25 Super Foods for Super Health Benefits

“Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”
…Hipprocrates

These foods give you maxim nutrition bang for your buck! The more foods you eat that are unprocessed, the higher their nutritive value all around. The foods listed here are loaded with antioxidants, a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals, as well as other disease-fighting ingredients. Be sure to choose U.S. grown and Certified Organic products as often as possible. These foods are not listed in any particular order:
1 – Salmon, wild and not farmed
2 – Citrus
3 – Old Fashioned Oats
4 – Banana
5 – Sweet Potato
6 – Asparagus
7 – Whole grains
9 – Smart Balance Margarine
10 – Extra Virgin Olive OIl
11 – Grapes (the darker the color, the better)
12 – Pumpkin
13 – Berries
14 – Mushrooms
15 – Yogurt with Live Cultures (cow, soy or rice milk)
16 – “Safe” Fish and Seafood (see www.healthcastle.com/fish-safe-eat.shtml)
17 – Nuts
18 – Tomato (Fresh and Cooked)
19 – Onions
20 – Tea
21 – Dried Beans
22 – Melon
23 – Spinach/Kale
24 – Apples
25 – Cocoa powder

Healthy eating,
Marianne

June Seasonal Produce Recipes

What a fabulous time of year with all the local produce and U.S. grown produce becoming available. One of the best things you can do for your health is to eat 1 or 2 raw fruits and the same of vegetables daily. Raw produce gives you optimum vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many other benefits.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Avocado Dressing
This wonderfully refreshing recipe is adapted from Good Housekeeping.
In a medium bowl, cut-up bite size chunks of ripe tomatoes, peeled cucumbers, as well as thinly sliced red onions. I also sometimes throw in some drained black olives and feta cheese,
Make the dressing by mashing a ripe avocado with 1 Tbs. milk or balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice, 1 Tbs. olive oil and salt/pepper to taste. Whisk till fluffy and add to salad, tossing gently. Serve immediately.

Peachy Fruit Medley
In each person’s dessert bowl, put your choice of chunks of fresh, peeled fruit such as apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew, nectarines and watermelon. Also good are blueberries and grapes. In a blender, puree 2-3 fresh peeled, sliced peaches with 1/2 Cup Cool Whip Lite. Serve over fruit.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

Healthiest & Lowest Carb Pasta Choices

According to an article in the April 2007 Prevention Magazine, titled “The Healthiest Carb You’re Not Eating”, there are great whole grain pasta choices out there for us. Most pasta is already a reasonable count on the Glycemic Index, often being below 55, so it is a very important carb food choice especially for us diabetics. Pasta is also easily digested, low in sodium and fat, so also very important to us suffering IBS and many other digestive diseases who can still tolerate wheat and gluten.

Here are the 4 recommended pasta brands in Prevention’s ranking of the best to almost best, #1 being the best:
#1 – Barilla Plus pasta is high in protein and made with several lower carb whole grains. Contains flaxseed for additional omega-3’s. Serve with any sauce, or cooked and added to a casserole.
#2 – De Cecco Whole Wheat pasta is high in fiber, low in calories. Does well when combined with a rich sauce.
#3 – Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta is a high quality wheat flour blend with additional wheat bran and fiber. Serve with hearty sauces like marinara.
#4 – 365 Organic Everyday Value Whole Wheat pasta has a stronger flavor and marries well with spicy sauces. Usually available at Whole Foods Markets.

For a detailed list of foods on the Glycemic Index, go to:
diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/glycemic_index.php”>
Healthy eating,
Marianne

Inside-Out Chicken and Stuffing Dinner

This is so good and so easy I just had to add it to my blog, even though it is not really low sodium, etc. unless you make the effort. Depending on the ingredients you use, this can be tummy friendly.

