Kalette: The new veggie on the block

Hi readers! This post is written by Beth’s intern, Erin, who is studying to be a registered dietitian.

This just in… Kale is officially “out” and it’s new, cooler, trendier and tastier younger sister, Kalette is “in”. You can think of a Kalette as the Kylie Jenner to Kim Kardashian. Yes, Kim is definitely still “cool” in a married with kids kind of way, but Kylie is younger, more chic and a little weird in a way we all find intriguing (so we follow her on all social media accounts and wish our lives were that cool when we were 18.)

So here are the facts… A Kalette is basically the child of Kale and Brussels Sprouts. Some scientists over in England have been working on this hybrid vegetable for about 15 years and it just recently made its way across the pond to the US. For all you skeptics out there (me included) don’t fret! This is not some kind of freaky science experiment. Kalettes are naturally grown from seeds and right now, Kalettes are mostly being grown in southern California because of the warm coastal climate.

I know exactly what you’re thinking…. You need to go to the store to get this mysterious new vegetable RIGHT NOW so you can make an awesome dish and Instagram it so all your friends know how ahead of the times you are (just me? Idk..) But wait, where can you find these Kalettes you may wonder… Trader Joes and Whole Foods both claim to have Kalettes in all of their locations nationwide (although you may want to call and check before going. Other names for Kalettes may include Kale Sprouts, BrussleKale or Flower Sprouts)

So now you know where to go and what you’re getting but how do you pick the perfect Kalette? I’ll tell you how… The leaves should be nice and hydrated without any brown spots and the steam should look freshly cut and have a very pretty purple-y color. Check out this super exciting video explaining how to prepare your Kalettes for cooking:

Since I am studying nutrition and diet, I feel obligated to talk about the nutritional benefits of this innovative new veg…

For 1 ½ cups of Kalettes, you get 4g of protein (moderately high for a vegetable), 120% of your daily value for vitamin K (pretty typical for a leafy green but still a good thing!) and 40% of your daily value of vitamin C (just in time to start fighting off winter colds) all for just 45 calories!

And there you have it, folks! Now I’m off to go munch on some roasted Kalettes while I catch up on KUWTK.

How to Not do a Superbowl Commercial

 Let me very clear, the only reason I watch the Superbowl is for the commercials and the halftime show, not actually to watch the game. Its not that I hate football, I just prefer college football. Anyways, I must say that I was very underwhelmed the halftime show with Katy Perry about to be attacked by dancing sharks…

Only to be saved by none other than Missy Elliott…

After Missy snapped me out of the twilight zone filled with dancing beach balls and surf boards, I was back to reality and more commercials. Out of all of the commercials, I did find one that intrigued me, and by intrigued I mean annoyed...I found one that annoyed me as a Dietitian. (Warning: I am about to step on my soapbox.)  What commercial you ask? That commercial would be this commercial from McDonald's called the Unapologetic Big Mac:

Now, I am no marketing whiz, but I am not sure what McDonald’s was trying to accomplish with this commercial besides shoot themselves in the foot. Yes, I believe that just about everybody and their grandma knows that McDonald’s does not offer the healthiest of foods, despite their feeble attempts at adding salads and apple slices to the menu.

Personally, as both a foodie and a vegetarian, I was slightly offended. Do I eat soy, quinoa, kale, and greek yogurt? Yes I occasionally do, but that doesn’t mean those are the only things I eat and no, I don’t feel cool just because I do eat those things. 

Setting my own personal dietary preferences aside, the reason this bothers me is because how it influences society and our food norms. This commercial feeds into the somewhat negative stereotypes that foodies and vegetarians are weird hipsters that only eat soy, quinoa, kale, etc. They are "health nuts."

We are a country that is in the midst of an obesity epidemic, which costs us somewhere in the ballpark of $192 BILLION a year, and you spend millions to in effect shame those who are trying to eat a little better. Really McDonald's really?!? Is McDonald’s solely to blame for obesity? Was the Superbowl halftime show good? No, but McDonald's can be a part of the solution.

Staying on this soapbox, this commercial also incites some level of food neophobia. Don’t act like you are not impressed with my use of the word neophobia J Anyways, food neophobia is the fear of trying new, unfamiliar foods. In the weird little world that is inside my head, this is how this commercial affects people. After seeing McDonald’s knock kale and quinoa, when people are offered kale and/or quinoa that have never had it before, they laugh and turn it down. I mean, kale and quinoa is obviously only for hippies. 

