Start the day with a heart-healthy and digestion-friendly snack!

As the fig season is coming to a near end, I’m trying to get the most of my favorite fruit while it lasts. Lately, mornings have involved a makeshift Greek yogurt concoction, with figs, walnuts, and honey. It’s a light, fiber and protein-packed way to start the day.

Figs are a mainstay in the Mediterranean diet and are exceptionally beneficial. They are an excellent source of heart-healthy minerals potassium, magnesium, and calcium, effectively reduce blood pressure, and help to improve your digestive system and regularity. Dried figs concentrate more nutrition in a single serving, but fresh figs are lighter and water-rich.

Fresh Fig Greek Yogurt

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 large fig
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

Cut off the pointed top of the fig. Place it upright on a plate with the sliced tip at the top. Slice the fig in half, without cutting through the bottom. Leave a little space intact so that the fig will hold together as one piece. Slice across the fig again, perpendicular to the previous cut.

Slightly pull open the edges of the fig so that it resembles a cup-like shape.

Fill the center with yogurt.

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

And drizzle with honey.

Serve and enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Fresh Fig Greek Yogurt appeared first on EcoSalon.

Slice the calories, fat, and sodium with a cauliflower-based alternative

Pizza very well may be the world’s favorite food, but it can really bust your diet. The more mainstream it has become, the further it has diverged from the use of authentic, high-quality ingredients as well as the larger the serving sizes have become – the bread is thicker, the number of toppings defy the point of the dish, and the amount of cheese is greater.

But one thing that has never changed is its difficulty to digest. The pairing of protein and starch, from the cheese and bread respectively, is a classic train-wreck in the stomach. Protein requires an acidic environment for stomach enzymes to digest it and the addition of starch weakens the mix, making it exhausting for your body to process a slice. This is why you may experience extra bloat on pizza night and feel tired quickly. Not to say you shouldn’t enjoy the traditional combination when you crave it, but whenever you’re looking to tighten those abs or avoid the sluggish feeling, keep this knowledge in mind!

This is even before we get to pizza’s nutritional stats. Using Pizza Hut as an example, in a 12-inch medium size pizza, one slice bears 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 530 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, and only 1 milligram of dietary fiber. And, let’s get real, who ever stops at just one slice? Double, triple, or quadruple those numbers and you’ll realize just how much saturated fat, sodium, and empty carbohydrates you are consuming in just one sitting. Regular consumption of pizza can lead to raised blood pressure, weight gain, an increase in blood-sugar levels, and cardiovascular diseases.

To avoid the hard-to-digest starch and protein combination and reduce the sodium, fat, and empty carbohydrate levels, I created a recipe that uses cauliflower as the base. Cauliflower has a natural cheesy aroma when cooked, so you can omit cheese altogether without missing out of the flavor. Full-fat yogurt holds together the cauliflower crust, and the “icing” on these mini pizza cupcakes is made up of a simple cooked cherry tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Mini Cauliflower Pizzas

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 head cauliflower, grated in food processor
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup full-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Marinara

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the crust, pulse the florets of one head of cauliflower in the food processor until rice like. Cook in a saucepan over medium heat with 1/2 cup water. Cover saucepan with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes, mixing every minute or so to make sure the cauliflower does not brown. This step softens the cauliflower. Once softened, remove from heat and let cool in a large bowl before adding the wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg whites, basil, oregano, salt and garlic powder together. Pour the wet mixture into the cooled cauliflower mixture. Fold until thoroughly combined.

Scoop the cauliflower crust mixture into muffin cups that have been greased with coconut oil. Pack them in firmly until they reach the top of the tin. Flatten the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tops have browned lightly and the edges begin to pull away from the tin.

While the pizzas bake, prepare the cherry tomato marinara sauce. Stem and slice in half 1 cup of tomatoes. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the tomatoes in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with 1 diced garlic glove, 1 teaspoon oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes have broken down.

One cooled, line the edges of the cauliflower crusts with a knife and remove each carefully.

