|
| Mock Fried Fish | |
| Calories | 138 |
| Fat | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 49 mg |
| Sodium | 162 mg |
| Percent of Calories from Fat | 7% |
*Direct comparisons will vary depending on the fish; 5 oz. portion of fried catfish contains about 380 calories and 21 grams of fat (50% calories from fat).
Source: Healthy Choice Webpage: http://www.jewish-food.org/recipes/mocffish.htm
You Asked It--Rapid Response Center Q/A
Q. What is PIT ham?
A. Partially Internally Trimmed Ham.
Q. Can you use canning jars to freeze foods?
A. Yes. These jars have been tempered to withstand temperature extremes and will
not break at freezer temperatures. Wide-mouth canning jars are much better for freezing
than jars with shoulders.
Q. How can I order USDA publications?
A. Tel: (202) 512-1800. There is also a U.S. Government Bookstore at Bannister Mall
in Kansas City.
Q. How can I substitute vanilla extract for vanilla
bean?
A. 1/2 vanilla bean = 1 tbs. vanilla extract.
Q. How can I get in touch with the Ball Company for
information about their equipment?
A. Altrista Company (Ball's parent company) telephone: (800) 859-2255.
Q. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning does not list
processing times for half-pint canning jars. How long do I process foods in these jars?
A. Use the pint process time for the product you are canning.
Q. What is sodium erythorbate?
A. Sodium erythorbate is an antioxidant. It is used in cured meats to set the
color. It is related chemically to ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), but it does not provide the
nutritional qualities of ascorbic acid.
Q. Is there a reason why I shouldn't add milk to
scrambled eggs?
A. The only problem with adding any liquid to scrambled eggs is that excess liquid
may cause the eggs to weep.
Q. What are the different types of sugar?
A. Granulated sugar (99.9% pure) is classified according to crystal size: Fine is
the "regular" sugar found on the store shelves. Ultra-fine is sold for cake
making and mixed drinks. Powdered sugar is classified as Ultra-fine (10X), Very-fine (6X),
or Fine (4X), Medium, and Coarse. Only the three "Fine" classifications are
called Confectioners' sugar. Raw sugar is about 97% pure but contains extraneous material.
Turbinado sugar is about 99% pure. Brown sugar is a mass of fine crystals covered with a
film of highly-refined, colored, molasses-flavored syrup. Four grades are available,
numbers 6, 8, 10, and 13. The higher numbers are darker and more flavorful.
Q. What is suet?
A. Found in beef, sheep and other animals, suet is the solid white fat found around
the kidneys and loins. Many British recipes call for it to lend richness to pastries,
puddings, stuffings and mincemeats. Suet was once widely used to make tallow candles.
(RB)
WIC Breastfeeding Promotion Campaign
USDA will launch a new campaign to increase breastfeeding among women participating in WIC. Ten states (Iowa, Arkansas, Nevada, California, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, New York, Mississippi) and the Chickasaw Indian Tribal Organization were selected for participation in the campaign.
Breast feeding rates among WIC participants are under 20% compared to a national rate of 50%. The campaign will attempt to increase breastfeeding initiation rates and duration. A media campaign will focus on dispelling myths and misinformation about breastfeeding both in WIC and the general public through promotional posters, literature and advertisements. The project, which will last 30 months, also will give WIC state and local professionals financial support to promote breastfeeding.
In 1989, WIC state agencies were required to spend their share of the $8 million earmarked for breastfeeding promotion and support. WIC administrative funds were authorized to purchase breastfeeding aids, and state agencies were required to designate a breastfeeding coordinator. In 1994, the requirement was increased and WIC state agencies had to spend $21 per each pregnant and breastfeeding woman in support of breastfeeding promotion. Overall, states and the USDA will spend $35 million on breastfeeding promotion this year. (MP)
Source: CNI June 28, 1996
The Family Nutrition Program (FNP) is a nutrition education program for families and individuals receiving (or eligible for) food stamps. It is funded by USDA and currently is available in most states. More states are expected to apply for FNP funding in 1997.
FNP was implemented in 1996 by SRS and the Cooperative Extension Service in ten Kansas counties (Douglas, Brown, Shawnee, Crawford, Wyandotte, Dickenson, Atchison, Saline, Franklin, and Riley). It will be expanded to 34 additional counties in October.
The purpose of FNP is to assist limited resource individuals in managing their food stamps and other food resources more effectively. The program emphasizes the development of shopping skills, food safety practices, providing healthy meals and snacks for children, and money management. Each FNP county has developed a model of delivery appropriate for that county. With the collaboration of local partnering organizations, lessons and activities are conducted at a variety of sites including schools, social service agencies, clinics and hospitals. Some programs offer home visits to individual families.
