Thoughtful Thursday -Super Broccoli

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I am concluding my superfoods series with broccoli.

Broccoli may seem like such a mundane vegetable that can be used in practically any way. But most people aren't aware of broccoli's superfood abilities.

Broccoli is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and iron. Vitamin A, most commonly associated with yellow and orange vegetables, helps with eye sight and immune health. Vitamin C is a great helper vitamin and helps your body absorb the iron found in broccoli. Vitamin K is a valuable vitamin which helps your body utilize vitamin D for bone strength. In addition to all these micronutrient benefits, broccoli is high in fiber and low in calories (like most veggies!).

Broccoli is a very versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw, steamed, grilled, roasted, baked or in any dish. I like to add broccoli to foods such as eggs, casseroles, soups, salads, etc. Here are links to some other great allrecipe.com recipes which include broccoli:

Broccoli-Cauliflower Toss

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

Broccoli with Rigatoni

What is your favorite way to eat broccoli?

Thoughtful Thursday - OATS

One of my goals in this Superfoods series is to highlight superfoods that are normal every day foods. I don’t shop at health food stores and I expect that any healthy food that I expect my clients to buy, they can get at their local grocery store. So yes some superfoods like acai and goji berries can have significant health benefits. But if I can’t get it at my local Meijer, I’m not featuring it.

Today’s superfood is as basic as it gets – OLD FASHIONED OATS. Not steel cut oats, not quick oats but OLD FASHIONED OATS. This type of oats are great because they are rich in soluble fiber. Soluble oat fiber has been shown to have significant benefits of to your cardiovascular health (did you know that February is Heart Health month?). Consuming 3 grams of soluble oat fiber each day can lower total cholesterol by 8 to 23 percent.

Oats are also rich in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, thiamine and pantothenic acid. Oats are filling and cheap! I know I can get maybe 6 bowls of cereal out of a box of cereal, or for the same price can get 25 bowls of oatmeal out of a canister of old fashioned oats.

Cooked old fashioned oats have also been suggested to increase milk supply in breastfeeding moms. A few studies have shown that mom’s who eat a bowl of cooked old fashioned oats and then pump at work are more likely to pump more on the mornings they eat oatmeal, than the mornings they choose a different breakfast.

There are TONS of ways to add oats to your diet. Of course you can eat oatmeal cookies J But you can also add oats to your yogurt. I pack my breakfast to work most days. I put in ½ cup old fashioned oats, ½ tsp cinnamon, 12 almonds chopped up and a spoonful of raisins. When I get to work, I add water and microwave for 2 -3 minutes. Perfect!

What is your favorite way to eat oats?

Thoughtful Thursday - Berries

I'll continue Thoughtful Thursdays with another Superfood - BERRIES.

Berries are considered a superfood for many reasons. They are packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You can eat a pretty large portion (usually 3/4 - 1 cup servings) for pretty low calories. Berries can also satisfy a sweet craving, without adding too many extra calories.

Being from Michigan, I love fresh berries! Blueberries and raspberry/blackberries grow here in abundance. Unfortunately, in season for berries is a very small window. Thankfully, berries can be enjoyed year round by simple preservation techniques. The best way to preserve berries is to freeze them. Place berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in freezer. When berries have frozen solid, transfer them to a ziplock bag and enjoy year round!

Berries can be incorporated in a variety of ways. Try adding them to your morning smoothie or pancake batter. Add them to muffins or oatmeal. Sprinkle fresh berries on top of your cereal or even a salad.


How do you add berries into your diet?

Thoughtful Thursday - Super Cinnamon

Have you ever heard of superfoods? Superfoods is a term coined to describe foods that have significant nutritional benefits beyond their macronutrients. They might pack an extra punch of vitamins and minerals or have an abundance of phytonutrients (or essentially chemicals within foods which promote health). For the next several weeks I plan to provide you with examples of superfoods each Thoughtful Thursday and give you ideas of ways to incorporate this superfood in your diet.

CINNAMON

Cinnamon has been labeled as "the humble superfood". I think they mean that its not some fancy, exotic fruit or some crazy berry that you have to buy in health food stores. But rather, cinnamon is a simple spice that you can get in the aisles of any grocery store. You can add it to a number of foods quite easily. AND It has tons of health benefits.

The USDA found that simply incorporating a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon into your diet each day can help control type II diabetes as well as lower LDL (or bad) cholesterol.

The smell of cinnamon itself has shown to provide a "brain boost" through increased blood flow to the brain. So it might be good in situations where you need to study or have improved memory.

The best part about cinnamon as a superfood is that it is super easy to incorporate it in your diet.

Add it to breads, oatmeal, yogurt, cereal. Try cinnamon instead of salt in some richer sauce dishes or with dark leafy greens.

One tip - don't try to increase your cinnamon by doing a cinnamon challenge... RIDICULOUS :)

How can YOU incorporate CINNAMON into your daily diet?

Thoughtful Thursday - Dear Diary...

Each Thursday I will be doing a "Thoughtful Thursday" post. This post will not necessarily include a recipe that I've tried, but rather a few nutrition thoughts that may help you make healthy food decisions for you and your family.

I had a diary when I was in elementary school. I wasn't very consistent in my usuage of my diary, maybe writing in it once a month. I wasn't a boy crazy kid who gushed to her diary about all the boys I had crushes on. Instead, I would occasionally write about what I did that day. I didn't really see the point.

Food diaries, on the other hand, have a valuable role in making wise food decisions. A 2008 research study praised the benefits of keeping a regular food diary, especially when trying to lose weight or follow a special diet. People who kept regular food diaries lost TWICE as much weight as people who did NOT keep a food diary following the same diet. People who were following specific nutrition recommendations, such as those for diabetes or heart disease, were significantly more compliant if they kept a food diary than if they did not.

I encourage my clients to keep a food diary when they are starting off on a nutrition goal to help increase their awareness of what they are taking in, and how it adds up in the day. I suggest trying a food diary for a week or two until you are able to establish a pattern of intake that meets your needs and goals. After that, I would encourage you to keep a food diary a couple days a week, but don't feel stressed to do it EVERYDAY.

When keeping a food diary it is important to think about every. single. thing. that goes into your mouth. So that includes drinks, condiments, little pieces of candy you grab off the receptionist's desk, etc. It is also important to pay attention to how a food is prepared (baked, fried, grilled, etc) and a specific portion size. You may even wish to measure your food for a few days to get a good visual picture of what your portions look like.

Here are a couple of websites which have good food diary programs:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

http://www.sparkpeople.com/

http://www.livestrong.com/

http://www.fitday.com/

http://www.calorie-count.com/

Have you ever kept a food diary? How'd it work for you?