Foods High In Iron

It’s a lot easier to find fruits and veggies on restaurant menus, but sometimes the selection is nothing to write home about. Or worse, the portions take a magnifying glass to locate. Ready to change things? Go big. Aim to fill half your plate with vegetables and, if you can, add a little bit of fruit. Here are 9 simple ways to reach that goal.  1. Go a la carte: Scan “Side” and “Appetizer” sections of the menu for vegetable-rich offerings, preferably ones that center on vegetables prepared in a healthy way--steamed, roasted, or grilled. 2. Mix ‘n’ Match: Notice grilled vegetables or steamed carrots listed with an entrée you don’t plan to order? Ask to make it an a la carte side. You’ll probably need to pay extra, but the portion will likely be ample. 3. Open with Salad: Noshing on a raw bowl of veggies is a fast way to boost your produce count. Just go e...

     I've previously discussed how eating healthier, nutrient dense foods can be mood enhancing. You can experience a definite boost in mood just by eating the right foods in the right combinations. It is a direct reflection of the old computer programmer's phrase "GIGO" - meaning "Garbage In, Garbage Out" - if you put bad code into a computer, you get a junk program coming out. Put bad food in your body, get a poor response from your brain and body. Here is a list of a few foods to elevate your mood and stay Clean at the same time. 1. Spinach Take a tip from Popeye; he did  have great pipes and boundless energy. Spinach is rich in folic acid, which promotes healthy red blood cells and a strong immune system, which keep you energized and free of happiness-sapping disease. If you’re not so fond of this leafy green in a salad or steamed with balsamic vinegar, chop it fine and stir it into soups, stews, a stir-fry, and tomato sauce for a sneaky nutri...

     Thinking about making the change from your current ( and perhaps less than stellar ) nutritional habits to Clean Eating can be daunting. It is a big change, and not one taken lightly.      Recognizing that what you are doing now isn’t working is a huge step in itself, and you should be commended for it. Perhaps you are just in the beginning stages of investigating Clean Eating. Maybe you just heard about it and are researching it. Maybe you followed a link here and are curious as to what Clean Eating entails.      Click on the tabs at the top of the screen here at Clean Eating Eve, and investigate Clean Eating, and nutrient dense foods.      You may recognize that Clean Eating is indeed a wise choice, but you might not be ready to “take the plunge” full scale into this change of habit. What can you do to ease into Clean Eating? What small changes can you make in your nutrition that will show you Clean E...

5 New Ways of Preparing Beans     Roast ‘Em Garbanzos Chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans) can be tossed in a bit of olive oil and roasted in the oven until crispy, making them an easy, tasty, and nutritious snack. They taste best if coated in some spices before roasting. Try curry powder for an Asian twist, or cumin and chili powder for a Southwestern flair. If you are using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain the liquid away before cooking. Use a hot oven (400F), spread the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet, and set the timer to 25 minutes. Depending on the oven, you may need to add more time. Let the roasted beans cool slightly before eating Make Black Bean Balls and Patties Black beans are popular in chilies, stews, and soups because of their lovely flavor. Have you ever considered using them in place of ground meat to make bean loaf, bean balls, or bean patties? Use your original recipe and replace all of the meat with cooked beans (make ...

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, or will be traveling to an area of the country where TJ's are common, I heartily suggest that you make a visit to stock up on CE essentials.  Trader Joe's operates stores in  many locations in the US and are growing at a significant rate opening stores across the country. There are many reasons to shop at Trader Joe's, even if you aren't a Clean Eater - but here are some of the top reasons in my book: 1. They sell their bananas for .29 / lb. Beautiful, delicious, perfect bananas, more than 1/2 off the price of "normal" stores. 2. Broad selection of organic foods. They have an excellent selection of minimally processed / minimal ingredient frozen and jarred foods. Most are low sodium, organic, and remarkably Clean. 3. Snack Foods: TJ's has a wonderful selection of nuts, trail mixes, raisins, and crackers. You will enjoy trying the various organic snack crackers 4. Stevia: In my humble opinion, TJ's brand of ste...

