Pea and Lentil Capitol of the World – The Palouse, an area of rolling hills in Washington and Idaho, had been the Pea and Lentil capitol of the world. After all, that’s where both crops were started in the United States back in the 1900s. More recently, North Dakota and Montana’s production has outpaced that of Washington state.
According to the USA Pea and Lentil Council, lentils provide more fiber than any other legume. That’s one reason why Washington's local lentil crop is used as lentil flour to enrich pasta, such as Barilla Plus and Fiber Wise. The Council also represents chickpeas (garbanzo beans) which have increased in production to meet the growing demand for hummus.
One interesting tidbit about chickpeas. They got their name because they have a little "beak" that makes this pea resemble a chick’s head.
(Source: Nutrition Education Network of Washington "Energize" and Jennifer William, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, 208-882-3023, www.pea-lentil.com.)
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Eat Right When Money is Tight
Need some help eating on a tight budget? Go to the government's website, http://snap.nal.usda.gov, and look under Spotlight. Then click on "Eat Right When Money’s Tight" which leads to the SNAP-Ed Resource library with not only that tip sheet but other useful resources.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Eating Home is Becoming Chic
According to Grocery Shopper Trends 2008, a recent survey by the Food Marketing Institute, 71% of families are cooking at home more and eating out less in order to cut costs. Interestingly, 91% of those surveyed say they eat healthier when dining at home. Families also save money because a restaurant meal costs more than twice per person, a median of $12 compared with $5 in the FMI report.
This means that more people will need to learn how to cook. Cooking can be fun and it doesn't have to be gourmet. The best part of it is that maybe more families will sit down at the dinner table together - a great opportunity to enjoy each other's company.
I can remember when my girls were younger. They'd come home from school - I'd ask them how their day was - and they'd say fine and that was all I heard about what went on. Yet, when we were all sitting down at the table for dinner and we really got to talking, so many stories would flow. So, don't miss that opportunity to connect with your kids and family. Maybe even consider cooking together. And as the survey showed, you could be the healthier for it.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
This means that more people will need to learn how to cook. Cooking can be fun and it doesn't have to be gourmet. The best part of it is that maybe more families will sit down at the dinner table together - a great opportunity to enjoy each other's company.
I can remember when my girls were younger. They'd come home from school - I'd ask them how their day was - and they'd say fine and that was all I heard about what went on. Yet, when we were all sitting down at the table for dinner and we really got to talking, so many stories would flow. So, don't miss that opportunity to connect with your kids and family. Maybe even consider cooking together. And as the survey showed, you could be the healthier for it.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Cooking Healthy With Macadamia Nut Oil
Most people think of olive oil as being the healthiest of the oils because of it being associated with the Mediterranean diet. Research has shown people who live in the Mediterranean area have a lower risk of heart disease, partly because of what they eat. They eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, a little fish and their fat normally comes from olive oil. Olive oil is a healthy fat because it isn't too high in omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids, when taken in great amounts, overpowers the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. The real benefit of olive oil is it's high amount of monounsaturated fat (omega-9 fatty acid), which has a neutral effect on our blood lipids.
But back to discussing omega-6 fatty acids overpowering omega-3 fatty acids in the diet - Americans tend to eat almost 12-16 times as many omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s. Research shows that a 2:1 ratio is far better for us. All the margarine we eat, the crackers, cookies, and cakes made with such oils as corn oil, sunflower or cottonseed oil, contribute to our high intake of omega-6s. Put that together with a low intake of fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, which are high in omega-3s, you can understand why our ratio of the two fats is out of whack.
Because I love the taste of macadamia nuts, when I was in the market the other day, I was happy to find a bottle of macadamia nut oil. What a fantastic flavor it has. And what's even better is knowing that it has an ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids - that is, 1:1 or equal amounts. You can even cook with it because it has such a high smoke point. I "heartily" recommend macadamia nut oil for use in cold dishes, as well as hot dishes. Consider using it on your salads or when you're stir-frying.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
But back to discussing omega-6 fatty acids overpowering omega-3 fatty acids in the diet - Americans tend to eat almost 12-16 times as many omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s. Research shows that a 2:1 ratio is far better for us. All the margarine we eat, the crackers, cookies, and cakes made with such oils as corn oil, sunflower or cottonseed oil, contribute to our high intake of omega-6s. Put that together with a low intake of fish, such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, which are high in omega-3s, you can understand why our ratio of the two fats is out of whack.
