Great Healthy Foods to Have in Your Pantry

Grains are a great staple to have in your pantry. Grains include pasta (regular and whole wheat), brown rice and white rice, oatmeal and popcorn. Grains and vegetables can easily make up the bulk of a meal with protein complementing.

Beans are an inexpensive way to add protein, iron and fiber to a meal. I find canned beans easier to use due to my busy schedule. But if you have time or plan ahead, dried beans and lentils are an inexpensive option. Many grocery stores sell dried bean mixes, so you do not have to buy a large quantity of beans to make your own.

Fish whether fresh, frozen or canned is a nutritious, flavorful way, to add variety to any meal. I like to keep cans or packets of tuna and salmon on hand for quick sandwich spreads.

Fruits and vegetables add a lot of nutritional value and flavor to a meal. Canned and frozen are options in Northeast Wisconsin where our growing season is short. During the growing season take advantage of purchasing fruits and vegetables at local farmer markets held weekly in our area.

Integrate low-calorie, calcium rich dairy products. Wisconsin is known as the dairy state and we are fortunate to have access to high quality milk, cheese and other assorted dairy products. If you’re not a milk fan, think about incorporating milk into puddings and soups.

Healthy Eating On the Run

Many Americans have busy lives. Healthy eating can be a challenge when you are on the run. With a little planning, healthy choices are available.

When ordering, ask if potato chips can be exchanged for fruit or tossed salad.

When selecting items from a vending machine, look for the heart symbol. This symbol indicates healthier options.

If planning to eat fast food, order a salad, grilled sandwich or baked potato. Stay away from “super-sized” portions. Another option is to order an extra large sandwich, cut it in half and share with another person.

Beverages consumed on the run can contain significant amounts of sugar. Order water, low-fat milk or 100 percent juice.

Are you tempted by dessert? If so, order one dessert and several forks and share with everyone at the table.

Carry a healthy snack with you to eat if you get hungry. Trail mix, granola bars, peanut butter and crackers, nuts and fresh fruit are great options.

Avoid purchasing oversized food items like cookies and muffins Many of these items constitute two or more serving and are often high in sugar, salt and/or fat.

Sub sandwiches can be a healthy option. Choose lean beef, ham or turkey on whole grain bread. Ask for mustard, ketchup or minimal amount of mayonnaise or oil. Include plenty of veggies.

Try a smoothie made with fruit, yogurt and juice.

If dinner is from the deli section of the grocery store, choose rotisserie chicken, salad in the bag and fresh crusty bread. Avoid salads made with creamy dressings.

Eat Your Vegetables

Vegetables are important for good health. They contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber than may help to protect against chronic disease. “Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To get the recommended number of servings, many people need to increase the amount of vegetables they eat each day. To get a healthy variety of vegetables, think color. Eating vegetables of different colors gives your body a wide range of valuable nutrients like fiber, potassium and vitamin A. Some examples include spinach, sweet potatoes, and yellow corn.

Here are some suggestions for incorporating more vegetables into your diet.

Roast vegetables. They are easy to make and taste great.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2. Chose hard, solid vegetables like peppers, squash, zucchini and root vegetables like carrots and onions.

Step 3. Cut vegetables into uniform pieces.

Step 4. Put vegetables in bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Step 5. Line roasting pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Step 6. Arrange vegetables in single layer in pan.

Step 7. Roast 10 minutes and then remove pan from oven and stir.

Step 8. Roast for additional 10 minutes.

Step 9. Remove from oven and serve.

Plan to plant a garden this spring. This is a great way to teach children how to garden and they are more likely to eat vegetables they have helped grow.

Buy pre-washed salad greens and carrots for quick salads.

Plan meals around vegetables. Stir-fry and soups are great ways to incorporate vegetables into entrees.

Add shredded carrots to muffins and quick breads.

For more information, go to www.fruitsandvegetablesmatter.gov

Understanding Dietary Fat

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommends that no more than 20 to 35 percent of your calories should come from fat. Only 10 percent of this fat should come from saturated fat. While fat has gotten a lot of negative press, we do need to consume some fat in our diet.

Fat plays a number of essential roles in our body:

• Fat supplies energy for body processes as well as for energy we need to function on a daily basis.

• Fat supports the work of other nutrients. Some vitamins dissolve in fat including vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without fats these fat-soluble vitamins cannot fully nourish your body.

• Certain fats are considered essential, specifically two fatty acids: linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid which our body cannot make.

