As such, September is a time of new beginnings, and of bittersweet endings. A few days ago, I watched the monarch butterflies begin their trip southwest to Mexico, knowing full well that it marked the end of summer. For me, it marks the end of my time here at WellFed, as I hand over my writing and editing responsibilities and move on to other things.

Big thanks go out to Kate Hopkins and the original WellFed team, both for creating the network in the first place and for giving me a chance to write about food in a way that allowed both myself and the FitFare writers free reign. Thanks also to new owner Cate O’Malley for allowing that free reign to continue unencumbered. And finally thanks to all of the FitFare writers who have made my time as editor here one of the most interesting periods of my life. You guys made me laugh and cry and pull my hair out, but it was a blast and a fabulous learning experience. I send good editorial vibes to new FitFare editor, Sarah Caron – may all your writers have their work in on time and may it all be completely typo-free!

To our readers I want to offer one final reminder. The original intention of FitFare was to provide information and guidance about healthy eating. We started out with a strict “no weight-loss diets!!” mandate and the intention to cover every aspect of healthy eating, from food allergies to special diets for illnesses to environmental factors that might affect our food and in turn, our well-being.

Although we have often unintentionally strayed from that plan and have covered stories that didn’t really seem to jibe with our original intentions, the mandate we started out with is still my personal mandate when it comes to FitFare. That is:

– diets don’t work (none of them - not the free ones, not the ones that let you snack, not the ones that deny you specific food groups, not the ones that cheer you on), please stop wasting your time and money!
– Try new things - new ways of cooking, new ways of eating – experiment!
– Always, always, always, think about where your food comes from and if you could be making healthier choices – for you, and for the planet.
– 99.99% of packaged food is crap – stay out of those centre aisles and eat as low on the food chain as possible.
– Question everything you read, and everything you know, constantly.
– Remember that food should nourish the soul as well as the body – take the time to savour it, both during the cooking and the eating.

It is my greatest hope that somewhere along the line, something that we wrote at FitFare inspired someone out there to try something new, to pitch the junk food, to ditch the diet books and to choose a healthier way of eating. It is also my hope that FitFare will continue to provoke and inspire and enlighten readers for a long time to come.

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia O’Hanlon’s father instilled in his daughter a respect and expectation of integrity in the fourth estate. If you read it in the newspaper, it must certainly be true. As a society, we continue to follow this philosophy. The Weekly World News and related tabloids aside, we expect our news media to report the facts, and to have done the research required to support those facts.

Which is why I’ve got some shocking news. Despite what every news channel, radio station, newspaper and magazine in the western world would have us all believe, there is no obesity epidemic. I know that we’ve been told that, over and over again - it shows up in the media at least once a week - but the truth behind the reasons why will astound you.

Author Eric Oliver started out with the intention of creating yet another tome of hand-wringing despair about how super-sizing and corn syrup were making us all fat. Yet when he dug deeper into the research, when he searched deep down into all of the sources at his disposal, he discovered that America’s Obesity Epidemic is nothing but a huge sham.

One of the ongoing themes that I regularly repeat in the articles that I write for WellFed is “know your source”. Every clinical study has been paid for by someone, and the name on the cheque often has a lot to do with the end results of that research. What Oliver uncovered as he researched his book was that the way we measure weight is so completely skewed and distorted that the studies and the findings are meaningless.

We all know that the BMI (Body Mass Index) is a grossly inaccurate measure of health. Using a calculation that compares weight and height, the BMI does not take age, muscle tone, frame size, or general state of health into consideration. Yet even though it was never originally intended to do so, it has become the standard for the medical profession to determine if a person is overweight.

In 1985, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) set the level for overweight at a BMI of 27.8 for men and 27.3 for women (we’ll disregard the fact that women generally carry a higher ratio of fat than men, but it’s another area where the use of BMI to calculate healthy weight is askew). In 1995, those levels were changed arbitrarily to make a BMI of 25 the new point at which a person was considered to be “overweight”. Instantly, hundreds of thousands of people who were a perfectly healthy weight were now deemed to be overweight.

To understand this point, it is important to go back to the 1995 World Health Organization report that helped establish the idea that a person is overweight with a BMI of 25. This document probably had more impact on determining how obesity was defined than anything else. And who wrote this important document? Most of it was drafted and written under the auspices of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). On the surface, the IOTF seems to be a credible association of scientists interested in obesity research and policy. According to its website, the IOTF’s mission is to “inform the world about the urgency of the problem and to persuade governments [sic] that the time to act is now.” Their website also displays the logos of both the WHO and the International Association of the Study of Obesity, legitimate health organizations, making the IOTF seem like a purely scientific organization.

