Although those folded white paperboard containers immediately signify the type of food that’s inside, their derivation is, well, American.

It’s Really An Oyster Pail

The Chinese takeout container was patented in Chicago, on Nov. 13, 1894, by Frederick Weeks Wilcox.  He created a “paper pail” from a single piece of paper that was creased into segments and then folded into what was, hopefully, a leak-proof container with a wire handle on top. The support folds were on the outside — creating a flat inside surface which made it pretty easy to slide food smoothly onto a plate.

The whole idea was based on an oyster pail – a wooden pail used to transport oysters.  The paper oyster pail was developed when oysters, which were very popular and used to be more plentiful and less expensive than they are today, were shucked by an oyster seller when they were purchased. The raw oyster meat was then taken home to be used in cooked dishes. Because shucking oysters requires some amount of skill to avoid badly cut fingers, having someone else do this was a good thing.  So, after the oyster seller wrestled the shells open, the dripping oyster meat that was removed had to be transported in something.  The paper oyster pail proved to be an inexpensive and sanitary way to do this.

Takeout Food Becomes Popular

After the Second World War, Americans developed a huge interest in prepared food that could be picked up from restaurants and heated up at home. Because it’s tasty, a little different, pretty cheap, and travels well, American Chinese food became very popular.

The Adaptable White Box

When oyster availability started to decline and Chinese takeout food started to become popular, the nearly leakproof, durable, disposable, inexpensive, and  available oyster pail was quickly adopted for “Chinese take-out.”

And, for good reason.  The design of the box is multi-purpose.  It usually self-closes with a tab and because of the way the box is folded, it allows some steam to escape from hot food. If you’re careful, you can remove the flaps, unfold the sides, and use the container as a flimsy plate.

Over time, some adjustments have been made in the boxes that make them more suitable for the modern-day kitchen: you can find microwave-safe cartons that use glue instead of wire along with dye free and unbleached environmentally friendly varieties.

But, one thing has not changed.  As most takeout food lovers know, one of the best things about the uniquely shaped box is that with the long reach of chopsticks you can still eat right out of the container.

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Protein Really Does Help You Feel Full, But Why? 

According to the September 2012 Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter,  French researchers published the findings of a study that confirms that dietary protein affects satiety – the feeling of being full and satisfied — something that a lot of people seem to know but that hadn’t previously been explained. The researchers found that there’s a chain reaction of signals between your brain and your digestive system that explains why this happens.

Why Does Protein Make You Feel Full?

When you eat and start digesting dietary protein, it stimulates activity of molecules called mu-opioid receptors, the same receptors that are responsible for your body’s reaction to morphine. As the protein is being digested, the receptors send signals to your brain, which then tells your intestines to release glucose. As your glucose (blood sugar) levels start to rise, both your hunger and your desire to eat starts to get suppressed.

How Much Protein?

The good news is that most of us, barring certain problems, usually meet or exceed our protein requirements. Protein is a very common part of a lot of the foods that we eat — especially if you’re eating a pretty varied diet. Most Americans get about 12-18% of their calories from protein sources.

Every cell in our bodies contains protein – with the exception of bile and urine. Our bodies need that protein to form new cells, repair old ones, and build and maintain muscles.  People with medical issues may have different protein needs and research is showing that protein intake in older adults may help with frailty.

What Are Good Sources Of Protein?

A gram of protein has four calories but the problem is that a lot of our dietary protein comes from large portions of animal sourced foods — like fatty meats and full fat dairy — and not from lean meat, fish, beans, and certain vegetables and whole grains.

The National Academy of Medicine says that most adults can meet their daily need for protein with two to three servings of protein rich food.

Recommended servings might be:

• 1/2 cup of cooked dried beans
• One ounce of cheese, two tablespoons of peanut butter, or one egg
• Two to three ounces (about the size of a deck of cards) of cooked poultry, lean meat, or fish
• Two to three ounces of soy protein (such as tofu or soybeans).
• An egg is almost a perfect protein source. One large cooked egg has more than six grams of protein and about 70 calories.

Good vegetable protein sources are: black, pinto, garbanzo, and kidney beans; split peas; peanuts and peanut butter; sunflower seeds; nuts; and soy products.

Animal sources might be:  skinless poultry; bosom; lean cuts of beef and pork trimmed of visible fat; fish and shellfish; and low or non- fat dairy products.

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Are your pants feeling a bit tight and you can’t figure out why?

It’s those mindless bites that will get you.  Each one of those “shove it in your mouth without thinking about it” bites is worth about 25 calories.  Do the math.  If you have four mindless bites a day above and beyond your daily calorie needs that means possibly gaining slightly less than a pound a month (it takes 3500  calories to gain a pound  — and yes, you need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose a pound).

