July 2012 - Sensory Nutrition

Hydrate Like an Olympian! Part 2 of 2

With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on everyone’s minds this July, we’re continuing our series on the importance of hydration. In Part 1 of 2 of this series on hydration, we noted via infotainment some considerations as to when it might be most appropriate to use just cool (not cold) water to rehydrate and when something more might be needed. (Symbol of the five Olympic Rings which is in the Public Domain in the United States shown for identification purposes only courtesy of Wikipedia Commons). We’ll get into a bit more of the subject of hydration in this infotainment blog post, including

Hydrate Like an Olympian! Part 1 of 2

Every 4 years it’s time for another Summer Olympics and the world turns its eyes toward the value of sports in our collective lives. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a world class athlete, a “weekend warrior” or the parent of a young person active in sports, you still need to be aware of some critical aspects of nutrition that can affect sports performance and overall health. (Rethink Your Drink graphic courtesy of the CDC) Olympic athletes know that adequate hydration along with other factors of optimal nutrition for sports performance can mean the difference between standing on the medal stand or

Are You Sweetener Savvy? Part 2 of 2

In Part 1 of 2 in this blog post series, we addressed some infotainment after the release by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in conjunction with the American Heart Association (AHA) of a scientific statement relative to nonnutritive sweeteners that the press considered newsworthy. (Sweetener image courtesy of wax114 at rgbstock.com) On July 9, 2012, the ADA/AHA scientific statement provided a current use and health perspective on Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Neotame, Saccharin, Stevia Glucosides, and Sucralose, which are 6 of the 7 nonnutritive sweeteners currently approved for use in the US by the FDA. The 7th nonnutritive sweetener also approved for use in the US by the

More Flavorful Nutritive Sweetener Options

Since we’re in the middle of our series on sweeteners, we thought we would share some more flavorful nutritive sweetener options, including ways to use less of nutritive sweeteners in some recipes and how to otherwise enhance the perception of sweetness in a recipe. (Colors of Maple Syrup with lighter shades at the start of the sugar maple sap harvest season and darkening towards the end of the “sugaring” season in the state of NH image courtesy of mejones via rgbstock.com). First, some general rules of thumb to keep in mind. In many bar cookies and quick breads, you can cut back

Are You Sweetener Savvy? Part 1 of 2

Sweeteners fall into one of two major categories: Nutritive (which provide calories since they are either sugar alcohols or various carbohydrates), or Nonnutritive (which in their pure state do not provide any calories). There are products within each of the sweetener categories available for direct consumer purchase (possibly as liquids in bottles, as tablets, in packets, or in various “bulk bags”), or which are added by manufacturers during food manufacturing and processing (which should be noted on a product ingredient label). (Sweetener image courtesy of wax114 at rgbstock.com) A lot of controversy exists concerning all the various types of sweeteners. Health agencies

Is it Really Possible to Suffer From “Food Fatigue” in Italy?

According to their program’s newsletter, some students enrolled in a special gastronomic curriculum in Italy claim it is still possible to suffer bouts of “food fatigue” there, unlikely as it sounds. Mind you, second year students in this Italian rooted program often have a chance to further expand their food horizons by traveling to additional places around the world. For example, they might engage in study trips to Brazil, Canada, Japan, and South Africa, that allow them to explore the local gastronomy and culture wherever they go. The curriculum, including additional countries visited, is always subject to change. (Graphic of

The Skinny on Tomatoes, Including the Tomato Genome

Tomatoes qualify as a very popular non-starchy “vegetable” (even if they are botanically a “fruit” per se) based on per capita consumption in the USA, second only to potatoes. Year 2005 data from USDA noted tomato consumption from various sources, including primarily canned & frozen, as well as some fresh, to be close to 100# of farm weight/per person/per year. The next closest non-starchy vegetable category item, carrots, was noted to have consumption levels at just above 10# of farm weight/per person/per yr. (Different Tomatoes 2 graphic courtesy of salsachica at rgbstock.com) What contributes to the wild popularity of tomato

Anti-Inflammatory Food Item Sources

We’ve discussed the importance of eating food choices from the “rainbow of color” options out there, but some readers wrote in asking for even more specifics than we have previously listed in various blog posts. Although within the US we have moved from using a model of a food guide pyramid to using a model of a plate to encourage healthful choices in dining, there are still some useful pyramid options out there. (Fresh Produce on Display in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, graphic courtesy of Betty H) The “Mediterranean Diet” (general Mediterranean style dietary intake as part of a total lifestyle)