Caravan of Dreams

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!

Aspartame, by any other name...

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.

New Blog

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!

Fed Up With School Lunch

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!

Many Parents Overestimate Child's Activity

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...

Never mind

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.

Diet Drinks

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.

Joy Bauer's 1-Minute Pumpkin Pudding

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!

Michael Pollan's Rules

I know that posting about Michael Pollan on a nutrition blog is kind of like posting about jeans on a fashion blog, but the guy is popular for a reason...

This January, he has a new book coming out in which he offers 20 Rules to Eat By. Part of his research included posting a request on Tara Parker-Pope's Well blog on NYTimes.com, asking readers to submit their own rules. Within days he had over 2,500 responses.

"My premise," he says, "is that for all the authority we grant to science in matters of nutrition, culture still has a lot to teach us about how to choose, prepare and eat food, and that this popular wisdom is worth preserving — perhaps today more than ever, in this era of dazzling food science, supersize portions and widespread dietary confusion."

You can read more about these rules here.

Wanna see some of Pollan's favorite rules?

Teaching Schools to Care

Today on her blog, Food Politics, Marion Nestle described a recent tour she took of a few schools in the New York area

Her conclusion: "School food can be really good, even in poor neighborhoods, if everyone involved cares about it. Can we teach schools to care? Of course we can."

She also references an article that ran in the Times on October 2nd about how local schools are banning bake sales as part of a new wellness policy that also limits what can be sold in vending machines.

I think that in some ways, children are the most susceptible to the intense marketing of unhealthy foods. I'm in favor of these restrictions. Doritos and Snickers bars are not going to give students the fuel they need to perform. Plus, eating a real meal makes it easier to stay awake during class. Schools are a really great place to begin reinforcing the importance—and benefits–of making positive choices.

Maybe if people stopped talking so much in terms of enforcing restrictions and instead using language that emphasizes the inclusion of more healthy foods it might foster a more upbeat attitude. Rather than focus on what you're giving up, focus on the good things you're embracing.

Quinoa

Getting over the pronunciation is the hard part. Quinoa ("keen-wah") is the seed of a leafy plant grown for centuries in the Andes that cooks like a seed and tastes like a nut. That should totally be its slogan!

One of the best things about quinoa is that it is a complete protein, which means it contains all nine of the essential amino acids and can serve as a great substitute for eggs, meat and cheese in a vegetarian or vegan diet. It's also great for those with gluten intolerance and scores a 35 on the glycemic index, making it a good choice for diabetics. It's also high in iron, magnesium, and riboflavin and low in fat and calories.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently posted an article about the increase in quinoa sales and the slow path toward acceptance and mainstream-ness. Quinoa only recently (as in, within the past 40 years) became available in the U.S., and while many consumers have been both baffled by and curious about it, they have been hesitant to embrace it, mostly due to poor preparation.

This article both describes how many chefs and restaurant owners use and experiment with it, and it even includes a few great-looking recipes at the end!

I think I have a box hiding somewhere in the back of my cupboard. Maybe it's time to try this thing again...

The Fine Print on Priobiotics

When it comes to promoting good health and protecting against illness, many people turn to probiotics.

Probiotics are microorganisms that work by restoring the balance of intestinal bacteria and raising resistance to harmful germs. Many food companies often slap a "Contains Probiotics" label on their product without really explaining which strains are present and what said strains supposedly do.

In the Science section of today's Times, Tara Parker Pope delves into the murkiness behind probiotic health claims on food labels.

"When the label tells you the food you are buying 'contains probiotics,'" she says, "are you getting health benefits or just marketing hype? Perhaps a bit of both."

Read more here.

Another New York Times Piece

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

An excerpt:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Measure-Up Bowl

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

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

Engagement Chicken Be Damned!

I should really stop browsing women's magazine websites when my brain needs downtime. Either that or Glamour needs to put an end to the Engagement Chicken hoopla. One blogger has been documenting her Engagement Chicken quest, and I don't know whether to be amused or disgusted.

I do kind of wonder whether I'm jealous, in a sense. I feel like every magazine I pick up "for entertainment" tells me to give my man his space when his team loses the big game and to routinely (but not so routinely as to take away the air of spontaneity) treat him to wings and beer. And then, when I'm ready to put the ol' settle down spell on him, I'm supposed to cook him a big freaking chicken stuffed with lemons and herbs and things.

Come on...

What about all the girls girls out there dating vegetarians who don't drink and aren't sports fans, huh?

