JAN, beets!

Hey Jan,
What is your recipe for canning beats?  Dad loves them! Maybe we'll have to make our own...

Tidbit: Basic survival garden items

I viewed an interesting little 8 minute video on YOU-Tube today that talked about 4 basic survival garden plants. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIdzmIn79UE&feature=player_embedded
Scott, I think his name was, from the Living History School...

There are 4 basic survival garden items.  These items are not part of a typical "salad garden".   The salad garden would be lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, etc.  The survival garden would contain, potatoes, corn, beans and squash.  The survivalists say that these 4 foods can continue to grow for several days without water and attention.  They are the basic foods that the pioneers and Indians grew for their survival.  When growing these "survival" foods we need to know how to grow them, seed them and process them correctly for winter storage.  Their seeds can be saved until the next growing season to use for the next years crop.  These foods can also be planted together in the same space, as each one uses and gives back different nutrients to the soil.  The corn is planted first in a mound.  Then the beans are planted around it and can grow up the stocks.  The squash can be planted around that and the large leaves keep the warmth and moisture in the soil.  The Irish have survived on potatoes for centuries.

Survival Food List - What Are Your Choices?

On this page we will discuss the top choices of emergency foods that you can add to your survival food list. We will explain the different types of survival foods, the difference in taste, convenience, and storage requirements of each.

We also include on this page (right side column), a simple grocery-store survival food list. We recommend you print the list and start stocking up the items to add to your emergency food supply.

Choose from one, several, or all of the different types of survival foods listed below.

Each option outlines the advantages, and disadvantages, some will fit into your personal lifestyle better than others.

No matter which types of survival foods you choose to purchase for your emergency food supply or grow in your survival garden ... GET STARED so that you HAVE a food supply ready when you need it.

1. Grocery Store Foods: survival food list

Commercial grocery store goods - canned foods, boxed foods, grains, and bottled water, (recommended by many government agencies) for your shorter-term emergency survival food list.

This choice actively requires storing and maintaining a "inventory cycle" of these commercial goods: As you buy new food you use up the old food, so that the product is not stored beyond the expiration date.

Advantages:

·       If done ahead, easy and convenient for short term emergencies.

·       Can be done in a few hours or less for a 72-hour up-to 1 month emergency food reserve.

·       Canned foods work well as an addition to the other Survival Foods.

·       Study shows nutritional value is quite high on several types of canned foods. Read more on our Canned Food Storage Page Here

Disadvantages:

·       Must be stored in proper conditions to keep optimal storage life of up to 2 years.

·       Have to rotate and check the expiration dates on canned goods and check grains for mold infestations, rodent invasions, etc.

·       Canned foods can be a bit bulky, space is often limited. Many people will not be able to store a large supply.

·       Grains need a lot of water to cook and water may be unavailable or scarce in a disaster.

2. MRE’s (Meals ready to Eat): survival food list

Advantages:

·       Easy to store and lasts up to 5-7 years in a cool dry place.

·       Easiest and fastest preparation time possible and can be heated fast with “MRE heaters”

·       Can be ordered online in minutes, and delivered to your house. Doesn't take much time to store it.

Disadvantages:

·       Relatively expensive per meal.

·       For extended reserve of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year, a lot of space required to store.

·       Tastes similar to canned food in flavor.

3. Freeze Dried/Dehydrated Meals: survival food list

Advantages:

·       Easy to store and can last up to 30 years.

·       Fast simple preparation just add water. Requires only water that is needed to hydrate the food, (much less than cooking).

·       Freeze dried foods, because of the process, retain very close to the original amount of nutritional value as fresh foods.

·       Once hydrated, freeze dried food taste is very close to original food taste.

·       Light weight, easy to store large quantities of food for reserves of 6 weeks, 3 months, or a year.

·       A 6 week food reserve can fit under a bed.

·       Can be ordered online in minutes, and delivered to your house. Takes less than 30 minutes to store it.

·       Good economical choice - cost per meal can be the same or less than your average home cooked meal.

Disadvantages: (one ?)

·       Must learn to budget your money to purchase a supply.

As you can see there are a lot of benefits to adding commercial Freeze Dried & Dehydrated Foods to your survival food list over the other options. Thus making it the superior emergency food choice from the "prepared" survival foods list above.

