What makes fruit rippen?

Our fridge at home has two drawers at the bottom, one marked fruit, the other vegetables. I thought this was just decorative but it turns out there is a good reason for storing fruits and vegetables separately. Many fruits generate ethylene gas while they ripen; ethylene (C₂H₄) is odorless, colorless and natural. The refrigerator acts as a trap for ethylene gas which can lead to early spoilage of gas sensitive fruits and leafy veggies like lettuce.  By understanding this process you can force some items to ripen faster or prevent other items from spoiling quickly.

Ethylene's affect on fruit was discovered by accident when lemon growers learned that newly harvested green lemons ripened faster when kept warm in kerosene heaters sheds. But the lemons no longer turned yellow in time for shipping in new eclectically heated sheds. In 1959 researchers found that the secret ingredient was not the heat but ethylene gas emitted by the kerosene heaters.

The Ethylene-producing fruits include: (VH=very high, H = high, M = medium, L = low, VL = very low)

• Apples (VH)
• Apricots (H)
• Avocados (H)
• Bananas (M)
• Blueberries (L production, also L sensitivity)
• Cantaloupes (H)
• all Citrus (VH, except for grapefruit VL)
• Honeydew melons (M)
• Kiwis (L production but H sensitivity)
• Mangoes (M)
• Nectarines (H)
• Papayas (H)
• Peaches (H)
• Pears (H)
• Plums (M)

The Ethylene-sensitive fruits and vegetables are:

• All the fruit listed above, and...
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Lettuce, Kale and other greens
• Parsley
• Peas
• Peppers
• Potatoes 
• Spinach
• Summer squash
• Sweet potatoes and yams
• Watermelons

Note that the ethylene producing fruits are also ethylene sensitive. If you put bananas in a closed bag they will ripen faster as the gas builds up inside the bag.

Refrigerated fruits and vegetables should be kept in perforated plastic bags in different produce drawers of the refrigerator. You can either purchase perforated plastic bags or easily make your own by poking small holes in unperforated plastic bags (about 20 holes per medium-size bag).

Mama always said, "Eat your Vegetables"

“Green Eggs and Ham was the story of my life. I wouldn't eat a thing when I was a kid, but Dr. Seuss inspired me to try cauliflower.”
-Jim Carrey

Yesterday I discussed how only 56% of Americans are eating the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. I also discussed why it might not be a good idea to address this shortfall by drinking more fruit juice or eating more fruit. An apply a day (as they say) keeps the doctor away but five apples a day may add pounds to the waistline.

What Americans really need to do is eat more vegetables. Fruit gets great commercials and is so easily available but vegetables outperform fruit in many ways. I think of bananas for potassium (467 mg per medium size banana) but an artichoke has more (595 mg). And that's nothing compared to a cup of beet greens with 1309 mg of potassium. Did you know that a cup of cooked broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange (101.2 mg vs 95.8 mg)!

Here are some ideas from Rodale.com for including more vegetables in your diet:

1. Jazz them up with hummus, low-fat dip, or sauteed with spices
2. Carry a bag of baby carrots as a quick snack
3. Stock up at farmer's markets and ask their advice for cooking vegetables that are new to you
4. At meals, half of your plate should be filled with vegetables so you'll get 2 servings each at lunch and dinner. 
5. Enjoy veggie soup
6. Add veggies to items you cook like casseroles, pasta, (carrot) muffins, (zucchini) breads, etc
7. Wash and eat the skins of fruits and vegetables (Do they really need to add, except for bananas and pineapples?)
8. Frozen vegetables are very healthy and may be cheaper than fresh
9. My boss has started using a juice press to make vegetable drinks. My wife used to press wheat grass for her mother but it's an acquired taste (ick!)
10. Use more salsa!
11. When eating out, start with a salad instead of a calorie-ridden appetizer.
12. Try grilling vegetables on your BBQ.

Bottom Line

Vegetables can be fun. Try it!

