Environmental Nutrition

ONE BLUE PLATE SPECIAL, COMING UP

Who doesn't love a good diner meal once in a while? From a made-to-order breakfast to a comforting old-fashioned meatloaf dinner and almost everything in between, you can find them all at a diner. While roadside diners' hey-day was 60-plus years ago, you can still find them scattered across our 50 states (as you surely know if you happen to be a fan of the Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.")

Even if you don't happen to live near an honest-to-goodness diner, there are several restaurants where you can find those classic American meals and all-day breakfasts.

But just how healthy are some of those good old, down-home items you'll find on those plastic-coated menus? Keep in mind that diners come from an era when doctors touted their favorite brand of cigarette in magazine ads, and getting some extra fat on your meat meant you were moving up in the world, financially speaking.

HELPFUL HINTS

With the wide range of food available at diners, their nutritional profile is all over the map, but here are steps you can take to make a healthier selection:

1. Mix and match. Take advantage of the opportunity to order half a sandwich and pair it with a veggie-filled salad or broth-based cup of soup.

2. Learn the lingo. Melts are usually loaded with cheese. Crispy foods are most likely fried. Look for grilled, baked, and steamed.

3. Keep it simple. The more layers or "extras" a sandwich has, the higher the fat and calorie content--think bacon cheeseburgers, gravies, and more. Look for simple sandwiches and meals. Also, request sauces and toppings on the side so you can control the amount you use.

4. Watch the mayo. Tuna salad, egg salad, BLT--all diner faves, but also often loaded with mayonnaise. Don't assume because of their small size that they're low-cal choices. If you can, ask for the mayo on the side, or at least light on the mayo.

5. Portion size counts. Some diner meals are big enough to feed two. So, cut your calories, fat, and sodium in half by sharing your meal or taking half home for lunch the next day.

GOING NUTS FOR COCONUT MANNA

Everyone's gone crazy for coconuts--the fuzzy, round nut is the darling of the food world. New coconut products are lining up in natural food store shelves, such as Nutiva Coconut Manna, an organic, creamy coconut spread made from dried coconut flesh that can be used as an ingredient in foods or as a simple spread to replace butter, peanut butter or mayonnaise.

The basics

Coconut Manna is to coconuts what peanut butter is to peanuts; it's just milled coconut mixed with coconut oil for smoothness. Its calorie count, total fat, and fiber content are quite similar to peanut butter. Where the real difference lies is in Coconut Manna's fat profile. Peanut butter, as is the case with most nut butters, is low in saturated fats and high in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Coconut Manna is so high in saturated fats--one tablespoon provides eight grams--that it's solid at room temperature; you have to dip the jar in warm water in order to spread it.

The bonus

Coconut Manna, essentially coconut butter, is made from real food found in nature--good, old-fashioned coconuts. You can't say that about some spreads, such as highly processed margarines and mayonnaise spreads (just read their ingredients list for proof.) And preliminary research indicates that coconuts may have anti-inflammatory properties. Sure, Coconut Manna is high in fat, but remember that today's health consensus is that our fat phobia over the past few decades has done more harm than good to our health, since we tended to replace fat in our diets with refined carbs, such as fat-free cookies filled with white flour and sugar.

The bust

Unfounded health claims for coconut fats, such as prevention of HIV, cancer and diabetes, abound on the Internet. Controversy still swirls around whether coconut fat, naturally high in saturated fat, is a "healthy" fat. Researchers in Asia, where coconut oil is widely consumed, present both sides of the debate.

Via:  Chicago Tribune

Celebrate the end of an Abundant Market Season

Join us for some Autumn Fun the last night of the Bozrah Farmers Market.

Bonfire provided by the Bozrah Volunteer Fire Department 

Friday, October 5^th from 4-7.

Free Gourd per person while they last. Treats for the kids.

Show off your costume early! Dog & people costumes are welcome. Celebrate the end of the Market Season, while supporting local businesses. 30 great Vendors

Get your Holiday gifts early from the people you know.

A jar of jam or special soap makes a great hostess gift, hot sauce or BBQ sauce as a stocking stuffer for the guy who has everything. A Jug of Maple Syrup makes a wonderful Christmas gift; lovely crafts and jewelry. It’s all there at the Bozrah Farmers Market.

Keep your money in Connecticut, shop the Bozrah Farmers Market.

