An interesting scientific study was published today and picked up by the New York Times. The study titled “Consumption of added sugars and indicators of cardiovascular risk among US adolescents,” it gives a frightening picture into the future of our kids. Over two thousand kids reported one day of food intake and had a single blood measurement of cholesterol. From the food intake report, the scientists estimated the intake of “added sugars”- refined sweeteners added to processed food and beverages. Think sodas, breakfast bars, fruit roll ups, cookies, etc. The average teenager in this study ate/drank the equivalent of over 1/2 a cup of sugar at day! Importantly, the more added sugars in their diet the higher their “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower their “good” HDL cholesterol.

These findings did not depend on the teenagers’ body weight, socioeconomic class, or physical activity level. In fact, there was no increase in body weight with increased sugars just increased cholesterol! My take home from this study is that what our kids eat today will definitely effect their risk of heart disease tomorrow, even if they are thin, active kids. Time to make Miss Sherri’s bars instead of store bought!

Eric Ripert, if you don’t know or if you haven’t lived on the east coast or if you’ve never seen Avec Eric or Top Chef, is the executive chef of Le Bernardin a four-star New York restaurant known for exceptional service and sublime French cuisine presenting exquisite foods from the sea or seafood. He is also proprieter and executive chef of three other restaurants and the author of many prized cookbooks.

His latest, my newest, is based on his show which offers simple recipes(admittedly, chef’s version of simple)with the mission to “cook from life.” When esteemed chefs, dumb it down for us regular folks, we get an chance to bolster our cooking and we get a few lessons along the way because the esteemed chefs recognize the value of explaining why and such is the case with Cod Basquaise.

Ripert was born in France near the border of the Basque region of Spain, so naturally there are influences in the book from his early food experiences.

Basquaise is a – you guessed it – Basque sauce or, in this case, a melange of vegetables, which includes tomatoes and bell peppers. read more

I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Here at crunchtime we espouse making slow steady moves toward more healthy eating. Drastic changes just because the last number of the date has changed are rarely changes that stay with us. This year however, I came across a great idea from a food critic in Bon Appetit-each January he gives up a favorite food to “reset” his palate for that food. I love the idea of starting the year with a simple resolution that I only have to keep for a month. So although I’ll still be slurping down those omega-3 laden oysters (January has an “R” after all!) I will be switching from wine to sparkling water for the next month to lighten my tastebuds and drop a few extra calories out of my diet.

The holidays had their way with me and my vegetables. For nearly three weeks (and likely more) it was a race to the finish. On Christmas Eve Eve, down to the wire, in a mad wrapping session, locked up with scissors & tape, bows & paper, and a copy of Gone With the Wind, I hunkered into packaging overdrive.Usually, I’d have shopped on black Friday. Usually, I’d have wrapped gifts along the way.Usually, I’d have finished by the time the credits rolled. Not this year.

“Frankly my dear..,” Rhett said, as more naked presents awaited, “I don’t give a damn.”

With an imposing crick in my neck, elbows and hands a-flying, and a tag-on episode of a new Rachel Ray show that I with shame and regret, checked out – the last tag was affixed…To: Kendall From: Lady Gaga – delirium. Christmaspalooza was underway. When we were kids, didn’t Christmas used to run from about 6:30 – 6:45am?

After the gifts were opened, the meals prepared, the travels completed,the leftovers consumed, the cocktails drunk, the grandpa checked at the airport, and the old acquaintance had been forgot – I was spent.And in my refrigerator, only these lonely leafy greens awaited, lying wilted and lifeless, staring up at me, both of us knowing how the other felt.

“Oh Rhett, where shall I go, what shall I do?”

Alas, one answer – my usual answer – emerged and soup was to be made, bringing the kale and chard and me back to life. This is one of the easiest soups to make and it boasts some decent pick-me-up ingredients. read more

[april]If you’re a food enthusiast like me and even if you’re not but you have been anywhere in the lifestyle news spectrum lately – like the second hour of the Today Show – you most likely have heard the lectures on family dining including that from a new book The Family Dinner. And if you’re subsumed with entertainment like the Los Angeleno side of me and even if you’re not but have been anywhere in the entertainment news spectrum – like the first hour of the Today Show – then you know that the author, Laurie David, aside from being an accomplished writer, producer and hero-worthy environmentalist, was married to Larry David creator and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In this case, spouse is only worth noting to better envision her family dinner setting and challenge after divorce that set the stage for the book.

It’s a challenge, but my family foursome eats together for most breakfasts and dinners. Sure, there’s shouting, there’s teasing, there’s name calling, there are dirty looks – and that’s just the parents. We eat and then that hunger-born anger magically turns to laughter, dialogue, manners, and harmony. Beyond just sitting together and eating, David offered two interesting ideas for encouraging table camaraderie. First, she suggests using a lazy Susan for sharing, and in my house, for ten year olds to launch Nerf bullets. Also, she advises that we serve foods that require some shared preparation at the table.

A family favorite, Vietnamese spring rolls, provided a good test run of this concept. read more