FitSugar

Healthy Recipe: Edamole

FitSugar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:00:00 -0700

If you're a fan of guacamole, but don't like that it's high in calories and fat (even though it's healthy fat), then you're going to go crazy for this alternative. It looks like guac, doesn't it, but the smooth green appearance comes from edamame, not avocado. These soybeans are high in protein, low in fat and calories, and have a sweet and fresh flavor that is perfect for Summer. Make this for your next barbecue to serve with chips, or smear it on sandwiches or hamburgers instead of mayo. I'm so glad a friend turned me on to this recipe, because now edamole is my new favorite food.

To learn how to whip up this super simple crowd pleaser and see the nutritional info read more.

Recipe for Edamole
recipe from a running buddy

Ingredients

3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I use Cholula)
1 garlic clove, halved
1 Roma tomato, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for the tomato in a food processor until smooth.
Add the diced tomato and stir gently.
Cover and chill.
Serve with toasted pieces of pita, whole wheat crackers, corn chips, or veggies.

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This easy dip contains:

	Calories	Sat. Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
3/4 cup edamame	282	1.5	28.5	8.1	24.9
2 tbsp. olive oil	240	4	0	0	0
1 tbsp. lemon juice	3	0	3	.1	0
1/4 tsp. salt	0	0	581	0	0
1/4 tsp. Cholula hot sauce	0	0	21	0	0
1 clove garlic	4	0	1	.1	.2
1 Roma tomato	35	0	5	1	1
Total in dip	599	5.5	636.5	9.3	26.1
1/4 serving of dip	149.8	1.4	159.1	2.3	6.5

3 Cheap and Natural Meat Substitutes

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Whether you're trying to incorporate more vegetables in your diet or cut down your grocery bill, replacing meat a couple nights a week can help you accomplish both goals. Here are three inexpensive meat substitutes that don't include the often-polarizing tofu.

Eggplant: This purple veggie has a solid, meaty texture compared to other vegetables and is a tasty centerpiece for dishes like baked eggplant parmesan or a complement to stir-fry and pasta recipes. Eggplant is nutritious to boot, packing in fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, and potassium.

To see two more meat substitutes, read more.

Mushrooms: If it's cost you're focused on, opt for button mushrooms to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. Mushrooms are extremely versatile and can be ideal substitutes in burgers (make a portobello burger or veggie burgers with mushrooms as a base), enchiladas, casseroles, and more, as they tend to take on the flavors of whatever else is in the recipe.
Beans: Full of protein and fiber, beans are an extremely inexpensive meat substitute. Use them in chilis, salads, and soups to make any vegetarian meal a bit heartier.

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Healthy 2009: Beans and Cabbage

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:30:00 -0800

The new year represents a fresh start and we all look toward the future with hope. In the foods that folks traditionally eat on New Year's Day, health and prosperity come together in the form of beans and cabbage - two superfoods.

The circular shape of beans represents the cycle of a year ending as well as prosperity - the beans represent coins. Black-eyed peas are considered good luck in the South. Chickpeas are eaten on the first day of the new year in southern France and in Italy. In Japan, red beans are eaten on New Year's Day for prosperity. Beans are a great source of both protein and fiber. Low in fat and affordable, beans provide a good source of important minerals: calcium, iron, and potassium. Why not make a pot of veggie chili to ring in the new year.

Cabbage is eaten for prosperity, too. The leaves are considered to be representative of paper currency. Eating money will bring you money! Cabbage is most nutritionally prepared by steaming or sauteing, but not boiling since the leaves can lose up to 90 percent of their healthy antioxidants when cooked in water. Cabbage is high in vitamins K and C, the mineral magnesium, and even a little bit of omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, it is great for cleansing your liver, which might feel a little taxed today after last night's party.

Add these two lucky and healthy foods to your diet in the new year. Even if it isn't today, you can't go wrong with beans and cabbage.

What do you eat on New Year's Day? Tell me in the comment section below.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Add Beans to the Food You Eat

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Beans, beans, good for the heart . . . Ahh yes they are, because they're great sources of protein and fiber. Protein gives us energy, is necessary to build healthy hair and nails, it's an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood, and your body also uses protein to make hormones. Fiber is necessary to keep us regular, plus it helps to lower cholesterol, and prevent certain types of cancer.

Since beans contain both fiber and protein, you should try to eat them as often as you can. If your body isn't used to eating beans, sitting down for a big bowl of chili isn't necessarily going to do your belly any good. You could end up feeling bloated and uncomfortable, and swear off beans for good.

Instead of chowing down on an entire meal of beans, add them to the foods you already eat. Sprinkle some chickpeas and kidney beans on your salad, drop some black or cannellini beans into your soup or casserole recipes, add some black eyed peas to your pasta sauce. Get creative. I guarantee that the extra protein and fiber will have you feeling amazing.

Fit's Tips: Since you aren't going to be using a whole can of beans, store the leftovers in a plastic container in the fridge so they'll be easily accessible when you want to add a few spoonfuls to your next meal.

