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There is plenty of buzz words today when it comes to what the industry considers to be the foods that deliver the most nutritious bang for your buck. Most of them I love but I am going to go ahead and talk about those in a separate post. Today, I want to talk about the ones that I consider to be part of that Super Food list. Most of these were at one point or another part of that talked about list. Some have never really been addressed but these are the ones that I love.
I think for a food to be considered Super, it should deliver the highest nutritional impact with the most minimal negative impact but it also has to be affordable, available, easy to prepare and versatile,and of course it has to be delicious. After all, how super is it if no one can find it, afford it, cook it, or tolerate it's flavor!
First on the list is the much maligned egg. For years, these fragile little packages took a pretty heavy beating. There was the Cholesterol hype which made the poor little egg appear to be made of Plutonium and the contamination explosion that put eggs in a category with Ebola.
The fact of the matter is, the egg is a bit high in Cholesterol so if you are someone who has dietary restriction regarding Cholesterol, doctors and nutritionists do recommend that you limit the amount of eggs you consume in a week to 4 a week as opposed to 6 a week for those with no heart disease history according to the Cleveland Clinic. You can certainly use an egg substitute or just the whites but this will drastically reduce the nutritional benefits as much of their nutritional value comes in the yolk.
In terms of the contamination issue, the issue becomes no different than with any other fresh food. Holding and safe serving temperatures are critical. Roughly 150,000 people are are infected with Salmonella each year in the US. That sounds like an outrageous number but considering that Americans consume 75 billion eggs each year, in the grand scheme of things it really is a small problem. Most people can be exposed to Salmonella and survive with little or no illness but to always be on the safe side make sure you do the following when buying, cooking and consuming eggs.
-Buy eggs only under refrigeration. Some farm markets do still sell them at room temperature so a simple coddling (see below) will kill any bacteria before cooking.
-Buy pasteurized eggs. I am a HUGE fan of the farm fresh egg. If you have never had the experience, I highly recommend that you find a reputable farm and try eggs that were laid that day. They are AMAZING! That being said, the FDA recommends only consuming pasteurized eggs, which have been heated to a temperature high enough to kill any harmful bacteria.
-Cook eggs thoroughly. Again, to me, there are certain things that absolutely need a raw egg. If your eggs are fresh, pasteurized, and held at a safe temperature a raw egg should be safe. if you are uncomfortable with a raw egg, coddling the egg prior to use will make it safe while still having the same raw egg quality.
-Don't cross contaminate. Keep work surfaces clean and disinfected. Do not put cooked eggs in to a container that they came out of uncooked without washing it thoroughly. I like my eggs a bit loose myself and when I scramble them I whisk them in a bowl, scramble them until just soft and then turn them back in to the bowl that I whisked them in. I do this for myself. I will take my chances. When I am working in a commercial setting, I use a clean container for the cooked eggs.
Now lets talk about the reasons eggs deserve to be crown as a Super Food. Here is the nutritional information on one egg:
Egg
Nutrition Facts
| Calories 78 |
% Daily Value*
As you can see, eggs have a remarkable amount of powerhouse nutrition packed in to a little package! They are a great source of complete protein because they contain the enzymes necessary to break proteins down in your blood stream. They are low in calories in relation to the amount of fat and carbohydrates they have. While on the subject of fat, the fat in eggs is more good for you fats than unhealthy ones which make it a healthy choice compared to foods high in saturated or trans fats. It is virtually pure protein that is easy to digest and easy to cook. In a starchy sugary world, eggs do a great job at adding some of the much needed protein in your daily diet. What most people don't know is that eggs are incredibly high in some really critical vitamins, like B6 and B12 which help maintain more regular blood sugars thereby decreasing Insulin release and increasing energy, D which is hard to find in natural sources and is a necessary component to absorb Calcium, Vitamin A which is crucial to eye, cell, kidney, lung and liver health as well as cell growth, and Potassium and Calcium which are essential electrolytes that contribute to muscle-nerve response. Not bad for 78 calories!
