Lima Bean Respect Day

Lima beans are fresh in summer, though they are most commonly found dried, canned or frozen, all year long. Lima beans are also known as "Butter Beans"  in many parts of the United States.

There are warnings to avoid raw lima beans because they contain linamarin (also called cyanogens), which releases a cyanide compound when the seed coat is opened," according to Fruits and Veggies Matter. Linamarin is deactivated during cooking.

Modified Recipes

Lima Bean Burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (16 ounces) can lima beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 egg or 2 egg whites

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray. 

2. In a medium bowl, mash lima beans with a fork until thick and pasty. Finely chop bell pepper, onion and garlic and stir into mashed beans.

3. In a small bowl, stir together egg whites, chili powder, and cumin. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. 

4. Divide mixture into four patties. 

5. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

6. Serve on a whole-wheat hamburger bun with kale, onion, tomato slices, and avocado.

Nutrition Facts: 255 Calories; 12g Protein; 44g Carbohydrates; 9g Dietary Fiber; 6g Total Sugars; 5g Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 28mcg Folate; 4mg  Iron; 358mg Sodium

The Delaware Department of Agriculture
presents a Food for Thought 
video on Lima Beans.

Lima Beans: Educational Resource

Kentucky Lima Beans (PDF)

Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
Information about selection, storage, preparation, and a recipe.

Egg Salad Week - Food Safety and Recipes

Egg Salad Week (the week after Easter). Dedicated to the many delicious uses for all of the Easter eggs that have been cooked, colored, hidden and found.

Food Safety
If you plan to eat the Easter eggs you decorate, be sure to use only food-grade dye. (Some people make two sets of eggs - one for decorating and hiding, another for eating. Others use plastic eggs for hiding.) For an Easter egg hunt, avoid cracking the eggshells. If the shells crack then bacteria could enter and contaminate the egg inside. Also, hide eggs in places that are protected from dirt, pets and other bacteria sources and keep hard-cooked eggs chilled in the refrigerator until just before the hunt. The total time for hiding and hunting eggs should be no more than two hours. Then be sure to refrigerate the "found" eggs right away until you eat them. Eggs found hours later or the next day should be thrown out — not eaten! 

When shell eggs are hard-cooked, the protective coating is washed away, leaving open pores in the shell where harmful bacteria could enter. Be sure to refrigerate eggs within two hours of cooking and use them within a week. Check your refrigerator temperature with an appliance thermometer and adjust the refrigerator temperature to 40°F (Fahrenheit) or below. 

Egg Salad Sandwich with Spinach and Tomato

INGREDIENTS

1 hard-cooked egg and 1 hard-cooked egg white. chopped

1 tablespoon 0% plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped onion

ground black pepper

garlic powder

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach

2 slices tomato

1 whole grain bread

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, mayo, celery, and onion. Add the pepper and garlic powder to taste. Place the egg salad, spinach, and tomato on a slice of whole grain bread.

Resources
1. Egg Salad, Lightened Up. Egg salad can be high in fat, cholesterol and calories but with a few simple tweaks you can make light and delicious versions of this comfort food classic. Dana Angelo White #RDN

National Garlic Day Effectiveness of Garlic as a Medical Treatment

Garlic comes from the lily family and is the edible bulb from a plant. It is used as a spice to enhance the flavor of foods and in medicine, Garlic claims have been made to cure heart disease, cancer, colds, hair loss, bug repellant, and many other medical conditions.

The medical research on the safety and effectiveness of garlic has been limited, flawed, inconclusive or failed to prove its curative powers in most of the claims made.

The following conditions have been rated based on the scientific evidence available as to the effectiveness of Garlic as a treatment. From Medline, a service to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health Department of Health and Human Services. Go to Medline for a complete listing of the findings presented.

Ratings
A: Strong scientific evidence for this use;

B: Good scientific evidence for this use;
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use;
D: Fair scientific evidence against this use;
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use.

High Cholesterol (Rate B). Multiple studies in humans have reported small reductions in total blood cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins ("bad cholesterol") over short periods of time (4 to 12 weeks). It is not clear if there are benefits after this amount of time. Effects on high-density lipoproteins ("good cholesterol") are not clear. This remains an area of controversy. Well-designed and longer studies are needed in this area.

Anti-fungal, applied to the skin (Rate C). Several studies describe the application of garlic to the skin to treat fungal infections, including yeast infections. Garlic can cause severe burns and rash when applied to the skin of sensitive individuals.

Anti-platelet effects, blood thinning (Rate C).   Garlic has been associated with several cases of bleeding, therapy should be applied with caution (particularly in patients using other agents that may precipitate bleeding).

Atherosclerosis, hardening" of the arteries (Rate C).   Preliminary research in humans suggests that deposits of cholesterol in blood vessels may not grow as quickly in people who take garlic. It is not clear if this is due to the ability of garlic to lower cholesterol levels, or to other effects of garlic.

Cancer (Rate C).  Preliminary human studies suggest that regular consumption of garlic (particularly unprocessed garlic) may reduce the risk of developing several types of cancer including gastric and colorectal malignancies. Some studies use multi-ingredient products so it is difficult to determine if garlic alone may play a beneficial role. Further, well designed human clinical trials are needed to conclude whether eating garlic or taking garlic supplements may prevent or treat cancer.