In reality, however, the IOTF is anything but an unbiased congress of scientists. The IOTF is an organization primarily funded by Hoffman-LaRoche (the maker of the weight-loss drug Xenical) and Abbott Laboratories (the maker of the weight-loss drug Meridia). Like other organizations financed primarily by drug companies that don the “neutral” mantle of science (including the American Obesity Association) the primary mission of the IOTF is to lobby governments and advance particular scientific agendas that coincide with the pharmaceutical industry’s goals. Indeed, the initial mission of the IOTF was to get the lower BMI standards imposed on the WHO report. Few realize that the effort to establish a world-wide standard for what is overweight and obese was sponsored primarily by a company that makes a weight-loss pill.

You got that? If you’re one of the folks who fall into the “overweight” category on the BMI chart (which would put you at an average of 10 to 20 pounds overweight by BMI standards – incidentally the demographic most likely to use and benefit from weight-loss pills), you’re considered “fat” because the drug companies lobbied the World Health Organization to change the standards. And they did so because, well, it’s a bit of a no-brainer, really - they want to sell you drugs.

The other really shocking aspect of Oliver’s book is the lack of any kind of correlation between being overweight and obese and the many, many illnesses associated with that state. According to Oliver, only two diseases have been conclusively linked to being overweight. One is the very logical osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints (the heavier you are, the harder your joints have to work to propel you) and uterine cancer that comes from higher estrogen levels in heavier women. All the rest, the diabetes, the heart disease, the cancer – all are more prevalent in heavier people, but Oliver is adamant that there is no research that he found which demonstrates a direct link. He concludes that people who have a genetic predisposition to being overweight (most of us will never be skinny, no matter how much we diet and exercise, Oliver says, because our bodies are genetically pre-set to a particular weight range) may also have a predisposition to those diseases.

Another interesting aspect of Oliver’s work is his research into attitudes toward the overweight and obese. In many cultures, weight is still considered a measure of success, and is widely accepted in Western men. White women, however, are held to a mostly unattainable standard of thinness influenced by stature, wealth and sex. Ironically, Oliver finds women to be more sharply critical of another woman’s weight than men are, and traces a direct association between weight and the perception of wealth.
Statistics still show that we are getting heavier, however, and Oliver offers an explanation for this as well. Remember that the figures used are often averages, so if a larger percent of the population is heavier, even by a few pounds, it will affect the final figure. And since, as a society, the average age of the population of the western world is higher than it was twenty years ago (due to the Baby Boomers and better healthcare allowing us to live longer), and older people tend to gain weight as they age, we have a higher average weight overall.

That’s not the whole story behind the reason we are generally getting heavier, though, and Oliver concedes that if you compare weight based on a specific age alone (say a 35-year-old in 2006 to a 35-year-old twenty years ago) we are definitely heavier now. But he believes the reasons for this are not as subversive as the mainstream media would have us believe. This is where he loses me a bit, because as much as his theories make such obvious sense, part of me still wants to blame it on McDonald’s.

Snacking and lack of activity are the two factors which Oliver points to as the reason for our widening behinds. And this too makes perfect sense. Cars ensure that we never have to walk anywhere, and few of us do any kind work around our homes that requires a great amount of exertion. Technology has given us a lot of extra time to sit in front of our computers, televisions and video games. And else what do we do while we relax in front of our various boxes while being entertained? We snack, of course, and not on healthy things like apples or carrot sticks. When we curl up in front of a DVD, we are most likely to have popcorn, potato chips, candy or other treats that are high in calories and fat and low in nutritional value. All accompanied by a big glass of soda pop, of course. Snacking and a general lack of activity were not factors even twenty years ago, and Oliver wholeheartedly believes that a combination of the two is what is causing us all to gain weight.

I’m sure there are lobbyists for the various drug companies out there who are already writing up press releases to discount Eric Oliver’s very provocative work. But even if you disagree with Oliver’s theories regarding the reasons why we’re all gaining weight and what should be done about it (less snacking, more exercise, and a whole lot of fat acceptance are Oliver’s suggestions), it’s important that everyone read Fat Politics for the chapters on BMI and drug company pressure if nothing else. That we’ve all allowed the wool to be pulled over our eyes – that our governments have been the willing pawns of big pharma – is absolutely disgraceful. Just say No! to the BMI, and to diet pills and diet programmes of all types.

