Which oils and fats are healthy and why?

Judging from all the fat-free and low-fat foods available, you might consider fat a dietary evil. However, the body needs a certain amount of fatty acids to function properly. Choosing the right type of dietary fat can mean the difference between health and disease.

 

The first question to ask: Is the fat solid or liquid?

 

“Limit solid fats such as butter, margarine, shortening or lard because they’re high in saturated fat and trans fat,” said Janet Hackert, nutrition specialist for University of Missouri Extension. “Saturated fat and trans fat are used by the body to make bad cholesterol.”

 

Polyunsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature, help to lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol in the body. They also include omega-6 and omega-3 fats that your body requires, but can’t produce on its own.

 

Vegetable oils such as soybean, canola and sunflower are often high in polyunsaturated fat, Hackert said. Corn and safflower oils are also good, inexpensive choices.

 

Flaxseed oil is the highest in polyunsaturated fat, at 75 percent. It’s also high in omega-3 fatty acids. However, flaxseed oil is unstable under certain conditions.

 

“Because it’s highly perishable, keep it refrigerated, and because it doesn’t handle the heat of cooking well it’s best used for adding its nutty flavor to salads and such,” Hackert said.

 

There are a few exceptions to the “liquid oils are better” rule.

 

“Coconut, palm and palm kernel oil are very high in saturated fat, ranging from 52 to 92 percent,” Hackert said.

 

Monounsaturated fat is a healthy choice too. Of the most common vegetable oils, olive oil has the highest level of monounsaturated fat. It also has a relatively high phenol content. Phenols are powerful antioxidants that remove body-damaging free radicals.

 

Olive oil’s processing method is an important consideration. According to Jeffrey B. Blumberg, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, the methods of extraction and processing affect the phenolic content of olive oil. Blumberg advises that cold-pressed olive oil generally has the least loss of these important nutrients, Hackert said.

 

Fats and oils do carry a hefty calorie load, Hackert says. Every tablespoon of fat or oil contains about 90 calories. She recommends that you use them sparingly.

Missouri Milk Board Shuts Down Morningland Dairy

On Friday, January 25th, members of the Missouri Milk Board went to Morningland Dairy, based in the Ozarks, and destroyed 36,000 pounds of cheese that they say was not fit for human consumption. On Morningland’s website, owner Joseph Dixon protested the seizure like they have protested government actions throughout the case. The Missouri Milk Board alleges that samples from a lab in California tested positive for both staphylococcus aureus and listeria monocytogenes. The CDC states that Listeriosis is a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium listeria monocytogenes. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Infections to pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infections of the newborn. Information on the FDA website states that staphylococcal food poisoning is usually rapid and in many cases acute. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, retching, abdominal cramping, and prostration. Recovery can take two days but can be three or more in severe cases. Even a dose of less than 1.0 micrograms in contaminated food can trigger symptoms.
The Missouri Milk Board’s position is that they do not want to take the slightest chance in having such contaminants hit the food supply. However, Morningland Foods says that the government is simply trying to destroy the livelihood of small producers.
Dixon maintains on his website that the cheese that was destroyed was never properly tested and that no contamination was found in either the plant or the milk barn by the FDA. He quoted Executive Secretary Mike Wiseman of the Missouri Milk Board as saying that their cheese was not even fit for dogs to eat. However, contrary to their claims, Dixon said that when Missouri Milk Board representatives came on January 25th to seize the cheese, they used bare hands or cloth gloves to load the cheese and that they did not prevent members of the public who attended from picking up loose samples. “The Missouri Milk Board has finally succeeded in destroying our valuable cheese,” Dixon concluded. “In their haste to do so, the Milk Board has also succeeded in revealing to anyone with intelligence that the cheese posed no real danger. The real danger to the people of Missouri and our nation is the complete lack of integrity of the Missouri Milk Board.”
The seizure was the result of a 2½ year legal battle between Morningland and the Missouri Milk Board. It was appealed through the Howell County Circuit Court and then the Missouri Court of Appeals. In his order siding with the Missouri Milk Board upheld by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Judge David Dunlap provided a summary of legal and situational facts in his order. On and between January and October 2010, Morningland was engaged in the production and sale of artisanal cheeses made from raw cow and goat milk. Defendant’s products were sold in over 100 retail stores throughout the US as well as by direct order to individual customers. As such, Morningland was licensed by the Missouri Milk Board and was covered by its rules. Missouri law states that the board or its agent may condemn any offending product which is offered, exposed for sale, or sold for human food purposes. The board may order the destruction of condemned products.
On August 26th, 2010, the board learned from the State of California that two samples of defendant’s cow milk cheese had tested positive for the bacteria listeria monocytogenes and staphylococcus aureus. The board’s agents then promptly occupied defendant’s facility and condemned all current inventory by installing a placard on the door of its storage room. Soon thereafter, all cheese manufactured by the defendant was recalled.
In an effort to absolve its product and resume business, defendant selected for commercial laboratory testing seven samples each of mature cow and goat cheese awaiting shipment to customers. Unhappily, testing reported six of the seven cow cheese samples positive for l. Monocytogenes and all 14 tested positive for staph aureus. Subsequently, the Milk Board ordered that all cheese in defendant’s inventory be destroyed.
However, Dixon, on his website, says that there were problems with both the tests in question. He said that the 2nd test was cross-contaminated and that the California test involved cheese that was in California for over four months, out of which nobody could account for how it was handled for seven weeks. He said that the California sample was placed in an un-iced cooler and that the State of California had violated its own statutes by not testing the food promptly.
Morningland had been in production for 30 years before the complaint from the State of California. “In our 30 years of Morningland Dairy Production, there have been no complaints or reports of illnesses connected with eating our raw milk cheeses,” said Dixon on his website. “Yet in August of 2010, the FDA and Missouri authorities, using improperly handled and very questionable test results from California, made us recall all cheese sold in 2010, embargoed all our remaining cheese, refused to properly test our cheese, denied us a jury trial, and judged us – without any proof – to have an unsanitary plant and sick animals and ordered us to make unaffordable changes to our plant that are not required according to regulation as well as to do expensive testing of our cheese that is also not required according to regulation and have since badgered us with false accusations and demands for information from our new private membership association, insisting specifically that we include our members’ private information and threatening us with a $100/day fine until we acquiesce to their demands.”