Top each cauliflower crust pizza with a spoonful of the cherry tomato marina.

Photo Credit: Kohtzy, GlowKitchen

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Pizza’s Healthier Half Takes Center Stage appeared first on EcoSalon.

Remember how much fun it was to shoot watermelon pits out of your mouth as a kid? Who knew then that you were also building up an arsenal of amino acids to fight pre-hypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.

Sweet, low-calorie, high in fiber, and nutrient rich watermelon (which is in season from late July through November) is now a hot topic in medicine with data coming out of Florida State University. Evidence from a pilot study led by food scientists is suggesting that watermelon can be an effective natural weapon, in keeping with the theory of food as medicine. It’s also noteworthy to mention that this is the first investigation of its kind being studied on humans.

FSU Assistant Professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi found that when six grams of the amino acids L-citrulline/L-arginine from watermelon extract were administered daily for six weeks, there was improved function in the arteries, which in turn caused lower aortic blood pressure in all nine of the pre-hypertensive subjects (four men and five postmenopausal women, ages 51-57).

Taking L-arginine as a dietary supplement isn’t an option for many hypertensive adults, says Figueroa, because it can cause nausea, gastrointestinal tract discomfort, and diarrhea.

In addition to the vascular benefits, watermelon provides abundant vitamin A, B6, C, fiber, potassium and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Findings from Figueroa’s latest pilot study at Florida State are described in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States, so start slicing. And here are a few recipes to get you started, from a Mediterranean Watermelon Salad to Grilled Scallop and Watermelon Kabobs.

For more information on heart disease visit the American Heart Association.

The post Watermelon Battles High Blood Pressure appeared first on EcoSalon.

They may be lean and green, but they pack quite a salty punch.

When you think of high sodium foods, what do you see? I envision salt bombs like the Big Mac (1040 mg per serving) and Campbell’s Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (890 mg per serving). But the shocking fact is that many “healthy,” organic and vegetarian foods are high in sodium, too.

The USDA estimates that 77% of the sodium in an average American’s diet comes from packaged and processed foods (while only 5-6% of sodium is added while cooking or eating), so if you’re into convenience – even the organic, natural kind – you might want to look a little closer at the label.

How do your favorite green convenience foods add up?

Amy’s Curried Lentil Soup sounds like a quick and tasty treat, but packs 680 mg sodium per serving.

Annie’s Organic Alfredo Shells and Cheddar is one of my all-time comfort foods, but with 670 mg sodium per serving I should reconsider my definition of comfort!

GardenBurger’s Flame Grilled Soy Burger, though vegan, contains 500 mg sodium per serving.

Yves Classic Veggie Brats pack a whopping 840 mg per weiner! And ask yourself, will you honestly eat just one?

Quorn Garlic & Herb Chik’n Cutlets may be meatless, high in fiber and made from pretty natural ingredients, but they still contain 570 mg of sodium per serving.

Boca Meatless Italian Sausage has significantly less fat than its meaty cousin, but it is definitely not low on sodium: 650 mg per serving.

Annie’s Naturals Goddess Dressing is such a delicious, creamy delight on garden fresh greens, but with 390 mg of sodium per serving, it makes for a pretty salty salad.

The profits from Newman’s Own Organic Marinana Sauce might go to help good a cause, but consider what it might do to your own body’s cause with 550 mg of sodium per serving.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for sodium is 2400 mg, but for optimum health you should not exceed 1500-2000 mg per day, and the USDA standard for “healthy” food is that it must not contain more than 480 mg of sodium per serving.

What’s the real lesson here? Processed foods, even organic and vegetarian ones, don’t provide the optimal health for our bodies. Sure, you may grab “Ëœem once in awhile when you don’t have time to cook a meal from scratch. While these organic and vegetarian meals are better than stopping at the drive-thru, nothing beats creating your own meals from whole foods, which will always be the cornerstone of a truly healthy diet.

