Yahoo! News - Study: Fast Food Contributes to Obesity

Need another reason to eat at home and not at fast food restaurants? A new study published in Lancet now shows that Fast food contributes to obesity and maybe diabetes. (now there is a shock!)

Yahoo! News - Study: Fast Food Contributes to Obesity:

"A new study gives scientific clout to a conclusion many already see as obvious: Eating lots of fast food makes you fat and increases the chance of developing diabetes. A study published in the Lancet medical journal this week found those who frequently ate fast food gained 10 pounds more than those who did so less often, and were more than twice as likely to develop an insulin disorder linked to diabetes. "

A more indepth look at the study is also available from Minnesota Public Radio.

So add "eat at home more" to your New Year's resolutions!

New Year's Foods Promise Good Luck by AICR - Pioneer Thinking

Happy New Year!

It has long been the tradition around the world to celebrate New Years with certian foods. these foods are supposed to bring luck and prosperity for the coming New Year.

From the AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH:
Cooking - New Year's Foods Promise Good Luck by AICR

"The ancient Romans gave gifts of nuts, dates, figs and round cakes. Northern Italians attempt to attract wealth at the New Year by eating lentils, symbolizing coins. In the Piedmont region of Italy, the New Year’s Day meal of risotto signifies wealth with its abundance of small grains. Another Italian custom is to eat sweets for a year of good luck."

"In Spain, you are promised good luck in the new year if, at midnight, you eat one grape with each stroke of the clock."

"Here in America, a legendary New Year’s dish is Hoppin’ John, a casserole of rice and black-eyed peas, sometimes flavored with pork. It is thought to have been introduced to the South by African slaves. The dish was traditionally served with a shiny dime buried deep. The person whose portion had the coin was guaranteed good luck in the new year."

Other traditional foods in the US are sauerkraut, corn (or cornbread), greens, and pork.

Now I am not willing to say they work, but hey, there are fun to read about and you never know!

Other sites offering good luck food information:

• NewYorkDailyNews
• Allrecipes.com
• About.com---have pop up blockers on!
• English-Zone.com

Red Cross-Red Crescent -tsunami relief fund

Red Cross-Red Crescent - Make a donation

At some level this is not the correct use of this blog, but on another level if it helps, I am willing to break the rules.

This is getting posted on all of my blogs and on the FinanceProfessor.com website itself (later tonight). After seeing the total destruction caused by the tsunami, I decided to end my week "vacation" from posting and post a link for people to donate.

To say the destruction is horrific is an understatement. Money will not make bring back the lives (estimated now at almost 80,000 and maybe 100,000) but may help reduce some of the suffering and even prevent the feared epidemics that the deaths may cause.

CNN has complied a list of aid societies. If you do not want to give to the RedCross/Red Crescent, then pick another. But please give some :)

Additionally at our Allegany Store we will be accepting donations which will be forwarded to the RedCross/RedCrescent Society. Just tell any cashier or stop at the service desk.

And I am starting the donating at $100. Please give what you can.

More on the polymeal from WebMD

WebMd offers more on the poly meal study publised in the British Medical Journal that we mentioned a few days ago.

WebMD:

"According to the journal study, combining seven food components (dark chocolate, wine, fruits, vegetables, garlic, almonds, and fish) significantly increases the life expectancy of people over age 50 and reduces heart events by more than two-thirds.

Excluding any ingredients caused a slight decline in the overall heart protection benefits. However omitting wine reduced the meal's beneficial impact the most -- by 10%.

The recipe for heart success has the biggest impact on men. Men who dine on the Polymeal program every day increase their total life expectancy by more than six and a half years compared with men not on the Polymeal. They also were able to prevent the onset of heart disease for nine years.
Women eating the Polymeal would live about five years longer than women not eating it. They keep heart disease at bay for eight years.

In 2003 researchers introduced the idea of the "Polypill," a pill combining common medications used against different risk factors for heart disease. They showed that combining these drugs into one pill would reduce cardiovascular disease by more than 80%"

Merry Christmas!!!

Please have a VERY VERY Merry Christmas!!!

Enjoy the time off from work and try not to get stressed out with too many presents, too much food, and having to go places (and to parties) you really do not want to go to.


