Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Coffee with the Chef: Mo Kablouti, Bibi'z Restaurant and Lounge in Westwood
Mo Kablouti owned five restaurants and cafés in Manhattan — two in Chelsea and three in Greenwich Village, including Rafaella's on Bleecker Street, where he was executive chef — until, after 19 years, rising rents forced him out of the city.
Now the 60-year-old Ridgewood resident and father of three is the chef at Westwood's Bibi'z Restaurant and Lounge, where for two years he's worked to create the global cuisine the establishment is known for.
Originally from Tunisia, Kablouti came to the United States at 17 and learned to cook at an Italian restaurant in Miami. Other than that experience, he's self-taught. Bibi'z received 2 1/2 out of 4 stars from The Record in December 2013.
Here, he talks about bronzino, Whole Foods and an odd diner who always sends his food back so it can be burned more.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: The bronzino [$29]. We serve it boneless, but it's very delicate, and it's complicated to make sure that the fish stays intact.
My favorite local restaurant: I go to Just Janice, a bistro in Ho-Ho-Kus. I like the short ribs and the risotto — it's perfect, nice and creamy.
What I'd never pay for at a restaurant: Bread — the first thing on the table should be bread, olive oil and butter, but a lot of them don't do that anymore. And if they do, they want to charge you.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: You must practice. If you cook for long enough, you're going to get better at it, and if you make a mistake, you move on. You don't give up because something doesn't taste good, or because your wife didn't like it.
Favorite dish I've created: The blackened salmon with a tomato chardonnay [$27]. It's a big seller, and I like it because it has the spiciness of the Cajun spice in the fish along with the sweetness of the tomato chardonnay, which has figs and cranberries. A lobster sauce on the plate gives you another flavor as well.
Best place to grocery shop in North Jersey: I like Whole Foods' quality, and that they have a lot of local stuff.
My favorite cooking show: I watch Ina Garten. A lot of her dishes are interesting because they're very simple and very good.
Strangest request from a diner: I have a man that comes in, and he orders the same thing every time: a shrimp cocktail in a martini glass and a chicken kabob. But he wants them burned. So I send them out to him, and he always sends them back and says they're not burned enough — and they're black already. But he always wants them burned more. I've never seen anything like it.
The biggest misconception about chefs: That this is easy work.
How I keep my weight down: I don't eat. A lot of chefs eat continuously, but when I'm working I just cannot. I don't have the appetite.
Favorite cookbook: Ina Gartner's "Barefoot Contessa Family Style." I've tried a lot of her recipes and they're beautiful.
Most underused spice: Cumin and coriander. They're powerful spices, and you can't just throw them in anything; it has to be the right dish. Here, we use coriander in the Tunisian couscous [$15], which is a vegan dish, and in the fava beans [$5, appetizer].
More info: Bibi'z Restaurant and Lounge, 84 Center Ave., Westwood; 201-722-8600; bibizlounge.com. Appetizers $5 to $7, entrées $15 to $29.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-mo-kablouti-of-bibi-z-restaurant-in-westwood-dishes-on-food-diners-and-restaurants-1.1099733
Now the 60-year-old Ridgewood resident and father of three is the chef at Westwood's Bibi'z Restaurant and Lounge, where for two years he's worked to create the global cuisine the establishment is known for.
Originally from Tunisia, Kablouti came to the United States at 17 and learned to cook at an Italian restaurant in Miami. Other than that experience, he's self-taught. Bibi'z received 2 1/2 out of 4 stars from The Record in December 2013.
Here, he talks about bronzino, Whole Foods and an odd diner who always sends his food back so it can be burned more.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: The bronzino [$29]. We serve it boneless, but it's very delicate, and it's complicated to make sure that the fish stays intact.
My favorite local restaurant: I go to Just Janice, a bistro in Ho-Ho-Kus. I like the short ribs and the risotto — it's perfect, nice and creamy.
What I'd never pay for at a restaurant: Bread — the first thing on the table should be bread, olive oil and butter, but a lot of them don't do that anymore. And if they do, they want to charge you.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: You must practice. If you cook for long enough, you're going to get better at it, and if you make a mistake, you move on. You don't give up because something doesn't taste good, or because your wife didn't like it.
Favorite dish I've created: The blackened salmon with a tomato chardonnay [$27]. It's a big seller, and I like it because it has the spiciness of the Cajun spice in the fish along with the sweetness of the tomato chardonnay, which has figs and cranberries. A lobster sauce on the plate gives you another flavor as well.
Best place to grocery shop in North Jersey: I like Whole Foods' quality, and that they have a lot of local stuff.
My favorite cooking show: I watch Ina Garten. A lot of her dishes are interesting because they're very simple and very good.
Strangest request from a diner: I have a man that comes in, and he orders the same thing every time: a shrimp cocktail in a martini glass and a chicken kabob. But he wants them burned. So I send them out to him, and he always sends them back and says they're not burned enough — and they're black already. But he always wants them burned more. I've never seen anything like it.
The biggest misconception about chefs: That this is easy work.
How I keep my weight down: I don't eat. A lot of chefs eat continuously, but when I'm working I just cannot. I don't have the appetite.
Favorite cookbook: Ina Gartner's "Barefoot Contessa Family Style." I've tried a lot of her recipes and they're beautiful.
Most underused spice: Cumin and coriander. They're powerful spices, and you can't just throw them in anything; it has to be the right dish. Here, we use coriander in the Tunisian couscous [$15], which is a vegan dish, and in the fava beans [$5, appetizer].
More info: Bibi'z Restaurant and Lounge, 84 Center Ave., Westwood; 201-722-8600; bibizlounge.com. Appetizers $5 to $7, entrées $15 to $29.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-mo-kablouti-of-bibi-z-restaurant-in-westwood-dishes-on-food-diners-and-restaurants-1.1099733
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Buff is the new skinny
Nicole Riordan spent a long time trying to "get skinny." As a longtime runner and avid gym rat, the 43-year-old mother of two wasn't overweight, and her gym routine was built on the traditional building blocks of women's fitness: step workouts, spin classes and "tons of aerobics." Still though, she wasn't where she wanted to be.
But three years ago, the Bloomingdale resident began taking the circuit class at Cannonball Gym in Pompton Lakes. The class, which mixed weight lifting and strength training with more basic exercises like jumping rope, was not only a new challenge, but introduced her to a new world, one where "thin and skinny" took a
back seat to "fit and strong."
Hundreds of workouts later, she can squat 105 pounds — something she never thought she'd do — and has raised her pushup total from around 10 to well over 50. She's gained weight but dropped two clothing sizes, has more muscle definition than ever, and can even keep up with some of the men in Cannonball's lifting class.
"Women are always trained to weigh less, and you think that number on the scale means so much," she said. "But I liked the definition I was getting, I liked getting stronger, I liked being able to wear a tank top and know that my arms look fit. … It was so much more empowering."
These aren't words you would have heard from a woman in the gym just 10 years ago, said Cannonball's 32-year-old owner/operator, Austin Wall, and it's only in the last five that he's seen women trade the "skinny-at-all-costs" mentality for one built on a little more muscle. He attributes this, in part, to the rise in popularity of women's sports — average women are watching those athletes and beginning to look to their bodies for inspiration instead of rail-thin runway models. Not to mention our culture's obsession with health.
"The goal is health, and women are becoming more comfortable with that," Wall said. "And if that means being a little bit thicker than whatever the old standard was, I think they're happy with that, too."
Cris Dobrosielski, author and owner of Monumental Results Inc. in San Diego and a consultant with the American Council on Exercise, agrees. "You have more women coming out of high school and college with experience in weight training, where 20 years ago it was thought to be manly," he said.
And the trend does seem to be catching on: According to the recently published American College of Sports Medicine's annual fitness trend forecast for 2015, three of the top four exercise trends — body-weight training, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and strength training — involve strength training to increase lean body mass. (The fourth trend: "consulting with experts.")
The health benefits of weight lifting are well-established. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research has shown that pumping iron can reduce the symptoms of several diseases and chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, obesity, back pain, depression and osteoporosis (the latter of particular concern to women).
"While aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging or swimming, has many excellent health benefits … it does not make your muscles strong. Strength training does," the CDC's website notes. It cites a year-long study of postmenopausal women at Tufts University, which found that a group that did progressive strength training just two days a week had 1-percent gains in hip and spine density, 75-percent increases in strength and a 13-percent increase in dynamic balance. The control group showed losses in all of those categories.
Not everyone is convinced that this "movement" is actually happening, however, and there does seem to be a disconnect between what's going on in the gym and what researchers say women believe about their bodies.
Diana Thomas, professor and director of the Center for Quantitative Obesity Research at Montclair State University, believes that the "strong and healthy" idea is more marketing ploy than movement. Recent research still indicates that women overestimate the size of their bodies and then choose the skinniest possible model as their ideal when asked how they'd like to look, she maintained.
Thomas worries that the actual implication is to be both strong and skinny. If there was a concerted effort to change the ideal of what's attractive in order to promote working out for strength instead of vanity, "that would be wonderful," she said.
"Muscle is good, especially for women," Thomas said. "Having lean body mass keeps them from getting osteoporosis. Instead of looking at appearance goals, we should look at health goals."
Sarah Bateman, a Teaneck therapist specializing in eating disorders, said that although she feels the "fit, toned look" has become "very desirable," pursuing one vision as "the ideal" can be dangerous no matter what that vision may be; being in the weight room for inordinate amounts of time can be as disruptive to one's life as skipping dinners to shed pounds.
"There isn't just one healthy body image, there isn't one healthy body type," she said. "And idealizing any one specific type is dangerous because everyone has different bodies."
Tina Thea, a 47-year-old mother of three from Upper Saddle River, began lifting at Fit Club Strength and Conditioning in Allendale about five years ago as she entered middle age. She quickly got hooked; she felt stronger, and people noticed the improvement. Today, she can do seven pull-ups — when she began, she could do only two — and can use 40-pound dumbbells for bench pressing.
"I really kind of love it," she said. "I couldn't imagine not doing it."
Richie Carney, the 33-year-old owner of Fit Club, said that he sees more women than ever in his training sessions; where once his classes were mostly men, today about half his clientele is female.
"At first, they're nervous [about working out with men], but then they realize it's not a competition and they're not being judged," he said. "It's kind of inspiring, and they feed off each other."
-
http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/buff-is-the-new-skinny-1.1135910?page=all
 |
| Riordan weightlifts at Cannonball Gym in Pompton Lakes |
But three years ago, the Bloomingdale resident began taking the circuit class at Cannonball Gym in Pompton Lakes. The class, which mixed weight lifting and strength training with more basic exercises like jumping rope, was not only a new challenge, but introduced her to a new world, one where "thin and skinny" took a
back seat to "fit and strong."
Hundreds of workouts later, she can squat 105 pounds — something she never thought she'd do — and has raised her pushup total from around 10 to well over 50. She's gained weight but dropped two clothing sizes, has more muscle definition than ever, and can even keep up with some of the men in Cannonball's lifting class.
"Women are always trained to weigh less, and you think that number on the scale means so much," she said. "But I liked the definition I was getting, I liked getting stronger, I liked being able to wear a tank top and know that my arms look fit. … It was so much more empowering."
These aren't words you would have heard from a woman in the gym just 10 years ago, said Cannonball's 32-year-old owner/operator, Austin Wall, and it's only in the last five that he's seen women trade the "skinny-at-all-costs" mentality for one built on a little more muscle. He attributes this, in part, to the rise in popularity of women's sports — average women are watching those athletes and beginning to look to their bodies for inspiration instead of rail-thin runway models. Not to mention our culture's obsession with health.
"The goal is health, and women are becoming more comfortable with that," Wall said. "And if that means being a little bit thicker than whatever the old standard was, I think they're happy with that, too."
Cris Dobrosielski, author and owner of Monumental Results Inc. in San Diego and a consultant with the American Council on Exercise, agrees. "You have more women coming out of high school and college with experience in weight training, where 20 years ago it was thought to be manly," he said.
And the trend does seem to be catching on: According to the recently published American College of Sports Medicine's annual fitness trend forecast for 2015, three of the top four exercise trends — body-weight training, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and strength training — involve strength training to increase lean body mass. (The fourth trend: "consulting with experts.")
The health benefits of weight lifting are well-established. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research has shown that pumping iron can reduce the symptoms of several diseases and chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, obesity, back pain, depression and osteoporosis (the latter of particular concern to women).
"While aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging or swimming, has many excellent health benefits … it does not make your muscles strong. Strength training does," the CDC's website notes. It cites a year-long study of postmenopausal women at Tufts University, which found that a group that did progressive strength training just two days a week had 1-percent gains in hip and spine density, 75-percent increases in strength and a 13-percent increase in dynamic balance. The control group showed losses in all of those categories.
Not everyone is convinced that this "movement" is actually happening, however, and there does seem to be a disconnect between what's going on in the gym and what researchers say women believe about their bodies.
Diana Thomas, professor and director of the Center for Quantitative Obesity Research at Montclair State University, believes that the "strong and healthy" idea is more marketing ploy than movement. Recent research still indicates that women overestimate the size of their bodies and then choose the skinniest possible model as their ideal when asked how they'd like to look, she maintained.