(after trying a bite)
"Say!
I like green eggs and ham!
I do!! I like them, Sam-I-am!"
-Dr Seuss

Free Radicals

Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.
~Garrison Keillor

Free Radicals sounds like a leftist rallying cry, "Free the Radical 8". But inside the human body you don't want radicals roaming free. Radicals are atoms or molecules which lack one or more electrons which would complete atomic orbital shells. They grab an electron from some molecule in your body which then becomes a radical itself and grabs from someone else in a chain reaction until the process is halted by an antioxidant. An antioxidant can give away an electron and not become radicalized itself.

Free radicals are blamed for aging, DNA mutation and causing cancer. So some people think they'll be healthier taking massive doses of antioxidants. But the story is not so simple. Some radicals are needed - the immune system uses radicals to destroy infections and invaders. Overdosing on antioxidants could weaken your own self-defenses.

Many antioxidants you consume in a pill won't help. The body regulates its level of vitamin C and most of a massive intake will just pass through the body and be pissed away. You may have better luck with Vitamin E being stored in the body where it can do some good.

Natural sources of antioxidants include Carotenes and Flavonoids. Carotene gives carrots their orange color. Flavonoids give bright colors to other fruits and vegetables. At salad bars I now pick items of different colors to enrich my salad. This includes bright red beets which I would not normally eat but, hey, what else provides that unique color?

Bottom Line

If you eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors, your diet is naturally rich in thousands of antioxidants and you should not need to boost it.

Bad Habits

I don't believe one grows older. I think that what happens early on in life is that at a certain age one stands still and stagnates.- T.S. Eliot

Prevention magazine has published 9 "Harmless" Habits That Age You. These are:

1. Lack of Sleep
2. Too much sugar in the diet
3. Too much stress
4. Lack of regular exercise
5. Playing iPod too loud
6. Not socializing with friends
7. Not eating vegetables daily
8. Eating too little fat
9. Not enough sex

Bottom Line

As we age we need sleep and a good diet. The body is just not as tolerant of abuse as when we were young. We also need to stay active both physically and socially. In fact a recent study claims too much sitting can be deadly.

Cassava

"I yam what I yam." - Popeye

Twice this week I've come across a reference to cassava, a yam like vegetable that is rarely seen in America (except as tapioca) but vitally important in other parts of the world. The cassava, also called a yucca, is an odd food that contains nearly the maximum theoretical concentration of starch on a dry weight basis among food crops. Fresh roots contain about 30% starch plus calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C but very little protein or anything else useful. It can be poisonous with traces of cyanide that must be removed when preparing. Nutritionally it's like eating unenriched white bread.

And yet the cassava has fed South America for thousands of years and is today either the primary or secondary food source in the humid and sub-humid areas of tropical Africa and vital to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a vital staple for about 500 million people and is grown in India and across Asia into Thailand, Vietnam and China. On reason for its popularity is its hardiness. Cassava thrives better in poor soils than any other major food plant and rarely needs fertilization. Cassava is very drought resistant and very tolerant of neglect; it can be left for up to three years in the ground before harvesting. So if a farmer catches malaria and is laid up for a month or two, the crop won't care. In additional the cassava leaves contain protein and vitamins.

My first encounter with cassava this week was in a TED talk describing an attempt to genetically alter cassava to contain vitamin A (like a yam) to improve the health of millions. The second encounter was no so positive, there is a global virus infecting cassava crops. “Even the pigs refuse [to eat] this,” said one farmer. Some are comparing this to the great potato famine of the 1840s that caused starvation in Ireland and resulted in mass migration of Irish to the US. Fortunately the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (yes the Bill Gates of Microsoft) is spending tens of millions of dollars to find a cure.

Bottom Line

Hopefully a cure to the cassava virus will be found soon and starvation will be prevented. In the meantime the Gates Foundation is teaching farmers how NOT to spread the virus.

See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava

Eat your Vegetables

“A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.”- Gertrude Stein

DietsInReveiw.com cites a list from WebMD of tricks to help you eat more vegetables. A healthy diet will include 3-5 servings (1 baseball each) of different colored vegetables every day.

