Meatless Mondays: Garlic Scapes

If you've ever forgotten to cook a bulb of garlic and noticed the green stem sprouting from the cloves, then you've seen a garlic scape in its earliest stage.  If planted and left to grow, the scape will collect air and sunshine to help the garlic plant grow.  As the plant matures, the scape will curl as it grows to produce a flowering bulb.  Garlic farmers frequently cut the curly flowering stems in order to promote growth of the underground garlic bulb.  Tender and milder in flavor than garlic cloves, garlic scapes can be enjoyed raw or cooked.

Terrible iPhone photo of scapes at the farmers' market

The scapes are low in fat and, if you eat enough of them, a good source of protein (the building blocks of cells), vitamin C (anti-oxidant and immune system booster), vitamin B6 (important for metabolism of almost everything), calcium (strong bones, nerve transmission, regulation of heart muscle function), iron (oxygen transportation, immune and brain function), manganese (energy metabolism), and selenium (anti-oxidant).  The sulfuric compounds that give garlic its distinctive aroma are the same characteristics responsible for many of garlic's health benefits.  Research indicates that garlic has anti-inflammatory properties and can promote cardiovascular health.  Eating garlic daily has also been associated with a lower risk of developing some cancers.

The lovely coworker who supplies me with real free-range eggs (another post for later) brought me some scapes from her upstate garden last week.  It’s only a few pieces, but I already have big plans for them.  I like to chop several scapes into 1-inch pieces to get about 1 1/2 -2 cups worth, saute them in some olive or canola oil, then toss with pasta, parmesan cheese, and pepper.  Save some of the pasta cooking water to create a bit of a sauce.  Another classic use for scapes is pesto: in a food processor, blend 1 cup coarsley chopped raw scapes with 1/4 cup nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, etc.) until smooth and combined.  With motor running, slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil to thicken to taste (start with 1/2 cup).  When it's the consistency you like, turn off the processor, stir in 1/4 grated parmesan or romano cheese and salt and pepper to taste.  Other people swear by grilling them, although I seem to lose most of mine through the grates.  Have you tried scapes?  How do you use them?

National Running Day

I usually eschew made-up holidays, but today, the first Wednesday in June, I will be celebrating the fifth National Running Day by doing a loop of my neighborhood park, maybe even two.  For me, running is a complement to healthy eating.  Sometimes it's compensation for less healthy eating, too.  Running is a low-cost activity that can be social, meditative, challenging, and rewarding.  Like almost everything, running can become more complicated than it needs to be, but in its essence, it is as natural as breathing.

With three kids at home, everyday I'm reminded of how innate our instinct to run is, unlike my desk job.  My youngest almost never walks, preferring the joy of running, whether it's down the block or just between the kitchen and the playroom.  My middle child loves to race her sisters home.  My eldest ran her first 5K in March, and she was almost as proud of this accomplishment as I was. 

Why run?  Like almost any physical activity, running is good for your heart, your bones, your lungs, your digestive system, and for your brain.  For weight loss, running beats walking, probably because it's more intense.  It also takes less time.  Assuming 100 calories burned per mile, one could burn 300 calories in almost half the amount of time running compared to walking.  When traveling, running is a great way to explore, whether it's on city streets or in a park or trail.  Although your first few times running may feel like the hardest. thing. ever., your body quickly adapts, and you'll quickly see improvements in your fitness.  Participating in races, whether you're in it to win it or just to finish, is addictive.  In New York City, thousands of people turn out for road races most weekends, and it's so inspiring to see the diversity of people who share a love of running.  The community aspect as well as the sense of pride in doing a longer distance or finishing faster is what keeps me racing and running.

If you're not a runner, or haven't exercised in years, talk to your doctor before you start.  If you're interested in taking up running, start slowly, and enlist a friend to join you.  National Running Day has lots of great tips to get started, find a running group, or to stay motivated.  If you're not able to or interested in running, do something else that's active and reap the same benefits.

Why do you run?

Meatless Mondays: grilling vegetables

Grilled Vegetable Kebabs:  so easy and so good for you!

 I live on the top floor of a brownstone building, and my kitchen gets so hot in the Summer that even turning on the stove feels like torture.  In other words, we do a lot of grilling this time of year.  Where I grew up, grilling mostly meant throwing some hot dogs, hamburgers, or chicken on the barbecue, but I'm trying to expand my repertoire to include vegetables.  Yesterday, it was vegetable kabobs, created with the assistance of my two oldest daughters.  We threaded 3/4 inch chunks of zucchini, summer squash, Italian eggplant, and grape tomatoes on pre-soaked short skewers.  I brushed the veggies with a very light marinade of olive oil, red wine vinegar, some leftover fresh thyme and salt and pepper.  They took about 5 minutes on the grill and emerged with the tomatoes just ready-to-pop juicy and the squashes tender but firm.  The leftovers might get turned into a riff on ratatouille or tossed with leftover bulghur and a minty vinaigrette for a meatless main dish or easy lunch. 

My kids' handiwork before they got grilled

We also regularly grill corn.  We don't do anything fancy with soaking or tying the husks back around.  We just peel it and place it directly on the grill.  A few of the ears get blackened, but this only enhances the flavor.  Portobello mushrooms, a bit cliched I know, are also part of our grilling rotation.  They couldn't be simpler.  Trim the stems so they're flush with the gills, brush with olive oil, then grill and flip until soft.  When they're done, top with salt and pepper of a bit of vinaigrette.  The warm mushrooms soak up any additional flavorings beautifully.  Leftover mushrooms will get sliced into salads, added to omelettes, and rolled up in wraps with greens and avocado.

Grilling shucked corn directly on the grate is the easiest method I've found.

Because vegetables are lower in protein, they are less likely to produce heterocyclic amines or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, suspected carcinogens created when meats are grilled, broiled or fried.  In fact, vegetables are high in chemicals which may prevent the formation of heterocyclic amines or blunt their effects.  Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower may be the best companions, then, to your grilled meat this summer. 

As Summer heats up, think beyond the meat case.  Grilling enhances the flavors of vegetables just as much as it does protein with the benefit of being good for you.  How do you grill your veggies?

