In the spirit of going healthy with a positive attitude, here's the latest New York Times column from Mark Bittman on how things are actually taking a positive turn when it comes to producing and consuming whole, natural foods in the U.S.
"I’ve griped for weeks, and no doubt I’ll get back to it, but there are bright spots on our food landscape, hopeful trends, even movements, of which we can be proud," Bittman writes.
Bittman highlights:
- Change is actually happening on the federal level, seen in the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act to the Food Safety Modernization Act; in addition, consumers are becoming increasingly empowered.
- Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" anti-childhood obesity initiative has "helped insert food squarely into the national conversation."
- Farmers markets are spreading nationwide. The number of markets has increased by 250 percent since 1994.
- Urban agriculture is on the rise, with cities expanding codes and policies that embrace local farming.
- The number of farms is increasing, and there are programs helping cultivate a new generation of farmers, too.
- School lunches are being revamped, thanks to federal and private programs putting nutrition in focus at cafeterias across the country.
