Six Surprising Superfoods

An article by Men's Health magazine reminds me of Woody Allen's movie Sleeper. When he wakes up from frozen sleep he learns that the foods he thought were unhealthy, like steak and chocolate, are actuallyvery healthy. Everything he knew about food & nutrition was wrong!

Here are six food that you might think are "bad" but probably are not

1. Full-fat cheese: "one of the best muscle-building nutrients you can eat" and "even when men ate 10 ounces of full-fat cheese daily for 3 weeks, their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol didn’t budge."

2. Iceberg lettuce: famous for having NO nutritional value but in reality"half a head of iceberg lettuce has significantly more alpha-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant, than either romaine lettuce or spinach."

3. Mushrooms:I saw a sign at an Asian grocery that described mushrooms as the vegetable that does not taste like a vegetable. The fungi metabolites "have been shown to boost immunity and prevent cancer growth"

4. Pork chops: "contains almost five times the selenium—a mineral linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer—of beef and twice that of chicken"

5. Red Pepper flakes: "consuming a gram of red-pepper flakes—about half a teaspoon—30 minutes prior to a meal reduced calorie intake by 16 percent."

6. Vinegar: "when people consumed 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a high-carb meal, their blood sugar was 23 percent lower"

A most unusal caper

A friend recently asked my wife, "What is a caper?" She wasn't exactly sure (nor was I). I do know what they look and taste like but what am I eating?

My guess was a fruit berry - wrong! "Capers" are actually the flower bud just before it flowers. These are pickled, salted or preserved in oil. Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm). If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a fruit called a caperberry.

I also learned that the Greeks make good use of the caper's leaves, which are hard to find outside of Greece. They are pickled or boiled and preserved in jars with brine-like caper buds. Caper leaves are excellent in salads and fish dishes.

Wikipedia claims that capers can be easily grown from seeds. I may have to try that. A caper bush can be productive for nearly 30 years.

12 Confusing Foods

"You heard that eggs can be high in cholesterol, so you dutifully switched to whole grains for breakfast. Next, you swapped out red meat for fish—only to later learn that fish can contain dangerous levels of mercury...and eggs may not harm your heart after all. 'With all of the different reports and headlines, it’s no wonder that many people get confused,' "

So begins an article by Prevention Magazine on 12 Confusing Foods.

1. Coffee - Prevention notes that coffee has antioxidants and other minerals that are good for you. Of course one could argue that cigarettes with added vitamin D would be "healthy". I disagree with Prevention here and suggest one needs to look at the whole food effect and not just a few favorable components.
2. Wine - as with coffee above, wine has antioxidants. But here Prevention is more clear - at most one glass a day because wine also has negative effects. They fail to note that grape juice can provide many of the same health benefits.
3. Potatoes - is healthy food often served in unhealthy ways (fried, with butter, etc)
4. Cheese - great for calcium but high in fat calories. Depending on your diet this may be a good thing.
5. Fish - "benefits far outweigh the risks" However, the FDA advises that young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women trying to become pregnant steer clear of fish that contain the most mercury, including swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tile fish. [What's a tile fish?]
6. Chocolate - dark chocolate is good for the heart according to recent studies. Eat in moderation.
7. Red Meat - "Go lean. Look for cuts with “loin” and “round” in the name—and limit yourself to 18 ounces a week. That translates into around six 3-ounce servings (imagine a deck of cards)."
8. Nuts - "Ounce for ounce, nuts pack in more calories than most other snacks. But the surprising truth is that nuts are one of the best foods for weight loss."
9. Beer - see wine
10. Soy - a healthy food in "healthy people" but causes hormone-like effects (Estrogen) that may raise the risk of breast cancer. Ask your doctor before consuming large amounts of soy.
11. Eggs - a great food but limit to one a day
12. Margarine - Avoid any product with the words “partially hydrogenated” on the ingredient list.

Bottom Line

Honestly, after reading the Prevention article, I'm still confused. Food X is packed with good stuff but limit to one a day? What kind of advice is that? There's no shortage of "safe" foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals, for example spinach. I'm reminded of Stock Analysts that NEVER say sell; it's always but or hold a stock. Somehow they can never find anything bad to say about a stock. Or Entertainment News shows that flatter celebrities because they do not want to be denied access to the stars. Is Prevention afraid of losing sponsors if they say don't eat this or don't drink that?

What is Pink Slime?

Pink slime has been in the news a lot lately. Which grocery stores sell it? What fast-food chains use it? Will certain public schools use it in school lunches?

