Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Allergy Friendly (Corn Free, Peanut Free) - Rice Krispie Treats
Normal people have allergies. It's amazing how common food allergies are really.
Eh.... this video isn't that interesting.. but it makes me think!..
She uses some good ingredients instead of using marshmallows (consisting of corn syrup, corn starch and sometimes egg whites).
She uses ingredients such as sunflower butter and organic brown rice, Rice Krispies cereal. Anyway, she uses a few good ingredients and has a good method of making the classic Rice Krispie treat, but it makes me think -- maybe corn syrup in rice krispies can be replaced with brown rice syrup???! I must try this little snack and I too can have what used to be an amazing treat. I bet sunflower butter is somewhat healthy for you too? hmmmm.
She uses some good ingredients instead of using marshmallows (consisting of corn syrup, corn starch and sometimes egg whites).
She uses ingredients such as sunflower butter and organic brown rice, Rice Krispies cereal. Anyway, she uses a few good ingredients and has a good method of making the classic Rice Krispie treat, but it makes me think -- maybe corn syrup in rice krispies can be replaced with brown rice syrup???! I must try this little snack and I too can have what used to be an amazing treat. I bet sunflower butter is somewhat healthy for you too? hmmmm.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sugar and its effect on our mind and body
Diana Allen, MS, CNS, is a health writer and holistic clinical nutritionist in private practice in Massachusetts. She specializes in food sensitivities, detoxification, traditional whole food diets and raw/living food nutrition. She's written many brochures and fact sheets for the Pioneer Health Education library, numerous health articles and a few books. Her short 45 page booklet, Natural & Healthy Sweeteners, a Woodland Health Series... goes into great detail the effects sugar has on our body and life. Carbohydrates and sweet foods are very valuable to our diets, as long as they come from the right source. It explains what is wrong with sugar and artificial sweeteners and helps us understand better ways to satisfy one's natural desire for sweet foods and drinks. The book also explains a bit about digestion and Low vs. high Glycemic Foods. The short book mentions the BEST natural and healthy sweeteners that are great to use for baking, sweetening tea/coffee, making smoothies, etc.. Stevia, Agave Syrup, Yacon, Brown Rice Syrup, tooth-friendly Xylitol and a few other good alternatives to sugar are mentioned. The beginning of the book explains in frightening detail the effects sugar has on our body and mind. Everyone knows sugar isn't good for you, but I think I've even a bit ignorant. And well.. sugar is addicting. I am addicted to chocolate. But there are healthier ways to cure our cravings. Sugar weakens the immune system, weakens teeth, may be the reasons people are more prone to colds and illnesses, it's a primary food of cancer cells, and has a large list of psychological effects - energy imbalances, sleep disturbances, fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, depression, hyperactivity. Diana Allen recommends reading the book Sugar Blues, by William Dufty.
I've always known that sugar is of course really bad for one's health, especially too much of it, but I've never ACTUALLY thought about it too much. One thing stated in Diana's book that REALLY seemed to make me more aware of the evilness of sugar was this:
Also stated in this book is that HFCS is seen to the body as a predigested sucrose. Meaning, HFCS can raise blood glucose and insulin levels even FASTER than white sugar (I think I've maybe mentioned this in a previous post, but its frightening!).
Anyway, this booklet is very helpful and interesting. Diana's blog Eat 2 Evolve is full of great information, recipes, and motivational advice. She speaks about whole foods, raw foods and cleansing for good health and spirit.
I've always known that sugar is of course really bad for one's health, especially too much of it, but I've never ACTUALLY thought about it too much. One thing stated in Diana's book that REALLY seemed to make me more aware of the evilness of sugar was this:
"The pH of human blood is tightly regulated to remain between 7.35 and 7.45 (slightly alkaline). Frequent consumption of sugars and other acid-forming foods can drive blood pH into the bottom end of this range, contributing to a state of chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis against which the body must continually defend itself. One method of defense is to pull alkalizing, acid-buffering minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium) into the bloodstream from their primary storage site: BONE TISSUE. This process of "robbing Peter to pay Paul: may succeed in raising blood pH to acceptable levels but it can also lead to bone loss and osteoporosis over time, explaining the link between low bone mineral density and high sugar consumption.
