Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Nog Heaven
Okay, so you do not drink eggnog every day. But as the holidays approach, the stuff starts showing up everywhere.
So does the calories (340), sat fat (11grams) and cholesterol (150mg). And that is for 1 cup, which some party goers manage to dispose of before their coats.
Not a great start for people about to dig into an all-you-can-eat buffet of fatty dips, brie, quiche, tarts, chocolate dipped strawberries, fruitcakes and more.
Enter Silk Nog, a soy version that replaces the traditional extra-fatty milk or cream and egg yolks with water, organic soybeans, and a few vitamins. Gone is the sat fat and about half the calories.
Here is the kicker: Silk Nog tastes remarkably like real, old fashioned, honest to gosh eggnog.
And you do not have to be a soy milk enthusiast to appreciate it. Somehow, Silk Nog tastes creamier and silkier than fat free eggnog.
If you can not find Silk Nog. Vitasoy Holly Nog is worth a try.
So why not start your New Year's resolutions early by ringing in the new without making your arteries old.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Nutty "Rice"
Wild rice is not actually a rice at all, but the seeds of a long grain marsh grass that grows in paddies along the margins of ponds or lakes. Wild rice is native to the Great Lakes region, though these days California produces most commercially grown wild rice. Minnesota ranks second, though some purists prefer its taste to California's oxymoronic:"cultivated" wild rice.
Wild rice is expensive because as much as 60% of a crop can be lost during harvesting, making what ends up on your plate an expensive side dish. Much of the packaged wild rice in stores is really a blend, typically containing more regular than wild rice, which keeps the cost down.
Wild rice is high in protein, containing 50% more protein per serving than white rice. It is truly a super source of manganese, one of the harder to get minerals. Although it is not a true grain, wild rice contributes many of the same nutrients found in whole grains, such as fiber, the minerals copper, magnesium and zinc, plus the B vit. niacin, B6 and folate.
Trace minerals are often low in American diets, yet are essential for bone mineralization, while zinc is also important for proper immune function. The B vit help convert food into energy: folate, in particular, helps keep your arteries from clogging.
Wild rice is known for its chewy texture and nutty flavor. When combined in blends with regular rice, it has a milder flavor and shorter cooking time, though fewer nutritive benefits.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Is it still cheese?
Leave a slice of American cheese on a windowsill and after weeks it will dry, darken in color and curl. But rarely will it mold. Individually wrapped orange cheese slices melt smoothly on burgers and taste great straight from the package, but in most cases these soft slivers of heaven are not technically "cheese" at all. More likely, they fall under the title of "pasteurized process cheese," "pasteurized process cheese product" or pasteurized process cheese food."
Regular cheese, like cheddar, for example is made by heating milk, stirring in enzymes and cultures, separating the curds from the whey, salting and knitting the curds into a block or wheel to age. Pasteurized process cheese, on the ohter hand, is a mixture of already made cheeses that are reheated, blended together, pasteurized and mixed with an emulsifier to provide a uniform texture, mild taste, smooth mouthfeel and the consistent melt that many people love.
Food technologists can lower the fat and then add flavor back in or create a variety of textures and tastes. Often, these "light" cheeses have less fat and fewer calories than regular cheese because they contain less actual cheese, more moisture and other additions. But with up to 20 ingredients, not to mention layers of extra processing, this "cheese" is far from its milky roots.
A small piece of true cheese offers much more flavor and satisfaction than a larger serving of processed cheese, which is why you do not need as much.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Just Juice?
Way back when, juice used to be simple - you squeezed a piece of fruit and drank what squirted out. Now, with everything from natural organic nectars to fruity sounding "nutraceutical" drinks crowding the shelves, taste and nutrition have become much more complicated.
Take fruit punch with 10 percent real fruit juice: the first 3 ingredients in one brand are water, high fructose corn syrup and sugar - 90 % ofthe total product.
