Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aid could use the money to join CSAs under a pilot project suggested by US Rep. James McGovern Saturday during the winter meeting of the state chapter of Northeast Organic Farming Association.

US Rep. Jim McGovern, a member of the House Agriculture Committee who represents Central Mass., isn’t enthusiastic about the prospects for a Farm Bill, which is ordinarily debated and passed in five-year increments and is due for action this year.

But that’s good news, he told partisans gathered over lunch Saturday during the winter meeting of the state chapter of Northeast Organic Farming Association.

The first "Let's Talk About Food" event of 2012 is a whopper: Marian Nestle, the well-deserved queen of food commentary, and US Rep Chellie Pingree, one of Congress's food-policy leaders, highlight the bill.

Via my friend Jill Escher, I read this piece by David Bender on cravingsugar.net and wanted to pass it along. Though our backgrounds are fairly dissimilar, we’re brothers from his very first sentence, in which he says, “my goal is to raise awareness of food addiction.”

This squib from the Physician's Briefing website reflects some broad truths, considering it results from a survey of peoiple at risk for diabetes in Finland: Excerpts:

"Only 36 percent of at-risk men and 52 percent of at-risk women perceived the need for lifestyle counseling. ... Of those individuals who perceived the need for counseling, 35 percent refused to participate." About a third of the people who agreed to participate never showed up even once.

This time, it's the National Eating Disorders Association targeting a campaign against child obesity in Georgia. 

Back in April, it was the website Sociological Images, attacking the same campaign for the same reason, that it shames children. This morning's press release leads off...

When I advocate for food addiction, I often encounter rank derision about the idea, especially when the commenters can remain anonymous. As I’ve expressed before (borrowed from my clever friend Marty Lerner), their attitude is, “what’s next, air addiction?”

So let’s talk about “weasuring,” another word that doesn’t exist but easily could; it mashes together “weighing” and “measuring,” which is often how I portion my meals, with cup and scale. I do this, even into my 21st year of maintaining a three-figure weight loss, because, simply, it works for me. (Explaining why would be a whole other post, which I may nor may not also write, but not here.)

Hello friends and readers, and welcome to this leap and election year.

I find myself limping into the new year, dogged by "should haves" and "haven't dones," which don't usually fit into my outlook, but here I am. My experience tells me I need to accept where I am before I can change, so at least I'm that far on the path, but not as far as I'd like to be. That qualifies, at best, as semi-acceptance.

I didn't pick up "Change or Die," Alan Deutschman's 2007 book, for any reasons related to my food or sustainability interests. It was recommended, somewhat forcefully, by Sid Falthzik, who is helping to mentor me in the Fast Track Speaker Academy put on the New England Chapter of the National Speaker Association.