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The History Of Cheesecake

by In Food Facts Tagged , ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

Here’s to you, Mom. You wanted a blog about cheesecake… and you got it.

Cheesecake is a great dessert. Creamy, rich, but not too sweet (if done properly). There are so many variations, flavors, baking (or non-baking) techniques. My dear mother’s expectations for cheesecake are always high. She said she would want to stick her fork into the middle of a slice and see if it was able to withstand a sudden earthquake without crumbling apart. I always loved creating this cake and sampling the delicious crust that I swore I’d be content with eating just that. But I don’t think you’d expect cheesecake’s history to be that complex. I was surprised when I found out that this sweet doesn’t date to the 1800s or even 1500s, but all the way back to nearly 4,000 years ago!

So let’s dive right in… 

Ancient Greece, Anthropologists, Athenaeus

First of all, thank you, Greeks, for creating such a legacy. 

Researchers and historians excavated cheese molds dating back to 2,000 BC on the Island of Samos. Cheese has been around even before then, dating into prehistory (before writing was invented and even prior to when people began spinning cloth from cotton, kinda hard to fathom with our 21st century mindsets). According to the Greeks, cheesecake provided energy and there is proof that athletes were served this during the first Olympic games in 776 BC. Brides and grooms ate this as a wedding cake, a gesture of hospitality. Granted, the ingredients were simplistic: flour, wheat, honey, and cheese, but people opt for cheesecake to celebrate their marriage still! Greek rhetorician and grammarian Athenaeus is credited for writing the first cheesecake recipe in 230 AD, which is the oldest known surviving recipe. (He detailed it as: pound the cheese until smooth, mix in a brass pan with honey and spring wheat flour, heat into one mass, then cool and serve).

Time Goes On… 

After the Romans conquered the Greeks, they modified the cheesecake approach by including crushed cheese and eggs, then baking it under a hot brick, serving it warm. Sometimes, they put the cheese filling into a pastry, calling it “libuma,” and indulging on special occasions. Roman politician Marcus Cato is said to have recorded the oldest known cheesecake recipe for this group of people. According to the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Jewish people had a very popular cheese-filled pastry called “fluden,” adapted in 1000 AD.

The Europeans’ Influence

By 1545, the first cookbook was published, and sure enough, it stated a recipe for cheesecake.

“To make a tarte of Chese – Take harde Chese and cutte it in slyces, and pare it, than laye it in fayre water, or in swete mylke, the space of three houres, then take it up and break it in a mortar tyll it be small, than drawe it up thorowe a strainer with the yolks of syxe eggs, and season it wyth suger and swete butter, and so bake it.”

(Makes you read suddenly in a strong British or Scottish accent… no? Just me? Okay).

Europeans really began to focus on using ingredients native to the region. By this time, cheesecake was considered a flour-based sweet food. Henry VIII’s chef had a hand in shaping this recipe too. Apparently, he cut up cheese and soaked it in milk for 3 hours, then strained the mixture and added eggs, butter, and sugar.

By the 18th century, cheesecake was beginning to look more like what we recognize nowadays. They removed yeast from the ingredients, rather using eggs to make their cakes and breads rise. Removing yeast (and its flavor) caused cheesecake to be classified as a dessert.

Neufchatel Cheese And A Dairy Farmer

Cream cheese was an American addition to the cheesecake recipe, and was a staple in the US since the late 1800s. A New York dairy farmer was attempting to replicate the French cheese Neufchatel*** and accidentally discovered the process which resulted in cream cheese being made instead. This creation was packaged and distributed by Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand, purchased in 1903 by the Phoenix Cheese Company, which was then bought in 1928 by the Kraft Cheese Company.

***Neufchatel cheese is claimed to be the oldest version of Norman cheese. There was a text from 1035 AD that mentions the production of cheese in the Neufchel-en-Bray countryside, where it was matured in cellars. There were/are many shapes to this cheese, depending on the fashion and mold the producer owned (for example, it’s rumored that the heart-shaped cheese came from the tale of a Norman woman who wanted to express her feelings (in a not-so-subtle way) to the English soldiers in the Middle Age. Napoleon III is said to have received a huge basket of it that he appreciated (who wouldn’t?) and this cheese remains to be known as one of the best, consumed all over France.

New York

Can’t go without addressing one of the most well-known states whose bragging rights are notorious when it comes to having good cheesecake. Classic NY-style cheesecake is served with just the cake, no fruit, or chocolate or caramel. The extra egg yolks contribute to the smooth, signature texture. By the 1900s, New Yorkers were in love with this tasty treat and every restaurant continues to have a distinct method when creating cheesecake. 

Arnold Reuben (more known for his sandwiches) is also said to have invented the New York cheesecake. Born in Germany, he came to America when he was younger, and went to a party where the hostess served a cheese pie. He loved it so much, he began to experiment with recipes and came up with what we know and love today.

Around The World Variations

Chicago cheesecakes have sour cream added; Philadelphia’s cakes are known for being lighter and creamer, topped with fruit or chocolate. St. Louise enjoys a butter cake, with an additional layer of cake on the cheese filling. Italians use ricotta, Greeks include feta, Germans prefer cottage cheese, and Japan mixes cornstarch and egg whites to make a custard. Even though the main ingredients are the same, every nation’s cheesecakes will taste differently depending on where you go. 

