alphabitesnyc: May 2008 Archives

Memorial Day is just around the corner. Time to take your bathing suits out of storage and dust off the outdoor furniture...summer is here!! For many of you, the kick-off to summer usually means the start of the barbeque season. That said, it's also time to remind everyone of food safety, especially when it comes to dining alfresco. Before you weekend warriors spark up the grill here are a few do's and don'ts to keep in mind:

• Keep meat and poultry separate after purchasing to avoid cross contamination from any of the juices. Wrap each separately in plastic bags to be safe. 
• Already have food in the freezer? Frozen meats or poultry should be thawed in the refrigerator. Never leave foods out on the counter to thaw; you're just asking for trouble. No time for a slow thaw? You can also thaw wrapped meats and poultry in cool water or in the microwave. Foods that are only partially thawed before cooking will not cook as evenly. 
• Just like thawing, marinate your food in the refrigerator. If your marinade is so delicious and you want to use it while cooking, keep a portion aside. Never use the same marinade for cooking that you used for the raw food - throw that away as soon as you move the meat or poultry to the grill (or you can boil it to make sure you kill all the bacteria, but who has the time?)
• Don't use the same utensils or plates for raw and cooked food without cleaning them thoroughly first. 
• Cook foods to the appropriate temperature and keep a thermometer handy to check. 
• Poultry: 165 degrees 
• Hamburgers: 160 degrees (for medium)
• Beef, veal, lamb (i.e. steaks, chops: 160 degrees for medium, 145 for medium rare 
• Pork: 160 degrees 
• Keep cooked and prepared foods out of the danger zone! If you are not eating immediately, best to keep your foods covered to stay warm and cold items refrigerated until you are ready to eat. Bacteria thrive in temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees. The rule to remember is...."Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold!"
• After your done enjoying your meal, don't leave food out in the heat for longer than an hour, especially mayonnaise-based foods. Any food left out for more than 2 hours, just throw out (in my house that's never a problem). Or to make it even simpler: "If in doubt, throw it out!" 

Start the summer off safe and healthy! Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Three cheers for Vitamin D! Research has found that breast cancer cells contain Vitamin D receptors, which can potentially slow down the growth of the cancer. A new study has found the promising link between Vitamin D deficiency and breast cancer. The Canadian study, which will be released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's upcoming conference, suggests there is a correlation between women with low levels of Vitamin D at the time of their diagnosis and the likelihood of the cancer spreading and even death when compared to women who were not Vitamin D deficient. These women were initially diagnosed between 1989 and 1995 and were followed through to 2006. Although the medical community is in agreement that this study is a step in the right direction, the results should be approached with cautious optimism, since previous studies have shown conflicting results. 

Best known as the vitamin that aids in calcium absorption and bone health, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is commonly called the "sunshine" vitamin since our bodies produce it with exposure to ultra-violet light. All you need is about 10-15 minutes of sunlight on your skin, two to three times a week prior to sunscreen use. Unfortunately, it has been found that sunscreen with an SPF 8 or higher reduces Vitamin D synthesis dramatically. That's the catch-22! Without sunscreen, there is a growing risk of skin cancer. Not to worry, Vitamin D is found naturally in a limited number of foods such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, cod liver oil and egg yolks. Additionally, foods like milk, soymilk, orange juice, some soft tub margarines, oatmeal and cereal are fortified with vitamin D. And of course if you take a daily multi-vitamin, you're covered. Multi-vitamin supplements most commonly contain 400 IU (10 mcg) and many calcium supplements also provide vitamin D. 

As with all vitamins there is a recommended dose. The Adequate Intake (AI) For Vitamin D is as follows*: 

• Men and women between the ages of 19-50: 200 IU (5 mcg) 
• Men and women between 51-70: 400 IU (10 mcg)
• Men and women 71 and older 600 IU (15 mcg) 

Those at risk for Vitamin D deficiency include populations living in areas with limited sun exposure, dark skinned people, the elderly, and people suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, Chron's disease, and obesity. And of course too much of something is not always a good thing. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, (usually from over-supplementation) include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and can raise Calcium blood levels, which in itself causes a host of other problems. 

Vitamin D is essential for our health and it's important to make sure you get the recommended AI. But before you go and OD on "D" be aware that there is still no evidence to prove its use as a means of cancer prevention at this time. It's clear that further studies need to be conducted. A simple blood test will show if you are Vitamin D deficient. If you are concerned, have your doctor check at your next visit. 

* Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp#h2

Let's face it...we all have a sweet tooth. Sugar is in everything; baked goods, soft drinks, chewing gum, and we purposely add it to our coffee and tea. However, in the past few years, there has been heightened emphasis on decreasing the amount of sugar in our diets. Today, marketers have found clever ways to incorporate this sweet taste into their products without using good old table sugar. 

The American Dietetic Association classifies sweeteners into two categories. Nutritive sweeteners (i.e. sucrose, fructose), are primary sugar sweeteners that occur naturally or are added to foods which provide energy (aka calories) and are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.  Non-nutritive sweeteners can be 200 times or more sweeter but provide little or no energy (i.e. sucralose, saccharin, aspartame). 

But what if artificial sweeteners aren't your thing?  You may have heard recommendations about "natural" sugars that are supposedly better for you. But are they safe? Recently I was asked about 2 "natural" sweeteners found in stores, Stevia and Agave . If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. I believe it's important to have the facts before you add them to your coffee, tea or food. And, of course, you should check with your doctor before taking any "natural" product. 

Stevia:

Stevia comes from the plant Stevia rebaudiana and extracts of the leaves have been used in the treatment of diabetes in South America for many years. Standardized extracts have also been used as natural sweeteners or dietary supplements for their content of stevioside (rebaudioside A), which possesses up to 250 times the sweetness of table sugar, is non-caloric, and doesn't promote tooth decay. Stevia is NOT considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA for use as a food additive. Stevia can only be imported if it's explicitly labeled as a dietary supplement or for use as a dietary ingredient in a dietary supplement. Although stevia may be sold as such under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), products that are labeled as using stevia plant parts or extracts as flavoring agents, sweeteners, or other food additive purposes are deemed "unsafe" because available toxicological information is insufficient to exhibit its safety at this time. 

While stevia is used as a non-caloric sweetener in Japan, China and Brazil it is not approved for that use in the US, Canada or Europe. Manufactures are currently working on bringing stevia-derived products to the market, which uses high amounts of rebaudioside A and will have the sweetening power of 300-400x of sugar. 

Bottom line: Small amounts are probably safe. However, until further, more well-designed studies are conducted and/or it becomes approved by the FDA, in my opinion, I would not recommend using this product as a sweetener. If you are looking for the sweetness factor without the calories, there are other non-nutritive sweeteners, like sucralose (Splenda), on the market you might consider. 

Agave: 

Agaves are plants from the Agavaceae family from which there are 200 known species. Commonly found in the American southwest, Mexico, central and tropical South America, the Mediterranean and India, different parts of the agave plants are used in a variety of ways. The leaves may be used for textile production and their spikes for pens. When dried or roasted, the flowering stem can be eaten and used to make bread. You might best know agave as the plant that gives us tequila. Ever notice on a Patron bottle that it says 100% Agave? 

Agave is also useful as a sugar alternative since it is 90% fructose, a natural sugar found in fruits and vegetables (this would be classified as a nutritive sweetener, meaning it has calories). It has been found to be lower on the Glycemic Index than regular sugar and honey, making it very desirable for people on low-carb diets, like Atkins or South Beach, and even for diabetics. Again, you MUST check with your doctor first! And since it comes from plants, it's great for vegans. 

Bottom Line: A safer bet. The downside? Agave nectars are as calorically dense as brown or white sugar, approximately 15 calories per teaspoon, only 1 calorie less than regular table sugar. But because it's reported to be about 40% sweeter, the amount of agave you use can be reduced. Another issue is the price: agave nectar products tend to be expensive. While it may be better for your diet, it's not necessarily for your wallet! So in the end, it comes down to personal taste. 

Remember when choosing the right sweetener for you, whether is natural or artificial, it's always best to have the facts. The best consumer is an educated consumer!

I'm back from my trip of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I had never been there before and was surely not disappointed. Seattle is a thriving metropolitan city surrounded by the majestic Cascade Mountains. On a clear day you can even see Mt. Rainer. It's also the home of Starbucks, Microsoft and the place where Grunge rock began. I was visiting my very good friend, Robert, who made sure that I not only saw the iconic Seattle sights, like the Space Needle and the Experience Music Project, but also the fabulous food/dining scene that Seattle has to offer. 

