Keeping It Real: Real Life, Real Food

New Home

2010-03-06T23:11:00.002-05:00

Hey all, I just wanted to let you know that this blog is moving to

http://keepingitrealfood.wordpress.com/

Cheers!

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Recall

2010-03-05T08:18:00.002-05:00

In recent food-recall news, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a flavoring agent used in foods ranging from soups to hot dogs, is being recalled after a batch produced by Basic Food Flavors of Las Vegas tested positive for Salmonella.

Though the risk of infection is considered low (cooking is supposedly affective enough to kill the contaminants in this case), Salmonella can still cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. Better safe than sorry. The recall includes products manufactured since September 17, 2009.

For some more info, here's an article that was in today's Times.

For a list of recalled foods, visit the FDA's website.

Caravan of Dreams

2010-03-02T13:06:00.005-05:00

Last night, I sat down for dinner at Caravan of Dreams, a vegan restaurant in the East Village with a group of other NYC bloggers. Megan of Runners Kitchen organized the outing, and it was so nice to meet Katherine, Lindsey, Liz, Irina, and Jacqui.

It was a treat to spend a night out talking shop with a bunch of ladies with similar interests!

My photos turned out pretty awful, so check out Megan's blog for some quality photo documentation.

As a teaser, here's a pic of the tasty salad that came with my ginger stir-fry entree. This place is a must-try for vegans and non-vegans alike. I can't wait to go back!

National Nutrition Month

2010-03-02T08:05:00.003-05:00

As you may or may not know, March is National Nutrition Month. Created by the American Dietetic Association, this annual education and information campaign is designed to shed some light on making informed food choices and developing good eating and physical activity habits as well as recognizing the committed dietitians who work hard to help people lead balanced, healthy lives.

This year's theme is "Nutrition from the Ground Up." Take it as a reminder to start with the basics. Talk with a dietitian, take advantage of fitness and health opportunities in your community, stock the kitchen with healthy staples like whole grains and fresh produce. Little tweaks and shifts in attitude can lead to bigger changes.

This month, I intend to focus on treating my body less like a robot and more like a living, breathing being—mine. That involves saying no to things I don't need to take on and leaving enough time to rest and de-stress so I don't have to rely so much on caffeine (sorry, diet coke) to keep me going.

So whether you decide to take up yoga or running or to start bringing your own lunch to work or cutting back on meat, enjoy the investment you make in yourself this month!

For more info, visit the National Nutrition Month at ADA's website.

Delhi Heights

2010-02-28T14:44:00.005-05:00

For some reason, it's hard to get good Indian food in Manhattan, so Chris and I finally got around to heeding the advice of those in the know and headed out to Jackson Heights for lunch today.

We went to Delhi Heights on 74th Street, where we had ourselves a delicious meal of chili paneer, daal tadka, raita, rice, and naan. At the end of the meal, we ordered masala tea, which is brewed right in the milk. We could also have opted for the $9.95 buffet, so perhaps we'll have to go back another time.

Despite eating until we were a little more than satisfied, we still had quite a lot of leftovers to take home. Even better. But man, I'm glad I went to the gym this morning! It's not so much that the food there is "heavy" or the portions are oversized—it's just so good it's hard not to eat more than you need to!

Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

2010-02-27T21:20:00.006-05:00

Vitamin deficiencies are something few of us have to deal with. Following a typical western diet allows a healthy person to more than meet their basic nutritional needs, provided they make sure to include enough fruits and vegetables. However, people with certain allergies, intolerances, or other conditions may experience vitamin or mineral deficiencies as a result of their illness.

I spent a little time this evening reading up on vitamin B-12 deficiency after a friend said his doctors suggested it as a potential cause for symptoms that could be related to his recently-diagnosed celiac disease. One of the main deficiencies seen in people with gluten intolerance or sensitivity is B-12, often due to associated malabsorption issues.

B-12 is found mostly in animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. A lot of cereals are fortified with it, and you often see it added to soy milk and "fake meat" products. So while it's slightly more difficult for a vegetarian to meet their B-12 needs, it's by no means impossible.

Symptoms of B-12 deficiency include:

Anemia

Nerve Damage

Paralysis

Supplements may be needed for a period of time to correct the problem. It's just another reminder to bring up concerns with your doctor and not to overlook the diet.

I had a professor who once said that the only disease a vitamin can cure is a deficiency of that vitamin, and while most of us don't have to worry about that, some people do. A lot of people pop multivitamins like candy even when they don't need them, but supplements were created for a reason.

Alex's Chili

2010-02-26T08:53:00.007-05:00

It would have been nice if my school had cancelled classes before I woke up for lab, but oh well. At least now I can get some backlogged work done and maybe take a nap later. This week has been a little too busy, and I used up all my cooking-as-procrastination points yesterday, so I have no excuse not to cross a few things off the to-do list. Oh well, at least I have some kick-ass chili and cornbread to look forward to.

After receiving an email from my friend Alex about this amazing-sounding chili the other night, I just had to try making some myself. It sounded much livelier than the sweet potato and black bean chili I'd been planning on making. Unfortunately, my beloved sketchy markets were out of a lot of things, so I had to make a few adjustments.

Alex’s recipe:

First I braised a lb of chicken and set that aside and put in 2 3/4 cups of onions with chili powder, garlic and then added a red and yellow pepper, a full jalapeno, and then tomatoes, blackstrap molasses, tyme, basil, cumin, chicken stock, masa harina, and then garbanzo, adzuki, black and kidney beans… it was good with or without the chicken. Very satisfying. I placed it over brown rice and a small amount of jalapeno cheese.

My make-do interpretation:

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

2 jalepeno peppers

1 red pepper and 1 orange pepper

1 can each black beans, kidney beans, pink beans (low sodium)

1 32-oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp blackstrap molasses

¾ boullion cube dissolved in ¾ cup boiling water

1 cup leftover tomato sauce

a few sprigs of thyme

cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop the onion, garlic and peppers (including jalepeno) either by hand or in a food processor. Sautee for a few minutes.

Add the beans, tomatoes, boullion, crushed tomato, tomato sauce, molasses, and spices. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down and cover.

Simmer for an hour or so.

Chris got in on the act and whipped up some cornbread, which we threw in the bowl and poured the chili over. There was also some cheddar cheese involved. It was the perfect thing on a miserable day...

Meatless Mondays to Come to New York City Schools?

2010-02-23T21:05:00.003-05:00

This week, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer released a report titled "A Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System," in which he proposed several health-promoting measures for New York City schools. As ways of addressing the fact that one in five NYC kindergarten children is obese, Stringer suggested the following measures:

Require Food Curriculum in Public Schools
Expose City Students to Farms and Gardens
Institute Meatless Mondays in City Schools

For more info, check out NYU's Wagner Food Policy Alliance blog.

There have been both positive and negative responses to the "Meatless Mondays" proposal, in particular. I, for one, am in favor of it—as long as the food being served includes real vegetables and whole grains rather than just pizza, french fries, and ketchup. For example, vegan chili is incredibly easy to make in large quantities for cheap and is packed with nutrients.

One of the main concerns of people unfamiliar with vegetarian eating is protein. Nine times out of ten, the first question is, "WHAT ABOUT PROTEIN?" Contrary to popular belief, once you know what to do (key word: nutrition education), it's incredibly easy. And anyway, as a country, Americans get much more protein than we technically need. One meal without animal protein is not going to cause your kids to shrivel up and die.

Wal-Mart holding its own against Whole Foods?

2010-02-22T16:01:00.004-05:00

While it's hardly news that Wal-Mart has become a huge purchaser of organic milk and dairy products, few people think of the superstore giant as a place to buy organic and local produce. In this Atlantic Monthly article, Corby Kummer takes a look and conducts a few blind taste tests.

His overall takeaway?

IN AN IDEAL WORLD, people would buy their food directly from the people who grew or caught it, or grow and catch it themselves. But most people can’t do that. If there were a Walmart closer to where I live, I would probably shop there.

Most important, the vast majority of Walmarts carry a large range of affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. And Walmarts serve many “food deserts,” in large cities and rural areas—ironically including farm areas. I’m not sure I’m convinced that the world’s largest retailer is set on rebuilding local economies it had a hand in destroying, if not literally, then in effect. But I’m convinced that if it wants to, a ruthlessly well-run mechanism can bring fruits and vegetables back to land where they once flourished, and deliver them to the people who need them most.

Aspartame, by any other name...

2010-02-20T10:16:00.003-05:00

While I am by no means a fan of artificial sweeteners in theory, in practice, I am a compulsive gum-chewer and definitely reach for a can of diet soda a few times a week. The dangers of aspartame are not an alien topic to me. Some people smoke; I gnaw on carcinogens. We can't all be perfect.

I am pretty ticked off, though, about aspartame's new name change. Now called Amino Sweet (because it's sweet and made from two amino acids), it is being marketed as a natural sweetener. Seriously? A substance (created in a lab) initially intended to be a drug that happened to be sweet enough to be a food additive does not sound natural to me. Also, it makes it harder for people with allergies to avoid unless they know about the switch.

This article, the tone of which I find a bit alarmist and grating though informative, offers a history of aspartame and details about its PR makeover. After reading it on my mom's blog, I had to repost.

And take a look at the Ajinomoto press release.

Healthy Cocktails?

2010-02-19T18:07:00.004-05:00

It's finally Friday, and if my body could talk (vocal chords aside), it would say, "Get this girl a drink!" Preferably, a sparkling red wine—my new favorite.

While a little bit of any kind of alcohol can be good for you, "health" isn't exactly one of the words most of us think of when we hear "cocktail." However, in recent years, health-conscious concoctions have become pretty trendy.

Personally, I'm more of a wine drinker and think the idea of trying to make cocktails into health drinks is pretty silly, but I did go to bartending school, so I can see the fun in coming up with new recipes. Maybe if I ever get around to having that dinner party I've been wanting to have, I'll whip something up. Here are a couple ideas from Women's Health.

Cheers!

In Honor of Fashion Week

2010-02-18T12:27:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week, the New York Times ran a piece about (surprise, surprise) the casting of young, super-thin models in favor of older girls with healthier BMIs.

You can read it here.

There was something about it that rubbed me the wrong way. At first I thought it was the model they profiled, then I thought maybe it was just the choppy flow of the article. I realize, though, that it's more likely that I'm just sick of hearing the same thing.

Part me of me wonders, "Why print the same old thing year after year after year?" Has it really gotten any better or worse? If you're going to tell me about the size of fashion models, rather than print one woman's complaints, why not write about a few models who died of anorexia this year or devote an article to shows whose designers insisted on having girls who've gone through puberty on their runway?

New Blog

2010-02-17T08:23:00.005-05:00

Good morning! Just wanted to let you know that I recently became the Daily Plate Food Blogger for All Access Internships, a site that was created as a resource for dietetics students.

I'll still be posting here regularly, but you can read even more (and see more pictures) on All Access. You can view the blogs here.

And please follow if you're interested! There are lots of really great bloggers writing on all different hot topics in the field of nutrition. For a change, I'm just the recipe gal who posts about eating and cooking well, which I'm finding to be really fun. It's making think I'd like to write a whole cookbook or some kind of cooking/nutrition hybrid.

Anyway, that's still a long time away. Got to get my degree first!

Weight Loss Surgery for Teens

2010-02-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

In the Science section of today's New York Times, there was an article about getting weight loss surgeries such as lap-band and gastric bypass procedures. The piece told the story of one girl who, now 20, had a gastric bypass when she was 14, going from 404 pounds to 175. She was the first

A 2007 study, which used data from 2000 to 2003, showed that, although rare, bariatric surgery in children and teens was on the rise. It is estimated that it will continue to rise, becoming almost as common in children as in adults.

While I think options are an important thing and that as time goes on, and that it may become easier to address and avoid some of the complications that result from weight loss surgery, I worry that people would come to see it as a quick fix rather than as a major life-changing procedure.

You don't just get up off the operating table and go eat a burger. It takes a long, long time to adjust to being able to eat a much smaller volume of food, and there are also many nutritional anemias and deficiencies that can develop post-op, depending on the type of surgery you've had and how it affects the digestion and absorption process. In children who aren't done growing, there is some concern about longterm effects.

Read the full article here.

Happy Love!

2010-02-14T10:33:00.003-05:00

Every February, we get to read new versions of the same old article about aphrodisiac foods. This year’s Love Drugs parade did not disappoint. I think that by far, my favorite article was Vegetarian Times’ “Feast of Love,” which pictured a group of four enjoying a romantic dinner of Roasted Vegetable Linguine with Fresh Torn Basil, Feta-Stuffed Peppadews, Pineapple-Fennel Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing, Crispy Kale Leaves, and Chocolate-Nutmeg Pots de Crème.

The pictures are the best part. Models trying to look dewy-eyed and, yes, love-drugged, as they gesture to the serving platters and lift forks to each other’s mouths. They appear to be in a house with glass walls, as well. It’s nearing sunset. Of course.

