Autumn Years Fall 2023

HEALTH & WELFARE

Food for Thought Everything Is Gouda When Cheese Is Involved… Right? By Stephanie Sass The answer to that question depends on factors such as your nutritional needs, current health status, taste preferences and cheese type choices.

T he nutrients in cheese may vary by the type of cheese. However, all dairy products, including cheese, milk and yogurt, provide calcium. Calci um is a nutrient that, along with vitamin D, is essential for bone health. These nutrients help prevent bone disorders such as osteopenia and osteoporosis and the risk of fractures. It is recommended that women over 50 and men over 71 consume 1,200 mg (milligrams) of cal cium daily, and men between 50 and 70 consume 1,000 mg daily. Most men and women are not meet ing their calcium needs each day. On average, men and women consume less than 800 and 700 mg per day, respec tively. Ideally, one should meet his or her calcium needs through foods such as low-fat dairy, dark leafy greens, calcium fortified plant milk and calcium-fortified orange juice. Our body creates the active form of vitamin D from sunlight, but one can also choose vitamin D-fortified foods. Milk is usually fortified with vitamin A and vitamin D. Calcium is the main mineral found in cheese, but it also provides some other vitamins and minerals in small amounts, including vitamin A, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium. Vitamin B12 and zinc

should consume 55 mcg of selenium per day. Selenium can also be found in animal proteins, sunflower seeds, baked beans, oatmeal and spinach. Aside from these micronutrients, cheese contains the macronutrients protein and fat. Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass and strength.

serve many bodily functions, such as DNA repair and immune support. These nutri ents primarily come from animal foods, but pumpkin seeds are also a good source of zinc. Selenium is a trace mineral with several vital functions, such as thyroid hormone metabolism and immune func tion. The food richest in selenium is Brazil nuts. One Brazil nut provides about 70 to 90 mcg (micrograms) of selenium. It is recommended that people over 14

GREEK KALE QUINOA SALAD

INGREDIENTS • ½ cup Wholesome Panty Quinoa • 2 cups chopped kale or baby kale • 1 cucumber, chopped • 1 red onion, diced • 1 jar red peppers, drained and chopped • 1 can Wholesome Pantry Chickpeas, rinsed and drained • ½ cup Bowl & Basket Specialty feta cheese, crumbled • ½ to 1 cup Bowl & Basket Greek dressing

DIRECTIONS Cook quinoa according to package direc tions. Set aside to cool slightly. While quinoa is cooking, combine kale, cucumber, onion, red peppers and chick peas in a large bowl. When quinoa has cooled slightly, add to bowl along with feta and toss lightly to mix. Add dressing and toss until desired level of coating is reached (you may not need all the dressing). Serve immediately or store in fridge and serve cold.

16 AUTUMN YEARS I FALL 2023