Tomato – Fruit gone bad.
January 29th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Papers, please.
What we have here is a defector – born technically as a fruit, but with all the qualities and benefits of a vegetable. This healthy fruit gone bad is kind of like Fight Gone Bad (one of the many crossfit-like workouts that we promote here at Cave Chow), except it’s all pleasure and no pain.
Revered across many cultures, and many centuries, the tomato is deserving of our respect, and should be a stable member of our food posse. Let’s dissect:
NUTRITION – 5 stars
- Great provider of antioxidants, including lycopene – one of the strongest – a cancer fighter and a skin protector against harmful UV rays, for all you surfer boys and girls out there
- Awesome source of Vitamin A and and Vitamin C (more than 50% of your daily value for C)
- Protects and fights against colon cancer and prostate cancer – and per WHFoods can work with Broccoli and Green Tea to be even more effective here
- Great source of fiber and lowers bad cholesterol and blood-clotting in people
- Anti-inflammatory and promoter of bone health via Vitamin K (along with carrots)
SIMPLICITY – 4 stars
- The good news – you can slice/dice these and eat them on the spot or toss them on a plate with almost anything
- For the more culinary minded, you’ll need to cook accordingly, which does take some time!
- V8 juice and similar natural alternatives are one of the recommended ways to get this sustenance – common practice here at Cave Chow!
AFFORDABILITY – 3 stars
- Tomatoes to hover 2-3 times above the recommended price-per-pound strategy recommended by Cave Chow
- V8 juice and similar juice alternatives tend to be a bit cheaper, but not quite as good as the real thing
Whether you’re drinking it down after a hot day in the sun, a rough night out, or eating a delicious pasta at a fine Italian restarant, you can be assured that this red FRUIT is doing a fine job inside of you.
Cave Cook
Carrots. I can C clearly now.
January 29th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Eh… What’s up Doc?
A doctor your may not be (and if you are, I’d welcome your input on beating sicknesses out of your body by smashing them on the treadmill, as it seems to be a somewhat contentious subject in the local medicinal community).
Regardless – Bugs Bunny had 9 lives or more, and so can you. Errr – put yourself in better survivability status on your current one by consuming these delicious, crisp, orange vegitation that was once coveted as a snack of kings by the beast roaming the ancient wilderness. Let’s drop these carrots through the Cave Chow rabbit hole and see what we find.
NUTRITION – 4 stars
- The highest source of Vitamin A that you can get, via converted B-carotene. Helps protect night vision.
- High in anti-oxidants and many cancer-fighting properties, like many other Cave Chow items
- Great protector against colon cancer, and can also help regulate blood sugar
- Believed by many doctors to be a remedy for intestinal problems, including fighting parasites
SIMPLICITY – 5 stars
- You don’t need a microwave, pot, pan, or fire to enjoy these tasty snacks. Just a smile on your face.
- To note – carrots only release 3% of their valuable B-carotene when eaten cold or raw. Cook them, and you can get up to 39% You gotta burn it out. Give it up!
AFFORDABILITY – 4 stars
- Buy them raw and peel them yourself, and you can get under $1 a pound. If you’re a time-strapped runner and gunner and you need that night vision fast, grab a pre-peeled bag for just over $1 per pound. BOOM!
There was a reason Bugs Bunny was always happy, relaxed, creative, and smart. It’s not because of the marketing and design at Walt Disney – it’s because of his B-cerotene consumption. A habit we should all strive to duplicate.
Besides, who wants to be blind at night!
Cave Cook
Cry me a River. Of Onions.
January 29th, 2010 § 1 Comment
BAHHHHHHHHHH!
Bawling for your long lost love? Time to stop – you have something new to cry for. And while your crying, you’ll also be ridding yourself of toxins, defending your body against cancers of all types, and helping your brain think, function, and endure pain more clearly.
Born in the Middle East, the onion now resides worldwide, as well as in the hearts and minds of savvy CaveChow eaters. Why?
NUTRITION – 5 stars
- Lowers blood sugar levels, if you’re into diabetes, by increasing insulin levels that bring glucose into cells
- Great source of chromium and Vitamin B6, rumored to help maintain bone health and density
- Lowers cholesterol level and high blood pressure – resulting in decreased risk of heart disease
- Helps prevent colon cancer by supplying the antioxidant Quercitin – eat raw for highest concentrate
- Fights and protects against cancer #1, #2, #3, and on and on. Onions have proven to protect against many of the common cancers – more than we care to list!
- Anti-inflammatory and a phenomenal way to ward off viral bacteria during flu season. Add into every soup
SIMPLICITY – 3 stars
- Oh yea. Need to shed a couple tears on the spot? Just close your eyes and bite. Like the burgers say, raw is best.