★Bonus Fact★

The Cheesecake Factory has about 35 different flavors, changing seasonally and varying from Original to Salted Caramel to Oreo. By using the standard price of $10.45 per slice, you would spend about $365 to try them all… ouch. On a more nutritional note, an average slice of cheesecake from this restaurant contains roughly 1,250 calories. A friendly reminder that women should only intake 2,000 per day; men should only intake 2,500. But let’s be honest… if you don’t splurge that often, every bite is worth it.

Final Thoughts

Hope you’re satisfied with my blog, Mom, and that I answered all your undying questions about the origin of cheesecake. Sarcasm aside, I learned a lot that I didn’t know before researching. It made me appreciate cheesecake even more and feel knowledgeable about this classic dessert. Cheesecake will definitely be the next dessert I tackle when I’m bitten by the baking bug and knowing me… that’ll be soon.

 

Sources: 

 

The Rich History of a Favorite Dessert

Cheesecake History

A History of Cheesecake 

The (Rich) History Of The Cheesecake 

21 Cheesecake Factory Dishes With More Calories Than the Cheesecake

 

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Is Red Wine Helpful Or Harmful?

by In Food Facts Tagged ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

My grandma has been the center of jokes for years with her indulgence of wine every day around 4PM. Dad and I would always tease her about how she would want to get home to have a glass, eat some cheese, and take a nap. (In reality, now that I look back, that’s honestly a goal for retirement). But, she just turned 90 this past September, so she ought to be doing something right. Were her glasses of red wine a contribution to her health, sharp wit, and spunk even as she’s nearing a century old? Probably. Let’s find out. 

Short But Sweet History

Medieval monasteries believed monks lived longer from drinking red wine. “The French Paradox” refers to the phrase regarding this population in Europe who have low rates of heart disease, despite consuming a lot of high-fat-and-cholesterol foods. Experts believe that red wine was the dietary protector of the French from the harmful effects of these nutrients (where in reality, they’re healthier because they eat more whole, nutritional foods and live active lifestyles). 

Some Basic Info

Red wine is high in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and lipid-regulating. A two-week study in 40 adults found that consuming 13.5 oz (or 400 ml) of red wine daily increased antioxidant status. It has a decent amount of resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of grapes, which reduces oxidative stress, a factor linked to cancer and heart disease. Eating whole grapes and berries are (obviously) a better source because there are health risks in drinking wine. In order to feel an effect of resveratrol, you would have to drink bottles of this stuff, which will do more harm than good. But when shopping for alcohol, red wine is a better option than the other varieties (i.e. red wine has 10 times more resveratrol than white wine).

Other Interesting Facts

Red wine could prevent cavities. In 2014, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry discovered that it killed more cavity-causing bacteria than water spiked with alcohol. Red wine can also keep your allergies at bay. Even though more research is needed, 80 studies showed that flavonoids could reduce symptoms of asthma and such. While drinking during pregnancy is NOT recommended, red wine could boost your chances of conceiving. A study was conducted at Washington University, and they found that high amounts of resveratrol preserves cells and increases the number of eggs. Nonetheless, the CDC (Centers for Disease and Prevention) advise that women who are trying to have a baby should stop drinking alcohol to prevent the possibility of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

How Drinking A Glass Or Two Helps Your Body

Cardiovascular Health

A 2019 review showed that there is a lower risk of coronary heart disease (which is the leading cause of death in the US) from drinking wine, however the American Heart Association (AHA) stated that other factors like your diet and lifestyle affect your health as well. Follow the guidelines to ensure that you get the positive outcomes from drinking and not the negatives. (1 glass of wine a day for females; 2 glasses of wine for males; 1 glass = 5 oz, with a 12% alcohol by volume).

Gut Health & Type 2 Diabetes

In 2018, a study showed that the polyphenols from red wine improve gut microbiota. These may act as prebiotics, or in other words, boost healthy bacteria. A 2015 experiment showed that having a glass of wine once a day decreases cardiometabolic risk with people who suffer from type 2 diabetes. Ethanol in wine plays a crucial role in metabolizing glucose, but more research is needed to confirm this claim.

Blood Pressure

The AHA stated that resveratrol may reduce blood pressure and increase levels of good cholesterol. Compounds called procyanidins help keep blood vessels healthy, however non-alcoholic red wine can have the same results. Drinking too much can lead to high blood pressure or an irregular heart rate.

Brain Damage & Dementia

Red wine can help protect against secondary brain damage after a stroke or central nervous system injury. (This is because the ingredients have positive effects on inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death. For the same reason, vision loss can be prevented). In 2018, researchers concluded there was an increased risk of memory loss in people who didn’t drink wine, which has neuroprotective effects.

Depression & Living Longer

An examination in 2013 of 5,000 people showed that over 7 years, the people who drank between 2-7 glasses of wine each week had lower levels of depression. (Contrastingly, drinking more leads to a more likely risk of depression). In the end, drinking red wine in moderation can lead to a longer life expectancy than occasional and heavy drinkers.

The Negatives

Drinking too much can lead to alcoholism, liver cirrhosis, and weight gain. (On the flip side, red wine in moderation can help you drop pounds. The International Journal of Obesity found that the compounds in red wine can convert “white fat” into “beige fat,” which can be burned off easier). Just as not drinking enough, too much leads to an increased risk of death and disease. An average of 87,798 people in the US die to excessive alcohol consumption; that equates to 1 in 10 deaths between the ages of 20-64. The National Cancer Institute states there is a strong correlation between too much consumption and possibly developing a multitude of different cancers (whether that be in the throat, breast, or liver). Alcohol damages bodily tissues, therefore drinking wine in excess is harmful and outweighs the above benefits.