Hunger in America

As a dietitian, I usually help people figure out how to less.  Today, I am asking you to help people to eat more.  Hunger and food insecurity remain persistent yet largely invisible in this country.  One way that millions of low-income people are a little bit less hungry is through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which most people know by the old term "Food Stamps."  Another valuable hunger-alleviating program is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which is also better known as "WIC."  These two valuable programs are funded through the Farm Bill, which is currently being debated in Congress.  Both programs are being targeted for drastic cuts, which will lead to far more hunger among children, seniors, disabled, and other low-income people.  You may be one of the millions of Americans who relies on these benefits to keep food on your table.  Your neighbors or co-workers might be beneficiaries, too.  Maybe you received food stamps or WIC when you hit a rough patch financially.  Or, maybe you were too proud to apply for these benefits but suffered mightily without them. 

The causes of poverty and the intricacies of agricultural policies in this country are too complex to debate here, but what is clear is that shrinking food assistance programs will not improve the nutritional status of our country.  There will always be people who collect such benefits when they don't really need them, but I believe that it's more important to help the vast majority of people who do need help than to restrict the program for everyone.  Paul Krugman, a Nobel laureate, makes the case for maintaining -- or even increasing -- nutrition assistance more eloquently than I do. 

Please take a few minutes to contact your elected representatives and ask them not to decrease funding for food stamps and WIC.  You can find how to contact your representatives and senators through this link.

Meatless Mondays: Ramps

I would totally walk by these if I saw them under a tree.

Ramps have been the hot Spring food for the last few years, here in New York.  Come April, it seems as though every food writer in the tristate area can do nothing but extol the virtues of ramps, also known as wild leeks.  Being a contrary sort of person, I was convinced that ramps could not be worth the hype.  They seemed to be part of the trend for extremely local, seasonal food that is sometimes worth the extra time and money but is mostly just about establishing credibility.  And then I saw Smitten Kitchen's recipe -- and photos -- for ramp pizza.  Maybe it was just her luscious photography.  Maybe it was the way she described the ramp leaves as being like the best kind of kale chips.  Regardless, I realized it was time to embrace the trend.

My pizza wasn't quite as pretty as Smitten Kitchen's but the sauteed bulbs and roasted leaves were delicious.  The bulbs were sweet, almost like braised leeks, and the leaves were green and mellow.  Since I didn't use all of the ramps, I ate the leftover cooked ramps in a delicious omelet with a bit of pecorino.

The second batch of ramps got turned into ramp pesto, from the Food52 Cookbook, a Mother's Day present.  I followed the recipe exactly, toasting walnuts and using raw ramp bulbs and leaves.  It's got an almost garlicky bite, which has been delicious with pork tenderloin, toast, scrambled eggs, roasted fingerling potatoes, and even baked tilapia.  If I were to do it again, I would blanch the bulbs briefly just to tame the flavor a bit.  I might try it with different nuts, too, maybe blanched almonds for some sweetness to balance the raw ramp flavor more. 

Washed, dried, sliced ramps

The finished pesto:  so many uses!

 









 

There isn't a whole lot of information about the health benefits of ramps, but they are, like most vegetables, low in calories and high in fiber.  Ramps are also a good source of iron and vitamins A and C.  As a member of the allium family, which includes onions and garlic, ramps are also rich in sulfuric compounds, which are good for the heart and cardiovascular system. 

Ramps used to be foraged in the Spring from fertile soil under deciduous trees, but now you can easily find cultivated ramps.  Having never tried the foraged kind, I can't speak to any taste differences.  I've found various sources for the name ramp.  It could be Old English or Old German, maybe even ancient Greek.  If you're really curious, go to this Bon Appetit site to get your etymology geek on.  According to this site, the name of the city Chicago comes from a Native American word for the plant, shika'ko, which used to grow ramp-ant in that area.

Ramps' short growing season usually lasts through May.  Since we've had a cool Spring, I'm hoping the season will last longer, giving me a chance to finally explore all the possibilities and join the ramp fan club.  I'm looking forward to trying grilled ramps, sauteed ramps with pasta, fresh ramps wilted into risotto, and.....  What's your favorite ramp recipe?  Are there other spring vegetables I should feature?
 

Summer Food Safety

Image from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth+barbecue

I'm writing this on a cold, rainy, gray day with an equally dismal forecast for the Memorial Day weekend.  This weekend is usually the start of outdoor eating season.  If you're lucky, it already is where you are.  Maybe you're planning a picnic or you're taking some food to a barbecue. Perhaps you're packing snacks for a long road trip.  In anticipation of some not-too-distant future picnic and barbecue season, here are some pointers for preventing bad food from ruining your weekend or your summer.  

1.  Keep hot food hot and cold food cold as much as possible.  Most food-poisoning bugs like the same temperatures we do:  40-140° degrees F.  Well, I don't like anything over 80°, but you get the idea.  Food safety experts call this the Danger Zone.

2.  Don't leave food sitting out for more than 2 hours.  The longer food sits at room or air temperature, the closer the food's temperature gets to the bacteria's preferred temperature.  One way to more safely put hot food away is to divide it into smaller containers, which will cool more quickly due to greater surface area.

3.   Cook your meat thoroughly.  Invest in a meat thermometer and learn what safe temperatures are. Refer to this handy chart to find the different safe cooking temperatures for different meats.  Generally, 165° for chicken, 140° for pork, 145° for steaks, and 160° for ground meat.  Fish should flake easily when fully cooked.   

4.  Don't defrost foods on the counter.  Maybe you stocked up on ground turkey or steaks when they were on sale, waiting for the first opportunity to grill.  Ideally, you will take your frozen packs of protein out of the freezer a day or two before you need them and defrost them in the refrigerator.  If you didn't leave enough time, you can defrost them under cool running water or in the microwave.  Once you've defrosted meat, cook it right away and don't put it back in the freezer.

5.  Don't marinate foods on the counter, either.  See point 1 about the Danger Zone.

6.  Keep clean.  Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and vegetables.  Wash hands and surfaces frequently.  Clean up as you go along.  When it's time to eat, encourage everyone to wash hands or at a minimum offer sanitizing wipes or gels.

7.  If you're traveling with foods, pack cold foods directly from your fridge to your cooler.  Use plenty of ice packs or bagged ice.  If your cooler isn't full, add more ice.  Consider using a separate cooler for drinks.  Every time you open a cooler, cold air escapes, warming up the temperature inside the cooler.  You can use a cooler to keep hot dishes hot, too.  Wrap hot dishes up in dish towels or blankets for insulation. 

