In addition to sharing recipes on Friday’s, I thought that I would begin sharing my love of and passion for food facts (and alliteration). It’s not enough for me to learn how and what to cook, I really want to know the Why’s of food consumption. Hope that you like this new series!
As many of you may recall, nutritionist extraordinaire and author of Eat to Lose, Eat to Win, Rachel Beller MS, RDpretty much saved my nutritional life during my treatment. When I was in the bottomless pit of chemo despair, it was Rachel who suggested nutritious foods that I could actually eat (and keep down)…a double Silver Lining.
Rachel is a wealth of information. I never cease to be amazed by her! Not only does she work with cancer patients, but she is a featured guest on shows like Dr. Oz, The Biggest Loser, Good Morning America and the Today Show. Yes, she’s that wonderful! Recently she was on the Rachel Ray show and offered some fabulous suggestions for SuperFoods.
I’ve written about SuperFoods before, but had not heard about the products and ideas that Rachel suggested. I’ve already started adding these goodies to my repertoire!
- Nutritional Yeast is a fabulous source of of B12 and tastes good. It is great on popcorn or in chili because of the yummy cheese flavor.
- Seaweed is a kitchen counter must-have. You can either eat it plain or use it as a wrap. It has a ton of minerals, including calcium, iron and folate.
- Broccoli sprouts. These are a form of young broccoli. A little goes a long way. They contain lots of sulforaphane which happens to be a potent antioxidant. 1 tablespoon of broccoli sprouts has as many nutrients as a pound of broccoli. It is a great replacement for lettuce or sprouts on a sandwich or in a salad.
- Mung beans are packed with protein and fiber. Mung beans also have protease inhibitors which help protect from cancer. They are easy to prepare, taking 20 minutes to cook (or 5 minutes if you get the sprouted variety). They are super in soups and very hearty. Mung beans are also inexpensive. Rachel describes them as “fast food at its best”.
- Golden berries. Rachel describes this dried fruit as a “nutritional gold nugget” because they have lots of vitamin C, protein and fiber as well as many anti-inflammatory qualities. They are delicious eaten alone or sprinkled on top of cereal.
You can learn more from Rachel here:
- http://www.facebook.com/RachelBeller
- https://twitter.com/RachelBellerRD
- http://pinterest.com/rachelbellerrd/
- http://www.bellernutritionalinstitute.com