Quite appropriately, the following article is about five different ways to prepare oats, encouraging the reader to “Rekindle your relationship with a heart-healthful favorite.” Yeah, I know they mean one’s relationship with oats, but come on—I can’t be the only one imagining the Feast of Love folks waking up on the living room floor, covered in baby oil or something and saying, “Hey, guys, let’s go make some oats! Happy love!”

While I believe that if you eat well and take care of yourself, you’re bound to have better stamina and enjoy overall, um, benefits, I don’t think there are any magic foods that can suddenly turn your average Joe into a sex machine (check out this NYTimes article on the subject). The only genuine aphrodisiac I’d associate with a meal is one’s mate offering to run you a bath so you can relax while they do the dishes.

I considered writing a parody article, complete with recipes like baked asparagus (thought to “stir up lust”) with almonds (which can evoke arousal in women) and ginger (stimulates the circulatory system so the blood flows efficiently to you know where!), and figs (a powerful female sex symbol) stuffed with tapenade, but I just couldn’t get my act together.

However, if you want to make the soft pink dessert tacos that just weren’t subtle enough, it’s very easy:

*In a bowl or food processor, blend together 1/3 cup low-fat ricotta, a handful of raspberries, a teaspoon of vanilla, and sugar to taste.
*Heat two small soft tortillas in a skillet in a little butter or put in the oven to warm up. Sprinkle brown sugar on the inside.
*Spread the ricotta-raspberry mixture down the center of each tortilla and fold over as you would a taco.
*Broil for one minute
*Garnish with dark chocolate shavings (optional)

Last year, Chris and I stayed home and cooked, and we talked about doing that again this year, but we decided to make reservations at Pure Food and Wine instead.

This morning I fueled up with what I’ll call the “Brangelina Special”: Oats with bananas cooked in, along with a little cocoa powder and then topped with cinnamon and a spoonful of almond butter. I got my B-vitamins, potassium (both good for sex hormone production), phallic symbolism, passion-inducing-nut flavor, and feel-good chemicals all in one shot.

New Obsession

2010-02-13T12:24:00.003-05:00

Sweet potatoes with goat cheese—who knew? I was starving the other night after yoga, so in addition to my veggie burger with avocado and tomato and leftover brussel sprouts, I microwaved a sweet potato and tucked a generous amount of goat cheese in. It was absolutely delicious—makes me wonder why people bother with sour cream and butter and all that other usual stuff.

"Let's Move" Gets Moving

2010-02-12T08:26:00.002-05:00

Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative, geared at raising "a healthier generation of kids" and fighting childhood obesity. This week, she announced the campaign to much enthusiasm. While "Let's Move" doesn't cover food marketing to kids, it does offer a comprehensive plan to address factors that contribute to childhood obesity. One of the main things is to get kids to eat less and move more as well as to ensure that healthier food is served in schools.

On the Whitehouse.gov site, a release was posted detailing the plan:

Let’s Move is comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented and will include strategies to address the various factors that lead to childhood obesity. It will foster collaboration among the leaders in government, medicine and science, business, education, athletics, community organizations and more. And it will take into account how life is really lived in communities across the country – encouraging, supporting and pursuing solutions that are tailored to children and families facing a wide range of challenges and life circumstances.

You can read more about it here.

Garlic Soup Part 2

2010-02-10T16:58:00.006-05:00

Here I go again with the garlic soup. Maybe it's the snow day and the illusion of more time to get my work done, but I've been cooking all kinds of things today: roasted peppers, marinara sauce, and now I've got some garlic soup simmering on the stove. Chris is on hummus duty later on, he says.

This time, I'm attempting to make a more brothy garlic soup than last time, so I omitted the cubed potato I added last time as a thickener. I'm also taking pictures this time!

Here's the revised recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1- 2 tbsp of olive oil
* 2 heads garlic
* 1 small shallot
* 1 small sweet onion
* 1 can white cannelinni beans
* salt and white pepper to taste
* fresh thyme and/or a sprinkle of dried rosemary
* 3 cups vegetable broth

Directions:

* Peel the garlic and place the cloves in a roasting pan or dish. Coat with a tsp or so of olive oil and cover. Roast for about 40 minutes at 350.
* Add remaining olive oil to soup pan and heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion and shallot. Cook for about a minute.
* Add the beans and then the vegetable broth. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 20-30 minutes.
* When the garlic cloves are done, add them to the soup. Stir.
* Blend thoroughly with a hand mixer or blender. I used an immersion blender.
* Return to stove. Season with salt if desired, and pepper. Throw in some fresh thyme.
* Cover and cook over low for another 20 minutes or so.

Serves 2-3

How Far Should You Go To Avoid Processed Foods?

2010-02-08T20:34:00.003-05:00

A few years ago, everyone was carb-phobic. Before that Americans went to great lengths to avoid fat. Could processed goods be the next "fear food?"

I found this post on a nutrition blog I follow particularly disconcerting because the person writing in with a question was wondering whether they were better off getting their vitamin D and calcium from supplements after finding out that soy milk is a processed food.

Fortunately, the RD who runs this blog advised that a completely "unprocessed" diet isn't exactly practical and that where the line is drawn between processed and unprocessed is somewhat arbitrary. She points to these points from Michael Pollan's Food Rules as a way of offering guidance:

1. Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize.

2. Don't eat cereal that changes the color of your milk.

3. Eat more food that comes without packaging.

4. Look for foods with fewer than 5 ingredients in the ingredient list.

5. Avoid things made with ingredients that you don't recognize as food.

6. Eat more whole intact grains and less flour.

7. Eat most of your fruit whole and unprocessed.

8. Eat at least some of your vegetables raw every day.

PS—speaking of Michael Pollan, he was on Democracy Now today—definitely worth a listen!

Fake Meat Article

2010-02-04T11:38:00.003-05:00

Some of you guys who've been to my apartment or out to eat with Chris and I are familiar with the whole "fake meat" thing. Check out this article I wrote for RestaurantGirl.com!

Here's a teaser:

If you’re a vegetarian, chances are dining-out is a challenge. You scan the menu for something that doesn’t involve animals or fish and those dishes tend to be few and far between. Oftentimes you’re left to decide between several side dishes and something well-intentioned like a seasonal vegetable plate or pasta that totally misses the mark. It’s unfortunate, but it’s reality. Unless of course, you head to a strictly vegetarian or raw restaurant, but those tend to be a snooze.. Which is why we eat in a lot of the time. It’s so much easier to heat up some soy chicken nuggets, cut them up to toss with a salad or even make a barbecue “riblet” sandwich (yes, you can even find vegetarian ribs), but eating out can be a different story.

To read the full article, click here.

And stay tuned for more writing-related announcements!

Probiotics—Too much of a good thing?

2010-02-04T10:46:00.006-05:00

As of late, I find myself hooked on ginger kombucha. If you haven't tried it, you really should. It's delicious. A raw, probiotic beverage, it is thought to support (according to the label):

Digestion
Metabolism
Immune System
Appetite Control
Weight Control
Liver Function
Body Alkalinity
Anti-Aging
Cell Integrity
Healthy Skin & Hair

The main attraction to me is that it tastes really good. Oh my goodness, it's addictive. It also doesn't suck that it's packed with B-vitamins (hard to get if you don't eat meat) as well as folic acid. It also contains organic acids and antioxidants along with 1 billion Lactobacillus Bacterium and another 1 billion S. Boulardii. That's per serving, which means that each 16-ounce bottle houses 4 billion bacterium.

These little organisms are a few types of the "good" bacteria that we need in our system, and among the casualties that result from antibiotic use.

I have a friend who swears that kombucha is her hangover cure, and I can see why. B-vitamins aid in the carbohydrate metabolizing process and dilates blood vessels. A lot of people find they restore energy and stamina, as increased blood flow allows the energy to flow through the body.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, this kombucha stuff is expensive! It's easy to spend three to four bucks on a 16-ounce bottle, though Chris brought one home for me last night when he went to Whole Foods, where they were on sale for $2.50.

Anyway, I just have to wonder if you can get too many probiotic bacteria from food. Supplements are a different story—I think when you're taking supplements, it easier to take too much. However, to be on the safe side, I try not to drink kombucha on a day when I drink kefir (a probiotic fermented milk drink) or eat a lot of yogurt. I've read that it's very hard to overdo it because we need billions of these bacteria, but I'm a classic hypochondriac.

Do You Need More Vitamin D?

2010-02-02T08:38:00.004-05:00

Every few years, one vitamin or other will shove the reigning champion out of its throne and become the new Big Deal Vitamin. For a while, it was Vitamin E, but more recently, Vitamin D has been in the limelight.

Vitamin D is made in the body from sunlight (supposedly dietary cholesterol plays a role as well), and it also exists in fish and fortified milk. Among its "healing" properties, vitamin D is thought to help build strong bones, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the risks for conditions like diabetes and cancer.

According to a 2008 report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, about half of adults and kids in our country are deficient.

A lot more doctors have begun to test patients' levels, and in the past year-and-a-half, and people are spending over five times on vitamin D supplements than they were several years ago. Should you join in?

It's still a little early to tell, and many doctors worry that taking too much could do more harm than good. In this New York Times article, Tara Parker-Pope details a few recent studies that show some possible benefit to making sure people get adequate levels of vitamin D. However, it's possible to do things that help you get more vitamin D, such as exercising outdoors or even just taking a walk around the block during the day. You can also drink milk. Remember when people used to drink that instead of soda?

Stretching Leftovers

2010-01-31T21:44:00.003-05:00

Hope you've all enjoyed the weekend. Though I did find some time to see friends, go out to dinner, and to a play this weekend, I spent a lot of time doing homework and cleaning. I also have a few upcoming writing gigs I'm prepping for.

It's tempting when I get busy to just eat on autopilot. While it's great—and important—to have healthy go-to's, the same old stuff can get boring. So this week, I experiment by seeing how many ways I could use the whole wheat couscous I made on Tuesday afternoon.

The first night involved a tomato-zucchini-eggplant-chickpea stew. Then the next day for lunch I threw a bunch of leftover veggies in a pot to simmer down and cooked some lentils and added the couscous at the end. Amazing. It also worked really well in a salad as well as in a soup that Chris made.

Something I was reading this afternoon you might find interesting is this post on Marion Nestle's blog, Food Politics, about the proposed New York penny-and-ounce soda tax. Check out the guide she links to. It's very informative. I'm personally in favor of it, though I don't know how well it will go over with people who regularly buy sugary drinks. For example, some believe it may drive more people to drink alcohol, which also has a lot of "empty" calories.

Thoughts?

Slim Shots?

2010-01-29T11:08:00.010-05:00

I get really ticked off when I see advertisements for diet products. So of course I had to snap a photo while waiting for the F train recently.

If Spain is considering banning diet commercials before 10 p.m., why can't we start taking some measures to lower the number of times a day we're bombarded by these kinds of images and ideas?

I examined the smaller print on the ad, and of course, it said that most people ate between 12.5 and 30 percent less when they took these "slim shots." Appetite suppressants and anything that claims to have "all natural" or "safe" ingredients in it freak me out. Their need to state that makes me feel like they're hiding something.

Let's take a look at the ingredients. These contain oat oil and palm oil, along with water, "natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, and beta carotene color." That's it? I don't know, something just seems off to me...

So how does it work? Here's what it says on the website: "SlimShots™ triggers the body’s natural appetite control mechanism, the ileal brake, satisfying users for long periods of time and in turn, allowing them to eat less, without sacrifice and without depriving them of their favorite foods."

What's more, I don't think appetite should be suppressed in the first place. It's important, instead, to try to understand our appetites—what is our body trying to tell us? How can we give it what it really needs? It exists for a reason! Clearly, attempting to rein our appetites in has gotten our culture nowhere. In fact, you could almost say that as a whole, we've become so out of touch with our appetites that it seems to be out of control. Scary stuff.

I wonder what it would take to get people to realize that there is no magic bullet for weight control, and that "weight control" is no way to talk about how you eat. It implies a power struggle—one we don't need to partake in. Still, I suppose healthy living and conscious eating don't sell as much ad space.

Cooking Ahead and Homemade Oatmeal Energy Bars!

2010-01-28T16:40:00.007-05:00

I have a weakness for energy bars. I know they're overpriced and that many are basically glorified candy bars and provide far more vitamins and minerals than I probably need from a snack, but when in unfamiliar territory (like a road trip) with no snacks in my purse, I'm very apt to reach for a Clif Bar when my stomach starts growling. I actually don't buy them that often, but that's because I try to always have something to eat with me.

Now that classes have started again, I have to get back in the habit of carrying around food to get me through eight-and-ten-hour stretches. For better or worse, this requires some planning—and cooking!—ahead. Yesterday I had a few free hours, so I decided to make my own damn energy bars.

