Tagged with 'vegetables'

Shopping at your local farmer's market is a fun experience, and good for so many reasons. Surprisingly, I often find myself slightly overwhelmed by the beautiful vegetables I don't know how to cook! Here are some common farmer's market finds and how to make the most of your bounty.

BEETS

PICK WISELY: The smaller the beet, the tenderer it will be. Bright greens are also better.

EASY PREP: Wrap in foil, and bake at 350^¡F for 1 hour, or until tender when pricked. Rub off the skins with paper towels.

SAVE THE TOPS: Add chopped beet greens to salads, or thinly slice and garnish on soups.

GREEN BEANS

PICK WISELY: Select crisp, slender pods. Avoid brown spots.

EASY PREP: Instead of snapping each bean like Grandma did, line up the pods and remove stems with a chef’s knife.

BLANCH THEM: For crisp, tender beans, blanch in boiling water 4 to 5 minutes; then plunge into an ice bath for 4 to 5 minutes more.

EGGPLANT

PICK WISELY: No matter the size, color, or shape, choose a firm eggplant with shiny skin and green top.

EASY PREP: Small, young eggplants can be used as is; larger, older ones should be peeled.

ADD A PINCH: Curb bitterness in large eggplants by sprinkling with salt. Slice, salt, and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse before cooking.

RADISHES

PICK WISELY: Choose plump, firm radishes with fresh green leaves. Bigger isn’t always better: The larger the radish, the less crisp it will be.

EASY PREP: Trim—doesn’t toss—leaves.  The greens are great for sautéing or garnishing dishes.

SOAK AND SERVE: Prefer extra-crunchy radishes? Soak in ice water before serving.

Article courtesy of Southern Living 

It’s almost the week-end! I’m in major BBQ’ing mode as I plan to host a giant neighborhood BBQ in our backyard, and my husband and I are in charge of the grill food.

If you ask me, a BBQ isn’t a BBQ without veggies on the grill. Some of my favorite veggies to grill on the BBQ include asparagus, zucchini wheels, potato wedges, Brussel sprouts, baby squash, corn on the cob, bell peppers and avocado.

The marinade on these kabobs is a flavorful, tangy addition on the veggies. Using olive oil also adds a boost of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, and quality brands of olive oil contain abundant antioxidants, substances shown to provide cardiovascular and anti-cancer effects.

These kabobs are great as the main entree and also compliment a juicy steak or chicken breast. My husband and I added wrapped bacon around the mushrooms, which was so delicious! 

Enjoy!

Chili Lime-Marinated Veggie Kabobs (Makes 6 Kabobs)

Ingredients:

• 6 wooden skewers
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• Zest and juice of 3 limes
• 5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• Salt, to taste
• 1 Mexican squash, sliced
• 1 summer squash, sliced (and also halved on the thick end)
• 1 small sweet onion, quartered
• 1 small bell pepper, any color, cubed
• 6-12 mushrooms, halved

Directions:

1. Submerge the wooden skewers in cold water and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes (but an hour is better). This prevents the wood from catching fire on the grill.

2. In a dish large enough to fit all the veggies, mix the marinade: chili powder, zest and lime juice, cumin, olive oil, salt.

3. Build your kabobs, alternating different types of veggies.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Food preferences are formed early on. They tend to be fixed from early childhood and continue into adulthood, making it critical to establish a healthful diet at a very young age. Vegetable intake is generally low among children, especially during the preschool years.

Repeated Exposure Is Important

Children prefer foods high in calories and appear to accept sweet tastes more than bitter tastes from birth. Since vegetables are lower in calories and bitter tasting, this might hinder vegetable intake among children. At the same time, repeated exposure of a new vegetable in early life is known to enhance intake of it.

A new study just released sought to understand the factors which predict different responses to repeated exposure to a new vegetable. 

Who Was In This Study?

Three groups of children from Denmark, France and the UK, ages 4 months to 38 months.

The Essence of This Study

During the intervention period of the study, each child was given between 5 and 10 exposures to a new vegetable (artichoke puree) in one of three versions (basic, sweet or added energy). The child’s intake of basic artichoke puree was measured both before and after eating.

Overall, four distinct patterns of eating behavior during the exposure period were defined.

Most children were “learners” (40%) who increased vegetable intake over time.

21% consumed more than 75% of what was offered each time and were labelled “plate-clearers”.

16% were considered “non-eaters” eating less than 10 grams by the 5^th exposure.

The remainder were classified as “others” (23%) since their pattern was highly variable.

Who Liked Vegetables More?

Children in the added energy group showed the smallest change in intake over time, compared to those in the basic or sweetened artichoke group.

According to the study, younger children consumed more of the new vegetable than older children.

Breastfed babies are more likely to accept new foods, including vegetables, compared to those who were not breastfed.

To Summarize, Here Are Tips For Getting Kids To Eat More Vegetables:

• Be Patient. Learning to like vegetables takes time. Age was a significant predictor of eating pattern, with older pre-school children more likely to eat less vegetables.

• Repeat, Repeat, Repeat exposure is the simplest and most convenient way to increase and improve vegetable intake in children. Offering the same food many times familiarizes a child with a food. Mothers often give up after only 5 exposures, yet current recommendations suggest at least 8–10 exposures.