So what is pink slime? First off, they're not talking about pink algae which is sometimes seen in swimming pools and called pink slime by some.  The official name is "Boneless lean beef trimmings". When a cow is butchered, there are leftover trimmings of meat mixed with a lot of fat and connective tissue. The meat industry used to cook the trimmings to render out the oil to make some profit from it. Then in 1990, Eldon Roth, founder of a frozen beef company called Beef Products Inc (BPI) had an idea.

The trimmings are finely ground and then spun in a high speed centrifuge to separate out the fat from the meat. The meat is squeezed through a tube the size of a pencil and exposed to ammonia gas to kill any pathogens such as E. coli. At the end of the process, the beef is at least 90 percent lean. It is used in meat supplies across the US, usually mixed in with normal hamburger upto 25% of the content.

Some people find the process objectionable and coined the derogatory term, pink slime. Other health experts credit the process for reducing the risk of E. coli infections.

Bottom Line

The sad part about the whole thing is that no labeling is required to indicate that Boneless lean beef trimmings were used. It may be perfectly safe but there's no way to opt out as an informed consumer except for giving up all hamburger.

And least people get into a huff over this, look closely at chicken and hams at grocery stores. Many have water and chemicals injected for "preservatives" but also to add weight and cost. Last week I noticed that a 5-gallon bottled water contained chemicals on the ingredients listing? Why?! For preservatives and minerals it claimed.

You ate what?

CDC research shows outbreaks linked to imported foods increasing.

Foodborne diseases from imported food appeared to rise in 2009 and 2010, and nearly half of the implicated foods were imported from areas not previously associated with outbreaks.

During the five-year period of 2005-2110, 39 outbreaks and 2,348 illnesses were linked to imported food from 15 countries. 17 of the outbreaks occurred in 2009 and 2010 alone. Overall, fish (17) were the most common source, followed by spices (6) such fresh or dried peppers. Nearly half of the problem foods came from Asia.

As much as 85 percent of the seafood eaten in the United States is imported, and depending on the time of the year, up to 60 percent of fresh produce is imported.

Bottom Line

“As our food supply becomes more global, people are eating foods from all over the world, potentially exposing them to germs from all corners of the world, too,” says the CDC. 

What Flavor is Your Potato Chip?

I like BBQ flavored potato chips; my wife does not. But that's OK, there are lots of flavors out there so everyone can have a personal favorite. Just how many flavors? A lot more than I ever would have guessed.

In 1932, salesman Herman W. Lay opened a successful snack food operation in Nashville, Tennessee. A few years later he purchased a potato chip manufacturer and called it the "H. W. Lay Lingo & Company", later renamed simply "Lay's". This company bought the first TV commercials for snack food, "de-Lay-sious!", using Bert Lahr, the comedian who played the Cowdardly Lion of Oz.

Today Lay's controls 59% of the US savory snack-food market and sells chips around the world. Potato chip flavors are customized for each country - how many of the following flavors would sell in America?

Canada: Ketchup (My sister sent me some. They're good!), Wasabi, Smokey Bacon, Fries & Gravy

UK: Prawn Cocktail, German Bratwurst Sausage, Scottish Haggis (really?!!!), Yorkshire Pudding, Welsh Rarebit, Australian BBQ Kangaroo, Marmite

Australia: Vegemite
India: Massaman  (enjoyed this one!)

Greece and Cyprus: Feta cheese, Tzatziki, Oregano

Holland: Paprika, Bolognese, Balsamico

Belgium: Cucumber & Goats  (goats?)

Russia: Red Cariar, Shishkebab

Poland: Chilli and Knuckle of Pork

Argentina, Chile and Uruguay: Beef Carpaccio with Parmeggiano

Thailand: Bacon and Cheese with Seaweed, squid, French Mayonnaise, Garlic Soft Shelled Crab

China: Kiwi, Blueberry, Finger Licking Braised Pork

Vietnam: Peeking Duck

Egypt: Kebab on Charcoal

Bottom Line

204 chip flavors are listed at Now That's Nifty which closely match the flavors listed on Wikipedia for Lay's.

Last year my wife & I encountered a similar flavor explosion with mustard at the National Mustard Museum near Madison, Wisconsin. So many flavors to try, so many countries.

What is freezer burn?

Hamburger with freezer burn

Have you ever removed an old item from the freezer and found it dry and discolored? Or covered in ice crystals? If so, you've been burned by your freezer.

