14d Vs.

o u r Foo
Y r Mood

8
Yo u

Claire Saffitz
!
YOUTUBE

4 enefits
SENSATION

10 THINGS
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS
e a l t h B nt HAVE IN YOUR KI TCHEN
H re
fo D i f f ef M i l k s PG. 6
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 EDITOR’S LETTER
I have a confession to make... I have an obsession with Autumn. I love the crisp fall weather,
the color-chaning trees, the crunch of the leaves under your feet, and the incredible flavors that
fall brings. Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the bend, so it’s time to get all of our
favorite recipes prepared for this sweet and savory season. Catch some of my favorite sweet
fall treats on pages 7 and 13.

This month we’re taking you straight to the beginner’s kitchen, telling you EXACTLY what
you’ll need to be a successful baker. Next, make a righthand turn into the BA test kitchen,
because we’re talking about the internet’s latest craze Claire Saffitz and her inspiring journey
to success. Next we’ll mosey our way down to the farm, to discuss the different types of milks
and their benefits to our health. If that doesn’t completely quench your thirst, we’ll put the
cherry on top by talking about the effects of eating healthy on our mental health.
Enjoy! And as always.... You are what you eat, so eat something sweet!

Haley Wolfe
Editor-in-Chief
hcwolfe@ilstu.edu

2
 o f C onte nt s
Tab l e
4 Milk Up Your Mind

6 10 You Should Always Have

4 In Your Kitchen

8 Claire Saffitz of Bon Appetit

Becomes a Youtube Sensation

14 Your Food Vs. Your Mood

Editor-in-Chief Haley Wolfe

Design Director Haley Wolfe

Integrated Brand Director Haley Wolfe

Chief Food Director Haley Wolfe

Editorial Project Manager Haley Wolfe

Staff Writer Haley Wolfe

Features Director Haley Wolfe

As time moves forward,
more and more studies
are shwoing issues that
develop from digesting
cow’s milk. While some
people enjoy it and
MILK UP
experience little-to-no
problems with it, lactose
intolerance and dairy
allergies have become
extremely popular over the
last decade.

People who have lactose

intolerance are unable to
digest and breakdown the
enzyme lactase, which
is essential to breaking
down lactose: the main
carbohydrate found in
dairy products. Roughly
40 million people in the
United States currently
are dignosed with lactose
intolerance. It can cause
various symptoms
including bloating, and
abdominal cramping.
Different from a milk
allergy, lactose intolerance
can show up at any point Displayed on the next page, we
in life. Milk allergies are have simplified the descriptions,
typically recognizable as a and highlighted the main
child. While cow’s milk has always been viewed as a points. We found that there is
healthy option with a high source of calcium, not one specific variation that
Dairy allergies are caused there are plenty of substitutions available for can be considered “the best”.
by a reaction to proteins those who are unable to digest it. Each variation of milk contains
found in dairy products. nutrients that will effect each
Some allergens frequently Studies have shown that dairy products can person differently. The best way to
found include casein, beta- increase chances of getting prostate cancer, decide which is best for you, is to
lactoglobulin and alpha- severe acne, high cholesterol and more. The try each and decide which is best
lactalbumin. The body research tells you to get rid of milk, but fails for you.
reacts by fighting harmless to explain the health benefits of the alternative
proteins, which then create options. The Take the Cake team has decided to
allergic reactions. simplify the noteworthy aspects of each kind of
milk for easy comparisons.

4
 YOUR MIND
GOAT MILK
• Still considered dairy, but a
better option for those that
avoid milk products.
• Contains more short- and
medium-chain fatty acids and is
rich in unsaturated fatty acids
NOTE:
• Difficult to digest
• Not a vegan option
• Can cause less inflammation
and digestive issues
COCONUT MILK
• Good source of nutrients:
magnesium, iron and
potassium.
• Contains lauric acid (rare
medium-chain fatty acid that
is easily absorbed by the body
and can be used for energy)
NOTE:
• Full-fat coconut mlk is high
in calories
• Stick to smaller portions
• Look for pure milk that
comes in a can
ALMOND MILK
• Does not contain lactose, soy
proteins or gluten.
• High inflammatory properties
and can be easier to digest than
dairy milk.
NOTE:
• Often sweetened with added
sugar and fortified with many
additional nutrients.
• Best to buy plain, organic al-
mond milk or make your own
at home.
SOY
SOY MILK
MILK
• Vegan and suitable for people
with lactose, milk protein, or
gluten intolerance.
• Good source of protein &
essential fatty acids
• Contains Isoflavones (chemical
structure similar to estrogen
hormone)
NOTE:
• Drinking too much can
influence the effect of estrogen
• Never give soy milk to infants
or toddlers
OAT
OAT MILK
MILK
• Lactose and milk protein free
• Since cereal grain is high in
fiber, it fills you up relatively
quick
NOTE:
• People with gluten sensitivity
need to be cautious because
some cereal grains contain
gluten.
• Some include: wheat, rye,
spelt, barley and einkorn
wheats.
CASHEW
CASHEW MILK
MILK
• Cholesterol and saturated
• No naturally occuring sugars.
• A cup contains 50% of daily
viatmin E needs - good for
skin and helps protect against
sun damage.
NOTE:
• Not good for those with nut
allergies.
• Little protein count
• Some varieties have added
sugars, salts and thickening
agents as well.
5
 10 THINGS
10 THINGS
1 6 7
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR
Standing Rubber Spatula Chef’s Knife

