PAST PICKS JANUARY 2009

Ok, so this has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss or diet or eating right, but I can write whatever I want (geez, I sound like a two-year old).   To clients and friends in New Jersey, this is for you:  For the longest time I was holding on to an ad from the paper for a place at the Asbury Park Boardwalk called Hot Sand, a glass blowing studio.  I kept telling myself that one of these days I’d get there with my daughter because, after all, how many times can you shlep your kids to a movie or to a potter-painting place or to FunTime America?   Well, finally, the other day, spontaneously, I brought Sabrina and 2 of her friends over to Hot Sand.   Boy oh boy, was THAT fun.   I can’t recommend it highly enough.  Sabrina made a gorgeous glass apple, complete with stem, and chose her own colors.   She also did the blowing into the glass herself.  The guys at Hot Sand were great.  This is NOT a ‘play’ date; this is not the kind of place where kids have free reign to run around.  This was serious experiential learning about a beautiful art form, about how glass is made.  However, the guys were wonderful; they have great personalities and made it fun while educating Sabrina and her friends and they paid rapt attention.  Check out their web site and give them a try.  You won’t be sorry you did.

Are you the kind of person who gets up at the crack of dawn, can’t stand the thought of eating, and runs right to the gym, or begins a run on a completely empty stomach?  We preach all the time this is NOT the way to go.  Exercising on an empty stomach deprives you of the energy you need to get the most out of your workout.  No one says you have to get up and eat a ‘full’ breakfast---for example, a 5 egg-white omelet with mushrooms and peppers, toast, and a piece of fruit.  You do, however, need SOMETHING.   Eat a small snack 20-30 minutes before you exercise and try to make sure it’s not pure carbs, which burn quickly.   A slice of toast with a slice of cheese; or a hard boiled egg, either with or without the toast; cottage cheese on 1 or 2 whole-grain crispbreads … these are the kinds of quick snacks that will take longer to break down and will keep your blood sugar levels steady

Stronger bones used to be the last supposed advantage of being overweight—which otherwise raises the risk of all manner of ailments, from diabetes to cancer to cardiovascular disease.  Emerging research, however, shows that fat, far from being a guarantor of sturdier bones, actually undermines them. The study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Dietetic Association, showed that among post-menopausal women, higher fat mass also meant lower bone mineral densities.  You might ask, then, “If weight-bearing exercise increases bone density, why wouldn't lugging around 50 extra pounds of fat have the same effect?” Well … it’s because adipose tissue is an active organ which produces toxic substances that impair the ability to maintain strong bones. Excess fat induces an inflammatory response that inhibits bone building and multiplies "osteoclasts" (cells which break down bones). By contrast, packing extra muscle (vs. fat) strengthens bones.

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society released data earlier this year titled Mom’s Obesity During Conception Phase May Set the Stage for Offspring’s Obesity Risk.  An interesting read to say the least.

is all the rave.  In 100% Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain or Whole Grain White, these round, pre-sliced rolls are terrific.   They’re not skinny-thin, so they don’t fall apart.  They’re not only good for sandwiches but their roundness makes them great for hamburgers.  I started using them for hamburgers instead of English muffins because these are much larger and cover the whole burger.  At only 100 calories and 1 gram of fat, they’re a big hit in the Boxer household; bet they’ll be in yours as well.

Even though I answer this question on a one-to-one basis all the time, it keeps on coming so let me answer it to a broader audience … NO.   If it doesn’t look like a vegetable, if it doesn’t smell like a vegetable, if it doesn’t taste like a vegetable ... it ain’t a vegetable!  Each one-pancake serving of the Dr. Praeger’s brand is 40 calories, terribly greasy (unlike a real vegetable), and they are over 100 mg. of sodium each (unlike a vegetable).   So don’t think of these as ‘vegetables’; rather, think of these as ‘pancakes’ and pancakes are Grain servings, not vegetables.

They have no fat, no calories, no sugar, and no gluten.  While they are readily available in most supermarkets (in the refrigerated section in the produce section), what some people have more difficulty finding are the individual packets of these dressings … GREAT for slipping into your bag to bring to a restaurant or to dinner at someone’s home, etc.  At $4.99 per box of 6, it’s a good deal.   Click here to purchase these salad packets, or any other Walden Farms products, at their web site.

In October I wrote about seeing some white breads made from whole grains of albino wheat.  Pepperidge Farms now has two more such products, Classic Whole Grain White Hot Dog Buns (110 calories) and their Classic Soft Whole Grain White Hamburger Rolls (100 calories), both just 1 gram of fat.

according to the latest statistics from the federal government, as reported by Reuters News Agency on January 9, 2009.  Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34% of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7% who are overweight.  Just under 6% are extremely obese.  Although the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980, the prevalence of overweight has remained stable over the same time period.  Sobering statistics, to say the least.

Inactivity may lead to excess fat, but excess fat is anything but inactive.  Scientists now speak of fat as an "endocrine organ," much like other glands that pump hormones into our bloodstream, affecting other bodily functions as well as behavior.  Unlike the thyroid or pituitary gland, fat has a seemingly infinite capacity to make more of itself. Too much body fat acts like a poison, spewing out substances that contribute to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, some cancers, insulin resistance and other illnesses, and attendant ailments.  It’s been long known that abdominal fat poses a greater health threat than lower-body fat. Researchers in more recent years speculate the reason for that is because visceral fat (deposited around the organs in the midsection) is more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat (the layer under your skin).  The internal organs, particularly the liver, essentially marinate in that sea of fat, vulnerable to the toxic secretions that can tool with your metabolism.  The bottom line is that the more overweight you are, the larger your fat cells, the more active metabolically they are, and more likely to churn out harmful substances.

