One Taste & You'll Happily "Eat Your Greens"

You know, you know... dark leafy greens are supposed to be so good for you. But no matter how healthy a food is, if you don't like it, you aren't going to eat it. Enter Bok Choy, a type of Chinese cabbage. Prepared properly, this stuff is so good, I ate a giant bowl last night and couldn't wait until lunch today to polish off the leftovers!

Why it's good... & good for you!
The mild flavor, crunchy stalk and tender leaves of Bok Choy make it fun to eat and a versatile side dish. Bok Choy is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as a very good source of vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, fiber and folate.


What to look for
At the market, look for Bok Choy that has tightly packed, firm white stalks and crisp, bright green leaves. Avoid wilted, bruised and discolored Bok Choy. I prefer the bite-sized "baby" Bok Choy.


How to clean it
Don't wash your Bok Choy until you are ready to prepare it. (Bok Choy will typically last 3 days to a week in your vegetable crisper.) This article from eHow.com, How To Clean Bok Choy, explains how to wash your new favorite "green" in 5 insanely easy steps.

How to cook it
My favorite way to enjoy this vegetable is to order Baby Bok Choy, sauteed with a little oil and garlic, at my favorite traditional Chinese restaurant but you can make your own using this super simple recipe from Martha Stewart: Baby Bok Choy with Chile and Garlic. The red pepper flakes and soy sauce are totally optional. You can also choose to use low-sodium soy sauce.

Cheers!
Diane


Image: MarthaStewart.com

You know, you know... dark leafy greens are supposed to be so good for you. But no matter how healthy a food is, if you don't like it, you aren't going to eat it. Enter Bok Choy, a type of Chinese cabbage. Prepared properly, this stuff is so good, I ate a giant bowl last night and couldn't wait until lunch today to polish off the leftovers!

Why it's good... & good for you!
The mild flavor, crunchy stalk and tender leaves of Bok Choy make it fun to eat and a versatile side dish. Bok Choy is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, as well as a very good source of vitamin B6, calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, fiber and folate.


What to look for
At the market, look for Bok Choy that has tightly packed, firm white stalks and crisp, bright green leaves. Avoid wilted, bruised and discolored Bok Choy. I prefer the bite-sized "baby" Bok Choy.


How to clean it
Don't wash your Bok Choy until you are ready to prepare it. (Bok Choy will typically last 3 days to a week in your vegetable crisper.) This article from eHow.com, How To Clean Bok Choy, explains how to wash your new favorite "green" in 5 insanely easy steps.

How to cook it
My favorite way to enjoy this vegetable is to order Baby Bok Choy, sauteed with a little oil and garlic, at my favorite traditional Chinese restaurant but you can make your own using this super simple recipe from Martha Stewart: Baby Bok Choy with Chile and Garlic. The red pepper flakes and soy sauce are totally optional. You can also choose to use low-sodium soy sauce.

Cheers!
Diane


Image: MarthaStewart.com

"My Doctor Says I'm Low on Vitamin D"

Add that to the list of Top 10 Things People Say When They Find Out I'm A Dietitian. It is usually followed by some version of "So, what foods have vitamin D in them?" or "So, how do I get more vitamin D?"

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus work together to build and remodel bones. So, vitamin D is important for the health of your bones and teeth.

Vitamin D is unique in that our bodies can make it following exposure to the sun. The catch is that while the amount of sun exposure we need may be as little as 5-30 minutes on arms and legs twice a week, experts are still trying to figure out how much sun is enough, especially since the efficiency of sun exposure is affected by time of day, season of year, geography, sunscreen and even skin color.

Add that to the list of Top 10 Things People Say When They Find Out I'm A Dietitian. It is usually followed by some version of "So, what foods have vitamin D in them?" or "So, how do I get more vitamin D?"

Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus work together to build and remodel bones. So, vitamin D is important for the health of your bones and teeth.

Vitamin D is unique in that our bodies can make it following exposure to the sun. The catch is that while the amount of sun exposure we need may be as little as 5-30 minutes on arms and legs twice a week, experts are still trying to figure out how much sun is enough, especially since the efficiency of sun exposure is affected by time of day, season of year, geography, sunscreen and even skin color.

Last Chance: Peaches & Nectarines

The sweet yellow flesh of Peaches and Nectarines make them two of my favorite fruits. Peaches and Nectarines can both be found from about May to September so as Summer draws to a close, this may be your last chance to find them in your grocery store or farmer's market.

