The Voice of Reason

Low-Fat Desserts & Skinny Cocktails

As most of you know, I spent the past week onboard Holland America's MS Ryndam where I was the featured "celebrity nutritionist and author".

I had the pleasure of giving demonstrations and lectures in the ship's Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine . As you can see from the virtual tour, the state-of-the-art kitchen is the ultimate venue to teach gourmet cooking or, in my case, share secrets to making the best low-cal desserts and drinks!

Passengers packed the facility to watch me shake and blend, strain and sample 14 low-cal drinks, and the response was terrific. I hosted my own version of "Cocktail Jeopardy" between drink-making, and guests had fun answering trivia about everything from Absinthe to Zinfandel.

The low-cal dessert class was also popular, and my Apricot-Orange Cake was received with lots of "mmmms” and "ahhhhhs" Passengers asked all types of nutrition questions during and after the demo, and it was hard to close the curtain with everyone lined up at the counter!

My team aboard the ship, including David the Beverage Director, Tappan, a Pinnacle Grill Chef, Kristi, the master Party Planner and Johnson, my bartending assistant, were amazing, just like the rest of the crew. I don't believe there's anything the Holland America staff can't do; every effort is given to provide each guest the very best in service and comfort.

Hopefully, I'll have the privilege of joining Holland America for an encore. In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy my Apricot-Orange Cake recipes. Happy, healthy cooking!

 

Apricot-Orange Pound Cake
Makes 16 servings
170 calories per serving

Preparation Time : 20 minutes
Cook Time : 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:
2 T Cointreau liqueur, divided
1/3 c dried apricots, diced
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
¼ t salt
½ c margarine
1 c sugar
3 large egg whites
1 ½ t vanilla extract
¾ c buttermilk

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9x5-inch loaf pan with nonstick vegetable spray.
Combine one tablespoon of the liqueur and diced apricots in a small bowl and set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a larger mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Add the egg whites, vanilla and remaining liqueur, and blend with a hand mixer until creamy.
Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the margarine mixture, blending well after each addition.
Add the marinated, diced apricots to the batter and mix only to blend.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a tester inserted into the thickest part of the cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Invert cake onto wire rack and let cool until room temperature before serving.

Serve with a ½-cup scoop of non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt and a wedge of dark chocolate, or a dollop of non-fat whipped topping and your favorite berries.

Restaurant Menu Nutrient Analysis: Health Reform or a Waste?

 While Americans have been focused on the changes proposed by both the House and Senate for health care coverage and delivery, there are other provisions in these reform bills which would require restaurants having more than 20 locations to provide calorie information on menus and menu boards.

Further, menus must contain a statement about recommended daily calorie intake levels; nutrition literature must be available on site, and for businesses owning 20 or more vending machines, signage about the vended items is required nearest to the selection buttons.

Currently, restaurant menu labeling initiatives have been approved in four states, and this initiative is supported by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and Republican and Democratic politicians alike, but who are we kidding? We can’t legislate America to better health.

 I understand that substantiated nutrition and health information can help consumers make better food choices, but this proposal is laughable. When research studies have shown that consumers can barely understand the Nutrition Facts Panel, how can they possibly understand—in less than the 30-seconds it takes them to decide what they’ll order at the drive thru—how that menu item fits into the context of their daily diet?

In the European Union (EU), an important point in their new nutrition labeling regulations states, “The use of nutrition and health claims can only be permitted if the average consumer can be expected to understand the beneficial effects expressed in the claims.” Personally, I think that’s smart, since it takes into consideration social, cultural and linguistic differences. Let’s face it, if you or I go into a fast food restaurant for lunch and order a burger and fries, we know dinner should be healthier—a salad, grilled fish or chicken. Someone not so reasonably well informed, observant or circumspect might not make that deduction.

 So, are menus really the place for nutrition education? I don’t think so. Given our eat-and-run society, menu boards with mouse print will most likely cause confusion or just plain old apathy. Do we need better nutrition education in schools? Absolutely. Do we need healthier school lunches?  Without a doubt. And do we, as adults, need to take a bit more personal responsibility for our weight, our health and our overall quality of life? Of course. And we need to lead by example, so our children will follow. Personal responsibility is highly underrated.

Berries & Health

Every once in a while, I find a large company that's genuinely concerned about the environment, passionate about their consumers just as much as they are about the products they produce, and committed to the welfare of their employees. Driscoll's is one of them.

 If you're a berry lover like me, you're familiar with Driscoll's, growers of "the finest berries in the world." If you're not, and you’re looking to support a company who has been practicing sustainability for decades, visit Driscoll's website. I think you'll be inspired by their dedication to the art of growing the most delicious conventional and organic berries available. I was.

 That's why I've partnered with Driscoll's to help spread the word about their environmentally conscious growing programs, global family of farmers, and, of course, share insight about berry nutrition and cooking with berries. Want the latest information about berries and health? Check out their Healthy Living page. (I'm particularly partial to this section, since I wrote it.) Need delicious berry recipes for a special occasion or just every day enjoyment? Visit their recipe database, complete with photos that will make your mouth water.

AssociatedContent.com, which receives 17.3 million unique visitors per month, just published an interview I did with them about berry nutrition.  Click here to read the article.

2010 Food Trends

Four out of every five people in America make a New Year’s resolution, and one-third of these individuals can’t stick with their resolution through the end of January. 

If this sounds like you, click here to view my latest television segment about food trends which might help you achieve your goals of eating healthier in 2010. Need more help? Send me a message, and I’ll be happy to assist with a suggestion or two. 

For those of you still holding fast to your wellness resolutions, I’d love to hear about your progress, tips and other motivations. All the best for a healthy, fit New Year!

Happy Holidays!

 'Tis the season to be giving, thus I've been quiet on the blog front, choosing to shop in my spare time instead of write.

 

So, what am I buying for friends and family this year?  Just click here to see all of my favorite selections. 

 

Happy Holidays!