Archive for October, 2009
Control Blood Pressure w/ Whole Grains
A recent study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating whole grains helps cut your risk of high blood pressure. The study found that men who ate the most whole grains were 19% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who ate the least amount.
Whole grains are a healthy food that’s CHEAP. Plus they’re packed with fiber and B vitamins. You can buy grains in bulk and make big batches that will last you all week.
An easy way to get more whole grains in your diet is to switch to brown rice instead of white rice. White rice is basically the starchy center of brown rice (with all the nutrients removed). Go for the brown rice my friends!
Some other whole grains you can try are: amaranth, barley, buckwheat (kasha), quinoa (my favorite), oats, and millet.
TIP!
One of the things I learned when I was training to become a health counselor is the importance of really chewing your whole grains. The majority of whole grain digestion happens in your mouth where you chew and mix food with saliva. Chew your grains fully and give your body a chance to absorb all of the beneficial nutrients!
Fruit Popsicles!
This weekend I had a nice big breakfast with my family. After we were done eating, we had a small amount of leftover fruit salad. My Mom noticed that I had a plastic popsicle mold on top of the refrigerator and thought it was a good idea to blend up the rest of the fruit salad into popsicles. Great idea, right?
The leftover fruit salad had apples, oranges, banana, and raspberries in it. I put it in my blender and added some frozen strawberries and blackberries, organic vanilla yogurt, goji berries, and orange juice.
It made four popsicles with some leftover to save for a breakfast smoothie tomorrow morning. Check ‘em out friends!
Cheers, and I hope you had a great weekend!
Cold Weather Cravings
I don’t know about you, but when the weather gets colder, I start craving lots of warm, comforting foods. For many people, that means UNHEALTHY. But, it really doesn’t have to be. There are tons of healthy meals that you can make to nourish yourself during the cold months.
This weekend I was craving oatmeal. I couldn’t find any steel-cut oats in the neighborhood I was in, so I just bought regular old-fashioned oats and heated them up with some yummy fixings: plums, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and honey. Plus a few raspberries on top. It was warming and oh-so-comforting.
I also made a big batch of chili…but I forgot to take a picture of it before I scarfed it all down. (So use your imagination! haha)
Here’s a few other healthy recipes you can try to keep your body strong and warm during the cold months.
Wishing you a great week,
Laurel 
Eating Enough Garlic?
NY Times recently posted a short article checking this claim: “Garlic Can Be Helpful in Warding Off a Cold.” The good news is that there are some promising studies to support the claim. For example, a 2001 double-blind study found that healthy adults who took daily garlic supplements were less likely to get a cold and recovered faster when they did get sick.
Clearly, further research needs to be completed before the claim can be truly proven. But the Times reached this bottom line: “Research is limited, but it suggests that garlic may indeed help ward off colds.”
From my point of view, I’m a big garlic fan. Of course, I love the taste, but I also believe in its power to keep the immune system strong, lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of cancer, lower blood pressure, and heal candida or yeast infections.
Here are some of the easy ways to get garlic into your diet:
—Try this Roasted Garlic Spread recipe (mmmmm)
—Saute a clove of garlic with your daily serving of greens or other vegetables
—Add cloves of garlic to sauces, soups, stews, and chili
—Take a daily garlic supplement (especially during flu season)
—Have garlic for breakfast by adding a little to your eggs
See also my previous posts on garlic:
Chop or Crush Garlic Before Cooking
Fall Fruit and Yummy Squash
So, I tried out of the spaghetti squash recipe from VitalJuice and it was sooooo good! I think spaghetti squash is one of the easiest squashes to prepare. Plus, the fresh basil in this recipe was just divine. I definitely recommend it for a healthy dish you can whip up for dinner during the week. Here’s a picture of how it turned out (I put a ton of avocado in mine.)
On the same night, I made a big fruit salad to eat on all week. I tried to pick fruits that are in season right now and I think it came out really delicious. The organic apples were CRAZY good.
Fall Fruit Salad
2 organic ambrosia apples
2 asian pears
2 nectarines
2 navel oranges
2 black plums
3/4 cup pomegrantate juice
Directions:
Chop up the fruit into bite-size pieces and toss together in a bowl. Drizzle the pomegranate juice on top and stir to mix. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Pomepure Pomegranate Juice
The marketing team for Pomepure pomegranate juice recently sent me a sample bottle to try out and review. I happily agreed, because I LOVE pomegranate juice!
Pomepure is 100% all natural pomegranate juice with NO artificial coloring, additives, added sugar, or added water. I really liked the taste of the juice and was surprised at how sweet it was. Pomegrantes can be very tart, but this stuff was nice and sweet.
Here’s a few pictures I took of the juice. I like to drink mine out of a stemless wine glass. ; )
I really liked the Pomepure juice and would certainly try it out again. I don’t think it’s widely available in stores yet, but you can purchase it by the case on the Pomepure website.
This is a great time of year to eat pomegranates because they’re in season for Fall. Pomegranates have impressive health benefits including: strengthening fertility, lowering systolic blood pressure, improving blood flow, and reducing your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s a few previous posts I’ve written on pomegrantates and pom juice.
14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol
Pomegranate Juice Improves Fertility
Spaghetti Squash & Blog Carnivals
As you know, I’m lovin’ the fruits and veggies in season this Fall. I picked up a spaghetti squash yesterday and have been looking around for something fun to do with it (besides eating it plain with a fork and some salt and pepper).
Thanks to my school’s twitter page (@NutritionSchool), I just found a delightful spaghetti squash recipe from VitalJuice. I can’t wait to try it out. I mean, any recipe with garlic, basil, and avocados is almost guaranteed to win my heart. Check it out here:
Spaghetti Squash Tossed w/ Olive Oil, Avocado, & Parmesan
Doesn’t that sound so yummy? I’ll let you know how it is once I try it out this weekend or early next week. Thanks to VitalJuice for the drool-worthy recipe!
On another note, I found out that a few of my blog posts made it on some recent blog carnivals. “Easy Marinara Sauce” was featured on the Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival 120 and “What’s in Season?” was featured on A Carnival of Everything Home 12 and the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival – 7th Edition. Check ‘em out folks!
Wishing you a great weekend!