Do You Do Any Of These?

• Snag a piece of candy from the bowl on someone’s desk

• Scoop the last bit of leftovers from the pot into your mouth

• Taste the cookie dough batter then lick the beaters

• Finish the crust off of your kid’s grilled cheese sandwich

• Sample the bar food while having a drink

• Taste the free “want to try” foods when you’re shopping

• Have “just a taste” of your friend’s or spouse’s dessert

• Eat the freebie cookies or candy that come with the check in restaurants

Twenty-five

Ouch!  Each bite adds up to — on average — 25 calories (sometimes more, sometimes less).

Be aware of what you’re eating – especially when you’re not really eating.  Most of us don’t have a clue how many calories – or even bites – we’ve shoved into our mouths at times other than meals.  Unfortunately, all of those calories that we eat when we’re not eating meals not only count but add up to those pounds gained — and you can’t figure out why you gained them.

What To Do

Keep track of when and where you’re most likely to indulge in the mindless bites you shove down the hatch while you’re walking, talking, socializing, working, and driving.

The most effective method is to try to write down what you eat.  That may be a pain but might serve as a real “heads-up” because a written record is hard to deny.  If you don’t want to write it down (I must admit I have trouble doing that) at least be aware of your mindless bites – and decide if you want to eliminate, control, or include them in your daily calories.

Awareness is a good thing — especially if it makes your jeans fit better.

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Source: Today I found out

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I’ve been watching members of my own family – who cover almost a century in age range – happily eat their fruit and vegetables.  Over the past few days I’ve watched a 16 month old gobble up his banana and eat half an avocado giving greater preference to them rather than to his French toast or chicken and pasta.  A three year old went for the blueberries and strawberries decorating her “happy face pancakes” before touching anything else and loves to put blackberries on the tips of her fingers and eat them one by one.

At the other end of the age spectrum, my 95 year old Aunt and 92 year old Mother, raised on a farm, rely on their fruit and vegetables as the mainstays of their diets. My Aunt wanted me to take a banana home to the 16 month old and my Mom routinely brings fruit when she visits her sister.

No one is vegetarian – everyone just naturally prefers a plant-based diet. They do couple their fruit and veggies with meat, fish, dairy, grains, and a whole lot of nuts — and they do have occasional desserts.  What they eat is a Mediterranean style diet – but they wouldn’t describe it as such. It’s just what goes on the table and what they eat and enjoy.  For my Mom and her sister, two out of 13 children, that’s a lot of fruit and veggie nutrients over close to a century’s worth of time.

Why Eating Fruit And Veggies Is A Good Idea

• They may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases; help control blood pressure and prevent heart disease and stroke; help to avoid diverticulitis; and guard against two common causes of vision loss, cataracts and macular degeneration.

• They have a mellowing effect on blood sugar levels that can help keep your appetite in check.

• They provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

• Most of them are filling and are naturally low in fat and calories.

• They taste good and look great on your plate.

How Much Produce Should You Eat?

Not counting potatoes—which should be considered more of a starch than a vegetable—the average American eats just three servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Dietary guidelines call for 5 to 13 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (2½ to 6½ cups), depending on your caloric intake. A person who needs 2,000 calories a day would need 9 servings, or 4½ cups a day (remember, potatoes don’t count). Aim for a variety of types and colors to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. The more colorful, the greater the rainbow, the better the nutrition for your body.

Love The Rainbow

Red fruit and vegetables get their color from the pigments lycopene and anthocyanin. Lycopene, found in produce like tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, especially prostate cancer.

Anthocyanins, found in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and other fruits and vegetables, are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and help with heart health.

Orange and yellow fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called carotenoids. Beta-carotene, found in sweet potatoes, pumpkins and carrots, is converted to vitamin A which helps maintain healthy eyes and mucous membranes. Carotenoid-rich foods can also help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer and can improve immune system function.

Chlorophyll, a natural plant pigment, gives green fruit and vegetables their color. Some greens — like spinach, dark leafy greens, green peppers, peas, cucumbers, and celery — contain lutein which works with zeaxanthin– found in corn, red peppers, oranges, grapes and egg yolks — to help keep your eyes healthy and reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Indoles in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other cruciferous veggies help protect against some types of cancer. Leafy greens, spinach, and broccoli are great sources of folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce risk of birth defects.

Blue and purple fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called anthocyanins, like those found in  blueberries and grapes.  They are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and may help reduce risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Blueberry consumption has also been linked with improved memory function and healthy aging.

White fruit and vegetables, colored by pigments called anthoxanthins, contain allicin — which might help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and possibly help reduce the risk of stomach cancer and heart disease.

A Cup Is A Cup Except . . .

