Consuming
Thoughts
Fay Strickler
Penn State Extension
Home Economist
For Berks Co.
LEESPORT (Berks Co.) —For
many people, losing weight is an
on-going situation which can only
be accomplished by making real
changes in diet and behavior.
Weight is very often put on the
body a little at a time over a long
period of time. It really makes
sense then to take the weight off in
a similar manner.
A positive approach is to think
about foods and to eat foods that
are low in calories, high in nutri
tional value and foods you can eat
in unlimited quantity. Think about
vegetables and fruits in general,
but in particular broccoli, cucum
bers, green peppers, greens, mush
rooms, zucchini, plain popcorn,
vegetable juice, ahd water.
Some low fat foods, high pro
tein and minerals need to be eaten
in controlled amounts; low fat
milk, plain yogurt, fish, chicken,
turkey and tuna are all good
choices. Apples, bananas, grapes,
potatoes and pasta, whole wheat
bread are also good choices eaten
plain. It is often the topping, butter
or sugar, added to this group of
food which really increase the cal
ories. A little less sauce, butter, or
sugar can keep meals delightful
and help you take control of your
health.
A category of foods that are
good nutritionally (i.e. contain
protein, carbohydrates, vitamins,
and minerals) but also contain
considerable amounts of fat need
to be eaten with caution. Control
the amount of whole milk, flavor
ed yogurt, cheese, beef, pork,
lamb or ham, luncheon meat,
foods like pizza, tacos, chili, and
peanut butter.
If you really want to lose weight
and cut out unnecessary fat in the
diet, stop eating high fat foods like
margarine, butter, whipped cream,
mayonnaise, salad dressing, Coke,
pie, milk shakes, ice cream, and
jam. Save these foods for small
servings on special occasions.
Some real tips for taking weight
off and keeping it off include:
• Drink plenty of water every
day, about six to eight (8 oz.)
glasses. This will fill you up,
cleanse your system, plus keep
your skin and hair healthy.
• Diet with a friend, and give
each other positive reinforcement.
• Make up a personal eating
schedule to follow every day in
cluding healthy snacks.
Freeze Instead Of Can
HONESDALE (Wayne Co.)
A very common question in the
Wayne County Extension office
this time of year is “How long
should I can it?”
Unless you are using a recipe
from one of the new canning
books, the answer Debra Bryant,
county extension director, gives
folks is "freeze it instead."
She said unless the recipe has
been tested by researchers. I’s on
ly be guessing at a safe time. And
die health and safety of your fami
ly isn’t something to guess about
If home canned products are hot
processed long enough, there is a
risk for botulism, a deadly disease.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
researchers conduct rigorous tests
to determine recommended pro
cessing times and pressures. They
are based on the food itself, jar
size, and type of preparation.
If you are still using an old
cookbook, grandma’s recipe for
spaghetti sauce, or creating your
own recipes, your best bet is to
freeze these foods.
For example, adding peppers
and onions to spice up your home
canned tomato sauce may de
crease the acidity of the product
• Try to keep yourself busy,
away from the kitchen so that you
won’t be tempted to eat.
• Make a commitment to losing
weight for an extended period of
time, only you can do it
• If you give up a small bag of
potato chips each day, in one year
you will lose 19 lbs. or one table
spoon of butter daily equals 10
pounds in a year.
Lancaster Firming, Saturday, September 10, 1994-B7
enough that a higher heat treat
ment is needed to destroy the
spores of Clostridum botulinum.
Without the peppers and onions,
the product is acidic enough to
keep the bacteria in check.
Freezing keeps all bacteria in
check, regardless of the acidity or
consistency of the product. It does
not kill bacteria, so once the food
thaws, bacteris may grow again.
fcor highest quality during froz
en storage, use moisture-vapor
proof packaging materials and
store in a freezer that maintains
the food at or less than zero de
grees Fahrenheit. If your freezer
or freezer compartment does not
maintain this temperature, limit
frozen storage of foods to less than
two months.
Pack cooked sauces and chilies
into freezer containers to one-half
inch of the container’s top, seal,
label and place in the freezer.
Fresh fruits and vegetables require
some preparation to ensure high
eating quality.
Raw vegetables, except green
peppers and onions, maintain a
better quality during frozen stor
age if steamed or water blanched
before freezing. This stops the en
zymes that cause spoilage and
helps retain nutrients and color.
After blanching (steaming briefly
over or emerging in boiling wa-
ter), submerge vegetables im
mediately in ice water until they
cool to the center. Drain, place in
an airtight container and freeze.
Fruits do not need to be blanch
ed. However, light-colored fruits,
such as peaches, pears and apples,
retain their light color longer dur
ing frozen storage if dipped in an
ascorbic acid/water mature be
fore freezing. Use 1 teaspoon
crystalline ascorbic acid per cup
of cold water or follow directions
on commercial mixtures.
If you like your fruits and vege
tables frozen in loose-packed
bags, place the fruits and drained
blanched vegetables on cookie
sheets and freeze solid. Transfer to
plastic freezer bags.
To prevent your freezer from
becoming a dumping ground of
strange mystery packages, label
products with the name of the
food, the type of pack (sugar pack
or sugar-free), and date of freez
ing. Rotate packages and use the
oldest ones first Most fruits, ve
getables and sauces maintain high
quality for eight to 12 months.
If you would like complete
freezing instructions, you may
pick up “How to Freeze Foods the
Right Way” for $1.50 at the Way
ne County Extension Office, 925
Court SL, Honesdale, PA 18431.