Week of June 30: NUTRITION BITE
               
Who's the greatest of them all?


 I often get asked, "What is the best superfood out there? For fruit, is it blueberries, acai, Mangosteen, goji, or pomegranate? For veggies is it spinach, kale, or brussel sprouts? No doubt all of these foods above are nutritional powerhouses and have had their share in the limelight. 

   But I avoid naming any one food. Why? Because behind the question, there is often an inherent assumption that as long as you eat that one stand-out food item, you'll be healthy and get all your needed antioxidants, vitamins, minerals or nutrients. The truth is, each fruit/vegetable has their own beneficial phytonutrients (“plant nutrients) and if you eat any one food (even superfood) to the exclusion of others, you'll be missing out on other important phytonutrients. This is is very the reason dietitians and nutritionists tell people to always eat the color of the rainbow and to frequently change it up and try new foods! Variety is good. Variety is needed. Now isn't that super?

Week of June 23: PRODUCT REVIEW

Kale Krunch Quite Cheezy Flavor


Taste: Delightfully tasty and addicting.  I could see myself polishing these off in one sitting. I love how it tastes cheesy without any dairy, which is a godsend for those dairy-intolerant.
Crunchy, with a hint of lemon, this one is a winner for me.

GRADE: 8.6/10


Nutrition:    Good: Organic, gluten free, soy-free, definitely not joy-free. All pronounceable ingredients. Only thing one may not recognize is "nutritional yeast", which is a form of deactivated yeast popular with vegans due to the B vitamins, minerals, and protein. Kale, as most may know, is a power food full of phytonutrients, super high in Vitamin K, potassium, Vitamin A, etc.
 Okay: For those with nut allergies, watch out.   Also, for those on blood thinners, sorry, too much Vit K. Lastly, or those problem with thyroid issues, don't overdo kale due to potential goitrogenic properties
 Bad: None noted.

GRADE:8.9/10


Price: $5.99 at Whole foods. Yikes! I even got it on sale a few times for $2.99, which is still not cheap for a mere 2.2 oz of kale chips. I would recommend most people make their own kale chips. Believe it, it's super easy.

GRADE: 3.9/10 




All the other flavors:       http://shop.kaiafoods.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1814

Week of 06/23/14: DECIPHERING INGREDIENTS

NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL flavors

What is that?
As is most often the case with food labels, definitions are defined by the FDA, not common usage (nor common sense for that matter).

Definition of flavor: something 'whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.'
  Ok... This means, chicken added to a food (being high in nutritional content), would not classify as a flavor, but chicken extract, on the other hand, would be able to (since it's added in very small amounts for the flavor, and provides minimal nutritional benefit.)

Definition of NATURAL: flavors from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentaton products therof (21CFR101.22)
   That's a mouthful.   Let me simplify it: flavors originally deriving from something living. How's that? 

Definition of ARTIFICIAL: everything NOT fitting under the above definition of natural 

So natural is healthier right?
 This is the tricky part. The answer is actually no when it comes to using "natural" and "artificial" in terms of flavoring (not true elsewhere).
How would you like eating "ethyl methyl phenyl glycidate?" Sounds unnatural right? But this is the chemical name for the primary flavor of strawberries, so you eat a strawberry, you're eating that. Humans have learned to create this molecule synthetically, so you can be getting the same flavor, and indeed, the exact chemical structure, except that it never came from a strawberry. I heard it best put that the difference between natural and artificial flavorings is not identity, but original source. Also remember that the NATURAL flavors are also extracted in a lab or processing plant, not just the ARTIFICIAL ones. It's not like they squeezed some fresh strawberries into your Koolaid powder or your cereal.
One final point is that some also argue that artificial flavors may actually be safer since regulations are stricter regarding safety-testing. Hmm.

After all I have said, there's still something in me that cries "I don't care if natural and artificial are identical molecules. I rather have natural!" The truth of the matter is, if we want real healthy, we should eat real food with neither natural or flavors added to begin with. 

RESOURCES:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-difference-be-2002-07-29/
http://www.flavorfacts.org/natural-vs-artificial-what-is-the-difference/

Week of June 23: PICTURE OF THE WEEK

 I pull this list up almost every time I go to the supermarket to buy produce. Try to buy organic as much as possible, but if you can't, at the very least, buy organic from the "Dirty Dozen" list (most pesticides) and feel less worried about not getting organic from the "Clean Fifteen." (least amount of pesticides)

Source:  http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Week of June 23rd: NUTRITION BITE

 Define What you mean by....

 You’ve seen it. The food label that says it’s an excellent source of Vitamin __.  Ever wonder what that means? Here’s the low down.
 
“Excellent Source of”, “High” or “Rich in” = 20% or more of the recommended daily value
 
“Good source of “ “Contains” or “Provides” = 10-19% of the recommended daily value

 “Added” “Extra” “Fortified” “More” = 10% or more of the recommended daily value

Funny how I don't recall that someone scoring a mere 20% on an exam at school meant he/she did excellently. Well, at least we have the reassurance that terms like "fat free" and "calorie free" means what they say right?
Nope.
Say what?
Oh, my bad, did I burst another bubble? See the 2 links below for more details on how food companies can actually use food labeling terms. It may not be what you expect. 

RESOURCE:  1) http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/guidancedocumentsregulatoryinformation/labelingnutrition/ucm064916.htm

2) http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/nutrition/nutrition/dietary_guide/hgic4061.html

Week of JUNE 16 :   PRODUCT REVIEW

Better'n Peanut Butter

 Taste: I love peanut butter and adding it to everything. I love making Thai peanut curry. I add PB to my cereal and have even notoriously wrapped it up with seaweed and eaten it that way. That's right, I live on the dangerous side sometimes. So, when I saw this product, my first thought was that it was going to be amazing. Sadly, it was not. It just tasted fake and slightly gritty (must the peanut flour with all the other stuff). After trying it once, it sat in my fridge for about 3-6 months. Desperate one day for some nut butter, I had nothing but this, and decided to give it another try. Quickly I was reminded why I hadn't touched it in a while. Apparently people either love it or hate it. I'm in the latter camp. Perhaps you can hide it into a recipe, but I'd say for nut butter lovers, stay away from this one.

GRADE: 3.3/10

Nutrition:
 Good: low sodium, GMO free, no saturated/trans fat. Gluten free, dairy free, no preservatives
 Okay: lower in calories and fat than regular nut butter (if these things are what you want),
 Bad: too many obscure ingredients: vegetable glycerin, grain syrup? And the ever encouraging "natural colors and flavors"

  Overall: stick with the real peanut butter, or go with almond butter instead

GRADE: 4.2/10, 

Price: Around $4 at Trader Joe's. Too high to pay for something inferior to the real thing...

GRADE: 4.8/10

PRODUCT website: http://www.betternpeanutbutter.com/index.php

Week of June 16: PICTURE OF THE WEEK

   My, my, how things have dramatically changed in 20 years:

REFERENCE: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html :For year by year 1985 to 2010 maps: