Spring Vegetable Minestrone

Serves: 8

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 saut� 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.

 

Nutrition:

180 calories, 11g total fat (2g saturated fat),19 g carbohydrate,  4g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 90mg sodium.

Source: www.vegetariantimes.com

Eating More to Feel Better?

Sometimes the best thing after a hard day is a little of your favorite comfort food to make you feel better. Well this isn't just in your head; there is a real physiological reward response to eating foods that we enjoy. For many people, that occasional treat can be balanced by a few extra minutes on the treadmill. However, for some people,an occasional treat can turn into an everyday occurrence, leading to overweight and obesity.

When we eat, dopamine (a feel-good brain chemical) is released; the more we enjoy a particular food, the more dopamine is released. Studies have found that people who are obese have fewer dopamine receptors in the brain compared to their leaner counterparts. This led to speculation that these obese individuals overeat to compensate for having fewer receptors for this feel-good chemical.

Researchers from The Oregon Research Institute recently found that it may not just be that obese individuals naturally have fewer receptors, but that these receptors may decrease as weight increases.

The researchers took 60 lean adolescents, some at-risk for developing obesity (they had two obese parents) and some who were not at-risk for developing obesity (they had two lean parents), and while looking at their brains using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), watched as their brains were activated while drinking a chocolate milkshake or given a monetary reward.

What the researchers found, was that in the brains of the adolescents who were at-risk for developing obesity, the reward part of the brain was more active when given either food or money. This told the researchers that individuals at risk for obesity may show greater responsivity to reward, in general (both food and money), and did not have a natural deficiency of pleasure receiving sensors in the brain.

Bottom Line: Whether at-risk or not, high-fat, high-sugar foods should be a sometimes food for both teens and adults alike. Staying within a healthy weight may enhance the enjoyment of your meals. 

Source: The Journal of Neuroscience, 23 March 2011, 31(12): 4360-4366 

Problem with Protein Supplements 

While many people can easily get the protein they need through food, there are some who decide to take protein supplements such as whey or soy isolate powders to meet their needs. For this latter group, there is some important information from the FDA. Last week, the FDA posted a voluntary recall notice from Nutrition Express of Torrance, CA regarding products containing whey protein isolate sourced from one supplier because they have the potential to be contaminated with the disease-causing bacteria Salmonella.

For information on which brands were recalled and what to do if you suspect you may have a contaminated protein product, check out the FDA's announcement.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm248977.htm 

As mentioned, there are some people who may need these supplements to meet their very high protein needs, such as large body builders and vegetarian athletes. However, for most of us, we can easily meet our protein recommendation through food.

Source: www.msnbc.com