NOTE: The "dehydrated" foods that we are referring to in the above example is "commercial-packaged" foods, not dehydrated foods that you do-yourself at home. Follow the link if you would like to learn how to dehydrate your own food.

4. Grow Your Own Food Garden: survival food list

Growing your own food is a completely differentmethod of adding to your survival food list, than the commercial survival foods above.

It is the most nutritious and self sustaining option. If you have the means to grow a survival garden, it can improve your self sustainability greatly, and can be very rewarding mentally and physically.

GROCERY STORE Survival Foods List: Note: sodium (salt) makes you thirsty - try to choose low- sodium products Bottled Water Canned juice Canned or Boxed Milk Canned Fruits and Vegetables Canned Beans: Pinto, Black... Canned Chili Fruit Cocktail Peanut Butter and Jelly Canned Pasta or Spaghetti Crackers (low-sodium) Canned Meats and Fish: Chicken Turkey Tuna  Salmon Peanut Butter Rice & Grains Soups (low-sodium) Dried Fruits Protein Drinks Granola/Energy Bars Cereal (Cream of Wheat, etc) Oatmeal Sugar Honey (there will be a shortage) Molasses (Excellent source of B vitamins) Nuts (unsalted, preferably) Cookies, Hard Candy Instant Coffee - Best (coffee beans can go rancid, ground requires electricity) Tea Bags/Boxes of Tea Ketchup (Lasts forever) Mayonnaise (Lasts well in a cool place) Cooking Oil (olive is best won't go rancid) Vinegar: White Distilled - cooking, preserving, first-aid, cleaning

Best Canned Food Storage Choices

Best Canned Food Storage Choices

A University food science study confirms many canned food storage items are packed with nutrition. Yet there has been a mis-perception, even among health professionals, that canned products don't stack up nutritionally.

Here we list these nutritional foods that would make the best canned food choices for your emergency food supply.

On this website, we highly recommend stocking-up a good variety of "survival food types" for your food storage list, such as: freeze-dried, dehydrated, garden foods, and canned foods.

Many people that are striving to stock-up on emergency preparedness foods cannot afford to buy the recommended "Commercial Survival Foods" for their food storage needs. Buckets, and #10 cans of freeze-dried and dehydrated emergency food storage items may NOT be an option for some people's budget.

We found this study to be, not only interesting and informative, but also a large plus to those that would like to “feel better nutritionally” about adding canned food storage products to their survival foods list. Remember, even if you can only add a few canned food items at a time... something is ALWAYS better than nothing!

About The Study -

In 1995, the University of Illinois Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition released a comparative analysis of a variety of canned, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. This study let a little-known secret out of the can... canned fruits and vegetables are as nutritious as their fresh and frozen counterparts.

In response to queries from health professionals and the media, the University of Illinois expanded and updated this study in 1997. The later study, provides nutritional analyses of about 35 canned fruits and vegetables, as well as poultry and fish.

Results of this nutrition study show that, more than ever, dietitians, nutritionists and food service professionals can feel confident recommending delicious, healthy meals prepared with canned ingredients.

The original study is quite lengthy, so we will only list the “high-lights” of the study findings that we feel are the most important and informational in regards to nutritional value, and therefore, why you should consider adding them to your variety of emergency food storage types.

What Are The Best Canned Food Storage Items For Emergency Preparedness? List of Foods Analyzed -

Canned Fruits:	applesauce, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, grapefruit, mandarin oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, purple plums, strawberries, sweet bing cherries, tomatoes (stewed and whole)
Canned Vegetables:	asparagus, beets, carrots, corn, green beans, mushrooms, peas, pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes, ripe olives, and white potatoes
Canned Beans:	black, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, navy, pinto, red kidney and white kidney
Canned Poultry and Fish:	breast of chicken, chunk light tuna, and pink salmon

How Canned Food Storage Compares Nutritionally -

Vitamin A

Many canned fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin A, which is essential for the activity of mucus-forming cells in the body, as well as for night and color vision. Since little of the vitamin is lost during the canning process, canned products have similar levels of vitamin A to their fresh and frozen counterparts.

Carotene’s

Vitamin A is present in many fruits and vegetables as carotene’s antioxidants that provide protection for the body s cells. Apricots, carrots, peaches, pumpkin, spinach and sweet potatoes all are high in carotene’s.

