|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Nutrition per Serving: |
||
| Strata (Original) | Strata (Modified) | |
| Calories: | 357 |
205 |
| Fat: | 23 g. |
4 g. |
| Cholesterol: | 187 mg. |
8 mg. |
| Sodium: | 792 mg. |
460 mg. |
| Percent Calories From Fat | 59% |
16% |
You Asked It--Rapid Response Center Q & A
Q. What are good sources of information for people who are allergic to milk and
gluten?
A. Try the following books: "The Gluten Free Gourmet", and "The Milk
free Kitchen".
Q. What is xanthan gum?
A. Xanthan gum is a food additive that is obtained by microbial fermentation of an
organism and can be considered a natural product. It is used as a thickener in salad
dressings, sauces, desserts, baked goods, and beverages. The main advantage is that the
thickness of products with xanthan gum resist changes over wide temperature ranges.
Q. What is the proper amount of Clearjel to use as a
thickener in recipes?
A. Use Clearjel to replace cornstarch on a one to one basis.
Q. Can you use regular cake recipes in a child's
"Easy Bake Oven?"
A. No, the heat source for an "Easy Bake Oven" is a 100 Watt light bulb,
so only use the packaged mixes designed for the toy.
Q. Can I make "creme fresh" at home?
A. "Creme Fresh" (also crème fraîche [krehm FRESH]) is a matured,
thickened cream that has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The
thickness of crème fraîche can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as
solid as room-temperature margarine. To make at home, combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2
tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature
(about 70 F) from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and
refrigerate up to 10 days.
Q. Will vinegar freeze?
A. Yes. Water freezes at 32 F. Vinegar will freeze at a lower temperature than
water because it has acetic acid dissolved in it. The average freezing temperature for
vinegar should be around 26 F. It may be a little higher or a little lower depending on
the exact concentration of acetic acid.
Q. I have a recipe that calls for alum-free baking
powder. What does that mean?
A. Single acting baking powder does not contain alum while double acting baking
powder does.
Q. Why does "bread machine yeast" contain
ascorbic acid (vitamin C)?
A. Ascorbic acid acts as a dough conditioner to improve dough quality. However, the
optimal amount needed is very small and usually would not be able to be measured properly
at home, so manufacturer's have put it in the yeast for convenience.
Q. Are decorative gourds edible?
A. Yes, but some have very strong flavors, especially bitter flavors, so cook a
small piece first to make sure you like the flavor. Also, because of the small size and
lack of meatiness of some of the decorative gourds, other squashes such as acorn or
butternut are more desirable for eating.
Q. Can potato flour be substituted for wheat flour in
recipes?
A. First of all, see number 1 above. The answer is maybe. If the flour is used for
thickening a sauce, then it can be substituted, but if it is to be used in a baked
product, then it cannot be substituted. Wheat flour contains gluten which gives
baked-goods structure. Potato flour does not contain gluten. (RB)
Blue Green Algae or Any Algae Super Food or Super Hype?
Blue Green Algae--commonly known as pond scum by our elders--fast is becoming a
popular product among network marketers.
The algae often is marketed as "a wild-crafted food
that contains all the essential nutrients required by humans" and "the
foundational food for all life on earth."
Algaes have been with us for a very long time. They are
one-celled plants that grow on ponds everywhere and in man-made environments. Examples
include true algaes, such as those from the Chlorella species, and Cyanobacteria,
such as Spirulina and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae.
The Super Blue Green(tm) algae being heavily marketed today
by independent distributors is a cyanobacteria harvested from the Upper Klamath Lake in
southern Oregon. The lake itself is very alkaline and has a high mineral concentration,
due to a volcanic eruption that occurred about 7,000 years ago. Because of this, the algae
that survive on the pond are quite hearty.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Super Blue
Green(tm) algae or any type of algae? If we were living on the moonscape of a volcanic
land, they would be a life saver. Why? Because they grow in brackish water on non-fertile
land and yield a good amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals for their size.