Expect 8 Percent Food Price Increase in 2013 Due to Drought’s Impact on Livestock

The livestock industry is taking a direct hit by this summer’s drought, and that will impact consumers’ wallets next year, says a University of Missouri agricultural economist.

 

“I expect to see food inflation, but it will take time,” said Scott Brown, research assistant professor in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). “The short term effects will be fairly muted for the remainder of 2012, but we’re going to see food price increases in 2013 and maybe into 2014 because of this drought.”

 

Brown expects to see an 8 percent rise in meat, dairy and poultry prices next year.

 

The problem is that the drought has dramatically reduced the feedstuffs that animal agriculture needs to raise cattle, swine and poultry. Corn yields, Brown said, will probably suffer a 10 percent or more decrease compared to last year. This has caused corn futures to jump to $8 per bushel in late July from $5.50 per bushel at the beginning of June. 

 

Soybean meal and hay prices, also staples as animal feed, have also reached extremely high levels. “It is sobering to realize that 2013 feed expenses very well could be three times higher than the 1990-2004 average, and 70 percent above the 2007-2010 average,” Brown pointed out.

 

The livestock industry will experience a lot of short-term pain as it tries to adjust, Brown commented. Some producers will have to exit the industry, he said. Producers are already culling and slaughtering their existing animal inventories to a level they can afford to feed.

 

To offset the rising feed prices, some producers are now using pasture hay that is usually banked to feed cattle during the winter months. 

 

“This creates an added uncertainty for the cattle industry in the hardest hit areas,” Brown said. “Fall rains will be essential if any additional pasture growth is to occur. If available forage supplies are difficult to source or unavailable entirely, I expect to see herd liquidation.”

 

This shrinking livestock supply will mean less meat in grocery refrigerators in 2013. “That’s certainly going to raise prices,” he said.

 

Brown said that the pork and chicken industries will fare worse because there are not many substitutes for their rations of corn and soybeans. 

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in August added nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states to the government's list of natural disaster areas. Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in the announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

 

Nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. About 37 percent of the U.S. soybean crop also rated in that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed.

 

The impact on producers and consumers will become worse if the drought continues into 2013, Brown said. “I don’t know what to think about what will happen then to the domestic livestock industries,” he said. 

 

Brown is a member of a team at MU that is launching a new program to help increase the value of high-quality cattle and provide producers with economic feedback about their cattle. This long-term opportunity will be essential to help the cattle industry recover despite the lack of options many cattle producers have today given the current drought. For more information go to www.quality-beef.com.

