Sofas aren't just for couch potatoes

++  One of the speakers at a conference I recently attended was Chris Wharton.  He made (or reviewed) several interesting points about our food supply.

"SoFAS" are solid fats and added sugars.  The more of these that are added to your food, the harder it is to control your weight.  Of course, the more you eat, the worse it gets.

There are several things that encourage a person to eat more, including:

• Variety - Have you noticed that at a buffet, you want a little of everything and pretty soon the plate isn't big enough?  Or, if there are assorted candies in a bowl, you want to try them all? 
• Portion size:  You'll eat more out of a big bowl (e g. of candy) than out of a small one, even if you don't eat all that is there. 
• Visibility:  The candy in that bowl is more enticing if you can see it (clear glass or plastic instead of opaque).
• Proximity:  If you can reach the candy bowl, you'll eat more than if you have to get up and walk across the room. 
• Cultural variables:  Messages from advertisers and from science and government sources both influence your eating habits.  The advertisers put a lot more money and creativity into attracting your attention - and have a lot more influence than you may want to admit. 

Some of our current food-related habits are not sustainable over the long-run.

• About 1/3 of all the garbage we send to landfills is packaging, and 2/3 of the packaging is from food - it averages 600 lb./person/year. 
• Add up all the food wasted in processing, packaging, and distribution, and average it out over the number of people living in the USA.  Add in what you waste at home - you didn't like it, you cooked too much and didn't use the left-overs, you had it so long it spoiled, etc.  It averages out to 1400 calories per person every day. If you buy locally-grown foods you can help reduce some of this waste.  If you are more mindful of food use in your home, you'll reduce more of the waste - and save money. 
• Meat is a very resource-intensive food.  Grain-fed livestock use a lot more resources than ones that graze on land not suited to cultivation.  Then, they are shipped to a processing plant.  The finished product is then shipped to your store - often in several stages.  It all adds up.  (This isn't saying we should all become vegetarians, only that we would be wise to be more mindful of how we eat, and more supportive of local food-production efforts.) 

Dr. Wharton also talked about the "food hub" he helped establish. This is a cooperative venture that functions as a distribution center for small producers.  As a group, they can provide vegetables, fruit, eggs, etc. to institutions like schools and restaurants, when individually they can't handle the volume the institution requires.  Many of these small producers would also sell at a farmers' market, but in that venue, they are taking the risk that they won't sell everything they brought that day, increasing waste and decreasing their profit margin. 

So, bottom line:  Move that candy dish farther from the sofa.  Take stock of your food on hand before grocery shopping.  Check out your local farmers' market or other locally produced food (which will also help reduce SoFAS).  Bon Apetit!