Food Myths Debunked: Eggs

In this our second post about food myths, we discuss the humble egg. Eggs get a bad rap because they are "high" in cholesterol; I often have patients come see me with high blood levels of cholesterol who have been told by their allopathic doctor to avoid eggs. This unfortunate advice stems from the early 70's when the link was made (supposedly) between cholesterol and heart disease. Suddenly, we were being told to limit our daily intake of cholesterol to no more than 300 mg—alas, the egg contains 278 mg of cholesterol in its yolk. Because of this, the egg industry as a whole almost collapsed and people began avoiding egg yolks. Nina Planck, in her book Real Food, helps us understand how "real" eggs—pastured eggs, are almost a perfect food. To paraphrase, eggs are a source of protein with a balance of amino acids that is so close to the ideal for humans that eggs are the model for rating the quality of protein in all foods. Egg yolks are high in lecithin (a source of choline vital to fetal brain development), carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin (which prevent macular degeneration and may help fight colon cancer), biotin (which is essential for healthy hair, skin, and nerves and allows us to digest fat and protein), and betaine (which reduces homocysteine and thus protects from atherosclerosis). Egg yolks, particularly those from pastured eggs, are also high in vitamins A & E, folic acid, and omega 3 fatty acids. To quote Food Renegade, a blog I love:

"When compared to the USDA's nutrient data for conventional eggs coming from chickens confined in factory farms, the eggs of pastured hens usually contain:

• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
  
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
  
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
  
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
  
• 3 times more vitamin E
  
• 7 times more beta carotene
  
• 4 to 6 times more vitamin D
  

In short, they're much more nutrient dense. And they're healthy. Rather than being loaded down with so-called "bad" cholesterol, they're actually rich in the cholesterol your body needs to keep your memory in tip-top shape, your mood serene, and all your organs and cells repaired."

Getting back to that cholesterol issue, a study of 118,000 people reported in JAMA in 1999 showed no significant association between egg consumption and heart disease and in fact that people who ate 5-6 eggs per week had a lower risk of heart disease than those who ate less than 1 egg per week! Furthermore, earlier studies linking egg consumption to heart disease used powdered eggs, which contains oxidized cholesterol—the kind that causes atherosclerosis. There is more information about the great cholesterol-heart disease debate in my first Food Myths Debunked post on coconut oil.

Supermarket eggs are NOT real eggs, despite labels like "organic," "free range," "all natural," or "cage free." All these labels mean is that the hens were fed organic food and were caged in a warehouse rather than in individual cages. It does not guarantee that these hens actually had exposure to the outdoors and a diet rich in insects that raise nutrient value. The only guarantee that you are getting "real eggs" is to raise hens yourself or get them from a trusted person who does. Luckily, this is fairly easy to do: most cities allow you to raise 3-4 chickens (no roosters), or else you can find eggs from people who are raising them (check your local craigslist and farmer's markets). I found a great website with info about raising city chickens with a great photo gallery of chicken tractors that just might inspire you to build one and raise your own eggs!

One last important note about eggs. Unfortunately, many people have allergies to chicken eggs. This may be in part due to the fact that several vaccines are grown in chicken eggs and, because children receive so many vaccines at an age before the immune system is fully developed, our bodies form an allergic response. If this is the case for you, consider trying some alternative eggs: duck eggs and quail eggs may be an option for you. Just this week, I had quail eggs for the first time: hard boiled with some sea salt and pepper and they were delicious! One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is fried in butter and eaten over quinoa and black beans and topped with sour cream, salsa, avocados, and fresh cilantro. I'll share that recipe in my next post about quinoa… (yeah, I know, it's a shameless plug but hopefully it will keep you reading!)

Hard Boiled

Eggs of course.

Easter has come and gone and this means that it's deviled egg season. Here's a bit of deviled egg trivia for you. Spicy stuffed eggs date back as far as the 13^th century in Andalucia. The name came into being in the 18^th century. The term was a culinary term used for spicy dishes or condiments. As deviled eggs have evolved they are typically no longer spicy but have retained the name.

