Saturday, March 5, 2011

Does covering the pot when making soup help to preserve nutrients?

Yes, it is helpful to cover your soup pot when making soup. The process of soup-making exposes food to increased temperatures over a relatively long period of time. In addition, foods are usually chopped up or sliced before being added to a soup, and this chopping and slicing increases their exposed surface area. Finally, these chopped and sliced foods with more exposed surface areas get submerged into water. This particular combination of factors—large food surface areas exposed to water under increased temperature for an extended period of time—is a perfect combination for leaching water-soluble nutrients from food.
This leaching doesn't happen all at once. But over the time it takes to cook a soup, some water-soluble nutrients (including B-vitamins and vitamin C) will be drawn out of the food and into the broth. There will still be important amounts of water-soluble nutrients left in the food, but a varying percentage of these nutrients will have migrated into the broth.
 
From among the water-soluble nutrients that have migrated into the broth, some will become volatile and evaporate in the steam that rises from the soup pot. These nutrients will be lost into the air. By covering your soup pot, you will create a mechanical barrier that will trap some of these volatile nutrients and cause them to fall back down into the broth. In this way, your soup broth will stay more nutrient-rich. In comparison to an opened soup pot without a lid, you'll need to turn down your stove burner to achieve a gentle simmer when you're making soup in a covered pot.

Source:The George Mateljan Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation with no commercial interests or advertising, is a new force for change to help make a healthier you and a healthier world.

Today's Recipe

If you don't know what to have for dinner tonight ...
If you want to add over 100% of the daily value for health-promoting omega-3 fatty acids to your Healthiest Way of Eating then try this delicious, easy-to-prepare salmon recipe. The tangy sauce is a great complement to the flavor of the salmon and it only takes minutes to prepare. Enjoy!
Salmon in Citrus Sauce
Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs salmon filets, skin and bones removed, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 TBS + 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 TBS minced fresh parsley, or if you have it, green fennel tops
salt and white pepper to taste
Directions:

Preheat broiler and place a stainless steel or cast iron skillet under broiler for about 10 minutes to get it very hot.

Chop onions and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to enhance their hidden health-promoting properties.
While skillet is heating, place chopped onion, garlic, fennel seeds, 2 TBS lemon juice, and orange juice in a shallow, wide saucepan and cook on high heat for about 10-15 minutes to reduce to half the volume.
Season salmon pieces with 2 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper and place on hot pan from broiler. Return pan to broiler (approximately 5-7 inches from heat) and broil salmon for about 7 minutes depending on thickness (10 minutes per inch of thickness). Do not turn, as salmon is cooking on both sides at once.
Remove salmon from pan, and place on platter. Season citrus sauce with salt and pepper and strain liquid over salmon. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
Serves 4

Healthy Food Tip

Are partially hydrogenated oils and trans fat the same thing?
Partially hydrogenated oil is not the same as trans fat. The term "partially hydrogenated" means that hydrogen gas has been bubbled up into an oil to increase its degree of saturation and shelf life. The process of hydrogenation causes several chemical changes to occur in the oil. One of these changes (only one, but an important one) is the creation of trans fat.
There is some naturally occurring trans fat in many foods-but not nearly as much as we get from partially hydrogenated oils. Some of us get about 20 grams of trans fat per day solely from consumption of these oils. From natural foods, we would only get a few grams. A food label can claim "Zero grams of trans fat" even when there is partially hydrogenated oil in the product, because a product is legally considered "trans fat free" as long as there is less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving size. Trans fats are definitely harmful to our health in large amounts, and processed products containing hydrogenated oils are not ones that I recommend consuming.

Source: The George Mateljan Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation with no commercial interests or advertising, is a new force for change to help make a healthier you and a healthier world.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Industry Expert- Going Green Simple Steps for Spas


Industry Expert 
 A Smaller Footprint | Paula Mauter 
E arth Day will be here 
before you know it.  
April 22nd marks the 41st 
anniversary of the holiday, 
so why not get a jump 
start on the celebration? 

Greening your spa or salon 
doesn’t need to cost 
you a bundle.  A 
green spa recycles 
and always looks for 
ways to reduce waste, 
chooses treatments 
that conserve water 
and energy, and 
minimizes use of 
hazardous materials. 

We’ve compiled a 
few simple steps that 
you can implement in 
your spa today: 

1 
Since you’re already 
doing daily laundry, 
replace paper 
towels with a basket 
of beautifully displayed 
washcloths in restrooms.  
Not only will you reduce 
waste but it adds an air 
of luxury to your spa.   For 
all other necessary paper 
products, use recycled, 
unbleached paper only. 

2      
Start a recycle bin – 
for recyclables, but have 
you actually done it??? 

Better yet, “pre-cycle”.  
Cut waste at the source, 
buy bulk and stop using 
disposable items. 

3 
Update all your 
light fixtures with 
occupancy sensors 
on and your water 
faucets with low flow 
aerators. 

4 
No paper mail 
reminders or 
adverti sements!  
Instead, call, text or 
email. 

5 
Update lighting to 
compact florescent 
bulbs.  They will cost a 
little more but they use 
1/4 of the energy and 
last for around 10,000 
hours.  Also, LED technology 
is becoming readily 
available.  LED lighting uses 
the least amount of energy 
and lasts even longer. 

