I went to the market this Saturday, arriving early in the morning before it officially opened, as one price of it’s success is the competition for parking spaces. I had a mental list of things I would buy: Vegetables, fruit, and tomato plants for my garden. I also told myself that I wouldn’t buy cookies, pastries or kettle korn. I needed those rules because going to the Farmer’s Market is a heady experience for me. Everywhere I look temptations abound, with cheese, sausages, breads, jams, cookies, pottery, and gorgeous produce beckoning me. I usually walk out with a lighter wallet and far too many bags of cookies, nuts, jams, and pastries.

At this time of the year, the produce vendors are displaying the first of the vine ripened tomatoes. It’s early now and only two vendors had them for sale. But in a month or so, the lavish amounts of tomatoes offered will be almost bewildering.

California is one of the biggest growers of sweet cherries and they are starting to make their first appearances at the market. For now just one red variety was on display, but soon we will have the golden Rainier cherries as well. One of the best things about a farmer’s market is being plied with free samples of fruit, vegetables, baked goods, and cheese. I discovered several excellant cheeses this time, one flavored with sage. Quality of the products offered, as well as better prices, are major reasons people come to the Farmer’s Market. The vendors often lower their prices as the day progresses. Although it wasn’t the case this time, I’ve gotten amazing deals in the past on plants and food. There is also a personal relationship that develops between the vendor and the customer. You feel good knowing you’re supporting the farmer or craftsperson directly.

One of my favorite spots is the stall for the Cache Creek Nursery which sells vegetable and herb plants. Their quality and range of selection is wonderful, and I always find a type of plant I’ve never seen before. This time I spied a Czech tomato plant called Stupice and snapped it up. My husband is of Czech descent, so I thought he would enjoy growing it.

Finally, after wandering from stall to stall, I decided to leave before the intoxicating odor of the freshly popped Kettle Korn proved too much for me. I left with my purchases: Tomatoes, tamales, strawberries, and 2 tomato plants. Oh yes, somehow two cookies had managed to find their way into my bag. Put there by elves, no doubt. The cookie elf always strikes at the Farmer’s Market when your back is turned.

Besides the standard nutrition box on foods, companies such as Pepsi, Kraft and General Mills now feature health logos, that are often misleading, touting the health benefits of their product. For instance, General Mill’s Lucky Charms cereal sports a logo from the American Heart Association, leading a consumer to view the cereal as a good choice, despite it’s excessive levels of sugar. General Mills uses more than 26 different health symbols on a variety of foods high in fat, salt and sugar. Likewise, Frito-Lay uses the “Smart Spot” health symbol on items such as Cap’n Crunch cereal, mini pretzels, Cheetos, popcorn and candy-coated chocolates.

For a busy shopper, these logos can give an illusion of good nutrition that’s hardly warranted. Shoppers might be reassured when they see the American Heart Association’s “Heart Check Mark” on a package. However, the association charges a fee to display it’s logo on a package and markets it to food companies, as a way to boost sales.

With that in mind, establishing a uniform system of nutrition symbols to help consumers understand the diverse and often confusing information on food products is now being proposed by consumer groups. The Center For Science In The Public Interest endorses a system that assigns stars, from zero up to three stars, next to the price on food products. The star system, called Guiding Stars, was created by the  Hannaford supermarket chain. It has been adopted by at least one other chain, Sweetbay. Under the system something like Chocolate Lucky Charms receives zero stars due to it’s lack of nutritional value. Items with three stars are considered the most nutritional.
Senator Tom Harkins intends to introduce legislation to set one system of classifying healthfulness on food products. One option is for the FDA to establish a certification system using red, yellow, and green symbols to show if the food should be a regular part of the diet. This system is already used in the United Kingdom with green, yellow and red dots representing low, medium and high levels of fats, sugar and salt in a food product. Likewise, Sweden has a simpler system, using a green keyhole-shaped symbol to identify the healthiest food choices in food groups.

Why change labeling? While some Americans do read nutrition boxes on products, research shows that many of them have problems understanding them. American food products contain more nutrition information than any other country, yet we are still the fattest nation. It doesn’t appear that the current system actually leads many people to make correct food choices. Perhaps a system that sets one system of classification, without the chaos of competing health claims set by food companies, would be a better solution.

