Avocado Day - Discover the Wonders of Avocados

Avocados have a green-skinned, fleshy body that is egg-shaped or round. Commercial avocados ripen after harvesting. The fruit is rich and has a subtle flavor. The texture is smooth, almost creamy. It is used in both savory and sweet dishes. Avocados have a high-fat content, but this fat is healthy. It is good for your skin, digestion, heart, and joint health.

Avocados offer nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in every serving, including potassium (which helps control blood pressure), lutein (which is good for your eyes), and folate (which is crucial for cell repair and during pregnancy).

Avocados are a good source of B vitamins, which help you fight off disease and infection. They also give you vitamins C and E, plus natural plant chemicals that may help prevent cancer.

Avocados are low in sugar. And they contain fiber, which helps you feel full longer. In one study, people who added a fresh avocado half to their lunch were less interested in eating during the next three hours.

Fat and Calories

Avocados are high in fat. But it's monounsaturated fat, which is a "good" fat that helps lower bad cholesterol, as long as you eat them in moderation. 

Avocados have a lot of calories. The recommended serving size is smaller than you’d expect: 1/5 of a medium avocado (or 1 ounce) is 50 calories.

Top Ways to Enjoy Avocados

1. Skip the Mayo! Mash 1/3 an avocado and spread it on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise. Rich in monounsaturated fat, avocados are a healthy substitute for mayonnaise, cream cheese, butter or sour cream.  

2. Avocado is a deliciously rich, healthy and filling addition to salads. Just dice and toss!

3. Add some avocado slices to your sandwiches! This tasty fruit add a delicious flavor but it also adds substance to an otherwise meager concoction. 

4. Enjoy avocado as part of a healthy stir-fry dish.

5. Grab a Spoon. Halve avocados, remove the pit and start spooning. Want a little kick? Add some low-sodium soy sauce in that little dip in the middle.

6. Avocados are perfect in fish and seafood sauces.

7. Halve avocados then use a small ice-cream scoop to fill the little dip in the middle with your favorite chicken, tuna, or ham salad recipe.

8. Mix together one mashed avocado, 1/2 cup of non-instant oatmeal, and one tablespoon of honey. Apply to your face, wait 15 minutes then rinse.

9. Prepare Guacamole 

Recipe: California Avocado Super Summer Wrap Recipe,
Fruits & Veggies— More Matters  

Avocado Toast with Fresh Beet Hummus

Kids Cook Monday

How to Prepare Avocados

Store avocados at room temperature, keeping in mind that they can take 4 to 5 days to ripen. To speed up the ripening process, put them in a paper bag along with an apple or banana. When the outside skins are black or dark purple and yield to gentle pressure, they’re ready to eat or refrigerate.

Wash them before cutting so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the pulp.

While guacamole is arguably the most popular way to eat avocado, you can also puree and toss with pasta, substitute for butter or oil in your favorite baked good recipes, or spread or slice onto sandwiches. Try adding avocado to salad, pizza, soup, salsa, eggs, and sandwiches.

Remember that not all avocado dishes are created equal when ordering at a restaurant. Some items -- like avocado fries and avocado egg rolls -- are coated in batter and fried, making them much higher in both calories and fat.

Allergic to Latex?

If you have a latex allergy, talk to your doctor before adding avocado to your diet. People with a serious allergy to latex may also experience symptoms after eating avocado.

Resources

1. WebMD, Everything You Need to Know About Avocados  
2. Top 10 Ways To Enjoy Avocados, Fruits, and Veggies More Matters

3. California Avocado https://www.californiaavocado.com/

4. Avocado, EatFresh.org 

California Avocado Day - From Farm to Table

Avocados have a green-skinned, fleshy body that is egg-shaped or round. Commercial avocados ripen after harvesting. The fruit is rich and has a subtle flavor. The texture is smooth, almost creamy. It is used in both savory and sweet dishes. Avocados have a high-fat content, but this fat is healthy. It is good for your skin, digestion, heart, and joint health.

Avocados offer nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in every serving, including potassium (which helps control blood pressure), lutein (which is good for your eyes), and folate (which is crucial for cell repair and during pregnancy).

Avocados are a good source of B vitamins, which help you fight off disease and infection. They also give you vitamins C and E, plus natural plant chemicals that may help prevent cancer.

Avocados are low in sugar. And they contain fiber, which helps you feel full longer. In one study, people who added a fresh avocado half to their lunch were less interested in eating during the next three hours.

Fat and Calories

Avocados are high in fat. But it's monounsaturated fat, which is a "good" fat that helps lower bad cholesterol, as long as you eat them in moderation. 

Avocados have a lot of calories. The recommended serving size is smaller than you’d expect: 1/5 of a medium avocado (or 1 ounce) is 50 calories.

Top Ways to Enjoy Avocados

1. Skip the Mayo! Mash 1/3 an avocado and spread it on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise. Rich in monounsaturated fat, avocados are a healthy substitute for mayonnaise, cream cheese, butter or sour cream.  

2. Avocado is a deliciously rich, healthy and filling addition to salads. Just dice and toss!

3. Add some avocado slices to your sandwiches! This tasty fruit add a delicious flavor but it also adds substance to an otherwise meager concoction. 

4. Enjoy avocado as part of a healthy stir-fry dish.

5. Grab a Spoon. Halve avocados, remove the pit and start spooning. Want a little kick? Add some low-sodium soy sauce in that little dip in the middle.

6. Avocados are perfect in fish and seafood sauces.

7. Halve avocados then use a small ice-cream scoop to fill the little dip in the middle with your favorite chicken, tuna, or ham salad recipe.

8. Mix together one mashed avocado, 1/2 cup of non-instant oatmeal, and one tablespoon of honey. Apply to your face, wait 15 minutes then rinse.

9. Prepare Guacamole 

Recipe: California Avocado Super Summer Wrap Recipe,
Fruits & Veggies— More Matters  

Avocado Toast with Fresh Beet Hummus

Kids Cook Monday

How to Prepare Avocados

Store avocados at room temperature, keeping in mind that they can take 4 to 5 days to ripen. To speed up the ripening process, put them in a paper bag along with an apple or banana. When the outside skins are black or dark purple and yield to gentle pressure, they’re ready to eat or refrigerate.

Wash them before cutting so dirt and bacteria aren’t transferred from the knife onto the pulp.

While guacamole is arguably the most popular way to eat avocado, you can also puree and toss with pasta, substitute for butter or oil in your favorite baked good recipes, or spread or slice onto sandwiches. Try adding avocado to salad, pizza, soup, salsa, eggs, and sandwiches.

Remember that not all avocado dishes are created equal when ordering at a restaurant. Some items -- like avocado fries and avocado egg rolls -- are coated in batter and fried, making them much higher in both calories and fat.

Allergic to Latex?

If you have a latex allergy, talk to your doctor before adding avocado to your diet. People with a serious allergy to latex may also experience symptoms after eating avocado.

Resources

1. WebMD, Everything You Need to Know About Avocados  
2. Top 10 Ways To Enjoy Avocados, Fruits, and Veggies More Matters

3. California Avocado https://www.californiaavocado.com/

4. Avocado, EatFresh.org 

Frozen Vanilla Greek Yogurt with a Variety of Fruit Celebrating National Frozen Yogurt Month

Ingredients

1/2 cup (102 g) Frozen Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Variety of Fresh Fruits. 1 Tablespoon of each: Orange, Strawberries, Blueberries, Kiwi, Raspberries, & Mango

Nutrient Analysis Services
Ensure accurate nutritional analysis for your recipes utilizing an extensive research database and over 25 years experience. A valuable service for the Recipe Blogger, Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, and Recipe Websites. Your readers will benefit from the Nutrition information and a Registered Dietitian. Contact: Dietitians-Online.com; Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, FAND at recipenews@gmail.com

June 20, National Ice Cream Soda Day

The ice cream soda has been around since 1874; when invented by Robert McCay in Philadelphia, PA. The story told is Mr. Green ran out of ice for the flavored soda he was selling and used vanilla ice cream from a nearby vendor, hence inventing the ice cream soda.

