There is such a thing as TOO MUCH!

You may remember a previous post about vitamin waters. This is along the same lines. An article in today's paper discusses the high levels of vitamin A in some drinks such as FUZE. I am often concerned about the new lines of vitamin waters/drinks since we get these nutrients from the foods that we eat. If someone eats a well balanced diet with variety they should have no problem meeting their daily requirements. These drinks which are considered to be natural health products have different rules and can be sold with department issued exemption numbers since Health Canada has a backlog of license applications. The issue is when the fortification leads people to consume nutrients above and beyond the tolerable upper intake levels.

If you're drinking fortified juices/waters/beverages, take time to look at the contents and % DV to see how much you're getting. Use these products with caution and in moderation.

Steph Wheler
www.nutrishus.com

Warm up with some Lentil Soup

It's been so cold lately that it makes me want soup. I tried this recipe from about.com a little while ago because I had some dried lentils around the house. I had never made lentil soup and I thought it was pretty good. I also like it because it includes simple ingredients which most people can find in their own cupboards on a regular basis. I am conscious of the high salt/sodium in most soups available today, so when I made it I used fairly dilute chicken stock (I used 1.5 oxo cubes for 4 cups of water). Try it out to get some meat alternatives into your day!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• dash salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions turn clear.

Add the vegetable broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and salt.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving. Makes 4 servings of lentil soup.

Steph Wheler

www.nutrishus.com