Bozrahfarmersmarket.org

Windham schools buy vegetables from local farmers: Farm to Chef program promotes state agriculture

By ADAM BENSON

The Bulletin

Posted Sep 19, 2012 @ 09:56 PM

Last update Sep 20, 2012 @ 06:23 AM

Norwich, Conn. —

Those who frequent Norwich Technical High School’s student-run restaurant are accustomed to fancy lunch options, whether it’s ricotta gnocchi bolognaise or a shrimp risotto served over grilled onions and sundried tomatoes.

“This is a hidden gem, and nobody really knows about it,” said Norwich Deputy Police Chief Warren Mocek, who stopped by The Public Dining Room on Tuesday for a meal. “In the past three weeks, I introduced three associates to this restaurant, and they’ve been floored by the quality.”

And through Friday, patrons will have an even broader selection of foods to choose from, as the menu includes at least four items featuring products grown on Connecticut farms as part of the state’s Farm to Chef program.

“First and foremost, it raises awareness of the products we have here locally, but it also serves another purpose, which is to increase and develop new relationships among food service and professionals,” said Linda Piotriowicz, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Agriculture, which coordinates Farm to Chef.

David Grzych, who runs Norwich Tech’s culinary arts department, said participating in the Farm to Chef initiative gives students a chance not only to work with different ingredients (such as ground lamb from Sepe Farm in Newtown), but to learn how important the agriculture industry is for the state’s economy.

“We’re trying to make an offering that connects with farmers. There’s a lot of jobs tied up in farming, and a lot of product and money to be made,” he said.

In 2011, there were 4,900 Connecticut farms across 400,000 acres, churning out more than $102.1 million in production, according to the National Agriculture Statistics Service.
Piotriowicz said many participants in the week-long Farm to Chef program already use ingredients grown on farms around the state.

“For some, we ask them to go above and beyond, and for others, they’re just getting their feet wet,” she said. “It’s different for everybody, and there’s a lot of flexibility in creating their menus.”

On Wednesday, The Public Dining Room boasted a “Farm to Chef Eggplant Parmesan” and grilled chicken over a “Farm to Chef Caesar salad.”

Senior Danielle Hoard, 18, has been enrolled in Norwich Tech’s culinary arts shop since her freshman year.

“Even if you’re not going into the trade, you get that maturity level of working with people, and I think people are definitely impressed with what they find here,” she said.

Those who frequent Norwich Technical High School’s student-run restaurant are accustomed to fancy lunch options, whether it’s ricotta gnocchi bolognaise or a shrimp risotto served over grilled onions and sundried tomatoes.

“This is a hidden gem, and nobody really knows about it,” said Norwich Deputy Police Chief Warren Mocek, who stopped by The Public Dining Room on Tuesday for a meal. “In the past three weeks, I introduced three associates to this restaurant, and they’ve been floored by the quality.”

And through Friday, patrons will have an even broader selection of foods to choose from, as the menu includes at least four items featuring products grown on Connecticut farms as part of the state’s Farm to Chef program.





“First and foremost, it raises awareness of the products we have here locally, but it also serves another purpose, which is to increase and develop new relationships among food service and professionals,” said Linda Piotriowicz, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Agriculture, which coordinates Farm to Chef.

David Grzych, who runs Norwich Tech’s culinary arts department, said participating in the Farm to Chef initiative gives students a chance not only to work with different ingredients (such as ground lamb from Sepe Farm in Newtown), but to learn how important the agriculture industry is for the state’s economy.

“We’re trying to make an offering that connects with farmers. There’s a lot of jobs tied up in farming, and a lot of product and money to be made,” he said.

In 2011, there were 4,900 Connecticut farms across 400,000 acres, churning out more than $102.1 million in production, according to the National Agriculture Statistics Service.
Piotriowicz said many participants in the week-long Farm to Chef program already use ingredients grown on farms around the state.

“For some, we ask them to go above and beyond, and for others, they’re just getting their feet wet,” she said. “It’s different for everybody, and there’s a lot of flexibility in creating their menus.”

On Wednesday, The Public Dining Room boasted a “Farm to Chef Eggplant Parmesan” and grilled chicken over a “Farm to Chef Caesar salad.”

Senior Danielle Hoard, 18, has been enrolled in Norwich Tech’s culinary arts shop since her freshman year.

“Even if you’re not going into the trade, you get that maturity level of working with people, and I think people are definitely impressed with what they find here,” she said.

