One Step At a Time...
You Can Go Meatless
For All Three Meals
Don’t
Judge a Vegetable by its Lack of Color
“Eat the
rainbow.” You’ve heard nutrition professionals say it over and
over again when advising the public about making healthy choices in
produce. What they’re really want to emphasize is variety and it is
best to eat an array of colors in order to maximize nutrient intake.
But, researchers are beginning to find that white vegetables often go
overlooked, and color may not be the only indicator of nutritional
quality. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate
recognizes two vegetable subcategories on the basis of color... green
and red/orange;no distinction is given to white vegetables, even
though they also appear to play an important role in the
phytochemical rainbow.
White
Veggies Have Health Benefits
In
June 2012, a group of scientists met at Purdue University to address
the common misconceptions and fallacies surrounding white vegetables.
The scientists concluded that increasing the intake of white
vegetables such as cauliflower, kohlrabi, onions, white mushrooms,
and white potatoes can notably increase the consumption of key
nutrients lacking in the American diet, such as potassium, magnesium
and fiber.
Not only that,
intake of white vegetables has been linked to a variety of health
benefits, ranging from reduced inflammation and “bad” cholesterol
levels to promoting heart health and cancer protection.
Potatoes
in Particular
Many
misguided efforts to reduce the consumption of “white foods”—such
as white bread and white sugar—in recent years have given potatoes
a bad name. However, potatoes should not be relegated to a category
of low-nutrient foods. Potatoes, the most popular American vegetable,
serves as an important source of vegetable intake as a whole. And
when they are heated and cooled, such as in potato salad, potatoes
provide a good source of resistant starch, a form of fiber that can
aid in weight and blood sugar control. The humble potato (along with
beans) gives you the most nutritional bang for your buck when it
comes to potassium and fiber content compared to dark-green and
deep-yellow vegetables, according to a study published in May of
2013. However, potatoes are moderately high in carbohydrates (1 small
baked potato has 29 grams, about the same amount found in a medium
bagel half), so should be consumed in moderation.
Healthy Meatless Recipe:
SB
Vegetable Moussaka
(Adapted
from Epicurious)
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs), ends trimmed, cut widthwise into 1/4-inch thick rounds
- 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15-oz) can lentils, drained
- 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly coat eggplant slices with cooking spray and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until softened and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, and their juices, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- While eggplant and lentils are cooking, in a medium bowl, whisk together half-and-half, eggs, 2 tblsp of the cheese, and nutmeg.
- Lightly coat an 8- by 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread half of the lentil mixture over the top. Repeat with remaining eggplant and lentil mixture, ending with a layer of eggplant. Pour half-and-half mixture over vegetables and sprinkle with remaining 2 tblsp cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake moussaka, covered, 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until heated through and golden on top. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
- Serves 4.
Tasty
Side Dish
Roasted
Radishes
(Sent
in by Patrick Quinn from Spoon Fork Bacon )
Ingredients:
- 2 bunches radishes, cleaned, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/2 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and toss together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread radishes onto a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until radishes have crisped and browned around the edges and have become almost fork tender.
- Lightly adjust seasonings and finish with lemon zest, if desired.
- Serves 3-4.
Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
Healthy Weekly Motivator
Re-Think
Negative Thoughts
Negative
thoughts are normal; however, it is a person’s response or reaction
to these thoughts that is most important. Because our behaviors are
often motivated by our thoughts, negative thoughts can undermine our
efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The good news is that if we
take the time to identify these thoughts, we can learn to “talk
back” and react to them in a more positive way.
Remember
Green Goes With Everything
Go
Green with Natural Products
Environmentally
Friendly products from Melaleuca gives your family greater peace of
mind through safer, more effective cleaning products, vitamin
supplements, personal products, cosmetics, medicines and more! My
other Wellness Company; contact me for more information.
Have a great week and remember a better tomorrow starts with what you eat today!
Do you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us? Send it my way!
Wishing you health and wellness from the inside out,
Lisa
LQ WELLNESS
Professional Wellness Coach
973-383-0955
lisaquinnwc@embarqmail.com
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness
Like me on Facebook
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“A
pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees
the opportunity in every difficulty.”
~Winston
Churchill~
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