Great Grains: Quinoa vs. Amaranth

What few people realize this days is how many so-called "superfoods" are blatantly overlooked in modern society.  There are a whole host of different, whole, natural foods that provide more health benefits than can easily be described in one article, which many people have either never heard of or never cared to look at twice .  Two of these superfoods that I strongly suggest you consider fitting into your diet are ancient grains called Quinoa and Amaranth.  These little beads are packed with some of the best stuff nature has to offer, and definitely deserve the spotlight at least once in my blogging career.

Quinoa

Amaranth

Now if the names are what drove you to disregard them, I can sort of sympathize, as they're not the most easily pronounced foods.  Quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah", while amaranth is a little more obvious and is pronounced "am-a-ranth."  There, see?  Not so scary or outlandish.  Let's delve into the history of these grains just a little bit before I start spouting off everything these grains have to offer.

What's interesting about both of these grains is that they both were known about far before ANY of your traceable ancestors walked this earth.  Surprisingly, both come from ancient South American cultures.  Quinoa was considered a sacred grain in the Inca society, and amaranth was a staple in the ancient Aztec civilization.  Both civilizations were masters at harvesting their respective grains, and knew of their powers far more-so than our modern society does today.  Funny how things work like that, right?  We claim to be so knowledgable about the world, and yet somehow we overlook some of the best stuff nature has to offer.

Amaranth and quinoa are both very similar grains, and to the untrained eye they might be mistaken as the same thing.  Both of the grains are small and bead-like, and the only really discernible differences between the two is the size of each kernel.  Quinoa grains tend to be slightly larger than amaranth, and also come in white and red varieties.  Nutritionally though, these two grains are extremely similar.

Protein:  What's truly unique about these grains is the amount of amino acids they possess, and therefore their extremely high protein content.  Quinoa especially is known as probably one of the greatest sources of plant protein there is in the world today, and that's because unlike the vast majority of plant protein, quinoa has a complete amino acid profile, which means your body has all the essential amino acids it needs to start building muscle directly from quinoa.  That's great news if you're looking to get more protein into a vegetarian diet.

Amaranth also has an extremely high protein content, however unlike quinoa the essential amino acid profile isn't QUITE complete.  That means your body can't use amaranth by itself to build muscle right away, but let me tell you guys it's darn close.  Amaranth (and quinoa as well) is extremely high in an amino acid called lysine, and while it isn't complete (due to the lacking amino acids leucine and threonine), it still can provide the body with a large amount of incomplete protein which may be completed at other points throughout the day with other foods.

If you're a numbers kind of person, here's the scoop.  One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8.1 grams of COMPLETE protein, and one cup of cooked amaranth contains 9.3 grams of INCOMPLETE protein.

Fats:  Both quinoa and amaranth are sources of extremely healthy, unsaturated fats.  Neither grain has any saturated fat to speak of, and therefore you need not worry about raising bad cholesterol levels through the consumption of these grains.  I'll stick with the one cup measurement, and in quinoa and amaranth respectively there are 3.6 grams and 3.9 grams of fat.  Again though, healthy fats, don't be afraid of them.  FAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT!

Carbohydrates:  This is what I love about these grains, as it seems that almost everyone these days is getting their carbs from starchy, sugary, unhealthy sources.  Both quinoa and amaranth provide healthy, complex carbohydrates that digest more slowly and fuel your body for a longer period of time with NO sugar crash.  Believe me, you need healthy carbs (although I did just write an article on ketogenic diets), and the more sources of healthy carbohydrates you can find, the better.  Quinoa and amaranth both fit the bill quite nicely, and in one cup of each there are 39 grams and 46 grams of carbohydrates respectively.  Not bad, right?

Fiber:  Both these grains are packed with healthy fiber, which you could always use a little more of in your diet.  Fiber doesn't only insure a healthy digestive tract, but also slows down the digestion of other food so that your body gets a chance to use everything you give it.  This leads to less fat storage in the long run, and I'm sure you'll all be interested in that.  One cup of quinoa and amaranth both have 5.2 grams of fiber.  Awesome!

Vitamins/minerals:  Both these grains are packed with vitamins, specifically vitamins B1, B2,B3, B6, and E.  Quinoa is slightly more vitamin dense than amaranth, but either grain will boost your overall vitamin intake for the day quite nicely.  In terms of minerals, both grains are rich in magnanese, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.

