Category Archives: Healthy Eating

Guide to Buying and Cooking Tilapia

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Tilapia is native to the Nile River in Africa and it’s often called St. Peter’s fish because it has been eaten since biblical times. Today an estimated 1 billion pounds are produced annually, making it the most common farm-raised fish in the world.
Colors vary between black, red or gold. The most common species in the United States are the prolific Nile tilapia, the hearty blue tilapia and the red-colored Mozambique tilapia. Because it is farmed and distributed efficiently, and harvested year-round, tilapia is sometimes the freshest fish at the market. Many Asian food markets even sell them live. Tilapia’s wide availability and moderate price make it a consumer favorite.
Cooked tilapia flesh is white, tender and somewhat firm with a flaky texture. Taste is largely determined by the growing environment — water quality and feed — but good-quality tilapia tastes mild and sweet.
Most tilapia is sold when the fish weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. If it’s filleted, a thin layer of darker meat below the skin is often removed. But it is best to buy tilapia whole. Fillets are usually frozen, depleting the delicate texture and taste.
Tilapia can be baked, broiled, sautéed, pan-fried or steamed. The bitter-tasting skin should be removed, either before cooking or before serving.

Guide to Buying and Cooking Tilapia

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Tilapia is native to the Nile River in Africa and it’s often called St. Peter’s fish because it has been eaten since biblical times. Today an estimated 1 billion pounds are produced annually, making it the most common farm-raised fish in the world.
Colors vary between black, red or gold. The most common species in the United States are the prolific Nile tilapia, the hearty blue tilapia and the red-colored Mozambique tilapia. Because it is farmed and distributed efficiently, and harvested year-round, tilapia is sometimes the freshest fish at the market. Many Asian food markets even sell them live. Tilapia’s wide availability and moderate price make it a consumer favorite.
Cooked tilapia flesh is white, tender and somewhat firm with a flaky texture. Taste is largely determined by the growing environment — water quality and feed — but good-quality tilapia tastes mild and sweet.
Most tilapia is sold when the fish weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. If it’s filleted, a thin layer of darker meat below the skin is often removed. But it is best to buy tilapia whole. Fillets are usually frozen, depleting the delicate texture and taste.
Tilapia can be baked, broiled, sautéed, pan-fried or steamed. The bitter-tasting skin should be removed, either before cooking or before serving.

Lime-Grilled Chicken With Cuban Salsa

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Lime-Grilled Chicken With Cuban Salsa
Ingredients
For the salsa:
7 ounces black beans (half a 15-ounce can)
1 ripe mango, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teeaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
To make the salsa:
In a medium bowl, stir together the beans, mango, onion, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno.
To make the chicken:
Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Add the lime peel, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper and rub the mixture into the chicken. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your grill or broiler. If using a broiler, coat the broiler pan with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the grill rack or broiler pan and cook 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until the chicken is no long pink in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes.
Serve the chicken with the salsa; if desired, slice the chicken into strips before serving.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 290 calories, 22g carbohydrates, 37g protein, 5g total fat, 80mg cholesterol, 5g dietary fiber, 620mg sodium

Lime-Grilled Chicken With Cuban Salsa

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Lime-Grilled Chicken With Cuban Salsa
Ingredients
For the salsa:
7 ounces black beans (half a 15-ounce can)
1 ripe mango, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons grated lime peel
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teeaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
To make the salsa:
In a medium bowl, stir together the beans, mango, onion, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno.
To make the chicken:
Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Add the lime peel, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper and rub the mixture into the chicken. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your grill or broiler. If using a broiler, coat the broiler pan with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the grill rack or broiler pan and cook 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until the chicken is no long pink in the thickest part, 10 to 12 minutes.
Serve the chicken with the salsa; if desired, slice the chicken into strips before serving.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 290 calories, 22g carbohydrates, 37g protein, 5g total fat, 80mg cholesterol, 5g dietary fiber, 620mg sodium

Country Garden Gazpacho With Garlic Croutons

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Ingredients
2 large cloves garlic
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup red or white sweet onion, chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices whole-wheat bread, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
Preparation
Drop 1 garlic clove through the feed tube of a running food processor and process until finely chopped. In batches, add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion; process until pureed. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in the tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, until well chilled.
Meanwhile, smash the remaining garlic clove with the flat side of a chef’s knife or a meat mallet. Place the garlic and oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, turning and pressing down on the garlic, until golden, about 4 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add the bread cubes to the garlic oil and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a bowl and let cool.
To serve, stir the soup and ladle it into bowls. Top each serving with some of the croutons. You’re going to love it!
Per 1 1/4 cups: 130 calories, 21 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 4.5 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 450 mg sodium.

