Archive for the ‘Food’ Category
Posted by terrepruitt on November 3, 2011
When I first started looking into different types of diets (READ: NUTRITION PLAN/WAY OF EATING), I was curious to always see Nightshade Vegetables mentioned. One diet that I have talked about is the anti-inflammation diet, this diet does not contain nightshade vegetables. You might know what they are and what that means, but I have mentioned before that I am not a gardener. I am not a gardener and even more so I have no idea about vegetable families and their classifications and stuff. I keep having to look it up. What is a nightshade vegetable? 
Nightshade vegetables are from the Solanaceae Family. Nightshade vegetables contain a group of chemicals found in plants called alkaloids. There are different types of plant alkaloids, some being toxic. Plants containing alkaloids have been used for medicinal purposes as well as stimulates and poisons. Studies have proven that alkaloids can affect some of the functions in the body. Some people are more susceptible than others. These vegetables are thought to interfere with digestion, muscles, and joints. Nightshade vegetables promote inflammation in the body.
If you are susceptible to them it might be beneficial to limit consumption of these types of veggies. As I mentioned if you are on an anti-inflammation diet they might be forbidden all together. Again this could only be if you are sensitive to them. Or if you are interested in trying to reduce the amount of chronic inflammation in the body. If you have arthritis or any other disease associated with chronic inflammation it might be something to try. Or if you experience pain caused by sensitive nerves.
Nightshade vegetables are very common. They are so common it kind of makes sense that chronic inflammation is more prevalent and being study by the medical profession. I think the most common nightshade veggies are potatoes, tomatoes, and bell peppers. You know I LOVE bell peppers and I was just learning to like tomatoes. And the issue with potatoes is they are yummy in so many forms; mashed, fried, baked, roasted. In addition to my beloved bell pepper ALL peppers are lumped in this family. So even the hot ones that might aid in digestion could be causing inflammation issues.
In addition to inflammation there is research has proved that the alkaloid in potatoes interrupt signals from nerves to muscles and might contribute to muscle twitches. Next time you have a twitch try to remember if you had any potatoes. In addition to signal interruption, the chemicals contained in some nightshade vegetables might even cause pain Also some research has shown that the alkaloids leech calcium out of bones and deposit it into soft tissue.
Eggplant is also a nightshade vegetable. I love roasted eggplant. Eggplant along with tomatoes contain nicotine. Yup, tobacco is a nightshade plant and nicotine is an alkaloid. It is fortunate that both tomatoes and eggplant contain a lot less nicotine then tobacco, it is still interesting to know.
Cooking reduces the level of alkaloids in our veggies by about 40-50%.
Please note that I am not saying that any health issue or discomfort you are experiencing is caused by nightshade vegetables/food. What I am saying is that some research has either proved or associated the alkaloids in nightshade vegetables/foods to be connected to certain things; inflammation, digestive issues, nervous system malfunctions, pain, muscle twitching, etc. and it is interesting to know. And it might be beneficial to do some experimenting with your diet if you think you might be sensitive to the chemicals found in some of the vegetables and/or spices considered nightshade foods.
Did you know what veggies were considered nightshade? I am glad that I now have this list.
Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: anti-imflammation diet, bell peppers, digestive issues, eggplant, hot sauce, Inflammation, muscle twitching, nervous system malfunctions, nightshade vegetables, pain, peppers, plant alkaloids, potatoes, Tomatoes, toxic chemicals | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 15, 2011
P
ecans are so rich they are like a pastry. Full of fat and sweetness. As you can see the nutritional facts are:
(for) About a ¼ cup
200 Calories
20 g of saturated fat
0 g cholesterol
0 mg sodium
4 g carbs
2 g dietary fiber
3 g protein
So as a dessert they are great, with 0 cholesterol, 2 g of saturated fat, and 0 sodium. One fourth cup makes a great treat. They have a natural sweetness that could assist in curbing the desire for sugar.
