ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION

Some of the miscue is based on assumptions experts made in the past about the nature of “autistic” traits.  Temple Grandin begins the discussion by stating, “Contrary to long-held dogma, we should not mistake problems with social communication for lack of desire for social connection.”  For decades too many experts assumed that an autistic child was merely content to be in their own world.  When my son was newly diagnosed at 4, I witnessed Noah’s incredible frustration when he could not verbalize what he wanted or needed, and his incredible relief when I figured it out.  In those early years I felt like an interpreter.  I learned that all behavior is communication.

That experience led me to wonder how many other “autistic” traits are misinterpreted.  Lack of effective self regulation and inadequate resilience are considered hallmark autistic traits.   Repetitive behaviors known as perseveration are common.  These behaviors are labeled as deviant, a sign of some disability when in fact most of the time they are purposeful.  They serve to self soothe, to calm anxiety, or minimize fear.   Sometimes they serve to distract, sometimes to insulate.  But no matter how disconcerting, I always find that they serve a purpose.

REDEFINING THE SPECTRUM

My sense is that most of us struggle to some degree with similar challenges and exhibit some of these same traits, albeit often in a more socially acceptable form.   Maybe it is time to reassess the nature of these traits that are used to diagnose autism.  For starters, each of these traits could be plotted on a spectrum, from high to low expression, to more accurately assess the nature of each trait.

I’ll use socialization as an example.  We already identify those who have social difficulties at one extreme. Maybe we could identify the hyper social types on the other end.   That would give us an opportunity to identify those with functional and adequate social skills in the middle.  This spectrum represents a far more honest assessment of socialization than the current model that fails to acknowledge when extreme social behavior is a problem.  Too many hyper-social types can’t get anything done.

AMERICANS TEND TO CELEBRATE EXTREMES

Americans like the best, the worst, the most and the least.  We celebrate the extremes.   When someone doesn’t measure up, there is increasingly greater need to self sooth.  Self soothing can be running for hours, it can be watching TV for hours.  Society judges the behaviors differently, but both may be problematic when the behavior is more compulsion than choice.

When it comes to self regulation, we can draw a spectrum from extremely indulgent to extremely restrained behavior, and identify adequate self regulation in the middle.  Today we often fail to acknowledge the harm of unwavering rigidity, whether from deprivation or excess.  Effective self regulation isn’t absolute or rigid even though society often rewards the same as good discipline.  Too often rigid discipline backfires, driving more and more polarized behavior.   Ironically, the most effective self regulation is flexible and moderated to meet the needs of the situation.

I am not surprised to see more and more problematic behavior in families, at K-12 schools, on college campuses, and at the workplace.  Our society is crippled as large numbers of people struggle to navigate a harsh and demanding world.  Distorted relationships with food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, and credit cards underscore the challenges of cultivating good enough self regulation and adequate resilience.

RETHINKING THE SPECTRUM

As we learn more about how our brains work, maybe we can begin a more honest assessment of what it takes to navigate our world successfully.  My first suggestion is to stop being preoccupied with what is “normal” and be more attentive to what is functional.  Let’s stop pretending that only those with a diagnosis need support to develop good enough social skills, effective self regulation and strong enough resilience.  Only then we will be able to direct our energy to what really matters: helping each person cultivate the skills and resources to develop their potential and contribute as they can–even if I am just talking about what to eat.

Eating contests push all my buttons. In this picture there is one large contestant and one small. Which image challenges you the most?

Dr. David Katz asks this provocative question in his recent Huff Post Blog, Obesity, Bias and Bedrock.  While the question is meant for everyone, doctors and other health professionals are the primary target.  Dr. Katz takes his cue from Tara Parker-Pope’s piece in the New York Times, Are Doctors Nicer to Thinner Patients?  The dark truth is that patients of size have faced medical bias and worse for decades, certainly longer than the 26 years I have been in private practice.

Dr Katz mentions biology, suggests a role for anthropology, but fails to ask his colleagues to look in the mirror.  From my perspective one of the biggest reasons patients experience weight bias is because medicine pretends weight has much more to do with health and disease than it actually does.

