Besides my awesome borscht recipe that’s coming soon, beets are really good roasted in the oven and here’s an easy recipe: Scrub clean, dry and rub with oil. Wrap in foil, place on tray. Roast at 400 degrees for 35 minutes to an hour depending on size. Yesterday my oven was busy so I put on some latex gloves, peeled and cut the (uncooked, raw) beets into chunks. Then I steamed them for about 25 minutes and we ate them plain. They don’t need anything added at all because they are so sweet. You can’t beat beets!!
Last night I made a Swiss chard/baby kale combo to have with our sardines! I know. 😛 But Denis eats everything I put on the table and cooked greens have lots of calcium for your bones and lutein for your eyes.
It’s flu season and eating certain foods can help keep you well. Here are some suggestions from someone who hasn’t had a cold or flu since… well, the last time I was sick I stayed home in bed listening to some 8-track tapes.
Red Peppers – Vitamin C helps prevent the body from getting viruses and a red bell pepper has twice as much vitamin C as an orange.
Garlic – Eating garlic stimulates the body to multiply white blood cells making it easier to prevent the flu.
Salmon – The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon enhance the immune system function.
Sauerkraut, yogurt & pickles – They all contain probiotics, which add healthy bacteria to the intestinal track. A healthy gastrointestinal track can bolster your defense and help resist flu viruses. Make sure the yogurt has active cultures.
Sweet Potatoes – They are loaded with a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which creates vitamin A in the body. This crucial nutrient boosts immune function by lowering the amount of free radicals, helping to eliminate the cause of sickness.
Green Tea – Polyphenols, potent plant antioxidants, are what’s believed to give green tea its immune-boosting effects. One type of polyphenol called catechin may kill influenza viruses. But don’t add milk, because the proteins will bind to the polyphenols, making them ineffective.
It’s true. There are some foods that are usually healthy, but not always:
1. “Green” potatoes – When potatoes are exposed to too much light and turn green under the skin, they can develop a toxin called solanine. If ingested, it can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, and gastrointestinal problems. If you see any green, cut if off clean.
2. Rhubarb leaves – You never see rhubarb sold in the stores with the green leaves attached and there’s a reason. Rhubarb leaves contain dangerously high levels of oxalic acid which can cause serious kidney damage potentially leading to death. You’d have to eat a lot to kill you, but even a little can make you sick.
3. Mushrooms – Certain types of mushrooms can be deadly. Just one bite from a Death Cap, Destroying Angel, or Deadly Webcap can kill you. Death Caps alone contain over seven toxins and one bite can lead to a nasty death.
4. Cherries – If the seed inside a cherry is damaged in any way, it releases prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide), which can result in death.
5. Casu Marzu (Live maggot cheese) – It’s actually served in some fine restaurants in northern Italy. I won’t go into the details but you can google it.
Hi Jenny: Love your site. It looks inviting and the colors are refreshing but not “old.” Love your advice. I’ve been trolling the internet for information on increasing energy, reducing loss of skin-tone, reducing fat accumulation, … for a very long time.
I have, indeed, found numerous resources and I work to maintain a healthy lifestyle, however I am allergic to tomatoes, and all citrus fruits plus almonds. This puts quite a damper on recipes I find. Do you have any suggestions of what/how I might cook with these restrictions.
Onward, Marilynn B.
My response…
Marilynn, your allergies shouldn’t stop you from making healthy choices. Instead of citrus fruits (a good source of vitamin C) you can get your C from red peppers, papaya, broccoli or cantaloupe just to name a few. Instead of almonds, use walnuts which actually have the most Omega-3 fatty acids of all the nuts. As for tomatoes, a good source of lycopene, you can get that from other red fruits like watermelon (Yum!) but have a little fat with it (like a couple of walnuts) for better absorption of the lycopene. Check your overall diet if you’re lacking energy – too many carbs and sugars can be the culprit. And protect your skin tone with sunscreen every day, even the cloudy ones. It seems to me you can cook lots of things, especially the important ones: vegetables, as well as rice, pasta, eggs, and meats. Just be grateful you’re not allergic to chocolate. Oh, the horror!! 🙂