Thomas worries that the actual implication is to be both strong and skinny. If there was a concerted effort to change the ideal of what's attractive in order to promote working out for strength instead of vanity, "that would be wonderful," she said.
"Muscle is good, especially for women," Thomas said. "Having lean body mass keeps them from getting osteoporosis. Instead of looking at appearance goals, we should look at health goals."
Sarah Bateman, a Teaneck therapist specializing in eating disorders, said that although she feels the "fit, toned look" has become "very desirable," pursuing one vision as "the ideal" can be dangerous no matter what that vision may be; being in the weight room for inordinate amounts of time can be as disruptive to one's life as skipping dinners to shed pounds.
"There isn't just one healthy body image, there isn't one healthy body type," she said. "And idealizing any one specific type is dangerous because everyone has different bodies."
Tina Thea, a 47-year-old mother of three from Upper Saddle River, began lifting at Fit Club Strength and Conditioning in Allendale about five years ago as she entered middle age. She quickly got hooked; she felt stronger, and people noticed the improvement. Today, she can do seven pull-ups — when she began, she could do only two — and can use 40-pound dumbbells for bench pressing.
"I really kind of love it," she said. "I couldn't imagine not doing it."
Richie Carney, the 33-year-old owner of Fit Club, said that he sees more women than ever in his training sessions; where once his classes were mostly men, today about half his clientele is female.
"At first, they're nervous [about working out with men], but then they realize it's not a competition and they're not being judged," he said. "It's kind of inspiring, and they feed off each other."
-
http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/buff-is-the-new-skinny-1.1135910?page=all
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Coffee with the Chef: Cesar Sotomayor of Cafe 37 in Ridgewood
Cesar Sotomayor, 38, owes his love of cooking to his Venezuelan roots — as a child in Caracas, his grandmother cooked for 10 family members each day. Sotomayor "grew up in the kitchen."
A few years after his arrival in the United States in 1999, a chance meeting with chef Michael Latour at Burlington Coat Factory in Paramus landed him a spot in Latour’s Ridgewood restaurant, where Sotomayor did menial tasks such as dicing vegetables and sanitizing the kitchen, all while learning the trade.
His five years at Latour, combined with an associate’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from Bergen Community College, landed him in the head chef position at Ridgewood’s Village Green in 2007. During his six-year tenure, he established his own cooking style, and in July 2012, the Hawthorne resident opened Café 37, also in Ridgewood, serving modern American cuisine. The restaurant received 2 1/2 out of 4 stars from The Record in 2012.
Here, Sotomayor talks about Whole Foods, his weakness for ice cream, and how to stay slim when you’re surrounded by food.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: Asian marinated pork riblets ($28), because of the time factor; they marinate in their juices overnight and are braised the next day.
Favorite dish I invented: The Café 37 seafood pot ($35). It used to be made at my house on Sundays when I was growing up. It’s fish and whatever seafood was available, and a roasted tomato/garlic/white wine broth. My grandma would bring the pot to the table and everyone would serve themselves.
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream. We make it homemade, and every time the machine is running, you’ll see me next to it scooping out a portion for myself. We make a coconut ice cream that’s a thing you can’t say no to — it’s in a dessert called golden puff and coconut ice cream with caramelized pineapples ($8).
Favorite local restaurant: Villa de Colombia in Hackensack. I usually get a steak, seafood chowder, or a yuca frita. They’re doing something right; the flavors are always great, the temperatures are where you want them, the service is awesome, and it’s very casual.
Best place to grocery shop in North Jersey: I like Whole Foods. It’s a little pricey, but they always have fresh, organic produce.
My last meal: Paella. It has seafood – which is my favorite thing – and the roasted garlic, rice and white wine make a perfect combination.
How I keep my weight down: I work out like a maniac. I just did 16 miles this afternoon on my bike, and I went right after to a yoga class. Every day I’m doing something — I have to either skateboard or bike or go to the gym or do some hiking. I’m always moving around. If you sit, you rust. And don’t eat after 7 p.m. It’s tough because I’m surrounded by food, but it’s all about discipline.
Presentation is important: Customers eat with their eyes. You want to put a plate in front of them so they will say, ‘This looks amazing.’ You’re a big step ahead before they even taste it.
More info: Café 37, 37 S. Broad St., Ridgewood; 201-857-0437; café-37.com. Appetizers: $12 to $17, entrées $26 to $36.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-cesar-sotomayor-of-cafe-37-in-ridgewood-on-ice-cream-whole-foods-and-keeping-trim-1.1131538
A few years after his arrival in the United States in 1999, a chance meeting with chef Michael Latour at Burlington Coat Factory in Paramus landed him a spot in Latour’s Ridgewood restaurant, where Sotomayor did menial tasks such as dicing vegetables and sanitizing the kitchen, all while learning the trade.
His five years at Latour, combined with an associate’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from Bergen Community College, landed him in the head chef position at Ridgewood’s Village Green in 2007. During his six-year tenure, he established his own cooking style, and in July 2012, the Hawthorne resident opened Café 37, also in Ridgewood, serving modern American cuisine. The restaurant received 2 1/2 out of 4 stars from The Record in 2012.
Here, Sotomayor talks about Whole Foods, his weakness for ice cream, and how to stay slim when you’re surrounded by food.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: Asian marinated pork riblets ($28), because of the time factor; they marinate in their juices overnight and are braised the next day.
Favorite dish I invented: The Café 37 seafood pot ($35). It used to be made at my house on Sundays when I was growing up. It’s fish and whatever seafood was available, and a roasted tomato/garlic/white wine broth. My grandma would bring the pot to the table and everyone would serve themselves.
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream. We make it homemade, and every time the machine is running, you’ll see me next to it scooping out a portion for myself. We make a coconut ice cream that’s a thing you can’t say no to — it’s in a dessert called golden puff and coconut ice cream with caramelized pineapples ($8).
Favorite local restaurant: Villa de Colombia in Hackensack. I usually get a steak, seafood chowder, or a yuca frita. They’re doing something right; the flavors are always great, the temperatures are where you want them, the service is awesome, and it’s very casual.
Best place to grocery shop in North Jersey: I like Whole Foods. It’s a little pricey, but they always have fresh, organic produce.
My last meal: Paella. It has seafood – which is my favorite thing – and the roasted garlic, rice and white wine make a perfect combination.
How I keep my weight down: I work out like a maniac. I just did 16 miles this afternoon on my bike, and I went right after to a yoga class. Every day I’m doing something — I have to either skateboard or bike or go to the gym or do some hiking. I’m always moving around. If you sit, you rust. And don’t eat after 7 p.m. It’s tough because I’m surrounded by food, but it’s all about discipline.
Presentation is important: Customers eat with their eyes. You want to put a plate in front of them so they will say, ‘This looks amazing.’ You’re a big step ahead before they even taste it.
More info: Café 37, 37 S. Broad St., Ridgewood; 201-857-0437; café-37.com. Appetizers: $12 to $17, entrées $26 to $36.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-cesar-sotomayor-of-cafe-37-in-ridgewood-on-ice-cream-whole-foods-and-keeping-trim-1.1131538
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
New therapy relies on electromagnetic pulses to treat depression
A new treatment that relies on sending magnetic pulses into the brain may provide a beacon of hope for those suffering from depression, especially if other types of treatment, including medication, have failed in the past.
Called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), it involves the holding of an electromagnetic coil against the forehead near the area of the brain scientists believe influences mood regulation. Short electromagnetic pulses are then sent through the coil, stimulating nerve cells and increasing activity in parts of the brain that are underactive during depression, said Dr. David Rosenfeld, a senior psychiatrist and co-owner of Neuropsychiatric Associates of Northern NJ in Ridgewood.
Rosenfeld began offering the treatment, which is typically broken into 40-minute sessions five times a week for six weeks, in December 2013. About a half-dozen facilities (including his) offer the treatment in North Jersey.
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"It's like an electromagnetic massage of the brain, roughly analogous to a sore back that's being stimulated by a masseuse," Rosenfeld said. He described the pulsing as a series of knocks that sounds "almost like a woodpecker tapping," but added that it's "very gentle."
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) noted that patients may feel discomfort in the spot where the magnet is placed, and mild headaches or brief lightheadedness may follow. Although it's possible that the treatment could produce a seizure, documented occurrences are rare, the agency said.
'No radiation'
"There's no radiation, and you're not taking any substance into the body, so you're not causing systemic side affects," Rosenfeld said.
It may be natural to compare TMS to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) — once known as "electroshock" — but the doctor said that ECT actually administers a current that induces a seizure in the patient. Using the metaphor of rain in a garden, Rosenfeld said, TMS is like a light rainstorm; ECT is a full-on hurricane.
"It's lots of stimulation, but it's everywhere and it overwhelms the system," he said. "It's somewhat traumatic."
Dr. Ye-Ming Sun, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Newark-based Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, administers both treatments and said that TMS, which focuses only on increasing activity in the left prefrontal cortex, is, in fact, less harsh than ECT. Psychiatrists can perform the procedure themselves, he said, and anesthesia is not needed.
"The patients drive themselves here, they're fully awake during the treatment, and when they leave, they drive away themselves," he said.
He has treated about 40 patients over the past three years and has never seen side effects greater than a mild headache. Because of TMS' narrow focus, it does not affect the part of the brain that has to do with memory, he said.
Rosenfeld currently has 25 patients who have undergone a total of about 750 treatments over the last year, and he feels TMS to be "pretty darn safe." About half of those patients, he said, get a "significant benefit" from it.
'It isn't for everybody'
"For some patients it's really wonderful," he said. "There are some who failed to respond to medicine, and they have done very nicely. It's not a panacea — it isn't for everybody. But we're getting 50 percent of those people to feel better in a meaningful way, and those are people who have not done well with other treatments."
Sun, however, has found that by adjusting the parameters of the treatment (such as the duration) for each individual, TMS can be effective for up to 80 percent of his patients.
"The efficacy is much higher than what's reported in [scientific] literature," he said.
The practice was developed in 1985 and approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 2008 for treatment of major depression in patients who hadn't responded to at least one antidepressant medication.
Dr. David G. Brock, medical director for Pennsylvania-based Neuronetics, a major producer of the TMS device, said that many insurance companies — as well as the majority of Medicare carriers — now cover the treatment, meaning that about 150 million Americans are eligible. That's good news, because a treatment cycle can cost around $10,000.
He estimated that 20,000 individual cases have already been treated as TMS has moved more into the mainstream after years of being viewed as an experimental therapy.
"It's increasing by leaps and bounds — it's clearly established technology … and it works," he said.
Rosenfeld said that there's "good evidence" that patients reap the benefits from TMS for nearly a year afterwards, although Brock said that because of depression's chronic nature, many need some sort of additional therapy, be it medication or additional "booster" sessions after.
In the future, Brock said, TMS could also be used to treat anxiety disorders, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
"The sky is the limit," he said.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/stimulating-the-brain-to-fight-depression-1.1126739?page=all
Called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), it involves the holding of an electromagnetic coil against the forehead near the area of the brain scientists believe influences mood regulation. Short electromagnetic pulses are then sent through the coil, stimulating nerve cells and increasing activity in parts of the brain that are underactive during depression, said Dr. David Rosenfeld, a senior psychiatrist and co-owner of Neuropsychiatric Associates of Northern NJ in Ridgewood.
Rosenfeld began offering the treatment, which is typically broken into 40-minute sessions five times a week for six weeks, in December 2013. About a half-dozen facilities (including his) offer the treatment in North Jersey.
"It's like an electromagnetic massage of the brain, roughly analogous to a sore back that's being stimulated by a masseuse," Rosenfeld said. He described the pulsing as a series of knocks that sounds "almost like a woodpecker tapping," but added that it's "very gentle."The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) noted that patients may feel discomfort in the spot where the magnet is placed, and mild headaches or brief lightheadedness may follow. Although it's possible that the treatment could produce a seizure, documented occurrences are rare, the agency said.
'No radiation'
"There's no radiation, and you're not taking any substance into the body, so you're not causing systemic side affects," Rosenfeld said.
It may be natural to compare TMS to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) — once known as "electroshock" — but the doctor said that ECT actually administers a current that induces a seizure in the patient. Using the metaphor of rain in a garden, Rosenfeld said, TMS is like a light rainstorm; ECT is a full-on hurricane.
"It's lots of stimulation, but it's everywhere and it overwhelms the system," he said. "It's somewhat traumatic."
Dr. Ye-Ming Sun, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Newark-based Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, administers both treatments and said that TMS, which focuses only on increasing activity in the left prefrontal cortex, is, in fact, less harsh than ECT. Psychiatrists can perform the procedure themselves, he said, and anesthesia is not needed.
"The patients drive themselves here, they're fully awake during the treatment, and when they leave, they drive away themselves," he said.
He has treated about 40 patients over the past three years and has never seen side effects greater than a mild headache. Because of TMS' narrow focus, it does not affect the part of the brain that has to do with memory, he said.
Rosenfeld currently has 25 patients who have undergone a total of about 750 treatments over the last year, and he feels TMS to be "pretty darn safe." About half of those patients, he said, get a "significant benefit" from it.