- For the more classy and time-endowed eaters, chop em up, cook them in some olive oil, or as a complement to anything else cooking. Boil them, fry them, blend them. It doesn’t matter really, because they are so good for you. Just ingest it.
AFFORDABILITY – 5 stars
- BANG! Number one in our hearts, and in our pocket books. How does 49 cents a pound sound? Well below the recommended Cave Chow baseline of $1 per pound.
- They have all different types of onions. We don’t know what they all are, so we suggest the most basic. Yellow baby, yea!
Now you know. If you have a smelly, eccentric friend who seems to be exceptionally good at everything he or she does, you should start calling them the Onion, because this food comes in like a 90mph fastball at the bottom of the 9th when the game is tied and the bases are loaded. It can be a game changer for the aging generation in their fight to keep themselves whole upstairs, and few items of food grown (garlic aside) have the same potent benefits.
Grab some tissues and place your cell phone far away from you, and start snacking.
Farewell,
Cave Cook
Eggs – Son to Chicken, Friend to You
January 1st, 2010 § 1 Comment
Eggs everywhere.
Lots of chicken lay lots of eggs. Lots of eggs have lots of health benefits for you. It’s a perfect circle. You eat the moms, the dads, and the babies. BARBARIAN!
While we should be more careful about what we write, you should be more careful about your health, both brain and body. Healthy choices start with breakfast, and if you boiling, the leftovers can be used for some healthy meals. Let’s crack one of these eggs open.
NUTRITION – 5 stars
- Good source of protein – almost 6 grams per egg.
- Source of choline – helps maintain your body’s level of folic acid. Also supports acetylcholine (neurotransmitter responsible for sending messages between nerves and muscles)
- Great source of Vitamin B – good for your heart’s health and supports the brain functions and the nervous system
- The proteins in the egg yolks can prevent blood clots. Eggs also are a source of lutein – prevents cataracts and provides many other benefits
AFFORDABILITY – 5 stars
- Get Some! 12 eggs for less than $2. That breaks down to less than 20 cents per egg, a phenomenal deal.
- We recommend free-range or organic, which can be a bit pricier, but is always the best route if you’ve got the change for that food.
- One of the greatest ingredients to cheap healthy meals.
SIMPLICITY – 4 stars
- While it’s not advisable to eat them out of the carton Rocky style, it takes 2 minutes to fry one, and 12 minutes to hard-boil all 12. (Recommended).
- They stay fresh for quite a while, which means, once their cooked – enjoy them at your leasure.
- Eggs are an easy food. Cook em’ fry em’ scramble em’ its your call!
For all the cholesterol-scared folks out there, worry not. No conclusive evidence has been found that eggs raise your bad cholesterol. If your paranoia does run deep though, lose the yolks! (very easy to do with hard-boiled eggs, and also quite doable when cracking the eggs to fry). Even with the yolk gone, you are still eating a high protein food. Remember, eggs make eating well easy!
Cave Cook
Chicken – King of Meat
January 1st, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Chickens aren’t intimidating. Even if you were surrounded by 100, you still probably wouldn’t be worried. But, stack up chicken’s nutritional facts against the cow or any other red-blooded mammal, and chicken will come out on top 9 times out of 10.
Duncan Donuts says America Runs on Duncan. Cave Chow says healthy humans run on chicken. Let’s break it down.
NUTRITION – 5 stars
- Excellent source of protein. One of the best. Our bodies are built on protein, and we need amino acids to support that need. That food. Chicken.
- The specific protein in chicken has been shown to prevent bone loss in older people. And nobody likes to lose their bones.
- Very good source of niacin, a lack of which has been linked to genetic DNA damage. Niacin also causes major problems for Alzheimer’s and other developing cognitive diseases – great news for you.
- Provides 72% of selenium. The benefits of selenium are too complicated to explain, but you want it in your system.
- Solid source of B-Vitamins, good for increased energy and cardiovascular health. About 36% of DV, obviously that differs per person.
AFFORDABILITY – 3 stars
- How we wish this could be 5 stars, but sadly, it’s not, unless you live in California or another high-production state.
- We obviously recommend free-range, natural, or organic chicken if it only costs a little more – if not, no worries.
- It’s worth the money, even if you get just a little bit
SIMPLICITY – 3 stars
- Agh. It kills us again to rate this in mediocre sense, but that’s the truth. You can’t eat it raw, which means you need to cook it. That takes time.
- When you cook this, cook a lot of it. Fridge some, and freeze some. We recommend the “grill 30 breasts, eat 2, fridge 4, and freeze 24″ method.
Overall rating wise, chicken comes in low on our scale with a total of 11 points. However, we cannot overemphasize the IMPORTANCE of having this in your diet. Some things are worth the time, and the money, and chicken is one of them.
So cook up your favorite chicken recipe and feel the bone-building, muscle-saving embrace of a healthy food.
Cave Cook
