Sugar, How Much Are You Consuming?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Edward Noon

Here is a great blog that shows pictorially the equivalent sugar cubes you would be consuming when drinking several of the top leading beverages. Take a look, click here.

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Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Power Of Japanese Resilience

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Edward Noon

After all the problems Japan has encountered with the earthquake, tsunami and lastly the nuclear reactor problems, I found the following article giving insight into the Japanese culture in trying times as this very enlightening. Enjoy, click here.

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The Twinkie Diet!

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Edward Noon

And here is another twist on twinkles.

It was Dan White who used the Twinkie Defense in his murder trial of Mayor George Mascone and supervisor Harvey Milk.

Today it is a diet! Yes, Professor Dr. Mark Haub a nutritionist at Kansas State University wanted to prove a point. It’s all about calories, they are the only thing that matters.

To prove his point he went on a diet of Twinkies and other junk food items like Doritos chips, sugary cereals and Oreos. The key point was limiting his caloric intake to 1800 calories per day (previous to the diet his normal intake was 2600 calories per day).

In two months he lost a total of 27 pounds and that is not all; his body fat index went from 28.8 to 24.9, his good cholesterol increased by 20 percent, his bad cholesterol dropped by 20 percent, and his triglycerides dropped by 39 percent.

What does it all prove? I guess that caloric intake is the key and not necessarily the nutritional value of the food.

And you can go to WEBMD to get their take on the diet, click here.

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Bugs Our Natural Defense

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Edward Noon

Shimon Steinberg gives a great presentation on bugs the world’s best natural, biological control agents. (15min., 24sec.)

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Being Naked In Japan

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Edward Noon

Here is a great post by Garr Reynolds that should be essential reading for anyone doing or thinking of doing business in Japan.

Click here

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Tahoe Rim Trail 50K Race

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Edward Noon

Tahoe Rim Trail
“A Glimpse of Heaven”
“A Taste of Hell”

Jose Castillo of Noon International ran the 50K Tahoe Rim Trail UltraMarathon race in the mountains of Lake Tahoe today Saturday July 17th. (50k about 32miles) The course runs from an elevation of 7000 feet to 8500 feet and back again, running through creeks, climbing rocks and everything else that one encounters in the outback.

In his first ever UltraMarathon race he completed the 50k in 9 hours and 20 minutes and is already looking forward to next year.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention he ran it in his barefoot shoes, EVO Vivobarefoot by Terra Plana. Now that is REMARKABLE!

It started here at 6am in the morning:

And it finished here 9 hours and 20 minutes later:

Tahoe Rim Trail

Jose coming into finish line.

Tahoe Rim Trail

Jose finishing

Tahoe Rim Trail

Happiness is coming to the finish line 9hr20min after the start

Tahoe Rim Trail

Jose finishing the 50k.

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Is the era of cheap Chinese labor coming to an end?

Posted on June 11, 2010 by JAC

Tension has been pilling up for a while (circa 2008), a generation of young Chinese workers have seen little or no increase in their salaries while prices all around them have soared, inflation for the month of May surpassed the Chinese government’s 3% target, higher food and housing prices were mainly to blame for the acceleration in inflation.

It would seem like Foxconn suicides were the catalyzer for a wave of labor unrest around China, the common theme was increase in wages and better labor conditions.

The Chinese government has so far responded by encouraging local governments to increases the minimum wage in their areas, it’s reported that at least 20 provinces and cities have raised minimum wages close to 20%.

The Shenzhen government issued a statement this month that the minimum monthly wage will rise to 1,100 yuan ($161) for full-time workers, while hourly pay for part-time employees will climb to 9.8 yuan ($1.44).

Beijing, the capital city, will increase its minimum wage by 20 percent to 960 yuan($140.5) per month from 800 yuan ($117) from July 1.

So, if you are assembling (or selling) high tech gadgets such as iPhones or iPads the recent increases might be somehow manageable however for companies producing low priced commodities, such as frozen/canned fruits and vegetables, this might be a harder pill to swallow.

So who is going to pick up the bill? Not sure yet, customer worldwide are demanding lower prices to accommodate consumers frugal spending habits. On the other hand suppliers are struggling with, well… higher wages, increased freight rates and surging energy cost.

So is this the end for cheap commodities coming out of China, I don’t think so (at least not yet) while some firms might move to other countries such as Bangladesh or Vietnam I believe majority will move inland China where wages are still low.
Plus for us in the vegetable industry the variables of longitude and latitude have a definitely impact on what we can grow and how well it grows.

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Sugar Leads To Obesity

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Edward Noon

Do you drink soda with sugar (or sugar substitute)?

Did you know that drinking a can of soda a day for a year adds 10lbs?

A simple solution – WATER, and it’s free (well almost free).

And for a powerful short little video check out this 30 second ad from New York City Department of Health. Bravo!

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Why Frozen Vegetables May Be Your Best Choice

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Edward Noon

Thomas Freiden of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that if the food industry doesn’t regulate salt usage itself then the government may have to step in and regulate the industry.

Why the concern about salt?

Facts:

  • American adults consume an estimated 3900 milligrams of sodium a day – more than twice the maximum recommended by US dietary guidelines.
  • Excess sodium is linked to high blood pressure, raising the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
  • More than seventy five percent of Americans’ sodium intake comes from processed foods and restaurant meals.

Stanford study states that if we emulated a UK initiative and reduced salt by 9.5% in packaged foods that it would:

  • Lead to reduction in blood pressure
  • prevent 513000 strokes per year
  • prevent more than 480,000 heart attacks among Americans ages 40 to 85
  • save $32 billion in medical costs

By eating fresh vegetables or frozen vegetables instead of the prepared foods we can take control of our own sodium intake. In fact, eating frozen vegetables maybe your best choice because they are processed hours after harvest stopping therespiration rate while it may be days before we consume fresh vegetables from the super market. It is also worth noting that frozen vegetables can be gotten year round at reasonable pricing compared to the fresh produce in your super market.

Think Frozen.

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Whole Foods – Organic Food From China

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Edward Noon

We have blogged on this in the past and now ABC News is catching wind of the fact that Whole Foods who promotes Organic and Local, is actually selling organic food under its own label from China. Organic food that is USDA certified by a third party that also outsources the certification!

Again it is buyer beware.

Watch the video.

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