'It isn't for everybody'
"For some patients it's really wonderful," he said. "There are some who failed to respond to medicine, and they have done very nicely. It's not a panacea — it isn't for everybody. But we're getting 50 percent of those people to feel better in a meaningful way, and those are people who have not done well with other treatments."
Sun, however, has found that by adjusting the parameters of the treatment (such as the duration) for each individual, TMS can be effective for up to 80 percent of his patients.
"The efficacy is much higher than what's reported in [scientific] literature," he said.
The practice was developed in 1985 and approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 2008 for treatment of major depression in patients who hadn't responded to at least one antidepressant medication.
Dr. David G. Brock, medical director for Pennsylvania-based Neuronetics, a major producer of the TMS device, said that many insurance companies — as well as the majority of Medicare carriers — now cover the treatment, meaning that about 150 million Americans are eligible. That's good news, because a treatment cycle can cost around $10,000.
He estimated that 20,000 individual cases have already been treated as TMS has moved more into the mainstream after years of being viewed as an experimental therapy.
"It's increasing by leaps and bounds — it's clearly established technology … and it works," he said.
Rosenfeld said that there's "good evidence" that patients reap the benefits from TMS for nearly a year afterwards, although Brock said that because of depression's chronic nature, many need some sort of additional therapy, be it medication or additional "booster" sessions after.
In the future, Brock said, TMS could also be used to treat anxiety disorders, chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms of Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
"The sky is the limit," he said.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/stimulating-the-brain-to-fight-depression-1.1126739?page=all
Friday, November 7, 2014
Coffee with the Chef: Michael Latour at Latour in Ridgewood
Michael Latour, 51, was no stranger to high-end cooking even before he opened Latour in Ridgewood in 1998 — the Ramsey resident had cooked at the Jockey Club at the Ritz Carlton, the Four Seasons Hotel, the Doral Park Avenue Hotel (all in New York City) and L'Auberge de France in Wayne before opening his own place. Latour, a French-American restaurant, received three out of four stars from The Record in 2010, when it was last reviewed.
Although he has a degree in culinary arts from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, Latour says it was his on-the-job experience that was most valuable — in cooking, he says, everything is based on interpretation, and learning from others is critical to create one's own style.
Here, Latour talks about convection ovens, his (negative) feelings for tilapia and his favorite local restaurant.
My favorite tool in the kitchen: The convection oven. It cooks evenly, it browns things better, and it helps with soufflés in particular. You try to make that in a regular oven, and it's just not going to come out as well.
Food fad I hate: Tilapia. That's the worst fish. It's a farm-raised fish that's raised in a cesspool. It's nasty. If you see that on a menu, stay away. It should have a skull and crossbones next to it.
Biggest misconception about chefs: Chefs have been glorified on the Food Network, and people think, "I'm going to come out of school and become a chef and open a restaurant." But it takes a long period of time to gain the knowledge needed — it's a minimum of 10 years.
The secret to great French cuisine is: The sauces. Without that, there's nothing.
My favorite kitchen knives: Henckels. They're very sturdy, they have some weight to them, and I like their feel.
My favorite local restaurant: Local Seasonal Kitchen in Ramsey. The presentation is fabulous, and Steve Santoro's style is very different — there are a lot of items on the plate.
Guilty pleasure: Chocolate. I love Cacao Noel. It's not too tart, not too bitter.
I keep my weight down by: Hiking. I go to Skyline Drive in Ringwood, or Seven Lakes or Sterling Forest in New York State. I go three times a week at least, and do 5 miles or more.
A tip for home cooks: When cooking fish, it's always better to have it a little underdone than overcook it.
Favorite dining experience: At the Moulin de Mougins in Mougins, France. The chef was Roger Verge, and the cheese course was amazing. We had a lobster navarin, and a noisette of lamb with morel mushrooms. The sauces, the quality of the meat, the presentation … it was the whole package. They really nailed it.
More info: Latour, 6 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood; 201-445-5056, latourridge wood.com. Appetizers $9 to $17, entrées $26 to $36. Tuesday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 6 to 8:30 p.m., Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.
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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/michael-latour-at-latour-in-ridgewood-on-his-favorite-local-restaurant-and-favorite-knives-1.1126687
Although he has a degree in culinary arts from Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, Latour says it was his on-the-job experience that was most valuable — in cooking, he says, everything is based on interpretation, and learning from others is critical to create one's own style.
Here, Latour talks about convection ovens, his (negative) feelings for tilapia and his favorite local restaurant.
My favorite tool in the kitchen: The convection oven. It cooks evenly, it browns things better, and it helps with soufflés in particular. You try to make that in a regular oven, and it's just not going to come out as well.
Food fad I hate: Tilapia. That's the worst fish. It's a farm-raised fish that's raised in a cesspool. It's nasty. If you see that on a menu, stay away. It should have a skull and crossbones next to it.
Biggest misconception about chefs: Chefs have been glorified on the Food Network, and people think, "I'm going to come out of school and become a chef and open a restaurant." But it takes a long period of time to gain the knowledge needed — it's a minimum of 10 years.
The secret to great French cuisine is: The sauces. Without that, there's nothing.
My favorite kitchen knives: Henckels. They're very sturdy, they have some weight to them, and I like their feel.
My favorite local restaurant: Local Seasonal Kitchen in Ramsey. The presentation is fabulous, and Steve Santoro's style is very different — there are a lot of items on the plate.
Guilty pleasure: Chocolate. I love Cacao Noel. It's not too tart, not too bitter.
I keep my weight down by: Hiking. I go to Skyline Drive in Ringwood, or Seven Lakes or Sterling Forest in New York State. I go three times a week at least, and do 5 miles or more.
A tip for home cooks: When cooking fish, it's always better to have it a little underdone than overcook it.
Favorite dining experience: At the Moulin de Mougins in Mougins, France. The chef was Roger Verge, and the cheese course was amazing. We had a lobster navarin, and a noisette of lamb with morel mushrooms. The sauces, the quality of the meat, the presentation … it was the whole package. They really nailed it.
More info: Latour, 6 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood; 201-445-5056, latourridge wood.com. Appetizers $9 to $17, entrées $26 to $36. Tuesday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 6 to 8:30 p.m., Sunday 4 to 9 p.m.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/michael-latour-at-latour-in-ridgewood-on-his-favorite-local-restaurant-and-favorite-knives-1.1126687
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Coffee with the Chef: John Vitale of Caffe Anello in Westwood
Although John Vitale, the 33-year-old chef at Caffe Anello in Westwood, has no formal background in cooking, his family ties to the pursuit run generations deep — the Cresskill resident grew up in the kitchen with his parents and grandparents, all of whom were "tremendous cooks." And though he spent a few years cooking for campus restaurants during his years at Elon University in North Carolina, Caffe Anello, which Vitale opened with his wife, Alissa, nine months ago, represents his first foray into the world of fine dining. It received three out of four stars from The Record.
Here, he talks about mushy pasta, Snickers bars, and why Americans use too much salt.
Biggest mistake home cooks make: Not being creative enough — it's the key. For example, cook with orange champagne and garlic, and reduce it down to a garlic shrimp dish, instead of just doing traditional scampi, so you'll get the citrus flavors, too.
Culinary hero: My mother. That's where I learned everything, and it would be her over anyone.
What I would never pay for at a restaurant: Any pasta dish, because we make and cut our own fresh. So I'm expecting boxed pasta, and it's just not as good as fresh cut pasta. It's a major difference, and I don't think people know that.
Best dish I ever ate: It was wild boar ragout over fresh-cut pappardelle at La Campana in Rome, Italy. It was so unique — it was done in a very rich sauce that used fresh tomatoes reduced in a brown sauce, which is something I've never seen before.
At a vending machine with a buck, I get: A Snickers. It's the only candy bar that can actually quench your appetite, and I like the salty and sweet combination.
My favorite tool in the kitchen: Sauté pans. I have several going at one time because we don't fry anything here.
Most overused spice: Salt. There's too much of it on too many dishes. I think it's compensation; it's used to mask things that aren't as fresh as they should be. People use it on everything, but there are a lot of other spices I'd rather go heavy on, like garlic. I can't get enough garlic.
Strangest request from a diner: Once, a diner asked me to make sure that the pasta came out mushy. They did not want it al dente. That's just a sin.
Most overrated food: The steaks at a lot of restaurants are overrated. I use Westwood Prime Meats, and they take the time to bring in the highest quality stuff you can get. So when I go to a fine dining restaurant, and I order a steak and pay a lot of money, it's a big disappointment after having had their quality.
I hate it when diners: Ask for more salt on anything. We don't even have it on the table.
The next food fad is: Crepes. They're a large part of European and Asian culture, and I don't see a lot of places doing them.
Presentation is important because: Your eyes, mouth, and nose are completely connected. I don't send anything out of the kitchen that doesn't look like something I'd want to be served.
My favorite dish to cook: "Chef's suggestion tonight." When a diner comes in and says that's what they want, it means they don't have boundaries for what they're willing to try, and it allows me to be creative.
More info: Caffe Anello, 429 Broadway, Westwood; 201-786-8137; caffeanello.com. Appetizers: $8 to $15, entrées $13 to $36.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-john-vitale-of-three-star-caffe-anello-in-westwood-on-his-best-meal-ever-culinary-hero-and-the-overuse-of-salt-1.1114466
Here, he talks about mushy pasta, Snickers bars, and why Americans use too much salt.
Biggest mistake home cooks make: Not being creative enough — it's the key. For example, cook with orange champagne and garlic, and reduce it down to a garlic shrimp dish, instead of just doing traditional scampi, so you'll get the citrus flavors, too.
Culinary hero: My mother. That's where I learned everything, and it would be her over anyone.
What I would never pay for at a restaurant: Any pasta dish, because we make and cut our own fresh. So I'm expecting boxed pasta, and it's just not as good as fresh cut pasta. It's a major difference, and I don't think people know that.
Best dish I ever ate: It was wild boar ragout over fresh-cut pappardelle at La Campana in Rome, Italy. It was so unique — it was done in a very rich sauce that used fresh tomatoes reduced in a brown sauce, which is something I've never seen before.
At a vending machine with a buck, I get: A Snickers. It's the only candy bar that can actually quench your appetite, and I like the salty and sweet combination.
My favorite tool in the kitchen: Sauté pans. I have several going at one time because we don't fry anything here.
Most overused spice: Salt. There's too much of it on too many dishes. I think it's compensation; it's used to mask things that aren't as fresh as they should be. People use it on everything, but there are a lot of other spices I'd rather go heavy on, like garlic. I can't get enough garlic.
Strangest request from a diner: Once, a diner asked me to make sure that the pasta came out mushy. They did not want it al dente. That's just a sin.
Most overrated food: The steaks at a lot of restaurants are overrated. I use Westwood Prime Meats, and they take the time to bring in the highest quality stuff you can get. So when I go to a fine dining restaurant, and I order a steak and pay a lot of money, it's a big disappointment after having had their quality.
I hate it when diners: Ask for more salt on anything. We don't even have it on the table.
The next food fad is: Crepes. They're a large part of European and Asian culture, and I don't see a lot of places doing them.
Presentation is important because: Your eyes, mouth, and nose are completely connected. I don't send anything out of the kitchen that doesn't look like something I'd want to be served.
My favorite dish to cook: "Chef's suggestion tonight." When a diner comes in and says that's what they want, it means they don't have boundaries for what they're willing to try, and it allows me to be creative.
More info: Caffe Anello, 429 Broadway, Westwood; 201-786-8137; caffeanello.com. Appetizers: $8 to $15, entrées $13 to $36.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-john-vitale-of-three-star-caffe-anello-in-westwood-on-his-best-meal-ever-culinary-hero-and-the-overuse-of-salt-1.1114466
Coffee with the Chef: Wilson Lindemann of Biddy O'Malley's in Northvale
The restaurant might be called Biddy O’Malley’s Irish Bistro and Bar, but that doesn’t mean Wilson Lindemann’s culinary creations are limited to different variations of shepherd’s pie and fish and chips.
The 27-year-old executive chef, who is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in New Hampshire, said that Biddy’s does a little bit of everything — even if that means using Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Italian dishes to compliment its traditional Irish fare.
Before coming to the Northvale restaurant three years ago, Lindemann worked for the Ship Lantern Inn and the Tuxedo Club — both in New York State — for about two years apiece, and was also contracted to work on Norwegian Cruise Line for five months.
Here he talks about lobster, French knives and how to cook the perfect duck.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: Sake-marinated Goffle Road Farms duck breast ($26). It’s about getting the temperature right — a lot of cooks have difficulty with doneness with a duck because it has a different texture than, say, a steak. If somebody wants duck medium-rare, it might feel a little softer than the chef is used to.
Favorite kitchen tool: A French knife. It’s very versatile, and if you don’t have a boning knife or a paring knife, you can use that. It really should be attached to the chef’s hand. I use a Shun Classic because it’s very lightweight and it holds its edge for a long time, which is very important.
Favorite dish to cook: Plum-braised short rib with foie gras fried rice ($25). I’ve never eaten at a restaurant that had something like that, and the final product is awesome. The sweetness of the plum compliments the foie gras very well, as well as the short rib.
The secret to being a good Irish restaurant: The hospitality. It’s always very welcoming, very warm, it seems like people don’t have any choice but to come back.