   Welcome, new readers to Clean Eating Eve! Over then next week or so, I'm going to be bumping some older posts that will help you as you begin to eat a cleaner, more healthy diet. This post, from November of last year, discusses the CE direction on eating more than the 3 square meals a day. Eating snacks ( healthy ones! ) is important when eating cleanly! Following a Clean Eating path, you are naturally cutting your caloric intake just by the guidelines you are following. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats - all are lower calorie than man made, processed foods. If you are CE for weight loss, it's a great thing. You are automatically doing the "Eat better" and "Eat less" of the old "Eat better / Eat less / Move more" weight loss adage. If you are already slim or CE for purely nutritional reasons, eating more of what is better for you becomes important as keeping weight becomes a necessity.      Regardless of your path, eating 4-6 smaller meals per day...

     Yesterday in conversation, someone asked me the difference between Clean Eating and "The Paleo Diet"   ( wherein you mimic the eating habits of our earliest ancestors who yes, did not eat Pop*Tarts )  I think its an important distinction, and one worth investigating. Clean Eating: The removal of all processed foods from your diet. If it grew on a bush or tree, or walked/swam the Earth - you can eat it. Clean Eaters do not drink alcohol, and use things like salt and food preservatives very sparingly if at all. Water consumption and 5-6 meals a day are promoted. Many Clean Eaters adhere to a "if it has a barcode, I'm suspicious of it" feeling on food.. Clean Eating Food Pyramid ( Thanks again, Tiffany ! ) Paleo Diet: Eating those foods that were only accessible to our most primitive ancestors - meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries. No alcohol, salt, oils, beans, or grains. Foods that were only developed in the last 1,000 years ( dairy prod...

I've written several times about using Sundays as a "Clean Eating Prep Day" so I start the week off on the right foot CE wise. I prep the groceries I've bought, portion things out in containers and bags so I can "grab and go"...but one thing I've not really mentioned is something I prep on Sundays that has become somewhat of a staple for me; a CE dish I can adjust to suit my mood flavoring wise, a dish that uses up small amounts of frozen veggies from the freezer, or can be frozen and reheated at a moment's notice. It doesn't have a name. I call it my "ground beef dish" and the ingredients are fluid. Browned organic ground beef Mixed vegetables ( usually odds and ends from the freezer; or whatever floats my boat at the time ) Various seasonings and spices. That is it.  This week's fry pan contained  1.5 lb ground beef, diced onion, diced green pepper, and a medley of broccoli, corn, and red peppers. I added some extra organic brocc...

"Why does orange juice taste so good with oatmeal? And what is it about olive oil that enhances the flavor of tomatoes? The answers to these questions, it turns out, are buried deep within our instincts. New evidence suggests that certain foods that taste great together also interact with one another in nutritionally positive ways. In other words, two particular foods consumed in combination can actually deliver more benefits than either one would on its own. Epidemiologist David R. Jacobs refers to this phenomenon as “food synergy.” He believes that it might explain why we are inherently crave certain foods together, as well as how they join forces to protect and nourish our bodies. Here are 10 food combos that maximize absorption of the good elements while keeping the bad ones out of your system." 1. Spinach & Beets Popeye has been selling us on the power of spinach for 80 years, but he should skip the canned variety a...

Yes, yes - the best pasta sauce is one you make at home. I understand this. My schedule, however, refuses to comply. What's a CE girl to do? What is the best Clean Eating pasta sauce? Since I don't eat pasta right now - the point is a little moot...but I do like a tomato sauce on the turkey meatballs I make, and I enjoy it on things like meatloaf. I've been keeping my eyes peeled, and these brands are the Cleanest of the national brands. My standards were straightforward to make this list: no added sugar, no starches, fillers, weird chemicals and preservatives I can't pronounce, and they have to taste good. Simple, no? 1. Francesco Rinaldi "To Be Healthy" Pasta Sauce Ingredients in the tomato & basil flavor? Tomato puree, diced tomatoes, carrot puree, soybean oil, salt, extra virgin olive oil, diced onion, DHA algal oil, spices, basil, and dried garlic. Pretty Clean! The taste is fresh and light - I also like the spicy marinara if you like your sauce on th...

