Claire Everett
Last week I was in Spain on a roadtrip inspired by a need to get away from London for a while, catch up with friends, practise my “evening-class-level” Spanish, and enjoy some good food and sunshine. Before I left, I had an idea that my next blog would be about Mediterranean diets and how the warm climate, fresh seafood, grazing-style tapas and perfect conditions for growing fruit and vegetables make it so easy to be healthy. But during part of our journey heading west from Mojacar along the coast, I changed my mind.
I like to think I have a pretty good idea about where the food I eat comes from, the conditions in which it’s produced and how it reaches me. It’s clear when we buy things like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in UK supermarkets that, outside the comparatively short UK growing season, much of this produce is imported from Spain. What I’d not realised is the extent to which our need for these salad vegetables impacts upon the Spanish landscape. The first 150km we travelled after we set off from Mojacar was covered, as far as the eye could see, in white plastic “greenhouses” within which salad vegetables grow. “So what?” you might say, “it has to be grown somewhere and somehow, right?”. To a certain extent this is what I said as we drove, telling myself I was simply disappointed that the view wasn’t the scenic coastal drive I’d imagined. But it kept bugging me and when I got back I looked up a report I had seen the header for on the Guardian website a couple of months ago (Lawrence, 2011).
The report describes the modern day slavery occurring in the Spanish hothouses, with farmers using migrant workers to provide cheap labour in order to keep the price we pay for salad vegetables low. The farmers however are caught in a vicious circle where retail buyers dictate their profit margins so they can’t afford to pay workers the minimum wage. Throughout this, the supermarkets’ own profits remain high. If we consider the environmental impact, this kind of intensive farming leads to the spread of pests and disease, to which the response is the use of pesticides thus increasing the cost to the farmer and again lining the pockets of the global companies, this time in the agrochemical sector.
It’s not something that can be easily tackled by the consumer. If a Fairtrade style policy was put into place and the workers paid more, it is unlikely the supermarkets would absorb this cost and it would therefore be passed to us to stretch our already tight budgets. If we stop buying this imported produce we would potentially put the migrants out of work altogether and it’s highly unlikely they could find a means of returning to their families in Africa. And of course many of us enjoy the year-round supply of ‘summer’ vegetables. Even if we don’t eat as many salads in winter, we still expect lettuce in our sandwiches and a salad garnish with our restaurant meal. But what if we didn’t have this option..? (To be continued)
18.4.11
Barbeques – good for your health?
Nova Corcoran
With a sunny bank holiday predicted it’s time to get the Barbie out (if you haven’t done it already). So what goes on your standard barbeque? Burgers, sausages, chicken, veggie burgers, kebabs, crisps, rolls and sauces and a bag of charcoal? And is any of this good for your health?
Meat Meat Meat
Meat is the biggest problem on a barbeque. From an environmental perspective it has a large carbon footprint. Worldwide it accounts for around 1/5th of greenhouse gas emissions (Silver 2007). Economy and value meat is filled with low grade factory farmed style meat and contains little lean meat and much of this might be connective tissues and fat. Livestock reared to provide cheaper meat is usually soy bean fed which destroys rainforests (FOE 2004; The Independent 2006).
Sauces and marinades
Most sauces are a mix of sugar, vinegar, water, artificial flavours. Although this week the Daily Telegraph tells us barbeques sauces contain natural antioxidants (The Telegraph 2011) most of these will be reduced by cooking. If you are buying sauces find one that uses no artificial flavours and is low in artificial sweeteners.
Health risks of barbeque cooking
The biggest health risks from a barbeque come from the cooking (or undercooking) of the food itself. Practice good food hygiene and your risks will be reduced. For example keep raw and cooked meats separate and ensure food is cooked through before serving. Some media reports have suggested a link between between burnt or charred meat and cancer, but this has only been shown in laboratories and is not a proven link in humans (Cancer Research UK 2007). Marinating meat helps to reduce the chances it will char or burn.
Gas or charcoal?
