Another New York Times Piece

In a July 29th article, former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni explores the awkward, nerve-wracking territory parents encounter when it comes to their children's eating habits. Anyone interested in the communication between parents and children about healthy eating, especially as childhood obesity continues to be a concern, should find this interesting. Of course, how do you promote healthy messages without setting the stage for an eating disorder?

An excerpt:

What’s the best course for today’s parent, in a society where fast-food come-ons drown out Alice Waters, and models no thicker than swizzle sticks still rule fashion magazines?

“We get nutrition advice, but that’s not the same as eating advice,” said Rebecca Saidenberg, a Manhattan mother of a 16-year-old girl, referring to child-rearing tips. She said that as her daughter went through puberty, she worked particularly hard to encourage healthy habits — balanced meals, restrained portions — in the hopes of minimizing the chances of a weight problem that might follow her daughter through life.

At the same time, Ms. Saidenberg wanted to push back against “a trend of treating food like medicine.”

“I don’t like that,” she said. “There are a lot of psychological pleasures that come from sitting at a table and enjoying a meal.” She doesn’t want her daughter deprived of those.

So she didn’t despair when the teenager recently returned from a summer trip to Italy during which, it was clear, the joys of gelato were fully explored. But she did get herself and her daughter a membership at a local gym, where they go together.

In my conversations with Ms. Saidenberg and other parents, I was struck by just how much thought they had given to coaxing their children toward sensible eating and away from extreme indulgence or self-denial. They clearly saw that as a parental responsibility akin to giving a child a first-rate education.

But their prescriptions and beliefs diverged, illustrating the elusiveness of a ready consensus about what’s most effective.

If you haven't had a chance, check out Bruni's piece about his own issues with food and disordered eating here in his piece, "I Was A Baby Bulimic" from July. He also has a memoir called Born Round that sounds pretty interesting.

Nutritious Cooking Tips

Ever wonder whether it's better to broil or microwave that broccoli?

Turns out, microwaving is the better option if your concern is retaining the nutrients in the vegetable.

Read here for more nutritious cooking tips, as featured in the New York Times Well blog today.

Fun stuff. I wish I had the energy to roast garlic and bake potatoes and stuff today, but I am damn tired from running around trying to get all my paperwork in order for a last-minute chemistry course I got into.

A Long Way From Home

Hello, hello.

Chris and I are up in Maine with his dad and stepmom this weekend, and boy, is it rainy!

I try to be a good Sagittarius and relish the adventure of traveling, but I am also a creature of habit and like my morning routine. Sometimes I get cranky when I'm out of my comfort zone, so I usually have a few things I do to help me chill out.

This morning, I did yoga while Chris sawed wood in the background. It was really nice—both energizing and relaxing. And then I went out into the kitchen where his folks were working on their laptops and joined the party. Late Summer newsletter had to go out.

Last night, we went out to this wonderful restaurant in Wells, Joshua's, which has its own farm. Worth the trip.

For breakfast, I had a cut-up banana, green grapes, a few almonds, and half an expired yogurt (I didn't want to be rude and point out that the best-by date was over a month ago). It tasted okay, but I was a little bit too nervous to finish the whole thing. 2 ounces probably won't make me sick. Being as I have the stomach of a goat, the whole 4 ounces probably would have been fine too, but better safe than sorry all over someone else's house.

Read This Book!

I just got Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant from the library the other day, and I have to stop myself from tearing through it. I wish I'd thought of this idea!

Edited by Jenni-Farrari-Adler, this collection of essays chronicles the most intimate dining habits of a diverse set of writers including Nora Ephron, Steve Almond, Laura Dave and others.