Today, the ice cream soda can be found in countries across the globe. The ice cream soda is known as a float, coke float, cooler, snowball, or spider depending on where you are in the world.

An ice cream soda is a beverage containing ice cream with either a soft drink or a combination of flavored syrup and carbonated water.

Varieties
The ice cream soda has numerous varieties of sodas and ice cream flavors. Some of the most popular are listed below:

Chocolate ice cream soda: Chocolate syrup, chocolate ice cream, unflavored carbonated water and top with whipped cream.
Black and White: Chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, unflavored carbonated water and top with whipped cream.
Root beer float ("black cow" or "brown cow"): Vanilla ice cream and root beer
Coke float: Coca-Cola and vanilla ice-cream.
Boston Cooler: Vernors ginger ale and Stroh's vanilla ice cream.
Snow White: 7 Up or Sprite and vanilla ice cream.
Purple cow: Vanilla ice cream, purple grape soda.
Orange Float (Orange Whip): Vanilla ice cream and orange soda.

Root Beer Float  is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer. 

We chose a diet root beer soda to avoid the excess sugar and limit the calories. The diet root beer has "zero" calories.

Beverage. Make sure you carefully combine the soda and ice cream. The reaction causes bubbles to form and a rapid rise in foam, which is part of the fun and can get messy.  Use 1/4 cup light vanilla ice cream. Add a straw, spoon, and enjoy.

Resource.
 Wikipedia: Ice Cream Soda

Nutrient Analysis Services
Ensure accurate nutritional analysis for your recipes utilizing an extensive research database and over 25 years experience. A valuable service for the Recipe Blogger, Media, Cookbook Publishers, Writers, Chefs, and Recipe Websites. Your readers will benefit from the Nutrition information and a Registered Dietitian. Contact: Dietitians-Online.com; Sandra Frank, Ed.D, RDN, LN, FAND at recipenews@gmail.com

Home Food Supplies & Safety When the Power Goes Out

Food Safety: When the Power Goes Out

Be Prepared

Stock up on non-perishable foods that don't require refrigeration, and choose single-serve sizes if available to avoid the need for refrigeration of unused portions. Consider these easy, healthy, shelf-stable foods: 

Summary

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program is dedicated to raising consumer awareness about the seriousness of foodborne illness and providing solutions for easily and safely handling food in their own kitchens. More information can be found at Home Food Safety. 

June 10 Black Cow Day

A "Black Cow", also known as a root beer float, is traditionally made with vanilla ice cream and root beer.

We chose a diet root beer soda to avoid excess sugar and limit the calories. The amount of diet root beer is not limited because it has "zero" calories.

Beverage. Make sure you carefully combine the soda and ice cream. The reaction causes bubbles to form and a rapid rise in foam, which is part of the fun and can get messy.  Use 1/4 cup light vanilla ice cream. Add a straw and a spoon and enjoy.

May News, Events and Resources in Nutrition, Food, and Health

Current News, Resources and Events in Nutrition, Food, Health, Environment, Safety, and Disability Rights. Encourages awareness and inspires ideas for Journalists, Educators, Consumers and Health Professionals. Wellness News is updated daily. To view the entire Newsletter online click here.

May Highlights

Women's Health Care Month 

Older Americans Month Arthritis Awareness Month  Better Hearing & Speech Month  Lupus Awareness Month  Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month  National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month  National Celiac Disease Awareness Month  National Stroke Awareness Month Prader-Willi Syndrome Awareness Month  National Physical Fitness and Sports Month National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month National High Blood Pressure Education Month National Family Month  May Food Events