Eat Out Eat Well

weight management strategies

Half And Half,Cream, Or Milk – What’s In Your Coffee – And What’s The Difference?

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Here’s what they have in common:  they’re all made from cow’s milk but with different percentages of butterfat.  Cream is the fat that naturally rises to the top of whole milk.

Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (36-40% butterfat) doubles in volume and holds peaks when it’s whipped. It’s used for filling or decorating pies, pastries, and other desserts.

A lighter form of whipping cream (32% fat) and heavy cream (40% fat) are both good for toppings.

Half and half is light cream (10-18% butterfat) that’s made by separately pasteurizing milk and cream and then homogenizing equal parts together so they don’t separate. The best use for half and half is in beverages like coffee.  It doesn’t whip, it’s not great to use alone, and is not a good substitute for cream in recipes.

In case you spot these on menus or in the market: Clotted or Devonshire cream (55-60% fat) doesn’t need to be whipped. Usually imported, the thick, yellowish cream is made by heating unpasteurized milk until the cream sits on top, then cooling the milk and skimming off the cream.

Crème Fraiche (30% fat) is a thick and smooth heavy cream with a nutty, slightly sour taste.  Used as topping for fruit or pies, it’s made by culturing pasteurized cream with special bacteria.

The difference between whole milk, 2%, 1%, and skim milk has to do with the amount of fat.  Whole milk contains 3.25% butterfat.

How To Buy

Expiration dates are on the carton or bottle found in the refrigerated milk section.  Abide by the expiration date and store up to 10 days in the refrigerator. In terms of health, they all have dairy benefits (calcium, protein, vitamin D) but cream and full fat milk should be used sparingly because of high fat content.

Milk And Cream Nutrition

All information is for a one cup (8 ounce) serving.  For the creams, calorie counts are also given for a tablespoon measure for anyone who puts more like a tablespoon rather than a cup of cream in their coffee.

  • Heavy (also whipping) cream:   821 calories; 88.06g fat; 6.64g carbs; 4.88g protein (1tbsp=51 calories)
  • Coffee (table) cream also called light cream:  468 calories; 46.34g fat; 8.78g carbs; 6.48g protein (1 tbsp=29 calories)
  • Half & Half:  315 calories; 27.83g fat; 10.41g carbs; 7.16g protein (1tbsp=20 calories)
  • Whole milk:  146 calories; 7.93g fat; 11.03g carbs; 7.86g protein (1tbsp=9 calories)
  • 2% milk:  122 calories; 4.81g fat; 11.42g carbs; 8.05g fat
  • 1% milk:  102 calories; 2.37g fat; 12.18g carbs; 8.22g protein
  • Non-fat/skim milk:  85.8 calories; 0.4g fat; 11.9g carbs; 8.4g protein
  • Chocolate milk (whole):  208 calories; 8.48g fat; 25.85g carbs; 7.92g protein
  • Chocolate milk (lowfat):  158 calories; 2.5g fat; 26.1g carbs; 8.1g protein

 

Fried Food By Any Other Name

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French fries. 

Fried clams. 

Corn dogs. 

Fried dough.

Do you remember when you could eat all of these and still feel great?  Do you remember when you could eat all of these and not gain weight or have it show in all kinds of places you wish it didn’t?

A Staple Of The Standard Western Diet

Fried, fatty food has become a staple of the standard Western diet.

Don’t you see potato chips, French fries, fried chicken, fried mozzarella and fish sticks just about everywhere you turn?  FYI:  in terms of calories – fat, of any kind, has 9 calories per gram compared to protein and carbs at 4 calories per gram.

What Does “Fried” (Food) Mean?

Frying – or cooking food in hot fat over moderate heat –includes sautéing, stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-fat frying. Sautéing uses the least amount of oil and the oil doesn’t cover the food as it’s being cooked.  Deep-fat frying uses the most oil and the food is submerged as it’s cooked.

Frying is actually called a dry cooking method because it’s done without water. Because of the high temperature and the high heat conduction of oil, food cooks very quickly.

When done properly, deep-frying shouldn’t make food really greasy because the hot oil heats up the moisture inside the food making the food steam from the inside out. If the oil is hot enough and the food isn’t in the oil for too long the oil that penetrates stays around the outer surface of the food and keeps the food’s moisture inside. But, if the food is cooked in the oil for too long, a lot of water is lost and the oil begins to penetrate the food.

