Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Holiday Salad With Color!
The strangest thing about this salad is the combination of ingredients. I love the creativity behind this salad and the colorful presentation it makes for a Holiday meal. This dish contains two (2) MUFA's (Pine nuts & Olive Oil).
Ingredients:
(2) limes
(1) jalapeno pepper
(4) ripe Fuyu persimmons
(1) pomegranate
(3) tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
Directions:
Squeeze juice from limes into a large bowl, add jalapeno's and let stand for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, trim and discard top and bottoms from persimmons. Thinly slice persimmons. Toss persimmons, pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, olive oil and cilantro. Serve imediately!
MUFA The New Mantra
What are MUFAs? Pronounced (MOO-fah)
MUFAs are Monounsaturated Fatty Acids. In biochemistry, we learned that Mono-Unsaturated Fatty acids have ONE single double bond in the fatty acid change where as the PolyUnsaturated fatty acids have more than one double bond (hence mono and poly). MonoUnsaturated fats are plant based fats, see below for foods high in MUFAs.
What are the Health Benefits of MUFAs?
Studies show that a foods rich in MUFAs help reduce LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, the kind that clogs up arteries, and possibly help boost HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, the kind that sweeps cholesterol out of the arteries and clears it from the body. They can also lower the risk of heart disease and improve insulin.
How much fat per day should I eat?
Fat should not take up more than 20- 35% of your daily caloric intake. So lets say you consume 2000 calories a day,
- 0.20 x 2000 = 400 fat calories
- 0.35 x 2000 = 700 fat calories
How many grams is that?
We know that 1g fat = 9 calories therefore;
- 400 cal/9 cal per g = ~ 44.5 g
- 700 cal/9 cal per g = ~ 77.8 g
This means that out the 2000 calories that you eat per day, 400 – 700 calories or 44.5 – 77.8 g should come from healthy fats.
What are some foods that are MUFA rich?
Oils
Pick your MUFA: Canola oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil, hemp oil
Use them like this: Stir-fry with sesame, peanut, or canola oil; pan-fry in walnut or olive oil; cook with safflower, soybean, or sunflower oil; use flaxseed oil and hemp oil
Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, Brazil nuts, natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, dry-roasted peanuts, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts. This also includes nut butter; almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter
Use them like this: Eat nuts as a snack or sprinkle on a salad, oatmeal. Spread nut butters on toast, add them in your oatmeal or top it on your sweet potato.
Avocado
Pick your MUFA: Florida avocado, Hass avocado
Use them like this: Slice and serve with a salad or any entrée; mash with lime juice, salt and pepper and serve with chips; chop and fold into store-bought salsa
Olives
Black olives, black olive tapenade, green olives, green olive tapenade
Use them like this: Serve olives as a snack; sprinkle sliced olives on pizzas, salads, or pastas; spread tapenade on crackers or sandwiches
Dark Chocolate
Pick your MUFA: Dark or semisweet chocolate chips, shavings, or chunks
Use them like this: Any way you crave!
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