Lightly oil a 10×13 baking dish. Add 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1 can drained sliced mushrooms and 1 can drained green beans. Cover with 1 can cream of chicken, mushroom or golden mushroom condensed soup mixed with 2/3 can chicken broth. Top with a prepared box of any stuffing mix according to package directions and made with chicken broth or water. Cover and bake 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated 350F. degree oven. Uncover, sprinkle stuffing with grated cheddar or swiss cheese (cow or veggie type), and continue to bake 10 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and the sauce bubbles up around the stuffing. You can also check the “doneness” of the chicken with a meat thermometer: should be at least 160F. degrees,
Serves 4.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

5 Small Meals A Day Eating Plan

Based loosely on the Michael Thurmond diet plan, and the recommendation for diabetics to eat 5 small meals a day, here is the eating plan I have just started, and I think it is going to help control my blood sugar better, lessen my Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms, and hopefully I will lose some weight. I plan my meals to be about 2-1/2 to 3 hours apart although some days I can’t manage 5 meals, just too much food. I pack a meal with me when out running errands. I will keep you updated as I go along. On this plan, you are never hungry!

I am only using crystalline fructose as my sweetener, no sugar or sugared products, no sugar substitutes. But a little honey here and there. You can find crystalline fructose at health food stores, runs about $1.20 a pound, and can be used just like regular sugar, except that it is sweeter. I choose to eat foods listed as 55 or below on the Glycemic Index. Crystalline fructose lists at 22 on the GI. I am using pure foods, nothing processed. Here is a sample daily menu:

Breakfast: 1 fruit (usually a banana, apple, plum or orange)
1/2 C. V8 juice
1 cup of herbal tea with lemon and a bit of honey
2 oz. protein (turkey sausages,oatmeal or soy yogurt)
Meal #2: 1 fruit (usually a fruit I diid not already eat today)
2 oz. protein (sliced baked chicken, turkey, or fish)
A small piece sourdough bread/half baked potato or 1/2 C. rice/pasta (homemade sugarless sauce)
1 vegetable or dip (hummus, guacamole, salsa, salad, steamed asparagus or broccoli, etc)
Meal #3: Same as Meal # 2 with an extra vegetable but no bread or rice, etc.
Instead I treat myself to a sugarless dessert of some kind, one I have made with crystalline fructose.
Meal #4: Same as Meal #2 with no fruit, but an added veggie
Meal #5: 2 oz. protein
1 fruit
1 veggie

If you must have a bedtime snack, eat a piece of fruit.

Condiments and other sides I use: unlimited greens and green-skinned vegetables, lemon and lime juice, unsweetened juices and sugarless drinks, hot and iced tea, a little Smart Balance margarine, homemade tomato ketchup and spaghetti sauce, mustard, Eggbeaters, Mrs. Dash products, sugarless jam, soy and rice cheeses, soy and rice yogurt for sour cream, organic chicken and vegetable broths (they can be thickened for gravy), homemade soups, and real maple syrup for homemade pancakes. Sugarless is not the same as sugar-free, and the term emcompasses sugar substitutes as well..

Healthy eating,
Marianne

Food Related Articles Worth Noting

From today’s PARADE Magazine newpaper insert:

1 – “Suffering from seasonal allergies? How To Stop The Sneezing”, an article by one of my favorite sensibly-minded general family doctors, Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld. In it he mentions Four Ways to Help Allergies, among which is to try to avoid certain raw foods — like apples, pears and carrots –which contain a protein that resembles pollen and causes a reaction in people who have pollen allergies.
2 – “How To Jump-Start your Diet, Exercise alone won’t take off the weight”, an article by Michael O’Shea that makes these easy-to-do suggestions:
Trade your morning cereal for a bowl of hot oatmeal.
Eat an apple as a snack – it makes you feel full.
Make these easy food substitutions: Give up white bread for rye or pumpernickel. Trade chick peas for rice. Use lentils instead of pasta, plain popcorn instead of pretzels, sweet potatoes for white potatoes, apples for watermelon (too much sugar), strawberries for dates, and yogurt for ice cream.
For more information on these articles, go to parade.com.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

What Foods Can Really Help You Sleep?

