HEALTH and NUTRITION

Real Food for a Healthy Life

ONE OF OUR TOP STRATEGIES FOR A HEALTHY LIFE IS TO EAT MAINLY
fresh whole foods. We mean real food. How do we know what a "real food" is? If an eight-year-old can't tell what the original form of the food was, you probably shouldn't be eating it. This down–and–dirty method works well for meat, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and dairy, which happen to be the foods that should make up the core of your diet. These are the "real foods" you find on the outer aisles of the grocery store.

Take the potato, enemy to millions of low–carb dieters. The potato in its original form is low in calories, fat, and sodium and provides 20% of your daily fiber needs. It is a healthy, real food. Slice it, fry it, and salt it, and suddenly the processed potato becomes higher in calories, fat, and sodium and low in fiber. The processed potato is no longer a healthy, real food. Worse yet, under the guidance of low carb regimes, a person would choose a 1–ounce bag of chips over a 6–ounce baked potato because the potato contains three times as many carbohydrates "per serving size."

Yes, one ounce of potato chips only has 16 carbs, but it has 8 grams of fat and only 1 gram of fiber. Six ounces of french fries have 540 calories, 26 grams of fat, 350 milligrams of sodium, and 1 gram of fiber. A "plain ol'" six–ounce baked potato has only 145 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, 16 milligrams of sodium, and 5 grams of fiber.

Celebrate the simplicity of the potato with our Manhattan Clam Chowder, a family favorite sure to please on a busy weekday night. It takes 30 minutes to prepare and cook, and it is delicious with corn muffins or biscuits (see Recipe Archive on this website).

©2007 by Claudia Pillow and Annalise Roberts

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

Serves 4–6

2 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or canola oil
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
½ cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced carrots
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
2 cups bottled clam juice
1 ½ cups diced peeled potatoes
½ teaspoon dried thyme
13 ounces chopped canned clams with juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until fat is rendered and the bacon is soft and slightly browned on the edges.
2. Add the butter. When it is melted, add the onions and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add in celery, green pepper, and carrots and sauté another 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
3. Add the tomatoes, clam juice, potatoes, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the clams (and any juice), parsley, salt, and pepper, and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, and serve warm with corn muffins or biscuits (see Recipe Archive on this website).

Soup can be prepared up to two days in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Warm over medium-high heat.

© 2007 by Claudia Pillow and Annalise Roberts

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