Have you ever heard a study reported on some news outlet and thought, “Wait, that’s the best summary you can give? But what about…” It’s a chronic issue with mainstream media: they’re afraid to take too ‘extreme’ a stance when that stance could potentially aggravate their advertisers, and even if that stance is not even close to extreme.
As the Publisher of the Important Media network, I get to interact with some of the most talented bloggers around. One of them, Tanya Sitton of Eat Drink Better, just launched a new website (The Progressive Kitch) and plans to do regular podcasts and videos about health, nutrition, science, and all things food.
In their first podcast, Tanya and her sister Dawn laid the groundwork for what’s to come with a truly insightful and yet humorous analysis of several recent studies documenting the diverse effects of what we eat on our health. One of them found (go figure) a strong correlation between fast food in children’s diets and several adverse health effects. It’s not exactly news, but the conclusion of the study and the way it was presented basically said that perhaps we might consider feeding our kids less fast food.
(paraphrasing): “If a study said letting your kids drink Windex wasn’t good for them, would you then conclude, ‘huh, maybe I’ll feed my kids just a little less Windex’?” said Tanya.
Among the other topics covered were a recent study that showcased the inefficiency of channeling our calories through cows. “As if this is news!” said Dawn (paraphrasing again). But the sisters went on to show that the study and the way it was presented in the mainstream media left little doubt that the process was necessary, even if inefficient. “But wait…” I hear you thinking.
The sisters go on to identify several groups railing against meatless Mondays and the celebrity chefs that endorse them…
Interested yet? This is good stuff! Check out their full podcast here:
http://www.progressivekitch.com/2013/02/asthma-resource-waste-moderation-radical-eatin/
In the meantime, the ladies are raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign. Good perks and hella fun stuff ahead for those who help get this group up and running. Check out their campaign here:
This is so awesome!
Thank you Andrea (and VWJ)! We’re pretty excited about these shenanigans — thanks for sharing that feeling! :-)