1) Whole grain: At least 3 servings a day of whole-grain cereal, pasta, brown rice, and bread.
2) Citrus: 2-3 servings a day, including oranges, grapefruit, and other foods high in vitamin C, such as broccoli, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and strawberries.
3) Dark-green, orange and yellow vegetables and fruits: At least two servings a day of foods such as carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes/yams, yellow corn, spinach, collards, kale, and broccoli.
4) Fish: 2-3 times a week. Choose from tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, rainbow trout, eel, herring, bluefish, whitefish, sable, pompano, and shellfish.
5) Beans and legumes: 2-3 times a week (or more) of foods such as black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, lima beans, pinto, soybeans, and whole or split peas.
6) Low or nonfat dairy: 2-3 servings a day of milk, yogurt, cheese or alternative calcium sources such as salmon or sardines (fish with bones), soy foods, or dark green vegetables.
Question: Several times over the past couple of months I have heard that Teflon and other nonstick pans are dangerous to our health. Does that mean we should stop using them?
Answer: NO, don't throw away those Teflon and other nonstick pans. It is true that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked manufacturers to gradually eliminate perfluorinated acid (PFOA), a chemical used in the production of nonstick coatings, as well as in many industrial and consumer products. At very high levels, PFOA causes cancer in lab animals, and recently an EPA advisory panel said it may be a human carcinogen, too. However, studies have found that virtually no PFOA remains in the cookware after manufacture. Therefore, the EPA does not advise people to stop using these products. Still, don't overheat nonstick cookware. As the instructions state, it is not designed for high-heat cooking. The coating begins to break down at 535oF (frying is typically 400o to 450o) at which point fumes may be released. No one knows if the fumes pose any long-term risk to humans, but such temperatures can easily start a fire.
- Beverly A. Combs, Nutrition & Wellness Educator
IT'S EASY to see why annuals are a favorite among home gardeners. They're affordable, can be planted in any zone and the instant splash of color they lend to the landscape can't be beat. Plus, they bloom continuously from spring to frost, something their perennial counterparts just can't promise. Some of the most colorful and easy-to-grow flowers are annuals, such as zinnias, cosmos, petunias, impatiens and marigolds. You can often find them at nurseries and garden centers in flats or in small pots. But before you head out, consider this:
· Make a shopping list first. There are countless varieties of annuals out there, and a list may reduce the temptation of impulse buying. Consider how much room you have in your flower beds or how many containers you want to fill, and then the approximate size each plant will grow.
· Avoid plants that show signs of stress and pests. The leaves should be of normal size and color for that variety. Leaves with brown edges, holes, speckling or spots have suffered from neglect, insects or disease.
· Annuals should have stout, compact stems. Avoid leggy plants and those that are single-stemmed. Compact, multiple stems will promote well-branched plants with more colorful blossoms.
· Look for buds, not blooms. Purchase plants with a lot of buds and only a few, if any, open blossoms. This way, the plant will spend its energy developing roots instead of flowers and seeds.
· Prepare yourself for the ride home. Most nurseries will provide transporting materials, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Include a few cardboard boxes, sheets of plastic or an old blanket to help keep your car clean when bringing home your plants.
· Avoid excess heat. Don't leave plants in the car with the windows up for long periods during hot weather. Extreme heat can stress, damage and even kill them.
Sometimes it is not the big things in life that throw you off; it is all of the little things you encounter along the way. Such is the case with condiments. You can select a skinless chicken breast, steamed brown rice, and garden salad for dinner, and ruin all your efforts to create a healthy meal with the wrong choices in condiments.
From dipping sauces to marinades, condiments are hot sellers, helping hurried cooks perk up a simple meal. The flavors of some condiments have become practically essential for certain foods. Can you imagine a stadium hot dog without yellow mustard, pickle relish, and ketchup? The palate has also grown ever more diverse, growing refrigerator condiment shelves are stocked with soy sauce, salsa, and enough variations of BBQ and other sauces to satisfy every food craving.
But is our craving for condiments weighing us down? Many people do forget to count the contributions of calorie-containing condiments that they add to their foods. Some of the main concerns with condiments are in their fat and sugar content.
Condiment cautions:
Typically, the creamier the condiment, the higher the fat and calories. Don't pat yourself on the back for munching on raw carrots if you dip them in blue cheese dressing; that can add an extra 150 calories and 16 grams of fat to this snack. When you slather tartar sauce on your fish, you are tacking on 190 extra calories and 20 gram of fat – more than double the calories and 20 times the fat in a 3-ounce portion of cooked cod. And some condiments seemingly full of fruits and vegetables may not be as lean as you might think. One brand of lemon lime dipping sauce has 7 grams of fat in a single tablespoon! Check out the fat-free versions which can shave off the fat content as well as the calories.
