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Top: spreads from Food for Thought (Growing Alberta) Bottom: feature from Your Health (Capital Health) www.growingAlBertA.Com eggs So fine The egg has regained its rightful place as a protein-packed health food, chock-full of essential vitamins and nutrients. Once eggs were frowned on for high cholesterol but recent studies suggest that it's our consumption of some saturated fats and man-made trans fats that has a more negative influence on blood choles- terol levels than overall dietary cholesterol intake. Since an all- natural and shapely large egg weighs in at a slim 70 calories and five grams of fat, it's once again a recommended part of a balanced diet. And since the egg can be prepared in a myriad of ways, there's sure to be one that will appeal to even finicky mem- bers of your household. See www.eggs.ab.ca for recipes. Beautiful Barrier: the shell protects the inside from bacteria and other contaminants. Cracked Up: the Alberta egg Producers recom- mend you cook an egg with a cracked or broken shell thoroughly, in a cake or casserole for example, instead of using recipes that won't thoroughly cook the egg, such as meringues or icings. Colourblind: Shell colour has no bearing on nutritional content. White-shelled eggs usually come from hens with white feathers. in Alberta, these hens are usually White Leghorns. brown-shelled eggs usu- ally come from hens with brown feathers. Half the Fun: the white contains more than half of the egg's total protein and ribof la- vin and no fat or cholesterol. if your doctor has advised that you are hypersensitive to dietary cho- lesterol, you can skip the yolk and safely eat the white. but most nutrients are found in the yolk. Omega Project: omega-3 is a polyunsatu- rated fatty acid that may reduce the risk of heart disease. eggs enriched with omega-3s come from hens which have been fed a f laxseed-rich diet and contain about 0.4 grams of omega-3s, compared with about .04 grams in other eggs. Burst of Sunshine: the yolk's colour depends on the hen's diet. An Alberta hen's wheat-based diet usually produces a light yellow yolk. A corn or alfalfa-based diet produces a dark yellow yolk. Spotty Times: A red spot in the yolk occurs when a blood vessel in the hen ruptures while the egg is forming. it's oK to eat but if it offends your aesthetic sensibilities you can remove it easily with the tip of a fork. Centrepiece: the yolk contains many essential nutrients, including phosphorous, iron, vitamin D and folic acid. it has 190 mg of cholesterol and five grams of fat, of which only 1.5 grams is saturated fat. None is trans fat. Double Good: you may find an egg with a double yolk. this usually happens when a hen is at the very beginning or near the end of her reproductive life. Double-yolk eggs are safe to eat, but their additional volume may affect the outcome of the recipe. food for thought • spring 2007 Quick Bites StorieS by Lindsey Norris Some things – like wine, cheese and balsamic vinegar – get better with age. But when it comes to herbs, fresh is better. The peppermill has become a culinary fixture because of the dramatic difference fresh-ground pepper makes to a dish, and the same goes for herbs. In fact, these low-calorie, high- nutrient ingredients will boost the flavour of every dish as long as they are stored and used correctly. "Once you've tried fresh it's really hard to go back," says Jim Marles of Morinville Greenhouses, which produces several herbs year-round. "Buying locally is ideal because the herb doesn't have as much travelling time. Most farmers pick the herb the day before they sell it." Some herbs, such as basil, can be combined with canola oil or water and frozen into ice cube trays, then used later for sauces or soups. But if you can't make it to the farmer's market or your local green- house, or they're closed for the winter, consider Alberta's livestock industry has launched a website, www.whatsonyourplate.ca. The site is offering consumers lots of great agriculture info- rmation and various prizes, including the use of a Smart car for a whole year. Every second Sunday throughout the year, What's on Your Plate? partners will publish a full page of information regarding humane animal care, food safety and environmental stewardship in the Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald. And each month, travelling foodie Daniel Smart will visit a different Alberta livestock producer. He'll start with Hennie Bos of Bles-Wold Dairy and then visit other producers around the prov- growing herbs in your house. Gwen Simpson start- ed growing herbs for her own culinary use and turned her hobby into a business, Inspired Market Gardens. She says many herbs look pretty and are easy to grow. "Start with something simple, like parsley and chives," Simpson says. "Everybody is interested in basil because they're used to Italian food, but basil is a princess plant – it loves heat and doesn't like changes in temperature." If your thumb is not of the green variety, try freeze-dried herbs. When