Food & Vitamins

Shedua

I thought I would start a thread on food, vitamin count...

Tomatoes (canned and fresh) 
Decrease: In Cooking Vitamin C decreases when cooked. When cooked 2 min, Vitamin C has 10% less then uncooked. Cooked for 30 min has 29% less Vit C. 
Can also be destroyed in prep time, i.e. puree/chop. To minimize this, add tomato toward end of cooking process. However, you still get lots of the lycopene. 
Increase: Lycopene content increases. 2 minutes cooking tomato had 54% more lycopene. 30 min they had 164% more. 
Lycopene, an antioxidant that some research connects to lower cancer risk, heart disease & deteriorating eyesight. 
Conclusion: A tomato is a nutrient-rich food. Don't shy away from using. Stick to a balance of recipes featuring cooked & fresh tomatoes to cover your intake for lycopene & vitamin C needs.  
  
Should we use canned tomato?  
Advantage: convenient, keeps for 12-18 mos. Fine for recipes that require time to cook ex sauces. 
Disadvantage: can't always use canned for fresh tomato. 
     1. Some companies add additives: salt & sugar for flavor. 
     2. Preservatives-  
         a. Citric acid may be added to retain color. 
         b. Calcium chloride keeps tomato from getting mushy. 
Nutrition: canned tomato is low in calorie has no fat or cholesterol. Vitamin C, protein will vary depends on brand. Canned tomato may have more lycopene.  
Calorie for fresh tomatoes: these pesky little things- 
         1 Cherry Tomato 5 cal. 
         1 small Tomato 25 cal. 
         1 large Tomato 50 cal. 
         1 large Beef Tomato 60 cal. 
To burn calories: about 7 minutes of walking (4mph) burns calories in a large 7 oz. tomato.  
Generally: 
Many foods can be added in the discussion. There are a number of factors that enter into the quality of nutrients taken in: 

Quality, freshness, storage of food, medication, preparation of the food are just several considerations in how we assimilate nutrients.   

Shedua 

Shedua

Melons are some of my favorite fruits.

Cantaloupe (part of curburbitaceae melon family) has always been a favorite fruit of mine.  Along with honeydew it is a muskmelon. Its relatives are watermelon, cukes & squash.  USA cantaloupes are a little different then the ones in Europe. Cantaloupe is known as rockmelon in some countries.

Nutrition:

1 c diced cantaloupe has 60 calories, 2 grams fiber & 1 of protein. The color means it's a good source of beta-carotene; this is the antioxidant form of vit. A.  1 c yields 108% of your daily vit. C. Low in saturated fat & sodium & very low in cholesterol.

Also a source of B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), folate.

Disadvantage:

A large portion of the calories comes from sugars. Please read #9 in Benefits

Tip: The melon that is round, firm & heavy is full of juice. Also check by smell, it should smell sweet. The fruit can be on the counter 1 or 2 day, it will last in refrigerator for 5 days. If sliced it lasts for 2-3 days.

What to do with it: Juice, salad, soup (there are some recipes here in HL threads), makes a great snack. I serve with breakfast …

Health Benefits: a partial list

1. Anti-coagulant helps decrease the viscosity of blood, preventing clots.

2. Vitamin C helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. I read that is particularly effective for intestinal cancer & melanoma.

3. Vitamin a lowers risk of cataracts.

4.Cholesterol works in oxidizing the LDL in blood.

5. High blood pressure- Potassium helps excrete sodium, >bringing down pressure.

6. Immune system- vitamin C helps white cells fight & build immune system.

7. Cramps are caused by a lack of potassium. The nutrient also helps with decreasing susceptibility to injury.

8. Stress- again potassium. There is a nice long equation got this but from what I read it does help.

9. Water retention- the fruit helps excrete excess sodium, therefore reducing water retention. 

Shedua

Berries are easy to eat. Many contain 4-6 grams of fiber in 1 cup. Antioxidants. Berries are healthy & versatile. They can be juiced, served on oatmeal, baked in a pie, serve in a salad.

Blueberries can be sweet or tart. They are members of Ericaceae, the Heath Family along with rhododendron, azalea, heather, mountain laurel, & cranberries.

Nutrition:  little bundles of nutrition!!
Very good source of Vitamin C (almost 25% of our daily requirement.  Also a good  source of manganese, vitamin E & fiber.  It provides minerals & phytochemicals . We all know that blueberries are a source of antioxidants. 1 c =80 calories.  Note: Phytochemicals are chemicals in fruits, vegetables, nuts & legumes. They may have a positive impact on health.  Ex: Carotenoids – beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene.  Antioxidants: Partial List Anthocyanins gives the blue color.  Chlorogenic acid is another antioxidant.  Ellagic acid.

Hints:

1. Look for blueberries w/a firm silvery-grey bloom. The bloom protects the skin of the berry.  Shake the box to be sure they have some bounce. If they don't move, they're getting mushy &/or moldy.

2. Wash only when ready to use to keep the bloom.

3. To freeze: put unwashed on a cookie sheet in the freezer & then in a bag.

4. Dried blueberries can be used in salad, oatmeal, and granola.  Good in homemade granola too.

 Dried Blueberries: Personally I always opt for fresh over dried (except I do like raisins). Some research will say dried blueberries has 4x more antioxidant then fresh. But we must consider most drying processes cause a significant nutrient loss & concentrate sugar & calories. 

1. Sulfur dioxide used in the process will preserve vitamins A&C, but destroy thiamine (B1).  

2. Boiling/steaming is often done to speed things up & kill disease-causing microorganisms. While it preserves carotene it destroys vitamin C.

3. Drying may reduce the Protein Efficiency Ratio, however blueberries are not a high source of protein.