WEIGHT IS A POOR SURROGATE MEASURE FOR HEALTH

Measuring weight and calculating BMI scores is fast, easy, and inaccurate.  Metabolic health is the critical indicator, but more time consuming and expensive to assess.  So, doctors continue to measure weight, remark about weight and lament when patients don’t lose weight despite evidence that says weight doesn’t accurately assess health status.   In addition, preoccupation with a number on the scale completely ignores the fact that how you lose weight matters.

Patients lose weight but cholesterol doesn’t drop, blood sugars don’t get better, blood pressure doesn’t decrease.  It is a myth that a 10 pound weight loss improves health.  The truth is that lifestyle changes help the body to use fat more effectively for fuel.  A healthier metabolism improves health status and weight loss is the result of better metabolic health, not the cause.

FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Maybe medicine needs to stop pretending that weight is an indicator of health.  It isn’t.  If health care professionals are serious about decreasing weight bias, they can focus on what really matters:

1. Ask your patient if anything about their metabolism is of concern or keeping them from living the life they would like to enjoy.  Keep the focus on metabolic health and resist using weight as short hand.
2. Discuss what kind of activity patients enjoy, or if they have time to be active.  What holds them back?  Give them an opportunity to consider what they could do.  The more patients own the plan, the more likely they will make an earnest effort to follow through.  If they can’t, there is more to be discussed.
3. Ask patients about their diet.  Resist leaning on one or two soundbites of advice.  Be ready to listen without judgment.  Give your patients a safe place to discuss what is not working.   Ask them if they are interested in getting some help with that.   Then if you don’t have the time or expertise to take it further, refer them to a registered dietitian or qualified nutritionist.
4. Consider what else could be getting in the way of effective energy metabolism.  Stress plays a powerful role, so does lack of sleep.  Medications often interfere with energy metabolism; some cause dramatic weight gain and even diabetes.
5. Stay open to the concept of healthy at every size.  (HAES)  There are many people who are living large– and are metabolically healthy.
6. Scrutinize your own beliefs and values.  We are fast evolving from the simplistic notion that a larger body just eats too much.  A sympathetic and non-judgmental ear is far more encouraging than even the slightest hint of shame or blame.

It is clear to me that weight bias exists because too much value is given to the number on the scale.  If doctors are serious about eradicating weight bias, they need to figure out a more accurate and honest way to assess health.   Have you been treated differently because of your weight?

It’s all about the grass. Look closely at the hill behind the trees. That land is conventionally farmed, while the foreground is bio-dynamically farmed at Polyface.

Our visit to Polyface Farms, located in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, fit perfectly into our spring break excursion– but was a little too early in the season to see the farm in full production.  No chickens pecking around the chicken mobile or cows grazing on pasture.  Still, Brie Aronson walked us through the property and answered all our questions.  The picture that sticks in my mind is the early greening of the Polyface pastures compared to the distinct brown of his neighbor’s land.   Bio-dynamic farming feeds the land, the animals and the farmer in a way that conventional farming just can’t.

We saw chicks pecking in the brooding house, and were told how pigs contribute by disturbing the land.   The thrashing of the pasture and paddocks allows seed to be spread, nutrients to till, and the rich ecosystem of the soil to thrive.  Resting the pastures allows them to regenerate and grow the grass that feeds the cows far longer than conventional farms.  Polyface relies on hay feed for a mere 40 days of the year while more conventional local operations feed hay an average of 120 days.

Chicks are raised on a special non GMO feed until they are old enough to take to pasture

The exquisite execution and overall efficiency of each farming operation impressed us the most.  Every season allows work to be done that prepares for the next.  We saw how the cows feeding in the barn were actually busy building the layers of manure, fermented corn and hay that the pigs next door churned into rich compost and fertilizer.  (Boy, are they rambunctious.  I remember seeing docile pigs in crates at the LA County Fair and cringe.  I have a new appreciation for Joel Salatin’s intent to honor the “pigness of a pig”. )   We saw the chicken mobiles that allow the chickens to range and peck on the fly larvae maturing in cow pies that ultimately creates the delicious omega three rich eggs.  The cycle of life hard at work.

Pigs root for the fermented corn and churn the layers of manure and hay to form rich compost on the farm

CONVENTIONAL FARMING IS UNSUSTAINABLE

The current industrialized model for farming and raising animals is unsustainable.  Conventional farming doesn’t optimize the synergy between the grass, animals and plant foods.  Waste in the conventional model is considered a resource in the bio-dynamic model.