Tomatoes, in particular, are a favorite for canned food storage, they contain an important carotenoid called lycopene, which appears to be effective in preventing certain cancers. In fact, some analyses show lycopene is more effective when it is consumed after it is heated or canned.

Dietary Fiber

Many fruits and vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber. Blackberries, blueberries, cherries and strawberries, as well as apples, carrots, beans and peas, provide this vital food component in the form of cellulose and pectins.

The canning process does not affect fiber content, making them comparable to fresh and frozen. In fact, the heating process appears to make the fiber more soluble and, therefore, more useful to the body.

Potassium and Folate

Consumers can always count on beans for a great canned food storage item, they pack a powerful nutritional punch. Not only an excellent source of protein and iron, beans also are excellent sources of thiamin, dietary fiber and potassium which is important for regulating blood pressure and kidney function. They are also a good source of folic acid, which recent studies indicate plays a critical role during pregnancy.

The USDA nutrient database shows beans can provide 20 to 40 percent of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for folate. All of these nutrients hold up well in the canning process, making them similar to dried varieties that are cooked from scratch.

Vitamin C

Apricots, asparagus, oranges, grapefruits, pineapple, strawberries, spinach and tomatoes all are significant sources of vitamin C. Although small amounts of vitamin C are lost during heat treatment, most of what is lost ends up in the liquid in which the product is packed. The C retained after canning remains stable during the one- to two-year shelf life of the canned product.

Protein

Canned poultry and fish considered protein foods are comparable to their fresh-cooked counterparts in nutritional value, since protein is not affected by heat treatment. This makes the canned varieties convenient alternatives to fresh-cooked, since they require much less preparation time.

Calcium

The canning process actually is responsible for higher calcium levels in canned fish than in freshly cooked.

Thiamin

Thiamin, one of the B-complex vitamins, is obtained by eating meats or legumes. Although this vitamin is not particularly stable when heated, it survives the canning process well, making canned meats and beans comparable to their freshly cooked counterparts.

Advantages of Using Canned Food Storage Items -

·       Canned foods are convenient - particularly when used as recipe ingredients. Canned foods are quick, delicious alternatives to fresh foods, when prepared for the table. However, the big advantage in using canned varieties is easy preparation and year-round availability.

·       Nutrients Sealed In - Once the product is canned, it usually maintains its nutrient levels, even after one to two years of storage. This is particularly important, since canned products are harvested at the peak of ripeness and usually canned only a few hours after they are picked, sealing in the nutrients.

·       Safety Packed In - In addition to being nutritionally comparable to their fresh and frozen counterparts, canned products are one of the safest forms of food, according to the University of Illinois study. Canned products are heated and vacuum-sealed, destroying microorganisms that cause food borne illnesses, while locking in both flavor and nutrients.

SAFETY NOTES - Regarding Using Canned Food Storage

·       Always use your oldest cans first, or FIFO, meaning: First-In, First-Out.

·       Before opening, discard any badly dented, bulging, rusty, or leaky cans or jars that have broken seals.

·       Discard contents (do not taste) if there is a strange odor or appearance.

·       Discard any can that spurts when opening.

Emergency Gardening

Did you even know there is such a thing as Emergency Gardening?  I saw a class for it in the PCC continuing education catalog for this fall.  So, to save myself a few bucks, I thought I'd look into what that really is on the internet.  Low and behold!  There is tons of information on it along with other emergency preparedness information...who knew!  I just went to the first site that came up and it had this list of items to plant in your "emergency food garden".  Interestingly enough these items can also be home canned and stored.  --mom


Emergency Garden Foods - List of Foods To Grow
Below are several different suggestions of garden food varieties to plant and store. Descriptions of each variety includes general nutrition and approximate calorie content, which may benefit some while making their decisions as to what to add to their survival garden.  Also keep in mind... Survival seeds or    non   -hybrid seeds, are the best choice for planting a more self-sufficient garden for your food supply.

Beans and Peas--(a MUST for survival food storage)
Beans are one of the best sources of plant protein. All Peas, beans and chickpeas are collectively known as legumes. They have the most protein with the least fat of any food, and they’re high in potassium but low in sodium. Most common beans have 215 calories per cooked cup (Lima beans go up to 260).
TIP: The most common complaint about beans is that they cause gas. Here’s how to help contain that problem: Before cooking, rinse the beans and remove foreign particles, put in a kettle and cover with boiling water, soak 4 hours or longer, remove any beans that float to the top, rinse again,
and then cook the beans in fresh water. This method removes many of the gas-causing enzymes.

