Have Fun with Flavor, Shape and Color

Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day might seem like a lot to ask. It may be easier to visualize adding color to your meals. Your local farmers' market or the produce aisle in your grocery store is full of interesting shapes, textures and colors. It is also full of flavors, but you’ll have to take some of them home and try them to experience that for yourself!

Here are some ways your family can aim for Five Every Day that may inspire you to find your own unique approach:

Breakfast 

• A handful of blueberries or a banana cut up and added to your high-fiber cereal and low-fat milk. 
• Six to eight strawberries cut up and added to a cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt and some granola. 
• Half a cup of mushrooms and half a cup of bell pepper chopped and added to your scrambled eggs or omelet.

Lunch 

• A salad made up of dark leafy greens, carrots, and other fruits or veggies of your choosing. 
• Add slices of cucumbers, spouts, tomatoes, or avocado to your sandwich.
• A bowl of homemade vegetable soup or chili.

Afternoon Snack 

• A sliced apple topped with peanut butter and raisins. 
• Whole grain tortilla chips dipped in salsa, guacamole, or black bean dip. Or try dipping veggie sticks in hummus.
• 8 ounces of frozen, 100% natural orange juice eaten like you would ice cream or sorbet.

Dinner

• Accompany your chicken or fish with some steamed mixed vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Maybe some apple sauce as well? 
• Finely chopped onions, mushrooms and broccoli added to your spaghetti sauce or as pizza toppings.
• Start dinner with a fresh salad. Use dark leafy greens, fresh tomatoes, fresh green pepper, grapes or currants for added flavor.

The delicious crunch of fruits and veggies can be part of every meal and snack your family enjoys throughout the day and is important for your whole family’s health. Everybody needs the vitamins, fiber and minerals that these colorful foods provide in order to grow and stay strong, energetic and free from illness.

Bring some new fruits or vegetables home and try them raw or cooked in a variety of ways. Involve the kids in the process and watch their willingness to try new things grow and flourish.

Eating your Five Every Day from a wide array of colors ensures that you and your kids will get more of the important nutrients that you need for healthy living.

Get Your Plate in Shape

March is National Nutrition Month, a campaign to encourage consumers to make informed food choices, develop sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme is “Get Your Plate in Shape.”

This week we’re also observing World Salt Awareness week. So, how can we get our plate in shape and can incorporate some smart salt habits? First, you need to know and practice some simple recommendations.

Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits. Try to eat a variety of colors from the produce aisle. Next, focus on choosing more true whole grains like brown rice, barley, oatmeal and quinoa. Be sure to read labels, because some breads labeled, “made with whole grains” might only have a sprinkling of seeds or oats on the top, and preservatives, regular wheat flour and sugars throughout. Finally, switch to fat-free or low fat milk and other dairy products.

Keep up the healthy choices by varying your protein sources. Turkey, chicken, seafood, beef, eggs and beans are all great sources of protein. Try to include seafood at least twice a week. Next, get more physically active, and finally try to cut back on sodium.

To reduce sodium intake, choose the least processed form of each of food group. Cold cuts, cheeses and canned foods generally contain more sodium than the fresher, more natural form of the food. Consider choosing a baked potato with only 2-6 mg of sodium, over potato chips, or salted French fries, which contain 1000 mg of sodium. Did you know that instant oatmeal has more than 200 times the sodium than regular quick cooking oats?

A healthy intake of sodium ranges from 1100 mg to 2400 mg per day. The new Dietary Guidelines recommend no more than 1500 mg per day for people over 51 years old, those with hypertension, diabetes, or kidney disease. To accomplish this, you need to get smart about reading the Nutrition Facts panel on every food you buy, especially if you are using processed, prepared foods. Think about what you eat daily. What can you prepare yourself? Does the food come in a salt-free version? Ketchup, salad dressings and pickles all contain high amounts of sodium.

Ask yourself, “If I make it myself, do I really need to add salt?” “Can I use other herbs and spices to flavor my meal?” Most recipes that call for salt can be modified by using half the amount, none at all, or substituting your favorite herb. Stay away from seasoning mixes, though. Most are based on salt.

Salt does provide some benefit, however, so don’t go completely salt free. Salt is a regular part of any electrolyte replacement regimen. And, salt provides a significant source of iodine, a mineral needed for proper thyroid function, and salt helps to maintain the proper Ph in your body.

So, be salt smart and start getting your plate in shape!

