Cook Up Some Easy Greens

After scouring different recipe sites and Food Network shows for ideas, I tried out the following easy technique and I love it!! read more Cook Up Some Easy Greens

Laurel’s Easy Greens
*Add 2-3 tbsp. olive oil to a saute pan on medium heat.
*Chop up 2 large (or 3 small) garlic cloves and add to the pan.
*Allow the garlic to cook/soften for about 1 min. (do not burn).
*Add 3-4 big handfuls of chopped up greens to the pan with 1/2 cup water or vegetable stock.
*Cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 min.
*Remove the lid, stir, and cook for 1 min. to allow some liquid to evaporate.
*Season with salt and pepper.

As you know, greens are one of the healthiest foods we can put in our bodies. They are oozing with cancer-fighting, age-defying, life-saving goodness. Here’s a few past posts I’ve written on greens and their amazing benefits:
More Leafy Greens For Ya

Sweet Fall Root Vegetables

Last week marked the official start of the fall season, and it’s a great time of year to take advantage of the sweetness that root vegetables have to offer. One of my favorite foods in season this fall/winter is butternut squash. They are versatile, have tons of flavor, and are a comforting choice any time of the day. When you cook root vegetables (for ex., carrots, squashes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and rutabagas), they become soft and sweet. Therefore, read more at: Sweet Fall Root Vegetables

Here’s a fall salad recipe that’s bursting with flavor. It’s a little savory and a little sweet. My favorite flavor combination.

Butternut Squash & Pecan Salad

(makes a big family size portion)

Salad ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 cup toasted pecans
Baby arugula (4-5 big handfuls)
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped up
1 tsp dried sage
Olive oil
Honey
Salt & black pepper

Dressing ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
Black pepper

Ease Allergies with Folate

 

I heard about an interesting new study when I was reading the latest issue of Fitness Magazine this week. A small “Food Fix” bulletin noted that the more folate (also known as folic acid or vitamin B9) you eat, the less chance you have of getting allergy and asthma symptoms from things like mold, pet dander, and dust mites. (Fitness, Jan 2010, p. 106) ...read more on Ease Allergies with Folate

Scientists will need to conduct more studies in order to make specific recommendations for folate supplements, but it doesn’t hurt to increase your intake of folate-rich foods. Try some of these:

 

• Asparagus
• Leafy greens (spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, romaine, etc.)
• Chickpeas
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Butternut squash
• Asparagus
• Lentils
• Cauliflower

14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

After reviewing my research on healthy foods and cholesterol from this year I came up with the top 14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol.

• 1. Whole grains and oats – a five-year Insulin Resistance Athersclerosis Study showed that people whose diets contain the most whole grains “had the thinnest carotid artery walls and showed the slowest progression in artery wall thickness.”
Shop for Whole Grains
• 2. Blueberries – a compound in blueberries (pterostilbene) may help lower cholesterol as effectively as commercial drugs with fewer side effects.
  Shop for Blueberries
• 3. Pistachios, 4. Walnuts, and 5. Almonds – a Penn State study showed that eating pistachios significantly lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed eating walnuts after a high-fat meal might protect your heart. Omega-3 fats and antioxidants in nuts work to reverse the arterial damage caused by saturated fats.

• 6. Avocados, 7. Olives, and 8. Olive oil – 26 of the 30 grams of fat in an avocado are heart-healthy, unsaturated fats that can increase your levels of HDL cholesterol. The good fats in avocados, olives, and olive oil protect against heart disease and diabetes. Check out the Mediterranean Diet.
• 9. Flaxseed oil – flaxseed oil can lower blood pressure in men with high cholesterol. In a three-month study of 59 middle-aged men, those who took daily flaxseed oil supplements (with eight grams of the omega-3 fats, alpha-linoleic acid) experienced significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
• 10. 100% cranberry-grape juice – antioxidants in grape juice slow down LDL cholesterol oxidation, and cranberry juice raises HDL or “good” cholesterol.

• 11. Fish and Fish oil – a study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found that people with type 2 diabetes who consumed high doses of fish oil over nine weeks lowered the size and concentration of several lipoprotein subclasses (cholesterol) in their bodies.
• 12. Black soybeans – a study from the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that black soybeans may help prevent obesity, lower LDL cholesterol, and reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes.
• 13. Pomegranate juice – a National Academy of Sciences study showed that pomegranate juice reduces cholesterol plaque buildup and increases nitric oxide production (nitric oxide helps reduce arterial plaque).
• 14. Yogurt with live active cultures (probiotics) – Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN said “several studies have shown that the probiotics Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Reuteri actually help lower cholesterol. They work by preventing the reabsorption of cholesterol back in to the blood stream.”

You might be a person who is predisposed to high cholesterol, or maybe your diet could use a shape-up. Here are a few key points on cholesterol that I try to focus on:

• LDL or “bad” cholesterol deposits itself on the walls of your arteries, forming plaques that make them hard and narrow. HDL or “good” cholesterol removes excess LDL in your blood and brings it to your liver for disposal. The more HDL you consume, the less LDL you’ll have in your blood.
• You may need medication to help reduce your cholesterol, but eating a heart-healthy diet and getting exercise are very important.
• Everyone should have their cholesterol checked-it doesn’t matter if you are young/old, female/male, or thin/overweight.