Food Safety

Thawing…Cooking…Holding…Cooling…

It is that time of year where the cookouts, picnics, and holiday parties happen and it is always a good idea to remind yourself that food born illnesses could be lurking in your potato salad. Here are some refreshers on how to keep your food free from disease….

Proper Methods of Thawing Foods
• Placing food in refrigerator at 41 degrees F or lower until thawed.
• Placing food under potable running water that is 70 degrees F or lower.
• Placing food in the microwave only if food will be cooked immediately.

Two-Stage Method to Cool Food Safely
• Cool hot food from 135 degrees F to 70 degrees F within two hours
• Cool the same food from 70 degrees F to 41 degrees F or lower within an additional four hours

Proper Minimum Internal Cooking Temperatures
Poultry – 165 degrees F for 15 seconds
Ground Meats – 155 degrees F for 15 seconds
Pork & Beef – 145 degrees F for 15 seconds
Roasts – 145 degrees F for 2.5 minutes
Fish – 145 degrees F for 15 seconds
Cooking in a microwave – 165 degrees for 15 seconds
Reheating/Leftovers – 165 degrees F for 15 seconds

Proper Holding Temperatures
Hot foods must be held at 140 degrees F or higher.
Cold foods must be held at 41 degrees F or lower

Personality and how it Impacts Your Diet

What describes you best?

Busybodies eat for one reason and one reason only—to fuel their activity. These individuals eat as a means to the end and often eat on the run when their stomach starts to growl. Busybodies are lucky in some ways, because their diet is not influenced by their emotions and food is not overemphasized for them. However, it can be hard to pay attention to the nutritional quality of the foods that are eaten when you’re just grabbing at whatever is most convenient. In addition, these people have a tendency to go for too long of a period of time without eating and can suffer medical repercussions because of this.

Feelers are usually very emotional, and not all of these emotions are negative in nature. These people are often capable of extreme happiness and joy, as well as the negative connotations that are attached to “emotional” people. When most people hear the term “emotional eater,” they tend to conjure up images of sad people eating too much ice cream as a way of escaping pain. What about the relaxed, happy person who eats too much on vacation as a way of celebrating? This, too, is emotional eating. The good news is that feelers are often capable of enjoying food more than other people, if they approach eating in a healthy manner. The bad news is that these people are prone to eating too much. They enter into an endless cycle of eating too much, then promising to do better the next day, and then berating themselves when they don’t.

Independents live in the moment and don’t really care about following rules or keeping up with the status quo. Independent eaters are the most likely of all of the personality types to overeat during holidays or other celebrations. They often are very good at coming up with new and inventive ways to make food taste good, a quality that is useful in altering recipes to make them more healthful. Unfortunately, independents aren’t always good at controlling their cravings and may “splurge” a bit too often.

Improvers always strive to better themselves and push their loved ones to do the same. The desire to succeed is the first step in living a healthy lifestyle, and this personality type has no problem with this. Improvers have a tendency to take nutrition advice and research findings at face value, and at times, they are quite gullible. Improvers have a tendency to cut healthy foods from their diet, if the newest fad diet recommends doing so.

Organizers like to plan their upcoming weekend by mid-week and always have an itinerary planned for every vacation. Highly organized people like to think of themselves as being well prepared for every possibility. Organizers are exceptionally good at planning their menus and at making certain to have a healthy lunch packed the night before. The problem is that highly organized people have a tendency to be inflexible and may beat themselves up emotionally for eating a food that they deem to be “bad.”

Recipe | Berry Healthy Lemon Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c firmly packed light brown sugar
4 T light smart balance tub margarine spread
1 C light lemon yogurt
2 C blueberries
½ c yellow squash puree
1 large egg
2 tsp pure lemon extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 C whole wheat pastry flour
¼ c flaxseed, grounded
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-c muffin tin with cooking spray or line with cups. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon. Stir in the yogurt, blueberries, yellow squash puree, egg, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Add the flour flaxseed meal, baking power and soda, and salt. Stir just to combine, but do not overmix- the batter is suppose to be lumpy. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, 13-16 min. Enjoy!

Berries are BEST!

The power of the little Blueberry…
The little blueberry provides a powerful nutritional punch! It provides the traditional nutrients—carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, folic acid, iron, and potassium. However, that is not what has researchers so excited, though. They are interested in the phytochemicals that are so concentrated in these little berries. These phytochemicals include anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, myricetin, quercentin, resveratol, and ellagic acid.

These phytochemicals imbue the blueberry with the ability to:

• Lower the risk of urinary tract infection
• Protect against cardiovascular disease
• Help reduce short-term memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease
• Provide anti-inflammatory abilities
• Resist asthma
• Help to ease the symptoms of menopause
• Prevent cancer (especially colon, breast, and lung)
• Improve eye health
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis

A diet that is moderately rich in blueberries (about 1 C/day) proved to decrease total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Other research has shown that regular intake of blueberries also may increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, also known as healthy cholesterol. Some researchers are even calling blueberries “brainberries,” because of their ability to slow and even reverse deficits in brain functioning.

