Sorghum – a superfood here to stay

Superfoods come and go - quinoa, kale, acai, bone broth, goji berries - all have had their superstar, superfood status day in the sun.  Now it looks like another food – sorghum – is on the rise to be the next superfood you’ll be seeing more of in a grocery store near you.

Maybe you’ve never heard of sorghum but if you’ve grown up on a farm where cattle are raised, there’s a very good chance you have.  But wait you may say, isn’t sorghum feed for cattle?  Yes, but it can also be a food source for humans too.  You see, sorghum has actually been a food staple around the world for thousands of years.  It currently is a dietary source for more than 500 million people in 30 countries and is the fifth most important cereal grain crop in the world.  It has taken it awhile but just recently sorghum is now having its turn wearing the banner of “superfood” here in the United States.

Sorghum’s history in the United States

Sorghum has been a crop grown and harvested in the U.S. for a long time.  The first known planting of sorghum in the U.S. dates back to 1757 when Ben Franklin wrote about its use in producing brooms.  The origin and early domestication of sorghum though took place in Northeastern Africa where the earliest known record of this crop comes from an archeological dig dating back to 8,000 B.C.

Sorghum is one of the most versatile crops around as it can be grown as a grain, forage, or sweet crop with a number of uses and adaptations. In fact, Jack Harlan, a well-known botanist, agronomist and plant collector, stated in 1971 that “sorghum is one of the really indispensable crops required for the survival of humankind.”

In the United States, sorghum has had as its primary use for being a livestock feed and for ethanol production.  It is grown throughout the Sorghum Belt, which runs from South Dakota to Southern Texas, primarily on dryland acres.  The state of Kansas leads the way as the top sorghum producing state (3.4 million acres) in the nation followed by Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado.

Discovery of sorghum by consumers

Now sorghum has found its niche in the U.S. consumer food industry as the demand for this versatile, naturally drought tolerant crop has grown substantially.  Consumers are discovering creative uses for sorghum in a variety of recipes making it a food in demand and can now be found in more than 350 product lines in the U. S. alone. 

Sorghum is a grain that can be served like quinoa or rice and is very easy to use by cooking on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, the oven or a rice cooker.  It can also be frozen and reheated without losing its flavor. 

Nutritional power of sorghum

One of the prime reasons why sorghum has exploded recently on consumer’s food plates is the nutritional halo it has in providing key nutrients resulting in health benefits.  Here is why sorghum lives up to its nutritional prestige – a half cup of sorghum provides the following:

·      11 grams of proteinwhich provides the building blocks for bone, muscle, skin and enzyme development

·      4.2 milligrams of iron – necessary for a strong immune system and oxygen-carrying capacity in the blood

·      2.8 milligrams of niacin – needed for improved blood circulation

·      275 milligrams of phosphorus – helps form healthy bones

·      158 milligrams of magnesium – aids in calcium absorption and body temperature regulation

·      336 milligrams of potassium – promotes healthy blood pressure

·      6 grams of fiber – improves digestive health and prevents constipation

In addition, sorghum is rich in antioxidants which may help lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and some neurological diseases.  For those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, sorghum is perfectly acceptable to eat as it is naturally gluten-free. 

To find out for yourself more information along with recipes on this next superfood on the horizon, visit www.simplysorghum.com. 

The Health Benefits of Eating Grapefruit

Citrus fruits are nutritional champs in general, and grapefruits are their king. Besides being just physically more intimidating than their generally sweeter siblings, grapefruits go deep and long with fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. And besides... how many other citrus fruits have their own diet plan?

Despite their size, grapefruits have one of the lowest calorie counts of any fruit (they contain a lot of weight-loss-inducing water). A study done at the Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, California, found that obese subjects who consumed half of a fresh grapefruit before meals lost significantly more weight than those who did not. You can chalk much of grapefruits' calorie-controlling superpowers up to their high fiber quotient. Eating fiber-rich foods such as grapefruits contribute to a feeling of satiety that keeps your appetite in check throughout the day.

Grapefruits are especially high in vitamin C, which in turn is high in antioxidants that keep your cells safe from infection, and helps the rest of you recover more quickly from the common cold. No slouch in the area of non-C vitamins either, one grapefruit provides more than a quarter of your daily vitamin A requirement as well.

Despite their sweetness, a half-grapefruit a day will keep your blood sugar in check. Insulin is the hormone in your body that is charged with reining in blood sugar levels. If you become insulin resistant (as over 30 percent of the population is), your body needs to manufacture more of it, your blood sugar levels rise, and you become more susceptible to contacting type 2 diabetes. One study showed how subjects who ate half of a fresh grapefruit before meals displayed a meaningful reduction in both insulin levels and insulin resistance, compared to a control group that did not eat grapefruit.

