A good egg...

is the title of an article in May's Prevention magazine.  This is a completely reworked format.  The logo even has softer edges!  It is a fresh look for a jam packed advice and awareness publication.  Find out what all the labels mean on that carton of eggs you are buying.  The article describes three types of egg production farms focusing on the hens housing, feed, and freedom to enjoy the outdoors.  To see a video of one of the farms go to prevention.com/organic-chicken-farm.  It also gives the facts about Salmonella and what the chance is that it will be in one of your eggs.  Easter is coming, so do your healthy egg research now.  There is something of interest to all in Prevention.  Look for Sheryl Crow on the cover and pick it up!

Get your protein...

An article titled Staying strong:  How exercise & diet can help preserve your muscles in the April 2011 Nutrition Action Healthletter says as the body ages it needs more protein and immediately after strength training is the best time to consume protein to build up protein in the muscles.  How much does the RDA recommend and what are good sources of protein, you might ask?  The RDA is .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight.  So if I am 110 pounds (really I am) I should eat 39.6 grams of protein per day.  But remember, protein does not have to come from meat alone.  Vary your protein sources with options like these:

Edamame - yummy!

A favorite of mine- edamame (1/2 c. has 8g)
Nuts- 1/4 c. has 6g
Peas- surprisingly have 4g of protein per 1/2 c.
A cup of milk has 8g
An egg contains 6g
Would you rather indulge while getting your RDA of protein?  The Nutrition Action Healthletter suggests:
A Kashi TLC chewy granola bar (the dark mocha almond is very good) has 6g of protein
If you like Starbucks, a Nonfat Caffe Latte grande is full of a whopping 13g of protein.
Have fun getting your protein!

What's that green stuff at the back of the fridge?



Dec/Jan 2011 cover image

 If it's not a bunch of kale or an avocado, you might want to "use it or lose it" says an article in the April/May issue of Natural Health.  First we might need to backtrack to the article on the Cheapskate's guide to a greener home where tip #37 tells us to Stop wasting food.  Buy only what you are going to eat in the next few days - after all it's not Old West where you might not get back into town until after the spring thaw.  Now back to what to do with those items that got lost in the back of the fridge..."Spoiler alert" says foods will have the best flavor by the "best by" date. "Use by" dates give you a couple of days leeway, while "expiration date" is the last day food should be eaten.  "Sell by" is the last day the store can sell the item - I usually stay clear of these unless I am going to be using it immediately.  But remember, if you didn't buy the item to eat, then why is it sitting in your fridge?  I suggest pushing the point and keep a running tally on a magnetic notepad on your fridge.  Everytime you throw away spoiled food write down how much you paid for it and subsequently wasted...I'll bet in no time at all, it will be close to the price of a meal.

An apple a day...

Did you know there were, at one time, over 15,000 varieties of apples grown in North America?  Apples seem to be going the way of glaciers, African gorillas, & John Galliano's career.  That's right, certain varieties of apples are becoming extinct.  At this time there are only about 3,000 varieties of apples grown in the US.  That's still a lot of choices, however in the March/April issue of E: The Environmental Magazine there is an article featuring Big Horse Creek Farm in western NC that grows some rare apples and they do it organically too!    They have some interesting names:  Bunker Hill, Limbertwig, Ben Davis, Gravenstein, Newtown Pippin, and Westfield Seek-no-further.  Cheers to the apple growers that are striving to preserve the all American Apple Pie!