The Nutella Plot

Lest there be any question, there are no spoilers for any movies or novels involved in this blog. Nor am I writing about a cemetery location. The title "The Nutella Plot" refers to, among other things, Nutella. You know, that creamy, chocolatey, hazelnut spread that's so popular on crepes, beaver tails, and of course toast. Recently, as you've most likely heard, it has become the target of choice for research studies about palm oil.

I'm not suggesting it's a great substitute for well, almost anything else on bread. After all, the first ingredient is the greatly and deservedly maligned sugar. Sugar...that substance that will give you a flotation device around the centre of your body. Having said that, again, it's like anything else..fine when used occasionally and in moderation. This means, it's not a good option for slathering on and licking off large surfaces. Enough said.

I do think the latest news about Nutella and cancer is a plot. I believe that either the Russians, or Donald Trump, or both are involved. Who knows, it might even have come from a Nutella competitor. There are enough out there, although that's probably less likely than the first two suspects.

Did you know that world Nutella day is coming up on February 5th? I'm not sure what that means exactly, but that's how popular this stuff is. It has its own day.  I have my own day, Hildegard day on September 17th, but I don't suppose anybody really knows, cares, or sees that as much cause for celebration.

Would you believe there was even an Italian stamp sporting a jar of Nutella, issued a few years ago?

Note to self - Check to see if there was ever a Hildegard stamp.

So apparently, according to google, wikipedia, or some other semi reliable source,  Nutella contains 10% palm oil. This is a highly saturated vegetable fat that's potentially cancer causing when oxidized and consumed in massive proportions by rats who are also fed a high fat diet. In other words, it's
lethal for humans who devour daily doses of hamburgers, steaks, and french fries with a Nutella topping. Oh...and too, just to clarify,  it contains 58% sugar. Where's the hysteria about that?

Many processed foods, chocolate bars, ice creams, pizza doughs, cookies and baked goods contain palm oil, as do lipsticks, soaps and shampoos.  So why pick on Nutella?  Palm oil is not a product that has been banned by any food and drug organization.

There's another more relevant palm oil issue here in my opinion. Apparently, its production has caused deforestation and wreaked havoc on animal habitats. It is not produced using sustainable measures particularly in areas such as Malaysia and Indonesia, countries which produce 85% of palm oil. The World Wildlife Fund is certainly concerned, particularly since the equivalent of three hundred football fields of rainforest lands are cleared every hour, thus making way for palm oil production. The orangutan and Sumatran tiger are only two of the species in danger of becoming extinct in the next few years.

So, what to do? Let's stop picking on Nutella for the time being. Rather, let's eliminate use of
palm oil. Let's remove it from products altogether, not for it's "possible" link to cancer, but rather for
the far more reaching consequences. Shouldn't we first be concerned about greenhouse gases and the effects to our environment, deforestation, extinction of animals and rainforests, our climate, and our air?


***Picture of misc. spreads from Google images and the Washington Post

Fatigue, Flab, Farha and Fun

The problem with being old and bloggng is that it's hard to remember what you've written in previous years, months and sometimes even what you've written in previous days. I've probably mentioned one of my favourite Dr. Seuss quotes before.

                         “When you're in a slump,you're not in for much fun.
                                    Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.”

Every once in awhile I am guilty of a "playing the world's smallest violin" moment. Sometimes, it lasts longer than a moment, more like a week or two. It's usually when something doesn't go quite as I had imagined, when I'm extra tired, when I worry about my children or someone's health, when I don't hear from friends, when the weather is particularly depressing, when the weigh scales are being unfair OR when I have to clean toilets. 

Lately, I had been obsessing over several of the above things, and I had been feeling particularly fatigued. I was in a slump and had difficulty pulling myself out.

For example, despite going to a gym for a month and walking daily, I gained seven pounds (insert violin playing here). Oh yes, I've heard the ridiculous, "muscle weighs more than fat" argument. The truth is, muscle is more compact than fat. Muscle burns more calories. But whether it's a pound of fat, a pound of muscle, a pound of feathers or a pound of kumquats, it's still a pound.

Then, at the exact same gym, I learned about a dynamic woman that would be coming to talk on the eve of October 30th. She was Wendy Farha, a singer, comedienne, motivational speaker, cancer survivor, who suffers from depression. Wow! And I thought I had problems. I purchased a ticket. It was the final week of breast cancer awareness month. Proceeds for this event were being donated to the local hospital. Perfect!

Wendy arrived, began to speak and we all started laughing. Her antics, songs, stories and jokes were so much fun that everyone had a wonderful time. Not only did she give us a lot to think about, she made us all feel thankful for what we have. She was truly inspirational.

When I took this photo, Wendy said, "Wait, you didn't get my best side". She was right. The photo doesn't begin to do her justice. She is truly a remarkable person.

I feel better now. Things are looking up. I have caught up on rest. My kids are fine. I have visited with some friends. I have lost some weight. Everyone is currently healthy. The weather isn't bad. So, can toilet cleaning be far behind?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmVouyb-I38