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Chad A. Mirkin, Northwestern University, George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Photo by Bill Arsenault. 

DNA Blueprints Guide The Construction Of Specific Human Structures

Chad Mirkin discusses using DNA to build a three-dimensional structure out of gold, likening the process to building a house. Starting with basic materials such as bricks, wood, siding, stone and shingles, a construction team can build many different types of houses out of the same building blocks.
 
The article includes an audio recording of the full interview. Photo courtesy of the UCSD School of Medicine.
Traveling Cheap During The Quest For Healthy Food Print E-mail
Living - Food & Fitness
TS-Si News Service   
Thursday, 24 July 2008 17:00
Traveling Cheap During The Quest For Healthy Food.
Finding Cheap, But Healthy, Food.
Are you having a hard time stretching your grocery dollars during the current economic downturn? You are not alone.
Holly Scherer, R.D., is a registered dietician and health educator at the University of Michigan Health System.
Scherer says you can follow a few easy guidelines and still buy healthy foods, rather than switching to a diet of potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and a fast-food burger.
She suggests you make your own coffee, buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, occasionally replace meat with protein sources like eggs and beans, and, no matter how tempting it is, skip the fast-food drive-thru window.
Video courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System. Time 00:03:43
Consider replacing meat once or twice a week with a protein source such peanut butter, beans or eggs. Photograph courtesy of the University of Michigan (U-M).
Consider replacing meat once or twice a week with a protein source such peanut butter, beans or eggs.
Canned tuna fish packed in water is a cheap and healthy protein source. Photograph courtesy of the University of Michigan (U-M).
Canned tuna fish packed in water is a cheap and healthy protein source.
If you buy fruit and vegetables that are in-season, the price typically is can be very reasonable. Photograph courtesy of the University of Michigan (U-M).
If you buy fruit and vegetables that are in-season, the price typically is can be very reasonable.
Ten Steps To Healthier Eating Out
1. Choose fresh fruit or sherbet for dessert.
2. Order salsa with your baked potato in place of sour cream, butter, cheese, etc.
3. Choose pastas with tomato-based sauces rather than cream-based.
4. Have a salad as an appetizer.
5. Order vegetables in place of French fries.
6. Request that your food is prepared with little or no butter or oil.
7. Order dressing and sauces on the side.
8. Order water, diet soda, or unsweetened tea or coffee instead of regular pop or alcoholic beverages.
9. Eat half of your meal and take the other half home or split a meal with a friend.
10. Don't feel like you need to clean your plate! Stop eating when you are satisfied.
Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Are you having a hard time stretching your grocery dollars during the current economic downturn? You’re not alone. But before you stop buying fresh fruit, meat, vegetables and other items often perceived as costing a lot, check out these tips from a University of Michigan (U-M) Health System dietitian.
 
Holly Scherer, R.D., a (U-M) dietitian, offers tips for buying fruit, vegetables, and meat for less money.  She says you can follow a few easy guidelines and still buy healthy foods, rather than switching to a diet of potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and a fast-food burger.
 
She suggests that you make your own coffee, buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, occasionally replace meat with protein sources like eggs and beans, and, no matter how tempting it is, skip the fast-food drive-thru window.
 
“Hard economic times don’t mean that you have to eat less well,” says Scherer, a health educator with MFit, the health promotion division of the U-M Health System. "By planning ahead, shopping the sales and trying out those generic or store brands you really can save a significant amount of money while also providing healthy, well-balanced food for your family.”
 
Fruits and vegetables
 
Scherer debunks a popular myth: produce is too expensive. Wrong, she says. In fact, if you buy fruit and vegetables that are in-season, the price typically is very reasonable, she says. Buying fruit or vegetables by the bag instead of individually also tends to be cheaper.
 
If the produce you want isn’t in-season, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables can cost less. They are just as nutritious as fresh because they are packaged at their peak of freshness.
 
If you’re feeling especially frugal – and you have a green thumb – try growing your own, she says.
 
“A great way to get fresh fruits and vegetables right outside your own door is to plant a vegetable garden, or, if you don’t have space, you can plant a few plants in a pot,” Scherer notes. “You may pay one to two dollars for a vegetable plant, but you’re going to get a very large amount of produce from that.”
 
Protein
 
Protein can be a tricky thing to buy on a budget. Filet mignon and fresh lobster are probably out of the picture, but you can still find tasty meat for low prices.
 
First, Scherer says, it’s better to buy the less-prepared items. “You can season and marinate your own meat; you don’t need the store to do that for you,” she says. You’ll save money, and you can also find nutritious, low-salt ways of preparing meat compared with store-prepared items. In addition, buying chicken with the bone and skin can cost a lot less, and you can remove those easily to make a skinless boneless chicken breast.
 
And meat isn’t your only option. Consider replacing meat with a protein substitute a couple times a week. “You can pay sometimes three times more per ounce for meat rather than buying a substitute such as beans, eggs or peanut butter,” Scherer says.
 
Grains
 
As with protein sources, buying less-processed grains is the way to go. Stick with the plain brown rice instead of boxed rice mixes. Buy big containers of quick-cooking oats instead of individual packets of instant oatmeal.
 
And it’s a good idea to buy bread, English muffins or whole wheat tortillas when they’re on sale and freeze any extras that you’re not going to use before the expiration date, Scherer says.
 
Beverages
 
One of the biggest cost-savings can result from buying a filter for your tap water instead of buying bottled water, Scherer says. Also, buying the frozen juice concentrate instead of a large bottle or can of juice can save some money. 
 
For the triple-iced-latte lovers among you, coffee can cost a lot less than $4 a cup. “Making your own coffee at home and adding a specialty creamer or something that makes it a little tastier is a lot less expensive than going out every morning for that specialty coffee drink,” Scherer says.
 
Single-serving snacks
 
Instead of buying 100-calorie packs or individual bags of baked chips or pretzels, buy the bigger box and package them yourself in little snack bags. You’ll pay about half of what you would if you were buying the single-serve packs, she says.
 
General tips
  • Look for the generic or store brand.
     
  • Look for bigger containers and boxes to save some money. To see if you are really getting a better deal, compare the unit prices of the bigger and smaller containers on the store’s shelf.
     
  • Stock up on non-perishables when they go on sale.
     
  • Avoid the temptation of the cookie aisle and the chip aisle. “Spend more time in the perimeter of the store, where the fresh products are, and really focus on the fruits and the vegetables and the lean meats and the low-fat dairy,” Scherer says.
     
  • Use coupons, but only for things that you normally would buy – not a lot of high-fat, high-sugar foods. 
     
  • Cook at home instead of going out to eat.
     
  • When you do eat out and you know that a restaurant serves large portions, have them bag half the meal right when they serve it and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Recipes
 
Scherer has some quick and easy recipe ideas that are inexpensive: black bean salad, vegetables and scrambled eggs, and peanut butter and jelly in your brown bagged lunch.
 
For the black bean salad, cut up some of your favorite fresh vegetables, add them to a can of rinsed black beans with a squirt of lime juice and some cilantro, and serve in a tortilla or with some baked tortilla chips.
 
TS-Si News ServiceThe TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates. We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission.
 
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Last Updated on Thursday, 24 July 2008 16:20