Eating Healthy in a Polluted World: The Beijing "Shutdown"

How Researchers Are Taking Advantage of The Beijing "Shutdown"

It's no surprise that Beijing, where the Olympics were held, is known to be a highly polluted city. You may have heard during the Olympic coverage that there was something of an industrial "shutdown" that took place before and during the Olympics. Out of concern for the athletes, Chinese officials agreed to reduce industrial activity by as much as 30% and mandated cuts in automobile use by half to curb industrial emissions for the Olympics.

In my mind this brought the point home that big pollution producers exist in the world and we all share the air. But I didn't bring this up to depress everyone. I was thrilled to read that American researchers were actually able to take advantage of this unique opportunity. A National Science Foundation funded project is using specially equipped unmanned aircraft to measure and track dust, soot and other pollution aerosols that travel from Beijing and other parts of China in atmospheric brown clouds. They will be able to observe how the atmosphere responds when a heavily populated area substantially curbs everyday industrial emissions.

Black carbon in soot is considered to be a major contributor to global warming. According to the chief scientist on the project, V. Ramanathan, "By determining the effects of soot reduction during the Olympics on atmospheric heating, we can gain much needed insights into the magnitude of future global warming."

Satellite and ground observations began on August 1 while pre-inspection test flights by the unmanned aircraft began August 9. Testing will continue through September 30. You can read more about this fascinating study on the National Science Foundation web site..

Again, as I said in my previous blog entry, "What does all of this have to do with eating healthy? Because what goes up must come down...The airborne pollutants eventually return to the land where they can contaminate the soil and water and that is where we grow the food we eat."

Related Topics:

• Eating Healthy in a Polluted World
• How to Be a Budget Organic

Taste Test Tuesday: Another High Fiber Pasta Choice!

New products include FiberGourmet Light Pasta and Mac & Cheese box

The difference between the FiberGourmet brand of high fiber noodles and other higher fiber noodles is that these noodles are strangely white. Which made me wonder where is all this fiber coming from? (The front label on the noodle package boasts "20 grams of fiber" per serving.)

Apparently it's almost all coming from the second ingredient, "modified wheat starch," which is a source of the lesser-known source of fiber - resistant starch. This form of starch is named "resistant" starch because it's resistant to being digested and absorbed in the small intestine (thus making it a form of fiber or something that travels all the way through the intestines and exits.)

Resistant starch is a form of fiber that is found at low levels in foods like unripe bananas, lentils and beans, whole grains like oats, rye, wheat, barley, and corn. Resistant starch can also form when foods like potatoes, rice and pasta are cooked and then cooled - this process physically restructures the starch links. The FiberGourmet company claims that one of the benefits to resistant starch as a source of fiber is that it doesn't get fermented until the end part of the colon and tends not to produce the gas and bloating that can come from other fibers fermented earlier in the colon. In fact, because of this fermentation in the colon, resistant starch is thought to act like a prebiotic because it seems to encourage the growth of good bacteria while reducing amounts of harmful bacteria.

Resistant starch doesn't appear to be calorie-free because our bodies end up eking out about half of the amount of calories per gram compared to other carbohydrates.


So how does it taste?
I tasted an earlier version of the FiberGourmet light pasta a year or so ago so I can say from experience that this new product definitely has an improved flavor and texture. I was also interested to try out their new seemingly kid-friendly Light Macaroni & Cheese in a box with 18 grams of fiber per one-cup serving.

My teenage tasters liked the macaroni and cheese but knew right away that it wasn't "the other" macaroni and cheese in a box. The lack of neon orange powder was a dead give away. This can be a good thing though! I thought it tasted pretty good too, but felt the need to add a sprinkling of reduced fat sharp cheddar over the top of my serving.

The ingredients for the macaroni noodles are: hard wheat flour, modified wheat starch, and wheat gluten.

The ingredients for the sauce mix are: whey, maltodextrin, wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, cheddar cheese, sodium caseinate, lactic acid, citric acid, xanthan gum (soluble fiber), buttermilk, natural flavors, annatto (natural colorant), tocopherols (vitamin E.)

The Nutrition Information per cup of the mac and cheese is:

170 calories (fewer calories than the standard type)
2 g fat (.2 g saturated fat and 0 g trans)
49 g carbohydrate (18 g fiber)
7 g protein
660 mg sodium

NOTE: FiberGourmet products are available at various markets around the country (there is a list of markets by state on their website: www.fibergourmet.com).

Related Topics:

• Lighten Up Your Pasta
• Recipe: Lobster (or Crab) Macaroni and Cheese

Eating Healthy in a Polluted World

Why anyone who eats food and drinks water should be concerned about air pollution.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and The Nature Conservancy have found that air pollution is degrading every major ecosystem in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. Why this part of the U.S.? This area is downwind from large industrial and urban pollution sources and receives the highest levels of deposited air pollution in North America, according to The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

Their report, Threats From Above: Air Pollution Impacts on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States, was the first to analyze the large-scale effects four air pollutants (sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, ground-level ozone) are having across a broad range of habitat types. (The four air pollutants mentioned above come from smokestacks, tailpipes, and agricultural operations.) Unfortunately everywhere the researchers looked they found evidence of air pollution harming natural resources.

What does all of this have to do with eating healthy? Because what goes up must come down...The airborne pollutants eventually return to the land where they can contaminate the soil and water and that is where we grow the food we eat.

Here's a sobering quote from one of the report authors, Dr. Timothy H. Tear of the Nature Conservancy:

"Mercury contamination results in fish that are unsafe to eat. Acidification kills fish and strips nutrients from soils. Excess nitrogen pollutes estuaries to the detriment of coastal fisheries. And ground-level ozone reduces plant growth, a threat to forestry and agriculture."

