Why “healthy” can backfire, are grains really necessary and some weight loss troubleshooting tips.

August 30, 2011 | Join us today at noon PST as we discuss the latest food news stories and I answer your burning food and health questions.

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Photo by AmandaBreann

When I was 18 few things were further from my mind than health. Sure I enjoyed my status as a thin, relatively fit teenager, but there was virtually no connection in my brain between what I put in my body and how long or happily I would live.

At that time I saw healthy eating as a fringe activity, for granola crunching hippies or men over 60 with beer bellies. I had no reason to worry about heart disease at my age and organic food was way more expensive, so why bother?

But that wasn’t the only reason I avoided the issue. As a self-conscious girl from Southern California, I was very concerned with my weight. People considered me thin, and I had every intention of staying that way. I knew that my obsession with my body image and constant dieting was considered “unhealthy,” but I didn’t care.

From my perspective the message from the media was clear: healthy is the opposite of thin. And when you’re young and think you’re invincible, the choice is obvious. Getting kids to worry about something in the distant future is difficult enough, but when you set it up as the antithesis of their immediate goals you make it nearly impossible.

It wasn’t until years later that I started to appreciate the value of health as an objective. I now understand that healthy is beautiful, and that thin and healthy are not mutually exclusive. Your ideal size is determined largely by genetics, but if you eat well, exercise and take care of yourself not only will your body look the way you want, you’ll also have nicer hair, a clear complexion and brighter eyes. You’ll likely have more energy and feel happier as well.

Sadly, body size is still the focus when most people talk about health. When you’re “too thin,” healthy means eating more regardless of quality. When you’re overweight, healthy means losing weight no matter how you accomplish it. But in the long term health is a reflection of your daily habits and is determined by things like the quality and diversity of your diet, how often and vigorously you exercise, exposure to environmental toxins and other factors.

While body weight can certainly be an indicator of health problems and sometimes reflect improvements, it’s important to understand that the message we send about health can backfire if these two things are inextricably linked.

How do you define health?

Peppers

Kristine Valenzuela is a corporate woman by day but spends her free time immersed in many passions. Besides developing a new food and lifestyle blog Is Everybody Listening?, she enjoys organic food, wine, her husband and two daughters (with a third on the way), guest blogging/writing and figuring out how to how to get the most out of life. Follow her thoughts and rants on Twitter @specialksd.

Farmers Market Update: San Diego (Little Italy)

by Kristine Valenzuela

Hello from sunny San Diego! There are so many great things to say about this area but I think what people most associate with San Diego is the near-perfect weather. Yes, we really do have it made living here! The constant moderate climate produces incredible fruits and veggies year-round so I’ve always been a fan of our local farmers markets. Obviously, summer is the highlight of the year and brings tons of varieties of produce with amazing colors. In particular, I’m a fan of the season’s strawberries, peaches and tomatoes, although there are plenty of good eats at any time.

Last weekend, I visited one of the area’s cornerstone markets, the Little Italy Mercado. The market is barely three years old but has grown from just a few hundred visitors each Saturday to well over 3,000. Seeing its growth over the years has been exciting to say the least. It’s located in San Diego’s urban enclave of Little Italy which is convenient to the area’s growing food scene.

Eggplant

The market features some of the county’s most established farms in addition to many up-and-coming vendors. Joes on the Nose is our local ‘big orange truck’ and has become everyone’s favorite wake up call. They can be found at other markets, driving through different business parks or catering events. If you ever see them, you MUST try their Aloha Latte with homemade coconut whipped cream. You won’t regret it.

Joes on the Nose

This spectacular bitter melon from Sage Mountain Farm was one of the first non-traditional vegetables I came across and couldn’t resist snapping a picture. They also had the most vibrant long eggplant. Simply beautiful.

Bitter Melon

Berries from Pudwill Berry Farms are a huge hit in my house and with such a variety to choose from, it’s not surprising. Sometimes I even share them with my kids Southern California is also known for its avocados and many residents are lucky enough to have different varieties growing on trees in their yards. These Reed avocados were the size of softballs.

Reed Avocados

Berries

Fresh salsa is a staple at our local Mexican food establishments and in many households. Making it is easy thanks to having awesome peppers. These golden treasure peppers hail from Suzie’s Farm, a highly-regarded farm known for their meticulously ‘groomed’ produce.

Golden Treasure Peppers

Suzie’s Farm always has the biggest variety of micro greens. This is a photo of a third of what they offer through the markets. These would go fantastic in a summer salad with some lemon cucumbers.

Lemon Cucumbers

Micro Greens

Back to the subject of Mexican food, we are truly fortunate to have many great fisheries too. You haven’t lived until you’ve had ceviche from Poppa’s Fresh Fish! Even though I’m pregnant and supposed to stay away from it, I sneak some ceviche every now and then. My mouth literally waters just looking at a picture of it.

