Baked sweet potatoes for dinner

After a wonderful long walk along the river enjoying the fall foliage, I decided to make sweet potatoes for dinner, along with raw almonds, lightly steamed kale, and a glass of homemade vegan blueberry kefir.

Sweet potatoes are packed with beta-carotene, which gives them their bright orange color. They are also a good source of various vitamins, and minerals, as well as fiber and starch. They contain only a little protein, and almost no fat. Almonds, on the other hand, contain a significant amount of protein, along with a lot of fat(mostly the healthy kind) as well as fiber.

Kale is a type of cabbage, and is loaded with powerful carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are said to be good for the eyes. Kale is also a good source of fiber.

The vegan blueberry kefir has a lot of anthocyanins, which may be helpful for exercise recovery and may help prevent some diseases, and since it was fermented also has probiotic benefits. It was wonderfully effervescent, and a bit sour, a nice compliment to the sweet potatoes and almonds. It has a tincture of alcohol in it, making it sort of like the “red wine” of the meal.

It took about 45 minutes in the oven to bake the sweet potatoes. I added a dash of cinnamon to spice things up. They were very delicious, and all in all, a terrific vegan autumn meal. And very colorful too!

Pendant that I am, it must be noted that sweet potatoes are not related to potatoes. They are in completely different plant families. Sweet potatoes are related to morning glories, and potatoes are in the nightshade family, which means they are closely related to nightshades like tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers and tobacco, yes, tobacco!

Besides this, sweet potatoes are often called yams, though they are not related to true yams. While they are both tubers, real yams are much bigger and starchier, and only taste a little like sweet potatoes. True yams only grow in the tropics or sub-tropics, and are originally from Africa. They tend to be sold in Caribbean or African markets.

For more information: Sweet Potato and Yam Differences

Other terrific vegan meal ideas:

• Auntie Jill’s Super Yummy Eggplant Pasta
• Rolled Eggplant with Cannellini Pine nut Filling and Asparagus Green bean Salad with Caper Dressing
• Lovely and Warming Mung Bean & Lentil Soup
• Amaranth, Red Lentil, & Chia Seed Patties
• Moroccan Chickpea Tagine
• Autumn lentil and vegetable stew

Vitamin E and running

Sunflower seeds are a great way for you, and birds to get all the vitamin E you need.

We’ve already covered everything from super-stars like Vitamin C, to the neglected vitamin K, to the misnamed vitamin D(it is actually a hormone), so it’s about time we examine vitamin E.

Vitamin E is an important fat-soluble nutrient with antioxidant effects, in contrast to vitamin C which is water-soluble. This means that vitamin E needs to be consumed with fat to get properly absorbed, and once in the body is stored in fatty tissue which it helps protect from oxidative damage. Like so many other vitamins, and in particular the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin E can be toxic in high doses.

Now let’s see if vitamin E did anything for runners. According to the Department of Sport and Physical Activity, Edge Hill University Ormskirk, Lancashire, UK, in Vitamin E supplementation does not alter physiological performance at fixed blood lactate concentrations in trained runners:

CONCLUSION:

Daily VE supplementation for 35 days does not enhance or impair physiological performance at fixed blood lactate concentrations. Long-term VE supplementation for the purposes of performance enhancement is not recommended.

Yet another nutrient that doesn’t give you superpowers. There’s really no need for anyone to take supplemental vitamin E, unless your doctor tells you to because you have a rare disorder. Supplementation does nothing for runners, and probably isn’t necessary for people in general. Just some eat nuts, seeds, whole-grains, and leafy greens on a regular basis and you will get all the vitamin E you need.

You get most of your protein from nuts?!

Rumors have been swirling around about this for quite some time. I thought it was time to tell the truth. I do, in fact, on many days get most of my protein from nuts. Or a delicious combination of nuts and legumes. The Wild Juggler is in fact a vegetarian.

So how is this possible? Is he, yet again, violating the laws of physics? Truth be told, nuts are a great source of protein.
1/4 cup of almonds contains about 6 grams of protein.

While it also has a lot of fat, it is mostly the healthy, unsaturated kind of fat. Almonds and many other nuts are also good sources of fiber, minerals, and protective phyto-chemicals, similar to the ones in tea and some vegetables. I love my nuts raw and unprocessed. I don’t eat nuts that have added oils, salt, sugar or anything. Read labels. I often snack on nuts after a long joggle.

If you’re afraid that eating nuts will cause weight gain, do not worry. I eat tons of nuts almost every day; if you’ve been pecan at my photos, you know I’m not exactly obese. Still not convinced?

According to Fitwatch.com, eating nuts regularly can help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism – Why Eating Nuts Can Help You Lose Weight

Fiber, always your friend, helps prevent the fat from getting absorbed. I think nuts are a great way to replace meat and dairy in your diet. People who eat a lot of nuts are generally slimmer, on average than those who eat the least. Nut butters make a great snack and are good for making sandwiches. Peanut butter is one of my favorites, though technically, peanuts are a legume.

I totally love nuts. When people call me a “nut”, I take it as a compliment. So go nuts with nuts, and try to violate the laws of physics with your fitness routine!