So Long Sugar

I’m giving up sugar for Lent. This is going to be a challenge for me because I am the queen of sweet tooths. So besides no white, refined carbohydrates, candy, etc. the following provisions must also be followed:

-No granola bars/protein bars with more than 10g of sugar

-No honey, jelly, or syrups unless they are sugar free

-Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc. are allowed

-Natural sugars from fruit don’t count

-No cereals with more than 7g of sugar

-Only sugar free almond milk

-No more than 25g of sugar total per day

I’m excited because I will be so much healthier, but its going to be hard! Ah well 2 days in and going strong so hopefully I’ll stay that way.

Friends & Food

Living with 10 girls, all of whom are my age in my sorority, has its ups and downs. Of course sharing clothes and doing each others hair, gossiping, and always having someone to do anything with are perks that can’t go un-noted. However, there are plenty of things to get irritated about living in such close quarters with such a number of people. One of the many things I’ve gotten to be immersed in is the food culture of each and every girl in the house. 

Up until a minute ago I have not considered what the meshing of all our food habits and culture has meant. I’ve never really considered what a clash it is, and how it can lead to problems etc. But it has, and as a dietetics major I find this truly fascinating. Our connections to food our deep and personal, and from each person, food will evoke a different response.

Some people share, some people don’t. Some eat healthfully, some don’t, and some wish they could. Some cook, some get take out, and some go out. At the end of a meal though, it’s safe to say one thing holds true for everyone, we all LOVE food.

I think every human being does, its in our basic nature. We need food to live, and we are blessed to live in a nation and time when its delicious and plentiful, and most importantly incredibly accessible. Problems start within our culture because we love food almost too much, some are even obsessed. The added twist is that every single girl in my house, like most young girls, is watching their weight. We all want to be skinny, and food is the enemy to the skinny girl presumptions most people have. Having dealt with negative food and body images all through high school I understand how tumultuous a relationship with food can be. But why must it be this way?

I think what I find most confusing and annoying is the possessiveness of people and their food. I’ve learned in my life that sharing food is an expression of love and appreciation, so when people refuse to share or get angered about people using some of their peanut butter or bread, to me it is an expression of selfishness. It is as if they are saying, I don’t care about you enough to share something as trivial as food.

One of the things that has really helped my relationship with food is the knowledge that it is always going to be there. The likely hood of anyone in normal circumstances going hungry here in America is very slim. Dieters, in particular would do well to remember this. Just because you are abstaining from eating something doesn’t make it truly off limits from you. 

Food, like air, is always surrounding us. We never have to worry about having enough and more is only a block away at the grocery store or restaurant. So why is something like a few tablespoons of peanut butter something to get upset over? I’ve had an open door policy on my food all year long, and I am the only one in my house who has such a policy. If you want something of mine, go ahead and have it. If you’re out of something and need to use mine, go right ahead. No need to ask, I don’t mind at all. It’s not like I need to eat all of something anyway, and would like the same courtesy extended to me when I find my groceries lacking something. Food does cost money, but the girls in my house are fortunate enough to have parents who pay for their groceries, and money is not the issue. So what is the hang up ladies?

It’s food, a disposable, degradable, unsustainable item. It doesn’t last. It comes and goes, and is not your friend. It’s fuel. Why let it have such power to become something to fight about? It’s your friends and family to share food with that give it it’s sentimental value, and hopefully unlike those groceries, they won’t go bad. 

I stopped using this “health/nutrition” tumblr of mine once I got back to school and my workload started piling up. But I think in this new year of 2011 I’m going to utilize it more. I want to share what I do and don’t know about nutrition and fitness while I continue to become the best me I can be! (And by “best” I mean the most healthy, skinny, toned, fit, Helen I can be)

It’s a bit more focus on one particular area of my life, but one thats very important to me, so why not try this new approach and see how it goes?

I guess I can say I’m backkkk!

Everything I never cared to know about meat…

In my nutrition lab class we are studying meat among other topics. We have an exam tomorrow so the posts below are all the facts about meat.

I am still most definitely a vegetarian in case you were wondering, lol. 

Beef Cuts

Wholesale (primal) cuts of beef are those that are originally cut from the cow. They are then cut further into retail cuts based upon muscle structure and relation to bone. 

Some of the common bones found in beef cuts are:

arm bones

blade bones

rib bones

back bone (T-bone)

pin bone

flat bone

wedge bone

leg or round bone

and breast and rib bones. 

