What’s so great about kale?

https://www.eatthis.com/10-superfoods-healthier-than-kale/

https://skipthepie.org/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/kale-raw/compared-to/chard-swiss-raw/

Spinach--Nutrition Score: 86.43
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of iron, the muscle mineral—that’s more than a 6 oz hamburger patty!

Chard--Nutrition Score: 89.27
Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes.

Beet greens--Nutrition Score: 87.08
A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed.

Watercress--Nutrition Score: 100
The top dog, the unrivaled champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams—two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful.  Richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which research suggests can fight cancer.

Friday on the porch and around Lakeside

I'm reading my third Fannie Flagg novel this summer. Great porch reading. Funny. The four books I brought with me, "Why I don't call myself gay; how I reclaimed my sexual reality and found peace," "Ipad for Seniors (for dummies)," "The creed; professing the faith through the ages," and "Rethinking possible; a memoir of resilience," made it out of the book bag onto the end table, but no further.

I believe O.J. was guilty as sin of those murders, and probably over-punished for the minor crimes. I'm sorry he'll be released, but he did the time on those charges. And I'd never heard of the that band Linkin Park or the guy who committed suicide.  I wonder what the rate is for that profession? Suicide is highest among older white men--at least in this country. https://psychcentral.com/news/2016/01/07/why-older-white-men-have-highest-suicide-rate-in-us/97289.html

The author of this Imprimus article was listening to her three children argue. "It was at this moment that I had one of those sudden insights as a parent. I realized that my oldest was a constitutional conservative, my middle child a libertarian, and my youngest a socialist with totalitarian tendencies." We have a Democrat party full of socialists with totalitarian goals in this country. They hate free speech.  It's not the 60s anymore.  https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/lefts-war-free-speech/

Black men who in their private lives love white women, pretend to be anti-white and racist to blacks in their own community says this black man in a Tucker interview. He loves the fruit, hates the tree. NYT should have dumped that race baiting article on white women on sidewalks (which I didn't read). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYTNEjKTxFA

Although I only attended three of this week's offerings on Russia, they were all interesting, especially the film that was premiered here on the Lakeside grounds. Russia is the world's largest country by landmass, beating out runner-up Canada by around 2.8 million square miles. It includes nine different time zones and shares land borders with 14 neighboring countries. 1/4 is in Europe and 3/4 in Asia. It's rich in resources. It has a dictator, but the USA spent years coddling other dictators. Remember Fidel? It would have been a great ally and trading partner but something went very wrong during the last three years of Obama's reign's and Clinton's stint as Secretary of State. What are the Democrats trying to cover up by blaming everything on Trump, who wasn't even a candidate in those years?

Until after the 2012 campaign, Obama and Putin were close. What did Obama do to change this, and why blame Trump who wasn't even on the radar as a politician. This is a rhetorical question, of course.

Home Free, a "vocal band" put on a fabulous show Friday night at the Hoover in Lakeside. Pretty much a packed house--lots of covers of Oak Ridge Boys, Statler Brothers, Alabama, etc. Loved Elvira. Nice Johnny Cash Ring of Fire, too. A few of the hip hop genre I thought were inappropriate for our regular audience, but they are a quality, fabulous group. Don't miss them if they are performing near you. I think the next 2 are in Canada. Amazing sound--all vocal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXQpDDcrN-w

Almost every morning I've been having grilled fresh vegetables for breakfast.  Then I'm good for the rest of the day in case indiscretions like chocolate chip cookies or rhubarb cobbler suddenly appear. Every day is different, but I always add some brown mustard, and that really helps the blandness. Today (Saturday) is onions, yellow peppers, zucchini, broccoli, but others times it's cabbage, mushrooms, celery, green peppers and carrots.

The lean and green diet

I haven’t seen much about a meat and vegetables only for weight loss, but we are expecting a guest soon who told me she will be bringing her own food.  It’s a meat/veggies diet—ONLY.  No dairy, carbs, fruit, or caloric dense foods. That wipes out a lot of desserts and casseroles, strawberries and/or blueberry shortcake, and the Wednesday night picnic doesn’t it?  Also can’t find much about it on the internet except to warn you which important nutritional needs you don’t get, like calcium and folic acid. But she says she’s lost 52 lbs and 29 inches, so after her battle for a lifetime, I’ll certainly accept her word.

