|
| Guacamole | Mock-amole | |
| Calories | 133 | 36 |
| Fat | 12 g | 1.3 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Sodium | 13 mg | 35.4 mg |
| Percent of Calories from Fat | 80% | 33 % |
(RB)
You Asked It! - Rapid
Response Center Q/A
Q. What is lemon zest?
A. Lemon zest is finely grated outer layer (the
yellow portion) of a lemon rind.
Q. Will freezing dried yeast cause it not to rise
when used at room temperature?
A. No, yeast will be active as long as the
expiration date has not passed.
Q. What is Coenzyme Q?
A. Coenzyme Q (also referred to as ubiquinone) is
a collective name for a group of substances that are
similar to vitamin E. They are found in most living cells
and are important for respiration. Since coenzyme Q is
synthesized in the body, they cannot be classified as a
vitamins.
Q. What is stevia?
A. Stevia is the popular name for a sweet tasting
compound called stevioside that is found in the leaves of
a South Ameri- can plant. It is about 300 times sweeter
than sucrose (table sugar). It is approved for use in 10
countries, but not the United States. It is used in soft
drinks, chewing gum, tabletop sweeteners, fish sauces,
syrups, and pharmaceuticals.
Q. Can I eat a wild turkey that has been
previously shot in the leg? The leg looks infected.
A. DO NOT EAT ‹ There could be any number of
organisms that might have infected the whole bird
(Staphylococcus and pseudomonas, to name a couple). The
Veterinarian that I spoke with put the chances at greater
than 50% that the bird is infected.
Q. How long will eggs keep at room temperature?
A. Although this goes against what most of us
would call common knowledge, eggs in the shell will only
be guaranteed safe for 2 hours at non-refrigeration
temperatures due to the risk of salmonella poisoning. The
2-hour rule applies to any perishable foods held at
non-refrigeration temperatures.
Q. What is salatrim?
A. Salatrim is a fat replacer. Specifically,
salatrim is a restructured fat that provides similar physical properties
as fat but with only 5 calories per gram compared to 9 calories per gram
for regular fat. It is FDA approved and several reduced-fat chocolate
products containing salatrim are already on the market.
Q. What is clabbered milk?
A. Clabbered milk is milk that has been acidified
to the point where a firm curd has formed but not to the
point where the whey has separated. It is not quite
cottage cheese.
Q. In the last issue of F&N Digest, one of the
salsa recipes called for tamarind. Is it the same thing
as tamari?
A. Tamarind is a fruit from a tropical tree. It
can be found at the supermarket usually in dried form.
Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce that is a by-product of
the production of a Japanese delicacy called miso.
Q. What is the difference between anise seed and
star anise?
A. Anise seed and star anise come from different,
unrelated plants. Star anise is a star shaped fruit that
has an "anise- like" flavor. They can generally
be substituted for one another in recipes. (RB)
Summer Food Program
Only one-third of the $1.5 million available for
the Summer Food Program will be awarded to state agencies
this year. The limited number of proposals submitted to
Food and Consumer Service (FCS) is attributed to a
combination of factors including a lack of interest among
state agencies and uncertainty over available funding.
The summer food start-up and expansion grants are funded with the School Breakfast Program grants. Of the $5 million for the two programs, $1.5 goes to summer food.
When FCS sent a Request for Proposals to state agencies in November 1995, many states assumed that Congress would cut the summer food start-up and expansion grants. Only 21 agencies requested funding for 1996. Funding not used in 1996 will be applied to the 1997 Summer Food Program. (MP)
Source: CNI May 17, 1996
Increasing Fruit and
Vegetable Consumption of WIC Participants
A recent study of factors affecting fruit and
vegetable consumption among low income women in the WIC
program recently was conducted. The purpose of the study
was to identify motivations and messages that would be
effective in promoting fruit and vegetable consumption.
Focus group discussions (n=32) were conducted, followed
by central location intercept interviews (n=207) designed
to verify results of the focus groups.
