The Wonder Beverage

Yup, Soda, again. What's with this stuff? There are more and more reports coming out about the "Side Effects" of Soda caused by long term consumption as well as consuming large amounts. From a business standpoint, this product has had unspeakable success. From the cute little Christmas Polar Bears skating on ice to Olympic Athletes on the sides of the cans...great marketing plan. However, lets look at the damage shall we?? You know there has to be something wrong with it for me to write about it right?

So here's the scoop. Soda is made up of three great, wonderful ingredients known as Glucose, Fructose and the almighty Caffeine. Continued consumption of this wonder Burp beverage causes an unhealthy drop in potassium and unless you also have an addiction to Bananas, this is going to cause a problem. The effects you may see range anywhere from mild weakness to paralysis. The other damage is an obvious one, Tooth Decay, and the not so obvious, bone demineralization, Diabetes, development of Metabolic Syndrome and Hypokalemia. Hypokalemia is caused by the low potassium levels.

So if TV commercials showed reality, you'd see those cute Polar Bears nudging each other around in wheel chairs and smiling with missing teeth. So Drink UP!! Soda is SOOO Good you can clean the corrosion off your car battery with it, so there is no way its harmful to the body right??

Take advantage of the Market

If you live in Las Vegas, one thing is obvious, Summer is here. As much as I dread this God Awful heat, there is an upside, the produce market is going strong, fresh, local produce. With local produce going strong, the harvests become larger, the yields are better and the delivery trucks have a shorter drive and the summer sun is packing the produce full of flavor! All that is in our favor because it means better quality and a better price, so take advantage of it while it lasts. In the peak of summer, the heat may also damage a lot of crops which will hurt the market but things will improve again heading into fall before the cold weather hits. Keep an eye out for something this summer. Look at oranges and lemons as you shop. During the hot summer months, you may see these two items looking green and unripe, however there is a good chance this isn't the case. Citrus will go through a "Re-Greening" phase to protect themselves from the heat, so this means they will ripen to their natural color and then turn green again in order to protect their skin from the heat. Its like an umbrella. So don't be afraid to try them because what's on the inside could very well be the best you've had all season long.

Grocery stores are starting to increase their stock on organic items, from produce to dry goods. The more we as consumers demand it, the larger their inventory will become and the better the prices will be. Be sure to ask employees where the Organic items are, even if you know already. The more the employees hear about consumers talking Organic, the louder the message to the "bosses" will be and they might show you something new along the way.

Whatcha Grillin??

It's a holiday weekend, thank the lord...

This weekend the propane and charcoal will be burning, the smell of bbq's will saturate your neighborhood and stimulate your senses. Unless of course you're a vegetarian. If you're trying to slim down, a traditional BBQ isn't your best bet to lose weight and here are a couple of reasons why:

BBQ sauce is loaded with sugar, that's what mostly smells sooo good on the grill. Potato salad has a couple of problems, potatoes and Mayo. Same with pasta salad. Baked beans have just as much sugar as the BBQ sauce and red meat?? forget it. I can hear you getting fatter

Here are some things to try out instead:
A lot of things are great on the grill, Corn for example (even though corn is generally a no no because of its sugar content). Try this, keep the husk on it and soak it in warm water for a half hour. Just fill your kitchen sink up if you can spare it or maybe a tall pot (you can use the tub too, but not the toilet). Then put it on the grill and keep turning it every 5 minutes or so.

Asparagus is another good one. Cut the root end off, it can be tough and your friends might look at you funny if they can't chew it and the kids might spit out in the pool. Lightly drizzle some olive oil on it, just a little because too much will drip and burn on the fire. Cook the outsides just a little brown. Finish with some balsamic vinegar and let it sit while you continue to cook.

Instead of red meat, try skinless chicken, shrimp, fresh fish. You can even grill Lobster in the shell. Make some chicken kabobs, if you use wooden sticks, soak them first for a few minutes, just like the corn. It keeps them from burning too quickly.

