Tomatoes and Beans

Welcome back to my final post for my blog What Makes Super Foods So Super. I have enjoyed being able to share my experiences and challenge of eating super foods with all of you and I hope that I was able to inspire some of you to try them as well. I never thought I would be able to stick with this project; however, I found that incorporating two super foods into my diet per week was actually beneficial for my health and well being and ended up not being very hard to do. This final week the two foods I will be eating are tomatoes and beans. Keep reading to find out more about my experiences with these foods.

            The first super food that I tried this week was tomatoes. I never really ate tomatoes growing up and always avoided them in foods I was given because they never looked good to me. I decided to try them because of the many health benefits they have. Tomatoes are very low in calories and high in fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. According to Health Magazine, dedicated to promote health and fitness, “tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, which is an antioxidant rarely found in other foods that could protect the skin against harmful UV rays, prevent certain cancers, and lower cholesterol.” Tomatoes are also known to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease in many people. I found a few good ways to incorporate tomatoes into my meals and eat them throughout the week. First, for lunch I decided to make my own sandwich in Benson and add them to it. I thought this would be a good way to start eating them because they were not as strong of a taste as on their own. I really enjoyed the extra flavor they added to my sandwich. For dinner, I decided to add chopped tomatoes into my salad. They were a little too watery and sweet of a flavor for my salad, so putting them into my sandwich will have to suffice. I found a recipe on Oprah Winfrey’s website from author Dave Lieberman, which suggested tomatoes as a tasty snack that is very easy to prepare. First you slice a fresh tomato and place the pieces on a plate. Then drizzle the slices with olive oil and some Parmesan cheese. They tasted very sweet, and the cheese added more texture to it. This was my favorite way to eat the tomatoes because I really enjoyed the flavor and they were so simple to prepare.

            The second super food that I had this week was beans. The different types that I tried were lentils, black beans, green beans, and garbanzo beans. They all had different flavors and textures; however, all are low in fat and have many health benefits. Beans are a good source of protein, especially for vegetarians. Vegetarians can substitute beans for types of meat and the beans will provide fiber and keep one full and satisfied. According to Joy Bauer, a nutritionist, “beans are a good source of magnesium and potassium and will help lower blood pressure” (JoyBauer.com). Beans are also very inexpensive, thereby, making them easy to get access to. Superfoods Rx, a website with research on the most popular super foods, says that “eight grams of lentils, seven and a half grams of black beans, and seven and a half grams of pinto beans will provide a person with the highest amount of fiber.” Beans are also suggested to prevent types of cancer such as breast and colon.

For dinner, I had a salad from Benson and added garbanzo beans to it. They didn’t really change the taste of my salad, so I didn’t notice much of a difference with them in it. However, because garbanzo beans are full of fiber and iron, I stayed fuller longer and had much more energy. I also added black beans to my salad, which I enjoyed because of their strong flavor and the zest that they gave to my salad. Lentils, another tasty bean, are a good source of amino acids and are packed with vitamins. They also help lower cholesterol because they are high in fiber but low in fat. The last type of bean that I incorporated into my diet was green beans. According to Nutrition and You, a website providing nutritional facts of foods and impact on ones health, “green beans are very low in calories and contain large amounts of fiber, vitamin A and no saturated fats.” I tried green beans by sautéing them with a little bit of olive oil and then added some sautéed shallots to them. This was by far my favorite bean that I tried out of the few because of the taste with the shallots and the texture of the beans. They were not too crunchy, but a warm flavorful side dish to my dinner. Eating beans was a great way for me to add more protein to my diet and keep my energy up.

Overall, I believe I have learned a great deal from doing this project, and it has benefited my health and well being. My hope was to substitute these super foods in for the more unhealthy, processed foods I was eating before. I am glad to say that my eating habits have changed for the better, and I have felt much more energized and healthy. I plan to continue eating many of the super foods that I have researched and tried in the past weeks. I hope that my experiences that I shared with my readers will inspire other young students to try and do their best to eat well and show them that it is possible to do so on a college campus. I really appreciate all of you reading about the super foods and hope that my research will help you to try and incorporate them into your diets!

