Food for Fun and Thought

The Five Second Rule: Don’t Start The Countdown

March 4, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

The Five Second Rule: if food falls on the floor you can safely eat it if you pick it up within five seconds. I wrote a popular post on this last year and it’s a topic that resurfaces all of the time — recently in The New York Times.

The Truth About Five Seconds (or three, or seven)

It’s bogus! In most cases, if bacteria are on the floor, they’ll stick to food almost immediately on contact.

Things that affect how quickly the bacteria cling are the kind of floor; the kind of food; the kind of bacteria; and how long the bacteria have been hanging around on the floor.

Let’s Go For Zero

A food scientist and his students at Clemson University tried to determine if the five second rule has some validity or if it’s just a bunch of bunk.

For their study, they put salmonella (as few as ten of these bacteria can cause stomach issues) on wood, tile, or carpet, and then dropped bologna on them for 5, 30, or 60 seconds. More than 99% of the bacteria were transferred nearly immediately from the wood and tile and a smaller number were transferred from the carpet. Over a number of hours, the number of bacteria that transferred decreased, but thousands per square centimeter still remained on the surfaces after 24 hours. Hundreds hung around for as long as four weeks.

Location, Location: The Sidewalk Is Better Than The Kitchen Floor

Most researchers agree the important thing is not how long food takes a vacation on the floor, but where that stay is. Believe it or not, according to a professor of microbiology and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and author of Germ Proof Your Kids, it may be okay to brush off and give back the gummed up bagel that your kid tossed out of the stroller. Pavement has fewer types of germs that cause illnesses than the kitchen floor — which is probably coated with health hazardous bacteria from uncooked meat and chicken juices.

Don’t Retrieve Food From The Kitchen Sink Either

Kitchen sinks have more germs than bathroom sinks and three-quarters of kitchen dish cloths and sponges are heavily contaminated with harmful bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. The bacteria, probably carried into the kitchen by food, kids, or pets, can cause diarrhea or infections with flu-like symptoms (especially dangerous for small children, the elderly, and pregnant women). Bacteria adore the food collected in sponges used to wipe stuff up and can find a happy growing ground nestled in your sponge.

Try These To Tame A Way Too Spicy Dish

February 1, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 3 Comments

Have you ever gotten a little too overzealous with the chili powder – or with the amount of peppers you’ve added to that fantastic dish you’re cooking?

It happens — but what do you do? You can burn the heck out of everyone’s mouth, toss the whole dish into the garbage, feed the compost pile, or maybe somehow salvage what you’ve made.

There are those of you who routinely look for the spiciest food around and are probably thinking – so what’s the problem? But, for those of you – like me – who would prefer not to have your mouth on fire – there are ways to calm down an over-spiced dish. After some research, here’s a bunch of suggestions (in no particular order). Maybe some will work for your dish, and maybe not, but file them in your memory and give one or two a try when you’re staring at a pot of over-spiced food.

First, know your peppers — they vary in the amount of heat they have. You can always decrease the amount you use. Be sure to remove the inner membranes and seeds which is where the majority of the heat resides. Capsaicin is the active component in chili peppers and the amount varies according to the variety and maturity of the pepper. Habanero peppers are always extremely hot while ancho and paprika peppers can be as mild as a bell pepper.

For three alarm dishes, one prime suggestion is to dilute the heat. Make another batch of the recipe and omit the “overly used” or the “heat” ingredient and combine it with the over-spiced batch. Now you have a double recipe with diluted heat and you can freeze the extra. You can also add more stock, broth, canned tomatoes, or beans depending on the recipe – just make certain there is no added seasoning. A can or two of refried beans or mashed canned beans helps dilute spiciness, helps thicken chili, increases the fiber and protein content, and gives you more servings without the higher cost of more meat.

Dairy helps neutralize the spice in a dish (and in your mouth). You can use (full fat is best) milk, sour cream, or yogurt. Other suggestions are whipping cream or evaporated milk. If you can’t or don’t have time to incorporate dairy into the dish, offer sour cream or yogurt on the side.

Serve chili or curry over rice. The rice tones down the spices and adds bulk to the recipe. Bread and other grains also help.

Add some potatoes or another starchy vegetable like corn. You probably won’t even notice the corn in chili. If you use potatoes, peel and cube a couple and mix them in. Leave them in until they are cooked through. Remove them (or not, depending on taste) and serve.

