Smart Choices Food Label

For my readers south of the border, here is a segment with food writer Mark Bittman on Nightline talking about another useless food label called Smart Choices: Video

My favorite part is when spokesperson Richard Kahn says this industry funded food label can move people away from foods with high fat, high sugar and high cholesterol.
So here goes:
Walnuts - Bad (high fat)
Smart Choice Froot Loops - Good (low fat)

Apples - Bad (high sugar)
Smart Choice TEDDY GRAHAMS Graham Snacks - Good (less sugar)

Eggs - Bad (high cholesterol)
Smart Choice Fudgsicles - Good (no cholesterol)

Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusion

Vega Whole Food Smoothie Infusionwww.myvega.com

I’ve always been kind of blasé about protein powders. Some come in ridiculously sized tubes, some have sketchy artificial flavoring and many taste like chalk. That’s why, as a shakeoholic, I was happy to come across the whole food option from Vega.

You would think that a smoothie powder with an ingredient list festooned with items such as kelp, pea protein and green food blend would be a gastronomic nightmare. But somehow the flavor of the vegan protein powder is great. Must be that kale!

Nutrition perks include:
2.5 grams of ticker-friendly omega-3s per serving from hemp and sprouted flax.
An impressive 6 grams of fiber to help keep bellies on the right side of the belt.
Laudable amounts of iron and magnesium.
A slew of antioxidants courtesy of the green foods.
14 grams of complete protein.

Try it any number of smoothie recipes or as a partial replacement for flour in baking. The smoothie infusion comes in two sizes: A 15-serving resealable bag, or a 12-serving box of single serving pouches.

Find it in most health food stores or online: www.myvega.com

Spinach Fruit Smoothie

















Believe it or not, you don’t even notice the spinach. But you’ll reap the rewards of its big nutrition boost.

Serves 2

½ cup frozen raspberries or other berry of choice
1 handful spinach
1/3 cup almonds or other nut of choice
1 serving Vega Smoothie Infusion
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
½ cup plain yogurt
1 banana
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

In a blender, add raspberries, spinach, almonds, protein powder and cinnamon in that order. Then, add orange juice, yogurt, banana and sweetener; blend until smooth.

Beets

It’s a shame that beets have suffered such a lowbrow image. I guess it’s that borscht thing and their tendency to stain your best whites. But these sweet, tender jewels disserve more space in your crisper.

From a nutritional perspective, beets are a great source of folate – an important B vitamin for heart health and pregnancy. Red beets get their rosy color from antioxidants called betacyanins. These antioxidants can help mop-up cell-damaging free radicals. Plus, there is betaine, a substance which reduces levels of homocysteine, a pro-inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase heart disease risk.

And don’t forget the beet greens (another great reason to frequent a farmers’ market). Like other leafy greens, beet tops are loaded with vitamin K, vitamin C and a bunch of antioxidants. Think of it as a two-for-one purchase. Beet greens are excellent when gently sautéed with garlic and sesame oil.

Beets are always wonderful when roasted, but here’s a great soup recipe that any culinary virgin can pull-off.

Red Pepper Beet Soup













1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 red peppers, diced
2 beets, peeled and diced
4 cups water or stock
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from one lemon

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add peppers, beets, water, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until beets are very tender. Let cool slightly and add lemon juice. Carefully puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Serve warm or chilled. Sprinkle with goat cheese if desired.

HFCS Commercials

In my last post, I shared a caring e-mail from my buddies over at the Corn Refiners Association. Now I thought you would enjoy these great spoofs of the deceiving commercials the aforementioned lobby group recently unleashed on the over-sweetened populace. They come courtesy of King Corn: www.kingcorn.net

Real Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0
Spoof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRicUInkYQM
Real Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgXPt564Q
Spoof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYk4o_flKPk

High Fructose Corn Syrup

I feel so special. In response to this article I wrote for E magazine about healthy snacks for childern, in which I mentioned a better ingredient list is one with no high fructose corn syrup, I recieved the email below from the Corn Refiners Association. Take from it what you will.

Dear Mr. Kadey:

We read the article “Snacks, Upgraded,” with interest. There has been a lot of confusion about high fructose corn syrup. We would like to provide you with science-based information on this safe sweetener and be a reference for you for future articles.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), “high fructose corn syrup…is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Once absorbed into the blood stream, the two sweeteners are indistinguishable.” The ADA also noted that “High fructose corn syrup…is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose. Both sweeteners contain the same number of calories (4 per gram) and consist of about equal parts of fructose and glucose.” (Hot Topics, “High Fructose Corn Syrup.” December 2008. http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/nutrition_19399_ENU_HTML.htm)


The American Medical Association stated that, “Because the composition of high fructose corn syrup and sucrose are so similar, particularly on absorption by the body, it appears unlikely that high fructose corn syrup contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose” (Report 3 of the Council on Science and Public Health a-08, June 2008.)

High fructose corn syrup is used in the food supply because of its many functional benefits. For example, it retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments. High fructose corn syrup enhances spice and fruit flavors in yogurts and marinades. In addition to its excellent browning characteristics for breads and baked goods, it is a highly fermentable nutritive sweetener and prolongs product freshness.

