Saturday, January 27, 2024

What you need to know about rising food prices 101

Manufacturers do not want to raise food prices because there is market competition and they do not want to lose sales. They often reduce costs by giving you less at the same price as an initial strategy. They will tolerate products being out of stock if they can and look towards higher future demand when possible. They know that prices are rarely lowered and we typically get used to the new pricing although it is still not desirable. That's how inflation begins. We pay more for products and services and salaries need to rise to compensate. 

What is causing price inflation? 

1. Lack of workers and employment issues in factories here and around the world for production.

2. Backups in shipping by land and by sea.  From ports and delivery issues will continue to happen We live in a global world. We not only get our food products but ingredients and packaging materials from all over the world. Sourcing globally provides us with food access, convenience, and, in some cases, has even resulted in lower food prices. 

3. Scarcity 

Stocking up is one way to plan better and helps you have more time to get an item for your holiday dinner. Think of a Thanksgrilling get together setting expectations of an outdoor gathering. 

Now is the time to start planning your Thanksgiving menu so you can purchase your groceries.

Helping you plan, even if you are not the planning type, ensures you will have what you need and waste less. Waste is most often the issue with fresh fruits and vegetables especially now that so many more of us are eating more plant-based meals. Understanding canned and frozen options will help immensely. 

Buying locally and seasonally, planning, and learning the difference between marketing and what really is meaningful and of value to you when purchasing will make all the difference. 

Working with Foodfitter, food choices will be stress-free and you will feel confident that you are making sound food decisions aligned with your values, preferences, and health. 

Monday, October 16, 2023

My favorite secret ingredients to surprise your guests with flavors that wow. All of these ingredients are GMO free, gluten free, kosher and vegan. Some like it Smooth! Some like the Tangy! Some like it Hot!

1. Artichoke and Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Georgetown Olive Oil Company or use the oil from Trader Joe's Marinated Grilled Artichokes in Olive Oil. 

2. Blood orange Vinegar from Cuisine Perel

3. Habenaro Citrus Oil from Sutter Buttes. It is often sold as a dipping oil but I love using a splash in dishes. 

Friday, October 6, 2023

Rapid Weight Loss - Does it last?

The latest fad diet is not a diet. It's an injection touted by advertisements, physicians, and anyone interested in losing weight who can afford the steep payment without insurance of roughly $1000 a month. 

The long and short of it is that you need to continue to take the drug for the rest of your life if you want to maintain the weight loss. Many say the weight plus more returns if you stop and don't permanently change the way you eat. 

As a nutritionist, I'm wondering if one can take this drug long-term and still be able to get adequate nourishment. The reason that people lose so much weight is that they are not hungry. Some barely eat and their doctor has to tell them they need to eat. Over time, I would imagine malnourishment might become an issue. 

While I'm sure at least some of those inspired to go this route may have been overeating, whether or not they were eating for nutrient density or simply eating empty calories would depend on the individual. 

As a petite woman with a very slow metabolism, I've always found it necessary to eat a nutrient-dense diet with the fewest calories I can. I'm not starving myself at all - I just am not hungry and my body doesn't need many calories but it still needs nutrients to maintain healthy levels. It's a challenge for sure. I can't imagine that most are as diligent nutritionally with caloric restriction as I am. 

While supplements can help, there is simply no substitute for whole food and a balanced diet. 

As a food scientist, I know for sure that we do not know and certainly cannot measure the interactions of nutrients in food that nature provides us. We can't even measure the components of foods we know exist. 

I wish there was a magic solution to weight control for many of us who may struggle with it. So far, no magic exists. The risk of not accepting my healthy self for some generated image of perfection is just not worth it in my book. I will tell you if and when I find the magic. In the meantime, I chose to enjoy my healthy life as it is.  

Sunday, October 2, 2022

Air travelers read on!

Have you ever been on a bumpy airline flight? Me too! 

Most airlines serve hot drinks on the plane despite possible unexpected turbulence. With only a little notice, they often don't have time to collect hot drinks, and although they could, do not offer cup covers.

The reasons I have heard relate to the expense of the lids, additional time taken by the flight attendants, the lid keeping the coffee hot for too long, and plastic waste - all issues that could easily be addressed easily if there was a true safety concern by airline management. My experience speaking up led me to the conclusion that lids are not likely to be provided for hot drink cups anytime now or later in the foreseeable future. 

As an experienced flyer and a coffee drinker, I have seen it all. The memory most ingrained in my mind happened on a smaller plane where seats were directly opposite each other in the front of the plane.  Drinks had been served prior to the turbulence. Upon the turbulence, as you would see in an arching water fountain, the hot drink contents perfectly launched from the cup and landed on the opposing person's seat in perfect synchrony. Screams, scalding, spontaneous inappropriate laughter at the situation resulted as well as stained, wet laps, at best, uncomfortable for the remainder of the flight. 