According to Power Your Diet, pecans contain monounsaturated fatty acids (which are said to assist in the reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol). They are a source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are thought to help in the fight against certain diseases. Studies have shown that antioxidants help protect against cell damage. Cell damage is thought to be the cause of diseases such as some cancers, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and Parkinson’s.
Pecans have many phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are presently believed to help reduce the risk of cancer. As with many foods it has to do with fiber and their anti-inflammatory properties. Medical research is proving that chronic inflammation is associated with many diseases. It is not good for the body to remain in a state of chronic inflammation. Foods that have anti-inflammatory properties can serve as a great addition to many diets.
Pecans have a large group of the B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, Folate, and pantothenic acid) and also contain minerals such as iron, calcium, iron manganese (which is different from magnesium), magnesium, zinc, potassium, and selenium.
Also, pecans have proved in studies to help lower total cholesterol by over 10%, and the “bad” cholesterol (LDL) by OVER 15%.
And I don’t know about you, but I love pecans. I can eat them plain, just a handful all by themselves. Or they make a great addition to a salad. The salad can be a combination of sweet and savory or just full of veggies. They also make a great addition to cookies. Lately – since I have a huge bag of them (I bought a wholesale bag . . . two pounds) I add them to cookie recipes that call for walnuts. I actually think of them as interchangeable and use them in place of walnuts when I have a bag of pecans and not walnuts.
Pecans with a salty soft cheese makes a great appetizer. The mixture can be spread on crackers, bread, or can be used to fill celery. If you mix some chopped nuts with a crumbled cheese you can put it in lettuce boats.
They can add their buttery goodness to any recipe. Because they add a flavor of buttery richness it is possible to cut down on the butter or added fat when you add them to a recipe where butter is just used as flavor. They can be chopped and used as breading for chicken or pork I like to use a mixture of shredded parmesan cheese and pecans to bread pork. It can be cooked in the oven or cooked in a pan. Either way, the butter taste from the pecans adds a decadent richness.
In their chopped form they can also be added to a chicken salad. Than can be added to your regular chicken salad recipe or substitute, pecans and apple for the celery and onions. Sometimes I crush some to coat the outside of the sandwich when I am making chicken/pecan sandwiches for a tea.
Nuts contain a high amount of fat but all of the additional health benefits they supply make them the perfect desert. A little cheese and honey or jam — ahhh. So much more satisfying than a package dessert full of chemicals.
Do you like pecans? What do you do with them?
Posted in Food | Tagged: anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, buttery flavor, buttery pecans, health benefits of pecans, lower LDL, nutritions, pecans, phytochemical | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 27, 2011
I have posted a lot about soup because a friend showed me how to use the stick blender to make soups. I fell in love with blended vegetable soups. Recently I posted about soup that my friend had made me. In addition to sharing that wonderful recipe with me she also shared a broth secret. I used to buy the bouillon cubes. They are so convenient because they are always there when you need them. Then due to the ingredients (partially hydrogenated oil) I started buying the boxes of broth. But those are somewhat very inconvenient because what I have experienced is that the box is one measurement and I usually need a different measurement to make the soup. So basically I often need only a portion of the box for soup. It is unfortunate to have a half used box of broth in the fridge. When I was at my friend’s house she asked me if I knew about “Better Than Bouillon”. I had not.
It is a jar of bouillon concentrate. Just like juice concentrate you mix it with water. It is brilliant because you can make as much as you need. I was so happy to learn of this. I know, I know, I am probably late in this lesson, but I didn’t know. I purchased the chicken base which has:
Chicken Meat with Natural Juices, Salt, Organic, Cane Juice Solids, Maltodextrin (from corn), Chicken Fat, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Dried Onion, Potato Flour, Spice Extractives, and Turmeric .
I know a lot of these ingredients would not be found in fresh homemade chicken stock, but stock is not one thing that I am inclined to make. I know it is easy and I know many people do make it, but I’m not one of them. Maybe eventually if I continue to make a lot of soup I will start making my own stock, but not at this point in time.