1. Apples 1st Choice (Natural State): Apple 2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Applesauce Limit (Highly Processed): Apple toaster pastry Shopping Tip: While applesauce is a healthy choice, it has fewer nutrients than a whole apple - and generally added preservatives 2. Oranges 1st Choice (Natural State): Orange 2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): 100% orange juice Limit (Highly Processed): Orange drink Shopping Tip: Many fruit drinks contain high fructose corn syrup and little real juice. 3. Strawberries 1st Choice (Natural State): Fresh strawberries 2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Strawberry preserves ( a lot of sugars! ) Limit (Highly Processed): Strawberry gelatin dessert Shopping Tip: Gelatin desserts usually contain artificial strawberry flavor, not real fruit. 4. Peaches 1st Choice (Natural State): Peach 2nd Choice (Somewhat Processed): Canned peaches in 100% juice Limit (Highly Processed): Canned peaches in heavy syrup Shopping Tip: Fruit canned in heavy syrup has ...

I found this fairly helpful explanation of organic food labels over at  Marketwatch.com while looking for something completely different. It's a really clear and simple explanation of those confusing labels that seem to be popping up on all kinds of products. Here's a crash course in label reading from Consumer Reports: What to buy      "100% Organic." Translation: By law, a product with this label has to be made entirely of certified organic ingredients, produced in accordance with federal organic standards, and include no synthetics. Conclusion: You get what you pay for.  "Organic." Translation: Products bearing this label are required to contain no less than 95% certified organic ingredients. The remaining 5%: Non-organic and synthetic ingredients. Conclusion: Good and (mostly) good for you. "Made with Organic Ingredients." Translation: These products contain a 70/30 split of organic ingredients and other non-organ...

The concept of snacking on most diets is frowned upon - "3 squares a day, no extras!"  Clean Eating requires it. Demands it. You will be able to maintain more wholesome choices at your traditional meals if in between, you chose smart snacks that are enough to tide you over but are unprocessed ( to abide by the Clean requirement ) and low in fat/calories. Some facts: Snacking keeps your metabolism humming. Research suggests that, like a charge for a battery, eating about three meals a day with two or three snacks in between can make your metabolism more efficient. Think of your metabolism like a little fire in your stomach. A little food is the fuel you throw into the fire to keep it burning strong .For some people, that means stoking it every 2½ hours; for others, it’s every 3½ hours. The point is never to let your energy wane or to go without a bite for so long that you get ve...

Brother in law was across the table from me at Sunday dinner. My family all knows I am a Clean Eater, and he decided he wanted to know more about CE. I obliged, gladly. We discussed the Basic Tenents of Clean Eating , what I eat, what I don't...and then we got to the deal breaker. Brother in Law ( hereafter referred to as BIL ): What about alcohol? Me: Alcohol is considered unclean. BIL: Why? Me: Anything that doesn't provide nutritional value - something that is either negative to your system , or neutral, can be considered unclean. Alcohol has little nutritional value - so...unclean. BIL: But...but...beer. Beer is water, hops, barley - clean, right? Me: In technical terms, yes - but beer doesn't really have nutritional benefits. It doesn't "add" to you, other than giving you a beer belly. The alcohol in it is really...bad for your system. BIL: Beer makes me happy. I don't want to give it up. Doesn't something that makes your body happy count for some...

