In my Alternative Approaches to Nutrition class I am learning a lot of little tips to help with eating a more balanced diet and living a healthier lifestyle. I'm also learning about food safety (you'll hear more on this later).
With that said I've decided to post some "food for thought" each week to help get our minds thinking about what exactly we put into our bodies for nourishment. If we want to wake up and live our lives, food choice is a big part of it. With the winter months creeping around the corner I think its a good time to establish some patterns and habits so it will be easier to stay healthy and active through the stillness of Winter.
Who needs more veggies in their life? Chances are, you do. As the Daily Beast reports yesterday, "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a study this month that says only 26 percent of American adults eat vegetables three or more times a day. According to the 'Eating Patterns in America' report released this week by a market research company, only 23 percent of meals include a vegetable—and that’s including lettuce on a hamburger." If people are considering a leaf of lettuce on a hamburger one vegetable serving I would argue that the 26 percent figure may even be an overestimation.
So what does this mean? Yeah, we all know we should eat our vegetables, and we don't eat enough of them, so what? Well, for starters a diet rich in fruits and veggies is one of the best ways to prevent almost all chronic diseases. It's true. As Murray's Encyclopedia of Healing Foods says, "Fruits and vegetables are so important in the battle against cancer that some experts said--and we agree--that cancer is a result of a 'maladaptaton' over time to a reduced level of intake of fruits and vegetables" and similarly the medical journal, Cancer Causes & Control says, "Vegetables and fruit contain the anticarcinogenic cocktail to which we are adapted. We abandon it at our peril" (18).
Maybe in my younger years this would be a foreign matter, but as I get older and my bones begin to get creak when I get up I've started to pay more attention to "chronic disease" prevention and I'm all about it. Hell yes I enjoy life too much to discard all the evidence surrounding this topic, and I love food so I'm taking the veggie challenge. You should too. Try to eat more vegetables this week and you'll notice you'll have less room in the stomach for other things like, let's say chips, cookies, ice cream, etc.? And you'll feel better. I promise!
Tip of the day:
BUY LOTS OF FROZEN VEGGIES (PREFERABLY ORGANIC) FOR COOKING SO YOU CAN EASILY ADD A VEGGIE DISH TO A MEAL.
(SO EASY...NO WASHING OR CHOPPING INVOLVED. NO LETTING IT GO BAD IN THE FRIDGE, IT'S THERE AND READY FOR EATIN'!)
Frozen veggies retain their nutrients better than most canned and even fresh vegetables, which start losing their nutritional value the moment they are picked. Don't get me wrong though, eat lots of fresh veggies when you can!
You can be very creative with frozen veggies, they are good for stir-frying, side dishes to a meal, or even a snack. If you have any snack/meal ideas to share that incorporate frozen veggies please do share!
Here is my favorite breakfast meal lately, that incorporates frozen veggies:
1 clove of garlic chopped (from farmer's market...we'll discuss good places to buy food another week)
1 beaten egg (from the farmer's market)
1 cup of frozen organic veggies
Cheese (whatever's in the fridge)
Olive Oil
Directions
1) Chop up a clove of garlic. Beat one egg (or two if you need).
2) On medium heat, heat a little olive oil in a pan on the stove.
3) Add garlic, let cook for a minute.
4) Add the veggies (1 cup). Let cook for a couple minutes.
5) Add the beaten egg and mix it up/scramble with the veggies. Grate a little cheese over the mixture.
6) Add a little sea salt, pepper, dried herbs to suit your palate.
7) Eat a homecooked yummy breakfast with veggies and protein that took less than 10 minutes to prepare! If you're looking for some carbs to add to the mix, grab a piece of fruit like a banana and you'll really be set.
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