Monthly Archives: July 2014

Farmer’s Market Finds

by farming

I love farmer's markets.  It's always wonderful to go and see all of the different vendors offering their products.  To chat with them and learn more about what they do and their vision of real food/real products that they create to share with those who appreciate it.

This past weekend I went to a local farmer's market with a couple of friends.  It was held at a local brewery and had an eclectic gathering of vendors.  I wanted to share a few that I had the opportunity to visit with.

Bison

Patrick from Katera Exotics shared about their pasture raised Texas bison.  He says they “love them, raise them well, and then we eat them.”  They have two locations, one near San Antonio and one in Katy.  I purchased a sirloin and made it for dinner that night.  It was absolutely delicious!  Raised without hormones or antibiotics on grassland, this is sirloin the way it's mean to be.

There was a salsa vendor, Shane and Nina of the Salinas Salsa Co.  I confess that I only tried their mild salsa.  It was fabulous but way too hot for this Yankee girl.  I muscled down the rest of the sample because it was so delicious and Shane told me that they are working on a “really mild” version for folks like me that have trouble with the Texas heat.
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My Texas friends, however, informed me that the mild was, indeed, mild. Whoo boy!

 

jason2An unexpected and delightful stop was my chat with Jason of Leadbelly Elevator.  He's a perfumer, essential oil product maker, and permaculturist.  We had a fabulous conversation about growing real food, chemical free products, and his commitment to making great products that smell good and are good for you.

Next up was the amazing variety of Texas Hill Country Olive Oils.  I know, hard to believe, but there are parts of Texas that are the right appellation to grow amazing olive oils.  Demetria was happy to sample out her products.  She also had some balsamic vinegars that won rave reviews from my friends.

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Last, but certainly not least, was the barbecue sauce from The Sauce Factory and my visit with Darrel and Gerald.

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At first I wasn't going to buy any but I tried their sugar free (sweetened with stevia) bbq sauce. It was great so I bought a bottle. Then I was tempted by their mustard bbq sauce, tried it and was hooked. So I bought two bottles. I refrained from trying their other varieties for fear that I might come home with five bottles of sauce, but this stuff is good.

Afterwards my foodie friends and I ran down the street to the raw dairy where I bought some butter and got to say hello to these adorable calves and goats.

raw milk

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Farmer's markets are a great way to connect with the people that make your food. They're also a wonderful way to get real food. Support your health and your local farmers, you'll be glad you did.

Your Food – Fortified With Fish

by fats and oil, fish, ingredients, labeling

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As the Food Ingredient Guru I advocate reading the food label.  It's your best line of defense against all of the chemical cr@p that manufacturers insist in stuffing into your food.  If you or someone in your family has a food allergy it becomes imperative that you read the label because you need to pay attention to those ingredients that may cause a serious or life threatening reaction.

In my case it's fish and seafood.  For me it's not just a food intolerance (sometimes called a food sensitivity).  It's an actual full-blown food allergy.  I have an epi-pen.  And as much as I advocate and believe in the power of fish oil for health, I can't take it myself.

While fish itself is generally easy to avoid sometimes it gets added to food under the guise of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.  Now we've all heard that omega-3s are good for us (they are) and that we don't get enough of them (most of us don't).  Manufacturers want to capitalize on this and they add omega-3s to the food, fortifying it*, and displaying this information in big bold letters on the front of the package.  But that's not the whole story.

There are three different kinds of omega-3 fatty acids.  ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).  ALA comes from plant sources, such as flax, olive oil, walnuts, and soy.  EPA and DHA come from fish, with the best sources being cold water fatty fish like sardines and salmon.

Omega-3 fortified products can include milk, yogurt, eggs, juices, bread products, baby food, peanut butter, protein bars, protein shakes, and more.  While ALA, or vegetable-sourced omega 3s, are cheaper, that doesn't always mean that that's what the manufacturers are using in their food.

Recently I was doing in a client's pantry and came across this jar of peanut butter.  Looking at the label we can see that the omega-3 was is from fish (because is says DHA and EPA on the front).  In the ingredient panel (sorry for the fuzzy photo) it lists anchovy and sardine oils as well as tilapia gelatin.  I'm not sure why the tilapia gelatin is there except for some sort of binder, but as a source of omega-3 it's not a great one.  For someone with a food allergy the difference between vegetarian and animal sources of omega-3 could potentially be huge.

It is also important to note that farm raised fish, such as tilapia, have been shown to be higher in omega-6 fatty acids.  We already get too many of these in our modern diet and they're known to be more detrimental to cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels.  This is because farm raised fish are eating corn and soy (both probably genetically modified by the way) instead of beneficial algae.  When fish eat algae they can convert it into the omega-3 fatty acids we need.  When they eat corn and soy they can't and so wind up with the higher omega-6 levels.

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Another issue to be aware of is that when we add omega-3s to our food by fortifying it, studies appear to show that the fortified versions don't have the same beneficial effect as the original, whole food source.  Additionally, the amount of omega-3s in fortified foods may not reach the levels needed to truly have a beneficial effect on your health.  Once again, manufacturers are capitalizing on buzz words and media focus to add something to their food products in an attempt to convince you to buy.  Unfortunately it may not provide the health benefits that you think it will.

The solution?  Stay informed, read the label, and eat real food.

*Quick reminder:  Fortified foods are those that have an added substance that was never in there to begin with (like omega 3s in peanut butter).  Enriched foods are those that have ingredients removed during processing added back (usually chemically synthesized versions).