The authors urge U.S. policymakers to establish air quality standards based on the maximum level of deposited pollution that ecosystems can tolerate before harmful effects occur.

You can view the report at www.ecostudies.org/Threats_from_Above.pdf

Related Topics:

• How to Eat Organic Foods on a Budget
• Green Cleaning Spruces Up Environment

Taste Test Tuesday: Back To Nature Granola to Go

Honey Almond Portable Granola Pouches

I always have something to munch on or chew on in my purse, ask my kids and my friends who have all been the recipients of this helpful habit of mine. You just never know when you are going to be stuck in traffic or the airport and in need of some fuel or some mint gum.

That being said, you can imagine how pleased I was to find these little pouches filled with 1 1/2 ounces of honey almond granola. I love that almonds are the third ingredient! I brought them with me on two summer trip to Dallas and they were a welcome snack and topping for my yogurt. They might even make a nice snack to pack in backpacks and lunch boxes.

Each pouch has 5 grams of protein, 7 grams of fat (mainly from the almonds and safflower oil) and 4 grams of fiber, so each pouch is pretty satisfying and will help tied you over when you're hungry until your next meal.

The first 5 ingredients are:

whole grain rolled oats
evaporated cane juice
almonds
honey
organic expeller pressed safflower oil

1 pouch (1 1/2 ounces) contains: 190 calories, 5 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 10 g sugars, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 20 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 33 percent.

Related Topics:

• Simple Healthy Snacks for Kids
• The Smart Way to Snack

Frugal Friday: It Pays To Compare Prices

Maybe you're like me and on a typical week you might have a few different stores you frequent to collect the groceries you need and want. I go to a regular chain grocery store near my house for some items, but I usually hit Trader Joe's once every week or two.

Well yesterday, while making my biweekly run to Trader Joe's, I noticed that their egg substitute product (Nulaid ReddiEgg 16-ounce carton) was $1.99.

WOW! I happen to know that the same size carton of Egg Beaters (my favorite
brand) is around $4.00. I know this because I always groan - because of the price and the fact that it's almost NEVER on sale - when I put it in my shopping cart.

So, frugally speaking, if you go to several different grocery stores in a two or three week period, it makes "cents" to compare the prices of some of the products they have in common, that are staples at your house. Compare the price on mineral water or bags of flour, for example. Find out where the lowest prices are for weekly items like fruits and bags of baby carrots and fresh spinach, cartons of high omega-3 eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese...and then make a point to buy them where they are lowest in price whenever practically possible.

I saved almost 2 dollars yesterday just by buying my egg substitute at one store versus the other. Imagine if you find just 10 items like this, you'll save around 20 dollars a week which computes to about 80 dollars a month!

The savings can definitely add up just by being a little more aware of where the prices for your staples are the lowest. Now go out there and find your 10 items!

Related Topics:

• 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping
• WebMD Video: Healthy Supermarket Shopping

Taste Test Tuesday: Healthy Choice Chicken Parmigiana

I've already told you all that I'm not "big" on frozen entrées, but I admit it's helpful (for a busy family of 4 going in about 4 different directions) to have a handful of frozen entrée options in the freezer. I've got some favorites I tend to always have on hand for when someone in the family wants to put something hot together in 5 minutes. But I'm always looking for new frozen entrée options.

Today I tried Healthy Choice Chicken Parmigiana which looked appealing with a breaded chicken breast with marinara sauce and cheese, broccoli florets, fettucini pasta, and a mini serving of caramel apple crisp for dessert. It didn't look to shabby nutritionally either with a total of:

370 calories
9 g fat
2 g saturated
56 g carbohydrate (6 grams fiber!)
16 grams of protein
15 mg cholesterol
500 mg of sodium

How did it taste?
I mixed the broccoli into the chicken and pasta dish which, other than one bite of chicken that was strangely chewy, tasted pretty good. It was pretty satisfying thanks to the protein and fiber with a few bites of apple dessert to finish it off.

Related Topics:

• Frozen Food Storage: Keeping It Safe and Tasty
• I Can't Believe It's a Frozen Entrée

Taste Test Tuesday: Back to Nature Summer Berry Blend Whole Grain Cereal

Tired of whatever whole grain cereal you've been eating for the past 6 months? I'm always looking for new whole grain cereals to try. What can I say, I bore easily. Whole grain cereal isn't just a breakfast to me, it is also something to stir into yogurt (which I try to have most days).

I was super excited a couple of years ago when those dried strawberries starting popping up in all sorts of breakfast cereals, just because it was something different flavor-wise (the fact that it colored the milk pink didn't hurt either). I love this new Summer Berry Blend Whole Grain Cereal because it has those fun dried strawberries PLUS dried raspberries and dried blackberries. There are two types of flakes too - multigrain and barley. There's a lot going on flavor wise in every spoonful.

The first 5 ingredients are:

• Multigrain flakes (whole grain wheat, whole grain wheat flour, barley flour, malted barley syrup, evaporated cane juice, molasses, grape juice concentrate, sea salt, vitamin E)
• Brown sugar
• Barley flakes
• Honey
• Dried strawberries, raspberries, blackberries

Each cup contains:

210 calories
5 g protein
46 g carbohydrate (17 g sugars—some of this is from the dried fruit)
.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat)
0 mg cholesterol
5 g fiber
100 mg sodium
Calories from fat: 2 percent

Related Topics:

• Getting Serious About Cereal
• Tips for Reaping the Benefits of Whole Grains

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, Back to Nature Summer Berry Blend, whole grain cereal, healthy diet