I was happy to see “Better Than Bouillon” chicken base has turmeric in it. Remember turmeric one of the anti-inflammatory foods.
I do still like the box broth so I will continue to buy it and use it. But now I can use a combination of stocks and broths which will enable me to keep my fridge empty of a half used box of stock. With the jar of bouillon, one teaspoon combined with 8 ounces water equals 8 ounces of liquid broth or one cube (which is added to 8 ounces of water also).
My husband and I have been waiting for the cold weather to come so that we can have soup. When I first met him his thought was, “Soup is not food.” But I once made a really hearty potato cheese soup that made him change his mind. He also likes all the other soups that I have been making even though they are pureed vegetables. I am fortunate that he is so kind to let me experiment with different veggies and combinations. So far he has eaten them all. So, c’mon cold weather, get here so we can eat soup!
Did you know about this jar of bouillon? I am really excited about it. You know by now when I learn something and I get excited about it, I have to post about it!
Posted in Food | Tagged: anti-inflammatory foods, better than bouillon, Bouillon Cubes, broth, fresh homemade chicken stock, partially hydrogenated oil, Stock, Turmeric, vegetable soup | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 20, 2011
Whenever I think of ginger I think of that thin pale pink wet looking stuff that is put on the plate next to the wasabi when sushi and sashimi is served. I have never been draw to that pale-watery-skin-looking pile. In fact I thought I didn’t like ginger because of that stuff. I believe that is pickled ginger. It is a bit on the spicy side. I don’t like spicy heat at all. I don’t even use pepper. Not too long ago I visited a friend and she said she was going to make soup. This was her first time making this particular soup. It has ginger in it. She asked if I like ginger and I think I told her I was ok with it. Well, it turns out I really liked the soup. I believe that one of the reasons I like the soup was because of the ginger. It gave it a great flavor. I have been waiting for it to get cold here in the Bay Area so I could make the soup because I have been craving it. It cooled down one day so I thought that was the start of our cool weather so I decided to make the soup. But I had to wait a few days because dinner plans were already made a few days out. So, of course the day I decide to make it the temperatures are in the high 80s maybe even the 90s, but I was determined. I made it, it came out really good. My hubby loved it. So now we have another dish to add to our dinner menus. And it is something we can eat ginger in.
Of course, while I was cutting up the ginger I began to wonder about it. What is its nutritional value if any?
According to WHFoods 1 oz has less than 5% of the RDA of potassium, magnesium, copper, maganeses, vitamin B6.
Even without a lot of nutrients it is a very effective digestive aid. Some material I read even suggested that as one of the reason it is served with raw fish. It has been used for over 2,000 years to treat stomach related issues.
I had heard a long time ago that it is good to help relieve nausea. It can help both the motion sick such as car sickness, air and sea sickness. It also aids in relieving the morning sickness. Some studies have shown that a little as a gram of ginger helps relieve vomiting associated with morning sickness. There are even recent studies that suggest ginger relieves some of the sickness associated with chemotherapy.
Since ginger is considered an anti-inflammatory, it is not surprising to hear that it is thought to help people with inflammatory issues, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Both the pain and the swelling have been documented as being less when ginger is included in the diet.
Some studies also show that ginger may help in stopping the growth of cancer cells. Which isn’t surprising when at the same time it is thought that a state of constant/chronic inflammation helps contribute to the growth of cancer cells. It seems more and more things that are found to help “fight”/”prevent”/”disable” cancer are the ones that also help with inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s immune response it should not be a chronic state in the body.
Even more studies hint at ginger being an immune booster. So really what have you got to lose with adding it to your diet?
Do you like fresh ginger? If so, how do you use it? Please share as I am just learning how to eat this amazing root.
