Spotlight on Food! Print

Matchmaking with Flavor Pairings
Just as some people are meant for each other, so are some foods. Salt and pepper, oranges and chocolate, oysters and caviar, and bacon and brown sugar are just a few of the matches made in culinary heaven. Read this article to find other made-in-heaven 'couples'!
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/09/matchmaking-for-cooks-and-food-lovers/62446/

 

Snack-attack Rescue
When you want a snack, you want to make sure you have something healthy on hand so you don't end up reaching for junk.  Here is a list of healthy snacks you can keep in your desk or put in your kid's lunch box.

  • Whole-wheat crispbread
  • 3-ounce pouches of water-packed tuna or salmon
  • Single-serving packets of trail mix
  • Natural peanut or other nut butter
  • Can of sardines, packed in water or olive oil.
  • “Single-serving” fresh fruits: apples, oranges, pears, bananas, kiwis
  • Dried fruit, such as apricots, raisins and cherries
  • 1-ounce bags of peanuts, almonds or pistachios
  • Small (8-ounce) cans of low-sodium mixed vegetable juice
  • Single-serving boxes of whole-grain cereals with no added sugars
  • Mini rice cakes
  • Whole-grain cookies
  • Individually-wrapped bite-size dark chocolate

Once you’re stocked up, you can put these combos together for a satisfying snack:
Mini rice cakes + natural peanut butter + banana
Sandwich natural peanut butter and a slice of banana between two mini apple-cinnamon rice cakes. Makes 1 serving.
Can of sardines + whole-wheat crispbreads
Sardines on Crackers: Top a whole-grain Scandinavian-style cracker (Wasa, Ry Krisp, Kavli) with 2 to 3 canned sardines, preferably packed in olive oil. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Pistachios + dried cherries
Pistachios & Cherries: Combine equal parts dried cherries or cranberries with shelled pistachios.

 

Whole Foods Smartphone App Encourages Healthy Choices
Whole Foods Market is launching an iPad/iPhone/iPod touch app designed to help people live healthier lifestyles. The retailer's "Mission App," available for free download on iTunes, offers 70 challenges/missions that involve users engaging in a series of steps to earn "badges and bragging rights."
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=134091

 

Kids' Cafe: Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad.
Kids and adults alike will enjoy this salad. Store it in a wide-mouthed thermal container and use several Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves to wrap around the salad instead of bread.  Pack the nuts separately in a little plastic bag for sprinkling. For those who can take the heat, add a splash of Chinese hot oil or hot sesame oil to the salad.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Crunchy-Asian-Chicken-Salad-243126?printFormat=4x6

 

Fiber Facts: The Trick to Understanding Labels
It seems everyone is joining the fiber movement these days. Stores are filled with products promoting their whole-grain or high-fiber status. But are they really healthier? 
http://www.wxow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12893108

 

Eat an Apple...Doctor's Orders
Doctors at three health centers in Massachusetts have begun advising patients to eat “prescription produce” from local farmers’ markets, in an effort to fight obesity  in children of low-income families. Now they will give coupons amounting to $1 a day for each member of a patient’s family to promote healthy meals.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/business/13veggies.html

 

Campaign Aims To Make Meatless Mondays Hip
There's a movement afoot aimed at changing the way we eat one day a week. The Meatless Monday campaign is backed by public health advocates, chefs and suburban moms who want to tackle the problems of cholesterol and heart disease. One risk factor for these chronic conditions is consuming too much saturated fat — the type of fat found in meat.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129025298

 

"Bad" Foods You Should Be Eating
Some healthful foods have gotten bad reps they just can’t shake. Do you avoid peanut butter because you think it's super-fattening? Have you banned egg yolk because you're concerned about your heart health? Get the good truth about these and more “misunderstood” foods and why you should eat them—in moderation, of course.
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/bad_foods_you_should_be_eating?utm_source=EWTWNL

 

Senate Passes Child Nutrition Act
The Senate approved a long-awaited child nutrition act on Thursday, August 5, that intends to feed more hungry kids and make school food more nutritious, and it provides for $4.5 billion over the next decade to make that happen.
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/senate-passes-child-nutrition-act/

 

USDA Mulls What Constitutes a "natural" Chicken
This fall the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service will issue new proposed rules for chicken labeling. The group will determine what products have the right to carry the label claim "natural." The agency agreed to take a closer look at its policy after it came to light that one-third of chicken sold in the U.S. as natural was pumped up with additives that boosted sodium content and weight.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i90vasCLs4qBaTXZY6eVjZNV0h5QD9H97R0O5

 

FDA Seeks Less Use of Antibiotics in Animals to Keep Them Effective For Humans
The Food and Drug Administration urged farmers on Monday to stop giving antibiotics to cattle, poultry, hogs and other animals to spur their growth, citing concern that drug overuse is helping to create dangerous bacteria that do not respond to medical treatment and endanger human lives.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062804973.html

 

Keep Kids Cool with These Quick, Healthy Snack Tips for Summer
With the kids at home for the summer, it's a good idea to have some healthy snacks on hand.  Snacking is not a bad word if you incorporate some healthy options. Actually it can be a good thing. It can help maintain blood sugar levels, increase metabolism, and prevent overeating at the next meal.

That begs the question, what makes a good healthy snack? You should be looking for a mix of carbohydrates and lean protein for sustainable energy. And try to keep the calories between 100 and 200 calories for children 15 and under; older kids will need more. A good rule of thumb is to keep the snacks to approximately half the calories of a meal.

Kids are getting 25 percent of their total daily calories from snacks, so it is important to have healthy foods on hand. If you are prepared and plan ahead you can make sure there are great tasting snacks at your home for your entire family to enjoy.

Some favorite options include:
· Veggies, mini pitas/baked chips and dips (i.e. hummus, natural nut butters, bean)
· Home made trail mix
· Greek Yogurt
· Mini bagels with fillings:  homemade, not frozen, processed products
· Granola bars / Fruit and Nut Bars (i.e. Kind Bars; Kashi Bars)
· Go packs of pre-prepped snack options
· Apple slices with almond butter, rolled in grape nuts or granola
· Homemade pudding with graham crackers
· Cottage Cheese Doubles
· Whole grain cookies (i.e. Fig cookies; Kashi's TLC) with milk
· Laughing Cow cheese or string cheese with crackers

It is also important to keep your children hydrated. As always, water is great, but if you want to mix things up, sports beverages like low-fat chocolate milk, and glucose-electrolyte solutions such as Powerade Play and fruit smoothies are good choices.

For more healthy snack ideas, click here:  http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2009/06/30-healthy-snacks