Here are some of my favorite menu ideas to cook outside:
Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche
Citrus Marinated Poached Seafood

Charred Vegetable Gazpacho
Chilled Summer Tomato Soup

Grilled Jumbo Artichokes
Garlic, Lemon and Olive Oil with Sea Salt

BBQ’d Oysters on the Half Shell
Garlic, Parsley, White Wine and Lemon

Charred Ahi Tuna
Napa Cabbage, Cilantro and Radish Salad

Grilled White Fish and Chicken Taco’s
Ezekiel Tortillas, Fresh Lime, Cabbage and Avocado

Jumbo Shrimp and Vegetable Kabobs

Any questions on where to shop, how to cook or what to buy? email me, chefghione@ghionedining.com

Remeber Keep it Organic

Is it Really a Happy Meal??

So my wife and I were sitting in the Doctors office today waiting to hear the news that our baby is a 70% chance of being a girl, when I was reading an article in Las Vegas Health Magazine. The article compared kids that ate fast food and happened to be over weight (go figure right?) to kids that had a leaner diet. To summarize the results, the healthy kids reported to be unhappy and depressed and the Greasy Happy Meal kids reported to be Happy. Isn't it wonderful to hear something so positive about fast food? Not really. As the Author of Organic Ink, I type each letter with the intent of exciting people about eating healthier and natural and I'm a firm beliver that our eating habbits start as children. That doesn't mean as adults we crave pureed sweet peas and apple sauce, but each one of us is most likely to define "Comfort Foods" as the food they once saw on their dinner table.

Reading an article saying that young children who don't know any better are happier than healthier kids has inspired me to give my opinion. Lets think about what the future holds for those children who's mood is affected by meals served in a box with a bribe called a "toy". As those children start to grow and continue with an overweight life style and continue to deprive their developing bodies with nutrients, their chances of developing allergies, congestive heart disease, diabetes and so on, are greatly increasing. That's something for them to be excited about right??? Doubtful because they are kids, they don't know any better and they rely on us for direction and protection, we don't let kids play in traffic, but we let them play in McDonald's instead? Good Job

Besides looking forward to a future of health problems, they have to listen to the banter and harassing cruelty of their peers. So why set them up for disaster? Teach them the value of good food while their young so they can grow and teach their kids the same.

What the Future Holds!

Coming up after this Memorial Day weekend, we have a few events that I'm in the process of planning.

1. Last week of June we will have an Educational BBQ at the fitness center to promote great recipes using healthy, organic ingredients

2. ChefLive!! Check out past episodes on www.hulu.com and search for ChefLive. My recently filmed shows will be on Channel 19 as well as Hulu.com so keep reading for those dates

3. ChefLive and Whole Foods: June 16th at 5:30pm ChefLive and I will be filming an outdoor cooking show at the Whole Foods store on Charleston and Rampart. I hope to see all the Organic Ink readers there

4. Low-Glycemic Organic Cook Out at Dr Youmans Palace, 16,500 square feet of a good food get away. Here at the beautiful MacDonald's Highlands. Contact her office through her website at www.elitemedspa.net for more details and information.

Taxes and Cancer

Today,
Our President is discussing taxing beverages with high amounts of Sugar, like soda. I'm not sure if his motivation is to tax something so popular to alleviate the financial disaster or if its to create awareness that products we Americans consume are doing more damage to our bodies than good.

Consider this, current consumables heavily taxed by the Government: Cigars, Liquor, Cigarettes, see a pattern yet? Now, the new addition, Sugar Drinks!! see a pattern now? Take the hint, processed sugars are bad!

Last night, I saw a brief preview to a TV show about a 12 year old girl who was treated for BREAST CANCER, yup, not 21, 12. What the hell? Hormones in Milk have been linked to being a cause of females hitting "Puberty" earlier and earlier in life and now breast cancer? So Milk does a body good right? I want to see the T-Shirt that says:

Got Milk?? and Diabetes?
Hey Men, Got Milk and Boobs??
Hey Kids, Got Allergies?

