What’s in a name? Lots when you talk about the options you have in eggs.

[caption id="attachment_684" align="aligncenter" width="425" caption="You probably eat 'em, but what do you know about eggs?"][/caption] Most omnivores eat eggs.A

Vitamin D? Why do we need it? How do we get it? Sun for 10 minutes?

It's on the label of every milk carton, but do you really know anything aboutA

Friday Food Fact: Obesity and Your BMI

The Texas Department of State Health Services found in 2007 that as many as 11.4 million adult Texans were overweight or obese. In 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 26 percent of the adults living in Texas were obese. Texas has ranked as high as ten among U.S. states in obesity rankings. We must be aware of this problem surrounding us and make a concerted effort to try and change this. The first step is knowing if you're in this category... To clarify what it means to be overweight or obese...according to the National Institute of Health. Overweight: "Overweight is a BMI of 27.3 % or more for women and 27.8 % or more for men..." Obese: "Obesity is a BMI of 30 and above..." To calculate your BMI click here. My calculated BMI is 23.8% Remember that people who are very muscular may have skewed results...

Friday Food Fact: Dang!…some food is HARD to make

I've been lucky enough to have a group of Austin chefs include me in an event they call "Meaty Monday Madness!" On the first Monday of the month, one chef picks a type of meat--anything from brisket to hearts--and everyone makes a dish with that main ingredient. Some of the creations are amazing. This month's meat, rabbit. I decided to go all-out by making Braised Rabbit Ravioli with a CreamyVegetable Reduction. Between weight lifting, dry-land training and swim practice, IT TOOK ME TWO DAYS! Fact: Making rabbit raviolis all from scratch is hard work. Fact: When making a reduction sauce season carefullyA

Friday Food Fact: White Rice vs. Brown Rice

How does white rice differ from brown rice? A friend asked me this the other day and I couldn't give the exact answer. Immediately I knew this had to be the Friday Food Fact. So I did some research and here's the skinny. First, after the rice is harvested it goes through a huller/husker to remove the outside grain husk. After this process is complete you're left with brown rice. From brown rice the grain becomes further processed by the removal of the germ and inner husk (bran). After the removal of the germ and bran the only thing left is what's called the endosperm. Finally the grain is then polished using either glucose or talc. What's left is white rice. In the processing of the grain many nutrients are lost including Vitamin E, Thiamin, Ribofavlin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Iron to name a few. In addition white rice has been totally robbed of it's dietary fiber containing about 1/4 of what brown rice contains. Often you will see white rice that has been 'fortified' or 'enriched which means they have synthetically added back some of the original nutrients into the white rice. Crazy huh? The same process and loss of nutrients is largely true with white vs 100% whole wheat baked goods such as breads, bagels, English muffins etc. Here's an idea. Let's get back to eating the 'whole' foods nature intended us to eat. There's no question we'd be better off for it.

Friday Food Fact: Some Food Life Facts

For a few minutes let's just imagine humans could live on air. What if the feeling of hunger is simply to force us to get together and communicate with other people? I don't obviously mean this in a literal sense but what if this were true. 2010, the birth of the "Friday Food Fact" here on the Food and Water blog. 2010, my first experience in attending foodie/chef potlucks here in Austin. How could I have only found out about these this recently? A potluck...what a genius idea! Great food, unique drinks, new and interesting company...brilliant. What's even better is that you're not solely relied upon to create everything. My mind tells me the more potlucks the better. We'll see if my midsection agrees. Fact: I've met more new and exciting people in a few short months attending food-enthusiast potlucks and food events than I have in the previous couple years in Austin. Thoughts: The more I get involved and intertwined in the food and cooking world the more I realize how food can bring people from all walks of life into one conversation. People from all over the world from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different races, different ethnicities etc. can all discuss food. Of course they can all technically discuss anything but food is something everyone has at least some knowledge about. For instance, what foods did you eat growing up, what's the family traditional cuisine, were there certain crops or staples used in what you ate/eat, how do spices vary among cultures???...the list goes on. Not to mention, everyone attending is totally into the fact that we're about to eat some really legit food baby. The environment is set for a great time as well as the perfect place to meet like-minded people. Fact: Before cooking in Italy and New York I was always very apprehensive about cooking for others. My expectations were always very high which always led me to think my food was never good enough. Thoughts: Working in a kitchen in Umbria, Italy for over a month this past summer and doing a "stage" working at restaurant Daniel in NYC gave me a huge boost of knowledge, skill, and confidence. They also gave me the "kitchen cred" to spend time in other kitchens. My expectations are still high (they always will be) but now I'm getting closer and closer to meeting them. Just like anything the more you do the better you become. No longer do I shy away from having others over for food. Cooking for potlucks has made me even more fearless. (Check out the stuffed striped bass above from Wednesday's event.) At a potluck I attended last month I was the only non-chef to prepare an entree. I made Bison heart. Not only was this an odd thing to make but I had no idea what I was really doing. The final product was delicious and got rave reviews from other chefs. Let's keep this going. I love getting more and more confidence in the kitchen...such a pleasure.

