With the economy on the fritz, many people are working twice as hard to make up for colleagues lost in layoffs. It can be hard to pick up the slack and still have energy at the end of the day -- or even working weekends.
In the food business, I'm used to long hours, but I have come up with some ways to fight fatigue when I just don't have time for exercise or R&R is nowhere in sight. Making simple changes to your eating habits can have a huge effect on your energy level throughout the day, which can help you work faster and more efficiently.
After the jump get Jennifer's tips for fighting fatigue while eating deliciously.
"Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"
By Erin McKenna
Photographs by Tara Donne Clarkson Potter -- 2009 Buy It at Amazon
Note: While testing the vanilla frosting recipe, we accidentally used soy flour instead of the the soy milk powder the recipe called for. The two are easily confused but not interchangeable, as our results demonstrated.
When Erin McKenna opened BabyCakes NYC in 2005, her gluten-free, vegan baked goods became a huge success, giving hope to the gluten-intolerant and converting legions of dairy-worshipping skeptics. Her new cookbook is both a how-to guide and winning, chatty account of McKenna's journey from junk food junkie to gluten-free goddess (she changed her Twinkie-loving ways in 2004, when she was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies). Pretty much everything in the baked good pantheon is here -- cupcakes, blueberry corn muffins, scones, cake and cobbler -- ensuring that while the gluten and dairy may be missing, absolutely nothing else is.
Takeaway Tips: McKenna writes in a clear, humorous and reassuring voice that makes you feel like you're baking in the company of, if not an old friend, then an endlessly understanding and forgiving teacher. She provides ingenious advice on making simple, natural food coloring (who knew that a pinch of turmeric made gorgeous yellow icing?), and her incredibly helpful ingredients glossary at the beginning of the book (from agave nectar to xantham gum) removes a lot of the considerable intimidation factor inherent in gluten-free, vegan baking.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
When people think of chefs and restaurant food, the work "skinny" usually doesn't pop into their minds. While the food is often delicious and satisfying, it can be high in calories and fat.
I dine out each week, but I know there's a downside to indulging every day. When I worked in New York City restaurant kitchens, I learned something really valuable -- cooking techniques that I could apply to make healthier versions of those meals, so I could enjoy them more often. I also learned how to fit restaurant food into a balanced lifestyle.
My mission as the Skinny Chef is to recreate those flavors and experiences by making food that can be enjoyed guilt free, more often, at home. While I discovered great ways to maintaining a healthy weight, I chose the name Skinny Chef to remind us that food can be fun, flavorful, beautiful, satisfying and healthy at the same time.
Sharing my knowledge and love of food with others has completely changed my life and put me in touch with so many wonderful people I might have never had the chance to meet. I want to hear more about you and your food experiences, so that we can start together our journey to easy, fun ways to cook tasty nourishing meals.
Responses to questions from last post's comments are after the jump.
Meet Slashfood's newest blogger, Jennifer Iserloh, a.k.a. The Skinny Chef. Twice a week, Chef Iserloh will be sharing smart, savory ways to make your favorite dishes healthier, without sacrificing flavor.
I was raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh in my Granny's little brick house, complete with a large dine-in kitchen. Granny is an amazing cook and almost all our meals were from scratch. She began passing all her knowledge and cooking traditions on to me when I was tall enough to reach the counter. Cooking became an integral part of my life, but overeating and serious weight issues were another, unfortunate part of my family's heritage.
As I grew older, I steadily gained weight from my teen years into my early 20s. I felt a real dissatisfaction with the way I looked, and more importantly, being overweight really hurt my self-confidence. I knew that I had to make changes, and I began to learn about nutrition - mimicking my slender female friends' healthy habits. I started to lose weight, but I never lost my love for food.
After I moved to New York City, I finally had the courage to follow my dream to become a chef and truly honor my passion. After graduating, I studied with the masters of New York City restaurants. As my professional scope widened, I experienced food on many levels, working as a private chef, learning how to style foods for photo shoots, and starting a career in food writing. To this day, I combine my best experiences from the food world into delicious, healthy food that is also beautiful.
Based on studies conducted on mice, mushrooms can protect the immune system. But, can they strengthen our immunity? A recent report from Reuters explains that the most common and inexpensive mushroom, the white button mushroom, had the strongest "immune-boosting effects." Dr. Keith Martin of Arizona State University goes as far as stating that these fungi are "powerhouses for boosting the immune system."
Assuming that these studies apply to humans, this is great news for those of you who are already taking mushroom extracts as dietary supplements. Scientific studies also reveal that mushrooms may help increase the immune system's ability to fight tumors. So, just how many mushrooms would we have to consume to reap these health benefits? Martin explains that to get the equivalent amount of mushrooms consumed by the mice in the study, a person would need to eat about 100 grams (3.5 ounces). That's roughly two and a half cups of raw mushrooms -- daily.
Less than two months into her term as first lady, Michelle Obama has emerged as an outspoken advocate for healthier eating. Last week Obama brought eight cases of fresh fruit to a D.C. soup kitchen, where she served steamed broccoli, mushroom risotto and homemade apple-carrot muffins as she talked about her desire to increase access to healthy food all over the country, reports the New York Times.