According to Everyday Mysteries, water migrates to the coldest place they can find. If the shelves and walls of your freezer are colder than your steak, the water leaves the steaks and builds frost elsewhere, drying out the food, leaving space for Oxygen molecules to move in, which discolors the food. Wikipedia calls this sublimation, an odd process of going from a solid (ice) to a gas while skipping the liquid in-between state. Water molecules move about, find themselves near the food surface, freeze, and then sublime into water vapor and refreeze elsewhere.

The recommended way to prevent this is to tightly wrap food in layers. This slows the water migration but can not stop it. There is a time limit for storing foods and eventually you'll have ice crystals on the meat, inside the wrapping, instead of on the walls. Great wrapping (better yet vacuum sealed) will block oxidation and discoloration.

An odd cause of freezer burn is a freezer that is TOO warm, above 0 degrees F. In the 0 to 32 degree range water will freeze and "evaporate" from sublimation as described above. This process is actually encouraged with low presssure to "freeze-dry" items.

Bottom Line

With the exception of freezer burn damage, food can last indefinitely in a freezer. Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes — bacteria, yeasts and molds — present in food. The microbes sleep, but they are not dead! Once thawed, the microbes again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. Treat thawed items the same as you would any perishable food.

Carb Substitutes

“Man does not live by bread alone, even presliced bread.” - D.W. Brogan

Today I found an excellent list of carb substitutes on myThirtySpot.com and this fits in so well with yesterday's topic of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load.

1. Use summer squash for hash browns.
2. Replace mashed potatoes with pureed cauliflower. If the taste bothers you, try mixing cauliflower with potatoes to lower the carb count. Parsnips also mix well with potatoes but there's very little carb reduction with parsnips.
3. Use sliced zucchini for pasta noodles. This one I've used and it works great. My wife uses a mandolin with a Julienne cutter and then sautee the zucchini strips and pours spaghetti sauce on top.
4. Use spaghetti squash for spaghetti. Very easy to make and when the cooked squashed is scraped with a fork, the result is spaghetti like strands.
5. Cottage cheese pancakes? I never noticed this one when I used the South Beach Diet plan. Mix cottage cheese, oatmeal, eggs & a few spices in a blender for a "pancake" batter. What I have tried is almond flour and chick-pea flour for pancakes. The taste was fine but the texture was not the same.
6. Use Tempheh for Scalloped Potatoes
7. Make Mac n Cheese with diced vegetables
8. Use less pasta and more beans or veggies in a pasta salad
9. Use low-fat string cheese for chips? Slice & bake for "chips"
10. Use Portobello mushrooms as a mini-pizza crust - YUM. This does work But don't overcook, portobellos will lose liquid and collapse when overcooked.
11. Use sliced eggplant in place of lasgna noodles
12. Use lettuce (napa or romain) as a wrap instead of bread for sandwiches

Bottom Line

See myThirtySpot.com for the full recipes. Bon Appetit!

A carb is a carb is a carb?

"I was gaining weight very rapidly and read about the idea of restricting carbohydrates as an alternative to going hungry. I had a big appetite, so that was the only thing I would even consider."
- Dr Robert Atkins

In diet books the total calories in a food item is calculated by Fat * 9 + Protein * 4 + Carbs * 4 when each is measured in grams. This assumes the body is a perfect food processing machine that will convert the entire food into energy. But that's not true. Some foods digest quickly, some slowly, some perhaps not at all.

In 1980 at the University of Toronto, Dr David J Jenkins and colleagues decided to test real food on real people to see what effect each food had on blood sugar so they could give better advice to diabetics. They fed volunteers 50g of carbohydrate from one type of food and measured the blood glucose level over the next two hours. The total area under the glucose curve was called the Glycemic Index. Foods with a high GI are digested quickly and give a sugar rush or spike that is often associated with weight gain and high insulin demands for diabetics.

High GI: white bread, most white rice, corn flakes and most breakfast cereals
Medium GI: whole wheat products, basmati rice, sweet potato, baked potato
Low GI: most fruits and vegetable, legumes, beans, whole grains, nuts

The GI was quickly put to use in new diet plans like the South Beach Diet which my wife and I used and did lose weight (for a awhile). This was a refinement over the Atkins plan which banned all carbs completely.

But critics soon pointed out flaws with the GI tables.
1. The tests examined one food at a time. Not food combinations. It was later discovered that adding vinegar, for example, will lower the GI. The presence of fat or soluble dietary fiber can slow the gastric emptying rate, thus lowering the GI.

