April 28, 2010
 You’ve asked me questions such as how do I know where my fish is from and is it farmed or wild-caught?
Here’s your quick A-Z guide to purchase fish.
Sources for fish information fast:
- Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has a Seafood Watch Program. Check out their Seafood Guide App that you can download to your iphone or ipad to help you make sustainable seafood choices quickly and easily, whether you’re eating out or shopping at your local supermarket. The app features regional guides so you can see what seafood is best in each area of the country and a sushi guide.
- You can send a text while you stand in front of the fish counter and make sure the fish you plan to purchase is eco-friendly and without a health advisory. This very cool tech tip is courtesy of blueocean.org.
Send a text to 30644 with the message FISH followed by the name of the fish you want to buy…for example, FISH SCALLOPS or FISH SALMON. I sent a text for FISH SALMON and received two texts within a few seconds.. The Blue Ocean Institute tracks 90+ fish species and regularly updates their database.
- Other good sources for information on seafood choices that protect marine life and/or the environment and support well-managed fisheries are seafoodwatch.org and nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch, part of the government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
How do you know where your fish is coming from?
The Country of Origin Labeling called COOL, which was developed by the USDA, requires all large retailers (supermarkets) to disclose the country of origin of fresh or frozen fish and whether it is farm-raised or wild-caught.
What about sustainable seafood?
The Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) certification program and seafood ecolabel recognizes and rewards sustainable fishing. They are a global organization working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. Look for their label on fish products.
Do farmed fish provide the same health benefits as wild?
There’s a lot of controversy about farmed-fish versus wild-fish in regards to nutrition content, environmental safety and toxins. Farmed fish can be a healthy and delicious alternative to more expensive wild-caught fish but, there is potential for higher amounts of toxins and poor nutrition content. The key is ‘farmed responsibly’ resulting in fish that is an affordable and perfectly recommendable source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Listen to this week’s podcast
April 21, 2010
Easy Snacks and Meals to Fuel Fitness
To fuel up for fitness, here are a couple of my favorite (and easy) breakfast/snack ideas courtesy of Family Circle magazine:
 Chocolate-Peanut Butter Oatmeal
½ cup rolled or quick oats made with 1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon creamy natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
I’m a self-proclaimed chocoholic so even this small amount of chocolate chips satisfies me.
- Apple & Nut Butter (snack)
1 medium apple, sliced and spread with two tablespoons almond butter
My breakfast version: I spread almond butter on whole grain toast, followed by the apple slices and a drizzle of honey. If you haven’t tried almond butter, it’s worth the extra expense as an alternative to peanut butter.
Try this 20-minute recipe from the Family Circle kitchens: Red snapper with gazpacho salsa
I hope spring is all around you…the weather is warming up, the birds are singing, and flowers are starting to bloom. I’m ready to take my workout…outdoors. How about you? I am a walker, especially on the weekends when I have more time to be outside.
For those of you who have listened to my podcast for a while, you know that Family Circle along with the American Heart Association sponsor the annual Start! Walking Challenge. You can find out more at familycircle.com/walk2010 or in the May issue. This month the focus is on walking and eating to lower cholesterol. You’ll find a very helpful mix-and-match meal plan.
 Margit Ragland, Health Director at Family Circle joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the Walking Challenge with a focus on cutting your cholesterol level in three ways:
- Keeping a cap on saturated fat that can raise your total and lousy LDL cholesterol levels while it shrinks your good cholesterol…HDL.
- Focusing on fiber, a nutrient that works like a sponge to help rid your body of cholesterol.
- Loading up on superstar foods that conquer cholesterol-like oats, nuts, beans, fish, soy, and even dark chocolate.
Listen to this week’s podcast
April 14, 2010
 With the trend towards locally grown, eco-friendly, natural food, raw milk is touted as being more healthful, better tasting and nutritious than pasteurized milk…but is it? Proponents of raw milk say it’s safe to drink…but should you drink it and give it to your family
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. It’s milk from any hoofed animal including cows, sheep or goats. Because of the potential for raw milk to contain a wide variety of bacteria including such suspects as:
- Salmonella
- E. coli
- Listeria
- M. tuberculosis
- Campylobacter
- Brucella
Public health officials for decades have expressed concern over drinking raw milk. Symptoms of illness range from:
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain
- fever, headache and body aches
However, people with weakened immune systems from HIV or autoimmune diseases or infants, young children, pregnant women and the elderly are especially sensitive and illness from raw milk can be very serious and result in death.
Joining me on the podcast to answer more questions about the raw milk movement is Dr. Ronald Schmidt, Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida. Dr. Schmidt has authored more than 100 scientific publications and presentations in dairy/food science technology, food safety, and microbiology, and is co-editor of the book, Food Safety Handbook.
Dr. Schmidt delves into these questions that you have asked?
- First, I have to ask this same question that I asked Joe Wright, the dairy farmer who was our guest last week. Do you drink raw milk or pasteurized milk and why?
- Proponents of raw milk say it is more nutritious with additional enzymes and healthy bacteria that are destroyed by pasteurization. Is one milk more nutritious than the other?
- Does raw milk contain antimicrobial components making pasteurization unnecessary? What effect does pasteurization have on milk?
- Dr. Schmidt, advocates of raw milk point to some studies where children drinking raw milk have less allergies, asthma and eczema. Where does the scientific community come out on this debate on drinking raw milk and giving it to children?
- What about cheese made from raw milk? Is it safe? I see dairies selling it at farmers’ markets.
- Do you think raw milk will become legal in Florida and other states?
What’s your opinion on raw milk? Post your comment on my blog and I’ll share some of them on an upcoming podcast.
Listen to this week’s podcast
April 7, 2010
 dairy farmer Joe Wright Raw milk is touted as being more nutritious than pasteurized milk…but is it? Proponents of raw milk say it’s safe to drink…but should you drink it and give it to your family?
You don’t want to miss this week’s podcast. I dig into the questions about raw milk that you have asked and get answers from dairy farmer Joe Wright. Questions such as:
- Joe…you’re a dairy farmer. Do you drink raw milk or pasteurized milk and why?
- There is a large underground market for raw milk with people selling it as pet food yet humans consume it. Would you explain this?
- Some farmers sell both raw milk and pasteurized milk…is that correct?
- Can you really insure that raw milk or cheese made from raw milk is pathogen-free?
Joe has traveled a very interesting path from the firm to the farm. He grew up in Florida and attended the University of Florida law school. Ok, so I went to The University of Tennessee and he IS a gator…but I won’t hold that against him. While practicing law specializing in health care, he met his wife, the daughter of a dairy farmer. The rest, as they say, is history.
After spending time working with his father-in-law on the farm, he knew he could never go back to an office. Passionate about dairy farmers and active in their industry, Joe serves as first vice president of Dairy Farmers, Inc., Florida’s milk promotion group.
Raw milk has been making headlines lately from proponents who feel it’s not only safe to drink but boosts the immune system and shouldn’t be banned. On the flip side were reports in the media last week of an outbreak of campylobacteriosis in Michigan from raw milk with symptoms of diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain.
If you ask 10 people if raw milk is safe to drink, you would probably get 10 different responses. So today and next week we’re delving in to what the evidence-based science says about raw milk and whether it’s safe to drink or a setup for illness which could be potentially deadly.
Listen to this week’s podcast
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