Berries
Berries are a great source of potassium that can assist you in blood pressure control. They are a perfect weight-loss food. Berries have natural fructose sugar that satisfies your longing for sweets and enough fiber so you absorb fewer calories than you eat. Blackberries have 74 calories per cup, blueberries 81, raspberries 60, and strawberries 45. So use your imagination and enjoy the berry of your choice.

Broccoli
Broccoli is America’s favorite vegetable, according to a recent poll. No wonder. A cup of cooked
broccoli has a mere 44 calories. It delivers a staggering nutritional payload and is considered the
number one cancer-fighting vegetable. It has no fat, loads of fiber, cancer fighting chemicals called
indoles, carotene, 21 times the RDA of vitamin C and calcium.

Cabbage
This staple is a true wonder food. It retains all its nutritional goodness no matter how long you cook it. There are only 33 calories in a cup of cooked shredded cabbage, and eating cabbage raw, cooked, as sauerkraut, or coleslaw only once a week is enough to protect against colon cancer. And it may be a longevity-enhancing food. Surveys show that people who eat a lot of it have the least colon cancer and the lowest death rates overall.

Carrots
What emergency garden food list of health-promoting, fat-fighting foods would be complete without
this orange favorite? A medium-sized carrot carries about 55 calories and is a nutritional powerhouse. The orange color comes from beta carotene, a powerful cancer-preventing nutrient (pro-vitamin A).

Greens
We’re talking collard, chicory, beet, kale, mustard, swiss chard and turnip greens. They all belong to the same family as spinach, and that’s one of the super-stars. No matter how hard you try, you can’t load a cup of plain cooked greens with any more than 50 calories. They’re full of fiber, loaded with vitamins A and C, and free of fat. You can use them in salads, soups, casseroles or any dish where you would normally use spinach.

Lettuce
People think lettuce is nutritionally worthless, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It provides a lot of filling bulk for so few calories, 10 calories per cup of raw romaine.. And it’s full of vitamin C,
too.  In planting your emergency garden foods, go beyond iceberg lettuce try: Boston, bibb and cos varieties or watercress, arugula, radicchio, dandelion greens, purslane and even parsley for extra nutrition and to liven up your salads.

Melons
Here’s great taste and great nutrition in a low-calorie package! They have some of the highest fiber
content of any food and are delicious. Throw in handsome quantities of vitamins A and C plus a
whopping 547 mgs of potassium in that cup of cantaloupe, and you have a fat-burning health food
beyond compare. The calories in one cup of melon balls is: cantaloupe 62 calories, casaba 44 calories, honeydew 62 calories, and watermelon 49 calories.

Peppers
All varieties of peppers are astonishingly rich in vitamins A and C, abundant in calcium, phosphorus,
iron and magnesium, high in fiber, free of fat, low in sodium and have just 24 calories per cup. Most
salsa recipes call for four to eight chilies – that’s not a lot. All varieties; bell peppers, sweet peppers, and hot peppers store very well when dried in a food dehydrator. They can be added to your favorite recipes or ground-up for your own supply of flavorful seasonings.

Potatoes
An excellent staple food to add to your emergency garden foods list. A great source of fiber and
potassium, they lower cholesterol and protect against strokes and heart disease. Did you know:
preparation and toppings methods are the only thing "fattening" about a potato? Potatoes have 0.6
calories per gram or about 85 calories per potato.

Spinach
Popeye really knew what he was talking about, spinach has the ability to lower cholesterol, rev up the metabolism and burn away fat. Rich in iron, beta carotene and vitamins C and E, it supplies most of the nutrients you need.

Squash
Zucchini, Butternut, Winter squash - All are very low in saturated fat, good source of vitamins A, C, E, B6, Thiamine, Niacin, Calcium and Magnesium. Acorn, butternut and other varieties of winter squash are loaded with health-promoting beta-carotene, potassium and vitamin C. Most squash varieties supply only 42 calories per cup. Roasted squash and pumpkin seeds are a very delicious and healthy snack.