My mantra on weight loss is “Eat less; move more.” ELMM.  Works whether you just eat Twinkies, Paleo, gluten free, periodic fasting or Mediterreanean. But it has to work for you.  Snacks make me hungry—or am I hungry and then snack?  Perhaps when she meets her goal, she could add fruit or nuts (which I love).

We often go out to eat with a thin couple in their early 80s.  I have never seen them order anything but a large salad.

Here are some examples of Lean and Green meals I found:

• Big salad with vegetables (basically any vegetable of your choice, you can get creative), grilled chicken (or any lean meat of your choice), and dressing (just be mindful 1 tablespoon of olive oil has 110 calories, and a couple tablespoons of the average dressing has around 100 calories).
• Salmon with string beans and asparagus
• Top Sirloin steak (preferably grass fed, has 1/3 the saturated fat) with spinach
https://www.builtlean.com/2010/03/18/go-lean-and-green-for-fast-fat-loss/

Body building sites I checked said vegetables are “free,” and you can eat all you want. I’d go for fresh, just from common sense.  Sometimes those bagged carrots taste like wood, and bags of salad mixings, although quick and easy, have also been recalled for bacteria.

So easy even a librarian could do it

Just like your mom told you—eat more vegetables

“Unlike fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin A, E and D) that our bodies can store for future use, the water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and folic acid) can only be stored in small amounts or not at all. Since vitamins cannot be produced by the body and can only be obtained from the food we eat, they are called "essential nutrients." Vegetables' rich concentration of water-soluble vitamins is just one reason why the U.S. government guidelines for a healthy diet recommend filling at least half of your plate with a combination of vegetables and fruits.

Eating a variety of vegetables as a regular part of your meal plan helps you to stay slim and provides the energy and vitality necessary to really enjoy daily life. All of us depend on complex carbohydrates for energy and vitality. The starchy portion of complex carbohydrates is converted into glucose, which is used to produce energy in our cells. However, the energy contained in glucose can only be released in combination with vitamins and minerals.

The most important of these include all of the B vitamins, vitamin C and minerals like zinc. Vegetables are concentrated sources of these nutrients essential for turning carbohydrates into energy rather than storing them as fat, and vegetables provide them for the least calories. So, eating plenty of vegetables rich in complex carbohydrates is a sure way to help you stay both slim and energized.”

From WHFoods Weekly Newsletter, by George Mateljan, Jan. 26, 2015

Last week I made pickled fresh beets, but the best part is the beet tops/greens, which I just love. I think they are tastier than kale, mustard greens, or collard greens, and of course, there’s the bonus of the roots.  I occasionally have a baked sweet potato for breakfast. Also, helps me remember Mom’s garden delights of 30 years ago.

• The top greens are an excellent sources of vitamin-A; 100 g leaves provide 6326 IU or 211% of RDA. Vitamin A is required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Diet rich in this vitamin are known to offer protection against lung and oral cavity cancers.

• They are excellent vegetable sources for vitamin-K; 100 g provides 400 ug of this vitamin that is about 333% of recommended intake. Vitamin K has potential role bone health by promoting osteotrophic (bone formation and strengthening) activity. Adequate vitamin-K levels in the diet help limiting neuronal damage in the brain; thus, has established role in the treatment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

• 100 g of fresh leaves contain 30 mg or 50% of daily-recommended levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a moderately powerful water-soluble antioxidant, which helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

• This leafy vegetable is notably good in many B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, folate, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, pantothenic acid, etc., that are essential to the body as part of co-enzymes during the metabolism in the body.

• Its leaves are also rich source of minerals like magnesium, copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is required for cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation.

Fruits and Vegetables—five servings a day

“Dietary guidelines of 5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables (FV) offer a reasonable amount of vitamins to control organic processes, which may contribute to a favorable cardiometabolic profile.”

It seems I’ve heard that recommendation most of my life—that and “eat all the colors.”  So I tested myself this morning on yesterday’s meals—because that’s about as far back as I can remember.

