3 Tricky Vegetables and How to Eat Them!

Don’t overlook delicious and nutritious vegetables just because they’re a little less common or their shape and texture confounds you. Artichokes may look like leafy flower buds. Leeks can resemble mutant green onions. But despite their appearance, these vegetables are packed with nutrients -- and they taste pretty good too. We’ll share a few tips so you can easily prepare these three seemingly “tricky” vegetables, making them convenient, everyday options to add to salads, enjoy as a side dish or even eat on their own.

• Leeks, Part 1: Remove the Top and Bottom: “Leeks have a flavour similar to onions or shallots, but offer a bit more subtlety,” says Brooklyn chef and author James Peterson. The vegetable is high in vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting, and it may help maintain strong bones in the elderly. One leek has 31 micrograms of vitamin K, which meets about 34 percent of your daily needs. “To prep the leek, remove the root end and the dark green top with a knife. Cut it lengthwise, then slice crosswise into half-moon shapes,” says chef and author Virginia Willis.
• Leeks, Part 2: Separate and Simmer: Separate the half-moons with your fingers, place them in a sink or a large bowl of cold water and swish the slices to let the dirt fall to the bottom. Scoop them out with your hands or a sieve and discard the sandy water. Repeat the process until the leeks are free of dirt. Chef Virginia Willis recommends simmering the leeks in stock and then allowing them to chill. Once fully chilled, mix the leeks with vinaigrette for a salad. “You can also bake them in a gratin or add them chopped to soups or broths,” says chef James Peterson.

• Artichokes, Part 1: Prep Work: Artichokes are a good source of fibre, vitamins C and K and folate, a B vitamin that aids new cell generation and helps prevent major birth defects, which makes it especially important for moms-to-be. An artichoke contains 107 micrograms of folate, or about 26 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for men and women. It also has 10 grams of filling fiber. “To prepare a fresh artichoke, cut off the stem and the top inch, then snip the top half-inch of each pointy, thorny leaf with scissors,” says chef and contributing writing for the Food Network Virginia Willis.
• Artichokes, Part 2: Cook and Cut: Place the artichoke bottom down into boiling water, lower the heat to a simmer and put a heatproof dish on top so it’s fully submerged. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. To eat, pick off each leaf and run your teeth along the thicker side, gathering the tasty flesh. “You can also cut off the bottom part of the artichoke, known as the heart,” says Brooklyn-based chef James Peterson. At the center of the heart near the stem is a knot of inedible fibrous strands -- scrape these out with a spoon. Cut the heart into pieces and serve on a salad.

• Fennel, Part 1: Sliced and Diced: “The light liquorice flavour of fennel marries very well with fish and shellfish, and it’s delicious raw in salad and slaws,” says cookbook author and chef Virginia Willis. Most recipes call for the bulb of the plant, but you can save the stems and leaves to boil in a stock, or dry them and add to a wood-fire grill to give fish an herbaceous flavor. Fennel bulbs are a good source of potassium. One bulb has 28 milligrams of vitamin C, which meets 37 percent of women’s daily needs and 31 percent of the daily needs of men. “To prepare fennel, cut off the green stems so that you just have the white bulb, then cut the bulb in half vertically and remove the tough core,” advises chef Virginia Willis. It can then be thinly sliced or diced. Willis recommends mixing thinly sliced fennel bulbs with reduced-fat mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest and juice, fresh chopped dill and a drizzle of honey.
• Fennel, Part 2: A Close Shave: Chef James Peterson likes to shave off the outside of the bulb with a vegetable peeler, cut the bulb into wedges and bake it in a pan with a little water or broth and covered loosely with parchment paper or foil. Bake until the liquid has evaporated and the fennel bulb is soft but not mushy.

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Why Go Paleo?

The paleo diet a.k.a. caveman diet has recently become a hot topic of conversation and debate among many. Some experts (such as Loren Cordain) swear by paleo, and others (such as Marlene Zuk Ph.D) have voiced their criticisms.

Nonetheless, many people still have questions about paleo. To help address (and answer) some of those questions, the team at LIVESTRONG created the infographic below.

The cavemen appear to have gotten a few things right — art and their diet — and it is the latter which is the basis for the Paleo Diet. It is an animal protein, low-carb lifestyle like that of our pre-tech ancestors. Foods shunned for their inflammatory qualities include dairy, grains, refined sugars and legumes.

