food

7 reasons why millennials love gardening (and you should, too)

March 30, 2017 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

The stereotype: Millennials spend more time interacting with the digital world than the natural world around them. The reality: Five million of the 6 million people who took up gardening in 2015 were millennials, according to the 2016 National Gardening Survey.

More millennials (people between the ages of 21 and 34) than any other age group are falling in love with gardening. As a hobby, gardening is a great fit for the millennial mindset and lifestyle that emphasize individuality, independence and value. However, the advantages of gardening that attract millennials are also relevant to every age group, and anyone who wants to begin growing a nutritious, healthful food garden.

Here are seven reasons why more millennials than ever are taking up food gardening, and why you should, too:

1. Gardening fosters better nutrition.

Millennials care about good nutrition and knowing where their food comes from. Multiple studies show members of the generation are health conscious, and understand the relationship between the food they eat, good nutrition and good health. Millennials know fresh vegetables deliver great nutrition, and millennial gardeners know that growing their own veggies and herbs also means they can put more nutritious food on the table. With transplant purveyors like Bonnie Plants offering more than 250 varieties of popular, heirloom, hybrid, new and tried-and- true vegetables and herbs, it’s easy to grow a garden full of healthy, nutritious, economical veggies and herbs.

2. You can save money in the grocery store.

Millennials are into saving money. Eighty percent have a budget, 72 percent are saving for retirement and 51 percent have an emergency fund, according to a TD Ameritrade survey. Gardening can allow you to spend less in the grocery store produce aisle — and that kind of saving savvy appeals to millennials as well as any other age group!

3. Gardening is good for the environment.

Awareness of environmental issues and a desire for healthful products that contribute to ecological balance are hallmarks of the millennial generation. A Nielsen study found millennials care about environmental issues and find ways to personally support a healthy environment. When you grow your own vegetables and herbs, “food miles,” the distance a food item is transported from producer to consumer, shrinks substantially and includes only the distance from your kitchen to your own backyard.

4. You can grow a garden anywhere.

While many millennials are city dwellers, others live in suburbs. The fact that they can garden anywhere — on a city balcony, urban patio or suburban backyard — makes gardening the perfect hobby for them. Using transplants from Bonnie Plants, all gardeners can create a backyard garden plot, a vertical garden in an alleyway between city buildings, or a container garden on a balcony or deck.

5. The garden is a great place to come together as a family.

It’s true that millennials make the most use of digital devices of any generation; they also value deep family relationships. Planting a garden with their children, significant others or friends allows everyone to spend enriching time together, working toward an enjoyable, shared goal.

6. Gardening can be a challenge anyone can achieve.

Working toward a goal, and having a vision, are very important qualities for millennials. Gardening takes time and effort but with the right resources and information, it’s something virtually anyone can succeed at. Millennials turn to online resources, like Bonnie Plants’ vegetable and herb growing guides, gardening how-to’s, videos and recipes to help them achieve and ensure success.

7. Gardening can be an adventure.

Sixty-four percent of millennials say they love to cook, and 75 percent enjoy eating cuisine from other cultures, according to a survey by Barkley. For a generation of adventurous eaters and cooks, gardening can be an opportunity to grow and try new things, from edible flowers and exotic herbs, to new types of vegetables, all the while saving money by growing their own.

With millennials now dominating the workforce, and many starting families and reaching their peak earning years, it’s likely their interest in gardening will continue to grow.