Results indicted that respondents did not cook extensively. African Americans were less likely to use recipes when they cook than were White respondents. Positive perceptions of fruits and vegetables included "good for digestion", "healthy", "good for kids", and "good for women who are pregnant or on a diet". Barriers to consumption included lack of availability, preparation time and effort, and preference for other foods. Motivations for eating fruits and vegetables were identified as setting a good example for children, feeding children healthy food, and eating healthy food when pregnant.
The authors suggested the results of the study have implications for the development of more effective nutrition education programming for WIC recipients. Fist, setting a good example for children is an important concept, and one that should be incorporated into nutrition messages. Secondly, the women's current eating behaviors suggested five behaviors that had the potential for increasing consumption. They were (1) having fruit or 100% juice in the morning; (2) having fruit for a snack; (3) eating a salad or vegetables at lunch; (4) eating two vegetables with dinner; and (5) eating fruit for dessert. Finally, in light of the barriers identified, the researchers suggested nutrition education emphasize the low cost of fruits and vegetables relative to other foods; comparison shopping; handling and storage; cooking demonstrations and taste testing. In addition, it was suggested that WIC could have a greater impact on fruit and vegetable consumption by providing food vouchers for a greater variety of fruits and vegetables. (MP)
Source: Journal of Nutrition Education 28:3, June 1996
Oatmeal and Oatbran, Second
Round
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
proposed the authorization of certain health claims on
oat products, namely oat bran and oatmeal, regarding
heart disease. This FDA proposed model claim would be:
"Diets high in oatmeal or oat bran and low in
saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of
heart disease." But in view of the scientific
evidence, FDA has not concluded that eating oatmeal or
oat bran in and of itself reduces risk of heart disease.
The proposal is based on the fact that oats are a good source of beta-glucan, a soluble fiber that traps cholesterol and aids in its exit from the digestive tract. Oats, barley, legumes (dried peas and beans), and fruits and vegetables contain beta-glucan and other soluble fibers believed to have a cholesterol-lowering effect.
This health claim is a departure from previously authorized health claims in that it singles out a specific food rather than a nutrient or fiber. Some nutritionists are concerned about this and other recent changes in procedures at FDA. FDA is the federal agency that is entrusted with the safety and labeling of most foods and drugs excluding meat and poultry, seafood products, and dietary supplements. U.S.D.A. and the Commerce Department are responsible for animal flesh foods. Dietary supplements are exempted by law from being regulated as safe and effective by any federal agency.
A few years ago after information about oat bran's health potential was published, food manufacturers started putting small amounts of oat bran in a wide variety of products including potato chips and doughnuts. A person with high cholesterol levels must eat three grams of beta glucan daily to lower cholesterol levels 5 percent. It takes one cup of cooked oat bran, 1 1/2 cups oatmeal or three packets of instant oatmeal to get this amount of beta-glucan. Most people will have difficulty eating this much day in and day out. But even if do, they should consider what foods will be replaced or what other ingredients such as fat and sugar may be added to improve the taste of the product.
If this health claim label is authorized, nutritionists wonder what other single foods will be proposed for similar labeling. One of the main problems with a single food approach is that it feeds on the myth that an individual food is something like a "magic bullet" for cure or prevention. The main thrust of our research-based nutrition knowledge strongly supports the concept that what is most important is the total diet, not the health benefits of single foods or nutrient. (MPC)
Sources: Liebman, B. Oat Bran: It's B-a-a-a-ck. Nutrition Action Healthletter. May 1996, p. 8-9. ND Extension newsletter, Apr-96
Nutrition in the Magazines
Except for television (42%), magazines are the
major source of nutrition information for most people in
the U.S., some 39 percent, according to the 1995
Nutrition Trends Survey of the American Dietetics
Association (ADA). While consumers consider physicians to
provide the best advice about nutrition matters, only 5
percent actually consult their doctors. Consumers place
the greatest value (42%) on the information they read in
specialty magazines such as health, fitness and cooking
publications. Television news and newspapers receive less
than half the confidence placed in magazines (17% and 18%
respectively).
