Using Seasonal Food Guide, I was amazed to find a large variety of food available in California this time of year. The list of produce available in California in early October includes: apples, avocados, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, grapes, green beans, lettuce, melons, and the list goes on. I am not sure if the variety is this large in other states, but think of all the meal possibilities with this many produce options. Though it would take more planning to create meals using what is in season, I think it is a great way to eat healthier and support a healthy environment. I recently joined a CSA and am pleased with the quality of the produce I received in my first box and look forward to creating delicious seasonal meals.
Before reading Obesogens: An Environmental Link to Obesity, I had never heard of obesogens. The study of obesogens is new and interesting and has implications for understanding obesity and preventing it. A few obesogens mentioned in the article include: atrazine, DDE, soy phytoestrogen genistein, monosodium glutamate, and bisphenol A (BPA) among others. I was interested in looking into BPA because I see and hear BPA-free a lot, especially regarding reusable water bottles and containers. Using TOXNET, I found a cross-sectional study that looked at the association between BPA exposure and BMI in children. Wang et al. found that the average BPA concentrations in urine and daily intake estimates increased with BMI (2012). The study being cross-sectional, however, cannot presume causation. The same study highlighted that six billion pounds of BPA are produced annually around the world and that BPA is found in household appliances, food packaging, and plastic bottles (Wang et al., 2012). Knowing this and the effect BPA exposure has on BMI raises concern and calls for more research.
Wang, H., Zhou, Y., Tang, C., Wu, J., Chen, Y., & Jiang, Q. (2012). Association between bisphenol A exposure and body mass index in Chinese school children: a cross-sectional study. Environmental Health, 11. Retrieved from http://www.ehjournal.net/content/11/1/79
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Unlike my home country California is much reacher in terms of availability and variety of seasonal products. I do appreciate that. I wish I could afford organic products all the time though. I am in favor of local organic products and I wish I could those all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe cross-sectional study that you looked at the association between BPA exposure and BMI in children is super interesting! Daily intake of BPA levels can be scary since these exposure factors can be unknown!
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