Try stirring in a couple tablespoons of peanut butter (you could also use almond or other nut butters or tahini) to cut the heat. Depending on the dish it won’t really alter the taste but might give a little more depth to the flavor and make chili seem a little creamier. Because it may not be an expected ingredient, be certain that no one has nut or peanut allergies.

Add some lime, lemon, vinegar or something acidic that won’t mess with the other flavors. Acid cuts through heat.

You don’t want to turn your dish into dessert, but sugar goes a long way toward neutralizing the spiciness. So does honey. Add a teaspoon at a time and keep tasting. Some people use sweet or semi-sweet chocolate to mask the spice, but not so much that the dish ends up tasting like chocolate. Sugar combined with an acid like vinegar or lemon or lime juice works particularly well.

Any number of additions can help tame the heat without radically affecting flavor. Add a can of crushed pineapple to your chili — it will essentially disappear but will also helping to counteract the heat. Other kinds of fruit and carrots may work, too.

When Your Mouth’s On Fire From Red Hot Chili Peppers

January 28, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

I was recently in a restaurant that specializes in chili – hot, hotter, and hottest. I happened to be facing a table of four large thirtyish guys. One guy cherrily ordered, “hottest.”

Shortly after this big, burly guy dug into his chili – with gusto, I might add, he was sitting glassy eyed, rivulets of sweat dripping off of his bald head, practically unable to speak. The waitress, obviously having seen this reaction before, came running over with a glass of milk with orders to, “Drink up.”

Have you ever had this reaction to very spicy food — maybe from that dish you made when you got a little too zealous with the chili powder? Or perhaps, like this guy, from being a little too macho and ordering “hottest” after assuring everyone that you love really hot and spicy food. Or maybe when you accidentally grabbed the wings known as red hots at a Superbowl party.

What Causes The Burn?

Capsaicin is mostly responsible for the “heat” in chili peppers. To stop the mouth flames you need to neutralize capsaicin’s burning heat that binds to your taste buds. Capsaisin is soluble in both alcohol and fat so full fat dairy and alcohol are solutions.

What To Do To Tame The Flame

What do you do as your mouth is sending a five-alarm signal, your face is on fire, and you are sweating enough to water every plant in the room? Here are some solutions that are easy – even when you’re in a restaurant or someone else’s home.

The most common flame relievers are full fat dairy, acid, and sugar – although some people also swear by nut and seed butters (peanut, almond, tahini). They may all have some degree of effectiveness.
Ice and water will feel pretty good, but only temporarily. The burning pain will come roaring back. Because capsaicin is soluble in alcohol and fat, sometimes beer is suggested as a solution. The alcohol helps neutralize the capsaicin molecules. But beer is about 95% water and won’t really neutralize the capsaicin clinging to your tongue.
High fat dairy products like milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream coat your mouth and can break the bonds capsaicin forms with the nerve endings – and, since they’re cold, they feel good, too. Aha! An explanation for why spicy Mexican food is often served with sour cream.
Sugars bind to pain receptors more readily than capsaicin so sweet things may work, too. Sugar, fruit, honey, molasses, even carrots have all been used. Highly sweetened non-carbonated drinks may work. Try some sweet tea. Hoisin may work for Asian dishes, Lassi (sweet and dairy combination) if you are in an Indian restaurant.
Acid can cut through the heat so use vinegar, lemon or lime juice, anything acidic that doesn’t mess with the taste. Beer with lime?

Ever over spice something that you’ve cooked? There are ways to remedy that, too. Check out my next post.

Did You Eat 23 Pounds Of Pizza Last Year?

January 21, 2011 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

If you did, you’re not alone — actually you’ve got plenty of company!

Our pizza eating habits are amazing. Whether we buy it fresh or frozen, by the slice or by the pie. We eat it for takeout or grabbed off of round metal trays plopped on formica tables. We eat it everywhere and by the ton.

According to Domino’s, each person in North America eats 23 pounds of pizza a year
Americans eat the equivalent of about 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second
Men, women, and children in America eat an average of 46 slices of pizza a year
93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month
Almost 70% of Superbowl watchers eat a slice (or two or three) during the game

So What’s The Problem?

