Falafel Quinoa Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 Veggie Patch Falafel Chickpea Balls

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup tahini

1 cup each chopped romaine, tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup cooked quinoa

Directions:

1. Cook the Veggie Patch Falafel Chickpea Balls according to package directions, then quarter and set aside to cool.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and tahini. In another large serving bowl, toss the romaine, tomatoes, parsley, and quinoa with the dressing. Mix in falafel pieces and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Calories 419, Protein 11g, Total Fat 25g , Saturated Fat 3.2g, Carbohydrates 42g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 426mg, Fiber 12g, Sugar 5g

Source: www.veggiepatch.com

 Of course you've heard that too much sodium isn't good for your health. Too much sodium can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of developing (and dying of) cardiovascular disease. Today the recommendation for total sodium intake for a healthy adult is 2300mg (and 1500mg for many at-risk populations). This isn't a lot when you consider that one cup of tomato juice contains 490mg of sodium and a teaspoon of table salt contains 2325mg of sodium!

Most of the U.S. population consumes more sodium and less potassium daily than recommended. Why is potassium important? There is new evidence suggesting that having a high sodium intake and a low potassium intake can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease even more than just eating too much sodium.

Researchers from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Linked Mortality File. They selected the data from 12,267 participants for analysis based on dietary information; demographic characteristics (such as sex, race/ethnicity and education level); health history (such as BMI and hypertension) and mortality status. The researchers analyzed the data to determine how much sodium and potassium these participants consumed and whether this ratio was associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

After an average follow-up period of 14.8 years, 2,270 of the participants had died; 825 of the deaths were attributed to cardiovascular disease. All of these cardiovascular disease deaths were significantly associated with a higher sodium-potassium ratio. Meaning that these individuals had a high sodium intake and low potassium intake. Interestingly, higher potassium intake alone was linked to a lower risk of death from any cause.

Bottom Line: Stop the salt! Take a look at the foods you eat regularly and see how much sodium is in them. Then try to increase the potassium in your diet. Foods that are rich in potassium include fruit and vegetables like, broccoli, carrots, collards, green beans, spinach, apples, apricots and peaches to name a few. Click here for more information on lowering blood pressure through diet.

Source:

Sodium and Potassium Intake and Mortality Among US Adults: Prospective Data From the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2011; 171 (13): 1183 DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2011.257

Produce Safety is in Your Clean Hands

Every few months we hear reports of individuals being sickened by eating tainted vegetables like E.coli laced spinach. And just this spring, Europe reported 4,000 illnesses and dozens of deaths attributed to bacteria-covered vegetable sprouts. Why are people dying when they are consuming the very foods dietitians and other health professionals recommend?  Unfortunately, the answer is still not known. 

There are many stages along the food supply chain where food can become tainted: growing, harvesting, sorting, packing, and storage for example. All it takes is a small contamination at just one of these stages and illness can be spread across the entire country. Fortunately this past January President Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law. This means that following the FDA/USDA-issued "Good Agricultural Practices" will no longer be voluntary for farmers and packers but will become enforceable regulation.

Right now the FDA is inviting comments to the "docket" (public record) online or by mail from anyone - farmers, consumers, even you! The agency will consider all comments submitted to the docket before drawing up the final rule, or regulation which will likely be published by the spring of 2012. Have your say!

Bottom Line: Until the new regulations are in place, the responsibility still falls on the consumer to ensure she and her family are eating clean fruits and vegetables. For more information on produce safety click here. 

Source: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm262031.htm