Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Readers Are Enjoying the Nutrition Posts.
I Am Enjoying the Inexpensive Food.

 As others have pointed out, my father on the far left and his customers, are slender by today's standards. 

I am a bit hungry now, so I am going to have an orange or two. My mother pumped us full of skim milk (which I loathed) - lots of calcium. Skim milk causes more weight problems than whole milk - long term studies.

Oranges have calcium too.

Here are top vegetables with calcium, a gentle hint that this was designed by the Logos, John 1:3.

KJV John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 

Some veggies loaded with calcium

  • Collard greens
  • Edamane
  • Turnip Greens
  • Kale
  • Mustard Greens
  • Bok choy
  • Dandelion greens - no herbicide please. They are herbs, not weeds. I had two blossoms during Christmas.
  • Snow peas
  • Brocolli
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Squash
Now I look in the freezer and wonder, "What is this good for in nutrition?" I never knew this about sweet potatoes:
  1. Anti-oxidants
  2. Potassium for energy, nervous system
  3. Vitamin C - almost a daily dose in one serving
  4. Vitamin A and E - good for the eyes
  5. Magnesium for blood pressure and blood sugar
  6. Low glycemic (the opposite of popcorn and donuts)
  7. Beta-carotene, which converts to A
  8. Fat-free, fibrous, and folate
  9. Good for the skin
I can easily cook frozen sweet potatoes, and I often did for Christina. I have tilted away from Schwan's now and gone back to supermarket frozen and canned food. I even bought a can opener. Schwan's has many good frozen vegetable selections, but the big money is in the prepared foods and desserts, two categories I am nixing.

I wrote to one member that people should not get into extremes that make them toss the whole idea out. Opti-fast is a good example (lose 20 pounds, gain 30). "Never eat anything that tastes good" is another. A never-never diet usually ends in binge candy dessert eating. The trouble is not using satisfying good food, including some meats.

One sign of high blood sugar is eating an unusual amount of sweets, whether ice cream or candies. That spikes blood sugar, which then makes us sluggish, so we want instant relief - high sugar content. In contrast, a combination of vegetables and greens will end the sugar craving and provide real energy.

I pulled out a bag of frozen raw vegetables today (Schwan, Normandy Blend) and microwaved a bowl 3 minutes, with one pat of butter - delicious.

I went over the Fuhrman material on butter and decided to reduce that quite a bit. All oils have the most calories per ounce, compared to anything else, so cutting back there is just as smart and reducing white sugar, white flour, and junk food.

For your own amusement and edification, google "nutritional benefits of _____" and name a food. Or go the other way and ask for "foods with the most vitamin C". Cauliflower? Number 4? You must be kidding! Kale too?

In general, more processing of the food means more salt, more sugar, more fat. Low fat processed food often means a lot more sugar. More processing also means more money - let that sink in. Go to McDonalds and get two chicken sandwiches, no fries, no drinks. $8.50. Next go to the grocery store and spend $8.50 on vegetables, fresh and frozen and canned. Which purchase is more difficult to carry and has more food value?

Look them up for nutrition - eat them for satisfaction and health. They taste great.