"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," Obama said.
This comes after a speech to the Department of Agriculture last month in which Obama talked up community gardens, followed a few days later by her press tour of the White House kitchen where chefs were preparing healthy items like creamed spinach sans cream. Obama has also talked to various magazines, from Vogue to Parents, about how she's struggled to get her girls to eat veggies and cut out sugary treats.
Apparently Laura Bush also served fresh, organic foods in the White House, but didn't discuss her family's eating habits with reporters. I think it's great that Obama's raising the profile of healthy food - this country could certainly use it. As the New York Times suggests, parents can always use the "But Sasha and Malia eat their veggies..." tactic!
Do you think Michelle Obama's healthy eating campagin will create permanent change in the way Americans eat?
When I signed up for fitness boot camp, I had no idea that I'd also be expected to follow a new eating regimen. Six am workouts sounded rigorous enough, but come to find out, this is about more than sit-ups, squats, and sprints. Alcohol, fried food, and sweets are all outlawed during the 30-day program, and we campers are to eat five to six small meals, each packing some protein and carbs, every day.
Everything in me rebels against depriving myself of any kind of gustatory pleasure, but it really wouldn't hurt to give my heart and liver a break from butter and booze. I do wonder, though, how well I will be able to stick to the 6 meal per day plan.
In theory, this is the part I like the most about the regimen. I can imagine that it would be much easier on the digestive system, and would also curb cravings to some degree. it just sounds so difficult to plan so many little menus. Just after noon on Day 2, I'm three meals in, wondering how I'll segment the other half of lunch and the two halves of dinner. Does anybody out there manage to stick to this kind of routine day after day? I'd love to hear about people's experiences of it.
This past weekend, Reuters reported the death of an elder woman in Minnesota due to Salmonella infection. She is the seventh person in the U.S. to die from this bacteria. As of last Wednesday, 491 people have been infected during the current outbreak. And, 125 products have been recalled by the FDA, including cookies, crackers, ice cream and even some pet foods.
Below are some ways to avoid possible infection:
Washing your hands and kitchen surfaces before working with any food may seem obvious, but many people forget.
Wash your hands and counter tops or cutting boards in between working with vegetables and raw meats to avoid cross-contamination.
Antibacterial soap or simple soap and water work well.
Use fresh, clean dish towels and change often.
Thoroughly wash all fruit, even if you are not going to eat the skin.
Any fruit that might touch the ground, such as tomatoes, is susceptible to Salmonella. So, spend even more time scrubbing these fruits.
Cut off any vines or parts that were attached to the plant. When eating tomatoes, make sure to cut off and discard the hard nib on the top of the fruit, because the bacteria can implant itself there easily.
Take off the outer leaves of cabbage and lettuce, and the outer skin of onions.
When baking, make sure to thoroughly cook the baked foods before eating them. Salmonella usually comes from raw eggs. Do not eat raw cookie dough no matter how tempting it may be!
Salmonella poisoning often occurs from poultry and raw eggs that haven't been properly cooked, or frozen and not properly cooked, or left sitting too long after being cooked.
Got pets? Make sure after handling them you wash your hands.
You better think twice next time you bite into what appears to be a nutritious Luna bar. The Los Angeles Times recently had an article stating that Clif Bar and Co. announced a recall of Clif and Luna brand bars that contain peanut butter. The decision was based on the FDA's announcement that traces of Salmonella Typhimurium contamination have been found in a plant owned by Peanut Corp. of America. The plant which manufactures peanut butter and peanut paste supplies companies nationwide. To find out what other food products have been affected, you can view an online list put together by the FDA.
While food shopping yesterday, I noticed a shelf full of Luna bars. I can't help but to feel mildly skeptical of the FDA. Just how seriously should we take this Salmonella scare? After doing some online research yesterday, I found out that there are approximately 40,000 cases of Salmonella infection reported every year in the U.S. In the summer of 2008, there was a Salmonella outbreak that seemed to have been caused by fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers from Mexico, raw tomatoes, and fresh cilantro. The highest amount of cases occured in Texas and New Mexico.
Originally, I thought that Salmonella was only present in raw meat, in particular poultry. In turns out that any foods that have been in contact with raw meat could also contain the bacteria. I'm just perplexed as to how it could have ended up in this peanut butter plant. Does it say something about the sanitary conditions of the plant or could it have happened anywhere?
In July, I wrote a post about gummi bears being good for your teeth. They're not the only candy that promote dental health. It turns out that sugar-free chocolate may actually prevent tooth decay. Over the past years, medical research has proven that cocoa contains an anti-bacterial enzyme which helps to prevent plaque formation.
8 years ago, the BBC News had an article about a study done by researchers at Osaka University in Japan. The scientists discovered that the outer part of the bean, the cocoa bean husk (CBH), has an anti-bacterial effect on the mouth. But, before you run to your nearest chocolate shop, bear in mind that this part is usually discarded in chocolate production. They suggest putting CBH back into chocolate and possibly using it to create a mouthwash and tooth paste.