A cup is a household measuring cup for most fresh or cooked vegetables and fruits. Two exceptions to that rule: for lettuce and other raw leafy greens, you need to eat 2 cups to get the equivalent of 1 cup of vegetables and for dried fruit, you only need to eat ½ cup to get the equivalent of 1 cup of fruit.

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I watched an almost four year old girl  (who has an incredible sweet tooth – especially for chocolate) wrap her little fist around as many as she could fit into her vice like grip – until her Father took notice and parsed out one — much to her dismay, or should I say, extreme annoyance.

Caffeine And Chocolate

Here are a couple of facts about chocolate and caffeine that most people don’t know:

Chocolate contains caffeine – not enough to give you a big time boost, but, depending on the type of chocolate, enough to register — especially if you’re a little kid stuffing in a couple of squares or a bunch of mini chocolate bars.

It would take about 14 regularly sized (1.5 oz) bars of milk chocolate to give you the same amount of caffeine that you’d get from an 8 oz cup of java. Along with that little caffeine buzz you’d also be shoving in about 3,000 calories and more than 300 grams of sugar.  If you’re looking for caffeine, coffee seems like a better bet at about two calories in an 8 oz cup of black coffee.

Dark chocolate, the kind now frequently found in those “after dinner along with the check foil wrapped squares,” has more caffeine content than milk chocolate. But, it would still take four regularly sized bars to get the same amount that you’d find in one cup of black coffee.

Something To Think About

The next time you find yourself reaching for those foil wrapped chocolate squares after dinner (or the ones placed on your pillow in some hotels) think a cautionary caffeine note if you want a restful sleep.

It’s also worth it to remember that getting kids (and some adults) to sleep on Halloween might have a whole lot to do with not just the sugar but also the amount of caffeine in the chocolate candy in trick or treat bags.

Caffeine In Chocolate

• Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, 1bar/1.55 oz:  9 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bar, 1 bar/1.45 oz:  20 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Kisses, 9 pieces:  9 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Special Dark Kisses, 9 pieces:  20 mg caffeine

• Scharffen Berger Milk 41% Cacao, ½ bar:  17 mg caffeine

• Scharffen Berger Extra Dark 82% Cacao, ½ bar:  42 mg caffeine

• Dagoba Milk Chocolate 37% Cacao, ½ bar:  9 mg caffeine

• Dagoba Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao, ½ bar:  36 mg caffeine

Caffeine In Coffee:

• Coffee, generic brewed, 8 oz: 133 mg caffeine (range: 102-200; 16 oz, 266 mg caffeine)

• Dunkin’ Donuts regular coffee, 16 oz:  206 mg caffeine

• Starbucks Brewed Coffee (Grande), 16 oz:  320 mg caffeine

• Coffee, generic instant, 8 oz:  93 mg caffeine (range 27-173)

• Espresso, generic, 1 oz:  40 mg caffeine (range 30-90)

• Starbucks Espresso, solo, 1 oz:  75 mg caffeine

• Coffee, generic decaffeinated, 8 oz:  5 mg caffeine (range 3-12)

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The Temperature Rises Quickly Inside A Car

The temperature rises quickly inside a closed car — even when it’s only moderately warm outside.

A study found that at 9AM when the outside temperature was 82 degrees, the temperature inside a closed car was 109 degrees. At 1:30PM, when the outside temperature rose to 112 degrees, the temperature inside a closed car reached 124 degrees.

Cracking the windows helped, but only a very little bit. With four windows cracked, at 10AM, when the temperature was 88 degrees outside, inside the car it was 103 degrees.  At 2PM, when the outside temperature rose to 110 degrees, the internal temperature rose to 123 degrees. Certainly not safe conditions for living creatures, especially kids and dogs both of whom are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.

What About The Food You Just Bought?

Extreme heat is certainly not a safe environment for fresh and prepared food, either.  Pity the poor groceries you just bought.  They’re sitting in extremely hot temperatures  in the back of your car.  Staples and boxed food may be fine, but meat, dairy, cut food like fresh fruit, and prepared foods — not a good situation.  Why?

When you give bacteria the conditions they like:  warmth, moisture, and nutrients, they’ll grow.   A single bacterium that divides every half hour can result in 17 million offspring in 12 hours.

The food you just bought might spoil because bacteria present in the food have multiplied like rabbits while it sits in your car in hot, conditions ideal for food spoilage.  Perishable food can stay safely unrefrigerated only for two hours if the air temperature is under 90 degrees – and only for one hour if the temperature is 90 degrees or higher.

What Can You Do To Protect Yourself And Your Family?

Be aware of the type of food you are buying.  If you have perishable items, take steps to protect yourself and your family:

• Think about your route and how many errands you have to do. Think about stopping at the cleaners or for coffee before grocery shopping — not afterward while your groceries are baking in the car.

