Hibiscus Tea

The office is having a Jamaican-themed potluck today. My taste buds are tantalized with Jerk Chicken, Pineapple Black Bean Enchiladas, Rum Cake, Split Pea Soup, Red Beans and Rice... and what a nice day to relish such dishes!

My coworker, the lovely Jamesina, brought a treat: "Jamaican tea", which is essentially hibiscus tea. Not previously knowing hibiscus tea had existed (where have I been?), I tried it this morning and was delightfully surprised by its combination of sweet and tart. Intrigued, I did a little research and found that hibiscus offers several health benefits if consumed fairly regularly. The dark crimson color of the tea suggests its high antioxidant properties, which help decrease blood pressure, cholesterol, and risk of developing some cancers and heart problems. It is also quite high in vitamin C which boosts immunity. Hibiscus also has a cooling property, which can help reduce fevers and hot flashes. If you have dandruff problems, or problems with losing hair, hibiscus can help by either drinking tea or rubbing the flower on your scalp.

You'd never know this elegant flower offers so many benefits for the body. You can find it at any specialty tea shop or at Horrocks Farm Market at a fair price.

Hypertension

It's no joke that we love salt... it makes our food extra tasty! Unfortuantely, many of us love salt too much, which can lead to high blood pressure or hypertension. Approximately 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, and the number is expected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2025. Although many other factors play a part in hypertension, the prevalence of the "silent killer" can be largely attributed to our salty diet.

The reason for the "silent killer" nickname is that hypertension can manifest virtually no symptoms until the individual experiences a fatal stroke, heart failure, or artetial aneurysm. One way to prevent these terrible outcomes is to take your blood pressure regularly!! If you are seeing high BP numbers (see chart below) on a regular basis, this is a clear indication that you need to watch what you're eating. Other factors contributing to hypertension are regular use of caffeine, alcohol, and/or nicotine.

It's really pretty easy to cut back on salt in your diet. Most of the sodium consumed by Americans comes from processed and packaged foods. If we (as a nation) could shy away from the convenience foods and focus more on cooking from scratch with fresh foods, our salt intake would decrease significantly. Cheese and cured meats are especially salty, as well as canned foods such as ravioli and soups.

Note that fruits and veggies are naturally low in sodium and are great for filling you up. Also try cooking with other spices instead of salt - garlic, vinegar, rosemary, thyme, cayenne pepper, ginger, lemon juice to name a few. And be sure to read the labels of the foods you purchase. Look specifically for the sodium content!

Boosting your potassium intake can also help lower blood pressure. Potatoes, tomatoes, kidney beans, yogurt, bananas, orange juice and halibut are some foods high in potassium!

We all love salt, and we need it in our diets, but anything over 1 teaspoon (2,300 mg) per day is way too much. In fact, if you are over 50, African American, or already have high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, you should limit your intake to 1,500 mg per day. Your arteries will thank you when you pass up that fast food burger with a large order of fries today (1,300 mg of sodium total).

Blood Pressure Chart
                                            Systolic Pressure                 Diastolic Pressure
Normal:                                   90-119                               60-79    
Prehypertension:                   120-139                              80-89
Stage 1 Hypertension:           140-159                              90-99
Stage 2 Hypertension:             >160                                  >100   

Last Night's Dinner

...Was tres yummy. Plus, everything came from local vendors!

Yesterday, between downpours, we stopped by the Allen Street Farmers Market and got some tomatoes, green onions, radishes, garlic scapes, cilantro, and a bunch of dill. Then we headed on over to the Lansing City Market to get some red potatoes and jalapenos.

Upon arriving in my kitchen and cracking and Oberon, this is what happened:

Ingredients for salsa:
3 medium ripe tomatoes, finely diced
3 green onions, minced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and minced
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste (if you want an extra kick)

Simply mix all ingredients together in a bowl and eat with tortilla chips!
*Note: Salsa is one of those beautiful dishes that doesn't require any one ingredient. If you have corn instead of tomatoes, use it! Black beans? Bell peppers? Red onions? Mangos?? You don't need to make a special trip to the store to make a great salsa - just use whatever you have laying around the kitchen that's screaming "Eat me before I start to rot!"

Ingredients for Skillet Potatoes:
8-10 small red potatoes
1 bunch of radishes, cut into 4ths
3 green onions, minced
3 garlic scapes, minced
~1/4 cup dill, chopped
3-4 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Scrub potatoes and bring them to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, then remove from saucepan and cut into cubes or wedges. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat and throw in the potatoes and radishes. Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes, letting the potatoes brown and the radishes soften. Add the green onions and garlic scapes, and salt and pepper. Stir constantly for another 5 minutes, then add the dill. Mix evenly and serve!

Yogurt

Have I ranted and raved about yogurt yet? (In a good way, of course.)

EAT IT. Eat it with granola, eat it with cereal, eat it with berries, eat it with flax seed, eat it greek style (double the protein!), eat it with almonds and walnuts, even eat it with chocolate chips!