From a carbon standpoint, gas wins because natural gas and propane burn cleaner and leave behind less waste than charcoal grills but you are burning a non renewable fossil fuel. Proper charcoal is actually carbon neutral (Shephard 2008).
Start small – 5 things you can do to make your Barbie healthier
• Make a plan of who is coming to your barbeque and what you want to eat so you only buy what you need.
• Think what can be bought locally and in season. Some local fruit and veg shops or markets work out cheaper than supermarkets, use less packaging and produce is more likely to be locally sourced. It’s not just about distance but supporting local business which in turn builds stronger communities.
• Invite friends and neighbours. If a few of you eat together you save energy on cooking, money and time plus socializing with friends makes us happier.
• If you can, serve less meat (not no meat, just less meat). Add jacket potatoes, corn on the cob, vegetable kebabs, pasta or rice salads etc. This also increases the health benefits of your barbeque by adding fresh fruit and veg. If you can choose meat that is grass fed and organic.
• Buy charcoal that has a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and is UK produced. One of the best known is BioRegional and is sold in most supermarkets.
With a sunny bank holiday predicted it’s time to get the Barbie out (if you haven’t done it already). So what goes on your standard barbeque? Burgers, sausages, chicken, veggie burgers, kebabs, crisps, rolls and sauces and a bag of charcoal? And is any of this good for your health?
Meat Meat Meat
Meat is the biggest problem on a barbeque. From an environmental perspective it has a large carbon footprint. Worldwide it accounts for around 1/5th of greenhouse gas emissions (Silver 2007). Economy and value meat is filled with low grade factory farmed style meat and contains little lean meat and much of this might be connective tissues and fat. Livestock reared to provide cheaper meat is usually soy bean fed which destroys rainforests (FOE 2004; The Independent 2006).
Sauces and marinades
Most sauces are a mix of sugar, vinegar, water, artificial flavours. Although this week the Daily Telegraph tells us barbeques sauces contain natural antioxidants (The Telegraph 2011) most of these will be reduced by cooking. If you are buying sauces find one that uses no artificial flavours and is low in artificial sweeteners.
Health risks of barbeque cooking
The biggest health risks from a barbeque come from the cooking (or undercooking) of the food itself. Practice good food hygiene and your risks will be reduced. For example keep raw and cooked meats separate and ensure food is cooked through before serving. Some media reports have suggested a link between between burnt or charred meat and cancer, but this has only been shown in laboratories and is not a proven link in humans (Cancer Research UK 2007). Marinating meat helps to reduce the chances it will char or burn.
Gas or charcoal?
From a carbon standpoint, gas wins because natural gas and propane burn cleaner and leave behind less waste than charcoal grills but you are burning a non renewable fossil fuel. Proper charcoal is actually carbon neutral (Shephard 2008).
Start small – 5 things you can do to make your Barbie healthier
• Make a plan of who is coming to your barbeque and what you want to eat so you only buy what you need.
• Think what can be bought locally and in season. Some local fruit and veg shops or markets work out cheaper than supermarkets, use less packaging and produce is more likely to be locally sourced. It’s not just about distance but supporting local business which in turn builds stronger communities.
• Invite friends and neighbours. If a few of you eat together you save energy on cooking, money and time plus socializing with friends makes us happier.
• If you can, serve less meat (not no meat, just less meat). Add jacket potatoes, corn on the cob, vegetable kebabs, pasta or rice salads etc. This also increases the health benefits of your barbeque by adding fresh fruit and veg. If you can choose meat that is grass fed and organic.
• Buy charcoal that has a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and is UK produced. One of the best known is BioRegional and is sold in most supermarkets.
15.4.11
Food for thought: 2: The Cornish Pasty
Nova Corcoran
Pasty facts
Did you know traditional Cornish pasties used to be known as oggies or tiddy oggies? Or that Cornish pasties remain one of Cornwall’s most successful exports (Shackle 2001). The origin of the humble pasty is unclear, but records show they were eaten as far back as 1300. It gained popularity in the 18th century where miners, fisherman and farm workers took them for their lunches. Emigrating Cornish miners took pasties with them overseas and pasties are found in different places around the world (Devlin 2008). Origins of the distinct D shape are still debated, but it was probably helpful in re-heating pasties and may have been a way for miners to eat the pasty without handling the contents but allowed them to hold and then discard the crust.
