An Interview with Joanna Lynn   Norm: Whom do you believe will benefit from Let’s Fuss about Food Joanna: Everyone will benefit from this book. We are provided with so much information about food and nutrition today that at times, we find ourselves drifting away from the basics. The dangers of trans fats, the value of Vitamin D, and the benefits of fish oils have all been in the news lately. Every day we seem to be getting updated information, and that is a wonderful thing. Too much information on the other hand can easily overwhelm us and leave us feeling helpless or even hopeless. As consumers faced with making daily decisions about what to eat, we can all benefit from this book. It is full of easy to read information about how and why our bodies need and react to food. It gives meaning to words. When we say we are going to cut or eat a lot of Calories, do we know what Calories are? What are Omega 3, 6, 9 supplements? The more we understand about food, nutrition, and our bodies, the more equipped we are to make informed decisions about how, what, and when to eat in order to remain healthy, active, alert, and fit. We want to eat in a healthy way while getting enjoyment from the foods we eat.   Norm: Why did you entitle your book Let’s Fuss about Food Joanna: The book is about the impact of food on our bodies. Do we need fat? Is fat good or bad for us? What are protein foods and how do they affect our muscles? Which carbs are we cutting out when we eat fewer Calories? Simple carbs, complex carbs, sugars? Our desire to be healthy, to lose or gain weight, to diet, or to pay attention to or ignore health warnings is an indication that we are in fact fussing about food. We often hear about "fussy eaters", "no-fuss" meals, "no-fuss" diets and yet, we all fuss. Some enjoy eating, others don’t. Either way, that tells us that we are fussing. It is absolutely acceptable for us to fuss about food, especially when we are bombarded with information about it on a daily basis. The title tells people that it is OK to fuss. So, Let’s Fuss! Part 1: Our Core and More is the first in a series. I included information about anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating, and the glycemic index which is a little bit more than the basics. When we think about food, nutrition, and our bodies, we find that vitamins, minerals, carbs, proteins, fats, hormones, Calories, fibre, and sugars are really at the core. From there, we can expand and better understand organic and trans genetic foods. We can also better grasp information about the recommended foods for athletes, seniors, vegetarians, vegans, and about the nutritional needs of teenage girls versus boys, for example. First, we need to understand what is at the core.   Norm: From what you have read and your own personal experiences, what do you think of organic foods and genetically-modified foods? Joanna: The genetic engineering of food was originally well intentioned but is still relatively "new". Some of us suffer no shortage of food while others starve. Pesticides, herbicides, polluted soil, floods, droughts, famine, and malnutrition occur on a global level and concern us all. Genetically modified foods were meant to address those issues. "New" to me tends to mean untested, unknown long term effects, and please advance with caution. I don’t know that I am particularly comfortable with the idea of us altering the genetic make-up of plants and animals. Many of us seem to understand organic to mean vegetarian. In fact, organic is the process by which food is grown, harvested, and raised. The lack of polluted soil, antibiotics, and pesticides are at issue whether organic chicken, tomato, or sugar. Norm: Do you think that there's a trend in the culinary field toward better nutrition? Joanna: I think that we becoming more aware of "good" versus "bad" foods as the information is presented to us. Years ago, some of us had understood that margarine (some contained hydrogenated or trans fats) was, for example, better for us than butter. Now, research tells us that hydrogenated (trans) fats are not good for us and that eating limited amounts of saturated fats (butter) is the better choice. Others argued that butter just tasted better and ignored the margarine advisory. The culinary field is vast and caters to everyone. There are meat, fish, pastry, desert eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. More and more consumers, vegetarian or not, are choosing organic foods. Regardless of the category into which we fall, we can make healthy or unhealthy food choices. Governments may become involved and make decisions for us. The recent ban of trans fats is one example. Location can be a factor as well. If we live in areas that promote healthy food choices, we are more likely to make them. On one hand, the culinary field sets trends, on the other hand, it responds to trends. As informed consumers, we have the power to influence it, and do.   Norm: How do you account for the change in attitude about nutrition that seems to have taken place over the past several years? Joanna: There has been a change in the attitude about nutrition in some, it’s true. Even when we are not looking for information, we often come face to face with it on the internet or in the media generally. Topics range from weight loss, to contaminated foods, to new discoveries, to health concerns like diabetes or heart disease. Some of us seek out organic foods because we do not want to eat chemically influenced foods, for example. We can read food labels and make decisions accordingly. In the past, we may have reached for foods without thinking twice about their nutritive value whereas now we may just not reach for them or indulge only occasionally after reading the labels. We tend to form the same eating habits as those with whom we grow up and with whom we live. The more aware we are as parents or role models, the more aware our children and those around us are. We are passing on an awareness that is, in turn, promoting a change in attitude.   Norm: There seems to be so many "experts" in the field of nutrition and they often seem to contradict each other. How's the layman to know whose guidance to follow? Joanna: We tend the follow the guidance of those whose morals, values, opinions, and lifestyles we respect. As we become more informed on a subject, we become more confident. When we become more confident, we tend to follow our own guidance. We have to trust that we are being well guided, and that is a personal choice usually based on results. We will probably ask ourselves "how is this expert’s guidance working for me?", and we will follow the guidance based on the answer to that question. While experts may not agree on everything, they tend to agree on the basics.   Interview by Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com