Day 60: Cash-In on Cashews

Do cashews give you enough nutritional “bang” for their high calorie “buck”? Let’s cash-in on cashews to find out… 

I was surprised to find out that cashews are actually lower in calories than other nuts. I had always heard that cashews were the “unhealthy nut” and should be avoided. Where did that come from? Well, I think it is because cashews are slightly higher in carbs than other nuts and they got a bad rap during the low-carb mania. 

Don’t let cashews bad rap fool you. Cashews are loaded with minerals including; magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and selenium. They also have 5 grams of hunger satisfying protein, 1 gram of fiber and a relatively low 160 calories per ounce. Cashews also have 13 grams of fat per ounce, but about half of the fat is heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. ”Healthy fat” is still a hard concept for me to grab, given my late ‘90s dieting that drilled “no fat” into my head! But, I know that I need to get over it! Monounsaturated fat is really good for you! 

So back to our original question, are cashews worth the calories? 

Study after study has proved that a diet rich in monounsaturated fat, such as the fat found in cashews, lowers levels of heart disease and cancer while contributing to longer life-spans.

Also, people who eat nuts are less likely to have heart attacks or die from heart disease than those who don’t. In fact, the famous Lyon Diet Heart Study found that those with a diet high in monounsaturated fat experienced 70 percent less heart disease risk than those taking statin drugs. 

That fact alone tells me a resounding “yes!” 

It doesn’t hurt that cashews are delicious and make a great on-the-go snack. So, the next time you avoid cashews because of your fear for what they will do to your waistline; think about what they will do for your heart.

The key to enjoying cashews guilt-free is portion control. I use a digital food scale and weigh out foods that I deem “high risk” (aka, I can’t control myself from eating the whole darn bag). I also pre-portion my snacks in individual baggies if I buy cashews or other high calorie snacks in a bigger container. I’m a whole lot less likely to grab another “bag” of a snack than I am to dig my hand into the container again. 

I love to get my cashews at The Fresh Market because their cashews are the most fresh of any I’ve ever had. I also love those “Nut-trition” packaged bags of nuts that Planters just came out with. I just throw some of those in my purse for hunger “emergencies.” Do you enjoy cashews? Did you know they were so good for you? Please share!

Day 59: Keen Who?

The first time I heard about Quinoa, I actually read about it in a magazine and I pronounced it “Kuh-oh-na” like Ramona. When I later heard someone refer to “Keen-wa” I didn’t even know they were talking about the same thing! No matter how you say it, Quinoa is good stuff! 

I think that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is to consume a higher ratio of protein to carbohydrates and fats. When my weight peaked several years ago and I could not take it off, I visited a dietician to glean insight into how to shed the weight. She advised me to consume 75-100 grams of protein every day and lessen my dependence on carbohydrates. I thought she was crazy at the time, but boy did it work. A couple of things happened: 

1. I concentrated on how to get more protein, instead of focusing on how to eat less
2. Protein increased my satiety levels, therefore helping me eat less overall 

What does this have to do with Quinoa? While Quinoa looks like a grain, it packs a nutritional punch as a protein, which is a great combo in my book. Quinoa only has 127 calories for ½ cup, but packs 4.5 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber and 8 mg of iron. You can eat Quinoa like rice, breakfast cereal or even dessert, but have the amino acid content of a complete protein, similar to that of casein. 

You may be asking, “OK, but what is Quinoa?” Quinoa is known as “the Mother grain” to the Incas and they used this plant as their main source of nutrition. Quinoa dates back over 5,000 years, grown mostly in the Andes Mountains of South America. You can easily substitute classic Quinoa for rice and Quinoa flakes for flour in any recipe. You can buy Quinoa at Trader Joes, Earth Fare or Whole Foods (if you are lucky enough to live near one.) 

I had a box of Quinoa in my pantry for a couple of months, but I kept avoiding making it for dinner. I was nervous that I would go to the trouble to make it and no one would eat it. Well, last week we ran out of brown rice and had no other side item to go with dinner, so I dusted off the box of Quinoa and stuck it in rice cooker. Much to my surprise it was not only delicious, but my kids ate it without one complaint and they actually thought they were eating couscous (which they love.) 

Today I wanted to kick it up a notch because I knew I’d be blogging about Quinoa, so I made Quinoa Blueberry-Banana Muffins. My seven-year old loved the muffins so much that he came to be with blueberry smeared across his cheeks and asked if he could have another one! And he is the picky one! 

Try out this recipe or substitute Quinoa for rice in your favorite recipe and let me know what you think. 

Stacy’s Quinoa Blueberry-Banana Muffins 

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• ½ cup whole-wheat or quinoa flour
• ½ cup Quinoa flakes
• ¼ cup Silk Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 small jar peach baby food
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 400
• Mix all dry ingredients in one small bowl and wet ingredients (except the blueberries) in another. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well, but do not overbeat.
• Add the blueberries and gently fold into the mixture.
• Fill muffin tins ½ to ¾ full.
• Bake at 400 for 20 minutes 

Have you tried Quinoa? Do you like it? Please share!

Day 58: Luscious Licorice

When I talk about the health benefits of licorice I’m not talking about Twizzlers or Good –n- Plenty, even though they are delicious (especially the chocolate Twizzlers, but I digress.) No, I’m talking about unadulterated licorice that has been used for years for treating coughs and lung disease. In China it is the second most prescribed herb, following ginseng. 