Revealing The Huge Black Contributions To American Food

February 27, 2017 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

The contribution of African slaves to America’s culinary traditions must never be forgotten. But it is a challenge, one must reconstruct history because in our case, white slave owners—did their very best to subjugate Africans to the point where our ancestors contributions were nearly snuffed out. But not if its up to Culinary historian and author Jessica Harris who says, “food traditions hold symbols and meaning that serve as a historical roadmap.” “Black people have been in the room, but for so long they were regarded as invisible” to where they were easy to leave out of the historical record, Harris says.

who would have known that female Muslim Nigerian slaves, working as fruit sellers and market vendors helped shape the overall economic structure of the American South

Emeline was a slave who started as a house servant and rose to the pinnacle of American culinary life with her extravagant multi-course meals. Getting job offers from Presidents Garfield, Arthur, and Cleveland, who sampled her fabulous meals of terrapin and canvasback duck, Lynn haven oysters and crab salad, hominy cakes and fabulous confections while working as a cook at New York clubs in the late 1870s. Her story might have been lost if David Shields, a professor at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and an expert in early American literature and food revivals, had not dug through news articles and obituaries to re-create her life.

Researcher Alicia Cromwell says one major challenge is “studying the silences,” a phrase coined by Harris, “If we want to understand current relationships, then we need to go back to these very uncomfortable pasts and explore how Africans actually contributed to American culture.”

For instance, who would have known that female Muslim Nigerian slaves, working as fruit sellers and market vendors on behalf of their owners, helped shape the overall economic structure of the American South with long-distance price fixing and aggressive sales techniques?

“I’m trying to teach my students, black and white, a different kind of history about slavery,” says Cromwell, who is still researching the subject at the University of Georgia.

“I’m trying to teach my students, black and white, a different kind of history about slavery,”

We were cooks, farmers and innovators

Slaves were usually given only a small portion of food each week, so they learned to make dishes with the foods they had around them, such as pork, cornmeal, and vegetables. And yet others developed meals from their extensive understanding of farming.

Georgia chef and farmer Matthew Raiford is able to reconstruct his family’s past through his farm, which has been in his family since 1874. He came to the North Carolina conference with a yellowed letter, a rare piece of history addressed from his great-grandmother to his grandmother, detailing how and where to plant corn, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, and watermelon. His great-great-great grandfather Jupiter Gilliard, the man who purchased the farm, was born a slave in 1812. “It’s important to continue this conversation, about who brought what [to America] and why we eat what [we eat],” he says. “Those conversations need to happen so everyone has a voice at the table.”

We believe that everybody needs to keep in touch with their ancestors, and through food is one of the best ways to get close!

6 Tips: What Our Relationship With Food Says About Our Relationship With Ourselves

August 7, 2015 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

Jennifer S. White -Huff Post Healthy Living

I can often tell how I feel emotionally by the foods and drinks that I consume.

Granted, I’m largely a healthy eater.

When I say healthy eater I mean that I’m a balanced eater.

Because this article is not written from the perspective of a nutritionist or a dietitian or a physician or a psychologist, but from the vantage point of a recovered anorexic, who is overly analytical in general, and who spent an awful lot of my life discovering how my previous food aversions and disorder can actually be a helpful guide for self-discovery.

And I’m here to share a few of the most basic things I’ve learned.

1. Food is our friend and when it’s not, we are not acting as our own friends.

The simplest conclusion that I’ve come to on this journey to be a healthy eater or rather, a healthy individual for whom food is both nourishment and satisfaction, but not an over-indulgence, is this: Our relationship with food says a ton about our relationship with ourselves.

If we are restricting food, we are restricting self-love. If we are over-indulging in food, we are craving more self-love. This is an obviously overly simplified version of this concept, but I find it to be true again and again in my life.

2. Craving crap is part habit and part “I’ve given up.”

There’s science that shows that, especially, synthetic and sugary foods can cause us to crave more of these fillers.

I say filler foods because they are loaded with junk our bodies do not need and distinctly lacking in nutritional density.

When we crave these foods and over-dose on these foods we, for one, are in a negatively spiraling habit-cycle that needs, frankly, will power to stop and, for another, we often have bought into the false notion that we are not worth cooking for, that we can’t afford better food, that we don’t have time to eat better food and, let me tell you, these ideas are as crappy as this fare.

3. Being too “healthy” of an eater is not healthy.

Food tastes good for a reason — it is meant to be enjoyed. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

Often, when we eat “clean” and always avoid “unhealthy” — usually deemed “unhealthy” either by ourselves or current marketing standards — we are neglecting more than a little indulgence — we are neglecting and depriving ourselves of pleasure.