Growing up, the way we made deviled eggs was to mash the hard cooked yolks with some mayonnaise and some mustard, dollop back into the hard cooked white halves, and sprinkled them with paprika. Since then I have discovered that there is a way to make them tastier without too much more effort. First we'll talk about hard boiling eggs then I'll share a recipe that is quite popular that one of our Girls Night girls brings to most breakfast events.

 

Everybody has a different method of cooking hard boiled eggs. I am going to share my favorite with you here:

Place eggs in a pot with a lid.

Fill the pot with water so it just covers the eggs.

Add a splash of vinegar. (I've heard it helps the shell come off easier. I do it, although I have never done a side by side shell removing test.)

Bring the water to a boil, cover and remove the pot from the heat.

Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Gently pour hot water out and fill pot with cold water.

Allow the eggs to cool.

Once you have cooled the eggs remove the shell and rinse.

 

Now for deviled eggs:

6 hard boiled eggs cut in half with the whites and yolks separated.

Mash yolks and add:

¼ cup mayonnaise (some people say miracle whip is the secret ingredient but being a health related blog I am reluctant to recommend it as it contains high fructose corn syrup ).

1 teaspoon prepared mustard.

1 teaspoon white vinegar.

Paprika to taste.

Now dollop the mixture back into the hard boiled egg white halves and sprinkle with the paprika.

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!

Bon Appetite!

Olive’s Oil

"Olive oil is one of the first foods that Italian babies eat, and one of the last foods offered to the dying." - Nina Planck, Real Food: What to Eat and Why

Last week Chef Brett posted about enjoying good crusty bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil so we decided we'd segue into olive oil this week. Olive oil is one of the "good" fats—high in oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat), a good source of palmitic acid (a healthy saturated fat), vitamin E, and polyphenols. Monounsaturated fats and palmitic acid help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol while vitamin E and polyphenols help prevent cancer and heart disease. Olive oil inhibits platelets from sticking together, reduces inflammation, and lowers blood pressure.

Olive oil is great used cold in vinaigrettes or for dipping bread, but is also a good choice for cooking at moderate temperatures. The monounsaturated fatty acids are relatively heat stable (more so than polyunsaturated fats—vegetable oils—which are more susceptible to oxidation); a blend of olive oil and butter is even better because of the saturated fats in the butter.

Olive oil requires very little processing, unlike other vegetable oils. It typically comes in 3 grades: plain, virgin, and extra virgin. Virgin and extra virgin are best—particularly if made cold-pressed which preserves the vitamin E and antioxidant polyphenols. Extra virgin olive oil is made from the first pressing of the olives and retains the most nutritional and antioxidant value. Plain olive oil is usually very refined and rancid—extra virgin olive oil is usually added to make it palatable. Olive oil is very susceptible to oxidation and should be stored in a cool, dark place.

As I type this, I am enjoying a sourdough baguette dipped in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar—I'd highly recommend you do the same!

When I started to love balsamic vinegar

When I was attending Western Culinary Institute, here in Portland, Oregon, I went on the ultimate field trip. It was a culinary tour of Tuscany with two days in Paris. It was an extra expense but it was worth it. We travelled all over Tuscany in a giant bus visiting vineyards and wineries, olive groves, cheese and ham producers in the region of Parma, restaurants serving "traditional Tuscan meals", and a balsamic vinegar producer in Modena. I have always been a lover of Italian things, I took Italian in college, I love pasta, and Chianti is my favorite wine. Until I visited the balsamic vinegar producer in Modena I did not have a taste or appreciation for good balsamic vinegar. We saw how it was aged in casks like wine or whisky, every few years moved to smaller and smaller casks as the water evaporates and the flavor intensifies. Typically traditional balsamic vinegar is aged in oak for a minimum of 12 years. At this particular producer they had some vinegar aging in cherry casks and they let us sample it, by serving it over ice cream. The thought of vinegar on ice cream probably does not appeal to many people but you had to be there, in the Italian country side, wearing Italian leather shoes, and eating ice cream topped with cherry aged balsamic vinegar (for $40 a bottle). And although I did not purchase any balsamic vinegar on that trip (I had just purchased the Italian leather shoes) I have kept it in my mind that someday I will again find some that equals that experience.

