How to meet your daily fruit recommendation

Did you know that in South Carolina, the wonderful state where I live, that 91% of us aren’t eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables!? (CDC, 2011).  And it’s not just South Carolina my friends.  A 2014 CDC indicator report found that not one state meets the fruit and vegetable intake recommendations (CDC Indicator, 2013).  

So, last week I shared “how to eat the recommended amount of vegetables” and today I'm sharing “how to meet your daily fruit recommendation.”  So here we go.  The fruit serving recommendation is.... drum roll please...

According to the USDA, women ages 31 and over should eat at least 1.5 cups of fruit a day. This is what a cup and a half looks like.

For men ages 14 and older, the fruit recommended is 2 cups a day.  This is 2 cups...

Here’s what a cup of fruit looks like….

How do you know if you’re actually eating 1 cup or not in real life?

Don’t get too caught up in this.  But generally speaking, one medium size fruit will do the trick or 2 small handfuls.  Most importantly, make sure you’re just eating fruit at least twice a day and then, think more about how much you’re actually eating.

How can you make sure to eat the recommended amount of fruit every day?  

Always eat fruit at breakfast and as a daily dessert.  Starting your day with whole-grains and fruit will ensure you’re off on a good start to meet the recommendations.  

Here’s 3 ideas for how to eat fruit at breakfast:

1. Oats topped with fresh and dried fruit such fresh strawberries, banana and blueberries and dates.
2. Oats cooked with frozen fruit such as cherries and topped with dates (that’s fruit!) and other goodies such as cinnamon and walnuts.
3. Berry breakfast crisp

I don’t recommend eating just fruit for breakfast because it’s not very filling so it won’t keep you full very long.  Be sure to eat a Foundational Filling Food with your breakfast so you’ll have energy for the next 3-4 hours.  

As we discussed last week, we want to be sure our lunches and dinners are primarily vegetables (potatoes, corn, non-starchy veggies and beans) to ensure we actually eat our veggies.  Then, you can save your daily dessert for more fruit.

What is a daily dessert you might be wondering?  

A daily dessert is one that satisfies your sweet tooth, but is healthy enough to eat everyday.  If you’re ever unsure if a food or meal is a daily dessert or not, ask yourself “is this healthy enough to eat for breakfast?”  If it is, it’s a daily dessert.

Here’s 3 daily dessert ideas to help you meet your daily fruit recommendation:

1. Berry chocolate banana ice-cream
2. Microwaved baked apple
3. Apple-pineapple crisp

Now it’s time to make use of this knowledge and put it into action.  Here’s what I want you to do for today’s...

Take Control Action Challenge

Just as you did last week, I want you to write down everything you ate yesterday.  Then, tell me how many servings of fruit you ate during that 24 hours.  And, what’s one way you can make sure you eat the recommended fruit serving everyday?

Let me know by clicking ‘comment’ below.

Sources

DHEC, 2011.  South Carolina Obesity Burden Report, CDC.  Accessed online, May 2016 at:  https://www.scdhec.gov/Health/docs/Obesity%20Burden%20Report%202011.pdf

CDC Indicator report, 2013.  Accessed online May 2016 at: http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/downloads/national-action-guide2013.pdf

USDA fruit and vegetable recommendations.  Accessed online, May 2016 at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruit

Erik's Basic Stock Recipe

There's many reasons to keep vegetable stock on hand at all times. When cooking without oil, vegetable stock is great for sautéing and adds flavor.  It’s also great for almost any soup and is a flavorful addition to sauces or purées that are thicker than you desire.  

Now, this is a very basic recipe which leads itself to some interpretation but, I promise if you stick with this basic formula, you can't go wrong.  You'll notice the recipe doesn't call for veggie scraps or ends.  Use the whole veggies to lend the most flavor.  I take pride in a good veggie stock -- it’s an integral ingredient and flavor agent for a variety of different foods.  It should be as good an ingredient as any other.  Take care in your stock.  

Erik’s Basic Vegetable Stock Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 parts prepped white onion
• 1 part prepped carrots
• 1 part prepped celery
• 1 whole unpeeled head of garlic (not clove, head)
• Fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf, parsley (any or all)
• Spices: whole black peppercorns, red pepper flakes and salt  (any or all)

Directions

1.  Prep onions.

Cut off both ends and peel. No skins in the stock. They’re dirty and bitter. Cut in half through the center then cut each half into thirds. These are going to be somewhat large pieces so they don’t  boil down to mushy blah-ness during the cooking process.