In one famous experiment from 1976, nutrition pioneer Dr. Emmanuel Cheraskin and colleagues showed that drinking 12 ounces of cola caused a 50 percent reduction in immune-specific white blood cells."The fact that calcium could be stolen from bone tissue because of too much sugar being contained, is extremely frightening. It is very important for women to consume enough calcium in their diets, so the fact that if not enough calcium is being brought in AND sugar is allowing calcium to be taken away from bone tissue, is something to think about.
Also stated in this book is that HFCS is seen to the body as a predigested sucrose. Meaning, HFCS can raise blood glucose and insulin levels even FASTER than white sugar (I think I've maybe mentioned this in a previous post, but its frightening!).
Anyway, this booklet is very helpful and interesting. Diana's blog Eat 2 Evolve is full of great information, recipes, and motivational advice. She speaks about whole foods, raw foods and cleansing for good health and spirit.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Menu's and other random design.
I'm researching Menu's - design, Layout, Photography.... styles, contents (variety, how many items?), formatting/groups, Items not readily available in other shops/what will draw customers in, materials used available year round?, shelf life, cooking times, do you mention organic? Do you know its certified organic? Identify ingredients that are common allergens? list all ingredients?...
The important things to include in a good menu that will work on a daily basis. KIND OF researching, but really just looking at randomness. A few interesting things:
Lucy's Vegan Cookies at Starbucks. Allergy friendly.. Being egg free, gluten free, no milk or tree nuts. But they contain corn corn corn. and garbanzo beans, potato starch, etc.
Quarrygirl.com
I kind of enjoy the packaging of Sugar Plum Fairy baked goods. Very simple and clean with plush colors, and nice photographs. Edmundsonmartin.com Some images of their goods and brief descriptions and names are a bit helpful and interesting.. Sugar Plum Fairy Co.
http://buttercupbakeshop.com/
Hello Cupcake Identity for this bakery was created by
OrangeYouGlad Print, Web and Identity Design fresh from Brooklyn, NY.
The important things to include in a good menu that will work on a daily basis. KIND OF researching, but really just looking at randomness. A few interesting things:
Lucy's Vegan Cookies at Starbucks. Allergy friendly.. Being egg free, gluten free, no milk or tree nuts. But they contain corn corn corn. and garbanzo beans, potato starch, etc.
Quarrygirl.com
I kind of enjoy the packaging of Sugar Plum Fairy baked goods. Very simple and clean with plush colors, and nice photographs. Edmundsonmartin.com Some images of their goods and brief descriptions and names are a bit helpful and interesting.. Sugar Plum Fairy Co.
http://buttercupbakeshop.com/
Hello Cupcake Identity for this bakery was created by
OrangeYouGlad Print, Web and Identity Design fresh from Brooklyn, NY.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Spelt Flour - a bit of research
"spelt flour Notes: Spelt flour contains gluten, but it's tolerated by many people with gluten allergies. If making bread with spelt flour, don't knead it for as long as you would a wheat bread--its gluten isn't as durable as that in wheat. Freeze any spelt flour that you're not planning to use right away. Substitutes: kamut flour (like spelt flour, kamut flour is tolerated by most people with wheat allergies and is good for making bread and pasta)" The Cooks Thesaurus
However, Spelt DEFINITELY is not gluten free, so those with celiac probably shouldn't have it. But it may be tolerated by SOME who have a sensitivity to wheat. Erin McKenna claims that Spelt flour seems to be okay for her. Note the following statement..
