Tasty Bites: Vitamin C and Orange Julius

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, has a wide range of benefits to health. Studies have shown it has infection-fighting properties, and it can prevent damage to body cells. People rush to get Vitamin C at the first symptoms of a cold, and it certainly can’t hurt. Vitamin C acts like an anti-histamine, and can relieve symptoms. Before antibiotics, nutritionists promoted eating foods high in Vitamin C as well as other nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables to fight disease. Certainly people who have a higher intake of nutrient-rich foods have a higher infection-fighting ability.

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Tasty Bites: Enter The Green Monster

By Candy (Steele the Day)

Yesterday I sent what I thought was a helpful link to an article to my youngest son who works out very hard nearly every day. It contained a recipe for a good post-workout refueling shake full of nutritional goodies written by Matt at No Meat Athlete.. My son’s response?

“I’ve never heard of most of that stuff.”

OK, so I went overboard with a recipe containing selba, sprouted buckwheat, chlorella or spirulena powder. I just love Matt’s site and the article gave some great advice, but in all practicality, it was time to apply the KISS principle if I was to convince someone to not eat fries and a soda after a workout.  So I told him to make a Green Monster.

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Tasty Bites: Choosing the Best Peanut Butter

By Candy (Steele the Day)

Even though peanuts are actually a legume and not a nut, they pack a punch in terms of nutrition. They are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, they also pack quite a few calories, and for peanut butter lovers, that can be a little discouraging. The good news is that a little peanut butter goes a long way on flavor.

If low-fat peanut butter is your usual choice for your diet’s sake, let’s take a closer look. The brand on the left is advertised as low-fat. It contains 12 grams of total fat and 2.5 grams of saturated fat. The brand on the right has 16 grams of total fat, and the same 2.5 grams of saturated fat. Either way, this is pretty caloric-dense food. One serving (2 Tbs) of the low fat variety has 190 calories and regular peanut butter has 200 calories per serving. What’s your choice? Lower fat?

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Tasty Bites: The Best Dressed Salad

By Candy (Steele the Day)

Salads make perfect meals and are great ways to use up leftover vegetables, fruits, beans, meat, and rice. But what about the dressing? What’s the most tasteful way to dress a salad?

If you’ve stood in the salad dressing aisle for any length of time, you know how confusing it can be. There are literally hundreds of choices – some good, some not so good. It’s hard for me to purchase bottled salad dressing anymore because I don’t always want the same flavor on every salad, and it can be quite pricey to stock your fridge with several bottles. I saw a bottle for $7.00 the other day! You don’t want the flavors to fight with the flavors in your salad, so it’s always nice to have a couple of different blends on hand so you have a choice. If you look at a bottle of dressing, you’ll likely see things like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, and artificial color.

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Tasty Bites: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Omega-3 fatty acids are a big buzz in the world of nutrition. Chances are pretty good if you’ve found yourself glaring at lab results showing high triglycerides or high cholesterol, your doctor has recommended fish oil supplements. Many studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of fish oil slow the progression plaque build-up in the arteries, reduce the risk of heart attacks, reduce dangerous heart rhythms, and even reduce strokes in people who have heart disease. Many people swear by the benefits it provides in reducing arthritic pain and other joint discomforts.

Supplements are fine, but they are just that: supplements. I don’t consider them “in lieu of’s” and have always believed that a nutrient in its purest form is the healthiest. And supplements can have a hefty price tag, though not nearly as high as cholesterol medication. Enter the salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel, and the lowly herring. They are loaded with healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

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