Here is the recipe I came up with, based on various other recipes I saw online. They're pretty moist, and intentionally so. If that's not your thing, you can cook them a little longer or use a tiny bit less milk. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Energy Bars

Ingredients
• 1.5 cups rolled oats (I used 1 cup rolled oats and 1/2 cup steel-cut oats)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut)
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots, ¼ cup chopped dried dates, and ¼ cup raisins)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups skim or soy milk
• 1 egg or egg substitute (I used Ener-G Egg Replacer)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients.
4. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine.
5. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Cut into 9 squares.

Makes 9 servings . Each bar is about 125 calories with 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.

Notes:
• If you want it sweeter, you can add ¼ cup brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or molasses, but I thought the mellow sweetness from the fruit was plenty.
• You also might want to add a scoop or two of protein powder to the mix for extra energy!

I also made a big pot of zucchini, eggplant and chickpeas in tomato sauce last night along with some whole wheat couscous. It travels well and tastes good and provides a lot of protein, fiber, and some veggies, among other necessities. Good stuff.

Back to Winter

2010-01-28T08:17:00.007-05:00

It's snowing in New York this morning. I guess it's back to the winter weather.

One good thing about being in grad school and working mostly from home is lazy weekday mornings. Or sort of lazy. I'll go to the gym in a little while once it's less crowded and then finish up some notes for class before I have to leave, but for now, I'm just hanging out in my bathrobe, playing around on the ukulele and just enjoying being able to take the morning at my own pace. It's so rare I get to do that, and I know a lot of people who would agree.

Sometimes when I have an article due or something it's different, but today I'm enjoying a short respite between writing assignments. Of course, even slow mornings require fuel. Today, I made a bowl of oatmeal with banana cooked in and added a tablespoon of almond butter. If you've never tried it, you have to! I got the idea from the lovely Jade Sylvan, who blogs over at Boston Massage Therapy's Boston Healing Blog. All you do is stir the almond butter into the oatmeal until it melts in. Sooo good. Even better, it actually keeps me full until lunchtime!

Chocolate and Bacon, Coming to a Yoga Studio Near You?

2010-01-26T22:17:00.008-05:00

My friend Leah is awesome for sending me this article from the New York Times about the increasing inclusion of food in yoga practice.

Could you dig eating a three-course meal on your steamy yoga mat (otherwise known as the live active yoga culture mat)? I don't know about you, but I'm usually one of the first people rolling that thing up, in a hurry to get myself to a shower! But I'll come right out and say it—I am not one of those folks who really gets into the chanting and the om-ing and the moaning on the exhale. I like to get back out into the real world before the endorphins wear off. And anyway, I usually have someplace else to be.

If I had a bunch of friends at my studio it might be different, but it's unlikely I'd even have time to stick around. However, the yogis at Exhale Spa's Friday event, seemed pretty comfy sitting cross-legged on the floor after class for some pasta, wine and chocolate.

This is, perhaps, my favorite part of the whole piece:

“It’s a little weird to sit on a sweaty yoga mat and eat soup,” said one woman, not pausing as she spooned up a smooth, cinnamon-spiked butternut squash purée from a bamboo bowl. “But people are used to doing some weird things in yoga class.”

Joy Pierson, the chef at the nearby Candle Café, a vegan restaurant that supplied the meal, sat cross-legged at the front of the room, encouraging everyone to breathe in slowly. “Ssssmell the squassshhhh waaaafting through the air,” she intoned.

Oh wow.

In addition to exploring the controversy of food in yoga, the article also goes into the "yogier than thou" attitude which often fuels food-based judgments. "In yoga and foodie circles alike," writes author Julia Moskin, "contemplating the awesome significance of every bite taken — its flavors, its implications, its history — often seems to lead to moral judgments about others."

It's a cliche for a reason: a lot of yogies are vegetarians. That's one of the first things many teachers advise. However, many believe that you don't have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga.

So where to draw the line? I feel like it's a decision you have to make for yourself. While I can get on board with the notion of showing compassion towards all beings by abstaining from eating meat, I think it's very easy to take a restrictive diet too far, and that a lot of people do. However, enjoying food can—and should—be just as important as eating what you need to live. If pork is what does it for someone, it it really fair to make them feel alienated?

Still, Moskin begs the question: Can bacon be yoga?

I don't know, but I think the answer lies within one's personal philosophy of what yoga means to them and its function in their life. I can't help but sound like my mother, who is a hypnotherapist, when I say, "To each their own," but I honestly believe that. I guess it's true, what my mom says: "The crystal does not fall far from the family cluster."

On Functional Ingredients

2010-01-25T18:24:00.002-05:00

In an earlier post, I mentioned a class project in which we have to produce a cookie with a functional ingredient: Omega 3. In general, I'm very much opposed to the ways food companies try to make junk food sound like health food and suggest that their products are a superior source of xyz nutrients to the actual food sources.

However, I think this assignment will be useful in that it might help me and my group get a glimpse into the mindset of a food manufacturer trying to produce and sell a product that will make them a lot of money. I'm a little too jaded to honestly believe that any of them could really be in it to promote good health...I think having a little taste of what goes into that process might give me some good ammunition for talking clients into eating real foods instead of getting all their vitamin C from, say, fortified soda.

Check out this article from Consumer Reports for more on functional foods.

Annoying Yogurt Commercials

2010-01-24T16:49:00.007-05:00

On the list of reasons I do not own a TV and prefer to download my 30-Rock through Netflix:

*Cable Bills
*Bad Reality TV
*Yogurt Commercials

Many of you who know me in person have heard me rant about how much yogurt commercials annoy me, especially the ones with women in them, which is basically the only kind of yogurt commercial you see anymore...

It's the way they target women by either exposing or alluding to various insecurities and then shove them this product specifically engineered for them so that they can indulge in their base desires or meet their embarrassing needs while still fitting into the socially-acceptable female behavior mold.

Don't even get me started on the whole "yogurt is the official food of women" thing. It's a shame because I love yogurt—the good, plain, real-food version—but it nags at me that there are these big companies out there trying to get me to buy more of it. The fewer calories, the better! Because all women are "supposed" to be on a diet, right?

I know that plain, nonfat or low-fat yogurt you buy in a big container doesn't sell as well as these cutely packaged, super-sweet weight-management products, but seriously, why can't we just treat yogurt as what it is—A nutritious food that fits very nicely within a balanced diet?

Here are a few commercials that especially tick me off:

Snacks Now Account for a Quarter of Daily Calories

2010-01-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

Ask pretty much anybody, and they'll likely tell you that they snack between meals. I know I do.

This study, which examined snacking trends between 1977 and 2006, found that not only are more people eating more snacks but that today's snacks are more calorically dense than they were in 1970's.

In 2006, 97% of people reported consuming snacks on a regular basis, up from 71% in the 1970's. The total contribution of the snacks to daily calorie consumption also rose from 18% to 24% during that time. That means the average American now gets about a quarter of their calories from snacks.

Given the popularity of the "six small meals" eating pattern a lot of people say they adhere to, that's not a surprising figure. However, it's safe to assume that something's a little off, since people overall are consuming more calories per day. It seems that many forget about the operative word: small. Instead of eating snacks in place of meals, a lot of people are eating three regular-sized meals and snacks. No wonder there's an two-thirds of the population is overweight. It's hard to ignore food when it's shoved in your face 24/7.

It's really all about balance, but it's hard to tune in to your personal hunger cues when there are tons of opportunities to eat stuff you don't need in places that weren't thought of as appropriate places to eat thirty years ago. Would your grandmother have eaten in a store? Make sure you carve out some time for yourself every day to sit down for even just a couple minutes and focus simply on eating. Enjoy it. Though it might often feel like we're expected to be running around on all cylinders all the time, it really is important to slow down and take care of ourselves.

$1 Oatmeal

2010-01-22T12:23:00.004-05:00

Some of you know how obsessed I am with oatmeal, so you can bet I get excited whenever Jamba Juice starts offering their steel-cut oats for a dollar. Now through February 2nd (far as I know), on Wednesdays you can get 'em for a buck.

What's pretty funny is that I've never actually gotten around to trying their oatmeal. I usually eat breakfast at home, and though oatmeal makes a good snack as well, it's not usually something I think of grabbing. Why pay for something I can make at home for practically nothing, you know?

Once in a while, though, it's fun to try new things. The different flavors (Plain with brown sugar, Fresh Banana, Blueberry & Blackberry, Apple Cinnamon, and Berry Cherry Pecan) range in calories from 220-340 and are cooked in soy milk. Supposedly the fruit is fresh, even though you'd think with fresh fruit you'd see more vitamin C on the nutrition information label. While I'm not the hugest fan of pre-sweetened stuff, it's fine once in a while. And anyway, if sugar in your oatmeal is your idea of a treat, then you're probably not someone who has to worry about consuming too many added sugars.

All the same though, it sure beats the standard apple and almonds I usually carry around on busy days. It kind of makes me wish it was Wednesday...

Still, I think Starbucks gets it right by offering customers a selection of things they can add themselves. Mix in your topping(s) of choice, slice a little over-priced Starbucks banana in there along with some milk if that's your thing, and you're golden. Add a latte and the awesomeness is off the charts. Sigh. I wish it was breakfast. And that I hadn't gotten up at 7 a.m. to go to lab.

These Are Just Wrong

2010-01-20T20:57:00.002-05:00

Dude, sunflower seeds are not supposed to taste like nachos. Alas, nacho-cheese-flavored sunflower seeds exist. Why?

The Edible Schoolyard Comes to Brooklyn

2010-01-20T15:00:00.004-05:00

This summer, construction on the first east-coast affiliate of the Edible Schoolyard Program, developed by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, is set to begin at P.S. 216 in Brooklyn. The new $1.6 million, solar-powered building will house a kitchen and communal tables where children can share the foods they grow in the garden outside. This photo, courtesy of the New York Times, depicts a rendering of what the garden will look like.

Teachers will use the garden to give students lessons in subjects like math, science, and history. There are also plans for a chicken coop, portable greenhouse, and composting system, outdoor pizza oven, and cistern for collecting rainwater.

While the program does have its critics, I think it's a wonderful idea. I wish we'd had something like this when I was in school. I think we went apple-picking once as a class, and we also had an incubator full of eggs that never hatched, but that was about it.

While I have to nod along when I hear Alice Waters called "a bit of a fruitcake," I admire her stance on the importance of understanding where our food comes from and taking joy in providing loved ones with something delicious that's good for them, and I agree that if we want to change the eating habits of Americans, we need to start with children.

I think teaching kids how to grow a garden and what they can do with what they cultivate is a timely endeavor, especially given the push to develop more urban gardens—you gotta learn sometime and somewhere. Why not in school? Worst comes to worst, they'll grow up to be marijuana farmers in New Jersey or California. One could do worse.

One thing not mentioned in any of the articles I've read about the Edible Schoolyard or Alice Waters is the therapeutic aspect of gardening. Though I have as yet to catch the bug myself, I come from a family of gardeners. My mom could often be found tending to the flowers or vegetables when I was a kid, and the summer my grandfather lived with us after my grandma died, he was out in the sun almost every day, pulling up weeds, trimming, and watering. As my mom put it, "He knew how to mourn."

A lot of people also find it very satisfying to grow beautiful plants. Even Chris has his "babies"—a shell ginger, sunflower, basil, oregano, and aloe plant. I wonder if he sings to them when I'm not home...It's somehow calming to be surrounded by plants. It's also good feng shui, if you're into that.

It Begins Again

2010-01-19T21:33:00.004-05:00

Today was my first day back to class after a month-long break. I know I don't post much about my classes—I don't want to sound like a high schooler talking about her day on Live Journal 'cause I've, uh, been there, done that—but I wanted to share this really cool assignment we have in my Food Science and Technology lab.

Each of four groups had to choose a "theme" for a product to develop in class: reduced sodium, reduced fat, reduced sugar, or the inclusion of a functional ingredient. We have to identify current products on the market and create a version that tastes, looks, and feels as close as possible while staying within the constraints of our requirements.

My group was assigned to work with a functional ingredient. While I have mixed feelings about fortified snack foods, my interest was piqued when our professor shared a story about a doctor at another university who's been researching the effects of omega-3-fortified cookies on colitis patients. Only problem is, the cookies don't taste so great. My professor is encouraging us to make a product that tastes good but also delivers a good dose of the desired nutrient.

So we're thinking ginger snaps. Now we just have to locate several commercially-available brands to taste test and mimic. At first, I was really against making sweet stuff because I hate to bake (so f-ing tedious!), but I'm really curious to see how this is going to go. I love playing around with recipe modification.

Fed Up With School Lunch

2010-01-16T15:02:00.002-05:00

You guys should check out this great blog, Fed Up: School Lunch Project.