2. Each test required 50g of carbs in the food consumed. Watermelon, which is mostly water with a little sugar, has a high GI but there are only about 8g of carbs per 100g serving size. To get 50g carbs for the test, volunteers had to eat nearly 7 servings of watermelon. Compare this to white bread which is half carb by weight and just two slices equal 50g carbs.

To address this second point, Harvard University created a new standard called the Glycemic Load that takes serving size into account. The GL is the GI * (carbs per 100g) /100.  Under this system, watermelon gets a low GL score.

Under the GL system white bread is very high, bananas on the boarder of medium and low and carrots very low.

Bottom Line

A detailed list of GI and GL values can be found at http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm 

Foods with a high GL should be eaten sparingly. Fill up on low GL items.

How To Plan A Vegetable Garden

"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view."
~H. Fred Dale

My luck with gardens is very poor. Our havest last year was two or three plum tomatoes.

So instead I'll let another site do all the talking today and encourage all to check out How to Plan a Vegetable Garden at RootSimple.com.

Bottom Line

Gardening takes practice and planning. Begin now.

Crazy food or Fun food?

“Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.”
-Henry Youngman

Attempts by restaurants to server healthy or diet food usually fails because when people go out to eat, they want a meal that entertains and tastes great. Why buy something simple, boring or with no taste? And yet, do restaurants go too far? Are they to blame when they create a meal that gives you a day or more worth of calories on one plate?

Men's Health is one of many groups that watches what's being served and warns of extremes and offers alternative with their Eat This, Not That books and articles. In a recent story they identify the Craziest Food Creations that were added to the NOT THAT list. But hey, I'm willing to live dangerously and try some of the following:

1. KFC Double Down (A bacon and cheese sandwich where the bread is replaced with two fried chicken breasts)
2. Burger King Meat Beast Whopper (how do you make a whopper even bigger? Add bacon and pepperoni)
3. White Castle Surf & Turf Sliders with Cheese (a cheese burger with a fish patty added. Photo above.)
4. Denny's Fried Cheese Melt (how can you improve a cheese sandwich? By inserting fried cheese sticks along with the melted cheese of course!)
5. IHOP New York Cheesecake Pancakes  (A cheesecake mixed inside a pancake? Crazy! I've got to try it.)
6. Applebee's Quesadilla Burger (With meat to fill a quesadilla, this is one big burger!)
7. Claim Jumper Widow Maker Burger (never heard of Claim Jumper but the Widow Maker contains enough fat to frighten the strongest of hearts - bacon, onion rings, avocado, mayonnaise, and a double serving of cheese)
8. Friendly's Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt  (Can't decide between a hamburger and a cheese sandwich? Have both. This burger uses two cheese sandwiches to replace the buns.)
9. Applebee's Provolone Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine (like cheese-stuffed crust pizza? How about meatballs stuffed with cheese?)
10. Burger King New York Pizza Burger  (looks like the burger is the size of a small pizza)

Bottom Line

Crazy? Tasty? Fun or Abomination? You decide.

How long is food safe during a power outage?

“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.”
-Bill Watterson (author of Calvin & Hobbes)

My wife & I recently spent several winter days without power due to the Oct 29 snow storm which dropped 4 inches of heavy wet snow on trees still covered with autumn leaves. This causes massive amounts of broken limbs, fallen trees, and power lines knocked down. The damage to power lines was greater than tropical storm Irene a few months back.

When the power went out on Saturday we knew it would be gone for awhile - this was a major storm. So our first thought was the fridge. We discussed what to pull from the fridge (before opening it) and then quickly removed items we wanted to use and put them in an insulated cooler. The fridge and freezer were not opened again until power was restored. The cooler was placed outside in the snow to help keep it cold. If we had been more clever we might have emptied the fridge and put everything in the snow. This would have been great overnight but perhaps still unsafe during the heat of day. We also could have used dry ice in the fridge but no one was distributing it locally to us.

The magic temperature with refrigerated food is 40°. The USDA says,

"Always keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs refrigerated at or below 40°F and frozen food at or below 0°F." ... "The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed."

The USDA website has a table listing when foods are no longer safe. Discard any potentially hazardous food that has been above 41°F for four hours or more, reached a temperature of 45°F or higher for any length of time, or has an unusual color, odor, or texture.

VERY IMPORTANT: More than 250 diseases can be caused by bacteria found in contaminated food. Many bacteria can grow above 40°F and not produce a funny smell or taste. Never taste food to determine if it’s safe.

