Institute of Medicine expert committee calls for one, simple nutrition icon

If the array of nutrition icons and rating systems leaves you confused about which foods and beverages to choose, there may soon be assistance: An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel yesteday advised moving to one simple, front-of-package system to guide us to the healthiest choices.

Here’s how it would work:

Every food and beverage, from the produce aisle to the freezer compartment, would show calories per serving on the front of the package. (Fresh produce will likely have this information on shelves.) No one will need a calculator since the servings would only be listed in simple household measures, like cups, that we already use daily.

This new system would also have a simple, three-point rating to show which products are lowest in unhealthy saturated and trans fat, sodium and added sugars. The panel picked those ingredients because they are most linked with preventable illnesses from heart disease to type 2 diabetes.

Products with “3″ rank best. (Evaluation would be based on existing criteria set by the Food and Drug Administration.) The front-of-package system will also link to the well-known Nutrition Facts Panel, which is getting a make-over and is found on the back of products.

The panel’s recommendations are not binding, so it will be up to the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to decide to implement this new system. If they move forward, it would mean that all the other systems now used will be eliminated. That would be a big change in grocery aisles. Or, as the panel’s chair, Ellen Wartella of Northwestern University, put it, “a fundamental shift” in how consumers are guided to healthier fare.

The hope is that this one, simple system will help consumers make wiser choices and encourage food and beverage makers to continue to reformulate and innovate. The goal: healthier–yet tasty–products for all of us.

To learn more, read the full report. What’s your take on front-of-package systems? Do they help or confuse you? Will this proposed new system make it easier to choose healthier fare?

Your great, great grandmother probably wouldn’t recognize the breakfast you eat today. That’s because the first meal of the day has evolved significantly over the past 200 years. To see how much it’s changed,  check out the the info graphic in the New York Times Sunday Food and Drink section.

Until the mid-19th century, breakfast consisted mostly of leftovers. Today, there is a wide range breakfast fare that has come to define this morning meal. Whether you eat toast, a heaping bowl of cereal, a bagel and cream cheese, an Egg McMuffin or one of the hundreds of other options, breakfast is the one meal that we all deserve to eat.

That’s because we’ve literally fasted since the night before–probably the only time in a 24 hour period when food isn’t easily available. So breaking the fast–aka breakfast–is the smart way to start the day. Eating breakfast is also linked with fostering better mental performance for kids and adults. Plus, 78 percent of the participants in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of several thousand “successful losers,” report that eating breakfast daily is one of the habits that they used to help achieve a healthier weight and to maintain it.

So what do you plan to have for breakfast today?

This week marked a new personal road warrior best: Eight flights in just five days– a dubious distinction to be sure. So after arriving home tired after the last flight–delayed by 90 minutes–the inevitable question arose: What’s for dinner tonight?

Takeout could have been an option, but after nearly a week on the road, the thought of yet another restaurant meal was unappealing. Plus, the ‘fridge had

• A dozen eggs
• Fresh broccoli/carrot slaw (purchased last weekend, but still very usable)
• A bag of fresh spinach
• Two ears of corn that would not likely last the weekend (and I hate to waste food.)
• Spaghetti squash
• Assorted cheeses, including a tasty fat-free feta that is becoming a big favorite in our house
• Olives
• Pepperoni

The freezer had frozen chicken thighs, assorted frozen veggies and more. We also found sun dried tomatoes and plenty of staples that were canned or in jars.

What emerged from this inventory was a “fast food” plan to make omelets. First step: Steam the spinach and broccoli slaw separately in the microwave. While they cooked, the eggs were beaten lightly. The oven was preheated to finish the omelets. The frying pans were heated and were ready when the bell rang on the microwave.

Faster than we could have bought takeout at a nearby restaurant, there was a lovely meal ready-to-eat. One omelet was made from eggs, pepperoni and veggies (broccoli slaw and spinach) with a dusting of parmesan cheese. The other contained one egg plus egg whites (to reduce dietary cholesterol, saturated fat and calories), plus the same veggies and fat-free Feta. After starting on the stove, both turned a slightly golden brown in a 350 degree oven in two minutes. Total cooking time: about 15 minutes, from start to finish.

So what’s your trick for making a quick dinner without dialing for carryout or making a trip to the drive-through?

Twice a day, we cook from scratch…for the dog.

Not that he doesn’t deserve it. Our healthy, home-made meals have helped him overcome irritable bowel disease that threatened his health–and drained our bank account to pay the vet. There’s no question that our dog, who just celebrated his sixth birthday, is healthier for our efforts.

Trouble is, that we’re not always so dedicated to making meals for the rest of us. Nor are we alone.

Americans spend nearly half their food budget—42 percent—on meals eaten away from home, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That’s not only hard on the wallet, but also on the waistline. The USDA reports that for the average consumer, just one meal eaten out per week translates to an extra two pounds per year.

So the irony of cooking for the dog, then ordering takeout for the family, hit me while chopping his dinner one day. This was made all the more absurd by the fact that I love to cook and have a graduate degree in nutrition, a well-equipped kitchen and plenty of cookbooks and recipes.

Thus was born Project Dinner.  The challenge that I set for myself is this: Make a family meal on most nights of the week. Do this despite erratic schedules, occasional times of heavy business travel and the many other demands of a busy life that can interfere with cooking nightly.

Dinner is important for many reasons. It’s a way to bookend the day. If you eat a healthful dinner, you may be less likely to graze all night. And there’s striking evidence from Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD., and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota that eating together as a family has a protective effect. Children who dine with their parents regularly are less likely to engage in risky behaviors (smoking, taking drugs, drinking alcohol and sexual activity) than those who don’t eat with their families.

During the eight months that Project Dinner has been going–and yes, it is still going, despite some detours–here’s what I’ve learned:

Begin small. I set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and then skim through a few cookbooks to plan dinners for the week ahead or use Epicurious and other Web-based recipes. Any meals that take more than 30 minutes of prep time are eliminated.

Do as much ahead of time as possible. When I putter around the house on the weekends, I make large batches of rice and grains, then freeze in individual packets for later use. The same strategy works well for meat, poultry, fish and bacon that can be thawed quickly in the microwave and then sauteed or broiled.

Sometimes I rise a few minutes early to marinate meat, poultry or fish in a plastic bag that sits in the ‘fridge all day, ready for instant cooking at night.  Occasionally, I set the table in the morning too.  It serves as a commitment to that night’s meal and is a welcome sight on returning home.

Have a back-up plan. Our family schedule, like most others, rarely goes as planned.  So I try to be ready to punt. It helps is to have staples on hand. I stock eggs (omelets, frittatas and scrambled eggs can be ready in 15 minutes), pasta (a food with a long shelf life) canned beans, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth that can be reconstituted. Garlic, ginger and fresh spices are kept in my ‘fridge along with soy sauce and some other Asian sauces including oyster sauce, fish sauce and garlic paste and some long shelf-life cheeses, including parmesan.  The freezer has also been a life-saver. Staples include frozen vegetables, fruit, tortellini, herbs and pizza dough.

Use the grocery as your sous chef. Whether its pre-washed veggies, broccoli florets, grated cheese or marinated meat, there are plenty of ways to shave minutes off food prep without breaking your budget.

So what’s your nightly game plan for dinner? How often do you cook per week?