Thursday, November 24, 2011

Iron and Energy Levels

!±8± Iron and Energy Levels

Typically the start of a new year, brings with it new diet promises. Whether you vowed to limit your caffeine intake or meat consumption when the ball dropped, you may notice a slump in your energy levels. So what's to blame? Well it might not be as simple as missing your cup of java, it may be that you aren't getting enough iron in your diet. That's right iron - think back to Popeye eating spinach out of a can while simultaneously showing off those amazing biceps.

What is Iron?
Iron is a powerhouse mineral and a key ingredient to maintaining optimal health (e.g. energy). Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin (a molecule that carries oxygen from your lungs to all the tissues in your body). A severe deficiency in iron is referred to as iron deficiency anemia, but not all anemias are due to low levels of iron. Other causes of anemia include low levels of other nutrients such as folate or vitamin B12, chronic inflammation, and recent or recurrent infection. However, iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia and can be confirmed with a blood test at your doctor's office, but may also be detected by you in many ways.

If you are struggling to make it through the day or find that the first thought in your mind when you wake up is when you'll get to go back to sleep your iron stores may be low. You may experience fatigue, weakness, decreased attention span, poor appetite, irritability, and an increased susceptibility to infection. More severe deficiency may be exhibited by paleness, exhaustion, and an elevated heart rate. Since these symptoms are common and vague they could also suggest another deficiency or medical condition, so always consult your healthcare provider before instituting major dietary changes.

How to Correct a Deficiency
Let's assume you are deficient in iron. How are you going to get your levels back to normal? Well, rather than scouring nutrition facts and completely overhauling your diet, you may want to look into taking an iron supplement. Although not all of the iron in a supplement will be absorbed by the body, it can be a relatively simple change to institute and can help you get back on track. Keep in mind that iron supplements can cause nausea, cramps, constipation, and stomach upset, so it may be best to divide the dose up and take it throughout the day. To reduce stomach upset always take iron supplements with food. Additionally, consuming foods high in vitamin C (citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, and peppers) with your supplement with help increase absorption.

If you can't stomach the thought of taking yet another pill or if you just don't like the idea of taking pills period, you can get all the iron you need by eating a handful (or two!) of the right foods a couple times a week.

Iron-Rich Foods
Beef, chicken, turkey, fish, and other seafood are all great sources of iron. Vegetarian sources include beans, lentils, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, and dried fruits such as apricots, figs, prunes, and raisins. Even higher amounts of iron are found in molasses, spinach, and kale - three foods that you may think would be difficult to incorporate into your diet. Although molasses is a great way to increase your intake, I despise the taste. I've tried several recipes including iced molasses milk (essentially tastes like cold molasses), raisin bran molasses muffins (tasted slightly less like molasses but gave me a serious tummy ache), and ginger molasses cookies (let's face it all of the butter and sugar basically cancels out the health benefits of ingesting molasses in the first place and the per serving iron content really isn't that high). So now onto two leafy greens rich in iron - spinach and kale. If you haven't tried fresh spinach in late fall, then you are missing out (the first frost heightens the sweetness allowing you to enjoy it fresh out of the bag). And if the closest you have come to kale is seeing it as a filler at your local buffet, then you are in for a treat. These recipes below are quick and easy to prepare with endless combinations, so dust off that blender, start chopping up some kale and say hello to a new energetic you in 2011!

Fruit & Spinach Smoothie

cup organic vanilla soymilk

cup organic juice (orange-mango is my favorite)
1 medium banana, ripened, mashed, and frozen*
1 cup packed organic spinach leaves, rinsed (30 g)
1 ice cube

Place all ingredients in a blender and combine. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

*To stock up on bananas for smoothies take one ripened banana (the more brown spots the better - as bananas ripen the starch is converted to sugar making it the perfect way to sweeten up smoothies), remove the peel, and place it in a snack size bag. Remove excess air from the bag and seal it up. Smash the bagged banana with your hand and place in the freezer for quick smoothies anytime.

After calculating the nutrition facts I realized this smoothie packs as much iron, calcium, fiber, and protein as the molasses muffins with the additional benefit of potassium and vitamin C. You can substitute any type of milk (cow's, almond, rice, etc) and juice, but keep in mind any substitutions will alter the nutrition facts listed below.