USDA Launches MyPlate Icon

First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin today unveiled the federal government's new food icon, MyPlate, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is a new generation icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

The MyPlate icon is available to view and download in PDF and JPG formats. The MyPlate video announcement can be viewed here.

"This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we're eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country," said First Lady Michelle Obama. "When mom or dad comes home from a long day of work, we're already asked to be a chef, a referee, a cleaning crew. So it's tough to be a nutritionist, too. But we do have time to take a look at our kids' plates. As long as they're half full of fruits and vegetables, and paired with lean proteins, whole grains and low-fat dairy, we're golden. That's how easy it is."

"With so many food options available to consumers, it is often difficult to determine the best foods to put on our plates when building a healthy meal," said Secretary Vilsack. "MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles. This effort is about more than just giving information, it is a matter of helping people understand there are options and practical ways to apply them to their daily lives."

"The new icon is simple and easy to understand, with more emphasis placed on fruits and vegetables," said U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin. "This new tool can be a fun way to help individuals and families make healthier meal choices. I encourage all Americans to follow the new dietary guidelines and become familiar with the new icon because it will serve as a compass to a healthy and fit nation."

Originally identified in the Child Obesity Task Force report which noted that simple, actionable advice for consumers is needed, MyPlate will replace the MyPyramid image as the government's primary food group symbol as an easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. MyPyramid will remain available to interested health professionals and nutrition educators in a special section of the new website.


ChooseMyPlate.gov provides practical information to individuals, health professionals, nutrition educators, and the food industry to help consumers build healthier diets with resources and tools for dietary assessment, nutrition education, and other user-friendly nutrition information. As Americans are experiencing epidemic rates of overweight and obesity, the online resources and tools can empower people to make healthier food choices for themselves, their families, and their children. Later this year, USDA will unveil an exciting "go-to" online tool that consumers can use to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices.

Over the next several years, USDA will work with First Lady Michelle Obama's Let'sMove! initiative and public and private partners to promote MyPlate and ChooseMyPlate.gov as well as the supporting nutrition messages and "how-to" resources.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, launched in January of this year, form the basis of the federal government's nutrition education programs, federal nutrition assistance programs, and dietary advice provided by health and nutrition professionals. The Guidelines messages include:

Balance Calories

•Enjoy your food, but eat less.
•Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to Increase

•Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
•Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
•Make at least half your grains whole grains
Foods to Reduce

•Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers.
•Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Coupled with these tested, actionable messages will be the "how-tos" for consumer behavior change. A multi-year campaign calendar will focus on one action-prompting message at a time starting with "Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables."

"What we have learned over the years is that consumers are bombarded by so many nutrition messages that it makes it difficult to focus on changes that are necessary to improve their diet," said Secretary Vilsack. "This new campaign calendar will help unify the public and private sectors to coordinate efforts and highlight one desired change for consumers at a time."

As part of this new initiative, USDA wants to see how consumers are putting MyPlate in to action by encouraging consumers to take a photo of their plates and share on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate. USDA also wants to see where and when consumers think about healthy eating. Take the plate and snap a photograph with MyPlate to share with our USDA Flickr Photo Group [ http://www.flickr.com/groups/choosemyplate/].

For more information, visit www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. Additional resources include: www.DietaryGuidelines.gov and www.LetsMove.gov. For the MyPlate Graphics Standards (terms of use), click here: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/MyPlate/MyPlateGraphicsStandards.pdf

Cut to the Chase: Land Grab Underway

By Blake Hurst

Three professors at Southern Illinois University have started the post flood conversation with a well publicized letter to President Obama. The professors would like the Birds Point Levee breech to remain open, turning some of the most productive farmland in the world into a wetland. Those of us who remember the great flood of 1993 can write the script from here; environmental groups will use Mississippi County’s misfortune to attempt a land grab of massive proportions.

The least they could have done is wait until the water went down, or the proverbial dove arrived with the olive branch. The professors, without bothering to provide any evidence, claim that 200 square miles of fertile farmland would better serve mankind as a swamp, instead of producing food the world so desperately needs. I’m not sure how big the “I Miss Malaria Caucus” is, but it’s imperative we drown this foolish idea in its infancy. The levees must be repaired as soon as it dries enough for dirt to be moved.