Is that pasty good for you?
Pasties provide good sustenance as they contain root vegetables most commonly onion, swede and potato and the contents inside the pastry are pretty interesting on the health front. Onions have a natural antibiotic action and boast a number of health related properties including some documented evidence that they have preventive stomach cancer and cardiovascular health protection properties as they diminish the risk of blood clots (Craig 2011). Swedes have cancer protecting properties, vitamin C and beta carotene (Lutton 2007). Potatoes don’t offer too much nutritionally, but they will help fill you up!
On the down side pasties comes in high on the calorie count (usually between 500 to 1000) depending on if it is home made or shop bought. The shortcrust pastry (also high in saturated fat) puts the calories up a fair bit. So enjoy a good pasty just don’t eat them everyday!
Pasty facts
Did you know traditional Cornish pasties used to be known as oggies or tiddy oggies? Or that Cornish pasties remain one of Cornwall’s most successful exports (Shackle 2001). The origin of the humble pasty is unclear, but records show they were eaten as far back as 1300. It gained popularity in the 18th century where miners, fisherman and farm workers took them for their lunches. Emigrating Cornish miners took pasties with them overseas and pasties are found in different places around the world (Devlin 2008). Origins of the distinct D shape are still debated, but it was probably helpful in re-heating pasties and may have been a way for miners to eat the pasty without handling the contents but allowed them to hold and then discard the crust.
Is that pasty good for you?
Pasties provide good sustenance as they contain root vegetables most commonly onion, swede and potato and the contents inside the pastry are pretty interesting on the health front. Onions have a natural antibiotic action and boast a number of health related properties including some documented evidence that they have preventive stomach cancer and cardiovascular health protection properties as they diminish the risk of blood clots (Craig 2011). Swedes have cancer protecting properties, vitamin C and beta carotene (Lutton 2007). Potatoes don’t offer too much nutritionally, but they will help fill you up!
On the down side pasties comes in high on the calorie count (usually between 500 to 1000) depending on if it is home made or shop bought. The shortcrust pastry (also high in saturated fat) puts the calories up a fair bit. So enjoy a good pasty just don’t eat them everyday!
13.4.11
War and food
Nova Corcoran
War in Libya? Uprising in the Ivory Coast? Think it’s got nothing to do with you? It might have more of an impact on your food than you think.
Food in times of crisis
In times of crisis food, water and fuel run in short supply. Food supplies are cut off, shops shut, fresh food cannot be stored without power (i.e. refrigerators) and heating food may be impossible. Gathering food and water can be dangerous in the presence of looting, landmines, vigilantes, violence and other hostilities (FAO 2008).
In the Ivory Coast there are reports of meat, fish, petrol and cooking gas running short, with many warehouses closed because of security fears. The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer and prices have hit a four month high this week (BBC News 2011). Threats of a ban on exports for a month in an unstable country added to the rising cost of oil means a rise in cocoa bean prices rise and a rise in the price of your chocolate.
Food in war
Food is one reason that starts and ends wars. As Gian Carol Cirri notes “When people don't have food, they have three options - revolt, migrate, or starve” (Popham 2011). Fires, heavy rains, floods, droughts, tsunamis, cyclones, volcanic ash etc can all impact on food production and distribution as well as man made events such as war and economic or political instability.
What does oil have to do with it?
Expansion of war into oil producing countries means a rise in the cost of oil. The rising price of oil invariably increases food costs. This ranges from the production of fertilizer (you need oil to make it), to transportation costs, to agriculture machinery that needs fuel, to supermarket electric bills (Walsh 2009). War fuels inflation and increases food prices so add this to rising costs of oil and increases go even higher.
What does war mean for our food?
The UK relies heavily on imported foods – just take a look at the destination food labels on food in your shopping basket. If trade routes alter or closes we may find we are without essential foods. Rising food costs may mean some foods become too expensive for us to be able to buy. Just think about chocolate from the cocoa bean for example – if cocoa costs rise in the Ivory Coast how much money are you prepared to pay for a bar of chocolate?
