Whole Foods
Whole Foods is not just a chain of natural and organic food markets. Eating whole foods
is also a lifestyle, and a great one at that. Some of you are probably nodding your heads
in agreement, though some of you are probably scratching your heads in confusion.
Let me explain. Eating whole foods means eating foods as close to their natural state as
possible, having gone through as little processing as possible. Not to worry, that does not
mean eat nothing but raw garlic and potatoes, though grated raw potatoes make a great
poultice for muscle sprains, raw potato juice is good for soothing stomach ulcers, and raw
garlic has antibacterial and cholesterol lowering properties.
Take an apple for example, you can eat it raw, cooked, baked, dried, mashed into
applesauce, and drink it as juice. A fresh apple will have all of its nutrients, whole a
cooked apple will have some of the vitamins and minerals cooked out. Apple juice will
not have fiber or most of the nutrients found in the whole fruit, so they will be added
back into fortify the juice. These are all fine and dandy.
Now let’s look at the more processed apple products on the market. Examples of this are
dried apples, pastries and breakfast bars with apple filling, and Apple Jacks. Dried apples
have sugar added to them, as well as sulfur dioxide, which acts as a preservative and
keeps the apple pieces from turning brown. It is added to almost all dried fruit to make
them look more appealing. Organic dried fruit is significantly browner in color because it
has nothing added to it. Let us move on to pastries and breakfast bars with apple filling.
How much of an actual apple is in there, mixed with the sugar, partially hydrogenated
corn syrup, processed grains, and saturated or trans-fat. Apple Jacks are a cold breakfast
cereal, fortified with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, to make up for the whole grain
goodness lost in processing. They are also sweetened with sugar, and apple juice, hence
the apple taste. Sometimes, the apple does fall far from the tree.
Other examples of whole foods are whole grains; they have the bran and germ, which are
removed in processing, and the endosperm. The bran is the fiber, insoluble or insoluble
form, and germ contains the healthy oils found in grains. This is why buying wheat germ
oil at the health food store is so expensive. First it has to be processed and removed from
the wheat berry. This is why white bread is so soft and fluffy, aside from stabilizers and
conditioning agents added to the dough to keep it soft on the shelf, the heavier germ
and bran are removed. Whole grain bread is heavier and more filling because it still
has all of its fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It also explains why quick cooking oats take
significantly less time than steel cut or rolled oats. They have less fiber and less germ, so
they take less time to cook.
Whole foods are better for you because they are not processed, or minimally processed,
to ensure maximum nutritional benefits, so be sure to eat plenty of whole grains, beans,
legumes, and fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables to ensure a healthy diet.
Keywords: whole foods, processed foods, fresh apple, dried apple, wheat germ, rolled
oats
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Quinoa with Carrots
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup grated carrots
1 medium onion finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
Put all ingredients in a 3 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover, and
let simmer for 15-20 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Makes four
servings.
Nutrition information: 179.5 calories, 2.725 grams fat, 0.3 grams saturated fat, 66.5mg
sodium, 32.6 grams carbohydrates, 4.225 grams fiber, 2.5 grams sugar, 6.625 grams
protein.
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What’s the Deal with Quinoa?
Quinoa is the seed of the Chenopodium plant and originates in the Andes mountains.
Unlike other seeds and grains, quinoa is a complete protein. It is high in fiber, magnesium
and iron. Because it is a seed, quinoa is gluten free. It is also very easy to digest. Quinoa
has a bitter tasting saponin coating, which is eliminated by rinsing before cooking. To
cook, rinse thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer, then cook like rice, two cups water to
one cup quinoa. Put in a pot, bring to a boil, cover and let simmer until all the water is
absorbed, which is about 20 minutes. Quinoa is a versatile grain with a mild flavor and
can be used as a substitute in place of rice, couscous, and other grains in soups, salads,
and pilafs.
Tags: dried apple, fresh apple, processed foods, rolled oats, wheat germ, whole foods
