food museum blog

Resveratrol and You

Just flipped through the book The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a Longer and Healthier Lfe, by Joseph Maroon, MD,  Atria 2009, so you wouldn't have to. Not that this is an arduous read at all--it flows, it answers questions, it's well-researched. ( Do we love the fact that author's name is MAROON, or what? You'll see why.)

Basically it boils down to this:  Drink red wine; eat dark choc; eat red grapes, blueberries, blackberries, apples, cranberries and so on--you see the pattern here? Oh--drink green tea. Not rooibos, the "red tea" of South Africa? No mention of it.

And exercise, be happy, be spiritual, and all that.
I am being glib here, but that may stem from my eyes having lighted on the words "Iceberg lettuce" in the recipe section of the book.

All the bits about "gene activation" drove me to open that bottle of red. But--for those of you into the deeper story behind the glory of certain (reddish)  foods, please, read this book.

( Thanks to photo from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325125937.htm a site that also details the power of red wine specifically in fighting cancer.)

Mega-Dieting Study Reveals the Obvious

Apparently a full-fledged, deep, lengthy, costly (?,) study of weight loss efforts indicates that it doesn't really matter that much whether you suck eggs, eat antelope livers, or wolf down masses of pickled beets, you will lose weight ONLY if you eat less than you do now.  Low fat, low carb, high fat, high carb, so what.

The reference to the study eludes me, perhaps because I yawned through its findings.

Eat less, enjoy what you eat, move more.

ps   Still, I favor the Mediterranean style of eating, along with loads of walkies.

Eat Less, Move More, Be Happy in 2009

"Diets" don't work but eating well/differently/less does. You knew this, right? Also, moving about rather than lying around like a bored teenager, keeps your body happy. Maybe not "thin," but happy.
Also--women who have had no boobs to speak of other than during pregnancy who gain a tad extra in later years suddenly enjoy having breasts. What's wrong with that?

And, to repeat----From the NYT last July: "The New England Journal report also affirmed something many women have believed all along — that low-carb diets work better for men than women. Male low-carb dieters lost about 11 pounds, compared to about 9 pounds on a Mediterranean diet. Women low-carb dieters lost only about 5 pounds, compared to about 14 on the Mediterranean diet."

Let's face it--Anyone eating Mediterranean style will be delighted and delightful, over the long haul.

Also--anyone deciding to put his/her gym membership on hold until the outdoor pool reopens will find delectation at the local community center--damn fine use of taxpayer dollars--where the fitness paraphernalia is available free.

As for the two boxes of Trader Joe's seasonal peppermint cookies still lurking in my pantry, shall I give them to Goodwill?!

Oprah Weighs 200, And Do We Mind? Should She?

Apparently the January cover of the O mag has a pic of the trim Oprah and the chunky Oprah, and inside, the chunky O evidently regrets same. So what?!  She's rich, influential, has a private chef...she's active, on-the-ball, and, ok, a tad heavy. Fortunately, she's given up trying to be "thin," but I really do not think she needs to stress out about this. Nor make other naturally larger persons feel badly about themselves. Of course, she is only 5 feet 6 inches tall..............uh oh.

Food News From All Over

Recent food reports tell us that A---women eat less in times of famine, as they provide for their children and husbands first, B---low carb diets, as well as the Mediterranean diet, work far better than low fat diets, and C--jalapeno peppers may be the salmonella culprits, and that $100 million in losses later tomato growers are looking at cooking up a mess of marinara sauce.
A--Duh!
B--Duh!
C--OK, not so obvious...

Oh, and this reported in The Guardian from Angela Hartnett, a Brit chef acquainted with Michelin stars, her own, that is: 
"What's the best/worst thing about the British food scene?
The best? Hmmmm. The worst is that we think we're now a nation of foodies and we're not. Oh, and I think it's really bad that good food costs so much and bad food is so cheap. That's wrong."

As noted in an earlier post, I am finally reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, written with contributions from family members, and it truly is more than it seems. As many of you know, she recounts with sly humor a year of eating locally, most from their own 40 acres in Virginia, but also examines with graceful precision a range of food issues. The perils of cheap food, raising and dispatching animals, infusing unexpected recipes with veggies, organic vs sustainable et al, and more. A bonus: simple, straight-forward recipes, plus, an invitation to make cheese. I plan to try this asap.

On Fat Kids and Stingy Buffets

The Washington Post is running Part 2 of a major piece on childhood obesity in America, an exploration of the excesses of one country's love affair with bad food and drink choices, among other things.  But always part of this not-new story, is that in the poorest of our country's neighborhoods are the fewest decent supermarkets. The well-off have access to good food, gyms,  personal trainers, and multitudes of how-to books and magazines on health and well-being.
( My unsolicited advice to all new parents--never take your kid to McD's or the equivalent, period. One visit and they are hooked. )

Meanwhile, to buffets---I returned to a favorite Indian joint recently and found two of the three primary veggie offerings were 1--potatoes and a few green pepper hunks; 2--carrots and peas. Neither dish had much appeal, even though I enjoy both spuds and carrots. But I felt I was witnessing the "cheapening down" of what was once a worthwhile buffet, a phenomenon written up on the Internets recently.  And, puzzled by the not so fine taste of the chapati bread, I decided that they were made with inferior flour, to save costs, given the huge rise in wheat prices.  I will ask about that the next time I stop by, if I stop by again, but before parking myself for lunch, I will more closely scan the buffet offerings.   