End of lecture.  Enjoy your summer eating!  Share your favorite picnic and grilling ideas!
 

Eat and Run

When I was trying to decide on a name for this blog, I almost called it "Eat and Run," since this seems to be all I do.  Eat, run, work, sleep, nag kids and husband, repeat. 

This past weekend, I ran my fifth half marathon, and for the first time, I didn't get debilitating cramps.  The past four long races have been fine for the first 9 miles or so, but then my quads or calves or both tighten up.  For this race, I'm still trying to figure out what I did differently so I can do it again.  My breakfast was the same.  I increased my refined carb intake (think pancakes, sandwiches, oatmeal) in the few days before the race  as usual.  I stopped at most but not all of the fluid stations and had my new favorite energy treat, Clif Margarita blocks at mile 7.  It was nearly perfect running weather:  60 degrees, low wind, and overcast.  I've gotten cramps in perfect weather, near-freezing winter mornings, as well as cool-ish summer nights.  I've built up mileage slowly, carried water and sports gels, and still cramped.

Cramps are still a mystery to dietitians and sports medicine specialists.  One study of 210 Ironman triathletes found that neither dehydration nor electrolyte changes predicted incidence of cramping.  Rather, past history of cramps and faster race times were associated with cramping.  I'm certainly not guilty of faster speeds.  The alternative is pretty depressing:  people who get cramps are more likely to get cramps again. 

I know there are a bunch of athletes out there.  What do you do to prevent cramps?  Scientists haven't figured it out, but that doesn't mean there's now fix out there.   More training?  More bananas?  Lots of gatorade or just plain water?  Flat Coke?  This dietitian is a new athlete whose science resources have failed her.  I need folk wisdom and anecdotes, please!

Meatless Mondays: Fava Beans

The first time I tried to cook fava beans, something that is practically fetishized in the foodie world, I thought they were so not worth the hype.  They were chewy and not at all the harbinger of spring they were reputed to be.  (Plus I kept thinking about Hannibal Lector.)

What you buy in the store or market

After the first peel:  notice the white, leathery skin

Then I did some research and discovered where I went wrong.  It turns out that you need to peel fava beans twice in order to make them the delicious tender morsels they are meant to be.  This means that fava beans are a lot of work, but they are so very worth it!

Twice-peeled and blanched favas beans

Once you have your arduously prepared fava beans, there are so many yummy ways to use them.  The first night, I used about 2 cups to make a puree:  blanched fava beans, some water (chicken stock would be even yummier, but I didn't have any), a few grinds of pepper, a few tablespoons of grated pecorino, and half of a clove of garlic went into the vitamix.  The resulting puree was a gorgeous, vibrant green.  The bit of garlic added some warmth, the pecorino added some roundness and gentle salinity, yet the delicate flavor of the favas themselves were the star.  My middle daughter declared it a success.  The oldest refuses to try anything mushy, and the youngest refuses to try anything green.  I presented it as a side dish or as a topping for ciabatta.  There was none left over.

It might look like baby food, but it was much, much too complexly flavored for just a baby

The remaining half cup got folded into a salad with whole wheat fettucine (soba noodles would have worked well, too), scallions, grated carrots, leftover steamed broccoli, leftover roasted asparagus, leftover roasted chicken breast, and a sesame oil-soysauce-rice wine vinegar dressing.  For additional crunch, I tossed in some toasted sesame seeds.  This salad is a complete meal in a bowl (protein, starch, and veg), which just got better each day.
 

The beauty of this salad was that it could have been made with any leftover vegetables, and the fava beans still would have stood out.

Nutritionally, fava beans deserve their place on the spring table.  They are packed with protein and fiber.  They are low in fat and sodium but high in iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, copper, and B vitamins, especially folate (essential for cell division), thiamine, niacin, and pyridixone (coenzymes for metabolism).  People with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), a rare genetic condition, should avoid eating fava beans as should people prone to developing oxalate kidney stones. Fava beans also are rich in levo-dopa (L-dopa), a precursor of some neurotransmitters.

If you've never tried fava beans, go try them now before the season is over!  If you love fava beans, how do you eat them?  I've seen recipes for grilling them, pod and all, but I haven't tried it yet.  The New York spring has not been cooperative enough for us to use our grill. How do you eat favas?

Meatless Mondays: Rhubarb

My mom had a big patch of rhubarb growing in our back yard when I was growing up, and one of my favorite things to do each spring was to pretend the stalks with the giant, heart-shaped leaves were my parasol and I was a fancy princess/movie star/fairy.  After my brother and I had tired of playing with the rhubarb, my mom would throw away the leaves (they're toxic), thoroughly clean and chop the stalks, then simmer them with a bit of sugar to make a yummy mushy sauce.  We ate the sauce with pancakes, spread on bread, or as a topping for  yogurt.  Today, I have to pay $4 a pound or more for rhubarb that we used to beg our neighbors to take. 

What used to be free now costs me $5!!!

Rhubarb's gorgeous color belies its tangy bite

Rhubarb is a vegetable that most cooks treat like a fruit.  It is low in protein, fat, and calories while relatively high in vitamin A (key role in growth and development), vitamin C (collagen builder), and potassium (crucial for heart health and muscle contraction).  One-half cup of cooked rhubarb has a bit of calcium, but our bodies are unable to absorb it because it is bound to oxalic acid.  Oxalic acid is one of the compounds that gives the plant its distinctive mouth-puckering effect.  Some of the other compounds that give rhubarb its astringent flavor also make it nutritious.  Rhubarb is high in tannins (also found in tea and red wine) and phenols.  Tannins and phenols are being studied for potential anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and vasodilatory effects.  The red hue in the stalk comes from anthocyanins, the same compound that colors purple cabbage.  This compound also has anti-inflammatory properties and might protect blood vessel linings.  The rhubarb will turn redder when cooked with acid (like lemon juice) and bluish or brownish if you cook them with alkaline foods like sugar.  Avoid cooking rhubarb in iron or aluminum pots; some metal ions in the pots can interact with the acids in rhubarb and can darken the pot and the rhubarb.

