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Hamburgers are the Hummers of food in global warming When it comes to global warming, hamburgers are the Hummers of food, scientists say. Fatty Foods -- Not Empty Stomach -- Fire Up Hunger Hormone
Listen up parents! "Without dietary fats, ghrelin peaks remain inactive and don't affect storage of fat."
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The Perfect Burger and All Its Parts
Jane Sigal knows food. More precisely, she knows that when a chef cares about the many parts to the American hamburger the result can be an ideal burger. What attracts her is the chefs who have contributed to the "new ways of thinking about and cooking burgers." Before working in magazines, Sigal was an acquiring editor in the cooking & gardening division of Macmillan USA. She is also the author of two books, Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare and Normandy Gastronomique, and a contributor to Food & Wine’s travel collection, Star Chefs on the Road. |
Grasing's in Carmel, California--where the bun is considered an essential part of the hamburger
For the past 6 months we have searched for the best hamburger in Carmel. The final decision has been made. It is Grasing's in Carmel. What makes it the best hamburger? Not only is their hamburger very tasty, but the bun they use is exceptional. The La Brea Bakery Ciabatta Sandwich Roll is the bun of choice here because it doesn't come apart while you are eating the charbroiled angus burger. Most hamburgers we ordered at other Carmel restaurants fell apart while we ate them, especially the bottom part of the bun. At one of the most expensive restaurants in the area we found the bun always came to the table with the bottom cracked completely open. Now, several visits later, we still are getting a cracked bun when we order their hamburger. We won't be going back to Rio Grill for a hamburger any time soon! How To Make The Perfect Burger
Recently, barbecue chef extraordinaire Adam Perry Lang taught NPR's David Greene how to make that perfect burger while toiling over a George Foreman Grill in NPR's mail loading dock. |
Chasing The Flavor Train
Three of the ten best summer cookbooks of 2009 Introducing the Fuel-Efficient Cow
"Ruminants produce a lot of methane; three cows equal one [mid-sized] car" in terms of global warming potential, said John Basarab, an agricultural research scientist for the Alberta government. By breeding cattle specifically for lower methane emissions, researchers could lower costs to farmers and help mitigate climate change. |
How the Food Makers Captured Our Brains
In this groundbreaking investigation of the insatiable American appetite, Dr. David Kessler explains why we eat more than we need to and what we can do to stop the vicious and unhealthy cycle of overeating. "A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. THE END OF OVEREATING is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
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Do you overeat?
Foods rich in sugar and fat are relatively recent arrivals on the food landscape, Dr. Kessler noted. But today, foods are more than just a combination of ingredients. They are highly complex creations, loaded up with layer upon layer of stimulating tastes that result in a multisensory experience for the brain. Food companies “design food for irresistibility,” Dr. Kessler noted. “It’s been part of their business plans.” |
Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Weight Gain Want to lose weight? It might help to pour that diet soda down the drain. Researchers have laboratory evidence that the widespread use of no-calorie sweeteners may actually make it harder for people to control their intake and body weight.
"The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain and adiposity than would consuming the same food sweetened with a higher-calorie sugar," the authors wrote.
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"...uncovers some of the “hidden persuaders” that cause us to overeat, and offers simple strategies to help us stop. " |
From snack to calorie attack
4 tablespoons has 100 calories in it.
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'No Calorie Left Behind' Diet Program
So, do you know what a calorie is, Dragon? Kathleen Merrigan
Who is she? Where does she come from? USDA $50 Million Funding for Organic Production
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Michelle Obama’s Agenda Includes Healthful Eating
“We can provide this kind of healthy food for communities across the country, and we can do it by each of us lending a hand.” The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, who is a long-time advocate of organic agriculture, will speak on directions at USDA that would impact the organic industry in the short and long term. U.S.-Canada Accept Organic Labeling Kathleen Merrigan spoke to the OTA on June 17, 2009. She said the agreement is "the first step toward global harmonization of organic standards. She announced that USDA intends to create a division within the agency that is dedicated to organic agriculture. |
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Pear Cake
Smitten Kitchen does it once again! Pears are one of those fruits that are low in sugar. But what sugar? This is the crucial question. Read our article below to find out.
Limiting Fructose May Boost Weight Loss, Researcher Reports
Maybe you can make a shift in the kinds of sugars your child is consuming..... Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of clinical nutrition and lead author of a study appearing in a current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, said her team's findings suggest that the right type of carbohydrates a person eats may be just as important in weight control as the number of calories a person eats. "Americans are eating too many calories for their activity level. We're overeating fat, we're overeating protein; and we're overeating all sugars."