1. Hide veggies inside dishes you love like. For example: mushroom & spinach inside lasagna or an omelet.

2. Add veggies to soup. Homemade soup with fresh vegetables and a canned base of chicken stock is wonderful.

3. Fill a salad with more than iceberg lettuce. Be wary of the dressing.

4. Try raw veggies in a low calorie dip

5. Go Italian – pasta & veggies are a great mix

6. Drink them – I could have had a V8!

7. Stuff them - roasted mushrooms with goat’s cheese, meatloaf inside a bell pepper, tuna fish inside a tomato.

8. Grill them – grilled veggies are oh so good. Or try broiling them in a oven with a little oil.

9. Skip the can, learn to cook them fresh properly – check out a cookbook for the correct way to steam, grill, cook, sauté your vegetable. It makes a difference. Asparagus can be disgusting when mushy but tasty when crisply steamed or microwaved.

10. Add to sandwiches & pitas & wraps.

11. Try baked & covered with cheese!

Bottom Line

Try buying mixed greens for more variety in salads. My wife loves to make Cobb Salad – we top mixed greens with whatever we have in the fridge: vegetables, meat, hard boiled eggs and some cheese cubes.

Vegetarian lasagna and Pasta primavera are delightful. One of our Christmas traditions is a Spinach Lasagna because it is Red, white and green.

We also love grilling vegetables – esp red peppers and zucchini.

We shave potatoes with a mandolin and make potato chips in the microwave.

Shredded zucchini and Spaghetti squash make great alternatives to pasta.

Be creative!

Healthy Foods

If you like to talk to tomatoes
If a squash can make you smile
If you like to waltz with potatoes
Up and down the produce aisle...
Have we got a show for you!
- VeggieTales theme song

There are some studies that show multi-vitamins are less healthy than claimed. As one writer puts it – the carrot is more important than beta-carotene. Without the proper food context, supplemental vitamins may remain undigested and pass through the body without doing anything. Rather than relying upon health in a pill, it’s better to get your daily essential vitamins and minerals via a wise choice in the food you eat. To help with meal planning, Men’s Health Magazine has published The Most Nutritious Whole Foods for key supplements. The foods are listed in decreasing order of impact. Check out the full article for details since a single serving of some foods below will supply 1400% of what you need daily while others at the end of each list as little as 10% daily.

Vitamin A (good for eyesight and fighting viruses)
1 Cup of the following red/orange and dark green vegetables will provide at least a day’s worth of A. Raw carrots, spinach, sweet potato, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cantaloupe.

B1 (Thiamin maintains energy, and helps the nerves, heart and muscles)
Sunflower seeds, Yellowfin tuna, black beans, Corn, Sesame seeds, Oatmeal, Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, Spinach, Pineapple

B6 (Involved in over 100 enzyme reactions including nerves & digestion of starch and sugar).
Banana, Chicken breast, Turkey, Cod, Potato, Avocado, Garlic, Red Pepper, Watermelon, Cauliflower

B12 (Develops blood and nerve cells and processes protein)
Clams, Duck liver, Oysters, Calf liver, Rainbow trout, Top sirloin, Skim yogurt, Milk, Lean ham, Eggs

C (Protection from colds & cancer, protects cells)
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Strawberries, Orange, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Grapefruit

D (essential for calcium absorption)
Halibut, Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines, Oysters, Shrimp, Vit-D milk, Cod

E (Protects skin from UV rays)
Fortified cereal, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, almonds, olives, papays, sweet potato, spinach

Folate (Folic acid – prevents anemia, helps skin and nerves and bones)
Lentils, navy beans, beets, split peas, papaya, mustard greens, peanuts, flaxseeds, orange

Calcium (Essential for healthy bones and teeth)
Sesame seeds, Milk, Soymilk, Yogurt, Spinach, Cheese, Tofu

Iron (required for red blood cells)
Liver, soybeans, spinach, tofu, sesame seeds, kidney beans, venison, lima beans, beef, turkey

Magnesium (Helps muscles and nerves to relax, strengthens bones)
Salmon, Sunflower seeds, Sesame seeds, Prickly pear, Black beans, Almonds, Pinto beans, Brown rice, Scallops, Summer squash