From the scientifically based nutrition community's point of view, the quality as well as the quantity of information in magazines has increased over the past 25 or 30 years. Few magazines now heavily promote fad dieting.
The best nutrition and health magazines such as Cooking Light and Eating Well or Health use dietitians as staff writers or consultants. Their writers regularly peruse the scientific literature for subjects of interest which appear in popular print more quickly than many nutrition scientists or food marketers are aware. Furthermore, since controversy is news, contradictory research is often given more space and credence than the general scientific community thinks is warranted.
Magazine editors also may place consensus science in juxtaposition to the views of environmentalists, advocacy group spokespersons and scientists who disagree with official positions of the government and biomedical professional organizations. Dr. Kristen McNutt has said, "Good journalists lead with the bottom line, i.e., include at the beginning of an article the most important information being reported. Furthermore, scientific authors focus on what further research should be done, whereas journalists tell their readers what to do now with the information as reported."
According to McNutt, who is the editor of Consumer Magazines Digest covering 50 magazines and about 3000 entries in its 8-page monthly, the hottest topics in 1995 were the "fat-free backlash" and "herbals take center stage." Five years ago it was anti-oxidants and nutraceuticals. More recently, it has been phytochemicals combined with information about herbal remedies and other forms of alternative medicine. Most magazines include appropriate warnings about misuse of herbal remedies, but research reports from respected institutions such as the National Cancer Institute has led to a generally positive view of phytomedicinals. Take soy and its phytoestrogens, for example. Not until August 1995 did The New England Journal of Medicine publish a review of soy-related research but magazines were publishing articles about the possible benefits of soy several years ago.
It pays for nutrition professionals to be aware of what the public is reading and talking about. Because of health beliefs, consumers influence food buying patterns as well as health outcomes and health care costs. Short articles may be more influential than long ones because they are read by more people. In the current health care cost squeeze, the better nutrition professionals become in telling their story, the better informed the public will be. They do read nutrition news. (MPC)
Source: Personal
communication, Kristen McNutt, Ph.D.,J.D.
Hyping Melatonin - Science
and Fiction
The hormone melatonin is currently being
advertised as an instant cure to several diseases.
However, scientific data has been misrepresented by the
media and researchers. Reports have stated that a single
melatonin pill will cure or prevent cancer, heart
disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cataracts, AIDS,
depression, schizophrenia, sudden infant death syndrome,
epilepsy, autism, Parkinson's disease, jet-lag and
influenza. It is also being linked to improving sex life,
reversing the aging process and helping one to sleep
better and lose weight.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, a pea-sized organ at the center of the human brain. Scientific investigations have focused on melatonin's chronobiological properties as well as its influence on several cellular processes that could influence physiological systems. For example, the significant decline in the sleep melatonin levels with age have led to many hypotheses about melatonin's role in aging and age-associated diseases, and have created the present enthusiasm about melatonin therapy.
Two popular books instigating the melatonin fad are indicative of many recent publications written by scientists attempting to relay their message to the public. In The Melatonin Miracle (W. Pierpaoli and W. Regelson), the authors state that melatonin brings blood cholesterol levels back to normal, lowers high blood pressure, and helps to prevent heart attack and stroke. However, no human studies are cited that test whether melatonin supplements can do any of these things. References are anecdotal and are vague about the reasons for these changes.
