Chocolate Milk -- Evil or Saint?

There is a huge debate going on among healthy folks over whether chocolate milk -- milk flavored with sugar, lots of sugar -- is evil or a saint.

One of my favorite tv chefs, Jamie Oliver, weighed in on the evil side on his new show Food Revolution.  Watch this video:



Jamie points to the evil effects of sugar on our bodies, especially for children who are the biggest consumer of sugar-flavored milk, to the point that chocolate milk has almost as much sugar as a sugary soda.  Rumor has it that Jamie gets chocolate milk banned from Los Angeles schools (tweets Michael Pollan, a pretty good source).

On the other side of the debate, Men's Health Magazine touts chocolate milk as a saintly superfood in their article about the Chocolate Milk Diet: "It’s essentially three eight-ounce servings of chocolate milk consumed at key points throughout your day: one when you wake up, a second before you exercise, and a third directly after your workout. Or, if it's your day off, just pattern them for morning, afternoon, and night. Sounds good, right?"

To conclude the debate, one of my favorite blogs Civil Eats declares chocolate milk as Soda In Drag.

Do you declare choco-milk as a super food and drink it after you exercise?  Or do you ban your kids from touching the stuff?

Back...

I hope you all have missed me!  I've been out recovering from foot surgery and catching up with work after being out on medical leave. But, I'm back now and ready to keep you up-to-date on holistic nutrition and food topics.  What topics are you wanting to hear about?

Quinoa Johnny Cakes with Blueberry Syrup

We were in Scottsdale AZ recently and visited a great restaurant called True Food Kitchen. If you ever find yourself in Scottsdale you have-to-go-there! Somehow Dr. Weil has something to do with the creation of it. Anyway, they serve fresh, local, seasonal, organic, sustainable, etc etc dishes and they do it awesomely. This last visit we had Quinoa Johnny Cakes for breakfast. They were so good. I haven't been able to find a recipe for the ones True Foods served, but here's a recipe that might be close if you used a whole wheat version of pancake mix: Quinoa Johnny Cakes with Blueberry Syrup 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 1 pint fresh blueberries 1 1/2 cups sugar-free maple syrup 2 cups prepared pancake batter (can be made from scratch or a mix) Add cooked quinoa to pancake batter and mix thoroughly. To make syrup, simply combine syrup with blueberries over a low heat until the blueberries begin to pop. Cook Johnny cakes on a seasoned griddle or non-stick pan. If you like the edges crisp, cook the cakes in melted butter. Serve with blueberry syrup and dust with confectionary sugar. Serves 6 to 8.

Egg Labeling

Egg labeling can be confusing, and maybe many marketers mean for it to be.  “Confuse the consumer” may be their mantra so they can avoid expensive certifications and treatment of the chickens, but still sell eggs at a premium price as if they are something special.  Education is the key to buying eggs and knowing what the labels really mean.

Trader Joe's Egg Label Education Poster

USDA Certified Organic requires the flocks are fed organic feed without animal or poultry by-products; the birds have access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, exercise areas, fresh air, and direct sunlight; barn lighting no longer than the longest day of sunlight; no antibiotic use; and no induced molting. 

Biodynamic farming is a nongovernmental certification that declares the entire farm as sustainable and biodynamic.  These rules are more stringent than those for organic food production.  Biodynamic food producers adopt overall lifestyles that strive to preserve water, energy, and surrounding natural habitat.  They observe farming methods that allow natural livestock behaviors.  Egg-laying hens must be outdoors as much as possible, vegetarian-fed with 80% of feed produced on the farm, and subjected to no growth promoters, antibiotics, or practices such as beak trimming and forced molting.

Certified Humane label comes from the Human Farm Animal Care organization, which verifies that the farm meets certain criteria for the humane treatment of hens, including cage-free environments with natural living space, an environment that allows for natural behaviors like preening and scratching, vegetarian feed, and no antibiotics in the feed. 

Free Farmed eggs provide a guarantee that claims such as “free range”, “cage-free” and “no antibiotics” are genuine.  Farmers must also have clean living conditions and safe waste management systems.

Kosher eggs have been examined for blood spots since Jewish dietary laws prohibit the consumption of blood. All USDA-certified eggs are examined for this flaw, so most government-certified brands are labeled as kosher.