Conventional farming depends on cheap energy and subsidized products, horribly distorting food costs in the marketplace.  The cheap stuff at our local markets is subsidized by our taxes, so we do pay more for this food, just not directly.  Ironically all this cheap food is more than we can afford.  Treating diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the myriad of other diseases linked to our abundant and highly adulterated food supply only continues to cost all of us–individually and collectively.  There is another way to produce the food we need.  Thanks to Joel Salatin and sustainable farmers everywhere, more and more of us have a choice.  What do you do to eat closer to the earth?

EATING LIKE THE LOCALS

Amen Street charmed me all at once.  The cozy brick walls dressed up with fashionable decor.   The wait staff moved briskly about their business in white shirts and ties.  A casual but refined energy permeated the room.  I was ready to enjoy and I did.  The menu opened to a full page of raw oyster options.  When questioned, our server quickly explained that patrons in Charleston scrutinize a menu of oysters pretty much like a fine wine list.  Knowing so little, I immediately asked for help.

Not every oyster selection was in season or available, helping narrow the options.  I still had no idea what I was doing, so I opted for a half dozen order with three different local varieties.  My favorite?  The Otter Island, but I enjoyed the Carolina Cups and Capers Blades as well.   A chilled glass of prosecco perfectly complimented my adventure.

Frank ordered a She Crab Soup that was tasty and rich enough that one spoonful was enough.  I know why he likes my chowders better–you can eat a decent bowl without feeling completely overwhelmed.  Our guts are just not used to cream based soups.

Next up another unknown, but local favorite:  fried green tomatoes served with pickled okra and peppers.  Everything in my body savored each bite.  This is one dish I will try to emulate at home.  The savory fried tomatoes complimented the crisp and tangy okra to perfection.  Every bite sublime, I barely offered a taste to Frank or Noah.   I took so long eating that we had to run out at the last minute to feed the meter–so much for a brief little repast.

Afterwards we took a few minutes to walk alongside Bay Park just as the sun tried to peek through the clouds.  It was the first opportunity to walk the graceful paths and view the architecture without the blur of a rainstorm.  More charm. We will return

ALL YOU CAN EAT ISN’T ALWAYS ENOUGH

Three hours later we arrived back in Columbia and picked up our cousins for dinner.  Off to Little Pigs BBQ–an all you can buffet.  I had been warned, and found the classic fixings to be just as advertised.  The buffet seemed more like a trough with an incredible variety of barbecue with all the fixings.  The locals reminded me that in South Carolina macaroni and cheese is a vegetable, but I still found it easy to fill half my plate with plant food.  I enjoyed a tasty meal of collards, stewed tomatoes and okra and sweet potatoes along with all three varieties of pulled pork, two different ribs. a fried chicken gizzard and a couple of morsels of fried catfish.  A balance of food filled the plate, but that comes from practice.  It’s what I eat–mostly protein and produce.

I  could have easily filled up with mac and cheese, grits, mashed potato, potato salad, macaroni salad, rice, pasta, and other heavy and starchy sides.  I could have topped all of that with mounds of chocolate or banana pudding, along with all the soda I could swallow.   In sum, it is possible to consume an enormous amount highly refined starch and sugar coupled with plenty of fat for $9.95 at Little Pig’s BBQ.

Thankfully, I can navigate abundance without feeling over full or uncomfortable.  But not everyone has the skill or the capacity to self regulate in an environment of abundance.   The seduction of all you can is too much for too many.  I am not a small woman, but I felt positively petite at this establishment.  Ironically, the meal didn’t come close to satisfying me the way a much more modest portion of incredibly delicious food did earlier in the day.   Barbeque at Little Pigs quieted my belly, but didn’t begin to satisfy my soul.

Ultimately, two things are abundantly clear and reinforced every time I travel.   First, I see evidence of two food worlds in every corner of this country.   Secondly, delicious food usually costs more money– a lot more considering how many calories you are served.  My exquisite, but relatively light lunch totaled just over $35.00.  Little Pig’s all-you-can-eat buffet was priced at $9.95.

Ariana Huffington reports that corporate CEO’s are finally connecting the dots between stress and the bottom line.  I found myself both cheering and jeering at the same time.   It seems that mindfulness and yoga are the hot buzz words in corporate culture with studies showing reduced absenteeism, sick leave and other indirect costs, costs that are 200-300% higher than actual health care bills.  It’s time the business minds paid attention–but I don’t trust that their attention is what it needs to be.

