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Eureka, CA 95501
TEL: (707) 441-5081
FAX: (707) 268-0415
jhouston@co.humboldt.ca.us

Decorate Your Dinner,
Add A Vegetable

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March 2007 - Times-Standard Articles

March 7, 2007 - Obtain Iron from Foods of Animal, Plant Origin Garbanzo Stew

March 14, 2007 - Food Labels Offer Vital Nutritional Information Broccoli With Roasted Peppers, Olives & Feta Cheese

March 21, 2007 - Learn to Read Those Food Labels Asparagus with Warm Tomato Vinaigrette

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March 7, 2007 - Obtain Iron from Foods of Animal, Plant Origin

Iron-deficiency anemia is a common health problem for Humboldt County children. It is also a common problem for adolescents, and pregnant women. In some way, all three of these groups of people are growing rapidly, and if they aren’t getting enough iron in their foods, they become anemic. Iron-deficiency anemia can cause someone to feel tired and look pale; they may have more headaches and other illnesses; they may have a poor appetite, and they will do poorly in school and at work.

Iron is widely available in foods of animal or plant origin, but the iron in plant foods is more difficult for the body to use, unless a vitamin C-rich food is eaten around the same time. A variety of vegetables are considered good sources of iron, including broccoli, spinach, white potato with the skin, artichoke hearts, asparagus, green beans, kale, hominy and green peas. Meats, chicken and fish, are usually considered iron-rich powerhouses, but other good sources of iron include: Fortified breakfast cereals, pumpkin seeds, cooked dried beans, soy nuts, prune juice; dried figs, currants, raisins, apricots and prunes; whole grains and enriched grains.

Use food labels to help you choose iron-rich packaged foods. In fact, food labels can also be used to learn a variety of other very valuable information that can help us make wise purchasing decisions. Food labels make it easy to identify the type of product we’re buying, the amount of food in the container, all of the ingredients included, and the food’s nutritional worth (nutrition labeling). Iron-rich foods will contain at least 45% of the daily value for iron.

Try this flavorful stew on one of our cool evenings. It’s delicious!


Garbanzo Stew
(adapted from Cooking Light)

2 tsp. olive or canola oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (use reduced sodium or 4 c. fresh, chopped tomatoes, if less salt is desired)
1 tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
1/8-1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
2 - 15 ½ oz. cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (reduced salt products are available, if desired)
Optional, ½ tsp. garam marsala (a spice mixture that is available in markets - buy it in bulk to save money)
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro
4 c. cooked long-grain brown rice

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in tomatoes and next four ingredients (tomato through pepper). Cook 8 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in garbanzo beans and garam marsala (if used); cook for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice, and sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp. cilantro.

Serves 4 - 1 cup servings of rice and stew, with 562 calories per serving, 7 g. fat, 0 mg. chol., 920 mg. sodium, 4.5 mg. iron, 17 g. fiber, 110 g. carb., 18 g. protein

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March 14, 2007 - Food Labels Offer Vital Nutritional Information

Happy early St. Patrick’s Day! I’m sure that St. Patrick would be a happy Irishman if he knew that you and your family were eating smart during National Nutrition Month. Food labels contain many useful pieces of information that help us become more aware of what we’re feeding ourselves and our families, and can help us make smart food choices.

The name of a food and the quantity found in the container are easy pieces of information to understand, but it is also good to focus attention on the nutrition label and ingredient list. The thing to remember about an ingredient list is that contents are listed "in order of prevalence by their common names". So, if you’re buying a mixed food, you can see what you’re really spending your money on by looking at the ingredient list. If water is listed as the first ingredient and high fructose corn syrup is listed as the second, you will know that you’re purchasing more water and sugar than any other ingredients in the container!

The "Nutrition Facts" panel contains a veritable plethora of information. How many calories, how much and what kind of fat (saturated and unsaturated are most common, but mono and trans fats are also sometimes listed), and the amounts of salt, sugar and fiber per serving are usually listed. Only four major vitamins and minerals (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron) are listed on the label. They were chosen because they are of greatest public health concern, but there are many other nutrients that are worth eating that can be found in different packaged foods.

Foods generally contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, some of them in very small amounts.  People regularly ask if a particular canned or frozen food has "any nutritional value" if it contains very little or none of the four listed vitamins and minerals. It does have nutritional value (remember that we need more than 50 different nutrients each day, plus other protective substances only found in foods). That food label is simply indicating that you will need to look to other food sources for those major nutrients. Eating a variety of foods each day helps to guarantee that you’re getting everything necessary to keep your body healthy.