Country Garden Gazpacho With Garlic Croutons

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Ingredients
2 large cloves garlic
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 cup red or white sweet onion, chopped
1 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices whole-wheat bread, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
Preparation
Drop 1 garlic clove through the feed tube of a running food processor and process until finely chopped. In batches, add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion; process until pureed. Pour into a large bowl. Stir in the tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, until well chilled.
Meanwhile, smash the remaining garlic clove with the flat side of a chef’s knife or a meat mallet. Place the garlic and oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, turning and pressing down on the garlic, until golden, about 4 minutes. Discard the garlic. Add the bread cubes to the garlic oil and cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a bowl and let cool.
To serve, stir the soup and ladle it into bowls. Top each serving with some of the croutons. You’re going to love it!
Per 1 1/4 cups: 130 calories, 21 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 4.5 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 450 mg sodium.

Essential Nutrition for Kids

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Eating right from an early age is vital for your children’s health and their longevity. That said, it’s no easy task to ensure that they are getting the necessary nutrients for long-term health. But, if you arm yourself with the basic information about the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for your children — and what they shouldn’t eat regularly — then you can establish healthy habits to last a lifetime.
Children’s Health: Essential Foods for Kids
Jatinder Bhatia, MBBS, professor and chief of the section of neonatology at the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia, says children’s daily caloric intake, which provides them energy, “should be balanced between carbohydrates and protein, with the remaining energy coming from good fats.” Children also need iron, vitamin D, calcium, and fiber, but these four tend to be lacking in youngsters’ diets, he says.
Children’s Health: Iron, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Fiber
Here is some guidance on where to find these kid-elusive dietary components:
Iron comes from meats, beans, green vegetables, and fortified cereals.
Vitamin D is derived from sunlight, fish oil, eggs, dairy products, and fortified cereals.
Calcium can be found in milk and other dairy products.
Fiber, one of the most forgotten of the nutrients, according to Dr. Bhatia, comes from eating unrefined carbohydrates such as fresh fruit and beans.

Children’s Health: Carbohydrates
For children over 2 years of age, 50 percent to 60 percent of their RDA should come from carbohydrates. The key is to stay away from refined carbohydrates, such as white rice and white flour, which cause the body’s energy level to spike and then drop, and may also lead to diabetes and heart disease. Instead, introduce your children to these unrefined foods:
Brown rice
Whole-grain cereals and bread
Fruits
Vegetables
Low-fat dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt
Children’s Health: Protein
Protein should make up about 12 percent of your child’s RDA and should come from the following:
Lean meats
Fish
Nuts
Beans
Eggs

Children’s Health: Fats
Fats should make up about 30 percent of your child’s RDA. Most of the fat in your child’s diet should be from sources of “good fat,” which raise levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower the bad cholesterol (LDL). These fats include:
Nuts
Vegetable oils such as olive oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil
Fatty fish such as salmon
Avocados

Children’s Health: Portion Sizes
It’s important to pay attention to your child’s portion sizes. “The food guide pyramid is best for determining how many servings a child would need depending on age, weight, and gender,” says Janet M. de Jesus, MS, RD, a nutrition education specialist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children 2 to 3 years old should consume no more than 1,000 calories each day; girls 4 to 8 should consume about 1,200 and boys of the same age 1,400. Girls between 9 and 13 should get about 1,600 calories daily and boys 1,800. Girls 14 to 18 should aim for approximately 1,800 and boys should shoot for around 2,200. These calories should include:
2 to 3 cups of low-fat milk
2 to 5 ounces of lean meat or beans
1 to 2 cups of fruit
1 to 3 cups of vegetables
2 to 7 ounces of whole grains

Essential Nutrition for Kids

Posted on by
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Eating right from an early age is vital for your children’s health and their longevity. That said, it’s no easy task to ensure that they are getting the necessary nutrients for long-term health. But, if you arm yourself with the basic information about the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for your children — and what they shouldn’t eat regularly — then you can establish healthy habits to last a lifetime.
Children’s Health: Essential Foods for Kids
Jatinder Bhatia, MBBS, professor and chief of the section of neonatology at the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia, says children’s daily caloric intake, which provides them energy, “should be balanced between carbohydrates and protein, with the remaining energy coming from good fats.” Children also need iron, vitamin D, calcium, and fiber, but these four tend to be lacking in youngsters’ diets, he says.
Children’s Health: Iron, Vitamin D, Calcium, and Fiber
Here is some guidance on where to find these kid-elusive dietary components:
Iron comes from meats, beans, green vegetables, and fortified cereals.
Vitamin D is derived from sunlight, fish oil, eggs, dairy products, and fortified cereals.
Calcium can be found in milk and other dairy products.
Fiber, one of the most forgotten of the nutrients, according to Dr. Bhatia, comes from eating unrefined carbohydrates such as fresh fruit and beans.

