Carefree Gourmet

Wall of Cereal Boxes Making Health Claims

Grandma recognizes it, it spoils, the ingredients are easy to understand and few in number. What about food products that make a health claim? Hmmmm. First thought… it is in a package… why? It is more likely to be processed if it is in a package…. and large corporations tend to have the “wherewithal to secure FDA-approved health claims, ” according to Pollen. And now the farmers are jumping on the bandwagon by touting the benefits of certain fruits and nuts! Well, yes, that is the whole point in consuming fresh foods…. they are full of antioxidants (of different varieties which is why you need to eat a variety of real food) so yes, studies are likely to find health benefits. That makes sense.

But the cranberry council and the prune council aren’t the ones we need to be especially careful of when listening to their health claims. It is the bold health claims made by companies selling foodlike products that we need to question. As we all need to remember, at one time margarine was touted as being healthier for us than pure butter! Oops! How many of us consumed globs of trans-fats assuming we were being healthy??

And watch out for the cereal aisle! High fiber, heart healthy Cocoa Puffs, Trix and Lucky Charms try to charm their way into our grocery basket and kids have caught on too! “Hey mom! My favorite cereal full of sugar is good for me see, it says so right on the box!” How is a mother to win this battle?

So be wary of radical claims that just don’t make sense. And next time we will discuss how to shop in store so you can avoid those confrontations with marketing slogans and your own common sense!

Freshly Baked Organic Bread

Ok, so if grandma recognizes it and it spoils, we know we are on the right track in our search for real food. But what about an innocent looking loaf of bread? Granny would recognize that! And it may indeed have a sell by date on the fasterner. But is it really bread like grandma would eat?

Ah, now we are into reading labels. And when I think of reading labels, I think of the commercial with the two small children reading the contents of the gallon of ice cream. One reads, cream, sugar, eggs, the other child attempts to read a litany of strange scientific words that none of us recognize but assume is ok to eat because we are sure the FDA is protecting us against strange concoctions brewed in the cellars of some mad scientist hoping to make a buck. (Ok, yeah, I like creative writing!)

But, again, what a great illustration of how to identify real food. Pollen suggests that we avoid foods with the the following:
1. Unfamiliar words
2. Unpronounceable words
3. More than 5 ingredients
4. Includes High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Ok, so I tried this out with selecting bread. You would be amazed at what gets included in a loaf of something as innocent and “recognizable” as bread! After being disgusted at what was being advertised as “bread” at my local grocery chain, I headed to the farmers market to read the ingredients on the baker’s loaves. Wow! Familiar words, pronounceable, a couple of ingredients (well, more than five on bread with goodies – like olives) and no high-fructose corn syrup. Oh yeah! And it had to be consumed in a couple of days… It started “sprouting” quickly. Now, I know it was food!

So go forth and read those labels! Find the few but the best! Tomorrow we discuss “health claims” on packaging!!

Grandma Making Real Bread

Yesterday, we covered eating only foods your grandmother and/or great-grandmother would recognize. And I subtly suggested that you take a journey through your kitchen and see what you would find…. Likely a great deal your granny wouldn’t recognize. But that’s OK! Eat it up and simply don’t replace it! Or dump it! Whatever sits best with you! (I did a little of both, dumped some odd looking things that had been in the pantry for years and decided other things I would simply eat up and not purchase again).

Here is the second key concept when searching for real food…. if it won’t rot… don’t eat it! Why? Everyone has heard the story of the fast food burger left out for weeks or months or years and it still looked the same. I don’t know if this story is really true, but it certainly is a great illustration of why you want to eat fresh foods and those without all the preservatives! Besides not knowing how old something is, preservatives and additives lie to your body. Since our body was not meant to digest them, we are unprepared to use our senses (like smell or even sight) to know if the foodlike substance is any good (for us, it might still taste ok… ewh! Food science has created foodlike products that appeal to our preferences for sweetness, fat and salt. These attributes are hard to find in natural foods, but way to easy and cheap in the processed food world. And for whatever reason, we aren’t satisfied after eating these foodlike substances… and we eat more.

So the lesson for the day is: if the food you are looking to eat never spoils… Don’t eat it!

Processed Foods Line the Grocery Aisles

Pam and I struggle with the whole -”what is ok to eat” syndrome. We are sure most of you do too! Why? Because there are so many diets and information being released about the latest food craze and what was once considered health law, for example, “eat low fat” is now in question.

I recently read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen, journalist and Knight Professor of Journalism at Berkeley in my own search to find out what I should be eating. And I really like what I read. Maybe because it is not so complicated, maybe because it was logical and possibly because it finally answered “what can I make for dinner tonight?”

So I wanted to share with you Pollen’s discovery in researching what we could all have for dinner tonight. And the first and foremost point is… run from the current Western diet! Much of what we consume in the United States is processed. And so one of the first things you want to avoid is processed foods. But it is more than just boxed, canned, bagged stuff taking over your grocery store….. it is in the meat and fish you purchase. How? Simply by the fact that ranching has become industrialized and our steer are fed the Western diet, waste products, antibiotics and hormones. Yuck!

So this is going to take a bit of time and effort on our parts to choose a quality meal for our families. And this is going to be a culture shock to most of us who are used to zapping packaged foods in the microwave, grilling up cheap cuts of industrialized meats or “god forbid” eating from a fast food chain in the car on our way to our next appointment.

But back to basics here. Step number one: Eat real food. That’s it. Simple right? Well, not when we are being bombarded with 17,000 new foodlike substitutes a year at our grocer. But, real food can still be found! It may feel like a treasure hunt, but I always them really fun!

What is real food? If your grandmother or great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize it… don’t eat it!

