The Unhealthy Truth

Wow. Talk about things that you don’t want to think about, but that we all NEED to be talking about a lot more. On Thursday afternoon I attended a lunch hosted by Stonyfield Farm at EVOO. The lunch speaker was Robyn O’Brien, author of The Unhealthy Truth, and I could have listened to her speak all day long. Stonyfield hosts great events. The last one, also at EVOO, was lunch with their CE-Yo, Gary Hirschberg, and it was incredibly informative and delicious.

I arrived at EVOO a little early and snacked on gorgeous local tomatoes topped with stracciatella. EVOO is all about local, seasonal ingredients, and it definitely shows in the flavors and presentation of their food. Everything was so vibrant.

Once we were seated, we ordered lunch, and I went with the vegetarian option which was creative and absolutely delicious, a sweet potato croquette with fresh creamed corn, local tomatoes and micro greens.

It may be Autumn now, but the ingredients in this dish showed the best of New England summer. The corn was sweet, the greens tender and flavorful, and they all went nicely with the sweet potato croquette. I guess you could say that this meal nicely bridges two seasons.

EVOO is definitely a favorite of mine and has been since its old location. However, the real star of the event was Robyn. The Unhealthy Truth reveals the horrific state of our food system, with its genetic engineering, added proteins, and its relationship to the rampant rates of allergies and disease in America. Here’s a bit of information from Robyn’s site:

The Unhealthy Truth is both the story of how one brave woman chose to take on the system and a call to action that shows how each of us can do our part and keep our own families safe. O’Brien turns to accredited research conducted in Europe that confirms the toxicity of America’s food supply, and investigates the relationship between Big Food and Big Money that has ensured that the United States is one of the only developed countries in the world to allow hidden toxins in our food—toxins that are increasingly being blamed for the alarming recent increases in allergies, A.D.H.D., cancer, and asthma among our children.

Featuring recipes and an action plan for weaning your family off of these dangerous ingredients one step at a time The Unhealthy Truth is a must-read for every parent—and for every concerned citizen—in America today.

Robyn’s talk made me outraged while at the same time made me want to put my hands over my ears. Corn genetically engineered to be its own pesticide so it is a pesticide and food in one? Between 1997 and 2002 peanut allergies in America doubled? Robyn explained that the work she does isn’t “taking anyone on” but is just out of love for her family and her country. And it made sense. It’s patriotic to want to have good, honest, open dialogue about what we put in our bodies. And right now, the food situation is, as Robyn put it, a human rights issue. Her words were powerful; here were some that I caught via Tweets and notes.

Value is not placed on the lives of American eaters as it is in other countries.

In order to restore the health of our country, we have to restore the health of our families.

As a culture we have been conditioned that if we eat things that make us feel unwell, we take a pill. It’s like standing on a tack and taking pill after pill until the pain stops.

Want to change the way your family eats?  Start where you stand.

We spend more on healthcare than any other nation.

Our moms weren’t standing on the sidelines of soccer games with 35 year old women who had undergone double mastectomies.

Robyn was not at the event to preach or suggest that we completely throw away all of the food in our kitchens. Instead, much like the CE-Yo, she was about small and gradual changes, the first being to buy RBGH free milk and foods free of artificial colors. One blogger in the group recounted how colors affect her daughter’s behavior and the visible difference there is when colors are ingested. Hello, America? Why is the very thing we are meant to put in our bodies, our food, poisoning us? Robyn’s Do One Thing page is a great start.

I have just gotten started reading The Unhealthy Truth, and I know I have so much more to learn. I’ll keep you all posted, and in the meantime definitely check out Robyn’s site for some eye-opening information.

Would you like a copy of the book? Well, Stonyfield is letting me make that happen! They are giving a gift bag, with Robyn’s book as well as the Stonyfield yogurt cookbook (which I have already used!) to one lucky reader.

To enter, just leave a comment letting me know your favorite way to eat yogurt. For an added entry tweet “I want to win @unhealthytruth + a Stonyfield cook book from @traveleatlovemm.” I’ll choose a winner on Friday, good luck!