4. Gluttony and over-indulgence are not pleasurable.

That said, over-indulging on a regular basis, with the excuses of “treating ourselves” or “I deserve this” or any other aspect of “love” involved is not the best way to show our emotions — or our bodies — love.

Over-indulgence is not self-care.

5. On alcohol.

I, personally, have a finicky relationship with alcohol. I’ve seen it destroy lives, and I want to display for my children a diet of moderation, including – -within this dietetic scheme — alcoholic beverages.

That said, I read a recent post by a friend, and she was letting us know that she has given up alcohol for the time being, as it’s become something not good for her.

She said, too, that it was once shared with her that over-consumption or too-regular consumption of alcohol is often a way that we let ourselves fall apart at a speed and rate that we can handle, when we are, most assuredly, falling apart in some way, be it emotionally, mentally, physically, or a combination of these states.

While I am not the person to declare alcohol dichotomously bad or good, I do continually check in with myself, as a drinker, with my intention — for me this is key.

If I neeeeeeed a drink, I practice yoga first. I don’t want alcohol to be something I need, but, instead, something I enjoy.

Because here’s the larger thing:

6. Our choices become our habits become our lifestyle become our days become our lives become our stories.

I want my story to include fabulous meals and company over food, and it’s okay if my story occasionally involves disordered eating in some way, because, for me, I’ve found that I can use my honest relationship with food as a completely healthy, helpful tool for self-care.

I don’t expect to be perfect.

Sometimes I expect my diet to be perfect—and that’s when I check in with why.

Where do I feel a lacking in my life or myself that I find a need to create a pretend-controlled environment.

Life cannot be controlled. It can be experienced and appreciated, like good food. It can be regimented, like our diets can be. But life, whether we like it or not, will never be wholly within our control, and thank goodness — some of the best things in my life have happened because fate took a detour, even with all of my hard work to be on a neatly specific path.

That said, I believe in effort, in both life and in my relationship with food. Wonderful dinners for both myself and my family will not make themselves. Writing a book will not happen unless I work on it.

My relationship with my husband also at times takes my effort to feel good because relationships, even when filled with the most soulful of love, will have challenges.

So here’s what I’m offering up today. I’m suggesting that we spend less time judging ourselves and judging others for their food choices and more time learning about ourselves and other people through them.

Because that old saying just might be true: food is — or can be — a display of love.

Why Canned Food Drives Alone Won’t Solve America’s Hunger Crisis

April 22, 2015 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

Diverse volunteers sorting boxes in assembly line at food bank | The Great American Milk Drive

The Great American Milk Drive -Huff Post Parents

When it comes to hunger in the United States, we’re faced with some scary statistics: according to a 2014 study by Feeding America, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2013. And 20 percent of those households included children.

Local food banks and networks are hard at work providing hunger relief to communities nationwide: Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, annually serves 46.5 million people across the U.S. through its network of 200 food banks, according to its “Hunger in America 2014” study. But what you may not know is that these organizations have limited resources themselves. While approximately 100 million pounds of food is donated to Feeding America food banks each year via canned food drives, these items alone won’t solve the issue of hunger that so many Americans face. Tight budgets, limited volunteers, finite donations, and the short turnarounds required between receiving fresh foods and distributing them to families in need can be challenges in addressing the issue of hunger – and doing so with nutrient-rich foods.

Food banks and pantries across the U.S. are of critical importance, and perhaps even more important are the people who run them. We’ve partnered with The Great American Milk Drive to highlight the efforts made by employees and volunteers as they work to get nutritious foods to people who need it most.

Obtaining Fresh, Nutritious Foods

For families on limited budgets, fresh, healthy and nutritious food can be the most difficult to obtain, according to Julia Kathan, director of public relations and communications for Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ). Items on CFBNJ’s “most needed” list regularly include nutritious items like milk, hearty stews, canned soup and canned produce..

