September 5, National Cheese Pizza Day Garden Pizza with Mozzarella, Asparagus, Peppers, Tomatoes, Mixed Greens

Yields: 2 Servings

Serving Size: 1/2 pizza

Ingredients

1 Pizza Crust, 7-inch

8 Asparagus

2 Tbsp Red Onions

6 Grape Tomatoes

1 sl Squash

1/3 Red Pepper

1/4 cup Mixed Greens

1/3 cup Part-Skim Mozzarella, shredded

Nutrition Information

National Macadamia Nut Day - Nutrition, Recipes, and Resources

Macadamia nut is the seed of the macadamia tree. Macadamia nuts are native to Australia and also known as the Australian Nut. They are commercially grown in Hawaii and, to a much smaller degree, in California and Florida. Roasted macadamia nuts are a popular snack. 

Health Benefits and Nutrition

Macadamia nuts are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), such as oleic acid and palmitoleic acids. Studies suggest eating macadamia nuts as part of a healthy meal plan seems to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and to raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

Compared to other common edible seeds such as almonds and cashews, macadamias are high in fat and low in protein. Macadamia nuts have sweet taste. One ounce of nuts provide about 200 calories/1 ounce.

They contain numerous nutrients, minerals, antioxidants and vitamins that are essential for optimum health and wellness.

One ounce (28.3 g) of macadamia provides 2 g or 8% of daily-recommended levels of dietary fiber. Additionally, they are a very good source of phytosterols such as β-sitosterol. Macadamia nuts contain no cholesterol.

Macadamia nuts are free from gluten, it is a popular ingredient in the preparation of gluten-free foods. This provides a healthy alternative in people with wheat gluten allergy and celiac disease.

Macadamia Nut Side Effects & Safety
Macadamia nuts are safe as food. They can cause an allergic reaction, but this is unusual.

Special Precautions & Warnings
Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs.

Recipes

Ono Mango Macadamia Nut Bread

Cooking Healthy Across America by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Culinary Professionals

1. Food Network, Macadamia Nut Recipes
2. Eating Well, Tropical Popcorn Balls with Macadamia Nuts

Resources

1. Wikipedia, Macadamia Nuts
2. Nutrition and You, Macadamia Nuts
3. Livestrong, Are Macadamia Nuts Healthy?

Labor Day Picnic Ideas - Food Safety

USDA Joins Grill Sergeants For Safe BBQ Advice

History of Labor Day

Resource
1. Eating Outdoors, Handling #FoodSafely  #FDA  http://bit.ly/2PlRids

National Welsh Rarebit Day

Welsh rarebit is a dish made with a savory sauce of melted cheese and various other ingredients and served hot, after being poured over slices (or other pieces) of toasted bread, or the hot cheese sauce maybe served in a chafing dish like a fondue, accompanied by sliced, toasted bread. The names of the dish originate from 18th-century Britain. Despite the name, the dish does not actually contain any rabbit.

Welsh Rarebit - delicious. magazine  

The first recorded reference to the dish was "Welsh rabbit" in 1725, but the origin of the term is unknown.

There is some suggestion that Welsh Rabbit derives from a South Wales Valleys staple, in which a generous lump of cheese is placed into a mixture of beaten eggs and milk, seasoned with salt and pepper and baked in the oven until the egg mixture has firmed and the cheese has melted. Onion may be added and the mixture would be eaten with bread and butter and occasionally with the vinegar from pickled beetroot

Resource

Welsh rarebit, Wikipedia  

National Nutrition Week in India - The Indian Cuisine

National Nutrition Week in India

Vision
To achieve optimal nutrition of vulnerable segments of the population such as women of reproductive age, children, adolescent girls, and the elderly.

Mission
To enable food and nutrition security conducive to good health, growth & development and increase productivity through dedicated research, so as to achieve the national nutrition goals set by the government of India in the national nutrition policy.

National Nutrition Week (India)
Dietary Guidelines of Indians 

Indian cuisine encompasses a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.  

Indian food is also heavily influenced by religious, in particular, Hindu and cultural choices and traditions. Also, Middle Eastern and Central Asian influences have occurred on North Indian cuisine from the years of Mughal rule. Indian cuisine is still evolving, as a result of the nation's cultural interactions with other societies.