From Publisher's Weekly:

A mishmash of foodie writers dispute, humorously or more self-seriously, the pros and cons of cooking and dining alone. While eating by oneself can be the busy worker's greatest pleasure, as Colin Harrison notes of his solitary Manhattan lunches during a work day ("Out to Lunch"), and mother Holly Hughes ("Luxury") agrees is a secret but too rare pleasure, other writers see it as depressing or shameful. In "The Lonely Palate," Laura Calder quotes Epicurus as saying, "we should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink"—then offers a recipe for Kippers Mash. Eating is an act of love, thus prompting Jonathan Ames ("Poisonous Eggs") to dine out and flirt with the waitress. "Table for One" by Erin Ergenbright records how the single diner is perceived uneasily by the wait staff. And M.F.K. Fisher relishes solitary dining ("A Is for Dining Alone") as a way to escape "the curious disbelieving impertinence of the people in restaurants." The collection is named after an essay by Laurie Colwin, who found a dozen different ways to cook eggplant on her two-burner hot plate while living alone in a tiny Greenwich Village flat.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Law of Attraction Works Again!

Do you guys believe that by putting forth thoughts into the universe, you can manifest your desires?

Hah, that's some seriously hippie-dippie vocab I just pulled, but I mean it! Since I started being more mindful of what I send out into the void, I've noticed that I usually do get what I wish for, for better or worse.

This morning, it was definitely for better. Even though I had a very filling breakfast, I got a tiny bit hungry around 11. Go figure, about five minutes later, this thing arrived—a thank you from a patient who just had a baby. Talk about sweet!

Canned Meat to Outlast the Apocalypse

Found this in a deli earlier. It doesn't expire until 2013. Yikes!

The Measure-Up Bowl

One of the Self magazine Healthy Bites bloggers posted about this thing recently. It's a bowl with lines on the inside to show you how much you're putting in—like a measuring cup you eat out of. Hence, it's a measuring bowl!

Haha I don't know why that amuses me. I actually think it's a pretty good idea, especially for people who need help figuring out what a portion size looks like. While I don't like the bowl website's emphasis on weight-loss, I think having a true sense of how much you're eating is important no matter what your goal. As a dietician, I'd totally give these out to clients.

Body Image Boosters

I can't think of a single woman I know who doesn't struggle with body image. Coming from all directions, we've got messages darting towards us about what (or whom) we should and shouldn't look like, what we should eat and how much, how we can look better—It's tough out there!

The National Eating Disorders Association has a wonderful list of ways to boost your body image.

Some of my personal favorites are:

• I will wear clothes that are comfortable and that make me feel comfortable in my body.
• I will list 5-10 good qualities that I have, such as understanding, intelligence, or creativity. I will repeat these to myself whenever I start to feel bad about my body.
• I will surround myself with people and things that make me feel good about myself and my abilities. When I am around people and things that support me and make me feel good, I will be less likely to base my self-esteem on the way my body looks.
• I will treat my body with respect and kindness. I will feed it, keep it active, and listen to its needs. I will remember that my body is the vehicle that will carry me to my dreams!

The Banana Man Strikes Again

I don't know if you remember my post earlier this summer about the guy at the fruit stand who likes to give me a free banana—For the past few weeks, I'd been enjoying relative anonymity while he had other guys working with him. While free food is always a good thing, there's something awkward about free bananas. I guess it's the blatant phallic symbolism.

Anyway, today while I passed by, I figured I should pick up some produce, since we're out of a lot of things. There was one person ahead of me, and when he'd been helped, I said my usual, "Hi, I'd just like to get—"

"You can get for yourself! You are a well-known person!" Banana Man cried jovially and handed me a plastic bag.

"Um, okay. Thank you." I cautiously put four bananas into the bag. "Great. Here's a dollar."

Banana Man grabbed a particularly large specimen and plopped it in my bag with a grin. "This from me."

If he hadn't given me the extra banana, I probably would have bought more, but I just felt too awkward. I told him to have a good rest of the day and intended to run home as fast as possible, but apparently, that wasn't an option, as a woman shoved a microphone in my face.

"Hi, can I ask you a question? How are you handling the heat?"

This is why I'm glad I don't have a TV—I sure don't wanna see my sweaty self rambling about how we turn the AC on in short bursts so it doesn't get too expensive. Good God...

Of Cupcakes and Control Methods

Chris and I met up with my cousin and his wife for brunch in the village today at this place called Good. Yes, it actually was pretty good—get the Passion Mimosa if you go.