The academics rightly point out that post-flood, much of the land will be covered in sand, so the land is now “marginal” farmland. In other words, once the land has been purposefully flooded, we can buy it cheap. I’m reminded of the old story about the young man who murdered his parents, then threw himself on the mercy of the court because he was an orphan. That sort of debater’s trick may lead to tenure, but it is unlikely to impress the farmers who are suffering from the worst flooding in nearly 100 years.

It won’t escape notice that the levee was blown to protect Southern Illinois. The professors are not only deluded, but self serving as well. The lack of concern they show for the families affected by the flood is breathtaking, the arrogance shown by their cavalier disregard for the efforts of generations of farmers is shocking. People are suffering, and the best that the academics can do is to propose a plan that will make the suffering permanent.

The Corps blew the levee because they felt it was necessary to destroy the levee to protect the rest of the Mississippi Delta. It would have been better if some other alternative could have been found, but desperate times can call for desperate measures. Now, the U.S. government has a moral obligation to help those in the path of this man-made flood. The levees must be repaired, the ground must be restored, the roads, bridges, and homes replaced.

Food prices are at record highs, commodity prices are setting new records, and we need the food that can be produced on the land once protected by the Bird’s Point Levee. Crop losses this year, and every year until repairs are made, will be over $100 million. People need the food, Missouri needs the economic activity, and the farmers who have spent generations making the Mississippi Delta bloom like a rose deserve a chance to reclaim their lives.

(Blake Hurst, of Westboro, Mo., is the president of Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)

Cut to the Chase: Farmers’ Share of Food Dollar Continues to Shrink

By Kelly Smith

With farmers receiving higher prices (even record prices for some commodities) for the livestock and crops they grow one might surmise the logical consequence is the farmers’ share of the consumer food dollar is also rising. Not so.

An analysis of a recently published United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, “A Revised and Expanded Food Dollar Series - A Better Understanding of Our Food Costs,” illustrates the farmers’ share of the food dollar is shrinking.

According to the report, just 11.6 cents of our food dollar finds its way back into farmers’ pockets as the actual cost of the raw commodity. If you frequently eat away from home, the farmers’ share is only 3.4 cents. Where do the other 89 or 97 cents go? Just follow the money trail.

In today’s on-the-go society, it is commonplace to have two-income households. Because of personal priorities and time constraints, consumers eat many meals away from home and demand convenience in the food items they prepare at home.

Convenience has a price tag, and a significant one in regards to quick, easy-to-prepare food items. USDA indicates labor is approximately 50 percent of the cost of a food item, followed by a combination of energy-intensive sectors that represent almost 33 percent of the food dollar: processing, packaging, transportation, and actual energy costs. With labor costs relatively stable and predictable, one can easily see skyrocketing energy prices are affecting the food dollar every step of the way from field to pantry and refrigerator.

So remember, even though it might be easy to point the finger of blame at farmers (who grow and supply the livestock, crops, fruits and vegetables for a hungry America) as the culprits of food inflation, they in fact are not. As long as Americans continue to ask for convenience in food products, someone will supply it, but at a price. As long as energy prices remain unstable and unpredictable, the price tag for energy remains a moving target and continues its onerous effects on food prices.

There is a silver lining in the food cost storm clouds If America’s farmers were not as efficient as they are in every aspect of their daily challenges to produce our food, both in quantity and quality, just think how much our food might cost us. I don’t think we really want to go there.

(Kelly Smith, of Jefferson City, Mo., is the director of marketing and commodities for Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)

Cut to the Chase: Agriculture Experts Without Portfolio

By Blake Hurst

America’s “paper of record,” the New York Times, has a new opinion columnist, Mark Bittman, who writes about our food system. Bittman wrote a food column for the Times for many years, and is the author of several books, including The Minimalist Cooks at Home, and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. Despite the latter title, the Times assures us that Bittman is not a vegetarian.

Bittman’s autobiography mentions the famous chefs he has interviewed, and his books are no doubt a faultless guide to better cooking, but it is clear his social and professional circles don’t include many farmers. It seems a stretch to think writing about famous chefs and exchanging recipes qualify Bittman as an expert on the food system.

In one article, Bittman complains about the amount of land the world devotes to raising cattle, and claims cattle should be fattened on grass instead of corn. Five minutes with an actual farmer could have made clear to Bittman that feeding cattle corn allows beef to be produced on fewer acres than it would take to finish cattle on grass. Bittman’s ignorance of agriculture shines like a beacon from every page he writes.