Broccoli With Roasted Peppers, Olives & Feta Cheese
(adapted from The Eating Well Cookbook)

1 large bunch broccoli
1 tsp. olive oil or canola oil
1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 Greek olives, pits removed, chopped
3 Tbsp. diced roasted red or yellow bell peppers*
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 ounce reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
salt and black pepper if desired
lemon wedges (optional)

*Use bottled roasted red peppers, or broil fresh sweet red peppers about 4 inches from the heat for 10-15 minutes until they are blistered and blackened all over. Place in a paper bag and set aside for about 15 minutes. Slip off the skin, rinse, cut off stalk, slit open peppers and remove seeds.

1. Cut broccoli into medium-sized florets. Set aside stalks for another purpose (I suggest peeling them, cutting them into strips and using them as a snack while dinner’s being prepared). Steam or microwave the broccoli until it is tender-crisp, approximately 3 minutes.
2. Warm the oil and garlic in a large, nonstick skillet (or cast-iron skillet) over medium heat. Remove the garlic when it has browned (after 2-3 minutes) and add the steamed broccoli, olives, peppers, parsley and marjoram. Sauté’ over medium-high heat until everything is warmed. Scatter cheese over the top, season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. If you like, serve with wedges of lemon.

Serves 4, with 84 calories per serving, 3 g. fat, 2.5 mg. chol., 271 mg. sodium, 4 g. fiber, 4.6 g. pro., 10.5 g. carb.

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March 21, 2007 - Learn to Read Those Food Labels

Last week, I shared some useful information about food labels and what to look for on the ingredient list and nutrition label. There is more to "label reading" than those two pieces.  Current food labels have much better information than in previous years, but there is still some confusion.

With the current labeling laws came some specific definitions for commonly used terms. It may be helpful to know what you’re reading. Remember that "serving size" means the amount calculated by the food manufacturer as a serving for each food, not necessarily the amount you will be eating as a serving. There is a very important distinction between those two definitions. The calories and nutrient value that you get from each food is determined by the amount you actually eat. If what you eat is the equivalent of two servings as listed on the container, then you actually get twice the calories, twice the fat, and twice the other vitamins and minerals as listed on that food label.

Here is a partial list of descriptive terms used on labels and what they really mean:

• Fat Free: The food contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving, using the serving size described on the label. Question: Is it the amount you usually eat?
• Low Fat: The food contains no more than 3 grams of fat per serving.
• Reduced or Less Fat: It contains at least 25% less fat per serving than the regular "full-fat" food.
• Low Saturated Fat: It contains 1 gram or less of saturated fat per serving, and no more than 15 percent of the calories come from saturated fats.
• Saturated Fat Free: There is less than 0.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, and the amount of trans fatty acids in the food cannot exceed 1% of the total amount of fat.
• Low Calorie: There are 40 calories or less in each serving.
• High Fiber: The food contains 5 grams or more fiber per serving. Foods claiming to be high fiber must also be low fat, or else the total amount of fat must be shown next to the high fiber claim.
• Trans fat: As of January 1, 2006, trans fat is listed on the Nutrition Facts panel of food products right under the line for saturated fat. It is usually found in processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (hydrogen is added to vegetable oil) such as vegetable shortenings, some margarines (especially harder margarines), crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, and baked goods.

Check out some of the labels on the packaged foods in your cupboard. What kinds of claims are made? Do you understand what the label is telling you? Try the following recipe with your family, using fresh produce that has lots of protective nutrients, and fresh flavor.


Asparagus with Warm Tomato Vinaigrette
(adapted from The 5 in 10 Cookbook)

1 lb. fresh asparagus
2 medium-size ripe tomatoes (or ½ can  (15 oz. diced tomatoes)
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 ½ Tbsp. tarragon white wine vinegar (or 1 tsp. tarragon and 1 ½ tsp. white wine vinegar)
½ tsp. honey

1. Wash asparagus spears. Bend bottom part of each spear until it breaks naturally. Discard tough part (or save to put in soup).
2. Pour about 1 inch of water into a large non-stick frying pan and bring to a boil over high heat. If using fresh tomatoes, coarsely chop.
3. Add salt to water, add asparagus, return to a boil and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Heat the oil in a non-reactive, small saucepan. Stir in the vinegar and honey (and tarragon if added separately). Add tomatoes and heat through. Drain the asparagus and arrange on a platter. Pour sauce over asparagus and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4 with 70 calories per serving, 3.8 g. fat, 0 mg. chol., 167 mg. sodium, 3 g. fiber, 8 g. carb., 3 g. protein