Photo credits: Shopping cart courtesy of MorgueFile. American Heart Association logo courtesy of the American Heart Association. Star program price label courtesy of Hannaford Supermarkets.

We’ve heard it all our lives, starting with our mothers: “Eat your fruit and vegetables!” And as we grew up we saw constant reports from different research groups and the government, exhorting us with the same refrain. But, are most people listening? It would appear that the answer is a resounding no. Sadly, despite the constant advice and lectures on the health promoting properties of eating fruit and vegetables, few Americans are paying attention. Surveys show that Americans are actually eating less vegetables. And while the amount of fruit eaten has remained stable, those figures are dismal too.

Starting in 1991, the government announced a goal to have Americans eat two or more servings of fruit a day and three or more servings of vegetables. It doesn’t sound that hard, but research studies in 2007 show that only 28% of people met those goals in fruit consumption, a figure that is about the same as when the campaign began. However, vegetable consumption is 32%, which is a drop from 35% in 1991. So, despite all the pep talks about nutrition, we are getting worse. And frankly, the fact that about 30% of our population consumes enough fruit and vegetables is troubling.

I thought of these figures when yet another news story reported that eating vegetables and fruit is effective in fighting cancer. Studies show that black raspberries, blueberries and cloudy apple juice can prevent colon cancer. Other research shows that cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts contain phytonutrients that can inhibit cancer cell growth. And lycopene, found in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men.

Many parents say that they can’t get their children to eat vegetables and fruit. Instead, junk food is preferred and children often grow up into adults with poor eating habits. So, what to do? One tactic is to cut back or stop buying junk foods and replace them with fruit and vegetables, cut up into serving pieces and available when a child wants a snack. Fruit kabobs can also add a fun element to eating. There may be some complaining, but children usually make the transition.

Vegetables may be a harder sell, but creativity helps in the battle to get more of them in resistant eaters. Time honored tricks like making soup with pureed vegetables, add a creamy taste and lots of vitamins and fiber. Likewise, finely chopped vegetables added to low fat cottage cheese or ricotta make a nice dip, scooped up with crackers or carrot sticks.
Fortunately, in our house, vegetables are often preferred at a meal. Any trickery I might need to do would be with tofu, which my husband despises. An easy dip that we enjoy is made with roasted red bell peppers. You can roast the peppers yourself or buy them in jars, ready to use in an instant. Red peppers are an excellent source of vitamin c and carotene, but, we enjoy it for the taste. This puree can also be added to soup, or sour cream or ricotta for a creamy dip. It also tastes very good on sandwiches.

Sweet Red Pepper Puree

1 roasted red bell pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

Puree all the ingredients together. Serve as a dip or on sandwiches as a spread. Add to sour cream or ricotta to make a creamy dip. Add to soup or stews.

And in the years that followed, we harvested lots of delicious asparagus. Whenever my mother moved to a new home, she had an unerring ability to find it growing in ditches or fields. We swore that the wild asparagus tasted much better than the store bought variety. To my eye, they both looked the same, but the wild stuff was much tastier. Who can really say? The wild variety was actually the same as that sold in the store, their seeds spread by birds from the large fields of asparagus that are grown commercially in Illinois. How can you separate emotion from taste?

I’ve never found any wild asparagus here in California. But, commercial growers produce beautiful blue tipped asparagus in the Delta, not far from where I live. Still, it’s not as much fun as discovering it growing in a ditch.

As a child, I never thought about any nutritional value in the asparagus I ate. But, it turns out that it’s a nutritionally valuable vegetable, the best plant based source of folic acid. Folic acid is necessary for blood cell formation and growth, as well as liver disease prevention. Folic acid is crucial for pregnant women, to prevent neural tube birth defects. Asparagus is also low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. It’s also a great source of potassium, fiber, and rutin, a compound that strengthens the walls of capillaries. As well, the rhizomes and roots have been used to treat urinary tract infections, and kidney and bladder stones.

But, the main reason people eat asparagus is for the taste. Nothing tastes like it. And it doesn’t need embellishment to taste at its best. It can be used in complex recipes with cream sauce and puff pastry. But, it needs nothing more than brief steaming, with a bit of oil or lemon juice, to shine at it’s best. I also like to serve it with herbs and Parmesan cheese. The following recipe is herby, but the asparagus is front and center, as it should be.

