Asparagus a vegetable with long, tender shoots. It comes in several types,generally categorized as white, purple or green varieties. Asparagus is related to the lily family and a cousin to onion and garlic. Asparagus is one vegetable that still needs to harvested by hand,hence the cost being higher than most other vegetables. The color of the asparagus is determined by the amount of exposure to sunlight. Green asparagus is traditionally the most common variety we see in our local stores, while purple or white asparagus is available on a limited basis in specialty markets. White asparagus is the type that is most popular in Northern Europe. The white variety has less flavor then the green or purple. The purple variety is generally harvested when the stalks reach a height of approximately 3 inches. Once cooked purple asparagus provides a distinctive fruity flavor. Try it for some variety in your dinner, it is loaded with phytonutrients.
Uses:
Asparagus can be boiled, steamed, sautéed, grilled, pickled, or served cold. It makes an enjoyable appetizer, or a good complement to salads, vegetable dishes, and soups. Asparagus can also be pureed and used for soups and soufflés.
At Their Best:
Asparagus is best when in season in your area, which in our begins in April and runs through June.
Asparagus is harvested throughout the year some where in the world, making it available year round. It is best when eaten within a couple of days of harvesting so if purchasing in the off season prepare it as soon as purchased to maintain the flavor. When it is in season in your local area prepare it within 1-3 days from purchase date, for the best taste.
Purchasing Asparagus
Select asparagus with stalks that are firm, crisp,with full heads and tightly closed without any discolored tops. Check the aroma of the asparagus it should not give off an fowl odor. The ends of the asparagus that have been cut should be moist and fresh in appearance, not dried or cracked. When dried or cracked you may be purchasing old asparagus.
Storage;
Asparagus perishes easily. Fresh asparagus will last about 3 to 4 days while blanched asparagus can last for 9 months in the freezer. Do not wash asparagus before storing. Wash it just before using. To store fresh asparagus, wrap the stalks in a damp cloth or paper towel and place in a plastic bag that is not airtight. Airtight bags will trap moisture, causing the asparagus to become soggy and it begins to rot. Fresh asparagus can be stored by trimming an inch off the stem end, wrapping ends with a wet paper towel,then stand the spears upright in a glass container filled with a couple of inches of water. Place a loose plastic bag over the spear tips and store in the refrigerator.
Preparation is key to good tasting Asparagus.
Asparagus is one of the more underrated, as well as misunderstood, vegetables. Many people say they don't like it, myself included. Most often it is served over-cooked which makes it mushy, slimy and tasteless. This is how I recall asparagus tasting as a child. It was even worse when we ate it from a can,it was defiantly over cooked. I had a few opportunities in my life to have it prepared properly. I now enjoy it a great deal, as does my family. The bottom line is most people don't know how to purchase it, store it or prepare it.
Asparagus used as medicine: It has been used since early times as both a vegetable and a medicine. Asparagus has a long history of medicinal help for liver, kidney and heart disorders. It has been known to aid patients who suffer from kidney stones. It also has anti-inflammatory benefit which is great for those who suffer from arthritis. It works to detoxify the liver as well.
We can eat ourselves sick now lets try a new road and started a road to wellness through eating healthier. Juicing asparagus is a great way to get alot of detox and flood your body with rich nutrients. Remember organic is best!
Asparagus is low in calories, contains no cholesterol and is very low in sodium. And it's loaded with nutrients; a great source of the B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, and B6), high in calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber and protein along with other vitamins (A,C, E and K) and minerals (iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and selenium).
High Antioxidants benefits, like spinach and turnip greens. As well as a great source of folate and potassium. Research suggests folate is key in taming homocysteine, a substance implicated in heart disease. Several studies indicate that getting plenty of potassium may reduce the loss of calcium from the body. Green asparagus is an especially good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the body produce and maintain collagen, the major structural protein component of the body's connective tissues.
Folate is a great anti cancer supplement beware avoid folic acid as a supplement, it may create some cancers. Look for future posts on folic acid and cancer.
