Extension Foods and Nutrition K-State Research and Extension
Extension Foods and Nutrition K-State Research and Extension
Corrections
The article "The Diets of American's Children" found on
page 6 of the September/October 1997 issue of the Digest contains
a misprint. The second bulleted item should read:
The article "Gleanings From Diet and Cancer Research" found on page 5 of the September/October 1997 contains an error. The fourth bulleted item, second sentence should read: High coffee intake appears to increase colon cancer risk and high tea intake seems to protect against rectal cancer.
The corrected articles can be seen on our web site at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/humannutrition/_fndigest/1997/sepoct.htm (PP/MC)
You Asked It—Rapid Response Center
Q/A
Q. What is hawthorn?
A. Hawthorn is a tree that produces small, hard fruits
that are very hard to cut open. They are about one-inch in
diameter and leave a golden stain on the fingers. The fruit is
often called a haw.
Q. What is a muffuletta?
A. A specialty of New Orleans, this hero-style sandwich
consists of a round loaf of crusty Italian bread, split and
filled with layers of sliced provolone, Genoa salami and ham
topped with "olive salad," a chopped mixture of green,
unstuffed olives, pimientos, celery, garlic, cocktail onions,
capers, oregano, parsley, olive oil, redwine vinegar, salt and
pepper.
Q. Should I buy one of these
"vegetable wash" products to wash my fruits and
vegetables?
A. No. At this time, there is no research to indicate that
these products are more effective that water for washing fruits
and vegetables. Our current recommendation stands: Use cold water
and a brush for obviously soiled areas to wash produce.
Q. How do you substitute dill
seed for dill head?
A. 3 heads of dill can substitute for 1 tablespoon of dill
seed.
Q. If an egg has salmonella in
it, is it contained only in the yolk?
A. No, salmonella can live in the yolk and the white of an
egg.
Q. Can I use a cucumber variety
called "sweet success" for pickles?
A. According to the Horticulture Response Center, "sweet
success" is not a pickling variety.
Q. Is the additive used to make
decaf coffee more harmful than caffeine?
A. Caffeine used to be extracted out of the coffee using a
solvent called methelyne chloride, but its use was called into
question because rats given extremely large doses developed
cancer. Although still allowed by the FDA, methylene chloride is
rarely used.
Q. What do grape leaves do for
pickles?
A. Grape leaves contain a substance that inhibits the
enzymes that make pickles soft. However, if you remove the
blossom end (the source of undesirable enzymes) you don't need to
add grape leaves. (RB)
Mix all ingredients in order; beat well. Pour into 2 9x5x2-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees one hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost. Serves 16.
Mix all ingredients well. Spread frosting over cooled cake.
Coat a 13- x 9- x 2-inch pan with cooking spray; dust pan with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside. Combine remaining 2 1/2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well. Fold in carrot and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on wire rack. To serve, cut cake into squares; spoon Cream Cheese Dessert Sauce evenly over cake.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired. Yield 16 servings.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cream cheese melts. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine, lemon juice and vanilla. Cover and chill thoroughly. (RB)
Nutrition per Serving:
| Carrot Cake | Original | Modified |
| Calories | 480 |
270 |
| Fat | 26 g |
6 g |
| Cholesterol | 70 mg |
5 mg |
| Sodium | 290 mg |
220 mg |
| Percent Calories From Fat |
48% |
22% |
Best Fruits For Antioxidants
Some of the hottest nutrition findings are about the
antioxidants in fruits. Newly published research indicates that
of twelve fresh fruits, strawberries have the most antioxidant
activity. The rest of the fruits in order of potency are plum,
orange, red grapes, kiwi fruit, pink grapefruit, white grapes,
banana, apple, tomato, pear and melon. Melon has only one
fifteenth of the total antioxidant activity of strawberries. Of
five fruit juices, the most antioxidant power is in grape juice
followed by grapefruit, tomato, orange and apple juices. Grape
juice has three times the antioxidant capacity of the next in
line, grapefruit juice. Surprisingly, vitamin C only accounts for
a very small fraction of the antioxidant potential in these five
juices.