The following items can tolerate room temperatures for a few days and DO NOT need to be tossed out:

• Butter or margarine
• Hard and processed cheeses
• Fresh uncut fruits and vegetables, Fruit juices
• Dried fruits and coconut
• Opened jars of vinegar-based salad dressings, jelly, relish, taco sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, olives and peanut butter
• Fresh herbs and spices
• Fruit pies, breads, rolls, and muffins. Cakes, except cream cheese frosted or cream-filled
• Flour and nuts

Fortunately the list above describes most of our fridge content.  We should toss our raw eggs and our yogurt. I always thought yogurt would last longer than regular milk but even yogurt has a short shelf life; see http://www.ehow.com/facts_7382133_long-yogurt-stay-good-unrefrigerated_.html

Bottom Line
Perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked.

For a list of foods and which are "safe" or not when warm, check out http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/keeping_food_Safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp
Another good site is http://www.uri.edu/ce/ceec/food/factsheets/powerout.html

See also my blog post:  Living without power

Do Empty Stomachs cause Riots?

A full gut supports moral precepts
-Burmese Proverb

Spread the table and contention will cease
-English proverb

A society is only three meals away from anarchy.
-British Sci-Fi show, Red Dwarf

What causes riots? No, not the riots in London but riots in general, around the world? Researchers at the New England Complex Systems Institute in Cambridge, Mass. think they've found a clue.

This graph shows the average price of food and the riot events around the world. Above a certain food price threshold, social unrest sweeps the planet. It stands to reason that people become desperate when food is difficult to obtain. The French Revolution was preceded by a food crisis when the price of bread became too high for the common working man to afford (which led to the famous reply by the French queen, "Let them eat cake.")

The researches say that high food prices don't necessarily trigger riots themselves, they simply create a tipping point in which social unrest can flourish. "These observations are consistent with a hypothesis that high global food prices are a precipitating condition for social unrest," according to Marco Lagi.

Bottom Line

Why are food prices so high? One reason is traders speculating on the price of food, a problem that has worsened in recent years by the deregulation of the commodities markets and the removal of trading limits for buyers and sellers. (Recall what Enron did to the price of energy in California with abusive trading.)

A second reason is the conversion of corn into ethanol. The supply of corn for food has been greatly reduced. I recently read that half of the US corn supply is being turned into ethanol.

The US really needs to stop subsidising ethanol. We are using taxpayer money to make expensive fuel from corn and creating starvation as a byproduct.

Waiter there's a F.R.O.G. in my sandwich

"At Motel 6 in Amish Country I wonder if they leave the light on for you?"
~ Jay London

My wife & I enjoy vacationing in Amish regions. There are many reasons.
1. An admiration for a people who truly live according to the dictates of their religion.
2. A chance to learn "primitive" survival skills from a life without electricity.
3. Great food

It seems every time we visit the Amish we find some new food item. One year it was hot, buttery pretzels sold at a roadside stand - the best pretzels ever. Another year it was Trail Bologna served hot in a sandwich. This year we "discovered" F.R.O.G jam. With a name like that, it's got to be good? The name stands for the flavor ingredients: Figs, Raspberry, Orange Peel, and Ginger. When we finished the jar we'd bought, we tried to duplicate it at home. We started with a jar of fig jam, warmed it in a pot, and added raspberries, grated orange peel, grated ginger, and some pectin to help it set again. Sealed it in a larger jar, and sterilized it. We opened the jar yesterday and it's great. A bit more ginger kick than the original but that's OK.

Here are two recipes I found online:

F.R.O.G. Jam-

• 3 oranges juiced
• 2 (3 oz) packages of raspberry gelatin
• 4 cups mashed ripe figs
• 4 cups sugar
• 4 TBS. orange zest
• 4 TBS. fresh finger, finely diced

Over medium heat, stir orange juice and gelatin until dissolved.
Add chopped figs, sugar, orange zest and ginger. Let come to boil on med heat, reduce to low, stirring often. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, continue stirring until mixture thickens.
Pour into sterilized jars, seal and place in canner filled with hot water. Process sealed jars for 15 minutes.
 