According to a 2014 statistics released by Feeding America, milk topped the list of the food items most requested by food bank participants (85 percent), followed by fresh fruits and vegetables – but these items are rarely donated. That’s because while Americans are generous with canned and dry goods, many don’t think to donate perishable items.

In addition to feeding the estimated one in six San Diegans who are currently struggling with hunger, health is a key concern of Feeding America San Diego (FASD), said Karen Haren, interim executive director of FASD.

According to the “Hunger in America 2014” study, 32 percent of households served by FASD have a member with diabetes, and 51 percent have a member with high blood pressure.

“With growing awareness of the link between hunger and health, nutrition is at the core of our work,” Haren said. “We are challenged to provide nutritious food for all the households we serve.”

Dairy and fresh produce are two of the most impactful food categories for FASD families, yet they are also the most expensive. And while FASD has close partnerships with farmers and is a member of the California Association of Food Banks, which both provide access to produce from across the state, it’s still not enough.

“Unfortunately, we rarely receive milk and dairy donations, even though we have the capacity to store and distribute dairy products,” Haren said. “We would love to be able to increase the amount of milk and dairy we provide.”
Distributing Produce And Dairy (While It’s Still Fresh)

Even when organizations do receive fresh foods and dairy products, it can be difficult to distribute them before these perishable donations spoil.

As Vermont Foodbank ramps up its service of fresh foods like produce, dairy, meat, and fruits and vegetables, the organization must be very conscious of the logistical challenges of moving perishables to its 225 partner food pantries and youth programs in time to be consumed safely, according to John Sayles, CEO of Vermont Foodbank.

“It’s a transportation challenge,” Sayles said. “Getting produce and fresh foods to our neighbors who want it when they need it and where they need it isn’t easy. You need the financial resources to have enough trucks on the road, enough drivers and enough people in the warehouse. It’s really about getting the food in and turning it around quickly — and having the resources and infrastructure to do that.”

New programs are aimed at alleviating these challenges. The Great American Milk Drive distributes donations in the form of vouchers redeemable for milk at retailers nationwide to help lessen the burden for food banks trying to get nutritious options to their clients.
Lack of Funds

“We deal with scarcity in a world of abundance,” said Sayles. “There’s lots of money in this country, and there’s plenty of food in this country. Yet the neighbors we’re serving don’t have enough.”

Last year, Vermont Foodbank distributed 9 million pounds of food throughout the state. Yet the organization still struggles to feed individuals, families and households at risk of hunger across 225 partner food pantries, networks and youth programs.

While many people think donating food — like non-perishable items — is the best way to contribute to food banks, Sayles said this isn’t always the case.

“Not having enough food is really not having enough money,” Sayles explained. “Not only can we leverage [money] to buy food, but we can can use that money to move donated food to families in need.”

Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves southern Louisiana, distributes 22.5 million meals to 210,000 individuals each year. However, according to the food bank’s communications specialist Terri D. Kaupp, the organization would need to more than triple its distribution to meet the demand within its 23-parish service territory.

“Unfortunately, we simply don’t have either the food or the funds to collect, process and equitably distribute enough food to meet the needs of our community,” said Kaupp.
How You Can Help

Anyone can donate funds directly to food banks, or to initiatives like The Great American Milk Drive. A monetary donation of as little as $5 can provide several cans of food, or a gallon of milk to a family in need.

If you can’t donate food or funds, there’s always an opportunity to volunteer.

To further help bridge the nutrition gap, Haren, of Feeding America San Diego, suggests donating food items that are in demand by FASD. “Along with dairy products and fresh produce,” she said, “FASD encourages donations of lean proteins and healthy staple items such as legumes and whole grains to meet the nutrition needs of the 59,000 children, families and seniors we serve each week.”