Sweet Potatoes
Their creamy orange flesh is one of the best sources of vitamin A you can consume. You can make a
meal out of them and not worry about gaining a pound, each sweet potato has about 103 calories.

Tomatoes
Last on our emergency garden foods list, but certainly not least! These garden delights are low in fat
and sodium, high in potassium and rich in fiber. A medium tomato (2.5” diameter) has only about 25
calories.  Don't overlook the many ways of canning or preserving them: crushed, peeled, whole, stewed, and dried (dehydrated). They make salsas, sauces, casseroles and soups taste great while retaining their nutritional goodness and low-calorie status. Tomatoes make one of the top on our emergency garden foods list to add and store with your emergency food storage items.


Thank you for visiting our site!
We hope that you return and tell others about it.
God Bless...
Cheryl Moss – All-Things-Emergency-Prepared.com

42 Flowers You Can Eat!

Excerpted from the book True Food: Eight Simple Steps to a Healthier You (National Geographic, 2009) By Annie B. Bond, Melissa Breyer, and Wendy Gordon


The culinary use of flowers dates back thousands of years to the Chinese, Greek and Romans. Many cultures use flowers in their traditional cooking – think of squash blossoms in Italian food and rose petals in Indian food. Adding flowers to your food can be a nice way to add color, flavor, and a little whimsy. They make a salad look beautiful and exotic, and candied flowers can be used in decorating to make cakes look elegant and professional. Some flowers taste spicy, and some herbaceous, while others are floral and fragrant. I make rose honey every year that is amazingly good in tea. The range of possibilities is pretty surprising.

It’s not uncommon to see flower petals used in salads, teas, and as garnish for desserts, but they inspire creative uses as well – roll spicy ones (like chive blossoms) into handmade pasta dough, incorporate floral petals into homemade ice cream, pickle flower buds (like nasturtium) to make ersatz capers, use them to make a simple floral syrup for use in lemonade or cocktails. (See a recipe for Dandelion Syrup here.) I once stuffed gladiolus following a recipe for stuffed squash blossoms – a little out-there, I know, but they were great. So many possibilities …

Eating Flowers Safely
So. as lovely as eating flowers can be, it can also be a little … deadly! Not to scare you off or anything. Follow these tips for eating flowers safely.

• Eat only those flowers you're certain are consumable – if you are uncertain, consult a reference book on edible flowers and plants.
• Eat flowers you have grown yourself, or that you know are safely (organically) grown for consumption.
• Flowers from the florist or nursery have almost always been treated with pesticide and/or highly toxic chemicals. This is especially true of imported roses and other blooms.
• Do not eat roadside flowers or those picked in public parks. Both may have been treated with pesticide or herbicide, and roadside flowers may be polluted by car exhaust.
• Eat just the petals and remove pistils and stamens before eating.
• If you suffer from allergies, introduce edible flowers gradually, as they may exacerbate allergies.
• To keep flowers fresh, place them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container. Some will last up to 10 days this way. Ice water can revitalize limp flowers.

List of Common Edible Flowers:

Allium
All blossoms from the allium family (leeks, chives, garlic, garlic chives) are edible and flavorful! Flavors run the gamut from delicate leek to robust garlic. Every part of these plants is edible.

Angelica
Depending on the variety, flowers range from pale lavender-blue to deep rose and have a licorice-like flavor.Anise Hyssop Both flowers and leaves have a subtle anise or licorice flavor.

Arugula
Blossoms are small with dark centers and with a peppery flavor much like the leaves. They range in color from white to yellow with dark purple streaks.

Bachelor’s Button
Grassy in flavor, the petals are edible but avoid the bitter calyx.

Basil
Blossoms come in a variety of colors, from white to pink to lavender; flavor is similar to the leaves, but milder.

Bee Balm
The red flowers have a minty flavor.

Borage
Blossoms are a lovely blue hue and taste like cucumber!

Calendula / Marigold
A great flower for eating, calendula blossoms are peppery, tangy, and spicy – and their vibrant golden color adds dash to any dish.

Carnations/Dianthus
Petals are sweet, once trimmed away from the base. The blossoms taste like their sweet, perfumed aroma.

Chamomile
Small and daisylike, the flowers have a sweet flavor and are often used in tea. Ragweed sufferers may be allergic to chamomile.

