How long does fresh garlic stay good?

An article from Michigan State University Extension tell us that fresh, unbroken garlic bulbs can be stored in an open container for up to eight weeks in a cool, dark place. Within each bulb, there are 12 cloves. Once these cloves have been broken from the bulb, they will keep for three to 10 days. A garlic bulb or clove should be thrown out if it feels soft or shows signs of mold.

What’s the difference between garlic powder, garlic salt and garlic extract?

Aside from fresh garlic, we can also purchase garlic powder, garlic salt or garlic extract. Garlic powder is just dehydrated, ground garlic. Garlic salt is made from garlic powder blended with salt. Fresh garlic cloves are pressed to make garlic extract or garlic juice.

Does garlic provide any health benefits?

We reached out to Connie Diekman, Director of University Nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, with questions about the potential health benefits of garlic. She tells us that there is little research to support any health benefits of eating garlic.

“Garlic has been consumed for ages and reports of “feeling better” follow it but when looking for a body of evidence to support health benefits, things are less clear. While there are some studies that have shown a benefit to cholesterol reduction the evidence is limited and mechanism is not clear. Similar facts exist with regards to studies done related to several types of cancer and the common cold. While some studies in animals show a health benefit human studies are needed.”

Is there a risk of eating too much garlic? How much is too much?

Diekman tells us, “garlic can trigger a variety of gastrointestinal complaints when consumed raw, in excess, or by some people who seem to respond with an allergic type reaction. The phytonutrients that provide health benefits can also trigger these reactions. The question of how much is too much is a bit harder to address and may be individually determined. Some research indicates that four cloves a day is probably an upper limit for intake but for many people the impact of that many cloves on breath might be the biggest deterrent for consumption. Garlic can interfere with blood clotting, when consumed in excess, so it is important to tell your physician if you take a garlic supplement or use large amounts daily.”

Garlic could provide health benefits, but the research isn’t clear yet. It is known that using garlic in our cooking makes healthy eating easier by avoiding the overuse of salt and fats.

The post Does Garlic Have Health Benefits? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

To address our speculations, we had Dr. Alison Duncan, professor in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph in Canada, weigh in on the topic.

What are the health benefits of eating avocados?

Dr. Duncan: “Avocados are a type of fruit (also known as the alligator pear) and there are well-established benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables including enjoyment of a tasty diet, an improvement in diet quality and a reduction in risk of many diseases.”

Avocados are also known as alligator pears.
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I understand that avocados are high in fat, but are considered to be good for you. How does that work?

Dr. Duncan: “Avocados are a heart-healthy, nutrient-dense with many essential vitamins — vitamin A, folate, vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, choline, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K — and minerals — copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc — phytochemicals — lutein, zeaxanthin, phytosterols — and dietary fiber.

“They also contain a high amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which makes them higher in calories than other fruits. But we should care more about the quality of our calories, and avocados have a high nutritional quality. MUFA is a healthy type of fat that has been shown to promote healthy blood lipid profiles. The fat in avocados can also improve our ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins from avocados and other fruits and vegetables we may be consuming with the avocados. We should care about the quality of fat we consume, and avocados provide us with a high-quality fat that is healthy for us.”

Monounsaturated fats are considered to be healthy because they can help develop and maintain your cells. Medline Plus provides a list of foods and oils that have higher amounts of monounsaturated fats. Some of those foods and oils include:

• Nuts
• Canola oil
• Olive oil
• Peanut oil and butter
• Sesame oil

Even if avocados are healthy, is there a concern about overindulging in them?

Dr. Duncan: “Moderation and variety are the cornerstones of a healthy diet. Like any other food, we want to aim for moderation so we can spread out our sources of nutrients and be more likely to have the best diet quality we can. So although there is no urgent concern about over-consuming avocados, you should always keep moderation in mind and allow yourself to enjoy many different healthy foods.”

We’ve seen that you can substitute avocados into recipes in place of butter. Do you recommend this?

Dr. Duncan: “Yes, that is a great idea. There many ways to alter recipes to make them more nutrient-dense and avocados are a fun and creative way to do this. You can mash the avocados and substitute it for the butter in a 1:1 ratio. You can experiment with how much butter to substitute but you could aim for about half of the butter. The avocados tend to make for a chewier food as well, which could be appealing depending on the recipe.”

The pit of an avocado must have a purpose. Should I be doing anything with it?

Dr. Duncan: “If you want to get creative, there are many things you could do with an avocado pit. You could use it to grow your own avocado plant, you could make a dye, you could make a tea, you can even cut it up and put it in a smoothie.”

What are the best practices for storing and selecting avocados?

