Tuesday, April 14, 2009

SuperFoods: Salmon, Pear and Turkey Breast

Today I am covering 3 SuperFoods in one post. While some readers have found the SuperFood posts to be boring, I can't disagree more! Saying your health and eating what your body needs and the knowledge of what you can eat to prevent cancers/diseases and promote mental health is boring is just crazy!




So let's talk Wild Salmon! It's an excellent source of:


  • Marine Derived Omega 3 Fatty Acids

  • Vitamin B

  • Selenium

  • Vitamin D

  • Protein

  • Potassium

Sidekicks: Alaskan Halibut, Caned albacore tuna, Sardines, Herring and Trout


Salmon is considered a SuperFood because above all, it contains Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which the body cannot produce on it's own, but needs to function. Long ago, when all animals were free-range, they contained Omega 3 Fatty acids, but now most animals are not free range. Now most packaged meat is higher in Omega 6 fatty acids, which we are now getting too much of.


Here are some ways to get more Omega-3's



  • Eat Omega 3 enriched eggs (free range/cage free)

  • Cook with canola oil rather than corn oil

  • Eat walnuts, pecans and pepitas

  • Sprinkle wheat germ on yogurt

  • Add flax seeds to muffins, bread, and pancakes

I don't eat fish or seafood, so I am not knowledgable about the mercury scares and which fish to choose wild or farm raised, however if you consume fish often, please check out the following sites to learn more:





Skinless Turkey Breast



  • Low-Fat Protein

  • Riboflavin

  • Niacin

  • Iron

  • Zinc

  • Selenium

What makes Skinless Turkey Breast a SuperFood? It is the leanest source of meat protein on the planet, it has heart healthy nutrients that cut your risks of cancers, and it contains many valuable vitamins and minerals. What makes it even better is what it doesn't have - lots of saturated fat, only .2 g. per 3 oz.! To compare, 3 oz. of fresh ham has 5.5 g. saturated fat, and 3 oz. flank steak has 4.5 g. saturated fat, which is linked to cardiovascular disease and cancer.


What turkey does have that makes us really want to eat it is selenium, which plays a role in thyroid hormone metabolism!


My favorite way to consume turkey is getting 99% fat free ground turkey breast (make sure you get the 99% fat free, not the 85% or 90%). I love to use it in place of ground beef. I haven't been able to find organic ground turkey, but I have seen amish, which I think could be organic, but they only sell whole amish turkeys, which I don't normally buy. I usually buy Honeysuckle or Jennie-O (which is constantly shown on Biggest Loser).


Every now and then I do buy a turkey breast, but usually it's just ground or cutlets. When you buy deli turkey, it's important to look for the natural kind, something with lower sodium and nitrates because the sodium in deli turkey can be especially high. It's important that you thoroughly cook turkey, but don't overcook it because being so lean will dry it out. I have so many recipes for ground turkey on my blog, here is a link to the turkey tag!

6 comments:

  1. I love reading the superfoods posts. They motivate me a lot! Keep it up! :)

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  2. I love salmon... and the new layout.

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  3. I ran into your blog and now I'm a loyal reader. I love everything you have accomplished so far. I do love turkey breast...but what happened to the pears??

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  4. I agree with you. If people don't like the posts on superfoods(which, many people probably don't actually know about superfoods!) then they don't have to read it, and, as far as I am concerned, are really in denial about what is healthy and what is not, and probably don't actually care to be healthy. I sincerely applaud you for putting them straight.

    As for me, I'm enjoying the series. Also, I wanted to recommended Jill's new book, if you haven't started reading it already. It's really interesting, and I'm fairly sure that you'll enjoy it. Also, I plan on doing a blog post about it hopefully this weekend. Keep doing what you do well. :) Have an awesome day!

    Hope

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  5. I love salmon. Now if only DW did...

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  6. I really enjoy reading your superfood posts. Keep them coming, please! :) I like seeing what recipes you make out them, also, for some new ideas.

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