Harvest Time in Greenwood Lake New York

Last Sunday we had brunch at Harvest at Greenwood Lake and now I have to take back what I said about the food in the country being not as good as food in the city. Harvest has been open for a while but we only recently learned that the owner and chef Frank Constantino is an award winning chef from NYC and is featuring local, sustainable organic products. Clearly, once we learned that we had to try it.

Situated right in the Village, in a renovated colonial, it is tastefully decorated and includes great photos from local artists. To start the server brought a raisin focaccia with blackberry jam that "Frank whipped up this morning". I had the house smoked trout with organic greens, horseradish cream and cornmeal chipotle griddle cakes with New York cheddar cheese. The trout was light and flaky and the organic greens were crisp and fresh creating a delightful balance.

My husband had the farmhouse breakfast which included scrambled eggs, Pine Island hash browns and organic 8 grain toast. He also ordered a side of the heritage smoked bacon. I had a bite of his eggs and immediately felt ashamed of what I try to pass of as scrambled eggs in my own home. When I say these were the best eggs I have ever tasted I do not exaggerate.

The Freen had one organic whole wheat buttermilk pancake with Belgian dark chocolate and since he could only eat half both my husband and I were lucky enough to sample it. It was buttery and light as the server had suggested. Overall the food was excellent and very reasonably priced and less than two miles from our house. Two points for country living!

Eliminate High Fructose Corn Syrup from your Diet in 11 Easy Steps

Earlier this week, NY Times blogger Tara Parker-Pope posted "Does Fructose Make you Fat?" which highlights the results of a small study conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. While the study is small it adds to the growing body of evidence that corn syrup is at least in part to blame for rising obesity rates in the United States. If you check it out be sure to read the comments too as many contributors site additional studies with even more compelling results.

We stopped buying products with trans fats or partially hydrogenated anything over a year ago. Then earlier this year we eliminated artificial sweeteners from our diet (with the exclusion of Splenda in my coffee - I've tried but I'm just not there yet). Most recently we have eliminated all products which include corn syrup. The latter was by far the most difficult. Not because the foods which contain it are so great, but because it is in absolutely everything. For weeks I spent countless hours with a three year old running rampant in the aisles, as I checked the labels of the products we regularly used and looked for suitable replacements. Of course the easiest thing to do is take Michael Pollan's advice and "Eat Real Food". However, with a three year old boy and a husband brought up on a mid-western diet, this is easier said than done. Here is a list of the things we've cut out and what we've found to replace them. Hope they help.

11 Corn Syrup Offenders and Replacements that are Better Tasting and Presumably Better for You

1. Soda, Energy Drinks, Electrolyte Drinks and Juice Drinks (including most flavors of Snapple, Capri Sun and Sunny D)

Replacement: Add fresh squeezed or organic juice to seltzer. The Freen loves this and thinks he is actually drinking soda.

2. American made Candy and Chocolate (sadly this includes M&M's)

Replacement: Yummy Earth Organic Candy and most organic chocolates which are becoming more readily available - Newman's Own line is great especially the chocolate mint cups although the caramel products have "organic corn syrup solids" which I have to think are just as bad. Most Nestle Toll House Chocolate Morsels are made with sugar.

3. Store Bought and Store Made Bread and Baked Goods (While high fructose corn syrup is actually the third ingredient on Wonder Bread almost all other grocery store bought white and whole grain breads and buns have it somewhere in the ingredients list.)

Replacement: Artisan, organic or home baked breads and baked goods. The A&P and Food Emporium carry the Ace Bakery Brand which does not contain corn syrup and offer several organic choices. You will pay a premium for it, but it is worth it. It goes bad more quickly so it is often on sale so I buy it up then and freeze it. If you're up for baking both Arrow Head Mills and Dr. Oetker have great organic mixes and base ingredients.

4.Fruit Roll Ups and Fruit Snacks (aka solidified fruit flavored corn syrup)

Replacement: Well start with real fruit. However my son has recently started asking for a fruit-roll up in his lunch because other kids have them. For those of you facing similar demands you can make fruit roll-ups at home or try FruitaBu Organic Smooshed Fruit Twirls.

5. Frozen pancakes and bagels (We had switched to Eggo minis because they didn't have partially hydrogenated oils but then once we eliminated corn syrup they were out too.)

Replacement: Use the Joy of Cooking pancake or griddle cake recipe to make mini pancakes, let them cool in the fridge, freeze them, and microwave as per store bought instructions. You can even substitute organic ingredients.

6. Cereal (Even Rice Krispies, Special K and most natural cereal bars)

Replacement: Honey Nut Cheerios are made with real sugar, Annies Bunnies and Kashi are all safe bets. The number of choices is definitely growing.

7. Yogurt and Gogurt and many of the kid branded yogurts are the worst offenders.

Replacement: You can make your own here too but I've yet to buy a yogurt maker despite the fact that it would pay for itself with all the money I spend on the stuff. So for the less ambitious there are great alternatives including Stonyfield Yogurt which uses naturally milled sugars and there are several brands of plain yogurt which can be mixed with honey and fresh fruit. The Freen and I shared a fat free Fage greek yogurt mixed with organic blueberry honey this morning. If you are looking for single serving kids lunch portion to compete with the Dora and Diego branded varieties Dannon has released an All Natural line.

