Monthly Archives: April 2011

Mom-advocate

by family, lunch, unhealthy, USDA
Social change happens slowly. Sometimes it's difficult because the organizational mountain that is entrenched does not want to be moved.  With the second season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution well underway we are once again seeing the challenges that many parents face trying to get better choices for their children at school.  As this video from the last meeting for the National School Lunch Program shows, manufacturers and lobbyists are extremely prevalent (although not always very visible) in making school food decisions.  These standards are only revised once every five years; with this highly politicized structure, our children are the ones who suffer the consequences.
A friend of mine, P.W., shared her recent frustrations with her school district, the mixed messages kids are getting, and the challenges of helping adolescents to better understand nutrition and health so that they can make better choices.
In order to protect privacy names and identifying information have been removed. These letters were edited for clarity. 
P.W. wrote to her school district:
Our daughter saw “Super Size Me”  today in health class at school and it really made an impression on her. Talk about NOT practicing what you teach! Good nutrition is so highly tied to academic success and yet my daughter's options for a school lunch are absolutely dreadful. Our daughter has access to multiple fried foods with a Gatorade every day. Your lunch program conditions them to a high fat, high calorie junk food diet. The lack of nutrition causes them to crave more, as well as affecting their overall development. I do not understand why the schools are able to teach the 
horrors of a junk food diet and then NOT offer them a sensible lunch that will provide the nourishment they need. It grieves me to think that this may be the only decent meal some of these kids have each day and it is junk!


This is something that has bothered my husband and I since our children were in grade
school. To see this hypocrisy is more than I can take.


I am certain that you must know what a good nutritional diet really looks like. I can only assume that there are other factors that are causing the schools to fail our children this way. What do I need to do to help you fix this problem?
[In order to protect the words and privacy of the Health Teacher I am summarizing their responses]
The teacher wrote to my friend explaining that there has not been a fryer in the school kitchen for 10 years, that all hot food is either steamed or baked. The school does have a conveyor oven that gives a crisp texture without frying.


The school is not allowed to serve any product over 23 grams of fat and follow strict portion sizes.
The nutritional plan has changed to allow for higher fiber, lower sugar, lower fat foods.
Cucumber slices and green bell peppers are offered during the week, fresh fruit is available on each school line every day and beverage choices available daily are water, 100% fruit juice and low fat milk.
The teacher remarks that there is a challenge in providing healthy menu choices that the kids will want to eat within their budget.
P.W. was invited to research the nutritional information of the food online at the school's website. The Health Teacher also suggested that the child should be educated at home about portion sizes and healthier choices.
P.W. responded:
It is encouraging that our daughter is learning about better nutrition,
 recognizes the value of fresh produce and is making an effort to make better
 choices. I appreciate her having access to fresh fruits and vegetables 
at school. It is also somewhat comforting that you are limiting the amount 
of fat and using a cooking process that avoids frying. However when I researched 
the menus and nutritional information on the Parent Access site, the hot
meals are all basically junk food and do not have much variety.
I sympathize 
with your challenge of balancing a budget with high product and labor costs,
 but I believe that we should offer a better and more varied menu and it can
 be done without breaking the budget. My concern is that the junk food
 offered daily, even though it is a “healthier” variety of junk food, clearly
 needs to be a small percentage of our diet and yet it is the majority of 
what is offered. Although you are making an effort to serve lower
 fat/higher fiber items, they still have the appearance, taste and texture of
 high fat. I don't see that they have much access to a home-style hot meal 
that isn't highly processed or available on a daily basis.
From the menu, it
 doesn't appear that much is made from scratch, much less from local products 
and it largely looks to be heat and eat. Preservatives and chemicals are just
 as much an issue as the empty calories of fast food.  From what I hear,
 much of the fruit offered is not fresh either, which translates into a much 
lower nutritional product. I also don't understand why our kids are only 
offered 1% and skim milk, when whole milk would be a better choice for most. 
Adding a full fat live yogurt to the menu would be a great addition, as well 
as seasonal melons, berries, grapes, and citrus. 


The other issue I have is that my daughter is on 4th lunch. This means that by
 the time she gets to have lunch, the cafeteria is out of certain things, 
others are over cooked or burned, or the lines are so long that time 
prohibits her from even eating some days. This cannot be considered acceptable.


