 |
| photo by Chris Forster |
Nutritional
Brochures As Seen In Our Stores
Working with Co-op Food Stores in Hanover and
Lebanon, NH, Harvest is able to bring you these wonderful brochures
to add to our Nutrition Files. From apples to winter harvest, we
pass on information, ideas and recipes for your health and culinary
delight. If there are subjects you want to know more about, don't
hesitate to let us know.
Revamped
"Going Vegetarian"
Current Nutrition articles:
Cholesterol:
Redefining the standards
Wheat
and Gluten-free Update.
Did you know?
Cholesterol: Redefining
the standards
Cholesterol is a naturally occurring lipid (fat) that
circulates in the bloodstream. Our bodies make it, and we take it
in through foods we eat. When we have too much cholesterol in circulation
it clogs up the arteries and can cause heart disease. Cholesterol
is contained solely in animal products such as meat, poultry, seafood,
eggs, cheese, milk, and yogurt. No foods of plant origin contain
cholesterol. The "bad" cholesterol circulating in our
bloodstreams is elevated by eating saturated fat and trans-fat as
well as by consumption of cholesterol. Saturated fat is found in
animal products, such as those listed above, and in varying degrees
in vegetable oils. Most vegetable oils have a higher proportion
of beneficial liquid oils to saturated fats except for coconut oil
and palm oil (not to be confused with palm kernel oil). The beneficial
fats in vegetable oils are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats,
which help promote "good" cholesterol levels (see explanation
below). These beneficial fats are found in olive oil, canola oil,
almonds and avocados, to name a few sources. Trans-fat elevates
blood cholesterol even more than saturated fat. Trans-fat is a liquid
oil that has been chemically altered to behave more like a solid
fat, and it does so in the body. It is listed on ingredients labels
as hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening,
or margarine.
Total cholesterol is not the best indicator of the
health of your arteries. Cholesterol subcategories and triglycerides,
another type of fat, are better indicators. LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein)
is the "bad cholesterol" that makes deposits in the arteries,
and HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) is the "good cholesterol"
that carries excess cholesterol out of the bloodstream. You want
low levels of LDL, which is affected by diet. And you want HDL above
a certain level, which is affected by diet as well as exercise.
Keeping triglycerides low is also beneficial for heart health. Triglyceride
levels are elevated through eating sugar and sweets as well as starchy
foods like refined flours. Refined flour is one that is not listed
as "whole" on the ingredients label, such as "wheat
flour" or "flour" rather than "whole wheat flour".
The new guidelines for healthy cholesterol levels
were released last May by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
The new criteria almost tripled the number of American adults who
don’t meet the healthy guidelines. They are listed below.
| Cholesterol Goals |
| Types of Cholesterol |
Old Guidelines (1993) |
New Guidelines (2001) |
| LDL Cholesterol |
Less than 130 mg/dl |
Less than 100 mg/dl |
| HDL Cholesterol |
More than 35mg/dl |
More than 40mg/dl |
| Triglycerides |
Less than 200 mg/dl |
Less than 150 mg/dl |
Wheat and Gluten-free
Update
Wheat and Gluten Free
By Dawn Olcott
We continue to get calls from customers looking for
gluten free products. We still have the ever-popular Foods By George,
pecan tarts, brownies, crumb cake and giant cookies!
If you are looking for some good rice pasta,
try the Tinkyada. The penne and spaghetti are my favorites. You
do have to be careful not to overcook it, but it does not turn to
paste in seconds when slightly overcooked like other alternative
pastas. I've served it to friends coming for dinner topped with
stir-fried chicken, spinach, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives,
crushed garlic, olive oil and a sprinkling of parmesan. Delicious!
My new favorite fun food is the Black Licorice Bears
made by Let's Do Organic. They are gluten free, chewy licorice in
the shape of gummy bears.
Look for the Glutano chocolate wafers for a gluten,
egg, and dairy-free treat. They have a chocolate filling inside
a sandwich of light, crunchy vanilla wafer cookies. It's easy to
sit down and eat a whole package if you're not careful. The Glutano
Chocolate O's are good too. It's still fun to take them apart and
lick out the filling and then eat the cookie part. Try them with
a cold glass of Westbrae unsweetened, organic soymilk, it's just
organic soy and water.
We also have some gluten-free mixes. The Pamela's
pancake and baking mix. It can be used for quick pancakes and other
goodies. It makes great muffins. If you use the really small muffin
tins, they cook as fast as a batch of pancakes and are fun to eat.
Add some canned pumpkin to the mix and the results are not only
delicious but also high in carotenes (vitamin A). There are other
recipes on the bag too, but I haven't tried them myself. Let me
know if you do, and which ones you like. The Pamela's brownie mix
is very good. The brownies are moist and chocolaty. It makes a good
substitute for a Birthday cake with a little creative decoration.
Try using a jar of preserves like raspberry or cherry for a frosting
when it is still slightly warm and it will soak in a little.
With alternatives like these gluten free is
not a diet of deprivation!
Did you know?
By weight, broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange and has as
much calcium as milk?
back to top
|
