Food, Recipe, and Activity of the Week - March 11, 2007
This week's features include:
Food - Raisin
Recipe - Sweet potato and raisin sauté
Activity - Pilates
History
The belief is that raisins were discovered when humans noticed grapes drying upon their vines. History books note that this discovery took place sometime in 1490 B.C. Then between 120 and 900 B.C. the first vineyards were developed and raisins were grown in southern Spain and Greece.
In the 11 th century, raisins were introduced to Europe by Crusader knights returning home from the Mediterranean . By the 14th century raisins were an important part of European cuisine.
In the 18th century Spanish missionaries from Mexico moved to California to help farmers grow grapes for wine. The legend is that in 1873 the California 's first raisin crop wasn't grown by farmers but by nature. A massive heat wave hit the San Joaquin Valley before harvest and dried most of the grapes before they could be picked by the farmers.
In 1876 Scottish immigrant William Thompson grew a seedless grape variety that was thin-skinned, seedless, and sweet. Today more than 95 percent of California raisins are made from Thompson seedless grapes. And the San Joaquin Valley supplies raisins for nearly half the world, making it the largest producer anywhere.
Raisin Facts
The word raisin comes from the Latin word racemus meaning a cluster of grapes or berries. Processed raisins are prepared from clean, sound, dried grapes, which are properly stemmed and capstemmed, then sorted, cleaned, and washed in water to assure a wholesome product.
Raisins are an efficient way to meet the goal of eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day. They come in large packages, which are good when using raisins to cook or bake with. They also come individual boxes, which are good to eat on the go. When purchasing raisins squeeze the bag to see if the raisins are soft. If the fruit rattles inside when shaken, they are too dried out. To maintain optimum freshness and keep sugars from crystallizing after opening, keep raisins in an airtight container in the refrigerator or coolest storage area. Stored in the refrigerator, raisins can last up to one year. Raisins can also be frozen if stored for extended periods of time. If a recipe calls for plumped raisins, soak the raisins in very hot tap water for two to five minutes, but no longer than five minutes, as flavor and nutrients can be lost.
Seventy-five percent of raisins are eaten with breakfast. Yet raisins are a versatile food that can be added to stews, sauces, desserts, baked goods, and salads. For an easy to prepare snack eat them by themselves or mix them with nuts and other dried fruits to make homemade trail mix. Raisins are a rich source of potassium and iron. To get the most benefit from the iron in raisins eat them with a vitamin C rich food.
Nutritional Information per serving (1/4 cup): 130 calories, 0 g fat, 31 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 29 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber, 0 g cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 310 mg potassium
For more information on raisins, visit the California Raisin Marketing Board web site.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups shredded sweet potatoes (about 2 potatoes)
- 2 Tablespoons margarine
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Directions:
In a food processor, shred sweet potatoes; set aside. Melt margarine in a large, non-stick skillet. Add sweet potatoes and cook over medium-high heat 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add raisins and maple syrup; sauté 1 to 2 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Nutrition Information (serving size- 1/4 of recipe): Calories 359, Total Fat 12g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 149 mg, Total Carbohydrate 63g, Protein 3g
A popular type of exercise that has recently been propagated is a form of yoga called pilate. This popular exercise has been employed by many celebrities, such as Madonna, Courtney Cox, and Julia Roberts, and has lately been brought to the general publics' attention.
In the 1930's a man named Joseph Pilates introduced an exercise method to help strengthen and rehabilitate injured soldiers during World War I. His goal was to build a healthy injury-free body by using controlled and concentrated movements. The form of exercise was named pilate and its full body-conditioning program worked the entire body.
Pilates can use certain resistance focused equipment, or simply a mat on which the person does the movements. It is used to improve strength, flexibility, balance, control, and muscular symmetry to develop toned muscles. Below are some examples of pilate movements to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Note: if you have back problems, consult with your physician before performing the exercises.
Exercise 1
This movement strengthens the torso by requiring the back muscles to work in synergy with the abdominal muscles.
• Lie with your back flat on the floor, shoulders down. Point your feet and lengthen your body, leading the stretch with the top of your head.
• Keeping your back flat on the floor, raise both your legs and head off the floor. Be sure to keep your neck neutral and chin tucked.
• Keeping arms extended (fingers pointing forward), begin to lift and lower them about two inches from the floor, breathing in on the lift and out on the lower.
• Do this for 5 up-and-down beats. Repeat 10 times until you have done a "hundred."
Exercise 2
This roll up exercise strengthens your abdominal muscles.
• Lie on your back with legs straight and arms stretched above your head palm facing the ceiling.
• Keeping your back flat on the floor, slowly lift your arms toward the ceiling as you breathe in and move them forward.
• As you breathe out, slowly roll your upper body up and forward as your arms are moving forward, peeling your spine off the mat. Head remains straight, eyes focused forward. Stomach remains taut, not crunched.
• Once sitting, breath in, bend your knees and hug them then roll back on the mat while breathing out.
• Do not pause, but as you breathe in roll up again, to begin the second repetition. Do 10 repetitions.
Exercise 3
This exercise will stretch your leg as well as work your abdominal muscles
• Lie on your back with arms at your sides, palms facing down.
• Lift head and shoulders off the floor and bend your knees. Hug your knees then hold the right knee, while extending the left leg. (The distance between your raised leg and the floor will depend on your abdominal strength and the weight of your leg. If you are careful not to arch your back, you will not overextend your leg.)
• Slowly switch sides and alternate legs, grasping left knee and extending right leg. Breathe in for two changes; breathe out for two changes.
• Do 10 changes, or 5 moves per side.