"Spelt is similar to wheat in appearance. However, spelt has a tougher husk than wheat, which may help protect the nutrients in spelt. Spelt flour has a somewhat nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour. Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate spelt. Spelt has gluten, just like wheat, so spelt is not suitable for a gluten-free diet". nutrition.about.com
Spelt has slightly fewer calories than wheat flour and higher in protein. The flour is easy to digest but is lower in fiber than regular wheat.
Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
However, Spelt DEFINITELY is not gluten free, so those with celiac probably shouldn't have it. But it may be tolerated by SOME who have a sensitivity to wheat. Erin McKenna claims that Spelt flour seems to be okay for her. Note the following statement..
"Spelt is similar to wheat in appearance. However, spelt has a tougher husk than wheat, which may help protect the nutrients in spelt. Spelt flour has a somewhat nuttier and slightly sweeter flavor than whole wheat flour. Spelt contains more protein than wheat, and the protein in spelt is easier to digest. This means that some people who are allergic to wheat may be able to tolerate spelt. Spelt has gluten, just like wheat, so spelt is not suitable for a gluten-free diet". nutrition.about.com
Spelt has slightly fewer calories than wheat flour and higher in protein. The flour is easy to digest but is lower in fiber than regular wheat.
Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Monday, March 1, 2010
More on Stevia
Erin has used Stevia for 9 years.......!
Apparently it is okay to be considered a sweetener now. I saved an article out of a local newspaper about Stevia and Agave Nectar. Seems I'm pretty behind on knowing about these sweeteners. Apparently the two sweeteners are showing up in cocktails, bottled drinks and a host of other products. The article stated that "In December 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of rebaudioside A or reb-A, a derivative of the stevia plant, for use in foods and beverages in the United States, provided it is at least 95 percent PURE. Rev-A is 300 times sweeter than sugar". Pepsi uses the brand PureVia to sweeten their SoBe Lifewater products. "Agave nectar also is showing up as a substitute for the much maligned high-fructose corn syrup in products such as ketchup and barbecue sauce". The article also states that when using agave as an alternative to sugar, you should lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees because agave tends to brown more quickly. I didn't really know that. Also, when I've experimented with agave, I used the Light syrup.. next time I think I'll try using the Amber Agave Nectar, which is considered to have more of a caramel flavor which may be better in cookie recipes. Although Agave has a low glycemic index and takes a longer time to convert to glucose .. helping keep glucose steady... it's still a sugar. I'd really like to try using stevia soon. I wonder how to alter the rest of recipes. Since stevia is very strong, you wouldn't have all the dry ingredients. Less wet ingredients? stevia in a liquid form? hmmm. I'll have to figure out what to do.
A Visit to Babycakes NYC from rachaelray.com on Vimeo.
Apparently it is okay to be considered a sweetener now. I saved an article out of a local newspaper about Stevia and Agave Nectar. Seems I'm pretty behind on knowing about these sweeteners. Apparently the two sweeteners are showing up in cocktails, bottled drinks and a host of other products. The article stated that "In December 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of rebaudioside A or reb-A, a derivative of the stevia plant, for use in foods and beverages in the United States, provided it is at least 95 percent PURE. Rev-A is 300 times sweeter than sugar". Pepsi uses the brand PureVia to sweeten their SoBe Lifewater products. "Agave nectar also is showing up as a substitute for the much maligned high-fructose corn syrup in products such as ketchup and barbecue sauce". The article also states that when using agave as an alternative to sugar, you should lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees because agave tends to brown more quickly. I didn't really know that. Also, when I've experimented with agave, I used the Light syrup.. next time I think I'll try using the Amber Agave Nectar, which is considered to have more of a caramel flavor which may be better in cookie recipes. Although Agave has a low glycemic index and takes a longer time to convert to glucose .. helping keep glucose steady... it's still a sugar. I'd really like to try using stevia soon. I wonder how to alter the rest of recipes. Since stevia is very strong, you wouldn't have all the dry ingredients. Less wet ingredients? stevia in a liquid form? hmmm. I'll have to figure out what to do.
A Visit to Babycakes NYC from rachaelray.com on Vimeo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)