Posted in Food | Tagged: air and sea sickness, anti-inflammatory, car sickness, digestive aid, fresh ginger, ginger, ginger root, hot ginger, immune booster, immune system, Inflammation, morning sickness, nutritional value, osteoarthritis, pale pink, pickled ginger, relieve nausea, rheumatoid arthritis, sickness associated with chemotherapy, spicy ginger | 12 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 17, 2011
I am in love. I first mentioned bok choy on my blog when I was talking about foods that Dr. Oz thinks will help prevent cancer. When I first mentioned it I thought I had never had it, but some commentors pointed out that I more than likely had it in Chinese food. Yeah, they, of course, were correct. I really like baby bok choy in my soup. I thought it would make a good substitution for green garlic. I thought it was more like an onion. The other day I decided to buy some and add it to a chicken dish I had made. Oh my.
The baby bok choy added such a great flavor I wondered if I would like it sautéed by itself. So I cooked some up last night. I had faith I would like it. So much faith that I made my hubby collard greens, which he loves, so I wouldn’t have to share my baby bok choy. Oh my. It taste like butter. As I was eating it I kept thinking “butter”. So I wanted to verify that. So I sacrificed a bite to hubby. I said, “Does that taste like butter?” He agreed. I told him I didn’t put any butter in it and he said if he didn’t know better he would have said I was lying.
To cook it, I cut the ends off the top green portion and chopped them up, then after they are cooked tender I throw in the chopped green portion and cook them a bit. My cooking method is to saute it in garlic olive oil, with some onions and garlic salt – yeah, my norm.
I am convinced that boy choy does not taste the same although I have not tried it I just have experienced baby versions of veggies are different than “adult” versions. So I am sticking to the baby bok choy.
I forgot it was considered a cabbage. I was just reminded that I had heard that because I wrote it in my Dr. Oz post. But I don’t understand the classifications of fruits and veggies, so I am not surprised that I didn’t know it was considered a cabbage and then forgot it was considered a cabbage shortly after I learned it. I do not think of cabbage as “stalky”. I think of cabbage as a round head. But . . . bok choy is considered a cabbage. According to The Cook’s Thesaurus:
“bok choy = Chinese chard = Chinese white cabbage = Chinese cabbage = Chinese
mustard cabbage = pak choy = pak choi = baak choi = white mustard cabbage =
white celery mustard = taisai = bai cai” and “bok choy sum = Canton bok choy”
I could not find specific nutrition information on BABY bok choy but WebMD said:
Per 1 cup: Bok Choy Cooked
Calories 20
Fiber 3
Vitamin A 62%
Vitamin B-2 10%
Vitamin B-6 22%
Vitamin C 59%
Folic Acid 17%
Magnesium 6%
Potassium 18%
Omega-3s 100 mg
It is a cruciferous vegetable. Which family “takes its alternate name (Cruciferae, New Latin for “cross-bearing”) from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross,” according to Wiki. Cruciferous vegetables have a lot of phytochemicals which are thought to have anti-cancer properties. Could be that they also contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and are not short on delivering dietary fiber. All of which I think contribute to health.
I really believe that baby bok choy is a vegetable that people who do not like vegetables could use as a “gateway vegetable”. 🙂 They could eat it allowing them to get used to the idea of vegetables and it could help start them on the path of eating vegetables.
What about you, do you like bok choy? Have you tried baby bok choy? I have a feeling that you will see more post about baby bok choy as I experiment with cooking it and eating it.
Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: anti cancer, baby bok choy, bok choy, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Chinese food, cruciferous vegetable, Dr. Oz, gateway vegetable, green garlic, pak choi, pak choy, sauteed, WebMD | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 13, 2011
I saw a recipe for roasted chickpeas and I thought it would be good. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I know that I wanted to do it. Then I was reminded of them when I saw it mentioned on ONMYWAYTOHEALTH. She has a link to another blog with the recipe with step by step pictures. All the recipes I have seen are basically the same.
A can of chickpeas
between 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
garlic powder*
While the oven is preheating to 450F, drain the can of chickpeas, also know as garbanzo beans.
