liGymRatt’s BodyBlog

Treats Are Part of Healthful Holiday EatingNovember 30, 2007

Treats are everywhere during the holidays. You can enjoy your favorite seasonal goodies and limit your consumption of fat at the same time.

Substitute traditional baking ingredients with healthier options to help lower trans fat intake. Go easy on foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Switch to oils or trans fat-free margarines. Add raisins or toasted nuts to cake and cookie recipes instead of chocolate chips. And shop for products that are trans fat-free.

You can cut back on total fat by serving fruit purees or yogurt in place of butter or other spreads.

No matter what changes you make in your holiday recipes to help reduce total fat intake, change slowly and substitute one ingredient at a time until you decide what substitutions still keep the flavor you and your family enjoy.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

Salmonella: Search and Destroy November 29, 2007

Eggs and egg-rich foods can provide a perfect environment for deadly Salmonella bacteria to grow. While some companies have found a way to pasteurize eggs, many eggs at the grocery store are not pasteurized. Here are guidelines to gauge the doneness of egg dishes and ensure Salmonella are destroyed.

• Scrambled eggs, omelettes, frittatas: No visible liquid egg remains.
• Poached, fried over easy, sunny-side up: White is completely set; yolk starting to thicken but not hard.
• Hard-boiled: White and yolk are completely set. To cook, bring a saucepan of water to a boil, turn off heat. Let eggs stand in water for 15 minutes.
• Stirred custard, ice cream, eggnog: Mixture coats the spoon; temperature reaches 160°F.
• Baked custard, quiche: Knife placed off-center comes out clean.

And don’t eat anything that contains raw eggs, such as homemade cookie dough.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

Tips for Healthful Holiday BakingNovember 28, 2007

From cakes and cookies to pies and breads, does it seem like your oven is barely turned off until the New Year? Make your holiday baking healthful as well as tasty.

• Recognize differences between types of flour:
  
  • Refined flour is made from the endosperm of the grain. Almost all the fiber and many of the vitamins and minerals are lost.
  • Enriched flour replaces nutrients that are usually lost in processing, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron. Enriched flour is also fortified with folic acid.
  • Corn and rice flours are especially useful for people with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance.
• If you’re watching your cholesterol, use substitutes for ingredients like eggs in baking mixes. Some manufacturers offer options on the package for preparing their mixes with less fat. Look for whole-grain mixes, which contain more fiber.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team