Balance of Food

Temptation of the Week: Cheese where you can see it

The fact that KFC in the Philippines came up with this idea somehow seems un-American. Putting a slice of cheese on top of a sandwich should have been invented in the good ol' USA.

No country loves cheese and cheese-type products more than the United States. But either we've been afraid to put a slice of cheese on top of the sandwich or we haven't been creative enough. Neither answer is acceptable.

The Cheese Top Burger is a fried chicken patty with garlic Parmesan dressing along with the slice of melted cheese on top.

As much as we seem to love cheese, the cheese is always hiding in a sandwich. If you put enough items on a sandwich, is it possible that you wouldn't miss the cheese if someone took it out?

When I first tried the Double Down, I couldn't taste the cheese. I could tell I was eating cheese but what was in there added no flavor. Biting into the Cheese Top Burger, you would have to know the cheese was in there because you see it and the upper part of your mouth would come in contact with the cheese.

If food presentation is mostly visual, then why not have the cheese where we can see it.

I'm not the target audience for this sandwich because I don't usually get cheese on a sandwich (except for blue), I don't think chicken and cheese go together well, and this cheese looks too much like American cheese, which isn't really cheese at all.

But if you are really into cheese, then you should put your eyes where your money is, and buy a sandwich with cheese on top. Be proud of your love for cheese.

Ron Santo overcame Type 1 diabetes to make it to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Ron Santo finally got his day, even though he died before he could see it. Santo is perhaps the most famous baseball player or athlete to excel on the field, even though he had Type 1 diabetes.

Vicki Santo, Ron's widow, gave the speech for her late husband on his induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

She remarked about the obstacles Santo had to overcome, especially since little was known about Type 1 diabetes when Santo came up to the Chicago Cubs in 1960. Santo didn't tell his teammates about his disease for about a decade.

Though Santo's numbers should have had him in the Hall of Fame long before he got there, imagine what his numbers would have been if he could have played longer in the major leagues. And speaking of numbers, Vicki Santo pointed out that her husband helped raise $65 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. That is even more impressive than the 342 home runs he hit in his MLB career.

Here are some diabetes-related excerpts from Vicki Santo's speech on Sunday:

"Ron Santo was born to play baseball. He said his ability to play baseball was a God given gift, that playing the game was easy, that it was only the diabetes that made the game hard. Looking back, he believed he was given the gift of talent as well as the challenge of diabetes so that through his hardship, he could shed light on a cause that he could help others through his story."

"You see, long before science and technology caught up to diabetes, Ron Santo was as much a guinea pig as he was a baseball player. On a given day, he played doctor and patient as well as third base. He tested his sugars by taking batting practice. He checked his glucose levels by fielding grounders. He gauged the amount of insulin he would need after running the bases. And this was before the game even started. His prescription was often a candy bar or a glass of orange juice, never letting on that his sugars were low or telling his teammates about his daily injections."

"Ron told the story many times about an afternoon at Wrigley Field when he was really struggling. The low sugar came over him very quickly, as it sometimes did, and suddenly he found himself in the on-deck circle. Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert had already reached base, Billy Williams was at the plate and Ron's sugar was really low. It got so bad as Billy took his sweet time up there working the count that Ron was hoping Billy would just strike out so he could end the inning and get back to the dugout for a candy bar, but Billy walked to load the bases. Now Ron really had a problem. His vision was blurry and he was weak. His plan was to hit the first pitch but he didn't count on seeing three balls coming to him so he picked the middle of the three and swung hard. He did it. A grand slam. But as they ran the bases, Billy was jogging, enjoying the moment and Ron quickly caught up to him. Billy said, "Hey don't pass me up, what's your hurry?" Ron said, "You better get moving, Whistler, or I'm running right around you." Billy picked up the pace and they got off the field but it wasn't until years later that Ron explained why he needed to get off the field. He hid his diabetes for a decade. He was afraid they might take baseball away from him. That's a long time to keep a secret. Indeed, he was in so many ways a guinea pig."

