This 'n' That

Food photography is an art I admire, but will never master...

One day last week I was looking at a recipe. Shocker, right! The author/creator was lauding the recipe as low-carb and gluten-free and suitable for paleo-diet folks. That's all well and good. BUT...

Low Carb

All carbohydrates become sugars (blood glucose). Even “good” carbs metabolize into blood glucose, maybe not immediately like “bad” carbs from white bread, white rice, and sugared sodas - but the “good” carbs will also turn into sugar in about 40 minutes.

If you swap out the carbs of, say a cake recipe, but double or even triple the amount of sugar that that recipe would have had if it were a 'normal' recipe with flour, in order to make the tasteless palatable – you're fooling yourself. Cut the flour in half but double the sugar. Right. That's like skipping the bottle and going straight for a vodka IV!!

Quick! What's the equivilance between sugar and carbs?

1 teaspoon of sugar = 4 grams of carbs or 4 grams of sugar.

Although a recipe sounds like it's a good thing, because it's carb-free or low-carb; it may still not be good for you; particularly if you're a diabetic, if the carbs have been replaced by sugar. Read the ingredient list and the Nutrition Facts label.

Nutrition Facts label for a can of Black Eyed Peas

Gluten-free

Gluten-free is the new marketing hype for foods, have you noticed? Gluten-free flavored waters (seriously!). Gluten-free corn tortillas. Gluten-free beef (that's not the same as corn-fed BTW). Gluten-free-this and -that. Makes things sound really good. Special. Makes you think the manufacturer has gone out of their way to be careful about your diet. Bull hockey!

If a food does not contain wheat, it is gluten free. That's all there is to it. Beef does not contain wheat, even if it eats grain. Water either. Corn tortillas either. Anyone with real gluten allergy, or Celiac's Disease, rather than those reading some New Age book about gluten free living or diets, learns to read ingredient labels pretty darn fast. Living a gluten free lifestyle is easy; but you do have to read. Some foods contain wheat starch or other wheat products as a trace ingredient, but unless you are truly allergic to gluten, that's not going to bother you.

I understand that many people feel better when they decide to consume less processed wheat – white breads with lots of preservatives, wheat-based pastas, etc. More power to them, I say. But let's not get silly over things like gluten free water or coffee. Flavor agents are not made from or with wheat or wheat byproducts.

Nutrition Facts For Your Favorite Recipes

If you're serious about eating healthy, you'll want to know exactly what the Nutrition Facts are about your favorite recipes, family favorites, and new creations. Happily the process is relatively easy with a the program called SelfNutritional Data, formerly Nutrition Data –

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

You enter ingredients from their massive database, and amounts, and in no time you'll KNOW how healthy Aunt Jane's Double Dutch Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge is!

Here's a really good explanation of how to read and understand what you see on a NutritionFacts label: 

http://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/labelingnutrition/ucm274593.htm

Found on Facebook:

Slick Mango Trick

Can't find a mango pitter and you're tired of getting all messy trying to peel and pit them? This is the slickest trick I've seen in quite awhile, and it really works. All you need is a knife and a water glass with a firm edge. Stand the mango on the stem end, find the ridge of the pit, and slice along wither side, so you get two “mango filets”. Then check out this Youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BT1cd49pIw

Once you've got as many peeled filets as you want/need, run the tip of your knife just under the skin of the pit slices to remove it. Slice away the extra yumminess that clings to the pit. Or not. It's up to you. Now when Lady Sally and I travel with mangos we don't bother packing the mango pitting tool.

Fun with Food

One of Sally's co-worker's was retiring and a party was called. The theme of the party was to be “toucans” as the retiree had long had a fascination with the big billed birds, and intended to make a “freedom trip” to South America to see them up close and personal. So, Sally says to me “what can you make that's toucan related?”. After a bit of thought I came up with the FrootLoops(tm) Marshmallow Toucan. Same thing as Rice Crispie(tm) Treats but with FrootLoops cereal. The bird took an entire large box of cereal, a banana, and a bag of marshmallows. A few seconds in the microwave to soften the marshmallows, and stir. Then shape quickly before the mass hardens. Details were 'painted' on with a squeeze tube of chocolate frosting from the megamart.