Rinse the beans off. I heard the better you rinse beans the less they might cause heartburn and/or gas. So rinse them well.
Then most recipes say to dry the beans off, the instructions suggest using paper towel.
In a bowl mix the beans, oil, salt, and garlic. Then spread the beans on a baking sheet and cook for about 40 minutes. Most recipes say to watch them so they don’t burn.
——————————————————
Well, ok, so are you ready for my version or at least what happened when I did it? TWO cans of chickpeas. I used two 12 ounce cans because one can is not that many. I didn’t dry them off very well, which might explain the way they cooked, but first, I think that drying them off is to help them roast and I figured they would get dry in the oven. So I drained and rinsed and sort of dried. I put them on the pan then sprayed olive oil on them. I don’t think it is really necessary to use a bowl, but that is personal preference. I used garlic salt, garlic powder, and season salt.
*I have seen so many recipes for them so basically use what you want. Use what spices you like. You can make them hot and spicy, or just really flavorful. You can add herbs. You can make them sweet. They can be flavored with whatever you’d like so go hog wild. I am going to try all different types of spices.
I would advise you to check on them while they are cooking because mine popped. Some of them popped off the pan onto the bottom of the oven. A couple landed near the element and I don’t know if it would have started a fire, but it sure start to stink. It was not a nice smell so I opened up the oven door to see what was going on and one popped off the pan. I was kind of afraid they were going to continue to do that. I didn’t see anything about that in any recipe.
Also . . . now this is where the drying might really be key, I don’t know because my oven does not cook evenly, but some of them cooked perfect and some did not. All the recipes I saw warned against burning so I was a little paranoid so when I saw the ones on the edge getting really crispy I figured they were all done since it had been 40 minutes. Well, the crispy ones are really good. My husband kept saying, “CornNuts!” And I kept saying, “Yeah, good comparison. Awesome. I love CornNuts.” He would say, “CornNuts.” And then I would say, “I know, right? Cool.” He finally said he is not really a CornNuts fan. Ha, ha. I am. So the crunchy ones are really, really good and they do taste somewhat like CornNuts. But the ones that aren’t crunchy are kind of odd. They are kind of like a stale cracker or something. Not quiet soft, but not crunchy. I obviously need to work on the cooking of them. I had them in as long as the recipe said to cook them, but that was not enough for some of them. Increase the time because of two cans? I might just have to scoop off the ones on the edge.
I really love CornNuts, but they have ingredients in them that I am avoiding so I don’t buy them. This is a great alternative. And just like CornNuts they can be made with any flavor. I can’t wait to make more. So what should I do next? What about you? What will you do? Try it, they are a great snack. Beans are good for you!
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: beans, easy snack, easy snack recipe, fiber snack, olive oil, popping chickpeas, protein snack, quick snack, roasted chickpeas, roasted garbanzo beans | 16 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 8, 2011
After I taught my Nia Class in Willow Glen I had some shopping to do. After shopping I rushed home because I was going to meet a friend in the afternoon back the way of my class, but I thought would shower so as not to offend her. It was pretty warm here. As is normal for a hot day, the late afternoon early evening is the hottest. So as I was driving home from my visit I was not looking forward to cooking dinner. I had chicken thawed in the fridge, but what else to cook? I ended up visiting longer than I had planned and getting stuck in traffic on the way home so I didn’t want to stop to get anything to add to dinner because it was already late. All the way home I was wondering what to cook. When I got home it was really hot. I thought it would be best not to turn on the oven or the stove. I had an idea that maybe using my electric skillet would be cooler. I do believe it was. Although this is a common dish cooked in a crock pot or the oven. When you have limited ingredients sometimes dinner is really easy. I have found that with limited ingredients I come up with come pretty good meals. Some end up being regularly cooked meals.
