From the monthly archives:

September 2012

The Ins and Outs of Food Trends

by Janet on September 22, 2012

Are you loving Whoopie pies? Oh, that’s so last year.  Are you into smoking with tea? Now it’s all about cooking with coffee.  You like Spanish food?  Scandinavia is the next big thing.  Or at least according to the trend trackers from the Washingtonian and Food Product Design.  Here’s a recap of some of their In and Out food lists.

4718439840_10b7e80e99_bchicken pocket pies by La Pomme de Portland on flickr

IN
Savory pies
OUT
Whoopie pies

6993225155_bddb44a39d_oKung Pao tacos by chow vegan on flickr

IN
Kung Pao anything
OUT
Upscale spring rolls

IN
Cooking with coffee
OUT
Smoking with tea

4037881843_eb15827bdd_bimage courtesy of interchangeable parts on flickr

IN
Boozy floats
OUT
Boozy milkshakes

IN
Craft sodas
OUT
Mocktails and Milkshakes

IN
Peanuts
OUT
Pistachios

IN
Scandinavia
OUT
Spain

4985579645_3e6b9be9ed_bblack garlic and beet bruschetta by Charlie Lee-Potter on flickr

IN
Black garlic
OUT
Pickled ramps

4999119766_97fd482b76_btempura by Friday&Sushi on flickr

IN
Tempura
OUT
Duck-fat frying

5760014005_b60c7c726a_zSawtooth herb or thorny coriander by just love sewing on flickr

IN
Sawtooth herb
OUT
Micro-cilantro

IN
Fried rice
OUT
Tater tots

IN
Stroganoff
OUT
Carbonara

6552905677_716f495e2b_boyster en gelee by Sifu Renka on flickr

IN
“Sea” gelee
OUT
Maldon salt

IN
Artisanal comfort
OUT
Homestyle comfort

IN
Locally raised on the roof of the restaurant
OUT
Overnighted from Japan

IN
Noses and tails
OUT
Filet mignon

IN
Oven roasted
OUT
Foam, air and xantham gum

3305287445_0ce09ba6e0_bimage by mental masala on flickr

IN
Ancient grains
OUT
Rice and potatoes

IN
Cinnamon, pepper, cayenne & turmeric
OUT
Gingseng & ginkgo biloba

IN
Ancient techniques (fermentation, smoking, pickling, curing)
OUT
Molecular gastronomy

Deborah Madison predicts these exotic edibles what will soon be making their way onto our plates:

Black Garlic

4982018208_4707262f1c_bblack garlic by avlxyz on flickr

Golden and Chioggia Beets

7726344572_9eda3de75f_bchioggia beets by Lies Smits on flickr

Baby Green Cauliflower


Rabutans

71908556_dde8433c8c_zimage by kitchen mama on flickr

Parsley Root

5179243813_b2671c5d6e_bimage by crphotoboy on flickr

Justin Marx identified three up-and-coming ingredients:

Broccoli Romanesco

6269791018_7fb3e78f3c_bimage by Mr. Phelps on flickr

Edible Flowers

Huckleberries

6214793591_05df34ff36_bhuckleberry sorbet by LondonAnnie on flickr


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The Glamorization of Gluten-Free

by Janet on September 9, 2012

When did it become hip to give up gluten?

Gwyneth Paltrow said she got rid of gluten to lose her extra “holiday” pounds. Miley Cyrus and Kim Kardashian declared their devotion to a gluten-free diet on Twitter. Now Lady Gaga is the latest celebrity to embrace a gluten-free diet, reportedly to slim down for her international concert tour.

Why is gluten-free the new diet craze?

That’s the topic of my recent post for WebMD: Will Going Gluten-Free Help You Lose Weight?

The answer is, it depends. There’s nothing inherent about a gluten-free diet that’s going to melt away the pounds. It may help if you “get rid of the junk” and eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains that are naturally gluten-free, says registered dietitian Shelley Case. But it certainly won’t help if you just simply load up on the burgeoning array of prepackaged gluten-free products that are selling like hotcakes.

