Healthful Bites

    22 Aug 2010

    News to Nosh On

    Since Good for you news has been bumped from the rotation the last few weeks due to my schedule, I decided to make this weekend’s post a mash-up of eats and news. Ready for a few bites of edible intelligence? Away we go!

    Ray vs. O’Neal

    In a match-up of two juggernauts from their respective fields, Rachel Ray and Shaquille O’Neal faced off this week on the show “Shaq vs.” to see who could make the most crowd-pleasing burger. Besides being overly excited about strolling past the grocery store the pair meet at often on my walk to the subway, I enjoyed watching Shaq’s difficulty identifying fruits and vegetables when the two competitors were shopping for ingredients. Exhibit number one:

    • Shaq: “What’s this, a pineapple?”
    • Rachel: “No, that’s an artichoke.”

    Classic!

    If you’d like to see who took the cake (or the patty), you can watch the whole episode here or find a video rundown of just the Ray vs. O’Neal action here. 

     (Image: Yahoo! TV)


    Eat, Pray, Love, Watch?

    Elsewhere in the entertainment and sustenance world, the film “Eat, Pray, Love” is saturating screens and bringing in cash across the country. I caught the flick today, and have to say that I quite enjoyed it! (If I was a movie critic assigning a star rating a la People, I’d give Eat a solid 3/4 stars.) 

    One part in particular struck me: Elizabeth (Julia Roberts) was in Naples, Italy with a pal to try some pizza, which originated in the region. The friend is barely picking at her meal and says that she is feeling self-conscious about the muffin top she feels she has added to her physique. Elizabeth proceeds to explain that way too many days of her life involved tracking every morsel she ate, every calorie devoured, and she is sick of it. Instead of consuming precious time with vigilant waist watching, Elizabeth plans to eat what she truly wants and simply buy a pair of larger jeans. She’s not planning to gain dozens of pounds, but decides to love herself now, just as she is, since no one else really notices nearly as much as she does when a couple pounds come on. Amen girl!

    For some fascinating insights about the movie from registered dietitians, check out this blog from Bonnie Taub-Dix on USA Today’s site.

    Have your seen “Eat, Pray, Love” or read the book? What are your thoughts about it?

     (Image: Yoga Dork)


    Subsidizing the Right Stuff

    Finally, back in the real world, some exciting happenings are going on in the food stamp (now known as SNAP) world. A pilot program is launching that will encourage a select group of those who participate in SNAP to purchase more fruits and vegetables with financial subsidies.

    For years, health advocates have debated with low-income individuals who argue about how hard it is to buy a bag of apples when a bag of French fries is cheaper and more heavily marketed. Now, the USDA is testing out a new program to shift the balance so that produce will be more affordable (30 cents for every dollar of produce purchased is returned to the user’s food payment card). A consulting company will track how the diets of participants are affected during the trial period. I only hope that the select few in the trial take advantage of this excellent offer!

     (Image: The Daily Green)


    On a related note, here’s an editorial from yesterday’s The New York Times called “Fixing a World That Fosters Fat.” If you, in fact, agree with the author that our environment promotes obesity, what do you think should be the first step(s) to change this?

    18 Apr 2010

    Season’s Best

    No, we’re not celebrating the holidays in April…The spring, and even summer-like, weather has me ready to explore the best offerings at farmers markets and other local produce vendors! Many environmentalists tout the values of shopping local and opting for seasonal fruits and vegetables. But what does that mean? 

    I’ve dug around on the Internet to find the greatest seasonal produce resources for you. And I would love for you to share your tips or favorite online resources in the comments!

     Spring farmers market finds! (For planting/admiring, probably not eating). :)

    To kick this discussion off, this grower’s association site lists some of the benefits of buying local. And if you’d like to find some growers near you, check out this handy site from Local Harvest! You’ll find tips for starting your own garden, how to join a CSA (and the definition of a CSA) and blogs from the farmers detailing smaller-scale farm life.

     Local produce in NYC :)


    Different parts of the country have different fruits and vegetables in season over the course of the year. A simple concept, but this can easily slip my mind when I see exotic fruits in the grocery store all year long. Epicurious has a fantastic “Seasonal Ingredient Map” that allows users to learn what crops are most available each month in each state. For example, April in Iowa brings asian greens, kohlrabi, lettuce and spinach. 

