Tag: Eating

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Cottage Life

8 Newfoundland foods you’ve probably never heard of

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Canada has plenty of regional foods—we all know that poutine is associated with Quebec, and that the Nanaimo bar comes from B.C. But Newfoundland and Labrador is home to some dishes that you’re probably not familiar with—and may not have even ever heard of.

No. 1 Toutons

These small, round, pancake-like pieces of bread dough (also called “damper dogs”) were traditionally pan-fried in pork fat; nowadays butter (or healthier fats) is more common. It’s a breakfast or brunch item, often served with molasses, syrup, or jam. Yum!

No. 2 Cod au Gratin

The name explains it all: cod fillets baked in a creamy sauce topped with cheese and breadcrumbs. Newfoundland has a number of traditional cod dishes, including salt dried cod (No. 3) and crispy cod tongues (No. 4). The tongues are dredged in flour and fried in oil. C’mon! Anything fried is tasty.

No. 5 Scrunchions

These are essentially bite-sized cubes of pork fat, fried until the fat is rendered and the cubes are crunchy. Scrunchions are often served as a side dish (mixed with onions) over fish or fish and brewis (“hard bread”—No. 6).

No. 7 Bakeapples

These berries—also called cloudberries—ripen in August in marshy, boggy areas. They’re delicious in pies and tarts or made into jam.

No. 8 Jiggs’ Dinner

A typical true Jiggs’ Dinner includes salt beef (or other salt meat), root vegetables, and yellow split peas, soaked and boiled for hours.

6 unique Christmas traditions found in Newfoundland and Labrador

 

 

 

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Eating at Subway nearly as calorific as McDonald’s: study

It’s a finding that may take the steam out of Subway’s marketing pitch as the healthier, fresher alternative to fast food options.

For their study, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles recruited 97 teens aged 12 to 21 to purchase meals at McDonald’s and Subway restaurants on different days.

After looking at their receipts and the meals purchased, researchers made estimates on the number of calories consumed based on the nutritional information provided by the company websites.

The results showed that the average meal consumed from McDonald’s clocked in at 1,038 calories, compared to 955 calories at Subway.

Participants paid for their food with their own money.

"We found that there was no statistically significant difference between the two restaurants, and that participants ate too many calories at both," said lead researcher Lenard Lesser.

“The nutrient profile at Subway was slightly healthier, but the food still contained three times the amount of salt that the Institute of Medicine recommends.” Sodium intake was higher at Subway, averaging 2,149 mg compared to 1,829 mg at McDonald’s, likely from the processed meats, researchers said.

The Institute of Medicine, a non-profit organization in the US which provides independent advice to policymakers, recommends that school lunches not exceed 850 calories. An adolescent should consume an average of about 2,400 calories in a day.

Researchers also found that sandwiches purchased at Subway ended up being higher in calories than those from McDonald’s, clocking in at an average of 784 calories compared to 572 calories at the Golden Arches.

Findings were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health last week.

For a healthier makeover of fast food meals, Lesser recommends eliminating fries and sugary drinks from McDonald’s meals and loading up Subway sandwiches with extra vegetables and less meat.

Subway and McDonald’s are the two largest fast food chains in the world.

Another study published in 2011 found that the number of Subway restaurants — which boasts the highest number of restaurants in the world — is proportional to the prevalence of obesity across 26 countries.

Countries with the highest density of Subway restaurants — the US and Canada — were found to have a higher prevalence of obesity than countries with lower density like Norway and Japan.

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Keep the heart healthy by eating apples daily: study

(Relaxnews) – A small-scale study funded by the apple industry claims that an apple a day can, indeed, keep the cardiologist at bay.

Published in the Journal of Functional Foods, the research found that healthy, middle-aged adults who ate one apple every day for four weeks succeeded in lowering levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol by 40 percent — a substance which has been linked to the hardening of the arteries.

To carry out their study, researchers from Ohio State University recruited 16 healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 60 who weren’t regular apple eaters – less than twice a month. Participants were instructed to eat either a Red or a Golden Delicious apple every day for four weeks.

Another 17 participants took oral capsules containing 194 mg of polyphenols for four weeks, and a third group of 18 people took a placebo.

While the polyphenol capsules also yielded measurable results, they weren’t as strong as consuming whole apples, researchers said.

“That could either be because there are other things in the apple that could contribute to the effect, or, in some cases, these bioactive compounds seem to get absorbed better when they’re consumed in foods,” hypothesized lead researcher Robert DiSilvestro.

When oxidized LDL or low-density lipoprotein –also known as ‘bad cholesterol’ — oxidizes after meeting free radicals, the cholesterol is more likely to promote inflammation and cause tissue damage, researchers explain.

DiSilvestro also claims that eating whole apples daily was found to be more effective in this particular capacity — lowering bad cholesterol levels — than other antioxidant-rich foods he’s studied separately, including turmeric, green tea and tomato extract.

The latest study builds on previous research vaunting the health benefits of apples. A Florida State University study likewise proved that eating an apple daily lowered ‘bad cholesterol’ levels by 23 percent while also increasing good cholesterol levels by 4 percent. Female participants also lost an average of 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) during the year-long experiment.

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Eating Quickly Packs on the Pounds

A study published on the British Medical Journal  Website has revealed that consuming foods rapidly can triple the risk of being overweight.

3 287 people, aged 30 to 69, participated in the 3-year study where researchers evaluated dietary habits.

50.9% of the men and 58.4% of the women said that they stopped eating only when they felt full.

45.6% of the men and 36% of the women reported that they ate their meals very quickly.

These subjects also had a higher body mass index than average compared to participants who ate smaller portions slowly.