An excellent research review article in the September issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics tackles this topic: Gluten-Free Diet: Imprudent Dietary Advice for the General Population?

Written by Glenn Gaesser and Siddhartha Angadi, the article looks at the data and makes the following conclusions:

While a gluten-free diet is important for individuals with celiac and gluten sensitivity, there’s no evidence to support that gluten-free diets are beneficial for weight loss
Some studies suggest gluten-free diets may actually make matters worse for some overweight and obese individuals (linked to an increase in BMI)
Research shows that gluten-free diets can be inadequate in essential nutrients (linked to deficiencies in B vitamins, iron and folate)
Gluten-free baked goods are often high in fat and calories
Going gluten-free for purposes of weight loss may have unintended consequences

2222753618_1ce61de7cf_o

Now gliadin may be the gluten, or at least if you buy into the book by Wisconsin preventive cardiologist and “seeker-of-truth in health” William Davis. Dr. Davis is building an entire empire on his Wheat Belly brand, but it’s based more on his opinions vs. fact. These bloggers have done a good job of breaking down the claims:

Wheat Belly Busted

Wheat Belly Review by Summer Tomato

Wheat Belly? Wheat Berry!

Slam Dunked and Wheat Belly

Dr. Davis makes a powerful case for his opinions, as you can see in one of his promotional videos below, but anecdotal observations are not a substitute for science.

Here’s an excellent article written by Julie Jones that analyzes the claims made in Wheat Belly. Hope it will help you think twice before buying the book or believing the hype.

Sure, we could all benefit from cutting down on refined, starchy, sugary carbs. No argument. But let’s not condemn whole grains, which have a bushel of studies supporting their positive impact on our health, including weight management.  

Image courtesy of disneymike on Flickr

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Honey Boo Boo Makes Me Want To Cry

by Janet on September 4, 2012

honey-boo-boo-exclusive-alana-june

Over the long holiday weekend I happened to catch an episode (or maybe two) of the TLC series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Maybe you’ve heard about this controversial new show that features one of the breakout stars from Toddlers & Tiaras (which I’m happy to say I’ve never watched, or at least not an entire episode).

Starring 6-year-old Alana (nicknamed Honey Boo Boo), the reality show chronicles the family’s prepping for these scary child beauty pageants, along with the day-to-day activities of Mama June, Sugar Bear (the dad) and their other three daughters in McIntyre, Georgia (including a 17-year-old who is pregnant). Let’s just say, it’s all rather horrifying. But the show is a big hit. It’s TLC’s top-rated show — more popular than the hoarding show (which is similarly hard to watch, yet hard to look away when it’s on). Here Comes Honey Boo Boo even beat the Republican National Convention in ratings.

There’s been a lot written about the new show, from USA Today and LA Times to Gawker and The Hollywood Reporter, which called the show awful and soul-crushing:

At some point, awful is just awful instead of entertaining. And isn’t it about time TLC was held accountable for making the world a worse place?

There are lots of things that make this show awful (even if it’s hard not to be a rubber-necker and watch in horror). But what really horrified me the most is how they eat and the way they talk to each other about their weight (one daughter is nicknamed Chubbs). Mama June is a self-described “coupon queen,” but she spends her money on junk. They went to an auction to save money on food (so they could buy the $1,000+ pageant dresses for Honey Boo Boo), but they came home with cookies and chips (but such a good deal!). One episode had them talking about going on a “diet,” but it seemed to mean just taking away the cheeseballs (that one daughter was eating off the floor). There are lots of packaged, processed foods lined up on shelves, but I never saw anything that resembled a vegetable. Nothing fresh. Not sure if they ever cook.

The mom is passing on her poor eating habits to her kids and it’s really tragic. But what’s extremely sad to me is what the mom gives Honey Boo Boo before she performs in her pageants– it’s her “go-go juice” that’s a mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew. Here’s the result of this go-go juice, and it’s just a crime…

Have you seen Here Comes Honey Boo Boo? Or will you admit it? There are lots of issues with the show — and the behaviors of this family (even if they do have a lot of fun and the show makes you laugh). But it’s the nutrition behaviors that I find so disturbing. How about you?

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