Rant on Sugar as a Toxic Substance

I saw, and posted, this article earlier today on whether sugar should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco. A team of researchers from the University of California at San Francisco have decided that sugar is toxic and (slowly) killing us - therefore, it should be regulated along with other dangerous substances. Proposed age limits - no sugary drinks sold to children under the age of 17 - would supposedly curb sugar consumption in children, lessening childhood obesity and improving overall health.

This idea is, in theory, just about as sound as the "flat tax" theory. It sounds passable at first, until you start to think rationally. While I'll completely agree that sugar is addictive and too much sugar is bad for you (and I'll confess that I eat WAY too much sugar myself), are you going to tell me that all sugars are equal? There's sugar in bread - it's food for yeast. Carbs like white bread break down into - you guessed it - sugar! There's even sugar (fructose) in fruit! I'm all for downsizing the prominence of high fructose corn syrup in our daily lives, but demonizing all sugars in the process is patently ridiculous. If you show me a Type I diabetic, I'm sure they have some type of sugar stashed in their car or purse for blood sugar emergencies. If you show me an otherwise healthy, highly active kid who's on two or three sports teams, I'm willing to bet you that a Gatorade after practice isn't going to do any damage. And if you try to take my chocolate away during THAT WEEK, you'd better be wearing protective armor.

If we ban sales of sugar for kids, what's next? Am I going to get hit up by a 12 year old outside the supermarket with a fiver asking me to buy soda? Are parents going to be carted off to jail because they served birthday cake to a group of ten fourth-graders? Are schools and employers going to administer random blood glucose tests? Are we going to completely absolve ourselves of any personal or parental responsibility? Why don't we - as individuals and parents - say "Hey, that Coke should be enjoyed in moderation" and leave it at that?

There are better ways of attacking this problem than nanny-state legislation like age restrictions on sugar consumption and extra taxes on sugary drinks and snacks. How about we look at how much money is being poured into corn subsidies and the relationship of corn production to the amount of available, CHEAP high fructose corn syrup? How about we start funneling money into more local farming initiatives with the goal of making apples, carrots and other healthy foods the cheapest ingredients in our grocery stores? How about taxing corporations that do horrendous things to our food supply in the name of saving cents per pound, damn any potential negative health consequences for our public (pink slime, anyone?)

In the end, I don't think sugar will ever be regulated - I think there will be a horrendous backlash on any proposed legislation (if it ever got that far). That said, I think it's sad that we've gotten this far, to the point where we're so unwilling to take responsibilities for our own actions as individuals and parents.

Parents Picket Girl with Peanut Allergy!?

This afternoon I came across this article, where parents are protesting a school's accommodations for a girl with extreme peanut allergies - to the point of asking her to withdraw from the school (OK, I'm a little behind on my news).

Wow. At first I really didn't have any words.

Now - I feel fortunate that no one in either my family or my husband's family has a severe peanut allergy. We have gluten intolerance and celiac, but that's the only thing we know of so far. Still, just based on the constant worry of cross-contamination I can feel for some of the precautions that the parents of allergic children are asking the school and students to make.

My thoughts?

• Is this girl's allergy really so severe that she cannot eat in the same cafeteria as someone with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? If she can be in the same room, I think it's paranoid and oppressive to make her eat somewhere else. Kids want to be "normal" and part of that is sitting at a table with all their friends. (I realize that some people will be affected by the smell, but to my understanding that's an extremely small segment of the population).
  
• Asking classmates to avoid snacks and wash their hands before class? The snacks are a no brainer - we certainly weren't allowed to eat in class when I was in school. With childhood obesity what it is, this seems to make sense as well.
  
• RE: the hand washing, with rampant flu this makes sense regardless of food allergies. If I was the school administration, I'd make everyone do this just because I'd want to avoid the spread of germs. Peanut allergies are almost secondary. If handwashing is too much of a pain, distribute antibacterial hand gel and make everyone clean off their hands. (And re-evaluate exactly why so many people get sick in an academic environment).
  
• Encouraging students to brush their teeth/rinse their mouths? I'm on the fence - given the astonishing ignorance of their parents this might be the only time in a day they are given the opportunity to brush their teeth. But it does seem a bit excessive to me. It's not like the students are going to be making out in class, and if they are then the school has many more problems than allergy accommodation.
  
• Hiring a peanut-sniffing dog? Overkill. Come on. This is just asking this girl to be teasing fodder for the rest of her school career - especially if an athletic star is caught with a PayDay in his backpack that he intends to eat after sports practice.
• Make the girl carry an epi-pen on her at all times. In fact, all of her teachers should have a spare as well, just in case.
  

