vegetables Archives - Eat Out Eat Well

Vegetables In Restaurants Might Not Be Low Calorie As You Think

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:22:52 +0000

Welcome to week #2 of the lose a pound a week challenge. This week’s tips focus on how to save calories when you eat out.

Are you afraid to eat out for fear of “blowing your diet” or because you think there aren’t good choices to be had? Are you tired of hearing that you shouldn’t go to restaurants if you want to control what you eat?

Choices

You can choose to eat out and eat well. It’s all in the choice that you make.

Your first choice is when you select which restaurant to go to (do you want grilled fish or a huge plate of pasta). The second round of choices come when you’re inside the door and confronted with the menu, the breadbasket, and the portions.

No Trauma

Don’t let the thought of eating out be traumatic. Restaurants exist to serve you meals and it is up to you to choose which one to go to and what you will eat when you get there.

Eating well and eating lean does have to be complicated. The simpler the better.

Make sure you have lean protein from meat, fish, vegetable, dairy, or grain sources. Look for healthy fat sources like olive oil and avocado. Grains should be whole grains. Aim to fill ½ to ¾ of your plate with food from plants.

If you’re not certain how something is prepared or would prefer to have something that is prepared differently, just ask. Most restaurants are accommodating when asked nicely (and not at their busiest hour). They might even suggest something that is not on the menu.

Week 2, Tip #1: Vegetables Are Amazing But Beware The Oil Slick

Steamed veggies may not always be the most delicious. To make them taste better, chefs often finish them off with butter or rinse them with oil to amp up flavor before they’re brought out to your table (and the sheen from the fat makes them look prettier). Sometimes veggies and salads are tossed with bacon or bacon drippings to make them taste good — but without mentioning it on the menu.

Softer vegetables like mushrooms, or veggies with soft insides, like eggplant, absorb more fat than harder vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips.

You can always ask to have your vegetables served “dry” or look for pickled vegetables – they’ll be higher in sodium, but low in fat.

And remember, you also always ask if you can substitute a vegetable for potatoes, rice, or pasta. Most restaurants will agree.

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Were You Told To Eat Your Fruit And Veggies?

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 04:31:08 +0000

Do you remember being told, “Eat your fruit and vegetables?” I certainly was told that – and I said the same thing to my kids.

I’ve been watching members of my own family – who cover almost a century in age range – happily eat their fruit and vegetables. Over the past few days I’ve watched a 16 month old gobble up his banana and eat half an avocado giving greater preference to them rather than to his French toast or chicken and pasta. A three year old went for the blueberries and strawberries decorating her “happy face pancakes” before touching anything else and loves to put blackberries on the tips of her fingers and eat them one by one.

At the other end of the age spectrum, my 95 year old Aunt and 92 year old Mother, raised on a farm, rely on their fruit and vegetables as the mainstays of their diets. My Aunt wanted me to take a banana home to the 16 month old and my Mom routinely brings fruit when she visits her sister.

No one is vegetarian – everyone just naturally prefers a plant-based diet. They do couple their fruit and veggies with meat, fish, dairy, grains, and a whole lot of nuts — and they do have occasional desserts. What they eat is a Mediterranean style diet – but they wouldn’t describe it as such. It’s just what goes on the table and what they eat and enjoy. For my Mom and her sister, two out of 13 children, that’s a lot of fruit and veggie nutrients over close to a century’s worth of time.

Why Eating Fruit And Veggies Is A Good Idea

They may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases; help control blood pressure and prevent heart disease and stroke; help to avoid diverticulitis; and guard against two common causes of vision loss, cataracts and macular degeneration.

They have a mellowing effect on blood sugar levels that can help keep your appetite in check.

They provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other substances that are important for good health.

Most of them are filling and are naturally low in fat and calories.

They taste good and look great on your plate.

How Much Produce Should You Eat?