COOKING ASPARAGUS: Asparagus should be cooked: "fast." Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness and age of the asparagus. Fresh asparagus requires less cooking. The asparagus should be cooked for only 2 to 6 minutes, just to a point where it's tender inside yet still crispy on the outside. Steaming will retain the most nutrients. It takes only a few minutes for those stalks to turn a bright green, showing that they are ready. You can also grill, sauté or roast asparagus. Any of those methods will bring out a unique sweet nutty flavor.
Check out a few websites on preparing asparagus before you cook it again.You can grill,saute,steam,roast or even make it in the oven. remember keep it simple and quick 2-6 min is the maximum cook time for perfect asparagus.
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dieting. Show all posts
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Weight Loss and Why it is Diffucult for Some
Why do so many people have food issues, and difficulty loosing weight?Over the next few weeks I will be looking at the complex issues associated with weight loss as well as other weight related issues. Food addictions and anorexia, bulimia and food allergies are just some of the issues we will be addressing.
These issues are a growing part of our society. We now have people on national TV sharing there weight loss issues as a game ... Who can loss the most. We need to look first at the total issue and not just the food issues.
Over the many years of working with patients with eating disorders and weight issues I found that there is no easy solutions. You must work with the brain as well as the diet and body. It is not a lack of exercise or eating the wrong foods, it is a more complex issue. The answer is once you fix the cause you are well on your way to a healthier person and a healthier you with a solution to a life long issue.
Most American Dieters have a loss of at least 3 primary essential nutrients. This has been know since as far back as 1965.
Common lost or deficient nutrients are : Vitamin A ,C and B6,secondary supplement losses are riboflavin, folic acid ,calcium, iron,magnesium,zinc,copper,manganese,chromium.
Primary reasons for diet failures are we consider it a diet and not a lifestyle change. We address alcoholic and drug addicts as having a chemical imbalance but not those who have eating disorders. If we start to connect the brain issues and the chemical imbalances as part of the solution we will have more success.
First Lets Address eating Disorders as a 12 Step Program
Incorporating the ideas that the 12 step programs have been successfully using for drug and alcohol recover into food addictions programs we will have more success see life style changes.
8 Steps to Recover:
1.Correct the brain chemistry imbalances-which can cause anxiety, depression, and emotional eating.
2.End Low Caloric Diets- These diets result in poor eating habits, mood swings, energy poor, weigh gain by depleting the brain and body of proper nutrition.
3.Balance Unstable Blood Sugars it causes moodiness, sweet cravings and starch cravings. Over time this causes adrenal exhaustion.
4.Low Thyroid Function- Common causes of weight and energy problems.
5.Food Addictions need to be over come - Allergy addictions can trigger powerful cravings as well as headaches, congestion and constipation.
6.Hormone Havoc needs to identified and resolved, causes can be cramping, weight gain, PMS and menopausal symptoms.
7.Stop yeast over growth- trigger by antibiotic use, cortisone's,can cause bloating, and powerful craving for sweets and starches.
8.Correct fatty acid deficiencies which will cause cravings for rich fatty foods.
Create Goals:
1.Stop all food cravings
2.Identify and remove all eating disorders
3.Eliminate mood swings
4.Remove negative obsessions about your body
This is a big order to create all these changes. Most of us can not do such a under taking by ourselves. The plan I will unfold is meant to be guidelines and not a treatment plans. I will be willing to work with you in office if these are your issues. The recommendation I will present are not a form of treatment, nor diagnosis nor are they recommended for self treatment, just education.
This blog entry will be in a series over several weeks.
The first thing is to identity your issues. Are you a binge eater, a anorexic or a bulimic or a over eater or some one who think you may be on the way to one of these issues.
Start by looking down the family tree, look at what issues other family members have. Mother, father, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. This will be a great place to start. Much of our health issues are derived from our family/genetics and learned behaviors and mental health status.
Ask a lot of family history question if you can and know how they treated there condition. Was it Prozac or muscle relaxants drug use or alcohol, what ever,write it down. These issues can come out sideways for many of us.