One teacher sets out on an experiment to eat what the kids eat in 2010. Could you eat school lunch every day for a year? Stay tuned!

Mark Bittman on What's Wrong With What We Eat

2010-01-15T18:14:00.003-05:00

For my Food Management Theory course, we've been assigned several videos to watch online and write brief commentaries to bring to the first day of class.

I found this particular talk by Mark Bittman (love him) on the over-production and over-consumption of meat and junk food and its impact on our health and the environment especially thought-provoking.

What I like is that he implores the audience to cut back on meat rather than going full-blown vegetarian. He also calls the issue one of "global survival" rather than bringing morals into it. That's a kool-aid I can drink.

Of animals, he says, "The time has come to stop raising them industrially and to stop eating them thoughtlessly" and that "there's no way to treat animals well when you're killing ten billion of them a year."

No sh*t.

I was also very interested by his comments on the USDA and the food pyramid and the fact that many of its developers had/have ties to agrobusiness. In short: there's a reason we're not explicitly encouraged to eat a diet rich in plants and low in animal products and junk food...

Garlic Soup

2010-01-14T17:08:00.010-05:00

Cooking has become my favorite procrastination tool. Instead of working on an article I need to turn in tomorrow, I decided to make garlic soup. Garlic is great this time of year when we need a little immune boost. And I don't know about you, but I can always use help keeping the vampires away!

This particular recipe is also a great source of protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

* 1- 2 tbsp of olive oil
* 2 heads garlic
* 1 small shallot
* 1 small sweet onion
* 1 can white cannelinni beans
* 1 potato
* salt and white pepper to taste
* fresh thyme
* 2 cups vegetable broth

Directions:

* Peel the garlic and place the cloves in a roasting pan or dish. Coat with a tsp or so of olive oil and cover. Roast for about 40 minutes at 350.
* Peel and cube the potatoes.
* Add remaining olive oil to soup pan and heat. the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion and shallot. Cook for about a minute.
* Add the potatoes and then the beans.
* Add the vegetable broth. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft—about 20 minutes.
* When the garlic cloves are done, add them to the soup. Stir.
* Blend thoroughly with a hand mixer or blender. I used an immersion blender.
* Return to stove. Season with salt if desired, and pepper. Throw in some fresh thyme.
* Cover and cook over low for another 20 minutes or so.

Serves 2-3

Enjoy. I'm serving this with sauteed zucchini, roasted asparagus, and either whole wheat fusilli with spinach, broccoli and parmesan or whole wheat pita and red-pepper hummus. It's probably great with salad too!

American Obesity Rates Hit Plateau

2010-01-14T08:37:00.004-05:00

According to data released on Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American obesity rates have remained constant for at least 5 years for men and about 10 years for rates of obese women and children.

That's not to say the numbers aren't high, though. An estimated 34 percent of American adults are obese, which is more than double the percent thirty years ago. Perhaps scarier, during the past thirty years, the percent of obese children tripled to 17 percent.

Though Dr. William H Dietz of CDC calls the data "promising" and credited the plateau to increased awareness of obesity, he is careful to note that we can't congratulate ourselves jut yet. In a New York Times article, he says, "I don't think we have in place the kind of policy or environmental changes needed to reverse the epidemic just yet."

Dr. Ludwig, the director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital Boston also stresses that a leveling off is not a free pass to drop the ball on working to prevent obesity. "Until we see numbers improving, not just staying the same, we can't have any confidence that our lifestyle has improved." He even goes so far as to suggest we may have reached a "biological limit" for obesity.

Hm...

I just find it amazing that for a country so obsessed with thinness, we have such high rates of overweight and obesity. I wish my program offered more opportunities to study the psychological aspect. I guess that would be a whole separate degree though. Sometimes I think if it weren't for being so interested in clinical nutrition, I'd focus more on public health and/or food studies. Time for everything, I suppose.

Eat This, Not That!

2010-01-13T10:56:00.002-05:00

I'm probably really late to the game on this one, but I just stumbled across the website for Men's Health's Eat This, Not That!

While I'm not a fan of the alarmist tone to the writing, it's pretty interesting stuff. The fact that someone could dream up a 1600 calorie dessert is grotesquely impressive. I also get a kick out of the visuals and how the "worst" foods are dressed up to look hulking and scary, spilling out of their containers and plates.

Kind of makes me think of movie posters for The Blob.

Beef-Free Burgers

2010-01-12T21:57:00.002-05:00

Sick of the same old hamburger? Freaked out by all the beef recalls? Courting vegetarianism?

Check out this article for some ideas for beef-free burgers. My favorite suggestions are the tuna burgers and of course, the bean-and-vegetable burgers.

Sometimes at home I like to make weird stuff out of whatever's left in the fridge, and you never know, burgers could be the perfect improv dish...I should probably hold off for a bit, though, otherwise I might end up with a roasted-beet-and-asparagus burger. Um...that's a little too weird, even for me : )

New York Aims to Curb Sodium Intake

2010-01-11T21:20:00.003-05:00

Salt made the the front page of Monday's New York Times.

Today, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which aims to cut sodium intake by twenty-five per cent over the next five years, potentially preventing thousands of premature deaths.

High salt levels can raise blood pressure levels, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Americans eat an average of 3,400 milligrams of sodium daily, though the amount recommended by the American Heart Association is 2,300 milligrams. Since a reported 80% of sodium is already in the food when consumers purchase it, food companies are being encouraged to lower the amount of sodium in their products.

I don't personally have a problem with this campaign, though I can understand if someone were to say it makes Bloomberg seem like one of those hovering mothers who tells their kids' friends' parents not to give them junk food at sleepovers (I had a friend growing up whose mom used to brag that her kids had never tasted butter—yikes). While I'd also like to see some kind of health information campaign about what sodium is and why people shouldn't eat too much of it, I'm curious to see how this goes.

Now if only the mayor could do something about neighbors having dance parties on Monday nights...

A Few Words on Appearance (and a cute cat!)

2010-01-11T11:40:00.004-05:00

This is a tiny bit grim of me to say, but while this picture is really cute, it also kind of reminds me of how some doctors think that people with, say, edema (accumulation of fluid) can "live off their fat" while they're in hospital. Oh dear. I hope I never have to have that conversation. It amazes me when I hear dieticians talk about how little doctors are taught about nutrition. A patient in that position might actually be severely malnourished. Appearances can be deceiving...

I had a long, long talk with Chris yesterday about different causes of obesity and about how although only one percent of obesity can be attributed to genetics, that the other ninety-nine percent is not solely the fault of the food industry. There are so many factors contributing to the ill health of people that it's hard to know where to start or how to address the issue at all. One thing Chris brought up that I found very interesting, though, was medications and the way they affect people's bodies. I don't know if enough research has been done to determine the long-term effect increased use of medication with weight gain as a side effect has caused over the years, but I'd be interested to know.

It's also a good reminder that it's really unfair to assume that someone who is overweight is lazy or eats too much or other snap judgments often made. You never know what's going on with them. It's similar to how it's unfair to call anyone underweight anorexic—they might have Chrohn's Disease, for example.

Simply looking someone over is never enough to give you even a fraction of the story. That's why it's important to actually talk to one another...

Picture brought to you by LOLcats at I Can Haz Cheezburger:

Calorie Counts are Frequently Off

2010-01-10T13:30:00.003-05:00

Overall, as I've said many times, I tend to be a fan of calorie labeling in restaurants and other eating establishments because I think they motivate people to think a little more closely about what they want to "spend" their calories on the way we also consider what to spend our dollars on. I've also expressed that I worry that some people could become a little obsessed (who likely would look up calorie content online even if it weren't posted on a menu), and unfortunately, this bit from Time isn't going to help anyone chill out.

Susan Roberts, professor at Tufts, along with Jean Mayer of Tufts' USDA Nutrition Research Center on Aging decided to analyze an array of restaurant and frozen food items, taking care to select the ones dieters might be most likely to reach for. Sure enough, the calorie counts posted on labels and menus were off by as much as 18% for restaurant foods and 8% for frozen foods.

I think the main thing I would take away from the article is that even when an item is said to contain a certain number of calories, your best bet is really to listen to the cues your body sends you. Eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full, for most people (myself included), sounds simpler than it is in practice, but mindful eating is something to work towards.

For a laugh, you could try practicing on a raisin. The Center for Mindful Eating is a really interesting organization, and their website is worth checking out. You might also want to read this post I wrote last summer for Five Seasons Healing, an acupuncture practice in Union Square.

Heartburn

2010-01-09T23:12:00.006-05:00

Greetings from the Bolt Bus. I'm en route back to New York from a whirlwind trip to Boston that included visits to several dietetic internship sites and drinks with a girlfriend and coffee with other people I don't get to see enough and a delicious meal at this restaurant called The Elephant Walk in Cambridge.

In my former life as a Writing and Publishing student, I didn't seem to understand that one could both enjoy food and cooking and write well (I read way too much Bukowski in college, and thought that to have any cred, I needed to live on whiskey and wine and cheap stew and, like, nickel-candy bars and just write all night long about, well, things). But then, I also smoked cigars and wore cowboy boots every day and didn't own a hairdryer and sort of pretended I wasn't an honors student, so there you go. Clearly, it was just a phase. Now, I often do my best creative writing while stirring a pot of soup or waiting for lentils to cook.

The point of this post is to tell you to read Nora Ephron's 1983 book Heartburn. I just read it in one sitting and loved it. Somehow, she manages to turn a novel about a cookbook author who, seven months into her pregnancy, discovers her husband is having an affair into a laugh-out-loud (on the bus!) read.

The Taco Bell Diet?

2010-01-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, have you guys heard about the Taco Bell Diet (aka Drive-Thru Diet)?

I'm serious. Taco Bell's girl Christine is to Taco Bell what Jared was to Subway. By eating from the "Fresco Menu" (a set of menu items with no cheese or sauce which come with a tomato salsa) five to eight times per week, she reportedly lost 54 pounds in two years.

These Fresco menu items are only 20 to 100 calories less than regular menu items, which makes the whole thing sound like marketing to me—a thinly-veiled ploy to get fast-food put on one of those ridiculous "Good Foods" lists.

Granted, when you're on the road and your options are limited, a soft taco is probably a better choice than an order of fries since it will give you some nutrients for your calories, but eight times a week? Oh dear.

While I'm the first to admit that I can be a bit of a food snob (why have McDonald's when I can have homemade hummus with greens and just-roasted peppers on whole wheat pita and fresh fruit on a road trip?), it can be very easy to make small tweaks at almost any eatery (or at home) that can cut calories or enhance the nutritional value of a meal, depending on your needs. Two years is a perfectly reasonable time in which to lose 54 pounds (that's about a half-pound per week), but you don't have to rely on one restaurant to make it happen for you.

Point of this post: If you're concerned about your health, consult a dietician, not a fast-food mascot. I miss that Chihuahua.

Many Parents Overestimate Child's Activity

2010-01-07T13:22:00.002-05:00

Tara Parker-Pope recently posted on her New York Times blog Well about a British study that showed how often parents may overestimate how physically active their child on.

In the study, 1,892 British school children were equipped with accelerometers that measured their activity throughout the day. A child was seen as inactive if that activity amounted to less than an hour per day. Though the vast majority of parents described their child as physically active, over 39 percent of girls and 18 percent of boys were actually getting less than 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

Interestingly, it was the parents of children with lower fat mass who guessed wrong about the adequacy of their child's activity, as were parents of girls. I find that fascinating. I imagine that says something to the way we perceive overweight individuals in terms of physical activity as well as something girls and self-esteem perhaps? Just a few front-of-the-mind thoughts that may be worth unpacking...

Sorry, Michael Pollan

2010-01-06T09:03:00.010-05:00

As I mentioned in Monday's post, Michael Pollan made an appearance last night at the Barnes and Noble in Tribeca. I'm sure a lot of my classmates and fellow Michael Pollan groupies were present, but I decided, instead, to go see my boyfriend's band, My Cousin, the Emperor play a mellow acoustic show at the Rockwood Music Hall.

Sometimes, you just need a night off. When classes are in session, I often have to miss Chris' shows, so it was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy without having to worry about looming assignments or my alarm clock. Since my school is on break and since my two most regular jobs involve colleges in some capacity, I've had a chance to go out to lunch with friends, visit my family, see movies, and even check out a few museums.

As interesting as I find Michael Pollan's work and as great as I'm sure the event was, I just didn't feel like crowding into a Barnes and Noble to talk about someone else's "food rules." And besides, even if I weren't living in sin with the bass player, I'd still love this band.

I think it's important to make time to do things you like to do rather than always do the things you think you "should" do. Enjoying life is just a part of overall wellness as eating right for your body and sleeping enough.

Takeout or Frozen Meal?