Chervil
Delicate blossoms and flavor, which is anise-tinged.

Chicory
Mildly bitter earthiness of chicory is evident in the petals and buds, which can be pickled.

Chrysanthemum
A little bitter, mums come in a rainbow of colors and a range of flavors ranging from peppery to pungent.  Use only the petals.

Cilantro
Like the leaves, people either love the blossoms or hate them.  The flowers share the grassy flavor of the herb. Use them fresh as they lose their charm when heated.

Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, kumquat)
Citrus blossoms are sweet and highly-scented.  Use frugally or they will over-perfume a dish.

Clover
Flowers are sweet with a hint of licorice.

Dandelion
Read a whole post about dandelions here:  Eating and Harvesting Dandelions.  (I am nuts about dandelions.)

Dill
Yellow dill flowers taste much like the herb’s leaves.

English Daisy
These aren’t the best-tasting petals – they are somewhat bitter, but they look great!

Fennel
Yellow fennel flowers are eye candy with a subtle licorice flavor, much like the herb itself.

Fuchsia
Tangy fuchsia flowers make a beautiful garnish.

Gladiolus
Who knew?  Although gladioli are bland, they can be stuffed, or their petals removed for an interesting salad garnish.

Hibiscus
Famously used in hibiscus tea, the vibrant cranberry flavor is tart and can be used sparingly.

Hollyhock
Bland and vegetal in flavor, hollyhock blossoms make a showy, edible garnish.

Impatiens
Flowers don’t have much flavor – best as a pretty garnish or for candying.

Jasmine
These super-fragrant blooms are used in tea; you can also use them in sweet dishes, but sparingly.

Johnny-Jump-Up
Adorable and delicious, the flowers have a subtle mint flavor great for salads, pastas, fruit dishes, and drinks.

Lavender
Sweet, spicy, and perfumed, the flowers are a great addition to both savory and sweet dishes.

Lemon Verbena
The diminutive off-white blossoms are redolent of lemon – and great for teas and desserts.

Lilac
The blooms are pungent, but the floral citrusy aroma translates to its flavor, as well.

Mint
The flowers are – surprise – minty! Their intensity varies among varieties.

Nasturtium
One of the most popular edible flowers, nasturtium blossoms are brilliantly colored with a sweet, floral flavor bursting with a spicy pepper finish.  When the flowers go to seed, the seed pod is a marvel of sweet and spicy. You can stuff flowers, add leaves to salads, pickle buds like capers, and garnish to your heart’s content.

Oregano
The flowers are a pretty, subtle version of the leaf.

Pansy
The petals are somewhat nondescript, but if you eat the whole flower you get more taste.

Radish
Varying in color, radish flowers have a distinctive, peppery bite.

Rose
Remove the white, bitter base and the remaining petals have a strongly perfumed flavor perfect for floating in drinks or scattering across desserts, and for a variety of jams.  All roses are edible, with flavor more pronounced in darker varieties.  Hint:  The stronger their scent, the more pronounced their flavor.

Rosemary
Flowers taste like a milder version of the herb; nice used as a garnish on dishes that incorporate rosemary.

Sage
Blossoms have a subtle flavor similar to the leaves.

Squash and Pumpkin
Blossoms from both are wonderful vehicles for stuffing, each having a slight squash flavor.  Remove stamens before using.

Sunflower
Petals can be eaten, the bud steamed like an artichoke.

Violets
Another famous edible flower, violets are floral, sweet, and beautiful as garnishes.  Use the flowers in salads and to garnish desserts and drinks.


http://www.fggardens.org/

Breakfast...the most important meal of the day

Interesting that Breakfast came up on our site today as I have just received this from my nurse friend for the next Trinity newsletter...It's all about eating breakfast!
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“Nothing we do, no matter how small or routine should be done without considering what it says about our faith. Every action we take, even eating and drinking, should be done with God's glory in mind.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

The big deal about breakfast

Q: What’s so wrong about skipping breakfast?

A: If you ate dinner two to three hours before bed and slept seven to eight hours, your body is in a fasting state and taking energy from your muscles. To start your metabolism, eat breakfast.

Q: Why are proteins and fiber important in the morning?

A: Eating a well-rounded breakfast is important because all the macronutrients (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates) play roles in everyday bodily functions. Protein helps build and repair cells.

