Up With The Birds

The birds (and the fact that I couldn't breathe out my nose) woke me up at 5:00 a.m. and I actually got up at 5:00 a.m. I've been having coffee and Advil Sinus since then, reading blogs and emails and thinking "wasn't I just sick in March or April?" I'll go walking at 7:00 a.m. probably with my hat on to keep my ear warm.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the effects of preparation on the nutrients of veggies:

In January, a report in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry concluded that over all, boiling was better for carrots, zucchini and broccoli than steaming, frying or serving them raw. Frying was by far the worst.

This is interesting. I cannot stand boiled zucchini or broccoli, so I will continue to saute mine because sauteed has to be better than not eating it at all because it is boiled and gross.

What accompanies the vegetables can also be important. Studies at Ohio State measured blood levels of subjects who ate servings of salsa and salads. When the salsa or salad was served with fat-rich avocados or full-fat salad dressing, the diners absorbed as much as 4 times more lycopene, 7 times more lutein and 18 times the beta carotene than those who had their vegetables plain or with low-fat dressing.

This I can get on board with. I always think a little bit of something with fat is better than a lot of something without fat.

And this recipe for Indian Lentil Pilaf came through in one of my Yoga Journal email newsletters. I might try cooking that tonight.