Q: I’ve noticed that many of your featured recipes recently include cilantro. Realizing that a large percentage of the population loves the herb, I absolutely detest it. And seeing as how I love your recipes in general, I was hoping you could offer some advice on a good substitution for this soapy herb when you create your recipes.
A: Sorry that you don’t like cilantro. It’s a prevalent herb in a lot of cuisines from Mexican to Eastern European, Spanish to Thai.
You can, in most recipes, substitute what you love. Flat leaf (Italian) parsley would be the obvious choice, but it could add more bitterness than you might want for your recipe. Substitutions for Cilantro
Q: I have read that cinnamon helps control blood sugar levels. Is this true, and how much cinnamon would one have to eat daily?
A: There has been good research on this spice and how it might help control blood sugars. These have been well controlled, blinded studies. Unfortunately, the research has had small study groups — generally less than 60 participants. Some studies have shown benefit of a reduction in the Hemoglobin A1c (a 90 day average of blood sugars) by almost 1%. Cinnamon for Blood Sugar Control
Q: I was looking at one of your print outs, “Coumadin (Warfarin) and Your Diet.” I was confused by the mcg per serving. How many mcg can you have in one day?
A: The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin K is 85 micrograms (mcg) per day. Most physicians recommend trying to keep levels no higher than this as a consequence of the effect that higher doses can have on INR levels.
There are few foods that contain more than 10 – 15 mcg of Vitamin K in a serving and less than 20 mcg would be considered a lower amount. Daily Vitamin K Intake
Q: Can you please tell me if Parmigiano – Reggiano cheese is suitable for vegetarians? If not what is the animal ingredient used?
A: The essential ingredients in Parmigiano – Reggiano, as with most cheeses, are milk, salt and rennet.
It depends on the type of vegetarian that you are whether you will eat cheese or not. Rennet is an enzyme that helps catalyze the fermentation of the cheese and is considered an animal product. Ingredients in Parmigiano-Reggiano
