Almonds Matter

Since I wrote about walnuts, I find it only fair to discuss almonds- another popular tree nut- as I don't want to discriminate; I don't have a favorite nut. I love all nuts!

Almonds, as walnuts, are also nutritionally dense. They are a great source of manganese, vitamin E, and magnesium among others (potassium and fiber.) The World's Healthiest Foods

Nuts, in general, are high in total fat. On average, 1 oz nuts equals 200 calories and 17 grams of fat (plus or minus.) HOWEVER, all fats are NOT created equally and almonds (among others) are mostly monounsaturated fats! This is a good thing and heart healthy! So eat up! Choose unsaturated fats over saturated fats. (Saturated fats can increase your LDL- your bad cholesterol- which can promote atherosclerosis and heart disease.) As always, remember portion control. 1/4 MAX nuts per day! (They are still calorically dense!)

Almond Facts!

Are You Nutty? Walllllll- nutty?!

Walnuts are high in omega 3 fatty acids, although not the same type of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish. Research is still examining the effects of ALA omega 3 fatty acids in humans. If you are a vegetarian (who doesnt eat fish) than walnuts are just one way to get a source of omega 3 fatty acids.



Walnuts are also high in antioxidants.

Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Antioxidant substances include

• Beta-carotene
• Lutein
• Lycopene
• Selenium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E

Antioxidants are found in many foods. These include fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, and some meats, poultry and fish.

(Courtesy Medline Plus.)

Walnuts also contain protein, fiber, monounsaturated fats, magnesium and phosphorus.

Check out cool Walnut site!

Low Carbon Diet

I was lucky this week to be able to attend The First Annual Green Film Festival at Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Ma this past week. It was put on by some sponsors (yada yada. I'm not here to promote them, although I must say it was a grand time!) There were four short movies followed by a panel discussion. There were four parts- water (your liquid), food (your meals), plastic (your containers/bags), and wood (your house)- on how to essentially live eco-friendly. During one of the panel discussions someone (I wish I remember who) said something ....'go on a low-carbon diet!" Ah ha! That piqued my interest. The wheels start churning. The smoke comes pouring out. What is one diet that I can recommend and stand by 100%?! Answer: THE LOW CARBON DIET! Yesssss! (Hooray! Cheers!) :)

I came across this website awhile ago that helps to calculate your carbon emissions. Check it out- Low Carbon Diet Calculator.

Anyway, I learned a couple of interesting things while attending this festival. I knew that you could recycle your Brita filters at Whole Foods (Recycle Your Brita Filters!), but I didn't know you can recycle plastic bags! Rather, I didn't trust in the fact that if you bring your bags to Whole Foods Market they will actually collect and recycle them rather than toss them in the garbage (assuming like everybody else!) Whole Foods is the first (I believe) to also stop using plastic bags at the register. And surprisingly, they have not increased their use of paper bags (per Lee Kane, Whole Foods Market EcoCzar and Forager, who was on one of the panels!) If you don't already, use recyclable bags! (Evils of the plastic bag! More evils!)

Somebody in the audience made a comment "you're better off eating a salad in a hummer than beef in a prius." Google it. You'll come across some interesting blogs and comments. It really gets you thinking. What are you eating? Where are you eating it? Where did it come from? How am I preparing it? Somebody on the panel suggested eating beef less often to help reduce the carbon footprint rather than unrealistically advising Americans to give up beef. I wanted to stand up and shout out "Less beef and less carbon?! Yes! Buuuuuut, it also means fewer calories and less saturated fat intake for a healthier environment AND a healthier you!" I refrained, sadly! :)

I've always been an advocate of shopping locally and eating in season. There is a documentary (No Impact Man) out about a man and his family who experiment being eco-friendly for one year. This means being vegetarian, not riding on buses or taking a taxi, no TV, etc. It's an interesting concept. On the other hand, I'm not sure all of us could afford to be extremists. So what is there left to do? Anything! Something! A little goes a long way! Buy locally. (Read labels!!!) Buy foods in season. Visit your local farm! Again, a little goes a long way!

Food for thought! Enjoy your low carbon diet!

Are We Headed in the Right Direction?

Just thought I would share a website I stumbled upon. Check out a few pretty cool graphs on the growth and changes in the organic industry from 1997 to 2008. It's quite interesting!

Also, here's a pdf file depicting the percentage of sales by top companies from 1990 to 2004 of various food divisions.

And, from the same website, a time-line chart on outbreaks of E.coli in our food system ranging from 1993 to 2008.

Food for thought- is the US food industry headed in the right direction?!

