Just a quick post to say that my recipe that I submitted in the Bush Beans recipe contest is being featured on the recipe page: http://vegetablewithmore.allrecipes.com/Default.aspx Hover your mouse over image # 2 and click on the picture to read the recipe.

I should have won.

Yum! Finally made it down to Akron to try Vegiterranean, an all vegan restaurant with an Italian flare started by Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders (we actually saw her there!).  It was a very cool and trendy style restaurant that did not seem to fit in to the surrounding area. I had been craving the veggie burger there and french fries. So, Scott and I decided to share so we could try multiple dishes. Sorry for the picture quality as I forgot to plan ahead and bring my camera, we ordered:

Spinach salad- spinach tossed in vinaigrette topped with kalamata olives, tomatoes, homemade croutons and spiced slivered almonds

Biker burger (veggie burger with arugula, pesto aioli, tomato, onion) with french fries topped with tofu ricotta and served with balsamic dressing

Veggie Pizza- Wheat crust topped with butternut squash puree, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, soy mozzarella and panko breads crumbs broiled to a nice crispy texture.

ATE THIS ONE TOO FAST FOR A PICTURE!
Key Lime Napoleon- Crispy, fried won-tons sprinkled with sugar layered between whipped cream and key lime pudding served with raspberry sauce and fresh berries.

It was one of the best vegetarian/vegan meals I have had at a restaurant. I definitely recommend the place and I might just have to swing by there one more time before I head out of town!

You may have seen quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) in the grocery store or on the menu at some trendy restaurant–quinoa is an ancient grain that has gained a lot of attention over the last year or two. Unlike other grains, quinoa is actually a seed and is a complete protein (meaning it contains all needed amino acids). which is important to note for vegetarians. Quinoa also is a good source of iron. When cooked, quinoa looks like it has a little string wrapped around it and has a subtle nutty, earthy flavor. Before cooking, rinsing helps remove saponins which can give the seed a bitter flavor. Click here to read a brief article on the grain and how to cook it.  Quinoa is gluten free and is a great substitute for noodles or rice in most recipes. This recipe sounded good to me–Quinoa Chard Pilaf.

Here is nutritional information taken from USDA website:

1/4 cup dry quinoa (makes approx 3/4 cup cooked):
160kcals
2.5g fat
27g carbohydrates
3g fiber
6g protein

I love to walk.  I used to like to run, even completed a marathon but I hurt my foot somewhere in there and started walking instead. I find it a lot easier to be motivated to walk than it is to run and you can walk anywhere. As long as you have a pair of shoes (and preferably comfortable clothes), you can walk anywhere. I leave my pedometer on my shoe all the time and really strive to reach a goal everyday. You would be surprised how many steps you can get in by taking an extra lap around the grocery store or walking around the block before dinner.

An article from USA Today reviews the health benefits of walking by referencing a study conducted at a research center in Seattle.  All subjects were “unfit” before the study. One group was asked to walk 60 minutes/day, six days a week and the other group was not given any exercise instructions.  The article summarizes some of the results as:

• Women who increased their activity level by an additional 3,500 steps a day lost 5 pounds during the year.

• Men who added that many steps lost 8½ pounds in a year.

• The exercisers who did the most — 60 minutes, six days a week — decreased their belly fat by 10% to 20%.

• Those same exercisers trimmed 10% to 15% of their overall body fat without losing muscle mass.

Take home message: Do a little more moving/exercise than you were doing before and you could see results. Try setting reasonable, attainable goals for yourself and you will reap the benefits.

There are many programs out there that attempt to take all the nutrition information on a food and place a corresponding label/code/star onto it. In this way, the companies hope to simplify the choices and to make it easier for consumers to select healthier options.

One of the newest programs is Smart Choices, which was officially revealed at Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (American Dietetic Assoc annual meeting). One of the unique things about this program is that it spans across food brands and is not implemented based on supermarket’s decisions. In an earlier post of mine, I discussed the Guiding Stars program which is an example of a nutrition labeling program that grocery stores must pay to use. The Smart Choices program is actually on the package label as opposed to next to the price tag.  Companies that are participating include Kelloggs, Pepsico, General Mills, Kraft and Coca-Cola.

To qualify as a Smart Choice pick the food must meet certain levels of fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium. They also must (for the most part) provide healthful nutrients such as fiber or calcium or fit into one of the food groups. I actually saw a bag of Ruffles potato chips at Giant Eagle today with the label.

The problem with this and every other labeling system is it implies other foods that do not have this label cannot fit into a healthy diet.  Education and understanding of how to incorporate healthy foods into a balanced diet is more important than learning how to look for a Smart Choice logo. Also, though this program does include 18 brands, there is no way for a program to address all foods available to us.  Even more disturbing, these labels cannot be placed on fresh foods which is the first place to turn for healthy choices.  Overall, I do not think this program is a bad idea per se, but there are typical flaws. I would hope it just might help consumers select lighter versions of favorite foods or call attention to the nutrition label.  Be on the look out for these labels and let me know what you think–do they influence what you purchase or eat? I expect the answer to be no.

Read this article about how bottled water is less regulated, more deterimental to the environment and a hit to your wallet.  After that, you can go here to purchase a water bottle.

Due to compelling research on vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics increased their recommendations for children and teenagers fmor 200 IU to 400 IU.  There has been a lot of press on vitamin D and current recommendations for all ages as research seems to support protective effects of higher intakes from cancer, heart disease, bone disease and diabetes.  Research is not conclusive on just how much would provide these benefits, but this did not stop the Academy from increasing current recommendations.

Vitamin D is produced when 7-dehydrocholesterol is exposed to sunlight and creates cholecaliciferol or D3. It is then further acted on by the liver and kidneys to get the biologically active form. Sun exposure of 10-15 min/several times a week should be enough, but variations in altitude, seasons, skin color and skin quality creates barriers to this general recommendation.  The risk of skin cancer still exists, so this also causes a dilemma. Vitamin D is not found abundantly in foods; the best natural source is oily fish and otherwise our dietary vitamin D comes from fortified foods (milk, orange juice, yogurt). For more information on vitamin D, click here for a fact sheet from NIH.

I think everyone has heard many tricks to prevent crying when cutting onions–from a wooden spoon in your mouth to a burning candle.  This article mentioned some of these crazy techniques and whether they hold any sort of truth.  The author spoke with a chemistry professor (Eric Block) to get to the bottom of this story. Turns out onions contain a volatile and water soluble compound called propanethial S-oxide, which acts as protection for the onion plant.  Block explains that because this compound is water soluble, by giving it a source of water (besides your eyes) you can reduce tear production.

Methods include cutting the onion under water, near running water, chilling onions beforehand in ice water or I have heard of freezing them before cutting. I have yet to try these techniques as I typically do not have such strong onions, but I will definitely try one of the water techniques next time. If anyone tries this, please comment to let me know if it worked for you!

The Department of Health and Human Services, a governmental agency, has just released their exercise recommendations based on a thorough review of the current research. The guidelines are similar to what you may have heard through the media, but also include recommendations for specific populations including children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Click here to read the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.