The first 3 ingredients in a 100% juice brand, on the other hand, are apple, grape and passion fruit juices. Natural flavors (to replace the taste lost during pasteurization), ascorbic acid (vit c) and citric acid (to maintain a shelf stable pH) may round out the list. The 100% juice packs a punch of heart healthy potassium, absent in the 10% version.
Of course, the best choice for health is to enjoy the WHOLE FRUIT, which gives you beneficial fiber and myriad other nutrients otherwise tossed out with the pulp.
Shopping Smart
Look for foods around the perimeter of the supermarket: fresh and frozen produce, fish, meats, dairy products.
Opt for preserved foods in pouches or small cans, like tuna, salmon, crab and shrimp, which need less heat during processing so fewer nutrients are lost.
Choose frozen veggies over canned - they retain most of their nutrients. Canned tomatoes, however, are a good buy because the heat from cooking helps to release beneficial nutrients like lycopene.
Make sure the first ingredient in a bread or grain related food begins with "whole."
Avoid foods with "partially hydrogenated oil" in the ingredient list and choose low salt varieties of canned, frozen and boxed foods.
Focus on foods with fewer ingredients: in many cases fewer ingredients - and ones you recognize- suggest that the food is closer to its natural form. If you are going to get applesauce and you have choices, choose the one that says "Ingredients: apples, water."
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Probiotics
Trillions of beneficial bacteria already reside in our intestines, where they assist in digesting food and fighting off harmful bacteria. But illnesses and medications, such as antibiotics, can reduce their numbers, allowing the harmful to outnumber the helpful. When this happens, taking a probiotic can help tip the scales back in a healthy direction.
Probiotics show most promise in digestive disorders, helping to prevent and treat diarrhea in particular. Recently, an Irish study found that people with irritable bowel syndrome who were given daily doses of a probiotic laced malted milk drink had less abdominal pain, bloating and constipation than a similar group taking a placebo.
Probiotic bacteria may also have a role in treating allergies, such as atopic eczema. When kids were given probiotic supplements for 6 weeks, their eczema symptoms were significantly reduced compared to those of a control group. The success of probiotic therapy in the treatment of bacterial vaginitis is also well documented.
Probiotics will not cure everything that ails you. While many people use them to treat Crohn's disease, ulcers, high cholesterol, lactose intolerance and constipation, there are not yet enough data to make firm recommendations.
If you want to give the beneficial bugs a try, be careful of using supplements, which currently are not closely regulated and don't always deliver what they promise. " 1/3 of the supplements we tested had less than 1 % of what was promised on the label", reports Tod Cooperman, MD, president of Consumer Lab.com - an independent organization that has tested the probiotic contents of 25 products.
Try to get your probiotics from foods, especially those in the dairy case. Dairy food is an almost perfect vehicle for delivering probiotics. Compounds in products like yogurt and kefir shield probiotic bacteria from acid and bile as they travel through the digestive system. And they also provide bacteria with compounds that help them thrive. Yogurt is a potent source of friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus, outranking many supplements. When buying, check the ingredient label for the words "live and active cultures" or look for the "Live & Active Cultures" seal from the National Yogurt Association, which ensures a minimum of 100 million live cultures per gram.
Nondairy sources of probiotics, such as tempeh, miso, and kimchi, also provide beneficial bacteria.
Whatever you choose, check the expiration date to ensure it is fresh.
As researchers throughout the world continue to test out the benefits of probiotics, there is no reason to wait for their findings to dig into probiotic rich foods now.
If you would like the list of "good" probiotics tested by ConsumerLab.com just send me an email and I will be happy to get the list to you ( Paula and Kathy).
Do you need it?
If you take a multivitamin, odds are that you do not need the added vitamins and minerals in fortified foods, which are often less than a day's worth. Exceptions: a multi rarely has a day's worth of calcium and has less than a day's worth of vitamin D for people over 70.
Junk
Who cares if Hershey adds calcium to its chocolate syrup or Pepperidge Farm adds calcium to its Goldfish Crackers? Fortified junk food is still junk.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Sweet n Lower
"50% less sugar", says the label on Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal. If you like flavored cereals, go for it.
