Nourish the Thought

Our Five Cents - Sugar is back

Several months back we wrote about the growing concern over High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)?  More to the point, we posed the question - is it a concern for you? 

Likely we have all seen the fairly quirky commercials about HFCS. In these commercials, HFCS is portrayed as natural (made from corn) and part of a healthy diet if consumed in moderation. 

The reason for this post is that I just read an article in the New York Times stating that sugar - the once considered bad boy of sweeteners by dentist and many, many others is back.

From the tomato sauce on a Pizza Hut pie called “The Natural,” to the just-released soda Pepsi Natural, some of the biggest players in the American food business have started, in the last few months, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with old-fashioned sugar. 

ConAgra uses only sugar or honey in its new Healthy Choice All Natural frozen entrees. Kraft Foods recently removed the corn sweetener from its salad dressings, and is working on its Lunchables line of portable meals and snacks.

Sugar’s comeback is not entirely a backlash against the corn sweetener. Market researchers say that with the economy so unsettled, people want to control what they can. Choosing organic, less processed or so-called natural foods is a relatively inexpensive way to do that.

So what do you think?  Is either one the lesser of two evils?  Likely both have a place in the diet as long as that place has boundaries and limits. Too much of a good thing - no matter how sweet tasting it is - is not necessarily a good thing at all.

Your Five Senses - What is Value

2008 ended with a lot of talk about consumers looking for the best value.  Seemed as though every time I turned on the TV, the news was talking about how retailers were hoping for big turnouts after Thanksgiving and again after Christmas.  Then you would see an interview with a consumer saying that they were out shopping on these two days, but only willing to buy items that were 50% of 75% off original prices.  They were looking for value deals and not settling for anything less. I will admit, I did not shop on these two days, but I too was looking to get great deals during the holidays.

The same was true with restaurants in 2008. Consumers were looking for good deals when they did in fact choose to dine out.  But what constitutes a value deal when dining at a restaurant?

-is it a lower price (even if it means smaller portions or lesser quality)

-is it great tasting products or said another way a truly satisfying meal at a reasonable (maybe not the lowest price)

-is it the bundling of items (2 for the price of 1 or salad, entree, dessert for one low price)

When you dine out, do you specifically look for value options?  Do you choose a restaurant based on the value offering they have or the food itself they offer?

In asking these questions as of late, I have discovered I am more a creature of habit.  I don't seek out value deals at restaurants and I don't look much at the value menus at most restaurants (other than for research). I go to restaurants I like to get the food I like and as long as the food delivers on my expectation and is satisfying I find it a good value.

More than likely 2009 will continue to be a year where we are looking for good deals whether it be on clothes, groceries or restaurant items.  It will be interesting to see what the term value comes to mean in 2009 and what creative value deals will surface.

Your Five Senses - Thanksgiving, A New Tradition

Well, Thanksgiving has once again come and gone.  I so look forward to the holiday each year - mostly because of the time spent with family, but of course also for the food.  This year was a little different for my family than from years past (as long as I can remember).  This year, my mother did not do the cooking and I must say we (my brothers, their wives and families) were all apprehensive about this change, but it was time.  My mother is a wonderful cook and there are so many things we all feel "only she can make - like her dressing and the gravy for the turkey", but it is time to pass the torch.  This year my brothers wife took on the task of the turkey and the gravy and it was wonderful.  I was given the daunting task of making the dressing.  I could have went out and created my own signature dressing - starting a whole new tradition, but instead I opted to try to replicate my moms.  She of course doesn't really have a recipe, so asking for that was some what pointless.  She does somewhat go by a recipe found in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, so that is where I started.

I won't say I totally matched my moms dressing, but I do  believe I did a pretty good job. Even she herself said so (guess she sort of has to, after all she is my mom).  I guess the best testament to my work was that there was none left at the end of the meal - the pan was empty.

So I guess in some ways we have started a new tradition in my family or maybe it is just an evolution of past traditions. Either way you look at it, we all went away happy and stuffed.

Our Thanksgiving meal is pretty standard, at least I think so. We have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing (not the cornbread kind), rolls, corn, cranberry sauce and some kind of salad.  Then of course there is the dessert - this is the one area of cooking my mom is still in charge of and she is tops. We had pumpkin pie, blackberry pie, cherry pie, peach pie and egg custard pie. Yep she makes each of her kids their favorite.

Well that is a glimpse of my Thanksgiving holiday - what kind of traditions do you have? Did they change at all this year?  Any new foods introduced?  What are your standard Thankgiving Day foods?

Our Five Cents - School Lunches

School lunch programs have come a long way despite the pressures of the government, administration, students and parents.

Some schools have systems in place that allow the staff to log what a student eats on a daily basis. The system can also alert staff to any food allergies associated with the child. So if they are allergic to peanut butter and they have a peanut butter cookie on their tray, the staff is alerted and sickness may be able to be avoided.

Additionally, school programs these days offer more than the traditional "tray line". Many offer meal option alternatives for purchase such as salad and potato bars, deli sandwiches and wraps, and delivery type pizza.

Meal participation is important to schools. It equates to revenue.  The challenge is to figure out foods the kids will eat that are also nutritious for them.