Ceviche

No summertime trip to Little Italy Mercado is complete without grabbing a ‘paleta’ from Viva Pops. They’ve become so popular at the market that they opened a shop in nearby Normal Heights, which I hear is also very busy. All of their gourmet pops are made with ingredients sourced from local farmers, many of whom are also vendors at the Mercado.

Viva Pops

To bring it back to the neighborhood, the market is in the middle of many small Italian food restaurants and vendors. This is why it’s great that places like Lisko Imports bring fresh pastas out to the street for even easier access.

Fresh Pasta

My purchases for the day:

• Nectarines
• White eggplant
• Tri color potatoes
• Lemon cucumbers
• Reed avocados
• Two gourmet pops from Viva Pops – strawberry and salted caramel
• A container of truffle salt

Stay classy San Diego!

For The Love of Food

Welcome to Friday’s For The Love of Food, Summer Tomato’s weekly link roundup.

Another week of thought provoking food and health articles including an excellent argument against Anthony Bourdain’s big fat mouth, why high-fat diets probably don’t cause type 2 diabetes, and a couple of unconventional ways to treat depression.

Want to see all my favorite links? Be sure to follow me on on Digg. I also share links on Twitter (@summertomato) and the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Links of the week

• Unsavory Culinary Elitism <<Excellent piece by Frank Bruni, author of Born Round, about why food snobbery is not productive if our mission is to help Americans eat healthier. (New York Times)
• As Farmers’ Markets Go Mainstream, Some Fear a Glut <<Interesting perspective on possible negative effects of the growing number of farmers markets. (New York Times)
• Does a High-Fat Diet Cause Type 2 Diabetes? <<You probably saw the headlines, and I offer a huge thanks to Denise Minger for doing the honors of calling the BS of the week. (Mark’s Daily Apple)
• Military suicides linked to low Omega-3 levels <<A lot of data is mounting that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly the kind found in fish, may play a role in preventing depression. (Los Angeles Times)
• Bending the Rules on Bacteria <<Fascinating analysis on the dangers of leaving stock on your stove top and whether or not it’s safe to reheat it. (New York Times)
• Exercise Can Substitute Effectively as Second ‘Medication’ for People With Depression, Study Suggests <<Just a friendly reminder that exercise not only makes you healthy and beautiful, it can also help with depression. (ScienceDaily)
• I Never Learned to Cook <<I’m a sucker for stories about people finding their way in the kitchen—probably because I didn’t do it until I was 26. (Esquire)
• 39 Ways to Eat a Tomato <<Tis the season. Thanks to Michael Ruhlman for this piece in Men’s Journal. (Ruhlman)
• Creamy Zucchini Soup <<Until Wednesday evening I wouldn’t have given zucchini soup a second glance, but it was a freezing summer night here in SF and my favorite restaurant was serving it. Boy was I blown away. This recipe looks very similar, and my only additional note would be to use very high quality stock (I would use chicken stock). (Jenn Cuisine)

What inspired you this week?

Pickling Green Beans

The first time I really appreciated the art of pickling was at Slow Food Nation here in SF back in 2008. I thought a pickle was a pickle, but when I tasted the variety, complexity and depth of pickled vegetables at the SFN Taste Pavilion, I realized how naive I had been.

This weekend I tweeted out that we were pickling some green beans and several people asked for the recipe. Though this is my first pickling experiment we are using a well-tested family recipe, so it should be good. It sure looks good!

The pickling process takes 45 days, but green bean season will be over by then so I figured it would be best to post the recipe now for whomever wants to try it.

A few notes on successful pickling:

• Though pickles have rather high acid levels, botulism is still a risk. Be careful to use sterile materials, and be sure to follow the protocol exactly.
• You can get mason jars for canning at any cookware store or order them online.
• The Exploratorium Science of Cooking page has more awesome pickling tips.

Klamath River Spicy Pickled Green Beans

Makes 4 pints

Pickled Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs green beans (blue lake is best)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 heads fresh dill (approx. 4 heads per tied bundle)
• 1/4 c. salt
• 2-1/2 c. white vinegar
• 2-1/2 c. water

In each pint jar, put in the following:

• 1 garlic clove
• 1 head fresh dill
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Vertically pack each pint jar with green beans until fairly packed (1/2 inch from the top).

In a pot bring to a boil the brine (salt, white vinegar, and water). Pour over the beans (1/4 inch from the top). Seal jars with lids and rings.

Place jars in a boiling bath of hot water for at least 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars and let sit until cool.

Store 45 days before eating.

Thanks to Kevin Rose for sharing his dad’s recipe. Originally published August 16, 2010.