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Issue No. 527

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MAY 2017

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Members, it’s election time!

We value your vote. Learn about the trustee and nominat-ing committee candidates, and how to vote in the election guide insert of this issue and on our website at pccnaturalmarkets.com/election. Mail-in ballots must be received at the PCC office by 5 p.m. on June 7, 2017. In-store voting is permitted until each store’s close of business on June 7, 2017.

PCC’s Annual Members’ Business Meeting

June 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Join us for the annual members’ business meeting. For this year’s meeting, you’ll hear about the state of the co-op, ask questions and meet the 2017 election candidates! Light PCC dessert bites and beverages will be provided. The meeting will be held at The Swedish Club. Online registration begins April 28 and closes June 2. Additional details are in the election guide, on our website at pccnaturalmarkets.com/meeting and in the board report on page 6 of this issue.

UN: Pesticides won’t feed the world

A new report by two United Nations human rights experts rejects the notion that pesticides are necessary to feed the world. Instead, they say, excessive use of pesticides has “catastrophic impacts on the environment, human health and society as a whole.” These include an estimated 200,000 acute poisoning deaths each year, 99 percent of which occur in low-income countries; con-tamination of soil and water sources; loss of biodiversity and beneficial insect popula-tions; and a range of chronic health problems including cancer, Alzheimer’s and devel-opmental disorders.

The authors criticize the pesticide industry’s “systematic denial” of the hazards of toxic pesticides and say pesticides undermine “the rights to ad-equate food and health for pres-ent and future generations.” They call for a global treaty to phase out the use of dangerous pesticides in farming and say “It’s time to overturn the myth that pesticides are necessary to feed the world.”

by Eli Penberthy, Editor

By the time you read this, all of PCC’s fresh chicken, turkey, beef and pork produc-ers will be certified organic or Non-GMO Project Verified.

We have offered organic and non-GMO choices in every department for years but now, all our biggest meat and poultry vendors are Non-GMO Project Verified. This includes Draper Valley Farms chicken, Diestel Family Turkey Ranch, Oregon Country Beef, Pure Country Farm, Beeler’s Pure Pork and Mary’s Chicken.

PCC now offers only non-GMO and/or organic poultry, pork and beef. This supports PCC’s commitment to organic and non-GMO choices and it also reflects growing consumer concern about the diet of livestock — that we are what they eat. More and more Americans simply don’t want foods from animals raised on a genetically engineered (GE) diet. Provid-ing non-GMO meat also is very strategic for building a non-GMO and organic landscape.

Non-GMO Project Verification “The Non-GMO Project has seen a

dramatic increase in the number of meat producers seeking Non-GMO Project Veri-

PCC sets the barfor non-GMO and organic meat

fication,” says Non-GMO Project Executive Director Megan Westgate. “The majority of GMO acres in the U.S. are in production for livestock feed. From a mission and impact perspective, when it comes to preserving and building a non-GMO food supply, livestock feed is one of the most critically important areas of focus.”

Surveys consistently show that more than 90 percent of people in the United States and more than 85 percent of people in Canada want GE foods labeled, Westgate says. “There’s a massive trend toward sup-ply chain transparency and that includes third-party verified reassurance that geneti-cally engineered feed is not being used.”

The Non-GMO Project was the first and remains, in effect, the only third-party verifier in North America of non-GMO food and products that requires ongoing testing of animal feed.

Pure Country Farm

Pure Country Farm’s pork, sold at PCC, was the first meat vendor in the United States to enroll in the Non-GMO Project. At their small family ranch in Ephrata, Wash., farm-ers Paul and Karrie Klingeman raise their pigs not on the typical diet of GE corn or soy

used by most ranchers, but instead on locally grown peas, barley, wheat and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). Choosing feedstocks that aren’t commercially engineered is intentional — to be sure the feed has no chance of GE contamination. Their pigs also enjoy roaming in fresh air and socializing.

“Consumers are concerned about where their food comes from and they appreciate that there are resources and farmers who care not only about what they eat but also about what the animals eat,” says Karrie Klingeman. She says the farm’s customers and PCC provided the impetus to transition to non-GMO.

Klingeman says the transition was challenging, as it took some research and development in feed formulas to meet the pigs’ growing needs. “Also,” she says, “it can be difficult to source non-GMO grains but thankfully we source from local farmers who take pride in how they raise their crops.”

Oregon Country BeefIn 1976 ranchers Doc and Connie Hatfield

wanted to raise antibiotic-free, humanely raised beef in a way that was economically

2 PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017

S O U N D C O N S U M E R

PCC neighborhood locations:

BothellDaily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.22621 Bothell Everett Highway Bothell, WA 98021 425-492-0122

Columbia City Daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.3610 S. Edmunds St. Seattle, WA 98118 206-466-6182

EdmondsDaily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.9803 Edmonds Way Edmonds, WA 98020 425-275-9036

FremontDaily 6 a.m. to midnight600 N. 34th St. Seattle, WA 98103 206-632-6811

Greenlake AuroraDaily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.7504 Aurora Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103 206-525-3586

Greenlake VillageDaily 6 a.m. to midnight450 NE 71st St. Seattle, WA 98115 206-729-5075

IssaquahDaily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.at Pickering Place 1810 12th Ave. NW Issaquah, WA 98027 425-369-1222

KirklandDaily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.10718 NE 68th St. Kirkland, WA 98033 425-828-4622

RedmondDaily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.11435 Avondale Rd. NE Redmond, WA 98052 425-285-1400

View RidgeDaily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.6514 40th Ave. NE Seattle, WA 98115 206-526-7661

West SeattleDaily 6 a.m. to midnight2749 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98116 206-937-8481

Published monthly by PCC NATURAL MARKETS 3131 Elliott Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98121

Phone 206-547-1222, Fax 206-545-7131

The SOUND CONSUMER is dedicated to informing and educating members and the public about food and agriculture, consumer concerns and co-op principles.

SOUND CONSUMER: circulation: 58,000. Copyright 2017: All rights reserved including the right to reproduce. Opinions expressed in the paper are the writer’s own and do not necessarily reflect co-op policy.

EDITOR Eli Penberthy

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Cate Hardy

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR Trudy Bialic

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Carol BinderAlice Cho SnyderTania DePueMichael HutchingsJulianne Lamsek

Maggie LucasElin SmithSandy VoitBruce WilliamsCatherine L. Walker

Letters must be 250 words or fewer and include a name, address and daytime phone number. We reserve the right to edit. Please email letters to editor@pccnaturalmarkets.com.