Eggs are remarkably affordable. I mean, where else can you get 6 servings for under $3. They are very shelf stable if refrigerated which makes for no spoilage and less thrown away money. That makes them more affordable indirectly.
The thing that I love the most about eggs is their ease and versatility in preparation. Scrambled eggs are the first thing that most kids learn to cook at a very young age. They are the first thing I taught both of my kids to cook. I figure as long as they can make a decent omelet, they will never starve to death! Eggs can be prepared so many ways that the recipes and techniques fill cook books. They can be made in to savory dishes as well as desserts. They can be simply boiled or made in to elegant souffles and can be feel right in place at lunch and dinner as well as breakfast. A perfectly fried egg is so lovely on top of an Arugela salad, cutting the bite of the greens with a creamy rich yolk. They are amazing on a good burger with sharp cheddar and bacon. I could go on and on but there is no denying that this little cutie is one of the most super Super Foods.
Oh and here's a bit of trivia. What is the difference between brown eggs and white eggs. Nothing. Brown eggs simply come from brown chickens while white one come from white chickens. The beautiful blue and green ones come from a breed of chickens called Americanas. All of the eggs are, nutritionally, the same. Who knew!
My next pick for a Super food that does not get enough time in the limelight is oatmeal. Many people have visions of paper mache' or wall paper paste, grayish and dreary when they think of oatmeal. The truth is, it is incredibly satisfying and delicious when handled properly but let's get through the nutritional benefits and talk a bit about the types of oatmeal a bit first.
There are generally 3 types of oats commercially available these days, old fashioned, quick cooking and steel cut.
-Old Fashioned Oats-these oats have been pressed flat into a little flake which removes much of the outer covering allowing for creamy texture and a relatively short cooking time.
They are widely available and inexpensive.
-Quick Cook Oats- these oats are pressed even thinner than the Old Fashioned Oats. They will take much less time to become soft and creamy. I actually cook mine in the microwave in about 2 minutes.
-Steel Cut Oats-These are the oats that have surfaced recently in health food and organic stores and are starting to make appearances in larger grocery stores, They are made by simply cutting the whole oat groat, or grain, without pressing, They are a better nutritional choice but they do take a good bit longer to cook and even then have a much more rustic chewy texture that many people don't like as much.
In recent years, oats have become the Cholesterol lowering rock star. They are high in dietary fiber which, as most know, signifigently lowers blood cholesterol levels. But did you know that that same fiber significantly lowers your risk of developing heart disease, post menopausal breast cancer and type 2 Diabetes? Oats are rich in antioxidants that fight off free radicals responsible for many types of cancer and heart disease. Beta-glucen, a key chemical component found in oats, has been recently found to reduce the symptoms of asthma and boost the immune system snap more quickly in to action when finding and fighting bacterial infections. The high fiber content in oats helps stabilize blood sugar spikes which reduces Insulin release that is responsible for the storage of body fat. And with Gluten intolerance and Celiac's Disease making headlines, oats and oat flour are a safe choice for those who need to find alternatives to wheat products. It also is high in vegetable proteins making it a great source of protein for the vegan or vegetarian diet. It is rich in Iron which is crucial for boosting red blood cells and is an important addition to women from early teens on. Here is the detailed nutritional information for Oatmeal:
Oatmeal
Nutrition Facts
| Calories 10 |
% Daily Value*
| *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
Again, most people think of two things when you say oatmeal. Cookies and the grayish sticky porridge served at breakfast. Many people are not too fond of hot oatmeal and it's hard to make a diet of strictly oatmeal cookies (although if you have ever had mine, you would not mind giving it a shot!) What most people don't know is that oats are versatile and can be used in many savory and sweet recipes. It is great when turned in to a bread dough or pancake batter, makes a wonderful crispy coating for chicken or fish, is easy to make in to a crunchy granola to top yogurt, ice cream, or eaten with milk like breakfast cereal. I give little bags of my Super food granola to my daughter and her track team teammates for a boost after a long workout.