Asparagus Salad with Herbs and Parmesan
(Adapted from Food & Wine magazine)
SERVES 10

4 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 3-inch lengths
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped chives
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved

Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the asparagus until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes for thin stalks and 8 to 10 minutes for thick. Drain the asparagus, then chill it in a bowl of ice water. Drain, pat dry and place in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together, then season the dressing with salt and pepper. Stir the chervil, chives, mint and parsley into the salad dressing. Pour the dressing over the asparagus and toss lightly.

When ready to serve, top the salad with the Parmesan shavings and sprinkle with a few drops of truffle oil, if desired. Pass additional coarse salt at the table.

A variety of approaches have been recommended to stave off Alzheimer’s, included learning a new language and other activities that challenge the brain. The role of diet has also been examined. Recently, research has looked at the role of folate, with results that suggest that increasing the amount of folate in people over the age of 50 may help cognitive performance.

Folic acid, which is a B vitamin, has long been recommended to prevent neural tube birth defects in newborns. It’s now been shown to help prevent the risk of heart attacks in people with high homocysteine levels. And recent research conducted on adults who were given folic acid supplements showed improved cognitive functioning, especially in the areas of memory and information processing speed. As their folate levels increased the research subject’s homocysteine levels fell dramatically, which is certainly a good thing.

As well, a recent report in the Dutch Annals of Internal Medicine found that people taking folic acid supplements had less age related decline in their hearing over time.

Folic acid is found in beans and legumes, citrus fruits, whole grains, dark, leafy vegetables, poultry, pork, shellfish, and liver. In the United States, folate is added to cereal and flour products.

Because Alzheimer’s seems to begin years before actual symptoms occur, it would seem that ensuring taking steps that may help delay or prevent it altogether would be wise. This is the same approach that has been advised for years with heart disease. Folate appears to provide protection for the arteries, helping our heart and our brains. And the foods high in folic acid are foods we should be incorporating into our diets anyway. For some people, checking with their doctor about taking folic supplements might be a good idea. As a person who worries that this horrible disease may become much too personal, any information that could help in the battle is great news.

Other research studies found that eating two, one-ounce servings of pistachios a day could help a person with moderately high total cholesterol levels (greater than 250mg/dl), lower their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels by nearly 10%.

In our household pistachios are very popular. In fact, hands down, they are the nut we are most likely to buy. When I moved here to California, I was pleased to see big bags of pistachios on constant display in grocery stores. Small wonder, California is the second largest producer of pistachios in the world, trailing Iran. Since they are locally grown, I find the quality of the nuts grown here is excellent. They can be strikingly big and firm, never rancid.

Pistachios grow on small trees and originated in mountainous areas of northeast Asia. One of the most recognizable traits of the pistachio is that the shell is split open, making them remarkably easy to shell. This split occurs naturally, as the nut ripens, producing an audible “pop.” In some cultures, it’s considered good luck to be standing under a tree when the shell pops open.

When I was growing up, the shells of pistachios were always dyed red. In fact, I was surprised when I moved here and saw that they are sold au naturel. Originally, the practice of dying the nut was to compensate for any damage done to the shells when they were harvested. However, this is done less, as modern harvesting methods produce less damage to the nuts.

Of course, good as pistachios are, they are also high in calories. Eating a whole bag, as we are likely to do in my house, is not a good idea. Using them with other foods helps me reduce the amount I eat. One of my favorite ways to eat them is to use Greek style yogurt with fresh fruit, shelled pistachios, and a little honey drizzled on top. The tart yogurt, sweet berries and crunchy pistachios tastes wonderful. And it’s good for you. Perfect.

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is several different joint diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis is chronic inflammation of tissue surrounding the joints, which can begin early in life. Osteoarthritis, is a chronic degenerative joint disease causing the breakdown of cartilage, the tissue that cushions the joints, usually affecting older people. This loss of cartilage causes contact between bones at the joint, resulting in pain and stiffness. While there is no cure for OA, there are ways for people to deal with it.