Friday Food Fact: Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 You might have heard about this essential vitamin in health class, at your nutritionist, from your doctor, a coach, or maybe even in one of the famous Roger Clemens testimonials. What's certain is that B12 is an essential vitamin humans need to sustain a healthy life. Effects of B12:

• Supports the production of red blood cells which helps prevent anemia.
• Helps our cells metabolize proteins, carbohydrates as well as fats.
• The Mayo Clinic states it, "helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells and is also needed to make DNA, the genetic material in all cells."

Best sources of B12 include Sardines, Venison, Shrimp, Scallops, Salmon, Beef, Lamb, Cod, milk and eggs. The book 'The World's Healthiest Foods' by George Mateljan says, "Vegans must pay attention to their intake of vitamin B12 since this vitamin occurs primarily in animal foods..." In order for vegans to ensure they are getting an adequate amount of B12 you may want to consult a doctor and/or nutritionist to see if a B12 supplement is suitable for you. An interesting fact...George Mateljan also states, "vitamin B12 cannot be made by animals or plants, but only by microorganisms, like bacteria. When plant foods are fermented with the use of B12-producing bacteria, they end up containing B12."

Friday Food Fact: Tofu…Don’t be Fooled, It’s Good

Food: Tofu (derived from soybeans) History: First a little background on soybeans... Soybeans are originally from China and have been cultivated there for over 3,000 years. Soybeans made their debut into the USA in the early 1800s as ballast aboard a ship. US farmers began to popularly farm them starting in the 1940s. Tofu was first discovered about 2,000 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as the "cheese of Asia" because it is made in a similar fashion to cheese (coagulating soymilk). Tofu has little inherent taste which is why cooking with it can be so simple, it will pick up basically any flavor it's cooked with. Nutritional Benefit: Tofu is an excellent source of Tryptophan which is an essential amino acid our bodies need to maintain health. Manganese also has high concentration in tofu which helps your body maintain healthy and strong bones, helps synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol, and helps maintain a normal blood sugar level. Four ounces of tofu contains 33% of our daily needs of Iron. Iron is an essential nutrient our bodies need to maintain the production of red blood cells which carry oxygen. Ways to Cook: Tofu is one of the most underrated foods with a terrible rep. But why? It's delicious! It has the ability to take on any flavor that it is dressed with. Some Top Chefs even fry it in pork fat to give it that meaty taste. But to all you vegetarian friends out there, have no fear, it doesn't take fat to make it taste good. One of my brilliant friends sent me this recipe that she claims is delicious, especially when served with steamed spinach and squash (yup, the squash made it in there). In the recipe that follows my friend used 2 tbs of Garam Masala instead of the paprika, cumin and coriander. The Garam Masala adds a bit of heat and is complemented with the drizzle of honey. When asking around how others prepare their tofu, baking seemed to be a preferred method--cut into slabs or cubes, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and fresh cracked pepper, and heat at 350 until browned on both sides. You can buy tofu in three basic types:

• Soft tofu: nutritional substitute for milk in smoothies; eggs in a scrambler
• Firm tofu: cubed and sauteed/baked, found in a lot of Asian dishes
• Extra-firm: sliced and used as a meat substitute (ex: Lettuce and Tomato sandwich)

Spice-Crusted Tofu

Friday Food Fact: Dried Fruit vs. Fresh Fruit

For the Holidays my parents got me a food dehydrator. Since then I've dehydrated apples, nectarines, tomatoes, bananas, strawberries and cantaloupe. I've really enjoyed trying new things and seeing how they turn out. However, I was unsure of the nutritional differences in the dried fruits vs fresh fruits so I decided I'd do some research. Today I had a visit with my nutritionist. I'm a very inquisitive person and always go in to see him with a list of questions. Definitely one of my questions today was about the differences between dried fruit and fresh fruit. Is there a difference in nutritional content? How does the nutritional content change? Are there more calories and/or sugar in one versus the other? My nutritionist and I discussed some things and after leaving I went to go do some more research. Here's what I learned.