Pretty soon, girls will be going from Diapers to Tampons! Yum. Keep in mind that it's been proven that drinking 5 glasses of WATER a day can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 75%. Other causes of cancer is because of the higher amounts of body fat. Estrogen is stored in body fat and the excess hormones stimulate cancer growth.

The moral of the story... What you are feeding your family can be no different than Second Hand Smoke!!

In this blog, I look forward to giving you my opinion on the damage that our food industry is literally causing us to eat our way off the planet. I also want to give you my opinion, through personal experience and research, ways we can amend the damage done by how we choose to feed ourselves and as Culinary Professionals, feed others.

As it stands today, from the time our food is raised on a farm, delivered to our stores, consumed by us and the remainder of it travels to landfills, our food has contributed to 31% of the worlds Green House Gasses. Livestock alone in this world, the cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens contribute to 18% of global warming which is more damaging than the transportation industry alone.

Not only do animals create the byproduct gas, methane, but the pollution starts well before they expel their last meal. First off, the cattle require enormous amounts of food and to create the highest level of yield from the smallest amount of land farmers have chosen to use tons of Chemical Fertilizers and Petroleum Pesticides as a mere convenience to maximize their yield. The use of those chemicals degrade the soil so badly that the soil loses the potential to retain water, therefore, not only is the soil damaged and the environment polluted, but it also takes more water to nourish the crops. That’s more water passing through contaminated soil before returning to our eco system. Once the crops are grown, it takes petroleum powered machinery to harvest, process and deliver the feed to the farms. The larger the distance traveled to deliver food product to its destination, the larger the impact on global warming and green house gasses. From one city to the next is damaging enough, not to mention from one continent to another.

On a personal level; as the former Executive Chef for a large casino, I spent over $33 million dollars a year on food product. That volume alone has a huge impact on the transportation industry, farmers, fishermen and the packaging industry. Consider the amount of containers that takes to move that much food to a city that produces nothing itself and relies on outside sources of food. I purchased 40,000 pounds of Slipper Lobster Tail each MONTH out of Thailand. Consider the amount of energy it took to power the fishing boats, to power the processing plant, the amount of gas workers used to drive to work in those plants, cardboard used to create 30 pound packages and the gas used to ship from Thailand to Las Vegas. All that was for ONE restaurant in the casino. Only ONE!

Through education, I understand how I damage the environment and how I can make a positive difference. These are a few principals I use to create a “Greener” food service operation:

f I choose to serve REAL, Natural and Organic Foods as much as possible. The important reason is that there has been less chemicals produced to create the product
f I believe in locally composting food waste. Toxic gasses are created when landfills smother decomposing food without allowing it to breath. Smaller piles locally are easily turned and aerated, creating less gas and allowing the food waste to decompose gently and later be used to create new life
f I buy as locally as possible; this allows me to use what is freshest and in season and my product requires less transportation which is also less damaging on the environment. Not to mention, it supports local economy
f I utilize local Organic food as well. As mentioned above Organic food does not require the production of hazardous chemicals. Not only are the chemicals toxic, but it also requires a lot of energy to create them and that process also creates harmful byproducts. Organic food is healthier to the body to digest and more nutritious as well. If pesticides and fertilizers were compared to eating an indigestible penny at every meal, think about how much money a person would have trapped in their body in a matter of years, chemicals in food work the same way.
f These are the four steps I take to purchase product to support what I can’t grow myself. I’m currently working on a green house program to grow my own produce, here I can utilize my compost and eliminate the use of chemicals to fertilize and for pesticides. Also, it doesn’t require any fuel to deliver the product to my kitchen.

In the beginning of this document, I mentioned that I was self taught on my own environmental impact and went after this information for myself. It was freely given to me and in return, to better other people’s lives, I’m also committing to giving back to my community what I have learned through local schools. It’s very important for people to understand why the Green Concept is so very important to our environment and to us. Nothing that I’ve mentioned is something that I’ve invented. People have survived on these philosophies for centuries before chemical science ruled the agricultural world. If society does not change the way it eats, we will soon indeed, eat ourselves right off this planet.