Most overrated food: Lobster. Oftentimes it’s very expensive, but I don’t think it has a ton of flavor. I’d rather have a diver scallop over lobster any day.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: Less is more. If you put too much of something, like a spice, into your dish, you can’t take it out. But you can always add more.
How I keep my weight down: It definitely is difficult, and I’m a big guy. And one thing that I was always taught: You have to try everything you put out. I stand by that.
My pet peeve: When cooks feel the need to add their own twist on one of my recipes. That’s a big no-no. I always encourage them to be creative, but let me try it first before we go with it.
Biggest misconception about chefs: That we’re all angry all the time. And I don’t think that Gordon Ramsay helped us with that one. This can be a very stressful job if you let it, and I have stressful times, but there’s no need to get that hyped. Even if they paid me the money they pay him, I don’t think I could do it. I wouldn’t want to be angry all the time.
My guilty pleasure: Foie gras. I love it. It’s very rich and full of flavor.
Next food fad: Fermented foods, like kimchi. There are so many restaurants that are going farm-to-table, and because chefs are becoming more involved in farms, they don’t want to see food go in the garbage, so I think they’d rather ferment or pickle it so you can use it all winter.
What I’d never pay for at a restaurant: Bottled water, like Pellegrino. I would rather have a glass of wine with a meal.
More info: Biddy O’Malley’s Irish Bistro and Bar, 191 Paris Ave., Northvale, 201-564-7893, biddyomalleys.com. Appetizers: $8 to $13; entrées: $11 to $25. Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday noon to 2 a.m.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/chef-wilson-lindemann-of-biddy-o-malley-s-in-northvale-on-lobster-french-knives-and-how-to-cook-duck-perfectly-1.1109465
Before coming to the Northvale restaurant three years ago, Lindemann worked for the Ship Lantern Inn and the Tuxedo Club — both in New York State — for about two years apiece, and was also contracted to work on Norwegian Cruise Line for five months.
Here he talks about lobster, French knives and how to cook the perfect duck.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: Sake-marinated Goffle Road Farms duck breast ($26). It’s about getting the temperature right — a lot of cooks have difficulty with doneness with a duck because it has a different texture than, say, a steak. If somebody wants duck medium-rare, it might feel a little softer than the chef is used to.
Favorite kitchen tool: A French knife. It’s very versatile, and if you don’t have a boning knife or a paring knife, you can use that. It really should be attached to the chef’s hand. I use a Shun Classic because it’s very lightweight and it holds its edge for a long time, which is very important.
Favorite dish to cook: Plum-braised short rib with foie gras fried rice ($25). I’ve never eaten at a restaurant that had something like that, and the final product is awesome. The sweetness of the plum compliments the foie gras very well, as well as the short rib.
The secret to being a good Irish restaurant: The hospitality. It’s always very welcoming, very warm, it seems like people don’t have any choice but to come back.
Most overrated food: Lobster. Oftentimes it’s very expensive, but I don’t think it has a ton of flavor. I’d rather have a diver scallop over lobster any day.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: Less is more. If you put too much of something, like a spice, into your dish, you can’t take it out. But you can always add more.
How I keep my weight down: It definitely is difficult, and I’m a big guy. And one thing that I was always taught: You have to try everything you put out. I stand by that.
My pet peeve: When cooks feel the need to add their own twist on one of my recipes. That’s a big no-no. I always encourage them to be creative, but let me try it first before we go with it.
Biggest misconception about chefs: That we’re all angry all the time. And I don’t think that Gordon Ramsay helped us with that one. This can be a very stressful job if you let it, and I have stressful times, but there’s no need to get that hyped. Even if they paid me the money they pay him, I don’t think I could do it. I wouldn’t want to be angry all the time.
My guilty pleasure: Foie gras. I love it. It’s very rich and full of flavor.
Next food fad: Fermented foods, like kimchi. There are so many restaurants that are going farm-to-table, and because chefs are becoming more involved in farms, they don’t want to see food go in the garbage, so I think they’d rather ferment or pickle it so you can use it all winter.
What I’d never pay for at a restaurant: Bottled water, like Pellegrino. I would rather have a glass of wine with a meal.
More info: Biddy O’Malley’s Irish Bistro and Bar, 191 Paris Ave., Northvale, 201-564-7893, biddyomalleys.com. Appetizers: $8 to $13; entrées: $11 to $25. Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday noon to 2 a.m.
-
http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/restaurant-reviews/chef-wilson-lindemann-of-biddy-o-malley-s-in-northvale-on-lobster-french-knives-and-how-to-cook-duck-perfectly-1.1109465
Apple is still the flavor of the fall
Pumpkin spice may be the favorite flavor of autumn, but apples, the old standby, remain the true herald of the changing season. And although thousands of varieties are grown the world over — nearly 7,500 in total — classics like the Red Delicious and Granny Smith remain as popular as ever in New Jersey.
Which is "best," though? That depends on your personal preference and how you intend to use it.
Jessica Marotta, 31, pastry chef for Local Seasonal Kitchen in Ramsey, uses apples throughout the winter, and although she personally prefers the sour, tart flavor of the Granny Smith, she uses several varieties when cooking. One of Marotta's favorite concoctions is apple cider caramel, which she makes using caramel combined with puréed apples and apple cider (in place of heavy cream.)
"It's a little lighter, but the flavor comes through," she said. "It tastes like liquefied caramel apples, and it's really good over vanilla ice cream."
Over the last few years, Marotta has found a new favorite branch of the fruit's extensive family tree: the Honey Crisp. "They're not overwhelmingly sweet, and they've got this really nice floral flavor," she said. "And they're super crunchy … I can't get over them."
Jason DeGise, whose family has owned Demarest Farms Orchard in Hillsdale since 1886, is a Honey Crisp fan too, noting that their "sweet flavor with a little hint of tartness" has led to an explosion in their popularity. "It's a giant," he said.
DeGise, along with co-owner James Spollen, grew 18 varieties over 14 acres this year, and thousands of visitors paid the $5 admission to wander his fields and pick their own bag of Galas or Wine Fats (another popular brand often used in cooking). He often sees multiple generations of the same family return year after year.
"It seems to be a tradition that just stays in families," he said.
There's an added benefit to picking your own, DeGise said: When you pull the fruit off the tree yourself, you know you're getting this year's crop. That's not the case when purchasing apples in supermarkets, where transporters and grocers have found that apples can be kept for up to a year if they're put in a temperature-controlled environment free of oxygen. That apple you grab in the "fresh produce" aisle, he said, may have been picked eight months ago.
Michael Sinatra, spokesman for Whole Foods' northeastern region, said that the apples' ongoing popularity is rooted in its tremendous culinary versatility.
"As you walk around the store, you see that they go well with so many recipes: pastries, sauces, jellies, etc.," he said.
Most of Whole Foods' stock comes from the Hudson Valley, and he noted that the Honey Crisps and SweeTangos (similar to Honey Crisps with pinkish coloration) are the popular varieties at the moment. Newcomers like Zestar (a cross between a Honey Crisp and a Golden) and Kiki (similar in taste to the well-known Fuji) will be making an appearance in late October and November.
"A grocery store should be very indicative of seasonal change, the produce department specifically, and these just sort of scream 'fall,' " Sinatra said.
One big benefit of the apple inundation, said Nicole Dvorak, registered dietitian with Hackensack University Medical Center, is that the fruit is widely respected as a health food, what with their low calorie count (95 for a medium), high fiber content, and complete lack of sodium or fat.
Do yourself a favor and eat the skin, Dvorak said, because that's where the vitamin C and fiber are. "You should eat the entire fruit, and eating them fresh is probably going to be the best option versus baking them in a pie," she said.
Tell that to chef Steven Christianson, and he'll probably ignore you.
"I make apple crisps or strudels over the whole winter," said Christianson, who worked at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, Café Panache in Ramsey (where he was a partner), and owned Citrus Grille in Airmont, N.Y., before opening St. Eve's restaurant in Ho-Ho-Kus in 2011. "How can you go wrong with an apple tart and some ice cream?"
Most of Christianson's apples come from orchards in New York State, and when searching for the perfect one, he looks for firm ones without any bruising. He often uses combinations of Honey Crisps and Granny Smiths, and said the sweetness of the former perfectly complements the tartness of the latter.
"They're so flexible, and I can do so much with them," he said, adding that this fall he is trying his hand at homemade apple cider. It's not complicated, he said: Juice a few kinds of apples; add autumnal spices like cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon; and cook for an hour before straining it. He's never done it before, but the first batch will be served this year.
Jamie Knott, 34, the chef and owner of the Saddle River Inn, cooks with Honey Crisps, too calling this year's yield "amazing." He roasts them and features them on a dish with a celery-root apple purée and pan-seared scallops topped with an apple cider reduction. He also plans to pair them with the first cuts of Iowa venison, which are set to arrive next week.
When buying apples, Knott looks for firmness, but acknowledged that you can't ultimately tell an apple's quality until you eat it. "Apples fool everybody," he said.
DeGise focuses on firmness and color — stay away from the "spongy, dehydrated ones" and head for the deepest red — while Marotta seeks apples that still have the stems attached. Why? Because that denotes a fresh apple, Marotta said; as the fruit ages, the stem is likely to dry out and fall off.
And don't worry about how shiny they are, said DeGise, because that's just a wax sprayed on post-picking meant to boost marketing appeal.
"When they're fresh, they're obviously not shiny," he said.
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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/recipes/apple-is-still-the-flavor-of-the-fall-1.1112937
Which is "best," though? That depends on your personal preference and how you intend to use it.
 |
| Celery root and apple puree from Saddle River Inn |
"It's a little lighter, but the flavor comes through," she said. "It tastes like liquefied caramel apples, and it's really good over vanilla ice cream."
Over the last few years, Marotta has found a new favorite branch of the fruit's extensive family tree: the Honey Crisp. "They're not overwhelmingly sweet, and they've got this really nice floral flavor," she said. "And they're super crunchy … I can't get over them."
Jason DeGise, whose family has owned Demarest Farms Orchard in Hillsdale since 1886, is a Honey Crisp fan too, noting that their "sweet flavor with a little hint of tartness" has led to an explosion in their popularity. "It's a giant," he said.
DeGise, along with co-owner James Spollen, grew 18 varieties over 14 acres this year, and thousands of visitors paid the $5 admission to wander his fields and pick their own bag of Galas or Wine Fats (another popular brand often used in cooking). He often sees multiple generations of the same family return year after year.
"It seems to be a tradition that just stays in families," he said.
There's an added benefit to picking your own, DeGise said: When you pull the fruit off the tree yourself, you know you're getting this year's crop. That's not the case when purchasing apples in supermarkets, where transporters and grocers have found that apples can be kept for up to a year if they're put in a temperature-controlled environment free of oxygen. That apple you grab in the "fresh produce" aisle, he said, may have been picked eight months ago.
Michael Sinatra, spokesman for Whole Foods' northeastern region, said that the apples' ongoing popularity is rooted in its tremendous culinary versatility.
"As you walk around the store, you see that they go well with so many recipes: pastries, sauces, jellies, etc.," he said.
Most of Whole Foods' stock comes from the Hudson Valley, and he noted that the Honey Crisps and SweeTangos (similar to Honey Crisps with pinkish coloration) are the popular varieties at the moment. Newcomers like Zestar (a cross between a Honey Crisp and a Golden) and Kiki (similar in taste to the well-known Fuji) will be making an appearance in late October and November.
"A grocery store should be very indicative of seasonal change, the produce department specifically, and these just sort of scream 'fall,' " Sinatra said.
One big benefit of the apple inundation, said Nicole Dvorak, registered dietitian with Hackensack University Medical Center, is that the fruit is widely respected as a health food, what with their low calorie count (95 for a medium), high fiber content, and complete lack of sodium or fat.
Do yourself a favor and eat the skin, Dvorak said, because that's where the vitamin C and fiber are. "You should eat the entire fruit, and eating them fresh is probably going to be the best option versus baking them in a pie," she said.
Tell that to chef Steven Christianson, and he'll probably ignore you.
"I make apple crisps or strudels over the whole winter," said Christianson, who worked at the Four Seasons in Manhattan, Café Panache in Ramsey (where he was a partner), and owned Citrus Grille in Airmont, N.Y., before opening St. Eve's restaurant in Ho-Ho-Kus in 2011. "How can you go wrong with an apple tart and some ice cream?"
Most of Christianson's apples come from orchards in New York State, and when searching for the perfect one, he looks for firm ones without any bruising. He often uses combinations of Honey Crisps and Granny Smiths, and said the sweetness of the former perfectly complements the tartness of the latter.
"They're so flexible, and I can do so much with them," he said, adding that this fall he is trying his hand at homemade apple cider. It's not complicated, he said: Juice a few kinds of apples; add autumnal spices like cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon; and cook for an hour before straining it. He's never done it before, but the first batch will be served this year.
Jamie Knott, 34, the chef and owner of the Saddle River Inn, cooks with Honey Crisps, too calling this year's yield "amazing." He roasts them and features them on a dish with a celery-root apple purée and pan-seared scallops topped with an apple cider reduction. He also plans to pair them with the first cuts of Iowa venison, which are set to arrive next week.
