Eats « Weekly Gravy

If you’re looking for a tasty way to hydrate in warm weather, a juicy melon is the ticket. Melons are low-calorie, high-water content foods that also provide high doses of certain vitamins, minerals and important phyto-nutrients. Nutrients in Powerhouse Melons Cantaloupe: vitamins A and C, carotenoids, folate and potassium Honeydew: vitamins B and C, potassium and copper Watermelon: lycopene, vitamins A and C, and potassium To pick the perfect melon, gently rap it with your knuckles. If it makes a dull thud, it’s full of juice, and ripe for consumption. As refreshing as it is to bite into a melon, don’t limit yourself to snacking on chunks or wedges. Melons make great ingredients for salads, like the popular combination of watermelon and feta over arugula. Honeydew pairs well with cilantro and lime for a twist on salsa. And there are few easier appetizer recipes than melon and prosciutto, a centuries-old Italian antipasto that’s ideal for entertaining. Here’s a crunchy take on this tasty dish to serve at your next cookout or dinner get-together. The ingredients can be multiplied as needed. Melon and Prosciutto 4 slices prosciutto 1 small ripe cantaloupe, seeded and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces Preheat your oven… read on >

(HealthDay News) — In recent years, high-protein diets have surged in popularity. Though protein is essential for life, too much protein can be a problem, says Harvard Medical School. Getting too much protein is associated with: High cholesterol. Increased cancer risk. Kidney disease and kidney stones. Weight gain. Constipation or diarrhea.

Whether you have a dedicated space in an outdoor garden or just a few buckets on a small patio, there’s nothing quite like having your own herb garden for giving your cooking fresh flavor boosts. But what if you live in an apartment or in a cold climate that can’t sustain outdoor herbs in the winter? The answer is to create an indoor herb garden, even if it’s a small selection grown on a windowsill. Here’s how to get started. First, decide on your herbs. Pick the ones you’ll use most often, and buy from a reputable nursery or garden center. Because growing from seeds can be hit or miss, use started plants. Check growing instructions on the label or insert that comes with each plant to see how much water it needs. This will help you group your herbs appropriately. Rosemary, for one, likes drier conditions, so it won’t mix well in the same planter with basil, which likes more water and fertilizer. Now, select your planters. Window boxes should be about double the size of the containers the herbs came in. A hanging window box is great for a tight space. Whatever the style, make sure there’s a drainage hole in the bottom and a pan to catch any excess water. Replant. To repot your herbs, fill your planters halfway with potting soil.… read on >

Java junkies can sniff out even tiny amounts of coffee, and the more they drink, the better they can smell it, British researchers say. It’s a discovery with powerful implications for treating people addicted to substances with a distinct smell. “The higher the caffeine use, the quicker a person recognized the odor of coffee,” said study leader Lorenzo Stafford. He is an olfactory expert at the University of Portsmouth, in England. Not only could the regular coffee drinkers among the more than 90 volunteers quickly detect the aroma of a heavily diluted coffee chemical, their ability to do so increased with their level of craving, the findings showed. “The more they desired caffeine, the better their sense of smell for coffee,” Stafford said in a university news release. It’s the first evidence that java junkies are more sensitive to the smell of coffee, according to the study published recently in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Researchers had wondered if coffee drinkers and non-drinkers responded differently to the smell, and whether cravings might be related to an increased ability to detect it. Describing caffeine as the “most widely consumed psychoactive drug,” Stafford said the findings suggest that changes in the ability to detect smells could be a useful index of drug dependency. The study authors said their work could lead to new methods of aversion… read on >

Most folks know that sugary drinks aren’t healthy, but a new study finds fruit juices are not much better. In fact, consuming them regularly may help shorten your life, researchers say. “Older adults who drink more sugary beverages, which include fruit juice as well as sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages, may be at risk of dying earlier,” said study author Jean Welsh. She is an associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. “Efforts to decrease consumption of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages should also include fruit juices, and these efforts need to include adults as well as children,” Welsh said. For the study, Welsh and her colleagues collected data on 13,440 men and women, average age 64, who were part of a large stroke study from 2003 to 2007. Among these participants, 71% were obese or overweight. The participants were asked how many sugar-sweetened drinks they consumed. Over an average of six years, 1,168 of the participants died. The researchers found that those who drank the most sugar-sweetened beverages — including 100% fruit juice — had higher odds of dying during the study, compared with those who drank the least of these. Moreover, each additional 12-ounce drink increased the risk even more. The report was published online May 17 in JAMA Network Open. In the United States, about half of the population… read on >

