Get Your Protein at Breakfast

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After all, it is the meal that breaks the fast we’d been holding all night while we slept. Since this is the first meal your body eats after that fast, you must get enough protein in this meal to give you a boost of energy that will last you.

Breakfast

Find out why breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. (photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com)

So, why is protein so important? Protein is a macronutrient that is essential for cell maintenance, cell repair, and preserved muscle mass. It is also where we get the 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t make on their own. When we consume it along with high-fiber carbohydrates and healthy fats, it provides us with sustained energy and stable blood sugar levels, helping us to feel fuller for longer periods.

According to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, about 10-30% of our daily calorie intake should be comprised of protein. Breakfast is a great place to get a lot of that protein, as many breakfast foods such as eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt, milk, and cheese are all very protein-rich!

Arizona agriculture produces each one of those high-protein breakfast foods mentioned above. So, when you’re out shopping at your local farmers market or grocery store, look for meats, eggs, and dairy products that are produced locally!

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Coffee Alternatives!

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

I have always been a huge fan of coffee. Even before I started to work at a coffee shop, I loved making it at home and experimenting with different brewing methods.

While coffee is a great way to get a little boost of energy, coffee is definitely not for everyone. If that’s the case for you, here are a few coffee alternatives from registered dietician Amy Richter.

 

  1. Chicory Coffee

Chicory coffee is just what it sounds like. It’s “coffee grounds” but made from chicory root. The taste is very similar to the taste of coffee, and it is naturally caffeine-free! It is also an amazing source of inulin, a fiber that is very beneficial to gut health.

  1. Matcha

Matcha is ground up green tea leaves. Green tea is an amazing source of antioxidants, and matcha gives you an even more powerful punch of them, as you’re consuming the entire leaf rather than just steeping it.

  1. Golden Milk

Golden milk is a drink made from milk and spices including ginger, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, and sometimes honey and vanilla. It offers a lot of anti-inflammatory benefits thanks to the turmeric.

  1. Lemon Water

Lemon water is one of the simplest drinks to make yourself. Besides being calorie-free and caffeine-free, lemon water is incredibly refreshing and offers a punch of vitamin C.

  1. Yerba Mate

Yerba mate is a caffeinated herbal tea that has almost as much caffeine as coffee. It is chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

  1. Chai Tea

Chai tea is a black tea that has lots of strong spices added to it. Chai is delicious by itself or mixed with your favorite kind of milk for a chai tea latte. Since it is a black tea, it does have a little bit of caffeine in it.

  1. Rooibos

Rooibos tea is neither a green tea or a black tea. It’s actually a red tea! It is caffeine-free and unlike typical green tea or black tea which have a bitter tea taste to them, rooibos tea is actually slightly sweet and fruity tasting.

  1. Apple Cider Vinegar

While apple cider vinegar is incredibly acidic and bitter, taking a little bit with some water actually offers some great health benefits.  Apple cider vinegar can help to lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. It can also help you to feel fuller after meals and reduce the urge to eat more.

  1. Kombucha

Kombucha is a drink made from fermented black tea. It is an amazing source of probiotics and antioxidants. Due to the fermentation process, it is naturally fizzy, which makes it nice and refreshing.

While coffee will always be my go-to drink, it’s understandable that some don’t prefer it whether it be because of caffeine content or bitter taste. These coffee alternatives are a great substitute!

For more health and food articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

 

 

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The Low-Down on Low-Calorie Sweeteners

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Artificial sweeteners seem to be miraculous little substances. They’re just as sweet, if not sweeter than regular sugar, and they have little to no calories! But, in a way, this seems too good to be true.

Here’s a little bit of insight from registered dietitian nutritionist Bianca Tamburello on some of the most popular artificial sweeteners.

Sugar Alcohols – Erythritol, Sorbitol, Mannitol, and Xylitol

These sugar alcohols are extracted from plants that produce berries. Sugar alcohols aren’t entirely calorie-free, but they do have significantly fewer calories than regular sugar. Specifically, sugar alcohols have only one-third to half of the calories of regular sugar.

Aspartame – Equal

Aspartame is made of an amino acid called phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. While aspartame isn’t completely calorie-free, it only has 4 calories per gram. Due to its high content of methanol, aspartame is actually carcinogenic.

Saccharin – Sweet N Low

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener that actually has 0 calories per gram. Saccharin can’t be metabolized by our bodies, so it won’t cause your blood sugar to fluctuate. While this sounds great, this artificial sweetener causes our gut microbiomes to be altered.

Sucralose – Splenda

Sucralose is made in a lab and is completely calorie-free. Sucralose is probably the most common form of artificial sweetener to be found in many sugar-free products. One downside to sucralose is that it can produce a carcinogenic substance when heated too much.

Stevia and Monk fruit

Stevia and monk fruit sweeteners are extracts from plants that are zero calorie sweeteners. Since they are plant derived, they are more natural than the other sugar alternatives. But just because they are more natural doesn’t mean that they are completely harmless. Stevia is well known for causing gut disruptions, and monk fruit doesn’t have enough evidence to be proven completely safe.

So, while these sugar alternatives might look appealing because they are low in calories and don’t cause your blood sugar to fluctuate, they aren’t completely harmless.

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Pay Attention to Unhealthy Ingredients in Beverages

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Many of us pay close attention to the ingredient labels on the foods that we eat. We know that it isn’t good to eat a lot of foods that are high in fats, sugars, and empty carbohydrates. But foods aren’t the only culprit when it comes to being full of unhealthy ingredients; beverages can be just as unhealthy.

Some of the beverages that we consume that dieticians say can be full of unhealthy ingredients include:

Energy drinks – These contain lots of artificial sugars, regular sugars, excess caffeine, and other chemicals that aren’t always the best for our health.

Teas – Unless it’s plain tea, sweetened teas contain a lot of sugar, some having as much as sodas.

Fruit juices – While they may seem healthy, fruit juices are basically all of the sugar pulled out of the fruit with none of the fiber and other nutrients that fruit has to offer.

Coffees – Unless it’s black, coffee can be made incredibly unhealthy when lots of creamers and syrups are added.

Sodas – Sodas are an obvious one, as they are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup and have absolutely no other nutritional value.

 

Excess sugars, caffeine, fats, and carbohydrates can lead to a variety of different health issues including type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, gut microbiome disruption, brain health disruption, and more. Try opting for healthier drinks such as sparkling water, plain teas, plain coffees, or matcha!

 

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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Foods That Beat Bloating

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Have you ever finished a meal and then you felt all bloated inside? Maybe it was from something that you ate or maybe you overindulged a little. Other causes of bloating could be eating foods that are high in salt, eating or drinking too quickly, or battling digestive conditions.

Whatever the cause, it is definitely an uncomfortable feeling. There are certain foods that can help to relieve some of the pressure that can build up in your stomach.

These foods include:

  • Avocados
  • Yogurt
  • Ginger
  • Cucumber
  • Oats
  • Celery
  • Bananas
  • Mint
  • Fennel
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Grapefruit
  • Turmeric
  • Quinoa
  • Pineapple
  • Lemon

Each of these foods have nutrients that either reduce inflammation in the gut, activate the release of digestive enzymes, or are water and fiber rich, which helps bloats to pass through your digestive system.

Next time that you feel a bloat coming on, or if you know that you are prone to bloating, try incorporating some of these foods into your meals or snacks!

For more health-related articles, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

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