Potassium (Stronger muscles, balances electrolytes, lowers risk of high blood pressure.)
Winter Squash, Avocado, Pinto beans, Lentils, Beets, Figs, Brussels sprouts, Cantaloupe, Banana, Tomato

Selenium (Protects cells from free radical damage, allows thyroid to produce hormones, and protects joints from inflammation.)
Wild oysters, Snapper, White tuna, Halibut, Shrimp, Turkey, Beef, Portobello mushrooms, Egg, Tofu

Zinc (Stabilizes metabolism and blood sugar, helps immune system when you're sick)
Beef, Lamb, Fortified cereals, Wheat germ, Venison, Sesame seeds, Pastrami, Green peas, Shrimp

Bottom Line

Looking over the list I notice that there are a few foods frequently mentioned:
Spinach and sesame seeds; also broccoli, beans, and Brussels sprouts. I definitely need to eat more vegetables.

Exotic Foods - part 2

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me”-C.S. Lewis

Today’s post continues the MensHealth.com article on The Best Foods You’ve Never Heard Of.

• Kamut – the ancient wheat of the pharaohs. Kamut has higher levels of vitamin E and heart-healthy fatty acids than most grains. You can use Kamut in bread or substitute it for brown rice by boiling it in water for an hour or until the grains are tender.
  
• Kefir – similar to yogurt, this tasty beverage is made by fermenting dairy with Kefir grains. Because kefir contains gut-friendly bacteria, it’s been shown to lower cholesterol, improve lactose digestion, enhance the immune system, and satisfy hunger.
  
• Lemongrass - loaded with antioxidants. I wouldn’t eat this tough, fibrous grass. Instead pound it, break it, so the juices can leak out and add it to a soup or stir fry for flavoring. Sort of like a bay leaf.
  
• Mung Beans – these sprouts are high in potassium, iron, fiber, and protein. When bought dried, boil them until tender add to salads.
  
• Nori - nori also contains a triple dose of cancer fighters, including phytonutrients called lignans, which have been shown to help prevent tumor growth. This is the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls and added to miso soup. You can also add it chopped in salads.
  
• Peppadew Peppers - packs heart-protecting vitamin B6, cancer-fighting lycopene, and vitamin C. This sweet-and-spicy fruit looks like a cross between a cherry tomato and a red –pepper and is great in salads and pasta or eaten plain with some cheese.
  
• Rooibos Tea – the new alternative to herbal teas. This African red leaf tea is caffeine-free and naturally sweet. My family loves it.
  
• Sardines – this is new (or exotic?) My wife lived on sardines and cheese in college. This oily fish is a top source of omega-3 fats. And while I’ve avoided eating the tiny fish in a can, I was pleasantly surprised by giant sardines (6 inches long) served at a Portuguese festival.
  
• Sunchokes – also called Jerusalem artichokes but they are not chokes at all. Instead they look and cook like potatoes with a nutty taste.
  
• Sunflower Greens – actually the young sprouts of sunflowers. Eat straight or in salads or on sandwiches.
  
• Sweet-Potato Leaves – one of the world’s richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants. Cook them like spinach or any other leafy green.
  
• Watercress – looks like a two-leaf clover but really a member of the cabbage family. It has a light, peppery flavor and is great in salads and sandwiches
  
• Yerba Mate – this tea has half the caffeine of coffee with more health punch than green tea. Not for the herbal drinkers.

Bottom Line

I’m pleased to note that I’ve tried most of the items on the list today. Rooibos tea is great and a new flavor for anyone bored of the generic herbal teas. When we visit a teashop and say we want a non-caffeinated mix, the salesperson will often push Yerba Mate or similar as low in caffeine. But ½ strength is not really so low so you have to stay alert and know your teas. We recently enjoyed a chocolate-Rooibos mix and a peach-Rooibos mix.

Exotic Foods

“Human beings, vegetables, or comic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player” - Albert Einstein

Perhaps it no surprise that only 20 percent of Americans eat the recommended five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables a day. And it doesn’t help that the top vegetable consumed is potatoes in the form of French fries.