Indian Chicken Curry with Rice, #EatingWell   

Historical incidents such as foreign invasions, trade relations, and colonialism have played a role in introducing certain foods to the country. For instance, potato, a staple of the diet in some regions of India, was brought to India by the Portuguese, who also introduced chilies and breadfruit. 

Indian cuisine has shaped the history of international relations; the spice trade between India and Europe was the primary catalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery. Spices were bought from India and traded around Europe and Asia. Indian cuisine has influenced other cuisines across the world, especially those from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the British Isles, Fiji, and the Caribbean.

Resources and References

1. National Nutrition Week (India) – Dietary Guidelines of Indians
2. Indian Cuisine, Wikipedia - Spices at a grocery shop in India   

3. Indian Chicken Curry with Rice, #EatingWell   

World Coconut Day - Coconut Products

Coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). Coconuts have been grown in tropical regions for more than 4,500 years. Unlike their name suggests, coconuts aren’t nuts. They form part of the drupe family, which are fruits consisting of a fleshy external part with a pit and seed inside. Drupes have three layers: the outer layer, a fleshy middle layer, and a hard layer that surrounds the seed.

Recently, coconut has gotten a lot of publicity as being a super-healthy food, but much of the information is not supported by science. There is a variety of coconut-derived products adding flavor to your food - from coconut oil to coconut flour and coconut milk. But can a food so high in calories and rich in saturated fat be healthy?

Coconut Oil and Coconut Butter

Coconut oil is simply the oil extracted from the coconut meat, while coconut butter is made from coconut flesh ground into a spreadable paste

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat and solid at room temperature. It is used in some packaged foods and for cooking and baking. Cook with coconut oil in dishes where you'll notice and appreciate the flavor, like curries, soups and even muffins.

Coconut butter is a rich and creamy product with a peanut butter-like texture. Unlike coconut oil, the butter actually contains the meat of the coconut so it is more solid and white. It is a common ingredient in the Paleo Diet and uses include replacing other nut butters in baking, spreading on toast, melting and drizzling on desserts, or just eating it straight.

It can be used as a vegan, dairy-free butter replacement, nut-free butter, as a base for desserts such as fudge and for frosting. Coconut butter is also known as coconut manna.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is made from a brew of coconut meat and water. It is rich and thick and more like a cream than milk. This plant-based milk has a delicious creamy taste and is great in smoothies, curries, soups, stews, desserts, etc. It’s very popular in Asian and Caribbean cuisine.

Coconut milk is a common replacement in recipes that traditionally call for cow’s milk. It’s also very popular among vegans and people who follow a dairy-free diet.

Coconut cream is the thick, creamy part of coconut milk that contains less water than coconut milk. It’s very suitable for desserts and in dishes requiring a rich consistency. You can also use it to make dairy-free whipped cream.

Condensed coconut milk is cooked coconut milk. The evaporation during the cooking process gives it a thick, creamy consistency.

Beyond the more traditional canned coconut milk, there is a creamer for coffee, yogurt in various flavors, and coconut milk ice cream. While it may be a good option for vegans and those with lactose intolerance, the low protein content and high amount of fat actually make it a poor nutritional replacement for cow's milk.

Coconut Water

Coconut water is known for being an alternative to sports drinks, the hydrating water has electrolytes, sodium, and magnesium to help post-workout recovery. Some brands have been found to have fewer benefits than listed on the cartons, so be sure to buy from a trusted source.


Coconut Flour
Coconut flour is gluten-free flour made from de-fatted dried and ground coconut meat. The high fiber content is nutritionally beneficial, but it can sometimes make it difficult to bake with. Coconut flour is a great way to add coconut flavor to baked goods. Coconut flour is popular with special diets, like Paleo and Keto

Coconut Meat 

Once the outer green husk of the coconut is removed, what remains is the seed and its rich inner white lining, the coconut meat. It is a creamy and healthy snack with a bite. It can be used in granola, fruit salad, or by itself. Coconut meat is the base for many healthy coconut products such as coconut milk, coconut oil, shredded coconut, coconut ice cream, coconut yogurt, coconut kefir, and coconut flour.

