Spring is here and with it comes onion season! Of course, the kitchen staples of yellow, white and red onions are available year-round, but now is the best time to enjoy the variety of mild and sweet spring onions, including scallions, wild ramps, garlic grass, scapes, chives and more. You may see some of these at the local farmers market. Because onions are such a common ingredient, it’s easy to overlook their nutritional benefits. Aside from being flavorful, low carb, fiber dense, and rich in vitamins and minerals, onions also have been researched specifically for their anti-inflammatory properties. This has been correlated to improvement in heart disease, blood sugar control and even the ability to help fight certain cancers. Onions may not have the superstar reputation of other “superfoods,” but they are super just the same! –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN Read More
Author: Carroll
Hope for Heart Health
A new heart failure clinic has opened this month at Carroll Hospital’s Tevis Center for Wellness—and it’s the beacon of hope that will lead the community toward improved heart health.
National Nutrition Month 2024: Beyond the Table
Many things come to mind when thinking about nutrition “beyond the table.” Perhaps your mind wanders to dreams of a romantic homestead full of rich produce and a laughing family. It might be that your heart is pulled toward the injustices and inequities faced by migrant farmers. Or maybe the memory of your grandmother cooking a traditional meal from your heritage plays in your mind.
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Roasted Radishes
What do you do with radishes? They’re spicy, maybe a little smelly to some people … but overall, a vegetable that needs a glow up. This recipe is that glow up! It’s easy, low carb and a good source of fiber, vitamin C, folate and more. When cooked radishes take on a soft potato-like texture and lose their sharp bite. They’re great roasted, pan fried and even boiled in soups. –Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Did you know that colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States?
Colorectal cancer is cancer that starts within the colon or rectum and can spread throughout the body. Although rate of colorectal cancer has been declining by about 1% a year in older adults, according to the American Cancer Society, the rates in people younger than 55 has steadily been increasing by 1% to 2% a year since the mid-1990s.
Omega-3 Fish Tacos
As we wrap up wrap up Heart Health Month, let’s wrap up a tasty meal that our hearts will thank us for: fish tacos! We hear a lot about Omega-3 fatty acids and their benefits on heart health, but salmon can be expensive, and many supplements have an unpleasant aftertaste. It’s time to embrace the sardines! These little fish are convenient, are no fishier than canned tuna and they’re shelf stable. Best of all, for a 3-ounce serving, you get about 1.3 to 2 grams of Omega-3s for as little as $0.63, compared to salmon that provides roughly the same for about $3.37 for the same serving. In addition to that, if you get bone-in sardines, you have the added benefit of an excellent source of calcium and collagen, helping to maintain the health of your bones, joints, skin, tendons and more. Read more on the health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids. — Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness
Classic Kale Chips
Your healthcare provider may have recommended the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) to help you with your blood pressure, but you may be finding it hard to get in all that veg while cutting back on salty snacks. Try these delicious kale chips for a crunchy snack that’s rich in vitamins C, A, K and antioxidants.
Valentine’s Sheet Pan Dinner for Two
Taking time to celebrate the holiday with your loved one can be hard in the middle of the week. This is a healthy recipe for two that is easy with minimal clean-up, but still has enough flare to be special. Using lean cuts of meat and lower fat dairy reduces the amount of saturated fat in this meal. Your honey and heart will thank you! — Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness
Cauliflower Turmeric Soup
Eat the rainbow is definitely good advice when comes to eating your produce, but remember, just because a veggie is white doesn’t mean it’s not nutritious! Cauliflower, the cloud of your produce rainbow, is still loaded with nutrition. Cauliflower is an excellent source of potassium and it’s a good source of fiber, with about 3g of fiber per cup. Cauliflower and other white veggies, such as parsnips and mushrooms, are also rich in a phytochemical called anthoxanthin. Research so far shows that this phytochemical can help with improve heart health, reduce risk of cancer and stroke, and reduce inflammation.
— Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN, community nutrition educator, Tevis Center for Wellness
Peruvian Chicken and Rice Soup (Aguadito de Pollo)
We all get bored with making the same recipes over and over. Whenever I get into a recipe rut, I pick a random country, head over to Pinterest and see what fantastic cuisine they have to offer. Sometimes I’ll use a random selection generator online. I tried this for this week, came up with Peru, and the recipe I found did not disappoint! This soup is warming for the cold weather, but also light and refreshing. It’s loaded with nutrient-dense cilantro, peppers, lean chicken and complex carbs from brown rice and potato. This soup has a little kick to it, so let’s talk about what makes peppers spicy: capsaicin. Capsaicin is a phytochemical (we’ve heard that word before!) that has quite a bit of research around it. Studies show that those who each chilis on a regular basis have an associated reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and a 25% relative reduction in all-cause mortality. Embrace the chilis! — Dana Mealing, RDN, LDN