Ode to In-N-Out Burger

Is there a healthy way to eat there?

If you've every had the good fortune to go to an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru then you know what I mean when I say, "Most hamburger joints got nothin' on them." (They are a burger chain located in California, Arizona, and Nevada...in case you ever get to those three states)

A FatBurger restaurant came to my town and one night we tried it as a family - disappointment as we all kept wishing it was an In-N-Out Burger instead. The closest In-N-Out Burger is about 20 minutes away, so we only go there when we happen to be driving past that exit around mealtime (which isn't too often).

What makes In-N-Out so great? Can you say, homemade french fries? That's
right baby, you can see them pressing peeled potatoes into fries right in
front of your eyes as you go through the drive-thru. I remember the first
time we tried them, my girls weren't thrilled about them "what's wrong with
these french fries?" they asked - and I replied, "they're fresh!" It didn't
take them long to appreciate this new french fry sensation. You might
consider ordering one order of french fries for 2-3 people though. That way
everyone gets a nice taste but you'll split the 400 calories and 18 grams of
fat that comes with it.

You won't see poultry or fish on the menu either. They know what they do
best and they specialize in making hamburgers. Maybe it's the way they grill
the buns or the way the cheese covers the whole burger, maybe it's the
special sauce (they call it "spread"), maybe it's the quality of the beef.
Who knows, but it works! So how can you order a better (healthier) burger at
In-N-Out:

Option #1. Hamburger w/onion with mustard & ketchup instead of spread:
310 calories, 10 grams fat, 4 g saturated fat

Option #2. Cheeseburger w/onion with mustard & ketcup instead of spread:
400 calories, 18 grams fat, 9 g saturated fat

Option #3. Hamburger with onion and "light spread":
(Not sure what the numbers are but it probably somewhere between 390 and 310 calories and 19 and 10 grams of fat.)

How do you feel about In-N-Out Burger?

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Fast Food Choices, Fast Food Survival

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When Your Daughter Cooks From Your Cookbook

Yesterday my daughter got a bee in her bonnet to bake some sugar cookies so
she started searching various and sundry recipe websites and nothing
appealed to her. When suddenly it occurred to me - I have a recipe for sugar
cookies (and darn good ones at that) in my COMFORT FOOD MAKEOVERS cookbook! (released this past January)

The next thing I knew she was reaching for egg substitute and pulling out the less fat margarine. The only change she made was to use all sugar instead of half sugar and half Splenda (totally understandable). The dough turned out perfect and the anticipated yummy sugar cookies arrived shortly thereafter.

After the cookies turned out so well, she started flipping through the
cookbook, "hey this recipe sounds good" "I want to try this 10-minute
Spaghetti Carbonara" "Can we make this Earthquake Cake Sometime?"
"Let's make this Any Fruit Cobbler recipe this summer!"

Wow! One of those mommy moments I won't soon forget.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Cooking With Your Children, Kids, Teens Urged to Get More Calcium


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What you Should Know about...LIQUID CALORIES

"Save 17,528 calories per month--just by doing this one thing!"

That's what the advertisement could say, and the one thing would be CUT BACK ON LIQUID CALORIES--CALORIES YOU DRINK.

No chewing required.

Don't get me wrong; I can enjoy an occasional yummy cafe mocha just as much as the next gal, it's just that what we drink on a day-to-day basis counts, in a big way, especially as we get older.

Case in point is that Starbucks Cafe Mocha I was just talking about? On a daily basis it would add 300 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 400 calories (with whip) per 16-ounce beverage. Adding the word "white" adds even more calories - ordering a White Chocolate Mocha totals 410 calories (whole milk, no whip) or 510 calories (with whip).

In my world, 510 calories is an entire meal. Order the mocha with nonfat milk or soymilk and this will bring it down to 220 calories (nonfat milk, no whip). But even then, if we do this every day, we are tallying up a total of 1540 calories a week (with nonfat milk) or 6,160 calories per month. And, this 6,160 calories per month total is only considering that habitual morning coffee run. What about drinks during the rest of the day?

Doing the Drink Math

If we are drinking the mocha in the morning and a couple of sodas or
sweetened bottled tea drinks in the afternoon and a glass of wine in the
evening as well, we are really in the beverage calorie business then! Let¹s do
some math, shall we?


Cafe mocha, 16 oz, (nonfat milk, no whip) 220
12 ounce soda 140
12 ounce sweetened bottled tea 116
8 ounces white wine or 12 ounces of beer 150
Total: 626 calories

626 liquid calories per day =

4,382 liquid calories per week =

17,528 liquid calories per month!