As far as the parents picketing the school? Oh. My. God. Just grow up. If your precious little snowflake seriously harms or even kills a child with a serious allergy over something as preventable as washing your hands, I would HOPE that you both would be completely devastated. Why take the risk? All you are doing now is raising entitled, selfish brats who don't think of anyone but themselves. Retract the helicopter wings now and you might have a shot at a raising a decent adult.

Fast Food Rant

I have probably mentioned this before, but it bears significant repeating. One of the hardest adjustments my husband and I had to make with our conversion to a (mostly) gluten free household was giving up the vast majority of fast food and takeout. Now, I love to cook when I have the time - and I make the time now - but let's be honest here. Sometimes you just don't want to be bothered. And while there are plenty of restaurants with gluten free menu options, who can afford dining out every night? A $10 pizza or fast food meal is sometimes just the best way to go.

Now, before I go any farther, I know that fast food is junk, not good for us, and we're probably eating a lot healthier by sauteeing chicken, etc. That's not really my point - it's a guilty pleasure that we sorely miss. And many gluten free convenience foods have just about the same nutritional value as fast food, but they're more expensive, not always good, and you still have to make them at home!

I do have to say that most of the major fast food chains are great about posting allergen information right on their web sites. It's so handy to be able to go to a website, download the allergen information and make an informed decision about whether or not to go there. And I'd especially like to call out Boston Market. They are the only fast food restaurant where it's possible to get a full meal - chicken, starch and vegetable - that's completely gluten free. That's amazing, and thank you!

That said - if you're craving Mexican, you're just about out of luck.

First, I checked Taco Bell. Like most fast food restaurants, they are kind enough to post their allergen list online. As you can see, there are exactly three "safe" items on the list: pintos 'n cheese, mexican rice, and tostadas. That's it. No tacos or anything with meat, because their seasoning mix contains wheat flour. I'm sorry, but that does not make up a meal! I was slightly irritated and e-mailed them asking for more gluten-friendly menu choices. My response was a snail-mail letter a few days later, informing me that my e-mail was a "product suggestion" and therefore could not legally be considered. Thanks a lot, guys.

Next on my list was Moe's. I had Googled for their allergen chart and found it, but since it wasn't hosted or linked to directly by their web site, I e-mailed them for confirmation and an up-to-date allergen list. Instead of a generic blow-off letter that I took as a "heck with you," I had an e-mail dialogue with a customer service representative for the company. I found out that the only items containing gluten were their chicken, steak, and every/any variety of corn/flour tortilla, shell or chips. After additional e-mails back and forth between the customer service representative, we had the following exchange:

Now on one hand I have to give Moe's props for thoughtful customer service. They seem to "get" allergens and cross-contamination and while I have to say I'm sorely disappointed, I can't exactly blame them for not having a dedicated fryer for every ingredient, can I? So, it looks like if my hubby and I want Mexican in the future, we're either making it at home, or visiting El Loco's for a sit-down dinner. Certainly not bad options, but it would sometimes be nice to have more choices.

[Kat],

There is not gluten of any form in our corn chips or corn tortillas. However, we
do fry our chips and taco shells in-house. We also use the same fryer for our
salad bowl, which is a fried flour tortilla (contains wheat gluten). Since they
are being fried in the same oil, we have to list those items as containing
gluten, due to cross-contamination in the frier. Have a great day!

Sincerely,
[Moe's Rep]

-----Original Message-----
From: [Kat's GF Kitchen]
Sent: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 3:07 PM
To: [Moe's Rep]
Subject: Re: Moe's Customer Service CRM:0004926

Hi, and thank you for your response to my e-mail.

I was surprised to see that absolutely none of your wraps or chips are gluten
free. I would expect that your soft flour tortillas would be off-limits, however
the fact that your corn tortillas and chips are not safe is extremely
disappointing. There are several commercially available varieties of corn
tortillas and chips that are safe for celiacs and others with gluten allergies
and intolerances, without sacrificing any taste. From my point of view, if I
have a choice to go out and only eat taco fillings or make food at home, I'd
stay at home.

Please consider modifying your menu to provide at least one option for pure corn
tortillas, with no wheat or gluten.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

I haven't even started on Chinese food - but if I could find a good
Chinese restaurant that used gluten-free soy sauce - and better yet,
rice flour - I would be in heaven. (Again, I know PF Chang's is gluten
free, but they just don't compare to Pearl of the Orient).

That said - does anyone know of other good, gluten free fast food
choices? I know things like the fries at Five Guys are gluten free -
but a meal is not made on french fries alone. Are there any places
worth going for a quick, cheap meal when we do need to grab something on the go?