Nutrition Facts
222 calories, 1.75 g fat, 0.25 g saturated fat, 80 mg sodium, 900 mg potassium, 48.5 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 32.5 g sugar, 6 g protein, 98% vitamin A, 25% vitamin B12, 46.5% vitamin C, 15% vitamin D, 17.5% calcium, 13% iron

Roasted Kale Chips
2 bunches organic kale (300 g)
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
optional ingredients: vinegar, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove kale leaves from the stems (pulling by hand or chopping along the rib with a knife). Tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Rinse and dry the leaves in a salad spinner or rinse in a colander then dry on a paper towel. In a large bowl, toss the kale leaves with the olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt (add other optional ingredients). Place in a single layer on a baking and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Check on the kale halfway through cooking, turning the leaves as necessary to prevent burning. Chips are done when they have reduced in size and are crispy. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)130 calories, 10.3 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 1.3 g polyunsaturated fat, 6.7 g monounsaturated fat, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein, 308% vitamin A, 200% vitamin C, 14% calcium, 9% iron


Iron and Energy Levels

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Valentines Day Pancakes Recipe From Yorkshire Pudding Batter Mix, Really

!±8± Valentines Day Pancakes Recipe From Yorkshire Pudding Batter Mix, Really

Being a Yorkshire lass I've used a Yorkshire pudding recipe many times over the years, but that's been mostly to make them the traditional way and to be eaten with the Sunday roast whether it be beef, pork, lamb, chicken or turkey. Of course they are associated with roast beef mainly but they taste just as good with other types of roast dinners and it's surprising how flexible they can be.

Originally they were dished up as a starter to fill you up before the main course so that you didn't want as much expensive meat. Nowadays they are usually part of the main course alongside meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy, but they have been known to appear as a dessert too!

One of my favourites is Toad in the Hole. Sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter mix and served with vegetables and a thick, tasty onion gravy. Or another variation of that can be found in many a cafe or pub dining area and that's giant Yorkshires filled with sausages and onion gravy. Or giant Yorkshires filled with roast beef, onions and gravy, though I'm sure that other types of meat would be just as good, depending upon your tastes.

Another variation came as a total shock to me. There I was in a Chinese restaurant in Castleford checking out the buffet and next to the spring rolls and wontons I saw a strange sight of small Yorkshire puddings filled with a chicken and vegetable sauce. Of course I had to try them but to be honest I found them a bit bland and wondered if a curry sauce would have excited the taste buds a bit more.

I've heard that they can be found in restaurants, but I've only ever found them in M & S. That is steak and mushroom baked in a pie made with the Yorkshire pudding batter mix. They are gorgeous and I would love to be able to make them but I can't figure out how to bake them with a top on and still get them crispy on the outside.

However, I'm a dab hand with the normal uses and experimenting with Yorkshire pudding desserts has been interesting and tasty. Mini Yorkshires baked in tart or muffin tins served cold with mandarin oranges inside them and topped with a dollop of lemon ice cream is delicious. Raspberries and either chocolate sauce or ice cream are an alternative filling, or kiwi fruit, strawberries and fresh cream. Almost anything goes really.

For Valentines day you can round your meal off with heart shaped pancakes made with Yorkshire pudding batter which also happens to be the same recipe as pancake batter mix.

Valentines Pancakes Recipe

Ingredients:

* Yorkshire pudding batter or pancake mix

* red food coloring

* Sliced fresh fruit including melon, passion fruit, strawberries and banana

* Lemon flavoured ice cream or squirty cream for the more adventurous!

Directions:

Mix a couple of drops of red colouring into your favorite Yorkshire pudding/pancake batter recipe, then spoon the pink batter into a heated skillet to form a heart shape. This method can also be used to form other fun shapes.

When cooked cool and top with slices of mixed fresh fruit and lemon ice cream. To make it more festive you can top with chocolate chips or cherries.

This is a nice light dessert to end a Valentines day or any other romantic meal.


Valentines Day Pancakes Recipe From Yorkshire Pudding Batter Mix, Really

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Petreck - Wanta-Fanta MIX

The remix of one of Fanta's advertisement tunes - Wanta-Fanta. Add &fmt=18 to the address bar to get better quality. www.myspace.com/petreck

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