Okay, life imitates art is the correct quote by Oscar Wilde but I thought I’d have a little fun with a great vegetable that’s highly versatile. I’m talking about the artsy looking artichoke.

Fall is a great time to buy artichokes. Although they are available year around from California, peak harvests come in the spring and fall. Great as a side dish, in a salad or as an appetizer, artichokes can be served with a variety of foods.

Kick off your next tailgate party with steamed baby artichokes and dip. Serve roasted artichokes with your Thanksgiving turkey, they kind of resemble pine cones and can really dress up a table.

Artichokes provide the important minerals magnesium, chromium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, iron and calcium. For example, a 25 calorie artichoke provides 6% of the Recommended Daily Value of phosphorus, 10% of magnesium, 8% of manganese, 10% of chromium, 5% of potassium, 4% of iron and 2% of calcium and iron.
In addition to all these important minerals, artichokes are a good source of fiber (12%), vitamin C (10%), and folate (10%).
A good alternative to snacks that are high in sodium and fat, a typical artichoke has only about 25 calories. They are also low in sodium and have no fat or cholesterol.
Look for artichokes at your local grocer or fruit and veggie stand. If you are not familiar with this nutrient dense vegetable, I’ve given some types on how to select, store and cook. Check the end of this post for a delicious artichoke recipe.
How to Select an Artichoke
Choose artichokes that are dark green, heavy and have tight leaves. Avoid those that appear dry and are turning brown.

How to Store an Artichoke
To store fresh artichokes at home, sprinkle them with a little water and refrigerate in an airtight plastic bag. Don’t wash before storing. Stored in this manner, they should last about a week in the refrigerator.

How to Cook an Artichoke
Before you get started, tap the artichoke upside down in the sink to make sure there are no bugs hiding in the leaves. Rinse it under running water. Pull off lower leaves. Remove most or all, of the stem with scissors or a sharp knife, depending on the size of your artichoke. Trim any sharp edges from leaves. Place prepared artichokes in a bowl of water with the juice of two squeezed lemons.

You can steam, boil, microwave, bake, grill, roast, braise, or fry artichokes. I prefer steaming, as it’s the best way to preserve most of the nutrients. Caution: always use a stainless steel knife and pot to prepare and cook your artichokes. Aluminum or iron utensils and cookware will cause the artichokes to turn black.

Bring a steamer or a large stockpot with 1-2 inches of water to a boil, covered.
Place the prepared artichoke in the steamer, stem side down. Steam for 40-45 minutes.
Prepare Lemon-Shallot dip: Slice lemon in half, squeeze half the lemon’s juice into a small dish for dipping. Stir in dill, freshly ground pepper and minced shallots.
*Optionally, prepare melted butter: Melt butter, mix in crushed garlic, if you like.
To enjoy the artichoke, break off leaves, starting with the outer leaf, and dip. Use your teeth to scrape off the flesh of the leaf and the dip. Once you get down to the core, remove the prickly purple “choke”, and indulge in the nutty taste of the best part of the artichoke, that’s the heart. It should be soft and delicious.

*If you are following the Fitness4Her diet, you may want to prepare your dip without the butter. It can be your own personal serving and you can double dip all you like.

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Most of us, when we were younger, were told to drink our milk so we would have strong bones and grow up tall. While it’s true that calcium is crucial in the diets of adolescent women and plays a big role in developing strong bones and teeth, its role in our health doesn’t stop there.

Calcium is currently being called the “miracle” mineral because of its proven ability to help control and prevent a number of conditions that can affect us when we’re older. Not only does it help prevent bone loss in women who suffer from osteoporosis, but it can protect against potential strokes, depression due to premenstrual symptoms, and certain types of cancer. Calcium can also help control and lower high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.

Calcium is essential in a healthy pregnancy because of its ability to promote bone growth in the fetus and improve bone mass in the mother. During the last two trimesters of pregnancy and if you are breastfeeding, your body will absorb more calcium from the food you eat, which might make it necessary to include a calcium supplement to your diet.

For dieting women, it’s crucial to get the required daily allowance of calcium. Recent studies have shown that calcium also plays a vital role in weight loss. Tests were conducted on women in mid-life age and the results showed that women who had high calcium intakes, didn’t gain weight and women with low calcium intakes did.

So, if we’re convinced that consuming more calcium in our diet has all of the above health benefits, why aren’t more women making a conscious effort to have more calcium in their diets or at the very least taking a calcium supplement? When you don’t have enough calcium in your diet, your body will take what it needs from your bones. This loss of essential minerals can often lead to weakened bones and eventually osteoporosis.

Getting calcium into your body is as easy as selecting the right foods to eat. Obviously dairy such as milk and cottage cheese are good choices, as long as the low-fat options are consumed. Also canned fish such as salmon or sardines can provide ample calcium as well as most dark green leafy vegetable such as collards, broccoli, kale, or bok choy.

If you still think getting the appropriate amount of calcium, for women 19 to 50 it’s 1,000 mg a day, through diet alone will be a challenge, then a calcium supplement should be considered. Whatever you choose to do, it’s essential that you begin taking calcium seriously and making it a lifetime commitment that can help you enjoy a long and healthy lifestyle.

