Kiwi Fruit - ridiculously good for you

Oh, Kiwifruit - how I love thee...

It is so good for you, it's almost ridiculous that all this goodness comes in such a small package. This fruit, native to South China, is one of my favorite fruits. It is a GREAT source of potassium, dietary fiber, vitamins A, E, and C - all powerful antioxidants, and beta carotene. And of course, with these nutrients comes prevention and/or improvement of many diseases: asthma, cancers, blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, eye disease, cholesterol.... It's a super fruit, for sure!

To select in a store (prices fluctuate - sometimes I can find them at Sprouts 5/$1. Although, right now they are 3/$1), find ones that aren't rock hard, but not mushy - those will be good. To eat, peel the fury skin with a knife or a carrot peeler. Slice and enjoy!

Here is the low-down on our fury little friend:


1 MEDIUM KIWI FRUIT

• 46 calories
• .3 g fat
• 1 g protein
• 252.3 mg potassium
• 2.6 g fiber
• 11 carbs

wikipedia.com
kiwi-fruit.info
sparkpeople.com
hort.purdue.edu

Bitter, party of one...

I was sitting here listening to an online hour long talk given by Michael Pollan at the Authors@Google event in March, 2008 and he made a good point - there are people who complain that a dozen eggs at a farmers market costs $6. While that sounds expensive, if you break it down and have 2 eggs for breakfast - that's a $1 breakfast. With a piece of toast, you add mere pennies to that. This is considerably less than one would spend at any fast food joint and FAR better for you. Good point, Michael Pollan.

Let me tell you how this all got started.

Monday, August 31, I was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation and they were interviewing Charlotte Allen. Her article titled, "Keep your self-righteous fingers off my processed food", had just appeared in the Opinion section of the LA Times. In this article, she took issue with those who believe in spending their dollars on items that are better made, healthier, local, and possibly more expensive. She says that what they do, and what they tell others, is "impossible." The resentment oozed through my speakers....... Hear it here.

What caused my brain to nearly explode was her thoughts on farmers markets and "real" food, and her shots at Michael Pollan. I'm no expert on the man, but I have listened to several interviews with him, and own a couple of his books and what he says makes a lot of sense and I try to follow the logic of what he says in my own families food choices.

One of her sticking points is Pollan's advice to not buy anything you see advertised. His point (which apparently she missed along with several other issues - like why corn is also high up on the not-so-good list, or that you not EVERYTHING has to be bought organic) was that broccoli, for example, doesn't have an advertising budget... and it's better for you than most anything that does have money to advertise.

Her example of the Haagen-Dazs ice cream which advertises only 5 ingredients - which is something Pollan says you should be looking for AS A GUIDELINE to purchasing food - is ridiculous. Yes, it only has 5 ingredients - BUT IT'S STILL ICE CREAM!!

Another example she gives:

• "...the strawberries at the Safeway probably aren't going to be that great because they've been shipped from California. But if you don't have the money for boutique strawberries, why not have strawberries, period? They're pretty good. They're not so bad."

That's a selling point if I ever heard one...

But here is one thing she states in her article. She asks, "What's wrong with low prices? If you don't care for the quality, well, as my mother always says, you get what you pay for." I couldn't agree more.

For a good read, check out this from the LA Times.

Organic Food - do it cheaper

My cousin inspired me to post this. We were talking about what all I wanted to do with this blog and when I mentioned that I was a fan of Organic food, she mentioned cost. While it is true that most of the time, Organic food costs more than conventional food, there are ways to buy it cheaper.


COUPONS
Before I decided to start trying to eat "real" food, I was a coupon clipper. It's a great way to save money, especially if your coupon items are on sale anyway! (Still looking into coupons? Check out my friend Tracy's coupon site!) As I started to turn away from the aisles and aisles of prepackaged food - my coupons were becoming less useful. I wanted to buy better food, organic when I could, and thought that my coupon days were over. NOT SO!

Check the websites!
You can find coupons for many of the different organic (or healthier, if not Organic) food items by checking on their websites and signing up. They send out coupons a few times a year - not much, I know, but it's something. Also, if you go to Whole Foods, they have a coupon book right in the store to use.

Places to check/sign up for/print your own coupons
Healthy Reader is a good website that lists the many companies that offer coupons.

