New Variations of Old Favorites; Foods That Improve Medical Conditions

When you're deciding what to eat now or soon--in a restaurant or in the supermarket--what influences your decision?  Besides a bargain price, you may be yearning for great taste, a novel gustatory experience, food that's considered healthful, or something recommended to decrease an annoying or dangerous symptom. And then  there are the negatives of all these-avoiding edibles that taste blah, are unhealthful, and so on.  With all these possibilities in mind, let's take note of some foods discussed (thumbs up or down) in the news media lately.

Powdered peanut butter: Consumer Reports tested 3 brands and concluded that only Jif Peanut Powder "had some roasted peanut flavor.  The others were bitter or had a raw peanut flavor." But, on the plus side, the magazine points  that, when reconstituted with water, the powdered product has only 25 calories per tablespoon  compared to 96 calories per tablespoon in regular peanut butter.  The powdered product is also lower in fat.  Unless you're determined to cut calories with a vengeance, the magazine recommends using regular peanut butter for sandwiches but, for additional protein in your diet and  peanut flavor, stir the powder into your oatmeal and smoothies. 

My husband and I were intrigued by the notion of do-it-yourself peanut butter, so we accepted the challenge.  Following the instructions, we added 1 tablespoon of water to 2 tablespoons of powdered peanut butter.  (We used Tru-Nut, the only  brand my supermarket carried.) Presto! we had an admittedly inferior but not-bad  substitute for regular, much higher calorie peanut butter.(See  accompanying photo.) Tru-Nut wasn't creamy enough, but it did taste a bit like peanuts.

Nondairy, frozen desserts: Nothing new about this artificial ice cream except that it's made by Ben and Jerry--in 4 flavors: Chunky Monkey, Chocolate-Fudge Brownie, P.B. and Cookies, and Coffee Caramel Fudge.  The first two are vegan versions of  the company's very popular traditional ice cream flavors. 

The vegan versions are lower in calories, overall fat, and saturated fat.  They're all made with almond milk, coconut oil, and pea protein.  (This last ingredient may make you feel the item is a punishment rather than a treat.)  Of course, the Consumer Reports  tasters who tried the new products found them less delicious than the originals.  Furthermore,  the magazine claimed that the vegan versions had no less sugar and were not much lower in calorie count.  In addition, the vegans have "8 percent  less calcium and half the protein in the nondairy dessert." Our advice: just ignore the calorie count and enjoy the original.

Cookie dough: Nibbling on cookie dough is a no-no. Don't even lick the spoon,  even if your recipe doesn't contain raw eggs. Can you guess why cookie dough is a menace?  It's the uncooked flour that can cause food-borne illness.  

Why? A June 30, 2016 USA Today article  quotes comments from a high-ranking  FDA advisor: "Flour is derived from a grain that comes directly from the field and typically is not treated to kill bacteria."  The FDA goes on to explain that  animal waste can contaminate flour.  The bacteria is killed only when the flour is baked, boiled, roasted, or fried.  Although food-borne illnesses have rarely been linked to flour, this can and, in fact, has happened.  Therefore, the FDA warns the public not to give children raw dough to eat or play with, to wash your hands before and after handling  dough, and to cook all dough completely.  Good advice, but sad.  I have happy childhood memories of  scraping a cookie bowl with a spatula, licking the spatula clean, and savoring the taste of cookie dough.  Do you remember that, too?

Macaroni and cheese:  In March 2016,  the Chicago Tribune ranked 8 versions of mac 'n cheese and found, not surprisingly, that Kraft Macaroni & Cheese original flavor (made with cheese powder) won first prize.  The runner-up was Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese, the one that comes with a cheese sauce packet.  (I've always found the cheese sauce difficult to spread evenly throughout the pasta.)  Trader Joe's version came in 8th. "The sauce was universally panned as gritty, dry and chalky," by the CR tasters.

Foods that may relieve the aches of arthritis:  Along with a form  for ordering a subscription, Arthritis Today included a flyer with these suggestions:

Apricots contain the nutrient beta-cryptoxanthin, which may prevent osteoarthritis.  "They also have a high level of magnesium, which may ease pain." 

Tart cherries and cherry juice  are also recommended.   A study found that patients who drank tart cherry juice twice a day for 3 weeks reduced inflammation almost 50%.  

Sniffing peppermint helps combat fatigue, which often accompanies arthritis. 

A new diet for Alzheimer's: The new diet combines the Mediterranean-style diet with the DASH diet, both of which are associated with brain benefits.  Then it adds ideas from recent research on ways to protect memory and thinking.  This new approach is appropriately called MIND, which stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.  This new diet "emphasizes green leafy vegetables, berries, olive oil, all of which are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that may help to protect against dementia and cognitive decline."  We learned about  it from the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter.

Foods that help control blood pressure: The goal is consume sufficient amounts of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The Harvard Health Letter suggests these 3 foods: white beans, cooked halibut, and cooked spinach, each of which is rich in 2 of these 3 beneficial nutrients.  Okay, I'll make a dinner with all 3 next week.  But I'd rather be eating cookie dough.   

Source(s):

Consumer Reports, "Insights" (section  on powdered peanut butter), August 2016.

Consumer Reports,  "Insights: The Cold Hard Truth," August 2016.

Chicago Tribune, "What's the best  boxed macaroni and cheese?" March 16, 2016.

Arthritis Today (flyer) "27 Secrets..." 2015.

Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, "New Dietary Approach Against Alzheimer's," October 2015.

Harvard Health Letter, "Top Foods to Help Control High Blood Pressure," October 2015.

9news.com "It's official: Raw cookie dough is a no-no," June 30, 2016.

www.9news.com/news/nation-now/fda-no...raw-cookie-dough