Blog Site Discontinued June 23, 2017

Welcome. This blog site, healthy eating and food safety, has been discontinued as of June 23, 2017. I look forward to your comments and feedback regarding use of this tool to disseminate educational information.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Nearly Three in Ten Wisconsin Adults is Obese

The number of Wisconsin residents who are obese has reached a new high. Nearly three of every ten adults in the state are now classified as obese.

Each year, state health departments use standard telephone interview questions to collect data on the height and weight of adults in the United States. According to the newest data just released by the U.S> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wisconsin’s obesity rate is 29 percent. That’s in addition to the 36 percent of Wisconsin adults who are overweight, but not to the extent of being obese.

These estimates are especially troubling because they are continuing to increase year by year. The estimated percent of adults who were obese in Wisconsin was 16 percent in 1995, 20 percent in 2000, 24 percent in 2005 and 29 percent in 2009.

These data show the importance of nutrition in planning for public health and community education programs. “Adequate, appropriate and safe food and nutrition” has been pegged as one of the 12 focus areas in Wisconsin’s newest state health plan.

Source: Susan Nitzke, Professor and Nutrition Specialist, Nutritional Sciences, UW-Madison

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Watermelon

Watermelon is a tasty summer treat. Watermelon is not lightweight in the nutrient department. A one cup serving only has 50 calories. It contains vitamin A and C. It also contains potassium. Watermelon has no fat and cholesterol.

Watermelon has been designated as one of the “clean 15”, the fruits and vegetables with the fewest pesticide residues according to the Environmental Working Group.

So next time you go the grocery store or farmers market, stop and pick up a watermelon for a tasty, summer treat. If a whole watermelon is more than can be consumed, try one of the smaller watermelons that are designed for one or two people.

Canning Tomatoes Safely

Tomatoes are the most widely home-canned product in the United States. Many factors affect the acidity of canned tomatoes i.e. growing low acid tomatoes, overripe produce, damaged or decayed produce, and tomato juices are less acidic than tomato solids.

Since so many factors affect the acidity of canned tomatoes, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that acid be added to home canned tomato products. Bottled lemon juice can be used to acidify canned tomato products. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice per pint and two tablespoons per quart. Measure this amount into canning jars before sealing.

Small amounts of vinegar are not as effective as lemon juice in increasing acidity. Enough vinegar to increase the acidity of canned tomatoes changes the flavor of the canned product. For this reason, vinegar is not recommended.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Nationwide Egg Recall

There is a national recall of eggs on-going with hundreds of cases of salmonellosis linked to eggs produced by Wright Farms out of Iowa. Some of the eggs were distributed in Wisconsin. The particular organism linked to the recall is /Salmonella /Enteritidis. Following is food safety information from the Centers for Disease Control followed by a press release from the company linked to the recall. Stay healthy!

Clinical Features/Signs and Symptoms

A person infected with /Salmonella/ Enteritidis usually has fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea beginning 12 to 72 hours after consuming a contaminated food or beverage. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without antibiotic treatment. However, the diarrhea can be severe, and hospitalization may be required. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may have a more serious illness. In these patients, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. For more information, visit CDC’s /Salmonella/ Enteritidis http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/salmonella_enteritidis/ website.

Advice to Consumers
  • Don’t eat recalled eggs or products containing recalled eggs.
  • Recalled eggs might still be in grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers' homes. Consumers who have recalled eggs should discard them or return them to their retailer for a refund.
  • Discard cracked or dirty eggs.
  • Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs.
  • Eggs should be cooked until both the white and the yolk are firm and eaten promptly after cooking.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Tomato Late Blight Confirmed in Brown County

Late blight, a highly destructive disease of tomato and potato, has been identified in a home gardener’s tomatoes in Brown County. The infected tomato leaf and fruit sample submitted by the home gardener to the Brown County UW Extension office on August 3rd has been confirmed by Dr. Amanda Gevens, UW-Extension Plant Pathologist, to be late blight infection. This is the first reported case of late blight infection in Brown County. According to the homeowner, the disease spread rapidly in their backyard vegetable garden (within 10 days) and has so far killed 15 tomato plants.
Late blight affects mainly tomatoes and potatoes but it can affect peppers and egg plants to a lesser extent. The cool, wet condition in past few weeks has been ideal for the development of late blight disease and can cause the plant to collapse in about 7-10 days. Other counties in the state that have confirmed the presence of tomato late blight this year are Waukesha, Monroe and Kewanee.