Now I am going to flip this situation and really just blow your mind. Let’s pretend we all live on a far away planet called, oh I don’t know, Utopia. Now on Utopia, everybody eats kale and quinoa, not many people eat burgers. One day a food company, McKale, advertises how great its kale and quinoa is, and bashes burgers and people who are burger eaters. People who eats kale and quinoa, would feel more justified and better about their food choices than those weird burger eaters. Burgers are definitely for weirdos.

So what is your point Beth?

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say that McDonald’s should start serving kale and quinoa, they are after all a burger joint. However, I don’t think they should stigmatize people who are trying to eat healthier. As a billion dollar company, they have the means to positively affect our dietary habits and food norms. We need to make eating healthy the cool, sexy thing to do, which we can do through advertising and marketing. I mean kale anyone?

Can I personally change McDonald’s or any other fast food place? Nope, but what I can do is “vote” with where I choose to spend my money when eating out. Not that I eat a ton of fast food, but when I do, I will gladly pay a little more for a better quality product and for a company whose practices I agree with. (Steps off soapbox)

Well I am off to start a petition to bring Beyonce back for next year’s Superbowl halftime…I mean home girl broke the Superdome and I bet that Beyonce eats kale. Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth

Hidden Fruits & Vegetables in Baked Goods: Putting Lipstick on a Pig

I was at a meeting recently where some big whigs in the Charlotte food scene met to discuss how to increase healthy eating in the Charlotte area. Does this mean that yours truly is a big whig? Totes. I mean I do have this blog and all…

Anyways, the discussion came to a point where we were discussing how to get kids to eat healthier, in which the concept of black bean brownies emerged. While it was a comment that was not even given the time of the day for the rest of the discussion, I found myself a little irritated, which leads me to today's blog topic of sneaking fruits and vegetables into baked goods. 

Now, when I said black bean brownies, most of you were probably thinking that I had made a typo because that sounds disgusting. However, it was not. The idea of sneaking fruits and vegetables into desserts is all the rage these days, with tons of recipes on Pinterest. In addition to black bean brownies, we also have chocolate zucchini cupcakes and brownies made with applesauce, banana, or avocado as well. Sounds weird right? In most cases, the predetermined fruit or vegetable is used to replace the fat (oil or eggs) in a recipe; occasionally it is added just for giggles but not often. 

I will admit that I have played around with black bean brownies just to see how they were. They surprisingly weren't bad...even the batter tasted good (don't judge me). Anyways, back to my irritation of black bean brownies and getting people to eat healthier. My thought during that meeting was, “What do black bean brownies have anything to do with getting kids, or adults for that matter, to eat healthier?” Yes, brownies made with black beans instead of oil and eggs are lower in fat and higher in protein, but are they going to magically inspire you to eat more fruits and vegetables? My guess would be no. I mean when I tried them it only made me want ice cream, but that’s just me. All you are essentially doing by sneaking these fruits and vegetables into baked goods is putting lipstick on a pig. 

To help get me point across on this one, I am going to use a gem provided by none other than the always credible Dr Oz. He has a recipe on his website for butt busting brownies. To give you the full effect, I am just going to just copy a little excerpt about these little gems.

“If you think brownies are off-limits when you’re trying to get fit, think again! This no-bake brownie is not your typical dessert. The cayenne revs up your metabolism to get your body moving and the cinnamon helps process sugar intake, which helps keep fat from being absorbed into your bottom. It’s a win-win!”

I really wish that I was making this stuff up. Without even addressing the misleading information about cayenne and cinnamon, WHY WOULD ANYBODY EAT A BROWNIE IF THEY WANTED TO GET FIT? If you really want to get fit and bust your butt how about you try this new thing called exercise and eating these things called fruits and vegetables. Pretty radical I know.

I have no idea if these "butt busting" brownies are good or not, but at the end of the day they are still brownies, regardless of what fruits and vegetables might be snuck in them. I mean I can put my dog in a cat costume and she is still a dog. Even if I put kale in brownies they are still brownies, which are not and never will be a "health" food.

Don’t get me wrong I love me some kale (shocker I know right?), but I do not want kale in my brownies, I would rather have caramel thank you. You really are not doing yourself any favors by sneaking in fruits and vegetables into your baked goods; you are really only sacrificing taste. The next time you treat yo self…

make sure it at least tastes good. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go to Sonic for this milk shake made specifically for health nuts and hipsters.

Until next time!

Keep it Fresh,

Keep it Green,

Beth