Best (and Crispy!) Eggplant Parmesan!

I first had Eggplant Parmesan when I was 24 years old, I absolutely loved the flavor but felt like I could really improve on the texture. It seemed like it was just a gloopy mess, like a casserole. So I started playing with the recipe. It took a while to figure it out and here is the results!

I make my own Marinara Sauce as well as making the Vegan Parmesan Cheese. I use Violife Mozzerella Cheese.  Although Follow Your Heart Brand makes Vegan Parmesan, it has almost no flavor. And Go Veggie Makes on that tastes good, it is a soy based product. I use very few soy products as they are not healthy. I will use Tempeh and Edamame occasionally as they are fermented and way easier to digest. I have a severe reaction to tofu and other processed soy products but do not react to edamame and tempeh.

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

serves 4

2 small eggplants (about 12 ounces each)
1 cup rice flour
3 large eggs , beaten
½ cup fine gluten-free breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup vegan Parmesan cheese
½ pound vegan mozzarella , packaged or fresh, shredded
3 cups marinara, slightly thickened with tomato paste
Chopped fresh parsley to serve or pesto

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Leaving the peel on the eggplant, slice them into one-inch slices. Place the flour on a plate, and place the eggs in a shallow bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs with the oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the pepper on a separate plate.

Coat both sides of each slice of eggplant in the plate with the flour. Dip each slice into the beaten eggs, then allow any excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Place the eggplant slices on the plate with the breadcrumbs, turn it to coat both sides. Place the coated eggplant on a sheet pan.

Bake eggplant in oven for about 12-15 minutes each side, just until golden brown, flipping half way through.

Place each browned slice of eggplant on the sheet pan, top with marinara, then mozzarella and parmesan. Place other slice on top of that, choosing one that is close in size or slightly smaller. Then put marinara on top, then mozzarella on top. Do not cover the entire top as you want some of the crispiness to stay crispy! Top with parmesan about 7 minutes before removing from oven. Remove from the oven

The #1 Best Eating Habit for Heart Health, New Study Suggests

Remember that fruits and vegetables are potassium-rich, but so are seafood, and legumes. Include bananas, oranges, antelope, apricots, grapefruit, prunes, dates and raisins. .

While there are plenty of vitamins and nutrients you’ll want to ensure are found in your regular diet—we’re looking at you, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin D—potassium should definitely be one of them. A new study has shown that there happens to be a certain eating habit that can seriously benefit the health of your heart, and that’s consuming potassium-rich foods. Apparently, having a decent amount of potassium in your system can reduce the harmful effects of excess sodium in your diet and lower blood pressure.

In the study published in the European Heart Journal, 24,963 participants were brought on between 1993 and 1997. At the time, they ranged from 40 to 79 years old with the average being 58 years old for women and 59 for men. The study initially involved the participants providing information regarding certain lifestyle choices and also having their blood pressure noted and urine samples analyzed for both sodium and potassium levels.

When those behind the study again took a look at the participants around 19 and a half years later, they found that 55% had dealt with serious and even potentially fatal issues with cardiovascular disease. It was found that those who had the highest amounts of potassium in the diet were 13% less likely to face cardiovascular problems compared to those who had the least amount of potassium in the systems.

“Our findings indicate that a heart-healthy diet goes beyond limiting salt to boosting potassium content,” said study author Professor Liffert Vogt of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands, via EurekAlert! 

“This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests a higher potassium intake and lower sodium consumption benefits blood pressure,” Elizabeth Ward, MS, RDN, and co-author of The Menopause Diet Plan, A Natural Guide to Hormones, Health and Happiness, tells Eat This, Not That!

When it comes to why a potassium-rich diet helps to reduce the effects of salt and lowers blood pressure, Ward explains that “potassium and sodium have opposite effects on blood pressure—potassium helps lower it and sodium tends to increase it.” Ward also notes that “the more potassium you consume, the more sodium is lost in your urine.” Beyond that, “potassium also helps to ease tension in blood vessel walls, which also helps better regulate blood pressure.”

At the same time, Ward says, “While potassium is important for blood pressure control and for other reasons, some people need to be careful. Excess potassium can be harmful in patients with kidney disease, for example.”

Ward says you shouldn’t “look to potassium supplements to take the place of food,” explaining that “it’s likely that the fluid and phytonutrients in potassium-rich foods help to contribute to better blood pressure.”

To get what you’re looking for from your diet, Ward points out that “potassium is prone to destruction with processing, so raw and lightly processed foods have the highest potassium levels.” With that in mind, remember that “fruits and vegetables are potassium-rich, but so are dairy products, seafood, and legumes.”

Impossible and Beyond: How healthy are these meatless burgers?

But how do they stack up? It turns out the answer may depend on whether your priorities lie with your personal health or the health of the planet.

I use these products occasionally. I avoid processed soy as it is not that healthy, and limit my intake of processed foods. That is also reflected in my Meal Delivery Service.

The good news: Meatless burgers are a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals

The protein content of these newer plant-based burgers has been created to compete with beef and poultry gram for gram. Both the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger have comparable amounts, the former deriving protein mainly from soy and the later from peas.

Both meatless burgers also add vitamins and minerals found in animal proteins — like vitamin B₁₂ and zinc — in amounts equal to (and in some cases, greater than) both red meat and poultry. This is a plus for vegetarians, because these nutrients are typically harder to come by when relying solely on foods from the plant kingdom. Vitamin B12, for instance, is found primarily in animal sources, and strict vegetarians and vegans must get their intake from fortified sources. What’s more, plant compounds such as phytic acid bind to minerals, which can increase requirements of zinc by 50% and may necessitate consuming about two times as much iron. For those who eat at least some animal protein, the vitamin and mineral fortification is less of a selling point.