In this age group, peer pressure and the school 
experience trumps whatever is being taught at home. It is a huge challenge 
for us to feed our kids well at home when their taste buds become conditioned to a fast food diet when attending school. Years ago, I had the
 privilege of being in a school kitchen that prepared food and distributed it 
to all the area schools. This district must be large enough to be able to support 
such a venture and be able to better utilize seasonal and local products, as well as to create a fresh high quality meal for our kids and staff. You have an 
enormous responsibility to our kids and I respect your challenges and 
appreciate your response, but I can't say that it provides me the assurances
 I was looking for and hope that a new approach is being considered.


P.W. Wrote me privately and shared:




Another thing that really upsets me is that when I was in school, there was a wash basin for the kids to wash their hands when entering the cafeteria. None of the schools here have that and supposedly, the teachers are taking the kids by the bathroom to wash up before lunch, but I don’t believe it. They have staph and other contagious diseases running rampant all the time and good hygiene is essential. There should be a state law that requires hand washing before meals in schools.
My take on all of this:
I frequently find myself very frustrated by school districts serving fatty, sugary, nutritionally deficient foods and then claiming that it is the parent's responsibility to teach their children to eat better and make better choices.  Many families that I know do teach their children these things and do provide much better choices at home.  However in the school environment there are not too many children who are going to choose from the highly limited often not-really-that-healthy option over french fries and pizza.  I believe the school has ice cream and cookies and fast food options because those are the more profitable items.

I know several children who are vegetarians and have heard disturbing stories of the distasteful looking or even empty salad bars that the cafeteria staff refused to replace or refill leaving that child with no viable option.

Earlier in the year I had the opportunity to speak with my local Great Harvest Bread company.  They had received an opportunity to bring whole grain bread, preservative free sandwiches into the school system.  However after a short period of time their contract was reduced to four schools and cut back in the number of days that they were allowed to provide.  They believe part of the reason for this reduction was because the school wanted to bring in Chick-Fil-A more times per day as that was a more profitable option for the school district.  Great Harvest was not allowed to send notes home to parents letting them know that this healthier sandwich option was available.

I believe it is an unfortunate truism that most children, even those who have received more nutritional education at home, will opt for high fat, high sugar foods because they are enticing.  By having an overabundance of these products the school virtually guarantees that they can feed children the least nutritious, cheapest foods and make large profits.

In defense of the school system I do agree that they have a difficult job trying to feed as many children as they need to with the minimal federal dollars allowed.  However this should not be an excuse to allow Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A lines in a school cafeteria.

I believe another part of the problem is that school districts simply do not want parents to be involved in the decision making or to have input into the nutrition served at the cafeteria.  School lunches have become a profit center, if not for the school then at least for the food service corporations.  Moves such as this one in Chicago disallowing lunches to be brought from home make me highly suspicious of the intent.  I believe, unfortunately, that many schools are marketing to a captive audience and can therefore preach one thing and do another.

I applaud P.W. and many others like her all around the country who are rallying on behalf of the kids.  Change is happening all across the country.  From the Edible Schoolyard to the Renegade Lunch Lady, Two Angry Moms, Better School Food, Local Food Dude and more, we need to push for the children to have decent nutrition and take back our cafeterias.

The High Density Orchard

by fruit, garden, herbs and spices, vegetables
Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute

Recently I visited the Indus Valley Sustainable Living Institute run by my friend Priyanka.  It was wonderful to see all the amazing things that they do there and learn about recycling and reusing on a bigger scale.  One of their tag lines is “eco-logical design.”  I love it.  What a perfect phrase and concept for living sustainably and in harmony with our environment.

While I was there I was able to see the high density orchard.  It's amazing to see all the different fruit trees that are planted in a very small space.   They can be grown closer together in part because there is no need to plant them wide enough for commercial machinery to get through for harvesting.  There's also no need to prune/thin to maximize production.  The trees will be shaped to make getting through the orchard and around the trees easier, but they will produce enough to be sustainable.