You may be wondering how to actually eat these fantastic grains, and not to worry, I have a great link for you that describes a common method of cooking each grain on the stove.  It's not difficult or overly time consuming, so don't use that as an excuse to ignore such a fantastic superfood.  Here's the link:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03177/How-to-Cook-Amaranth.html

There you have it!  A little overview of what may be some of the best plant nutrient sources on the market today.  A word of caution, these grains can be a little harder to find than something like oats, but don't despair, one trip to your local health food store should yield results.  Keep in mind though, these grains are usually stored in the refrigerator when in their raw form, so don't get confused when they're not on the shelf next to the Kashi cereal.  Believe me, these grains are definitely worth the little effort required to get them.  They'll make you a vastly healthier person with a body to be envious of.  And boy are they tasty!

Be adventurous, embrace the ancient grains, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth#Nutritional_value
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
http://www.livestrong.com/article/266224-amaranth-quinoa-nutritional-guides/
http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_100/149_eating_well.html

Food Worship #9: Olives

So which do you like, black or green?  Personally, I hated both until a few years ago when I basically taught myself to like them.  Now the taste of an olive, black OR green makes my mouth water.  These little guys are taaaaassty.  And they're a great addition to any sort of salad, healthy pizza, meat topping, or a great stand-alone snack!  They're a great source of important macro and micro nutrients, and I would suggest trying a few the next time you get a chance.

But honestly, what the heck's the difference between black and green olives?  Some people will swear by one, but despise the other (my mother falls into this category, but I can't remember which one she loves and which one she hates.  You like the green ones, right mom?)  In fact the only difference between black and green olives is the time at which they're picked relative to their ripeness!  Green olives are picked before they're ripe, and black olives are picked after.  Pretty simple eh?  Sure there are many more variations of olives, like all those yummy greek ones, but for now lets just focus on the commonly seen black and green ones.



Now olives are actually pretty inedible in their raw form, so they're soaked in either water, brine, oil, or some special mixture of the three.  Because the green olive isn't quite as ripe at the time of eating, they're usually firmer and more bitter than the very soft black olive.  Both olives are quite healthy, and here are the major health benefits you'll receive by consumption of these delectable little morsels:

Healthy Fats:  That's right, olives are LOADED with healthy unsaturated fats which do you tons of good.  To be specific, almost all the fat (80-85% of the calories in the olive itself) is monounsaturated, and comes from a fatty acid called oleic acid.  These fatty acids strongly decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, and also help to decrease LDL cholesterol.  I think we've learned by now that fat doesn't make you fat, and that this monounsaturated fat will do you nothing but good in the long run.  Plus it smooths out the texture of olives to a point where they seem to just melt in your mouth.  YUMMY.

Antioxidants:  Olives have so many phytonutrients and antioxidants it's pretty darn astounding.  To throw a few scientific names at you, olives are extremely rich is flavanols, terpenes, simple phenols, anthocyanidins, and many more.  All you need to know is that most of these fancy name phytonutrients help to protect your cells from oxidation damage from free radicals, which is a BIG DEAL.  Olives also have a nifty little phytonutrient called oleuropein, which is only found in olives.  Oleyropein is another very strong antioxidant, and because it doesn't come from other sources you'd do well to get some olives (or at least some olive oil) in your diet.

Vitamins:  Olives have quite a bit of vitamin E, another antioxidant that also keeps blood vessels from constricting.  They're also rich in vitamin A, which is not only ANOTHER antioxidant but helps to keep teeth and skin healthy.  Vitamins B-1 through B-6, and vitamin K can also be found in olives.


Minerals- Olives have about 25% of your daily iron, and about 17% of your daily recommended zinc, in every cup.  Copper, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium are also found in olives, all minerals vital to your long term health.

All these health benefits are available in ALL olives, black or green.

Nutritional Information:  

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 10 small serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 29 Calories 36
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 3.24g		5%
	Saturated Fat 0.429g	2%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.277g
	Monounsaturated Fat 2.395g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 299mg		12%
Potassium 3mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.06g		1%
	Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
	Sugars 0g
Protein 0.3g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 3% Iron 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutrition Values are based on USDA Nutrient Database SR18

This is for a serving of 10 small black olives.  With 10 medium to large olives, you can bet you'll get around 50 calories.  Green olive nutritional information is similar, if not identical.  The one thing to watch out for in olives (besides the relative caloric density) is the sodium content, as it can add up quickly.