6 
Buy only soy based 
candles, they’re earth 
friendlier than paraffin or 
beeswax, last longer and 
cost less.

7 
Offer an incentive 
program.  For example, 
if a client brings in 5 empty 
product containers they 
get a free gift.  Create a 
tasteful display showing 
all the returned bottles to 
make an impact. 
8 
Ask customers if they 
want a bag for their 
purchases.  You’ll find 
that most will decline. 
9 
If local laws allow, 
replace disposable 
cups with glass. 
10 
R e p l a c e 
cleaning and 
laundry products with 
biodegradable, non- 
petroleum based 
products.  Simple 
household items such 
as vinegar and baking 
soda can clean almost 
anything. As time and 
budget allow, replace 
old appliances with 
current, energy 
efficient models. FYI… 
Front-load washers use 65% 
less energy and one-third 
less water than top-loading 
washers. 
U nfortunately, there is no 
escaping the fact that 
global warming is here. 
Now more than ever, it is 
vitally important for the 
spa industry to rise to the 
challenge of  environmental  
responsibility and these 
10 steps are a great 
place to begin. The idea 
of cultivating this eco- 
friendly philosophy will 
raise awareness and 
firmly establish your 
spa’s environmental 
responsibility with your 
staff, clientele and 
community. Starting 
simple will evoke a 
deeper commitment 
to these changes and 
stimulate awareness 
(think “the ripple 
effect”).  Your spa 
business can become 
more relevant in the 
“green” changes that 
need to occur in our 
environment in order 
to sustain and leave 
a smaller footprint for 
future generations. 
All of these ideas and 
concepts will not only make 
your spa more sustainable 
but also profitable because 
clients vote with their 
dollars, and if they believe 
in what you are doing, they 
will be more than happy to 
support your establishment. 
Be a leader, start small and 
make a BIG impact!

Monday, February 28, 2011

My Smoothie of the month

Try this Green Smoothie
(a great idea from Dr Christine)

1- bunch of Kale trimmed of the stem
1- ripe banana
1 cup of fresh or frozen pineapple
1 cup of Coconut water

I enjoy adding protein to my smoothie such as Almond Milk, Ground Flax, Chia, and Help Seeds. You can get creative with this recipe and use what best suits you.

optional: Rice, Milk, Almond Milk, Hemp milk for a creamy texture, Help Seeds, Chia Seeds, and Ground Flax Seed

Benefits of these wonderful ingredients:

*Pineapple: Just one cup of pineapple provides 73% of the daily recommended amount of manganese. The benefits of these can affect the growth of bones in young people and the strengthening of bones in older people. It also helps with weight loss.
Since there is a strong correlation between overweight and hypertension, pineapple diet serves for both the cases. You also get a decent amount of copper and thiamin, plus more than a third of your recommended vitamin C needs.As it is very alkaline in nature, it can stop the production of acid in stomach.
Bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory with analgesic properties, encourages healing, promotes well-being and has many other health benefits. Bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain.

* Banana:
Hangovers: Making a banana shake, sweetened with honey is one of the fastest ways on how to treat a hangover. This is due to the reason that banana calms the stomach and with the aid of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels while the milk soothes and rehydrates our system.
Constipation and Diarrhea: Bananas are high in fiber. It can restore normal bowel movement if included in the diet. Thus, it can help overcome the problem without using laxatives.
Depression: Bananas can help reduce depression since it contains tryptophan, an amino acid which can be converted to serotonin, leading to recover mood.
Anemia:Bananas are also relatively high in iron, thus, helps the body's hemoglobin function.
High blood pressure and stroke: This tropical fruit is high in potassium yet low in salt, yielding to a perfect food for preventing high blood pressure. Furthermore, the US Food and Drug Administration has just permitted the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's capability to help lessen the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Ulcers:This raw fruit helps reduce acidity and irritation and stimulates the cells on the internal stomach lining to produce thicker mucus that protects against acid.
 
* Coconut Water:  It is 99% fat free, making it one of the healthiest drinks available in the market. It offers low carbohydrates and sugar, and is recommended over drinks such as processed milk, orange juice, energy drinks, and soft drinks. It is ideal for people with lactose intolerance as well as growing children. It is also great for new born babies as it offers Lauric acid, an important constituent of mother's milk. It is a great drink for replenishing your body's water after a day's work or workout in the gym. Coconut Water improves metabolism, digestive detoxification, digestive cleansing, and diabetes control.

*Kale:  rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E.
          -side note: Science has discovered that sulforaphane, helps boost the body's detoxification enzymes, possibly by altering gene expression. This is turn is purported to help clear carcinogenic substances in a timely manner. Sulforaphane is formed when cruciferous vegetables like kale are chopped or chewed. This somehow triggers the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer causing chemicals, of which we all are exposed on daily basis. A recently new study in the Journal of Nutrition (2004) demonstrates that sulforaphane helps stop breast cancer cell proliferation.