There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of warm blueberry muffins. But when you buy them from a local bakery or your favorite coffee shop, they can clock in at 500 calories or more. Making your own is well worth the time, because you can shave off 300 calories a pop. This recipe uses whole-wheat pastry flour, available at most supermarkets, as well as online. It has the same whole-grain goodness and fiber of regular whole-wheat flour, but is much softer and makes a more tender baked good. The yield is a dozen muffins, so you can enjoy them throughout the week. Lighter Blueberry Muffins 1-1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature 1 egg 1 cup low-fat buttermilk Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 cup blueberries Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or use paper liners. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir well. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice. Add the dry ingredients and stir until a batter forms, about 10 strokes with the spoon. Fill muffin cups to the… read on >

Want chips that deliver great taste without the typical additives in most packaged varieties? Then a food dehydrator is the kitchen appliance for you. At its core, a food dehydrator is a great way to preserve foods. Because it removes a food’s water content, mold and bacteria can’t grow. Dried fruits and vegetables make great on-the-go snacks that can be prepared days in advance. Two caveats: It is important to realize that dried foods are more calorie-dense than the original, so keep portions small to avoid weight gain. Also, the dehydrating process does remove some of a food’s natural nutrients, typically vitamins A and C, so make these up elsewhere in your diet. When choosing a home model food dehydrator, keep in mind the amount of counterspace you can devote to it if you plan to keep it out. The taller the unit and the more trays it has, the more food you can dry at once. Making vegetable chips with zucchini and carrots in a dehydrator lets you skip unhealthy sugar, salt and saturated fat while still feeding your munch-and-crunch cravings. They also have fewer calories than dried fruits. Zesty Zucchini and Carrot Chips 2 large zucchini, thinly sliced 4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs of your choice 1 teaspoon… read on >

Ounce for ounce and calorie for calorie, leafy greens and other types of vegetables are the hands-down favorites for delivering on nutrients. But many fruits should also have a place at the table. Researchers looked at the most nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables to see which provided meaningful amounts of B vitamins including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, B6 and B12, vitamins C and K, iron, fiber and protein. Most of the top spots on their ranked list of powerhouse fruits — those most strongly associated with reducing the risk of chronic diseases — were various citrus fruits with one popular berry mixed in. The Top 5 Nutrient-Dense Fruits Lemons Strawberries Oranges Limes Pink and red grapefruit As terrific as blueberries are considered, blackberries were actually the next fruit on the list, followed by white grapefruit. Now this isn’t to say that blueberries, which many studies rank very high for antioxidants and other healthful compounds, shouldn’t be on your shopping list along with raspberries. Eating fruits in a rainbow of colors gets you the widest variety of nutrients and phyto-nutrients — those hard-to-duplicate compounds that go beyond vitamins and minerals. It’s also important to pay attention to a fruit’s ripeness. Studies show that ripe fruits, including all berries, offer more antioxidants than fruits that are not quite ready. Based on that criteria, strawberries topped the list, followed… read on >

Low-carb, vegetarian, Mediterranean — whatever your diet, it’s important to get enough protein. Although research hasn’t yet pinpointed one perfect formula, experts say that the typical “recommended” daily minimums aren’t optimal, and that it helps to factor in your weight and activity level to determine how much protein you personally need. A good baseline for people who exercise at a moderate level is between one-half and three-quarters of a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weigh 150 pounds, for example, eat between 75 and 112 grams of protein per day. To lose weight, diets with higher amounts of protein — between 90 and 150 grams a day — are effective and help keep you from losing muscle along with fat. Since the body uses protein most effectively when you have it at regular intervals, divide your daily intake into four equal amounts for breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner. If you work out at a high level, consider eating another 50 grams of protein before you go to bed to help with overnight muscle repair. You might be familiar with calorie counting, but it’s also important to know how to tally your protein intake. While one ounce of chicken weighs 28 grams, it contains only about 9 grams of protein. So it takes a 3-ounce portion to deliver 27 grams of protein,… read on >