In some counties FNP joins EFNEP, a nutrition education program for limited resource families. The two Extension programs share a common goal of improving dietary quality and improving resource management skills. Both programs will be marketed to the public as "EFNEP" (Extension Family Nutrition Education Program) (MP)
Food Programs: How the Welfare Bill Will Change Current Law
The following is a summary of how changes in the welfare
system will affect federal food assistance programs.
- Child Nutrition
- Reimbursement rate for the summer food program will be set at $1.97 per lunch. The current level is $2.16.
- In the Child Care Food Program, meal reimbursement rates for family day care homes will be reduced for families in middle and upper income neighborhoods. The rates will be $0.95 for lunch, $0.27 for breakfast, and $0.13 for snack.
- Reimbursement rates for full price participants in the school lunch and breakfast programs are to be rounded down to the nearest cent rather than to the nearest quarter of a cent in calculating future inflation adjustments.
- School breakfast start-up grants will be discontinued.
- Noncitizens
- Eliminates eligibility for food stamps and SSI to non-citizens who are not veterans of the U.S. Military or who have not worked and paid taxes in the U.S. for at least 10 years.
- Provides eligibility for school lunch contingent on whether student is legally eligible for free public education. For other child nutrition programs, illegal alien eligibility is up to state.
- Commodity Assistance
- Authorizes $100 million in mandatory funding annually and reorganizes commodity programs into The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
- Food Stamps
- No state block grant is allowed.
- Energy assistance (LIHEAP) will not be counted as income.
- No cap on the Food Stamp Program
- Requires able-bodied food stamp recipients with no dependents to work at least 20 hours per week after receiving benefits for three months in any three year period. Persons who are laid off after exhausting their three month eligibility may receive another three months eligibility for job research. No hardship exemption is allowed.
- Freezes standard deduction at the current level of $134.
- Freezes the cap on the shelter deduction at $247 for FY 97, $250 for FY 98, $275 through FY 2000 and $300 thereafter.
- Freezes vehicle allowance at current level of $4,650.
- Cash-out prohibited except for those authorized in bill or in effect. Allows for wage supplementation programs.
- Regulation E will not apply to states using EBT.
- The Food Stamp Program would be reauthorized until FY 2002, rather than the two year extension in the Farm Bill.
- Deletes requirements for operation of food stamp offices, simplifies the program for recipients also receiving cash assistance and increases penalties for fraud. (MP)
Sources: Food Research and Action Center, Housing Budget Committee, CNI August 2, 1996
Surgeon General's Report: New View of Moderate Physical Activity
Regular moderate physical activity offers substantial benefits in health and well-being for the vast majority of Americans who are not physically active, according to the first-ever Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health released in July. The report, which was commissioned by HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala, also concludes that regular moderate physical activity can substantially reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure.
This report is a call to action. Physical inactivity is a serious nationwide public health problem. But active, healthful lifestyles are possible for everyone, not just Olympic athletes. Activities that many of us do on a daily basis can contribute. Walking, bicycling, or even gardening for at least 30 minutes per day most days of the week is good for your health and good for your future.
The report defines moderate physical activity as physical activity that uses 150 calories of energy per day, or 1,000 calories per week. Examples of moderate physical activity include walking briskly for 30 minutes, swimming laps for 20 minutes, washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes, and pushing a stroller 1 mile in 30 minutes.
In addition to reducing the risk of developing chronic illnesses, the report notes that regular participation in physical activity appears to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, improve mood, and enhance ability to perform daily tasks throughout life.
The report contains a number of key findings in addition to the health benefits of regular moderate physical activity:
- More than 60 percent of adults do not achieve the recommended amount of physical activity, and 25 percent of adults are not physically active at all. Inactivity increases with age and is more common among women than men and among those with lower income and less education than among those with higher income or education.
- For people who are already moderately active, greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity.
- Among young people aged 12-21, almost 50 percent are not vigorously active on a regular basis. Female adolescents are much less physically active than male adolescents. Physical activity declines dramatically with age during adolescence.
- High school students' enrollment in daily physical education classes dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 25 percent in 1995. Only 19 percent of all high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more in physical education classes every day during the school week.