[ LETTERS to the editor ]

pccnaturalmarkets.com

SEED INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION

The February Sound Consumer article, “Seed industry consolidation continues,” was about three proposed seed megamergers: Bayer and Monsanto, DuPont and Dow, and ChemChina and Syngenta. The article received many comments on PCC’s Facebook page. Here’s a sampling.

Unacceptable! We need a global class-action lawsuit to stop the destructive practices with growing food. It is medicine for our cells.

— Leanne Woodland

Clearly, we desperately need new, organic seed companies to open up. When are the people going to get the real story on GMOs? It’s tiring to see how few know the truth. Somebody needs to stick their neck up and shout the facts.

— Marc Carter

While I understand the concern regard-ing consolidation of companies in general, which usually is bad for consumers, I don’t really agree about how bad this is getting. People are saying they’re terrified but as your article correctly points out, large firms own only half the seed industry. Compara-tive to other industries, this is pretty healthy in terms of competition and choice. Look at the other end of the food pipelines: PCC is part of an industry that is dominated by Walmart and Kroger. That’s a much greater level of concern for consumers.

— Adam Michelson

Thank you for reminding us to be diligent about our food supply.

— Jan Creighton

Can we say, “Monopolies”?— Julie Blackwood

This is a real worry! — Fay Cawley

KIMCHI AND HEALTH

I’m a longtime PCC shopper and have a question regarding kimchi. I started eating kimchi about a year ago, based on an article in the Sound Consumer regarding its health-ful probiotic properties and then discovered I loved it! Now I regularly buy it from the deli and eat it almost every day.

My question concerns the somewhat conflicting information I’ve read regarding the risk of developing stomach cancer due to the presence of H. pylori bacteria. Some sources suggest, mostly based on associa-tive data, that there are higher incidences of stomach cancer (relatively rare in the United States at 0.9 percent) among groups that regularly consume kimchi. For example, Korea, where kimchi is consumed regularly, has the highest rate of stomach cancer in the world (7.6 percent).

Some sources suggest, however, that kimchi can be cancer-preventive, at least when special types of kimchi are consumed (see pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4582). Other sources say kimchi is beneficial as long as it is not consumed too frequently.

Can the experts at PCC shed any light on this?

— Anonymous

PCC Nutrition Educator Nick Rose replies: A 2011 study reporting a link between gastric cancer and kimchi appears to be based on case-control studies, which

suggest associations but not causation for a link between kimchi and gastric cancer. So while it might be possible that there’s a direct relationship, it’s also possible the association can be due to other factors. For example, people who frequently eat kimchi may follow a more traditional Korean diet and eat other traditional foods, such as grilled or processed meats, which themselves are linked to gastric cancer.

I fall into the group of nutrition educa-tors who suggest kimchi has a protective effect against cancer. Fermented kimchi (and sauerkraut) provide beneficial probiotics, which optimize the immune system. Kimchi also provides cancer-fighting phytonutrients from cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, rad-ish), as well as phytonutrients from garlic, ginger and peppers.

As for the H. pylori concern, there’s evi-dence “probiotics may have a favorable effect on H. pylori infection in humans, particularly by reducing the risk of developing disorders associated with high degrees of gastric inflammation,” as this 2007 paper concluded: pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4583. More recent research also supports specific strains of probiotic bacteria in H. pylori infections.

HOMEMADE KEFIR

I’m just getting started on making my own kefir and want to use milk with cream on the top — non-homogenized milk. But there is no source close to where we live. I’m wondering if you might steer me in the right direction.

— T.J.

PCC replies: Any good-quality milk will work for making kefir. It doesn’t have to be non-homogenized. The less processed the milk, however, the better for flavor and nutri-tion, so non-homogenized milk would work.

The milk also doesn’t have to be cream-top and, while the cream does add great texture and flavor, it does not influence the fermentation process. A cream top occurs naturally in non-homogenized milk.

We carry three brands of non-homog-enized cream-top milk: Pure Eire, Grace Harbor and Twin Brook.

AVOIDING GLYPHOSATE

I really appreciate the great job you are doing at PCC, providing the best service and trying to promote the sale of safe and sus-tainable products. One thing that troubles me is the non-GMO label on products.

It concerns me because there can be non-GMO ingredients present that have been grown with Roundup, as it is used to desiccate crops that are not genetically engineered, such as sunflower seeds or peas. Unless they’re organic, the product sold could, in fact, contain glyphosate residue. Have you looked into this issue?

For this reason, I try to buy organic only if at all possible to avoid this potential contamination. Are non-GMO products safe from glyphosate contamination?

— Ute Philippi

PCC replies: You make a very good point. The Non-GMO Project seal verifies only that the ingredients were produced without ge-netic engineering; it does not mean they were grown without pesticides. So a non-organic hummus could be Non-GMO Project Verified but potentially could contain glyphosate residues from the non-organic chickpeas. Wheat, barley, oats and chickpeas are crops that may be grown in fields treated with glyphosate before planting to kill weeds, and/or just before harvest to cause the crop to wilt,

making it easier for harvesting machinery. For information about residual levels of glyphosate in food, see pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4579 and a report from Food Democ-racy Now (pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4580).

The best way to avoid glyphosate-treated crops is to choose organic. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Environmental Research confirmed that families eating an organic diet for as little as a week removed more than 90 percent of the pesticides from their system.

REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS

Your reusable produce bags have a tag that says “not for long-term use.” Can you please tell me more about this?

What do you consider “long term” and why would this statement be on the produce bags?

— name withheld upon request

PCC replies: The white, mesh bags we sell from the company 3B have that message on the packaging. “Not for long-term use” means that while produce can be stored in the bags, the bags do not prolong the life of the produce. 3B staff apologize for the confusion.

SEAFOOD SAFETY

You printed an item from Environmental Working Group regarding pregnant women’s exposure to mercury if they follow U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. While I think it’s very important to be cautious, this is in contradiction to an article in The Seattle Times (“Should you worry about mercury in seafood? What you need to know,” by Carrie Dennett, December 18, 2016).

She notes that selenium, an antioxidant mineral that bonds with mercury, is present in many sources of seafood. She did say that some sources, such as whale and shark, are high in mercury and low in selenium, and thus should be avoided. However, tuna has more selenium than mercury, and cod, pollock and salmon have among the lowest levels of mercury of all seafood. I’ve been somewhat nervous about getting mercury from tuna and salmon and the like, but I find this reassuring.

— Annette Bader

PCC replies: According to the Environ-mental Defense Fund, there’s limited evidence that selenium in seafood provides significant protection against the negative effects of mercury. Organ meats and seafood are the best sources of selenium.

