Friday, March 9, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
What is Diet? A paper for my Nutritional Cooking Class
Harrison “Skip” Graden
Nutritional Cooking - M/T
Spring 2012
Chef David Rell
What is Diet?
Recently, I posed the question, “What is diet?, on my Facebook page. I have several hundred people on my page but only a few responded. Responses that followed were: a four lettered word, it does take four letters to spell diet, a diet is something that sounds good on the first of January, and not so good by the third week of January, a diet is a way of eating. Most people think of it as a way to lose weight quickly when in reality following a proper diet (nutritionally balanced and exercising is the only way to truly lose weight. Another said, Die with a t, and doomed to fail because it is only temporary.
According to our book for Nutritional Cooking, Techniques of Healthy Cooking (CIA), “Diet simply means the foods we normally eat and drink. General consensus is that a diet is something which is controlling and restrictive in nature that we do in order to lose weight or that we are prescribed to follow for health reasons. In fact my Nutrition instructor who is a Registered Dietitian felt that Diet was a bad word and did not wish to discuss it. But as pointed out in the class and book, it is the food and drink which we consume. I conclude all my emails with the following: Diet is not a four lettered word, it is what we eat: it can be healthy or it can be detrimental to our health.
There are hundreds if not thousands of diets out there and many people start and stop them each day. The Daily Mail Reporter from the UK states that “Around one in five of us start a diet at least once a month and more than a third shop for low-calorie food…” and I am guessing that just as many stop their newly begun diets within a short time. The popular diets that I can name without much thought are: Atkins or Low Carb, The Rave Diet, Low Salt, Low Fat, Cholesterol Fat Restrictive, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Flexitarian, Juice Fast, Juicing, etc… As well as individual diets prescribed by a person’s Medical Doctor, describing number of calories, food restrictions and additions, etc… Every diet should be accompanied with exercise and a physician’s approval and over-sight.
The New Food Pyramid
A physician’s approval and assistance is important in choosing a diet and exercise regimen in that his/her assistance is vital in picking a diet which is not detrimental to any health issues you may be experiencing. People choose diet not only just to lose weight but to deal with any health conditions that they may be afflicted with. They could be dealing with High Blood Pressure, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cancer, Autism, Celiac Disease, Skin Conditions, AIDS, Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia. Whichever disease or ailment you may suffer from many times a proper diet will assist you in healing and recovery.
Many diets such as Vegan, Vegetarian, and Raw Diets make claims to your diet will help the body to heal itself if we do not eat animal products and/or eat foods which have not been cooked over 105 degrees F. Others such as the Juice Diet claim the body when consuming uncooked non animal produced foods will help the body in detoxification and cleansing. Many people who choose the Vegan, vegetarian, or Juice Diets also choose these diets for ethical reasons in not harming other physical living life with blood.
Many diets such as Vegan, Vegetarian, and Raw Diets make claims to your diet will help the body to heal itself if we do not eat animal products and/or eat foods which have not been cooked over 105 degrees F. Others such as the Juice Diet claim the body when consuming uncooked non animal produced foods will help the body in detoxification and cleansing. Many people who choose the Vegan, vegetarian, or Juice Diets also choose these diets for ethical reasons in not harming other physical living life with blood.
Dr.Mc Dougall who has several studies mentioned on the Rave Diet’s Web site attributes a Vegan or Raw Vegan Diet to the healing and/or recovery of individuals afflicted with many different diseases. They unlike many plans do ask people to include their physicians in all diet changes and plans as well as including an exercise regimen.
There are many films and documentaries about food and healthy eating. Ones in which I have watched and have found interesting are:
1. Supersize Me
2. Eating
3. Food, Inc.
6. Food Matters
Countless other movies as well as books, cookbooks included are published each year concerning food and the diets of interested to people. This is one reason to use your doctors advice in choosing a plan which is best for you or the advice of a Registered Dietitian or a Licensed Nutritionist.
Whatever advice is given, in the end it comes down to the person who must eat and drink the food. The old adage of you can lead a horse to water but you can not make them drink applies to us as humans with a desire and hunger for foods which are not always the best and healthiest for us.
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Food Pyramid that is suggested for People with MS
The Mayo Clinic and Web MD describe the flexitarian diet as a diet which basically one edges into slowly by weeding out foods which are not healthy to where eventually one is consuming a diet which is basically healthier. Healthier in that is primarily made up of a Vegan/Vegetarian Diet with an allowance for Fish or Poultry and then Red Meat maybe once or twice a month. Additionally, the USDA puts out a “Food Pyramid” showing which foods a person should consume with the least important holding the top parts and the most important making the base for how we eat. This Pyramid is updated every five years and this year the Pyramid took a different look.
I have been following this diet for about four years now and have lost slightly over 120 pounds. Over the last four years, I have personally seen my consumption of meats reduce to where I have not seemed to miss them. With the flexitarian diet, one does not suffer a loss of something when it is removed as basically you have weaned yourself from those foods which you have decided are not healthy for you.
Whatever reasons you have for choosing or not choosing a diet, remember you already have a diet. It is what you eat or drink each day and you choose whether it is healthy or unhealthy. I for one who suffer from MS, High Blood Pressure, numerous Food Diseases, and have a family history of diabetes, cancers, and other health issues such as Alzheimer’s have chosen to pursue a healthier diet and to share it with those whom I come into contact with.
