Mixing Bowl (recipes)

++  question: What's cooking at the USDA? 
answer:  A lot!   A web-site was recently launched which has a variety of recipe resources.  There are recipes for family use.  There are quantity recipes suitable for institutional use.  There are links to other food and nutrition resources.

They have included a variety of ways to search for the kind of recipe you need today - you can look by ingredient (apples), by category (salads); or you can start by searching a list of foods high in a nutrient, and then search for recipes with the foods returned by the search.  To find recipes that have modestly-priced ingredients, click on the SNAP-ED button.  Look around in the site - you'll find much more. Have fun!   Bon apetite!



http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/

Apps (are they worthwhile?)

++  It seems like there is an app for your cell phone or tablet to cover any conceivable topic.  How do you know which ones have information you can trust?  When it comes to food and nutrition, the link below can give you app reviews you can rely on.  Meanwhile, here's more about it: 

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the organization that registers dietitians for the USA.  They oversee education requirements - both training and continuing education; and they review research that may be relevant to food, diet, and health.  They also provide services for dietitians and for the general public.  For example, you can go to their website (EatRight.org) to find a dietitian near you.  They sponsor Kids Eat Right (see the page attached to this blog).  Another of their services is app reviews, which are published in the newsletter, Food and Nutrition.  A sample of one is below; and above it, the link to all their current app reviews.

http://www.foodandnutrition.org/Nutrition-Apps/

what you see when you open the review: (plus a list of pros and cons for this app):

 

Farmstand (Version 1.7.1)

Platform and Price Apple iOS (mobile web version on Android), free
RD Score
3 out of 5
Synopsis of the App
Farmstand empowers you to eat local making it easy to find farmers’ markets, community gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) information, restaurants and events that serve local food.

10 Tips (for eating wisely)

+  Eat well and Enjoy foods from many cultures

The My Plate website has wealth of information on eating wisely and tracking how well you're doing at following their tips.  One page is a link to the 10 tips nutrition education series.

Here are ideas from tip sheet #31, eating from other cultures - get more details at their website (link below):

1.   Cook with others (it's a fun way to learn)
2.   Blend cultures (fusion foods are all the rage right now)
3.  Add a touch of spice (and less salt) 
4.   Use familiar foods to create exotic dishes (shop at your usual store, or a farmers' market) 
5.   Go with lower sodium numbers (read labels) 
6.   Think about beverages (another place to try new tastes) 
7.   Delight in cultural gatherings (have fun at a local festival) 
8.   Show children what's important (they can learn to cook and learn about their heritage at the same time)
9.   Make smart choices when dining out (every culture has something that's on your diet) 
10.  Remember that all types of food fit (so don't cut out whole groups of food)

http://myplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/ten-tips.html

Dental Health??

  A dental hygienist works at our clinic as an added service to our clients - she gives each child a quick dental screening and a new toothbrush, and answers parents' questions.  When her central office sends supplies for her, a treat is usually included.  Today, it was a big box of chocolate candy and caramels! 

Mediterranean Diet . . . more good news

++  There has been evidence for a long time that following the Mediterranean diet can reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease.  Now there is also evidence that it can slow down the development of nerve degeneration and resulting diseases like Alzheimer's.

What is the Mediterranean diet?
This food plan is based on the traditional food components of Greece, southern Italy, and surrounding areas.  It focuses of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and only limited amounts of red meat, olive oil instead of butter, limited sweets, lightly processed grain foods and whole grains instead of highly-processed ones, and flavoring foods with herbs, onions, and garlic. 

How does it help me?
That's still under investigation, but it appears that the diet's benefits come from that fact that it is high in naturally-occurring anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory substances.  It is also higher in fiber than the typical American diet.

Where do I start?
Adopt the concept, even if you don't try the recipes from that part of the world.  Try taking your current diet and making some substitutions; such as using more whole grains, locally produced vegetables in season, etc.  Explore a little more and dig into your ethnic background to find some of the less-processed foods in your heritage; or explore a country's cuisine that interests you.  Ask Grandma for recipes that were popular in the family before there was a fast-food restaurant on every street corner, and  frozen "meals" were so readily available.  Be adventurous! 

Is it finally spring? (if so, grill safely)

++ It's been a long, hard winter in much of the country; but, it's finally starting to look like spring is here.  As soon as the path to the grill thaws out, people will eager to start summer-time activities.  Here are some guidelines for keeping food safe:

• Clean - your hands, your grill, your equipment, etc.  For example, if you can sing "Happy Birthday" faster than you wash your hands, you haven't had time to scrub the germs away.
• Separate - cooked foods from raw, meat juice from anything else, etc.  For example, don't use the same plate to take raw burgers to the grill and cooked ones to the table (unless you wash it between those two trips). 
• Cook - food until done enough to be safe, and you can't always tell by the color.  Those burgers should be at least 160 degrees. 
• Chill - left-over food right away when finished with the meal

For more food safety information, go to foodsafety.org (see the Food Safety page).
For recipes on-line, start your search at KidsEatRight.org .

Exercising and still Gaining Weight?

++  Sometimes, people are frustrated when they start working out at a gym because they want to lose weight - and then they don't lose. 