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Healthy Eating Tip: Go For Low Sodium Beans

FitSugar — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Beans are more than a musical fruit (sorry, I couldn't resist) they are little nutritional powerhouses with their high fiber and antioxidant content. That being the case, they're a good addition to any meal. One tip is to be sure to always buy low sodium beans whenever possible. Low sodium beans are usually comparable in price to regular sodium beans, but they have about 30-60% less sodium than the non low sodium beans. What's more? Rinsing beans in a colander under cold water will get rid of some sodium too.

If you need to review some reasons to cut your sodium intake, check out: 5 Things About Salt.

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Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 03:30:00 -0800

One of my favorite all time meals is Shepherd's Pie. Normally it's made with ground lamb, but since I'm always trying to get my family to eat more veggies, I came up with a vegetarian version that uses beans and tons of veggies.

To see my recipe, read more

What you need:

Potatoes (8 white or sweet or a mix of both, each about the size of a lemon)
1 32 oz. container of Pacific Veggie broth
2 peppers (I prefer 1 red and 1 orange)
1 zucchini
3 stalks of celery
6 mushrooms
4 big carrots
1 can of beans (I prefer black or kidney)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
2-3 tbsp butter or Earth Balance (optional)
1 clove of garlic, minced

What you do:

Place a big pot of water on the stove on High heat.
While the water is heating to a boil, peel the potatoes (unless you love mashed potatoes with the skins). Then dice them up and place them in the pot of boiling water.
Now get another pot, pour the broth in and place it on the stove on Medium heat.
While that's warming up, cut up all the veggies and place them in the broth. Feel free to add other kinds of veggies if you want. Strain and rinse the canned beans and add them to the broth too. Mix everything up and allow to cook uncovered.

Check on the potatoes, and when they're soft, strain out the water in a colander, and return them back into their original pot. Using a fork or a masher, while they're still steaming hot, mash the potatoes until creamy. If you're using regular potatoes, you can add garlic and butter (or Earth Balance) for a smoother texture. If you're using sweet potatoes, they don't really need any butter (they're creamy enough). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Set the mashed potatoes aside, and turn on the oven to 350°F. Now check on the veggies cooking in the broth. You want to cook them for only about 10 minutes or so, so they're still slightly firm.
Now take a rectangular glass casserole dish, and using a slotted spoon place all the veggies in the dish. Now pour some of the leftover liquid over them, enough so that the veggies are covered, not swimming. You can save the leftover broth (if there is any) in a container in the freezer for a later recipe.

Now carefully scoop the mashed potatoes over the veggies, smoothing them out with the back of a spoon in a nice even layer. If you like cheese, go ahead and sprinkle it on top. I did half and half so you can see what it looks like.

Place it in the oven, uncovered, and bake for about 10-20 minutes. You'll know it's ready when either the cheese is melted and bubbly, or the potatoes are slightly hard on top.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you have any leftovers, place them in plastic containers in the fridge.

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Ovarian Cancer: Prevent With Fiber and Less Fat

FitSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:00:00 -0700

It turns out that including at least 30 g of fiber in your diet not only helps prevent breast cancer, but a new study also says that it could also reduce your risk for ovarian cancer by 40 percent.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cancer killer of women. About 20,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with this deadly disease every year, and about 15,000 will die from it. Unfortunately that is not a great survival rate.

That's why it's so important for women to stick with a long-term diet that's high in fiber and low in fat with less than 20 percent of daily calories coming from fat. Not only does this diet help reduce their risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers, but it can also help prevent heart disease, and head and neck cancers as well.

So get your fiber ladies. If you want to know how much fiber is in the foods you eat, then read more

Check out these posts to make sure you're getting 30g of fiber a day:

Fiber in Fruit
Fiber in Vegetables
Fiber in Nuts, Beans, and Grains

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Food Review: Amy's Cheddar Cheese Burrito

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:30:00 -0700

If you don't know by now, I'm a huge fan of foods from Amy's Kitchen. I love her Vegetable Lasagna and Stuffed Pasta Shells, and her canned Vegetable Barley Soup is really tasty and filling.

Sugar users juju and james bond girl suggested I try Amy's burritos. You can find them in the freezer section of most health food stores. They weren't too expensive - about $3 or 4 each - and they have a few varieties such as Bean & Cheese (I tried this one), Bean & Rice, Black Bean Vegetable, Breakfast (with tofu and potatoes), Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap, and Southwestern (with jalapeño peppers and black olives).

Want to know what I thought of Amy's Bean & Cheese Burrito? Then read more

Serving Size	1 burrito
Calories	300
Total Fat	9g
Saturated Fat	2.5g
Cholesterol	10mg
Sodium	580mg
Carbs	43g
Fiber	6g
Sugar	1g
Protein	11g

This burrito was the perfect size, and it was very tasty - not very spicy, with just enough seasoning. The pinto beans and cheese were mixed to create a soft and creamy consistency. When I looked inside, I could still see whole pinto beans, which is always a good thing.