Quarker replaces about 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugars per packet with the safe artificial sweetener sucralose (Splenda). That leaves each packet with just 4 to 6 grams of sugars. In contrast, Quaker's popular flavored oatmeals have 9 to 16 grams (2 to 4 teaspoons) of sugars.
Erewhon's flavored Organic Instant Oatmeals have around 5 grams of sugars per packet.Some of the sugars comes from the apples, raisins, and dates in two of its flavors. And they do not use artificial sweeteners. Just do not be to impressed with the "no cane sweeteners" declaration on the label. While Erewhon's dehydrated maple syrup may not be ordinary table sugar (this is what cane sweetener is) it is not any better for you.
If its also no better than the evaporated cane juice in Fantastic Big Cereal or the organic unbleached cane sugar in Dr. McDougall's.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Power Play
Nature's Path Optimum Power Organic Instant Oatmeal is a decent cereal. But the name Optimum Power implies that it is far superior to other hot cereals. It is NOT. Each serving has 300 mg of omega-3 fat, says the box. But Optimum Power's omega-3 comes from flaxseed, and it is not clear that the omega-3 in plants is as good as the omega-3fats in fish oil at reducing the risk of heart disease. Most people get plenty of omega-3 from plant sources anyway, since canola oil has 1300 mg per tablespoon and soybean oil has 925 mg. A serving of Optimum Power also contains 140 mg of omega-6 fats, says the label, which does not mention that some experts believe that we already get too much omega-6.
Optimum Power's evaporated cane juice is no better than sugar. It is also not clear that the cereal's soy isoflavones curb hot flashes or prevent cancer or lower cholesterol. Like many other "natural foods" brands, Nature's Path does not bother adding extra vitamins or minerals, as Quaker, Kashi, and some other big brands do. And Optimium Power is not even optimum when it comes to omega-3 from flaxseed. A packet of Uncle Sam Instant Oatmeal has 50 percent more (460mg vs 300mg).
What is more, the label claims that "eating oats may also have a positive effect on the immune system" and "may lower systolic blood pressure", even though the evidence is skimpy.
Okay cereal. Runaway claims.
Weight Control
The back of the Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal box admits that "maintaining a healthy weight depends on balancing calories consumed and calories used" ( thanks a lot). But the front touts the cereal's "7 grams of protein" and "6 grams of fiber." Do they help control your weight?
First, keep in mind that a packet of Weight Control weighs 45 grams (1 1/2oz), not the modest 28 grams (1oz) you will find in Quaker Regular Flavor Instant Oatmeal. That is why "each packet contains 2 servings of whole grains". (Many food companies have decided that a "serving" of whole grains is 16 grams, but there are no official regs.) It is also why a packet of Weight Control delivers 160 calories, vs. 100 calories for a packet of Quaker Regular Flavor.
A serving of Weight Control has 6 grams of fiber, 3 more than Quaker Regular Instant. One of the extra 3 grams of fiber comes from Weight Control's extra oatmeal. The rest comes from maltodextrin, a carbohydrate (made from cornstarch) that counts as fiber because it is poorly digested and absorbed.
Quaker claims that "research shows that people who eat a diet highter in fiber tend to weigh less." Whether that includes a "functional" fiber like maltodextrin - rather than, say, the fiber in oatmeal and fruits and veggies- is anyone's guess.
As for protein: maybe it "helps you feel full and promotes lean muscle mass" as the box notes. But the 7 grams of protein in Weight Control beat regular oatmeal by only 3 grams - half of it from Weight Control's extra oats and half from its added whey protein isolate. In contrast, a small (3 oz) chicken breast has 27 grams of protein.
While no one needs the sugar that is in most sweetened instant oatmeals, Weight Control replaces it with the artificial sweeteners sucralose (safe) and acesulfame potassium( poorly tested and possibly unsafe).
And Weight Control's Banana Bread variety hs not been anywhere near a banana. That is what the words "Naturally & Artificially Flavored" on the label really mean.
