P I C K U P PA N K O THAI DOWN Which bread crumbs would you buy? the containers of A Taste of high fructose corn syrup (sugar), corn syrup Thai heat-and-eat noodles. (sugar), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, Real easy to block an artery water, salt, and a few dozen other ingredi- or levitate your blood pressure or ents. tack on a pound, perhaps. Brand B is nothing but whole wheat flour, malt extract (sugar), yeast, and sea salt. Stuck? Here’s a clue: Brand A has 220 Whether you choose the Red Curry Noodles, Peanut Noodles, Coconut Ginger Noodles, milligrams of sodium and 1 gram of fiber in or Pad Thai Noodles, you walk every (quarter-cup) serving, while Brand B away with enough refined carbo- has 25 mg of sodium and 2 grams of fiber. hydrates (about 100 grams) and Brand A is Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs. Brand B is Ian’s Whole Wheat Panko saturated fat (8 to 11 grams, except in the low-fat Pad Thai, which has 1 gram) to supply some 400 to 600 Breadcrumbs, which are available in health food stores nationwide. calories. And, judging by the sodium (around 900 to 1,600 milligrams), (Think of Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs, with 470 mg of sodium, as A Taste of Thai relies heavily on the taste of salt. a bottom-of-the-barrel Brand C.) Those numbers are roughly double what you see on the Nutrition Panko, or Japanese-style, bread crumbs are coarser than regular Facts panels, which claim that a container makes “about 2” servings. crumbs. That keeps them light and crunchy. Ian’s is one of the few “Barely 1” is more like it. After microwaving, each bucket has just over —maybe the only—whole wheat versions. 1 cup of food. Who wants half a tennis-ball-sized portion of noodles? Toss some in your salad. Crown your casserole with a sprinkling. Or type “panko chicken recipe” or “panko salmon recipe” into Google, then weed out anything that’s heavy on ingredients like salt or butter. You’ll be left with dishes like the mouth-water- Photos: Nick Waring. “Real Thai, Real Easy,” promise Brand A consists of wheat (white) flour, TIP OF THE MONTH For a pre-spring berry sorbet for two, toss 2 cups of frozen Many Thai dishes are flavorful mixtures of sautéed vegetables like broccoli, eggplant, peppers, bamboo shoots, and onions served with shrimp, chicken, or tofu. A Taste of Thai is mostly rice noodles plus seasoning packets. The Pad Thai, for example, has ing Panko-Crusted Salmon at elise.com or the mixed berries or strawberries more soy sauce than dried shallots or pickled Cajun Oven-Fried Chicken at cookinglight.com. (about 15) into a blender with radishes, the only vegetables it bothers to add. Sometimes a simple ingredient list means a 4 Tbs. of orange juice and, if you’d simply delicious dinner. like, a splash of lime juice. Blend Looking for “Real Thai, Real Easy”? Head for your favorite Thai restaurant. until smooth, then scoop into two Ian’s Natural Foods: (978) 989-0601 bowls and serve immediately or freeze. About CSPI, publisher of Nutrition Action Healthletter Nutrition Action Healthletter Andre Prost, Inc: (800) 243-0897 www.cspinet.org CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST Suite 300, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20009-5728 The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), founded in 1971, is an independent nonprofit consumer health group. CSPI advocates honest food labeling and advertising, safer and more nutritious foods, and pro-health alcohol policies. CSPI’s work is supported by Nutrition Action Healthletter subscribers and foundation grants. CSPI accepts no government or industry funding. Nutrition Action Healthletter, first published in 1974, accepts no advertising. N U T R I T I O N A C T I O N H E A LT H L E T T E R ■ M A R C H 2 0 0 7 P R I N T E D O N R E C Y C L E D PA P E R