Not counting potatoes—which should be considered more of a starch than a vegetable—the average American eats just three servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Dietary guidelines call for 5 to 13 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (2½ to 6½ cups), depending on your caloric intake. A person who needs 2,000 calories a day would need 9 servings, or 4½ cups a day (remember, potatoes don’t count). Aim for a variety of types and colors to give your body the mix of nutrients it needs. The more colorful, the greater the rainbow, the better the nutrition for your body.

Love The Rainbow

Red fruit and vegetables get their color from the pigments lycopene and anthocyanin. Lycopene, found in produce like tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, especially prostate cancer.

Anthocyanins, found in strawberries, raspberries, red grapes, and other fruits and vegetables, are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and help with heart health.

Orange and yellow fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called carotenoids. Beta-carotene, found in sweet potatoes, pumpkins and carrots, is converted to vitamin A which helps maintain healthy eyes and mucous membranes. Carotenoid-rich foods can also help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer and can improve immune system function.

Chlorophyll, a natural plant pigment, gives green fruit and vegetables their color. Some greens — like spinach, dark leafy greens, green peppers, peas, cucumbers, and celery — contain lutein which works with zeaxanthin– found in corn, red peppers, oranges, grapes and egg yolks — to help keep your eyes healthy and reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Indoles in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and other cruciferous veggies help protect against some types of cancer. Leafy greens, spinach, and broccoli are great sources of folate, a B vitamin that helps reduce risk of birth defects.

Blue and purple fruit and vegetables get their color from natural plant pigments called anthocyanins, like those found in blueberries and grapes. They are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage and may help reduce risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Blueberry consumption has also been linked with improved memory function and healthy aging.

White fruit and vegetables, colored by pigments called anthoxanthins, contain allicin — which might help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and possibly help reduce the risk of stomach cancer and heart disease.

A Cup Is A Cup Except . . .

A cup is a household measuring cup for most fresh or cooked vegetables and fruits. Two exceptions to that rule: for lettuce and other raw leafy greens, you need to eat 2 cups to get the equivalent of 1 cup of vegetables and for dried fruit, you only need to eat ½ cup to get the equivalent of 1 cup of fruit.

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Do You Want To Eat Delicious Food That’s Amazingly Healthy – and Manage Your Weight, Too?

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 04:21:06 +0000

Sunday afternoon meal in Ancient Epidaurus, Greece

Eat Like A Greek . . .

or like others who live in Mediterranean countries. I was born and raised in New York City and grew up eating a Mediterranean-type diet at home. My father is Greek and I went to Greek day school so this type of eating pattern was what I knew. It was our way of life — not a studied, intentional choice. We ate lots of olive oil, fish, vegetables, and cheese — the mainstay was feta in brine from the barrel in the Greek grocer’s across the street from the Greek church. Olives came that way too, straight from the barrel, straight from Greece. And, we spent a lot of time eating with family – and friends of the family.

But, living in NYC and hanging out with my neighborhood friends, that healthy diet became infused with “staples” of the standard American diet. That infusion came in the form of food like bagels, butter for the bagels, burgers, English muffins, the occasional coca cola, egg creams, cheese Danish, movie theater candy, and Velveeta (for grilled cheese made with soft white bread). In NYC there was always the attraction of pizza (sold by the slice) and Good Humor trucks for that after dinner summer treat. All in all, not too bad — in large part because, at that time, there wasn’t a fast food shop on every corner and eating between meals wasn’t a common (or acceptable) practice.

I just returned from a family trip to Greece and after eating food straight from the farm and fished from the sea, I’m convinced (and this is backed up by many research studies) that the diet I grew up on – the Mediterranean diet — is an extremely healthy dietary pattern and a very healthy way of life.

The Mediterranean Diet Is A Way Of Life

Dietary data from the Mediterranean region show that people who follow a Mediterranean dietary pattern have the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy. The health benefits are backed up by more than 50 years of epidemiological and experimental research.