The Great American Milk Drive is a national initiative to secure highly desired gallons of nutrient-rich milk for families in need. Across the country and in your community, millions of families are missing out on milk and its nine essential nutrients, including eight grams of high quality protein per serving. Milk is an affordable, efficient way for America’s feeding programs to get nutrients into the hands of people who need them. Learn more about The Great American Milk Drive at milklife.com/give.

Food Porn: 9 Aphrodisiac Foods That Actually Make You Crave Some Lovin’

February 17, 2015 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

By Danielle Young, Lifestyle Editor –Hellobeautiful.com

We’ve all heard of aphrodisiacs before–it’s anything you can consume that will heighten your sexual desire. For most of us, that something is alcohol. While there’s nothing wrong with a little liquid courage, or imbibing for lowered inhibitions, just know that cocktails add empty calories to your waistline and ain’t nobody got time for that!

There’s actually a long list of healthy aphrodisiac foods said to heighten sexual desire, though there’s not much hard research to back up these claims. Still, there is plenty of anecdotal (and even some nutritional) evidence for the aphrodisiac effects of the following foods, so give them a try. You’ve got nothing to lose, except a completely mind-blowing sexual experience.

1. Asparagus:
First revered as an aphrodisiac in a 15th century Arabic sex manual titled, The Perfumed Garden, this long rod of a vegetable is said to resemble the male sex organ. (It’s no eggplant! *sips tea) Visuals aside, it does contain some vitamin E, which helps lift the libido.

2. Avocados:
Adored by the Aztecs, their word for this creamy fruit is ahuacatl and that directly translates to “testicles,” because that’s what they thought it looked like growing in pairs on the tree. They revered it as an aphrodisiac, and they might be right, as the high vitamin E content helps your body produce hormones like testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, keeping your sexual interest and stamina up.

3. Almonds:
Another food high in vitamin E, almonds have been revered as a symbol of fertility throughout the ages and some believe that their sweet smell arouses passion in women. Whip out the almond body oil!

4. Banana:
Another food given love potion status because of what it resembles: bananas! These lengthy snacks are packed with potassium and B vitamins, both of which are needed to produce sex hormones. The enzyme bromelain is especially libido-enhancing for men.

5. Chiles:
Chiles get your blood pumping, increasing circulation and stimulating nerve endings so that you feel more turned on.

6. Chocolate:
Ahh chocolate, the food that is inextricably linked with Valentine’s Day and for good reason. The chemicals in cacao help boost serotonin, the hormone that makes you happy, as well as phenylethylamine, the same chemical that’s released when you fall in love. While researchers think you’d have to eat copious amounts to get any sort of physiological aphrodisiac effect, it could be that love and chocolate are so intertwined in our minds that it ‘s more the psychological association that turns us on.

7. Figs:
Lusciously sweet and juicy, figs get their aphrodisiac status for resembling the female sex organs. Considering the fact that they are said to be the favorite fruit of one of the most well-known seductresses, Cleopatra, so maybe there is some truth to it?

8. Honey:
This sweet and sticky nectar is filled with B vitamins, needed for testosterone production and boron, which helps the body use and metabolize estrogen. Lore has it that the term “honeymoon” comes from an old tradition in which newlyweds drank a honey drink for 30 days after marriage to help them get acquainted in the bedroom and thus set the foundation for a healthy marriage.

10. Maca:
This Peruvian root doesn’t have any effect on hormones, but studies show it does seem to improve sexual function and increase sperm count in men.

The 8 worst foods for high blood pressure

September 16, 2014 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

While a great substitute when fresh is not available, canned and pickled vegetables are typically laden with preservatives or sauces and seasonings that add extra sodium. © Comugnero Silvana - Fotolia.com — While a great substitute when fresh is not available, canned and pickled vegetables are typically laden with preservatives or sauces and seasonings that add extra sodium. © Comugnero Silvana – Fotolia.com

by Constance Brown-Riggs –theGrio.com originally posted May 22, 2013

In America, 67 million adults are quietly living with high blood pressure – that’s one in every three adults. Approximately 30 percent of American adults have pre-hypertension –a condition that puts them at great risk of developing high blood pressure.