It’s true that one form of selenium — selenide — has been shown to neutralize the toxicity of some forms of mercury. As part of its 2006 report, “Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks,” the Institute of Medicine reviewed the scientific evidence that selenium reduces the risks associated with methylmercury in seafood. The expert panel concluded that although selenium may diminish some of the toxic effects of some forms of mercury and other heavy metals, the mechanisms for these interactions are poorly understood. In addition, there was little or no evidence showing selenium affected the toxicity of other seafood contaminants, such as PCBs or dioxins.

So we think it’s premature to conclude that selenium acts as a safeguard against methylmercury. Choosing fish that are low in contaminants is the best course of action. See seafood.edf.org/seafood-health-alerts for a list of seafood and how many meals per month of each species are considered safe for men, women or children.

3PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017

PCC sets the bar for non-GMO and organic meat CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

On sale at PCCCelebrate our meat vendors’

transition to non-GMO with a sale next month! From June 7 through June 27, select Non-GMO Project Verified meat at PCC will be on sale.

GE feed v. GE animalsTo be clear, when we talk

about non-GMO meat, it means the animals themselves are neither genetically engineered, nor do they eat GE alfalfa, corn, soy or sugar beets. There have been reports for years that off-spring from cloned animals are in the conventional food supply, but certainly not at PCC. We require signed affidavits and rely on third-party certifiers, such as organic or Non-GMO Project certifiers.

and environmentally sustainable. They be-gan working with a group of their ranching neighbors and formed a cooperative, Oregon Country Beef. Originally comprised of 14 ranching families, the co-op has expanded to include nearly 100 family ranches across the American West.

PCC now offers only non-GMO and/or organic

poultry, pork and beef

“Giving customers quality beef with the key attributes they desire is an important part of who we are as a cooperative,” says Oregon Country Beef’s Norm Birch. “Our customers made it clear that non-GMO beef was a prior-ity as long as our cooperative ranchers could produce it at a reasonable cost.”

To achieve Non-GMO Project Verifica-tion, each ranch and finishing facility follows rigorous standards to make sure their opera-tion meets Non-GMO Project standards. The cattle are finished on a certified non-GMO feed of grain, alfalfa and potatoes.

Like Pure Country Farm’s Karrie Klingeman, Birch credits PCC with igniting the transition to non-GMO. “PCC was a critical cheerleader from the start,” he says. “PCC deserves credit for being an excellent and unfailing partner in gaining Non-GMO Project Verification.”

Draper Valley FarmsDraper Valley Farms, based in Mount

Vernon, Wash., received Non-GMO Project Verification for its ROXY organic chickens in February. RANGER free-range chickens were verified in 2014.

The chickens are raised on farms in Washington and Oregon in a reduced-stress environment, fed an all-vegetarian diet with no animal fats or animal proteins, and never receive any antibiotics.

Beeler’s Pure Pork Beeler’s fresh pork received Non-GMO

Project Verification in June 2016. The Beeler’s multigenerational family farm, deep in the Loess Hills of Western Iowa, prioritizes humane treatment of pigs. Like

Pure Country Pork, Beeler’s also is free of gestation crates and pigs are allowed to go outside and socialize in large, deep bedded pens and go outside.

The pigs’ non-GMO vegetarian diets contain no animal by-products, antibiotics or growth promoters.

PCC’s commitment to non-GMO“The transition of major meat and poul-

try vendors to non-GMO is a significant step for continual improvement in how foods are produced. Now all our fresh meat, except Umpqua Valley Lamb, is non-GMO veri-fied,” says PCC’s Director of Public Affairs and Quality Standards, Trudy Bialic. “And even Umpqua is grass-fed and pastured.”

The Non-GMO Project’s Megan West-gate says PCC has helped shift the meat industry toward non-GMO. “PCC’s commit-ment to transparency through its organic and non-GMO offerings is inspiring and reflects consumer demand for products from animals raised on non-GMO feed, she says. “We commend PCC for working hard to build a safe, healthy food supply for future generations.”

Should hydroponic produce be certified organic?

Take actionSoil farmers are fired up,

fighting to keep the soil in or-ganic. Please help! • Watch a video:

pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4585

• Sign a petition: keepthesoilinorganic.org

What’s next for the NOSB?Discussion of hydroponics

by the NOSB is expected to continue at the board’s spring meeting in Denver. Organic advocates hope a vote on a final recommendation will prohibit hydroponics from organics.

There’s a fierce debate going on in the Na-tional Organic Standards Board (NOSB) these days. The focus is on whether healthy soil will continue as the basis of organic agriculture. Should hydroponic (soil-less) production of vegetables — or fruit, such as strawberries — be eligible for organic certification?

Hydroponics might seem like an obscure thing to be impassioned about, but as one NOSB member recently said, “This is the most important issue the NOSB ever has discussed. And it seems like most people just don’t get it.”

Current standards In 2010 the NOSB voted to disallow or-

ganic certification of hydroponic agriculture. The NOSB determined that U.S. organic law requires plants to be grown in soil, with the focus on enhancing soil fertility. The board determined that growing plants in water or air, using a mixture of natural and synthetic nutrients, does not meet the letter or spirit of the Organic Foods Production Act. The Organic Foods Production Act, § 6513 (b) (1) states clearly, “An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation, and manuring.”

But NOSB’s recommendation has been ignored. For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Na-tional Organic Program (NOP) has allowed certification of hydroponic operations. USDA certifying agents are approving hydroponic crops, grown with processed additives and artificial lighting, as organic.

Hydroponic operations can start up without the three-year transition required for land. They can use all off-farm inputs and are putting soil-based farmers out of business with cheaper produce.

Advocates for strong organic standards, including PCC, find it distressing that the NOP has ignored the NOSB recommenda-tion. We have urged USDA to adhere to the NOSB recommendation.

Soil is centralWhy does certification of hydroponics

matter, as long as no pesticides are used? Why is soil important?

Soil always has been the center of the organic movement. Skillful farming that stewards the life in the soil has been taking place for thousands of years. Farmers carefully improved and maintained organic matter in the soil and rotated crops to bring a diversity of roots into the soil. This ensures a diversity of beneficial fungi and bacteria, supporting and supported by those roots in turn. They composted and reapplied all manures and plant waste.

As the industrial revolution hit Western agriculture after World War ll, fertilizers created from chemical processing became the norm, bypassing the dance of exchange

in fertile soil. This period was called the Green Revolution, with a motto of “Better living through chemistry.”

