Brussels sprouts are one of the most hated foods out there.  In all our years of experience as RD’s, it has come up as the absolute top food that our clients avoid.  Why?   Well, they do have a strong flavor and the house really gets smelly when you cook them.  Also, memories may go back to childhood when the sprouts may have simply been boiled and placed in front of you with instructions to finish them before you could leave the table. 

Our suggestion– try them again. Erase those bad memories and approach them with a beginner’s mind. They are incredibly good for you—high in Vitamins A & C, folic acid and fiber.  Also, they are cruciferous vegetables.  Cruciferous is a Latin word meaning “cross-bearing" from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross. (Cool!)  Curciferous vegetables include cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy and broccoli.  Research indicates that these vegetables have anti-cancer properties. 

Here is a simple, delicious recipe that we prepared for the first time this week & served to the HELP PD (Prevent Diabetes) study group.  They all raved over them-some members had never even tasted them before.  Our kids really liked them as well-their plates were empty!   Let us know what you think of this recipe.  Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

It’s Your Health.  It’s Your Life.  Make That Change!

~ Angie & John

Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Serves: 6

Ingredients:

· 1-1/2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts

· 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

· 1 medium yellow onion, peeled & sliced

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

· dash salt

· 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 2 tablespoons tub margarine

Directions:

· Trim off the stems and remove any limp leaves from the sprouts

· Blanch sprouts in boiling water w/top for 5 minutes

· Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking

· Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil, garlic and onion

· Sauté until the onion becomes tender

· Add the blanched & drained sprouts.

· Sauté a few minutes until the sprouts are cooked to your liking

· Add the vinegar and toss so that all the sprouts are coated

· Add the tub margarine, salt and pepper and toss together

Nutrition Facts per Serving:

Calories: 136

Fat: 8 gm

Saturated Fat: 1 gm

Carbohydrate: 13 gm

Protein: 4 gm

Fiber: 5 gm

Sodium: 109 mg

Today is World Diabetes Day.  Millions of people around the world have united to help bring awareness to this chronic disease that affects 371 million people (half of which are undiagnosed).  This past August, I celebrated my 21st year of living with Diabetes.  That’s right, Celebrated!  I’m excited to have accomplished all that I have because of Diabetes.  Is being diagnosed with Diabetes hard?  Yeah, sometimes.  But life, in general, is hard at times.  Barriers are barriers only if we let them be.  We hold the keys to our own happiness and health.  We can’t control others or control all events in our life BUT, we can control how we respond to those events. Every challenge and difficulty we face gives us the opportunity to find out more about ourselves and to discover new ways to succeed. 

I have always maintained that had I not been diagnosed with diabetes, I would not be where I am today.  Diabetes changed my life in an overall positive direction.  Because of diabetes, I discovered new interests, new careers, new friends and a renewed purpose.  Because of diabetes, I met the woman that would become my wife and mother of our children.  Because of diabetes, I am a better person.  To me, diabetes is cool.  Yes, having diabetes still sucks, but you cope.  Sure it makes me different when comparing me to my peers, but when working with clients that have diabetes, it gives us something in common.  I know I may have viewed it differently had I been diagnosed with diabetes while still a child.  But for me, the diagnosis of diabetes saved my life!!!

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."  -Helen Keller

For more information about World Diabetes Day, visit:  http://www.idf.org/worlddiabetesday

~ John

It’s Your Health!  It’s Your Life!  Make That Change!