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Spring Vegetable Minestrone
Ingredients
3 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 large shallots, finely diced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 large cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (11/3 cups)
1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (11/3 cups)
2 medium young turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (11/3 cups)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
12 Italian parsley sprigs
8 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
10 oz. fresh or frozen shelled peas (2 cups)
4 oz. snow peas, stems trimmed and cut into 1/8-inch-wide slices (1 cup)
3 cups lightly packed spinach leaves (2 oz.)
2 Tbs. minced fresh tarragon, for garnish
Directions
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, and sauté 2 minutes, or until shallots begin to soften. Add wine, garlic, and cayenne. Simmer 4 minutes.
2. Add carrots, potato, and turnips, and sauté 1 minute. Add broth and 5 cups water. Tie together parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves with kitchen twine, and add to soup. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes.
3. Stir in peas, snow peas, and spinach. Cover, and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove herb bundle, and discard. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with tarragon, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.
Nutritional Information
Serves 8
Per Serving : Calories: 182, Protein: 4g, Total fat: 11g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 19g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 94mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 7g
Source: www.vegetariantimes.com
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 If you are interested in tracking your food intake in the hopes of making some changes in time for summer, you may want to try a new program I just learned of. This very comprehensive program originated from an iTouch application and is now web-based. Best of all it's free! Thank you to Catherine for sharing this with me! The website is loseit.com. Let me know what you think!
Have a healthy week!
-Debra |
| Soy and Breast Cancer: What Does Current Research Tell Us? |
 Over the last decade, soy foods have become increasingly popular. Not only are traditional soy foods like tofu and soymilk more available, soy can now be found in other products like cereals, bread and breakfast bars. The health benefits of soy are many. Soy foods are an excellent source of protein and contain additional nutrients like, fiber and B vitamins. In addition, soy is low in fat and cholesterol, which makes it an excellent alternative to meat and other animal products.
Soy is also composed of plant chemicals called isofavones. These chemicals are similar to estrogen, a hormone secreted by the ovaries. Isoflavones may act to boost, or in some cases, counter the effects of estrogen present in our bodies. For this reason, individuals with hormone-sensitive cancers, like breast and ovarian cancer, have been discouraged from consuming soy products, the thought being that the isoflavones present in soy may actually stimulate tumor growth.
However, a recent Chinese study indicates that for individuals who have had breast cancer, consuming soy foods may actually lower her risk of dying and of cancer reoccurrence. In this study, 5042 female breast cancer survivors, ages 20 to 75, were followed for nearly 4 years. Women who consumed at least 11 grams of soy protein each day had a 30 percent lower risk of dying of breast cancer than those women who consumed 5 grams or fewer each day.
While more research is needed to confirm these findings, this study indicates that soy does not raise the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Until more studies are completed, however, eating soy in moderation is probably the best approach. If you want to try new soy foods, stick with whole soy products like tofu, edamame, miso or soy milk. Processed soy products like breakfast bars and cereals often don't contain a lot of soy but may be a major source of sugar and other additives.
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association 2009: 302(22):2437-2443 |
| A Moderate Amount of Alcohol is Good For Your Heart. Is it Good For Your Weight? |
 A new study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that, for women, moderate drinking is associated with less weight gain over time. In this study, 19,220 U.S. women aged 39 and older were followed for nearly 13 years. The participants filled out a questionnaire, self reporting weight and alcohol intake. Researchers found that compared with nondrinkers, normal-weight women who consumed a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming overweight and/or obese over the course of the study.
Over the 13 years of the study, about 41 percent of the women enrolled became overweight or obese, but the risk of becoming overweight was almost 30 percent lower for women who consumed one or two alcohol beverages a day, compared with nondrinkers. Researchers believe this occurred because because the women who drank ended up eating fewer calories overall compared to their non-drinking counterparts.
Bottom Line: If you are not already a drinker, don't start. The best way to prevent weight gain, over time, is to eat a balanced diet full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein, and to exercise regularly.
Calories in alcoholic beverages:
Budweiser (12 fl oz) 145
Bud Light (12 fl oz) 110
Michelob (12 fl oz) 160
Miller Genuine Draft (12 fl oz) 150
Coors (12 fl oz) 140
Coors Light (12 fl oz) 105
Bloody Mary (5 fl oz) 120
Martini (2.5 fl oz) 155
Piña Colada (4.5 fl oz) 260
Scotch Whiskey 1 jigger (1 ½ oz) 115
Gin & tonic (7.5 fl oz) 170
Cosmopolitan Martini (2.5 fl oz) 126
Lime Margarita (6.5 fl oz) 459
Whiskey Sour (4 fl oz )170
Frozen Mudslide (7 fl oz) 495
Zinfandel, red (4 fl oz) 90
Zinfandel, white (4 fl oz) 80
Merlot (4 fl oz) 95
Sherry, dry (4 fl oz) 110
Port, ruby (4 fl oz) 185
Champagne, dry (4 fl oz) 105
Source: Arch Intern Med. 2010; 170(5): 453-461 | |
About Sensible Nutrition
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Metabolism Measurements
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Sensible Nutrition (SN-www.sensiblenutrition.com) is a consulting firm established in 1994 that provides nutrition and fitness services to individuals, universities, corporate wellness programs and nonprofit groups. SN's client list includes The United States Coast Guard, Blue Cross Blue Shield, EMC, Putnam Investments, Corcoran Jennison, Harvard Business School, Boston Ballet and Children's Hospital. For more information about our corporate wellness services, please check us out at www.wellnessworkdays.com
SN services: One-to-one counseling, fitness counseling and training, group lectures, metabolism measures and more! Let the Sensible Nutrition staff develop a nutrition program to help you finally reach your health and weight goals!Gift Certificates are available!
Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, SN President and Co-Founder writes a regular nutrition column for the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Performance Journal, has been quoted in Family Circle, Shape, Self, Men's Health, Allure and Prevention and has appeared on Fox 25, Channel 56 and Channel 5 news.
Contact us at www.sensiblenutrition.com or 781-741-5483 | |
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