I’m nearly finished with Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I’d suggest it to anybody. It’s a fantastic book, full of humor, wisdom, gorgeous prose, and excellent recipes. (Seriously, try the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.) Still, I can’t help but feel a little guilty reading the thing.
The author is an ardent gardener and regular buyer of all foods organic, local, and humanely raised. She argues that it costs more up front, but the prices – to the environment, to her family’s health, to the local economy – even out in the long run. She is undoubtedly right on, and I agree completely.
But I also write a blog about inexpensive, nutritious cooking. And sometimes it’s difficult to reconcile ethical choices with workable choices.
Is a cheap banana better for us when it exploits workers in a different hemisphere? If we didn’t buy that banana, would they have jobs at all? Can you realistically expect someone to buy a $17 chicken twenty miles away, when a $3 one exists right around the corner?
Honestly, I don’t know.
I do know I would like that $17 chicken someday. Personally speaking, eating cheaply isn’t my ultimate goal. Eating smart, ethically, healthy, and heartily is my ultimate goal. Eating cheaply is a means of getting there. It's saving us money and instilling respect for what we consume.
As for progress, in the last few years, my household (apartmenthold?) has:
Cut our meat consumption by about 60%
Increased our vegetable and grain consumption drastically
Started eating seasonal produce
Started using canvas bags instead of plastic shopping bags
Made a conscious attempt to buy foods with less packaging
Started washing Ziploc bags
Started buying Certified Humanely Raised eggs (instead of those mass-produced thingies)
Started buying greenmarket meat when we can (which, I wish was more often)
Become hardcore menu planners and list makers
It’s been reflected at Cheap Healthy Good, too. When the site began, it was largely meant for budget dieters. The recipes included only calorie, fat, and price calculations. The articles centered more on the ties between financial solvency and weight. As many blogs tend to be, it was a reflection of where I was at the time: a burgeoning cook, newly fascinated with personal finance, attempting to maintain a recent drop in poundage.
Since then, the focus has changed somewhat. Fiber and protein are included in our recipe numbers now. “Dieting” turned more towards “healthy living.” The spending discussions have begun to include mentions of ethical eating, and maybe coughing up a little bit more cash for quality ingredients.
Are we ethically bulletproof? Nope. It’s a work in progress, and we get occasional flack for using cheap chickens. I am okay with this, though. Because ideally, I like to think our mission statement has evolved.
These days, we’re about more than inexpensive, nutritious cooking; we’re about saving a buck now so we can afford something better later. It's kind of like Dave Ramsey's motto: “Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.”
And ultimately, the most you can ask of anyone is to do the best he can with what he has, and realize the value in aspiration.
So, what about you, sweet readers? Do you sometimes feel a disconnect between what you're eating, and what you'd like to be eating? What kind of changes have y’all made to your eating habits? What are you just starting? What will you do in the future? I’d love to hear how you’re progressing, as well.
P.S. Read the Kingsolver book. I’m serious.
~~~
If you like this post, you might also give a thumbs up to:
Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.
Do you feel like all you hear these days is "eat local"? Wondering what all the hype is about? What's the point? Isn't that just a fad for hipsters and yuppies who don't get enough snooty karma from their NPR totes?
Though it won’t cure the common cold or reverse the mortgage meltdown, local food is pretty darn great, and not just because it’s traveled a shorter distance in a gas-guzzling truck or plane. Food from nearby is healthier and tastier, not to mention good for the planet, good for your community, and good for your spirit.
Here’s why.
LOCAL FOOD IS GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Local food has a smaller carbon footprint. Flying bananas in from South America uses fuel for the plane ride AND power for cooling and storing mechanisms. Food from your ‘hood (or nearby) puts much less CO2 into the air with its transport.
Keep in mind, not all local food is carbon-light. Wintertime greenhouse tomatoes may come from the farm down the street, but the power to heat their environments is not negligible. Still, if you stick to local and seasonal food, you’re golden.
Patronizing nearby farms also supports green, open spaces in your area. Farms are susceptible to commercial development and exurb spread. If you help keep them solvent, you ensure your region hangs on to those lovely spreads of farmland and pasture.