It is too easy to encourage workers to take a few yoga classes or meditate for a few minutes on company time–and then have them return to unreasonable work loads and a corporate culture that encourages excessively long work days, working after hours and plugging in on vacation.  Where is the time for preparing healthful meals, engaging in regular physical exercise and other core ingredients of good health when everyone is working 10-12 hours days on top of a 1-2 hour commute?

And then there is that issue with outsourcing and job insecurity all the while corporate practices hold cash in foreign subsidiaries to avoid paying taxes for the very services their communities need.   Most Americans experience considerable stress as their quality of life continues to deteriorate–just as the executive office continues to reap the rewards of reigning in costs and driving profits.    The disconnect is obscene and more so all the time.  Yoga and mindfulness can’t fix that.    So, if corporations are serious about reducing both the direct and indirect costs of health care, I have a few questions to ask each CEO, their board of advisers, and anyone looking for greater and greater returns on their investments:

1.  Are efforts to  address stress in the workplace serious or just paying lip service?

2.  Can yoga and mindfulness really trump low wages, obscene workloads, job insecurity, and the incessant drive for profits over people ?

3.  When will CEO’s and their boards stop sucking  more and more of the profits into their own pockets and support their workers in materially meaningful ways?

4.  Is “Work/life balance” a misnomer?

While you ponder these questions, you may want to read this article and watch this video and consider what it means for every one of your employees, everyone who lives in your community, and the overall health of this nation when corporate policies continue to drive inequality.  We have only one life.  It doesn’t matter how much CEO’s talk about mindfulness or a work/life balance.  Employees won’t have a balanced life when work–and the effort to hang on to one’s standard of living–saps most of their space, time and energy.

Coffee is one of those substances that is often in the news.  Sometimes the news is good, sometimes it’s bad and it all depends om what the researchers are looking for.   Pharmaceutically speaking, coffee is a complex substance.  Today Green Coffee Bean extract is getting lots of attention due to a chemical called cholorgenic acid.   Cholorgenic acid is linked with improvement in blood sugar (glucose) and serum lipids, like cholesterol and triglycerides.  The acids are thought to work by decreasing glucose absorption from the intestine.  If true these are changes that could improve metabolic health overall and specifically help individuals lose desired fat weight.

ASSESSING THE STUDIES
One study out of Finland published in 2007 shows just that.  Of the 30 volunteers, the 15 who consumed a coffee beverage spiked with extra cholorgenic acid showed markedly more fat loss over the 12 week study.    The test subjects lost an average of 8 pounds of weight (80% fat weight) when using the spiked beverage versus the 1.5 pounds of weight loss observed in the control group drinking regular instant coffee.   The daily dose of cholorgenic acid (Coffee Slender in this study) was not stated, but the standard dose of Coffee Slender was noted as 11 g.   News like this get everyone’s attention, but one study is just one study.  As I read the results my first question was what happened to the volunteer’s diets during the study?  There is no documentation, but the subjects were told “don’t change anything”.

In 2011 a larger review study of green coffee bean extract was published.  This study was what is called a “meta-analysis”, which is an attempt by researchers to get some statistical weight by combining the results of several smaller studies together.  After reviewing their findings, the authors concluded, “The results from these trials are promising, but the studies are all of poor methodological quality.  That means the researchers didn’t think much of the study designs.  Their position is that more rigorous trials are needed to assess the usefulness of GCE as a weight loss tool.”

Changes in body weight during three phases of green coffee bean extract supplementation

BEYOND MOTIVATION AND DISCIPLINE:  WHY ISN’T EVERYONE ACTIVE?