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Low Sugar Fruits * Cantaloupe,
* Papayas, Peaches
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It seems that every time you make a change in your child's diet there is some recently discovered not-so-good thing about that change. We at StarChild Science advocate a Mediterranean diet with lots of fruits and grains. But low and behold, a new study comes out and pooh- poohs fruit, high fructose fruit that is. Even though this new piece of research is all about the right kind of carbs to eat, it still appears as just another roadblock to a sound dietary change that you recently made for your child. Right? Since the body converts fructose into fat at Michael Phelps speed, the smart thing for you to do is stay away from high-sugar fruits. Feed low-sugar fruits to your family instead. Low-sugar fruits like pears and peaches and berries are far better to eat than most other fruits because of the kind of sugar molecules in them. One great addition you can add with a pear, a peach, even with berries, is cheese. Cut the cheese into cubes and arrange them on a toothpick with the pieces of fruit. It looks ohhh la la -- and every child will love it. This combo is delicious. Now, you have a high protein food with a low sugar- fruit. This is one way to stay with the Mediteranean diet while listening to the science of metabolism. See? There are no roadblocks! That was just your initial perception! Plum Tart
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winter fruit salad
Getting children to eat healthy is especially challenging on cold days. But, with a recipe of a fruit salad at arm's reach it isn't as difficult as you may think. Notice the chunks of figs, nuts, pomegranate seeds in this salad... Make this a particularly potent healthy salad by using low sugar fruits and you will have a very healthy salad for sure. Smitten kitchen is a great site for making seasonal specials for your family. TIP: Add blueberries, pears, apricots instead. But, keep the anti- inflammatory fruit, pomegranate seeds, in the salad mix. They are powerful.
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Natural Purple Pigments In Fruits, Vegetables And Berries, Such As Blueberries, May Help Prevent Obesity
...mice fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks plus drinking water with purified anthocyanins from blueberries and strawberries gained less weight and had lower body fat levels than a control group. How so?, you ask. Read on... |
What is Resistant Starch, and What Can It Do for Me?
Before I went on the Atkins Diet I had no idea starch could be my friend. A few months into the diet I found out that nature gives you many opportunities to stay healthy without being on a diet of any kind, if you know where to look. This article about resistant starches opened my eyes. No longer did I turn up my nose when told by a waiter that the soup of the day was lentil soup, or, thinking the black bean salad on the salad menu was just one of those 'filler' salads, a nutritionally anemic potluck of starchy food. It so happens that nature has some surprises when it comes to starch converting into glucose, every diabetic's enemy, a simple molecule in food that can kill. Starch resistant molecules are in food, many foods and once you add these foods to your diet you don't have to sign up for Turbo Jam exercise, yoga, palates, just to lose wright. Read about the starch resistant qualities of some natural foods and relax. You will begin to shed those unwanted pounds without really doing without! Beans and lentils have the same potent anti-inflammatory antioxidants—flavonoids and flavonals—found in tea, fruits, grapes, red wine and cocoa beans. In particular, the reddish flavonal pigments in bean and lentil seed coats exert antioxidant activity 50 times greater than vitamin E, protect against oxidative damage to cell membrane lipids, promote healthy collagen and cartilage, and restore the antioxidant powers of vitamins C and E after they’ve battled free radicals. |
Black Bean Confetti Salad This works equally well as a small salad–even tossed with salad greens for more bulk–or alongside salsa fresca for scooping up with a tortilla chip. 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste. |
Wait! There's more to the story! Berry Compound Reduces Aging Effect
Pterostilbene reversed measurable negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance.
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fennel, prosciutto and pomegranate salad
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Anti-inflammatory Effects Of Pomegranate In Rabbits: A Potential Treatment In Humans? Inflammation is always present in cancer conditions. When blood samples collected from rabbits fed pomegranate extract inhibited inflammation this news spread rapidly among the nutritionists and laboratory scientists. "Plasma collected from rabbits following ingestion of pomegranate extract contained significantly higher levels of antioxidants than samples collected before ingestion of pomegranate extract; the extract also significantly reduced the activity of proteins that cause inflammation, specifically cyclooxygenase-2." This work was done by Case Western Reserve University, Department of Medicine. |
"Current treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs can have serious side effects following long-term use. Further research is needed, however, especially on the absorption of orally ingested substances into the blood," Dr. Tariq Haqqi states. |
Pumpkin Brownies? Yummy!
