Food of the Week – Apples

Description

• Have green, yellow or red skin
• Sweet and refreshing taste
• Tartness depends on type
• Red and Golden Delicious are the sweetest
• Granny Smith (green) most tart – good for cooking
• Apple season – end of summer to early winter

Health Benefits

• Help to regulate blood sugar levels
• High in fat soluble fiber called pectin which helps to lower blood fat levels, therefore has cardiovascular benefits
• Apples help to manage hunger
• Helps to balance bacteria in digestive tract
• Excellent antioxidant benefits
• Decrease lung cancer risk
• Benefits people with asthma due to anti-inflammatory effects

How to Select and Store

• Choose firm and bright colored fruit
• Can be stored for 3-4 months
• Cold storage maintains nutrients
• Do not store spoiled apples with “good” apples
• Choose organic apples when available since apples are on the list of the dirty dozen (highly sprayed with pesticide)

How to Enjoy

• Nutrients are best preserved when consumed whole with skin (skin has numerous benefits)
• Nutrients are lost when prepared as applesauce and even more when prepared as commercial juice
• Nutrients are lost when made into apple sauce or when consumed as apple juice

 

Food of the Week – Bananas

Description

• 2 types of bananas – sweet banana and plantain banana
• Plantain bananas are usually cooked and considered more like a vegetable due to their high starch content.  They also have a higher beta-carotene concentration than most sweet bananas.

Health Benefits

• Bananas are high in Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Potassium
• The potassium in bananas help to maintain normal blood pressure and healthy heart function
• Help to prevent heart disease
• Potassium helps to promote bone health
• Protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage
• Bananas contain pectin, a soluble fiber (called a hydrocolloid) that can help normalize movement through the digestive tract and ease constipation
• Bananas protect your eyesight

How to Select and Store

• Base your choice of bananas depending upon when you want to consume them.
• Bananas with more green coloration will take longer to ripen than those more yellow in hue and/or with brown spots.
• Bananas should be firm, but not too hard, bright in appearance, and free from bruises or other injuries.
• Their stems and tips should be intact.
• The size of the banana does not affect its quality, so simply choose the size that best meets your needs
• They should be left to ripen at room temperature and should not be subjected to overly hot or cold temperatures
• If you need to hasten the ripening process, you can place bananas in a paper bag or wrap them in newspaper, adding an apple to accelerate the process
• Ripe bananas that will not be consumed for a few days can be placed in the refrigerator

How to Enjoy

• Bananas can be added to almost any smoothie
• See our smoothie section for numerous recipes containing bananas!

Content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Black Beans

Description

• Flavor has been compared to that of mushrooms
• Velvety texture

Health Benefits

• Provide support to digestive tract, particularly the colon
• Good source of phytonutrients
• Excellent source of molybdenum, folate, dietary fiber and tryptophan
• Decrease risk of colon cancer
• Protein and fiber content support blood sugar balance and regulation
• Soaking black beans in water reduces some of the flatulence containing substances in the beans
• Decrease blood cholesterol
• Insoluble fiber decreases risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease

How to Select and Store

• Make sure that there is no evidence of moisture or insect damage and that they are whole and not cracked
•  When purchasing in bulk section, make sure that the bins containing the black beans are covered and that the store has a good product turnover to ensure the beans’ maximal freshness
• There is little difference in the nutritional value of canned black beans and those you cook yourself, although you have to beware of cans lined with BPA

How to Prepare

• Before washing black beans, spread them out on a light colored plate or cooking surface to check for, and remove, small stones, debris or damaged beans
• Then place the beans in a strainer, rinsing them thoroughly under cool running water.
• To shorten their cooking time and make them easier to digest, black beans should be presoaked (presoaking has been found to reduce raffinose- and stachyose-type oligosaccharides, sugars associated with causing flatulence.) There are two basic methods for presoaking. For each you should start by placing the beans in a saucepan and adding two to three cups of water per cup of beans.
• The first method is to boil the beans for two minutes, take the pan off the heat, cover and allow to stand for two hours.
• The alternative method is to simply soak the beans in water for eight hours or overnight, placing the pan in the refrigerator so that the beans will not ferment.
• Before cooking the beans, regardless of method, drain the soaking liquid and rinse the beans with clean water