Other Symptoms

Some people feel sick after drinking red wine (no, I’m not talking about a hangover). Their symptoms could range from a pounding headache to more allergy-related effects, like itchiness, coughing, or digestive issues. Red wine contains congeners, and these give red wine the recognizable flavor profile, but there is a certain type (known as tannins) which make people who are already vulnerable to migraines get them after consumption. Sulfites, known to be added to red wine specifically in the US, are to blame. If you get a rash or abdominal pain, then histamine is at fault. There are ways to prevent this, either by avoiding red wine, monitoring your consumption, and drinking white/organic/dry wine… or not at all.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that you should feel free to drink, as long as you balance your diet and moderate how much alcohol you have per day. Experts recommend having at least 1-2 alcohol free days per week. While there are health benefits, the risks are there, seeing that red wine is indeed still a liquor. Be sure to eat a good diet that includes a bunch of varieties of vegetables and fruits, but don’t feel guilty if you have a glass every now and then. My grandma is tangible proof that it does seem to have some good qualities to it.

 

Sources: 

Is red wine good for you?

Red Wine: Good or Bad?

Can a Glass of Wine Benefit Your Health?

5 Health Benefits of Red, Red Wine – In Case You Need An(other) Excuse

7 Surprising Health Benefits of Red Wine

 

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What Eating Fast Food Does To Your Body

by In Food Facts Tagged ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

We all know that fast food isn’t great. Seeing more and more documentaries like 1,000-lb Sisters emerging over the last few years is a hint that people are suffering not only from some sort of mental/emotional trauma for them to let their body decay into such overwhelming obesity, but that the fast food issue in America should not be ignored. I can’t remember the last time I went into a McDonald’s, unless on a road trip and needing to use the restroom. Whenever I eat out, I lean more towards getting salads, veggie burgers, pasta, or something else that is hearty but has nutritional value, while avoiding the other joints with fried and processed food like the plague (heh, maybe those jokes should be avoided now…).

Below is a compilation of what companies actually do to make their food “crave-able” and in turn, what that means for your body and health.

An Addiction

There is research proving that junk food is like a drug, triggering your brain’s reward systems, and unleashing dopamine. Companies utilize what’s called the “bliss point,” or the “optimal concentration of sugar known to maximize… pleasure.” Undergoing this different sensory experience is due to the altered ingredient content. The foods taste the way they do thanks to multiple processes and mathematical/scientific equations nutritionists, scientists, and flavorists engineer to produce flavor extracts. They are then injected into the meals, making natural food less delicious if exposed to these foods more often.

(Think about it this way: if you eat super salty French fries, then compare that taste to say… broccoli, of course the fries are more appealing because you’re used to that flavor). 

The consumer wants to repeat the positive experience that caused this release, thus making the cravings for fast food more frequent and powerful. These companies also want to hit nostalgia; I mean, who doesn’t want to relive the awe of drinking a milkshake while playing on the indoor, colorful playgrounds?  

Further Proof

Scientists studied a group of rats that were forced to consume fast food over a period of time. Once regulated, it took the rodents 14 days to convert them back to enjoying their “normal” food again. Some rats chose to starve, while others went days without eating. 

Also, there have been many complaints that fast food joints make the items on their menu look better in promotions by manipulating lighting and effects (and not cramming the food into little portable to-go boxes). People take their own pictures of what they bought, and compare it to what’s seen in advertisements. To say the very least, the contrast of how these foods hold up to their counterparts is just sad. But companies want to make their products look good… even if the burgers, tacos, and sandwiches don’t embrace the whole slogan of “as seen on TV” at all.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

So what happens to your body once you’ve eaten your burger and fries, and guzzled your soda? The food goes into your bloodstream within 15 minutes. Because of the refined carbs, your body can go through a more rapid digestion and break down the meal faster. Due to this, glucose and insulin levels rise, turning the meal into fat and not energy. Within 3 hours, hunger strikes again despite the fact you just ate nearly an entire day’s worth of calories. 

The After Effects

You’ll be stressed, panicky. Your body is attempting to restore your blood sugar to normal levels, therefore you’ll experience mood swings, and symptoms like headaches or nausea. Your arteries become impaired, slowing your blood flow and causing you to be tired with a 20% more likely risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Your body will digest the rest of the remaining chemicals slowly or not at all. Take for instance, the Big Mac, which needs 36 hours to leave your system entirely. You could become gassy or bloated and your body will react to the additives/fillers like an infection, triggering an inflammatory response and a more defensive immune system.

20 “Ew” Facts About Fast Food That Will Make You Think Twice Before Ordering Out

#1

Millennials spend about 45% of their budget’s food dollars on eating out.

#2

The American Heart Association recommends eating only 100-150 calories of added sugar a day (about 6-9 teaspoons), but a 12 oz can of soda already contains 8.

#3

The high level of refined carbohydrates can lead to acne.

#4

Loaded with trans fats, fast food leads to elevated cholesterol.

#5

People who order fast food indulge about an extra 200 calories a day, gain weight, and are at risk of developing diabetes, even if what they’re ordering is “healthy.” (For example, going to McDonald’s website, you can see their Premium Southwest Salad is 160 calories. Sounds good… until realizing the salad dressing is not included and that the tortilla chips contain goodies like dextrose and disodium inosinate. In unscientific terms… additives).