Since we thankfully don't, do we need algaes in our lives?
As single celled plants, most algaes, including Super Blue Green(tm) algae are rich in
vitamin B-12, carotene, and some amino acids and fatty acids. The protein quality of algae
tends to be higher than other vegetable sources, but lower than animal sources.
The major concerns are cost and the potential for toxic
components. Super Blue Green(tm) algae, like most other products sold via network
marketing schemes, is not cheap. If you feel you need a vitamin-mineral supplement, your
dollar will go much further with a generic product at the grocery store.
Also, toxic compounds, such as aphantoxin, are known to be
produced by some algaes. According to Robert Kay, vice president of research and
development at Cell Tech, the manufacturer of Super Blue Green(tm) algae, this currently
is not a problem with algae being produced in the Upper Klamath Lake region, though he's
not sure why.
For most of us the preferred way to get chlorophyll is from carrots, broccoli, and salad greens. (RB)
Source: Pat Kendall, Ph.D., R.D., Food Science and Human Nutrition Specialist, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Who to Believe?
When it comes to nutrition, perhaps you, too, are wondering who to believe. An
organization called the Food and Nutrition Science Alliance (FANSA) has been formed to
warn consumers about "junk science." FANSA has issued 10 Red Flags of Junk
Science.
They are:
1. Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
2. Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen.
3. Claims that sound too good to be true.
4. Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
5. Recommendations based on a single study.
6. Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
7. List of "good" and "bad" foods.
8. Recommendations made to help sell a product.
9. Recommendations based on studies published without peer review.
10. Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.
These "Flags" are all good guidelines put out by
reputable, science-based, credible organizations. The FANSA coalition represents the
American Dietetic Association (ADA), The American Institute of Nutrition (AIN), The
American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN), and the Institute of Food Technologists
(IFT). These organizations all have codes of ethics for their members, their members'
research must pass peer review before it is published in credible, science-based journals,
and they have a long history of promoting high standards.
Several popular magazines printed FANSA's warning signs
almost verbatim. That's good. Certainly consumers are being mightily confused by the
on-again, off-again nature of much of the food and nutrition news that gets into the press
via radio, newspapers, television, magazines and books. Communication experts have been
targeted as being responsible for the current state of confusion.
Now another Pandora's box has been opened with many people
bypassing traditional sources and turning to Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) to get
their information . There are no standards for what gets put on the Web. It's clearly a
consumer-beware situation. Such guidelines as FANSA can help consumers make some
judgments about accuracy and applicability to their situations.
Yet there is another side to this story. Many of the
sources of the information quoted by journalists appear to be credible and these
communicators are refusing to shoulder all of the criticism. They think that the
scientific community must also admit to some of its shortcomings and do more to help clear
up the confusion. But that's another article.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the current state of affairs and judge for yourself by reading "FANSA Meets the Press" by Kristen McNutt, Ph.D.., J.D. in Nutrition Today, volume 31, number 3, May/June 1996, pages 123-126 or you can wait until the next issue of Food and Nutrition Digest when I'll report the charges being leveled at scientists and others involved in the flow of nutrition information to the public. (MC)
High Protein Dieting
If phone calls and mail are any indication, nutrition scam artists are hard at
work and more sophisticated than ever. The old perennial, "easy" weight loss
schemes have plenty of takers.
Earlier this year there was much ado about high protein,
low carbohydrate wonders. Two books in particular have been best sellers: Barry
Sears' The
Zone and the Eadeses' Protein Power. The Eadeses are a husband and wife team of
physicians. While there is a small kernel of truth behind some of their reasoning, it's
primarily science fiction.
Sears claims, for example, that Americans are fatter
because they eat less fat... that it is carbohydrate and more insulin that causes obesity.