Bottom line: any unsweetened oatmeal may help dieters stay full. The extra bells and whistles ( a few grams of protein and fiber) in Weight Control are not worth the potentially harmful artificial sweetener. Maybe Quaker needs some claim control.?
Weight a Minute
It was only a matter of time. With claims about heart disease, weight control, whole grains, antioxidants, fiber, omega-3's, and more invading other sections of the supermarket, it was inevitable that they would make an appearance in the already-health-conscious hot-cereal aisle.
If your are eating the same bowl of Wheatena or ordinary Quaker Oats that you ate as a child, DO NOT stop. Unadorned whole grain hot cereals are among the healthiest foods, They are rich in fiber but not in bad fats, salt, or sugar. Toss in a handful of berries, bananas, peaches, or other fruit and you will make them even better.
But if you are bewildered by whether -and how- to pick a cereal that is (supposedly) good for your heart, your waist, your bones, or your gender, read on.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Junk Food
"Would anyone advocate that we take the fences off the playground for elementary schools and just let the kids run in the streets? By the same token, why would we allow schools to sort of poison our kids with junk food?"
Tom Harkin US Senator on a GAO report showing that snack foods, pizza, candy and soda have become more available in elementary and middle schools in recent years.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Speed Squash
Who does not love butternut squash? But who loves to peel, seed, chop, and cook it? That is why so many people just do not bother.
Even though they are missing out on the squash's sweet, moist richness, 5 grams of fiber in every half cup, and payload of vitamins A & C, it is just too much trouble.
Make that WAS too much trouble. At Trader Joe's and a growing number of food stores, you can now buy Diced Butternut Squash that comes already peeled, cut, and ready to go . . . into the oven, into a stir fry, into a soup or risotto, into some cannelloni or manicotti.
To keep it simple, just slice open the bag, dump into a pot of boiling water or a microwave safe dish, and cook until tender. then drain, mash, and season with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a touch of fat free half and half if you want it creamy. What used to take an hour has turned into 10 minutes, tops.
You pay more for diced than you would for whole, and the bags do take up room in your fridge. But it is well worth the shelf space.
The same goes for bags of Trader Joe's Diced Harvest Medley or other chains' cut and ready to cook veggies. Most come with cooking instructions. Be mindful of the expiration date on the bag. It does not get much simpler.
Cheeseburger
No Happy Meal sized cheeseburger at a steakhouse like Outback. Its quarter pound Boomerang Cheese Burger delivers 470 calories, 940mg of sodium and a day's worth of sat plus trans fat (18 grams). Think of it as the 12 oz sirloin steak the grown ups are eating - with 3 pats of butter melted on top.
Outback's fries are special too. The company fries in a beef tallow blend, which gives each order 13 grams of sat plus trans fat.
Mac & Cheese
Some chains serve Kraft Mac and Cheese. Others, like Cracker Barrel, pride themselves on home cooking. They use Velveeta. That ups the sat plus trans fat to 16 grams - about a day's worth. As if that were not bad enough, sodium hits 1100 mg. Kids may start out with normal blood pressure, but odds are it will creep up as they get older. By the time they hit 60, half of those adorable tykes may need drugs or surgery to lower their blood pressure.
Grilled Cheese
More cheese and grilling grease help explain why Applebee's Grilled Cheese sandwich has twice the harmful fat of Denny's The Big Cheese.
It also explains why children consume 520 calories and 14 grams of sat plus trans fat in their innocent looking grilled cheese sandwich. If it come with fries, your kid will waddle out of the restaurant with 900 calories plus 2050 mg of sodium and more than a day's worth of bad fat (21 grams). That is like eating 3 pork chops.
And those numbers do not include the complimentary beverage or the expensive weight loss camp that Applebee's young patrons may soon be seeking.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Cheese Pizza
Pizza's a regular on kids' menus. Olive Garden's is smaller ( about 7 oz) than a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Cheese Pizza (9oz). But your kid still walks away with 420 calories, close to half a day's sat plus trans fat ( thanks largely to the cheese), and 1130 mg of sodium.