#6

Chicken nuggets are in fact chicken… but they contain more bone, fat, and tendons than actual meat. Just what I want to be eating.

#7

Fast food destroys tooth enamel and encourages cavities. Your bone density and muscle mass will also suffer. 

#8

There was a survey of 993 adults’ guesses about how much sodium they were consuming in a meal, and their estimates were 6 times lower than the actual amount. (1,292mg; equivalent to about half of your recommended sodium intake per day).

#9

Fast food can affect your fertility, the added ingredients changing how hormones act, resulting in birth defects.

#10

The number of fast food restaurants has doubled since 1970, correlating with the number of obese Americans.

#11

The short term effects of eating fast food include a change in your metabolism, a reduced ability for muscles to turn glucose into energy, poor digestion, and constipation. 

#12

People who consume fast food are 51% more likely to be depressed. 

#13

Half of Americans prefer to eat a fast food meal every single day. 

#14

In 2010, a study found that 48% of soda fountains at fast food joints contain coliform bacteria, commonly found in feces.

#15

A law firm in Alabama once sued Taco Bell for calling its taco filling “meat,” seeing that it’s more oats, seasoning, and fillers than anything else. The case was dropped after the restaurant changed their advertisements and fought the charges.

#16

Subway’s bread used to contain azodicarbonamide, a chemical that can be found in yoga mats. After a petition of thousands of signatures demanded they remove it from their food, they obliged.

#17

McDonald’s confirmed that there are parts from more than 100 cows in just one of their burgers. Yum.

#18

A New York City police officer, John Florio, bit into a Big Mac full of glass in 2005. The case was finally settled 9 years later for $437,000.

#19

There is a secret menu option at Burger King called the Suicide Burger, which includes 4 burgers covered in cheese, bacon, sauce, and comes to a total of 800 calories.

#20

Children who eat fast food 3 times a week are more likely to develop asthma. There has also been a link between kids eating fast food and a decline in their academic success.

The Bottom Line

Health experts advise that you should follow the 80:20 rule: eat healthy foods 80% of the time and indulge 20% of the time. This plan works for weight loss and helps boost mental health. But also consider what your lifestyle is like beforehand. It’s all about balance. Do you exercise? Do you smoke or overdo your consumption of alcohol? These factors contribute to your long term health so if you eat out once in a while, that’s fine, but be sure that it doesn’t become a regularity.

Sources:

(Video) If You Eat Fast Food, THIS Happens To Your Body

The Effects of Fast Food on the Body

This is your body on fast food

100 Crazy Fast Food Facts

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Veganism: Is It Really Worth It?

by In Featured Tagged , , ,

For yourself… and the environment.

By: Heidi Wagenbach

With many people embracing veganism and this diet gaining more traction in the 21st century than ever before, there must be something special about this diet… right? It’s time to find out.

I went through that phase of trying different plant-based items and soy/almond milk. While that lasted for about a month or two, I never went back to eating the same again. I now limit the amount of dairy I consume, having a glass of milk in the morning and indulging cheese, but avoiding yogurt and cottage cheese. I don’t really eat red meat, but find that I still enjoy chicken and turkey on occasion. I’d like to think of myself as semi-vegetarian, and that I could embrace the diet fully one of these days, but never, ever vegan. I like ice cream too much to sacrifice it from my life. But let’s explore the health benefits of a vegan diet, its impact on the world in general, and if transitioning into avoiding animal products is really as good as experts claim.

Background

Veganism is excluding all animal products (such as meat, dairy, and eggs) from your diet. The number of people opting for this change has increased over the years, due to health issues, animal welfare, and environmental concerns. This way of eating is rich in nutrients (if done properly), low in saturated fats, and can improve overall health, limiting heart disease, fighting to prevent cancer and diabetes. However, if you’re considering changing your diet, you should know how to obtain certain nutrients, like iron, calcium, and vitamin B-12, and consult with your doctor beforehand to make sure you won’t go through deficiencies. Some people choose to be vegan, while others need to follow it due to dietary restrictions/allergies. Be sure to include a variety of fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and seeds to ensure minerals, healthy fats, and protein. A vegan diet is much more restrictive than vegetarian.

How Veganism Helps You

Heart health

  • A lower intake of animal products means a lower intake of fat, which can reduce heart disease. 
  • Meat, cheese, and butter contain saturated fats, therefore higher cholesterol levels. Plants and grains, on the other hand, are high in fiber, reducing the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream.
  • You will take in fewer calories, meaning a lower BMI and weight loss, thus a reduced risk of obesity.
  • Vegan diets are more effective than other diets because they provide macronutrients. People who follow this eating plan will manage their weight better by replacing meat with plants. Obviously, eating a lot of processed/high fat plant-based foods contradicts the purpose.

Cancer

  • A vegan diet lowers your risk of cancer by 15% according to a 2017 review. 
  • Red/processed meat (consumed in large amounts) can possibly lead to prostate/pancreatic cancer.

How Veganism Helps The Planet

Combats hunger in many countries

A lot of food grown around the world isn’t being eaten by humans; 70% of the grain grown in the United States feeds livestock. It’s estimated that 700 million tons of food per year that could be consumed by people goes to animals instead. Deforestation, overfishing, and pollution caused by meat and/or fish industries limits the overall ability of Earth’s production. The global population is expected to go over 9 billion by 2050, and with the path we’re going down now, there’s no way that many people could survive with the limited resources Earth has.