First stop Pike Place Market, the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country. It's a destination for not only tourists but it's also a bustling market for the locals. Located in the downtown district overlooking the Puget Sound, Pike Place Market is where you will find everything from recently caught Dungeness and King crabs, Kumamoto oysters, fresh local vegetables and meats to antiques and even tulips (as I was informed of, Seattle is the second largest producer of tulips in the world!).

Just a few steps away, across the street, is where I found the very first Starbucks, where the Pike Place roast originated...and of course I had to try it, even though I've had it before. Isn't it always better when you get it right from the source? But Seattle has more to offer than just Starbucks coffee. I love it, but I can get that at home. I wanted a new Seattle coffee experience. Next time I suggest you try Zoka Coffee, an artisan coffee and teashop recently voted 2008 Macro Roaster of the Year. Luckily, you can order it online (see link below).

As they say, when in Rome...I was on a mission to eat locally as much as possible and that's exactly what I did. The restaurants Robert chose did not disappoint from Cafe Campagne to Quinn's. Here are some of the highlights:

Our first dinner was at Restaurant Zoe in the Belltown district. I enjoyed fresh Alaskan halibut with local Washington state asparagus as our side dish. Now, it's not like you can't find Alaskan halibut in New York (Halibut is found in both the Atlantic and Pacific), but I knew this Alaskan fish wasn't shipped 3000 miles to reach my plate. I was lucky that we had time to take a side trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. Even in Canada eating locally was still on my agenda, right down to the Arctic Char and Fanny Bay oysters at one of Vancouver's top restaurants, Blue Water Cafe & Raw Bar. With only one day left in Seattle, for our last meal it was back to Pike Place Market to Matt's in the Market. The menu changes all the time and they feature at least two seafood specials. Although it didn't specify which type of wild salmon on the menu, it was the obvious choice for me. 

I know I just scratched the culinary surface of Seattle, because there are so many great restaurants in every neighborhood from Belltown to Tangletown. Sadly my trip was only five days, but it was definitely a gastronomic delight. My trip proves that you can eat healthy, even on vacation, especially when you stick to the best local food the city has to offer. I can't wait to go back!!! 

Nutrition:

Both Salmon and Halibut, are cold water fish rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids. They are very good sources of protein, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, Vitamins B12, niacin, and B6. Not only are they low in calorie per ounce but also the cardiovascular benefits alone should be reason enough to add these fish to your diet.

Pacific Oysters are a very good source of protein, Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. They are also a good source of Vitamin C, Riboflavin, niacin, and phosphorus. Be careful though, oysters are also high in cholesterol (1 medium oyster has 25mg).

If you are planning a trip to Seattle check out these restaurants:

www.restaurantzoe.com, www.cafecampagne.com, www.quinnspubseattle.com, www.mattsinthemarket.com

Also: www.pikeplacemarket.org  and www.zokacoffee.com

In Vancouver check out: www.bluewatercafe.net

It's been almost 2 months since alphabitesnyc went live. It's been a blast so far but needless to say, also a work in progress. There have been some welcome suggestions on how to improve the site and I wanted to give you a follow up on where we are:

• I have been told that it's difficult to navigate back to the main page from a particular page or post. We are definitely aware of this problem. Please be patient we are working on it, and hope to have it fixed soon. In the meantime, just use the back button on your browser to get back to the main index page.
• Some of you using Internet Explorer 6 on the PC have stated that the graphics at the top get cut off. I would recommend updating your browser to IE 7, which in most likelihood will rectify the problem.
• You may be receiving UPDATED blog entries from the RSS feeds. Mostly this is due to rectifying spacing issues and other technical glitches after the entry was posted.
• Lastly, I have been asked to post my picture on the About Me page. The answer is yes I will, as soon as I get a picture that I like. For those of you who know me personally, I'm fairly critical of my photos.

Thank you all for your questions, comments and suggestions for upcoming topics. They've been a really big help in making the site better. I also want to take this opportunity to thank 2 people in particular who have been helping me every step of the way. First, Robert for his brilliant design (yes, he is responsible for the beautiful graphics) and technical support he provides on a daily basis, and Stacey for showing me the error of my grammatical ways with her superb editing. 

I'm off to Seattle for a week for a visit, and to taste the local fare. So look for my next post when I return. Until then...