This doesn’t mean a plant-focused diet is lacking in nutrients. Beans, for instance, are a good source of both zinc and iron. They are also an important protein resource. Black bean burgers are never going to be mistaken for hamburgers, but they are typically a solid choice when it comes to health.

Even though legumes are sourced for protein in the branded meatless options, their health benefits are somewhat blunted by the high degree of processing involved. For instance, moderate amounts of whole soy foods, like edamame (soybeans), have been linked to reduced rates of cancer. This protection is often attributed to isoflavones, a subgroup of plant compounds called flavonoids thought to provide health benefits. Unfortunately, in the case of the Impossible Burger, one serving contains less than 8% of the isoflavones found in one serving of whole soy foods (one serving is roughly a quarter of a block of tofu or 1 cup of soymilk).

Poultry-based burger alternatives, such as turkey burgers, also do not contain significant amounts of protective plant compounds. On the other hand, they offer less saturated fat.

If a lower risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease is your ultimate goal, aim for the kind of veggie burgers that showcase their beans, grains, and seeds front and center. Choose legume-based varieties studded with seeds and whole grains, like brown rice and quinoa.

Nuts Can Be Good for Your Brain, Unless You’re Making These 5 Mistakes

When regularly eaten as part of a healthy diet, can slow brain aging and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Nuts have an optimal fatty acid profile for the brain, including generally high concentrations of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. And walnuts in particular have omega-3 fatty acids,” which are excellent for your brain, explains Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RDN, author of the ​Eat Clean, Stay Lean​ series and ​The Superfood Rx Diet​.

They’re also rich in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that can support your health from head to toe, including fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, thiamin and zinc. And when your body as a whole is healthy, your brain will reap the benefits.

Before you go nuts with eating them though, take a look at these common mistakes. Making them could mean you’re getting less brain bang for your buck.

1. Choosing Overly Salty or Sugary Nuts

Salt and sugar are often used to give nuts a flavor boost. But regularly getting too much sodium or added sugar can have a negative effect on cognitive health.

​Fix it:​ One option is to stick with plain, unsalted nuts — they’re typically made without added salt or sugar. But if you like your nuts salted, it’s also fine to look for lower-sodium options made with 50 percent less salt, Bazilian says. (Just make sure you’re staying below your recommended daily sodium intake for the day.)

Try to limit your consumption of candied nuts, which are often packed with sugar.

2. Not Eating Them Often Enough

Nuts will do your brain the most good when you eat them regularly. Followers of the MIND diet, a low-sodium Mediterranean-style diet, had the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia when they consumed nuts, seeds and legumes five or more times per week, according to findings in the February 2015 issue of ​Alzheimer’s & Dementia​.

​Fix it:​ Make it a point to work nuts into your diet most days. A simple handful makes for a satisfying snack, but that’s not your only option. Bazilian recommends:

• Adding chopped nuts to oatmeal or yogurt
• Tossing nut butter or whole soaked nuts into the blender when making a smoothie (soaking makes the whole nuts easier to blend)
• Using crumbled or pulverized walnuts as a meatless taco filling
• Spreading nut butters on sandwiches or toast

3. Not Paying Attention to Portion Size

Nuts are known for being calorie-dense. A 1.5-ounce serving of almonds has 246 calories, while the same amount of cashews has 236 calories.

Grab handfuls throughout the day or snack straight from the container, and you easily run the risk of going over your calorie budget for the day, says Alisa Bloom, MPH, RDN, a nutrition expert and health and wellness coach based in Chicago.

​Fix it:​ Be mindful about how many nuts you’re eating. “The research shows mostly around 1.5 ounces is what’s most associated with health benefits,” Bazilian says.  THAT”S 1 to 2 TABLESPOONS!

4. Only Eating Peanuts or Peanut Butter

Peanuts and PB serve up plenty of healthy fats and vitamin E. But making them your only go-to means you’ll miss out on the nutrients their crunchy cousins have to offer.

Case in point? Walnuts are the only nut with significant levels of omega-3 plant fats, which fight cognition crushers like oxidative stress and inflammation, Bazilian says.

Brazil nuts offer powerful antioxidants like selenium, while almonds offer calcium — a mineral that may be beneficial for memory, says Bloom.

​Fix it:​ Keep several types of nuts on hand and enjoy a different pick each day. (Store them in the refrigerator or freezer to increase their shelf life — the fat in nuts will go rancid more quickly at room temperature.) Make a peanut butter and banana smoothie on Monday, snack on almonds on Tuesday, and add walnuts to your salad on Wednesday, for instance.

5. Not Buying Certain Nuts Organic

Exposure to certain pesticides could increase the risk for cognitive dysfunction, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to a June 2020 review in ​Toxicology Letters​. In particular, the chemicals used to grow conventional almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pistachios are thought to pose potential health risks.

​Fix it:​ Consider buying organic nuts when possible. “The more we can lower a toxic burden risk, even for a healthy food, the better,” Bloom says.

But if organic isn’t an option, don’t let that stop you from eating nuts altogether. “Organic is a great idea if you can afford it and if the nuts are fresh,” Bazilian says. “But in the grand scheme of things, you’ll get more benefits from getting the nutrients of [conventional] nuts rather than avoiding nuts.”