Hello all you Foodies and Fans! Welcome to my world of food and nutrition. I hope you enjoyed my little red book, “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Guide to Nutritious and Delicious Eating”, as you are now invited back to my website and blog page weekly, for some tips and recipes. I am so pleased to be able to share my passion for good food and healthy delicious eating with all of you, and hope to hear from you.
MY NEWS for this week: I will be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 5th at 11:00 a.m. at Tunie’s Market, for a lecture and book signing event. If you are in the area, please stop in and say Hello!
Today, I am starting a three-part series on Nutrition Guidelines. With each part, I will also include an appetizer, main course and dessert for your enjoyment of one of my favorite meals. As we all know, we must eat to survive, however what we eat is our personal choice. The main food groups include: carbohydrates, fruits/vegetables, dairy, proteins, and fats/oils. Calorie baselines are: 1) carbohydrates=4 cal/gram, 2) protein=4 cal/gram, 3) fats=9 cal/gram. Fats are more dense, and therefore have about 2x the calories than carbohydrates. Of note, alcohol=7 cal/gram. I believe most meals should have a larger amount of vegetables and usually are a calorie-free item. A complete balanced meal should weigh at least 10 ounces per serving. It should contain at least three different foods from at least two of the groups. Each portion is about 40 grams. (28 grams=one ounce).
“Essential nutrients” are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. The body does not manufacture these and are essential for good healthy cells to function. Proteins can be in the form of fish, animal protein, beans, or tofu. Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, is critical for good health, and performs several important functions in the body, such as production of hormones and Vitamin D, and assists in digestion. The liver manufactures what we need, about 800mg/day, however a recommended daily intake through diet should not exceed 300mg. I believe water is one of the most essential of all nutrients and at least 6-8 glasses a day in some form is important. Unfortunately, I know some people do not like just plain water. However, your daily water intake can be from teas, or flavored with cucumber or citrus, or even herbs to make it more desirable. I do believe in supplements, and I will discuss vitamins and minerals in the coming weeks.
For today, I am giving you the recipe to start off our first meal together. This is one of my favorite appetizer salads. Meet me here next week for Part 2 of this Nutrition Series, and the main course, a savory salmon dish will be revealed, along with more nutrition information. Buon Appetito!
Mixed greens w/pears, walnuts, cranberries and blue cheese
Lettuce/greens include: green or red leafy lettuce, romaine, Bibb lettuce, watercress, and/or arugula, fresh basil leaves
1 ripe pear, Seckel or Bartlett, cored and quartered
1 teaspoon walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon dried cranberries
1-2 teaspoons blue cheese/Gorgonzola, crumbled
2-4 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing of your choice (my favorite is olive oil, balsamic or champagne vinegar, chives, salt, pepper, parsley, tarragon, garlic powder, mustard)
Toss greens with dressing. Top with pears, walnuts, cranberries, and blue cheese.
(This is a one serving recipe, and beets can be substituted for pears, if desired.)
