How to Chop an Onion

Ever wonder why your eyes burn when you cut into an onion?  With a strong onion, it can be the most unbearable sensation.

When an onion is whole, it encapsulates certain enzymes.  These enzymes are amino acid sulfoxides from sulfuric acids.  Once the onion is split open with a knife, cells are dividing amino acid sulfoxides from sulfuric acids.  Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. explains why this affects our eyes. "Enzymes that were kept separate now are free to mix with the sulfuric acids to produce propethiol S-oxide, a volatile sulfur compound that wafts upward towards our eyes.  This gas reacts with the water in your tears to form sulfuric acid.  The sulfuric acid burns, stimulating your eyes to release more tears to wash the irritant away" ("Why Do Onions Make You Cry?").  This chemistry explains why people cry when they are cutting onions.  Now that we know the why; how do we prevent this from happening when we chop onions?

Helpful hints about chopping onions...

• Refrigerate the onions before you cut into them.  (Some kitchens peel them and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes before they chop onions)
• Use a SHARP knife!  Dull knives release more of the vapors because it is smashing the cells apart as opposed to cleanly cutting them.
• Cut the onion with as few knife cuts as possible. It is not parsley, do not go over the onion back and forth with the knife. 
• My personal secret... I wear my contacts.  I don't know the "why" behind it, but when ever I use my contacts instead of my glasses, I never tear up.  When I wear my glasses, it is almost as if the glasses trap in the onions gasses even more.

Extra Lemons?!? Great! Save them for later!

Do you have extra lemons and no use for them at the time? Lemon is a great detoxifying element in water and a great flavor component in foods. 

My mom has a lemon tree, and when it blooms, it blooms!  She has so many extra lemons and I am more than happy to take them off her hands.  As a chef, I love lemon in everything! To me it is as natural to squeeze lemons into a dish as it is to add salt.  It gives food that extra edge.  That flavor that you just can't quite put your finger on.

Well, if you find yourself in a bind and have too many lemons on hand, don't stress.  When there are extra lemons in my kitchen and I know they will go bad before I can use them, I juice them.
Invest in an electric juicer , they can be found for under $20 and are well worth the investment.  Cut the lemons in half and juice them till just the skin is left.  Save the shells for later use.

Once all of the lemons are juiced, there are two options in how to save the liquid.  the first option is to store the lemon juice in Tupperware and freeze for future use.  (This would include thawing out the whole Tupperware to use a small portion.) 
Or the second option (and my preferred way) is to pour the lemon juice into ice cube trays  and freeze overnight.  Once they are fully frozen, pop them out and store them into plastic baggies.  Whenever you need a small portion, pull out however many cubes you will need.  It is fast and convenient!


Now, for the lemon "shells" that you put aside for later.  Cut off the bottoms, or the tips, to create a flat surface at the base.  Once they all have a flat bottom, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them.  After completely hard, store in a large zip lock bag.  These can come in handy for on the fly ideas.  They make great cups for dessert, appetizers, intermezzo's or anything else you create...

Lemon, raw, without peel

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	121 kJ (29 kcal)
- Sugars	2.5 g
- Dietary fiber	2.8 g
Fat	0.3 g
Protein	1.1 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.04 mg (3%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.02 mg (2%)
Niacin (vit. B3)	0.1 mg (1%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.19 mg (4%)
Vitamin B6	0.08 mg (6%)
Folate (vit. B9)	11 μg (3%)
Choline	5.1 mg (1%)
Vitamin C	53 mg (64%)
Calcium	26 mg (3%)
Iron	0.6 mg (5%)
Magnesium	8 mg (2%)
Manganese	0.03 mg (1%)
Phosphorus	16 mg (2%)
Potassium	138 mg (3%)
Zinc	0.06 mg (1%)
Link to USDA Database entry Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Overweight and Obese

Many people are under the impression that being overweight means that they are on a path to obesity; this is a false conception. In fact, overweight has a whole different meaning than obesity, and it is a common mistake to confuse the two.  Overweight and obesity are terms that one can hear from health care providers, news, friends and family; these words are so often used in casual conversation they have lost their meaning.  Another common word that most adults are aware of is BMI; Body Mass Index.  This is a term simply meaning weight to height ratio.  It is commonly read on a chart (see below) like this one.