Other labels such as cage-free, free-roaming, or free-range are not verified.  About 90% of American hens are raised in cages that restrict the hens living space. According to the USDA and FDA, “cage-free” means the birds live outside cages but are still confined to an enclosed building.  Some producers use the term “free-roaming” to mean the same thing as “cage-free”. Keep in mind that “cage-free” does not necessarily mean that the hens are sun-bathing everyday – hens like to stay near their nests, food, and water and may not actually venture outside.  An argument against free-range hens is that they are exposed to avian diseases from migratory fowl and salmonella from rodents than hens in cages whose environment is limited.

Grass-Fed labeling has no USDA-approved definition and, therefore, no regulation.  Chickens cannot live on only grass -- they need protein as part of their natural diet. If left to their own devices, chickens eat bugs for protein.  They should be fed a ration of legumes, grains, fish meal, vitamins and minerals, and a bit of corn.  If you see marketing terms on eggs such as “100% grass fed”, it is not a healthy hen and you shouldn’t buy them.  The more accurate term may be Patured hen, but this label is, likewise, unregulated.

Raised Without Antibiotics means that the chickens have never received antibiotics from birth to slaughter as growth promotion or as medicine. This term is defined by the USDA and regulated by requiring the farms to show paperwork proving the claim. Labels like “No Antibiotics Used” or “Not Fed Antibiotics” are not well understood because they imply the chickens were not given growth promoting antibiotics but may have still received antibiotics for disease.  Unfortunately, there is no valid system to audit these claims.

Vegetarian Fed means the chicken ate a diet that includes grains, corn, cottonseed, and soybean meal, but no man-made feed containing animal or fish proteins with grains.

Some labels should be read critically to determine the oversight of the individual farm’s practices.  For example, Hormone Free is a misleading term because the law has disallowed use of hormones in poultry for over forty years.  Likewise, Additive-Free is meaningless because additives are not permitted in egg production anyway and the hard shell prevents the insertion of chemicals.  Farm Fresh is redundant because all eggs are raised on farms of one size or another. Eggs are one of nature’s most perfect natural protein sources, so when Natural as a label means nothing.  Fertile as a label means that the hen was raised in a yard with roosters and the egg may be fertile.  The USDA normally discards fertile eggs. Fertile eggs may contain slightly higher levels of male hormones, but are not significantly more nutritious than unfertile eggs.

All eggs, regardless of labeling, have similar nutrition profiles.  A large egg has 70 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein.  White-shelled eggs and brown-shelled eggs are the same; the egg shell color just depends on the breed of chicken. Omega-3 eggs come from chickens whose feed has been enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.

Blogger Dan Greenblatt came up with an egg label cheat-sheet to fold up and put in a wallet.  This can serve as a reminder when you are at the grocery store regarding the meaning of egg labels. 

Resources:

Are specialty eggs worth the price?. (2011, April/May). Clean Eating, 4(4), 23.

Greenblatt, Dan. (2008, September 20). Egg labeling guide based on new york times article. Retrieved from http://dangreenblatt.com/blog/2008/09/20/nyt-egg-labeling/  

Greenblatt, Dan. (2008, September 9). Trader joe’s wants you to know your eggs. Retrieved from http://dangreenblatt.com/blog/2008/09/09/trader-joes-eggs 

Stewart, K.L. (2007). Eating between the lines. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.

Family Dinner

Remember the dining table?  At my house right now it is cluttered with papers and books and opened mail. But a couple of nights a week, my hubby and I push the clutter down a few inches and find a spot to put a dinner plate on to share a meal together. It has become more important now that time is more limited for us than ever.



July 2010 Dress Down Dinners fundraiser for Team in Training

 Dinner together is an important part of our lives.  As children, we both had regular family meal time with no television, telephone, or other distractions. We believe family dinner was an important part of our raising.  Now, when we have John's son, we try to continue this tradition because it is not a part of his regular home life with his mom.  We've taught him table manners, how to hold a fork and knife, the importance of wiping your mouth, and how to not push food off the plate and onto the table.  But, we believe the family dinner, even if we only get to do it occasionally with him, will instill other values as well.

Time Magazine wrote in its article about The Magic of the Family Meal:

Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1200760,00.html#ixzz1GCt6Y8re

They call the family dinner "civilizing children" and I tend to agree.  At dinner with John's son, we also talk about movies we've seen recently and not just the fight scenes, as boys like to do.  But, we exercise critical thinking skills to break down what was good or bad about movies, tv shows, and music. We talk about money and how to spend wisely.  We talk about nutrition, especially since he has several food sensitivities.