Local farms tend to be smaller farms, as well. Big, national suppliers will farm massive tracts of monoculture: acres of soybeans or corn, which isn’t particularly good for the environment or the national waistline. They often use heavy pesticides and genetically-modified seeds. Smaller farms, on the other hand, tend to be much more diverse, and the best ones integrate their production in a symbiosis of fertilization and need, keeping the soil super-healthy and producing awesomer produce and animals. When animals are involved, it means a better life for them before they become dinner, too.
LOCAL FOOD IS GOOD FOR YOUR COMMUNITY
Buying your food from local producers also supports your local economy. Greenmarket farmers take home about 90 cents of each dollar. With supermarket produce, after the marketing, transport, and distributors, the farmer’s getting more like 21 cents. Part of the reason: government farm subsidies are heavily weighted towards grain and meat production.
Buying local also gives you a personal connection to your food. I know that my eggs come from near Ithaca, and my apples a few towns over upstate, and I get to hand my money right to the farmers that raised them. I guess at the supermarket I’m shopping alongside my neighbors, too, but it feels more personal, and features more smiles, when we’re doing it outside, in the sun.
LOCAL FOOD IS GOOD FOR YOU!
Local food is better for you. It's way fresher than what’s transported across the globe to your mega mart. Supermarket produce is often picked a week before it’s ripe, and has to do its final ripening in transport. Local produce is often picked the day you take it home. Nutrients are preserved, and the flavor is often more prominent. Like, amazingly so.
Local food is often, hothouse tomatoes aside, seasonal. Anyone who’s sampled a strawberry in January knows that food in its prime season just tastes better. And, bonus: seasonal food is super-cheap! Right now my supermarket’s red peppers are $4.99 a pound. In August the greenmarket has that down to $1.99. The seasonal price drop happens in grocery stores, too, but it’s way more dramatic at the farmers market. Plus, the apples taste more like apples, and the greens are bright and still have a little dirt on them from when they were picked that morning.
Eating local and seasonal also supports variety in your diet and the food that farmers grow. This happens in two ways: first, when you commit to eating local, you get pushed, deliciously, outside your veggie comfort zone. If you’re used to string beans and zucchini year-round, a local meal in October can broaden your tastes to Brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower. (I think this connection with the seasons is good for your soul, too. Especially in the city, it's good to keep in touch with how nature goes.)
The second kind of variety: Local farms, because they’re not beholden to corporate supermarket beauty standards, are also able to sustain uglier, weirder breeds of plants. My supermarket usually has three or four varieties of apples; the greenmarket has at least twelve. Those heirloom tomatoes may be super-unattractive, but they’re also super delicious.
The farmer’s presence at the greenmarket bolsters your sense of community, but also gives you a valuable resource that’s absent from all but the awesomest supermarkets. You can ask, “Hey, what’s the best way to store these carrots so they keep as long as possible?” and also, “What do the eggs who laid these eggs eat? “How much to they get to frolick outside?” Sure, I could share my enthusiasm with the supermarket stock clerk, but I’d rather gush to the person who grew it himself.
* * *
There are ways beyond the farmers market to eat well and cheaply while being good to the planet, and I’ll get into some of those next time. But what do you think, readers? Do you shop at a farmers market or subscribe to a CSA? Do you get local food another way? Why or why not?
Today, our Ask the Internet question is inspired by sheer astonishment.
Q: Yesterday on Twitter, Mark Bittman linked to an article about, “a novel tobacco product that some critics say too closely resembles Tic Tac breath mints,” made (natch) by Camel. He was justifiably concerned they would addict children.
So, I was wondering: what food’s very existence shocks you the most? Why? Is it too old-fashioned? Is it obviously bad for everyone who would consume it? Is it inexplicable using the rules of physics and/or nature?
A: Yeah. Candy cigarettes. Can you believe it? Even in the '80s, we knew that was some damaging badness. Is there a food product that elicits the same reaction from you? The comment section is open, folks.
Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide Net.
Also: you asked, we’re answering. Starting today on Cheap Healthy Good, we’re including protein in our calculations. Enjoy!
When you imagine a prototypical quiche eater, what does the person look like? Is it:
A beret-donning, baguette-loving Frenchman, alternating sips of expensive Sauvignon Blanc with nibbles of the delicate egg creation.
A slim, sleek, Parisian fashion editor, who chews diminutive forkfuls between her morning cigarettes and coffee.
A mustache-twirling, toque-fluffing, world-class chef, bent on achieving the perfect egg-to-cheese ratio.
A mime.
None of these above, though this obsession with French stereotypes is simultaneously mystifying and sexy.
I always imagined quiche to be the provenance of the upper class. Though consisting mainly of eggs, cheese and crust, it seemed an impossibly complicated dish, served by socialites whose champagne tastes were rivaled only by the fussiness of their breakfasts. And also the French.
The truth, however, is this: Quiche is for the people.
It is not, as I believed, exclusive to Donald Trump types. No indeed. Quiche is a blue-collar, working person’s kind of meal. Hardy and chock full of frommage, it’s a simple breakfast (Or lunch! Or dinner!) that’ll carry you clear through the morning. When you leave the crust part out, it’s even pretty healthy. (The first person that asks, “Isn’t it technically a frittata?” gets a punch in la tete.)
This quiche is adapted from All Recipes, and it combines the sheer health quotient of spinach with the delightful indulgence of sharp cheddar cheese. It’s fairly easy to whip up, and super satisfying to serve: “Honey, we’re having quiche today! Yes, quiche. No, no one is coming over. No, we didn’t win the lottery. Ack. I don’t know. Stop asking questions.”
A few notes, should you decide to take this on yourself:
1) Hand-grated cheese is almost always cheaper and better tasting than pre-grated. There are no annoying de-caking additives, is why. Try to shred your own block o’ cheddar here if you can.
2) If I did this again, I’d change the mushroom/spinach ratio slightly to include more of the former and a little less of the latter. But hey: whatever floats your boat. Ham would be smashing in here, if you’re up for giving it a try.
3) Thanks to Food, Inc. and a combination of other exciting neurosis, Husband-Elect and I permanently switched to Certified Humanely Raised eggs. (Note: It’s one of the only labels that really matters.) They are WAY BETTER than regular supermarket eggs, but also pricier. Whatever. It’s worth it, yo. The yolks are like, neon orange, and much more substantial. Cross over if you can. (Yes … that’s it … come to our side … use the Force, Luke.)
4) This isn’t a standalone dish, and should be served with some kind of side. Mayhaps une salade? Ou un croissant? This might give you some ideas:
In the meantime, enjoy, mes amis. Rappelez-vous: quiche est pour le peuple. (Literally: Rappel your quiche and pour it purple. I think.)
~~~ If you like this recipe, you may also delight in:
Crustless Spinach Quiche Serves 6. Adapted from All Recipes.
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, cooked 2 extra large eggs 5 extra large egg whites 1-1/2 cups 2% cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more if desired) 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more if desired) A few shakes cayenne pepper (optional)
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
2) In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Saute 5 or 6 minutes, until onions start to soften and ‘shrooms are a little browned.
3) Add spinach. Spread around and cook until most of the moisture is evaporated, stirring occasionally. This took me about 6 minutes, but your mileage may vary.
4) When finished, pour spinach mixture on to a plate. Spread out and let cool for a few minutes. (You’re doing this so it won’t cook the eggs prematurely when they're combined.)
5) Meanwhile, combine eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Beat lightly. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir. Add spinach mixture and stir quickly to blend. Quickly pour into pie pan and shake a little to spread out.
6) Bake about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve.
Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price Per Serving 184 calories, 10.3 g fat, 1 g fiber, 15 g protein, $0.91
Calculations 1 tablespoon olive oil: 119 calories, 13.5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein, $0.15 1 medium onion: 46 calories, 0.1 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 1 g protein, $0.25 4 ounces mushrooms: 25 calories, 0.3 g fat, 1.1 g fiber, 3.5 g protein, $0.90 1 10-oz pkg frozen spinach: 103 calories, 0 g fat, 3.4 g fiber, 6.8 g protein, $0.50 2 extra large eggs: 171 calories, 11.5 g fat, 0 g fiber, 14.6 g protein, $0.62 5 extra large egg whites: 100 calories, 0.4 g fat, 0 g fiber, 21 g protein, $1.54 1-1/2 cups 2% cheddar cheese: 540 calories, 36 g fat, 0 g fiber, 42 g protein, $1.50 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.01 1/4 teaspoon black pepper: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.01 TOTAL: 1104 calories, 61.8 g fat, 6 g fiber, 88.9 g protein, $5.48 PER SERVING (TOTAL/6): 184 calories, 10.3 g fat, 1 g fiber, 15 g protein, $0.91
Gary Taubes gave a lecture at UW last Thursday. Thanks to all the Whole Health Source readers who showed up. Gary's talk was titled "Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity". He was hosted by Dr. Philippe Hujoel, the UW epidemiologist and dentist who authored the paper "Dietary Carbohydrates and Dental-Systemic Diseases" (1).
Gary's first target was the commonly held idea that obesity is simply caused by eating too much and exercising too little, and thus the cure is to eat less and exercise more. He used numerous examples from both humans and animals to show that fat mass is biologically regulated, rather than being the passive result of voluntary behaviors such as eating and exercise. He presented evidence of cultures remaining lean despite a huge and continuous surplus of food, as long as they stayed on their traditional diet. He also described how they subsequently became obese and diabetic on industrial foods (the Pima, for example).
He then moved into what he feels is the biological cause of obesity: excessive insulin keeping fat from exiting fat cells. It's true that insulin is a storage hormone, at the cellular level. However, fat mass regulation involves a dynamic interplay between many different interlacing systems that determine both overall energy intake and expenditure, as well as local availability of nutrients at the tissue level (i.e., how much fat gets into your fat tissue vs. your muscle tissue). I think the cause of obesity is likely to be more complex than insulin signaling.
He also offered the "carbohydrate hypothesis", which is the idea that carbohydrate, or at least refined carbohydrate, is behind the obesity epidemic and perhaps other metabolic problems. This is due to its ability to elevate insulin. I agree that refined carbohydrate, particularly white flour and sugar, is probably a central part of the problem. I'm also open to the possibility that some people in industrial nations are genuinely sensitive to carbohydrate regardless of what form it's in, although that remains to be rigorously tested. I don't think carbohydrate is sufficient to cause obesity per se, due to the many lean and healthy cultures that eat high carbohydrate diets*. Gary acknowledges this, and thinks there's probably another factor that's involved in allowing carbohydrate sensitivity to develop, for example excessive sugar.
I had the opportunity to speak with Gary at length on Thursday, as well as on Friday at dinner. Gary is a very nice guy-- a straightforward New York personality who's not averse to a friendly disagreement. In case any of you are wondering, he looks good. Good body composition, nice skin, hair and teeth (apologies to Gary for the analysis). Philippe and his wife took us out to a very nice restaurant, where we had a leisurely four-hour meal, and Dr. Mike Eades was in town so he joined us as well. Mike has a strong Southern accent and is also a pleasant guy. Philippe and his wife are generous and engaging people. It was a great evening. The restaurant was nice enough that I wasn't going to be picky about the food-- I ate everything that was put in front of me and enjoyed it.
* I'm talking about prevention rather than cure here. I acknowledge that many people have had great success losing fat using low-carbohydrate diets, including two gentlemen I met on Thursday.
Hey folks! We're trying something new for weekends: posting an older piece from the CHG archives. This one originally appeared in October 2007. Hope you dig it.
This past weekend, I paid $0.50 for a baggie of cardamom that was selling for $10.49 the next block over. The big difference between the two stores? The $0.50 folks ran an ethnic market. The $10.49 folks ran an upscale grocery store.