2010-01-05T09:45:00.005-05:00

When it comes to lunch at your desk or dinner on a busy or late night, what's a better choice—takeout or a frozen "diet" meal? I don't know about you, but when I was first living on my own at 20, I subsisted mainly on Amy's organic meals and other heat-and-eat dishes. I was so clueless in the kitchen...

In their February 2010 issue, Consumer Reports takes a look at frozen entrees from companies such as Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Kashi, and Healthy Choice.

What they mainly found was that these meals taste pretty good but tend to be too small—many clock in at 300 calories or less. However the magazine points out that this provides a good opportunity for consumers to add vegetables and fruits to balance out the dish. Another downside was that a lot of these frozen items pack a lot of sodium, with 800 mg being a pretty typical amount, though 600 mg is considered a reasonable amount for someone taking in the recommended 2,300 mg or less per day.

Still, Consumer Report considers a frozen entree a much better option than takeout because of their automatic portion control—especially a plus for people trying to monitor their weight in a healthy manner.

Nutrition and Food in 2010

2010-01-04T13:05:00.005-05:00

Good afternoon! I was just procrastinating/perusing some of my favorite blogs, and I came across this post on Marion Nestle's blog Food Politicstitled "What's up with food and nutrition in 2010?"

Her top-ten list includes childhood obesity, food safety regulation, food advertising and labels, and sustainable agriculture, among other things. Definitely worth reading.

Also! If you happen to be in the New York area tomorrow night, Michael Pollan will be appearing at the Barnes and Noble in Tribeca to discuss and sign his new book, Food Rules.

An interesting op-ed on fortification

2010-01-03T09:34:00.002-05:00

I was just reading this New York Times Op-Ed and thought it was worth sharing.

Author Nicholas D. Kristof discusses his views on the importance of fortification of foods with micronutrients such as folic acid, iron, and iodine. He cites prevention of birth defects as the main reason foods should have important nutrients added to them. He also brings David Dodson,founder of Project Healthy Children in to weigh in on the subject.

I think that Mr. Dodson has a point when he says that it is much cheaper to prevent birth defects than to treat them. A year's supply of folic acid, for example, "costs less than a hamburger." However, I also think this is a good spot to repeat what one of my dietetics professors said: The only thing a vitamin can cure is a deficiency of that vitamin.

As Mr. Dodson puts it, “It’s not a sexy world health issue, but it’s about the nuts and bolts of putting together a healthy population. Putting small amounts of iron, iodine and folic acid in the food supply hasn’t drawn attention the way it does when you treat someone who is sick or in a refugee camp. Until recently, this has been off everybody’s radar screen.”

While I think fortifying foods for reasons such as the prevention of birth defects is a positive thing, packing not-so-healthy foods with nutrients to get people to buy them is dishonest and kind of sleazy.

Welcoming 2010

2010-01-02T09:31:00.007-05:00

It's that time again...Every January I dread going to the gym because of how crowded it gets. While I don't want to be a jerk, I have to admit that the New Years Resolution-ers bug me. While exercise is great for your mind and body and if the only time you can get motivated to get moving is January 1st, so be it, but it's, like, why can't we just take care of ourselves all year round? Why wait until January? Why not start a new regimen in, say, September? Why do we listen to the media voices that tell us to indulge like crazy (and feel guilty) all through December and then vow to "get back in shape" once the hangover clears? Oh wait, I remember—it's because balanced approaches don't sell as well.

I'm not a fan of resolutions, especially weight-loss resolutions and other midnight promises that involve restrictive, unrealistic guidelines. While I do think it's perfectly sane and healthy to decide you want to take good care of yourself, I have a big problem with the way our culture pushes the whole "New Year, New You!" thing, pressuring us to buy diet products and workout gear and Finally! Lose! Those! Last! Five! Pounds! I can't open a magazine or click on a health-related website without seeing an ad promising me I can lose x pounds in y days/weeks/months.

Gag me.

That said, I do kind of like the idea that what you do on January 1st can set the stage for a year in which you stay true to yourself and your needs. Judging by my New Years Day, I suppose it's safe to say that I want my 2010 to hold a lot of yoga, ukulele-playing, roasted vegetables, and gatherings with friends.

Hope your 2010 is off to a beautiful, peaceful start!

Lucky Foods for New Years

2009-12-31T16:38:00.005-05:00

Hope you've got some great New Years plans lined up. Since I live way too close to Times Square, I am chilling in for the evening and instead going out tomorrow night. Chris and I are cooking up a nice dinner using recipes from the cookbooks we got for Christmas alongside some old favorites.

On the menu:

*Mixed greens with roasted beets, sliced pear, toasted walnuts, and maybe blue cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette
*Roasted garlic, served with roasted peppers, hummus, and whole wheat flatbread
*Vegetable antipasto—lots of roasted and grilled vegetables, served with olives and feta
*Sesame soy slaw, made with brussel sprouts, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce and red onion
*Lentil-stuffed peppers

Jury's still out on dessert. We have a lot of sweets we were given over the holiday, so we'll probably use those in some capacity. I also have diet gingerale and Prosecco on hand.

Did you know that in some cultures, certain foods are considered lucky to eat on New Years Eve? For example, greens are supposedly an auspicious thing to chew on since they look like money and are said to attract the green stuff in the coming year. Legumes like beans, peas and lentils are also said to symbolize money. I guess it's good that our New Years meal involves a lot of both.

Some other lucky eats? Pork and fish—but not lobster. According to this article, lobster is considered a decidedly unlucky thing to eat since lobsters move backwards and could lead to setbacks. Good to know.

Happy New Year!

And please, please, please—whatever resolutions you choose to make, remember to be kind to yourself!

Cookie Diet Founder is Suing Kim Kardashian

2009-12-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

In today's hilarious news, Dr. Siegel, founder of the Cookie Diet, which I posted about several weeks ago, is reportedly suing Kim Kardashian for calling the cookies "unhealthy" on her Twitter page. Oh dear...

First, the actress sent a cease and desist letter to the company, accusing them of falsely claiming that she was endorsing the diet. Siegel and Co., in turn, are seeking damages again Kardashian. What they reportedly claim is that she had a "commercial motive" to bash the weight-loss cookies, given her work with QuickTrim, another weight loss program. You can read more here.

Yet another reason I hate quick-fix, product-based diets. It's kind of amusing, though. I mean, celebrity names aside, someone is that invested in freaking cookies that they're suing someone over negative comments about said cookies. What is our world coming to?

Whole Foods to Return to its Health-Food Roots

2009-12-29T08:29:00.002-05:00

Whole Foods is putting shoppers on a diet: Says CEO John Mackey, "There have been these two dominant values driving our products over the years. One is food as health and the other one is food as indulgence. Those have battled, you might say, for the soul of Whole Foods."

Mackey recently spoke about his intentions to focus less on the indulgent aspect of food and more on healthy foods. This is, in part, because indulgence has fallen out of fashion in this economy, and there seem to be a lot more people interested in healthy eating. He expressed that a push to promote healthy foods may be in step with the broader arc.

The products won't change overnight but will gradually evolve.

You can read more here.

Christmas Cookbooks

2009-12-28T18:24:00.004-05:00

I am totally that person who never knows what they want for Christmas. Now that my relatives know I like to cook, however, it means that I get fewer gross-smelling candles and more things like kitchenware and cookbooks.

This year, my mom made my sister and I cookbooks with the recipes for all her "basics." I think that might have been my favorite gift. She also got me Alice Water's book, The Art of Simple Food. Nice!

Chris got Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian from his sister and Tassajara Dinners & Desserts by Dale and Melissa Kent from my parents, which looks great too.

Chris' mom also got me a cute little cutting board and basting brush that's shaped like a...small blue person. It even has a belly-button. She also gave us some olives and olive-wood utensils with which to spear said olives. She also got Chris this weird apron. I can't remember what the translation is, but with the "no" sign over the crotch, it seems to be saying, "Not now, honey, I'm cooking!"

Or something. I could get creative and let my mind wander, but I don't think this is the place for blue-streak kind of blogging.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T12:48:00.003-05:00

Wherever you are, and whatever you're up to today, hope it's wonderful! I'm in Boston with Chris spending the holiday with his family. It's amazing how much you learn about someone and their families from their holiday traditions—and what food they serve! If nothing else, I have learned that if I ever get married, there will be no—I repeat, no-karaoke at the wedding.

Merry Christmas! Here's a ridiculous picture from last weekend at my parents' house. If you couldn't tell, we're none too fond of posing but were having a good time goofing around with the lights.

Vegan-Friendliness

2009-12-22T23:22:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I take for granted how easy it is to find vegetarian and vegan eats in New York. Today, for example, while doing my holiday shopping, I stopped in at Pure Juice for a tall glass of "green spice" juice and raw vegetable sushi rolls (made with jicama-and-pine-nut rice!). A little later, I met up with a girlfriend for coffee at Cocoa V, a vegan chocolate-and-wine place, which just opened up on Ninth Ave.

Of course, our coffee plans actually turned into healthy glasses of Malbec and a sharing of a vegan cheese plate and chocolate once Chris arrived. The portions are small (but in that "perfect taste" way), and it's not exactly cheap, but it was a very nice treat to linger for a couple hours and enjoy a moment of peace before the holiday madness envelopes us all. The hot chocolate samples they brought out were pretty awesome too! Worth stopping in even if you're not a vegan. I mean, hell, I'm not even technically a vegetarian.

After that, we all hit up the Chelsea Market to pick up cellophane for cookies Chris and I had made as well as some last-minute treats for family members. I couldn't believe how many interesting shops and places to eat there were in there! I'm definitely going to go back sometime in the very near future! If you're in the New York area, you should check it out!

Hope your holiday prep has been more fun than stressful!

Never mind

2009-12-22T08:52:00.005-05:00

I feel kind of like a dope now for actually believing for a split-second that the FTC's December 15 forum on food marketing to kids and the proposal that I blogged about a few days ago might actually hold some promise. It never fails to amaze me how one source of media will paint a completely different picture from another. I guess during finals week I was a bit lazy about not checking various sources of important stories. Haha but at least finals are over now and I have no excuse!

If you've never read Marion Nestle's blog, Food Politics, or any of her books for that matter, I'd recommend having a look—I find what she writes eye-opening. I went back a few entries today and found some more specifics on what exactly the group proposal (which I posted about a few days ago) entailed.

I'd read that it proposed restrictions on saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and sodium for foods marketed to children, but what I hadn't seen was what those limits were: 1 gram saturated fat or less per serving and not more than 15% of total calories; less than half a gram of trans fat per serving; no more than 13 grams of sugar per serving; and no more than 200 mg of sodium per serving.

You don't have to be a student of dietetics to see that there are a lot, a lot of unhealthy foods can still meet these guidelines. Not only that, but there's still a lot of discrepancy over what a serving size should be in the first place. Besides that, there's a whole slew of other hazy details complicating the matter. Talk about a mess. While I'm glad the issue is getting some attention (not that it hasn't been getting attention), it's disheartening to see some of the ways in which food companies get around regulations both in place and proposed.

How to Make Your Own Brown Sugar

2009-12-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

A lot of baking recipes call for both white sugar and brown sugar. What I didn't know until I took my first food lab was that you don't actually have to buy brown sugar—you can just make your own using granulated sugar and molasses!

For "dark brown" sugar, use 2 tablespoons molasses per 1 cup sugar, and for "light brown sugar," use 1 tablespoon of molasses per cup of sugar. Voila!

Diet Drinks

2009-12-21T13:27:00.002-05:00

As I sit here typing this, I am sipping a tall glass of diet pepsi leftover from our party Friday night (I'm shocked it's still fizzy, like, four days later). While I cut way back on diet soda about a year ago, it's been hard for me to avoid it recently, thanks to finals and needing to stay awake through marathon group study sessions. Sure, it's better than cocaine, but it makes me a little dizzy to think of all the weird chemicals I've taken in over the past three weeks.

This entry on Washington Post blog The Checkup reminded me of some of the reasons I am not such a fan of diet sodas. While so far, scientific studies have shown that artificial sweeteners don't appear to pose cancer risks, there is some speculation that they mess with our perception and processing of real sugar.

David Ludwig of Children's Hospital Boston suggests that diet drinks, with their lack of nutrients and intensely sweet flavors may condition us to be less satisfied by naturally-sweet, nutrient-rich foods like fruits as well as the non-sweet flavors of vegetables, legumes, and the like. This could cause some people to make unhealthy choices, often replacing those calories absent from the drinks with other sources. Being able to associate sweetness with caloric intake is one of the internal cues that may be subdued by excess consumption of diet drinks. I guess only time and long-term studies of the effects of diet drinks will tell for sure.

A sundae is a beautiful thing once in a while, and with a balanced diet, you can easily work in the occasional treat, but it's no substitute for a vitamin-packed piece of fruit—or a meal. I am totally talking to my 19-year-old self here, who was known to eat ice cream with cereal for dinner when the dining hall was having an off-night, which happened pretty often. Glad I learned how to cook.

