May 2024 Plant-Based Updates from Melissa
Mini-Tomatoes, Mother's Day Vegan Recipes, Ultra-Processed Foods
At last, my mini yellow hydroponic tomatoes have ripened! It is so much fun to pick and eat them…along with the lettuce, basil, and bok choy I’m growing. And they’re delightful with their juiciness and vibrant color:
But I’m also into “Sugar Bombs”, “Sweet Bites” and similar sweet cherry tomatoes on the vine. They’re fantastic in salads, in pasta, on pizza, or to top a whole-grain cracker with hummus. Check them out - the antidote to tasteless off-season tomatoes.
Nutrition in grape tomatoes (the current USDA FoodData Central site lists this for grape and not cherry tomatoes), I cup contains:
3 grams of fiber
47 calories
395 milligrams of potassium
41 milligrams of vitamin C
Mother’s Day Recipe Ideas
I’m not quite sure what to make yet…am thinking of some kind of chocolatey dessert - or maybe a carrot cake? Check out my post for ideas here:
Ultra-Processed Foods and Health
Check out this article from CBS News and the accompanying video: Dr. Song and his team found a correlation between mortality rates and the consumption of ultra-processed foods. And ultra-processed foods account for 57% of calorie intake among adults in the U.S.
It’s not quite so simple because some of the foods have beneficial health properties (such as being enriched and/or fortified with necessary nutrients), and the dietary intake was self-reported.
He reports these subgroups have the highest association with mortality:
Processed meat, poultry, and seafood ready to eat products
Sugar and artificially-sweetened beverages
Dairy-based desserts
I think this is a good reminder of the importance of learning how to cook, choosing more whole, plant-based foods like legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and that even diet sodas are not a good idea.
Full-text article:
A quick favor: I’m in the running to be on the cover of Taste of Home! Starting on May 20th, please vote for me here.
Take care,
Melissa