Chefs Show How Chiles, Soy Can Boost Nutrition Deliciously

Chefs Show How Chiles & Soy Can Boost Nutrition Deliciously

Better nutrition is a top concern among today’s consumers--but few want to achieve it by eating unfamiliar foods. To the rescue: registered dietitians and chefs who can show consumers how to use nutrient-rich ingredients in favorite recipes without compromising flavor or familiarity. Two such ingredients--chile peppers and soy--took the spotlight at the 79th Annual Meeting & Exhibition of The American Dietetic Association (ADA), at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (October 21-24).

"Some consumers haven’t warmed up to chile peppers--yet. But if a hankering for heat doesn’t grab them, a chile’s nutrients will," said Nancy F. Sandbach, R.D. (registered dietitian), president of the Rhode Island Dietetic Association and nutrition education specialist at the New England Dairy and Food council, during a culinary demonstration titled Mild to Wild! Cooking with Chile Peppers.

These little powerhouses also pack another nutrient punch in capsaicin, the chemical that makes chiles hot. "Capsaicin appears to be one of the phytochemical elements that we’re seeing so much research and discussion about," Sandbach said. "It’s one more reason for consumers to learn how chiles can give you a high-flavor, low-fat seasoning."

With chef-partner Frank A. Terranova, associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Sandbach is author of New Paradigm Cooking: A Tasteful Shift to Healthful Eating (New Paradigm, $18.95). The chef-RD pair showed their audiences how to gauge the hotness of various chiles while demonstrating recipes and dispelling a few myths about the vegetable. One myth, Sandbach said, is the idea that a pepper’s heat comes from its seeds. "Most of that ‘hot’ is in the membrane that holds the seeds to the chile," she explained.

Also clearing up misconceptions about a nutrient-dense food was soy expert Stephanie Lynch, R.D., who joined chef Mark Buckley in a session titled The Joy of Soy.

Lynch, of the United Soybean Board’s School Lunch Program, described the pilot project, in which some 3,000 pupils tried school lunches that substituted soy protein for some meat in such kid-friendly foods as tacos, chili cheese nachos, submarine sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and chili cheese fries.

Sixty-seven percent of the youngsters surveyed rated soy-enhanced foods above average in taste, Lynch said. Better yet, 65 percent of the students ate all the soy-enhanced food they were served. Another 22 percent ate at least half of their lunch, she added. And three of four said they would eat the entree again.

As Buckley demonstrated the use of soy in such recipes as spaghetti sauce and a ranch chicken casserole, Lynch noted the increasing availability of soy products. "You’ll find soy in things from chicken patties to lunch meats, pizza toppings to beverages," she said.

"We look at using soy protein as a problem-solver for school-lunch programs, but it’s just as applicable to the home cook," she said. "For anyone, using soy protein can reduce fat and cholesterol. And it helps school-lunch directors save money!"

With all nine essential amino acids, soy is the only vegetable protein whose quality equals the protein in meat or milk, Lynch said. Soy also is rich in phytochemicals that researchers believe may protect humans against heart disease, osteoporosis and cancers.

The 70,000-member American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of nutrition and food professionals. With headquarters in Chicago, ADA members serve the public through the promotion of optimal nutrition, health and well-being.

Reprinted with persmission from The American Dietetic Association.
For more information:
The American Dietetic Association/National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics. For answers to your food and nutrition questions and for a referral to a registered dietitian (RD) in your area, call the Consumer Nutrition Hot Line at 800/366-1655.