How to Cook

• To cook the beans, you can either cook them on the stovetop or use a pressure cooker
• For the stovetop method, add three cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of dried beans. The liquid should be about one to two inches above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, partially covering the pot. If any foam develops, you can skim it off during the simmering process. Black beans generally take about one and one-half hours to become tender using this method.
• They can also be cooked in a pressure cooker where they take about one-half hour to prepare

All content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Lettuce

Description

• Different Types: Romaine, Crisphead, Butterhead, Leaf
• Romaine – Also known as Cos, this variety of head forming lettuce has deep green, long leaves with a crisp texture and deep taste.
• Crisphead – With green leaves on the outside and whitish ones on the inside, this variety of head lettuce has a crisp texture and a watery, mild taste. The best known variety of crisphead lettuce is iceberg.
• Butterhead – These types of lettuce feature tender large leaves that form a loosely arranged head that is easily separated from the stem, a sweet flavor and a soft texture. The best known varieties of Butterhead lettuce include Boston and Bibb.
• Leaf – Featuring broad, curly leaf varieties that are green and/or red, the leaf lettuces offer a delicate taste and a mildly crispy texture. Best known varieties of leaf lettuce include green leaf and red leaf.

Health Benefits

• Very high in Vitamin K and Vitamin A
• Also a good source of folate and vitamin C
• Prevents the oxidation of cholesterol (therefore prevents arterial plaque from forming)
• Good source of potassium, which has been shown in numerous studies to be useful in lowering high blood pressure

How to Select and Store

• All lettuces should feature crisp looking, unwilted leaves that are free of dark or slimy spots
• Leaves’ edges should be free of brown or yellow discoloration.
• Romaine and Boston should have compact heads and stem ends that are not too brown
• Lettuces should be either stored in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator crisper
• Romaine lettuce will keep for five to seven days, Boston and leaf lettuce for two to three days, while fragile greens such as arugula and watercress ideally should be prepared the day of purchase

How to Prepare

• To clean lettuce, first remove the outer leaves and with one slice cut off the tips of the lettuce since they tend to be bitter
• Chop the remaining lettuce to the desired size and discard the bottom root portion
• Rinse and pat dry or use a salad spinner if you have one available to remove the excess water

Content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Kale

Description

• Earthy flavor
• Lots of nutritional benefit with very little calories
• Part of the cruciferous family of vegetables
• Different types are: curly kale, ornamental kale and dinosaur kale
• Curly kale – ruffled leaves, fibrous stem, pungent flavour with bitter, peppery taste
• Ornamental kale – green, white or purple leaves, more mild flavor
• Dinosaur kale – dark blue green leaves, sweeter, more delicate flavor than curly kale

Health Benefits

• Has cholesterol lowering benefits if steamed
• Kale has been shown to reduce the risks of cancers such as bladder, ovarian, breast, colon and prostate
• Helps with detoxification
• Excellent source of Vitamin K, A and C
• Excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

How to Select and Store

• Choose kale with firm deep green leaves and moist hardy stemll
• Leaves should look fresh, unwilted, no browning or yellowing
• Choose kale with smaller leaves – it will taste more tender and mild
• Store in plastic bag in refrigerator
• Will keep for about 5 days – the longer you store it the more bitter it becomes
• Do not wash and store – wash it right before you use it
• Kale is high in pesticides, so buy organic if available

Best way to cook kale

• Steam in steamer pot with 2 inches of water for about 5 minutes

Features Recipes

• Rainbow Kale Salad
• Spicy Kale Salad
• Kale Chips
• Red Pepper and Kale Soup
• Kale Soup
• Berry Kiwi Banana Kale Smoothie
• Also featured in many of our smoothies – search for kale on our homepage

Content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Garlic

Description

• Garlic is related to the onion, leek and chive family
• It is arranged in a head called a bulb which consists of numerous cloves

Health Benefits

• Very rich in sulfur containing compounds such as allicin which are great for lowering blood pressure, lowering triglycerides and lowering total cholesterol
• They protect the blood vessel from inflammatory and oxidative stress, therefore decrease risk of clotting
• It has anti-inflammatory properties
• It is antibacterial and anti-viral
• It has important cancer prevention properties

How to Select and Store

• Always use fresh garlic.  Powdered or paste garlic does not have the same health benefits
• Store it in an uncovered or a loosely covered container in a cool, dark place away from exposure to heat and sunlight.  This will help maintain its maximum freshness and help prevent sprouting, which reduces its flavor
• You do not need to refrigerate garlic.  Freezing peeled garlic reduces its flavor profile and changes its texture
• Whole garlic bulbs will keep fresh for about a month if stored properly. Once you break the head of the garlic, it greatly reduces its shelf life to just a few days

How to prepare and cook with garlic

• Peel skin with a knife
• To enhance the health benefits of garlic, let it sit for 5 minutes after crushing it or chopping it.  Then you may eat it or cook with it.
• Microwaving garlic or boiling it whole also reduces its health benefits
• Add fresh garlic towards the end of cooking to maintain its health benefits
• Too much heat for too long will reduce the activity of the sulfur compounds

Recipes

• Almost all of our recipes contain garlic.  Use our search engine to find recipes with garlic

Content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Tomatoes

Health Benefits

• Rich in lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant
• Lycopene helps to protect our DNA and helps prevent heart disease and protect against cancer
• Organic tomatoes offer much more lycopene than non-organic tomatoes especially when it comes to ketchup!
• Help reduce risk of prostate cancer
• Improve cholesterol
• Tomato juice may reduce blood clotting
• Folate in tomatoes help reduce colon cancer, riboflavin helps reduce migraine frequency and chormium helps with regulating blood sugars

How to select and Store

• Choose tomatoes that are deep and rich in color
• No wrinkles, bruises, or soft spots
• Store at room temperature out of direct sunlight.  You can store them like this for about one week
• Storing in the refrigerator stops the ripening process.  If tomatoes are ripe and not ready to eat, then place in fridge

Recipes

• Pizza Night (Tomato Sauce)
• Chana Masala
• Mixed Greens Salad
• Collards with Lentils
• Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade
• Tomato and Avocado Salad

Food of the Week – Cabbage

Description

• Categorized as a cruciferous vegetable
• Three major types – green, savoy and red
• Bok choy is another variety

Health Benefits

• Cabbage helps to lower cholesterol, especially when steamed
• Cabbage has cancer prevention properties
• Red cabbage has added nutritional benefits due to the rich red colour, it has more phytonutrients
• Anti-inflammatory properties and an antioxidant
• High in vitamin K and vitamin C
• Provides digestive tract support  – regulates bacteria in the stomach

How to Select and Store

• Choose hard, dense cabbage, with shiny colorful leaves with no cracks, bruises etc..
• Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. Red and green cabbage will keep this way for about 2 weeks
• If you need to store a partial head of cabbage, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Since the vitamin C content of cabbage starts to quickly degrade once it has been cut, you should use the remainder within a couple of days

How to cook

• Steam, saute or eat raw
• Microwaving can destroy many of its beneficial properties and actually decrease its vitamin C content

Featured Recipes

• Avocado and Cabbage Slaw
• Cold Spring Rolls
• Rainbow Kale Salad

Some content courtesy of whfoods.org

Food of the Week – Coconut!

Health Benefits

• Coconut is high in fiber, vitamin and minerals
• Coconut oil is high in saturated fat which is why it has a “bad rep”, although the saturated fat in coconut oil is different from the “bad” saturated fat that everyone talks about
• Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) whereas bad saturated fats contain long chain fatty acids (LCFA)
• MCFA’s help to reduce atherosclerosis and heart disease
• Coconut can help kill viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites
• There are numerous other benefits to consuming coconuts see http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/ for additional information
• Coconut water helps cleanse the digestive tract, it helps promote weight loss, helps balance body pH, helps control blood sugar, boost metabolism and many other benefits!

How to Select and Store

• Select coconuts that are heavy and have no cracks
• When choosing one, shake it near your ear, it should sound full of liquid
• Unopened coconuts can be stored at room temp for upto 4 months depending on how fresh they were when purchased

Recipes with Coconut

• We use coconut oil in all our recipes that requiring cooking with oil
• Pineapple Sorbet

Food of the week – Chocolate!

Health Benefits

• Healthy chocolate consumption has numerous health benefits
• Inhibits the oxidation of LDL and reduces LDL
• Improves endothelial function
• Inhibits platelet activation
• Increases HDL
• Increases insulin sensitivity
• Reduces inflammatory proteins
• Lowers blood pressure

What types to consume

• Pure 100% Cocoa powders can be added to drinks or protein shakes, or a small amount of a dark chocolate bar may be enjoyed on a daily basis
• The presence of sugar counteracts the beneficial effects, however, so low sugar chocolate is best – 75% dark or darker.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031788_chocolate_heart_health.html#ixzz1HR2MGIBG