House Plants Provide Health Benefits!

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

 

My mom has always had a green thumb and has always loved gardening, keeping plants all over the house, and she is very good at keeping them alive. I, on the other hand, have more of a greyish-black thumb, and struggle to keep even the most low-maintenance plants alive, which is a bummer, because having plants around is always nice. Not only are plants nice to look at, especially when they’re used to decorating indoors, but it turns out that having plants around has some health benefits.

If you knew this but were curious about the specifics, this is the information to check out.

Whether you start a plant from seed or buy a potted plant, just having some greenery around the house can provide you with the following 6 science backed health benefits.

  • Reduce anxiety and stress.
  • Sharpen and improve attention span.
  • Promote faster healing.
  • Increase happiness and satisfaction.
  • Improve productivity.
  • Make indoor space more pleasant.

Now, if you’re like me and you have a hard time keeping plants alive, the following plants are some of the easiest plants to take care of!

  • Ponytail palm/Bottle plant
  • Spider plant
  • Bird of paradise
  • Monstera
  • Anthurium
  • ZZ plant
  • Snake plant/Sansevieria
  • Dracaena Deremensis/Dragon Tree
  • String of hearts
  • Chinese evergreen

So, go ahead and test out your green thumb! Try keeping some plants around your house and enjoy their beauty and benefits!

For more articles like this, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!

Share This:
Posted in Health Tips | Tagged | Leave a comment

Choose Your Cereal Wisely!

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

When my brothers and I were growing up, our favorite thing to have for breakfast each morning was a bowl of cereal. As you can probably imagine, our cereal of choice was definitely not Raisin Bran or Grape Nuts. Our go-to cereals were usually Coco Puffs, Lucky Charms, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which taste great but are definitely not the best when it comes to nutrition due to their high sugar and carbohydrate content. Here are a few tips on how to make the best choices when it comes to selecting breakfast cereals.

 

Look for whole grains.

When picking a cereal, it is important to pick one that is made from whole grains, as whole grains provide you with a great deal of fiber. According to registered dietician Paula Doebrich, fiber is an essential nutrient and most of us aren’t getting enough of it on a daily basis. She says that breakfast cereal is a great way to incorporate more of it into our diets.

Avoid added sugars.

Most breakfast cereals are chock full of added sugars, especially the fun, fruity, kids cereals. While they may be tasty, they are not very healthy for you. So, it is best to look for the cereals that don’t have extra sugar in them. If you still want a bit of sweetness in your bowl, try adding some fruit on top for a little bit of sweetness and extra nutrients.

Pair it with protein.

Cereal is always best with milk, which is a great source of protein. Pairing cereal with a protein helps you to feel fuller for a longer period of time. Doebrich notes that it is wise to pay attention to the amount of protein in the milk that you choose. Plant based milks don’t often have as much protein in a serving as regular milk does.

 

With that being said, choose your cereals wisely to make sure that your morning starts off great with a nutritious breakfast! Opt for whole grains, low sugar, and add some protein to keep you full and fueled for the rest of your day!

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

Share This:
Posted in Food, Health Tips, Healthy Eating | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fermented Foods are Full of Health Benefits

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Cabbage, grown quite well in Arizona, is the start of great sauerkraut.

We often hear or read about all the benefits of eating so-called “superfoods,” which are just foods that provide a huge punch of nutrients in a serving. Within all that talk about superfoods, you might have heard about fermented foods, which are a specific kind of superfood gaining a lot of popularity, as they are an amazing source of probiotics, which provide a whole slew of health benefits. Read on to learn more!

So, what exactly are fermented foods? Fermented foods are those that are made using certain bacteria or yeast to break down the sugars that they contain, thus making them “fermented.” Thanks to this process, fermented foods contain probiotics, which are living organisms that are great for our health. Probiotics displace the bad bacteria from our gut, support our immunity, and produce other by-products and metabolites that support our health in other ways. Some examples of fermented foods include sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kimchi, sourdough, miso, tempeh, and my personal favorite, kombucha.

A fun fact about kombucha is that besides providing our bodies with lots of probiotics, regular consumption of it has also been shown to be good for those with allergies and asthma! Researchers note that it doesn’t act as an antihistamine, but it does reduce reactivity to substances that cause allergy or asthma symptoms.

Fermented foods and the probiotics that they provide are so important. Here on Fill Your Plate, we’ve written a lot about them! Check out these related articles below!

 

Share This:
Posted in Fill Your Plate, Food, Health Tips, Healthy Eating, In the Kitchen, Recipes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Cinnamon Offers Many Health Benefits

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

When you think of fall and all the smells and flavors that come along with it, the first thing to come to mind is most likely cinnamon. Whether we use it to flavor baked goods, scent the house, or add some spiciness to teas and coffees, cinnamon is used all over the place during this season! But besides smelling and tasting amazingly, did you know that cinnamon offers a wide range of health benefits?

According to registered dietician Barbie Cervoni, cinnamon contains compounds such as cinnamaldehyde, catechin, and procyanidin which are known for having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. Additionally, cinnamon can also help with lowering blood sugar and reducing the risk for cardiovascular issues.

 

Cinnamon is incredibly versatile, as you can add it to almost any food, whether it be sweet or savory. Aside from mixing it into your fall baked goods, consider sprinkling it over your oatmeal or cereal, or adding a little bit to your tea or coffee!

For more recipes and articles about cinnamon, check out these past posts from Fill Your Plate!

 

Share This:
Posted in Cooking, Fill Your Plate, Food, Health Tips, Healthy Eating, Recipes | Tagged | Leave a comment

Healthier Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home!

By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

After working at a coffee shop for a couple of years now, I can promise you that the hype surrounding pumpkin spice lattes every fall is no joke. From the day that we start serving our pumpkin-flavored drinks to about the end of November, those make up the majority of the drinks that we make.

Don’t get me wrong though, pumpkin flavored coffees and chai teas are absolutely amazing. But after being behind the scenes making them and seeing how much sugar goes into each one, as well as how expensive it gets for those who buy one almost every day, it makes finding an at-home alternative is not such a bad idea. So, here is a much healthier, much more inexpensive way to get your pumpkin spice latte fix at home!

 

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Syrup

  • 1 C. Water
  • 1 C. Pure Maple Syrup
  • 3 Tbs. Pumpkin Puree
  • 1/2 Thumb of Fresh Ginger
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • 1 Tsp. Whole Cloves
  • ½ Tsp. Ground Nutmeg

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer it for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for at least another 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove the solids.

You can add this syrup to any style of coffee that you like. You can add it to hot or cold coffee with your milk of choice. Or, if you want a true latte, you can add it to espresso and milk, either hot or iced. The possibilities are endless! Also, a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice on top is the perfect garnish!

Making your own pumpkin spice lattes at home is a great way to cut back on your coffee spending, but more importantly on the amount of sugar and fat that is notorious in many coffee drinks.

For more delicious fall recipes, check out the Fill Your Plate website!

Share This:
Posted in Fill Your Plate, In Season | Tagged , , | Leave a comment