Low Sugar FROG Jam

3 oranges juiced- about 1 cup liquid (add water if needed to get 1 cup)
1 (3oz) pkg. of raspberry gelatin (JELL-O)
1 pkg low sugar sure jell
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup splenda
4 cups chopped figs
1 Quart of fresh raspberries, cooked, smashed, and strained to remove seeds (unless you like seeds)
4 TBS orange zest minced fine
4 to 5 TBS fresh ginger minced fine

In large saucepan, stir together OJ, raspberry juice, gelatin and pectin (surejel) until dissolved over medium heat.
Keep stirring until there are no lumps, it may take awhile. Add sugar, splenda, figs, orange zest and ginger and bring to boil on medium heat.
Reduce to low heat, but keep on a low boil and cook for about 25 minutes. Stir often or it will burn. When the mixture thickens, pour into sterilized half pint jars, and seal with rubber tops and rings. Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes.
Because of the reduced sugar, this jam should be stored in the refrigerator and used within 6 months.
 

Bottom Line

We have a great time at supermarkets either run by the Amish or selling to an Amish population. So many different items that you won't see at your neighborhood grocery store.

Local Produce

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master that’s all.”

 Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1872)

Are you a locavore? Someone who tries to buy and eat food that is grown locally? That's a great idea for saving energy and helping the local economy but there is just one problem? What does "local" mean?

Last October, Walmart announced a pledge to double the amount of produce it purchases from local growers by 2015. For Walmart "local" is defined as grown in the same state in which it is sold.

The Wall Street Journal asked three other grocery stores how they define local:

* Safeway (including Dominick's, Genuardi's, Von's, Randall's and others): Produce is "local" if the transportation to the store by truck takes eight hours or less.

* Kroger (including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry's and others):  says local "can refer to produce grown in the same state or within the same region of the country."

* Supervalu (including most Albertsons stores, Acme, Shaw's Jewel-Osco and others): "local" can mean something different at each of the company's subsidiary brands.

Bottom Line

Beware of buzz words like lite, low-fat, and now "local". It can mean whatever the grocery store wants it to mean.

9 Ways to Save Money on Food

“I went back to work because someone had to pay for the groceries.”
-Bette Davis (actress)

Back in February I blogged about rising food prices. Nearly every day now I see stories on this topic. For example, a site named FrugalDad.com offers 9 Ways to Prepare for Food Inflation. Here's my comments on his suggestions.

1. Only shop every other week instead of weekly
Every visit to the grocery is a chance to be tempted into buying something you don't really need.

2. Buy in-season produce
Maybe. Everyone seems to think that produce from foreign countries will be more expensive than local produce. But shipping by sea or air freight is VERY cheap. I read of a company who flew their chickens to China to be hand cut and flown back - AND this was cheaper then cutting them in the US. For many items the production cost is far greater than the shipping cost.

So, take advantage of specials when produce is in season. But my advice is don't worry if the season is local or on the other side of the equator.

3. Eat Less
Our parent's lesson of eating everything on our plate is making us fat when plate size and portion size has grown tremendously. Pay attention to portion sizes on packages. Some of the frozen meals I bring to work serve 2. So I'm learning to cook it half-way, cut it in half, put half in Tupperware for the next day and continue cooking the remaining half. Note cooking time may be less when you do this since smaller portions cook faster.

4. Grow your own vegetables
My wife keeps trying but little luck so far.

5.  Compare unit costs and keep a price history
Don't be fooled by special deals that are not so special after all. The Frugal Dad writes, " I recently stocked up on a few items included in a 10/$10 sale and the next week the store returned the item to their normal price…$0.88."

6. Eat less meat and more eggs, beans, and vegetables
Omelettes are great for dinner. So is meatless chili. We find summer squash and mushrooms can substitute for meat in some dishes. But again keep an eye out for the unit price per pound. My wife has been buying chicken this past week at $0.49/lb while zucchini was selling for 10 times a much at $4 per pound. Shop the specials.

7. Avoid the Junk Food aisle
There's nothing there you really want to eat is there? Next time look at the cost per pound for your favorite junk food.

8. Eat leftovers
This was a no-brainer when I grew up but we have a friend whose husband refuses to eat leftovers. He insists that every night she prepare a fresh meal from scratch.
I love leftovers - these become future lunches for the office.

9. Freeze the extras
Freeze leftovers - they'll be more fun when you're forgotten the first time around. Take advantage of store specials and freeze what you can not use within a few days. Buy bulk, break it into smaller/family-sized packages and freeze those.

Bottom Line

You may have noticed that none of the items above address food inflation directly. It looks like Frugal Dad was using a hot topic headline to repost common-sense ideas. Let's re-examine the advice with inflation in mind:

Food prices naturally fluctuate over the course of a year. Just like the stock market you want to buy low so you can enjoy owning the goods when prices are high. "Buying in season" and shopping the specials and freezing the extras are all ways to take advantage of low price swings.

