Veggies: Canned, Frozen, or Fresh?

Quick, which is the most nutritious: canned, frozen, or fresh vegetables? You might think that the obvious answer is fresh, but not so fast. Depending on how long it takes to get the vegetables from the farm to your family's dinner table, the answer may vary.

Your best choice is organic, pesticide-free, just-picked fresh vegetables — they are delicious and nutritious just the way that nature intended them. However, depending on where you live, winter weather has most likely limited your ability to get locally-grown veggies. When it warms back up though, be sure to shop for in-season, locally grown veggies from nearby farmers markets and stands — or grow your own in a garden — to get the healthiest selection. Just buy what you need as close as possible to the time you plan to eat them. That's because the more time that has passed since the veggies were picked, the more they lose their nutritious content. While it's tempting and convenient to stock up, don't!

Frozen organic vegetables are great alternatives to fresh ones, especially in these cold-weather months. The veggies are generally flash frozen immediately after they have been harvested, which is when they are at the peak of their freshness and nutrition. In fact, frozen organic vegetables are a more nutritious choice than "fresh" ones that have traveled across the country to your local grocery store only to sit for days in a produce aisle or those vegetables that you bought and tossed in your refrigerator's bin a week ago.

Canned veggies, however, are the least nutritious of the bunch. While they are canned soon after they are harvested, many veggies lose up to 90 percent of their original nutrition power in the canning process. Also, canned veggies have higher sodium levels because they often have salt added to them. The worse thing about canned veggies is that the cans are lined with plastic that contains the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, which has been linked to insulin resistance, early puberty, prostate cancer, and diabetes. If you still choose to eat veggies out of cans, look for brands that are organic and have no salt added or low salt.

 F
inally, how you cook your vegetables also plays a part in their nutrient content. All veggies, regardless of whether they are canned, fresh, or frozen, will lose most of their nutrients — and flavor — if they are boiled in large amounts of water over a long period of time. Lightly steam or microwave them to preserve their vitamins instead.

How to Curb Mindless Eating

Okay, you've all heard the term "grazing" — you know, picking at food throughout the day instead of (or in addition to) eating regular meals. This constant, indiscriminate eating — especially when you're focused on another task, such as talking on the phone, working on the computer, or watching TV — is the downfall of many committed dieters, but it doesn't have to be.

If you're piling on pounds because you eat when you're distracted or bored rather than when you're actually hungry, try the following tactics to break the habit.

To curb daytime grazing:

• Don't eat while you're standing up, in the car, on the go, or when you don't have time for a full, proper meal. If you sit down at mealtimes and pay attention to every bite, you'll be more relaxed; you'll notice when you're satisfied, which m
• eans that you'll be less likely to overeat — and you'll actually enjoy your food! Don't skip meals. I mean it. You might think you're saving yourself calories, but it will only leave you famished and more likely to consume extra calories later on to feel full. 

To curb nighttime grazing:

• Why do most people graze at night? Because they're bored. If you've been thinking about taking up knitting, crossword puzzles, Ping-Pong, or some other hobby that will keep your brain busy in the evening, now is the time to do it. 
• Brush your teeth. Food never seems quite as appealing when you have that fresh, minty toothpaste taste in your mouth. 
• Try a cup of hot tea; the warm liquid in your stomach can help you feel satiated.

Dollar Store Food: 13 Frugal Recipes

Read About Dollar Store Food:13 Frugal Recipes HERE

Ditch Food Additives! Here's Why!

Did you know that processed foods make up almost 60 percent of our diet? That's a lot of food! For the good of your health, now and in the future, it's time to get rid of processed foods that contain harmful additives.

"Antinutrients" are foods that don't deliver any value to your diet, and here are the ones I want you to toss immediately: foods that contain artificial preservatives, colors, and flavorings. These additives pose health risks that aren't worth it when you can easily just say no!

Regarding artificial preservatives, you might ask, "How could an idea with such a good intention — to prevent spoilage and food poisoning — go so incredibly wrong?" Well unfortunately for us, most preservatives are bad news. A common preservative, BHA, is found in hundreds of foods, including cereals, sweets, and snack foods, and is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" by the FDA. Incredibly, though, it's still deemed safe. That's not what I'd want to put into my body, and you shouldn't want to either.

Instead: When you're at the grocery store, check packages for signs of BHA, which also goes by the names anisole, butylated hydroxyl-; antioxyne B; antrancine 12; butylhydroxyanisole; tert-butyl hydroxyansiole; embanox; nepantiox 1-F; phenol, tert-butyl-4-methoxy; phenol, (1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methoxy-; sustane 1-F; and tenox BHA. Long list to memorize, huh? Better just to avoid BHA by staying away from processed foods altogether.

The same goes for artificial coloring. There has been an ongoing debate over whether there's a link between kids' behavior problems and artificial coloring and preservatives. One recent study showed that after preschoolers and grade school kids ate an additive-free diet for six weeks and then reintroduced additives to their diets, their hyperactivity levels rose dramatically. Artificial colors have also been linked to thyroid, adrenal, bladder, kidney, and brain cancer.

Instead: Always choose foods with the fewest artificial chemicals and colors for your kids. The worst color offenders are blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 3, and yellow 6. Choose color-free medication, and when you allow your kids a treat, make sure it's a small portion of the real thing, not something filled with fake colors and flavors. For example, give them real ice cream (small amount!) instead of a rainbow freezy pop.

Now we move on to our pals the glutamates, which are "flavor enhancers" added to foods to heighten the savory experience. They're produced by the hydrolysis of proteins, a process that "frees" the glutamates from the proteins. The most frequently talked about one is monosodium glutamate, or MSG, and it is in everything — canned foods, bouillon, ice cream, ranch dressing, corn chips, and the list goes on. MSG has been reported to cause headaches as well as more serious health conditions, and government regulations now require foods that contain it to be labeled "Contains MSG." While some glutamates exist in natural foods, like cheese and meat, the processed-food industry often adds multiple forms of glutamates — at times as many as four kinds — to pump up the flavor of a food and keep you craving more. High levels of free glutamates mess with your brain chemistry and nervous system big-time.

Instead: Don't be fooled by words like "natural flavor" and "spices"; foods marked like this may actually contain glutamates. Eliminate as many glutamates as possible from your diet, and explore ways to boost the natural flavors of foods. Fermented foods, wine, soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and ketchup are all naturally flavorful ways to enhance your dishes. Also, the cooking method you choose — roasting, smoking, or slow grilling — can make foods richer and more savory.