Dried Shredded Coconut / Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

This is dehydrated coconut meat and it’s typically used in desserts, baking, and fruit salads. Coconut flakes are a tasty, healthy snack on their own or combined with nuts, seeds, and other fruit. You can buy them as flakes and chips. Prepackaged dried flaked coconut or dried shredded coconut is the most convenient to cook or bake with. Choose unsweetened dried shredded coconut or coconut flakes over sweetened dried coconut, which has 2 teaspoons of added sugar per ounce.

Coconut Sugar is made from the sap of the coconut flower rather than the coconut itself. In comparison to granulated sugar, it has a darker color, deeper flavor, and some versions come with added flavors. Coconut sugar has a rich taste with a hint of caramel. It’s not to be confused with palm sugar. Nutritionally, it's very similar to granulated and can be substituted 1-for-1 in baking or other cooking.

Recipe:

Vegetable Fritters with Green Chile-Coconut Chutney
recipe from Sara Moulton‘s cookbook Home Cooking 101 

Resources

1.  5 Impressive Benefits of Coconut, Anne Danahy #RDN
2.  What Is Coconut Meat, and Does It Have Benefits? Lauren Panoff #RDN

3. The Health Benefits of Coconut: Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Coconut Flour & More, Karen Ansel #RDN  Is coconut healthy? 

International Bacon Day - Food Safety and Nutrition

International Bacon Day is an unofficial holiday observed since 2009 on the Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. Bacon day celebrations typically include social gatherings during which participants create and consume dishes containing bacon, including bacon-themed breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and drinks.

It's the "B" in a BLT sandwich, the star of breakfast buffets, the garnish on a spinach salad, and the "pork" in pork-and-beans. Bacon imparts a smoky flavor to many dishes. This ancient, cured meat now appears in such modern forms as shelf-stable or refrigerated fully cooked strips, bacon made from turkey and/or beef, and meats certified as organic.

The term "bacon" is used to describe the cured belly of a swine (hog) carcass. If meat from other portions of the carcass is used, the product name must identify the portions where the bacon comes from, e.g., "Pork Shoulder Bacon." Bacon is generally produced from young animals (6 to 7 months old) that weigh between 175 to 240 pounds.

Bacon and Food Safety

Bacon is made with salt as a curing agent, and nitrite (but not nitrate) is the other most frequently used additive. Bacon may also contain other additives such as sugars, maple sugar, wood smoke, flavorings, and spices.

Under certain conditions not yet fully understood, the products from the natural breakdown of proteins known as "amines" can combine with nitrites to form compounds known as "nitrosamines." There are many different types of nitrosamines, most of which are known carcinogens in test animals.

Not all cured meat products contain nitrosamines; however, when present, they usually are in very minute amounts. Many variables influence nitrosamine levels: amount of nitrite added during processing, concentrations of amines in meat, type and amounts of other ingredients used in processing, actual processing conditions, length of storage, storage temperatures, method of cooking, and degree of doneness.

Researchers at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that the addition of vitamin C (ascorbate) and vitamin E (tocopherol) reduced the levels of nitrosamines in fried bacon and in nitrite-cured products. The findings led to changes in Federal regulations and industry processing to minimize consumer exposure to nitrosamines. USDA now requires adding 550 ppm (parts per million) of either sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate to pumped bacon. This addition greatly reduces the amount of free nitrite and, thus, minimizes the formation of nitrosamines. This regulation is found in 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 424.22 (b)(1).

Nutrition Information

BLT Sandwich

References

1. Wikipedia, List of bacon dishes
2. Eat Right Chicago, Is Everything Really ‘Better with Bacon?’
3. USDA, Bacon and Food Safety

An educated consumer has the knowledge to make healthy choices - Choose Moderation.

National Tailgating Day - Food Safety Advice from the USDA

Tailgate Parties Food Safety Advice From USDA

A tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating, which originated in the United States, often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and concerts. People attending such a party are said to be 'tailgating'. Many people participate even if their vehicles do not have tailgates. Tailgate parties also involve people bringing their own alcoholic beverages, barbecues, food etc. which is sampled and shared among fans attending the tailgate. Tailgates are intended to be non-commercial events, so selling items to the fans is frowned upon.

Tailgate parties have spread to the pre-game festivities at sporting events besides football, such as basketball, hockey, soccer, and baseball, and also occur at non-sporting events such as weddings, barbecues, and concerts

National Food Bank Day - How we can make a difference?

In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for 1 in 6 people in the United States, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different.

Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children, and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.