Innocent looking sauces can also be packed with sugar and carbs. Seafood cocktail sauce should be relatively healthful. It is simply a mix of ketchup and horseradish. But since a major ingredient in some cocktail sauces is corn syrup, which can tack on an extra 100 calories and 25 grams of carbs to boiled shrimp. Barbeque sauces can also hide some not-so-sweet surprises because many of them use lots of high fructose corn syrup.
Even though some condiments may be light in calories and fat, they can pack in the sodium. Soy sauce has only 10 calories per tablespoon, yet it contains 920 mg of sodium per serving – 40% of the recommended amount of sodium for the entire day! Reduced sodium soy sauces can cut levels down significantly, but if you sprinkle on more soy sauce to make up for the flavor, you are not doing yourself any favors.
It can be tough to make the best choices when you are browsing the condiment aisle because there are so many varieties, from low carb to reduced fat. Even that old standby, mayonnaise, can mislead if you don't check the label.
Spice up healthy foods:
The positive side of condiments is that they can add zest to healthy foods. Condiments can offer a little flavor that goes a long way for lean meats and roasted vegetables. And some ingredients in condiments, from mustard to hot peppers, have been in the headlines for containing protective antioxidants. Other condiments may be made from plant foods packed with nutrients, such as salsa with plenty of chopped tomatoes and onions.
Be vigilant in reading food labels. Look at the nutrition information and use the intended portion size. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than 1-2 tablespoons (or less) of a condiment at meal time. When eating out, ask for condiments on the side so you are in control of the amount. One useful strategy for cutting back on salad dressing: Dip the tines of a fork into your side dish of dressing, and then spear a forkful of greens. You get the entire flavor with a lot less fat.
- Beverly A. Combs, Nutrition & Wellness Educator
OLD FASHION BROWN BREAD
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flours, baking soda and salt together. Add molasses, buttermilk and milk to dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Pour into greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 60–70 minutes or until done.
QUICK CHEESECAKE
Combine one package of instant vanilla pudding with an 8-ounce package of soft cream cheese and then follow directions on the pudding package. Pour into a ready-made graham cracker pie crust and refrigerate. Jazz up with your favorite canned pie filling.
QUICK DESSERT
Combine equal parts of cherry pie filling and chocolate pudding. Put into parfait glasses and you'll have a Black Forest-type dessert.
TOFFEE IMPERIAL
1 cup fine quality margarine
1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds
4 (1-ounce) Hershey bars
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds
Combine margarine and sugar in a heavy two-quart saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a full boil.Do not burn. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches the hard-crack state or a candy thermometer registers 300 degrees. Remove from heat.Quickly stir in coarsely chopped almonds. Pour into a greased nine by thirteen-inch pan.Let stand until set but still very warm. Place pieces of candy bars over the top; as chocolate softens, spread evenly with a spatula.Immediately sprinkle with finely chopped almonds.Lightly press almonds into the chocolate.Cool until completely hardened. Break toffee into irregular pieces; store in a covered container. Note:Margarine works better than butter. Yield: 1-1/3 pounds
FRENCH VANILLA FUDGE
2 packages (6 oz. each)white baking chocolate
1 package (8 oz.)cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon French vanilla flavoring
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
whole almonds (optional)
Meltchocolate as directed on package.Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar on low speed until well blended. Add melted chocolate and extract; mix well.Stir in chopped almonds. Spread evenly in foil-lined 8-inch square pan. Garnish with whole almonds, if desired. Refrigerateat least 1 hour or until firm. Cut into squares.Store in refrigerator. Note: Drizzle melted semi-sweetchocolate chipsin a pretty pattern over the fudge, if desired.
EASY PORK CHOP, RICE AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE
4 pork chops
4 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 medium chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can beef consommé
1 cup water
1 cup uncooked rice
1 (8 oz.) can mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large skillet or Dutch oven brown pork chops in 2 Tablespoons oil and remove.Sauté garlic, onions and bell pepper in remaining oil.Add consommé, water, rice and mushrooms.Salt and pepper to taste; stir. Place pork chops on the top of rice.Bake at 300 degrees covered for about 30 to 45 minutes. Serves: 4
CHEWY BARS
1 pkg. Jiffy yellow cake mix
¼ c. brown sugar
1 T. margarine
1 T. corn syrup
¼ c. chocolate chips
½ c. chopped walnuts
1 egg
1 T. water
2 T. flour
In a small bowl blend all ingredients well. Spread into a greased 8x8x2 pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Yummy!
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