Personal Nutrition - September Newsletter

Personal Nutrition INK

September 2007 Newsletter

In this issue

Confessions of a Dietitian - Thoughts From Stacy
Recipe Corner - Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake
Kitchen Solutions - Tip of the Month
Feature - Is Organic Really Better?
Book Review - What To Eat by Marion Nestle

Confessions of a Dietitian

My mother and grandmother joined and rejoined Weight Watchers several times throughout my childhood. They had some great success, which was usually followed by regaining weight - and rejoining Weight Watchers. What I learned was that they were most successful when they were focused on a specific goal. Staying focused on our goals can be challenging, but not impossible. If you are thinking about making some changes in your life, start by writing down your goals. That's right. Get out your pen and paper right now and start writing. What would you like to change about your daily routine? What's important to you?

Recipe Center

Peanut Butter Banana Milkshake

1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup skim milk
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ripe banana
5-7 ice cubes

Combine yogurt, milk, peanut butter, and banana in blender.
Add ice cubes and blend until smooth.

Kitchen Solutions

To accelerate the ripening process of fruits such as apples, bananas, pears, and avocados simply place them in a brown paper bag. This creates an environment of high ethylene concentration (a chemical that facilitates the ripening process).

Is Organic Really Better?

Organic foods are making their way into grocery stores across the nation. But what makes an organic peach any better than a peach that was raised by conventional methods? It depends on who you ask, but as a dietitian I prefer the organic peach - and I'll tell you why.

While there is no evidence that organically raised crops are more nutritious than conventionally grown crops, organic crops have less pesticide residues. Notice that I didn't say they have none. It has been estimated that 1 in 4 organic fruits & vegetables actually does contain some pesticides. The reason for this is that even though many harmful pesticides have been banned, there are still traces of them left in the soil. In addition, pesticides used by conventional growers can drift in the wind onto crops that are "organic."

Putting all of this in perspective, it is important to know that many fruits & vegetables have a tendency to retain higher levels of pesticides than others. Produce with thin or soft skins are more likely to absorb these dangerous chemicals into their flesh - and this means they could make their way into ours. The list below, often referred to as "the dirty dozen," reflect those foods that have been shown to have higher levels of pesticides. If you're going to begin buying organic produce, you should start here:

The Dirty Dozen
Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery	Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears	Grapes (imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes

How can you tell if your produce is truly organic?
Organic produce is marked with a special PLU code sticker that begins with a "9" followed by four more numbers.

What does "organic" really mean?
Here are the Categories of USDA Certified Organic Foods and what makes them so:

100% Organic - All ingredients of the product must be organic and meet these criteria:
No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers were used No genetically modified seeds were used No fertilizers came from sewage sludge No foods or seeds were treated with irradiation Detailed records were kept and given to authorities when requested
Organic
At least 95% of the ingredients must be organic
Made with Organic Ingredients
74-94% of the ingredients must be organic

Knowing all of this, research still proves that you're better off eating fruits & vegetables with pesticides than NOT eating fruits & vegetables at all!

Book Review - What to Eat by Marion Nestle

Have you ever wondered why you ALWAYS leave the grocery store with more than you had on your original list?

Are you hesitant to eat seafood for fear of contamination?

Do you wonder how the food industry is regulated?

Marion Nestle answers these questions - and more!