Children’s Health: Carbohydrates
For children over 2 years of age, 50 percent to 60 percent of their RDA should come from carbohydrates. The key is to stay away from refined carbohydrates, such as white rice and white flour, which cause the body’s energy level to spike and then drop, and may also lead to diabetes and heart disease. Instead, introduce your children to these unrefined foods:
Brown rice
Whole-grain cereals and bread
Fruits
Vegetables
Low-fat dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt
Children’s Health: Protein
Protein should make up about 12 percent of your child’s RDA and should come from the following:
Lean meats
Fish
Nuts
Beans
Eggs

Children’s Health: Fats
Fats should make up about 30 percent of your child’s RDA. Most of the fat in your child’s diet should be from sources of “good fat,” which raise levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower the bad cholesterol (LDL). These fats include:
Nuts
Vegetable oils such as olive oil, corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil
Fatty fish such as salmon
Avocados

Children’s Health: Portion Sizes
It’s important to pay attention to your child’s portion sizes. “The food guide pyramid is best for determining how many servings a child would need depending on age, weight, and gender,” says Janet M. de Jesus, MS, RD, a nutrition education specialist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children 2 to 3 years old should consume no more than 1,000 calories each day; girls 4 to 8 should consume about 1,200 and boys of the same age 1,400. Girls between 9 and 13 should get about 1,600 calories daily and boys 1,800. Girls 14 to 18 should aim for approximately 1,800 and boys should shoot for around 2,200. These calories should include:
2 to 3 cups of low-fat milk
2 to 5 ounces of lean meat or beans
1 to 2 cups of fruit
1 to 3 cups of vegetables
2 to 7 ounces of whole grains

Black Beans With Rice Recipe

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Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 508, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 206mg, Dietary Fiber: 14g, Total Fat: 4g, Carbs: 98g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Protein: 21g Carb Choices: 5.5
Recipe Source:Source: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
The NHLBI does not recommend or endorse any company advertised on this site.
Ingredients
1 pounds beans, black, dry 7 cup(s) water 1 medium pepper(s), green, bell, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), chopped 1 tablespoon oil, vegetable 2 bay leaf 1 clove(s) garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vinegar, (or lemon juice) 6 cup(s) rice, cooked in unsalted water 4 ounce(s) pimento, sliced and drained 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Preparation
1. Pick through beans to remove bad ones. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
2. In large soup pot or Dutch oven, stir together beans, water, green pepper, onion, oil, bay leaves, garlic, and salt. Cover and boil for one hour.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for three to four hours or until beans are very tender. Stir occasionally and add water if needed.
4. Remove and mash about 1/3 of beans. Return to pot. Stir and heat through.
5. When ready to serve, remove bay leaves and stir in vinegar or lemon juice.
6. Serve over rice. Garnish with sliced pimento and lemon wedges.

Black Beans With Rice Recipe

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Nutritional Info (Per serving): Calories: 508, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 206mg, Dietary Fiber: 14g, Total Fat: 4g, Carbs: 98g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Protein: 21g Carb Choices: 5.5
Recipe Source:Source: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
The NHLBI does not recommend or endorse any company advertised on this site.
Ingredients
1 pounds beans, black, dry 7 cup(s) water 1 medium pepper(s), green, bell, coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cup(s) onion(s), chopped 1 tablespoon oil, vegetable 2 bay leaf 1 clove(s) garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vinegar, (or lemon juice) 6 cup(s) rice, cooked in unsalted water 4 ounce(s) pimento, sliced and drained 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Preparation
1. Pick through beans to remove bad ones. Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse.
2. In large soup pot or Dutch oven, stir together beans, water, green pepper, onion, oil, bay leaves, garlic, and salt. Cover and boil for one hour.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for three to four hours or until beans are very tender. Stir occasionally and add water if needed.
4. Remove and mash about 1/3 of beans. Return to pot. Stir and heat through.
5. When ready to serve, remove bay leaves and stir in vinegar or lemon juice.
6. Serve over rice. Garnish with sliced pimento and lemon wedges.