Nutrition Beat Blog
By Registered Dietitian, Susannah Baldock, MS, MPH, RD, LDN
Wow! I had no idea that strawberries are part of the rose family!
Mmmmmm, the thought of biting into a beautiful red ripe strawberry that I just brought home from the farmers market makes my mouth start to water. When eaten at the perfect time, I think they taste better than candy and completely forget about all of the great nutritional benefits that are packed into them.
Spinach, its proper name is spinacia oleracea and there are many varieties. No matter which variety you choose, it comes with a plethora of amazing functional food nutritional benefits.
This week at the farmers markets you can find an abundance of this chlorophyll filled vegetable, that’s how it gets its beautiful green color, and make it part of any meal or snack.
This week in northern Illinois we should be able to find some good looking rhubarb. In the U.S., rhubarb is traditionally featured in pies, jams, crumbles, breads, and other sweet foods.
THERE ARE MANY SWEET AND SAVORY WAYS TO PREPARE RHUBARB AND, NUMEROUS REASONS TO FIT RHUBARB INTO YOUR DAILY EATING PATTERN AS A “FUNCTIONAL FOOD.”
Unfortunately, dried fruit often gets a bad, and incorrect, rap as not being good for you because it contains too much sugar, food additives/preservatives, and can make you gain weight.
In reality, properly dried and prepared fruit can be an excellent part of any eating pattern.
The trick is to know how to choose the healthiest dried fruit products, or how to make your own dried fruit, and how much a serving size really is.
Recently, a loyal blog follower submitted an inquiry about olive oil and her questions led to this week’s blog. She was interested in knowing how to choose the best olive oil product in relation to what kind of food she is making and putting it in, what method of cooking she is using it for, and which type of olive oil provides the most health benefits.
In 2013, the USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory completed a study that included analyzing U.S. tap water in order to find what percentages of the DRI (dietary reference intakes) the minerals in the drinking water meets. This was studied because water does not just hydrate the body but it also provides important nutrients, via minerals, ions, and more, that the body absolutely needs to efficiently function.
Water is one of the six nutrients, along with carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, lipids (fats), and proteins. It also happens to be one of the most abundant elements found in the human body, about 60% of our total body weight. Water is one essential nutrient we can only last a few days without because of how much the body needs and is unable to make for itself.