Conserves water

Millions of people don’t have access to clean water, caused by droughts and/or mismanagement of resources, alongside the fact that livestock drink and pollute fresh water. It takes about 100 to 200 times more water to raise a pound of beef than it does to raise a pound of plant foods. Livestock also erode/weaken soil and seeing they’re living creatures that need to roam, trees are cut down to provide them with more land. The lack of forests will accelerate climate change, whereas plants provide nourishment to clean the air. Not-so-fun fact: livestock cause more carbon emissions than cars, buses, planes, and ships combined.

Reduces energy consumption

Meat costs a lot of energy. It takes time to raise animals, and the process of shipping the products from the slaughterhouse to your dinner table is extensive and expensive. Both electricity and gas are expended in this delivery process, thus Earth takes another toll.

How Veganism Hinders The Planet

Joseph Poore, a researcher at the University of Oxford, who studies the environmental impact of food stated: 

Nothing really compares to beef, lamb, pork, and dairy– these products are in a league of their own in the level of damage they typically do to the environment, on almost every environmental issue we track… But it’s essential to be mindful about everything we consume: air-transported fruit and veg can create more greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram than poultry meat, for example.

Angelina Frankowska studies sustainability at the University of Manchester and she found that the asparagus eaten in the UK has the highest carbon footprint out of the various 56 fruits/vegetables they studied, seeing that it’s imported from Peru. Our diets can lead to unexpected consequences. Just take a look at the following… 

Avocado… Or Avaca-don’t

Avocados (or “alligator pears”) are delicious, and easily one of my favorite foods, however they require huge amounts of water. A single mature tree needs 46 gallons of water every day. There are many areas suffering from water shortages (i.e. California, where a lot of avos are grown, with their constant heat waves, droughts, and fires). Other fruits, say mangoes for example, need over a hundred of gallons of water per kilogram. Similarly, plums need 67 gallons.

There Isn’t Mushroom For Jokes Here

The US Department of Agriculture showed that producing a kilogram of button, chestnut, or portobello mushrooms casts 2.13kg of carbon dioxide into the air. In order to grow mushrooms, the temperature in the controlled space must go up to at least 62 degrees celsius (or about 140 degrees fahrenheit). During this, CO2 is exchanged with fresh air. While this is still less than beef, and even the “greenest” chicken (which produces about 5 CO2/kg)… it’s still not great.

Cuckoo For Cocoa– Beans

Between 4.9 and 7.4 million acres of tropical rainforests were lost to plantations over 1988 and 2008. Even though harvesting palm oil and soy is far more damaging, 1kg of chocolate produces 11.2kg of CO2. Poore showed in his own studies that a small 50g bar of dark chocolate can create up to 7kg of CO2, or in other words: driving 17 miles in a car.

This Is Nuts!

A bag of almonds from Costco used to be an essential on my grocery list, but that was before they got so expensive. Now I can see why… nut trees consume over 900 gallons of fresh water for every kilogram of nuts. Cashews release the most carbon (almost 5 CO2/kg), and they must undergo yet another process to remove the caustic oil that can burn the skin of people handling them.

How Prices Compare

Doing some quick online browsing of my preferred grocery store, Fry’s, I found a prime example of why veganism is difficult to embrace financially when you are perhaps a single mom, a college student, or a part-time employee who wants to save instead of spend wherever possible.

  • Silk Chocolate Protein Almond & Cashew Milk (64 oz) – $3.29
  • Kroger Lactose Free 2% Reduced Fat Milk (½ gallon) – $2.99
  • Fry’s 2% Reduced Fat Milk (½ gallon) – $1.59
  • Silk Vanilla Almond Milk (½ gallon) – $2.99
  • Better Than Milk Organic Unsweetened Oat Drink (~34 oz) – $5.99
  • Blue Diamond Vanilla Unsweetened Coconut Milk (32 oz) – $2.19

In short: “Why should I pay more money for almond, coconut, and oat milk when I get less or the same amount compared to regular milk?”

In The End…

You may feel good about your health and bettering the planet by switching to veganism but personally, I wouldn’t convert to this eating lifestyle simply because I already like to think I limit what I eat and know it’s not going to make a ton of difference. Unless the entirety of the US (for example) switches to veganism, there won’t be a real, observable change. Basically, every diet is faulted one way or another, and as long as you are making smart eating choices that include all different food groups, then it’s a win.

Sources:

What to know about vegan diets

9 reasons why veganism can save the world

Why the vegan diet is not always green

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What Is Ruby Chocolate?

by In Food Facts Tagged

By: Heidi Wagenbach

So I was searching for inspiration while writing Valentine’s Day themed blogs, when I came across an article about ruby chocolate that caught my eye. I had never heard it, and well, that’s because it’s relatively new and sold in only a few countries so far. Below is a short history and basic facts about this rose-colored, elusive sweet.

Brief History and Production

Following the iconic dark, milk, and white, ruby chocolate has been deemed “the fourth chocolate.” A Belgian chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut Group, introduced this chocolate in late 2017. They claim it comes from a ruby cocoa bean, grown in Ecuador and Brazil, however that’s nothing new. 

“They come from the same species of cacao plant that [makes] the chocolate we already know,” said The New York Times. 