Afterwards, we went for a long walk. Despite it being one of the hottest days of the summer, it was really nice. We also checked out the High Line. It was a great way to spend an afternoon—eating a good meal with good people, taking a walk, getting some sun...

Studying what I do makes eating out a bit different in that I think about what my food has been through before landing in front of me. In my microbiology class, we talked a lot about food-borne illnesses and how to avoid them. One of the main ways is to make sure that hot food stays hot and cold food stays cold. However, I'd never really thought about food in window displays.

While I thought of posting a mini-rant about control methods, the sight of these cupcakes made me giggle a little to myself. I couldn't resist snapping a picture!

Tax Deductions for Eating Gluten-Free?

Celiac disease is an immune disorder triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. This condition damages the lining of the small intestine, inhibiting nutrient absorption and causing a host of health problems for people who suffer from it.

It is estimated that one in one hundred people in the United States have it, though it is one of the more under-diagnosed conditions.

Also, instead of taking medication that an insurance company can help pay for, patients with celiac disease must go to great lengths to avoid foods with gluten in them. Unfortunately, a lot of gluten-free products cost three times as much as the regular versions.

While seeing a nutritionist to learn how to get the proper nutrients from other foods likes fruits, vegetables, potatoes and rice, this New York Times piece lists some other ways in which to make living with celiac disease easier—and more affordable.

Did you know you could deduct the cost of gluten-free foods and even shipping of said products?

Feed the Artist

As I was passing through Union Square Park on my way to work this morning, I saw a cardboard sign in my path that said: DUDE! I need food!

There was a small painting of the same size a few feet away. I'm not sure if the painting and the sign were related, but it made me want to look around for the artist of the painting and/or the sign.

I never know whether to offer money or food to people begging (vocally or with signage), but this sign kind of made me want to hand something over. This morning, though, the cynic in me said, "Eh, it's probably some artist dude who came up with the idea for the sign over PBRs with his buddies in Bushwick last night."

The painting was pretty good though. I always say that one day when I have money, I'll buy art from people on the street, since it's usually more interesting to me than stuff I see in galleries, but that day seems really freaking far away.

Wine Tasting in South Jersey

A couple weekends ago, one of my friends from high school, who went to the College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ, piled a bunch of us into her car and drove down to the Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington.

I'd never known that New Jersey had any vineyards, but hey, you learn something new every day. There's something kind of humorous about it, and while this place definitely delivered on that Jersey charm level, it was also pretty nice.

For five dollars, we got to try 6 different wines. My favorite was the white merlot, personally. The guy helping us out was pretty drunk. His mode of operation seemed to be "one pour for you, two for me."

Afterwards, though, he gave us a tour of the place. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day, perfect for strolling around the grounds. It was interesting to hear about the fermentation and bottling process and see the machines they use to do it. Apparently, the three "magic words" of running a vineyard are "money, alcohol, and quality."

For a small facility, they produce a lot of wine. It made me even more excited for this International Nutrition Course I'm hoping to be to take in Italy next year...

Vegan Goodness

Last night, I went to a dinner party where the hostess and several of her friends were vegan.

The initial plan had been a "takeout & tea" theme, and then I was told it was "flowers & cupcakes," so I made a white bean salad to bring just in case she was serious. As I was heading out the door, I also grabbed a bottle of pinot noir a friend's dad gave us as a housewarming gift. Perhaps the best red wine I've tasted.

I was happily surprised when I got there—the plan had morphed yet again into a mutli-colored tomato-and-pepper sauce/tofu/polenta spread. There were also a dozen or so of the hugest, most beautiful portobello caps I have ever seen. Another girl brought the makings for toasted bread with brie and raspberries (not vegan, but some things, as I learned, are worth making allowances for). The flowers were edible, and someone else had brought vegan cake. And champagne.

So I put on a frilly lace apron (the Women's Studies Minor side of my brain was amused, if a bit terrified) and helped man the kitchen. It ended up being a great night, and a lovely meal. Proof that you can make a feast in a studio kitchen, albeit which much choreography. I definitely need to try making polenta at home soon.

