Month: June 2015

Walnuts Better Than Almonds?

Walnuts

The Almond craze has been going on for a while now, but did you know most other nuts have a lot of the same health benefits?

All nuts are high in fiber and a good source of protein, especially for vegetarians. They are all known to reduce diabetes risk, cancer risk and risk of cardiovascular disease. So why should you consider Walnuts over all the other nuts?

Walnuts have a significantly higher amount of (ALA) alpha-linoleic acid which is a form of Omega 3 fatty acid which reduces inflammation. They have a higher level of polyunsaturated fat which is great for the heart. There is also high amounts of phyto-chemicals know through testing to reduce cancer risk.

Are you convinced? If so, buy yourself some fresh, raw walnuts. Store them in the refrigerator in a ziplock bag to keep the high fat content from going rancid. Eat a handful each day for a snack to get your daily dose!

Think about all the ways you use walnuts. It’s not just for baked goods. Add them to your salads, soups, pizzas, cover them in dark chocolate or make a pesto sauce with them.

Heirloom Lettuce… Beautiful and Healthy

Heirloom Lettuce

The heirloom lettuce mix in my garden is finally ready to start harvesting! It’s so easy to grow, beautiful to look at, and did you know that it’s also very healthy for you?

1 cup of this lettuce is only 8 calories, has no fat or cholesterol, has no sugar and is very low in sodium. Like other greens, heirloom lettuce is loaded with vitamins and minerals and is a great way to get in fiber.  Something you may not know is this lettuce also contains calcium and even some protein.

You can find this mix in your local grocery store, but there is nothing better than eating this lettuce straight out of the garden.

This lettuce is so easy to grow. If you don’t have a garden, you can grow it in pots on your patio or even on your deck.  Almost any time of the year is fine to grow.  It even tolerates cold weather.  In warmer climates you can grow it all winter as long as it doesn’t go below freezing.  I’ve covered my lettuce with sheets during snow storms and it nicely bounces back. When it’s very hot, put it in the shade and keep it well watered.

You can start harvesting your lettuce as soon as the leaves are big enough to eat. Harvest by pulling only the outsides leaves from the plant. Don’t pull out the roots. It will continue to grow more leaves as long as you leave them there.  The leaves are sweetest when they are small. They bigger they get the more bitter they become. Once the lettuce starts growing a stalk to flower, the lettuce gets tough and stringy, besides being too bitter to eat.

The good thing about heirloom lettuce is once it flowers and goes to seed.  You can collect the seed and use it for your next batch of lettuce! I’m going to use the seed from this summer’s lettuce to plant some again in the fall once it cools off again.

Give it a try!