KNIKA

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating!

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Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
   How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
   How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
   How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
   How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
   How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
   How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
   How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
   How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.

In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?

White House Chef Would Like to Assist in Building a Healthier Nation!

Mr. Kass is the White House Chef and makes an effort to cook up healthy dishes. Besides cooking for the Obamas, he would also like to see the nation eat healthier.

Read the entire article here.

A few quotes.

“Mr. Kass and other officials say improving school lunches and widening access to farmers’ markets for people on government aid will benefit the poor.

Mr. Kass says the enthusiasm he encounters at schools, federal agencies, farmers’ markets and the like shows ‘there’s a lot of desire to make change.’”

Food Tips #1

I just loved Michael Pollan’s project of compiling 20 food tips from numerous individuals into a nice little feature on NY Times. So for the next 20 days I will post each food tip.

Photo by rogiro

#1 “Don’t eat egg salad from a vending machine!” - David A. Wilson

F.D.A. to Clarify Standards for the Front of Food Labels

October 21, 2009

F.D.A. to Clarify Standards for the Front of Food Labels

 By WILLIAM NEUMAN

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The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it would seek to clear up the confusion caused by a surge of upbeat nutritional claims — for everything from Froot Loops to mayonnaise — that manufacturers have begun to make on packaged food labels.

By early next year, officials said, the agency will issue proposed standards that companies must follow in creating nutrition labels that go on the front of food packaging.

That could force manufacturers to deliver the bad news with the good, putting an end to a common practice in which manufacturers boast on package fronts about some components, such as vitamins or fiber, while ignoring less appealing ingredients, like added sugar or unhealthy fats.

The F.D.A.’s move could present a challenge to the Smart Choices program, a nutrition labeling campaign begun this summer with much fanfare by some of the nation’s largest food companies. That program has drawn fire because it gives a nutritional seal of approval to many foods, including sugary cereals and high-fat mayonnaise, that many nutritionists consider to be unhealthy.

“We believe in the science behind the Smart Choices program,” Mike Hughes, the program’s chairman, said in a statement. “We also look forward to the opportunity to participate in F.D.A.’s initiatives on front-of-package labeling.”

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the F.D.A. commissioner, said that under the changes being discussed, putting nutrition information on the front of packages would be voluntary. But if manufacturers chose to do so, then they would have to comply with the new F.D.A. rules.

Smart Choices is one of several labeling programs embraced by the food industry, in which critics charge that sound nutritional advice was diluted by the need to sell products.

“It is clear that at the present time this vast array of different approaches is adding confusion rather than clarity,” Dr. Hamburg said. “We believe we can offer important benefits in terms of developing the science- and nutrition-based criteria for the use of dietary guidance claims.”

Officials said that the proposed rules would be issued within a few months and that they could be finalized before the end of next year.

The new labels would be meant to give consumers quick access to key dietary information, most of which is already included in the familiar Nutrition Facts box on the back or side of packages.

Speaking in a telephone call with reporters, Dr. Hamburg said that she expected package-front labels would be required to include information on saturated fat, salt, added sugar and calories.

Dr. Hamburg repeatedly mentioned a package-front labeling program in Britain that uses red, yellow or green dots — like traffic signals — to indicate the relative amounts of important ingredients.

She said that could provide a model for the F.D.A. as it sought to find the best way to provide information to American consumers.

Discussion of package-front nutrition labeling heated up over the summer when the F.D.A. sent a warning letter to the Smart Choices program saying it would be concerned if the program led consumers to choose highly processed foods over fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Then last week, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that he was investigating the program and some of the companies that participate in it, including Kellogg’s and General Mills, to see if they had violated a consumer protection law that bars deceptive marketing claims.

Fruit Aesthetics

While frequenting another blog, I found the above pictures of fruit post-it notes! I just love these. I want to buy some! These were created by the following Japanese design company D-Bros

Check more photos below!