War in Libya? Uprising in the Ivory Coast? Think it’s got nothing to do with you? It might have more of an impact on your food than you think.
Food in times of crisis
In times of crisis food, water and fuel run in short supply. Food supplies are cut off, shops shut, fresh food cannot be stored without power (i.e. refrigerators) and heating food may be impossible. Gathering food and water can be dangerous in the presence of looting, landmines, vigilantes, violence and other hostilities (FAO 2008).
In the Ivory Coast there are reports of meat, fish, petrol and cooking gas running short, with many warehouses closed because of security fears. The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer and prices have hit a four month high this week (BBC News 2011). Threats of a ban on exports for a month in an unstable country added to the rising cost of oil means a rise in cocoa bean prices rise and a rise in the price of your chocolate.
Food in war
Food is one reason that starts and ends wars. As Gian Carol Cirri notes “When people don't have food, they have three options - revolt, migrate, or starve” (Popham 2011). Fires, heavy rains, floods, droughts, tsunamis, cyclones, volcanic ash etc can all impact on food production and distribution as well as man made events such as war and economic or political instability.
What does oil have to do with it?
Expansion of war into oil producing countries means a rise in the cost of oil. The rising price of oil invariably increases food costs. This ranges from the production of fertilizer (you need oil to make it), to transportation costs, to agriculture machinery that needs fuel, to supermarket electric bills (Walsh 2009). War fuels inflation and increases food prices so add this to rising costs of oil and increases go even higher.
What does war mean for our food?
The UK relies heavily on imported foods – just take a look at the destination food labels on food in your shopping basket. If trade routes alter or closes we may find we are without essential foods. Rising food costs may mean some foods become too expensive for us to be able to buy. Just think about chocolate from the cocoa bean for example – if cocoa costs rise in the Ivory Coast how much money are you prepared to pay for a bar of chocolate?
6.4.11
Coffee – the global bean
Nova Corcoran
World Coffee Week
This week is UK Coffee week and coffee shops in the UK are inviting you to add 5p to the cost of your coffee. All proceeds go towards project waterfall, an initiative that delivers clear water to impoverished communities in coffee producing African countries. What strikes me as interesting is that most people probably can’t tell you which African countries produce coffee. Just so you know the most major are Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania (FAO 2000). Ethiopia is Africa’s largest coffee producer and it is also the main exported product. Makes you wonder though, given how much coffee we drink, if Ethiopian coffee sells at a premium price, why do the farmers still live in poverty?* We are a nation that is seemingly addicted to coffee but we are also pretty clueless as to where our coffee even comes from. Coffee is a global phenomenon of extravagant proportions. Most of the 50 exporting countries rely upon coffee as a major source of foreign exchange, and in 1999 it was estimated that around 25 million people relied on coffee as their main income (Starbird 1999).
Our addiction
Coffee has been consumed in the UK from about the 16th century with the establishment of coffee houses. Coffee has a darker side though and there are stories throughout history connected to slavery’s inconceivable root in coffee which remains a problem to this day coupled with deforestation, child labour and harsh conditions on plantations. On today’s farms migrant workers can face harsh conditions and abject poverty and all the health complications that are associated with poorer living conditions i.e. lack of access to health services, schools etc.
Does fair trade help?
Most coffee growers are relatively poor small holders, and it is suggested that certificated fair trade coffee is a guarantee that these small farmers, organised into cooperatives (Co-ops) achieve a living wage and fair working conditions, fairly managed credit facilities, and ongoing assistance to develop environmentally sustainable and commercially viable businesses (Davis 2010). Others suggest that even with fair trade coffee co-ops may not be able to afford to pay wages that assist in workers escaping from poverty (Ecopolitics 2011) (this link has a great article on young Nicaraguan male coffee workers)
Should we even drink coffee anyway?