Here is my best kept secret when making hot oatmeal cereal for breakfast. Did you ever notice that when you buy a big can of oats in the grocery store and cook them up in a pot that no matter how much sweetener and fruit or spices you add, it is still tasteless and flat. The next time you make some, add a little salt. ( a pinch for one bowl and a good tablespoon for a whole pot.) Don't be alarmed! I know it seems like a lot but trust me it will change your oatmeal world! A friend of mine who is a boy scout leader asked me, one time, why when he was camping with his boys they would make oatmeal that was bland and boring. I told him this tip and he came back months later so excited and surprised at the result.
Oatmeal is, like eggs, extremely affordable. Don't bother with the flavored packets. They are high in sugar and salt and they are more than 4 times more expensive than the big can of quick oats that you can buy for about $3 dollars. By the time my son was a teenager, he was eating 3 packets at a time so it was time to go to the big can!
My last contender for my Super Food picks are the humble banana. These perfectly naturally packaged little gems are a powerhouse of Vitamins, electrolytes and fiber.
Everyone knows that bananas are high in potassium which reduces muscle cramping at times when you might be a little dehydrated like after working out or after being sick but did you know that the potassium and iron also protects your heart from heart disease? The FDA says so! They are also rich in soluble fiber and reduce stomach acid which aids in digestion. The serotonin and tryptophan found in bananas contributes to elevated mood and better sleep. When I was pregnant with both of my children I suffered from insomnia. I would eat a banana with cold milk over it and on those nights I would sleep like a baby. They are high in B6 so like eggs, they contribute to more consistent blood sugar levels and less afternoon slump. Those 5 Hour Energy drinks that you are guzzling at 2pm are expensive and taste kind of gross. Eat a banana and reap the same benefits plus all of the other great things they bring to your body.
The one thing people have trouble with bananas is shelf life. You should never refrigerate bananas. They will turn a strange unpleasant gray and the texture is a little strange in my opinion. There is no known risk to refrigerating them. If you refrigerate them when they are green, they will take much longer to ripen. If you think that they ripen too fast, break them apart from each other and keep them away from other fruits. Fruit releases ethylene gas when it ripens. So if you keep them separated from each other there is less gas exposure and slower ripening. I have to do this because I have a condition in my mouth called Geographic Tongue and eating a banana that has even 3 brown spots causes a lot of pain so i have to eat them in that little window between being green and spotted. Here's another little secret. I hate that bananas are always bruised on the bottoms. Go ahead, check. Every bunch that isn't green in the store that you pick up will be bruised on the bottom and here's why. Bananas are shipped green and refrigerated so that they remain shelf stable during transit. When they arrive at your grocery store and the produce guy pushes those cases out, he knows that he can't put them on the shelf totally green so he throws them. Yes he does. Go ahead and watch next time. he will either toss them or kind of spike them. The reason he does this is that a bruise on a piece of fruit causes an increase in the release of ethylene gas accelerating the ripening process. When they hit that table after being tossed, that little bit of trauma will ripen those bananas lickity-split, poor bananas!
Although bananas aren't the most versatile in terms of cooking, the thing that makes them a super choice is that they are easy to eat. You can snack on them any time. They are easy and neat to eat and travel well. I mean, they are versatile enough in that they can be eaten raw or cooked, baked in to bred and muffins, used in sauces like my favorite, Bananas Foster, and of course cut up in to your cornflakes.
So let's talk a minute about Plantains. Plantains are widely available in most grocery and ethnic stores. They are a member of the banana family but are much starchier and have a thicker peel that is often hard to remove. They are used frequently in Latin dishes and are often deep fried. There are two varieties that are most popular. Green plantains are hard and starchy and when cooked resemble a potato more than a banana. Sweet Plantains are a dark brown color and are just a ripened version of the green. They are a good bit sweeter and cook up softer. They caramelize beautifully and are really yummy sauteed in a little butter and honey.
So there they are, my choices for the most nutritious, affordable, easy to prepare and delicious foods. In my next post, I will go in to the foods that are all the buzz. Foods like Quinoa, Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Pomegranate and Blueberries will be explored along with some great cooking tips and recipes.
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