Today, I make rhubarb compote for my kids, although they don't get to play parasol the way I did.  Chop rhubarb into 1-inch pieces.  2 pounds will yield 6-7 cups.  Put into a non-iron, non-aluminum saucepan.  Toss with 3/4-1 cup sugar.  Let stand until the rhubarb releases some liquid.  Thinly slice about an inch of ginger (to taste).  Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft but not completely mushy.  Remove from heat, let cool, and fish out the ginger slices.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice if it's too sweet.  This time, I also added a vanilla bean just to see.  It doesn't overwhelm the rhubarb or ginger flavor but rather gives mellows it out.  Serve as a sauce for sweet and savory foods.  It plays nicely with pork chops, yogurt, french toast, or just by itself. 

Strain the rhubarb to drain out the syrup

The resulting syrup and compote

You can also find lots of recipes for rhubarb pies (usually with strawberry), cakes, crumbles, and other sweet treats.  I tried rhubarb scones from a well-reviewed recipe.  Unfortunately, my food processor chopped the rhubarb so finely, you can't even see it, and my oven is on the fritz, which resulted in burned scones.  They look good from the top, but the bottom just makes me sad.

My other favorite thing to do with rhubarb is to make rhubarb syrup, which makes a yummy cosmo or soda when added to seltzer.  Chop 2 pounds of rhubarb into 1 inch pieces.  Put into a non-iron, non-aluminum saucepan with 1 cup sugar plus 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the rhubarb is soft.  Let cool then strain the liquid into a jar.  Reserve the solids, which will be sweeter than the compote recipe above.  Again, customize with your favorite add-ins.  Ginger, star anise, and citrus would all be delicious additions.  To make a cosmo, combine into an ice-filled cocktail shaker 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Cointreau, 1/2 - 1 ounce rhubarb syrup, and the juice of half of a lime.  Shake, strain, and enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: asparagus

It's finally feeling like Spring around here, which makes me crave food that hasn't been stored for months -- or transported long distances.  What better food to celebrate the end of winter than asparagus?  Barbara Kingsolver, in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, devotes pages to how the first pokings of her asparagus plants each year heralded the beginning of a new season of planting and eating well.  I have not yet tried to grow asparagus in my sad roof garden, but I might work up the courage to do so this year since I love the vegetable so much. 

Picture from http://foodtruthonline.com/tag/asparagus-recipe

Asparagus is a healthy way to celebrate Spring.  It's very low in calories:  only 20 per 1/2 cup cooked serving.  It's a good source of fiber; vitamins A, C, and K; and folate.  The grassy spear also contributes iron, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium.  It is low in fat and even has 2.2 grams of protein per serving.  White asparagus, which is asparagus that has been grown under mounds of dirt, which prevents the pigment chlorophyll from turning the spear green, is just as nutritious.  Disclaimer:  it's hard to find nutrition information on white asparagus, which is more common in Europe than in the US.  It might have fewer antioxidants due to its lack of pigment.  Many of the phytochemicals that give vegetables color also contribute to their nutritional value.

(As for the funny urine smell that asparagus causes, did you know that some people don't create the smell, some do, some can smell the stink, and others can't?  In other words, there are 2 genes involved in the smelly urine.  You could be a smelly-pee person but lack the gene to notice the smell.  Scientists think the smell comes from the way the body digests and processes as yet unidentified sulfuric compounds.) 

If you don't grow your own, look for firm stalks with tightly closed tips.  If the stalks are ridged or the bottoms look like old bamboo, the asparagus is probably old and won't be as tasty.  I've read that you should store your asparagus the way you would flowers:  take the rubber band off and stick them in an inch of water in a tall glass just as you'd put your daffodils in a vase.  I haven't tried that yet, have any of you? I rarely have asparagus around long enough to get old, but I like to give the stalks a rinse, wrap in a damp paper towel, then put into a plastic bag in the fridge.  As for the fibrous stalks, I use the bend and break method, unless I want all of my pieces to be the same length.  If you bend the stalk, it should break off right above the most woody part.  It's not always pretty and does seem a bit wasteful, but it generally works.  When I'm trying to be fancy or want a nicer presentation, I peel the bottom 3-4 inches of the stalks.   

Some people prefer reed-thin asparagus, but I like the thicker stalks, which are from older plants.  I find them sweeter and more flavorful than the skinny ones.  Some of my favorite ways to eat asparagus are roasted, pureed into soup, grilled, with Gruyere cheese in a savory tart or quiche, or lightly steamed and chopped into a salad.  I've also had shaved, raw asparagus, although I confess to preferring this vegetable cooked.  What's your favorite asparagus recipe?  Do you like white asparagus or find it just a bit blah?  I've seen pictures of purple asparagus but have never seen it in a store to buy.  What's it like?

Happy Registered Dietitian Day!

 March is, among other things, National Nutrition Month, and today is Registered Dietitian Day.  Maybe you're thinking there's a day for anything and what's a registered dietitian anyway.  As a registered dietitian (RD) myself, I may be a little biased in thinking that we're more than deserving of a little recognition once a year. 

RDs are highly trained professionals who work in hospitals, schools, restaurants, food companies, government, and in your communities to translate the (ever-changing) science of how food and nutrients affect health and well-being into practice.  We make sure that sick people in hospitals get the nutrients they need to heal; we train food service employees so they don't create or spread food-borne illness; we teach and support breastfeeding mothers; we create healthy, safe menus for school children; we help food companies develop new products; we teach patients with diabetes how to control their blood glucose through food; we develop public health programs to combat malnutrition and obesity; we teach, tweet, pin, and blog to share our love of food and health with the world.  Our work helps to enhance lives, lower health care costs, and take away people's fear of foods.

How's a dietitian different from a nutritionist?  In many states, anyone can call herself a nutritionist, regardless of training or education.  Some dietitians call themselves nutritionists, but the term dietitian is regulated by the Commission on Dietietic Registration (CDR).  The CDR mandates at least a bachelor's degree; extensive coursework in food science, physiology, biochemistry, research methods, and management; a 900-1200 hour supervised internship; and passing a comprehensive national examination before a nutrition professional can call herself a dietitian.  Nutrition is a second career for me, so it took me nearly 5 years, not all full-time and with breaks to have a few children, to earn my credentials.  Like nearly half of all RDs, I have an advanced degree, and many of us also receive additional certifications in specialties like sports nutrition, nutrition support (e.g., tube feeding), weight management, or diabetes education.

What don't RDs do?  We are not the food police!  We don't judge what you eat.  We don't push pills and supplements.  We don't shame and blame.  We don't follow every last food trend.  We try to educate, motivate, and help people see food as an enjoyable part of life that can enhance and promote health.  I'm proud to be a registered dietitian, and tonight, I raise a glass to all my fellow RDs.   