Jimmy (and everyone at all of our stores!)

Just a reminder, our stores will all be closed Christmas day.

Portsmouth Herald Health News: Nutrition tidbits for this holiday season

Portsmouth Herald Health News: Nutrition tidbits for this holiday season

The Portsmouth Herald ran an interesting story this past sunday. It has some very good tips on how (and why) to watch what you eat.

I definitely recommend it! (I am not sure how long it will be online).

Here is a sampling: "The diet should include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, lean protein foods and adequate calcium. Adequate fluids are important, as well as limiting alcohol and not smoking. If there is a fountain of youth, it is regular exercise - stretching, cardiovascular exercise, activities to increase and maintain muscle and bone strength. Reducing stress, getting adequate sleep, and including some truly restful relaxation activities on a daily basis are also important."

and one more:

"In either case, consuming a diet that includes a high percentage of plant-based foods is a good idea. Researchers continue to find nutritive substances in plants ("phytonutrients") that promote optimal health. These go beyond what is in your multivitamin."

good stuff!!! Eat it and read it :)

WEbMD's tips on making the Holiday season more healthy!

From WEBMD

Here are 10 tips from weight management experts that can help make your holiday season a healthy one.

1."Set a goal of trying to maintain your present weight"
2. "Savor the flavor by eating slowly and choosing your food carefully"

For copyright reasons for the rest of the list you will have to click through, but it is worth the effort!

Update on pear article

Just a quick update on the pear story from a few days ago.

Laura Wieking (Thanks Laura!) of USAPears informed me that they have a page that helps to tell when pears are ripe when they do not change color.

http://usapears.com/pears/default.asp

I checked it out and it is so good that I just went back and edited the original article as well!

Enjoy your pears!

Thanks Laura!

Food and Nutrition news

This will be pretty quick, but there were several interesting food/nutrition stories recently that I wanted to let you know about:

First the good news:

• The British Medical Journal reports that "polymeals" (essentially meals designed to be good for you) can increase life expectancy.

set of ingredients which cuts the risk of heart (cardiovascular) disease by 76% and significantly increases life expectancy. Results of dining on the Polymeal were most dramatic for men, who were projected to live on average 6.6 years longer in total than those not eating the meal. Men will also live for nine years longer without succumbing to heart disease, and those that do will suffer it for less years of their lives. The Polymeal includes wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruits and vegetables, almonds and garlic, eaten on a daily basis. Quoted from ScienceBlog

• Still more evidence that eating many fruits and vegetables is good for you from the Mayo Clinic:

"Research shows that people who eat diets rich in plant foods have a lower risk of serious diseases, including cancer, says an article in the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter"--Yahoo

• Smelling citrus, geraniums, and pine may help prevent asthma! (I have to admit this caught me by surprise.

  "A key ingredient in the aroma from citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons appears to protect rats from the symptoms of asthma, new research shows"--From Yahoo,WebMD

• If you know you are going to eat a fatty meal, workout first! The workout may help protect you from the bad effects of the meal!

"Eating high-fat foods is known to transiently elevate levels of blood fats such as triglycerides, and recent research has shown that a rich meal can also temporarily impair the functioning of the lining of blood vessels-called the endothelium.

The new study, published in the December 21st issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggests that moderate exercise can blunt these effects"

From Yahoo, More available at News-Medical.net

Then the Bad news:

• There is now some evidence that the OTC painkiller Alleve may also cause heart problems. Painkillers sure have had a tough time of late! CNN, NPR (audio)

and finally just some news (neither good or bad):

• Sales of diet soda (ok, it's pop in WNY!) are ready to overtake sales of regular soda pop. Seattle Post-Intelligence, Tallahassee Democrat

WestSoy Chai

Have you tried WestSoy Chai yet? It is excellent!!! It is one of those products that you have to be persuaded to try, but once you do, you will wonder why you had not tried it before.

I have yet to have a customer or family member tell me they do not like it. In fact in Allegany we are having trouble keeping it on the shelf! I am embarassed to say that we have been out for over a week but it finally came in again!

Not only does it taste good, it is good for you too!

If you have never tried Chai you are in for a treat!! Chai is hard to describe. It is a flavored tea that reminds me of pumpkin pie. But mixed with soy milk it tastes almost like a Smoothie. I really like it!!

