Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, July 19, 2008
Mixing It Up: ‘Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be healthy’
Well, folks, the time has come to allow this column — and me — to grow. Given my recent health issues, I need to start making incremental changes on my way to a healthier lifestyle. What I eat is the easiest place to start. My personal mantra will be that nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thinner and healthy.
The other day, our new director of nutrition services walked into my office. He challenged me to come up with a column using lycopenes as the subject. I came to the conclusion that if I’m going to better myself, this is as good of a time as any to start. I hope to share my new knowledge with you as I kick and scream my way to better health.
Lycopenes are present in red-pigmented food and may be one of the best free radical scavengers among carotenes. They are an effective anti-oxidant and may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. It also helps the skin by blocking a certain amount of visible and UV-light. As much time as I spend in the sun, I found this fact most interesting. Tomatoes automatically come to mind. As it turns out, processed tomato products are a powerhouse source of lycopenes versus raw tomatoes. All you need to do is eat 31/2 ounces of tomato paste, oh boy, every day for maximum benefit. A better way is to use more processed tomato products throughout your diet.
Today, I have a simple tomato-based beverage recipe that can get us all out of the starting blocks and can be enjoyed any day, any time.
Spicy Tomato Chiller
6 ounces V-8 Juice, ice cold
2/3 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 pinch celery salt
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1 twist fresh cracked black pepper
Put all of the ingredients into a shaker or blender to mix well. Drink it up straight or pour over ice and enjoy. Garnish with a celery stick, dill pickle spear or olives for a no-alcohol Bloody Mary.
John Haverty, a certified executive chef at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center, writes a column every other week for the Food section. He can be reached at chefhaverty@yahoo.com.
All stories copyright 2000 - 2006 La Crosse Tribune and other attributed sources.