It’s a practically invisible disease with a few subtle symptoms. And even after you’ve been diagnosed, it can seem pretty harmless and easy to ignore. But, if not properly cared for, its progressive effects can put you at risk for heart disease, stroke even kidney disease.

African-Americans develop high blood pressure more often, and at an earlier age, than whites and Mexican-Americans. More African-American women have high blood pressure than African-American men and they have higher rates of hospitalization.

Click here for full article.

10 Steps to Becoming a Food Entrepreneur

June 13, 2014 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

Susan Liang –Huff Post Small Business

Food. Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. It’s a fundamental part of life — we all eat! I love how food crosses all cultures and connects people. A place at the table brings us together to share a meal regardless of our background, beliefs, or language.

Now more than now ever, it’s critical to change what we eat and how it’s made. Food justice, food deserts, the environment, social impact, and health concerns make food an important topic. Food not only nurtures our bodies, but has the opportunity to make a difference beyond our plates.

People ask me all the time, how did you start your food business and get your products on the shelf? And often, they follow up with, “I have this idea… “. “I’m thinking about a career in food…” I’m thrilled so many people want to explore food entrepreneurship. It can be very rewarding.

I learned so much in my first year into the food industry and I’m continuing to learn each and every day. It takes time and patience to learn about food: for example, how food distributors operate and the differences between regional versus national distributors, their expectations in the type of partnership they are looking for, and how it impacts your marketing budget.

Start with why you want to start a food business. Knowing the why before you embark into any career transition is your first step. Startups require laser focused attention and 24 hours a day. There will be many highs, but there may be more challenges in the road that you’ll have to learn to navigate. When you have a clear mission, it makes it possible to work through challenges.

10 Tips For Food Entrepreneurs

Figure out WHY you want to become a food entrepreneur. What do you want to accomplish? It needs to be something you must do, not just want to do.
Learn about food regulations, permits, safety, labeling for your state.
Get certified to work with food. Become ServSafe Certified.
Test your recipes and use weighted measurements to ensure accuracy when you go beyond your home kitchen. Recipes change when you’re making large quantities of food.
Hold focus groups and take every opportunity to get feedback from real people.
Meet with local store buyers to sample your products and get their feedback.
Find a commercial kitchen. Places like CropCircle or churches have kitchen spaces you can rent.
Figure out what your brand is about — its personality, identity, voice and tone, and create brand identity guidelines and then stick to them.
Do your packaging design homework. Stalk the grocery aisles to see what’s out there. I do a combination of store visits, checking out The Dieline, and spending time in nature to gather ideas.
Spend the time to find the right graphic and packaging designer and be willing to pay for services. It’ll be worth it in the end.

10 Steps to Becoming a Food Entrepreneur

June 13, 2014 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

Susan Liang –Huff Post Small Business

10 Tips For Food Entrepreneurs

Figure out WHY you want to become a food entrepreneur. What do you want to accomplish? It needs to be something you must do, not just want to do.
Learn about food regulations, permits, safety, labeling for your state.
Get certified to work with food. Become ServSafe Certified.
Test your recipes and use weighted measurements to ensure accuracy when you go beyond your home kitchen. Recipes change when you’re making large quantities of food.
Hold focus groups and take every opportunity to get feedback from real people.
Meet with local store buyers to sample your products and get their feedback.
Find a commercial kitchen. Places like CropCircle or churches have kitchen spaces you can rent.
Figure out what your brand is about — its personality, identity, voice and tone, and create brand identity guidelines and then stick to them.
Do your packaging design homework. Stalk the grocery aisles to see what’s out there. I do a combination of store visits, checking out The Dieline, and spending time in nature to gather ideas.
Spend the time to find the right graphic and packaging designer and be willing to pay for services. It’ll be worth it in the end.

Is suffering from ‘itis’ real or a myth?

