I wrote this for a company newsletter.
In 2003 information was released as a qualified health claim, that nuts are good for the heart. Good news for those small gems that so often get an undeserved bad reputation as high fat diet busters and worse…deadly! And while any food can be an allergen, nuts and for the most part the peanut, take the brunt of the blame. But 2003 was years ago. So what is the new news on nuts? Well they are still high in fat and still potentially deadly but they are still good for you and now also have a laundry list of healthy benefits as well.
We were told in 2003 that 1.5 ounces of nuts added to our daily (low in saturated fat and cholesterol) diet can reduce the risk of heart disease. And then in 2008 the September edition of Journal of Nutrition told us that eating tree nuts five times a week can do that and also help with weight management, satiety as well as controlling diabetes. Things are looking up for the nut. To keep boosting that nutty ego, eating nuts is a great way to obtain an all natural source of a slew of vitamins as well as selenium, folate and choline. And as long as eaten in moderation and unsalted, nuts are a great addition to your diet each type touting its own strengths, so go ahead…get nutty.
Almonds - It was recently identified by The Institute of Food Research, that almonds have potential prebiotic properties that increase the levels of particular beneficial belly bacteria. Almonds are also your best source for fiber in the tree nut category.
Brazils - While not the most popular nut choice (although one of my personal favorites), one Brazil nut provides the daily recommended amount of selenium. Just one nut…amazing! What is selenium? Just in case anyone else didn’t know either selenium has antioxidant properties which help prevent cellular damage from free radicals. http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp) A further note…you don’t actually need too much of this mineral as it can have negative effects on cholesterol levels. So pop a Brazil nut, not a supplement, and you are set for the day.
Cashews – This favorite is an excellent source of protein and fiber and is rich in mono-unsaturated fat. These nuts are also a good source of potassium, B Vitamins and folate.
Hazelnuts – Growing in popularity and for good reason, this delicious nut also known as the filbert are your best source for proanthocyanidins (PAC) as long as you eat them with the skins on. (Another one I don’t know…but according to Nutrition Science News, PAC’s are flavonoids, and in so many words the super fruit of antioxidants. They are known to have antioxidant capabilities 20 times more powerful than Vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E.)
Macadamia’s – Raw, roasted, salted…I’ll take a macadamia nut anyway it is given to me. While these guys are the highest in fat (boo!!), they are also the highest in mono-unsaturated fat, the good heart healthy fats (yea??).
Pecans – Naturally sodium free they can play a part in preventing coronary heart disease and gallstones. They may be so tasty because of all the nuts they come up second in the amount of fat per serving, 20 grams per ounce compared to macadamia’s 22 grams and pistachio’s with the lowest at 13 grams per ounce.
Peanuts – The step child of the nut family, because well it’s a legume. But it’s so similar to nuts in all its properties it is often guilty by association, plus the name doesn’t help much. Peanuts are the “nut” with the highest amount of protein per serving. It also boasts a low glycemic index which can help manage blood sugar levels.
Pistachios – Another nut favorable to preventing type 2 diabetes. These nuts are also a good source of plant sterols which aid in immunity.
Walnuts – It has been shown that omega 3’s in walnuts can promote bone health, assist in weight and diabetes management as well as reduce breast tumor growth and enhance cognitive and motor function. Smart nut.
With health issues being more publicized and people becoming more involved in what they eat, (or read on ingredient labels) the growing trend towards gluten free and special dietary issues has led to an increase in the demand for nuts. Nuts and seeds are being used in different ways and we all are benefiting. For example sunflower seed butter is amazing with fantastic taste and texture and is as yummy as peanut butter. It’s slightly sweeter and unfortunately more expensive, but worth it if peanuts aren’t welcome. Sunflower seeds possess many of the same benefits as tree nuts –good fat, high protein and fiber, and minerals. They have been also shown to fight against cardiovascular disease.
Your take away from all of this? Next time someone says “you’re nuts”, thank them. It could definitely be a compliment.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Master Baker?
I forgot I wrote this a few weeks ago. I was taking a break from work, and under the guise of doing e-mail, started jotting down some notes.
It is ten of three in the morning. I’m sitting in a great German bakery in Durham, NC with three Germans, chatting away about who knows what. Well, I suspect I know partially of what they speak, as the name of my alma mater pops up and then some laughter. They are three master bakers; German master bakers at that. Not the Americanized test which is only a fraction of the difficulty of the test they took and passed. They are the real European bakers who begin their career at age 7, working in their family bakery and then apprenticing throughout Europe mastering the craft of bread. The three here with me range in age from early 20’s to early 40’s. Three different stages of their careers but all advanced enough to chuckle at me as I shape bread, one sad loaf at a time.
