Christopher Ranch

 Less than a year ago, Bryan Silbermann, the President and CEO of the Produce Marketing Association, made a bold statement at the Foodservice conference I attended. He set a goal to double the use of fresh produce in the foodservice industry by 2020. It seems as if American consumers are making strides to increase their fruit and vegetable consumption as well.

According to the study “Making Effective Nutrition Choices” published by the American Journal of Public Health, online programs may help boost fruit and vegetable consumption. As part of the study, 2,500 people logged onto a website that gave information about the health benefits of fruits and vegetables as well as provided the participants with ways to incorporate more produce into their meals.

The study measured the change in fruit and vegetable consumption associated with visiting a website that offered tailored information with and without motivational emails and an untailored “control” website. The two different websites had the same layout but the tailored site offered personalized nutritional information based on a survey taken by the participant, whereas the other site offered general information about the nutrition of fruits and vegetables.

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Less than 25% of Americans accomplish this. However, three months into this study, 70% of participants were eating the recommended 5 or more servings, an increase of 20% from when the study began. This indicates that a well-designed, user-friendly website is helpful in educating people on the importance of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.

There are several interactive websites that provide nutritional information, track calorie intake,  offer tips on how to incorporate 5 or more servings of fruit and veggies into meals and more.  Here are some good options:

Fruits & Veggies Matter

Fit Day

Web MD’s Food and Fitness Planner

My Health Tracker

Garlic not only falls in the vegetable category but it also made Prevention magazine’s list of “25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods”. Add some healthy flavor to your meals with California heirloom garlic.

At last week’s joint hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes, “Exploring The Link Between Sugar-Sweetened Drinks & Obesity,” we heard how different sugars in different forms can trigger varying levels of harm to the body.

For example, sugars – such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup – found in sugar-sweetened beverages (like soda, Vitamin Water, Gatorade, juices, teas, etc.) can be particularly detrimental. These sugars increase caloric intake and strengthen the risk of obesity-related and cardiovascular conditions, including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high-fasting insulin – all of which are early diabetic signs, according to several panelists and various studies, such as UCLA’s “Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California.”

Therefore, a strong relationship exists between drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and diagnosis of obesity and diabetes – a debilitating disease that can cause amputation, kidney failure, blindness and others, according to panelists, like Kelly D. Brownell, Ph.D. and co-founder and director of the Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity and Francine Kaufman, M.D. and chief medical officer and vice president of global medical affairs at Medtronic Diabetes, director of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, director of the Comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center and author of “Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America – And What We Must Do To Stop It.”

Obesity and diabetes, panelists said, are assisting in the rise of such alarming health and economic numbers, as:
- 24 million Americans have diabetes;
- 1 in 3 children are expected to contract diabetes;
- Diabetes causes more deaths than breast cancer and AIDS;
- $174 billion in health care costs were attributed to diabetes in 2007;
- There are 164,000 youth with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, the argument stands that lowering intake of these beverages would lower the population’s obese and diabetic, as well as health care dollars spent on the diseases.

The opposing side states calories are calories, and you can’t point such a strong, accusatory finger at sugar-sweetened beverages, as numerous variables facilitate obesity and diabetes, argued Maureen L. Storey, Ph.D. and senior vice president of science policy at the American Beverage Association.

There was, however, one element that both sides agreed upon – “diabesity” is a rapidly escalating issue in the U.S. and needs to be combated before its severity increases.

This is where fresh garlic – particularly California heirloom garlic – enters the equation.

Numerous studies suggest fresh garlic can help fight obesity, cardiovascular conditions and diabetes, with its natural digestant and anti-inflammatory properties and ability to help control heart rate and lower cholesterol. This ability is largely attributed to the sulfur compound, allicin, activated in fresh garlic when it’s chewed, crushed, cut, sliced, etc., and two different compounds – alliin and alliinase – are combined.

Now, just to be clear – we at Christopher Ranch are not doctors, and we’re not claiming that fresh California heirloom garlic can cure obesity and diabetes. Far from. Rather, we’re sending a friendly reminder that consuming fresh garlic is one simple, natural step to build a healthier body to help contest such diseases.

Popping a clove a day might help keep the doctor away.

To that, his mom shrugged and said, “I’ve cooked with garlic a lot ever since he was a baby, so he’s used to it.”