2.  Prep carrots.

Peel, then cut off tops. Cut in half length wise, then lay cut side down and slice on a bias into ½ inch slices (bias is a slice on a 45 degree angle).  Take a carrot that looks like this >>======>  and cut into this  >> / == / == / =>

3.  Prep celery.

Cut off the root end.  It’s dirty and bitter. Use the bright green stalks on the outside of the bunch for stock. Now I'm not saying trash the leaves and light green stalks in the middle -- these are much better used in other preparations where heat is not involved (middle pieces have more intense in flavor; the leaves taste great in mock tuna and chicken salads; and they get bitter when you cook them).  Back to the green stuff… cut celery on a bias as well, just like the carrots.

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ERIK Insight

Why the bias cut you ask? Well when you cut on a bias you create more surface area than cutting straight across the vegetable which helps to extract the most flavor.

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4.  Prep garlic (heads up, geography lesson coming at ya).

Identify the root end of the garlic as Antarctica and the bunched up end as the North Pole.  Then slice the garlic in half through the equator. No need to peel the papery skin.  

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ERIK Insight

When it comes to garlic in my stocks, I usually use 1 head for every 3 onions. If you use 6 onions, use 2 heads of garlic.

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5.  Prep herbs and spices.

I usually add herbs whole with the stems.  Add 2-3 bay leaves and 4-5 sprigs of each herb per every 3 onions (If you haven’t noticed yet, I pretty much base this entire recipe off of how many onions I have).  I use about 1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns and 2 pinches of crushed red pepper per 3 onions. 

6.  Get cookin'.

Find a large enough pot to hold all of the ingredients plus enough water to cover them by about 3 to 4 inches.  Start the pot over medium high heat with about a centimeter of water.  When the water starts to boil add all of your vegetables, including garlic, but not the herbs and spices.  Then, salt well (about 1 tablespoon).  The addition of salt at this stage helps pull out the moisture in the vegetables, kind of steam themselves and keeping from browning or caramelizing. Cook over medium heat, stirring every once and awhile until the onions become translucent.  Once translucent, add herbs and spices and stir for a minute or two.

Now add water. Cold water. The colder the better, seriously. Add enough water so the vegetables are covered by 3-4 inches. The strength and flavor of your stock is completely dependent on the amount of water you add here. More water = less flavor.  Turn the heat to high and bring your broth to a boil. As soon as it starts to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for 40 minutes tops, no longer (if you cook veggies for too long they start to break down too much and it brings out an almost decomposing flavor like old cut grass or dead leaves).  

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ERIK Insight   

Cold water interrupts and then restarts the cooking process, bringing out more flavor in the veggies.

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7.  Strain stock.

Once 40 minutes is up, strain the stock carefully through the finest strainer you have and then your done. Presto. Beautiful, flavorful, golden vegetable stock.  Store in the fridge or freeze in ice cube trays for easy access later.

Peace, love and vegetables,

ERIK

P.S. I'd really appreciate your feedback.  Please answer below and share your thoughts.

Take Control Now

Did you find Erik's tips and insights helpful?  If so, which ones?  What did you learn from this post? Any questions Erik can answer for you?  

The Difference Between Processed and Refined Foods

It's a general rule of thumb that 'processed foods are bad for you.'  If you stay away from processed foods, you'll be doing yourself a health favor right?

Generally, this is true, but precisely, it is not.  

Why?  Because some processed foods are really good for you AND they can help you eat more whole-grains, fruits, veggies and legumes, foods mostly all Americans need to eat more of.  

So, how can you tell the difference between a processed food that's good for you and one that isn't?

It's actually a matter of vocabulary.  You need to know the difference between a processed food and a refined food.  When the word 'processed' is thrown around, it generally means refined.

A refined food is a food that doesn't contain all of its original nutrients.  You can't pick a refined food out of the garden and eat it (it's not a whole food).  

Refined foods include oil, sugar, white flour and products made of these ingredients.  Examples include white and wheat breads, cakes, pastries, pretzels, cookies, most wraps, chips, Doritos etc. 

A processed food is simply a food that has gone through a process.  A processed food can be a refined food, however it can also be a healthy whole food that has simply been chopped, rolled or ground, aka gone through a process.

A processed food could be good for you or bad for you.  It depends on whether it's a processed whole food or a processed refined food.

Processed foods that are bad for you include white bread, most 'wheat' breads, chips, cookies, most crackers, cakes and treats.  These processed foods are bad for you because they contain refined ingredients.  You aren't eating a whole food or a food made from just whole foods.

Processed foods that are good for you include 100% whole-grain breads, crackers, pitas, pastas, ground corn tortillas or other 100% whole-grain products.  Additionally, rolled or steal cut oats, dried fruit or frozen vegetables are also health enhancing processed foods.  They've all gone through a process, but the food still contains 100% of its original nutrients, unlike refined foods.  

Kapeesh?  If you have any questions about processed versus refined foods, ask in the comments section or contact me.  I'd love to hear from you :)

Take Control Now Question

What healthy processed foods do you enjoy eating?  What unhealthy refined foods are you still eating regularly that you shouldn't?  

Answer by clicking 'comments' below.