Because I love the taste of macadamia nuts, when I was in the market the other day, I was happy to find a bottle of macadamia nut oil. What a fantastic flavor it has. And what's even better is knowing that it has an ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids - that is, 1:1 or equal amounts. You can even cook with it because it has such a high smoke point. I "heartily" recommend macadamia nut oil for use in cold dishes, as well as hot dishes. Consider using it on your salads or when you're stir-frying.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
It's All in the Genes
Have you ever heard of the term "nutrigenomics"? It's the science that studies the effect of what you eat on how your genes get expressed. If you visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrigenomics, you'll see a brief discussion about it. Also visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression for a brief discussion of gene expression.
First you need to understand that all the proteins in your body, such as enzymes, hormones, cell walls and immune factors, are made based on your DNA. Your DNA, which contains your genes, serves as the blueprint to make these proteins. So much of how our body functions is based on gene expression. For example, when you eat carbohydrates, your pancreas produces insulin to help those carbohydrates (which are now broken down into glucose) enter your liver and other cells in your body. The presence of the glucose in the bloodstream turns a sensor on in the pancreas that says make insulin.
Your pancreas contains DNA. That DNA is the blueprint or instruction guide on how to assemble proteins in a particular order to make the insulin. So every time you eat carbs, whether they be simple (e.g., sugar) or complex carbs (whole grains), the pancreas is signaled to start the DNA factory production of insulin.
That is just one example of how what we eat dictates what genes need to be expressed. Here's another one which is really not healthy for you. When you're overweight, your fat cells get bigger and bigger (you also make more fat cells). There comes a point where the fat cell gets so big that it bursts. Now you've got broken cell walls and loose fatty acids floating around, which are irritating to the body and cause inflammation. Your body knows to clean up the mess. So now the genes for "clean-up" are activated, making macrophages to act like Pac-Man and gobble up the mess. So all of the excess calories you've been eating that have been turned to fat and stored as fat, are now causing your genes to have to make macrophages, exacerbating the inflammation. What you don't want going on in your body is inflammation.
Just losing some weight will decrease your odds that your fat cells will burst. Eating less refined carbs (most anything that is white - white flour, white sugar, white bread) will keep your pancreas from having to work so hard and so fast.
I'll talk more about nutrigenomics in upcoming blogs because it is so important to know about. For now, try to eat your carbs in the form of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain foods. Limit your fat intake and when you do eat fat, focus on eating unsaturated fats, such as olive oil and canola oil that should replace such oils as corn oil and safflower oil (found widely in margarines).
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
First you need to understand that all the proteins in your body, such as enzymes, hormones, cell walls and immune factors, are made based on your DNA. Your DNA, which contains your genes, serves as the blueprint to make these proteins. So much of how our body functions is based on gene expression. For example, when you eat carbohydrates, your pancreas produces insulin to help those carbohydrates (which are now broken down into glucose) enter your liver and other cells in your body. The presence of the glucose in the bloodstream turns a sensor on in the pancreas that says make insulin.
Your pancreas contains DNA. That DNA is the blueprint or instruction guide on how to assemble proteins in a particular order to make the insulin. So every time you eat carbs, whether they be simple (e.g., sugar) or complex carbs (whole grains), the pancreas is signaled to start the DNA factory production of insulin.
That is just one example of how what we eat dictates what genes need to be expressed. Here's another one which is really not healthy for you. When you're overweight, your fat cells get bigger and bigger (you also make more fat cells). There comes a point where the fat cell gets so big that it bursts. Now you've got broken cell walls and loose fatty acids floating around, which are irritating to the body and cause inflammation. Your body knows to clean up the mess. So now the genes for "clean-up" are activated, making macrophages to act like Pac-Man and gobble up the mess. So all of the excess calories you've been eating that have been turned to fat and stored as fat, are now causing your genes to have to make macrophages, exacerbating the inflammation. What you don't want going on in your body is inflammation.
Just losing some weight will decrease your odds that your fat cells will burst. Eating less refined carbs (most anything that is white - white flour, white sugar, white bread) will keep your pancreas from having to work so hard and so fast.
I'll talk more about nutrigenomics in upcoming blogs because it is so important to know about. For now, try to eat your carbs in the form of vegetables, fruits, and whole grain foods. Limit your fat intake and when you do eat fat, focus on eating unsaturated fats, such as olive oil and canola oil that should replace such oils as corn oil and safflower oil (found widely in margarines).
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
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