This week's recipe: Bread dipped in oil and balsamic vinegar. What you will need is some good bread, some good olive oil, and some good balsamic vinegar. Pour ½ a cup of the oil on a plate then add a tablespoon or two of the vinegar, and then dip your bread and enjoy!

• Chef Brett

Why the Kale Not?

When Chef Brett called me the other week about how she tried kale and learned that she loves it, I started telling her about my favorite ways to prepare kale. This is a really common event for us and a big part of why we decided to start this blog—we wanted to share our conversations with other people who are into food and hopefully get some more people involved in the sharing! I can't really remember when I learned that I love kale—I think it happened about 6 years ago. I prefer it steamed, but do love to add it to soups and sauté it as well. I'm going to post my favorite recipe involving kale in a minute but first I'm going to put my doctor hat on and tell you why kale is so good for you.

Kale is in the brassica family, like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli, and so it contains sulfur compounds. These sulfur compounds fight cancer, aid the liver in detoxification, boost immune function, and fight free radicals. In fact, spinach and kale are the two veggies with the highest ORAC value, a measure of antioxidant strength. Kale is also really high in Vitamin C , beta carotene, calcium, Vitamin K, and fiber. Kale has seven times the beta carotene and ten times the lutein (a carotenoid that protects the eyes) found in broccoli. Leafy greens don't have as much calcium as dairy foods, but they can help you get enough—a half cup of kale has 47 mg of calcium. Vitamin K plays important roles in blood clotting, blood vessel health, and bone strength. One cup of kale provides over 10% of your daily intake of fiber (about 2 grams). So, kale is really quite the superfood!

May favorite way to eat kale lately is steamed and then drizzled with balsamic butter sauce (recipe adapted from Bon Appétit). Rinse your kale really well (it often has quite a bit of grit trapped in those curly leaves) and then remove the tough stems and coarsely chop. Steam for about 5 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Serve with balsamic butter sauce.

Balsamic butter sauce

½ c. good quality balsamic vinegar
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ stick butter, room temperature, cut into ½ inch cubes

Combine vinegar and garlic in a small heavy sauce pan over medium high heat. Boil until reduced by half. Whisk in butter, one small cube at a time until evenly incorporated.

The complete meal I usually make is pan seared mahi mahi, garlic mashed potatoes, and steamed kale. I put the sauce on everything and it is really amazing! I hope you enjoy it!

Time for Dinner?

A few weeks ago Dr. Crystal and I had dinner with a close group of girlfriends. During this dinner we discussed the usual: work, children, husbands/partners/boyfriends, and food. One of the resounding things that was said around the table was "How do you prepare good nutritious food every night?" As mothers we want to feed our children the best food possible but find ourselves struggling with the balance of work, family and the elusive friend get-together. The best thing Dr. Crystal and I could suggest to our group of girls was to prepare meals ahead of time and put them in the freezer to thaw when time and energy aren't available to prepare your meals fresh. To this most of the girls responded, "I don't want to spend my weekends cooking!" To Dr. Crystal and I this suggestion was logical because we like to cook, we do spend our weekends cooking because it is a hobby of ours, and after this conversation took place we realized this wasn't the case for everybody. In the last post Dr. Crystal offered up a few suggestions for remaking a few "fast food" options, I am here to offer another suggestion – add a quick punch of nutrition on the side of whatever "fast food" item you do choose to go with.

My dinner last night is a perfect example; after spending the day fighting with a two year old about putting a diaper on I was not feeling very creative or energetic to tackle the whole chicken I had originally planned on preparing for dinner. So I boiled some noodles, sautéed some onions, browned some chicken sausage and tossed it all together then topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese. My husband had a spinach salad on the side, I had some sautéed kale, and our son had some sweet potatoes.