- Promising approaches to promoting physical activity are being tried in communities around the country, including increasing physical activity in physical education classes; counseling people about physical activity by their health care providers; and creating appealing places for people to be physically active, such as outdoor walking paths. More community-led efforts are needed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which produced the report, has launched a national physical activity initiative to provide scientific and technical leadership to spur the development of effective programs and policies to increase physical activity in schools, work sites, parks, recreation facilities, and communities. (PP)
* NOTE: To obtain copies of the Executive Summary, At-a-Glance, and an order form for the full report, call CDC's Nutrition and Physical Activity Information Line (toll free)--1-888-CDC 4NRG. The summary also may be obtained via the Internet (http://www.cdc.gov). The full report, Physical Activity and Health (S/N 017-023-00196-5) is available for $19.00, including postage, from the Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Or fax your order to 202-512-2250.
Source: Health and Human Services Press Release, July 11, 1996.
Early Feedings May Benefit Premature Infants
Premature infants who receive small amounts of breast milk or formula within days of birth may get a much needed boost in intestinal development. Preliminary findings at the USDA's Children's Nutrition Research Center indicate that early feedings may stimulate the production of important enzymes as well as other digestive processes.
Robert Shulman, MD, a scientist involved in this study, suggests that early feedings may increase lactase activity. Lactase is an intestinal enzyme that is responsible for the digestion of lactose, or milk sugars, found in breast milk and formula. Shulman believes this increase in lactase activity may enable premature infants to more quickly tolerate regular feedings, a prerequisite for release from the hospital.
Shulman's findings are based on the progress of 70 premature infants who received small amounts of breast milk or formula as soon as four days after birth compared with 70 premature infants who did not receive either until they were 15 days of age.
Premature infants have historically been automatically placed on intravenous feedings because doctors believed breast milk or formula might put the baby at risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a serious complication that destroys the intestinal lining. But all premature infants must graduate from intravenous feedings onto oral feedings. The findings of this study indicate that the advantages of early feedings appear to outweigh the disadvantages.
Premature infants appear to respond not only to what they are fed but how often they are fed. Dr. Shulman has found that premature infants seem to benefit from regularly scheduled meals. Premature infants are traditionally fed in one of two ways: continuous or intermittent, also known as bolus feeding. During continuous feedings, infants receive small amounts of nutrients throughout a 24-hour period. Infants who are fed by the bolus method receive larger amounts of nutrients at regularly scheduled intervals. Preliminary findings indicate that infants tolerate the bolus feedings better than the continuous feedings.
According to Shulman, the frequency of feeding seems to affect intestinal development. And, the infants in the bolus group needed less medication to control spitting up and had less bloating. Shulman believes that information from these studies might play a role in defining the best way to feed premature infants and in standardizing feeding recommendations in hospital nurseries across the nation. (PP)
Source: Nutrition and Your Child, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Summer 1996.
Timing of Weight Gain During Pregnancy
How to lose those extra pounds put on during pregnancy is a concern for many women. Now a Canadian study suggests that the time when the weight was gained during pregnancy might have an influence on how easy it is to lose later. Those who gain a lot of weight in early pregnancy tend to retain the weight after the birth of the child.
The study examined the timing of weight gain during pregnancy and its effect on infant birth weight and the woman's post-partum weight retention. They looked at these factors in women who where underweight, normal weight and overweight prior to pregnancy. The results indicate that women should gain most of their weight after the 20th week of pregnancy, especially if they are overweight. (PP)
Source: Nutrition Week, Community Nutrition Institute, August 2, 1996.
Lead Poisoning in Children and Adults
We usually think of lead poisoning as a problem for children. While too much lead does cause developmental and cognitive difficulties for children, there is new evidence that too much lead may cause problems for adults, too.
Researchers from Boston have found that lead in adults may signal high blood pressure. The group measured shin bone lead in 590 men aged 48 to 92. (In adults, bone lead content is a better measure than blood lead because bone retains almost all the lead the body absorbs.) The men with the most bone lead were 50% more likely to develop high blood pressure than men with the lowest bone lead.
Another interesting study from researchers in Australia and Canada gives the first direct evidence that pregnant women who grew up in lead-polluted environments can pass on lead poisoning to their children. Women who had recently immigrated to Australia from the former Yugoslavia were followed throughout pregnancy. They had been exposed to high levels of Balkan lead while they were growing up. (Balkan lead has a different molecular weight than Australian lead, so it is easy to distinguish the two in blood tests.)
The Balkan lead was stored in the bones of the women and the blood levels in the women rose progressively during the pregnancy. At birth the babies had blood lead levels similar to their mother's levels indicating that they drew on the calcium stored in their mother's bones. While the levels were not high enough to cause lead poisoning in these mothers and babies, this study suggests that if the blood level of the mother is high enough the baby could be born with lead poisoning. (PP)
Sources: Environmental Nutrition, August, 1996. Nutrition Week, Community Nutrition Institute, July 12, 1996.