The Mediterranean dietary pattern is not the type of restrictive program that we usually think of when we think “diet.” It’s a way of life – even the Greek word for diet, diaita, means way of life.

Traditional Mediterranean meals, the kind eaten for thousands of years by people who live in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, are filled with fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes; bread, pasta, rice, semolina and other grains; nuts and seeds; copious amounts of extra virgin olive oil; lesser amounts of fish, poultry, eggs, and even smaller amounts of lean red meat; cheese and yogurt; and moderate amounts of wine, usually red.

The “Mediterranean diet” (very similar to the Dash diet for high blood pressure) doesn’t have a strict list of allowed/not allowed foods. It’s a dietary pattern of lots of plant foods; small amounts of fish, dairy, and animal protein; and very few saturated fats. Physical activity is a given as is leisurely dining with friends and family in pleasant surroundings with everyone taking pleasure in their meals. Even with plenty of healthy fats and some alcohol, weight problems are not common.

Why Is The Mediterranean Lifestyle A Good Choice?

The Mediterranean lifestyle – including foods, activities, meals with friends and family, and wine in moderation with meals — has been studied and called one of the healthiest in the world. It is also a dietary pattern filled with delicious and flavor-filled food and meals. The health benefits are not from diet alone but from the whole package.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults showed that people who follow a Mediterranean diet have a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, a reduced incidence of cancer and cancer mortality, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Studies published in the medical journal BMJ and The New England Journal of Medicine showed that healthy people who follow a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and that a restricted calorie Mediterranean diet can be more effective for weight loss than a low fat diet.

An analysis of 50 studies linked the Mediterranean diet to lower odds of getting metabolic syndrome, a group of factors (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and abdominal fat) that increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

All of the fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, fish, olive oil, and some alcohol in the Mediterranean eating pattern provide an astounding number of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which, in combination with the Mediterranean lifestyle, produce health benefits that can’t be obtained from supplements.

Keys To The Mediterranean Way Of Eating and Living

Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains:  The majority of food is from plant sources: fruit, vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, rice, pasta, beans, nuts, and seeds. Greeks eat little red meat but average nine servings a day of fruit and vegetables – which may explain why the Mediterranean diet is associated with lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The majority of food should be a variety of minimally processed, locally grown (if possible), seasonal fruit and veggies (7 to 10 servings a day). Focus on whole-grain bread and cereal, rice, and pasta. Bread is important but is eaten plain or dipped in olive oil. The majority of grains are whole grains like wheat, oats, rice, rye, barley, and corn, best eaten in whole, minimally-processed forms.

Nuts:  Nuts are part of a Mediterranean lifestyle. They are high in fat — around 80% of their calories come from fat — but most of it isn’t saturated. Because nuts are high in calories, try not to eat more than a handful a day.

2500 year old olive tree in Nea Epidaurus, Greece

Healthy fats:  Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat that can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels, is the principal fat. “Extra-virgin” is the least processed and contains the highest levels of antioxidant protective plant compounds. Use olive or canola oil for cooking, too. The Mediterranean diet doesn’t focus on limiting fats, but on making smart choices. It does discourage eating saturated and trans fats (hydrogenated oils), which contribute to heart disease. Total fat should range from less than 25% to over 35% of calories with no more than 7 to 8% saturated fat.

Wine:  According to some research studies, alcohol, in moderation, is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. The Mediterranean diet includes a moderate amount of wine, usually red — no more than 5 ounces daily for women (or men over 65), and no more than 10 ounces daily for men under 65 (unless there are reasons not to drink). If you don’t drink alcohol, you don’t have to start. Purple grape juice might have some similar benefits (although it is high in sugar).

Dessert and Sweets:  Eat sweets in small portions. Fresh fruit is the usual daily dessert and the typical way to end a meal. Desserts and sweets with a significant amount of sweetener, usually honey, should be eaten only a few times a week.