When buying apples, Knott looks for firmness, but acknowledged that you can't ultimately tell an apple's quality until you eat it. "Apples fool everybody," he said.
DeGise focuses on firmness and color — stay away from the "spongy, dehydrated ones" and head for the deepest red — while Marotta seeks apples that still have the stems attached. Why? Because that denotes a fresh apple, Marotta said; as the fruit ages, the stem is likely to dry out and fall off.
And don't worry about how shiny they are, said DeGise, because that's just a wax sprayed on post-picking meant to boost marketing appeal.
"When they're fresh, they're obviously not shiny," he said.
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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/recipes/apple-is-still-the-flavor-of-the-fall-1.1112937
The changing tastes of Jersey corn
The Jersey tomato always snatches the spotlight, but it's not the only produce the Garden State is famous for: Our sweet corn, grown by the acre and sold at countless roadside stands, has quietly carved out its own reputation for unforgettable flavor.
But doesn't something seem different about that corn nowadays? It was always sweet, yes, but this sweet? And didn't you have to cook it right away, or else the ears would turn into rows of cardboard-dry kernels that gummed up your mouth and ruined your meal?
That might have been true once, but it isn't anymore. Why? New hybrids of the grain that are not only made to last, but also satisfy the most demanding sweet tooth.
On average, the sweetest corn today is about one-third more sugary than the sweetest corn of three decades ago, said Jack Rabin, associate director of farm programs at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on one's personal preference, Rabin said, although he hasn't heard any complaints thus far.
Corn has become a big crop in New Jersey — according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 48 million pounds (about $14 million worth) were grown over 6,000 acres in 2013. That's twice the acreage devoted to the vaunted tomato.
"We produce a lot of corn, and we use a lot of land to produce it," said Lynne Richmond, public information officer for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
But the reality is that 300 years ago, those perfect ears of yellow-and-white sugary goodness didn't even exist, Rabin said. The sugar that lends the grain its sweetness would immediately turn to starch, and the corn that grew in the Americas tasted terrible.
It wasn't until the 19th century that someone — we don't know who — discovered that the plant had undergone a random gene mutation that enabled it to maintain its sweetness just a little longer. Rabin said it's believed that Native Americans saved those seeds, and colonists began growing the crop. With the arrival of hybrids, like Rabin's personal favorite, Silver Queen, during the Great Depression, availability increased greatly, and scientists gave it the nickname "Su" to denote its sugar content and describe the "wonderfully sweet taste" that created the formidable reputation.
The one drawback? It was a culinary time bomb.
"Even though it had this beautiful texture, it didn't hold for more than one day," Rabin said. "It was only good if you picked it that morning and you boiled it that night."
Boon for farmers
Thus, sugar-enhanced versions ("Se") like Frosty or Whiteout were developed in the 1980s so the kernels would keep their flavor for two or maybe three days, and super-sweet varieties ("Sh2") like Munition could hold even longer (although they didn't have the best reputation for tenderness, Rabin said). Others, like the synergistic ("Sy") and augmented ("Aug"), were combinations of both that sought to create the perfect ear. There's no difference in size or color, and Rabin said, "I think they taste just as wonderful as our memories of yesteryear."
These developments are a boon for farmers like Jason DeGise, who co-owns Demarest Farms Orchard in Hillsdale with James Spollen. The farm has been in DeGise's family since 1886, and they planted 30 acres' worth of corn in April. DeGise said that although an extra day or two's worth of flavor might not sound like a lot, in the fresh produce world, it's an eternity.
"Twenty years ago, the old-fashioned white or yellow corn would be picked when it was ready, but a day later it turned to starch. Now, you can pick it on Monday and it tastes just as good on Wednesday," he said.
Customers haven't noticed the change, he said, and many simply expect the product to always be good. But before the se and sh2 varieties hit the market, sinking your teeth into an earful of gummy kernels was much more commonplace.
Shorter maturation
"If you had the corn from years ago, I don't know if you'd like to eat that now," said Todd Keuhm, owner of Farm's View in Wayne, who also noted the improved flavor retention that genetic improvements have bestowed.
On top of that, Rabin said, the new varieties have a shorter maturation period, meaning they arrive on the market about two weeks earlier than they used to.
"That two weeks is the difference in making your money for the whole year," he said. "And if one farmer has sweet corn on July 4, and one has it on July 20 … well, who do you think is going to the bank afterwards?"
But if you don't get it straight from the farmer's hands, what exactly are you getting? And how fresh is it?
Rabin said the answer depends on how much local grocery store managers care about their produce. Some stores have deals with local farmers that lead to morning deliveries of fresh-picked produce, but others are happy with ears grown in Florida, shrink-wrapped, and shipped to New Jersey. This often happens in May or June, he said, just before the local farmers have begun their harvest.
"I don't care how many good genes are put in it, with that amount of time, some of that sugary texture is going to convert to a grainy starch," he said. "You might as well buy frozen corn in the bag until the season [in New Jersey] starts."
Chef Kevin Portscher, 30, has owned the Village Green restaurant in Ridgewood for the past three years, and said the freshly-picked South Jersey crop is "far superior" to what's found in supermarket bins.
Portscher is a bit of a mad scientist when it comes to corn, and has incorporated it into all sorts of dishes — his corn gelato was a big hit this summer. The grain's longer shelf life helped him avoid spending money on fresh shipments that sit around for a day, only to be thrown out if no one orders them.
"It helps keep food costs down," he said. "And it allows for a nice, sweet flavor [in a dish] without having to add processed sugars to it."
Adam Weiss, the 37-year-old chef of Ridgewood's Due, said that he's noticed the increasing sweetness over the years, but that's not a bad thing in his line of work.
"You use its natural sweetness in an additive sort of way — to counteract the saltiness of something," he said. "And it's a great accent."
When the sweetness isn't there, or the quality is lacking, the dish must be changed accordingly.
"That's when you have to add more salt or sugar, because if the quality is lower, you have to force the flavors out by other means, even if that's grilling or boiling," he said.
However, chef Christine Nunn, who said she will be opening the Ridgewood restaurant Picnic on the Square in two weeks, believes the opposite: We have lost something with the new breeds, which taste nothing like the corn she grew up eating during summers in Maine.
"It just doesn't taste like corn," she said. "It tastes like candy corn to me, and you can see that by how many people are racing to put it in desserts, like crème brûlée."
She has found a way to cook it that she likes — sautéing it for a minute with butter, herbs and a little salt to balance out the sugar — but finds that eating it on the cob can be a bit much.
Vincent Barce-lona, 50, corporate chef for Supreme Oil Company/ Admiration Foods in Englewood, had a slightly different take, and said that although the consistently sweet corn has made his life easier — there are fewer "bad batches" nowadays — he's against the seed modifications that have taken place to get it that way.
"Part of what makes our job interesting and creative is that we cook from the land," he said. "The challenge of cooking is what I signed up for, and we shouldn't be looking to make things easier, or look for the quick fix."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
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http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/the-changing-tastes-of-jersey-corn-1.1104404?page=all
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Cow milk vs. nut milk - who wins?
Humans have been drinking cow's milk for thousands of years, but lately, more and more Americans are edging towards a new competitor: nut milks.
Made by soaking and sometimes blending almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, or pistachios in water, they're not dairy products, but are similar enough that they've already put a dent in the cow's milk market — especially almond milk, which, according to the market research firm IRI, has become the nation's most popular non-dairy alternative with 2014 sales grossing nearly $700 million to date.
Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of cow's milk has dropped by about 25 percent since 1975. This is partly because of the prevalence of other bottled drinks like soda or iced tea, but some is also due to the nut-milk juggernaut.
Initially, the move appears to make sense for consumers, especially the waistline-conscious. One cup of unsweetened almond milk has about 30 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, none of which is saturated. A cup of 2 percent dairy milk, by comparison, has about 120 calories and 5 grams of fat, 3 of which is saturated.
It's also an attractive alternative for the lactose intolerant, who may be searching for a way to continue imbibing their recommended daily intake of calcium (to maintain bone health) and vitamin D (to support the immune system). Although nut milks have neither naturally, they're fortified during processing to about the same levels as dairy.
"It's the same benefits that we get from drinking skim milk," said Peggy Policastro, nutrition specialist at Rutgers University. "But you really have to make sure that the nut milk is fortified. Natural milk is very high in calcium and vitamin D, and if you exclude that, your diet will be deficient."
Seems like a wonder drink, doesn't it? Not to everyone.
Andrea Anfuso-Sisto, a registered dietitian at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, said that although nut milk is a good alternative source for calcium and vitamin D, it is much lower in protein: traditional milk has about 8 grams per cup, but most nut milks, including almond and cashew, have 1 gram or less.
That could be a necessary tradeoff for the lactose intolerant, she said, but for those without some sort of milk allergy, dairy is probably better, especially for young kids who need the protein during growth spurts. They often have milk at breakfast alongside a cereal that has plenty of carbohydrates, but little else.
"Most cereals aren't a good source of protein, so it's good to balance that out," she said. "So you're missing the calories [with nut milk], but it's at the cost of the protein."
Furthermore, she said, many types of nut milk are sweetened to soften the drink's inherently raw taste, so blindly grabbing for Almond Breeze in a grocer's refrigerated case could mean buying "vanilla" instead of "unsweetened vanilla" (and the half-gallon containers do look similar). The taste difference is marked, but so is the nutritional: no sugar in the unsweetened, 13 grams in the sweetened.
Other nut milks are similar — sweetened cashew milk has 5 grams of sugar, and Pacific's brand of hazelnut milk has 14 — and all of it is added sugar that's not found naturally in the drink. This type of sugar has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Cow's milk, Anfuso-Sisto said, may have 11 grams itself, but that's natural sugar, similar to the fructose in an apple.
"If you're talking about the recommendations for added sugar each day, females get about 100 calories (6 teaspoons) and males get about 150 (9 teaspoons). Things like pieces of fruit or glasses of milk don't count — but the sweetened almond milk would," she said.
Policastro agreed, and said that consumers must be aware of what they're buying.
"It's similar to chocolate milk; you're still getting the vitamin D, but you're getting a lot of sugar," she said.
But she didn't share Anfuso-Sisto's concern about the lack of protein, and said that Americans regularly get "more than enough" in their regular diet. In her opinion, the best kind of milk is the kind that people will actually drink.
"Drink whichever you like better. Just don't leave a milk out of your diet, because that's where you're getting your calcium," she said.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
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- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/cow-milk-vs-nut-milk-who-wins-1.1103188#sthash.kXl2zRgs.dpuf
Made by soaking and sometimes blending almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, or pistachios in water, they're not dairy products, but are similar enough that they've already put a dent in the cow's milk market — especially almond milk, which, according to the market research firm IRI, has become the nation's most popular non-dairy alternative with 2014 sales grossing nearly $700 million to date.
Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of cow's milk has dropped by about 25 percent since 1975. This is partly because of the prevalence of other bottled drinks like soda or iced tea, but some is also due to the nut-milk juggernaut.
Initially, the move appears to make sense for consumers, especially the waistline-conscious. One cup of unsweetened almond milk has about 30 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, none of which is saturated. A cup of 2 percent dairy milk, by comparison, has about 120 calories and 5 grams of fat, 3 of which is saturated.
It's also an attractive alternative for the lactose intolerant, who may be searching for a way to continue imbibing their recommended daily intake of calcium (to maintain bone health) and vitamin D (to support the immune system). Although nut milks have neither naturally, they're fortified during processing to about the same levels as dairy.
"It's the same benefits that we get from drinking skim milk," said Peggy Policastro, nutrition specialist at Rutgers University. "But you really have to make sure that the nut milk is fortified. Natural milk is very high in calcium and vitamin D, and if you exclude that, your diet will be deficient."
Seems like a wonder drink, doesn't it? Not to everyone.
Andrea Anfuso-Sisto, a registered dietitian at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, said that although nut milk is a good alternative source for calcium and vitamin D, it is much lower in protein: traditional milk has about 8 grams per cup, but most nut milks, including almond and cashew, have 1 gram or less.
That could be a necessary tradeoff for the lactose intolerant, she said, but for those without some sort of milk allergy, dairy is probably better, especially for young kids who need the protein during growth spurts. They often have milk at breakfast alongside a cereal that has plenty of carbohydrates, but little else.
"Most cereals aren't a good source of protein, so it's good to balance that out," she said. "So you're missing the calories [with nut milk], but it's at the cost of the protein."
Furthermore, she said, many types of nut milk are sweetened to soften the drink's inherently raw taste, so blindly grabbing for Almond Breeze in a grocer's refrigerated case could mean buying "vanilla" instead of "unsweetened vanilla" (and the half-gallon containers do look similar). The taste difference is marked, but so is the nutritional: no sugar in the unsweetened, 13 grams in the sweetened.
Other nut milks are similar — sweetened cashew milk has 5 grams of sugar, and Pacific's brand of hazelnut milk has 14 — and all of it is added sugar that's not found naturally in the drink. This type of sugar has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Cow's milk, Anfuso-Sisto said, may have 11 grams itself, but that's natural sugar, similar to the fructose in an apple.
