Yams, farmed salmon, Costco Wholesale and more

A wedge of a frittata, made with store-bought pesto and boiled yam slices, feels at home plated with leftover organic whole-wheat pasta shells with pesto and salted cod fish.

The frittata puffing up under the broiler. I spooned on Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco Wholesale after removing the pan from the oven.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

I've been yamming it up in the kitchen.

I couldn't resist that play on words after preparing a frittata with sliced yams, pesto and cheese.

Yams are said to be starchier and drier than sweet potatoes, and may not be the best choice on my no-bread, no-pizza diet, but they taste as sweet.

For the egg mixture, I used three whole organic brown eggs, a 16-ounce carton of 100% egg whites, grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and a little low-fat organic milk, all from Costco Wholesale.

The mixture was poured into a hot, non-stick pan with oil and allowed to set over a medium-high flame before I placed the yam slices -- boiled for about 15 minutes -- and reduced-fat Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese (also from Costco) into the mixture.

A frittata allows you to layer yam slices, sweet potatoes, cheese or other fillings.

I finished the frittata under the broiler, set on low, for about 10 minutes or until it browned and puffed up. The pesto was added after I removed it from the oven.

I prefer to make frittatas instead of omelets that are folded, because the former allows you to use more yams, cheese or whatever you are stuffing it with.

A couple of years ago, I put a note in the suggestion box at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, asking for lactose-free milk. On Monday, I saw 96-ounce containers of 2% lactose-free milk for the first time, but I use 1% lactose-free milk from ShopRite, and would really like to see Costco give members a price break on organic lactose-free milk. Organic milk contains about 60 percent more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than non-organic varieties, according to Consumer Reports on Health.

Salmon warning

Consumer Reports on Health says that "in general," farmed salmon isn't as good for you as wild-caught salmon.

"Some research suggests farmed salmon may harbor higher mercury and pesticide residues and higher levels of possible carcinogens called PCBs," according to the March 2014 edition of the newsletter.

"The risks depend on how the salmon was raised and what it was fed. So it makes sense to spring for wild salmon," the newsletter says, adding both contain high levels of omega-3, the fatty acids that may support heart health.

Whole Foods Market pledges that all of the farmed seafood it sells is free of pesticides and antibiotics, but Costco Wholesale and other retailers rarely tell consumers anything more than that their farmed salmon is artificially colored.

The March 2014 edition also lists four seasonings that may improve your health: chili pepper, cinnamon, sage and turmeric.

'Poultry litter'

The April 2014 Consumer Reports on Health reiterates the consumer organization's recommendation to buy antibiotic-free poultry, and notes organic poultry "is raised almost always without the routine use of antibiotics."

"The widespread use of those drugs in food animals is triggering a rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria," the newsletter says.

Then, the newsletter notes, "Organic birds can't be fed poultry litter (a mixture of droppings, spilled feed, and feathers) or arsenic drugs."

Isn't that an appetizing notion, that poultry raised on harmful antibiotics also may dine on feathers and droppings?

The newsletter also notes there are "no government-approved organic standards for seafood."

Grass-fed cattle

"As with chicken, organic cattle aren't raised with routine antibiotics, but for optimal nutritional benefits, look for organic meat that's also labeled "American Grassfed Approved" or "USDA Process Verified grass-fed," according to the newsletter.

"Studies suggest that meat from such animals might provide more health benefits than meat from animals fattened on a conventional diet of grain."

Both organic and non-organic beef and lamb from Australia and New Zealand are often labeled "grass fed," and they are available at ShopRite, Costco and Trader Joe's.

Even with more than 25 staffed checkout lanes, shoppers waited in long lines on Sunday at the Trader Joe's Chelsea in Manhattan, above.

A sign outside a deli on Seventh Avenue in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

Lazy afternoons

My afternoon visits to Costco Wholesale in Hackensack keep on paying off in a less-crowded, less-frenetic shopping experience than the mad morning rush.

Just inside the door on Monday, I couldn't resist picking up another no-iron, 100% cotton dress shirt with a spread collar for only $17.99, and it isn't made in China.

Two 96-0unce bottles of Kirkland Signature Organic Lemonade (18% juice) were $5.99, two dozen KS Organic [Brown] Eggs were $6.99, and six 16-ounce cartons of KS Egg Whites were $8.79.

Three half-gallons of KS Organic Milk (1%) were $9.99, and four half-gallons of Tropicana Orange Juice were $11.59.

Wild-caught haddock fillets from Iceland were $8.99, a 1-pound tub of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix was $4.79; and 5 pounds of seedless Red Globe Grapes from Peru were $7.99, but the label says they are "treated with sulfer dioxide for fungicide use, [and] please rinse well."

A 2-pound package of reduced-fat Jarlsberg Lite Swiss Cheese has a new package, but is still $8.59; and a new item, a 2-pound package of sliced Adams Reserve New York Extra Sharp Cheddar, aged more than 12 months, was only $6.99.

Three pounds of bananas were $1.39, the lowest price in North Jersey.

All organic products, whether you buy them at Costco or elsewhere, are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Timing is everything

At H Mart is Fort Lee, a 1-pound, 3-ounce package of stir-fried vermicelli noodles with vegetables from Pinocchio Catering is usually $5.49, but after 7 p.m. on Saturday, they were half price. 

I picked up two for $5.49.

The Korean supermarket also was having a sale on scallions -- five bunches for 99 cents.

At the H Mart in Englewood, some prepared Korean food from Jinga goes on sale after 4 p.m.