"In 2001, Ron lost a leg, amputated because of the complications of diabetes. It had been a terrible fight. 10 operations in 10 months. The next year, he had a sore on the other foot and was faced with a decision. After weighing the odds of a full recovery and no recurrence, he decided to go with a second amputation. … He handled his diabetes with grace, dignity and a sense of humor. As he left for the ball park with the glucometer and insulin, we would joke about getting him an owner's manual in case any of the bionic parts were to break down, someone would be able to help him."

Fresh Fields is one way to bring fruits, vegetables to food deserts

Just because you bring fruits and vegetables to poorer neighborhoods doesn't mean that these people will embrace them. If you don't try doing so, you will never find out.

Some major cities are fighting poor eating habits in neighborhoods traditionally ignored by major grocery store chains. Those looking for quick solutions will be greatly disappointed. The current scenario took a long time to build, and convincing people to eat fresher produce won't be easy.

Making it easier are programs such as Fresh Fields in Chicago. Fresh Fields operates in the poorest areas of Chicago's South and West sides. The organization purchased a CTA bus and converted the bus into a portable fruits and vegetables market. Fresh Fields got a grant for a second bus that should arrive in September.

"Fresh Moves exposes kids to different vegetables," said Sheelah Muhammad, co-creator of the Fresh Moves Mobile Produce Market, at Chicago's Green Fest.

Kids can be the hardest sell and the program tries to help them adjust to life with fresh produce.

Muhammad pointed out that the bus offers a 50¢ bag of grapes, ideal for a quick snack for a child. Kids can also make the connection between what they have been eating versus what is possible, as Muhammad noted, as the people on the bus offer grapes or carrots to children in exchange for their Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Previous coverage: Food trucks need to combine portability with accessibility

The idea of buying smaller portions of fresh produce appealed to a Chicago Green Fest audience member who was frustrated by buying a bunch of produce for a single person.

The program aims to be a community force with consistent scheduling and partnering with schools, health clinics, and senior citizens.

Chicago is also doing its part by approving portable fruit and vegetable carts in areas currently underserved by major produce programs.

For a long period of time, these neighborhoods have been underserved by major and local grocery stores. Kids in these areas know more about different types of Cheetos than the similarly colored carrot.

Patterns don't change overnight for people who have good/great opportunities. When time and money are crucial, people often make poor food choices. And they haven't been told they deserve better until fairly recently.

Some people who live in good situations still make bad food choices. The key word is "choice" as in you have good options and you don't choose to take advantage of them.

People who live in poor situations haven't had choices or good options. Offering them choices is a small yet necessary part of the process. If you are used to bad produce, even the kindest gentlest presentation may not convince you that fresher is better. Even if you like the idea of fresher, your taste buds have to get used to something new. And you have to have faith that this promising step will stay around for awhile.

As a society, we need to decide whether we want to help people make better food choices. Education and time can take care of the rest. While guarantees are not certain, trying is the only way to find out whether we can make a difference.

Temptation of the Week: Eating pizza three times a day

Would you eat pizza three times a day if you could?

If you really wanted to say "the hell with it," would you eat pizza three times a day every day?

Before this sounds like one of those TLC shows where the person can only eat one kind of food, just about any food can be adapted to be more nutritious while hopefully still tasting good. A recent example was the Scottish nutritionist with the seaweed pizza with red peppers in the sauce.

The pizza was designed to meet about ⅓ of the daily nutritional requirement per pizza, working out to a full day of nutrition with pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Pizza is one of those foods that can be really healthy (homemade sauce, lots of grilled or roasted veggies, little to no meat and cheese) or rather unhealthy (several kinds of meat, lots of mozzarella cheese, maybe some pineapple and a stray mushroom).

You might not want to do so over a long period of time, but if you are coming off a breakup or not sure what to do for dinner in a stretch, pizza can be an easy solution. The easiest way to go about this is to lay on the couch, use the speaker function on your phone, and have your dinner delivered.

For a modicum of effort, you could have a really nice pizza that can still taste good but be significantly healthier:

Crust: You could make your own or you can buy store-bought pizza crusts. I personally have to stay away from the brands that pump mozzarella cheese into them since mozzarella and I do not get along well (headaches in the back of the head, nausea). Finding an individual crust is difficult but not impossible.

