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 🎃 A whopping 35 million pounds of candy corn are produced for Halloween every year.
🎃 During the Korean War, U.S. Marines called in an airdrop for mortar shells nicknamed “Tootsie Rolls” but what showed up were Tootsie Roll candies. They proved useful though, as the troops would warm them up and use them as a soft putty to plug bullet holes and the sugar from eating them allowed for quick bursts of energy to keep fighting. 🎃 The largest pumpkin ever grown was in Switzerland and came in at around 2,000lbs. 🎃 The pumpkin carving tradition started in Ireland but with turnips instead of pumpkins. The Irish would carve turnips to be used as lanterns placed outside their house to keep the ghostly figure called “Stingy Jack” away. They eventually referred to him as “Jack of the Lantern” and brought the tradition to America with them and discovered pumpkins work even better. 🎃 Do you know how the mystery flavors of Dum Dum lollipops are made? When it comes time to switch out partial flavors leftover in the machines, the company blends them together to form the mystery flavor so you really never know what you’re going to get. 🎃 In the 18th century there was a tradition where women would throw apple peels over their shoulders to see if they’d land in a pattern resembling a man’s initials that would become their husband. 🎃 The original name of candy corn was “chicken feed”. 🎃 The first two candy bars to be offered in “fun size” were Snickers and Milky Way. 🎃 Pumpkins are technically considered fruits.
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 🍎 Polyphenols are a type of plant compounds that can be found in many fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
🍎 Many polyphenols are powerful antioxidants that help protect your body’s cells from damage. 🍎 More than 8,000 types of polyphenols have been identified, but they all fall into four groups: flavonoids, phenolic acids, polyphenolic acids, and other polyphenols. 🍎 They’ve been linked to multiple health benefits including lowering blood sugar levels, decreasing risk of heart disease, reducing blood clots, and boosting digestion and brain function. 🍎 Some foods rich in polyphenols include: blueberries, elderberries, blackberries, apples, cloves, peppermint, chestnuts and most other nuts, flaxseed, artichokes, olives, coffee, and tea.  • Contrary to what you might think, chili didn’t originate in Mexico. It’s origin still isn’t agreed upon, but there are many stories about it.
• One theory is that chili was a staple of mid-19th century cattle drives and that dried beef, chile peppers, fat, salt, and pepper were pounded into portable rectangles that could be rehydrated with boiling water for an easy meal. • In the 1860’s Texas prisons became known for their chili to the point that prisoners rated jails on the quality of the dish they could make. It was such a hit that freed inmates reportedly wrote in asking for the recipes, saying they sorely missed their chili. • A San Antonio market started selling “bowls o’red” in the late 1800s from food booths known as chili stands. They caught on so well that in 1893 there was a San Antonio Chili Stand at the Chicago World’s Fair. • Chili was declared the State Food of Texas in 1977. • President Johnson was a big fan of chili and this became a known fact - to the point that the White House received so many requests for the Johnson Family Chili Recipe that the first lady had recipe cards printed for easier mail correspondence. • Cincinnati-style chili is quite different from what you’ll find in Texas and came from two Greek brothers that used their own Mediterranean blend of spices and piled the red sauce, beans, and meat on a bed of spaghetti. • Accompaniments for chili tend to vary by region with cornbread being popular in the south and peanut butter sandwiches in the midwest. Popular toppings include shredded cheese, onions, corn chips, and oyster crackers. How do you like your chili?  Whether they’re in trail mix, a salad, bread, or on their own, sunflower seeds are tiny but packed full of a variety of health benefits.
🌻 They’re very high in vitamin E and selenium, which act as antioxidants for your body to protect its cells. 🌻 The combination of flavonoids and plant compounds in sunflower seeds may help reduce inflammation. 🌻 An unsaturated fatty acid called linoleic acid found in the seeds can help relax blood vessels, which can lead to lower blood pressure. A study has even found that sunflower seeds may help decrease “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 🌻 Sunflower seeds can help reduce blood sugar spikes from carbs because of their protein and fat content. 🌻 Zinc, omega-6 fatty acids, and calcium found in sunflower seeds promote healthy skin and bones.  Both eggs and tofu are great choices for low calorie protein, but we thought there were some interesting differences between the two. Struggling with cholesterol? Go with tofu. On a strict caloric or carb budget? Maybe stick with eggs. Take a look, decide which one better suits your needs, and add this to your bag of tricks!
• Eggs, scrambled, 100g Calories: 167 Protein: 11g Fat: 12g Carbs: 2g Iron: 7% Calcium: 7% Cholesterol: 117% • Tofu, scrambled, 100g Calories: 271 Protein: 17g Fat: 20g Carbs: 11g Iron: 27% Calcium: 96% Cholesterol: 0%  If you’re trying to reduce your sugar consumption, the usual suspects include soda and desserts but what about marinara sauce? Unfortunately there are some foods that you don’t really think of as sweet that have a surprising amount of sugars added.