The ideal temperature range for deep frying is 350°-375°F. If the temperature is lower than 325° oil will be absorbed into the food. Temperatures much higher than 375° can cause additional oxidation of the oil (which is not healthy) and produce dried out food. A cautionary note:  a number of restaurants reuse their cooking oil over and over which leads to decomposition of the oil and partial and unhealthy oxidation.

What’s The Problem With Eating Fried Food?

Long-term, a fatty diet has been implicated in a number of potentially unhealthy side effects. Short-term, a high fat meal can make you feel not so great.

Fried foods tend to slow down the emptying of the stomach causing you to feel full and bloated – or they move undigested through the intestinal tract too quickly, possibly leading to diarrhea.  They can also cause acid reflux and heartburn. Does the term “indigestion” come to mind?

Fried Foods By Any Other Name

On a menu, fried food is not always just called “fried” or “sautéed.”  Here are some other descriptive terms:

  • Pan-fried
  • Deep-fried
  • French-fried
  • Fricassee
  • Frizzled
  • Sizzled or sizzler
  • Browned
  • Crisped or crispy
  • And frequently, anything battered – which is then fried

Astonishing, But True

While we’re used to fried potatoes and fish and meat, it is astonishing what else has been fried. Incredibly, in 2006 fried Coca Cola won “Most Creative” at the State Fair of Texas.

A few more eyebrow raisers:

  • Deep Fried Oreos
  • Deep Fried Pickles
  • Deep Fried Pizza
  • Deep Fried Pop-tarts
  • Deep Fried Spam, Deep Fried Mars Bars
  • Deep Fried Cupcakes
  • Deep Fried Strawberries
  • Deep Fried Olives
  • Deep Fried Ice Cream
  • Deep Fried Jam Sandwiches

Do You Believe You Make About 200 Food Decisions Every Day?

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Do you ever think about how many daily food decisions you make or how your environment influences those decisions?

The Cornell Food and Brand Lab, directed by Dr. Brian Wansink, did some studies that showed that people grossly underestimate how many daily food related decisions they make – not by a little but by an average of more than 221 decisions.

And, most people are also either unaware of how their environment influences their decisions — or they’re unwilling to acknowledge it.

Who, What, Where, When, And How Much

In one study the Food and Brand Lab asked 139 people to estimate how many decisions they make about food and beverages during one day. Then they were specifically asked how many “who, what, where, when, and how much” decisions they made for a typical snack, beverage, and meal – and how many meals, snacks, and beverages they ate during a typical date.

14.4 VS. 226.7 Decisions

The researchers then created an index to help them estimate the number of total decisions made daily. On average, people guessed they made 14.4 food related decisions each day. Amazingly, the researchers estimated that the average person in the study made 226.7 food related decisions each day. Obese people who participated in the study made 100+ more food related decisions than overweight people.

Larger Packages, Bowls, And Plates

A second study of 379 people analyzed the effect of environmental factors like package size, serving bowl size, and plate size on how much they ate. Half of the people were assigned to what was called “exaggerated treatment” – they had larger packages, bowls, and plates than the other half of the people in the study. On average, 73% of the people who received “exaggerated treatment” thought they ate as much as they normally would – except they actually ate 31% more than the people who ate from the regular size packages, plates, and bowls.

When they were told how much more they ate and then were asked why they thought they might have eaten more:

  • 8% admitted they might have eaten more
  • 21% said they didn’t eat more
  • 69% said that if they did eat more it was because they were hungry
  • Only 4% believed they had eaten more because of the larger sizes that acted as environmental cues.

Bottom Line

We make, on average, 200+ food related decisions each day and those decisions are heavily influenced by environmental factors like the size of food packaging and the bowls and plates we use for our food.

For additional information: Wansink, Brian and Jeffrey Sobal (2007), “Mindless Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook,” Environment and Behavior 39:1, 106-123.

Sneaky, Sneaky Vegetables

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Some people just don’t like vegetables.  Some people even refuse to try certain kinds – sometimes on principle.  Although I believe that people should try things before they decide they don’t like them and, in general, I’m not in favor of sneaking stuff into food, I think there’s a big upside, for both kids and adults, to hiding veggies in other dishes.

