The Experts Weigh In: From The Outside Looking In

BY: BENNETT GOLDER, CONTRIBUTOR

Well, here it goes. I've been asked to write a guest blog post for Strictly Nutritious, which is surprising because I'm not terribly interesting. Before I begin, I must point out that I don't trend towards the nutritious, so this post will be more about feeding your mind - probably not so much your body or spirit.

I'm an American who lives abroad. I've lived in London now for just over two years. I say 'American living abroad' intentionally because I dislike the seeming finality of saying 'ex-pat'. Saying ex-pat seems to preclude the possibility of moving back (I might) and also seems to indicate that I'm not proud of who I am and where I came from (I am).

However, I've found the experience of living abroad to be quite enlightening. In fact, I think the distance of the Atlantic Ocean has given me a great opportunity to cast a more critical eye on the wild, wacky place that I call my homeland.

I hate to say it but America is an angry place. Having worked in politics for four years in Washington, D.C., I know this firsthand. Our office fielded hundreds of angry calls every day from people all over the world. We use violence to get our points across - even IF our only point is: 'I'm angry'. To make matters worse, politicians and talking heads lob ad hominem attacks on 24 hour cable news talk shows without thinking twice.

"Barack Obama is a socialist dictator bent on destroying everything we hold dear"...

"George W. Bush was, quite simply, Hitler"...

I could go on all day.

When did this become OK? Why have we gotten to this point? Just why are Americans so angry?

OK, to be fair, the majority aren't so angry, but here's one thing I've noticed about the UK. People here aren't so angry. 'Keep Calm and Carry On' isn't just a hackneyed poster that tourists buy on Oxford Street. Brits tend to keep their wits about them. Politics here are carried out with a bit of humor and a healthy dose of British self-deprecating wit. People protest, and sometimes the government listens. People whine and complain, but typically they do so with their legendary stiff British upper lip.

I can't say why for sure that it seems less angry here, but I think the biggest reason is that people just aren't that stressed.

If you lose your job, it's tough, but there's a safety net to catch you and help you until you're back on your feet. If you get sick, you don't have to worry that you'll get dropped from your insurance or your co-pay will be too high. The National Health Service - the kind that some politicians will tell you has ruined Britain - takes care of everyone regardless of whether they're a British citizen or not. On top of that, nobody is that overworked because you get about 25 days of holiday every year. University educations are also inexpensive and accessible to all.

It's an amazing thing just how much stress can ruin your life and make you unhappy. I'm not saying that socialized medicine is the panacea, but it's a start. I'm not saying more holiday will make Americans suddenly stop killing each other, but it's a start. Brits have a healthy distrust of the state, but when all is said and done, they know the state will take care of them should any accident occur - it's that underlying comfort that makes people rest a bit easier at night over here.

Now, in the interest of proving that I'm still quite proud to be an American, I must mention a few things the Brits could learn from Americans...

1. No, you don't need to put butter on EVERYTHING. Some foods' original flavors like to shine through without having to fight through a thick film of fermented cream.
2. America is multiethnic. Britain is not. You're not getting overrun by immigrants and you don't need to close off your borders. America gains its strength through its diversity.
3. We get British humor. We just don't think it's that funny.
4. For the last time, I know rugby players don't wear pads, but there's no way they could beat up our football players. It's not even close.
5. It's a vitamin, pronounced 'VYE-tuh-min', not 'VIH-tuh-min'. Because it's VYE-tul you eat VYE-tuh-mins, not VIH-tul that you eat VIH-tuh-mins. Case closed.

Bennett Golder lives and works in London, England, but hails from Marietta, Georgia, like myself. He received his BA in Political Science from Vanderbilt University and his Masters in Political Sociology from the London School of Economics. But that's not all! He still managed to fit a career in politics in Washington, D.C. in there somewhere too! On his day off, you can find Bennett doing lots of walking and eating - exploring all the different neighborhoods and culinary fares that London has to offer (but he still likes his collard greens best, as any good Southern boy will tell you). When asked what his favorite part of London is, he replied "I've never been in a more dynamic city than London. Every neighbourhood has its own distinct feel, its own edge. It's massive but not overwhelming, beautiful but not imperfect, and exceptionally diverse in every sense of the word. The author Samuel Johnson once said, 'If you're tired of London, you're tired of life'."

Under the Sea: Something Smells Fishy!

Image courtesy of explorechinatown.com

What I'm about to say pains me. I love seafood. Growing up, I spent summers in Destin, Florida, and you better believe I was munching on some fried shrimp, seafood gumbo and fresh fish. Today, I usually choose fish over meat when I have the opportunity and let me tell you, I go cuckoo for tilapia. Oh...and let's not forget blackened catfish Cajun-style. I die.