Herbs And Spices:  Herbs and spices add flavor and aroma and reduce the need for salt and/or fat. They also contain a broad range of health-promoting antioxidants. They’re used liberally and contribute to the dishes that differentiate the various Mediterranean cuisines.

Fish and Poultry: Have moderate amounts of fish and poultry once or twice a week (fish is favored over poultry). Healthy choices include cold-water fish: fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring. Eat your fish grilled or sautéed, not fried, in a small amount of olive oil.

Meat:  Eat lean red meat only a few times a month – no more than once a week for animals with four legs. Substitute fish and poultry for red meat. Poultry is a good source of lean protein without the high levels of saturated fat found in some cuts of red meat. Keep meat portions small (about the size of a deck of cards) and avoid sausage, bacon, and other high-fat meats. With ground meat, choose 90 percent lean/10 percent fat.

Low fat dairy: Eat cheese and yogurt daily, but in low to moderate amounts. The calcium in cheese and yogurt is important for bone and heart health. Limit high fat dairy products like whole or 2% milk and full fat yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. Switch to non-fat, skim, and 1% products when possible.

Eggs:  A good source of high-quality protein, eat up to seven eggs a week – this number includes those used in baking and cooking.

Regular Physical Activity:  Daily physical activity is important for overall good health. This includes strenuous exercise like running and aerobic activity as well as slower-paced activities like walking, housework, yard work, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Seaside tables in Gythio, Greece

Meals with Family and Friends: A key component of the Mediterranean lifestyle is sharing and enjoying meals with family and friends of all ages. Don’t rush through meals but sit and enjoy both the food and the company.

Make It your Own

There’s no single Mediterranean diet. Countries and regions customize the basic diet by taking advantage of locally available food and the cultural preferences of that geographic region.

The Mediterranean diet is a prescription for good health. Aside from all of the other health benefits, there might be a weight advantage because being physically active and eating a nutritious diet of mostly filling and satisfying whole foods can help with weight management.

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy, enjoyable lifestyle and dietary plan that is easy to follow, flexible, and best of all, good for you. It doesn’t matter where you live. Locally sourced foods are best, but if your only choice is to buy more plant-based foods and fish in the supermarket, that’s still a step in the right direction. Try making small changes – each change is incremental and starts to add up. Just don’t forget to eat delicious fresh food, move around, eat leisurely, and share your eating experience with friends and family.

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Sneaky, Sneaky Vegetables

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:47:31 +0000

Some people just don’t like vegetables. Some people even refuse to try certain kinds – sometimes on principle. Although I believe that people should try things before they decide they don’t like them and, in general, I’m not in favor of sneaking stuff into food, I think there’s a big upside, for both kids and adults, to hiding veggies in other dishes.

What’s The Upside Of The Stealth Maneuver?

The reason to be subversive: to increase the amount of vegetables (which most of us don’t eat enough of) for (1) health and for (2) calorie control.

There is science behind hiding veggies along with serving them solo. According to a recent study, when preschoolers were fed foods lightened up by adding hidden pureed vegetables they increased their daily vegetable intake between 50 and 73 percent. Amazingly, the kids said the foods had similar taste whether there were no added vegetables or there was triple or quadruple added vegetable content. And, they ate 12% fewer calories eating food with the quadrupled vegetables compared to the food with no added vegetables.

The criticism is that kids won’t ever develop a taste for veggies on their own if you hide them But, there’s no reason to favor one method over the other. Try camouflaging veggies, but serve them in plain sight, too. Think of the deception as a healthy choice.

It Isn’t Just For Kids

There are plenty of adults who don’t eat enough veggies – or who don’t eat them at all. Certainly not a healthy strategy. Research supports hiding vegetables in foods is good for adults, too. The hidden veggies increase fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. And, what a bonus way to cut calories! Like the kids, adults find no significant differences in fullness or taste.

What To Do

The possibilities are enormous. Try experimenting with recipes to find out what works best. Try adding grated, diced, mashed, or pureed vegetables to some dishes. Or dump in a jar of already pureed baby vegetables. There’s no reason adults can’t eat them, too.

