Sweet Deceptions

I decided to improve my health this year (that’s New Year’s resolution #1 for many of us) by reducing my intake of refined sugar.  I eliminated all added sugars and starchy carbohydrates for 3 days.  During that time, I subsisted on lean protein and non-starchy vegetables. After the first three days, I started adding back foods while trying to avoid foods with added sugar. 

 Some nutrition researchers believe that sugar affects the brain much like an addictive drug, and that those who are sensitive will not lose their cravings unless they eliminate sugar completely for several weeks. I think I fall into this category; I seem to be engaged in a constant battle with my inner Cookie Monster.  When I started reading food labels very carefully, I found that many foods, even “healthy” meat substitutes like Garden Burgers, have added sugar.  (Yes, that woman squinting at a bag of “soy crumbles” in the frozen food aisle was me. Sorry I took so long.) 

I learned to drink my coffee black.  I quit sweetener in coffee a few months ago, but giving up that splash of milk was brutal. That only lasted for the requisite three days. After the first 3 days, I got to add a serving of dairy, an apple, more vegetables (oh joy!), and a glass of red wine.  I was totally ready for the wine. As we all know, extremely restrictive diets don’t work as a long term weight loss strategy for most people because they are dull and difficult. (I mean the diets, not the dieters.) Still, this “detox” made me much more aware of the role that sugar plays in our diets, even for those who don’t load up on desserts.  I also found that once I got past my craving for sweets, I noticed the more subtle natural sweetness in many foods.

According to food writer Michael Pollan--whose book The Omnivore’s Dilemma traces the evolution of our food sources from farms to industrialized food production systems--since 1985 Americans’ consumption of added sugars, both refined and unrefined, has increased from 128 pounds to 158 pounds per year.  (Think of eating your weight in sugar in a year – sort of like a giant marshmallow Peep!) Besides white sugar, honey, and maple syrup, that includes corn sweetener, and high fructose corn syrup.  Consumption of high fructose corn syrup has increased from 45 pounds to 66 pounds per person.  

There has been a parallel increase in obesity in the U.S. According to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the percentage of U.S. adults categorized as “obese” in a 1988-1994  study  was 22.9% compared with 30.5% in 1999-2000 .The prevalence of those classified as merely “overweight” also increased during this period from 55.9% to 64.5% Extreme obesity (BMI 40) also increased significantly in the population, from 2.9% to 4.7% .

4 grams of sugar per serving

While fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods all contain natural sugars, sugar and other sweeteners have also become a common added ingredient in most processed or prepared foods. Take, for example, commercially-prepared pasta sauce or marinara. Now, I know that in a perfect world, I’d have prepared and preserved batches of homemade spaghetti sauce during last summer’s tomato harvest.  Sadly, odd weather and a trip to Colorado created a major crop failure in our garden.  One tomato and no sweet peppers. So instead of rows of shiny red jars of all natural marinara in my pantry, I have nothing.  I didn’t mind much, because I think that there are lots of tasty, good quality pasta sauces available at my local grocery store, and the idea of home canning vegetables raises my fears of the kind of botulism that doesn’t take away wrinkles. 

 

When I decided to make tofu parmesan, I wanted to find a marinara without added sugar.  Hunt’s used to make a canned sauce with no added sugar, but it’s apparently been discontinued.  I read the labels on at least 10 different brands or varieties of sauce, and all had added sugar. 

I finally found a couple of “gourmet” style sauces without added sugar.  This one cost about $3.50.  It had a nice natural flavor, although it was a little bland.  I decided to pass on the Mario Batalli sauce that sold for more than $9 a jar.  My favorite, though, is Trader Joe’s Organic at under $2.50.  It has a nice spicy flavor and no added sugar. 

It strikes me as odd that it costs more to leave extra sugar out of foods than to put it in.  Sugar is now substituted in many foods to reduce fat and used to improve flavor.  That makes me wonder why flavors need improving, if quality ingredients are used. I realize that many traditional spaghetti sauce recipes call for a pinch of sugar, but a “pinch” does not equal up to 12 grams per serving. This means that ½ cup of sauce contains nearly 3 teaspoons of sugar, which is about half of the daily consumption of sugar recommended for women by the American Heart Association. 