Kale – I just discovered kale last night. I had always been scared of cooked kale because of my intense dislike of cooked spinach. Well let me tell you I am so glad that I finally tried it because I love it! See below for the sautéed kale recipe, don't be afraid! Just try it!

Spinach – Spinach salad is a popular option in my house. No matter what we are having my husband usually has a spinach salad on the side as he does not always like the other vegetable options I prepare for myself and our son.

Sweet Potatoes – I almost always have steamed sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. I buy a bag of them from Trader Joe's then cut up 3-4 in 1 inch slices then steam them with the skins on. When they are "fork tender" I turn them off and let them cool a bit. The skins peel right off and both my son and I love them alongside pretty much anything (I add a little salt to mine).You can see all the great things about sweet potatoes in our Thanksgiving post.

Sautéed Kale

·       1 bunch kale, rinsed well, drained & roughly chopped

·       2 Tablespoons olive oil

·       2 garlic cloves, minced

·       ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or water

·       Salt & Pepper

              Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored.

Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Enjoy it and think of all the great nutrients you are getting!

Potatoes on pizza, who would’ve thought?

Pizza is one of my favorite things to eat and make, but mostly to eat. On a particularly sinful day I would pick a Pizza Hut pepperoni pan pizza. For instance, after I walked the Portland Marathon in 2006, my walking buddy and I sat on the couch and ate pizza for most of the evening, mostly because we could not move after walking for nine hours. When I want a super delicious pizza and am feeling like money is no object I call up Flying Pie Pizzeria at 7804 SE Stark Street in Portland and order the Presto, with pesto, spinach, artichoke hearts, black olives, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Lately I have been interested in making pizza at home, one reason is that my son has a tomato allergy that I am hoping will go away with age, but until then I modify the things we like to eat to be tomato free, hence homemade pizza with no tomato sauce. I know for some out there there is a strong love for pizza sauce and you might not be able to envision a pizza without tomato sauce, but hear me out, it's not so bad. There are other options; a white sauce for example or pesto is a popular one but my go to option is garlic infused olive oil. So keeping this in mind I searched my favorite recipe website (epicurious.com) for some new pizza topping ideas. What did I find you ask? Potato, sage, and rosemary pizza. Delicious. The only addition I made was to add some cooked bacon to the top since I had some in my refrigerator I needed to use up.

The dough that Dr. Crystal referred to in her last post is a recipe I have made many times from a cookbook called Cooking (Chic Simple). It is as follows:

Simple Pizza Dough

       1 package active dry yeast

       2/3 cups warm water (110°-115° F)

       Pinch of sugar

       2 cups all purpose flour (can substitute 1 cup with whole wheat flour)

       ¼ cup cornmeal

       1 teaspoon salt

       1 ½ Tablespoon olive oil

              Stir water, yeast, and sugar together in a small bowl, let sit for 10 minutes.

              Combine flour, cornmeal, and salt in a separate bowl.

              Stir together oil, wet ingredients, and dry ingredients (by hand, stand mixer with dough hook, or food processor).

              If using a stand mixer turn up to medium/high and let go for about 5 minutes.

              If you are doing it by hand remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand vigorously for 5 minutes.

              Divide the dough (I usually just do two, Dr. Crystal did four).

              Lightly oil a baking sheet, transfer dough onto sheet and lightly brush each ball with olive oil.

Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place till the dough has doubled in size (about 1 ½ hours).

Preheat oven to 475°.

After doubled, flatten dough with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured surface. Lift and pinch each disk from the center outward until the dough is thin. (don't worry about the shape or occasional hole)

              Place dough on an oiled baking sheet and top it!

              Bake for 7-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

A caution about topping pizzas: the tendency is to load it up with sauce, cheese, and toppings, go a little lighter than you think and you will have a nice balance of toppings and crust.

We made two pizzas, the first one I mentioned above and the second one had garlic olive oil, mozzarella, spinach, rep peppers, and feta cheese. My husband likes it, my two year old likes it, and I like it. That is what makes life feel like a success.

Enjoy!