7 Food Storage Tips to Help Retain Nutrients

Fresh fruits and veggies are packed with phytonutrients (organic components of plants thought to promote human health) and vitamins. But fruits and veggies can quickly lose these valuable nutrients if they are not stored properly. It's the perfect time to take stock of your fruit and veggie larder.

Did you know that in some instances, frozen veggies may actually have more vitamins than fresh veggies that have been sitting on a store shelf for a week or more. How long have your perishables been sitting? Next time you head out for groceries, consider your local farmer's market first. Fruits and veggies at the farmer's market are often harvested and sold the same day.

Here are 7 food storage tips to help retain nutrients in your fruits and veggies:

1. Keep veggies covered and chilled.
2. Don’t soak your veggies.
3. Don’t keep food hot for too long, as vitamin levels will start to fall within a few minutes.
4. Store your fruits and veggies at the bottom of the refrigerator or in a cool, dark cupboard.
5. Store bananas away from other fruits, which will help keep them from ripening too fast.
6. Don't sore bananas in the refrigerator.
7. Refrigerate prepared juices and store them for no more than 2 or 3 days.
   

Do you have food storage tips to share? We'd love to hear from you. Post your best tips as a comment and on the ACHSedu wall here http://www.facebook.com/ACHSedu.

5 Steps to Help Beat Obesity in the New Year

BY Eleni Delfakis, MS, RD, ACHS Instructor Introduction to Nutrition

It’s hard to follow the news without reading or hearing about obesity and the risks associated with it. The United States is still trailing behind most industrialized countries, as over 65% of the population is now suffering from being overweight or obese.

As a nation, we need to reallocate more of our resources towards health programs and education, and provide incentives to companies that promote good health. Physical education in schools should reflect changing currents in sports trends to keep kids interested in staying fit. However, even without any help from our government, we can all take serious steps to ensure the safety of the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the quality of our food.

To be healthy, you must think healthy. To lose body fat, think positively about losing the extra pounds and give yourself the time you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Frantic overly restrictive dieting prevents the delivery of essential nutrients needed to maintain good health.

Here are 5 steps that I recommend to help you reach your goal:

1. Purchase fresh and organic food products whenever possible, which means food that is free of nitrites and other preservatives, pesticides, chemicals, and hormones.
2. Cook at home with whole foods. Each whole food contains one ingredient; it is unprocessed and unrefined. Over 75% of the diet should come from whole foods, with a good balance of foods from all the food groups and from a variety of textures and colors.
3. Consume low-fat yogurt and foods rich in fiber (such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) on a daily basis. These foods will keep your digestive track in good working order by eliminating the toxic by-products of digestion. Adults need 25-30 grams of fiber per day. For children, a good way to determine how much fiber they need is to calculate their age + 5.
4. Replace red meat with wild caught salmon or small fish, nuts, and legumes at least two times per week.
5. Consume small portions (3-4 ounces) of meat or poultry three times a week. Unless you’re a muscle-bound body builder you don’t need more. Also, remove the skin from the chicken and all visible fat from meats prior to cooking. Eating small portions and maintaining ideal body weight may help prevent the onset of Type II Diabetes.
   

For 10 more steps you can take to help best obesity in the new year, read the full-text article available in the January edition of the ACHS holistic health newsletter, The Reporter, available online HERE.

More Great News about Strawberries

Back in March, we posted about how great strawberries are, including their unique flavor and nutrient-rich health properties. Here's the link for a quick review: http://achsnews.blogspot.com/2010/03/strawberries-sweet-vitamin-rich-health.html

Well, there's more great news about strawberries...

Turns out you don't have to waste over-ripe berries (though we know you never would!), nor do you have to become an expert canner if you don't want to. According to The Oregonian, over-ripe strawberries can be roasted in the oven like heartier fruits and veggies.

"The method is simple," Oregonian writer Danielle Centoni says. " Toss the berries with some sugar and slowly roast at moderate heat until much of the juices have been released and thickened, about one hour. The berries will shrink down considerably -- 2 pounds of berries (about 3 or 4 pints) will give you just 2 cups of roasted fruit. [...] It's a great way to turn berries past their prime, or a bumper crop, into something more versatile than jam that won't take up much real estate in your fridge or freezer.

