Posts Tagged ‘vitamin E’

After a crazy week and an extremely delayed flight last night, I finally made it back to Omaha, NE to visit my family for the holiday weekend. We started off the morning with a trip to the Benson Farmers Market, where I had my first shot of fresh wheatgrass juice and a taste of sunflower sprouts! The wheatgrass had a sweet honey after-taste, which was a pleasant surprise! Click here for more information about wheatgrass.

One vendor at the market was selling sunflower sprouts, which I’ll admit, I had never seen/heard of people selling before. Apparently they clip the sprouts of the sunflower after about 6 weeks of growth and sell them to mix in with salads or toss in a juicer. I had the opportunity to sample one – the little green leaves and stem had a slightly nutty flavor to them similar to sunflower seeds, it was delicious!

Sunflower greens or sprouts are considered to be a super food because they contain protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. I will have to be on the lookout for these little guys at the farmers markets in Chicago! I eventually came home from the market with garlic, green onions, and Chinese spinach (more on this later) in hand; all to use tomorrow at the July 4th barbeque!

After the farmers market it was time to harvest some mulberries. Every summer wild mulberries grow in my neighborhood, and this year the crop was quite abundant! I ended up picking about a quart of them! In addition to using them on top of my breakfast cereal and in smoothies I think the plan is to either bake some into muffins or a pie this year!

Mulberries grow wild throughout the United States and are often overlooked when it comes to summertime berries. Like blackberries and raspberries, mulberries are packed with nutrients and provide numerous health benefits. Mulberries are a great source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B, iron, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.

Mulberries contain antioxidants that help lower cholesterol, aid in treating digestive problems, and help to prevent cancer, blood clots, and diabetes. If you have a wild mulberry tree in your neighborhood, harvest the berries between May and July and reap the great benefits mother nature has to offer us!

sources: image 1, image 2

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I have had a number of questions recently regarding almond milk and whether or not it should be used in place of cow’s milk in people’s diets. Here is everything you need to know about almond milk:

Almond milk is made from, you guessed it, almonds. Similar to soy milk, almond milk acts as a cow’s milk substitute; it contains no cholesterol and is lactose-free and soy-free. Almond milk has less saturated fat than regular (non-skim) cow’s milk and is a great option for people with lactose intolerance or milk allergies.

Almond milk has a consistency similar to cow’s milk making it a suitable substitute in any recipe. It has it’s own unique nutty flavor, and comes in flavors such as vanilla and chocolate; these varieties are often sweetened with natural evaporated sugar cane juice. Almond milk is shelf stable and contains a handful of healthy nutrients including potassium, magnesium, and vitamin E.

While almond milk has a variety of nutritious vitamins, it is much lower in protein than cow’s milk. However it contains less carbohydrates and fewer calories than cow’s milk (60 calories per cup almond milk versus 80 calories per cup skim milk). Almond milk is great for anyone on a vegan or raw food diet. You can either buy almond milk at the supermarket or make your own at home; keep in mind that store-bought varieties are pasteurized and fortified with calcium.

So how can you make milk from a nut? The process is similar to that of soymilk.

• Soak almonds in water overnight.
• Blend almonds to form a frothy puree.
• Squeeze contents through a cheesecloth to strain out the milk. (The leftover almond pulp can actually be used in baking recipes such as cookies)
• Add water to equal desired volume.
• Refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Add sweetener of choice and a pinch of salt to flavor the milk.

If making your own almond milk seems too labor intensive for you, almond milk can be found at your local health food store as well as many of the major grocers such as Jewel and Dominick’s. Almond milk is sold as both refrigerated and shelf stable products so that you can buy and store it in your pantry for a later date.

If you are looking for a great nutritious milk substitute, I recommend giving almond milk a try! Almond milk can be used in smoothies, to flavor your morning coffee, or even poured over you favorite breakfast cereal!

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Recently krill oil has been gaining popularity as a superior source of omega-3 fatty acids. But what exactly is krill oil and is it better than fish oil?

Krill are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that live near Antarctica and are a staple food source for baleen whales and penguins. Oil extracted from these small sea creatures are being extracted and manufactured into capsules as a source of omega-3 fatty acids for human consumption. Omega-3 fatty acids are famous for their numerous health benefits: everything from boosting the immune system and increasing brain function to preventing cancer and heart disease. Krill oil also contains vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from UV-damage.

The components of omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, are have a different structural arrangement in krill oil versus fish oil. This structural difference allows the krill oil to be more easily absorbed by the human body thus preventing “fish burps” commonly associated with fish oil capsules. Krill oil has been found to decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, and lower blood sugar. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for reducing aches, pain, inflammation, and PMS.

Krill oil capsules are slightly smaller than fish oil capsules in size but tend to be more expensive. The red pigment of the capsules comes from the red algae that krill consume as part of their diet. Most products recommend that you take 1 krill oil capsule/day and people with shellfish allergies should not take krill oil. While the research is still new on krill oil capsules, it appears that there are no adverse side effects to taking them. Overall, krill oil seems to have similar effects as fish oil with a few added perks. You can find krill oil capsules at your local health food store and give them a try!

picture 1 source, picture 2 source

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Tonight for dinner I made some basic pasta with tomato sauce.

I topped the pasta with broccoli and a few leftover falafels to act as “meatballs”.

As a side I baked green beans with sliced onions and minced garlic in olive oil (for a kick of vitamin E). Once they were done baking I mixed in some toasted pine nuts and pear infused balsalmic vinegar for extra flavor! It was quick and delicious!Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!

This weekend while I had all of my measuring tools, knives, and cutting boards out I made some falafel mix for the week! Of course, using my Magic Bullet blender made it super easy and you can store the batter in the refrigerator for several days before actually using it!

The falafel mix was a simple blend of:

• 2 cans chickpeas
• 6 scallions, minced
• 1/4 cup parsely, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup flour
• Salt, cumin, tumeric, cayenne
• Olive oil for frying (and a dose of vitamin E!)

Combine all ingredients except for flour in food processer until mashed thoroughly. Stir in flour until combined. Refrigerate for later use or cook immediately.

Heat 3 Tbsp oil in skillet and drop tablespoons of batter into the pan.

Flatten out like a pancake and saute 10 minutes per side until the batter becomes golden brown. Pat excess oil off with paper towels before serving.

Enjoy in pita bread with toppings of your choice! I made some spicy lemon-tahini sauce to go with mine and served tabbouleh on the side! These falafels do not look like the well-known ball-shaped falafels you may be used to seeing, but they fit better in the pita this way and are equally as tasty!Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!