Balanced Eating

Flexible Food for Life by Theresa Stahl RD LDN

Craving Texas Reds

It’s that time of year…the time when I can’t seem to get enough Texas red grapefruit.

Juicy, refreshing, naturally sweet and tart, these delicious, nutritious red grapefruit are true stars at any meal. They hold their own well at breakfast, dress up a lunch salad, and mix well with bananas, oranges and pomegranate seeds for a delightful dinner dessert.

And grapefruit is truly a nutrition powerhouse! Studies have shown that grapefruit helps improve heart health, decreases risk for certain types of cancer, aids in weight loss efforts, decreases insulin resistance and improves gum health. Grapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium. Red grapefruit contains more caretenoids, powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, and vitamin A than white varieties.

According to registered dietitian, David Grotto, in his book, 101 Foods that Could Save Your Life, one-half of a grapefruit contains more than 150 phytonutrients, mostly flavonoids, believed to help the body fight against aging, allergies, infection, cancer, ulcers and heart disease.

So dig in. With all that good stuff, why wait? I’m heading to the kitchen for some red, sweet, tangy, tart, juicy red grapefruit. How about you?

No Comments by Theresa Stahl RD LDN on February 9, 2010

filed in Nutrition Tips

Is 2010 the year of LO-CO?

It is, according to futurist Faith Popcorn, who predicts 2010 is the year of LO-CO, meaning local cocooning. What is local cocooning?

A term that Popcorn coined in the 90’s, cocooning is the need to find a safe space to protect oneself from the harsh, unpredictable realities of the outside world, leading to more people working, shopping and socializing from home. According to Popcorn’s firm BrainReserve, local cocooning is an outgrowth of the dominant trend of icon toppling, a socioquake transforming mainstream America and the world, as the pillars of society are questioned and rejected.

Brainreserve predicts that consumer skepticism will drive an “anti-big” movement. People will reach for their roots (anchoring) and belong to groups that represent common feelings, causes or ideals, validating one’s own belief system (clanning). Anchoring and clanning will provide our new touchstones for trust and our safer havens are local. Thus, the year of LO-CO emerges.

One of the top trends in the year of LO-CO is that farmers’ markets and the community-supported agriculture movement (CSA) will continue to grow. Americans are paying attention to where their food comes from. And locally grown food continues to grow in popularity. Even the White House has a garden (again)!

Remember, eating fresh locally grown foods helps save money and energy, supports local growers, and is great for your health. And how can you ever get bored with eating if you’re choosing fresh foods in season? To find farmers’ markets in your area, visit http://www.localharvest.org/ or http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/.

So, how about you? Do you care about where your food is grown? Do you shop at your local farmers’ market? Do you plant a backyard garden or are you planning to this year? Now is a great time to start planning for your spring garden.

No Comments by Theresa Stahl RD LDN on January 15, 2010

filed in Uncategorized

Pomegranate Power

It’s pomegranate season! I’m always so excited when I see fresh pomegranates in my grocery store and even more excited to taste their juicy, tangy, sweet, refreshing flavor. I hope you’re enjoying their great taste and reaping all of their great health benefits.

Pomegranates are beautiful, delicious and nutritious! They make stunning holiday decorations and are festive additions to fruit and vegetable salads. One medium pomegranate contains only about 100 calories and is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants.

Pomegranates have a leathery reddish skin and are filled with hundreds of seeds that are surrounded by a translucent red pulp. They’re grown mostly in California, Asia and the Mediterranean. They’re only available in the U.S. from September through December so don’t let their season pass you by. Look for fruit that’s heavy for its size with bright, fresh color and blemish-free skin. Fortunately, they’ll last in the refrigerator for a couple months and seeds packed in an airtight container can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Try a beautiful fall fruit salad with Texas red grapefruit (my favorite), apples, grapes, bananas and pomegranates. For easy cleaning, cut off the crown, then score the pomegranate skin into four sections without cutting the whole way through. Place the pomegranate into a bowl of water and break off the sections under the water, then roll out the seeds with your fingers. Discard all else. Finish by straining the pomegranate seeds from the water and enjoy!

1 Comment by Theresa Stahl RD LDN on October 21, 2009

filed in Nutrition Tips, Recipes

FNCE 2009 Denver

Nutrition Entrepreneurs and Dietitians in Business and Communications Networking Reception

What an awesome time I had in Denver networking with so many great colleagues and friends! The weather was astounding too!

I met so many well-respected registered dietitians and learned about important new nutrition research and tasted many new food products. So much was happening that is was a challenge to take it all in!

Next year, FNCE will be in Boston, MA and I’m already looking forward to it!

3 Comments by Theresa Stahl RD LDN on October 21, 2009

filed in FNCE 2009

Autumn is apple season!

In addition to my Balanced Eating blog of the past 4 years on Nubella.com and QualtiyHealth.com, I’m blogging here and it almost feels like starting over. I’m inspired to start with this years visit to my friend’s apple orchard in Gettysburg, PA. They have a beautiful old, well-restored and very clean barn within which they provide music and a cajun food picnic second to none. But oh yea, the apples…

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? These words of wisdon highlight the health benefits of eating apples. Apple season is here and now’s the time to enjoy juicy, delicious, nutritious, and very portable apples.

Apples are low in calories and high in fiber, especially soluble fiber, which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. As the poem reveals, apples can be eaten raw or cooked. Apple juice and apple cider are widely popular and mulled cider is a fall treat!

Apples belong to the rose family and while there are 2,500 varieties grown in the U.S., 8 varieties account for about 80% of the apples produced in the U.S. Apples can be grown almost anywhere in the U.S. but most are grown in the northern states. Buy local varieties, if possible, for maximum flavor.

What are your favorite varieties and what’s your favorite way to eat apples?

2 Comments by Theresa Stahl RD LDN on October 14, 2009

filed in Recipes