Just last year, Science Daily released news about research conducted at Tulane University by Arman Sadeghpour. Their research results showed that cocoa extract was even more effective than fluoride in fighting cavities. Now, I'm wondering what kind of chocolate we should purchase in order to reap these dental benefits.
It is no longer news that Tuna is dangerously high in mercury. But, what's worth remarking is that tuna has remained off consumer watch lists for mercury toxicity due to the influence of the tuna industry on the FDA. The eco-blog Treehugger just commented on an article from Mother Jones uncovering why toxic tuna is still legal.
The article explains that tuna is a huge business in the U.S., and that it's the country's second most popular seafood. The FDA and US Department of Agriculture actually encourage school lunch programs and the federal food program for poor women and children to eat cans of tuna. They promote the fact that it's low in fat, high in protein, and contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids. If some canned tuna receives the American Heart Association seal of approval, can the fact that it has high levels of mercury be so bad?
The issue is that the doctors who flaunt the health benefits of tuna work within the industry. And, the truth is that the health benefits can not outweigh the health hazards of mercury, which over the long-term include damage to the heart, nervous system, and kidneys. The Mother Jones article tells the story of Deborah Landvik-Fellner, a woman who had been eating a can of albacore tuna for 12 years and ended up with shaky hands and a staggering gait. The scary thing about her lawsuit is that the FDA posed the biggest obstacle. After not eating tuna for a year, her symptons went away.
Ah, the many ways to keep your teeth healthy: Brushing, flossing, and eating gummy bears. That's right. According to an article from this past Sunday's New York Post, a new study from researchers at the University of Washington reveals that the natural sweetener xylitol, which is used in Gummi Bears, may create healthy teeth.
Their suggested prescription? Eat four gummy bears three times a day for six weeks. This will result in a low count of streptococcus mutans, a contributor to tooth decay. But, do not forget to make sure that they are made with xylitol which is also used in chewing gum (Orbit chewing gum and Trident gum). Interestingly, in China, Japan, and South Korea there's a brand of gum named "Xylitol" which contains the magic ingredient that keeps your teeth healthy.
Just when I thought I'd take a break from eating junk food. Gee, are there any other candies that can prevent tooth decay?
At last, tomatoes improve their reputation despite recent reports of them causing cases of salmonella. Just last week, Springer's journal "Biotechnology Letter" had a study on how transgenic plants, like tomatoes, are used to produce a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease.
Would we simply need to eat more tomatoes to ward off symptoms of Alzheimer's disease? According to the report, researchers believe that tomatoes may help create an edible cure for the disease. To prevent Alzheimer's disease, scientists are looking to stimulate the immune system to reduce beta-amyloid which is a toxic protein in the brain that destroys neurons. Apparently, the tomatoes had strong immune responses on mice which lead scientists to wonder the possibilities of a tomato-based cure for the disease.
So, just when you thought you should avoid tomatoes, it turns out they might be incredibly beneficial to your health. Finally, you could enjoy your cool refreshing mildly spicy gazpacho soup without wondering about the tomatoes causing salmonella.
If you're trying to lose weight this summer to fit into that very special bathing suit, you should consider keeping a food diary. A recent study from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research shows that maintaining a daily food diary doubles a person's weight loss. This recent discovery comes from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted.
Since more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, the results from this study seem crucial in helping Americans lose weight more easily. It's also worth noting that since African Americans have a higher risk of conditions aggravated by being overweight, including diabetes and heart disease, the research recruited 44 percent of its study participants from the African American community.
While it seems obvious that writing a daily account of our food intake will help us lose weight, we seem to forget it. Now, it's proven to work. I have to admit that on the rare occasions when I've kept a food diary, I was often shocked to see the laundry list of junk food I eat. Have you ever kept a food diary? If so, what were some of the foods you were surprised to see reoccurring in your daily diet?
I don't have any children, but I like to think that I'd be a good mom if I did. I'd read to them, try to get them interested in many different areas, and most of all teach them about food. Of course I'd want to try and raise sophisticated eaters, but I'd also teach them about eating healthily.
There are lots of ways to go about doing that, but I think that healthy eating websites would be a good tool to have in the bag. As I don't have any kids, I have no idea what's out there, but this website was brought to my attention recently. Playnormous is an online community for parents and kids to learn about healthy eating. There are games and animations, as well as a blog in which the posts talk about basic web lingo.
I looked around Playnormous and played the Food Fury game. I have to say, the site is really cute, and, even though it's for kids, I had fun playing the game. If you have kids, check it out. It may be a fun way to help teach your kids to eat well.
"Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery"
When people think of chefs and restaurant food, the work "skinny" usually doesn't pop into their minds. While the food is often delicious and satisfying, it can be high in calories and fat.
Meet Slashfood's newest blogger, Jennifer Iserloh, a.k.a. The Skinny Chef. Twice a week, Chef Iserloh will be sharing smart, savory ways to make your favorite dishes healthier, without sacrificing flavor.
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