To be really subversive, try to match the color of the added vegetable to the color of the food you’re putting it into. For example, it’s hard to see pureed cauliflower in mac and cheese or some types of squash in meatballs, meatloaf, or meat sauce.

Some Easily Hidden Vegetables

These are some vegetables that have a high “sneaky quotient” – in other words, they combine nicely and go undercover pretty easily:

Carrots
Sweet potatoes
Zucchini
Green beans
Spinach
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Squash
Tomatoes
Black/red beans
Peas
Chickpeas
Lima beans
Eggplant

Any other suggestions?

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Let A Baseball Be Your Guide

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:21:45 +0000

It’s awfully hard to gauge how much food you’re putting on your plate – and even more difficult to figure out how much you’re popping into your mouth when you eat directly from a multi-serving bag of food.

Portion size is critical to managing your weight. One helpful idea is to use commonplace objects as visual guides to “guesstimate” portion sizes.

One Cup Is About The Size Of A Baseball

The suggested serving size for many food items, particularly produce, is a cup. (The suggested portion size for many denser items, like pasta, rice, or ice cream is a half a cup, so two servings – which is what, at least, most of us eat, would equal a cup.)

A Baseball, Not A Softball

A cup is about the size of a baseball – a baseball, not a softball. So a cup of cooked greens, a cup of yogurt, a cup of beans, or a cup of cantaloupe should all look like the size of a baseball – but with obviously different calorie counts due to the food’s individual differences in food density and energy (calories).

Here are a few more of the CDC’s examples of one-cup servings:

1 small apple

1 medium grapefruit

1 large orange

1 medium pear

8 large strawberries

1 large bell pepper

1 medium potato

2 large stalks of celery

12 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots

1 large ear of corn

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Can You Lead A Fruit Fly to Vinegar (or wine)?

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:06:35 +0000

Walk into your kitchen – and there they are — swarming around your ripening peaches or bananas. Don’t those eighth of an inch little red-eyed fruit flies (but really, can you get up front and personal to see their red eyes?) drive you nuts?

Where, oh where, did they come from – and how did they multiply from zero to hordes in no time at all?

Where Did They Come From?

Those fruit flies that can turn into a legion almost instantaneously, initially come from outdoors. They prefer a diet of yeast, a microbe that eats fruit and spits out alcohol. They don’t like unripe fruit.

They can be a problem all year but are really common in late summer and fall because of their attraction to ripe or fermented fruit and vegetables that are brought in from the garden. They’re common in homes, restaurants, supermarkets — any place food can rot and ferment.

Produce like tomatoes, melons, squash, and grapes from the garden are often the cause of an indoor infestation. They’re also really attracted to ripe bananas, potatoes, onions, and unrefrigerated produce you buy at markets or grocery stores.

They also can breed in drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash containers, mops and cleaning rags. They only need a moist film of fermenting material to set up house..

Can You Still Eat The Non-Yucky Parts of Infested Produce?

Have you ever wondered if you can cut away the yucky part of the fruit or vegetable that the fruit flies seem to like – and have it still be okay to eat? The answer is, you can.

Fruit flies lay their eggs near the surface of fermenting foods or moist, organic materials. After they emerge, the larvae continue to feed near the surface. This means that if you want, you can cut away the damaged or over-ripe sections of fruits and veggies without having to throw away the rest for fear of harboring any lingering larvae.

The reproductive ability of fruit flies is huge; given the right conditions they can lay about 500 eggs. The entire life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in about a week. According to Discovery.com, someone went to the trouble of calculating that in one year one pair of flies (calculated at only 100 eggs per female) could produce a dynasty that, packed in a ball, would fill the void between the Earth and the Sun.

Are They Harmful?

Fruit flies are mainly nuisance pests – but they do have some potential to contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-producing organisms.