Ingredients:
-A little over a cup of rice
-32 oz broth
-1/2 cup of sherry
-1 tablespoon of worchestire sauce
-1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
-1 tablespoon marjoram
-1/2 tablespoon powdered garlic
-two large chicken breast (skinless, boneless)
-bag of green beans
-salt and pepper to taste**
I put the rice in the skillet with about half of the broth and turn the skillet on to its highest setting. I started to cut up the chicken into bite size pieces. When most of the broth boiled off, I added the rest of the broth, the sherry, the worchestire sauce, the soy sauce and stirred, then I added the marjoram. I turned the heat down to the lowest setting. I finished cutting up the chicken, then put it in with the rice I sprinkled the garlic on the chicken with some salt. I turned it to the middle setting. I let the chicken cook until it was almost done, then I added the green beans. I stirred them into the dish and let it cook until they were done.
If you know me, you know I don’t like pepper — at all. But my friend gave me some smoked pepper, which seems very different than regular black pepper. It helped finish the dish off perfectly! I brought the grinder to the table though so we could pepper our food separately. My husband loves pepper.
I wasn’t planning on posting about this so I wasn’t keeping track of the time, but I think it all took about 30 to 40 minutes. That is what I will plan on in the future, but I will keep an eye on it to see. I am looking forward to using different veggies. Frozen green beans is all that I had.
The last time I cooked an all in one dish I used the oven and I used brown rice and canned soup. The rice was a bit crunchy still but I didn’t want to cook it longer because the chicken was done. So that is why with this one I started the rice first, although this time I used white rice and it could have been less done.
I am working my way away from using canned soup so that is why I used broth and it came out great. With the oven cooked dish I used broccoli. I am looking forward to trying different veggies in the skillet.
I had forgotten about the electric skillet even though my parents use theirs all the time. I am glad it was hot and I was at a loss of how to cook dinner because now I am going to start using my electric skillet more often.
Do you have an electric skillet? If you do, what do you cook in it? Do you have any favorite one pot recipes?
**09/10/11 — This actually made quite so we ate it a second night. On the third night it seemed as if all that was left was rice and green beans so I sauteed some baby bok choy and a can of chicken then put the left over rice and green beans in the pan and heated it up. Wow! I think I am a fan of baby bok choy!!!
09/12/11 — I didn’t take a picture while I was cooking it because I didn’t think of posting about it. So the next night when we were having it for dinner I decided to at least take a picture of the food and the electric skillet, even though the food is on my dinner plate. 🙂
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baby bok choy, bok choy, broth, canned soup, chicken dinner, easy dinner idea, easy meal, electric skillet, electric skillet recipes, green beans, Nia, Nia class, Nia in Willow Glen, Nia San Jose, one pot chicken meal, San Jose Nia, San Jose Nia class, smoked pepper | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 1, 2011
I have mentioned Omega 3 before, but I haven’t said a lot about it. I thought sharing a few things about it would be nice. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid required by the body. “Essential” means that our body must have it but can’t make it so we need to obtain the nutrient from our diet. Since our cell membranes are made up of fatty acids it makes sense that our body needs fatty acids to function properly. The key is making sure our bodies have the right kind of fat. Omega 3 contains three fatty acids, a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and is considered a polyunsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat, unlike saturated fat, does not harden at room temperature. Wanting a fat that makes up cell membranes that does not harden is another thing that makes sense, right? Nutrients and waste have an easier time passing in and out of a cell membrane with a liquid consistency than one that is solid.
Research has been done in regards to Omega 3 on diseases and ailments with varied results. Studies continue to reveal Omega 3 helps reduce heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Omega 3 helps reduce inflammation. We know chronic inflammation is not good because it is linked with or even thought to be the cause of many diseases. Omega 3 could help with autoimmune diseases of which inflammation is present such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes. With many diseases there is often multiple issues so it makes sense that if something helps with one thing it might help with another if it is a symptom or a result of a disease. For instance, many people with diabetes have high cholesterol so, if Omega 3 helps lower the LDL and raise the HDL, that would be of assistance to someone with diabetes. Science is continuing to discover things about Omega 3 and how each fatty acid has different effects on the body.