That's a truckload of calories saved. And calories saved translate into
potential pounds lost; approximately 5 pounds per month (using the 17,528
calories per month calculation from above).

Now do I have your attention?

Here are a few fun facts that might help dissuade you from drinking a whole
bunch of calories:

* Liquid calories may not be a wise investment of your calories.
Liquid calories don't seem to register in our stomach like food calories
do - they don't fill up and satisfy our hunger as well as solid food calories.
Next time you do drink a high calorie beverage, just check in with your
stomach and hunger an hour later. How do you feel? Are you still satisfied?

What might be going on here? A group of researchers from Pennington
Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill explain in a recent journal article that fructose (the chief component in high fructose corn syrup) is different from glucose in that it does NOT stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. And higher levels of insulin and leptin in the blood stream help regulate body weight by serving as signals that food has been eaten.

* Beware of high-fructose corn syrup. Some experts say part of the rise in obesity in the U.S. is due to rising consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, which is used in many soft drinks, fruit juices, and sports drinks. One study found that rats fed a high-fructose diet were more likely to develop features of metabolic syndrome, says researcher Richard J. Johnson, MD, of the University of Florida College of Medicine. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of symptoms linked to a high risk of diabetes and heart disease.)

* It's better to eat your carbohydrates than to drink them! A Purdue University study found that significant weight gain might occur when carbohydrates are consumed as liquids rather than as solid food. In their study, 15 men and women consumed a supplemental amount of carbohydrates each day as either a liquid (soda) or a solid (jelly beans) each for a 4-week period. The rest of their day's intake was up to them. While the study participants didn't decrease their intake to compensate for
the added soda calories, they were able to compensate naturally for the additional jellybean calories.

Are you still planning on drinking your calories today?

~Elaine

Related Topics: WebMD Daily Video: The Truth About Coffee, Teenage Girls Replacing Milk With Soda

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This is Why I am Glad I am Not a Chef!

I lighten and create recipes...that's part of what I do, but I'm not a chef. I repeat, I am not a chef. I'm actually glad I'm not (not that there is anything wrong with being one), it's just that it has helped me design recipes average home cook. I can't use fancy cooking terms and techniques in my recipes, for example, if I don't even know what they are. I did acquire some food service management and food science skills though while getting my B.S. in nutrition science...but this was many many moons ago.

I could totally relate to the Cooking 101 article that Candy Sagon wrote in the Washington Post which discussed how kitchen knowledge and cooking skills have plummeted over the years and how companies are simplifying recipes and eliminating the use of cooking terms to keep everyone on the same page. She included a very clever 5 question quiz on cooking terms in her article and I'm happy to announce the Recipe Doctor knew the answers! Here are the questions and answers so you could now pass the quiz with flying colors too--if you couldn't before)

* To "blanch" a vegetable means to: plunge it into boiling water briefly, then immediately into cold.

* If a recipe says to "cream the butter and sugar," it means to: beat them together until creamy.

* The instructions say to "dredge" the chicken in flour. That means you: lightly coat the chicken with flour.

* If a recipe instructs you to "fold in the egg whites," that means you should: gently combine them by folding the heavier mixture into the lighter whites.

* To "simmer" means to: cook in a liquid that's just hot enough that tiny bubbles break the surface.


But I'll see Candy's 5 cooking terms and I'll raise her 5 more. Here are 5 more cooking terms you now know (if you didn't before):

* To "saute" means: to pan-fry in a hot pan usually in a small amount of fat (which is also nice and hot).

* When you "broil" food you: turn your oven to the "broil" position which gets the heating unit or flame part of the oven temperature to around 550 degrees or higher and this will cook/brown one side of your food at a time. Some recipes will tell you how many inches from the flame to position your food on the rack (usually 3-4 inches but 6-inches away may also be called for).

* To "coat" the pan means: you spray the inside of the pan or dish with canola cooking spray (about 2-3 second spray depending on the size of the pan) if that is what is called for OR you evenly cover the bottom (and the sides if coating a baking dish) with the amount of fat called for using a spatula if spreading oil. Or you can use a piece of wax paper if coating the inside of a baking dish with margarine, butter, or oil.

* To "toast nuts" you: are basically lightly browning nuts (which brings out wonderful smells and flavors and crisps them up). You can do this over the stove in a dry (non-greased) pan over medium heat (which is my preference because this method is short and sweet) keep turning them around occasionally as they cook with a spatula. You can also toast them in a 300-degree oven or toaster oven, turning the nuts frequently to keep them evenly browning. Keep in mind they do tend to brown a little further as they cool.