"If you're talking about the recommendations for added sugar each day, females get about 100 calories (6 teaspoons) and males get about 150 (9 teaspoons). Things like pieces of fruit or glasses of milk don't count — but the sweetened almond milk would," she said.
Policastro agreed, and said that consumers must be aware of what they're buying.
"It's similar to chocolate milk; you're still getting the vitamin D, but you're getting a lot of sugar," she said.
But she didn't share Anfuso-Sisto's concern about the lack of protein, and said that Americans regularly get "more than enough" in their regular diet. In her opinion, the best kind of milk is the kind that people will actually drink.
"Drink whichever you like better. Just don't leave a milk out of your diet, because that's where you're getting your calcium," she said.
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
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- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/cow-milk-vs-nut-milk-who-wins-1.1103188#sthash.kXl2zRgs.dpuf
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Not all processed food is bad for you
We've heard it time and again from health professionals: Processed food will be the death of us, so avoid it.
But what exactly are we supposed to avoid? Indeed, what is processed food?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's definition of the term is so broad — any food of any kind that's been canned, cooked, frozen, dehydrated or milled — that the only products that don't count are "raw agricultural commodities," such as an apple picked off a tree's branch or a carrot pulled straight from the ground.
So what's that mean? That the bag of vegetables in your freezer actually is processed, even if it has no other ingredient aside from the vegetables themselves. It's the same with those steaks you're saving, and with the grapes or tomatoes that you sun-dried on the deck.
But honestly, is that really what the authorities on diet are talking about?
Not really.
"If there's anything that experts misspeak about when it comes to food, it's this [processed food]," said Diana Thomas, director for the Center for Quantitative Obesity Research at Montclair State University. "There is no solid definition; it seems to scoot around all over the place. And people get confused."
With good reason.
For instance, she said, apples are simmered in hot water to make Mott's natural applesauce, and ascorbic acid (a natural preservative) is added to keep it fresh. That's processed. Contrast that with a bag of Doritos, though, which contains 26 different ingredients including vegetable oil, sugar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), maltodextrin (a food thickener/artificial sweetener), and preservatives like citric acid. That's also processed, but it's at a different level from the cooked apples.
Although the FDA has a voluminous page on its website dedicated to listing the additives commonly found on ingredient lists — some, like sodium, are familiar, while others, like the half-dozen texturizers that "improve mouth feel," may be foreign — it doesn't provide a way of measuring how processed a food might be.
Thomas personally gauges how much processing might have occurred by considering the amount of "interference" that occurs between a food's natural state and the final product. Baby food made of crushed bananas or apples might lie on the lower end of the spectrum, she said, while a Twinkie is going to be more "complex" — that is to say, containing about three dozen chemicals that give it color, enhance its taste, and give it a longer shelf life.
Kit Yam, Ph.D., graduate program director at the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, said that although there are many negative connotations associated with processed foods, the decision to begin preserving our sustenance wasn't a choice for humans — it was born of necessity, especially in a society where most members don't want to be farmers.
"We live in cities, and food needs to be processed so it's preserved and it can be shipped," he said. "Without processed food, you don't have modernization."
Susan Kraus, a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center, said the need for packaged fare began some time around the 1960s, when the pace of life began to quicken and we needed meals we could grab and go.
"There was a market for things that were very convenient," she said.
Some merits
But "convenient" doesn't necessarily mean "bad," and few would argue that roasted nuts, steel-cut oatmeal and low-fat milk — all of which are processed — are bad for you.
Even fairly heavily processed foods like packaged bread can be a good choice, said Andrea Anfuso-Sisto, a registered dietitian with Valley Hospital in Ridgewood; some are fortified with iron, and whole-grain varieties still contain the vitamin- and fiber-laden outer layers of the bran.
"I read somewhere that someone said, 'Don't buy things with ingredients you can't pronounce,'" she said. "Well, there are a lot of vitamins that people can't pronounce."
Anfuso-Sisto said that when eating for health, reading the label so as to avoid products high in added sugar (which has been linked to diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease) or sodium (linked to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease) is more important than religiously avoiding processed foods in favor of "natural," "organic" or "vegetarian" fare. Some of these, such as veggie burgers, are traditionally seen as the more nutritionally "safe" option, but in reality they're loaded with artificial coloring, flavor enhancers, and sodium. Others, such as organic cookies, still contain sugar, which often hides behind other names like "high fructose corn syrup," "glucose," and "dextrose."
No one is particularly clear on why the phrase has taken on a life of its own. Kraus blames health experts who appear on television and make broad statements that further confuse the public, while Thomas believes it's an example of how information on the Internet can be manipulated to support a certain point of view, even if it involves only selecting certain studies that help prove a point.
"It's people in public health that want to do right, but twist the evidence and misinform the public," she said. "And it's so easy to put that information out, and if someone says, 'Processed foods are bad, you shouldn't have them,' that can get propagated quickly."
How do we cut through that fog of misinformation?
Thomas said that reading science-based blogs, such as conscienhealth .org, as well as the studies themselves, have helped her move past the sensationalism — along with a healthy dose of cynicism about what's being reported as "fact."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/health-not-all-processed-food-is-bad-for-you-1.1098176?page=all#sthash.kd4uGLxC.dpuf
But what exactly are we supposed to avoid? Indeed, what is processed food?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's definition of the term is so broad — any food of any kind that's been canned, cooked, frozen, dehydrated or milled — that the only products that don't count are "raw agricultural commodities," such as an apple picked off a tree's branch or a carrot pulled straight from the ground.
So what's that mean? That the bag of vegetables in your freezer actually is processed, even if it has no other ingredient aside from the vegetables themselves. It's the same with those steaks you're saving, and with the grapes or tomatoes that you sun-dried on the deck.
But honestly, is that really what the authorities on diet are talking about?
Not really.
"If there's anything that experts misspeak about when it comes to food, it's this [processed food]," said Diana Thomas, director for the Center for Quantitative Obesity Research at Montclair State University. "There is no solid definition; it seems to scoot around all over the place. And people get confused."
With good reason.
For instance, she said, apples are simmered in hot water to make Mott's natural applesauce, and ascorbic acid (a natural preservative) is added to keep it fresh. That's processed. Contrast that with a bag of Doritos, though, which contains 26 different ingredients including vegetable oil, sugar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), maltodextrin (a food thickener/artificial sweetener), and preservatives like citric acid. That's also processed, but it's at a different level from the cooked apples.
Although the FDA has a voluminous page on its website dedicated to listing the additives commonly found on ingredient lists — some, like sodium, are familiar, while others, like the half-dozen texturizers that "improve mouth feel," may be foreign — it doesn't provide a way of measuring how processed a food might be.
Thomas personally gauges how much processing might have occurred by considering the amount of "interference" that occurs between a food's natural state and the final product. Baby food made of crushed bananas or apples might lie on the lower end of the spectrum, she said, while a Twinkie is going to be more "complex" — that is to say, containing about three dozen chemicals that give it color, enhance its taste, and give it a longer shelf life.
Kit Yam, Ph.D., graduate program director at the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, said that although there are many negative connotations associated with processed foods, the decision to begin preserving our sustenance wasn't a choice for humans — it was born of necessity, especially in a society where most members don't want to be farmers.
"We live in cities, and food needs to be processed so it's preserved and it can be shipped," he said. "Without processed food, you don't have modernization."
Susan Kraus, a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center, said the need for packaged fare began some time around the 1960s, when the pace of life began to quicken and we needed meals we could grab and go.
"There was a market for things that were very convenient," she said.
Some merits
But "convenient" doesn't necessarily mean "bad," and few would argue that roasted nuts, steel-cut oatmeal and low-fat milk — all of which are processed — are bad for you.
Even fairly heavily processed foods like packaged bread can be a good choice, said Andrea Anfuso-Sisto, a registered dietitian with Valley Hospital in Ridgewood; some are fortified with iron, and whole-grain varieties still contain the vitamin- and fiber-laden outer layers of the bran.
"I read somewhere that someone said, 'Don't buy things with ingredients you can't pronounce,'" she said. "Well, there are a lot of vitamins that people can't pronounce."
Anfuso-Sisto said that when eating for health, reading the label so as to avoid products high in added sugar (which has been linked to diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease) or sodium (linked to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease) is more important than religiously avoiding processed foods in favor of "natural," "organic" or "vegetarian" fare. Some of these, such as veggie burgers, are traditionally seen as the more nutritionally "safe" option, but in reality they're loaded with artificial coloring, flavor enhancers, and sodium. Others, such as organic cookies, still contain sugar, which often hides behind other names like "high fructose corn syrup," "glucose," and "dextrose."
No one is particularly clear on why the phrase has taken on a life of its own. Kraus blames health experts who appear on television and make broad statements that further confuse the public, while Thomas believes it's an example of how information on the Internet can be manipulated to support a certain point of view, even if it involves only selecting certain studies that help prove a point.
"It's people in public health that want to do right, but twist the evidence and misinform the public," she said. "And it's so easy to put that information out, and if someone says, 'Processed foods are bad, you shouldn't have them,' that can get propagated quickly."
How do we cut through that fog of misinformation?
Thomas said that reading science-based blogs, such as conscienhealth .org, as well as the studies themselves, have helped her move past the sensationalism — along with a healthy dose of cynicism about what's being reported as "fact."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/food-news/health-not-all-processed-food-is-bad-for-you-1.1098176?page=all#sthash.kd4uGLxC.dpuf
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Friday, September 26, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Due's Adam Weiss on kale, caviar and kosher salt
dam Weiss has spent the last six months at Ridgewood's Due (pronounced do-ay) attempting to set the "innovative, eclectic" Italian restaurant apart from the town's many other restaurants. His strategy? Elevating traditional dishes by adding surprising elements and his signature touch.
So, instead of preparing a simple chicken marsala, for example, Weiss, a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, would use a Frenched chicken breast and his own wild mushroom sauce to create something that "serious foodies," he said, might appreciate.
The 37-year-old Ringwood resident was the chef at Esty Street in Park Ridge for a decade before eventually landing at Due in April. The restaurant received 3 1/2 out of 4 stars last week from The Record. Here he talks about kale, caviar and why home cooks should learn to love kosher salt.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: The Key lime semi-freddo ($8). The prep work that goes into it takes four hours or more — I have to choose and then juice the limes, and then I take a can of condensed milk and put it in a pot, bring it to a boil, and leave it for three hours before refrigerating it and then make the custard.
My guilty pleasure: Twix bars, because of that combination of chocolate and caramel and crunch. Also, sautéed medallions of foie gras. I know that's very "poor-man, rich-man."
Most overrated food: Kale. I'm guilty of using it, but it gets to the point where it becomes silly — you don't need candy kale or kale spring rolls.
Favorite local restaurant: Café Matisse in Rutherford. It's such a creative menu, and whatever you order, every dish will turn out extraordinary to exceptional. I don't think anybody can criticize it. My favorite is the crispy crab cake appetizer with guacamole and spicy chipotle sauce.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: Learn how and when to use salt. When a box of pasta tells you to put one teaspoon of salt in for a gallon of water, no! It has to be salted like the ocean, because when you drain it, you want the salt to adhere to the pasta. I use a quarter to a half cup. And only use kosher salt. Iodized salt should be thrown in the garbage; it makes things taste like chemicals.
The next food fad: Smaller plates so people can try various dishes. It'll be tasting menus instead of one steak hanging over the side of the plate.
Strangest request from a diner: Years ago at Esty Street, I had a woman who ordered a grouper over vegetable ragout in a broth, but she wanted ketchup on the side. And she was the wife of a known chef. I don't know whom I felt worse for, the dish or the chef.
What I'd never pay for at a restaurant: Caviar. I don't need to sit down and have that for $125 an ounce. I'd rather spend that on something more substantial.
Dish I wish I created: Molten chocolate cake. Whoever the chef was that developed it made chocolate cake, came up with the right ratio of ingredients, and then accidentally underbaked it to create a fad.
Favorite cookbook: "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller. There' a lot of insider tips for both professional and home cooks, and it gives you new inspiration — a sense not only of, "How did he do that?" but also of "Why did he do that?"
More info: Due, 18 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood. 201-857-3232; dueridgewood.com. BYOB. Appetizers $12 to $17, entrées $23 to $32.
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See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/due-s-adam-weiss-on-kale-caviar-and-kosher-salt-1.1094803#sthash.abvfHfqT.dpuf
So, instead of preparing a simple chicken marsala, for example, Weiss, a 1997 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, would use a Frenched chicken breast and his own wild mushroom sauce to create something that "serious foodies," he said, might appreciate.
The 37-year-old Ringwood resident was the chef at Esty Street in Park Ridge for a decade before eventually landing at Due in April. The restaurant received 3 1/2 out of 4 stars last week from The Record. Here he talks about kale, caviar and why home cooks should learn to love kosher salt.
Toughest dish to cook at my restaurant: The Key lime semi-freddo ($8). The prep work that goes into it takes four hours or more — I have to choose and then juice the limes, and then I take a can of condensed milk and put it in a pot, bring it to a boil, and leave it for three hours before refrigerating it and then make the custard.
My guilty pleasure: Twix bars, because of that combination of chocolate and caramel and crunch. Also, sautéed medallions of foie gras. I know that's very "poor-man, rich-man."