November 29, 2013 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

itis-man-16x9 — © lightwavemedia – Fotolia.com

by Dr. Tyeese Gaines

Short for the less palatable term “ni**eritis,” the term is used in both the United States and Caribbean to describe the routine of becoming sleepy after eating a large meal.

“The itis” is jokingly said to affect blacks more than any other group. The term also implies that the person who has “the itis” is lazy, and often too fatigued to return to work after their mid-day meal.

So is it fact or fiction?

It depends.

“All of us are sleepier during early to mid-afternoon,” says Dr. Mark Mahowald, former director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Hennepin Medical Center, and now a professor of neurology at University of Minnesota Medical School. “There is no racial difference in the sleepiness we all experience.”

Fact or fiction? 6 myths black people believe about themselves health ribs small

Most humans have their body clocks set to become sleepier between midnight and 6:00 am, and again around noon. Many people erroneously attribute this mid-day sleepiness to their big lunch, sitting in a dark room, hot weather, or a boring meeting.

However, these things do not cause sleepiness or “the itis,” they simply bring out the mild sleepiness that was already there from their intrinsic body clocks.

“This is why cultures wiser than ours have picked that time for their siesta [or nap] time,” says Mahowald.

Small studies have shown increased sleepiness after eating meals high in carbohydrates or high in fats, but others show no effect.

So where did the “itis” notion come from?

One theory is that, given the predisposition for sleepiness during those times, that any group of people that are also exposed to the heat after eating a large lunch, without taking a nap is set up for “the itis,” so to speak, says Mahowald.

The fact that both now, and decades ago, blacks in the United States and the Caribbean have been overrepresented in outdoors work during warmer climates, makes this theory a strong possibility.

In a subset of African-Americans, a condition called obstructive sleep apnea could play a role. Overall, it tends to affect people who are obese, but African-Americans are more affected despite body habitus. People with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing several times during sleep, for seconds at a time, usually due to obstruction from the tongue, fat around the neck, or in the case of many African-Americans, the natural construct of their airways – the nose, throat or adenoids.

Because of the lack of restful sleep, people with this condition are often sleepy during the day. This also increases the risk of decreased alertness in the setting of the other factors already mentioned.

Conclusion: Since all people technically get “the itis,” the myth is somewhat true. But, since it doesn’t affect blacks more than other groups as the stereotype says, that makes it fiction.

Food and Drink Events

August 26, 2013 By MCJStaff Leave a Comment

Gazpacho shooters by Rick Wood — Gazpacho shooters photo by Rick Wood

Out of the Kitchen “JSOnline”

FOOD AND WINE

Aug. 20, 2013

Alverno College Telesis: Professional and community education courses for women and men. 3400 S. 43rd St. (414) 382-6200.

■Home Food Preservation Series: Learn the basics of home food preservation with master food preserver Christina Ward.

Applesauce. Sept. 19.

Holiday Pie Filling. Nov. 7.

Jams, Jellies and Sauces for Gift Giving. Nov. 21.

■Beer 101. Introduction to beer beverages with Ray Scolavino. Oct. 1

Bay View Community Center: Cooking classes and workshops. Registration required. 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. (414) 482-1000.

■Fire Up the Barbie: Wine Tasting & Workshop. Aug. 26. $25.

■Healthy, Affordable, Quick & Easy: Breakfasts. Aug. 28. $16.

Boerner Botanical Gardens: Basic tips for preserving your summer harvest, 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 28. Learn the basics and benefits of home canning and freezing. $10 members/$15 non-members. 9400 Boerner Drive, Hales Corners. (414) 525-5659.

Braise Culinary School: All classes include a 30-minute reception prior to the class, with complimentary cocktail and appetizer. Register online. Braise Restaurant, 1101 S. 2nd St. (414) 212-8843.

■Exploring Heirloom Tomatoes. Aug. 28. $45.

■Intro to Home Brewing. Sept. 10. $30.

■Cooking with Beer. Sept. 12. $50.