While I drink it cold, WestSoy (the manufacturer) and several customers suggest it is even better hot.

In Allegany we stock it in the milk section--Look for it. You will like it, I guarantee it!!

Bad Economics = Poor tasting tomatoes

The Arizona New tomato's ugly, but tasty: "Joe Procacci's tomatoes may taste great, but the Florida Tomato Committee says they're just too ugly"

I saw this on ABC News yesterday. What an outrage!! The short version:

Joe Procacci is a Florida farmer/saleperson. He has "developed" a tomato that looks and tastes much like many heirloom tomatoes that home gardeners grow. He calls his tomato the UglyRipe.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1209Tomatoes-ON.html

The problem? The Florida Tomato committee says the tomatoes can not be sold out of state because they look ugly and that consumers would not buy them. And the ugly tomatoes would hurt the reputation of other Florida Tomato growers.

"Growers complain that Procacci's UglyRipes could wreck the reputation of Florida tomatoes. To allow misshapen and blemished tomatoes could open the way for a flood of ugly tomatoes to hit the market, says Reggie Brown, the tomato committee's manager." Yahoo News

Uh, folks, let's apply some economics here. If there is demand for the ugly tomatoes becuase of their taste, my guess is that people would eat them! And just for the record, it's taste, not looks that matters when it comes to tomatoes!

More than likely the real reason for the The Florida Tomato Commission's crackdown, is that allowing the UgliRipes to sell would be somewhat of an admission that winter tomatoes are not as tasty as summer (homegrown) tomatoes. And more importantly would put other farmers at a competitive disadvantage.

The loser in this? The non Florida consumer who can not buy what they want.

The firm has established a site to protest the rules (see the added comment below as well). I am not sure what we can do as a small store (probably nothing), but I would personally I am pretty sure I will be buying hydroponic tomatoes (which not only taste better but do not come from Florida).

So are Poinsettias toxic for cats or not?

Yes we sell poinsettias. So I felt obliged to check out the often told story that poinsettias are toxic to cats.

The truth is that the poinsettias are probably not poisonous, but will irritate the cat's stomach and force it to vomit:

From the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture:

"Poinsettias irritate cats' and dogs' mouths and digestive systems. Holly and mistletoe are actually poisonous, and might drop berries (the most toxic part of the plant) on the floor even if the plants themselves are out of reach."

Additional sites that hold that poinsettias are not toxic (although possibly bad tasting and irritating include:
The GreenwoodNursery:

The myth: Poinsettias are toxic.The reality: They're not.
The origin of this misinformation apparently dates back to 1919 when the death of an army officer's two-year-old child was wrongly attributed to the ingestion of Poinsettia leaves. Since then, according to web sites such as www.truthorfiction.com the myth of the poisonous Poinsettia has continued to spread.
A 50 lb child would have to eat 1.25 lbs of Poinsettia bracts (about 500 to 600 leaves) to exceed the experimental doses reported by the POISINDEX Information Service. Poisindex is the reference used by most poison control centers. You can read the full story at a web site that tracks urban legends here: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/poinsettia.asp and there is a direct link from this column archived under "The Plant Man" heading at my web site, www.landsteward.org

The Cat Fanciers Association:

*Poinsettias are generally over-rated in toxicity. If ingested, poinsettias can be irritating to the mouth and stomach, and may cause mild vomiting or nausea.

*Mistletoe has the potential to cause cardiovascular problems. However, mistletoe ingestion usually only causes gastrointestinal upset.

*Holly ingestion could cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and lethargy

Pet care professionals are largely in agreement. The American Society for Prevention of cruelty to Animals and the Sequoiahumane Society each share the view that "the potential toxicity of poinsettias is generally overstated, these showy holiday plants can irritate your pet's mouth, and may cause nausea and/or mild vomiting."

I am convinced, but that said, the other side of the argument also has its supporters and in the interest fair journalism:

http://www.ehow.com/how_11325_care-bengal.html says that at least for Bengal Cats (cool picture!)

"certain plants, such as poinsettias, can be fatal for your cat, as can the water at the bottom of your Christmas tree."

