Food of the Week: Whole Wheat

If you remember anything about wheat, it should be this: Whole Wheat with germ and bran intact = good. Refined wheat = not so good. The refining process extracts the most nutrient rich parts of the wheat, the bran and germ, removing much of the vitamins, minerals and fiber. Many of the products we eat in the U.S. contain refined wheat, things like breads, pastas and baked goods. Diet propaganda like the Atkins Diet played on this truth to get people to lose weight by not eating carbohydrates like wheat. But the largest and scariest hole in no/low carb diet plans is the inclusion of all carbohydrates into the category of unhealthy. Let’s take a deeper look into the nutrition of whole wheat.

Photo courtesy of http://www.cspinet.org/nah/wwheat.html

Benefits:

• Women who eat whole wheat rather than refined tend to weigh less.
• Helps to lower risk for Type II Diabetes and lessens Chronic Inflammation.
• Helps prevent Gallstones, Heart Disease and Childhood Asthma.
• Good for cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women.
• The fiber found in wheat bran can act as a natural laxative. It helps you poo!
• Whole wheat helps to prevent certain types of cancers. It affects estrogen levels in a way that helps protect against some cancers. It also helps to protect against colon cancer.

Drawbacks:

• Allergies to wheat are very common.
• People with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance cannot eat products containing wheat.
• Whole wheat contains substances called oxalates, which in high concentrations can exacerbate kidney and gallbladder problems.

Ways to eat whole wheat:

• To ensure that you get the benefits of whole wheat make sure you purchase foods that are not refined. Whole grains should be listed as the first ingredient and items should have at least 3 grams of fiber.
• Cereals high in fiber, such as raisin bran or shredded wheat.
• Eat whole wheat breads and pastas.
• Instead of using bread crumbs use rolled oats or bran cereal.
  

Little known fact:

A product marked multigrain does not necessarily contain whole grains. Make sure to read the nutrition information to make sure the whole grain is used.

Eating healthy while on a budget

Yesterday there was an article in the New York Times about eating on a budget. May I bring your attention to the section about potatoes? That's right, Jane Brody agrees that potatoes can be an affordable and nutritious addition to dishes. She also recommends beans, cabbage and fruit.

Food of the Week: Potatoes

For this week's food of the week I've decided to break down some misconceptions about a food that has gotten a bad rap in recent years. Carbohydrates have sadly become the food to avoid or reduce in our diets. But, as you can see in my last post, carbs can play an integral part in eating on a budget. While there are very unhealthy carbs, this doesn't mean that all are bad. So, here it comes, the food of the week is potatoes.

Benefits:

• Very good source of Vitamin C, which we all know is good for the immune system.
  
• Good source of Potassium, Copper, Manganese and dietary fiber. Help to prevent cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems and some cancers.
  
• Good source of Vitamin B6, which is good for the nervous system, helping us sleep, manage stress and be less depressed.
  
• Low in calories.

Drawbacks:

• Many of the ways we tend to eat potatoes (ie french fries, potato chips, etc) are loaded with fat.
• Potatoes are abundant and therefore budget friendly.
  

Ways to eat potatoes:

• I got this idea from a Tibetan restaurant here in NYC. Sauté small chunks of potatoes with greens and chicken in soy sauce. Flavor with garlic and ginger.
• A favorite for brunch, sauté cut up potatoes with onions, green peppers and garlic.
• Mashed potatoes! Possibly the best food in the world!

Little known facts:

• Potatoes have been grown in space.
• Potatoes can be used to help relieve global hunger due to their abundance and ability to grow in harsh climates.

So don't you fret, little darlings! Eat potatoes and be happy!

Carbs are our friends

The current market slump our country is going through is not new. Unpleasant for many but not new. During this time of scrimping and saving where we can, looking back to hard times of the past can teach us a lot. See this video of a woman sharing a recipe that helped get her family through the Great Depression.

So stop hating on the carbs people! They can get us through some hard times.

Processed meats are bad for you? You don't say...

This is one of those studies that you think, "really they needed research to show this?". But, I guess it's always good to have data. Uh oh Atkins, another strike against you.

A side note: If I lived in the UK would I eat this? I mean, I do have a fondness for bacon.