Sauce: You could buy a pre-made sauce in a jar that you use occasionally and probably throw out half of it. Or you can open a can of tomato sauce (approx. 59¢) and pour some on the crust. Add some dried herbs and red pepper flakes and you have a pizza sauce. Be creative but don't overpower your pizza sauce. Some of that flavor will come from the toppings.

Toppings: The obvious solution is to buy a bunch of pre-shredded cheese with maybe some meat to go along with the pizza. Even if you are a "carnivore," start out with a layer of vegetables. Grill them, saute them, roast them. Cooking your vegetables might seem excessive but the love of vegetables can come from a consistency that is more palatable to you. Pizza places put on raw mushrooms and they bake into the pizza. Using raw mushrooms on pizza is a distinct taste difference from cooking the mushrooms before you start the pizza. Cooking mushrooms also allows you more mushroom flavor while leaving room for other ingredients.

Meat toppings have greater potential on a homemade pizza. Break up a sausage link. Use ground lamb or buffalo as an alternative to cow. And don't be a slave to mozzarella: experiment with other cheeses. Given my issues with mozzarella, I sometimes use a light dusting of pecorino romano.

Pizza offers so many opportunities for creativity, for combining healthy and not-so-healthy all in one bite. Eating pizza three times a day? Well, that is up to you. But you wouldn't get bored anytime soon if you mix it up.

Hospital patients, school children both need better focus on nutrition

U.S. schools try to feed lunch for the children in their care for less than $3, and we think that is a poor investment. The CBC reported last week on hospital food in Canada, where hospitals spend 1% of their budget on food, feeding their patients for $8/day — three meals and two snacks.

For that $8, patients aren't getting the proper nutrition needed to recover well.

This is in Canada where single-payer health insurance rules the day, unlike here in the States, where most Americans are still in pre-Obamacare mode.

The CBC story emphasizes this mentality where food — especially nutritious food — isn't a high of a priority as it should be in our society.

Kids need nutrition to do better in schools. Patients need nutrition to get better so they spend less time in hospital beds.

When cost is offered up as an issue, wasted food adds to those costs. Unlike schools, hospitals often have wasted food because of bad timing (e.g., patients have to fast before a procedure, but still get a meal anyway).

Schools, like hospitals, could have gardens on their roofs to bring in fresh vegetables. Administratively, more could be done in both climates to better spend that shrinking food dollar, such as reducing waste. And students and patients will have to appreciate the fresher food, once it arrives.

Students and patients are in a vulnerable position, where others have to care for them. How well they do comes in part with the food and nutrition level they receive during their stay. Both groups need good nutrition to get stronger and feel better. The investment may seem costly and difficult to implement, but society is better off when it is food-smart and nutrition-wise.

iCarly tries to make veggies 'wacky' to appeal to young children

Even though she is a fictional character, Sam Puckett is becoming one of those people who understands the Balance of Food.

Jennette McCurdy, the actress who plays Sam on Nick's iCarly, is front and center for a contest with Birds Eye frozen vegetables. You might remember McCurdy as Puckett in a different light as she tried to smuggle Canadian fat cakes into the United States.

While we are thrilled that a popular kids show would have on Michelle Obama and run a contest encouraging kids to eat their vegetables, the oddity is that iCarly is concluding its series run in November. The contest mentions iCarly and says the winner will get to tour the set of a Nick show with McCurdy. Alas, that trip won't include the set of the program in question.

Kids are invited to "cook up some wacky veggie dishes by playing the iVeg Out game and your creation might even be shown on iCarly." While that could happen, the word "might" seems rather powerful. The game itself appears well-suited for the target audience, though wacky is pretty limited in the game.

If that small technicality wouldn't bother your 6-11 year old, you should enter the "iCarly iCook with Birds Eye" sweepstakes.

Still, popular people among children promoting the eating of vegetables is to be commended, even with a fat cake for dessert.

Temptation of the Week: Water as food

If you gained weight in the recent hot spell, perhaps you need to rethink your approach to food. Or at least stop eating in strong air conditioning.

