couple home occasionally, but I wouldn't touch them. I didn't like apples, plain and simple. My tastes have changed since then, and there are many foods I eat now that I didn't like as a child. But I still stay away from the apples of my childhood.

During those years, the only apples I knew about were Red or Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. I didn't like any...especially not Red Delicious. Supposedly, there are over 7000 varieties of apples. How come I was only aware of 3 varieties for so many years? If I had've tried others, I'm pretty sure I would've liked apples then.

In my late teen years, I finally got a taste of a Gala apple, and it was delicious. I liked an apple! When I started doing my own grocery shopping, I found my local store sometimes carried Fuji, Macintosh, Pink Lady, and Braeburn. I like the last 2 as well. Out of 7000 varieties, grocery stores near me only carried half a dozen on a good day.

Recently at a local produce stand, I tried Honeycrisp and Winesap. LOVED the Honeycrisp...that's my new favorite. At a health food store, I was introduced to Sweet Tango (for $2.98/lb for conventionally grown! Won't be buying that one...)

My point, if there is one...is to try different varieties of produce rather than assuming you don't like it because of just 1 variety.

But why was I so often deprived of trying different varities of apples when there are so many in the world? A few possible answers:

--Transportation. Some apples fare much better than others when transported. They must have a tough skin to be bounced around and not end up bruised and scratched in the grocery store. When we're picking produce, don't we also go for the one that looks the prettiest?

--Who produced it? Different people and groups cultivate their own varieties... Honeycrisp was recently developed by the University of Minnesota. However, not all developments make it to the global market.

--Certain ones sell better. Growers and sellers know the market and know the favorites of the majority. Just because I don't like Red Delicious doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most bought apples in the US. Unfortunately for me, it will remain the most available.

--Cost of growing. As with all produce, there are certain types of apples that fare better with weather, pests, and overall ease of growing. The easier and hardier ones will obviously produce a better profit.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

The air is just beginning to feel cooler, and I'm craving pumpkins. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread...mmm mmm delicious! They are beginning to be in season and are popping up EVERYWHERE. Every grocery store and corner produce stand around here has rows and rows of pumpkins. I've honestly never cooked anything with a whole pumpkin, and I didn't plan to try this week. Maybe later this month I'll experiment with hulling out the seeds and cooking with a whole pumpkin. For now, here's the Pumpkin Pie dip I made this week, straight out of the can...

Pumpkin Pie Dip

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened

15 oz can of pure pumpkin

1 1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Using a mixer, combine all ingredients until well blended. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to meld together. Serve with any combination of sliced apples or bananas, pretzels, toasted wheat or zucchini bread, or ginger snap cookies.

The first bite was interesting (that was also before it was refrigerated). The second bite was growing on me. And the third bite was absolutely delicious. I'm addicted to this dip now!

Next on my list to bake are Vegan Pumpkin Brownies from the Happy Herbivore:

Picture from Happy Herbivore

Don't these look absolutely delicious? I just hope mine come out looking that good...and tasting as good as they look :)