8. Aunt Jemima and other non-natural Maple syrup (aka maple flavored corn syrup)

Replacement: 100% Vermont Maple Syrup. The Freen didn't like it at first (how sad is that) so I actually mixed real the fake stuff with the real for a while to get him used to the taste of real maple syrup.

9. Heinz Ketchup and other store bought brands including Hunts.

Replacement: Heinz has an organic version although the Annie's Naturals and Muir Glen are both less watery. (also note when travelling overseas regular Heinz is made with sugar)

10. Hershey's Chocolate syrup and Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix

Replacement: We buy pre-made organic soy chocolate milk, like Zen Soy which I mix with regular organic milk. If you prefer not to use Soy milk there is AH!Laska Organic Chocolate Syrup and Santa Cruz also makes one. For cocoa we use Ghiradelli cocoa powder.

11. Ice Cream, ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches and popsicles particularly anything with crunchies of chocolate pieces. We were big fans of Edys Slow Churned but it just isn't food so it had to go.

Replacement: Most store bought natural or vanilla bean ice cream is made with just cream, milk and sugar. We are lucky to have Bellvale Farms Creamery and Dairy nearby which makes the best all natural ice cream and provides spectacular views of Warwick Valley but for those who aren't as lucky Breyers Natural Vanilla with a few Ghiradelli 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips or Santa Cruz Organic Chocolate Syrup does the trick. While making ice cream at home requires an ice cream maker, popsicles are very easy with organic fruit juices. For ice cream sandwiches we use Dr. Oetker's cookie mix and make organic chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. Yum!

Judgment Day - California Poised to Trump NYC in Move to Become First State to Ban Trans Fats

Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger photographed together for Time.

California is poised to trump New York City’s progressive position as the first major metropolitan city to ban trans fats, by becoming the first state to enact a ban. Their state legislature passed a bill Monday to ban trans fats, which currently awaits Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature. While the SF Gate reported that the Governor has not taken a position, one hopes that in a state known for healthy living and as a politician who has been active in the efforts to curtail childhood obesity, that the Governor will pass this bill.

While I support personal responsibility and the need for better health education in our schools, in this case, where the health effects are clearly documented and other government bodies have done very little, I do believe that local governments must intervene.

On a visit to the FDA’s website (my favorite stomping ground), I found a document titled “ Questions and Answers about Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling”. While the document was long and did include a wealth of information regarding trans fats, this question and answer set struck me as interesting.

"Q: Should trans fat be eliminated from the diet?

A: No. According to experts, eliminating trans fat completely from the diet would require such extraordinary dietary changes (e.g., elimination of foods, such as dairy products and meats that contain trans fatty acids) that eliminating trans fat could cause an inadequate intake of some nutrients and create health risks. "

This is a particularly misleading response. What they should be saying is that while naturally occurring trans fats found in meat and dairy products have significant nutritional value which outweighs the negative effects of trans fats, American’s should eliminate the trans fats coming from processed food. In another document titled “Revealing Trans Fats” about the FDA’s move to enforce trans fat labeling I found the following table:

Major Food Sources of Trans Fat for American Adults

(Average Daily Trans Fat Intake is 5.8 Grams or 2.6 Percent of Calories)

• 40% cakes, cookies, crackers, pies, bread, etc.
• 21% animal products
• 17% margarine
• 8% fried potatoes
• 5% potato chips, corn chips, popcorn
• 4% household shortening
• 3% salad dressing
• 1% breakfast cereal
• 1% candy

Data based on FDA’s economic analysis for the final trans fatty acid labeling rule, "Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling, Nutrient Content Claims, and Health Claims" (July 11, 2003)

In case you're not great at math, this table tells us that 21% of trans fats come from animal products and 79% come from processed food. On top of this, it is widely known and accepted even by the FDA that trans fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, which accumulates on artery walls and that they lower HDL (good) chilesterol. So, if we know trans fats are bad for us and we know food can be made without trans fats, and there is little discernible difference as to how the food tastes, why then is the FDA unwilling to consider a ban that would significantly reduce Americans' exposure to bad fats? Let me pose this as a multiple choice question.

Is the reason the FDA is unwilling to consider a nationwide ban because they are looking out for the interests of:

A. FOOD manufacturers
B. DRUG manufacturers
C. ADMINISTRATION officials
D. All of the above

Here are a few hints....