* To "whisk" or "whisk in" an ingredient or mixture you: use a whisk (a kitchen tool that usually has curved or coiled wires in the shape of a long balloon, attached to a handle) to add air or blend an ingredient into the mixture using short, quick movements (I go in a tight circle) which usually helps thicken or add froth to the mixture.

Are there any other cooking phrases, terms or techniques I can help you with?

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Smart Substitutions, WebMD Daily Video: Pantry Makeover

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Glycemic Index Takes A One-Two Punch

It used to be that the term "GI" meant gastrointestinal tract but no
longer...the new buzz word, glycemic index has taken that one over. And yes,
I've written about the Glycemic Index in an article or two for WebMD but I have urged people over the years that the Glycemic Load (which also takes into account the number of carbohydrates per serving of the food in question) gets you closer to the actual affect a food has on blood sugar when eaten in normal life conditions.

* Think of the glycemic load as the glycemic index with attitude.
* The GI tells you how quickly a particular carbohydrate in food makes your
blood sugar rise, but it doesn't take into account how many carbohydrates
are found in a serving. That means that some healthy, but relatively
lower-carb, foods -- like carrots -- end up with a high GI number.
* The glycemic load, meanwhile, takes the number of carbs per serving into
consideration along with the food's glycemic index. To find a food's
glycemic load, you basically multiply its GI value by number of
carbohydrates per serving.
* The glycemic load allows us to compare the likely effect on blood sugar
of realistic serving sizes of different foods.

Many a diet and book has even been based on the Glycemic Index but some
researchers and experts have held their applause, unconvinced that this
number truly holds value in real life, where food is eaten as part of a
mixed meal. The GI takes a one-two punch in the June 2004 issue of the
British Journal of Nutrition.

One study (testing the use of the glycemic index tables to predict glycemic
index of mixed breakfast meals--British Journal of Nutrition Volume 91,
Issue 6 pp. 979-989) concluded that "the GI of mixed meals calculated by
table values does not predict the measured GI and furthermore that
carbohydrates do not play the most important role for GI in mixed breakfast
meals." They actually found that the GI of mixed meals was more strongly
related with the fat and protein content or with the energy content of the
meal (than with carbohydrate alone).

Another study (this one by diabetes researcher Mayer-Davis from the
University of South Carolina in Columbia) found there was no association
between high glycemic index eating habits and elevated blood sugar among 813 adults who were followed over 5 years.

What does this mean? This means if you are diabetic you might consider
counting carbs, fat and fiber (maybe even protein) from time to time to
decipher the ideal combination that helps you maintain normal blood sugars.
Can we learn something from reading about the glycemic index of foods? Well,
you'll learn more from knowing the glycemic load of foods. And ultimately
the way your body's blood sugar responds to a meal has to do with more than
just the carbohydrates and their individual effect on your blood sugar.

Related Topics: Diabetes, Quick Weight Loss and the Risk of Fad Diets, Metabolic Syndrome Skyrocketing

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Got Wrinkles?

A few years ago when I turned 40 suddenly I was motivated to keep my skin as young looking as possible. Not that I'm obsessed with my appearance (because I'm so not), but I figured it's worth a little extra effort to care for my now aging skin. Being that I'm a young baby boomer, I figure I'm not alone.

One of the best ways to help prevent wrinkles is, of course, to NOT tan your skin. Being that I am the kind of person who doesn't tan but only turns different shades of pink, I figured out at a young age that sun worshiping just wasn't in my genetic code. My younger sister though got whatever melanin our family tree had left and she did tan as a teen and young adult (I have to say, I do seem to have fewer wrinkles).

I would like to think I know the basics about keeping skin young from the inside-out (avoiding sun, not smoking, keeping well hydrated, and eating a "healthy" diet...but I wondered what some of the skin experts had to say about it...

What Skin Experts Have To Say
"I think since prevention plays a big role in skin aging, the sooner you start the better," answers Dr. Mark G. Rubin, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology of the University of San Diego. "By the time you see changes you don't like in your skin, a lot of damage has already been done," he explains. Dr. Rubin believes not smoking and avoiding the sun starting in your teens will pay off later in life with improved skin quality.

If you think about it, what we are really trying to do is delay the normal aging of our skin-it ages just as all our other organs do. The best way to prevent aging of many things in the human body, on a cellular level, is to keep your body cells from oxidizing. I'm oversimplifying but generally: Oxidation = Aging

The best way to keep your body from needlessly oxidizing is to avoid smoking and to eat a diet rich in antioxidants (more on this below).