A main theme in the book Melatonin (R. Reiter and J. Robinson) is that research is not sufficient and that more testing is needed especially with the possible therapeutic uses of melatonin specifically as an anti-aging compound. The daily rhythm in circulating melatonin declines with age. Other age-related declines in various hormones, such as growth hormone and testosterone, have also been observed. Many investigators are examining the impact of these hormonal declines on the aging process. Many of the claims associating melatonin with beneficial effects are based on a few small experiments or on individual testimonials, and the data are inconclusive. More animal studies are needed to determine if melatonin treatment can slow or reverse aging along with establishing the mechanism of melatonin effects. Clinical trials should be conducted to demonstrate if melatonin supplementation will benefit the elderly and also to determine if toxicity could exist. Finally, drug companies may not be eager to support such trails because of expense and melatonin's non-patentable status. Ultimately, test subjects for melatonin, without their knowledge and without any scientific evaluation of melatonin's effectiveness or toxicity, will be drug and health-food store customers until patentable melatonin analogues are used in clinical trials funded by the pharmaceutical industry.
Enthusiasm is tremendous for research on melatonin and the implications of its use. Great public interest in melatonin's possible benefits will now give scientists in the field a perfect opportunity to build on the research that covers 40 years to verify if the hormone can really exacerbate or eliminate specific human diseases. (MPC)
Source: Electronic Food Rap Vol. 6 No. 20 Bill Evers, PhD, RD and April Mason, PhD, Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialists, Purdue University.
Do You Know Your BMI?
Body Mass index (BMI) is an index of a person's
weight in relation to height and is calculated as
follows:
- 1. Multiply weight in
pounds by 700
2. Divide that number by height in inches.
3. Divide the result by height in inches again.
The following classification has been given to determine under- or overweight status at different ages using BMI:
| Age | Desirable BMI
range |
| 25 to 34 | 20 to 25 |
| 35 to 44 | 21 to 26 |
| 45 to 54 | 22 to 27 |
| 55 to 64 | 23 to 28 |
| 65 and older | 24 to 29 |
(MPC)
Source: Environmental Nutrition, June 1995.
What Are Our Children Eating?
Some parents might be surprised to learn what
American children are eating. The first results of the
three-year U.S. Department of Agriculture survey
"What We Eat In America" indicate the following
trends:
- Children, like adults, are eating more grain-based products including crackers, popcorn, pretzels and corn chips. The proportion of children and teens consuming grain-based snack foods doubled between 1977-78 and 1994. These products are slightly more popular among girls, with 35 percent of school- age girls eating at least one of these snack foods per day.
- Grain-based combinations, such as pasta with sauce, rice dishes and pizza, are more popular than before. Children are also eating more tacos and burritos.
- Fruit consumption declines as children get older. Seven out of 10 children under age five consumed some fruit or fruit juice on any one day, dropping to less than half among teens.
- At least three-fourths of all children, regardless of age, reported eating at least one vegetable on a given day. Their favorite? White potatoes, particularly French fries and potato chips, followed by tomato products, including spaghetti-type sauces and salsas.
- Green beans, corn, green peas and lima beans were low on the popularity list, with less than 16 percent of children or teens eating them on a given day. The percentage was even lower for dark green and deep yellow vegetables.
- Today's children are eating less fat as a percentage of total calories, reflecting the trend for the population. Intakes ranged from an average of 32 percent for teen girls to 34 percent for preschoolers. That's compared to the 37-40 percent range in the late 1970's.
- Except for milk, children are drinking more beverages across the board. Consumption of non-citrus juices such as mixes with grape or apple base increased more than 300 percent.
- Soft drinks also had a dramatic increase, especially among teenage boys whose intake nearly tripled between 1977-78 and 1994. Nearly three-fourths of teenage boys drank an average of 34 ounces almost three 12 oz. cans per day. Two-thirds of teenage girls drank 23 ounces or about two cans per day.
- Milk consumption dropped markedly across all age groups. A little more than half of teens drank milk in 1994, compared to some three-fourths in 1977-78.
- Children and teenage boys are meeting the Recommended Dietary Allowance for most nutrients, but teenage girls averaged 85 percent or less of the RDA for calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin E.
The "What We Eat In America" survey is based on personal interviews. During 1994, approximately 5,500 Americans of all ages were asked to recall their food intake for two days. When the survey concludes in 1997, 15,000 to 16,000 people will have participated.