Hungry for olives?  I sure am, I can't wait to have a few on my salad today.  If you want to do your body some good, make sure you get a few of these little guys in your diet ASAP.

Black or green, it doesn't matter, just pop 'em and enjoy.  Good Luck!!!


References:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46
http://www.livestrong.com/article/370210-what-vitamins-minerals-do-olives-have/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/olives-difference-green-black/#axzz1kHR1pqHb

Kim's Best Pumpkin Bread

Today's the start of Thanksgiving Break!  I plan to write a whole bunch of T-giving related articles, but today I'm pretty darn busy with packing up in order to drive from Potsdam to Vermont right after classes end, and as a result I don't have time to post an in depth article.

That doesn't mean I'm going to let you guys suffer though, in fact I'll reveal to you a little gem of a recipe that I absolutely LOVE.  It goes by the name of "Kim's Best Pumpkin Bread" and is the moistest, tastiest, and overall best flavored bread I've had in a long time.  It's pretty darn healthy for what it is, and can be made even healthier through the replacement of oil with applesauce and a portion of the sugar with a zero calorie sweetener like Truvia.  At some point I plan to post a modified version of this very recipe where the changes have been made, so you know exactly what to put in.  Have fun with this one though, I bet you'll love it!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fat-free milk 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 2 large eggs 
• 2 large egg whites 
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup raisins 
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans 
• Cooking spray 

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in raisins and pecans.
• Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on rack.
• Note: To freeze individual slices, place in heavy-duty zip-top plastic bags. Remove excess air from bags; seal and freeze up to 4 months. To thaw, let stand at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 53.6g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  119 Calories from Fat  27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  3.0g 5%

Saturated Fat  0.5g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  18mg 6%

Sodium  88mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates  20.7g 7%

Dietary Fiber  1.3g 5%

Sugars  9.2g

Protein  2.8g

Vitamin A 56% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 3% • Iron 6%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.

Legend

 Fat
 Protein
 Carbs
 Alcohol
 Other

Calorie Breakdown (?)

Daily Values (?)

Read more:http://caloriecount.about.com/kims-best-pumpkin-bread-recipe-r73638#ixzz1eL66vCua

THIS BREAD IS DELICIOUS!  I've been eating a slice with breakfast every now and then, just because it's a great simple carb source that will wake you up quickly.  Also, foods high in sugar should be consumed earlier in the day so that the body actually has time to make use of them instead of storing all that sugar as unwanted fat.  

Again, I hope you guys enjoy, and stay tuned for the modified recipe!

Alcohol's Big Fat Secret

Here in college, I am near large amounts of alcohol in every direction.  Each night I hear those stumble in who've had a little too much, or get the pleasure of seeing someone's roommate completely plastered, laying in bed, face covered in marker and flour.  Usually I just sigh and go on about my way, as there isn't much I could say that would stop such occurrences,  It's just a way of life around here, books and booze.

We all have heard alcohol is dangerous.  We've all heard the forboding statistics echoing off the walls of every educated establishment to every person of relative youth.  "Don't drink, you'll die, one way or another."  Of course alcohol is dangerous!  It's a poison!  Your body doesn't really enjoy poison too much, and works very hard to filter it out of your system.  That's what your liver is for, and without it you wouldn't be walking around today, that's for sure.  People who drink work their livers extremely hard, hence they are more at risk for liver disease, sclerosis, and all that other fun stuff.  Not to mention all the impairment risks, which I bet you've heard before a million times.  I don't plan on rattling them all off again to you, that's not what I intended to do with this article.

In reality, there's another little caveat related to alcohol consumption that is rarely discussed.  In fact, if this fact was more widely known, I bet drinking in excess would most likely decrease as a whole.  The truth is, ALCOHOL IS FATTENING!!!!  In fact, the calories in alcohol add up quite quickly, especially on party night.  Let's examine the nutrition of several alcoholic drinks, and discuss why each one could easily take your carefully planned diet and flip it on its head.  

Beer:  Of any alcohol, I think this drink is most commonly associated with those who are overweight.  I mean come on, have you seen some of the "beer bellies" out there these days?  Ridiculous!  The average beer has between 100-200 calories per drink (12 fl.oz), and in any sort of drinking game that can add up fast.  After 3 or 4 beers, you're could be almost a third of your way to a new pound of fat on your midsection (one pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories.)  And many people with heavy alcohol tolerances don't stop there.  I regularly hear of 10 beer sessions.  What's the record I've heard of?  it was somewhere between 22 and 28 in one night, I don't remember exactly.  But even on the low end of the spectrum, if they were average 150 calorie beers, that's 3300 calories.  Amazing.  