However, research points to more calories and inactivity as the culprits. There is no good
evidence that high blood insulin levels makes you fat. Another claim is that calories
don't count...protein does. The reasoning centers on eicosanoids, hormones having to do
with inflammation, the blood's tendency to clot and the immune system. Sears blames
insulin for the heart disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases like arthritis and multiple
sclerosis we have. Gerald Reaven, a recognized authority on carbohydrate and insulin says
"I am unaware of any evidence that changes in insulin have an effect on eicosanoids,
and that eicosanoids cause everything from cancer to PMS." Furthermore, he points out
that protein eaten alone will raise insulin levels. Reaven points out that we need more
study of all these relationships. The truth is that the Zone diet actually cuts calories
to about 1700 per day as well as recommending low-fat protein foods.
The Eades book, on the other hand, says that it is fine to
eat steak, pork ribs, etc., as long as you don't load up on starch and sugar at the same
time. This advice flies in the face of all we know about high saturated fat diets and
health.
This particular kind of diet gets recycled regularly under
a variety of guises. Twenty-five years ago, the best-seller, Dr. Atkins' Diet
Revolution, promoted the high protein idea. Other diet books on the same principle
were Taller's Calories Don't Count in 1961, Stillman's The Doctor's Quick Weight
Loss Diet in 1967, and Jameson and Williams's The Drinking Man's Diet in 1964.
The first such published diet may have been Banting's Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to
the Public published in 1863.
Their principle claims for fast weight loss rest on
changing the physiological balance so that the body excretes more ketones left over from
incomplete fat-burning or in somehow circumventing the therodynamics law that you can
neither create nor destroy energy. In a closed system, you can only change its form. What
usually happens is that the weight loss is due to eating fewer calories and using the
protein in muscle tissue for energy. Sodium and water can be retained temporarily or be
lost producing dehydration. It is dangerous to deplete your body's water content and
become dehydrated, putting you at risk of a medical emergency. In the long run, you have
not helped your body. When you resume eating normally, you rapidly regain lost weight.
Anyway you look at it, more energy must be expended than consumed for weight loss to occur. The bottom line is: It takes using up thirty-five hundred fat calories to lose a pound of fat. (MC)
Sources: Nutrition Action Health letter, Carbo-Phobia, Zoning out on the new diet books. July/August 1996, pp. 3-6. Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter, Entering a high-protein twilight zone, Special Report. May 1996, pp. 4-6. Council on Foods and Nutrition. Journal of the American Medical Association, A Critique of Low-Carbohydrate Ketogenic Weight Reduction Regimens, A review of Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution. 224(10), June 4, 1973.
The Myth of Combining Foods Properly
A myth that never dies is the myth of food combining, that is, it's important to
eat foods in the right combinations. One such taboo is eating carbohydrates such as starch
or sugar in the same meal as high protein foods. Furthermore, it is better to eat fruits
raw and alone because otherwise they will "ferment and turn toxic in the
stomach." This kind of nonsense works best with people who have little idea of what
constitutes food and how their bodies work. Food chemistry and composition are a mystery
to them. They don't understand how a common food like bread is a combination of starch,
protein, a number of minerals and vitamins including most of the B vitamins. If you eat
the whole grain (the brown wheat kernel with the germ that can sprout), you'll also get
considerable fiber from the outer brown layers and some fat and vitamin E from the germ.
Other ingredients in bread usually include some sugar, fat, and salt. Thus foods are
combinations of nutrients and many other natural chemicals.
Overwhelming evidence is on the side of a varied, balanced diet. It turns out that a combination of nutrients and other food components can often improve absorption. For example, the vitamin C in the breakfast orange juice can enhance the absorption of the iron in cereals. Variety aids digestion rather than making it more difficult. It also makes a meal more appetizing. (MC)
Source: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, April 1996, p. 6,7.
National Birth Statistics Improving
A new report issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services indicates a
decline in the rate of teen and out-of-wedlock births in 1995. The birth rate for teens
has declined for the fourth straight year, falling from 58.9 (in 1994) to 56.9 births per
1,000 women aged 15 to 19. This was true over all racial groups, but especially for black
teens where the rate fell from 104.5 to 95.5 births per 1,000. The rate of births to unwed
women went down for the first time in 20 years. Birth rate for unmarried women aged 15 to
44 declined from 46.9 in 1994 to 44.9 per 1,000 in 1995.
