Cooking Up Healthful

  It's clear that our eating habits do affect our health. Four of the 10 leading causes of death - heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes - are associated with diets low in fiber and high in calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. The ADA estimates that consuming a balanced diet based on the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid might prevent up to 20% of these diet-related deaths annually.

  Americans are becoming somewhat more health conscious, despite our love affair with foods high in fat and calories. We still have a long way to go though, and to help spotlight the need for improvement, the Surgeon General recently released a set of new national health goals calling for the proportion of adults who are at a healthy weight to increase substantially by 2010.

  This won't be an easy goal to accomplish, however, given the frequency with which we dine out. According to a 1999 USDA report entitled "Away-from-Home Foods Increasingly Important to Quality of American Diet," when compared with foods prepared at home, foodservice meals contain more of the nutrients that Americans consume to excess - especially fat and saturated fat - and less of those that they don't eat enough of, such as calcium, fiber and iron.

  All these factors are significant on their own, but when linked to developing healthful products for foodservice, they become even more meaningful.

  Increased public awareness of the connection between diet and health/disease prevention is leading people to look for healthier food selections, particularly when dining out. Restaurant owners are aware of this, and many, including quick-serve establishments, are trying to provide more healthful alternatives.

  Numerous fast-food eateries now offer chicken, fish and vegetable options such as veggie burgers, as well as salads. These don't always give patrons a more healthful choice, though. Many are fried and/or heavily dressed - Boston Market's Caesar salad, for example, has a whopping 43 grams of fat, 12 of which are saturated. Subway's turkey breast salad with low-fat dressing, however, has 102 calories, with only 2 grams of total fat.

  Even if meals are made of all low-fat ingredients, the preparation method can dramatically affect a meal's fat content. For example, the veggie burger at T.G.I. Friday's, which contains whole grains, low-fat cheeses and mushrooms, and is served with black-eyed pea and corn salsa, sounds like a healthy option - but it's fried in oil.

  Restaurants aren't the only foodservice entities focusing on healthful foods. The same trends are occurring in institutional settings as well. For example, to help reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are obese, and to teach the importance of eating a nutritious breakfast, Sodexho Marriott Services, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, has developed the "Get Started with a Good Sense Breakfast" program. Designed to boost student participation in school breakfast programs, the menu features traditional breakfast items such as eggs and pancakes, as well as some low-fat options such as bagels and fresh fruit. So far, the program has increased the number of students eating breakfast each morning by 20%.

  According to the FDA, if the term "healthy" is used on a label, the product must meet the following criteria: low in fat (3 grams or less per serving); low in saturated fat (1 gram or less per serving); not more than 480 mg of sodium; not more than 60 mg of cholesterol; and at least 10% of the Daily Value for at least one of the following: vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, protein or fiber. This last requirement, dubbed the jelly bean rule, ensures that foods which are low in fat, but also low in nutrients (i.e., jelly beans), cannot be labeled as healthy.

  Restaurants had until May 1997 to bring their menus into conformance with the FDA's "Food Labeling, Nutrient Content Claims and Health Claims; Restaurant Foods" ruling. In this ruling, the FDA amended its food-labeling regulations, requiring restaurant menus to conform to requirements for nutrient content and health claims, and to provide nutrition information related to such claims. For instance, if a restaurant makes a claim that an item is "low fat" or "heart-healthy," it must be able to demonstrate that the food qualifies for this claim.

  Unlike processed foods, restaurant menu selections are not required to supply complete nutrition information. According to the FDA, a restaurant does not have to provide nutrition information in the Nutrition Facts label format required on all packaged foods, nor does this information have to appear on the menu at all - it simply must be available upon request and must meet the claim definitions established under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). This act allows disease-prevention claims to be made for a food, but only after the food is in accordance with FDA regulations. Health claims are defined and limited to a description of the relationship between a nutrient and a disease or health condition in terms of significance within the total diet. (See the sidebar entitled "Claiming the Benefits" for details. For additional information on nutritional labeling, see "Staking Foodservice Nutrition Claims" in the November 1998 issue of Food Product Design.)