Most overrated food: Kale. I'm guilty of using it, but it gets to the point where it becomes silly — you don't need candy kale or kale spring rolls.
Favorite local restaurant: Café Matisse in Rutherford. It's such a creative menu, and whatever you order, every dish will turn out extraordinary to exceptional. I don't think anybody can criticize it. My favorite is the crispy crab cake appetizer with guacamole and spicy chipotle sauce.
Simplest tip to improve home cooking: Learn how and when to use salt. When a box of pasta tells you to put one teaspoon of salt in for a gallon of water, no! It has to be salted like the ocean, because when you drain it, you want the salt to adhere to the pasta. I use a quarter to a half cup. And only use kosher salt. Iodized salt should be thrown in the garbage; it makes things taste like chemicals.
The next food fad: Smaller plates so people can try various dishes. It'll be tasting menus instead of one steak hanging over the side of the plate.
Strangest request from a diner: Years ago at Esty Street, I had a woman who ordered a grouper over vegetable ragout in a broth, but she wanted ketchup on the side. And she was the wife of a known chef. I don't know whom I felt worse for, the dish or the chef.
What I'd never pay for at a restaurant: Caviar. I don't need to sit down and have that for $125 an ounce. I'd rather spend that on something more substantial.
Dish I wish I created: Molten chocolate cake. Whoever the chef was that developed it made chocolate cake, came up with the right ratio of ingredients, and then accidentally underbaked it to create a fad.
Favorite cookbook: "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller. There' a lot of insider tips for both professional and home cooks, and it gives you new inspiration — a sense not only of, "How did he do that?" but also of "Why did he do that?"
More info: Due, 18 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood. 201-857-3232; dueridgewood.com. BYOB. Appetizers $12 to $17, entrées $23 to $32.
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See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/due-s-adam-weiss-on-kale-caviar-and-kosher-salt-1.1094803#sthash.abvfHfqT.dpuf
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Chef Lynn Neumann of Sapphire Thai Food Express in Teaneck on Thai food
It wasn't until she was laid off from the Simmons Jewelry Co. in New York City in 2010 that Lynn Neumann, née Thongnid, had the time to return to the hobby she'd abandoned long ago: cooking.
The 54-year-old Bergenfield resident, who came to the United States in 1990 from Thailand, began preparing traditional Thai dishes, many of which she learned from her father as a girl, for her boyfriend Erwin Neumann to bring for lunch. He soon became a hit at his workplace, thanks to the spicy aromas emanating from the office kitchen whenever he warmed up his meals.
In 2011, Erwin became her husband, and Lynn Neumann continued to practice for several years with friend and fellow chef Mary Jaisue, formerly of Thai Palace in Teaneck, before opening Sapphire Thai Food Express in January.
The restaurant received 2 1/2 out of four stars in July from The Record.
Here, she talks about what home cooks do wrong and the health benefits of Thai food.
A great introduction to Thai food is: Pad Thai, which is noodles and meat. It's very well known, it's like fast food in Thailand. And if a restaurant cannot make a good pad Thai, they don't know what they're doing.
Thai food is different from other Asian foods because: It's much healthier. We don't deep-fry in vegetable oil, we use canola or soybean oil. We don't use a lot of tapioca powder or flour, and we use no MSG, period.
What diners don't know about Thai food: Not everything is sweet. The sweetness is added to make the diners in America happy, but Thai food from Thailand has a variety of tastes.
My favorite local restaurant: Sanducci's Trattoria in River Edge. I love their blackened pasta with any kind of sauce. They don't just open up a box and boil things — they make fresh pasta over there, and I can taste it.
One thing everyone needs in their home kitchen: A sharp set of knives. I don't care if it's expensive or cheap, if it's sharp, I'm happy. Every few minutes we re-sharpen our knives when we're preparing meat — it's something that people don't pay attention to, but once you're in the kitchen, you know how important it can be.
Biggest mistake home cooks make: Don't underestimate the importance of the quality of your ingredients. Even if you're trying to save money, and meat is 50 cents a pound cheaper, buying it will change the meal itself. The quality and presentation is not there.
Favorite cooking show: "Iron Chef." Bobby Flay is my inspiration.
My last meal would be A dish that my father taught me called moo oob ($12). It's pork marinated with herbs, and simmered with a variety of herbs and spices. It's moist and tender, and it's got beautiful color, and it blows everybody away. It's so unusual.
How I keep my weight down: I've exercised from age 11. I also control my food intake, and I don't eat fattening things. I don't eat sweets.
Favorite dish to cook: Pad Thai. You have to perfectly cook the noodles. It sounds simple, but that's how you prove to yourself you're a good chef.
Favorite dish I invented: Nam tod ($10). It's jasmine rice mixed with red curry paste with chopped lime. I make it like a meatball, and I deep-fry it. I let it cool down, and mix it with brown pork.
More information: Sapphire Thai Food Express, 445 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, 201-928-0770; sapphirethaifoodexpress.com. Appetizers $5 to $10, entrées $10 to $18. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
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- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-lynn-neumann-of-sapphire-thai-food-express-in-teaneck-on-thai-food-1.1084490#sthash.do92QeS5.dpuf
In 2011, Erwin became her husband, and Lynn Neumann continued to practice for several years with friend and fellow chef Mary Jaisue, formerly of Thai Palace in Teaneck, before opening Sapphire Thai Food Express in January.
The restaurant received 2 1/2 out of four stars in July from The Record.
Here, she talks about what home cooks do wrong and the health benefits of Thai food.
A great introduction to Thai food is: Pad Thai, which is noodles and meat. It's very well known, it's like fast food in Thailand. And if a restaurant cannot make a good pad Thai, they don't know what they're doing.
Thai food is different from other Asian foods because: It's much healthier. We don't deep-fry in vegetable oil, we use canola or soybean oil. We don't use a lot of tapioca powder or flour, and we use no MSG, period.
What diners don't know about Thai food: Not everything is sweet. The sweetness is added to make the diners in America happy, but Thai food from Thailand has a variety of tastes.
My favorite local restaurant: Sanducci's Trattoria in River Edge. I love their blackened pasta with any kind of sauce. They don't just open up a box and boil things — they make fresh pasta over there, and I can taste it.
One thing everyone needs in their home kitchen: A sharp set of knives. I don't care if it's expensive or cheap, if it's sharp, I'm happy. Every few minutes we re-sharpen our knives when we're preparing meat — it's something that people don't pay attention to, but once you're in the kitchen, you know how important it can be.
Biggest mistake home cooks make: Don't underestimate the importance of the quality of your ingredients. Even if you're trying to save money, and meat is 50 cents a pound cheaper, buying it will change the meal itself. The quality and presentation is not there.
Favorite cooking show: "Iron Chef." Bobby Flay is my inspiration.
My last meal would be A dish that my father taught me called moo oob ($12). It's pork marinated with herbs, and simmered with a variety of herbs and spices. It's moist and tender, and it's got beautiful color, and it blows everybody away. It's so unusual.
How I keep my weight down: I've exercised from age 11. I also control my food intake, and I don't eat fattening things. I don't eat sweets.
Favorite dish to cook: Pad Thai. You have to perfectly cook the noodles. It sounds simple, but that's how you prove to yourself you're a good chef.
Favorite dish I invented: Nam tod ($10). It's jasmine rice mixed with red curry paste with chopped lime. I make it like a meatball, and I deep-fry it. I let it cool down, and mix it with brown pork.
More information: Sapphire Thai Food Express, 445 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, 201-928-0770; sapphirethaifoodexpress.com. Appetizers $5 to $10, entrées $10 to $18. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-lynn-neumann-of-sapphire-thai-food-express-in-teaneck-on-thai-food-1.1084490#sthash.do92QeS5.dpuf
Monday, September 15, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Dr. Patrick Roth pens book 'The End of Back Pain'
His new book may be titled "The End of Back Pain," but Dr. Patrick Roth, chairman of neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center, said that his prescription has much more to do with managing it.
"Poll the people at any place in the world, at any time," he said, "and the percentages will be the same: 20 percent will have back pain at that moment, 40 percent have had it in the last year, and 80 percent have had it over the course of a lifetime. And that's not going to change."
So why buy his book?
Because even if you can't eliminate that dreadful discomfort that can make walking, standing, sitting and lying down difficult, you can manage it effectively — as long as you're willing to give his method a shot, Roth said.
"There's a big difference between treating a disease and building health," he said. "This is about building health. People come to me and say, 'Take away my pain.' But there's a better way."
That "better way" relies on about a dozen exercises that, when done in a progressively more difficult workout, should reduce the frequency, duration, and intensity of the participant's back pain.
Roth's program requires a kettlebell (a piece of equipment that looks like a cannonball with a handle) and a Swiss ball, and can be done as easily in a living room as in a gym, he said.
"What's beautiful about a kettlebell is the convenience. They take up no room, and you can literally put it in a closet."
All of the exercises, from the cat stretch and back twist to the kettlebell squat and Turkish get-up, aim to strengthen each part of a person's core, including the smaller muscles of the back that are often neglected in traditional routines, Roth said.
"Everyone will do sit-ups, but they won't work the back muscles. And that's the key. It's the muscles that you don't see that are the most important part of mitigating back pain."
It has worked for him. With two herniated disks and a stress fracture in his L5 vertebrae, thanks to his high school football days, he practices what he preaches. "I went through it. I lived it. My whole life has been back pain," he said.
Roth's ideas might not be for everyone: His advice to work out even when in pain will turn some off, and his opinion that back surgery is "terribly overdone" because it's profitable for the surgeons will likely raise hackles. But he argues that most patients who get surgery don't need it, and could, with a little work, take control of the pain themselves.
"You have to try it," he said. "People don't feel confident that they can do it on their own, but they can."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/doctor-s-rx-for-managing-back-pain-1.1082180?page=all#sthash.ta1oo6Qy.dpuf
"Poll the people at any place in the world, at any time," he said, "and the percentages will be the same: 20 percent will have back pain at that moment, 40 percent have had it in the last year, and 80 percent have had it over the course of a lifetime. And that's not going to change."
So why buy his book?
Because even if you can't eliminate that dreadful discomfort that can make walking, standing, sitting and lying down difficult, you can manage it effectively — as long as you're willing to give his method a shot, Roth said.
"There's a big difference between treating a disease and building health," he said. "This is about building health. People come to me and say, 'Take away my pain.' But there's a better way."
That "better way" relies on about a dozen exercises that, when done in a progressively more difficult workout, should reduce the frequency, duration, and intensity of the participant's back pain.
Roth's program requires a kettlebell (a piece of equipment that looks like a cannonball with a handle) and a Swiss ball, and can be done as easily in a living room as in a gym, he said.
"What's beautiful about a kettlebell is the convenience. They take up no room, and you can literally put it in a closet."
All of the exercises, from the cat stretch and back twist to the kettlebell squat and Turkish get-up, aim to strengthen each part of a person's core, including the smaller muscles of the back that are often neglected in traditional routines, Roth said.
"Everyone will do sit-ups, but they won't work the back muscles. And that's the key. It's the muscles that you don't see that are the most important part of mitigating back pain."
It has worked for him. With two herniated disks and a stress fracture in his L5 vertebrae, thanks to his high school football days, he practices what he preaches. "I went through it. I lived it. My whole life has been back pain," he said.
Roth's ideas might not be for everyone: His advice to work out even when in pain will turn some off, and his opinion that back surgery is "terribly overdone" because it's profitable for the surgeons will likely raise hackles. But he argues that most patients who get surgery don't need it, and could, with a little work, take control of the pain themselves.
"You have to try it," he said. "People don't feel confident that they can do it on their own, but they can."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/doctor-s-rx-for-managing-back-pain-1.1082180?page=all#sthash.ta1oo6Qy.dpuf
Monday, September 8, 2014
Why do we still eat so poorly?
Drive down most highways in North Jersey, and you’re guaranteed to come across one of two things: a curbside fast food restaurant trying to lure motorists into its drive-thru with promises of salt-, sugar-, and fat-laden goodness, or a big metal sign advertising that such a place lies just off the next exit.
Their food is awful for us — we all know this — but many of us pull in anyway.
Take a lunch made up of an offering from McDonald’s dollar menu, such as the McDouble. That burger has 380 calories, 17 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrates, and 840 milligrams of sodium. Add a "medium" order of fries for another 340 calories, 16 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbohydrates, and 190 milligrams of sodium, and a large Coke at 280 calories and 76 grams of carbohydrates, and you’ve got a meal packing a whopping 1,000 calories, 33 grams of fat (10.5 grams of which is saturated), 154 grams of carbohydrates, and 1,030 milligrams of sodium. That’s 58 percent of the recommended daily fat intake, 51 percent of carbs, 43 percent of sodium and about half of our recommended daily intake of calories, all in one heart-clogging, gut-busting meal.
And what’s the reward? Feelings of guilt and a waistline that never shrinks: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of American adults now qualify as overweight, and of those, 35 percent are considered obese.
So why do we keep eating this way?
