Tid-Bits to make you feel better

“Fast food or something out of the vending machine.” That was my reply when a friend asked me. A while ago, what I usually had for lunch. Later he came back and brought me an apple. Subtle, but effective. He called my attention to why I felt so awful all the time. During our conversations I learned so much from Tom, and in subsequent months he even provided me with information that I never knew, and I have a degree in Health Education! For example, did you know….

…Fresh or frozen, fruits and veggies are good for you. Of course you knew that but it’s an old wives’ tale that warned us that freezing fruit or vegetables depletes them of their nutritious value, but that is not true.  The FDA has done studies that conclude that any loss of value is negligible. So buy ‘em, pick ‘em, freeze ‘em, whatever, but EAT ‘em for sure.

…You cannot use more calories digesting celery than the calories that are actually in it. There is a measure called TEF or Thermal Effect of Food that measures how many calories are used to digest food, and it’s usually about 10-20% of the value the food holds. So a piece of celery that has 10 calories will use about 1-2 calories to pass through you. That leave 8 calories for you to use elsewhere. Not much intake for a stalk, but on the other hand, you would have to eat 250 stalks of celery to have a 2000 calorie diet. Nobody wants to do that. Do you?

I am the rare kind of person that actually likes Brussel Sprouts, So I’ve got that going for me.

Did you know that the best veggie you can eat is the Brussel Sprout. It is full of vitamins and minerals and has very few calories, despite the bitter flavor this little guy is worth eating. There are lots of recipes that make them palatable. Google “Recipes that make Brussel Sprouts edible.” It’s worth it.

Did you know that there is a higher concentration of nutrition in the skin and peel of F’s and V’s than in the body of it.   Also the skin of carrots, apples, potatoes, and cucumbers have the great benefit of fiber. So stop peeling away the best part, your body will thank you.

Did you notice that when you shop for veggies you see more purple food than you used to. Carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, and even corn now come in purple varieties. Not only does this make for a more colorful plate (It’s true that you should have as many colors on your plate as possible for the best nutritional benefits) but they contain Anthocyanin, also found in the super-food Blue Berries, and have been shown to have a positive effect on heart health, brain health, be a cancer preventative, and many other benefits. So eat purple.

And now from the “Hmmm, that’s interesting” file comes these two tid-bits: All Bananas are clones and Tomatoes are only vegetables because of taxes. Both true facts.

In the 50’s a blight of the banana crop called “Panama Disease” wiped out most types of bananas. Farmers had to use plants derived from a single Cavendish Banana plant in Southeast Asia, so technically all bananas are clones from the same source just like Star Wars Stormtroopers. (Watch the movies if you don’t get that one).

Attack of the Clones

And tomatoes, well you know how a few years back the government disappointingly classified ketchup as a vegetable for school lunches? That goes way back to the late 1800’s when the government could collect tariffs on vegetables but not fruit. I have no idea why, it is the government after all. But in order to collect more tax they classified the Tomato fruit as a vegetable. It was just a short hop from there to have a bureaucrat call ketchup a vegetable in the 1990’s. But for truths sake we should start calling the tomato a fruit (it is) and stop calling ketchup a vegetable. Maybe then kids could have more nutritious lunches in schools. Besides that, they tax everything now, so….

When Tom brought me an apple, I was drinking about 6 cups of coffee a day. I still have about 2 on average, but he showed me that an apple has a great mix of vitamin, mineral, and carbohydrate and could help a person stay energized for about 4 hours. Add in the fiber benefits and you have a no-brainer. You will find that an apple could replace at least half of your coffee consumption, and though Starbucks will miss you, I think they’ll be OK.

Far be it for me to tell anyone how and what to eat, but sometimes when we learn trivial little nuggets of information they can trigger behavior changes that are for the better. The choice, as always, is yours. Very rarely will you see me dragging through my days anymore, thanks to Tom, his apple, and some better decisions. Maybe some of this information will motivate you to eat better. You’re welcome.

And, I am the rare individual that actually like Brussel Sprouts, so I’ve got that going for me.