Most agricultural products contain a few insects or insect parts but, due to Department of Agriculture regulations, the levels are kept very low which is deemed not to equate to being unsanitary or unhealthy.

How To Keep Them From Flying Around Your Kitchen

The best thing to do is eliminate the prime attractions. Ripe produce should be used, thrown out, or refrigerated. Cracked or damaged parts of fruit and veggies should be cut away and thrown out in case eggs or larvae have set up house in the wounded area. A rotting potato or onion languishing in the back of a cabinet or fruit juice that has spilled and seeped under the refrigerator can breed thousands of fruit flies. Other potential breeding grounds are sink drains, garbage pails, food compactors, and recycling bins that are infrequently emptied or cleaned. Window and door screens help prevent adult fruit flies from coming in from outside.

Once You’ve Got ‘Em . . .

University of Kentucky Entomology

Fruit flies love cider vinegar – and, apparently, wine. The best approach to catching them seems to be by constructing a trap by putting a paper funnel (rolled from a sheet of notebook or other paper) into a jar that has a few ounces of (apple) cider vinegar in it. Put the jar trap(s) where you see the flies. If you heat up the vinegar in the microwave for about ten seconds it releases even more vinegar smell which the fruit flies seem to love. They fly through the cone into the vinegar and get trapped. Wine seems to work, too. Have you ever been outside holding a glass of wine, looked down and found a small fly bathing in it? Now you know one of the reasons why.

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Corn: Why You Shouldn’t Peek Under The Husk

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:16:47 +0000

It’s the height of corn season and my local farmers’ market is bursting at the seams with fresh ears of corn. Farmer’s tables are piled high with ears emptied from mesh bags pulled off their trucks. Corn, fresh from the farm. Awesome!

The tables are surrounded by people peeling down the husks and then tossing the corn either into their own bags or, when they find an ear that doesn’t hold up to their scrutiny – tossing it back, husk halfway peeled down.

What they don’t know is that they’re draining away that sugar sweet taste the minute their fingers start yanking the husk.

What To Look For

The best corn comes straight from the field and heads directly to the pot or grill. As soon as corn is picked its natural sugars start turning to starch – a process that can be slowed, somewhat, by refrigeration. It’s best to eat fresh corn right away – but if you can’t, store it in the fridge.

Although you can get white, yellow, or white and yellow corn, the color doesn’t have much to do with the sweetness. Taste is determined by how long it’s been off the stalk.

The husk of really fresh corn should be firm, fresh, and green-looking. The tassel, or silk, should be pale and silky, with a little brown at the top from sun discoloration.

Eyeball it — don’t strip it. Hold the ear in your hand: if it’s warm, it’s starting to turn to starch; if it’s still cool, it’s probably fresh. Don’t worry if you spot a worm or two — they go after the sweetest ears and usually only eat right around the top. It’s fine to just break that part off.

Ways To Cook Corn

Fresh, sweet corn needs to cook for only a few minutes.

On the stove: bring the water to a boil; drop in the shucked ears breaking them in two with your hands if the ears are too long (cutting them with a knife often crushes the kernels). Let the water return to a boil; boil hard for three to four minutes; remove immediately and serve (don’t let corn stay in the water).

In the microwave: shuck the ears; if you want, spread them with butter; cover closely with plastic wrap or waxed paper; microwave on full power about 2 ½ minutes per ear.

On the grill: Pull down the husks but don’t detach them; remove silks. Spread butter and salt on the kernels; pull the husks back up and twist closed. Grill the ears about fifteen minutes — turning frequently.

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Things That Grow Together Go Together

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:19:52 +0000

I have lots of tomatoes on my tomato plants: large ones, small ones, cranberry greenish heirlooms, and canary yellow ones. The voracious woodchucks and chipmunks (I watched a little Alvin wrestle a tomato off a plant on my deck, roll it across to the stairs, and then snag it in his mouth like a toddler carrying a giant beach ball) are feasting to their hearts’ content and there’s still a surplus.