Possible Causes of OA

OA is pervasive in the adult population, with around 70% of people over the age of 65 showing signs of it. Overweight people with sedentary lifestyles are prone to it. Repeated knee injuries or other sports injuries can lead to it as well. However, many slim, active people with no knee injuries suffer from it as well, which can be confounding.

Treating OA

The most common ways used to treat OA is the use of over the counter medications, such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or my favorite, ibuprofen. Each of these have side effects for many people, including bleeding in the stomach. There are also various types of mentholated or capasaicin creams on the market that help some people. My husband has had some success with taking glucosamine supplements, for his sports injury OA. New prescription NSAIDs can be used, but their long term effects on the body are unknown at this time.

Diet and Arthritis

There is debate about whether one’s diet can help manage arthritis. The “come and go” nature of arthritis makes it ideal for people to use alternative remedies and then associate any improvement with what they did or ate last. A person may eat a certain food and find that their arthritis feels much better the next day. Unfortunately, that is the nature of OA. My own OA waxes and wanes, according to different conditions. For instance, it is remarkably responsive to differences in the weather. During extremely hot weather, it seems to disappear, but wet, cold weather causes my knees to throb unbearably, which limits my mobility.

Many people swear that eating certain foods make their OA better. Like most anecdotal evidence, it has to taken with a grain of salt. It doesn’t make it untrue, but one must be cautious, without more objective proof. Researchers have conducted studies to see if diet does affect OA, with mixed results. In September 1993, researchers in Boston conducted a three month study with 60 people with arthritis. The people in the study were taken off their regular arthritis medications and given oral doses of Type II collagen, which is a major component in joint cartilage. The study found that that the collagen, which came from chickens, produced a measurable decrease in swollen and tender joints for the test subjects taking it. This study helped spark a intense interest in taking supplements to battle arthritis. Some people, such as my husband, find that taking regular doses of glucosamine reduces the pain in their joints.

Other studies have found that eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may help the inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in certain cold water fish, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel. However, in the studies, people were given large doses of fish oil capsules, which could have side effects if used for long periods of time. Fish oil capsules are also expensive and lack many of the vitamins found in the fish themselves. For this reason, the limited results from the studies would suggest that just eating more fish with omega-3 might be the best thing to do.
One link between diet and arthritis is well established: The extra weight placed on weight bearing joints in obese people makes them wear out faster. So, the amount of food one eats certainly can affect the management of arthritis. Fasting has been found to reduce the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis temporarily. However, people do need to eat eventually, so this has limited benefits.

There have been few vitamin studies with humans, but research in animals found that taking more vitamin C could reduce the level of joint deterioration from OA. However, the few studies done with humans found no such results. In some cases, too much of some vitamins may make OA worse. This was the case in a study were rabbits given large doses of vitamin A showed greater deterioration of the cartilage in their joints.

In summary, scientific studies are somewhat disappointing in finding solutions for the management of arthritis through diet. However, it does show the advice most people, whether they suffer from arthritis or not, would do well to follow: If you’re heavy, lose weight, exercise, eat a balanced diet and include more foods with omega-3 fatty acids. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s all we have now.

My discovery that I had GERD was dramatic, and one that happens to millions of people each year. I experienced chest pains so severe, I thought I was having a heart attack. My husband and I rushed to the emergency room, where it was eventually determined that the pain was from GERD. I soon learned that over two million people are admitted to emergency rooms each year with non-cardiac chest pain(NCCP). It’s estimated that 60 percent of those people will be diagnosed with GERD.

What is GERD? Often called heartburn or acid reflux, GERD means Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease and is a condition where acid, bile and half digested food back up into the esophagus. While the stomach can withstand the acid necessary to break down food, the esophagus doesn’t have the same ability to withstand regular exposure to stomach acid. Over time the acid may cause pain, inflammation and scarring of the throat. In some cases these symptoms can cause serious damage which may require surgery.

Unfortunately, my GERD is persistent. I take one of the strongest medications on the market twice a day, but it’s only partially successful in controlling the GERD. Like any person diagnosed with it, I was told to avoid certain foods and beverages. Things that cause problems are caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, spicy foods, fat, alcohol, and citrus fruits. As a result, pizza (one of my favorite foods), is strictly off limits. I’ve had pizza only twice since I was diagnosed with GERD, and I sorely miss it! Fizzy beverages cause the acid on my stomach to expand, literally filling my stomach with foamy acid. Likewise, beer causes the same problem. Wine? The days of drinking it with a meal are over. Orange juice, coffee, and tea are all on the list of foods to avoid. However, I admit that I often have one cup of coffee a day, in the morning. And it does cause my GERD to act up for a few hours. Sometimes I have to take Maalox when that happens. At times I become frustrated that there are too many restrictions, and I will eat an item that’s verboten.