Home gardeners need to be vigilant in scouting their tomatoes and potatoes for late blight. The symptom of the disease begins as pale green or olive green blotches on leaves that enlarge to become brown-black, water-soaked and oily in appearance. Dark brown stem lesions are also prominent on the infected plant. On the fruit, sunken or firm golden to chocolate-brown lesions with distinct rings appear. At a later stage, white-gray fuzzy growth can appear on the infected region of the fruit.

For proper diagnosis, bring a sample of your tomato leaves to the Brown County UW Extension Office.


If you’re unfortunate to have the late blight disease in your tomato plants, harvest only the healthy fruit from all your tomato plants as soon as possible. Infected fruits are bitter in taste and should not be used for cooking or canning purposes. Remove the infected plants completely, place them in a black plastic bag, close the bag and let it sit in the sun for a few days to kill the pathogen. Then place the sealed bag of plants on the curb for trash pickup. Do not compost infected plants.

Source: Vijai Pandian, Brown County UW-Extension Horticulture Educator

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Canning Pickles


Cucumbers are ripening, so it’s time to think about making pickles. Pickling may seem like a complicated process laden with many steps. You can make safe, high quality pickles if you remember two basic rules: 1) use high quality ingredients, and 2) follow tested recipes precisely.

Here are some tips for successful pickles.

For best quality, pickle fruits and vegetables within 24 hours of harvest or refrigerate for no longer than a few days. Remove all blossoms, and cut a 1/16-inch slice from the blossom end of the cucumbers and remove. The blossoms contain enzymes that can cause softening and result in an unacceptable product.

Softened water is recommended for making pickles and relishes. Hard water usually contains lime that may decrease acidity resulting in an unsafe product, or contain iron, magnesium or sulfur compounds that can cause discoloration or off-flavors.

Use commercial vinegar that is standardized at a 5 percent acetic acid content. Use the type of vinegar the recipe calls for, either white or cider vinegar. Some grocery stores stock 4 percent vinegar which is not approved for home canning.

Canning and pickling salt – pure granulated salt is recommended for use in all kinds of pickles. This salt does not contain anti-caking agents or iodine. Plain salt, iodized table salt and sea salt are not recommended for pickling.

If you use freshly picked cucumbers, follow an up-to-date, tested recipe and heat process pickles for the correct length of time. Pickles will turn out crisp and you won’t need to add firming agents. A recommended method for making crisp pickles is to soak cucumbers in ice water for 4 to 5 hours before pickling.

Good sources of recipes for making pickles include the UW-Extension bulletin titled: Homemade Pickles & Relishes or the Ball Blue Book.

Source: UW-Extension bulletin Homemade Pickles and Relish by Barbara Ingham, UW-Extension Food Safety Specialist.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Value of Summer Fruits

Many berries available in the summer are health stars. Berries along with other red, blue and purple fruits contain antioxidants. The other plus is that the calorie count is low. For example, one cup of raspberries has only 61 calories, 5.8 grams of fiber, and no fat or cholesterol. Blueberries are another nutritional powerhouse: having 145 calories per cup, 3.3 grams of fiber and a good supply of antioxidants. Berries also supply vitamins and minerals.

Here are some suggestions for incorporating summer fruits into daily meals:

• Enjoy blueberries throughout the winter months. After washing blueberries, lay them on paper towels to dry. Then place on cookie sheets with sides and place in the freezer for one to two hours. Remove from cookies sheets and place in freezer bags or freezer containers. By freezing them this way, they will break apart more easily. Enjoy this winter on cereal or in muffins.

• Add berries to mixed greens for a tasty salad.

• Layer berries, vanilla yogurt and granola to make a parfait.

• Mix berries with other fruits to make a tasty salad.

• Enjoy berries just as they are with all of their summer goodness.

• Strawberries can also be frozen and enjoyed at a later time in smoothies. Combine the following ingredients in the blender:
-6 large strawberries
-½ cup strawberry yogurt
-½ cup vanilla ice cream
-½ cup skim milk
-Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Counting Up Calcium

Many Americans do not consume significant amounts of calcium rich foods. There are a number of foods that contain calcium.
Dairy foods supply 73 percent of all the calcium available in the U.S. food supply. Besides providing calcium, they supply protein, vitamin D (if fortified), and phosphorus, which together help the body absorb and deposit calcium in bones. Dairy foods are also important sources of vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, magnesium, and potassium.

Other foods also supply calcium including dark-green leafy vegetables and fish with edible bones. Many processed foods such as soy milk, tofu, orange juice, and breakfast cereal may be fortified with calcium.

Green, leafy vegetables and grain products supply some calcium. However, some vegetables such as spinach contain oxalates; grains may contain phytates. Both bind with some minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and iron, partially blocking their absorption. Caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption, too.
                                
                                 (Click on chart to enlarge)

Source: American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 2nd Edition