In relation to the health of coffee drinkers, coffee is above all a stimulant therefore it increases heart rate and blood pressure. The upside is that in small doses it may increase mental alertness, reaction times, and concentration along with physical energy and reduction in the effects of fatigue (Davis 2010). The downside is that heavier consumption may in some people lead to increased anxiety, osteoporosis, increased cholesterol, reduced fertility and hypoglycaemia (Copley 2008). Although research is often inconclusive, current research suggests coffee in moderation (a few cups a day) is a safe beverage. Some research shows drinking coffee can lower risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and gallstones (leading to colon cancer) and possible Parkinson’s disease (Copley 2008).
So, the message is not to stop drinking your daily cup, but to get clued up on how your daily coffee gets to you and what impact your drink might have on the health of others. Find out where it came from for a start! Check out these YouTube videos for brief coffee histories
Coffee YouTube 1
Coffee YouTube 2
* There is a well documented debate with Ethiopia and Starbucks over trademark coffee see BBC News article 1 and article 2
World Coffee Week
This week is UK Coffee week and coffee shops in the UK are inviting you to add 5p to the cost of your coffee. All proceeds go towards project waterfall, an initiative that delivers clear water to impoverished communities in coffee producing African countries. What strikes me as interesting is that most people probably can’t tell you which African countries produce coffee. Just so you know the most major are Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania (FAO 2000). Ethiopia is Africa’s largest coffee producer and it is also the main exported product. Makes you wonder though, given how much coffee we drink, if Ethiopian coffee sells at a premium price, why do the farmers still live in poverty?* We are a nation that is seemingly addicted to coffee but we are also pretty clueless as to where our coffee even comes from. Coffee is a global phenomenon of extravagant proportions. Most of the 50 exporting countries rely upon coffee as a major source of foreign exchange, and in 1999 it was estimated that around 25 million people relied on coffee as their main income (Starbird 1999).
Our addiction
Coffee has been consumed in the UK from about the 16th century with the establishment of coffee houses. Coffee has a darker side though and there are stories throughout history connected to slavery’s inconceivable root in coffee which remains a problem to this day coupled with deforestation, child labour and harsh conditions on plantations. On today’s farms migrant workers can face harsh conditions and abject poverty and all the health complications that are associated with poorer living conditions i.e. lack of access to health services, schools etc.
Does fair trade help?
Most coffee growers are relatively poor small holders, and it is suggested that certificated fair trade coffee is a guarantee that these small farmers, organised into cooperatives (Co-ops) achieve a living wage and fair working conditions, fairly managed credit facilities, and ongoing assistance to develop environmentally sustainable and commercially viable businesses (Davis 2010). Others suggest that even with fair trade coffee co-ops may not be able to afford to pay wages that assist in workers escaping from poverty (Ecopolitics 2011) (this link has a great article on young Nicaraguan male coffee workers)
Should we even drink coffee anyway?
In relation to the health of coffee drinkers, coffee is above all a stimulant therefore it increases heart rate and blood pressure. The upside is that in small doses it may increase mental alertness, reaction times, and concentration along with physical energy and reduction in the effects of fatigue (Davis 2010). The downside is that heavier consumption may in some people lead to increased anxiety, osteoporosis, increased cholesterol, reduced fertility and hypoglycaemia (Copley 2008). Although research is often inconclusive, current research suggests coffee in moderation (a few cups a day) is a safe beverage. Some research shows drinking coffee can lower risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and gallstones (leading to colon cancer) and possible Parkinson’s disease (Copley 2008).
So, the message is not to stop drinking your daily cup, but to get clued up on how your daily coffee gets to you and what impact your drink might have on the health of others. Find out where it came from for a start! Check out these YouTube videos for brief coffee histories
Coffee YouTube 1
Coffee YouTube 2
* There is a well documented debate with Ethiopia and Starbucks over trademark coffee see BBC News article 1 and article 2
4.4.11
What’s that got to do with the price of fish?
Claire Everett
Food prices are soaring. That’s the message everywhere at the moment. In a direct sense, the facts have been laid on the table by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation with the Food Price Index having risen for the eighth consecutive month (FAO, 2011). In a less obvious way, the ever-increasing advertising and presence of supermarket deals seems to indicate a certain panic to retain consumer confidence and spending.