As I stood there pondering what had just transpired, my belief that habits are developed and cemented at a young age was verified. This little whipper snapper has been treated to fresh garlic – and likely other fresh vegetables and fruits – since birth, practically, and, therefore, actually prefers to eat fresh garlic. Now, his fresh garlic affinity might scare his fellow toddler friends away, but his heart will thank him in the long run.

This incident also underscored the fact that the dangerous issue of rising childhood obesity can be reversed. Childhood obesity is not necessarily linked to kids disliking fresh fruits and vegetables – it’s a matter of minimal exposure. What is required to combat childhood obesity are such preventative measures as enforced healthy eating habits, awareness and equipping people with the information necessary to make more educated eating choices.

The government is making preventative strides with its push to bolster the Child Nutrition Act, granting money to schools to remove fatty foods from cafeterias and vending machines and replace them with more fresh fruits and vegetables. This also means altering the current food distribution system that encourages cheap, convenient fatty foods, by better enabling schools to efficiently and inexpensively receive fresh produce. See article.

Awareness has been pivotal at the White House under Michelle Obama’s watch, with the newly planted kitchen garden ( see video) that receives frequent visits from grade-school children. This influential move by the first family will hopefully set the precedent that fresh fruits and vegetables are a critical part a child’s diet and should be included at home, as well as school cafeterias. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests a diet of 9 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, yet fewer than 10% of Americans meet this recommendation.

Unfortunately, we at Christopher Ranch can’t pass legislation – though there’s much we’d like to – and we aren’t quite as authoritative as the White House, but we can provide nutritious cooking tips (including California heirloom garlic) and suggestions for healthy, kid-friendly recipes (also including California heirloom garlic).

Such healthful tips, according to the American Culinary Foundation Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University, include:

- Choose cooking methods that maintain flavor, color and nutrients of fresh produce, such as steaming, instead of boiling. Avoid cooking at high temps – except for stir-frying – and for long periods, as extended heat and liquid can eliminate essential nutrients.
- Try stir-frying – a low-fat alternative that cooks foods quickly using small portions of oil.
- Try steam-frying – minimizes fat, as it involves sautéing food quickly in a small amount of oil and then adding water, stock or wine to the pan. Cook food until it’s almost done, uncover and boil off the excess liquid.
- Substitute applesauce, pureed prunes, mashed bananas or yogurt for up to half of shortening, when baking.
- Use vegetable salsas and fruit chutneys as complements to meat or poultry, rather than heavy gravies or sauces.
- Replace sodium-filled spices like salt, with fresh herbs, such as California heirloom garlic. The American Heart Association and United States Department of Agriculture recommend a healthy adult should consume no more than 2,300 milligrams daily. Most Americans consume an extra 2,000 to 4,000 mg daily – mainly from processed and prepared foods.

When it comes to kids, the above healthful cooking techniques can be applied, but keep two things in mind…when trying to make healthy food appealing, it’s gotta be kid friendly and a variation of something they’re used to. Don’t freak them out with a tofu, veggie soufflé.

For example, kids love finger foods – take chicken fingers, for instance. Rather than deep frying, lather chicken breasts in fresh crushed garlic, then bake or grill, and cut into bite-sized pieces (try this Lemon and Basil – and Garlic – Chicken Breasts recipe). Or, try kabobs with chicken, seafood or veggies (like this Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken Kebabs recipe).

Kids love pizza, so make it a nutritious one – take whole wheat crust and, instead of tomato sauce, lather Extra-Virgin olive oil and low-fat mozzarella on the crust. As far as toppings, add turkey sausage, turkey bacon, shrimp and any desired fresh veggies, like California heirloom garlic (try this Pizza Bianca recipe).

Instead of a cheeseburger, cook a turkey burger or veggie burger (such as this Turkey Burger recipe) on a whole-wheat bun and, rather than deep-fried French Fries, roast red, fingerling or sweet potatoes (try this Roasted Garlic Fingerling Potato recipe), doused in Extra-Virgin olive oil and fresh garlic. Throw in a little low-sodium Ketchup for dipping, and, perhaps, a toy, and you’ve got yourself a nutritious Happy Meal.

When it comes to hot dogs, also a kid favorite, there are low-fat chicken, turkey and soy options. Again, place on a whole-wheat bun, and use such toppings as fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro and California heirloom garlic – thus, the flavorful benefits of a loaded hot dog, without the heart attack. Lightlife, Ball Park, Applegate Farms have healthy alternatives.