Hot weather tends to kill appetites but also the desire to cook and heat up your kitchen. So maybe you eat out in an air conditioned restaurant or mall. Okay, so there are ways to gain weight in hot weather.

Hot weather also makes it more difficult to exercise, so unless you are walking or running early in the morning or close to sunset, you haven't been moving around as much.

Often when we think we are hungry, we really are thirsty. Despite the love for sports drinks and energy drinks, water is still the one to turn to as all-time records get shattered.

Water has 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, and 0 carbohydrates. If you are one of those who thinks water is boring, splash a little lemon juice or lime juice in your glass or bottle. If you like your water extra cold — which can improve the taste — fill a bottle and put it in the freezer. If you don't like water that is too cold, just leave your bottle out. Nature will take care of the rest for you.

Even in the hottest of days, you still need to eat food. Vegetables and fruits that are mostly water are the ideal foods for really hot weather.

The higher the percentage, the more water you get. Vegetables tend to rate higher in water content than fruit. Though you shouldn't limit yourself just to this list, and if your favorite fruit or vegetable scores 85 instead of 91, well, you're still better off with that fruit or vegetable than most other food choices.

Water Content in Vegetables

Vegetable	Water %
cucumber	96
iceberg lettuce	96
celery	95
red tomato	94
green cabbage	93
eggplant	92
red cabbage	92
spinach	92
broccoli	91
carrot	87
Source: Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Kentucky.

 

Water Content in Fruit

Fruit	Water %
strawberry	92
watermelon	92
grapefruit	91
pineapple	87
raspberry	87
blueberry	85
plum	85
apple	84
cherry	81
grape	81
Source: Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Kentucky.

California's foie gras ban is latest example on why you can't ban foods forever

Will Reno, Nevada become the place to go in the West for foie gras?

After all, California's ban on foie gras kicked in July 1. And those Californians need to travel to make a score. Reno is right on the border with its own airport. The Nevada city can legally sell foie gras.

We are now in Day 11 of California: Vie sans foie gras (life without fat liver). Things have been calm, for now, but you never know when the people will take to the streets to get back their goose liver.

Having lived through Chicago's foie gras ban, you find two things to be true. The ban is silly, and at some point, the ban will be repealed. And you'll be back to square one.

"Well, San Francisco banned Happy Meals and you agreed with that. So why aren't you happy about California banning foie gras?

We are generally opposed to the idea of banning foods, though we are glad to make an exception for high-fructose corn syrup. Even then, all we really want is to stop using taxpayer money to subsidize the cost of high-fructose corn syrup.

Also, San Francisco didn't ban Happy Meals; the guidelines allowed for Happy Meals if certain nutritional requirements were made. Overreaching, yes. And we said that as well.

I'd be willing to bet that McDonald's sold more Happy Meals in the Bay area in a week that Californians ordered foie gras in a year.

What makes the foie gras ban even more remarkable is that so few, even in California, have ever had foie gras. Those who can afford it will likely find a way to get it. Most Californians won't find their lives changed by a lack of foie gras.

I've had foie gras twice in my life, the last time I had to be told that foie gras was in my dish. Both times I had foie gras in Montréal, so I haven't even had it in the United States. I honestly could take it or leave it, but this isn't about me.

In the time that California took to pass the law (September 2004) and when the law came into effect (July 1, 2012), the city of Chicago undertook a ban on foie gras (April 2006) and the lifting of that ban (May 2008). Perhaps Chicago's ban was before its time, but in a city known for deep dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and cheesecake, foie gras seemed like health food. And Chicago doesn't share the level of indignation against foie gras that better suits California's id.

Chicago's ban crumbled in part because one restaurant purveyor (Doug Sohn of Hot Doug's) challenged the ban by outright selling foie gras, where some chefs got around the ban by giving it away for free (perfectly legal). Having a law on a state level will make that tougher, and California's penalties are steeper.

Decisions about food are better made when individuals make the decision themselves. Government has a role to make sure people aren't tricked into consuming something they otherwise wouldn't want to eat (e.g., castoreum). An informed society is a better society as a result, but you can't make moral decisions for other people.

