Vitamin B1. Studies have shown that around 4. Americans are actually deficient in important vitamin B1. A Vitamin B1. 2 deficiency, even a mild one, can cause symptoms including nerve damage, impaired mental function, problems properly getting oxygen into cells, and chronic fatigue. One can of sardines provides a whopping 3. Best Way To Eat Sardines In Tomato SauceVitamin B1. Selenium. Sardines also provide high levels of selenium, with over 8. Selenium is an essential trace mineral that is actually an important antioxidant, required for your body to create and convert glutathione known as the master antioxidant. Selenium helps prevent oxidative damage in the body also called free radical damage, helps iodine to regulate metabolism, facilitates with the process of recycling vitamin C in the body, and improves cellular function and protection. Selenium is an important mineral for supporting detoxification since it has the ability to take stress off the digestive and endocrine organs like the liver and thyroid. A deficiency in selenium can result in thyroid impairment, increased chances of becoming sick due to a poor immune system, reproductive problems due to imbalanced hormones, mood disorders, and heart disease. Protects Bone Health with High Levels of Calcium Vitamin DSardines are a great source of various vitamins and minerals that are essential for maintaining a healthy skeletal structure, especially these 3 calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus. Consuming foods rich in calcium like sardines can prevent bone mineral loss and help to heal broken bones following injuries. Calcium. Calcium is an extremely important mineral in the body, with roughly 9. Calcium found within the bone structure is used as a storage area so that the body is able to release calcium into the blood stream when it is needed. The mineral is also importantly used for transmitting nerve signals, forming blood clots, balancing hormones, aiding in muscle contractions, and balancing your bodies acidalkaline level, or p. H level. A deficiency in calcium can result in symptoms including osteoporosis, unhealthy teeth tooth decay, muscle tension, unhealthy levels of high blood pressure, and more 6 7. For those who avoid consuming dairy products which is the food group that most people eating a standard western diet rely on for calcium sardines make an excellent source of this much needed mineral in dairys place. Vitamin DVitamin D is an important sat soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining healthy bones because it facilitates in the absorption of calcium, along with magnesium and Vitamin K. Most adults are actually considered to have Vitamin D deficiency, due to spending much of their time inside. It is often difficult to get enough Vitamin D from food alone without enough sun exposure, but sardines are an excellent source that helps meet daily recommended values with over 4. A deficiency in vitamin D can result in a softening of the bones called osteomalacia or a bone abnormality called rickets, in addition to poor immune system function, mood disorders, autoimmune diseases, an increased risk for various forms of cancer, hormone imbalances, low energy, and brain disorders 8 9 1. In addition to Vitamin D, phosphorus found in sardines also plays an important role in building and maintaining bone mineralization. Defends Against Mood Disorders Including Anxiety Depression. Thanks to their high content of omega 3 fatty acids, sardines nutrition can help to prevent mood disorders including anxiety and depression. Many recent studies have focused on omega 3s impact on mental health, particularly EPA, and are concluding that these essential fats can play a vital role in boosting mood and maintaining healthy brain function, helping you to beat depression. The brain itself is made up of roughly 6. Studies have shown that as omega 3 intake declines, depression rates normally climb. Unfortunately, in the last few decades there has been a significant drop in the amount of omega 3 fatty acids that people living in developed western nations consume on average. At the same time, the amount of omega 6 fatty acids in the diet has drastically gone up, since these types of fats are found in most processed foods and refined, hydrogenated oils. The balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fats is crucial for overall health, including brain function 1. How a Trip to Spain Changed the Way I Eat Forever. To me the concept of grazing is irresistible consuming less of more. Its also liberating it frees us as cooks from the pressure of a main course, alleviates the expectations of what comes first, second, and what goes on the side. Its about consciously eating small portions of multiple dishes made with thought and intent, embracing the notion of the seasons, and being inspired whats ripe and most flavorful at the moment. Its a concept that has become the norm for me and