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It’s probably the most abundant fruit in your grocery store and the most overlooked on your list of fruits to eat. But pears come in so many diverse and succulent flavors with so many great health benefits that it’s time you created a space for them in your fruit bowl this year.

Did you know that there are more than 3,000 different varieties of pears throughout the world in all different shapes, colors, and flavors? As the third largest pear producing country in the world, we are fortunate here in the states to have access to some of the most exotic and delectable varieties of pear. Most of the pear orchards in the U.S. can be found in Washington and Oregon, where the rich volcanic soil is teeming with the right nutrients to allow the pear trees to flourish.

When most people think of a pear, they usually picture the common Yellow Bartlett, which is one of the most abundant pears in the U.S. and can be found in most grocery stores from late August through January. The gritty texture combined with the classic pear flavor makes this a favorite for shoppers.

The Green Anjou pear is the second most common variety of pear in the U.S. and is harvested in late September. The Green Anjou is known for its refreshing lemon-lime flavor. A tip to remember about the Green Anjou is that when it ripens it will not turn colors, but will remain a bright green shade with a faint blush of red.

The Bosc Pears are known for their golden brown skin and sweet and spicy flavor that has a surprising and satisfying crunch that can’t be beat. The Bosc can be found in grocery stores starting in late September through the winter months.

Other types of pears to be on the look out include: Red Bartletts, Red Anjous, the Comice (one of the sweetest pears), the Concorde, the blazing Forelle, and the Starkrimson. Most of these varieties begin their harvest in the fall and are available until early spring.

Fitness4Her advocates eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables and pears are a great fruit for this time of year. Pears are fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free and provide generous portions of potassium and fiber. Pears are also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Looking to shed a few pounds this year? Look no further than the pear. A great snack that can help you lose weight and feel great.

So familiarize yourself with the many different types of pears that can be found throughout the U.S., and next time you go to the grocery store, be sure to put pears at the top of your list.

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Because of their impressive potassium content, bananas are highly recommended by doctors for patients whose potassium is low. One large banana, about 9 inches in length, packs 602 mg of potassium and only carries 140 calories. That same large banana even has 2 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. No wonder the banana was considered an important food to boost the health of malnourished children! Those reducing sodium in their diets can’t go wrong with a banana with its mere 2 mgs of sodium. For the carbohydrate counters there are 36 grams of carbs in a large banana. 

Vitamins and minerals are abundant in the banana, offering 123 I.U. of vitamin A for the large size. A full range of B vitamins are present with .07 mg of Thiamine, .15 mg of Riboflavin, .82 mg Niacin, .88 mg vitamin B6, and 29 mcg of Folic Acid. There are even 13.8 mg of vitamin C. On the mineral scale Calcium counts in at 9.2 mg, Magnesium 44.1 mg, with trace amounts of iron and zinc. 

Putting all of the nutritional figures together clearly shows the banana is among the healthiest of fruits. The plantain, when cooked, rates slightly higher on the nutritional scale in vitamins and minerals but similar to the banana in protein and fiber content.

Bananas are the result of a genetic mutation that evolved into a staple food of our society. In fact, a banana is one of the most popular foods in the whole world. They are known for their sweet taste and good nutritional properties with high contents of potassium and fiber along with vitamins such as B6, C and A. Their portability and ease of use make them the top choice in a take along snack.

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When we’re talking women’s fitness and health, omega-3 faty acids are so important. Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce insulin resistance, and the potential for atherosclerosis and heart attacks. Omega-3 fats are found abundantly in cold water fish like salmon, sardines, tuna, rainbow trout, anchovies, and herring, and in lesser amounts in flax seed oil, some nuts and seeds and beans, like walnuts, pumpkin seeds and soy beans, and in much smaller quantities in dark green leafy vegetables.

These amazing acids prevent fat from building up in the arteries, especially the aorta, the largest of the arteries, which supplies oxygenated blood to your body. Omega-3s annihilate a molecule called lipoprotein lipase, which traps the LDL (the bad) cholesterol in the artery wall.

Boost your cardiovascular health by eating more cold fish or taking supplements that contain long-chain EPA and DHA. Albacore tuna has a higher level of Omega-3s and is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner.

Improve your digestive system by eating cold-water fish regularly. With the ability to lubricate the colon, these essential fatty acids are the key to gastrointestinal health. That’s good news, because a well-tuned digestive system is paramount to losing weight. The problem is, women in America are just not eating enough fish.

To promote healthy eating for you and your family, make a meal plan before your trip to the grocery store. Then purchase the ingredients that you will need for each meal. This will ensure you have everything you need to prepare healthy meals throughout the week. It will also keep you from filling up the cart with high-calorie, fat-laden foods, too.

Fresh fish is best, but canned varieties of tuna, salmon and sardines are very healthy too. If you are looking for a recipe for a fish feast, check out our recipe-of the week section for ideas on cooking and serving these cold-water creatures.

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