FOOD AND NUTRITION

1. Don’t overlook canned vegetables and fruits,

which retain most vitamins and minerals.
The heating process of commercial canning partially destroys certain vitamins, but some nutrient
loss is inevitable whenever a food is prepared. “Fresh” produce is not necessarily more
nutritious, since much of it is harvested before it is ripe, trucked thousands of miles, and stored
for long periods—in which case nutrient losses can be great. Canned beans, pumpkin, corn,
pineapple, spinach, and beets, to name a few, are actually quite nutritious. But watch out for
added sodium.

2. Most frozen fruit juice pops, sorbets, and ices are only very distantly related to fresh fruits or their juices.

They’re more like frozen sweetened water. They contain little of the fruit’s
vitamins (unless they are vitamin fortified), but also little or no fat. For a more nutritious
fruity dessert, freeze your own juice in an ice­ pop mold or ice ­cube tray. Or freeze canned fruit
and then purée it.

3. Drain the sauce from stir­fried takeout Chinese food,

since that’s where a lot of the fat
lurks. Or simply leave behind the last half­inch of sauce­drenched food in the container. Better
yet, order steamed dishes and ask for other low­fat preparations. And share your dishes, or take
most home leftovers. Entrees are usually huge—often a pound and a half each or more, enough
for four “sensible” portions.

4. Forget the old rule about eating raw shellfish only during “R” months (September to April).

That rule may reduce the risk of food poisoning, but certainly doesn’t eliminate it. About
5 to 10% of all raw shellfish are contaminated by vibrio bacteria. People with chronic diseases or
impaired immunity face a high risk of potentially fatal vibrio­related illness. Even shellfish
“certified clean” is risky, since there’s no way to detect many viruses and bacteria in fishing
waters. To be safe, eat only thoroughly cooked shellfish (140°).

5. Always cut a hard­shell winter squash in half before microwaving.

A whole squash
cooked in the microwave can explode and cause serious burns. Piercing the shell with a fork
before cooking may not be adequate to vent the confined steam pressure.