Healthy Grilling Alternatives

Traditional Meal

Cheeseburger with 1 T Mayo on white bun:
374 calories 20 g fat

Macaroni Salad with Egg (1/2 c)
18 calories 12 g fat

Corn on the Cob & 1 T Margarine
210 calories 12 g fat

Fudge Brownie (2”square)
170 calories 7 g fat

TOTAL: 941 calories 51 g fat


Healthier Meal

Extra Lean ground turkey (4oz) on whole-wheat bun with 1 T mustard
253 calories 3 g fat

Fruit salad (1/2 c)
50 calories 0 g fat

Tossed salad with 3 T light dressing
85 calories 5 g fat

Small slice angel food cake
143 calories 8 g fat

TOTAL: 531 calories 8 g fat

Uncovering the Truth behind Trans Fats

What exactly is a “trans fat”?

Food manufacturers know that solid fats increase the shelf-life and flavor stability in many baked and processed foods and often result in a better food product. As a result they began changing liquid oils (such as corn and soybean) into solids by adding hydrogen. This process is called hydrogenation and results in a type of fat called trans fats. Trans fats are different from the saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats that you probably know about. Trans fats have a more dangerous effect on the heart then saturated fats- both raise LDL-cholesterol levels (“bad cholesterol”) and therefore increase your risk of heart disease.

What is the difference between Trans Fats, Partially-Hydrogenated Oils, Interesterfied Fats, and Fully Hydrogenated Oils?

They are all a version of a chemical process where liquid fats are turned into solid fats. “Trans Fats” is just a shortened word for the hydrogenation process so anytime you see the word “partially hydrogenated oils” on the ingredient list then there are trans fats in the product. Interesterfied Fats, or better known as Fully Hydrogenated Oils, are the new immerging fat which is replacing trans fats in processed and baked goods. Do not think that this is a healthier replacement. Preliminary studies are linking this type of fat to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, much like its counterpart “trans fat”.

What foods contain trans fats?

Trans fat is found in any food that contains hydrogenated vegetable oils, including shortening and margarine. The major sources in the diet are commercial baked goods (cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc), animal products, margarine, commercially fried potatoes, and snack foods like potato chips, corn chips, and popcorn. You can read the ingredient list on a Nutrition Facts Food label for the grams of trans fat (located under Total Fat). Under FDA regulations in effect in the United States, "if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram [of trans fat], then the product can claim 0g of trans fat. So even thought the product claims “trans fat free” there may still be trans fat in the food product.

How much trans fat is safe to eat?

Researchers still don’t know exactly what level of trans fat is safe to eat. However, they have suggested that less than 1 percent of your total calorie intake should be from trans fat. This translates into 1-2 grams of trans fats daily for those eating 1500-2000 calories per day. If you begin reading food labels you’ll discover that it doesn’t take long to eat more trans fat than is suggested, especially because trans fats are found naturally in animal products. The best advice is to try to become aware of which foods contain trans fat and try to limit your intake of those foods.

Recipe | Black Bean Fiesta Salsa

INGREDIENTS:
1 15 oz can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 C. frozen corn, thawed
½ lb jicama, peeled and diced in small pieces ( or water chestnuts)
1 sweet red pepper, diced
5 whole green onions, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

DRESSING:
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c lime juice
1/3 c sugar or Splenda
1 tsp salt or salt substitute
1 T olive oil

PREPARATION:
Combine all vegetables in large bowl. Measure dressing ingredients into a liquid measuring cup and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir thoroughly. Marinate for 2 hours, or overnight to blend flavors. Drain dressing mixture and store salsa in covered bowel up to 1 week. (Water chestnuts may be substituted for jicama). Serve with baked tortilla chips, baked pita bread, or on top of a baked potato.
Yield: 9 cups

Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat…

...the longer you live!

Most Americans know that beans are a healthful food, but they may intimidate those who haven’t grown up eating them. It seems daunting to figure out what beans are best, how to cook them, and if it is worth eating them, because gas is a common side effect. Nutritionists and health professionals encourage eating beans for their functional role in health. Beans are a rich source of fiber which may help:

-Lower the risk of colon cancer
-Reducing blood cholesterol, as well as LDL or "bad cholesterol," a leading causes of heart disease
-Lower the risk of type 2 diabetes
-Improving diabetes control for existing type 1 and 2 diabetics
-Strengthen the immune system

Try tossing canned beans onto a salad, into a rice dish, or in a stir-fry. Try hummus as an alternative dip. Beans are easy to incorporate into stews, soups, pasta dishes, and side dishes. As an alternative to meat, fish, or poultry, make stewed lentils or bean salad. Always have cans of beans in your pantry, ready to rinse and add to your meals for a quick nutritious boost. Keep dried beans in your pantry for when you have time to really prepare, as they take some time and effort to use.

Beans are a rich source of fiber. A 1 cup portion of beans can contain up to 16 grams of fiber!