I also can’t eat food after 7 p.m. If I do, despite taking my medication, I will be up late at night, unable to sleep, because a stomach full of food causes the acid to push up into my throat when I lie down to sleep. For this reason, elevating the front of the bed a few inches may help keep acid at bay.

Fortunately, there are safe foods to eat that I enjoy, which includes legumes and grains. As long as they aren’t loaded with large amounts of fat, or things like sausages, or spicy ingredients, they don’t aggravate my GERD. This split recipe is a good recipe for me. Some people with GERD can’t tolerate onions, so if you have it, you may want to leave them out. This is a very easy and quick meal. With so many restrictions on eating, it’s good to have some recipes that taste great.

Split Pea Soup
(Adapted from Deborah Madison)

1 cup green or yellow split peas
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 large garlic clove sliced
1 large yellow onion, cut in 1/2 inch dice
3 inner stalks of celery, cut in a small dice
2 large carrots, diced small
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups stock
pepper

Sort through the peas and remove any debris. Rinse them well and cover generously with water and set them aside to soak overnight. Or cover with boiling water and let them set for one hour, then cook. Note: soaking is best for the texture of the soup.
Gradually warm oil in a soup pot with the thyme, and let it cook slowly to flavor the oil, for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and let it cook for another minute without letting it brown. Then add all the other vegetables and salt and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally over medium heat. Drain the peas and add to the pot, along with the stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the peas are soft–around 1 !/2 hours.
When the soup is done, puree 2 cups of the soup in a food processor and return to the pot. Adjust for salt and pepper.

Of the many health claims for tea, the most powerful seems to be it’s ability to fight heart disease, stroke, and lower cholesterol. Tea contains powerful flavinoids, more than many vegetables and fruit. Studies have found that regular tea drinkers are much less likely to suffer a heart attack. It also may help those who have suffered from a heart attack, to recover faster by repairing blood vessel damage from an attack or heart disease.
Tea’s ability to protect cells suggest that it may help prevent cancer, particularly colon and stomach cancer. Laboratory research on animals has yielded positive results on tea’s effectiveness in reducing tumor formation. However, research on human populations has been mixed. Large scale studies on men in China showed a marked reduction in cancer rates for men who drank tea. In contrast, the same study of men who drank tea in the Netherlands found no reduction.

The key ingredient in tea that protects cells are antioxidents called catechins. Both black and green tea contain catechins, but its levels in tea are affected by the way the leaves are treated after harvest. Green tea is picked, dried and heated. Black tea is green tea leaves that has been allowed to ferment and oxidize. Both black and green tea are healthy, but green tea contains more antioxidants.

The way you drink your tea can make a difference in how healthy it is for you. In particular, adding milk to tea negates the health giving benefits. Scientists have noticed that populations in countries such as China, where tea consumption is heavy, have lower rates of heart disease. However, the same effect is not seen in the tea drinkers in Great Britain. The difference? People are more likely than not to put milk in their tea in in Great Britain. Milk contains caseins, which appears to interfere with flavonoid’s health benefits. In research where subjects drank black tea, their arteries’ ability to expand and relax greatly increased. However, adding milk to the tea destroyed that benefit.

As well as enjoying the benefits of antioxidants in a cup of tea, they can be incorporated into recipes. Adding a brewed solution of black tea to rice produces fragrant and beautifully colored grains. Simply replace the water in your standard recipe for rice with brewed tea. You can use tea in other recipes, just remember to hold the milk!

Tip#10: Make an honest assessment of your success or failure in controlling holiday weight gain

It is a good idea to review which methods worked and those that were ineffective. Controlling weight is different for every person and each person has a different experience during the process. Don’t be hard on yourself, but be honest. Give yourself credit where it’s due, and work on staying aware of your eating patterns during the next holiday.