Breakfast:  one orange, a handful of raw carrots and almonds (2)

Lunch: a sandwich on whole wheat bread with sliced ham and cheese, included a few slices of onion, and some dark leaf lettuce (it’s stretching the definition to call this two servings—more like 2 tastes)

I had a few pieces of dark chocolate left from Valentine’s Day, but chocolate is not a vegetable. Slice of raw cabbage. (1)

Supper: 2 helpings of butternut squash, “unstuffed cabbage” casserole containing tomatoes, cabbage and ground beef, cream pie with crushed pineapple  (5)

So, it’s not difficult, even with eliminating the poor showing at lunch, I had eight servings of fruits and vegetables combined, but for each 5  vegetable, and 3 for fruit. With just a little more effort at lunch, I could have had 5 FV each.

“Pro-vitamin A carotenoids and vitamins C and E, present in FV, are essential for proper physiological functioning. The importance of vitamin E for maintaining oxidative-antioxidant balance is widely recognized [8,9], but this must be accompanied by vitamin C in order to enhance antioxidant protection [8-10]. Pro-vitamin A carotenoids are present in brightly colored FV; such micronutrients modulate immune system and exert a protective action by reducing LDL-cholesterol oxidation via induction of antioxidant enzymes [10,11]. “  “Association of fruits and vegetables consumption and related-vitamins with inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in prediabetic individuals,” Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2014; 6: 22.

Vegetables high in Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a broad group of related nutrients. Each of these nutrients provides us with health benefits, but these benefits may be quite different and they may be provided in different ways.

I love all of these vegetables. Help with all this. . .

• Vision
• Immune system
• Inflammatory system
• Growth
• Reproduction

Read more here.

"Vitamin A in Reproduction and Development," Nutrients. 2011 April; 3(4): 385–428. This article although difficult, provides amazing information and references.

I love cabbage—this looks so good

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks

This is a simple side dish worthy of a dinner party and couldn’t be easier to make. Four ingredients, a couple of minutes to prepare and toss in the oven for an hour.

Ingredients

• 1 (approximately 2lb) head of organic green cabbage, cut into 1″ thick slices
• 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 large garlic cloves,
• smashed kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• spray olive oil OR non-stick cooking spray Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Pull outer leaf off cabbage (it’s usually dirty and nasty looking), cut cabbage from top to bottom (bottom being root) into 1″ thick slices. 2. Rub both sides of cabbage with smashed garlic. 3. Use a pastry brush to evenly spread the olive oil over both sides of the cabbage slices. 4. Finally, sprinkle each side with a bit of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. 5. Roast on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the cabbage steaks and roast for an additional 30 minutes until edges are brown and crispy. Serve hot and Enjoy!

Copied from Jodie Strickland’s FB page, who got it from Skinny Body Care with Greg.

What is the difference between garden peas, snow peas and sugar snap peas?

This is from today WHFoods newsletter.  When we eat peas, it’s usually shelled garden peas. I remember shelling fresh peas from my mother’s garden. For lunch I often diced some onion and pepper, then add frozen garden peas and frozen corn.

Garden Peas

Garden Peas need to be shelled before eating. Fresh garden peas have rounded pods that are usually slightly curved in shape with a smooth texture and vibrant green color. Inside garden peas are green rounded pea seeds that are sweet and starchy in taste and can be eaten raw or cooked. Garden peas have more nutrients and more calories than snow peas or sugar snap peas. However, they require more work to prepare because they must be shelled before eating. As most people do not want to spend the extra time to shell their peas, the demand for fresh garden peas is very low, and they can be more difficult to find than other varieties of peas. Garden peas are sweet and succulent for three to four days after they are picked but tend to become mealy and starchy very quickly if they are not cooked soon after harvesting.

Ninety-five percent of garden peas are sold either frozen or canned. Frozen garden peas are a good substitute for fresh Garden Peas. They are already shelled, and because they are blanched before freezing, they take no time to prepare - just heat and serve. They also retain their flavor and nutritional value because they are frozen soon after they are picked. Frozen peas are more flavorful, contain less sodium and have more nutritional value than canned peas.

Snow Peas or Chinese Pea Pods

Sometimes called Chinese pea pods, this variety is usually used in stir-fries. Snow peas are flat with edible pods through which you can usually see the shadows of the flat Pea seeds inside; they are never shelled. Fresh and frozen Snow Peas are available.

