For The Love of Food

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

We’re doing something a little different this week. Rather than a bunch of links, I’d like you to watch this 2 minute video made by Slow Food USA about the recent outbreak of Salmonella in half a billion eggs. Please share.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For a complete reading list join me on Digg. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you.

Photo by *すぃか*

Do you ever wonder if your obsession with local, seasonal foods makes you a conscientious consumer or just a starry-eyed elitist?

A friend and fellow Slow Food member came up with a quick quiz to help you tell the difference.

Malice Waters lives and writes in San Francisco.

How Slow Food are you? A quiz.

By Malice Waters

The foods in my kitchen come from within:

1) 7,000 miles

2) 1,500 miles

3) 150 miles

4) 50 miles

Bottled water is:

1) A Necessity

2) An Option

3) A Triumph of Fearmongering Marketers

4) An Evil Plot by Monsanto

If I had to choose between local and organic, I would:

1) Choose Local

2) Choose Organic

3) Go Hungry

4) Reserve a table at Quince

At the farmers’ market, I fill my Prius beyond capacity. Which of these purchases do I jettison?

1) Farmstead Goat Cheese

2) Artisan Salumi

3) Fiddlehead Ferns

4) None. I hail a hybrid cab and load it up.

John Mackey of Whole Foods is:

1) A Friend to Small Farmers

2) A Savvy Businessman

3) A Greenwasher

4) All of the Above

A new cabinet-level agriculture post should go to:

1) Sarah Palin

2) Mario Batali

3) Michael Pollan

4) Marion Nestle

A “Bourbon Red” is:

1) An Energy Drink

2) A New Cocktail

3) A Heritage Turkey

4) An Organic Zinfandel

A “locavore” is:

1) A Type of Rodent

2) A Myopic Elitist

3) A Burrowing Insect

4) A Person Who Favors Locally Produced Foods

“Biodynamic” is:

1) A Biotech Startup

2) Marketing Hooey

3) An Evil Plot by Cargill

4) Cosmic Agriculture

“CSA” stands for:

1) Can’t Stand Asparagus

2) Caring, Sturdy Aardvark

3) Community-Supported Agriculture

4) Carrot Succulence Always

I throw a potluck party and a friend brings fajitas made with feedlot beef. My response is:

1) Say “thank you” and enjoy the fajitas.

2) Say “thank you” and then forget to serve the fajitas.

3) Say “thank you” but resolve to drop said friend.

4) Call PETA.

An $80 dollar-a-plate al fresco dinner at a local farm sounds:

1) Dubious

2) Great, if the Farmer Gets the Proceeds

3) Like an Evil Plot by Archer Daniels Midland

4) Like My Wedding Reception

Tally your score

12–20: See you at Wal-Mart.

21–26: Read Fast Food Nation and then try again.

27–35: Read Food Rules and then try again.

36 and up: Congratulations. You may now join Slow Food.

How Slow Food are you?

For The Love of Food

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

This week I was interviewed by the Bay Area Women’s Journal about my favorite healthy eating tips for the new year. Also be sure to read Dr. Steve Parker’s analysis of a new study that proves conclusively saturated fat is not associated with heart disease.

There are also great stories about the dangers of salt and snacking, and a hilarious flow chart describing exactly how to handle it if you drop your food on the floor.

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there. (Note: If you want a follow back on Twitter introduce yourself with an @ message).

Links of the Week

• Keep Your Diet and Exercise on Track! <<I shared some tips on healthy eating for the new year over at the Bay Area Women’s Journal.
• Watershed Science: Saturated Fat Does Not Cause Heart Disease <<No kidding, saturated fat is not associated with heart disease. This is not one study, it is a meta-analysis of all the best studies done on the role of diet in heart health. Keep in  mind though, saturated fat has also been linked to other diseases (like cancer), so this is not a free pass. But it sure is an encouraging finding if you happen to love bacon! (Nutrition Data Blog)
• Flowchart: ‘You Dropped Food on the Floor. Do You Eat It?’ <<This is just awesome. And hilarious. And awesome. (Serious Eats)
• Snack Time Never Ends <<Interesting look at children and snacking habits. Definitely worth reading. (New York Times)
• Big Benefits Are Seen From Eating Less Salt <<By far the biggest source of salt is processed foods–food companies have to fill them with salt and sugar to cover up the nasty taste. Cut down on junk and you don’t have to worry about salting your veggies. (New York Times)
• Tableware for the Slow Food Movement: Plate Tells You When You Are Eating Too Fast <<BS of the week. I’m all about the Slow Food movement (love it, in fact). But isn’t the whole point to slow down and enjoy what you eat? I fail to see how eating off this ugly electronic plate meter helps anyone embrace Slow Food. (Tree Hugger)
• DIY Refrigerator Care Saves Money, Keeps Refrigerator Alive Longer <<Who doesn’t love a good kitchen hack? Make your fridge live longer with these tricks. (Lifehacker)
• Chanterelle Omelette with Saucisson Vaudois <<This fancy omelet looks divine. This recipe is a perfect use for the beautiful chanterelle mushrooms that are in season now. (Jenn Cuisine)

What inspired you this week?

For The Love of Food

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

I’ve been in such a wonderful mood lately, I hope it’s contagious. I’ve discovered tons of fantastic food blogs the past few weeks and really look forward to sharing the best of what I find with you. This week I have compiled a list of articles that made me smile. And just to keep the chill vibe, I omitted the B.S. of the week.

I still need votes for the People’s HealthBlogger Award by Wellsphere and would greatly appreciate your support. Wellsphere is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in healthy living. To vote for me you have to create an account with them, but you can delete it when you’re done (I have yet to get any spam). If you enjoy this blog, please take a minute to show your support. Much thanks to those who have already voted.

for Darya http://summertomato.com/

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there. (Note: If you want a follow back on Twitter introduce yourself with an @ message).

