Infographic: Do Students Eat Like Prisoners?

Via GOOD:

Hopefully you haven’t gotten the chance to taste jailhouse cuisine, but if you’re a product of the American school system, you probably have childhood memories of standing in line for grey mashed potatoes, half-thawed mystery meat, and slimy canned peaches. How do the trays measure up?

Take it from someone who’s eaten both, I’d choose the prison food. At least prisons in Kansas offer some solid vegetarian options to pick from. Check out PETA’s list of the top 10 vegetarian prisons here

Lawrence Raw Foods Potluck

Veggie Sushi Rolls, created and photographed by Aly Young

• Lawrence Raw Foods Potluck
South Park Gazebo (1141 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, April 1, 6-7:30pm

From the organizers:
This is the first of what will be a monthly potluck on the first Fridays of each month. Everyone welcome! Please bring an organic, vegan, raw dish to share and a plate/bowl/utensils/personal beverage. If you have no idea what to bring– fresh fruit, salad or a veggie tray would be something easy and tasty! Another idea is to search for “raw, vegan recipes” online. There is an abundance of online resources for raw recipes. Come share great living food with great people!

Photo Flash: Mechanically Separated Chicken

Via Vegansaurus / Early Onset of Night

Say hello to mechanically separated chicken. It’s what all fast-food chicken is made from—things like chicken nuggets and patties. Also, the processed frozen chicken in the stores is made from it.

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this.

There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

High five, America!

Photo Flash: Mechanically Separated Chicken

Via Vegansaurus/Early Onsight of Night:

Say hello to mechanically separated chicken. It’s what all fast-food chicken is made from—things like chicken nuggets and patties. Also, the processed frozen chicken in the stores is made from it.

Basically, the entire chicken is smashed and pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, and all. it comes out looking like this.

There’s more: because it’s crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be re-flavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.

High five, America!

On a side note: Did you know McDonald’s has a “Director of Culinary Innovation, Menu Management”  who is responsible for creating new menu items out of stuff like mechanically separated chicken? Read about the guy known as Chef Dan via Time Magazine.

Brand/Rebrand: High Fructose Corn Syrup Becomes Corn Sugar

According Tara Parker-Hope of the NY Times (published September 14, 2010):

Would high-fructose corn syrup, by any other name, have sweeter appeal?

The Corn Refiners Association, which represents firms that make the syrup, has been trying to improve the image of the much maligned sweetener with ad campaigns promoting it as a natural ingredient made from corn. Now, the group has petitioned the United States Food and Drug Administration to start calling the ingredient “corn sugar,” arguing that a name change is the only way to clear up consumer confusion about the product.

“Clearly the name is confusing consumers,” said Audrae Erickson, president of the Washington-based group, in an interview. “Research shows that ‘corn sugar’ better communicates the amount of calories, the level of fructose and the sweetness in this ingredient.”

According to the market research firm NPD Group, about 58 percent of Americans say they are concerned that high-fructose corn syrup poses a health risk. Some scientists over the years have speculated that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to obesity by somehow disrupting normal metabolic function, but the research has been inconclusive. As a result, most leading scientists and nutrition experts agree that in terms of health, the effect of high-fructose corn syrup is the same as regular sugar, and that too much of either ingredient is bad for your health.

Marion Nestle, a professor in New York University’s department of nutrition and a longtime food industry critic, says that Americans consume too much of all types of sugar, but that there is no meaningful biochemical difference between table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

“I’m not eager to help the corn refiners sell more of their stuff,” Dr. Nestle wrote in an e-mail. “But you have to feel sorry for them. High-fructose corn syrup is the new trans fat. Everyone thinks it’s poison, and food companies are getting rid of it as fast as they can.”

Read the full article via NY Times’ Well Blog.

Eating too much sugar of any kind is obviously bad for you but there is a recent Princeton study indicating HFCS might be worse. To be fair there is plenty of evidence for both sides of the argument so before you decide to eat food with HFCS in it, do your own research.