Six years ago, I lived in a neighborhood with two major supermarkets, both of which sold produce for above-average prices. Located 15 blocks south was a Korean-owned fruit and vegetable stand. The tomatoes, oranges, and garlic there went for half the cost of the local Key Food.
Earlier this year, a few friends needed 70 goodie bags for a promotional party. They cost about $0.34 a piece at the big-box supply store on 14th St. in Manhattan. Chinese food containers, which looked better and held more candy, went for $0.25 at Pearl River Mart in Chinatown.
It’s taken me a few years, but after Saturday’s cardamom adventure, I think I finally learned the moral of these stories: when in food-purchasing doubt, go ethnic. Whether you’re shopping for spices, produce, or supplies, those independent, family-run marts are fantastic alternatives to mega-stores. The prices are usually competitive (if not significantly lower), and the diversity of options, unbeatable. But it doesn’t end there. (Oh no – it doesn’t.) There are a bazillion other reasons why Kim’s Seafood beats out Food Lion any day of the week.
Shopping at ethic markets…
Encourages experimentation. Diversifying your diet is hard, especially when you’re locked into losing weight. If you’re looking to lift yourself from the meat-and-two-veg rut, ethnic markets are the place to be. Imagine aisle upon aisle stacked with soba noodles, yuca, and saag paneer. Even if you don’t know what any of those things are – trust me, they rule. And the store they came from can introduce your palate to all kinds of crazy flavors you didn’t even know existed.
Promotes diversity. Hey man, our families were all immigrants somewhere along the line. And according the Census Bureau, 40% of the U.S. population will be of ethnic origin by 2010. So, think of the ethnic market as a fabulous opportunity to introduce yourself to a new culture, but also, to meld that culture harmoniously into your own. While you’re perusing the shelves, take the time to speak to the proprietor or other customers. Odds are, everybody will learn something.
Reconnects you to your own culture. Are you a lapsed Swede? A part-German who’s completely ignorant of her background? A quarter-Brit with no discernible knowledge of her family’s cuisine? I am. Checking out ethnic markets gives me a good idea of what my grandparents and great-grandparents ate when they were still strolling the streets of Dublin. (Hint: potatoes.)
Helps small businesses. According to the Washington Post, family-owned ethnic grocers are losing ground as big-box supermarkets hone in on Asian, Hispanic, and African foods. Quite a few shops are even shutting their doors, and the operators’ expertise is being lost along with their leases. By buying from the ethnic market, you’re ensuring the preservation of your area, supporting a local family, and keeping that culinary knowledge alive in your community.
Ensures prepared foods are more authentic. Have you ever had sushi from CostCo? It’s excruciatingly bad. So is eggplant parmesan from Pathmark, and a burrito from Waldbaums. Oftentimes, ethnic markets will have a glass display case full of prepared foods. Try ‘em. See if you like ‘em. If you do, take some home, or try to prepare light versions on your own.
Is oh-so-hip. Eating well and frugally hasn’t always been synonymous with coolness, but it’s getting there, with lots of help from ethnic markets. According to almost every single craze-tracking source out there (magazines, websites, journals, etc.) ethnic food is consistently one of the fastest-growing trends in home cooking. (Cooking Light in particular is a big fan of meal diversification.) Buy a Ming Tsai cookbook, pick up a wok, and get with the times, man.
Makes for creative and creative gifts. Oftentimes, ethnic markets are chock-frigging-full of gorgeous tableware and cooking equipment, not to mention shelf after shelf of exotic mixes, spices, and specialty foods. And? It’s mostly pretty inexpensive. Next time you’re searching for a truly unique, out-there gift, grab a cart and go.
Can be a great bonding experience. Ethnic markets aren’t just grocery stores – they’re opportunities to spend quality time with loved ones. Teaching your kid about daikon? Learning from Grandma about what she ate in the olden days? Group-shopping for a Sunday dinner? Head for your local Indian grocer, which is a museum, a school, a library, and a food store wrapped all in one.
