Save yourself and save the planet:
Be sure meat comprises no more than 1/3
of your dish, with 2/3 vegetables. Photo
courtesy National Pork Board.
Thursday is Earth Day, and experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) say one way you can help the planet is by taking a good look at what’s on your plate. If you didn’t get around to healthier eating as a New year’s resolution, now’s a good time to start.
You can choose healthier foods and simultaneously make a difference in preserving some of the earth’s natural resources.
By eating more veggies and downsizing meat portions, you’re helping to conserve topsoil and save millions of gallons of water. According to the American Dietetic Association, a 3-ounce beef burger may require about 26 times more water than if you choose a similarly sized veggie burger.
Beef requires a lot of energy—for feed, manure management, transportation, slaughter and processing—before it gets to your market. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates if all Americans ate one less serving of beef weekly, we’d lower greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as if we took about 5 million cars off our roads.
And don’t think chicken is the solution: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization found that all livestock generate more greenhouse gas emissions than all the planes, trains and automobiles on the planet!
You don’t need to eliminate meat from your diet; but the experts point to convincing evidence that diets high in meat increase risk for colon cancer. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans should be the focus of most meals, with meat taking up a supporting role—a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio.
Tips For Health & Earth Day
1. Adopt The New Ratio. It’s easy to follow the “2/3 plants to 1/3 meat” plan. For example, mix a small scoop of brown rice with plenty of colorful vegetables to fill most of your plate, accompanied by 3 ounces of roasted chicken.
2. Size Does Matter. In your 2/3:1/3 plan, keep your portions modest. Recommended sizes: a rounded handful for a serving of pasta or dried beans; a baseball-sized serving for fresh fruit; a meat serving about the size of a deck of cards. Still hungry? Eat a large salad with oil and vinegar.
3. Vegetarian Day. Have a “vegetarian day” once or twice a week. Go dairy-free if you can: A dairy cow contributes as much manure/greenhouse gas as a beef steer.
It’s Earth Week, so how about some caviar to teach your kids about sustainability?
Only in America—or perhaps wherever there are people with too much cash on their hands—would someone market a “Caviar Kid” kit. It seems so Hollywood.
The kit is sold by Calilfornia Caviar, “Purveyors of Indulgence,” in San Francisco. According to the manufacturer, it’s:
“A perfect way to make eating caviar fun for kids…spoon some crème fraïche into the puff pastry fish bowl and top with trout caviar for a fun, delicious and nutritious snack.”
The brightly colored box includes trout caviar, a kid’s caviar spoon and napkin packed in a 100% recycled box that includes games and fun facts to teach your caviar kid about ocean conservation and sustainable seafood.
Will your kid eat caviar? Here’s one way
to find out. Photo courtesy CaliforniaCaviar.com.
Another option, “Fish and Chips,” declares:
“Sustainable seafood and ocean conservation at its best, this snack pack has sustainably raised Hackleback Sturgeon caviar, organic crème fraiche and Whale Tails organic corn chips, which donates 10% of proceeds to conserving Blue Whale breeding grounds.”
Gosh, how about a can of sustainable tuna—pole-and-troll caught, no FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices)—for the kids, and send the caviar to us?
THE NIBBLE has lots of ideas for caviar lovers. Take a look at our Caviar Section, with recipes, Q&A and entertaining tips, plus our Caviar Glossary to help you roe, roe, roe your caviar boat.
Try a Pinot Noir with Lamb Vindaloo. Photo
by Michal Szydlowski | SXC.
Vishal Khosla, owner of Klay Oven in Chicago, has had a lot of time to experiment with wine parings at his Indian restaurant. His tips for what pairs best:
A dirty martini goes well with appetizers like vegetable samosas or chicken and lamb kabobs with onions and green peppers.
With Lamb Vindaloo, try a Pinot Noir; it offers a subtly sweet contrast to the spices in the dish.
Chicken Masala pairs best with Sauvignon Blanc; the wine provides a contrast to the spices in the dish.
Try a bold Cabernet Sauvignon to add some intensity to chickpea and lentil dishes.
Hot curries need a wine with a bit of residual sugar. Try Riesling or Gewürztraminer; with milder curries, have an Alsatian Pinot Gris.
Mother’s Day is May 9th, less than three weeks away. It’s the second-biggest chocolate-buying holiday, after Valentine’s Day.
We make gift giving easy: Send Mom a box of chocolates from one of our Top Pick Of The Week artisan chocolatiers.
What does it take to get chosen as a Top Pick Of The Week chocolate?
Quality, consistency and good service. There are wonderful boutique chocolatiers who don’t [yet] have the resources to provide good customer service for online orders—for example, they’re too busy making chocolate and have no one to pick up the phone and answer questions. Our selected chocolatiers were put through their paces via online orders with special instructions (no coconut or no chile, for example), and passed with flying colors.
Are you ready to discover a wonderful new chocolatier?
The shirt says it all (and is a unique gift
for bacon-loving friends).
Bacon lovers: Here’s your chance to wear your heart on your sleeve (or more precisely, your chest).
San Francisco chef/butcher Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats creates tee shirts that celebrate his products. “Bacon Is The New Black” is a shirt that will appeal to many people we know.
The limited-edition tees are printed on American Apparel 100% cotton jersey shirts. They’re available online at 4505meats.com while supplies last, for $25.00.
