It's Strawberry Season! - Part 1

Get 'em while they're hot folks! As many of you may know strawberry season is in full swing here in Louisiana. The season peaked in March/April and will continue throughout the month of May. Be sure to stock up while they're still fresh and local.

These berries are packed full of good for you nutrients, making the sweet juicy fruit that much more rewarding to eat. One cup has only 55 calories, lots of vitamin C, and loads of cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Sweet Louisiana Strawberries

Want some strawberry fun facts? Here are five!

The average strawberry has 200 seeds 

94% of US households consume strawberries

The strawberry is the most popular berry in the world

It's a member of the rose family

Belgium has a museum dedicated to strawberries

Information gathered from: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/strawberries/facts.cfm

Strawberries are only in season for a few months of the year. Here at Sankofa we have several tips to make those local strawberries last all year round. There's no need to buy frozen strawberries flown in from another country in December, when you can use local strawberries from your freezer.

To make the most of berries in season...

1. Buy in bulk - Stock up while the berries are in season
2. Wash your berries in a water/vinegar solution - The vinegar acts a disinfectant which cleans your berries and helps keep them fresh longer. 
3. Freeze whole or sliced strawberries to use in smoothies or baked goods all fall and winter long. When freezing, lay the berries out on a baking sheet. Place them in the freezer until firm to the touch, then add them to a freezer bag. 
4. Preserve them as jams

Be sure to rinse all fresh fruit and vegetables you purchase!

The culinary opinions for strawberries extend far beyond adding them to fruit salad. Below we've listed six recipe ideas to get you started.

1. Sweet Strawberry Salsa - strawberries, fresh basil leaves, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar
2. Creamy Strawberry Smoothie - strawberries, kale, banana, almond milk
3. Strawberry Spinach Salad - spinach, strawberries, pecans, balsamic vinegar
4. Refreshing Strawberry Popsicles - strawberries, yogurt
5. Strawberry and Mint Infused Water - strawberries, mint, water
6. Sugar-free Strawberry Oat Bars - strawberries, rolled oats, dates, almonds (come back next week for the full recipe!)

Visit Sankofa's mobile market every Saturday from 11am - 2pm at 5030 St. Claude Avenue in New Orleans to purchase some local strawberries from Johndale's Farm in Ponchatoula Louisiana.

Come back to the blog next week to see how Sankofa does dessert with our delicious sugar-free strawberry oat bars!

All About Fiber

What is it?

You hear the word all the time, generally paired with "eat more". So what exactly is it and where can I find it?

Facts about fiber:

• Type of carbohydrate
• Doesn't add any calories to the diet
• Only found in plant foods 
• Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds are all good sources
• Two fiber types (soluble and insoluble)

Soluble vs. Insoluble Fiber

Soluble fiber is good for lowering cholesterol and blood glucose levels. This type of fiber is generally found in the flesh of fruits and vegetables.

Foods high in soluble fiber include:

• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Sweet potatoes (flesh)
• Black beans
• Oatmeal

Insoluble fiber is needed to maintain a healthy digestive system. It helps move food through the large intestine (colon) while it digests. This prevents constipation, helps increase regularity, and may also protect against colon cancer development. This type of fiber is generally found in the edible peels of fruits and vegetables.

Foods high in insoluble fiber include:

• Okra
• Carrots
• Kidney beans
• Lentils
• Fruit and vegetable peels

Remember the key is to eat more fiber in general, don't worry about what type you're eating.

How much fiber should I eat?

Women should consume at least 25 grams per day.
Men should consume at least 38 grams per day.

Curious about how many grams you should be getting?
Try out this fiber calculator: http://www.nationalfibercouncil.org/fiber_calculator.php

How can you tell if a food product is a good source of fiber?

All you need to do is look at the nutrition facts panel on the product. Locate fiber on the label and check out the percent daily value. This number is the percentage of your daily fiber requirement contained in one serving of that food.

Low source: 5% or less of your daily value or 1 gram or less
Moderate source: 6-19% of your daily value or 1.5 - 4.5 grams
High source: 20% or more of your daily value or 5 grams or more

6 ways to increase fiber in the diet*

1. Switch from fruit juice to the whole fruit (eat the apple instead of drinking apple juice)
2. Enjoy edible peels of fruits and vegetables (eat the sweet potato skin and eggplant peel)
3. Eat more whole grains/whole grain products rather than refined (ie. brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread)
4. In food products look for a whole grain listed as the first ingredient (especially in pasta, cereal, and bread)
5. Pick high fiber snacks (ie. carrot sticks and hummus/apple slices and peanut butter)
6. Add legumes to soups, chilis, and gumbos! (swap out some of the meat for black eyed peas and kidney beans)

*Note: As you increase fiber in your diet, you must increase your water intake as well. While fiber is eliminating that bad cholesterol in the intestines, it's also taking water with it.

More Fiber + More Water = Happy Healthy Body

Want more reasons to eat more fiber?

Heart disease: Fiber decreases cholesterol levels lowering your risk for heart disease
Diabetes: High fiber intake lowers blood glucose and may decrease risk for type 2 diabetes development
Colon Cancer: Eating fiber helps keep digested food moving in the body, possibly lowering colon cancer risk
Diverticulosis: This highly preventable disease can be avoided simply by eating more fiber
Weight loss: High fiber diets are generally lower in calories and keep you full longer causing you to eat less

Re- Opening of Sankofa's Mobile Market

After a few months closed due to the freezing weather, we officially re-opened The Sankofa Mobile Market this past Saturday April 5, 2014 at 5030 St. Claude Avenue in the Lower 9th Ward.