A Toast to American Heart Month?

February is American Heart Month, so I've been thinking about some of the confusing recommendations about keeping your ticker ticking.  Do you drink?  Do you drink because it's healthy?  Are all alcoholic drinks healthy?  How much is a drink anyway?  This month, I've tried to abstain from alcohol as much as possible, book club nights and date nights being the exceptions.  The American Heart Association does a great job explaining why the relationship between alcohol and heart health is so complex.

For some people, drinking is not a healthy choice.  A few examples:  if you have a personal or family history of addiction, already have high triglycerides, liver disease, or are taking medications that do not mix well with alcohol, please don't drink.  If you are generally healthy with normal weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, the American Heart Association suggests that up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men might be protective of your heart.  Does this mean that you should have 14 glasses of wine a week?  Does this mean you can drink a case of beer all by yourself on the weekend? 

As a proud alumna of a Big Ten university, I can tell you from personal experience that saving all your drinks for one night, either at a particularly juicy book club or at a too-long happy hour, is a twisted interpretation of the American Heart Association's recommendations.  You know the saying, "Too much of a good thing is good for nothing"? 

I was all ready to post this lesson on how much alcohol is considered a serving.  I had pictures of wine in different glasses and a mini lesson on how glass size and shape affect one's perception of quantity when I woke up on Monday to this:

This week, the nutrition and health world is abuzz about the news that the Mediterranean diet, with its liberal inclusion of alcohol, especially wine, is being hailed as effectively preventing heart disease in people at risk.  I took the "How Mediterranean is Your Diet?" quiz, thinking I would score pretty highly.  My diet is only moderately Mediterranean because I don't drink enough wine!  Who do you believe:  the American Heart Association or a 7500-person prospective study published in the well-regarded New England Journal of Medicine?  First, read the article for yourself.  It's well written and not too jargon-y. 

If you don't want to read the article, keep these points in mind:  The researchers gave Spanish people, who are already following a Mediterranean-ish diet, even more olive oil and nuts than they usually consume.  They did not give them more wine.  The researchers think it is these healthy fats and fiber which might be responsible for the differences in risk of heart attack or stroke in people who were already at high risk for such major cardiovascular events.  The researchers also point out that they lost more people to follow-up in the control group, which was supposed to follow a low-fat diet.  The people in the control group were given less support, education, and intervention than the people in the Mediterranean diet groups.  Maybe the difference in quantity and quality of education affected not only their adherence to the low-fat diet but also their desire to stay in the study.  People from the control group who dropped out also tended to have the worst health at baseline, so they might have benefited more from intensive nutrition education and intervention, even if it was for a low-fat diet.  The Mediterranean diet group was also asked to limited their intake of commercially prepared sweets, processed meats, and dairy products.  The health benefits might have come from eating fewer cakes, cookies, hot dogs, ice cream, and cheese, not necessarily from the fruits, vegetables, sea food, legumes, and wine.  

Also, researchers don't know what exactly about the Mediterranean diet makes it so healthy because it comprises so many healthy components.  It's plant-based and therefore high in not only fiber but other phytochemicals that can be anti-inflammatory or cardioprotective in and of themselves.  The diet is rich in omega-3 fatty acids from both fish and nuts, which are also beneficial, and low in red meat, which is high in the not-so-good kinds of fats.  It could be that all of these components are synergistic in the body in protecting older people with multiple risk factors for heart disease from having a stroke or heart attack. 

Back to the question of whether alcohol is good for you, I guess my professional answer remains that it depends.  It depends on what the rest of your diet is like, what risk factors you have, your family history, level of activity, medications, and how you incorporate alcohol into your diet.  Binge drinking is never good, and drinking your calories instead of eating them -- even if you're a healthy weight -- will leave you malnourished.  After reading the study, I'm not convinced that I need to add more wine to my life, but I will try to include more seafood and nuts.

Meatless Mondays: Onions

Picture from http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguideoniongarlic

Can you think of any savory recipes that don't begin with "Saute your chopped onions in some olive oil or butter..."?  Cuisines all around the world rely on this bulb to bring a rich, sweet depth of flavor when cooked or a sharp pungency when used raw.  Food historians and archaeologists do not agree on where cultivated onions originated, possibly Asia, possibly Iran or western Pakistan, but onions have been cultivated for at least 5000 years.  Ancient Egyptians believed that onions symbolized eternity because of their structure:  circles within circles.  Onions were buried with the pharaohs, perhaps because of their antiseptic properties or the belief that onions' strong smell would revive the dead. 

For the living, onions can promote good health.  Onions are low in calories and fat, and high in carbohydrates and fiber.  They are also a good source of the B vitamin folate and vitamin C.  Scallions have moderate amounts of vitamin A and high amounts of vitamin K.  Onions have a long history of being used for medicinal purposes, and research is revealing the benefits of the plant's many phytochemicals.  For example, onions are a good source of chromium, a mineral that helps to regulate insulin response and might help to control blood sugar levels.  The soluble fiber in onions helps to lower levels of the LDL or "bad" cholesterol.  The compounds responsible for onions' smell, allium and allyl disulphide, further promote cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol levels and decreasing the stiffness of blood vessels, which can reduce blood pressure.

Do you always cry when you cut onions?  I've tried nearly every remedy I've heard of, but nothing has worked for me.  The tears are caused when propanethial-S-oxide is released from the cell walls by your knife, turns into sulfuric acid, and mixes with your tears.  You can try slicing onions under running water, which dilutes the compound, or chill the onions for an hour or so in order to slow down the molecules of the propanethial-S-oxide.  Or you can dispense with vanity and get those onion goggles that prevent the water-soluble propanethial-S-oxide from even reaching your delicate eyes.  I haven't tried the goggles.

When I have a lazy weekend, I love to prepare a big batch of caramelized onions.  The onion's sulfuric compounds turn into sugars when heated, and the amino acids plus sugar undergo the Maillard reaction, which most people know as caramelizing.  Slice up as many onions as you can find.  Heat a big skillet over medium-low heat, add some olive oil, and your sliced onions.  Stir occasionally, coating each onion in the oil.  Don't turn up the heat; low heat and occasional tossing are all that's required.  After 45-60 minutes, your pile of onions will have transformed into a luscious brown jelly-like mass, which can be stirred into eggs, eaten with toast, tossed with pasta, served with cheese, or used as an accompaniment for roasted chicken or fish.