While a small amount of the sugar is naturally occurring from the tomatoes, that amount is only about 2-3 grams. I guess this is a reminder of how important it is to read food labels if you are concerned about the ingredients in the foods you eat.

3 grams of sugar per serving

As I was writing this post, a Center for Disease Control study reported that adults who get at least 25 percent of their calories from added sugar were three times more likely to die of heart disease than those who only consume 10 percent of their calories in added sugar. This risk is for people at a normal weight and does not include the health risks connected to obesity which have been well-documented in the media.  It is obvious that eating excessive amounts of sugar is bad for us, but what most people don’t realize is that our modern American diet of fast and convenience foods, those prepared and sold  by large corporations, contain unhealthy amounts of sweeteners that we all could do without.

"And so this is Christmas..."

My visual memory of Christmas looks like this:  a tree shimmering with lights and glittering ornaments creating a shining haze in the darkness.  I have lots of other good memories, but this is the thing I need to see every year that says “yes, Christmas is here.”  This image reminds me of the magic and hope that is Christmas.

 I also have specific taste memories for Christmas.  When I was a kid, we had a fruit studded sweet bread that has always stuck in my memory – the bittersweet taste of candied citron and sweet cherries and vanilla icing. 

 When I got married, I tried to re-create that memory for my family – but alas, everyone else declared candied-fruit bread and its even more dreaded cousin, fruitcake, to be “yucky.”  Still, each year I treat myself to a small (or large!) portion of fruit bread or fruitcake.  I like a slice with a cup of tea while I’m wrapping packages or writing Christmas cards. Chai tea has that “holiday spice” taste at this time of year, especially with a shot of rum. This year I scored twice – once with our school bakery’s fruitcake, and once with the Pannetone from Trader Joe’s.  Even my fruitcake-averse husband judged the pannetone as “not bad.”  Very fresh and yeasty with that citron essence that I love.

We have another taste of the holidays at our house, and this is the one that my children will take with them.  Each year, after the presents are opened, I bake a batch of “sticky buns”.  These are the one “required” food for our celebration of Christmas that we cannot do without.  It’s a recipe I got years ago from a friend of a friend, and every time we eat them, we remember her fondly. I’ve adapted the recipe to make it even easier, letting the prepared buns rise in the refrigerator overnight, then letting them warm up on the counter while we open gifts. When that’s done, they (the rolls, not the gifts) go into the oven and fill the house with the sweetness of cinnamon and brown sugar.  This recipe is my holiday gift to everyone. Enjoy!

A real crowd pleaser!

Sticky Buns

Easy and delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1/2	package frozen dinner rolls (16 - 18 rolls)
1/2	c. butter
1	c. brown sugar
1/2	c. milk
1	small package vanilla pudding mix (NOT instant)
2	tsp. cinnamon
1/2	c. chopped nuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1.

Out of the refrigerator Thaw rolls until soft enough to cut in half. It's easiest if they're still partly frozen. Spread nuts in bottom of greased 9x13 baking pan. Place cut rolls on top of nuts, spacing about 1/4 inch apart. Melt butter, stir in sugar, pudding, milk, and cinnamon. Pour butter mixture over rolls. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. Next day,let rolls warm on counter for about 30 minutes, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes until browned. Let stand for about 5 minutes to cool slightly. Invert onto serving plate and serve.

 

Ready to serve

Walking the Line

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to spend four days in Manhattan.  It was my second time there, so I had some ideas of things I wanted to do and see.  I was traveling with work colleagues, and we always have the goal of doing as much as possible without causing undue pain or bodily harm, considering the fact that we are mature adults who recognize the body’s need for sleep and moderation in the consumption of both caffeine and alcohol.

Walking above the city streets

We generally walk everywhere, and I think that’s the best way to experience a city.  In addition to the sights, you get the sounds, smells, and even, in New York, the tactile sensation of the crowds bumping and pressing against you.  Walking in Times Square becomes a ballet of twists and turns, dodging and ducking to avoid collisions.  We spent half a day at the Museum of Modern Art, ate breakfast at the Russian Tea Room, attended two Broadway plays, and toured Teddy Roosevelt’s birthplace.   On the last full day there, we climbed 30 feet in the air and walked on the High Line. That was the one thing left on my list of places to see on this trip.