Wholesale Cuts-and how to prepare:

Chuck-Braise, Cook in liquid

Rib-roast, pan broil, pantry

Short Loin-roast, broil, pan broil, pan fry

Sirloin-broil, panbroil, panfry

Round-braise, cook in liquid

Fore Shank-braise, cook in liquid

Brisket-braise, cook in liquid

Short Plate-braise, cook in liquid

Flank-braise, cook in liquid

Tip-braise

Retail Cuts:

from the CHUCK:

Chuck short ribs

boneless chuck eye roast

blade (roast or steak)

cross rib (pot roast)

ground beef

beef for stew

arm (pot roast or steak)

boneless shoulder (pot roast or steak)

from the RIB:

Rib eye (Delmonico, roast or steak)

Rib Steak boneless

Rib Steak

Rib Roast

from the SHORT LOIN:

Top loin steak

T-Bone steak

Porterhouse steak

Boneless top loin steak

Tenderloin (Filet Mignon (Steak or roast))

from the SIRLOIN:

Pin bone sirloin steak

Flat bone sirloin steak

Wedge bone sirloin steak

Boneless sirloin steak

from the ROUND:

Round steak

Heel of round

Rolled rump

Cubed steak

Ground beef

Eye of round

Bottom Round roast or steak

Top Round Steak

Round steak 

from the FORE SHANK:

Shank Cross Cuts

Beef for Stew

from the BRISKET:

Fresh brisket

Corned brisket

from the SHORT PLATE:

Short Ribs

Skirt Steak Rolls

Beef for Stew

Ground Beef

from the FLANK:

Ground beef

Flank steak

Beef patties

Flank Steak Rolls

from the TIP:

Tip steak

Tip roast

Tip Kabobs

7 Basic Retail Cuts of Meat:

1. Blade cuts

2. Rib cuts

3. Loin Cuts

4. Sirloin Cuts

5. Arm cuts

6. Brisket/Short Plate

7. Leg, Round, and Ham Cuts

Buying & Preparing Meat

Most Tender Cuts of Meat:

Rib 

Short Loin

Sirloin

Least Tender:

Flank

Plate

Brisket

Neck

Shanks

The yield of a retail meat is determined by how tender the meat is. 

Cost per pound of meat is determined by the meats that usually have higher prices, so the higher the yield the higher the price. You are “paying for protein” so the less bone and other waste there is the more you pay. Per serving purchase of a lean meat cut should be 4 oz. If there is high refuse (waste) 3/4 to 1lb per serving. 

Retail costs determined by amount of waste, nutrition, convenience, packaging, and protein. 

Tenderness correlates with grade, species, amount of connective tissue, amount of exercise, age, marbling, overall fat content, heredity, feeding practice,  and size of muscle fibers. 

Mechanically tenderizing meat is done by cutting, cubing, slicing, etc. It is physically done. 

Warmed-over flavors are the rapid onset of lipid oxidation that occurs in cooked meats during refrigerated storage; oxidized flavors are detectable after only 48 hours.

Cured meats can be ham, bacon, pork-shoulder, Canadian bacon, corned beef, wieners, sausages, and bologna. Wieners, sausages, and bologna can be produced with reduced fat levels by comminuted emulsion-type products.

Storage temperatures for meat are at or below 40 degrees fahrenheit for refrigeration and 0 degrees for freezing.

End point temperatures:

Ground beef-160

Fresh pork-155

Pork steaks and roasts-145

Lamb-145

Meat should be reheated to 165 degrees fahrenheit. 

Cooking losses include weight and loss of nutrients and increase with a rise in temperature. 

Heats effect on meat is denaturation of proteins and coagulation of those proteins which makes it tougher, and fat melts when heated. Color changes occur between 140 and 150 degrees and the pigment myoglobin is denatured around 140. However, color is not a reliable indicator of the doneness of ground beef.

Overcooking disintegrates connective tissue.  

General methods of Cooking:

Dry-Heat-suitable for tender cuts of meat

Moist-Heat-hydrolysis occurs (connective tissue produces gelatin)

Specific cooking methods of meat:

Roasting or Baking-dry heat

Broiling & Pan Broiling-dry heat

Sauteing and Frying-dry heat; pan frying and deep frying

Microwave Cooking-dry heat

Braising-(pot roasting) moist heat

Stewing-moist heat

Pressure Cooking-moist heat

Crockery Slow Cooking-moist heat

Basting-pouring or spooning liquids over surface of meat while it is roasting and it is done to keep the surface moist and enhance flavor. 

Braising-a moist heat method applied to less tender cuts of meat where the browning of meat surface is done by frying, pan broiling, or broiling. Pan or kettle is closely covered and cooking continues with liquid simmering or slowly boiling. It can be done on the top of the range or in the oven. 

Pot Roasting-a type of braising used for large cuts of meat such as beef chuck roasts 

Fricassee-braising meats cut into small pieces before cooking