• Make wise market choices.  When it’s hot outside, take your perishable items straight home.  If you know you can’t go straight home take steps to keep your purchases cool – or buy food that doesn’t need refrigeration.

• To be on the safe side, think about keeping a cooler, cold packs, or insulated bags in your car for perishable items.  Make sure the cooler hasn’t turned into a portable oven because it’s been sitting in the car for so long.

• Buy a bag of ice if you need to for keeping cold stuff cold and frozen stuff frozen on the way home. Or, bring some frozen gel packs with you.

• Keep in mind that in the winter your car might be colder than your refrigerator.  Then there’s no problem stopping for coffee on the way home!

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The 7 Factors:

1. Don’t smoke
2. Be physically active
3. Have normal blood pressure
4. Have normal blood glucose
5. Have normal total cholesterol levels
6. Don’t be overweight or obese (have a BMI of less than 25)
7. Eat a healthy diet

This Is A Case Where More Is Better

The more factors you meet, the better the result.  The benefits went beyond cardiovascular disease.  According to the researchers, meeting a greater number of the health goals appeared to be associated with a lower risk for all cancer mortality.

The study, published in JAMA and presented at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association, analyzed data on 44,959 US adults who completed national health and nutrition surveys.

What Eating A Healthy Diet Means

Eating a healthy diet was scored based on 5 American Heart Association recommendations.  They consist of:

1. Eating 4.5 cups or more of fruit and vegetables daily
2. Having 2 or more 3.5 oz. servings of fish each week
3. Having 3 or more servings (1 oz equivalent) of fiber rich whole grains each day
4. Having less than 1500 milligrams of sodium daily
5. Having no more than 36 oz. of sugar sweetened beverages in a week

Meeting three or more of these recommendations counted as meeting the healthy diet factor.

The Benefits Are Cumulative

The conclusion of the study was:  “Meeting a greater number of cardiovascular health metrics was associated with a lower risk of total and CVD mortality, but the prevalence of meeting all 7 cardiovascular health metrics was low in the study population.”

But, the benefits are cumulative.  Try changing just one factor at a time – which could make a big difference.  Think about starting with whatever factor is easiest for you to accomplish – do it – and then move on to the next one.

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A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med 2007;357:370-9) found that if you’re struggling with your weight, there is a good chance that your friends and family are, too.

Using data collected over 22 years from a “densely interconnected social network” of 12,067 people  (part of the Framingham Heart Study), researchers determined that the risk of obesity extended to three degrees of separation.

Here’s what they found:

• A person’s chance of becoming obese increases by 57% if he or she has a friend who becomes obese. In a mutual friendship, the person’s risk of obesity increases by 171% if the friend becomes obese.

• Among pairs of adult siblings, if one sibling becomes obese the chance that the other becoming obese increases by 40%.  This is more prevalent among siblings of the same sex (55%) than among siblings of the opposite sex (27%).  Among brothers, the chance of becoming obese increases by 44% if a brother becomes obese, and among sisters there’s a 67% increased risk if a sister becomes obese. Obesity in a sibling of the opposite sex doesn’t seem to affect the obesity risk of the other one.

• Among married couples, when one spouse is obese the other is 37% more likely to become obese. Husbands and wives appear to affect each other similarly (44% and 37%, respectively).

• Neighbors in the immediate geographic location don’t seem to have an effect on a person’s obesity.

• Pairs of friends and siblings of the same sex seem to have more influence on the weight gain of each other than pairs of friends and siblings of the opposite sex. In same sex friendships, the probability of obesity in one person increases by 71% if the friend becomes obese.  For friends of the opposite sex there’s no significant association.  In same sex friendships, a man has a 100% increased chance of becoming obese if his male friend becomes obese.  For female friends, the spread of obesity is a non-statistically significant 38%.

The researchers concluded, “obesity appears to spread through social ties.” Is it time to take a look around you?

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Some Ice Cream Fun Facts

“If you love Double Chocolate Chunk, you tend to be lively, creative and dramatic. Always the life of the party, you charm everyone you meet with your enthusiasm and sense of style. You enjoy being in the spotlight and prefer to be in the company of friends rather than left alone to reflect on life. You prefer passion and excitement in your romantic relationships, and require a lot of attention from your mate.”

“There is nothing plain about Vanilla. In fact, if you love Vanilla, you are actually a colorful, dramatic risk taker who relies more on intuition than logic. Emotionally expressive and idealistic, you tend to set high goals for yourself, and push yourself to meet and exceed them. On the romantic front, you tend to rely on secure romantic relationships that fulfill your emotional needs while working toward future objectives.”

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