High blood pressure (Rate C).  Numerous human studies report that garlic can lower blood pressure by a small amount, but larger, well-designed studies are needed to confirm this possible effect.

Tick repellant (Rate C).  In early study, self-reports of tick bites were significantly less in people receiving garlic over a placebo "sugar" pill. Further, a well-designed study is needed to confirm these results.

Upper respiratory tract infection (Rate C).  Preliminary reports suggest that garlic may reduce the severity of upper respiratory tract infections. However, this has not been demonstrated in well-designed human studies.

Diabetes (Rate D).  Animal studies suggest that garlic may lower blood sugar and increase the release of insulin, but studies in humans do not confirm this effect.

Heart Smart® Tip of the Day: Garlic with

Darlene Zimmerman, RDN

Does fresh-cut garlic really
reduce the risk of heart disease?

Why go to the market,
when you can grow garlic in your garden.

National Animal Crackers Day

Animal crackers are usually in the shape of circus animals such as lions, tigers, bears, and elephants. During the late 1800's, animal crackers were imported from England to the United States. The first batch of animal crackers was made by Stauffer's Biscuit Company in 1871 in York, Pennsylvania. Other local bakeries soon came together under the National Biscuit Company, or "Nabisco Brands." In 1902, the animal cracker's box officially became "Barnum's Animals" with the circus-themed box.

Animal Cracker Nutrition

Create Fun and Healthier Snacks

Shirley Temple - Animal Crackers in My Soup

April, Emotional Overeating Month

Do you eat when you are anxious or excited? Does food make you feel better? If so, you may be conditioned to turn to food for comfort. April is Emotional Overeating Awareness Month.

For many people, eating is something to do when you're bored, tired, anxious or dealing with emotions. Often these behaviors can lead to overeating. But eating to cope with emotions can lead to more negative feelings (guilt, lack of personal control and poor self-esteem) and perhaps to a cycle of mood-triggered eating.

If you eat because of emotions, start keeping a food record of what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. Recognizing what triggers eating can often make it easier to make changes.

Calgary Dietitian Andrea Holwegner
speaks on Emotional Eating

Resources

1. Emotional Eating: What Helps, WebMD 

2. Weight loss: Gain control of emotional eating, Mayo Clinic
3. Mindful Eating — Studies Show This Concept Can Help Clients Lose Weight and Better Manage Chronic Disease; Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD; Today’s Dietitian

April 16 - Nutrition, Food, Health Topics, World Food News, Photography and History

Day of the Mushroom

#DayoftheMushroom - Nutrition Profile  http://bit.ly/2qBMDt3

National Eggs Benedict Day

#NationalEggsBenedictDay - a day set aside to enjoy poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce and Canadian bacon or ham on English muffin halves. http://bit.ly/2H6AcwB

Today in Food History

1521 Martin Luther arrived at the Diet of Worms. This was NOT the first fad diet.

1890 Donald Forsha Jones was born (died June 19, 1963).  American geneticist who invented the double-cross method of hybrid corn development, making the production of high-yielding hybrid corn practical.

1906 William James Farrer died. An Australian agriculturist, he developed new varieties of wheat.

1928 Ellsworth Milson Statler died. American hotel owner, founder of Statler Hotels. His Statler Hotel in Buffalo, New York was the first hotel in the U.S. to have running water and private baths in each room.

1941 The original Elsie the Cow died.  Elsie the cow was originally a cartoon character appearing in ads for Borden Milk.  She is buried in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

 News and Blogs

1. Time to Swoon for Mushrooms! #DayoftheMushroom @brghealth http://brghealth.com/time-to-swoon-for-mushrooms/

2. Mediterranean Spinach Salad with Feta and White Beans #meatlessmonday Elena Paravantes #RDN http://bit.ly/2qDzu2H3. Does ginger help nausea? #NutritionAction http://bit.ly/2H31doE

4. FDA Investigates Salmonella Infections Linked to Shell Eggs from Rose Acre Farms. Affected eggs are from plant number P-1065 w/date range of 011 through date of 102 printed on either the side portion or principal side of the carton or package http://bit.ly/2JPJWwN

5. Why ‘healthy’ snacks could be stopping you from losing weight Leanne Ward, #RDN https://ind.pn/2HDu7sB


6. Grocery Stores Get Mostly Mediocre Scores On Their Food Waste Efforts https://n.pr/2IYVmx6 7. #EarthDay (April 22) is a perfect time to look at food choices and how they affect the planet http://bit.ly/2qClB5Q


7. The Dilemma of the #GlutenFreeDiet   https://on.wsj.com/2EOoRPD

Day of the Mushroom

Growing Your Own Mushrooms

How Mushrooms are Made

Different Ways to Enjoy Mushrooms

1. Add mushrooms to egg white omelet.
2. Sauté, Grill, Broil, Roast or Steam mushrooms. Add to soup, salads, pasta, rice - the combinations are numerous.
3. Add fresh mushrooms to a salad.

4. Stuff mushrooms

Herby Barley Salad with Butter-Basted Mushrooms

by Chris Morocco, Bon Appétit 

Resources
1. Fruits and Veggies, More Matters: Mushrooms: Nutrition, Selection, and Storage

2. Wikipedia, Mushrooms

3. Kitchen Dictionary: Mushroom