Nutrition Articles

Eating Healthy Spotlight on: Bananas

• We consume about 25 pounds of bananas per person each year.
• There are more than 1,000 varieties of bananas.
• Bananas don’t grow on trees – trees have bark and banana plants don’t have bark.
• Bananas are low in saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium.
• A large portion of the calories in bananas come from sugars.

Recipe: Classic Banana Bread 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe: Banana Chia Pudding

• 1 ½ cups vanilla-flavored flax milk
• 1 large banana cut in chunks
• 7 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

 Put milk, banana, chia seeds, honey, vanilla extract, and sea salt in respective order in the blender, blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until thickened, at least 2 hours. Spoon mixture into small bowls to serve.

Eating 101: SuperFoods for Summer

With all of the great summertime crop shares and farmer’s markets, the summer months are the best time to stock up on great and fresh superfoods.

These summertime fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of “keep-you-full” fiber, and essential vitamins like A, C and E.  These foods can be eaten alone, or added to smoothies, salads, sandwiches, or can even be the star of your seasonal barbeque.

They are:

• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Watermelon
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Eggplant

Eating Healthy Spotlight on: Watermelon

• Besides being made up of nearly 90% water, watermelons are also a great source of significant vitamins and minerals.
• It is chock full of a considerable amount of vitamins A and C. It contains thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate and niacin in small amounts. 
• It is a great source of potassium, and
• contains magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and iron in trace amounts.
• Watermelon is also very low in calories, free of fats and cholesterol and is rich in carotenoids.

Recipe: Grilled Scallop and Watermelon Kebabs

• 12 sea scallops
• 4 cups boiling vegetable or chicken broth
• 24- 1”x1” watermelon cubes
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger 

Cut the scallops into halves across the diameter to create half-moon shapes.  Place them in a heatproof casserole dish in a single layer.  Pour the boiling clear broth over the scallops and let them poach for 5 minutes.  Drain and cool the scallops.  On each skewer alternate one half-moon scallop, then two watermelon cubes, then one half-moon scallop.  Mix together the remaining ingredients and brush the kebabs as they are grilled over a medium-hot grill for 90 seconds per side, turning only once.  Serve warm.

Recipe:  Cajun Chicken with Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons mild chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets 

Mix together the spices.  Coat the chicken cutlets with the spice mixture.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and place chicken in pan.  Blacken on both sides and sauté just until cooked through.  Top with Watermelon Mint Salsa and serve immediately.

Watermelon Mint Salsa

• 2 cups chopped seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup diced seeded tomato
• Minced seeded jalapeno to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• ½ cup chopped fresh scallion 

Toss ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Healthy Living: Boost Your Immunity with Superfoods

Everyone has heard about how “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and how your mom always suggests chicken noodle soup when you are sick, but how much does the food you eat really affect your immune system? According to experts, a lot!

Experts say that “Our immune system works most efficiently when lifestyle factors are in balance, and first and foremost is having the foundation of a healthy diet.” 

A diet rich in vitamins and minerals can help your body better prepare to fight off anything that may come its way. To build that proper foundation, here are a few great superfoods that you should be eating or adding to your diet.

1. Yogurt
2. Garlic
3. Blueberries
4. Kiwi
5. Mushrooms
6. Salmon
7. Beans and Lentils
8. Tea 

Experts also say that “Our immune response declines as we age, so it is important to consider every meal as an opportunity to nourish your body and support a healthy immune system.” Start small by adding a superfood each day into your diet and soon enough you start noticing some big changes to your health.

Eating Healthy: Spotlight on Plums

• Plums, and their dried version known as prunes, are very high in phytonutrients, which function as an antioxidant and provide much benefit to the body.
• Eating plums helps in the production and absorption of iron in the body, thereby leading to better blood circulation leading further to the growth of healthy tissues.
• Consuming plums on a regular basis will help prevent macular degeneration and other eye infections.

Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Plum Salsa and Basmati Rice

• 1 ½ cups of water
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• ¾ pound plums, pitted and chopped
• ½ medium red onion, minced
• 3 habanero peppers, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

Place water in medium saucepan and stir in rice. Bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and fluff with fork.  In a bowl, mix the plums, peppers, onions, cilantro and sugar. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Season chicken with rosemary, salt and pepper.  Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium-heat. Place chicken in oil and brown 1 minute per side.  Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 additional minutes per side.  Serve over rice with plum salsa.

Recipe:  Fresh Summer Fruit Salad

• ½ cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
• 15 seedless grapes, halved
• ½ orange, sectioned
• 10 fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1 plum, pitted and sliced
• 15 pitted Bing cherries
• ¼ cup fresh blueberries 

Bring water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the rhubarb, turn heat to low, cover and simmer until rhubarb is soft, 10 to 15 minutes.  Mash and chill in the refrigerator about one hour.   To serve, mix the grapes, orange, strawberries, apple, peach, plum, cherries, and blueberries with 2/3 cup of the rhubarb sauce.  Stir gently, but thoroughly to coat.  Refrigerate for at least two hours for all the flavors to blend well.