Written by Carmel Rickenbach -- Carmel M. Rickenbach, MS, RD, LDN, is a Licensed Registered Dietician with the Kennett Area YMCA. For more information on the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley, visit ymcabwv.org or any of its branches: Brandywine Y, Kennett Area Y, Jennersville Y, Octorara Program Center, or the Oscar Lasko Youth Program Center.

Avocado Dip
Avocado is high in monounsaturated fat and a good source of lutein, an antioxidant that may protect vision. This mixture is a great dressing for mixed green salads and is a good topping for fish or chicken. (Source: mayoclinic.com)

½ cup fat-free sour cream
2 tsp chopped onion

1/8 tsp hot sauce
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, onion, hot sauce and avocado. Mix to blend the ingredients evenly. Serve with baked tortilla chips or sliced vegetables.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving) Serving size: ¼ cup, Calories 65, Cholesterol 0 mg, Protein 2 g, Sodium 27 mg, Carbohydrate 4 g, Fiber 2 g, Total fat 5 g, Potassium 172 mg, Saturated fat 1 g, Calcium 31 mg, Monounsaturated fat 3 g

Remember the Four "Fs" to Keep your Heart Strong

February has always been associated with hearts - chocolate, candy, paper. We all know how important it is to take care of our hearts, but do we actually know what we need to do?  Armed with some basic information, like the four “Fs,” we can all make sure we keep our tickers ticking.

Fats:  We've all heard that fat is bad for your heart.  Well, not all fats are created equal, and knowing which ones help and which ones might not can make choosing a little simpler. 

Saturated fats contribute to elevating bad cholesterol levels which can put us at risk for heart disease.  Saturated fats  may increase the chance that our arteries become blocked and prevent healthy blood flow to and from our hearts.  Sources of saturated fats are mainly animal products, such as whole milk and whole milk dairy items, sausage, bacon, lard, items such as baked goods made with palm or coconut oils. Synthetic, trans fats have been shown to also increase the bad cholesterol levels, decrease good cholesterol levels, and increase your chance of developing heart disease.  Unsaturated fats are those that provide benefit to our heart by improving the good cholesterol levels.  Sources of unsaturated fats are nuts and nut butters (peanut, soy nut, almond nut), avocado, olives and olive oil, fish, vegetable oils, soft tub margarine.  The fats in fish called omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to lower blood pressure and help prevent heart disease.  What we as consumers need to know is that by focusing our consumption of fats from the unsaturated category, we are taking good care of our hearts.       

           

Fiber:  Fiber is nature's scrub brush, it helps to clean out our digestive tract, right, so how does it help our heart?  Fiber actually attaches itself to cholesterol to bring it out of the body.  So in a way, increasing your fiber through whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables will increase the likelihood that your arteries are nice and clean, too.

Flavoring:  Do we have a salt shaker on the table?  Do we add salt to our food before we taste it? Are there a lot of packages in the cabinets, but not a lot of color in the refrigerator? Salt and products that contain salt, can negatively impact our blood pressure and therefore impact how hard our heart has to work.  By eating food that is closer to its natural state, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and whole grains reduces the chances that items (salt or preservatives containing salt) have been added to our food.

Fitness: Your heart is a muscle and like any muscle it needs to be challenged.  If we don't work this muscle, it, like any other muscle in our body, becomes weak.  Considering this is one of the most important muscles that keeps you alive, don't you want it to be pretty strong?  So how do we strengthen our hearts and keep them healthy?  Move, move, move.   Moving means living an active lifestyle.  Find ways to incorporate activity in your life besides just going to the gym.  Keep that heart pumping by taking the stairs instead of the escalator, parking your car a little further from store entrances, getting up and taking breaks if you sit at a desk all day, going out to play.

Having a healthy heart means not only choosing foods that help keep your heart working well, but staying active to make your heart stronger.

Recipe
Pork tenderloin with apples and balsamic vinegar
Serves 4

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped apple

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the pork and sprinkle with black pepper. Cook until the tenderloin is browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in the prepared baking pan. Roast the pork for about 15 minutes, or until a food thermometer indicates 160 F (medium).

Meanwhile, add the onion, apple and rosemary to the skillet. Saute over medium heat until the onions and apples are soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and vinegar. Increase the heat and boil until the sauce has reduced, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place the pork on a large platter. Pour the onion-apple mixture over the top and serve immediately.