my husband. Grazing is eating the way we want to, not the way weve been conditioned. And for us, its a habit resulting from a few weeks spent getting lost down cobblestone streets in the south of Spain. The Trip to Spain That Changed the Way I Eat Forever. Ken and I landed in Seville on an unexpectedly chilly November afternoon. A taxi that rumbled along the curvy cobblestone streets delivered us to our hotel, an old mansion right in the center of the town where, winding our way up an ornate and deeply polished wood staircase, we found ourselves in a high beamed room with embroidered cotton sheets on the bed and wide clay tiles on the floor. Opening the window, we were met with a horizon line of rooftops, stucco in every color from putty to persimmon. How Long Do You Boil An Egg For. The crisp air wafted in, carrying with it the scent of Seville oranges and helping us bat back the fatigue that lurked behind our eyes. After a quick shower and a change of clothes to revive ourselves, we set out in search of that odd houred meal travelers always seem to need the one too late to be lunch but far too early to qualify as dinner, especially in a country where they dont even leave the house before 8 in the evening. Finally, after many twists and turns, wandering the narrow alleyways that constituted streets, we found our way to a bar. Image credit Nicole Franzen. Amber colored hams with glossy black hooves dangled from a rack above, and a thick potato filled tortilla, slices already missing, sat on the counter beckoning us to stay a while. With glasses of woodsy red wine before us we ordered a half racin of the local Ibrico ham, a slice of the tortilla, and a dish of gambas al ajillo sweet, garlicky, smoky shrimp that arrived in a low terra cotta dish, the olive oil still bubbling like liquid gold. With a basket of warm bread for sopping and a dish of buttery green olives before us, this was the post flight, pre adventure, midday grazing meal we needed. As though under a spell we both fell deeply, wholeheartedly in love with tapas, so much so that we ate nothing else not a single full meal the entire time. Drifting from Seville to Granada, over to Ronda, up to Cordoba, and back to Seville we continued to indulge in tapas of every manner for the duration of our trip. Lunch and dinner both became excuses for a glass of wine topped with a pan con tomate or alongside a bocadillo a Spanish sandwich a long afternoon walk warranted a small dish of grilled octopus or a plate of sliced chorizo and Manchego with a bowl of olives. As though under a spell we both fell deeply, wholeheartedly in love with tapas, so much so that we ate nothing else not a single full meal the entire time. So giddy over the breadth of individual bites at our disposal, so enchanted were we by this natural rhythm of consumption, that when we got home, our entire style of eating changed. Suddenly we were both happier and more comfortable nibbling on a plate of cheese, sharing a dish of seared padron peppers or steamed mussels, and chatting over a slice of grilled bread than eating a huge bowl of pasta or a steak. And it stuck. 1. 0 Tapas You Should Eat in Spain. If you are lucky enough to make a trip to Spain this summer, here are 1. Jamn Iberico. Tortilla. Pan con tomate. Gambas al ajillo. Boquerones. Padron peppers. Sevillano olives. Fried squid. Manchego cheese. Sherry okay, not tapas, but you should still taste itImage credit Nicole FranzenWhat Grazing Looks Like at Home in the United States. Certainly all these years later we still sit down to a pizza or a bowl of pasta on a weeknight, enjoy a roast chicken or grilled steak on Friday evening, but more often than not we can be found dishing up bits and pieces to graze on, pulling paper wrapped cheeses and charcuterie from the fridge to scatter on a board and opening a jar of sun dried tomatoes or a can of sardines to top slices of crusty bread. This is our laziest grazing, when its just the two of us, but when friends come over we do step it up by serving small cups of cassoulet alongside chard and onion topped toasts, a communal Nicoise salad for everyone to dip into at once, or a platter of baby lamb chops, some roasted tomatoes, and a bowl of eggplant mousse to slather on pita. It can be rustic and simple or more complex and refined depending on what were in the mood for all that matters is enough variation to be enticing and to keep the meal meandering. Do you graze at home Whats your favorite mini mealAbout Suzanne Lenzer. Suzanne Lenzer is a New York City based food stylist and writer. Her styling has appeared in magazines, on television, and in over two dozen cookbooks. She is the author of Truly, Madly Pizza and her new book, Graze Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals hits bookstores July 1. Buy Suzannes new book Graze Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals, 1.
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