Eating For Health

Many people love spicy foods.   Did you know that adding some spices to your foods is actually good for your health?   Not only do spices have almost no calories, they add lots of health benefits.   A class activity I did with students was to modify a lasagna recipe to make it healthier.   One group of students took out all the spices thinking this somehow made the lasagna healthier.   A good learning opportunity as we then discussed how you want to ADD SPICES to your day for good health.    Why are spices healthy? Think antioxidants , those healthy chemicals in plant foods.   There are over 100 different spices and these not only are a source of antioxidants but a concentrated source of antioxidants.   Different spices provide a varying array of antioxidants.   Health benefits of spices can include being anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, helping to lower glucose and cholesterol levels, and even boost your mood and brain function. Jo...

Who doesn’t enjoy some sour dough bread?   In California we had some great sour dough bread.   This past June, we were on a Viking cruise and many countries had some delicious sour dough bread.   Healthy bread is usually whole grain.   There are some whole grain sour dough breads but mostly sour dough is made from white flour.   Whether made from white flour or whole wheat flour, are there any health benefits to enjoying some delicious sour dough bread? Why is it called sour dough bread? Instead of relying on baker’s yeast to raise the dough, sour dough bread uses a “ starter ” of a living microbes plus flour and water.     This is called “wild” yeast which contains some lactic acid that gives sourdough its tangy taste.     Sour dough doesn’t use the commercial baker’s yeast used to make regular bread. This is certainly not a new technique for bread making as it dates back to 1500 BC in ancient Egypt .    What nut...

Who isn’t looking forward to all the great food there is to eat on Thanksgiving?   In our family, we have some great cooks and they love to cook up a storm and they bring lots of different main dishes, side dishes and desserts.    How can you enjoy all those Thanksgiving goodies without feeling guilty?   Last year I provided some tips on how you can enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and all those leftovers without ending up gaining weight over the long weekend.   Not exactly an easy thing to do but some of these tips may help you stave off groaning when you get on the scale after the Thanksgiving break.   No, I am not recommending dieting – who wants to skimp on all the good food?    And Thanksgiving is a day not to be on a diet but a day we can enjoy every bite but not gain a lot as a result.   How can you make some slight modifications in your Thanksgiving feast and still enjoy a tasty meal? What are some suggestions for enjoying all the food bu...