Look for walnuts featured on the lunch menu and snack cart this month.  Walnuts are chock full of protein, fiber, antioxidants, magnesium and phosphorus.   If you are thinking superfood, you are thinking right!  And, out of all nuts, walnuts contain the highest amount of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 essential amino acid.  A diet rich in ALA has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease.  While heart disease is normally associated with adults, more and more children are being diagnosed with high cholesterol and the early stages of heart disease.  Everyone can benefit from one ounce of walnuts a day.  Have you had your handful?

As mentioned last week, foods can be classified into a range of nutritional value.  On one end, you have the healthiest foods and moving towards the other end, there is a gradual decrease in healthiness until reaching the most unhealthy foods.   The foods on the healthy end of the spectrum tend to be whole foods, i.e. as close as possible to the way nature made them.  These foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.  As these foods are processed and “tweaked” more and more from their natural state, they move down the health spectrum towards the unhealthy range.   As the foods are processed more and more, their nutritional value tends to decrease due to the added artificial colors, preservatives, trans fats, and excessive amounts of sugars and sodium.  Keep this spectrum in mind when choosing foods.

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in the body’s absorption of calcium for maintaining bone health.  Without enough vitamin D, the bones will soften, leading to rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults.  New research suggests that the vitamin may also play a role in immunity and protect against diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.  Unfortunately, research is also finding that vitamin D deficiencies are estimated to occur in 30-50% of the population, numbers higher across all age groups than previously thought. 

The body does produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.  However, for those living in places with inadequate sunlight (a.k.a Vermont, especially when it is 37 degrees and snowy in the end of April), the body has trouble producing enough vitamin D.   For these individuals, it is particularly important to get sufficient vitamin D from the diet.  The primary source of vitamin D for Americans is milk.  Other sources include whole eggs, fatty fish such as catfish, mackerel and salmon, and fortified foods such as yogurt, breakfast cereals, breads, margarine and oil spreads. 

Due in part to the new findings regarding the function of vitamin D and prevalence of deficiencies, recommendations for daily intake are variable. Dosage for vitamin D is measured in International Units (IU) and the best bet appears to be a daily dosage of 400 IU per day for children, or the amount in 4 glasses of milk, and should not exceed 2,000 IU daily.  Adults should have 400-800 IU daily without exceeding 10,000 IU.

April is the month of mud for Vermonters but, across the United States, it is National Pecan month.  Indeed, 80 percent of the world supply of pecans comes from our country’s southern states.  Pecans are a nutritious food loaded with vitamin E, protein, magnesium and fiber. Like all nuts, the fat content does bump up the calories so it is important to watch your portion sizes.  Luckily, because pecans are a tree nut, most of their fat is the unsaturated, healthy variety.   

Nutty Granola

3 cups old-fashioned oats

½ cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts

½ cup chopped unsalted almonds

½ cup unsalted pecans

½ cup maple syrup

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 300^? F.  Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Spread the mixture onto baking sheet and bake until golden, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Store in refrigerator in airtight container.

Picture a biscuit in your mind – flaky, fluffy, buttery, and horribly unhealthy due to the high saturated fat content.  The version below uses sweet potato in place of butter to produce a slightly sweeter tasting biscuit that is drastically lower in fat and higher in vitamin A.   Using mashed fruits or vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, apples, pumpkins, bananas, or prunes, is a good way to tweak baked goods.  Some experimentation is required but a good place to start is by replacing half of the fat and evaluating the result.  Depending on the recipe, you may be able to completely swap out the fat with one of these fruits or vegetables and still have an acceptable final product. 

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 1/4 cups sweet potato, cooked and mashed

3 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, and oil.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add to sweet potatoes.  Mix well.  Turn out onto floured surface.  Knead lightly.  Pat or roll dough into a one-half inch thickness.  Cut into biscuits.  Place each on greased baking sheet.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.