Medications are an important part of life for many people. Without them, they could not function or function as well. But drugs are two-edged swords that can have many ill effects. Thus enters food and nutrition.
The elderly, who account for only twelve percent of the U.S. population, consume 30 percent of all prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The elderly are especially at risk for harmful effects from drugs because of the aging process coupled with their high levels of chronic diseases. Aging decreases organ efficiency such as liver and kidney functioning. Thus, drug metabolism and excretion becomes less efficient in an older person.
But in this day of increasing reliance on alternative medicine treatments, the threat of nutrient and drug interactions multiplies. There are few good studies of how herbs and other natural products interact with drugs.
Psyllium is an example. It's a bulk-forming dietary fiber that can help prevent or relieve constipation, lower cholesterol levels and help control blood sugar levels. In some people it can mildly decrease appetite and cause diarrhea and flatulence (intestinal gas). Occasionally it has caused an allergic reaction and nausea/vomiting. Excessive use over time can interfere with potassium absorption.
Drugs that commonly have nutritional side effects include cardiovascular agents and blood modifiers, gastrointestinal medications, psychotherapeutic and other central nervous system drugs, alcohol, and food and nutrient supplements.Food and nutritional side-effects are common with cardiovascular medications such as digoxin (a heart stimulator), cholesterol lowering drugs, diuretics to increase urine output, and drugs for regulating heart beat. Common problems are diarrhea, constipation, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, poor appetite, dry mouth, and sometimes dizziness. By and large, these drugs interfere with what's eaten and absorbed. For blood modifiers or the blood thinners, vitamin K in certain plant foods or vitamin supplements can be important and reduce the effects of the medication.
Laxatives are the most important gastrointestinal medications. Overdosing or chronic use can inhibit nutrient absorption as well as lead to drug dependence. The medications containing bisacodyl or phenolphthalein are more troublesome than the bulk-formers. It's important to drink plenty of fluids with any laxative.
Psychotherapeutic and other CNS medications such as tricyclic antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and anxiety-reducing drugs can also cause constipation, nausea/vomiting, heartburn, bloating, abdominal pain and weight increases. Increases in some nutrients such as ascorbic acid, folacin and vitamin B6 may be called for. Tryptophan supplements should not be used with phenelzine, an antidepressant. Amino acid and protein supplements should not be used with levodopa, a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Alcohol and caffeine may be limited also.
When it comes to other food supplements, too much vitamin A, E or K can unduly prolong blood clotting times when warfarin, an anticoagulant is given. Calcium carbonate, an antacid and calcium supplement, can interfere with iron absorption. Too much vitamin D can result in too much calcium being absorbed into the blood stream.
On the other hand, vitamin and mineral supplementation can be very useful in preventing nutrient deficiencies. The important thing to remember is that "one size does not fit all" and what is best for you may be different from sound advice for the next person.
In general, no matter what your disease or diseases, it is important to eat a well-balanced diet. Consider any money spent getting a tailor-made dietary treatment from a registered and licensed dietitian as money well spent and advice you should follow. Dietary treatment can be just as important as drugs. Be cautious about following the advice of well-meaning friends or relatives regarding "natural supplements" such as herbs and high protein products or high-potency vitamin mineral tablets. They could be just the wrong thing for you. (MC)
Sources: Smith, Christine H., Chap. 30, Drug-FoodFood-Drug Interaction. p. 311-328. In Morley, John E., Zvi Glick, Laurance Z. Rubenstein. Geriatric Nutrition, A Comprehensive Review. 2Nd ed. Raven Press, NY. 1995. Thomas, J.A., Drug-Nutrient Interactions. Nutrition Reviews. 53(10): 271-282. October 1995.
"Beer bellies" are common in Kansas. Is alcohol responsible?
Answer: No, not entirely or directly, but alcohol can make a difference in how fat you become. Any alcohol you drink ordinarily is used for energy. With 7 calories per gram, alcohol furnishes more calories than either carbohydrate or protein and slightly less than the 9 calories per gram in fat.
Alcohol blocks using fats for energy; therefore the fats in the fat cells don't leave and are not used for energy as long as alcohol is available. Thus alcohol can prevent weight loss and promote weight gain.
I've heard that a good diet can protect a person from cirrhosis of the liver even through they drink quite a bit. Is that true?