  The fifth edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Good Health is scheduled for release this year. Based on the initial draft from the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, restaurants and dining establishments have their work cut out for them to make their food healthy.

  The range of possibilities is large, but let's consider four categories that could potentially have a major impact on the overall healthfulness of foodservice foods - fats and oils, soy ingredients, fruit purees and whole grains.

  Fats and oils. Many consumers avoid fried foods because of the health risks - obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes - associated with the high calories and fat, especially saturated and trans fats, that accompany frying. However, fried foods do provide a pleasing taste, and restaurants continue to sell great quantities of onion rings, french fries and deep-fried cauliflower and zucchini, to name just a few foods that receive the deep-fryer treatment. Theoretically, anything can be fried, although the most common candidates are meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, potatoes and composition products such as egg rolls. (Bennigan's even deep fries its entire Monte Cristo sandwich.) However, choosing and using the frying medium carefully can affect the nutritive quality of the finished product.

  "All fats and oils have 9 kcal per gram, so energy provided does not differ," says Richard Stier, director, technical services, Agriculture-Led Export Business, Cairo, Egypt. "Restaurant frying oils are selected for durability, so the highly unsaturated oils such as canola oil are not used because they break down very quickly.

  "The best frying oil for restaurants - for economic and food quality reasons - is one of high quality that does not breakdown quickly and probably contains some antioxidants," continues Stier. He points to an oil called GOOD-FRY™, which is produced by a company in Europe, as an example of a good choice. This oil is a blend of high-oleic sunflower oil and specially refined sesame oil and rice-bran oil.

  Stier suggests using an oil that's high in monounsaturated fatty acids, very low in trans isomers, and low in decomposition products due to excessive heating. Besides potentially causing health problems, oils that degrade easily also tend to cause food to absorb more oil, so caloric contents could be higher. Off-flavors might also be formed as oils break down. Some commercial options exist, and operators should look for oils with high oleic and/or low linoleic fatty acids to utilize a more healthful, more stable cooking oil that does not turn rancid as quickly.

  Unfortunately, the ideal oils in terms of health are not ideal in terms of functionality. Restaurants should choose an oil with the blend of functionality and healthful properties best suited to their applications. It's also recommended to avoid excessive oil heating, replace oil frequently, filter out food particles at least daily, monitor oil quality to know when to discard, and clean equipment regularly using proper cleaning methods.

  "In deep-fat frying, food comes in contact with oil at about 350°F, and is frequently in contact with air for various periods of time. The amount of fat absorbed by the food varies greatly from 5% to 40% by weight of the food," says Fadi Aramouni, Ph.D., associate professor and extension specialist in the departments of food science and animal sciences and industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan. "This causes some physical and chemical changes in the oil. The oil becomes darker, more viscous and more prone to foaming.

  "Free fatty acids increase, together with a variety of volatiles, polymeric acids and nonpolymeric compounds that affect the sensory properties of the oil and the fried foods," continues Aramouni. "I recommend that establishments avoid high frying temperatures, metal contaminants and large surface-to-volume ratios, since they affect oil decomposition. If re-using oils, which many establishments still do, avoid long frying times."

  Frying oils aren't the only foodservice oils worthy of attention. Lard, butter and hard hydrogenated vegetable oils such as stick margarine used in some recipes might be replaced either wholly or partially with monounsaturates. Nut oils can be used to provide flavor, as well as a more healthful profile. Olive oil can also be a good option. "As a salad dressing, I believe olive oil is one of the better oils for health reasons," says Aramouni.

  Soy products. Soybeans, which are loaded with isoflavones and saponins, have been associated with improved status of many health conditions, including high cholesterol, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, hot flashes from menopause and macular degeneration. As little as one serving (8 oz. of soy milk, 4 oz. of tofu) per day of soy foods has been shown to have a benefit. Soybeans' isoflavone content appears to be key to many of the benefits of this legume; 30 mg. or more of isoflavones are recommended per day.

