Can’t afford to buy all-organic produce? Then stick to the 12 fruits and vegetables most commonly contaminated with pesticides. In government tests analyzed by the Environmental Working Group in 2013, highly toxic pesticide residues were found on 67 percent of food samples after they had been washed or peeled.  According to the EWG, the produce most likely to be “dirty” with pesticide residues includes apples, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, hot peppers, nectarines (imported), peaches, potatoes, spinach, strawberries, sweet bell peppers, kale/collard greens, and summer squash.

The 15 fruits and vegetables most likely to be “clean” of pesticide residues after washing and peeling are asparagus, avocados, cabbage, cantaloupe, sweet corn, eggplant, grapefruit, kiwi, mangoes  mushrooms, onions, papayas, pineapples, sweet peas (frozen), and sweet potatoes.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is vital to good health and an active lifestyle.  Reduce your exposure to the toxic pesticides as much as possible and buy organic where it counts!

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Is drinking a lot of fruit juice really as good as people say?  What’s not to believe?  It seems simple… you pick the fruit and juice it.  Delicious and freshly squeezed… right?

To make juice, you have to squeeze it out of the pulp of the fruit to expose the monosaccharides, or natural sugars.  In nature, the sugars are enclosed in the pulp of the fruit, and when combined with the fiber, are nutritiously made for your digestive system.

Fruit juice separated from the fiber is not natural at all.  By extracting the juice and grinding it up, you’ve changed the fruit’s very nature and character.  As soon as it hits your mouth, you get a rush of sugar straight into the bloodstream. It’s much more high-glycemic, which raises your insulin levels and can lead to obesity and diabetes.

This is also true for carrot juice. Carrots have a low-glycemic load, but carrot juice is high on the glycemic index. Why? Because carrots have a lot of fiber and the monosaccharides are so well-contained in them that it takes a long time for your body to get to the sugar.

Make carrot juice and suddenly that carrot, which tasted mainly like a root, tastes very sweet. This is because you’ve broken all that sugar out of the fiber.

Fortunately, you can still get fresh, locally grown organic fruits and vegetables almost wherever you live – and avoid juice.

Do you need a good work out that doesn’t cost a hefty premium?  Try jump-roping.  With a good pair of athletic shoes and a jump rope (usually under $15), you are ready to go!

Jumping rope strengthens the heart, and a range of upper AND lower-body muscles.  It can improve coordination and inner-ear orientation which may lessen your risk of falls.  It’s also great for your bones, having been shown in several studies to increase bone mineral density.  AND it burns a ton of calories—about 10-12 calories a minute at moderate speed for a 150-pound person.

A good jump rope needs to fit your body.  To check for length, stand on the rope’s midpoint and pull the handles up alongside your body.  They should reach just up to your armpits.  Weighted handles can build more upper-body strength, but aren’t necessary.

For guidelines on different methods of incorporating this great exercise and how to do it properly, see websites like www.jumprope.com.

How many times do you open your refrigerator, freezer or pantry and glance at leftovers or unused food that you bought, wondering if they’re still safe to eat? According to Martin Bucknavage, senior food safety extension associate at Penn State University, if you get to the point where you are wondering, the food is probably NOT still good!  Here’s a guide for when to eat, and when to toss, ten of the more popular foods.

Frozen Chicken:  If you bought a lot of chicken on sale and want to store it safely, it’s best to store it in a freezer bag in a single layer so it freezes quickly.  Squeeze out as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn, and use the chicken within a month or two.  Technically, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 6 months, but the longer it’s frozen, the more the taste and texture degrade.

Raw Chicken:  You can keep this for 1 or 2 days in the fridge, but be sure to follow the expiration date on the package.  If you know you won’t eat it in time, freeze it.

Deli Meat:  Buy only what you need, because you only have about 3 days to eat it.  One week is the absolute max.  You’ve got a little more time with dried or cured meats like salami.

Leftovers:  A week is still safe, though the ingredients might start to separate by then, and taste and quality decline with each day.  Ideally, eat within 2-4 days.  Make sure your refrigerator temperature is set to 35-36 degrees.

Frozen bread/bagels:  This can be stored for a few months in the freezer, but bread will dry out and accumulate  freezer odors in about 2-3 weeks, so eating within weeks rather than months will help the flavor.

Coffee:  Grounds pick up moisture easily, making them a magnet for sucking up odors and flavors of other foods in the fridge or freezer.  So, it’s best to buy a week or two’s supply at a time and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.  Whole beans will last up to 3 weeks in your pantry.

Today is officially National Pecan Day.  Who knew that these little nuts are a very healthy option to add to your diet?

Research from Loma Linda University published in the August 2006 issue of Nutrition Research showed that adding just a handful of pecans to your diet each day may help inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipids, thus helping prevent coronary heart disease.  In addition, landmark research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (June 2004) found that pecans rank highest among all nuts and are among the top category of foods to contain the highest antioxidant capacity, meaning pecans may decrease the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The US Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association have also acknowledged that pecans are effective in lowering cholesterol, based on major clinical trials.

