You are currently browsing the daily archive for July 21st, 2009.
While picking up a treat to keep me awake during a long drive, I saw this sign at Starbucks:
Well, if our definitions of “Real Food” are similar, this would be a great new development. I came home, looked up the provided nutritional information on the website and found that although the ingredients are coming much closer to real food than they have in the past, they still have a way to go. Here is the ingredient listing for Banana Walnut Bread, the pictured food:
BANANAS, WHEAT FLOUR, ENRICHED (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL), WALNUTS, EGG, CULTURED BUTTERMILK, BAKING SODA, NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT.
Bananas: Hard to misinterpret “bananas.” They probably aren’t local, organic or fresh, and could be irradiated, but they are bananas and not banana flavoring.
Wheat flour: This does not mean whole wheat flour. It means flour made from wheat. In the grocery store you would find it in a bag called Unbleached Flour. The FDA says, “We note that wheat flour should not be labeled as a whole grain flour because wheat flour is a synonym of flour (§ 137.105), and thus, the bran and germ have been removed.” In other words this enriched flour has to be enriched because so much has been taken from it.
Sugar: Beet sugar? Could be. Cane sugar? Maybe. Genetically modified sugar? Almost certainly. If it doesn’t specific “organic,” odds are the sugar listed on any processed food label you hold is genetically modified. It is at the very least, superprocessed and bleached, robbed of all that could redeem it from being just a sweetener.
Vegetable oil (soybean oil): “In 1997, about 8% of all soybeans cultivated for the commercial market in the United States were genetically modified. In 2006, the figure was 89%.” With this rate of increase, it seems likely the soybean oil in most processed food has been genetically modified. Between the uncertain effects of GMO food, the phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, phytoestrogens, vitamin B12 analogs, free glutamic acid (MSG) and aluminum that soy contains, there is much cause for concern regarding consumption of soy products.
Walnuts: A good, healthy ingredient containing a lovely polyunsaturated oil that is beneficial to health. Sadly, because of their oil, walnuts begin to go rancid very quickly after removing them from their protective shells. The antioxidants that are naturally present in the nut are destroyed by cooking. The handling of the nuts prior to their use in the final product is not discussed by the ingredient information provided.
Egg: Ah, if only “egg” meant “egg.” Surely by now you know better. “Dried whole eggs, frozen whole eggs, and liquid whole eggs may be declared as eggs,” says the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations. If the egg has been dried, it contains oxidized cholesterol which contributes to heart disease. Dried eggs are the method most preferred by manufactures as frozen and liquid eggs require refrigeration and are thus more costly to transport and store. But, the label isn’t specific so we don’t know for sure.
Cultured Buttermilk: No longer a by-product of buttermaking, cultured buttermilk is regular milk to which a bacterial culture has been added. We do not know from the ingredient listing the quality, safety or even contents of the starting milk product, (many reduced fat milks contain dry milk powder which also contains the oxidized cholesterol we were warned about in the “egg” listing above) but I feel relatively comfortable assuming that raw milk from grassfed Jersey cows was probably not the source of the starting milk.
Baking Soda: I am not aware of any issues with baking soda.
Natural Flavors: Ah, a fun ingredient indeed! The FDA defines “natural flavor” as:
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in 182.10, 182.20, 182.40, and 182.50 and part 184 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter.
Interesting, but not terribly helpful. Because the labeling law is broad, it is impossible for the consumer to know if the “natural flavors” are derived from eggs, dairy or other allergens. This may not be a big deal in your family, but it is in mine.
Salt: Salt is an important part of a healthy, traditional diet. Refined, dead, chemically produced, iodized salt is an invitation to high blood pressure. Again, because the ingredient label is not specific, we can’t be 100% sure, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say the salt used is probably not unrefined salt.
So all these “real foods” are baked up in the oven right there at my local Starbucks, right? In non-teflon pans that won’t flake off fluoride particles or steam toxic gas into my food? Handled by safety- and health-conscious workers who didn’t come to work sick today because they desperately needed the money? Held at a safe temperature while awaiting sale? Hard to say.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of a nice slice of banana nut bread with my coffee. I’d probably even buy a slice at Starbucks if I were really in the mood for it. But calling this recipe “real food” just pushes the envelope of honesty and is the nutritional equivalent of greenwashing. And if I get a serious craving, I’ll whip some up at home where I can control exactly what I use:
Real-er Food Banana Walnut Bread
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9x5x3 glass loaf pan and dust with flour. Blend together 2C freshly ground whole wheat flour, 1t baking soda and 1/4t sea salt and set aside. Mix together 1 pastured egg, 1/2C maple syrup and 1/2C melted coconut oil until combined. Add the flour mixture and blend briefly. Add 2T buttermilk, 1/2t organic vanilla extract and 3 overly-ripe organic bananas that have been mashed, mixing until combined. Fold in 1/2C chopped crispy* walnuts. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.
Crispy nuts are freshly removed from their shells, soaked overnight in 1/2t sea salt then left to dry in a low oven or food dehydrator at less than 150°F. This process spares the enzymes in the nuts, and deactivates anti-nutrients they contain.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
Going home! by zerobatsu, on Flickr
Being two states separated by both my parents and the in-laws, our lives are frequently punctuated by weekend road trips. In past years, these trips meant two or three days of solid junk food. You know you’ve overdone the junk when you can’t find a fast food joint the family can agree on because “we JUST had that!”
My husband’s side of the family had their reunion this past weekend and we made the trip up. In preparation, I packed some orange sections, a dozen boiled eggs, two loaves of artisan bread, some organic peanut butter which I premixed with homemade fruit puree, a whole bunch of carrot sticks and a big bottle of water. That was enough for the two meals we ate on the road getting to our destination. I also made up some vinaigrette dressing to take along so I could have a good, healthy dressing for my salads.
The next day was Saturday and with the help of Local Harvest, I was able to locate a farmer’s market just three miles from our hotel. I don’t sleep well away from home, so it was easy for me to be at the market when they opened at 8:30 AM. I picked up a half gallon of raw milk, a half gallon of fresh pressed orange juice (not local, but from oranges pressed on site), a quart of black cherry tomatoes and a pound of raw milk cheddar curds. That, along with the leftover bread from yesterday was a most delicious and healthy start to our day.
The reunion luncheon was held at a local steakhouse and we went off-the-wagon for that meal, enjoying all kinds of edible food-like substances from the buffet. The major chain grocery store provided the makings for our light dinner: organic lettuce, tuna, local goat cheese and blackberries in whole wheat pita bread. The continental breakfast served in the hotel lobby the next morning leaned toward white bread for toast, six kinds of cereal and lots of coffee, so I opted for a few leftover cherry tomatoes and a half a pita bread while I packed our bags and loaded the car. At the restaurant, I talked the waiter into asking the cook to scramble my eggs in BUTTER and bringing me some real cream for my coffee for breakfast. Before we checked out of our hotel room, we bought, washed and readied an organic bell pepper, head of lettuce and cucumber. That salad made for a delicious lunch on the road home. Dinner was fast food we could eat with a minimum of cleanup once we got home.
I learned a few things this trip:
- It only takes a little junk to upset our tummies. I guess we’ve been “spoiled” by good food!
- It doesn’t hurt to ask. You might not be able to convince the cook to make your eggs in butter, but it’s worth a shot. And, getting the waiter’s cooperation and help is golden and deserving of a big tip.
- Meals that have a healthy portion of protein and fat keep us feeling full longer than meals that rely heavily on carbs. That’s important on the road where snacks might not be easily available.
- The worst behavior from the kids came right after the non-food meals. Something I’ll have to plan around for our next outing, but good to know.
