Archive for June, 2009

More and more people are questioning where their food comes from all the time, especially in light of the recent increase of recent food-borne illnesses from E. Coli and other bacteria.  In addition, obesity and secondary health problems are on the rise.  Given all of the media attention on food, the release of a new documentary called Food, Inc. seems incredibly timely.  The movie, produced by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser (of Fast Food Nation), has been in the works for about six years and includes interviews and information on food regulations.

The movie posits that profit is the highest priority of the food industry – above and beyond consumers’ health or farmers’ needs.  The movie features experts such as food author Michael Pollan and Gary Hirshbirg, founder of Stonyfield Farm, producer of organic yogurts and other foods.  After discussing the problems today, the movie is to discuss the future of food.  The movie opens in limited release on June 12 and has further showings around the country starting on June 19 – show times are available on the Food, Inc. website. 

I’m eager to see the film to learn more about the food industry and to hear the possible solutions.  Supposedly, the movie also delves into the horrors of processed foods – I agree that whole foods are better, but feel most things are fine in moderation – I’m curious to see if the film changes my mind.

It seems that everywhere I turn lately – particularly foodie magazines – there is discussion of natural alternatives to sugar.  Sugar is getting a bad rap lately, and corn syrup is getting an even worse reputation (you’ve probably seen the damage control ads telling us that corn syrup isn’t so bad).  Why are sugar and corn syrup in the spotlight?  Obesity, and particularly childhood obesity, is on the rise.  Furthermore, researchers recently found that HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) has detectable levels of mercury.  Ingesting high levels of mercury can cause toxicity which leads to a host of health problems including cognitive issues.  All of this begs the question of whether we are eating the wrong foods, or simply too much of them?  But I digress…

As a result of the above, there is a lot of hype about other natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and, in particular, agave nectar.  Agave nectar is the hot  new thing in the world of sweeteners.  It comes from the agave plant…a few years ago, I’d only heard of the agave plant because tequila can be made from agave (or, at least, from one type of agave).  However, inside all varieties of the plant is a “honey water” that can be turned into a syrup. 

The resulting syrup has a more concentrated sweetness than sugar, yet it causes less of a “sugar spike” than regular sugar making it more tolerable to people who have problems with insulin, and preferable to anyone who is sensitive to sugars or trying to eat foods with a low glycemic index.  A low glycemic index means that the body processes the sugar more slowly, rather than causing a quick spike in blood sugar (which is followed by the “crash” you sometimes feel after eating too much sugar).  As a result, agave nectar is being touted as the next great thing.  It is a runny syrup and while it can be used in baking, you have to make adjustments to your favorite recipes.  (Gourmet magazine recommends 3/4 cup of nectar per every cup of sugar called for  – they also advise lowering the oven temp by 25 degrees and reducing other liquid ingredients like oil and water by 1/3rd).  There are also recipes available online (as well as cookbooks) that are designed specifically for the use of agave nectar.  Chefs across the country are beginning to incorporate it into cooking and baking.

Agave nectar is available through Amazon, but prices are much steeper than our old powdery stand-by!  I’m curious to see how prevalent this syrup becomes.