Cedar Creek Winery: Open year-round with guided tours, wine tasting and seasonal events. Cedar Creek Settlement, N70-W6340 Bridge Road, Cedarburg, (262) 377-8020.

■Wine & Harvest Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 21; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 22.

Cooking with Class: Food demonstration classes by Staci Joers. Information: (262) 681-2908.

■Alverno College Telesis Dept.: Classes meet 6:30-8:30 p.m. 3400 S. 43rd St. (414) 382-6200.

Meatballs From Around the World. Sept. 23.

■Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center: Aurora Heart Healthy cooking classes meet 6:30-8 p.m. Cardio Pulmonary Conference Room, 2900 W. Oklahoma Ave. (414) 649-5767.

Breakfast Ideas. Sept. 17

■Bay View Community Center: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Bay View Community Center, 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. (414) 482-1000.

Cooking With Coffee. Sept. 16.

■Brookfield Park and Recreation Dept.: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. 645 N. Janacek Road, Brookfield. (262) 796-3781.

Meatballs From Around the World. Sept. 30.

■Caledonia Park and Recreation Dept.: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. East Side Community Center, 6156 Douglas Ave., Racine. (262) 681-2908.

Cooking with Wine & Spirits. Sept. 5.

Cheese & Pasta. Oct. 3.

■Franklin Recreation & Education: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Franklin High School, 8222 S. 51st St., Franklin (414) 423-4646.

Cooking with Wine & Spirits. Sept. 11.

Cheese & Pasta. Oct. 2.

■Greendale Park & Recreation: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Greendale High School, 6801 Southway, Greendale. (414) 423-2790.

Cooking with Wine & Spirits. Sept. 24.

■Milwaukee Public Market: Classes meet 5:30-7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Registration required. 400 N. Water St. (414) 336-1111.

“Thyme” for Tomatoes. Aug. 27.

■New Berlin Park & Recreation: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Hickory Grove School, 2600 S. Sunnyslope, New Berlin. (262) 797-2443.

Cooking with Wine & Spirits. Sept. 9.

■Nicolet Park & Rec Dept.: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Nicolet High School, 6701 N. Jean Nicolet Road, Glendale. (414) 351-7566.

Meatballs From Around the World. Sept. 26.

■West Allis Park & Recreation: Classes meet 6:30-9 p.m. Nathan Hale High School, 11601 W. Lincoln Ave., West Allis. (414) 604-4900.

Mediterranean Inspirations Dinner. Sept. 10.

Milwaukee Public Market: Cooking classes. Times and prices vary. Registration required. 400 N. Water St. (414) 336-1111.

■Cooking From the Garden. Aug. 28. Hands-on class. $89.

NuGenesis in Stone Bank: 3rd Annual Harvest for Your Health, 3:30-7 p.m. Sept. 14. A unique farm to table experience that brings together area chefs and doctors. N68-W33208 Highway K, Oconomowoc.

Ray’s Wine and Spirits: Tastings and seminars, prices vary. Reservation required. 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa. (414) 258-9821.

■Wines of Italy Series: Vibrant Veneto. Sept. 18. $25.

■An Evening with Buffalo Trace Distillery. Sept. 19. $20.

■Rums & Rum Drinks. Sept. 24. $20.

■Bucky Badger Tames Wine Country. Oct. 1. $20.

Wellspring Inc.: Certified organic farm and retreat center offering programs in wellness. 4382 Hickory Road, West Bend. (847) 946-5565.

■Peppers (Sweet and Hot). Sept. 12.

The Wine Cellar of Wisconsin: Wine tasting events, 5-7 p.m. $10 per person; free for club members. 12910 W. Blue Mound Road, Elm Grove, (262) 754-9463.

■Merlot. Aug. 30.

■Rhone Reds. Sept. 13.

■Pinot Noir. Sept. 20

■South American Steals. Sept. 27.

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who would have known that female Muslim Nigerian slaves, working as fruit sellers and market vendors helped shape the overall economic structure of the American South

“I’m trying to teach my students, black and white, a different kind of history about slavery,”