Moroccan-Style Beef Kabobs with Spiced Bulgur
This recipe, from www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com, is delicious and lean. Beef 1 pound boneless beef top sirloin steak Marinade ¼ cup molasses 3 tablespoons orange juice 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon ground cumin Spiced Bulgur ½ cup uncooked bulgur ½ cup water -1/3 cup golden raisins ¼ cup orange juice ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1. Cut beef steak into 1¼ inch pieces. Whisk marinade ingredients in largeHow much assistance does food need to be nutritious? It sounds helpful when we learn that scientific advances have the capacity to increase a food's vitamin content and make it a more potent disease fighter, doesn't it? But should a food's genetic history be on the label? These questions might soon be on your plate.
Two examples of our food future made headlines last month. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was an article describing carrots engineered to increase the plants calcium transporter. The modified carrots' calcium content was doubled. The exciting part of this research was that when tested in mice and men the calcium in these carrots was well absorbed. Increased calcium intake and absorption could reduce calcium deficiency and the incidence of osteoporosis. For now, to bone up on calcium, include nonfat/low-fat dairy, calcium fortified foods and dark greens into your usual intake.
The other interesting food news was the announcement from the FDA that meat and milk from cloned animals are safe and indistinguishable from products from non-cloned animals. This decision opens the possibility for marketing, without labeling, products from cloned animals. There is currently a voluntary moratorium on introducing cloned animals into the food supply. There are also economic reasons keeping 'cloned cows' off the menu. This topic invokes strong emotions. In response to this announcement, legislators in California introduced a bill requiring labeling for products from cloned animals. This has also been discussed among federal legislators. I'm leaning toward labeling cloned foods, but I know more research is needed. To develop your own opinion check out both sides of this issue at www.centerforfoodsafety.org and www.fda.gov/cvm/CloneRiskAssessment.htm Write me and share your views on science and food.
Sheah Rarback is a registered dietitian at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. E-mail:
