a Th ae Waettens— Ss 42 — Wednesday, March 13, 1991 — North Shore News SALLY DE LA RUE, public health inspector (left), shows Karl Schell, head cook at ihe new Esplanade Keg, how food should be handled for maximum safety. make healthy food choices. Learning how to read food labels teaches shoppers to bring only the best food home with them. The following tips on label reading will enhance your nutri- tional know-how. A. Ingredient List The ingredients in a food must be listed on the package label. This information is very important for people with food allergies. In- gredients are listed in order of their proportion by weight of the product: For example, a product that lists peaches before sugar, contains more peaches by weight than sugar. B. Nutrition Information A food manufacturer is not legally required to state the nutrient values of a product. However, if nutrition information is given, then a ‘‘core list’? of nutrients on a per-serving basis is often provided. This list includes the energy (in calories and kilojoules), protein, fat and carbohydrate content of that food. Look for this informa- tion on food labels when shopp- ing. C. Fat Content Canadians consume too much paar aeesains Gas NEWS photo Neil Lucente Label lessons MARCH IS Nutrition Month across Canada — a time when the Canadian Dietetic Association reminds people to fat. A simple way to remedy this situation is to reduce fat intake and to compare fat values on product labels. For instance, why not switch from sour cream, with a 14 per cent MF (milk fat), to yogurt, with a two per cent MF? The fat content is much lower and you’ll also be increasing the nutrient content. To be tabelled ‘‘fat free’? a product musi have no more than 0.1 grams of fat in 100 grams (3% 0z.). One example is fat-free salad dressings. Before it can be called “low in fat’? a product can con- tain no more than three grams of fat per serving. A good example of this is melba toast. “‘Low in saturated fat’' tells you a serving has no more than two grams of saturated fat. An example would be fruits or vegetables. 1. Cholesterol Content Before a manufacturer can claim its product is ‘‘cholesterol free’? the food cannot have any more than three mg. of cholesterol per 100-gram serving and also must be ‘‘low in saturated fat.’ For a ‘‘low in cholesterol’’ claim the ‘‘low in saturated fat’’ rule still applies. The food must also \ fonrgtican 10 1. Viunnia’ dad Ylinerate- ‘OH OCH ORDE CEREAL AVERY HGH SOURCE OF FIBRE LOWINFAT foc ac a CANTO THR MATL Mouaeeon ae a Wat. 5 LY extelssu seereccesrstedt & necnactt Beweaul Sceast 3 i a 4 MS Auintion fabermateat takin Manges BPEL oes e faa s2ksstasa. sete have no more than 20 mg. of cholesterol per serving. Sherbet is an example. Vegetable oil is a ‘‘cholesterol- only animal cholesterol. ‘*cholesterol- free”’ product — products contain Remember that a free’? product may not have con- tained any cholesterol in the first place. And ‘‘cholesterol free’ does not mean fat free. E. Fibre Content if a product is described as a very high source of fibre it has at Program educates handlers APPROXIMATELY 100,000 cases of foodborne illness occur- red in B.C. last year, costing an estimated $5 miilion in related health costs. Food poisoning can be prevented and the Foodsafe pro- gram educates food handlers on safe foodhandling techniques. Foodsafe week has been desig- nated by the ministry of health to tie in with the Restaurant Show from March 17 to March 20. {In conjunction with North Shore Health, Capilano College will be offering the program in March. On March 15, advanced level two will be offered from 9 to 5 p.m. and is suitable for chefs and managers. The cost for the workshop is $60 which includes lunch. The program will be taught by Sally de la Rue Browne, public health in- spector. For more information and reg- istration call extension programs, Capilano College at 984-4901. least six grams per serving. Bran cereals are an excellent example. A food that’s a high source of fibre contains at least four grams, like broccoli, and a source, such as whole wheat bread, contains a minimum ef two grams per serv- ing. F. Vitamins and Minerals If the amount of a vitamin or mineral is stated on a package then it appears as a percentage of the ‘‘Recommended Daily Intake” (RDI) per serving. The RDI is a uniform standard developed for nutrition labelling so you can easily compare values from one product to the next. The RDI is not intended to state nutrient needs of individuals. G. Descriptive Terms ‘Light’? or “‘lite’’? often refers only to the caloric level, but can also refer to color, texture, flavor, alcohol, as well as nutrients, such as fat and sodium. The use of the term ‘‘light/lite”’ on a label should be qualified by indicating in what way the food is considered to be light. Natural on a label tells you that a food contains no added vitamins or minerals, artificial flavoring agent or food additive. If you are looking for more in- formation on nutrition contact a dietitian/nutritionist. Cream of tartar: more than just a culinary curio CREAM OF tartar often arouses curiosity. Why is this in- nocuous white powder included in recipes for cookies, meringues, and candy? Cream of tartar is an acid in the form of a ‘‘salt’’ (not to be confused with table salt). It’s ac- tually a byproduct of the wine in- dustry, refined potassium acid tar- trate from the deposit left after grapes have fermented. Most acids we use in cooking are liquids, so an ‘‘acid salt’’ in crystal form has several varied and significant roles. In the early 1800s, it was discovered that cream of tartar combined with baking soda pro- duces carbon dioxide when moistened. This led to its use as the first acid salt in early baking powders. Baking powders still contain a combination of baking soda and acid salts. But cream of tartar has been replaced because it reacts ex- tremely quickly, releasing much of its leavening power before the baking it’s meant to lift reaches the oven. Cake and cookie recipes using baking powder anc cream of tar- tar are usually treasurers from the past. But you can substitute | teaspvon (5 ml) baking powder for “ teaspoon (1 mi) baking soda and ‘4 teaspoon (@ mi) cream of tartar, Cream of tartar makes cookies, cakes and meringues very white because the yellow pigments natu- rally found in flour turn white in inquisitive ANNE GARDINER SUE WILSON an acid medium. {In addition, an acidic batter will not brown as much in the oven. So baking which contains cream of tartar often looks more deli- cate. Acid also changes the yellowish flavonoid pigment in egg white to its colorless form — _ another reason why angel cakes are snowy white. Cream of tartar stabilizes egg white foams, giving meringues and angel cakes the strength to main- tain their fine texture until set in the oven. Many cooks prefer it to vinegar, since it doesn’t dilute the protein network of the egg foam as does a liquid. Add cream of tactar after egg whites are beaten until they're foamy. Even 1/}6th teaspoon (4 ml) cream of tartar per egg white offers the advantage of making the egg whites difficult to overbeat. Candy sometimes calls for cream of tartar because in heat, acid accelerates the breakdown of sucrose (table sugar) to its simpler sugars, glucose and fructose. Invert or simple sugars won't crystalize. And they actually slow down the natural tendency of the remaining sugar to form crystals, until the syrup is either cooled to a clear candy or beaten to fine, uniform crystals. Cream of tartar? Don't be tempted to leave it out. Although other acids can be used, cream of tartar is often preferred because its composition is uniform and its acidity can be controled precisely. Chances are, a pinch of this powder will serve you well.