Sugar Snap Peas

A cross between the garden and snow pea, they have plump edible pods with a crisp, snappy texture; they are not shelled. Both snow peas and snap peas feature a slightly sweeter and cooler taste than the garden pea. Like snow peas, snap peas have fewer nutrients and calories than garden peas. Fresh and frozen sugar snap peas are available.

Don't throw away the stems. . .

"We all know broccoli is good for us, but did you know that the different parts of the broccoli plant make their own distinctive contributions to its overall nutritional value? Broccoli stems have a wonderful mild sweet flavor and are much higher in fiber than the florets; they are renown for the amount of extra fiber they can add to your diet. While the florets contain more beta-carotene than the stalks, the leaves actually are a richer source of beta-carotene than either the stems or florets. And remember when selecting broccoli florets that the dark green, bluish-green, or purplish-green color contain higher concentrations of beta-carotene than pale green or yellowish-green florets."

World's Healthiest Foods Newsletter, George Mateljan Foundation

"Place broccoli in a plastic bag, removing as much of the air from the bag as possible. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for 10 days. Do not wash broccoli before storing because exposure to water encourages spoilage. Partial heads of broccoli should be placed in a well-sealed container or plastic bag and refrigerated. Since the vitamin C content starts to quickly degrade once broccoli has been cut, it is best to use it within a couple of days. Broccoli that has been blanched and then frozen can stay up to a year. Leftover cooked broccoli should be placed in tightly covered container and stored in the refrigerator where it will keep for a few days."

Glad to see that about purplish-green--I always thought that meant there were bugs.

Update: I was so inspired by this entry, I had broccoli and little cut up Hillshire Farms Cheddar 'lil Smokies.

It's Brussels Sprouts week--bleh!

That's what my World's Healthy foods newsletter said. I don't like Brussels sprouts--but I do like their cousins, other cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, cauliflower and cabbage. Eating more vegetables--all types and colors--can help with weight control.

A recent issue of Lancet says:

"In this report, we used a simulation model to project the probable health and economic consequences in the next two decades from a continued rise in obesity in two ageing populations—the USA and the UK. These trends project 65 million more obese adults in the USA and 11 million more obese adults in the UK by 2030, consequently accruing an additional 6—8·5 million cases of diabetes, 5·7—7·3 million cases of heart disease and stroke, 492 000—669 000 additional cases of cancer, and 26—55 million quality-adjusted life years forgone for USA and UK combined. The combined medical costs associated with treatment of these preventable diseases are estimated to increase by $48—66 billion/year in the USA and by £1·9—2 billion/year in the UK by 2030."

Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK : The Lancet

Summer's bounty

It's peak season for cucumbers, and if you're lucky, you'll have a farmers' market near by or your supermarket will have locally grown. Fresh cukes and fresh green bell peppers taste very different in August than they do in January. Read the Whole Foods story on cucumbers.

Cucumbers are a very good source of the vitamins C and the mineral molybdenum. They are also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium and contain the important mineral silica. See all the nutrients

This week I've been sweetening a small amount of apple vinegar, adding a little salt and pepper, then slicing into it cukes, onions, bell peppers, and fresh green beans. I refrigerate it and shake it from time to time. Yummy snacks.

Today for breakfast I grilled two small, sliced Ohio peaches, jazzed it up a bit with a few sprinkles of cinnamon and a dash of sugar free maple syrup, added a few Michigan blueberries and topped it all with some walnuts. Then for lunch I grilled fresh green beans in a little olive oil, added onions, bell peppers, some frozen corn and in the final minutes some locally grown zucchini, turned the burner off and put on the lid to steam lightly. Heavenly.

Lakeside 2008 Farmer's Market

It's gray and overcast today, but the wagons are here! I spent $11.00 and got a quart of peaches, quart of green beans, big green pepper, zucchini, cucumber, dozen brown eggs, a bunch of beets and ONE ear of corn (my husband hates corn). What a deal. However, you can get reasonably fresh food at your supermarket, and by the time I use these up, they probably won't be as nutritious as frozen. I'm still using the onions from a few weeks ago, and last week's blueberries and tomatoes. Use your head. Don't drive 10 miles for a farmer's market. It's great if it's in your backyard, but it is very easy to eat healthy, fresh and cheap in America.


Notice the canvas bag; recycled UALC VBS 2001