But there were many unintended conse-quences from synthetic fertilizers and pesti-cides. Nutrient density of farm products has declined steadily over the last 75 years. In destroying nature’s soil where plants get the appropriate balance of some 33 nutrients, plants instead are given whatever blend of nutrients makes for rapid growth and high yields. But the goal of organic farming is not higher yields but rather healthier plants, animals and humans.

The reason a healthy soil system is so ef-fective at supplying what plants and animals need is because soils and plants coevolved over 400 million years. In a teaspoon of healthy soil there can be a billion microor-

Dave Chapman is an organic farmer and the owner of Long Wind Farm.

ganisms feeding off the energy supplied by plants. The healthier the soil, the greater the biodiversity. The greater the biodiversity, the healthier the soil and plants.

Why hydroponics aren’t organicIf you take away the soil, plants are

divorced from the evolved wisdom of the eco-system. The phrase used to describe organic farming is, “Feed the soil, not the plant.” The phrase that best describes hydroponics is, “Feed the plant, don’t worry about the soil.”

Allowing hydroponics to be called organic undermines everything we or-ganic advocates have done since the organic movement began some 75 years ago. We attempt to embrace and support the biologi-cal systems that form the foundation of the best in traditional agriculture. Since then, there has been a great deal of scientific research done on soil biology, ecology and human health. Most of that research has supported the ideas of those early pioneers. They got it so right!

As one soil microbiologist famously said, “The answer is soil. The question is irrelevant.”

By Dave Chapman

4 PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017

I N T H E A I S L E S

Liquid gold: Choosing a good olive oil at PCC

[ IN SEASON ] [ STAFF picks ]

LUKE WAHLUKE SLOPE CABERNET SAUVIGNONMy go-to wine, the kind that makes you lick your lips with every sip. Rich and luxurious. — Jennifer B., Fremont

COBB’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS (BAKERY DEPARTMENT)Bite-sized, not too sweet, and the dark chocolate is the perfect amount of bitter. It’s local, raw and sweetened with honey — ev-erything I want out of my desserts! — Ruzielle G., Columbia City

PCC DARK ROAST COFFEEI drink a lot of coffee and try new stuff nearly weekly but I can always tell when the PCC dark roast is back in the rotation at home. Dark and chocolaty — I love it. — Scott O., office

FLORA FLOR-ESSENCE GENTLE DETOXAn organic, herbal purification tea that provides a nourished, spring clean for your body. — Brandy L., Columbia City

FROMAGE D’AFFINOISThe best brie — always perfectly ripe, not too pungent. Wonderful texture and flavor. A great treat for a celebration or just to indulge. — Lisa K., Kirkland

SCHMIDT’S NATURALS DEODORANTI was in love with my last natural deodorant and was con-vinced nothing was better, but I was hooked on Schmidt’s from day one. In a blind smell test it won arms up! — Jess L., office

SIGGI’S ICELANDIC-STYLE YOGURT (SKYR)I like the plain very much, high in protein, low in calories and I think it could replace sour cream for me. I eat one a day. — Gregg H., Edmonds

Bionaturae Organic Olive Oil • Why we love it: This organic oil is made

from a blend of traditional Italian olive varieties: Frantoio, Leccino, Leccio del Corno, Favarol and Nostrano. The olives are grown on small, certified organic, local family farms in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Olives are pressed the same day that they’re hand-harvested to avoid oxidation.

• Tasting notes: Classic Italian olive oil flavor profile — complex balance of fruity and mellow flavors, with a subtle artichoke bite.

Organic olive oil in bulkWe sell organic extra virgin olive oil

from Napa Valley Naturals in bulk, so you can get as little or as much as you need.

Napa Valley olive oil is sourced from Spain and Tunisia and meets IOC (Interna-tional Olive Council) standards.

Extra virgin: delicious by definitionThe definition of extra virgin olive

oil according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture is olive oil with “excellent flavor and odor” containing less than 0.8 percent free fatty acids. To be labeled extra virgin, the olive oil must pass both sensory and chemical analyses.

The flavors in extra virgin olive oil are a reflection of the antioxidants in the olives, which often carry pungent, bitter or astrin-gent flavors. Certain varieties of olives can be sweet and floral, while other varieties can be pungent and bitter. Poor-quality extra virgin olive oil might taste fusty, rancid or sour — indications that the oil has not been stored or processed properly.

The peppery finish you notice when tasting extra virgin olive oil comes from the presence of spicy phytonutrients and can be a useful indicator in identifying authentic extra virgin olive oil.

Tips for finding good olive oilOn the label, look for:

1. Extra virgin2. Place of origin3. Date of harvest (or date of pressing)4. Specific varieties (cultivars) of olives 5. Seal of authenticity: DOP (Europe),

COOC (United States)

Note not all quality olive oils will list these features, but they can be good markers of authenticity.

Extra virgin olive oils, like wine or coffee, have complex tastes and textures that reflect the type of olives,

where they’re grown, and the care with which they’re pressed. At PCC we source with care, seeking out olive

oil producers who vouch for the quality and authenticity of their oils. Here are some we love.

Storing olive oilIt’s important to store your oil with care

to ensure maximum freshness.

• Store olive oil in a cool, dark place away from light and heat.

• Always reseal your bottles tightly after use to ensure limited exposure to oxygen.

• After opening a bottle of oil, use it up quickly and replace it with a fresh bottle every couple of months.

California Olive Ranch Olive Oil• Why we love it: All California Olive

Ranch oils are pressed from olives grown on Northern California family ranches. Each bottle can be traced back to the fields where the olives were grown. The oils are certified extra virgin by the California Olive Oil Council (COOC), passing rigid chemical and sensory evaluations. The bottles label the harvest date, which is unusual and a good marker of quality and authenticity.

• Tasting notes: These oils consistently get good reviews for taste and flavor by PCC shoppers. The Everyday Olive Oil has a floral, buttery and fruity aroma, and a smooth flavor with hints of green apple.

Far North New Zealand Olive Oil • Why we love it: Washingtonians Charlie

and Gayle Pancerzewski retired to New Zealand to realize their dream of producing premium, single-varietal olive oils. They produce the oil on their olive ranch, so it’s 100-percent traceable. Bottles include the pressed date.

• Tasting notes: The NZJ5 varietal pro-duces an oil with a fresh, green, fruity

flavor and slight peppery finish. The Leccino varietal has a more robust

flavor with a peppery finish.

Taste it!

From 4 to 6 p.m., come taste a variety of different olive oils at PCC and learn about the health benefits with PCC Nutri-tion Educator Nick Rose.