Atkins
Low Carb
Jenny Craig
Weight Watchers
Rave Diet
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Family Recipes - Lime Pickles
(Picture from my sister Jeannine's FB page)
LIME PICKLES
(Grandma Yarbrough)
7 lb. cucumbers (about 1 gal.) sliced 1/4 in. thick
2 cups of lime (use fresh, not left over from last year)
2 gallon of cold water (town water preferred)
Let stand 24 hours in limewater. Take pickles out of limewater and rinse 3 times. (Put in fresh water in sink and rinse from side to side in a double sink - 3 times.) Let stand in clear cold water for 3 hours. Drain and wash cucumbers. Put in the following cold mixture and let stand overnight.
8 cups sugar
2 tsp. mixed pickling spices(Put spices in bag)
2 qt. Vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
2 T. salt
You can add some green food coloring if desired. Next morning simmer all together for 35 minutes, put in sterilized jars, and seal. I usually put them in a cold packer and bring them to a boil. Remove and tighten jars. Jars that do not seal after a few hours you will need to refrigerate.
Paper for Nutritional Cooking Class on Red Wine/Grapes
Harrison “Skip” Graden
3/5/12
Nutritional Cooking - M/T
Spring 2012
Chef David Rell
Red Wine/Grape Juice
A ______________ a day keeps the doctor away! While many people would immediately equate this with an Apple, an article from Yale-New Haven Hospital claims, “a glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away.” This was in an article they had posted on their web-site, the article states, for over a decade, research has indicated that moderate amount of alcohol improves cardiovascular health. Many research studies have shown time and time again, that red wine consumed in moderate consumption is one of the “eight ways” to reduce coronary heart disease. Red wine completes this by, “reducing production of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol (also known as the “bad” cholesterol) by boosting High Density Lipoprotien (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) by reducing blood clotting. Furthermore, consuming a glass of wine with a meal may favorably influence your lipid profiles following that meal.”
Many other articles also refer to the benefits of red wine/grape juice as being responsible not only for cardiovascular health, cognitive function in older people, cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and dental health. The Journal for Nutrition promotes grape consumption and includes information regarding grapes and their potential benefits:
· Cardiovascular Health
· Immune Function
· Cancer
· Cognitive Function/Brain Health
· Anti-microbial/anti-adhesion capabilities
· Bioavailability of grape compounds in metabolism
Maybe you are not into drinking alcoholic products. Maybe red wine causes you to have migraine headaches, could cause gout, and pregnant women are advised to not drink any alcoholic beverage; in any case you are not just confined to wines to get your nectar.
The web site, “the world’s healthiest foods” stated in 1 cup of grapes there is a daily value of: Manganese 33%, Vitamin C 6%, Vitamin B1 (thiamin) 5%, potassium 5%, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 5%, and only 61 calories 3%. But this is not about the grape but the benefits are claims of red wine/grape juice. Grape juice has been thought to have protected the “French” from their high fat diets of saturated fats like butter and lard, along with lifestyle habits like smoking which are risk factors for heart disease. Yet, French people with these bad habits have a lower risk for heart attack than Americans do. One paradox which explains this,”French paradox” is their frequent consumption of grapes and red wine. We also see this in the Mediterranean Diet, where alcohol, wine above all, is the ideal partner of a dinner or lunch, but that is all: the rest of the day must be absolutely alcohol-free. So if you are opposed to drinking alcohol there is always grape juice and studies show that is has to be red grape juice. Concord grape juice is the best one to consume according to a study conducted by D. Alan Cozier, Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Human Nutrition with colleagues at eh University of Glasgow and is also shown to be protective against food-borne illness and fight against the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers. 
Whether we consume red wine for the relaxing benefits it brings or we drink a glass or two, a day. (Women should have no more than one serving and men up to two.) Within reason it may be beneficial to our health. Too much alcohol consumption may cause damage to the nerves, the liver, and the pancreas, as well as elevate some triglycerides (fat in the blood stream). Heavy drinkers are also at risk for malnutrition, as alcohol may substitute for more nutritious foods. Recommendations to consume moderate amounts of wine are limited to individuals with a clean bill of health. People with medical and social conditions worsened by alcohol should not consume any alcohol at all. There are many diseases and medical conditions which may be worsened by consuming alcohol. Individuals at risk for such conditions should consult with their physician before consuming any alcohol at all.
Remember, if you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation – no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks for men.
Additionally, wines, red or white may be used in foods in place of salts or other seasoning which may not be as healthy. From marinades to sauces they are used in diverse ways and bring immense flavor to dishes they are used in.
Red Wine Works Cited
WHFFoods:Grapes. the world’s healthiest foods. The George Mateljan Foundation 2001- 2011.Web. 2 March 2011.
A glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away. Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale-New Haven Hospital. Web. 2 March 2011.
http://www.ynhh.org/about-us/red_wine.aspx?source=red_wine.html
Grogan M.D., Martha. Grape Juice: Same heart benefits as wine?. Mayo Clinic, 24 July 2009.
Web. 2 March 2011
Engel, Hartley. The health benefits of Purple Grape Juice. 2011 Associated Content. Web. 2 March 2011.
Pierce MattieWinery Marketing: Journal of Nutrition Promotes Grape Consumption. 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 2 March 2011.
http://www.piercemattiepublicrelations.com/fitnessdivision/2009/09/winery_marketing_journal_of_nu.html
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