THINK TWICE ABOUT HAVING TEA WITH MILK
Studies suggest that drinking black tea can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Chemicals in tea called catechins seem to increase the amount of nitric oxide produced in artery walls, helping your arteries to relax and expand (dilate), to accommodate blood as it’s pumped from then heart. But a small study from Germany finds that adding milk may cancel out the cardioprotective effects of tea. Milk proteins called caseins decrease the amount of beneficial catechins in tea, the researchers reported in the December 2006 European Heart Journal. They speculate that the findings could help explain why countries such as Britain, where milk is usually added to tea, have not shown a decrease in the risk of heart disease and stroke that could be attributed to tea drinking. Since tea drinking is also linked to a reduced risk of cancers, the researchers called for further studies into the effects of milk on the activities of catechins. The data only applies to black tea. Green tea is usually drunk without milk.
Source: Cornell University Food and Fitness, March 2007.
CALCIUM MAY INTERFERE WITH ANTIBIOTICS
Calcium (iron and just about any mineral) can interfere with antibiotics. These minerals bind to tetracycline and inactivate it. Similarly, calcium can also interfere with the absorption of some medications such as osteoporosis drugs if taken at the same time. The idea is to avoid taking one pill until the other has completely cleared the stomach. Assuming that medications clear within an hour and the meal will be gone to the intestines within two hours, it’s a good idea to allow 1 to 2 hours if the pill is taken with a meal.
Source: Cornell University Food and Fitness, March 2007.
Q: I am making macaroni and cheese that includes fontina. What is fontina cheese and if not available, what one do you recommend?
A: According to my Food Lover’s Companion, 3rd edition, fontina cheese is an Italian cheese named after the valley from which it comes. Semi firm yet creamy, fontina is a cow’s milk cheese with about 45 percent milk fat. It has a dark brown rind with a pale yellow interior dotted with tiny holes. The mild nutty flavor and the fact that it melts easily and smoothly, make fontina perfect for almost any use. Fontina is also made in Denmark, France and the United States but tends to be blander and softer than the Italian original.
I asked a friend, Annie Watts, who represents Vermont Cabot cheese, what cheese would be similar to fontina if not available and she equates it most closely with a Swiss or Emmentaler.
Lent is a good time to serve macaroni and cheese and although this Betty Crocker recipe is made with Cheddar, the flavor can be varied by using a different variety or a reduced amount (3/4 cup each kind).
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MACARONI AND CHEESE
(lighter version)
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons margarine (I prefer butter)
- 1/4 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups fat free skim milk
- 1 1/2 cups reduced-fat shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (6 oz.)
Heat oven to 3500F. Cook macaroni according to package directions. While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium low heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Drain macaroni and gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into 2-quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.
Source: Betty Crocker web site.
Note: A painless way to add nutrients when a recipe calls for pasta is to replace regular with whole wheat pasta. Choose from a variety of whole wheat pastas at Chief and Ray’s.
I used whole wheat pasta in this new soup recipe from Lori Benedict Heathfield, Columbus, IN, via her mother Joan Benedict of Bryan.
LORI’S SOUP
- 2 pounds Italian sausage
- 3 carrots
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 quarts fat-free chicken broth
- 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz.) cans cannelli beans
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 cups large shell pasta
- 1 (6 oz.) bag baby spinach, stems removed
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large stockpot sauté Italian sausage until no longer pink; drain on paper towels. Remove fat from stockpot. Combine sausage with remaining ingredients except pasta, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are almost tender. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Add spinach only long enough to wilt it. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.
Source: Lori Benedict Heathfield, Columbus IN, via her mother, Joan Benedict, Bryan. |