• Tuesday, May 9 at Greenlake Village PCC

• Friday, May 12 at Issaquah PCC

• Saturday, May 13 at Columbia City PCC

• Tuesday, May 16 at Edmonds PCC

• Wednesday, May 17 at Bothell PCC

• Saturday, May 20 at Redmond PCC

ORGANIC PRODUCE

• New-crop organic seedless red and green grapes

• Organic melons, including watermelon and canta-loupe (late in the month)

• Organic apricots

• Organic nectarines

• Organic plums

• Organic pluots

• Organic Diva apples

• Organic corn (late in the

month)

5PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017

N A T U R A L K I T C H E N

Buon appetito!Whether packed with

pungent anchovies, burst-ing with oh-so-ripe toma-toes, or kicked up with spicy garlic, we’ve never met a good Italian recipe we didn’t love from first bite. At the foundation of these recipes, of course, is excellent extra virgin olive oil — peppery and bright, redolent of the land where the olives were grown. Here are some of our favorite Italian-inspired recipes, from some of our most popular PCC Cooks class instructors.

Caponata Siciliana

Serves: 6 to 8

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped1⁄3 cup capers

6 ounces green Sicilian olives, pitted

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 pound chopped eggplant

1 1⁄2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed

Pinch of salt

In a saucepan, simmer potatoes in water to cover until tender. Drain and cool, then peel and dice.

In a large sauté pan on medium-low heat, add 1⁄3 cup olive oil, onions, capers and olives. Cook for 1 minute; add peppers and eggplant. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and tomatoes. Bring to boil, then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Add potatoes and tomatoes to the saucepan with cooked vegetables, adding a pinch of salt. Turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. Serve warm or at room temperature with crusty bread.

— Recipe by Iole Aguero, PCC Cooks instructor

EACH OF 8 SERVINGS: 200 cal, 14g fat (2g sat), 0mg chol, 490mg sodium, 19g carb, 5g fiber, 5g sugars, 3g protein

Tuscan Cannellini and Kale Soup

Serves: 6

1⁄4 cup olive oil

6 to 8 cloves garlic, sliced1⁄4 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

2 red potatoes, diced into bite-size pieces

4 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie stock

1 bunch kale (lacinato preferred), thick stems removed and finely cut into a chiffonade

15-ounce can cannellini beans, undrained

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat; add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just beginning to get fragrant and the garlic has turned lightly golden. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the potatoes and stock and bring to a boil.

Add the kale and return to a boil; turn heat down and let simmer until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, heat through and adjust for salt and pepper.

— Recipe by Rachel Duboff, PCC Cooks instructor

EACH SERVING: 240 cal, 10g fat (1.5g sat), 0mg chol, 190mg sodium, 32g carb, 7g fiber, 4g sugars, 7g protein

Braised Shrimp Puttanesca

Serves: 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced

1 teaspoon anchovy paste

¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

¼ cup dry red wine

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

⅓ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

Salt, to taste

Polenta or gluten-free crusty bread, for serving (optional)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over me-dium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, anchovy paste and pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is just golden and anchovy paste dissolves, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and wine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

Nestle the shrimp into the sauce and sprinkle with capers and olives. Cover the pan and simmer until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.

Season to taste with salt, if needed (the olives, capers and anchovies are quite salty).

Serve over warm polenta or with good gluten-free crusty bread.

— Recipe by Erin Coopey, PCC Cooks instructor

EACH SERVING: 270 cal, 9g fat (1.5g sat), 225mg chol, 1070mg sodium, 15g carb, 3g fiber, 8g sugars,

26g protein

Bagna Cauda

Warm parsley, garlic and anchovy dip-

ping sauce accompanied by a variety of

colorful vegetables.

Serves: 6 to 8

6 ounces butter

4 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces anchovies, finely chopped and mashed

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the olive oil, garlic and anchovies and heat gently. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and transfer the mixture to a fondue pot or chafing dish and serve warm with vegetables for dipping.

A few suggested vegetables: fennel bulb, artichokes, red and yellow bell pep-pers, carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, small whole mush-rooms, cherry tomatoes, Belgian endive.

— Recipe by Lynne Vea, PCC Cooks instructor

EACH OF 8 SERVINGS: 440 cal, 47g fat (15g sat), 60mg chol, 520mg sodium, 1g carb, 0g fiber, 0g sugars, 4g protein

Spaghetti with Tuna and Lemon

Serves: 6

Four 5-ounce cans solid albacore tuna, drained

1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Zest of 2 lemons

1 cup Castelvetrano, Cerignola, Picholine or any buttery green olives, pitted and cut into slivers

4 tablespoons capers1⁄2 teaspoon gray salt

1 pound dried spaghetti or 1 1⁄2 pounds fresh1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to

taste

Fresh parsley and basil for garnish

In a medium bowl, add tuna, olive oil, lemon zest, olives, capers and salt. Gently toss together, breaking up the tuna into large chunks. Let it marinate for at least an hour or two. Stir occasionally.

Cook the spaghetti very al dente. Meanwhile, slowly warm the tuna in a large sauté pan. Add the cooked pasta and lemon juice. Toss for about a minute.

Add chopped parsley and basil and serve.

— Recipe by Iole Aguero, PCC Cooks instructor

EACH SERVING: 510 cal, 22g fat (3g sat), 5mg chol, 580mg sodium, 60g carb, 3g fiber, 2g sugars, 16g protein

6 PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017

YOUR CO-OP COMMUNITYFind out more about community events at pccnaturalmarkets.com/events

Leah Thomson, grocery coordinator at Kirkland, is always friendly, pro-fessional and very well respected.

MAY CUSTOMER SERVICE STAR

The board met on March 28. The 2016 audit with financials was presented to the board. The Board Development, Finance and Member Relations committees updated the board on their work to date and the board approved a new Privacy Policy. In addition, management presented its annual report to the board on the actions it took in 2016 to direct operations in compliance with PCC’s Ends Policies.

Next board meetingThe next board meeting will be on

Tuesday, May 30, at 3:30 p.m. at the PCC Co-op Office: 3131 Elliott Avenue, Suite 500, Seattle, WA 98121. The member comment period is during the first 10 minutes of the meeting and comments are limited to three minutes unless a longer presentation is previously approved by the board chair. For agenda planning, please email us at board@pccnaturalmarkets.com if you plan to attend.

2017 board electionThis year’s election has begun! Mail-in

ballots must be received at the PCC office by 5 p.m. on June 7. In-store voting is permitted until each store’s close of business on June 7.