Salmon and Broccoli

Welcome back to What Makes Super Foods So Super. I really appreciate you all reading my blog again. As a reminder, I am exploring the super foods and finding ways to incorporate two of them into my diet each week. A super food is a food that is very high in nutrition but low in calories and overall helps the body function at its best. This is my fourth week with this challenge, and I have learned about six healthy and delicious super foods that I enjoy eating and continue to include into my meals today. For those of you who are just checking into my blog, so far I have tried blueberries, mushrooms, quinoa, dark chocolate, kale, and nuts. This week the two that I tried were salmon and broccoli. Keep on reading to learn more about each food and ways to try them.

            The first super food I tried this week was salmon. When I was growing up, my family never really ate much fish, so I have never known much about it. I had been told before that salmon is one of the best types of fish one can eat because it has so many benefits for one’s body. First, according to Self Magazine, a magazine that focuses on health, fitness, and nutrition, “salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that improve insulin sensitivity, which helps build muscle and decrease fat” (Self Magazine). Because our bodies cannot produce these omega-3 fatty acids on their own, we must consume foods that contain them because of the positive outcomes they will have with our body’s health. Also, “salmon contains A and B vitamins and has been shown to decrease heart disease in many people” (Superfoods Rx). Because I did not grow up eating fish, I had to research the best types of salmon and how to cook it. I learned that wild salmon has much more flavor and less fat than farm raised salmon does and that it is best to eat between June and October. Also, it is best to buy salmon from a farmers market, where it is guaranteed to be fresh; however, I bought mine from Whole Foods market. An employee at Whole Foods said that even if their fish are farm raised, they know exactly where they are coming from and what the fish are being fed. Furthermore, Whole Foods has an agreement with the farmers that says, “there can be no use of antibiotics or growth hormones, monitoring the water, and that wildlife around the farm is protected” (Whole Foods Market).

The recipe I tried, from MyRecipes.com, was for grilled salmon with garlic, lemon and basil. It was simple enough for me to cook on my own and only required a few ingredients. All I needed was salmon, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. To prepare it, I combined the basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a bowl and let it sit. Then I put the salmon in a pan and added salt and pepper to it. I only had to grill it in a pan for about five minutes and then poured the ingredients in the bowl on top of it. It was so delicious and easy to make myself for dinner. Learning about salmon helped me incorporate a new type of food into my dinners, rather than just usually eating chicken or steak.

            The second super food that I tried during this fourth week was broccoli. I have had broccoli before and never really enjoyed it until now in college. It is one of the most nutritious vegetables and is packed with fiber, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin K. According to Superfoods Rx, “broccoli has been shown to prevent and reduce tumors and also contains antioxidants to fight types of cancer.” Furthermore, there are only about thirty calories in one cup of broccoli, making it very beneficial for one’s health while remaining low in calories. Just one cup of broccoli provides a person with most of his or her daily nutrients. Our cafeteria serves broccoli, so I tried it two different ways this week. First, when I had a salad for lunch I added it in with the rest of my vegetables and ingredients. It gave a bit more flavor to my salad; however, it was not very satisfying. The flavor was a bit bland, and it was too chewy and crunchy for my liking. For dinner, I went to Sauté in Benson and I tried sautéing broccoli and peppers with a little bit of olive oil and then adding chicken and brown rice to it. I enjoyed this much more because it had a lot more flavor than when it was raw and I liked the texture better. The website MyRecipes.com says, “eating broccoli two or more times per week will boost your immune system and provide your body with several health benefits that other foods would not” (myrecipes.com). Although I had had broccoli before, I learned all about the nutrients it contains and the benefits that it would have on my body. Also, I found new ways to incorporate it into my meals rather than just eating it raw. I know that I will continue to eat broccoli throughout my life because it will definitely help my body overall.

            This week, I loved learning about one food that I had barely tried and knew nothing about and another food that I had grown up eating, but never knew about all its benefits. It gave me a whole new perspective on what I should be putting into my body and the ways to be eating each one. Salmon and broccoli are both full of nutrients that provide for a healthy lifestyle, and I know I will continue to eat them. Check back in again next week to read about my final two super foods that I will be trying!     

Kale and Nuts

Thanks once again for checking back into my blog! It is nice to know that someone is reading about my experiences and learning about new foods along with me. For the third week of my challenge, the two super foods I have decided to eat are kale and nuts. These two foods made for an interesting and somewhat challenging week. Keep reading to find out why!