Federal Group Seeks to Cut Food Advertising to Children

2009-12-19T15:51:00.002-05:00

A federal group created by Congress is looking to restrict food marketing to children to include only foods that provide "a meaningful contribution to a healthful diet," according to their proposal. This group also wants to limit the advertising of foods and beverages high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, which they feel contribute to childhood obesity.

The recommendations this group is working on will be sent to Congress next year after a public comment period.

I would really like to see something like this go into effect. It drives me nuts how aggressively unhealthy foods are pushed on children, and it would be wonderful to see the government do something to curb that. What a concept.

Check out this Wall Street Journal article for more info.

My Pyramid: Tips for a Healthy Holiday

2009-12-18T17:55:00.003-05:00

Finally, a source other than a women's magazine about healthy holiday eating and living: My Pyramid. Click here for info about portion sizes, safe cooking, and making good choices so you can enjoy the festivities without having to stress about food.

Study shows fat won't affect weight gain

2009-12-18T09:15:00.005-05:00

In recent years, people have become slightly less fearful of fat, there's still this idea that if you're trying to lose weight, you have to eat low-fat versions of products and obsess over how many grams certain products have. While it's true that fat has about twice as many calories per gram as protein and carbs, it is an essential part of the diet, and many weight loss diets even recommend getting about 20-30 percent of your daily calories from fat, preferably unsaturated.

A new UK study, in which researchers followed 90,000 people from six different countries for up to ten years, shows that the percentage of calories a person got from fat, as opposed to carbs and proteins, had nothing to do with how much weight they gained over time. While participants gained an average of a quarter of a pound a year, there was no relationship found between how much weight people gained and how much fat they ate—the kind of fat also appeared not to matter.

Of course, researchers pointed out that this doesn't mean people should eat as much fat as they want—there are things like heart health to worry about—but that it's worth noting that the most "fattening" foods aren't always high-fat. A lot of low-fat products can be jut as high in calories and a lot less satisfying, prompting consumers to eat the whole box. Something to think about next time you've got the choice between an oreo and an imitation.

Read more here.

More on The End of Overeating

2009-12-16T09:41:00.005-05:00

I love the New York Public Library. I have gotten to read so many great books without having to pay a dime.

David Kessler's The End of Overeating finally came in for me last week, and I must say, if you have the opportunity to read it, do it.

To give you a quick summary, Michael Pollen says of this book: "A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. The End of Overeating is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet."

Kessler gets into the specifics of the sugar-salt-fat flavors people are conditioned to crave and the ways in which foods are engineered to be irresistible. I guarantee, you will never look at a TGIFridays or a Chili's or a Cheesecake Factory menu the same way ever again.

I have to say, though, the way he writes about people's responses to trigger foods and their feelings of powerlessness against them stresses me out a little. I think that's a compliment to his writing and ability to communicate the hold these foods have on these individuals. This book is compelling and fascinating and it makes me feel a tiny bit bad for all the lab rats involved in the experiments cited. In short: it's a must-read.

Joy Bauer's 1-Minute Pumpkin Pudding

2009-12-16T00:17:00.000-05:00

I'm a little bit obsessed with pumpkin. I eat it all year round—pumpkin oatmeal and pumpkin risotto are a few favorites. I also have some pumpkin ravioli in my freezer right now (thanks, mom!). I saw this video posted on Self Magazine's Healthy Bites blog and wanted to share it with you. I haven't tried it yet, but it's definitely on the to-do list!

Champagne is the New Red Wine

2009-12-15T08:10:00.002-05:00

Good news! According to a recent British Study, a glass of champagne delivers as many health benefits as red wine and chocolate.

Researcher Dr. Jeremy Spencer of Reading University found that it contains the same polyphenol antioxidants, which help promote heart health by slowing down the removal of nitric oxide from the blood, thus lowering blood pressure. Cheaper alternatives to champagne such as cava and Prosecco also contain these antioxidants.

Says Dr. Spencer, "We have found that a couple of glasses a day has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels – which suggests champagne has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease."

I'm not sure if the guidelines are different in the UK, but here, women are advised to stick to one drink a day and men to two, but hey, I'm always happy to have a reason to drink champagne. I don't drink very often, so when I do, I like it to be something really good!

Green Smoothie=Success!

2009-12-14T16:03:00.003-05:00

So I finally gave in to my green smoothie craving today and made one! OMG this thing is good: frozen banana + 1/4 chopped apple + a little chopped pear + a big handful of spinach + 1/3 c kefir + 1/3 scoop vanilla protein powder = awesome!

Pouring on the Fat: Going Viral

2009-12-14T13:34:00.004-05:00

Oh wow. This is disgusting and fascinating and I absolutely had to share:

Check out the video on YouTube. When I can figure out how to embed it here, I will!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F4t8zL6F0c

What do you think of green smoothies?

2009-12-12T12:19:00.004-05:00

I'm not really sure why, but lately I've been curious about green smoothies. Not only is it a convenient way to get in some of your daily vegetables, but I imagine they'd be a nice break from your typical strawberry-banana variety or whatever your personal standby is. I think I'll have to make one in the near future to see if I like them.

Here's a recipe I found online that might be good:

Ingredients

* 1/2 banana, cut in chunks
* 1/2 (6 ounce) tub vanilla yogurt
* 1/4 apple, cored and chopped
* 3/4 cup fresh spinach leaves

Directions

Place the banana, grapes, yogurt, apple and spinach into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, stopping frequently to push down anything stuck to the sides. Pour into glasses and serve.

I think it might be good to use frozen bananas to give it a thicker texture, but I guess it depends what you're in the mood for. Adding pear might be great too. I think I'd also use plain yogurt, since most of the pre-sweetened varieties out there tend to be a little too sweet, but either way, it sounds good to me.

General Mills to Reduce Sugar in Cereal

2009-12-10T13:48:00.005-05:00

About time! General Mills announced Wednesday that it plans to reduce the amount of sugar in 10 of their kids' cereals.

For example, the added sugars in Cocoa Puffs could reportedly be reduced by 25% of the original level and 18% off the current level along with an increase in whole grains and nutrients. Some other cereals that are said to be getting the same treatment are Trix and Lucky Charms.

Last year, Kellogg's reduced the sugars in some of their cereals such as Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Corn Pops, and Post also plans to retune some of their cereals this year as well. Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles are due for a makeover, apparently.

I can't help wondering just how they plan to reduce the sugar while retaining their token sweet flavor. While it's possible they can probably get by using less and counting on kids not to notice too much, I wouldn't be surprised to learn they're using some other kind of sweetener.

While sugary, low-fiber cereals aren't necessarily the best choices, they're better than a lot of other ready-to-eat foods kids might grab on their way out the door (aka, pop tarts, donuts), especially when consumed with milk. Unlike sugar, kids' and teenagers' diets are much lower in milk than they used to be.

Anyone hear about how the dairy industry's "Raise Your Hand For Chocolate Milk" campaign? I have mixed feelings about it. While it's true that some kids probably wouldn't drink pre-sweetened milk and any milk may be better than none, I don't think we should ascribe that belief to all children. I think this practice of marketing sugary products and other "kid" foods to children should stop. Kids are allowed to drink milk and eat real, whole foods that adults do.

That said, I did just make myself a soy-milk hot chocolate...Once in a while, a treat like that is nice—just a tablespoon of a high-quality organic mix that actually has real cocoa powder in it is all you really need to add. It's the artificial stuff we're telling our kids they like better than everything else is what I have a problem with.

On the other hand, I think that if schools get rid of chocolate milk, then maybe they should also get rid of sodas and sugary juices. While chocolate milk may not be as great a choice as regular milk, I think it's usually a better option than a drink that won't even give you any nutrients (aside from calories) with all that sugar.

Cookie Diet? Seriously?

2009-12-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, I can't believe that there's anybody out there even prescribing a "cookie diet," yet it turns out there are quite a few: Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet, Smart For Life, and the Hollywood Cookie Diet are a few of the most popular programs.

You heard me right: eat pre-packaged cookies (engineered with substances such as glycerine and protein powder) and then have a token "sensible dinner" of lean protein and veggies—all for 800-1,200 calories a day.

Duh, if you take in fewer calories than you burn, you're going to lose weight, but intakes that low can send your body into starvation mode and throw off your metabolism. I am not a fan of single-ingredient diets or diets that require you to purchase special products.

I wish there was a way to convince people that the best way to lose weight ("and keep it off!") or improve their health is by learning how to make small effective changes that can lead to the results they want. You can't get that from a flippin' cookie.

This Wall Street Journal article takes a look at this weird eating plan.

That said, a well-balanced "cookie" makes a much better snack or quick breakfast than a candy bar or pastry. Check out this recipe for a no-bake breakfast cookie you can make ahead and grab on your way out the door. Homemade almost always beats pre-packaged.

Label Makeover

2009-12-09T06:08:00.002-05:00

Finally! The food labels are getting a makeover!

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has decided it's time. The new label will be the first update on the labels required on food since the passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act almost twenty years ago. The changes are intended to make labels easier to understand by putting the information into a context consumers can more clearly comprehend.

Some of the proposed changes are (courtesy of Tara Parker-Pope's Well blog):

1. Put calorie and serving size information in larger type at the top of the label so it’s immediately clear how much you are eating.
2. Make the ingredient list easier to read by printing it in regular type instead of all capital letters. Use bullets to separate ingredients rather than allowing them to all run together.
3. List minor ingredients and allergens separately from the main ingredient list. Highlight allergy information in red.
4. List similar ingredients together and show the percentage by weight. For instance, sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and grape juice concentrate are all forms of sugar and should be listed in parenthesis under the catchall heading “sugars.”
5. Use red labeling and the word “high” when a product has more than 20 percent of the daily recommendation for fats, sugars, sodium or cholesterol.
6. Make it clear which sugars are added to the product versus those that occur naturally.
7. Display prominently the percentage of whole grains contained in a product.
8. List caffeine content.

This image shows some of the proposed revisions. You can see and read more here.

I'm curious to see what the labels finally end up looking like!

Not So Slim-Fast

2009-12-08T10:22:00.005-05:00

Last week, the FDA issued a recall on ready-to-drink Slim-Fast diet shakes, regardless of flavor or best-by date, lot code, or UPC number. The recall is due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus, a microorganism which can cause nausea and diarrhea, and vomiting.

I've never tried Slim-Fast, but I do know some people who drink it as a snack when they're on the go. If you know of anyone who would benefit from this information, pass it along.

Visit Slim-Fast online for more details .

Millions of Americans Drinking Dirty Water

2009-12-08T08:09:00.004-05:00

It's not every day that the town you grew up in shows up in a front-page story in the Times. Unfortunately, that's rarely a good thing when it does happen. This morning while reading the paper, I noticed that the town my sister and I went to school in (because our town didn't have a high school), where a lot of our friends are from, was one of the towns cited for their contaminated water.

This particular borough tested high since 2004 for arsenic and dry-cleaning solvent tetrachloroethyline, both carcinogens. The town has not been fined, but it has installed filtration systems to deal with the problem. But still, cheerful stuff we're dealing with here.

And this town is just one in the group that makes up about 20 percent of U.S. water systems that have in some way violated the Safe Drinking Water Act over the past five years.

Even more cheerful, studies show that millions of illnesses can be linked to dirty drinking water every year. In the past five years, a reported 49 million illnesses have been attributed to contamination by substances such as arsenic, radioactive material like uranium, and dangerous bacteria found in sewage. Worse, only some 6 percent of violating systems have been fined or punished by state or federal official.

However, the Environment Protection Agency is expected to propose a new policy today for how it polices our country's 54,700 water systems. While I find these kinds of proclamations encouraging, I can't help but feel like there's the way a policy looks on paper and then the way it is enforced in the real world. I guess we shall see. At least if all my old friends start dying off, I'll know why.

Consumers Crave All-Day Breakfast

2009-12-06T21:08:00.002-05:00

Living in New York, I think I take it for granted that if I really want, I can get an egg-white omelet or a belgian waffle or oatmeal any time of day or night I want. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.

There are, naturally, many people who would like to be able to get breakfast all the time. According to recent restaurant surveys, nearly half of US consumers report wanting full-service restaurants to offer breakfast fare all day and about a third would like limited-service restaurants to do the same.

As noted in Technomic's "Breakfast Consumer Trend Report," consumers in general find breakfast food comforting, but women are even more into the idea of being able to get breakfast at lunch and dinner. I guess I can see that.

Also interesting, apparently the purchase of breakfast sandwiches is on the rise. I don't know why I find this so interesting or amusing exactly...maybe because I've always thought of, like, bacon-egg-and-cheese-type breakfasts as hangover food (at least for me, though it's fortunately been a long, long time...).