Personally, I have decided to take the issue into my own hands by being prepared and carrying an accessible standard 8-ounce cup lid with me when flying. Lids can easily be obtained for free on the way to the plane at any food area near the gate or by purchasing one in advance for pennies. You could also go all out and purchase a silicone reusable lid - a great fun gift for frequent fliers who love coffee and tea.  I also chose not to bring my own cup with a lid for convenience reasons and only take a light disposable lid that fits all 8 oz. cups. 

I realize spilled hot drinks on your lap when flying hasn't happened to everyone but if you've been through it, it's not something you want to happen again. And even if you are not a hot drink lover, you never know if others in the seats next to you are. Just saying.
 

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Have you lost your senses? Don't let anyone call you crazy!

Losing your sense of smell has been one of the tell-tale symptoms of COVID-19. 

When you lose your sense of smell, it will impact your sense of taste as well because the two are closely interconnected, Before and after you put food in your mouth to taste it, we smell a food to see if it is pleasing and safe to consume. When we put food in our mouth and it touches our tongue we have taste buds to recognize a food but also the food's chemical component can be volatile (that is droplets of vapor reach the back of the mouth connected to your nasal passages (so these components of the flavor are inhaled). Together - taste and aroma send signals to your brain. That is how we know and recognize flavors in our memory. 

Most of us will recognize the scent of a rose and the taste of our favorite food and our brain is happy to receive these common aromas and tastes. Scents and tastes we recognize from childhood associated with love or play often comfort and calm us. 

Other aromas and taste trigger warnings  - there is too much salt or that grapefruit too bitter. As your body works constantly to maintain internal balance for your survival if it gets too little or too much of what it needs it lets you know. Normally you just have to listen unless something either disrupts the systems or the body believes that it must acclimate as best as possible to survive with what it has to work within a given environment.  Sometimes we recognize that acclimation is something we should consider for our long-term health.

Back to COVID-19 which disrupts this system when it enters nasal passages. 

That is because our senses are designed to maintain our health sending signals to our brain about what will nourish us in the right amounts. If we are listening to our senses carefully, we will know what we need to survive and thrive at the most basic level of our existence. 

Viruses spread by interfering with our basic systems hopefully only in the short term disrupting our body intelligence long enough to spread to others. In the process, our interaction with a virus may result in some damage as our body tries to fight off the intruder - in a sense an internal war.  

We are all equal in nature over the long term. All life survives to procreate and be useful to its species.  With time we may be able to defend our bodies from the intruder or in the case of some viruses, learn to adapt and co-exist with them. That is until we are run down, stressed or, other infected. The virus needs us to live for it to survive and spread so its objective is not to kill us. Some viruses, such as Epstein Barr, live in our body for the long term and are quiet until they feel threatened and then viral symptoms appear. 

In most cases, our senses are not lost forever because once we recover from the virus, in the most recent case of COVID, our detection is no longer under attack and our sensory cues can be repaired naturally. We can assist or speed up this repair with sensory stimulation. 

If you need to get your senses back again, send an email with I WANT MY SENSES BACK in the subject to mindy@foodfitter.com to learn about my short program. 




Monday, January 17, 2022

The Anatomy of a Latte


I just wanted to make a wonderful latte at home without an espresso machine. I don't have a great deal of space on my kitchen counter it seemed like it would be simple enough. 

Yet, with a whisk in hand, and after several efforts based on instructions from the barista and internet searches, the resultant foam poured over the coffee didn't look or taste quite as I had hoped for. 

I tried 2% low-fat milk and 4% full-fat milk first and the foam was - well cold foam not frothy and rich.

Then I tried heating the milk before frothing with no better result and then making the whole drink and putting the finished drink in the microwave to heat.   Still not good at all. 

Trained as a food scientist, I thought now I need to use my knowledge to solve this dilemma. My mind recalled an interview I had at a leading food manufacturer. I was asked only one question - tell me everything you know about milk.  

Actually, there is quite a lot to know about milk, and yes, I was offered the job. But to be brief for this purpose I'll share only the pertinent highlights you need to know to create my perfect froth at home with or without fancy equipment. 

Milk contains the three major macronutrients - about 4% each for this example: 1) protein (casein or curds when heated and whey), 2) carbohydrates (lactose which is milk sugar - the lactose intolerant are far too aware of this) and, 3) fat, of which roughly 65% is saturated (solid at room temperature).  The remainder of the milk is simply water - 88%. 