At only about 60 calories each, these fruits contain about 2 grams of fiber, and are filled with about 10% of your daily needs for Vitamin A and even more Vitamin C (Peaches 17%; Nectarines 13%). So why is this so great?...

The sweet yellow flesh of Peaches and Nectarines make them two of my favorite fruits. Peaches and Nectarines can both be found from about May to September so as Summer draws to a close, this may be your last chance to find them in your grocery store or farmer's market.

At only about 60 calories each, these fruits contain about 2 grams of fiber, and are filled with about 10% of your daily needs for Vitamin A and even more Vitamin C (Peaches 17%; Nectarines 13%). So why is this so great?...

Recipe for the weekend: Guacamole

Avocados are filled with healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and beta carotene. To take advantage of all this goodness, make some guacamole this weekend. This recipe for Chunky Guacamole, from Tyler Florence and the Food Network, is a great base; however, you can also consider the chiles and cilantro as optional and omit them, just as you might also consider adding a diced small tomato, as well as cumin, smoked spanish paprika and/or cayenne.



Image: FoodNetwork.com

Avocados are filled with healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin and beta carotene. To take advantage of all this goodness, make some guacamole this weekend. This recipe for Chunky Guacamole, from Tyler Florence and the Food Network, is a great base; however, you can also consider the chiles and cilantro as optional and omit them, just as you might also consider adding a diced small tomato, as well as cumin, smoked spanish paprika and/or cayenne.



Image: FoodNetwork.com

In Season: Asparagus

Springtime is asparagus time. One cooked half-cup of the beautiful green spears provides more than a third of your daily folate needs, about 7% of your daily fiber, 6% of your daily potassium and 5% of your daily iron, as well as significant amounts of vitamins A, C and K. Asparagus is great at any meal: in eggs at breakfast; in a salad; as a side dish at dinnertime. When buying asparagus, look for vibrant green, firm stalks, of uniform size and with closed & compact tips. If you aren't used to preparing asparagus, click here for a number of great recipes from MarthaStewart.com.

If you still aren't convinced you should be adding asparagus to your springtime arsenal of nutritious foods, check out this recipe for Wheat Berries and Roasted Asparagus With Tomato-Coriander Sauce and Peanuts, from the "Recipes for Health" section at NYTimes.com. Martha Rose Shulman suggests a delicious tomato-based sauce to serve over your asparagus. (Tip: you can choose to omit the wheat berries from the recipe and prepare just the sauce and asparagus.)

Image: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Springtime is asparagus time. One cooked half-cup of the beautiful green spears provides more than a third of your daily folate needs, about 7% of your daily fiber, 6% of your daily potassium and 5% of your daily iron, as well as significant amounts of vitamins A, C and K. Asparagus is great at any meal: in eggs at breakfast; in a salad; as a side dish at dinnertime. When buying asparagus, look for vibrant green, firm stalks, of uniform size and with closed & compact tips. If you aren't used to preparing asparagus, click here for a number of great recipes from MarthaStewart.com.

If you still aren't convinced you should be adding asparagus to your springtime arsenal of nutritious foods, check out this recipe for Wheat Berries and Roasted Asparagus With Tomato-Coriander Sauce and Peanuts, from the "Recipes for Health" section at NYTimes.com. Martha Rose Shulman suggests a delicious tomato-based sauce to serve over your asparagus. (Tip: you can choose to omit the wheat berries from the recipe and prepare just the sauce and asparagus.)

Image: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Do One Thing: Add more color to your diet

I'm sure you've heard that you should be eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, in all different colors, for maximum health benefits; but do you know why? Those different color groups represent different groups of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, so in order to get as many different micronutrients as possible into your diet, it's important to vary the colors of the fruits and veggies you eat. If you're looking to branch out in this area but feel intimidated once you reach the produce aisle, this handy tool from Women's Health Magazine can help. It breaks down fruits and vegetables by color and then gives peak season and shopping & storage tips for specific examples within each color family. Check it out.

Women's Health Magazine - The Rainbow Connection

I'm sure you've heard that you should be eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, in all different colors, for maximum health benefits; but do you know why? Those different color groups represent different groups of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, so in order to get as many different micronutrients as possible into your diet, it's important to vary the colors of the fruits and veggies you eat. If you're looking to branch out in this area but feel intimidated once you reach the produce aisle, this handy tool from Women's Health Magazine can help. It breaks down fruits and vegetables by color and then gives peak season and shopping & storage tips for specific examples within each color family. Check it out.

Women's Health Magazine - The Rainbow Connection