From
the Field is a bi-monthly column written by Mark Campbell, Farm Bureau
Field Services Director for the Central District. He writes about Farm Bureau
member benefits and County Farm Bureau activities.
It’s
hard to believe it is May already. The old adage about time going by quicker as
we get older is true. While May is when hay making season starts, temperatures
in the mid-80s the past few days served as a wakeup call to get the hay equipment
out of the sheds and out into the fields.
May
is also national beef month and is the beginning of grilling season. Food today
encompasses many thoughts and discussions other than just sustenance. In
addition to nutrition; consumers consider source, brand, integrity, how it was
raised, genetics, technology, price, humane treatment and even environmental
impact.
This
morning I read this article that came through my email. It is an interesting
perspective of a former vegetarian that is also a registered
dietician/nutritionist. I give her credit for not only allowing herself to once
again enjoy a tasty steak, but she researched her misconceptions for herself. Here
is the link. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2015/04/16/the-other-side-of-the-beef-is-bad-story.
She
is not alone as many more consumers have misconceptions about beef and other
foods. To make matters more complex, the national dietary guidelines advised in
one generation to stay away from certain foods like eggs because of cholesterol
and then a generation later are now heralded as a great protein source. The
same goes for beef. It was bad for your heart. Now beef has been proven to
lower bad cholesterol in the Beef in an Optimum Lean Diet (BOLD) study. This
year for the first time in history the dietary guidelines factored in
environmental impact. These are supposed to be dietary guidelines for nutrition,
but the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee delved into environment and
sustainability which is considered by many as being beyond the committee’s
expertise. I don’t know if the federal dietary guidelines carry as much
credibility with the general public as they used to, but the guidelines can
still be far reaching as they are considered by federal food programs such as
school lunches, nutritionists, and doctors.
So
if your food product is being misportrayed, what are you to do? Most all of the
commodity groups have lots of factual information for you to use as a resource
to share with your doctor, neighbors, and others. These resources are backed by
credible research and can be a reliable source for those you may be trying to
educate or influence. This can be comforting to the consumer who is bombarded
with conflicting messages on a regular basis.
There
are also great testimonials on the internet such as https://feedyardfoodie.wordpress.com
which is a blog by Anne Burkholder. She was raised in an urban setting, but is now
an influential leader in the beef industry. Doing a little research of my own,
I went to www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com
and there was a lot of good information for consumers. The recipes looked good
and gave me some new ideas to use ground beef. The www.incredibleegg.org is another good
website. I could go on. But if you have not
done so, take a look at your commodity’s website. It can be a great resource to
refer someone to if you get questions. Happy grilling.
Until
next time,
Mark
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