What gives this chocolate its different color is a particular mix of compounds, and Callebaut argues there are no added colors or flavors. The bright fuchsia that ruby chocolate has is explained through high levels of pigmented polyphenols and is enunciated through Callebaut’s minimal processing technique. They reduce fermentation and treat the product with citric acid, while using petroleum to remove fatty acids and preserve color. (For those of you who are curious for the exact definition, petroleum is: “a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is present in certain rock strata and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil”). I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d be willing to try something that contains petroleum just to retain a pretty color.

More On Callebaut

The Barry Callebaut Group did not provide a lot of information about ruby chocolate on their website, simply calling it “a true gift from nature.” A theory about ruby chocolate is that this confectioner bred more cacao trees to grow fruits which naturally have more of a pink shade, seeing that 98% of cacao is a reddish-purple anyway when raw. Barry Callebaut Group states that only 36% of their cacao is sustainably sourced, so I’m not sure what you think, but ruby chocolate is sounding very similar to pink sea salt: more show and less usefulness. 

Why Ruby Chocolate Faded Out Of Interest

It was advertised as “millennial chocolate” (gee, I wonder what age range they were targeting). Interest was lost over time, because the announcement, release, and availability did not correlate. Callebaut had 6-18 months to broker deals with chocolatiers, make more of this product, and build the hype, but in the end, people were wondering… what makes ruby chocolate so special?

Chocolate experts were skeptical yet anxious to taste the new, groundbreaking chocolate, but others were thinking it was a publicity stunt or faked. And they were right to be hesitant: no news, no talk shows, and the articles people were browsing to find more information about ruby chocolate were simply repeated information. The release corresponded with Valentine’s Day, and that was the holiday Callebaut was riding on. Once that passed, ruby chocolate failed to live up to its publicized oohs and ahhs. Experimentation has yet to take place, professionals asking whether it can be caramelized like its other chocolatey cousins, or if adding different ingredients can balance the sour flavors that for some people (depending on their taste-buds) is not pleasant.

Health Benefits (And Is It Even A Chocolate?)

Ruby chocolate is technically not a chocolate, according to the FDA. Their reasoning is that it contains the necessary ingredients to match chocolate (i.e. cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder, unsweetened chocolate), but are not the right percentages. There is too much unsweetened chocolate to be white, and not enough to be milk. As for dark, well it’s not dark chocolate, by simply looking at its appearance and taste. So the FDA needs another classification to determine what category ruby chocolate fits in.

As for nutritional benefits… ruby chocolate contains stearic acid, which is a saturated fat that doesn’t raise cholesterol. It acts as an antioxidant and has natural compounds that contribute to overall health (but I think I’ll continue indulging other chocolates instead).

Flavor Profile

Ruby chocolate, as described by Barry Callebaut is: “Neither bitter, milky, or sweet. It’s a rather tension of fresh berry fruitiness and luscious smoothness.” There are also notes of sour, tart, and tang. “Ruby chocolate is quite sweet and tastes like raspberry-flavored white chocolate with some milk chocolate added,” countered Isabell Maples, dietitian and nutritionist (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics). Ruby chocolate has varying taste depending on the ratios of each ingredient in the recipes the companies use. Below is a diagram from Callebaut’s website showing the different qualities of ruby chocolate.

Ruby Chocolate

Where Can You Buy It?

In the U.S., Trader Joe’s had it for a limited time, in the form of crunchy wafers and pretzel-coated-goodies. So far, KitKat Ruby is the most popular interpretation of ruby chocolate, but is only available in Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. (Don’t worry, if you’re that determined to get your hands on some, Amazon still has its wide variety of products to choose from). Ruby chocolate is a bit pricier, and is not organic nor vegan, but is vegetarian. 

Conclusion

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I’d advise to just maybe skip the ruby chocolate and go with another candy assortment. (Or even better, a nice meal and movie night). I don’t want to bash this product, seeing that I haven’t tried it myself, but based on its background, ruby chocolate isn’t one that I’d bother tasting with its weird, unknown origin and mysterious company.

 

Sources:

Ruby – A True Gift From Nature

Here’s Why Everyone Is Talking About Ruby Chocolate

What Is Ruby Chocolate? How It’s Made, Ruby Cocoa, & FAQ

 

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How To Tell If Your White Chocolate Is High Quality

by In Food Facts Tagged ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

Some people love it, others hate it. White chocolate creates divisive and opinionated points of view for many, the argument that it’s not even chocolate being the most popular, despite 45% of its mass comes from cacao beans. I decided to delve into this topic of determining what you should look for when shopping for white chocolate and how to decipher what to use, and what to avoid for baking or noshing. 

Taste

Compared to dark chocolate, that neglects cocoa solids, sugar, emulsifiers, and flavors like vanilla, white chocolate swaps out the cocoa for milk solids. White chocolate doesn’t have that sharp bitterness because of this, and its flavor is subtle, smoother, and satiny. Eagranie Yuh, chocolate educator, author of The Chocolate Tasting Kit, and a judge for the International Chocolate Awards stated: “[White chocolate] should taste like good milk, fresh and clean, and it shouldn’t be super sweet.”

Color, Aroma, and Classifications 

White chocolate should be a pale yellow, and not a blinding white because that hints at the recipe being bleached. Pastry chef, Stella Parks, said white chocolate has “floral and aromatic cocoa butter qualities.” The FDA determined that white chocolate must contain 20% cocoa butter, at least 14% milk solids, 3.5% milk fat, and a maximum of 55% in sweeteners in order to be deemed as such. Watch out for sugar and fat though, which will result in a sweetness overdose or an oily film covering your tongue. Look for labels such as “white baking chips” or “morsels,” because those contain milk, oil, and sugar and forsake the ingredients that make white chocolate… well, white chocolate.