I was very happy to see the way the orchard was laid out.  Priyanka shared that they have 6 citrus, 3 figs, 3 persimmons, an avocado, 2 apples, 4 bananas, an olive, two pomegranates a loquat, black berries, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, and “a few more growing around here.”  Their combined orchard and vegetable garden is all in within a 1/6 acre piece of the 1.25 acres that encompass the property.

It made me realize that what we are doing with our little 1/4 acre property is just right, at least for us.  It also made me realize that yes I can have an avocado if I simply move the butterfly ginger just a pinch to the right.  Another interesting concept was that in the orchard squashes were growing in between the trees.  Priyanka told me that many times vines are encouraged to grow up the tree trunks as a means of support.  I think that's great and plan to figure out how I can protect baby squash from the ravages of my little terrier-mix puppy and try to put some in there.

Having your own vegetables and fruit is a great way to connect with your food.  On a very basic level there is just something fabulous about picking tomatoes and basil from your own garden to toss into the pan and make a meal.

I have been using Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening for years.  It's been great and allows me to grow a large number of vegetables in a relatively small space.  For those who don't have a yard, container gardening can be the way to go.  There is quite a lot that can actually be grown in containers and a well done container garden is very attractive.  From Container to Kitchen, The Vegetables Gardener's Container Bible, and Bountiful Container are all good choices to help you get started with container food and herb gardening.

Another good book is Rosalind Creasy's Edible Landscaping.  With a lot of great information about incorporating food plants into the garden in an aesthetic and pleasing way it's a good resource and has a lot of useful ideas for those of us (okay mostly me) who aren't good at landscape design.

While there isn't a similar book that is specifically focussed on growing fruit trees and bushes there are a number of books related to small scale homesteading.  These include The Backyard Homestead, Mini Farming, and The Practical Homestead. I'm going to check them out and see if there is information there that I can pass along.

In the meantime if you garden, in the yard, in a container, on your windowsill, I'd love to hear about it.

Protecting Your Teeth

by questions, sweeteners
Keep your teeth | photo: Bamagirl

I was recently talking with someone who was concerned about her young son.  He apparently has weak dental enamel and has developed a cavity at a very young age.    Because he was born with weak enamel she wanted to know if there was anything that she could do nutritionally to help his teeth.  I am certainly not a Dentist and highly recommend that if you or someone you know has dental problems that you get it checked out.  


That said there are a few important things that you can do to protect your teeth, especially if you have weak enamel.  Here are five tips to help your teeth stay healthy:


1.  Make sure you have regular dental check-ups and cleanings.  Obviously the Dentist and Hygienist see your mouth from a totally different angle and can let you know if there are problems forming. Additionally it's important to brush and floss daily.  I know we all know this, but it bears repeating since children frequently don't seem to think it's as important.  It really is and is one of the best simple things that you can do to help protect your teeth.


2.  It's also important to eat foods that have fiber or that require us to bite and chew.  We are designed that way.  If we eat soft foods most of the time we are not using our teeth the way they are meant to be used.  The soft foods are frequently higher in carbs and sugar which can leave behind a plaque which then feeds the bacteria in our mouths leading to dental decay.


3.  Make sure you are drinking enough fluids.  Staying well hydrated keeps your gum tissues hydrated and can help them stay healthy.  Healthy gums can help keep your teeth healthy.


4.  Xylitol is known to be very protective of tooth enamel and can be very helpful in re-mineralizing enamel.  One study published in 2003 concluded “These results indicate that xylitol can induce remineralization of deeper layers of demineralized enamel.”  A 2009 study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine noted, “Xylitol oral syrup administered topically 2 or 3 times daily at a total daily dose of 8 g was effective in preventing early childhood caries.”


Xylitol is easy to add to the diet.  As an alternative sweetener it is a far better choice than any of the artificial sweeteners.  Made from either corn or birch it is actually a sugar alcohol and is lower in calories (11 calories per serving vs. 16 for white sugar).  There are also a growing number of xylitol products on the market, gum, candy, toothpaste, and mouthwash.


It is important to note that because xylitol is a sugar alcohol it can only be consumed in moderation otherwise it can have a laxative effect.