And last but not least (since it’s worth mentioning again), shopping at ethnic markets …
SAVES CASH. Ay-chi-wa-wa, yes. Though this might not extend to all markets/foods, you can conserve massive amounts of cash buying produce, spices, and certain ethnic specialties at the Korean place down the block, rather than the Megamart uptown. Cardamom! $0.50! Not kidding! Go!
If you’re interested in reading more about the glory of ethnic markets, these two faboo resources can help get you started:
So much to love this week, so let's skip the pleasantries and get down to business. Like business people do. Harrumph harrumph.
1) The Atlantic: Confessions of a Picky Eater This whole piece on selective foodies and their coping mechanisms is excellent, but I laughed most at the author bio: “Amy Sullivan is a contributing writer at TIME Magazine and a Michigan native. She has never tried scallops (or artichokes or green olives), but she does not like them.”
3) San Antonio Life: Planning Key to Creating Healthy Meals In which writer Claudia Zapata praises her mom’s weekly menu plans, and then shares tips for creating your own. I especially liked: “Plate everything in the kitchen, except the vegetables. Serve those family style to encourage healthy seconds.” Good call. (P.S. When you read the name “Claudia,” do you always think Babysitter’s Club? No? Uhhhh … me neither.)
4) The Epi-Log: The Science of Cilantro Hatred Though I enjoy a good mouthful of herbage, many friends claim eating the happy little leaves is roughly equivalent to swallowing a tablespoon of Palmolive. As it turns out, there’s a scientific reason for that. The soapy-mouthed might be on to something.
5) Village Voice: Hot Dogs Are the New Foie Gras Burgers and pizza are all the rage in gourmand circles these days, and Voice critic Robert Sietsema does not appreciate the trend. “The escalation of prices for what were once working-class food, is the true blowback of the economic downturn.” I don’t agree – if people can afford a $6 hot dog, let ‘em have it. Still, read on and let me know whatcha think.
6) CNN/Health.com: Fat Camps for Grown-ups – Do They Work? You can probably guess what they discovered here, but if not, here’s the quoted expert: "Weight-loss camps are not an easy or quick fix. The short-term investment of time and money does not automatically equate to healthy weight management in the long term." This seems to go for all quick fixes, doesn’t it?
7) AP: How to eat well on a food stamp budget - $68.88 Three chefs attempt to prepare varied, healthy weekly family menus based off the current food stamp allotment (which 1 in every 8 Americans are now receiving). The first flat-out fails. The other two, one of whom is Iron Chef Jose Garces, do very well, even though both of them pay more for meat. Veddy interesting.
9) The Simple Dollar: Family Dinner Night Show up, maybe bring a dish, select your meal from a homey assembly line, sit down, talk to loved ones. Great idea for inexpensive, casual, fun get-togethers.
10) Atlantic Food: Make Produce Safe – Share Your Ideas The FDA is accepting electronically-submitted suggestions to improve the safety of U.S. food. This piece gives a nice overview of the whys and hows, and then provides an e-mail at the bottom. Go! Now! Tell the feds exactly what you think! (Er ... without too many four-letter-words.)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Broke and Healthy Inexpensive, nutritious meals from someone with actual professional cooking experience! (Meaning: not me.) Clean design, good pictures, step-by-step instructions. What more could you ask for? (Besides a rainbow made of bacon.)
Huffington Post Food: Becoming Better Cooks, or Why Sandra Lee Is Not Evil Incarnate HuffPo’s new food section debuted this week, and among the first articles is this opinion piece by Ratio author Michael Ruhlman. He ruhlminates (haw haw) on Aunt Sandy’s place in the culinary world, finally deciding she’s defendable, because she gets people in the kitchen. I have nothing to add here, except: TABLESCAPES.
Thank you so much for visiting Cheap Healthy Good! (We appreciate it muchly). If you’d like to further support CHG, subscribe to our RSS feed! Or become a Facebook friend! Or check out our Twitter! Or buy something inexpensive, yet fulfilling via that Amazon store (on the left)! Bookmarking sites and links are nice, too. Viva la France!