1. Unilever, the world's largest producer of margarine saw 22billion in annual sales for savory dressings and spreads in 2007.
2. In 2005, Unilever spent the most money they’ve ever spent in lobby fees topping $1.1 million. Coincidentally, the same year the NY Times published this article titled “The Panic Du Jour: Trans Fats in Foods” and New York City began discussing the possible ban.
3. Pfizer, the key patent holder on Lipitor, a cholesterol reducing statin saw sales of $12.7 billion in 2007.
4. Hank McKinnell, Pfizer’s former CEO raised over $100,000 for President Bush's most recent campaign and Pfizer executives gave his campaign more than $110,000, and just for good measure the company gave the RNC more than $2.5 million in soft money between 2000 and 2003.
5. The former commissioner of the FDA, Lester Crawford, plead guilty to breaching FDA conflict of interest rules twelve months after his resignation in 2005. As it turned out, he and his wife held shares in four companies that he was required to have sold, under FDA rules. These companies included the food companies Sysco and PepsiCo. In his time at the FDA, he was the chair of the FDA's Obesity Working Group and was working on reviewing calorie-content labeling for soft drinks. After Crawford's resignation he became Senior Counsel at the Washington D.C. lobbying firm Policy Directions Inc. In 2005, Policy Directions clients included Kraft Foods, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Nestle, Merck and the American Feed Industry Association.

So while the opponents to the ban continue to site unhappy restaurant owners, who I am sure are storming Sacramento right now, let’s hope the Governor who has been quoted as saying “California is facing an obesity epidemic. Over the past decade, Californians have gained 360 million pounds.” will take this to heart and pass the trans fat ban before the end of the day.

Hasta la vista, baby.
-The Terminator Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1994)

Michael Pollan - The Voice of the Green Generation

A couple weeks ago I met Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and most recently, In Defense of Food. Ok, so in reality I heard him speak at the Times Center in New York, shook his hand, told him about this blog and he graciously said he would check it out and signed my books. The irony of course is that I’ve pretty much written nothing since, which was exactly the opposite outcome I had anticipated. Let me assure you, it is not because he wasn’t inspiring, in fact, in the days after the talk, I gushed about everything he said to anyone who would listen. I think however, that in some way, I am overwhelmed by the implications of his talk because they touch upon every aspect of my life personally, professionally and politically. In addition, there is just no way to improve upon or more clearly elucidate his message than through his own words. Nora Ephron gets it exactly right in her brief review of The Omnivore’s Dilemma in the New York Times.

“I have tried on countless occasions to convey to my friends how incredible this book is. I have gone on endlessly about Pollan’s brilliance in finding a way to write about food — but it’s not really about food, it’s about everything...and, what’s more, it’s completely charming because he has the most amazing voice ... well the point is, I have tried and failed to explain it, so I just end up giving them a copy, and sooner or later they call to say, you were right, it’s fantastic.” -Nora Ephron, The New York Times

So instead of writing a post about the talk or his recent article Why Bother? in the Green Issue of the Magazine, I’ve compiled a list of what I think are particularly inspiring, eye opening or just plain funny quotes . Enjoy!

“Sometimes you have to act as if acting will make a difference, even when you can’t prove that it will.” (Why Bother?)

"For us we wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we’re living our lives, which suggest we’re not really serious about changing – something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do.” (Why Bother?)

"Going personally green is a bet, nothing more or less, though it’s one we probably all should make, even if the odds of it paying off aren’t great.” (Why Bother?)

“Banning high fructose corn syrup is an attractive idea but it is really up to us. As a journalist I still believe in the power of knowledge to help people make good decisions.” (Sunday with the Magazine Interview)

"I had pop tarts for breakfast.” (He was kidding - Sunday with the Magazine Interview)

“People are convinced cooking is terribly hard. They prefer to watch it on television. Cut out the time you spend watching cooking shows and you’ll find time to cook.” (Sunday with the Magazine Interview)

“It is one of the absurdities of the modern division of labor that, having replaced physical labor with fossil fuel, we now have to burn even more fossil fuel to keep our unemployed bodies in shape.” (Why Bother?)

“Our food culture is based around quantity not quality. We must change the cultural norm. Other countries are less tolerant to crappy foods. However France’s diet is under siege. These processed foods are engineered to satisfy.” (Sunday with the Magazine Interview)

“You get three votes a day. An all or nothing mentality is dangerous. You don’t have to get it right every time.” (Sunday with the Magazine Interview)

“The idea is find one thing in your life that doesn’t involve spending or voting, that may or may not virally rock the world but is real and particular (as well as symbolic) and that, come what may, will offer its own rewards.” (Why Bother?)

“Eat Food” and “You Get Three Votes” (Inscriptions inside In Defense of Food and The Omnivore's Dilemma, respectively)

Ultimately, what I find most compelling about Michael Pollan’s message is that he establishes a tangible link between the choices we make regarding food, family, the global community, the environment and politics, as Nora Ephron puts it, everything. In highlighting where we’ve gone wrong as a society, he does not point fingers at any one group, but describes the economic, societal and cultural factors that lead us down this path to begin with and in doing so empowers the individual to do better and change course.

In the last, oh I don’t know, let’s just say 8 years or so, I’ve felt somewhat disenchanted when it comes to the value of my vote, so the idea that I can vote not just once a year, but three times a day and then when you apply Pollan's message beyond food to every purchase and activity it can be incredibly empowering.

No amount of chad counting can put the corn syrup back in my cupboards. Katherine Harris can't take away my reusable grocery bags. When I eat organic carrots, the Supreme Court can not come into my home and take them back, at least not yet. So cheers to Michael Pollan…even if he never checks out my blog.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend – Vote as much as you want. Mostly plants!!!