So while I may not buy poinsettias, I am convinced they are not going to kill any cats. :)

Christmas Gift Certificates

Can not decide what to buy someone? Money is often too impersonal, but everyone has to eat so why not a ParkandShop Gift Certificate?

They are available at the service desk of all of our stores and can be made out in any amount and with any restrictions that you so please (example: no alcohol, no tobacco).

Happy Holidays!

Clementines

A stockperson asked yesterday what are Clementines. As Clementines are my favorite citrus fruit, I figured I would share the answer with you all.

Clementines are a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin orange. They are almost completely seedless, very sweet, with thin skins. They make perfect snacks or a great dessert.

"The origin of clementines is shrouded in mystery. Some attribute their discovery to father Clement, a monk in Algeria, who tending his mandarin garden in the orphanage of Misserghim, found a natural mutation. He nurtured the fruit tree and subsequently called it "clementino". Others, like Japanese botanist Tanaka, believe that clementines must have originated in Asia and found their way through human migration to the Mediterranean. Whatever their origin, the fact is that clementines found their natural climate and soil in Spain, where they developed their particular aroma, sweetness and taste. Commercial production of clementines began in Spain in 1925." http://www.producepete.com/shows/clementines.html

While commerical pridcution began in the 1820s, Clementines did not begin selling in the US until relatively recently (as late as the mid 1980s) Reportedly US sales began after a freeze in Florida forced the US to import citrus from Europe. Source: ProducePete:

Although there is now some US production, the bulk of the Clementines are still imported from Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

Go ahead and try some, you will love them!!

Other source:

http://www.darlingclem.com/history_of_clementines.html

Do you want a colonial Christmas? What Colony?

A sign in our Allegany Store:

Did you know?

In the 1600s through early 1700s Christmas was not celebrated in New England, but it was celebrated in Colonial Virginia.


Want more details? From Colonial Williamsburg

"Was Christmas celebrated throughout all the colonies?

No. The celebration of Christmas was outlawed in most of New England. Calvinist Puritans and Protestants abhorred the entire celebration and likened it to pagan rituals and Popish observances. In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts forbade, under the fine of five shillings per offense, the observance "of any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forebearing of labour, feasting, or any such way." The Assembly of Connecticut, in the same period, prohibited the reading of the Book of Common Prayer, the keeping of Christmas and saints days, the making of mince pies, the playing of cards, or performing on any musical instruments. These statutes remained in force until they were repealed early in the nineteenth century. In 1749, Peter Kalm noted that the Quakers completely dismissed the celebration of Christmas in Philadelphia...."

But in Virginia it was celebrated. Again from Colonial Williamsburg:

"What was common, however, was the "sticking of the Church" with green boughs on Christmas Eve. Garlands of holly, ivy, mountain laurel, and mistletoe were hung from the church roof, the walls, and the church pillars and galleries. The pews and the pulpit, and sometimes the altar, were bedecked with garlands."

and still more on Christmas in Colonial Virginia:

"Williamsburg shopkeepers of the eighteenth century placed ads noting items appropriate as holiday gifts, but New Year's was as likely a time as December 25 for bestowing gifts. Cash tips, little books, and sweets in small quantities were given by masters or parents to dependents, whether slaves, servants, apprentices, or children. It seems to have worked in only one direction: children and others did not give gifts to their superiors. Gift-giving traditions from several European countries also worked in this one-way fashion; for example, St. Nicholas filled children's wooden shoes with fruit and candy in both old and New Amsterdam. (Eventually, of course, "stockings hung by the chimney with care" replaced wooden shoes.) We must attribute the exchange of gifts among equals and from dependents to superiors to good old American influences. Both twentieth-century affluence and diligent marketing has made it the norm in the last fifty years or so."

Note the links are different, but are both from History.org (the Colonial Williamsburg site.

I would like to make an objection to the widely held view (even in the above post), that marketing and commercialization is a new issue. For instance, by the 1880s, Christmas sales were well established even in WNY!

