Health/Phys. Ed.

The new USDA dietary guidelines and revised food pyramid are out. The 2005 report suggests that “soft drinks, donuts, and french fries are the foundation for a healthy diet.” Wow! Nutrition education could become the hot course this year. OK, so that wasn’t exactly what the guidelines said; so dream on. What they really said was more like, “Grandma was right!

What can we learn from other cultures about food and nutrition? Some countries share our love for food yet manage to avoid our epidemic of obesity. How do they do it? By studying how other cultures eat, we can gain some useful (and tasty) ideas to adapt to our own needs.

This program challenges all eaters to make decisions about food. Should people eat lots of meat? Just a little? None at all? Are vegetarians on to something or just a fringe group afraid to eat a creature that looks cute? Is meat a key part of a healthy diet or does it contribute to cancer and heart disease? It’s easy to find extreme views on this subject, but what are the real issues?

One result of increased global trade and travel is that we all have multi-cultural stomachs. This video examines the multi-cultural origins of many foods and unearths a few surprises. Viewers learn chili isn't Mexican, spaghetti and meatballs is uniquely American, chop suey doesn't exist in China, and sauerkraut was a Chinese invention.