The concern is amount of fat consumed. On average, Americans consume more fat than they need. If you consume more energy from fat than your body needs, your body saves the extra in your body’s fatty tissues, mostly in fat cells. The consumption of high-fat, especially high-saturated fat foods is linked to higher blood cholesterol levels and a greater chance for heart disease. Also, eating a high-fat diet can increase the risk for some types of cancer and obesity.

Here are some suggestions for trimming fat from your diet:

• Check the Nutrition Facts on food labels to find out how much fat is in the product as well as if the product contains saturated fat and/or trans fat.

• Use the MyPyramid to guide your eating.

• Enjoy seafood a couple of times per week.

• Select lean meat and skinless poultry. Enjoy meat that has been broiled or grilled rather than deep fat fried.

• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

• Pay attention to the amount of fat in snack items as well as in baked goods.

• Add flavor with herbs and spices rather than with high-fat gravies and sauces.

Source: American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide

Spring Clean Your Refrigerator

The refrigerator is a highly used appliance that does not always get the cleaning it deserves. With thoughts of spring and spring cleaning, plan to schedule some time to take a look at what is in your refrigerator as well as give it a good cleaning.

Begin by checking dates of foods kept in the refrigerator. It is wise to do this on a regular basis like once a week. The following refrigerator chart can be an useful guide when determining whether or not to keep foods. When in doubt, throw it out.

http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/humannutrition/hrap/storage/stochart.htm

For best cleaning results, refer to the owner’s manual. Here are some tips to get you started.

• Wash the inside of the refrigerator with warm water and a clean sponge. Rinse and wipe down with paper towels.

• If the refrigerator has an odor, place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator.

• Keep the front grill free of dust. Clean the condenser coils with a brush or vacuum. Remember to unplug the refrigerator when cleaning the coils.

Purchase a refrigerator thermometer. This inexpensive item is essential to knowing the inside temperature of the refrigerator. Place the thermometer in the center of the middle shelf (not on the door). The internal temperature should be 40 degrees or lower. A temperature higher than 40 degrees can increase the likelihood of food borne illness. Refrigerator temperatures can vary from season to season, so check the thermometer on a regular basis. If necessary, adjust the settings on the control dial accordingly.

Now is a Good Time to Purchase Cauliflower

Cauliflower is at it’s best from December through March when it is in season and most plentiful in local grocery stores.

Like broccoli, cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable. Members of this family have been associated with a reducing the risk of cancer. Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate and vitamin C.

Select clean, firm, compact heads that are white or creamy white. The size of the head does not affect quality. Remaining leaves should be green and crisp. Avoid heads with major spots, speckles, bruises, or loose open floret clusters.

Store cauliflower in the crisper where it will keep approximately five days. Pre cut florets do not keep well, so use them with a day of purchase.

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, remove outer leaves and thick stalks leaving only the florets. The florets should be broken into similar-size pieces, so they cook evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy.

Confetti Salad
2 cups bow-tie macaroni
1 ½ cups cauliflower, chopped
¾ cup carrots, sliced
¼ cup celery, chopped
¼ cup green pepper, chopped
¼ cup radishes, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup Italian dressing

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse. Combine cooled macaroni and vegetables with Italian dressing. Toss lightly until evenly coated

Recipe submitted by Kathy De Champ, Brown County UW-Extension

USDA’s Nutrient Database Has Been Updated

USDA’s database has been updated so that you can now find nutrition information on more than 7,500 food items. The 2009 updates include vitamin D values for many kinds of fish and for foods that are often fortified with vitamin D such as milk, orange juice, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, yogurt, and margarine.

In addition, nutrient profiles have also been added for dozens of food items from family-style, Latino and Chinese restaurants.  You can use the USDA nutrient database to look up how much of a vitamin, mineral, or other nutritive food component is in a specific food. To search for the nutrient profile in a specific food, go to http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ and enter the name of the food in the search text box.  Hint:  some common food words like “chicken” will yield hundreds of items, so try to be specific (e.g., frozen chicken nuggets). 

You can also look up food sources of a specific nutrient. The results can be shown in alphabetical order or in order from highest to lowest in amount per household measure. To find a list of foods that are high in a specific nutrient, click on “nutrient lists” at the same search website mentioned above and click on the “W” in the dark blue circle next to the nutrient of interest. For example, if you ask for a list of high-to-low food sources of total dietary fiber, you’ll find that raw pearled barley, bulgur, and navy beans have the most fiber per household measure. Keep in mind that all the “household measure” amounts are not the same from food to food (e.g., 1 cup, 1 pie shell, 1 mango, 1 oz nuts) and the amount of calories would be very different from food to food in these lists.

Source:  Susan Nitzke, UW-Extension Nutrition Specialist