The Premise of the Paleo Diet

Since our genetics, anatomy and nutritional requirements have changed very little since the start of agriculture 10,000 years ago, eating and exercising in the same way our Paleolithic-era ancestors did can help control weight and help prevent diseases like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer that our contemporary way of eating may cause (or at the very least contribute to).

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Eat Fat to Burn Fat

Fats from whole food, natural sources like
avocados and nuts offer a powerful health boost.

For a long time, we thought avocadoes were good for nothing but ready-made guac and a decent burger every now and then. But these little nutritional hand grenades were having an explosive impact on our diets for all that time. How so? They’re infused with a key nutrient for maintaining healthy weight: fat. 

Wait…fat can help us maintain our weight? Fat doesn’t make us fat? In a word: exactly.

Fat is not something to avoid. For starters, it’s essential for normal growth and development. Dietary fat also provides energy, protects our organs, maintains cell membranes, and helps the body absorb and process nutrients. Even better, it helps the body burn fat, says nutritionist and owner of Nutritious Life meal system, Keri Glassman, RD, who recommends that about a third of any weight-loss plan’s calories come from dietary fat. 

Before you grab a deep-fried hot dog, consider this: not all fatty foods are created equal. The foods you choose can mean the difference between a trim body and one plagued with obesity and disease, Glassman says. While a diet of stereotypically fatty foods like pizza, French fries, and hamburgers can contribute to weight gain and deterioration of health, the dietetic community is learning that the overall nutritional content of these foods—not their saturated fat—is what’s to blame. Sure, research from 50 years ago found that saturated fatty acids, a type of fat that’s “saturated” with hydrogen and typically solid at room temperature, raised LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. 

But a reevaluation of that research has shown that they raise HDL (good) cholesterol just as much, if not more, protecting the body from unhealthy cholesterol levels and heart disease, says nutritionist and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association Tara Gidus, RD. “Instead of making any one thing in the diet a villain, we need to look at total caloric content as well as quality of food, what are we eating that is ‘good’ and helping our body’s immune system and cells to stay healthy.” 

Most of the fat that you eat—especially if you want to lose weight—should come from unsaturated sources, both monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA), Glassman says. Why? These good-for-you foods (like fish, seeds, nuts, leafy vegetables, olive oil, and, of course, avocadoes) pack tons of nutrients. Besides removing LDL cholesterol from arteries and promoting a healthier heart, unsaturated fat can help you burn fat big time without cutting calories. A 2009 study in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that participants who consumed the most unsaturated fatty acids have lower body mass indexes and less abdominal fat than those who consumed the least. Why? The unsaturated folks ate higher-quality foods. 

Not long ago, the low-fat/no-fat diet craze swept across the food landscape. Manufacturers marketed low-fat and no-fat everything, and consumers responded by chowing down. It’s healthy, right? Wrong. All wrong. Besides stripping our bodies of a much-needed nutrient, low- and no-fat diet movements have increased obesity rates. Why? It turns out that fat provides a big component to the foods we love: Taste. When food manufacturers removed fat from their foods, they had to load the foods with sugar and salt, which are nutrient-free, to increase flavour. For example, the second most prevalent ingredient Kraft Fat-Free Catalina salad dressing, for instance, is high fructose corn syrup, packing 7g of sugar per serving. And just one ounce of the saucy stuff packs 350mg of sodium—that’s 15% of your recommended daily value—and who eats just one “serving,” anyway?

What to eat – and what to skip – when adding fat to your diet

• Unsaturated Fatty Acids: Consisting of both monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), they are important for health. MUFAs are found in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, and avocadoes, while PUFAs are found in vegetable oils, fish, and seafood. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are two PUFAs that can only be obtained through diet and are called “essential fatty acids.” Adjust your diet accordingly.
• Saturated Fatty Acids: Found primarily in foods from animal sources such as meat and dairy products, like butter and cheese, they are usually solid at room temperature. Some vegetable oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oil also contain saturated fat. Eat limited amounts as part of a healthy diet – and always try to consume healthier sources. For example, grass fed beef is a much better option than, say, popcorn popped in oil.
• Trans Fatty Acids: Chemically processed vegetable oils, they are semisolid at room temperature and are used in some margarines, fried foods, and processed foods to enhance flavour, texture, and shelf life. Also called “partially hydrogenated” oils, they should be avoided like the plague they are.

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