Think about that one today. Open your refrigerator, cupboard, pantry…. do you see things granny wouldn’t know what to do with? Hmmm…. more tomorrow!

Omelet Fixings

Have your ever had breakfast for dinner? Why not? It’s one of those guilty pleasures. Our new friend Graham Kerr (be sure listen to his interview on our radio show) co-hosts this type of party with his son. We loved the idea because it’s interactive and the guests get exactly what they like! So the long weekend is here! Instead of the traditional BBQ, why not host a brunch and serve an omelet buffet! It is fast, fun and fabulous food!

The prep is easy and if you are a little unsure about your ability to whip up omelets the old-fashioned way, because you are making them on the spot, then we have an alternative method for you. No matter which method you choose the ingredients are the same. Simply place ingredients in separate bowls and let your guests choose their omelet fixings.

Ingredients

This is an easy and fast way to make omelets. You can cook up to 8 omelets at a time using this method!

2-3 eggs -per omelet (4 or more will NOT work) -just make 2 if you want more
1 ziplock freezer baggie -with person’s name written in sharpie or other water proof pen/marker
1 pot boiling water (only 8 baggies per pot -if more use another pot)
salt & pepper & other herbs (thyme, parsley, chevril, tarragon) -to taste
grated cheese (any kind you like)
cooked bacon crumbles, cooked sausage crumbles, and/or diced ham
chives, scallions or finely diced onion
finely diced bell peppers, tomatoes, avocados
salsa
fresh spinach
mushrooms

Directions

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
2. Write each persons name on ziplock freezer baggie.
3. Chop or cook any omelet fixins.
4. Break 2-3 eggs into each baggie (we prefer whisking them in a bowl first & then pouring it into the baggie)
5. Sprinkle with salt & pepper & herbs, seal bag & squish contents in hands to mix up egg
6. Open bag & either you add or have each guest add desired fillings.
7. Squish bag around to incorporate ingredients.
8. Squeeze out as much air as possible & seal completely.
9. Drop into boiling water & cook for 12-14 minutes depending on desired doneness. You can normally tell if you squeeze omelet how much liquid is left. If you’ve used wet ingredients it may take a little longer.
10. Remove from boiling water with tongs & pat dry on towel.
11. Immediately open, (you can cut the baggie or release the seal) roll onto the plate and serve. It will slide out of the baggies easily onto your plate. Add garnish (sour cream, chives, etc)

For more pictures and instructions, sign up for our newsletter at www.carefreegourmet.com!

A Meal From an Airline

Do you dread airplane food? I do. With a passion! And so, I don’t care if airlines cut back and cut out their gross food, I am used to packing my own meal (and my husband’s). Our girls are good at packing snacks too. Now, their snacks are exactly dietetic, but at least they taste good!

In our interview with Dr. Ola Madsen (AKA The Hot Body Builder) he mentioned that he too packs his meals. And we were curious as to what he packs as he travels frequently an on long flights, typcially 13+ hours.

My challenge has always been the flight home. What can you pack for that?? Especially if you are in a location where picking up something at a local grocer is not an option. Well, we’ve got some ideas for that too!

What you will need:
Throw away plastic containers
baggies
napkins
plastic spoon
wet wipes
Shaker w/ metal ball

Dr. Ola Madsen’s travel package:
For the flight to his destination: 3-4 servings of 1 cup of cooked brown rice w/ 1 boiled chicken breast cut up.
For the flight home: Met-Rx protein packs and Tri-o-plex protein bars

Andrea’s travel package:
For the flight to my destination: Fruit (apples, pears, bananas); nuts, dried fruit, Kashi bars, wheatgrass coffee,
For the flight home: nuts and dried fruit, Kashi bars, wheatgrass coffee, honey wheatgrass tea (If I can get a piece of fruit from my hotel or the airport I am a happy camper). Note: I am missing protein that Dr. Ola includes so I will be making some adjustments to my travel package. Protein fills us up and satisfies our hunger.

When traveling by air, be sure to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour you are in the air. Flying is very dehydrating and contributes to jet lag and aches and pains from travel. Also, get up and move around. Walk down to the bathroom every hour even if you don’t have to go (although after consuming all that water on top of your other beverages, you might find the need!) to stretch your legs and get circulation flowing!

We would love to hear your ideas on food you pack for travel! Bon Voyage!

Dr. Ola Madsen Body Builder

Hopefully you tuned in with us last week when we interviewed Dr. Ola Madsen, a man who decided at age 58 to compete in body building. According to Dr. Madsen, he was like everyone else….. love handles included! Well if you look at the photo of him now, you won’t see a single handle. Only hard muscles and tight skin.

Now maybe you don’t want to compete in body building competitions…. but maybe you would like to lose the handles and keep the love. Well, Dr. Madsen has a simple diet and exercise plan. It is very simple.

First of all, you got to get moving! Walk to the corner and back, then walk around the block. Slowly increase your distance until you are walking 3-4 miles in 60 minutes. Dr. Madsen has an annual pass to Disneyland and walks around the park. Creative idea! Where in your neighborhood could you walk that is interesting, well lit (if walking at night) and meets the mileage goal? 60 minutes 5 days a week. You can do it!

His diet is also easy, here it is. Download it, stick on your refrigerator, put a copy in your purse or briefcase to take with you shopping or dining out. It is about consuming less calories that you burn. Not rocket science, but in our world of abundance, it is easy to over indulge “calorically”.

Dr. Madsen’s diet is posted on our website.

Tips:
- Avoid simple sugars (e.g. candy/chocolate), fried foods, fruit juices and excess dressing on salads.
- Drink a minimum of 96 oz of water per day in addition to other liquids (coffee, tea etc.)