An Experimental Mixture

Some unexpected company prompted me to use up some odds and ends in the fridge and to whittle down my tomato surplus.

Aside from my tomato overload, I had a big bowl of ripe peaches from the farmers market, lots of basil growing on the deck, and a hunk of feta cheese.

Do Things That Grow Together Go Together?

I had read somewhere that things that grow during the same growing season go together – an idea that my Mother, who grew up on a working farm, absolutely upholds. So, I figured if it’s peach and tomato season, why not try them together?

To go with a roasted chicken I picked up at the market, I made what turned out to be an absolutely delicious tomato, peach, feta, and basil salad.

Tomato, Peach, Feta, And Basil Salad

I didn’t use any precise measurements although the cut up amounts of tomatoes and peaches looked about equal.

Ingredients:

Equal amounts of tomatoes and ripe peaches cut into small chunks (I halved the larger grape and cherry tomatoes)
Crumbled feta cheese to taste
Fresh basil to taste
Salt
Balsamic vinegar

1. Core and seed the larger tomatoes

2. Chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, salt them, and let them drain

3. Remove the stones (pits) from the peaches and chop the peaches into bite-sized pieces about the same size as the tomatoes

4. Make a chiffonade of basil (cut it into thin strips)

5. Mix everything together

6. Add the crumbled feta

7. Mix again

8. Correct the salt and add balsamic vinegar if desired

9. Serve at room temperature

10. Refrigerate any leftovers – they’re great the next day as a type of tomato/peach salsa on fish, chicken, sandwiches or anything else you can think of.

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Pesticide In Your Food – Or Not

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 04:35:04 +0000

What has happened to the iconic apple? According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the apple is the produce item with the greatest amount of pesticide residue.

EWG’s 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce lists the Dirty Dozen, or the produce with the most pesticide residue (which they suggest buying organic), and the Clean Fifteen, the produce with the least residue.

Dirty Dozen

Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach
Imported Nectarines
Imported Grapes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Domestic Blueberries
Lettuce
Kale/Collard Greens

Clean Fifteen

Onions
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Avocado
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Mangoes
Eggplant
Domestic Cantaloupe
Kiwi
Cabbage
Watermelon
Sweet Potatoes
Grapefruit
Mushrooms

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How Many Carrots Are In A Portion?

Penny Klatell, PhD, RN — Tue, 31 May 2011 04:24:26 +0000

Good-bye pyramid, hello plate. The word is that the government’s food pyramid is going to be ditched for a plate shaped system that uses wedges for the basic food groups and a half a plate for fruit and vegetables.

Despite all of the information about why we should eat more fruit and vegetables, according to the State of the Plate: 2010 Study. from the Produce for Better Health Foundation, 93.6% of Americans don’t hit our vegetable target and 92.4% of us don’t reach our fruit target.

How Many Fruit And Veggies Should You Eat?

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines makes a point of telling us to increase our consumption. But, here’s a question for you: do you know how many carrots or grapes or broccoli florets are in a 1 or ½ cup serving? Probably not. How much do you need, anyway?

The recommended amount is going to vary depending on your age, gender, and level of activity. Go here for some general recommendations – or, trying filling up half of your plate.

Some Visual Portion Guidelines

But, it isn’t always so easy. What if you pack your lunch, grab lunch at a deli, or snag a piece of fruit off of the platter in the conference room? Or, maybe you eat out a lot and you want to guestimate the portion on your plate. Here are some general visual guidelines from the CDC:

One cup servings:

12 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots
1 large ear of corn
1 large sweet potato
1 medium potato
2 large celery stalks
1 large bell pepper
8 large strawberries
1 small watermelon wedge
1 large banana
1 small apple
1 large orange
1 medium pear

One-half cup servings:

16 grapes
1 large plum
1 small (1/4 cup) box of raisins
1 medium slice of cantaloupe
½ medium grapefruit
5 broccoli florets

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