From NYGenWeb (I.e. Rootsweb)

The Friendship Chronicle, Vol. 1, No. 45, December 15, 1880

"Now that the political boom is ended and the tariff question settled, we propose opening a righteous holiday boom, and will for the next 30 days sell more goods and for less money than any other house in Allegany or Cattaraugus counties. Remember the great Boston Clothing House lately opened at No. 6 Palmers block, Cuba, N.Y., is busy receiving fine goods adapted to the holiday season, consisting of a line of the latest style overcoats, business and dress suits. We are also supplied with an elegant line of gents' furnishing goods, rich silk handkerchiefs of an endless variety, and a full line of the latest style hats and caps, also very fine scotch caps for winter wear. Come one, come all, and save all you can. Bear in mind that you can save from 25 to 30 per cent on every dollar invested at the Boston Clothing House lately opened at No. 6, Palmer's Block, opposite the Cuba National Bank, Cuba, N.Y."

and that was in 1880!

Super Fast Vegetable "casserole"

If you can not tell by now, I hate wasting time. Can't stand it. So "ease" is right behind nutrition when it comes to my meals. Here is one that is super fast, super easy, good for you, and good tasting!

SUPER FAST VEGGIE CASSEROLE

Ingredients
Water
About 3/4 of a cup of mixed vegetables (either mixed in bag, or just an assortment of your own)
Instant Potatoes
Quick Oatmeal
Wheat Germ
Ground Flax Seed

Into a small casserole dish (large bowl) pour in water.

Add

• mixed vegetables (thawed, mildly warm)
• equal amounts of instant potatoes and oatmeal (about 3 tablespoons each)
• about 2 tablespoons of wheat germ
• about 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed (I sometimes add a bit more of this) I really like the taste!

Microwave if not warm enough for about 30-40 seconds.

It should be pretty dry. Besides the taste and nutrition, another good thing about this is that you really can not mess it up. If it is too runny, you can always add more instant potatoes or oatmeal. And it keeps fine for tomorrow!

While I like it just "as it is", you can also add gravy or butter (SmartBalance Omega Plus).

Total time to prepare: about 3 minutes--2 if you are good :)


Yes I know that there is evidence that microwaving destroys antioxidant content. To which I can only say to try and minimize the time it is in the microwave--thaw the vegetables first, boil the water first, and do not cook for too long. The benefits of having it done fast are to tempting for me to totally eschew.

What are plant sterols?

I recently had a customer ask me what plant sterols, so I will try to answer that question today:

What are plant sterols?

The short answer is that plant sterols are naturally occurring substances that lower cholesterol. These have been around for thousands and thousands of yers. What is new however is that scientists have identified a way to separate the plant sterols from the rest of the plant and then add them to other foods. In theory this should allow people to lower the levels of bad cholesterol.

from the FDA:

"The FDA has authorized use of labeling health claims about the role of plant sterol or plant stanol esters in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) for foods containing these substances. This interim final rule is based on FDA's conclusion that plant sterol esters and plant stanol esters may reduce the risk of CHD by lowering blood cholesterol levels.

This new health claim is based on evidence that plant sterol or plant stanol esters may help to reduce the risk of CHD. Plant sterols are present in small quantities in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes, and other plant sources. Plant stanols occur naturally in even smaller quantities from some of the same sources. For example, both plant sterols and stanols are found in vegetable oils."

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS01033.html

Plant sterols seemingly have no downside. From the Institute of Food Science and Technology:

"Plant sterols and plant stanols appear to be without hazard to health, having been shown without adverse effects in a large number of human studies. They show no evidence of toxicity even at high dose levels and gastro-intestinal absorption is low. In the United States a panel of independent experts has concluded that vegetable oil plant sterol esters and plant stanol esters are safe for use as an ingredient in vegetable oil spreads. Furthermore in the European Union a recently published opinion from the Scientific Committee on Food concluded that the use of phytosterol-esters in yellow fat spreads (maximum level of 8% free phytosterols) is safe for human use (European Commission Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General, April 2000)".http://www.ifst.org/hottop29.htm

Another food that has added plant sterols is Smart Balance's Omega Plus Spread. Smart Balance however claims their sterols are superior (at least to other spreads). I do not know enough on this to comment, but will give you their version:

Omega PLUS is unique in several ways. First, it contains the patented blend of balanced oils developed by nutrition scientists at Brandeis University. It contains no hydrogenated oils and no trans fatty acids to help enhance HDL/LDL. Secondly, it contains a phytosterol we call Natucol to help reduce LDL cholesterol. Unlike the other brands which use sterol or stanol esters, Natucol tm is a free sterol (not chemically modified by hydrogenation nor esterification). In addition, Omega PLUS contains organic Menhaden Oil, rich in long chain omega-3's to help promote a healthy level of blood triglycerides.That is why we call Omega PLUS, The Ultimate Spread™. It is like no other brand, not even like regular Smart Balance.

http://www.smartbalance.com/faq.html

I would add that nothing is ever totally certain, so all we can say is that the best scientific evidence we now have supports this view. I can say however that I do use both of these products quite regularly and really do enjoy their tastes.