Your Five Senses - School Lunches

I personally do not have kids in school yet, but I am married to a teacher and he eats the school lunch most every day.  So, I get the comments that I am sure many parents get from their kids.  I hear things like - "...today we had pizza/corn".  This is how he refers to this perfect meal - not as two separate menu items, but rather as one since they are always served together and have been for decades.  I also hear the age old comment about school lunch,"...we had mystery meat today for lunch. I have no idea what it was, so I ate the salad bar".

I have some experience working the with the school foodservice industry. I know they do not have an easy task trying to find healthy, good tasting foods that not only fit their small budgets, but also will be consumed by students and teachers and accepted by parents.  I know some districts have gotten very creative with their lunch offerings based on all the demands from the government, the school administration and the students.  Many offer delivery style pizza versus the 4 x 4 square I remember.

So why am I even writing on this subject.  Well I just read an article about an organized group of physicians that have sent a petition to the USDA to eliminate processed meats from school lunch menus. This wold include items such as hot dogs, ham, deli meats, bacon, etc  Is this realistic?  What are the more healthful alternatives to these products and can schools afford them?  Will the kids eat them?

These are not easy questions and I am sure there are no easy answers for the government, our schools and the community.  Of course childhood obesity is a critical subject that needs to be addressed on an ongoing basis and this is one approach. Any discussion that puts the health of our children first is worthwhile in my opinion. Our schools have a very special and yet difficult task when it comes to feeding our kids nutritious foods they will actually eat while adhering to the guidelnes of the government, the wishes of the parents and the overal budgets they are allotted.

We'll see if this ban passes and if so what happens next.

Your Five Senses - Where's Your Passion

Do you consider yourself a traditionalist or are you adventure?  You can probably answer that question in several different ways depending on the subject. Well, in this case, the subject is M&M's.

So now how would you answer the question - are you a traditionalist or are you about adventure when it comes to M&M's? Do you go for the long-standing plain or peanut version? Have you branched out slightly and eat the peanut butter or mint versions on a semi-regular basis? What about dark chocolate M&M's - have you tried them?

Good news for those who are looking for adventure and a more premium version of the M&M. They are called M&M Premiums - they are made from an entirely different chocolate recipe and sport a speckled metallic skin instead of the bright colors that we are used to from the traditional plain or peanut varieties.

Who will this new line of M&M's attract? Will they become the next status symbol of the stars or our very vocal, very outgoing tween set? Or will the traditionalist unite and make a stand for the familiar, but oh so tasty plain or peanut.

I, for one, am anxious to try the new M&M Premiums, but I feel certain my heart will always lie with the good old plain M&M.

our Five Cents-2008 International Year of the Potato

This is a big world with different races, creeds and colors.  We are similar in the fact that we need sustenance to survive, some are lucky and don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.  For the majority of the world food is something not taken for granted.  Those are the people that will benefit from the increased income and food source that potatoes could provide.

2008 is the year of the potato, what other crops and economic relief do you feel could be an answer to the world's poor and hungry? 

Really? no seriously...REALLY???

InBev agrees to buy Anheuser for $50 billion!  Enough said.  Is this really happening?

What does everyone think about this?  Please send your comments.

Our Five Cents- Eating Out and Eating Healthy

The more I think about eating out and eating healthy, the more I wonder just how much consumers look at eating out as a treat or indulgence therefore healthy goes out the window.  Or if eating out is a common occurance in your house do you choose healthy options as much as possible? For example:

If you are eating out and you are given the option between say fries or steamed vegetables, do you take the healthy option more often than not?

What about when you order your kids a meal from a fast food restaurant - do you get the sliced apples versus the fries?

Tell us what your eating out and eating healthy habits are most of the time.

Your Five Senses-2008 International Year of the Potato

We have all heard of the year of the dog and year of the rat, but now it is time for the year of the potato.  Yes I said potato, there are many reasons why the United Nations have declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato.  Now this humble crop is now getting the limelight, lets take a look at a few of them.

World Economy- Every food crop in the world is getting more and more expensive to grow, harvest and transport.  Wheat, corn and rice are the three biggest international food commodities and they are forcing food prices to skyrocket worldwide.  Unlike these cereal grains the potato is not traded as a commodity and has low cost of production.  In its birthplace of Peru the government has reduced wheat import cost to help encourage their population to eat more breads and foods that contain potato flour.

Feed the Hungry- The world's population is expected to grow by more than 100 million people a year, and 95 % of that population will be centered in developing countries.  The potato could be a sustainable crop that could help meet several hurdles that these countries will face; land, water sources and sometimes very harsh climates.  The potato can be grown on less land and require less water than most of the cereal grains and can be grown much quicker as well.  All this adds up to cheaper foods, job production and most important in my mind is the ability to export goods to help bring back in capital to build these developing countries.

Nutrition- For years people have dismissed the nutritious qualities of the potato, but there is good nutrition in this small package.  The sweet potato has been given recent press for its ability to supply our bodies with complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber.  As for the potato it is fairly high in amino acids and very rich in vitamin C.  Its potassium levels are one fifth of the recommended daily value.

These are just a few great qualities of the potato, that help get its own year long celebration.  I encourage all of you to look at the website that the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and the United Nations  have launched to help bring awareness to the potato.  We at Nourish the Thought would like to hear any comments and or facts that you have researched or studied on potatoes and global foods.

www.potato2008.org