The Most Important Meal of the Day

This morning I was running a little late, so I decided to pack my breakfast to take to work. I did have a glass of juice before I went out the door, as I needed something in my stomach after an early workout.

Still, I felt really light-headed and slow as I walked to the subway, wondering how the hell my friend who claims to only have juice or coffee in the a.m. doesn't, like, pass out. It's worth noting that I had not yet had any caffeine either...

Though I will probably never know what it's like not to be hungry in the morning, there are people who just aren't—or choose to skip breakfast in an effort to "save" calories. However, there is a lot of evidence to support the notion that breakfast is the most nutritious meal of the day for both kids and adults.

Research shows that children how eat breakfast perform better in school and have less trouble concentrating than those who don't eat in the morning. It also helps protects kids from becoming overweight adolescents.

As for adults, studies have shown that adults how eat breakfast weigh less than people who skip breakfast because it keeps them from overeating later in the day. This meal plays a big role in many weight loss and weight control programs.

Most importantly, you need to get off to a good start in the morning. I don't know about you, but I need serious fuel in a.m. because when I'm up, I'm up, and I tend not to stop going until I crash at night.

I'm sure we've all heard the rhetorical question that goes, "You wouldn't try to drive a car without putting gas in the tank, would you?"

It's true though. Anyway, now that I'm at my desk enjoying some Greek yogurt with berries, wheat germ, almonds, and agave nectar, I'm a happy girl.

This commercial freaks me out

Totally ridiculous. After speaking with someone from the National Peanut Board the other day, I'm feeling a little hypersensitive to advertising that targets consumers' fears about foods the media has labeled as "bad" or "unsafe."

I don't like how consumers are being told to practice moderation because the industry can't. There is corn and high fructose corn syrup in so many products, it's hard to avoid. Even products that aren't food have corn in them.

Also interesting to me that they should have a white woman as the uptight corn syrup-phobic, judgmental mom and the black woman as the laid-back mom who is aware of the other's ignorance but chooses not to call her out on it. I think it's being assumed that it's white, upper middle class moms who are soaking up the majority of the anti-high-fructose-corn-syrup information and that's why they're targeting them and trying to make them feel embarrassed.

On the one hand, that's very smart, from a psychological advertising perspective, but it's kind of disgusting and creepy too. And way to play up stereotypes.

I don't know. I have to check out some of the other spots and digest a little more. This particular one just struck me, that's all.

Cooking as Spectator Sport

Michael Pollan has a cover article in this week's New York Times Magazine called "Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch" about how cooking shows and the food network have changed the way Americans cook and view cooking.

A lot has changed since 1963, when Julia Child's "The French Chef" first appeared on American television (which also happened to be the year that Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique came out).

A lot of shows like Iron Chef America, Top Chef, and The Next Food Network Star move so fast and involve so many obscure ingredients, it's hard to garner any kind of information about cooking. The focus is more on the consumption of "high-end food" rather than the production of it. The message has become: Don't try this at home. If you want to eat like this, go to a restaurant.

"If Julia took the fear out of cooking," Pollan writes, "these shows take the fear—the social anxiety—out of ordering in restaurants (Hey, now I know what a shiso leaf is and what 'crudo' means!)."

The intention is to have people interested enough in the food and the cooking of it to stay glued to the TV, but not into it in the way that they would want to get up and go make that food instead of remaining glued in front of the set. The ads aren't even geared towards cooking or kitchen appliances—they're for foods.

One of my favorite quotes from this article is about when Pollan asks a chef friend if he can learn anything about cooking from the Food Network, and the friend replies, "How much do you learn about basketball by watching the NBA?"

Hm...Also valid: watching basketball sure as hell doesn't make me want to go dribble a ball outside with a bunch of dudes who are two feet taller than me. I'd rather marvel at the athleticism of the bros on TV. Not that I ever watch basketball—but if I did...

Anyway, there are so many aspects of this article I could go on and on about.

It's definitely worth a read...