    Not only is this a great tool for knowing which items will be most affordable and tasty at the store, but it also may assist those who are looking to start a garden. Plus, the map has pictures (for those exotic finds you may not recognize on the shelf) and links to recipes featuring the peak season picks. Try it out for your state!

    As much as I love the occasional cup of berries in winter, I know that they, and other warmer-weather fruits and vegetables, taste much better in-season. But variety is key to getting the vitamins and nutrients your body needs from produce (and other foods). What to do? Try frozen! The chilled foods are picked at peak ripeness and frozen so that they will stay at their tastiest until they come out of your freezer.

    Here are a couple tips from the most recent Women’s Health magazine about fresh vs. frozen:

    • Opt for fresh when texture is important: in salads, when eating raw fruits and vegetables or when using as a component of a lightly cooked dish (pasta sauce, quick-cooking soup, etc.)
    • Frozen works well for vegetables when they play a small role in a dish (a component of a dip or mash) or as part of a casserole or lasagna. Frozen fruits, such as berries, work great in smoothies or after being cooked, for example, in muffins or cobblers. 

    I’ve been really enjoying fresh strawberries lately—and at a discount! Watermelon should be wonderful soon too. What fruits and vegetables have you been digging? And do you have any insights you can share about buying seasonally or locally?

    11 Feb 2010

    Thumbs Up: Coupons, Thumbs Down: Commercials

    Blame It On the A-a-a-ads

    OK, let’s get the bad news out of the way first…commercials can increase obesity rates in youth. Interestingly, the total amount of TV children watched had little effect. But the more advertising the small fries see during that TV time, the more likely they are to be overweight, UCLA researchers found.

    Children generally squirm and wiggle around while watching the tube, so they can rack up a bit of physical activity while viewing, the researchers noted. Also, kids who watch sports may be inspired to try them out themselves. A moderate amount of regular programming gets the green light from these scientists, while the commercials take the blame for the commonly discussed TV/weight gain link.

    Foods high in sugar and fast foods account for nearly three in every four food ads during children’s programming, another study found. That’s what the UCLA researchers think is the issue, especially since youngsters see about 30 hours of food-focused ads each year.

    Time for a TiVo to skip through the commercials? Or perhaps a distraction: my commercial/TV workout!

    (Image from Kiwi Mag Online)


    Discount in Aisle One

    Now for the good news: when shoppers can get a deal on fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, they buy more than one pound more of produce per week! Research in the past has shown that lowering the price of more nutritious foods persuades eaters to bypass the less healthy options, but this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, adds another interesting component. The rise in produce purchases may actually stay in place even after the prices return to their previous (higher) levels. Shoppers created new, positive habits or found new favorites!

    In this New Zealand-based study, shoppers either received discounts on healthful foods, nutrition education, a combination of discounts with education or no treatment (control). Those saving cash received markdowns of 12.5 percent. The discount group bought almost two pounds more healthy food than their educated and control group peers and continued to do so even six months after the study ended. In this experiment, nutrition education did little to improve shopper’s eating habits.

    Perhaps, eventually, instead of subsidizing in the current method, the government, farmers and dietitians/physicians can team up to create a new plan to subsidize more nutritious fruits and vegetables? These results seem to show that people shop more with their wallets in mind than their stomachs or brains.

    With the current economy, do you think the results of this study may be different today than, say, ten years ago? Do you have any creative ideas for pushing shoppers towards smarter purchases (and steer clear of the Big Gulp and Family Size bag of pork rinds?)

    (Image from EL Civics)

    And just a friendly reminder to all of you who got walloped with a massive snow storm this past week (or past two or three weeks…), be careful and safe out there when shoveling! If you use proper form, are in decent condition and take fairly frequent breaks, shoveling can be an excellent workout, however.


    Water cooler conversation starter: In what could be one of the most disturbing TV show concepts ever, BBC is launching a series called “I’m Hotter Than My Daughter.” Women that are nearly Grandmas brag about their attractiveness and desirability—which they claim is much more apparent in themselves than their offspring. If that doesn’t spark insecurity in the daughters I don’t know what will! But that’s only my opinion.

    Would you watch this show? Is it harmless fun or a sign that society is headed down the drain?