The Dangers of Saturated Fat: Fact or Fiction?

I bought this jar of coconut oil the other day, because it was on sale and prominently displayed at my local supermarket.

1. I had my first experience with coconut oil several years ago when I was catering a monthly dinner for the Vegetarians of Washington, with Debra Daniels-Zeller. She wanted to use coconut oil in a number of recipes and I objected because of the expense, but she offered to pay for it herself because she felt so strongly about it.

We used it in both a sweet dish and a savory one, and it was lovely in both. She let me keep what was left of the jar and I made some nice cookies with it, but I haven't thought of buying it since then, until it caught my eye in the supermarket the other day.

Coconut oil is a saturated fat, and mainstream dietary advice warns us to stay clear of saturated fats because they contribute to risk for heart disease. But some studies have actually linked coconut oil with a decreased incidence of coronary ailments, in fact, the connection between saturated fat and heart disease--and even weight gain and levels of HDL cholesterol--is far from certain.

I do know that my own cholesterol level decreases when I stop eating cheese. (And I really do love cheese.) I couldn't find any information studying the difference in health effects between consuming plant-based and animal based saturated fat.

All in all, I think we tend to be much too quick to accept oversimplified dietary advice, and also too quick to reject it when we hear oversimplified evidence to the contrary.

Rice Shortages-Fact or Fiction?

Lately there's been some scary news about rice shortages. Costco and Sam's Club have been limiting the amount that customers can buy in response to unexpectedly rapid sales spurred largely by reports of rice shortages in other countries.

1. In Asia, rice prices have climbed dramatically, in part because production has not kept pace with population growth. India and the Philipines are limiting their rice exports in order to satisfy demand at home.

But there is plenty of rice in the United States, despite the panic. Our fear and urgency is a fascinating mirror showing us how rumors and perceptions can exacerbate an already tricky situation. Like the epidemic of bank withdrawals that precipitated the Great Depression, the perception that the rice supply is insufficient is creating an insufficiency in the rice supply.

High Calorie Pesticides-Fact or Fiction?

Here's a snippet I overheard at the bank the other day:

First teller: "My brother is over in Afghanistan and he says the produce there is so much better than the produce here. They spray the stuff here so heavily that you could eat just lettuce and gain weight."

Second teller: "When I was in college the president of the university announced that they were putting extra spray on the produce because so many girls were anorexic or bulemic."

Now, I like to assume there's a kernel of truth embedded in every wild story. Were they spraying the produce with extra nutrients? Are pesticides high in calories? Does anybody know anything about this?

High Prices at the Farmers' Market: Fact or Fiction?

One of the biggest hurdles faced by local farmers' markets is the perception that market food is too expensive. (The other big hurdle is the lack of convenient parking, but I have nothing useful to say about that.)

Last spring an economics class at Seattle Central Community College explored the question of whether farmers' market prices really are higher than comparable prices at the supermarket. They compared the cost of organic produce at the nearby Broadway Farmers' market with prices at QFC, Safeway, and Madison Market.

In almost every case they found that produce at the farmer' market was actually cheaper than stuff at conventional stores. So why the negative perception?

Perhaps a trip to the farmers' market feels expensive to some people because it involves preparing meals from scratch. Shopping for ingredients and cooking a real meal tends to be more expensive than eating fast food or frozen convenience food, although it's certainly cheaper than buying a decent meal at a restaurant.

Fresh herbs, in particular, tend to much more affordable at farmers' markets, and the bunches are much bigger than those tiny, overpriced plastic packages at the supermarket.

And I haven't even touched on the question of quality...