Beer can also have large amounts of simple carbohydrates (killers in the fat gain department), with some containing up to 15 grams of carbs per beer.  It varies greatly though, and some beer can have as little as 3 grams per 12 fl.oz.  Read that nutritional label!

Wine:  This drink is one that you can usually drink a good bit of, similar to beer.  Its alcohol content usually isn't as "aggressive," and can keep you drinking for quite a few hours.  The calories start to add up though, more than you might initially believe considering how light wine seems to be.  Red Wine has around 130 calories per 5 fl.oz (the average serving size).  White wine is about the same, with about 120 calories per 5 fl.oz.

These figures may not seem like much, but you have to remember that alcohol goes on top of everything else.  You have wine with dinner, and usually a fancy dinner at that.  Fancy dinners contain foods covered in fancy sauces, which are usually very delicious due to the high saturated fat content (our bodies love the taste of fat.  Just think about peanut butter, isn't it great how smooth and delicious it tastes?  That's the fat!)  Another 300 calories on top of an already unhealthy meal will only throw you from the frying pan into the fire.  Watch those calories!

Shots:  These little suckers are dangerous.  Not only do they contain about the same amount of alcohol as an entire beer, they also have quite a few calories per serving.  70 proof liquor has about 85 calories per shot.  80 proof is around 100 calories per shot.  90 proof is 115 calories per shot.  And 100 proof has a whopping 130 calories per shot!  And honestly, who drinks just one shot?  

After 4 or 5 shots (By the way that's a LOT of alcohol), you've consumed around 400-500 calories.  Add that on top of a day of eating, and you can kiss those weight loss goals goodbye.  Many people don't consider shots to have that many calories because, well look at them, they're tiny!  How could there possibly be any sort of real caloric value to that little bit of happy juice?  Believe me, those calories are there, and in a night of partying, they will add up quickly.

Mixed Drinks:  These drinks are a little harder to judge in terms of nutritional information because well, they're MIXED!  But I can give you a few figures just to get your mind working a little:

Margarita: 150-210 calories

Pinacolada: 250-300 calories

Long Island Iced Tea: 200-230 calories

Country Cocktail (with JD): 150-200 calories

Chances are, the "foofier" and more grandeur that drink of yours is, the more calories it will contain (not to mention all that salt on the rim of a margarita glass).  These drinks aren't generally meant to get you drunk in one straight shot either (although there are exceptions), so more than likely you'll be able to go back and buy another.  That's what bars and restaurants are best at, keeping you drinking, so they get to take as much of your money as possible.  After 4 mixed drinks, you could have taken in as many as 1000 calories.  And that's on top of that veal or goose that's taking such a long time in the kitchen!  Talk about a fat happy meal.

And here's one more little fact that you should take into account when drinking alcohol.  IT STIMULATES YOUR APPETITE!  That's right, when you drink alcohol, you're very likely to eat much more than you would have initially.  That's another reason most restaurants love to sell you alcohol with dinner.  Have you ever heard of the munchies?  You associate with pot right?  Well it can just as easily be applied to alcohol.  Believe me I see plenty of the "drunk munchies" around here every single weekend.

Bottom Line: So there you have it.  Not only can alcohol be dangerous, but even in small amounts it is VERY calorie significant.  I'm not saying you can't enjoy alcohol (responsibly), but just make sure you know what you're consuming.  It's not water, and can really throw a diet into the garbage if not taken into account.

Know your limits, count your calories, and as always, good luck! (and stay safe, my fellow college students.) 

The Hard Truths About Restaurant Nutritional Information

I'll be honest, I don't go out to eat too often.  I prefer knowing exactly what goes into my meal, and enjoy experimenting with my own culinary ideas.  That's not to say restaurants aren't a great change of scenery, and it's not to say that they can't make a healthy meal.  You just need to know what to look for, which, like I always say, will be coming in a later article.  However, you should have a general idea:

Grilled chicken with pan seared vegetables?  Good

Salmon Filet with cauliflower and garden salad?  Good

Fish and chips with a heaping pile of fries and coleslaw?  Meh...not so much.