2 8
Electric Mixer

5
Rubber Spatula Measuring Baking Sheets

4
Cups/ Spoons

3 9
Whisk Pans/Skillets Cutting Board

KITCHEN
6
 PUMPKIN DREAM BARS
Starting out as a baker can be tricky, and over whelming.
If you are a beginner in the baking world, we suggest
you start out with the essentials of baking. Listed
here are the necessities of baking. With these items you
should be able to have the basis for most cookie, bread
and cake recipes.

For recipes, tutorials and walkthroughs, see

TakeTheCake.com/watch

CRUST
2 1/2 c. Gluten Free Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
3 tbsp. sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
FILLING
2 eggs
1/2 c. brown sugar
can Pumpkin
can evaporated milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Salt

10
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease

a 9”-x-9” square baking pan.
Crush Cheerios into fine crumbs inside a large
resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin. (Alter-
natively, pulse the cereal into fine crumbs with
a food processor.) Combine Cheerios crumbs,
melted butter, sugar, and salt and blend until
combined.Press crumb mixture into the bottom
Essential Baking of the greased baking pan. Bake until beginning
Ingredients to turn golden, about 7-8 minutes. Let cool while
Milk you make filling. Turn the oven temperature up to
Flour 425 degrees.
Make filling. Beat all filling ingredients together
until smooth. Pour filling into crust and bake 15
minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees
Sugar F. Bake about 35 minutes longer or until toothpick
Yeast inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool to
Butter/
room temperature then refrigerate until chilled.
Oil Sift powdered sugar over sliced squares before
serving.

7
 Claire Saffitz of Bon Appétit becomes a
Youtube Sensation
All Claire Saffitz dreamed of was to follow her heart and as much as she hoped, she decided to attend culinary
become a pastry chef. Little did she know she would one school. From 2012-2013 she attended École Grégoire
day host a video series for Bon Appétit that would have Ferrandi, a culinary and trade school located in Paris,
millions of views. France and entered an externship at Spring restaurant
shortly after. To close off her education, she got a Master’s
Pastry chef, freelance recipe creator and video host, degree in culinary History in the Early Modern Era from
Claire, has become a Youtube star because of her McGill University. A professor at McGill did food studies
well known series “Gourmet Makes”. In the series, that interested her, and she thought about combining her
Claire takes notable love for learning with her
branded junk foods and love of cooking. Halfway
creates versions that through the program she
are improved, deluxe decided she would rather
versions. She spends be cooking than learning
numerous days testing about it.
different days to recreate
the [already] delicious She began her career
treats, using techniques in the culinary field as a
that she’s learned over freelance recipe tester at
the years. Bon Appetit. Claire worked
to create recipes in the test
Born on September kitchen using trial-and-error
16, 1986, Claire Saffitz methods.
was raised in St. Louis
Missouri to an Ashkenazi “There’s a tasting process,
Jewish family and a testing process, and once
attended Clayton High the recipes are signed off
School, graduating in and approved by the other
2005. Before beginning editors, it goes to a position
her culinary journey, called a cross tester, which
Claire attended Harvard was my position,” Claire
University and graduated says.
with a Bachelor’s Degree
in 2009. The cross tester’s job is
to make recipes straight
“As a kid, I was overly studious, overly serious, very through, and to make not of anything that is unclear,
academically driven. It was important to me on a cellular wrong, or something that just doesn’t work right. She
level to do well. And then I went to college at Harvard, and worked as the “final boss” of recipe creation, critiquing
I relaxed a little bit. I was into writing, but I also liked doing and making changes to anything that has room for
things with my hands. When I think about why I ended improvement.
up in food, it makes sense in retrospect. It’s creative, it’s
working with my hands, but there’s also something very She soon realized that the job she was doing was basically
rigorous about it,” Claire tells Into the Gloss journalists. recipe development, and eventually BA allowed her to
create her own recipes on a trial basis for one month, then
For a while, Claire thought she would work in museums, another month, and another, until she was fully transitioned
so her first job directly after her undergraduate program into the position.
at Harvard University was at the 9/11 Museum in New
York. After quickly realizing that she wasn’t enjoying it Claire quickly climbed the food editing totem pole, working

8
her way up from Assistant Editor, Associate
Editor to Senior Associate Editor, to Senior
Food Editor, all within a five-year span. She
was completely content with her positions in
the test kitchen and never expected to end up
in front of a camera.

