Farm-To-Table

Q:

“Farm-to-Table” is a current food trend.  What should you consider when deciding to purchase “Farm-to-Table” food?

A:

Farm-to-Table is generally regarded as a social movement that promotes serving/consuming locally grown food at restaurants through direct procurement from the producer.  It often incorporates a form of food traceability allowing consumers to know where the food originated.

When thinking about “Farm-to-Table”, here are a couple things to keep mind:

1. All food originates from a farm, a grove, fishery, etc
2. Not all foods can be locally sourced
3. Locally sourced food may be of lesser quality due to limitations in the local growing conditions
4. Finally, a recent Tampa, Florida study found the majority of restaurants promoting “Farm-to-Table” were not actually purchasing locally sourced food

If you want to implement, consider the following options:

1) When dining out:

•         Ask the server or chef about food labeled as “Farm-to-Table”

•         Restaurants charge a premium for “Farm-to-Table” food items.  Does the menu price seem right?

•         Consider the local growing season.  There are fewer “Farm-to-Table” options in winter

2) Better yet, eat at home because it is cheaper, healthier and you can dictate the source.  When dining at home:

•         Shop at locally owned grocery stores, butcher shops, etc

•         Ask the store where the food actually came from and when it was purchased

•         Purchase produce that is in season

•         Limit purchases of processed and packaged food

The following website was used in answering the question:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/04/14/474258801/farm-to-fable-tampa-probe-finds-many-restaurants-lie-about-sourcing

Cancer

Q:

Recently, on a health radio show, the host commented that ~75% of all forms of cancer are preventable.  What can you tell me about this statement?

A:

There is debate about recent cancer prevention studies.

•         2008 research suggested that 5 to 10% of all cancer cases were attributed to genetic defects and the remaining 90–95% were attributed to environment and lifestyle.

•         A more recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology suggests that maintaining a healthy lifestyle decreases cancer deaths by 67% for men and 59% for women and drops the occurrence of new cancers by 41% in women and 63% in men.

Again there is debate on the percentages, but there is no debate that better lifestyle and environment habits are important to reducing the cancer risk.

Better lifestyle and environment habits include:

•         Eliminate tobacco use (25–30% of cancer deaths are tied to tobacco use)

•         Better diets (30–35% of cancer deaths are tied to poor diets / obesity)

–        Moderate use of alcohol

–        Consume more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

–        Limit meat consumption / consume lean cuts of meat

–        Reduce consumption of processed or packaged foods

•         Exercise 75 to 150 minutes a week

•         Improve body composition

•         Use sun screen and minimize exposure to environmental pollutants

The following websites were used in answering the question:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515569/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/20/study-us-cancer-deaths-mostly-preventable/84648084/