But orders aside, I've been noticing that more and more restaurants are displaying nutritional, or at least caloric information about their meals.  This, I believe is a good thing in general.  Instead of blindly ordering something, you now have at least a little idea of the caloric value of that meal, and therefore can make some assumptions about what went into it.  To see caloric information on Wendy's menu made me quite happy the one time I couldn't find any other place to go, and I was relatively content eating their grilled chicken sandwich, with NO fries, and water.  It was a good meal, and I more or less knew exactly what I was eating.

But I'm not writing this article to rave about how amazing these calorie signs are.  In fact I'm here to say that while in general they represent a good idea, they've opened up a lot of hidden dangers that most people don't realize.  I'm here to reveal the truth about some of these restaurants, and while they may be revealing a little bit, they're still hiding a good amount of information about the food they're giving you.  And that information, ladies and gentlemen, could greatly hamper your diet attempts.  Here are the hard truths:

1.  The calorie information they're showing you is true only for THE MOST BASIC VERSION OF THE ORDER.  I'm going to pick on Subway for this one.  Their logo is the "fresh fit meal," and they happily display caloric information about all of their sandwiches.  Let's take the six inch turkey sub, for example.  Subway says that's 280 calories for a turkey breast sub on wheat bun.  Not bad, eh?  Well guess what they're not telling you.  That 280 calories does not include cheese or condiments.  And it most certainly does not include the Mountain Dew you have with the meal.  Add 4 slices of cheese?  Another 200 calories.  Add mayo?  I'd say another 200 at least, the way those workers pour it on.  Suddenly you're eating a sub that's close to 700 calories, and absolutely LOADED with sodium.  Don't get me wrong, Subway has the potential to be a somewhat healthy meal.  But you have to keep it basic.

2.  The calorie information tells you nothing about the ingredients.  I'll pick on McDonalds AND Subway for this one.  Sure, at the end of the day, it can be argued that calories are calories, and the types of food that those calories were contained in don't matter as long as you didn't go over your daily caloric intake goal.  But that's a close-minded way of thinking, in my opinion.  Your body is going to be more apt to drop off unwanted fat and build that lean figure if it's filled with natural, nutrient rich food.  And while that subway sandwich may only by 280 calories plain, it's packed with salt, and the bread is some of the worst quality you could get, filled with things like high fructose corn syrup.  

It's more easy to relate to a McDonalds example.  A Big Mac alone is 540 calories.  While that's pretty heavy for a relatively compact sandwich, it's manageable from a caloric standpoint.  But look at the nutrition facts.  About half your daily sodium, 1.5g of trans fat, and not to mention all the horrible artificial ingredients/chemicals that go into the sandwich (bun, burger, cheese and all).  Think about it, you've all had home cooked burgers.  Does a Big Mac taste like a burger?  Heck no.  It's not even close.  It tastes like a Big mac.  So while 540 calories doesn't sound too bad, the ingredients should help you steer clear.

Sometimes the nutritional value of the food is more important than the number of calories. I'd rather eat a 200 calorie salad filled with fresh vegetables and grilled chicken than a 100 calorie cookie pack.

3.  Some restaurants haven't quite "come out of the closet" yet with their nutritional information, but think they're doing just as well by putting little symbols next to the menu items that they deem "heart healthy."  I think I saw this in friendlies and a few other places.  What I'm here to say to you is while yes, maybe those menu items lend themselves toward being slightly healthier than a traditional cheap cut of steak, don't for one second think that they're low in calories, or are in general "good for you" in any real, feasible way.

Some menus will give you a limit to their maximum calorie density like "under 555 calories."  Sure, it may be they're under that.  But same deal, look at the ingredients, and choose wisely.

So let's wrap this up.  I believe that displaying nutritional information about food is a good first step.  I also believe that restaurants should be a little more honest with these figures.  They should also make accessible ingredient lists, and details explaining what the caloric information regards (like whether it's the most basic meal, or what options it includes).  

However they're trying to make money, so I don't see this happening any time soon.  And guess what that means.  It's up to YOU, THE CUSTOMERS, to be smart about what you eat.  No, fast food won't kill you if you only have it a few times a month.  It won't even throw off your diet, so don't beat yourself for indulging every now and then.  But BE SMART.  Don't assume that the 280 calorie, heart healthy sandwich includes mayonaise in it's nutritional information.  Don't believe for one second it includes those four slices of cheese either.  

Be smart.  Eat right.  Feel good about the choices you've made each and every day.