At least pizza does not come with fries. And at Olive Garden, kids can share the bowl of salad that comes to the table. No such luck at most other chains.
Cheeseburger
Denny's Cheeseburgerlicious is about the same size as a McDonald's cheeseburger. So most parents would never guess that it has got close to half a day's sat plus trans fat (8 grams),
With fries, the meal hits 760 calories and 16 grams of heart damaging fat - about what an adult would get from a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Italian Sausage Pizza.
Chicken Fingers
Chili's Little Chicken Crispers are not so little. The 3 pieces add up to 360 calories, 980 mg of sodium, 4 grams of sat fat, plus another 4 grams of trans fat. that is anything but kid-sized.
All that trans - courtesy of the partially hydrogenated frying oil- makes chicken as bad for your arteries as a Quarter Pounder. At Chili's the kids' fries essentially double the calories ( to 710) and the artery clogging fat (to 15 grams). That is par for the course for kids' meals unfortunately.
Hamburger
Kids' burgers range from normal to huge. Denny's hamburger weighs the same as a McDonald's hamburger, which puts it at the normal end. But it still delivers 7 grams of sat plus trans fat. Of course, once you add the fries, your child is facing a plate of 720 calories and almost a while day's worth of artery sludge (15 grams).
Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese appeared on 90 % of the kids' menus I surveyed. Denny's "The Big Cheese" seems to be made with just one slice of cheese. But that still adds up to 310 calories, 790 mg of sodium, and more than a third of a day's bad fat. Factor in the fries that just about every chain serves and the total comes to 720 calories and 15 grams of sat plus trans fat. That is like a Mc Donald's Happy Meal with a Big Mac instead of a hamburger.
To its credit, Denny's offers a vegetable of the day or applesauce instead of fries with every kid's meal ( if you notice the asterisk on the menu).
Ribs
Ribs are not as bad as they sound, because the typical half rack on the kids' menu has only about 3 1/2 oz. of meat on the bone. But that does not make them a bargain. While they have nowhere near the 21 grams of sat plus trans fat of an adult portion, their 7 grams are 40 % of a day's limit for children.
Worse yet, the ribs come surrounded by fries. At Chili's that doubles the bad fat ( to 13 grams) and the calories ( to 630). That is like getting a Mc Donald's Happy Meal with a Quarter Pounder instead of a hamburger.
Mac & Cheese
Chili's No Baloney Macaroni n Cheese looks exactly like Kraft's. It delivers 6 grams of sat plus trans fat, the same as 5 Burger King Chicken Tenders. But the Mac n Cheese has about twice the calories (420) and sodium (910mg).
The only good news: at most chains, the dish comes with out fries. But who needs 400 calories' worth of white flour, margarine, cheese, and salt?
Popcorn Shrimp
Red Lobster deserves a pat on the tail for overhauling its children's menu. But what happens to kids who stick with that old favorite, Popcorn Shrimp? A third of a day's bad fat and 620 mg of sodium, that's what.Shrimp starts out low in fat, but popcorn shrimp is more breading than seafood. The batter sops up more than 2 grams of sat. fat and 3 grams of trans fat in the deep fat fryer.
And that does not include the french fries that come along for the ride. Red Lobster's fries are among the worst . Each one cup serving adds 9 grams of artery clogging fat, about as much as a medium fries at Burger King. Total damage for the Popcorn Shrimp plus fries ( but not the free appetizer or Cheddar Bay Biscuits): 430 calories, 1310 mg of sodium, and 14 grams of bad fat ( 3 grams shy of a day's worth).
Spaghetti & Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti shows up on half of the kids' menus I surveyed. The 310 calorie entree is low in sat. plus trans fat, and the tomato sauce counts as a veggie. At Olive Garden, young spaghetti eaters get to share some of the grown ups' garden salad. Just don't let them share tooooo many 140 calorie garlic bread sticks. At many chains - Applebee's, Outback, Ruby Tuesday, and TGI Friday's, for example - the only side dish on the kids' menu is fries.