     Someone close to me is a recovering alcoholic. He usually does well, and is clean and sober. However, during stressful times, unhappy times, depressed times…his body and mind tell him otherwise. We’ve talked about this, and a statement he’s made to me: “Part of being a recovering alcoholic is learning to be a non-drinker in a drinking world” is incredibly applicable to the CE lifestyle. “Part of being a Clean Eater is learning to be Clean in an Unclean world. “ If you think about that statement – “…learning to be Clean in an Unclean world”, it becomes clear that changing your diet is as much a mental change as it is a physical one. Our bodies are remarkably adaptable, and when we give our body junk food, it adapts to accepting this lower grade “fuel” by adding fat, slowing the metabolism, and generally running poorly – but it runs. The change that causes the physical change to take hold is purely a mental one ; understanding that in order to be healthy, you must...

Yesterday was my birthday. Due to circumstances, the folks at my office celebrated today, with lunch and the traditional cake. Now, I was approached by the woman who organizes such things, and asked point blank if I wanted to have a cake or not. As my co-workers are very dessert friendly, I would have felt bad saying "Hey, let's have Jell-o!" ...so, I declared that if a yellow cake with chocolate frosting were to magically appear...I wouldn't say no.  Lo and behold - the cake appeared today. Smelled heavenly - thickly sweet, massive sugar and chocolate. I sliced large pieces for my co-workers; I didn't want to bring any home. I cut a piece for myself. Not too big, not too small . That first bite was fantastic. I haven't had anything even close since August. I savored those first few bites. Then words from my dear friend rang in my ear - and I stopped eating halfway through. I was satiated. The next hour, however, was horrible. I was sick to my stomach. The sug...

One thing I'm starting to wrap my head around at the 6 month mark is portion control. It is only now, reflecting back on what I used to eat... now I see how incredibly out of proportion my portion sizes were. I can't believe the gargantuan amounts I used to eat! Here are some real life, easy to relate to portions sizes for some comparison A 3 oz portion of lean meat or chicken is the same size as a digital camera. A single slice of bread should be the same size as a traditional Ipod.  A 1 oz piece of deli sliced turkey ( not cold cut ) is the same size as a dvd A 1/2 cup portion of whole grain rice or pasta is the same size as about 2 golf balls. A 3 oz piece of salmon is the same size as a man's wallet. Using your hands: 2 hands cupped together is a one cup serving of raw vegetables Your fist is about the same size as a medium piece of fruit The tip of your thumb is about the same size as a 1 oz cube of cheese The palm of your hands usually fits a 1/4 cup of nuts.

Looking for some "convenience" foods that will fit in with your CE lifestyle? Need guidance for best bets when choosing your your CE pantry items? Here's a great list of items to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to clean grocery items. 1. Eggland's Best Eggs  Already lower in cholesterol and fat than other brands, Eggland's Best eggs now have 4 times more vitamin D (which helps your body absorb calcium) and 3 times more omega-3 fatty acids (which lower the risk of sudden heart attacks and may improve your memory). That's because the company removed animal products and added vitamins and minerals to the chicken feed. 2. Nasoya Organic Tofu Plus  All tofu contains heart-healthy isoflavones, but this brand is fortified with B vitamins and vitamin D, plus 20% of your daily calcium need—and doesn't cost more than regular tofu. Women's calcium requirements go up by 200 mg when they hit 51, so switching to this tofu can help make up the ...

If you are a stress eater - nothing can be harder than staying on track when emotional times hit...and they will hit. What do you do? Where do you turn when every fiber of your being is telling you to eat that cookie? I was faced with this choice today. I held the cookie in my hand. I turned it over and looked at the chocolate chips. I said "This will not get me where I want to be." And it didn't work. I still wanted the cookie. Badly. I wanted to assure myself everything would be ok - to soothe my frazzled nerves, to calm my thoughts - to ease my pain. Ultimately, I put the cookie back and walked out of the kitchen. I went and took a shower. I hadn't cried at all until I got in the shower, and the tears flowed easily and quietly. I let the pain go. After I got out of the shower, I made a startling realization...at least, it was for me . Food for me is a comfort mechanism to turn to when showing emotion isn't appropriate. When keeping it bottled up is easier than ...