And don’t believe everything you read in the paper.

How often have we heard that phrase in regards to health and dieting? But what does it really mean? Experts tout a “balanced diet”, which, in theory, offers a bit of wiggle room for an occasional piece of cake, but what they really mean by “balanced” is choosing a variety of foods from all four food groups (the veg and grain and protein food groups, not the sugar, fat, alcohol and caffeine version) and eschewing junk food completely.

Oh, but that’s no fun, is it? We are drawn to diets that encourage moderation because we don’t want to feel deprived of our favorite foods. You’ve got to treat yourself occasionally, right? The problem is – few of us seem to know exactly what occasionally is. A recent study on obese people indicated that 75% of the study respondents claimed to have healthy eating habits which has led doctors to believe that most people don’t actually know what “healthy eating habits” are.

And the term “moderation” or the encouragement to “eat snack items in moderation” doesn’t help. Is moderation a junk food snack per day? Once a week? Or once a month? Do we save cake for a special occasion (such as a birthday), or is every day a special occasion because there’s cake?

Even the food guides of Canada and the US recommend foods high in fat or sugar to be eaten in “moderation”, but offer no examples of what that might be. The Canada Food Guide offers examples of “moderation” for alcohol consumption (an average of one drink per day) and caffeine, but oddly, not foods such as sugar, meat or dairy products, all of which can be high in fat and calories and have health concerns related to over-consumption.

But why is this?

It’s important to remember that many food industries hire lobbyists to influence the government agencies that create our respective food guides. The wording the consumer sees on the finished food pyramid or rainbow is directly affected by marketing boards for wheat, dairy, sugar and more. These industries want you to continue buying more of their product, not less, so any change in wording on the food guides has undergone the scrutiny of various lobbyists and industry insiders, and has likely been fought tooth and nail if there is any implication that cutting back would be a good thing. “Moderation” becomes the common ground between the lobbyists and the health organizations that keeps everyone happy – except for you and I, who are desperately trying to figure out exactly what moderation really means.

While it ultimately comes down to personal choice and a bit of common sense, there needs to be a middle ground between the undefined, eat whatever-you-like moderation diet, and an extreme diet with no room to accommodate special events. If you’re overweight and are trying to lose pounds, you need to decide for yourself what “moderation” means, because no one else seems willing or able to do it for you. If a small square of really good chocolate after dinner each evening is going to quell a craving for a massive piece of cake and keep you from going on a rampage in the candy aisle, then you should find a way to fit that little bit of chocolate into your diet. And there shouldn’t be any reason to turn down a piece of cake or a special dish at a wedding or a party (food is part of our culture, after all) – just so long as you’re not at a wedding or a party every single weekend.

Beyond that, we all have to decide for ourselves what “moderation” means to us and shape our eating plans accordingly. If your favorite food is fish and chips, you need to make a conscious decision as to how often you’re going to eat that dish, and adjust the rest of your meals for that time frame. Think about how long you can go without it – once a month, every two weeks – and make that meal a treat (dress up if you’re going out, or use candles and nice music while you eat at home), with the rest of your meals in between focusing on healthy items.

We may not have the guidance from health and diet experts on how to determine whether our own food choices reflect a sense of moderation, but a bit of common sense and a whole lot of caution should set most people on the right track.

For more information on the food guide and the impact of food lobbyists, check out the book, Food Politics by Marion Nestle.

A recent study of obese adults indicated that 75% of them claim to have healthy eating habits, while 40% claim to exercise vigorously 3 or more times a week. Doctors are not sure whether the study participants are in denial, or if they simply don’t know what constitutes a “healthy diet” or “vigorous exercise”.

“There is, perhaps, some denial going on. Or there is a lack of understanding of what does it mean to be eating healthy and what is vigorous exercise,” said Dr. David Schutt of Thomson Medstat, the Michigan-based health-care research firm that conducted the survey.

The survey found that 28% of obese participants ate two or more snacks per day, compared with 24% of the normal-weight participants, but no records were kept of exactly what any of the participants were eating, or how much.

“In my experience,” explains consumer health advocate Mike Adams, “very few people truly understand what it means to follow a healthy lifestyle. Most consumers suffer under the dangerous misimpression that processed, factory-made foods can somehow be healthy, even though they are stripped of nutrition and laced with chemical additives,” he says. “Part of the problem is that the FDA allows food companies to make ridiculous health claims, such as claiming that chocolate milk powder, made primarily with processed sugar, is good for kids’ bones because it contains a tiny amount of supplemental calcium.”

