@SweatNSass

Friday Food Feature | Asparagus 

It has been quite a while in between Friday Food Feature posts, but I’m back with a goodie and I’m surprised it took me so long to get around to putting the spotlight on one of nature’s power houses. There is so much going on in this friendly green, I can’t wait to share. So here it goes: 

• One portion of 7 spears makes up one of your five a day! Easy! 
  
  
• Just one portion contains 69% of the RDA of folate, 20% of the RDA of Vitamin C and 12% of the RDA of Vitamin B1 
  
  
• Additionally, asparagus is low in calories, low in sodium, low in fat, low in carbohydrate and cholesterol free. 
  
  
• Get a nutritional boost with Vitamin E, Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Pro Vitamin A. 
  
  
• Have a hearty helping… the rich soluble fibre in asparagus can have a protective affect against degenerative heart diseases. But not just that. High levels of potassium may help control blood pressure and the high folic acid content helps to reduce blood homocysteine levels which is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease.
  
  
• As a mild diuretic, asparagus can help to detox the body, flushing out excess water. The stimulation of the growth of friendly bacteria from asparagus helps sooth the stomach and aid digestion. 
  
  
• A rich source of rutin together with Vitamin C helps to boost your immune system by protecting the body against infection. 
  
  
• Feel good food factor: a ‘seductive’ eating experience? asparagus has been said to boost the sex drive and increase libido.  
  
  
• The combination of vitamins and minerals make this green great for skin, nails and hair! You Beauty!  

An Asparagus Diet?

I didn’t know this but Nutritionist Fiona Hunter has developed a low GI Asparagus Diet, a meal plan to follow over two weeks with numerous health benefits as mentioned above and weight loss potential. 

Download Week One Asparagus Diet Meal Plan (Word.doc)

Download Week Two Asparagus Diet Meal Plan (Word.doc)

Grow Your Own! 

You can download this guide if you’d like to try your hand at growing your own asparagus. Growing your own vege is hugely rewarding and encourages you to try new recipes and new foods! Give it a go!!!

Friday Food Feature | Beetroot 

You may have noticed while browsing the health food store lately significantly more promotion of Beetroot Juice and Beetroot recipes, but why? 

This root vegetable comes a long way from field to plate in many varieties, there are many ways to enjoy them too, not just sliced and put on your BBQ’d burger. Growing up in Oz we never had a BBQ without beetroot and it wasn’t until recently I did homemade burgers, that I realised this vegetable was missing from every steak sandwich I’d had in the UK.

But apart from just enjoying the taste, I was curious about why there is so much promotion of this stuff in the health food store and so decided to look further and uncover more reasons to love those Beets.

Here’s what I came up with:

• Three baby size beets = one serve of your ‘five a day’
  
  
• High in Folic Acid - essential for normal tissue growth and particularly important in the development of a baby’s spinal cord in the first 3 months of pregnancy. 
  
  
• Contains Vitamin C, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc.
  
  
• Reduces risk of heart attack and stroke by reducing blood pressure. Just 250mL of beetroot juice or 100g of cooked beetroot daily can dramatically reduce blood pressure and associated risks because of the nitrate content producing nitric oxide which widens blood vessels. [Research here]. 
  
  
• The antioxidant responsible for giving beetroot it’s gorgeous colour and the soluble fibre in beets helps to reduce oxidation of LDL cholesterol, protecting the artery walls and reducing risk of stroke. This beta cyanin helps speed up detoxification of the liver too, so it’s a good hangover saviour!
  
  
• Stabilises blood sugar. The Glycaemic Index is medium, but the Glycaemic Load is extremely low which means this low calorie, virtually fat free vege is converted into sugar very slowly, keeping blood sugar levels stable. 
  
  
• The mineral silica contained in beets helps reduce the risk of Osteoporosis by helping the body to utilize more calcium.
  
  
• Since Roman times, it has been thought of as a natural aphrodisiac.

If you love beets, I highly recommend checking out The LOVE BEETROOT site for recipes and fun facts… and Follow @LoveBeetroot

I am personally dying to try these recipes:

Moroccan beetroot and mint salad with yogurt dressing 

Beetroot, orange, pecan and poppyseed cake

Summer Salad with Beetroot, Goat’s cheese and French Beans

I think I’ve found an even deeper love for this deceivingly amazing and delicious vegetable!!!

(Source: flickr.com)

Five a Day Detox | I love my fruit & vege!

While in Australia I grew up on the “2 and 5” rule, meaning 2 servings of fruit and five servings of vege every day, the UK adopts something called “Five a Day”…this means five servings of both combined, and two of the same fruit still only counts as ‘one’. Packaged foods will even tell you how many of your ‘Five a Day’ are contained in your choice of food. It makes healthy eating pretty easy right?

I know that I easily get my five a day, but even your healthy eating can be tainted by the methods in which they’re produced, cooked, prepared and packaged. You might be eating all your peas and carrots, but are you getting as much nutritional value from them as you could be? After all, the UK ‘Five a Day’ rule includes everything from canned to juiced, mashed, roasted, boiled and fresh.

Don’t worry, I’m pleased for anyone that gets their ‘Five a Day’ regardless of how it’s prepared, I’m not here to lecture you about methodology of preparation of food. But for my own benefit, I’m on a bit of a “Five a Day Detox” today and I want to share it with you.

I’m enjoying a day of raw fruit and vege (with protein amongst the main meals of course) in an effort to get the most out of my foods nutritionally. I have to admit, 3 hours into this and I’m feeling extremely alert and energetic compared to my average days. 

I’m already feeling cleaner from the inside out since my body is feeling fuelled and energised from not having to break down so much of the other stuff… although with the consumption of such raw fruits and vege sometimes comes a little tummy ache from acids and gases, so I might not be enjoying it so much later on.