Eat a Steak...and keep healthy !

It's a fact, dieting rarely works. No one knows that more than I do. Over the years, I have tried just about every diet fade that has come around, and non of them has stuck with me. Every time, I end up frustrated and unsatisfied with the food I have to eat. I always end up asking my wife, “How come I can't eat an occasional steak?”

The fact is, most people can.

If you are not on a strict low fat or no sodium diet, it is easy to prepare and season an occasional 8 oz steak and love every bite. Here are a few tips that I use:

• Use you favorite steak seasoning ..that right ..You heard me! The fact is most of all the store bought steak seasonings on the market have about 40%-50% salt per teaspoon. I have done some kitchen test and have found that you can season two 8 oz Strip Steaks, or one pound of Sirloin easily with only one teaspoon of store bought Steak Seasoning. This translates to about ¼ of a teaspoon of Salt per 8 oz serving of steak...far below the recommended one teaspoon of salt maximum recommended for daily consumption. (see my earlier Blog on “Have you had your three teaspoons of salt today?”)
• Try adding reduced Balsamic or reduced Red Port Wine for added flavor. Yum...If you have never had one of these added to a steak, you have to give it a try. Its easy to do yourself , or you can buy a nice reduction at your local grocery store in the culinary spice section. I use a red port wine reduction that I get at my local store and found on line at www.adamsextract.com .
• Cut back your Steak Seasoning a little bit more and add more onion & garlic powder and black pepper. These three spices are generally the next three primary ingredients in a store bought steak seasoning after Salt and is the secret flavor of a good steak.
• Make your own seasoning blend without salt and then control the salt you add to meet your personal requirements . Here is an excellent version of a popular Canadian Style steak seasoning :
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon fennel
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• Add salt to taste

So what's stopping you ? Go pick out a nice steak for this weekend, make a fresh salad, saute some mushrooms and onions, eat healthy and enjoy life!

Have you eaten your three Teaspoons of salt today ?

Sound crazy right?  Well...the fact is, most Americans consume 3 times what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences say the average adult needs.  They suggest the average adult needs no more than 2,300 mg , or about 1 Teaspoon,  of sodium  daily to regulate the balance of fluids in the body.

The Mayo Clinic says we take in about 77 percent of our daily sodium from packaged and processed foods, compared to  only 5 percent added while cooking, 6 percent added while eating and 12 percent from natural sources! 

So, If you need to lower your salt intake, more than half  of your  battle is won by not eating prepared or packaged foods. The rest can be accomplished by preparing  and eating fresh foods and season them with natural herbs , spices , oils and juices. 

Here are a few tricks I use to reduce my salt intake. 

Kosher Sea Salt- Because Kosher Sea Salt has so much flavor , you can get by with just a small amount and  stay way below your limits. 

Empty your Salt Shaker -  Replace with an equal blend of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Kosher Sea Salt.  Use in place of salt for cooking and at the table. 

Herbs de Provence - Mix with Olive Oil and pepper on sliced or wedged potato. Trust me, you will never want a salty french fry again!     

Olive Oil , Garlic & Pepper - Use these three simple ingredients to season meats. You will surprised how  flavorful  this trinity will make Steaks, Chicken or Chops.   

Basil ,Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar & Pepper -  Blend together as a dressing, or  layer it over tomatoes . 

Truffle Salt- Expensive , but you can not make asparagus  mashed potatoes taste better. The trick here is that because of the strong flavor of Truffle, you use very little. I found a well priced one on adamsextract.com 

Lemon Juice-  Part of the flavor effect of salt is that it brings out the natural flavor of most foods. Try adding lemon juice to your vegetables , fish and seafood. 

These are just a few ideas, experiment and you will come up with many more. 

So remember , Chances are  the more Herbs & Spices you use in your food, the healthier you will be eating. 

Enjoy

Using more Spices and Seasonings might make you Healthier?

Welcome to my blog. I am the SpiceMan , and I love Spices & Seasonings! In fact, I believe the more you use in your daily diet, the healthier you will be eating. Let me explain.

Recently, I saw data that shows that despite the fact that Americans are eating  more food, we are using LESS Spices and Seasonings to flavor that food.  In fact, since 2004 Spice imports and overall usage has dropped 3% yet our population has grown 2.5%  and our average daily calorie intake has increase almost 2% .

So... the obvious question is, "How are we seasoning this food? " The answer is simple.

Food Scientist are now playing  a critical role in every food manufacturing or restaurant company. Their primary role  is to make food taste great  while helping make the cost of that food cost less.  They are doing this by using more Salt, MSG, Sugar, Artificial Flavors and Fat.


This Blog will be dedicated to learning more about and discussing how to make your food taste better and healthier by using Spices and Seasonings.

Join Me !