• The election guide insert in this issue of your Sound Consumer contains your ballot, biographical information and campaign statements from each candidate, as well as candidate Q&A designed to prepare you for your voting decisions. The trustee candidates are Ben Klasky, Stephen Tan and Bruce Williams.

• Look also for statements from the Nomi-nating Committee candidates. They are Janet Hietter, Sara Janus, Don Nordness and John Sheller.

• The election materials, including brief videos of each trustee candidate, are avail-able on our website at pccnaturalmarkets.com/election. You’ll be able to see and hear the candidates for the board of trustees talk about why they’re running.

• Meet the candidates in-person on Sunday, May 7, at our Issaquah store from 10 a.m. to noon or at our Greenlake Village store from 1 to 3 p.m.

2017 Annual Members’ Business Meeting

June 13, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Join us for the annual members’ business meeting. For this year’s meeting, you’ll hear about the state of the co-op, ask questions and meet the 2017 election candidates! Light PCC dessert bites and beverages will be provided. Please plan to arrive early to check in between 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The Swedish ClubStockholm Meeting Room | Lower Level1920 Dexter Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109

Member Registration opens April 28 and closes June 2. Additional details including how to register, directions, bus routes and parking can be found at pccnaturalmarkets.com/meeting.

Meeting Program

6:30 to 8 p.m.State of the co-op

• Message from the CEO• Message from the Board Chair

Member Q&A

8 p.m.Mingle and meet the election candidates and current board members.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES report

Food bank packaging work parties

Help our partnering food banks by donating your time to pack our bulk foods into family-sized portions. Join us:

Wednesday, May 3 at 7 p.m., FamilyWorks Food Bank

Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m., Rainier Valley Food Bank

Monday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m., Kirkland Hopelink Food Bank

Wednesday, May 10 at 7 p.m., North Helpline Food Bank

Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m., Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

Monday, May 22 at 7 p.m., Westgate Chapel Food Bank

Monday, May 22 at 6:30 p.m., Jewish Family Services

Please note we cannot accommo-date groups larger than five people. For more information, including addresses and future dates, visit pccnaturalmarkets.com/foodbank.

Blood drives Friday, May 5

• Fremont PCC, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.• View Ridge PCC, 3 to 6 p.m.

Bloodworks Northwest will be vis-iting two store locations this month.

Your donation can save up to three lives! Walk-ins welcome, re-member to bring your ID. Learn more about donating at bloodworksnw.org.

Mother’s Day craft event Saturday, May 13, 9 a.m. to noon Bothell PCC 22621 Bothell Everett Hwy

Bring your kids in to plant a flower and make a card for mom! Healthy treats will be served.

Kirkland Mother’s Day Half Marathon and 5KSunday, May 14 Juanita Beach Park 9703 NE Juanita Dr., Kirkland

PCC is the official “fruit sponsor” of this beloved Mother’s Day activity. The Kirkland PCC staff will be there with fresh fruit for race participants. Registration and packet pickup begin at 6 a.m. For more info, visit promotionevents.com/md/index.php/register.

BF Day Elementary - 125th AnniversarySaturday, May 20, noon to 5 p.m.

BF Day Elementary school in Fremont is Seattle Public School’s longest continually operating el-ementary school. It’s celebrating its 125th anniversary on Saturday, May 20 with a free public carnival to celebrate the school’s rich history.

Staff from PCC Fremont will be there doing a Kid Picks taste test, free for kids 12 and younger.

Edmonds Health and Fitness Expo Saturday, May 20, 9 a.m. to noon Edmonds School District Stadium 7600 212th St. SW FREE!

Community partners are coming together to promote health and fitness. Try the obstacle course, bike rodeo and the family gardening booth. Don’t forget to stop by the PCC booth and sample a healthy snack. Organized by Edmonds Parks & Recreation, Move 60!, Edmonds School District and Swedish Ed-monds. For more information, visit pccnaturalmarkets.com/r/4517.

Nordstrom Beat the Bridge to Beat Diabetes raceSunday, May 21, 8 a.m. Husky Stadium 3800 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle

Come together to raise funds benefiting JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research to change the future for the millions of people with this disease. This 35th annual event consists of an 8K run and wheelchair race, a 3-mile walk, a 1-mile fun run and the Diaper Derby for toddlers. View Ridge PCC is the official fruit sponsor — runners, stop by to refuel after your run. We’ll be there rain or shine! Learn more and register at JDRF.org; day-of registration opens at 6:45 a.m.

Edible City: A Delicious JourneyMuseum of History & Industry

Special offer for PCC customers: Look for the coupon for $2 off one adult admission to MOHAI’s Edible City exhibit at the bottom of your re-ceipt tape during the month of May.

Use receipt as the coupon. Ex-pires May 31, 2017.

Kids 14 and younger are free. Installation runs through September 10, 2017. For more information, visit mohai.org/ediblecity.

Community Conversation: Addressing HungerTuesday, May 23, 7 p.m. FREE!

Washington state is the 23rd hungriest state in the nation. One in six Washington households were food insecure at some point during 2013. Join moderator Enrique Cerna in this community conversation on food security in the region. Details and registration at MOHAI.org/calendar.

And the winner is…

PCC’s Community Grant winner is Alleycat Acres!

Alleycat Acres focuses on transforming underutilized urban space into neighborhood-run farms. The organization is devoted to the idea that farming connects us to our surroundings and that urban food systems are key in creating healthy communities. Past projects include an edible walking trail on Seattle City Light’s Duwamish Valley transmission corridor and a series of “farmsteads” in parking strips across the Central District.

PCC’s $2,000 Community Grant will be used for the Village Com-munity Garden — garden space that Alleycat Acres has cultivated near the intersection of Jackson and 23rd in the Central District.

Since 2015, the project has trans-formed the parking strip, spanning one city block, into a thriving com-munity farm, engaging both building residents and the broader neighbor-hood. By the end of 2016, the project reached 20 percent completion. The goals for 2017 are to develop education programming, secure garden space, purchase plants, and partly fund a tool shed including children’s tools. All food grown goes to those who tend the garden (250–300 people). All extra produce is donated to the Cherry Street Food Bank. Congratulations!

Make it a bright spring with new ideas and classes suited to the season from PCC Cooks. This May, we’ll en-courage you to begin a Spring Green Fling, with delicious greens-based recipes to boost your immune system and increase energy; and inspire spontaneity with Cooking by Num-bers, where we’ll discuss underlying ratios and temperature control. Plus, explore the flavors of Southeastern Turkey with Anatolian Spring, and spice things up with demystified Thai Home Cooking.