Read more: Norwich Tech students cook with local foods - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x551367712/Norwich-Tech-students-cook-with-local-foods#ixzz2716NkgK9

Students win when food goes from farm to school: Windham schools buy vegetables from local farmers

By FRANCESCA KEFALAS

For The Bulletin

Posted Sep 19, 2012 @ 10:53 PM

Aaron Flaum/ NorwichBulletin.com

Windham Schools Food and Nutrition Director Ernie Koschmieder and Windham school district food educator Kate Callahan load corn to be brought to Windham Center Elementary School. The corn is from Teddy Randall's Our Acres Farm in Lebanon . The school district has been buying locally grown food to be served to the students.

Windham, Conn. —

Teddy Randall and Ernie Koschmieder have an easy way with one another. They joke and tease and admit they have had to learn how to work one with one another.

The farmer, Randall, and the director of food services for Windham Public Schools, Koschmieder, have a common goal of putting fresh local food on the lunch lines of local schools.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Koschmieder said. “When you buy fresh it’s a different experience.”
Randall and her family have owned Our Acres Farm on Exeter Road in Lebanon since 1960. Once a dairy farm, Randall, 84, has turned the 241-acre farm into fruits, vegetable and flower farm in recent years. About 90 acres of the farm is used to grow corn for the Cushman Farm cows.

Randall joined the State Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program last year and Koschmieder found her in the spring. He’s been making weekly trips to the farm since July to pick up produce.

Windham students have been feasting on Randall’s summer squash, green beans and zucchini since the start of school. Koschmieder’s staff had washed and processed more than 300 pounds of fresh vegetables from the farm and frozen them. He said the schools are now using up the inventory and what he’s buying now is used almost immediately.

This week Koschmieder and Kate Callahan, a Food Corp. worker assigned to Windham Public Schools, picked up 200 pounds of corn. The corn will feed one elementary school, Koschmieder said.

“You can’t beat the quality,” he said. “It takes a bit more work and it costs a little more, but I can make it work within my budget to give the kids the freshest best food possible.”

Koschmieder makes it work because his staff has found a way to absorb the extra work into their existing hours and because Randall gives him unparalleled service. Randall said her corn crop was not as good as she would have liked. Some ears were barren near the top, so she gave Koschmieder extra corn at no extra cost, a gesture, he said, a large purveyor never makes.

Randall said working with the schools is both a challenge and a passion for her.

“They don’t always understand when the crops are ready, they are ready,” Randall said. “I can’t wait for them to have room in their refrigerators and freezers to pick the crops.”

Teddy Randall and Ernie Koschmieder have an easy way with one another. They joke and tease and admit they have had to learn how to work one with one another.

The farmer, Randall, and the director of food services for Windham Public Schools, Koschmieder, have a common goal of putting fresh local food on the lunch lines of local schools.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Koschmieder said. “When you buy fresh it’s a different experience.”
Randall and her family have owned Our Acres Farm on Exeter Road in Lebanon since 1960. Once a dairy farm, Randall, 84, has turned the 241-acre farm into fruits, vegetable and flower farm in recent years. About 90 acres of the farm is used to grow corn for the Cushman Farm cows.

Randall joined the State Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program last year and Koschmieder found her in the spring. He’s been making weekly trips to the farm since July to pick up produce.

Windham students have been feasting on Randall’s summer squash, green beans and zucchini since the start of school. Koschmieder’s staff had washed and processed more than 300 pounds of fresh vegetables from the farm and frozen them. He said the schools are now using up the inventory and what he’s buying now is used almost immediately.

This week Koschmieder and Kate Callahan, a Food Corp. worker assigned to Windham Public Schools, picked up 200 pounds of corn. The corn will feed one elementary school, Koschmieder said.

“You can’t beat the quality,” he said. “It takes a bit more work and it costs a little more, but I can make it work within my budget to give the kids the freshest best food possible.”

Koschmieder makes it work because his staff has found a way to absorb the extra work into their existing hours and because Randall gives him unparalleled service. Randall said her corn crop was not as good as she would have liked. Some ears were barren near the top, so she gave Koschmieder extra corn at no extra cost, a gesture, he said, a large purveyor never makes.

Randall said working with the schools is both a challenge and a passion for her.

“They don’t always understand when the crops are ready, they are ready,” Randall said. “I can’t wait for them to have room in their refrigerators and freezers to pick the crops.”

Randall sells regularly to Windham public schools and also has a relationship with Norwich Public Schools. She is just beginning to sell some produce to Lebanon Public Schools, but has an ongoing relationship with the Vo-Ag program at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon, which has used the farm as a laboratory of sorts, Randall said.

“My children know this farm is for the family first,” Randall said. “But it’s for education second. People need to know where their food comes from. Students should have an experience on a farm.”

Callahan has been able to add an educational component to meal time for the Windham students. She recently showed a group of students Randall’s purple beans, which turn green when cooked.