It makes me think…I attended the best possible culinary school I could go to, but how much can a person really learn about a subject in a three week block system with 18 to 20 other class mates? By the time you get a feel for what you are doing, you move on. You may revisit a subject in another few months but at that point, after three other three week classes, you are only marginally better at shaping bread than you were the first time around. And, after the proud day of graduation and being sent out into the working world, it’s amazingly little you need to know about shaping bread, especially when machines are so quick and much more efficient. That was how I spent my last few years, only rarely doing a final shape by hand but having an automated system that produced more loaves in an hour than I could do in half a day.
The boys here are an interesting statement to me. All three came to visit the states, see a new part of the world, learn a new culture. Not one of them came here to learn how to bake. The few very talented Americans I know went to Europe to learn to bake after some form of education in the US. It was a time to travel and see Europe of course, but mostly to learn under the talent of the Germans, Swiss and French. This begs the question of what don’t we have here, that the Europeans have cornered? Is it because we are a young country? Is it our desire for efficiency that have us lacking the knowledge of working with artisan whole grain breads that take time and patience, the ones commonly found in old time bakeries overseas? Why is so much of the talent and knowledge across an ocean, were they not the ones who came to America and were our beginnings? Or is it our system of education where apprenticeships beginning in your young formative years just don't happen.
I’m not saying there aren’t amazingly talented bakers in the states. I know a few of them myself from my time at school and the networking that followed. I just think it’s interesting that each one of these men here bake circles around me. They ask me why I don’t use both hands at the same time? Well, first thought that comes to me is I can barely get both hands around the loaf I am working with, but that seems like a lousy excuse. When I use both hands, they turn out terrible...when I use both hands I slow down instead of speed up...there isn't the time to allow me to get used to it, we have production to do! I will chock it up to experience. In a bakery setting it comes down to use both hands or fall behind your schedule and have the rest of production suffer. I’ve never had that dilemma. And don't get me wrong, I’m unmistakably jealous. What are you 22 and a Master Baker? I’m 31 and I’m not a master of...I don't think anything!
It is ten of three in the morning. I’m sitting in a great German bakery in Durham, NC with three Germans, chatting away about who knows what. Well, I suspect I know partially of what they speak, as the name of my alma mater pops up and then some laughter. They are three master bakers; German master bakers at that. Not the Americanized test which is only a fraction of the difficulty of the test they took and passed. They are the real European bakers who begin their career at age 7, working in their family bakery and then apprenticing throughout Europe mastering the craft of bread. The three here with me range in age from early 20’s to early 40’s. Three different stages of their careers but all advanced enough to chuckle at me as I shape bread, one sad loaf at a time.
It makes me think…I attended the best possible culinary school I could go to, but how much can a person really learn about a subject in a three week block system with 18 to 20 other class mates? By the time you get a feel for what you are doing, you move on. You may revisit a subject in another few months but at that point, after three other three week classes, you are only marginally better at shaping bread than you were the first time around. And, after the proud day of graduation and being sent out into the working world, it’s amazingly little you need to know about shaping bread, especially when machines are so quick and much more efficient. That was how I spent my last few years, only rarely doing a final shape by hand but having an automated system that produced more loaves in an hour than I could do in half a day.
The boys here are an interesting statement to me. All three came to visit the states, see a new part of the world, learn a new culture. Not one of them came here to learn how to bake. The few very talented Americans I know went to Europe to learn to bake after some form of education in the US. It was a time to travel and see Europe of course, but mostly to learn under the talent of the Germans, Swiss and French. This begs the question of what don’t we have here, that the Europeans have cornered? Is it because we are a young country? Is it our desire for efficiency that have us lacking the knowledge of working with artisan whole grain breads that take time and patience, the ones commonly found in old time bakeries overseas? Why is so much of the talent and knowledge across an ocean, were they not the ones who came to America and were our beginnings? Or is it our system of education where apprenticeships beginning in your young formative years just don't happen.
I’m not saying there aren’t amazingly talented bakers in the states. I know a few of them myself from my time at school and the networking that followed. I just think it’s interesting that each one of these men here bake circles around me. They ask me why I don’t use both hands at the same time? Well, first thought that comes to me is I can barely get both hands around the loaf I am working with, but that seems like a lousy excuse. When I use both hands, they turn out terrible...when I use both hands I slow down instead of speed up...there isn't the time to allow me to get used to it, we have production to do! I will chock it up to experience. In a bakery setting it comes down to use both hands or fall behind your schedule and have the rest of production suffer. I’ve never had that dilemma. And don't get me wrong, I’m unmistakably jealous. What are you 22 and a Master Baker? I’m 31 and I’m not a master of...I don't think anything!
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