Category Archives: Nutrition

Quinoa is a “SuperGrain”!

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Quinoa is a food that you may have never heard of unless you read healthy cookbooks and magazines.  Even though quinoa receives a great deal of attention from the health community, it is not yet a mainstream food.  Are you trying to eat healthy?  If so, you may want to try including quinoa in your meal plans.

Spinach, beets and chard are all relatives of quinoa.  Since quinoa is gluten free, even people who have a wheat intolerance can enjoy it.  Quinoa is a seed and not a grain but this does not stop people from referring to it as a “super grain”.  Quinoa is a great source of protein, healthy fats and low-glycemic carbohydrates.  Some people have called quinoa the ultimate survival food because it has everything in it that you need to survive.

Even NASA thinks quinoa is impressive!  They are studying it as a part of their Controlled Ecological Life Support System Program.  Quinoa may be grown in space in the future on long term space missions! (I wonder how you would cook quinoa in space?)

Somewhere between 12% and 18% of quinoa is protein.  The variance is due to different methods of removing the saponin.  The protein is equal in quality to what is found in milk.  The primary reason that quinoa is so unique is that it has a “complete” amino acid profile.  Lysine is not found in many other plants but is abundant in quinoa.

Not only does quinoa provide your body with a great quality of protein, it is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.  Iron, phosphorous, magnesium and calcium are all found in abundance in quinoa.

Because so much focus has been placed on quinoa in the health community lately, finding quinoa recipes is very easy.  The versatility of quinoa means that you can enjoy it at any meal.

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Are You at Risk for Developing B12 Vitamin Deficiency?

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B12 is an essential vitamin that is not produced by our bodies.  It plays a critical role in DNA replication and the creation and maintence of all of the cells in our bodies.  Although Vitamin B12 is essential to human health, it is only naturally produced by certain types of bacteria that are present in other animals.  The only way to consume a natural source of vitamin b12 is by eating fish, meat and dairy products.  However, many foods like cereals and breads are fortified with synthetic vitamin b12.

B12 is stored in the body in the liver and most people have three to five years worth of b12 presently in their bodies.  Because of the way our bodies store b12 it can take a long term lack of b12 before pernicious anemia and neurological disorders occur due to a lack of b12 in the body.

One group that is at risk of developing symptoms of b12 vitamin deficiency are those that are over fifty. Somewhere between 10% and 30% of those over 50 have trouble absorbing B12 according to the United State’s Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board.  This is because of a decrease in stomach acids and decreased production of digestive enzymes.  B12 absorption is especially compromised because the body must have a substance called intrinsic factor to absorb vitamin b12.  Intrinsic factor is created in the stomach’s parietal cells  and production slows dramatically as we age.  An estimated 2% of people over 50 fail to produce Intrinsic Factor in quantities that help them prevent developing b12 deficiency.

Because b12 absorption issues are so common in older people, supplementation is generally recommended of older people.  It is also recommended that they get their b12 levels tested at least once every five years.

It is generally recommended that those who do not have b12 deficiency take b12 through a sublingual tablet.  However, most people will low levels of b12 will need to take a regular b12 shot because the body is capable of absorbing much more b12 through a shot.  Oral supplementation is generally not recommended for older people because it does not deal with the primary issue which is the absorption of vitamin b12 in the body.

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5 Juicing Tips for Making Healthier Juicer Recipes

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One of the great things about juicing fruits and vegetables is that you can’t really go wrong whatever recipe you wish to try. Whatever combination you make, they will all be healthy even if some of them aren’t so tasty! However, there are a few things we can do to maximize the health benefits of juicing.

1) Whenever possible go organic. Studies show that organic produce contains more nutrition than its intensively farmed counterparts. Maybe worse than their lower nutritional value, intensively farmed produce is sprayed with pesticides that contain toxic heavy metals like arsenic and lead among other harmful substances that are carcinogenic. If the produce you are using is not organic then it is important to peel them to reduce the amount of pesticides that make it into your juicer recipes. The peel is where the majority of pesticides reside.

2) If your produce is organic, then in most cases, juice the peel too. The peel of fruits and vegetables contain a dense concentration of antioxidants that will greatly increase the nutritional profile and health benefits of your juices. There are a few exceptions to this rule. The peels of oranges and grapefruits should not be juiced because they contain an indigestible chemical that is mildly toxic to us. Otherwise it is all fair game.

3) Get yourself a masticating juice extractor. A masticating juice extractor produces less heat and juices fruits and vegetables more slowly than the other popular style of juicing machines called centrifugal juice extractors. Less heat means that lesser amounts of nutrients are killed; while slower juicing ‘rings out’ more nutrition and juice yield. So not only do masticating juicers make healthier juices, they also provide you more bang for your buck.

4) Drink your juices as freshly as possible – right away is actually best. The longer a juice sits around the more nutrition it will begin to lose as a result of oxidative damage from being exposed to the air. If you do need to store your juice then the best option is to use an air tight container and pump out an excess air with a great little tool called pump ‘n’ seal.

5) Try not to mix fruits and vegetables together too often in the same juice. Fruits and vegetables require different digestive enzymes to be broken down and assimilated into the blood stream. This will result in less nutrients being absorbed from your fresh juices because there will now be different kinds of enzymes ‘competing’ against each other. Apples are the one exception to the rule because they have a ‘neutral’ effect on digestion and therefore mix well with vegetables. This is why apples are often used to sweeten up more unpalatable vegetable juices.

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Using a Manual Juicer to Make Wheatgrass Juice

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It may sound strange that anybody would want to use a manual juicer, when there are so many great electric juicers on the market. The truth is however, that there are still some very good reasons why you might want use a hand juicer.

There are a number of applications in which a hand juicer is superior to an electric one. Perhaps the best known of these is to make wheat grass juice.

In recent years, wheat grass juice has become famous for its antioxidant content, and ability to help cleanse and repair damaged cells. By drinking wheat-grass juice, whether alone or in conjunction with another diet, many people have found that weight loss prospects have improved, as has general health and well-being.

Making your own wheat grass juice is actually quite simple. All you need is a supplier of wheat grass, and a suitable hand powered juicer machine. You can choose to grow your own wheat grass, or buy locally.

When looking for a hand juicer, keep the following points in mind:

1. Easy to assemble and disassemble, and easy to clean. There is nothing worse than a machine that is painstaking to take apart, and remember that you’ll be cleaning every time you use it.

2. Nice big wide chute for ingredients. This makes it easier to pack in wheat grass while you juice.

3. Solid construction. This is important because cheap and flimsy machines will flex, bend and potentially break. Also look for a good method of attaching juicer to work surface the most common methods being buy a suction base or a clamp. A clamp is probably the better option, because it ensures juicer will not move around while you turn the handle.

The great thing about a manual juicer is is that they are very compact, and generally cheaper to buy than electric models. Because wheat grass juice is only drunk in small shots of about 30 mL, making each dose only takes about two minutes.

A stainless steel hand juicer is the best choice, because not only will it never corrode or break, it will keep looking newer for longer.

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