But, our family dinner goes beyond just the days when John's son is here.  My family has had a long-standing tradition of Sunday dinner as long as I can remember.  Growing up, all of my uncles, aunt, cousins, grandmothers, and maybe a few people we didn't even know, would come over to our house after church on Sundays for lunch.  When possible, we'd watch the Cowboys play, cheer for the team, and fall into a nap with our bellies full.  These Sunday lunches also played a role in shaping who I've become. Usually the lunches were pot-luck and everyone would bring something.  My mom enjoyed cooking so much that we always had too much food.  John and I continue the Sunday lunch tradition, even though it's down to just us and my dad most of the time.

We've also shared our family's dinner tradition with our friends.  When John decided last year to run a triathlon for Team in Training to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, we held Dress Down Dinners with 10-12 friends each of 4 nights to raise money for the cause.  John prepared a 6-course gourmet dinner, leaving everyone full and happy.  We raised over $6,000 for charity during that time.

So, I encourage each of you to bring back the family dinner.  DVR your favorite show, turn off the tv, and share time together at the dinner table a couple of nights a week.  Talking about the events of the day or whatever is on your mind, and listening to your family talk about what's on their mind, can only strengthen the family relationship.

I love soup!

I love soup!  Soup is such comfort food to me.  I'm not sure why -- my Mother hated soup and almost never made it.  I love how soup warms you up from the inside.  When I had my stomach surgery, my hubby made me sweet potato and squash soup and they were so yummy.



So, I was especially happy today when I read this article on Customizable Soups in the New York Times by Mark Bitman.  He says there are 4 types of soups: creamy (vegetables puréed with dairy); brothy (a strained vegetable stock, with quick-cooking ingredients added); earthy (with beans); and hearty (the vegetables sautéed first, to deepen their flavor). He believes that you can work through the recipes in the article and at the end you will know how to make soup without a recipe.

Here's a creamy soup recipe from Mark Bitman:

Creamy Spinach Soup Put 1 chopped onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves, 3 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Add 10 ounces chopped spinach and 1/2 cup parsley leaves; cook until the spinach is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup Greek-style yogurt and purée. Garnish: A spoonful of Greek-style yogurt and chopped parsley.

Here's a brothy soup recipe:

Vegetable Broth With Toast
Put 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped onions, 1 small chopped potato, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 garlic cloves, 10 sliced mushrooms, 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine), 10 parsley sprigs, 1/2 ounce dried porcini, 8 cups water and salt and pepper in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, 30 minutes or longer. Strain and serve over toasted good bread. Garnish: Chopped celery leaves.

Here's an earthy soup recipe:

Bean Soup
Put 1 1/2 cup dried beans, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery ribs, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and 6 cups water in a pot over high heat. Boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer until the beans are soft, at least 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish: A drizzle of olive oil.

And, last, a hearty soup recipe:

Minestrone
Sauté 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped celery rib and 1 teaspoon minced garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups cubed potatoes and salt and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine) and 5 cups water. Boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped green beans; simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish: Chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

If you are a soup lover you really should read the full article.  I can't wait to try them.

The Easiest Peppermint Marshmallows

On cold winter days, I enjoy making homemade marshmallows and enjoying them on top of a cup of warm cocoa. I thought you might enjoy my recipe for Peppermint Marshmallows:

The Easiest Peppermint Marshmallows

2 packages Knox gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring
2 teaspoons peppermint oil
¼ cup It’s a Grind’s Peppermint syrup
Powdered sugar

In mixing bowl, bloom gelatin into cold water. In a saucepan bring the remaining water to a boil and add sugar and peppermint syrup. Stir until dissolved (about a minute) and boil until firm ball stage, about 245-250 degrees.

Pour 1/3 of the sugar mixture into the gelatin and stir with a High Temperature spatula for 5 seconds then add the rest of the sugar mixture, stirring the entire time. Start mixing on medium and then move up to medium high. When mixture changes color (about 4-5 minutes), add vanilla, peppermint oil and salt; continue mixing until doubled in volume and white and fluffy. It should start to slightly pull away from the edges.

Line 9x13 pan with deep layer of powdered sugar. Pour into pan. Sift a generous amount of additional powdered sugar over the top of the mixture in the pan.

Cool until set about 1-2 hours at least (longer on humid day). Run a small knife around the inside edges of the pan. Invert the pan onto the prepared cutting board. The mixture may still be a little sticky and need coaxing out of the pan.

Sift more powdered sugar over the marshmallows once it has been unmolded. Cut into squares and roll in powdered sugar to coat cut sides. Store excess in large airtight freezer bags. Yield 40 squares (or 20 BIG ONES!!)