For true inflation you either need to stock up now or opt out.  Eating smaller portions, avoiding junk food, eating less meat, and growing your own are ways to opt out. You can also use the food you have more efficiently by using leftovers and freezing. My family is learning to use leftover bones. A ham bone gives great flavor when added to a pot of beans or rice. A chick carcass can make a stock for soup.  A famous chef said he kept vegetable scraps over many days then used them to make a vegetable broth stock.

When certain food items become too expensive, look for alternatives. In my lifetime I have observed the "good" fish (like salmon) become over harvested and expensive so grocers started selling "trash" fish that were never considered food fifty years ago. These include Talapia and Chilean Sea Bass. Personally I like these cheap white fish but think back on how the contents of the fish counter has changed over thirty years. Be open to discovering new foods.

Ramen

"Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."

-Robert Redford

As a child and young adult I enjoyed Ramen. It's a quick and easy meal. Later while working in Manhattan I was introduced to Noodle Houses which serve delightfully flavored bowls of noodles with your choice of toppings. Now I can bring these two experiences together thanks to Ramen Hacks: 30+ Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles.

The article describes many (30?) excellent ideas for enhancing ramen. One secret is having a great broth base. I ordered noodle soup at a Japanese fusion bistro and was shocked to find it had zero flavor. Perhaps a clean, simple taste is popular in Japan but I like my broth to be complexly flavored. Here's some things to add instead of the highly salted packets that come with Ramen.

• Miso paste
• Chili bean sauce
• Thai curry paste
• Japanese curry powder
• Fish sauce or Oyster sauce
• Harrisa (a Tunisian hot chilli sauce common in North African cooking)
• Vinegar (especially flavored vinegars)
• Ponzu (a Japanese citrus-based sauce)

And ...

• Spices like white pepper, sichuan pepper, or chili flakes added to the finished dish, or a cinnamon stick, star anise, and coriander seeds added to the simmering broth (remove 'em before serving!)
• Fats like toasted sesame oil, chili oil, or an animal fat like pork, chicken, or duck.
• Citrus juices—a quick squeeze of lemon or lime right before serving brightens flavors.

A great broth will excite all 5 flavors - sweet, sour (vinegar), bitter (citrus), salty and umame (meat protein) as well as having a bit of heat (chilli).

And ... don't forget to add toppings like eggs, meat and vegetables.

The article concludes with ideas for using Ramen as a noodle base (or topping) for other dishes. With care you can make stir-fried and cold noodle dishes. Stop cooking the ramen just before it's completely done, then drain it. It'll continue to soften from the residual heat, as well as cooking further when you stir-fry it.
* Create Pad Thai by stir-frying semi-cooked ramen with fish sauce, peanuts, vegetables, and a touch of lime and tamarind paste

Other ideas include ramen salad, ramen spaghetti, ramen tacos, and much more.

Bottom Line

Ramen is a great emergency food. It keeps "forever" if you can keep it safe from bugs and mice by storing it in airtight containers. And it just needs hot water to cook.

But please don't think of Ramen as a health food. There's 400 calories if you eat a whole bag and nearly a day's worth of salt in the seasoning packet.

No Cook Meal Ideas

"Food, glorious food!
Hot sausage and mustard!
While we're in the mood
Cold jelly and custard!"
- from the musical "Oliver"

In case of prolonged power outages, major snow storms, massive flooding, chemical spill, terrorist attack, etc. you may need to shelter inside your house for several days. The old rule-of-thumb was 3 days of supplies (72-hour kit) but since Hurricane Katrina that rule has been increased to 5 to 7 days of food and water and back-up power/light/heat.

When I visit a grocery store I'm amazed at the variety of ready-to-serve meals that require just a little time in a microwave, oven or boiling water. But suppose you did not have any of those options? What can you store and eat that does not require cooking?