Uses

White chocolate is made for coating (mm… chocolate-covered strawberries)… and its delicate flavor makes it good for creamy recipes such as ganaches, mousses, ice creams, or glazes. Good white chocolate used for baking requires a high cocoa butter percentage (33% or more). Avoid chocolate chips because they melt poorly; their structure is designed to hold shape under heat and companies substitute hydrogenated oil for cocoa butter and increase the sugar content. If you want chunks, chop up a bar instead. Pair white chocolate with contrasting flavors (i.e. citrus) or opt for the less sweet bars.

Determining What Is Best and What Is Not

Max Falkowitz from Serious Eats created a tasting panel of 21 pastry chefs and chocolate lovers to find the best/worst in the vast array of available white chocolate in the market. They sampled pure white chocolate, with no added fruits or nuts. The brands ranged from mass market to hand-crafted, and while not available in every store, online shopping provided the rest. They came in various sizes and shapes; the judges focused on their raw flavor and rated them based on texture and preferences. Their criteria was to look for a chocolate that melted smoothly, with a clean, creamy, rich (but not too fatty) flavor (that didn’t turn into chalk in your mouth) and a vanilla, floral, cocoa hint that leaned on the moderately sweet side. They found that with each brand, the results were unbalanced, either too sweet, too heavy, or left a nasty aftertaste.

4 Tips And Tricks To Tell If Chocolate Is Good Quality

  1. Sound – Chocolate should snap upon breaking and shouldn’t crumble. The right quantities of ingredients make it stable and solid, a texture that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
  2. Smell – Chocolate should smell like… you guessed it, chocolate or cocoa, not just sweetness or vanilla. It needs to smell like what is used to produce it, not the additives that cover it up. There could be hints of nuttiness, coffee, fruitiness, but the overall odor is indulgent and chocolatey.
  3. Look – Poor quality chocolate melts alarmingly fast into an oily mouthful or dissolves slowly into a chalky paste. These two different results are because of the usage of vegetable oils or too much sugar/milk powder. The tempering technique also plays a factor. Bad chocolate cannot be melted properly, either seizing/splitting in the microwave or heat from a pan. Good chocolate is silky, delicious, and is a treat you shouldn’t even have to chew really.
  4. Taste – Good quality chocolate satisfies in small amounts. It depends on your taste, of course, because chocolate varies for every palette, whether you enjoy dark or light. Either option should not be binged and a bite or two will be enough to curb your sweet tooth. 

Enjoy chocolate in a healthier way, both your body and wallet will thank you later. You’ll be able to get nutrients while saving money on not diminishing your earnings on poorly made chocolate.

Sources

5 Ways to Tell if Chocolate is Good Quality

The Real Deal With White Chocolate, Desserts’ Delicious Underdog

What to Look for When Buying White Chocolate

 

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Why Do We Give Chocolate On Valentine’s Day?

by In Food Facts Tagged ,

By: Heidi Wagenbach

I adamantly told my boyfriend that I don’t want anything for Valentine’s Day. Personally, it’s a somewhat useless holiday that’s targeted at mushy-gushy couples to spend money on stuffed animals and flowers and of course, chocolate. I couldn’t care less about February 14th, but that doesn’t mean I will judge the couples who enjoy snuggling up with a cozy meal and glasses of wine to celebrate their relationship. I started thinking about how this tradition came along in the first place… how a heart-and-cupid filled holiday came to be associated with buying some sweets to gorge your lover with. So I went to trusty Google… and here’s what I found.

Science, Sales, and Sovereigns 

Chocolate contains tryptophan (hey, that sounds familiar… remember my Does Turkey Make You Sleepy? blog?) and phenylethylamine, which are both chemicals that affect the brain’s pleasure and reward systems, but doctors agree that the amount is too little to have an effect. Dark chocolate is notorious for its health benefits, such as lowering the risk of heart disease and improving brain function. 58 million pounds of chocolate are purchased during Valentine’s week alone. In 2017, there were $695 million sales regarding chocolate gifts but we have to go back even further than three years. The connection between love and chocolate dates back to the Aztecs (check out my recent 10 Fun Facts About Hot Chocolate blog for more history) and apparently, Emperor Montezuma ate cocoa beans by the handful to “fuel his romantic trysts.”

The 1400s and Chaucer

In his 1382 poem Parlement of Foules, Geoffrey Chaucer references various early Christian martyrs named Valentine, describing the nature of love: “every bird cometh to choose his mate” on “seynt Voantynes day.” Wow, that’s bringing back memories of my good ol’ college days when I took a class all about The Canterbury Tales.

Valentine’s Day became a really popular late winter-early spring holiday; songs, poetry, and roses celebrated loving hearts, while sugar was still a precious resource not to be shared lightly.

Fast Forward 200 Years

Chocolate became popular in Western Europe after being introduced by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. It was so expensive that it was pretty much only consumed by the wealthy. Chocolate houses began to rival coffee houses as social gathering spots and in 1657, those shops advertised chocolate as “a Western Indian drink… cures and preserves the body of many diseases.” In France, Madame de Sevigne wrote about enormous chocolate consumption throughout the court at Versailles. Louis IV drank it daily and Madame du Barry used chocolate to stimulate lovers.