“My goal as an editor was to be an editor.

I didn’t even think about video. But as the
company’s video strategy developed, there
were a lot of ideas to utilize the test kitchen
space,” Claire said.

With her knowledge in the culinary field and

experience in the test kitchen BA knew she
would be the perfect person for a YouTube
series called “Gourmet Makes”. The “Gourmet
Makes” crew surprises her with foods to
reverse engineer [like Twinkies, Hot Pockets,
Doritos and Sour Patch Kids] and tests different ways to recreate and enhance them with more sophisticated flavors.
Over time, her videos have transitioned from ‘hands-and-food’ videos, to creating videos where she displays her
personality and thought processes that go into each dish she creates.

Claire spends days testing different ways to nail the flavors, shapes, textures and looks of each food item. While some
recipes take two days to complete, others take almost a week and by the third day, she is typically on the verge of a
breakdown; something that the viewers find relatable and enticing.

“You can nail the look or you can nail the flavor, but it’s really hard to nail both,” Saffitz said during a VidCon interview in
Anaheim, California.

After three days straight of making the same dish in different ways and throwing them into the trash bin each time,
Claire perseveres and works until she gets the result that she hoped for. While most viewers aren’t actually clicking
on the videos to learn the recipes, they watch the video for ease of mind and comfort that the videos allocate. Much of
what consumes Youtube today are unpleasant, reactionary posts, so viewers appreciate the wholesome content that
Claire is featured in.

People on Youtube are raving about Claire and all of her friends the show up in Bon Appetit videos because of their
smiley and warm personalities. Other test
kitchen workers, Andy Baraghani, Molly Baz,
Christina Chaey, Brad Leone, Carla Lalli Music,
Chris Morocco, and Gaby Melain, often make
appearances in the Gourmet Makes series, and
many of them have series’ of their own on the
BA channel. The test kitchen staff frequently
assist Claire by taste-testing, giving advice, and
providing a second opinion on the choices she
makes while recreating the foods.

Subscribers of the BA channel enjoy seeing

the support that her friends and coworkers
give her while she struggles to get to the final
product. Viewers also recognize that Claire is a
woman who appreciates organization, calmness
and order. Her crew presents her with foods to
recreate, and she does it for those who enjoy
the content, even though it is something that

9
she wouldn’t choose for herself. When Claire becomes overwhelmed and frustrated, viewers get the sense that
none of it is her fault, and she is only
doing it to please the subscribers.

“I think there’s something about

watching me go through a stressful
process that’s stress-relieving for
people,” Claire tells Haley Rahman, a
journalist from Man Repeller.

Claire is hard-working and ambitious,

and frequently looks for ways that
she can learn more, and better her
career. Currently, she is working on
her own cookbook which is set to be
released in late 2020. For the past
several months, Claire has been
putting all of her efforts into creating
recipes that can be shared with her
followers next fall.

“I don’t cook for myself much anymore, now that I’m working on the cookbook. It’s a baking book, and it’s taking my
longer than I thought because I have one oven, and everything has to get in line to bake. It’s set to come out in fall
2020, and I’m sure it will, because I can’t keep on doing this. [Laughs].”

Claire Saffitz had never dreamed that she would become the Youtube sensation that she has become today and is
grateful for the path that she has come upon.

“It has changed my career, because I didn’t see myself pursuing this and doing this, but I am very happy to see
where it goes and what opportunities it leads to.”
 APPLE CIDER DOUGHNUTS

• 2 ½ cups apple cider, (reduced down • 4 cups flour

to ½ cup) • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup butter • 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ cup light brown sugar • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 large eggs • Canola oil for frying
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • Cinnamon sugar for coating
• ¾ cup sour cream

