|
We all know that what we
eat is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. You don’t
have to be an expert to make healthy decisions. The experts
on food and nutrition are Registered Dietitian Nutritionists
or RDNs. They study the details of food and nutrition to
help individuals and families create healthy eating plans to
meet their goals within their lifestyle. Although we don’t
have to be experts about food, we can learn from the
experts. The following details about nutrients are shared by
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help support a
healthy immune system:
•
Beta carotene is found in plant foods, such as sweet
potatoes, spinach, carrots, mango, broccoli and
•
tomatoes.
•
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as oranges and
grapefruit, bell peppers, and strawberries or foods
fortified with vitamin C, such as some breakfast cereals.
•
Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, eggs and milk and 100
percent juices fortified with vitamin D.
•
Zinc tends to be better absorbed from animal sources such as
beef and seafood, but also is in plant-based sources such as
beans, nuts and seeds.
•
Probiotics are “good” bacteria that promote health. They can
be found in cultured dairy products such as yogurt and in
fermented foods such as kimchi.
•
Protein is found in animal sources such as seafood, lean
meat, poultry, eggs and plant-based sources such as beans
and peas, soy products, nuts and seeds.
I am not an RDN, but I eat
every day. What do I need to know? The recommendation is to
Personalize Your Plate by including foods that you prefer
from each food group. Including a variety of foods can help
you get all the nutrients that are needed for good health.
The variety of nutrients come from the five food groups:
milk, protein, grain, fruits and vegetables.
Sometimes it can be a
challenge to Personalize Your Plate when you live with a
houseful of people. We don’t all have the same food tastes
or preferences. If you have many people eating around the
table, take an idea from popular restaurants. Let
individuals Personalize Your Plate or “build your own”
recipe and meal options. Some examples include:
·
Salad bowls
·
Grain bowl
·
Create your own quesadilla or taco
·
Soup and salad
Some healthy mix and match
recommendations from the experts:
•
Whole grain pasta with garbanzo beans and canned tomatoes,
seasoned with basil and served with a medley of microwaved
frozen vegetables on the side.
•
Whole grain like brown rice or quinoa with black beans,
corn, and bell pepper, dressed with olive oil and lime
juice.
•
Salad with lettuce, hard boiled eggs, tuna, tomatoes and
olives and dressed with a little olive oil and vinegar.
•
Soup using grilled or baked chicken, low-sodium broth,
veggies and brown rice.
When it comes to adding
vegetables to the plate, it’s really not too hard to add
some sliced vegetables, a side salad or heat up a can or
frozen bag of vegetables. While the weather is still cool,
make sure to heat up the oven and roast them.
While my standard go-to is
any combination of root vegetables (carrots, onions, sweet
potatoes, turnips, beets, potatoes, etc.), any single or
combination of vegetables taste good. I finally got around
to roasting cauliflower and everyone in my household loved
it.
Here’s how easy it is:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Take one large head of
cauliflower (wash first) and break it into smaller pieces.
In a large bowl, mix the pieces of cauliflower, 2
tablespoons olive oil, about 4 cloves of chopped garlic, a
little bit of salt and pepper and your choice of seasonings
(try a teaspoon of one of the following: paprika, rosemary
or red pepper flakes). Mix until evenly combined. For easy
clean up (but not required), cover a baking sheet with
either parchment paper or foil. Place cauliflower in a
single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes and
then stir. Continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes until
tender and starting to brown at the edges. Serve
immediately.
My take-way from roasted
vegetables? If everyone at my house liked roasted
cauliflower, there are probably other recipes we’d like that
we haven’t even tried yet. What’s a healthy food you’ll try
this month?
|