In addition, more women are seeking prenatal care in their first trimester. The percentage is up from 80.2 percent in 1994 to 81.2 percent in 1995. The proportion rose among blacks (70.3%), Hispanics (70.4%), and whites (83.5%). The incidence of low birth weight has not changed, but infant mortality has fallen six percent, from 8 to 7.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. This is a record low infant mortality rate for the United States. (PP)
Source: Monthly Vital Statistics Report: Births and Deaths: United States, 1995.
Nutrition During Pregnancy Impacts Child's Health
Later in Life
A review of more than two dozen studies from several countries and with all
socioeconomic classes shows that what and how much a pregnant woman eats can set the stage
for serious health problems for her child's future. Babies who weigh less than 5.5 pounds
at birth have a 35% higher rate of death from heart disease later in life and are six
times more likely to develop diabetes. Women who were born weighing less than 5.5 pounds
are 43% more likely to develop hypertension.
Of course, there are many factors that lead to health problems, but these researchers believe that prenatal nutrition has a far greater impact on health than was previously thought. Timing of a nutritional disruption impacts the organ system that is developing in the fetus at the time of the disruption. For example, poor nutrition during late pregnancy disrupts the liver's ability to regulate cholesterol metabolism and blood clotting. Both of these factors can contribute to heart disease. (PP)
Sources: New York Times; October 1, 1996, as reported by Community Nutrition Institute, Nutrition Week, November 8, 1996. Circulation, Vol. 94, No. 6; September 15, 1996, pp. 1310 1315.
Early Exposure to Cow's Milk Not Linked to Diabetes
in Children
About one in 300 American children will develop insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM).
Genetics has been linked with risk of diabetes, but only about 5% of those with the
identified "diabetic genes" will ever become diabetic. One hypothesis that has
been proposed is that early exposure to dietary antigens, specifically cow's milk, in
children who are genetically predisposed to diabetes could cause IDDM. Research published
in the August 28, 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests
that this concern about cow's milk and diabetes in children is not justified.
This group of researchers studied 253 children (ages 9
months to 7 years) from 171 families with IDDM to looked for subclinical evidence of the
beginnings of IDDM. They looked for beta-cell autoimmunity (BCA), which was described as
elevated levels of insulin autoantibody, glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibody, or
insulinoma-associated islet tyrosine phosphatases autoantibody (IA-1) above the 99th
percentile of 198 normal subjects.
Of the 253 children, 18 were identified with BCA. The
researchers then selected 153 of the rest of the children to act as controls. These
children had no evidence of BCA and were not related to the BCA children.
According to the researchers, "there were no
differences in the proportion of cases and controls who were exposed to cow's milk or
foods containing cow's milk or to cereal, fruit and vegetable or meat protein by 3 months
or by 6 months of age". "These data suggest that early exposure to cow's milk or
other dietary protein is not associated with BCA. This calls into question the importance
of cow's milk avoidance as a preventive measure for IDDM."
The researchers noted that although their results "are
valid for close relatives of IDDM patients, their 'generalizability' to the general
population is less obvious. The genetic and environmental risk factors that interact in
the etiology of IDDM appear to be the same in relatives and in 'sporadic' cases from the
general population."
Cow's milk provides valuable nutrients for young children and is a important part of their diet. It should not be excluded from the diet of a child unless absolutely necessary. This study indicates that it is not necessary to avoid cow's milk for children who are at risk for IDDM. (PP)
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association, August 28, 1996, vol. 276, no. 8, pp. 609 614.
Calendar Available
Melinda Hemmelgarn from the University of Missouri has put together an excellent
calendar of Nutrition and Health Related observances. For a free copy, contact Shelly at
(913) 532-1670 or email your request to her at sburklun@ksu.edu. (RB)
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.