And besides, what a way to stereotype men, suggesting that they can be won over by meat and fermented beverages. And does a woman really have to resort to cooking a big chicken with citrus shoved up its ass to coax her boyfriend into making her an honest woman? What does it say about the whole tradition of the man proposing marriage? I neither agree nor disagree—I just think it sends a message I'm not comfortable with.

I know it's just a roast chicken, but the whole thing kind of irks me.

Then again, my mom says my dad fell in love with her mashed potatoes and then her. So maybe I should be careful what I say. If it weren't for home-cooked comfort food, I might not be here...

Less-Egg-More-Vegetable Frittata

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a few days since I found it while scrolling through the New York Times blog Bitten.

I don't love eggs—I usually order egg whites if I'm having anything besides sunny-side up, but egg yolks are a great source of protein and other nutrients. Sometimes my quasi-vegetarian side gets a little squeamish about the baby chick thing, but honestly, I really do love omelets and frittatas. I'm big into curious combinations of ingredients—throw a bunch of good-tasting stuff with some eggs in a pan, cook—awesome.

For this recipe, author Mark Bittman recommends using two or three eggs with three or four cups of vegetables instead of the usual proportion of six eggs and a cup or two of vegetables.

Sounds good to me.

Photo by Evan Sung for the New York Times

This article is disgusting

Another repost of a repost:

While scrolling through Glamour's Health & Fitness section this morning, I stumbled across a repost and link to this article in AskMen.com entitled "Top 10: Subtle Ways To Tell Her She's Getting Fat."

A few gems?

• Take her to places where she has to wear a swimsuit
• Leave "now" and "then" photos lying around and talk about how hot she looks in the "then" shots
• Sabotage her chair—so it breaks.
• Buy her clothes that are too small.

The pictures are terrible too.

While it doesn't relate to food exactly, it definitely relates to body image and the way we communicate with each other about our bodies and the changes they go through.

Pieces like this make me so angry. I try to keep a clear head and think about ways in which women might tell their significant other that they've put on weight, but nothing like this. God...I feel like women are much more tolerant of changes in men's bodies, yet we're expected to adhere to the impossible standards set upon us by the male-dominated gaze of the media/society/etc.

I'll get off my soapbox now because this isn't supposed to be a blog where I vent about this stuff. But goddamn. Way to be part of the problem, guys...

Sober in the Animal House

A recent post on Tara Parker-Pope's New York Times blog, Well, featured an essay by Dartmouth sophomore Owen Jennings. Because of a liver disease, Jennings does not drink alcohol, which is somewhat ironic, given that he lives in the frat house that the movie Animal House was based upon. 

I found his piece very insightful, especially in that he refers to alcohol as "the only drug that everyone is expected to use," a drug which can have very damaging effects in large doses. Yet it is assumed that all college students drink, basically because they can (in most cases). 

From Jennings' sober position, the drinking habits of his friends seem "mindless."  He suggests, "The question shouldn’t be, 'Why aren’t you drunk?' Rather, we need to start asking, 'Why are you drunk?'"

While I appreciate articles about how to drink responsibly and fit alcohol into a healthy diet (here's a cute post from a Self intern), it is also important to keep the notion of balance in mind. There's a line that gets crossed from one's drinking being, like, too many extra calories to a serious problem. 

And it's not just college kids—when I was in college, most of my friends were a bit older (mid-twenties to early-thirties). What my college friends would call a night was like milk to these guys. Whatever happened to slowly savoring a drink?

While I like a good glass of wine or the occasional cocktail, the few times I've attempted to keep up with the group did not end well...Being four-foot-eleven definitely limits your options in that respect. What the "experts" tell you about sipping water in between drinks and not drinking on an empty stomach is true. 

Just last night, I watched the HBO Addiction project, which provided another perspective on drug and alcohol use. In addition to introducing the viewer to individuals with engrossing, often heartbreaking stories, it explores some of the new ways in which addiction is being treated. Definitely worth watching.

Beer Butt Chicken

Wednesday's randomness: Check. 

While reading one of my favorite blogs this afternoon, I clicked on a link to an article the author recently posted on DadCentric.com about making Beer Butt Chicken at the home of his wife's Midwife. The pictures he posted say it all. Here are a couple gems. 

If Chris ate meat and if either one of us drank beer (or owned a grill besides our George Forman, for that matter), I'd try this. Maybe. I don't know, though I can be kind of squeamish about handling raw meat. Either way, I don't think I'd slaughter my own chicken. 

I'm trying to think of any vegetarian equivalent to this, but I can't think of any, barring ToFurkey...