There are several factors that contribute to this:

• In a few cases, the gain in muscle outweighs the loss in fat.  This is a slow process, however.  You can tell whether it applies to you by noticing any changes in how your clothing fits.
• It is tempting to rationalize overeating.  You say to yourself, "Of course, I'm more hungry.  I'm working out more.  I can eat more now."  Unfortunately, an hour at the gym does not burn enough calories to offset an extra serving of dessert!
• Modern marketting tells you that you need energy bars, energy drinks, rehydration drinks, etc., to get the energy for the workout.  Again, an hour or two at the gym does not burn enough calories for this.  Besides, if you're going to the gym to lose weight, the idea is to get the energy from your fat stores.  All you need is water after a normal workout.  After a longer, more intense workout, add a few ounces of chocolate milk, or similar product high in protein, and fluid, and modest in carbs.  If you need more than that, chances are that you are working with a team 'trainer' and already know how much more you need.

Maybe, it will help you to adopt the attitude that weight loss is a nice side-effect of working out.  After all, you do get other benefits from being physically fit:  stronger bones and muscles; more flexibility; lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer; even a better mood. 

Are you ready to hit the gym??  Good luck - and have fun.

Onion Rings (healthier recipe)

Onion Rings   with gluten-free breading 

 from KidsEatRight.org

Ingredients

1 large Vidalia onion
Gluten-free cooking spray or 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup gluten-free brown rice cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1 egg white

Directions

1. Peel and cut the onion into ¼ -inch slices and separate them into rings. Soak the rings in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray (or coat it with olive oil).
3. Mix the cracker crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Beat the egg and egg white together in a separate dish.
5. Drain the onions and pat them dry with a paper towel. Dip the onion rings, a few at a time, into the egg, then into the crumbs. Place the onin rings on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp and brown.
7. Onion rings are delicious served with ketchup, or with a simple dipping sauce made from ½ cup mayonniase, 2 tablespoons gluten-free chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon pickle relish.

Recipe from: Easy Gluten-Free; © 2010 American Dietetic Association, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

- See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/recipe 

Ingredients

1 large Vidalia onion
Gluten-free cooking spray or 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup gluten-free brown rice cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1 egg white

Directions

1. Peel and cut the onion into ¼ -inch slices and separate them into rings. Soak the rings in a large bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray (or coat it with olive oil).
3. Mix the cracker crumbs, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Beat the egg and egg white together in a separate dish.
5. Drain the onions and pat them dry with a paper towel. Dip the onion rings, a few at a time, into the egg, then into the crumbs. Place the onin rings on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp and brown.
7. Onion rings are delicious served with ketchup, or with a simple dipping sauce made from ½ cup mayonniase, 2 tablespoons gluten-free chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon pickle relish.

Recipe from: Easy Gluten-Free; © 2010 American Dietetic Association, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

- See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/recipe.aspx?id=6442472616#sthash.C1j3Sk4A.dpuf

Walk for health - and safety

++Walking is good for your health, and it's good for the environment too.  This time of year, people are thinking about weight control and walking can help with that, too.  But before you head out on foot for a stroll, power walk, or errand, there are important safety tips to remember.

What's the problem? Pedestrians—people who travel by foot, wheelchair, stroller, or similar means—are among the most vulnerable users of the road. In the next 24 hours, on average, more than 460 people will be treated in an emergency department for traffic-related pedestrian injuries. In the next 2 hours, on average, one pedestrian will die from injuries in a traffic crash.

Take Steps for Safety Whenever you're walking, keep these tips in mind: Cross the street at a designated crosswalk. Be careful at intersections where drivers may fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians while turning onto another street. Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing retro-reflective clothing. It's safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic.

Information from CDC     http://www.cdc.gov/media/storyideas/

Vitamins don't . . . . what??

+ A report was published recently that said vitamins don't prevent disease.  What should you make of this?

Studies and editorials reported in the December, 2013, issue of the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, supported this government advice:  belief that they can prevent chronic diseases is not a reason to use vitamin supplements, and in fact, they are not needed by most people.  Other researchers say it's still too early to tell if supplements really are a total waste of money.  So, who do you believe, and why?

To really get the hard data, one must look at who is financing the research, how the data was collected, how rigorously the study followed standard research protocols, how the statistical analysis was done, etc.  Whew, that's a lot of work!  Luckily, there are nutrition experts who enjoy this kind of work, and they agree on a few basic points regarding vitamins:  

points to remember:

• Heart disease and many other chronic conditions have a cluster of risk factors.  Vitamins apparently have much less impact than choices such as whether people smoke; how much exercise they get; if they routinely get the right amount of sleep; how much sugar, saturated fat, and alcohol are in their diets; etc. 
• Some people are in situations where it is hard for them to get all the vitamins and minerals they need without eating too many calories - we simply don't have to work them off like people did before modern machinery made lives easier.  Pregnant women are a frequently cited example of this.  Some older people have trouble absorbing all the vitamins in their food, and supplements often make sense for them, too.
• There are diseases that increase the need for some vitamins because the body does not handle food normally; such as genetically-transferred diseases of malabsoprtion.
• If you decide you want to take a supplement because you think it's cheap insurance, read labels.  Many vitamins act as drugs if routinely taken in larger amounts than the body needs.  Others are just flushed out of your system (a needless expense).  Some help (or hinder) use of others, so the proportions among the vitamins (and minerals) is important, too.  Because of this, it is wise to take supplements that don't provide over 100% of the recommended daily value of any component, unless your doctor has a good reason for you to do otherwise. Better yet, get your vitamins from a well-balanced diet.  This way, the proportions will be okay; and, you may be getting useful nutrients that haven't yet been isolated and studied.

Eat well!  Be well! (And, don't stress out over the news you read!)