DAIRY-FREE DIPS

Here is the list of ingredients for each. You choose the exact amounts!

Onion Dip:
Raw Onion
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Ground Mustard (or fresh)
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper

Spicy Southwest Dip:
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Your favorite spicy sauce*
Coriander
Salt (black pepper not necessary because of the spicy sauce)

*I use sriracha. Ok, it’s not southwestern, but the taste is the best in my opinion!

Spinach Dip:
Raw Onion
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Fresh Spinach
Oregano or Basil
Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

*Blend a little spinach into the mixture to give it that light green color. Stir the rest in by hand to keep a few bright green flecks.Here is the list of ingredients for each. You choose the exact amounts!

Onion Dip:
Raw Onion
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Ground Mustard (or fresh)
Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper

Spicy Southwest Dip:
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Your favorite spicy sauce*
Coriander
Salt (black pepper not necessary because of the spicy sauce)

*I use sriracha. Ok, it’s not southwestern, but the taste is the best in my opinion!

Spinach Dip:
Raw Onion
Firm Tofu
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Fresh Spinach
Oregano or Basil
Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

*Blend a little spinach into the mixture to give it that light green color. Stir the rest in by hand to keep a few bright green flecks.

Experts say food, not supplements, is the best way to meet potassium needs.

“My preference is food because potassium is found in foods that provide other nutrients, such as fiber, that also have beneficial health effects,” Appel says.

Here’s how many milligrams (mg) of potassium you'll get from these potassium-rich foods:                                              

Winter squash, cubed, 1 cup, cooked: 896 mg
Sweet potato, medium, baked with skin: 694 mg
Potato, medium, baked with skin: 610 mg
White beans, canned, drained, half cup: 595 mg
Yogurt, fat-free, 1 cup: 579 mg
Halibut, 3 ounces, cooked: 490 mg
100% orange juice, 8 ounces: 496 mg
Broccoli, 1 cup, cooked: 457 mg
Cantaloupe, cubed, 1 cup: 431 mg
Banana, 1 medium: 422 mg
Pork tenderloin, 3 ounces, cooked: 382 mg
Lentils, half cup, cooked: 366 mg
Milk, 1% low fat, 8 ounces: 366 mg
Salmon, farmed Atlantic, 3 ounces, cooked: 326 mg
Pistachios, shelled, 1 ounce, dry roasted: 295 mg
Raisins, quarter cup: 250 mg
Chicken breast, 3 ounces, cooked: 218 mg
Tuna, light, canned, drained, 3 ounces: 201 mg
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

You May Need More or Less Potassium
Besides being linked to the potassium in your diet, potassium levels in your body are influenced by several factors, including kidney function, hormones, and prescription and over-the-counter medications.
People who take thiazide diuretics, often used to treat high blood pressure, may need more potassium. That’s because thiazide diuretics promote potassium loss from the body. Steroids and laxatives also deplete potassium.
Other drugs used to lower blood pressure, including beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, raise potassium levels in the body.
People with reduced kidney function may need to limit their daily potassium intake.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how all of the medications you take affect the potassium levels in your body, and if you need more, or less, of the mineral.

Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.

Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward off cholesterol and fats from the body and to help in smooth bowel movements as well as offer relief from constipation ailments.

Fruits compose of many anti-oxidants such as poly-phenolic flavonoids, vitamin-C, and anthocyanins. These compounds, firstly, help human body protected from oxidant stress, diseases, and cancers, and secondly; help the body develop capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very high anti-oxidant values, which is measured in terms of their "Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity" or (ORAC).

Anthocyanins are flavonoid category of poly-phenolic compounds found in some "blue-fruits" like blue-black grapes, mulberries, acai berry, chokeberry, blueberries, blackberries, and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple pigments. Consumption of fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These compounds have potent anti-oxidant properties that help remove free radicals from the body, and thus offer protection against cancers, aging, infections, etc. Majority of these pigments in the fruits tend to concentrate just underneath their skin.

Fruit’s health benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, pigment anti-oxidants. Altogether, these compounds help the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting from damage and rejuvenating cells, tissues, and organs. Their overall benefits are manifold! Fruit nutrition benefits are emormous! Including fruits in daily diet, you are protecting yourself from minor ailments like wrinkling of skin, hair-fall, and memory loss to major ailments like age-related macular degeneration (AMRD) of the retina in the eyes, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancers, weak bones (osteoporosis).

Research studies suggest that one may eat any servings of fruits daily. It is recommended to eat at least 2-3 servings of fresh fruits every day.Include seasonal fruits in the daily diet. Variety of fruits type, color, and flavor should be encouraged to get maximum health benefits. Yellow and orange color fruits are rich sources of a and ß carotenes, zea-xanthin and crypto-xanthin, while blue, black colored like black or blueberries are a good source of poly-phenolic anthocyanin anti-oxidants.To avail maximum fruit nutrition benefits eat organic produce. Many "wild" varieties of berries and "tropical tree" fruits have still not treated with any kind of fertilizers or chemicals and can be readily purchased from local farm owners. Organic fruits tend to be smaller; however, they feature special flavor and richness in vitamins, minerals and stuffed with numerous anti-oxidants.

In the store, however, choose fruits that feature freshness, bright in color and flavor and feel heavy in your hands. Look carefully for blemishes, spots, molds, and signs of insecticide spray.Barring few fruits like wild-berries, try to wash them soon after shopping. Rinse them in salt water for a few minutes and then wash in cool running water until you are satisfied with complete cleanliness. This way, you make sure that the fruit you eat is rid-off dirt, sand and any residual chemical spray. Eat them while they are fresh, since certain fruits have very short shelf life and their health benefiting properties decline with time. If you need to store them, place them in plastic wrappings or in zip pouches to keep them fresh for short periods until you use them. Eat fruits as a whole without any additions to enjoy their true flavor, taste, and to get maximum fruit nutrition benefits.

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