• New vegetables are best introduced when children are young—during a period when new foods are readily accepted and before the fear of trying anything new begins.

• For older pre-school children who are fussy eaters, alternative strategies that focus on encouraging initial tastes of the target food might be needed.

• Alternative techniques such as the use of dips and sauces might be an effective way of encouraging these fussy eaters to try the target food.

• Although children prefer energy dense foods, adding oil directly to a new vegetable changes both taste and texture and might reduce liking.

• Offering food as a reward is known to be negative and something to avoid. However, there is evidence to suggest non-food tangible rewards (e.g.: stickers), or non-tangible rewards (e.g.: praise) can be highly effective in encouraging children to taste new or less liked foods. They benefit from the 'mere exposure' effect.

• Lead by example. Caregivers are extremely influential when it comes to food preferences. Even if you don’t like a certain vegetable(s), please don’t assume your child won’t like it either and certainly don’t let your kids know you don’t like it.

• Breastfeed Your Baby. Food preferences have been shown to occur while mom is pregnant and breastfeeding. For example, flavors experienced in amniotic fluid or breast milk might be sufficient to promote the intake of those specific or associated flavors later in life. Breastfed babies are more likely to accept novel foods including vegetables compared to those who were not breastfed.

If you know a picky eater, check out this blog fmore useful tips, “Coping with food allergies and picky eaters, part 2.”

I know it’s easy to get frustrated when your child refuses to eat the vegetables you purchased and worked hard to prepare. Don’t give up and consider the repeated exposure a gift to your child. If your persistence eventually teaches your child to like vegetables, s/he will thank you later in life when s/he’s healthy.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods 

Reference:

1. Caton, Samantha et al. Learning to Eat Vegetables in Early Life: The Role of Timing, Age and Individual Eating Traits. May 30, 2014.

To survive, our body requires a tightly controlled pH level in the blood between 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly more alkaline than pure water. Levels of pH vary in different locations of our body. For example, our stomach is very acidic, with a pH of 3.5 or less, so it can break down food. Our urine’s pH changes, depending on what we eat – that's how our body keeps the level in our blood steady.

Our modern diet has been suggested to increase the acidity of our body. The thought is certain foods, like meat, wheat, refined sugar, and processed foods, cause our body to produce acid, which is harmful for us.

People who believe in eating more alkaline foods and less acidic foods say even though acid-producing foods shift our pH balance for only a little while, if we keep shifting our blood pH over and over, we can cause long-lasting acidity.

According to research, following an alkaline diet may result in a number of health benefits, including:

1. In an alkaline diet, increasing fruits and vegetables improves the Potassium/Sodium ratio and may benefit bone health.

2. A higher intake of foods rich in potassium, such as fruits and vegetables, may reduce muscle wasting in older men and women.

3. Increasing fruits and vegetables in an alkaline diet may relieve chronic diseases such as hypertension and stroke.

4. The resultant increase in growth hormone with an alkaline diet may improve many outcomes from cardiovascular health to memory and cognition.

5. A decreased risk of developing calcium-forming kidney stones.

6. An alkaline diet provides more magnesium, which is required for the function of many enzyme systems. Available magnesium, which is required to activate vitamin D, would result in numerous added benefits vitamin D provides.

7. Alkalinity may result in added benefit for some chemotherapeutic agents that require a higher pH.

Examples of Foods with a Moderate to Strong Alkaline Effect

Watermelon, Lemons, Limes, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Celery, Mango, Papaya, Peaches, Nectarines, Grapefruit, Oranges, Parsley, Seaweed, Sweet Seedless Grapes, Watercress, Asparagus, Kiwi, Pears, Apples, Pineapple, Apricots, Raisins, Most Greens (ie: Kale, Spinach), Alfalfa Sprouts, Most Herbs, Peas, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Avocados, Bananas, Garlic, Ginger

Examples of Foods with a Moderate to Strong Acid Effect:

Alcohol, Soda Pop, Tobacco, Coffee, White Sugar, Refined Salt, Artificial Ssweeteners, White Flour Products, Seafood, White Vinegar, Barley, Most Boxed Cereals, Cheese, Most Beans, Flesh Meats, Most types of Bread, Peanut butter, Dried Fruit, Cranberries

Check out this chart to see more information about High, Medium, and Low Alkaline and Acid foods.

As you can see, one of the main emphasis when eating alkaline is lots of fruits and vegetables. When you look at an alkaline diet closely, it is really just overall healthy eating. Although the foods on this list are only examples, if you are eating a lot of grains, flour products, and animal foods, and washing them down with coffee, soda, and milk, you will most certainly improve your health by replacing some of your food and beverage choices with fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Bottom line: There may be some value in considering an alkaline diet in reducing morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases. As with many topics related to nutrition, further studies are warranted in this area of nutrition/medicine. The ideal scenario is to make fresh fruits and vegetables the cornerstone of your diet.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Live Superfoods

References:

1. Waugh A, Grant A. Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. 10th edition. Philadelphia, Pa, USA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2007.

2. Lindeman RD, Goldman R. Anatomic and physiologic age changes in the kidney. Experimental Gerontology. 1986;21(4-5):379–406. 

3. Schwalfenberg GK. The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health. J Environ Public Health. 2012; 2012: 727630.