Explore Meatless Meals During Vegetarian Awareness Month
Nutrition, Sustainability, From Our KitchenVegetarian diets have become mainstream over the last decade, with more people looking to improve their health or help the environment. Former President Bill Clinton's choice of a vegetarian diet even made the news! There are vegetarian recipes in magazines, veggie dishes in restaurants and even a dating website for vegetarian singles. So while the benefits of a vegetarian diet are obvious, what if you can't completely give up meat? October is Vegetarian Awareness Month, making it a great time...
Should Doctors Watch the 'Fat Talk'?
NutritionWith the obesity epidemic growing, more research is being conducted into the role the medical community plays in helping patients maintain a healthy weight. A recent study in the medical journal Pediatrics asked parents to give their reactions to various words used to describe weight, such as obese, fat and chubby. The researchers specifically wanted to know how the parents would feel if a doctor used these words to describe their child's weight. Parents rated the words "fat," "obese"...
Slow Cooking for Nutritious Meals
Nutrition, From Our KitchenIf you mention preparing a meal with a slow cooker, many people imagine a mushy beef stew or chicken left to simmer all day in a cream soup and cheese mixture. But the face of slow-cooked meals is changing due to a recent resurgence in popularity and a desire for easy, healthy, homemade meals. Dinner is an important time for families to reconnect in this busy, fast-paced day and age. Research from the Dairy Council of California has shown that...
More Simple Steps for Healthful Eating
NutritionIn an earlier post, we offered suggestions from "10 Simple Steps," a nutrition education brochure published by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The guide is based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Here are the final five "simple steps" for healthful eating. Step 6: Watch for solid fats and added sugar. According to the new USDA Dietary Guidelines, Americans eat too many foods containing...
Teaching Science in the School Kitchen
Nutrition, From Our KitchenJeanette Thompson, a science teacher at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, LA, was teaching her students about chemical reactions and thought there would be no better way to explain than to offer them a hands-on experience with these reactions. So she set aside the textbooks for the day and sought out SAGE's help. At The Dunham School, we have been baking fresh bread to accompany the house-roasted meats offered on the Classic Cuts Deli® bar, and Thompson wanted her...
Diet Books for Children?
NutritionWe've all heard about the rising numbers for childhood obesity, but do they warrant children's books about dieting? Paul A. Kramer thinks so. His controversial new book, “Maggie Goes on a Diet,” tells the story of a chubby 14-year old who wants to lose weight because she is teased at school. She changes her food choices and exercises, with the result of a slimmer figure. Her new body size makes her instantly popular with her classmates. This book reinforces...
Purslane: The New 'It' Green
Nutrition, From Our Kitchen, GardensRecently, while buying greens at the farmers' market, I was encouraged to try purslane, which was entirely new to me. The vendor tossed some in with the spinach and mesclun in the bag. As part of a salad, it was an interesting element. The taste was slightly lemony and astringent, though not at all bitter. Then a friend mentioned that Dr. Oz has been touting the health benefits of purslane, and I saw folks talking about it on Twitter...
Excess Sodium a Concern, Even in Infants
NutritionMany of us were shocked a few years ago to learn of a growing incidence of hypertension and diabetes in children. Now, from the United Kingdom, comes a report that as many as 70 percent of 8-month-old babies there consume too much sodium, putting them at risk for kidney disease and hypertension later in life. As part of a longitudinal study, the researchers examined the diets of more than 1,000 infants born in the early 1990s. Their mothers kept...