For The Love of Food

• Are vegetarian diets OK? <<Of course they are. Here’s a comprehensive examination on the health value of vegetarian and vegan diets by NYU professor of nutrition, Marion Nestle. Great info. (Food Politics)
• Fabulous <<This short post by Seth Godin isn’t about food per se, but is about appreciating the things in your life that are awesome, and why awesomeness breeds more awesomeness. This certainly matches my experience with real food. The more I love it and nurture it as an important part of my life, the better my life is all around.  It’s really about understanding your priorities. (Seth’s Blog)
• In Praise Of Slow Food <<Great article about slow food and the importance of eating for enjoyment. (Huffington Post)
• Phytoestrogens: Helpful or harmful? <<I get a lot of questions about the pros and cons of eating soy. Monica Reinagel, the Nutrition Diva, reviews the evidence. (Nutrition Data)
• To eat less, your body may want you to eat slowly << In my experience one of the main determinants of how much I eat is how quickly I eat. Now there’s some science that helps explain why. Learn mindful eating and how to become a slow eater. (Reuters)
• High-carb diets may put dieters in better moods << Here’s some evidence that extreme carbohydrate restriction can make people grumpy for an entire year. Doesn’t that sound fun? (Los Angeles Times)
• Worry Less, Cook More <<Short post by Mark Bittman on the most important skill to develop in the kitchen–confidence. Don’t strive for perfection, strive to get in there and start. (Bitten)
• How I Made My Wife a Lettuce Snob <<This is such a cute post by Jeff Clark, I adore it. Also a great example of how real food is like Pandora’s box. Once you’ve seen inside you can never go back. (Middle Aged and Living Well)
• Brussels Sprouts with Black Bean Garlic Sauce <<I found about a zillion new Brussels sprouts recipes on the internet this week, but this on intrigued me most. I rarely follow recipes, but I think I’m going to try this. Guest post at Simply Recipes by Garrett McCord from Vanilla Garlic.
• Making the World a Better Place, One Chicken Wing at a Time <<Absolutely brilliant demo by Chef John on how to properly eat a chicken wing. You’ll be amazed! (Food Wishes)

What made you happy this week?

For The Love of Food

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

Lots of great food and health science this week in my top 10, along with the death of the evil Smart Choices food labeling campaign (woohoo!). Also be sure to check out the wonderful Anti-Fast Food article from Zen Habits. And what week would be complete without a lame celebrity gaffe endorsed by the always misguided Diets In Review? Oh right, any week.

Happy reading

I’m still collecting votes for the People’s HealthBlogger Award by Wellsphere and would greatly appreciate your support. Wellsphere is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in healthy living. To vote for me you have to create an account with them, but you can delete it when you’re done (I have yet to get any spam from them). I’m really terrible at asking people for things, but hope you can find a minute to show your support. Much thanks to those who have already voted.

for Darya http://summertomato.com/

I read many more wonderful articles than I post here each week. If you’d like to see more or just don’t want to wait until Friday, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@summertomato) or the Summer Tomato Facebook fan page. For complete reading lists join me on the social bookmarking sites StumbleUpon and Delicious. I’m very active on all these sites and would love to connect with you there. (Note: If you want a follow back on Twitter introduce yourself with an @ message).

For The Love of Food

• Scientists claim junk food is as addictive as heroin <<This study adds a lot of validity to David Kessler‘s argument about the role of the brain‘s reward and addiction circuits in overeating. Apparently sugar and salt make you crazy. Be careful this weekend. (Grist)
• Smart Choices suspended! May it rest in peace. <<Nuf said. (Food Politics)
• Moderate amounts of protein, rather than a lot, might be best for muscle <<Low-carb acolytes seem to treat high-protein as the new low-fat–something we’re all free to eat in unlimited quantities so long as there is no evil carbohydrate around. Probably the story is a little more complex than that. (Los Angeles Times)
• Gwyneth Paltrow’s Controversial Fitness Comment <<B.S. of the week Rumor has it that wannabe fitness guru Gwyneth Paltrow was overheard saying, “When you’re 35, you either starve yourself, or you do serious cardio.” GP herself gets some B.S points because neither starving yourself nor “serious cardio” will help keep you slim (they’re pretty much the same). And double B.S. points go to Diets In Review (worst online diet info ever) for friggin’ agreeing with her! *slaps forehead in disbelief*
• The Anti-Fast Food Diet <<Superb article on the benefits of Slow Food over at Zen Habits. One of the most simple and beautiful descriptions I’ve read on quality eating. (Seriously great job, Leo).
• Why You Don’t Have to Soak Your Nuts ~ Plus: Chai Almonds! <<Funny and brilliant article about nuts by a blogger I just discovered. Holly does a great job of debunking diet lore with amusing prose and a fabulous recipe to boot! (Sustainable Suppers)
• The Life Span of a Rodent May Aid Human Health <<Think cancer is random and inevitable? Wrong. There is abundant evidence in nature that specific, regulated biological processes are responsible for cancer. Isn’t science cool? (New York Times)
• Statin drugs might slightly boost diabetes risk <<There is a downside to every drug, even statins. Do you know what actually prevents diabetes? You guessed it, diet and exercise. (Medline)
• Knowing about calories causes people to eat more <<I love this. Although it is still not clear what this data means, it does suggest that knowledge of calories (all dietary numbers?) doesn’t help much. I prefer to focus on eating good, healthy food. (Weighty Matters)
• Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Bacon <<This recipe for sunchoke soup not only looks delicious, there are also some tips to prevent the less-than-desirable aspects of eating this delicious root. (Chocolate and Zucchini)

You read anything awesome this week?