Answer: Unfortunately, no. In the past, health professional have believed that a good diet could protect chronic alcoholics from the fatty livers that will eventually lead to destruction of liver cells and make scar tissue. Even a low fat diet will not prevent fat accumulating in liver tissue and causing damage.
Does alcohol cause cancer?
Answer: It can, especially cancer in the esophagus. What's more, it can magnify the effects of other carcinogens. Take smoking, for example. If you smoke, your risk for esophageal cancer goes up 5-fold. Alcohol by itself with no smoking increases your risk 10-fold, but if you smoke and drink, you increase your risk 44-fold!
Most women know that alcohol harms babies and can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, mental retardation and prematurity, but does alcohol have other drug effects?
Answer: Yes. Alcohol increases drug toxicity by interfering with your body's ability to clear out some drugs. The elderly person who drinks is especially prone to drug overdoses. Also, alcohol can speed up the production of toxic molecules and increase the damage to your tissues from industrial solvents like carbon tetrachloride, anesthetics, some drugs, narcotics and even analgesics like acetaminophen, the drug in Tylenol. A heavy-drinking male took 5 extra-strength Tylenol tablets and as a result, died.
What other kinds of problems can alcohol cause?
Answer: People with diabetes taking oral medications or insulin need to be especially cautious with alcohol. Eating something at the same time you drink helps curb too low blood sugars. Ask your doctor about what is best for you. Also alcohol can increase uric acid blood levels and make gout worse or mimic gout. Urate crystals in your toes can be very painful. And chronic alcohol use destroys brain cells and shrinks brain mass permanently.
Does alcohol have any good effects on health?
Answer: Very moderate drinking can increase your blood levels of HDL-cholesterol. Whether this form of HDL-cholesterol is effective in carrying cholesterol from your tissues to your liver to be excreted is still not know for certain. Wine drinking has been correlated with fewer heart attacks, but whether it is all due to the alcohol or other components in wine is not well understood. Most health providers suggest that if you don't drink now, don't start just because your cholesterol levels are high. There's too much risk involved. And alcohol is particularly hazardous for the older adult. (MC)
Nutrition Information on Restaurant Menus
The Food and Drug Administration has set standards for the claims that can be made in restaurant menus for the nutritional values of individual foods and meals to ensure that consumers get what they order.
This final rule will mean that if claims like "low fat" or "heart healthy" are made on a restaurant menu, the restaurant owner must be able to demonstrate that there is a reasonable basis for believing that the food qualifies to bear this claim.
The rule allows restaurants considerable flexibility in establishing this reasonable basis and in presenting the information to consumers.
This final rule affects only those restaurateurs who place claims such as "low fat" or "heart healthy" on their menus. These restaurateurs must be prepared to show officials that their menu claims are consistent with the claim definitions established under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA).
Unlike processed foods, restaurant menu selections are not required to supply complete nutrition information. Also, unlike processes foods, menu items bearing a claim are not held to the same strict standards of laboratory analyses. Other more economical methods can be used to meet the standard. For example, a restaurant could show that an item was designed to meet the requirements for the claim because it was prepared using a recipe from a recognized health professional association or dietary group, or that the nutritional values for the dish were calculated using a reliable nutrition data base.
Furthermore, nutrition information can be provided to the consumer by any reasonable means. It does not have to be presented in the "Nutrition Facts" format seen on packaged food labels, nor does it have to appear on the menu. A restaurant, for example, may compile, in a notebook, information on the fat content of all menu items that bear fat claims so long as the nutrition information is available to consumers upon request.
FDA estimates that the rule's flexibility and its limited scope should minimize its economic impact on the restaurant industry. To further reduce the possible economic burden on restaurants, they will be given until May 1997 to come into compliance with the new regulation.
The new menu rules are identical to the standards that have been in effect since May 1994 for nutrient content claims on placards and signs in large and medium-sized restaurants, and since May 1995 for smaller restaurants.
In fact, restaurateurs seeking guidance for complying with new menu regulations can consult the sections of FDA's August 1995 guidance on food labeling that deal with claims on restaurant signs and placards.
The U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C. On June 28, 1996, ordered FDA to finalize regulations for restaurant menu labeling. The court issued its decision in response to a lawsuit filed by consumer groups seeking to include restaurant menus under the provisions of NLEA. The Court agreed with the plaintiff's argument that the NLEA specifically required that restaurants could only make nutritional and health claims that were consistent with FDA regulations. (KP)
Source: FDA, Press Release, July 30, 1996
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.
- Deletes requirements for operation of food stamp offices, simplifies the program for recipients also receiving cash assistance and increases penalties for fraud. (MP)