Free February: mid-month check-in

Picture from blog.foodnetwork.com

Is anyone else doing Free February?  I've been practically wheat-free all month.  I went to The Meatball Shop with a friend for lunch yesterday, where I suspect there were breadcrumbs in the delicious meatballs.  Last night I felt achy and tired.  Coincidence?  Possibly.  Otherwise, I've resisted pizza, pasta, and bread.  At the restaurant yesterday, I could have had my meatballs with pasta, but the polenta and risotto options actually sounded more appealing.  I wasn't even tempted to eat the slice of focaccia that came on the side.  Progress?  Yes!

What's been hardest is when I need a snack at work or even when I'm out with the kids.  So many of the shops and delis sell only bread products.  Our go-to snacks with the kids are 75% flour-based.  Think goldfish crackers, pretzels, animal crackers, even most of the cereal bars.  My usual favorite snack, a pretzel and peanut butter bar from Clif, is made with pretzels, which are made with....wheat.  Even Sun Chips, which is my usual vacation treat, is made with wheat! 

I've been a little less successful on the alcohol challenge.  For some crazy reason, I'm in 3 book clubs.  The most recently-joined club was scheduled to meet this week.  Only the organizer and I showed up, so we had a glass of wine to commiserate/celebrate/discuss/try to figure out why no one else is coming.  I think we deserved and enjoyed that wine.  And of course, it's just wrong to go to a restaurant like Aureole without having a carefully selected wine from a carefully selected wine list to go with spectacular food! 

I'm not sure if I'm feeling any benefits yet.  I had a great run tonight with a friend, but that could just be my one great run for the month.  A co-worker told me it looked like I was losing weight, but that could just have been my magic pants that are so flattering they could make anyone look better (Banana Republic denim trousers in case you're curious).  My tummy is still grumbly and I still have the occasional red spots on my face.  It could be that I'm not being as careful with my label-reading as I should be.  I'll do a longer post on what to look for when going gluten-free later this month, if anyone's interested.

What about you?  How are you doing?  Do you feel any better?  My brother-in-law has lost 11 pounds by not eating bread, desserts, eating 1/3 fewer calories overall and getting 7 hours of sleep a night.  Maybe I should be working on getting more sleep, too.

How Fat is your Fat Tuesday?

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/buschs

Somehow, I spent 18 years in Michigan, home to a large Polish population, and never consumed a single Pączki.  Now that I live in Brooklyn, which also has a sizable Polish community, I still haven’t tried them.  I keep forgetting to travel to Williamsburg to seek them out because Mardi Gras always sneaks up on me.  Have you had your Pączki yet today?   Pączki, for the uninitiated like me, are essentially donuts filled with fruit or sweet cheese.  They are eaten in Eastern Europe and places with lots of eastern Europeans to celebrate Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras before the austerity of Lent begins.  An article on Huffington Post reports that paczki were created to clear out all of the “bad” foods from pantries like lard and sugar before Lent.  This article also reports that one can now find lower-calorie versions, gluten-free paczki, and a baked-not-fried version:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/paczki-day-2013-polish-doughnut-diet_n_2662549.html 

Frankly, the low-fat and low-calorie paczki sound ridiculous and defeat the entire purpose.  Pączki are meant to be eaten once a year, and indulging in some greasy sugar bombs before Lent won’t make your cholesterol, blood sugar, or weight shoot up overnight.  Of course, it’s wise to know exactly how much you’re going to indulge.  Nutrition information for pączki varies greatly from brand to brand.  Calorie counts range from 320 to more than 500 per donut, fat from 9 to 38 grams, and anywhere from 25 to 75 grams of carbohydrates.  I wouldn’t recommend having more than one, but enjoy each and every sticky bite!

 

Meatless Mondays: Potatoes

4 different kinds of potatoes from the farmers' market

Do you remember the Atkins days when potatoes were beyond passé?  “Too starchy!”  “Carb bombs!”  Poor, maligned potatoes.  Like everything, potatoes can be very good for you in moderation.  Did you know that potatoes have a moderate amount of protein and vitamin C?  Spanish colonizers noticed that the soldiers who ate potatoes were less likely to develop scurvy than those who didn’t because of the vitamin C in the potatoes.  It is also a decent source of folic acid and very high in potassium.  With the skin, a medium potato (about 6 ounces) has 4 grams of fiber.  Potatoes are virtually sodium- and fat-free and will only set you back 168 calories.  Waxy potatoes have a little bit less starch and calories, but are still rich in potassium and fiber.  Compare that to 2 slices of ciabatta, which has 260 calories, a lot of salt, and hardly any fiber or one cup of cooked white rice, which has 205 calories and negligible fiber. 

Did you know that potatoes are in the same botanical family as tomatoes and eggplants?  The nightshade family is so named because these plants can produce neurotoxins.  Potatoes’ neurotoxin is called solanine, which is made in the green parts of the plant and any green spots on the potato itself.  Light exposure hastens solanine production, which is why most guides tell you to store your potatoes in a cool, dark place.  All potatoes make solanine, but the government regulates how much is allowed to be present in potatoes for sale.  In order to feel any effects of the solanine, you’d have to eat 3 pounds of potatoes or 2.4 pounds of the skins.  A child would feel the solanine by eating 1.5 pounds of potatoes of 1.4 pounds of the skins.[1]  Just to be on the safe side, throw away sprouted potatoes or ones that are all green. 

Have you looked at the varieties of potatoes out there to buy?  Potatoes originate in South America, where they have been cultivated since at least 500 B.C.  Check out this website for more history of the potato:  http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PotatoHistory.htm  Or read this Smithsonian article about the role of the potato in creating today’s civilization:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-the-Potato-Changed-the-World.html.  Or look at the National Geographic photo feature of some of the more unusual potatoes one can buy in South America:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/potato-variety#/1.  My favorite is “Makes the Daughter-in-Law Cry.”  In New York, Cornell University certifies 70 different kinds of potatoes.  At my farmers’ market, I’ve seen about 20 of them. 