One of the earliest reports of the protective effect of fresh fruits and vegetables regarding coronary heart attack was published in 1975. It is now known that free radicals are produced naturally in our bodies as a result of metabolism. These radicals can damage molecules and cells by oxidizing them. Examples of substances that can be oxidized are lipids like cholesterol and fatty acids, proteins in enzymes, nerve cells, and muscles, and nucleic acids that make up the DNA and RNA found in genes. Free radical damage can lead to major chronic diseases including all common cancers, coronary heart attacks from atherosclerosis, and strokes from cerebrovascular disease. Thus, antioxidants from food that neutralize these free radicals are important in preventing these diseases.
Vitamins C, E and beta-carotene are well known for their antioxidant activity, but using separate or single vitamin supplements has not been as effective in preventing or treating heart disease, cancer and stroke as researchers had hoped. In fact, vitamin C and beta-carotene supplements have been associated in some cases with more severe disease and higher death rates.
It wasn't until the 1990s that it became clear that there are many antioxidants beside nutrients in fruits and vegetables that are protective. These antioxidants include a number of flavonoids including flavones, isoflavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, catechin and isocatechin. Besides promoting health, these substances add color, and other qualities to fruits and vegetables. But flavonoids are more than antioxidants. They have also been shown to be antiinflammatory, antiallergic, anticancer and antihemorrhagic.
Researchers have been trying to measure the total antioxidant activity in various fruits and vegetables but it wasn't until two years ago that they developed the test, the ORAC assay, for total antioxidant activity. This was accomplished by researchers from the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture in Boston, and the Nutritional Science Department, University of Connecticut at Storrs.
No supplements presently available contain all of the antioxidants available in fruits and vegetables. Nor are they in balance with each other for in certain situations supplements could actually do more harm than good. If such a balanced supplement is manufactured some day, it would be sold at a far higher price than what it costs to buy the antioxidants naturally in fruits and vegetables. So to keep healthy, follow the Food Guide Pyramid advice and get at least two servings of fruit and juice every day! (MC)
Source: Wang, Hong, Guohua Cao, and Ronald L. Prior. Total antioxidant capacity of fruits. J. Agric. Food Chem., 44(3): pp 701-705. 1996.
The Diets of America's Children, Part 2
In the last issue of the Digest, data were presented from the
USDA's 1989-1991 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals
and the Diet and Health Knowledge Survey that outlined several
shortfalls in the diets of American children. (See Foods and
Nutrition Digest, September/October, and correction on page 1 of
this issue.) But that is only the beginning of the story. A
closer look by researchers at Pennsylvania State University at
the diets of the 3,307 US youths, aged two to 19 who were
included in the survey, reveals some more disturbing trends.
A low percentage of the children were meeting the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations for any of the food groups:
Patterns of consumption varied according to gender and age. Children of both sexes were more likely to eat the recommended amounts of meats and vegetables as they grew older and less likely to eat the recommended amounts of fruit. Adolescent males (ages 12-19) had higher average intakes of grains, vegetables, dairy and meats compared to all other age and gender groups and they were least likely to fall into the pattern of not meeting any of the recommendations. But younger children and adolescent females exceeded the adolescent male in consumption of fruit. Unfortunately for the adolescent females, they seemed to be eating more fruit because they were dieting. Their energy intakes were very low.
There were also differences in consumption among racial groups. White children were more likely to meet the recommendations for grains and dairy than were either black or Hispanic children. White children were less likely than black children to meet the recommendations for vegetables.
And income was another factor associated with the quality of children's diets. Children from lower income families had lower intakes and more often did not meet the recommendations for fruit or dairy. (PP)
Source: Pediatrics; Vol. 100, No.
3; September 1997; pp.323-329
Fit
for a King Video
Fit for a King is a new video on nutrition for children ages 7-11
from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other national
organizations such as the American Dietetic Association and the
International Food Information Council. It teaches kids how
important and fun nutrition and physical activity can be. To
order a kit, which includes the video, a leader's guide and
activity sheets for kids at a cost of $19.95 (plus shipping and
handling), contact the American Academy of Pediatrics at (800)
433-9016. (PP)
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.