The High Line is a public park located on an elevated railroad line that was built between 1929 and 1934 on the West Side of Manhattan between 10^th and 11^th Avenues, now running from West 34^th Street to Gansevoort Street in the Meat Packing District.  The tracks were elevated to reduce the train-traffic accidents that had given 10^th Ave. the nickname, “Death Avenue”.  The High Line was last used as by trains in 1980 and then stood abandoned for almost twenty years. Property owners in the area lobbied to have the tracks torn down, but in 1999, community residents organized to have the area converted into a park.  Friends of the Highline is now a non-profit conservancy which maintains and operates the park. If you go to their website at www.thehighline.org you can see many more (and better) photos of the park.  

On a sunny November morning, we walked about one mile surrounded by over 300 varieties of flowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses.  The views of the city buildings, parks, and local landmarks were spectacular.  In the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities, the Highline is an oasis of beauty and peace.  

View of a tiny Statue of Liberty in the distance

It’s remarkable when someone has the vision to see the potential for beauty something that many would consider a derelict eyesore. Urban parks and green spaces offer both physical and psychological benefits to city dwellers. Frances Kuo of the University of Illinois conducted a study of 28 identical high-rise public housing projects. She found that people living near green spaces had a stronger sense of community, coped better with everyday stress and hardship, were less aggressive and less violent, performed better on tests of concentration, and managed problems more effectively.

The Highline is a wonderful example of reusing a space in a way that sustains all of us.

It Wanted to Be a Sweater

When I first started knitting, I had unrealistic ambitions and no real idea of how slow a process it is to create a piece of fabric out of what is basically string. I love cotton sweaters, especially oversized ones, and so I bought some cotton yarn at a nearby fabric store.  It was Lion Brand, which was quite reasonably priced, and I bought a skein of the two contrasting colors and two of the main color. (Clearly, I had no idea of the conversion scale of yarn to fabric in either volume or time.) Worsted weight makes for a medium gauge and I worked away for a while, then got sidetracked with other things and the sweater parts languished in a drawer. By the time I got back to it, the yarn had been discontinued – who knew one should buy all the yarn needed for a project at the beginning of the project?  Obviously, not I.  So the partial sweater languished some more.

While obviously we make a sweater stitch by stitch, a felicitous quality of knitting that is not shared by cooking or quilting is that it is also possible to unmake a sweater, stitch by stitch.  Sometimes the unmaking is even more satisfying than the making – it’s certainly quicker.  Then the raw materials can be reused in another more economical pattern.   So my one-third of a cotton sweater is now being reincarnated into more useful items. I started with this kitchen towel from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines.  It reminds me of the dishtowels my aunt would embellish with a crochet loop for hanging on the stove or refrigerator handle.

Having a dishtowel, obviously, I need some dish cloths, aka “warshrags”.  These are great projects for beginners to practice on. Besides offering almost instant gratification, making dish cloths is a good way to try out a pattern that might be too intimidating to tackle as a large project, like an afghan or throw. I found this attractive textured pattern called “Flying Geese.”  I love that this pattern is named after a quilt block. It’s all knit and purl stitches and could easily be knit by a beginning knitter who wants to move past scarves. (You know who you are!)

After that, I needed a change. A jeweler told me once that any time an item of gold jewelry is melted down and re-cast, you have to add some new gold. Sort of like sourdough starter, I imagine. I thought this was a good idea for reknitting yarn, too. And it’s a good excuse to buy some new yarn.  So, I bought a variegated skein of Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton. The two yarns made it possible for me to try a dishcloth version of a pattern I’ve been admiring for a long time, Lizard Ridge. I love the way this pattern looks, but it is a little tricky because it uses short rows to create the wavy ridges.  This pattern requires your full attention for the counting and wrapping.  I’m glad I started with a small version instead of trying to make one big enough to cover a sofa or bed. I feel like that would require zen-like concentration and saintly patience. (I’d better save that for a summer project.) Still, I love the way this looks.

 

Finally, I picked up some of the contrasting yarn and started a mitered dishcloth.  This is also a square that could be made in multiples and joined into a throw.  I like the contrasting rows and I am planning to make a multi-colored batch of these as a couch throw.  (oooh, more yarn to buy!) 

 But that’s another future project.