According to the Mayo Clinic, here are some examples of foods that can help ease you to sleep:
1 – That Thanksgiving turkey we all wolf down is famous for making us want to nap. The reason is that it is full of Tryptophan, an amino acid that your body converts to melatonin and serotonin, both of which induce sleep. Mom was right on the mark with that warm milk before bedtime. Dairy foods are another good source of trytophan as well as peanuts, bananas, oats and poultry.
2 – Mayo also recommends eating a light bedtime snack that is mostly carbohydrate with a small amount of protein, as that combination is thought to increase the availability of trytophan to your brain.

Here are some examples they give of beneficial bedtime eats:
(A) Small bowl of oatmeal with low-fat milk
(B) Granola sprinkled yogurt
(C) Crackers with peanut butter, cheese or a slice of turkey on top
(D) A sliced apple and 1 ounce of cheese

To be sure of good night’s sleep, AVOID these foods like the plague!
Caffeine, alcohol (Frat house stupor not included), spicy foods and too much liquid without eating any solid food right before going to sleep.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

Seasonal Produce Ideas for May

This is a wonderful and exciting time of year for eating fresh and U.S. grown seasonal produce! And for planting your own. You can even grow your own fresh tomatoes in a pot in an apartment or on a small balcony. Herbs in a sunny windowsill can help spark up all your meals. Enjoy Nature’s bounty, and give a go at indulging yourself in growing your own food. It is so rewarding.

Artichokes, fava beans, green beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, new corn, dill, fennel, kale, Morel mushrooms, spring onions, Vadalia onions, parsley, peas, new potatoes, radish, sorrel, spinach, zucchini – Apricots, blackberries, cherries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew melon, peaches, raspberries, field rhubarb, strawberries, watermelon

Spring Dip and Veggies
Have the kids help make this, might perk up their often less than enthusiastic love of fresh veggies:
Mix together 1/2 C. sour cream, 1 C. plain unflavored yogurt, 1 package dry green onion dip mix and some finely chopped green onion. Add 1-2 drops green coloring for eye appeal. Serve with slices of celery, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, trimmed green onions and thinly sliced zucchini sticks. Offer colorful toothpicks on the side.

Spring Dip and Fruit
This is a kid favorite for sure. Mix together 1 carton strawberry yogurt with 1 C. Cool Whip lite and 1 C. crushed strawberries. This comes out a delightful delicate pink color.
Serve with drained canned pineapple chunks, cherries, strawberries, any other available berries and sliced peaches.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

Italian Lemon-Spinach Soup

This light and tasty soup is a wonderful springtime treat, especially good when fresh spinach becomes available.

In a bowl, beat together 1 C. egg substitute, 1 Tsp. crushed dried or fresh basil, 4 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese (cow, soy or rice based), juice of a fresh lemon, 1 Tsp. fresh or dried parsley, and 1/4 Tsp. white or black pepper. Set aside.
Bring 6 cups good quality chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, stir in either a thawed and drained package of chopped spinach or 8 C. fresh spinach that has been washed, trimmed and chopped–cook one minute. Very slowly add the egg substitute mixture into the hot soup, whisking constantly, so that egg threads form like a Chinese egg soup would.
Serve immediately with thin lemon slices.
Serves 6.

Healthy eating,
Marianne

Salmon Dip

This is so delicious, so nutritious and so easy to whip up, I make it about 2-3 times a month. You can use the recipe for a sandwich spread or dip of sorts, adding a little more mayonnaise or milk to thin it out some if desired. You can substitute canned tuna or other cooked fish like shrimp for the salmon.

Mash well with a fork: 1 pkg. or can boneless, cooked salmon (like the Charlie Tuna brand). Add 1/4 C. each finely chopped celery and green onion, 2 Tbs. sweet pickle relish, and 1/3 C. either my “Safe” mayonnaise or plain yogurt/sour cream (cow, soy or rice). Mix well. Try spreading on flavored crackers, in a pita bread sandwich, on a wrap, or as a dip with fresh raw veggies and chips.

Healthy eating,
Marianne