June
2011 Newsletter
Food focus: Rhubarb
Rhubarb
is a vegetable in the knotweed family, along with buckwheat and sorrel. We usually add sugar and eat rhubarb as
dessert, but it can also, like applesauce, make a tasty complement to meat.
Nutritionally,
it boasts lots of vitamins C and K (helpful for blood clotting and building
strong bones) and the minerals calcium, manganese, and potassium. However, because rhubarb -- like spinach,
chard, cranberries, and plums -- contains oxalic acid you should avoid it if
you’re prone to kidney stones. Most are
made of the chemical compound calcium oxalate.
The
tartness of rhubarb poses a problem in that we want to add sugar, lots of it,
and sugar isn’t good for us. What to
do? Try other, healthier sweeteners,
like raw honey or, if you don’t mind the taste, stevia, which is hundreds of
times sweeter than sugar so use it with caution. Xylitol, a sugar look-alike found in
toothpaste because it is said to encourage healthy mouth bacteria and thus
discourage tooth decay, might be worth trying.
There are several caveats, however.
One is its potential laxative effect, an effect also shared by rhubarb,
by the way. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol
made from plants like corn or birch. It
has only two thirds the calories of table sugar. The dental industry endorses it for its tooth
protecting qualities; but other researchers are wary – as indeed you should be
of anything new in your diet. Moderation
in all things!
Recipe of the Month:
Stewed Rhubarb
Ingredients to Serve
Two:
- Eight
small or medium stalks of rhubarb
- 3
tablespoons of raw honey or 2 of Xylitol
- One
tablespoon of salted butter
- ˝
teaspoon of ground ginger (optional)
Directions:
- Wash
the rhubarb and remove any very tough outer strings;
- Slice
the stalks into half inch lengths;
- Cook
it is a pot with about one third cup of water, bring to the boil, then simmer
under a lid till tender (usually 20 minutes) checking lest it boil dry;
- Add
the butter and stir it in well;
- Add
your sweetener – and ginger, if you want it– tasting till you’re satisfied.
- Serve
it warm or chilled.
- For
a more festive dessert, add plain yogurt or chopped nuts.
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