Even though you could joke that a lot more people are probably drinking a lot because the economy sucks, I think it's also true that a savory breakfast is very comforting and makes people feel like they're getting a good, solid start to their day. I guess you could also say that in times like these, you need to feel like you're getting off on the right foot in at least some respect.

It could also be, too, that breakfast tends to be cheaper than other meals.

Eating Like the Obamas

2009-12-06T09:32:00.002-05:00

Okay, the two Obama posts in a row is a sort-of coincidence. I just wanted to share this recipe that someone had re-posted from People magazine, of all places. I haven't read People in years (though I did have to skim through it when I was working in PR to look for clips), and I guess it occasionally runs articles that apply to nutrition.

I tried this out last night on Chris, and he actually liked it! I served it as a side dish to homemade soup, but it might be really great with pork chops or even something like grilled salmon. I'm looking forward to having the leftovers with lunch. I might try it over quinoa and add some tofu or some of the pink beans leftover from yesterday's lunch. We'll see. Cleaning the fridge sometimes helps you flex your creativity muscles.

Obama-Style Sauteed Greens and Sweet Potatoes
Recipe adapted from Chef Sam Kass

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes
2 bunches of greens (chard, kale or collards) (I used one bunch of collards)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 ground cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (for sauteing the sweet potatoes—I didn't need quite this much)

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite size pieces.

2. Heat half the oil in pan over medium heat and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just brown on all sides and soft (about 12-15 minutes, depending on size). When they are ready, add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the greens (do not dry), remove stems and cut leaves into small pieces. Heat remaining oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding greens. Stir often and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Combine potatoes, honey and lemon juice with the greens, stir and serve.

ADA Commends Michelle Obama

2009-12-04T21:13:00.003-05:00

This week, the American Dietetic Association commended Michelle Obama for her "remarkable efforts to bring good nutrition and healthful eating to the forefront of America's families, especially our nation's children."

In a letter addressed to the First Lady, ADA further details her contributions and describes the ways in which they are currently backing up her efforts to reverse current negative health trends as well as what they plan to do in the near future.

I'll spare you the gushing, since if you read this blog, you probably already know how much I like Michelle Obama, but man, it is so nice to read about something good going on this week. Hope you have a good weekend planned!

Read the letter here.

Pay a Cent Per Calorie at KFC

2009-12-03T13:09:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, KFC announced that it will featuring a "penny-per-calorie" holiday promotion. $3.95 gets you a gilled thigh and drumstick plus green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy—395 calories.

I'll believe it when I see it (not that I intend to sample—I've found myself in pescetarian mode lately), but I am glad to see a somewhat more healthy concept used as a come-on. 395 calories is a really decent-sized lunch, and it seems that the meal is pretty balanced. I'd like to see more retailers try this approach.

Read more here.

Word from the Flexitarian Front

2009-12-01T20:20:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted about flexitarianism in a while, but I found this segment on NPR's Tell Me More really interesting. Host Jennifer Ludden had ADA's Dawn Jackson Blatner—the author of The Flexitarian Diet—to discuss the need to be a little bit, um, flexible during the holiday season.

In short, the main message is to cut back on meat and load up on vegetables. Blatner also tells vegetarian listeners how to get that savory umami flavor found in meats. She also encourages vegetarians to just have a little turkey and enjoy the meal, treating meat as a condiment.

It's an interesting suggestion. I suppose it all depends on why someone chooses to follow a vegetarian diet in the first place. I will say, I did have a meatless Thanksgiving, and I didn't feel a bit like I was missing out, thanks to the nontraditional yet delicious spanikopita my mom brought!

Really, when it comes down to it, you just have to do what works for you.

2009-12-01T08:12:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I had a discussion with someone who remarked on how America is perhaps the only country where "the poor are fatter than the rich."

I don't know if we're the only country where those with a lower income tend to have a higher body mass index, but it interesting to think about why this is.

About one in eight people in the US are on food stamps, a quarter of them children, and living off of roughly three dollars a day. That doesn't make it easy to cover one's basic nutritional needs, which causes many people to fill up on cheap, high-calorie foods with little nutritional value.

It seems unfair that foods people really need cost so much. I mean, I spent two bucks on a container of strawberries yesterday, and that's considered a bargain in New York! In a lot of ways, it's like an entire population is excluded from the healthy-eating discussion. Yeah, you can tell someone to eat salmon to get their omega-3s, but a 6-ounce fillet will run you at least five dollars. For someone trying to feed a family on a fixed income, that's just not going to happen.

Stocking up on basics like brown rice and dried beans is a good start, but we have to get more information out there and work to make it more possible to eat well on a budget. I totally sound like an idealist, but it could happen...

Here's an article about the challenges of being on a "food-stamp diet."

Neighborhood Gem

2009-11-29T12:55:00.003-05:00

I don't usually post too much about restaurants, but last night when we got home, Chris and I stopped in at this Greek restaurant, Dafni, which opened in our neighborhood this summer. We'd always walked right by it, sort of writing it off because of its proximity to Port Authority, but man, were we wrong!

We split an order of kolokithokeftedes—zucchini fritters with onion, mint and cheese served with tzatziki—and the vegetarian moussaka—layers of vegetables in a tomato sauce with cucumber relish and fava dip on the side. That shut us up.

If you ever find yourself in the area, you should definitely drop in. They also have a pretty good wine list, which I'm looking forward to exploring in the near future.

Photo from restaurant website.

Thanksgiving Yogurt Adventure

2009-11-27T14:31:00.005-05:00

As I sit writing this, I am at Chris' mom's kitchen table trying to get motivated to do homework. Yesterday's celebration at his dad's house was really nice, and afterwards, Chris and I stopped by the house of one of my friends from college. A whole collection of people I know from the Boston poetry scene were there, so it was great to catch up.

This morning involved going to the gym with Chris' mom and then enjoying some hot coffee while looking out over the river. Since she's only been in this apartment for about a week, there wasn't a whole lot in the fridge, but there were a few containers of Stonyfield Farms yogurt she told me to help myself to. There was also a half-finished container of whole milk plain yogurt left by the previous tenant.

I tend to prefer plain yogurt, so I will admit, I actually tasted the leftover stuff. It was still good, but I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of whole milk yogurt. I'm sure if I were used to it, I wouldn't have found the taste so weird, but it was just kind of...funny. So I reached for one of the "berry pomegranate" flavored varieties.

The yogurt was pretty good, if a little sweet. While scanning the ingredients, I noted the organic evaporated cane juice (sugar) and the organic fruit juices and the ubiquitous "natural flavor." I always find it funny how companies try to convince you that their product is somehow healthier because it's sweetened with fruit juice or with evaporated cane juice. I mean, sugar is sugar is sugar, and gram for gram, different varieties have the same nutritional value (nil). This yogurt also had pectin in it, which is a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide, which is a sugar) found in fruit peels and skins. It's basically what allows cooking apples to gel, and it's often used as a thickening agent.

While I guess it's better than the gelatin I saw listed in a suspisciously-thick Yoplait Light yogurt I had at a rest stop on Wednesday, it just seems weird that one would want to have their yogurt specially thickened. I mean, what's wrong with regular yogurt? It seems thick enough to me. This stuff felt a bit like eating creamy jello.

I don't think that people who buy pre-sweetened, thickened yogurts are bad or anything. Sometimes it's a better alternative than other offerings, especially if you're traveling. I just think it's annoying that the food companies add such weird stuff to otherwise innocuous products.

Anyway, that's my two cents for the day. Tonight we're going to a dosa restaurant in Central Square and to see some of Chris' high school friends. Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!

McDonald's Goes "Green"

2009-11-25T15:06:00.001-05:00

By the end of 2009, about 100 McDonald's restaurants in Germany will be swapping the traditional red background for a hunter green intended to boost the chain's eco-friendly image in Europe. Some locations in Britain and France have already made the change.

Granted, this does reflect the company's recent changes to more environmentally-friendly refrigeration methods and converting used oil into biofuel, but I don't know, reading stuff like this kind of annoys me. This is why I guess I'm not working in PR anymore. I feel like McDonald's is in no position to be luring in customers attempted to lead a greener lifestyle. Can we talk, just for a minute, about the strain obesity (to which a diet rich in fast food may contribute) has on the planet?

Read more here.

"Food Holidays"

2009-11-24T11:35:00.003-05:00

While there are a lot of things to love about this time for year (I, for one, get really excited about all the lights), I get so sick of magazines running the same regurgitated story about how to avoid gaining weight during the holidays. How did Thanksgiving come to be such a drama?

Someone asked me the other day what I see myself doing with my degree, and the first thing that came out of my mouth was that I see myself serving as a sort of marriage counselor for America and Food. Of course, what I learn in school and will continue to learn is how to get both parties on the couch as well as how to facilitate an open, constructive discussion.

I have always gotten annoyed by all the hoopla around "Food Holidays" like Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's not the whole "let's celebrate by slaughtering a big bird and gathering around it" thing that bothers me because I can appreciate the tribal element, even if it's not my scene. What I'm talking about is the emotional stakes and the anxiety surrounding the meal. Dealing with your family is stressful enough for a lot of us!

I am of the belief that a lot of people who feel they have problems "controlling" themselves at such events feel that way because they've been told they have problems with self-control around food and therefore they need to buy this or that magazine so it can tell them how to reign it in and stay in line like a "good" girl (or boy). If a publication tells you you're an emotional eater, you're more likely to subscribe to that idea and incorporate it into your behavior. Power of suggestion.

Of course, this is just a theory. I am one of the (supposedly) freakish few people who are not emotional eaters—I have the opposite issue, which can be just as problematic. For example, I've been told that whenever I'm upset, as a woman, of course I always reach for my pals Ben and Jerry. I do? I mean, is that what I'm supposed to do? Am I somehow less of a woman because I prefer to throw a pillow across the room or go to a yoga class? And I'll admit, at times, I feel a little out of the cultural loop. I can observe and speculate but I don't know if I can ever truly understand. I just see what I see and it makes me crazy.

Whatever happened to just enjoying a meal and the company at the table? Why does food have to be the enemy? We seem to have forgotten that food is nourishment, one the basic things we need to stay alive. I hate hearing people talk about guilty they feel for eating a certain item or how "bad" they are for having a slice of pie or a piece of cake. I'm always tempted to say, "Well, I'm not." Actually, what I'm really tempted to say is, "How guilty you feel is your choice. Spare me."

Don't get me wrong, I do like Thanksgiving food okay, but to me, it's simply a nice meal someone put a lot of care into making, and like at any other meal, the foods I place on my plate are placed there to give me energy and the nutrients I need in balanced proportions, not sabotage my life...

Cake Wrecks

2009-11-23T21:13:00.004-05:00

More with the birthday stuff. My mom asked me what kind of cake I want, and even though I have my preferences, I usually find myself thinking more about what everyone else would like to have. Meaning, I think I'm one of the only people I know who genuinely loves carrot cake, and for some reason, that's where my taste buds are at this season, but I don't want the rest of my family to be like, "Ew. Carrot cake? Seriously?"

But it's so moist and delicious...

Anyway, I spent the day Christmas shopping with my mom, and near the end of the day, we stopped in a book store with my sister. I swear to god, we laughed over this book Cake Wrecks for a good ten minutes at least! Holy s**t! And there's a blog version too, full of hilarious pictures of cakes gone wrong!

This reminds me of my Confirmation party when I was 14, and as a joke, my mom had the purse-toting purple teletubby put on my cake. I still have no idea what that was about. The bewildered expression on my face in those pictures is almost as good as the ones of me trashed and giggling with a knife in my hand at my 21st.

Oh, memories. And cake. Check out the website, it's a good time. Hardly nutritious, but f-ing hilarious.

Thanksgiving By the Stars

2009-11-21T20:24:00.003-05:00

I found this fun little Gobbling By the Signs list that tells you what your astrological sign's typical Thanksgiving behavior is.

I was amused to see that my sign, Sagittarius, is most likely to just go camping for the long weekend. That sounds about right. Well, maybe not camping—I think a tropical locale would be much more my speed. At least that's what I'd rather be doing. I'm not a big fan of Thanksgiving and other holidays that involve traveling and sitting still for long periods of time being on good behavior. Ideally, I like to be able to work in the kitchen or get out and take a walk at some point for some fresh air and alone time.

This year, my family is going up to Boston to spend Thanksgiving with Chris' family. I'm sure it will be fun, but I'm definitely bringing my yoga pants. It's not quite the same as a long walk on the beach, but I'm sure I'll be needing to take me a few vinyasas.

Feast on some astrological insight into the holiday eating habits of your friends and loved ones.

Aries starts eating before everyone else has been seated.

Taurus accepts only the finest pieces of white meat.

Gemini grabs both turkey wings for themselves.

Cancer spends all day slaving over a hot stove and cries when the meal is over too soon.

Leo sulks that Capricorn is at the head of the table.

Virgo will only accept a minimum helping of the meal.

Libra does their best to make sure everyone gets equal portions.