• Dehydrating shrinks down the fruit causing some nutrients as well as the calories and sugar content to concentrate.
• Certain nutrients such as Vitamin C can be diminished in the drying process if too high of heat is used.
• Many dried fruits are higher in fiber than their fresh counterparts.
• Research has shown that drying blueberries actually increases its antioxidants.
• Drying with high heat can reduce the effectiveness of the protein in the food. The protein in the food is still there but it is harder for your body to digest and absorb it.
• Due to having a higher sugar content dried fruits can be easily satisfy a sweet tooth.
• Dried fruits are a great source of quick energy...plus they're easy to take with you.

Some useful blurbs I found in the New York Times about the nutritional content in certain dried fruits...written by C. CLAIBORNE RAY "for apricots, a cup of fresh halves is 86 percent water, with 74 calories, and a cup of dried fruit is 76 percent water, with 212 calories. Fresh apricots have 3.1 grams of fiber versus 6.5 for dried; 0.6 milligrams of iron versus 2.35 milligrams; 15.5 milligrams of vitamin C versus 0.8 milligrams; and 149 retinol activity equivalents of vitamin A versus 160." "A cup of fresh Thompson seedless grapes is 80 percent water, with 104 calories, and a cup of raisins is 15 percent water, with 434 calories. The grapes have 1.4 grams of fiber, versus 5.4 grams for the raisins; 0.54 milligrams of iron versus 2.73 milligrams; 288 milligrams of potassium versus 1,086 milligrams; and 16.3 milligrams of vitamin C versus 3.3 milligrams." I'll be drying the heck out of fruits in the coming weeks. The important thing I'm going to remember is to ration the amount I intake. Dried fruits should be a supplement to the fresh fruits. I won't need too much to satisfy my needs. In the past I've always taken dried fruits with me to competitions. Dried cranberries and prunes were the two I had with me in Beijing. If you're going to buy them in the store always make sure there is NO sugar added. Happy Healthy Eating My Friends.

Friday Food Fact: Travel Meet Eating Tips

Traveling to swim meets (and even on business and/or for pleasure) can easily throw our general dietary regimen out of whack. The comforts of our own homes are lost. No longer do we have the refrigerator stocked with all our essentials, a pantry where we can find healthy snacks, nor do we even have the option to cook our own meals. The reality that our eating habits at times of travel are going to be a bit different is not necessarily a problem. What's important is that we have a plan for how we are going to manage the situation. For those of you who know me, you'll know that I'm not much of a planner. Logistics and thinking ahead on travel is not always my strong-suit. However, I generally do a pretty good job of bringing along some of my essentials that I know help contribute to my healthy diet. Here is a list of some ideas I try and do during travel:

• If you're really on your game you might want to scope out a few places to eat before you arrive. Find some healthy spots. Ask around or even tweet a question to followers about where to go.
• Hydration is a big issue when traveling. Sometimes we don't even realize how dehydrated we become during travel until it's too late. If you're on your way to a competition then you'd better be thinking about hydrating throughout the trip. I like to pack something called ElectroMix and mix it into my water to help keep my body full of electrolytes.
• Packing snacks is easy and will make your life a lot easier. Some of the things I bring are dried fruits (apples, mangos, strawberries, cranberries, prunes, cantaloupe, and blueberries), nuts (walnuts and almonds), and energy bars (Cliff Bars and Powerbars).
• My workouts always include a sport's drink during exercise and a post-workout drink after exercise. Be sure to pack enough of these with you so you don't run out. I always try and pack more than I need in case something happens...one time a Black Bear snuck into my room and was eating my recovery powder right out of the bottle...we got into a fight...naturally I won.

Most meets include dining out at restaurants. The ultimate is to have meals prepared for you which are in keeping of what you ate in training. At the Olympic Trials in 2008 and the World Championship Trials in 2009 my parents prepared meals and brought them to the meet for me. What a lucky guy I am! If you are going to dine out it's important to have some things in mind:

• Go for things that look the least processed. If I have the choice of a whole baked sweet potato or sweet potato casserole I'll always chose the whole food. No need to mess with nature.
• Ask for your veggies steamed without salt. Most places will heavily salt them as they saute them in oil.
• Always ask for whole grain and whole wheat breads.
• Do your best to stay away from the desserts...if you're competing you surely don't need them.
• Keep the sodas and heavy sugar drinks out of your hands. Drinks high in sugar will spike our energy levels suddenly but will then drop dramatically and put us in a valley. At meets it is important to keep our energy on a level playing field. We want our adrenaline to pump us up, not sugar.

Trust me when I say it's hard to do all of these correct. We're are all humans and sometimes we make mistakes and need cheats. The important thing is to be mindful of the good habits to have during travel and put them into action whenever and wherever we can. Keep up the good work.