Dr. Duncan: “Avocados start to ripen after they are picked from the tree (which is good as they can be shipped in their unripe, hard and more durable form.) Avocados produce ethylene which facilitates the ripening process, and this is best done at room temperature but happen faster if you put the avocado in a paper bag to concentration the ethylene gas. You can tell an avocado is ripe if it is firm yet gently yields to the pressure of your hand. Then you can maintain the avocado in this state best by storing it in the fridge as the lower temperature will slow down the ripening process.”

Do you have any favorite avocado recipes?

Dr. Duncan: “After writing this piece, I am even more motivated to explore the endless possibilities of cooking with avocado. I think right now my favorite is adding them to smoothies for a huge nutrient-booster. I think chocolate pudding or mousse is also a tasty treat to include avocado. You can buy avocado in frozen chunks and this is the way I have been consuming them lately as it is convenient and fast and enjoyable!”

With proven health benefits, rich flavor and versatile uses, maybe we should change the saying to “an avocado a day keeps the doctor away.”

The post Health Benefits of Eating Avocados appeared first on Best Food Facts.

What are some of the health benefits of eating tomatoes?

Alice Henneman, MS, RD: “Tomatoes are one of the richest sources of dietary lycopene. Lycopene may help prevent such cancers as prostate, colorectal and stomach cancer as well as help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Cooked and canned tomatoes are higher in lycopene than raw tomatoes. Heating tomatoes during cooking, processing or canning increases the absorption of lycopene.

“Tomatoes are a source of potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Served plain, they are saturated fat- and cholesterol-free, very low in sodium and low in calories.”

What are the different ways to eat tomatoes?

Henneman: “Americans consume three-fourths of their tomatoes in processed form according to USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).”

The ERS estimates that the largest processed use of tomatoes goes as follows:

• Sauces (35 percent)
• Paste (18 percent)
• Canned whole tomato products (17 percent)
• Ketchup (15 percent)
• Juice (15 percent)
• ERS estimates suggest that about one-third of processed-tomato products are purchased away from home at various foodservice outlets (pizza parlors, for example).

Do homegrown tomatoes have different nutritional value than store bought?

Henneman: “The best answer I have seen to this question is a quote by dietitian Elizabeth Pivonka, former president and CEO of the nonprofit Produce for Better Health Foundation: ‘Still, home-grown produce may have only a slight nutritional advantage over the store-bought kind. What really matters,’ says Pivonka, ‘is that you eat more.’”

Many people think homegrown tomatoes taste better. Why is that?

Henneman: “Homegrown tomatoes are more likely to be picked and eaten at the peak of ripeness.”

If you want to try growing some yourself, here are some words of encouragement. “Start small. Grow what you like. Ask friends and neighbors for hints,” said Dr. Aldwinckle.

What are the best kind of tomatoes to grow yourself?

Dr. Aldwinckle: “There are many, many varieties, but they can be grouped into a few kinds.

Determinate (bush type, after a while plants stop growing more shoots and ripen the tomatoes they’re bearing) and indeterminate (keep growing and producing fruit until frost or diseases take them out). The size of fruit is grape, cherry, small, medium, large. There are also modern and heirloom varieties. I’ve been disappointed with heirlooms, their flavor and texture is no better, usually worse, than modern varieties. [Heirloom] rot quickly, and tend to be less resistant to diseases.”

Why do some tomatoes grow better than others?

Dr. Aldwinckle: “[There are] regular or disease resistant.  Most modern varieties have some resistance, but if you run into serious disease problems, try some of those varieties specifically labeled ‘disease-resistant.’ These types of tomatoes can be easy or hard to get good fruit from, depending largely on the climate, the weather, the genetics of the variety, and the gardener’s skill, probably in that order.”

Do you have any tips or tricks for growing healthy tomatoes?

Dr. Aldwinckle: “Choose healthy well growing plants.  Not too big, about 6 inches high. If possible, select a site where tomatoes have not been grown for 2-3 years.Tthis reduces carry-over of disease. Plant them in a loamy soil with plenty of (dark) organic matter. Space the plants so there will be space between them when mature, so that there can be airflow. Set the plants in the soil so the bottom part of the stem is buried (new roots will sprout and help support the plant.  Water well, and fertilize them with one of those blue soluble fertilizers.  Don’t let them dry out and wilt, keep watering regularly if it’s dry.

“Once the plants are 9 to 12 inches high, use twist-ties to attach them  to a strong cane, or stake, or a length of metal conduit (easy to bash in the ground). Tie them loose enough to allow for growth. The staking will hold the fruit off the soil, where they can pick up disease, stay wet, and rot.  It also makes picking a lot easier.”

Now that we know how to grow them, how do we keep our tomato plants healthy?