Image: Dan Zen

The post Say It Ain't So! 8 Healthy Foods…That Aren't appeared first on EcoSalon.

Are you one of the many who reach for the salt shaker before even tasting your food?

Because you may not be particularly sensitive to the ill effects of sodium, and because there’s no way to know who might develop high blood pressure as a result of a high-sodium diet, it’s a good idea to be aware of what goes on your plate.*

Sodium is essential in regulating water balance, pH (acid balance), normal pressure in the fluids surrounding cells (extracellular) and in nerve transition. Because of these essential functions, sodium levels are tightly regulated by the body. Sodium intake can vary widely yet the human body remains healthy by maintaining relatively constant levels. But age, health conditions, consumption of other nutrients, and other variables can affect the way that the body handles sodium. Many people in the United States consume more than the recommended 2,300 mg limit as suggested in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines.

Here are the top 20 individual food sources of sodium in the American diet, which was based on the combination of frequency of consumption and sodium content:

1.  Meat pizza
2.  White bread
3.  Processed cheese
4. Hot dogs
5.  Spaghetti w/sauce
6.  Ham
7.  Catsup (ketchup)
8.  Cooked rice (the way it’s seasoned, as plain rice contains no sodium at all)
9.  White roll
10. Flour (wheat) tortilla
11. Salty snacks/corn chips
12. Whole milk
13. Cheese pizza
14. Noodle soups
15. Eggs (whole/fried/scrambled)
16. Macaroni w/cheese
17. Milk, 2%
18. French fries
19. Creamy salad dressings
20. Potato chips

Some good news: Below are 10 terrific tips from the Mayo Clinic on how to reduce your sodium intake:

• Eat more fresh foods and fewer processed foods. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Also, fresh meat is lower in sodium than luncheon meat, bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham are. Buy fresh and frozen poultry or meat that hasn’t been injected with a sodium-containing solution. Look on the label or ask your butcher.
• Opt for low-sodium products. If you do buy processed foods, select those that have reduced sodium.
• Remove salt from recipes whenever possible. You can leave out the salt in many recipes, including casseroles, stews and other main dishes. Baked goods are an exception. Leaving out the salt could affect the quality as well as the taste of the food.
• Limit your use of sodium-laden condiments. Salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish all contain sodium.
• Use herbs, spices and other flavorings to enhance foods. Learn how to use fresh or dried herbs, spices, zest from citrus fruit, and fruit juices to jazz up your meals.
• Use salt substitutes wisely. Some salt substitutes or light salts contain a mixture of table salt (sodium chloride) and other compounds. To achieve that familiar salty taste, you may use too much of the substitute and actually not use less sodium. In addition, many salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. Though dietary potassium can lessen some of the harm of excess sodium, too much supplemental potassium can be harmful if you have kidney problems or if you’re taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

Your taste for salt is acquired, according to the folks at the Mayo Clinic, which means that it is reversible. To unlearn this salty savoring, they advice people to decrease the use of salt gradually so taste buds will adjust. Most people find that after a few weeks of cutting salt they no longer miss it. Start by using no more than 1/4 teaspoon of added salt daily, and then gradually reduce to no salt add-ons. As you use less salt your preference for it lessens, allowing you to enjoy the taste of food itself.

*The Grocery Manufacturers Association, who represent the world’s leading food, beverage, and consumer products companies, recently released Sodium and Salt: A Guide for Consumers, Policymakers and the Media. According to Robert Brackett, chief science officer for the GMA, the paper was produced to provide consumers, journalists and health professionals and policy makers – including the Institute of Medicine’s committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake – with current and scientifically accurate information and resources on sodium and salt, and to make recommendations to help consumers find ways to meet the daily intake goal of 2,300 mg of sodium in the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Source: NHANES 2003-2004 (Data analysis provided by General Mills
Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition.)

Image: kevindooley

The post Top 20 High Sodium Foods (& 10 Tips to Reduce Your Intake) appeared first on EcoSalon.