5.  Calcium is required for healthy teeth since they, like our bones, are made from it.  But don't worry, this doesn't mean that you need massive amounts of milk.  Calcium can be easily (and deliciously) obtained from a number of other sources.  Sesame seeds have quite a bit of calcium in them as do dark leafy greens, especially spinach, and blackstrap molasses.  


In addition to calcium you need vitamin D which helps your body absorb the calcium.  The only way to tell if you have enough is to do a blood test at your doctor's office.  If you are low in vitamin D you can get it either through exposure to the sun (without sunscreen for 20 minutes), cold water fatty fish, or supplementation.


Take care of your teeth and keep smiling!  




      

Swiss Chard

by summer, vegetables, vegetarian
Swiss chard | Jonathunder

I love Swiss chard.  Of course I love all of the dark leafy green but Swiss chard is one of my favorites.  Colorful, delicious and easy to use in so many different ways it's really a fabulous green to add to your food plan.  I just finished planting some in my garden and am eagerly awaiting it's growth so that we can enjoy it.

Apparently originally from Sicily one of the great things about Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) is that you can eat the leaves when they are young and quite tender but they are still tasty when they are larger and more mature.  The ruby and rainbow varieties are more colorful and I confess a preference that is totally related to that color as  I enjoy seeing their beautiful stems and leaves in the garden or in my dishes.  For productivity however, the plain green variety does seem to produce more heavily.  On the other hand, like beets, the red and rainbow varieties are higher in betacyanins, which are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and believed to support detoxification.

Nutritionally, like all the dark leafy greens, Swiss chard is a powerhouse food to add to your diet.  One cup of the cooked greens provides more than the RDV for vitamin K and vitamin A and around 50% of the RDV for vitamin C.  It also delivers a substantial amount of minerals like magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron.

Recently I came across these two recipes for Swiss chard from Martha Rose Schulman in her New York Times column and they look so delicious they will definitely be included in how we eat this fabulous green this summer.

Stir Fried Swiss Chard and Red Peppers

Swiss Chard and Chickpea Minestrone

What's your favorite way to eat this wonderful leafy vegetable?  I'd love it if you'd share a recipe or two.

Delicious Creamy Yogurt

The Things You Need To Know About Yogurt

by dairy, probiotics, summer

The Changing Styles of Yogurt

There are so many changes happening in the yogurt section of the grocery stores lately.  It used to be that it was either plain, a gelatinized “Swiss-style” fruit mixed in, or a fruit-on-the-bottom kind of product.  At least that's what was presented to us at the grocery store.  Then came those tubes, the squeeze-able varieties. Now we see more drinkables including kefir, a fermented yogurt.  The fermentation increases the probiotic activity of the yogurt and can be very healthy for you as long as the cultures are live.  Soon enough we'll probably start seeing bottled containers of lassi which is a similar fermented yogurt drink from India.

Your grocery store's yogurt case has gone global. There are a lot of different kinds of yogurts from different cultures. Greek, Australian, Icelandic, Bulgarian, and more. There's also goat's milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and oat milk styles. The alternative milk varieties are geared towards those people who have lactose intolerance, but they seem to be gaining traction with people looking for more variety.

Many people seem to prefer Greek yogurt due to it's heavier, creamy consistency. It's higher in protein, almost 50% more according to the Berkeley Wellness Letter.  The whey is strained out leaving a thicker product with a longer shelf life.  Straining out the whey creates a product that is higher in fat and lower in calcium but also lower in lactose (the milk sugar that some people have trouble digesting). 

Ingredients In Yogurt

Although yogurt is generally thought of as a health food, store-bought options are often packed with chemicals, potentially genetically modified ingredients, artificial flavorings, artificial colors, and added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Making healthy choices isn’t always easy. There are too many low-fat options which are often packed with negative ingredients.  The fruit yogurts not only contain the natural sugars of the fruits but typically have added sweeteners as well and artificial colors.  Reading the label is critical to avoiding excess sugars and other negative ingredients.

Plain, whole-milk yogurt is the best option.  Fresh fruit or jam can be added for sweetness without the chemicals or other adulterants.  (Of course, this does require checking the label on the jam as well if it is not homemade).  Additionally, you need to choose yogurt which does not contain rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) a hormone which has been linked to increased rates of diabetes and other health issues.  Look for the label to state that the milk was from cows not treated with rBGH or choose organic.  It's also highly recommended that you buy whole-milk (sometimes referred to as 4% milkfat) as this provides the fat needed for the body to properly process vitamin D (a fat-soluble vitamin).