Too many people looking to improve their fitness get hurt or demoralized when they push themselves (or someone else pushes them) too hard.   What you can do may not meet expectations of what you think you should be doing.  In the Wall Street Journal article I was especially taken by the examples mentioned by Iowa State University researchers.  There isn’t one right way to exercise, just as there is no single right way to eat.   Interestingly I have personal experience with each of the scientist’s observations:

• WORK WITH YOUR BODY:  Stories in the popular press seduce readers.  People don’t realize how often the stories aren’t true, and the pictures are photo shopped.  Years ago I remember our local paper featuring one young actress with her secret diet plan detailed in a sidebar.  My jaw dropped.  I had been seeing that same actress for months as she struggled with a raging eating disorder.  Her food intake didn’t look anything like what she (or the journalist) claimed she was eating.  When I asked her about the piece she started crying, knowing that she had lied to protect her privacy.   What works for someone else may grab your attention, but what really counts is what works for you.
• CONSIDER WILLINGNESS, READINESS AND ABILITY:  Changing any behavior requires all three factors working in concert– and sometimes it is complex.   I once worked with a client who wanted to lose weight and take care of his health, but he said exercise gave him the same feeling as a panic attack.   He worked with a therapist to tease apart the physical experience of panic and the physical sensation of exertion, hoping to gain some insight–and cultivate a skill set to manage his experience.  He stopped working with the trainer because he felt he could never meet her expectations.
• EXERCISE WITH MUSIC TO INCREASE EFFORT:  My son is a strong and able cyclist, but that wasn’t always the case.  Those early years he struggled to ride with any measure of intensity, as if he was stuck in slow motion.  My husband and I are avid cyclists, and we often worried that Noah would never get up to speed.  Then he started to listen to music.  He’s a drummer and responded readily to the rhythms.  We gave him access to i tunes and the rest is history.  Today he leaves me in the dust.
• MOVE WITH JOY:   I bribed myself to exercise right through my 20′s.  I was 31 and teaching four classes, seeing private clients and planning a wedding in six weeks.  And I was running–until one day I just stopped.  I was exhausted and tired of pushing myself every minute of the day.  I remember stopping on the boardwalk in Venice Beach and walking the rest of the way home.  Instead of glancing at my watch every few seconds wondering when it would be over, I noticed how invigorated I felt as I gazed at the ocean and the blue sky.  I haven’t run for exercise since.  But I bike everywhere, enjoy yoga twice a week with friends, swim when I can, hike the local mountains and walk the beach, along with other more recreational “play”.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN IS NOT TRUE

Too many experts identify the best exercise as one that gets heart rate up or burns the most calories or creates great definition.   Many trainers still drive clients to “go as long as you can, as hard as you can.”   I believe this thinking is exactly why so many people don’t enjoy physical activity.  I remind my clients that ever increasing goals work for some,  but not for others.  You don’t have to keep getting more and more fit to be fit.  At some point all that intensity can blur the line between fitness and compulsion.

Too often we celebrate the biggest, the strongest, the fastest and the leanest.  We also assume that the most accomplished athlete or the person with the “best body” is ideally suited to helping others get with the program.   Maybe we need to stop making such superficial assumptions in fitness, diet, and weight loss arenas.  It is easy to tell someone to do what works for yourself.  It takes real skill and education to help someone figure out an approach to diet or physical activity that works for them and can be incorporated into their life.

Physical activity allows the body to use both glucose and fat better for fuel.  With better metabolic health comes less risk of disease no matter your body size.  Exercise allows us to release tension in our muscles and truly restore ourselves.  People often sleep better and enjoy better digestive health when they integrate physical activity into their day.  It is critical that everyone figures out how to integrate physical activity in their life, not just people who can’t live without it.

“The consumption of industrial fast and processed foods is driving our
epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease that now affects EVERY other American.
We need a food and cooking revolution to change this!”

His answer is simple enough: we all need to cook more.   I think that is mostly true, but there is much more to this story and I told him so in a return email.  Here is my response:

Prepping for Albondigas Soup

Dear Dr. Hyman,

I admire your efforts, but there is something disingenuous in asking people to cook more when so much is already asked of their time and historically we have never valued the time and energy to purchase, prepare and eat food as daily sustenance.   Cooking and shopping have been mostly considered women’s work, something that is supposed to just happen despite the radical changes in how women live their lives since the 1900′s when only 2% of food was eaten outside of the home (Dr. Hyman’s quote, not mine).

The shift from cooking to “assembling” is a result of the pressures and expectations of our society, not just a cause of poor health.  I prepare most of my family meals from scratch and shop primarily at farmer’s markets.  It is an enormous task, taking hours every day.  My family prepares food to take to school and the office from whole foods purchased and prepared at home.  I feel lucky to have the time and flexibility to make this happen.    I’m not sure the infrastructure is in place for everyone to access the time and energy it takes to eat this close to the earth.