The whole wheat flour tortilla was wrapped tightly enough and never once unraveled, so I didn't have to worry about it becoming a huge explosive mess as burritos often tend to be. I also liked that after taking this burrito out of the freezer, it only took 2 1/2 minutes in the microwave to warm up.

Amy's burritos definitely get a thumbs up from me. With 11g of protein and 6g of fiber, they're a great option when you need a quick meal.

You Asked: Beans Make Me Gassy

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 02:30:00 -0700

You're asking and I am answering...

Dear FitSugar,
I read this site religiously and love it. I took your advice of incorporating more beans into my vegetarian diet so I got all my amino acids, but it's causing a bit of a gas problem. Is it okay to take something over the counter? Are there other ways to deal with it? Let me know! Thanks!!
- Gassy Cassie

This is a great question! Just so you know beans have this effect on everyone! If you're not used to eating a ton of beans (or foods containing lots of fiber), it's going to take your body a little while to adjust. Start incorporating beans into your diet a little at a time. Try sprinkling a tablespoon or two over salad or on your pasta. Use soymilk in your cereal or mix some tofu in your vegetable stir fry. Slowly introducing beans into your diet will give your body a chance to warm up.

Also try mixing your beans with other foods. This will help to tone down the gaseous effects of the beans (don't just eat them alone). Try eating beans with rice, hummus with pita, or vegetable soup that contains beans. After a few weeks of these smaller amounts, your body will get used to your bean intake, and they'll become easier to digest.

Also, if you are soaking and cooking your own dry beans, instead of canned, be sure to dump out the water after they're done cooking and rinse the beans thoroughly. Soaking and cooking bean water can cause major flatulence. The same goes with the canned beans. Use a strainer to get rid of the extra water the beans are soaking in, and rinse them with water before using.

Some people take Beano, an over-the-counter pill that contains enzymes to help your body digest beans and other high fiber foods. I'm not saying it will cure your gas, but it may help.

FIt's Tips: I wouldn't worry about the gas too much, since everyone farts. Just start off eating small amounts of beans at a time, and you'll be ready for spicy black bean soup in no time!

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What Does Your RDI Look Like: Iron

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:30:00 -0700

There's big talk about iron and making sure you get enough when it comes to nutrition. I'm sure that's one of the comments vegetarians get from their concerned parents, "If you don't eat red meat, you'll become iron-deficient!"

Iron is an important mineral the body needs to make hemoglobin which helps carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Believe it or not, iron is found in many other foods besides hamburgers and steak. Chicken, turkey and seafood such as oysters, tuna and salmon contain iron. There are also many vegetarian sources such as beans (kidney, lima, soy, pinto and black), green leafy veggies (spinach and kale, broccoli), asparagus, parsley, brussel sprouts, molasses, nuts, egg yolks, fortified cereal, enriched pasta, potatoes with the skin and dried fruits (raisins, dates and apricots).

Do you know how much iron you're supposed to get each day? To find out just read more

An adult woman should get 18 mg of iron a day. Here is a good list of some food sources that contain iron so you can get your RDI:

Food	Amount	Amount of Iron (in mg)
Fortified cereal	1 oz	4.5 - 7
Dried apricot	1/4 cup	1.5
Raisins	1/4 cup	1.1
Molasses	1 tbsp	3.3
Garbanzo beans	1/2 cup, cooked	3.4
Pinto beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Lima beans	1/2 cup	2.2
Lentils	1/2 cup	3.2
Soybeans	1/2 cup	7
Tofu	1/2 cup	6.2
Sun-dried tomatoes	1/2 cup	9
Spinach	1/2 cup, raw	2.7
Kale	1/2 cup, steamed	2
Broccoli	1/2 cup, raw	1
Asparagus	1/2 cup, steamed	1
Potatoes, with the skin	1/2 cup	3.2
Pine nuts	1/2 cup	9
Peanuts	1/2 cup	3.9
Pumpkin seeds	1/2 cup	14
Sunflower seeds	1/2 cup	6.7
Flaxseed	1/2 cup	6.2
Ground beef	1 patty	4
Steak	3 oz	4
Turkey (dark meat)	3 oz	4
Oysters	3 oz, steamed	7.4
Trout	3 oz	4
Shrimp	3 oz	4

How do you know if you are iron deficient (anemic)? Symptoms may include feeling unusually tired, pale skin, shortness of breath during exercise, cold hands and feet, brittle nails, hair falling out and headaches. A simple blood test will let you know if you need more iron in your diet.

If you are anemic, try to eat more foods with iron. You can take iron supplements, but they may cause an upset stomach, heartburn, or constipation. It's rare, but you can also get too much iron. Extra amounts of iron in the body eventually build up to dangerous levels and can cause severe damage to organs trying to store the extra iron. So be careful not to exceed your daily amount too often.

Fit's Tips: If you eat beets and it turns your pee red, it could be a sign that you are iron deficient. If this happens to you, get your iron checked by your doctor.

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