There’s no single factor causing the prices rises. It’s a combination of rising oil prices, crop failures, demand for food, and increasing market speculation where investors in financial markets see prices are rising so buy now, which drives the prices up again, and so on (in effect betting on food prices). In addition, all of these causes are themselves subject to a number of influences such as political unrest and natural disasters.
The problem we face, is that while we might be able to tighten our belts when it comes to buying clothes or other non-essential commodities, we need food to live. So what can we do to keep the price of our weekly shop as low as possible?
Grow your own - I know, I know...no garden, no time, no pots or tools etc etc – none of these are valid excuses! Grow what you can, where you can, when you can - using yogurt pots and your hands if that’s all you have! It’s the perfect time of year for planting seeds and when you see how many cherry tomatoes you get from a £2 pack of seeds compared to how many you get in a £2 punnet you’ll be wondering why you’ve not grown your own before! www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_guides/
Don’t waste food – Whether we’re talking getting your portion control under control, using up leftover veg in a soup or stew, or dicing broccoli stalks to put in a curry, make the absolute most of what you pay for. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Batch cook – Cook enough for a few meals, then keep in the fridge or freeze. It could be a whole meal like lasagne, or a part meal like chilli that you can then vary by having with rice or a baked potato. As well as saving time, this is the best way to take advantage of nearly-out-of-date reductions and seasonal offers! www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/batch-cooking/
Snack pots – Instead of buying snack size things, buy bigger size ones then portion them up yourself. From treats to everyday eats, it almost always works out cheaper to buy in bulk. (I’ll blog some ideas for this soon!)
Come Dine With Me – If your friends are on a budget too, use the extra time you have from not going out as much to cook dinner for a group of you and rotate the host role. Theme it by calendar event (Valentines, Easter, Halloween...), country (Indian, Spanish, Thai...), season (salads, stews, courgettes!...) or random theme (your favourite colour, round foods, finger foods...).
Plan your meals – it helps you budget, buy in bulk and avoid waste. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/save_time_and_money/two_week_menu
No-one can be expected to suddenly do all of these, but even trying one could save you a valued bit of cash. If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to post!
Food prices are soaring. That’s the message everywhere at the moment. In a direct sense, the facts have been laid on the table by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation with the Food Price Index having risen for the eighth consecutive month (FAO, 2011). In a less obvious way, the ever-increasing advertising and presence of supermarket deals seems to indicate a certain panic to retain consumer confidence and spending.
There’s no single factor causing the prices rises. It’s a combination of rising oil prices, crop failures, demand for food, and increasing market speculation where investors in financial markets see prices are rising so buy now, which drives the prices up again, and so on (in effect betting on food prices). In addition, all of these causes are themselves subject to a number of influences such as political unrest and natural disasters.
The problem we face, is that while we might be able to tighten our belts when it comes to buying clothes or other non-essential commodities, we need food to live. So what can we do to keep the price of our weekly shop as low as possible?
Grow your own - I know, I know...no garden, no time, no pots or tools etc etc – none of these are valid excuses! Grow what you can, where you can, when you can - using yogurt pots and your hands if that’s all you have! It’s the perfect time of year for planting seeds and when you see how many cherry tomatoes you get from a £2 pack of seeds compared to how many you get in a £2 punnet you’ll be wondering why you’ve not grown your own before! www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_guides/
Don’t waste food – Whether we’re talking getting your portion control under control, using up leftover veg in a soup or stew, or dicing broccoli stalks to put in a curry, make the absolute most of what you pay for. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
Batch cook – Cook enough for a few meals, then keep in the fridge or freeze. It could be a whole meal like lasagne, or a part meal like chilli that you can then vary by having with rice or a baked potato. As well as saving time, this is the best way to take advantage of nearly-out-of-date reductions and seasonal offers! www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/favourites/batch-cooking/
Snack pots – Instead of buying snack size things, buy bigger size ones then portion them up yourself. From treats to everyday eats, it almost always works out cheaper to buy in bulk. (I’ll blog some ideas for this soon!)