You can also change up the flavors of your roasted berries in countless ways. Try adding the seeds of a vanilla bean and maybe a crushed cardamom pod to the roasting pan. Or add fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme, maybe even some peppercorns or a cinnamon stick. A splash of balsamic vinegar adds brightness and dimension, too."

Give it a try and let us know how your strawberries turn out. We'd love for you to share your recipes with the ACHS Holistic Kitchen too! It just takes a moment to post here: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=99091122240&topic=13172

Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled: Grow Your Own

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration website has listed a recall of alfalfa sprouts, which have been linked to a recent Salmonella outbreak.

Salmonella, the website explains, "is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Consumers with the above symptoms should consult their physician"

But there's no need to cut sprouts from your diet ... just grow your own! In about a week, you can grown your own fresh alfalfa sprouts to cut and use in salads, on sandwiches, and however else you like them! Sprouts are rich source of nutrients, and have also been show to include concentrated amounts of phytochemicals, which support optimal health and wellness.

To grown your own alfalfa, follow these simple steps from the Happily Domestic blog:

1. Place 2 tablespoons of seeds in a 1/2-gallon sprouting jar with three times as much water as seed and soak overnight.
2. Drain the water from the jar (either through the lid or a piece of cheesecloth) and rinse the seeds in fresh, lukewarm water. Then, drain again.
3. Lay your jar at an angle in a warm, dark place (about 70 degrees F). (70 degrees F.)
4. Then, rise and drain your seeds twice a day for 4 or 5 days. On the last day, place your alfalfa sprouts in indirect sunlight to help them develop chlorophyll. (The tiny leaves will turn green in a few hours.)
5. Remove the alfalfa sprouts from the jar and place them in a bowl; rinse well. When the sprout hulls float to the surface of the water, skim them off. Remove your sprouts from the water and shake out any excess water.
6. Alfalfa sprouts will keep for about a week. Be sure to store them in the fridge.

For more tips about how to eat sprouts and fun, family-friendly growing projects (like broccoli sprouts) download your free copy of the ACHS Wellness Guide here: http://www.achs.edu/news/news-detail.aspx?nid=225

Strawberries: A Sweet, Vitamin-Rich Health Support

For those of you who may not know, the American Botanical Council offers free HerbClips on their website. Today they're featuring an HerbClip about rose hip bread and rose petal jelly, but last week the Clip was about strawberries and too sweet to pass up!

"The taste of a warm, juicy strawberry on a hot summer day is a delight to the mouth," wrote Lori Glenn, Managing Editor. "Even in February when southern California strawberries appear at the northern California farmer's markets, the sight of the red fruit is a joy they promise that better weather and a variety of berries will soon appear."

A signal of spring and summer to come, strawberries are not only sweet, their nutrient-rich too, as Glenn goes on to explain:

"Strawberries are a rich source of flavonoids, iron, folate, potassium, vitamins B, C and E, and phenols. In the strawberry, these phenols are led by anthocyanins and ellagitannins. The anthocyanins not only provide the strawberry's red color, but they also supply antioxidants. Strawberries' unique phenol content gives them heart-protective, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory abilities. Strawberries also have blood-purifying, astringent, diuretic, and liver-tonic properties. Medicinally, the fruit has been used to treat anemia, constipation, fevers, hangover, high blood pressure, gout, and rheumatism. Cut strawberries have even been used to whiten teeth and are said not to damage the enamel. In a recent study (see HC 110195-396), freeze-dried strawberries were found to lower cardiovascular disease risk factors in women with metabolic syndrome."

Eat up! Glenn suggests adding strawberries to a green salad with the addition of some chopped nuts and cheese drizzled with lemon and olive oil. How do you like your strawberries? If you have favorite, healthy strawberry recipes to share, please post them here!!

Also, yesterday's edition of The Oregonian included the article "Growing strawberries is deliciously easy here." According to the article, Oregon's climate is perfect for strawberries, but even if you don't live near ACHS in Oregon, there may be some use useful tips about planting, care, and harvest as well.

>> If you're interested in learning more about holistic nutrition, check out our new Nut 101 Introduction to Nutrition course here: http://www.achs.edu/course-desc.aspx?pid=196&id=4

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