• Sometimes if you email them about coupons, they will send you them.
• If you don't want to be flooded with newsletters or emails, set up a free yahoo email account specifically for these. Just remember to check them!
• The two most frequent senders to me have been Organic Valley and Earthbound Farm.

ebay
Another way that I have yet to try is Ebay. You can find many organic coupons on Ebay... so long as what you spend to buy them doesn't negate what you'll save by using them of course. You could, for example, pay $1 and receive $8 in coupons... But sure to check the expiration date of the coupons.

OTHER WAYS TO SAVE

The other thing I do at least once a week is check my local Basha's grocery store. They are frequently clearing out merchandise due to the date on the packaging. What I have noticed is that the dates on the package are usually still about a month or two out, and I use these products before that date. They are generally about 50% off. Check all your local health food stores and even regular grocery stores for marked down items.

And of course, the ULTIMATE way to save it by combining sales with coupons. I love it when I can do that!

Guide to buying Organic from Earthbound Farm

I received a nifty little pocket guide for when to choose Organic from Earthbound Farm. Here is what they suggest you buy organic as much as possible:

Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Cherries
Imported Grapes
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries

Seasonal Eating

I added a new "gadget" to this blog - it's on the right. It's a nice little reference for what fruits and veggies are in season in your area. I have mine set to AZ in August, but you can change it to your area with the little arrows next to the month and state. Although, I have noticed that not all states are listed. Interesting.

Rice Milk & Almond Milk

You can get rice or almond milk just about any store that has a health food section (and most do these days).

What is it?

Rice Milk: It is a grain milk, processed from brown rice.

• Ingredients (from the Trader Joe's brand): Filtered water, organic brown rice (partially milled), organic expeller pressed safflower oil and/or sunflower oil and/or canola oil, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B12.
• Low sodium, gluten free, vegan, soy free, lactose and dairy free, 99% fat free, cholesterol free.

Almond Milk: Made from ground almonds.

• Ingredients (from Almond Breeze brand): purified water, almonds, tapioca starch, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, soy lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E).
• Gluten, lactose, and cholesterol free.
  

While they are lower in calcium, protein, and Vitamin D, most are fortified with these. You should be getting these nutrients from other food sources anyway! I use it in place of milk for everything, including cooking. You can find it in a few flavors as well, such as vanilla and chocolate.

$$$ TIP $$$
Trader Joe's sells their brand of rice milk for $1.69 for a 32 oz box. By way of comparison, Basha's sells Rice Dream for $3.29 a box.

What about soy?
First, I don't like it. Second, there is a LOT of added soy in a LOT of the food we eat anyway (it's cheap to use and it's in almost everything!!!) And, there has been a lot of information put out there lately that supports the idea that we are getting way too much. *Just because the ingredient list doesn't say "soy", that doesn't mean it isn't in there!*

There is also an enormous amount of information to be found on the dangers of soy, and the controversy surrounding it - and frankly, I don't want to make this post about that. Do your research if you are a big fan of soy.

Quinoa

OK, first thing's first. It's pronounced KEEN-WA. Next, what is this? Quinoa is a seed cultivated primarily in South America. It is often compared to rice, and used as a grain for cooking, but is far superior to rice in nutritional value. The flavor has been described as "nutty" and I suppose that fits. I say it's "grainy" - they both work.

You can cook it the same way you cook rice - 2 parts water, 1 part Quinoa. When cooked, Quinoa is fluffy and light - again, similar to rice. It doesn't have much flavor, so you can add a lot of different things to it to complete the dish. I eat it mostly with grilled veggies. You can add flavor by cooking the Quinoa with veggie or chicken broth instead of water.

Nutritional Superiority

The reason why Quinoa is an excellent "grain" to use in place of rice is for its high protein content. It is one of only a few foods that offer complete protein - which means it contains all the essential amino acids.

If you are using DV% here is the breakdown:

Quinoa Protein: 16.2 percent
Rice Protein: 7.5 percent
Millet Protein: 9.9 percent
Wheat Protein: 14 percent for wheat
**Some varieties of quinoa are more than 20 percent protein.

Some other healthy tidbits about Quinoa:

It is a good source of: dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and it is gluten-free.


citations:
www.quinoa.net
www.chetday.com