Celebrate Mom by treating her to a class! Mother’s Day Tea offers a perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy an afternoon tea paired with miniature delights from scones to sandwiches to tarts, and Brunch and Bubbles serves up a delectable pairing of tasty brunch dishes and champagne. Find the perfect spring class at PccCooks.com.

PCC SOUND CONSUMER MAY 2017 7

Soil & Sea Reports from our producers

Grass-fed beef sales are grow-ing at an annual rate of 25 to 30 percent. Sales of grass-fed yogurt and kefir have in the last year increased by more than 38 percent, compared with a drop of just under 1 percent in the total yogurt and kefir market, according to natural and or-ganic market research company SPINS.

Overall changes in the Ameri-can diet between 2005 and 2014 reduced greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change by the equivalent of pollution from 57 million cars — despite population growth of about 9 percent, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. Americans ate 19 percent less beef from 2005 to 2014. Pork and chicken consumption also fell, though less drastically. Americans ate more cheese, butter and leafy greens.

89 percent of Washington farms are small farms that make up 81 percent of Washington farmland. Our state far exceeds the national average of total percentage of farmland made up of small farms.

Clif Bar & Company has received the 2017 Climate Leadership Award for Supply Chain Efforts from the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency. The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate leadership in manag-ing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in internal operations and throughout the supply chain, as well as integrating climate resilience into their operating strategies. Clif Bar’s in-novative green power program, called “50/50 by 2020,” asks supply chain partners to source 50 percent or more green power for the electricity they use on the company’s behalf. Clif Bar also sources 100 percent green power at its Emeryville headquarters, and 80 percent of its electricity is generated by an onsite solar array.

Google reportedly has created the world’s first map of pirate fishing hotspots. It teamed up with the nonprofits Skytruth and Oceana to launch Global Fishing Watch, a free platform for tracking global commer-cial fishing and mapping transshipping hotspots that likely represent locations where pirate fishing is flourishing when vessels “go dark.” Satellite imag-ing and location technology used for mapping may prove to be effective weapons against pirate fishing.

About 386,000 Columbia River coho salmon are projected to return this year, which is similar to last year’s forecast. Only 223,000 coho actually returned last year to the Co-lumbia River, where some coho stocks are listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. About 582,600 fall chinook salmon are ex-pected to return to the Columbia River, which is similar to last year’s actual return. While that’s significantly lower than the record 1.3 million fish that returned in 2015, this year’s forecast is considered a fairly good run of fall chinook. Coho returns to several Puget Sound-area rivers, including the Skagit, are projected to be extremely low.

[ NEWS BITES ]

Organics protect kids’ brainsA new European Parliament report

based on hundreds of studies finds organic food can help protect children from the brain-altering effects of some pesticides. The report found the results were clearest when it comes to minimizing exposure to pesticides and to antibiotics used in livestock production. Researchers also found that organically grown produce tends to contain less of the toxic metal cadmium, and that while there’s evidence of greater nutrient content in some organic food — particularly milk and meat — as health benefits, these differences appear to be less significant than organic food’s lack of hazardous chemicals. (Civil Eats)

Monsanto ghostwrote Roundup paper?

Employees of Monsanto ghostwrote scientific reports that U.S. regulators relied on to determine that glyphosate, the key ingredient in the Roundup weedkiller, does not cause cancer, farmers and others suing the company claimed in court filings. The documents are part of a mass litigation in federal court in San Francisco claiming Monsanto failed to warn that exposure to Roundup could cause non-Hodgkin’s lym-phoma, a type of cancer. Plaintiffs claim that Monsanto’s toxicology manager ghostwrote parts of a scientific report in 2013 that was published under the names of several academic scientists, and his boss ghostwrote parts of another in 2000. (Reuters)

EPA funding slashed for Puget Sound?

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) funding for restoring Puget Sound would be almost wiped out under President Donald Trump’s proposed agency budget, according to a leaked memorandum docu-menting the cuts obtained by the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Under the proposal, EPA funding would be slashed by 93 percent, dropping from nearly $28 mil-

lion in the current fiscal year to $2 million. The money, in years past, has been used to help finance a wide range of projects to help restore the Sound, such as purchasing farmland to convert to wetlands, restoring floodplains and removing fish passage blockage. (The Seattle Times)

Ag pick dogged by ethics concernsSonny Perdue, who is awaiting confir-

mation to be the next Secretary of Agri-culture, was a target of frequent criticism that he was failing to honor his own ethics pledge during his eight years as governor of Georgia. He signed an executive order barring state employees from taking any gifts worth more than $25 but ended up collecting $25,000 worth of gifts himself, and he continued to own or help run his four farming-related family companies while serving as governor. Other ethics concerns were about the role of Perdue’s personal lawyer — also a state legislator — in pushing a bill through the legislature that included a special provision that gave Perdue $100,000 in tax breaks, and about Perdue’s leveraging of his position to gain access to a Savannah port terminal so he could start an export business. (The New York Times/Organic Consumers Association)

Fukushima radiation updateRadiation from the Fukushima nuclear

reactor disaster in Japan has reached North American shores, but scientists say the levels of radiation are so low they pose no risk to public health. Late last year, researchers announced that Cesium-134 was discovered in waters off the coast of Oregon and in one sockeye salmon in a British Columbia lake. Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who have been studying the Fukushima disaster’s effect on seawater, say the levels detected are far too small to make anyone sick: they’re 1,000 times less than what a person would be exposed to during a routine dental x-ray. (Earthfix)

New synthetic biology databaseThe February Sound Consumer cover

story, “GMOs 2.0,” explained new genetic engineering techniques that redesign the genetic makeup of living organisms through constructing, adding, deleting, silencing or completely rewriting DNA and other genetic elements. Now there’s a database that allows us to search if a specific ingredient, compound or prod-uct is produced using synthetic biology: database.synbiowatch.org.

Certain foods mitigate diseaseAbout half of all U.S. deaths from heart

disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes are linked to poor diets, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And eating more — or less — of just 10 types of food can help raise or lower the risk of death from these causes, researchers from Tufts University found. Eating too much salt, red and processed meats, and sugary drinks contribute the most to risk, while there’s a significant risk in eating too little of certain healthy foods: nuts and seeds, seafood, whole grains and fruits and vegetables. (NPR’s The Salt)

Improving fisheries could generate billions

Fishing less, and better, could generate an additional $83 billion each year for fisher-ies, creating a much-needed revenue stream in developing countries and improving glob-al food security, according to a new World Bank Group report. The “Sunken Billions Revisited” study shows that reducing the global fishing effort would allow fish stocks to recover from overexploitation and lead to increases in the weight, value and price of fish caught, boosting the profitability of the fisheries sector from an estimated $3 billion a year to $86 billion. With better fisheries management, the total mass of fish would nearly triple and yearly global catch would increase 13 percent. (The World Bank)

Photo credit: MikeDotta/Shutterstock.com

More accolades for the Mediterranean Diet

by Nick Rose, M.S.