BMI Categories:

• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

One can calculate BMI by using the following formula...

Use either of these formulas for U.S. units, depending on how the measurements were made: BMI = weight in lbs. multiplied by 703, then divided by height in inches squared; or BMI = weight in lbs. times 4.88 divided by height in feet squared. Here is an example for a person weighing 172 lbs. and who is 6 feet 1 inch tall: BMI = (172 X 703) ÷ (73 X 73) = 120916 ÷ 5329 = 22.7 rounded to a single decimal. (http://www.ehow.com/how_4529984_calculate-bmi.html)

There are also BMI calculators that you can use if you are not comfortable with these formulas.  Here is just one of many websites to use http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ and there are also phone apps available for downloading.

Now that you know what BMI is, how to calculate BMI, and have seen a chart to place yourself in, let us discuss the meaning or significance of these words.

Are your overweight?  What is overweight? Being overweight isn't always negative; however, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't still watch your diet and exercise.

Overweight does not necessarily mean unhealthy; there are four components that make up a person's weight. 

1.  Water

2.  Bone

3.  Fat

4.  LBM - Lean Body Mass

     This includes skin, muscles, hair... any tissue not mentioned above.

If you were to hold 1lb of muscle in one hand and 1lb of fat in the other, the fat would be much larger.  Fat is much bulkier than LBM.

The only one of the four to worry about in "unhealthy" terms is "FAT."  Water, bone and LBM each weigh more than fat, so a person with an "overweight" BMI could be quite fit; consequently, their weight would be higher in regards to their height; athletes commonly have higher BMI's for this reason.  Because of this, the term overweight isn't as bad as what people perceive it to be.

Obesity on the other-hand is unhealthy because any BMI over 30 is unsafe in the fact that with that ratio, there will be more fat in the equation. 

With this new knowledge it is safe to say that it is more important to lose fat than lose weight!  In order to measure progress of fat loss, one needs to measure the circumferences of their body; the arms, thighs, waist, chest, or anywhere they prefer.  Continue to measure throughout the diet and exercise program.  Because we know that fat is more bulky than muscle, when we lose inches, we know that we are losing fat. People get excited when they lose weight; however, this could mean that they are losing water or LBM, not fat.  When a person is getting HEALTHY, they may gain some weight because they are losing fat and gaining Lean Body Mass.

Why Do I Want to be a Registered Dietitian?

People often ask me what prompted me to want to be a Registered Dietitian.  I already had a career as a chef, so why change?

I have always had a passion for food; I grew up loving to eat it which turned into me loving to cook it.  I became the Executive Chef for a hotel in Laguna Beach by the time I turned 26.  People in the industry know this is not an easy achievement.
Before I reached this goal of mine, I had a chef who liked to challenge me.  The Aries in me loved this!  Unfortunately I didn't love the way he went about it.  It was always, "you can't do that," or "that is not a realistic goal Kelly!"  Well, for all of you Aries out there, tell us we CAN'T do something, and we WILL prove you wrong!  I had heard someone talking about going to school to be a dietitian and wanted to know more about what that entailed.  I asked my chef what was involved to the process of becoming a dietitian; he looked at me and said, "you don't want to do that!  You will never do that, it is too much schooling!"  I tabled it for the time being, but it grew more and more in the back of my mind.
After I became an Executive Chef, I was happy with my accomplishment, but I wondered if that was it.  I knew that I would never have learned all that I could learn in the culinary arts, but I also knew that I would not be learning anything further where I was, because there was no one above me to teach and mentor me.
As I mentioned before, I love a good challenge.  So I took this opportunity to really push my goals again.  I had already accomplished some pretty large goals in my life thus far, so why not add another on the list to tackle.
I decided to go back to school to become a Registered Dietitian.  This is going to be a longer process for me, because of two reasons.  One, I only took a few community college general educational classes out of high school, because I knew I wanted to be a chef and go to culinary school.  For this reason, I have to pretty much start from scratch at a community college.  The second reason is because I also work full time during the day to pay my mortgage payment.  For this reason, night classes aren't as easy to come by.  They fill up quicker and are not as easy to take two at a time because they overlap.  I have been taking all four terms per year, trying to get as much done as my schedule possibly allows.
I am only in general ed right now, but I am super excited for my new start.  My new journey down a different avenue of food should be a very exciting one!  I can't wait to share all of my ups and downs along the way. In-between all of those posts, I will be sharing recipes I have created, tried, liked, dis-liked... and sharing all of my experiences with everyone who is just as passionate about food as me.