Everything Autumn Part 4

I realize that we are quickly creeping into the middle of October and before we know it Autumn will be gone; I can't let the mention of football season surpass the season of Autumn. The start of Autumn is always associated, in my mind, with football season. Once a week every week for 16 weeks (20 weeks if you count pre-season) is the excitement and anticipation of a new game. Nothing says Autumn better like a great game of football with a great cup of chili! I personally love Vegetarian Chili and there are many varieties. My recipe is as follows:

Vegetarian Chili
at least two 15oz cans of black beans, pinto beans, red/kidney beans (and/or any other variety of beans that are in my cupboard at time of preparation)
fresh carrots
green onions
at least two of the following peppers: red, yellow, orange, green (include hot varieties if you like them!)
Chili powder
black pepper
red pepper
Cumen
Cayene
Garlic
(Any other hot spices in my cupboard at the time of preparation)
Cheese (mozzarella or vegan or any other variety you enjoy)
(If needed, water and/or vegetable broth)

Take your large soup pot and put it on the stove. Open, drain, and rinse canned items (except tomatoes.) Put in pot. Rinse, clean, peel, and/or chop fresh vegetables. Put in pot. Add spices to taste. (If needed you can add a few tbsp of vegetable broth or water to provide a little additional liquid; I find I don't need it if I'm using canned tomatoes!) Turn on burner and simmer ingredients on low for a few hours (or just use a crock pot.) When hungry, put some in a bowl or cup. Add mozzarella cheese (low fat or regular as preferred) or vegan cheese. Enjoy!

Of note- quantities depend on how big your pot is and how much or little chili you want to make. Trust me, you really can't mess up chili. If anything, you'll learn how to make it better next time. I've also made veggie chili with soy crumbles as to mimic regular beef or turkey burger chili. Give it a whirl. Easy as 1-2-3!

Everything Autumn Part 3

Autumn is not truly Autumn without a mention of apple picking, now is it? NO! :) Need a fun family activity? Go apple picking! Need a healthy, tasty snack? Eat an apple! Want to bake a tasty treat? Bake an apple pie or apple crisp! Need something tasty to drink? Drink homemade apple juice or homemade apple cider! Apples Apples Apples Apples! (FYI apples are high in fiber and Vitamin C. They are also naturally low in calories!)

Here's some additional links, food for thought, if you will!
The World's Healthiest Foods
Washington's Apples
Vermont Apple Facts


Random
-put 'apples' into google and the Apple Store comes up first, before the fruit. Sad. :(
-my new favorite apple is Jonagold. (Maybe I should buy a Jonagold Tree!)
-it takes about 36 apples to make one gallon of apple cider (more apple facts!)

Everything Autumn Part 2

When I think of Autumn, I think of homemade soups. Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of soups. Well that's not completely true. I don't like thin, watery soups. I enjoy thick soups or even stew-like soups (sans meat, of course.) I like the occasional clam chowder, but what I truly enjoy are thickened vegetable soups, barley soups, lentil soups, and vegetarian chili.

In consideration with all things Autumn, I recently made lentil soup!

Lentils are a legume and come in a variety of colors (although most popular are the green and brown varieties in the US.) Lentils are nutrient dense high in dietary fiber, protein, and iron among others. They have a nutty-esque flavor. See nutritional data below. (Courtesy of The World's Healthiest Foods.) (Visit website for cool graph too!)

Lentils, cooked 1.00 cup 198.00 grams 229.68 calories
Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
molybdenum	148.50 mcg	198.0	15.5	excellent
folate	357.98 mcg	89.5	7.0	excellent
dietary fiber	15.64 g	62.6	4.9	very good
tryptophan	0.16 g	50.0	3.9	very good
manganese	0.98 mg	49.0	3.8	very good
iron	6.59 mg	36.6	2.9	good
protein	17.86 g	35.7	2.8	good
phosphorus	356.40 mg	35.6	2.8	good
copper	0.50 mg	25.0	2.0	good
vitamin B1 (thiamin)	0.33 mg	22.0	1.7	good
potassium	730.62 mg	20.9	1.6	good

Lentil Soup Ingredients
1 quart low sodium vegetable broth
4 peeled, chopped carrots
1 peeled, chopped butternut squash
1 cup red lentils
1 cup green lentils
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp black pepper
garlic, as desired
2 cups water

Peel and cut all ingredients as needed. (I highly recommend buying pre-peeled and pre-chopped butternut squash. That one is a tough-y!) Place all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil on high. Once at a boil, turn down heat and simmer for an hour or so. Voila!

Since I like thickened soups (see above), after about 30 to 45 minutes, I take some of the root vegetables (and yes it's okay that some lentils and beans get in the mix) and puree them. It's a great way to thicken soup!

YUM! This soup is exuberantly flavorful! Enjoy! (And as an added bonus, this is a quick, easy, healthy meal option! Say goodbye icky fast food on your drive home. Say hello nutritious foods with delectable flavor. Anyone who told you nutritious foods were unpalatable were wrong! They were also wrong if they told you a nutritious meal was created only after slaving away at that kitchen stove for hours on end. Wrong again! :) Feels good to be right- and healthy- huh?!)