buying dried herbs, buy from a store with a high turnover, in the smallest container available, and look for herbs with large particles. "As soon as you crush dried herbs they start to lose some of their oil," Simpson says. "If it's really ground up it's lost a lot of its flavour. The coarser they are the more flavour they'll have." Herb how-to Fresh: Add fresh herbs in the last five or 10 minutes of cooking. Too much heat causes bitterness. Most herbs can be kept in a plastic bag in the fridge, but poke a hole in the bag to release condensation. Don't store basil in the fridge – it's too cold. Freeze-dried: Frozen immediately after being picked, these herbs may be fresher than store-bought fresh herbs. These herbs rehydrate easily, so treat them as you would fresh herbs. Most suppliers give freeze- dried herbs a one-year shelf life. Air-dried: These herbs should be added at the beginning of the cook- ing process, and don't skimp. The flavour and nutritional quality of air- dried herbs begins to degrade when the seal is broken, so most suppliers recommend discarding herbs after a year. store dried herbs in a glass container in a cool, dark place – not on the back of the stove. For more information about culinary herbs, visit www.inspiredmarket gardens.com A Smart Car on Your Plate Herbs With Staying Power ince. He'll learn about the agriculture industry and pass his stories onto website visitors, doc- umenting his adventures at the website www.whatsonyourplate.ca. Visit the site and enter to win some fa nt a st ic pr i z es , including agriculture prize packs, $100 grocery gift certificates, and a year of easy parking with your brand new Smart car. To read full contest rules, see www.whatson- yourplate.ca www.growingAlBertA.Com Cherry tomatoes can be red or yellow. Use these in salads, stuff and bake them, or put them on a kebab and grill them. Vine ripened tomatoes usually have more flavour and a deeper red colour than toma- toes that are ripened off the vine. Beefsteak tomatoes are round, juicy and good for slicing. They go well in salads and on sandwiches and burgers. Roma or plum tomatoes are egg-shaped, meatier and less juicy than the beefsteak variety. Because they're less juicy, they work well cooked. To the French, the tomato is the apple of love; to the Germans, it's the apple of paradise. To North Americans and the British, at least until the early 19th century, it was the wolf peach, and some thought that tomatoes were poisonous. Today, the tomato is one of the most commonly consumed fruits in the world. And far from being poisonous, recent studies suggest that the beta- carotene and lycopene in tomatoes may help pre- vent cancer and heart disease. They're also a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. There are hundreds of different varieties of tomatoes. Common types include beefsteak, tomato on the vine, plum, cherry and cocktail. So with all the different options, how do you know which tomatoes to buy? It depends on the dish. Use a hollow tomato, like the beefsteak, if you're going to stuff the fruit. Tomatoes for a sauce should be meatier; use a plum tomato. And for a splash at a dinner party or pot- luck, specialty tomatoes or yellow tomatoes create visual interest. At Whiskey Creek Greenhouse in Millarville, Carmen Ditzler grows Trust tomatoes, a variety of beefsteak tomato. "Trust is an older variety that we chose primarily for its flavour," Ditzler says. "We grow tomatoes for taste…some growers choose tomato varieties for their plant growth, their heavy production of fruit or the uniformity of the fruit." Ditzler's favourite tomato is a Green zebra, a lime-green tomato with darker green stripes. "It has a distinct taste; it's almost a little salty," Ditzler says. "They remind me a little bit of the ocean." But every variety will taste bland if it's not fresh. The sooner the tomatoes arrive at your table from the farm, the better. Many growers in Alberta are able to pick the fruit the day before delivery to the grocery store or farmer's market. Tomatoes that come from a significant distance are often picked when they're still green and firm to prevent damage that occurs when they are mechanically picked and shipped long distances. Tony Legault, owner of Paradise Hill Farm in Nanton, says these factors significantly affect the taste. "When you pick a green tomato, it hasn't matured yet – it's just slowly degrading," he says . He adds that difference in taste is significant enough that many consumers will pay a little more for tomatoes grown by local farmers who have higher overhead costs due to the province's extreme weather and, like Legault and Ditzler do, hand-pick their tomatoes when they're at their loveliest red. the Apple of love Maintaining a healthy diet can be quite a challenge. Demanding schedules can make convenience foods seem as enticing as a siren's call. But there's one simple way to increase nutrition without sacrificing fla- vour or spending hours in the kitchen – just swap your white pasta for whole wheat. It's readily available, comes