Dr. Aldwinckle: “Staking to keep fruit off the ground, and spacing to allow airflow to dry out the leaves and fruit after rain and dew will also help reduce diseases.  I never spray.  By the time you think you’ve got a big problem and wonder what to spray, it’s usually too late for any spray to have any useful effect.  And who wants chemicals on their tomatoes anyway?”

We’re ready to see your picture-worthy tomato plants turn into even better recipes. To help you find inspiration for your tomato-based meals, we created a Pinterest board for you.

The post Health and How-Tos of Homegrown Tomatoes appeared first on Best Food Facts.

Dr. Robert Hutkins, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recently published research about the beneficial microorganisms commonly found in fermented foods. We reached out to Dr. Hutkins to learn a bit more about fermented foods.

Registered dietician Anne Cundiff defined fermentation as “the chemical breakdown of a substance, carbohydrates, by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms into acids, gases or alcohol. Common fermentation results in the production of beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages as well as leavening/yeast activity in bread products, lactic acid in foods like sauerkraut and yogurt and acetic acid in vinegars.”

Are there any dangers or disadvantages of fermented foods?

Dr. Hutkins: “Fermented foods and beverages have many desirable nutritional and sensory properties, which is why they are so popular. Indeed, fermented foods, like whole grain bread, yogurt, miso, red wine, and kimchi should be a considered as an important component of a healthy diet.

“Nonetheless, there are a few caveats. Obviously, while alcoholic fermented beverages have their merits, over-consumption has many health and societal dangers that most of us are well aware. Some fermented foods, like cheese and sausage, can contain high amounts of fat (and calories), whereas others, like pickles, sauerkraut, and kimchi contain rather high levels of salt. Pepperoni, salami, and other fermented sausages contain nitrite, which may also be a concern, so moderation is the key.

“There are also substances formed during fermentation called biogenic amines (e.g., tyramine and histamine) that can cause head-aches and nausea in susceptible individuals. They are occasionally present in wine, beer, aged cheese, and dry fermented sausage.”

Do fermented foods (not including alcoholic beverages) contain alcohol? 

Dr. Hutkins: “Except for alcoholic fermented foods like wine, beers, and distilled spirits, fermented foods like cheese, yogurt, and pepperoni do not contain alcohol. When ethanol is present in fermented foods, it is often at very low levels. Thus, cultured buttermilk or sour cream may contain ethanol but it will be at concentrations so low (like 0.01%) it is even hard to measure. Indeed, this is about the same as that present in apple juice or bread.

“There are a few exceptions. In theory, ‘wild’ kefir (i.e., made with actual kefir grains) could contain a small amount of alcohol, but the kefirs available in U.S. grocery stores contain little to no measurable amounts. Vinegar, in contrast, does contain alcohol, with some products containing as much as 1%. Another fermented food that contains alcohol is soy sauce. Alcohol is produced naturally during fermentation, and alcohol may also be added as a preservative. Still the levels are low.

“Finally, kombucha is a yeast-fermented product that often contains alcohol. Indeed, there have been several recalls because the amount exceeded the 0.5% limit.”

What should consumers keep in mind when incorporating fermented foods into their diet?

Dr. Hutkins: “Yogurt has become one of the most popular fermented foods and is a great way to get beneficial probiotic organisms into the diet. However, many brands contain a boat-load of sugar. Try plain, or lightly sweetened versions and add your own fresh fruit. Greek yogurts, by virtue of their naturally thick body, are great on top of a baked potato or in guacamole.

“If you grew up as I did, with canned sauerkraut, try one of the many brands that are not heat-treated. They have a fresh flavor and crispy texture, plus they can contain live organisms, just like yogurt. Or for a bit more pizazz, try one of the fresh kimchi products – they are terrific.

“Or consider miso, a product many of us have become familiar with only recently since it’s often served as miso soup at sushi restaurants. It’s got a great “umami” flavor and works great in a lot of recipes, like low calorie salad dressing or over Asian noodles.

“Of course, calories and salt content do count, so some of these fermented foods should be enjoyed in moderation.”

Dr. Hutkins’ work also found a correlation between fermented foods and “lower rates of diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, heart disease and other ailments.” It is easy to incorporate fermented foods into your diet. Here are some common fermented foods:

• Beer
• Bread
• Cheese
• Coffee
• Kombucha
• Pickles (certain methods)
• Salami
• Sauerkraut
• Sour cream
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Wine
• Yogurt

Fermented foods also contain bacteria that are good for your health as well as food for those existing bacteria. Probiotics are the good bacteria in certain foods that help regulate bacteria that occurs naturally in your gut. Prebiotics are carbohydrates that your body cannot digest, but are consumed by the good bacteria (probiotics) to help them grow in the gut.

It is easy to incorporate fermented foods into your diet. In fact, you probably eat and drink a few on our list already! Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about adding new foods into your routine.

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