Food for Thought
Amidst culinary celebration, a push to improve students’ eating habits
Now in its third year, the “New Taste of the Upper West Side” festival has grown, adding several events to its weekend-long celebration of the neighborhood’s burgeoning culinary scene.
Foodies can get started early Friday morning with a panel discussion about healthy eating, school lunch programs and buying local, hosted by the American Museum of Natural History. The panel is slated to include Ellie Krieger of the Food Network and Steve Cuozzo of the New York Post, as well as restaurateurs Bill Telepan and John Fraser and nutritional expert Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Read more
Lighten Up
January brings a slew of New Year’s resolutions, like the perennial mantra to eat healthier. Since wan lunchtime salads quickly lose their appeal, consider these local eateries offering delicious dishes that also keep your waist small.
Ozu (566 Amsterdam Ave., near 88th St., 212-787-8316): This Japanese restaurant focuses on vegan dishes that eschew refined sugars and showcase fresh produce and whole grains. The pocket-sized eatery has only 26 seats, but dishes out huge portions. Kabocha, a Hokkaido squash similar to butternut, appears throughout the extensive menu. In an appetizer, the steamed pieces are smothered in a seitan sauce so delicious it ought to come with a spoon. Steamed kabocha, carrots and sweet potatoes, or a generous romaine salad with a tangy beet dressing, accompany the entrées. Read more
NO CHRISTMAS COOKIES?
It was just before last Christmas that Heather Steinbrink found out that she and her 4-year-old daughter Audrey had to cross Christmas cookies, crackers and gravy-soaked mashed potatoes off their list of holiday indulgences. After Steinbrink’s mother was diagnosed with Celiac disease—a form of gluten intolerance remedied with a gluten-free diet—she and her daughter also tested positive.
Approximately 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Read more
THE F BOMB
For more than 10 years, New York nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot has helped hundreds of patients in her private practice to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle through her fiber-based diet. After years of success, Zuckerbrot—a Great Neck, N.Y., native who now calls the Upper East Side home—wanted her program to have a broader impact. In 2007, she published the F-Factor Diet, a book billed as a break from fad diets and an approach to permanent weight loss.
There are so many different types of diets out there. What sets the F-Factor apart? Read more
THE SKINNY ON TOFU
Since the mid-20th century, tofu in Western culture has been synonymous with health food—and everything good and bad that phrase evokes. Tofu is high in protein, iron and calcium, and low on calories. But many people also complain that it’s low on taste, or they are turned off by its texture.
To learn a little more about tofu, which has been a staple in Asian diets for more than 2,000 years, we spoke with Chihiro Kurata (with the assistance of a translator), marketing division manager for tofu manufacturer House Foods America Corporation. Read more
PLEASURES OF THE TABLE
Q. I have a bet with a friend that you start losing your sense of taste as you get older. She says that her taste is as strong as ever and thinks I’m wrong. Who wins the bet?
A. In general, sensitivity to taste gradually decreases with age. But there are some whose taste isn’t affected by getting older. Who wins the bet? I won’t touch that one.
The ability to taste food and beverages means a lot to seniors. Let’s face it; Read more