Pecans may also help you with weight loss. A review of pecan and other nut research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (September 2003), suggests that nuts like pecans may aid in weight loss and maintenance. The review cited studies indicating that nut consumption may increase metabolic rates and enhance satiety. When used in conjunction with a healthy low-fat diet, nuts also offer increased flavor, palatability and texture that can lead to greater dietary compliance, according to the review.

And if all that weren’t enough, Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals – including vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, several B vitamins and zinc. One ounce of pecans provides 10 percent of the recommended Daily Value for fiber. Pecans are also a natural, high-quality source of protein that contain very few carbohydrates and no cholesterol. Pecans are also naturally sodium-free, making them an excellent choice for those on a salt- or sodium-restricted diet.

So, grab a handful of pecans today and celebrate!  Do your body some good!

March 14 (3-14) is National Pi Day, in association with the mathematical figure Pi.  But, we’re celebrating with PIE, since you can’t really eat a number.  Here’s a recipe for a delicious low-fat citrus pie.  Good to eat and good for you!

Do you need something decadent for your Valentine’s Day dessert, but you don’t want all the fat and calories?  Health.com has a whole bunch of yummy options on their healthy foods website.  One that looked particularly good to me was the Chocolate Icebox Cake with Raspberry Sauce.  At 311 calories, it’s a splurge, but has only 9.5 grams of fat!  By replacing heavy cream with fat-free sour cream, you can really make a difference in fat content, and the lime juice give the recipe an extra kick of flavor.  Indulge without guilt…

Chocolate Icebox Cake with Raspberry Sauce

Today is National Pie Day.  Pies have been around since ancient Rome and Egypt. These pies were sometimes made in “reeds” which were used for the sole purpose of holding the filling and not for eating with the filling.

The American Pie Council has the following “pie history” on their website:

The Romans must have spread the word about pies around Europe as the Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word pie was a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe was published by the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.

The early pies were predominately meat pies. Pyes (pies) originally appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The crust of the pie was referred to as “coffyn”. There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made using fowl and the legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. English tradition credits making the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I.

Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early colonists cooked their pies in long narrow pans calling them “coffins” like the crust in England. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts often were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling during baking. It was during the American Revolution that the term crust was used instead of coffyn.

So, how can you celebrate this wonderful day without loading on fat and calories?  We found a great recipe for a Low-Fat Lemon Meringue Pie on the “Hungry Girl” web site and want to share it here with you.  Go ahead and indulge in our favorite fruit today!

Low-Fat Lemon Meringue Pie

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8th of pie)
Calories: 187
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 176mg
Carbs: 39g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 20.5g
Protein: 3g

PointsPlus® value 5*

HG Alternatives: Replace all the Splenda with an equal amount of additional granulated white sugar; each serving will have 265 calories, 59.5g carbs, and 43.5g sugars (PointsPlus® value 7*). Or replace all the sugar with the same amount of extra Splenda; then each serving will have 125 calories, 22g carbs, and 1.5g sugars (PointsPlus® value 3*).

Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers, broken into pieces
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)

Filling
1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Meringue
1/2 cup liquid egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9″ pie pan with nonstick spray.

To make the crust, in a blender or food processor, grind cereal and graham cracker pieces into crumbs. Transfer to a medium bowl, and mix in Splenda.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter and 2 tbsp. water for 30 seconds, or until butter has melted. Add to the medium bowl and thoroughly mix. Evenly distribute mixture along the bottom of the pie pan, using your hands or a flat utensil to firmly press and form the crust. Press it into the edges and up along the sides of the pan.

Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

While crust cools, to make the filling, pour egg substitute into a medium-large bowl; set aside. In a small pot, combine Splenda, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir to dissolve cornstarch. Set heat to medium and, stirring often, cook until mixture has thickened to a gel-like consistency, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Remove 1/2 cup of the thickened mixture from the pot. While whisking the egg substitute in the bowl, slowly add the 1/2 cup of thickened mixture to the bowl in spoonfuls.

Gently stir contents of the bowl into the mixture in the pot. Set heat to low. Cook and stir until well mixed and very thick, 1 – 2 minutes. Carefully add lemon juice and stir until just mixed. Transfer filling to the pie crust.

To make the meringue, quickly set out all measured ingredients. In a large bowl, combine egg whites with cream of tartar. With an electric mixer set to high speed, beat until fluffy and slightly stiff, about 3 minutes. Continue to beat while gradually adding Splenda, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until fully blended and stiff peaks form, 2 – 3 minutes.

Evenly spread meringue over the exposed filling without covering the edges of the pan. Bake until meringue is cooked through and lightly browned, 10 – 12 minutes.

Allow to cool completely, at least 2 1/2 hours. Slice and enjoy! (P.S. Refrigerate leftovers.)

MAKES 8 SERVINGS