As everyone knows, Dannon changed their Light ‘N Fit Yogurt calories several months ago and, as such, their 6 oz. fat-free yogurts which used to be 60 calories (1/2 M) were changed to 80 calories (1 M).   Their 45-calories snack-pak yogurts are 60 calories.  Many of our kosher clients enjoy the 90-calorie (1M), 6 oz. Axelrod yogurts.  If you prefer the larger yogurt, and are having the full 1 M serving anyway, try the FoodTown brand of fat-free yogurt.  I came upon these the other day (while on the Pizzelle hunt!) and I have to admit I’d never purchased a supermarket brand product.  What attracted me to it were the full-size 8 oz. containers, the fact that it was fat-free, and that it came in such great flavors—cappuccino, vanilla, cherry, peach, etc.  I took 3 home to try and I loved the consistency and taste.  It wasn’t as loose as the Dannon, yet not as thick as some of the greek yogurts.  I really enjoyed the cappuccino, and Simi and I both took a taste of the vanilla flavor and we loved it.

Many people ask me why the measurements for vegetables are 1 full cup raw vs. 1/2 cup cooked.  First, this is known as a "common measure" used by the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, which you can access at http://www.ars.usda.gov).  The result of cooking is that we can eat much more of a vegetable, for example, than if it was in its raw state.  If you took a full cup of broccoli and steamed it or grilled it, etc., it would shrink and, in essence, you could throw a few more pieces in the same cup to fill it, thereby adding more calories, sugar, sodium.  An additional result of cooking any food  is that the structure of that food changes from its raw state, sometimes robbing it of vital nutrients, sometimes bringing it to a more gelatinous (or starchy) state. So, for example, while 1 medium size raw tomato is 22 calories, 3.23 grams of sugar, and only 6 mg. of sodium, if you were to fill 1 cup with canned or stewed tomatoes, the calories would change to 66, the sugar would increase to 8.98 mg., and the sodium ups to a whopping 564.  The chart below, using tomatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms, as 4 very common examples of veggies that we eat raw and cooked, shows you what I mean.   And ... by the way, this is why we do not use tomatoes, carrots and onions on our Cleansing Days.

Both red and green cabbages are rich in nutrients, but there are differences in the nutrients they offer.  Some red cabbages contain almost twice the vitamin C as some green cabbages.  Red cabbages are always richer in flavonoid phytonutrients (say THAT three times fast!) that not only act as antioxidants but also function as supporters of the immune system.  Green cabbages, on the other hand, have substantially more folate (folate occurs naturally in food and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin, also known as Vitamin B complex).  Cabbages can be divided into three types—reds, greens, and Savoy—there are many popular varieties of cabbage within all three general types.   Click here to get to the World’s Healthiest Foods page that gives you lots of great information about cabbage:  description of the various kinds of cabbage, health benefits, how to select a cabbage, nutritional data, etc.

Good questions, and ones that we get a lot.  So here goes …

Basmati rice, which originates in India, is comparable to other types of brown rice in nutrient content, although it does contain about 20% more fiber compared to most other types of brown rice; and white basmati rice is comparable to other types of white rice.  The outermost layer of rice, called the hull, is removed to make brown rice; brown rice is rice with the whole kernel intact, and the kernel is still surrounded by all layers of bran.  To produce white rice, the bran layers of the rice have to be grinded (or milled) off, and then a wire brush machine is used to remove the aleurone layer that remains on the rice.  This is called polishing.  There is a processing technique called conversion that results in “converted rice” (which is the same thing as “par-boiled”; Uncle Ben’s is a well-known brand).  Converted rice is produced by steaming the whole grain before grinding, causing some of the B vitamins to migrate from the outside layers into the starchy center of the rice (called the endosperm).  Converted rice is usually a little beige, tastes like white, and some B vitamins will remain inside the converted rice even after the manufacturers remove the outside layers, but this version is still not your best choice.  The most nutritious rice is always whole grain, minimally ground, and unpolished----whether it be basmati, jasmine or “regular” rice.  “Par-boiled” (Uncle Ben’s is a well known brand) is a good second choice.

Rice can be divided into two basic types: short-grain and long-grain.  Examples of short-grain rice include Japanese sushi rice and Arborio, while common long-grain types include Carolina rice, Basmati and Jasmine varieties. Short-grain rice has a plump shape. The outer layer of short-grain rice (also sometimes referred to as medium-grain rice) absorbs water very easily and as a result, the cooked product ends up soft and a little sticky.  Long-grain rice is more slender in shape, and tends to cook up firmer, with each of the grains well-separated. (The exception is jasmine rice, which is actually fairly sticky compared to other long-grain varieties).  The stickier the rice, the starchier, the less healthy.  Therefore, when shopping for rice, look for “whole grain”, “long grain”, and/or “par-boiled.”

The word pizzelle means, loosely, "small, flat, and round" in Italian … which accurately describes the waffle-type cookies I saw in FoodTown the other day.  Pizzelles are made by pouring batter between the two plates of an iron, which is then held over a fire or heated electrically.  In chocolate, lemon, vanilla, maple syrup and anise flavors, each cookie is 23 or 25 calories (3 = 1 FR substitute), has 0 trans fats, and is certified Kosher and Pareve.  I paid $3.99 for one case.  You can go to the web site, www.pizzellecookies.com, for more information or to order online, but you’ll have to purchase a minimum of 12 cases … but they’ll let you mix it up so you can order a variety.  I can personally vouch for the chocolate and lemon!