It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America. 

Feeding America network of 200 food banks across the country are first-class organizations in the fight against hunger. They are more than just distribution centers, they are core to providing hope to the communities they serve.

The following is a summary of the information found on the Feeding America Website. 

Nearly 49 million people in America face hunger. That is 1 in 6 of the U.S. population – including more than 1 in 5 children. Don’t let their struggles go unheard. Join the Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks and Speak Out Against Hunger. 

Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually, a 46 percent increase from 25 million since Hunger in America 2010.

Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.

Hunger can affect anyone. Feeding America has identified groups at risk, including young children, hunger in the suburbs, rural hunger, senior hunger, and the working poor.

Special on Childhood Hunger
Kate is a fictional character who represents the very situation in which many children find themselves when their parents lose their jobs. Find out how you can help.  http://www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give/

Childhood hunger hinders a young person's ability to learn. They are more likely to suffer from poverty as an adult. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. Insufficient nutrition puts children at risk for illness and weakens their immune system. The immature immune systems of young children, ages 0 – 5, make them especially vulnerable to nutritional deprivation and as a result, the ability to learn, grow, and fight infections is adversely affected.

Please find out how you can help during National Food Bank Day. 

August is Kids Eat Right Month - Share the Message

Kids Eat Right is a joint initiative from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation. The goal of Kids Eat Right is to educate families, communities, and policymakers about the importance of good nutrition.

August is Kids Eat Right Month, a nutrition education, information sharing, and action campaign created by Kids Eat Right, an initiative of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and its Foundation.

Kids Eat Right Month spotlights healthy nutrition and active lifestyles for children and families, offering simple steps to help families cook healthy, eat right, and shop smart.

The Kids Eat Right website centers around the theme "Shop-Cook-Eat." The goal is to bring families together each day for nutritious meals by providing simple and easy-to-follow tasks.

 Share the Monday Message Campaign involves Academy member volunteers who distribute weekly advice through social media channels (such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.). The Kids Eat Right campaign provides resources to help Academy members become recognized leaders in childhood obesity prevention. Volunteers then educate the community on shopping ideas, cooking tips, eating right, and recipes.

Consumers, Caregivers, Educators, Journalists, Policy Makers  To learn more about Kids Eat Right, visit Kids Eat Right
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics To become a volunteer, visit About Kids Eat Right 

   

August 29, More Herbs, Less Salt Day and National Lemon Juice Day

Instead of salt, use spices, herbs, lemon juice,
and/or vinegar to enhance the taste of your food.
The health benefits are life-long.

Wikipedia has provided an extensive list of culinary herbs and spices. The list does not contain salt (which is a mineral) or plants used primarily as herbal teas or medicinal herbs. Explore the different flavors and cultures.

Tips for Selecting and Storing
Herbs and Spices

Spice it Up with
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD

Where does sodium come from?

Sodium comes from natural sources or is added to foods. Most foods in their natural state contain some sodium. However, the majority of sodium Americans consume comes from sodium added to processed foods by manufacturers. While some of this sodium is added to foods for safety reasons, the amount of salt added to processed foods is above what is required for the safety and function of the food supply.

Reading Labels
When you buy prepared and packaged foods, read the labels. You can tell the sodium content by looking at the Nutrition Facts panel of a food. Listed are the amount for sodium, in milligrams (mg), and the “% Daily Value.” Also read the ingredient list to watch for the words "soda" (referring to sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda), "sodium" and the symbol "Na" to see if the product contains sodium.

Salt and/or Sodium Descriptors

• Salt-Free:  Meets requirements for "sodium-free."
• Sodium Free: Fewer than 5 milligrams sodium per serving.
• Very Low Sodium:  35 milligrams or less sodium per serving.
• Low Sodium: 140 milligrams or less per serving 
• Reduced Sodium:  At least 25 percent less sodium per serving.
• Unsalted:  Has no salt added during processing. To use this term, the product it resembles must normally be processed with salt and the label must note that the food is not a sodium-free food if it does not meet the requirements for "sodium-free".

The FDA and USDA state an individual food that has the claim "healthy" must not exceed 480 mg sodium per reference amount. "Meal type" products must not exceed 600 mg sodium per labeled serving size.