Image courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

My current read on the subway is Dr. Marion Nestle's What to Eat. If you've ever wondered about anything food-related, I can promise you this book will cover it. It's like the encyclopedia of eating...a college education in nutrition wrapped up in a paperback (though as heavy as a hardback, be forewarned). As far as food education goes, this book has given me more knowledge in the past few weeks than I've acquired in a lifetime. Pick it up next time you're in Barnes and Noble or cruising the wares on Amazon.com.

Dr. Nestle devotes 5 chapters of her book to fish - fish safety, fish consumption, fish politics - all the fishy things your heart might desire. I'm here today to give you a quick overview... get the wheels turning, if you will.

It's no doubt that fish is good for you. It provides a lean source of protein, is packed with vitamins and minerals and houses those heart-healthy fatty acids that we keep hearing so much about. So what's the big deal about fish? Why should we be concerned? Are pregnant women the only ones that need to keep an eye on their consumption?

In a perfect world, yes... but it's time we took a closer look at the fish we eat because we all know that the world is far from perfect. Politics play a huge part in what you eat.

The biggest concern related to fish is the level of toxins you ingest when eating it, more specifically, the levels of methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs), which can both cause neurological problems and many other health issues. As far as mercury goes, most of the emissions in the United States come from coal-fired power plants and mining operations. The toxins run off into the waterways. Sadly, you'd be hard pressed to find a clean body of water in the United States as it stands today. Toxins builds up in the tissue of the fish that are exposed to it, so the larger the fish, the higher level of toxin presence. Shellfish and other small fish like anchovies, trout and flounder have the lowest levels of toxins, while bigger fish like tuna, swordfish and mackeral fall on the other end of the toxicity spectrum. 

Fish industry advocates and even the government will tell you that there is a certain level of toxins you can ingest safely - you just need to watch your consumption. Does this sound like an oxymoron to anyone else? A safe level of toxins?

Image courtesy of epguides.com

Dr. Nestle compares the supermarket fish counter to the Wild Wild West. Fish regulations in the United States are sub-par at best - labeling is often wrong and affordable, safe choices are hard to come by. One of the huge problems with fish regulation is that it's divided between 4 federal agencies - the USDA for marketing, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for ocean fisheries, the EPA for fish caught for sport and recreation and the FDA for fish safety. Wouldn't it be much easier if one agency regulated the industry? With this sort of system, some safety concerns inevitably fall through the cracks, and that's something you, my friend, should be concerned about.

For one, did you know that farm-raised salmon - which comprises about 80% of total salmon for sale in the US - is dyed to meet your standards of how a salmon filet should look? Would you buy a grey-colored piece of salmon at the grocery store? Probably not. Well, farm-raised salmon are grey because they are not fed their natural diet. Salmon in the wild eat marine krill, which are small crustaceans containing the beautiful pink pigment that gives salmon it's color. But when salmon are farm-raised, they are fed pellets (much like dog or cat food pellets); therefore, their skin is not a natural color. How does the industry solve the problem? Oh, that's easy! They resort to cosmetics!

Salmon isn't the only fish receiving a makeover... tuna falls into that category too. Tuna has become so popular in recent years that it's greatly overfished and very hard to provide to you in the store at peak condition. Tuna naturally turns chocolate brown the longer it's out of the water and since consumers probably won't get excited about buying brown tuna, the industry responds by spraying it with carbon monoxide - this prevents and also reverses discoloration. But is it good for you?

Image courtesy of care2.com

Now let's talk about fish imports. Much of our fish comes from overseas, especially when it comes to the frozen fish section of your local grocery store. It's widely known that fishing practices and regulations overseas are not as good as you'd prefer them to be. For example, in China, fish farms often feed the fish chicken waste and HUMAN waste. Sounds like a recipe for disease if I've ever seen one. To keep disease at bay, farmers pump their fish full of antibiotics before they end up in your grocery store. Need I say more?

Obviously, I haven't even begun to touch on the topics that Dr. Nestle covers in her book What to Eat, but hopefully these quick points will give you the desire to become more aware of the fish you consume and even the politicians that you choose to elect. Many of the fish problems we face boil down to lack of environmental regulations from government. When you become more informed, you can feel good about stepping up to the fish counter or ordering that salmon filet at dinner.

For more in-depth explanations of fish industry concerns, I recommend picking up a copy of Dr. Nestle's book. It's not really a poolside read, but it's not a college Calculus book either. She does have a sense of humor about these things...and thank God for that, or you'd be running to the hills, growing your own food and avoiding grocery stores altogether.

For more detailed info on tuna and carbon monoxide, click here.

To hear what Dr. Nestle has to say about supermarket sushi, click here.