Omega 3 is interesting in that one of the three ALA is actually not used by the body until it is converted to the other two. Some foods contain ALA, some contain EPA, and others contain DHA or a combination of them. So as always recommended it is good to eat a variety of foods. Eating a variety of foods containing Omega 3 will help ensure you get what you need. Some of the food Omega 3 can be found in is cold water fish, flax seed, walnuts, and what some are calling “Omega 3 eggs”. At present there is not a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Omega 3, but the consensus is that Americans should be eating more.
According to a the World’s Healthiest Foods website: “the National Institutes of Health recommended that people consume at least 2% of their total daily calories as omega-3 fats.”
You might have heard the claim that Canola Oil is a good source of Omega 3, but then you might have also heard the processing the rapeseed plant goes through and the way the oil is made actually burns off the Omega 3 and becomes transfat. This is one of those things you might want to research and decide for yourself. It is your health.
Other foods containing Omega 3: beans, olive oil, hemp seeds, kale, collard greens, spinach, soybeans, cloves, oregano, green beans — yay, not just fish! I am not a fan of fish although, the Omega 3 in fish is hard to beat, so I probably should start eating it.
Like so many nutrients being discovered as being necessary almost everyday it seems as if the best way to get what the body needs is to eat a variety of foods. The less we eat of over-processes and packaged foods the better. Finding a balance is also important. It just really sounds as if, from all the information I have read, Americans consume less Omega 3 than we should, so — to me — it sounds good to add more to my diet. What about you? Are there ways you can add more healthy foods that contain Omega 3 into your diet?
Posted in Food | Tagged: ALA, asthma, autoimmune disease, balanced diet, Canola Oil, chronic inflammation, DHA, diabetes, EPA, essential fatty acid, flax seeds, healthy diet, heart disease risk factors, hemp seeds, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, olive oil, Omega 3, polyunsaturated fat, rapeseed, RDA, reduce inflammation, required nutrient, rheumatoid arthritis, saturated fat | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 30, 2011
When I first saw an egg package that said the egg had more nutrients I made a mental note to look into that. I had been thinking, “How can they do that? Did they inject the egg with the additional nutrients they claimed it had?” I mean it seems like that is how they would have to do it, right?
The last time I was in the store buying eggs I grabbed a carton that said, “Now! For Your Nutritious Diet High In . . . ” in big flashy letters. All the while I am thinking, “Ok, I’m a sucker.”
First of all let me share with you some other information that I found while looking up the information on “more nutritious” eggs.
Brown eggs are NOT more nutritious than white eggs. I was under the impression that brown eggs were better for you. Don’t know when I heard that or who from, but that is what I always thought. Turns out it is actually the color of the hen that determines the color of the egg. A brown egg comes from a hen with red feathers and a white egg comes from a hen with white feathers.
A brown egg might be more nutritious than a white egg if the hen laying the brown egg was fed better feed. Ya see, THAT is how eggs get more nutrition packed into them . . . the feed. What the chicken eats is what affects the nutrition of an egg. When I was looking for information I saw many things that said organic is best and free range is best. This makes sense to me because eating food without a lot of chemicals on it seems to be better for all of us and being able to eat what is natural is another thing that seems to be best. So an organic egg would mean that the chicken’s diet did not have a lot of chemicals on it. A free range egg would mean that the chicken was able to roam free and eat what a chicken would naturally eat.
The eggs that I purchased claimed to have won awards for best taste. I don’t eat eggs plain so I don’t know that I can actually tell a better tasting egg. These eggs also claim that their hens are feed “an improved all-natural, all-vegetarian diet with no animal fats or animal by-products.” The inside of the carton continues to say that the no hormones are added to the laying hens’ diets and no antibiotics are “used in the production of the Egg-land’s Best eggs.”
