Super Food #3: Beans

Beans can be the laughing-stock of the food world, but if you don't eat them, your body might not be laughing too much...

Here are the quick reasons beans are super foods!
1. They are non-perishable
2. They are a LOW FAT source of protein (getting protein from mostly meat can lead to heart disease, cancer, cholesterol problems, and diabetes)
3. Beans are a nutritional powerhouse - fiber, B vitamins, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and phytonutrients
4. Beans promote healthy hearts by lowering your cholesterol levels. The folate in beans also helps reduce homocysteine levels - this compound damages blood vessel walls.
5. Beans can help with diabetes, insulin resistance, and hypoglycemia - the soluble fiber keeps blood sugar levels steady.
6. Beans can help you lose weight - the fiber makes you feel full, and you eat less!
7. Beans fight cancers (pancreatic, colon, breast, and prostate), as they contain lignins and phytates. 


Some tips!:
-Fresh beans are always best, but canned beans can be great, too - just buy Low Sodium brands, or rinse them well before cooking - rinsing will reduce sodium by 40%.

-When buying refried beans, buy vegetarian brands, as they taste the same, but contain no lard.

-Peas, string beans and green beans are also legumes, don't forget them!

-Eat a variety of beans, as each kind has a different nutritional make up.

Here are some bean recipes:
http://www.superfoodsrx.com/kitchen/beans/pasta-e-fagioli.html

http://www.superfoodsrx.com/kitchen/beans/creamy-tomato-bean-soup.html









 

Super Food #2: Apples

Apples are delicious.  And so very good for you!

Apples are a great source of Vitamin C (immune system boosting!), antioxidants, fiber (30% of your daily intake in one apple!), and potassium.  A typical apple has only 47 calories.  The key to the apple is the SKIN - don't peel it!  Most of the nutrition is in the skin.  Various apples have different nutrient contents, so be sure to eat lots of different types.  

Apples = fiber, and fiber = reduced chances of heart disease.  Apples also help prevent certain types of cancer (lung cancer, for example) and type II diabetes.

And the best thing about apples?  You don't have to do anything to them to get all the nutrients - no cooking at all - just slice and eat.  Yum.

Super Food #1: Pumpkin

"I'm not much into health foods. I am into champagne." -Jimmy Buffet

This quote pretty much sums up my thoughts on health foods - I am not a fan of diets and blah foods.  I enjoy food.  At the same time, I realize that food is a fuel for my body, and what I put into it will determine how my body functions and how I feel in every way.

So, when I discovered that many Super Foods (i.e. everyday foods that pack a serious positive punch for my body) are things I LIKE, I was pumped.  I am trying to incorporate these foods into my diet more, and it's surprisingly easy.

My first one: pumpkin.

 

To sum up the whole page on pumpkin, its benefits are:
1. Lots of fiber, low in calories
2. Lots of disease-fighting nutrients - potassium, pantothenic acid, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E
3. Loads of carotenoids (alpha carotene, beta carotene) - these decrease risks of cancer and heart disease, as well as cataracts and weakening eyesight - yay!
4. Beta carotene in particular is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
5. Alpha carotene in particular slows aging (yay again)

To make things even better, canned pure pumpkin (not the pie filling) is actually more nutritious then the gourd option - and way easier, too!  

Here are some easy ways to get more pumpkin in your diet -

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (delicious, more like a pumpkin pie cupcake with no icing): http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=55850

More pumpkin recipes:
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/fall/tp/top10lowfatpump.htm


Put some pumpkin in your diet, people!

FYI on food expirations...

Milk will keep in your refrigerator one week past the sell-by date.

Eggs stay fresh for three to five weeks after purchase. Store the carton in the body of the refrigerator instead of the door and they stay fresh longer.

Bananas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. The skins will turn brown, but the fruit will stay fresh.

Bread should be stored on the counter for up to a week. Storing bread in the refrigerator causes it to become stale faster.

Steaks and ground beef that have turned brown but have been in the refrigerator less then five days are safe to eat, and just as tasty.

(From Redbook, my dentist office waiting room reading.)

That special something...

Do you ever see couples that just seem especially in love?  They seem supremely comfortable within their own skins, and within their "couple-ness", but they also don't seem lazy and complacent, they seem to really enjoy their lives and their relationship.  They seem content and excited at the same time.  They celebrate positives and don't let negatives get to them.

I've seen couples like this, and I always hope that we can turn out like that.  That's not to say we aren't basically like that now, but of course we're not perfect.  When I see couples I really admire, I ask myself what they have that makes them so great - what's that special something?

I am sure there are lots of special somethings about successful couples, but I really think I know what one something is - the ability to laugh at yourself.

I see couples all around me who take themselves so seriously.  We all have flaws, and if we aren't able to laughingly admit that, we'll never be very happy.  I am no where near perfect.  But I know my flaws, and I can laugh at myself, and that makes me a much happier person.  For example, I know my tendency to expect a LOT of my friends, and therefore to have less friends.  And sure, that makes life hard sometimes.  But when my expectations are met and exceeded, I am really joyful.  It's a flaw of sorts, but I don't dislike myself, and I have to laugh at myself when I might want to take myself far too seriously.  Wes is still learning to laugh at himself.  When I see a couple that knows they're not perfect as individuals or as a couple, but they can smile about their bumps in the road, I know they're strong.  That's a special something, in my eyes.

Blossoms.

Last weekend I took myself on a little excursion to the Southeastern Flower Show.  I think I may take up serious gardening when I retire (a very long time from now) because it's so nurturing and calming.  I learned I really love several flowers:

Camellias

 

Hyacinth

 

Ranunculus

 

Dahlias

 

Garden Roses

 

Peonies

Thinking about these gorgeous flowers all amaze me.  They come out of the DIRT.  You have tiny seeds in dirt, and you get this amazing variety of gorgeous blossoms.  It seems like magic.  It's strange that we don't consider how amazing this is every day - a small miracle.

And small miracles are happening all around me, as the trees and flowers are starting to bud.  Since it's so early in the year, I am hoping we don't have any more frosts/cold snaps, because all the beautiful plant life will die off again.

I was pondering that in the car today, and thinking of times in my life when I could really FEEL myself growing, blooming out, and turning my face to the sun.  Cold snaps always come, and we may feel a little dead, but in truth, our emotions are much like the blooms above.  When they do bloom again, they always seem more beautiful than the last time.  I wonder about people who get hurt so badly that they never recover - that's so sad I don't even want to consider it - like a plant who will always come back, until its roots get killed, and then it's never right again.

Plant metaphors are a little overused, but it was on my mind today.

I hope my emotional blooming looks like a ranunculus. :)