Marie Antoinette and the Victorian Era

Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI in 1770 and brought her own personal chocolate maker. That simple action created inspired recipes such as “chocolate mixed with orchid bulb for strength, chocolate with orange blossom to calm the nerves, or chocolate with sweet almond milk to aid the digestion.” Victoria became Queen in 1837, and technology transformed Valentine’s into a commercial success. Men enjoyed showering their crushes and lovers with gifts, however a 19th century commentator said that men knew chocolate was an instinctual way to someone’s heart. Men were able to demonstrate their tastes and expertises in regards to desserts by choosing the “right” box… yet etiquette books warned women to not accept gifts from men to whom they aren’t engaged.

Mid-1800s and Beyond

Halfway through the 19th-century, the British company J.S. Fry & Sons created their first ever chocolate bar, combining cacao powder, sugar, and cacao butter. Richard Cadbury, a “marketing genius,” introduced the first box of chocolates, deeming it the “Fancy Box” in 1861. Seven years later, his company produced its first heart-shaped box of fruit, ganache, and nut-filled chocolates in time for Valentine’s Day. The containers could be used afterwards to store love letters or other tokens after all the chocolates were eaten.

In the U.S., Hershey’s introduced their small and romantic Kisses in 1907. A little over a decade prior, Hershey’s was making caramels covered in chocolate, but this was revolutionary, the recognizable little treats said to be “a most nourishing food.” Russell Stover marketed their line of heart-shaped boxes across the midwest in the 1920s before becoming the #1 brand of boxed chocolates in the states. Their biggest seller was the “Secret Lace Heart,” adorned with… you guessed it, black lace. 

So It’s Safe To Say…

That the tradition of Valentine’s and chocolates is relatively new, while the history of romance and chocolate is timeless. I think this is a holiday that will continue to thrive and stores will be decked out in red, pink, and white to encourage boyfriends, husbands, girlfriends, and wives to splurge a bit and treat their significant other to some chocolatey goodness. Some will succumb and others will avoid.

Sources:

Why Do We Give Chocolate On Valentine’s Day? Here’s The History Between Chocolate & Love

Why Do People Give Chocolate on Valentine’s Day?

How Chocolate and Valentine’s Day Mated For Life

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Soybean Oil May Lead to Autism, Alzheimer’s, Anxiety, and Depression

by In Food Facts

By Jeff Dionot

Native to East Asia, the soybean became a popular choice for food producers as it has multiple uses. Aside from straightforward derivatives like soy milk, soy sauce, and tofu, many stand-alone foods such as cereals, processed meats, canned tuna, energy bars/snacks, and more possess a certain amount of soy. This prevalence has eventually led to soybean oil becoming one of the most widely used cooking oils.

This massive amount of consumption has an unintended consequence. In 2020, researchers at UC Riverside tested the effect of soybean oil on mice and have found that it could lead to neurological changes, causing anxiety, depression, Autism, and Alzheimer’s. When looking at the U.S. population, those disorders have the following statistics:

  • Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.
  • The leading cause of disability, depressive disorders affect roughly 4.7%  of Americans.
  • An estimated 5,437,988 (2.21%) adults in the United States have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  • One in 10 Americans age 65 and older (10%) has Alzheimer’s dementia.

Though the results have not been fully confirmed, the researchers discovered notable changes within the test mice. Rodents on the soybean oil diet showed changes in their hypothalamus, a region of the brain that controls emotional responses (via the production of cortisol – an important stress hormone). The manipulation of cortisol production would explain the increase in anxiety and depression among mice. The production of oxytocin, the love and binding hormone, decreased as well.

Soybean

Hypothalamus: the affected grey matter in question.

In total, researchers concluded that over 100 hypothalamic genes altered with soybean oil. While the findings directly correlated to anxiety and depression, concrete proof on the introduction of Alzheimer’s, Autism, and even Parkinson’s disease has yet to be established seeing that research was only conducted on male mice. However mice possess similar genetics and tissue to humans so the findings may not be entirely farfetched.

Though this investigation is still being conducted, it has significant repercussions for soybean oil consumers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, soybean oil is the most widely produced and used oil in America. As the birthplace of McDonald’s and other numerous fast food chains, this country utilizes soybean oil for food frying and as an additive to livestock. On an industrial scale, this looming impact seems to be inescapable for millions of Americans.

Soybean Oil

The silver lining in all of this is that the effects of soybean oil on human health may not be directly correlated to the effects of it on mice health. Yet that glimmer of hope doesn’t outweigh the fact that it already causes the handful of basic neurological disorders within the test subjects. If left unchecked and unnoticed, an even larger percentage of Americans and other consumers will become victims to mental illnesses that may prove to be irreversible. 

Of course, we simply can’t place an entire ban on the usage of soybean oil. Aside from banning it from our own individual diets (mainly refraining from deep fried foods from high-traffic chains), what we can do now is spread the word about this and stop the consumption of soybean oil. We can only prevent this by knowing about the issue beforehand.

• • •

Sources:

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/a-guide-to-foods-rich-in-soy

https://www.webmd.com/allergies/soy-allergy

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/palm-oil#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6

https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20according%20to%20the,the%20most%20common%20anxiety%20disorders.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/features/adults-living-with-autism-spectrum-disorder.html#:~:text=An%20estimated%205%2C437%2C988%20(2.21%25),the%20United%20States%20have%20ASD.

https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2020/01/20/Soybean-oil-alters-genes-in-the-brain-Study

https://www.rt.com/news/479111-soybean-oil-change-mice-brain/

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures