Wasting food is something that has always been a concern of mine. I think it is because I hate wasting money. I strive to not let food go to waste. Have I succeeded 100% of the time? No, I have not; but in our household, we have significantly reduced the amount of food we throw out.
April 29 is STOP FOOD WASTE DAY.
Spring is here and the days are steadily getting longer which is always a welcomed time in Minnesota. With spring, we will start to see pops of bright yellow in our yards, in the parks, and along the roads. What are these vibrant yellow pops of color? Dandelions!!
There are many diets: keto, Mediterranean, Low FODMAP, Paleo, South Beach, Blood Type, raw food, and many, many more. Determining what type of diet is best for you can be a huge challenge. THERE IS NO DIET THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE! We are all individuals who have a specific genetic make-up and have our own health journey; there is no one else like you!
I have been gluten free for close to two years now. There have been ups and downs on this journey, but for me it has improved my overall health. Do I miss bread? Of course, I do; just thinking about the texture of a piece of bread with lots of butter on it can be hard. BUT being healthy is more important to me and for right now that means keeping gluten out of my diet for a while longer. The adventurous part about this gluten-free journey is learning to be creative in the kitchen. Yes, that is my way of keeping it positive.
Most of us have had applesauce, but other fruits make yummy sauces too! Pears can make a great sauce. Often when I purchase pears, they all get ripe at the same time; once they are ripe, they need to be used or they will become brown and mushy. Making ripe pears into a sauce is a great way to use up them. Making a pear sauce is similar to making an applesauce. The sauce can be eaten plain, with yogurt, or as a pancake topping instead of syrup. I often use homemade fruit sauces instead of syrup on my pancakes.
Did you know there are four levels of eating? Each level reflects an awareness of a person’s overall way of eating. We often don’t put much thought into our eating; but if we take the time to evaluate ourselves, we can become more responsible for our own health. Let’s look at these levels.
When eating a health-promoting diet, it is important to have a great variety of food in your diet. This includes both animal foods and plant foods. We are being encouraged to eat more and more plant-based foods. The challenge can be that many plant-based foods are difficult to digest. I will be doing a series on how to properly prepare foods to release the most nutrients and not challenge our digestive systems.
February is National Heart Month so I thought I would share a few tidbits to keep your heart beating strong.
Fun Heart Facts
A healthy heart pumps 2000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels every day.
In America, approximately 48% live with some form of cardiovascular disease.
A woman’s heart beats faster than a man’s by about 8 beats.
Doesn’t this just sound like a fun food by its name? As I have shared in other posts, superfoods contain high levels of essential nutrients, both as food and medicinal in their properties. Let’s look at Spirulina.
Maltodextrin is a very common food additive found in many processed foods; it was introduced into our food supply between 1967 and 1973. It is made by cooking starches such as corn, rice, potato, or wheat; then adding acids or enzymes to further break it down. When processing is complete, a water soluble, neutral tasting white powder is formed. It is closely related to corn syrup solids but has less sugar content with no nutritional value.