Many foods only contain small amounts of high fructose corn syrup. For example, it would take 20 servings of spaghetti sauce or 50 servings of salad dressing to reach the Institute of Medicine’s recommended daily allowance of added sugars from high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used in salad dressings and spaghetti sauce because it improves flavor by reducing tartness. Please see the attached document for more information.

To read the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup, please visit www.SweetSurprise.com. Please feel free to contact me if you would like additional information about the products made from corn.

Thank you for your consideration,


Audrae Erickson

President

Corn Refiners Association

Washington, DC

(202) 331-1634

Canned Salmon

With a waning economy, more of us are hunting for places to pinch extra pennies. And that includes the grocery store. So why not reel-in canned salmon.

Salmon, tuna and other canned seafood are just as nutritious as fresh options but with a much lower price tag. As a perk, if you consume the softened bones found in tinned salmon and sardines you get a healthy dose of bone-building calcium.

There are also many other reasons to cast your line for canned salmon more often. For starters, you’ll get a boatload of the marine omega-3 fatty acids that are hogging nutritional headlines these days for their reported ability to fend off a list of maladies almost biblical in scope (psst…they may also help you shed some of that doughy flesh). Research from Japan have found that astaxanthin - an antioxidant carotenoid that gives salmon it’s pink glow – appears to elevate fat oxidation during bouts of exercise and reduce the muscle damage it causes. Add on top of this plenty of protein, vitamin B12, and anti-cancer vitamin D, and you have a bona fide health food.

What’s better, almost all of the salmon used for canning comes from wild salmon as opposed to environmentally dodgy farmed stocks.

It’s no problem finding canned salmon at any supermarket but if you want one that will truly stoke your taste buds try the eco-friendly offerings from Wild Planet Foods (www.wildplanetfoods.com) or Raincoast Trading (www.raincoasttrading.com)

Beyond sandwiches, use canned fish in pasta dishes, salads, casseroles, omelets, or try this easy, breezy salmon loaf.

Curry Salmon Loaf













1 15 ounce canned salmon, drained
1 cup bread crumbs or rolled oats
¾ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
½ onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon curry powder
Juice from ½ lemon
Ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or oil. Using a box grater or mandolin, shred carrots and zucchini and set aside. In a large bowl, flake salmon. Add bread crumbs or oats, milk, egg, onion, carrots, zucchini, curry powder, lemon and pepper to the salmon and mix very well until you have a moist mixture. Add more milk if necessary. Add salmon mixture to the loaf pan and spread until you have a loaf with an even height and width. Bake for 40 minutes or until loaf is set in the center. Serve topped with salsa, if desired.

Chia

Chia: The little seed that could


Yes, chia! The same seed that was slathered over terracotta pets (The Mr. T. one was the best!). It turns out that this ancient seed is experiencing quite the re-emergence thanks to its nutritional might.

It’s now one of Well Fed Man’s favorite new superfoods (can anyone out there actually tell me what defines a ‘superfood’?? Broccoli, yes. Oreo cookies, not so much?).

For hundreds of years, chia was consumed by Aztec warriors to boost endurance and it also played a special role in spiritual ceremonies. Then along came the Spanish and chia almost went the way of the dodo.

Reasons to scream Ch-ch-ch-chia! include impressive amounts of ticker-friendly omega fats, dietary fiber (more than almost any other food), complete protein, antioxidants, iron, zinc, and the bone-building trio: calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.

The high viscosity of chia’s abundant soluble fiber slows digestion in the stomach, which is said to help moderate blood sugar levels and reduce hunger.

The great thing about chia is that, unlike flax, the seed does not need grinding to be properly absorbed because the seed coat is softer. Plus, high amounts of antioxidants allows it to have a longer shelf life than flax.

Diminutive chia comes in both black and white. A chia expert I spoke with assured that contrary to what is marketed (yes, we’re talking about you overpriced white Salba) there is little nutritional difference. Though, black chia may actually contain more antioxidants because of the black pigment (antioxidants tend to be pigments).

Chia seeds have very little taste so you can add them to all sorts of things such as oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, salads and soups to add a nutritional boost without messing up the flavor.

One of the neatest tricks chia pulls off is its ability to absorb several times its weight in water. This means you can make a chia gel and use it to thicken up fruit spreads, gravy, puddings etc. To make your very own chia gel try this: Add 1/3 cup of seeds to 2 cups of water and let this mixture sit for about 30 minutes. Stir gently with a wire whisk occasionally to prevent clumping. Leave the gel in the fridge, in a sealed container and use as needed.

Vegans should take note that ¼ cup of chia gel can stand-in for an egg as an effective binder when baking. You can also now buy 100% gluten-free chia powder which can replace a quarter of the flour a recipe calls for when rustling up a batch of brownies, muffins, cookies or pancakes.

You can now find chia at numerous health food shops as well as online. A great brand to try is Navitas Naturals (www.navitasnaturals.com).

Coconut Chia Pudding

¾ cup coconut milk
1 banana
3-4 tablespoons chia seed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of sea salt
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
Unsweetened coconut flakes

Combine all ingredients except coconut flakes in a food processor or blender and whirl until mixed. Let the mixture sit for several minutes until it has thickened. Whirl again for a couple of seconds and this funky pudding is ready to devour. Top with coconut flakes before serving. Cocoa nibs would probably be wicked on this as well.