We usually roast potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe some rosemary, so our preferred potatoes are the waxy type.  If I were to mash potatoes, I would select Russets or Idahos.  The picture above is of Adirondack Blues, Carolas, Red Sunsets, and another pink one whose name I’ve forgotten.  I’ve also liked German Butterballs and La Rattes.  Every once in a blue moon, I’ll make mashed potatoes with regular red potatoes, boiling them with their skins and with a clove or two of garlic.  I like my mashed potatoes pretty rustic, with lots of butter and salt.  Even though I'm from Michigan, I'm not much of a potato salad person.  However, I've been told that waxy or medium-waxy is the way to go for a non-mushy potato salad.  Tomorrow, I’m making curried red lentils with potato and chicken in my slow cooker using starchy russets. I'll let you know how it turns out and if my kids will deign to consume it. How do you use potatoes?  What’s your favorite kind?  Have you found a way to tell whether a potato is starchy or waxy just by looking at it in the store?

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[1] Rinzler, Carol Ann.  The New Complete Book of Food:  A Nutritional, Medical, and Culinary Guide., 2 ed.  New York, NY:  Checkmark Books; 2009.

Scooped by the New York Times

I was researching and preparing a post about gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, but today's New York Times has a great article that says just about everything I was going to say.  Check it out at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/gluten-free-whether-you-need-it-or-not/?hpw. 

At the last two big dietitian conferences I've been to, there have been hundreds of companies marketing gluten-free this and gluten-free that.  Celiac disease diagnoses are on the rise, and everyone knows someone who is gluten-free either because of celiac or autism spectrum disorder or any number of other reasons.  Knowing people who have true wheat and gluten allergies, this proliferation of gluten-free products definitely makes their lives easier, but it's not necessary for everyone.  I appreciate that the journalist makes clear that a gluten-free diet is not necessarily healthier, especially if you don't have a gluten-sensitivity or celiac disease.  The journalist also highlights research that makes a pretty compelling case for a true gluten sensitivity.  It isn't all in my head. 

As for my own gluten-free experiment, I confess to having half of a grilled cheese sandwich on Saturday (and a small glass of wine -- oops!), so it's only been 3 days of "clean" living for me so far.  I haven't noticed any changes yet.  February is a pretty hard month to give up wheat and alcohol.  I was probably the only person in American not drinking beer while watching Beyonce and that little football game on Sunday.  Then there are the Oscars drinking games.  Valentines Day.  Holiday weekend away with friends.  You get the idea.  I haven't figured out what to do about my youngest daughter's birthday, which is at the end of the  month, either.  She'll want a cake of course. I've made wheat-free cookies, but I don't feel ready to tackle a wheat-free birthday cake.  She's old enough now to be more discriminating in her treats, so she'll not be happy with a substandard substitute.

What do you think about the gluten-free movement?  Is it a trend?  Or is it another example of activists being ahead of science?  Any good gluten-free birthday cake recipes to share?

Meatless Mondays: oranges

Have you gotten tired of oranges yet?  This time of year, it seems like the only fresh fruit available in the dead of winter that doesn't cost as much as a year's college tuition are mealy apples, hard pears, and citrus.  When I first moved to New York, I was obsessed with clementines, which are a sweet, seedless, easy-to-peel cousin of the tangerine.  I probably would have fallen hard for them even if they weren't introduced to me by my boss at the time, a woman I idolized and at whose swank Chelsea (the neighborhood in Manhattan, not the town where I grew up) apartment I was thrilled to finally see.  Fifteen years ago, these five-pound boxes of sunshine were an absurdly priced $10 per box, but I bought them even when I couldn't really afford them because they were just. that. good.  They seem to be more widely available these days, and they come from all over the world now.  Back in the day, the best clementines were from Spain.  I've seen them lately from California and Morocco, but I think the Spanish ones are the most reliably sweet. 

My current citrus obsession is blood oranges.  I first had these when I was an exchange student in France, and I couldn't believe that a citrus fruit could be so gorgeous and have such a complex flavor.  Unlike the naval oranges I grew up with, blood oranges aren't pure sugar; they can be just a little bit bitter.  The peel is sometimes bruised with burgundy, sometimes it's all orange.  The flesh looks like the Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona:  orange, pink, wine, and, of course, blood red variations make everything else seem dull by comparison.  Blood orange juice makes the prettiest cocktails because the juice is more rose-colored than orange. 

Most people think of oranges as being a great source of vitamin C, but it's also rich in folate and potassium.  Vitamin C supports your immune system and helps to build collagen, which supports your skin.  Folic acid is essential for proper cell division and growth, and potassium can help to regulate blood pressure.  Oranges are also high in soluble fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and fills up your belly to keep you full for longer.  As with most fruits, it's better to eat the whole fruit than to drink the juice if you're watching your weight or your blood sugar.  One eight-ounce glass of juice can be equivalent to 3-6 whole oranges.  A medium-sized orange has 62 calories plus 3 grams of fiber compared to a cup of orange juice, which has 110 calories and no fiber. 

My favorite way to eat oranges is just peeled and popped into the mouth, but I sometimes get fancy and slice them up into salads.  My husband is anti-fruit in savory dishes, so I haven't explored other ways of eating them.  Cooking will destroy the vitamin C, but there are some classic recipes that call for cooked oranges.  I'm thinking crepes suzette, duck a l'orange, etc.  I've also had some cooked citrus in Asian food.  How do you eat oranges?  Or are you ready to never see another orange again and dying for the first strawberries of spring?

No Fun February

Welcome to Free February!  Because it is the shortest day of the month and so many people have slowly relinquished their New Years resolutions by now, February seems like a good time to buckle down and focus on reinforcing healthy habits.  For probably the first time, my brother-in-law has inspired me.  Every February, he eschews alcohol, meat, and other vices, in order to correct the excesses of the holiday season.  I don't feel like I really have any excesses to compensate for, but I do like the idea of challenging myself for a discrete time period.  A blog I used to read did something similar, calling the experience "No Fun February."  I'd like to think of these forthcoming 28 days as something other than "no fun."  That's hardly inspiring or optimistic, and I'm framing this experiment as a challenge feel better, lighter, and maybe even richer.

Because we all know that making your intentions public is a great way to ensure accountability, I hereby endeavor to free myself from a reliance on the following for the next 28 days:

• alcohol
• white bread, pasta, and crackers
• Amazon

OK, so Amazon isn't really a bad food habit, but it's kind of scary how easy it is to one-click your way to a big credit card bill while justifying it as "education" or "research." As to the other "free-froms," I'm thinking of February as being a mini cleanse and coining my own term:  Free February. 