For the most part: fat and calories. Sure, you may not like a particular type of pizza, or perhaps you love round pizzas rather than square ones. But, if your mouth has started to water at the thought of golden brown crust and cheesy goodness — here’s the downer: that luscious pizza can be a fat and calorie nightmare. Don’t despair. Here’s the good news: pizza can be a healthy food choice filled with complex carbs, B-vitamins, calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin C and calorically okay if you choose wisely and don’t eat more than your fair share.

It’s difficult to estimate the number of calories and fat grams in a slice of pizza because the size and depth of the pies and the amount of cheese, meat, or other toppings varies so enormously – and, we all have our preferences..

How Many Calories?

The membership warehouse club Costco has 416 domestic locations, and most of them have a food court that sells pizza, making Costco the 15th largest pizza chain in the US. They serve a whole lot of pizza and a whole lot of calories. A single slice of Costco pizza is estimated to have 804 calories, 342 of them from from fat.

Mall pizza can be okay — and not okay. For instance, Sbarro’s Low Carb Cheese Pizza has 310 calories and 14 grams of fat. But, its Low Carb Sausage/Pepperoni Pizza has 560 calories and 35 grams of fat. A slice of the Fresh Tomato Pizza clocks in at 450 calories with 14 grams of fat. Any of Sbarro’s “Gourmet” pizzas have between 610 and 780 calories a slice and more than 20 grams of fat. “Stuffed” pizzas are even worse—790 calories minimum and over 33 grams of fat per slice.

Are You Craving Pizza?

Although we all have out own pizza preferences, the next time you order try some of these tricks to keep your choice on the healthy side:

Order thin crust rather than thick doughy crust.
Resist the urge to ask for double cheese.
Pile on veggies like mushrooms, peppers, olives, tomatoes, onion, broccoli, spinach, asparagus. Some places have salad pizza – great if it’s not loaded with oil.
Ask for your pizza to be cheeseless, made with low fat cheese, or “go light on the cheese, please” (no guarantee but it’s worth it to try).
Instead of cheese go for big flavors: onion, garlic, olives (use them somewhat sparingly because of the oil but they’re a whole lot better than meat). And Don’t forget anchovies anyone (low in calories)! A lot of flavor for minimal calories – but you have to like them!
Avoid meat toppers. Think about the fat content in sausage, pepperoni, and meatballs.
Try to hold it to two slices of pizza and order a salad on the side.
If you’re willing (and not embarrassed or grossed out), try blotting the free floating oil that sits on top of a greasy slice. Blotting (it’s easy to do this on the kind of hot slice where the oil runs down your arm) can soak up a teaspoon of oil worth 40 calories and 5 grams of fat.

Happy And Healthy Holidays to You And Your Pets

December 23, 2010 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

It’s a time of celebration for both you and your pets.

As the big week of celebrations approaches, here are some quick tips to keep your pet family members safe and healthy during the winter holidays.

If the weather turns nasty and you need to use salt and de-icing materials, remember that they can get into your pet’s paws and onto their stomachs as they climb over snow mounds. Wipe their paws and tummies with a damp rag. Antifreeze tastes sweet to dogs and cats so mop up any spills and bottle drips.
We find tree ornaments fun to look at and pets absolutely adore them, but metal, glass, ribbons, styrofoam and tinsel can cause serious medical emergencies for your pet. So can artificial snow and the snow in snow globes. Ditto for holiday wrappings that get thrown around and fall everywhere. These can be a hazard for little kids, too.
We may want our homes to look festive, but ivy, holly, mistletoe, lilies, poinsettia, and some Christmas greens can be toxic to pets if they nibble on them. Christmas tree water with tree preservative can be attractive to thirsty pets — and harmful, too.
The holidays are a time to welcome visitors into your home. Too much activity and too many people can frighten your pets — and sometimes cause them to run away. Consider putting them in a room away from the roaring crowd and make certain they are wearing collars with current tags.
Oh how we love to feast on our holiday treats! So do our pets. My Golden Retriever, Rufus, was carbo-dog and adored desserts. Spike, my pug, given his druthers, would eat anything, anytime, anywhere. Some foods can be harmful and cause GI or choking problems. Chocolate that is so prevalent in holiday treats can be quite harmful to our pets. We truly love out animals, but giving them table scraps is not a good way to show it. And — if you don’t want the leftovers, send them home with visitors or toss them– don’t feed them to the dog — not all of them are healthy for animals.