Summer is in full swing and if you live in the mid-west you have likely taken part of the traditional summer foods- hot dogs, brats, corn on the cob, and watermelon. In this episode, I will be discussing the delectable, sweet fruit - watermelon. As a child watermelon has been the summer fruit of my choice. I would literally eat a whole watermelon in one day and look for another one the next day. I can no longer eat a whole watermelon by myself, but I can certainly eat a large piece. Watermelon is great to eat as a side dish, snack, or as a meal as it is low in calories and contains several nutrients.

I know several of you will be shocked when I mention watermelon has antioxidants (as that appears to be the go to word I use all the time when describing these foods) such as lycopene. Here is a fun fact- the US population gets the majority of their lycopene from eating watermelon than from eating any other type of fresh fruit (George Mateljan Foundation, 2014).

Watermelon also contains an amino acid citrulline that when consumed will convert into another amino acid arginine. Arginine has been shown to improve blood flow and is beneficial for cardiovascular health (George Mateljan Foundation, 2014). As you can likely guess watermelon also contains vitamin C, this nutrient has also been shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. Many B-vitamins and potassium are found in watermelon, so even though this fruit is low in calories, it packs a powerful punch in each serving. The typical serving size for watermelon is 1.5 cups cut or 1/16 cut of a watermelon = 85 calories, 0.4 grams of total fat, and 22 grams of total carbohydrates (CalorieKing, 2014). 

So how about using watermelon to make a nice, fresh salsa?

The recipe is from All Recipes (2014) and makes 2 cups:

Ingredients

2 cups seeded and coarsely chopped watermelon

2 tablespoons chopped onion

3 tablespoons seeded, chopped Anaheim chile

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon garlic sauce

Directions

In a serving bowl, mix together the watermelon, onion, and chile pepper. Season with balsamic vinegar and garlic salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend flavors.

Per 2 tablespoons: 8 calories, 0 grams total fat, 2 grams total carbohydrates, 0.2 grams total protein

AllRecipes.com (2014). Watermelon Salsa. Retrieved on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Watermelon-Salsa/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

CalorieKing (2014). How Many Calories in Watermelon, Raw? Retrieved from http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fresh-fruits-watermelon-raw_f-ZmlkPTYzNjA1.html

George Mateljan Foundation (2014). Watermelon. Retrieved from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31

I want to dedicate this blog post to my NS325: Nutrition across the Human Life Cycle class as they had provided me with the idea to write about avocados. We were discussing about good, healthy fats a pregnant female could eat and avocados were mentioned. It just was not the word avocados that were mentioned, but also great recipe ideas and uses of them. So, I would like to share with you all about this wonderful delectable fruit that had led to a deep discussion in our class.

When someone mentions avocados what do you think about? The yummy guacamole found at your favorite Latin American restaurant? The fresh avocado placed on your tuna salad sandwich? The little bits of avocado mixed with beef fajitas? Or do you think about the health benefits of avocados? Well, if you are anything like me, you are likely thinking about the health benefits of avocados. 

Many know avocados contain monounsaturated fats or the good kind of fat that may reduce heart disease risk, but did you know since avocados are fruits they contain that power word- antioxidants? The particular antioxidants found in avocados are lycopene and beta carotene. Now, you may be quite surprised that avocados contain these particular antioxidants as they are typically known to be in red and orange vegetables and fruits like carrots and tomatoes, but these are also found in green fruits and vegetables as well. The highest concentration of these antioxidants are actually found right underneath the skin of the avocado, so be careful when peeling this delectable fruit (George Mateljan Foundation, 2014). Aside from healthy fats and antioxidants, avocados also contain many other nutrients such as folate and vitamin B6, potassium, and vitamins C and K (George Mateljan Foundation, 2014). So, what is the serving size of this fruit to ensure you get in the max nutrients? ½ of a medium fruit will provide you with 140 calories, 13 grams of total fat, and 8 grams of total carbohydrates (Calorie Count, 2014):

If you are looking for a new way to use an avocado, check out this Avocado Mac & Cheese recipe from Avocados from Mexico:

Serves 4-6 people

Per 1 cup serving size: 365 calories, 15 grams protein, 12 grams total fat, 49 grams total carbohydrates

Avocados from Mexico. Avocado Mac and Cheese. Retrieved from http://www.theamazingavocado.com/recipes/avocado-mac-and-cheese/#.U7oCA7FBnZc

Calorie Count (2014). Calories in Avocado. Retrieved from http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-whole-foods-avocado-i118094

George Mateljan Foundation (2014). Avocados. Retrieved from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

By Jeanette Andrade:

 I’m hungry and nothing seems to be filling me up. Do you ever have one of those days?  You know those days where you can eat all the food within your refrigerator and still look for more? Ugh, I tried to eat fruits (blueberries and strawberries) and vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, and green peppers) to keep me full, but within thirty minutes I am looking for more. I scoured my cabinets to find something that I think will keep me satisfied and only came upon dark chocolate. Disappointment fills me up as I am not a sweet eater nor do I like the lingering after taste of dark chocolate. However, I’ll give it a whirl as this particular dark chocolate has carbohydrates, fats, and benefits that will hopefully keep me full until the next meal. 