Why am I a yogurt advocate? Let me count the ways:

-It makes for a filling breakfast. Yogurt, especially greek yogurt, is packed with protein that curbs your appetite until lunchtime, so you won't be as tempted with a mid-morning snack.
-It's all about the good bacteria. Yogurt is full of live cultures, a.k.a. little buggers that line your intestines and aid in digestion.
-It is a great source of calcium, riboflavin, B6 and B12. Calcium keeps your bones strong and is especially important with neurotransmitter release and muscle contractions. Riboflavin is vital for converting carbohydrate into energy and keeping mucous membranes healthy. B12 is essential for functioning of the brain and nervous system, formation of blood cells, and energy production. B6 is important for regulating blood sugar levels and for a healthy nervous system.
-It is lactose-intolerance friendly: For those with mild lactose intolerance (myself included), yogurt does not produce ill effects because much of the lactose present in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacteria culture. Hooray!!

Many people stick to a favorite type of yogurt. I'm a fan of the Fage greek yogurt, mixed with walnuts, berries, flax seed and a few chocolate chips. Shop around to find your own flavorite flavor :)

Cooking is Exercise!

Hey gang, this just in: You burn calories while you cook. I know, it's exciting. Cooking in the kitchen is a great form of exercise, both mentally and physically. It helps you unwind after a long day at work, after a frustrating conversation with a friend, or after the Tigers lose. You can get in touch with your creative side by finding new dishes to make, and learning new cooking skills like braising, deglazing, or caramelizing. Moving around the kitchen keeps your metabolism up, and if you're looking for an extra calorie burn, skip the dishwasher and try washing all the dishes by hand afterward. Plus, let's face it: a dinner tastes much more delectable as a product of your own hard work.

Here's a website brought to my attention that tells you how many calories you burn cooking based on your weight, height, and age.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/burned/calories_burned_Cooking_or_food_preparation_walking.html

Here's a recipe to inspire you to get your hands dirty tonight. There's lots of asparagus at your local market...

Spring Asparagus Soup (despite the 90 degree weather, yes, it still is spring!)

ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon instant chicken bouillon granules
• 2 large stalks fresh lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces, or 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Dairy sour cream (optional)

directions

1. In a medium saucepan stir together water, instant chicken bouillon granules, fresh lemongrass or lemon peel, fresh cilantro, and white pepper; bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid, discarding the solids; return the liquid to the saucepan.
2. Return liquid to boiling. Set aside a few of the asparagus tips for garnish. Add the remaining asparagus to saucepan. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 8 to 10 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Carefully transfer mixture to a blender container; cover and blend until smooth. Set aside.
3. In the same saucepan gradually stir milk into cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. (The mixture may be slightly foamy.) Gradually add the asparagus mixture, stirring constantly. Heat through.
4. Ladle the asparagus soup into soup bowls. Swirl a little sour cream into each serving, if desired, and top with reserved asparagus tips. Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Caffeine

How many cups of coffee do you drink per day? Monsters? Diet Cokes? Amps? Today's society often devalues sleep, so we look to caffeine - a drug that increases alertness, energy, and muscle coordination - to get us through our days. Like many drugs, caffeine has benefits and consequences. It can help relieve headaches, but can also cause them; caffeine in your body acts similarly to amphetamines, making you feel good for a bit but then can cause a "low period", which may contribute to physical dependency. It can help speed up metabolism and boost energy before a workout, but can also elevate levels of cortisol in your bloodstream (a stress hormone that causes weight gain) and leave you craving carbohydrates and fat.

Be sure to consume caffeine in moderation to avert potential addiction. It is also a natural dehydrator, so drink plenty of water along with your energy drink. Choose your forms of caffeine wisely: it naturally occurs in tea and chocolate. While coffee is a great energy booster, it is very acidic and inhibits nutrient absorption in your body if you drink it during meal-time. Other energy drinks, including Red Bull, Monster, Amp, and Rockstar, contain lots of chemicals and preservatives that your body doesn't like, so try to keep those to a minimum if you can help it.

As I drink this cup a joe, I salute you, o drinkers of caffeine, and advise you that caffeine is a drug, so use it sensibly and with discretion. And, of course, get some more sleep!! Here's an article I found on the NPR website this morning with a little more information.

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/06/136921303/think-twice-before-reaching-for-a-caffeine-boost

USDA's New Food Plate

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/02/136884100/new-symbol-for-healthful-eating-hello-plate-goodbye-pyramid?ps=sh_stcathdl

The USDA's trusty, though perhaps confusing, Food Pyramid, was retired today. We've seen many forms of it in the past, with yearly modifications of colors, shapes, foods and portion sizes to answer the question "What should we eat to be healthy?"

So now we acknowledge this question using a dinner plate. The depiction is certainly simpler to look at, where half the plate is fruits and veggies, half is grains and protein (note: protein=not necessarily meat), and a side of dairy.

While the controversy of "What should we eat to be healthy?" is constantly being debated, an agreeable model for keeping weight down and arteries open is the new dinner plate. Now, how the USDA is planning to incorporate exercise onto this plate is another story...