Eat Crap, Win Voters' Hearts and Minds?

In between mel0dramatic reports on lame bowling skills and memories of shooting ducks as a wee lass and all the flotsam and jetsam of American political discourse, I have noted disparagement of Senator Obama's campaign eating style. Apparently he doesn't finish all his waffles!  He shies away from fat-laden nightmares like Philly cheesesteaks ( I may be making this one up) and so on. He's not into multiple brewskies, either.

So the guy is trim, healthy, and against all the odds during this marathon primary season, he wants to stay that way and hold off the carbs. What a nutcase!  What a crappy exemplar of all that is American!

Please, superdelegates, end the agony soon so that Barry O' can take a break to revisit farmers markets and Senator Clinton can hole up in her Georgetown home tossing back whatever she damn pleases.

This tidbit from the NYT a few days back may amuse....

ps  Not getting into the use of "waffle" as a verb...

(Thanks to http://www.easywafflerecipe.com/ for handsome, healthy-looking waffle photo.)

"Cooking Light's" Gargantuan Opus

Eleven million readers! So claims Cooking Light magazine on its website. Established by Southern Progress Corp, Birmingham, AL,  in 1987, the magazine's aim is to scale back the fat in not just fried chicken--( NB--fried chicken empire KFC apparently is now offering grilled hens)--but in a wide range of traditional as well as global recipe favorites. Its approach is readable, practical, and utterly specific. And younger cooks in my family have praised the magazine's suggestions over the years.

Yesterday the company launched Cooking Light Complete Cookbook--A Fresh New Way to Cook, published by Oxmoor House, $34.95,  part of the Southern Progress group. Again, the practicality of the approach stands out. The 5-ring binder book containing 1200 recipes allows for easy removal of pages. Its surface is washable, for messy cooks like me, and the book comes with a DVD labeled "Bonus--Cooking Light Dinner Tonight Cookbook" featuring 100 recipes and multiple how to's.
( Yes, I have printed up recipes from the Internets but I have never allowed my laptop anywhere near my cooking arena, lord no. ) Calories, fats, carbs, etc., are listed at the end of each offering.

But, and here come the "buts," where's the joy? The exuberance of eating well --oops, that's another food mag---the taste, the aromas, the cultural background? Not here.

The layout begins with a section on In Season, all well and good. Then it gives a primer on what Healthy Eating is about, according to the authors, who must be congratulated on a thoroughly vetted, complicated project, mind you.   Next up are Entertaining and  Appetizers & Beverages, thereby making me feel I had stumbled into a 1950's  tome from Betty Crocker. Wha? Maybe the 21st century has reverted to home entertaining on a big scale while I was blogging--maybe gas prices are thrusting us back on cocktail hour with the neighbors. Maybe?

But having to flip through a major cookbook in search of main courses??  See-- after doing the Wasabi Bloody Marys--OY!-- and Mini Black Bean Cakes--yum, we are really salivating for dinner, and yet the cookbook offers us mega pages of BAKED GOODS next--breads, and cakes, and cookies and, and...

OK, I am possibly making too much of a fuss, but the fruit and veggie sidedishes are smack dab at the end next to substitutions and what a cup is and whatnot. The fish section neglects to inform the reader about the health benefits/sustainable issues of fish, but I suppose there's no room, sadly. And, alarmingly, an entire section of luscious looking fare is labeled Meatless Main Dishes. Please! This is so..........Betty Crocker?  Mushroom Tamales, Tomato Basil Tart, Corn Fritatta, yes. I think 21st c. Americans can handle Vegetarian Main Dishes, I really do.

I realize this is not intended to be the kind of cookbook one gets into bed with, red wine and oozing cheese on the night stand, for a sensual romp through phantasmagoric foodland.  Sitting bolt upright at my desk,  however, I utterly fell for the recipe for Swedish Limpa Soda Bread--it's seasoned with anise and orange rind. Excellent.

Congratulations, Cooking Light, on a major opus many will find perfect--the superlative recipe for Grilled Fries ( white and sweet) on p. 381 has been duly noted.   

But Has She Won New Mexico??

Hot news--In an interview with  Washington, DC, tv station WJLA, right before today's primary, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton revealed the following:

...she eats hot peppers because “years ago, I was told that hot peppers would keep me healthy.”

– “Jalapenos, banana peppers – any kind of hot peppers,” she said. “I eat them raw, I eat them cooked. I don’t whether it’s for everybody, but it’s worked for me."

(I would love to be Fair and Balanced and post additional up to the minute gustatory goodies about others running for Prez but, thus far, that's it.)

Delve Into Nutrition Data

OK, so I'm a sucker for visual aids---but if you want to know instantly the nutritional story within a Krispy Kreme glazed cruller, or a raw carrot, or a cup of  acerola juice, go to Nutrition Data and find out.

The search window works fast and well--I have n0t yet signed up for anything--and reveals pretty graphics re a food's Caloric Ratio Pyramid,  Nutrient Balance Indicator, and more. ( Don't ask me to explain any of these!)

The site apparently does explain all. Even though I am one of those who likes to eat and enjoy, rather than hand-wring over carbs, fats and proteins, I think this site is a nifty foodie tool.

( Nutrition Data info much more visually dazzling than well-intentioned label at left.)