Keep a honest journal of all your health issues the journal every single thing that goes into your mouth for the next 4 weeks , do not change these habits just write them down. Reason, it will help you determine what your issue are ex.sugar cravings, alcohol,carbohydrate craving, poor protein consumption ...
We can really have a better plan once you know where the problem lye's.
After for weeks you need to get a calorie book and count up the number of calories you get in a day and what are the sources of those calories. This will surprise you where you derive your primary calories from in a day and from what food sources.
Keep following for more ideas on healthy weight loss.
Next post will be on mental health and simple things to help your mental status!
These issues are a growing part of our society. We now have people on national TV sharing there weight loss issues as a game ... Who can loss the most. We need to look first at the total issue and not just the food issues.
Over the many years of working with patients with eating disorders and weight issues I found that there is no easy solutions. You must work with the brain as well as the diet and body. It is not a lack of exercise or eating the wrong foods, it is a more complex issue. The answer is once you fix the cause you are well on your way to a healthier person and a healthier you with a solution to a life long issue.
Most American Dieters have a loss of at least 3 primary essential nutrients. This has been know since as far back as 1965.
Common lost or deficient nutrients are : Vitamin A ,C and B6,secondary supplement losses are riboflavin, folic acid ,calcium, iron,magnesium,zinc,copper,manganese,chromium.
Primary reasons for diet failures are we consider it a diet and not a lifestyle change. We address alcoholic and drug addicts as having a chemical imbalance but not those who have eating disorders. If we start to connect the brain issues and the chemical imbalances as part of the solution we will have more success.
First Lets Address eating Disorders as a 12 Step Program
Incorporating the ideas that the 12 step programs have been successfully using for drug and alcohol recover into food addictions programs we will have more success see life style changes.
8 Steps to Recover:
1.Correct the brain chemistry imbalances-which can cause anxiety, depression, and emotional eating.
2.End Low Caloric Diets- These diets result in poor eating habits, mood swings, energy poor, weigh gain by depleting the brain and body of proper nutrition.
3.Balance Unstable Blood Sugars it causes moodiness, sweet cravings and starch cravings. Over time this causes adrenal exhaustion.
4.Low Thyroid Function- Common causes of weight and energy problems.
5.Food Addictions need to be over come - Allergy addictions can trigger powerful cravings as well as headaches, congestion and constipation.
6.Hormone Havoc needs to identified and resolved, causes can be cramping, weight gain, PMS and menopausal symptoms.
7.Stop yeast over growth- trigger by antibiotic use, cortisone's,can cause bloating, and powerful craving for sweets and starches.
8.Correct fatty acid deficiencies which will cause cravings for rich fatty foods.
Create Goals:
1.Stop all food cravings
2.Identify and remove all eating disorders
3.Eliminate mood swings
4.Remove negative obsessions about your body
This is a big order to create all these changes. Most of us can not do such a under taking by ourselves. The plan I will unfold is meant to be guidelines and not a treatment plans. I will be willing to work with you in office if these are your issues. The recommendation I will present are not a form of treatment, nor diagnosis nor are they recommended for self treatment, just education.
This blog entry will be in a series over several weeks.
The first thing is to identity your issues. Are you a binge eater, a anorexic or a bulimic or a over eater or some one who think you may be on the way to one of these issues.
Start by looking down the family tree, look at what issues other family members have. Mother, father, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles. This will be a great place to start. Much of our health issues are derived from our family/genetics and learned behaviors and mental health status.
Ask a lot of family history question if you can and know how they treated there condition. Was it Prozac or muscle relaxants drug use or alcohol, what ever,write it down. These issues can come out sideways for many of us.
Keep a honest journal of all your health issues the journal every single thing that goes into your mouth for the next 4 weeks , do not change these habits just write them down. Reason, it will help you determine what your issue are ex.sugar cravings, alcohol,carbohydrate craving, poor protein consumption ...
We can really have a better plan once you know where the problem lye's.
After for weeks you need to get a calorie book and count up the number of calories you get in a day and what are the sources of those calories. This will surprise you where you derive your primary calories from in a day and from what food sources.
Keep following for more ideas on healthy weight loss.
Next post will be on mental health and simple things to help your mental status!
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