Come Dine With Me – If your friends are on a budget too, use the extra time you have from not going out as much to cook dinner for a group of you and rotate the host role. Theme it by calendar event (Valentines, Easter, Halloween...), country (Indian, Spanish, Thai...), season (salads, stews, courgettes!...) or random theme (your favourite colour, round foods, finger foods...).
Plan your meals – it helps you budget, buy in bulk and avoid waste. www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/save_time_and_money/two_week_menu
No-one can be expected to suddenly do all of these, but even trying one could save you a valued bit of cash. If anyone has any other ideas, please feel free to post!
3.4.11
Food for thought: 1 - Chicken Tikka Masala
Nova Corcoran
Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in England by a Bangladeshi chef, and it is claimed that the chicken tikka (“chicken pieces”) part is an Indian dish but the masala (“spice mix”) sauce was added to satisfy the British need to have meat served in gravy (Cook 2001).
Chicken tikka masala is the most popular dish on the Indian restaurant menu (Smith 2010). Around 15% of sales in restaurants are from this dish, and 23 million portions are sold each year in Indian restaurants (Grove & Grove 2008). Although very few recipes appear in Indian cookbooks, ingredients include chicken cooked in a tandoor, and a masala sauce usually including yogurt, tomatoes, cream and spices.
Chicken tikka masala fits the general ‘healthy balanced meal’ profile, with chicken being a good source of protein and low in fat. Making it at home also means you can be generous with the yoghurt and tomatoes and go easy on the cream. Serving it with rice or naan provides carbohydrate. Health benefits also stem from the spices themselves. A number are used in traditional medicine and have medicinal uses. Chilli for example has been used in to relieve pain and cure a variety of ailments. It is also high in beta carotene and vitamin C (H2G2 2010). Other spices such as turmeric have been reputed to fight dementia (BBC news 2009) and arthritis (BBC news 2006) and curry leaves have been cited as helping to control diabetes (Glendenning 2004).
Chicken Tikka Masala was invented in England by a Bangladeshi chef, and it is claimed that the chicken tikka (“chicken pieces”) part is an Indian dish but the masala (“spice mix”) sauce was added to satisfy the British need to have meat served in gravy (Cook 2001).
Chicken tikka masala is the most popular dish on the Indian restaurant menu (Smith 2010). Around 15% of sales in restaurants are from this dish, and 23 million portions are sold each year in Indian restaurants (Grove & Grove 2008). Although very few recipes appear in Indian cookbooks, ingredients include chicken cooked in a tandoor, and a masala sauce usually including yogurt, tomatoes, cream and spices.
Chicken tikka masala fits the general ‘healthy balanced meal’ profile, with chicken being a good source of protein and low in fat. Making it at home also means you can be generous with the yoghurt and tomatoes and go easy on the cream. Serving it with rice or naan provides carbohydrate. Health benefits also stem from the spices themselves. A number are used in traditional medicine and have medicinal uses. Chilli for example has been used in to relieve pain and cure a variety of ailments. It is also high in beta carotene and vitamin C (H2G2 2010). Other spices such as turmeric have been reputed to fight dementia (BBC news 2009) and arthritis (BBC news 2006) and curry leaves have been cited as helping to control diabetes (Glendenning 2004).
1.4.11
Superfoods – not so new, not so super
Nova Corcoran
If you pay even limited attention to the media you will be familiar with the term ‘superfood’. Superfood is a buzz word applied to foods that are rich in nutrients or antioxidants thus helping the bodies’ immune system to fight off illness and disease or to help maintain health.
No one can actually agree on what the main superfoods are. The Superfoodco website identifies 43 different superfoods including alfalfa, kelp and liquorice. Marie Claire lists 10 superfoods; avocado, bananas, broccoli, brown rice, grapes, oats, oily fish, strawberries, watercress and sprouted seeds (Marie Claire 2010). Wolfe, an American nutrition expert, also lists 10 superfoods including Goji Berry, Cacao, Maca, Bee Products, Spirulina, AFA Super Blue-Green Algae, Marine Phytoplankton, Aloe Vera, Hempseed, Coconuts (Gaffney 2011). Given that most of these are not available in your average supermarket Marie Claire’s list is perhaps a little more realistic about our daily diets. When was the last time you ate algae and phytoplankton?
