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April 2009
March is Heart Month
March is heart month... you only have one heart so take care of it by choosing foods which promote heart health (fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products, lean meats, and whole grains). Balance your energy and calorie needs with exercise to achieve the best weight for health.
It sounds simple but we are constantly being hit with nutrition information from food packaging, diet books, television commercials, and of course many websites. In our search for the truth, we have a thirst for black and white statements. This is "good" and that is "bad". Both individual nutrients and foods frequently get classified. Fat is bad. Eggs are bad. Salt is bad. Chocolate is bad. Everything else might be good? Food is a complex mixture of many nutrients which means that the best truth is consume all foods and nutrients in moderation.
Skipping from the good food bad food scenario, let's focus on what happens to food along the way from the field to the dinner plate. Fruits and vegetables in all shapes and sizes are great in any form. They are loaded in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants which give everyone an edge against cancer. Also, they are low in sodium and high in potassium which makes them particularly good for the heart. Make every effort to consume 5-10 each day. So, is there a difference between fresh, frozen, and canned?
Fresh from the field is usually best so buy locally. It's getting close to that time of year to pick strawberries on the islands. Make it a family day out and teach your children where food really comes from. Pick a bunch, rinse, and freeze to have a nutritious addition to short cake or ice cream any time of year. Frozen fruits and vegetables are very nutritious because they are usually flash frozen within hours of being harvested.
Canned vegetables can be equally nutritious if you remain mindful of the added salt. Get your children involved in making vegetable soup. I like to start with a couple of cans of diced tomatoes; chopped fresh carrots, celery, and onions; and finally frozen mixed vegetables. The salt comes from the canned tomatoes, so the only seasoning I use is Mrs. Dash and garlic powder. It is easy, fast, tasty and when kids help prepare food, they are more likely to consume it. Let the kids be creative and add just about anything to homemade soup.
One more note about food preparation is to avoid frying foods. The food is quickly taken to a very high temperature causing the water to come out of the food as steam. Water comes out and fat goes in. Fat is very high in calories so the process of frying foods doubles the calories while the amount of food stays the same. Visualize frying foods as a massive calorie injection. Bake or steam all foods. This will take you and your family a long way towards a heart healthy meal.
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Mary Joan
Lean Team |
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