Produce in the market included : hydroponic tomatoes, radish, turnips, Ponchatoula strawberries, collard, mustard greens and fresh herbs from our garden.

Plump tomatoes from Cajun Growers

Turnips and Radishes from Frank Fekete Farms

Juicy Ponchatoula strawberries from Fletcher Family Farm

Through the Mobile Market, we are bringing fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs to the Lower Ninth Ward every week. We are currently developing plans to expand to additional stops in the neighborhood during June. Through offering low-cost produce sales we are working to address the ‘food desert’ problem , a major issue in New Orleans, address some of those barriers that affect access to fresh fruits and vegetables in low-socioeconomic communities.

We recently started a new Rewards Program for our loyal customers to continue to support healthier eating. Many shoppers signed up for the Rewards Program and will receive a free item when they purchase vegetables and fruits at the Mobile Market at least two times a month.  

Sankofa is working to improve health and wellness in our community and create progressive programs that bring quality of life resources to the area. Community collaborations are critical to our work and the success of the Mobile Market. We appreciate the support of Reverend Dyson and Mr. Parther for their support in hosting the Mobile Market at St Paul Church of God in Christ at 5030 St Claude Ave.

Community members picking out local strawberries

Please come by and visit us for fresh local produce, and join us in this movement to improve community health and wellness. We hope to see you this Saturday, April 12!

HEAL Project Celebrates National Nutrition Month

In honor of National Nutrition Month, Sankofa's HEAL enrichment class and after-school club have been focusing on nutrition awareness and ways for students to improve nutrition in their own lives. By providing students at a young age with the knowledge and tools they need to make healthy choices, we believe they will be more likely to make those choices throughout the life-cycle.

Our most recent classes have been about the food groups and sugar content in beverages. We utilized MyPlate (shown below) as a tool to demonstrate how students should be eating. There was a focus on eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These three food groups should comprise most of your plate. Students learned about the process of refining grains and the nutrients which are lost during processing (ie. fiber, vitamins, and minerals).  For this reason it's crucial to eat your grains in their whole form (oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa) or eat products made from whole grains (whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta) for the best nutrition. We discussed different protein and calcium sources from both plants and animals. Ample protein can come from legumes (beans + lentils), nuts, and seeds, as well as animals. Dairy is a recommended part of the diet for the calcium it contains. Dark leafy vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach) and soy products are also great sources of bone-strengthening calcium.

Sourced from: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

To bring National Nutrition Month to a close, we had a Smoothie Day with the enrichment students. Prior to this class, the students learned about the high amounts of sugar in commonly consumed beverages. Highly sweetened beverages include soft drinks, most iced teas, sports drinks (Gatorade), energy drinks (Red Bull), and juice that isn't 100% fruit juice.

To show the students how to choose a healthier alternative, we helped them create one. The class was first divided into two teams.







Each team was provided with healthy ingredients from which they could choose to add to their smoothie. There were strawberries, blueberries, and bananas for them to choose from. Ice and 100% cranberry juice were also added to the smoothies to cool down the drink and add some liquid.

Bright red smoothie from the strawberry group

Deep red smoothie from the blueberry group

National Nutrition Month Fruit Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice
• 2 cups frozen strawberries (or frozen blueberries)
• 2 bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup ice

Directions: 

• Add juice, strawberries, bananas, and ice to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Lots of fruit about to be blended

The final product about to be enjoyed!

Happy National Nutrition Month! 

Composting Part 1 of 2: What is it and Why do it?

What is Compost?

Compost is simply the end result of the "composting" process. Food scraps, that otherwise would end up in the garbage, are set aside to decompose with the help of worms. Although there are other methods, vermicomposting (using worms) is the most common and very simple. The worms break down food scraps, creating a rich nutrient-packed garden soil called humus aka compost. 

With your resulting compost, you can spread it around plants in your backyard or garden. You're plants will thank you by growing stronger and healthier. 

Happily nourished kale growing in the Sankofa garden

Why is it important?

When you compost food scraps, you're making use and taking full advantage of purchased food. Instead of adding banana peels, apple cores, and used coffee grounds to an already overburdened landfill, you can return the nutrients they contain to the soil in your backyard.

Believe it or not the largest percentage of garbage is Food Waste!
It's not plastic, or paper, or glass, but our vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and banana peels. 

Chart from: www.epa.gov

According to the EPA. "in 2012 alone more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated, with only 5% diverted from landfills and incinerators for composting".

You may be thinking, "food will decompose in the landfill!". You're right but the process is different and takes much longer as food gets buried under plastic bags and other trash. In a landfill food rots instead of being decomposed by worms. This rotting becomes a major source of methane (ie. a contributor to global warming). Composting on the other hand returns nutrients from food to the soil to grow more food, such as the soon to be strawberries below.

Soon to be strawberries in one of Sankofa's gardens

Five ways soil benefits from compost

1. Less store-bought (potentially chemical-filled) fertilizer needed
2. Less run-off (compost acts as a mulch)
3. Added soil structure 
4. Increased drought resistance
5. Potential higher yield and cost savings

Tune in next week for part 2: how to compost

Wishing you a happy healthy Mardi Gras!