The problem, said Dr. Diego Coira, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), begins with one of the medical field’s favorite culprits: stress. When we’re under physical or emotional stress — not uncommon for our fast-paced lives — the body releases cortisol, a hormone that causes our appetite to increase (even if we ate a short time ago) and causes "stress eating." And the combination of salt, sugar, and fat that’s found in many of the worst foods is, unfortunately, psychologically and physically comforting, even if it’s unhealthy.
"They’re called ‘comfort foods’ because they help when you’re stressed — they calm you down, the brain releases endorphins and dopamine after you eat them, and you’re good," Coira said
And there’s more: Many of us don’t even know how much we’re consuming. Menus in most restaurants don’t have calorie or carbohydrate counts, and over time, those counts have risen as portion sizes have increased. The size of a bagel, for example, has doubled from 3 inches in diameter to 6 over the past 20 years, said Katie Day, clinical dietitian at HUMC at Pascack Valley, adding 200 calories to the breakfast meal.
Burgers are bigger, fries are more numerous, and we don’t feel like we’re getting a good "bang for our buck" unless we’re inundated with victuals. That line of thinking has allowed meals’ caloric values to wander into the realm of the ridiculous.
One example is the Cheesecake Factory’s "Brulee French Toast," which was recently awarded an "Xtreme Eating" award by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Served at brunch and topped with powdered sugar and maple-butter syrup, it packs a heart-attack-inducing 2,780 calories, 93 grams of saturated fat, 2,230 milligrams of sodium, and 24 teaspoons of sugar. To burn that off, you’d have to run 21 miles.
Dealing with temptation
Even a regular steak dinner, said Chesney Blue, a registered dietitian for the Green Hill Senior Living community in West Orange, is probably twice as large as it should be: Instead of the 3 to 4 ounces that’s recommended, most restaurants give patrons at least 6 or 8.
So what can we do?
"If you know you’re going on a long trip, take stuff with you: granola bars, unsalted nuts, baby carrots, cheese cubes, etc.," Day advised. "That way, if you’re tempted, you at least have something there."
If stopping is an absolute necessity, order grilled or baked food over fried things, include a salad, and drink water instead of soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages that are typically standard fare.
At restaurants, practice portion control to avoid overeating, which two-thirds of Americans admit to doing.
"Your hand is a very good tool — if the amount of meat doesn’t fit in the palm of your hand, it may be too much for you," said Blue.
Day also suggested sharing an entrée, or having the waiter wrap up half of the plate before it’s even brought to the table.
Coira, however, said that going to dinner with friends may actually help us eat less: Not only does that sort of socialization alleviate stress, it forces us to do more talking than chewing. This slower pace means that our brain, which doesn’t register us as "full" until 20 minutes after we begin eating, has more time to figure out that the body doesn’t really need that rich, sugar-laden dessert.
But no matter how large the portion is, Coira said the most helpful thing we can do for ourselves is focus on the actual act of eating.
"Be mindful," he said.
"Smell the food, look at the colors, taste it, and take your time. That’s when you experience pleasure with a meal."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/why-do-we-still-eat-so-poorly-1.1082177?page=all#sthash.k0SW3Bjd.dpuf
Their food is awful for us — we all know this — but many of us pull in anyway.
Take a lunch made up of an offering from McDonald’s dollar menu, such as the McDouble. That burger has 380 calories, 17 grams of fat, 34 grams of carbohydrates, and 840 milligrams of sodium. Add a "medium" order of fries for another 340 calories, 16 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbohydrates, and 190 milligrams of sodium, and a large Coke at 280 calories and 76 grams of carbohydrates, and you’ve got a meal packing a whopping 1,000 calories, 33 grams of fat (10.5 grams of which is saturated), 154 grams of carbohydrates, and 1,030 milligrams of sodium. That’s 58 percent of the recommended daily fat intake, 51 percent of carbs, 43 percent of sodium and about half of our recommended daily intake of calories, all in one heart-clogging, gut-busting meal.
And what’s the reward? Feelings of guilt and a waistline that never shrinks: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of American adults now qualify as overweight, and of those, 35 percent are considered obese.
So why do we keep eating this way?
The problem, said Dr. Diego Coira, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), begins with one of the medical field’s favorite culprits: stress. When we’re under physical or emotional stress — not uncommon for our fast-paced lives — the body releases cortisol, a hormone that causes our appetite to increase (even if we ate a short time ago) and causes "stress eating." And the combination of salt, sugar, and fat that’s found in many of the worst foods is, unfortunately, psychologically and physically comforting, even if it’s unhealthy.
"They’re called ‘comfort foods’ because they help when you’re stressed — they calm you down, the brain releases endorphins and dopamine after you eat them, and you’re good," Coira said
And there’s more: Many of us don’t even know how much we’re consuming. Menus in most restaurants don’t have calorie or carbohydrate counts, and over time, those counts have risen as portion sizes have increased. The size of a bagel, for example, has doubled from 3 inches in diameter to 6 over the past 20 years, said Katie Day, clinical dietitian at HUMC at Pascack Valley, adding 200 calories to the breakfast meal.
Burgers are bigger, fries are more numerous, and we don’t feel like we’re getting a good "bang for our buck" unless we’re inundated with victuals. That line of thinking has allowed meals’ caloric values to wander into the realm of the ridiculous.
One example is the Cheesecake Factory’s "Brulee French Toast," which was recently awarded an "Xtreme Eating" award by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Served at brunch and topped with powdered sugar and maple-butter syrup, it packs a heart-attack-inducing 2,780 calories, 93 grams of saturated fat, 2,230 milligrams of sodium, and 24 teaspoons of sugar. To burn that off, you’d have to run 21 miles.
Dealing with temptation
Even a regular steak dinner, said Chesney Blue, a registered dietitian for the Green Hill Senior Living community in West Orange, is probably twice as large as it should be: Instead of the 3 to 4 ounces that’s recommended, most restaurants give patrons at least 6 or 8.
So what can we do?
"If you know you’re going on a long trip, take stuff with you: granola bars, unsalted nuts, baby carrots, cheese cubes, etc.," Day advised. "That way, if you’re tempted, you at least have something there."
If stopping is an absolute necessity, order grilled or baked food over fried things, include a salad, and drink water instead of soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages that are typically standard fare.
At restaurants, practice portion control to avoid overeating, which two-thirds of Americans admit to doing.
"Your hand is a very good tool — if the amount of meat doesn’t fit in the palm of your hand, it may be too much for you," said Blue.
Day also suggested sharing an entrée, or having the waiter wrap up half of the plate before it’s even brought to the table.
Coira, however, said that going to dinner with friends may actually help us eat less: Not only does that sort of socialization alleviate stress, it forces us to do more talking than chewing. This slower pace means that our brain, which doesn’t register us as "full" until 20 minutes after we begin eating, has more time to figure out that the body doesn’t really need that rich, sugar-laden dessert.
But no matter how large the portion is, Coira said the most helpful thing we can do for ourselves is focus on the actual act of eating.
"Be mindful," he said.
"Smell the food, look at the colors, taste it, and take your time. That’s when you experience pleasure with a meal."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
--
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/why-do-we-still-eat-so-poorly-1.1082177?page=all#sthash.k0SW3Bjd.dpuf
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
So, should you avoid eating carbs?
Yes, a new study has found that a low-carbohydrate diet helped participants drop weight faster over 12 months than a low-fat one, but let's not toss the rye bread and start frying up the eggs just yet.
Look past the headlines that the study, led by Tulane University's Dr. Lydia Bazzano and published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, has generated, and you will find that the message is not, in fact, about the importance of really cutting back on carbohydrates — it's yet another heads up to be more careful about what we're eating.
The study found that a group following a low-carb diet lost more weight — an average of 7.7 pounds worth — and their levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol had increased "significantly more" than a group following a low-fat diet over a year's time. Their triglycerides also fell sharply, and their Framingham scores, which predict how likely a patient is to have a heart attack within 10 years, also dropped.
Many see the results as an endorsement of an Atkins-like high-protein, high-fat diet, but Sharon R. Akabas, Ph.D., director of the M.S. in nutrition program at the Institute of Human Nutrition for Columbia University, said that we may be missing the point.
"The message that may be lost in translation is that eating unprocessed foods is very important," she said.
America has made a "big mistake" in making fat out to be villainous, she said, and the foods we developed in the wake of the "low-fat" craze may be low in fat but high in sugar and really low in nutrients. So while there's nothing inherently wrong with using a low-fat diet to keep your weight down, it's difficult to do without eventually eating processed foods. The reason? We've got to get our calories somehow. Low-carb diets, on the other hand, may not be as difficult to maintain; dieters may eat more fat, but if it's healthy fat – from nuts and olive oil, for example – that's OK.
"The higher-fat diet seems to allow us to select less processed foods, and that allows people to manage their weight better," Akabas said. "That ultimately affects their health in a positive way." In other words, she noted, this study reinforces what scores of previous studies have found: "People should reduce their simple sugars and processed foods while moving to a more plant-based diet."
The study took a group of 148 obese people and divided them into two groups: one that followed a traditional low-fat diet that restricted them to getting no more than 30 percent of their daily energy intake from fat, and another that followed a low-carbohydrate approach and limited participants to no more than 40 grams a day (an average diet allows for around 300 grams). The subjects ranged from 22 to 75 years old, had a body mass index of between 30 and 45 (doctors prefer it to be between 18 and 25), and had no reported history of cardiovascular problems. The diets included no specific calorie goal, and both groups were asked not to change their physical activity levels.
Cardiologist Benita Burke, M.D., medical director of Valley Medical Group's Heart Care for Women, said that the study had flaws, such as a limited scope, short timeline and a reliance on participants reporting what they ate. And while triglycerides and other inflammation markers fell among the low-carb eaters, blood pressure readings didn't, and levels of LDL cholesterol — (the "bad" cholesterol) — didn't change with either group. Larger studies with final tallies of how many patients later suffered heart attacks or strokes are necessary before a final judgment is made, she said.
The one benefit, Burke said, was the insinuation that sugar is a no-no. "It's a good thing to say, 'Keep people away from the bagels and the muffins,' because we have to stay away from them. We know it turns into sugar, and we're already on sugar overload," she said.
"It all comes back to these processed foods and these sugars … everything we eat that's 'white' should be out."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/so-should-you-avoid-eating-carbs-1.1079786#sthash.aarU1yy6.dpuf
Look past the headlines that the study, led by Tulane University's Dr. Lydia Bazzano and published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, has generated, and you will find that the message is not, in fact, about the importance of really cutting back on carbohydrates — it's yet another heads up to be more careful about what we're eating.
The study found that a group following a low-carb diet lost more weight — an average of 7.7 pounds worth — and their levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol had increased "significantly more" than a group following a low-fat diet over a year's time. Their triglycerides also fell sharply, and their Framingham scores, which predict how likely a patient is to have a heart attack within 10 years, also dropped.
Many see the results as an endorsement of an Atkins-like high-protein, high-fat diet, but Sharon R. Akabas, Ph.D., director of the M.S. in nutrition program at the Institute of Human Nutrition for Columbia University, said that we may be missing the point.
"The message that may be lost in translation is that eating unprocessed foods is very important," she said.
America has made a "big mistake" in making fat out to be villainous, she said, and the foods we developed in the wake of the "low-fat" craze may be low in fat but high in sugar and really low in nutrients. So while there's nothing inherently wrong with using a low-fat diet to keep your weight down, it's difficult to do without eventually eating processed foods. The reason? We've got to get our calories somehow. Low-carb diets, on the other hand, may not be as difficult to maintain; dieters may eat more fat, but if it's healthy fat – from nuts and olive oil, for example – that's OK.
"The higher-fat diet seems to allow us to select less processed foods, and that allows people to manage their weight better," Akabas said. "That ultimately affects their health in a positive way." In other words, she noted, this study reinforces what scores of previous studies have found: "People should reduce their simple sugars and processed foods while moving to a more plant-based diet."
The study took a group of 148 obese people and divided them into two groups: one that followed a traditional low-fat diet that restricted them to getting no more than 30 percent of their daily energy intake from fat, and another that followed a low-carbohydrate approach and limited participants to no more than 40 grams a day (an average diet allows for around 300 grams). The subjects ranged from 22 to 75 years old, had a body mass index of between 30 and 45 (doctors prefer it to be between 18 and 25), and had no reported history of cardiovascular problems. The diets included no specific calorie goal, and both groups were asked not to change their physical activity levels.
Cardiologist Benita Burke, M.D., medical director of Valley Medical Group's Heart Care for Women, said that the study had flaws, such as a limited scope, short timeline and a reliance on participants reporting what they ate. And while triglycerides and other inflammation markers fell among the low-carb eaters, blood pressure readings didn't, and levels of LDL cholesterol — (the "bad" cholesterol) — didn't change with either group. Larger studies with final tallies of how many patients later suffered heart attacks or strokes are necessary before a final judgment is made, she said.
The one benefit, Burke said, was the insinuation that sugar is a no-no. "It's a good thing to say, 'Keep people away from the bagels and the muffins,' because we have to stay away from them. We know it turns into sugar, and we're already on sugar overload," she said.
"It all comes back to these processed foods and these sugars … everything we eat that's 'white' should be out."
Email: janoski@northjersey.com
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/so-should-you-avoid-eating-carbs-1.1079786#sthash.aarU1yy6.dpuf
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