My first super food I tried this week was kale, which is one of the healthiest dark, leafy green vegetables. It is packed with fiber, calcium, iron and Vitamins A, C, and K, keeping one healthier and feeling more energized. Also, because of the high amount of fiber, kale will keep one fuller longer. According to Health Magazine, kale contains “types of phytonutrients that appear to lessen the occurrence of a wide variety of cancers, including breast and ovarian” (Super foods You Need Now). It can be eaten in many different ways such as raw, sautéed, steamed or baked and is in season in the fall and winter. So far, kale is the super food that has provided me with the most challenges. First, they do not sell it in my cafeteria, so rather than having it provided for me I had to take a trip to Safeway and purchase it. Second, I had never tried kale before, so I had to research the ways to consume it. There were several different recipes that I read about and that seemed easy enough to make on my own in the kitchen in my dorm.   

The first recipe I tried was for “Kale Chips” from Kale & Chocolate, a website containing advice and recipes on how to easily have a healthy lifestyle. These were a perfect snack and very easy to make. The only ingredients I needed were kale, olive oil, vinegar and sea salt. First, I had to heat the oven to 350 degrees and cut the kale into pieces. Then I had to mix the olive oil, vinegar and sea salt in a bowl and dip the kale pieces until the leaves were covered. Then I placed them on a cooking sheet and let them bake for around fifteen minutes. They were a healthy, crunchy snack and a great way for me to first try the vegetable. Then for dinner, I used another recipe from Kale & Chocolate to make some friends and myself a kale salad. I liked this recipe because it was simple and quick to make. The ingredients I needed were kale, orange, red bell pepper, sunflower seeds, Dijon mustard, orange juice, black pepper, olive oil and vinegar. I combined all the foods into one bowl and then in another bowl whisked together the Dijon mustard, orange juice, vinegar and pepper for the dressing. Everyone really enjoyed this salad because it had a ton of flavor and taste to it. It wasn’t too dry or boring and all of the ingredients contained health benefits. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the several ways to eat kale and incorporate it into my meals. It was very different, but I like challenging myself with something new.

Kale Chips Ingredients

6 cups Kale, about 2 bunches, rinsed with stems removed


1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt to taste



Variation
:

Add a drop of sesame oil and sesame seeds for a slightly different flavor.

Colorful Kale Salad Ingredients

1 bunch Lacinato (a.k.a. dinosaur) kale, thick stems removed and leaves thinly sliced


4 cups shredded red cabbage (about 1 small head, quartered and cored) 


2 navel oranges or clementines, peeled and segmented 


1 small red onion, thinly sliced 


1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced 


⅓ cup sunflower seeds 


¼ cup Dijon mustard


¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice


¼ cup balsamic vinegar 


2 tablespoons olive oil 


½ teaspoon ground black pepper

            The second super food that I tried this week was nuts. Many people assume that nuts are unhealthy and too fatty to eat. However, I learned that walnuts, almonds, and cashews are actually very beneficial to one’s health and provide nutrients that keep us healthy and strong. Walnuts are a good source of fiber and protein and contain antioxidants such as Vitamin E. According to Health Castle, a website containing nutrition advice from dietitians, “walnuts have the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids compared to other nuts” (“5 Super Foods”). These omega-3 acids are extremely good and important for our health. Also, like many of the other super foods I have learned about so far, “walnuts are known to help heart disease and reduce cholesterol” (Superfoods Rx). Almonds and Cashews are also beneficial to ones health. According to Seattle Organic Restuarants, a website about organic food, “almonds contain antioxidants, fiber and are also known to prevent colon cancer and cashews are full of nutrients that particularly help our bones and energize the body.” I also went to Safeway to purchase these because I wanted to make sure they were not flavored or salted. I was able to buy them in a small container and snack on them when I became hungry throughout the day. Eating too many nuts is not very healthy; however, just a handful or two a day and I found myself growing less hungry and much more energized. These nuts did not make me feel overly full or too tired to do my everyday routine. They are the perfect snack that I substituted for the crackers I usually eat that never really fill me up or keep me full throughout the afternoon. Eating just a palm full of nuts when I grew hungry helped me from snacking on other unhealthy foods and gave me the energy to continue on with my day.

            I hope you were able to learn more about new super foods and take away recipes that you will enjoy. I am glad that my friends and I tried kale even though it was something very different from what we would normally eat. I have really liked experimenting with foods and learning about the benefits they have on my body. I have continued to eat the blueberries, mushrooms, quinoa and dark chocolate in the past weeks as well. Keeping these super foods a part of my diet is important to me because of the benefits. Check back again next week to learn about more super foods and ways to try eating them. 

