It’s playtime in the Dream Kitchen!

On April 25th, VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness teamed up with Design Kompany to do a educational lunch and work party for solopreneurs. Design Kompany provided the space and I came in and demonstrated how easy it is to make a quick, healthy lunch in under 20 minutes. Here is shortened video footage of the event: (more…)

My favorite holiday food growing up was my mother’s sweet potatoes. The recipe had been passed down from my great-grandmother and unlike most family’s marshmallow-laden recipe, ours was studded with pecans and brown sugar. Often called yams, the dark orange fleshy tubers we enjoy every holiday (canned, marshmallow-laden or otherwise) are actually sweet potatoes.

These foods come into season November and December, but are available year round for our enjoyment. They are an ideal winter food - heavy and warming with a sweet taste that satisfies cravings that peak during dark months. Rich in beta-carotene, sweet potatoes give us the precursor to Vitamin A that is essential for night vision. They are a perfect example of how nature gives us the appropriate foods at the appropriate time of year.
Sweet Potatoes, despite their candy-like flavor (which is enhanced by roasting or broiling) are low in the glycemic index and do not cause the spike in blood sugar white baking potatoes can, making them a preferred food of bodybuilders, diabetics, and those following a low glycemic diet. They are rich in soluble fiber, B6 and potassium, all heart healthy compounds which protect against heart disease. The sweet potato is also rich in powerful antioxidants which protect against inflammation and certain cancers.

This wonderful whole food is a great way to get healthy, nutrient rich carbohydrates that will not adversely affect your blood sugar or weight. For the next few months, replace steak fries with baked sweet potato fries and white rice or mashed Russets with mashed sweet potatoes. Enjoy them in savory and sweet dishes!

Below is a recipe for Sweet Potato Fries. I encourage you to give them a try for dinner one night. If you have a favorite sweet potato recipe you’d like to share, I’d love to see it!

Sweet Potato Fries

• 6 Sweet Potatoes, cut like steak fries
• 2 tbsp. Coconut Oil, warmed, or grapeseed, sesame, or peanut oil (these do well under higher heat)
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 3 TB. Mexican seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or spices of choice
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (220 degrees Celsius). In a mixing bowl, toss sweet potatoes with oil and spices. Place potato wedges evenly on a baking sheet with enough space between each wedge to allow them to get crispy. Bake for 10-30 minutes (depending on size), flipping the over halfway through to brown all sides. When finished, they should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Vegetables can be washed in the following solutions:

• a solution of vinegar and water (one part vinegar to twelve parts water – rinse in cold water to remove the ‘vinegar odor’)
• The juice of half a lemon and 1 teaspoon of sea salt to a small basin of water. These provide a mildly acidic solution that may remove a greater percentage of bacteria and contaminants than just water alone.

Washing in bleach or detergent is not recommended because vegetable skins are porous and improper rinsing may lead to illness.
Do not soak delicate leafy greens for long periods of time (> 2 min) as vitamins can begin to leach out into the water. Hardier produce such as melons and squashes will welcome a good scrubbing to remove superficial contaminants.

For cooking, the key is to cook as little as possible. Al dente vegetables retain greater nutrients than veggies which have been boiled, roasted or fried to death. Cut vegetables into small, uniform chunks to minimize the amount of time the vegetable is exposed to heat. This will allow for even cooking and minimal nutrient loss.

It’s harvest time!
The local markets have been bursting with ripe local produce. We’ve had a beautiful berry season, and heading into fall our focus turns to the hearty vegetables that carry us into the winter. This month many wonderful vegetables are in season; squashes, carrots, potatoes, greens such as escarole, bok choy, collards, kale and beet greens, and we still have corn available at some markets!
Vegetables can be somewhat intimidating to manyof us, especially those we did not grow up eating. Being raised in Alaska meant families relied heavily on heartier and more processed vegetables. I remember the first time I tasted “real” corn on the cob and when I moved down here only to discover not all tomatoes bounced when you dropped them! A friend of mine in high school had never had fresh pineapple and had no idea she would like it. The same can be said for the more exotic vegetables you may not be comfortable with: dinosaur kale, bok choy, delicata squash, and fresh beets are some of the favorites I have discovered as an adult.

This month we’ll talk veg: how to choose, store, prepare and cook them; and why they are so essential to a vibrant, abundantly healthy life.
I’m also going to encourage you to go out on a limb and explore with a new vegetable. Head to your nearest farmer’s market (many will remain open throughout the month) or grocery store and pick something new. You can bring it home and search for a recipe, or ask the produce person how to prepare it. Extra points for locally grown choices!

Please let me know what you choose, how you prepare it, and forward any recipes that you would love to share with others. The healthiest, most captivating recipe will be featured in a future newsletter, and the contest winner will receive a little gift on behalf of VIBRANCE Nutrition and Fitness!

To Your Health!