All three macronutrients contribute to my perfect froth.

The process of creating the froth I love works best with whole milk containing the most fat and therefore the most saturated fat, the component of milk fat that is most solid at room temperature. The colder the milk the more solid the fat is. I am using homogenized milk which means the components of the milk are mixed under pressure to make smaller fat particles which help to strengthen the natural emulsion of the milk improving mouthfeel, taste and, shelflife of the milk. Most of us know that fat/oil and water do not naturally mix. That is where the protein casein comes in because it is a natural emulsifier. 

We start with cold milk when making froth because it is easier to whip air into a solid structure. We are trying to incorporate fine air bubbles into the milk and develop a stable structure to support the froth. The process of steaming while whisking results in vaporized air and water above the surface of the liquid incorporating air into the milk.   

To maintain the structure's stability, the protein in the milk needs to be heated slowly so that the casein protein component can separate from the whey protein component. The casein will coagulate as it is mixed with the milk fat while being aerated and heated. Froth containing the aerated saturated fat structure creates a more stable foam with a rich mouthfeel. 

The other key component for success is to note that the milk is whisked while it's being gradually heated to approximately 70 degrees. We want the foam to be warm, not only for enjoyment but also because the foam and the coffee that we drink at approximately 175 degrees are closer in temperature when combined. This is important because when the froth-containing fat in the foam hits the coffee the fat doesn't immediately turn to liquid fat due to the temperature differential and rather melts on your tongue at approximately 98.6 degrees - body temperature as the warmer coffee and the foam combine in your mouth. 

I am thrilled with the outcome of my froth and look forward to my morning lattes now. But why stop there? I enjoyed hot chocolate drinks with high-quality cocoa in the evenings over the holidays and with egg nog (eggs are high in protein and froth well with milk). I sprinkled a coffee latte with cinnamon or added a splash of schnapps or other alcohol as an after-dinner drink.  

If you don't want to use whole milk for one of many dietary reasons, based on individual preferences for taste, health, personal values, and/or lifestyle and you want to adapt your frothing method for ingredients you love, let me know in the comments below. 

Or contact me at mindy@foodfitter.com for more help to solve any sourcing, shopping, and kitchen challenges based on the science of food. Let's have fun with food, entertain yourself and others with new skills, and become more comfortable creating food that you design.


  


Friday, October 22, 2021

A food scientist walks into a grocery store. What does the food scientist know that you should know??

 A food scientist understands that all food is life. Food needs to reach you safely. The food's goal is to nourish you well so its life was meaningful. The life sacrificed is just as important as you are. Food doesn't want to be tossed away as if its life doesn't matter. 

The food scientist knows that the shorter the transportation time under the best possible conditions is what is best for the food and therefore for you. You want the food itself to have minimal transit time once harvested and enjoy a comfortable trip to you! In these times with food coming from all over the world, think about the food's journey to you. The better the journey, the more it remains intact with loving care. A quick and pleasant journey means you are honoring the food itself and its ability to nurture you. What goes around, comes around. 

The food scientist knows that for every request that you make for your personal convenience, there will be a tradeoff. Think of "no fat" products. If you take out the fat and want to keep the portion the same something needs to be added back. When a food scientist makes a decision about the product based on what you told them is important and you do not stay conscious and informed of tradeoffs, you may get what you asked for but not necessarily what is best for you. In the case of "no fat" products, products higher in added sugar were the consequence.  Be sure that the replacement is something you want to consume and it is worth the tradeoff. Food companies are in the business of giving you choices and you get to decide which choices to make. 

The food scientist knows that processing food isn't always a bad thing. Fermentation is a process that not only preserves food but creates a product for consumption that can provide added value for humans. It requires expertise and time as indigenous cultures have known for many years. Not only does fermentation aid digestion (by breaking down a nutrient such as gluten outside the human body first) to assist us in getting the nutrition that we as humans were not designed to digest without help from nature, but also provides probiotics that seed beneficial gut bacteria.  


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About Me

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First trained as a food chemist and nutritionist, my career began enriching a Twinkie, comparing the nutrition of a Twinkie to an apple and studying the role of sugar in the diet. With an M.B.A. and years in food and pharma understanding consumers and manufacturers, I'm back to where I started - food should taste great and serve to keep us healthy. To do so, there needs to be consumer awareness. Consumers need to vote for what they want by buying what they really want. If they buy impulsively, that's what they will see more of. They need to practice balance and responsible choices. That's when change will come. Please engage me with your conversation so that I can help you make and stick to better food choices that you enjoy. You'll gain a deeper appreciation of food not only from farm to table but farm to health. My vision is to promote solutions for healthful food and food practices you can happily embody and embrace!