WHAT SUPPORT IS NEEDED FOR PEOPLE START COOKING MORE?

People need support to cook more.  That means employers need to honor a reasonable work day.  People need to limit themselves to reasonable commutes.  Schools need to limit students to reasonable homework and families need to push back on the ridiculous expectations of extracurricular activities that mean no one is home for dinner– and rarely home to enjoy family meals on the weekend.  There needs to be a way for people to have the time and energy to engage with their families while still being valued in the workplace.  No one should have to fear losing a job because they attempt to live a balanced life.   Too many people need to learn how to cook because their parents were too busy or unable to teach them.

While I am all for cooking more,  I’m not sure what your answer is for all those folks who don’t like to cook in the first place.  It is likely  that restaurants–even fast food establishments– serve more whole food, wonderfully prepared, than what  people throw together for their “meal” at home when they are not ready, willing  or able to cook for themselves.  But that is another letter….

SURVEY YOUR COLLEAGUES 

Check out the status of your colleagues.  People working in the medical field are known for long hours with the same challenges eating well as people working in other demanding careers.  But health care providers are supposed to know better.  How many  shop for their own food and prepare their breakfasts, lunches and dinners from scratch working typical 40+ hour work weeks?

On the other end of the spectrum, how many people work two jobs just to pay rent and get food on the table?  Too many people in this country live below the poverty level despite working long hours.  And what about all the working middle class and single parents who don’t enjoy the privilege of help at home and juggle everything on their own?  The challenge of cooking more is a much bigger issue than just cooking more.

You have a strong platform.  Start the conversation, raise awareness.  Cooking is an honorable goal, but it is the back end of the conversation.  I am hoping for a bit of honesty and candid conversation about what we are really asking people to do—and then ask all stakeholders to step up and support the effort.  Let’s encourage everyone to cook more.  More importantly, let’s push for a cultural environment that values food–and everything it takes to purchase, prepare and eat food– in its rightful place.

Warm Regards,

Bonnie Y. Modugno,  MS, RD

www.muchmorethanfood.com

I am working at another conference this week, this one with the California State Nurse’s Organization (CSNO).    When you walk into the exhibit hall the Continental Breakfast is laid out before you: muffins, danishes, and bagels.   I caught the eye of one of the event managers who knows me and the words tumbled out of her mouth, “You would think they want to put everyone to sleep”

She escorted me to the back of the table, where she proudly pointed to her handiwork:  the hard boiled eggs and light yogurt.  I know she had to fight to get the protein on the table.   What a statement.

The food options at conferences has only improved slightly over the thirty years I have been attending professional conferences and the number one reason is cost.  I helped arrange the breakfast options at a conference in Las Vegas last fall.  The continental breakfast was priced at $29.00 per person for the privilege of a hot beverage service and the usual carb fest.  The hot breakfast with typical scrambled eggs, potatoes and choice of carbs was priced at #39.00 per person.   For $49.00 per person you get something I might cook at home: a  “farm to table” version with vegetable fritatas, an assortment of breakfast meats, fresh fruit, and hot steel cut oats instead of highly processed and refined carbohydrates parading as breakfast.

Today’s boxed lunches posed a whole different realm of the Omnivore’s Dilemma.   I’m sure the costs of the protein trumped the costs of vegetables, but the labor for prepping the vegetables trump the labor of preparing a sandwich and brownie.   The attendees were asked their preference.  I would have been bummed no matter what.  I eat mostly protein and produce and I would want to know, “Why do only the vegetarians get that delicious salad?”

Omnivore’s box lunch

Vegetarian lunch option

Last Friday afternoon I signed up for a tour and panel discussion at Oak Ridge Angus Ranch outside Calistoga, California.   With rolling hills and cows grazing in the distance,  it absolutely trumps any conference room I’ve ever sat in.

TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW COWS

Five representatives from the beef industry spoke on a panel.   We first met Cheryl LaFranchi, and her husband,  Frank Mongini, DVM, who is the owner of Oak Ridge Angus.  Frank is a large animal veterinarian and helps with the animals as well as tends to his own practice.  Scott Stone of Yolo County Land & Cattle Company  raises grass fed cattle.  They sell grass fed/grass finished beef directly to consumers, and as there is more demand, fewer cattle will be grain finished on feedlots.  Mike Smith represented Harris Ranch which also operates a slaughterhouse; he spoke to the packing issues.  Steve Hanson traveled from Nebraska to speak to the challenges of feeding cattle in the corn belt.

