Amp Up Your Snacks with Protein!

Posted on January 29, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Have you ever eaten a snack and shortly after you’d finished it, you began to feel hungry again? This is a little counterproductive, as snacks are supposed to be what keeps us satiated until the next meal. Often the cause of your snack not keeping you full is that you didn’t get enough protein in it.

healthy snacks

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According to registered dietician Jessica Ball, protein is essential for many different bodily functions including muscle growth and development, and good digestion, and it also keeps you feeling full and satisfied for longer periods. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein is about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, so protein needs each day differ from person to person. But it’s always a good idea to include protein in all the foods that we eat, snacks included.

Need some inspiration for ingredients that can be used to make yummy snacks that are high in protein? Take a look at the following list!

  • Yogurt
  • Cottage cheese
  • Beef Jerky
  • Eggs
  • Nuts
  • Cheese
  • Peanut butter
  • Seeds
  • Hummus
  • Canned fish

Arizona agriculture produces lots of foods that are on that list, especially animal protein products! Here in Arizona, farmers and ranchers produce lots of meats, eggs, and dairy products, all of which are amazing sources of protein and are great for making all sorts of high-protein snacks! Take a look for Arizona-grown protein products next time you’re out grocery shopping!

For some delicious snack recipes that are high in protein, more blog articles about healthy snacking, or more information on Arizona-grown products, check out the Fill Your Plate website!

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Spearmint Tea Offers Many Health Benefits

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

Sweet tea, peach tea, Earl Grey tea, cinnamon spice tea, rooibos tea, white tea…there are SO many different teas to choose from. Regardless of what your cup of tea is, all tea is a delicious, healthy, and hydrating drink. Spearmint tea in particular offers a good deal of health benefits.

According to registered dietician Natalie Romito, spearmint (Mentha spicata) has lots of unique health benefits in its leaves. When steeped, spearmint makes a delicious, crisp, and refreshing tea that is great both hot and iced. It has no caffeine and naturally has no sugar.  Spearmint tea also contains antioxidants, which protect cells from free radical damage. Additionally, it is an excellent source of flavonoids which have antioxidant properties, and rosmarinic acid, a compound with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

 

Romito notes that 3 known health benefits come from regular consumption of spearmint tea, which include:

  • Improves hormonal imbalances that come from PCOS
  • Helps with excessive hair growth
  • Improves joint stiffness and joint pain

 

Many other possible health benefits come from spearmint tea and they include:

  • Help to fight bacterial infections
  • Improve nausea and upset stomach
  • Improve memory
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Lower blood sugar

So, steep yourself a nice cup of spearmint tea and enjoy some of the health benefits that it has to offer! While you sip it, take some time to read more health and nutrition articles from Fill Your Plate!

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Eggs Are a Very Economical Protein Source

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

Prices have been going up everywhere for some time due to inflation, and one place where you might have noticed it happening the most is at the grocery store. This has many consumers making changes to their buying habits to help stretch their dollar as far as it can go when buying groceries.

Breakfast

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One change that might be tempting is to back off on the quality and quantity of protein sources that you purchase. But there is one protein source that is actually very economical despite price increases and is incredibly nutritious as well!

According to registered dietician Kathy Kolasa, eggs pack a big nutritional punch in one little shell. Like all animal proteins, eggs provide all 9 essential amino acids. These essential amino acids are the ones that our bodies don’t produce on their own and must be gotten through our diets. In addition to their amino acid content, eggs are also a good source of vitamin A, which is good for eye health and also acts as an antioxidant. They are also a good source of vitamin D, which supports bone health and immune system function.

With the higher egg prices that we saw at the beginning of last year, each egg was about $0.35. An average egg has 6 grams of protein, so you were essentially paying about $0.06 per gram of protein when buying eggs. Compare that to canned tuna, which comes to about $0.07 per gram of protein, or pre-sliced turkey for sandwiches which is around $0.10 per gram of protein. Other cuts of meat such as steaks or chops also tend to be pricier.

So, with that being said, simple, little eggs are a pretty smart move when you’re looking to buy a high-quality protein source while still being budget-friendly. Another plus to eggs is that they are incredibly versatile and can be cooked or used in so many different ways. The Fill Your Plate website has lots more recipes and blog articles about eggs! Check them out!

P.S. Did you know that we produce lots of amazing eggs and egg products right here in Arizona? Make sure to look for them when you’re out shopping!

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Animal Protein Products Are More Nutritious than Plant-Based Protein Products

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

It appears that plant-based diets are becoming all the rage. It isn’t uncommon now to see plant-based chicken nuggets, plant-based burger patties, and plant-based beef jerky on the shelves at the grocery store.  The label will tell you that it is very similar in terms of nutrition to regular meats, but according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report, this isn’t exactly the case.

An analysis of 500 studies found that animal products contain nutrients important to our health that are very hard to get from the plant-based versions of those products. These nutrients include high-quality protein, amino acids, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, selenium, choline, carnitine, creatine, and taurine. While getting enough of these nutrients is important for everyone, they are even more crucial for those who are pregnant or lactating, those who are older in age, as well as for children and teens during development.

So, while you may get a few of these nutrients from plant-based products, consuming real eggs, meats, and dairy products is a much better way to ensure that you are getting all of them as well as an adequate amount of each.

Ultimately, the most important consideration is to have a balanced, healthy diet. This includes your fruits and vegetables, meat proteins, dairy products, eggs, and whole grains. Plus, reduce your sugar consumption.

Arizona agriculture produces lots of animal protein products! Look for locally raised meats, dairy products, and eggs next time that you’re out grocery shopping. Not only will you be supporting your local farmers and ranchers, but you’ll also be getting high-quality protein products that are chock full of nutrients!  And, thank you Arizona farmers and ranchers for all you do for agriculture and feeding Arizonans and the world.

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Pairing Foods Boosts Nutritional Value

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Fill Your Plate

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

A little fun fact about me is that one of my absolute favorite foods in the whole world is pickles. In my opinion, the more sour and bitter the pickle, the better. This is why we always have a huge gallon jar of Best Maid’s Sour Pickles in our fridge at all times, and I frequently eat whole pickles by myself. While I adore pickles plain, I discovered one day that slicing them up and slathering mustard on them makes them even better! Everyone who has seen me do this thinks I’m insane, and I will agree it’s a little weird. But some things are just better together, and it doesn’t just have to do with flavor either. Did you know that pairing certain foods together can actually improve your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from those foods?

According to registered dietician Jordan Hill

, there are many different combinations of foods that contain nutrients that work synergistically as they aid in bodily processes. To make it even better, she says that many of them taste great together too! Some of them are as follows:

  • Salmon and asparagus – The fats in the salmon help to absorb vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are in lots of green veggies.
  • Tomatoes and avocados – The fats in avocados help the body to absorb carotenoids, an antioxidant compound found in red, yellow, and orange fruits and vegetables.
  • Eggs and Greek yogurt – Vitamin D is best absorbed when eaten with a source of calcium.
  • Oranges and nuts – The iron in nuts is best absorbed when consumed with vitamin C.
  • Oatmeal and yogurt – Oatmeal is a good source of prebiotics, which feeds the probiotics in fermented foods such as yogurt.

Those pairings listed above are just a few examples. The key to pairing foods together isn’t really the foods themselves, rather it’s the nutrients of each one being synergistic with each other, so there are lots of different combinations you can explore! Unfortunately, pickles and mustard probably don’t offer any kind of nutritional benefits, but they sure do taste good together!

For more articles about nutrition, check out the Fill Your Plate website!

 

 

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