What's Cooking Mexico » Lunches

I am very happy to introduce Mary Ward as a guest blogger. Her health, nutrition and fitness articles are always very interesting and I am honored that she wrote this article especially for this blog. Don’t miss the recipe I came up with to illustrate this article at the end of the post.

You’ve likely heard it since you were a little kid—“you are what you eat”! It used to be just a funny cliché thing to say, namely to get kids to eat more of their vegetables or less than desirable meal items. However, as we learn more about nutrition and just what the foods we eat can do for our overall health, this is a very accurate and truthful statement. There is some great value in the rich color that certain foods contain, and the nutrients and health benefits are so great that you might be shocked. Here we look at just what the color of your food tells you about just what you are eating and what it can do for your overall health.

Red Food Means Heart Healthy

There are some simply delicious and very natural red foods that may be in your kitchen today. If you don’t tend to eat a lot of rich red foods, then you may very well want to start. Eating foods that have a vibrant red color help to reduce the risk of heart disease or other heart related problems. This is a huge health benefit and is so easy to achieve just by picking and consuming the right foods. Red foods include strawberries, tomatoes, and even red peppers. The vibrant red color that each of these foods naturally contain have properties that help to fight off heart disease and even help to combat prostate cancer as well.

Green Food Means a Healthy Life

You may have heard that leafy green vegetables are a must when it comes to your health—and it’s so true! Eating leafy green foods such as kale, spinach, collard greens, and romaine lettuce can provide you with amazing amounts of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin D, iron, and even folate. This helps to boost your immune system, keep you looking and feeling healthier, and can even fight off certain forms of cancer in the process.

Blue Food Gives a Memory Boost

There’s a reason that you often hear that blueberries are at the top of the “super foods” list and should be included in the top 10 foods that you eat regularly. The blue that gives blueberries their name helps to protect the memory and motor function, particularly as you age. Not only can blueberries help to boost your memory power, but they can even help to fight off cancer or eliminate heart disease as you eat them. So eat them and enjoy them!

Orange Foods Help to Lower Cholesterol

You’ve seen the beauty that vibrant orange colors contain, and there’s some excellent nutrients contained within as well. Orange foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and oranges don’t just look beautiful but they are so good for you and can help your health in some serious ways. The orange found in these gems can help to prevent heart disease as they are excellent agents in lowering your cholesterol levels. This in turn can all mean less of a chance of a stroke and this all amounts to you being the better picture of health. If you truly are what you eat, then why not make the choices that are sure to keep you healthier in the process?

Mary Ward is a blogger and enjoys writing about medical career
topics, such as how to obtain a Master of Health
Administration degree, job and education tips, and more.

Color Healhty Pasta

The ingredients:

1 package shell noodles

1 poblano pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 lb cherry tomatoes

olive oil

1 tbsp fresh basil

1 tsp fresh oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

The how-to:

Roast and clean poblano peppers (click here to see how). Cut in strips.

Clean bell pepper and cut in strips. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Roast bell pepper and tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

Cook pasta according to package adding basil and oregano to the boiling water.

Drain pasta. Add peppers, tomatoes and about 1 tbsp of olive oil and toss.

Serve and grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the dish.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

¡Buen provecho!

I haven’t sent anything to Presto Pasta Nights in a while so this pasta dish is my entry for this week’s roundup hosted by the creator of this great event, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

© Ben for What's Cooking Mexico, 2009. | Permalink | 18 comments |
Post tags: Guest post, Health & Fitness, Healthy food, Nutrition, Pasta, Poblano peppers, Presto Pasta Nights, Tomato