(Just for complete disclosure: I drink the MinuteMaid Heartwise OJ about 20% of the time (so about a half gallon a week) and use the Omega Plus maybe once a day--interestingly one of our cats (Tiger) just loves the Smart Balance! If I open the top, she comes running every time!).

Pears

Well given that it is almost Christmas and many of you will be singing about pears (or at least pear trees), it is a good time to look at pears.

While I had a pear the other day that was just about perfect, Ido not think most people have the same experience. Pears are VASTLY under appreciated by most in today's society. Why? people do not know how to eat pears. Or maybe a better way to say it is that they do not know WHEN to eat pears!

Let me quote Barry Ballister's Fruit and Vegetable Stand Book.
Page 342

Pears are elegantly seductive. They are sweet, juicy, wonderfully textured, and highly nutritious. They have the most subtle taste of all orchard fruit and will leave your palate delightfully fresh and clean.

Continuing Ballister writes:

All pears must be picked unripe. If pears are allowed to ripen on the tree, they develop little grit cell, or stones in the flesh.

I think that much of the reason is that pears are underappreciated stems from the fact that 99% of all pears are sold unripe. Thus when a person buys a pear and tries it, the pear is still hard and almost tasteless. (try the same with a banana--take home a green banana and eat it. I bet you won't like that either. The difference is that judging pears' ripeness is more difficult than that of bananas.)

So, how do you tell if a pear is ripe?

Softness is the best measure, but we really do not want you squeezing the fruit! California pears has a great tool to show you by color when their Barlett pears are ready. Try it out!

For pears that do not change color, USA Pears has a useful page that also gives tips on ripening (place in paper bag etc).

(Jimmy's note: this last link was added after the original post.)

A warning
Ripe pears, while delicious, bruise VERY easily and often look bad. For that reason we generally do not leave them on the shelf. But for the record, these are the ones I buy! They are ready to eat immediately.)

Varieties

There are many varieties of pears. The most common that we sell are the Anjou pear (greenish), the Bartlett Pear (Yellow usually), and Bosc pear (darker, often almost brown). USApears.com has a series of pictures that will help you distinguish one from another.

I was surprised at how nutritious pears can be. I generally considered them more of a dessert treat that anything else, but they are surprisingly high in nutrition.

My biggest recommendation for you if you are buying pears is to plan ahead. Even if the pears are left out of refrigeration, they will take several days to ripen. Remember a ripe pear is just a tad soft.

If you really want a treat, try sliced pears sprinkled with brown sugar and then warmed slightly. Or really treat yourself and serve with vanilla ice cream on top.

Useful pear sites
http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/1869002.html
http://www.usapears.com/
http://www.calpear.com/

Sweet Potatoes

Do you know the difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes? Don't feel bad, most people do not.

Sweet potatoes are brighter in color and are what most people buy in the US. Spruce.ca has pictures of each. Trust me, you are used to eating sweet potatoes! In fact according to SeedsofKnowledge.com, yams are rarely sold in the US at all.

Yams look more like a (white) potatoe and have more sugar than sweet potatoes.

Not confused yet? Ok, then consider that there are two kinds of sweet potatoes (orange skinned--the norm, and a drier, yellow-skinned variety). Many consider the yellow colored variety to be a yam, but officially, NO. To make matters worse, most Americans (including our stores on occassion and canned sweet potato manufacturers) use the names interchangeably.

The best description of how the confusion started is from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture--short version--when slaves came to America, people misunderstood what they were calling the sweet potato.

Want a little more history?