In an effort to encourage Americas to try new foods, MensHealth.com has published The Best Foods You’ve Never Heard Of. With 25 exotic flavors, I’ll cover half here and complete the list in my next post.

• Acai – the (ah-SIGH-ee) berry is the size of a grape, tastes like a chocolate blueberry, and packs more antioxidants than blueberries and pomegranates. While the berries may be hard to find, Acai juice is sold in many grocery stores as a health drink.
• Aioli - (eye-OH-lee) is a light sauce from southern France made of olive oil, eggs, and garlic that is a healthy alternative to mayonnaise. It is traditionally served with seafood, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.
• Alligator – combines the best of surf and turf with omega-3 fatty acids and muscle-building protein. I’ve tried it twice and it tasted like fishy chicken.
• Amaranth – this mild, nutty taste was beloved by the Incas and you’ll love it too. It cooks like rice or wheat berries but has more fiber and protein.
• Aronia Berry – also known as the chokeberry, perhaps for its bitter, tart taste? Like the acai this is a purple berry packed with antioxidants. Find it in a mixed juice called Oki.
• Celeriac - loaded with bone-building vitamin K, and vitamin C and potassium. It can be shredded with cole slaw. My family likes it mixed 50/50 with mashed potatoes. This winter root vegetable has a celery taste.
• Fenugreek - a component of most curry powders. Can be used to spice up soups and stews.
• Ginger – a staple of Asian cooking that is known to aid digestion. My wife loves sugared ginger candy.
• Goldenberries- a great source of vitamin A and disease--fighting antioxidants. They look like yellow tomatoes wrapped in a Japanese paper lantern.
• Hemp Seed Nuts - Similar in taste to sunflower seeds (and no, you won’t get high.) Packs more protein per gram than beef or fish.
• Holy Basil - popular Indian herb, also known as tulsi, is best used fresh for its cancer fighting properties. Can’t find it? Try fresh sweet basil instead.
• Jicama – this root vegetable looks like a turnip but is juicy and slightly sweet. It reminds me of licorice. It can be sliced for salads or cooked like a baked potato.

Bottom Line

Fruits and vegetables can be fun. Search the Internet for unusual salads that mix some of the items above. I get many ideas by Googling “recipe salad” + an ingredient.

Food Photography

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”-Doug Larson

Here’s another clever story from the Consumerist.com, Store Brand Mixed Vegetables: Not Quite As Mixed As You Would Think

A consumer, annoyed at inaccurate depictions of food on labels, decided to sort, count, and weigh the vegetables in his can of store brand mixed vegetables. The results were:

• 109 carrots, 146 grams
• 99 potatoes, 149 grams
• 13 corn, 3 grams
• 6 peas, 3 grams
• 6 green beans, 2.5 grams
• 2 lima beans, 1.5 grams
• 1 celery, .25 grams

Not exactly the mix shown on the can’s label above.

Bottom Line

A lot could be said about the “art” of taking food pictures. By law the photo must show actual food, no vasoline, paint or other external modifiers. But the photographer can search through hundreds of items looking for the perfect version. Or mix and match – say the bun from one hamburger and the meat from another.

Or the food artist may tweak the product a bit. For example, changing the air to dairy ratio before making a tub of butter to be photographed. Yes real food but nothing like you can buy. Or carefully removing then reattaching sesame seeds on a bun for a perfect look.
Don’t be fooled by pictures. And don’t refrain from complaining if reality does not match your expectations.

Food Safety During Power Outages

Keep cool and you command everybody.- Louis de Saint-Just (1767 - 1794)
One danger easily overlooked during a power outage is food contamination. According to the USDA, Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency,

"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 recommends keeping a thermometer in the fridge and freezer so you'll know the temperature. Because of bacteria growth, most fridge food should be thrown out if kept above 40°F for more than two hours. The USDA website has a table listing when foods are no longer safe. The site also advises what to do with canned foods after floods and fire.

The Minnesota Dept of Health is slightly more tolerant than the USDA with 4 hrs at 40°F:

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.

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

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.