So are the “festively plump” among us fudging our numbers a bit (mmm.… fudge!), or are we wearing magic rose-coloured glasses that lower the calories and increase the nutritional value of a chocolate éclair to that of an apple? Speaking from personal experience, while I eat extremely healthy meals, admittedly, I have a tendency to eat crappy snacks, such as cookies, pretzels or potato chips. And while I hit the gym for an hour or so most days (something that didn’t happen before I moved into a building with a gym), I used to think of myself as an “exerciser” when I really wasn’t, unless you count a stroll around the block with the dogs.

While the study doesn’t conclusively prove why people are obese, it is an indicator that doctors need to look more closely at the situation. If the respondents are telling the truth, then medical professionals need to spend more time looking at genetic causes of obesity, but if the respondents genuinely are in denial about the quality and quantity of the food they’re eating, far more work needs to be done on teaching people healthy eating habits and how to tell the difference between an apple and an apple turnover.

If you watch a lot of movies, then you’re probably familiar with Toronto’s City Hall building and the adjoining park, Nathan Phillips Square. Starring in 2004’s Resident Evil and 2006’s The Sentinel, our futuristic city hall gets a decidedly more rural look each Wednesday morning as the farmers roll in and set up their wares.

As the Ontario growing season is short, the Nathan Phillips Square market runs from the first week in June until usually the first or second week of October; its yearly ending designed to co-incide with Canadian Thanksgiving, which falls on the second Monday of October.

Beneath the curves of steel and glass, Torontonians gather for some of the best and freshest produce in southern Ontario. The Nathan Phillips Square market requires that all products are grower-sold – nothing can be imported or brought in from elsewhere. While this means that customers have a limited selection at the beginning of the season when the only things available are strawberries and asparagus, it ensures a level of quality not available elsewhere.

Aside from the ever-changing array of produce; berries, greens, and asparagus in June and July, stone fruit, corn and muskmelons in August, then pears and an array of apples in September and finally pumpkins and squash in October; the market also boasts a variety of flower vendors, a ginseng vendor, a sweet potato farmer, two bakeries, a farm that specialized in herbs and vegetables for South East Asian cuisine (ah, the smell of fresh Methi!), and an organic vendor who offers vegetables as well as baked goods. One vendor whose sales have been hurt this year is my beloved “jam lady”, a lovely woman who runs an orchard and who also makes a variety of delicious jams. Changes to Ontario’s food and safety bylaws now require that all prepared foods sold at farmer’s markets in the province be prepared in a commercial kitchen, and as she makes her jam in her farmhouse kitchen, she is no longer permitted to sell her jams at market. Sometimes the government gets a little too zealous in its desire to protect our health.

Situated right in the middle of downtown, the market’s clientele is decidedly well-dressed, as nearby office workers wander into the square on their lunch hour to do some shopping, grab a bit of lunch and sit around that very famous fountain watching the resident pair of ducks. From noon until 2pm, market shoppers can take a break and enjoy some live music at the stage set up in the middle of the square, part of a series called “Fresh Wednesdays”.

Serious shoppers know to arrive early to score items such as fresh currants and rare types of apples (gingergolds, anyone?) before they sell out. The market gets extremely busy at lunchtime when a combination of the aforementioned office workers, groups of pre-schoolers, and busloads of tourists flood the square and occasionally jostle for space with a couple of police officers on horseback.

One smart move that sets the vendors at Nathan Phillips Square apart is how well they know their market. Most fruits are available singly for folks who want one apple to have as a snack, and many vendors put together “variety baskets”. For instance instead of a big basket of just peaches, I can buy a basket with a couple of peaches, a few apricots, some plums, etc. These baskets change in content throughout the summer as fruit comes in and out of season. You can even buy a mixed box of cherry tomatoes – all different varieties – which is perfect for salads.

The Nathan Phillips Square farmer’s market is a favorite for most Torontonians, as it’s central location and mid-day hours make it easily accessible.

Wednesdays from June 7th – October 18th
Hours: 10am – 2pm
Location: Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto

Ah, red sauce and pasta. The weeknight fallback of those with no time to cook. It’s an easy option that usually makes everyone in the family a happy camper. But your average jarred sauce atop white pasta is often compared nutritionally to ketchup on white bread. When a sauce is as easy to make as this one, there’s no reason not to have some on hand. This recipe makes about 8 to 10 servings, so it’s simple to make a big pot and then freeze in single serving containers to make those rushed dinners a snap.