So what is so wonderful about licorice? For starters it is known for supporting upper respiratory tract health and having a soothing effect on inflamed mucous membranes. Have you ever had a licorice cough drop? Well, now you know why they used licorice root. Licorice root is also used for urinary tract irritation, adrenal fatigue and exhaustion, immune-deficient states, allergies, liver disorders and detoxification. The Japanese even use licorice to control hepatitis because it works well in patients who need immune support. Licorice also has been shown to help patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as CFIDS. 

Licorice is considered one of the top 50 “power herbs” according to Louis Vanrenen. This is party because licorice has over 25 flavonoids, terpenoids, amino acids, lignans and plant sterols, including glycyrrhizin, which is the most well known active ingredients. Glycyrrhizin is both anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating. And, listen up Mom, it can also raise blood pressure. For some this may not be a good thing, others who have low blood pressure, also known as hypotension, could use a boost in blood pressure when feeling light-headed or dizzy. For those with high blood pressure, use caution. Because the active ingredient in licorice works similar to the hormones of the adrenal gland, it is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is anti-inflammatory, but on the other hand the glycyrrhizin content can raise blood pressure.  

There are numerous studies showing the many benefits of licorice. One study even showed that the flavonoids in licorice help reduce abdominal fat. Other studies show that it has an antioxidant effect. Others even show that licorice is among the top six food and herbs with the highest anticancer activity. Licorice has also been shown to soothe joints, which is good news for me in my marathon training. It can also help support normal blood sugar, aid digestion and ease menstruation woes. 

The catch of all of this is actually finding “real” licorice and not just candy flavored with anise extract. I went on my hunt for the real thing and found “real” licorice at EarthFare. You can also find the Panda real licorice on Amazon if you don’t have an EarthFare near you. We went to a drive-in movie to see Toy Story 3 this past weekend and I decided that it was a good time to pull out the licorice and see how it fared as a movie-time treat, in place of my box of Good –n- Plenty. First, I must say that the flavor was very rich. It was very satisfying to eat just a little of it because of its’ full, rich flavor. It was very delicious and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it might taste too strong, without all of the added sugar, but it was delicious! Give licorice a try the next time you are craving something sweet. You will get a double bonus of feeling like you are splurging while giving your body a boost of health. 

Have you ever tried “real” licorice? Do you like it or do you find the flavor too strong?

Day 57: Something is Fishy

I’m training for the Disney Marathon which will be held on January 9, 2011 at my favorite place in the world: Walt Disney World! This new goal has been exhilarating and challenging at the same time. Even though I said I would never do this, I found myself justifying eating a bit more because of the mileage that I’ve logged, and I actually gained two pounds. This proves all the research that I’ve read that says weight management is 80% diet and only 20% exercise. Even though I logged six miles on the treadmill, I sat on my butt for the rest of the day at work, and calories burned is about the total activity level for the entire day, not just the one hour of exercise. So, my justification of a few extra saltines with peanut butter, Greek yogurt and a bowl of ice cream added up to more than my total calories for the day. 

Now I’m getting back on track and logging my food in my online food diary at The Daily Plate. This happens every couple of months….I slack off on my food diary, get busy and don’t think about what I’m eating and then I gain a few pounds. But, as long as I catch it early, it’s not too hard to get back on track. 

I’m trying to incorporate more fish in my diet because fish is low in calories, high in protein and super easy to prepare for dinner. One 3-ounce portion of cod, for example, has 20 grams of high quality protein for only 100 calories! 

I’ve blogged previously about the health benefits of salmon, but did you know that white-fleshed fish is also extremely good for you? White-fleshed fish, like halibut and orange roughy don’t have as many omega-3 fatty acids as salmon, but they still have some of these healthy fatty acids (for less calories). 

White-fish is also high in selenium, which has been linked to lower rates of cancer. One of my favorite types of white-fish is tilapia. It has such a mild flavor that it is perfect for grilling, baking or incorporating into a wide variety of dishes. I made two recipes with tilapia this week:  fish tacos and homemade fish sticks. My kids LOVED the homemade fish sticks and it brought me back to when I was a kid and ate “fish fingers” almost everyday for lunch during the summer. 

This recipe is perfect because it is delicious, healthy and the kids love it, a combination that is hard to come by. Try out this recipe and let me know what you think! (I forgot to take a picture of the fish sticks I made last night, so I pulled this picture from a recipe on WomansDay.com)

Healthy Fish Sticks 

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 4 Tilipia Filets, cut into two inch strips
• ½ cup whole wheat panko
• Cajun seasoning
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• Non-stick cooking spray (I like the Olive Oil one for this recipe)

 Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375
• Whip the egg whites with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl
• Mix the whole wheat panko and Cajun seasoning in a second small bowl
• Place the whole wheat flour in a third, separate bowl
• Dip the tilapia strips first into the flour, then egg whites, then panko. Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
• Spray the fish sticks with a coating of non-stick cooking spray
• Cook for 15 minutes, flipping them over once during cooking 

I love using panko for “faux frying” foods. Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb that is crunchy. You can find Ian’s whole wheat panko at Harris Teeter or Earth Fare. I also found regular panko at Bloom and Trader Joes. 

Do you like fish? Do you enjoy eating fish if it is not fried? I live down in the south and we have a fried fish restaurant on every corner, but it is hard to find delicious fish that is not deep fried or covered in butter. That is why I like to cook at home most nights!