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Beans, Teas and Cheeses Pass Muster in Science's Quest for Taste, Nutrition
Dining recently at Casa Guadalajara in Old Town, Kinsley admitted that she hadn't given much thought to all of the chemistry brewing in her enchiladas. But chemists worldwide are busy placing beans, cheeses, hot peppers and even margaritas under the microscope. Gathering in San Diego to discuss their work, they spoke yesterday of a goal to make a healthier diet for millions of Americans while still appealing to their taste buds. Make no mistake: All the nutritious beans in the world won't make up for limiting fat intake and exercising a generous dose of portion control. "If you order flour tortillas, which is made with lard, and a giant soda and chips and deep-fried ice cream, what do you expect?" said Filberto Horta, the manager of Casa Guadalajara. Hispanic food from Mexican tacos, burritos and quesadillas to cuisine from Central and South America includes some of the most nutritious ingredients known. In labs throughout the Americas, food chemists are finding out just how healthy they can be. Their findings, presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, might spur people to try some new items. Among the discoveries:
 Matι tea, widely consumed in South America and known
for its energy-boosting properties, contains higher levels of antioxidants than
green tea. In addition, levels of polyphenols anti-cancer compounds that
include flavonoids in Matι tea dwarf amounts found in other types.
Why give Hispanic food such scrutiny? Because it's nearly impossible to overstate our ever-expanding love for it. Americans spent nearly $4.4 billion on Hispanic foods and beverages last year, and the market is projected to exceed $7 billion by 2009, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com. With or without newly realized health benefits, Kinsley said she's not about to abandon her carne asada tacos and chicken quesadillas. "We'd eat it anyway, but it's not going to hurt if it's healthy," she said. By 2050, 24 percent of the nation's population 102.3 million of 419.9 million is projected to be of Hispanic origin, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2000, 12.6 percent were of Hispanic descent. Those statistics resonate with Michael H. Tunick, a research chemist at the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture who studies the chemical content of Mexican-style cheeses. As the number of Hispanic children in U.S. schools rises, Mexican-style cheeses such as cotija, queso blanco and requesσn will find their way onto elementary, middle and high school menus. By setting national standards for the cheeses, the USDA is paving the way for their acceptance by the National School Lunch Program, Tunick said. Once that work is completed, food chemists will probably look next at how to reduce levels of fat in the cheeses, he said. A decade ago, Tunick helped lower the fat of mozzarella used on pizzas sold in school cafeterias. His team was able to cut the fat content from 20 percent to 10 percent, he said. American tastes will largely determine whether Hispanic foods become healthier, said Horta, the 37-year-old manager at Casa Guadalajara. During the late 1990s, he recalled, a TV news report examined the fat content of food at several Mexican restaurants and found them well, not exactly lacking. In Old Town and elsewhere around San Diego County, Hispanic restaurants began to offer low-fat alternatives to the standard menu."That lasted a couple of years at most," Horta said. The food Horta serves at his restaurant can be a far cry from the healthier fare that people eat south of the border. To illustrate his point, he gave this example: A chile relleno at his restaurant begins with a peeled pepper fried in oil and stuffed with white cheese. Next, it's basted in butter and coated with a mixture of flour and egg. Then it's submerged in a fryer again. The chile relleno, partnered with rice and beans, is finally smothered in melted cheese and sauce. In his kitchen at home, Horta merely burns the pepper no oil and adds a little cheese and maybe tuna or chicken, basting it in a light broth. "But if I made that in the restaurant, people wouldn't buy it," he said. The result is that Hispanic food sold in grocery stores and served in restaurants has gotten a reputation as being unhealthy despite the appetite people have for it, Horta said. Don't count the Kinsleys among those who worry about such things. John Kinsley, Erin's father, said he relishes the feeling he gets when he walks into a good Mexican restaurant and knows he can order a chicken 14 different ways. What saddens him, he said, is that he's met people back east who have never bitten into a taco. "It just boggles the mind," he said. |
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