• Sweet potatoes have been around for "an estimated 4000 years!sweet potato has an exciting history over 4,000 years old? It has been used for food since prehistoric times in tropical America and on some South Pacific Islands. At one time, sweet potatoes were an important component of the Aztec diet." http://members.aol.com/TexTater/texas.html
• Sweet potatoes are part of the morning glory family.
• In colonial South, the term "potato" generally referred to the sweet potato. What we know as a potato was often called the "Irish" potato. (Which is strange given the so-called Irish Potato was native to South America!)
• Thomas Jefferson was a big fan of the "potato" (i.e sweet potato) and considered the pumpkin a substitue if potatoes were in short supply
  

References:
http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/yams.html

History of Allegany

Congrats to the Town and Village of Allegany on their new web site! Very nice. I especailly am glad to see a history page!

Green Tea may prevent spread of some cancers

I have long been a backer of green tea, so I confess I might have been biased when I saw this story and had to jump on it. I urge you to read the actual paper and decide for yourself!

A new study has found that Green Tea may reduce risk of prostate cancer's spread. The story from ScienceBlog

The polyphenols present in green tea help prevent the spread of prostate cancer by targeting molecular pathways that shut down the proliferation and spread of tumor cells, as well as inhibiting the growth of tumor nurturing blood vessels, according to research published in the December 1 issue of Cancer Research.

BTW: Isn't blogging awesome? I have to say that the Science Blog is one of my favorites! It really allows me to stay quite current on Nutritional Information. However, be warned, there are many pop-ups.

The vitamin controversy

More confusion enters the mix on vitamin and antioxidant supplementation. If you remember the last we had heard, vitamin E supplementation was deemed as potentially damaging. Before that we saw a study that suggested vitamin
popping may be useless. So what study do you believe? Good question!?!?!

It could be that there are more things at play here. For instance, vitamin supplements may be good for some and neutral (or worse) for others. That is the tack that a new paper in the Journal of American Medical Association. The conclusion?

Low-dose antioxidant supplementation may reduce the risk of cancer among men, but not in women. According to the new research, antioxidants including beta carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc may prevent some of the harmful effects caused by free radicals -- reactive molecules produced by metabolism in the body. It has also been suggested that a low dietary intake of antioxidants increases the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

So antioxidant supplements seem good for men, but the study found no impact on women's health. Why? again a good question. Note the last sentence of the abstract--it suggests at least one reason for the findings. Namely that already are getting the necessary antioxidants from their diet. So eat your fruits and veggies!!

GREAT NEWS! OJ might help fight cancers!

What great news!

Science Blog - Citrus shows promise for certain childhood cancer:

"Orange juice and cancer don't mix. In fact, the popular citrus drink could become a cocktail to prevent or stop the deadly disease in humans. Research by Texas Agriculture Experiment Station scientists has shown that citrus compounds called limonoids targeted and stopped neuroblastoma cells in the lab. They now hope to learn the reasons for the stop-action behavior and eventually try the citrus concoction in humans."

Drink more OJ!!!! I truly believe it is the best drink there is. It goes great with virtually anything.

I am not sure why I like it so much, but I can drink it all day! I have it 4 or 5 times a day and 64 ounces a day is close to the norm through most of the warmer months.

Even better? A fresh-squeezed mix of Grapefruit, Orange, and Tangerines! In fact, I think I may have some today.

Smoking is bad for the brain

If your lungs, heart, pocket book, skin, teeth, etc were not enough, there is now another reason to quit smoking!

Smoking has been shown to be bad for your brain!BBC NEWS Health
Smoking 'is bad for your brain':

Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh looked at how the cognitive abilities of smokers and non-smokers changed over time. They found smokers performed significantly worse in five separate tests. The research, part of the Scottish Mental Health Survey, is published in New Scientist magazine.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4078841.stm

And yes they controlled for the "chicken or the egg" problem!

Monticello Report: Christmas at Monticello

Monticello Report: Christmas at Monticello
Click through to see how Thomas Jefferson celebrated Christmas.

He like most in the South had mincemeat pies. Interestingly, mincemeat pies then actually contained meat. WHich I confess sounds awful!

I have only tried Mincemeat pie once (and it was canned so no meat), and did not like it.

here is a recipe for mincemeat:

The history of Condensed Milk

Given that we will sell more condensed milk in December than in the other 11 months combined, it is a perfect time to learn something about the product!

