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Vegetable of
the Month:
Asparagus
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Asparagus is one of the many Spring vegetables in abundance this time of year. It is native to Europe, northern Africa and Western Asia. Asparagus comes in white, green and purple varieties. The white variety tends to be more mild and tender compared to the traditional green asparagus, which has a bit more Vitamin C. Purple asparagus has more sugar and less fiber than white and green asparagus, but is still a very healthy option.
Nutrition Information per 10 large raw spears (7.25"- 8.5"each; 200g): 40 calories, 7.8g carbohydrates (4.2g fiber, 3.8g sugar), 0.25g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4.4g protein. Complete nutrition facts available here.
Asparagus is a good source of:
Vitamin K, Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Manganese, Potassium and Zinc.
Healthy Recipes:
Asparagus Artichoke Salad
Did you know.... The asparagus "urine smell" comes from the asparagusic acid compounds. These compounds are found in larger quantities in 'young' asparagus. It can take as little as 15-30 minutes after eating for the asparagusic acid to affect urine. Additional Information: |
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Discuss your Diet with a Registered Dietitian!
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Confused about calcium? Lost about leafy greens? Questions about quinoa? A Registered Dietitian (RD) can answer all these questions and more in a nutrition consultation. You will review your diet and exercise regimen and focus on behavior modification. It's all part of small steps towards a healthier you! As a service to the community, Diablo Clinical Research's nutrition consultations are specially priced at $50/hour. For more information, please contact our Registered Dietitian, Kelley Bradshaw MS, RD.
Phone: (925) 930-7267
kbradshaw@diabloclinical.com |
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Suggestions Please!
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As an avid reader of our monthly newsletter, we value your opinions. What general nutrition topics are you most interested in? If you have any ideas or suggestions, please send an email to:
kbradshaw@diabloclinical.com |
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| Advancing Health Newsletter | March 2012 | |
It's the perfect time of year to focus on healthy eating and physical activity.
Throughout the month, Diablo Clinical Research will be posting health and nutrition articles, a "Recipe of the Day", and exercise tips on our website, our blog, Twitter and Facebook! Feel free to stop by our office to pick up handouts and check our latest clinical studies--did you know that many of these studies include free nutrition counseling with a Registered Dietitian?
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Nutrition FAQs:
Whole Wheat / Whole Grain Carbohydrates
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White or Wheat? Either way, you still need to watch the calories & carbohydrates.
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"I heard that I shouldn't eat "white" carbohydrates, so instead, I should eat a lot of "brown" rice, wheat bread and pasta, right?"
Avoiding or limiting foods based on their color isn't a wise choice. The color of a food doesn't tell us everything about a product. Cauliflower and jicama are white foods, yet are low in carbohydrates and high in vitamins and minerals. We need to look at the big picture when comparing 'white' vs 'brown' grains.
Whole Grain vs. Whole Grain products
Whole grains contain the germ, endosperm and bran. Common examples include quinoa, rye, brown rice, buckwheat, wheat and sprouted cereal grains. Usually (but not always), these grains are minimally processed once they have been harvested. Whole grain products are foods such as whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, rolled oats and popcorn. These products are made with whole grains, but the grain has usually been processed and milled down into a flour. A whole grain product usually contains other ingredients. One example is Oroweat's Healthy Grains 100% Whole Wheat Bread. In addition to whole wheat flour, other ingredients include sugar, raisin juice concentrate, molasses, whey and grain vinegar. Since whole wheat flour is listed as the first ingredient, it is a whole grain product, but it still has added sugars (and of course, calories).
Read the ingredients
Just because crackers or bread are brown doesn't always mean they are whole wheat or whole grain products. Manufactures often use other ingredients (such as molasses, caramel coloring) to give a product a brown color. They may use these ingredients as sweeteners or color enhancers, even if the bread is made with whole wheat flour. Additionally, products with wheat/wheat flour aren't necessarily whole grain. If a product contains 51% or more whole grains by weight, the manufacturer can call it a whole grain food. But what about that other 49%? The product can contain regular, refined white flour and other ingredients, such as Oroweat's Healthfull Hearty Wheat bread. The front of food packing is filled with flashy colors and health claims that can be misleading. Don't be fooled by marketing gimmicks & look on the back or the side panel for the ingredients.
Whole grains still have calories, carbohydrates and sodium.
Just because a product contains whole grains doesn't mean it is healthy. A whole grain cookie is still a cookie, albeit a better option at times. Lean Hot Pockets are "made with whole grains" (the amount is not specified) yet 2 pockets contains 1110 mg of sodium, 16 grams of sugar and almost 80 grams of carbohydrates. Barilla's Whole Grain pastas contain 51% whole grains,yet its regular penne pasta has only 1 additional gram of carbohydrates compared to the whole grain version. While the whole grain has more fiber (6 grams total), non-starchy vegetables, beans and ground flaxseed are excellent sources of fiber with fewer calories. Is the whole grain a better option? Yes, but in this comparison, only marginally so. And if you are concerned about blood sugar levels, keep in mind that products made from flour (regardless if it is refined or whole wheat) can impact blood sugar in the same manner.
Remember, no food is a 'free food'. When we consume whole grains or whole wheat products, we still need to be mindful of the nutrition facts and pay attention to portion size and calories.
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| Blood Pressure Studies | | |
Do you have high blood pressure?
If so, please call to learn about potential study opportunities.
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Free A1c test! Print out this coupon, call (925) 930-7267 to schedule your test.
(expires 3/31/2012)
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