Tina Ruggiero | Nutrition Expert, Cookbook Author and Spokesperson

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vegetables

Superstar Sea Vegetables

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Are you eating your sea veggies? Click here read the kiwi magazine article featuring the recipe below. Find out why these staples of Asian cuisine are essential to a healthy diet.

Nori-Wrapped Salmon Rice Balls

Nori-Wrapped Salmon Rice BallsOnigiri, or rice balls, are fun to make with the kids and are the perfect way to use up leftovers. Stuff them with whatever savory bites you have on hand – cooked ground beef, marinated tofu, sautéed mushrooms – and serve as a snack or light lunch.

INGREDIENTS

1 (6-ounce) can wild salmon
1 teaspoon soy sauce, plus extra for dipping
Pinch of salt
4 cups cooked sushi rice, warm
2 sheets nori, cut into 2-inch-wide strips

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, flake canned salmon with a fork. Add soy sauce and stir to combine.

Wet your hands with cold water. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on one hand. Scoop ¹⁄³ cup of rice into your hands and make a dent in the center. Put a heaping teaspoon of the salmon filling into the dent and gently wrap the rice around the filling, forming into a ball or a triangle.

Wrap the rice ball with a strip of nori.

Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.

Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Active time: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
Per serving: calories 303, fat 3 g, protein 13 g, carbohydrates 54 g, dietary fiber 0 g, sugar 0 g

DIY Nutrition: What’s on Your Veggies?

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Dressed for Success!

salad-dressingDo you believe that salads heaping with vegetables and paired with a no-fat or low-fat dressing are the key to shedding weight? While vegetables are certainly a great source of nutrients and help limit intake of unhealthy fats, you might want to rethink how you dress them.

Research from Purdue University suggests there may be benefits to swapping non-fat or low-calorie dressing for something more substantial.

It appears the higher fat content of richer dressings can actually unlock a vegetable’s nutritional potential, as it’s digested. While dieters are encouraged to select fat-free salad dressings, traditional dressings can influence the bioavailability of nutrients.

In a recent study, subjects were fed salads based on three types of dressing—saturated fat (butter), polyunsaturated fat (vegetable oil) and monosaturated fat (canola oil).

Researchers then measured the test subjects’ blood for carotenoid absorption (Carotenoids have been proven to help reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses). So, the more carotenoids found, the better. The test subjects who had eaten the canola oil-based dressing had the most carotenoids in their bloodstream.

Additionally, the subjects who consumed butter or vegetable oil-based dressings needed more dressing to achieve the same benefits—implying there is a correlation between the type of dressing you use.

As revealing as this finding may be, it’s yet another example of how the human body naturally seeks out flavor to help us achieve nutritious meals naturally.