What’s The Upside Of The Stealth Maneuver?

The reason to be subversive:  to increase the amount of vegetables (which most of us don’t eat enough of) for (1) health and for (2) calorie control.

There is science behind hiding veggies along with serving them solo. According to a recent study, when preschoolers were fed foods lightened up by adding hidden pureed vegetables they increased their daily vegetable intake between 50 and 73 percent. Amazingly, the kids said the foods had similar taste  whether there were no added vegetables or there was triple or quadruple added vegetable content. And, they ate 12% fewer calories eating food with the quadrupled vegetables compared to the food with no added vegetables.

The criticism is that kids won’t ever develop a taste for veggies on their own if you hide them  But, there’s no reason to favor one method over the other.  Try camouflaging veggies, but serve them in plain sight, too. Think of the deception as a healthy choice.

It Isn’t Just For Kids

There are plenty of adults who don’t eat enough veggies – or who don’t eat them at all. Certainly not a healthy strategy.  Research supports hiding vegetables in foods is good for adults, too. The hidden veggies increase fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.  And, what a bonus way to cut calories! Like the kids, adults find no significant differences in fullness or taste.

What To Do

The possibilities are enormous.  Try experimenting with recipes to find out what works best. Try adding grated, diced, mashed, or pureed vegetables to some dishes.  Or dump in a jar of already pureed baby vegetables.  There’s no reason adults can’t eat them, too.

To be really subversive, try to match the color of the added vegetable to the color of the food you’re putting it into.  For example, it’s hard to see pureed cauliflower in mac and cheese or some types of squash in meatballs, meatloaf, or meat sauce.

Some Easily Hidden Vegetables

These are some vegetables that have a high “sneaky quotient” – in other words, they combine nicely and go undercover pretty easily:

  • Carrots
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Zucchini
  • Green beans
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Squash
  • Tomatoes
  • Black/red beans
  • Peas
  • Chickpeas
  • Lima beans
  • Eggplant

Any other suggestions?

No, I Don’t Want A Piece Of Pie

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Have you ever said, “No, I don’t care for any” to seconds or “No, thank you” to dessert – but your host or dinner companion just won’t give up?

“You’ve gotta try it, it’s great, “ or “Oh, come on, just a little taste,” or “Have just a little more.” It goes on and on and on and you want to scream, “No, and I mean, No.”

Unfortunately, many of us cave in to the pressure – because the food really does look tempting and your willpower and commitment has been eroded — or because we just want the annoying beseeching to go away.  It can be aggravating – maybe infuriating – and at times embarrassing — when they keep pressuring you to have a taste, or take some more, or, worse yet, shove their forks in your face.

Why Do They Do It?

Who knows what motivates people who pressure you and won’t give up.  Maybe it’s their own guilt about what they’ve eaten and they want company while they wallow in the “I shouldn’t of had that.”

Maybe it’s a reflection of their fear that if you lose weight you’ll look so much better than they do and you’ll also show them up as self-perceived “dietary failures.”

Or, maybe, like some of my relatives, they’re just programmed to push your buttons along with pushing you to taste and eat.

What You Can Do

There are a few ways to handle these saboteurs/relatives/frenemies. One is to take the high road and explain that you’re satisfied with what and how much you’ve already eaten since you’re trying to watch your weight and eat clean. If they persist you can try saying again that you’re comfortably full and really don’t want more food. If they keep at it stare them down and ask why the heck they care so much about what you eat.

Now, that may “piss” someone off so you might try to still be firm but a little more gentle without hurting someone’s feelings.  Although – being polite and gentle hasn’t worked so far and they’re hurting yours . . .

Using the health card almost always works.  Claiming you’re on a diet usually doesn’t. It’s hard to argue or persist with the pressure when you say that your doctor told you that you had to watch your cholesterol or that you have a food allergy.  There are excellent times when little white lies that harm no one and potentially save your waistline and your relationships are the best solution.

Then again, to shut someone up you could always take the food, take one little nibble, keep smiling, and leave it on the nearest table or toss it in the garbage on a stroll toward the rest room.