Making Yogurt At Home

To make yogurt you'll need a starter.  While it is possible to use store-bought active culture as your starter, in order to ensure a good balance of probiotics or beneficial bacteria it is often helpful to purchase a starter culture. Simply follow the instructions in the packet to make your initial batch of starter.

Once you have a culture that you can use, either the starter or a store-bought, you will be ready to create subsequent batches of yogurt.  You will need about half a cup of yogurt for every half a gallon of milk that you use.

  • Heat your milk on the stovetop in your Dutch oven or a non-reactive saucepan; stir gently as it heats
  • When it reaches 200F, or just below the temperature when it would boil, let it cool to 115F
  • Take a half a cup of the warm milk and whisk it together with your yogurt in a separate container
  • Add this mixture back into the rest of the milk and whisk it together
  • Keep your mixture at 115F for about 4 hours; you can simply heat your oven to 115F, then turn it off
  • Place a lid on your saucepan or Dutch oven, wrap it in a few layers of towels and place it back in a draft-free space such as your oven or a microwave oven overnight or until it has set and looks like yogurt
  • When it's ready, pour the yogurt into containers and store in the refrigerator

Making it Greek-style

Many people don't realize how simple it is to make a Greek-style yogurt of your own.  

  • Take 32-ounces of whole milk, organic, live culture yogurt
  • Line a colander with cheesecloth (you can also use an unbleached coffee filter or a cloth napkin) 
  • Place the colander on top of a bowl and pour the yogurt in
  • Put the whole thing in the fridge overnight
  • In the morning you have a thicker, Greek-style yogurt plus the whey which has strained out

Whey is wonderful for soaking beans, it can also be added to soups or smoothies. Some people even drink it straight.  If I have too much I usually feed the extra to the dogs, they consider it a great treat.

What To Do With It?

Yogurt is delicious just as it is but can be used in a wide variety of ways. It can be served both sweet or savory.

  • Make parfaits by layering granola with fresh fruit (a tasty treat for breakfast or delicious as a dessert)
  • Thickened yogurt can be used as a substitute for sour cream
  • Adding herbs allows you to make a savory dip
  • Yogurt and fresh lime juice are just two of the ingredients needed for a really delicious chicken marinade
  • It can even be added to some baked goods to help make them moist
  • One of my favorite ways to eat it is to mix it with cottage cheese and a bunch of fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and chunks of sweet peppers. Add a pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh pepper and you've got a tasty summer lunch. 

Different Dishes Around The World

In addition to different types of yogurt culture, many cuisines have a yogurt dish of some kind mixed with different spices or foods to make a condiment. 

  • In India there is a shredded cucumber yogurt dish with scallions, garlic, cumin and pepper that helps to cut the spicy heat of the cuisine called Raita
  • A similar dish can be found in Greek cultures and is called Tzatziki; it's made with yogurt, cucumber, garlic, and mint
  • There's an Israeli yogurt called Labneh which has a little salt in it. Sometimes it's thickened and turned into a Labneh cheese
  • Bulgaria even has a cold soup called Tarator which is made with yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, walnuts, and oil, it makes a great starter for a meal on a hot day

Whatever style or type of yogurt you are eating (or drinking) it is important to remember that you want the real stuff.  Live cultures, no added artificial ingredients, just good, healthy, probiotic, digestive supporting yogurt.

 

Alicia Lawrence contributed to this article.  She is a content coordinator for WebpageFX and when not at work she enjoys cooking with her ceramic cookware, shopping at farmers markets or blogging about travel, nutrition, and public relations.

photo credit: Patrick Neufelder

Interview

by Uncategorized

I'm so thrilled to be able to share the following video.  I studied about Nutrition Education at Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts.  A couple of months ago I was invited to do an interview and this is the edited product that Chris, the very talented Videographer for the college, put together.  It's live and online.

Because of how it's been put up online I'm not able to embedd it but you can click on the link to take a peek.

Bauman Interview