  At 38% protein, soybeans also provide a high-quality and digestible source of protein that also appeals to the increasing numbers of vegetarian or semi-vegetarian consumers. Soy-protein concentrate has a bland flavor and is suitable for vegetable patties, where it doesn't interfere with the meaty and savory flavors that may be added.

  The recently approved FDA health claim that links soy protein and a reduced risk of heart disease serves as a motivation for incorporating soy protein into new products. For the claim, the amount of soy protein deemed effective is 25 grams per day, with a minimum of 6.25 grams of soy per serving. In addition, the product must also meet the FDA's criteria for "low fat," "low saturated fat" and "low cholesterol."

  Restaurants can easily incorporate soy foods into their menu selections by having soy milk on hand for use on cereals or for preparing puddings and shakes. Developing tofu and tempeh entrees, in addition to veggie burgers, also introduces opportunities for adding soy to foodservice foods.

  Fruit purees. Fruit purees are replacing high-fat sauces in many restaurants, substituting intricate flavors for fat's richness and high caloric count. Many fruits are also rich in antioxidants, which appear to have protective effects against cancer and other diseases.

  According to Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) analyses, which measure the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances, prunes top the charts with an antioxidant score of 5,770 units per 100 grams. With a score of 2,830, raisins also rank highly. The fresh fruits with the most potent antioxidant activity are blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and plums.

  Fruit purees can improve nutrition in unexpected ways. For example, dried plum puree gained popularity about 10 years ago as a fat replacer in baked products. But now, says Jim Degen, consultant to the California Prune Board, Pleasanton, CA, "we have re-focused applications towards meat applications, sorbets, smoothies and other beverages."

  Restaurants can use dried plum puree in fresh sorbets and veggie burgers, and in lean-beef hamburgers and sausages, where, when teamed with leaner meats, puree maintains the final product's moisture. "Since dried prune purees have a high-acid berry flavor, restaurants can reduce their costs by using the puree in fruit smoothies as well as sorbets," says Degen. "Additionally, since the puree has a glycemic index of 54, establishments are able to decrease the sugar in these products as well as in sauces and dressings," he adds.

  According to Degen, dried prune puree can also be used in precooked burgers and other meats. Note that for puree containing precooked meats, the initial cooking method influences the final result. For sausages, casings are usually used to avoid caramelization, but flash-grilling and finishing in a hot-air oven is recommended for pizza and meatballs.

  A fairly recent entry into the fruit-puree world is kiwi puree. Similar to prune puree, the kiwi-based ingredient can be used in sorbets, ice creams and natural drinks, as well as serve as a meat tenderizer. Kiwi contains an enzyme called actinidin that breaks down the meat's protein. Similar proteolytic enzymes can be found in green papaya (papain), figs (ficin) and pineapple (bromelain). These enzymes also have an added nutritional bonus - leaner cuts of meat can be used, without relying on fat marbling to supply tenderness.

  Whole grains. The Dietary Guidelines for Good Health recommend choosing a variety of grains, and for the first time, this category is separate from fruits and vegetables. The fiber from whole grains provides bulk in food products, and appears to help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Complex carbohydrates provide fiber and many phytochemicals, including phenols, lignans, coumarins, phytosterols and protease inhibitors.

  While many restaurants already serve many whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and whole-wheat bread, more unusual grains such as bulgur wheat, teff, barley and quinoa can also bring a healthy dose of whole grains to menu items.

  As consumers become more aware of the relationship between diet and health, restaurants will have to conform to the requirements for nutrient content and health claims as ruled by the FDA. By carefully choosing frying oils and modifying frying times, restaurants can lower the fat content of their final products, while having fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains on hand helps make most meals a bit healthier. Fruit purees can lower the fat and sugar contents in various food products, and incorporating soy into menu selections is an easy way to add healthful properties. All of these items are quite easy to incorporate into existing menus, without adding much cost, giving rise to numerous possibilities for healthful foodservice foods.

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