It all fits together, you know

A few months back, Michael Pollan commented in a New York Times book review that the “food movement” might be the thing that finally brings together all the pieces. He didn’t say it quite like that – he meant issues of poverty/hunger, agricultural policy, global warming, local economy – but the more I track the various tangents of the food movement, the more I see its wisdom appearing in unexpected places, creating a bright web with my plate at it’s center.
I recently started working in the fundraising department at the American Institute for Cancer Research. I took the job over another that would have landed me more squarely in food advocacy, but for many reasons, this was the better job choice for the time. I’ve been thrilled to discover that the majority of the research funded by AICR is directly related to nutrition, exercise and weight. 90% of their educational materials focus on how to eat to prevent cancers – and 30-40% of the cancer typical to Americans today is preventable with a healthy diet and exercise sufficient to maintain a healthy weight. I’m (happily) bombarded with pictures of apples and spinach every single day.

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The New Job

On Thursday, the Monkey and I leave for our long-awaited honeymoon trip to San Francisco!

As soon as we return I begin my new job with American Institute for Cancer Research. The whole job situation still feels a little raw – since the decision to leave was wrapped up in stresses that proved irresolvable. I’m a little surprised how easy it was – considering that I have friends who’ve been job-hunting for many months – to quickly obtain a new job with a great organization in a situation I think will be a great fit for me.  The whole story is the stuff of private conversation, but all in all, the universe did me a solid this month.

Graphic from AICR - "The New American Plate" demonstrating healthy portions and proportions. I'm gonna dig this job.

On top of everything, I’m discovering that AICR is actually much closer than I would have guessed to a job suitable for my passions. I had hoped for (and had good prospects with more than one) food-related job opportunity. When I settled on AICR, I thought I was probably putting the food aspect of my job hopes aside in favor of a few more practical concerns. But I’ve been carefully reading their website and am excited to learn that AICR is leading the charge in educating on ways to prevent cancer. And AICR focuses heavily on the biggest key to cancer prevention: diet.  I think I’ll find a good synergy with AICR, and you might be seeing more links on my site to AICR’s blog. The power of food to connect so many diverse areas of thought and need never ceases to amaze me.

P.S. Now that the turbulence of job hunting is over, I promise I’ll be back to regular blogging. I miss it!

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