Quinoa and Dark Chocolate

Thanks for checking back into my blog! I have continued my challenge of incorporating different super foods into my diet each week. This week the foods I have decided to eat every day with my meals are quinoa and dark chocolate. Again, I know these foods are not very similar and probably would not go well together; however, separately they will be good substitutes for the more unhealthy foods I have been eating, such as pasta and cookies. Also, I think many of you will be surprised how unalike milk chocolate and dark chocolate are and the difference in health benefits they have. Keep reading to find out more about my experiences with these foods this week.

             My first super food I tried this week was quinoa, which is creating a buzz all around the world because of the several benefits it contains for your body. It is high in protein and low in calories, therefore making it a super food. Also, it contains calcium, iron, and the amino acids, which are important for a healthy diet and immune system.  According to Nutritious Feast, a nutrition website by a dietitian, “quinoa is commonly mistaken for a grain; however, it is a seed from a plant that is called chenopodium or ‘goosefoot’ plant” (Nutritious Feast). It is from Southern American countries, such as Peru, and is starting to become popular all over. Quinoa reaches all different groups of people because it does not contain gluten, it lowers blood pressure, and it is very easy to prepare. Also, is has been known “to lower blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes” (Quinoa Superfood). Learning about this benefit made me much more open to the idea of consuming it and teaching my family about it because I have a cousin who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few years back. Being so young, I wish he never had to worry about things that most children don’t have to deal with. However, I am proud that he has shown maturity and taken responsibility for his health. Hopefully, I can be a supportive cousin and teach him about other foods that he may have not yet discovered that will help him. Quinoa has a distinct, nutty flavor and when it is cooked has a similar taste to rice. In fact, because it is so similar to that type of grain, it has become common to replace rice with quinoa, and there is not much of a difference in taste and texture.

I discovered a few ways to try quinoa in my meals this week. I was able to incorporate it into my lunches and dinners in our cafeteria. For lunch, I ate a salad and mixed in some quinoa with my vegetables to add a little more taste and texture. Along with a little olive oil and vinegar, I quickly learned to love the way it gave my salad the extra boost that it definitely needed. Don’t tell my parents, but being in college I have learned to love eating vegetables, something they could not get me to do no matter how much they tried! For dinner I usually go to Benson and have them sauté some vegetables with a little olive oil, but this week, I added quinoa to it and I honestly could have told you I was eating vegetables with rice. It had the same texture and satisfaction as that type of grain and kept me just as full, if not longer. I strongly recommend substituting quinoa into your diet for other grains. I felt full enough to not want to snack, but was not uncomfortably full. I really enjoyed the flavor and texture of it and know I will continue to incorporate it into my daily diet.

            The second food I tried this week was dark chocolate. I know this seems odd for it to be considered a super food; however, if you are going to have something sweet it is definitely the dessert you should be eating. It has much less sugar than milk chocolate and white chocolate, therefore already making it better for you. “Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants known as flavonoids, which are known to improve heart health and endurance, to reduce risk of blood clots, and to lower blood pressure” (My Recipes). There are different amounts of cocoa in dark chocolate, and it is recommended by many to only consume the kind that has over seventy percent. According to The Story of Chocolate, a website providing information about chocolate says, “the higher the percent of the cocoa means that less sugar is added and there is a greater intensity of flavor in the chocolate” (The Story of Chocolate). Furthermore, although dark chocolate is much better for you than milk or white, the portions are still very important. One to two ounces a day is what is suggested. I was able to buy some dark chocolate, containing over seventy percent cocoa, from our grocery store on campus. At first when I tried it, the flavor was a bit intense for me and I could only eat a little amount. However, because I used it to replace the milk chocolate that I would usually eat for dessert, I felt better and healthier about myself. I have heard for many years that a person is supposed to consume a little dark chocolate every day, but I never thought it would actually make a difference in one’s health. Now since I’ve learned about how much less sugar is in dark chocolate and the benefits it has, I hope to continue to substitute it for the other unhealthier desserts I have had in the past. Keeping it in moderation, of course!

            I hope that you were able to learn about the many benefits that quinoa and dark chocolate will have on your body. By doing this project, I am not only trying to challenge myself, but also encourage all of you to do the same. I did not think that I would be able to stick with it, but so far I have enjoyed learning about what I am putting into my body and how it will help me. Now I know about four new foods I can eat daily that will provide me with nutrients and help my health overall. Check back again next week to learn about more delicious super foods and interesting ways to integrate them into your diet.