in all shapes and sizes and has a texture and flavour that will invigorate your old standbys. Whole wheat still has the germ and bran of the grain. That's why whole-wheat pasta has almost three times the fibre of regular pasta, which means it causes less rise in blood glucose levels and takes longer to digest, helping you feel fuller longer. Because whole wheat is less processed, some types may take longer to cook than regular pasta; check the package for direc- tions. In many recipes, the grainier, chewier texture of whole-wheat pasta will enhance the flavours in the dish. Whole-wheat pasta goes particularly well with canola or olive oil, garlic, fresh parsley and pesto sauces. But if you try it in your favourite lasagna dish and aren't happy with the results, don't give up; you may just need to get used to it the same way you adjust to eating brown bread instead of white. Look for recipes that specifically call for whole-wheat pasta. Also, try different brands, starting with two Alberta-made whole-wheat pastas from Prairie Harvest Canada Ltd. (Edmonton) And Pasta To Go (Canmore), available at most grocery stores. Pass the Pasta food for thought • spring 2007 For the past 20 years, the folks at Wolfe Honey have been busy little bees. Now, the family-owned business has released a new line of premium clover honey and pack- aged it in a unique kitchen-friendly container. Honey Bunny has a new easy-pour, stand-up pouch that helps reduce spills and mess, making it easier to incorporate into your favourite reci- pes. Honey, which contains B-complex vita- mins and amino acids, can be used as a substi- Say "Alberta," and many people think beef, not beans. But the musical fruit is raising its profile in the province. Seeds for the Agrinto pinto bean – the first pinto bean from the Lethbridge/Morden bean breeding program to achieve registration – may hit the commercial mar- ket in as little as two years. This all-new, all-Alberta pinto will garner more profit for farmers and offers better quality to consumers, which growers hope will encourage more people to eat beans. "We've been a bean-growing area for probably 40 years, and we're world-renowned for producing high quality beans," says Blair Roth, manager of Beans and Special Crops at Agricore United. "A new variety consolidates our brand image as a quality supplier." Of the several classes of dry beans grown in Southern Alberta – including Great Northern, small Red, Pink and Black – pintos make up about half. The Agrinto boasts several benefits. The plant's taller stalk has excellent "standability" (bean-growers lingo for the plant's ability to stand up and stay up). It also matures early, making it less likely to suffer from disease or frost and results in a higher yield, meaning the farmer earns more profit per acre. While farmers and bean growers recognize the benefits of beans, the average Canadian Hey, Sweetie tute for refined sugars. Wolfe Honey is a fully integrated plant that produces and packages the product in Northern Alberta. In fact, the purity of the honey – it's colourless and nearly transparent – is due in large part to the clover that grows in the Peace River area. Honey Bunny is available at some grocery stores; visit www.honeybunny.ca for locations and more information. musical fruit Beans by the Numbers number of grams of fibre north Americans consume per day: 10 recommended number of grams of fibre per day: 25 to 38 portion of daily recommended daily fibre available in a one-cup serving of pinto beans or other pulses: up to 50% number of calories in a cup of beans: 210 to 270 grams of protein in a cup of beans: 14 to 16 Bean bonus: pulses may help stabi- lize blood-glucose levels, lessening the risk of diabetes and heart disease and may help reduce the risk of some cancers. hasn't caught on – about 70 per cent of Alberta's beans are exported to Southern California and Mexico alone, according to Alberta Pulse Growers, an agency that represents farmers growing pulse crops such as chickpeas, peas, lentils and beans. That's why the release of the Agrinto coincided with industry efforts to spread the good word about the health benefits of beans. And slowly, Canadians are beginning to eat more beans, due to a growing eth- nic community and a more health-conscious soci- ety. And that's good news for farmers and consum- ers – low-cost, low-fat, high in fibre and protein- packed, the humble bean is simply a nutritional powerhouse. As more varieties of beans are cultivated to pro- duce better yields in Alberta's climate, more farm- ers may grow them, making it that much easier for consumers to buy and enjoy high-quality, Alberta- grown beans. And if you're holding back from the musical fruit because of its musical qualities, take heart – if you start by introducing small quantities of beans to your diet, your body will adjust and the effects will wear off. Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well January/February 2007 47 also concerned that sexual problems are getting blown out of proportion. In 2002, the profes- sor of psychiatry at New York University, along with several other academics in the medical and psychiatric fields, created a "manifesto." They called it A New View of Women's Sexual Problems. Tiefer says that by promoting sexual dysfunction, emphasis is placed on physiology and performance, giving aging women more reasons to feel insecure, and giving pharmaceu- tical companies the impetus to promote "magic bullet" medicinal treatments. "Drug companies love to market whatever is marketable," says Dr. Block. When he discusses "libido," he certainly doesn't confine the term to physiology and performance. "It's an energy. It's charisma. It's real – a life force that is part of who we are." He says that regardless of what issue a patient is seeing him about, sex is bound to come up, as our sexuality is an intrinsic part of our being and our primary relationships. These are complex issues, and while there is no quick fix, there are options for people who want to improve their sex lives. Ruling out the physical There are some physical causes for lack of sexual desire that are easy to address. Poor nutrition and lack of sleep and exercise can cause exhaus- tion and general malaise, which will snuff sexu- ality by simply reducing energy. How can you feel sexy when you barely have the energy to brush your teeth at night? Pregnancy and the way it can make a quick lunch of the female body before and after childbirth can drag libido down, as can the fear of getting pregnant. Don't expect the earth to move if you have a cold or infection. Marijuana and cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, steroid use and some anti-depres- sant medication can also affect sexual desire. Taking a few simple first steps could make a big difference in your libido. Eat healthier. Exercise. Get enough rest. Give your body time to heal after childbirth. Find a method of birth control that works effectively and comfortably for you. Take it easy on yourself when you're feeling sick. Stop smoking. Deal with substance abuse issues. Discuss side effects of medications with your doctor. Other physical problems may demand treat- ment from a professional. "Not tonight dear, I have a yeast infection/ a herpes outbreak/ geni- tal warts" is a pretty effective mood-crasher. Pain during intercourse need not be tolerated and should be investigated as it could signal a more serious problem. Also, is your environment con- ducive to sex? Get the television out of the bedroom. Unless you fantasize about Peter Mansbridge, watching the news in bed every night won't exactly set the mood. Make sure you are confident that you have privacy. Being afraid the kids will hear you and wake up is another libido- killer. Turn off the cellphone. Close the curtains. Make sure the sheets are clean. Take a shower right before you come to bed. These things sound sim- ple, but they could make a difference. The Little Blue Helper Men who find that their hearts and minds are ready for action, but a certain, um, member of the team refuses to play along should consider talking to their doctor about Viagra or its com- petitors Cialis and Levitra. These drugs can help the penis get and stay erect for the big event. However, they will not help with the initial stages of sexual arousal. If you aren't turned on mentally, are distracted or have serious relation- ship problems, Viagra probably isn't for you. Capital Heath urologist Dr. Derek Bochinski says that desire and the ability to perform are often closely tied together. "If men are hav- Get the television out of the bedroom. Unless you fantasize about Peter Mansbridge, watching the news in bed won't exactly set the mood. YH_jan-feb07_44-49.indd 47 12/15/06 16:37:54 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well 46 January/February 2007 But is it inhibited sexual desire? Are you now a member of the Low Libido Club, meetings held nightly from opposite edges of a king-sized bed? Perhaps "quality" is high, "quantity" is low, but both partners are satisfied. Does "not tonight dear, I have a headache" mean it's time to pop a Viagra, a Tylenol, get some therapy or simply get a good night's sleep? When is it time to seek treatment for what might be a clinical problem, and when is it time to just enjoy a PB and body paint sandwich? Capital Health's Dr. David Block, a clinical psychologist, says that there's nothing wrong with having sex only occasionally if both part- ners are satisfied and communication is open and honest. However, low libido can signify other issues, either physical or emotional, that might require treatment. He sees the loss of libido as a loss of vital life energy that will be reflected not only in the sex life, but in all of life's desires. He says that sex is a fundamental part of a solid relationship and a healthy life with another person. "Libido is your investment in the relationship and in yourself." Jennifer and Rick* "Sex drive? What sex drive?" asks Jennifer Stuart, an attractive 37-year-old stay-at-home mother. "At the end of the day, I just feel depleted. Rick is the one