*UPDATE*
I have completed and graduated (with an Associated of Science in Biological and Chemical Sciences) for the community college level.  I am now going to CSUN to continue my Bachelors degree, and next to the didactic program. 

What is the Difference Between a Nutritionist and a Registered Dietitian?

What is a dietitian?  What is a dietitian's salary? What is a dietitian vs nutritionist? These are just a few of the questions I am frequently asked when people hear that I am studying to be a Registered Dietitian.  I usually tell them that a Registered Dietitian requires more schooling than a nutritionist. In this post, I will answer all of these questions, and more...

A Nutritionist is a term that is used lightly.  The word is not legally protected, so many people who advise on nutritional matters, call themselves "nutritionists," even though they have no qualifications. One course in nutrition may be all it takes to call themselves a nutritionist.

Dietitians are obligated to meet certain professional requirements.  They are considered to be experts in food and nutrition.  A Nutritionists is NOT a Dietitian as dietitians are  registered to a national board, and accredited and nutritionists are not.

Dietitians play a role in planning meals and food guidelines for groups of people or individual people.  They prevent and treat illness by promoting healthy eating habits.  They modify diet plans and participate in research to educate people on specific eating habits.  As an example, a dietitian might teach a patient how to use less salt if they have a problem with high blood pressure.  Or a dietitian can help create a diet of reduced sugar and fat for an overweight client.

Four specialties of dietitians are clinical dietitians, community dietitians, management dietitians or consultants.

Clinical Dietitians provide their services to hospital patients, nursing facilities, and other types of institutions.  They survey the needs of patients, develop and implement nutritional programs and evaluate and report the results of said patients.  Dietitians also consult with doctors and other health care individuals to collaborate on nutritional and medical needs.  In addition, some clinical dietitians specialize in weight management or patients in care of renal (kidney), diabetic, or who are critically ill.  Clinical dietitians can also be in charge of the food care services' in the health care buildings where they work.

Community dietitians counsel individual people or groups of people on practicing healthy nutritional ways to prevent disease and promote health.  This type of dietitian works in places like public health clinics, home health agencies and health maintenance organizations.  Community Dietitians evaluate the needs of individuals and their families.  They counsel in home agencies to provide grocery shopping and food preparation to the elderly, children and individuals with special needs.

Management Dietitians work on a more large-scale planning program.  They work in, but are not limited to health care facilities.  Other facilities that management dietitians work in are company cafeterias, prisons, and schools.  Their job duties include hiring, training and directing other dietitians and food service workers.  They also budget for and buy the food, equipment and supplies for the facility's menu.  In addition, the management dietitian also enforces sanitary and safety regulations and prepare the appropriate records and reports for such sanitary stats.

Consultant Dietitians usually work under contract with health care facilities or within their own private practice.  These dietitians preform nutrition screenings for their clients and give advice on diet-related issues.  Some issues they might counsel on are weight loss and reducing ones cholesterol.  Some consultant dietitians work for wellness programs, sports teams, grocery stores and other nutrition related businesses.  They may also confer with food service managers, providing expertise in sanitation, safety procedures, menu development, budgeting and planning.

The dietitian salary can range from $44,000 to $62,000.  The average annual rate that is paid to Registered Dietitians in the United States is around $52,000.   This is the average salary for dietitians, and a dietitian supervisor's average salary in around $54,000 annually.