Results will be used to make public policy decisions related to food safety, food fortification, food assistance and nutrition education programs. (PP) (See related article in the May/June 1996 issue of this newsletter.)
Sources: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Nutrition and Your Child, Spring 1996. Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center Home Page.
Juice Enhances Iron
Absorption by Infants
Iron-deficiency anemia is not as prevalent in
young children as it once was, but making sure that
infants and toddlers get enough of the mineral remains a
nutritional concern, especially at the time of weaning
from formula or breast milk to cow's milk. Cow's milk is
low in iron and high in calcium and large amounts of
calcium have been shown to lower iron absorption in
adults. Infants and toddlers are often given iron
supplements in the form of ferrous sulfate, but there has
been no knowledge of how this supplement is absorbed by
young children or if absorption is enhanced by vitamin C.
A study at the Children's Nutrition Research Center at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas examined
iron absorption in children who had recently begun
drinking cow's milk.
The one-year old children absorbed iron supplements better when they were given with apple juice (which contained 42 mg of vitamin C) than when they were given with cow's milk. This would suggest that when we give young children iron supplements we need to bring out the vitamin C rich juice and save the milk for later. (PP)
Sources: Pediatric Research 39:1-5, 1996. Maternal & Child Health Links: Research, Education, Extension & Technology, Winter, 1996, Volume 1.
Iron-deficiency Anemia in
Teen Pregnancy
Both pregnancy and adolescent growth are
associated with increased iron requirements. Pregnant
adolescents, particularly those who enter pregnancy with
depleted iron stores due to recent growth, are at high
risk for iron-deficiency anemia. According to the 1990
Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System data, the
prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in pregnant
adolescents was 11 percent during the first trimester, 16
percent during the second, and 37 percent during the
third trimester. Iron-deficiency anemia in early
gestation has been associated with a 2- to 3-fold
increased risk for prematurity and low-birth-weight
infants. This is another reason to urge pregnant teens to
seek early prenatal care and also to take any medication
prescribed by their health care provider. (PP)
Sources: Nutrition Today, July-August, 1995. Maternal & Child Health Links: Research, Education, Extension & Technology, Winter, 1996, Volume 1.
Tips on Selecting Juice for
Children
Clever advertising and packaging can sometimes
fool parents into thinking they are buying juice for
their children when they may be getting a
"fruit-flavored drink" with little nutritional
value.
Parents need to be careful to read the label and choose 100 percent pure fruit juice. Fruit drinks, punches, "-ades," or low-percent juice products may be fortified with vitamin C, but are low in potassium and high in sugar.
- Tips for parents:
- Despite the appeal of exotic flavors like mango, kiwi or passion fruit, orange juice still sets the "gold standard" by providing the greatest amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C keeps gums, skin, tissue and bones healthy.
- Serve juice in moderation, so children do not fill up before mealtimes. Too much juice will leave little room for other nutritious foods needed for growth and development. As a rule, children between the ages of two and three should drink no more than four to eight ounces a day, and less for younger children.
- Check out the grams of sugar on the label. If it's not pure juice, look at the list of ingredients to see if additional sugar as been added.
- Parents should not serve juice combinations to infants unless they have been introduced to each individual juice previously to avoid allergic reaction.
- Juice products that are calcium-fortified can be good sources of calcium for individuals who do not include adequate amounts of dairy products in their diet.
Children imitate what they see their parents doing. Parents can set a good example by drinking water or 100 percent juice instead of soda or other non-nutritional drinks. (PP)
Source: Children's Nutrition Research Center, Nutrition and Your Child, Spring 1996.
New Video Available
Karen Penner has ordered a new video titled
"Food Safety: An Educational Video for Institutional
Food Service Workers". It will be available for loan
through this office soon. To borrow the video, call
Shelly at (785) 532-1670. We have ordered several,
however, they have not arrived yet. Shelly will put your
name on a list and lend you a copy as soon as they
arrive. (KP)
K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.