Alice Waters: Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is
Recently, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) printed a piece on food and specifically the food of the south of France. Underlying the story is a question: Why are we so hungry for the food of the South of France right now? In trying to answer that question, Alice Waters, the 79-year old founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California said
We need to make our diets healthy by eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, and we need to respond to climate change with farming methods that protect and renew the earth…which is what they’ve been doing in the south of France for centuries.
Executive Compensation at Advent Health (2022)
AdventHealth (formerly known as Adventist Health System until 2019 when the 501 (c) (3) “rebranded” itself) is one of the largest non-profit health care providers in the United States with more than 50 hospitals and hundreds of care sites in 9 states. Based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, AdventHealth is a very large system with dozens of separate tax-exempt non-profit and for-profit organizations.
This post looks at the executive compensation at Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corporation (AHSSHC), the tax-exempt, non profit organization that provides management, leadership, and oversight to the affiliates. It is important to note there are dozens of other related and affiliated non-profits and for profit organizations related to AdventHealth that are not covered in this post. Read more 
Great Food Discoveries of 2023
2023 has been a banner year in my kitchen with 8 really great plant-based food discoveries made throughout the year including ice cream, chocolate, soup, cheese, granola, nuts, and salami. All 8 of these companies deserve a food Oscar for their healthy and delicious creations. Read more
20 Things I Wish I Knew About Health When I was 20
At 20 years old, most young adults feel invincible. With youth, muscle tone, and boundless energy, most 20-year olds can’t imagine their bodies not performing well or looking great. The Olympian, Shaun White recently told an interviewer “I’m not big on aging. It has been hard letting go of physical things that once were easy. I’m going into this new phase gracefully….It’s a humbling part of my life.” Those words were spoken by a 37-year old former pro snowboarder and the winner of three Olympic gold medals in snowboarding, and my initial thought was …wait until he turns 60.” All the more reason to take care of yourself so you can enjoy an active life. Read more
Reine Vegan Cheese
Plant-based cheese (or vegan cheese) has been growing in popularity in recent years with growth expected to increase at an annual rate of 16% over the next 7 years, according to a market research report by RationalStat (a company that does market research, analysis, forecast and trends).
The growth is being fueled by turophiles (cheese lovers) who want the savory creamy texture of dairy-based cheese without the lactose, and for those seeking a healthier alternative to animal-based products. Read more
Pets: IMHA and One Vaccine at a Time….
A few weeks ago, my daughter took her 6-year old female corgi to a new vet who gave the dog 3 vaccinations (rabies, leptospira, and bordetello). Five days later, the dog collapsed so my daughter took her to Burlington Emergency Veterinary Specialists (BEVS) where they admitted the dog.
Bloodwork indicated she was anemic: a PCV (Packed Cell Volume that is also called hematocrit) score of 23 compared to a normal 35, and an ultrasound showed an enlarged spleen which led to the diagnosis of Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA) where the body no longer recognizes healthy red blood cells as part of the body and develops antibodies to destroy them. Without enough healthy red blood cells, the organs are deprived of oxygen, or the animal is overwhelmed by a blood clot. Read more
Food Nostalgia
The smell and taste of food can be an extraordinarily powerful trigger of nostalgia. One of my earliest food memories is the smell of homemade bread waifing through the house. I couldn’t have been more than 3 years old when that yeasty aroma of baking bread forever imprinted on my brain so much so that when I smell bread baking today – nearly 60 years later – I melt with desire (and its not for a man). All I need is a bread knife and a bit of jam and I’m in heaven.
Lest you think I grew up nourished by homemade bread, let the record be set straight. Homemade bread ended with the birth of my third or fourth brother. From then on it was Pepperidge Farm white bread, Thomas’s english muffins or white sandwich rolls. The 1960’s and 70’s changed the food landscape and nowhere was that more evident than in the home I grew up in in northern New Jersey. Out with the fresh and in with shelf stable boxed, canned, and frozen food. Convenience was the priority. Nutrition wasn’t even an afterthought. Read more
Executive Compensation at Kaiser Health (2019)
Kaiser Health is one of many terms (Kaiser, Kaiser Permanente, etc) that refers to one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health care insurers and providers with more than 12 million members (primarily in California but also in Hawaii, Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia). With 39 hospitals, more than 700 medical offices, and about 220,000 employees, Kaiser Health is considered one of the leaders in the industry.
Kaiser Health is comprised of the health plan (Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc), the hospitals (Kaiser Foundation Hospitals) and the medical groups (Permanente Medical Groups) although there are numerous non-profits that make up the entire organization. The focus of this post is on the executive compensation reported on the Form 990 of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (KFHP) because this organization reports the paid compensation for the key executives including the Chairman and CEO (as opposed to a related organization reporting compensation from a related organization). Read more
Where Does $100 to Planned Parenthood Go?
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. is generally referred to as “Planned Parenthood” and known to provide reproductive healthcare in the US and globally. Although Planned Parenthood is often in the news over women’s reproductive rights and specifically, abortion rights, the organization provides general healthcare, birth control, patient education, pregnancy testing, STD testing, treatment, and vaccines, women’s services, LGBT services, and men’s services. Read more
I’m Struggling to Understand
I’m struggling to understand what’s going on in this country. We’ve been dealing with a pandemic for about 18 months and we just can’t seem to get control over a killer virus that we have vaccines for. Nearly 1,500 people died in the US from Covid on August 20, 2021 with more to come if we don’t get this virus under control.
The US has about 330 million people. Approximately 50 million are under the age of 12, which leaves 280 million eligible to take the vaccine. To date, about 170 million people have been vaccinated leaving 110 million Americans age 12 and over eligible for the vaccine. But, they won’t take it for a variety of reasons. As a result, we are losing the battle by allowing the virus to mutate: causing more illness and killing people. Read more
Paddock Post 