Fats help maintain healthy skin, reproduction, immune function, and brain and eye development. Carbohydrates help your brain function properly.

Q: What are other breakfast benefits?

A: Breakfast helps maintain a healthy blood sugar level. When you don’t eat a well-rounded breakfast, you increase the likelihood of reaching for high sugar snacks and caffeinated beverages later.

Healthy, no-fail breakfasts you can make in a jiffy

Pair a glass of low-fat milk or 100% fruit juice with:

• Peanut butter rolled in a whole-grain tortilla

• A low-fat, whole-grain waffle topped with sliced fruit

• Lean ham and low-fat Swiss cheese on a toasted wholegrain

English muffin

• Melted cheese on whole-grain toast

Source: Melissa Paris, who holds degrees in nutrition and dietetics as well as personal training. She often advises New York entrepreneurs and CEOs on the importance of breakfast.

Avoid exploding eggs

You can scramble, fry, and poach eggs in a microwave. Just don’t try cooking an egg in its shell in the microwave. The steam builds up so quickly that the egg can’t “exhale” it fast enough and the egg may explode.

One-minute Microwave Egg Scramble — you make in a mug

• 2 eggs • 2 Tbsp. low-fat milk • 2 Tbsp. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese • Salt and pepper Directions: Coat a 12-oz. microwave-safe mug with cooking spray. Add eggs and milk; beat until blended. Microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave until eggs are almost set (30 to 45 seconds longer). Top with cheese; season with salt and pepper. Microwaves vary. Cooking times may need to be adjusted. Serves 1. Per serving: 215 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 244 mg sodium, 389 mg cholesterol,2 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein

Source: American Egg Board

Eat your breakfast and be well!

Sandy Madsen, RN, BSN / Parish Nurse Coordinator / 503-681-1364 / Sandy.madsen@tuality.org

50 Healthy Foods under a dollar per pound

Here's an article on some good choices of healthy foods.  Some are a bit far-fetched...bok choy & rutabagas? yuck.
http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-11-2009/foods_under_a_dollar_per_pound.1.html

Eating When Not Hungry

Binge Eating

Does this sound like you — able to control your portions sometimes but losing control at other times? This is called "binge eating" and lots of people do it.

A binge is when you eat a lot of food in a short time and it's usually not healthy food. Binge eating is bad for you, especially if you have diabetes.

Emotional Eating

Many people eat when they feel upset, angry, sad, lonely or fearful. Emotions such as these can be powerful triggers to eat.

If you're an emotional eater, you can learn other ways to react to your emotions. Emotions usually don't last long — often just 10 minutes to an hour — so you only need to distract yourself from eating for a short time, until the emotion passes.

Nighttime Eating

For many people, dinner is only the start of their nighttime eating. There's nothing wrong with a healthy snack such as fruit, plain popcorn or whole-wheat toast with a little jam a couple of hours after dinner. However, nighttime eating is a problem when you eat large amounts of food or foods high in fat, sodium and calories like cookies, chips, full-fat ice cream, sandwiches or leftovers.

If nighttime eating is a problem for you, try to eat most of your calories during daylight hours. Reach for a light, low-fat and low-calorie snack in the evening.

Instead of	Try
Cookies	1 piece whole-wheat toast with jam
Candy	2 cups low-fat, low-salt popcorn
Chips	1 piece fresh fruit
Cheese and crackers	½ to 1 cup fat-free or 1% cottage cheese
Pizza	½ to 1 cup of veggies, raw or leftover from dinner
Ice cream	½ to 1 cup low-fat yogurt (flavored or plain)

To help control binge, emotional and nighttime eating:

• Get into the habit of eating three meals a day — breakfast, lunch and dinner — so you never get too hungry.
• Don't keep binge foods at home. If you're a binge eater, you know which foods you usually eat during a binge. Common binge foods are cookies, candy bars, ice cream or chips.
• Make a list of other things you'll do. Here are some suggestions:
  • Take a walk or enjoy another physical activity for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Talk to a friend who can help you get your feelings under control.
  • Do something you enjoy, like reading, playing or listening to music, playing with pets or children, handcrafts or taking a long hot bath.
  • Do some physical work, such as gardening or housecleaning.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/LosingWeight/Eating-When-Not-Hungry_UCM_307262_Article.jsp#.T2uOwMVunBs 

Sweets and Desserts

I thought this article had lots of good information.  If you are not a diabetic...these rules can and should still apply to you and your family.  It's all about the choices we make and what we choose to put into our body.  I am in charge...not the tv or the grocery store ad.  Say it with me "I am in charge of what I eat"

The Hype About Sugar

The myth that sugar causes diabetes is commonly accepted by many people. Research has shown that it isn't true. Eating sugar has nothing to do with developing type 1 diabetes.