Few, if any, superfoods are newly discovered. Most have been eaten for thousands of years often written about in Egyptian, Greek and Roman history. What is new about superfoods is the scientific research, media reports and marketing strategies. Superfoods are foods that have been re-marketed as ‘super’. If we just look at alfalfa, kelp and liquorice from the superco list, all of these have been eaten for centuries. Kelp was eaten by early civilizations where it often provided a reliable and nutritious food source (mckeller 2011), and liquorice has been reputed to have many health benefits (Ilovelicorice.com 2011).
I am not disputing that some foods have more benefits than others, but whichever food is the most ‘super’ one fact remains, as stand alone foods they cannot do the job by themselves. Superfoods need to be eaten as part of a balanced diet. Eating high fat foods like chips everyday cannot be counterbalanced by eating a superfood each day. One food will not work by itself as you need to eat a variety of different foods to gain the most benefit (Carenevale 2010). Some farming and processing methods can reduce the vitamin or mineral content in food thus reducing benefits and in some cases our daily food intake can actually restrict vitamin uptake. For example caffeine from tea and coffee restricts vitamin C uptake from fruit and vegetables. In addition our bodies only take as many vitamins as we need, so overdosing on a food high in vitamin C just means that we will excrete the excess vitamin C (Saner 2007). Balance is the key and the most health benefits will come from a super diet rather than a superfood. So next time you read about a new superfood remember it may not be as super as it sounds.
If you pay even limited attention to the media you will be familiar with the term ‘superfood’. Superfood is a buzz word applied to foods that are rich in nutrients or antioxidants thus helping the bodies’ immune system to fight off illness and disease or to help maintain health.
No one can actually agree on what the main superfoods are. The Superfoodco website identifies 43 different superfoods including alfalfa, kelp and liquorice. Marie Claire lists 10 superfoods; avocado, bananas, broccoli, brown rice, grapes, oats, oily fish, strawberries, watercress and sprouted seeds (Marie Claire 2010). Wolfe, an American nutrition expert, also lists 10 superfoods including Goji Berry, Cacao, Maca, Bee Products, Spirulina, AFA Super Blue-Green Algae, Marine Phytoplankton, Aloe Vera, Hempseed, Coconuts (Gaffney 2011). Given that most of these are not available in your average supermarket Marie Claire’s list is perhaps a little more realistic about our daily diets. When was the last time you ate algae and phytoplankton?
Few, if any, superfoods are newly discovered. Most have been eaten for thousands of years often written about in Egyptian, Greek and Roman history. What is new about superfoods is the scientific research, media reports and marketing strategies. Superfoods are foods that have been re-marketed as ‘super’. If we just look at alfalfa, kelp and liquorice from the superco list, all of these have been eaten for centuries. Kelp was eaten by early civilizations where it often provided a reliable and nutritious food source (mckeller 2011), and liquorice has been reputed to have many health benefits (Ilovelicorice.com 2011).
I am not disputing that some foods have more benefits than others, but whichever food is the most ‘super’ one fact remains, as stand alone foods they cannot do the job by themselves. Superfoods need to be eaten as part of a balanced diet. Eating high fat foods like chips everyday cannot be counterbalanced by eating a superfood each day. One food will not work by itself as you need to eat a variety of different foods to gain the most benefit (Carenevale 2010). Some farming and processing methods can reduce the vitamin or mineral content in food thus reducing benefits and in some cases our daily food intake can actually restrict vitamin uptake. For example caffeine from tea and coffee restricts vitamin C uptake from fruit and vegetables. In addition our bodies only take as many vitamins as we need, so overdosing on a food high in vitamin C just means that we will excrete the excess vitamin C (Saner 2007). Balance is the key and the most health benefits will come from a super diet rather than a superfood. So next time you read about a new superfood remember it may not be as super as it sounds.
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