• Protein/Granola Bars
• Trail Mix/Cereal/Dried Fruit/Seeds  (not premixed since this goes stale quickly. We keep boxes of cereal, nuts, raisins, etc. and can mix them when needed)
• Crackers (use in place of bread for sandwiches. We like Matzoh bread. You can buy 5 lb box very cheaply after Passover and they last forever - if they go stale, who can tell the difference?)
• Peanut butter  (Jelly works too but buy small jars because you won't be able to refrigerate the jelly/jam after opening)
• Canned meats like Tuna, Turkey, Beef, Vienna Sausages, etc.
• Beef Jerky
• Canned Fruit, Applesauce
• Pickles
• Canned Juice, Boxed Juice, V-8 Juice
• Canned Vegetables (these are precooked and could be eaten raw if you had too. Or mix them into Tuna for a cracker spread)
• Candy/Gum (watch out for soft candies that can melt like Jolly Ranchers or chocolate)

Consider also keeping in stock these perisable items that will last a few days without power:

• Pita bread, flatbread or tortillas
• Bag of carrots
• Hard Cheeses & individually packaged sticks of mozzarella string cheese
• Fresh fruit
• Summer sausage or hard salami-- cans of german-style potato salad (it's made with a vinegary dressing and bacon bits, add cut-up summer sausage and diced sun-dried tomatoes and it's a tasty and filling casserole "salad") Be sure and bring a can opener if this isn't pop-top
• Cookies
• Hard-boiled eggs (eat them within the first day or two)

Bottom Line

Some people like to fill #10 cans with non-perishable emergency rations from the list above. But if you mix foods beware of strong odors. Mint candy, Teriyaki Jerky, Irish Springs soap, etc., can flavor all the other foods when packaged together.

Meal vs Flour

That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
- Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

This morning I had almond-meal pancakes for the first time. The flavor was OK but the texture was quite different from my expectations for pancakes - grainy instead of light and fluffy. It reminded me of corn bread in texture. So this got me to wondering - what is the difference between meal (as in corn-meal) vs flour?

Not surprisingly, meal is coarsely ground and flour is ground to a fine powder. The website, http://www.angelfire.com/journal/millrestoration/products.html, also refers to bolted and unbolted meal. Bolting is another word for sifting through a sieve or screen. Bolted meal is passed through a 16-18 mesh screen to remove the gluten, the grits, and bran. Four is bolted with a 32 mesh screen so the particles are twice as small.

The website www.DifferenceBetween.net notes that people often confuse meal and flour since it's the same substance, just a matter of particle size. And to confuse matters further, in the UK the term corn flour is used to describe corn starch.

[Aside: I found another US-UK food confusion recently. Is winter squash allowed on a low-carb diet? The US commenters said no. But a dieter in Australia pointed out that in her country, winter squash is called pumpkin and pumpkin is allowed so she includes winter squash in her diet. But I fear that is just word games. Changing the name does not change the amount of starch.]

Bottom Line

What can I do to make my almond pancakes fluffier?

Coarse almond meal can be pulsed in a food processor or coffee mill, (don’t leave it running or you’ll get almond butter). Or sift out the larger particles and crush them in a mortar and pestle.

Try adding a bit of some other starch such as tapioca, corn starch, or arrowroot powder. This adds more surface area and absorption potential.

Trail Mix

"Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't."
- Almond Joy candy bar ad

As a Cub Scout Leader, an article with the title, "Create the Perfect Trail Mix", naturally caught my attention. It begins with an emphasis on nuts,

"Here’s the truth about the fat found in almonds, walnuts, pecans, and other nuts: It’s as healthy—or healthier—than anything else in your diet. It fills your belly better than any other snack on the planet while decreasing your risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, smoothing your skin, pumping you full of antioxidants, and helping you stay thin."

Then a simple recipe:

 Choose a Nut (1 cup)
 Choose a Seed (1/2 cup)
 Choose an Extra Crunch (1 cup)
 Choose a Sweetener (1-2 cups)
 Mix It Up

Nuts to consider: Almonds, Brazil nuts, Macadamias, Peanuts, Pecans, Pistachios, or Walnuts.

Seeds: Sunflower, Pumpkin, Hemp(?!), Sesame, and Chia. (What's a Chia?). Sesame and Hemp seeds are both small and will slip through fingers. Use them only in mixes intended as a sprinkle atop yogurt or cereal.

Crunch: Hard cereals like Fiber One, Grape-Nuts, Cheerios, or Kix; Soy nuts, Wasabi peas, Pretzel bits, Sesame sticks

Sweetener: Dark chocolate chips or dried fruit like raisins, apricots, blueberries, cranberries, goji berries, cherries, banana chips.  (We use Peanut M&Ms)

Bottom Line

Experiment with the ratios in the recipe. Personally I'd use less sweet and more crunch. Also watch out for the moisture in your dried fruit. Combine dried apricots with a cereal like Chex and the cereal will go stale in a few days.
And remember that trail mix is not just for hiking. We always make a trail mix for long driving trips.