Sodium and Hypertension.
In order for a food to make an Allowable Health Claim, it must contain a defined amount of nutrients. In relationship to sodium and Hypertension, the amount is 140 milligrams or less sodium per serving.

American Heart Association (AHA)
The American Heart Association recommends you choose and prepare foods with little or no salt to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day (less than 3/4 teaspoon of salt).
The AHA is working with federal agencies to identify ways to reduce the amount of sodium in the food supply. The association is encouraging food manufacturers and restaurants to reduce the amount of sodium in foods by 50 percent over a 10-year period. AHA will help Americans lower the amount of sodium they consume by the following strategies:
 1. Reduce the amount of sodium in the food supply,
 2. Make more healthy foods available (e.g., more fruits and vegetables); and
 3. Provide consumers with education and decision-making tools to make better choices.

 Tips for reducing sodium in the diet
 1.  Choose fresh, frozen or canned food items without added salts.
 2.  Select unsalted nuts or seeds, dried beans, peas, and lentils.
 3.  Limit salty snacks like chips and pretzels.
 4.  Avoid adding salt and canned vegetables to homemade dishes.
 5.  Select unsalted, lower sodium, fat-free broths, bouillons or soups.
 6.  Select fat-free or low-fat milk, low-sodium, low-fat cheeses, and low-fat yogurt.
 7.  Use spices and herbs to enhance the taste of your food. 
 8.  Add fresh lemon juice instead of salt to fish and vegetables.
 9.  When dining out, ask for your dish to be prepared without salt.
10. Don’t use the salt shaker.

August 27, Banana Lovers Day: Nutrition, Selection, Storage, and Recipes

Selection

Choose bananas that are firm and free of bruises. Bananas are best to eat when the skin color is solid yellow and speckled with brown. Bananas with green tips or with practically no yellow color have not developed their full flavor. Bananas are overripe when they have a strong odor.

Storage

To ripen bananas leave at room temperature for a couple of days. Once ripe store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The peel may turn brown in the refrigerator, but the fruit will not change.

Recipes

If you love bananas, Eating Well has a collection of Banana Recipes you are sure to enjoy.

Chiquita Banana The Original Commercial 

Produced by Disney Studios in the 40's, this commercial appeared only in movie theaters, and for over 50 years kept us humming its catchy tune.

DOLE Banana Growing and Planting
Dole explains the growing and planting of bananas.

Banana Farm

The banana farm at EARTH University uses socially and environmentally responsible practices at every stage of the process. The farm plants trees along river banks to promote biodiversity and reduce harmful erosion. In addition, they do not use herbicides. The farm's eco-friendly practices produce some of the most flavorful bananas in the world.

August 25, National Banana Split Day - Fruit Festival

Ingredients
1 Banana, split in half
1 Kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
4 Strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup Cherries, sliced
1/2 cup Orange Segments
1/2 cup Low Fat Ice Cream, optional

August 24, National Waffle Day: Portion Control and Variety

Whole Grain Waffle with 
Crunchy Peanut Butter and
Blueberries and Strawberries

National Water Quality Month - How much do kids Need?

When the water in our rivers, lakes, and oceans becomes polluted, the effects can be far-reaching. It can endanger wildlife, make our drinking water unsafe, and threaten the waters where we swim and fish.

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the federal law that protects public drinking water supplies throughout the nation. Under the SDWA, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for drinking water quality and with its partners implements various technical and financial programs to ensure drinking water safety.

The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. EPA's purpose is to ensure that: all Americans are protected from significant risks to human health and the environment where they live, learn and work; national efforts to reduce environmental risk are based on the best available scientific information; federal laws protecting human health and the environment are enforced fairly and effectively; environmental protection is an integral consideration in U.S. policies concerning natural resources, human health, economic growth, energy, transportation, agriculture, industry, and international trade, and these factors are similarly considered in establishing environmental policy; all parts of society - communities, individuals, businesses, and state, local and tribal governments - have access to accurate information sufficient to effectively participate in managing human health and environmental risks; environmental protection contributes to making our communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable and economically productive; and the United States plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment. So what happened in Flint, Michigan and are other communities are at risk?

Drinking Water in your Home
Many people choose to filter or test the drinking water that comes out of their tap or from their private well for a variety of reasons. And whether at home, at work, or while traveling, many Americans drink bottled water.

Resource
World Water Week, Stockholm International Water Institute.