This isn't to say that doing what they do to geese is a cool thing. The best way is to educate the public so people make solid informed decisions on what they choose to eat.

Baked Lays contains 'corn sugar,' but Frito-Lay shouldn't use that deceptive name

The fight to rename high-fructose corn syrup as "corn sugar" left out the fact that at least one product lists "corn sugar" as an ingredient even though the FDA, in a rare show of strength, said no to the name switch.

Baked Lays contains corn sugar, according to its own ingredient list.

Baked Lays lists 7 ingredients: corn starch (2), sugar (3), and corn sugar (7) are sweeteners in a product that is supposed to be about salt.

The folks that bring you high-fructose corn syrup were unhappy that others badmouth their product and blame it in part for the obesity issues that hang over our heads and our belts. So instead of doing something positive, their brilliant suggestion was to change the name of high-fructose corn syrup to "corn sugar."

If the corn sugar in the Baked Lays isn't high-fructose corn syrup, then how could you switch the name of high-fructose corn syrup to a different product that already exists?

One of two possible explanations:

1) Corn sugar is somehow a distinct ingredient separate from high-fructose corn syrup, and the high-fructose corn syrup people offered up a term for its product that is already being used by another product.

2) Corn sugar is high-fructose corn syrup, and Frito-Lay, maker of Baked Lays, has been able to get away with the name change for some time, even though it wasn't approved.

Corn sugar is another name for dextrose. This made the name switch petition that much more confusing. So while we might find corn sugar in potato chips to be distasteful, Frito-Lay is on solid legal ground.

The idea that the high-fructose corn syrup people wanted to rename its product with the name of an already established product made with the same corn points to two levels of deception where we previously thought there was only one level.

The ingredient list is supposed to be the one area of the label where you get straight, somewhat easy-to-understand information. Well, outside of castoreum as "natural flavor."

The word "sugar" in corn sugar (dextrose) is designed to deceive, even if the term has been approved. Even if Frito-Lay is on legal ground, calling dextrose out as corn sugar is certainly not on ethical ground. Even if consumers have to look up dextrose before buying the product, that gets them in the habit of knowing what is in their food.

Regular potato chips, the simple kinds, have real potatoes, oil, and salt. Baked Lays have dried potatoes, corn starch, sugar, corn oil, salt, soy lecithin, and corn sugar. Which one would you eat? Take your chances with the real thing.

Picture credit: Frito-Lay

Temptation of the Week: Defining what a 'meal' is for you

Most of us ignore the MyPlate requirements, as of 6 months ago, only 2% of the population incorporate the MyPlate requirements. True, that number could have gone up to 3% by now, but using MyPlate for what a meal should look like isn't high on people's to-do lists.

Ideally, a meal would be a source of protein, a source of carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and possibly dairy — in the proportions of the MyPlate setup (protein de-emphasized in favor of more veggies).

Fast food chains have a different definition of meal: meat, potatoes, and more starch. In the latest KFC commercial, a grandfather and grandson argue over which side is the best. Grandpa wants mashed potatoes (starch, fat) and the grandson wants mac 'n' cheese (starch, fat). The commercial tells us that you can get 2 sides with a deal, so you can double your carbohydrate and fat pleasure.

McDonald's Happy Meal offers no vegetable options: can't even get lettuce and tomato on your hamburger. If you count pickles as a vegetable … well, you shouldn't.

As an occasional treat, indulging in a fast food meal certainly isn't an issue. The only potential issue is if you stop there. Feeling the need to indulge is completely normal. Or even if you are scrambling for time, and feel like this is the only option for you, consider supplementing that meal.

With an apple corer, you can core an apple in seconds. Cut off a slab of green pepper. Munch on a carrot or carrot stick. Grab a piece of celery. Stuff a handful of berries in a container and take it with you.

Supplementing your fast food meal with fruits and veggies won't get you to MyPlate standards. They will get you further than you were with just a fast food "meal."

You get the taste and satisfaction of the fast food meal, plus the vitamins and fiber for keeping you fuller longer. True, you'll have to put in a little bit of work. But you can feel less guilty about eating that fast food meal, and less guilt is part of what BalanceofFood.com is all about.