Each member of the panel spoke to issues in their business.  I heard the passion and dedication of each presenter, and I heard the distinct edge of muted dissonance.  It was evident that not every panelist was on the same page.  I especially appreciated Frank’s perspective.  As a veterinarian, he directly addressed the issue of animal welfare.  Cows have adapted to eating corn, but are not meant to be only eating corn.  Grain fed animals  bloat and they have more metabolic disease.

HOW THE FOOD AND CULINARY PROFESSIONALS RESPOND

When it came time for questions, most of them were of the softball variety.  Eventually, I decided to test the water with a bit more pointed question about the fatty acid mix of grass fed versus grain fed beef.    The answers from the panel were a bit muddled until a dietitian from the Beef Council stepped in.  I heard a carefully crafted answer about lean beef, portion size and the minimal impact the omega six fatty acids in that single portion.

At that point I decided to stop asking questions.  I wasn’t prepared to take all the difficult issues on by myself.  Tough questions need to be asked about the use of hormones, feed, endocrine disruptor bio-accumulation, water pollution, and antibiotic use with antibiotic resistance microbes.   I knew there was little likelihood of any candid discussion regarding the farm bill and crop subsidies, soil ecology, pesticide usage, bee colony collapse disorder and the like.

Next the panel was asked how they address issues regarding diversity of the herds.  The answer given was fascinating.  The ranchers were focused on the current vitality of the animals, mixing up the gene pool in successive generations by introducing other breeds.  The current practice tweaks the genetic properties of the most productive animals.   I understand the benefit of that practice, but I can’t help wondering if focusing on the vitality of the best breed is one of the dynamics that leads to less diversity overall.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE OMEGA 3′S 

My question addressed a scientific issue I continue to wrestle with:  The contribution of conventional beef and all grain fed animal products to inflammation–a condition that is linked to diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more.    Currently the Standard American Diet (SAD) tallies a 20:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3.  Omega six fatty acid drives inflammation and the ratio is what counts.  Ideally we are thought to thrive with a ratio between 1:1 and 4:1.  Basically the SAD contains too many foods rich in Omega 6.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846864/

Corn fed beef–and all animal products from animals raised on grain (ie: milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc), contain a much higher ratio of omega 6 to omega 3.  Fats from these food contribute to overall inflammation and because of the feed–not the animal product itself.  When animals are allowed their natural diet of grass, pasture, and forage, the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 looks very different. (See Figure 1)  The issue is bigger than the singular contribution of a 3 ounce serving of lean beef.

Granted, omega three from salmon trumps all of these sources, but that doesn’t solve the problem.  We are overfishing and polluting our oceans.  Most people can’t afford wild caught salmon all that often, if at all.  People drink milk, eat cheese, use butter and eat beef far more frequently.   Shouldn’t there be some attempt quiet inflammation using all of our food?  I’m wondering what that ω6:ω3 ratio looks like when the diet includes meat, milk, cheese, and butter from grass fed cows.  (Look for part II of this blog sometime in the distant future–it will take a bit of doing to gather the data and do the calculations!)

WILL THE BEEF INDUSTRY BE PART OF THE SOLUTION?

At the moment, this tour revealed important truths.   Ranchers already know about the harm in feeding animals grain, but only three percent of all beef sold in America is from grass fed/grass finished cattle.   Still, consumers are catching on.  Sales of grass fed beef is growing at 20% per year.   Costs continue to influence food choices, since grass fed and finished beef is more expensive.  It takes longer to get animals to market. At the same time treating all the diseases linked to inflammation is even more expensive.  Maybe it’s time to compare more than the basic cost of food.

I can’t help but wonder if overall  beef sales are down because people are getting wise to the impact of corn fed beef products on our health, in our environment, and to the health of the animals.  Too many either don’t have access or don’t understand that grass fed beef and beef products are very different.  The beef industry is facing big challenges.  This public relations effort skirted the toughest issues.   Still, talking with Frank Mongini, DVM and Scott Stone gives me hope.  I appreciate that these are really good people in the cattle industry who get it.  Now I can only wonder, how long it will take for  consumer demand for grass fed beef to show that consumers are getting it, too.