Oyster Farming

I don't think I've ever eaten an oyster but after reading a passage about oyster farming I am way more interested in the process. For one oyster farming has been around for centuries, in fact in Japan there are accounts of oysters being cultivated before the birth of Christ.

The featured video shows one technique but another is to attach oysters to strings. The article explained how "spat" (little baby oysters) are places on shells or ceramic tile attached to the line. The source of the picture below says oysters are tied to the lines- which causes them to grow faster, have a higher yield as well as reduce costs.

Cranberry Bruschetta

If you're looking for a unique spread Cranberry Bruschetta is a tasty choice. It combines tart cranberries and savory spices like basil, garlic and oregano.

What you need:

• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I also used balsamic)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 loaf of french bread (whole wheat)

 1. Add cranberries, vinegar and sugar to a saucepan, bring to a boil.
 2. Add garlic to saucepan and cook for about 8 minutes.
 - I didn't think there would be enough liquid to boil when I first added everything to the pan, but after a few minutes you really get some moisture from the cranberries. Once you add the garlic you have to cook it down further to get a thicker consistency

  3. Add basil and oregano and fold in. One batch makes less than 1 cup over all once cooked down.

 4. Toast some sliced bread and enjoy. I doubled the recipe for my family, but we had leftover (pigs in a blanket won the appetizer competition this year).

Overall this is a fruity spread and was still very tart even with the sugar which was a nice compliment to the things we usually eat. The basil and garlic carry it a long way.

Original recipe from OceanSpray - they recommend adding 1/2 a red onion but I wouldn't recommend it.

Fruit Salsa

Fruit salsa is delicious. That's all you need to know. 

What you need:

• Pomegranate seeds
• Blueberries
• Raspberries and Blackberries
• Strawberries
• 1/2 Green Apple

Chop into various sizes. I prefer the pieces to be as small as possible but with whole blueberries this time I didn't worry about it too much. Granted the smaller the pieces the more tedious your job becomes.

Mix together and enjoy with pita chips. Normally 1-2 apples are used to act as a base and all other fruit complements. For this batch I had a lot of other fruits and took advantage.

Chocolate Cup Tarts

Want to WOW your family this holiday? These chocolate desserts are easier than they look.

What you need:

• Semi-sweet chocolate
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Cool whip
• Powdered sugar
• Fruit
• Balloons!

That's right, balloons. 

CHOCOLATE CUPS

1. Blow up balloons. The smaller the balloon the smaller the shell. I like to keep them small. Rinse balloons to remove any powder.

 2. Melt chocolate, dip and roll balloons in chocolate. The closer the chocolate gets to the "neck" of the balloon the harder it will be to peel later. The deeper you dip the balloon the more egg-like the shell will turn out.

 3. Set balloons on a plastic wrapped tray. After all balloons have been covered, place in fridge.

FILLING
1. Combine about 28 ounces of yogurt and 3/4 of the container of cool whip. Wish you had a larger bowl.

2. After mixing, add powdered sugar an vanilla to taste. I used about 1/2 a cup sugar.
*These amounts led to a LOT of filling, I'd recommend using half as much.

COMBINING
1. After the chocolate has solidified, cut the balloons, and carefully peel out the balloon.

2. Put filling in a zip-loc bag and cut of the end. Fill cups.

3. Decorate. I chose pomegranate seeds and blueberries. Granola, chocolate, candy and other fruit works well too. 

BONUS: If you comment on a post besides this one I will make these for you and your family for the holidays! Best comment wins.

Sugar consumption and the destruction of humanity

This video has some good information about sugar consumption and its consequences. Plus it's beautiful to watch. Who doesn't enjoy slow motion clips of sugar and liquids being poured over a variety of things.

After repeated attempts I was unable to upload the video directly but it can be viewed by clicking this link. I found the video via Business Insider.

"Type 2 diabetes and obesity are linked to an excess consumption of sugar, particularly in a liquid form."

Photos from lately

I've been working hard on wrapping up some assignments from the first half of my dietetic internship. Here are a few photos from campus and also a box I painted for my preceptor/mentor.

Does this look like an orange?

For those that don't know about the process of becoming an Registered Dietitian (RD) here's how it goes:

1. Receive an undergraduate degree from a DPD approved program. 

2. During your senior year you apply to internships- Internships are incredibly competitive. Across the country there are about 250* and each has between 2-20 spots available. There are a few thousand people applying every year so the national placement right is about 50/50. 

-Because of it's level of competition you're expected to apply to multiple internships- you rank them according to where you want to go the most. The internship ranks applicant in the same manner. Through a computer matching process your either matched...or are told to "try again next year kiddo!"

The internship itself varies. But they all have supervised practice in clinical, community, and foodservice. For example mine is 10 months with a research emphasis in the first half. You do not get paid, in fact you get to pay them a lot of money. Overall it's a very intense learning experience with competencies that must be met in order to receive a certificate at the end of it. 

Once you finish 10 months of supervised practice you register to take a national exam. If you pass you are a Registered Dietitian and mean something to the world of nutrition! 

This is why people like Dr. Oz or bloggers that say they are "nutritionists/nutrition specialists" without a degree irritate me (Yes, I know Dr. Oz is a doctor...but his doctorate is not in nutrition). I imagine they are smart people, at least some of them, but they did not have 5+ years of education specific to nutrition. Nor do they have the training to critically analyze a research paper or health claim to determine if it's a bunch of bologna or not. I do sympathize with individuals that cannot afford to complete an internship and have a degree but can't call themselves a dietitian. It stinks to go through 4 years of school and realize your degree means little without a few letters behind it. But even after a few months of this internship...it makes a tremendous difference in being able to navigate the nutrition world. 

So if you're ever reading an article about nutrition, especially one with shocking! claims- please look to see who wrote it!

Huffpost Canada on Paleo diet

"The paleo diet is basically a fantasy, according to Dr. Marlene Zuk" is personally my favorite line. Albeit it warrants an explanation- which you can find in the rest of the article.

A Registered Dietitian wrote it. As she summarized at the end a lot of research is ongoing- there really is no proof this diet is superior to any other. Calories in = calories out people.

What frustrates me is that the "creator" of the diet makes some bold claims that are based on some weak studies.