Bittman is not the only ‘agriculture expert’ without portfolio criticizing modern farming. Claire Berlinski, in a recent post on the website Ricochet.com, worries our treatment of hogs is worse, in her eyes, than our treatment of dogs. Berlinski’s agricultural background includes an Oxford education and a journalistic career that has taken her around the world, including her present home in Turkey. I doubt her travels allowed her to spend much time in Missouri or the rest of flyover country where we raise food.

Written by Lisa Miller, Divided We Eat, a recent Newsweek cover story about class and income distinctions in our diet, may be the perfect example of what is wrong with the way we think about food. Miller is convinced obesity is caused by income disparity. If only the poor could afford organic, locally raised food we would all be healthier. Miller goes on for pages about what is wrong with the food supply, talking to everyone from food stamp recipients to a social scientist, but she never talks to a farmer.

These “experts’ get the story wrong, but what is so infuriating and condescending is the assumption that farmers are not even worth a phone call for a quote. Farmers are the missing piece in all of these articles. We welcome the chance to answer our critics, but we never get that chance. The New York Times is famous for sending journalists wherever the story is found. One of the biggest stories in the world is happening on America’s farms. Maybe the Times should think about covering that story.

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(Blake Hurst, of Westboro, Mo., is the president of Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.)

Eat Right when Money is Tight

Eat right when money is tight
Most of us are feeling the financial crunch of skyrocketing fuel and food prices. Many families are driving less to conserve gas, but no one wants to jeopardize good nutrition and health to save money on food. "Through planning, budgeting and food selection you can spend less but still eat well," said Lynda Johnson, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
Johnson shares a few ways to save on food costs:
·According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans spend more than 40 percent of their food dollar away from home. To identify areas where you can cut spending, keep a running tab of all money spent on fast food, at restaurants and for snacks and beverages from vending machines, convenience stories and concession stands.
·Take an inventory of all the food on hand at home. Think about what meals you could make using what you already have in the pantry.
·Check grocery store ads for specials and plan meals for a week at a time around the best bargains. Save your meal plans and rotate them throughout the month.
·To save time, gas and money, make a shopping list and shop for food only once a week. The more you frequent supermarkets, the more you may spend because store promotions tempt you to make impulse purchases.
·Compare prices and try store brands, which usually cost less.
·Don’t waste food. Store food right away to preserve freshness or freeze to prevent spoiling. Serve children smaller portions to prevent waste. Plan to incorporate leftovers in future meals or bag lunches, or freeze them for later use.
·Limit the number of meals and snacks eaten away from home. These foods generally cost two to three times more than similar items prepared at home. This is especially true for individually packaged snacks. Save money by bagging your own single-serving snacks. For family outings, pack fresh fruit like apples, bananas or oranges as snacks.
·Check out local farmers markets or produce stands for better buys on fresh fruits and vegetables. Buying local produce in-season stretches food dollars and lowers food safety risks.
·Plant a garden to add variety and nutrition to your meals. You can grow garden-fresh vegetables during spring, summer and early fall. Your local MU Extension office has information on gardening and seasonal vegetables.
The MU Extension guide "Money Management: Living on Less" (GH3600) is available online at http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/famecon/gh3600managing.htm. The guide provides practical, everyday suggestions for cutting expenses on food, housing and other essentials, as well as general tips on money management.

Mission Possible Collects 124 Pounds from Postal Service

In the past few weeks, citizens of Worth County have come to the aid of the Mission Possible Center in numerous ways. Last month, the postal drive held at Worth County post offices provided 60 lbs. of food from Grant City, 39 lbs. from Sheridan, and 25 lbs. from Allendale. A grand total of 124 lbs. of food was collected from this drive. A bake sale was also held in conjunction with the city-wide garage sales in Grant City held in May. Numerous items were donated and purchased during this event. In addition, several monetary donations were received. Because of the generous donations given by Worth County residents, we were able to keep up with our increasing demand for food. We served 44 families and 103 individuals during the month of May.
Individuals who wish to donate food or cash can still do so. Cash donations can be mailed to the Mission Possible Center, P.O. Box 65, Grant City, MO, 64456. Food items can be dropped off at the thrift store on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. and on Saturday mornings from 9:00 A.M. – noon. Donated clothing and miscellaneous items are also accepted during these hours. These items are sold in the thrift store, and the proceeds are used to purchase food to supply the pantry.