Gail Borden was quite a guy!

From FoodReference.com

Gail Borden was a surveyor, inventor and businessman. As an early pioneer settler in Texas he made the first topographical map of Texas, and in 1838 he surveyed and laid out the site of Galveston. He developed a meat biscuit in 1851.

It was on a voyage to and from London to market his dehydrated meat biscuit that Borden got the inspiration to condense milk.

From BordenChemicals.com:

"Returning from London by ship, Borden was moved by the sight of young infants dying from impure cow's milk. Over the next two years, Borden applied the knowledge gained from his efforts at condensing foods to a new effort to purify and condense milk. In 1853, Borden filed a patent for his new milk condensing process, and in 1857, founded the New York Condensed Milk Company, later to become the Borden Company."

During the US Civil War, Borden signed a contract to supply Union troops with sweetened condensed milk. Interestingly, his son John fought for Union, his son Lee fought for the Confederacy. The People's Chronology, James Trager, p. 487
(This last part is from a sign in Allegany)

A customer asked about blogging

In our stores this week we hung signs telling people to check out the blog. Well it urns out many people do not know what a blog is. DO not feel bad! MANY MANY people do not.


Here is how I described it to my class:

What is a blog? A blog is nothing more than an easy to update website. This has taken the idea of a journal. (for example, :“A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently.”www.matisse.net/files/glossary.html

What makes blogs so cool?Blogs are
1. easy to use.
2. often informal
3. can be read either online with a typical web browser or with special readers.
4. links can be saved (so rather than saving the whole newsletter, you can link just to the stories you want!)
5. are immune to spamblockers

For example, to read the FinanceProfessor.com blog with your browser, merely click through to it like you would any web site.http://financeprofessorblog.blogspot.com/But it can also be read with a special reader. Why is this so valuable? Because the reader will go and “get articles” whenever the site is updated. This allows me to update the blog on an almost daily basis and you can select which stories you want. This is called syndication. Moreover, since your reader is getting the article, you have made it around the spam blocking software. I have provided links to sign up via ATOM, RSS, or through your “my Yahoo” page.

There are several free RSS readers and while I do not pretend to know which is best, I use RSSReader from RssReader.com and SharpReader (both are very easy to use!). http://www.rssreader.com/ http://www.sharpreader.net/

Here is the list from Google:http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=free+rss+readers

Pumpkin Pancakes

RecipeSource: Pumpkin Pancakes

I hung a sign this week (In Allegany) about pumpkin pancakes. They are really good! I had never had them but tried them a few weeks ago at Spragues.

When I later made them, all I did was to add pumpkin (and a bit of brown sugar) to my normal buckwheat/oatmeal/flaxseed pancakes. But as I doubt many people would like my pancakes, I figured I better give you another recipe.

So here you go, from RecipeSource.com. While I have not tried it yet, the ingredients sound good and the nutritional information is good!

http://www.recipesource.com/special-diets/diabetic/pumpkin-pancakes1.html

Tomato Prices up? Why? Hurricanes!

If you have seen tomato prices lately you have seen that they are WAY WAY up. In fact they are so high that I have been told that many local fast food places have stopped serving them unless asked.

In fact we have largely quit selling vine-ripe tomatoes because hydroponic tomatoes (grown more locally---often in Ontario in greenhouses) have suddenly become cheaper. (For the record they also taste much better!)

So why are the prices so high? There is a severe shortage largely due to the bad hurricane seson in Florida.

From the Cedar Rapids Gazette:

"With Wendy's buying power, we pay a little less than market price. Our cost went from 75 cents a pound to over $3 a pound. That's horrendous," Smith said.

Tomatoes in area grocery stores are marked $3.99 a pound.

Storms on Oct. 19 and 20 and Oct. 26 and 27 reduced tomato shipments from California by 60 percent to 3.3 million pounds a day. Shipments of plum-type tomatoes were reduced 65 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The storms followed on the heels of hurricanes that prevented or damaged the fall planting of tomatoes and bell peppers in Florida. Delayed shipments from Florida were expected to begin late this month, and market volume was projected to return to normal in December, the USDA said."