Bring apple cider to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce down to ½ cup (takes
about 20-25 minutes). Pour into a large glass measuring cup.
Add butter to hot cider and stir to melt. Set aside, cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs with white and brown sugar. Add cooled cider/
butter mixture, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
In a large bowl or in a fine mesh strainer set over the wet ingredients, sift together
flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Using a wooden spoon, mix dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated.
Cover and chill for 1 hour.
On a very well-floured surface, roll out the cooled dough to about ¾ thickness and
cut into a doughnut shapes using pastry cutters or a mason jar/cup and a bottle cap/
shot glass. Chill cut doughnut 10 minutes more if necessary.
Heat oil to 350. Fry doughnuts, 3-4
YOUR FOOD
Eating right can seem like one of the most difficult
things to do sometimes. When our schedules are busy,
and we’re in a time crunch it can seem that the only
option is to go through a drive thru. Eating fast food and
junk food frequently can really take a toll on our bodies,
performance and mental health throughout the day. The
more unhealthy the food that you eat is, the more likely
you are to be unhappy.
While certain diets can’t ease depression or lighten your
mood, they can help as a treatment plan. Studies have
shown that dietary changes can bring about changes in
our brain structure, both chemically and physiologically,
causing a change in our overall behavior.
A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE
has shown that symptoms of depression in young
adults dropped immensely after following a three-week
Mediterranean-style meal plan. The study measured
levels of depression using a “score” that participants
could use to rank their personal levels. By the end of the
three-week trial, the majority of participants found that
their depression scores fell from “moderate” to “normal.
The researchers found that the control group - those
that did not change anything about their diet - had
results that stayed constant throughout the study.
These participants chose diets that were heavy in
carbohydrates, sugars, and processed foods.
The research study also allowed scientists to dig deeper
into why a poor diet can negatively affect the body.
“Highly processed foods increase inflammation. If we
don’t consume enough nutrient-dense foods, then this
can lead to inefficiencies in nutrients, which can also
increase inflammation,” Heather Francis, a lecturer in
clinical neuropsychology at Macquarie University in
Sydney, Australia, told NPR via email.
The Mediterranean-style, healthy eating group, ate about
six more servings of fruit and vegetables per week than
the control group.
14
V
“Participants who had a greater increase in fruit and
vegetable intake showed the greatest improvement in
depression symptoms,” said Francis.
The healthy eating group also was asked to increase
their servings in all other food groups, dairy
(unsweetened), whole grains and proteins, as well.
They were recommended to eat three servings per
day of each food group, three tablespoons of nuts and
seeds per day, two tablespoons of olive oil per day,
and fish three times per week. This group was also
advised to add spices like cinnamon and tumeric to
their diet as well.
To get the most accurate results as possible, the
scientists used a device called a spectrophotometer,
which scans the participants palms to collect the data
needed for the research study. The devices analyzed
the color of the participants skin by detecting the level
of yellowness found in the palms. Yellowness in the
skin develops with the digestion of carotenoids which
are detected after eating fruits and vegetables. This
device eliminated the possible issue of the participants
forgetting what they ate and how much they ate for
each meal.
To evaluate the participants’ mental health, the
scientists used research questionnaires, asking
questions like “How often over the prior week have
you experienced symptoms of depression?”
“We have a highly consistent and extensive evidence
base from around the globe linking healthier diets to
reduced depression risk,” says Felice Jacka, a professor
of nutritional and epidemiological psychiatry
at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre in
Australia.
In a research study conducted by Katherine Zeratsky,
a certified dietician and health risk counselor,
found that the Mediterranean diet, the same that
VS. YOUR MOOD
was followed in this research study, can also lower the
likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and
heart disease.

In a 2013 meta-analysis showed that the Mediterranean

diet was associated with lower risk of depression.

“In 2017, another research study was conducted that found

that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains,
olive oil and low-fat dairy was paired with lower risk of
depression, while a diet rich in red meats, refined grains,
sweets and high fat dairy products was linked to a higher
risk of depression,” as stated by an NPR journalist.

These associations between diet and depression are independent of other confounding factors such as ‘education,
income, body weight and other health behaviors,’” stated Jacka.

Animal studies have also shown, along with inflammation that the gut microbiome is directly linked to brain
function and mental health. By altering serotonin levels in the brain, the gut bacteria can affect the way we think
and alter our moods.

These studies have made trumendous progress in aiding those who struggle with mental illness every day. With
this knowledge, people who have mental illnesses will know the importance of eating healthy on their mental
health.

More studies are needed to understand the connection

between healthy eating and a healthy mind.

We need further mechanistic studies to understand how

deit influences mental and brain health,” said Jacka.

Until then, psychiatrists and other doctors should

consider assessing their patients’ diets and promote
healthy eating habits. It is unlikely that we will find
evidence that healthy eating can prevent mental
illnesses, but there is proof of reduction of depression
and low moods. While eating healthy is important to
maintain good mental health, being physically active,
getting healthy amounts of sleep, and monitoring
psychological care are also important to reducing stress,
anxiety and depression.

15