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Newsletters >
NIHE Talks Health November 2013
NIHE Talks Health November 2013
Nov 19, 2013
NIHE Talks Health November 2013
Contents:
Coupon code for $20 off BLS Add on
Healthy Recipes
Article on Super Foods
News on 2014 schedule for AHA classes and EMT classes
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we here at NIHE have much to be thankful for this year. Not the least of which is you our customers. To say “thank you” to you we are offering $20 off all BLS Add-on classes taken through 2014. Please see the end of the newsletter for the coupon code.
2014 class schedule is almost completely posted on our website. It should be finished by the end of this week. Plan ahead and book early if your AHA cards are due to expire before the end of 2014. Go to www.nationalhearted.com and check out our improvements. You can now find the schedule on the calendar page or the Register Now pages. Note: you can look at all the classes in a specific city or in either all of N. California or all of S. California. Please call 800-773-8895.
EMT classes are now forming for January 2014 in both northern California and southern California. Go to www.fireandemstraining.com
I found this wonderful recipe from Chef Mark Anthony & thought they were perfect for the season!
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Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are a quick and easy way to provide a healthy meal with a flare. There are hundreds of combinations to try and we are going to show you some of the simple concepts to make your stuffed peppers stand above the crowd.
Cooking the rice:
Generally the ratio will be one part rice and two parts water. I like to add all the ingredients to the pot in order to make it a one step process. There is really no reason to take extra steps and dirty up a bunch of other pots.
You can first sauté some onions, to a dark brown flavor, which is really great for stuffed peppers. Then add any flavors or seasonings like beef-less base, salt, seasonings, or herbs. Add all kinds of items like, chopped celery, or shredded carrots. Try some tofu, or beans, and for a really great texture. Add some pecans or walnuts.
Place all the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer for 40 minutes. Rice cookers work well for this too. Add more time for harder varieties of rice, like brown rice, lower cooking time for soft or short varieties like jasmine.
Mixing in Sauces:
When the rice is done, not you can add whatever sauce flavors you like. Teriyaki, or tomato sauce, even Italian are a couple of my favorites.
Stuffing the Peppers:
Try not to overstuff the peppers, you want them full but not packed; the rice will expand a little. One of my favorite tricks is to add little shots of the sauce when stuffing the peppers, or have a center with an apricot surprise in the middle. This helps to keep moisture in and gives the final product an original twist.
Baking the Peppers:
The best way to bake the peppers is for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. I start with them covered, but don't cook the tops with them. When the steam has softened the body of the peppers, then it is time to remove the foil, add the pepper lids, and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. This will give it a consistently cooked, slightly browned appeal. You can also top the peppers with some seasoned bread crumbs before browning.
Serving the Peppers:
Adding some vegan parmesan cheese, fresh diced herbs, or slivered almonds will compliment any peppers right into that higher delicacy.
The bottom line is have fun stuffing peppers, you really can't mess this up. Next time try stuffing the peppers with bread stuffing, pastas, or beans. It's a great way to make a fast, easy, and very affordable meal.
SUPER FOODS vs. SUPER DIET
This month's nutritional notes,
is an excerpt from an article written by Micaela Karlsen, M.S.P.H, shared from a "Forks Over Knives Newsletter".
They're all around us - goji berries, chia seeds, maca, pomegranates, and the list goes on. Certain individual foods are labeled "superfoods" by the food industry and so concentrated powders, extracts, oils, and juices of these foods are then marketed as beneficial because of their supposed special effects. The claims around these concentrated forms of certain foods include "improves vitality," "wards off disease," or even "boosts libido." The modern shopper is hopelessly confused as he or she tries to match a host of products with a wide array of specific desired benefits.
Even the person on a whole-food, plant-based diet may wonder, "Should I be taking something to make sure I'm getting enough antioxidants?"
In spite of the fact that the word "superfood" is neither a technical nor scientific term, some of these claims about specific nutrients do have research supporting them. However, focusing on any single nutrient or class of nutrients outside the context of the whole, natural foods that contain them is a misplaced emphasis; the total dietary pattern is what most influences health outcomes, even if experimental evidence exists that a particular nutrient may have a given effect on the body.
Popular media defines a "superfood" as a food that contains unusually high amounts of specific nutrients, often antioxidants-substances that combat cell damage due
to aging and other factors. It's easy to fall into thinking that if some is good, more must be better.
What we are forgetting here is that eating more of a nutrient doesn't necessarily mean that our bodies will use it;
absorption and utilization are largely determined by the body's need at the time of consumption along with many other variables. Drinking pomegranate juice or blueberry extract may do no more than put a hole in our pockets, along with encouraging overconsumption of simple sugars without the fiber those sugars are naturally paired with in the fruit. And in some cases an excess can be every bit as problematic for health as a deficiency.
The example of antioxidants illustrates the misconception around "getting enough" of this class of nutrients. When we're eating a colorful whole-food, plant-based diet, we don't need to concern ourselves with antioxidant deficiency. It is when we eat a diet poor in fruits and vegetables (and therefore antioxidants) that we need to worry about getting enough of them. Processed foods contain few antioxidants, because they are stripped during processing. And the antioxidants present in animal foods reside in the animal's tissues only because it consumed plants during its lifetime. Why not eliminate the middleman and get the antioxidants directly?
When are plant-based "superfoods" good for us? When they are whole and part of a low-fat diet comprised of foods eaten fresh, as grown, then yes - absolutely! Eating colorful foods is beneficial, as long as they are whole foods and not extracts, powders, or concentrated individual nutrients.
Eating for variety and color is a strategy that will deliver all the nutrients we need (with the possible exception of vitamin B12),
as long as we are consuming adequate calories. We need not worry about whether or how we are getting enough of certain single nutrients or classes of nutrients. It might be easier to just call a whole-food, plant-based diet a "superdiet" and leave it at that.
This month’s coupon
BLS Add-on is a BLS class that is done on the same day that you take either ACLS, PALS, or BLS. Please go to www.nationalhearted.com and click on Register Now BLS. Then click on the sort code for your location and find the class date and location that works best for you. Enter the discount code BLSTG in the payment section at checkout to get $20 off this course. Remember this is only good on BLS taken on the same day that you take either ACLS, PALS, or NRP. This online only promotion is only good until Friday Nov. 29, 2013 midnight so don’t wait, sign up today!
You are receiving this newsletter because you have either requested to receive it or are a customer of NIHE. To unsubscribe please send us an email to unsubscribe@nationalhearted.com
800-773-8895
*The American Heart Association strongly promotes knowledge & proficiency in BLS, ACLS, & PALS & has developed instructional materials for this purpose. Use of these materials in an educational course does not represent course sponsorship by the American Heart Association. Any fees charged for such a course, except for a portion of fees needed for AHA course material, do not represent income to the Association.
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