The fats found in dark chocolate are stearic and oleic acids. Stearic acid is considered a saturated fat, but surprisingly does not tend to raise total cholesterol as other saturated fats (University of Michigan, 2014). Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat that tends not to raise total cholesterol and is generally considered the good type of fat (University of Michigan, 2014). This particular dark chocolate that I am about to take a bite of also has 65% cacao. This amount of cacao may potentially have more flavonoids (i.e. procyanidins and epicatechins). These particular flavonoids may be beneficial for the heart and may improve one’s mood (University of Michigan, 2014). Who knew chocolate would help my mood? Well, that is a bonus to take a bite of this sweet delight, but only an ounce will do.

I gingerly take that first bite, yuck bitter, so I drink a lot of water as I have to stop this hungry feeling. After several more tiny bites my profoundness for this piece of dark chocolate has grown. Soon that ounce has disappeared inside my belly (well more technical than this, but suffice it to say it lands in my belly). Ok, the wait begins. Yes! Thirty minutes has passed and no hungry feeling. Soon I forget that I was once hungry as I am now full and satisfied. Thank you dark chocolate for filling my belly and as a bonus giving me some healthy benefits.

For those who are dark chocolate lovers, here is a yummy recipe for you from Delish:

Ingredients

Directions

Nutritional Information
(per 1.5 inch serving)

Delish (2014). Chocolate Nut Bark. Retrieved from http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/chocolate-nut-bark-recipe

University of Michigan (2014). Healing Foods Pyramid: Dark Chocolate. Retrieved from http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/dark_chocolate.htm

                While many consumers are focusing their attention on the events of July 4^th weekend, they are having hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, and a variety of other wonderful foods on which they put mustard to enhance flavor. The word “mustard” often conjures thoughts of the yellow semi-liquid that we put on foods due to tradition as well as the unique tastes that the condiment can offer. However,mustard is far more than this yellowish substance associated with summer foods as the leaf variety can actually improve overall health and wellness.

                Mustard greens come in many forms and sizes and have a multitude of important vitamins and minerals which we need on a daily basis. For instance, mustard leaves are rich in Vitamin A, C, and K. Vitamin A is important for vision, red blood cell production, and disease prevention. Vitamin C is most well-known perhaps for its impacts on helping our immune systems (does not cure colds, but may help alleviate symptoms and build the immune system). Vitamin K is well-associated with improved bone density and heart disease prevention specifically (as well as many other body functions).

Besides the vitamin content listed above, mustard greens only have about 25 calories for roughly 3 ounces of product, a perfect addition to any calorie-watching nutrition program that is being implemented. Perhaps the best thing about mustard greens is that they are relatively easy to find in a supermarket with other leafy vegetables and are generally as inexpensive as leaf lettuce. If your supermarket does not carry some type of mustard greens, you can always grow them yourself. Mustard is one of the easiest plants to grow as it does not require maintenance other than watering and weeding. Even if you do not have a space for your own garden, you can still grow mustard in a flower pot in a window (which is usually what I do each spring prior to transplanting them to my garden when the weather warms).

Lastly, mustard leaves can be eaten in a variety of ways. They can be used as a side dish, a garnish for the main course, sautéed, or eaten as part of a salad raw. The zest that the mustard leaves provide as part of a salad is my favorite way to eat them as it seems that the leaves not only give a distinct flavor of their own, but the greens also enhance the flavors of the other ingredients in the leafy mixture.

Give mustard its due credit and try it in your next meal!

Mark Maule

Health and Wellness Adjunct Instructor

“Challenge” Yourself

                There are a lot of different ways that we can challenge ourselves on a daily basis to promote a better version of the person we wish to become.  Social support networks (buddy systems), internet and phone app tracking systems, and our own intrinsic determination to simply be our best are all tools that can work to give us the push we need to maintain healthy activity levels.

                On June 21, 2011, I joined the Get Healthy program as part of the Kaplan Health and Wellness team and was introduced to the President’s Challenge. It was one of the ways for staff and students alike to practice what we preach as Health and Wellness advocates.  For those of you who are not familiar with the President’s Challenge, it is a personal quest that you can set for yourself so that you stay active each and every day. It is a program that is geared toward accumulating activity in 5 minute increments that are assigned points based on the caloric output that you have when completing the activity. For example, if I weight train for 60 minutes vigorously, I will earn 348 points, whereas 60 minutes of gardening is worth 290 points. Even if I clean my house, which we all have the pleasure of doing regularly, I can earn points. The following point totals earn their respective medals: 1) 40,000 = Bronze, 2) 90,000 = Silver, 3) 160,000 = Gold, and 4) 1,000,000 = Platinum (the highest award recognized for an adult in this tracking system). When you earn the Platinum award,  your name goes into the website database and you receive a t-shirt and certificate indicating your accomplishment. Then, you get to start the entire process over again working toward your next million points :)  

                Although I am active every day with a variety of exercise-based (lifting weights, biking, kayaking) as well as necessity-based behaviors (cutting and hauling wood, lawn and garden, household chores), I found the President’s Challenge to be a terrific tool to help show me how active I really was despite having numerous other responsibilities that needed to be fulfilled. The President’s challenge helped me stay the course I set and make significant strides toward my own maintained and improved health.  It can be a highly motivating method of self-monitoring that keeps things in a realistic perspective, allows you to be recognized for your hard work, and simultaneously improves your health.

                There is no time like the present, so here is the link to get you started on a healthier you: 

https://www.presidentschallenge.org/

Mark Maule

Health and Wellness Instructor