The added vegetables are a great source of vitamin C and the tomato base offers up a healthy dose of the much-coveted lycopene. The sauce is very low-fat with only a bit of olive oil used at the beginning to sauté the onion and garlic.

Paired with a whole wheat pasta and a multi-grain roll, this hearty sauce far outshines the jarred variety found at the supermarket.

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 sweet onion, medium dice
1 pkg prepared TVP (equal to 1.5 pounds ground meat)

1/2 each, red ,green yellow and orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
3 cups sliced mushrooms

1 16oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, sweat garlic and onion in olive oil until soft. Add TVP and stir well. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper, and spices. Stir well and add vegetables, all at once.

Allow to simmer over medium heat, stirring every few minutes or so to prevent burning until the vegetables have softened and the sauce is more liquidy (it will look very dry at first, but as the mushrooms release their liquid, the sauce will loosen up). Adjust seasonings to taste and allow to simmer on low for about half an hour.

Remove bay leaves and serve over whole grain pasta. Makes approximately 8 - 10 servings.

You’d think that a fruit that looked like this would be a taste explosion in your mouth, wouldn’t you? Alas, dear readers, the Dragonfruit was a bit of a disappointment. For all of its harsh spiky exterior, the inside, although pretty in its own right with the small black seeds through a milky white flesh, was a bit of a let down.

The Hylocereus undatus, a.k.a. Pitahaya, or Strawberry Pear is actually a vining cactus that spreads out over the ground or climbs other trees and plants for support. It prefers tropical or sub-tropical climates and is thought to have originated in Mexico or South America, although it is now grown throughout the world and is the leading fruit export of Vietnam. Weighing up to a pound each, the pinkish red skin is covered in rough, green spikes.

Dragonfruit are now being grown commercially in Florida and California, which should make them relatively accessible for people wanting to try them. There are many varieties available ranging from white-fleshed to red and even yellow, with the red-fleshed fruit reported to be the sweetest. The red-fleshed varieties also contain lycopene, the wonderful anti-oxidant found in tomatoes. According to information found at www.ilovepitaya.com, the dragon fruit is rich in vitamins, helps the digestive process, helps prevent colon cancer and diabetes, helps to neutralize toxic substances such as heavy metal, reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, can help against asthma and cough (if consumed regularly) and can be grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

All of which really makes me wish that the white-fleshed Dragonfruit that I brought home had tasted better. It is often described as being similar to the flavor of a kiwifruit, with some varieties having a lemony undertone, but all I got was wet and vaguely sweet. The texture was very much like that of a ripe muskmelon, and was easily spooned out of the skin.

The story of the Dragonfruit is even more interesting than the fruit itself. According to the Pine Island Nursery…

The sensation surrounding this fabulous fruit can be attributed to a legend created by ingenious Asian marketers. According to the legend the fruit was created thousands of years ago by fire breathing dragons. During a battle when the dragon would breathe fire the last thing to come out would be the fruit. After the dragon is slain the fruit is collected and presented to the Emperor as a coveted treasure and indication of victory. The soldiers would then butcher the dragon and eat the flesh. It was believed that those who feasted on the flesh would be endowed with the strength and ferocity of the dragon and that they too would be coveted by the Emperor.

One use I did come up with for my not-very-exciting Dragonfruit was to scoop out the flesh and use it to create a cold soup, reserving the lovely and intriguing shells as bowls. I think I’m on a mission now to try a good Dragonfruit, and I plan to start asking about varieties when I buy another one.

Such is the case for diabetics. On the same day that the Globe and Mail newspaper ran an article about a diabetic endocrinologist who put himself on an uber-Atkins style no-carb, high-fat diet, a peer-reviewed study was released indicating that a vegan diet is the best bet for diabetics, even better in fact than what is known as the Standard Diabetic Diet which includes counting carbs.

Dr. Richard Bernstein, an endocrinologist afflicted with Type 1 diabetes created a diet that has significantly helped his own diabetes.

Flying in the face of guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association (and, by extension, the Canadian Diabetes Association), the 72-year-old advocates a radical decrease in blood-sugar levels through major carb-cutting. So major in fact, that one could say Dr. Bernstein “out-Atkins” Atkins, recommending a sustained ultralow-carb diet, rather than easing diabetics off and back onto their bread baskets.

Dr. Bernstein’s diet calls for little to no carbs and large portions of meat and other proteins. Reporter Lorne Rubenstein states that Bernstein’s diet had him eating more eggs in a week than he had previously eaten in six months.