who's suffering. I'm OK with having sex just occasionally. I'd be fine to not have it at all, really. The problem is now my husband is pestering me for it." She says she wishes his sex drive wasn't so strong, and that he wouldn't take her exhaustion as a personal rejection. "If I have any energy left, I'd rather read a good book." Still in the middle of their predica- ment, Jennifer thinks that one solution is time. She thinks if Rick helped a bit more around the house, she might have more energy. But not much is going to happen until the lines of com- munication open up a bit. Hank and Sylvia* At 63 years old, Hank has had a lot of sex in his life. After two marriages, four children, and years of running a successful construction busi- ness, he was ready to enjoy more time travelling and relaxing with his wife Sylvia when he retired last year. Things didn't go quite as planned. "I went from full-on busy Mr. Important, to full-on retired Mr. Nobody. Suddenly I felt like an old man. In more ways than one. I didn't have any visions of being some kind of Hugh Hefner, but it was frustrating to just lose it, to feel kind of dead in that area. My wife wasn't too happy either. She thought I wasn't attracted to her." The more he thought about it, the worse it seemed to get. He says that for a while, when he knew Sylvia was in the mood, he'd stay in the workshop even longer. "Sometimes I just wanted to avoid the whole situation." When there's a power shift at home, all aspects of life are affected. If the stall goes on too long, some couples seek help. Often all that's needed is time to get used to the new normal, as was the case with Hank. Stan and Allison* When Stan became a father at 29, his sex drive "totally sank. I was into it all through Allison's pregnancy. She was beautiful and voluptuous and womanly. I felt quite manly. But once we got home from the hospital and my wife said she was ready – I just couldn't and I didn't want to. Her breasts would leak, I was worried I would hurt her. I was like, 'My God, a baby came out of there!'" Stan says he's not sure whether it was actually a loss of libido – he says he still thought about sex a lot – or simply circumstantial. "Maybe it's nature's kind of birth control. I guess that's called loss of libido." Whatever it was, the situation lasted about a year and Allison didn't pressure Stan. Things eventually turned around for the couple. A common "problem"? A widely-cited study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that the "total prevalence of sexual dys- function" was 43% for women aged 18 to 59, and 31% for men. There has been plenty of talk in the media about the decline in libido people are collectively suffering from. There is even a new acronym for it: DINTS means "double income no time for sex." Mary Bissell, information services co-ordina- tor for the non-profit group Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SEICCAN), warns that statistics can be misleading. "We have to really take these things with a grain of salt." She says there are so many studies, so much information out there, and much of the research is fuelled by drug companies. What goes on behind the bedroom door is private and complex. We have to wonder: To whom and how were the questions presented? What else is going on in their lives at the time? And who is funding the research?" In fact, in "The Making of a Disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction," a 2003 article in the British Medical Journal, Ray Moynihan noted that the two JAMA authors admitted to having ties to Viagra maker, Pfizer. Dissident sex expert Dr. Leonore Tiefer is "Libido is about respecting your interests, respecting your body, mind and time, as well as those of your partner's," Dr. Block says. a gleam in the eye YH_jan-feb07_44-49.indd 46 12/15/06 16:37:38 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well January/February 2007 45 YH_jan-feb07_44-49.indd 45 12/15/06 16:37:30 Your Health – Capital Health's magazine for living well 44 January/February 2007 What goes on – or doesn't – behind the bedroom door can be a source of consternation or delight. But dips in the sex drive can happen anytime By Katherine Fawcett | ILLUSTRATIONS BY CAROLINE HAMEL our sexy underwear is in a dusty heap in back of your closet. Your husband mixed the edible chocolate body paint with peanut butter and made a sandwich. Your idea of getting "down and dirty" involves cleaning the recycling bins. There was a time when you didn't feel this way. In the beginning, you couldn't wait for a romp in the sack. Hormones raged and you couldn't get close enough to each other. You were consumed by passion. Eventually, even the most feverish infatuation fi zzles. Wild sex nightly might become nice sex weekly, or weak sex bi-monthly. It may be replaced by long-term, dependable alliance with more spooning than swooning. Or it may be replaced by frustration and depression. y A Gleam in the Eye A Gleam YH_jan-feb07_44-49.indd 44 12/15/06 16:37:05

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