More on antibiotics in animal feed

Image via Wikipedia

It's hard to understand why AARP The Magazine and most other media ignore the  impact on humans from the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed.


As I've noted, AARP The Magazine has published long articles on saving money at the supermarket and Dr. Mehmet Oz's guidelines for a healthy diet without any reference to the challenges readers face when shopping for poultry and meat, much of which is filled with antibiotics from animal feed or water.

You've seen those huge slabs of beef or pork featured in the cooking segments on morning TV, but have you ever heard the chefs or the host discuss whether the animals were raised on antibiotics or  growth hormones? Nail-biting Chef Bobby Flay's hamburger restaurant in Paramus serves Certified Angus Beef filled with antibiotics, although there is a naturally raised version available.

Here is a small item in the August 2010 issue of On Health from Consumer Reports. Under a "health wire" heading on Page 2, "Antibiotic resistance, from animals to humans," it reads:

"The bacteria that causes urinary-tract infections resistant to antibiotics may have developed first in animals, according to a study in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

"Researchers think it's perhaps because of the widespread use of antibiotic in animal feed."

(Photo: Dr. Oz in 2008.)

What do "cage free" and "free range" mean?

"The USDA doesn't regulate the use of the term 'cage free' at all," Consumer Reports On Health reported in its February 2009 newsletter. "And it uses 'free range' only for poultry, not other meat or eggs. Even for chicken, the term doesn't mean much -- 5 minutes of open-air access daily is all it takes to qualify."

This raises a couple of questions. Why is Murray's chicken, the drug-free brand sold at Fairway Market, called "free-roaming" and not "free-range"? Shop-Rite advertises Australian beef as "free range," which would seem to be a violation of USDA rules. Or is Australian beef exempt from U.S. rules, even though it is sold here?

Pork has less fat than chicken breast?

In reviewing old issues of Consumer Reports On Health, I came across an item suggesting that pork has less fat than an equivalent amount of skinless chicken breast.

"Evidence suggests pork is 16 percent leaner and has 27 percent less saturated fat than it did 15 years ago," the September 2006 newsletter said.

"A U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis (funded in part by the National Pork Board) found that a 3-ounce serving of pork tenderloin contains 2.98 grams of fat, compared with 3.03 grams in a 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast."

There's no mention of how most pork is raised with antibiotics and growth hormones and fed who knows what. In fact, I've read that pork receives more antibiotics than any other animal raised for human consumption. So if you love pork, be sure to buy the drug- and hormone-free variety sold at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market and some supermarkets.

Trader Joe's has St. Louis-style ribs from the Niman Ranch and at least two brands of drug- and preservative-free bacon. Whole Foods has the biggest selection of naturally raised pork, beef, lamb and poultry of any market in North Jersey. Super Stop & Shop carries Nature's Promise, a line of organic and naturally raised food, including drug- and hormone-free pork chops. See previous post, "Kudos for Stop & Shop." (This post was revised.)

Good deal may not be good for you

The latest sales circular from Fairway Market in Paramus, in today's newspaper, prominently displays "fresh-cut, local" swordfish steaks for $6.99 a pound, a savings of $6 a pound.

Unfortunately, swordfish is one of five species with the most mercury, according to the June 2009 Consumer Reports On Health newsletter, which recommends that pregnant women and children should not consume it. The rest of us "can probably consume very occasionally."

Consumer Reports bases its conclusions on data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. The other four species with the highest level of mercury are king mackerel, shark, tilefish and fresh tuna.

Clashing food coverage at Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports magazine likes to rate supermarkets and chain restaurants, but the food is rarely evaluated on how it was raised or grown. Value is most important. Yet food is treated far differently in Consumer Reports' On Health newsletter, which exposes the dirty details of antibiotics, additives, contaminants and other horror stories.

The magazine's October 2009 issue evaluates store brands under the headlines: "It pays to buy store brands. They often cost less but taste as good." Among other items, two pizzas are evaluated, from DiGiorno and Archer Farms (Target). "Meat lovers might prefer Archer Farms, chock full of pepperoni chunks and slices," the magazine says, without saying whether either pizza uses uncured, preservative-free meat.

The cover article in the magazine's May 2009 issue is on supermarkets: "Shop smart & save big. Our best tips, plus exclusive ratings of 59 supermarkets." A national survey ranks stores on service, perishables, price and cleanliness, but not on the availability of organic products, wild fish, and drug-, hormone, and preservative-free poultry and meat.

The magazine's July 2009 and July 2006 issues rate chain restaurants. The latest report appears under the headlines: "Where to dine well for less. Readers rate food, value & service at 101 chains." But "trained tasters" evaluate steaks on taste and value, not on how the the animals were raised and whether they were given antibiotics, growth hormones and animal by-products.

For example, the $53, 20-ounce strip steak at Morton's The Steakhouse was judged "excellent" in a comparison to three others, including the $22, 14-ounce strip steak at Outback Steakhouse ("very good"). Is the beef grass-fed or grain-fed? Is it free range or was the animal confined in a feedlot and given drugs and growth hormones? We are never told. We don't even find out whether Outback serves Australian beef, which is often grass-fed and free-range.

The magazine's food articles leave many of us hungry for more information. Why do we have to rely on the pricey Consumer Reports On Health newsletter to find out the truth about what is in our food? I'll be passing along some of the On Health reports in future posts.

Web sites

Magazine: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm

On Health: http://www.consumerreports.org/oh/index.htm