Foods to Know

This is a (growing) list of foods that I have learned about and reference a lot in my recipes and posts.

Agave Nectar
Agave nectar is made from the juice of the agave cactus. This is the same plant that gives us tequila, but there’s no alcohol in agave nectar. It’s a sweet liquid (1.4 times sweeter than sugar) but because it gets its sweetness from a natural fructose that is absorbed slowly by the body, it is less disturbing to the body’s blood sugar levels than white sugar. I (and many others) feel this makes it a good choice for cooking or baking without refined sugar, but there are differing opinions out there about agave nectar. It’s hard to really know how “natural” any given product really is, so when I do use agave nectar I spring for the raw, organic variety, and, much like honey, maple syrup, stevia, and xylitol, I don’t use it too often, because these “natural” sweeteners still tend to make me crave more sweet things.

Almond Butter

Almond butter is a lot like peanut butter, but made with almonds. It’s yummy. Nut butters are a really good source of protein. The trick, though, is that you need to get the natural ones–ones that literally only list the (raw) nut and maybe sea salt as ingredients. Trader Joe’s sells them, and I like their almond butter a lot but I don’t love their peanut butter as much as another kind, Maranatha, which they sell at Target, Whole Foods, and occasionally Safeway.

Arugula

Arugula has only 5 calories per cup–that alone made me want to try it! What it doesn’t have in calories it makes up in nutrients: folate, vitamin A, eye-healthy cartenoids, calcium, vitamin K, and compounds shown to neutralize cancerous cells! I have found that its unique flavor is best when mixed with some other raw greens in a salad, or when cooked in a dish. All by itself it’s a little bit strong for me. It’s also delicate and hard to wash, so I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but it’s been a nice alternative to spinach, my old stand-by.

Kale

I can’t believe I had never tried kale before Cameron gave me a list of greens to try! It’s apparently the number one ranking vegetable on the planet. It has antioxidants and phytochemicals, and is the best at battling cell-damaging free radicals. It’s a member of the cabbage family, and is loaded with calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene, eye-protecting cartenoids, protein, and fiber. I like it because it’s hardy and crunchy. I’ve been enjoying it sauteed in coconut oil, in smoothies, and raw in salads! Check out this New York Times article about kale, and ways to cook it.

Larabars

These things are awesome. They are sold in the same section as Cliff bars, Luna bars, etc…but check out the labels on those bars and then these…incredible how many ingredients are in those other bars, and in these, the most I found was 5. Most are two. My favorite flavor so far is Peanut Butter Cookie, which contains dates and peanuts. That’s it! Cinnamon Roll was also yummy, and Cashew Cookie (apparently a favorite of many) was good but not as good. Chocolate Coconut was a little disappointing, but not bad. Check these out, they are a fabulous made-with-whole-foods, all-natural snack. And if you try them and like them and want to make your own, check out this post!

Quinoa

Quinoa’s actually not a grain, it’s a seed, and it can take the place of rice and wheat in cooking and baking. It has significant protein quality and quantity, and the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all of the essential amino acids. It has lower sodium content and is higher in iron, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese, and zinc than most other grains. Best of all, it’s tasty! It has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. There are tons of great recipes out there for quinoa dishes. Learn more about quinoa in my Great Grains series!

Sprouted Grains

I know everyone says whole grains are important, but it turns out, they are are absolutely not necessary for a balanced diet. However, they are not an easy thing to cut out of your diet…so one alternative to your usual grains is sprouted grains and seeds. Here’s some more info on their nutritional value from the Food for Life website.

The process of germination changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous ways. Sprouting increases vitamin content. Sprouting neutralizes phytic acid—a substance present in grains—that inhibits absorption of nutrients and, more important, sprouting neutralizes, or “predigests” if you will, grains through enzymatic activity…

Sprouted grain bread has numerous advantages over “enriched” wheat flour breads. These breads are made from the endosperm of the wheat kernel (the inside portion), which contains primarily carbohydrates and few vitamins and minerals. The milling of grain into white flour requires the removal of the bran and the germ. This results in the loss of natural fiber, bran and 22 vitamins and minerals. To compensate, five vitamins and minerals (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron and folic acid) are added back in, “enriching” the flour. Sometimes calcium is added back as well.

So my takeaway here is that this is yet another way to get food closer to its natural form, with all the goodness nature intended us to get from it, rather than a form that has been stripped of that good stuff and then non-natural good stuff has been added back in. Sounds good to me, and so far I have only tried the sprouted corn tortillas but it was a happy experiment!

Tamari

Tamari is wheat-free soy sauce. It’s dark brown in color and usually slightly thicker than regular soy sauce. The salty fermented paste derived from soy beans, called miso, actually served as the basis for development of tamari. I found an organic low-sodium version at Whole Foods (and got parts of this description from their website) and it’s extremely flavorful. I have been surprised how many recipes call for it!

Xylitol

Xylitol is a sweetener found in plants, and it’s used as a substitute for sugar. Xylitol is considered a nutritive sweetener because it provides calories, just like sugar. It is popular for people with diabetes, because it is absorbed more slowly than sugar, so it does not contribute to high blood sugar levels or the resulting hyperglycemia caused by insufficient insulin response. I first bought some Xylitol as a sweetener for coffee, after I decided to cut out Splenda and before I decided to cut out coffee. Now l keep some around and enjoy experimenting with it as a substitute for sugar in baking. So far in cookies, such as my Shamrock Shortbreads, it has worked out pretty well.