Our appreciation and understanding of the traditional Mediterranean Diet helped shift the nutrition para-

digm from emphasizing “low-fat” diets to “good fats” after researchers, including the famous physiologist, Ancel Keys, noticed in the 1960s that populations consuming a high-fat, plant-based diet in Crete and Italy had less heart disease than those in other parts of the world.

Now that the Mediterranean Diet’s heart-healthy reputation is well estab-lished, experts are encouraging people to eat more of the diet’s cornerstone foods to improve other health outcomes, including weight loss, cancer prevention and even brain health.

And the benefits of a high-fat, plant-based Mediterranean Diet go well beyond nutrition — they extend to our planet and cultural heritage as well.

Heart healthThe Mediterranean Diet’s inclusion

of good fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and fatty fish has been endorsed by the American Heart Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 as an example of a heart healthy diet plan.

Olives are a key nutritional resource for the Mediterranean region (Italy, Spain, Greece), and olives and olive oils are found in recipes throughout the region. Olive oil’s healthful reputation comes from both the type of fat it contains (monounsaturated) and the high levels of antioxidants in the olives. Together, these nutrients improve blood flow, strengthen blood vessels, prevent oxidation of cholesterol in the blood, and improve our blood cholesterol levels — so it’s no surprise that the olive oil-rich Mediterranean Diet helps prevent heart attacks.

Evidence supports consuming 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil each day to maximize the health benefits of this healthy fat. (See page 4 for tips for choosing and storing good extra virgin olive oils, as well as a few of our favorites at PCC. Our recipes on page 5 provide delicious inspiration!)

Eat fat to lose weight“The fear of weight gain from high-fat

foods needs no longer be an obstacle to adherence to a dietary pattern such as the Mediterranean Diet.” That was the conclu-sion of a 2016 analysis of the PREDIMED study, finding that a high-fat Mediterranean Diet helped prevent weight gain, when compared to those struggling with a low-fat diet. The high-fat Mediterranean Diet supplemented with olive oil especially was helpful in preventing abdominal fat, which is most strongly associated with chronic health problems.

A 2017 study found that a high-fat Mediterranean Diet also can help reduce the chronic pain often associated with obesity. The healthful fats and phytonutrients found in fatty fish and plant proteins such as nuts and beans were key in reducing the inflam-mation (related to obesity) that results in chronic pain. A Mediterranean Diet, in other words, helps prevent and alleviate the health impacts of obesity.

More health conditionsThe more we learn, the better the

Mediterranean Diet appears to be for a variety of health outcomes. Researchers continue to find that the Mediterranean Diet potentially is helpful in a wide range of conditions, from diabetes and bone health to sperm quality and fertility.

A study published in the International Journal of Cancer in March made head-lines when it found that post-menopausal estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer was 40 percent less prevalent in those who adhered closely to the Mediterranean Diet.

Researchers also are exploring the potential benefits of a Mediterranean Diet on a range of cognitive and mood related conditions, including Alzheimer’s, ADHD and depression. A high-fat Mediterranean Diet has been shown to reduce the brain shrinkage that is associated with cognitive decline as we age.

Longevity As we reported in 2016 (“Are whole

grains the secret to living longer?”) the Mediterranean region is home to several of the world’s “Blue Zones” where the local population is most likely to live to 100. Italy and Greece are the two nations most as-sociated with the traditional Mediterranean Diet, and both nations are renowned for their longevity.

In March, Bloomberg’s Global Health Index of 163 countries showed that Italy is home to the world’s healthiest people. “A baby born in Italy,” says the report, “can expect to live to be an octogenarian,” with far less incidence of high blood pressure than the United States, UK or Canada. Meanwhile the United States ranked 34 — and is one of the world’s heaviest nations. We appear to have a lot to learn about health from Mediterranean nations. Nick Rose is a nutrition educator at PCC.

A sustainable dietIn 2015 the Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) acknowledged that the Mediterranean Diet wasn’t just good for our health, but also for the planet.

“The Mediterranean Diet is widely considered as a healthy dietary pattern and a greater adherence to the Mediterranean Diet has been associated with significant improvements in health and nutritional status. It also has been recognized as a sustainable diet because of its lower envi-ronmental impact.”

“Research indicates a high-fat Mediterranean

Diet can help prevent weight gain”

The FAO report expressed concern about the impact of globalization on the traditional diet of the Mediterranean re-gion, and the need to “preserve the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean Diet” to sup-port a more sustainable food system. The traditional Mediterranean Diet embodies multiple principles of sustainable diets: a plant-based diet, emphasizing unprocessed whole foods, rooted in a traditional cuisine that is reflective of local food products.

Food cultureThe traditional Mediterranean Diet

observed by Ancel Keys in Crete and Italy was a part of an overall lifestyle where food practices are integrated into the culture. This healthy Mediterranean lifestyle also included working outside, social interactions, com-

munal meals, moderate alcohol consumption and a deep appreciation of local foods.

The Mediterranean Diet also has been acknowledged as part of the cultural heritage of humanity by the United Na-tions Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In 2013 UNESCO stated that “eating together is the founda-tion of the cultural identity and continuity of communities through the Mediterranean basin,” highlighting the cultural and social implications of the Mediterranean Diet.

In the United States we use the word “diet” to describe a restrictive way of eating, such as following a low-fat diet, or consum-ing diet sodas, or not eating a specific food group because of a restrictive diet (vegan, gluten free, etc.). But the word “diet” comes to us from the Greek word diaita, which translates to “a way of life,” or a prescribed way of life that includes food and other lifestyle habits including sleep, work, activity and place of residence.

If we truly want to appreciate the Mediterranean Diet and its health benefits, perhaps we should pay attention not just to the foods consumed in the region, but also to the attitude toward food and diet found in the Mediterranean.

Today’s nutrition paradigm is undergo-ing another shift and seems to be taking a big lead from the Mediterranean Diet. We’re finally revising our outlook as evidence becomes more supportive of diets plentiful in healthy fats but low in added sugars and processed foods. This new outlook on healthful diets, combined with the public’s increasing demand for sustainable food systems and traditional cuisines, appears to suggest we still have a lot to gain from deep-ening our appreciation and understanding of the Mediterranean Diet.