Now a hen’s natural diet would include insects. I don’t know if insects are considered ok in a vegetarian diet or if these hens don’t actually get any insects. But according to the packaging the diet fed to these chickens makes the eggs high in vitamins D, B12, and E. Also the were able to produce eggs with 25% less saturated fat than regular eggs. The pretty packaging claims there is 115 mg of Omega 3 and 200 mcg of Lutein. At this point there is no RDA for either nutrient, but Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid that cannot be produced in the body. Lutein acts as an antioxidant which helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. So eggs containing these two nutrients seem like a better choice to me.
The Egg-Land’s Best claims their diet is patented. From what I have seen in looking around, in order to produce Omega 3 enhanced eggs the hen’s would have to be feed flax seed or fish oils. I am thinking that fish oil would make the diet not vegetarian. Some things I glanced at in looking into this topic suggested that eggs produced by hens who had fish oil as part of their diet produced a fishy tasting egg. Again, not sure about that, but it make me giggle.
I just think it is interesting that the only way to produce a more nutritious egg is to feed the hens better nutrition. Kind of telling, yes?
Posted in Food | Tagged: additional nutrients in eggs, antibiotics, antioxidant, antioxident, brown eggs vs. white eggs, egg nutrition, Egglands Best, hen diet, hormones, Lutein, Nutrients in eggs, Omega 3, Omega 3 egg, patented diet, RDA, Vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 27, 2011
I would not be surprised to learn that I was one of the last people to learn about beer bread. This past June I was at my mom’s and she said she would whip up some beer bread. As much as I love bread I have never tried to make it because, yeast is a scary mystery to me. So I was curious as to how she was going to “whip” it up. I knew that to mean quick and not whipped like whipping cream so I wondered how that could be done. Yeast has to set, right? She and my niece did it and I was amazed and thrilled. It is so easy. There are really thousands of sites on the internet that have beer bread recipes. I found that out when I went looking for recipes that call for “self-rising” flour.
Most of the recipes — the easy ones are 3 cups of self-rising flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 12 ounces of beer. Bake at 375°F for about an hour. The first time I made it I actually handled the dough too much and I think it came out tough. I had mixed it a lot then, had a hard time putting it in the pan. It kind of sticks to whatever you use to try to push it to the corners of the pan. Then AFTER I had spent some time fitting it into the pan I realized I should have greased the pan so I popped the dough out, greased the pan, and spent a considerable amount of time getting the dough back into the corners. Kinda made it tough.
The next time I was careful NOT to play with the dough so much. And it came out better. Plus I used less sugar. I know it is only three tablespoons, but it makes the bread too sweet for my tastes so I probably used about a tablespoon less. I added salt (yeah, I did), garlic, and cheese. I used Asiago because that is what I had and I wanted something with a gentle bite to it. It turned out REALLY good.
I am not sure if I made it again before this very last time. Hmmmmm . . . . can’t remember. I don’t think so. Even though I love bread, my hubby is not so much the bread fan, so that means I end up eating most of it and I don’t need to do that. Even though I love that fact that there are less chemicals and stuff in this bread it is still an uber refined carb and I can always use to eat less of those!
This last time I made it with two tablespoons of sugar. I have yet to pour the butter on top as most recipes instruct. My hubby and I usually put butter on it so I don’t feel we need to have double butter. In this batch I used garlic salt, garlic powder, and marjoram. I love marjoram. So I sprinkled some into the dough. It is good. It could even do with more marjoram. I just wasn’t sure so I did use a lot, but now I know it works I can put more in. You can barely see the flakes in the bread.
I still want to try it with other herbs. Or maybe even a heavier beer? And definitely even LESS sugar. I might even try eliminating the sugar all together. Since this really is a well-known recipe and I am thinking many of you have made it, what have you used? Have you added any other herbs? What typed of beer do you use? Have any of you tried it with a gluten free flour? Does it work?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: beer, beer bread, bread, bread recipe, easy recipe, garlic bread, herb bread, herbs in beer bread, marjoram, refined carb, self-rising flour, sugar, yeast | 2 Comments »
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