While Bernstein’s diet seems to work for him and his patients, a link between diabetes and high cholesterol levels is well-known. In What to Eat, nutritionist Marion Nestle states, “…if you have diabetes or other such conditions, you are likely to be even more susceptible to the cholesterol-raising effects of eggs.” Since many diabetics also have high cholesterol, Dr. Bernstein’s diet seems to fly in the face of logic.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the recently-released study which shows that a vegan diet offers the most opportunity for improvement of symptoms for diabetics.

The researchers found that after 22 weeks on the diet, 43 percent of those on the vegan diet and 26 percent of those on the standard diet were either able to stop taking some of their drugs such as insulin or glucose-control medications, or were able to control their condition with lower doses.

The vegan dieters lost 14 pounds (6.5 kg) on average while the diabetes association dieters lost 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg).

An important level of glucose control called a1c which gives a measure of how well-controlled blood sugar has been over the preceding three months, fell by 1.23 points in the vegan group and by 0.38 in the group on the standard diet. It was also found that LDL or “bad” cholesterol also fell by 21 percent in the vegan group and 10 percent in the standard diet group.

The vegan diet places no limits on calories, carbohydrates or portion sizes, all issues that diabetics had to regulate quite carefully.

From a health perspective, the vegan diet definitely comes out on top over an Atkins-type regime full of fat and cholesterol. Dr. Bernstein’s diet may also be difficult for most diabetics to adhere to once they get carb cravings they are not allowed to satisfy.

As a pseudo-vegan with a recently diagnosed diabetic friend, the vegan-positive study is great news to me. I don’t have to worry too much about having that friend over for dinner now, and hopefully I’ll be able to lend a hand as he transitions to a healthier style of eating.

The problem with homemade soy ice cream is that it’s too low in fat. Without the fat found in regular ice cream or the added preservatives found in the store-bought soy treats, it will freeze hard as a rock once you put it in the freezer.

I’ve included two versions of the recipe here; one is the low-fat version that is perfect for eating as soon as it comes out of the ice cream maker, the other is a higher fat version, made with super-healthy (albiet high fat) coconut milk that requires a little more effort, but has a more elaborate flavor.

Version 1 (low-fat)

1 lb silken tofu
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups chocolate soy milk
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp chili powder

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Place mixture in ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately.

Version 2

1/2 cup silken tofu
2 cups chocolate soy milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup sugar
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 each, dried ancho and mulatto peppers

In a blender or food processor, combine tofu, soy milk and coconut milk. Blend until smooth.

Transfer liquid to a medium saucepan, add sugar, chocolate, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Bring mixture to the boil, whisking well to incorporate all ingredients. Remove pot from heat and add peppers. Stir well. Allow to cool completely.

Remove chilis and place mixture in ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and allow to cure for 12 – 24 hours. The chili flavor will become more pronounced over time.

Just about everyone has eaten dates at some point. From the much-loved date square, to those little styrofoam trays of beautifully arranged dried dates available during Ramadan or Christmas, dates are a well-known treat.

But have you ever eaten a fresh one?

Fresh dates are available in late summer and early fall and can most easily be found in East Asian markets or at some farmer’s markets in California. Fresh dates are reddish or yellow in color and are often hard as they are picked before they have fully ripened. They are sold by weight, still attached to a short branch.

Fresh dates can be eaten “green” or what is known at the ”kimri” stage, where they have not ripened and have the consistency of a firm apple with a slightly sweet, green flavour. They are crunchy and slightly pithy near the seed.

If allowed to ripen, however, the water in the fruit evaporates and the sugars remain and become more concentrated, fresh dates darken, become soft (although not chewy), and the flavor intensifies exponentially. This is known as the “rutab” stage. Biting into a fresh, ripe date is like eating a spoonful of honey and sunshine.

In between the kimri and rutab stages is the “khalal” stage, where the date loses it’s astringency and starts to soften. “Tamar” is the dried stage where the dates are firm and dark, and most of the moisture in the fruit is gone.

To ripen fresh dates, simply place them in a bowl at room temperature and let them get soft. They will brown unevenly, and you will be tempted to think they have gone bad. When the dates have lost their yellow color and are soft to the touch, they are perfect for eating. One the dates have softened, store any uneaten ones in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process.

Dates are native to the Middle East, but are also grown in California. Only one variety grown commercially in the United States - Barhi - can be eaten at the kimri or khalal stage.

4 ounces of fresh dates have only 100 calories (as opposed to 250 calories for 4 ounces of dried dates). All dates are high in iron and potassium and are a good source of fibre.