"hunger" news and stories

When the World Health Organization designated December 1 as World AIDS Day in 1988, it was designed to be a global reminder of the serious impact of HIV/AIDS, particularly in hard-hit Africa. The effects of the AIDS pandemic have resulted in serious consequences -- key among them is the risk of food insecurity.

"According to the World Food Program, 22 of the 30 high risk countries in need of external food assistance are in sub-Saharan Africa, many of which are struggling with serious AIDS epidemics," writes Davidson Mudzingwa for the Inter Press Service.

Researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) say there is a direct link between HIV/AIDS and issues of food insecurity and hunger.

"HIV/AIDS and food insecurity are entwined in a vicious cycle. Food and nutrition insecurity heightens susceptibility to HIV exposure and infection, while AIDS in turn exacerbates hunger and malnutrition," says Stuart Gillespie, IFPRI senior research fellow and RENEWAL director on the organization's website.

Most of the food holidays we talk about here are trivial and fun. But this one actually has some meaning behind it.

It's World Food Day, the annual day held to promote awareness of hunger and poverty around the globe. The theme this year is "The Right To Food - Make It Happen!" The World Food Day USA site has more information on the day, including the various events being held to mark the day. There will also be a teleconference broadcast today at noon.

More links: The International Alliance Against Hunger, The UN World Food Programme, and World Food Day Canada.

Leptin is the Homer Simpson hormone.

That's the finding of scientists at Cambridge University. Leptin is what makes up feel full after we eat a meal, but these scientists have discovered that it also affects the pleasure zone of our brain. In short, if you don't have enough Leptin, it can cause you to overeat. People who didn't have enough leptin were shown pics of pizza and cake. Their pleasure centers went off. People who had enough leptin only had this happen when they were actually hungry.

This could give a huge boost to doctors and others who are trying to find ways to battle obesity.

[via TV Tattle]

For years, doctors, nutritionists and even parents have told people that the key to getting more satisfaction from your food is to eat more slowly. Not only does this allow you to actually enjoy the flavors in your meal, but it was always said to give the brain time to recognize the fact that it was no longer hungry, which would in turn cause you to stop eating. Up until recently, there was no clinical evidence to support that decision.

Dr. Kathleen Melanson, of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, changed all that by conducting a study on college age women to see how much different styles of eating affected their calorie intake. All the women were given a bowl of pasta with tomato and vegetable sauce after eating a 400-calorie breakfast and fasting for four hours. One group of women was given a large spoon and told to eat as quickly as possible, not pausing between bites. The other group was given a small spoon and told to pause in between each bite, setting down the spoon and chewing 15-20 times. The fast eaters ate 646 calories in 9 minutes, while the slower eaters ate only 579 calories in 29 minutes. The slower eaters also reported feeling fuller, longer.

Melanson estimates that eating slowly could reduce the number of calories a person eats by about 210 per day.

Source

Cruising through Epicurious the other day, I came across a post in the editor's blog, Epi-log. She pointed to a thread in Epicurious' forum about a woman doing an "experiment" in hunger, to see what it would be like to live at what the American government defines as "poverty level." The woman did a little bit of research and says, "From what I have read in governmental statistics, poverty for a household of two is an annual income of $13,000, or $250 a week." After housing, food is the second highest expense, and based on the statistics, she is going to try to live on $62 a week for food for two people.

It made me think. As a single person, that would mean I would be living on $31 a week for food. I was sort of embarrassed to say that while I could easily spend that on a croissant and coffee for a week, a family of two is living on that for three meals a day, seven days a week. I've blown more than that on one meal of sushi before. In fact, I think I spend $31 each time I go to the grocery store, which is about every other day.

I thought about how I would do with $31 a week. It made me really think about things I take for granted, like wine, cheese, and desserts. Perhaps I'd go back to eating a lot more Korena food, which is heavily based on grains and vegetables, which are not as expensive as fish and meats.

How about you? How much do you spend on groceries a week? Would you be able to make do if you were cut back to $62 for two people?