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Harvard University’s New Food Pyramid

Carolyn — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:08:54 +0000

Remember when the government revised its food pyramid three years ago, only to confuse Americans with its 12 versions and staircase on the side?

The people at the Harvard School of Public Health certainly do. They set out to create a guide to good nutrition that uses the familiar pyramid shape but incorporates current research findings in a more straightforward way.

“We would really like to see nutrition applied in daily life,” Lilian Cheung, director of health promotion and communication in the nutrition department, said in an interview. “We want to demystify the whole subject.”

The new model (above), called the Healthy Eating Pyramid, is searchable, downloadable, and free. It’s part of a relaunched site The Nutrition Source that breaks down diet components, with links to research, and shares recipes from well-known chefs Mollie Katzen, Nina Simonds, and Ming Tsai. Restaurant-scale meals are included, too, from The Culinary Institute of America to Harvard’s own Sebastian’s Cafe, the cafeteria at the School of Public Health.

The updated pyramid, based on data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, has four components that differ from the US Department of Agriculture’s 2005 recommendations. Exercise and weight control are at the base of the pyramid to stress their importance, vitamin D is added in a bottle off to the side reflecting deficiencies many people have, dairy is limited to two servings a day because more doesn’t help, and sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas are added to the pyramid’s tip, in the “use sparingly” category that also includes red meat, salt, and refined grains, the site says.

And that wine glass? That means moderate drinking can offer health benefits to many people, but it’s not for everyone. So don’t start.

by Elizabeth Cooney May 13, 2008

Dim Sum Glossary

Debby Richards — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:10:31 +0000

In some dim sum parlors in Hong Kong, where ingredients
are prime and innovation is encouraged, the dim sum are
extraordinarily diverse. The chef might experiment with
the traditional recipe, creating a new variation on an old theme,
or even a completely new type. There are, however, a number of
standard classics, and the following glossary covers the most traditional
forms which will be found in all fine dim sum restaurants – in any country.

CHA SHAO BAO (Barbecued Pork Buns) airy, globular buns with a
yeast dough skin stuffed with slices of barbecued pork coated in oyster sauce.

CHANG FEN ( Stuffed Sweet Rice Rolls) squat steamed rolls made with
a slippery, white sweet-rice skin and stuffed with a shrimp, beef, or scallop filling.

CHUN JUAN ( Spring Rolls) slender, deep-fried rolls stuffed with pork,
bamboo shoots, and shrimp and wrapped in thin skins made of flour and water.

DAN TA (Custard Tarts) flaky tarts with a rich and eggy custard center.

DOU SHI PAI GU (Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce) bite-sized
spareribs coated with a fermented black bean sauce.

LO PO GAO ( Fried Turnip Cake) slices of a steamed pudding-like cake
made with shredded daikon radish, chopped Chinese sausage, and rice powder
that are pan-fried until golden brown and crisp.

LUO MI JI (Stuffed Lotus Leaves) steamed packages of lotus leaves stuffed
with glutinous rice, chicken, diced shrimp, and black mushrooms.
(The lotus leaf merely provides flavor and is not eaten.)

SHAO MAI (Steamed Pork Dumplings) open-faced dumplings with a thin
flour and water skin, stuffed with ground pork and garnished with a variety of
ingredients, including peas, chopped ham, and crab roe.

XIA JAO (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings or HAR GAO) delicate dumplings with
translucent wheat-starch skins stuffed with chopped shrimp and water chestnuts.
Soy sauce and mustard are often mixed and used as a dipping sauce.

XING REN DOUFU (Almond Bean Curd) a refreshing almond-flavored jelly
usually cut into squares or diamond shapes and mixed with fresh or canned fruit salad.

JIAO YU (Stuffed Taro Balls) deep-fried balls made with a mashed,
steamed taro skin and a pork, shrimp, and black mushroom filling.

GUO TIEH (Pan-Fried Dumplings) crusty pan-seared dumplings stuffed with ground pork and cabbage

Are you Yin or Yang?

Debby Richards — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:00:59 +0000

Everyone possesses both yin and yang elements that are constantly shifting depending on age, health, lifestyle, environment and diet. We are all born, however, with a general disposition toward being yin or yang, which is hereditary, as well as dependent on other factors. Since balance is the key to good health, it is helpful to know what your disposition is. Are you yin or are you yang?
According to Dr. Chun-Han Zhu, who practices in the Boston area, a Chinese doctor often observes general characteristics that indicate whether a person is yin or yang.
They are the following:

Yin Body Types

Listless or lacking energy
Thin and Pale-faced
Vulnerable to infectious disease
Relaxed, easy-going and quiet
Sensitive to cold

Yang Body Types

Usually superactive, hyper, full of energy and vitality
Generally heavyset or overweight
Flush faced or ruddy complexion
Restless or impatient
Not sensitive to cold
Easily constipated

Diagnosis by a qualified physician is recommended for discerning any serious illness.