According to USDA, Americans ate an average of 222 pounds of meat in 2018.
---source: globalagriculture.org
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| Kids learn to make salads and salad dressing at a Growing Healthy Kids workshop with Chef Anthony Damiano of Counter Culture. |
Many people
believe the myth that it is expensive to eat healthy. When I am in the checkout at the grocery
store, I observe what other people have in their carts and what they are
spending on food. Packages of meat,
steaks, and chicken quickly add up to so much more than what I spend on dried
lentils, beans, rice, oats, and fresh greens.
Last weekend
I soaked a bag of chickpeas overnight and the next day cooked them for an hour. Chickpeas have been garnishing my
salads all week, along with the organic lentil sprouts I effortlessly grow every week. Last night I made chickpea cutlets with
mushroom gravy, mashed sweet potatoes and peas.
Dinner was delicious! All this goodness – and lots of dietary fiber -
only $1.49 for a bag of dried chickpeas!
Fun
facts! One cup of cooked chickpeas, also
known as garbanzo beans, has about 12 grams of dietary fiber. Chickpeas are in the legume family (beans,
peas, and lentils). Most of the fiber in
chickpeas is insoluble fiber, which does not break down (think “roughage”) and
contributes to great bowel movements.
Chickpeas also contain soluble fiber, which is water soluble and breaks
down to create a gel which helps lower blood cholesterol and sugar, helping to
improve blood glucose control. Fiber
fills you up so you don’t overeat. Aim for at least 28 grams a day (more if you have diabetes). Meat contains no dietary fiber. Fiber is only found in plant foods. Most
Americans eat far less fiber than they need.
Eat real
food: fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
With love,
Nancy
Heinrich, MPH
Founder and
Wellness Architect
Growing
Healthy Kids, Inc.
