Hike in Food Prices- MSNBC Article

Most people probably haven't noticed, or if they have they aren't complaining much about it. It seems in the recent years the cost of food has increased by about 5%. With an increase in energy costs and the cost of production of wheat and corn it seems that supermarkets all over the United States are changing their price stickers. I read the article on www.msnbc.com, it was titled "Food price hikes changing U.S. eating habits: More people say they are eating at home, buying food in bulk"
The article is a brief one, but the idea of it is shocking. Is it true will an increase in the price of food have a dramatic result on America's eating and shopping habits. I almost believe that this might be a good thing. If we eat out less we are less likely to eat fast food. If the pre-packaged food costs more we will be eating less. Is this America's sneaky attack at fighting the obesity epidemic?

Book Review of "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World"

The Phallic Fruit that Holds Nations together

What, a phallic fruit? What are you talking about? Dan Koeppel wrote the book Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World. “Banana” was an interesting book that pulled together the science and politics behind America’s favorite fruit. The banana is eaten more than apples and oranges combined. The banana is a staple for starving countries and for others it is the downfall of their political systems, due to banana companies taking over.
Dan Koeppel, who is a graduate from Hampshire College, has been a writer and a journalist for over twenty years. Koeppel has published nature, sports, and technology stories in national magazines. Magazines that Koeppel has written in include: New York Times, Wired, Outside, Elle, Martha Stewart Living, and Audubon magazines . “Banana” is Koeppel’s most recent book and has received a lot of attention.
Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World starts off with a controversial argument, one that many believe is unnecessary within the covers of his book. The argument: the banana was actually the fruit that Eve ate within the Garden of Eden. Why? Koeppel’s argument is that the geographic location of the garden and the description of the tree and fruit clearly depict that of the banana tree. An apple tree is unlikely in this geographic location, a place where banana trees, or more accurately the banana “tree” is actually the largest herb, are still prevalent today . This is only one of Koeppel’s arguments, one that seems slightly off the topic in my opinion.
Koeppel moves on from this argument to the history of Banana’s. Moving from continent to continent Koeppel tells the readers of how the banana was first cultivated to how it was first brought to America. The travel of the banana was broken down into different chapters: Asia, Africa, Pacific, and Americas. By breaking down the history of the banana Koeppel was able to keep the reader intrigued without making them feel as though they are reading a science book.

Fact: did you know the banana that your grandparents ate is a different variety then the one you eat today. The banana your grandparents at was Gros Michel also known as “Big Mike.”- p. XVI “Banana”

According to the book, the problem with the banana is that each banana that we eat is a genetic replica of the previous one. In other words the banana that you eat in North Pole, Alaska is the same banana that is being eaten in Cancun, Mexico. The banana tree has both male and female parts, and although the fruit that we eat looks masculine it is actually the female organ. The reason the way that our banana reproduces is farmers dig up the “sucker” of the plant and bury it somewhere else so the sucker must regrow. By the end of a banana plants life it may reproduce dozens of daughter plants.
The book takes a long time to actually explain to the readers why the banana is in threat of extinction. The banana is a very fragile fruit. The “Big Mike,” actually was the first to go extinct due to the Panama disease. The Cavendish was the banana that replaced the “Big Mike.” It was thought to be strong enough to fight the Panama disease, but in essence the Cavendish was slower to be affected.
Koeppel continues to explain the reason the banana is going extinct, but it seems about the midpoint of the book the feel of the book changes. The book turns from being a history and science lesson to a personal one man parade for genetic engineering. I am not a fan of genetic engineering but I love bananas. This conflict left me troubled, do I like a book that supports genetic engineering because it means saving a favorite fruit of mine, or do I boycott it just to show support for all natural foods.
Without the ability to reproduce and to adapt the banana will soon be extinct. Dan Koeppel wrote a compelling book, but I believe his solution to the banana crisis is unrealistic and even more not healthy.

Works Cited
• Koeppel, Dan. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World. New York: Hudson Street Press, 2008.
• - -. Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World. Official website and blog for Dan Koeppel's books and writing.
18 Mar. 2008. 21 Mar. 2008 .

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Super Foods

It seems that wherever you go or whatever you are reading there is always news on food. Food that is healthy, food that can heal, food that can kill, food that can make your hair grow or food that can make it fall out. We seem to all know why we need to eat and furthermore we know what foods are "good" or "bad" for us. I was just reading a few articles on health castle, they have a section on super foods and dietary supplements. I found this site very helpful listing many different foods and spices and such. There are separate articles on each of the different types of foods, and even several articles on each individual foods. You can read these articles at the Super Foods article.

Top 10 Smart Foods

I found a great article on Psychology Today website with a list of top 10 foods for a healthy brain. This is good information for todays age where television and the internet seem to sap away what we have left of our brains. Some of the foods may seem to be surprising such as garlic which is generally known to be good for the heart but also helps recover from stress induced illnesses. Others such as fish, like Salmon, which are known to help with memory also help to maintain chemical balances that improve moods. This is a great article to start off my blog because I believe it is one of the many ways food can benefit our bodies both physically and mentally.