Scorpio puts extra garlic in the mashed potatoes.

Sagittarius goes camping for the long weekend.

Capricorn sits at the head of the table.

Aquarius makes a meal entirely out of soy products.

Pisces wants to be one with the turkey.

Way to be part of the problem, Ms. Moss

2009-11-20T08:37:00.003-05:00

I don't know if any of you guys have been hearing about Kate Moss' recent comment in a Women's Wear Daily interview that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Ohhhh dear...

While I'm sure there are some who would argue that she just doesn't realize how dangerous a statement like that can be (that exact slogan can be found on websites promoting anorexic behavior in girls), I have a feeling there are plenty more who are outraged and think Moss is being irresponsible. And, um, is this a good time to note that she has a 7-year-old daughter? And that she's supposedly writing a cook book (at least according to British Vogue)?

It all kind of makes my head spin. I had a very interesting email exchange with a friend yesterday about the pressures on women to look a certain way yet not too much so and not to look like we actually take the time to take care of our minds and bodies. That might be portrayed as selfish or snobby. And is it a good thing or a bad thing to be a "skinny bitch?" So many blurred lines, so much confusion.

Though I tend to say that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think that Moss is being irresponsible. She may or may not realize that people only listen to her because she looks a certain way and that her looks give her an influence she really doesn't deserve—or that if she does deserve it, those qualities are rarely on display. For years, girls have looked up to her as a role model, weirdly enough, and at some point, one should acknowledge the responsibility they have to use their influence for good.

Spouting pro-anorexia BS to WWDis not exactly the way to use your (unearned) power to promote a positive message.

Le sigh. I hate the fashion industry.

Happy Early Birthday to Me!

2009-11-19T12:01:00.005-05:00

My aunt just sent me this ten-days-early, very grim birthday card. By "grim," I mean darkly comical, and inappropriate for any of your vegetarian loved ones. Lucky for her, I do eat eggs. I laughed.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy Birthday!

Powdered Peanut Butter

2009-11-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

I know this stuff is kind of old news, but it just crossed my radar again—Powdered peanut butter sounds a little weird, and while I can't say I'd be able to justify paying a lot for it, I am rather curious. It could be really good in yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, and other stuff. True, you could just add peanut butter or almond butter, but this is powder! So weird! So convenient!

Haha I hate when I am won over by marketing and novelty. If I get around to trying it, I'll be sure to post.

What To Eat When "Healthy" Isn't An Option

2009-11-17T14:58:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I know that women's magazines aren't exactly the best sources of dietary advice, but sometimes it's interesting to see where the rest of the world outside of a nutrition grad program is at.

On Glamour Magazine's Health and Fitness section this month, there is a piece called "What To Eat When Healthy Eating Isn't An Option," which describes various scenarios in which you might find yourself in a "nutritional wasteland," and what types of lesser-of-two-evils choices you can make to get the most nutritional bang for your buck.

Check it out here.

Seafood Watch

2009-11-16T22:19:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by all the dueling information about seafood there is out there. What's safe to eat in which areas at which times of year? Who can you trust? Where does my fish come from? Which types should I avoid and why? What about overfishing? The environment? Omega 3's?

The list goes on and on and on. It's hard to keep track and keep a clear head. Luckily, there are a few organizations out there attempting to help people make educated choices. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch for starters.

Recipe Modification

2009-11-15T10:25:00.004-05:00

As you can probably guess by reading this blog, I love to cook. I also happen to have quite a few people in my life with various food allergies and sensitivities and preferences, so I often find myself modifying recipes so that everyone can eat what I make. I am also fascinated by the science of it—using the properties of the ingredients to predict how they will react with each other under various cooking techniques is so much more fun to me than the stuff in my chemistry textbook! I'd rather talk about food than methane.

For a school project, I recently had to adapt a recipe to make it appropriate for someone following the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Change) diet to lower the risk of chronic heart conditions. I chose pumpkin pie, as it's one of my seasonal favorites. But who am I kidding? I would eat pumpkin pie in July.

I found the easiest way to lower the saturated fat and cholesterol in the pie was to make it vegan, and then I remembered that my friend Leah, who is vegan and sensitive to gluten, was having a birthday celebration today and that I had offered to cook some vegan, gluten-free goods.

Hence, a gluten-free, vegan pumpkin pie! Chris suggested the pecans on top—beautiful!

Here's your "No, duh" for the day!

2009-11-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

Echoing what dieticians have been saying for years, an Australian study shows that low-carb diets can be linked to grumpiness.

According to a study of 106 obese people, those following a diet that was low in fat and allowed some carbohydrates tended to be less angry, depressed and confused after a year than those on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

This study was published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. You can read more about it here.

I was surprised that the article I read didn't mention the fact that we need glucose for energy and that you get glucose from carbohydrates. If we don't have enough glucose in our system, our body starts to break down protein and fat for energy. That may sound like a good thing to those trying to lose weight, but some brain and nervous cells rely exclusively on glucose, so a shortage can make you feel mentally and physically sluggish. Of course you're going to feel cranky!

While it's worth noting that both diets were equally effective at reducing overall weight, wouldn't you rather, well, not be in a bad mood for a year?

Let Me Down Easy

2009-11-10T08:48:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, Chris and I got student rush tickets to see Anna Deavere Smith's Let Me Down Easy at the Second Stage Theatre. If you have the opportunity, go see this! It was not exactly cheerful, but you will come away with a lot to think about. You may be stirred up, but you will not be disappointed.

I'd first encountered Smith while I was doing my undergrad at Emerson, when my honors class studied her play Twilight, and ever since, I'd been hoping I'd have a chance to see her perform live. The way she embodies her incredibly varied interview subjects on stage is mind-blowing to me, especially as someone who has performance in my background.

In this one-woman show, she portrays twenty different individuals she interviewed for the play, ranging from Lauren Hutton to Lance Armstrong to a doctor from Charity Hospital in New Orleans to her aunt.

On the surface, the play is about our country and its health care system, but it is also about life and death, winning and losing and all the disparities in between. This write-up in today's Times is a pretty good summary without giving away too much.

One thing I found myself wondering was if anyone will ever be able to write a successful play about our country's twisted food culture. At first, I was thinking, "Gee, someone should do an eating disorders play," but I really think food in our country is such a broad topic and so many different groups of people have so many different and passionate feelings about it, from consumers all the way up through the government and out into the industry. I don't know how you'd keep it interesting without getting too bogged down in "this bill and that lobbyist," but it could be really fascinating.

Lentils & Sweet Potatoes: Who Knew?

2009-11-07T12:47:00.003-05:00

In the summer, I tend to eat a lot of salads for lunch, but once the weather cools down, I branch out a lot more and try different things. Today, I found a new favorite: lentils with sweet potatoes and spinach.

I actually got the idea from a blog called Runner's Kitchen, which a former co-worker turned me on to. Though I am by no stretch a runner, I do love exercise, and it's nice to see another young woman out there who sees food as fuel for her busy life and not as an enemy that must be conquered.

The dish was really easy to make—the only hard part was waiting for the lentils and onions to finish cooking. I also added a couple teaspoons of curry paste, mostly to see what would happen. It was a nice addition, but you could also go without it.

Here's my attempt at a single-serving recipe:

Ingredients

1/4 c lentils

1/2-1 c water (start with a 1/2 c and add more if the lentils get too dry)

chopped onions

2 tsp olive oil

1 c spinach leaves

1 small sweet potato

2 tsp curry paste (optional)

Directions

Sautee the onions in oil until translucent.

Add lentils and stir until coated lightly.

Add 1/2 c water and stir in. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat.

While the lentils are cooking, you can cook the potato in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes.

When it looks like the lentils are almost done, stir in the spinach until it wilts in.

Stir curry paste into lentils and spinach.

Peel and cube potato. Stir into lentils.

Pour into a bowl and enjoy.

Why Fast Eating Leads to Overeating

2009-11-05T13:07:00.004-05:00

A group of Greek researchers recently conducted a study in which volunteers ate 300 mL of ice cream at various rates. Both before and after eating, their blood glucose, insulin, lipids, and gut hormones were mentioned.

What researchers found was that fast eating limits the release of gut hormones that tell the body it's full. Surprise, surprise. It's good to see some clinical evidence to back up what dieticians have been trying to get across for years: slow down so you can enjoy your food.

You can read more here. The study will appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Giving Thanks a little early this year

2009-11-04T20:39:00.004-05:00

Today in one of my classes, we discussed renal diseases and the types of diets one must follow when kidney function is impaired.

Let me just say, the renal diet is incredibly complicated and bland—I can imagine it would be frustrating to follow. Not only do you have to limit protein in most cases, but you also have to avoid foods high in both potassium (you can pretty much kiss fresh fruits and veggies goodbye) and phosphorous (so long dairy, meats, and nuts—even soy milk!). Fluids also have to be restricted to as low as 500 mL per day in some cases! That includes soup and ice cream. You also have to monitor sodium intake.

As I downed coffee after coffee while studying for an exam today and washed an almond-butter-and-banana sandwich down with a little soy milk, I took a moment to enjoy the fact that I could.

It's easy to forget how lucky we are to be healthy when we're used to being well. It's important to remember to be thankful for that. I know sometimes I get really busy and focus more on the negative day-to-day events, but practicing a little mindfulness can be helpful—sometimes we need to clue ourselves in again to how lucky we are.

Unless of course you have renal disease and in which case, my sympathies.

Another Day, Another Beef Recall

2009-11-03T08:40:00.003-05:00

While reading the paper this morning, I came across an article about another beef recall being put into action after two people died and more than a dozen people fell ill, possibly due to the same source of contamination: ground beef from a company called Fairbank Farms.

The voluntary recall, issued on Saturday by the company, includes 545,699 pounds of ground beef sold to retailers in 8 states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Some of the stores at which these products were sold include Price Chopper, Giant, Trader Joe's Wild Harvest, and Shaws.

While I know that cooking can kill a lot of the bacteria, I still get really nervous when I read stuff like this. It seems to be happening way too often. There is a lot that the consumer can do to lower their chances of falling ill, but if you're starting out with a contaminated product, there's not a whole lot you can do.

Since one of the few foods I don't like is ground beef, it's not a huge deal to me, but I know that my dad, for example, practically lives off of the stuff. I feel like when I read about these things, it's easy to feel like "oh, that's just something that happens to other people," but I'm sure that those people who get sick felt the same way.

While I'm not going to try to advocate a restrictive diet in which potentially dangerous foods are cut out (the list is way too long), I will say that events such as huge meat recalls should make people more concerned with knowing where their food comes from.

Could calorie labeling become part of health reform?

2009-10-31T10:52:00.003-04:00

Included in the 1,990-page health care reform bill introduced by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was an outline for general nutrient-labeling requirements for restaurants and retail outlets with 20 or more outlets.

Affected restaurants would be required to prominently post calorie counts on menus and menu boards as well as calories per serving for items in salad bars and self-serve set-ups. They would also be required to post a reminder about the recommended daily caloric intake to help put all those numbers in context as well as let customers know that more nutritional information on their menu items is available upon request.

Vending machines would also be subject to calorie-posting rules.

An article that's not about Childhood Obesity!

2009-10-30T11:15:00.007-04:00

Sometimes I feel like everyone has been freaking out so much about the "childhood obesity crisis" that we overlook some other important issues—many of them concerning children of normal weight and the ways in which their attitude towards food is so impressionable at a young age.

I'm not saying that I have the magic ad campaign bullet, but I will say that I think there's a lot of room to mess up when the boldface message out there basically amounts to: OMG OUR KIDS ARE SO FAT! SOMEONE (ELSE) DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!

Imagine being, say, a nine-year-old girl and thinking, "Are they talking about me? I had a cupcake yesterday. Maybe I am fat..." Or even a kid who is somewhat overweight or has a borderline BMI could get their head all turned around by the mixed messages or internalize it too much, thinking that they need to be constantly exercising or avoiding all trans fats or whatever it is that spells "weight loss" to them. It sets up a mechanism for disordered eating.

An interesting article I came across yesterday has nothing to do with weight loss in kids or childhood obesity. It's actually about children with Type 1 Diabetes and how they handle Halloween, a traditionally sugar-laden holiday.

Because their bodies don't produce insulin, children with Type 1 Diabetes have to carefully monitor their blood sugar and insulin level as well as follow a modified diet, which helps make sure that carbohydrates are distributed evenly throughout the day.

For years, sweets were heavily restricted, but in recent years, some doctors have begun to allow candy in small amounts as long as it's balanced with the right amount of insulin. They do suggest having a plan before the trick-or-treating starts, though.

I found this a very interesting viewpoint, since I don't read much from this perspective. It's kind of a reminder that not all kids are gorging on candy all the time. It's too bad that kids with Type 1 have to learn moderation because of their disease, but in some ways, it probably does spare them some of the issues other children are dealing with.