There is a place in a balanced diet for wine, beer, and cocktails, but I'm finally realizing that I just don't need the extra calories.  I'm going to try to follow my own advice to my patients to eat my calories rather than drink them.  A five-ounce glass of wine has 125 calories, but I think my glass holds more than 5 ounces.  ;-) A four-ounce cocktail, such as a cosmo, has 213 calories.  My unwinding-after-work drink of choice, a manhattan, is a little bit better at 130 calories, but it's usually followed by a glass of wine or beer with dinner.  This after-work or dinner drink has become a part of my daily dinner/evening routine.  It probably isn't all that good for me, so I want to see if I can do without it and feel better.

My favorite cocktail, the Manhattan.  I'll miss you!

Bread, pasta, and crackers are not in and of themselves bad for you, but my family has been eating a lot of cheese with that bread, pasta, and crackers.   These simple starches are great sources of energy to fuel my long runs, but they offer little else nutritionally besides calories.

I also suspect that I might have a bit of a gluten intolerance.  Please don't think that I'm jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon, but I want to do an experiment whereby I eliminate gluten as much as possible from my diet to see if it makes my tummy feel better.  As any student of the scientific method knows, one cannot manipulate more than one variable if one wants to determine an effect.  That's why I'm only going gluten-free and not also dairy- or casein-free, meat-free, or--horrors!--caffeine-free this moth, too.

A pediatrician I used to work with believes that it takes four months to clear the gluten antibodies from the body.  Celiac disease support group sites report instant relief to 3-4 weeks to feel better.  I'm going to try for the four weeks of February to see if it changes anything.  Do you know how prevalent gluten is?  I'll devote an entire post to the challenges of gluten-free eating later.      

I've recruited at least one friend to join me in freeing ourselves from greediness.  We run together, so we'll be able to check in and commiserate over the lack of wine in our lives for a measly month.  Earlier this week, as we enjoyed bread, triple cream cheese, and a bottle of wine, then rehashed the horror that was our half marathon last Sunday, she told me she was actually looking forward to Free February.  Do you want to join us in Free February?  What do you think you could do without for four weeks?

Getting ahead

Are you a meal planner?  Do you make a grocery list on the weekend and coolly and calmly get dinner on the table each night?  I wish.  Every few months, I start out with the best of intentions, poring over my cookbooks and bookmarked web pages, listing everything that I want to make, eliminating the things that my husband and kids probably won't touch, then making a week's menu.  Even with the menu and grocery list, I rarely feel less stressed out about mealtime, and often, I don't follow the plan.

This weekend, I tried a different strategy.  Rather than make a menu and grocery list, I thought of some key ingredients that take a lot of prep time or benefit from pre-cooking.  With a few shortcuts in the refrigerator, I hope to have a better cache of ingredients with which to pull together quick meals or to add to recipes I've bookmarked for "sometime."  I washed and dried a few bags of greens.  I made a batch of dal.  I roasted one huge butternut squash and froze chunks of another.  I made a mushroom stroganoff and boiled noodles for vegetarian lunches this week.

The butternut squash might turn into coconut curry pumpkin soup (http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/11/19/coconut-curry-pumpkin-soup/) or get tossed with fusilli and goat cheese.  The pre-washed chard might be added to smoothies or sauteed for a vegetable side at dinner.  I may add some leftover short ribs to the dal to make it more appealing to the kids and husband or keep it vegetarian and serve it with brown rice.  It did feel like I spent hours in the kitchen this weekend, but I was able to talk to my family while washing greens, show my middle daughter how to peel a humongous squash safely, and enjoy my time over the stove instead of feeling resentful about another chore to get through after a long day at my paying job.  Just knowing that so much of the grunt work was done while I was relaxed and spending semi-quality time with my family will almost motivate me to try it again.  Maybe even before Spring.

What do you do keep ahead of the "What's for dinner?" conundrum?  Do you subscribe to a meal planning service like the Six O'Clock Scramble?  Do you the Dinner A Love Story food diary method?  Or is more ad hoc at your house, like it usually is at mine?  

Meatless Mondays: Mushrooms

Better late than never.....

I'm really trying to resist calling them "magical," but mushrooms really are a nutrient powerhouse.  These fungi are low calorie, low fat, low salt, yet high in fiber.  Mushrooms have even more potassium than bananas and are rich in copper, selenium, riboflavin, and niacin.  Mushrooms are purported to be vegetarian sources of vitamin B12, usually found only in animal-based foods, and vitamin D, which is found naturally in very few foods.  The USDA nutrient database indicates that mushrooms don't contain the active form of B12, and contain only inactive vitamin D.  Some of these inactive vitamin forms might convert to active forms, but vegetarians shouldn't rely on mushrooms to meet these nutrient needs.

Do you wash your mushrooms or do you wipe them clean?  The fear has always been that mushrooms will absorb washing water, which will alter how they cook and dilute their flavor.  I've always been firmly in the washing camp.  Alton Brown, of Good Eats fame, did an episode in which he compared the weight of washed and wiped mushrooms.  There was no weight difference between the two batches, yet the washed mushrooms looked cleaner.  I feel validated.  

Cooking mushrooms in water will leach out the riboflavin and niacin, water-soluble B vitamins.  To retain the nutrients, either incorporate the cooking liquid into your meal or eat them raw. 

Most recently, I took advantage of mushrooms' high levels of glutamic acid (the natural form of MSG) to bring umami to Smitten Kitchen's mushroom bourguignon.  Are you a Smitten Kitchen http://smittenkitchen.com/ fan?  Her blog and cookbook are beautifully photographed examples of what a curious and adventurous home cook can create.  Deb Perelman, the author, used to be vegetarian, so she always includes rich, complex vegetarian mains and side dishes.  The two pounds of portobello mushrooms quickly cooked down to a luscious, rich meal that even my steak-loving husband enjoyed.

The only change I made to her recipe was to add some swiss chard at the end of the cooking period to beef up the nutrition.  (Sorry, I can never resist a good pun.)  Those are the sort of sad green bits in the picture above, which added vitamin K, vitamin C, and even more fiber to the dish. 

In the summer, I know it's cliched, but I enjoy grilled mushrooms, both the enormous portobellos and the smaller button or criminis on a shish kebab.  Although I'm not as much of a fan of raw mushrooms, a spinach salad just seems incomplete without them.  How do you use mushrooms?  Are you a washer or a wiper?