Aimee Gallo

Vegetables are critical components of a healthy diet, yet in our rushed, convenient-valued society they are often left out. Vegetables contain an incredible amount of nutrients – A, C, and B vitamins, minerals, fiber, and hundreds of known and unknown antioxidants and phytonutrients that protect our cells against disease and damage. They are the most “nutrient dense” of all foods, meaning they provide the most beneficial nutrition for the least amount of calories.

Obviously, we can survive for quite some time without them – most Americans do. But the deleterious effects of vegetable-neglect are subtle and far-reaching. Without adequate nutrients from vegetables we create a body susceptible to low energy, weakened immune system, and a wide range of degenerative diseases. The nutrients found in vegetables have been scientifically proven to be protective against heart disease, many forms of cancer, macular degeneration, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Studies conducted over populations consistently demonstrate that societies which consume the most vegetables live the longest and healthiest of all nations.

When choosing your vegetables, you want to reach for the highest quality produce available. This will greatly increase the available nutrients found in the plant, and consequently, available to you. Many studies have demonstrated that organically grown produce contains higher concentrations of nutrients and antioxidants than conventionally grown produce. There is also no reason to willingly encourage pesticide and herbicide consumption. These toxic chemicals accumulate in our fatty tissue and have widely unknown consequences, especially when they can potentially react with other chemicals and medications introduced into the human body.

Secondly, local produce has been known to have higher nutrient levels than non-local produce. The reasons here are simple. When faced with a long transport, produce is often picked under ripe so that it can reach its destination with minimal damage. Being picked before peak ripeness limits the potential nutrition that a plant can create. Also, as soon as a vegetable is picked, it no longer is on “life support”. Unlike fruit, vegetables do not continue to ripen after harvest; vitamins and other sensitive nutrients begin to break down after picking. Choosing locally grown, especially at the height of season, maximizes use of nutrition found in produce.

Finally, the maturity level of a vegetable is important. Young, tender vegetables have maximum nutrition. A plant with woody stalks, tough leaves and showing signs of decay is well past its prime and is on a nutrient descent. Look for vibrant colors, tender leaves, and lack of decay when choosing your vegetables. Produce staff are well trained in recognizing ideal produce – ask them for advice on any specific vegetables you are uncertain of.

Once picked, vegetables are increasingly sensitive to nutrient breakdown because they no longer have incoming nourishment from the soil and root system. How we store our vegetables have a great influence on how well they retain their existing nutrient levels.
Different vegetables spoil at different rates (potatoes versus chard, for instance) and therefore have different needs. Generally speaking, cooler temperatures are best. The more sensitive members – leafy greens, green beans, etc. are best kept in the refrigerator. Washing vegetables before refrigerating encourages spoiling, even if wrapped in a paper towel to reduce moisture condensation. It is best to store them in a tight-fitting glass or plastic container or a plastic vegetable storage bag (these are very effective at prolonging shelf life) and wash them right before use.

Vegetables such as potatoes, garlic, onions, winter squash, sweet potatoes, avocados and eggplants react negatively to refrigeration. These are best kept in a “root cellar” environment – a cool dark area where temperatures are 50-60 degrees (garages are wonderful). These vegetables should only be refrigerated after they have been cut or cooked.

Vegetables get a horrifically bad rap in taste tests because the traditional American way of cooking them isn’t much different than our British ancestors, who learned the best way to avoid disease was to boil everything into an unrecognizable state of mush. When cooked properly, vegetables have an amazing array of flavors and textures that can be quite delightful to even the pickiest of palates. Ideally, you want your vegetables cooked until just crisp-tender (al dente) so they are full of flavor, color-rich, and nutrient dense. Below are some cooking methods which achieve just that:

1. Quick Sauté: Bring a little bit of oil and ¼ cup water or broth to a steam and add vegetables. Cover (this prevents nutrient loss through steam and light and quickens cooking time) and “sauté” for 3-7 minutes, depending on vegetable.




2. Steaming: place 2” of water in the bottom of a pot. Place a steamer basket in the pot. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables only after the water has come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover tightly. Steam vegetables until brightly colored and crisp-tender - 2 to 7 minutes.




3. Blanching: this is great for tougher greens such as chard and beet greens, as well as asparagus, which is easy to overcook. Bring a pot filled ¾ full with water to a boil. Drop in vegetables and let boil for 1-3 minutes (that brightening of color is a sign the vegetables are done). Remove from heat, immediately draining the pot and rinsing the veggies under cold water to halt the cooking process. Some nutrients will be lost in the water with this process. It can be “recycled” in soup stock, or given to your plants.

Key things to remember when cooking vegetables: the shorter the cooking time, the better. Avoid microwaving, which destroys a significant percentage of antioxidants in the vegetable. Keep it crisp-tender to maximize flavor and nutrition!

The World’s Healthiest Foods, Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating by George Mateljan

Asami, D.K., et al. Comparison of the Total Phenolic and Ascorbic Acid Content of Freeze-Dried and Air-Dried Marionberry, Strawberry, and Corn Grown Using Conventional, Organic, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices J. Agric. Food Chem., 51 (5), 1237 -1241, 2003. 10.1021/jf020635c S0021-8561(02)00635-0