The USDA recommends eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day for optimal health. Living with Type 2 diabetes, it's especially important you try to hit that mark each day.
If you're having a hard time getting your five to nine servings of vegetables each day, you should consider using dehydrated vegetables in your foods. They're compact, economical, and very convenient to use. Plus, since they take up so much less space than full-sized fresh produce, you can really save a lot of space in your refrigerator for other foods. But many people are still a little hesitant about buying fresh fruits and vegetables in bags. They're not sure how long they'll last, how to store them, or how to keep them from spoiling. We're here to tell you that you should have no fear. Dehydrated vegetables have been found to retain their vitamins, and in fact, they've been shown to increase in antioxidant composition. How? This type of vegetable loses most of their water content, so all of the nutrients get compacted and concentrated in the dried out vegetable. And like we've learned with tomatoes, the bioavailability of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables changes depending on how they are cooked (or not cooked). Some dehydrated vegetables contain 10 to 50 times as many vitamins and antioxidants compared to the same volume of their fresh vegetable counterparts! Another bonus to this is that their weight to volume ratio is much higher than their fresh counterparts, making them more efficient to carry in your pack. Grains and Flours Grains and flours can be a great addition to your food storage. Rehydrating and Using Dehydrated Vegetables If you are going to use dehydrated vegetables in a stir-fry, bake, casserole, salad, or really anything other than a soup or stew recipe, you'll need to rehydrate them first. Simply soak the vegetables to cover in lukewarm water until the vegetable is softened; this often takes 30 to 60 minutes. If you need to soak your vegetables longer than a few hours, stick them in the fridge until they're softened. Drain the vegetable, blot dry, and use in your recipes. Use un-soaked dehydrated vegetables immediately if you're making a soup, stew, chili, or other hot liquid recipe. By adding the dehydrated vegetables directly into the hot liquid, they automatically soften inside and cook into the pot. This is a fantastic way to bulk up stews and chilis with a heart amount of vegetables - especially since you don't have to sauté the vegetables in oil first to make them taste delicious. The other day my son and I made a huge pot of vegan black bean chili, with a huge pile of sautéed mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and onions thrown in at the end. It was a hit, as usual! For a tasty potato chip alternative, eat dehydrated vegetables raw for a fantastic crunchy snack. You'll avoid the extra fat and calories of salty snack foods, while at the same time getting closer to your five to nine daily servings. For a quick and easy meal, try some instant noodles. They're fast, filling and can be pretty tasty if you get creative with the add-ins. Throw in some veggies, flavor packets, a little soy sauce or anything else you think might be tasty. If you're shopping at a health food store or co-op, you can almost always find dehydrated vegetables in the bulk section of the store. Otherwise, look for brands that carry packaged varieties, such as "Just Veggies," in the produce section of your regular supermarket.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives |