Cholesterol and Tacos

I should have kicked off my mayo post (because of the egg yolk) with the news from last week that the Agriculture and Health and Human Services Departments said in its preliminary recommendations that cholesterol is no longer “considered a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.” They will use an advisory committee’s report to write the final version of the 2015 dietary guidelines (issued every five years), due by the end of this year. In addition, the draft recommendations say a healthy dietary pattern includes fewer “red and processed meats” than are currently consumed. The committee has also discussed the idea of including sustainability as a dietary goal because there is “compatibility and overlap” between what is good for health and what is good for the environment. A diet higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods is “more health promoting and is associated with lesser environmental impact than is the current average U.S. diet,” the draft recommendations said.^[1] Note that these are recommendations and now lobbyists will come out in full force, and Congress will push back on environmentalists.

The food industry certainly took advantage of the cholesterol scare for over 40 years by marketing low-cholesterol products.  The main advice of the dietary guidelines never changes: eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and eat less saturated fats, salt, and sugar.  Once you get used to replacing processed foods with real foods, you realize your diet is common sense.

It’s often hard to resist commenting, when posting recipes, “This is my favorite food.” I think having a wide variety of foods makes every one of them taste better. So many times I’m posting a recipe and thinking, “I could eat this every day,” but if I did eat it every day it would probably lose its appeal. One time we made a list of foods that everyone in the family agreed we could eat once a week. We posted the list on the refrigerator so that, when pressed for dinner ideas, we could pick something from the list. As we became accustomed to trying new foods, the list became obsolete because there are so many delicious choices. Today’s recipe is also another use for your pepper relish to either use as a topping or add to your tacos (in place of half the onion).

Tacos
1 lb ground turkey, bison, etc.
1 chopped sweet onion
3 crushed garlic cloves
1 T chili powder
2 t cumin
1 t coriander
1 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 C salsa or homemade ketchup
1/2 C low-sodium broth
Add the meat to a large, warmed pan and start to brown it while you’re chopping it in small pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, and spices and cook another few minutes. Stir in the salsa and broth; simmer for another 10 minutes. Put mixture in warmed, organic (non-GMO) taco shells with shredded lettuce, cheese, chopped tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and/or toppings of your choice.