🍬 Marinara Sauce Many of the big brands add sugar to their sauce, so check the labels or make your own by using plain tomato sauce and adding spices. 🍬 Ketchup Another tomato-based food, ketchup can have 1 tsp of sugar in a 1 tbsp serving. Look for the new varieties that have less or no sugar added and give them a shot. 🍬 Barbecue Sauce It’s very common for barbecue sauce to have even more sugar per serving than ketchup - 1.5 tsp per 1 tbsp serving in some cases. Just like ketchup, most brands have realized this is a lot and have varieties with little or no added sugar now. 🍬 Yogurt Don’t let yogurt’s benefits be outweighed by added sugars. It’s natural for yogurt to contain some sugar due to lactose, but keep an eye out for the added stuff. Go with plain and sweeten it yourself with fruit or swirl in some jam so you can control how much goes into it. 🍬 Peanut Butter This one can be tricky because even jars labeled as “Natural” doesn’t mean they only contain peanuts. Look for clues like “peanut butter spread” and that’ll tell you there’s things like sugar and palm oil added. Your ingredient list should be one or two things: peanuts and salt. 🍬 Non-Dairy Milk Most plant-based milks have a few varieties so keep an eye out for the “no added sugar” ones as the “original” types may have 7g or more of added sugar. The calories add up pretty quick when you can drink them! 🍬 Packaged Fruit Whether you’re going for applesauce, fruit cocktail, or even dried fruit, most of them have sugar added. Look for fruit that’s packed in water instead of heavy syrups. Dried fruits you wouldn’t think would need added sugar like mango or pineapple still often have more added. 🍬 Granola The very name makes you think of health food, but check the label first, as granola is typically sweetened with honey, corn syrup, or brown sugar. 🍬 Broth You wouldn’t suspect it just from the taste, but packaged broths and even bullion can contain added sugars.  Essential amino acids help your body hang on to muscle mass and one such amino acid is called leucine. Particularly, it's responsible for providing energy during exercise and helping build muscle after. Here are nine foods that are high in leucine:
1. Steak, 92% of your daily value (DV) 2. Pork Chops, 68% DV 3. Tuna, 67% DV 4. Chicken, 62% DV 5. Ricotta Cheese, 56% DV 6. Firm Tofu, 43% DV 7. Navy Beans, 31% DV 8. Pumpkin Seeds, 25% DV 9. Eggs, 20% DV  Small and seasonal, pumpkin seeds are quite the nutritional powerhouse with plenty to offer. You can typically find them in the grocery store as raw, roasted, or sprouted. Let’s see why you should add them to your diet:
🎃 Magnesium Pumpkin seeds are one of the best natural sources of magnesium you can find. Magnesium plays an important role in everything from brain and bone health to muscle movement to converting food into usable energy. 🎃 Zinc Zinc is plentiful in pumpkin seeds and is used by your body to regulate hormones and support a healthy digestive system. 🎃 Antioxidants Antioxidants help to protect your cells and prevent disease and pumpkin seeds contain several different types of antioxidants. Carotenoids and vitamin E are a couple antioxidants that can help add some protection and reduce inflammation. 🎃 Heart Health The combo of aforementioned magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants are a great way to promote heart health by potentially reducing blood pressure and increasing good cholesterol. 🎃 Fiber Even a small serving of pumpkin seeds contains a fairly high amount of fiber. A diet high in fiber can mean good digestive health and possibly even a reduction in the risk of heart disease and diabetes. 🎃 Protein A 1oz serving contains 7g of protein, making it a super easy way to add some protein (among other things) to a soup, salad, or side dish.  Peanut butter is a common item in most home pantries but lately nut butters of other varieties such as almond, cashew, and sunflower have been increasing in popularity. They usually cost more than peanut butter but are they healthier? Let’s take a look at a 2 tbsp serving of natural peanut butter versus natural almond butter:
• Calories Peanut-180 Almond-202 • Carbs Peanut-7g Almond-7g • Fat Peanut-15g Almond-19g • Protein Peanut-8g Almond-5g • Fiber Peanut-3g Almond-3g • Calcium Peanut-2% DV Almond-8% DV • Iron Peanut-4% DV Almond-6% DV • Vitamins & Minerals Almond butter pulls ahead here as its magnesium, iron, vitamins E and B2, and calcium are several times higher than peanut butter. • The Verdict Both nut butters are close in most areas but peanut butter wins for calories and protein, while almond butter takes the lead for calcium, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. That being said, either of these are a great way to add healthy fats, protein, and other nutrients to your diet. |
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