Eating grapefruit can also yield significant benefits for your heart health as well. Besides being high in potassium which has been shown to lower the risk of death from heart disease, grapefruits improve your total cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. The same study showed how people who ate grapefruit three times daily over the course of six weeks enjoyed significant reductions in blood pressure.

And here's one you didn't see coming: eating grapefruits may reduce your risk of developing kidney stones! The most common kidney stones form from calcium oxalate, and the citric acid which grapefruit has in abundance may be effective at preventing them by binding with calcium in the kidneys and flushing it out of your body. In addition, because the citric acid can increase the volume and pH of your urine, it contributes to an environment that is very unfriendly to the formation of kidney stones to begin with.

10 best healthy snacks under 200 calories

Snacks can be a fun, healthy and necessary means of keeping us fueled throughout the day.  The goal of a snack should be to choose foods with minimal calories but offering fiber and protein taking the edge off our appetite between meals. 

The last thing you want to do is turn a snack into a mini-meal – those calories add up quickly.  Studies have shown that depending on your food choices, those snack calories can easily add up to 25-30% of our total calories for the day. 

To avoid this scenario that could be sabotaging any weight loss efforts you are attempting, here are 10 very healthy and very low calorie nutrient-rich snack ideas combining the all-important fiber and protein combo tiding you over until your next meal.  And remember, three meals a day and one to two low-calorie snacks evenly spaced between those meals, is one of the best approaches for winning the battle against weight gain.

1.     Six ounce container of fat free Greek yogurt with ½ cup of fresh fruit

This combo is hard to beat for combining a high-protein, high-fiber snack.  Fat free Greek yogurts can contain upwards of 12 grams per container at around 100 calories while fresh fruit of any kind of berry – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries – provides a healthy carb with fiber.

2.     Skinny turkey or chicken sandwich

Look for a thin crust or flatbread containing no more than 100 calories per slice, top with 2 ounces of sliced turkey, add in lettuce, tomato and mustard and you’ve created a perfect snack blend of protein power and fiber filled goodness.

3.     Apple slices with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

An iconic and ideal snack merger just about everyone likes. Filling fiber from the apple and quality protein from the peanut butter and just under 200 calories fits the bill. 

4.     Fresh vegetables with ¼ cup guacamole

The healthy monounsaturated fat found in avocados combined with fiber rich veggies will keep you feeling satisfied for hours.  For a bit of a protein boost, have a small handful of almonds.

5.     A hard-boiled egg with whole wheat crackers

Considered the gold standard of high-quality protein, one egg provides 6 grams with just 70 calories.  Combine it with 6 fiber-containing whole wheat crackers for an enjoyable nutritious snack.

6.     3 cups of air-popped popcorn and one-fourth cup of soynuts

Popcorn may be just about the perfect snack.  It’s the only snack that is a 100% unprocessed whole grain with 3 cups providing 3.5 grams of fiber, only a mere 31 calories, and more than 70% of the daily intake of whole grain.  Another boost popcorn provides is an antioxidant called polyphenols.  The hulls of popcorn – the part that tends to get caught in teeth – actually has the highest concentration of polyphenols and fiber.  So eat up and don’t overlook the hulls.

Pair popcorn with soynuts – a quarter cup has about 120 calories, a generous 11.9 grams of protein, and also provides 4.9 grams of fiber.  A match made in snack heaven. 

7.     100-calorie packs of nuts – mixed or not

Whether you choose pistachios, walnuts, almonds, peanuts or cashews, these protein and fiber-filled nuggets are a number one go-to snack every time.  Don’t have the 100-calorie pack of nuts?  The following amounts are equivalent to 100 calories – 30 pistachios, 17 peanuts, 13 almonds, 11 cashews, or 7 walnuts.

8.     Pear with string cheese

This healthy duo certainly meets the qualifications of a fabulous snack less than 200 calories and packed with protein and fiber.  A medium-sized pear provides 100 calories with 6 grams of fiber while a stick of string cheese provides 6-7 grams of protein and 80 calories– perfection!

9.     Light chocolate soymilk and a small banana

Now here is a combination for those with a love of chocolate.  One cup of light chocolate soymilk contains 3 grams of protein, 90 calories and 50% more calcium – 450 milligrams - than dairy milk. Enjoy it with a small banana just under 100 calories squelching hunger pangs until the next meal.

10.   Honey peanut butter protein energy balls

Protein energy balls are everywhere and for a good reason. They provide a good source of protein (6 grams) and fiber (2.5 grams) and taste oh so good.  This recipe is super simple to make with common ingredients – to keep the calories under 200, shape the balls slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.