On a physical level, the best to prevent aging of the skin is to keep it well hydrated and moist with a nice layer of lipid beneath the skin to protect the internal moisture from leaving. You can do this simply by eating a healthy diet that includes some smart fats (omega-3s and monounsaturated fat) and drinking plenty of water and having a good skin care regimen that conditions the skin and minimizes skin moisture loss. Dr. Rubin agreed with my humble assessment.

Food Tips For Healthy Looking Skin
Are there any specific things we can do diet wise to encourage healthier-looking skin? You bet! "Your skin is a reflection of your underlying health, so good nutrition, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, staying hydrated, et...all play a role in creating better looking skin," says Dr. Rubin. Dr. Papadeas with the Skin Cancer and Laser Surgery Center in Aurora, Colorado, adds "no excessive drinking" to this healthy lifestyle list.

The whole foods way of eating
"The same diet that protects against heart disease and cancer is good for the skin," says Wilma Bergseld, M.D., head of clinical research in dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who makes a point of telling her patients to eat a healthy diet of whole foods. Researchers at Monash University in Australia may have helped prove Bergseld's point in their recent study. When looking at the diets of about 450 people age 70 and older from Australia, Greece, and Sweden, they found that those who ate a more "whole foods" diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, eggs, yogurt, nuts, oils rich in monounsaturated fats, multigrain bread, tea and water) had less skin wrinkling and photo aging than those who ate diets rich in whole milk, red meat (particularly processed meats), butter, potatoes and sugar products. The researchers believe this may have to do with the antioxidants, phytochemicals and monounsaturated fats contributed.

Here's to younger looking skin!

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Flirty at Thirty: Flawless Foundation, Indoor Tanning Bad, Docs Say

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Shop Talk: Strawberries in March

I live in California and the first strawberries of the season have arrived!

How I love strawberries. I'm one of those extra picky produce shoppers...you
know the type that inspect the baskets and find just the right one, then I
flip the basket over and check and make sure the strawberries at the bottom
look just as nice. Then...I smell the basket. That's right, if it smells
wonderful, chances are pretty good they will taste wonderful too.

Right now you can pick up one of those large baskets (about a pint) for
around $2.50. Not bad for a taste of summer!

Strawberries are nutritional powerhouses too.

1 cup of sliced strawberries, only 50 calories, contains 2.5 grams fiber,
16% daily value for folic acid, and 157% daily value for vitamin C.

My favorite way to enjoy strawberries is on waffles or in salad. You can
even enjoy them whole as a snack, and you can dip them in vanilla yogurt to
make it a little more fun.

What gets me through winter (while waiting for this first truckload of
strawberries) is whipping up smoothies with some frozen strawberries (or
raspberries) added in.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Find a Recipe, Take the Fruit and Vegetable Challenge

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Oscar Winning Menu

I feel like Cinderella at the Governor's Ball...

Have you seen the menu for the Governor's ball that follows the 78th annual Academy Awards March 5th? Wolfgang Puck is in charge and it's going to be dazzling!

Apparently the dinner will feature an entree of chicken and black truffle risotto. For those of you that speak my food language...this black truffle isn't the type you buy at a chocolate store. I'll be honest, I've seen these black truffles at high priced markets and delis but I've never actually cooked with them. Puck purchased 30 pounds of black truffles (a type of flavorful fungus I believe) for the low, low price of...drum roll please...$30,000. At the price of $1,000 per pound, no wonder I've never used them in my recipes. But I have made risotto and I've never tasted a risotto I didn't like. So, great choice Wolfgang!

Also on the fancy food list for the ball is smoked salmon pizza with caviar. The price tag on this evenings supply of caviar? I'll give you a hint... it's more than the black truffles...$40,000! Wolfgang's people specify "Osetra" caviar. I suppose if I lived among and cooked for the rich and famous, the name "Osetra caviar" would mean something to me. But alas, just the name "caviar" doesn't even mean anything to me.

I'll tell you what does mean something to me though...each guest at the ball goes home with a gold-dusted chocolate Oscar made with Valrhona chocolate. Okay Mr. Puck! now you have gotten my attention. Now you are speaking my language.

What will I be doing the night of the Academy Awards and the Governor's Ball? I'll be watching snippets of the celebrities making their acceptance speeches while I fold laundry, do the dinner dishes, and help my daughters with homework. But probably right about the time they're handing out those chocolate Oscars at the Governor's ball...maybe, just maybe, I'll be curled up on the couch enjoying a Girl Scout cookie or two with my cup of green tea. Total cost? 50 cents.

~~Elaine

Related Topics: Celebrity Diets, Fitness For Couch Potatoes

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