The biggest dietary risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes is simply eating too much and being overweight—your body doesn’t care if the extra food comes from cookies or beef, it is gaining weight that is the culprit.

In the past, people with diabetes were told to completely avoid sugar. Experts thought that eating sugar would raise blood glucose levels very high.

Research around this issue has shown that while the type of carbohydrate can affect how quickly blood glucose levels rise, the total amount of carbohydrateyou eat affects blood glucose levels more than the type. Now experts agree that you can substitute small amounts of sugar for other carbohydrate containing foods into your meal plan and still keep your blood glucose levels on track.

That doesn't mean you can eat all the sugar you may want. Most sweets contain a large amount of carbohydrate in a very small serving. So you need to be sure to have a small serving.

Saving sweets for a special occasion is the most healthful way to eat so you focus your meal plan on the most nutrient dense foods such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, fruit, non-fat dairy, fish and lean meats.

If you tend to overeat on sweets, don't buy them. Instead, plan to have dessert when you are away from home. Split the dessert with a friend to keep yourself on track.

Including Sweets into Your Meal Plan

Most sweeteners have calories and carbohydrates. Examples are:

• Table sugar (sucrose)
• Honey
• Brown sugar
• Molasses
• Fructose
• Maple syrup
• Cane sugar
• Agave nectar
• Confectioners sugar

The key to keeping your blood glucose levels on target is to substitute small portions of sweets and sweeteners for other carb-containing foods in your meals and snacks.

Carb-containing foods include (but are not limited to):

• bread
• tortillas
• rice
• crackers
• cereal
• fruit
• juice
• milk
• yogurt
• potatoes
• corn
• peas.

For many people, having about 45 to 60 grams at meals is about right. Serving sizes make a difference. To include sweets in your meal, you can cut back on the other carb-containing foods at the same meal.

For example, if you'd like to have cookies with your lunch, you need to substitute for another carb-containing food. If your lunch is a turkey sandwich with two slices of bread, here are the steps you would take to make the substitution.

1. Your first step is to identify the carb foods in your meal. Bread is a carb.
2. You decide to swap two slices of regular bread for two slices of low-calorie bread (with ½ the carbohydrate) and have the cookies—it's an even trade.
3. Your total amount of carbohydrate remains the same for the meal.

Using the Nutrition Facts Label

You can also use the Nutrition Facts Label on foods to guide you. The first thing to check is the serving size. The second is the total carbohydrate. The total carbohydrate tells you how much carbohydrate is in one serving of the food.

Label claims
Foods labeled as sugar-free, no sugar added, reduced sugar, and dietetic may still contain carbohydrate. Sugar is only one type of carbohydrate that affects blood glucose levels. To get the complete amount of carbohydrate, look at theNutrition Facts Panel instead of relying on claims on the front of the box.

Sugar on the label
Sugar is listed under the Total Carbohydrate on the Nutrition Facts Label. Keep in mind that it includes both added sugars and naturally occurring sugars, such as the natural sugar in raisins.

Sugar listed on the label does not include sugar alcohols that are in the product. It is voluntary for food manufacturers to list sugar alcohols on the label. (Total carbohydrate does include sugar alcohols in the total.) Some manufacturers list sugar alcohols on the label and some do not. If a food doesn’t list sugar alcohols on the label, you can look for it in the ingredient list. Look for ingredients that end in "ol" like maltitol or sorbitol.

The Most Important Thing to Look For
If you don't have a lot of time when reading labels, simply look at the total carbohydrate in a food. The total carbohydrate includes starch, fiber, sugar, and sugar alcohols. Using the amount of total carbohydrate will give you a pretty good number to use for carbohydrate counting.

It is more helpful to check the total carbohydrate because it includes both sugar and starch. If you only look at the sugar content, you are not accounting for the starch in a food.