“They loved them,” Callahan said. “They had never seen anything like it and they were amazed. And they were even more amazed when the realized they came from a farm just a few miles from school.”

Koschmieder said he will continue buying from Randall and other local farms as much as he can. He already buys apples from Buell Orchard in Eastford and Palazzai Orchard in Killingly.
He also hopes to expand the educational component of the program in some way to have students come to the farm.

‘There are some of us in school nutrition who believe strongly in supporting our local farms, for the benefit of the farms and the kids eating the food,” Koschmieder said. “I want to feed the Windham kids like I would feed my own. Local farms are so important. This farm is absolutely priceless. It’s the coolest piece of Earth I’ve seen in a long time.”

Randall sells regularly to Windham public schools and also has a relationship with Norwich Public Schools. She is just beginning to sell some produce to Lebanon Public Schools, but has an ongoing relationship with the Vo-Ag program at Lyman Memorial High School in Lebanon, which has used the farm as a laboratory of sorts, Randall said.

“My children know this farm is for the family first,” Randall said. “But it’s for education second. People need to know where their food comes from. Students should have an experience on a farm.”

Callahan has been able to add an educational component to meal time for the Windham students. She recently showed a group of students Randall’s purple beans, which turn green when cooked.

“They loved them,” Callahan said. “They had never seen anything like it and they were amazed. And they were even more amazed when the realized they came from a farm just a few miles from school.”

Koschmieder said he will continue buying from Randall and other local farms as much as he can. He already buys apples from Buell Orchard in Eastford and Palazzai Orchard in Killingly.
He also hopes to expand the educational component of the program in some way to have students come to the farm.

‘There are some of us in school nutrition who believe strongly in supporting our local farms, for the benefit of the farms and the kids eating the food,” Koschmieder said. “I want to feed the Windham kids like I would feed my own. Local farms are so important. This farm is absolutely priceless. It’s the coolest piece of Earth I’ve seen in a long time.”

Read more: Students win when food goes from farm to school - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x2109445646/Students-win-when-food-goes-from-farm-to-school#ixzz2715Cdwvk

Slimming America’s waistline: Are we fighting obesity or obese people?

With over two thirds of Americans now overweight or obese, public health campaigns have emerged across the country to promote behavior that can help reduce America’s waistline. But do the messages communicated by these campaigns help reduce obesity or potentially make the problem worse?

According to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale, the public responds more favorably to obesity-related health campaigns that emphasize specific health behaviors and personal empowerment for health, rather than messages that imply personal blame and stigmatize those who are obese. The study, which appears in the International Journal of Obesity, is the first to systematically assess public perceptions of anti-obesity public health campaigns, and suggests that certain types of messages may lead to increased motivation for behavior change while others do not. 

Researchers conducted an online experimental study with a national sample of 1041 Americans. Participants viewed campaign messages from national and highly publicized public health campaigns to address obesity. They were asked to rate characteristics of each campaign as positive or negative and state whether they felt motivated to improve their health or stigmatized by the campaign’s message. 

Campaigns rated most favorable and motivating were messages that promoted specific health behaviors, such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption promoted by the national “5-A-Day” campaign; more general health messages such as the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign which encourages Americans to “Learn the facts, eat healthy, get active, take action”; and campaigns that attempted to instill confidence and personal empowerment regarding one’s health. Interestingly, note the researchers, campaign messages rated most positive and motivating made no mention of obesity at all.

In contrast, anti-obesity campaigns that already have been publicly criticized for promoting shame, blame, and stigmatization toward individuals struggling with obesity were rated most negatively by the study participants, who rated them as the least motivating for behavior change. Participants expressed less of an intention to act upon the messages’ content. Among those campaigns rated, the worst was the Children’s Health Care of Atlanta Campaign to address childhood obesity, which featured billboards portraying obese youth with captions such as “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid,” and, “Chubby kids may not outlive their parents.”The authors assert that messages intended to motivate individuals to lose weight may be more effective if framed in ways that promote specific health behaviors and confidence to engage in those behaviors, rather than messages that imply personal blame.

“By stigmatizing obesity or individuals struggling with their weight, campaigns can alienate the audience they intend to motivate and hinder the behaviors they intend to encourage,” said lead author Rebecca Puhl, the Rudd Center’s director of research. “Public health campaigns that are designed to address obesity should carefully consider the kinds of messages that are disseminated, so that those who are struggling with obesity can be supported in their efforts to become healthier, rather than shamed and stigmatized.”

Via:  Yale News