One of the many fun things to do with a pumpkin is to pull out the stringy pulp and add some of it to a pie recipe. It's an invaluable addition and It will help ward off cancer. silky smooth pumpkin pie recipe at: http://smittenkitchen.com/ |
Pectin Power: Why Fruits And Vegetables May Protect Against Cancer's Spread
...strong link between eating lots of fibre and a lower risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. |
Free enterprise has some big drawbacks, to say the least. You don't have to be honest and thorough about what you call your product in order to sell it. Snake oil is still with us. We all know this. If the fast food industry elected to call the meals for kids something else other than 'Kids Meals', perhaps they would not be in the unprofitable position they are finding themselves in today. 'Long Shots' could have been one name they could have chosen. 'Double Dare' could be another name. Double-Double Dare could be another name too for a tasty meal for children. Pirate's Galley would be another name. But, calling a batch of fried food in a basket 'Kids Meals' implies good stuff for kids, doesn't it? It's kind of like a promise to a parent, a promise that goes like this: 'If you buy this for your child it will be good for him.' It turns out that free enterprise would be far more effective, have less drawbacks, if the players were upfront. The parents are upfront. They are handing over their hard earned money to a restaurant that has labeled a basket of fried food as good for 'kids' . The snake oil is still alive and well! |
The Bay Area's Visionary Chefs from Between Meals- Michael Bauer San Francisco Chronicle Always such a joy to read him! |
Senator Alex Padilla on nutrition and children's meals
This legislation is just the beginning of the end for the fast food empire. New York led the way and now it is California that will demand the fast food empire to be accountable for the poor quality 'kids' meals' served in this state. Listen to this video and ask yourself, "Is it the responsibility of the parents to know the 'kids meals' are not nutritious or is it the responsibility of the fast food restaurant to come clean and disclose what nutrition is in the 'kids meals' ? This California legislature will demand that the fast food restaurants post this disclosure up on a menu board for all parents to see just as is done in New York City. I am not for more and more laws, rules, in life. I am for more integrity, especially when selling something that promises to impact a child's nutrition in a good way. |
Is it for real? Cholesterol screening in toddlers and statins from elementary school age?
The updated report — on lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood says drug therapy should be considered only after diet and lifestyle changes fail in children with LDL, or so-called "bad," cholesterol levels, 190 mg/dL or greater. The average 12- to 19-year-old has an LDL level of 90.5 mg/dL, according to federal health surveys.
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We urge our readers to find out the facts about the recent recommendation made by the American Academy of Pediatrics that obese children should be taking statins Sandy Szwarc informs us parents in her recent article in JunkScience about the recommendation. We urge parents to read this article. We at StarChild Science urge parents to rein in the daily intake of fat forming foods and use common sense with their children's diet. Promote exercise and a healthy eating plan as soon as possible. There are people who are working hard at educating teachers and parents on nutritional eating habits for children. One of the most successful individuals doing this is Ann Cooper in Berkeley , California. A visit to her web site will give you a good look at how simple her approach is to good nutrition for children. Check out her recipes. They are varied and offer a variety of ways to provide healthy nutritional food to children. |
Artichoke Leaf Extract Lowers Cholesterol
For over 10 years, the relationship between dietary intakes of antioxidant nutrients and a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases has been recognised and investigated.
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Antioxidant nutrients include ‘non-essential’ phytochemicals (e.g. flavonoids) as well as ‘essential’ nutrients (e.g. vitamins C, E).For over 10 years, the relationship between dietary intakes of antioxidant nutrients and a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases has been recognised and investigated. Antioxidant nutrients include ‘non-essential’ phytochemicals (e.g. flavonoids) as well as ‘essential’ nutrients (e.g. vitamins C, E). Read about Ann Cooper and children's lunches below.
Read a recent article about Ann in MIchael Bauer's column on visionary chefs in the Chronicle |
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Sponsors
Bahama Billy's Island Steakhouse Carmel, California 831-626-0430 This is the best menu around for fresh salads that surprise you with mangos, pineapple, nuts, and fresh ginger. Their seafood creations are also highly recommended.
Monterey Farmers Markets
Contra Costa Certified Farmers Markets
The Palumbi Lab
Carmel Farmers Markets
Salinas Farmers Markets
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What's in exercise?
Animation of the green dragon seen on this page from time to time is licensed to StarChild Science by "animated.gif(c)KittyRoach"
All right reserved - Judy Wilken MS - 2009